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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1920)
r TIIE 'MORNING OREGOXIAX, THURSDAY, 3IARCTI 18, 1D20 ''I i J ' 1 HALLUCIlTlSttil IN OPAL'S LIFE STORY Psychology Professor Studies Whiteley Girl Case. SINCERITY NOT DOUBTED Investigations Lead to Conclusion That Belief in Foster Parents Is Kot at AH Kare In Children. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Eugene March 17. (Special.) Dr. E. S. Conk- lin. head of the department of psy chology, believes that Opal "Whiteley, whose "Story of Opal" is appearing in the Atlantic Monthly, dwelt so much on the Idea from childhood that she was the child of foster parents that 6he eventually came to believe it. Dr. Conklin has been much interested in the case since the publication by Opal of her biography in the March At lantic, because he has been making a Dsvcholoirical study of the "foster child fantasv." He has made a careful study and imestiration of the Opal case and last week-end talked personally with Charles Edward Whiteley. whom Opal calls her foster father: with Mrs. A K. Scott, the erandmother. who lives at Saginaw, near Cottage Grove, and with neighbors, school teachers and many others who know Opal well His investigation of the facts con vinces him that Opal is sincere in saving that she is the child of "angel parents" and that Mr. Whiteley is not ber real father. Sincerity Not Donbted. "I do not doubt at all Opal's sin cerity in giving this story to the1 At lantic Monthly." he says. ''She un doubtedly believes that she is the child of other parents. I think the ' burden of Droof is on Opal and on anvone else who thinks she is really a foster child. "All the evidence obtained from friend and from the chronology of her life indicates that the substitu tion of which she .speaks was almost impossible. In all scientific work, when anyone makes a most extraordi nary claim, it is always insisted that an unusual number of facts must be presented to prove the claim. All the facts seem to indicate that Opal is the real Opal Whiteley. In order to support this, she must present ex ceptional evidence, which has not been produced as yet." Father Knulla Fort. Although the grandmother did not remember Opal's having mentioned the possibility of being a foster child, the father recalls, he told Dr. Conk lin, that Opal at one time turned on him and said, "Don't you know you are not my real father?" At the time he thought of it as merely the imag ination of childhood. Dr. Conklin is the author of an ar ticle which has just been published in the American Journal of Psychol ogy, entitled The .roster Child fan tasy." His summaries are based on answers to questionnaires which he placed before 904 college and high school students. He found through his investiga tions that the foster child fantasy is a common experience of childhood. Twenty-eight per cent of those who answered the Questionnaires could immediately recall -the .experience. Of this number. 25 per cent believed in it as a correspondence with facts. The others expressed many varieties of attitude from partial belief to none at alL Power of SusTKrstion Great. Suggestion, 45 per cent, and sup posed mistreatment, 25 per cent, were most frequently given by those ques tioned as causes for the fantasy, other causes indicated were: Preco cious thinking, 13 per cent; lack of physical or mental family resem blance, 7 per cent, and dissatisfaction with home condition, 5 per cent. The fantasy is located by more than half of those reporting, in the period of from 8 to 12 years of age. The duration for those who had ac tually believed themselves foster children was reported to be more than a year by 49 per cent. The longest duration was that of about J 5 years, caused by prolonged separa tion from parents. Twenty-four per cent reported the experience as of very brief duration and 10 per cent as lasting a few months. Dr. Conklin finds it easy to believe that the diary was written at an early age, when Opal was 6, 7 or 8 years of age. It has all the atmosphere of a child of uch an age, he thinks. He does not look' on "The Story of Opal" as a strict diary, but more as a Journal, a recording of the early life of this child, "whom all the neighbors say was most unusual." Opal Omnivoronfi Reader. Mr. Whiteley told Dr. Conklin that he bought Opal small primers when she was between 3 and 4 years old that she began learning her letters at that time and that she was con tinually playing him with all sorts of questions and was always after more information. The testimony furnished by -.eighbors of the Whiteleys at the time that Opal started to school and by one of her schoolmates when she first started to school indicates that she always read everything she could find and all the books the neighbors had. .Dr. Conklin thinks that the names which Opal gave her pets could easily have come from her reading, since she displays no knowledge of the his tory of the names except In three in stances. In the case of Mendelssohn, rSavanarola and Rubens. He thinks It is doubtful that th two French words, riviere and com parer, which appear in the dairy, really were so spelled in the original manuscript. Some corrections were made in the spelling, the editor the Atlantic states, in order to make the diary more -understandable for adults. The photograph of the pag which appeared in the Atlantic indi cated. Dr. Conklin explained, that small words had been omitted in some cases and that words were misspelled it is possible, he thlntc.s that th to was omitted before comparer and that the word as originally writ ten was simply compare." "Riviere, he thinks, might have been made into French because of the notion present in opal a mind that she was of Frenc descent. Old Atlas Might Explala. The five French rivers which Opal mentions are names of obscure rivers, four in north central France and one in Normandy. "Why her 'angel par ents should have taught Opal th names of five obscure rivers I cannot see, says Dr. Conklin. "It is much more likely that she came across them In an old atlas or other book and re membered them, since they appealed to her as pretty words." In his investigation and question ing, Dr. Conklin found traces of all the -persons mentioned by Opal ex cept "the Uncle Caleb," Larry and Jean and Rob Ryder, who "shouted at God in a very quick way to dam the chute." Dr. Conklin saw the "road that does go. to the house of Sadie McKinzie," who was really Sadie JIc Kibben. Neighbors also remember the "girl who has no seeing." She was burned to death several years ago. The xther characters and the geog raphy are just as Opal describes them CITY $30,000 ORDINANCE PASSES COCXCJL MEETING. Contagious Cases to Be Cared For in Building Adjacent to Kelly Butte Rockplle. 0 After months of indecision, the city council yesterday gave final approval to the $30,000 appropriation ordinance for the construction of the contagious hospital. City Commissioner Bigelow alone voting against the measure The ordinance became effective with its passage and City Commis sioner Barbur of the department of public works will begin immediate work on the construction of the hos pital, to be located adjacent to the Kelly Kutte rockpile. The cost of the building is estimated at J50.000. Two members of the county board of commissioners have agreed to under write the city to the extent of S25.000. "Mr. Holman told me yesterday that he could give definite answer within a few days," reported Com missioner Bigelow, "and I ask that this matter lay on. the table for few days." 'I saw Commissioner Muck yester day and he told me that the county could not possibly build a contagious hospital within two years' time,' said Commissioner Maun. 'I also talked with Commissioners Kolman and Muck yesterday," said Mayor Baker, "and they told me that t would be Impossible for the county o build a contagious hospital within two or three years." H. C. Jaeger, a business man of San Francisco, appeared before the city council yesterday to complain of the- use of Kelly Butte jail as a contag ious hospital. Mr. Jaeger contracted smallpox while living at one of the hotels in the city and was removed to Kelly Butte, now used as an iso lation hospital. "The place is a disgrace to your city," said Mr. Jaeger. "The patients were placed behind steel bars, forced to walk on concrete floors, mixed with drug addicts, persons afflicted with fits and given smelly bed clothes which I do not think had been aired in months." Miss Emily L. Loveridge, superin tendent of the Good Samaritan hos pital, also appeared before the coun cil and urged the immediate con struction of the contagious hospital. T LEADEll LONG OF HERD FIGHTS FOR LIBERTY. Woman Narrowly Escapes Injury When Beast Jumps Hedge. Owner Unknown. , fWMmwmmmimmmmmmmsim WilgyB Allen una MASON AND HAMLIN PIANOS BEilOTFUL LITTLE GRAND PIANOS For the first time since early DecemSyer we are able to show the delightful small Grand Pianos which are so beautiful and in such great demand. More popular and more satisfying than any small Grand that we have known is ' TIE MILTON TINY GRAND PIAN It is an instrument of which its makers are justly proud and one which we are most happy to represent. Its beauty of architecture and finish and the fact that it is largely sold to discriminating musicians makes us sure that it will ;ase you. Moderately priced; easy payments. PIANOS I PLAYERS I MUSIC MORRISON ST. AT BROADWAY -MASON AND HAMLIN PIANOS- i;UII!U!Uil FORGED ETEKAX ARRESTED 1VHEX SIGNATURE IS QUESTIONED. W. 3-Y ear-Old Boy' Attempts to Pass $250 Paper on Albany Na tional Bank Cashier. EUGENE, Or., March 17. (Special.) When John D. I'irtle, a veteran of the world war, today presented to G. Klussman, mercnant at Irving, check for $156.55. the indorsement of which It is alleged he forged, he id not know that Klussman was a deputy sheriff. The check was made ut to Earl McNutt, a Eugene busi ness man. Klussman knows McNutt well and when he saw Pirtle indorsing the check with McNutt's name he knew it was a forgery and immediately placed the young man under arrest and rought him to Eugene, turning him over to Sheriff Stickels. McNutt had lost the check some where and Pirtle - had evidently found it. ALBANY, Or., March 17. (Special.) James Bault, 15-year-old boy of Tallman, attempted to pass a forged check for $230 at the First National bank of Albany yesterday afternoon and is now in the county jail await ing the action of the juvenile court. The check, which purported to bear the signature of J. E. Jenks, ware houseman of Tangent, where the boy formerly lived, w as written crudely nd John G. TSryant, the teller to horn the lad presented it, recog- ized it as a. lorgery. The lad con fessed. DYE OLD, SHABBY OR FADED FROCK "Diamond Dyes" Make Used Apparel Stylish and New. Don't worry about perfect result Use "Diamond Dyes,'' guaranteed to cive a new, rich, fadeless coolr to any fabric, whether it be wool, silk, linen, eotton or mixed goods dresses, blouses, stockings, skirts, children's coats, feahers, draperies, coverings. The Direction Book with each pack age tells so plainly how to diamond dye over any color that you cannot make a mistake. To match any material, have drug irlst show you "Diamond Dye" Color Card. Adv. T -TABLETS-N? V I fir. 'H 1 W.1-k- 1 .v Ml) His name might have been Buceph alus or some other high-sounding for eign appellation, but, judging by the way be fought for his liberty, George Washington would have been more appropriate. He was a beautiful bay stallion leader of a herd of 14 horses found running wild east of the city, and he gave State Humane Officer Churchill and four assistants a good afternoon's work to put him in subjection. Last night he was tied up at the suburban , place of Linn Buckley Buckley avenue and Base Line road, after having jumped most of the fences in the vicinity in his efforts to escape the encircling of his cap tors, and torn the ends of three fin gers from the hand of Mr. Buckley in one wild rush to escape after a rope had been thrown over his head. In one of his jumps, while running away from the officers, he scaled a clump of raspberry bushes in which a wom an living in the vicinity had crouched for safety. She was uninjured, but badly frightened. A rope which would hold was final ly put over his head and the horse was tied up with the other more do cile members of the herd. The horses were originally diacov ered on the Russellville road, between the Base Line and Section Line roads. Their ownership has not yet been dis RIVER PROJECT BEGINS Piling and Masonry to Strengthen Banks on Lewis Stream. "WOODLAND, Wash., March 17. (Special.) The Burcham pile driver arrived in Lewis river last night and will drive piling at Ribinson bend. about two miles above Woodland. Heroic measures have had to be adopted by the county to prevent the river from further encroachment on the land of that vicinity and to pre vent the changing of the channel. About six hundred piles will be driven, and the bend of the river for distance or about zooo feet will be rinrapped. Cowlitz countv annronrU ated J35.000 for this work. Crew of Submarine Rescued. LOS ANGELES, Cal.. March 17. The steamer Mazatlan, bringing the surviving mempera or the crew of the submarine H-l, beached off Redondo Point, Lower California, reported from Mexico that she expected to reach Los Angeles harbor tomorrow. WOOD CLUB IS ORGANIZED Klamath Falls Boosters Organize After Hearing Eloquent Orator. KLAMATH FALLS, Or.. March 17. (Special.) A Leonard Wood for President club was organized with 50 charter members at an enthusiastic gathering of republicans here last night. The meeting was addressed by Walter L. Tooze Sr. of Salem on the problems of the hour, and his elo quent tribute to the soldier and statesman brought round after round of applause. E. L. Elliott presided and at the close of the meeting a permanent or ganization was effected with the avowed object of furthering Leonard Wood's candidacy in this section. The officers elected are C. K. Branden burg, president: W. O. Smith, vice president; Fred Westerfiels, secre tary, and Mrs. E. L. Elliott, treasurer. SISTER ALLEGED VICTIM Wilbur Field Held to Grand Jury on Charge Involving Child. Wilbur Field, 744 East Seventeenth street, was held to answer to the grand jury yesterday on a charge of a seriousstatutory character, involv ing his 13-year-old sister, when he was given a preliminary hearing in the municipal court. His bail was placed at $750. Field Is a married man and was employed by the Frank L. Smith meat company. I Judge Rossman held Frank J. Feltz to answer to the grand jury on a serious charge and his bail was placed at $1000. Charges against Feltz were preferred by Hattie Brecht. Siveney Blackmar and Stella De Maris were both held to answer to the grand jury on charges of contribut ing to the delinquency of a minor. The charges involve a 15-year-old girl. Their bail was placed at $250 each. KNIFE DIM ON JAILER CHINESE MAKES UNSUCCESS FUL EFFORT TO STAB OFFICER. Ire of Celestial Aroused When De tected Sending. Morphine to Fel low Prisoner in Jail. TOOO1' T" -t 5 HHHKt I S7!rf&iifcimBfiii'-.Vr C-Otv Authentic Styles In New Low Footwear For Women The most-in-demand styles of the moment, combining smart ness, practicability, and com fort. One-eyelet Ties of fine kid, with hand-turn soles and leather heels $12.50. Smart Pumps of fine kid and patent colt, with ' hand-turn soles and French heels $12.50. Cocoa Brown Tongue Pumps of fine Russia calf, with hand turn soles and French heels $12.50. Cocoa Brown Oxfords of fine Russia calf, with welt soles and Cuban heels $12.50. Our Footwear Stands the Test of Time. We give S. & H. Green Trading Stamps. : j . - : i t J-1 r rv ..i 1. , lJfJ ill u IB 3; 129 Tenth Street St?"- A XTT ' it 'J Bet. Washington and Alder JS- ,y ! LIMBER SPINE NECESSARY Oakland Osteopath Talks on Old Age at Banquet. The necessity of retaining a normal spine in contour and flexibility, if a person hopes to reach old afre. was emphasized by Dr. C. J. Gaddis of Oakland, Cal., in an address deliv ered at a banquet given by the Port land Osteopathic society at the Ben son hotel Monday evening. Dr. Gad dis is secretary of the California Os teopathic association. "A man is as old as his spine," said Dr. Gaddis. He declared that the aim and purpose of every true physician was to keep his patients well so that they will die of old age and not dis ease. The years marking old age he declared to be from 70 to the century mark. Loo Foo, Chinese suspected of traf fic in "hop," who was arrested for in vestigation by Patrolmen Parker and Smith, madb an unsuccessful effort to stab Jailer Gustafson yesterday at the city jail After he had jerked out a long Chinese knife, with an edge like a razor, his hand was grappled by Patrolman O'Brien, who happened to be standing near. According to Gustafson, Foo sent a package of tobacco to Fred Sloan, a prisoner doing time for vagrancy, a couple of days ago end concealed in the package wire found a half dozen lots of morphine. It was when Foo's record was being taken down by Officer Gustafson that the effort to stab him was made by the celestial. The officer was sitting at the desk writing and the prisoner was standing to one side and slightly to the rear. Chamber l'lan Effective. F. E. Andrews yesterday was named by the directors of the Chamber of Commerce as chairman of the mem bership committee. The Portland chamber is one of the leading com-cut lip. mercia! organizations or tne country that has adopted and put into ef fect the continuous membership sys tem. It has been found effective in arousing interest and enlisting mem bers in the various activities of tne body. Under the membership com mittee various members are Invited to assist in the solicitation of mem bers in order that the organization ay continue fully .representative of community interests. STUDENT BADLY INJURED Morris Johnson, 18, on Motorcycle, Collides With Motor Truck. Morris Johnson, student. 18 years old, of the Klickitat hotel, 3281a Hol laday avenue, is in a serious condi tion at the St. Vincent's hospital as the 'esult of an accident which oc curred at 4 o'clock yesterday after noon at East Tenth and Halsey streets, when the motorcycle on which he was riding collided with a truck of the Spring farm dairy, driven by R. E. Clark. The hospital reported last night that Johnson was suffering from a possible fracture of the skull, a com pound fracture of the left thigh, a laceration over the left eye and a t lip. According to n report made by Motorcycle Officer Rcliad. who Inves tigated the accident, Johnson's motor cycle struck the truck just back of the seat with such force that the windshield of the truck was shattered. Full Damages Awarded. VAVCOtJVErt, Wash., March 17. (Special.) Michael 0Leary was n proud and happy Irishman and wa decked out with the green shamrocks and ribbons in the superior court, when his suit against Bud Smith was being tried today. He was suing for J17R dammres. Alleged to he due be cause of an automnhlle accident In which Mr. Smith's machine figured. The Judge awarded full damaKCs to Mr. O'lary. holding Mr. Smith's ma chine at fault. I'lincrul Announced. The funeral or Mrs. Elizabeth 11 Thoman, who died Tuesday at her home, 613 East Fifteenth street North, will be held tomorrow at 2:0 at the Pltiley parlors, Montgomery and Flftb streets. Phone your want ds to The Orego- nlnn. Main 7"7n. A 0!V 25c Tax Included. V r, 4 w - YOU HAVE BUT TODAY AND TOMORROW TO SEES THIS BEAUTIFUL, PLAY, "The COUNTRY COUSIN" ' WITH ELAINE HAMMERSTEIN STORY OF Y'OUTH AND ROMANCE FROM THE FAMOUS STAGE SUCCESS BY BOOTH TARKINU TON AND JLXIAN STREET. AND THEN THERE'S PHILIP PELZ CONDUCTOR, PEOPLES AUGMENTED ORCHESTRA UNOUESTIONABIY THE BEST MUSIC' IN I'ORT- r LAM). SATURDAY THE LONE WOLF'S DAUGHTER" SATURDA" "THR LONE WOLF'S DAUGHTER" SPECIAL MUSICAL MATINEE TODAY AT 3 P. M: Director Vincent Knowles and the Columbia Orchestra in their first Portland concert. There'll be a variety to the programme that will make it unique and "different." You'll meet the "mysterious voice" ; the voice of "Male and Female" lDi remember? N. B. No seatingj: after concert starts, so come early.SU r. s 5 U ..in- TODAY AND FRIDAY ONLY Thousands of delighted people have seen this piquant, peppery picture. It is full of typical Talmadge personality. TODAY AND FRIDAY LAST TIMES WILLIAM FARNUM COLUMBIA V. C. Knowles ORCHESTRA Director ADMITS TWO-BITS LAST TIMES TOMORROW TODAY'S THE DAY! ; V... -fr , - ... Sh-h-h MARY'S ANKLE Will Be Shows for the First Time. SATURDAY In Louis Tracy's Supreme Story of Love and the Sea "WINGS OF THE MORNING" Liberty News Review Cartoon Comedy Prologue AT ALL TIMES A NICKEL AND TWO DIMES i ) . i i. I' t P. . f fc'. "3 -i '.7T ' 4 7 ii