Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 47, Number 26, Decatur, Adams County, 1 February 1949 — Page 1

j. XLVII. No. 26.

BIX ARE MISSING IN WISCONSIN HOTEL FIRE

Snate Beals J|on-Partisan Midiciary Bill ■ Accepts Committee HReport To Reject ■ Non-Partisan Bill bulletin Indianapolis, Feb. 1— (UP)— 1. Democrats introduced in Indiana legislature today ■ joint resolution proposing IKhat the state constitution be so that the governSllHnent could float bonds to pay j|K soldier bonus. llKndianapolis, Feb. I—(UP)—effort to take the election of out of politics failed in the Udi.,!!.! legislature today when the ■Kate accepted a committee rerecommending defeat of a judiciary bill. ■Hrhe Kendall-Shake measure, iniKidueed earlier in the session, had flKposed that judges be elected ■Kietly on their record and that election of judges from the —pate's highest courts on down be a non political basis. ■'flu' action came after a number - ■ new bills were introduced in houses. Among them were |Klls which would: !■]. Allow the state highway dent to designate certain highover which trucks could traKl without weight restrictions. SB? Pay damages to a welfare injured in a prison break and a man imprisoned 32 gKmths unjustly. SB: Amend the state cigaret tax to provide that cities, coun- ■- and towns get all the income cigaret taxes. ■■in the house, two school consoli|Knon bills went out of committee |B the floor and a recommendation they he passed as amended in was accepted. IM The senate voted on a bill to owners of dogs liable to damwhen the dogs bit people. But vote lacked a constitutional and the bill failed to pass ■ was sponsored by the Indiana of letter carriers. The was 24 to 22. IB Senators also passed a concurresolution memorializing con to pass effective flood conB legislation affecting the Wariver basin. Earlier, Hoosier big city folk set a howl for equal representation demanded the legislature do than wink at a constitutional for reapportionment. M Legislatures since 1921 have to ignore the legal requirefor retabulajing “who shall whom" in the assembly, the current edition was under pressure today to amend the ls,i!ll,i on and revive a reapporplan. ■ Advocates of reapportionment their night in a public hearlast night. The house com on legislative apportioniKlt:>‘i. apparehtly split wide open jMtself on the subject, will go into session at 3 p.m. today consider the merits of the resoproposing the amendment. IM Another important meeting towas that of the house millK ll '' and veterans affairs commit I®** hoped to draft a final eil| o<-ratic bonus bill. Rep. Joseph I)., Gary. sa id he hoped his could choose from "five M* r six Plans" the best to finance |Bhe bonus. |K Democrats stepped up action on Mheir bonus measure after the ReB (Tara To Page Two) Jublic Hearing On ■Zoning Wednesday citizens of Decatur are re'“ded o( the public hearing which he held by the city plan comWednesday night at 8 ■ , in the court room of Adams M -rc °it court. All citizens and rep of organized groups ■* •> have an opportunity to be in connection with the pro ■i "ed zoning ordinance for Decatur. ■ he next step following the hear will be the presentation of a draft of the proposal to the ■ w ' r co °ncil. Al] interested persons ■ * tfged to attend the hearing WEATHER ■ C.u ,On,flM lnd Wednesday. ■ north portion tonight ■ lo *est temperatures rangR "9 from around zero in northfl I'*' 18 10 above near the Ohio ■ Chrer.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Two American Airmen Die In Tokyo Fire Tokyo, Feb. 1— (UP) — Two American airmen were killed in a two-hour fire which razed the 11 buildings at the Chitose air base on Hokkaido Island Sunday night, the army announced today. The army announcement said the bodies of the two victims have been recovered, but that their names iwere being withheld .pending notification of the next of kin. Dixie Suffers Second Day Os Freezing Cold Fruit, Vegetable Crops Hit; West ’ ’ Fights Snowdrifts By United Press I Dixieland suffered its second [ hard freeze today as the western : range states launched a coordinat- ■ ed effort to smash away the big i snowdrifts and carry feed to the west's 5,500,000 starving livestock. 1 The freezing cold struck again i at the citrus and vegetable gard- : ens of southern Texas, the Louisiana strawberry beds, and the ■ Georgia peach orchards. Highways were dangerous from ■ yesterday’s blanket of sleet and snow throughout upper Mississippi 1 and Louisiana, northern Alabama and Georgia. Tennessee and North ' Carolina. Four hundred men worked emergency shifts to restore electrical power to outlying sections 1 of Atlanta which suffered a comhla(*kout for a time yesterday. Gainesville and Athens, Ga„ I fek. also were cut off from power and 1 onfj newspaper published a mimeographed "ice-bound edition.” New York City was spared the "heavy accumulation” of snow that was forecast but parts of j New England, including Boston, were hit hard. An army doctor, Capt. George ’ W. Magladry. Jr.. volunteered to parachute today to the aid of 60 Navajo Indian children stranded in their snowbound Arizona school for more than a week. Some of the children were reported suffering from pneumonia. A "grasshopper fleet” of civil air patrol planes dropped 1.200 i pounds of emergency rations to , the children last night. Dr. Philip Scholta. Ft. Defiance, Ariz., doc- ' tor, and a nurse also were scheduled to be flown there by helicopter. Two C-47 air force planes dropp- ■ ed food to the 50.000 Navajos on the reservation and then dispatched two C-54 ships to aid them. The navy also ordered six RYD’s to Phoenix to join the (Turn Tn Page Two) ———— • — 11 ■- Sex Killer Granted Stay Os Execution U. S. Supreme Court Gives Stay To Watts .Michigan City. Ind.. Feb. 1 — (Up) _ Robert Austin Witts already had kissed his mother e. tear ful goodbye when the U. S. su preme court granted him a 30-day stay, just seven hours before he was scheduled to die in the electit chair early today. Watts, a 27-year-old negro truck driver, was sentenced to die for the sex-slaying of Mrs. Mary Lois Burney. 39- prominent Indianapolis clubwoman. His execution, originally scheduled for last May 10. has been stayed twice by the Indiana supreme ' court The latest stay gave him until Feb. 14 to file another formal ' appeal to the state court which had ' refused to postpone his death again Watts charged that he received an unfair trial because the prose cutor was prejudiced and !>*cause the jury included no negroes. He ' was convicted in Shelby circuit court Jan. 28. 1948. The delay to March 3 was zranted by supreme court justice Frank Murphy, who signed the order while the prison chef was preparing Watts his last meal. Watts had asked for a filg helping of -hrimp Before the order was received by warden Ralph Howard. Watts had (Twa Ta Page Twa)

Too Much Water At Murphysboro Water Works

Jh w. Will . X

THE BIG MUDDY RIVER’S floodwaters are in the filtration works at Murphysboro, 111., and the town's more than 8.000 residents must boil all drinking water. Picture was taken from roof of electric plant, also threatened with a shutdown due to the rampag.ng river. A

Two Bluffton Men Surrender Monday Compton, Bennett Sought For 10 Days A 10-day manhunt for Joe Compton. 26, and Kenneth "Peewee" Bennett, 21, both of Bluffton, ended at 11:45 p. m. Monday when the pair surrendered to Wells county sheriff Alva Smith. - The men had been sought since the morning of January 22, when they allegedly heat Ernest Cupp, custodian of the Eagles lodge at Bluffton, robbed the club room till of 3240, and forced Jess Easterday. a Wells county farmer, to accompany them to Marion. Wells county prosecutor Joseph F. Eichorn has filed charges of kidnaping, robbery, vehicle taking and grand larceny. No indication was given today as to the date of arraignment. Compton and Bennett walked into the Wells county Jail without arms or money after eluding authorities in several states for 10 days. They drove to Bluffton in a 1936 Chevrolet they said they stole in Erie, Pa. However, the car bore an Indiana license plat£ on the rear, with a Jay county number. They said they had been in Anlerson. Columbus and Cleveland. 0., and Erie, They slipped back Into Bluffton over the weekend, but attempts to ferret them out failed. A federal parole officer conferred with Bluffton authorities soon after the alarm was broadcast for their arrest. Both men were on federal probation at the time of »he alleged crimes. The federal officer said Compton and Bennett would have to serve the remainder of their U. S. terms regardless of any sentence imposed on them for the Bluffton crimes. Conviction on either the rohberv or the kidnaping charge would sentence the men to between U) (Turn To P'-ssr Two, Campbell Funeral Friday Afternoon Former Wren Lady Dies In California Funeral services for Mrs. W. G. Campbell. 86. who died Saturday at her home in Stockton, Cal., will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Zwlck funeral home, the Rev. Harry Smith officiating. Burial will be in the Wren. 0.. cemetery. The body will arrive in Decatur late Wednesday evening. She was born in Pennville Feb. 7. 1862. a daughter of Irey and ManSwitzer. Her busband. William Campbell, died in 1915. She moved fr«n Wren to California in 1920 Mrs. Campbell was a member of the Evangelical VniUd Brethren church in Wren Surviving are two daughters. Mrs. J. C. Snyder of Wren and Mrs. Lola Chaney of Stockton. Cal.; two grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, February 1, 1949

Meet February 8 To Plan Service The executive committee of the Decatur council of church women will meet at the Decatur library at 2 p.m. next Tuesday, Feb. 8, to complete plans for the World Day of Prayer service, which will be held in this city Friday, March 4. Dr. John Benson, of Indianapolis, will be the speaker. Dr. Benson is well known in Decatur, having conducted the spiritual emphasis services here two years ago. School Children Made 111 By Gas Poisonous Gas In School At Chicago Chicago, Feb. I.—(UP)— More than 55 children were overcome or made ill today when poisonous chlorine gas seeped through Kelvyn Park high school. Fifteen of the victims were taken to hospitals, but none was re ported in serious condition. The rest were treated in neighboring homes by ambulance crews, fire department rescue squads and pri vate doctors. Chlorine gas, deadly when inhaled in concentrated doses, was used in World War I. it was used at the school to purify water in the swim ming pool. The tank in which it was stored In the school basement toppled breaking a connection with a pipe which led to the pool. School auth orities said the fumes were sent through the school by the ventilat ing system. A janitor discovered the toppled tank and notified school engineer James Sullivan and school fireman John Tonkinson. ' Without gas masks, Sullivan and Tonkinson rushed into the storage room in an attempt to seal off the tank Sullivan was overcome and taken to a hospital. Meanwhile, children in the classrooms began coughing. The fire alarm bell rang and all of the school's 1,450 pupils filed from the building in orderly fashion, as they had been instructed to do in fire drills. Some collapsed in the corridors, however, and were carried from the building by their schoolmates. They were taken to private homes in the neighborhood. Mrs. Elsie Marcotte said she looked out her window "and I saw all these children streaming from the school, coughing and crying.” “Some were being carried or helped along by others,” she said. “I opened my front door and told them to come in.” Ambulances, fire department res cue squads and police squad cars were sent to the scene. Oxygen was administered to many of the pupils. Some were carried from the neighboring homes on stretchers and were taken to St. Anne's hospital by ambulance. Dr. Nicholas Chester, summoned from bis office, injected a heart stimulant in many of the cues to counteract shock. He Mid he wu afraid that some of the children who merely took a drink of water and walked home would be b in to (Tara Ta ?age Five)

Sales Talk Is Given Al C. of C. Meeting Shanahan Speaks At Meeting Last Night “if you have the better mousetrap, you must beat a path to the world, before the world beats a path to you,” John Shanahan, supervisor of sales for the IndianaMichigan Power company. Fort Wayne, said in a sales talk last evening to 100 members of the Chamber of Commerce in the first of a series of “cracker-barrel” meetings to be held by the organization during the winter months. Mr. Shanahan was presented by Earl Caston, assistant cashier of the First State bank, and chairman of the program. Glenn Hill, president, presided at the meeting, which ‘was held in the K. of P. home. “One reason the successful mer chandiser must advertise is that two and one-half million persons become of age every year and an equal number set up housekeeping. They do not know your business or product unless you advertise. Ad vertising stimulates sales.-" Mr. Shanahan said that the successful business must be built on three legs. First, finance; second production and third, sales. "If we are to enjoy mass production in this country we must have masssales,,” he explained. The speaker outlined the opportunities in salesmanship. “A sue cessful salesman must know his product. Too many people have forgotten the business of selling. 'Turn To Pune Four) Landlord's Strike Leader Threatened Property Owners To Raise Big Fund Tulsa, Feb. I—(UP)—The Rev. Wallace J. Murphy, who started the “Tulsa plan” for mass evic.ions in protest against rent controls, said today that he was "not disturbed" by *the threat of a mysterious woman who said she wagoing to kill him." Mrs. Roy Sheldon, wife of the president of the Tulsa property owners association, of which Mur phy is executive secretary, said ihe woman called the association office and a?ked for Murphy. When told that he was not in. Mrs. Sheldon said that the woman warned: ■ "He'd better not be in. because I'm going to kill him.” Murphy has been at his home cince he suffered a heart attack last Thursday. He said he has had many calls "berating” him for his campaign to evict renters, hut that this was the first time his life was threatened. Meanwhile, the National Association of Property Owners announced at Kansas City that it will raise 31,000,000 to "educate the people to the true facts about rent control” If controls are extended. Thurman L McCormick, executive director of the national group, l (Twra Te Page Twa)

75-Year-01dRipon Hotel Destroyed; Guests Flee In Near Zero Weather

Entire City Block Over Mine Caves In Four Persons Hurt, 14 Homes Damaged Carbondale. Pa.. Feb. I—(UP)— A whole city block in this anthracite community subsided today and two adjoining blocks were shaken by an underground mine cave-in. Four persons were injured, none seriously. At least' 14 homes were damaged severely in the main cave-in area. Many others in the surrounding sections were damaged to a lesser extent. Residents said the cave-in, over a leased mine of the Hudson Coal Co., sounded like an earthquake. Most of them were asleep at the time, but an advance rumble enabled them to escape from their shaking homes. One two-story frame dwelling dropped 25 feet, leaving the roof level with the street surface. Two automobiles parked in a street slid into a hole 20 feet deep. Women and children, wearing only night clothing and some in hare feet, ran screaming through the snow-covered streets In freezing weather. A water main cracked in the subsidence and sent a torrent of water cascading through the section before it was shut off by company workers. One of the first to hear the advance rumble was the family of Philip Calachino. His home was near the middle of the cave-in. He heard his 10 children, ranging from one to 15 years old, racing through the house. He and his wife quickly gathered them together and led them safely from the quaking house. Joseph Tolerico, a 26-year-old jeweler, said it felt Just like “dropping through space" when the crash came. His was one of the three houses most severely (Turn To Pn(t«“ Two, To Question Former Resident In Thefts Benjamin H. Lett Held In Michigan Sheriff Herman Bowman is plan ning a trip to Coldwater. Mich., to interrogate Benjamin H. Lett, 59. a former Adams county resident believed implicated in at least two county thefts. Lett and Leroy Dolan, his companion. are being held by Cold water authorities for the theft of two head of cattle there about three weeks ago. Police in Indiana and Ohio are also eager to question the pair with regard to more than 30 recent farm thefts. It has been confirmed that Lett was in the Decatur area on September 28. when a tractor was stolen from the- farm of Clarence Black, southeast of Pleasant Mills, and a trailer taken from the Nimrod McCullough farm nearby. Lett's criminal record dates back to 1908, when he was sentenced to 2-14 years on a grand larceny count here. It is believed he may be con nected with the theft of four head of cattle from the William Miller (arm east of Decatur in October. 1947. The sheriff's department and state police had been investigating the September thefts and a pickup order was issued for Lett prior to his arrest in Coldwater, where he was apprehended in the act of stealing cattle. Lett's convictions have almost all been for farm thefts. Bosse, Tope Begin Terms This Morning County Attorney Ed A. Bosse began bis second year in that official post today and Groce Tope became a member of the Adams county a) cohollc beverage board. The oneyear appointments were made by the connty commissioners on Jan. 1. i effective on February 1.

Ching Opposes Mediation By Labor Control Mediation Leader Says Department Is Too Pro-Labor Washington, Feb. 1 — (UP) — Federal mediation director Cyrus Ching said today that the labor department is too pro-labor to give management a fair deal. For that reason, he told the senate labor committee, he Is deadset against a proposal to put the mediation service under labor department control. The towering 73-year o’.d Ching is understood to be ready to quit his job if the mediation service is deprived of its independence. Ching testified at a hearing on President Truman's new labor hill. It would repeal the Taft-Hartley act and return mediation to the labor department. Other congressional developments: Advertising—House Republicans are planning a “give 'em hell" campaign aimed at selling the GOP congressional record to the voters. "Dangerous"—Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord, legislative chairman of the national guard association, urged congress to go slow on a bill to expand the air force to 70 groups. He said the bill as drafted is "dangerous" because it would put the air national guard under the thumb of pentagon generals and ultimately destroy the whole guard. Pensions—Veterans administrator Carl R. Gray, Jr., told the house veterans administration that the administration is against a proposal to pay old age pensions to all survivors of World War I and 11. Wages—The CIO asked congress to overhaul the wage-hour act to protect both workers and employers “who want to pay their employes a decent wage." The projected campaign to sell the Republican congressional rec ord was described as the greatest vote-inviting drive ever undertaken in congress. House GOP leader Joseph W. Martin, Jr., denied that the idea (Turn To Pnge Five, Caroline Wiegman Dies This Morning Funeral Services Thursday Afternoon Mrs. Caroline Wiegman. 68. a lifelong resident of Allen county died at 12:15 o'clock this morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Henry Meyer, one-half mile east of Hoagland, where she resided. She had been seriously ill for the past week. Born in Madison township. Allen county. Feb. 2«. 1880, she was a daughter of William and Mary Boknecht-Alfeld. Her husband. William C. Wiegman. died June 4. 1942. | She was a member of St. John's j Lutheran church at Flatrock. Surviving in addition to the daughter are seven grandchildren: I three brothers. Henry and Crist : Alfeld. both of Fort Wayne, and Fred of Allen county, and two sisters. Mrs. Lena Wietfeldt of Allen county and Mrs. Mary Petzold of Fort Wayne. Two sons, one daugh i ter. one brother and one sister preceded her In death. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the home and at 2 o'clock at the Flatrock church, the Rev H. W. Hartenberg er officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery The body will be removed from the Zwlck funeral home to the residence, where friends may call after 7:30 o'clock this evening. The casket will not be opened at the church.

Price Four Cents

Six Unaccounted For; Most Os 48 Guests Flee Fire In Nightclothes Ripon, Wis., Feb. I—(UP)—Fire destroyed the 75-year-old Grand View Hotel today, and authorities said six persons were unaccounted for and believed dead in the debris. Most of the hotel's 48 guests aided by firemen and volunteers, including Ripon college students, fled from the building into fivedegree cold. i At midmorning, after searching ’ as far as possible into hot, smok- ' ing ruins and checking identities through other guests, authorities listed six persons as unaccounted • for. The hotel register was de- > stroyed in the fire. Officials identified the six as: Albert Bleigh. 60, and Lloyd i Wasserbach, 27. Madison: Robert ■ Wlnglcr, 32, lowa City. la.; CharI les Wendlandt, 70. Miss Clara Sal-t versen* GO. and Alice Callen, GO, r all of Ripon. Smoke and the heat of fire ’ scorched bricks and charred ■ beams blocked a complete search for bodies for many hours after • the fire. Witnesses said the fire broke , out in the maid’s quarters on the ' top floor, apparently because of a , defective fuse box. It flashed > through the entire httfel within a matter of minutes. i The building burned virtually i to the ground despite the efforts , of firemen from Fond Du Lac, i Berlin, Princeton and Oshkosh t who raced here to aid the local ■ department. [ Many of the guests were res ■ cued by students from Ripon col- ; lege who climbed ladders and . gropped through the smoke-and-flame filled corridors. Guests clung to the windowsills and begged for the firemen below to spread nets they could hap Into. Harold St. Arnauld, a student from Iron Mountain. Mich., saved Miss Ix>u Dornbrook. 45, by helping her down a ladder. "I saw two other persons lying on the second floor whom I couldn't reach,” he said. The hotel proprietor. Mrs. Mamie Kuhn, saved her 16-year-old son. Eddie, by helping him down the stairs. He had been sick in bed. "As we went down. 1 could hear someone hollering that lie was going to Jump." she said. Two persons were injured ser- , lously enough to require hospital treatment. They were Warren Schleinzer. Elmhurst, 111., and fireman Fred Hemmerling. Ripon, who was hurt by falling debris. The fire broken out about 1:30 a. m. (CSTI. Firemen said there may have been many more victims (Turn T«» I'nitr Three» Mayor Os Portland Dies Monday Night Portland. Ind.. Feb. 1 — (UP, — Mayor Fred B. Jones, 63. died last night at his home following a long illness. He was elected mayor in 1947 on the DwnocnUic ticket and had served pre' iously as a township trustee eight years. He was active iu civic club work and had l>een in the grocery and service station I business several years ■ Survivors include the widow, a I son. three brotlitrs and three sisI ters. • House Adjacent Io County Garage Sold T. D. Scnieferstein. well known i auctioneer, purchased the four \ room house adjacent to the 4darns I county garage on North First I street, at public sale yesterday. The bid was 3170 and the sale was in charge of the count) commissioners. Thurman I. Drew, cinnity auditor, acted as clerk Under conditions of sale, the house roust be moved within 60 days from the site. The county owns the real estate on which the garage and house are located