Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 47, Number 108, Decatur, Adams County, 7 May 1949 — Page 1

XLVII. No. 108.

lUTO STRIKE PARALYSIS IS SPREADING

LBaffle ■aging In IneseWar ■onanists Launch ■ajor Offensive On itnghai Approaches w • (UPI ~ Com ' nwl | )s have launched a maMff rll -ive to control of the rll approaches to Shanghai, cuinmuniqiies Indicated |K vy fighting was raging at K a n.3' l t” iles west and Kaah ' m iies southwest, anchor fl, of the Shanghai defense line, said. warplanes have joinbattle with heavy bombing attacks against the ■flxatlonallst planes have been fl,-, jnt(l the fighting around timtMtid Communist troops fl. the assault on Kunshan, said. Units of the flamy (might their way into fl ;i4) . but were thrown out fl, Another s.wn Communists flamkiiu' at a point 10 miles of Kunshan. Cuiiiiuunist forces con their attacks of Kashing fl three sides for the third day Front reports said fly fighting was raging there, communications with were cut off today, flleports circulating in Canton Communists had captured by direct assault.) of Kunshan and Kashing place Communist armies at fltery gates of Shanghai, ready a final battle for capture 1 ■is metropolis of 6,(111(1.01)0 popuflwhai garrison headquarters on the fighting the Nationalist air atAn announcement said hea■bombing and strafing attacks] ■ made against Communist j ■h along highways 50 miles to ■ rest and southwest. ■he warplanes smashed truck ■toys and artillery emplace■ti. killing an estimated 2.000 ■nmnist troops, the government ■ ■rather announcement said that! ■mc Communist fifth column ’ i ■in Shanghai had been crushed I ■the arrest of .TOO underground I ■"and the execution of 12 ring-|' ■ers. I ■he government also announced ' ■ a plot to seize the Nationalist ! ■'■ Fusu in the Whangpoo and ’ ■ It over to the Communists 1 ■ been broken up with the ar- ■ of five leaders. I ■her Communist columns strik 1 ■ deep into central China were 1 ■tied making additional gains. 1 ■ government announced that ‘ ■hing. capital of Kiangsi prove about 350 miles southwest ■Shanghai, had been placed on a I ■ ’ar footing with Communist , ■ s only 50 miles away. j]’- Communist radio at Peiping I ■dieted that Canton, seat of the 11 Vtganized Nationalist govern i V'- <W miles south of Nanking.! ■ be captured by May 19. ■he official central news agency V other Communist forces ring ■ T-'ingtao. American navy base ■ ’he Shantung peninsula north of t ■ angtze, had opened a heavy \ ■ 11 *Winst Nationalist forces I \ V IB g the city. | K° I c , ni * ,er * and 10 destroyers a , V s - western Pacific fleet] f ■“ °ut of the port and anchored e |°M water n W Student In ote Contest Sunday n,| d Smith, regional winner f Knights of Columbus ora- ‘ ' Co "'«t- will participate in ’ . e meet at Indianapolis at 2 ‘ twn T* 7 a,tfrno °n. The con- 0 2," “ « W ’• « c., i»in" lfr gcho °l contest- ' I Th in the discush'rib.,i' B< ‘ biw ' t “Catholic b JT* to American Hist(, ’'* ,e winner will re- t< lan r-L 1 S - bond c Mt. ’ “‘"’n to the state con- fl KniKhts of Colum- c May 21 and 22. » hlr * UTHER ’ tl H,.,,/’ mwh eootar today; c ,oniflht Sunday o £2? " ir *"d a little t: b *L»7? i?? h tW,,y 85 c ** « to 50. n

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Texas Storm Kills Pastor, Daughter Sundown Church Is Flattened By Wind Sundown, Tex., May 7—(UP)— The second tornado td swirl over west Texas in 24 hours ripped through town, killing a minister and his daughter and leaving his church a pile of rubble today. Workers beginning cleanup operations took the bodies of the Rev. S. C. Scott and the daughter from the wreckage of the Church of Christ parsonage a short time after the twister hit between 7:30 and 8 p.m. yesterday. They sent Scott’s wife and his nine-month-old son, Randy, to Phillip Dupree hospital at Levelland, both injured critically. The Scotts came here from San Alban, W. Va. The two deaths raised the number of people killed in Texas by spring tornadoes this week to six. Four people were killed a week ago today in a twister that hit Bonham, in north central Texas near the Oklahoma border. Sheriff Charlie Bullock of Hockley county said that "as far as I know no one else was injured seriously in the tornado." The twister hit the northern section of the little town. It flattened seven other houses and tossed two unoccupied automobiles and a pickup truck almost 200 feet into a field. First reports to Red Cross headquarters at Austin said five persons had been killed. But only the bodies of the pastor and. his daughter, who had been trapped in their home, were recovered. An official at the Phillip Dupree (Turn To Pnize Five) Airplane Crash Is Fatal To One Maq Logansport. Ind., May 7—(UP)— The crash of a rented airplane on a farm near here Thursday had claimed the life of one man today while another was still in a serious condition. Robert Grant, 33, Chicago, died yesterday of injuries suffered in the crash. His companion, Wilson Rogers.) 22, Chicago, remained in a hospital I here. Garrett Man Killed As Train Hits Truck Auburn, Ind., May 7—(UP)— A. B. & O. railroad freight train! struck a truck at a country cross ] ing near here yesterday, kilting 55- ( year-old George Petit, of Garrett. I a DeKalb county highway depart-] ment employe. ] Police said Petit was driving the i truck toward a dump and apparently did not see the approaching] train. He was thrown from the] wrecked truck and died instantly A wife and a son survive. I Seoul Committee i I In Annual Meeting Annual Fish Fry Is Held Friday Night Enthusiasm for Boy Scout activities was expressed by R. L Van Horn, director of the Anthony Wayne area, and Clarence Ziner. Adams county chairman, at the annual fish fry for the county committee at the American Legion home last evening. A highlight of the pregram was the showing of the film on the "Hoe Down." held last June at Lake Geneva. Wis. Scout executives Lowell Smith and Steve Everhart attended the out-door training school. Comments on the school were made by Mr. Smith as the interesting film was displayed on the screen. Scouters from Berne and Geneva attended the county roundup. Plans for the camporee and the Big Island outing were mentioned by the speakers. The Rev. A. C. E. Gillander. pastor of the First Presbyterian , church, gave the Invocation The fish fry was prepared by Joe, Rash, commander of Post 43, and the women’s auxiliary. Clarence Ziner was chairman of the meeting, which he announced concluded another successful year of scout actlvi’ies in Adams county. Troops are functioning in Decatur. Berne and Geneva. Mr. Ziner stated.

Amendments To Labor Bill Are - Being Studied 1 Two Influential s Southern Democrats Back Amendments Washington, May 7 —(UP)—: ’ Two influential southern Democrats said today that they plan to ' support amendments sponsored by 1 Sen. Robert A. Taft. R„ 0., to write principles of the Taft-Hartley law 5 into the administration’s labor bill. ’ Sen. Harry F. Byrd, D„ Va., and Allen J. Ellender, D„ La., both ! said they expect to give general ’ support to the Taft amendments. Ellender, who helped frame the Taft-Hartley law. said he may even sponsor the amendments along ■ with Taft. ’ Ellender predicted that the ad- ’ ministration's labor bil. which failed to pass the house this week, would be “snowed under" in the senate. He estimated that between 14 and 22 senate Democrats would support amendments to retain various provisions of the Taft-Hartley law. 1 Sen. J. Howard McGrath, D„ R. ’ 1., who is also chairman of the; Democratic national committee, 1 conceded that the administration may not get its labor bill through the 81st congress. If this happens, he indicated, the Democrats would make labor legislation an issue in the 1950 congressional campaign. 1 In other congressional developments: Pact—Sen. Forrest C. Donnell, R., Mo., demanded a simple “yes i or no" answer to his question— | would the Atlantic pact mean war for the United States if Russia at-] tacks Norway? To find a solution to this and other inquiries the senate foreign relations committee , has asked the state department to I answer a list of 99 questions cov- . ering every phase of the treaty. . Lobbyists Two ex-senators and] a scorn of former house members' j now make a living trying to in<Tc-» To Page Five) i • No Jury Trials To ] Be Held Until Fall ! i Policy Announced By Judge Parrish I Because the petit jury is made I ]up of Adams county farmers with 1 I the exception of one Decatur man. i there will be no more jury trials ] until next September unless there | is an extreme emergency. ’ This policy was announced to-' I day by Judge Myles F. Parrish, i judge of the Adams circuit court, when he continued until early in | the September term the SIO,OOO , damage suit of George Stimon. adI ministrator of the estate of Grace , I Stinson, vs Paul E. Miller, venued Hiere from Allen county. Judge Parrish notified David Hogg, of Hogg and Leonard, attor I ney for the plaintiff, and Ramon S. Perry, attorney for the defendant, that the cause would be held over. The court said that because farmers have much work to do in the spring, he would not call them in unless "an emergency arises." The present term of court ends i June 11 and Judge Parrish said . that the balance of the calendar I was filled with cases and actions not requiring the services of the I petit jury. < No regular court session is held I 1 from June 11 until September, but , court is open at least one day < each week during vacation for 1 the transaction of routine busi- i ness. When the judge is absent. > 1 he names a judge pro tem to serve in his stead. “ ■ 15-Year-Old Girl | Suffocates In Fire Seymour. Ind., May 7 — (UP) A 15-year-old girl suffocated today f and her mother was burned when < the tavern over which they lived i canght fire. Firemen found the body of Or- t phie Motsinger “rolled up in her c bed" when they broke into the apartment Mn. Lillian Motsinger. t 5«. was standing In a aecond story t windows with her clothes ablaxe 1 when firemen arrived, but she,l jumped to the street before a lad- < der could be raised. I

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Saturday, May 7,1949.

\ — t i Admits “Urge” Killing I Il■ » Hl w r y ■> ■ t ’• ■ ■ ■* J \ ■ < y - <■ ■ nA il ■ .A Wk ! ■ whe ■■ ■ ; i -A ' ■ Twq Cbß BMBL. I IK. H MBS? v I I Holi ■ I S' r 'i- -r- S ■.B >• Iw •'S I - im wi /! Fflr . SHOWING LITTLE REMORSE, 13-year-old Diane Allen (right) has I confessed to the killing of her Joliet, 111., playmate, Charles Johnson, (left) 7, by drowning him in the 9-inch-deep water of a stream near his home. She told authorities she had long felt an "urge to kill" the boy. She has been charged with murder.

Respite To Midwest From Record Heat Cooler Weather Is Spreading To East By United Press Middlewesterners today were I promised a respite from a record- ; br: aking heat wave. I Cheyenne, Wyo., citizens brushled snow off their sidewalks, and . west Texans surveyed damage I caused by a tornado that killed | two persons. Racing fans at Louisville pre- | pared to watch the derby under ; partly cloudy skies. Easterners appeared due for an--1 other hot day before relief arrives from a cool front that started chilling the plains states yesterday. But the thermome'er would not reach the record 93 which baked j New Yorkers yesterday, forecasters promised. The Rev. S. C. Scott, a minister of the Church of Christ, and his daughter were killed when a tornado hit Sundown. Tex., last night and flattened eight homes. Scott’s wife and son were critically injured, but highway patrolmen said no other fatalities were reported. A reading of 90.8 set a new high for the date for the fourth day running at Chicago, as did a reading of 9u at Indianapolis yesterday while Omaha. Neb., chilled down to 61. Forecasters predicted snow for southern Wyoming and western Colorado, and said upper Michigan would be one of the coldest spots m the country. Agriculture experts said it was too early to determine how much damage cold, gusty winds did to fruit trees in Utah. A sudden gust yesterdajf caught Paul J. Ordener. 23. off balance and blew him from atop a 75-foot oil well near Vernal. Utah. He was killed instantly. — Three Persons Die In Auto Accident Columbus. Ind.. May 7 — (UP) — Three members of a party bound for the Kentucky Derby were killed today, and the fourth man was injured critically when the car he was driving failed to make a curve at high speed, three miles north of Reddington. Ind. The dead, all from Indianapolis and In their early JO’a. were identified as Juanita Brers. Howard Merritt, and Eva P. Buster James Henry Mayes. 23. also of Indianapolis. was listed as critical at a hospital here.

Annual High School Party Held Friday The annual Decatur high school party was held Friday night in the school gymnasium. Miss Rebecca Walters of the faculty was in charge. Both square and round dancing were enjoyed from 8:30 tn 11:30 o'clock. Don Grote's orchestra furnished the music. 3 • Ask Early Vole On 1 i Israel's UN Bid - Proposals On Spain Also Being Pushed ’ Lake Success. N. Y„ May 7— ' (UP)—Two United Nations com- ■ mlttees today pressed for early 1 votes on Israel's bid to join the I UN. and contradictory proposals • on Franco Spain. Israel’s application for member- • ship was certain to win approval of i a special 58-nation political com- • mittee although the Arab states t with some Asiatic support were i ready to carry their fight against it . into next week, if possible. I Another special session was call ed for the UN's main political 1 group to reach a decision on Po- , land's proposal to impose new restrictions on Franco Spain, and an other plan to allow UN members nations to return top diplomatic envoys to Madrid. Voting may come | today. Advance indications were that 1 , the Polish proposal would be re--1 J jected. Strong support headed by the ! United States was lined up in the 1 UN to do nothing to rescind or re--1 affirm a 1946 UN resolution con--1 demning the Franco government. I and asking member states to refuse to accredit ambassadors or ministers to Spain. Action is still to be taken in i committees on Indonesia. Italy's (ormer African colonies, and treatment of Indians in South Africa. I There were these other UN developmeqt: Balkans—Cxecholslovakia urged assembly president Herbert V. Evatt to accept the offer of a Greek guerrilla official to fly to Lake Success to join conciliation 1 talks underway between Greece. Albania. Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. 1 Bulgaria meanwhile protested ! ‘'emphatically" UN's political com- ' mittee over alleged violations of 1 Bulgaria's borders by Greek government planes. i Economic development—The UN - announced that a 15-natlon cominisI sion would open a two-week sesMon i here on Monday to discuss techni- ■ cal aid and financing of economic - development, and maintenance of 1 full employment.

Over 135,000 Men Idle; Ford Fires 14 Strikers; Negotiations Are Stalled

Probing Deaths Al Allen County Home Numerous Deaths Resulting In Probe Fort Wayne. Ind., May 7 —(UP) — Allen county commissioners today investigated the deaths of 29 inmates of the county-operated home. More than 390 persons are cared for in the home, and many of the patients are elderly indigents. Commission president William E. Roussey said the deaths were all reported as "natural." but he said it seemed "very unusual." ' “We are making an immediate investigation of this situation and will take steps to remedy it,” Roussey said. Eighteen of the deaths occurred during the last 15 days of April. Usually, there are maybe one or two deaths a week out there," said Roussey. "We haven't paid much attention until just this week when more died. But we're going to look into it now. It’s very unusual." State Probe Indianapolis, May 7 — (UP) — The state board of health has beI gun an investigation of the Allen • 'county home in which 29 inmates] ] have died during the past 34 days. | State health commissioner Louis I E. Burney said two men from here | had been sent to Fort Wayne as-1 d ter the chief engineer at the state e board's Fort Wayne office asked a for addi ional investigative help, nj “I understand that a number of t- the deaths were caused by dyseno tery," Dr. Burney said. "We sent a s-. food and drug man up. and a physiII lan." Mother's Day To Be Observed On Sunday Mother will be the queen of the! I household Sunday. On that very special day. Mother's day. Decatur and the rest of I the nation will honor her with j genuine praise and extra considers-1 j tlon. | The kids have promised to be ■ especially nice—at least for the one ] day. Dad may even volunteer to, do the dinner dishes. Tributes will! ' be showered on her from the pul-' p pits of all the city’s churches. i s . I ; Salary Increases IMay Be Paid Now i Opinion Given By i| Attorney General i-i ... Indianapolis. May 7 — (UP)— jAtty.-Gen. J. Emmett McManamon] s said today that a salary increase. ,I voted for county assessors by the ,• I last session of the legislature, could II e paid to officials now in office, t McManamon's opinion, requested • by chairman Noble W. Hollar of the state tax board, con'radicted ? a long standing amendment to the r state constitution, which prohibited increasing an official’s salary ■ during a term of office. The at orney general said he ' based his opinion on a 1948 sur preme court decision, in which the I state's highest court held that the 1 amendment was not legally adopt- ’ ed. McManamon’s opinion indicated that the same legal reasoning would apply also to a number of other salary increases voted by the ' legislature, but he ruled only on ( the law affecting assessors, their • deputies and certain other era- ] ployes. McManamon also said the 1949, act “impliably repealed" a 1925 law j I which said “the salary of any offi-j . cer elected to any elective town-, f ship. city, county or state office. . .1 . shall not be increased during the term for which such officer was [ elected . . " ,| "The general rule Is," McMana- ! mon said, “no session of the legislature can he stopped by a legis- : lative act of a previous session, f nor can any session pass an irrepealable law."

Initial Talks Held On Berlin Traffic Moves I Berlin Blockade To Be Lifted May 12; Trains Are Readied Berlin. May 7—(UP)—The first ] talks on how to set in motion again the rus'y wheels of traffic between Berlin and the west were reported going on today. Reliable sources said German experts from the Russian and western zones were thrashing out details of how to get going when the Berlin blockade is lifted next Thursday. The technical talks were dej scribed as strictly lower level discussions on the resumption of rail ] traffic. The rails and machinery of inner-zonal travel have laid idle for a year. Western occupation authorities said they had made no arrange-1 I ments thus far for meeting their ] Russian counterparts to set up I the technicalities of lifting the ] ] blockade. The first train to Berlin was ex- ' pected to be the British military passenger transport from Bad Oyenhausen. The American mill- i tary express called “The Berliner" ] for Frankfurt was due to follow a few minutes later. Lawrence Wilkinson. U. S. economics chief, said technical arrangements for resumption of] .traffic were being handled by ' German rail officials. He said a ] meeting of the western powers ] and the Russians would be neces- ' sary only if the Germans were unable to solve the problem. Twenty-four freight trains were on a stand-by basis in the Hann over area, ready to head for Ber- ' lin as soon as the barriers go up. [ Col. D. C. Foote of Baltimore. I U. S. army transport chief in Ber--1 lin. said he expected about 13 ] trains to reach Berlin the first ] day. He said the number would | depend on track conditions and ] whether the signal equipment in I the Soviet zone is in good shape. ] Col. W. A. Willard. Berlin millI 'ary post commandant, said ga»oI line rationing would be removed ] May 16, snack bars would he re- : I opened, closing hours of clubs! | would he extended, and the ban I I on parties would be removed "just I J as soon as possible." I Clean-up Week In Decatur Next Week Annual Campaign To Open Next Monday War against dirt, rubbish, tin cans and all f: r o '« «f rubble has been declared by Mayor John M | Doan and Floyd Acker, city street commission' r. The first l>oml) will be dropped early Monday morning in the northwest part of town and from then on truckers will pick up the rubble and haul it to the city dump. Mayor Doan has proclaimed the week of May 9 as "CLEAN-UP WEEK" in Decatur and the street department has been manned for the big drive against dirt. I The cooperation of citizens Is asked in this civic war against the vices that mar the looks of an I otherwise beautiful city. Enlisted men and women in the clean-up are sought for the drive that will ; spread through the ci'y during the coming week and truckers hope that every parcel of rubbish that litter the alleys and vacant lots will find its way to the dump ing grounds east of the Monroe 1 street river bridge.

Price Four Cents

Mayor Os Dearborn Invites Ford And Union Head To Talk Over Labor Dispute Detroit, May 7—(UP)— Some 135,759 workers were idle in the automobile industry today as strike paralysis spread to other companies as well as out-of-town plants I of the Ford Motor Co., empire. Producers said that 8.990 fewer automobiles were produced this week than the preceding week. Here was the strike picture at a ] glance: ' Ford—The two-day walkout of 62.290 United Automobile workers (CIO) at the River Rouge and Lincoln Mercury plants in a dispute over an alleged speedup, idled another 4,450 workers in six Ford plants and supply companies in Michigan, Ohio and Massachusetts. Nine more plants employing 33.300 workers were scheduled to close soon in Michigan. Ohio, Missouri, New Jersey, California. Minnesota and Illinois because of parts shortages. Bendix Aviation Corp.—Federal conciliators hoped for a break in the 18-day old strike at Bendix which supplies brake parts for the auto industry. The walkout in- | volved 7,500 Bendix workers in a | speedup dispute. Nash—l2,ooo workers laid off at ] Milwaukee and Kenosha. Wis., be- ] cause of the Bendix strike. Hudson—2s.ooo Hudson workers idle because of the Bendix strike. Hudson and Nash hope to put their employes back to work MonI day. Briggs Manufacturing Co— A wildcat strike by 750 door department workers idled 16,800 Briggs employes. The strikers also ac cused the company of a speedup Plymouth division of the ChrysI ler Corp. Laid off 5,890 workers because of the Briggs strike. Chrysler 2.900 employes laid off at the Windsor. Ont., plant because of a walkout by 20 truck drivers protesting lack of company action on a grievance. Chevrolet — Workers voted to strike at the Flint, Mich., assembly plant because of an alleged speedup A spokesman said a strike by the 1.000 UAW-CIO members of the plant’s 1.500-man crew would idle more than 12.000 workers in other division. No strike date was set. Negotiations were at a standstill in the Ford dispute. There was little hope of a settlement ifoon. Picketing continued peacefully at the Rouge and Lincoln-Mercury plants. But pickets voiced strong i resentment when the company an- ' nounced it had fired 11 strikers ' and suspended 14 others for work ) stoppages that occurred on the Rouge assembly line before the walkout began. In the first move to end the strike, mayor Orville Hubbard of suburban Dearborn, where the Rouge plant is located, invited | UAW president Walter Reuther and Henry Ford 11. the governor and local union leaders to meet with him next Thursday. He said that it appeared clear to him that the strike "is a result of Ford stubbornness to practice a little I human engineering'" The union said it would stage a two-mile long parade through Dearborn tomorrow night. Plants which have closed or laid off employes include the Ford plant at Ypsilanti. Mich . 1.400 idle: the Fern) Machine A Foundry Co., Cleveland. 2.""" laid off: the Auto Specialties Co.. Benton Harbor. Mich.. 6)"' idle: the American Bosch Co.. Springfield. Mass., 150 laid off; two small Michigan suppliers. 300 idle. Ford plants to be closed, the locaions, shutdown times, and number of employes at each include: Hamilton. O. midnight tonight. 550; St. Louis, Wednesday. 1.500: Metuchen. N. J.. Thursday. 1.350: Los Angeles. May 16. 750; Minneapolis St. Paul (excepting the glass alant). Wednesday. 1.250; Chicago, Tuesday night. 1700: Windsor, Ont. Wednesday or Thursday, 1,2001 Ford’s Iron Mountain. Mich, plant, where 1 900 of 2150 etna’cyes already have been laid off. will close Monday The Murray Corp.. Detroit, one * <Tara Ta Page Sli)