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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 1918)
ifi ri Yi i ..... . . . VOL,. jLVIII. 0. 17,938. PORTLAND, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1918. PRICE FIVE CENTS. TRIPLE MURDER AT KELSO YET ENIGMA SHIP TRIES TO BEAT BIG ECLIPSE JO U.S. ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS SPEEDED OCT OF RUSSIA. HE PURSUED HE, AFFINITY TOLD WIFE GIRLS SELL KISSES TO AID RED CROSS FEW EARS ARE DEAF -TO BED GROSS CALL CHURCHES IN U. S. MAY FORM UNION PRESIDENTS OF ALL ROADS LOSE JOBS BUSSES BRING AS MUCH AS $22 AT WALLA WALLA. AMALGAMATION PROPOSED BY PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY. Coroner's Inquest De velops Few Clews. IDENTITY OF SLAIN IN DARK Missing Husband and Father Is Believed to Be Slayer. MOTIVE IS UNFATHOMED Boy Who tlfies at Discovered Crime Tes Inquiry, and Merchant Describes Man Vlio Is Thought to Have Committed Murder'. KELSO. Wash., May 21. (Special.) Kelso's- triple killing, discovered yester day wjien the bodies of a woman, girl") and boy were found in a camping tent beside the Pacific Highway, yielded up little of its mystery today. Identity of the victims, assuredly mother and children, remained unfixed, though tonight the investigators were working on a clew furnished through reported identification of the license number of the automobile in which the party traveled. Authorities of Cowlitz County and Kelso admit that they lack tangible clews leading in the direction of the supposed murderer. Developments of the day, including the Inquest conducted by County Coro ner Bailes, assisted by County Attorney Spauldlng. point directly at the missing husband and father as the one who sent four bullets through the brains of the victims as they slept in the tent. Wide acceptance of this theory leaves the motive unfathomed. Statements by persons who thought they had seen the couple quarreling were uncor roborated. A well-defined report that relations of the father with the 13-year-old daughter precipitated the crime as concealment was shelved by the physicians. Belief of others that they identified the party as containing a young man, presumably not a male relative, was discredited by credible witnesses at the Inquest. Mlsslair Man Sought. Evidence of wliat Is considered a bungling attempt at framing a murder and suicide setting, fixing guilt on the dead woman, the developments dis closed, but the authorities are bending every energy to apprehend the head of the family as the slayer. This man is described as 35 to 37 years old, approximately the age of the dead woman, through a bit of in formation recorded in the little girl's crude diary; his height is given as 5 feet 4 inches, and his weight as 1423 pounds. He is said to have been wear ing a brown suit and soft hat. All of the party were very plainly dressed. Man Kiees Southward. The party reached Kelso from the florin, traveling in a ord car or an old model. That the man fled south ward in the car after committing the crime Sunday night is the belief of the officers. It is believed the fiend journeyed down the valley toward Portland rather than take chances of being recognized on a return trip to the north. The tragedy was enacted in a little clearing, but a few paces off the Pa cific Highway, two miles southeast of Kelso. Testimony at the coroner's In quest fixed the time as Sunday night, though the campers had been at this locution since Friday evening and had been seen by few persons in the mean time. Curiosity of Penoyer Holmes, 15 years old. a student In the Kelso schools, led to discovery of the crime. Young Holmes had been passing the tent on his way to and from town. Puzzled because he never saw anyone about the tent the lad ventured to peer within as he journeyed homeward at 4:30 o'clock Monday afternoon. Horror-stricken by the ghastly scene dis closed he sped to town and reported to Constable Hull, who with Sheriff ttudebaker hurried to the scene in automobile. Many View Bodies. All day yesterday the bodies of the elain lay side by side, just as found in the tent. In the little undertaking chapel of . E. Marx hundreds of per sons, some from sincere intent to help in identification, more from morbid curiosity, were permitted to view them. Not until after the inquest were prep erations for burial begun. They will be held for possible identification if necessary. The inquest was started 1 o'clock this afternoon. Testimony of Sheriff Studebaker and Constable Hull concerned the finding of the bodies. "1 think the man who was with them did the killing; there is no question that the woman had nothing to do with it," was the conclusion drawn from the Constable. Mother la Exonerated. Ic tails of the attempt to give the appearance that the woman fired the hots were barely touched upon at the" hearing. The supposed ruse consisted of the dropping of a rusty pistol, "con taining four exploded shells and fifth intact, at the woman's side. Though this was the number of bullets fired, the posture of the matron's right hand across her breast beneath the covers, with the left beneath her head, with the further assurance that rust accumulations of months were undis turbed in the pistol barrel, constituted convincing proof exonerating her, it was held. Clews upon which the authorities started their efforts to identify the tragedy victims were presented at the hearing. An empty pill box. which had evidently contained quinine, bore no druggist's- name, but has the address Concluded on Pag. 2, Column 1.) Scientists From Lick Observatory Locate Valuable Observation " Devices After Four Years. Somewhere on the Pacific Ocean, in a steamer approaching a Pacific port, are a number of valuable astronomical instruments. Since August, 1914, these Instruments have been booted around Russia and have caused the Lick Ob servatory endless trouble and worry. They were taken to Kusisa four years ago in the vain hope of viewing and studying a total eclipse of the sun, and now, if they arrive In time, they will be used at Goldendale, Wash., by scien tists of the Lick Observatory in study ing the solar eclipse Saturday, June 8. Professor Sidney E. Townley, of Stan ford University faculty, who is in the Pacific Northwest giving lectures be fore schools and colleges on the forth coming eclipse prior to studying the eclipse from Union, Or., has received information tllat the instruments are expected almost any day. W. W. Campbell, director of Lick Ob servatory, will be at Goldendale for several days prior to the eclipse, ac companied by Dr. H. D. Curtis, also of the observatory staff. They are equipped with additional Instruments, should the now celebrated cargo fail to reach American shores on time. Director Campbell and his party took the instruments to Russia In the Sum mer of 1914 and set them up at Bovary, on an estate of a Russian nobleman across whose lands the path of totality extended. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, and all their efforts went for naught, and then war was declared and the party was unable to bring them out of Russia. The party's tickets read via Berlin and Paris, but the members escaped from Russia after trying ex periences by way of Finland and Swe den. For a time the instruments were stored in the Russian National Obser vatory at Poulkova, near Petrograd; later, trace of them was lost, but a few months ago they were found and shipped to "Vladivostok, where they were put aboard a vessel for this coun try. The vessel carrying the Instruments Is thought to have left Vladivostok in April. MAYOR TO HURRY APPROVAL Official Will Proclaim City Meas ures in Effect Tonight. Before leaving for the East tomor row night Mayor Baker by proclama tion will put into effect all municipal measures that were approved by the voters in the special city election last Friday. At the request of the Mayor the official canvass of the returns was begun yesterday by City Auditor Funk. The task will probably be completed today. All that will then remain to be done to give the successful measures full force and effect is the Issuance by the? Mayor of a proclamation. This will be done not later than tomorrow. BRITISH FELL 1000 PLANES Supremacy of English Airmen Over Germans Shown in 2 Months. LONDON, May 21. The supremacy of the British air forces over the Ger mans is strikingly shown in tonight's report on aerial operations in France which says that since March 21 the British have downed 1000 German planes. The statement reads: "Since the beginning of the German offensive, exactly two months ago, 1000 V German airplanes have been brought down or driven down out of control, and more than 1000 tons of bombs have been dropping over the enemy's lines." LAND OWNERS JOIN COLORS Fred Byron Abandons 52 0-Acre Ranch to Fight Huns. Selling his sawmill and leaving his wife to take care of a 520-acre farm and four children, Fred Byron, of Olalla, has enlisted in the United States Army and will start his military train ing at once. Not to be outdone, two other men of the community left their wives and farms in order to go into the service. Charles M. Purdy, 40 years old and married, sold his dairy farm and James W. Byron of' the same age, left his wife and child, sold his dairy farm and enlisted in the Army. CAPTAIN HALL PRISONER Famous Yankee Flyer, Thought Dead, in Hun Hospital, Wounded. (By tbe Associated Press.) WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE. May 21. Captain James Norman Hall, of Colfax, la., who had been missing since May 7, is wounded and a prisoner in a German hospital. Captain Hall, who is attached to the American aviation corps, disappeared after an aerial engagement over the German lines. HOPE HELDJF0R FAIRBANKS Though Critically III Former Vice President "Still Holds On." INDIANAPOLIS, May 21. Charles W. Fairbanks, who is critically ill here. "continued to hold his own," according to an announcement at his home here today. It was said his physician still had hopes for the recovery of the ex-Vice-President of the United States, Mrs. Roberts Taunted by Grace Lusk. FRANK LETTER ON RECORD Full Admissions Written Wronged Woman. to RUSKIN ROMANCE ' CITED Veterinarian Represented . as Hav ing: Been Cheated In Marriage. Cchool Teacher Will Go Upon Stand as Witness. WAUKESHA W, Wis., May 21. Grace Lusk will take the witness. stand to re veal every detail of her relations with .Dr. David Roberts at her trial for slay ing his wife, tomorrow. This was announced by attorneys for the defense late today, after the prose cution had completed the presentation of its evidence against Miss Lusk. Her story is expected to be a flat denial of J Dr. Roberts' testimony that she pur sued him with the object of wrecking his home. Before the prosecution rested, it in troduced a letter written by Miss Lusk and found in her desk after the tragedy. It was addressed to Mrs. Roberts ahd was presented as evidence only after the attorneys for the defense had reg istered an emphatic protest in which they declared that Miss Lusk could not be used as a witness against herself. The letter said: "When your husband first came to me. it was for business, at least that was his excuse. He did all of the pur suing. I thought it was all quite a good joke and, in fact, it would never have occurred to me to take the situa tion seriously if, one night at the Bap tist church affair, you had not come up to us when we were talking in the most innocent fashion imaginable and rushed him away. Tou did' not do it In a courteous manner well, not rather, i vowed thereupon to get even with you for your discourtesy, and 1 have. Only I have hurt myself in do ing so." The letter than frankly related her relations with the veterinarian, of how he spent his evenings with her while his wife was ill at home; of his jealousy and of nis statement to her that he felt that he "had been cheated in the marriage game." "It seems to me," the letter added. that ir you loved your husband un selfishly, you want him to be happy honorably, even if it were a sacrifice to you in some respects. It is not an unheard of thing for a husband or wife to give up voluntarily the mate whose love has been lost. Did you ever hear the story of Ruskin, or more recently, of James K. Barrie? Another letter headed "explanation,' declared: Oh, I am sorry, sorry that all this (Concluded on Page 2. Column 2.y i! Auction Is Held in Front of Libert) Hall, Despite Protest or Prominent Women. WALLA WALLA, Wash., May 21. (Special.) A kiss auction held in front of Liberty Hall tonight brought out a large crowd, after prominent women of the city had worked hard all day in an effort to head it off as unsanitary and immoral. The kisses were to be auctioned by the women members of a vaudeville troupe. Women whose names the City Health Officer. Dr. William van Patton, refused to reveal, insisted that he stop the exhibit. He refused to interfere, the Red Cross committee. In whose In terests the same was held, also re fused, and the angry women attended tonight only to be told that tho oscu latory auction referred merely to andy kisses, which the women attempted to sell. But the candy kisses refused to sat isfy the crowd and no bids were re ceived. The vaudeville girls said they were game and the real kisses were put up for sale. William Paxton, promi nent insurance man. paid the highest price for one, $22. Sheriff Lee Barnes invested $14 In another kiss, and alto gether about $100 was realized from this. A hat passed through the crowd brought about $130 more. SEATTLE. MAN IS ASPIRANT F. H. Hurd Candidate for Com in an -dcr-in-Chief of Grand Army. SEATTLE, Wash.. May SI. (Spe cial.) At the next national encamp ment of the Grand Army of the Re public, which will be held in Portland beginning August 18. Seattle will have candidate for the high office of com mander-in-chief, in the person of P. H. Hurd, past department commander of Washington and Alaska. The candidacy of Mr. Hurd has the indorsement of the Department of Washington and Alaska, a resolution submitting his name to the national encampment having been adopted at the Tacoma meeting last week. Dele gates from this state and from Alaska were instructed to use all honorable means to secure the election of Mr. Hurd. INSURANCE RATES REDUCED War Risk Bureau Declares Danger From Submarines Now Slight. WASHINGTON, May 21. Danger from submarines has decreased ' to such an extent that the Bureau of War Risk Insurance has recommended a reduction from $2.50 to $1.50 per $1000, the Insur ance rate on lives of officers and crews of merchant vessels passing through the war zones. This Is In line with the recent lower ing of marine Insurance rates on ves sels and cargoes from 3 to 2 per cent. $10,000 TURKEY NOW GIFT President Wilson Receives "Colonel Jake Dawson," Famous Gobbler WASHINGTON, May 21. Colonel Jake Dawson, a Texas turkey gobbler that recently sold for $10,000 in a Red Cross auction at Austin, was delivered as a gift to President Wilson today bjtlally had been collected by last night. I Representative Hardy, of Texas. TEDDY IS HIMSELF AGAIN. Northwestern Division Raises $1,155,884. ALASKA'S $40,000 QUOTA IN Fifteen Counties of Oregon Re port Quotas Raised. MULTNOMAH ALONE LAGS Official Figures of $62,000 Raised, However, Really Include Only Two Hours of Actual AVork of Rcd and White Rose Teams. OREGON RAISES 9343,422. With a quota of $1,890,000, the Northwest division of the Amer ican Red, Cross, comprising Wash ington, Oregon. Idaho and Alaska, had raised $1,155,884 at the close of the second day of the drive, according to an announcement last night by officials in charge of the campaign. Alaska has "gone over the top." Returns from 80 of the .11$ chapters in the division show the following: Washington Quota, $1,000,000; raised $653,226. Oregon Quota. $6So.000; raised $246,422. Idaho Quota, $250,000; raised $117,236. Alaska Quota. $40,000; raised $40,000. Never a doubt arose yesterday in the path of Oregon's drive for the Red Cross war fund, although Multnomah County Is proving tardy, that the state would redeem her promise to win victory long before the week has passed. For thousands of hands- held forth their gifts to the cause pledges. currency, stiver and gold and trinkets and keepsakes that are not to be val ued in mere money. "Is It enough" asked the multitude who gave. Nearly every county in Oregon, with a few exceptions. Is sweeping rapidly toward the Red Cross allotments. Fif teen counties have made their quota: and Multnomah County alone has proved disappointing. If Portland and Mult nomah County attain their quota of $260,000 by tonight, the pace must quicken. Official Local Total 963,000. When the downtown captains and their workers reported yesterday noon it had been confidently anticipated that their total would be over $100,000. The actual total was $62,000. While Red Cross leaders admitted that It was possible that $100,000 actu- Concluded on Page 4, Column 1. National Church Bodies Now In Ses sion Asked to Send Delegates to Merger Convention. COLUMBUS. O.. May 21. Resolutions urging the organic union of all the evangelical churches in the United States were adopted here today by the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church, North. This action was de clared to be the most important taken by any denomination in years. As a beginning toward such a churcn j union. Moderator J. Frank Smith, of Dallas. Tex., and the Rev. William Henry Roberts, staled clerk of the assembly, were directed to telegraph to the four National church bodies now! In session the Northern Baptists, Southern Baptists. United Brethren and Southern Presbyterians asking them whether they will appoint delegates to a convention on organic church union, together with the information that the Presbyterians had voted in favor or such an amalgamation. ' Word of the action tnken at Colum bus, O., was received by local pastors and members of that church with grati fied surprise. Such a move had long been ontemplated an discussed, but its realisation has never been so near. "In effect, such a union would form a federation of evangelical churches for the promotion of common ideals and work," said Dr. Arthur F. Bishop, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church. "It would not mean that any of the federated churches would lose indi vidual Identity, though bound by a closer tie. For 30 years we have been courting the Southern Presbyterian Church, to bring about such a union as is now proposed for all. It Is won derful." Understanding of the term "evangel ical." as locally interpreted. Is that the union would include all orthodox Prot estant churches, and that the Unitarian and Universalist churches would be excluded, as would also be the Roman Catholic Church. AMERICANS TAKE CAPTIVES Pershing Reports Successful Opera tions In Lorraine Region. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMT IN FRANCE, May 21. (By the Associated Press.) "In the course of reconnois sance combats in Lorraine we captured prisoners," says the official statement Issued from American headquarters tonight. "Here and In the Woevre the artillery of both sides showed considerable ac tivity." ARTIST T0PAINT WILSON President Poses for Cuban Crarts man; Havana to Get Picture. WASHINGTON. May 21. President Wilson posed today for a celebrated Cuban artist, A. Romanach, who will paint a portrait of the President for the city of Havana. INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperatures, 64 1 decrees; minimum, 40 degrees. TODAY'S Fair; light frost la morning. War. Oregon boys In Franca begin Intensive train ing. Page 3. Allies make gains at three points and take 1000 prisoners. Pag i: Americans declared finest and best-behaved soldiers in France. Page 8. Foreign. Germany seizes Dutch vesseL. Page 2. National. I House proposes dry amendment to food pro- r dilution hill. Pim 4 Presidents of railroads In United States Re moved by McAdoo. Page 1. Sinn Fein revolt In Ireland plotted In Amer ica and financed by Germany. Page 5. Iomeetlc Ten million dollars, annual sabotage damage in California claimed by i. "W. W. Page 2. Presbyterian general assembly proposes or ganic union ok an evangelical churches. Page L . Bryan hit In La Follette defense en sedi tion charge before Senate committee. Page 6. Mooney re-sentenced to death and date of execution set. Page 11. Grace Innate tells Dr. Roberts wife that veterinary pursued her. Page 1. Finals of Oregon Trapshooters tournament today. Page 12. Coombs pitches Brooklyn to 1 to victory. Pace 12. Buckaroos defeat Camp Lewis, a to 4. in exhibition same. Page 12. School athletes train for bis meet Frldar. rags 12. Pacific Northwest. Girls sell kisses at Walla Walla to aid Red u rosa. ras l. Glad welcome given Maror Baker and Coun cllmen at Camp Lewis. Page 6. Seattle sedition case of International Impor tance. Page 7. Spirited debate features Idaho's first war conference. Page 6. Supreme Court sets aalde Judgment of 131.354 against Title Insurance A. Trust Co. Page 7. Kelso triple murder Is yet mystery. Page 1. Commercial and Marine. Stock market recovers most of ground lost during preceding session. Page 17. Cattle are weak and lower at local stock yards. Pago 17. Steamer Wasco may take Beaver's run. Page 13. Port 1m d and Vicinity. Few ears are deaf to Red Cross appeal. Pas. 1. Red Cross workers to stop autos and ask occupants to give. Page 9. Oregon idlers to be compelled to work. Page IS. Government sues to revoke cltlsenshlp of Carl Swelgln. L W. W. organiser. Pag. IX City streetcar service may be curtailed. Pag. S. , Italians plan big celebration for Friday. Pag. 11. . Ship with astronomical Instruments to ob serve solar .clips, spells to U. fci. Pag. 1. Letter sent by airplane reaches Portland. Page 9. New election totals Indicate nomination of F. A. Williams for Public Servlc. Com mission. Pag. 10. Manr rar. offerings to be made at Red Cross auction. Page 4. Weather report data and forecast. Page 13. Federal Directors to Be Appointed. ORDER ISSUED BY M'ADOQ Many Former Railway Heads Will Fill New Positions. NEW DISTRICTS CREATED C. H. Murklumi Will Manage Oper ations of Principal Trunk Lines Kasl or i'ltt.liiirs :17 Tit-Wet Offices to Consolidate. WASHINGTON. May 2). Every rail road (.resident In the United States was nelieved from active duty as executive manager of his road today by Director General McAdoo. who will appoint a federal director for cat-h road, respon sible only to the railroad adminis tration. In many cases the president of the road may be named federal director. To safeguard the interests of stork holders and maintain tbe individuality of each railway, federal directors, whenever possible, will be appointed from anions the operating officers of the property, the director-general an nounced. This will avoid disrupting any road's working organization un necessarily. The director general's announcement of the new policy, dictated from his sickroom at home, was as follows: "In view of the direct responsibility for the operation of the railroads of the country placed upon Director Gen eral McAdoo by act of Congress and by proclamation of the President, he has been unable to escape the conclusion that it will be advisable to place In direct charge of each property for op-, crating purposes a representative to be known as the Federal manager, who will report to the regional director. "So far as practicable this Federal manager will be chosen- from the oper ating forces of the property who are therefore entirely familiar with its employes and with its condition. Hms I nit. t. Rrsnaia Intact. "Except so far as may be necessary to meet the emergenecy conditions which compel the Government to take control of the railroads, the Federal ' manager of each road will endeavor to avail himself to the fullest extent of the advantages Incident to the opera tion of the particular railroad ns a. unit and the preservation of its identity. "This is believed to be of essential Importance, not only to secure the best results during the period of Govern ment control, but also to give the greatest degree of reassurances to the officers and employes that railway ca reers upon which they huve entered will not be narrowed, but if anything will be broadened, and to give the greatest possible reassurance to tbe stockholders that their Just interests in the properties will be respected and that nothing will be needlessly done to have even the appearance of Impairing their Just rights. Service Expected of Boards. "While in this way the' responsibility for the operation oi the property will be directly to the regional directors and not to the board of directors, it is the purpose of the director-general to accord to boands of directors and their representatives the fullest op portunity to keep advised as to the operation and improvement of the properties and to maintain with the director-general and the regional di rectors the fullest interchange of views as to what Is to the best Inter est of the Government and of the stockholders. "In the development of this policy the regional directors and also the Federal managers will be required to sever their official relations with the particular companies and to become exclusive representatives of the Fed eral railroad administration." - New Districts Created. As another step In the reorganiza tion of railroad mangement, the director-general ordered the creation of two new operating districts the Allegheny Region, consisting of the principal trunk lines east of Pittsburg, excluding the New York Central, man aged by C. H. Markham. now regional director for the South and the Poca hontas district, consisting of the east and west trunk lines terminating, at Hampton roads. Regional directors for the Pocahon tas district and for the southern dis trict to succeed Mr. Markham will be appointed soon Other smaller operating districts will be created from time to time in the Southern and Western regions, now op erated as units by regional directors of the Railroad Administration. The first act of the Director-General today in executing this new policy was the removal of C. W. Huntington, pres ident of the Virginian Railway, as chief operating officer, on the charge that he failed to carry out promptly the Rail road Administration's Instructions re garding the repair and maintenance of his line. J. H. Young, of Norfolk, tra been appointed . Federal director of the road. This was thought to be the forerun ner of similar disposition of a number of other railroad presidents, but an nouncement of the plan for wholesale replacement of railway presidents by Federal directors came as a general surprise at this time. Many Prealdeata te Serve. It was explained tonight that a large proportion of present railway presi dents will be named to manage their iCuncludcu un pas. i. Column 2.) E3102.0