Nebraska Newspapers

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VOLUME XXVII.
ALLIANCE, BOX BUTTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA, TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1920
No. 6T
TWO HURT WHEN
TANK EXPLODES
Windows On South Side of Runvta
Mock Shattered Ry Force of
Concession
Henry Weber, welder In the em--ploy
of the Newberry Hardware com
pany, wag cut about the face by fly
ing glass, and Francis McCoy,, help
er, was seriously burned and cut
when a large gasoline tank which
they" were repairing for the Rumer
Motor, company exploded about 8
o'clock Monday morning. The tank
was In the street just south of the
building and the force of the ex
plosion shattered over thirty win
dows on the north side of the street
and two In the King's corner build
ing. Francis McCoy who was standing
to one side of the tank while the
welder was at work received almost
the fall shock of the explosion. His
clothes were torn from the upper
part of his body, and the flesh was
burned and blackened. Both arms
were badly cut by flying glass. He
was able to walk to the office of Dr.
Slagle, where his injuries were dress
ed. He was taken to St. Joseph's
hospital. Mr. Weber's Injuries were
confined to slight cuts.
This is the third gasoline tank
explosion within the past few weeks,
no one having been Injured In the
others. The welders In this Instance
had taken considerable precaution to
avoid an explosion, having filled the
tank with water before beginning
operations. It seems, however, that
the tank was not completely full,
and the water only compressed what
gas remained in the tank.
Had the welders started their
work half an .hour or bo later, it is
probable that the list of Injured
would have included a number of
bystanders.
lUUKIS AND UlTlltKS.
DESERVINGOF SUPPORT
"A police officer doesn't have the
softest snap on earth. He spends all
of his time working for the protec
tion of the public from lawless char
acters, and after having caught some
violator, has to fight in court to get
him convicted and then has another
scrap on his hands convincing the
public that he hasn't bene harsh or
vindictive.
The public owes their police of
ficers support, If nothing elsee. Prob
ably they owe them a whole lot moref
but they are certainly deserving of
support. Without it. they are hand
icapped, and with It they can do ef
fective work.
An instance in point is the case of
Clifford Meeks, who was sentenced
In district court to a penitentiary
sentence. The charge was carrying
concealed weapons. An Alliance
newspaper, with only a superficial
knowledge of the circumstances,
went off half-cocked and printed a
sob-story picture of an eighteen-year-old
youth hounded to the peni
tentiary by the officers of the law,
when two older offenders, charged
with the same offense, got off with
fines and jail sentences.
All of which reminds us that
courts are instituted to pass on such
. . 1 1 j j r i. i
' dian lad wh ohas been living on his
own and on the world for a number
or years, in spue 01 nis xenaer
years he is in a fair way to become
a regular criminal. Among the of
fenses with which he has been
charged are, first, the breaking into
an Alliance home and the theft
therefrom of a suitcase, a quantity
of clothing and a .32 revolver. Again.
Meeks broke Into a derailed Pullman
car at Girard and helped himself to
a number of brushes and towels. The
charge against him was filed by Burl
ington Special Agent T. J. Smith,
and the court, in passing sentence,
recommended to the penitentiary au
thorities that he be paroled to some
substantial farmer who will take
care of him. When the facts are
known the court deserves commen
dation for its attitude in the Meeks
case.
County Judge Tash is enjoying a
visit with his son Charles Tash, who
is now with the Haynes Motor com
pany of Omaha. Charley is on a trip
for his company to the western part
of the state and will visit lp Alliance
three or four days before moving on.
Just two years ago next Friday,
Charley Tash entered the Chateau
Thierry engagement, where be got
considerable first hand experience
with modern warfare.
Mrs. Burke of Edgemont,
the week with friends here.
spent
VOLVNTKKRH WANTKD
Additional volunteers are sadly
needed at Chamber of Commerce
headquarters to aid in the work
of rechecking Alliance's census
returns. There are still about ten
city blocks which are lacking at
tention, and the work is being un
necessarily delayed by the fact
that an Insufficient number of
patriotic citizens have come for
ward and offered their services.
Rufus Jones, who as acting sec
retary has thrown himself ener
getically into the task of assuring
a recount which will show the
city's real population, expressed
to a Herald reported Monday aft
ernoon his surprise that Alliance
citizens wait to be begged to help
solve this big problem. "We can't
secure an adequate recount by
sitting around and growling at the
estimate of 4,591. That won't get
us three Inches away from the
home plate. We all know that we
have many more than that, but
the only way way to go out and
find them is to go out and find
them."
If you are really interested In
seeing to it that Alliance gets
justice in the revised census re
turns you ought to be willing o
hoip, 'Phone your name to Cham
ber of Commerce headquarter as
a volunteer. Do It now!
RECOUNT SHOWS
A FAIRJNCREASE
Dtflnte Figures Will Not Be Avail
able Until Detail Work Caught
Up With
The Herald' is told by Rufus Jones,
acting secretary of the Chamber of
Commerce, that the census recount
will seemingly show quite a substan
tial increase. Mr. Jones preferred
not to go on record with a prediction
as to what percentage of increase
would be shown. He and Mrs. Mc
Kenzie, assistant secretary, both
have their hands full with the de
tail work of the recount, and they
have not stopped their work in this
respect long enough to attempt a re
capitulation. They consider it evi
dent, however, that the increase is
one worth working for; and unless
the incoming figures from now oh
should lake a sudden notion to show
a falling off there is going to be no
disappointment in the hearts of Al
liance citizens.
Interest in the census recount is
intense. Every time a representative
of The Herald drops into the Cham
ber of Commerce headquarters some
one is present inquiring as to tin
progress being made.
it
PAID IN ADVANCE"
AT IMPERIAL TONIGHT
The attraction at the Imperial
theater for tonig' t is, without a
doubt, the best offered to its pat
rons in several weeks. It is a James
Oliver Curwood story of the great
northwest, taken from his novel,
"The Girl Who Dared." "Paid in
Advance," starring Dorothy Pmllips,
Is pioclalme dby all critics to be one
of the btst pictures ever screened.
The amusing efforts of a couple
of Social Climbers (Mr. and Mrs.
iirabazou Tudway) to break Into
the society of English noble folk
is. featured In Goldwyn's "Lord
and Lady Algy," which comes to the
Imperial Wednesday. How then
flight Into the upper spheres pro
gresses and how it is cut short is an
amusing chapter in the tale of the
marital and race track difficulties of
"Lord and Lady Algy."
"Dangerous Hours" is the at
traction for Thursday. It's a dra
matic picture with its underlying
theme the Radical unrest that is
sweeping the country, it is not with
out its humorous phases. For In
stance, a collection of Bolshevik
vampires are portrayed in some of
the scenes showing meetings of the
"IWds" agitators. They are "new
women" of the most pronounced type
wearing men's attire, Binoking
cigars and pipes, and moving about
with a real masculine swagger.
DEATHS AND FUNERALS
Funeral services for Mrs. Charlotte
Mailey, who died Sunday, July 18,
at 9:30 p. m., were held today from
the First Baptist church in Al
liance, Rev. M. C. Smith being in
charge. Internment was made at Car
penter, fourteen miles southwest of
Alliance. Mrs. Mailey was born in
Woodburn county, Ohio, August 14,
1844, and at the time of death was
seventy-five years of age. A son.
Perry S. Nalley, lives at Am h.
FOUR FINED FOR
PLAYING POKER
Two More Produce Plausible AUMm,
Hut Finley'n Tale Full t
iiet Ry
Ji.n Johnson drew a fine of $25
and costs, and Joe Collier, Henry
Washington and Albert Finley $11
and costs each in police court Mon
day morning when tried before JudgJ
uooeris on a gamming cnarge moii.
day morning. Charles Smith and
Dave Brown were discharged, due to
lack of sufficient evidence to convict.
All of the defendants are colored,,
and all of them told substantially the
same story.
The arrest was made by Chief of
Police Reed, Burlington Special
Agent T. J. Smith and Night Watch
Al Roland at Johnson's hohie on
Sweetwater about 11 o'clock Satur
day evening. The officers testified
that before they entered the room
they heard sounds which could bt
used only in a poker game, and on
their entrance they discovered five ol
the men seated at a table with flv
cards dealt out to each one. Th-rr
was some $28 on the table. This
number of cards', so we are informed
is the regulation poker hand. One
man, Smith, was lying on a bed hi
an adjoining room apparently sleep
ing soundly. It required some laboi
to awaken him to place him under
arrest. The men were escorted to
ca. h bail for appearance Monday
morning, rne otners were guests of
th eclty until the trial.
Albert Finley, colored, has a vivid
imagination. Moreover, he has a
poker face. With impassive coun
tenance and every evidence of sin
cverity he told the court a wild tale
of the way in which the money hap
pened to be on the table when th
oflicers entered. This Is the tale:
i It seems that for three years,
' Albert has carried a "lucky piece,"
a $20 gold coin. Of Tate he ha
, been doubtful whether this was real
' ly lucky. He had begun to think i
j might be a "jonah." Only last weel
. he was arrested at his place of.em
playment, the Harvey cafe, on a
charge of manufacturing intoxicant?
and he finally admitted to City At
torney Metz that the court had found
i him guilty of the charge and that he
'paid a fine. It was this unfortunate
experience that led ninr to believe
that his lucky coin was a jinx, and
so he decided to part with It.
On Saturday evening, Finley said,
he had got through work nhfut
quarter after ten, and there being no
place of recreation or annipement 'r
Alliance where a colored man was
welcome, .he had wandered up to hlr
friend's home. There he found a
number of other colored men, all In
the same fix. These men sitting
about the table, vlsitlne. Dove Brown
was awaiting a phone call from
Casper, Wyo. Charley Smith waf
taking a nap. The others were pass
ing the time away in conve., 'on.
Suddenly Finley thougL: v; f,I-
Jinx. He told the others and one of
them offered to buy it. Thereupon
Finley, In order to make it worth
while and to avoid trading money,
which everybody knows is unlucky
offered the $20 coin prd a ring for
f25. His offer was accepted. The
purchaser was counting out the cash
when the police came. Finley denied
there were any cards on the table,
or in the house, so far as he knew.
His testimony was substantiated by
the others.
The police officers didn't brl.ig the
; cards Into court, but their testimony
convinced the Judge that there had
been gambling, and the fines were
imposed. The session was enlivened
by the pleas of Attorney H. E. Gantz
who pointed out the sad plight of the
colored man In Alliance, and City At
torney Metz.
Another Interesting feature was
the refunding of the money taken
at the time of the raid. Every col
ored witness Insisted that the money
in sight belonged to Finley, but whn
they commenced paying it back
every one crowded around and look
ed interested. One of them claimed
a portion of it. but when reminded
of his testimony that the money van
r lniey s, explanaed that "the cops
didn't get any of his money, but If
any or it did belong to him, he want
ed It." Finley got It all. and paid
his ne with it. After all. it was his
story and he should have stuck to it.
Clay Harry was in Antloch Mon
day attending the annual meeting of
the stock holderi of the Antloch Tel
ephone company. The following of
ficers were elected: President F. H.
Smith succeeded himself; Secretary
T. L. Brlggs, succeeded himself and
Treasurer M. E. Johnston succeeded
Fred Campbell.
RAILROAD SENDS
OUT COLORED MEN
City Authorities Hlionl.l wll Their
Attention to Kffect of Their
IVlicy
j For the past several weeks. Al
liance has been flooded witli negroes.
Etery freight train brings In a new
gang, and it keeps the city police
oflicers busy filling out their walking
papers and urging them to be on
their way. No sooner has one batch
been disposed of than another one
comes In. They fill the passenger
station and accumulate In cool,
shady spots outside.
-And the railroad Is to blame for
it, according to Information which
reaches this office. These men are
all sent out here from points east
tq work on various railroad projects
Ul Wyoming, Montana and Nebraska.
But a large portion of them do not go
to work or remain at work. If their
irkr-t reads Alliance, they are quite
ipt to get off at Seneca. " If their
'cket reads to some point further
west, they are quite likely to decide
that Alliance Is as far as they care
o go. If they do go on to their des-
' In ft Inn. they seldom work longer
than It takes them to get one or two
nay checks, and then they rest.
It wouldn't be so bad If they'd go
bnck to Chicago or some of the
places where they are recruited.
When winter comes along, It Is quite
probable that they will do that very
thing. But It is several months be
fore winter, and In the meantime Al
liance and every other place where a
number of trains come and go will
e flooded with them.
''By this time, the railroad ought to
realize that the floaters they have
Vn hiring won't stick on the Job.
Wnt the tralnloads that come to and
through Alliance don't show any let
up. There is an Inexhaustible sup
ply In the cities, and so long as the
colored men are willing to accept a
free ride without any intention to
to work., it is probable that the
railroads will dig up transportation.
unless some of the cities that have
TiTP'tPal grief call attention to trie
Imposition In no uncertain terms.
Now, there are hundreds of color
ed people In Alliance who work hard
and who stay on the Job. This sort
of employe is indispensable no riBt
r what his color. But there are a
lot of others who hang around, liv
ng as best they can and working as
'Mtle us they can. When the court
records are consulted, and it Is dis
covered that of those snt t-.
penitentiary, less than one out of ten
comes from this county, it's time
that someone let out a howl. It costs
money to arrest and convict theoe
floaters. Some of them will come
here anyway but the railroads
shouldn't, shoot them out here In
carload lots.
Here's a fair sample. Dee Winters
colored, arrested bv Special Agnt
Smith, arrived In Alliance on freight
franl No. 46 Sunday morning. He
admitted to the court that he had
beat his way. On search. It was dis
covered that he had $100 in Burl
ington pay checks in his pocket. 1I
had worked Just a month and
grown tired of labor. Instead of
using his money to get back to Chi
cago, he decided to beat his way. He
took the first train out, and landed
In Alliance. Ten minutes later he
landed In Jail. Monday morning In
justice court he was fined $5 and
costs, a total of $10, paid the fine,
and probably beat his way to the
next town.
And another story: Mitchell
Field, likewise colored, was sent out
to Mitchell, Neb., on a railway labor
gang. He probably came for the ride
for on his arrival at Mitchell he
told the court, things didn't suit
him. He couldn't get a place to
sleep. Trouble with him was that
he didn't want to work. The Burl
ington furnishes Its workmen a place
to bunk. So Mitchell Field walked
(at least he says so, and far be It
from us to disbelieve him, no matter
1'ow often the freight trains run or
how good bis shoes look) to Bridge
port. Here, it seems, he was unable
to find work, and he drifted to Al
liance. He was Just on his way to
ask for a Job at the roundhouse
when the police nabbed him as a
vagrant. Judge Robrets fined him
$5 and costs, and suspended the fine
for twenty-four hours, during which
time Mitchell was given to under
stand that he was to get his Job or
get out of town. .
These are Just- a roupla of the
cases. If you want to get an Idea
of the number of Idle men in the
city, take a walk to the passenger
station or the railroad yards and use
your eyes. Then ask yourself why
the railroad companies can't. In the
Interest of the cities they serve, use
TIIK WRATHER
For Alliance and vicinity: Gener
ally fair tonight and Wednesday; not
much change in temperature.
a little more rare in sorting out
lebnrers. You'll probably have, to
inswer your own r'dle, but It will
do no harm to ask It.
RAILROADS TO (JITT
1 NCR RANK IN WAG EN
The long-awaited decision of the
wages board, In session at Chicago,
received by wire this morning, shows
that the following increases have
been granted: - Clerks In service
more than a year, 13 cents per hour;
clerks less than year In service, 6H
cents; switchmen, 18 cents; tele
graph operators, 10 cents; common
laborers, 10 cents; maintenance of
way, 15 cents, and. engliiemen, 10
cents. Word as to the pay of ma
chinists has not yet been received.
Willie Sneed, colored, who waf
arrested by Chief of Tolice Reed at
the colored church last Wednesday
evening and who was charged with
breaking and entering, as well as
larceny, pleaded guilty In county
court Saturday afternoon, and was
bound over to district court for trial.
Bond was placed at $500, which was
not furnished.
KITTLEMAN TRIBE
AGAIN IN COURT
Juvenile. Court Petition Alleges Chil
dren are Dependent and
Neglected
The Oswald Klttleman family Is
once more in the limelight. Several
times since the head of the family
was sentenced to the penitentiary on!
a charge of having illicit relations
with one of his daughters, there have
been stories afloat to the effect that
affairs at the Klttleman ranch need
ed investigation.
Saturddy, County Attorney Lee
Basye filed a petition in the Juvenile by Secretary KJngsley of the Cham
section of ihe county eourt; iiUeelmi fbeot Commerce, which read a
that, the children of Mrs. Elizabeth follows:
Klttleman, the mother, and three' "Your telegram received. Harry J.
rhlldren of Emma Klttleman. one of .Long; formerly held commission as a
the daughters, are dependent and volunteer organizer for the American
neglected. Hearing has been set for
1 p. m. Thursday.
In addition to this, it Is reported
that certain members of the Kittle
man family are wanted by the post
office authorities o'1 a "aige of us
ing the mails to defraud.
RUFUS JONES NOW
VISITING IN CITY
as sec -
Rufus Jones, who resigned
retary of the Alliance chamber of
commerce two months ago when he
purchased a half-interest in the Na
tional Investment company of Den
ver. Is back In Alliance for a couple
of weeks. He is now serving as act -
Ing secretary during tl ? absence of
J. W. Guthrie, who was called to
Iowa by the death of a relative.
Mr.. Jones was able to dispose of
his Denver Interests at a sub-' M - i -
nroflt. and decided that a nlPAsant
vacation would be to renew a"-"r'' '
ance with Alliance friends. He has
been received with open arms and
has been holding a continuous recep
tion since his arrival last Saturday.
The ex-secretary was pressed into
service shortly after he struck town,
by Lloyd Thomas, who had agreed
to take Mr. Guthrie's place tempo
rarily and was wondering how he
could spare the time.
Mrs. . Jones is now visiting her
parents In Tylertown , Miss. Mr.
Jones will stick to the secretaryship
until Mr. Guthrie's return. The cen
sus recount makes it Imperative that
someone be on the job early and late
and the city and chamber of com
merce are alike fortunate that Mr.
Jones decided to sell out when he
djd. Rufus has made no particular
plans for the future, but he has a
number of propositions In view and
will spend the spare time during his
vacation in making a decision as to
the nature of his future activities.
Two engines were damaged In a
collision in the local yards Monday
morning. Inspection engine No. 366
and switch engine No. 1748 collided
in front of the yard house. The form
er will need about $170 in repairs,
while the latter will get off with a
$10 expense account. T. E. Renltjes,
engineer, and Night Yard in aster
Sweeney were riding on the inspec
tion engine, and W. M. Ellis, en
gineer, and Fireman Vansike were In
charge of the switch engine. No one
J was injured.
LONG LEAVES FOR
GREENER FIELDS
NewNMipem DUniuulo Him From At
tempting to Work Ills Iabor
Advertising Graft Here
Apparently Harry J. Long, "vol
untary" organizer for the American
Federation of Labor, who hit Al
liance last week with a grand scheme
to take out several thousand dollar
in rjal money from an advertising
scheme, leaving about $100 to .local
unions, under whose "auspices" he
was acting, has left for greener past
ures. The Alliance newspapers -devoted
a considerable amount of space
In their last issue to the activities ot
this bird, who had announced that
he was going to carry his scheme
through In spite of any opposition,
after the chamber of commerce had"
investigated his little graft, and bad
turned him down.
C. A. Darrlngton, who came to Al
liance In order to "get" Long, who,
he said, was a former employe who
had stolen his grart and otherwise
done him dirt while he was In a Lin
coln hospital has also left the city
after having cooked Long's goose.
Darrlngton went to Scottsbluff Fri
day afternoon, where, he said, he
would attend to Mr. Long. How suc
cessful he was in this may be judged
from the receipt of a telegram by
the local chamber of commerce from
Konuld Kingsley, secretary of the
Scottsbluff chamber, saying that If
Harry J. Long had been spreading
a story to the effect that he was en
dorsed by the Scottsbluff chamber
and the Scottsbluff Rotary club,
there was nothing to it.
The following, from the Scotts
bluff Daily News, adds another chap
ter to the tale. The Herald editor
sent In a similar wire to Mr. ,
Gompers.
"Harry J. Long, who came to this
city some time ago in the interest oC
the organiatlon of an allied trade
council, apparently was running a
"whlzzer" on the local men, as is evi
denced by a telegram received Satur
day evening from Samuel Gompers
Federation of Labor at Grand Isl
and, but was discontinued in
October, 1919. Anyone who is au
thorized to solicit advertising for
the American Federation of Labor
will hold credentials signed by me as
president and by Frank as Secretary
Tf the Federation.
"Mr. Long presented credential as
a preliminary to the campaign for
the advertising campaign to be put
. cn here, but the fact that the au
thority given by the papers hai ex-
plred, was not evident on the face
of them. Long went to Alliance from
her to start a similar ca; u-aij . .':'!
cii lined he had th ealoraement of
the local chamber according to re
ports which was nta a f..U. One
thing is certain, that any other men
! purporting to rrprcrtnt tho. A,
F. ot
L. will have tq exhibit the best sort
J of credentials in thia city from now
j on, and even then it is a question
winer thy will be allowed to put
(ou the advertising campaign, as it is
ne general sentiment that such a
campaign should be put on by some
of tn l'jcal meiubem of the coun
cil." FRIENDLY COMMENT
FROM CHADRON PRESS
The Chadron Chronicle has the fol
lowing comment to make on the Alli
ance census recount:
"The good citizens of Alliance are
all worked up, by gum, over the re
sult of the census of that city, show-
ing a total of only 4,591. In sub
stantiation of the claim of a great -shortage
in count, our sister city on
the south points to the fact that
"towns near Alliance are accorded a
census of 4,400 and that conserva
tive estimate would place atlrom one
thousand to fifteen hundred less than
their city." Surely Alliance must
refer to Hemingford or Crawford,
as Chadron, along with about every
other city in the country is dissatis
fied over the poor showing made.
The facts brought out in the recent
census, however, gives Alliance about
100 larger population than our own.
and we are not going to feel sore
about this, but rather take it In good
spirits. With our splendid water sys
tem Just being completed, paving,
and other marked Improvements, we
feel that we shall soon be able to oat
strip her in population. We, as well
as Alliance, would like to be accord
ed a recount, but fear It cannot be
made possible. As It Is, we must
bow with Alliance In mutual grief."