Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 62, Number 300, Decatur, Adams County, 21 December 1964 — Page 1

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

VOL. LXII. NO. 300

LBJ Holding Budget Talks Today At Ranch

By ALVIN SPIVAK United Press International JOHNSON CITY, Tex. (UPI) —President Johnson holds budg-et-cutting talks with three cabinet members at his ranch today in a final uphill drive to keep federal spending under SIOO billion next year. The President flew to Texas Sunday for a working holiday, accompanied by Labor SecreHerman Hockemeyer Dies Suddenly Herman Hockemeyer, 71, of 2, Monroeville died suddenly at 9:40 a.m. Sunday in his home. He had been in failing health for eight months. A lifetime Allen county resident, he was born April 26, 1893, a son of Fred and Wilhelmina Grotrian Hockemeyer. A retired farmer, he was a member of the Flatrock St. John Lu heran church. Surviving are a son, Raymond, of route 2, Monroeville; a daughter, Mrs. Herman Guenin of route 1, Hoagland; two brothers, Fred C. Hockemeyer of Decatur and William Hockemeyer of route 2, Monroeville; and a sister, Mrs. Frank Kaiser of Fort Wayne. A son, Elmer, the husband of the present Mrs. Elmer Bultemeier of route 1, Decatur, preceded him in death. Seven grandchildren also survivfe. The body is at the Zwick funeral home, where friends may call after 7 p.m. today. Funeral services will be held at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home and at 2 p.m. at the Flatrock St. John Lutheran church. Rev. Donald E. Frank will officiate and burial will be in the church cemetery. Florence Workinger Dies In Lima Home 2* Florence A. Workinger, 86, of Lima, 0., a Decatur native, died at 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the Goeddee Nursing Home in Lima. She had been in failing health for several years and had been a pa'ient at the home for two years. The daughter of Samuel and Margaret Hilliard Workinger, she was born April 11, 1884 in Decatur. A daughter, Mrs. George Fowler of Lima and a brother, Perry Workinger of Fort Wayne, survive. Two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren also survive. Three brothers and one sister preceded her in death. She has several nieces and nephews in the Decatur area. She was a member of the Pilgrim Holiness church of Lima. The body is at Zwick funeral home in Decatur where services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday with Rev. J. B. Zeits officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after noon on Tuesday. License Branch Closed Friday And Saturday The Decatur license branch will be closed for the holiday season on Christmas Day, December 25, and 26, December 31, and New Year’s Day, January 1. The branch will be open on January 2 in order that those who have paid for reserved numbers may pick them up. These may be called for between the -hours of 9:00 a. m. and 3:00 p. m. However, no plates will be sold on this date.

Decatur, Indiana, 46733, Monday, December 21, 1964

tary W. Willard Wirtz, Interior Secretary Stuart L. Udall, and commerce Secretary Luther H. Hodges. Also with them was John T. Connor, whom Johnson has named to succeed Hodges as head of the Commerce Department — effective, probably, in mid-January. Budget. Bureau Director Kerin it Gordon was another member of the party aboard the presidential jet, Air Force One, as was the president’s science adviser, Dr. Donald S. Hornig.

At a news conference on Nov. 28, the last time Johnson was at his ranch, the Chief Executive said he hoped the budget , could be kept at SIOO billion. But he said he “would rather doubt it at the moment” because he was studying departmental requests totaling between SIOB and $lO9 billion. The biggest budget ever submitted to Congress was the $98.4 billion package which the late President John F. Kennedy proposed for fiscal 1964. Johnson’s' budget' the following year called for spending of $97.9 billion. The President plans to make final decisions on the budget during his Yuletide stay at the LBJ Ranch so he may complete the legislative program he will outline in his State of the Union message to Congress Jan. 4. Mrs. Blanche Elzey Is Taken By Death Funeral services will be held Tuesday for Mrs. Blanche Elzey, 86, a resident of Decatur until four years ago, who .died at 10 a. m. Saturday at the Cameron hospital in Angola. She had made her home for the past four years with a daughter, Mrs. Glenriis Comparet of route 1, Montgomery, Mich. Also surviving is a son, Adrian Elzey of Fort Wayne. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p. m. Tuesday at the Decatur Evangelical United Brethren (Trinity) church, with burial in the Decatur cemetery. The body will lie in state at the church from 12 noon Tuesday until time of the services. Friends may call at the Beams funeral home in Fremont tonight. Charges Against Bollenbacher Dropped A Federal wages-and-hours charge against Delmas (Mike) Bollenbacher, Jefferson township farmer and county commissioner, has been dismissed by the U.S. district attorney on agreement to comply with the Federal law. Bollenbacher had hired some workers to pick tomatoes. While he was gone on a fishing trip Michigan, the workers took, durschool hours, their children into the fields to help pick. The children were not hired by Bollenbacher —he had hired the adults only, and withheld social security, etc., for them, and had a full set of books to back up his position. The worker were paid on a piece-work basis, and thought they could get away with bringing in their children while the boss was gone to get more hampers of tomatoes picked. At that time a man from the labor department appeared, and reported the incident, which led to the filing of the charge against Bollenbacher. — - 7- __

Decatur Stores Now Open Every Night Until Christmas

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

This appearance (at 9 p.m. i ~EDT) will be televised nationally. But despite the apparent intensity of the budget discussions, the ranchouse setting on ’ the banks of the Pedernales 1 River — in weather balmier than Washington’s — offered 1 some relaxation. Wives of the

Geneva Trying To Solve Well Problem

“Water, water everywhere “Nor any drop to drink.” This couplet seems to sum up the present water problems of the town of Geneva, where a fourth drilling for water this year ended in failure, and is leading to a complete assessment of the town’s water problems in a special town council meeting Jan. 14. A year and a half ago the town of Geneva decided that their two present wells, located in town near sewer lines and fairly shallow for gravel wells, were inadequate. They decided to build a water tower, and drill a new well. Contract Given A contract was let to Yost Construction Co., to drill a well at 140 feet bringing in 500 gallons a minute. The tower was comr pleted. But the drilling wasn’t. Yost drilled 216 feet on the first try, but didn’t hit water. He tried again, went 140 feet, and didn’t bring in anything but blue mud, fine sand, and red mud. Then a third hole was drilled to 182 feet, with the same answerno water. The holes were located Ralph W. Sauer , Joins Organization Ralph Vi. Sauer, business manager of the Democrat, has been elected to membership in the Institute of Newspaper Controllers and Finance Officers. The Institute is an international technical association devoted ,to the business and financial functions of the newspaper publishing industry. Established in 1947, it has near# 600 members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. Sauer joined the Decatur Daily Democrat staff last May, becoming treasurer and business manager on the retirement of Chas. E. Holthouse. He had formerly been bookkeeper and parts manager for Zintsrmster Motor Sales. A native of Decatur, Sauer and his family live at 904 Walnut Street. Berne Bovs Referred To Juvenile Court

Two 16-yera-old Berne boys have been referred to the Adams coun y juvenile court for an incident that occurred in Berne Sunday night. Deputy sheriff Harold August was in Berne around 9 o’clock Sunday night when a car ran a stop sign in front of his vehicle. August gave chase and upon stopping the youths, found neither owned a driver’s license. The * boys had taken the car from of their parents, who did not • know at die time that the car was gone. Hie youths were released to the custody of their parents and will appear in juvenile court at a later date.

SEVEN CENTS

cabinet officers and of Connor accompanied their husbands to Texas as guests of the President and Mrs. Johnson. Seventee n-year old Luci Baines Johnson went to Texas wi h her parents for the holidays. Her 20-year-old sister, Lynda Bird, will join them Wednesday.

in various areas. A fourth hole went 152 feet—and no water. Present Wells Well number 2, present source of most of Geneva’s water, is 157 feet deep. The old well by the town hall is believed to be about 140 feet. Fund Campaign Successful The recent door to door drive to collect funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America which is sponsored by the loyal Order of Moose Lodge in the Decatur area was one of the most successful drives since the Mcose Lodge has undertaken this project to help this cause. The canisters in the local stores will be up for a few more days and any one that was missed during the door to door drive can still contribute by placing their donations in one of these while shopping in the local markets. The recent grant of $14,040.00 from the Muscular Dystrophy Association to Dr. Charles E. Jackson of the Caylor-Nickel Research Foundation to be used in initiating investigation into childhood muscular dystrophy 1 is one of 50 grants-in-aid and fellowship stipends recently approved by the association for a record semi-an-nual disbursement of $758,447.70 .to be used in combatting this dread disease. Highway Department Stoning Road 28 A mile section of road 28 in Union township, which runs north and souh parallel to state highway 101, but a mile east, is being stoned now by the county highway commission, finishing up a job started in 1963, but not completed for lack of funds, Lawrence Noll, county highway commissioner, said today. Part of the county highway crew is hauling stone now to this area to complete the stoning, and part are cutting brush. on county road 27 in Jefferson township, a mile west of the state line. The department has all of its snowplow equipment ready for action when the first storm strikes, Noll added.

INDIANA WEATHER Mostly cloudy and not much temperature change tonight, snow flurries near Lake Michigan. Low tonight 15 to 20 north, in the 20s south. High Tuesday 25 to 30 north, 27 to 35 south. Sunset today 5:24 p. m. Sunrise Tuesday 8:03 a. m. Outlook for Wednesday: Cloudy north with chance of light snow, partly cloudy south and a little warmer. Low Tuesday night in mid 20s. High Wednesday in low 40s.

Fort Wayne Man Killed Today In Accident Near State Line

Adams county recocded its seventh traffic fatality qf 1964 when & Fort Wayne mah w|s killed in a car-truck aertaent early

i Hr SHOPPING ■VAX * DATS LEFT H/Xj CHRISTMAS SEALS fight TB and ~ other RESPIRATORY DISEASES “ | Chustmas o (ftftinos j

Water pipe costs about $6 a foot to lay—so the town is in for some costs. The town engineer, William Beer, of Fort Wayne, strongly recommends a new well,. Max Barrett, of the Indiana Depa-t---ment of Health, states that the old well, No. T, was condemned 25 years ago, and even if the city purifies and chlorinates it, it will be closed by the state as soon as Geneva has another supply. It is even believed possible that the second well, which is also fairly near to sewer lines, may be condemned. May Ask Dam One large group of Geneva people is presently thinking along the line of forming a chapter of the Wabash Valley Improvement Association, and organizing to dam the upper Wabash river. This would give an adequate surface water source, and~~make expensive well drilling unnecessary. Yost, in the meantime, wi'l appear before the board on Jan. 14, and pr.esent some sort of plan. It is not known just what his recommendation, will be. Lack of water appears to be a serious problem in at least one area of Adams county other than Decatur, where it has been under consideration for the past decade.

Geneva Starts Plan Board

The Geneva town board will meet Friday morning to elect officers for 1965, and to appoint the seven members of the town plan commission, as approved in special session last Thursday night, Thurman Baker, president of the town board, announced this noon. At the same time, it wijl be made a matter of record that the town has approved and accepted the offer presented by Gerwin K. Rohrbach, of General Planning, St. Louis, Mo. Rohrbach is also planner for the' county and for Berne. Fourth Plan Group Geneva thus becomes the fourth corporation unit in the county to form a plan commission. The. others are Decatur, Adams county and Berne. Decatur is represented by Metropolitan Planners, of Indianapolis, who drew up their original plan and zoning orMonmouth Students To Giv« Operetta Monmouth elementary students, under the direction of Ronald Murphy will present an operetta, titled, “The Tojrt That Had To Walt.” This is an unusual Christmas story of toys that went left behind at Santa’s toyshop. The program will be given Tuesday evening at 7:30 and everyone is welcome at attend. At the close of the program, the games and toys purchased by the PTA for the Kindergarten thru 6th grade rooms, will be presented. Refreshments will be served.

thifi morning within 500 feet of the Ohio state line on U.S. 224. Pronounced’ dead on arrival at the Adams county memorial hospital was Gordon R. Masters, 25-year-old resident 0f,j2814 Alexander St., Fort Wayne. Death was attributed to a fractured skull. * Masters was a passenger in a car that struck a two-.ton truck on U.S. 224, 500 feet west of the Indiana-Ohio line at 12:03 a.m. today. The driver of the auto, Joe Thorhas Weigel, 23, of Fort Wayne, a|id another passenger, Jerry Brown, 23-year-old resident of Seymour. Ind., were also injured in the crash. With 10 days remaining, after today, in 1964, Adams county has had seven persons fatally injured in traffic mishaps, more than twice as many as the three deaths that were recorded in 1963. Thrown From Car The latest victim was thrown from the 1953 model car in which he was riding, after it struck the left rear dual wheels of the large truck, operated by Willard L. Crabtree, 37, of Muncie. Brown and Weigel are in the Adams county hospital. Brown is suffering from a bruised shoulder and shock, and Weigel has multiple and severe head lacerations. The body was returned to the McComb funeral home in Fort Wayne where funeral arrangements are pending. The automobile was traveling Bluffton Woman Needs Blood Donors Blod doners are needed to give blood for Mrs. Elmer Uhrick at the Bluffton Clinic. Anyone wishing to give blood should be at the Caylor-Nickel clinic before 5 o'clock any day.

Commissioners Appoint Clerk

The resignation of Paul Bfyan as clerk for the county highway department, and the appointment of John Lindsey, 22, of Hartford township, to take his place, was announced this morning by the Adams county commissioners. Bryan, clerk for the past four years, resigned to take a job 'with Ihe Meshberger Brothers Stone Co., .about 20 miles of driving a day closer to his home. He will teach the new man his job, complete his annual report, and finish up about Jan. 15. Lindsey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Grant Lindsey, has two years at Indiana University, and was an

dinance in 1949. The next regular meeting of the Geneva town .board will be held Jan. 7, and Roland Mross Indiana University planner who will assist Geneva on the Federal aid portion of its project, will be present. At that time, the board will study two ordinances necessary to implement the plan commission ordinance passed last Thursday. Submit For Aid A copy of the ordinance creating the plan commission, of Rohrbach’s 11-page proposal, a resolution of the town board, and of the plan commission will be submitted to Mross at that time. Federal aid funds for ladiana are running low, and Mross asked, that the meeeting, originally scheduled for Jan. 14 be moved up a week to insure Geneva getting its full two-thirds share of Federal funds for the project. The Federal government, through Indiana university, will pay $4,074.67 of the cost, and Geneva taxpayers will pay $2,337.33, over a threeyear period. * Laws Provisions The ordinance passed by the town board last Thursday has four sections, as follows: 1. TTiere is hereby established a town plan commission for the towri of Geneva, Indiana, under the authority provided in Chapter 174 of the acts of 1947 of 4 he Indiana General Assembly, as amended. 2. Such plan commission shall serve in an advisory capacity to the present established boards and officials. 3. The town plan commission

west on 224 and as it entered the curve just west of the state line, the vehicle crashed into eastbound truck’s rear wheels. The point of impact was in the truck’s lane of traffic, according to the /Investigating officers. Rolls Over After smashing into the truck, the automobile careened off the south side of the road, rolled oyer several times and tame to rest on its top. The truck left the road on the north side and rolled onto its side. Crabtree, the driver of the truck, escaped without injury. Masters was thrown from the vehicle and his body was found approximately 20 feet from where the car came to rest. Weigel and Brown remained in the vehicle. Investigation of the fatal mishap is continuing today, according to deputy sheriff Harold August and state trooper Dan Kwasneski. Also investigating is the county coroner, Elmer Winteregg, Jr. Damage to the truck was estimated at S3OO, while the 1953 model car was considered a total loss. Approximately $75 damage was done to some fence and posts on the Wayne Gaunt property.

Dog Bites Two Rescuers Sunday

Two persons W’ere bitten by a large dog Sunday afternoon while attempting to release the animal from a trap. The dog had one of its legs caught in the trap along the St. Mary’s river bank when Richard Wittgenfeld, 11, of 504 Mercer Ave., discovered the dog and attempted to free the animal. The dog bit him on the right hand, however, and city police were called. Police contacted Bob Everett

“A” student in high school, Lawrence Noll, county highway superintendent, stated. He types, but has had only a little bookkeeping. He spent two hours with Bryan this morning, and stated that he felt he could handle the job. He has completed a six-months period with the U. S. military service, and is presently in the national guard, where he drills one weekend a month, and two weeks each summer. He will start work tomorrow. The commissioners agreed that Noll had the - authority] to hire Lindsey on a trial basis, at the

shall consist of seven members with qualifications, terms of office and methods of appointment as provided In . .' <the acts.) 4. This ordinance shall be *n full force and effect from and after its adoption, approval by the board of trustees of the town of Geneva, Indiana, and publication as required by law. Geneva council members arc

Raymond McAhren Has Poetry Book Published This Week

A 255-page bound volume of poetry by St. Mary’s township poet-farmer Raymond--- Me Ahren has been published this week, it was announced. today. v The red-bound volume, entitled, “Looking at the World From My Chair with Wit. Wisdom and Humor” culminates many year? o£ writing by the Adams county man. Many of McAhren's poems have been previously published in the Decatur Daily Democrat and other newspapers. The book was published by offset printing process, but no publisher is listed for it. With the hope that the book tfould “cause those who read it to smile often and think about their eternal McAhren dedicated it to his wife, and thanked Christine Moorman for the hours of typing, English correct tion and punctuating, to Ernie Rigg for the cartoons, to Made- 1

Two Injured Two Fort Wayne residents were injured in a car-truck accident that occurred at 4:45 a.m. today on U. S. 27, two miles north of the city, at the entrance to the city dump. Marlin F. Quandt. 70, of Fort Wayne, suffered a laceration on the chin and a bruised back, and o passenger, William Maounis, 68, also of Fort Wayne, received multiple facial lacerations and complained of chest pains. Both were taken to the Lutheeran hospital in Fort Wayne where they remained this afternoon. The mishap occurred when a semi-trailer truck operated by James Henry Thomas, 26, of WTirren, 0., backed out of the dump's driveway. He backed too far and the truck went into a ditch on the other side of the highway. A short time later, Quandt was traveling north, failed to see the vehicle in the road, and crashed into the cab or’ the truck. The driver of the truck was uninjured. Deputy sheriff August, who investigated this mishap also, estimated damage to the truck at SIOO, and S4OO to the car.

to assist in freeing the animal with a snare, but before Everett arrived, Mrs. Lois Sharp, 39, of 301 Oak St., also tried to free the dog. She was bitten on the left hand. Everett was able to free the dog with a snare, and the animal was taken to veterinarian Ralph E. Allison to be held until the owner could be found. Both the youngster and Mrs. Sharp were told to contact a physician about the bites.

present clerk’s salary of $4,750 a year. The commissioners otherwise spent most of the morning approving and disapproving bills end allowances. Marvin Haines, of Blue Creek township, inquired_of the board as to who should file the bill for S4O worth of ditch work chargeable to the county—the farmer who had the ditching done, or the contractor. The commissioners advised him to file the bill himself; they had previously agreed that the county highway department was liable for the S4O assessment.

i Thurman Baker, president; Wcn- ■ dell Long, and Gail Hodgin, the t latter the only Republican on the present board. Beverly Smith is clerk-treasurer. > V Two plan commission members * will be from the town board, and f of the other five, only three may i be of one political party. The new commission will attend the ■ Jan. 7 meeting.

line Schooley for her art work, i and to Hoards Dairyman and Chuck Stiles for the Eld and Emma cartoons, and the Henry Field Seed Co., for the farmer picture. Four pages of sayings start the book, and then McAhren's poems • are pirnted in alphabetical order, ' starting with “A Cheap Cigar” *and ending with “Youth and the Dollar.” There are 202 poems in the volume. Many different types of poetic form are utilized in the volume, with iambic quatrains with an ABCB rhyme predominating. McAhren, a devout churchman who was an elector on the Federal ballot this past election far the Prohibition ticket, has written a i volume that every family can en- . joy without fear of offending any ; of the family members. 1 J Copies of the book may be had ißby writing to McAhren,, route 5, B Decatur, Ind , 46733.