Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 March 1948 — Page 23

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"SKY BLUE YONDER"~-The Whinwing, seconds after a historic flight, lies broken. For his error, the pilot was grounded for six months.

EE ——————

love Story

CARVILLE, La., Mar. 4—One of the nicest love stories of our time may outrank eventually the work of the fabled Father Damien in correcting the age old public mistreatment of leprosy as a crime rather than a disease. ‘The case of Maj. and Mrs. Hans Hornbostel has given the calamitous malady a focus which has been lacking in modern times. It has drama, I sense, that the American people best recognize. Gertrude Hornbostel, a sweet-faced, grayhaired lady of middle years, has leprosy. She contracted it, the doctors say, in Guam or Saipan when she was 11 or 12 years old. It didn’t manifest itself until about .four decades later. She and her husband had been captured by the Japanese when they overran the Philippines, and under the stress of war-long imprisonment in Santo Tomas, her body weakened and the disease broke loose. #4 You may remember the Hornbostel case. Gertrude was repatriated in 1945, after several wrong diagnoses, she was discovered to have leprosy. Her husband, after she was sent to Carville, raised a great fuss about wanting to move into the leprosarium with her. He said by heaven she was his wife and he had lived with her all these Years without contracting leprosy and he was old enough now so it didn’t make any difference if he ig Whither she went, the old major wanted to go, too. But there seems to be a law which prevents a non-patient from setting up housekeeping in a leprosy hospital, even with his wedded wife. As & compromise, the major finally took a little shack about half a mile from the hospital grounds. He

spends each day, from morning until 11 p. m. with Mrs, Hornbostel, 8 P

They Carry on the Fight MRS. HORNBOSTEL and her husband are not in the best of graces with the management. They ire agitators against the entire ancient conception of the ailment. She is plumb sore at her lot. She fodsnt think having leprosy is a crime, although is treated as such by the statutes—with the Possible exception of New York City, which has Inve concerned itself much with lepers at large. gd Stein, the editor of the hospital's paper, Star, was treated privately for 10 years in

New York. Until his fi ater C Ie, disfiguration forced him to

Hot Seat

wo ASHINGTON, Mar. 4—I want to tell you » ut this fellow, Ben Fairless, who used to 3 ovel coal, many long years ago, into a blast Juruges of the United States Steel Co. Now he’s 88 of the whole works, the leading steelmaker of the world. sand there he squirmed in the red-mahogany hota . Congress, trying to explain to Sen. Robert why jh of Ohio and a dozen other lawmakers A; wd chose now—of all possible times—to hike > Ce of steel. Poor old Ben’s face was redder Sonus] and his shirt collar tighter, when the Sound en finished with him. The Democrats ed sore. The Republicans seemed hurt. steelms Was surrounded by a dozen worried-looking Mareen His shaved neck bulged over his caucy linen, and I don’t suppose the gigantic eld Im in the old House office building ever Wished unhappier big businessman. I think he Toe he could have been back loading the blast nace. And that's where Sen. Charles W. Tobey "New Hampshire “Just Which pn,

snapped him up. Suppose,” said Sen. Tobey in a voice eeded no microphone to amplify it, “that in mill. What would he think about that $127 OR profits last year? And the new rise in or Jr ices last week? And the $11 per share nings. Wouldn't Ben Fairless want some of Money for himself?” >

Sen. Taft Sounded Sad

uo B. FAIRLESS said if Ben at the blast fur: ph really were smart, he wouldn’t want a raise Rages now. That was logic which didn’t appeal gL Taft. He could not understand, he said, W Mr. Fairless could raise steel prices and still nhect labor not to ask for higher wages. Sen. hag -Ounded sad and it was not just because he “With this , recent drop in commodity prices,” hud, sighing, “I had hoped for more stable Fair and price levels. But your action, Mr. less, has decreased that hope.”

The Quiz Master

tery at was the ultimate fate of the fabled Kil

They are said to have fought until only their were left, Wha : ¢ ¢ o : t is the average speed of a hockey puck?

Inside Indianapolis

iriexs were in dungarees working in the-

rropaigning for the independence of India without

by £4 Sovaln

on % will not fly of uneven length.” Pretty silly. the spools should wind 60 yards should I have to measure them? _ The directions told me I was ready to I needed was a wide, open space overhead wires, , ete. looked pretty good to me. No trees. The Whirlwing passed its preliminary I placed it on the ground and unrolled the of thread, all 60 yards. There's no flying Whirlwing solo. It takes two. One on the control end and another on the launching end. I waited until a gentleman almost stepped on my discs.

Flight Lasted Three Seconds

"WOULD YOU mind throwing the kite into

There was some hesitation but the man threw it up after carefully inspecting what he was to throw. The flight lasted tely three seconds. to fall six feet. After several more attempts one of the discs fell off. The directions had a small section called “Repairs.” In half an hour my Whirlwing was as good as new. On the street again, I found my co-pilot had flown the coop. Volunteers for the job were scarce. I decided to soar alone. I worked on the principle of reverse motion. With my lines shortened, for better control, I allowed my Whirlwing to be propelled backwards along the sidewalk for momentum. As it began to climb I would give it a jerk and start the thing in the opposite direction. Three trys and I knew I was on the right track By that time it was Several hours since I had read that I was ready y. The wind seemed to pick up about the time I was ready to give up. One more try. One more try. That's the mark of a scientist, you know. The Whirlwing shot upward. History was being made. With the skill of a master I guided it through the air as I let out more line. Motorists along Maryland St. and Senate Ave. strained their necks. All of a sudden something happened. My Whirlwing went into a power dive. ‘I fought the controls and I felt faint as we passed the 5-G mark. CRASH. What happened? As I swept the remains of my Whirlwing into the box it came in, I noticed in huge red letters on.the side it said: “DO NOT CRASH LAND!” Oh, ho. That was it. Pilot error. Grounded for six months Yes, sir. I'm going to fly a kite.

3 2 i: 3

cif

the

By Robert C. Ruark

~~ Gertrude Hornbostel, who talks bitterly and writes even more bitterly, reflects a huge resentment which is shared by the entire 400 inmates in Carville. I use the word “inmates” advisedly for person afflicted with Hansen's disease is still listed by law as a conscious ~riminal. When “detected” or “apprehended” as the fine print reads, they generally wind up behind bars in a pest house until such time as they sign the release which will send them to Carville.

Jugged Like a Shoplifter MRS HORNBOSTEL says she was jugged like a shoplifter and given no treatment in San Francisco until she finally committed herself to the leprosarium. She quotes me a case of another patient who was isolated for nine months, also without treatment, before the wheels moved her into the Louisiana sanctuary. The sick people here furiously resent the use of the words “absconding leper” in the legal definition of their plight. They hate the fact that they are “arrested” cases, must ‘appear before parole boards, like housebreakers or safecrackers out for good behavior. It is even the custom in some states to have them post a bond after they have been released as non-infectious. They are .vehemently against their prohibition from common carriers, even though their casual presence on a train is of no menace, according to latest and best findings, to the health of anyone. The saddest aspect of the whole dreary business is the general hopelessness of the people here, even though the new drugs can guarantee a good percentage of discharges. Once stamped with the leprous label, the average patient is forced either to hide away from the world, until the day he dies, or else stay on in Carville because he has been disowned by his family and barred from relations with his fellows. As I mentioned the other day, most of the patients have changed their| names, to avoid shedding disgrace and suspicion on their families and friends. It will be many a year before leprosy sheds its onerous cloak, but Maj. and Mrs. Hornbostel—and the blind editor, Stanley Stein—will have had a heavy part in it. You have to admire fighters,

Or about as fast as it takes an object] ©

~The Indianapolis Times ,

Violence and Mystery Keep Staff

xB OR

Of Coroner Busy Night And Day

gE 3 ll IRN TRY

A VERDICT OF MURDER — Dr. Roy B. Storms, Marion County coroner, signs a verdict of murder in a coroner's case after Chief Investigator Walter H. Bridgins (standing) clarifies a point in the autopsy report. Determining the cause of death is one of the coroner's chief functions.

Deputies Rush to Scene to Get Details For Possible Testimony in Court

By JACK THOMPSON THE TELEPHONE jangled insistently on a desk in the coroner’s. office in the Court House. A secretary, taking testimony from a witness during an inquest, hurried from the main office into one of the smaller rooms and picked up the receiver. “Coroner's office . . ."” “Hello. This is police headquarters. There's been a murder. Can you send someone right away?” Marjorie Larr scribbled down an address and hung up. The coroner, Dr. Roy B. Storms, was out on another run; so Marjorie grabbed the phone again and rounded up a couple of deputies who were busily engaged in their private practices as doctors.

CASE CLOSED—Marjorie Larr (left), chief clerk at the coroner's office, helps Allene Hume, deputy clerk, enter the disposition of a case in one of the heavy record books.

instances police officers are called into the inquest. ”

= » » DURING these hearings statements are taken. When the autopsy report is completed, it is sent to the coroner's office. After the coroner studies the facts at hand, he signs the integrated report out as to cause of death, which is to say he gives his verdict. Then, either Marjorie. or Mrs.

” ” » ONE OF the deputies, Dr. Wil-

liam Kelly, grabbed his hat off the rack in .his office and sailed by his receptionist, shouting: “Got - a murder. - Don't know when I'll:be*back.” x He jumped into his car, turned on the red light and siren. The car shot from the curb, careened around a corner and headed for the scene. wi Life in the coroner’s office is not always as exciting, but there is plenty of work to keep Dr. Storms, two secretaries, an investigator and 11 deputies busy. Among the cases that come to] the -coroner’s attention are all types of fatal accidents, suicides, sudden deaths and any of the crimes classified under homicide. Ld 28 GENERALLY speaking, his job is to determine the cause of death, authorize autopsies, hold inquests, testify in court and take care of all personal belongings of those whose deaths he is investigating. Briefly, here is what happens after a death is reported to the

and these people are putting up a whale of a scrap to emancipate an unfortunate minority which has! been damned by custom for 6000 years.

By Frederick C. Othman

Then before Ben could wipe his damp brow, Sen. Francis J. Myers of Pennsylvania took over, with the observation that the Joint Economic] Committee had been holding hearings for months and always got the same answer. 2 ! “Everybody said prices should be reduced,” Sen. Myers continued. “And even as you, Mr.| Fairless, everybody said, ‘Let George do it.’” i “Gawd,” exploded Ben at this juncture. “Don’t

think that I get any pleasure out of raising steel | jo for a solution to the death,|IU Medical Center;

prices. I could reduce 'em- today.”

‘O'Mahoney Drops His Pince-nez

SEN. MYERS saw no good reason why he shouldn’t do just that. Ben told him the reasons: Rising costs, good business procedure, high freight rates, new wage demands. And then Sen. Joseph C. O'Mahoney of Wyoming, the Democrat who had charged that the hearings would result in a whitewash of the steel business, dropped his pincenez to the end of its silken cord. He questioned Ben at length of the allegedly watered common k of the U. S. Steel Co., and about its price hikes’ on structural steel, pipe, and semi-finished metal. This caused his neighbor to the left, Rep. Robert F. (Where-You-Gonna-Get-the-Money) Rich of Pennsylvania, to erupt. Rep. Rich, I'd better add, has a notably low boiling point. “It seems to me,” said the gentleman from Pennsylvania, “that the gentleman from Wyoming, who has mentioned Republicans and whitewash, ought to sit idly by and just see what the Republicans do.” Ben didn’t exactly wince, but neither did he look joyous. And after he told in detail how he'd raised prices of some steel .by about $28 million a year, he said he didn’t believe anybody should raise prices, or wages, either. That astounded Sen. Taft. : : As the hours went by Ben's face got redder still until, finally, it almost looked as though it had been burned by a blast furnace. Maybe it had at that. By the congressional blast furnace.

Why did Gandhi begin his campaign of token civil disobedience? In 1940 Gandhi, seeking a method of cam-

embarrassing the British war effort, decided upon the method of “token civil disobedience,”

police: The dispatcher at headquarters calls the coroner's office, either through the switchboard or over

{Allene Hume, the assistant clerk,

issues a death certificate. In coroner’s jargon it is called a ‘“bluestreak.” Supposing that the above case was a murder and the murderer had been brought into court, the coroner in all probability would be called in to testify for the state. The setup between the coroner's office and General Hospital is one of unusual co-operation, though this does not mean that the office and other. Indianapolis hospitals do not get along together. They do. . » » ALL ambulances at General Hospital are at the coroner's disposal. The morgue facilities on

the fourth floor of the hoépital are his to use whenever necessary. Three deputies work out of the hospital. They are Leonard Cox, in charge of the hospital garage; Fred Worth, who keeps the coroner’'s office supplied with information from the hospital records, and Dr. J. J. Farris, a young resident doctor. The hospital's pathologist, Dr. William B. Dublin, performs the majority of the autopsies ordered

a direct telephone line. Either Dr. Storms makes the run or deputies are assigned. { If there is any indication or, suspicion that foul play was responsible for the death, the coroner or deputies making the investigation notify the homicide burea. The , body is taken to the

office,

by the coroner. And two orderlies, employed by the coroner's help hospital employees take care of the morgue and

other details. . " ”

BESIDES Dr. Kelly three other physician deputies are on call They are Drs. C. P. Van Meter, P. G. Dintaman and Francis

morgue at General , Hospital. There it is “posted,” an autopsy is performed, if the caroner; orders it. i While the detectives are prob-|

I'd be the happiest man in this room if {the coroner orders in witnesses, Habich, St. Vincent's, and Dr. J.

and holds an inquest. In many

Hummons. < Deputies at other hospitals include Dr. Robert Pickett, Methodist Hospital; Dr. Hascall Muntz, Dr. Carl

W. Deever, St. Francis.

'Carnival—By Dick

Turner

since under the Defénse of India Act it was forbidden to preach pacifism.

"Go on an’ join ‘em if youse wanta! I'm particular-who | associate wit'l”

PAT. OFF.

ON THE SCENE — Deputy Coroner William Kelly Robert C. Wade, Sgt. William Lahrman and Patrolman Jo right) during the investigation of a fatal accident.

‘Dead’ Spaniel Returns to Home

New York Put In GOP Column

Stand on Palestine Hurts Truman Chances

By Scripps-Howard Newspapers NEW YOKK, Mar. 4—Only a political miracle can keep New York state from going against President Truman and for the Republican Party in November, in the judgment today of even top Democratic leaders here.

And they are the men whose organizations the Democrats must rely on in the fight for the nation’s largest single bloc of electoral votes.

The Wallace third-party movement, disaffection over what the Truman administration has done about Palestine, disintegration of the once-powerful New York City machines—these are major fac-,

tors that add up to defeat for George Stout Quits

the Democrats unless present] . trends are reversed. Perfect Circle Corp. Times State Service

Red Danger May Aid Truman What rays of hope the Democrats can see are foggy ones. They believe the ill wind of Russian aggression, as in the recent move against Czechoslovakia, may blow them some food by awakening people to the Communist danger and hence turn them against Henry Wallace. Local party leaders are preparing to hammer this point hard in hope of cutting down the thirdparty vote. New York leaders say Mr. Truman must act much more positively -in helping the Jews maintain their position in Palestine— that he must come out in favor of lifting the arms embargo and

(UP)-—Corky, the friendly littl cocker spaniel who

home today after rescuers gav: him up for dead. Poli when they shot

sadly trudged home.

the front walk.

screamed, and ran out to mee him,

nourishing food and attention.

service in New Castle,

advertising managers.

WORD-A-DAY

By BACH

support an armed force to de- f+ RI fend the UN partition decision. ;They say he must take on od pd Henry Wallace in direct’ combat (rib ald) ADJ. —that if he does not set out to] | NOISY destroy Wallace then Wallace! | AND IN s UNRESTRAINED

will destroy him. There is talk among New York! state leaders, as there is elsewhere, of the possibility of another candidate besides Mr. Truman to Head the Democratic ticket. But it's no more than talk, and the leaders wind up by! saying: “That's a decision only | Mr. Truman can make.”

HAVING Hi§ MOUTH WASHED OUT WITH

re a Home Owners to Elect American Home Owners . nfon will hold its annual business meeting and election -of officers] at 8 p.m. tomorrow in YWCA, | tas . 320 N. Pennsylvania St. Com-| A mittees will be appointed for the,

coming year. A, E. W, is vi tmory,

SOUTH BEND, Ind, Mar. 4

chased a muskrat into a drain pipe and couldn't get out, trotted weakly

thought CorKy drowned, a stream of water from a fire hose ¢ into the 12-inch pipe in an effort to dislodge him. They gave up|. the rescue and Corky's master, 12-year-old Charles Stewart Jr,

Charles was looking gloomily

A veterinarian said Corky was a little the worse for wear but would pull through with some

NEW CASTLE, Mar, 4—George Stout, sales promotion manager of the Perfect Circle Corp., has cruit resigned that position to devote full time to establishing his own mefchandising and advertising

Mr, Stout is currently vice president of the Automotive Advertisers Council, a group of the nation's leading sales promotion and

ight) confers with Patrolman n J. Quatman (left to

|Condon Requests Help of Senators

Assails Attacks On U. S. Scientists

WASHINGTON, Mar, 4 (UP)— r. Edward U, Condon asked the ongressional Committee on Atomic Energy today to save gov ernment scientists - from being constantly harrassed and harried by {irresponsible attacks on their character.”

vene in charges by the House

“Here comes Corky,” Chatles Un-American Activities Commit«

t tee that his loyalty is question. able.

“The whole scientific life of the nation is involved,” Dr. Condon said in letters to Sen. Bourke B. Hickenlooper (R. Iowa) and other members. of the Atomic Energy Committee. Hard to Get Top Men Dr. Condon said “threats of purges, spy ring exposures, publicity attacks, and sudden Rls. missals without hearings,” have made it increasingly hard to retop scientists to govern ment service. The... Un-American Activities Committee already is planning further-inquiry into Dr. Condon’s associations. In publishing its against him, a subcom-

> Secretary of Come merce W., Averell Harriman, The letter said Dr. Condon had been in contact with a man described by another man-—a “gelfconfessed” Soviet spy. The letter added that there was no evi« dence in this association of disloyal activity by Dr. Condon.

Damages Denied

o ororant; cosrstl in Tavern Row

Times State Service TIPTON, Mar. 4—An altercation over a $4.80 case or beer that grew into 4 $25,000 damage {action has ended in Tipton Cire cuit Court with a jury verdict in favor of the defendant. Joseph Splater of Greenfield, who- alleged he. was injured in a tavern altercation at Greenfield on Sept. 11, 1946, sought $25,000 damages in a civil suit from El-