he Omaha D
THE WEATHER
Fair
VOL. XLVII NO. 12.
OMAHA, MONDAY MORNING. JULY 2, 1917 TEN PAGES.
StSSSX. SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS.
45 DROWNED IN TROLLEY WRECK AT NIAGARA FALLS;
DEMAND PUNISHMENT OF VILLISCA AX MURDERERS;
Bee
BAKER REPUDIATE$mOARD'S COAL RATE AGREEMENT
$ -f a
WAR SECRETARY
DEFENSE COUNCIL HAS NO
POWER TO FIX FUEL PRICES
Head of Army Department Contends Price of $3 at Mines
for Coal is "Exorbitant, Unjust and Oppressive;"
Daniels Says Navy Department Will Not
Be Bound By Agreement
(By Awoclatod Pro.)
Washington, July 1. Secretary of War Baker, as presi
dent of the Council of National Defense, repudiated tonight an
agreement fixing a tentative price of $3 a ton for bituminous
coal, reached at a conference here Thursday between coal pro
ducers. Secretary Lane, a member of the Defense Council, mem
bers of the council's coal production committee and the federal
trade commission.
Neither the council nor its commitees, Secretary Baker
.said in a letter to W. S. Gifford of the council, has power to fix
prices. He added that the price of $3 at the mines, suggested
for bituminous coal, is "exorbitant, unjust and oppressive."
NAVY NOT AFFECTED. 9
Secretary Daniels, another member
of the council, earlier in the day said
the agreement would in no way affect
coal purchases for the navy. The
navy, he said, will continue to buy
from the mine at $2.33 a ton, leaving
a price to be determined after the
Federal Trade commission has as
certained productive costs.
In his letter to Mr. Gifford, Mr.
Baker asserted that he believed no
members of the Defense Council dis
agree with him as to the limitations
en the powers of the Council and its
committees and as to the effects of
the action taken.
The fact that the confeences were
attended by members of the council
and of the Trade commission, he de
clared, gave no legality to the agree
ment, i
Result of Conference.
The price fixing agreement was re
ported after 400 operators, called here
by the coal production committee,
had adopted resolutions authorizing"
their committee to- give assent to
such maximum bituminous prices as
might be named by the secretary of
the interior,-the Federal Trade com
mission and the coal committee.
The resolution was reported by
Trade Commissioner Fort from a
special committee. In presenting it
for adoption, Mr. Fort declared he be
lieved it was entirely safe for the con
ference to adopt and that any respon
sibility as to the legality of fixing
prices was put on the government and
not on the operators, under the terms
of the resolution. Some operators
had expressed a fear that they might
be prosecuted under the anti-trust
!aws if they entered into an agree
ment among themselves to lower
prices.
Had Inside Information.
An official announcement made
through the public information com
mittee said that in the final confer
ence cost ibices and other confiden
tial information was laid on the table
and the ' government representatives,
acting as judges, decided what would
he the highest prices paid at the
mines, the prices to go into effect
July 1, and "to remain in effect until
in estigations are made and other
prices arranged.
Secretary Baker tonight indicated
'hat ss president of the Defense
Council, he had received no notifica
tion df the arrangement reached at
he conferences.
Bakers' Letter to Gifford.
His letter to Mr. Gifford said:
"My attention lias been called
through the newspapers to the action
reported to have been takeo-at Wash
ington, D. C, during the last week by
the so-called committee on coal pro
duction of the Council of National De
fense, in co-operation with certain
coal producers and representatives of
coal mining enterprises, with regard
to the price of bituminous and
anthracite coal.
"The facts seem to be that the coal
production committee invited to
Washington various coal operators
and arranged conterences between
them, members of the" coal production
committee and members of the federal
trade commission, leading to the
adoption of resolutions in favor of an
early and accurate determination of
the costs involved in the production
of bituminous and anthracite coal, as
a basis for some future action -by
some official agency of the govern
ment in fixing fair and just prices for
these products, should any such
agency be given power to do so.
Should Remain in Force. '
"Pending such an ascertainment of
coits this meeting seems to have
adopted a resolution whereby the op
erators present agreed to sell bitumin.
ous coal at a price no higher than $3
per ton, and that this obligation
(Continued on Face Two, Column Two.)
Cossacks Want Conquered
Lands Returned to Them
Petrograd, July 1. The congress
of Cossacks hab resolved tht lands
formerly belonging to the Cossacks
b right of conquest and later given
ly the crown to private owners must
be returned to the Cossacks under
conditions to behoved by the con -
muuciu asbeiuim int coilgrrss
recommended thai peasant land re-
mam in status quo where
owned and occupied.
legally
DECLARES
FORT WORTH, TEX.,
TENTATIVELY AS
CAMP JF N.N. G.
Plan for July 25 Call May Be
Changed to August 5; Sec
retary of War Baker to
Decide.
Washington, July 1. The Ne
braska National Guard will be sent
to camp at Fort Worth, Tex., when
it is drafted ifito the federal service,
if tentative plans of the War depart
ment are carried out. ...
In announcing the tentative selec
tion of camps for the central states
the War department also reversed its
previously announced decision to bold
the National Guardat local armories
for two or three weeks after it is
drafted into the federal service. In
stead, under plans now proposed, all
the National Guard will be sent di
rectly to camp immediately after
mobilization.
The tentative selection of camps
for- the National Guard of the cen
tral states, as' announced, is as fol
lows: Nebraska, Iowa, .Minnesota and
Dakotas Division Fort Worth, Tex.
Illinois Division Waco, Tex.
Indiana-Kentucky Division Anni
stbn, Ala.
Michigan-Y iscorlsin Division
Houston, Tex.
These selections are not final, as
there are two camps in the southeast
ern department which are yet to be
selected by General Wood. It is
hardly likely this will change the lo
cation of the central troops, as the
eastern state troops will be distribut
ed among the camps in General
Wood's department.
Theonly change in the plan at pres
ent considered is one delaying until
August 5 the date when all National
Guard units are to be drafted into the
federal service. This plan has been
urged as necessary to prevent in
equalities in rank, since he relative
rank of officers dates from their draft,
and those called out July IS would
have an advantage over those called
out July 25 and August 5.
Kitled on Lens Salient
(By Associated Press.)
British Army Headquarters in
France, July 1. Serge Basset, a dis
tinguished French war correspondent
attached to the Eritish armies; was
killed by rifle fire while watching the
fighting about the Lens salient. Al
though several correspondents have
been wounded. Serge Bassett is the
first to be killed in the field during
the present war. He has been award
ed the legion of honor for literary and
dramatic work. He will be buried to
morrow with military honors.
The Weather
Generally fair Monday: fresh northwest
winds.
Temperatures at Omaha Yesterday. -
Hour. Deg.
i a. m.
i a. m.
7 a. m.
8 a. m.
a. m.
10 a. m.
11 a. m.
.... 70
.... .
.... C8
. . . . .
.... 7
.... "3
.... 77
12 m 79
1 p. m it
1 P- m j,, S3
2 p. m S3
3 p. m 14
4 p. m 13
5 p. m S2
p. m H
7 p. m 7
Comparative Loral Record.
1917. 1918. 1015. 1914.
Hljhfst suterday 14 3 ! :
Lowest ektertU.v 7 7 4 9 61
Mean temperature. . . . 71 SI 71
rrei'ipltation 3 " ' .00
i Tmreralurr -ii'J prt?l'itatwji aspm-iurea
from tlie norms I:
Normal temperature 7S
E-'." f'i' 1 1 if day J
, Mh. '..V " 7u
. t fM;u' (nr the 1y U6 invh
Total rainfii since March l. .. mo.ss imh
Psflclonry for cor. period. 11.. 4.11 Inchea
Deficiency for cor. period, 116.. I.Hlnciua
fMEL
Com&inding Officers of "Fighting Fourth"
Nebraska Regiment Inspire Confidence of
Mothers Who Gave Sons to Their Country
All of Them Have Seen Service
and Rose From the Ranks;
Colonel Baehr Chased Agui
naldo in Philippines.
By SAMUEL SLOTKY.
When the "Fighting Fourth." one
of Nebraska's crack regiments, un
limbers for action "somewhere in
France" mothers with sons in the or
ganization may rest assured that their
ftfft4fwL . -:.& otter-' v-v: rv -x'V
! 1 ; js
COZCWEL Tf.E. BAEHR
boys will be led to victory by offi
cers who have seen actual service
and who "know what it is to tote a
gun."
Perhaps there is no regiment in the
country whose field officers are bet-
y&jor GeoXTfottematt,
ter qualified than those of the "Fight
ing Fourth." From the colonel down
to the junior major, all have had
years of military experience, first as
privates and up through the ranks to
"gold braid."
The "old man," Colonel William
Bachr, known better to his officers
as Colonel "Bill" Baehr has seen con
tir.ual service with the organization
he now commands twenty one years.
In 1896 Colonel Baehr got a hank
ering that he wanted to be a military
man. He joined Company L of the
First Nebraska with the rank of a
private. In 1898 Colonel Baehr, still
a private, was sent to the Philippines,
with his regiment to help in putting
a stop to Aquinaldo's depredations.
Colonel Baehr "soldiered" all over
the islands taking part in thirty en
gagaments. His expereinece gained
there is expected to be invaluable
when he goes to the front.
Hunting Little Brown Men.
Chasing the willy Philippine
chieftan over the islands wasn't with
out its rewards. When Colonel
Baehr headed back for the states, he
had passed up from the rank of cor
poral and sergeant and had had bis
first experience as a "shave tail."
Though many members of the old
Thurston guard company quit upon
being "mustered out,' Colonel Baehr
(Continued on Page Thret. Column Two.)
Russian Sailors Accept
Challenge of Bravery
Petrograd, June 30. Two hundred
sailors from the Baltic fleet have ap
peared at Riga to join the army and
lead in an attack upon the enemy, ac
cording to the Ruskaya Volk. Their
action, says the newspaper was taken
as the result of a declaration by an
army officer that if "200 brave men
willing to die for their country could
be found, the whole army would
fight."
A fortnight ago a deputation from
the fleet visited Ripa, heard this of
ficer's assertion and repeated it upon
returning to Hrlsingfors. Midship
man Steurmer of a torpedo boat crew
declared he would accept the chal
lenge and proceeded to recruit the re
quired number of heroes, who in due
course were dispatched to Riga under
command of Midshipman Simonovsky.
Yesterday the men went to the front.
fVe T?V
..vij.,&-X::
f hit-' :y ;
,
GORGE ROUTE CAR PLUNGES
INTO RIVER BELOW RAGING
CATARACT AND TURNS OVER
Of Sixty Passengers on Board, Forty are Missing and
Several in Hospitals, Seriously Hurt; Exact
Number of Dead Not Known;
Caused by Washout.
Niagrra Falls, N. Y., July
route, carrying sixty persons, jumped the track and ran into
the Niagara river about 3:30 o'clock this afternoon.
At 6 o'clock the police reported that 45 persons were miss
ing and several were in hospitals seriously hurt.
The car left the track just below the cantilever bridge on
the American side of the river and turned bottom' side up in the
rushing current.
Four hours after the accident officials of the Gorge Route
and the International railway, with which it connects, were un
able to determine the number of dead.
It was definitely known however, that the car had a
capacity of 60 persons and was filled and that only a few of
those on board escaped.
The cause of the accident was said to have been a washout
The road bed under the cantilever bridge at the point where
it occurred is a clay fill and recent heavy rains washed it out,
below the surface of the road bed.
When the heavily loaded car struck the weak spot this
afternoon, the rail on the river side about ten feet from the'
waetr gave way. The car turned on its side, slid down into the
water and as it struck the rock bottom of the river turned com
pletely oyer, the top of the car resting on the botom of he river.
Not more than half a minute elapsed between the time the
car left the rails and the time it came to a standstill in the,
river.
ELEVEN DIE WHEN
SHIP IS CRUSHED
BY FALLING TANK
Steamer Crashes Into Wharf,
Loosening Fifty-Ton Reser
voir That Falls on Crowd
ed Decks.
(By Aeftoclated f'rea.
Milwaukee, July 1. Eleven per
sons met death and at least ten others
were injured, some seriously, Satur
day, the result of a fifty-ton water
tank, erected on the Milwaukee river
front, toppling down on the whale
back steamer Christopher Columbus,
as that vessel was being swung around
preparatory to making its return trip
with about 400 passengers for ChU
cago.
The ' steamer was in tow of two
tugs when it rammed the East Water
street dock, abutting the warehouse of
the Yahr & sLange Drug company,
with such force as to cause the steel
supports which held the fifty-ton
water tank to give way, resulting in
the lofty reservoir crashing down,
hitting the vessel near the bridge and
not stopping until it had ripped
through two decks, causing a panic
and carrying death or injury to all
who were in its path.
Captain Moody, who was on the
bridge at the time of the accident,
gave it as his opinion that the tugs
seemed unable to hold the boat and
that had there been a leeway of but
six inches, the accident would not
have happened.
The tank fell on the upper deck
of the vessel, which was crowded with
passengers. Many are said to have
been knocked off the vessel into the
(Contlnned on Pare Two, Column Neven.)
Famous German Airman
. Is Killed in Action
Copenhagen, July 1. Lieutenant
Allnianrotder, a German aviator, who
was one of the brightest stars of
Lieutenant Baron von Richthofen's
battle squadron, has been killed in
aerial combat. Lieutenant Allman
roeder had a record of thirty vic
tories, although he only passed the
pilot examination last January.
Roumanian Mission
Purely Unofficial
Washington, July 1. The Rou
manian war mission now in Wash
ington was said at the State depart
ment today to be purely unofficial,
having as its only purpose to unite
Roumanians here and to recruit as
many as possible for home service.
The mission will pay a call of cour
tesy on Secretary Lansing Monday.
1. A trolly car on the Gorge , .
STARTLING CUTS
MADE IN FIGURES
OFTHEASSESSOR
Sixteen Hundred Protests
Passed on by Board of Equal
ization and Reductions Are
Made in Most Cases.
Wholesale reduction in taxes, voted
in the face of objections by 'County
Assessor Fitzgerald, who sent out
notices of boosts totaling millions of
dollars, mark the closing sessions of
the county board of equalization,
which will end a nineteen days' grind
Tuesday night and adjourn until levy
day. sometime the early part of Au
gust. The board has passed on about 1,
600 protests. The closing sessions
are proving the busiest, for hundreds
of business concerns and individuals
whose assessments were raised by the
county asscsor have waited until the
proverbial last minute.
Members of the equalization body
plan to sit from early morning till
way after midnight Monday and
Tuesday in an effort to dispose of as
many.of the remaining protests as
possible":
Some of the reductions voted by
the board as whole in the last twenty
hours over the violent protestations of
(Continued on Vt.tr, Two, Column Three.)
Say Mrs. Shields Not
Among Suffs Arrested
Washington, July 1. Woman's
party headquarters issued a statement
explaining that Mrs. Alex Shields of
Amarillo, Tex., was not among the
women arrested during suffrage dem
onstrations this week, as had been an
nounced in a previous statement. Pub
lished stories of the incident have
erroneously included her among those
arrested.
Russ Schooner Sunk
By German Submarine
Chattam, N. B July 1. The Rus
sian schooner Sibens, .323 tons, from
Cadiz for this port with a cargo of
salt, has been sunk by a German sub
marine, according to cable t '.vices to-
South Dakota Saloons
Wind Up iheir Business
Sioux Falls, S. D., July 1.
Saloons here did a bumper business
today preparatory to closing to
night, when the state-wide prohibi
tion law became effective. Several
saloons closed' their doors early to
day, having exhausted their stock
and most drinks were selling at a
premium.
I0E STILLINGER,
TWO VICTIMS FOULLY SLAIN,
PLEADS IUSTICE BE DONE
Detective Wilkerson, Who Called Meeting, Arrested on
Conspiracy Charge and Prevented by Injunction
From Speaking; Citizens Aghast at Unseen
Power; Attempt to Send Kelly to Asylum.
Red Oak, la., July 1. (Special Telegram.) -A mass
meeting of Red Oak citizens and residents from all parts of
Montgomery tounty was held here Saturday afternoon to raise
funds to carry out an exhaustive investigation of the Villisca ax
murders .of five years ago.
Prosecution of the guilty parties, if ferreted out, was de
manded. A preliminary fund of $700 to start the work was
raised at the meeting.
From the platform it was
is being made to "railroad"' Rev.
jail at Logan, charged with the
HAPPY FATHERS
MAKE REPORT NOW
IN POLICE COURT
Tell Sergeant Wilson They Are
Living Lives of Sobriety, and
Kiddies They Bring Are
Living Witnesses.
"Good morning, sergeant," a well
dressed middle aged man greeted
Court Sergeant W. R. Wilson pleas
antly after the morning session of
police cour Saturday.
". brought the baby down town to
get a new pair of shoes nj some,
candy and thought 1 would come in
and report." , (
After a few minutes conversation,
the man picked up the child and with
a smile, departed.
' 'I never expect to see him here
again," the sergeant remarked.
"The judge has paroled several
men to me who were in the habit of
getting drunk and abusing their fatui
ties," Said Sergeant Wilson by way of
explanation. This man was one of
them, but I just told him lie would
not have to come again. He doesn't
look much like the sot he was a few
months ago and from the appearance
of his chili, I guess his family is not
suffering now.
Families Suffer.
"Nothing ever tore my heart
strings more than to see men of
families come here as they did before
prohibition became a law. Sinee May
1, few havt come back. Several who
have reported in the last few days
looked so prosperous I did not know
them at first. One of the most con
firmed cases,"! visited a few days
ago. I found one of the happiest and
nicest little families in Omaha. I
consider prohibition the greatest law
on our statute books. It certainly
has made life worth living for the
women and children of a great many
men."
During the month past, but five
men have been arrested for abusing
their families in various ways. One
year ago sixteen men were arrested
on this charge. Police officers are
unanimous in declaring prohibition is
responsible for this change.
Saves Dempsey Work.
Police Captain Dempsey when
asked of the noticeable effects of the
first two months of the prohibition
law said: "It has saved us a great
deal of work. We cannot notice much
difference in the criminals, but we do
not have as many vagrants and beg
gars as before. I do not know
whether they have gone to work or
left town, but they do not loaf around
the streets. We rarely have repo. . i
of men abusing thei. families . .d
drunks are almost strangers here."
"The big plants are having their
effect now," aid Prosecuting Attor
ney T. J. McGuire. "The supply
stored away in the homes is running
out and men who stored away large
i .ounts are taking chances. Several
have eniployed agents working the
streets with one bottle at a time, but
lwe have a line on them and several
big arrests will be made as soon as
we have sufficient evidence to land
the man higher up. We will not let
up in the enforcement of this law."
Number of Arrests.
Arrests for drunkenness have fallen
off during June from May, although
there were eight more arrests on
other charges. Following is a com
parative statement of the number of
.rrrests during May and June of this
year and a year ago:
Urunkan
neaa. 10
86
570
i:
ArrealK
My 1233
May 1117 US
Jun 1011 1321
June 1917 864
Fifty-eight arrests were made dur
ing June for violations of the prohibi
tion law. All but two of the offend
ers have been tried. Twenty-eight
were fined $100 and costs. One bond
was forfeited and two were soldiers
and turned over to the United States
army officers. Ten were discharged
on insufficient evidence, etc. Fifteen
were found guilty and given thirty
day jail sentences.
FATHER OF
openly charged that an attempt
George Lynn J. Kelly, now in
crime, to the insane asylum.
S DETECTIVE IS ARRESTED.
J. N. Wilkerson,, detective em
ployed in the case and who called the
mas's meeting, was arrested on a
charge of conspiracy and taken to
Corning by Sheriff Simpson of Adams
county ' ' '
Wilkerson's arrest created a sen
sation. He has been a leading figure,
for four years in the attempt to bring ,
the muTderee to justice. The detec
tive is charged with conspiring with
William Walker, Edward Boiler and
Harry Nave of Atlantic, la., now in
jail at Coming, to rob a store st
Villisca, owned by F. F. Jones, for
mer State senator.
It is alleged that they hoped to
obtain papers bearing on the murder
case. Jones has been exonerated by a
grand jury and brought suit for slan
der unsuccessfully against Wilkerson.
Wilkersonave bond and returned
to Red Oak in time to attend the
meeting., He , hurried to the hall to
tehVwhst.be had discovered-concerning
-the murders, but 'was prevented
from speaking by s restraining order
served by Sheriff R. A. Dunn of
Montgomery county. He thanked the
audience for attending the meeting,
but wa,s ,nst permitted to say more,
The injunction prohibited Wilker
son from holding public meetings or
attempting to influence jurors, wit
nesses or officers summoned for the
trial next September of Lynn George
J. Kelly, itinerant clergyman.
After Wilkerson was forced to re
tire, Joe Stillinger, father of the two
girls who were slain with the Moore
family at Villisca in 1912, addressed
the audience. ; , , .
Father Pleads for Justice.
With tears streaming down his
cheeks, he declared that he would
contribute money as long as he had
cent and .voitld work as long as u
drop of blood remained in his veins
aloiig the lines now being nursued to
i-olve the murder mystery unless it is
proven to him that the wrong line of
investigation is being followed, .
"V want justice," he said, "for the
murder of those two little girls of
mine, whom I remember seeing fjr
the last time as they went down. the
road, waving their handkerchiefs in
goodbye to mc. .
"The reason 1 never saw them again
was because soon after they said
goodbye to me the murderer's ax
PO mutilated their faces that they
were not fit to look upon."
Clarence Miller of Red Oak de
clared that since Rev. Lynn George
J. Kelly was placed in jail at Logan,
charged with the Villisca murders,
several attempts have been made to
persuade him to go to the asylum
at Clarinda. He declared that those
in authority have said that no one else
will be indicted for the murder until
Kelly is tried.
Plot to Railroad Kelly.
"If they can put Kelly in the asy
lum," Miller said, " he can be kept
there and jt will prevent anybody else
from being tried for the Moore mur
der." Others who spoke at the meeting
were Swan Rosander, L. B. Penton
and Ed Peterson, prominent Mont
gomery county fanners. Harve Vil
lett, John Montgomery and Joe Still
inger of Villisca subscribed $100 each
toward the further investigation of
the murders, J. W. Noell and J. L.
Gourley of Villisca contributed $50
eath, and Swan Rosander, Mrs. E. T.
Ericsson, A. Newall and J. Holden
(Continued on Page. Two, Column Throe.)
Hindenburg Again Offers
Armistice to Russians
Copenhagen, July' 1. It is report
ed from German sources that Field
Marshal von Hindenburg, chief of the
general staff, in a wireless message
has again offered an armistice to Rus
sia. This time his wish is to suspend
hostilities during the election of dele
gates to the Russian constitutional
convention.
Hot Winds Shatter All
Kansas Heat Records
Topeka, Kan., July l.Hot winds
and a blazing sun combined today to
shatter Kansas heat records for June
30. The maximum temperature of
102 degrees registered here at 4
o'clock this afternoon was the high
est for this date in thirty years, ac-.
cording to the government bureau.