Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 13, 1920, Image 1

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The Omaha Daily Bee
x 14
VOL. 50 NO. 153. (
Eaten Sscsaa'-Clais M attar May ?, I9W. ai
OaialM P. 0. Under Aot at Mirth 3. 1171.
OMAHA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1920.
By Mall (I tor), laifita 4th Zoaa. Oallv and Sunday : Haiti Only. 13: Sunday.
Om!i4th Zona (I aar). Oallv and Sunday. Sib: Daily Only. JIJ: Suaday tfalv. 5
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Wide Range
Of Opinion
On Taxes
i
Republican Leaders Still Far
From Agreement on Pro
posed Changes Little
Chance of Early Aolion.
Start Hearings Today
By ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.
CliiraKO Trlhune-Oinuhn lire Lensed Wire.
Washington. Dec. 12. While con
ferences during the opening week
of the congressional session have de
veloped a partial program for the re
vision of tax laws, the republican
leaders are far from an agreement on
a number of important points of
policy.
Hearings are scheduled to start
before the house ways and means
committee tomorrow, but there is
little possibility of e-cn an attempt
l,,to settle the chief question at issue
' A-1 .1- . f
unui uic special session 01 congress,
which is to be called by President
pled Harding about the middle of
March.
It will be within) Mr. Harding's
power to frame the party policy to
a large extent in his inaugural mes
sage. With that inn view, the ways
and means crjunmittee will gather all
the information possible during the
present session, but reserve decisions
until March or April or possibly
later, if the tariff bill is completed
iirst.
, Dr. Thomas S. Adams, professor
of economics at Yale university and
member of the advisory tax board
of the treasury department, will be
the girst witness at tomorrow's hear
ing. He will represent Secretary of
the Treasury Houston, who indi
cated a "desire to have the treasury
experts take the stand instead of
himself.
Agree on Two Points.
There are, two points of policy on
which the conferences of the past
week ha e shown the republicans to
be in substantial agreement. One is
that the excess profits tax shall be
"repealed and the other that the pay
ment of the war debit shall be ex-
,ndcd over a period of from 40 to
ol) years, instead of 25 years as pro
posed by Secretary of "the Treasury
Houston. -' - . ;
The chief point of difference, and
one on which the republicans have
-fat4f rtt teriy 90ftar' toTnte"-toaa
lt-?ireiment is tne question of a sub
Biuuie lor uie excess proms xax.
There are some . republicans who
hope appropriations can be reduced
to such an extent that, coupled with
la refunding of maturing endebted
ness, it will be unnecessary to find a
substitute. The more general view
is that new taxexs will be necessary
which will yield as much as would
be lost by the repeal of the excess
profits tax. ,
Two Substitutes.
The two chief substitutes for the
fexcess profit tax under considera
tion area sales tax and a tax on un
distributed profits of corporations.
Secretary of the Treasury Houston,
Who agrees with most republicans
that the excess profits tax should be
repealed, favors a tax on undistribu
ted profits of corporations as a sub
stitute, believing that inasmuch as in
dividuals are subject to surtaxes in
addition to a normal tax, corpora
tions likewise should bear some bur
den in addition to their 10 per cent
' formal tax. ,
Secretary Houston is not lacking
In republican support in this propos
al. Such porminent republicans as
Representative Longworth of Ohio
fend Representative Green of Iowa,
emong the most influential of the
tnajority party members on the ways
and means committee favor the tax
pn undistributed profits.
Opposed to Plan.
Other republicans, including Rep
resentative Fordnay of Michigan,
(Chairman of the ways and means
tommittee, and Representative Cop
lev of Illinois, also, a member of
the committee, are strongly opposed
j5;tnch a tax, believing it to be
& tax upon capital invested in Busi
ness which should be avoided if the
industrial progress of the country
is not to be handicaped and crippled.
The republicans who favor the re-
jpeal of the excess profits t?x, but
pppose the tax on undistributed
jprofits of cororations, incline to-
-Jward a sales tax. Reresentative
Mott of New York, a republican
member of the ways and means com
mittee, introduced a bill in the house
yesterday for a 1 per cent general
sales tax on all turnovers which
would produce about $1,500,000,000
annually. Representative Fordney,
Senator Smoot of Utah and Senator
McCumber of North Dakota favor
a sales tax.
There are many republicans, how
ever, who fear that a tax on all turn
over would lead to the pyramiding
of the tax, and an undue increase in
the cost of living. Representative
Longworth, who favors the tax on
undistributed profits of corporations,
holds this view. Representative
Copley also believes that a tax on all
turnovers is impracticable, but in
stead of approving a tax on undis
tributed . profits of corporations,
thinks that a tax on final retail sales
would be satisfactory. One estimate
is that the latter would produce
800,000,000 annually.
Former-Rail Official Dies.
Minneapolis, Dec. 12. Thomas
W. Teasdale, 57, former general pas
senger ,agent for the Chicago, St.
Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha rail
way, died at the home of his daugh
ter here Saturday. He had been
jaV3-Jr 28 years ui to his retirement in
Clever Woman Thief
"Slips One Over" on
New York Detective
Chicago Tribune-Omaha Km 1-imI Wire.
New York, Dec. 12. The aid of
the district attorney's office was in
voked by a store detective yesterday
to help find a woman who played a
mean trick on him. She tried to give
the store a check' for $4,500 for some
furs she bought. On refusal by the
store, she asked that a detective ac
company her and the furs home,
where she would furnish the cash.
They departed in a closed car and
away off in Brooklyn drew up at
what appeared to be a sanitarium. As
soon as the detective entered he was
seized by two guards, for it was a
sanitarium, and locked in a room
When he shouted that he was a de
tective the woman said "That's one
of poor Harry's illusion. He thinks
he's a detective." and she departed
with the furs. The detective talked
for hours before he was let go.
All Pouches in
Mail Theft Now
Accounted for
Small Boy Finds Locks of Five
Sacks Which Collins Said
Were Burned After
Being Looted.,
All of the mail sacks stolen from
the storage car of a Burlington mail
train in Council Bluffs November
13 w-ere accounted for Saturday
when a small boy reported to police
the discovery of five locks of the
kind used on registered mail sacks.
Examination of the number on the
locks showed them to , belong to
the missing sacks. Keith Collins,
now at Fort Leavenworth for the
Crime, told officers that he and Fred
Poffenberger, also in 'the federal
penitentiary, had burned the five
sacks, after rifling their contents.
Ten sacks were thrown from the
storage car. One was found where
robbers had missed it, three in a
small lake in the city, one in a
park and five were burned.
Collins, says he threw the secur
ities that were in the sacks into the
Missouri river and officials are!
keeping up a search for them.
Veteran of World War
Perishes iin Hospital
Tire-at Washington
Washington, Dec. 12. One pa
tient, Scrgt Alizon Messenger, fort
merly of the Seventh coast artillery,
is believed to have burned to death
and several other patients were in
jured, none seriously, in a fire that
destroyed two of the psychopathic
wards of Walter-Reed military hos
pital. ,
The fire, which hospital authori
ties believe was started by one of
the patients with matches smuggled
into his room, threatened for a time,
to spread to other wards, including
several in which disabled World
war veterans are patients, was check
ed by t': combined efforts of the
hospital and Washington fire de
partments. The two wards. No. 43, in which
violently insane are ' confinedj and
No. 44 in which other psychopathic
patients undergo treatment, con
tained 75 patients. All, with the ex
ception of Sergeant Messenger,
were removed before the blaze earn
ed much headway. Messenger aiv
rived at the hospital yesterday from
(he Panama canal zone.
The loss was estimated by the
hospital authorities as little more
than. $25,000. An investigatipn of
the origin of the fire was started
late today.
Winnipeg Labor Head
Released From Jail
Chicago Tribune-Omaha Bee I.fasfd Wire.
Winnipeg, Man., Dec. 12. Robert
B. Russell, leader of the Winnipeg
labor strike in May and June of 1919,
who jas sentenced to the penitenti
ary for two years on a charge of
seditious -conspiracy, was released
after serving 10 months of his sen
tence. The government decided that
justice had been served, and it is
probable all labor leaders serving
prison sentences in jail will be free
before Christmas. There are eight
others, two of whom are members
of the Manitoba legislature elected for
Winnipeg : seats while in jail, and
one is a Winnipeg alderman.
New England Printers
Hear Open Shop Arguments
Boston, Dec. 12. The New Eng
land printers' conference heard from
several speakers, sentiments In favor
of the open shop. George H. Ellis
in an address of welcome said:
"In the main, open shop principle
is one that, we as leaders, should
stand by and stand for. I am a be
liever in trades unions, but we want
them conducted on broader prin
ciples." W. H. Lee of New Haven, Conn.,
in acknowledging the greeting,
agreed that trades unions had a place
in the printers' scheme of things, but
said he wanted to see them run
after the idea of employers' associa
tions. Senator Walsh Proposes
Delegate on Disarmament
Washington, Dec. 12. A resolu
tion requesting President Wilson to
appoint an American representative
to meet with the league of nations
commission considering disarma
ment was presented and advocated
in the senate by Senator Walsh, dem
ocrat, Montana.
a n- i
Face Death
Bv Famine
Combined Relief Work of All
Organization in China Can
Save But Half Million,
Reports Say.
Outside Effort Is Needed
By CHARLES DAILEY.
Chicago Tribune Cable. Copyright, 11120.
Peking, Dec. 12. A minimum of
15,000,000 people will die of starva
tion in China this winter. Efforts
of relief committees, missionaries,
American Red Cross and govern
ment projects can save but 500,000.
, This conclusion was reached at a
session in Peking of the representa
tives of all the relief societies. Blame
for this condition was placed square
ly on the shoulders of the present
tottering government.
Even if Gen. Chang Tsolin suc
ceeds in the approaching election, as
seems likely, it means the increased .
power ot.the military and lessens
the chances of the present govern
ment to extend relief. The rival re
public set up in the south by Sun
Yat Sen and Wu Ting Fang only
complicates the situation.
Outside Effort Needed.
Parliament has been dissolved and
new elections ordered so the entire
official "mind is fixed on politics and
money and it is extremely difficult
to get the cabinet to focus attention
on relief for the sufferers. Outside
effort is needed, not only tov save
the best of China's population, but
also to bring moral pressure on the
cabinet to do something before it
is too late, it was decided. ,
Already north China is covered
with a blanket of snow and the last
green stuff ' has been consumed.
Deaths from starvation actually are
occurring, but the real pinch is a
month off.
W. P. Mills of the Hankow Y. M.
C. A., and Missionary Shields, both
working in Shensi, report that wheat
is being plowed up and the forbid
den poppy seed sown in viola'ion of
the nrnrtrx-nl hv rlanHpstitiP nrrWa.'.
of the govemmen:. This is a section
, -j
where very little outside aid is pos
sible. Father Jamin reports from
Man Shen Hsin 4,800 pounds of gov
ernment wheat have been received
as the country's grant, but it was
sdrdfstribtfted by-the offlclals'asf to
make the distribution worthless.
Little Money Available.
There are 24 Chinese relief com
mittees which originally had repre
sentatives attending the internation
al famine relief meetings at Peking,
but one by one they dropped out, as
so little money was coming :n.
Not only is there a tieup of cars
on the Manchurian railway, but the
yards at Mukden, where the gauge
changes, are blocked and the ware
houses are congested. This situa
tion grows worse as the need for
grain becomes more acute.
Admiral Tsai, when asked about
this, said: .
"They seek to exact the utmost
from their stricken countrymen. I
am going personally before the cabi
net and insist that China square her
self before the world."
Minister Bestows
Pope's Blessing on
Omaha Congregation
The entire congregation of the
Sacred Heart church, Twenty-second
and Binney streets, attended spe
cial services held last night and were
giVen the apostolic blessing by their
pastor, Rev. P. J, Judge, tendered
hin when he was accorded a private
audience with Pope Benedict XV in
Rome three weeks ago.
The church was crowded to ca
pacity.' The ceremonies began with the
recitation of the rosary, followed by
a lecture by Father Judge on his
visit to the Vatican palace during his
trip abroad.
The concluding part of the services
was impressive. With crucifix in
hand, Father Judge bestowed the
apostolic blessing on the congrega
tion as it knelt in prayer.
Noted French Physician
To Lecture on "Anesthesia"
Dr. G. L. Labot of the University
of Paris, temporarily at the Mayo
Brothers hospital at Rochester,
Minn., will speak on "Local and Re
gional Anesthesia" at the University
of Nebraska College . of Medicine
here tonight.
"By putting to sleep the portion of
the body affected, an operation may
be performed with the patient en
tirely conscious and watching the
proceeding." said Dr. Labot, who
arrived in Omaha today. "The pa
tient may dr,jnk a cup of. coffee fol
lowing the operation, in many cases."
Sidney Man Shoots Coyote
From Back Porch of Home
Lodge Pole, Neb., Dec. 12. (Spe
cial Telegram.) Early morning
hunting is becoming a popular sport
with the business men on the out
skirts of Sidney. At 6:30 the other
morning H. G. Hansen, auditor for
the American bank, stood on his
own back porch and brought down
a full-sized coyote at the first shot.
County Agent Re-EIected.
Lodge Pole. Neb., Dec. 12. (Spe
cial Telegram.) It was voted at a
meeting of the Cheyenne County
Farm Bureau board at Sidney to
continue the agricultural extension .
work another year and County I
Agent H. G. Gould was re-elected.'
Love of Candy Blasts
The Budding Criminal
Career of Chicago Lad
Chlrago Tribune-Omaha Bee leased Wire
Chicago, Dec. 12. Paul Fisher, i
13, is an "orphant," and he decided to !
run away from the Illinois Chil-!
dren's Home and Aid society, and
make his own way in the world. He
has his own well-defined idea of
the equipment necessary for a busi
ness start, so he acquired a revolver,
a check book, and some small
change.
His career might not have ended
so abruptly had he not encountered
a candy store and he threw discre
tion to the winds.
"I want some candy," he told
Nicholas Gopoculous, the proprietor.
''I guess maybe I want $400 worth."
"But can ' you pay?" demanded
Gopoculous.
'Sure thing," said Paul, producing
his check book. 'I've got a million
dollars, I guess."
He wrote out a check for $400 and
Gopoculous asked him to wait until
he went out and got a box large
enough to hold the candy. When
he returned a policeman accom
panied him. Paul produced his re
volver, . but the policeman took , ft
away. Today he is back in the home
again and a budding criminal has
been blasted because he pined for
candy.
Woman in Hamon
Case in Omaha
After Shooting
Atchison Man Says That Clara
Smith Was Here on Way to
Kansas City Three Days
After Alleged Murder.
Atchison, Kan., Dec. 12. Clara
Smith, wanted at Ardmore, Okl., on
a charge of murder following the
death of Jake L. Hamon, spent an
evening in Atchison three days after
the shooting, according to a state
ment made by Harry McAleer, who
came her two months ago from
Ardmore. '
"Clara Smith spent the evening
with me in Atchison," he said, "at
the time she was supposed to be
speeding through Texas 111 a motor
Cl !J -1 J".
car. she said sue was driving north
instead of south from Ardmore.'and
naa gone xo urn ana, sropp.ng nere
on her way to Kansas City where ,
she expected to receive aid from
friends. '
"She- did not teU .me sh&had'Shot
Jake Hamon but she was very nerv
ous. She told me she was broke
and I loaned her $10 so she could
get to Kansas City. I took her to
dinner and then to a hotel where
she registered. That was the last
I saw of her. Two days later I re
ceived a letter from Kansas City
containing the ,$10 I had loaned
hcr.j' V
Army of "Moochers"
Heralds Appearance
Of Reorganization
ChirnKn Tribune-Omaha Bee Leased WireS
Chicago, Dec. 12. Ample evidence
that a great reorganization is under
way is affored by the appearance, in
increasing numbers, of the profes
sional "panhandlers" and "mooch
ers," the individuals who received
high wages during the war period
and saved not a cent of their'earn
ings. They were the first to hit the
street when employers began to weed
cut the incompetents; and now they
are back at their old avocation
sidling up to men and women, most
ly women, and begging a few coins.
Street bepging has inlcreased enor
mously in the last two weeks, say
officials of the Bible Rescue mission
and the police. Men at the mission
stood in front of their
say men
place last vear and hooted and jeer
ed at 'offers of work at big wages'.
Today, even larger crowds are beg
ging for anything that will bring
them the price of coffee and sinkers.
Registered Mail and Checks
Found in Baggage? of Negro
Chir.atro. Dec. 12 Checks amount
ing to $150,000 and more than 1,000 I
registered letters were iound in tnc
baggage of Edward Valentine, 25,
negro,- arrested here last night, on
advices - from police of Kokomo,
Ind., where Valentine is wanted to
answer charges of robbing a dry
cleaning shop.
Police annonced that Valentine
will be turned over to federal author
ities. Police say that most of the reg
istered matter bears the date of De
cember 10, but they have no reports
regarding a mail robbery on that
date.
Breaks Airplane Record.
Paris, Dec. 12. Sadi Lecointe, the
aviator, broke the world's airplane
f:peed record for four kilometers.
Flying at Villacoublay, Lecointe
negotiated the distance in 46 sec
onds, or at the rate of 194.5 miles
per hour. ,
I1 i in"" 'mnmfmmmmmmmammmmn
AH nil 'urn iii i ii mill laanTan aaaail;3
I See Page 3.
"Deficit
Postal
Operations
Expenditures Totaled $17,
270,482 Ahove Income, Ac
cording , to Annual Re
port of Burleson.
Burleson Raps Congress
Washington, Dec. 12. Operation
of the United States postal service
for. the fiscal year 1920 resulted in
a deficit of $17,270,482 the second
largest in the history of the service
Postmaster General Burleson
shows in his annual report to the
president, in which expenditures of
the Postoftice department are placed
at $454,322,609 and revenues at $437,
150.212. .
The postmaster general charges
congress with direct responsibility
for the deficit, explaining that the
expenditures included approximately
$33,202,600 paid as a war bonus to
postal employes and stating that but
for this there would have been a
surplus of $18,427,917. Mr. Burleson
says he declined to approve the
bonus action of the legislative de
partment, adding that he had offered
suggestions of another plan for com
pensating the employes which would
have served the purpose without, at
the same time giving a blanket in
crease in pay to "thousands who
were already amply compensated."
Reference also is made to the de-;
cision of the Interstate Commerce
commission, granting the railways
additional pay aggregating $8,103,889
for carrying the mails. This served
likewise, to offset increases in postal
receipts, Mr. Burleson declares.
Scores Organizations.
Attention is directed 'by the post
master general to the growth of or
ganization among the postal em
ployes and he urges that steps be
taken- to "curb the malicious and,
pernicious influence" of these or
ganizations upon the postal person
nel. He says they have operated to
"interefere to a considerable extent
with the efficient conduct" of the
service, adding that "much of the so
called 'demoralized postal tervice'
and dissatisfaction exists only in
fa ;nd and imaginations of
itators of these 0?ganizati0ns who
instill these doctrinos into the mind's
of the. employes through thg medir
uiri 6f "their publications."4' " '
The postal service head declare?
the use of the strike against the gov
ernment by an outside" organiza
tion is a menace to the welfare of
ilhe republic as it not only results in
a divided allegiance, but engenders
dissatisfaction, discontent and unrest
and lowers efficiency.
Mr. Burleson also recounts in his
report, the development of the for
ieign mails service of which a fea
ture is the Transpacific, South Amer
ican and Mexican service. He says
that in the last fiscal year, the num
ber of countries and colonies reach
ed by American service was increas
ed from 45 to 260 and that more
rapid transportation was given be
cause of a rehabilitated merchant ma
rine service.
Service to Mexico Improved.
Mail facilities to Mexico continued
to improve during the year so that
mail service "at present is on the
whole better than at any time since
1914," Mr. Burleson says. The New
York-Vera Cruz service has been
operated regularly on a bi-weekly
basis by way of Havana and Pro
gresso. Turning from the general admin
istrative work to detailed matters,
the head of the department says that
the receipts from postage on mail
aggregated $391,552,205, a decreas;
of 1.76 per e'ent from last year. Of
the ot?' amount. ?3b,060,795 was de
rived from mailings on which the
postage was paid in money. He
points out that the total postage bill
was equivalent to $3.65 per capita
for the nation's population.
Parcel post reverses, Mr. Burle
son estimates, aggregate approxi
mately $150,000,000 or $10,00,000
more than in the previous vear.
Postage on second class mail pro-
duced $25,107,841. an increase of
more than $9,000,000 over 1919,
The volume of mail of all kinds
likewise has increased, the report
shows, and Mr. Burleson urgently
recommends the establishment of
greater plants, especially in New
York and Chicago, where the situa
tions are represented as particularly
acute. One-fifth of all of the second
class mail matter handled originates
in New York City and Mr. Burle
son recommends the construction
there, of three great buildings, cost
ing in the aggregate about $30,000,
000, together with a tunnel connec
tion between them to expedite the
handling of mails. He also recom
mends the construction of one large
building in Chicago;
Wheeling Steel Interests
Will Reduce Operations
Washington. Dec. 12. Successful
Wheeling Steel corporation reported
that notices posted at mills through
out this district shows that opera
tions will be on a much reduced
scale next week and that plants of
the corporation will operate at less
than half capacity. Price reduc
tions have brought no new busi
ness, officials said.
The situation has been termed a
"consumers' strike."
Snow at Lodge Pole.
Lodge role, Neb.. Dec. 12. (Spe
cial Telegram.) The fair weather
which has prevailed over this part
of the state for the fast month
was broken today by a light snow,
accompanied by a strong wind and
a fallinn temperature.
Big
iTri
Municipal Building Is
Destroyed in Reprisals
V " HW . ' 'it
.,mJijiii8
Lawyer Suspected
Of Irregularities
County Attorney Said to Have
Told . Woman to Leave
State to Avoid Charge.
Grand Island, Neb., Dec. 12,
(Special.) The charge of forgery
against Mrs. T. P. Mullins, brought
to this city from Wyoming, has
been dismissed, but another charge,
according to the local police officials,
has grown out of the. circumstances
involving the irregularity of action
on the part of the county attorney of
Chappell, Neb.
Mrs. Mullins,' passed a check of
$1 wthe-fiit f S.-N.-Vfolbach
& Sons of this -city. When payment
was refused bv the bank from which
drawn, complaint -was made to the lo
cal police. The chief of the depart
ment traced the woman to Mullen,
Neb., thence via Alliance and Sidney
to Cheyenne.
When overtaken there she de
murred and at first indicated she
would demand extradition papers,
but finally consented to come to
Grand Island to answer the charge.
Here, it developed that she had pre
viously cashed checks and that they
were paid by. her husband, a dentist
at Chappell, and that she did not
have any reason to believe this one
would not also be cashed.
It appears, however, that differ
ences had arisen between husband
and wife and that when this check
was nassed he refused to pay it. Di
vorce proceedings had been insti-
tutea ana , accoraing 10 ine iocui
officers, the husband and county at
torney met the woman at Sidney and
there induced her, by reason of the
Hall county charc, to sign away
certaia conditions or rights, as al
leged, and likewise advised her to go
to Wyoming where she would be out
of the jurisdiction of the Grand Is
land charge.
Attorney General Davis has been
advised of the circumstances, it be
ing asserted here that the action was.
in effect, aiding and abetting of a
fugitive. The local police and county
attorney say they are unadvised as to
what action will be taken.
Six Persons Dead
InTrollev.Wi;eck
Five Others Seriously Injured
In Sunday Crash at
Kansas City.
Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 12. Six
persons were killed, five injured seri
ously and a number of others hurt
here early tonight when a motorman
lost control of a trolley car and it
ran wild down a steep' grade and
turned completely over.
The accident occurred at Twenty
seventh street and Grand avenue,
where there is a sharp turn at the
street intersection. .
None of the dead had been identi
fied 40 minutes after the wreck. :
Railroad Firenian Killed
When Head. Strikes Boxcar
McCook, Neb., 'Dec. 12. (Special
Telegram.) Orville Allen, 22, a
Burlington fireman, received injur
ies this afternoon in the McCook
yard" while firing on a switch engine
from 'which he died within an hour.
Allen was leaning out of the cab
window when his sead was crushed
by striking a freight car on an ad
joinoing track.
The young man came hero in June
from a farm south of Yuma, Colo.,
whera his parents live. The mother
and father came to Hastings to take
the body home for burial.
York Club Election.
York, Neb., Dec. 12. (Special.)
The York Country club elected of
ficers for the coming year. The club
is enjoying- prosperity and has a
good member5hrt
Receiver May
Be Named for
Hotel Company
Petition Charges That Funds
Of Firms Have Been Dis
sipated by Reckless Con
tracting and Waste.
Lincoln, Dec. 12. (Special.) Ap
plication has been filed in the dstrict
court of Lancaster county for the
appointment of a receiver for the Ne
braska Building and Investment com
pany, the Nebraska Hotel company
and the .Lincolit . tSurety i-company
three closely linked concerns which
have extensive operations not only in
Lincoln but out in the state.
The Nebraska Building and In
vestment company was organized in
February, 1916, and the voting pow
er of the company is vested in the
president and board of directors. The
same men organized the Nebraska
Hotel company in M?17, which owns
the Lincoln hotel and several other
hostelries in the state .
Mismanagement Charged.
The petitioners, Henry Furrer,
Delbert I. Lautzenheiser and John
Peterson, stockholders in the com
pany, allege in their petition that the
defendants, Frank E. Schaff, presi
dent of the three companies, Edward
O. Gregg, H. Louis Lohmeyer, Rob
ert W. Johnston, James H. Gore and
Albert J. Schaff, stockholders, have
dissipated the funds of the company
,by reckless contracting, and exten
sive building operations with no
money to carry on the work, charg
ing stock selling programs, in which
high prices have been paid sales
men, and fraud in the advertising
program. They also charge that
Schaff, Gregg, Gore and Lohmeyer
are living at the Lincoln hotel in
expensive style and pay nothing for
the accomodations.
Alleged Loss in Operations.
Hotels are being operated in Tab
le Rock, Columbus, Scotts Bluff,
Kansas City and Omalu by the Ne
braska Hotel company and a ranch
near Kearney, known as "1733," is
owned - by the company, and this
with the hotel, they allege are oper
ated at a loss because o! high sal
aries and mismanagement. They al
lege that President Schaff draws a
salary of $300 a week and other of
ficers draw more than their services
are worth.
They allege that after purchasing
the lease of the Fontcnelle hotel in
Omaha for $200,000 the hotel com
pany has violated the terms of the
lease and has been forced to pay
heavy penalties. Transaction involv
ing the purchase and sale of the
"1733 ranch are questioned in the
petition and charges made that the
company paid $150,000 for the ranch
and then carried on the books a
ficticious value of $300,000. The peti
tion alleges that although the ranch
has recently been sold for $204,000 to
Nelson Brothers of Malcomb, no
credit has been entered on the books
and that the sale is being concealed.
About a year ago the hotel com
pany began an extensive building
program, involving an addition to
the Lincoln hotel in Lincoln, but
after excavatig the work was stopped
and nothing has been done for more
than six months.
With the request for a receiver,
the petitioners also ask for a re
straining order enjoining the defend
ants from expending anv more of
the funds to which the stockholders
are entitled.
The Weather
Forecast.
Nebraska Rain 1 or snow
colder Monday.
Hourly Temperatures,
;iiul
5 a. m 8R 1
A n. in S
7 n. in 3!) a
N a. m :9 4
9 n. m...., H!l S
111 n. m 4ii
11 . m...JJt 4X 1
in. .
m . .
42 noon ..t.(..ju.4S 6 p, m.
4 Killed in
Ambush on
y
Military
Fire Follows Attack on Sol
diers Saturday Night Lord ,
Mayor Appeals for Help
To Fight Flames.
Populace Panic Stricken
Dublin, Dec. 12. A message
received at 6 o'clock this evening
says that the fires at Cork are un
der control.
An official report of the con
flagration received at 1 oclock .
says that the Cork city hall, the
Carnegie library, the Corn Ex
change and 18 other buildings had
been destroyed up to that hour.
By The Associated Press.
Dublin. Dec. 12. The central por
tion of the city of Cork has been
burned to the ground and other por
tions of the city are ablaze.
The conflagration followed an am
bush of the military at Pillons Crosr.
Saturday night in which four persons
were killed and many wounded.
Three civilians were taken from
their houses and shot dead alter the
ambush of the nr'litary. Then the .
fires started. There were bomb ex
plosions, and firing also was heard
The populace is panic stricken.
The municipal buildings, the Car
negie library and the Corn Exchange,
which cover a large area, have been
consumed by the flames, which arc.
so hot at places that passing tram
cars have been set on fjre.
Mayor Appeals for Help.
Belfast, Dec. 12. The lord mayor
of Cork has telegrahped the lord
mayor of Dublin, stating that the
fire brigade at Cork was unable to
cope with the outbreak and beg
ging for help. It is possible that
a Dublin tire brigade will be sent
by special train.
A dispatch received here from
dering useless the efforts of the fire
men. Two acres soon became a .
furnace. The front walls of houses
were blown out with bombs. The
great block between Maylor street
and Fish street still was burning
Sunday afternoon, the fire eating
its' way backwards.
Worst of Reprisals.
Dublin, Dec, 12. Several blocks
of buildings in the heart of th Ivisi-...
nfss district of Cork were destroyed
by fire during last night, constitut
ing the costliest destruction of prop
erty since the reprisals began in Ire
land. Early ,estiiiiates place the dnmac
at between 2,000,000 and 3,O00,0C'f.
pounds.
The fires extended from St. Patrick
street to Cook street, to Malor street
and swept rows of buildings on both
sides of Winthrop street, leading
from . St. Patrick street to Old
Georges street.
It was (reported from Cork yes
terday afternoon that newly-arrived
parties of auxiliary cadets marchec
through the streets, holding up anc
searching pedestrians and firing into
the air, following the ambush of aux
iliaries within half a mile of the bar
racks, 12 of them being wounded by
a bomb thrown from a lorry.
Between 7 and 8 o'clock, a period
of intense quiet fell on the city, but'
near 9 o'clock uniformed men began
to display great activity in various
parts of Cork.
Tram Cars Stopped.
At some points tram cars were
held up and passengers taken out.
It was reported that a number were
beaten and others placed against the
wall and closely questioned, but
were finally allowed to proceed. In
the Summer Hill district, the scene
(Cuntinueil on Pnge Two, Column Six.)
PibueerOmaha Resident,
Living Near Benson, Dies
Mrs. Henrietta Hughes, 80, pio
neer resident of Douglas county and
widow of the late James Hughes,
living two and one-half miles west of
Benson, died yesterday iniorning.
Mrs. Hughes was one of the earliest
settlers at Omaha, having come to
Nebraska 60 years ago. She had
lived at the residence near Benson
for the last 57 years.
. She is survived by three sons,
James, Patrick and Edward, and five
daughters, Mrs. John Dougherty.
Mrs. Thomas WiMs, Mrs. Agnes
Parisot, Miss Mary Hughes, all of
Omaha, and Mrs. W. I. Hughes of
Sanford, Mont.
Funeral services will be held at
the residence Tuesday morning at
8:30 and at the St. Bernard church
in Benson at 9. Burial will be in the
Holy Scpulcher cemetery.
Youthful Second-Story
"Man' Sent to Reform Home
New York, Dec. 12. Kyriakos
Angelos, 10. escribed by the police
as a "crack Second story worker,"
was committed to the juvenile home.
The boy confessed to having com
mitted at least five burglaries with
in the last few days.
Many Injured in Wreck.
Wheeling, V, Ya.. Dec. 12. The
9core of persons were injured, none
seriously, in a colission between a
Cotton Belt passenger train and a
Missouri Pacific freight that was,
switching. All of the injured were
on the passenger train, which was
enroutc.
i Refuse Tax Refund Claims.
t Washington, Dec. 12. Claims for
tax refunds based on losses in in
! ventory after December 31. 1919, will
be disallowed by the bureau of in
j ternal revenue, Commissioner .WilU
I jams announced,' ' "
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