VOL. L,VI. XO. 17.2G7. PORTLAND, OREGON, SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1916. PRICE FIVE CENTS. I ' f i V FUNSTON AWAITS NEWS OF BATTLE American Forces May Be Engaged. . ADVANCE SOUTH IS REPORTED Plan to Attack Villa Yesterday Related to Consul. NHW BASE ESTABLISHED Pershing Finds Difficulty In Pro visioning His Men, Now More Than 200 Miles From Border. More 3Iotor Trucks Needed. "OI,T"rm S, TT. M March 24. Janoa, about 40 miles northwrnt of Caoaa Grande and on tie route taken by the American expeditionary force, tt aet on fire early today, presumably by a band of Mexican bandits. Four large fires were reported by Americans pass ing near the toirm. No Americana are known to have been in the town. The fires were burn Ins rapidly, fanned by heavy winds, when seen. It was said. It was also learned tonight that several small bands of marauders, affiliated with no Mexican faction, have been roving about near the American lines of communica tion from Columbus to Casus Grandes. SAX ANTONIO. Tex., March 24. General Pershing's report to General P'unston that two columns of his expe ditionary force were in the vicinity of Namiquipa, 120 miles southeast of Casas Grandes, and repeated reports from Mexican sources that Villa with a com paratively small force has been forced to a stand at El Oso, near there, caused officers here to expect news at any time of a battle. General Funston thought it probable that an engage ment might already have occurred. ' General Pershing referred today for the first time since last-Monday to his operations south of Casas Grandes, but his report -contained little information and none concerning any encounter be tween Villa and American soldiers or troops of the de facto government. He aaid Villa last had been at Kamiquipa. Report Comes by 'Wireless. "His report was dated today and was transmitted by telegraph to Fort Sam Houston. It was taken by Army officers here to indicate that either no engagement was fought yesterday with Villa or that General Pershing had not learned of it. Consul Beltran. of the Mexican gov ernment, received a message late today from Consul Garcia at El Paso saying confirmation had been received of the report that Villa had been defeated yes frday in the Santa Gertrudes Canyon by the American and Mexican forces, and that he had fled to El Oso, five miles from Namiquipa. where he was surrounded. The Consul added that one of the American officers with the expe ditionary forces had reported to General Pershing that they would attack Villa today. Base Established at Vllle. The American troops near Namiquipa moved south and east from Casas Grandes over the trail that passes through Ville and Cruces. Ville, 53 miles from Caeas Grandes, was selected by General Pershing as a temporary base, he said in his report to General Funeton. The fact that he mentioned two columns as having reached points near Namiquipa caused it to be believed here that he called back the third col umn dispatched from Casas Grandes the first of the week from the trail lead ing to Carmen and sent it south from Galeana to join the Seventh Cavalry on its way south though Ville. That General Pershing is meeting with some difficulty in provisioning his detachment, now more than 200 miles from the border, was Indicated by a statement that unless he could use the Northwestern Railway for transporta tion he would need more auto trucks. TROOPS ENTER MOUNTAINS Snow and Sleet, Following Withering Heat, Add to Hardships. COLUMBUS. N. M.. March 24. Snow and sleet following rapidly on the heels of a nine-day exhausting march under .-1 withering desert sun today brought new difficulties to the American troops in the Casas Grandes district, accord ing to reports received tonight from General J. J. Pershing, expeditionary commander. The troops are not equipped for un usual weather, their orders being to minimize their baggage as far as pos sible, that the utmost speed, might be made. Consequently the average sol dier carried with him from the border only a sweater ana a single blanket for protection against the cold. That the troops have penetrated the mountain fastness to a considerable distance below Casas Grandes is In dicated in the preparations being made here to depend more largely on mules and horses instead of motor-trucks for transport purposes. Several hundred cavalry re-mounts also have been re ceived here from Oklahoma points and are being prepared for service. It is reported here, unofficially, that the American cavalry in several de tachments has spread fan-like below Casas Grandes reaching distances ranging from 30 to 120 miles from the advanced base. Casas Grandee, which is 7000 feet Conciuded 01 Pass 4. Column 2.) 2 AMERICAN WOMEN KILLED ON BORDER MEXICAN'S SUSPECTED OF PUB MURDER. TlH- One -Man Is Victim, Too, and Troops Said to Have Pursued Slay ers Over the Line. DOUGLAS. Ariz.. March 24. Three Americans,, two women and one man, were killed near Gibson's line ranch on the New Mexico-Mexico boundary, eight miles west of Columbus, N. M., bttween 4 and 5 o'clock Wednesday, p -esumably by Mexicans, according to t. le story brought here by a party of fire Douglas people, who said they arrived on the scene shortly after the bodies had been removed by soldiers. A command of United States soldiers stationed at the Gibson ranch, was said to have crossed the line In pursuit of the slayers. The automobilista were on a, pleasure trip. Near the ranch they were stopped by a Twelfth Cavalry man, who advised them to "go to the ranch house imme diately so that the detachment there could afford them protection. They were guarded at the house all night Jy seven troopers who had arrived there from Hachita, N. M., in response to the alarm given when the three bodies had been founds The five civilians passed a sleepless night, sitting in 'he car, while the soldiers crouched around them in the pouring rain on guard. Peals of thunder and intermittent flashes of lightning increased the ap prehension of the women. The soldiers told them that the bod ies of the two women and a man had been found in an automobile near the ranch, but they did not know what disposition had been made of them. After daylight they were allowed to proceed toward Hachita. They did not stop there, they said, to make, inquiry about the affair. T0WNE OUT FOR SENATE Former Mlnnesotan to Contest With O'Gorman in New York. NEW YORK, March 24. Charles A. Towne, ex-United States Senator from Minnesota, announced today that he would enter the Democratic primaries in New York for the Democratic nomi nation to succeed Senater O'Gorman. Mr. Towne, after serving as a Rep resentative in Congress from Duluth from 1895 to 1897, then as a "Lincoln Republican," was appointed by Gov ernor Lind in 1900 to serve two months of an unexpired term in the Senate. In 1901 he began the practice of law in New York and in 1904 was elected to Congress from this city. - ARMY SHORT OF AIRMEN Training School Unable to Provide More for Pershing. SAN DIEGO, Cal. March 24. There are no qualified military aviators avail able here for, duty with the expedition ary forces in Mexico, according to Cap tain Arthur S. Cowan, commandant at the North Island training Institution, commenting on the request of Brigadier-General John Pershing for eight more fliers. "We have not got them to send," said Captain Cowan. "There are four stu dent aviators at North Island who are ready to take thiir junior military aviators' tests, but thus far none of them has had experience in cross-country flights." CRUISER MiSHAP INDICATED Old Logbooks of British Warship Found on North Carolina Shore. NORFOLK, Va., March 24. A possi bility that the British cruiser Cumber land might have met with disaster off the Middle Atlantic Coast was seen by marine men last night in the finding of several log books marked "H. M. S. Cumberland" on the North Carolina shore near Chicomicomico. The books, dated 1908, were found today by coast guards, who reported they apparently had Just been washed ashore. The Cumberland is a protected cruiser of 9800 tons displacement and has a main battery of 14 six-inch guns. GERMAN LOAN IS SUCCESS New Subscriptions Are 10 Billion Marks; Total 3 6 Billion. BERLIN. March 24. (via Wireless to Sayville.) Dr. Karl Helfferich, Sec retary of the Imperial Treasury, told the Reichstag today that the fourth German war loan had been a brilliant success, ' the subscriptions having reached more than 10.000.000,000 marks, not including subscriptions abroad and at the front. It was pointed out that the German war loans have now reached a total of 36.000.000.000 marks, while the British loans have only totaled 19,000,000,000 marks, and those of France 11.944,000, 000 marks. LINN COUNTY JAIL EMPTY Like Condition TIas. Not Existed for Several Years. ALBANY, Or.. March 24. (Specfal.) The Linn County Jail is empty for the first time in many years. As a result of the last session of the grand jury and the term of Circuit Court the first of this month, all the prisoners in the jail were either com mitted to the Penitentiary or released, except G. C. Bilyeu. who was serving a sentence for violation of the local option liquor law. Bilyeu was released yesterday on a conditional pardon by the Governor. DR. WA1TE ADMITS PURCHASING POISON Father-in-Law Is Sui cide, Says Prisoner. DUAL LIFE CHARGE RESENTED "Other Woman" Not Part of Case, Is Indignant Reply," BRIBE ATTEMPT CHARGED Thousand Dollar Check Given Detec y tive to Induce Negro Maid to Testify Falsely. District At torney Is Informed. NEW YORK, March 24. Confession was made today by Dr. Warren Waite, according to District Attorney Swann, that he "bought the poison believed by the authorities to have caused thedeath of his father-in-law. John E. Peck, of Grand Rapids. Mich., but he asserted that he made tv in'i.hase at the re quest of the mil; ijiin ire, who was de spondent and wished to commit suicide. Another remarkable development late in the day was the statement made to Mr. Swann by Raymond Sehlndler, a private detective, that Dr. Waite had asked him to attempt to bribe Dr. Waite's negro maid,' Dora Hillier, to corroborate the dentist's story. "If she will 1 say in court that she heard Mr. Peck aek me to buy the arsenic," Schindler told the District At torney Dr. Waite said, "and that she saw me give him the package un opened, I will give her a check for 1000." Prisoner Guarded Closely. Dr. Waite, according to the detective, thereupon signed what purported to be a check for 11000 to the order of the girl, written by Schindler on a sheet from his notebook. This "check" now is in the possession of Mr. Swann. ' Dr. Waite was taken to the prison ward at Bellevue Hospital tonight. Mr. Swann said he wanted the dentist kept under the closest possible surveillance because Waite had expressed regret that the drugs he took Wednesday had not killed him, and that he wished he were dead. In making his statement to the Dis tBict Attorney today. Dr. Waite was self-poesessed, and spoke with evident deliberation. But when he was ques tioned about the alleged misuse of $40,000 intrusted to him for investment by Miss Catherine Peck, sister of John E. Peck, and in regard to a woman he had previously admitted having lived with, he apparently became indignant, saying: "That has nothing to do with the sub ject in hand." "Yes," he said, according to Mr. Swann, "I boaght the arsenic, but I know you won't believe what I am going to tell you, so I'll probably go to the electric chair. Mr. Peck was an old man and he was very despondent over the death of his wife. One day he asked me to buy some poison for (Concluded on Pase 2, Column 1.) I ALL SET FOR THE ELOODIEST ACT ON THE BILL. j f if Sawr il . INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS -The Weather. YEPTKRDAY'S Maximum temperature. 41 degrees; minimum, 34 degree. TODAY'S Occasional rain; southerly winds. Mexico. Local authorities on border call for more protection. Page 4. Funaton awaiting news of battle, which may now bo on. Page 1. Two American women killed by Mexican bandits, who cross border. Page 1., War. Channel steamer, sunk off Dieppe, believed to have lied Americans on board. Page 3. Germans seriously threaten two outposts. of Verdun. page 3. Shack leton expedition marooned in south polar region. Page 4. Rational. Literacy test In immigration bill defeated in House. Page -. Allies' formally reject Lansing's suggestion that merchantmen be disarmed. Page 3. House Democratic caucus agroes on legisla tive programme. Page 5. Admiral Flake criticises conduct of Kavy. Page 2. House subcommittee agrees on contract pro vision for land grant bilL Page 6. Domestic. Dentist admits buying poison for 'father-in-law's suicide. Page 1. Sports. Irvin S. Cobb in pink of condition for to night's fight. Page 1. Willard and Moran will fight tonight. Page 12. Fifty-mile race starts at San Diego Fair today. Page 13. Campaign against lax canoeists to begin. Page 12. McOoehan picks Moran to beat Willard. Page 12. Beavers may add two more twirlers to - staff. Page 13. Pacific Northwest. Robert E. Lee a cousin Is 103. Page 1. Vancouver battalion leaves for Mexican bor der. Page 14. i New president seated at Washington State College. Page 6. Vancouver Army officer weds Just before departure for Mexican border. Page 4. Commercial and Marine. Local wheat bids raised on small demand. Page 19. Unfavorable crop reports lift wheat at Chicago. Page 19, Ralls are firm and specialties weak In Wall street. Page 19. Cargo of cresote coming for St. . Helens company. Page 18. Portland and Vicinity. Commander Blair thinks Mexican war is possible. Page 7. Council opposes change In apportionment of grant land proceeds. Page IS. Styles exhibit opens tomorrow. Page 7. Weather report, data and forecast. Page 10. Grand opera opening is brilliant. Page 1. REGISTRATION, TAKES JUMP More Than 1100 Voters in One Day Brave IJaln to Qualify. Voters are beginning? to realize the proximity of the primaries. Despite the rain yesterday, a record number of citizens went to the Courthouse to register 1140 In all. Of this number 495 were women. The registration books close April IS. They are open -at the Courthouse until 6 o'clock every night but Sun day. The total registration to dato Is 41,317. The Republicans maintain their lead with 29,652. The Democrats show total of 8564, Prohibitionists have registered 780, Socialists 485 and Pro gressives an even 400. BANK DEPOSITS GROWING California Per Capita Increases $25 in 1 2 Months. SAN FRANCISCO. March 24. An in crease of about $25 In the per capita bank deposits for the total population of California is shown in a compari son with the amount on deposit in state banks on March 4, 1916, and March 4, 1915, in a report issued today by W. R. Williams, state superintendent of banks. The total deposits on March 4, this year, were $642,302,112.50 as against $579, 025. 945.95 for the previous date. COBB TRAINED FOR TASK AT RINGSIDE Writer Is Fit as Fiddle for Fight. FORECAST IS N01 CO Cause Neither Brother Gladiator to Be Espoused. MANAGERS CANNOT LOSE That Is, Observes Humorist, Unless Mistake-Is Made in Counting Up Gate ReceiptsEvent Looms in Financial World. BY IRVIN S. COBB. (Copyright by the Wheeler Syndicate.) NEW YORK, March 24. In regard to the event to be staged tomorrow night at Madison-Square Garden, this city and state, at an expense unparalleled in the records of the sport. I take this timely oppor tunity of stating that I feel myself in every respect equipped and pre pared to do my share toward making the affair a notable success. I am trained to the "minute. I am as fit as a fiddle a large-bass fiddle. For two weeks I have been working Irvin s. Cobb. constantly with my sparring partner, N. Webster, the Un abridged Kid, and always under the direct supervision of that sterling team of trainers. Funk and Wagnalls. Daily I have taken my adjectives out for long cross-country runs. My verbs are in splendid condition, supple, elastic and responsive. I have been punching the lexicon steadily and playing hand ball with the nouns. My book of handy quotations is worn to a frazzle and my stock of metaphors is on edge. Writer la Pink o' Condition. ' I entertain no doubt of my ability to make the prescribed weight at the ringside. If I am defeated in tomor row nights bout it will not be for lack of preparation. In this connection I will only say: Let the better man win. I take it the general public is aware of the circumstance that Messrs. Jess Willard and Frank Moran are. to have a place in tomorrow's programme at the Garden. In advance of their meet ing I do not care to hazard a surmise as to their respective chances. My rea sons for assuming this attitude are two-fold. In the first place, it would ill become me either to speculate on the prospects or to sponsor the cause of a brother-gladiator. In the second place, I have never met Mr. Willard, although I have frequently heard him (Concluded on Page 12, Column 3.) i S . Lis 'sk I i f mmmtsf M f o.' 6-.::::'::: 'S.:i:':::5;i:i: R. E. LEE'S COUSIN IS 103 YEARS OLD CHEWIXG TOBACCO PRESERVES LIFE, SAYS L. H. LEE. Abstinence From Liquors and Out door Work Also Are Cred ited for Longevity. , Or., March 24. (Special.) s, ,a third cousin of General VI e. today celebrated hisv103d anniversary at the home of s son, W. E. Lee, on the Crow stage route, seven miles west of Eugene. The secret of his long life has been to bacco chewing, he says. He began to chew at the age of five years. Longevity runs in the family, how ever. His father ,was killed. His grandfather died at the age of 104 and his great-grandfather attained the age of 107 years. His sister. Mrs. Eliza Cross, residing at Clemonsville. N. C, - Jr'8 99 years f age. " "i-w x.e uuiu iii iui in aruiiiia. He came to Oregon from Kansas to make his home with his son here after he had celebrated his 100th birthday anniversary. Throughout life he has been a farmer and has worked out of doors. Mentally and physically, he is enjoying good health and took an active part in the plans for the celebration of his birthday anniversary today. He is 5 feet 11 inches in height weighs about 150 pounds. "I have always abstained from use of alcoholic liquors," he said. and the Mr. Lee has but 11 descendants, sons and nine grandchildren. two COOS ROAD BIDS REJECTED County Court Alleges Irregularity in ! Advertising. MARSHFIELD, Or.. March 24 (Spe cial.) The Coos County Court, this week rejected a large number of offers for constructing a new gisfde on the Coquille-Coos Bay highway between Davis Slough and Coaledo. a distance of about 12 miles. The object of the new grade is to straighten" curves and place the high way on a grade nearer water level. The general estimate for the work was from $35,000 to $45,000. A number of bids for public work have been re jected in recent years by the County Commissioners, and work done under order of the court. The court stated the roadwork had not been lagally advertised, and thus the bids probably will be again asked. ELMA SCHOOL MAY EXTEND Green Cedar to Vote on District Con- . so) illation Today. ELMA. Wash.. March 25. (Special.) The Green Cedar people will have chance to vote on consolidating their district with that of the Elma district Saturday. 'Already the Elma school has many small districts consolidated with its district and the addition of the Green Cedar school would place the school roll above the 500 mark. Children in all of these farming dis tricts that have joined the Elma school are transported to and from their homes by auto. The Elma school is now considered one of the finest in the state. MYSTERIOUS PLANE 'SEEN Aircraft Flies Over Malheur City at Night Toward East. BAKER, Or., March 24. (Special.) People in the vicinity of Malheur City are greatly aroused over the sudden appearance and disappearance of a mys terious aeroplane that has been seen there. Aeroplanes were never seen there before. The first report came from a farm hand named Craft, employed on the Sargeant ranch, who declared that at 9 o'clock at night he distinctly saw the lights of the machine and heard the whirring of the motor. The machine was headed East, he said. MEXICANS BUY UP ARMS Available Supply at Phoenix, Ariz., Taken; American Veterans Ready. FHOEXIX, Ariz.. March 24. Spanish American War Veterans announced to day they had confirmed reports pre sented at their meeting last night that all available arms and ammunition held for sale by merchants here had been bought by Mexicans. The veterans reported all were armed and ready for duty as home guards. Most of them are too old for fieki serv ice. GERMANS BEATEN IN AFRICA ) British Occupy Arusha and Drive Line of Enemy Back. LONDON, March 24. The British ex peditionary force campaigning against German East Africa is making further progress in its aggressive operations, according to an official statement is sued tonight. General Jan Christian Smuts, In charge of the operations, has reported the occupation of Arusha and the driv ing of the Germans from their line along the Ruwu River. NEW MILK RECORD MADE Holstein - Friesian With 60,2 7 8 Pounds in 2 Years Adds Honors. SACRAMENTO, Cal., March 24. Til lie" Alcartra, a Holstein-Friesian cow. owned by A. W. Morris & Sons' Corpo ration, at Woodland, Tolo County, al ready holder of the one-year world's record for milk production, last night completed a test which gave her the world's record for two years' produc tion. Her; figure for the two years is 60,278 pounds.. GRAND OPERA HAS BRILLIANT OPENING Portland Pays Homage Ao Great Artists. SCENE IS ONE OF SPLENDOR Boston Company, Anna Pav lowa, Ballet Russe Appear. HEILIG PACKED TO DOORS 'L'Amorc Dei Trc Re" Proves Ma; net That Draws Intellectual and Social Life of City to First Night Performance. Portland's season of grand opera is on. It burst into being with brilliance last night at the Heillg Theater with the celebrated Boston Grand Opera Company, and Anna Pavlowa and ner long-heralded Ballet Russe as the at tractions. The season is limited to three performances, but the event is all the more auspicious for the short time it is spread over. Three trains brought the aggregation to Portland yesterday, and last night social and intellectual Portland paid the deserved homage. Hundreds Turned Away. .. Four hours before the curtain rolled up on "L'Amore Dei Tre Re" (The Love of Three Kings), the music-hungry crowd began to gather at the theater, which, for the opening night, was des tined to be packed to capacity. Hun dreds were turned away for the first performance. Hundreds waited at the gallery doors, and still other thronga lingered in the environs of the tnea ter to hear the swelling choruses send their vocal thunders out into the damp night air through brick walls and closed doors. It was a great night for a tragic opera such as was on the boards. Kvtn( Is An Epic. The operatic event in Portland is an annual, or nearly annual, epic. It draws upon Portland's social and intellectual life without reserve. ' There is no event throughout the year morj metropolitan, more thrilling from an observation viewpoint, than the season of first class grand opera. This year the event seemed to have taken on additional splendor. Coming in mid-Lenten season was no handi cap. Hundreds of automobiles from the exclusive homes of the city rolled up to the theater and hundreds of pa trons traveled that way on foot, by streetcar, or otherwise, to the portal3 of the theater. At 4 o'clock the line to the gallery formed. At 7 it was a mass of eager souls. Excitement was in the air. Jewels scintillated under the street arcs and in the theater, where the twinkling in candescents never seemed in merrier mood. There was no denying it was "the" event of the year, from a theat rical standpoint. Attractions Are Great. And why not? The Boston Grand Opera Company is a name to conjure with. In its personnel are some of the great names of the operatic stage.' Then Pavlowa. the Russian danseuse, and her ballet Russe! Here was a linking of attractions that few could resist. It was a new note In grand opera ventures, and in Portland as elsewhere it "took" like magic. When the curtain slid from view In the opening of "The Love of the Three Kings," the performance was halted for a second. Portland's pent up opera emotion voiced itself with that indescribable audible and then at tentive silence that prefaces long looked for and much-wanted enter tainment. The mupic prelude had played its siren role and sung into operatic consciousness perhaps the most brilliant audience turned out In years. The opening opera Is the work oCa young Italian composer, Montemezzi by name. The book is tragic-bound; likewise the music weeps, wooes, slays, charms and. of course, it enrapts. A note of war, quite timely, is injected into it. Northern Italy and a stronghold; in vasion by barbarians; conquerors, love nets, and omnipresent feminine! Behind all the regal atmosphere there is the domestic note which rules in the lives of Kings and vassals alike. It is an enlarged opera; built along magni- tudinous lines, mobile irt its music and gripping in its plot, but human in its appeal. Maggie Tcyte Superb. Maggie Teyte. whose followers are legion in Portland, was the stellar feminine singer in the opening produc tion. Her beautiful lyric soprano voice was in bewitching form. Her mag netic English personality wrought fascination from the start, and the first act embodying that most effective scene where Manfredo returns eager to meet his wife, who holds herself in reserve, brought volcanic applause from an audience obviously more than pleased'. The opera reached great dra matic heights as it proceeded. It is grand opera. The auditors were won, too, bv Zanatello, a vividly dramatic tenor; Graham Marr. admirable baritone, and by Jose Madrones. "greatest basso Spain has known." who, as the opera proceeded last night, became a stanch favorito with a discerning audience. Roberto Morganzoni, conductor, had woven his spell, too. and reaped his re ward in a well-timed oration. The waits between the acts were tConcluded on Pag 15, Column 2.) -