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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1917)
Omae Sunday Bee PART ONE. NEWS SECTION ! PAGES ONE TO TWELVE THE WEATHER Cloudy VOL. XLVII NO. 4. OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 8, 1917 SIX SECTIONS THIRTY-SIX PAGES. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. FRADIC riMOMY OF MR I0WMS SCORE OFFICIALS M AX MURDER A iiJi COM PHF 1 HJIJLj ltd CASE t RELATIVES OF VICTIMS IN FIENDISH VILLISCA CRIME BEG THAT JUSTICE BE BONE . : . Resolutions Adopted Censuring Tactics of Iowa Officials v in Depriving Investigators of Right of Public Speech; Joseph Stillinger Pleads for Support; Detective Wilkerson Tells of His Investigation. Eight hundred citizens of Red Oak, Villisca. and other towns in Montgomery county, Iowa, held a mass meeting in Boyd theater yesterday afternoon and listened to stirring ad dresses by J. N. Wilkerson and Joe Stillinger on various phases of the Villisca ax murder and the injunction against Wilkerson addressing them in their own county. A dramatic set of resolutions, offered by Jack Seafelt of Red Oak, condemning Iowa officials for throttling free speech in the Hawkeye state were unanimously adopted by the crowd, and at the close more money was contributed toward a fund to push the investigation being conducted by Mir. Wilkerson. Ktillincsr in Tears. Mr. Stillinger, who was elected chairman, addressed his fellow Iowans and many Omahan's who attended to hear the unusual proceedings.. He broke down in tears several times, pausing now and then to regain his composure. The theater was crowded in the parquet and balcony, with scattering attendants in the gallery. Joe Stil inger is the father of two girls, Lena and Ina, 11 and 9 years of age, re spectfully, who were murdered in the Moore home on the night of June 9, 1912, when the terrible tragedy oc curred. Ho told in an impassioned manner of the bereavementi which seared the minds of himself and wife and which, he said, he has not been able to eiface from bis memory. Another relative of the ax murder victims was John Montgomery, father of Mrs. Joseph Moore. Mr. Mont gomery received word Saturday morn ing that a brother wasying in Knox ville, 111., but hesaid he was deter mined to attend the mass meeting. Ewing Makes Prayer. Rev. W. Jj Ewing of the Presbyte rian church at Villisca was called up on by Chairman Stillinger to open the meeting with a prayer. It was aa the Ewing home that the Rev Lyn G. J. Kelly stayed on the night of the mur der. Kelly attended Children's day exercises with the Ewing family at the Presbyterian church, returning to the Ewing home shortly after 10 o'clock, and left during the early morning for Macedonia. Among the relatives of the Moore family present was W. W. Arnold, fa ther of Mrs. Ross Moore, the latter being unable to attend with her hus band. Prominent citizens of Mont gomery county sat on the stage. At torney A. L. Sutton, for the Rev. Mr. Kelly occupied a box. Crowd With Wilkerson J. N. Wilkerson, who made the principal address of the meeting, had the crowd with him from first to last. .He has been prominently identified with an investigation of the ax mur der, covering a period of years, and it is alleged that the Thompson law, passed during the last hours of the last Iowa legislature, was aimed at him. That law is generally known in Iowa as the "anti-Wilkerson" law. Last Saturday night, in Red Oak, Mr. Wilkerson sought to address Montgomery citizens in a theater at Red Oak, but was restrained by a writ,of injunction served by order of Attorney General Havner of Iowa. Determined to hear Wilkerson, citi zens of Montgomery county raised a fund, engaged the Boyd theater here and came to Omaha en masse yester day, returning at 6:30 p. m. Stillinger Asks Backing. During his talk to the audience, Chairman Stillinger said: "I want t oask a favor of you Ne braskans. I just want your silent promise in your heart, that if it should happen, now or later, that either my self or wife should be arrested for this or any following violation of the Iowa laws, and we should be thrown into jail, that you will do your part to help us out, no matter what may happen. We are not going to live very long on this earth. He asked those wllo would promise, to raise their hands, which the entire audience did with enthusiasm. Safest to Hide in Iowa. "We must not waste any time. Wt are here in the interest of humanity," continued Mr. Stillinger. "We are here because, a ban has been put on free speech in Iowa. Under the Hav ner rule in Iowa it is the safest thing for a man to do when he wants to say anything to go into his cellar and hide his head. You alt know my rela tion to this case. I will tell you why they have put a padlock on our mouths by this new law. I was before the grand jury. I was not supposed (Continued on Tng Two, Column On.) Katzenjammer Kids and All the Comic Favorites 5c The Sunday Bee 37 ARE KILLED IN GREATEST OF ALL RAIDSONLONDON Score of German Planes Pre cipitate Hail of Bombs on British Capital; Women and Children Die. BULLETIN. London, July 7. Thirty-seven personi were killed in the air raid and 141 injured, it was ofi'.cially an nounced this afternoon. One en emy machine was brought down by the Royal Flying corps. London, July 7. Damage was done in the heart of London by an air raid today which was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, ever attempted by the Germausover the metropolis. Fortunately a majority of the people in the capitai had just enough warning of the raid to enable them to seek safety in basements. An official statement issued this af ternoon by the British admiralty said that three of the German airplanes which had dropped bombs on London had been brought down at sea. About twenty-one airplanes bom barded London. The raiders were attacked by artil lery and a large number of British air planes. The results were unknown at noon. The raid occurred at about 9:30 o'clock this morning. Thousands of persons crowded the streets, many of them women and children. The po lice and soldiers had difficulty in hold ing back the people. Many persons were seen at windows. Anti-aircraft guns throughout the city and British airplanes immediately engaged he hostile craft and for a time the sound of exploding bombs and the vicious reply of guns was deafening. Fly Straight Over City. Straight over the city flew the squadron of raiders, pursued by burst ing shrapnel. The sun was shining brightly, but the sky was overcast with a haze such as is so favorable to raiders. Notwithstanding the haze, however, the Germans were visible plainly to the people in the streets. The raiders appeared most sud denly and few persons realized that a raid was in progress until the sound of bombs began to be heard. The Germans were traveling at tremen dous speed. They appeared to be at a lower altitude than in the last raid, when they exacted such a heavy toll of life in London. Superb View of Raiders. ' The west end ana fashionable north western residential suburbs had a superb view of the approach of the visitors, hrom the further northern fringes of the metropolis the raiders swept onward in fairly close forma tion, more than a score in number. The suadrou owhich had been flvinsr high then began a swift toboggan downwards, its speed increasing: tre mendously under the assistance of gravity and the planes soon reaching a level evidently less than a thousand yards in their swoop toward the cen tral objectives. Meanwhile from all directions anti aircrift batteries were working like machine guns. Bursting shrapnel dot ter the air around the on-coming raid ers with snarling, vicious black puffs of smoke more numerous than the planes. It seemed impossible for the raiders completely to escape from the atmosphere of curtain fire surround ing them. 1 he raiders however, pur sued their course holding their cargo of bombs until they had crossed the suburban district and outlying parks. Basements Are Shaken. Even in basements the effect of the bombs was felt, the ground trembling as though an earthquake were in pro gress. Windows were shaken from frames, plaster from walls and soot from chimneys. Evidently there was a considerable difference in the calibre of the. bombs (Continued on Page Two, Column Four.) r " " (I II II i tiling . ,"' "I t5-'"LTi-L-f -iiri--dr- in uin vi if wiiu tit n y r SLAVS LAUNCH NEW OFFENSIVE WESTJF PINSK Another Great Battle Begins 150 Miles North of the First Russ Victoryin Galicia. (Associated Frets War Summary) General Brussiloff has launched a new offensive against the Germans, it is announced from Petrograd to day, this time in the Pinsk district, which is ISO miles north of the Gali cian border, where the first offensive since the revolution was opened last Sunday. The Russian statement rec ords gains in both the Pinsk and Gal- ician fighting. Pinsk, which has been in German hands since the tide of the great in vasion of 1915 swept Grand Duke Nicholas' armies far back into Rus sian territory, is reported in flames. The :ity lies within a pronounced salient in the line and the statement that fighting is occurring west of it may mean to the northwest, but the front trends along the Oginski canal and the Jasiolda river. On the Franco-Belgian front the British have again made another for ward thrust, slightly advancing their line east of Wytschaete, in the Bel gian district, where General Plutner blew t.ie Germans out of an extended salient east of the Messines ridge last month. With the French forces there have been only artillery fighting and trench raiding. Russian Official Report. Petrograd, July 7. Violent fighting has begun on the Rusian front west of Pinsk. The city of Pinsk is in flames, acco. aing to an announcement by the semi-ofTicial news agency. The Russian artillery, the an nouncement says, is leveling all ob stacles. The Russians have -captured the fortified forest of Sianka with all the enemy's organized positions and also Hill 388. They have penetrated the village of Godov. Further gains have been made by the Russian forces in Galicia. Ad vices from the front record the tak ing of first line trenches by troops of the Eleventh army, whicli also at some points captured second line po sitions. The opening of the battle of Pinsk marks tliesecond effort of the Rus sians after the long period of quiet which followed the revolution. The point selected for this attack is about 175 miles north of the sector in east Galicia along which the Russians made their first onslaught resulting in the capture of about 18,000 men in two days. Pinsk is at the middle of the Russo-Galician battle line. Pinsk had a population of about 30,000 before the war. It lies within the great marsh and swamp region. ot White Kussia about on a line east of Warsaw. jtacation-A Question of Choice Cruiser Olympi Floated Off Rock Washington, July 7.The famous old cruiser Olympia, beached re cently in. Block Island sound, after striking : an uncharted rock, was floated today. TO COMMANDEER ALL OF DISTILLED STOCKS IN BOND Senate Votes to Prohibit Man ufacture and Sale of Heavier Liquors; Beer and Wine Not Interfered With. Washington, July 7. In a final vote on prohibition the senate late today substituted 45 to 37 for the "bone dry" prohibition section of the house food control bill, Senator Robinson's compromise, as amended by Senator Smoot, prohibiting manufacture and importation of distilled beverages dur ing the war and directing the presi dent to take over and pay for existing stocks of distilled beverages in bond. As this would eliminate distilled beverages as a revenue source, Chair man Simmons of the finance commit tee had the senate recommit the $1, 670,000,000 war tax bill so that new sources pf revenue may be sought. In a preliminary test vote upon au thorizing the president to suspend manufacture of beer and wines, the senate late today voted 46 to 34 against conferring such power. lotoaMass Meeting Denounces Officials Who Bar Free Speech The following resolution, offered by Jack Seafelt of Red Oak, was unani mously adopted yesterday afternoon by a mass meeting of Montgomery county, Iowa, citizens in Boyd's theater: "Be it resolved by the citizens of Iowa here assembled: "1. That we deplore the present condition of affairs in Iowa, which makes it necessary to leave the state to enjoy freedom of speech in regard to mat ters of profound importance to our welfare, our personal safety and our per sonal liberty. "2. That we denounce as a gross injustice the law against free speech, as framed by Attorney General Havner, and passed without chance for debate by the Iowa state legislature during its expiring moments. We declare it to be a law proposed by the political ring, whose sole object was to prevent' exposure of the Villisca murder plot. "3. That we denounce the present attitude of certain Iowa state, county and high court officials, who are preventing and have prevented an honest investigation, and who have conducted and tolerated 'third degree methods on state witnesses before they appeared in the grand jury room, and this after protest had been duly made. "4. That we protest against such proceedings, and against the attempts of the so-called 'state agents of the Havner administration to destroy state's evidence in the Villisca murder case. "5. We further brand as unconstitutional and an outrage on American liberty and justice the enjoining of J. N. Wilkerson from public speech, a fact which made this meeting here today necessary. "6. Be it farther resolved that we heartily commend J. N. Wilkerson, and the men who are assisting him, for their persistent and courageous work in this investigation. We have faith in Mr. Wilkerson's honesty and in tegrity; we have found him true to his trust, and we join the relatives of the murdered people in renewed allegiance to the cause of securing justice in Montgomery county, to which we pledge our substantial assistance. "7. Further, it is the sense of the Iowa people here assembled, that we express our. appreciation of the fairness of the Omaha papers in reporting all news concerning the investigation, and for the courteous treatment given us by Omaha and Nebraska people , ?amfl3. EMPLOYES OF . GERMANY NOW IN U.S. MUST LEAVE Clerks and Servants Formerly Connected With Embassy or Consulates Requested to Quit Country. BULLETIN. New York, July 7. Heinrich Schaafhausen, former German em bassy attache, whom the United States government has decided to send cut of thir country, was placed on board a Norwegian steamer by agents of the Department of Justice here today. The immediate arrest of all Cer man agc.ts suspected of activities against the country has been or dered from Washington. Washington, July 7. All Germans formerly connected either with the German embassy or any one of the many consulates in America have been requested to leave the United States. Notification that their presence in America is undesirable has been sent to them by the State department. The Germans, who principally are clerks or servants, were not told that they were suspected of being spies. The inference that their loyalty to the kaiser might make it difficult for Continued on Tajce Threw, Column One. WITNESSES FOR DEFENSE IN MALONEY TRIAL ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT WOMAN SLEUTH Most of Saturday Session Taken Up With Evidence Seek ing to Prove Detective Chief Did Not Talk Over Telephone to Mrs. Phelps at Office of Detective Association. In the Maloney hearing before the city council yesterday the defense used most of the time rebutting the testimony of Mrs. Elsie Phelps regarding an alleged telephonic conver sation between Captain Maloney and herself and with the Omaha Detective association on the afternoon of Saturday, May 5- That conversation was the chief point made by the prosecution in connecting Maloney with the detective associa tion directly and the Chadron conspiracy indirectly. 'jTr..i lllliiiit OMAHA UNIONS WIN LEGAL FIGHT TO REMOVE SUIT Judge Leslie Rules Federal Court Should Have Original Jurisdiction in Reed's Injunction Case. Omaha unions won their legal fight to have the case brought against them and the Business Men's asso ciation by Attorney General Reed, who envoked the Junkin act, alleging acts in restraint of trade, removed to federal court. Judge Leslie, sitting in equity court, yesterday signed an order ruling the federal court should be given original jurisdiction in the injunction case pushed by Attorney General Reed in an attempt to end Omaha strike troubles. Though named as one of the de fendants when the attorney general obtained a temporary injunction June 18, the Business Men's association, through its attorney, F. A. Brogan, lined up with Attorney General Reed and his legal battery in fighting re moval of the case to federal court. They argued that Judge Leslie would deny himself further jurisdic tion in enforcing the restraining or der if he signed the order of removal. Injunction Suspended. Judge Leslie's action will have the' effect of suspending the injunction. "However," said Judge Leslie, "if the federal court should happen to remand the case and leave the in junction as it is now this court will punish any and all who violate the injunction in the meantime." Anson Bigelow, attorney for the unions, and C. A. Owens of Chicago, special counsel for the International Bricklayers' union, contended the ac tion was originally brought under the federal Junkin act and therefore should be removed to federal court. The application of J. A. Sunder land and Paul Haskell, representing employers involved in the injunction suit, for a separate injunction against the General Teamsters', Chauffeurs', Stablemen's and Helpers' union No. 211 was set by Judge Leslie for hear ing July 16. Leyland Liner Cestrian Is Sunk by Tqrpedo Boston, July 7. The Leyland liner Cestrian, long in the Boston-Liverpool service, has been sunk by a German submarine, according to cable advices received here today. The Cestrian was taken over by the British government early in the War and had not been in this port in nearly. two years. Shipping men said the loss of the vessel probably was in cluded in a recent admiralty report, although its name was npt mentioned. The Cestrian, a sister ship of Ar menian, sunk oit the coast ot Africa in 1915, was built at Belfast in 1896 and registered 8,912 tons gross. The council adjourned at 2 p. m. to meet again Monday. Captain Maloney entered vigorous denials of having talked to Harvey Wolf or Mrs. Phelps on the day in question and he denied any connec tion with the detective association. ! C. W. Pipkin testified he was not in his office on that afternoon, as tes-"-fW to W Mr-s. 'i-'". Gust A. Tvlee made an attack on the evidence of Mrs. Phelps. Claus Menke and Morris Mehrens of Blair confirmed Pipkin's testimony that he was in Blair at a time Mrs. Phelps claimed she saw him in the office of the de tective association. W. S. Dolan and Mrs. Harvey Wolf o. .m. ,..r eviuence to discredit the evidence of the woman detective. Beginning at 9 a. m. Monday the opposing lawyers will offer their ar guments, after which the council will pass upon the merits of the charges as filed. Commissioners Jardine and With nell did i not atend the afternoon' session, which made it inadvisable for the lawyers to offer their arguy meats. , .' T'1 " .. Dig Up Old Misdemeanor. Attorney Baker placed much stress upon his claim that Mrs. Phelps was indicted during April, 1911, under the name of Clara Wat- ... - -i r - ..I sun on a uiargc oi violating mc pusiai laws, but was released upon an agree ment to appear as state's witness against Mrs. Corwin Jones of 1503 South Twenty-fifth avenue, who was convicted. 1 Mrs. Jones appeared as a witness, acknowledged that she had been in dicted and convicted, the latter upon testimony of Mrs. Phelps. She gave hearsay evidence that Mrs. Phelps was the "Clara Watson" referred to. "I want to show by Frank S. How ell, former United' States . attorney,, that Mrs. Phelps was a falsifier when she testified here that she never used the name of Clara Watson," an nounced Attorney Baker, who added that Mr. Howell is in Tekemah. but may return during the day. Rine Gains Admission. City Attorney Rine gained from Mrs. Jones an admission that her daughter, Josephine McCune, was a companion of Fred Adkins, who tes tified Friday against Mrs. Phelps and who was upbraided by Attorney Thomas for what Thomas thought was lack of chivalry. At the conclusion of the morning session Attorney Thomas agreed to a stipulation for the records, that Frank S. Howell would testify to the Clara Watson phase of the case as was outlined by Attorney Baker, this being done to expedite the hear ing. , Captain Stephen Maloney was the first witness called at this morning's session of the hearing of charges against him. Attorney Ben S. Baker examined the witness. "Did you talk to Harvey Wolf over telephone as testified to by Elsie Phelps?" "1 did not and had no knowledge of any woman being sent by the detec tive assocition to Chadron." "Did you say to any woman, over a telephone 'Are you the girl that is going to Chadron?'" "1 did not." . "Were you ever in the office of the Omaha Detective association?" (Continued on race Hlx, Column Two.) One American Citizen Lost With the Orlean: New York, July 7. One American citizen was among the frfur members of the crew of the American steam ship Orleans, who were drowned when the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine .accord ing to cable advices received here today by the ship's owners, the Oriental Navigation company. The American was E. Nogot, messman of the Philippine islands. The other men drowned were Thomas Geary, fire man; A. Tamarants, seaman, and A. Murillo, coal passer. All the Features and All the News at ReiuTarTiTce ' 5c The Sunday Bee