Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 March 1943 — Page 1

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‘charge this grand jury,”

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|‘ TIMES FEATURES

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FINAL

VOLUME 53—NUMBER 305

TUESDAY, MARCH

2, 1943

Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice, Indianapolis, Ind. Issued daily except Sunday.

PRICE FOUR CENTS

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rere ats

“SAW NOTHING

WRONG IN BID, FOREMAN SAYS

Gout Acts Aft After Times

Reveals Chief Prober Took Jail Job.

By NOBLE REED Judge W. D. Bain of criminal

yeourt today “fired” the grand jury

which has been investigating county contracts. Dismissal of all six jurors, who ha een probing the contracts for 8ix- weeks, followed disclosure b;, The Indianapolis Times yesterday that one of the jurors had accepted & contract himself from county commissioners only two weeks ago. Charles Helfenberger, “3168 N. Capitol ave. foreman of the grand Jury, was awarded a $1985 contract on Feb. 15 to repair the county jail residence. He said it was the first bid he had submitted on a county contract in 11 years.

Saw Nothing Wrong

‘Mr. Helfenberger said he didn't see anything wrong with his bidding on a public contract. “When I was selected for the Jury, Judge Bain asked me if I at

_ that time was holding any county

or city contract,” he said. “However, the judge didn't say

. anything about taking any future

contracts.” The jury foreman said he had / talked to two other bidders on the |. contract regarding why they didn’t subnit bids on the second call for 2S. (Three bids submitted: y were rejected by commising and Mr. Helfenberger was the only bidder in the second call for bids.)

Explains Higher Bid

One of the other bidders I talked to said he didn’t bid the second time because he said ‘it was all cut and dried’,” Mr. Helfenberger said. ~The jury foreman, whose first bid was high, explained that his second bid was $10 higher than his first because “the specifications had been changed on the second call for bids.” . Judge Bain, who earlier said he was “surprised to hear a member .of the jury had a county contract,” * did not explain his reasons for dismissing the jury in his formal statement from the bench. “No good purpose would, or eould, be served by a discussion of the reasons which impel a court to disJudge Bain said. “Suffice it is to say that, in view of ‘certain facts which were brought to' the court's attention yesterday, the court feels that this action is not only proper, but. necessary. “In this connection and at this time it should be stated and for the. (Continued on Page Seven)

ABOR RACKETEER BILL GOES TO HOUSE

- WASHINGTON, March 2 (U. P.). ~The house rules committee today approved the Hobbs anti- labor .aracketeering bill without amendents. The measure, Sponsored by Rep. Sam Hobbs (D. Ala.) would remove ‘ceftain language in the present anti-racketeering statute that exempts labor unions from prosecu-

It incorporates legal definitions of robbery and extortion, and ex‘cludes the present exemption from prosecution for those engaged in “legitimate labor activities.” The _méasure was vigorously opposed by répresentatives of major labor or§8Bizatiops.

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Inside Indpls.. 20 Jane Jordan... 15 McNeil ...... 21 Men in Service 5 Millett ....... 21 Movies ....... 8 Obituaries 6 Pegler ..oeee. 21 Politics Pyle .iceeese. 20 Radio «e000... 21 Mrs. Roosevelt 20 Side Glances. 21 Society ... 14, 15 0/|Sports ... 16, 17

ese

2 pledged to date.

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Dismissed

Charles Helfenberger, foreman of the county grand jury, accepted a county contract to repair the: ‘residence at the county jail while the jury was scanning evidence in the investigation of all county contracts, Mr. Helfenberger and the other five members of the grand jury were discharged this morning by Judge William D. Bain of criminal court.

VICTIMS TESTIFY AT LEE'S TRIAL

Nurses at-L. S. Ayres & Co. Who Attended Injured

Also on Stand.

By HELEN RUEGAMER Two women who were injured in)

302 VILLAGES FREED IN NEW RUSSIAN DRIVE

Timoshenko Smashes On; Nazis Admit Loss of Fortified Line.

MOSCOW, March 2 (U. P.).— Marshal Semyon Timoshenko’s northwestern armies pounded toward the key fortress of Staraya Russa today after liberating 302

{villages in an eight-day offensive

that smashed the most heavily

fortified enemy zone along the entire 1500-mile Russian front. (If Timoshenko’s offensive is fully successful, it would virtually isolate the Finns and might bring the Finnish peace situation to a climax.) Front dispatches said. Soviet tanks, artillery and infantry wer driving forward from the Hi recaptured towns of Lychkovo, 40 miles east of Staraya Russa, and Zaluchie, Staraya Russa. - 907 Square Miles Regained

@ A special communique last night said the new offensive. had driven the Germans from 907 square miles of Soviet territory below Lake Ilmen, some 100 miles south of Leningrad. Eight thousand German officers and men ware killed and 3000 captured, it said, The German high command communique admitted withdrawal from the heavily fortified area, but said the evacuation was “according to plan” and had been in state of preparatiofi for some time.

Held Since 1941

The Germans captured the area in September, 1941, and ringed it with powerful fortifications that a German propaganda magazine said even included an “underground

the wild dash of John W. Lee’s carlgity.”

at . Meridian and Washington sts. last July, in which three persons were killed, testified at his trial on manslaughter charges in criminal court today. Mrs. Atha Schaefer, 5730 E. Washington st., said she was standing under the clock at Ayres’ when she saw a car hurtle the curb and crash into the crowd. She said that when she heard the screams of others in the crowd, she ran and attempted to get out of the car's path, but was struck on the left side and knocked down. She suffered a double fracture of the pelvis. Mrs. Glenna Wilson, 530 N. West st., testified that she was struck by the car as she stepped on to the (Continued on Page Seven)

WARNS OF DIMOUTS

IF TIME IS CHANGED

Times Special WASHINGTON, March 2.—Dimouts in Indiana cities may be necessary to conserve power for war purposes if the state legislature insists on setting the wartime clock back an hour, WPG power division officials said today. They expressed concern over the fact that a measure which would clip off the hour of daylight savings ordered by President Roosevelt has passed the Indiana house and now is pending in the state senate. The WPB power division estimates that wartime in Indiana has reduced the peak electric load by 50,000 kilowatts and affected a saving of energy of 50 millions kilowatt hours. Dimouts in Indiana cities may be needed to force peak load savings, it was pointed out. Another threat will be curtailment ‘of the continuous flow of war contracts, it was predicted. The government has beén awarding them to ces most cO=eperative with the general

Timoshenko struck, the special communique said, at a time when the Germans were preparing to launch an offensive of their own against the “most important” Soviet communications on. the northern front, The Soviet mid-day communique contained no fresh news of the new offensive, but it reported that other Russian forces had broadened their penetration of the Ukraine west of Kharkov with the capture of a number of additional settlements and also had stormed closer to Taganrog at the southern end of the front.

RHOADS IN CONTROL OF COUNTY WELFARE

Bill Becomes Law Without Governor's Signature.

Control of the Marion county wel-

fare hoard passed today from the].

hands of Circuit Court Judge Earl Cox to Juvenile Court Judge Mark W. Rhoads when Gov. Schricker permitted a bill providing for the change to become a law without his signature, It was understood that the governor felt that Marion county should not be made an exception. Welfare boards in all other counties are appointed. by circuit court judges. Judge Cox is a Democrat and Judge Rhoads is a Republican. Under the new law the welfare beard appointed by Judge Rhoads will have the power to name a county welfare director. This position has been vacant for several weeks since the resignation of Thomas Neal. An acting director has been serving. One of the chief features of the new law is the provision for the appointment of the welfare director

war program.

by the county welfare board.

Third of Goal for Red Cross

Reached in 1

The Indianapolis chapter of the American Red Cross is a third of the way toward its goal of $715,000

to be raised throggh its annual membership campaign this month. The first report meeting yesterday showed .$246,600 has been

One of the large gifts was that of $32,000 contributed by General Motors Corp. in behalf of the company’s Allison and Chevrolet Commercial Body division's here. The Indianapolis gift was a part of the $750,000 given by the com-

State Deaths. 6 Voice in Bal. 8

pany to various chapters over the

st Report Here

country. Other Indiana cities receiving allocations included: Anderson, $28,000; Muncie, $6000; Kokomo, $3000, and Bedford, $500. Yesterday's report luncheon was held in Ipalco hall where Red ‘Cross volunteer canteen corps members served luncheon. Workers of the big gifts division, headed by Clyde E. Whitehill, reported. James F. Carroll, general chairman of the campaign, commended the workers on their splendid showing so early in the drive but cautioned against over-optimism. “We have. made a fine start,” he (Continued on Page Sevem)

27 miles - southeast of!

Say Meo! Quota To Be 1# Pounds

CLEVELAND, March 2 (U. P.).—The Clevelahd Press said today it has learned at the regional OPA that meat rationing quotas per person will averave about one and three-quar-ters pounds a week.

The newspaper said that heavy military demands for meat had forced' a reduction in the quota from “an earlier estimate of two and a half pounds weekly for each adult person. The start of rationing, the newspaper said, will be delayed from April 1 to much later in the month, perhaps until May 1, because of the difficulty in formulating the program, The anticipated ration can be stated only in average figures, the newspaper said, because some consumers will get more than one and threequarters pound and some less, depending on how they prefer to use the points assigned them for meat purchases. The OPA intends to fix the total point value of the nation’s meat supply so high that there won't be enough points in all the ration books in the country to exhaust the supply, the newspaper said.

WARNS U. S. NOT SAFE FROM RAID

OCD Chief Says Hitler “Wants Pictures of Burn._ing American Cities.” .

WASHINGTON, March 2 (U. P.). —Civilian Defense Director James M. Landis warned today that Adolf Hitler may send his bombers against this country because “he wants pictures of burning American cities to show his people.” Commenting on a Berlin broadcast that Washington, New York

land Boston are not safe from air

attack, Mr. Landis said Americans should not assume that cnly those three cities might be attacked.

“Hitler will strike where he be-’

lieves the element of surprise is most greatly in his favor, for he wants pictures of burning American cities. to show his people,” Mr. Landis said. Mr. Landis urged volunteer defense workers to “hold firm” and continue training in use of firefighting equipment. In- an interview earlier he had said it might be necessary to make civilian defense work compulsory unless Americans stop “dropping their guard” after every allied victory.

German People Demand Reprisals

The worst slumps in the OCD’s volunteer organization in the past have come after such victories as the battle of Midway and the occupation of French. North Africa, Mr. Landis told the United Press. Of the German broadcast, Mr. Landis said “the noteworthy fact is that the broadcast expresses confidence in the German ability to bomb American cities.” The Germans, “hammered constantly by American bombers, are demanding reprisals,” he added. “Our job is to be .ready whenever and wherever the enemy may decide to attempt such raids,” he said. “The. broadcast from Berlin today should serve as a reminder of the simple fact {ha} we must be ready,”

SUGGESSOR NAMED T0 GOL. DRYSDALE

Fort Commander May Get Overseas Duty.

Col. Walter S. Drysdale, commandant at Ft. Harrison, is slated to leave his post. He will be succeeded by Col. James M. Churchill, professor of military science at Ohio university, Athens, O. Officers at F't. Harrison would not comment on the transfer of the popular Indianapolis figure. There was some speculation that he would be sent overseas. Col. Drysdale has been commanding officer at Ft. Harrison since October, 1940. A graduate of West Point, the army war college, and the general staff school and the advanced course in the infantry school, he served two details as military attache for the American embassy in China—between 1917-21 and 1932-35. He served as chief of the Far Eastern section of mili-

{tary intelligence between 1925 and

1929 and was with American. troops

1n China between 1930 and 1932 He coolly radioed

{offensive on the south-central front,

American air forces in China, a

» ..

Bain Fires Grand 700s Probing Slows

AXIS DRIVES IN NORTH SECTOR LOSING POWER

Patrols Range is to Feriana, Indicating Rommel

Gave Up Area.

By VIRGIL PINKLEY United Press Staff Correspondent

North Africa, March 2.—American and British troops have recaptured Sbeitla, which they yielded in the early phase of the recent German

and have pushed on three miles east of the town, in pursuit of the retreating forces orl Marshal Erwin Rommel. An allied pesdduariers pt nique announced that Sbeitla, which | the Germans won on Feb. 18, had been re-occupied by allied troops yesterday. Allied patrols, believed to be com‘posed largely of American troops, penetrated to Feriana, which is 36 miles southwest of Sbeitla. Rommel’s withdrawal from Kas-

evacuation of Feriana meant that he was falling back toward Gafsa, some 35 miles south of Feriana.

18 Enemy Planes Destroyed

Sbeitla is only 35 miles from the Faid pass, where the axis offensive began in mid-February. 2 In the northern sector, the communique said, eneiny attacks have

Italian forces have paid a heavy price in men and equipment for the thrusts they made. in.an attempt to. keep the allied line off balance. A powerful allied air offensive accompanied the ground gains. - A total of 27 enemy planes were destroyed yesterday and night before last, the communique said, in contrast to a total loss of only four aircraft for the allies. American pilots destroyed 18 of the 27 enemy planes. Threaten Faid, Sidi Bou Zid - The British eighth army, movéhg closer to the Mareth line in southern Tunisia, also struck through the air. The communique reported that fighter planes attacked Mareth and it appeared that Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery was approaching the time when he would throw the full weight of his veteran desert army against the axis forces. The recapture of Sbeitla and the push eastward put allied forces in position to threaten Faid and Sidi Bou Zid. Thus the retreating axis troops were caught between the allied forces to their west and the eighth army to the south, Allied pilots attacked all along the line stretching from Mateur in the north to Mareth in the south.

WILL BE DESTROYED

Backs Lend-Lease Funds

For Pacific Bases.

WASHINGTON, March 2 (U. P.). —Navy Secretary Frank Knox told the senate foreign relations committee today that we will “utterly de-

{stroy™ the Japanese fleet before the

war is ended. Col. Knox, urging extension of the lend-lease act, told the committee about the- use of lend-lease funds to build ‘and maintain naval bases in the Pacific. He said they would prove of strategic value in the post-war period. v “We will utterly destroy the Japanese fleet before this war is over,” Secretary Knox asserted. “We probably will impose terms that Japan shall not have a military fleet when the war is ended. She has exhibited

~ ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, :

serine and Sbeitla and his apparent |

lost momentum and the German-|.

KNOX SAYS JAP NAVY |

she is not qualified to have one.”

His I-A Appealed

Mickey Rooney

STUDIO ANXIOUS TO KEEP MICKEY,

» »

.

A

Contracts

AIR OFFENSIVE

‘PREPARATION FOR INVASIOY

Attack on Nazi Europe Enters Seventh Day; Twice as Many Bombs Dropped as in

- Any Night of

London Blitz.

By HARRISON SALISBURY United Press Staff Correspondent

LONDON, March 2.—The seventh day of the massive allied air offensive to soften Nazi Europe was climaxed to-

A large fleet of Britain's

Can't Make Film: Films Without

Actors, MGM Says in

Test Case. HOLLYWOOD, March 2 (U. P.).

—Mickey Rooney's employers ap-|.

pealed his 1-A classification today and demanded that he be left in Hollywood as an essential worker in an essential industry. This - action by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, first of its kind since the army began taking movie stars in wholesale - lots, brought. into. the open the actor-soldier question— one of the strangest of all the wartime problems besetting the federal government. It was taken as another movie personality — Orson Welles —was ticketed for a place in the army, though only for limited service. Examined at his request out of turn ne was found to be asthmatic, to have flat feet, a weak back, and arthritis. He had been classified 4-F but recently was reclassified 1-A. He probably will enter the army in a few weeks for non-com-batant service. ‘Welles said he hoped: he wouldn't wind igging ditches or sorting: «ra/rhgher do something useful,” he said. tndusicy Is Essential

“It's like this,” explained one of Hollywood's top picture makers. “The movies have been classified as an essential industry. And their workers are essential too, actors. The government will defer our electricians and our carpenters. “But the men we really need, our actors, must go into the We're not unpatriotic. We do wh the government wants us to. sia one of the things it especislly wants is for us to continue making movies. How can we make them without actors?” “The actors, themselves, feel they must get into the army,” he said, “they feel the public demands it of them. ° Take this .little fellow, Rooney. He's barely 5. feet tall. His heart is not good, his blood pressure is high. - Appeal Is Explained “What good will he be in the army? Yet he believes that it is for his government to say where he can do the most good to the American defense effort. That's the reason for this appeal. His case now is at state headquarters in Sacramento. “Someone in authority must say either that Hollywood means nothing in the war effort, or that its pictures of all kinds, those designed as propaganda, as instruction and as entertainment for the people, are essential. And if they are essential then the government must face the t that movies can’t Be made without actors.”

An Indianapolis man, Lieut. Shirley J. Marquette, helped prepare a trap for 15 Japanese bombers last week above ‘an airdrome in Assam, northeast India. What's more he’s credited with “bagging” one of the enemy planes. Aceording to the story from the

patrol plane contacted a Japanese reconnaissance plane near the airdrome, but instead of opening fire, the pilot trailed the enemy aircraft. This led him to a rendexvous with

Local Flier Plays Major Role In Downing 15 Jap Planes

the incoming Sghters and ‘hombers. . thir

to of 1942.

the American base. -There, American fighters, includjng Lieut. Marquette took off, and’ when the Japanese arrived ‘on the spot they found a nice little trap of P-40’s waiting to pick them of. An early announcement reported 14 planes were destroyed but today the 15th was added. Lieut. Marquette is the son of Mrs. Elizabeth Marquette of 76 N. Ritter st. He graduated from the advanced army flying school at Brooks field, Tex., in July, 194» and was transferred to March field, Cal.

except |

army.”

vade Europe.”

allied aircraft,” he said in a

nounced:

the communique said.

bombs been dumped there.

they reached Ber lin.

miles from Berlin.

AMERICANS BOMB NAPLES, PALERMO

Many Bombs Seen to Burst in Harbor Areas.

By UNITED PRESS Two of Italy's chief ports, Naples and Palermo, were attacked by American bombers pesigrisyd it was revealed today. Planes from the ninth U. S. air force, based in Egypt and Libya, sent scores of high explosive bombs

crashing on the m and dock facilities at Naples; shodting down one Messerschmitt 109 whi tried

lto beat off the attack. One Amer-

ican plane failed io return. ° Flying fortresses of the 12th U.S. air force, based in French North Africa, . reported hits on several ships at anchor in- the Palermo harber. Many bombs were seen- to burst in the harbor area. A Rome communique said 10 civilians were killed and 113 injured in the Naples raid and 10 killed and 96 injured at Palermo. ° American planes shot down a Heinkel 111 from & group of German bombers which attempted to raid Tripoli yesterday.

BLUE AID WHO MADE POLICE RAIDS QUITS

The resignation of Eugene Fife, a deputy presecutor who has accompanied city e on several raids recently, was a day by Prosecutor Sherwood Blue. Mr. Blue explained that Mr. Fife resigned ' preparatory to entering the armed services. Francis M. Hughes, another deputy prosecutor, has been assigned to take Mr. Fife’'s place at th rosecutor’s office in the police station. Mr. Fife accompénied city police on raids’ that were described as rival law in actions following -Mr. Blue's raids on the

He sailed for Australia in January

offices. of four companies operated by Emil K. Rahke recently.

day by the heaviest raid of the war on Berlin. biggest four-engined bombers roared over the German capital last night, delivering what the Germans called. a “concentric” attack. The weight of bombs dropped on the German capital was nearly double that dropped on London by the Luftwaffe during the heaviest German attacks. Capt. Harold Balfour, undersecretary of state for air, said today that the Anglo-American day-and-night aerial offensive is “preparing the way for our united forces to in-

“ look forward to the time when there will be no hour ~ of the day or night when the axis can rest from the swoop’of

speech at the opening of the

“Wings for Victory” exhibition of war artists’ paintings. Nineteen Huge Bombers Lost

Nineteen bombers were lost in the Berlin attack and in subsidiary raids on western Germany, the air ministry an-

Ls iv | SARA SA

wif

“Reports ‘indicate that results over En were soo, »

.Though Berlin had been raided 57 time never before had such a great weight of demo ition, and fire

The “thunderbolt’s assault was concentrated into a half hour, the air ministry said, but in the first few minutes alone huge fires leaped up.in the target area. Bomber crews that came later said they saw the fires 20 minutes before

Fires Visible 200 Miles : Returning home, the pilots could see the fires from as far away as Hanover and Bremen, the latter nearly 200

Four-ton Sipershlocks busters, capable of devastating a

six-acre city block, and two-ton-block busters were among the bombs rained on Berlin, the air ministry said. All participating planes were fourengined bombers, it added. “The sky was free from clouds and visibility hardly could have been better,” the communique said. “The crews saw all the major landmarks plainly—the river Spree, lakes and many well-known buildings. “A pilot who stayed inside the ring of defenses for 15 minutes said there were many searchlights but the flak was not up to Berlin's usual standard and was not intense once he was inside the outer ring of defenses.” on 89 Killed, Berlin Says : Even the Berlin radio acknowledged that fires were raging, though it insisted they were controlled quickly by fire brigade squads.aided ~ by volunteers. The broadcast said the raid was “large scale” but claimed that the bombs for the most part were dropped indiscriminately and caused ly slight military damage. ° The Nazi radio admitted today that 89 persons were killed and 213 wounded “and the. number of dead is likely to increase.” ° Berlin is packed with military targets, including the Siemens-Hal« (Continued oi Puge Seven)

On the "War Fronts.

(March 2, 1943)

AIR WAR—British bombers make * heaviest raid on Berlin. Climaxing record aerial offensive to soften up European defenses-as prelude to land assault. American planes raid Naples and Palermo.

AFRICA — American and British - forces recapture Sbeitla and. drive three miles eastward, German attacks to north lose momentum.

RUSSIA—Red army drives against: key German fortress of Stdraya Russa after eight-day offensive smashes, sweeps through 302 localities and kills or captures 11,000 Nazis. :

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC—Powerful J ese. armada moves oy southwest Pacific wal

under cover of murky wea Munda raided 80th Has