Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, April 02, 1918, Image 1

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    Omaha Daily B
THE WEATHER
Unsettled
vol. xlvii NO.
OMAHA, TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 2, 1918 TWELVE PAGES
On Trtlm, at Hot.U.
Ntwi Standi. Etc.. M.
SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS.
EE
247.
Jz.uijvJLslM
-
GREAT VESSEL ON
TRIP TO AMERICA;
FEW MEN ABOARD
Ef forte Being Made to Save Vessel, Which Was Built at
Belfast in 1901 and Flies British Flag;
Has Gross Tonnage of 20,904;
Submarine Victim.
(By Associated Press.)
' New York, April 1. The steamship Celtic, one of the big
White Star liners, was attacked and torpedoed by a German
submarine, according to reliable information received today in
marine circles here, during a voyage from England to America.
Efforts are being made to save the vessel, which, it is be
lieved, carried passenger's.
The Celtic has a gross tonnage of 20,904 and has for many
pears been one of the largest steamships in trans-Atlantic serv
ice. It was built at Belfast in 1901 and flies the British flag.
, i'
Washington, April 1. If there were any American sol
diers at all on board the Celtic, it was said here today, they
were few in number and carried as "casuals" returning home.
It was stated thafthere were no sick or wounded on board.
- BRITISH LINER SUNK.
London, April 1. The British armed boarding steamer
Tithonus was Iwpedoed and sunk by a German submarine
March 28, according to an official statement issued by the ad
miralty. One mercantile officer and three naval ratings were
OSt. t '
ELECT SENATOR
IN WISCONSIN i
v TODAY; RACE HOT
Politicians From Alt Over Coun-
v ry Involved; Vote Considered J
by Many as Test of
Loyalty. 7
(By Associated Pres.)
Milwaukee, April 1. Showers, ac
cording to the weather man, may be
looked for tomorrow, when Wiscon
sin voters go to the polls in the mo
trientus special senatorial election.
In the closing days of the cam-
v paign, republicans, with Congressman
Irvine L. Lenroot as their candidate
and the democrats, led by Joseph E.
Davies, predicted that the "disloyal
vote" would go to Victor L. Bergcr,
. the socialist candidate, and even to
admit that not all of the Berger vote
could be counted as pro-German, as
the party had , . attained notable
strength in the state before the war
broke out in 1214. Whatever Berger
l oils, however! above his normal
strength will be credited by" demo
crats and republicans to the German
who cares more for his native than
his adopted country "more for his
mother than his stepmother" as it has
been phrased. " - '
Reed Hits Solution.
Mr. Lenroot and his forces have
not attacked the loyalty of the aem
ocrats. nor have thclatter seriously
attacked that of Mr. Lenroot, al
though he has been called upon to
defend his attitude before America
entered the war. Senator Reed's as
sertion that, ignring Berger, a loyal
man was bound to be elected whoever
won, apparently has been quite gen
erally accepted by the voters. Mr.
Davies considered it his greatest ad
vantage that in these days, when it is
necessary to give the president solid
backing, the president has asked Wis
consin to elect him.
The Weather
For Nebraska Unsettled: cooler.
Temperatures In Omaha Yesterday.
Hour. "b-
6 a. m 4
6 a. m 43
7 m. . v. 44
a a. m 45
t a. m 49
10 a. m 54
11 a. m 5
12 m 3
1 p.. m ......67
3 p. m 68
3 P. m ....70
4 p.' m. ..71
5 P. tp .68
P. m 67
1 P. m 66
8vd. m i .i
' , Comparative Local Record.
1918. 117. 1918. 1915.
Highest yesterday .. 71 81 6, 42
Lowest yesterday ... 43 40 85 26
Mean temperature .. 67 46 47 34
Precipitation , .00 T .00 .00
Temperature and precipitation depar
ture from th normal:
Normal temperature 44
Excess for the day.......,.........,,,,,
Total excess since March 1...... 3(4
Normal precipitation .06 Inch
Deficiency (or the day.'......,,.. ,06 inch ,
Total precipitation since Mar. 1., .11 Inch
Deficiency since March 1... .....1.34 Inches
Deficiency for cor. period, 1917., .10 Inch
Deficiency for cor. period, 1916.. 1.10 Inches
Reports From Stations at 7. P. M.
Station and State Temp. High
of weather. 7 p.m. eet.
Davenport, clear 72 72 ,
. Rain
fall.
-.00
; .00
.00
.00
. .00
De Moines, clear ......72 74 '
Dodge City, clear 73 74
Lander, cloudy 34 63
North Platte, clear..... 64 64
'tf aha, clear 65 - 71
trifif a tmn trm nm of ntMintt tlm
.00
C I i WELSH. Meteorologist.
SENATE SOLONS
BLOCK ACTION ON
tower Booy Passes Bill While
Upper Chamber Spends After
noon Sparring Over
Procedure.
Linco'ri, Neb., April 1. There will
be no ratification of the federal pro
hibition amendment at the present
special session of the Nebraska legis
lature unless the senate at some fu
ture date votes to reconsider and
defeat a resolution passed late today
providing the business of the upper
house be limited to the legislation
specified by Governor Keith Neville
in his "present proclamation calling
the legislators together.
As no mention was made of the
prohibition question in the governor's
call for the session, adoption of the
resolution limiting the senate's busi
ness will prevent the upper house
from taking any action on the joint
resolution for ratification of the
amendment which was passed by the
house earlier in the day. The house
voted to ratiiy the amendment by a
vote of 66 to 7. The senate's vote to
prevent cons'deration of the amend
ment was 18 to 13. i
Raise Point of Order.
The prohibition question came up in
an unexpected way in the senate when
McMullen of Gage sent up a motion
that a committee of three be ap
pointed to- request the governor to in
corporate the ratification in a new
call.
Moriarity of Douglas moved that
consideration of the motion go over
one day. After considerable discus
sion and while Sandall of York was
speaking on the question, Moriarity
called for a point of order that Sandall
was discussing the Henry resolution
introduced last week and laid over un
.der the rules which in effect would
deny the right of the senate to con
sider the Henry resolution.
; Before the chair could rule on the
motion Neal of Nemaha moved that
consideration of the Henry resolution
be at bnce taken up and the whole
matter threshed out at once. This
was quickly seconded by Moriarity
and the motion passed without oppo
sition, i
Right here the drys put one over
on the other fellows.
Immediately Neal called for a rul-
(Contlnued on Page Two, Column Tnree.) "
New Police Chief Says No Radical
Changes Will Be Made on Force
Chief of Detectives M. F. Dempsey
succeeded H. W. Dunn as chief of
police Monday. He had been acting
crjief for several months during the
illness of Chief Dunn, who'Was forced
to resign on account of ilijiealth.
i Upon taking over his new duties
Chief Dempsey-announced "that he
would make no radical changes on
thciorce. A few changes were made
in the assignment of men starting
the first of the month. v
Detective Sergeant P. J. Rinn was
appointed desk sergeant qf the South
Side stationTand Probationary Desk
Sergeant Joseph Dlack will return to
a beatF. S. Aughe will be transferred
to Is, IL U U to -wmwWw
O : 0 1
Our Political
BIG STRIKE Off
ATLANTIC WORK.
H ALTSWAR WORK
Walkout at Norfolk Army and
Navy Bases Spreads toPorts
mouth and Aviation Field
at Hampton.
Norfolk, Va., April 1. A strike' of
union carpenters employed on govern
ment construction work at the army
and navy bases here, called this morn
ing, spread this afternoon to the nvy
yard at Portsmouth and the aviation
field at Hampton. x
Most of the carpenters employed by
the government in the entire vicinity
are out. .
Other classes of skilled labor also
began to walk out. At the Bush Bluff
army base, 500 carpenters and the en
tire force of electricians, plumbers
and sheet metal workers quit work.
All carpenters working for contrac
tors at the Portsmouth navy yard
are out.
The carpenters demand a minimum
wage of 62 cents an hour. The
strike notice was served Friday on
Rear Admiral Harris. Admiral Har
ris, who was in Washington, wired
labor leaders here that the matter
had bee"h taken up -and asked them
to wait a decision expected in a few
days. This the union leaders refused
to do.
About 6,000 union carpenters are
employed on government work in this
district.
Newport. Va.. April 1. Six hun
dred men employed at Langley avia
tion field and at Fortress Monroe on
cantonment work struck today joint
ly with those engaged in government
work at Norfolk. The carpenters al
ready are getting 62 cents per hour.
"Mary Magdalene" of Passion
Play, Married in New York
Chicago, April 1. A marriage li
cense was issued here today to Lothar
Becker of Houston, Tex., and Barie
Mayer, who played the part of Mary
Magdalene in the Passion Play at
Oberammergau in 1910. ' v
from the morals squad to a detective
Sergeant job. He is assigned to the
South Side station. John Herdzina
will accompany him as a probationary
detective sergeant. A. J. Lepinski will
be transferred from the South Side
to the morals squad.
, "No new policy for the conduct of
the police department is necessary,"
said Chief Dempsey. "I will visit the
various details some time this week
and speak briefly to them, on what I
expect done; I will visit both stations
for an inspection as soon as possible."
Chief Dunn expects to take a rest
until his health is fully recovered. He
will remain .in Omaha, but he is un
decided as to what he will do
Garden Patch
EttOS.CHM
GERMAN' DRIVE
ON FRENCH TOWN
Enemy Penetrates Forest Near
Moreuil During Fierce Bat
tie With British
Troops.
v.
Paris, April. 1. The battle contin
ued with extreme violence last night
in "the sector north of Montdidier,
large bodies of troops being thrown
in, by the Germans, the war office an
nounces. The French and British
troops broke up the assaulting waves.
Further south the fighting was no
less violent, the Germans making in
cessant attacks in an effort to cap
ture Grivesnes. The French retained
possession of the town and inflicted
heavy losses on the Germans.
British Army Headquarters in
France. April 1. At 2 o'clock ves-
terday afternoon the Germans made
a heavy attack between Moreuil and
Demuin. Fierce fighting followed.
The attacking troops gradually forced
their way forward until they pene
trated the large, forest lying northeast
of Moreuil. A little later the Ger
mans were reported to be entering
Hangard and to be moving westward
along the Luce river.
Mooney Asks Governor for
Pardoi From Death Sentence
San Francisco. Adril 1. Thomas
J. Mooney today applied to Governor
aiepnens lor a paraon tor the sen
tence of death imposed upon him on
a murder charge, which grew out of
a bomb explosion which killed ten
persons here in 1916.
This action followed the return bv
the state supreme court of a remit
titur on a decision in which the court
upheld the decision of the lower
court which sentenced Mooney to
hang, and denied him a new trial.
The original date for Mooney's ex
ecution expired while his appeal to
the supreme court was pending.
I he case will be in the hands of
Governor Stephens after the second
date of execution is' set.
The pardon was requested on the
ground that irregular acts had fig"-
ured in the proceedings which led to
Mooney s conviction and the applica
tion quoted, a statement to that effect
by Superior Judge Franklin A. Grif
fin, who presided.
President Wilson telegraphed
Governor Stephens last week asking
executive, clemency for Mooney.
Fifty-Four Millions Worth .
Of.' Stamps Sold in, March
Wa'shington.'April 1. Sales of war
savings and thrift stamps in March
were $54,000,000, and brought the tojal
receipts from that source in the four
months since the war savings cam
paign started to $128,000,000. Officials
estimatedhowever, that actual sales,
some of which have not been reported,
had been about $150,000,000. War sav
ings workers are planning on making
special efforts during the Liberty loan
campaign. .
ALLIES RECLAIM LOST GROUND
IN VIGOROUS ARRAS ATTACK
German CasualtiesEnormous When 'Anzacs
Hurl Back Advancing Enemy Forces Near
Somme River; British Take Prisoners 7
BULLETIN. ' . J-
Paris, April I .The bombardment of Paris by long range German guns was
resumed this afternoon. K t ,
Four persons were killed and nine injured by the bombardment, according to
the official announcement tonight. :
London, April 1. The Germans made two attacks on British positions in
the western outskirts of Albert last evening and in both cases were repulsed, the
war qffice announces. .
South of the Somme the enemy persisted in his attempts to advance along
the Luce and Avre valleys, but made little progress. .
The number of machine guns taken by the British in their attacks near Serre
on Saturday was 109. . v
BRITISH HOLD LINE. ,
British Army headquarters in France, Sunday,' March 3!. The last 24
hours continued unfavorable to the aggressive Germans along the British section of
the new battlefield and was a strikingly good period for the defenders.
This morning the British were holding their entire line with strength and they
had smashed numerous heavy German attacks at various i points iihd had taken the
lnmanve at several places
SMALL BRITISH
FORCE HOLDS OFF
GERWIIORDES
Detachment' of Americans and
Britons, 1,$00 Strong, With
stands Tremendous On
slaughts Bravely.
British Army Headquarters in
France, April 1. It is now possible
to tell of a spectacular feature of a
brilliant British defense last week be
low the Somme.
It is the story of a little army com
posed largely of assortments of
troops, who were hastily assembled
in a great crisis and who success
fully held a vita! stretch of the front
against furious German onslaughts
until reinforcements could arrive.
In this gallant force were included
American railway engineers, who, as
in the battle of Cambrai last Novem
ber, threw aside their tools and took
up arms in defense of the allied
colors. '
Last Tuesday afternoon at a criti
cal moment it was absolutely neces
sary that more troops should be
thrown into the British line to hold
the onrush of Germans.
Help Fails to Come.
Reinforcements were on the way,
but could not arrive in time. There
was no time to lose, and a certain
general immediately organized a
force collected from the various units
nearby, in which were the Americans.
Fifteen hundred followed the lead
of their dashing brigadier out into
the swirling battle line, where they)
were strung over a front of 1,200
yards, against which hordes of Ger
mans were flung. It seems almost in
conceivable that these defenders,
brave unto death though they were,
could have been able to hold that
long sector, but they held.
Enemy Forces Descend. .
The enemy advanced in force and
hurled themselves- time and again
against the British line in this region,
but they found no weak spot. This
composite force stood . as gallantly
and as well as their comrades to the
right and to the left. They clung on
for many hours until the regular
army came up. This is a sample
of the fjghting spirit which allied sol
diers are showing in this time of
stress.
Camp' Dodge Supply
Depot to Be Enlarged
(From a Staff Correspondent.) .
Des Moines. April 1. (Special, Tel
egram.) An enlargement of the sup
ply department at Camp Dodge and
an accumulation supply depot have
been ordered by the War-department,
according to word received here to
day. It is reported that the C3mp Dodge
depot will be trebled in size and local
jobbers and manufacturers encour
aer(d to submit hids on suonlie
successtuliy; .
GERMANS LOSE HEAVILY.
.. .The moat inteoM fighting
stand. The outstanding feature of the conflict on the northert
end of the front is that the British again have killed a great
number of the enemy, which, despite its harsh sound, is what
will end the war. 1 ' -
Today the British initiated a forward movement about
Feuchy Copse, east of Arras. They launched a local attack at
3 o'clock this morning and pressed it so vigorously that they re
claimed a stretch of territory 1,500 yards long and averaging
about 200 yards in depth. This success had tactical, advan
tages, but they were small compared with the fact that the
British were able, after the last ten days of gruelling work,-tc
undertake an offensive operation. . , - . ;
r
300,000 GERMANS
KILLED IN GREAT
PICARDY BATTLE
Washington, April A French
official estimate of the German losses
in the great battle on the western
front puts their total casualties at be
tween 275.000 and 300,000.
The Germans are -sending most of
their wounded to Belgium, it is de
clared, to conceal from the German
people their heavy sacrifice.
The dispatch follows:
"After an 11 days' offensive, dur
ing which the Germans have reck
lessly pushed forward their attack
ing waves, one may gather a fairly
accurate estimate of their losses.
"In the first place, it has been pos
sible to identify nearly 100 of their
divisions since the beginning of the
offensive, mothan ten of which
were twice engaged. Some divisions
had to be relieved at the end of the
first day, having lost more than half
of the men; such was the case of the
45th and 88th. The latter has been
nearly entirely wiped out. Among
those that havesutfered the mosNare
the 5th. 12th, 28th and 107th divisions,
as well as the Second (Prussian
guard), the 16th, the 21st and 26th
divisions of reserves. S
"In the second place, an enormous
number of corpses were found on the
battleground, and the prisoners on
being questioned, acknowledged the
extent of the losses of their respective
units.
"To conceal from the German peo
ple the heavy sacrifices that their of
fensive methods required, the Ger
mans . ate sending most of their
wounded to Belgium.,
"It is not an exaggeration to es
timate the total of their losses at be
tween 275,00 and 300,000 men.", ,
Must Clean up, Des Moines
, Edict of War Department
Des Moines, la.,"' April l.With 'a
War department -warning that Des
Moines will be declared a "prohibited
district" for Camp Dodge soldiers,
usless jnoral conditions here are im
proved, Governor W. L. Harding to
day inaugurated measures to "clean
up ' the city, placing Sheriff. John F.
Griffin of Polk county in charge of
law enforcement work. Ben Woolgar,
local commissioner of public safety,
and Oscar Rock, a state special
agent, were directed to work "with I
and under" the sheriff.
continued south of the Somme it
OTHPFP TUnitC A Km r.CDUlkli
KILLED.
South of the Somme, where then
has been so much hard fighting, th
British appear to have the situatior.
well in hand and the town, hall ol
Moreuil, about which sanguinary
struggles have been swaying, was, at
last reports, still flying the British
flag defiantly from the steeple.
One of the most costly attacks the .
enemy attempted yesterday was be
tween Morelancourt and the Somme
where a heavy assault was made
against the Australians shortly aftet
midday.
, The attackers came forward Ir.
masses and the British threw them
selves against the advancing lines s
fiercely that the Germans were hurlec
back, leaving 3,000 dead.
Thq British operation at Lassignj
farm, south of Hebuterne, betweer
Albert and Arras, yesterday after
noon, which resulted in straightening
the defending line, was a brilliant
success. i i
The Germans were pushed back
with heavy casualties and British
troops returned with 200 prisoners,
40 machine guns and a trench mortar.
South of Arras the enemy made
two attacks yesterday. One was near
Hamelincourt. astride the Arras-Ba
paumfc railway, while the other was
north of Boisleux St. Mare. Both of
these efforts were smashed, although
particularly hard nnhtine occurred
around Boisleux.
, Hand-to-Hand Fighting.
In this operation the Germans ad
vanced in great numbers after an in
tense bombardment of the British
lines for two hours. At three places
(Condoned on FajrB Two, Column Flvs.) 4
MURDER MAN TO v
CHECK IMPORTANT
VICE CONFESSION
New 'York, April 1. Seven ; hours
before the district attorney's" office
was to have been informed by Harry
Cohen, also known as "Harry the
Yot," of, the name of the man higher
up in the-prosecutor's anti-gambling
crusade,. Cohen was shot and killed
at 6:30 o'clock this morning, v
DisHct Attorney Swann imme
diately ordered the apprehension of
Sam Schepp, who was one of the
prosecution's star witnesses .against
Charles-Becker. the police lieutenant.
who was executed for the murder of
Herman Hosenthal. gambler, ui
i