Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 289, Decatur, Adams County, 9 December 1959 — Page 1

Vol. LVII. No. 289,

Mayor’s Race Recount Opened This Morning By Three-Man Board

The recount of the vote for mayor started today with only one thing z apparent—many voters do not mark their ballots correctly according to the law. * L.» E. Archbold, former county agent, presided qver the board at the opening session. The chairmanship will rotate as each precinct is decided. The recount commission is operating in the jury room. Archbold sat at the head of the table on the north side, with Wilbur Petrie on the east side, and William Barber on the west. Next to Petrie were John DeVoss, watcher, and Mayor Robert D. Cole. Across from them were Robert S. Anderson, watcher, and Donald F. Gage. At the far end of the table sat Cal E. Peterson, head of the county election board, and Richard D. Lewton, secretary of the election board. 1-A Counted Archbold called for precinct 1-A which was removed from its dou-ble-locked vault, and haqded to the board. On the first ballot, the legs of the X extended over the lines just slightly, but the commission agreed that it was not enough to be distinguishing. Os the 367 votes cast originally in the precinct, 80 were questioned by the commission, which finally threw out, tentatively, 26, of them. The ballots were taken from the envelope, cut free of the thread which tied them together in three groups (two of straight ballots, and one df split ballots), and then counted fqr just the mayor’s race. Method .Used The ballots were then placed in piles: one for Cole, one for Gage, and one for disputed or mutilated ballots. It took about two hours to count the precinct, and another hour and 25 minutes to count and discuss the disputed ballots and the ones counted as mutilated by the election board. Three of the ballots which the precinct board had set aside as mutilated were counted for the; mayor’s race. Each of the three! ballots had one race, other than mayor, in which the voter had voted for each opposing candidate. The election law reads that the ballot is invalid only, for the specific offices voted twice. Disqualifying marks were var-

19 Os Convicts Still At Large

YANCEYVILLE, N.C. (UPD—I Planes and helicopters roared into ’ a southwide manhunt today for 19' psychopathic convicts who broke out of an “escape proof prison I and apparently fled the state. “We’re pretty sure they are out of the state,” Highway Patrol Capt. A.W. Wells said in Greenboro, N.C. But he added that until the truck used in the escape is found “we’re not going to call off our own search.” The main search centered early today near Roanoke, Va., where farmer W.R. Robinson of Buchanan, Va., said three men dressed in prison garb forced him to give them civilian clothing Tuesday night and then made him drive them to Roanoke. Helicopters and planes hovered over the Roanoke area, while officers checked on Robinson’s storyOne private plane and two National Guard craft crisscrossed woodlands between .the Ivy Bluff Maximum Security Prison near here and the Virginia border about 12 miles away. Search for Clue A similar report came from Memphis, Tenn., 000 miles west of the site of the prison break, where Clarence H. Wortham, 52, gaid four “desperados” held a luute at ais throat and assaulted his wife. Police said the men were driving a car with North Carolina license tags. <> At Ivy Bluff, prison officials pored over the criminal records of the 19 fugitives hunting for a clue which mi£ht point to a hideout or a stopping-off place. The search spread over the Eastern Seaboard and into the Midwest. The FBI joined in the' hunt -In central North Carolina,

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

ied from one well-meaning person who wrote “yes” beside each ’ name, to those who reinforced their X's, leaving white space, which is distinguishing; or check marks, which cannot be counted; or over-running a line of the square or circle. Some votes had all four legs of the X out of the square or circle. The commission, and all present, were disturbed by the large number of votes, apparently made with good intent, but which were illegal under the law of Indiana. t Prominent Berne Businessman Dies Victor C. Graber, 58, prominent Berne businessman, died at 9:20 o’clock this morning at the Adams county memorial hospital, of a coronary occlusion after an illness of 11 weeks. He had been in failing health with a heart ailment for several years. Born in Monroe township, three miles north of Berne, Nov. 26, 1901, he was a son of Victor and Elizabeth Schwartz-Graber, and was married to Lena Steury June 6, 1926. Mr. Graber started in the poultry and egg business on his farm in 1933, and in 1938 erected a large building in Berne to house they. C. Graber Produce Co., which lie headed. , He w»s a member of the Evangelical Mennonite church west of Berne, and the Berne Rotary Club. Surviving In addition to his wife are a daughter, Mrs. Roger (Irene) Flueckiger of Berne; five grandchildren; one brother, David C. Graber of Berne, and one sister, Mrs. Noah Habegger of Berne. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at.the Evani gelical Mennonite church, the Rev. }E. G. Steiner officiating. Burial will be in the MRE cemetery. Friends may call at the Yager funeral home in Berne after 7 p.m. Thursday. 12 Pages

! posses searched from farmhouse ito farmhouse and from barn to I barn. The fugitives include 14 white men and five Negroes. One Recaptured The mass break-out Tuesday by 20 convicts was masterminded by Charles (Yank) Stewart. It was so well planned and executed that more than eight hours elapsed from the time the prisoners gained control of the prison until the alarm was sounded. One prisoner was recaptured later in the day. , Heretofore the maximum security prison had been considered es-cape-proof and was reserved for the state’s most dangerous and incorrigible prisoners. Stewart, the ringleader, was described by authorities as a short squat, graying man. His crime career dates back to the 1920 s when both his father and brother were executed for the slayings of a detective and an FBI agent. All Dangerous Stunned prison officials said the 54-year-old Stewart and his cohorts were the worst of .the 41 men incarcerated at Ivy Bluff“These men are * all dangerous,” state Prisons Director W> F. Bailey said. “They’re all psychopaths” and are armed with eight high-powered rifles, a submachinegun and eight pistolsr Bailey blamed laxity and failure to follow prescribed rules and regulations for the break-out. He fired three guards on the spot. One of the fugitives, Chales Edwards, 28, of Gastonia, NjC., a Negro serving ‘life few burglary, 'was recaptured in a woods several miles from Ivy Bluff late Tuesday.

: 12 Contracts : Awarded By County Board The county commissioners awarded 12 contracts Tuesday to bidders on the various supplies used by the departments. Petrie Oil Co. and Beavers Oil Co., both of Decatur, received the major items listed under the county highway department, gasoline and diesel fuel, respectively. Petrie Oil tied the Pearl Dil Co. of Berne for the low bid on gasoline at $ .195, but won the flip of the coin as the owner of the Pearl company called the toss over the long distance phone at Tuesday’s special meeting. Local Firms Take Bids Beavers Oil Co. took the diesel contract in close bidding with the other fuel concerns, bidding $.127 a gallon. Others bidding on both gasoline and diesel contracts were National Oil & Supply Co., Standard Oil of Indiana, Eastern Indiana Oil Co., and Ohio Oil Co., besides the two winning bidders. The gasoline contract is for six months as is the practice in this county. The Haywood Printing Co. took the printinga contract, underbidding the Bainbridge Co. on two of the. five items listed in the specifications. No bidder bid on item 3, office supplies, which will be purchased as required on the open market. For corrugated steel pipe, the Logansport Metal Culvert Co., and the Armco Drainage and Metal Products of Indianapolis shared the bidding. This item will also be purchased as required. Other firms bidding were Justin Schafer Co. of Portland; J. E. Evans of Indianapolis; Young and Grunwalt, of East Chicago; All Metal Highway, of Ligonier; American < Steel Co. of Fort Wayne, and the Adams Builders and Supply of : Decatur. All these bids were identical for every item listed on < the specifications, but the awards ; were made because of satisfac- ( tory service from the winning i firms in the past. Meshberger Bros, of Linn Grove and Karch, of Jefferson < township, won the stone bid on $1.55 a yard bids, while Lybarger ' of Geneva, and S & L of Markle ] took the gravel bid with S.BO a yard bid. ' Most of these items bid will be . purchased as required by the county departments and no overall bidding price can be listed. The stock price is generally known, but the amount of purchases will vary. The Reed-Holcomb Co. took the grader bid, underbidding Mac Allister, American Steel, Deeds Equipment Co., Indiana Equipment Co. Paper, Camelson & Co., Hall Sign & Post, and Flesch-Mill-er. Yoot Wins Contract The Yost Co. of Decatur won , the concrete bid, and the Morton j Salt Co. took the salt contract, J but the steel reinforcing rods. ( hardware mill supplies, Portland cement, and ready mix will be i bought on the open market as all < bids were rejected in these cate- | gories. i Zurcher’s of Monroe took the * tire and tube contract with other 1 bidders being CAN Tire Co., Goodyear, Eastern Indiana Oil A 1 Supply. All bids were again identi- ' (ContlnuM on pare alxj Sharp Inctease In Jobless Pay Claims INDIANAPOLIS (UPD—A sharp ’ rise in the number of claims for unemployment compensation beneits was blamed today on a steel j shortage and seasonal layoffs. The Indiana Employment Secu- J rity Division said 49,767 claims from newly-unemployed persons ( and 40,908 from persons out of ] work a week or more. < Division director William C. i Stalnaker said about 9,750 of the i claims were filed by workers idled because of the shortage of steel.

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1959,

Leading Drug Firm Head Urges Care

WASHINGTON (UPD—A leading drug manufacturer told the Senate antitrust subcommittee today that its drug price investigation could “slow the forward march” of medical research unless great care is exercised. Replying to criticism of drug company pricing practices, John T. Connor, president of Merck A Co. Inc., said objective examination would show that the industry is “highly competitive” and "free of excessive concentration.” Connor said his company, one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical houses, functions as a “delicate partnership between the quest for scientific knowledge oq the one hand and the drive for financial success on the other.” Both research and profits are necessary, he said, if the hunt for new breakthroughs in the “wonder drug” field is to continue. Explore Arthritis Drugs Connod outlined his company’s activities in the development and sale of arthritis drugs, the subject of the subcommittee’s current inquiry, in a 23-page prepared statement. Chairman Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn) objected to the length of the presentation but Connor insisted that “the facts be fully heard.” Rand Di x o"n, subcommittee counsel, said Connor would be the ■chief witness to be heard today. He was the second drug firm head to appear before the group. The first was Francis C. Brown, president of the Schering Corp. The subcommittee was parties larly interested in Merck’s activities in the arthritis drug field. According to the subcommittee, Merck and two other big companies are the leading sellers of two such drugs even though they charge higher prices than their competitors. Dixon told newsmen the subcommittee would explore with Connor and other Merck officials some different matters from those taken up with Brown. Dixon declined to discuss details in advance but said Merck’s licensing arrangement with foreign drug firms would figure in the hearing. Closes Testimony Brown closed out a grueling two days in the witness chair Tuesday in sharp disagreement with Dixon and subcommittee Chairman Estes Kefauver (DTenn.) over some aspects of his company’s operations. Brown accused the subcommittee of presenting "misleading” figures about Schering’s prices in

Steel Union Signs With Can. Industry

WASHINGTON (UPD — Steelwokers’ leaders, armed wtih a can industry contract, set their sights on an agreement covering aluminum workers today in a bid to break the deadlock in steel negotiations Union officials awaited reaction from the “big 11” steel producers to new three-year pacts providing a 30-cent-an-hour package wage and benefit increase for 45,000 employees of American Can Co. and Continental Can Co. Federal Mediation Director Joseph F. Finnegan called steel management negotiators for talks today in another effort to settle the dispute. The union Tuesday signed contracts with the two major can companies and chided the steelfirms for not bargaining with the same "industrial statesmanship.” Endorses Mitchell Plan Steelworkers* President David J. McDonald said he hoped the new agreements would result in a settlement of the marathon steel controversy. The major steel producers were expected to reject a proposal by Labor Secretary James P. Mitchell that both sides authorize a neutral third party to make recommendations for settlement. McDonald endorsed this idea Tuesday and said the union had

: a manner “injurious to Schering and to the industry.” 1 ; Adolph Stoppenhagen ■ Dies This Morning j Adolph Stoppenhagen, 71, prominent farmer living five miles , northwest of Preble, died at 9:10 ’ o’clock this morning at the Adams ( county memorial hospital. He had > been in failing health for the past I seven years. He was born in Preble township Jan. 20, 1888, a son of Ernst and : Louise Fuhrman - Stoppenhagen, ' and was iparried to Louise Hocke- ’ meyer Oct. 9, 1910. In addition to farming, he also was employed at the Decatur plant of the General > Electric Co. from 1944 to 1948. I Mr. Stoppenhagen was a mem-i • ber of the Zion Lutheran church at Friedheim. He was a former ’ Preble township assessor, and t former secretary-treasurer of the . German Fire Insurance Co. , Surviving in addition to his wife are five sons, Clarence of Indianapolis, Norman and Gilbert of Fort ! Wayne, Erwin of Salt Xake City, ’ Utah, and Edward of treble towni ship; three daughters, Mrs. William (Ruth) Wissman and Mrs. Alvin (Esther) Knipstein of Fort Wayne, and Mrs. Loren (Mildred) i Kruetzman of Preble township; 24 i grandchildren; three great-grand-children, and one sister. Miss Clara Stoppenhagen of Fort Wayne. Two brothers and one sister are deceased. Funeral services will be conducted at IfSo p.m. Saturday at the Zwick funeral home and at 2 p.m. at the Z'.on Lutheran church at Friedheim, the Rev. A. A. Fenner officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 p.m. Thursday until time of the services. Good Fellows Club Previously reported $l2O A Friend 5 Mr. & Mrs. T. F. Graliker .. 5 First State Bank 25 Elks Lodge 25 Women of Moose 10 Mr. A Mrs. O. K. Baker..— 2 TOTAL $292

been advocating it tor some time. He proposed last week that President Eisenhower's fact - finding : board be empowered to come up ■ with a settlement formula as a i basis tor negotiations. Informed sources said Mitchell and Finnegan have been discuss- 1 ing whether the Federal Mediation Service should issue a set of i recommendations to break the ; stalemate even though the Indus- , try opposes such a move. No deci- ] sion has been reached on this point, however, the sources said, i Aluminum Next Objective "We hope this will bring some ] sense and reason into the minds of the steel industry leaders,” ; McDonald told reporters in an- • nouncing the settlement with the can-makers. “It must be remembered that these two corporations (American and Continental Can) are the two largest steel consumers in the United States,” he added. McDonald and Arthur J. Goldberg, union general counsel, said the next objective would be to sign new contracts covering an estimated 30,000 aluminum workers. Both men planned to go to Chicago next week to join negotiations in this industry, McDonald said-

BIRDSEYE VlEW— This aerial photo of the new Decatur Industries Co. plant, which is scheduled to be opened shortly after New Year’s Day, shows the 100 by 250-foot structure almost completed. Located on five acres of land purchased from the Decatur Chamber of Commerce at the western city limits between the Erie and Nickle Plate railroad tracks, the tract has a road leading to it from U. S. 27 (13th street*. Noah Steury, president of the firm, said that all the wood-working processes would be done here as well as storage but that the finishing of the wood craft items, such as cigar humidors, pipe racks, trophy bases, etc., would still bv done at the Eighth street plant. Eventually, Steury said, the entire operation would be moved to the new site after an addition is built to the new structure.

Ike Welcomed In New Delhi

NEW DELHI (UPD-President Eisenhower’s triumphal tour of Asia carried him today to New Delhi where he promised Indians worried about war with Red China that he would work with their leaders in "our common quest for peace.” It was an uproarious, flowergarlanded welcome for the President on his fifth and so far most important stop on his 11-nation tour of Asia, Europe and Africa. And it was an obviously emotional moment for him as he stood before a background of pink-tipped clouds in the setting sun and told an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Indians massed at Palam Airport that there must be peace because the alternative is “too horrible to contemplte.” The President broke protocol to go into the fringes of the crowd and exchange personal greetings. The government All-India radio station said his reception could only be compared to the day in 1947 when India won and celebrated her independence from Britain. Arrives 30 Minutes Late The President, appearing a little tired but standing soldierly erect, told the cheering crowd that sometime ago he had made up his mind that “someday, the Lord willing, I would come to India.” Eisenhower arrived in New Delhi at 5:32 a m c.s.t., half an hour late on a flight from Kabul Afghanistan, where enthusiastic Afghans pressed so tightly in upon his car that it was forced to halt and U.S. Secret Service men leaped to its bumpers to hold the crowd back. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, President Rajendra Prasad and all other top Indian leaders—including one minister who got out of sick bed to be present—were gathered at the airport here to greet Eisenhower. Also there was Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, who will be hostess to Barbara Eisenhower, the President’s daughter-in-law and unofficial first lady on the tour. Eisenhower had come half way around the world for his meetings with Nehru and other officials in which he hopes to convince India that the United States is doing all in its power to reach some agreement with Russia on critical issues and ease world jitters. Million Cheer, Wave The President kept his airport remarks brief because he is saving hi? major ammunition for a speech before Parliament on Friday. He told the crowd that "In four short days I expect to make a little personal discovery of India.” He concluded by saying, “I’m sorry I was late. It wasn’t my fault,” a reference to the fact his plane left Kabul 45 minutes behind schedule. The airport ceremony lasted about 30 minutes before he was, whisked away in a blue convertible Cadillac. A crowd estimated at around a million cheered and waved as the cCanUnueo on page »1»1 INDIANA WEATHER' Fair this afternoon, tonight and Thursday, a little warmer moat sections Thursday. Sunset 5:21 p.m. e.s.t., 4:21 p.m. c.s.t. Low tonight 18-26. Sunrise Thursday 7:55 a.m. .e.s.t, 6:55 a.m. c.a.t High Thursday 40s northeast to low 50s southwest, low Thursday night 25-32 Outlook tor Friday: Mostly cloudy with rain likely beginning late Friday southwest little change in temperature. High 45-55.

; Auto License Sales To Open January 2 Mrs. LaVelle Death, manager of . the Decatur license branch, listed ; pertinent information today for aui tomobile drivers, concerning the new 1960 license plates, how to ob- ■ tain them, and data on driver’s I licenses. J Mrs. Death also cautioned residents who desire special numbers j on their new plates to present , their state registration forms at ' the local office by Dec. 31, which will serve as the deadline for spe- , cial numbers. She added that the 1 state has already started sending the registration application forms ► to car owners throughout the state. Butler U. Colors The new plates, white on blue, will honor Butler University this year by using the Bulldogs colors. The plates will go on sale Jan. 2 and sales will close Feb. 29 (1960 being a leap year). All applications for 1960 license plates must, , be accompanied by a tax receipt. This is the B form with the red stamp. If anyone has not been as- • sessed before, he can get a waiver from the county treasurer or as- . sessor. Otherwise, all county mo- ' torists must have this personal 1 property tax receipt when applying ' for new license plates, regardless 1 of age. About driver's licenses, Mrs. ■ Death pointed out that many reexamination dates will come due in 1960. Also expiration dates will come due. These dates are listed on the lower center, and lower right, respectively, on the individual license. She urges every driver to check these thoroughly. Mrs. Death added that all drivers over 75 years of age must pass a physical check-up when their license expires. In Decatur, the state license examiner is at the local branch office every Friday. The elder driver should make note of this when he wants to renew his license. Check Registration Forms Mrs. Death requested that when the registration forms arrive from the state office all persons should check the accuracy of motor numbers and the type of vehicle on the form. Any mistakes should be reported to the local branch manager. Driver procedure manuals may also be obtained from the local branch office for those who must take the re-examination, or for those who have not taken a driver’s test as yet. Mrs. Death said that her supply is lirhitless. SMOfPMGMYSIHT NBPR6NTn ■rift CHRISTMAS SEALS

Earl Sheets Heads Decatur C. of C. Earl Sheets, owner of the Sheets Furniture Co., South Second street, was elected president of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, Tuesday evening, at a meetbig of the board of directors of the city’s business organization, held at the Fairway restaurant. Sheets will succeed George Auer, manager of the Decatur plant of the General Electric Co., at the annual meeting in January. Other officers elected last night are Harry Schwartz, of the Schwartz Ford Co., Inc., first vice president; Robert Ashbaucher, of Ashbaucher’s Tin Shop, second vice president; G>orge Thomas, of the Thomas Realty Auction and Securities Co., reelected treasurer; M. J. Pryor, manager of the Decatur office of the Northern Indiana Public Service Co., chairman of the industrial division. A chairman of the retail division will be named at a later date. Auer, as retiring president, automatically becomes chairman of the board of directors for 1960. Auer expressed thanks to the directors for their cooperation during the year, and stated that the monthly meetings had been unusually well attended, with most members attending all meetings. The board presented a Christmas gift to fred E. Kolter, executive secretary. Sheets, Thomas and Auer have one more year to serve as directors. Those to serve two more years are Noah Steury, Robert Ashbaucher, Harry Schwartz, David Macklin and Dr. John B. Terveer. Recently elected to threeyear terms are Dan Tyndall, Max Gilpin, Wayne Price, Dick Macklin and Arthur Heiman. Retiring directors this year are Ferris Bower, Glenn Ellis, Earl Fuhrman, Louis Jacobs, Glen Mauller, Bud Anspaugh and Leo Seltenright. The annual dinner meeting of the Chamber of Commerce will be held at the Youth and Community Center Thursday evening, Jan. 14. A speaker has not been selected, but a light and humorous program is being planned, with entertainment rather than serious business. Advertising Index Advertiser Page A & P Tea Co. 3 Arnold Lumber Co., Inc. 5 Beavers Oil Service, Inc. 4A, 5 Bowers Hardware Co.2A Bower Jewelry Store... 2 Burk Elevator Co. .. 5 Butler Garage 5 Budget Loans 7 Briede Studio .. 2 Constant Comment Tea 6 Cowens Insurance Agency 4 Decatur Super Services Doans Pills 6 Erie Railroad 4 Edgewater Park 6 First State Bank4A Fairway Restaurant •.—. 2 Fager Appliances & Sporting Goods , 1 Gerber’s Super Market... 8 Holthouse Drug Co. 4 6 Jack Hurst . 5 Johison & Schnepf, Auctioneers 4A Kohne Drug Store 2A 5 Kroger.... 1A Niblick & Co. 2 J. J. Newberry Co. 6 Pleasant Mills Lions Club 7 Price Men’s Wear ..,4 Quality Chevrolet-Buick, Inc. „ 5 Reppert School of Auctioneering 6 Schafers ... 3A L. Smith Insurance Agency .... 5 Smith Drug Co. 2 Shaffer’s Restaurant 2 Teeple 5 Thomas Realty & Auction Co. .. 5 Uhrick Bros. .13, 4, 1 Elmer Wendel... 5

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