Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 53, Number 227, Decatur, Adams County, 27 September 1955 — Page 1

Vol, LIU. No. 227.

. STOCKS DROP BILLIONS ON PRESIDENTS ILLNESS » —r MTTfa —nr 1,„ JL LJW i *W*~ jwF^ s UP* ■ JIK.. IWJ WITH MANY INVESTORS and traders who had amassed sizeable paper profits cashing in promptly, the New York Stock Exchange presented this view of feverish trading as news of President Eisenhower's illness gripped Broad and Wall Streets. Reports of billions in stock values being wiped out vied with brokers and economists contention there was no reason for any drastic change in the boom pace of business.

Mild Comeback Is Staged By Stock Market Turbulent Dealings Today As Aftermath Os Ike's Illness NEW YORK (INS) — The stock market staged a mild comeback today from Monday’s wide - open break in another session of turbulent dealings. The list started in encouraging fashion with most issues rallying briskly at the start under the spur of a heavy accumulation of buying orders attracted by the spectacular character of Monday’s declines. There were some gains exceeding $2 s6on after the opening, and more general advances of pennies to more than |l. However, these mark ups were steadily whittled down and around the noon hour, a number of prominent Issues were back to previous closing levels. So hectic was the pace of dealings that the high - speed ticker quickly fell behind floor transactions with the lateness running to as much as 19 minutes late in the second hour. As a result, the stock exchange resorted to its custom of printing ‘ flash prices” of key issues on the ticker tape to acquaint boardroom with the actual status of conditions on the trading Door. Despite the lagging ticker, first hour volume of 1,010,000 shares failed to match Monday’s 1.070,000 share turnover. During this period Monday, the ticker had slowed to a halt on several occasions as stock exchange officials sought to arrange an equitable opening price for the avalanche of selling orders pouring into brokerage offices because of President Eisenhower’s illness. There was another interesting contrast between the two days in that today's largest initial transaction was a 12.000 share block of General Motors, as against a 75.000 share block of U. S. Steel, and a 55,000 share transfer of General Motors Monday. Among the prominent issues to score early advances of $2 and more were DuPont. Anaconda. Chrysler, Kenhecotii Standard Oil’ of New Jersey, Bethlehem Steel. General Motors, and International Paper. DuPont, which had chalked up a first hour rise of $3.25 gave uphill of his advance as the noon hour neared, while Allied Chemical yielded a gain of $1.50 to rule unchanged. In the rail sector, Southern Pacific and Northern Pacific ad vanced more than $1 each, but Santa Fe was off $1.50; and New York Central gave up a small fraction. Kansas City Southern, which had not appeared at all during (Continued on page Sight) Supplies Are Flown To Battered Island TOKYO (INS) —U. S. air force planes flew emergency supplies today to the typhoon battered Pacific island of Iwo Jima where American installations suffered heavy damage in a 24-hour storm. Reports from. Iwo, the famed World War Two battleground, said that many air force personnel suffered “minor injuries” and that “major damage" was caused to all buildings. ,

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

School Reporter

Appeals Thursday Five Schools Will Contribute News The school reporter, a column devoted exclusively to high school news, will make its first appearance in the Democrat for the 19551955 school year, this Thursday. The weekly column will appear in each Thursday’s edition. The column Was first presented last year by Miss Joan Laurent and Miss G-wen Hilyard, then seniors at Decatur Catholic and Decatur high, respectively. This year three more Adams county schools have been contacted and school reporters secured from each of these schools. Dee Dee Striker, a senior at D. H. S., will write the column for her school. She is on the staff of the Jacket Journal and is vocalist for the high school orchestra. The -column for Decatur Catholic high will be written by Marjorie York, who is a senior. She is on the staff of the Hi-Light, the school paper, and is secretary of the student spiritual council. . Representing Adams Central will be Barbara Fiechter, who is a junior. She has had quite a lot of experience in writing as she is coeditor of the school paper and attended journalism institute at Indiana University this past summer. Barbara is also a member of the newly formed camera club at Adams' Central and is an honor roll student. Norma Jean Bailey is the school reporter for Pleasant Mills high school. She is a senior there and is business manager of the school yearbook. Norma Jean, who is also an honor roll student, assists in the school library. Editing the school column for Monmouth will be Shirley Bleeke, who is also a senior. She is editor of the school yearbook, secretary of the senior class, an honor roll student and secretary to the home economics teacher at Monmouth. The purpose of this column is to/provide parents, friends, and altfmnl of the schools inside information on the activities of, the high school students. These five, reporters will try to keep the gen-* eral public up to date on all the club activities, class projects and awards, and other items of Intel.est that occur in and around school. ■ \ ' 1 -- -s Milling Company Employe Crushed WORT WAYNE, Ind. (INS) —A 26-yeai-old milling company employe was killed when he was crushed between a shifting load of fertilizer and the side of a barn in Allen county. Paul Edwin Jacobs, of R. R. 1, Markle, an employe of the Farmers Milling Company, Zanesville, was unloading sacks of fertilizer at the farm of Stanley Prezbendowskf, near Roanoke, when the Monday nfght tragedy occurred. Weight of the fertilizer broke a rack and Jacobs was caught between the load and the barn. INDIANA WEATHER Mostly cloudy with showers tonight, continuing south portion Wednesday. Cooler tonight and Wednesday. Low tonight around 60 north to 62 south. High Wednesday ranging from 60 extreme north to 75 aouth.

Stale Police Ordered To Aid At New Castle Mass Picketing At Perfect Circle Co. Plant Is Stopped INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — New Castle police, with state policemen in reserve, stopped illegal mass picketing at the strike torn foundry of the Perfect Circle Corporation in New Castle today. When a force of 87 pickets jammed the gates of the foundry. Naw Castle policemen, Henry county deputy sheriffs and specially deputized officers today arrested nearly 40 pickets of the CIO United Auto Workers. The remaining pickets fled. Governor/George N- Craig indicated he ordered a substantial force of-state policemen to go to the strike scene, at the request of New Castle Mayor Paul F. McCormack because local officials finally had acted to enforce an injunction against mass picketing granted by the Henry circuit court The governor said: “Advices have reached me of decisive action on the part of local authorities at New Castle to institute and maintain law and order. "State police have been instructed to give full support to those officials. As long as bonafide efforts are continued by local authorities, the Weight of state police will be kept in their support.” • — State police superintendent Frank Jessup said the mission of the troopers was to “help New Gastie officials maintain law and order.” New Castle city workers immediately broke down barricades, ejected pickets and ■ cleaned up debris. Utility empires repaired cut telephone and electric wires. Charles Garver, city editor of the New Castle News Republican, said that clubholding pickets ordered hiita away from the strike scene Monday and told him to stay 200 yards) I from the picket assembly. The Perfect Circle company has filed contempt proceedings against William F. Caldwell, international representative of thwCTUTTAW and 43 members of Local 370 because mass' picketing has prevented reopening of the foundry. the national labor relations board at Indianapolis announced that a hearing on the strike, scheduled for Wednesday, had been postponed until Monday at the request of the union and the company. The hearing concerns a petition to decertify the union as the bargaining agency. The strike began at the New (Continued on Pare Five) Fire This Morning _ At Berne Factory A fire in the furnace room of the Nussbaum Novelty Op. in Berne at about 7 a. m. today caused little fire damage but possible smoke damage, it was reported. The fire, which was caused by a small explosion in the furnace, consumed only trash and scrap which was in the furnace room. However, it is possible that some damage was caused by the smoke in other parts of the. building. An estimate of the damage was not available. Robert Haeker is manager of the company.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAM* COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, September 27, 1955.

Eisenhower Continues

Steady Improvement After Heart Attack

Nixon Calls Council And Cabinet Meet Vice President To Conduct Meetings Thursday, Friday 1 BULLETIN WASHINGTON (INS) — Vice President Richard M. Nixon met with the administration’s fiscal, budget and political chiefs today as he stepped into a leadership role in Presh dent Eisenhower’s absence. WASHINGTON (INS) —V i c e President Richard M. Nixon goes to work today on an agenda for the specially summoned national security council and cabinet meetings scheduled Thursday and Friday. Nixon will preside over each in the absence of President Eisenhower. He told newsmen the Thursday council meeting and the Friday cabinet meeting will deal with “routine” matters, but did not elaborate. The vice president conferred with, assistant attorney general William P. Rogers Monday night for a little more than an hour. They presumably discussed legal aspects of government decision making. Nixon made no statement after the meeting. The government’s number two man called the dogncil and cabinet meetings on his own initiative, as he has in the past during Mr. Eisenhower’s absences from Washington. The President has encouraged him to do so. and Nixon has presided over several before. He spent most of Monday afternoon trying to round up cabinet members for the Friday meeting. Seven of the ten were out of Washington, and five were out of the country. , (Continued on Page Kigbt) Phantom Killer Os Turnpike Executed Wable is Executed $ * For Killing Trucker BELLEFONTE, Pa. (INS) — The "phantom killer” of tire Pennsylvania turnpike and the convicted slayer of a ,45-year-old baby sitter were executed Monday night in the electric chair at Rockvjew penitentiary. ( ’ /They were 26-year-old John Wesley Wable, of Ohiopyle, convicted of killing a sleeping truck driver > on the turnpike July 25, 1953, and George Capps, 24, of Levittown, found guilty in Jan 1954, of the rape-slayipg of Marta. Gibbons in Bucks county. Capps was placed in the death chair at 10:03 p.m. (EDT) and pronounced dead two minutes later after a charge of 2000 volts of 10 ■ ampere electricity coursed through his body. Capps was calm to the end. He said nothing. Wable followed Capps to the chair and it required two doses of electricity to snuff out his life. He was strapped in the chair at 10:08 p.m. and after the first jolt Dr. J. £. Weixel examined the body and said life still stirred. Executioner Jerry Kremer sent another charge into the dying man and Wable was pronounced dead three minutes later. ----- Wable was convicted of slaying Harry F. Pitts of Bowling Green, Va„ on the turnpike near Donegal. Nine days later another trucker was slain in his parked truck. Wable was apprehended at Albuquerque, N. M„ and returned to Greensburg for trial in the Pitts’ death. He maintained through the long legal proceedings ing had been done by he Identified as “Jim Parks.” Wable’s last ditch appeal to the state supreme court Monday wax rejected and Gov. George M. Leader declined th Issue a stay of execution.

Hunt Pressed For Two Bank Bandits Third Confederate Also Being Sought INDIANAPOLIS (INS) — The hunt for two bandits and a probable third confederate who escaped with $15,940 after holding three women hostage for Iff hours centered today on the little town of Carmel. Indiana state police said this morning no trace has been found of the bandits who staged the well planned robbery of the Union State Bank at Carmel Monday. Last reported view was that of a witness who saw two men abandon the car stolen from Miss Thyrza Peters, bank cashier, and enter a yellow auto. The licenses on the yellow’ car had been stolen earlier from a Marion county auto. However, investigators opined that the crime was planned with such a complete knowledge of Car- ‘ mel and all its residents that a , local person must be involved. ( They doubted that even a thorough casing by strangers could have ] given the information the bandits , had, For Miss Peters, 45, her mother, Mrs. Eunice Peters, 69, and her ' sister, Miss Mary Evelyn Peters, 32, the experience was one that rivaled the plot of “The Desperate Hours.’’ Two men, their heads covered with stocking masks, entered the unlocked rear door of the Peters home and forced the three women to lie across a bed for six hours. The daughters said they were not so frightened for themselves as they were for their elderly mother, who has heart trouble. «*■ The bandits raided the Peters refrigerator, eating a lemon pie. At 4 a m. Monday, they forced the women to go to the bank. Here the women were forced to ■crouch in a room next to the vault. Before the vault opened automatically at 8:30 a.m., three other women employes of the bank had ( reported to work and all were menaced by the gunmen and eventually locked in a basement j powder room. It was from this room the women attracted the attention of a passerby, and obtained their freedom. Investigators were inclined to believe a .third person was involved since the two bandits were not 1 thought to have w’alked to the re- * mote Whitestown home of the J Peters. Best guess was that the ‘ confederate left the car at a pre- 1 arranged spot where the switch £ was made after the robbery. 6 __ A i 'l Nation-wide Rail ' Strike Threatened ’ J Strike Ballots Now i Being Distributed J CHICAGO (INS) — A nationwide railroad strike was threaten- ' ed today by the Brotherhood of £ Locomotive Firemen and Engine- ‘ men. H. E. Gilbert of Cleveland, president of the brotherhood, said . strike ballots were being distributed to some 60,000 enginemen .on 130 railroads throughout the na- j tion. He said early returns from tjie f voting are expected within a week ] and added: “When the vote is r counted, we can -strike quickly. We 8 do not Intend to let this drag on j any longer.” j The strike vote was directed on > authority delegated at a meeting 8 last weekend by more than 100 general chairmen. i The dispute has been dragging ' on for 14 months. The union is de- - < manding a 28 cent an hour pay hike for 40 hour a week yard workers, and* $lB daily minimum for r road f|remen and S2O for road en- o glnemen. u A presidential emergency fact p finding board recommended a wage forthula for the yardmen ,av- s eraging out to about BY4 cents an I hour raise. t

Storm Hunting Navy Plane On Missing List Hurricane Hunter Reported Missing With 11 Aboard MIAMI (INS) —Hurricane Janet, which is believed to have swallowed up a Navy plane with 11 men aboard, stepped up to 17 miles an Jiour today and headed toward Swan Island in the Caribbean Sea. The plane, a hurricane hunter, was listed as missing at midnight after it was last heard from 14 hours earlier Officials said it was the first ease of a navy plane believed forced down while investigating a hurricane. The Miami weather bureau pinpointed Janet at 210 miles east southeast of Swan Island. It was moving west northwest with highest winds at 110 mph. Gale winds extended 200 miles north and east of the center and 100 miles to the south. Weather bureau forecasters expect Janet to continue building up in intensity in the next 12 to 18 boiugz a its forward rate of 17 phy owards the west northwest. If she continues to follow this path, Janet’s center may be very near to Swan Island by late this afternoon or early tonight. Winds at Swan Island are expected to reach hurricane force tonight. Northern Nicaragua and northwestern Honduras, meanwhile, began talking precautions against gale winds and high tides as the hurricane headed toward the Central American countries. A report from ’Fort of Spain, Trinidad, listed 110 dead attributed to hurrican Janet on the island (Continued on Pace Three) Jerome Coffee Dies After Heart Attack Lifelong Resident Dies Monday Night Jerome (Jerry) Coffee, 60, wellknown lifelong resident of Decatur and a veteran employe Of’the General Electric plant in this city, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at 9:15 o’clock Monday night at his home, 234 North Seventh street. He had been ill a few weeks ago but had returned to work and became ill again Monday while at work. He was born in Decatur Oct. 4, 1894, a son of David and Anna Coffee, and was married to Gladys M. Eady May 7, 1917. Mr. Coffee was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic church, the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, Holy Name society and the G. E. Quar- ( ter-Century club. Surviving in addition to his wife are one son, William J. Coffee of Fort Wayne; one grandson, Mike Coffee; one brother, Adrian Coffee, member of the Decatur police force, and two sisters, Mrs. Frances Colchin and Mrs. Mildred Berling, both of Decatur. Funeral services will be conducted at 9 a. m. Friday at St. Mary’s Catholic church, the Very , Rev. Msgr. J. J. Seimetz officiating. Burial will be in the Catholic cemetery. The body was removed to the Gillig & Doan funeral home, where friends may call after 7 o’clock this evening until time of the services. The Holy Name society will recite the rosary at 8 p. m. Thursday. Mouse Knocks Radio Station Off The Air COLUMBUS, Ind. (INS) — A mouse knocked radio station WCSI off the air tor an hour and 14 minutes Monday and knocked Itself off permanently. An engineer said he saw sparks shooting from what looked like a loose wire. The wire turned out to be the mouse’s tall.

State Treasurer Assails Spending Deficit Spending, Toll Roads Lashed BLOOMFIELD, Ind. (INS) — State Treasurer John Peters lushed out today at what he termed the deficit spending and toll road rush of Gov. George N. Craig’s administration. Peters told a meeting of the Bloomfield (Rotarians that Indiana's unencumbered balance was reduced $5 million during the past biennium with a budget of $603 million. He added: “Simple arithmetic can show you that we iare going to have a great struggle to complete the next biennium with any amount of surplus when the state budget calls for $673 million.” He “predicted” that the balance in the state’s 460 banks will have been reduced approximately S2O million in the next few weeks. Peters warned, however, that too much emphasis should not be placed on thrift that might curtail important government functions. He said he was pleased that his suggestions helped form the laws that sent part of the alcoholic beverage tax back to cities and towns, pay Korean WaT veterans a bonus, and help create a school building fund to relieve critical classroom shortages. One area in which he suggested a great deal of caution concerned toll roads. He said he voted against the “nebulous north -south toll road" surveys until the east - west road proved itself. The state treasurer added: “I could not then, and I cannot now. see any necessity for the great hurry that has been an amazing characteristic of the operation of the Indiana toll road boosters.” He added the bond market is “anything but what one could call good.” He aaid 'he doubted that buyers could be found “unless the bonds were unscrupulously sold at a discont which would mean a loss.” Peters declared the state is morally obligated for the redemption of the bonds as cities are for Barrett bonds and the state’s credit ( wold fall as has the credit of sev- , eral cities that have let Barrett ] law bonds fail. The treasurer said he would like j (Continued on raxe Five) — . .] Legion Post Backs ; Hospital Addition ' Support Is Pledged 1 To Hospital, flans ‘ Adams post 43, American Legion, 1 unanimously pledged its support to the board of trustees of the Ad- J ams county methorial hospital in £ their effort to, increase the size arid'.improve fgsilities of the hos- . pitai. ■ - Action was taken at the regular meeting of the local post held Mon- t day night at the Legion home. O. j W. P. Macklin commander of Ad- j ams post, said that several com- < mittees would be named to assist { the board in circulating petitions < in every ownship of the county. t Petitions are necessary when the board asks the county commission- c ers and later the county council for x cons ent to issue bonds. c Coriimander Macklin said that he s was pleased with the post's unanimous action, especially because the t hospital was originally built as a 1 memorial to veterans of World I War I. He said that he was con- 1 fident every member would work as a team in lending aid to the I board in the remodelling and en- 1 larging project. ~ J The hospital board now has und- £ er study proposed plans for en- ' larging the bed capacity at the hospital and also the adding of many needed facilities to make the local hospital one of the finest tn Ind- , iana. , It la believed likely that other } organizations will follow the action of the Legton in endorsing the a proposal.

Price Five Centi

Condition Os President Is Improving Physician Orders Plenty Os Rest To Stricken President BULLETIN WASHINGTON (INS) — Attorney general Herbert Brownell Jr., said today there la “no question” about the government’s legal ability to function smoothly while President Eisenhower Is 111. The cabinet member made the statement at Washington National Airport after a bur* ried flight from Spain where he cut short a vacation when informed of the President’s heart attack. DENVER (INS)—President Elsenhower apparently was taking orders today like the "good soldier"’ his doctor says he is as he continued encouraging progress toward recovery. A 10 a. m. (EDT) bulletin said the President’s condition continues to improve. The bulletin said Mr. EioenhoWer spent a very good night at Fitsslmmons army hospital, sleeping a total of 19 hours and 15 minutes. The President apparently was obeying the orders of Boston heart specialist Dr. Paul Dudley White .who gave Mr. Eisenhower ‘orders” on what he should do to recover from his heart attack. Dr. White, who has since returned to Boston, described the President as “a good soldier.” He said Mr. Eisenhower knows how to obey orders. Dr. White’s orders included plenty of rest. He also had a long talk with Mrs. Elsenhower and the President’s only son, Maj. John Eisenhower in which he said he “laid down the law” about what had to be done to assure the President an excellent recovery. The famed Boston specialist, although back in Boston, was keeping in close touch with the Eisenhower case. He planned to talk with doctors in Denver by telephone at least twice a day. The question only the stricken President could answer was whether he would consider shouldering the crushing burden of the White House for another four years with the threat of a second heart attack hanging over his fiiture. In the opinion of some observers who know the President well, it was a question which would be decided by Mr. Eisenhower’s own deep sense of responsibility to- «■ ward his countrymen. S ' i If he felt the crusade for world < peace demanded his personal <M- % rection, the feeling among his assoctaies was that he would continue in the presidency without { the slightest thought to his personal health. If, on the other hand, he felt the nation would be handicapped by having a Chief Executive whose health would be an ever-present question mark, the same associates believed he would make his decision with equal disregard for his own interests. There remained, of course, the questions of how many voter would be swayed by the President's physical condition, if he should decide to seek reelection. There was little doubt, however, that he could still have the Republican nomination for the asking if his recovery is as complete as is now hoped. Wr. White said Monday the prospects are “reasonably good” that the President will recover so completely that it will be safe for him to run for reelection if he wants. But the doctor warned: “We can’t tell yet... Each new day must take care of Itself.” White House news secretary James C. Hagerty said after checking with Vice President Richard M. Nixon and other administration officials that there is no immediate need to delegate any of Mr. (Continued on Page Three)