Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 April 1946 — Page 2

‘When

IS ISLAND

Views Relics of a Century’s Horror. (Second of a Series) By JOHN A. THALE Foreign Correspondent Guiana, April 3—~The prison the world

they are gone, the hellish place probably will become a coco-

From Infamous Colony

Devil's island is down to its last 15

58 +

hn £5 : g

Beg 2 L

5 F

§ i t :

up in the

of the island buildings have io from a foot to two feet thick.

: were designed to accommo- ~ date upward of 50 eclosely-packed

Bare boards comprised the bunks. ~ Fach was equipped with iron bars at the foot so the prisoner could be shackled to it—by heavy ankle {rons—at night. The commandant explained that it wasn't as bad as it sounded, however, Prisoners frequently were able to obtain little pieces of soap,

two of the long cell blocks, five worn stones weré set in the rough cobbled paving. They formed for “the widow,” or

“Hete the engine of execution was . %et up, and the victim brought out to have his head chopped off, all within full sight and sound of the rest of the prisoners. . From a closet, Commandant Vincent produced an array of medie-val-looking appliances used in quieting unruly prisoners. He showed how a pair of man-

There was a strait-jacket which,

#|arms behind them, backs arched.

ers could be manacled, their

Of the other two islands, 8t. Joseph's was reserved for criminals condemned to solitary confinement, Now crumbling to ruins are the fearful pits in which the unfortunate victims raved and screamed themselves into insanity at nothingness. . Exposed to Weather The Bt. Joseph cells were rock on four sides, with iron bars serving as roofs, Occupants were exposed to sun and rain, their food tossed down to them. Devil's island itself is a long, narrow strip, covered by a copious growth of coconut palms, Despite the reputation of its name, less than 50 of some 52,000 prisoners deported to French Guiana ever were imprisoned on Devil's island. Devil's island was reserved for special prisoners, like the famed Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, who spent two years there in 1808 and 1809, before he was finally cleared of charges of treason, A cable across a narrow channel connects Royale with Devil's island. Food was placed in the cable

<*>

COUNCIL MOVES

Orders Ivestigation of Junk Yard ‘Unsightliness.’

The city council today took steps to abate juvenile delinquency, combat “unsightly” filth in the city and approved a City hospital-request for federal aid. In other action last night, the couneil also: ONE: Approved a $300,000 bond issue for new equipment for the city police and fire department requested by the safety board last Thursday. TWO: Introduced and held for study two taxicab ordinances, one calling for an increase of from 420 permits to 475 and the other for an increase of only 20 -additional licenses, THREE: Shelved approval of a parking meter purchase contract with the Magee-Hale Park-O-Meter Co. for 2000 meters pending further consideration.

cart on Royale, and sent across to the unfortunate occupant of Devil's island. He lived in a little house of his own, cooked his own food and took ! eare of himself. He had no contact with anyone. { Gased Moodily at Sea

Dreyfus, it is reported, spent most |

| { {

of his time sitting on a rock looking | moodily at the ocean. |

There are no prisoners now on

8t. Joseph or Devil's island. i

The three islands were established |

a8 & punishment camp for prisoners

_ mandant Vincent closed the doors. |from the mainland camps of St.| Laurent,

) Cayenne — and smaller camps back in the hot, tangled jungles. Heavy seas beat against their rocky shores, and swift currents rip

making it virtually impossible to launch a small boat for an escape attempt. It a boat were swamped, there were the waiting sharks,

REHEARING SOUGHT

Property owners today filed a pe- | tition for a rehearing next Monday | on the city zoning board's approval of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post to erect a clubhouse at 1041 Central ave, . { In approving 28 of 37 moning ap- | peals yestérday, the board on a 3-! fo-3 vote authorized the Sgt. Ralph Barker V. F. W. post to construct | 8 $25,000 building despite a remon-| strance by 12 property owners. Led by Berg A. King, 1954 Central ave, the remonstrants protested against the erection of a club with! a bar and no off-street parking! facilities, Answers Congestion Charge Carl Elliott, the veterans’ organization state publicity head, denied that the new post would increase traffic congestion on the street. “Although we have more than 900 members, the club would only be open at night and attract not more than 20 cars,” he said. : Mr. King revealed that if the rehearing failed, a circuit court injunction would be filed. The board also approved five petitions for the conversion of existing residences into additional living quarters and the occupancy of

| Vincent explained, was slapped on | the more unruly prisoners, Their i legs then were drawn up tightly be- ~ hind them and fastened to their arms. | In the walls of most of the bar- | racks were set iron rings to which

Subs Collide U

PEARL HARBOR, April 2 (U. P), —Navy officials disclosed today the “it-couldn’'t-happen” story of two sul colliding in the Pacific fo the war in a freak accident involving odds of 119,594,745,000 to The collision occurred on Feb. 23, © 1945, when the U. 8. 8. Flounder Was rammed by the bow of the _ U. 8. 8. Hoe off French Indo-China In the South China sea. Both sub-

A Py mma

Navy mathematicians, after ex- | tensive calculations, sald it was irtually impossible” for two subeach 300 by 27 feet, and equipped with ultra-modern ty and detection devices, ramre miles of surface, * y Omdr. J. E Stevens, N. Y, and Li Omdr. M.

e ITI, Belmont, Mase., comFlounder

trailers, |GUNBOAT DECLARED SURPLUS | WASHINGTON, April 2 (U, P.) — | The gunboat Dauntless, wartime ‘home of Adm. Ernest J, King and {his staff, has been declared surplus, the navy disclosed today.

nder Sea—'It

~ Couldn't Happen, but It Did’

rush of air and propellor noises on the starboard bow, “As the sound grew fainter. the Flounder raised her periscope. Nothing could be seen but calm seas and blue skies. Discerning no vessels on the surface, the captain assumed he had run into a Japanese submarine, and hoped it’ had sunk.” When the collision occurred, the skipper of the Hoe sent his crew

_ Marines were cruising at periscope|to battle stations and the sup-

marine surfaced. «It was not until late that night, when both ships reported their accidents, that anyone realized ex. actly what had happened,” the navy | said. ? Neither Expected the Other

“Both skippers knew their vessels Were operating in adjoining areas, but neither expected the other to be in the vicinity of the collision. Apparently they had not picked each up on their sound equipment before the collision, due possibly to peculiar underwater conditions. Evidently, they did not

, but her superhad a 26-foot gash, od were damaged oon. . , and several of

through the channels between them, |

ON YFW APPROVAL

-T0 AID CLEANUP

yards as night playgrounds to allgviate the rising trend of juvenile delinquency. 4 °. i “More than 72 per cent of the city's total crime is committed by children under 18 years of age,” he asserted. A

“We must do something to get these kids off the streets at night.” His safety committee accepted responsibility of .contacting the proper authorities for opening the school yards.

Referring to The Times recent campaign to clean-up the city and the approaching annual clean-up week April 15, Dr. Lucien B. Meriwether called for council action on the “unsightly” conditions that exist at many open junk yards: throughout Indianapolis. “Can't the council do something about fencing in the area in the 600-block on Senate ave?” he asked. Aid for Hospital Mr. Dauss also sought action on other similar junk lots. John A. Schumacher, council president, referred the matter to. Dr. Meriwether, who promised immediate investigation. .

___ THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES R. C. (Bud) Dauss, Republican

councilman, called for investigation of opening the city’s public school

city “fathers” last night urged the City hospital to make formal application to the Federal] Works Agency for aid in the preparation of plans for construction work on new hospital additions. 3 “We shall ask the agency to advance $8565 .to aid in engineering plans for remodeling on the present

the hospital,” Dr. Charles W. Myers, hospital superintendent said. He revealed that the econstruction of each unit would cost approximately $200,000. ’ Post-War Vehicles In announcing that council approval of the safety board's $300,000 bond issue would come at the April 15 meeting, Mr, Dauss, council safety chairman, stated that 66 post-war vehicles would be bought to replenish the two department's depleted fleets. 5 Purchase of two aerial trucks, seven pumpers, three service trucks and accessories will cost the fire department $184,000. The police department will receive $116,000 for purchase of 45 passenger automobiles, five trucks, one emergency car, one station wagon and new

Suspending council rules, the

auditorium and additional wings at|

—_

Coal Tieup Continues; Two Cities Lack Transit.

By UNITED PRESS Almost 700,000 workers .were idle in the country today because of strikes and shutdowns. Soft coal mines were closed because of a miners’ strike and public transportation in two cities was at a standstill, : General Motors estimated that 105,000 men had returned to work in varfous G. M.: plants as local issues were being settled. In the coal dispute, negotiations between United Mine Workers’ (A. F. of L.) President John L. Lewis and management representatives ended without progress. Each side accused the other of “stalling” tactics. The parties will meet again today, however, to continue their attempts to settle the “dispute over safety regulations and health benefits

radio equipment.

McColl pottern :

6361 —-35¢

which sent 400,000 miners out of the

Ne i

700,000 DLE IN LABOR DISPUTES

output of fuel vitally needed by the nation’s industries and ‘railroads. Call Detroit Conference Detroit, conferred with A. F. of L. international union officials today

strike of 5200 streetcar and bus operators. § Other major developments:

ONE: More than 2,000,000 resi-

tinued to rely on private transportation as efforts to end transit strikes in both cities collapsed, TWO: Government conciliators said progress had been made toward settlement of the 72-day-old strike of 30,000 employees in 10 plants of International Harvester Company, negotiations were to be resumed today at W THREE: The C. I. O. packinghouse workers warned they might renew their strike to protest layoffs which they claimed had resulted from the industry’s refusal to purchase livestock at present prices. The union charged 20,000 workers had been laid off since they Yeturned to their jobs after their recent’ strike over wages.

FOUR: A negotiation meeting between O.I.O. President Philip

————

——

Mayor Edward J. Jeffries Jr. of

in an attempt to end a two-day

dents of Akron, O,; and Detroit con--

i Riis ng

___ TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1046 pits at midnight Sunday and halted :

Murray and Dwilyn A. Price, presie dent of Westinghouse Electric Ox

ended in a stalemate. The two offs .

cials failed to agree on a wage increase that would have ended the 78-day-old strike aft the United Electrical, jo and Machine Workers. At Akron, 450 members of the C.1. 0. transport workers union were on strike over a 32-cent hourly wage increase. The union had offered to accept 18% cents but

reinstated its original demand last

night after negotiations broke down, Detroit's transportation facilities were at a standstill because of a dispute between the city transit department and the Amalgamated Association of Street Electric Rail way and Motor Coach Employees (A.F.of L). The unions 5200 members have demanded an 18-cent hourly raise. The city has offered 15 cents. Meanwhile, it was disclpsed thas Richard Sullivan, general manager of the department of street raile ways, had ordered all D. 8. R. property locked and asked the police to keep employees off the property. There was no sign of picketing ag the strike wore through the second day, cutting off an estimated 1,800,« 000 daily fares in the nation's fourth largest city.

ssiii——————

Postels and White

TE | REE

rnd =

©. TUESDA

Two D TY T I India

Name... Address. School Ei Teacher's Eligibili eighth

semi-fi 16 year:

Mail or brix

® we —- ps 3

(Continued

and other spec spell-down be there were o left. Dorothy year-old pupil winner and B 10, of St. Thor school, was Locke Thus both the semi-final selection elimi a second pre next week, At Lockefiel Clara George, and the runn Jones, aged 11 also will comp at Shortridge. held at Lockef Some 150 co park communi down until 2 second prelimi next Monday Winners at they will line match were: Shirley Stein) ine's Catholic eran Ray and St. Roch’s Cs Powers, “Scho John Higgins Virginia Fox, Catholie schox 20; Barbara Nellie Browr Lannan and Catherine's sc School 72; D Mary Ann Ha school; Mary. Catholic sch School 20; Je Catholie scho son, School 1 Mary C. Harm hammer, Li Micky Brans: all of St. Roc} Entr

The follow ceived yester pete at 7:30 p tioned and a addition to th already appe: Domglas Com Eleanor Patter: both of School Compton, Edith George Bright, Prey, Betty Pe queline Henry. Rowe, R. Weat Carl Jones, Jan ford, Cornelia ( ma Malone, An Clarence Dorse Bryant, Betty Gwendolyn Cole tis, Jerry Hawk Hamilton, PElizs Nunberg, Rona! Phyllis Smith, ( Lewis, Margare kins, Cornelia Vivian Bridges Norma Edelen, School 56. Rhodius. Com James Searcy, / Mary L. Cunnin both of Scho Betty McKinne Shirley McKinn Robert Parks -—Marilynn Sch Moore, Anna K Betty Dalton | Holy Cross Ca Marian Pauley, Morton, Thelms: Martha Mitchel Watson, Orville Maxine Elliott, son, Marilyn C Velma Lamber, ton, Mary Bell Betty Coulter, 1 &t. Pauls Me Wilson, Wilma Doris Whitemir Atwell, all of Charlotte Brun Schulz, all of F Tabernacle P ~— Patricia Mids mers, both of

Addi

Matches In of The Time held at the { are in additic Pupils from will appear 8 than 7:39 p. Wednesd Riley comm —@oheols 16, 30 Ohnisdan cou Heh ave. —8Chot Louedes Oatho, Catholle school Keystone com stene ave. —3Sch

Brookside ool Brookside pkw a #1, Potter Power, Th

CONTIN WEATH

The city's MNjOying—&-W will have 1 Thursday, af erman’s fore Slightly ec uled for Fri a warm Suni Pracipitati half to one thunderstorn day nights. Meanwhile perature rea new all-time ™ day. The 7 set in 1888,

St,

TITO PRO LONDON, foreign cMe t Marsha} Tit several wer alleged vioin story by Brit