X."
Omaha Daily- Bee
THC WEATHER
Showers
vol;-XLvn no. 286.
OMAHA, FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 17, 1918. 16 PAGES
SINGLE . COPY ' TWO CENTS.-
JV
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THE
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GREAT BRITAIN
WOULD CONSIDER
PEACE PROPOSAL
British Government Desirous of Honorable Termination
' of War, Says Foreign Secretary, But Moves of
Central Powers Not In Interest of Fair and
- , Honorable Terms.
t , '' "..;( By Associated Press.)
- London, May 16. The British secretary for foreign af
airs Arthur J. Balfour, in giving explanations in the House of
Commons today in connection with Emperor Charles' letter to
Prince Sixtus of Bourbon, recently made public by the president
of the French republic, declared that no effort at conversations
had ever -been made by the central powers in the interest of a
fair and honorable peace and he adged:
"If any representative of any belligerent country desires
seriously to lay before us any proposals, we are ready to listen
to them."
The letter in question had been examined by a committee
of the French chamber, said Mr. Balfour, and the conclusion
was that it was not an adequate basis for an honorable peace.
- rrrT v rn nTrcCTTriwc. . O
Mr. Balfour, in his explanations,
was replying to questions submitted
by the Right Hon. Walter Runciman,
former president of the Board of
11 Trade, who asked whether when Em
oeror Charles letter was commum-
cated to the French government and
' by the French government to the
British prime minister, it was com
municated to any other ot the allies;
had the American government any m-
" formation as to what was passing; did
the prime minister inform the foreign
- office at the time of the fact that the
communication Tiad been shown to
him; why were the negotiations
dropped; was it on purely territorial
sxounds: was it because a demand
" wasmade by France, . not only for
Alsace-Lorraine, but for the 1814 line,
. or even the 1790 line?
Had No Secrets.
Mr. Balfour explained that he had
no secrets from President. Wilson. He
' was in America at the time and had
not gone very thoroughly into- (he
matter. The letter, however, had been
conveyed by Prince Sixtus to rresi
dent Poincare and the French premier
under seal of the strictest secrecy.
- Orily the British sovereign and pre
mier were to see It. Therefore, it was
not communicated to the president of
the United States and the American
arovernment was no better informed
of the facts regarding the letter than
' he was himselr.
Referring to the Stockholm confer-
" ence. the secretary expressed the
opinion that it would not have paved
the way to settlement of . the war.
"The course taken by the British
' government with regard to the
.Stockholm conference," he continued,
' had no connection, near or remote,
with Emperor Charles' letter to
Prince Sixtus or with the negotia
tions or conversations resulting
therefrom. They were treated as
wholly separate and absolutely un
sonnected subjects. t .
I - Falsehood Exposed.
, "We do not" know, and will only
when the secrets of the archives of
Europe are opened to the world, and
perhaps not even then, exactly what
were the motives which influenced
- Emperor Charles and the German
emperor in these various transactions.
Perhaps we will never know vHrat the
motives were which actuated Count
Czernin, Charles and the German em
. peror, I am inclined to think that it
was part of a peace offensive, by
which I mean peace proposals initiat
ed by one party which did not desire
. peace, but which desired to divide its
opponents,
"The falsehood exposed by Pre
mier Clemenceau was that the whole
war was being conducted in order
that France might obtain Alsace
Lorraine and Italy should have noth
ing. When we are dealing with peo
ple so cynical as the central powers,
some kind of counter attack is .almost
obligatory. Therefore, the counter at
tack delivered by M, Clemenceau ap
pearsto have been thoroughly effec
tive, in the sense that it exposed in
the cleverest manner the motives ani
mating central European diplomacy."
Des Moines to Get "lew
Ford Branch Plant
Des . Moines, May 16. (Special
. reIegram.)-TCommencement on June
1 of operations at' the new million
dollar, Ford branch plant, at West
Eighteenth street and production of
400 automobiles a day is forecast by
the announcement today that Omaha
has been made headquarters for gov-
ernment supply purchases jn the dis
trict containing Camp Dodge.' '
.Wilson Suggests Usual
'';-, Memorial Day Exercises
Washington, , May 16. President
Wilson asked today that Memorial
Day? be observed as usual and an
nounced that in proclaiming May 30
t day of prayer he did not intend to
suggest a modification of the .usual
memorial exercises held under the
auspices of the patriotic organizations,
KLEFFNER GETS
$2,500 JOB WITH
HITCHCOCK'S AID
Superintendent of Omaha's
City Mail Delivery Appointed
Director of Employment
Service.
Washington Bureau of Tli
Omaha Bee, 1311 G Street.
(From a Staff Correspondent.)
Washington, May 16. (Special Tel
egram.) George J. Kleffner, superin
tendent of Omaha's city mail delivery,
who has been the subject of investiga
tion by postal officials on several ac
casions, by reason of charges filed
against him, but who has been able
through political friends to withstand
the adverse reports of inspectors, has
been appointed state director of the
federal employment service under the
Department of Labor, at a salary of
$2,500.
This plum was plucked by Senator
Hitchcock. ,
Dedicated to Kenneth Hatch.
The congressman took this poem as
a text to recall a number of incidents
in which the boys of '61 figured on
returning home from the civil war.
He declared himself an advocate of
liberal pensions, not only for the
defenders of the flag, but for those
dependent on them.
. Manley Gets Encouragement.
Commissioner Manley of the Cham
ber of Commerce, left for Nebraska
feeling satisfied that his visit to Wash
ington in the interest -of the city
would be productive of good.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter J. Colvirk of
Omaha are in the capital on their way
to New York and Montreal.
Mrs. A. V. Kinsler of Omaha, is
visiting friends in the capital on her
way home from New York. .
DOCUMENT FOUND IN TRENCH
STATES GERMAN PEACE TERMS
. '..,.: ' '
Retention of Flanders Coast and Baltic Provinces, Return
of Colonies, Readjustment of Frontiers, Commercial
Supremacy and Enormous Indemnities De
clared to Be Conditions of Peace. '
(By Associated Press.)
With the French Army in France," May 16. Germany's
conditions of peace are clearly stated in a document found in
a German trench that was recently recaptured by entente allied
troops. ..; A resume of the principal conditions, as given in an
official translation, reads: ,
:,v "After the enormous sacrifices we have made of our blood
and property, we exact as a necessary minimum to the preserva
tion and development of Germany the following: ,
WOULD HOLD BELGIUM.
CR.1iT.iim il T71 1
coast with Antwerp, is to remain un
der German military, economic and
political dependence.
uvkiuui, cauckiauy me nanucra
Liberty of the seas shall be oroo-
erly established for all nations, the
central powers being allowed a com
mercial neet totaling 17,800,000 tons,
while that of the allies should amount
of 10,900,000 tons.
"Our colonies shall be returned
with augmentation. "
www i MOVE MINES.
"We are to have more numerous
and stronger naval stations.
"The Lonewv and Briev mini? fields
which furnish France its weapons for
attack, shall become German-.
Readjustment of the frontier.
particularly in the Vosges, are to be
Six Huns to. Yard
On Western Front,
Estimate of Allies
Paris, May 16. There are six
Germans to the yard on the greater
?art of the Franco-Belgian front
rom the North Sea to the Oise, ac
cording to the Gaulois, which bases
the statement on the information it
reports having reached the general
staff that 150 German divisions are
situated in this area. ....
HEROES OF AIR
TELL HOW THEY
CONQUERED FOE
V "
Two American Aviators Who
Downed Three German Planes
Wednesday Relate Their
Experiences in Battle.
(By Associated Press.)
With the American Army in France,
May 16. Captain David Peterson of
Honesdale, Pa., and Captain Ken
netn Marr, California, the heroes in
the aerial battle Wednesday in which
Captain Peterson brought down two
German monoplanes and Captain Marr
destroyed an enemy biplane in the
Toul sector, related their stories of
the battle today.
I was flying near Thiaucourt at
an altitude of 5,000 meters," said Cap
tain Peterson, "when I saw two Ger
man Albatross scouts going away at
right angles in the distance. One was
ahead of the other. I ascended 200
meters higher, circled and stopped
my engine and darted after them. I
finally got close to the last plane.
At a distance of .100 yards I opened
fire with incendiary bullets and the
German machine almost immediately
burst into flames and fell.
Saw Wing Crumple.
"I continued straight on my course,"
he contiued, "and within two minutes
had the other enemy machine before
me. He started a quick dive, but. I
am certain that some of. the bullets
went home. One of the wings of his
machine crumpled at the same mo
ment. As I circled about I saw one
machine burning on the ground and
the other smoking in its downward
plunge, crash to the earth. That is
all there is to it. It was a cinch."
Captain Marr was flying at an al
titude of 2,000 meters when he saw
an enemy machine over the American
lines. - '
!'As I sailed out I saw him far
away circling out from our line amid
a cloud of puff balls from our
(Continued on Pace Two, Column Two.) '
GERMANS PROMISE
TO STOP ADVANCE
ON RUSSIAN SOIL
'"'' ' i'
Washington, May 16. A- Moscow
dispatch today to the State depart
ment said Germany had given assur
ance to the Russian soviet govern
ment that German armies would ad
vance no further into Russian terri
tory. Stockholm, May 16. A Helsinfors
dispatch says, the Russians have be
gun evacuation of territory along the
harder of Finland. They still hold the
frontier fortress of Ino, but otherwise
are withdrawing as far as Kronstadt.
The railway from Valkeassare . to
Petrograd is being deserted by the
Russians, the dispatch reports.
Qfixed according to the military situa-
tion and the appreciation of the com
mandant. Our frontiers must be such
that their defense is made easier.
"The former German Baltic
province shall be incorporated, their
rich soil furnishing new fields for
German peasant emigrants, thus pro
tecting the empire against the danger
of famine.
"Courland, Lithuania, Livonia and
Esthonia are to be colonized.
"One million, eight hundred thous
and tens of Roumania petrol will be
at the disposition of Germany.
"Those nations who attacked peace
ful Germany must pay all war
charges in raw material, ships, ready
money and . territorial concessions,
leaving Germany with only five bil
lions national debt."
MUMS WAGE
OFFENSIVE
OF TERROR
Towns Bombed to Destroy
Civilians' Morale -and Create
Peace Demand, Says Red
Cross Leader. v
New York, May 16. A German of
fensive of terror against the civilian
population of France and Italy was
described today by Henry P. Davison,
on his return from a 12,000-mile tour
of inspection of Red ' Cross work
abroad. ,
"The outstanding . feature of Ger
man methods' at the present time,"
he said, "is the effort to terrorise
women, children and old men at home.
While the German troops are making
their drive on the front, airplanes are
bombing, nearly every night, towns
behind the lines, with the deliberate
and ' declared purpose of terrorising
s . ErRf p. XXAVMOHj
civilians, and breaking down the mor
ale to such a point that they will im
portune their governments lor peace.
It is the most dastardly, unrighteous,
cruel, devilish plan which could be
conceived." ' " 1
WAR ON WOMEN.
"It is based upon theory that the
killing of four children out of five
will induce the mother to implore her
government to have the war stopped
that her fifth child may, live. It is
carried on from the English channel
to the Swiss border and from the
Swiss border to the Adriatic and has
resulted in the maiming of thousands
of women and children and the driv
ing of hundreds of thousands terror
stricken from their homes.
"All of this is accomplished by the
most active possible propaganda, es
pecially in Italy." , '
Mr. Davidson described the attempt
to uphold civilian morale a "one of
the great missions of the Red Cross,"
adding:
"You need have no concern for
German propaganda where the Red
Cross is working. We have workers
all over Italy and France."
He regards the bombing of Paris
by big guns as part of the offensive
of terror , and says , that the damage
to buildings . is - so .. slight that one
might drive about the city a week
without noticing it. ' ?,,: ; ',,'
. - Relief Activities Summarized. ' .
A. summary of some of the Red
Cross war relief, described by Mr.
Davidson, follows:
"In France relief is being extended
in 121 cities and towns; in Italy in
45 cities and towns with branches in
218 other places.
"There are 3,000 Americans abroad
working for the Red Cross. In France
the organization has 37 storehouses,
containing more than $7,000,000 worth
of goods.
"In France the Red Cross operates
15 hospitals, in England five, in Italy
two. In addition supplies are fur
nished to 4,361 hospitals in 1,509 cities
and towns in France and to 465 hos
pitals in Italy. Ninety-nine Red Cross
ambulances on the Italian front are
operated by 129 American boys.
Fourteen rolling canteens at the
French front have supplied 3,240.000
hot drinks to French soldiers. Can
teens in the Paris district have sup
plied millions of meals and drinks to
soldiers. ' ;
A factory has ben established for
the manufacture of artificial limbs
and five splint factories are operating
under Red Cross supervision.
Wilson to Open Red
Cross Relief Fund Drive
Washington, May 16. President
Wilson will go to New York to
morrow to remain until Saturday
when he is to open the hundred
million dollar war relief fund cam
paign of the American Red Cross
by addressing a mass meeting.
1
Vy )
Proposes to Convert
Frederickjhe Great
Into War Munitions
Washington, May 16. A resolu
tion proposing that the statue of
Frederick the Great, recently re
moved from the war college
grounds, be melted up and convert
ed into munitions of war, was intro
duced today by Senator Gallinger,
republican leader. The senate mili
tary committee would dispose of it.
MISS LUSH'S LOVE
STORY TOLD JURY
IN MURDER TRIAL
Dr. Roberts Sits With Bowed
Head While He Is Assailed
as Deceiver of Two
Women.
Waukesha; : Wis.; 4 May ' 16.-Dr.
David Roberts, 1 present only as a
witness while Grace Lusk' faces the
jury charged with the murder of Mrs.
Mary Newman Roberts, sat with
bowed head today, as he heard him
self assailed by witnesses and counsel
as the deceiver of two women one
his dead wife and the other on trial as
her slayer. v .
Dr. R. E. Davies, the star witness
for the state, testified that he was
called to the home of Bianca Mills,
where Miss Lusk was rooming, on
the afternoon of June 21, 1917, by a
telephone message from Dr. Roberts.
There he found Mrs. Roberts dead in
the parlor, with two bullet wounds in
her body. Going to a rear stairway,
he started to ascend, but was halted
by a voice declaring sharply:
"Stop, you must not come up here."
Statement Dictated by Slayer.
Looking up, he testified, he saw
Miss Lusk standing at the head of the
stairs with a pistol in her right hand
and her left hand covering a, widening
stain on her white waist from a
wound near her heart. Refusing to al
low him to come up to treat her, she
dictated the following statement:
"Dr. Roberts told me again and
again that he loved me and only me.
He said that he and. his wife never
cared for each otherv He swore that
he would telpher before June 15, and
swore on a Bible, I told htm that if he
did not care for me, we would end it
all. Last night he told me again that
he loved me. I told him that he must
tell her, as it was the only honorable
way. This morning, I, called him on
the telephone and he told hie he had
told his wife that I had been chasing
him and that I was the darndest fool
that ever lived. She called me every
name every name. I loved him so
dearly."'.
Shot Herself Second Time. v
Later, Dr. Davis said, she asked
him if the wound she had inflicted on
herself was through the heart. He
replied that it was not and she then
felt for the beating of her heart, with
her left hand, and, raising the pistol,
fired again.
When Dr. Davies reached her side,
he asked her why she had shot Mrs.
Roberts and believing she was' dying,
she replied:
"She drove me to it. She called me
such awful names." ,', , 1
And then, after a pause, she mur
mured: ' '
"The strangest thing is that I love
him still."
L. D. Blott, a business associate of
Dr. Roberts, testified that on the day
of the tragedy, Mrs. Roberts called
at her husband's office and that the
doctor attempted to get her to post
pone a proposed visit to Miss Lusk.
He quoted Mrs. Roberts as saying
that she heard of "the doctor's carryings-on
with the school teacher and
wanted to settle the matter at once."
Walter D. Corrigan, in his opening
statement to the jury ior the state
declared that "Miss Lusk had been
living on terms of intimacy with Dr.
Roberts for about two years and they
were together at several distant
points, including Chicago." , -
India to Recruit More Than
500,000 Men at Once for War
Simila, India, May 16. The gov
ernment of India has decided to re
cruit at once more than 509,000 men
for war service.
COMPLETE U. S. AIR SQUADRON
American Soldiers Show Dash and Nerve
In All Enterprises ' They Undertake.
JN OPERATION ON WEST FRONT
Washington, May 16. Designation
in the American communique today
of the flight for which Major Ralph
Royce was decorated by the French
army corps commander, as the "first
American flight over the enemy's
lines," has been taken here as an an
nouncement that a complete Ameri
can air squadron is now in operation
at the front.
A second section of the commun
ique, issued later said
, "In Lorraine May 12, three snipers,
scouts of intelligence service, went
out in camouflage sniping suits to find
German snipers and encountered 18
BATTLE RAGING
AMONG PEAKS OF
y ASIAGO PLATEAU
Aiutro-German Forces, Instead of Beginning Long
' Threatened Drive, Compelled to Fight Hard to "
Maintain Their Positions; American Gunners
. Share in Bombardment on Western Front -
(By Associated Press.)
! . . Among the rugged peaks of the Asiago plateau, east of the
Brenta river, the Italian front has again flamed into violent ao
tion. The aggressive has been taken by the Italians, however,
and the Austro-German forces instead of launching their long
expected assault on the Italian lines, have been compelled to
fight hard to maintain the positions where they have stood since
last November.
The fighting seems to have centered on the comparatively
short section of the battle line between Monte Asolone and
Monte Pertica. These two heights, about three miles apart, rise
to an altitude of about 5,000 feet, while between them there
is a sort of "saddle" on which the Teutonic forces have taken
up strong positions.
POLICE, RENEW
DRIVE TO CLEAR
OMAH VICE
Chief Dempsey Warns Pool
Hall Idlers and Restaurant
Loungers to Leave City
or Go to Work.
Police continued their campaign
against vagrants Thursday under or
ders from Chief of Police M. F.
Dempsey. Sergeant McDonald, in
charee of the morals squad, emphati
cally stated that there would be no
letup, in the jcampaign against idlers
"Pool hall and restaurant loungers
and Other idlers had better leave
r U- .f .1. ... ...ill .... (A ....!,
said Sergeant McDonald. "I have in
structed my squad to continue to bring
in all idlers as fast as they find them.
It is then up to the court. , I am
heartily in sympathy with the move
and will give Omaha a real cleaning
as long as the administration will stay
behind me.
Change Sedition Charge.
A sedition charge was first filed
against five young men arrested
Thursday night. Police later changed
the charge to investigation M order
to allow the county attorney to use
his discretion as to the proper charge.
Bail was fixed at $2,500 for the ap
pearance of the arrested men in police
court.
Those arrested were: A. Williams,
Drexel hotel; S. J. Dunn, 1840 North
Eighteenth street; Fred Compton,
2417 Poppelton avenue; Harry Bern
stein, 1410 North Twentieth Ptreet,
and Frank Kane, 3106 Marcy street
AMERICAN CARGO
SHIP TORPEDOED;
NO LIVES LOST
can steamer Neche, a cargo carrier of
7.175 tons, was torpedoed and sunk
on the night of May 14 without losJ
of life, the Navy department, today an
nounced.
The vessel was returning home
lieht and with no soldiers on board.
It is believed! it carried a crew of
about 125 men. '
Charged With Selling
Liquor to Enlisted Men
Al Naggar, 505 North Sixteenth
street, and Edgar Jones, 2519 Parker
street, were arrested Thursday night
by military police. They are charged
with selling intoxicating liquor to
soldiers. - EiS-J
of the enemy at a strong point near a
dugout. They shot four, of whom
one appeared to be an officer, ob
tained valuable papers and retired urt
der heavy fire. One failed to reach
our lines, and the major commanding
the sector sent three officers and four
men to find him."
Officers saw in the official reports
of the raiding and scouting operations
signs ot the dash and initiative which
they have expected the American
troops to show in action. They are
supremely confident that the average
American will olay the game at the
front just as well as Americans have
played all games.
Q TRENCHES CAPTURED.
Both the Vienna and Rome official
statement tell of bitter fighting on
this particular front, the latter stating
that the Italian soldiers have entered
Austrian trenches on Monte Asolone,
in two places.
The fact that the Italian armies
have taken the initiative in the fight
ing would seem to indicate that they
have sought to carry the fight to the
enemy in suca a way as to break up
any arrangements for the launching
of a strong Teutonic assault This
has many precedents in the present
war, a strong offensive at a threat
ened point being considered the best
defense under certain circumstances. ,
While the nnhtin has been very
fierce east of the Brenta, the whole
Italian line from Lake Garda to the .
Piave and thence to the sea has been
marked by . patrol engagements,
which appear to be isolated actions,
but which may' be component parti
of a plan of campaign in that theater
of the war.- Nowhere have the Ital
ian lines been reached by atticking
parties of Austrians. . . f v .
" ' American Gunners Busy. '
In Flanders and Picardy. only
heavy 'artillery fire has marked the
fighting during the last day, Ameri
can gunners have been at work in
the general bombardment that has
been going on and have again set
buildings in Montdidier in flames.
There have been many patrol en
gagements. A daring raid on the Austrian na
val base at Pola has. been made by
Italian units,-and an Austrian battle
ship of the 20,000 ton type has been
destroyed. The Italian naval forces
were aided by an aerial squadron.
It has been announced from Wash
ington that an official order has been
issued by the soviet government ot
Russia calling for the formation of
an armv that will fight for the se
curity of the Russian republic, which
has been menaced by the aggression
of the Germans.
DISBANDMENT
OF ROUMANIAN .
ARMY ORDERED
Amsterdam. May 16. An order for
the demobilization of the Roumanian
army was published in the official
gaxette at Jassy May 14. s
Alexander Marghiloman, the Rou
manian premier, while conversing .
with !. Roumanian newspaper repre
sentative, said,, that Bessarabia, with
the exception of a slight rectificaton
of its northern frontier, would be
joined to Roumania.
Senate Passes Postal Bill
With Increase in Salaries
Washington, May 16. The postof
fice appropriation bill, granting wage
increases to postal employes and au- ,-,
thorizing federal acquisition of the''
pneumatic mail tube systems in six ,
cities, was passed by the senate late
today without a record vote. The bill
provides for appropriations of $381,-
000. 000, an increase of $47,300,000 over :
the house bill.
Efforts to attach an amendment to
the measure suspending for at least a
year operation of the act effective July .
1, increasing second class postal rates,
were abandoned late ioday after sup- '
porters of the amendment became
convinced that it would be defeated. :
Tagg Presides at Session of
National Live Stock Exchange
New York, May 16. One hundred,
and twenty-five delegates, represent
ing the leading live stock markets of
the United States, attended the open '
ing here today of a three days' con
vention of the National Live Stock ex- ,
change. Today's proceedings included -a'
luncheon and a business session at, ,
which W. B. Tagg of Omaha, the na
tional president of the exchange, pre
sided. The delegates heard five-minute
talks by representatives of live '
stock markets.
Details Tomorrow
i