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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1913)
PORTLAND, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1913. PRICE FIVE CENTS. VOL. LII1 C JC361. SWINDLER TELLS HIS STORY AEAIH La France Laughs at Officers' Tactics. CONFESSION HERE EXTENDED Love for Family Alone Halts Final Escape. MAN SEES SELF SHADOWED Prisoner, Here, Says He Almost Laughed 'When Five Detectives Walked In on Him With Re volvers In Their Hands. With the exception that he refused persistently to say where he secured the body which was palmed oft as his, .Malting In the collection by his wife of an aggregate of $15,600 from an In surance company and two fraternal organizations, J. C. La France, who arrived from Coquille. Or, yesterday In charge of Sheriff Gage, of Coos County, told the full story of the entire transaction to District Attorney Kvans last night. He gave a chro nological history of his movements from the time he left Portland on the fishing excursion last June, which ter minated In his supposed death, up to the day of his arrest. Mrs. Kmeline La France, his wife, and three children, the two young est Ms and the third, a girl 11 years of age. a stepdaughter, also arrived In custody of SherifT Gage. The woman and the children were sent to the Fra zer home, a county Institution, where she is being held under guard as a principal on a charge of obtaining money under false pretenses. District Attorney Evans would not separate her and the children, the youngest a babe In arms less than six months of age. Policy Collections Three. La France saW last night that at the time he made known to her that he was alive she hod collected the pol icy of $2500 from the United Artisans. She collected $10.00 and $3000, respect ively, from the Postal Life Insurance Company and the Modern Woodmen of America afterwards. La France, according to his state ments, has never been further away from Portland than the . Coos Bay country since his disappearance last June and he was more than a dozen times openly In this city and without a disguise. He said that several times he saw and recognized Thlel detectives who were shadowing him and that they even spoke to htm in this city last Fall. One of them stood in the Mult nomah Hotel, where he was registered under the name of A. J. Ferger, and watched him talking to his wife. He declares that he was ready to be caught at any time and expected to be arrest ed every time he came to Portland, as he saw detectives following him on the street. , f.t Would Have Takes Him. "Why. I understand that they spent about $3000 to get me." he remarked to District Attorney Evans, "but $25 would have got me. In the hotel at Bandon I lived for eight days while a Thlel operative and W. C. Epps. the Portland policeman, sent down from here to Identify me. walked right by me In the hotel. I was with my wife and family in the house at Coquille . sev eral days before they arrested me. I saw them coming up the road to get me and I took an old revolver and threw it In a clothes basket In a cor ner In order that there might be no suspicion that I Inte.nded to use It. I almost laughed when five of them walked in on me, all with revolvers drawn. I had thrown myself on the bed to await their coming." The prisoner declared that about the time of his disappearance he went to the Duncan-Botsford Company, Rail way Exchange building, and obtained a job cutting ties at Donald, a station on the Oregon Electric, about 20 miles south of Portland. He remained there till November, coming into town sev eral times to see his wife and family. At first he met his wife In secluded places on the East Side at night, but later became bolder and visited her openly. On two occasions they met at the Multnomah Hotel. It was on one of these occasions that Morris, a Thiel operative, watched him talking with his wife. "Mrs. La France came In and asked for A. J. Ferger, room 664," said La France last night. "I saw Morris take out his notebook and jot down what I supposed was the name and the num ber of the room. When I sent through the $6000 draft from Marshfleld and had It cashed I thought sure that would be the last of me, but somehow or other I wasn't arrested. I couldn't un derstand it, and can't yet. I was tell ing Morris on the way up here from the Coos Bay country how often I had seen him shadowing me or Mrs. La France here In Portland or down there. He didn't seem to like it" Timber Tract Purchased. La France says that after securing the $6000 he purchased a tract of tim ber and a portable sawmill and took contract with the Duncan-Botsford Company to get out a large number of ties. He sublet part of this contract (Concluded on P&g -4.) 00M PAUL'S PELF OBJECT OF SEARCH THREE REPRESENTATIVES SAIL FOR INDIAN OCEAN". Party Will Disband at New Zealand and Captain Hansen W1U Co to Antarctic for Body of Scott. NEW YORK, May 1. (Special.) The Dorothea African Expedition, on the first lap of Its long hike down to where $2,500,000 of Oom Paul's pelf lie on a coral reef beneath the green waves of the Indian Ocean, left for San Fran cisco today. The leaders are An rust de Castellane Seymore, commander of the expedition; Captain Thomas Burrette, a veteran of many battles with the sea, and Vladi mir Hansen, a doughty Norseman and sailor of many ships. It Is a syndicate of 20 these three represent, an Inter national syndicate, according to Com mander Seymore. The stockholders will share in the gold according to their holdings. With the three lies the se cret of Oom Paul's treasure and they carry as expense money stockholders' subscriptions. From San Francisco they take ship to Chrlstchurch. New Zea land, and there the expedition Intends to divide itself. While one party, purely a commercial one, goes over to Durban, in Natal, an other, headed by sturdy Captain Han sen, will take a little run down to the Antarctlo Continent and recover Cap tain Scott's body from Its shroud of eternal snows. WORK ON CANAL HASTENED Steam Shovels Pat on 12-Hour Shifts to Ouch Up With Locks. WASHINGTON, May 1. Evidences of a determination to hasten completion of the Panama Canal are seen in today's reports from the Isthmus. The nine mammoth steam shovels digging out Culebra cut have been put on 13-hour shifts and working at such a rate would have a channel ready for ships through the most trouble some part of the canal by the time the locks are ready. While the last official estimates of the earliest day at which ships could pass through the canal has been some time In October, the rapid progress of the work with some additional rush orders may make It possible for ships to go through earlier. MERCEDES JWADER0 WEDS Slaio President's Sister Bride of ex- Member ot Congress. NEW YORK, May L Mercedes Ma- dero, sister of Francisco Madero, the slain president of Mexico, was married here tonight to Antonio Canallzo, who, under the Madero government, 'was a member of the Mexican Congress from Lower California. Members of the Ma dero and Canallzo families, many of them exiles from Mexico, attended the ceremony. Francisco Madero, father ot the dead executive, gave the bride away. The wedding was to have taken place In the City of Mexico in mid-April, but the revolution, with Its tragic results. upset the plans. RAILROAD MAN ARRESTED Charge of Embezzlement of $60,000 Placed in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES. May 1. Accused of having embezzled more than $60,000 during six years. W. J. Ranney, chief clerk in the office of the auditor of the Santa Fe Railroad here, was ar rested tonight and lodged in the county jail. The specific charge on which Ranney was arrested was the alleged theft of $670. but Acting General Manager Hib bard was authority for the statement that the total amount of Ranney's alleged peculations would approximate at least the larger sum. ANGRY WIFE IS JUSTIFIED Court Acquits Woman Who Beat Rival for Husband's Love. MILWAUKEE. Wis., May 1. A wife is justified In beating another woman rho Invites the attentions of her hus band, according to a decision by the District Court today. Mrs. E. D. Mlckle. charged with as sault by Miss Annette C. Meyers, was found not guilty and Miss Meyers got five hours In which to leave the city. Mrs. Mlckle testified that after she had made futile attempts to persuade Miss Meyers to cease receiving atten tions from Mlckle she knocked her down and tore her clothing Into shreds. ART TREASURES INSURED Morgan Collection Valued1 at $23, 000,000: Premium $102,800.' NEW YORK. May 1. Contracts were drawn today insuring the art collec tion of the late J. P. Morgan for $23. 000.000. The premium --4U be $102,800. ALBANY; N. Y, May y Under the provisions of & bill passe y the Sen ate tonight, the J. P. Mory V art col lection will be exempted from the state Inheritance tax provided the col lection Is turned over "to a municipal corporation of the state for educa tional, scientific, literary, library or historical purposes." by the heirs, within two years. Primary Bill Is Defeated. ALB ANT, N. Y May 1. Governor Sulzer's statewide direct primary bill was defeated by the assembly early to. day, after a long debate, by a vote of 4T ayes to 93 noes. The bill was defeated In the Senate Wednesday. NEW JERSEY "GANG" FOUGHT BY WILSON Return of Old Corrupt System Is Seen. DEMOCRATIC PARTY WARNED Campaign Pledges Must Be Redeemed, Says President. NUGENT CONTROL FEARED Unsparing Attack Made on Oppo nents of Jury Reform National Executive Says He Has Xo Candidate for Governor. NEWARK, X. J., May 1. President Wilson battled hard tonight in two speeches at Newark and Elizabeth to wrest New Jersey politics from what he termed a "resumption of control by Jim Nugent and the old political machine." Great crowds, frequent Interruptions of applause and demonstrations of ap proval greeted the President when he put on his "warpaint," as he described It, and campaigned In earnest to have the power of drawing jurors taken from the Sheriffs and placed In the hands of non-partisan commissions. He also pleaded for the calling of a constitutional convention and pointed out that it no longer was regarded as a radical procedure to change constitu tions In the United States. Fucht Made for Nation. His two speeches were filled with satirical characterization of what he called the "old gang In New Jersey." But he made it clear that his fight for apparently a local issue was made for the rank and file of the Nation. "I am sorry," he said at Elizabeth, "that I should have to' come back to speak words of criticism, but I must say that It is familiar to have the war paint on In New Jersey again. And it is not singular that we should always have to be fighting to get control of nf-own affairs. Sheriff's Office Is Soucht. "We want to redeem the Jurispru dence of this state, not only of the sus picion, but of the stain that men are not equally treated In these courts of law. Where the political machine is misused in this state, as In every other state of the Union, Is where the ma chine controls the Sheriff's office. The machine Instinctively fights for the Sheriff's office." "It made all my pulses beat," said the President In his speech here, "to think that I was to come to this great county of Essex that wants to govern itself, but does not. I have come, therefore, to speak not to you, but for you. "I have exercised a great self-denial (Concluded on Page 2.) ................... 11SSSSSS1SSSSS11SSSTSSSSSSSSSSSSS I IT'S UNLAWFUL TO TALK POLITICS ON ELECTION DAT. j , i r,i,t. -----t INDEX OF TODAFS NEWS The Weather. TESTER DATS Maximum temperature, 61 degrees; minimum. 41 degrees. TODAY'S Fair and warmer; northwesterly wind. Foreign! United States to tecognise Chinese Bepub- iio today. rage 7. British suffragettes say real war ts on. Page 3. National. Wilson goes to New Jersey and opens war on ."gang" politicians. Page 1. Western Senators fall to shake Wilson's tariff views. Page 1. Wilson opposed to antl-allen legislation, but California will go ahead. Page 4. Domestic. Eastern railroads will ask permission to ln . crease all freight rates 6 per cent. Page 2. Dozen negroes take place of sandbags and . save break in levee. Page 6. Search party goes to Indian Ocean for $2, eoo.OOO treasure. Page X. Speakers at Peace Congress: declare against disarmament. Page 3. Bait Lake City employes on verse of strike. Page 1. Railways refuse demands of trainmen. Page 7- Wireless ruling brings dlsoord. Page 2. Missouri train robber takes $1500, shoots millionaire fatally, and Is himself wound ed. Pare 14. Snorts. Pactflo Coast League results: Venice 5. Portland 8; Sacramento 4, San Francisco 0; Los Angeles 4. Oakland 2. Page 8. Northwestern League results: Tacoma 4, Portland 3; Seattle S, Spokane 0; Van couver 15, Victoria 6. Page & Ty Cobb reinstated. Page 8. Victor McLaughlen picks "Gunboat" 6mith for heavyweight champion. Page S. Pacific Northwest. Alaska bill aimed at Japanese vetoed by Governor. Page 6. Yakima Blossom Festival opens. Page S. Commercial and Marine. Meat business on Pacific Coast will be rev olutionized by Imports from Australia. Page 21. Wheat declines at Chicago with lower cables. Page 21. Boom In Wall street sends stock prices soar ing. Page 21. Docks Commission Is piqued by action of Northern Pacific Terminal Company. Page 20. Portland and Vicinity. Boycott of Home Telephone Company urged by Electrical Workers' Union. Page 13. Women voters put questions to Progressive Mayoralty candidate. Page 15. Knights Templars give May day dance. Page 15. East Mount Tabor children win fight for playgrounds. Page 12. Cinderella shoe-wearing honor falls to Port land woman. Page 12. La France makes "clean breast" of Insur ance swindle affair. Page 1. Nat Goodwin's role of Fagln is gem of act ing. Page 14. Baker answers Lombard In talk. Page 16. Wheat rate cut expected te wipe out sur plus. Page 1. Lombard puts pertinent queries to Mayor: Page 16. Women startled by speech of Judge Gatens on Immorality. Page 6. 5200 IN PORTLAND Y. M. C. A. Gains Indicate City Again May Lead Associations of World. 'More than 6200 members were en rolled ' in the Portland Young Men's Christian Association last night when the census was taken for comparison with all other associations. The members of the census commit tees met at supper in the association auditorium and reported on the gains of the week, which were almost 200. The Portland association last year was the 'largest In the world. While It may not gain that honor again this year, due to big gains made In other oittes, It Is certain to be near the top of the list. J. E. Day and his leading member ship team will be tendered a picnic by Walter Krupke and his team, the sec ond best. R. J. Clarke led the individ ual campaigners. SENATORS FAIL 10 CONVINCE WILSON Western Member's Er rand in Vain. FREE LIST IS NOT ABATED President Says He Does Not Fear Political Effect. PROGRAMME IS UNCHANGED Chamberlain and Lane at White House With Party to Protest That Democratic Seats in -Senate Are in Peril. OREGONTAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash Ington. May 1. President Wilson in tends to stand firm for placing wool, sugar, lumber and other Western products on the free list, and so an nounced to Senators Chamberlain and Lane and four .other Western Demo cratlc Senators, arter they argued with him two hours ano. a half today In the hope of gaining his consent to a Sen ate amendment placing a duty on some Western articles now on the Under wood free list, especially wool and sugar. While neither Senators Chamberlain nor Lane would discuss the conference. It Is understood Senator Lane's argu ment was similar to the one he made reoently before the flnanoe committee, All the other Senators are appealing for a protective duty on wool and sugar particularly. So long as the Senators have it In their power to pre vent placing wool and sugar on the free list they will exercise that power, In view of the President's stand, but they will accept the Administration bill and shift the responsibility for the free list to the President's shoulders. Lane's Proposal Finds Support. There are some Democratic Senators, satisfied they cannot cut down the Un derwood free list, who are talking to night of adopting Senator Lane's pro posal and attempting In the Senate to place on the free list manufactures of wool and other Eastern products, con tending that only In this way can dis crimination against the West be re moved. - The President was told today that the present bill does discriminate against the West and that that section of the country would surely suffer unless the bill was amended.' The Senators laid greatest stress on the political effect of passing the Underwood bill as It stands and told the President frankly that if Western Democrats were com pelled to vote for the bill that carries free wool, free sugar and free lumber, Republicans would certainly succeed (Concluded on Page 2.) CITY EMPLOYES READY TO STRIKE FIRE FIGHTERS LEAD WAY WITH RESIGNATION'S. Salt Lake Commissioners Say Plenty of Experienced Men Will Accept Jobs. SALT LAKE CITY, May 1. The res ignations of TS members of the city fire department, which Includes every active member of the fire-fighting force, with the exception of Chief W. H. Bywater, were presented formally to the city commission today. It was said tonight that three members of the commission were ready to accept the resignations, as there were sufficient experienced men available to take the places of the men who quit. Employes of all other city depart ments are said to be preparing to take the same action as the firemen unless their demands for Increased wages are granted. A wide breach has been made in the ranks of the city commission as the result of the controversy over the fire men's wages and it Is said that several investigations of alleged misconduct iu office will follow. The Mayor and one commissioner are divided from the three commissioners who declined to vote for the Increase. According to Commissioner Morris, the action of the firemen In resigning their positions was instigated by certain high offi cials in an effort to force the commis sion to grant the firemen's demands. This has been denied. According to Assistant Chief James Paul, the fire men acted solely on their own initia tive and without Influence from any members of the commission. COLLEGE GIRLS VISITORS Seniors in Domestic Science Class at Corvallis See Portland Schools. Under the leadership of Mrs. Henri etta W. Calvin, dean of home econom ics at the Oregon Agricultural Col lege, and Mrs. Brooks, professor of domestic, art, a party of 12 girls of the senior class of the college is pass ing a few days In Portland, visiting the larger schools and Institutions. with a view to gaining Information along lines of domestic science and art. Yesterday Mrs. Calvin, with six of the girls, Mrs. James B. Kerr and Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Herdman, were enter tained at luncheon at Washington High School, with Miss Lilian Tingle as hostess. Mrs. Brooks and the other six girls were the guests of Lincoln High School, Mrs. Sanborn acting as host ess. All were entertained at tea by the senior class of the Portland Trades School. INTEREST INFLECTION BIG More Than 50,000 Ballots Are Used in Preparation by Voters. That Interest in tomorrow's election Is widespread Is apparent at the City Hall, where more than 60,000 sample ballots have been carried away by voters during the last seven days. The middle of last week the ballot tables were covered with big plies of the ballots. When the City Hall closed yesterday there was not a sam ple ballot to be found. It Is estimated by City Auditor Bar bur that 60 per cent of the ballots have been taken away by women. The va rious clubs have taken small stacks and thousands of women have ap peared at the City Hall In person to select ballots for their particular pre cincts and wards. ROADS 0RDERNEW CARS $25,000,000 to Be Spent to Handle Crops Movement This Year. ST. PAUL, Minn., May 1. To provide adequate facilities for the movement of crops of the year 1913, approxlmately 20,000 units of rolling stock shortly will be placed In service by three large railways centering here at an Initial expenditure of $25. 000,000. The roads are the Great Northern, Northern Pa cific and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha. According to purchasing officials of the roads, the new equipment will be of the latest type. ICE HIGHER TO HOTELS New York Concern Says Mild Winter Has Caused Shortage. . NEW YORK. May 10. The price of Ice, already raised from 17 to SO cents a hundred pounds to hotels and cafes, may be increased again shortly, al though the retail price to families will remain at 40 cents, the same as last year. Wesley M. Oler, president of the Knickerbocker Ice Company, so as serted today. The mild Winter and resultant short age of 1,000,000 tons were responsible, be said. His company supplies nearly half the city's ice. ALASKA REDUCTION DUE Commercial Message Rates to Drop July 1 to Far North. SEATTLE. Wash.. May 1. Effective July 1, a reduction of 60 per cent in tho rates for commercial messages not ex ceeding 10 words to all points In Alaska will be made by the United States signal corps operating the mil itary cable between Seattle and Alaska, according to an order received by Ma jor D. J. Carr, from the War Depart ment today. WHEAT RATE GUTTO WIPE OUT SURPLUS Action of Ship Lines Excites Market. OTHER GRAINS ARE AFFECTED Stock Diminishing Rapidly as Prices Advance. MILL FEED RISE IS FELT Trans-Pacific Service Officials Have Conference In Seattle and Un confirmed Report Tells of Gen eral Freight Rate Cut. The radical cut In freight rates on wheat and flour to Or'ental ports agreed upon yesterday, will, in the opinion of grain men, result In a com plete wiping out of the wheat surplus In the Pacific Northwest. As a consequence of the action taken by the steamship lines, the wheat mar--kets In the three states were much ex cited yesterday. Not only wheat, but also barley and oats stocks are dimin ishing fast with prices rapidly advan cing, and in the mill feed market quo tations are being raised almost dully. Altogether the grain market Is enjoy ing such a boom as It has not seen for a long time. Official In Conference. The officials of the trans-raclfio lines were again in conference at Seat tle yesterday. Grain men here reclved no official notification from them, but it is known they agreed to cut the rate on wheat and flour to $3 a ton to Japan, 4 to Hongkong. $4.50 to Shang hai and 15 to Manila. This Is a reduction from the former rate of $1.30 a ton to Japan and Hong kong and $1 a ton to the other ports. The new rates will apply throughout June, July and August, and in some quarters It Is believed-they will go into effect Immediately. Already a considerable amount of new business with the Orient has been worked on the basis of the lower freights. Large Japanese buyers, In fact, have been operating for about a week on this basis, which would Indi cate that they knew what was coming. Their purchases have been entirely from dealers and speculators in the Coast markets. Extra Steamers Required. This sudden Increase In Oriental trade, which could only have been brought about by the freight situation, will not only insure the lines full cargoes during what are usually the dull months of the year, but It Is stated that two extra steamers will be re quired to move wheat arranged for. Between 10,000 and 12,000 tons of wheat are expected to go to Japan. The Oriental buyers have confined their operations so far to wheat. No flour orders have been, booked at the new rate, so far as can be learned, but la Is believed that a large volume of flour business will develop. Millers have been active In their efforts to induce the steamship people to lower the rates, as only by this means could Oriental orders be obtained. Even without the resumption of the Oriental demand it is likely that wheat stocks In the Northwest would be cleaned up before the new crop comes on. Wheat markets in Europe have been climbing for several weeks and the export trade with that quarter is reviving at a period when It usually ceases. Several Bhlps and steamers, Including the Port Caledonia, Inveresk. Kentra, Marco Polo, Arracan and His torian, are to take full or part cargoes of old-crop grain to Europe. War Conditions Factor. War conditions are responsible for the strength of the European markets. Nearly all the wheat floated recently from this country and Argentina has been grabbed up by Continental deal ers, and the English millers, finding themselves short, have been forced to bid up prices. This Is partly respon sible for the higher wheat market here. Another important factor in the situation is the very poor-crop out look In California, where the long-continued drouth may cut the wheat crop fully In half. Already this season Cali fornia has drawn 5,260,000 bushels from here, and grain men believe tho South ern state will take $2,000,000 to $2,000, 000 bushels more before the season Is ended. Three coasting steamers have been chartered In the past few days to carry grain south in addition to the Portland, which is now on the regular wheat run. and the large- shipments that are being made regularly by the established lines. It Is not certain that wheat prices In this section will be affected by the new developments, but at any rate the market cannot recede. The cut In Ori ental freights will not permit buyers to pay much more for wheat to grow ers, but it assures a-very active sell ing and shippfhg movement. Club wheat changed hands on the local mar ket yesterday at 89 cents, and bluestem was quoted at 99 cents to $1. Several small lots have been sold recently at the latter figure. Coarse Grains Rise. As for the coarse grains, they arc b Ine: Influenced entirely by the dry weather In California. Southern buy- . (Concluded on Tag 2.)