Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 52, Number 286, Decatur, Adams County, 6 December 1954 — Page 1

Vol. Lil. No. 286.

, Democrats Pick New Chairman PTnl i" wM ~ ; Pt Jw™ ig^O 1 h .' r^S^BRx f wf® .J? ; '‘V * - ■'■ ■'- ■ < ' liLm W HL , y M ■"* v’"'. *-'S' l - ,' Bfefchmartrt *■>•-*■_ - ■ ~ j- .. , - ~ ® TEVE N A. MITCHELL (left) outgoing Chairman of the Democratic National Committee shown shaking hands with his successor. Paul M. Butler, South Bend. Ind. attcfrney. Butler, a 1927 graduate of Notre Dame gained the post without the initial support of the powerful delegations from New York, Pennsylvania. Illinois and Ohio, in what appears to be the beginning of a new era of party harmony.

Freed Canadian Tells Os Yanks In Red Prisons Canadian Officer Says Americans • Are Held By Reds HONG KONG (INS) — A Canadian air force officer, released by the Chinese Communists after , two years imprisonment, was ques- *• ; tioned by U. S. diplomatic officials today about -the American fliers he reported seeing in a North China prison camp\ Squadron leader A. R, MacKenzie said he saw an undetermined number of IT. S. air force men in the camp from which he was released. ■ _ He added that these were not the 11 American airmen whose imprisonment on ’4apy" charges was announced recently by the Peiping regime. MacKenzie’s F-86 Sabrejet fighter was shot down northeast of Simuiju, near the Manchurian border, in December, 1952, during the Korean war. During the prisoner exchange at Panmunjom in 1953, the Chinese Reds refused to release MacKenzie under the terms of the cease-fire agreement calling him a “special prisoner." Last June, however’ the Communists promised to release MacKen* zie “soon." He crossed the border to freedom in Hong Kong Sunday. He was greeted at the border by his brother-in-law. wing commander Donald Skene, who told newsmen that MacKenzie had talked of seeing Americans in the prison camp somewhere in North China. The squadron leader was quoted as saying that the Americans knew' the Korean war had ended and were allowed to write to their . families. MacKenzie hiade no direct statement to newsmen about the Americans. He said only that he had been treated “fairly well" in recent months by the Reds and added: "I am glad to be out and am looking forward to seeing my wife < and family again.” The flier’s wife and four children live in Montreal. In Montreal Mrs. Joyce MacKenzie said her husband, the only Canadian pilot captured by the Chinese Reds, might be home in about ten days. She added that she is getting ready for "the most wonderful Christmas ever."

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DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY - ! » ■ ' —*

Walter Thieme Is County Corn Champ Union Township Man Winner In Contest Walter Thieme,, of Union township, is the winner in the 1954 fiveacre corn club contest with a yield of 173.1 bushel per acre, Harold Schwartz, chairman of the Adams county crop improvement association, announced today. Yields on the whole are the highest ever recorded in this project— concluded Schwartz. Adult red gold medal winners are: (Name and yield per acre)—Walter Thieme, 173.1; Ervin Schuller. 158.3; Benj. D. Mazelin, 151.7; Martin Habegger, 150.1; arid Elmer Isrh, 149.9. Adult green gold medal winners are: (name and bu. per acre) — William Reichert. 147.9; Elmer Beer, 144.3; Eli * Kipfer, 141.5; L. Reuben Schwartz. 140.9; Roy Lehman, 140.7; Bill Griffiths, 140.1; John Kipfer. 136.4; Mrs. Roland Grote, 136..1; Dan Striker, ij5.6; Martin Kipfer, 1*35.1; Robert Isch, 134.6: Sylvan Habegger, 131.7; Karl Ray. 130.9; Ivan Huser, 130.4; Herbert Schaadt, 130.1; Helen Egly, 130.0; Ralph Berning. 129.5; Leonard Kingsley, 128.6; Franklin Steury, 127.2; Joe L. Isch, 125.8; Eli Schwartz, 125.6; James Garboden, 125.1; and Harve Ineichen, 125.1.

Adult gold medal .winners were: (name and bu. per acre)—tores Steacy. 123.8; L. Steury, 122.6: Lester Adler. 122.2; Holman Egly, 12,1.8; Harold- Schwartz. 121.1; Verl Lautsenheiser, 120.1: Ben Gerke, 117.3; Ramon Stoller. 117.3; Mrs. Herbert Schaadt, 117.0; Edwin Neuhauser. 116.4: Melvin Brown, 115.8; Sherman Von Gunten, 115.7; Ezra Kaehr. 112.0; Er win Bauman. 110.9; Urban Linn. 109.6; Alfred Grote. 109.4; Edgar Thieme. 106.7: Harold Moser, 105.4; David J. Sctyvartz, 105.3; Herman Kipfer, 102.8. Adult silver n\pdal winners were: Henry Aschleman. 93.5; and Men no Eicher, 85.4. In the junior division the red gold medal winners were: Michael Lehman, 164.7 ;~and Nolan Griffiths, 161.2.. Green gold medal winners: Roger Habegger, 146.0; Teddy Kipfer. 145.3; Keith Griffiths, 144.7; Harry Mgzelin, 143.8; Larry Lautzenheiear. 142.0; Roger Koeneman, 140.9; William Rumple. 138.1; and John Rumple. 124.6. Gold medal winners were: Leotßusick, 120.9; .Ned,Kipfer. 120.5: Marvin Grote. 120 0; Richhrd Kaehr, 114.5; Colleen Egly, 112.9; and Philip Moser, 101.8. Silver medal winner was Michael Thieme. 97.3. The five acre corn club contest is sponsored by the First State Bank of Decatur and the First Bank of Berne. The above mentloned medals will W awarded at the adult achievement banquet next March. Open License-Check Blockades In State INDIANAPOLIS (INS) - State police today began special licensecheck blockades over the state in connection with routine inspection of driving and car registration credentials. , —-rState police superintendent Frank A. Jessup said: . "Drivers with Improper licenses or no licenses at al! will face a trip to court."

Sen. McCarthy Resumes Probe Os Communists Hearings Slated On Subversives In Bethlehem Plants WASHINGTON (INS) —Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy resumes his Communist " investigations today with scheduled hearings on alleged subversives in Bethlehem Steel Co. plants in Eastern Pennsylvania. James Juliana, staff director of McCarthy’s investigating subcommittee, said that tfie probe* this week will center on Bethlehem plants and next week will with Red attempts to infiltrate Westinghouse electric plants iff the Pittsburgh and Buffalo areas. Earlier, Juliana said that McCarthy, despite his sore elbow, will be on hand to guide the hearing when the probe of Communists in defense plants gets underway behind closed doors at 2:30 p. m. (EST). The staff director said McCarthy assured him over the weekend that he would be able to initiate the hearings even though the elbow injury prevented him from filling a speaking engagement in Cincinnati Saturday night. McCarthy’s failure to attend the dinner stirred up a momentary Qurry of excitement when it was announced in Cincinnati that he could not speak because he was gravely ill. Subsequently, Mrs. McCarthy advised newsmen that her husband's physician had barred the senatof against making the trip on grounds the injured elbow had not sufficiently healed but she quieted reports that McCarthy was in any serious medical danger. Jdliana reported that McCarthy has at least three witnesses on tap for closed-door questioning and that open hearings will get started Tuesday morning on evidence of Communist Infiltration of defense installations in the eastern United States. The investigation is being launched by McCarthy three days after the senate voted 67 to 22 that he be "condemned” because of “contempt" shown a 1952 senate group looking into his finances and for his attacks on the special senate committee which recommended his censure. McCarthy has announced that 42 possible witnesses in the defense plant infiltration probe are under subpoena and declared that he hopes to expose 130 alleged Communists in key industries where they hold "a razor posed at the jugular vein of the nation."

Mrs. Stanley Barr Dies In Florida Mrs. Mae Ketchum has received word of the death of Mrs. Stanley Barr in Bradenton, Fla.. Sunday. Mrs. Barr- is the wife of Stanley Barr, a former resident of near Geneva. Mr. and Mrs, Barr, both retired postal employes, have lived at Devil* Lake, N. D„ for several years. They spent the winters In Florida Amos Ketchum and Mrs. Harve Baker are nephew and niece of the deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at Devils Lake.

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, December 6, 1954.

Red 'China’s Premier Raises Threat Os New Warfare Over Formosa

One Killed As Tornado Hits South Slates Alabama, Georgia Are Hit By Freak Tornadoes Sunday ANNISTON, Ala. (INS) — Residents of Alabama and Georgia were digging out today after a series of tornadoes smacked 25 communities, killing one person, injuring 55 others, and causing damage estimated at half-a-million dollars. The roaring twisters went on a freak December rampage through 13 Alabama towns Sunday and then skipped into Georgia to smash 12 others. Weather experts said there were apparently two main tornadoes with two or three smaller ones trailing each. The two big twisters, traveling eastward, ripped parallel paths 40 miles apart in Alabama and then jumped across the Chattahoochee river into Georgia. The tornades were preceded by a series of hailstones which coated some roads with ice. The small town of Wellington, outside Anniston, was flattened by one of the rnaiq tornadoes., Ta^nty-one (townspeople were uiahk| ed to Anniston Memorial hospital where several are in serious condition.

A highway patrolman. H.-L. Darham. said he saw the freak storm from about two miles away. He said: "There were a lot of dark clouds hanging low when suddenly this funnel • shaped thing struck the ground and started tearing up things. It looked like smoke falling on the ground.” Ray Flanders, a high school coach driving in the path of the storm, said his car was flipped over four times, damaging the vehicle. but leaving him unharmedHe exclaimed: “It was terrifying.” Gov. Gordon Persons ordered Alabama national guard to the stricken area to prevent possible looting. Other Alabama towns hit by the (Continued on Page Five) Red Cross To Honor Instructors, Class Present Credentials Wednesday Evening New Red Cross first aid instructors and members of a home nursing class will be honored at a meet ing Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Decatur fire station. Credentials will be officially presented to 12 first aid instructors who recently completed a 30-hour course at Berne and to 39 members of the recent Red Cross home nursing course. The presentations will be made by Earl Webb, chairman of the Adams county Red Cross chapter; Art Burris, chairman of the first aid committee of the Red Cross; Miss Marie Felber, chairman of the home nursing committee, and Mrs. Walter Winchester, home nursing instructor. Arrangements for the meeting were announced by Mrs. Wanda Oelberg, executive director of the local Red Cross. The first aid and home nursing courses were a part of an expansion program underway. Coldest Weather Os Season Predicted INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — Hoosiers will shiver in the coldest weather of the season tonight, according to the forecast of the Indianapolis weather bureau "today. The bureau predicted f temperatures as low as 12 degrees tonight. It also will be fair and cold tonight and Tuesday, It was said.

Three Persons Dead In Head-on Collision Autos Collide Near Evansville Sunday INDIANAPOLIS (INS) —ls it had not been for a head-on collision near Evansville in which |hree met death, Indiana would have had a relatively safe weekend with respect to highway ideaths. The three persons were killed when two cars collided on Road 62 two miles east of Evansville. Victims were Edwin C. Heck, 43. of Evansville; Gilbert Taylor, 36, of* Chandler, and Delores Catt, 18, of Petersburg. Also, John 'Richard Evans, 40, of near Milford, met death when his pickup truck ran off Road 6 on a curve three and one-half miles east of Nappanee and struck several small trees. Injuries suffered Friday night when an automobile struck -a bridge abutment on Road 41 onehalf mile south of Evansville cost the life of James D. Payne, 19, of Owensboro, Ky. Paul Edward Chupp, 24, of Goshen. died when his automobile struck a one-lane bridge abutment on a country road five miles east of Elkhart. Pvt Howard E. Evans, 26, of Indianapolis, met death in a fivecar accident on Road; 40 in IlliInois near the line. The tragedy ended plans for a combination Thanksgiving 4 Christmas dinner party in the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Evans Sr., of Indianapolis, with Howard and his brother, Seaman Donald E. Evans, as guests of honor. The victim was about to leave for overseas service. Also. Airman 1-C Lloyd Fielder, 25, of Bloomington, died near Crossett, Ark., when his car struck the back of a truck in a dense fog. Mrs. Lillian Brann, 71, died today in Indianapolis Methodist hospital of injuries suffered in a twocar accident Saturday At an Indianapolis intersection, which occurred as police were trying to halt another motorist. Police said they w*ere chasing Wilburn Gene Fisburn, 24, of Indianapolis, and that he ran a stop light and struck a car, driven by Howard N. Barriger, 61, of Indianapolis, in which Mrs. Brann was a passenger. Barriger was reported in critical condition today. Fisburn was arrested on charges of reckless driving, drunken driving and disorderly conduct. He also is hospitalized in serious condition.

Indiana Man Named Democrat Chairman Paul Butler Named National Chairman NEW ORLEANS (INS) — Paul Butler, the new national chairman of the Democratic party, has indicated clearly that the Democrats will concentrate their political fire more heavily than ever on President Elsenhower. The soft-spoken South Bend, Ind., attorney, who was elected to the $25,000-a-year chairmanship, revealed this Sunday in New Orleans when he said. “It is becoming more apparent that a military background is not x“'fntl‘Tirf<f'’com pleEepre pa rat ion for the presdiency.” Butler asserted that Eisenhower lacks the ability to unite and govern the people. * " ' • At the samel time, the new chairman pledged to heal old party wounds. Butler said he would dedicate himself to restoring party unity and bring back into the Democratic fold such traditionally Democratic states as Florida, Texas, Virginia and Tennessee These four Dixie strongholds gave their electoral votes to Mr. Eisenhower tn 1952. Although regarded as being proAdlai Stevenson, Butler Insisted that he supports no particular (Continued on Page Five)

Four Dead As Flames Sweep Home For Aged Four Women Dead, 24 Other Persons Are Hospitalized GERMANTOWN, Md. (INS) — Four elderly women died early today when a fire swept a home for the aged at Germantown, about 20 miles northwest of Washington, D. €. Twenty-four other persons at “The Marylander" nursing home were hospitalized after the blaze raged for two hours through the three-story frame building. Residents of the home — who were all bed-ridden —were between 6G and 100 years of age. The four fatalities were: Sally Turpin, 96, of Washington: Mathilda Koehler, 84, of Washington; Lora Ward, 86, of Rockville, Mr., and Mrs. Yates Duke, 73, of Arlington, Va. The fire apparently was started by a gas heater in one of the two small rooms where the four victims were asleep. Sub-freezing weather hampered rescue operations. Two of the injured were placed on ..the critical list at nearby hospitals. The 24 persons hospitalized included 18 patients, five employes of the home and one policeman who was overcome by smoke. *, Maryland state police said that a nurse at the home, Margaret Hedrick, had just checked the room occupied by the four victims and went upstairs when she heard a call. Police quoted the nurse as saying she thought one of the women had fallen out of bed and when she rushed downstairs, saw the room afire. The nurse telephoned the operator who called the police and fire departments. Miss Hedrick then rushed back to evacuate the four bedridden patients. About 160 police and firemen responded to the alarm and battled through dense smoke and flames to reach the patients. County Radio Club Will Send Messages To Participate In Operation Smoothout As a part of civil defense’s "operation smoothout”, the Adams county radio club wnTHOmonStratr its mobile radio equipment by sending Christmas messages to servicemen in any part of the world from a trailer parked on the court house Square W’ednesday through Saturday, it was announced today. The trailer, which was loaned to the group by Paul Strickler, will be equipped with a mobile sending set, and persons may actually watch while their messages are transmitted on the first part of their journey. The radio club has set up emergency civil defense equipment which -Kould—he-.. Decat, urls—ooly- oontaetwfth the outside world if power sources here fail. This ability was amply demonstrated last summer, when a storm cut off Decatur's power for several hours, and the civil defense radio network was the only contact with the rest of the state. . Persons who Wish to send messages to their friends in the service, either in this country or abroad, are asked to bring the sodier’s complete address. Radio operators will be Donald Poling, Dick Stroud, Robert Sprague, and Vernon Seitz. Also working on. the program will be Douglas Oilpin, Winston Seitz, and Dave Langston, in addition to others, f

Lutheran School Is Planned For 1956 Parochial School Planned In City A special drive to reduce the congregation’s present indebtedness on its new parish education building and the decision to begin a parochial day school in the fall of 1956 were the two major items voted by the Zion Lutheran voters’ assembly at its annual meeting held Sunday afternoon at the church. An open meeting to which all members of the congregation were invited to discuss the recommendation of the parish board of Christian education to establish a school was held immediately preceding the regular voters’ meeting. This recommendation had been tabled from the October meeting. Every home in the parish had received a letter outlining the .proposed plan. The school Is to begin in the fall of 1956 with one teacher serving the first, and possibly the second, grade. Additional teachers and grades are to be gradually added until all six grades are served. Herman Krueckeberg, chairman of the education board, emphasized that a fully accredited school with college graduate teachers and equipment is planned. The assembly voted 34 to 21 in favor of the plan. The drive to reduce the debt will be held early in 1955. The previous building fund campaign was a five year pledge plan which will expire next March 1. This campaign has been highly successful and collections have been excellent; but additional expenses exceeded original plans and a sizeable balance still remains. The new drive will be under the direction of the building finance committee. It will include an every-member visitation, with cash and two-year pledges solicited. The annual election of officers tor 1955 was held with the following results: Louis A. Jacobs, president; D. Hoyt Callow, vice-presi-(Continued on Page Four) Attends Conference On March Os Dimes Statewide Meeting Is Held At Capital

"Patient care is still our big job in the polio fight,” Mrs. Robert Hess, Adams county campaign chairman, said today after returning from a statewide March of Dimes meeting in Indianapolis Sunday. Mrs. Hess was accompany led by Mrs. Ralph Hobbs, county chairman of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. - Basil OX’onnor, national president of the Foundation, told the group that the organization's chapters would begin 1956 with 70,000 patients still in need of financial aid. He added that "Even if the Salk vaccine proves effective, we will have many cases of polio in 1955 and for some years to come.” “We have every reason to be lieve that the vaccine developed by Dr. Jones Salk will be effective," O'Connor said, but he added, "we would be derelict Indeed it we put all our scientific eggs in one basket. . At this moment, for example, we -don’t know whether the Salk vaccine prevents paralytic polio. We are very hopeful, but we still have no evidence until the evaluation report is made next spring. “In the meantime," he continued, "the National foundation has taken two bold steps for the protection of the public: "We have contracted to buy sufficient vaccine to immunize 9,000,000 individuals if the vaccine is licensed next spring and we are supporting the work of at least seven other scientific Investigators engaged in vaccine research throughout the country.” Mrs. Hess said that March of Dimes needs for 1955 totalled *64,000,000. "This means that we must redouble our efforts here in Adams county."

Also Asserts Red China To Free Formosa ■. ' i ’ Says Newly Signed Pact With Formosa Threatening War TOKYO, Dec. 7 — (Tuesday) — (INS) — Premier Chou En-lai of Red China declared today that the newly signed U. S.-Formosa defense pact “threatens danger of a new war.” In a Peiping radio broadcast, heard in Tokyo, Chou also was quoted as asserting that Red China would "liberate Formosa at all costs.” Similar warnings had been broadcast in the last two days by the Red tadlo but they had been based on editorials in the official Communist newspaper People’s Daily. Far East experts had interpreted the Communist propaganda broadcasts as firm indication that Red China has passed the "bluffing stage” insofar as eventual invasion of Formosa is concerned. The Peiping broadcast said Chou En-lai spoke at a reception at the Finnish legation in Peiping in connection with the celebration of the 37th anniversary of "Finnish independence.” Chou, who is foreign minister of Red China as well as premier, was quoted as declaring the United States was using the defense pact with Chiang Kai-shek to try to "rationalize aggression and occupation of Formosa.” Chou charged that the Formosa pact and Paris agreements were part of a United States “design to enlarge aggressive war.” , "Serious View" WASHINGTON (INS)—U. S. officials took a “most serious” view today of the warning by Red Chinese premier Chou En-lai that the Peiping regime is determined to capture Formosa “at all costs.” The Chou statement made cial the propaganda attacks the Chinese have mounted since the U. 8. signed a mutual defense treaty last week with the Nationalist Chinese government of Chiang Kai-shek. U. S. experts admitted that the Chou warning made the situation "ominous.” They lean heavily to the idea first made public by President Eisenhower that the Chinese may be trying deliberately to provoke the U. S. into war on the Formosa issue. ..„ As the President put it,, such a war, would be unpopular with America's Allies and the Communists might think they could cause a rift between the U.S. and Britain through fighting over Formosa. Other speculatiohTficTuded the thought that the Chinese may believe they can win support Pud sympathy from non - Communist Asians by making a big point of their charge that the treaty "confirms" that the U. 8. Is occupying Formosa. U. S. officials count that other Asians will give the Chinese Communists much support on that issue, however. Memorial Services / Are Held At Elks Impressive memorial . services were held by the Decatur B. P. 0. Elks lodge Sunday afternoon in the annual tribute to. deceased members of the order, held the ; - first. Sunday each December. Judge Homer J. Byrd’ of Bluffton, delivered an inspiring memorial address, based on the ideals of the fraternal organisation. Special music was provided by the chorus choir of the Emblem club, directed by Mrs, L. A. Holthouse, Mrs. William Gass as accompanist. The service was conducted by Oran Schults, exalted ruler, "nd bis staff of officers. INDIANA WEATHER Fair and cold tonight and Tuesday. Low tonight 10-11. High Tuesday 28-34.

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