The Omaha Daily
SAVE AND SERVE
BUY
War Savings Stamps
VOL. XLVIL NO. l&l.
OMAHA, TUESDAY yG, JANUARY 15, 1918.TEN PAGES.
On Train, it Hottlt,
Niwi 8td. Etc.. 6i
SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS
POLICE BREAl.
LIQUOR GANG,
o
BIG AMERICAN
GOES DOWN
Bee
THE WEATHER '
Fair
SUV
WAL BREAK IN PEACE
NEGOTIATIONS LOOMS
NEAR AT BREST-LITOVSK
Russian-German Armistice Extended to February 18;
Delegates May Adjourn Conference to Warsaw;
German Leaders Hurry to Berlin; Russ
Sailors Mutiny and Kill Officers.
By Anodsted Frew.) . '
Ruaso-German negotiations at Brest-Litovsk apparently
again have been broken off temporarily .and the possibility of a
final breach is not unlooked for in Petrograd.
The armistice on the eastern front has been extended mtil
February 18, while it is expected that the conferences will be
resumed at Warsaw.
LENINE RETURNS.
0
Nikolai Lenine, the Bolshevik pre
mier, is again back in Petrograd and
ic reported to be taking a more im
portant part in the negotiations.
There is some dissatisfaction in Pet
4rograd with the way in which Foreign
Minister Trotzky has conducted ne
gotiations. Trotzky' campaign oE pro''
paganda among the German soldiers
is said to be growing in effect and the
German military authorities are doing
all in their power to check it.
BERLIN CONFERENCES.
Meanwhile German political and
military leaders have been having
hurried conferences in Berlin. The
crown prince has returned to the Ger
man capital and he, with Field Mar
shal von Hindenburg, General von
Ludendorff and Chancellor von Hert
ling, has conferred with the emperor.
The recall by the emperor of the
assistant to the German foreign secre
tary at the Brest-Litovsk meeting in
dicates that the conferences may
have had to do with the peace negoti
ations, the conduct of which has
caused much political furore in Ger
many during the last two weeks.
Answer Wilson.
Chancellor von Hertling is expected
to address, .the main committee of the.
Reichstag- on Wednesday and prot-
ably: will answer the recent war aim
statement of President Wilson and
Premier ' Llovd George. "
The basin of the Don river has been
cleared of Cossack troops by Bolshe
vik soldiers, according to an official
announcement. The Bolsl evik also
are said to have taken Ekaterinoslav,
a stronghold of the Ukraine.
Russ Officers Killed.
Russian sailors in Sebastopol are re
ported to have killed more than 62
of their omcers, including iour ad
mirals. The town of Kilia has been
looted by Russian soldiers, who set
fire to the buildings after robbing
houses 4.nd shops, causing the popula
finn to flee in terror.
David R. Francis, the- American
ambassador to Russia, in . a New
Year's message to the Russian people,
reminds them that a separate peace
with Germany would rob them
of the results of the revolution. Presi
dent Wilson's message is greeted with
divided opinion by the leading Bolshe
vik, n.ntcninfrg Amh35 Jflftf Iran("lS
says the message is the best greet
ing he can giye Russia from America.
President Approves New
Daylight Saving Bill
Washington. D. C. Jan. 14. Presi
dent Wilspn has given his approval to
the day-light saving bill, which has
been passed by the senate, and is now
before the house committee on inter
state and foreign commerce.
Senator Calder of New York, au
thor of the bill, called on the presi
dent today to learn his attitude to
ward it. The bill, if made law, will
set the clocks ahead an hour and
the senator asserts it would save 1,
000,000 tons of coal a year.
The Weather
For Nebraska Fair; not so cold.
Tempomtnres at Omaha Yesterday.
5 a. m o
6 a. m 4
7 a. m 4
5 a. m 3
9 a. m
10 a. m 5
It a.m 1
12 m 8
1 p. m 10
2 p. m 12
3 p. ro 13
6 p. m 14
6 p. m 13
6 p. m ...11
7 p. m 9
8 c. m S
Comparative Local Record.
Official rtcord of temperature and pre
1918. 1917. 1916. 1915.
V
Uahest yesterday ... 14 14 8 4
A arent vesterdav ... 1 0 12
"uan temperature ... 8 7 2 37
precipitation 00 .00 .00 .00
Temperature and precipitation departures
from the normal:
Normal temperature 30
Deficiency for the day 12
Total deficiency since March 1 671
Normal precipitation 03 Inch
Deficiency for the day 03 inch
Total rainfall since March 1. .22.11 Inches
Deficiency since March 1 7.4$ Inches
Deficiency for cor. period, lH 6. .12.87 Inches
Deficiency for cor. period, 1915.. 1.67 Inches
Reports From Stations at 7 F. M.
Station and State Temp. High- Baln
of Weather 7 p. m. est talk
Cheyenne, cloudy 20 26 .00
Davenport, clear 10 16 .01
Denver, cloudy 26 34 .00
Des Moines, clear 12 18 .00
Dodge City, clear 20 24 .00
Lander, cloudy 20 24 .00
North Platte, clear. ...18 28 .00
Omaha, clear ..9 14 .00
Pueblo, part cloudy. .. .22 34 .08
Rapid City, clear .....10 20 -.00
Salt Lake City. snow.. 30 SI .04
fianta Fe. cloudy 2 30 .14
Sheridrt cloudy 20 26 01
Fioux ;tty. clear 8 12 .00
Valentlen, clear 14 20 .00
T Indicates trace of precipitation.
indicates below ero.
U A. WELSH, Meteorologist.
west yesterday
GIRL FAINTS AS
HEARS OF SUICIDE
OF.CAPnVHISLER
Seventeen Year - Old School
Girl, Who Received Letter
From Robber Officer,
Recovers After Shock.
Ottawa, Kan., Jan. 14. (Special
Telegram.) Apparently very little
affected by the news of Captain
Lewis Whistler's crime and suicide,
the 17-year-old girl to whom he ad
dressed his suicide note toady left
her home with the announced inten
tion of going to Ottawa University to
study her lessons. She is a fresh
man in the Baptist college here. She
carried her books with her. No
classes are held Monday, but is the
custom of students to go to the col
lege library on that day to prepare
The girl denied today that she ever
had been engaged to Captain
Whistler.
When informed of Captain Whis
tler's acts last night the girl fainted.
She recovered very quickly. She
talked with friends and relatives
about the affair today, but not very
willingly.
Search for Cash.
Search for the canvas sack contain
ing the money Captain Lewis R.
(Continued on Page Two, Column One.)
MAJOR GARDNER;
ONCE MEMBER OF
-CONGRESS, DIES
Washington, D. C, Jan. 14. Major
Augustus P. Gardner of Hamilton,
Mass., died late today at the Camp
MAJOR A. P. GARDNER.
Wheeler base hospital after a short
illness from pneumonia.
.Major uardner was formerly repre
sentative from Massachusetts. He
ardently advocated the declaration by
the United Statel of war on Germany
and when in April congress finally de
clared war Representative Gardner
resigned to take a commission in the
army. "
Soldier in Trenches
is ' - M
1 I
" -tVv i - far ?
g. mmm mnvmr itr.fiiriratt w nr nin nnii ft iTmnnntwUnrftil
Chance Than Babe Borrt in Omaha
A soldier in the trenches has a bet
ter chance of expectancy of life than
an infant born in Omaha has of liv
ing to be 1 year of age, and Omaha
is unusually low in infant mortality.
compared with the general average of
the United Mates.
During 1917 the infant mortality rate
was 5.7, which means that 57 of every
1,000 infants born died before they
were 1 year of age. and in 1916 the
rate was 6.4. The average for the
URGE PORKLESS
. DAYS IN PLACE
OF MEATLESS
Live Stock President Declares
Cry is for Hog Products;
Surplus Beef and
Mutton.
(Br Associated Press.)
Salt Lake City, Utah. Jan. 14. That
the government control of the con
sumption of meat without supplying a
corresponding outlet for the product
was working a Hardship on the cattle
raiser was the contention of Frank J.
Hagenbarth, president of the National
Wool Growers association, m
speech delivered at the twenty-first an
nual convention of the American Na
tional Live Stock association this aft
ernoon.
Mr. Hagenbarth said that as a re
suit of the meatlessMays, cattle were
increasing and thereby providing a
burden which he said should not be
borne by the live stock men. He as
serted that pork should be conserved
in preference to beef.
Eliminate Meatless Day.
Immediate elimination of meatless
days insofar as the"y apply to .beef,
veal, mutton and lamb, was urged
upon the government by I. T. Pryor,
president of the association. He de
clared that by the elimination it would
encourage the consumption of the
products of which, he said, there was
a surplus, and release for the con
sumption of the associates of the
United States in the war a vast
amount of hog meat and fats, so es
sential to the overseas nations and
their armies.
The convention opened with what
was said to be the largest attendance
at any meeting since tne organization
of the association. Storms in the east,
however, are reported to have pre
vented several from attending.
Speeches of those scheduled to speak,
but unable to reach here, will, it is an
nounced, be read.
Oppose Mexican Plant.
Speeches of welcome were delivered
by Governor Simon Bamberger of
Utah, Mayor W. Mont Ferry of Salt
i Lakfj City and M.. Parsons, second
vice president of the association, of
Salt Lake City.
John J. Springer of Denver, re
sponded. In conformity with a resolution
passed by the executive committee of
the association, President Pryor sent
a telegram to David r. Houston,
United States secretary of agriculture,
asking that he make every effort to
prevent the reopening of the Juarez
Packing company's plant at Juarez,
Mexico. It Was believed that the re
opening of the plant would furnish an
outlet to American markets tor nun
dreds of thousands of dollars worth of
American cattle stolen in raids by
Mexican bandits.
Dwight B. Head of Phoenix, Ariz.,
was chosen chairman of the resolu
tions committee by the executive com
mittee. The resolutions committee
will meet tomorrow morning.
QUARTER MILLION
RAISED IN BABY
BOND CAMPAIGN
With more than $275,000 pledged in
less than six hours after the campaign
started, the committee in charge of
the national war savings drive in
Omaha raised their objective from
$500,000, the original figure set, to
just twice that sum. or $1,000,000.
Ihe &Z75,wQ was either pledged or
reported at the big mass meeting: held
at noon Monday at the Commercial
club to fire the official first gun in the
week's drive. Harry Tukey took the
stump to urge the purchase of the
thrift stamps and the huge total
pledged is evidence of his success.
The largest sums subscribed were
by employes of M. E. Smith and Pax
ton & Gallagher. Employes of each
of these firms bought $10,000 worth
of stamps. Employes of the John
Deere Plow company subscribed
$5,000.
Reports of committees made at the
mass meeting were as follows:
Manufacturers' committee $67,000
Wholesalers' committee 41,000
Retailers' committee 37.000
Printers' committee 35,000
Grain exchange committee 30,000
Professional men's committee 17,500
Real estate committee 12,000
Knights of Columbus 10,000
South Omaha 10,000
Bankers' committee 9,000
Insurance committee 5,000
Prominent Rabbi Dies
On Birthday Anniversary
New Haven, Conn., Jan. 13. The
Rev. Jacobs Frommer, rabbi of the
Bickur Cholem B'Nai Abraham, died
today, the 64th anniversary of his
birth. He was the author of stan
dard works on the Hebrew language.
Has Better
United States, according to figures
reported by Secretary of War Baker,
is 14. The secretary, in a recent
statement, announced that of 2,500.
000 infants born in this country 350,
000, or 14 per cent, die during the
first year. He also stated that of all
troops sent to .he front in the Brit
ish expeditionary forces during the
first three years of the war 7 per cent
of the total died in action or from
wounds, which is a little more thaff
2 per cent per year,
Hock Der Kaiser!
AMERICAN VESSEL . BOUND FOR
FRANCE REP OR TED SINKING
.BY U. S, NAVAL AUTHORITIES
Mystery Surrounds Loss of
Nitrates; Believed to Have Been in Path of
Icebergs; U-Boats Feared by Ship
ping Men.
An Atlantic Port, Jan. 14.- Agent of the American steam
ehip Texan, a vessel of 14,000 tons, today received advices from
naval authorities that it was sinking at sea.
The location of the ship was not given.
RAMMED BY SHIP.
Reports reaching shipping circles
here from other sources were that
the vessel had been rammed amid
ships in collision with another ship.
It was said a steamer which had
picked up the Texan's S. O. S. calls
was hurrying to its assistance and
that the crew of 43 had taken to the
boats.
The Texan left here recently with
a cargo of nitrates bound for a French
port, agents of the vessel stated.
"S. O. S." CALLS.
Messages reaching here from an
other port said that a steamer arriv
ing there today reported that it had
picked upan "S. O. S." from the Tex
an reporting that it had been struck
amidships and was sinking. The last
message from the Texan said "good
by no more."
The Texan's wireless operator re
ported that the starboard boats had
been lowered, that the aft boat was
lost and that an attempt was being
made to lowe theforward boat.
Oil from the ship's hold was pour
ed on the starboard side in an effort
to make sea conditions better for
launching the lifeboats.
A message to or from the steamer
Williamette was picked up saying: .
"Go to assistance of Texan."
Icebergs?
In the absence of definite word re
garding the accident, shipping men
expressed the opinion that the Tex
an may have encountered an icebqrg.
Efforts were made by government
radio stations to communicate with
ships with which the Texan might
have been in collision.
The fact that the Texan apparently
was sinking soon after being rammed,
without word as to assistance by an
other vessel in saving the crew, made
the accident puzzling, naval author
ities said.
A government radio station picked
up a message later from the steamer
Williamette, sent to an unidentified
ship, saying: "Will you escort me
back to ?"
Ihe answer was not intelligible.
Naval, authorities who sot the mes
sage said they were unable to deter
mine' whether the Williamette had
been in collision with the Texan or
had been damaged by the same
agency that sent the Texan to the
bottom. Nothing more had been heard
from the Texan at noon.
Hirft at U-Boats.
Fragmentary wireless messages
suggest that the damaged steamers
belonged to a fleet nassing north.
That none of the messages indicated
what had struck them aroused some
concern as to the actual cause of their
trouble.
Big Steamship Loaded With
VON HERTLING
ILL; FORCED TO
GIVE UP DUTIES
London, Jan. 14. According to tel
egrams from Berlin today, Count von
Hertling, the German imperial chan
cellor, is ill and probably will resign
shortly, says an Exchange Telegraph
dispatch.
Some 10 days ago there was a
similar report from Berlin, when the
statement that Count von Hertling
was indisposed was coupled with a
rumor in political circles that there
was an intrigue in progress to induce
him to resign on the ground of ill
health in order to make way for
Prince von Buelow as acceptant of
the chancellorship.
Chancellor von Hertling shortly
afterward, however, appeared before
the Rreichstag main committee to
make a statement regarding the ne
gotiations with Russia, and it has
been stated in Berlin advices that he
would again appear before the Reich
stag this week to reply to Premier
Lloyd George and President Wilson.
Americans Are Awarded
French War Crosses
Paris, Jan. 14. The American field
services has received word that .war
crosses have been awarded by ' the
French army of the .Orient to William
Emerson, Henry E. Palmer and Mar
quard Walker, all Harvard students
and residents of New York; Edwin H.
English of New Haven, Conn., a Yale
student., .
The medals were awarded for cour
ageous tction in removing wounded
men in the region of Monastir.
Captive Balloon Snaps Cable
And Starts on Runaway Flight
A captive balloon snapped its
cable at Fort Omaha at 10:15 o'clock
Monday morning, soared into 'the
clouds and started at express train
speed in a northeasternly direction.
It came down four and one-half
southwest of Walnut, la., shortly aft
ernoon. The telephone company gave
the first information to authorities at
Fort Omaha.
Missouri Valley, la., reported the
balloon passing over that town at
10:45 o'clock.
No one was in the passenger bas
ket of the big Cacquot balloon when
it broke loose. A flight officer, sev
eral flying cadets and a company of
STATE OFFICERS
RAID RENDEZVOUS
OF BOOTLEGGERS
Bungalow in Council Bluffs Revealed as Headquarters of
Gigantic Trade in Contraband Liquor Between
St. Joseph and Omaha; Girl Tells of
Gang's Operations.
A handsome bungalow, fitted up in oriental luxury, with
every facility for camouflaging the bottlegging operations of
which it formed the headquarters, was raided by State Liquor
Officers Wilson and Buell, in Council Bluffs.
GIRL CRIPPLED
IN CRASH TELLS
OF WHISKY RING
Mae Nace, Called "Queen of
the Bootleggers " Relates
Events Leading Up to
Serious Accident.
Mae Nace, pretty 18-year-old girl,
who was seriously crippled in the
wreck of the whisky-laden automo
bile at Shenandoah, la., was taken
from her home, 2413 South Eight
eenth street, to the Lord Lister hos
pital Monday afternoon. An X-ray
photograph of her spine wi" be made
by doctors to find the' cause of her
paralysis from the waist down.
"Yes, I'll talk to The Bee," said
the girl as she lay in bed at her home
Monday morning, "I know .The Bee
will get the story right" f -; s
Girl Seems Cheerful.
Mae's bed was surrounded by her
father, mother and little brothers and
sisters. The girl was cheerful and
seemed to regard her terrible experi
ence philosophically. She told a
straightforward story of her trip
from Omaha with Earl Beavers, step
son of St. Joseplr liquor dealer, and
of the adventures which happened to
her.
"Earl and I left Omaha Thursday
morning at 6 o'clock," she said. "We
intended to go to St. Joe and spend a
couple of days. On the way down we
met another automobile that was
headed north, but was stalled with en
gine trouble. Earl offered to help
them out and transferred the liquor
to our machine. Then we headed
north for Council Bluffs.
Skidding Causes Accident.
"The accident was caused by skid
ding. We had chains on the back
wheels, but the road was very slip
pery and the machine turned over.
Two automobiles which were coming
toward us stopped and helped us up.
They took me to a private hospital in
Shenandoah. Nobody knew who I
was there. I wouldn't tell my name
except my first name. So they called
me Mae from Omaha. Some of them
called me the "Queen of the Boot
leggers," the girl added laughing.
"It isn't true that Earl had been
drinking. He hadn't had anything to
drink all day. And he didn't abandon
me after the accident either. He
stayed around till he got me to the
hospital."
"Do you know where Earl Beavers
is now?" she was asked.
"No, I don't," she answered.
Omcers of three states are search
ing for Beavers.
Packing Investigation
Delayed by Laje Trains
St. Paul. Minn.. Jan. 14. The late
arrival of Francis J. Heney and his
associates, who were delayed by the
snow, caused a delay of several hours
in the opening of the St. Paul hear
ing into the federal trade commis
sion s packing investigation today.
Witnesses were expected to begin
testimony this afternoon.
Kansan Drops Dead.
Topeka, Kan., Jan. 14. Franklin P.
Lindsay, special assistant attorney
general of Kansas, dropped dead here
yesterday. Death was caused by apo
plexy.
enlisted men had taken the gas bag
out of the balloon 6hed.
The fmgers of the men holding on
to the guy ropes were numbed with
cold and the balloon was given too
much 'play when it left the ground
It shot up a few feet and the cable
snapped.
Officers leaped into automobiles
and started in pursuit.
Luckily, the cable broke when the
balloon was only a few feet from the
ground and there was none to drag
and duplicate the wild flight of a
few weeks ago, when a gas bag of
the Cacquot type went clear to Texas
and then came back to western Ne
braska, leaving destruction in its
wake.
V rapap.f. iiMniru PTTMP.AT m
The bungalow stands in Linden -Acres,
on the bluffs, far enough from
other houses tobe free from prying
eyes of neighbors? A garage is located
underneath the bungalow and is
formed by an excavation in the bluff.
The booze-laden automobiles drove
direct into this garage, the door was
closed and the liquor unloaded with'
perfect secrecy.
Eckford Out on Bond.
The raid was made following the
wreck of one of a fleet of seven big
automobiles Saturday near Sbenan
doah, la. The machine is alleged to
have belonged to Jeff Eckford of
Omaha. He was arrested by police
Sunday and is out on $750 bond pend
ingfederal investigation. He was at
the office of the United States attor
ney Monday, but no- federal complaint '
has been filed against him and he is
still held under bond. He asserts he
does not own the m-chine.
Two Trips Weekly.
"These fellows were running s gi
gantic bootlegging business between
St. Joseph and Council Bluffs," said
Officer Buell.' "They made an aver
age of twt trips a week with each ma
chine, bringing about 500 pint bottles
each trip.. . This would make about
7,000 pints a week brought tip 6y .the" 1
gang in a week.. . ' .,
"They had arranged it so that cer
tain chauffeurs would pilot the booze
cars to within two or three miles of
the Iowa line, and there woulr be
met by others, who brought the booze
across. They were members of-the,,
old Billingsley gang, which is said
to have operated all over the coun
try. We had them spotted and would"
have captured several even if the ae-'
cident hadn't happened to the car at
Shenandoah.
. Resort to Taxis.
"After they had the stuff safely in
the bungalow in Council Bluffs they
brought quantities across to Omaha
in taxicabs, giving (he taxi drivers $10
a trip for the job. '
May Nace, a pretty 18-year-ohl
Omaha girl, had a narrow escape
from death in the overturned car at
Shenandoah. She is at the home of
her parents, 2413 South Eighteenth .
street. She related her story to Of
ficer Buell.
She said EarL Beavers, step-son of
a St. Joseph liquor dealer, was the
driver of the booze-laden car in which
she was riding at the time of the acci
dent. Beavers was thrown clear of
the machine, but Miss Nace was
pinned underneath and lay there for
some minutes before she was released
and taken to a hospital near Shen
andoah. Her parents brought her
back to Omaha.
Police Trail Beavers. '
Officers are on the trail of Beavers,'
but he has not been captured. It is
said he came to Countil Bluffs after
the accident. I
, '.'We will also have two or three
others of the gary? under arrest in a
few days," said Officer Buell.
The state officers found bank books
of Beavers in the Council ' Bluffs
bungalow showing that he has $1,600
on 'deposit in the United States Na
tional bank, Omaha, and $900 in a St. .
Joseph bank.
May Have Stolen Cars.
Federal officers suspect that the
bootlegging gang also were involved '
in the triieft of automobiles. The num
ber on the engine of the Cadillac car
wrecked at Shenandoah was found to
have been mutilated so that it could
not be read. .
Beavers, is said to have come, to
Council Bluffs after the accident It
is also stated that he left there Sun
day night in such a hurry that he' left .
his shoes behind.
When he is captured federal infor
mation will be filed against him in the
federal court for the southern district
of Iowa. .
WAR MATERIAL IS
DESTROYED BY FIRE
AT INDIANAPOLIS
Indianapolis, Ind Jan. 13. File
started in the Industrial building,
which housed 30 manufacturing con
cerns, tonight and destroyed the build
ing and adjoining property, causing
a loss estimatef1 at .$1,000,000. ......
Fire Chief Loucks said he believed
that the fire was of incendiary origin.
Several of the manufacturing com
panies were making machinery foe tht
government under war contracts.
Six dwellings, a church, grocery
and saloon also were burned. Falling
walls placed firemen in great danger
and hindered them in their work bj;
cutting lines of hose, ' r --