Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 53, Number 1, Decatur, Adams County, 3 January 1955 — Page 1

Vol. Lili. No. 1.

Lead Tonight’s Services ft H I ¥ ; 1I V I Rev. W. C. Feller ”./ Rev? Traverse Chandler • The Rev. William Feller, pastor of Zion Evangelical and Reformed church, will preside at tonight's session Os spiritual emphasis week at the First Methodist church. The Rev. Traverse Chandler, pastor of Firat Christian church, will give the prayer and Rev. Stuart Brightwell, pastor of the Baptist church, will be in charge of devotions.

Propose Hike In Payments For Jobless Decatur Would Gain Under Proposal For School Aid Change INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — The Indiana State Chamber of Commerce today proposed a "cost-of-living” increase in maximum jobless insurance benefits from $27. the present maximum, to $29 a week. » A chamber booklet said the hike to -$29 would bring the benefit .check up to the full purchasing power it had when the benefits first became payable under the Indiana law in 1938. The maximum then was The chamber also maintained that the proposed Wl;< *svnnld ’’more than for the cost-of-living rise that has occurred ■’Since 1951, when benefits last were increased by the legislature.” However, the chamber’s statement also said: “There are proposals witlt great strength behind them.to make the unemployment check virtually as attractive, in many instances, as the pay check for employment. The benefits proposed by The chamber amount to 72% cents an hour for a 40-hour week, and are not subject to tax and other deductions common to regular paychecks. Other proposals would provide benefits equal to as much as $1.62% cents an hour. Legislators also received proposals from the Indiana commission on state tax and financing policy fora hike of more than S2O million a year in state aid for local schools, changes in distribution formulas to “divorce" teachers' salaries from computation of state aid and a new program to assist local units for school construction. - Under the new proposal, each school corporation would be required to levy a minimum property tax rate of $1 per SIOO valuation, compared to the prebent minimum of 84 cents, in order to qualify for maximum state aid The new recommendations would base state aid on flat amounts per pupil in average daily attendance, rather than on the present “teaching unit” basis. The entirely new proposed state school construction fund program “"would set up annusrtly for each local school corporation a credit in the building fund equal to $24 tor each grade school pupil above 100 and S3O for each high school pupil above 100. ' Th® total state cost of the proposed school qid program was estimated at $79.4 million as compared to $60.1 million under the present plan. Under the new plan, 296 local school corporations would receive less aid and 800 more aid. 'the greatest losers would be Fort Wayne ($266,000 less) and East Chicago ($255,000 less.) Other losers would be South Bend, $64,909 and West Lafayette. $14,162. , The communities which would gain, with the amounts of increase in state aid. include: Decatur, $29,328: Washington. $57,338; Greensburg. $86,873; Muncie, $436,746: Jasper. $93,620;? Rochester. $35,195; Marion, $211,274; Bloomfield. $21,180: Noblesville, $31,752: Greenfield, $63,332: Rennsselaer, $23,395; Frankliq, $44,500; Vincennes. $85,692; Gary, $595,676; Hammond. $146,794; Indianapolis, $867,937; Martinsville, $46,045; Spencer, $42,445; Sullivan. $28,808; Lafayette, $102,824; Evensville, $529,049; Clinton. $65,662, and Richmond, $152,655.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT z ' ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS BOUNTY *7

Spiritual Emphasis Week Opens Sunday Services Continue Nightly This Week A crowd, which overflowed into the Sunday School room at First Methodist church greeted the Rev. Lewis W. Gishler, pastor of First Presbyterian church, Muncie, guest speaker at the annual Spiritual Emphasfs week in the opening service held Sunday night. Rev. Gishler spoke on “When The Going Gets Rough.” The visiting minister will be the principal speaker at each meeting schedul ed for every night this week, except Saturday night. Tonight's address will be entitled, “The Man Who Excels At Doing Nothing." The Monday night, session iyill start at 7:30 o'clock at the Methodist church. Spiritual \week is sponsored by the Associated churches of Decatur and the Decatur ministers, whose churches are members of the city-wide organisation. At Sunday's session, the Rev. Ray J. Walther, pastor of First Presbyterian church, introdunced those who have played a prominent part fn the annual spiritual observance. - The Rev. William Feller, pastor of Zion Evangelical and Reformed church. will preside at tonight’s meeting. 7 The Rev. Traverse Chandler, First Christian church, will give the prayer, and the Rev. Stuart Brightwell, pastor of the Baptist church, will read the scripture. i — Men from Bethany Evangelical (Continued on Page Eight) Case Infant Girf Apparent Winner Os Baby Contest A scven-pound/ tJiree-ounce baby daughter, boi p. to Mrs. Max _O. Case, of !W Harison street, at 6:55 a. m. January 1, is the apparent winner of the first baby of 1955 contest for residents of the north half of Adams county. The -contest will officially close at 10 a. m. Tuesday, and if no babies were born earlier, either at home or in other h-asprtais. -ttig -Case baby wfH be declared the winner of prizes sponsored by 24 merchants and advertised in last Thursday's pap Mrs. Case is tne former Mary Ross, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Ross of route 5. son of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac j. Case, of Monroeville is employed by the Adamis county highway department. The baby daughter is the fifth child for the Cases. Jacob Koontz Dies Suddenly Saturday 1 Local Lady's Son Is Taken By Death Jacob 8. Koontz. Jr., 41, son of Mrs. H. L. Koontz of this city, died suddenly of a heart attack Saturday evening at Indianapolis. He was stricken while shopping with his children, and was pronounced dead on arrival ~at St. Vincent's hospital. Mr. Koontz was an adjustor for the State 1 Auto Insurance company. • / ” Surviving'■ in addition, to the mother are the wife, formerly Madge Tyner; two children. Linda and Jay, at home, and a sister, Miss Mariah Koontz of this city. . Funeral services will be conducted at 10 o’clock Wednesday morning at the Flanner-Buchanan funeral home in Indianapolis, with burial in that city.

418 Russians Barred From 11. S. Travel Retaliatory Move For Restrictions By Soviet Russia WASHINGTON (IN&) — The “U.S. today barred. 418 Russians, including diplomats and other Soviet nationals, from travel in 41 states as a retaliatory move for similar restrictions imposed on Americans in the Soviet Union. The barred U.S. zones range along both the Canadian and Mexican borders and through most Pf the nation’s strategic areas. The barred U. S. zones range along both thg Canadian and Mexican borders and through most of the nation’s strategic areas. The state department said that previous travel restrictions affecting Russians “did not establish guarded areas or closed cities in thp United States comparible to those areas and cities closed to travel*by Americans and other foreigners in the Soviet Union.” A department announcement added that when the previous regulation was issued MarchlO,l9s2? the U.S. hopes “that this action would encourage the Soviet government to effect appropriate relaxation of its travel restrictions.” However, the iT.S. said, “unfortunately this expectation has not been fulfilled and today approximately 30 per cent'of the land area of the USSR- remains closed to travel by American citizens or other foreigners." The forbidden zone covers approximately 27 per cent of the U.S. The Russians in the U.S. include about 200 attached to the embassy in Washington, 200 attached to the United Nations in New York. 10 with the Amtorg Trading Agency, seven with Tass News Agency and one correspondent with the newspaper Pravda. Officials said that the two criteria used in developing the extremely detailed and complicated list of barred zones and closed cities were reciprocity and security. The Borough of Brooklyn in New York City, for instance, was declared closed, because certain portions of Moscow are denied to Americans in Russia. Under previous restrictions, Russians were permitted free travel in a 25-mi|e zone from the centers of Washington and New York and were permitted to go beyond that restricted circle on application. Belated Christmas Message From Pope: Illness Prevented Christmas Delivery VATICAN CITY (INS) — Pope Pius XII declared in a belated iristmas message today that it II is possible to establish a link th the world behind the iron rtain “where millions still beve in Christ.” ~ The Pope’s words, published in V “semi-ofnctaL«s¥atican per Osservatore Romano, were itained in the traditional lengt yuletide message which illness jvented him from delivering on ristmas Eve. . Instead, the Pontiff, ordered to rest by his dostors. recorded a brief,, seven-minute speech which was broadcast by the Vatican radio. However, the Pontiff promised in the speech- to write the longer message when his health permitted. This full message, published today, deplored the present "cold War" condition of international relations and discussed the problem of co-existence. , The Pontiff declared that there can be “co-existence in fear, coexistence in error and co-existence in truth.” _He added: ~~ ’ ’ - , "Although some progress has been made toward peace the world ii still in an anguished state and ganger is ironically from a cold peace, .which is mere coexistence of various peoples afraid of each other and deceiving each other.” Referring 4o“ the two bFdcs of nations which face each other across a troubled world, the Pope continued: \ , “It is true that off one side the voice of- men faithful to truth and live is stifled by the pressure of public power, and on the other side there is too much timidity in proclaiming good purposes and ideals. . ; . "But it is the duty ot a policy, (Continued on Pag® Eight) ’ 1

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, January 3, 1955.

Former President Os Panama Arrested For Remon Assassination

Holiday Death Toll In U. S. 1 Near 400 Mark Auto Crashes Kill 297; Bloodshed Is Deplored By Experts By Iptecnational News Service The New Year’s holiday death toll approached 400 today with auto crashes accounting for 297 Victims, nearly an all-time record for New Year’s highway slaughter. Safety exlperts deplored the bloodshed and demanded a halt to the “murder.” •Reports tallied Monday from the 54-hops holiday which ended Sunday midnight showed that in addition.to 297 traffic deaths, 18 other persons died in fires and another 37 through other accidents. The traffic toll was expected to be less than the 392 deaths on highways oV*er Christmas weekend. which was a new record for a two-day Christmas holiday. However, council officials foresaw the deaths of at least 300 persons in -auto mishaps, surpassing the 1948-49 record of 207 fatalities during a two-day New Year's holiday. Traffic deaths during last ye«> three-day New Yeir’s holiday'‘lift 301. : Texas led the nation in death? with 26—19 traffic, one fire and six miscellaneous. California reported 16 traffic fatalities and New York 15. Dearborn, appalled by the mounting death figures, -declared: “This holiday traffic toll is assuming the proportions of a major national disaster. As a killer, hurricane Hazel was a piker compared to the tldal w'ave of carelessness, selfishness and cold indifference that is piling up a holiday death toll on our highways that should shame any civilized nation. “We couldn’t stop Hazel. We can stop this." Hurricane Hazel caused 118' .deaths. - ?— ■- z. Judge, Assistants Sworn Into Office Judge Myles Parrish and his assistants for the Adams circuit court were sworn into office Saturday in the court room by county clerk Ed Jaberg. Those sworn in include Judge Parrish, who begins his second term; C. H. Muselman of Herne, probation officer; Miss Romaine Raudenbush, court r'A-? porter, and Sam Bentz, bailiff. Aufo License Tabs On Sale In State Reflectorized Tab On Sale In Indiana INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — 1955 vehicle registration tabs went on sale at all automobile license branches in Indiana today. One tab serially numbered was issued and is to be fastened on the top of the rear 1954 registration plate. The tab is reflectorized and will be visible tor 500 feet at night, serving as a safety measure. AH persons having chauffeur or public passenger chauffeur licenses must apply for new licenses before March 1, 1955. Morris Carter, commissioner of motor vehicles also suggested that persons driver licenses to be surtf'theyjiave not expired. No special license plates will be reserved unjess the application and money is in the bureau, as they must be sold in numerical order. Carter said that persons not receiving their 1955 registration applications, due to their not notifying the bureau of motor vehicles of change pf address, should present their 1954 registration receipt or title to the,; branch when applying for 19'55 registration,J- - 1 •'* '

Highway Slaughter Is High In State Four Persons Dead In Two-Car Crash INDIANAPOLIS (INS) —The highway slaughter was heavy during Indiana’s long New Year’s : weekend, but the Hoosier traffic 3 death toil for the year appeared to have dropped materially from, that 'of 1953 State safety officials are ex- , pected to announce comparative , totals soon. _ « - . (Wild temperatur.es prevailed . through the state today, but the Indianapplis weather bureau , pre* , fitted that there will be rain or ( inow in northern Indiana and low- “ W temperatures throughout the , ptate Tuesday. _ .Four persons died in’a two car ' ifeollision on Road 13 south of Syraj puse. Victims were -Mrs. Esther . Blackburn, 34), of Monrovia, sister pit John Hurt, Indianapolis attorney tnd political and business associate f former Governor —Paul V. McNutt; her husband, James E. ’ Blackburn, 33, of Monrovia; deputy sheriff Joseph D. Bauer, 27, pf Syracuse, in charge of accident investigations and safety education ’ in Kosciusko county, and Paul E. Ti aster. 26. of Syracuse. • Two others were injured-in the crash of the cars which were driven by Bauer and Blackburn. They t jwgre Haryw S. Keys, 28, ; of Peru, Mi Miss Rita Reismaft, M of “Milhousen. Miss Reisman is a secretary in an Indianapolis law firm headed by Frank M. McHale, former Indiana Democratic national committeeman. ’ ' Three other persons died when their automobile tan off a curve and strtick a tree at Fulda in Spencer county. The victims were George Aldridge, 26, of Hawesville, Ky.; his Wife, Virginia. 22. and Maurice A. Ressner, 28. of Tell City. , Donald L. Watkins. 23, of LaKayette, died when his automobile (Continued on Page Eight) UN Secretary Leaves India For Red China India Leader Issues U. N/s Handling Os Case Os Prisoners NEW DELHI (INS) — UN sec-retary-general Dag Hainmarskjold left New Delhi for Red China today after a conference with Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who showed a distinct coolness toward his mission to Peiping. The UN chief is flying to Calcutta and then to Canton where he will go aboard a Chinese Communist government plane for the trip to Peiping to try to gain the release of American airmen and other UN prisoners of war jailed by the Chinese, He is due ls Peiping at 11:30 GMT Tuesday (6:30 a.m. EST). In their single conference it is understood Nehru told Hammarskjold that whatever the outcome of hip mission he should try “to keep th|e door open’’ between the United Nations and Red China. Nehru-struck u sour note before Hammarskjcpld’s arrival by issuing a Saturday statement criticising the manner in which the UN has handled the cases of the 11 American airmen jailed by the Reds as spies. Nehru was not at New Delhi, airport when Hammarskjold landed Sunday. The Indian government was represented by.XJLPU-.. lai, secretary general Os the external affairs ministry. Also on nand was Shen Chien. Chinese Communist charge d’affaires in New Delhi. . . J 2 - - I.' Sunday night the Swedish diplomat Conferred with Shen Chien about final arrangements for his flight to Peiping attended a dinner given by Pillai.\ (Continued.on

84fh Congress Will Convene On Wednesday Democrats Control Congress Opening At Noon Wednesday WASHINGTON (INS)—Congressional leaders and rank and file members began assembling today for Wednesday's opening of the Democratic controlled 84th congress which holds the key to the success of the second half of President Eisenhower's administration. Top OOP legislative leaders were to go to the White House this afternoon to meet with Mr. Eisenhower and his cabinet for a briefing on the state of the union message which the Chief Executive will deliver to a joint session, of congress Thursday. ’ Si The formal convening of the House and senate is .at noon Wednesday. The 1955 session is considered all the more critical because of the divided government control between the executive and legislative departments decreed by the voters in the November elections. Key issues facing the new congress are topped on the domestic side by the administration’s manpower reserve program for the armed forces. This proposal has been complicated by the executive order issued over the weekend terminating GI benefits which were continued during the Korean emergency. These benefits, extended to all World War II veterans and to" those who have served since, include college scholarships, additional credit in business or home investments and other aides to make return to civilian life easier. The issue may be brought up in party caucuses scheduled Tuesday. Senate Republicans meet Tuesday morning, Senate Democrats in the afternoon. ... '.^.....2.:'.... The Pentagon has announced a slash in armed services strength—mostly in the army—and .wants more emphasis on a compulsory reserve along with a limited sixmonth “universal” military training program for 100,000 youths a year. The military manpower-reserve program is expected to be one of the first controversial Issues to be taken up by the new congress. The senate armed services committee, to be headed by Sen. Richard B. Russell (D-Ga.) already is preparing for hearings on the modified UMT proposal, w i t h members of the joint chiefs of staff scheduled among the first witnesses. On another major field-foreign policy—Democratic leaders see little difference with the administration. Meanwhile, Democrats were lining up investgiations of two GOP administration activities —the “se(Continued on Pace Eight) Mrs. Ella Hyland Dies This Morning Former Local Lady Is Taken By Death Mrs. Ella Touhey Hyland, 84, Widow of the late P. J. Hyland of Decatur, died this morning at the home of W daughter, Mrs. Donald Smith, in Bloomington. Death ru-ulted from infirmities. JJJrs. Hyland had spent the last several, years with her daughter in Bloomington,- and a son, Arthur Hyland, Indianapolis. The daughter and son are the only surviving thlldieur - Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning at St. Charles Catholic church in Bloomington at 8:30 o'clock. Burial will, be in the Catholic cemetery In Decatur. The funeral party will arrive In Decatur Wednesday aft e r noon r.bout F'S’clock (daylight saving time) and will go dii-ectly to the cemetery, it was announced. , 1

Appointments Made By Commissioners County Personnel Appointed By Board The annual New Year’s day meeting of the county commissioners took place Saturday at the court house and featured the appointment of county personnel for the coming year. ■ '*> Frank Singleton was re-appoint- . ed superintendent of the county highway department. David Macklin was named to serve another , year as county attorney and Dr. . H. F. Zwick was renamed county , health officer. Other appointments include physician for the county home, i Dr. Norval Rich; hospital board, , William NUssbaum; alcoholic board, Boydßayej>-bealth nurse, s Miss Marie FeiWr; extension committee representative,» Lewis . Worthman, and court house ma* t tron, Mrs. Leo Ehinger. J. Reef was re-elected i chairman of the commissioners. . Lewis Worthman will ’’serve as . vice-chairman and Reef will head i the board of finance; John Kintz, Sr„ is the new member of the com- . missioners. . , Saturday’s meeting also included the inventory of the county home by Harold Sherry and B. F. Breiner, appraiser* appointed by the commissioners! The commissioners, arg meeting today for the first regular meeting of 1955. Additional appointments to the county highway department Staff will be made today and salaries will bd paid. In their session this morning the commissioners- approved the bonds ' of The sheriff and deputy sheriff. They also accepted a petition for black topping a mile and a halt of country road. The petition was presented by Robert F. Kaehr and signed by 92 persons. The road in question is a half mile off of JJ. S. highway 224 to the Union Chapel church and then a mile west to the Dent school house. The petition states that excessive traffic on the road is caused by the church and the nearby Decatur sale barn. New Presbytery Is Formed In Indiana first Conference Tuesday, Jan. 11 - A new division of Presbyterian churches in Indiana, the Wabash River presbytery, will hold its first meeting Tuesday, January 11 at First Presbyterian church- at Huntington, it was announced here today. The new presbytery includes counties formerly in the Fort Wayne and Muncie groups. Actually it is a merger of the two groups. The counties included are: Adams, Allen. DeKalb, Elkhart. Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, Whitley, Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Howard, Jay, Madison, Miami, Randolph. Tipton and Wabash. Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, state clerk of the Presbyterian church, U. S. A., will be the principal speaker at a 7:30 o’clock general meeting. „ This session will be preceded by a business meeting at 5 o’clock Tuesday afternoon and a dinner at 6:30. AU‘sessions will be held at the Huntington church. The 7:30 o’clock meeting will be a public worship service. Several. Decatur Presbyterians, headed by the Rev. and Mrs. Ray J. Walther, plan to attend the conference. INDIANA WEATHER Cloudy with occasional rain pr drizzle tonight and Tuesday. Continued mild except turning somewhat colder extreme north portion Tuesday. Low tonight 4045 north, 45-50 south. High Tuesday ranging from around 40 extreme north to 60 extreme south.

President Os Panama Slain Sunday Night Martial Law Is On In Panama, Seize Slaying Suspects ' PANAMA CITY (INS)—Former . President Arnulfo Arias of Pan* * amawas arrested and martial law . declared today in a swift roundup r of persons suspected of the machinegun assassination Sunday > night of President Jose Antonio , Remon. ' . Unofficial reports said that ! among the score of persons ar* , rested one jva» a woman who was * suspected of being the possible i “finger woman" at the J ua h » Franco race frack where the as* sassinatlon occurred. . 1 She was said to have been ia . or near the Remon party when i the machineguns fatally wounded I the 46-year-old president and two . other men. Three persons wera - shot and wounded. Poßce believed the assassination * was politically motivated, but have r not yet announced any definite ■ proof. r They investigated ail angles, in* , eluding possible theories that Com* ; munists were behind the unprece* * dented assassination _ot the presi* 1 dent of a country straddling the ' vital Panama Canal. However, most speculation cen* tered on Arias’ Aceion Communal 1 party. * Arias, whom Remon helped oust ■ from office in 1951, was seized at ’ his coffee plantation at Boquete, 200 miles west of the capital, during the first 20 arrests. The arrests are continuing today. Remon was cut down by machine gun bullets fired from am- , bush at a Panama City race track Sunday night. Two other persons were killed , and two wounded when a hail of , bullets slashed through the enclosure where Remon was standing with ten friends. Foreign Minister Jose Ramon Guizado assumed the presidency early today and there were re* would be called into session as soon as possible. The government issued a com* munique officially announcing Ra* ’ mon’s death and stating that the - entire nation was calm. The communique was signed by all the 1 cabinet ministers. ; ? It was the first political assas* 1 sination in the history of Panama, the strategically - located Central American republic which com* 1 mands the vital Panama Canal. The 46-year-old president and about ten friends attended a race meeting at tlie Juan Franco track Sunday night and lingered for a time after the last race to converse in the track clubhouse. As they started to leave the track at 7:30 p. m. a burst of machinegun bullets cut through the group and Reman fell, gravely* 3 wounded. He died two hours later at Santo Tomas hospital. Also killed were, a bodyguard. Jose Maria Peralta, and a man identified as Danilo Sousa. The wounded were Antonio Anguzola. wealthy cattleman, race horse owner and a close friend of Remon, and Alberto Obarrtu, manager of the race track. Expresses Grief WASHINGTON (INS) — President Eisenhqwer expressed grief today over the assassination of President Jose Antonio Remon of Panama. descrilißig’ -him as a. "firm friend” held in great respect by the U. S. , Mr. Eisenhower sent personal messages to Senora Remon and Panama’s new President Guizado in additiou to issuing a formal statement at the White House. In his statement, the President said: "I was grieved to learn of th* tragic assassination of . President Jose Antonio Remon of Panama. A firm friend. President Remon (Continued on Fags Five)

Five Cents