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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1918)
PART ONE NEWS SECTION PAGES ONE TO TEN 3E UNDAY THE WEATHER r rair VOL. XLVII NO. 42. OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 31, 1918. FIVE SECTIONS FORTY PAGES. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. c: m m ' 1 1 - m m "sl. a m m m'-fsr am ul m s m b.vb p ( 1 -9 - '4 54 WOMEN AT PRAYER IN PARIS CHURCH KILLED BY DEADLY GERMAN GUN French Capital Enraged at Wholesale Murder of Women and Children While On Knees In Good Friday Service Praying for Peace; Building a Total Wreck. BULLETIN. Paris, March 30. Rescue parties at work in the church! which was struck yesterday by a shell from a German long range gun have found more bodies. It is now known that 54 women were killed. Paris, March 30. Seventy-five persons were killed and 90 wounded, most of them women or children, by a shell which! fell on a church in the region of Paris while Good Friday services were being held. HEARTRENDING SIGHT. V The shell struck the north side of j the church, bringing down part ot the roof and opening a breach 12 feet high and 20 feej wide. Nearly all the debris fell inward upon the heads of the worshipers 60 feet beiow. The edifice is now a heartrending sight. The enormous mass of stone, crumbled into all shapes and sizes, lies in the middle of the nave and piled to about the same height as the high altar, which was not damaged. In addition to H. Strcehlin, counsel lor of the Swiss legation in Paris, who was killed, it is feared that his wife also is a victim, although searchers have not yet found her body in the debris. Among the injured are Countess Morand, Viscount Molitor and former Senator Louis Gautterson. All Paris Horrified. The killing of the women and chil dren who were praying yesterday has caused a feeling of horror and intense indignation in Taris. The Germaa-' explosive missile fell &mtd " an assemblage of peace loving peo ple, who were beseeching heaven to send an enduring peace on the day thev were commemorating the greatest sacrifice ever offered, peace should reign on eath. Feeling Runs High. Feeling ran high in Paris night. It is no peace crowd that last that walks the streets or congregates in the cafes,, theaters and churches. The American Red Cross once more distinguished itself in rescuing injured persons from the edifice. M. Grosseau in the Chamber of Dep uties late today, referring to the dis aster, said: "The barbarian enemy resumed his bombardment on Good Friday and his victims are numerous. It is with ex treme sorrow and intense indignation that I note that most of them were assembled in church. We must not forget that justice and right shall have the last word before God and before 0 man." , Plattsmouth Operator Thrown From Auto Truck Plattsmouth, March 29. (Special.) C. W. Foster, a night operator on the Missouri Pacific, was thrown from an automobile truck in which he was riding. No bones were broken. Winfield Swan, while shelling corn on his farm, caught his hand in the sheller . machine, crushing it se verely. Lincoln Minister Will Speak At Baptist Church Dedication Long Pine, March 30. (Special.) Rev. Ray E. York of Lincoln will be the princple speaker at the ededi- cation exercises of the new Pleasant " Prairie Baptist church, Sunday. Rev. ' J. F. Taylor of Springview will be the pastor of the church. Madison Dedicates New Service Flag With 94 Stars Madison, March 30. (Special.) A service flag containing 94 stars was dedicated at the cijy hall Sunday afternoon. The flag was made by Mrs. D. T. Hodson. The flag is on display in the postoffice. The Weather For Nebraska Fair: cooler. Temperatures In Omaha Yesterday. jiuur, I 5 a. in 46 a. in .....45 7 a. m ....46 8 a. m..... 44 t a. m 50 10 a. m 54 U a. m... 59 12 m 64 1 p. m ,.i65 2 p. m. 3 p. m. 4 p. m. 6 p. m. 6 p. in. ,.67 ..69 ..70 ..69 7 p. m 66 Comparative Local Record. 1918. 1917. 1916. 1915. Iliprhest yesterday .. 70 84 62 38 Lowist yesterday ... 43 44 , 43 26 M'un tiiueraiure ... 66 64 , 48 33 rrrti-.itsitWm 00 T .0 Tcairerattira and precipitation . deparj. tar'.A tvom the normal: No: m.l temperature 43 Kkrsi for the day 18 Total excess since March 1 331 Normal precipitation 06 Inch Deficiency for the day .06 Inch Tnt.i nrccioitation since Mar. 1.. .11 inch ficincy alnc March 1 ,1.33inchet iTxcesa for cor. penoa. ix...... """ Pflclency tot cor. period. 1916.. .Miaou FRENCH WOMAN IN LETTER TELLS OF CRUEL BOCHES Gentians Loot and Burn, Leav ing Terror-stricken People With Nothing; Look to American Aid. A vivid picture of the distress left in France in the wake of the boche is embodied in a letter received by Mrs. Robert Proudfit, 3331 Cuming street, from a French woman with whom Mrs. Proudfit's husband, Lieu tenant Proudfit, was .billeted. The letter was -translated for The Bee by Miss Coninne Poissant, a French woman in the offices of C. N. Dietz. "We are very unfortunate and very poor. The Germans have taken everything from us, burned every thing. We have nothing. They left us with scarcely any clothing and we were obliged to fly before the bombardment, which lasted five hours, I, with my little girl, aged 18 months. The shells were falling all about us while the boches were burning the houses. I do not lftiow how we es caped. God certainly protected us. Such terrible anguish, dear madame, you would have to have lived through those .terrible hours to know what they were., Praises President Wilson. "For your dear soldiers I would do anything, and every Frenchman would kiss the feet of your soldiers. Your President Wilson is a man deserving of high praise, as he understood in spite of the propaganda of the boche that it was necessary to declare war. With your powerful army, your gold and ammunition, we wiij put down Prussian militarism. Thanks to your soldiers we can rebuild our homes." ""I would be very grateful to you, madame, if you would interest your self in our behalf. You and your friends might be able to send us some clothes, we are so poor. We have only the clothes we had at the be ginning of the war. It is certainly terrible to be in this condition after having had everything. Pardon for speaking of this, but it would help us so much and we would be eternally grateful. Thanking you and hoping to receive good news from you, be lieve me, Sincerely, "Madame Holdirnet Charles." Madame Charles has words of com fort for the young bride, who was the first one in Omaha to wed a young soldier following the award of com missions in the first officers' training camp at Fort Snelling. "The terrible war separates so many beings who love each other, but we must accept, and finally those terri ble Germans will disappear. Do not weep, do not be discouraged. Mon sieur Proudfit will soon return," she wrote. Madame Charles' husband has been in the war four years and was wounded once, and others of her family are in the trenches. She re quests Mrs. Proudfit to answer her letter in English, as she has the necessary books for translating. Australians' Ban on German Town Names Melbourne, Australia, March 30. It has been decided by the Parliament of South Australia that all towns in the state bear ing names of German origin are to be renamed. Among the new names are: Verdun, Mount Kitchener, Beatty, The Somme, The-Marne, Cambrai, Jellicoe, Jutland, Sturdee and Allenby. The government announces that the new names are selected with a ' view to im pressing on the minds of chil dren and others a knowledge of events connected with the war, particularly events in which Australia played a large. INllG PACKERS' WAGE AGREEMENT Eight-Hour Day and Salary In , creases Granted Employes in Settlement Effected by Federal Mediator. Chicago, March 30. The eight-hour day, wage increases and equal pay for like work by men and women were granted to Chicago packing house employes today by " Judge Samuel Alschuler, arbitrator in the recent wage hearings here. Several other demands of the workers were also granted. The award was made on the six principal points raised by the em ployes and was as follows: 1. Beginning May 5, 1918, eight hours shall constitute the basic work day, and such work day shall be com pleted, insofar as possible, within nine consecutive hours. 2. Overtime shall be paid for at the rate of double time for all Sundays and holidays, except that where the; operation is necessarily and generally carried on for seven days, provision may be made for relief workers so as to give the regular employes a day off. The relief workers are to receive the week day wage for such work. The ordinary week day overtime shall be at the rate of time and a quarter for the first two hours and at the rate of time and a half for the succeeding hours. 3. Where plants are operated by three eight-hour shifts, employes shall be allowed 20 minutes for lunch. 4. Effective January 14, 1918, the wages of all hourly wage workers shall be increased from 34 to 4yZ cents an hour, the larger amount going to those who had been earning 3Q cents an hour or less. Piece work ers are to receive a proportionate percentage increase ana in all cases the rates are. to be adjudged so that the compensation of the new eight hour day shall at least equal that for merly paid for 10 hours' work. 5. Wage rates shall be the same for men and women doing the same' class of work. 6. There shall be no change in the guaranteed time in effect November 30, 1917, except that Swift & Co. are required to make their weekly guar antee hours, the same as in all other plants. NONPARTISAN LEAGUE LEADERS M0BBEDIN WAH00 Wahoo, Neb., March 30. (Special Telegram.) Organizers of the Non partisan league were mobbed and driven out of Wahoo this afternoon following an attempt to hold a mass meeting in the town hall. The meeting, scheduled for 3 o'clock this afternoon, was to have been ad dressed by several Nonpartisan league speakers. Police officers were stationed about the hall and the orators warned that any demonstration would be stopped. Organizers of the Nonpartisan league had been warned by the sher iff and members of the County Council of Defense that they would be prohib ited from holding any meetings in the county. Representative W. J. Taylor of Merna and a Grand Army 'veteran named Tipton of Lincoln were in the party of nonpartisans. Both were for a time in the office of the County Council of Defense of Saunders county. They had a wordy argument with Chairman E. E. Placek and Dr. Webber, and accused the county offi cers of putting up a job on the no partisans. They were not detained. The men pughly handled were James Maxwell of Lincoln and James Smith of York. They were not ser iously injured, though the blood flowed freely from their faces. The town was a surging mass of people and the organizers were not even allowed to utter a word of their speeches. They had been sent writ ten notices riot to appear. Sammies, Jackies and Planes To Aid in Liberty Loan Drive Washington, March 30. Liberty loan committees have been instructed by the treasury that they may nego tiate directly with commanders of army camps or naval stations near their cities for assignment of soldiers, sailorsairplanes or other equipment to participate in loan celebrations next Saturday, when the campaign for the third loan opens. The War department gave com manders perrpission, to move a part of i their forces for .'parades and the loan of airplanes is discretionary with commandants of training camps. Secretary Daniels similarly has di rected the naval commanders to par ticipate in loan celebrations whenever possible. - Seize German Lands. Rome, March 29. The prefect of Sassarii; has sequestrated estates valued at 500,000 lire owned by Ad miral von Tirpitz in Sardinia. Finn Reds Lose 10 fiOO Men to White Forces London, March 30. Finnish red guards have been defeated at Tam aerfors. north of Helsingfors, by the government forces, according to a Router dispatch from Petrograd. The rebels are said to have lost 10,000 prisoners and 21 guns. HARRINGTON IS FOUND GUILTY BY JURY ATCRESTON Well Known Omaha Lawyer Convicted on Charge of Im peding Justice in United States Courts. M. F. Harrington, well-known Omaha lawyer, was found guilty on a charge of impeding 'justice in the United States courts by a jury at Creston, la., which brought in its ver dict Saturday morning. The judge gave Harrington 30 days in which to file a motion for a new trial. This motion will be argued in some other Iowa federal court, because the court will not sit at Creston again until September. Convicted with him on the same charge were: Charles T. Anderson, Ainsworth, Neb.; A. W. Scattergood, Aineworth lawyer; Mrs. Frances Mur phy, Omaha, and Leonard Camp. Creston, la. Gerald Harrington, a son of Mike Harrington, was ac quitted. The case waj begun at Creston last Monday. The jury took it Friday at 4 p. m. and returned its verdict at 9 o'clock Saturday morning. Woman Flees to Canada. The case grew out of the prosecu tion of Charles T. Anderson, a hotel keeper of Ainsworth, Neb., arrested in 1915 on the charge of taking a woman from Ainswortb: to Sioux City, la. Trial was set for May. 1916. At that time when Chief Eberstein of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and his agents went to get the wom an, who was being held as a government witness, she could not be found. Later, she was brought back from Canada and the government filed charges against the defendants in the present case for spiriting her away. When the woman was brought back Anderson pleaded guilty to the white slave charge and was sentenced to two years in prison, a sentence which he is now serving. Battery of Attorneys. Attorneys for Harrington were: W. E. Mitchell of Council Bluffs, who defended Lynn G. J. Kelly in the re cent trial at Red Oak; Arthur Mullen of Omaha and P. A. Winters of Red Oak. United States Attorneys Frank O'Connor, Seth Thomas, E. G. Moon and John DeMar, all of Iowa, con ducted the case for the government The case was worked up entirely by the Federal Bureau of Investiga tion here. Chief Eberstein, Russell Eberstein and others from here were important witnesses at the trial. Food Department Expends Little for Assistants Washington, March 30. The item ized accounts of the food adminis tration filed with the senate and house today show that the total disburse ments out of the congressional ap propriation for the month of Feb ruary are$148,688, on account of the food administration. The food administration has 2,340 paid officials and approximately 3,000 volunteers. The expenditures up to date amount to less than $320 per person actively at work. Weather Man Will Be Out of Luck if it Rains Tomorrow Easter "positively will be a fine day" was the announcement imadc by the weather bureau. "Fair tonight and Sunday. Warmer tonight. Cooler Sun day afternoon," is the official fore cast. Sammies in Hawaii Would Correspond With Girls in Omaha Girls! Want to hear about mos quitoes, spiders and centipedes, busy days, lonesome nights, pine apples, cane and bananas? Want to read a missiv- from far-off Hawaii, from the island of Oahu, where those plaintive melodies fill the air? WelL then, barken to the plead ings of Troop H, Fourth cavalry, five member of which have written to The Tee a request that the paper put before Omaha girls the fact that thes: boys have been listening to sentimental music too long they are lonesome and want some "little lady" to write to them. They are: Privates Robert C. Wulff, Gar land E. Lyda, Thomas F. Aubuchon, Ithel M. King and John J. Den neny, Troop H, Fourth cavalry, Schofield barracks, H. T., Honolulu. They promise that they will an swer quickly, and a glowing tale of Oahu, the largest island in the Hawaiian group, including the above mentioned "items." shall be the reward. GREA T BA TTLE FROM M0REUIL TO LASSIGNY FAVORS ALLIES Germans Clairn Capture of Beaumont and Mezieres and to Have Advanced Within 12 Miles of Amiens Washington, March 30. French reserve troops have stopped the German ad vance on the 25-mile front from Moreuil to Lassigny, according to an official dis patch received here today from Paris. The German assaults on this line were described in previous dispatches as par ticularly violent. London, March 30.-The Germans have captured the villages of Aubvillers, 5 1-2 miles northwest of Montdidier, Grievnes, Cantigny, Meseneil, St. George, Le Monchel and Ayencourt, the war office announced this evening. All the vil lages named are in the Montdidier region. Heavy fighting is progressing to the eastward of Ayencourt, 2 miles south of Montdidier, the exact location is unknown. A heavy rain is falling. Besides gaining ground south and southeast of Montdidier, the Germans made some progress west of the Avre, southeast of Amiens. Berlin, March 30 (Via London.) -Between the Somme and the Avre the Ger mans have driven from parts of their foremost positions British and French troops freshly brought up and have captured Beaucourt and Mezieres, the war of fice announces. Trench attacks against Montdidier are said to have failed. ; London, March 30. The Germans,1 attacking yesterday at Demuin and Mezieres, pressed back .the British from Mezieres, the war office announces. All the enemy's attempts to capture Demuin broke down after sharp fighting, which lasted throughout the afternoon. The-heavy continued pressure of the enemy's converging movement has' brought the Germans to within about 1 2 miles of Amiens. The British line is now west of Marcelcave and Demuin. Despite this the situation still is regarded as hopeful. While the enemy advance has not yet been arrested, it certainly has been greatly retarded. Smiths Patriotic; 200,000 in Armu Washington, March 30.- The army has more than 100,000 "Smiths," 1,500 Williams Smith, 1,000 John Smiths,.and 300 John A. Smiths. It has 15,000 Mill ers, 15,000 Wilsons, and 262 John J. O'Briens, of whom 50 ave wives named Mary. There are 1,000 John Browns, 1,200 John Johnsons and 1,040 George fillers. ' These figures on identical names were cited today by the bureau of war risk insurance as a reason why applicants for government soldier s insurance, or for allotment and allowance payments should sign their full name rather than initials only. Nebraska Uni Wants Data On Old Students With U. S. The University of Nebraska, through the alumni office, is collect ing names and addresses of former students, graduates and nongraduates, who are now in the army or navy. These names are being published as fasj as received in the alumni journal. Name, rank, military address and home address is the information wanted, and which should be sent to the alumni office at the univerity, Lincoln. University Head Says U. S. Must Send Millions of Men to Europe Dr. Charles R. Van Hise, president of the University of Wisconsin, in an address before the University club Saturday noon reviewed the war situ ation, dealing principally with those factors which affect the United States. "It is useless to place our faces in the sand," he declared. "The hope of starving the central powers into sub mission must now be abandoned, and its mineral resources, now supple mented at their weakest points, will not fail. "'In consequence of the catastrophic collapse of Russia, Germany has re tained at the eastern front only the proper divisions of its army, thus making possible the great offensive now in progresss in the west. "We must transport our men to Europe by the millions if we are to GERMANS FAIL AT ARRAS, i The explanation for the movement on Arras, according to French critics, is that the Germans felt that the shape of thei salient driven into the British line exposed them to flank counter-attacks and they extended their offensive toward Arras. However, although the enemy achieved some local successes, including the capture of a British battalion, which fought cour ageously until surrounded, the attempt to capture Arras failed. French military officials feel very hopeful over their success in baffling the enemy design to drive down the valley of the Oise, and declare that the German attempt to break through at the junction of the British and French armies in the Mont didier region also was a failure. The French claim that the Germans took Montdidier too late to profit by the move and that the French now have forces in this region strong enough to meet all eventualities. Woman Attempts Suicide In City Jail; Swallows Poison Mrs. Florence Bower!, 1506 North Twenty-sixth street, attempted suicide last night in the city jail by swallow ing poison. She was given first aid and taken to St. Joseph's hospital. She is in a critical condition. Mrs. Bowen was arrested Wednes day with her husband for petty lar ceny on warrants sworn out by Mrs. Nellie Harrison, 1506 North Twenty sixth street. Her husband is in jail waiting pre liminary hearing. Both are alleged to have stolen a quantity of men's garments and silk dresses from Mrs. Harrison, while the latter was away from home. defeat the enemy, and if we are to do this successfully we must control the submarine menace. I can state that ships are now being launched faster that they are being destroyed, and during the summer, while I believe the destruction will decrease, the con struction will increase. Thus have we good prospects of a successful ter mination to the war. "The present contest will be deter mined in favor of the side which can bring the greatest material forces to bear and in this direction the United States stands untouched among the counries of the world. The allies have been crippled to some extent by shortages of the various necessities, but when the full force of the un qualified assistance of the United States is felt there be no doubt of the outcome." s BRITISH HOLD LINES. The British line held magnificently throughout Friday, according to Reu ter's Limited correspondent, at Brit ish headquarters in France. "At one point only," says the cor respondent, "where the Germans got across the river in force' about Cerisy and so taking the troops in the Pro-yart-Mericourt neighborhood in the rear, have we fallen fcack, but that retirement was gallantly done." ENTENTE OUTLOOK HOPEFUL British Army Headquarters in France, March 30. The situation to day from the entente standpoint is re ported more satisfactory. The British section of the battle front last night was comparatively quiet. The British lines have been strengthened rapidly on every quarter along the front. There is a most heartening display of determination and optimism. In the vicinity of Albert the Ger mans today were reported to be dig ging themselves in along the line, from Thiepval to LaBoiselle. Fo a brief space the tides of conflict have slackened, but any moment they may set again. When the Germans have brought forward their artillery and overhauled their fighting ma chine the struggle undoubtedly will be renewed, perhaps with greater ferocity than before. Yesterday afternoon the enemy had a small success south of the Luce river on the British right flank. Strong German forces attacking there cap tured Mezieres and also Maison Blanche, north of that village. The British immediately organized a counter-attack and pushed forward de terminedly against the invaders. At one point the attacking troops were held up by machine gun fire, but other forces pressed on doggedly. The Germans, however, opposed with (Continued on rie Two, Column OneJ
