TROPICAL SNAKE IN FRUIT CAR Lincoln Banana Handler Re. treated When He Found Boa Constrictor Idncoln, Neb., March. (Special' Orville Kobertson, banana handler for the Grainger Fruit company, re ceived the shock of his life when he opened a car of the tropical fruit on Us arrival here and found a hoa con st Hr tor that measured five feet In length wrapped about a ntalk. The measuring was dona Inter. Mr. Hub ert son did not stop to ascertain the snake's size when he first made the discovery. The snake was badly chilled through Its long ride in the refrigerator car and was unable to move. A glass jar was secured, and the snake will live the rest of tta life In the university of Nebraska museum. BOOZE DEAL IS IN HIGH COURT Giver of Note For $1,000 Contends Whole Trans action Was Illegal Lincoln, Neb., March (Special)— ^Vhat Attorney Cowan, of 8tanton, declared to be a tale from (he Arabian nights was unfolded In »u pr-^me court today where WilllAm Sporn and W. A. Baler have appealed from a Judgment that they are liable on a note of $1,000 given to Law rence Shellpepper, who lives north and west of Stanton. The defense to this nuts is that It Is part of an Illegal transaction, and that being against public policy the note can not be collected. The story of the defendants Is that Shellpeper wanted to buy whisky, and employed Sporn to get It for him from a Sioux City handler of contra band liquor. They aald they made the deal, and the liquor was brought ohe night to a point In Wayne coun ty. close to the Stanton county line and there hidden. Spoilt aald they were afraid to go further because of the vigilant attitude of the Stanton county attorney. Shellpepper waa notified, they said, of the cache, but when the parties went to get It there waa none there. Somebody had stol en It. Their etory as to how Shellpepper, who says It was a straight loan, happened to have their note. Is that he demanded some security for his* money In the event that something would happen to them before he got the liquor. Mr. Cowan aald the etory was ridiculous, and that If the money waa given for that purpose, wo liquor waa ever purchased by them; that they simply stuck the moiwy in their Jeans. He said that a cache for the 1< oases they said they got would have to be 3k feet square. NORFOLK CONCERN 18 ATTACKED IN COURT. Lincoln, Nob., March, *. (Special)— The validity of Charter membership ' certificates Issue*! by the Elk horn Life & Accident company of Norfolk 1* under attack in supreme court by , Charles H. Durland and other stock holders. These certificates were is sued to 260 charter members and provided that they should be paid # per cent, of all first anuanl premi ums collected from other members. Durland said- that In the end this will cost the company $100,000. The certificate terminates with death, but •0 men still hold these. The com pany won In the court below. Durland oonteuds that the company has no power to issue such certifi cates that the company being a mu tual one. no member is entitled to a privilege denied another, and that it represents promoters’ profits. The company says a promoter is a man who figures In the pre-organisation, and that thesa men risked iheir mon ey and insurance at a time when It was a real risk, ami that this was ample consideration for the payment, which Is much less than the stock company pays as commissions to agents out of the first annual prem. turns they collect. 8ECONO CONVICTION FOR BOOTLEG WAR MURDER. Omaha, Neb., March, V- William ®- Wetter, of Nebraska City, waa found guilty of manslaughter by a Jury in district court last night after 10 hours of deliberation. Welter was accused Jcintly with Jay Hanker, Nebraska City, and James Griffin, Omaha, of the slaying of Henry Mc Ardle last November. McArdle's body was found, charred in a burned haystack south of town the morning after he had been taken in an auto mobile from the scene of a guntight on North J8th street. Griffin, already found guilty of manslaughter, testified at Welter’s trial. Banker s trial wUl come next INVESTMENT COMPANY REFUSED STATE PERMIT Lincoln, Neb., Marr’n (Special) — Application from an "investment" com pan. of Kansas City for permit to do business in Nebraska Was re fused by Secretary of Trade and Commerce Knudaon. He was recent ly made defendant In a suit brought by the Minneapolis Investment Syn dicate, asking refutation of the or der refusing Issuance of a permit He Issued a statement oeasorlng the "Investment companies" DECATUR GIRL BLLIEVED DEAD No Word Had From Jessie McCluskey, Missing Sev eral Weeks Decatur, Neb., March '<—After be ing taken to Omaha from hie term home near Decatur by Detective* Le roy Wad# and Felix Dolan on a war rant Issued on complaint of Roes Mo Oluskey, charging a statutory of fense, Fred Phelps was again freed because of lack of evidence. This Is the second time Phelps has been arrested and tire case dismissed, the first time being caught at Onawa by County Sheriff Smith, after he had fled across the Ice of the Mis souri river Into Onawa. Althmrgh Jessie McCluskey, 19 year-old Decatur high school girl, for whose mysterious disappearance Phelps was arrested, left severst weeks ago, no trace or word from her has been received. It Is feared she may be dead. Her relatives state she was never In Omaha but once In her life, when a girl about five years old, and she has never since been In any other large city. They believe If she were free and alive, she would oar tatnly return home or get some word to them. LINCOLN GRADE SCHOOL GIRL WINS CONTEST Lincoln, Neb., March V-Mary Fran ces McReynold. 11 years old, Lincoln seventh grade school girl, won first prize In the state essay contest on “making Btate Highways Safer.” and her eesay la to go to Washington to ba entered In a similar contest of an tional scope. Herbert Bennel. also of Lincoln won second prize. The winner re ceives |16 and a gold medal and sec ond price la flO and a sliver medal. Five other prices consist of $6 and bronze medals. Marcella Nason, Norfolk, was third in the competitions. Miss Grace Eley, Gothenburg, a teacher, won the first prize In the contest for a plan of teaching safety In the schools. Misses McReynold and Eley will each be given a free trip to Washington If their respec tive entries win tha national con test. The contest was sponsored by the highway education board and the department of education. BOVS HELD FOR SERIES OF ROBBERIES. Winnebago, Neb. March '—Fk»r nearly a month a series of burglaries has been going on bets, and until now the perpetrators have covered their tracks. Various residences and stores have been broken Into and nu merous articles stolen. The latest and for rhe time being, at least, the lest of these offenses, was the burglarising of the Schmidt hardware store. Lafe and Clifford Belts, Prosper Maney and Orville Tipton were discovered by R J. Hart, federal officer and special con stable. in the rear of the building. They were arreeted by him and thert wers found In their poeseaslon, It Is alleged, articles taksn from the store, Including a shotgun, knives, watches and ammunition; also sksleton keys and an assortment of files. Upon be ing queetkmed the boye confessed to taking part In several robberies, it la alleged. They are all young, the oldest being under 15. STIMULATE INTEREST IN AMERICAN HISTORY Columbus, Neb. March A—(Special) —In order to stimulate .he Interest of Columbus school children In Amer ican history the local post of the American Legion, as a part of its new local Americanisation program lias appropriated 9100 for each of a series of pictures known as "The Chronicles of America" produced by Yale Uni versity. Each of the series, consti tuting an hour's motion picture per formance at a local theater and be ginning with the landing of Colum bus in America is donated by the local post to the children. The youngsters of each ward school will attend in bodies under the super vision of their Instructors and be ad mitted at the Legion's expense In co operation with the local theater man ager, Willlan Jewell. PLAYGROUND8 FOR COLUMBUS SCHOOLS Columbus, Neb., March —(Spe cial)— Municipal all day playgrounds for every day In the week to be conducted on the grounds of the var ious wsrd schools tn the city are be ing contemplated by a committee, headed by Rev. T. M, Pyle, pastor the First Baptist church and rep resentatives of the various civic and luncheon clubs. The plan, which will provide for the all day operation of playgrounds at the five grade schools In the city will be presented to the board of education next Tuesday. The plan has for Its object keeping of youngsters off the streets during the vacation season. Why Not a Broom? Prom Illinois Central Magazine. Krug Clerk: “What kind ot a tooth »rueh do you want?" Customer: “Qlh me a big one. boss: liar's ten In my family." DIVORCED ON FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. Columbus, Neb., Mulch \ (Spe cial)—On the exact date or the first anniversary of their marriage, Carl Herechenhahn obtained a divorce In district court Satur day from his wife, .Marie Her schenhahn on charge of cruelty and desertion. The couple were married in Council Bluffs. Thu husband al leged the wife didn't want to cook meals and finally left him Jan. 1, go ing to Omaha with another man. Women Invent Individual Radio I;:7 rl i j■■1 ■ ■" ■■'. ■■""■'■■■".. ■ i „i. Mrs. F. S. Julian and her sister, two ).os Angeles women, have per fected Individual radio sets, without aerial, tubes, batteries or ground Wires, and they elaim to have communicated with each other at a dia tance of 2,000 miles. Mrs. Julian is shown wearing her tiny receiver. BIG TREE PLANTING PROGRAM FOR 1924 NOW UNDER WAY Washington.—Following a great tree planting week in which every body turned out In the city of Sacra mento, the American Tree association has called on the people of the coun try to make the year 1924 the biggest tree planting year the nation ever had. Under the d'rection of Irvin Kngier of the Chamber of Commerce, and a committee made up of M. B. Pratt, state forester, F. N, Kvans, park superintendent, Geneva Watson, oi the Beautification Committee and Hugh McWilliams, county forester, Sacramento opened on January 20 the year's campaign. The week had Its climax Saturday when, reports to the American Tree association say ten thousand school children turned out and planted tree*, shrubs ana flowers. The campaign had been launched in the churches on the pre vious Sunday. “Thousands have heard our cail to celebrate the centennial of Arbor Day in 1972 by planting the. trees now and 1924 will be a record breaker." says Charles Lathrop Pack, president of the Tree association. “We register ed 69,890 tree planter in the tree planting army during 1923. The first report in 1924 on ro»dside planting comes from Mrs. J£. M. Savage of Bust!*, Florida, where an entire, school planted tree* along the Dixie high way. The old Spanish Trails with headquarters in San Antonio, Tex., has big plans under way as has the Lee highway particularly in Tennes see. “Most important of all planting per haps, scheduled for 1924 is the plant ing of 26 miles of the Harding high way starting at Lima. Ohio, and planting toward Marion. Mrs Flor ence Kling Harding, her health per mitting, will Inaugurate this plant* In in co-operation with Lynn R. Timmerman, the Boy Scouts; J. Karl Miller of Lima; Carl J. Gugler. el Gallon, the president of the Harding Highway association and myself. This planting will be in April. DENVER WIDOWER, 56, ADOPTS GIRL 24 AS DAUGHTER ___ | Denver.--Mrs. Ethel Webb, 24. has ft new daddy today, following derision i of District Judge Butler authorizing the issuance of an order permitting Charles Elchold, a 56-year-old widow er, to legally adopt her. Elchold petitioned the court for 1 permission to make the adoption, de- j daring he wished to make the worn- | ftn his heir-at-law and give ber a ft home. He testified that his wife waa dead, that he was lonely and needed someone to keep house for him. He said he would be glad to leave the woman his property when he died. Mrs. Webb informed the court that her husband had deserted her: that she had no parents, and was perfectly willing to become Eichold's daughter. Nine Deaths in Week Laid to Fireplaces Atlanta. Go.—When the open fire place. unprotected by a screen, claim ed nine more lives here this week, as Indicated by the mortality records of Dr. John P. Kennedy. City Health officer. Fire Chief \V. B. Cody Issued a vigorous renewal of his warning, Sounded several weeks ago, that the "open fireplace is one of the greatest menances of the day to the lives of elderly persons and children. CHAUFFEUR A WAR ACE Pasadena, Calif.—The distinction of having In their employ as chauffeur one of the leading "ace*" of England and winner of the English aerial derby last summer. Capt. George Clifford, belongs to Mr. and Mts. D. W. Field of Brocton, Mass., who ate ■pending the winter in Pasadena. Chauffeur Clifford is a captain in the reserve of the Imperial Hoyal Air Force of Great Britain. i " • ’ Bines Its beginning, four years ago, the air route between J-ondoo and Pans has carried 40,000 passengers about half of the number having heen American tourists or fcusiaeA men. Sympathy is Urged for Dope Addicts —- i Not Punishment, But Help Required to Aid Them, Says Chicago M. D. Chicago—Instead of punishment be- ] ing meted out to persons addicted to drugs, wholehearted sympathy and extensive co-operation should be ex tended to these unfortunates, accord ing to I)r. Herman N. Bundeson, Chi cago health commissione, In a signed bulletin issued recently. Dr. Bundeson also pointed out that each year finds the ranks of child rnreotic addicts Increasing steadily. This is a problem, he said, which de mands the. highest skill of tbe me dical profession before it will he solved satisfactorily and Us menacing aspects gradually eliminated. "Opium. _ cocaine, morphine and other habit-forming durgs have reached out and clutched thousands of boys and girls within their ten tacles,” Dr. Bundeson asserted. "Where' in other years only adults were victims today the influence of drugs is found *n many grammar and high tthools. Children, 12 years of age, and others In their 'teens hav*» been found to be addicts. "Nowadays the use of drugs is not confined exclusively to the under world. Prominent personages, even those who move in the highest strata of society, now 'hit tbe dope.’ Of course, the degradation of their afflla tions--and dope victims include many professional men and also highly educated, accomplished women—ulti mately swells the ranks of the under, world.” New Specific For Pneumonia Found Holy Ghost Hospital Sur geon Says Remedy Kills Germ London—New and amazing results In the treatment of pneumonia are claimed for a preparation now being used at the hospital of the Holy Ghost her<>. The preparation, known as "antl microhum-Tomarkin,” Is the dis covery of Pr. Tomarkin, surgeon