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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1927)
f si the Monitor m I NWAMfS W1KLT MWiPI MTOTM) TO Til Dmnm 0T COLOUD AUHOM nt» a CopyOMAHA, NEBRASKA, JANUARY 21, 1927 Vol. XII—No. 30 Whole Number 600 SHOOTS WIFE; COMMITS SUICIDE TERRIBLE TRAGEDY SHOCKS AND STUNS WHOLE COMMUNITY Wade McRaven Shoot* and Perhap* Fatally Wound* Hi* Young Wife and Then Kill* Him*elf BROTHER MAKES DISCOVERY Gaitha Pegg, Central High School Student, Fir*t to Learn of Shock in Affair and Notifie* Neighbor* Wade McRaven, aged 21, shot and probably fatally wounded his wife, Ruth, 20, at the residence of Mrs. John Grant Pegg, Mrs. McRaven’s mother, 4308 Patrick avenue, with whom the young couple made their home, about 2 o’clock Thursday af ternoon and then shot himself through the head, killing himself in stantly, according to the belief of the police. The tragedy was not discovered until 6 o’clock, when Gaitha Pegg, 15, a Central High school student, came home and found his sister ly ing on a blood-soaked cot in the liv ing room, with the month-old babe of the couple lying on the foot of the cot crying, and the body of Mc Raven lying on the floor. Gaitha had tried to reach home by telephone but had failed to get any response. John Pegg, who is a clerk in Robert Smith’s office, clerk of the district court, had telephoned home, shortly after 2 o’clock and getting no re sponse thought his sister was asleep. Gaitha Pegg ran to the home of H. Hansen, next door neighbor, and reported the tragedy. The Hansens notified the police. Mrs. McRaven, although apparently fatally wounded, was conscious when the police ar rived. She stated that her husband had shot her about 2 o’clock follow ing an argument. McRaven left a rather rambling note in which he stated that he and his wife could not agree and that he intended to kill Ruth and himself. “We argue too much" the note stated in part. “I know that I am not always wrong. Someone take care of the baby. I am going to kill Ruth and then myself. I always did want to explore the next world, and will try to communicate with this world. Bury me in the same coffin with Ruth.” Mrs. McRaven was rushed to the Lord Lister hospital where her con dition is reported to be precarious. The baby was taken to the Child Sav ing Institute by Miss Esther Johnson of the juvenile court, for temporary care. The body of McRaven was taken to the Harry E. Swanson fu neral home udder direction of the coroner. Mrs. McRaven is the youngest daughter of the late John Grant Pegg, former inspector of weights and measures, and is a graduate of Central High school. She is greatly beloved by a large circle of friends for her sweet disposition. Her mar riage to Wade McRaven, oldest son of Mrs. Birdie McRaven, who stood high in Boy Scout circles and was considered a youth of exemplary character, was a great surprise be cause of the youth of the pair. They seemed to be devoted to each other. A daughter was born to them De cember 15. Said John Pegg, an older brother of Ruth, who besides working in the clerk of the district court’s office, is studying law at night at the Uni versity of Omaha, and did not learn of the tragedy until 7:30 when he was reached at the university, “Wade must have been crazy. There was no excuse for his deed, and I can only account for it by the fact that he must have been crazy. The note he left would seem to indicate that. Of late he has been literally devour ing detective and sensational stories, cheap trashy stuff. I never spoke to him about it, but both Ruth aAd my mother, urged him to read liter ature that would improve his mind and leave that trashy stuff alone. Ruth and Wade got along all right and there was no excuse for this terrible affair.” Mrs. McRaven’s mother, Mrs. Pegg, was called to Mobetly, Mo., a few weeks ago by the illness of her IOWA PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH PRAISES AND JOINS N.A.A.C.P. Branch Protected Colored Teacher Against Klan Threats Which Action Elicited Praise “The Iowa Bystander” reports that at the recent launching of a member ship drive by the Des Moines branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the local president, Mr. S. Joseph Brown, read a letter from Professor Luther Mott of the Department of English at the State university, highly com mending the work of the N. A. A. C. P. and applying for membership. Professor Mott was at once receiv ed and appointed a member of the Publicity committee of which other members are: Harvey Ingman, edi tor of the Des Moines Register; Fred W. Pounell, editor of the Des Moines Daily Capital; Miss Dorothy Hughes of the Bystander and Gordon H. Kitchen of the Y. M. C. A. The branch recently stood by Miss Fay Jeffers, a colored teacher, whose presence occasioned the burning of a fiery cross in the yard of Judge Anthony Burrell. The branch pro cured prompt action by the newly elected district judge, who after a conference with the sheriff, appoint ed two deputies to guard the teacher. Klan threats promptly ceased when the sheriff threatened to arrest any one attempting intimidation. Since then Miss Jeffers has been teaching undisturbed. BISHOP URGES SUPPORT PRESS Charlotte, N. C.—Outlining a pro gram for the new year in his address before the citizens of this city, Bish op W. J. Walls urged his hearers to support Negro newspapers, to pro mote business enterprises, encourage education and work for inter-racial good-will. “No Negro,” declared the bishop, “is true to his race who does not have Negro magazines and newspa pers coming to his home weekly. The newspapers occupy a place that makes the Negro press the most po tent of all agencies in reaching the public conscience. They fight our battles, hold up our ideals, plead our cause before the world, articulate race spirit and enterprise, keep the fires of religion burning on our al tars of arts and science. If you could strike the Negro press and its work from us it would be like blasting Gibraltar from Constantin ople, or taking the altar out of re ligion.” KEYSTONE AND SOUTHERN BANKS MERGE , Philadelphia, Pa.—The Keystone Co-operative bank, of which the Hon orable John C. Asbury is president, and which has been in operation here for a number of years, has become merged with the Citizen's and South ern Bank and Trust company. The matter has ben pending some con siderable time but the necessary steps were taken and all plans perfected through the State Department of Banking at Harrisburg. With this merger, which is said to be the first in the history of the Negro race, the Citizens’ and Southern Bank and Trust company becomes the largest race bank in the world and among the largest banks in the country. WILBERFORCE INVESTIGATION MOVES SLOWLY Chicago, 111.—According to Sher idan A. Brusseaux, the investigator employed in the current Wilberforce upheaval, no report will be made by him on his finding until the commit tee appointd by the state to investi gate the state side of the school, known as the combined Norman and Industrial Institute, has completed its report. Mr. Brusseaux in a state ment to the press deplored many of the stories which have been put into circulation and stated that he has never yet given any report of his investigation. daughter, Mary, Mrs. Clifford Tim ony, and so was absent from home. She has been summoned by tele graph and is expected home today. RED FEAR The United Sates seems to be filled with a fear of Russian reds. This is evident from speeches of public officials and others and from articles in the press. There is a note of appre hension that the communistic effort for the overthrow of gov ernment will reach formidable proportions. The Monitor does not share this fear. We believe that America has nothing or little to fear from foes without. Her greatest danger lies from within. If she will remain true to the ideals of the fathers, “love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with God,” she has nothing to fear. The lowering of moral standards and the growing disrespect for laygupon the part of the American people are the potential elements which forebode national disaster. What Ls needed, and sadly needed, is a return to the re ligious ideals and standards of the founders of this republic; for whatever may have been their faults, and they were many, this one thing is clear, they had an abiding faith in Almighty God and in reverential fear of Him, they lived their simple lives. This was the strength of the na'tion in its infancy and this must be its strength in its maturing years. While there seems to be this fear of “red propaganda,” it would appear to be the part of wisdom to deal more justly with that group of Americans whose loyalty and devotion to Amer ican ideals and principles has never been doubted, the Amer ican Negro. If injustice against this group of people, as mani fested by segregation, Jim Crow laws, and like discriminaions continue, and there be any real foundation for the “red fear” or red peril,” may there not arise an overmastering temptation upon the part of at least some of the black populace to ally itself with the “Red Menace.” Can America afford to con tinue to allow unjust discrimination and galling humiliation towards her black citizens without paying the price? Justice and fair dealing towards all within her borders is America’s chief protection agbinst foes without or dangers •within. The fear of red radicalism can be overcome by white justice and magnanimity. DALLAS SEGREGATION IS DEFEATED ON BASIS OF LOUISVILLE CASE OF 1917 New York, N. Y.—The National Association for the Advancement of! Colored People has received from J. W. Rice of the Dallas Express, a report showing that on the basis of the victory against segregation by city ordinance or state law, won by the N. A. A. C. P. before the Su preme Court in the Louisville case of 1917, a segregation ordinance recent ly enacted by the City of Dallas, has been declared unconstitutional by the Texas Fifth Court of Civil Appeals. This makes the tlurd city segrega tion ordinance within the last year to be outlawed on the basis of the Louisville victory of ten years ago, the other two victories having been won in Norfolk and Indianapolis. Still another case hinging on the Louisville decision has arisen in New Orleans and is pending before the Supreme Court. The case, according to the Dallas Express, arose from the desire of a white corporation “to open up a new addition for Negroes in a district which, heretofore, by a joint agree ment, according to reports, has been designated as white.” According to these reports, the City of Dallas intends to carry the case before the United States Su preme Court. Mr. Rice in his letter to the N. A. A. C. P., adds: “Three years prior to the present case, a case involving this issue arose in a section of the city presumably Negro but declared white at the instance of white prop erty owners. A Negro was tried and fined and a group of Negroes at once raised $1,600 for defense and em ployed attorneys. City officials never brought the case to trial and the ten ant was never forced to move. “It might be of interest to the Association to know that another at tempt is being made to draft a state wide segregation ordinance and the representatives are being approached for their views on the question. The measure is one in five which have to do with city planning. It appears likely to raise a formidable question which will be of state-wide extent.” Commenting on the above report, James Weldon Johnson, secretary of the N. A. A. C. P., said: “The Na tional Association for the Advance ment of Colored People will follow these developments closely. Mean time, it becomes more and more clear that in establishing the prece dent laid down ten years ago through the Louisville case, the N. A. A. C. P. created a weapon which can be efectively used by colored people in any city or state to defeat segrega tion enactments.” NAZARENE CHURCH BUYS NEW HOME New York City—The Nazarene Congregational church, Brooklyn, of which the Rev. Hugh H. Procter is pastor, has contracted to purchase the property of the Universalist church of Our Father, Grand avenue and Lefferts Place, Brooklyn, title to which will be taken by the Nazar ene Congregational church next July. The property is purchased at $117, 500 and $32,500 will be spent on im provements. N. A. A. C. P. LISTED IN SELECTED NATIONAL WELFARE AGENCIES The Welfare Information bureau of the Public Charities association of Pennsylvania, in a report entitled “Where to Turn,” prepared for the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Province of Washington, lists 16 out standing national welfare agencies in its directory. One of those listed is the National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People. Others included are the American Red Cross, the American Social Hygiene associ ation, the Boy Scouts of America, the National Child Labor committee and others. BISHOP WHITE OF SPRINGFIELD PREACHED AT ST. PHILIP’S Despite the unusual hour, the reg ular service being at 11 o’clock, a large congregation was present at the Church of St. Philip the Deacon, last Sunday morning at 10 o’clock when the Rt. Rev. John Chanler White, bishop of Springfield, 111., and head of the crusaders appointed to conduct the Bishops’ Crusade in the Diocese of Nebraska, preached. His sermon from the twenty-third psalm made a profound and lasting impression upon the congregation. He spoke of it as being the psalm of life, depicting the soul’s pilgrimage through life until it finds it place in the eternal mansions of the bless ed. He called attention to its place in the Psalter between the twenty second psalm, which he called “The Dirge of Life” and the twenty-fourth which is a paen of victory. He ex pressed his regret at having to hasten at the close of his Bermon to fill an engagement at Trinity cathedral at eleven. Washington, D. C.—Individual re stricted Indians of the Quapaw reser ation in northeastern Oklahoma reap ed a harvest of royalties amounting to $1,679,886 from the production of lead and zinc on their lands last year, according to information made public at the Interior Department re cently. Strand Porter Bandit Vic tim Succumbs to Wounds John F. McCree, aged 49, porter at the Strand theatre, who was shot Monday noon by a bandit near the Athletic club, and robbed of $1,595 while accompanying the Strand cash ier, Miss Helen Linaberry, to the Courtesy of Omaha Daily News First National bank, died Wednesday night at 7:10 at the Lord Lister hos pital. At the inquest held Thursday afternoon at the Joseph D. Lewis funeral home, 2310 North Twenty fourth street, George O’Neal, alias Nolan, held in connection with the case was bound over to the district court charged with first degree mur der. Monday about noon as McCree, who had been in the employe of the Strand theatre for the past fifteen years, was accompanying Miss Lin aberry to the First National bank, and was carrying a satchel contain ing the Saturday and Sunday re ceipts, just as they were in front of the Athletic club, a bandit stepped behind McCree and ordered him to “drop that bag,” pressing a gun against McCree’s back and shooting him while making the demand. Mc Cree turned and he was shot again. The bandit then grabbed the bag, jumped into a car which was moving slowly westward, his confederate opening the car door as soon as the shot was fired. The car sped west ward on Douglas. Scores of spectators witnessed the holdup. Later in the day the police arrested George O’Neal at the San ford hotel, whom one or two eye witnesses positively identified as the bandit and other partially identified. Some of the witnesses were not posi tive, however. McCree was taken to Lord Lister hospital where he suc cumbed to his wounds Wednesday night. He is survived by his wife and a five-year-old daughter. The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon from the Lewis chapel, Rev. H. DeWitt, of Jacksonville, 111., an old friend, of ficiating. EDUCATION REDEMPTION OF AFRICA SAYS NATIVE Tuskegee Institute, Ala.—Redemp tion of Africa through education is now the hope of the natives, declar ed John L. Dube, native Zulu edu cator, in an address here Sunday evening. Ignorance and tribalism have been the forces which have most retarded the advancement of the na tive, according to Mr. Dube. Definite steps are being taken to overcome ignorance through education and tribalism through the organization of the National Congress of Native Tribes. “Despite our suffering, and we suffer as no other peoples do, we are rising in South Africa,” Mr. Dube stated. “The day is not far distant when Africa will again become a land of opportunity for Africans, when we shall again inherit the land that rightfully belongs to us.” Mr. Dube is principal of a native school in South Africa. At the age of 16 he was brought to this country where he was educated, attending Oberlin college and other institutions. At that time he also visited Tuskegee Institute. He is remaining during the week at the Institute studying the Tuskegee methods of instruction. KAPPA ALPHAS GREET COOLIDGE Washington, D. C.—More than 100 visiting delegates to the six teenth annual convention of the Kap pa Alpha Psi being held here were included in a group which called up on President Coolidge to extend the greetings of the season. The convention was opened Sun day night and will continue through Thursday, on which day officers will be elected. Archie A. Alexander, Des Moines, Iowa, and T. Gillis Nut ter, member of the West Virginia leg islature, were presented with dia mond-studded wreaths in recognition of their distinguished achievements. Alexander, an architect, recently won one of the Harmon awards. About 350 delegates from west ern universities and colleges at tended the convention. VETERAN LETTER CARRIER E. G. Rozelle has begun his thirty seventh year as letter carrier out of the South Omaha post office. He began work January 15, 1890 and has been faithfully on the job ever since. BEAUTIFUL OPERETTA “THE SNOW QUEEN" SOON TO BE PRESENTED Sixty Children Have Been Rehears ing Musical Event for Four Months Under Best Teachers Mrs. Florentine F. Pinkston has been training a cast of sixty school children for the past four months in the beautiful operetta, “The Snow Queen,” which will be presented un der her direction soon. Miss Tapps, the well-known dancing teacher, has been instructing them in artistic dancing and Professor Mizner in dra matic art. The operetta will be giv en in Technical High school auditor ium, Thursday night, February 17. A representative of the Monitor has attended one or two rehearsals and does not hesitate to say that the operetta will be one of the most beautiful and artistic entertainments ever given in Omaha by any group of citizens, barring none. Tickets are soon to be placed on sale and there ought to be a packed house when the operetta is given. OUR STATE LEGISLATORS BUSY IN LEGISLATURE F. L. Barnett and Dr. John A. Singleton, representatives from the Ninth and Tenth districts are alert and busy in Lincoln. Barnett is a member of the committee on Fees and Salaries, and Singleton is on the committee on Cities and Towns. Bar nett has introduced two bills known as H. R. the first being an anti mob bill and the second an anti common-law marriage bill, and Dr. Singleton has introduced a bill H. R. No. providing for increasing the number of juvenile probation of ficers for Douglas county from three to six. SOLOMON ENDORSED FOR CITY COMMISSIONER The Workers’ Community associa tion, an organization of working men and women, has endorsed Char ley Solomon, a business man, and chairman of business and profession al men’s club, for the race for city commissioner, subject to primaries in the spring. Plans are bing made to finance his campaign, petitions are now being circulated for sufficient number of electors.