Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 62, Number 301, Decatur, Adams County, 22 December 1964 — Page 1

Announce Lighting Winners Mr. and Mrs. Earl Sheets of 435 Limbe I st Tr-.il lave received Ist prize in the Stratton Place Christmas lighting competition. Mrs. Francis"*Ellsworth, chairman of tie Ch-istmas committee, announced wis morning the winners for the annual outdoor Christmas lighting competition sponsored each year by the Stratton Place association. For their beautifully well-bal-anced and lighted Christmas scene, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Sheets won a SSO Saving Bond. Second oriz' 1 o* a $25 Saving Bond went to Harold “Dutch" Baker, 226 Stratton Way, while the third prize of $lO in cash went to Harold Teeter, 633 Trails End. Honorable mention was bestowed upon the following participants. Mr. and Mrs. Cal Yost, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Ellsworth, Dr. and Mrs. Fry, Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Tinkham, Mr. and Mrs. Ferris Bowers, and iwr. and Mrs. Harry Schwartz. - Mrs. Doris Doan, Mrs. Don Lutes, and Mr. Hubert Feasel served as judges for the Christmas lighting contest. Mrs. Ellswo.th and her committee commended all the residents of Stratton Place for the enthusiasm displayed again this year in supporting the project. The judges said that decisions were difficult since the competition was of such high caliber. . Following the judging Mrs. Ellsworth served the judges and her committee cookies and coffee. Mrs. Ellsworth’s committee was composed of Mrs. J. F. Azbell, Mrs. Elmer Winteregg, Jr., Mrs. Simeon Hain, Jr. and Mrs. Carroll Schroeder.

Police Search For Daring New Jersey Holdup Trio

PATERSON, N.J. (UPD—Police today had little more than 'a bundle of clothing and the description of an automobile to lead them to three gunmen who ambushed a bank truck at a church rectory and escaped with $514,000 in one of America’s richest robberies. The Halloween-masked holdupmen handcuffed four Roman Ca holic priests and a sexton

Near Derailment Under Study By Sheriff, Railroad Officials

Sheriff’s department officers, Nickel Plate railroad detectives and FBI detective Donald Birdwell were conducting an intensive investigation today of a near-de-railment of a Nickel Plate freight west of Decatur late last night. An object rolled onto the Nickel Plate tracks, a mile west, of Decatur near Eiting Acres, caused extensive damage to two engines, slight damage to one box car, and ruptured the engines’ fuel tanks. Sheriff Roger Singleton said today, “This Very serious thing,” and requested anyone having any information at all in connection with the incident to contact his office immediately. Through Earlier A Nickel Plate train, number 96, passed through the crossing 150 feet west of county road 34, the first north and south road west of Eiting Acres, at 4:20 p.m. Monday, without any difficulty. Then, at about 3:50 a.nt. today, a 42-car eastbound freight approached the crossing. Engineer Robert Ross, of Frankfort, told investigating officers he saw something between the rails ahead of the train. At first he thought the object INDIANA WEATHER Continued cloudy with no important temnerature changes through Wednesday. Occasional drtale or light rain mainly tonight and Wednesday morning. Low tonight in lower 30s. High Wednesday in the 30s. Outlook for Thursday: ° Cloudy with little temperature change. Low Wednesday night in the 30s. High Thursday in upper 30s.

Students Stage Pageant CHRISTMAS SCENE— Decatur high school students present a tableau of the Nativity scene during the high school s Christmas program sponsored by the band, choir and speech classes. The program was held Sunday afternoon.—(Photo by’MacLean)

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

VOL. LXII. NO. 301.

and then waited calmly for the bank truck to i come Monday morning for the parish’s Sunday offering. They disarmed and bound the guards and, possibly assisted by three confederates, loaded the loot in o a waiting car and fled within 20 minutes. The only injury was a bruised ankle received by one of them when he was overpowered by

to be a dog, but moments later saw it was much larger. Ross immediately applied the emergency brakes, but too late, as the train skidded across the object at a speed of approximately 35 miles per hour. Large Draw Bar Investigation determined the object to be a draw bar, weighing between 250 and 300 pounds. The engines struck the draw bar, carrying it for some 600 feet, gnd extensively damaging the under portion of both- engines. !( In addition, the fuel tanks of both engines were penetrated, and approximately 1,600 gallons of fuel oil were strewn about the tracks. The tanks had been filled just a short time before the mishap. Also, several railroad ties were snlintered, although none of the rails were disrupted, and the first box car of the string was slightly damaged. The draw bar had been left in the area a few days ago when repairs of another Nickel Plate engine were necessary, and the draw bar was left near the' tracks. Sometime, after the 4:20 p.m. train passed through, the draw bar was rolled up onto the tracks, and left between the rails of the main track. New Engines So extensive were the damages to the engines that neither was able to operate. Two engines were brought here from Delphos, 0., to tow the damaged engines, and the rest of the cars, away. Sheriff S'ngleton said it was fortunate that the impact of striking the draw far didn’t derail the train. None of the train’s crew, all of whom were from Frankfort; »were injured, as the train passed over the object.

Decatur Stores Now Open Every Night Until Christmas

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, 4673 3, Tuesday, December 2 2, 1964.

one of the gunmen. The dramatic robbery was executed with calm precision while a Mass was in progress in St. An'hony’s Roman Catholic Church and mourners were gathering outside awaiting the start of a funeral. Found Clothes The clothing — an Army fatigue jacket, a pair of gray trousers and an olive hunting cap with ear flaps—was found in East Side Park, about a mile and a half from St. Anthony’s Church in a declining neighborhood of this northern New Jersey . industrial community. The discarded clothes were believed to have been worn by one of the holdup men. The only other tangible clue was the description of the getaway car—a 1964 Buick with New York license plates. A 13-state alarm was out for the three gunmen and three other men authorities believe helped transfer the loot to the getaway car. The FBI also joined in the search. The stolen cash, small bills awai’ing delivery to a number of branch banks, was taken from a paneled delivery truck belonging to the First National Bank of Passaic County. Professional Job Investigators described the holdup as the work of “professionals ... no fly by nights." A bank official said the stickup men were “pretty damn smart” to have hit the truck on a pre-holiday run when it carried about twice as much money as usual. He said the truck

Good Fellows Club t> Previously Reported $653.63 Dear Friend 100 Decatur Optimist Club 5.00 Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Kohne 5.00 A Friend. 5.00 Eastern Indiana Production Credit Association 10.00 A F.iend 5.00 Arnold Lumber Co. 15.00 A Friend 2.00 Lindy Miller ’ 5.00 A Friend 100 Decatur Rotary Club 33.00 A Friend- 100 Mr. & Mrs. Waldo Eckrote 5.00 Sheri Brodbeck 5.00 Mr. & M s. Francis Ellsworth and Julie 5.00 Mr. & Mrs. Robert Gay 10.00 Total $766.63

varied i‘s schedule of pickups frequently to avoid such incidents. * The robbery was the biggest in history in the New JerseyNew York metropolitan area, being rivaled only by the $427,950 holdup of an armored car outside a Brooklyn ice cream plant in 1934.

Decatur Couple To Tour Mexico

' ■ « Christmas will be around a little longer this year for Mr. and Mrs. Herman Dierkes of 316 North First St., Decatur. They are packing for a fiesta trip to Mexico City the middle of January. Dierkes. of Dierkes Implement Sales, the local Massey-Ferguson dealer, paid his way to Mexico by his sales performance during the past Religious Census To Be Made On Thursday, December 17th, the first meeting of the newly selected religious census committee was held at the home of Tom Gaunt, 428 Stratton Way, and preliminary work was begun for a nroposed religious census of the city of Decatur and possibly several areas close by where there is a concentrated population. The Decatur Ministerial Association in November sent a proposal letter to the Associated Churches of Decatur, regarding a religious census and the Association acted promptly by inviting the Lutheran and Catholic Churches to participate along with the Associated Churches in this project The following general committee was appointed: general Chairman Rev. R. Van Hoosen; visitation Chairman Mr. Lowell Smith; material and publication chairman, Mr. David Wynn; Tabulation 1 Chairman Mr. Herman KTueckeberg; Map Dept. Chairman, Mrs. Harry Massoneei Each chairman is to take immediate action and report their progress at the next meeting in January.

SEVEN CENTS

Alhough police declined to speculate on any possible con- i' nection between the robbery and other spectacular holdups, it was staged with all the precision and daring of the $1.2 million Brink’s robbery in Bos- , ton in 1950 and the $1.5 million ■ robbery of a mail truck in Plymouth, Mass., in 1962.

year. As part of one of the most complicated industrial ai r charters ever carried out, they will be airlifted into Mexico in company with 300 other dealers from more than 40 take-off points in Canada and the United States. Each group will stay in Mexico four days and then return to their hometowns in aircraft that a few hours before delivered another 300 to attend the product demonstration. More than 5000 leading MasseyFerguson dealers and sales personnel from all over North America j^jlt-visit Mexico City during January and February to view a complete new line of agricultural tractors the company will intrcduce early in 1955. Indi in Pageant They will visit Teotihuacan, near Mexico City, the site of one of the major ea ly cultures. There they will see a pageant on the Indiana culture performed exclusively for them for the first time on the ruins of a once-great civilization by the famed Teatro Classico de Mexico. The tractor demonstrations will' be held on the grounds of Mexico's National Agricultural College at Chapingo, some 40 miles from Mexico City. The new Massey-Ferguson tractors have been tested under field conditions throughout the .world to ensure that thev meet the needs of any farmer in any climate on any terrain. The new tractors are expected to extend Massey-Fergu-son’s worldwide tractor leadership and ,to increase the- company’s percentage of the North American mrrket. Today, more than 1,900,000 Massey-Ferguson t actors are in use throughout the world— more than 200.000 in excess of MF’s nearest competitor. The new tractor line is another product of Massey-Ferguson's integrated worldwide research and development program, as was L the new line of combines launch-

Kokomo Attorney Will ■ ■ *'■ Speak At DSA Banquet

Kokomo attorney G. Richard Ellis, recently named to the select group of American College of Trail Lawyers, will be the featured speaker for the Decatur Junior Chamber of Commerce’s annual Distinguished Service Award banquet, it was announced this morning by Jack Ely, Jaycee program chairman. The affair will be held at the Four Seasons, beginnnig at 6:30 p.m. the evening of Wednesday, January 6. Ely reminded all Jaycees that reservation cards will be received within the next few days, and all members are not only urged to attend the banquet but to return th.ir reservations immediately. Ellis will be the speaker for the fourth annual D.S.A. banquet which will not only see the announcement of the Jaycees’ Distinguished Service Award winner but the naming of the local man to represent the local chapter in the state-wide Outstanding Young Farmer program. Kokomo Firm Ellis, who heads a successful law firm in Kokomo, is 44 years of age, and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1947. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for governor this spring. “It is fortunate that we were able to secure someone like Dick Pilis a>3 the main speaker for our annual banquet,” Ely said. “He is. a member of the Howard counin our state,’* the program chair-

G) SHOPPING CHRISTMAS SEALS tiflhtTß and other RESPIRATORY DISEASES O EM 7 ’ 'lk ° Svi qS&y o ** JV Chustmas o Qittiinoa

ed in 1963-64. The new tractors are a further demonstration of Massey-Ferguson’s commitment to new product development which will always anticipate farmer’s needs. In addition to the new line of agricultural tractors. MasseyFerguson will reveal new models of hay balers, plows, harrows, cultivators and other tractor-power-ed implements, as well as new industrial and construction equipment.

White House Ready For Christmas \ X ' ’ | J w ,. 5 „ X ... ' Tk f . jpWc / >O . ■I v cOm ,- r . imI 3 jlMfck -' rw r 3 W^L dafl ■*£TT I t j • s **'' > Jr 1 * * '»s“a-'i r gb m* V 'iM ’ r> 1 „. PRESIDENTIAL DECORATIONS—The White House, evidently not immune to the national Yuletide pastime of exterior decorating, is sporting Christmas trees, a wreath and a decorated overhead light.

man added. Ellis received his B.S. degree from Indiana University in 1945, and his LL. B degree from the G. Richard Ellis same school in 1947. A member of the Phi Delta Phi fraternity, Ellis is a-member so the Howard county Bar Association, of which he was president in 1961. * He was an in business Lions Hear School Choir The Monmouth choir, under the direction of Ron Murphy, and two Monmouth sixth graders who read from Christmas selections, entertained the Decatur Lions club Monday night with their Christmas program. • Earl Dawald, program chair- • man for December, introduced the choir director, who then introdvc-j ed each number, including the fol-j lowing: “Let There Be Music,”. “Mary Had a Baby,” " ‘Twas lhe: Night Before Christmas," "TT.e! Christmas Story,” and “SilentNight.” Randy Roahrig, son of Mr. and, Mrs. Wayne Roahrig, and Chuck: Durr, son of Mr. and Mrs. Her-; man Durr, sixth graders at Mon-; mouth, each read two selections: from American authors concern-’ ing Christmas, including one from! Madge Hodges’ "America at] Christmastime” and another fromj Washington Irving. Carroll Schroeder reported that* the annual Christmas tree sale had netted the club charities some S4OO, and he thanked all of the club members for their hard work. Smith Snlvely announced that there would be no meeting next Monday, and the next meeting will be Jan. 4. There will be no meeting Jan. 11, and the Lions will Join the Chamber of Commerce for its annual meeting Jan. 14. The fathers of the two boys who read the Christmas selections were the guests of the club.

law at LU. extensibn from 1947 through 1952, and from 1950 to 1954 served as state senator for Howard and Miami counties. Past President A past president of the Kokomo Chamber of Commerce, Ellis is also a member of the state bar, serving as on the board of managers in 1961 and 1962, and the American Bar Association. He is also a member of the Indiana State office building commission. Only recently he became a fellow, American College of Trail Lawyers, which is a very select organization. Committee Studies Ely explained that a committee of local businessmen, headed by Decatur Mayor Carl D. Gerber, is presently studying candidates for the club's Distinguished Service Award. There selection, of course, will not be announced until the evening of the banquet. The Junior Chamber's Distinguished Service Award is presently annually, Ely said, “to an outstanding young man of the community for leadership and service during the calendar year.” The winner does not have to be a Jaycee. The committee bases its selection on three points: (1) contributions to the general community welfare during the year. (2) Evidence of leadership ability. (3) Evidence of personal or business progress. OYF Program The five-man panel of judges for the Outstanding Young Farmer award made its selection during the past weekend. Two finalists were chosen by the judges, neither of whom will be named until the evening of the banquet when both the winner and runner-up will be announced. <' The winner of the local contest, • plus winners from other Jaycee • chapters throughout the state of T Indiana, will compete in the state j progs am which culminates in this 3 city in February with a banquet at the Youth and Community Center. fChristmas: a | For A Song 5 LONDON (UPI)-On the first 2 day of Christmas my true love 4 sent to me a partridge in a 5 pear tree, and on the 13th day J- he was broke, the Evening • Standard said today. ; A columnist took the old ■ Christmas song and priced every item on the London market. • The total — less .‘‘ten lords a-leaping” — came to nearly $3,100. The newspaper charged the minimum weekly wage as stipulated by the Agricultural Wages Board for the "eight maids a-walking," went to the Musicians Union for the wages of “twelve drummers drumming" and estimated "a fair price for a troupe of 11 dancing girls” at $322.