$$$$
THE WEATHfcR
OREGON CITY Showers Fri
s
CLACKAMAS COUNTY
FAIR
CAN BY, OR.
SEPT. 24, 25, 26, 27.
day;; southerly winds.
Oregon and Washington Show
ers; southerly winds.
Idaho Showers Friday.
8
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.$.$S$S4$JS$5$
WEEKLY ENTERPRISE ESTABLISHED 1866.
VOL. V. No." 107.
OREGON CITY, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1913
Per "Week, Ten Cents.,
TRADE TO BOOM
THr GREAT AMERICAN HOME.
GOVERNOR WEST
THREATENS SUIT
WITH NEW ROAD
i
:
Clackamas and Multnomah Authorities" Piece
Together Operations of Insurance Swindler
and His Confederates in Securing Body Which
They Set Afloat in Riverr Persons Who As
isted in Moving Corpse to River, and Prison
er's Wife, to be Arrested and Prosecuted.
' While no deceision has as yet been
Teac'ned by Clackamas county author
ities and District Attorney Walter
Evans, of Mlultnomah county as to
where the trial of J. C. LaFrance will
be held, developments in the investi
gation of the case seem to indicate
that it will be found advisable to ar
raign and try the insurance swindler
in Clackamas county. In connection
with the case it is said to be extreme
ly likely that others will also be im
plicated in the matter, and will be ar
rested and charged with aiding and
abetting LaFrance in his successful
plot to collect $15,000 in insurance
and lodge benefits for his supposed
death.
Neither Sheriff E. T. Mass nor
Coroner Wilson, who have been in
communication and consultation with
the Multnomah county officials, will
talk about the developments of the
case, saying that they believe any an
nouncements ought to come from Dis
trict Attorney Evans, of Portland, as
the prisoner is at present in the
neighboring county. In spite of their
courtesy to the Multnomah official in
the matter, however, news of the pro
gress of the investigation has "leaked"
from Portland sources, and the
swindle now seems to give promise of
resulting in a group of charges
against LaFrance and confederates
who aided him in "planting ' the body
found in the river, and subsequently
identified as that of LaFrance.
Wife to be Prosecuted
Mrs. LaFrance, who collected the
insurance which her husband carried,
and who later sent it to him under an
assumed name in Texas, will in all
probability be prosecuted for her part
in the case. It was thought by offi
cials in charge of the investigation at
first that immunity might have to be
offered Mrs. LaFrance so that she
could be utilized as a witness for the
state, but detectives and other investi
gators who have worked on the case
have obtained so much information
that it is now believed that a com
plete case can be made out without
the woman's assistance. In fact the
officials have not even gone to the
trouble of ascertaining whether or
not she would turn state's evidence
against her husband; though it is
generally believed that she could.be
persuaded to do so.
LaFrance himself is said to have
given the investigators a great
deal of assistance, willingly talking
about most of the details of the crime
On certain points, however, he has
refused absolutely to give any infor
mation. .The prisoner, it is said, has
persistently refused to tell how he
ame into possession of the body in
the first place, and this reticence on
his part at first led to the suspicion
that he might have committed a mur
. der as the initial step in his swindle.
Evidence has since been discovered,
however, that has caused the author
ities to discard the murder theory,
and they are now practically certain
where the body was obtained, and
whose it was. This detail, however,
Is not absolutely settled, and until
the identity of body has been defin
itely ascertained, information in re
gard to this point is being withheld
by those who have guardedly talked
about other incidents in the swindle.
Body Not Williams'
It has been practically established
though, that the body is not that of
i
Wanted!
Girls and Women
To operate sewing machines
in garment factory.
OREGON CITY WOOLEN MILL
MOST American railroads demand
that watches of the grade ad
mitted to their service must not vary
over 20 seconds per week
"The Railroad Timekeeper of America"
surpasses this requirement so consist
ently itat it is immensely" popular.
There are more I'miltcu 7atcbes
in use on suc!i roads than dl ctier
makes put toellicr.
Tho.busicesij cr profession:!! zzzn who
Starts out to buy 14 watcli of unusual accu
racy vi'A be interested ia tje beautiful
Hamilton 12-s:ze tlin model. Come in
and lock at some of the Hamilton Watches
we can tliow you.
Burmeister & Andresen
Oregon City Jewelers
Lloyd Williams, who disappeared, and
who possibly may have died some
two months before the body supposed
to be LaFrance's was found. There
is reasonably well-founded evidence
that Williams did not die at the time ,
ot his mysterious disappearance; in
fact sometime after he dropped from
sight in Oregon City he was seen in
San Francisco by a man who is posi
tive of his identification. With the
Williams possibilty removed, some
trouble is being had by the authorities
in fixing the identity of the body used
by LaFrance.
It has been learned that in taking
the body used in the substitution to
the banks of the Clackamas river,
where LaFrance sent it adrift, the
swindler had the aid of one, and pos
sibly of two men. The body was pro
cured seme distance from the river,
and was moved at night from its orig
inal resting place to the stream. De
velopments to date in the case indi
cate that after the corpse had been
carried part of the way, LaFrance's
confederates refused to further share
with him in the commission of the
ghoulish work, and left him to com
plete' the carrying of the body to the
river unaided. This grewsome feat
.LaFrance accomplished, it is said, by
tying the corpse to a pole, and drag
ging it by by-paths and through the
woods to a point on the shore of the
river. There he hid it again, and the
following night dressed it in a suit of
his own clothes and set it adrift. It
is said ir. took three days to move the
body from the place it was procured
to the river.
No Compromise Allowed
That LaFrance and his confederates
can be prosecuted for illegal trans
portation of a corpse is but one of
the courts upon which the prosecu
tion will, base its case. That this il
legal moving of the body occurred in
Clackamas county will be the basis
of transferring the case to the local
courts is hinted by those now inves
tigating the crime. This will be done,
it is said, so that if a conviction is
not secured on the swndling- charge,
LaFrance and the others may be held
for trial upon another court. Other
charges will also be contained in the
information, it is said," so that there
will be no opportunity fpr the ends of
justice to be defeated.
inese various charges are to be
Placed against LaFrance, it is hinted.
so tnat tne prisoner cannot avoid
punishment by arranging a settle
ment with the insurance comnanies
and fraternal organizations that he
swindled by paying back a part of
the moneys he received. It is report
ed that through his tie mill at Co
quille the prisoner secured a consid
erable quantity of assets, which he
could convert into cash were the cp
portunity offered him to avoid pun
ishment by making a cash settlement.
LaFrance is Weakening
In a partial confession made late
Thursday night in the county jail at
Portland, LaFrance said that the mra
who bad helped him remove the body
to the river, and who had later balked
at carrying out their part of the
work, were a couple of medical stud
ents. The names he gave the deputies
are withehld from publication, mainly
because some doubt is still held as
to the truthfulness of this confession.
Officials who have been working on
the case are inclined to believe that
LaFrance was aided by men who lived
near the place where the body was
obtained.
COUNTY COURT MEETS
The county commissioners met in
regular session Wednesday, and
Thursday, handling routine business
and road matters. Reports on con
struction work under way were re
viewed, and plans discussed for fu
ture betterments. Oiling of main
traveled roads for the summer was
also taken up.
Mil
Cjndof'.cr Sern t.f tbe "Golden Sute
I ii"ia.'." of the Oiiaro si-d R.ick Islsnd
R. K. carries a I-iamUtoTi ti'5''k?cpcr.
Ml
SOUTHERN CONGRESSMAN
PROMINENT IN DEBATES
Representative Jomes W. Collier,
of Mississippi, member of ways and
means committee, who has spoken on
tariff bill and its effects.
LEE TO PRESENT
WATER FRANCHISE
M. J. Lee, through his attorneys,
Hicks and Brownell, will present a
franchise- to the council covering the
proposed plan for furnishing water to
Oregon City from Canby. B. N.
Hicks, of the firm, says that the pro
posed franchise has been drawn up
and will be presented to the council
committee upon pure water at some
time in the near future.
The franchise is virtually the same
as was outlined .in The Enterprise
Thursday morning. It is proposed to
furnish the city with good water from
the Canby wells, which are sunk 200
feet into a good, pure supply. From
here the proposed company, of which
M. J. Lee is one of the principal own
ers, would extend a pipe line to Ore
gon City and deliver the water into
the city resevoir at Mountain View.
The company in return will demand
50 per cent, of the gross revenue de
rived by the water board from water
rents. They will ask for a 25-year
franchise, allowing the city the right
to take the plant over at the end of
any five-year period. This could be
by merely paying the company the
valuation of their property, which
would be set by board of assessors
appointed for task.
. The Canby well water was one of
the two water supplies favored by
Engineer Robert Dieck.
LONDON. Mrs. Flora Drummond,
a leader of the militant suffragists,
broke down in court Thursday as a
result of participation in a "hunger
strike." In spite of drastic police ac
tion, destructive tactics by the milit
ants continue.
If It nappened it Is in tne Enter
prise. Steininger's Auto Stage
TO MOLALLA AND RETURN
Leaves corner of 7th and Main
St. Oregon City, every day, ex
cept Sunday at 4.00 p. m. Get
tickets at Elliott's office, down
stairs.
COPYRIGHT HAKnlS i, EVU.fcG. WASH.
XSeoT r j
ti!2JL oH WEL.L - MAMMA
VvYyf piece-left aho 1 Iff f mm09
TARIFF TRIUMPH
mtv
L!
DEMOCRATS FORCE OVER UNDER
WOOD BILL IN HOUSE BY
VOTE OF 281 TO 139
SPEAKER CLARK RECEIVES TRIBUTE
Bull Moosers Split on Administration
Measure, Which is Passed
Just Before Long Ad
journment Taken
WASHINGTON, D. C, May 8. The
Underwood tariff bill, proclaimed by
the Democratic party as the answer
to its platform pledge to reduce the
tariff downward, was passed by the
house late today.
The vote was 281 to 139, five Demo
crats voting against the bill and two
Republicans for it. Four Progressives
supported the measure and 14 op
posed it, while one independent Pro
gressive joined with the majority.
When Speaker Clark announced- a
vote in loud tones that revealed his
satisfaction, exuberant Democrats
here started a stuffed Democratic
donkey over the heads of their col
leagues in the rear of the chamber, a
faint ripple applause followed and the
gavel fell on the first chapter in the
history of President Wilson's extra
ordinary session of congress.
With the bill on its way to the Sen
ate, there was a rush of Representa
tives to their homes tonight. Ajourn
ment will be taken in the house three
days at a time, beginning next weeK,
until June 1.
n
ill
LONG DRAWN 001
The case of Stanley Rice, of Port
land, who is being sued by Joe Hedges
for assault and battery, was begun
Thursday afternoon in Justice of the
Peace Sievers' court at 1:00 o'clock
Considerable difficulty was encount
ered in securing a jury, and the case
was not begun until nearly four
o'clock. Joe Seahan was the only
witness examined, and simply stated
to the jury the story of the assault as
he saw it.
His story was to the effect that Joe
Hedges, who is the son of J. E.
Hedges, had returned from Portland
on a late car, after having witnessed
a show in that city, and had stopped
at the Falls confectionery shop, this
being about 1:00 o'clock a. m. Sea
han, who was working at the Falls
at the time, stated that he and Allie
Levitt, who was in the place, got into
an argument, concerning the make of
an automobile which was outside. To
settle their dispute they went out to
see what make the nlachine was,
Hedges and several others boys fol
lowing them.
Sheahan said 2 women were in the
car, and that one of them tossed a
bottle out at the boys One of them
picked it up and put it back into the
machine. A young man who was driv
ing the car became slightly "peeved"
at this, and told the boys that if they
did not look out "they would get the
can knocked off of them."
At this time Rice came out and
wni! nv "nn
ViUii Dl UUffll
I heard the remark. Thinking one of
i the boys said it, he lit into the first
one he saw, the unlucky person be
j ing Hedges. He was knocked to the
ground in an unconsious state, and as
a result sustained a cut cheek. The
case will be resumed at .9:00 o'clock
on Friday.
NEW TARIFF CHAMPION
WHO LEADS DEMOCRATS
- -vj. ' '--vy.-t.-i.y.
Rep. Oscar Underwood, author of
revised tariff bill about which con
gressional fisht has centered through
Out the present session.
COUNTY'S CRUISE
INCREASES VALUES
Incompleted returns from the coun
ty cruise cf standing timber indicate
that the slight cost of making the
survey will be more than repaid to
the county .by the great, increases of
taxes that' will be assessed on this
form of property. Figures already
submitted to County Assessor Jack
show that the basis of taxation on
timber land heretofore has -been far
too low; and while at first opponents
of the cruise said that the results
would bring about a showing detri
mental to the county, these same
"croakers" are now declaring that
they cannot afford to pay the taxes
that will result from the re-assessment
based upon the cruise.
Charges that the county cannot
leagally assess timber land on a cruise
basis are not regarded as being
worthy of much consideration by
members of the county court, or by
the assessor. Other counties in the
state have for years been using
cruising figures as the basis of taxa
tion, and have collected assessments
without hindrance. In Washington
all timber land taxes are based upon
cruises, and the question as to the
legality of the method has never been
questioned possibly because it is so
obiyous that there is no more fair
means of obtaining the value of the
standing timber.
Most timbermen, in fact, regard an
official cruise as a benefit. It is a
check upon their own estimate of the
value of their holdings, and is a bisis
upon which both the county and own
ers can rest their cases should a dis
pute arise as to the assessment made
thereon. The present cruise in Clack
amas county is showing a far greater
wealth of timber resources than, was
believed existed, and while it will in
crease the burden of taxation in. -certain
quarters, it will also bring about
a more fair distribution of the coun
ty charge than did the former "guess"
method.
TUCSON, Ariz. Two aviators were
arrested here Thursday and their
aeroplane confiscated just as they
were about to attempt a flight over
the Mexican border to aid revolution
ists. PORTLAND, Ore. Councilman Tom
Monks has withdrawn as a candidate
for commissioner under the new char
ter. - In his place five others have en
tered. ,
1 I
COMPLETION OF CLACKAMAS !
VALLEY LINE WILL BE IM
PETUS TO BUSINESS '
LUMBER ACTIVITY TO BE RESUMED ,
Service From Beaver Creek to' Put
Many Dollars Into Circulation
Locally Much Progress
Being Made
That the installation of service on
the Clackamas Southern railroad, the
latter part of this month or early in
June, will result in a renewed
ana
City I
increased prosperity in Oregon
is the general belief of those who
have been watching developments i
along the line and at its local term
inal. Freight service will be com
menced on the line as soon as track
age to Beaver Creek is completed, and
initial shipments will consist largely
of cordwood and timber. Soon after
wards, it is expected, heavy ship
ments of agricultural products will
be made over the line, and return
loads of supplies will be taken in.
While the cordwood traffic will
mainly provide the road with re
sources with which to meet its oper
ating and construction expense, bring
ing to its Oregon City terminals of a
large quantity of timber is' expected
to result in full time operation at the
local mill. This will give steady em
ployment to a large number of men in
the different departments of the mill,
and will renew the market for ties
and other mill products at Oregon
City. . ..
Preparations are already under way
for the handling of this work at the
mill, and machinery is being over
hauled, and some new apparatus is
being installed. As soon as ship
ments of timber come in on" the new
road, mill activity will commence, and
material that cannot be handled at
once will be stacked in the yards. Men
will be needed to handle the stuff,
and in this way the pay-roll will be
considerably increased, and this mon
ey in turn will find its way into city
trade channels.
The traffic in agricultural products
and supplies on the road will make
Oregon City a clearing house and
point of exchange for many commodi
ties to even a greater extent than it
is at present, and so again the line
vviU, aid amterially in adding to the
volume of business daily transacted
here. With the extension of the line
this business will increase, and as
practically all the profits of this busi
ness will find their way into Oregon
City trade channels, it is generally
expected that the completion of the
line will mean many thousands of
dollars of annual increase in local
business.
With the recent bright weather,
completion of the line is being rapid- j The game promises to be a fast one
ly advanced towards Beaver Creek, j from start to finish, for the local boys
and track laying is going on daily, j are in good trim, and although Crytal
Steel is being hauled out over the Lake Park will put up a hard fight,
line from Oregon City, and as the they will have to go some to slip any
rails are put down .the construction thing over. The game will be called
train is steadily advancing towards , at 2 : 30 sharp.
the first main station on the road, j
Grading crews are completing their
work far in advance of the track lay-'
ing outfit, and a large crew of . tamp- j
ers is pounding ballast behind the j
end of the steel. Bridge and culvert ,
work has been practically completed, ;
so there is nothing to delay the hur-,
rying of the line into Beaver Creek.
Tbe light rain cf Thursday did not ,
interfere seriously with progress that
is being made, and tracking and em-
bankment work so far completed is
reported to be fast getting into ;
permanent shape. j
NEW LOCAL CHURCH
BEING CONSIDERED
The Rev. John Ovall, of the Meth
odist church, who has been appointed
missionary among the Scandinavian
people in Oregon and Southern Wash
ington, spent all day Thursday in the
city looking over the situation here
with a view of opening a regular
church for Scandinavian people in
this city. Rev. Mr. Ovall is well
known in this part of the country,
having traveled as district superin
tendent of the Methodist church in
the Northwest for several years.
Mr. Ovall is greatly interested in
the subject of starting a new church
here, and believes that Oregon City
has a great future. He believes that
the Scandinavian people will come to
this part of the country by the thous
ands as soon as the Panama canal is
completed, as their are a number of
the Scandinavian steamship lines that
will run ships direct to Portland as
soon as the canal is opened.
For
Farms and City Property
In and Around Molalla
Call on
Molalla
Exclusive Agents for Gregory Addition, Kaylor
Addition and Harless Adition to Molalla.
STATE EXECUTIVE TO REPLY TO
I ATTACKS BY PORTLAND '
i PAPER LEGAL ACTION
FULL INVESTIGATION OF ACTS ASKED
Attorney General is Invited to Probe
Charges, and to Start Pror
ceedings if Allegations'
Are Found True
SALEM, Ore., May 8. (Special)
Libel suit, probably for $50,000, will
be begun by Governor West against
The Evening Telegram,- of Portland,
in the next two or three days, the gov-
ernor stated-today. The cause of the
action will be alleged defamatory pub-
lications that have been made by the
paper relative to the governor's con
nection with the brick yard at the
state penitentiary.
The objectionable articles have ap-.
peared both in the Oregonian and The
Telegram, but the suit will be aimed
only at The Telegram. The latest of '
the stories appeared in The Telegram
on Tuesday. The Telegram has pub
lished articles of a, similar nature at
different times since March 25, 1912.
Certain of the articles have stated
that the governor is- both civilly and
criminally liable for an alleged wrongful-expenditure
of state moneys.
Today the governor sent a letter to
Attorney General Crawford, asking
him to investigate the accusations
that have been made by tne Portland
papers and to bring suit against the
executive if he finds that any money
has been expended in an illegal man
ner. .
"I take it that the managements of
the two papers above mentioned have
in their possesion such evidence as
in their opinion would justify the pub
lication of such charges, and that the
same will be pleaced at your disposal
upon request," says the governor in
the letter to Attorney General Craw
ford. ' N
"I have remained silent in the face
of The Telegram's attacks long en
ough," declared the governor today.
"There comes a time when forebear-'
ance ceases to be virtue. The peni
tentiary officials have receipts for ev
ery cent of money ' collected at the
state prison. It has all been turned
over to the state treasurer. It is the
lookout of the state treasurer if any
money has been paid out of that of
fice unlawfully. Not a dollar of the
state funds has come into my hands."
BALL GAME SUNDAY
Canemah park will be the scene of
another baseball game Sunday after
noon, when Price Brothers' nine of
West Oregon City, will meet the crack
Crystal Lake Park team of Milwaukie.
Good Advertising
is News
Manufacturers, merchants,
and others who use the adver
tising columns of THE ENTER
PRISE no longer regard their
expenditures in the light of ex
pense, but of investment.
Now that advertising is being
purged of exaggeration and un
truth, the reading public, espe
cially that large circle of EN
TERPRISE readers who receive
the paper at their homes or
carefully cary it home with
them each day, take as much in
terest in the advertisements as
they do in the news.
After all, ENTERPRISE ad
vertiseing IS news of the most.
Interesting, instructive, and
profitable kind.
And if it is a good investment
for the advertiser to place his
news before you constantly it Is
equally profitable for our read
ers to read attentively the valu
able information thus imparted.
Two Good Houses for Rent
Owner prefers to rent by the year.
Dwellings are within one and a half
blocks of Gladstone station, in good
repair, modern, fine lawn and garden
space. See Cross, GLADSTONE
REALTY ASSOCIATION, Gladstone.