Indianapolis Times, Volume 40, Number 176, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 December 1928 — Page 13

Second Section

IT BEEMS TO ME By HEYWOOD BROUN

Ideas and opinions expressed in this column are those of one of America’s most interesting writers and are presented without regard to their agreement with the editorial attitude of this paper. The Editor.

IN no document has Calvin Coolidge seemed as human as he does in the article which he wrote for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggesting a

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country White House. Thisreco m m e n dation seems to me sound beyond hope of controversy. I must look for other of the President’s communication for purposes of registering dissent. When I say that Coolidge shows an attractive side of himself in his newspa-

per piece I do not mean to imply that everything he said must therefore command complete agreement. He advances one heresy and makes a claim which cannot be accepted without careful research. “I have often remarked,” said Coolidge, ‘‘that at least I had one distinction. I have been the healthiest President the country has ever haa.” Calvin Coolidge’s pride in his ability to stand up under the rigors of a tough job is pardonable, but I do not think the diamond-studded belt emblematic of the title should be awarded to him without due investigation. Is Coolidge in a position to know Just how Madison felt in the mornings, and has he had any inside information as to the way in which Washington slept at nights? To be sure we do know that Washington was forced to wear old-fashioned false teeth which fitted very badly. Coolidge seems to be richer in calcium. * an Capitol Calories BEFORE we turn the historians loose to tell us of Tyler’s kidneys and the blood pressure of Andrew Jackson we should have to agree on a definition of health. I rather think that President Coolidge confuses good health with absence of ailments, and I am not ready to admit that they are the same thing. The Progressive party drew its nickname from the fact that Col. Roosevelt, when asked as to the state of his health, once remarked, ‘‘l feel like a bull moose.” I doubt if Calvin Coolidge has ever reached any such state of sylvan estacy. He has been content to chew the cud of much more placid moods. From the point of view of any life insurance company the Coolidge type is much the better risk. But not all of us care to live in such a way as to die with every policy paid up. f # n n More Than Health AND in the life of every man there must come some time when it is up to him to decide whether health is the most : nportant factor in the world cr whether there are other values more impressive. Woodrow Wilson was called upon to make such a decision. And when the call came he proudly broke his heart to fight for the League of Nations in which he believed. Indeed the regime of Calvin Coolidge, while shrewdly conceived, is not of the sort to fire the imagination. ‘‘My ability to keep well,” he explains, “has not been due to a particularly robust constitution or any extraordinary efforts in physical exercise. My habits have been regular. It is seldom that I have been late at meal time and I have avoided keeping late hours.” Curiously enough Coolidge neglects to mention some activities which sound more pleasureable than short city walks and wild forays with vibrating machines. Surely he is nci amindful of the fact that fishing is exercise of a sort. Always I have wondered whether his piscatorial pursuits were an indulgence or mere political propaganda. Grover Cleveland was among the first of the Presidents to discover that votes can be gained by angling and that I believe was wholly accidental. No one has ever questioned the fact he took an honest delight in the' practice. The latest pictures of Coolidge after Virginia quail do not suggest that he was having a particularly good time and it is not entirely mean to suggest that he was more mindful of solidifying a brand snatched from the Solid South than procuring testimonials as to his skill at marksmanship. U ft t$ Have They Got Fun? CALVIN COOLIDGE may have had better health than any other president of America, but I doubt if he has had as much fun. Naturally the voters do not elevate men to that high office to the end that they shall be amused. Os all our presidents I imagine that only one has actually qualified as a superb athlete. We know that Washington could ride and shoot and that he had an arm which might have won him a place in the big leagues. Asa matter of fact, William Howard Taft cannot be neglected in speaking of athletic presidents. At the top of his game he was easily the best White House golfer. Once in a match with Walter J. Travis he went around Hyoha in an even score of 100 and that’s not at all bad for a Republican.

Entered As Second-Class Matin': at Postoffice. Indianapolis.

‘BEER MAMA'IS CITY'S LATEST; TRADEBOOMS Home Brew Sales in Many Apartments Reported on Huge Scale. THRIVE IN MIDDLEWEST Malt and Hop Flats by Thousands Flourish, Survey Shows. New York may have its hostesses, Chicago its barmaids, and Kansas City its malt queens, but Indianapolis, not to be outdone in the gentle art of modern “booze histing,” has the beer flat’s latest creation, the “bqer mama.” How many hundreds of such species of the fair sex are listed in the city directory as clerks, stenographers, and whatnot cannot be estimated, for the mamas are “here today, gone tomorrow.” Regally they preside m apartments, many of them beautifully furnished and appointed; invitingly they pop the caps off home brew bottles and pour the amber fluid, with a fine disdain for foaming “suds.” The beer flat is an institution peculiar to the middlewest. It is a haven for the increasing number who defy Mr. Volstead and the eighteenth amendment, a survey by the United Press shows. Flourish in Other Cities Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis and points between are filled with them. The beer flat has, in a short span of years, become much more popular than the speakeasy of early post-war days. Here is the way it works from the standpoint of the drinker: You come home tired after a hard day. Dinner is over and you develop that restless feeling that calls for a drink. You know a good speak-easy in the business district and an excellent roadhouse on the other side of town, but they are too far away. The “beer flat” is handier, so you go there. It is likely to be just across the street from your home or apartment, no matter what neighborhood you live in. To all outside appearances, it merely is an ordinary apartment. It’s Easy to Get In After the first visit the proprietor knows you and gaining admittance is an easy matter. You can drink beer as long as you like at twentyfive or fifty cents a mug or bottle. Here is the way it works from the standpoint of the proprietor: He probably is a man of moderate means. He may be employed as a tailor or laborer by day, but at night he runs his “beer flat.” His wife and family live with him in the apartment, thus saving the rent he would have to pay for a separate establishment if he undertook to operate a speakeasy. Most Chicago “beer flats” keep a barrel of beer on ice in the kitchen. They use the living room and dining room for patrons and serve on bridge tables. The wife helps carry in the steins and often opens the place for business in the afternoon before her husband comes home. The patrornage is made up chiefly of friends or residents of the block where the flat is located. Some of the more elaborate places issue small metal checks for identification. Few Places Raided Raids are rare, as prohibition enforcement officers in the cities of .the midwest are busy shutting off the source of beer, the big syndicates. Also they have learned not to raid private homes unless they are certain that their evidence is airtight. The prohibition office at Chicago estimates that there are 5,000 “beer flats” in Chicago. In, St. Paul they outnumber speakeasies two to one. The estimated number of “beer flats” in that city, said to be conservative, is 350. In Kansas City most of the “beer fiats” in that city serve the beer in bottles which are stored in cupboards. Much of the bottled product is home-made.. In St. Louis there are said to be 15,000 places where liquor can be bought. “Beer fiats” predominate over speakeasies by a ratio of about 15 to 1. One-Armed Veteran Dies By Times Special NOBLESVILLE, Ind., Dec. 13. Frank Hedges, 83, veteran of the Civil war, who suffered loss of his left arm at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain a few minutes after the father of the former Federal Judge K. M. Landis was killed, is dead here. He conversed with Thomas A. Edison by telegraph when both were learning to be operators. He was self-educated, having taught himself reading and writing from street signs.

THREE PLANETS BLAZE IN SKY, VISIBLE ON EARTH FOR FIRST TIME IN MONTHS

By Science Service FOR the first time in many months, three planets, neighbors of the earth in the solar system, can be seen in the evening sky at once. One is Mars, now closer than It has been since Oct. 1926. It shines low in the eastern sky about 8 p. m. Since it is brighter than any other object in that region, and decidedly reddish in color, it is easy to locate. High in the southern sky is another bright star. This is the planet Jupiter. Low in the west

The Indianapolis Times

NO, SHE’S NOT DUMB

Beautiful, Yes; Brains With It

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Perhaps the “Floradora” sextet was more famous, but the members of the chorus group pictured here, of which Elizabeth Meehan, top, was one, have done very well, thank you. They were dancers in the musical show, “Pally,” seven years ago and, left to right, are: Miss Meehan, one of the highest-paid scenario writers in the country; Emily Drainge, who is now Mrs. Lynn Overman; Billie Dove, the movie star; Leon Errol; Janet Magrue, who became a star of the London stage; Gladys Bowie, who inherited a fortune, and retired; Alta King, who married Edward Royce, playwright.

BY GENE COHN NEA Service Writer NEW YORK, Dec. 13.—Seven years ago, Betty Meehan danced in a Follies chorus. In odd hours, along with other “ladies of the ensemble,” she boosted her income by playing extra roles at a Long Island film factory. The other day, Miss Elizabeth Meehan, who still could pass the meticulous muster of any music show producer, both for face and figure, came back to Manhattan with the prize scalps of scenarioland dangling from her sinuous waist. Only a few intimates had known that the Betty Meehan of the chorus was the Elizabeth Meehan whose • name could be found on such super-productions as “Beau Geste,” “Sorrel and Son” and “The Great Gatsby;” the same Elizabeth Meehan who had been selected to adapt to screen form the great Conrad epic, “The Rescue,” and who now holds conferences with Fannie Hurst on the screen version of “Lummox.” In other words, Betty Meehan, of the chorus, has become one of the four or five outstanding scenarists of the moment. Which is doing rather well for a chorine and an extra girl. nun MISS MEEHAN, to the contrary, is quite astounded to find that any one should consider her rise exceptional. “Oh yes, I know that chorines have the reputation of being beautiful but dumb,” she began. “And, perhaps, some of them are. But you’d be surprised at the girls you’ll find in the choruses. “In my chorus group were, for instance, Billie Dove—whose identity needs no establishment; there was Alta King, who married Edward Royce, the playwright and producer; there was Gladys Bowie, who now has a fortune in her name and figures in Manhattan society; there was Janet Magrue, who became a star of the London stage; and there was Emily Drainge, who married Lynn Overman, celebrated actor-writer. “My own experience convinces me that one has to ‘make the breaks,’ to some extent. I had been a professional swimmer. I came from Philadelphia and my first business experience was a professional swimming meet. n n n “W THEN I came to New York, W I found it was easy to get a job modeling for clothing concerns if you had a figure. It was then but a step to the chorus. But I had always wanted to write. Even then, I wrote articles for

is Venus, brighter now than any other heavenly object except the moon and sun, and getting brighter. Jupiter is moving toward the west night by night, but Venus is climbing higher and higher. Mars is reaching what the astronomer calls “opposition.” This means that it is on the side of the earth directly opposite the sun, and rises in the east as the sun sets in the west. At such times, the earth and Mars are both on the same side of their paths, as seen from the sun, and are‘closest together.

INDIANAPOLIS, THURSDAY, DEC. 13, 1928

Sunday newspapers, but couldn’t make a living at it. Most of the Follies girl had no trouble getting work as extras in the pictures. “One day, as I was waiting to go or. as an extra, the script of a scenario was handed me to read. I vfar- interested in its composition and found myself studying the mechanics. When I asked for u chance to help on the writing o; a script they raised their eyebrows. The idea—an extra girl wanting to write a scenario! But I worked on the story of ‘The Great Catsby’ and things were different after that. “On the strength of that story and ‘Beau Geste,’ they sent me to Hollywood. And I’ve been going ever since.”

AUTONOMY SOUGHT Commission Wants Power Over State Railroads. Following interstate commerce commission and public service commission hearings Wednesday on the plea of the Indiana Central railroad, Midland, to abandon portions of their iine, Chairman Frank Singleton of the state commission launched a movement to have congress take jurisdiction over purely intrastate traffic out of the hands of the federal body. His first step will be a resolution to be passed jointly by both houses of the Indiana legislature petitioning congress to amend the federal statutes so that public service commissions in the various states will have sole control of all railroad traffic within the state, Singleton said. PERFECT FEEDING PLAN Farm Brothers Near Tess Use Waste Land for Calf Raising. By United Press TEFFT, Ind., Dec. v 13.—Many acres of waste land in Porter and Jasper counties may be put to use if the objective of a baby beef producers meeting at the Rasmussen farm a mile southeast of here today is attained. Through experiments, Rasmussen brothers, owners of the farm, have .found that it is profitable to take a herd of calves to waste land and feed them a full grain and roughage ration until the animals are ten to twelve months old and weigh around 600 to 800 pounds.

The time when the two planets are closest, however, is not exactly that of opposition. On Dec. 15, the distance between the earth and Mars is 54,343,200 miles. Date of opposition is Dec. 21. nun rpHOUGH 54,343,200 miles might seem like a large distance, it is close for Mars, for sometimes the planet gets as far as 240,000,000 miles from us. When it comes as close as it :an, as in 1924, it is about 35,000,0(0 miles away. While Mars is nearly twice as far away

EXTRA CARS ARE PUT ON FOR SHOPPERS Special Holiday Service in .Effect Today on Central Avenue Lines. ADD TO OTHER ROUTES Patrons Will Benefit From 8 to 4 o’Clock Under New Plan. Extra service for holiday shoppers was started today by the Indianapolis Street Railway Company on the Central avenue line and will be in force on all lines by next Wednesday, James P. Tretton, general superintendent, announced today. The holiday rush struck the Central line first this year. The extra service will be put on Illinois, College, Washington, East Michigan, and East Tenth lines by Monday, the smaller lines being taken care of between then and Wednesday as rapidly as the added traffic demands. Bus service also will be augmented. Service From 8 to 4 The shopper service runs from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. Enough extra cars, to give four-minute intervals between cars, Instead of the regular five to six-minute spaces ordinarily in force, were put on the Central line today. The regular rush hour service in the morning and after 4 in the evening remains in force on all lines. By Monday Illinois patrons will have 3-minute service between 8 and 4; College, 3 minutes; Washington, 4 minutes; East Michigan, 5 minutes; and East Tenth, 6 minutes. The smaller lines will have correspondingly Increased service. . By the middle of next week, approximately 100 or more cars than normally will be operated between 8 and 4, Joe Ryce, supervisor of schedules, estimated. “The shop early crusade certainly has taken hold in Indianapolis,” said Ryce. “I have been watching street car traffic during the Christmas season twenty-two years. Rush Spreads Out “In the old days we never felt the rush until about two days before Christmas and then it was terrible. We simply couldn’t handle* the crowds. “For the last few years, however, the rush has been spread over such a long period that we comfortably could handle everybody. The crowds are not so much heavier the last day before Christmas than at the beginning of the rush, and we can handle the people right.” Tretton urged housewives to arrange their shopping trips 5b they could leave home after 8 a. m. and leave the business district before 4 p. m., thereby avoiding the discomfort of the rush hours and helping downtown workers by not adding to the evening traffic. ‘U’ SOCIETY BANNED: INITIATION IS PROBED Michigan’s “Sphinx” Suspended Pending Liquor Rumor Probe. By United Press ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 13. With Sphinx, junior honorary literary society, suspended from University of Michigan activities by the committee on student affairs, campus interest centered on report that neophytes of the society were obliged to furnish liquor at initiations. Suspension of the society followed an investigation of its Dec. 5 initiation when three students were scalded. One man is still in hospital and probably will remain there until after the holidays. Other public societies of the university will be required to obtain written permission before holding public initiations in the future, Dean Bursley said. MURDER TRIAL JAN. 2 Harvey L. Smith to Face Charge in Stultz Case at Goshen. By Times Special GOSHEN, Ind., Dec. 13.—Harvey L. Smith will be tried in Elkhart Circuit court here Jan. 2 on a charge of the first degree murder of Mrs. Genevieve Stultz, Mishawaka beauty culturist. The body of Mrs. Stultz, 31, a divorcee, was found in a lime pit near Elkhart recently following her disappearance several months ago. Smith entered a plea of not guilty at a preliminary hearing before William B. Hile, justice of the peace at Elkhart, and was held for trial without bond.

as it was four years ago. astronomers throughout the world are watching it, and many are seeing it nearly as well as they did then. When it is very close, it always is low in the southern sky, fbr northern countries, where most of the big telescopes are located. Greater thickness of air through which its light has to pass destroys a good bit of the advantage due to its proximity. Now. at midnight. Mars is high overhead, within 15 degrees of the zenith. This is about the best

Times Serial Heroine Is Honored by Charlie Davis

New Song Hit, ‘Orchids,’ Is Written as Tribute to Ashtoreth Ashe. Ashtoreth Ashe, heroine of The Tiifles thrilling new serial, “Orchid,” now famed in story, will be honored also in song by one of Indiana’s greatest song writers—Charlie Davis of the Indiana theater. Davis has written a song already acclaimed by publishers as one of the year’s big musical hits and he has christened it “Orchids,” as a specal tribute to the Orchid Girl of The Times serial. The song, to be placed on sale here and in all other principal cities of the nation within a few days, will be played by Charlie’s orchestra at every performance at the Indiana theater for the next week, starting Saturday. “The Orchid Girl of The Times serial was so different, so fascinating, that she was a positive inspiration to me, the farther I read in an advance copy of the story given to me,” said Davis. “So I sat down and dashed off the song—and, all egotism aside, I believe it’s one of the best things I’ve done. I believe the music-loving population of Indianapolis will agree with me, when they hear it played at the Indiana.” Davis is the author of “Copenhagen,” one of the really big dance number hits of the last decade, played probably by more dance orchestras in the country than any other tune in rec*ent years. So don’t miss hearing Davis and his boys play this big hit. And then, if you haven’t started reading “Orchid,” get your back copies at, The Times offices and hand yourself a double treat.

Jingle! Here Is No. 20 in the Christmas Shopping Contest.

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Right now thu kids don’t mine* it if Heme chores break up their play. Perhaps it’s ’cause they know that they’ll NAME ADDRESS This Jingle competition is almost over. Just two more days, so rush in your last line now and win a pair of tickets to the Circle theater. The three best last lines get the tickets. Address The Times Jingle Editor. nun William Doherty, 733 South Senate avenue, wins one pair of tickets with this one, for Jingle No. 18; If there are presents you must buy, It doesn’t pay to stall, You’d better get real busy now, And lose no time at all. Eddie Manning rings the bell with this last line: “For when you see what’s left, you’ll fall.” And the third victor is George Rickey, 1105 North Tacoma avenue, with: “And get those gifts, ’at’s all.” PASSENGERS LANDED Steamer Goes on Rocks Near Alaska, All Hands Rescued. By United Press CORDOVA, Alaska, Dec. 13. Eleven passengers and the crew of the disabled steamer Starr, aground on the southern tip of Dark Island nead Kodiac, were landed here safely Wednesday night. The steamer Alameda and three large fishing vessels were proceeding at full speed to aid the ship which went aground during a heavy gale Wednesday morning after its propellor had been disabled by striking against a reef.

possible part of the sky for astronomical observations, so astronomers are making the most of their opportunities. At the Lowell observatory, Flagstaff Ariz., where the chief inv'stigations of the planets are carried out, photographs are being taken, drawings are being made, and the planet’s temperature is being measured. e a tt TT'ROM such observations as these, astronomers h ave come rather generally to believe in probability of vegetable life,

Second Section

Full Leased Wire Service of the United Press Association.

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Charlie Davis

LIFE TERM FOR MOTHEROF TEN Woman Is Given Limit on Liquor Charge. By United Press LANCING, Mich., Dec. 13.—Mrs. Etta Mae Miller, mother of ten children, was convicted the fourth time Wednesday for selling liquor and under the Michigan habitual criminal code must go to prison for life. It was the first time since enactment of the state habitual criminal law that a woman was made to take such a severe sentence for violating the prohibition law. She is the second person to receive a life sentence for four liquor offenses with no other convictions. Charlie Tripp, a Flint bootlegger, now is serving a life term in Marquette prison. “They found me guilty, but I’m not guilty,” Mrs. Miller protested when the verdict was read. “All they had for it was Knappe’s and Eastman’s word.” Knappe and Eastman were the police officers who caused her arrest. j Mrs. Miller contended the police were “trying to railroad her to prison for life for something she didn't do.” Sinjce her third conviction, she charged, police constantly hounded her and when they couldn’t implicate her in a fourth felony, “used the trumped-up liquor charge.” DUKE LAUDS LOVE Declares Spiritual Progress Will Bring Man Peace. Peace must come to the world through spiritual development fostered by love, Grand Duke Alexan der of Russia told an audience at the Masonic Temple, Wednesday night. • His lecture here was the first of a series of three under auspices of the Indianapolis Business and Pro fessional Women’s Club. Other speakers are to be Cyril Maude and Thornton Wilder! A brief sketch of his own life was drawn by the speaker. 1 “I was born on the. very steps of the Russian throne,” he said. “My father was the son of Emperor Nicholas I. I married the sister of Nicholas 11. “I had wealth, power and position. One day I awoke to learn that I had lost everything. But I have regained spiritual wealth, power and position and I am more happy today than ever before.” BURIAL SERVICES HELD FOR JOHN T. APPEL Prominent l.ocal Business Man Laid To Rest. Funeral services for John J. Appel, 69, prominent in Indianapolis business circles for a number of years past, were held at the home 4049 North Pennsylvania street on Wednesday afternoon, the Rev. Jean S. Millner, pastor of the Second Presbyterian church officiating. Pallbearers were: John W. Twitty, Fred Gall, Elmer Burt, Fremor S. Cannon, John Sheets, Robert Moore, Duane Bellinger and Clinton Lashbr. Honorary pallbearers were: Arthur V. Brown, W. T. Cannon, Frank D. Staliaker, Hilton U. Brown, Fred Dickson, E. J. Jacoby, Joseph A. McGowan, J. F. Wild Sr., James A. Fessler, John J. Madden, Samuel Rauh, P. C. Reilly, William G. Irwin of Columbus and Marshall S. Morgan of Philadelphia.

at least on Mars. They also have come to believe in the reality of the strange markings, called "canals.” A few years ago it Was the general belief that these canals, which appear as a network of straight lines on the planet, were merely optical illusions. But the Lowell astronomers made numerous photographs which showed them. Later Dr. R. J. Trumler, at the Lick observatory, in California, also obtained photographs of them. Now these are regarded as pretty conclusive.

HEALTH BOARD TO SIFT CITY ILLNESS WAVE President F. E. Jackson Says Schools Will Not Be Closed Now. COLD SNAP IS NEEDED Warm Weather Has Made People Careless, He Declares. Steps to check the wave of respiratory infections prevalent in Indianapolis for three weeks will be discussed Friday night by the city board of health, Dr. Frederick E. Jackson, board president, announced today. “We will talk over the situation and take whatever action is deemed advisable. Under present conditions it is not believed advisable to close public schools,” Dr. Jackson said. "Some plan to keep people separated more, avoiding congregating and further spread of the malady may be considered if the wave continues. Weather conditions are unfavorable. Folks get out and exercise and expose themselves because it is warm weather. Tlfey catch cold and unless proper precaution is taken, influenza or pneumonia results. What we need most is a cold snap,” Dr. Jackson said. Holy Name Catholic school at Beech Grove was closed Wednesday because of the illness of about hair' the students and two sisters. There were about 175 enrolled. L. B. Mann, superintendent of Beech Grove public schools, said there is about 85 per cent attendance and closing was not contemplated. Dr. Fred Mayer, Marion county health officer, who covers territoryoutside Indianapolis, reported the Garden City school on the Rockville road, was closed because of the high rate of cases of illness. About 117 of an enrollment of 320 l were not ir attendance. Respiratory diseases kept 129 pupils of the John Strange school near Broad Ripple from attending. Enrollment is 296. Several teachers are 111. Dr. Mayer said the situation is “well in hand” and closing of other schools is not planned. Most schools have about fifty absent, he said. Doctors advised persons suffering from a mild form of influenza to stay indoors until there is no danger' of complications. Few Deaths In State By United Press Seemingly equally as contagious but not nearly so fatal as the 1918 epidemic, the present influenza wave still was spreading in Indiana today. From throughout the state there came reports of persom. ill with the disease but only in Rotated cases were there deaths. The most alarming report was from Marion, where it was estimated that more than 3,000 persons are suffering from the disease. Many schools in the Marion district were closed and other precautionary measures taken. In Berne, almost 125 pupils were absent from schools and factories, business houses and churches felt the effect of the disease. Warsaw reported 300 cases and that number was given as a conservative estimate. Two deaths and almost 100 cases were reported from Plymouth. Crawfqrdsville reports said approximately 400 were suffering from the disease and Seymour officials said the number of those afflicted would run close to 300. Greensburg reported only about fifty cases. Optimistic reports came from Washington, Bluffton, Decatur, Bloomington, and Connersville. All said “nothing serious.” Knox county seemed unusually clear of the disease, but precautionary measures were taken. Wabash college, De Pauw university and Culver military academy took precautions against the disease. Culvci has closed early for the Christmas vacations as did Wabash, and De Pauw officials have taken steps to prevent a spread of the disease. The Calumet district continued to report additional light cases. Schools are hampered by the disease but there are few cases. COUNTY LOSES SUIT AFTER TAKING GRAVEL Farmer Gets S4OO Judgment on Jury Verdict at Columbus. By Times Special COLUMBUS, Ind., Dec. 13. Jesse Newsom has won a long fight to compel Bartholomew county to pay him for gravel taken from White river at a point where it flows through his farm. Suit for $3,000 was filed by Newsom against the county, but he recovered only S4OO by a jury’s verdict. However, he established his contention that the river is not a navigable stream. In defense of taking the gravel, which was used in road repair work, the county contended the river was navigable and as such a public highway and county property. GAS TAX BOOST HIT Bakers’ Association Opposes Increase in Fees. The Indiana Bakers’ Association today was on record opposing the proposed act to increase gasoline tax and automobile license fee. Resolutions were adopted on Wednesday at the Lincoln. A state convention will open Feb. 13.