Wi ilson to Arm Ships; Calls Extra Session The Qmaha Daily Bee Want-ad Night Service to 10 p. m. Tyler 1000 VOL. XL VI. NO. 227. OMAHA, SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH 10, 1917 EIGHTEEN PAGES. Or Trills, at Netsla. Nswi SUses, Els le. SINGLE COP TWO CENTS. J THE WEATHER I ; . Unsettled HOUSE LIKELY TO MAKE START ON NEW CAPITOL Places ' Bill on General File Providing Two-Thirds Mill Levy for Constructon of New East Wing. RIENDS HOPED FOR MOVE Consolidation of Food, Oil and Hotel Commissions Under Way. RAILROADS GIVEN JOLT (From a Etaff Correspondent.) Lincoln, March 9. (Special.) It looks now as if Nebraska may cele? brate its fiftieth anniversary by con structing a new state house, or at least by making a start iri that direc tion, the house today placing on gen eral file the Richmond ' bill, H. R. No. 1, creating a fund for a new east wing. The original bill called for a one mill levy which should run for a pe riod of years until $3,500,000 had been raised. The construction of the new building was to be In the hands of a commission composed of capable citi zens who should serve without pay. It provided for the drawing of plans for an entire new building, but that the east wing should first be con structed. Provides for Wing. I'lie. committee amended the bill, cutting down the levy from one mill to 68-100 of a mill to run only for a period of two years. This will raise, so it is estimated, about $700,000, and will be sufficient for the needs of the wing. Some disappointment is felt by friends of the capitol building plan that the committee did not see fit to provide for the completion of the building by extending the levy for the .required number of years. They crai mthat the completion of the building will be a foot ball for corn legislatures to kick around and per haps the completion of the structure may be delayed for many years. "If we are to have a new state house," said one member last night, who has opposed the building plan, "I believe that we should build a good (Continued on Ft Two, Column One.) Stefansson Spending the Winter in Wales Strait Dawson, Y. T., March 9. A north west police expedition has arrived here from Fort McPherson by dog team w,ith news that Vilhjalmuf Ste fansson, the Arctic explorer, discov erer of new land in the Arctic north of Prince Patrick island, is wintering with the gasoline schooner Polar Bear at Prince of Wales strait This information was brought from Her schel island to Fort McPherson by Captain Lenauzee, captain of Rplice ,at Herschel island, who made the trip 'of 200 miles from the island to Fort McPherson alone with dogs. Stefans son, who passed last summer explor ing his new land, is hopeful that the ice will break early this spring and let him make his way to the north and cast, and after, accomplishing the northeast passage sail up the St. Law rence river to Montreal. President Will Probably Be III in Bed Another Day Washington, March 9. President Wilson probably will be confined in bv'd atv least one more day because of the cukl from which he has been suf-fi-rinu since Monday. Dr. . Cary T. Grayson, his physician said tonight that -slthough his fever has disap peared, he thought it better that the president rest completely for at least another day. The Weather TcrHfwratufei at Omaha Yesterday. Cf& its::::::::::::,; i . i. m.v, . J 8 a. m 30 L 9 k. m 0 rp 10 a. in 40 jT 12 m.. ............. 60 nm&i L i p.- " U 4 p,m 61 6 d. in 2 k inn 6(1 8 p. m 64 CqmparMlve Loral Hcord. ' 1917. 11. 1S15. 1014. llisheat yeBlehday,. ,, 82 fir, 31 47 Lowest yesterday....' 2E 30 21 28 Mean temperature.... 44 '48 26 38 rretlpltatlon 00 .00 .00 .00 Temperature and preclplatlon departures from the normal at Omaha alnce March 1, and compared with the laat two yean: Normal temperature as Excess for the day 12 Total deficiency since March 1 s Normal precllptation 04 Inch Deficiency for the day 04 Inch Total rainfall aince March 1... .02 inch Deficiency since March 1 33 inch Deficiency for cor. period. 1016. .27 inch Uxccss for cor. period, 1116.,., l.silnceha atoporta Front stations at J P. M. Station and Stat. " Temp, lllnh- Bain, of Weather. 7 p. m. est. fall. Cheyenne, cloudy 44 . 46 ,00 davenport, cloudy .... 48 61 .00 Denver, part cloudy.. 64 60 .00 Dra Molnea, part cloudy 6. 66 .00 Dodge City, part cloudy 66 76 .00 T-anUer, cloudy SS 38 .00 'orth Platte, culudy... 46 . 64 .00 Omaha, cloudy 68 62 ,06 PUL'l'lo, cloudy b8 62 .00 ilnpld City, cloudy..... 26 28 .Gv Salt Lake City, anow.. 30 44 .06 Santa Fe, clear G4 66 .00 Sheridan, anow 28 30 .10 aiouic city, part cloudy. 38 46 .00 Valentine, cloudy , 36. 46 ,0u "T" Indicates traee of precipitation. J A. WELSH, Meteorologist. (ML FRENCH STORM POSTS IN THECHAMPAGNE Paris Reports Capture of Posi tions 1,500 Meters Long and 600 Meters Deep. GERMAN REPORT DIFFERS Paris, March 9. German' positions on a front of 1,500 meters, varying in depth from 600 to 800 meters, were carried by the attack in the Cham pagne made yesterday by the French, the war office reports. A German counter offensive was repulsed after violent fighting. Two German attacks in Avocourt wood, on the Verdun front, were repulsed. The announcement follows: "Supplemental information has been received showing that the attack made yesterday by our troops between Butte du Mesnil and Maisons de Champagne was a brilliant success. Notwithstanding the snow which ren dered the operation difficult, our troops blew up enemy positions on a front of 1,500 meters, varying in depth from 600 to 800 meters. Late in the day the Germans delivered a violent counter offensive on the left of this sector. After a furious combat with hand grenades we repulsed the adver sary, who suffered heavy losses. The number of prisoners taken by us was 136, including three officers. "Attacks by the enemy on one of our trenches at Avocourt wood on the left bank of tls Meuse were repulsed. There was intermittent cannonading on the remainder of the front." Berlin Official Report. Berlin, March 9. (Wireless to Say ville.) The following announcement on military operations on the Franco Belgian front was issued today by army headquarters: "The artillery activity showed an increase on an extended scale only in the Champagne. Wherever the fir ing at other points was intensified it was in preparation for minor actions either by ourselves or by the enemy. "West of Wytschaete our storming detachments entered a French posi tion and returned with thirty-seven prisoners, two machine grns and 0112 mine thrower. "In the Somme sector there were repeated clashes between reconnoiter ing detachments and h -r. fifteen Brit ish remained in our hands as Drison ers. "In the Champagne the French, after drum fire, attacked the posi tions south of Ripont captured by us on February 15. They succeeded in en tering isolated trenches on Height 185 and. at Maisons de Champagne. From trie latter place they were repulsed. A counter attack recovered for us the trench sections oil the dominating Height 185. A farm, situated lower down, was held by the enemy. "On the left bank of the Meuse (Verdun region), the French in the evening directed an attack against the southern slope of Hi.'l 304. The attack failed. An enterprise of our own, carried out simultaneously on the Avocourt wood, resulted in the capture of six prisoners and two ma chine guns without loss to us." Fort Omaha Balloon Makes Long Flight And Lands in Iowa The signal service balloon that was sent up at Fort Omaha at 1:40 o'clock Friday afternoon, shot out into space like an arrow and was soon out of sight. Catching an upper cur rent of the air, apparently something like 1,000 feet above the earth, the balloon drifted eastward, and from Morrison, la., last night Captain Bower telegraphed back to the fort that he and his companions, Lieuten ant Davidson and A. Leo Stevens, chief balloonist instructor, had landed after a most successful flight. The balloon reached the earth at 7:30 o'clock and during the five hours and fifty minutes that it was in the air traveled something more than 150 miles. Its course was almost due east. Captain Bower and his associ ates are expected to return to the fort today and make a report on the fight. Radio Apparatus Found on Steamship Appam by Marsahl Norfolk, Va., March 9. When United States -Marshal Saunders took possession of the liner Appam after the break with Germany, he found in stalled there a secret wireless appara tus by which all wireless messages sent in this section of the country were read. , A fine wire was found strung be neath the pipe leading to thi whistle on the smokestack of the Appam and extending above it, as do the regular j antennae of wireless.- The wire led o the interior of the vessel, where dynamos were kept running to make the current for lighting the ship. Investigation, it is said, led to the discovery that the wire finally ran to the room occupied by Lieutenant Hans Berg, where the messages were recorded by flash from an electric iight bulb. Aged Uncle of Secretary ' Daniels Drops Dead Baltimore, Md., March 9. Richard S. Daniels, uncle of Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, dropped dead of heart disease at the Cove Point (Md.) lighthouse yesterday while talking to Captain T. J. Miles of the lighthouse tender Maple. Mr. I Daniels was 72 years old. He had been in the liehthoiise service for forty years "ant: was maritime observer at Cove Komt. . ' aPTURED BY CUBAN FORCES Rebel Stronghold Falls Into Hands of Government and the Rebellion is Virtu ally Oyer. V. S. MARINES ARE LANDED Americans Go Ashore to Pro. tect Foreign Interests in . Case of Looting, FLIGHT IS PRECIPITATE Washington, March 9. Official dispatches to the Navy department todVy established that Cuban govern ment forces have regained control of Santiago, the stronghold of the rebel uprising. President Menocal has noti. ficd this government that Governor Munoz, in command there, represents. him and the recognized Cuban gov ernment. American marines have been landed to protect foreign interest. The repossession of Santiago and the capture of the rebel leader Gomez and his staff is regarded here as mark ing the collapse of the rebellion. To day s dispatches do not say whether there was a fight, but say the rebels, "realizing they were traitors about to be captured," threw away their arms and fled to the outskirts. It appears" from" the dispatches, which are incomplete, that the Munoz forces took the city by a coup with in it and before the Menocal troops, marching on SSntiago, had arrived. Munoz previously had declared himself loyal to President Menocal and the government and at his re quest American forces were landed to protect foreign interests in case the departing rebels should attempt to re-enter after having gathered their forces outside. , American Marines Banded. Santiago, Cuba, March 8. Four hundred men from American War ships have landed and taken charge in Santiago. The cane fields and the Union Sugar mill at San Luis, ten miles north of Santiago, are burning. The people of San Luis are greatly alarmed and have built barricades in the streets, expecting an attack from the rebels. The Americans were, landed from the mhie ' layer San Francisco, the cruiser Olympia, the gunboat Petrel and the gunboat Machias. The people of Santiago have regained confidence since the landing of the Americans. There has been no fighting here as a result of the arrival of the American guards. Heavy fighting is reported in the vicinity of Palina Soriano. Gomez Captive In Havana. Havana, March 8. Ex-President Jose Miguel Gomez, head of the lib eral revolutionary movement in Cuba, is a prisoner tonight in the presidio, while the members of his staff, among them Colonel Quinones, his chief lieutenant in the field, arc behind the walls of Fort Cabanas. Villa Ammunition Cache is Captured In Chihuahua State Chihuahua City, Mexico, March 9. A large quantity of hidden Villa ammunition was found by -the de facto troops, following the battle at Cusihuirachie, Chihuahua. A pris oner, captured by the Carranza forces during the battle, revealed the hiding place of the ammunition in re turn for a pardon. The cache con tained several thousand, rifle car tridges and artillery shells, according to an official report received here. Reports from the Guerrero district of western Chihuahua say the Villa forces have become badly disorgan ized because of the absence of Villa from the field and the iack of leader ship in his absence. Ammunition has been received here from Mexico City by General Mur guia and 20,000 rounds were sent north to supply the de facto troops in the field near Casas Grandes. Two thousand government troops from Sonora, including a large num ber of Yaqui Indians, have reached Ca'sas Grandes, having marched over land from the interior of Sonora. Wicks' Place Is Raided by Police And Many Arrested A. L. Wicks' cabaret at 107 South Twelfth street, was raided by the po nce last night at who arrested twelve men and seventeen women. They were booked as inmates of a disorderly house and later released on cash bonds put up by Frank Clark. A. O. Williams was charged with being the keeper and for his appear and, in rnurr a hnnrl nf $.75 ivai re quired. The bonds for the men were $10 each and for the women $5. une ot the men tound in the Wicks place was Humphrey Lynch, a brother of County Commissioner Lynch. , Sooners Offer Money for - The First U-Boat Bagged Oklahoma Citv. Okl.. March 8. A joint resolution authorizing Governor Williams to pay a reward of $100 to t he first American gunner who de stroys a German submarine caught in an attempt to sink an American ship, or any sh-'p carrying American pas sengers," was introduced in the lower i house tudav. ' Don't Wait for MRS. WHEELD0N ' DilESjWIRACY Accused Suffrage Leader Says She Did Not Plot to Poison Cabinet Members. POLICE TRY TO TRAP HER London, March 9. The taking of new testimony in the trial of Mrs. Alice Wheeldoi., her daughters, and Alfred George Mason, husband of one of the daughters, was resumed today before Justice Low in the Old Bailey,' where the prisoners are charged with conspiring to murder Iiemicr Lloyd George and Arthur Henderson, labor member of the war council. The case was delayed yes terday because of the illness of a juror, which necessitated the swear ing in of a new jury and the repetition of the testimony submitted up to that time. All the evidei ce given 'icfore the previous jury haviiic been repeated by this morning, Mrs. Whecldon con tii.ued he testimony In reply to Judge Low, she admitted that she often had expressed .he hope that the premier and Mr. Henderson would soon be be dead. At the moment of this ex pression it represented her wishes, she testified. On being questioned whether the poison which she testified previously had been obtained to kill dogs would not have been just as available to get rid of Premier Lloyd George and Mr. Henderson, the witness said: "I did not desire it to be carried out. I never wished to take any body's life or to have anybody's blood on my conscience. That is why I ob jected to the army taking conscien tious objectors." Mrs. WhejlJon declared that various occurrences whic'.. the crown con tends fit in with its case, were all coincidences. She said that the se cret agent, Gjrdon, who had been introduced .o her as a fugitive f.om the police had told her Premier Lloyd George was responsible for Lord Kitchener's death because Mr. Lloyd George was to have gone to Petro grad, but the plan was changed two hours before i c time of departure and the escort tvhich had been ar ranged for him was withdrawn. Body of Human Being Found Frozen in Ice in River The body of a human being, so completely wrapped in layers of ice that not a feature was distinguish able and with a rope around its neck, was found floating with the current down the Missouri river late yester day afternoon. The body was seen by a party of young men walking along the river bank between Douglas and the Union Pacific bridge. They summoned a boatman, who rowed in to mid-stream and dragged the frozen body to hte shore. It is believed the body had been in the water for weeks. It was im possible to determine whether it was a man or a woman. Watch Sunday's Bee Another Fascinating POWELL UZZLE 1CTURE Worth-havingf Prizes, too for the ten best answers Exclusive In The Bee Opportunity! Unlock War Up to Wilson , Says Zimmermann London, March 9. On being asked by a representative of a Budapest newspaper whether war between the United States and Ger many was expected the German foreign secretary. Dr. Alfred Zib mermann u quoted in an exchange telegraph dispatch from Copen hagen, replied: "I do not know. It dependts on I President Wilson. Since the sever ance jpi diplomatic relation! we have men without official informa tion from America, but I can say this: We shall prosecute the sub marine war with all means at our disposal." Dr. Zimmermann laid he believed there would be no change in. Ger many' relation! with the neutral nation of Europe during the war. Grand Jury Starts To Investigate Axe Crime in Villisca Red Oak, la., March 8. The grand jury here today began again investiga tion of the eight axe murders at the Moore home in, Villisca, la., in 1912. Attorney General H. M. Havener ar rived from Des Moines to conduct the investigation. J. N. Wilkerson, a Kansas City de tective, who was defendant in a $60, 001) libel suit brought by former Slate Senator F. F. Jones, who alleged Wil kerson circulated rumors connecting him with the murders, offered his services to the attorney general. Mr. Havener declined Wilkcrson's assist ance "except as a witness before the grand jury." ' The attorney, general will be aided by Special Prosecutor Faville of Storm Lake, la. Edward Mitchell, an attorney from Council Bluffs, who defended Wilker son successfully in his libel suit, was here, in conference with witnesses who will be examined by the grand jury. i Six members of the Moore family and two visitors were murdered in 1912 at the Moore home. Former Sen ator Jones, who was a business rival of Joseph Moore, one of the victims, said he would "never be satisfied until the murderer was found and his (Jones') name cleared of all suspi cion." Following the libel suit brought by Jones mass meetings of citizens were held, at which sufficient funds were pledged to bear the expense of a complete further investigation. Hill System Will r Invade California San Francisco, March 9. The San Francisco Chronicle publishes today details, based on information, it says, from an apparently authentic source, i f a plan .f the Hill railroad lines to enter California to San Franci.co by way of Eureka. The plan, it is stated, provides for the construction of a line b,. the Hill interests from Bend, Ore., to Trinidad, a few miles north of Eureka, where junction wHI be made with the Northwestern Pacific's line to Sausalito, on San Francisco bay. Morgan Asks Two and Half Millions Life Insurance New York, March 9. J. P. Morgan, it was learned today, had made appli cation for $2,500,000 life insurance, which would be the largespolicy ever written under one name. It was understood the risk would be distributed , among several com panies and that the insurance was in tended to protect Mr. Morgan's part ners in their mutual business inter ests as well as for the banker's per son.:! protection. the Door Yourself HUNDREDS PERISH AS TRANSPORT SUNK Ten Europeans Among- 625 Persons Aboard British Ves. sel Lost Off Isle of Wight. ' REST AFRICAN LABORERS London, March 9. The British transport Mendi, carrying South Afri can native laborers,, was sunk after a collison on February 21 and 625 per sons lost their lives. , Ten of the persons lost were Euro peans, according to the announcement today to the South African Parlia ment by General Louis Botha, the premier. The official announcement says: "Premier Botha stated to the South African Parliament today that the transport Mendi, carrying the last hatch of the South African native la borers' contingent (the rest of whom were landed safety in France), col lided with another vessel en rotate from England to Havrci and sank in twenty-five minutes. ' Off Isle of Wight. "The collison occurred off the Isle of Wight, February 21. The escort'! searchlight could not penetrate the fog, but the survivors were rescued by passing vessels. Twelve European officers and 191 natives were saved. Ten Europeans and 615 natives were lost. "Difficulty in obtaining authentic information caused the delay in mak ing the announcement public. Pre mier Botha added that the magis trates and native commissioners had been instructed to inform the chiefs, head men and people so that they mhjht know the truth and not heed idle and mischievous stories, which ex perience proved might be circulated sedulously." Built in Glasgow. t The Mendi was a British steamer of 4.2.10 tons gross, built in Glasgow in 19115 and owned by the British and African Steam Navigation company of Liverpool (the Elder Dempster com pany). The last entry in shipping records regarding its movements was on December 27 last, when it was re ported arriving at Port Natal from Dar-Es-Salaani. x Armed Ship is Barred From Rotterdam Port Berlin, March 9. .(By Wireless to Sayville.)-"The British merchant steamer Princess Melita was refused permission to enter the harbor at Rotterdam on Tuesday because i. was armed," says the Overseas News agency (the official German news bu reau.) "It left that evening and re turned to Rotterdam the next .day after throwing overboard its gun and its mounting." The Neuwe Rotterdariische Courant says that in the week from February 25 to March 3 only seven ships ar rived in Rotterdam harbor, as com pared with fifty-seven in the corre sponding week last year and 197 in that week of 1914. The Handels blad says that in that week only five ships arrived at Amsterdam, com pared vith twenty-six last year. Pacifist Post Card ; Is Barred from Mails Washington, March 9V A pacifist post card headed "American Univers ity Bulletin," mailed in large numbers in New York, has been barred from the mails by the Postoffice department under 1 the sections of the criminal code prohibiting anything tending to incite arson, murder, anarchy or as sassination and anything bearing an inscription detrimental to .the char acter of anyone. American university officials here complained the card was not issued by the university and they had no knowledge of it. . t. PRESIDENT WILL PLACE GUNS UPON AMERICAN BOATS Executive Also Summons Con gress to Meet in Extraordi nary Session Sixteenth of April. ACTION TAKEN AT ONCE Newspapers and Cable Com panies Asked to Suppress Data on Armament. CABINET BACKS UP CHIEF Washington, March' 9. President Wilson has decided to arm American merchant ships under his constitu tional authority and als3 has called a special session of congress for April 16. The proclamation for the extra session was issued at the White House this afternoon. The president said he was calling congress because so much necessary legislation was pressing for consideration. It was learned definitely that some American merchant vessels sailing for the submarine zone will be, armed by the government at once. Pre liminary arrangements have been completed and it is expected that ves sels will be ready to sail in the near future. Won't Be Made Public The names of the ships which will be armed will not be made public by the government and are not expected to be published in the newspapers. The following itatement was is sued: "Secretary Tumulty stated in con-: nection with the president's call for an extra session of congress that the president is convinced that he has the power to arm American merchant ships and is free to exercise it at once. But so much necessary legisla tion is pressing for consideration that he is convinced that it is for the best interests of the country to have an early session of the sixty-fifth con gress, whose support he will also need . in' all matters collateral to the de fense of our merchant marine' Sigm Proclamation in Bed. The president signed the proclama tion for the extra lession while.Jying in bed with a cold. He also approved the stafemetit given out at the White House. Ordcrr for carrying out the president's decisions to arm ships were immediately sent to the Navy department. . Mr. Wilson has the backing of the entire cabinet in taking the step. Guns for arming nierchantjien have b-icn assembled uL. navy yards along the Atlantic coast and everything is ready to carry out .the policy an nounced by thy president. The Navy department has issued an appeal to the American newspapers to refrain from publishing any infor mation whatever ot the nature ot ar mament of ships and already nan ap pealed to the cable companies to sup press all information of ships cross ing the Atlantic in either direction. Because of the passage by the house of the armed neutrality bill and the signing of the manifesto approv ing such a step by a majority of the senate during its last session the pres ident feels lie has congress and the country behind Jiim. As' soon as congress convenes additional legisla tion on the question will be asked for. Under the bill passed near the end of the last session the amount of money at the disposal of the govern ment war risk bureau for insuring American ships was increased to $15, 000,000. Under the present rule of the bureau the government does rot insure ships carrying arms or ammu nitions. , ' Call to Congress. The president's proclamation call ing the extra session of congress fol lows: 'Whereas, public, interests reauire that the congress of the United State should be convened in extra session at 12 o'clock noon on the 16th day of April, 1917, to receive such communi cations as maybe made by the execu tive: 'Now,' therefore; I, Woodrow Wil son, president' of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim and de clare that an extraordinary occasion requires the congress of ihe United States to convene m extra session at the capitol in the city of Washington on the 16th day of April, 1917, at 12 o'clock upon, of which all persons who shall at that time be entitled to act as members thereof are required to take notice. , "Given under my hand and the leal of the United States of. America the 9th day of March. in, the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and seventeen; and of the independence of the United States the one hundred and forty-first." - Hundreds of people will be looking through the Room torn Rent Column of The Bee on Sunday. Call Tyler 1000 and y have Mr. Addison write an ad for you. Your room will be rented quickly. , The price is only - One Cent Per Word Why pay mprefj r . v.., '.jtMti'