La Grande evening observer., January 18, 1916, Image 1

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AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER ' PRINTS THE NEWS THE DAY IT HAPPENS
VOLUME XV
LA GRANDE, OREGON TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1916.
NUMBER 183
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GREEKS EL
SPURS; MUST
TAKE ACTION
.ALLIES forcing them to
ABANDON NEUTRALITY
ATTITUDE AT ONCE.
TWO DAYS REPORTED
AS LIMIT OF TIME
London Announces What Is Credited
With Being the True Version of the
. Montenegrin Surrender Arms
Must Be Laid Down and Austrians
' Will Operate Municipalities.
Berlin, Jan. 18. England and
France have presented what is virtu
ally an ultimatum to Greece, accord
ing to Sofia dispatches. The note de
mands Greece give passports to dip
lomats of central powers within two
days. If the demand is not accepted,
the Allies will take the necessary
measures to enforce it, the message
said. There are also reports that Al
lies landed near Athens. This makes
Berlin certain the Allies have decided
on extreme measures to force Greece
to abandon her' neutrality.
" - Vienna dispatches related the fol-
, lowing terms of the Montenegro sur-
' render:-Soldiers must lay down arms
and citizens must surrender their
arms; Austrian authorities will search
Montenegro to prevent formation of
guerella bands; Males must congre-
' . gate in certain districts designated by
Austria; Austria will take control of
cities and transportation.
' 20-YEAR RECORD BROKEN.
Union People Face Hay Problems
After Bad Cold Snap.
lUnion, Ore., Jan. jiT'pThe coldest
weather in the last tweiity-nve years
ia the way the old-timers put it when
speaking of the- present winter. The
, government thermometer at the East
ern Oregon ExperimentJStfi.tion rsi
istered a maxiniumiof t-f degrees be-'
low "zero on Saturday' night and"16
below on Sunday night. Today is the
coldest day so far experienced this
winter. Excellent sleighing and an
ice harvest of 12 inches thickness is
rather unusual for this section of the
Grande Ronde valley and there seems
to be no relief in sight. Hay is be
coming a very scarce article and many
stockmen are becoming greatly
alarmed at the conditions. Farmers
who had hay to sell at the beginning
of the winter are row having to buy
in order to feed their own stock.
Union hay dealers have none in stock
and there seems to be no chance of
getting any. S. E. Miilcr, one of the
largest stockholders ol this section
who always has hay t sell, is now
trying to buy 100 tons to carry bis
stock through but has thus far been
unable to secure it.
LEAP YEAR IS BUSY.
Several Couples United in Marriage
During First Leap Year Month.
"Cupid" Wright, lie who officiates ut
the marriage license desk, and his
deputies as well, have taken off their
hats to Leap Year. During the past
day or two three couples have been
encountered at the license desk.
These include: Bird Frashier to
Gladys Ohms; Herman A. Rettig to
Leona C. Buffman; John R. Weaver to
Agnes Leach.
PASSENGER RATES GROW
Eight States Charge More After Tod
ay Than previously
Chicago, Jan. 15. Hereafter it will
cost more to ride trains in these eight
states: Wisconsin, Michigan, Minn
esota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and
Kansas which will be affected by
changed railroad rates on interstate
hauls.
The interstate commerce rates in
this section are to be increased from 2
cents a mile to 2.4 cents a mile in 111
nois, the northern Michigan peninsula,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and in
the northern parts of Missouri end
Kansas; and from' 2 cets to 2.5 and S
cents in March.
A recent decision of the interstate
commerce commission prevented the
proposed change but at the same time
made possible the smaller increase.
"The carriers have failed to justify
an increase to 2.5 cents and 3 cents per
mile, but have justified an increase to
2.4 and 2.6 ctnts," the interstate com
merce commision reads.
THROWBRIDGE UNDER KNIFE
Portland Editor Suffers Two Opera
tions This Morning.
Portland, Jan. 18. George Throw
bridge, editor of the Journal, under
went two operations this morning. The
second, of a minor nature, was per
formed this forenoon. He is reported
resting easily.
MAN QUITS A
FAMILY BOLDLY
DESERTED WIFE DU(.Hl K.H OF
; ? UNION PIONLLRS.
Baker Man Accused of Having Left
Splendid Family, for Girl of 18
; ' , Yearn
Miss Georgia Lawrence, daughter
of Mrs, Martha Huffman, of Ontario,
was married last Friday, January 7,
at Caldwell tt Arthur .Burford, a
young business man ' of Baker. The
happy couple are now on their way
to Honduras by way of San Francisco
which is quite a wedding trip. On
tario friends of the bride extend con
gratulations to Mr. Burford, and wish
tihe pair much happiness. Ontario
Democrat
The above clipping tells only a part
of the story the sequel is in Baker
the story of a faithful wife of 15
years and four children from the
ages of 4 to 13 years, deserted by
a formerly kind husband and father
for an 18-year-old girl, married in
Idaho because under the Oregon laws
Burford could not legally wed in Ore-,
gon, his divorce being granted only a
few days before his second marriage,
says the Baker Democrat.
Mrs. Burford, the deserted wife and
mother, is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Wl H. Leasey, who are prominent
ranchers of Keating. Previous to
their removal to the Lower Powder
valley Mr. and Mrs. Leasey were resi
dents of La Grande, and 'belonged to
well known pioneer families of this
section.
Burford in Mb complaint for divorce
alleged that his wife accused him of
improper relations with other women"
and nagged : him continually, making
his life a burden. To these trumped
up charges the little, slight woman
who bore his name; and who was the
mother of his children, - believed it
would be useless to reply and default
judgment in favor of the husband was
entered and a decree granted, under
the terms of which iBurford gave them
the home on Washington street and
$50 a month alimony. The home was
purchased from W. C. Miller on Wash
ington street for $3000. Five hundred
dollars was paid down and $250 since,
leaving .the property encumbered in
the sum of $2250. . '.
A few years since. he embarked in
the auto staK' bji' ihess, snrtf sfully
operating a In. 3 'oetween Baker and
the- Panhandle." It was his alleged in
timacy with women passengers that
resulted in the false charges of his
wife, according to the complaint
A year or so ago, Miss Lawrence
came to Baker and accepted a posi
tion as bookkeeper with a local busi
ness house, and Burford became ac
quainted with her. He paid her
marked attention' that brought a
reprimand from her employer and the
intimacy apparently ceased, but short
ly before Burford got his divorce Miss
Lawrence left Baker, presumably go
ing to Ontario, where Burford fol
lowed as soon as his decree was
granted.
The situation now is that Burford's
wife and children are left destitute,
the house being encumbered so deeply
that the little woman cannot ever ex
pect to pay for it, while the $50 a
month alimony due from a husband
in Honduras or outside the jurisdic
tion of the local courts means nothing.
It is a story of desertion pure and
simple, of fascination for a young girl
18 years old by a man more than dou
ble her age, who in his fascination
has seen fit to repudiate his helpmate,
who by her own efforts aided greatly
in making his business a success and
who actually by manual labor in keep
ing a garden, helped in the family in
come, and in providing a livelihood
for herself and little ones.
And the surprising part of the story
is the fact that Burford was a man
who met his obligations and the last
person, almost, of whom such an act
would be expected.
While no legal steps have been
taken, when the facts are presented in
proper form to the court, Judge An
derson announced yesterday that he
would set aside the decree, which tj
say the least will put the second Mrs.
Burford in an unenviable position a
position which she is probably not al
together irresponsible for occupying.
It is not believed here that the cou
ple have actually gone to Honduras
and Mr. Leasy, father of Mrs. 'Bur
ford, and others have interested them
selves in the case and will make every
effort to locate them. -
Bulgarians at Outs.
London, Jan. 18. A Home wireless
has said Bulgarians are quitting Al
bania because of dissensions with
Austro-Germans. The message said
Athens has reported Bulgaria, and
Turkey are inclined to conclude for
peace with the Allies. The story is
unconfirmed, however, and is re
ceived reservedly. It was recently re
ported that Bulgars are pressing
Serbs hard west of Elbassan.
Portland School Conditions Normal.
Portland, Jan. 18. Conditions in
the schools are about normal today.
All buildings are open and there have
been few complaints of cold. There
are a few youngsters absent from
some of the primary classes.
DEATH, PROPERTY LOSS, ;
CAUSED BY RI STORM
IN SOUTH CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles, Jart. 18. Six are dead,
damage to property amounts to a mil
lion, railroads are crippled and Los
Angeles is practically isolated as the
result of one of the worst storms in
the history of the state. Since Satur
day night rain has been pouring down
without intermission. "Sometimes the
precipitation has assumed the pro
portions of a cloudburst. Dry creek
beds are brawling rivers; streams or
dinarily mere brooks are running two
miles wide, sweeping ranch houses
and livestock to destruction. ;
The dead at noon were:
FRED SMITH, Laholinda rancher
drownod in the Santa Ana river. '
A. RIVERA, drowned in the Vent
ura river. ' ...
CARL THORKMORTON, of LoS
Angeles, electrocuted in a bath room
as the result of dampness. ;
WOMAN UNDER ARREST
Probe to Ltirn Scource of Liquor Sup
ply Now Under Way. i
Charged with being drunk, a well
knuwn woman of La Grande is virtu
ally undor rrrest this afternoon al
though she has been allowed to leave
the jail and be cared for in comfort
able quarters until she recovers Her
nervous stamina. When first arrested
she gave several conflicting stories
as to the: source of her supply hut
when she has been allowed to reBt a
time it is expected she will be able to
!give coherent story of where the liquor
was obtained. City and county offi
cials are determined to remain on the
case .until the person is found who
sold her the liquor if such a thing is
possible. ...... . :.;,
The. woman in question has been a
frequent personage before the muni
cipal court, but always . on purely
drunk charges. An inveterate drinker
it is claimed, she speedily devised
means Xi obtaining the liquid.
, Twelve sticks of dynamite or giant
powder were found by Mrs. James
under her home on Monroe avenue
yesterday evening. The explosive has
undoubtedly been lying under the
house for a long period. It was
wrapped in . a - paper published in
Union and which bore the date of
1892. Other indications showed that
tihe sticks had been placed there many
years ago as ithe material had sat
urated through the covering and
smeared the outside wrapping.
, Mrs. James had gone under the
house to try and fix the water pipe
when the dynamite was discovered,
She happened to be wise enough to
know what it was and immediately
notified the police department. The
explosive was turned over to W. H.
Bohnenkamp, who took it out 'to his
powder house. It is not known just
how much force may still be retained
in the packages, but this will be de
termined by experiments. Mr. Bohn
enkamp is of 'the opinion that any
sudden jar of the package would
cause an explosion.
As to how the dynamite came to be
stored under this house is of course
a mystery that will probably never
come to light. It may have been
merely cached "there long before the
house was occupied by the present
owner, and it may have been a part
DYNAMITE UNDER RESIDENCE
PORTLAND ROAD MAKER HERE
. Rufus Holman, commission chair
man of the interstate bridge which
is now. being built, president of the
State County Judges and Commis
sioners association, and himself a com
missioner of Multnomah county is in
La Grande today and will this even
ing be one of the speakers at the
Commercial club banquet in) the
Methodist church. Mr. Holman is a
guest with J. G. Snodgrass, while here.
The two men were playmates together
in Portland in the 80's, and Mr. Hol
man brought a picture taken then
on their front ynrd which shows
Judith Snodgrass Wells of Kansas
City, the lato John Snodgrass, J. G.
Snodgrass and Sadie Snodgrass Van
Buren at play.
"Multnomah county has spent about
two and a half millions for roads and
bridges the past yt-ar, and of course
the Columbia highway is our pride"
said Mr. Holman. "We have gone
through the experimental statre with
road and bridge building and we nowj
UNIDENTIFIED man, woman and
baby drowned at Santa Ana.
Hundreds are homeless throughout
the Southern part of the state. The
Citrus district at Pomona reports
damage that is estimated at a half
million. The San Bernardino police
rescued 14 families - but one is still
marooned on the Island, unable to
reach safety. The dyke broke at An
aheim, and .the water is a foot deep
i in the business streets.
Whole Family Drown.
I Santa Ana, Cal., Jan. 18. A man,
. woman and a baby were drowned be
itween Anaheim and Fullerton this
'morning when a flood swept their
i buggy from the highway. The bodies
were not recovered and their identity
is unknown. The river burst her bank
and is running through eastern
Anaheim. ,
LABOR OPPOSES WILSON
Indianapolis. Jan. 18. Organized
'labor opposes President Wilson's pre
paredness program, President White
declared before the United Minework
era today.
LIGHT STATUS BETTER.
Anticipated That Street Lights Will
Be Turned on Tonight. .
Improved' conditions are ' noted to
day concerning the electric light sup
ply.' Since the burning of the sub
station power house at the mouth of
Mill creek yestorday, the Eastern
Oregon Light & Power company has
been unable to keep the arc lights go
ing. It is believed that the lights will
be illuminated tonight however.
F. A. Harmon, general manager of
the company, is here today superin
tending the letting of a contract for
rebuilding the plant. Until the plant
is finished however, the light situation
will be rather precarious with likeli
hood of street lights burning most of
the time nevertheless. : .. .....
of a fiendish plot. At any rate, there
is something on the uncanny order to
think of living for so many years
over a hidden mine which might have
uiC any time blown the place to atoms.
Recent Fire Causes Shudder.
To bring the matter more up to
date, members of the fire department
today felt a shiver go down their
spinal column when they recalled that
only recently a fire broke out in the
James building. The department put
the blaze out without much difficulty,
but had the flames reached the under-
well, some new volunteers would be
needed it Is very likely. The fire oc
curred Oct. 22 and did considerable
damage to the upper structure.
OREGON AND IDAHO WIN.''''
Western Cattle Take Awards at Den
ver Stock Show.'
Denver, Jan. 18. (Special) Cat
tle from Baker and Boise won the
first prize for the shorthorn class at
the Denver stock show today. The
entries were made by the Portlund
Feeder company which shipped the
stock. Two cars of cattle from Bur
ley, Idaho, took prizes for cattle fed
on beet pulp. The Portland company
won several cash prizes besides a sil
ver cup.
have compiled, through experience
and expense, valuable lessons in road
building. These I will be willing to
leave in Union county that she may
profit by our experiences, if she de
sires." Extra Scats Provided.
Some extra seats have been pro
vided at the Methodist church base
ment where those who neglected to
get their plate reservations early,
may be accommodated. Hence it Is
not disastrous if no reservations wore
made at noon.
Outside Points Represented.
Among the towns .that have prom
ised to send representatives to the
moeing tonigh are Union, Cove and
Elgin. Lee Ttittle, Elgin; Hugh Mc
Call, Cove; Will Vogel, Union, are
among the speakers on Toastmaster
M. K. Hall's list.
The dinner will be served at the
Methodist church basement promptly
at 6:30 o'clock this evening.
INDIANS SEEKING
PALEFACE JUSTICE
FISHING RIGHTS ON COLUMBIA
AT STAKE.
Tribal Robes, Feathers and Paints,
Shown by Witnesses at
Portland.
(Portland, Ore.,' Jan. 18. Dozens of
Indians ancient Indians with hag
gard, weatherbeaten faces, dashing,
brightly dressed young bucks, and a
few wide-eyed squaws carrying their
papoosescrowded the Federal build
ing today and were very much inter
ested in the court procedure.
The United States is trying to re
store to them their time-honored fish
ing righs, which salmon canners are
alleged to have transgressed. The
suit is brought in behalf of the Yaki
ma Indians, and specifically in behalf
of. Sam Williams, and against the
Seuffert Brothers company of The
Dalles.
The trial was scheduled to begin to
day, and probably will last for sev-
t J . ' . 1. T 1 .
erui uuys. luwinbtms me inuians,
taking a vacation at the expense of
the eovernment. are seeintr the siohts
of Portland. Nearly a hundred wit
nesses have been subpoenaed.
Evidence dating back to 1856 will be
introduced. In that year Territorial
Governor Stevens ; made a treaty,
wherein fixed and established fishing
places along the Columbia river be
tweent The Dalles and Celilo were
forever to be open to the Yakima
tribe. In iieturn for these concessions,
the Indians ceded to the government
a million or more acres of land com
prising South Central Washington.
Chokecherry Point, Lone Pine, and
several other spots along the . river
are claimed by the Yakimas ad their
very own. Sam Williams, the last of
the tribe to fish regularly, declares
the cannery men ousted him from his
traditional rights in 1914.
WHEAT SOARS AGAIN;
Prices Beyond Season Record, Reach
ing $1.12 in Portland. . ;
(Portland, Jan. 18. (The price of
wheat went beyond the season's
record today when blues tern advanced
to $1.12. Holders demand $1.14.
These prices are fully three cents
ahove the season's record. ;
Make People Like Your Town .
Jt is firood business for you. Regard'
less of what particular line of business
you are in, to make people like your
town it is told of Hugh Chalmers,
head of the great Chalmers Motor Co
mpany of Detroit, Michigan, that he
habitually picks up strangers ' on- the.
way down town in his car, and some
time ago, someone in that city, possib
ly it was Mr. Chalmers, picked up a
"stranger and it happened that this
stranger was on the way to catch a
tran. The Detroit citizen very kindly
and quickly drove the stranger to the
Central station in time to catch his
train. The stranger turned to thank
the Detroiter for his extreme kind
ness but the Detroit business man
smiled as he waved his hand and drove
away and said, "We may friend we
want you to like our city" it is safe
to say that the stranger does like the
city of Detroit because cities are made
up of people. And that stranger could
not help liking the thoughtful and
couteous business mnn of that or any
other city who treated strangers in
this way just try it in your town.
Steamnhips for Alaska Line.
Oakland, Cal., Jan, 14. Announce
ment was made by the Alaska Steam
ship company here today that two new
1400 ton liners, sister ships.hr.ve 'been
purchased by the company in Phil
adelphia for duty between Oakland,
Pugct bound and Alaska ports, the
vessels are the Bennington and the
Burlington of the Quakr 'line of Phil-
' adclphia. They will be renamed Valdez
i and Juneau.
I Both shins are now loadinir ireneral
cargoes in Philadelphia and will leave
as soon as loading is completed. Their
cargoes will be discharged at the new
,nuni,,intil nilav Wall ItAfa anrl tha ffii".
mal welcome of the big passenger and
( freight steamers will be given. Cap
I tain Fred Warner has beon assigned
the command of the Benningtton and
Captain Peter McMullcn the Burling
ton. Both are old time Pacific Coast
skippers. They left for the east to as
sume their now commands this morn
ing. The Bennington and Burlington
are about 100 tons larger than the
Admiral Dewey and Admiral Schley,
Vessels of the Pacific Steamship com
pany now on the Oakland-Puget Sound
run. , ' .. . ... : .
McLoughlin Seeks Golf.
' San Francisco, nr 15. Maurice
Evans McLoughlin, national amateur
golf champion! That will be the title
attained by the Calfornia Comet if he
continues to progress ns rapidly us he
did at tennis, in the opinoin of experts
who have watched his play during the
Inst two years. McLoughlin practically
hassforsaken his first lovo, tennis, and
taking to golf as naturally as he took
to the court game. Expert golfers pre
dict the Red Headed Woner will in
time rank among the first stars of the
country. One of the dominating feat
ures of McLoughlin's court game was
accuracy, and the same keen eye works
for him when he wields the driver and
the mashie. Until recently, McLough
lin hns played golf only occasionally,
but he is now devoting much time to
perfecting his game.
VILLA CHIEF
EXECUTED B
EXECUTION TAKES PLACE NEAR
TRAIN WITH AMERICANS
ABOARD. '",'
SHOT FIRED WITHOUT
ORDER BY ONE MAN
Two Special Trains Reach El Paso
With Foreign Refugee from Chi
huahua Deserter Says Villa Is now
in Durango Mountains in Hiding,
Urging Men to Kill Gringoes.
' Washington, Jan. 18. Senator Lip
pitt, of Rhode Island, has introduced
a resolution proposing immediate in
tervention in Mexico. . Anti-Administration
senators backed the effort and
acrimonious debate ensued. "We
might as well kill the resolution now
as refer it to committee," Borah de
clared. Lippitt demanded immediate
consideration of the resolution and
Stone .insisted on referring it. to the
committee. .
El Paso. Jan. 18. Colonel Villas.
Villa's executioner, was publicly exe-
cuted at Kurearz this morning within
a few feet of a train where American
women and children refugees were
sleeping. ' The body was placed on
view at the customs house alongside
that of Rodriguez' as a bloody warn
ing, y . -;
Brother Avenges Death.'
; Execution followed unconfirmed
rumors that Albert Simmons of Los
Angeles, and Victor Hamilton, of Chi
cago, were murdered by ; VilUstas.
Voiles was brought under guard front
Casas Grandes. He was awakened '
at five this morning, was dragged to
a clump of cottonwoods nearby. In
stead of Selecting a firing squad, the
captain chose one soldier, whose'
brother Voiles has executed. Without
an order this soldier shot him. A few
sleepers aboard the train were awak
ened. : i:W ' - - '
k Villa ;Now In Hiding; - -rr
r Twrvitcial trains -have, arrived;
bearing -hundreds of Americans and
other foreigners from' Western Chi
huahua. A Villa deserter said Villa
has reiterated his threat against
Americans, urging his followers to
slay the gringoes ' ruthlessly. He
said Villa is hiding in the mountains
of Durango. ,
NARROWLY ESCAPED FREEZING
Del Jackson, Railroad Employe, Has
Bitter Experience at Junction.
Del Jackson, a well known railroad
employe and for many years located
at La Grande, and at present round
house foreman at Pilot Rock Junction,
had a very narrow escape from death '
by freezing Sunday night, according
to reports. receijed from Pendleton. '
Mr. Jackson was, according to reports,
working near the cinder pit and was ,
injured in some way so as to cause
him to fall in the pit.-,. Three or four
hours later he-was found in. an un
conscious state lying with his face
down. He was rushed to a freight .
and taken to his home in Pendleton.
A physician was called and he is
resting easy today. His face is badly
bruised from the fall.
Insurance Licenses for 1916.
Salem, Or., Jan. 17. Insurance
Comissioner Wells has announced that
he has issued the insurance licenses
rof this year. He says that 160 li
censes were issued to companies en
gaged in fire and marine insurance
and nine new fire companies were ad
mitted to the state, while five retired.
Forty-five licenses were issued to
companies engaged in life incurance;
three new companies were admitted
and four retired. Thirty-nine li
censes were issued to companies
transacting accident, health liability
and surety business, and two new
companies were admitted and two re
tired. ..:''
Licenses issued to agents totaled
6289, an increase of 817 over last
year. Of this number 4326 were is
sued to fire insurance; agents; 852 to
life insurance agents and 1112 to aei"1
cident, benlth, liability and surety
agents.
KF.IATIVES ARE ILL,
M!r. George Hillman Called to Chi
cago Last Evening.
N'ifified that her father and suter
ire (lungn-cusly ill with .r,ne-.wiotiia,
Vrs. Onuge Hillman of Knmd'a left
last evening for Chicngj. The ailing
si-.'.er ia Mrs. Putman, who a co.ipl'i of
years ago visited in La Grando and
while hero was uTrteKen with diph
theria but lecovered in due coj.'ie of
'imo.
CARRAHZISTAS