Indianapolis Times, Volume 38, Number 241, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 January 1927 — Page 2

PAGE 2

POWER REBATE PROBE WILL START SOON

lOLLEGE STUDENT [0 FACE MURDER CHARGESMONDAY lene Alger Will Go on Trial at Danville —Prosecutors at Work. • By Charles Carll. .Spots of blood on a policeman's un belt, formed after he was shot i the heart by a young college tudent who resisted arrest, and the un which the policeman carried, Iso bespattered, tell, in part, the tory of the death of Patrolman ohn J. Buchanan, a Negro, fatally hot July 9 by Gene Alger, IX, of 710 Vj. Ohio Kt. Today, young Alger wiles away me in the little jail of 1 lendricks ounty, at Danville, Tnd. Ho will go n trial Monday on a flrst-degiee lurder charge. Will Ask Death Penalty And Deputy Prosecutor Judson L. tarlc and his assistants are preparlg for a week’s trial at which they 111 ask the death penalty. The boy’s attorney is preparing ) show extenuating circumstances ! o free the youth or win him a light entence. Stark, his chief assistant; Carl lume, former Hendricks County rosecutor, and King Reibold, presnt Hendricks County prosecutor, re preparing to combat the\wave of ympathy for the boy. Barbers Impressed Various Danville barbers who have haved in jail, according to ,’ord brought Stark, have leen imressed with his innocent manner nd spread the word among Danville esidents. Buchanan, according to police and he prosecutors, was shot when he iursued Alger into the Beyer Hotel, 25 N. Capitol Ave., and attempted o arrest him. According to the irosecution, Alger, hidden in a closet n the hotel, fired the shot that truck Buchanan in the heart when he latter attempted to open the loset door. Alger was arrested by two other ffleers for an alleged attempt to teal an automobile on Senate Ave.. ear the Statehouse. When police Dok him to a near-by store he shot is way to temporary freedom and; id in the hotel. Admits Shooting , He jumped out of a window and v<*r a fence, struck down one man rho tried to stop him and shot at thers, and was captured near Illiols and New York Sts-, after he had ommandeered an automobile and rdered the owner to “drive like ell.” Later, at city hospital, when death eemed near, Alger made a full statelent admitting shooting Buchanan, le recovered, and when the case ras venued he was taken from the larion, County jail to Danville. Empties Magazine On Stark’s desk lays two guns. )ne is a Spanish-American war ype, and poorly taken care of. This tras Alger’s. The other, with blood pots on it, in the holster attached o the blood spattered cartridge belt, ras Buchanan’s. Alger, in his dash, had shot the ull magazine-six bullets in all. luchanan had fired only four. Other possessions the boy carried t the time were thirteen additional ead-headed bullets and a thin strip f steel, which was either used in lis effort to steal the auto or renove cartridges from the revolver hamber. Alibis Established When the trial begins the State rill show that Buchunan left his ost of duty at Capitol and Indiana Ives to join in the chase after ilger and staggered down the hotel tallway 100 feet before whispering s he collapsed; "Partner, they’ve ot me.” On the other side, will sit the youth rho /said he was trying to steal he car to sell so his mother “woudn’t ave to work to help him get through chool.” King, Alger’s attorney, also will ittempt to prove, it is believed, that Uger was not attempting to steal he machine, on which charge he vas being arrested. Alger has said le lost his nerve and was leaving the nachine unmolested when arrested. : rankmanlyTlected ndianapolis Life Insurance Names Officers. A. Leßoy Portteus, city, , nnd 3eorge A. Itaub of I.ogansport, Ind., lave been re-elected directors of the [ndianapolis Life Insurance Com>any. Officers elected: Frank r. Manly, president. Edward B. Raub, rice irysident and general counsel; Joicph R. Raub, secretary; E. A. Borer, actuary; Dr. .1. B. Young and 3r. Frank A. Morrison, medical directors. Portteus was advanced from cnslier to treasurer and J. C. Caiierton rom agency manager to second vice iresident. Other appointments. W. rving Palmer, agency aecieitary: B. j. Pfleffer, assistant secretary-, and Charles Rouse, cashier. SLAIN IN LIBERTY DASH r,u lull'd Press COLUMBUS. Ohio, Jan. 13.--One soldier was shot and killed during he night in an attempt of eleven nllitary prisoners to escape from the fuardhouse at Ft. Hayes, it was earned today. The leader of the plot, Private John D. Kearns of Braddock, Pa., was r.hot through the head by t guard after he bad climbed through a window of the guardhouse ind ignored the commands of the sentry, officers at the fort said. The age of a salmon can be learned ly examining its scales through si microscope. The scales contain a lumber of tiny lines which multiply at the rate of sixteen every- year.

Chance for Jingle Writers Jingle writers, here’s your chance. Besides making yourself known as a limerick master, you can get without any trouble or coin a box of delicious sweets via the Times Nancy Hart Contest Route. Just put on your skid chains and settle down to a little simple thinking and write the last line to a four line jingle. Before you know it you’ll be rounding the curve to success and find a box of Nancy Hart chocolates awaiting you. On the first page of the classified ad section you’ll find every day a jingle minus its last line. All you have to do is put the finishing touches to it by adding the fifth line to rhyme with the first two and of the same meter. You can say anything you want in anyway. Twenty-five boxes of NancyHart will be given daily for the twenty-five best missing lines. You can’t fail, for you can have a fresh start every day with a brand new limerick to try your jingling ability on. Read the rules and then try your hand.

MILLER EXPLAINS STAND OK MERGER Tells Why Chamber Took Compromise Action. Dick Miller, Chamber of Commerce president, today explained the action of the directors Wednesday in approving. work of the special committee which represented the Chamber In the merger of the two electric power companies. “The valuation of $40,000,000 which our committee brought the merger promoters to accept, wj.s not guess work," Miller declared. “Our experts, after careful consideration, decided the public service commission after a complete appraisal, might easily determine the valuation of the properties materially higher than our figure. “A thorough evaluation could only be made after months of work and at a. cost of about $400,000. The committee made possible immediate and actual reductions in rates, amounting to an annual saving of about $315,000 to light users and about $150,000 to power users. In addition the merged company will deposit $200,000 of securities to be cashed and used to defeat any rate increase within five years. The board of directors unanimously approved the action of the committee.

REDUCE TALK, SAVE WORK, SAYS MUSSOLINI

By Benito Mussolini, Premier of Italy 11M told to \ Thoma* 11. Morgan, lt-xne Munagrc of the t nlti-d IM-esn. (This is the eighth of a series of artieles oti his daily life and work by Benito Mussolini, as told to Thomas B. Morgan. Rome manager of the United Press. Each article in this series has tieon personally revised,, corrected and approved by Premier Mussolini.) One very useful assistance in pushing forward the day’s work has resulted from our efforts to reduce the amount of talk to a minirqum. The government offices were formerly the abode of babbling tell-tales who dwelled on political gossip or hearsay from morning till night, commenting and recommenting, forecasting and adjudicating, taking up the government’s time and impeding the business of state. From my office down, this prevalence of wasted discourse is now at an end. Government employes cannot engage in protracted political chatter on the government’s time. I am, severely and pre-eminently, no exception to this rule. Speeches occupied no little part of a premier’s time under the old regime. Some of them made It their principal activity. They devoted days and days to a single speech, copying and recopying, changing and adjusting, so as to make a great display before the people. Some even based their capacity to hold the offices of premier on their ability to make a speech. Their administrative functions were subordinated to their oratorical reputations aand the government thus suffered for the lack of a thorough admininstrative policy. There Is none of that today. Speech-making has been relegated to the background. There was a period in which fascism was entrenching its position. Then it was necessary to carry the people, the meaning of our government. At that time, first, for the inspiration of our own adherents, and secondly, for the instruction of the people, there was real noed to tell tho people why we had assumed power and what we intended to do for tho good of Italy. Today, our mission is well-known and accepted by all classes of the people. There is no need of flowery orations and exhortations. Wo have translated into acts what we promised in words. This spirit of doing and not talking has permeated not alone the government organization but also the ranks of the people, high and low. It runs deep In the affairs of the fascist party, from those who direct it to those who serve In the ranks. I have given implicit orders that all oratory and celebrations are to be dispensed with and have established that this is the hour of work and that speeches and ceremony, can be postponed until after the work was done. A recent example of how the spirit of silent work has thoroughly saturated our people, is show r n in the construction of the new railroad along the lonian Sea in Calabria. The work of constructing this railroad has gone on silently and laboriously for many months. Thirteen new and extensive bridges have

'ALLEGED UTILITY RETAIL MONOPOLY OPPOSED IN BILL Measure to Be Presented for Regulation of All Appliance Prices. Utilities enjoying a monoply In their Sbld will not be permitted to engage in the retail business of sell ing fixtures and appliances if a bill to be introduced into the Indiana Senate. by Senator Anderson I Ketchum, Greensburg, is acted on ! with favor. Ketchum points out that the moneylost by price cutting and unjust i competition is made up by the I utilities in their rates and profits : from retail sales. 1 The Senate reconvened at If* a. nj. Eighteen bills already have been in traduced into the Senate and more were slated for today. Senator Carl M. Gray, Petersburg, a Democrat, will introduce a bill to abolish the pardon board and putting the matter of paroles and probation j back on tHo courts of original jurisdiction. Such a move was advocated I by Gori-rnor Jackson in his biennial address, but Gray contends that he has been working on the bill £or ■ some months. Pardoning power must always he left to the Governor. [ under the Constitution, but who will | act upon advice of the courts under j j the Gray bill, rather than that of the board as at present. | A State boxing commission would be created by a bill to be introduced I | by Senator L. G. Bradford, South! I Bend. It will ask that such a comI mission will bo composed of three members and a fulf-tirne secretary. The Indiana Municipal League will foster legislation making the Barrett law interest payable into the county treasury and fixing the salary of Marion County treasurer at $7,500 annually, instead of $5,000 salary and $50,000 or more in fees, as it is at present. ROGERS TO PAY COUNT Salm Will Get More Than $300,000 to Square Marriage Suit. i Bu United Press NEW YORK, Jan. 13.—A dividend of less than one per cent on the $40,000,000 the Rogers family made out of Standard Oil will be paid to the b/ipoverished Austrian nobleman, whf> married the heiress to that fortune, it was reported today. Count Ludwig Salm, whose marriage to Millicent Rogers provided !an international sensation three , years ago, is, expected soon to withdraw his suit for separation. In return he will receive an amount in excess ,of $300,000 and will be permitted to see his sen, Peter, at stated i intervals.

been built and yet, not in a single case was there a speech delivered, whereas, formerly, such events were accompanied by orations and the flare of trumpets, the clapping of hands and great shouts of joy. The joy was there and the events popular, but no speeches overdid it with useless words. Recently, we set up seventeen new provinces to facilitate the administration of these localities. Such events were usually accompanied by great outpouring, parades and speeches, yet in not one of these new provinces which were overjoyed and rang all the bells of the ancient cathedrals was there any sign of oratorical display and all in compliance with the new spirit of silent work. The administration of these provinces was organized and set to work without occasioning the slightest flurry on tho part of the population, which continued at their tasks more actively than ever, as a thanksgiving for their new dignity. While this new feeling has taken

Boots and Her Buddies

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THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Taps for Marines’ Jiggs

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“Sergt. Maj. Jiggs,” nationally-known bulldog mascot of the Devil Dogs, leaves Washington in a Marine plane for a grave at Quantico, Va„ where he was buried with full military honors. Over eating killed “Jiggs” in a capital hospital. In t lie inset lie is shown in typical pose —astride Marine bats at a service baseball game.

ANNUAL DINNER TOBEREUNION Community Fund Banquet to Be Held Tuesday. Plans to make a Hoosier reunion of the seventh anniversary dinner meeting of the Community Fund have been announced following the acceptance of John A. Lapp of Chicago, formerly Indianapolis man, who will speak at the meeting to be held Tuesday evening, Feb. 8, in the Riley room of the Claypool. Lapp is president of the National Conference of Social Work. In 1917 Lapp served in the library department of the Indiana Legislature, compiling hooks on important Federal laws, rules and regulations. He is at present affiliated with the National Catholic Welfare Council in Chicago. It Is planned to close reservations

root in workshop and field. It has also embedded itself in the upper branches of the government. Hitherto, the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Senate were haunts where the politician could pour forth for hours on some unimportant theme for the sole purpose of parading his oratory before the nation. Days and weeks and sometimes months would he spent In the discussion of a single measure. The members of both branches of parliament applied themselves listlessly to the proceedings. Some brought their latest novels, others their correspondence which had accumulated for weeks, others found it comfortable to take their afternoon naps—all, while someone was discoursing fervently upon some trifling theme to what were really, the bare benches. This system was exploited for the sole purpose of flaunting the oratory of the members upon the public, for the day’s proceedings were always voluminously reported through many columns daily in the press. It used to be a great discomfort for

for the dinner one week in advance of the date set. Reservations are limited to 500 and are being made fhrough Miss Winifred S. Brown at Community Fund headquarters. FAIL IN TRAIN HOLD-UP Conductor Makes One Arrest, Passenger Nabs Second Man. Bu United Press PITTSBURGH, Pa.. Jan. 13.—Two alleged train bandits were in custody here today after an unsuccessful attempt to rob passengers in a day coach of the Keystone Express, New York-St. Louis Flyer, between Greensburg, Pa., and this city shortly before midnight. One bandit was overpowered as he backed Into the arms of Conductor Charles Ilollabaugh as he was emerging from the baggage ear, after robbing J. IV. Darcey, New York, hnggpgaman. The other was captured by J. J. Fulton, Johnstown. Pa., a passenger, in a struggle in the aisle of the coach. The pair, booked here, gave their names as William Hebner, 21. Tyrone. Pa., and L. B. Rhodes, 30, Dayton, Ohio.

me to attend the Chamber before I assumed tlie Premiership I could hardly sit through those unending sessions where nothing for days and days was ever accomplished. When I became premier, it became an amusement for we still had the old alignments of parties and the oratory continued to flow. It was a diversion to answer the attacks and to go straight to a point instead of theorizing and dallying over inconsequential points. It was necessary to bring the theorists to the iMar.e of concrete fact and force them to face situations in their stern reality. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate now function with marked regularity. There is no mo-n e,r Bn protracted speeches. The deputies and senators have a revived consciousness that their duty is to the nation and not to themselves. The agenda is placed before the house and those competent to speak on the measures give their views and the.measure is acted upo without those attendant displays of oratory of former days, for which a whole system of registry

—By Martin

FRAUD PROOF BILL FOR ABSENT VOTE HOUSE’S PROBLEM Measure Adequate to Meet All Demands Is Sought by Election Body. How to transfer ballots between a proposed absent voters board and the regular election board without giving an opportunity for fraud is the problem confronting the Indiana House of Representatives committee on elections. The committee considered two absent voter measures before the House at its first meeting Wednesday afternoon. The first by Representatives Edward B. Bender and William Dentlinger would repeal the present law in Its entirety. The other, proposed by Representative Truman G. Murden, would amend the present law so as to permit voters necessarily absent to appear before a county bi-partisan board of two members not more than ten nor less than two days previous to the election and, after making an affidavit, setting forth qualifications and necessity of absence, cash their ballots in sealed envelopes. So far the amendment made a strong appeal to members of the committee, but the measure failed to make a fraud proof provision for the transfer of the ballots to the various precincts by the county ab-sent-voter board. • “We’ve got to make this fraud proof,” declared Representative Albert Wedeking, “or we’ll have the same story of corruption again.’’ The committee is now studying the question of transporting the ballots without affording' chances for tampering. "We’ve had lots of corruption in the operation of the absent voter law. We Democrats - discovered crooked work on the part of the Republicans at a recent election and were making plans to prosecute, when, behold, it was found that some Democrats were in the mud just as deep as the Republicans were in the mud. Prosecution plajis were stopped,” said Representative Bender. A. E. Gordon, representing the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers, told the committee that lS.Qrit railroad men were affected by the absent voter bill. He insisted on the amendment. W. H. Miller of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen; E. L. King, representing the conductors; R. 11. Harrington of the engineers and T. X. Taylor of the Federation of Labor were present and spoke for the amendment. The committee continued its consideration until today at 3 p. m.

had to be kept that the orators might all speak in their turn. It Is this new spirit of business-like service which -has penertated our people and it is in no place more marked than in the Chamber and Senate. The Deputies and Senators have caught the spirit and perform their functions I without the former volubility, that the affairs of the government might proceed with the least possible delay. This spirit has resulted In great saving of time for me. It has not j been necessary for me to prepare a I speech for either the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate for almost a | year now. The last two addresses I made were of an educational character—one in Perugia on the opening of the University and the other in Bologna, before the Italian Scientific Congress, just before an attempt, j was made on my life. My addresses ■ before the two houses of parliament J can now be delivered in a few words, j The last tipie I spoke before the Sen- ; ate, asking for the passage of some drastic police measures, I did not say more than ten words. The time, therefor, which was ordinarily spent on the preparation of long orations for the pleasure of the parliamentarians can now be devoted to tho administration of some practical utility. And speeches to the Fascist Grand Council have been cut to a minimum. Our work Is all prepared and disj cussed beforehand so that when those | who direct the affairs of the party ! meet, little time Is lost in useless rhet- , orlc. Sometimes, it devolves upon ;me to make a speech to various ; gatherings of fascists, these speeches | are becoming shorter and shorter. • When enthusiastic groups of fascists come to salute me in the Piazza ! Colonna and beckon me to come on ;to the balcony my words are few. It J Is enough to utter a few phrases to | give the message and watch-word of ; the hour. It has happened a hundred times, when I have been called to the balcony, that I have simply j shouted “No speech, Go away!” Italians have followed my leadership and have enlisted in a union which I have called for some time "the Corporazione del silenziari." By that is intended *the promotion of acts and the subordination of words. Too long had we discussed and : formulated and philosophized. Now jwe have begun to perform, and i these performances are making | themselves every day more manifest In our Increasing production, our Intensive agriculture, our building of transportation systems, our construction of ships and our manifold activities in this complex civilization. Italy Is working more and talking less than ever. _ Fasting two or three times a month Is good for anyone, says Premier Mussolini in Ids next article to appear in The Times tomorrow, explaining that to this custom he ascribes much of his physical and mental wellbeing. Mussolini dej clares that the “abhors fat people,” and has even no sympathy for his I brother Arnauld, who is fat.

I Member of Public Service to Commission to / Start Move Next Week. J An immediate investigation of the I power cost rebate charges made by j Attorney General Arthur 1.. Gilliom before the public service commission | at the time of the merger hearing, will be instituted by tlie public serv- | Ice commission, it was learned today. | Gilliom stated that he had reliable j evidence that rebates amounting >to approximately one-half million dollars annually were given two local light utilities and to large power i users of Indianapolis. lie recalled that The Indianapolis News in 1920 was found by the courts to have receiged rebates amounting to $112.50 i in one month. Covered Up “Instead of stopping this practice !as they promised when fines of ! $2,000 were assessed,’’ Gilliam said, "they have only changed the method of covering It up.” At the time of the Gilliom expose, | Commissioner Frank Wampler, then | presiding, declared that the commlsj sion would make a complete investigation after the merger hearing had been completed. A fnember of the public service j commission proposes to submit a resolution next week calling for an ! immediate investigation of these charges. An open hearing will be held at which time the entire matter will be thoroughly probed. $500,000 a Year “This rebate system costs the small Indianapolis consumers $500,000 every year,’’ said Gilliom. “J cannot be deterred from my duty by fear of the Indianapolis News or any other paper, and am determined to go to the bottom of this matter. Those guilty shall be brought before the bar of justice.” GUliom’s cooperation Is expected by the public service commission In j its investigation. TRAIN KILLS RAILROADER Bu Vnited Press LA PORTE. Ini#, Jan. 13.—Mattas Johnson, 67, was struck and instantly killed when he stepped In front of a Baltimore & Ohio freight train, Wednesday night, near Union Mills The body was dragged 300 feet and badly mangled. He was an employe of the railroad and was going to work when the accident occurred.

HOME FOLKS FIGHT FOR OWN PHONE CO. Greensburg Utility Officers Warn Stockholders of Scheme of Outside Capital.

Bu Times Sncciil GREENfiBURG, Ind.. Jan. 13Forces of the home town folks to prevent the octopus of outside capital from gobbling up their indepenBUILDING LOAN BOARD IS SOUGHT Present Bill for Supervision of State Associations. Creation of a building and loan association supervising board with an examiner in charge and a complete staff are provided for in a bill to be presented in the Indiana Senate, by Delbert V. Blackburn (Rep.), Senator from Yanderburg County. Under the terms of the bill now being drafted supervision of building and loan companies would he separated from the State bank examining department. Blackburn claims that the Avork connected with this type of banking institutions has grown to such an extent that a separatte department to supervise it would be economical in the long run. MURDER CLEWS SOUGHT Police Try to Learn Identity of Recent Killers. Police and detectives worked all night in an attempt to get clews to the identity of a Negro, who was seen leaving the side yard of M. T. Ohr, 1640 N. Delaware St., after two shots had been fired Into the body of Althla Woods, Negro, 1204 Cornell Ave., who was emerging from the Ohr basement where he had been building the fire early Wednesday morning. It was the belief that AVoods was murdered j?y a prowler who was surprised when ho came from the basement. Tracks were seen about the house. This is the second murder of its kind in the past week, detectives still being without a clew to the murdrerer of Dahlman Dcßolt, 50, of 3534 E. Vermont St., insurance collector, who’s body was found Jan. 5, in an alley on N. Missouri St. He had been struck on the head with an ax and robbed. ACCUSED MAN CHEERY, Norris, Minister Charged With Murder, Appears in Good Spirits. Bu United Press AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 13.—Noticeably In high spirits, the Rev. J. Frank Norris came into the drab Tevis County courtroom today to sit through the tedious proceedings attendant on selecting four more jurors to make up the twelve men to determine his guilt or innocence of the murder of D. E. Chipps, wealthy Ft. Worth lumberman. The Baptist minister, for the first time since the trial started Monday, chatted freely with newspaper men and with court attaches. Mrs. Chipps, divorced widow of the slain man. and her 16-year-old son came up the worn old court ,stairs shortly after Norris. This was her first day in the courtroom since Monday, when the trial opened.

JAN. IZ, 1927

SEEK ELIMINATION OF POLITICS FROM RELIEF OF NEEDY Bill to Be Presented for Regulation of County Poor Expenditures. Taking the politics out of relief for the poor of Marion County by es. tablishing anew body to be known as Marion County board of public welfare, is the chief aim of the proposed bill which may be presented to the Indiana House of Representatives Friday morning, according to W. A. Insley, president of the Family Welfare Society. High expenditures mode by the present and past nine township trustees who are said to be unfa/niliar with welfare work administration, is another reason advanced by Insley. “No political system is competent to give poor relief,” he said. Six members will fcomprise the new board, not more than three ofl which shall belong to the same polilical party. All poor relief money spent in Marion County shall he controlled by this committee. Operation costs of the county poor farm, Detention Home, Colored Orphans’ Home and County Insane Asylum will he regulated by the six members. This body will not receive pay for their services, but shall hire trained welfare workers, whose duty will be to administer to the needy. Inspiration for tills proposed bill came from moneys spent In the past by various township trustees. In Center Township $94,941 was spent for poor relief in 1925, against $20,238 in 1924; Wayne, 1925, $2,677, against $1,470 for 1924. All of the townships in 1925 felt a substantial Increase over the previous year. The total In 1925 was $103,656, compared with $23,935 In 1924. The proposed bill will In no manner affect any welfare society now existing, Insley said.

dent, non-profit telephone company were being marshaled today for what promises to be a bitter struggle. A Like Paul Revere calling the patriots to arms, the spectre of a large corporation swallowing the little one with consequent higher rates and squeezing out of small stockholders dashes up and down the countryside. Hold Stock, Plea The gobbling up appeared so imminent that officers of the Decatur County Independent Telephone Com. pany Issued a warning to stockholders through Greensburg newspapers. They urged the shareholders to retain their stock and heed not the siren song of those who are quietly gathering It up a,t prices which have ranged from $6 to $75 a share. The officers say the stock Is worth S3OO a share, although of only $25 par values. They base this on the fact that appraisers put a $300,000 valuation upon the property. Only $30,000 worth of stock Is outstanding. Lawyers Retained The company officers have retained Greensburg lawyers to represent them In the expected fight with the hidden forces which are gathering the stock and urge small stockholders to join. Two theories as to the scheme behind tho quiet attempt to seize the majority of stock are held: One, that speculators went get control at low prices, then go before tho public service commission, get a higher valuation than $300,000 and unload the property upon some other company for a fat profit. Two, that an established compan.J Is trying to get control so as to merge the Independent phone lines into its own without opposition. Danger Pointed Out The officers warn the stockholders: “Under the law these new purchasers, whoever they may be, may petition the public service commis sion to lease, sell or transfer the stock of this company, or merge out company with some other company. In the event such step is taken yon will have to .appear before the public service commission within sixty days thereafter and ask the commission to determine the value of your stock. Otherwise you may be left entirely out.” Meanwhile the small stockholders have their eyes on two local men, one an influential politician, who arc known to have been buying up the stock. PUZZLED BY CONFESSION Officials Doubtful About Man's Storj of Mellett- Case. Bu United Press COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 13. Officials investigating the murdei of Don R. Mellett, Canton (Ohio editor, today were possession of s signed confession by Jack Lopez awaiting deportation at Laredo Texas, implicating five persons. Just how much of the confession made to C. H. Sisson, special do teetive for Governor Donahsy iy Laredo, can be believed is puzzling officials who have been Investigating the mystery. Lopez has a habit of makim confessions, the Governor's offi< t has learned, and it was thought hit story to Sisson was given in tip hope that he may be returned t< Ohio.