Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 3, Decatur, Adams County, 5 January 1959 — Page 1

Vol. LVII. No. 3.

■NI. - ■■ I I ' I' 1 "■■■ 1 I — ' ’ x ' kr * r SIOO,OOO Fire Loss In Decatur

— .> * ooti ' R r p II I ■ * III wl s . --w te B mMfe--.z ■ K $£ £ ajaffiS jf f' ** Mg* 11 • Firemen work to the top of the Blackstone case from the Sutton building to fight the fire on the - roof. This scene was taken in the alley behind the burning buildings and shows the firemen moving the hose to the top of the building.—Photo by Enos Osterman.

Six Democrats Jwomlnlo ” State Office " Judge Remy Bierly Os Decatur Sworn To Appellate Court INDIANAPOLIS (UPD—lndiana Democrats elected in the Nov. 4 landslide took over six offices in the judicial branch of Hoosier government in Statehouse swearing in ceremonies today. After warming up with inauguration of John Walsh of Anderson as secretary of state and Albert Steinwedel as state auditor Dec. 1, Democrats staged a ceremony this morning highlighted by switching majority control of the Indiana Appellate Court from Republican hands for the first time in years. ““' Four appellate judges took office, leaving Republican Judges James Cooper of Rushville and Dewey Kelly of Whiting on the six-man court. Amos W. Jackson, Versailles, was.sworn in as a Supreme Court judge, succeeding Republican James A. Emmert of Shelbyville, who returned to his hometown to resume the practice of law after a long career in the Statehouse. Mrs. Alice Cavanaugh, Indianapolis Democrat, was sworn in as clerk of the two high courts, succeeding Republican Mrs. Mabel Lyons of Auburn, former vicechairman of the GOP State Committee. The new appellate judges are John R. Ax of Linton, Walter Jyers Jr. of Indianapolis, G. Remy Bierly of Decatur and John S. Gonas of South Bend. They succeeded Judges Donald Bowen, of Bloomington, Wilbur Royse of Indianapolis, Jphn Pfaff of South Bend and Harry Crumpacker of Michigan City. The biggest throng of newlyelected Democrats will invade the Statehouse Thursday when the 1959 Legislature opens a 61-day session vith Democrats outnumbering Republicans 79-21 in the Continued on page five INDIANA WEATHER Fair and very cold again -ft- ; tonight Tuesday fair and warmer. Low tonight 5 to IT below north, 5 below to 5 above sooth. High Tuesday 16 to 24. Sunset today 5:35 p. m. CDT. 1 Sunrise Tuesday 8:06 a. m. CDT. Outlook for Wednesday: Increasing cloudiness and a little warmer with snow likfcly. Lows Tuesday night aero to 10 above. Highs Wednesday upper 20s north to low 30s south. ' ; ft,. - ~r ‘ ¥

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY ' __ ,

Red Deputy Premier Meets With Dulles Down To Business On Visit To U.S. WASHINGTON (UPD — Soviet First Deputy Premier Anastas I. Mikoyan, after a quick look at the sights of Washington and a peep at such capitalistic gadgets as doughnut, popcorn and orange juice machines, settles down today to a meeting with U.S. officials. Mikoyan had an appointment ■ with Secretary of State John. Foster Dulles. He did not indicate what they might-dis cuss but there has been speculation that he may be bringing a Soviet proposal for easing ccld war tension. _ He planned to attend a dinner tonight given by Eric Johnston for administration, congressional and other American leaders at Johnston’s, Motion Picture Association of America headquarters. No Ike Appointment * Mikoyan would be “pleased,” he said, to see President Eisenhower while in the United States on his unofficial, two-week visit which will take him to other cities. But no appointment with Eisenhower has been set up as yet. The No. 2 man in the Soviet government is about 5 foot 7, black mustached and sallow-com-plexioned. He was friendly enough with the press but avoided any discussion of International issues with the newsmen. Alert in noting changes since his previous visit to the United States 22 years ago, Mikoyan drank in the sights from Manhattan to Washington after his arrival in New York by plane from Copenhagen early Sunday morning. Among other things, he: . —lgnored a brief- Hungarian anti-Soviet demonstration at Idlewild Airport. ; —Looked over a Howard Johnson restaurant on the New Jersey Turnpike near Yardville, N.J., ; where he gazed with fascination at such gadgets as a doughnut inachine and an electric toaster. Tours Washington —lnspected a motel at Perry- ' ville, Md.,' where he asked the owner if he was making a profit and was told: "That's why we’re in business." —Took a two-hour Truman-like walk along the streets of Washingtom after arriving at the Soviet Embassy where he is the guest of Russian Ambassador Mikhail A. Menshikov. - Careful precautions' to protect Mikoyan were taken from the moment he arrived in New York. Nearly 100 city policemen and Secret Service men were on hand when he landed at Idl wild. Mikoyan granted a brief interview in which he conveyed the greetings of Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev who. -he said, hoped the people of the United ConUnued on page five

Cuban Rebel Leader Orders Strike Ended Paralyzing General Strike Ends, Castro Moving On Havana BULLETIN HAVANA (UPD — Martial law was declared throughout ..the province of Havana today. HAVANA (UPD—The iron grip of a general strike which has paralyzed Cuba since New Year’s Day was relaxed today on orders of rebel leader Fidel Castro and this Latin metropolis burst into life again, buoyed by a Castro pledge to restore democracy. Castro himself was in central Cuba, moving toward Havana with an armored column. But his triumphal entry into Havana was delayed en route by such urgent military matters as the organization of revolutionary forces to maintain law and order. He was now expected Tuesday or Wednesday. _2L__ He also was engrossed in a purge of “war criminaT’ followers of ousted President Fulgencio Batistji and a roundup of Batista leaders. At least four army officers have been executed after summary court martials and a number of opposition politicians have been jaded. f No Americans Hurt The last of 2,000 or more American tourists stranded in Havana when Batista fled into exile were sent home by plane or ship, and the U.S. Embassy announced that not a single American tourist was killed or wounded in the street fighting that took 70 lives and injured 300 in Havana. Castro, in a broadcast to the ; nation from Camaguey in eastern Cuba, said he was anxious to reach Havana to “offer excuses to people” for the difficulties ’ they have undergone. But he ex- ; his trip was slow be- • cause of organizational problems eh route. ............... He called for an immediate end ’ to the general strike because “tri- ■ umph throughout the country has 1 been assured and all military commands are for the revolution.” He said the investment of ■ Provisional President Manuel Ur- ‘ rutla had fully restored liberty and civil power. ’ Resistance In Camaguey ' Castro spent the night at Sancti Spiritus in Las Villas Province; ‘ midway on his 500-mile trek from" ! one end of Cuba to the other.’ He 1 mentioned resistance encountered ' pondent Reeve Waring, with CasI Conttoued to page 5 < ■ ?

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, January 5,1959.

Business Building On Second St. Destroyed, Stores Suffer Damage

Radio Signals From Russian Rocket Halted News Agency Says Rocket Continuing Flight Into Orbit MOSCOW (UPD ' — The radio transmitters in the Soviet moon rocket stopped working today, 62 hours after the man-made planet was launched. The Soviet Tass News Agencysaid the rocket had soared 372,000 miles from earth and was continuing its flight into orbit around the sun. “With the exhaustion of resources feeding it. reliable radio communications with the rocket ceased on the sth January at about 10 a.m. Moscow time (1 a.m, c.5.t.)," Tass said. By that time, *Tass said, the rocket had flown for 62 hours and was 597,000 kilometers (372,000 miles) from earth. “The program of observations and scientific investigation of the rocket has been completed,” Tass said. Up until then, the news agency said, reliable radio communication between the rocket and earth had been maintained. A Between Earth, Mars This, it said, enabled observations to be made of the movement of the rocket and made it possible to obtain information on the working of scientific apparatus aboard it. In two more days, Jan. 7-8, the rocket will enter its periodic orbit as an artificial planet of the sun, Tass said. Its orbit will be between the orbit of the earth and •Mars. Tass said the new planet will not again approach the earth for another five years. But, it added, its distance at that time will “be in the order of tens of millions of kilometers." The rocket will be moving along its solar orbit with a revolution period of 447 earth days. “A Majestic Event” “It* is officially reported that the tasks set at the launching of the space rocket have been carried out,” Tass said. Continued on page five

Eyewitness Account Os Fire From Volunteer

(Editdr’s note: The following account “Os the lire which destroyed the Lose, building Sunday, closing three business establishments temporarily, burning out two apartments, and causing smoke damage to an office and another store, was given by one of the 17 volunteer firemen who fought the fire alongside the six “professionals” who are always on duty. LaVern “Chick” Roth, who gave the following account, has been a fireman for two years. Each of the other firemen would have had a similar story, including the regular fireman recalled from his vacation to fight the blaze.) At the time the fire whistle blew I was just getting my three children ready to leave for Sunday school, and was dressed for church myself. Our fire department radios told each of us where the fire was, Blackstone’s but often the name of a home or business is given for the location of a minor auto fire, pr overheated stove. - Not believing it would take long, I asked, my wife and children to wait for me, and went to the scene of tile fire in my church clothes. It seems like fires like to break out about church time—we were just* getting ready to leave for church Christmas eve when a rural fire called us out.

Woman Columnist Sentenced To Jail — Refused To Reveal News Story Source NEW YORK (UPD—Television columnist Marie Torre was sent to the Hudson County (N.J.) Women’s Prison for 10 days today for contempt of court in refusing : ter disclose the source of a news story. The 34 - year -old newswoman, > mother of two children, was ‘ placed in the custody of a U.S. ! marshal in Federal Court after a t one-minute proceeding in which her attorney told Judge Sylvester r J. Ryan that Miss Torre had not ) changed her mind about reveal- ■ ing the source of the disputed I story. The Herald Tribune columnist • was accompanied to court by her > husband, television producer Hal t Friedman, who told newsmen: t ■“I am proud of her. We have I never made a decision that we didn’t take together. We talked J this over.” ft I Miss Torre told fellow report--1 ers: _ \ “If by serving this term I have i contributed to legislation protect- ’ ing a newspaper man’s sources, > it wil be worthwhile.” She said her decision to go to ’ jail rather than purge herself of the contempt charge was a peri sonal one, but “it would have been most difficult if my newspaper had net been behind me. They were.” Judge Ryan told Miss Torre she still might purge herself after going to jail. “If you change your mind in the future, you may communicate with'the court,” he said. Miss Torre did not speak during the brief court appearanep. Miss Torre sain ne'r mnthpr and a housekeeper will keep her children during her absence. • The attractive brunette . columnist, described by Ryan as “The Joan of Arc of her profession,” has refused to give the name of a television network executive whom she quoted in a statement about singer Judy Garland. MiSs Garland subsequently filed a $1,393,333 suit against the network (CBS) charging breach of contract and libel. Neither Miss Torre nor the Herald Tribune was named a defendant but the columnist was cited for contempt when Continued on page five

At the scene truck No. 2 was already there. We pulled the “skid” hose from the truck. This is a small hose used at the fire itself. Then the truck was started, and the rest of the hose skidded out behind while the truck drove to the fire hydrant at Monroe and First streets. We were at the rear of the building, working on. the back end. As we knocked out the back door we realized that this was no small fire, but was as big as the Beery fire a year ago, and had a good start already. Its location, between other buildings, made it both more difficult to fight, ,and more dangerous, since the fire could easily spread. / “Gabby” Colchin, with one/of the three smoke masks that are one each truck, entered the back door, and began cooling down the flames. The guys on the roof could see the flames through the skylight. At twenty of ten my wife quit waiting, and took the kids on to church. About 11 I was!able to get home and change into my regular fire-fighting clothes, except my rubbkr, waterproof equipment which had been sent in for repair. Through most of the fire I work- ■ ed on the roof, pouring water down on the fire frpm above. A firefight--1 er has no way of telling time ex(Contlnued on f>a«e •lah/t)

— . ».|*| !! ..wuiiu —— Ike Outlines S4O Billion For Defense Senator Johnson Criticizes Failure : — To Speed Programs WASHINGTON (UPI) — President Eisenhower outlined a defense budget of $40,900,000,000 to congressional leaders today and ran into immediate Democratic criticism that his administration is not going farther and faster in its miltary and space programs. Senate Democratc Leader Lyndon B. Johnson (Tex.) told newsmen after the 2%-hour White House budget briefing that he is “disappointed” m the failure to boost funds for the two critical ptograms. Johnson refused to give any specific figures on proposed military spending. But Sen. Alexander Wiley (R-Wis.), who left the conference earlier, said the defense figure was $40,900,000,000. Speaker Sam Rayburn was asked whether the administration disclosed plans to step up the space program in light of Russia’s dramatic moon shot. “They didn’t say so.” he replied. "They acted like they were moving as fast as they know how.” Johnson said it was indicated there would be a “most substantial” increase in requests for mutual security funds over the amount appropriated last year. But he would not give any specific figures, saying he felt the President was entitled to explain these and the reasons for them at the appropriate time.— - Johnson said Eisenhower did not outline domestic legislative proposals at today’s meeting which was attended by Democratic and Republican leaders concerned with defense and foreign affairs. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles led off the briefing, followed by Defense Secretary Neil H. McElroy. Reports also w.ere made by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the head of the foreign aid program, and a representative of the U.S. Information Agency program. First announcement of the defense spending figure came from Wiley, who left the conference to keep a dental appointment.' Local Man's Father Dies At Fort Wayne Funeral Wednesday For Chas. Ploughe Charles Ploughe, 77, retired school teacher and farmer, died'at 9:30 a m. Sunday at his home, 1350 Park Ave., Fort Wayne, after an illness of several months. Mr. Ploughe was a member of the South Wayne Baptist church, the National Retired Teachers' Assn., and was a 59-year member qf the IOOF lodge at Kempton. Surviving are the wife, Carolyn; two sons, Dale Ploughe of Decatur, and Milroy Ploughe of Waynedale; two daughters, Mrs. Willard Thompson of Denver, Colo., and Mrs. Ruhl Buskirk of Allen county; two sisters. Mrs. Francis Ferguson of Kempton, and Mrs. Mary Gillispie of-Indianapolis; 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchil-dren. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Elzey home for funerals, Waynedale, the Rev. R. E, Vance officiating. Burial will be in Nine Mile cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 p.m. today. ’ - ■ ■ .. . ■■

Sub-Zero Weather Throughout Stale Mercury At Lowest Point In 8 Years United Press International Winter hit Indiana with a bonechilling broadside today, sending temperatures plunging far below zero to the lowest marks in eight years. - The mercury fell to 13 below zero in Indianapolis on the 75th anniversary of the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Hoosier capital—2s below on Jan. 5, 1884. It was 12 below at Lafayette, 11 1 below at Terre Haute, 9 below in the Chicago area, 8 below at Fort Wayne, 7 below at Goshen, 5 be- ; low in the Cincinnati area, 3 below at South Bend, 2 below in the , Louisville area and even zero at Evansville. ■ The mercury’s plunge started late Saturday night, right on the schedule outlined in Weather Bureau forecasts. During the early hours of the cold wave, snow buffeted by brisk ’ winds fell over most of Hoosler- ' land, ranging in depth up to 15 inches which fell in q 10-square- : mile area around Michigan City 1 at the southern tip of Lake Mich- ' igan. 5 Die on Snowy Roads At least five traffic fatalities in two accidents on snow-covered roads Sunday near Boswell and . Indianapolis were blamed on. weather conditions. Three men from Alabama and Georgia died in the Boswell wreck on U.S. 41, and a baby and ! teen-age youth were killed on U.S. 40 at the outskirts of Indianapolis. The temperature was expected to moderate a little Tuesday and Wednesday, but sub-zero readings were due again tonight, colder "weather was expected again Thursday or Friday, and the outlook for the five-day period ending next Saturday was for temperatures average 8 to 12 degrees below • normal with snow likely Wednesday or Thursday during Continued on page five New Pastor Named Al Lutheran Church Texas Pastor Accepts Call To Local Church The Rev. Richard C. Ludwig, of Uvalde, Texas, has accepted the call of Zion Lutheran church here and will be installed as pastor of the local congregation Feb. 1, according to word received here late Sunday. Rev. Ludwig’s congregations, in a meeting held Sunday, granted him a release. He will preach his farewell sermons there January 8. The local congregation has been without a pastor since the Rev. Edgar P- Schmidt left Decatur October 12 to accept a call to serve Faith Lutheran church iri Lincoln, The Rev. Harry Behning, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran church at Ossian, served the congregation as its vacancy pastor. Two professors from Concordia Senior College, the Rev. Herbert Bredemeier, and Dr. Harold Haas, have been conducting regular . services each week. [ The Zion voters’ assembly had I considered about 40 candidates, which synodical officials and its . own members had suggested. . Rev. Ludwig was the congregation’s first choice, and was unani- . mously elected by* the assembly peeember 7. He had postponed a decision until after the busy holl- ■ day season. The 1958 church, council and the newly elected 1959 council will . have a joint meeting at the Zion, • parish hall Thursday evening at • 8 o’clock to further develop plans tor the installation service. ,

Lose Building Site Os Costly Fire On Sunday * Blackstone Grill, Wagner Cigar Store Are Swept By Fire It will take ten days to three weeks to ascertain the exact amount of damage to the four businesses, two apartments, and one office that suffered in Decatur’s worst fire in the past year. Preliminary estimates started at $100,900 and ran—upward. The Blackstone Bar and Girl) owned by Charles “Mike” Shannon since February, 1956. was a total loss. The fire apparently started near the grill at the lunch counter at the rear of the bar. Fire chief Cedric Fisher pointed out that this was the worst burned area. Shannon told the chief that a maze of electrical wires led into the establishment at that point. It is (pssible, the chief said, that the fire started because of faulty wiring, but the exact cause cbdM not be determ- — ined. The fire gutted the building, destroying all the fixtures, and most of the liquor. - , Fire Spread Up ~ 4 < From the tavern the fire spread straight up, into the apartment of Mrs. Lillian Lose, widow of the late Joe Lose. Fortunately Mrs. Lose was away visiting her daughter, Mrs. John Gaughan, of near Franklin. Mrs. Lose could not be reached by telephone, and a wire was sent to inform her that her apartment was totally destroyed. The fire spread from Mrs. Lose’s rooms to the apartment of John “Hans” Lose, her brother-in-law, who lived over the Wagner cigar store. The back part of the living quarters was destroyed by fire, while the front part suffered irreparable damage from the tons of water that poured through it, and from the heavy white smoke. Firemen found two eggs laying on the Lose kitchen table which had apparently been “hard-boiled” by the heat of the fire. “ The fire then spread from the lunch counter area of the Blackstone around the fire wall to the rear into the pool parlor, and through pipe openings in the fire wall to the beams and flooring between the first and second stories. Rifles Removed While the rifles and shotguns were taken from the cigar store and kept in Shafer’s store, hundreds of gallons of water paused the false ceiling over the /pool tables to collapse, smoke was very heavy, arid much damage occurred. The billiard table was filled level with water, now frozen solid t and all the pool tables were damaged by water. V Smoke was heavy in the Schafer sjore, and Dan Schafer, store owner stated today that the amount of damage was not yet even estimated. Whether any smoke damage had resulted to the warehouse tehind the store was not known. A guess at the amount of damage to Schafer's made by an insurance, man on the scene Sunday was from $20,000 to $25,000. At mid-morning Sunday, smoke filled the downstairs, and it was almost impossible to enter the second and third stories, as smoke was too dense to see more than five feet with the most powerful flashlights. The store was open for business today. Sutton’s Closed This morning, Sutton’s jew’elry store was closed. The roof of the building was almost destroyed by firefighters and water, and water had leaked through the walls ruinin'! several,display cases and the floor. The bdildtog will ha veto be repainted to remove the acrid smell of smoke. Only smoke dam(Contlnued oa page eight) -

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