Indianapolis Times, Volume 44, Number 273, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 March 1933 Edition 02 — Page 3

MARCH 25, 1033

NEW LIGHT IS CAST ON BANK ■COVERUP DEAL' Delay of Nine Months in Prosecution of Harriman Case Revealed. By Seripps-flnKard Xrrrspaprr Alliance WASHINGTON, March 25.—The demand foi congressional investigation of the treasury, the comptroller of the currency, and the department of justice grew today, with disclosure that. Hoover administration officials delayed for nine months the prosecution of Joseph W. Harriman, president of the closed Harriman National Bank and Trust Company of New York, for alleged falsification of accounts. The alleged irregularities first were discovered on July 9, hut a detailed report was not submitted to the comptroller of the currency by L. K. Roberts, chief national bank examiner, until Dec. 23. Only an informal letter so” filing , was sent to the comptroller by Roberts on July 25, and it contained no basis for court action. J. W. Pole was comptroller at this time, but he resigned on Sept. 20. Confer With Investigator The senate banking and currency committee, through iis chairman, Senator Duncan U. Fletcher <Dcm., Fla.), now is in long-distance telephone with Ferdinand Pecora, counsel for the committee stock market investigation, in New York, on the Harriman matter. Pecora may come to Washington Tuesday for the committee's scheduled meeting, in which event the Harriman case probably will be taken up. The committee Is charged with investigating stock transactions, such as those participated in by bank affiliates, and will look into the Harriman affair on this basis, if any evidence is found that, the Harriman bank funds went into security buying. When Examiner Roberts’ report reached Acting Controller F. G. Await on Dec. 23, he immediately forwarded copies to the department so justice here and to George Z. Medalle, United States attorney, at New York. Under instructions from Ihe department here, Medalie held up prosecution, and no action was taken against Harriman until after the Roosevelt administration came in. Reason Given for Delay The reason for the delay in both instances, according to Mr. Await and department of justice officials, was the precarious banking situation, and the fear that an indictment would lead to a run on the Harriman bank, and possibly others. Roberts said in his July 25 letter he was holding up his report in the hope that funds could be recovered and a disquieting situation strengthened. The bank remained open until the national holiday, but now is closed. When asked if bank examiners had this authority, Await answered that it was justified by the situation. He still is in constant communication with New York Clearing House officials, who asked delay in prosecution after he had forwarded a report to the department of justice. When the moment for initial prosecution arrived on the day Awalt's reports reached the prosecuting authorities, he was visited by Henry E. Cooper, new president of the bank, the attorney for the Ne\fr York clearing house, and another bank official. Asked No Publicity They urged no publicity while they sought to reorganize, also pointing out the delicate situation, and Await recommended this course to thl department of justice, if it were “consistent with justice.” Treasury officials asked that no action be started without notifying them first. In a conference with officials of the department of justice, the same spokesmen asked for “temporaly delay." They said they simply wanted time to "fortify” the Harriman bank against any run that might follow publicity attending the indictment. Though they produced no records, they said the bank was safe and liquid, but not in a condition to stand the sort of run that might follow* the indictment of Harriman. FALSE ARREST CHARGED ‘Malicious Prosecution* Claimed in $15,000 Suit Against Store. Charging that he was arrested in connection with the robbery of a department store, held in jail for several days and laier dismissed by the grand jury, Harold Barker has filed suit for $15,000 damages from the store management for malicious prosecution. The suit, filed in superior court three, names Eugepe Presti and Barnett and Abe Jacobson, owners of the Jacobson department store at 1841-43 Shelby street, as defendants. ALE FUNERAL SUNDAY Flaza Garage Explosion Victim Will Be Buried at Noblesville. Funeral services for Harry R. Ale. 31, of 933 Kealing avenue, manager of the Plaza Motor Inn, who died in the city hospital early Friday from burns received in a gas explosion at the garage Wednesday, will be held at 2 Sunday in the Flanner A* Buchanan mortuary. 25 West Fall Creek boulevard. Burial will be in Crown Land cemetery. Noblesville. HAEHL BURIAL TODAY Woman, Lifelong Resident of City. Taken Wednesday by Death, Funeral services for Mrs. Agnes M. Haehl, 69, lifelong resident of Indianapolis. who died Wednesday in her home. 2225 West Morgan street, were to tic held at 2 this afternoon in the home. Burial will be in Washington Park cemetery. Finger* Crushed in Box Car Door Three fingers, on the righ; hand of Theodore Walter, 18. Allendale. 111., were crushed Friday when the door of a box car car he was trying to enter was blown shut on his hand, in the Hawthorne railroad yard*. Meat Stolen From Market Meat valued at approximately $23 was stolen Friday night from the grocery-meat market of William J Ponder. 1556 Columbia avenue, he reported today to police.

Atmosphere of Old Days Will Return in Many of City’s Bars

But There’ll Be No Free Lunch, Is Declaration of Joe Stahr. Attempt'! which will be made to duplicate the atmosphere of the "Rood old days" are described in this second of a series of articles on Indianapolis bars in the pre-prohibition era. BY JAMES A. CARVIN Times Staff Writer Although most of the famed Indianapolis barrooms have disappeared and their places have been taken by drug stores, shops, and other less colorful enterprises, there probably will be at least a few places where the old timers may feel themselves transported back to the scenes of fifteen years ago. Plans already are under way to resume the sale of beer and light wines in these places as soon as the machinery of state beer control is perfected. One which often has been recalled, w hen the days of the past have been discussed, is Joe Stahr's case at 127 South Illinois street. In Business 30 Years For thirty years Stahr has been in business at this location, and many of the fixtures were there when the bar first opened for business. Nothing much will be done at Stahr's to recapture the atmosphere of the early 1900s, now* that beer can be sold. For many years one of the city’s popular bars, the walls of the room are covered with pictures of sportsmen and sports events of the bygone period. Prominently displayed are autographed photos of Jack Dillon, the Hoosier Bearcat; Chuck Wiggins and Bud Taylor, Terre Haute’s leading contributions to fistic history. But. Stahr himself is not so sure of the public’s reaction to bottled beer, the only kind allowed under Indiana's control provisions. Miss the Nickel Glass “It. seems to me that people will miss draught beer,” Stahr says. “Evevery one wants a 5 or 10-cent drink and I don't believe bottled beer can be sold at that price. “A price of 15 cents a bottle probably will be necessary, although I understand that some breweries will have a six-ounce bottle that can be sold for 5 cents.” It is not only for his own business that Stahr is glad for the return of beer. In his opinion, which also is expressed by others intimately acquainted with the old days, drinking should be done in the open. “I believe that in the course of the next few years we will find the re-

Five Persons Are Injured in City Traffic Mishaps

Leg Fracture Is Most Serious Injury Suffered by Victims. Five persons were injured Friday : night in traffic accidents, the most | seriously hurt being Ralph StorI mont, 54. of 3777 North Meridian I street, who suffered a fracture of I the left leg. Stormont was struck by an automobile driven by David W. Silvey 18. of 3232 North Illinois street, while walking at Thirty-eighth and Illinois streets. Richard Bowers. 52, R. R. 18. Box 365-F, suffered cuts on the head and face when his automobile struck a utility pole oh Sixteenth street in Speedway City. Deputy sheriffs, who found him wandering nearby, arrested him on a drunkenness charge. Robert Corcoran. 18, Plainfield, was cut on the head when his automobile. driven by Francis Hauft, 21. of 130 South Harris avenue, collided at Washington and Greeley streets with a car driven by Joseph Thompson. 30, of 1635 North Talbot street. Hauft was arrested on a charge of failure to have driver’s license. Cut on the chin and lacerations of the tongue caused by the impact when his automobile struck a traffic signal were incurred early today, by Neville Hartley. 33. of 2934 North Capitol avenue, at Twenty-second and Meridian streets. Police found Hartley's abandoned car and i.oticed blood spots on the pavement nearby. Hartley was found at city hosiptal. where he said WAGE SCALE IS SET Millwork Carpenters in Chicago Agree to 75 Cents an Hour. Bn Jiincs Special CHICAGO. March 25.—A wage scale of 75 cents an hour for millwork carpenters was agreed on here Friday, at a conference of the carpenters' district council and the Millwork and Cabinet Manufacturers' Association, on an arbitrator's decision. The new agreement will be in effect until June 30. 1937. and is retroactive to Nov. 1, 1932, when the old contract expired. Pending the agreement, the wage has been 60 cents an hour. The old scale was 85 cents.

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Upper—Ar interior of the bar of William Weiss, at 13 South Meridian street, which now is the entrance to the Merchants Bank building. The photo was supplied by his son. Herbert Weiss. Lower—Joe Stahr's case and bar, 127 South Illinois street, years ago. Many of the original fixtures still are in the room and will be used when beer returns to the city.

j turn of the saloon, but not the kind that brought about prohibition,” Stahr asserted. “A high grade bar, operated under government license j and with strict regulation, is cerj tainly to be preferred to the presI tent-day speakeasy. “Nobody wants the dirty, dark, ; politically controlled saloon to re- | turn, but there is no objection to a | place of business operated by a i business man with a high regard for | law* and order, w*ho is offering for sale what people w*ant to buy.” Neither docs Stahr see cause for criticism of the alcoholic content of the beer w*hich will be available after midnight April 6. Its alcoholic j content of 3.2 is close enough to the j brew of former times, he says. “Mast of the beer I handled I ranged from 3.75 to 4 per cent alcoI hoi,” Stahr says. “It v*as claimed | sometimes that the alcoholic content was greater, but I always | doubted it.” j But Stahr declared that one thing will be missing from his bar, if he | obtains a license and serves beer again. There will be no free lunch. No Lunch Counter “Can't afford it." Stahr stated, j “The margin of profit on barreled 1 beer w*as large enough to permit the free lunch, but it can’t be done with I bottled goods.” Across the street from Stahr's | place one may find Lase Weathers. ) now manager of the Edwards hotel, | but for many years manager of the | Claypool bar. Weathers recalls the days when ; the Bates House, now* the Claypool, ' charged 10 cents for a glass of beer

he was taken by his brother, Gordon, 19. A cut on the nose was incurred by Lee Hawhee. 33, of 2230 Kenwood avenue, when his automobile struck a safety zone guard at Sixteenth and Illinois streets.

CITY FLOODS CAUSED GREAT DAMAGE 20 YEARS AGO

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Indianapolis today saw the twentieth anniversary of the disastrous 1913 flood observed with rain, and weather similar to that which, on March 23. 1913. marked the beginning of five days and nights of downpours, resulting in the inundation. The photos were taken during the height of flood which swept the valley district west of White river, resulting in terrific damage in West Indianapolis, south and north of Washington street.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

s and held the distinction of being the ; only place in the state where such ! a price prevailed. The barber shop there, operated by Louis Reibold, charged 15 cents ! for a shave, while other shops were content with a dime. Kept Hotel Exclusive The de luxe prices were part of a plan to keep the Bates House | exclusive, frequented only by the “upper crust.” With numerous saloons in the vicinity where a foaming schooner could be purchased for a “jitney,” the Bates house had no trouble in controlling its crowds, according to ■ Weathers. Weathers recalls an incident which occurred in the Crystal Palace, a popular bar on West Washington street near Illinois street. “There was a politician who persistently wore a high hat of the style known as a ‘plug hat.’ Since l it was not usual around Indian- ; apclis, he was distinguished easily in a crowd,” relates Weathers. “One day in the Crystal Palace he ordered a round of drinks for every one present. The bartender I noticed only that the top hat wearer was the purchaser. A few minutes later the politician traded j hats with a friend and remained ■ at the bar, while the friend departed. One on the Bartender “When the time came to settle the bill, a puzzled expresssion came i over the bartender's face. Pounding i the bar, he shouted: “ ’Where the blankety-blarik is the guy who bought these drinks?’ “The politician was not recognized. as he stood a few* feet from the bartender.” Old-timers also like to tell the ! story of the jokester with a party of ! friends who asked if the bartender knew how to make a “tin-roof cocktail.” Nothing daunted, the bartender fixed a concoction, which he placed before the party. After the drinks vere gone, all started to leave, but were stopped by a rquest for payment. “Why. I thought you knew what a tin roof is,” the joker said. “It's always on the house.”

Upper—This is the collapsed Washington street river bridge that fell before high waters. The photo was taken on the west bank, showing part of the one remaining section. In the background is the Acme-Evans Milling Company, the statehouse and the old Merchants Heat and Light Company plant smokestacks. Lower—Tliis photo of Washington street, looking east, was taken near Miiey avenue, which is the i ‘ *

BIBLE MIRACLES WORRY SENATE ON BEER ISSUE But Drys Are Even More Bothered. It Comes Out at Hearing. BY LYLE C. WILSON United Press Staff Correspondent WASHINGTON, March 25. Biblical miracles and the comparative merits of drinking beer inside or at tables outside a legitimate restaurant perplex senators as they seek to devise a model beer bill for the District of Columbia. At issue, also, are disputes closer to the capitol whether, for instance, 3.2 per cent beer shall be sold in the house and senate restaurants. The house has voted not to prevent such sale, but the, senate still must decide. Hotels and restaurants are disturbed over proposals that oarbecue stands be permitted to dispense legal brews. The capital beer bill passed the house March 23. After senate subcommittee hearings Friday, Chairman Willard Tydings said he hoped to report a bill to the senate next Wednesday. The bill Is intended to serve as a model for other communities. As it passed the house, it forebade sale of the legalized 3.2 per cent beer, wine and fruit juice to persons under 18. Prohibitionists Complain Licenses could be issued for consumption at hotels, restaurants and clubs. Other places could sell beer for consumption on the premises. Annual license fees would be SIOO and $25, respectively. The local tax would be $1.20 a barrel, in addition to the $5 levied by the federal government on each thirty-one-gallon container. Prohibitionists bitterly complained to the subcommittee against relaxing the Volstead act. Mrs. Henry w. Peabody, long a dry worker, condemned congress for “indirectly ignoring” the Constitution in voting to legalize beer. She said enforcement conditions in the capital were disgraceful. Mrs. W. H. Waleigh, associated with Mrs. Peabody, warned the subcommittee that this “is the crucifixion of the prohibition law*.” “Right Is Right” “But God is God, and right is right,” she exclaimed. “Are you speaking of the man who provided wine at the feast of Canay?” inquired Tydings, referring to the scene of Christ’s first miracle. “I am speaking of the Savior of mankind,” Mrs. Wadleigh replied, sharply. “It is the same man,” Tydings said. ’ You have nothing in the Bible to prove that that wine was intoxicating,” she said, angrily. “And you have nothing to prove that it was not,” retorted the chairman, before turning again to the more immediate problems of barbecue stands, sidewalk beer tables and the age at which the youth of Washington shall be permitted to test their resistance to 3.2 per cent beverages.

FIVE BURN TO DEATH IN GAS STOVE BLAST Cooking Whisky Mash Explodes; Two Others Critically Burned. WOODWARD, Okla., March 25. Five persons were burned to death today when a gasoline stove on which whisky mash was cooking exploded at the home of Roy Smith near Fargo, Okla. The flames spread rapidly through the house, trapping in their beds the five who were burned to death. Two others, Smith and his 2-year-old son Donald, were burned critically. Woman Wins $12,000 Verdict By T nited Press HAMMOND, Ind., March 25. Judgment for $12,000 was awarded Mrs. Eva Szredinski, Chicago, against the Central Storage Company, Hammond, by a jury in United States district court here for injuries she suffered in a collision of a Calumet railways trolley car and storage company truck here Mav 25, 1931.

1700 block, one mile west of White river. The flood water completely covered the tracks of the Belt railroad. In the background is the railroad elevation at Harding street, which was the only ground free from the waters. Boats from the old Kingan & Cos. bridge docked on the high ground of the elevation, the only means of transportation for persons living west of the river who braved the boat tripe.

RABBI WISE VOICES PLEA FOR GERMAN JEWS

* Voicing the protest of Jewish people throughout the United States against Hitlerist persecuf tion of Jews in Germany. Rabbi i . | Stephen S. Wise of New York is pictured 'standing* testifying before bouse immigration com-

Airman, 2Miles High, Sees Meteor Explode Nea rEa rth

Burst of Flame Could Be Noticed Many Miles Over Southwest's Plains. By United Tress KANSAS CITY, March 25.—A blazing meteor which apparently burst into fragments as it neared the earth turned semi-darkness into daylight early Friday over the Texas Panhandle, northern New* Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Arizona. and Western air pilots traced the trail of fire from Winslow*, Ariz. to Albuquerque, N. M., and north to Amarillo, Tex. Many plainsmen were aroused by the glare. Pilot William Coyle, who flew here Friday from the west, view*ed the phenomenon from his plane, nearly tw*o miles above ground. “I was cruising at 9.500 feet elevation,” Coyle said on his arrival in Kansas City, “w*hen I first saw the meteor. At first I thought it was a flare, but as it gradually came closer I knew it w*as a meteor. “I tried my radio. It w*as paralyzed by interference. The ball of flame grew* nearer, traveling west to east, almost horizontally, and at about the same elevation as my ship. “The light was intense, temporarily blinding me, although it was forty or fifty miles north. “It looked big as a hangar—although that may be exaggeration, and a tail of debris extended 70 to 100 miles behind, like you see in a picture of a comet. “The center was more intensely red, fading to lighter colors that burned brilliantly blue around the edges.” While Coyle w*as w*atching it, the meteor appeared to crash to earth in a burst of flame that could be seen for miles, he said. Coyle estimated the meteor fell forty or fifty miles north of Amarillo.

MUNCIE PASTOR TO FACE ASSAULT TRIAL Special Venire Called for Tuesday Hearing. By Trines Special MUNCIE, Ind., March 25. The Rev. G. Lemuel Conway, 52, suspended pastor of the Madison Street Methodist church, will face trial here in circuit court Tuesday on a charge of attempted criminal assault. The complainant is Miss Helen Huffman, 18-year-old high school girl, a member of Conway’s congregation. She alleges that the attempt took place Dec. 20. A special venire of fifteen talesmen has been drawn. A second venire may be called, due to the wide publicity given the case. A church trial was held last week, with Bishop Edgar Blake of Detroit presiding, and the suspension order issued for one year.

The City in Brief

Mrs. Archie Calvert, 1101 West Thirty-third street, reported to police that her $5 purse containing $lO. some change and street car tokens was stolen today as she entered a store in the 500 block East Washington street. She did not see the thief. Severe burns were incurred Friday night by Mrs. Sarah Rogers. 74. at her home, 509 Abbott street, when a candle ignited grease in a pan. Mrs. Rogers was burned on the hands and side of the head in extinguishing the fire. “Deerslayer." a motion picture, will be shown at 2:30 Sunday at the Y. M. C. A. Boys’ Big Meeting, to be held in the Central Y. M. C. A., 310 North Illinois street. Labor, farm, co-operative and unemployed groups will convene in Washington May 6 and 7 in a “new continental congress for economic reconstruction.” George J. Lehnert, Indianapolis organizer of the Socialist organization, said a meeting would be held soon here to rouse the interest of local organizations.

Prepare for Your Place Strong courses 1n Stenography, Bookkeeping, Accounting and Secretarial Training. Bulletin sent on request. Fred TV. Case. Prin. Central Business College Architects Si Builders Bldg.. Ind’pls.

The Strong Old Bank of Indiana The Indiana National Bank of Indiana polia

Spare a Dime? Low-Priced Meals to Be Provided for I. U. Students.

By Times Special Bloomington, ind., March 25.—Meals for a dime will be served in a private dining room of the Indiana university cafeteria starting immediately after the close of the spring vacation, according to Mrs. Alice Nelson, director of the university commons and dormitories. But there’s a string to it. Students eating for a dime will serve themselves and w*ash the dishes. The cost can be reduced still further under a plan whereby the cafeteria will take farm products from their homes by students on a sw*ap basis for meals.

TEST MEN FOR JOBS. IS ADVICE Scientific Planning Urged in Roosevelt Program. This is the second of a series on scientific planning for choosing the men who will be given Jobs under President Roosevelt's new unemployment program. B,y Science Service NEW YORK, March 25.—Careful assaying, through tests, of the human raw material available for use in President Roosevelt’s mammoth project for relief of the unemployed is urged by Dr. Harry D. Kitson of teachers’ college, Columbia university. Test every applicant, was the rei Ply of this vocationa. guidance expert and business psychologist to an inquiry by Science Service as to the best technique for essembling the proposed “army” for unemployment relief. “In selecting men for a nationwide effort such as that proposed, I should employ methods similar to those used by the personnel division of the army during the World war,’ was Dr. Kitson's suggestion. “Organize a national personnel service manned by experts. By this time we have a large number, welltrained. “Submit every applicant to a searching examination with respect to physical condition, mentality, education, acquired abilities, social and economic status. “This analysis of individuals would have to be accomplished by an analysis of jobs to be filled and also by facilities for retraining where necessary. “An excellent pattern for such services is being furnished by the Minneapolis employment stabilization research institute.” ABANDONED CHURCH MAY BE BEER BAR Promoter Pledges Bark Tax Payments in Return for City Permit. PEOTONE. 111., March 25.—Henry Monk plans to turn the First Evangelical church building into a “beer emporium" if the Peotone city council will give him a permit to sell the beverage after it is legalized April 7. The church building has been vacant for several years since the j congregation consolidated with another. The city bought the building and used it for a time as a schoolhouse. Monk has offered to buy the building and pay up back assessments, if the council will permit him to sell beer there.

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PREXY PELTED WITH EGGS BY IRATE STUDENTS Six Expelled for Dancing: Whole College Arises in Protest. By 1 ailed Tress INDIANOLA. la . March 25. Students of Simpson college turned a chapel meeting into bedlam Friday by booing, shouting, firing pistols. and finally hurling eggs and oranges at Acting President A. V. Proudfoot. Proudfoot. 60. and paitly bald, was addressing the student body of 600 youths and co-eds in the Methodist chapel when the bedlam started. He had called them together to defend his action :n expelling six students for dancing in a college building. Arise in Protest The students, angry they said, because only six had been expelled when 150 took part in the dance, listened quietly for a few minutes while Proudfoot addressed them. Then suddenly they arose in protest. Some raised placards condemning the expulsions. Shouts arose, then booes. Students began firing pistols, apparently loaded with blank cartridges, at the historic chapel ceiling. Proudfoot pleaded for silence. Eggs His Answer “Is their nothing that can be done to quiet this student body?” he shouted. A showpr of eggs and oranges was his answer. None struck him, but they splatered about the rostrum where he stood. The meeting then broke up in disorder. The demonstration was said to be a climax of three years controversy over the question of permitting dancing on the campus. Proudfoot is acting as president during the absence of President John Hillman, who is on a vacation. Threat Tames Students By l nilrd Press DANVILLE. Ky., March 25. Threatening to revoke charters of eight Greek letter fraternities on the campus. Dr. Charles J. Turck. president of Centre college, ended the one-day student strike. Men students of the school Friday struck in protest against abolition of the department of journalism, ail economy move indorsed by the trustees’ executive committee. Women students later joined the strike. All agreed to return to their classes immediately after Turck threatened to curtail social life. No compromise or terms were granted by the president. Hides for Days Without Food By 1 nitrd Press DUNKIRK, N. Y„ March 25. Edward Olejowski, 12, who had been missing since Saturday, was found Friday under his father's barn. The youth said he had been there since Tuesday and had gone without food. He was taken to the hospital suffering from exposure. He gave no reason for the act.

gn The wets will beer it and grin, but the dries will just bear it. an tt As you walk in give the waiter your shipping address f. o. b. (full of beer). u a a Government sues Millinery Trust. Part of the new deal to reduce the country’s overhead. a a Now is the ehance of a lifetime to buy tires at a price that you will probably never see again. Reductions are almost 40 per rent on prices that were already below manufacturing and selling costs. All Miller tires are included. We expert these prices to be temporary so we urge you to buy now. Trade in your old, smooth, dangerous tires for new, safe, extra quality Miller Geared-to-the-Road at the lowest prices in history. Terms arranged to fit your purse. a b a The Chief Tire Changer ROSE TIRE CO., INC. 930 N. Meridian St. MILLER TIRE DISTRIBUTORS