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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1923)
THE < IMAHA IV (iRNING BEE VOL. .V2-NO. 18.1. _s:r V T'lttr zr:, _o.maha, THURSDAY, January-is, 1923. » 80:„r & «r :,r VV..*r &l,u'Jtr&*£^,?2i£ Zn»: two cents -—-.---,.rt -tl Pal Tells Of Shotgun T r a g e cl y ‘’White River Whilie” De clares Karl Williams. Taken Dying to Hospital. \ ietim of Accidental Shooting. Carried ] of Rum llarolrl Wt stbrook. know n among bootleggers and rum runners as "Whitt River Whitie," because In* (•.Ills White Hiver, H I >.. lbs home and has extremely light hair, yesterday! related in a musical voice the llttl. incident of a rum i unniug party last 1 Monday night which resulted in tlie death of one of the runners. "Whilie' was a witness at the in-i quiry yesterday afternoon at fir* Johnson & Swanson undertaking establishment* into the death of air .other young man known as Karl Wil liams, whose body lay in a room ad joining that where tke inquest was held. Williams was only 25. His blond hair, six or eight inches long on top, was worn "pompadour,” after the manner much affected nowadays by snappy youths. ’'Whitie’ and another young occu pant of the booze car. testified yestei day. The other young man's name ii Claude Dixon, 6822 North Thirty! third street. Both Appear Harmless. Both wore natty blue serge suits! and looked like quiet, law-abiding ! young men. But police say they both ' have long criminal records. "What’s your business?" County Coroner Paul Stelnwender asked Westbrook. It actually made the young man laugh. Such a foolish question! But he recovered lbm&elf quickly. "Why—fartffer,” he said, amiably. i\ hich made the detectives smile .i little. He told how he and Dixon, by pre arrangement, met Williams and a man named Bud Martin in a Stud • baker oar at Fifteenth street and t'npitol avenue, Monday night. AVil Hams and Martin had run in a cargo of ^whisky and they were going to help, them get rid of it, he said. He men ! tloned the bag? of whisky several! times. Drove Out of Tovrti. They drove out of town, he testi fied, and as they passed a culvert, they decided to hide the shotgun, which was in the car. Williams ran hack to hide It. they heard two shots and hastened buck, finding him groan ing "I'm done for." They rushed him to the University hospital. Dixon gave the s*me testimony. Jle described his business as rooting contractor and said he had told Wll Kants that he would help hint dispose of the next load of li'tuor he brought in to Omaha. It was In accordance with this promise that they met the two rum runners Monday night, he said. • City Detective Trapp, one of the officers who arrested the youths Tues day and who later went to the scene of the shooting, gave It as his opinion that the death of Williams was acci dental. Accidental Shooting. The jury returned a verdict of acci dental shooting. But police are trying to solve sev eral problems that don't coincide with this verdict. If the gun was discharged acci dentally. why were both barrels dis charged? Why did the bocie runners "want to get rid of the gun" at all? And what is the real name of the dead youth and where does he live? The laundry mark on his shirt is “C. which, the police point out, does not stand for Earl Williams. Sioux City police say that West brook' is wanted there for auto thefts. Find Blood-Stained J'ar. A Ttuick touring car on which oil j r had apparently been poured and then ; ignited, was discovered by Detective j William Cieh at Fifty-second -street 1 and Redmond avenue. It was taken 1 to the Military garage in Benson, where close scrutiny revealed many 1 blood spots on the machine. Detectives Paltntag. Murphy, Trapp and Munch were assigned to determine if this is the automobile in which Earl William, rum runner, was bornb fatally wounded to University hospi tal. w here he died from bullet wounds without regaining consciousness. The machine, police record show, was stolen from C. J. Junge of Kin < oln at Eighteenth and Douglas streets, the night of January It. In addition to Westbrook and Dixon, John K. Hogan and John T. (Iratton and Mrs. K. Davis, 6322 North Twenty-second street, have l>een taken into custody following Williams' mysterious death. Canadian Export Show Decrease for December Ottawa, Jan. 17.—Canada, during December, exported 40.669.119 bushels of wheat, valued at $46,110,896. In December 1921, wheat exports were 34.492,223 bushels, valued at $37,371, 793. News pryit paper exported in De cember totaled 1,710,110 hundred weight. valued at $6,127,9$1. Exports in December, 1921, were 1,453,193 hundredweight valued at $5,708,178. 1 Earthquake itr Wyoming. Sheridan, Wyo., Jan. 17. — An earthquake shock was reported In Sheridan at 1 this afternoon. Resi dents of the Dome lake territory near here reported dishes were rattled and pictures shaken from walls. The tre mor lasted for 40 seconds. • Cracksmen Suspects Held Following Mystery Death This quartet Is being held hy police for investigation into suspicions that they may Is' members of a gang of cracksmen. They were arrested following the mysterious death of Earl Williams, runt runner. They are, tipper right, John II. Ilogan; upper left, John T. (irutton; lower right, Claude Oixon, anil, lower left. Harold Westbrook, alia-s White River Wliltey. British Will Ask Instructions on . Debt Refunding Representatives to Sail for Home Saturday—Negotia tions to Be Resumed at Later Date. Washington, Jnn. 17,—<By A. P.)— i Negotiations between the American anti British debt commissions concern ing the refunding of Great Britain’s \sar debt to the United States have reached a stage regarded as making 1 desirable a personal report by the ; British to the cabinet at home before the continuation of efforts to reach even a tentative agreement on tcrmsN The conversations which have con- , tinned for 10 days will be suspended after Thursday's joint session and the : British will sail Saturday. The time | and manner of the resumption of the j negotiations then will rest with the London government. In both British and American cir- , cles today it was cm pa si zed that there ; would be only a suspension of negotia- , tions; that a settlement of the debt must and would be reqehed. Both sides to the negotiations also were agreed that a speedy adjustment was i desirable because of the effect upon : world conditions generally. • Americans Hopeful. Whether an agreement in principle ! —and so far as tho authority of the American commission is concerned, it can be no more than that—will come in time for formal action on it by congress, at the present session which has only six weeks to run. can- j not be foretold. The Americans are i extremely hopeful that it will, for i otherwise the agreement could not become i ffertive under a year, as President Harding has often stated his determination not to call an extra ! session of the new congress. From . the first the British have expressed a ! desire for an early settlement and . they are fully cognizant of the situa tion here which might make for a long delay. Just, how far apart the commissions are at this time neilher side will say, but in American quarters it is de clared that the difference in views is 1 not great. The interest rate eonsti jtutes the chief point of debate. Ip to Governments. Both commissions find themselves | in much the same position as regards the requirement of governmental 'sanction to any terms reached. The Americans must go directly to congress for approval of the refund ing arrangement and naturally they have frankly stated to the British that they coufd not accede to conditions of i settlement which could not be ex pected to receive ready ratification by that body. Likewise the British mission must J act in full accord with the desires of the London cabinet which, in forming I its ultimate judgment, could be ex | pected to have regard for the question ! of whether tfie terms could be expect ed to meet with the approval of a ma jority In parliament. It was explain ed that one principal reason for the return of the British mission at this stage was to put Premier Bonar I.aw’s parliamentary lieutenants in posses sion of the facts necessary to guide i them in their action in parliament. _ Committee Delves Into Affairs of Sinclair Company Teapot Dome Controversy Is Carefully Avoided in Ques tioning Head of Oil Interests. Washington. Jan. 17.—With Harry F. Sinclair again as its chief witness, the senate oil investigation committee delved deeply today into the affairs of the Sinclair Oil companies. Hut again skirted the edges of the Teapot Dome controversy, in which Mr. Sinclair is one of the principals. The committee, which is headed by Senator i.a Follette of Wisconsin, one of ! he leading critics of the action of i he Harding administration in leasing the Teapot Dome naval oil reserve in Wyoming to the Sinclair interests, had Mr. Sinclair beforp it for more than four hours. During that time Gilbert K. Roe, the committee attor ney, asked detail after detail as to the operations of the Sinclair com pany. but those who crowded th4 com mittee room expecting to see Chair man I-a Follette and the witness lock horns over the Teapot Dome matter had to leave without having heard the words “Teapot Dome” spoken either by the witness or his Investigators. Quizzed About Stock. Mr. Sinclair was asked in some de- i tail as to the disposition of the ap- j proximately 2,005,000 shares of stock he received from the Mammoth com pany in return for the lease to Tea pet Dome. One million shares ap proximately, he said, were exchanged for shares of the Hyva Oil company, another Sinclair corporation; 210,000 shares were given back to the Mam moth company and sold by it for $3,250,000 for development purposes, j and the remainder were held by him. ! He saiii the stock now had a value of I $52 of $62 a share, according to New ! York curb quotations Leaving the Mammoth company, the inquiry turned toward two of the J other Sinclair companies, the Sinclair Crude Oil Purchasing company and ; the Sinclair Pipe Line company, both ' of which are owned jointly by the Sinclair Consolidated Oil corporation and the Standard Oil company of In diana. Explains -lump in Price. The testimony regarding the crude! oil purchasing company had much to do with prices paid for crude oil In • he mid-continent field in 1020, when the price of oil rose, within three months, from $2.75 a barrel to $3.50 a barrel, to continue at the higher price throughout a portion of 1921 and to be reflected in high gasoline* prices. Mr. Sinclair, in a long de tailed discussion of the matter, told the committee the price increase, as made by ids company, was due to indications of a crude oil shortage and although all the larger companies in the .field ^lade increases almost simultaneously, it was without con ference. Incidentally, he declared that higher prices for crude oil in the near future might be expected. The examination of Mr. Sinelair as to the pipe line company had to do largely with its relations to the Standard of Indiana, and when the inquiry turned to the various Sinclair refining /companies the witness was . temporarily excused S Plan to Take West Indies Gains Favor \ ice President Loolidge and Leaders Support Proposal to Accept Islands in Part Payment of War Debt. Check to Rum Traffic Washington. Jan. 17.—Strong sen timent has developed in both houses of congress In f.nnr of the proposal of acquisition of the British and French AA'est Indies in part payment of the war fh bt, owed the i'nited tfta ^ hy Clreat Britain and France. A ice President Cooiidge and many leaders who favor acquisition of the islands in the interest of strengthen ing the natural defenses of conti nental I'nited States and tile Panama ounal have been joined by tbe "drys" who hold that with the AA'est Indies under American control the rum run ning could he suppressed. "The reason for our interest in tlieso possessions." said A4oe President Foolidge, "is increased by our interest in the Panama canai. They tire natu hal tfrtns to its approach, as well as natural harriers for its defense. Should Consult People. "It will lie necessary to consult ex perts in order in make a determina tion of the financial value which would accrue from these possible an nexations. That is only one element to consider, but a most important ele ment. It would lie highly desirable, if not absolutely necessary, to secure some expression of opinion from the people most Interested, who are the people resident in these locations." Senator Moses, republican, New Hampshire, .a member of the foreign relations committee, declared in favor of llie proposition, tHat it would round out American control of Ihe western hemisphere. Seatnr Mclviley, republican Illinois, who has traveled extensively in the West Indies, is opposed to the pur chase. "The people down there are incap able of self government, arid I do not believe we should add to our burdens in that dlrecitop," said Senator Mc Kinley. “I am not impressed with the argument that the islands are necessary to our national security be cause we already hold the key posi tions to the West Indies." Source of Liquor. Much of the liquor that is being smuggled into the United States comes from the Bahama islands. Be cause of their proximity to the Flor ida coast, these islands are used as a base of operations by rum runners doing business with thirsty citizens of continental United States. fSenator Willis, republican, Ohio, one of the authors of the Uampbell Willis anti-beer bill, and Senator Ster ling, republican. South Dakota, com monly regarded as the leader of the more radical “drys" in the senate, de clared themselves strongly in favor j of acquiring the West Indian islands. | "I am most heartily in favor of ac- j tion looking to the acquisition of the islands,” said Mr. Willis. "It would he a great aid to the enforcement of prohibition in tho United States and would shut off one of the biggest sources of bootleg liquor. I favor the acquisition of the islands for other reasons also but it would be a boon to prohibition enforcement.” Sheppard Favors Plait. Senator Sheppard, democrat, Tex ts, author of the 18th amendment, expressed himself in favor of the proposal, although he though pro hibition enforcement would ■ succeed without it. Representative Volstead, republican, Minnesota, author of the Volstead enforcement act, said he did not think the proposal would ever go through and therefore saw no reason for discussing it. . Prohibtion leaders, it is under stood, have already been making some quiet informal inquiries to ascertain the attitude of the British govern ment on the question. They were told by one high British official compe tent to speak for his government, that "Britain was not in the real estate business," but that in ease any deal was entered into it would be necessary to provide “a charter of freedom” for the British subjects involved in the transfer. T --- 1.000 Hunt Foxes. Ashland, Jan. 16.—More than 1,000 j participated in the fox hunt which j included closing in on the whole of 1 Orange township, one fox being , bagged and two getting away. Not Only How Many— But How Good That’s the principle most Omaha Bee “Want” Ad advertisers go on when they want to fill any particular need. FURNISHED room with private family. References required. KE 2539. This rocyn was rented in two hours after the above advertisement appeared in The Omaha Bee for the first time. r When YOU have a vacant room—or a house—or an apartment—to rent, telephone AT lantic 1000 and ask for Miss Smith, our "For Rent” specialist. Read and Use Omaha Bee "Want” Ads— . the Bee-Line to Results The Boy in the Jam. More Power Legislative ) ^NTRY [APPpiio •>( | Powers UwoirtTW* 1\ ?oXEf^S Harding, 111 from Grip, Stops Work Washington, Jan. 17.—President Harding cancelled all of his engage ments today in order to remain in lied on account of an attack of grip. It Was said at the White House that the day of rest was decided on merely as a precautionary measure and that the president's condition showed no serious developments. Secretary Christian, after a visit to the president's room, said his chief felt “a very little worse” than he did yesterday when lie attended the cabi net meeting, but spent I lie remainder of the day lying down. He lias been suffering from a heavy cold for sev eral days. Ilrig. Urn. Sawyer, the White House physician, described the president's indisposition as "a slight attack of grip, such as about everyone else is having here now.” The president lias a little fever in termittently, such as one would “nat urally have with tile grip,” Dr. Saw yer said. He added that if Mr. Hard ing had followed Ids own inclinations lie would have spent today at his desk. $500,000, Fire Destroys Buildings in Baltimore Baltimore, Md., Jan. 17.—A repeti tion of the conflagration of 11104 when practically the entire business section was destroyed was threatened here today when two five story brick build ings in the clothing and warehouse district were destroyed. The loss was estimated at approximately $500,000. When these buildings were on fire, the ltock Hill College at Kllicott City, near here, also burned, bringing the total of fires in the vicinity of Bal timore to Hourly three-quarters of a million dollars. The wholesale district fire started within a short distance of the origin of tlie loot disaster. Fire Drives 150 Persons from Chicago Apartments Chicago, Jan. 17 -r-N'early 150 per sons were driven from their apart ments today when fire attacked three buildings on Michigan avenue at the northern end of automobile row. Two floors of furniture in storage were de- i stroved in a three-story building where the fire started. Considerable property damage resulted. I Day’s Activities in Washington President Harding, a victim of grippe, cancelled all engagements and remained in bed. The house voted down a proposal to < ut the enlisted strength of the regu lar army from 125,000 to loO.uOO men. Hearings on plans for consolidation of trunk lines in the northwest were resumed before the Interstate Com merce commission. Possibility of the British debt com mission, before it sails for home Sat urday, reaching a tentative agree- \ ment with the American commission ers was considered remote. • Prohibition authorities, in an effort to prevent illegal conversion of indus trial alcohol to a beverage base, de- I cided to deny manufacturing permits j to a number of concerns. Approval was given by the house flood control committee to a bill which would authorize an annual $10,000,000 appropriation for flood control work on the Mississippi river and tribu taries. Ohio members of the house unani mously agreed to support Representa tive Longworth of Cincinnati, son-in law of tlie latrv President Roosevelt, for republican floor leader In the next congress. Present Indications Point to Continuation of Boom Washington, Jan. 17.—Indications point to a continuation of the build- 1 ing boom throughout the country this 1 spring. Halos of fabricated structural steel took an upward swing in De- j cember, the census bureau announces. ; carrying the year’s estimated sales to ) 1,929.400 tons, or 84.3 per cent of the shop production capacity. The' sales exceeded those of 1921 by al most a million tons and were the j highest in the last 10 years. December's estimated total book- ! ings aggregated 145,800 tons. That j was 20 per cent more than Novem- j her bookings and marked the turning . point from a series of seasonal de- ' clines in fabricated steel orders. Nebraska Photographer Roasted Alive in Room Mobile, Jan. 17.—C. T. Hodstrom, 29, a traveling photographer of Uoldrege, Nt?b., was literally roasted alive lure v< sterday by an explosion of flash light powder in his room. His death Is surrounded in mystery and an inquest , has been ordered for today. Burglar Shoots Lincoln Man. Lincoln, Jan. 17.— Norman Walt, I son of a Lincoln .business man was shot in the leg by a burglar, whom young Walt surprised as the man was attempting to gain entrance to the Walt home. The wound, phy sicians said, is not serious. The rob ber escaped. _________ 1 107 } ears Old. Victory, Vt„ Jan. 18.—John Mor ton, a well-known citizen of this j town, recently celebrated his 197th ! birthday. Morrott is in good health, ran see un/l hear excellently. He was married 80 years ago, and three of his four children are living. V Plans Made to Double Stock of Anaconda _ New York, .Tan. 17:—-The Anacoqda Mining company will ask authority to increase its capital stock from 3,000, 000 shares of $30 par value to 6.000, 000 shares at a special meeting of stockholders soon, it was reported to day. No official confirmation or de nial could he gained from officers of the company or bankers handling the $160,000,000 financing of the recent purchase of the Chile Copper com pany by the Anaconda. It was pointed out, however, that approxi mately 1,000,000 shares of the Ana conda stock will be required to cover conversion of the $50,000,000 15-year, 7 per cent debentures which will be offered Thursday. . Also there will remain in the treas ury of the Anaconda company $100, 000,000 unissued bonds of an author ized issue of $200,000,000, half of which was sold today to help finance the Chile Copper company acquisi tion. Air Mail Pilot Flics from Frisco to Reno in 78 Minutes Reno, Nev.. Jan. 17.—Pilot Harry V. Hucking, air mail flyer, clipped a minute off the fastest previous time ever made between San Francisco and Reno Monday when he negotiated the distance in one hour and 18 min utes. The time was taken whe* Hucking left the ground at the Sab Francisco field and when he landed here. Hucking passed over the Reno field in one hour and spven minutes after leaving San Francisco, but his speed was so great that he lost some time circling in order to land! The official air line mileage be tween San Francisco and Reno is 195, but fliers assert about 225 miles must be covered in the flight. Beatrice Murder Trial Starts in District Court Beatrice, Neb.. Jan. 17.—(Special.)— Francis South. 20, went on trial 1n district court, charged with the mur der of Charles Wolf, who was slug ged and robbed the night before ! i hanksgiving, dying of his injuries two days later. Implicated with South are Francis Stewart and George War ren, who will he given separate trials. Many were unable to gain admission to the courtroom because of the crowd. Cold Wave Sweeps Italv. Rome, Jan. 17.—A cold wave is 1 sweeping Italy, being especially felt in the Alps and the Appeuineq. where shepherds are endangered by blizzards. In the Ligurian Appenlnes above San Romico a patrol of soldiers was caught in a blizzard and one died of cold. Two are nitssln~ and are thought to have suffered a similar fate. The re mainder were almost frozen when rescued. The Weather Forecast. Thursday partly cloudy and warmer. Hourly Temperatures. .* a. 111. ;t| A h. m. . ;{•» : «. m. M H a. m. . . |5 '■» a. m. *(«; HI h, m. 4.S 11 a. n». 45 I* noon 4H I p. «. so - I>. 111. .Vi :t p. pi. .->»; i p. in. ! 3 p. m. M ' 1 P- m. S5 | < p. m. .VI * p. m. S:i 1 / Plan Made to Mobilize Conscripts Coal and Coke From Kulir \ alley Seized l>y French— \\ ill Start Working State Forests. Industrial Plant Closed Ignition. .Ian. 17.—The Riga corre spondent of the Times says lie lenms from reliable sources llial (lie Kus. siun soviet government lias derided • ° mobilize file five-year conscripts with a view of-assisting f.ermany. should (iemtuny decide to resist French action. Paris, Jan. 17.—(By PI — Tht» French government has begun its policy of requisitioning in tire ltuhr. it was announced this evening. Five thousan eight hundred tons of enko nnd tiOO tons of coal, which the Her mans had loaded In cars, was taken and rerouted for distribution among the allies. The French, llelgian and Italian! governments today gave the order im mediately to commence working the state forests on the left bank of the I thine as penalty for Hermany s de fault in the delivery of timber, as es tablished by the decision of the repu tation commission on December L’fi. Plant Shut Down. Katerinberg, Jan. 1.—(By A. T’V—• The first shutdown of a large Indus irial plant in tiie Ruhr since the Franco Belgian occupation occurred today in 'this town. lying between Ks sen and Gelsenkirchen, when the Kel lerman locumotivo works, employing .•,00u men, ceased operations. The plant had been working on a nine-hour day schedule, hut the work men informed the management that in view of tiie French ruling set forth in General Jtegoutte's proclamation thaj; the eight-hour day must be respected, i they had decided to work only that j number of hours, hut insisted upon nine hours’ pay. Thereupon the Kel > lerman management closod down the plant. To Operate Mines. Essen, Jan. 17—(By A. p>—Ths French occupational authorities an nounced this afternoon that they will begin operating the mines of the Ruhr district tomorrow, requistioning Ger man labor if necessary. The Ruhr eoal and industrial mag nates who /refused to co-operate with the French will be prosecuted tr^ore a court martial. At Bochum tiie population has been notified by the occupying officials that the troops will act without warning against any action directted at the French troops or officials, even if it lie only whistling or shouting. Operations Complete. Duesseldorf, Jan. 17.—(By A. P)_ It was officially announced by Gen Bcgoutto (his afternoon that the mili tary operations of the Ruhr occupa tion now are completely finished. Tiie French will take possession of tiie mines throughout the district to morrow morning, placing military guards at the head of every pit. The Ruhr magnates were informed late this afternoon that their property * will l,e confiscated and will bo worked under French management for the benefit of the reparation account. Representatives of the German inagantes failed to appear tills morn ing before the control commission sending word they had decided tT obey tiie instructions of the Berlin government instead of the French orders as to eoa! deliveries, thus placing tiie next move squarely tip to tiie French occupying authorities. A( the conference here yesterday between the French authorities and tiie operators. General Simon said to the Germans: "We have not summoned you here for a discussion but to transmit to you the orders of our government. If you do not see fit to obey them you will he prosecuted before n court martial, condemned and imprisoned." The industrial leaders filed out of tiie room without uttering a word, but qnce outside of the conference hall they made no secret of their deter mination to go to jail rather than submit. I,abut* I .carters Appear. Thirty-two labor leaders, represent ins all the districts and all the trades in the Ruhr, Including the Catholic socialists and communists syndicates "f miners, railroad men and steel anil iron workers, were introduced. Hr. Groetzner, Prussian governor of Dues seldorf province, acted as their spokes man. Gen. Simon told the labor lenders France was the friend of the working man. The German government, he declared, was responsible fur the re cent events and was willing to sacri fice the working men to its imperial istic policy. It had permitted the food stocks to liecome depleted and cared little whether Its own nationals starv ed or not. Gen. Simon, continuing, requested the labor men to get into touch with their comrades in the Duesseldorf and Duiesburg zones, which had been un der French occupation for two years, and learn how well the working men ■ad been treated. The lenders agreed to continue work so long as there was work for them to do. but expressed the opinion that circumstances might cause tlu- industries to shut down.