Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 53, Number 31, Decatur, Adams County, 7 February 1955 — Page 9

Vol. Lilt. No. 31.

MIG KILLERS ■ \ ..';■ v> . iliii *” *** zw L - ®wHOT Hr a ■ jflH I iwß SHOWN ABOVE are the two U. S. Airforce F-84 Sabre jet pilots who were credited with one Mig kill each during Saturday’s air battle over the Yellow Sea. Ist Lt. Charles D. Saldon (left), Port Jervis, N. Y. and Capt. George F. Williams. Austin. Texas, discuss the battle after returning to their base in Korea.

Three Arrested After Breakin Sunday Night Two Adams County Youths, Van Wert Resident Held Here A breakin Sunday night at the Arthur Bertsch residence on route six led to the arrest of two Adams county youths, and a Van Wert, 0.. resident. > Held in the Adams oeunty Jail are Robert Grimm. 21, of route six; Charles Johnson, 22, of Patterson street, and Raymond Fair, 23, of Van Wort. All three were arrested late Sunday night at their homes on warrants issued from city court. The Bertsch home was entered and ransacked sometime between 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday. Bertsch returned to his home at 8 o’clock and reported the breakin to Sheriff Merle Affolder. An investigation revealed that about *2O in money, a high powered rifle, billfolds, a small cedar chest and piggy banks were missing. The cedar chest was found along the road north of the Pleasant Mills school house. A search of the car belonging to Johnson uncovered some of the other items stolen from the Bertsch home. Prosecuting attorney Lewis Lutz Smith stated that affidavits of first degree burglary will probably be filed against the three men in the Adams circuit court as soon as the instigation is completed. Their arrests climax an intense investigation conducted during the past few weeks on a series of breakins in the county. Affolder stated that there are indications that all three of the men were involved in several of the recent burglaries in the area. The success of the investigation was due Jo the combined efforts of the state police, the sheriff's department and the Decatur police department. Participating in the investigation were Affolder, deputy sheriff Charles Arnold, state trooper# Gene Rash and Walter Schindler, state * police detective Truman Beerie, city police chief James Borders and patrolman Maurice Teeple. (Continued on Page Five) Lincoln Day Banquet Held Here Saturday About 100 Adams county Republicans attended the annual Lincoln Day banquet at the K. of P. home Saturday evening. Th 6* banquet was sponsored by the Republican ' central committee. Frank Millis, former state audi- ' tor and now director of finance, 1 was main speaker for the event. : Millis, who has been active in Republican politics of Indiana for many years, presented a verbal 1 biography of Lincoln, tn his address to the local group he also cited i the accomplishments of the pres- 1 ent state and federal administra- 1 tlons. Robert Smith, Republican attor- : ney, served as toastmaster for the banquet. Brief talks were also given by Harry (Peck) Essex, county ' cvhairman, and Mrs. Ralph Snyder, 1 vice-chairwoman. I

Decatur Dollar Day-Wednesday - 9:00 A. M. To 9:00 P. M. 1 DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMB COUNTY

Accidents Mar Trip To Circus Saturday No One Injured In Series Os Accidents A series of accidents, in which no one was hurt, marred the trip of Adams county’s third graders and the Decatur Daily Democrat newsboys to the Shriner's circus in Fort Wayne Saturday morning. While a police escort was leading the convoy of county busses down Anthony at the 2300 block, a car pulled out in front of the police escort, which immediately stopped to prevent an accident. The busses, which were on a slight incline, tried io siop, but two of them collided with two other buses. . Most seriously damaged was the Jefferson township bus, which had its grille and radiator pushed back into the fan. and a cut battery cable. Driver (Roscoe Kuhn loaded his crew of third-graders into the other busses. Another bus at the same time had its emergency door jammed shut, as the bus behind It could not stop in time. On the return trip a bus driven by Palmer Moser was hit by a Crosley; the bus was not damaged. Robert Mills, chairman of the circus committe.e and Clarence Ziner, president of the Adams county Shrine club, led the group. First Aid Class Is Organized Here A first aid class to be instructed by Mrs. Robert Singleton and Miss Catherine Andrews was organized Thursday at the Decatur fire station. The class will meet each Thursday from t to 9 p.m, for nine weeks to complete the standard 18-hour course. Persons interested in the class may still join it this Thursday. After the meeting this week, enrollment wil'l be closed. Those who are taking the course are Frances Andrews, Mrs. Norbert Bleeke, Mrs. Albert Davison, Mrs. Troy Fennig, Mrs. Richard Gehrig. Mrs. Ellen Hammond. Mrs. William Judge, Mrs. Edna Menter, Mrs. Helen Marbach and Verdella Sauder. Vaughn L. Murray Dies In California Former Resident Os City Dies Sunday Vaughn L. *Murray, 62, a former Decatur resident, died at 8 o’clock Sunday morning at his home in Monrovia, Calif. He had been ill of a heart ailment for some time. He was born in Decatur, a son of Walter and Hila Murray, but had lived in California for the past 28 years. Surviving are the widow, Clara; three daughters. Mrs. George Saal of Pasadena, Calif., Mrs. (Robert Benhke of Lancaster, Calif., and Mrs, Edward Trott of Riverside, Ill.; his mother, Mrs. Hila Murray of Decatur: one brother, Forrest Murray of Decatur, two sisters Mrs. J, K. Eady of Decatur and Mrs. C. C. Linn of Fort Wayne. Definite funeral have not been learned here, but funeral services and burial will be in Monrovia.

Soviet Leader Hints Price Os Freeing Airmen Feels Recognition Os China Reds By U. S. Is Necessary By FRANK CONNIFF ■ New York Journal-American Columnist (World Copyright, 1955) (Distributed by I. N. 8.) MOSCOW (INS) — Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev personally desires a “favorable settlement” of the grave international issue raised by the Chinese Communist government's imprisonment of 11 American airmen. The first secretary of the Soviet Communist party further believes that the issue is “not such a conflict as cannot be settled." But he implied that the price of freedom for the airmen would be official U. S. recognition of Mao TseTung’s Chinese Red regime. (Editor’s note: Khrushehev is regarded by western experts as the No. 2 man in the Soviet hierarchy.) ♦ “I can well understand the feeling of the countrymen of these fliers,’’ Khrushchev said. “But it is a question of legal procedure and the internal laws of the country (Red China.) “If the United States were to show more reasonableness and recognize the judicial rights of the Chinese state, a settlement might be found much sooner.” i The question of the imprisoned i Americans was raised by this ret porter near the conclusion of , Khrushchev’s two hour and 40 mini ute interview Saturday with pub- . Usher William Randolph Hearst, ■ Jr. i I pointed out that the unjust imi prisonment of these combat alr- » men had shocked United States - opinion profoundly. I mentioned that Jacob Malik, ; Russian delegate to the United Na- ! tlons, had conceded that the air-1 . men were in uniform when they were captured, thus demolishing * the Chinese Communist claim that they were “spies.” This reporter believes Khrushchev's reaction indicates that top Communist leaders now are aware that the unjust imprisonment of ' uniformed combat airmen has angered Americans as much as any other single incident stirred up by the Far East crisis. The Communist party secretary said: “As for the case of the American fliers, that, of course, is an unpleasant fact. “I find it difficult to say anything about that after so much has been said and especially after the Hammarskjold visit. (Continued on Page Five) Charles H. Walters Dies This Morning Vera Cruz Man Dies Early This Morning Charles H. Walters, 81, of near Vera Cruz, died at 4:30 o’clock this morning at the Wells county hospital at Bluffton. He had been in failing health for some time. He was born in French township July 10, 1873, a son of Albert and Augusta Bovine-Waiters, and was married to Ida Reppert Dec. 24, 1895. He at one time operated a machine shop in Decatur, and for many_ years had operated a machine shop and sawmill at Riverside, near Vera Cruz. Mr. Walters was a member of the St. John's Evangelical and Reformed church at Vera Cruz. Surviving are his wife; two sons, Ervin Walters of Vera Cruz, and Herman Walters, at home; three daughter, Miss Ella Walters of Fort Wayne, Miss Bessie Walters, at home, and Mrs. Reuben Meyer of near Bluffton; seven grandchildren; nine great-grand-children; and six sisters, Mrs. Dora Stogdill of Bluffton, Mrs. Louise Hoffman of Hartford City, Mrs. Dora Bowers of Bryan, 0., Mrs. Clara Seesenguth of French township. Mrs. Nellie Klopfenstein of Adrian, Mich., and Mrs. Grace Haggerty of Ferndale, Mich. Four sisters preceded him in death. Funeral services will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed church at Vera Cruz, the Rev. Matthew Worthman officiating. Burial will be in Six Mile cemetery. The body will be removed from the Jahn funeral home to the residence, where friends may call after 7 o’clock this evening.

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, February 7, 1955.

- -■ - - -p —- -n. mi ini.r iv nipt • < Reports Communists Gathering Large Naval Forcfe North Os Tachen

Dulles Seeks :.-1 Solution For China Crisis Confers With Ike And Diplomats On Crisis In Formosa WASHINGTON (INS) — Secretary of state John Foster Dulles held a series of diplomatic meetings today as he pressed his search for a peaceful solution to the Formosan crisis. Dulles, wno returned to Washington Sunday night from a week’s ; vacation in the Bahamas, conferred first this morning with President Eisenhower on the Far Eastern situation. After the White House session, i he returned to the state department for talks with New Zealand ambassador Knox Munro and British ambassador Sir Roger Makins, whose governments have been trying to arrange a cease-fire on Formosa. Munro, questioned by newsmen after his 25-minute conference, declined to reveal the details of big talks with Dulles but said they “had a full discussion on the situation in the Far East.” » Makins, whose conference immediately followed the meeting between Munro and Dulles, told, newsmen that he was going to "exchange views with Mr. Dulles on all that happened since he’s been away." Pressed by reporters, Makins refused to make any further statement other than to say: “I must refer you to Sir Anthony Eden's statement a tew days ago that ‘diplomacy must be given a chance.’ ” Decatur Teacher's Mother Dies Saturday Mrs. Daisy May Alger, 78, died Saturday night at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Hugh Boswell, of Denver, Ind. Also surviving are two sons, Merritt J. Alger, mathematics instructor in the Decatur high school, and Myron Alger of Fort Wayne, and another daughter, Mrs. Herman Schroll of Kokomo. One son, Morris, is deceased. Funeral services will be held at 2 pjn. Tuesday at the Bender funeral home in North Manchester. i Father Os Decatur Lady Dies Sunday Charles A. Andrew Dies At Huntington Charles A. Andrew, 79, retired bricklayer of Andrews, died at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Huntington county hospital. Huntington, where he had been a patient since suffering a heart attack last Wednesday. He was a native of Huntington county and had resided at Andrews since 1912. Surviving are the widow, Vera; three sons, William and Floyd Andrew of Andrews, and Charles Robert Andrew of Huntington; three daughters, Mrs. Marie Doster of Decatur, Mrs. Fay Hefner of Huntington and Mrs. Mary Scher of Logansport; a brother, Sam Andrew of Huntington; 11 grandchildren, including Herbert Banning and Mrs. Gertrude Hendricks of Decatur, and nine great-grand-children. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Deal funeral home in Andrews, ibe Rev. Nor man R. Able officiating. Burial will be in the Barnes Chapel I OOF cemetery near Huntington. Friends may call at the funeral home until time of the services.

' Traffic Deaths On Rise Over Weekend Fair And Colder Weather In State INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — Fair and colder weather prevailed In Indiana todays The Indianapolis weather bureau, however, predict- - ed light mow in the extreme north tonight or Tuesday. Traffic deaths continued on the . rise during the week-end. A two-car crash on Road 62 near • the Warrick-Vanderburgh county line killed Rosemary Kuzma, 26, of near Boonville, and Lysle E. Emmons, 25, of Lynnville. Miss . Kuzma's sister. Ethel Laura Kuzma. was injured seriously. Robert L. 42, of near . Newburgh, met death when his , automobile and a truck collided on Road 66 and 75 west of Rockport. Arthur Oliver, of Waverly, 0., the truck driver, was held for investigation. _ Police searched today for a motorist who failed to stop after his car killed Charles L. Hatton, 74, of Freetown, who was struck as he walked on Road 50 at Brownstown. Ora Elden Lannerd, 47, of Cambridge City, met death when he was blinded by snow aid turned left into the path of,a semi-trailer On (Road 40 near Straugh, Henry county. 7 < George Jaenicke, 28, of Kokomo, was killed when his automobile ran off Road 31 one mile south of Kokomo and hit a tree. ' Also, Oscar Lindsay, 70, and his mother Mrs. Elizabeth Lindsay, 88, of West Terre Haute, met death in a three-car crash on Road 40, 11 miles west of Vandalia, 111. When an automobile skidded on icy Road 25, crashed into a bridge rail and plunged down an embank(Oontlnued on Page Eight) Decatur Lions Will Not Meet Tuesday The Decatur Lions club will not meet Tuesday night, but will meet jointly with the Rotary club Thursday night at the Moose at 6:30 o’clock for the annual Boy Scout program, Ben Webster, president of the Lions club, announced today. The regular meeting will be held a week from Tuesday, with the music students of Sherman Nyffeler presenting a program. February Term Os Court Opens Today Only One Criminal Case Pending Here The February term of the Adams circuit court opened today with the calling of a skimpy criminal docket by Judge Myles Parrish. Only criminal case pending further proceedings is the grand larceny charge against William H. Booher, Hartford City man accused of stealing a check in Geneva and eashing it in Berne. - 1 '" James Gates, a companion of Booher, entered a plea of guilty to a charge arising from the same offense and Is now serving a one to 10 year sentence at the Indiana state reformatory. Booher, during the November term, entered a plea of not guilty and Hubert McClenahan was appointed pauper attorney to represent him. His trial date will probably be set this afternoon. All other cases on the criminal docket were during the November term. Tuesday in Adams circuit court, the civil docket will be called. INDIANA WEATHER Meetly Vale and cold tonight. Tuesday partly cloudy south and central, mostly cloudy extreme north. Warmer Tuesday, Low tonight 12-18, high Tuesday 35-40 north, 40-45 south. .■L_ . ■ ’ . .1..

Two Bills To Increase Gas Tax Submitted Would Boost State Gasoline Tax, Aid Road Construction INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — Two bills which would increase Indiana’s present gas tax from four cents to six cents and allocate the added funds for construction of freeways were among the flood of proposed laws Introduced today. By noon, the Indiana senate had received 47 more bills and one ‘ resolution, to bring its tttal up to 347. The upper body has until the close of today’s session to bring in new bills. The house, with a Friday deadline, worked on .some |of its 591 measures. Republican Senators Robert L. Brokenburr, Indianapolis, and T. Volney Carter, Seymour, offered the increased gasoline tax measures. At present Indiana and seven other states have state gas taxes of four cents or lower, with all other states claiming a bigger share of the motorists' fuel money. Bills covering the other major problems before this 89th general assembly were among these poured into the senate hopper today. Included in addition to roads were schools, Korean bonus, gambling, and geriatrics. Sen. Brokenburr, a foe of the free-wheeling Indiana toll road commission, offered another measure on roads calling for four-lane highway construction on two free roads now most frequently used for Chicago to Indianapolis traffic. Brokenburr and Sen. Von Eichhorn, Uniondale Democrat, offered a bill to appropriate $lO million tor the work of making U. S. 52 to its intersection with U. S. 41 near Fowler and U. S. 41 on to U. S. 30 four lanes all the way. Brokenburr previously has advocated this and other north-south , free highway construction, rather than construction of a Hammond to Indianapolis area toll road. Commissioners In Regular Session The Adams county commissioners met today for their regular session. They spent the morning takIhg ('are of bills and salaries. Other business-was slated for this afternoon. Fannie B. Williams Dies After Stroke Funeral Services Tuesday Afternoon Mrs. Fannie Blanche Williams, , 68, of Bluffton, died at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wells county hosin that city, where she had ’ been a patient since suffering a stroke a week ago. Mrs. Williams, a lifelong resident of Wells county, was a mem- J ber of the Wesleyan Methodist church in Bluffton. Surviving are four daughters, Mrs, Ruth Byrd and Mrs. Vanette 1 Byrd, both of Bluffton, and Mrs. 1 Doris Drake and Mrs. Dorothy Lindley, both of Decatur; two 1 sons, Ijgval B. Williams of Chicago 1 and Ralph Williams of Bluffton; 1 a -brother, Frank Mendenhall of < hear Bluffton’; a sister, Mrs. Wil- < bur Baker of near Poneto, and 13 t grandchildren.. < Funeral services will be held at 1 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Wesleyan Methodist church, the Rev. Earl < Surf us officiating. Burla! will be in 5 the McFarren cemetery. Friends 1 may call at the Mcßride funeral i home in Bluffton until time of the 1 services. 1

C. C. Speaker Ronald Parrish Annual C, C. Dinner Meeting On Feb. 17 Ronald Parrish Is Principal Speaker Ronald Parrish will speak at the 25th annual Chamber of Commerce banquet to be held at the Moose home at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February J7, M. J. Pryor, president of the Chamber, announced today. Parrish, last year's president of the Chamber, and manager of the Bellmont Trucking company of Fort Wayne, will speak on the year’s accomplishments of the Chamber, and highlights of the program for this vear. Members of the board of directors of the Chamber will start sale Immediately of the 350 tickets available. Those not sold to Chamber members will be released to the general public.’ Robert Cocherilla, Fort Wayne comic baritone, and prominent artist in the summer operas and at night clubs throughout the country, will present the entertainment. The February 17 meeting of the Rotary club will be cancelled to allow Its members to attend the annual event. A toastmaster for the dinner has not yet been named, but final plans will be completed this week for the affair. Pryor said. Mrs. Jacob Zerkel Is Taken By Death Funeral Services Tuesday Afternoon Mrs. Oceano Zerkel, 88, of -13 North Eleventh street, died at 8:55 o'clock Saturday night at the Adams county memorial hospital, where she had been a patient since suffering a fractured hip Nov. 7. She was born in French township Sept. 17, 1866, a daughter of Vincent and Sarah Alexander-Bell, and was married to Jacob A. Zerkel Dec. 24, 1885. Her husband preceded her in death Sept. 1, 1939. The family had lived in Decatur since 1926. Mrs. Zerkel was a member of the Trinity Evangelical United Brethren church. Surviving are one son, Hubert E. Zerkel of Decatur; tiro daughters. Mrs. Ray Smith and Mrs. Ed Kelly, both of Decatur; 17 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild, and two brothers. Three sons, three daughters, five sisters and three brothers are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:30 pm. Tuesday at the Zwick funeral home, the Rev. John E. Chambers officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home until time of the services.

Seventh Fleet Standing By To Aid Evacuation J Nationalist China Moves To Evacuate Tachen Islands ' TAIPEH (INS) —Chinese Com- ' munists were reported gathering a j large naval force north of the Ta- | chen Islands today but a Nationall Ist communique said it was "all quiet" up until 9 p. tn. (8 a. m. EST) in the area where the U. S. seventh fleet watted to protect evacuation ships. Military were uncertain about the meaning of the naval grouping reported In Sanmen Bay 50 miles north of the Tachens. Nationalist military chiefs met in emergency session and warned commanders directing the scheduled Tachen evacuation of a possible “sneak attack." But the seventh fleet reported ‘'no enemy sighted” and military : sources conceded that Red China could be pulling her ships away from the Tachens to avoid clashes with the powerful American armada. ...... . t .. Vice Adm. Alfred M. Pride an- js nounced “everything in the current operation is proceeding according to schedule" as advance units of the fleet under his personal command steamed into Tachen harbor. Ground parties went ashore on the hilly, bomb-marked islands to help clear mines from the harbor and set up loading p.-ocedures for the evacuation of some 15,54)0 •-' troops and 17,000 civilians. Meanwhile, fighting erupted in ' another area of the 300-mile front > of the Communist-Nationalist civil war. Red guns on Tatuu Island dropped four rounds of artillery fire on embattled Quemoy Island," B key Nationalist outpost due to >e reinforced by troops from Tochen. Reports from the U. S. seventh fleet said weather was “cold and cloudy” but seas calm. On the Tachens, civilians packed simple belongings and prepared for the momentarily-expected evacuation, while troops reportedly had not yet been told they would be removed. U. S. sailors could see no sign bf movement on red - held islands nearby even though the Tachens themselves are scarred from the effect of communist artillery fire and bombs. American officials were reasonably confident the Reds would not cry to oppose the withdrawal, but Nationalists expressed uneasiness at what was termed “superficial" calm. They said the Communists might be preparing a “surprise or sneak action.’’ Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek expressed warm thanks for the protective cover he said was “generously rendered’’ by the U. S. to aid the evacuation. Chiang said the withdrawal order was a “painful decision” but was necessary to strengthen the de • tense of Formosa and the Pescadores as well as outlying Islands. The Generalissimo said redeployment of the Tachen garrison troops constituted a “positive preparation" for counterattack, not a “negative retreat.” He added: "We would be falling victims of enemy diversionary tactics if the troops on the Tachens were left to fight an invasion force." Radio Peiping hurled menacing as the evacuation started, charging that the U. S. was "openly participating” in a war provocation against Red China, but Communist planes and warships apparently were restricted to bases near the mainland. The Communist rkdlo said an order to the seventh fleet to “go into action” if the Reds opposed the evacuation w la-* act “fraught with the intrigue of starting a major war.” (Continued on Page Firs) -- --j

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