Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 52, Number 83, Decatur, Adams County, 8 April 1954 — Page 1

Vol. Lil. No. 83.

Flight Cures Whooping Cough ‘ : 1> in vu arkS .jriFSB ’" u J IL 4 R ' : Si > ■ JMR £ ''' Ji wfIESSS^^.-,.. GEN. WILLIAM L. FITTS bids good flying to little Verena Maria M'aleiier, 3%, in Vienna as she siarts on a 45-minute flight. And was it ever successful! The child had whooping cough and Austrian doctors couldn’t find a cure. So they asked permission, for a plane ride. That did it* they eay.

Congress May Delay Voting Foreign Aid - Know la nd Suggests Delay In Funds To Stalling Allies WASHINGTON, (UP) — Senate Republican leader William F. Knowland suggested today. that congress may delay appropriating foreign aid sos, allies which stall cn the American bld for collective action, against new Communist aggression in the Far East. Secretary of state John Foster Baltes is reported considering a flying trip to London and Paris next week to line up support for “united action” to protect Southeast Asia against Red aggression. The state department had no official comment. The British and French cabinets have balked at agreeing to Dulles' proposal until they see the result of the April 26 Geneva peace conference on the Far East. ■■Since some of the nations with Which we are associated have been suggesting waiting until after the Geneva conference before deciding on how to “respond to secretary Dulles' inquiries . . . "Knowland told newsmen, ‘‘'l find there is a growing sentiment in congress that is should delay until after Geneva before setting a final policy on appropriations in support ct NATO countries." Knowland said this applies particularly to those countries “that have dragged their feet as far as EDC (the six-nation European defense community) are concerned." France and Italy are the only nations which have not ratified EDC which would rearm Western Germany. “If they want to ‘take a reading’ based on Geneva," said Knowland “maybe congress may determine it wants to ‘take a reading’ based on Geneva and the response to the Dulles inquiries.” Dulles, it was understood, was thinking about flying to London Sunday for talks with British officials early in the week and then continuing on to Paris for similar (Turn To Page Five) Former Decatur Man Dies At Lafayette Edward Burkhead, former resident of Decatur, died Tuesday night at his home in Lafayette following a long illness. He moved from Decatur about 30 years ago. Survivors include a brother. John Burkhead of Decatur. Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon at the Murphy funeral home in Lafayette, with burial in that city. Brother Os Decatur Ladies Dies Wednesday William Bernard, 61, of Fort Wayne, died Wednesday afternoon at the St. Joseph hospital after an illness of five weeks. Surviving are his wife, Gertrude; two sons, Donald add Billy, Fort Wayne, and three sisters, Mrs. Julia Schultz. Mrs. Carl Rumschlag and Mrs. John Kintz, all of Decatur. The body was removed to the Tom Mungovan funeral home, where friends may call after 7 o’clock this evening. Funeral arrangements have not been completed.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY OAILYNEWEEPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

39 Official Voting Places Designated Two Changes Made In Decatur Sites The Adams county board of commissioners has designated 39 official voting places for the primary election May 4 ahd Frank Kitson, county auditor, has been authorized to prepare a legal notice giving the address of each place. Two changes were made by the commissioners, both in Decatur. : Precinct number 37, which is Decatur 38. has been changed from Frauhiger’s on Seventh street to the Launderaid laundry building on Seventh street. The other change wak made in I precinct number 38, Decatur-Root , precinct, which formerly was at ■ Mollenkopf and Biting’s on U. S. • highway 27. The new voting place . has been designated as Roop’s i Homewood grocery on Washington street. i Kitson said the legal advertisement to be published in Berne and ■ Decatur newspapers would be ready soon and would give the number, name and address of each voting place in the county. ‘ The primary election voting sit- , es will remain unchanged, for the ' November general election, except in emergencies such as fire or other destruction of a voting place, , according to statute. * The t order locating the voting places will be signed by Lewis Worthman, Otto Huffman and Harley Reef, commissioners, "and attested to by auditor Kitson. John C. Spahr Dies Early This Morning Veteran Railroad Employe Dies Today • John C. Spahr, 69, a veteran employe of the Erie railroad, died at 6:15 o'clock this morning at his home, 107 South Seventh street, following an illness of five months of complications. Mr: Spahr had been an employe of the Erie for 56 years until illness forced his retirement. He was born in Ohio Dec. 14. 1884, a son of Joseph and Mary Spahr. Mr. Spahr was a member of the Bethany Evangelical United Brethren church and the fathers’ auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Surviving are his wife, Edna; three daughters, Mrs. Evangeline M. Lee of Cuyahoga Falls, 0., Mrs. Mary A. Fennlg and Mrs. Madeline R. Snell of Decatur; two sons, William J. Spahr of Fort Wayne and John D. Spahr of West Lafayette; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; three ■ Fleyd Spahr-of Lima.'O.;- . Von Spahr of Ohio City, 0., and Riffle Spahr of Markle, ahd one sister, Mrs. Wave Furry of Lima, 0. One daughter, two brothers and two sisters are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Bethany Evangelical United Brethren church, the Rey.' Benj. G. ' Thomas officiating. Burial will be , at Ohio City, O. The body will be • returned from the Glllig & Doan ■ funeral home to the residence, where friends may call after 3 o’clock Friday afternoon.

New Security Directive On Armed Forces 1 Defense Department Issues Personnel Security Directive i WASHINGTON. UP — The defense department today issued a new personnel security directive designed to weed security risks, from subversives to drunks, from the armed services. The 10-page directive establish- 1 es the same criteria for personnel security in the armed services that the administration set up last April for civilian federal workers. I Defense secretary Charles E. Wilson told the senate armed ser- I vices committee the directive Is designed to “tighten up and to I speed up" procedures for ousting and keeping security risks out of the armed service. The directive consolidates all security regulations and will add . “more safeguards against errors” in the military personnel security program, he said. The new directive was ordered after the anny -was attacked by Sen. Joseph >R. McCarthy (R-Wis.) 1 for “coddling” Communists. Wil- 1 son has admitted that the case of < former army dentist Irving Peress i — highlighted by McCarthy —was i badly handled. “Changes have been made to I prevent a repetition of previous i mistakes," Wilson said. i He also gave the Committee < "complete assurance” that “the 1 matter of subversives, Communist sympathizers, or other such apcur- 1 ity risks in the armed forces is > being carefully worked out.” Only a small fraction of armed ' services personnel “can be classified as disloyal or security risks,” 1 he said. But he added, “One sin- 1 gle Communist or disloyal member in the armed forces is one too. many." Among the directive’s criteria which raise a question of security are membership in subversive orsanitations, close association with subversives, refusal to sign loyalty certificates, relatives behind the Iron Curtain, willful violation of security regulations, and “any criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral or notoriously disgraceful conduct, habitual use of intoxicants to excess, drug addiction, or sexual perversion.” McCarthy's Charge Os Delay Is Denied H-Bomb Research Charge Is Denied WASHINGTON, UP —Chairman W. Sterling Cole (R-N. Y.) of the house-senate atomic energy committee today rejected proposals that his group ask Sen. Joseph B. McCarthy (R-Wis.) for any evi- ; dence he has that Reds in government may have delayed U. S. Hbomb development by 18 months. The committee members, Reps. Melvin Price (D-Ill.) and James E. Van Zandt (R-Pa.) had suggested that McCarthy be asked to testify on his charge, made on a telecast Tuesday night. But Cole said the issue is "closed” and he has no intention of calling McCarthy. Cole said Wednesday night that a number of congressmen and scientists originally opposed the Hbomb project. Newspaper files show that one of the dissenters was Cole .himself. When Harr'y S. Truman ordered H-bomb research started Jan. 31. 1950, Cole reacted sharply. Mr. Truman had “muffed" a chance, he declared, to take the lead in halting “the mad race of modern science toward more and greater weapons of destraction.” It was against this l>ackground that Cole said in a formal statement Wednesday night that .the “considerable discussion that preceded the Truman decision was "not of itself sinister.” “Nor does it imply that those who opposed the President’s, final decision were motivated by a desire to lessen our military strength;” he said. - *• Cole’s statement was directed to Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy’s charge —denied by Mr. Truman and unconfirmed by the government — that H-bomb research was delayed 18 months and that Communists in the government may have been responsible. The statement was in Cole’s name but it apaprently spoke for his committee. In Augusta Maine, former atomic energy commissioner Sumner T. Pike also denied McCarthy's charg<Tum Tu Face six)

/Tlecatur, Indiana, Thursday, April 8, 1954.

30 Persons Killed As Canadian Airliner And Training Plane Collide

Tornado Hits Illinois, One Woman Killed Tornadoes Hit In Three Midwestern States Last Night | By UNITED PRESS A blast of cold Canadian air that kicked up tornadoes in three midwestern states and brought an end to June-in-April weather crept southeastward out of central states today. As the com tront advanced it kicked up thundershowers and rain storms ahead of its leading edge and dropped temperatures from the unusually warm levels of the last few days. The black-funneled twisters that slammed into rural areas of Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin Wednesday killed one person and injured at least 13 others. The most violent tornado spun through, a 15-mile-long path just north of Kankakee, 111., just six years to the day after an April 7| 1948 twister that killed three per-’: sons and caused heavy damage in the same Urea. • Mrs. Anna Barclay, 54, was Jelled when the tornado demplisfied het rural home eight miles north of Kankakee’ and jjfove p timber into her body. Her sqji, Charles, 30, was hospitalized. Eleven other persons were hospitalized in the area, three of them with injuries suffered in a head? on auto collision that took place at the climax of the storm. Mrs. Elsie Langlois and 30-year-old son, Gerald, were hurled TOO feet Into a field when the twister* reduced their home to kindling hq£. they v*re not hurt. A small tornado wjijj>pe> through Genesee County, miles southwest of Flint, 1 MifhT wrecking a volunteer fire hotffce but injuring no one. Earlier in the day three twisters hit lowa county in southwestern Wisconsin near Avoca andfeHlghland, Wls. The big blow injured Mrs. Gordon Gilbertson, and destroyed .the buildings on her husband's farm. Other wild thunderstorms, rain and hail storms struck the mid-, continent —all of them touched off by the collision of the cold front and warm muggy air hanging over the country. Hailstones the size of walnuts struck some Texas and northern Illinois communities, an<r lightning caused barn fires near Austin, Minn., and Indianapolis. Ind. Early today the cold wave reached a line from northeastern Ohio southwestward to Texas. Ahead of this line showers and thunderstorms were frequent and more were forecast for today. A weak coastal warm front moderated the effect of the advancing cold air along much of the Atlantic coast. INDIANA WEATHER Fair tonight and Friday. Colder tonight. Scattered frost likely south. Warmer Friday. Low tonight 22-28 north, 28-35 south. High Friday 50 north and central, 60 extreme south.

-lenten “Mteditatioti (By Rev. Paul D. Parker, Nuttnian Avenue ' • United Brethren Church) The Cheers of Jesus Matthew 14; 22-33 During the earthly life of our Lord he found occasion to frequently use the phrase, “Be of good cheer.” In each case these words were used to convey encouragement, or to dispel the sense of fear. 'ln the case oi Matthew 14:22-33 the disciples were in midsea when a storm arose and threatened their safety, While they were wrestling with the waves Jesus appeared unto them upon the, water and said, “Be of good cheer; It is I, Je not afraid." This, like all others is an age of fear. Men fear their security, fear sickness, fear the potential destructiveness of this age of power. In Luke 21:26 it says that the time will come when, “Mens hearts will fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming On the earth.” Such fear is terrifying, paralyzing and defeating. I wonder if this could be the reason for this nervous Jittery age in which we live. "‘Fear hath torment.” When we fear we don’t trust, when we trust we don’t fear. The best antidote for fear is the sense that Christ is near.

Pilotless Bomber Squadron Set Up Squadron Is Set Up Near Iron Curtain 1 U. S. AIR FORCE BASE, Bitburg, Germany UP — The first |Rnerican pilotless bomber squadron has been set up on the fringe of the Iron Curtain in such secure cy that its men are Threatened Mvith immediate court-martial it they talk about ft. i The squadron is probably the first of Its kind in the world —the first step toward realization of push button warfare. Lit war comes to Europe, the 600 men of the “PBS"—the Ist pilotJess bomber squadron of the Unitid States air force—are prepared to launch against the enemy the hew 861 Matador guided missile. This is a stubby airplane that Illes more than 300 miles at a speed of more than 600 miles an tour. It-can carry an atomic warhead. It is expendable—it has no crew. All it takes to launch it is the flick of a switch. 'An electronic brain guides this monster to a target with pinpoint accuracy. It flies just as well in ba* weather as in good. %itburg base is an American city of about 12,000 people. It has sprung up from a foundation of ■cow pastures and pine woods in “Me radar-fringed Eifel Mountain' foothills. The Iron Curtain is 15 minutes “flying missile time” away — 150 miles. • ;. A natural friendly rivalry is growing between the men of the \-lst PBS who came here a month ago from Patrick air base in Florida and the Sabrejet fighter plane crews. There have been some hot i discussions whether the Matadors "Vill make pilots obsolete. "No batch of vacuum tubes is going to take my place." said Col. r Marvin E Childs, of Valley. Neb,, i;commanding combat operations of the Sabrejet 36th fighter bomber l ' wing. “I’ll stick with the Sablejets.” • What the Matador men say, among themselves, is secret. They can’t talk to outsiders. This correspondent was permitted to tour Bitburg base with the repeated warning to stay away from the Matador area and Mata- . dor men. This is what I saw: A narrow gauge railroad is hauling in the 140 carloads of equipment the PBS brought from Florida. A six-foot fence is being thrown up around the Matador area. Only airmen with special passes—pink cards —are permitted inside. Crates are being hidden under tarpaulAlmost every facility of the base is being expanded to take care of the 600 push-button airmen. Though the Matador men can’t talk, Mrs. Marion Ruhe, who came here from Kelly air base in Texas to be director of special service, said of them: “The Matador crews have gone In a big way for our radio station. Those’ boys are electronic experts. I guess they really love vapuutn tubes."

New American Planes Arrive in Indochina Planes To Bolster Supply Lines For French Garrison HANOT, IndochinaF”UP — New American - built C 47 transport planes arrived In Indochina today to bolster the supply line to the battered French garrison of beseiged Dien Bien Phu. French crews will use the additional planes to beef up the supply of ammunition, food and medicines to the vital fortress whose defenders are bracing for an anticipated new Communist assault. Red artillery and ground action has cut Dien Bien Phu off from all supplies except those parachuted into the Red-ringed fortress. Today’s reports from the garrison said the Communists were burrowing and tunnelling all over the Dien Bien Phu basin. An additional 20,000 Red reinforcements were pressing southward from depots along the Red China border to launch another Communist attack before rains be; gin, in about one week. , QfUciaU refund to aayjyhetfegr the new C47s gre the vanguard of emergency aid requested from Washington earlier this week by the French government. They also withheld the number of planes delivered. Communist forces, while regrouping for the assault on Dien Bien Phu, struck with other units in a series of bold raids that .brought the sound of gunfire to_ Hanoi itself during the night. French military circles said the daring raids Inside the Red River Delta may herald a full-scale Communist assault on northeastern Indochina's vital triangle whether besieged Dien Bien Phu falls or not. More than 100,000 Communist troops already are within the Delta perimeter, carrying out miniature campaigns that have brought three-fourths ot the rich plain under Viet Minh political control. At Dien Bien Phu, 180 miles northwest of Hanoi, the battered rebel besiegers failed to launch any new attacks for the third successive Bright. Only a few artillery and mortar shells whined into the (Turn To Puga Six) Mrs. James Miller Dies This Morning Former Decatur Lady Dies At Indianapolis Mrs. Ida Miller, 46, a native of Decatur, died about 6 o'clock this morning at St. Vincent’s hospital in Indianapolis tollowing a long illnses. . She was born here Oct. 7, 1907, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Baker, and was married 14 years ago to James Miller. Her father was a former Adams county sheriff and Decatur businessman.,-'' Mrs. Miller graduated frdin the Decatur Catholic high school and from the St. Vincent hospital school of nupritig in 1929. She had made her''home in Indianapolis since. Tier graduation as a nurse. ~-Strs. Miller was a member of the Cathedral Catholic church at Indianapolis. Surviving in addition to her husband are three brothers, George Baker of California, and David C. and J. J. Baker, both of Decatur; and four sisters, Mrs. Joseph Colchin. Mrs. Anna McNamara and Mrs. Fred Foos, all ot Dedatur, and Mrs. Frank Mclntyre of South Bend. -/ ■ Funeral services will be conducted at 10 o’clock Saturday morning at the Cathedral in Indianapolis, with burial in that city. The body was removed to the Kirby funeral home in Indianapolis, where friends may call after 7 o’clock this evening until time of the services.

Henry Selking Barn Destroyed Last Night Lightning Strikes Barn Near Preble Last night’s storm which followed an exceptionally mild afternoon was responsible for a fire which totally destroyed a barn on the Henry Selking farm about one mile north of Preble. Lightning struck the barn at about 7:10 p.m. and it took the Preble volunteer fire department about four hours to extinguish the fire which resulted. Fire chief Victor Bieberich said that the roof of one of the outbuildings also caught fire but neither the house nor other buildings on the farm were touched. Farm equipment, including a tractor and combine, within the barn, was completely destroyed. One hog and a calf werg killed by the rtre. The loss, partly covered by Insurance, amounted to about $12,000, according to an estimate by Selking. ” j Little damage was reported In or , around Bluffton by the storm although heavy hail was reported at Petroleum. In Fort Wayne, lightning struck a television aerial at the James Martin residence, 2917 Central drive, but damage was limited to the antenna and television receiver! ' - Den Will Be Closed Here This Evening The Den, Decatur's youth center on Madison street, will be closed tonight, it was announced this morning. The Den will be used this evening for a meeting of directors of the Community Fund. i County Offices On Daylight Saving Adams county offices will operate on daylight savings time beginning at midnight April 24, according to county commissioners. The large courthouse clock will be pushed ahead one hour. Daylight savings time will be observed until midnight of September 2i. Decatur Elks Host Spring Conference Annual Conference Saturday, Sunday Plans have been completed to fete the many state and district Elks officers and delegates to the annual spring conference which will take place in DetMtur Saturday and Sunday. Decatur Elks lodge 993 will host the north central district. The conference will'open, with registration at 10 a.m. Saturday. Saturday afternoon will be devoted to the, -ritualistic contest beginCompeting will be degree teams from the Wabash, Kokomo, Huntington, Fort Wayne and Bluffton lodges. Al Banghart, of Wabash, district chairman of interlodge activities, will be in chrage of the contest. Members of the Emblem club of Elks will be hostesses from 5 to 7 p.m. for a smorgasbord which local and visiting Elks will attend with their ladies. This will be folio wed with a dance at 9 p.m. The Sunday program will include registration at 9 a.m., the official business meeting of the conference at 10 a.m. and a dinner for Elks and their ladies at the Moose home after the meeting. Registrations for the dinner must be made today. ' The Decatur delegation is headed by Oran Schultz, exalted ruler, and George Bair, past exalted ruler. Among the guests expected are Charles S. Rupley ot Kokomo, district deputy grand exalted ruler; Herb Beltz of Kokomo, second vice-president of the state Elks association, and Lynn Andrews, district president.

Price Five Cents

Liner Crashes In House After Air Collision Canadian Airline Spokesman Reports ~ 35 Aboard Plane “ * X— BULLETIN MOOSE JAW, Sask. UP —■ Thirty-five persons In a transCanada Air Linet plane and the pitot of a training plane died today wtMin the planea collided. MOOSE JAW, Saak. UP — A Trane. * Canada Air Lines North Star plane collided with a Harvard training plane today and then crashed into a house. An early report said 30 persona were killed. An airline spokesman said the plane, a tour-engined craft similar to the DC4, carried 35 persons—26 passengers, 5 company officials, and a crew of 4. This would indicate some occupants may have survived. The tranecotitlnentsl plane left Montreal tor Vancouver as Flight No. 9, with scheduled stops at Toronto and Calgary. The Harvard trainer presumably *as from Air, . Force Base at thia prairie city 60 miles west of Regina, the provincial capital. U. S. Embarks On Big Output Os H-Bombs U. $. Stockpiling Hydrogen Bombs To Keep Superiority WASHINGTON, UP —The United States is embarking on assem-bly-line production of H-bombs. Chairman Lewis L. Strauss of the atomic energy commission disclosed this Wednesday to an unusually frank public statement. Hetold a senate appropriations subcommittee the joint chiefs of staff are counting on the super weapon "to insure that the United States maintains its superiority over potential aggressors.” In addition to thus suggesting the United States is ahead of Russia in hydrogen -development, Strauss confirmed that the United States already is stockpiling Hbombs. He said President Eisenhower has ordered their production “greatly Increased.” He also indicated a number of “thermonuclear H-bomb models” of different design and power are in the works. He told the senators the types of H-bomb now being tested in the Pacific have supplied information which “will play an important part to making the thermonuclear weapon a major instrument for the defense of the free world." The atomic chief’s statement , came shortly after: 1. President Elsenhower said at his weekly news conference that the United States is making the H-bomb as big as it intends to. He said the city-killing weapon has just about reached its peak of efficiency and military usefulness. ' 2. The AEC announced that the third o< the current H-bomb testa has been "successfully carried out" Tuesday at the Eniwetok-Bi-kini proving ground in the Pacific. The test series, it is understood, calls for a total of six hydrogen explosions. The biggest of all, more than 2,000 times as powerful as the original A-bomb, is believed to he set for some time in the last half of April. In Wednesday’s statement, Strauss was asking senate approval of a, revised presidential request for 11,342,000,000 in new money to run the atomic project in the fiscal year starting July 1.