Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 50, Number 89, Decatur, Adams County, 14 April 1952 — Page 1

Vol. L. No. 89.

—*■- ■! - ■ Just Like Christmas |

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l ” rH THE TOYS hanging from the tree, a “Yule” atmospherei is brought about by the worst flood in the "Mighty” Missouri’s history. This scene, at Council Bluffs lid was the aftermath of the flood waters that caused the family to evacuate their home and has a third pt the city under water. —— —— h4"-"4 • — 1 •

Abandon Whole Towns As Missouri's Crest Nearing Sioux City

Sioux City. la.. April 14. — (UP) —Whole towns were abanefoned to--day in 4he- greatest mass evacuation in the history of lowa and Nebraska as the.crest of the Missouri river -F running almost three stories deepi — neared Sioux City, ' hike refugees in a war zone, the displaced fled in trucks and automobiles, aboard trains and on foot. Aui estimated 40,1)00 persons at major points along the river left their homes, their businesses and most of their possessions to the merciless advance of the Missouri f— a river gone wild in the greatest flood in its history. * i And the lied Cross estimated that flood waters in seven midwest states haVe brought damage uo-t< Rob persons. The. lowa towns of Sloan, Whiting, Blencoe and Riverside became ghost cities along with the Nebraska communities of Dakota City and South Sioux City. - And downstream at the large j 4‘ities of Omaha, Neb., and Councilb pluffs, la., on onposite shores of the ’ Missouri, 000 persons were ordered out. Council Bluffs will be . three-fourths deserted when the evacuation is complete. i Armed men patroled the abandoned towns in boats to prevent looting of the deserted homes and business establishments. I Tfee Missouri churned like a mud l dy mountajri rapids past Sioux City Ut 24.1 feet. It was expected to /creep tip to (almost. 2a feet when it crested. • (A : It pounded at-weakening bridges, using as battering rams- the-accumu-lation,of furniture, tanks, trees and the thousand other pieces of debris it had snatched up in its furious race to the south. ; The last; regularly operating; transportation between South Sioux ; City and itis lowa neighbor was when the Burlingtoh railroad , halted service on a relief train 'carrying' refugees across the to the'highlands above Sioux City. . For days, (he train, made up of a locomotive hauling one freight car and one passenger car. had made the perilous; crossing. \j But about midnight, the train crew repotted the roadbed on the Nebraska side was get ting-“soggy” and all trips were cancelled. The only other means of getting across the river was by an automobile bridge, half-submerged on the Nebraska side. . At one point the water was only a foot below; the tracks. F < ■ Elijah A. Callow Found Dead Saturday Elijah Adams *?Curley” Callow, • 4R. a brother-of M,rs. Frank Young of ’South First street, was found dead in bed at his home- 1014 Jackson street, in Fort Wayne.; Satiir- ' day. He was a machinist at the International Harvester plant. , Besides -bis sister in this city, he is survived by three sons and i: a second' sister, Mrs. Lottie Baxter of Wren, Ohio.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Action Threatened (K By Justice DaWald I Orders Custard To j Act In Amish Case Geneva justice of peace ;Earl DaWald has written a lettei ? to county superintendent Glen Custard, statiJg “either start proceedings to close the Amish school in Wabash township by April Or face me in court.” ,i. ■ Locsl attorneys are of the opinion that the letter carries no judicial force because the 1949 school kw spates that the county superintendent may start certain proceedings. There is nothing njan('utory ok behalf of the superintendent. It\ is entirely diSeri Urinary and such action 4s frowprted ?unon because of the wording ot the statute. ' T 'i There has been cOnsidefdble publicity given the operatioh of :he Atnish school in Wabash toivnv ship and orie proceeding con erniug tlie dperatijon of 1 a public tifiisance was dismissed by DaWald recently with thb statement that “the matter isrnpr the county superintendent to handle.” — Herman Hockemeyer Dies Last Evening ] Funeral Services To Be Wednesday iterman Hockemeyer, 9T-year-old retried farmer, and a native ot Adcounty, died at 8 o’clock Sunday evening at the home of a son. Otto, two miles east of Hoaiglahd, following a yeaqs illness. He was born in Adams' cointy May 27, 1860, and was marriecl to Louise Bohuke Nov. 4, 1886. Mrs. Hockemeyer (tied March 16, !11i36. Mr. Hockemeyier was a lifelong menilier of St. John's Lutheran church at Flat Rock. ■ I Surviving are three sons, 4>tto, Henry and Martin Hockemeyer, all of Madison township, Allen ct>qnty; five daughters. Mm Martin TLieme and Mrs. Richard Thieme, both of near Decatur, Mrs. Herman Hegerfeld of Madison township, Mrs. Arthur Fackler of Fort Waylie and Mrs. Howard Jefferies of Lps Angeles, Calif.; 25 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren. One\ daughter is deceased. . < ; Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 p. m. Wednesday at the Zwick funeral home anpjM 2:30 o'clock at the St. John’s Lutheran at Flat Rock/ the 4 |lev. Henry Abrams officiating. .[’Burial will he in the church cemetery. Friends nay call at the fuqeral home after 7 d’elock this evening. The casket will not be opened at the church. L I ;

Talks Resumed In Steel Wage, Price Dispute Federal Officials Waitingfor Move To Break Impasse Washington, Apr. 14 — (UP) — Government-sponsored steel wage talks droned on today as federal officials waited for prices or politics to break the impasse. Acting defense mobilizer John R. Steelirian called the CIO United Steelworkres and industry representatives into new bargaining sessions but officials predicted they would merely “go through the ’motions” of negotiating for a set:lement that would return the industry td private control. Informed sources said that ‘ if the stalemate is broken any time scon, the impetus will come from outside Os the bargaining rqom. They w-atched particularly for: . 1. A possible government commitment to permit steel price increases big enough tb offset the 26-cents-an-hour “package” wage increase proposed the wage stabilization bbard and demanded by the '•union. 2. PoAtical pressure mustered on capitol hill by " a Republican’cd drive for a full-scale senate investigation of President Truman’s seizure of the industry. ’ Senate Republican leader Styles Bridges said he would introduce a resolution today calling on the senate judiciary committee to in>\estigate the legality of the seizure. He hoped for enough southern Democratic support to put the j <Turx To Pas® six) I■' ’ e ' . ! ■. M ■■ Red Cross Directors Meet Tuesday Night The quarterly meeting of the directors of the Red Cross willl be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at chapter headquarters in this city. Chairman Roscoe Glendening will preside : V: BULLETIN Brunswick Naval Air Base, Me., Apr. 14 — (UP) — Five naval airrhen were killed and five injured today when a twin-engine patrol plane crash eO. while attempting to i here. The plane, a P2V on a routine training flight, was coming down for a landing with one engine apparently disabled. The craft struck the Held, spun out of control into trees at the edge of the runway. The wreckage caught fire.

' ONLV DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMB COUNTY , *. ! 11 f ll H "■i"*‘ ■♦"**"• ">*"■»«*■"■*■* ■■•—--

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, April 14, 1952.

New Jersey To Cast Primary Vote Tuesday Toft, Eisenhower Supporters Clash > Headon Tomorrow Newark, N. J.. Apr. 14—(UP)--Fupportei’s of Sen. Robert A. Taft and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower fired last minute broadsides today before the candidates clash headon tomorrow in what may be a “turning point” primary for both men. Eisenhower needed a “clear but’’ Victory in the industrial state to keep his campaign rolling in high pear. A strong vote <or Tatt would offset the damage his votepulling reputation suffered in the New Hampshire and Minnesota primraies and bolster his stsx-k tremendously. Political observers gneerally conceded, New Jersey to Eisenhower. But there was; ample evidence the voting ntay be close, a factor favorable to Taft, and Eisenhower backers have Urged a heavy turnout. j With mild weather ih the offing, election officials predicted that almost a record I,ooo*ooo of the would ' participate, outdistancing the old record of 913*538 ballots east in the 1940 presidential brimary. - • ] ! Former Minnesota governor Harold E. Stassen also’ was entered in the GOP primary? but he was given little chance despite a Week>ng speaking tour throughout the ; j H; f (I ■ ? ■ n. Estes Kefauven who moved into the state today for a brief whirlwind cainpiagn. was unopposed on the Democratic ballot. However, delegates are not bound by the result, The state GOP organization, headed by Gov. Alfred E. Driscoll, has entered a full slate of convention delegates. The governor, a leading Eisenhower backer, said his slate would go to the national convention “morally bound* 1 ’ I to (Tara To Pace Six) ? One Criminal Case Is Set For Trial April Court Term Opens Here Today One criminal case, state vs Enterkin, issuing a fraudulent check, was set for trial by jury starting Tuesday, April 22, as Adams circuit court: opened the April term this morning. Judge Myles F. Parrish called the criminal docket aijld starting Tuesday morning at 9 o’clock the civil docket will be called. Actual court proceedings will get uitdervyay Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday will be consumed by the calling of the c vil docket. The April term will last 54 days and Saturday, June 14, will be the final day Qf the current term. Judge Parrish has expressed reluctance to jury trials during •he ptesen| term because many of the jurors’ are farmers, and this is their busy season.

Lift Television Freeze, Fort Wayne Given Three

Washington, April 14 — (UP ( ) — The government has cipened the door for the nation to have 2.053 television stations in j1,29i communities. most of which now have none. ■ -S. ’ -1. - |.‘ i That does not mean thpt a couple of thousand new TV stations willspring immediately into being. The whole country now has only 108. and probably no more ttan a score of new ones will be operating the year’s end. But federal communications commission at long last has lifted the freeze imposed on nellr stations Sept. 30, 1948, and had adopted a plan btoad enough to pbrmit 2,053 stations in (he indefinite) future. The 1948 freeze was imposed because interference between stations had developed. In removing the freeze last might, the FCC at the ■ame time announced it had workit plans for insuring against such interference when new s|ta-. tlons are built. Although not more than 29 or so new stations are expected by the end of this year, some 200 probably will go into operation in 1953. There are 523 applications for new stations already on file,

Decatur Man Killed As Train Smashes Auto Here Sunday

Nazarene Church At Berne Is Destroyed Church Destroyed By Fire Saturday Night The Rev. William Brace, pastor of the Church of Nazarene in Berne, which was destroyed by fire Saturday night, expressed confidence that the church would he rebuilt as quickly as the congregation takes action toward a buildtag project. I , Rev. Brace, who became pastor of the 250 member congregation fast May. estimated the! loafs at $50,000, with >23,000 of insurance on the building. The; church is located at the corner of Compromitse and North Sprunger streets. Only the bulging walls of the brick building remained standing today. The chimney toppled over through the roof Saturday niggt arid Rev. Brace surmised that the walls would hvae to be razed in leaking room for a new building. Easter Services were held in the Berne auditorium and this place will continue to be used for divine worship until a new church is tree ted. Rev. Brace said. The fire of unknown origin, apperently started in the furnace loom. Police chief Herman Bowman, who lives near the church, discovered the blaze, when he investigated a commotion his dog was making in the garage at his home.' Although Berne firemen reached the church soon after the police chief turned in the alarm, and apparently had the blaze under control, an explosion suddenly shot flames high (nto the air in front by the bell tower and the roof soon caved in. Decatur Firemen Called Decatur and Geneva firemen, tailed; to aid Berne firemen, were unsuccessful in saving the building. , Alvin Haw’kins, church'* janitor, had tended the furance at 10 o'clock, approxiinaetly 40 minutes before the fire was discovered, and found nothing wrong at thatjtiriie. The church had been enlarged aftd remodeled in 1945 and .1 mortgage had been burned last year. Two Hoosier Pilots Destroy Red Jets Tokyo. April 14—(UP)—Two Indiana sabrejet pilots knocked down three qf six communist jets "killed during four aerial dogfights in Korea Easter Sunday. 1 Maj. William H. Wescott of Terre .Haute received credit tor two Migs in a battle.south of Sinuiju. That raised his total to four. A Mig was also credited to Lt. Donald J. Hemmer of Princeton.

great numbers are expected to start flowing into Washington this week. The commission will not start processing the applications until July 1,- First consideration will go to areas nojv without TV ,and to communities where statiefos are planned in the new ultra high frequency (UHF) band. The FCC plans also to give priority to applications for non-commer-cial educational stations. It'set aside 242 of the 2,053 assignments for such purposes. This is less than half the number of educational TV stations commissioner Frieda B. Hennock had fought for. Station applications will be handled in this fashion: 1. Applications for non-commer-cial educational stations will be processed, starting July 1, in the order in which they were received. 2. Applications for all channels in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands also will be processed in the order they were received, starting July, 1. Then all other applications will be placed in four groups. The four groups involve: , 1. Changes in very high frequen<Twra T® Po<® Six)

Ohio Bell Co. Strike Ended By Agreement Wfestem Electric Walkout Prevents Full Resumption Cleveland, 0., Apr. 14—(UP)— The week-long strike of 16,000 Ohio Bell Telephone Co. workers ended today following a marathon 42-hour negotiating sesskin but the continued walkout of Western Electric emplyoes prevented full Tesumptioh of service. Western Elcetric pickets paraded in Columbus, Toledo, Akron and Canton, and Ohio Bell employes honored the protest lines. Service here — in Ohio’® largest city—was slowly returning to normal as Ohio Bell’s 6,000 strikers returned to work. Negotiators, after an all-night session, reached a settlement calling feir a raise of between $4 and $7 per week. The contract was for one year. The figure was about the same as, the 12.7-cent hourly increase won last Friday by workers of the Michigan Bell Telephone Co. Union rifficials said the Ohio agreement called for. an 11.-cent basic inise, with an additional .3-cent I ourly boost accounting for differences in job re-classification. CWA president Joseph A. Beirne expressed hope in Washington that the Ohio agreement would help ‘ speed up settlement of disputes in New Jersey. Northern California. and Western Electric.” Beirne said that "of course, we are glad to see the Ohio company meet the $4 to |7 a week pattern, but we are not glad that they made us strike for a week before agree(Tura T® Pace SIX) ; .. — J:. . ■\ r Louis J. Krueizman Is Taken By Death Funeral Services Tuesday Afternoon Louis Jacob Kruetzman, 83, a retired faYmer and a lifelong resident of Adams county, died at 11:40 o’clock Saturday night at home in St. Mary’s township after a year’s illness. He was born in Preble township Nov. 22. 1869, a son'of Fred and Lisetta-Peck Kruetzman, and was married tp Anna Scherry June 1. 1893. He made his home in Preble township until 1926. Mr. \Kruetzman was a member of the'Zlpn Evangelical and Reformed church in Decatur. Surviving in addition to his.wife are five daughters. Mrd« John F.eineke, 'Mrs. ( Harry Fiiauhiger and Mrs. Earl PeWeesO,: all of Decatur, Mrs. Howard Mills and Mrs. Paul Nuerge, both of Fort Wayne; three sons, Edward and EUtrier Kruetzman. both of Detroit, Mich., andi Benjamin Kruetzman, at borne; 13 grandchildren; eight gieat grandchildren, and one sister, Mrs. Henry Bloemker of Magley. One daughter, one hroth- ! er and fvie sisters are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at 12:45 p. m. Tuesday at the Zwick funeral home and at 1 o’clock at the Zion Evangelical and Reformed church, the Rev. William C. Feller officiating. Burial will be in Magley Evangelical and Reformed church cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home until time of the services. The casket will not be opened at the church. ■ - -r INDIANA ; WEATHER Cloudy and |a little warmer with light rain and drizzle ending tonight.; Tuesday partly cloudy and ji little warmer. Lovy tonight 32 to 36. High Tuesday 45-50 north, 50-55 south. ?

Church Rites Mark : I Easter Sunday Here Roinfall Holds-Off Here Until Evening Easter morning divine services Were largely attended in all Decatur churches. joined with pesters and choirs in celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the tomb and proclaiming the Risen Savior. \ The day’s first services were the high mass at o’clock iat 5 St. Mary’s Catholic church and the union sunrise service of the youth organizations at the First Baptist church at 6 o\lock. 1 • The predicted rain held off until late evening, the sun breaking through cloudy skies late in the afternoon. The temperature was balmy during the afternoon. Children Attend Egg Hunt About 400 children were entertained by the 1 8. P. O. Elks and the Eblem club women at the Elks home Sunday afternoon. Due to Saturday’s heavy downpour, the Lunt was held indoors, the children marching into the home where they received baskets of eggs and sacks of candy. More than TOO jsxlra prizes were distributed to the young guests. A feature of the program was the appearance of Peter Rabbit and Cottontail, the proles being taken by Joe Weber pnd » Bernard (Tarn Te Page Tw«) j ■ —_4_ ■,.. . ■, . ■ Rites Held Today For Bentz Infant Funeral services were held this .afternoon at St. Mary’s Uatholic church for Eugene Allen Bentz, infant son of Leo and Eltalka Everett Bentz, of route 6. who died at 4:30 a.m. Sunday at the Adams county memorial hospital, shortly after birth. The service ’ was conducted by the Gillig & Doan funeral home, with the Very Rev. Msgr. J. J. Seimetz officiating. Burial was in the Catholic cemetery. Surviving in addition to the parents are the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bentz of Decatur and Mi;, and Mrs. James C. Everett of Pleasant Mills. Frank L. Brittson Dies Sunday Night i Funeral Services i To Be Wednesday Frank L. Brittson, '72-year-old retired farmer of Harrison' township, , Van Wert county, Oj. died at 10:45 o'clock Sunday night at his home, six miles east of Decatur on U- S. highway 224. He had been in failing health for 18 months and bedfast for the past eight months. He was born in Harrison town- . ship July 12, 1879, a son of Isaac and Sarah Conroy-Brittson, and was married to Iva Sheets March 21 19031 ; J--I . . ;'>■ '(' ; Mr. Brittson was a member of the Wood Chapel Evangelical United Brethren church. A Surviving in addition to J hiS wife f(re two daughters, Mrs. Esta Whitaker of Harrison township and Mrs. Marjorie Fowler of Mishawaka; two sons, Russell Brittson of Decatur and Lowell Brittson of Fort Wayne; 12 grandchildren; thbee great-grandchildren, and two ba,lf-sisterß, Mrs.! Kate Avery and M'ts. Bes? Ehleu both of Los Angejles, Calif. sons preceded him in death. j. j, Funeral services will be conducted! at 12:30 p. m. (EST) Wednesday at the Zwick funeral home and at 11 o’clock at the Wood Chapel Evangelical United Brethren church, the Rev. Albert N. Straley officiating. Burial will be in Woodland cemetery at Van Wert. Friends may call at the fuperal home after 2:30 p\ m. (BIST) Tuesday. ‘:

Price Five Cents

First Traffic Death Os Year In This County George P, Cravens ? Fatally Injured As Train Strikes Auto , Decatur ahd Adairs countyJA—first traffic fatality <|)f 1952 5 was i recorded Sunday when George Paul Cravens, 26, of Decatur, died of injuries sustained shortly aftre midnight Saturday night when )the auto he whs driving was struck by an east-bound Erie passenger tram at the Eleventh street crossing of -the railroad. ’ The car In which Cravens was the lone occupant, was struck at 12:25 o’qldck Sunday morning. The drivel- was taken to the Adams county memorial hospital, where he died at 11:30, o’clock yesterday morning. The victim sustained a fracture, internal injuries and: a compound .’racturfr--oi the left leg. ' Cravens. An employe of the Burk Elevator Co., had lived in this countjr only about nine months, ahd had been residing at *he home of a sister, Mrs. George R. Thomas at Monroe. Thrmas’ car. w-hich GraVens was driving was practically demolished. It was firpt thought that there ! was a woman occupant of the car. A petticoat was found near thescene of the mishap' by sheriff Robert Shraluka. A posse searched for more than an hour but it Inter was learned that the petticoat was kepit in theianto to wipe the windshield. |War II Veteran Cravens was a veetran of World War II and. a member of the Legion. He euered army service, Noy. 3, 1942, semng with Co. A. 21st armored infantry of the 11th .armored division, and was discharged Jan. 17, 1946. A member of the reserves, he was recalled to service in January, 1950, and was discharged Jan. 1, 1952 - - fjrl - i He was born in Glasgow, Ky.. July 25, 1925, a son of Sanford and Ethel Mansfield-Cravens. Surveying in addition ot thq sis-; cer in Monroe are his parent^,' ohedaughter, Pauline, aged 3.1 ill of- - Ky.; two William Cravens of Decatur and Ellis Cravens of CainpbeHvUle/ Ky.; and four other sisters, Mrs. Earl of Bowling Green, Mrs. Cordell Riddle, Mrs. Jamed\ Short arid Mrs. Ewell Carver, all of Glasgow. Ky. The body was removed to the Zwiqk fluneral home, where friends may call tonight only, after/ 7 o’clock. The body will be taken Tuesday morning to Glasgow, Ky., for funeral services and burial. , • ' J- I r. Treasurer's Office Open For Taxpayers i May 5 Is Deadline For Spring Paynhent Special hours for the office of Adams county treasurer Richard Lewton until after the May 5 deadline for paying taxes were announced ‘ today by the treasurer. The office will remain .open Saturdays, April 19 and 26 and May 3,1 until 4:30 in the afternoon. Usual hours on Saturday are untlj noon. Starting Monday, April 21. the treasurer’s office also will remain open during each noon Hour. It is customary tn closs all court house offices front 12 ofclock until 1 o’clock each afternoon. The treasurer stated Jthat there has been a steady stream of taxpayers and he doubted if there would be the usual Jast-minute rush.- Final day tor payment of spring installment of taxes is Monday, May 5.