The Monmouth herald., May 18, 1923, Image 7

Swamp Colony
Knows N o Law
Laws of God and Man Do Not
Penetrate Isolated Section
in Michigan.
IVIFE COMMITS TWIN KILLING
Vhen Asked if She Didn’t Know It
Was a Crime, She Replied, "We
Don't Know About Cod In
the Swamps."
Detroit, Mich.—A country without a
norul code! A weird, strange country
>f gloomy swamp lands, sparsely In-
inhited, and so Isolated from the
•est of the world that laws of God and
nan do not penetrate.
Against this background Is painted
:he figure of the woman without a
sou), the spiritually deficient figure of
t slim young wife who has confessed
:o two of the most shocking crimes in
listory, the murder of her husband
ind her husband's father, slain In cold
slood, the husband “ because he was
In the way” —the father, an old man,
“because he was a nuisance."
Aiding and abetting the young wom­
an was her mother, also shut off by
an abyss of Ignorance from any knowl­
edge of right and wrong and appar­
ently unconscious even yet that hu­
man beings may not he killed ns one
kills stray cats "because they ..re In
the wny.”
N o M o ra l Code.
Not far from White Cloud. Mich., in
Goodwell township, exists the country
without n code, the home of the two
women whose confession has stirred
the whole str.te of Michigan Into a
vigorous Investigation of conditions In
the swamp lands.
The leading characters of he swamp
murder are: First, Mrs. Meda Ilodell,
twenty-six, the wife, frail and thin,
weighing less thnn 100 pounds and
confessing unemotionally to the mur­
der of her husband and fnther-ln-law.
Second, her mother. Mrs. Alice Dud-
gon, who helped her and who Is
equally unaware that there was any­
thing out of the wny In their actions.
When Meda Hodell told the story to
the officials of White Cloud the prose­
cutor asked her If she didn’t know
that It was a crime.
“ We live so far away from everyone
we don’t know much about such
things,” was her reply.
"But have you never heard the
commandment. 'Thou shnlt not k ill?'"
he persisted.
“ Well," she replied, “ we never hear
much about religion and those things
In the swamp land. We don't know
nbont God in (he swamps."
Meda wns born In the swamps,
which have always been regarded with
superstitious awe by the Inhabitants
of the towns near them.
It was
known that human beings dwelt In
the few tumbledown slmcks scattered
over the drenched land, but those
“ Swamp Sallys" were left alone, In n
loneliness searing the soul nnd dead­
ening all sensibility. Strange stories
of crime came out of the swamps
from time to time.
In this cheerless environment the
girl grew to womanhood, a woman*
hood devoid of beauty, gentleness and
righteousness, nnd finally sne was
married to the son of old David
Hodell who had come to live on the
same farm where sh? and her mother
eked out a preonrlous existence.
Poisoned His Coffee.
The old man became obnoxious to
her.
“ Why not get rbl of him?" she said
to herself. And with no more com­
punction than she would have need In
killing a mouse she poisoned his cof­
fee with arsenic and watched him stag- I
ger from the house to die.
ller next discovery was that she
would be more contented without her
husband. So In the dead of night,
while Rornle was sleeping, she took n |
weapon to which cartoonists have |
given a grewsotne familiarity, a roll- j
tng pin. Swamp life had given Meda I
the muscles of e man, hut her first i
blows did not kill the sleeping man.
“ He sort of quivered all over,” Meda \
said. "and I felt kind of sorry for
him.”
Her momentary hesitancy wns made
up for by her mother. While Meda j
was lying at the side of the man
whose head she had broken, tl.e moth­
er picked up the weapon and vith
one blow finished the deed began by
her daughter.
All the parties to the murder are In
jail.
Broadway Has
N ew Sensation
GIVES PEOPLE JAZZY HYMNS
Crowd Almost Mobs Police When Cap­
tain Crawford Is Arrested for Ob­
structing Traffic— Talks to Broad­
way in Own Language.
New York.—A new queen reigns on
Broadway I
A new face has captured the fickle
heart and the sophisticated taste of
the pleasure seekers of the gay White
Way.
She is Capt. Rheba Crawford. The
“Vamp of the Salvation Array," they
call her around Times squnre.
Within n stone’s throw of 00 the­
aters and as many dnnee halls nnd
cabarets where the world's highest
priced entertainers hold forth and
Wealth Invites Y’ outh, Captain Craw­
ford takes her nightly stand and di­
rects traffic down the straight and
narrow road.
She's the only Salvation Army lass
who has ever been able to draw n big­
ger crowd, single-handed, outside a the­
ater, thnn n chorus of beauties could
inside. She talks to Broadway In Its
own language.
Vies With Broadway Queens.
“I conquered Broadway because I
have the soul of Broadway myself."
she said, "nnd Its mind and heart as
well. I love Broadway and understand
It. It Is the greatest street In the
world and has the biggest heart.”
Gives Audience Jazzy Hymns.
“ Broadway loves its Jazz, so I jazz
up the hymns a little.
“ I keep constantly in motion. Evn
Tangua.v doesn't use more pep In a
performance thnn I do.”
Captain Crawford was arrested re-
cently on a charge of obstructing traf­
fic. She wns accompanied to the police
station by a crowd of 4,Oik) sympa­
thizers who hissed nnd booed the po­
lice nnd created such a Jain that the
reserves were railed out. The captain
wns promptly acquitted.
Captain Crawford Is unmarried. She
Is the daughter of a colonel In the
Salvation Army. In her five years of
active service for the organization she
has spoken In practically every city of
any size In the South and West.
Hardly a week goes by that she
! di*esn't have on offer to go Into mnv-
| Ing pictures. Many Broadway pro­
ducers hnve tried to Induce her to
1 draw crowds from behind the foot­
lights rather than outside In the
street. But no offer has ever tempted
her to leave the work she loves.
Meanwhile, Broadwa.vitos don't care
whether she stays tut In front or goes
I ir.siile— Just so she r.tay* on the street.
"I-ong live the queen!" they cry.
:
TIPSY
■ I
------------
Farmer Aeks Dry Agent to Find Poul-
try'« Math Supply in Hia
Neighborhood.
in prcparatln. for Increased International activity In the coming
Abor e Is pictured an serial ropeway with monkey bridge In the back
*:m un ± Be low. the owl patrol at lunch. All camp equipment la made by the
; * i nastf*!
Captain Crawford meets the Broad­
way beauties on their own ground. She
has Irish-blue eyes, a creamy skin,
red-gold hair, ankles that Zlegfeld him­
self couldn't criticize, and lines of such
slender loveliness you are ready to
count your calories the res' of your
life.
“To stay on Broadway, yon must be
a good showman," flie continued know­
ingly. "You must have tact, sympathy
and the ability to sense the feelings of
your audience. You must know the
psychology of the crowd. You must
give them your best and let them
know you are giving It.
“ I have no moving-picture outfit, but
I can make the men und women In my
nudlence see pictures no camera could
show when I remind them of their
homes and mothers and their child­
hood associations.
“ When a man laughs or looks skep­
tical I single him out for special at­
tention, Just as n vaudeville performer
sometimes does. ‘Do you remember
what you were when you left your
small town home to capture the big
city?’ I ask him. ‘What do you renlly
think of what you've becomp?’
"I keep after him uatil he does
think, and every one else thinks.
Salvation Army Captain Out-
draws Famous Show Beauties
of the Gay White Way.
? r % G dwell park. Kaeex. England, where they are undergoing a course
in lb< ►ir
New York.—A guest who reg­
istered us “ Betty Berg. Oakdale.
I- I.,“ at a hotel conducted ex­
clusively for women, was arrest­
ed and declared by the |xdice to
be William Berg, a Norweigan
cook, thirty-five years old.
Berg, who Is an extreme
blonde type, was made up to look
like a large, fairly attractive
woman and had obtained a room
at the hotel without difficulty.
The guest conversed several
times with the clerk, whose sus­
picions became aroused. Detec­
tives were called In and the ar­
rest followed.
Berg readily told who he was.
Said he had Just finished n sea­
son's Job as cook at the St«>rts-
tnan'g club at Oakdale, I„. I„ and
was In town looking for work.
His trunk contained a com­
plete wardrobe of feminine up-
parel, the police said.
W h o Is W orld's
Richest Man?
ro u tm sters from all countries in the world are gathered at arnut head-
v
First Trip Around World Is Commemorated
N. J .; Miss Jean Vancoover of Phila­
delphia, and Miss Margaret Bust of
MONKS GRATEFUL TO YANKS Bowling Breen, Ky. The three are
nurses connected with the Near East
Armenian Monastery Breaks Thou­ Belief.
Four hundred years ago Juan Sebustiuno Elcuno, one of Magellan's captains, completed the first voyage around
sand-Year Rule in Recognition of
The breaking of the 1,000-year rule
Services of American Nurses.
of the monastery was In recognition the world, und the event has Just been celebrated In Ids native town, Ouetarla, Spain, w ith elaborate ceremony. Thu
of the work which the three nurses king and queen of Sputn were present, und so were representatives of many other countries. I’ urt of the big pro-
Erivan, Armenia.—The famous Is­ have done for refugee orphan children I cession Is here shown.
land monastery of I.ake Sevan, near in the district.
here, which for ten centuries has
never permitted a woman to enter Its
Discouraging.
gates, has Ignored this time-honored
§ Cow Bells on Dahlias
“ Love nt fust sight sure am de
regulation and extended the freedom ticket," said Charcoal Eph. moodily.
to Foil Garden Thieves
of Its grounds and buildings to three “ E fn a man took a second look, suit,
American women.
They are Miss hit would he all off wld housekeeping"
Pittsburgh.—Miss Ethel Chris­
Grace Blackwell of Hamilton Square, —Richmond Tlmes-IUspatch.
ty nnd her sister. Miss Abbey
Training Camp of Scoutmasters
o f trai
Skirted Man Secures
Room in Women’s Hotel
s themsehes. and their knowledge la In turn Imparted to the boys
nous patrols.
BIODIE
FIGHTS
DCG
Cincinnati, ,0.—Inebriated chickens
on bis farm have so incensed George
W. Berry on .the Dayton pike, near
Ihiyton, Ky.. that he has asked James
M. Wood, prohibition agent, to appre­
hend the person or persons who fur­
nish the fowls with moonshine whisky.
It has been an all too common sight
on his farm for several daya. Berry
said, for the chickens to be trying to
perform stunts that Mother Nature
never Intended they should attempt. A
heretofore meek old hen waa observed
to l>e trying to fight a bulldog, finally
' pu„ )ng , he dog to flight
The reason. Terry told Wood Is that
moonshiners operating somewhere In
| fh, neighbor?»,..* bad poured their
m„ h
his farm and the chickens
| partook liberally of It. Their apt««
was fatal to tome of the chickens.
___ I $
Rockefeller, Ford and Mellon
Each Picked by as Many
Authoritative Spokesmen.
FORD HAS GREATEST INCOME
Financial Experts Say There Is Baal«
for Claim That Each of These Men
Has Largest Fortune— John
D.'s Easiest to Cash.
New York.—Within the last few
weeks each of three Americans has
been proclaimed “ the richest man In
the world" by us tnuny authorltutive
spokesmen.
The Wall Street Journal gave Henry
Ford that distinction ; James A. Duvls,
accounted a reliable financial expert
In the Middle West, retorted with John
D. Rockefeller; Roger W. Buhson, a
famous statistician, cuine forward with
Andrew W. Mellon, secretary of the
treasury In President Harding's cabi­
net, and went so far as to say that
Mellon could probably match, dollar
for dollar, the Joint Income of Ford
und Rockefeller.
Flnauclul experts say there are
buses for ull three claims, that these
tremendous fortunes hnve so many
aspects and traits that they cannot be
compared In toto, no more than one
muy compare five inches to five apples.
Ford Hat Greatest Income.
Ford, for instance, has the biggest
of nil Incomes, the most profitable busi­
ness, but It Is of such a character that
Its actual value, the value for which
It actually could be sold. Is no more
than iiulf Its uccurnte paper value.
The Ford business may return Ford
the profits of a $2,Oik),000,(100 business,
and In such event It would ?w\ by all
financial rules, worth III,000.000.000;
yet It Is not probable that If he at­
tempted to liquidate It he could get
much more than half of that amount
lor It.
In that ense. Ford's business wealth,
though ¿renter than Rockefeller's,
would not he worth as much to one
w lio wanted to cash In and get out
of It ns Rockefeller's, which Is much
nmre negotiable.
Mellon’s fortune Is of n third stripe;
his Is u potential wealth, power over
money, opportunity. If not Inclination,
to hold possession of more money thnn
any other living man. He is said to
wield the greatest power over money,
more even than the elder Morgan
wielded In his heyday.
These experts also say that It Is
anybody's guess which of these for­
tunes Is the greatest on paper. Any­
body's guess Is as good as anybody
else'B.
Office Handicaps Mellon.
Those who are In the lower strata
of financial standing, particularly
those who are accounted no more than
well-to-do at the outside, would prob­
ably prefer Rockefeller'« wealth first.
Ford's second, and Mellon's third. The
only prof.nhle change might be that
Ford’« should supersede Rockefeller's
Regardless of the truth of Babson’s
statement
that
Secretary
Mellon
wields more power and would be able
t n.'.re m oney r . re qo kly than
either Ford or Rockefeller, hia posi­
tion is third In attractiveness.
“ I do not refer to Mr. Mellon In his
official capacity," Babson says, "but
as a private banker and capitalist. Ills
putdlr office Is srtually a handicap to
Mm. It prevents his doing tflany
things he could do as a private cltt
zen.
He Is the greatest financial
power In the world today In spite of
the fact that he ia secretary of the
treasury. He controls more wealth
In his private capacity—banks, mines,
oil companies, and a multitude of In­
terest«— than both Mr. Ford and Mr.
Rockefeller together.
“ Who la the richest man In actual
Christy, of Frederick avenue,
Sewlckley, have a fine garden of
flowers In the rear of their home,
Including luxuriant specimens of
duhllus which they hnve been
fostering for the Sewlckley dah­
lia show. Some one entered the
gurdens und clipped off half a
dozen of lurge deep rod duhllus
of the General Pershing variety.
The Misses Christy reported
their loss to Chief of Police S. Y.
McFarland of Sewlckley, who Is
Investigating. As u precaution
the women purchased about a
dozen cowbells, which they
strung with heavy cord on the
dahlia stalks, so that the bells
will tinkle If any miscreant here­
after attempts to tamper with
the flowers.
cash and easily negotiable, gilt edged
securities; that Is, whose fortune bus
the greutest quick, force-sale vutue?
The answer Is John D. Rockefeller,
Income S25.000.000 a Year.
“ He Is an Investor today nnd he has
practically retired from uetlve busi­
ness. Of course, his advice is avail­
able for the many companies In which
he Is Interested, hut he Is not actively
engaged In business as he was twenty
years ago. His Income Is about $25,-
tkk),000 a year, or perhaps a little mure.
Some of this he gives away nnd much
of It he reinvests. It Is the Income
of Ids investments.
“ His wealth varies from day to day,
perhaps $1,000,000 or even $5,000.000,
but Ills securities are sound Invest­
ments that would be worth Just as
much If he were dead as when he Is
living, which Is very different from the taxation drive rich men Into loading up
case with Mr. Ford. Mr. Rockefeller's on exempt securities, nnd no doubt
fortune today Is certainly $500,000,000 Ford hns protected himself In the same
probably nearer $750,(kk),000, nnd way. Mayor Couzens of Detroit, a man
when the present bull market reaches worth In the tielglihorhood of $35,000,-
Its peak he will be worth approximate­
000, makes no bones of the fact that
ly $1,000,000,000, which Justifies the
the greater part of his weulth Is ex­
popular appellation of 'billionaire.'
empt from taxation.
"Third, who has the biggest Individ­
Msllon’s Status.
ual Income? I agree that this man Is
Henry Ford, but not In the sense of
Mellon's wealth wns brought star-
actually handling the money. Mr. Ford ’ tlingly Into focus when polltlcnl ene-
only draws out enough for his personal I mles gave It ns u reason why he should
nnd fnmlly requirements, hut the bulk i not be appointed to President Hunt­
of the $125,000,000 a year or so which ing's cabinet. Until thut time Mellon
the Ford Motor company and Its sub­ | wus an Inconspicuous figure In Penn­
sidiaries earn for him he leaves In sylvania Industrial nnd hnnklng life,
the business. In actunl wealth he Is known nnd respected by Industrialists
worth far less thnn Mr. Rockefeller. 1 and hankers throughout the country,
“ If Edse! Ford nnd Mr. Ford were | hut the name did not mean money ns
killed In an automobile accident to­ Rockefeller's did. When partisan news­
night, nnd Mrs. Ford desired to liqui­ papers attacked him with the owner­
date the business, she would find It a ship of the largest fortune In America,
very difficult thing to,do. It would he In the world, general opinion was that
n task requiring great care nnd Judg­ political enmity was spreading Itself
ment, nnd If the business could he sold to an Incredible extent. It did not seetn
out for half the nmount of Mr. Rocke­ possible thnt so rich u man could be
feller's fortune It would lie very fortu­ so unknown.
nate.” -
As Mellon hns become better known
The name of “John D." hns stood so nnd with only the customary modest
long for the richest man In the world donlnl that he Is only n well-to-do tnnn,
that It Is still strange to hear of Ford, the size of his fortune has become bet­
comparatively a newcomer, and Mel­ ter knowu and generally believed.« He
lon, until recently an obscure name to Is now recognized ns being wealthier
most of the country, contesting ills po­ thnn ever Andrew Curnegle or Henry
sition. Yet there seems little choice be­ Frick were.
tween wishing for his money nnd wish­
Referring agnln to the tax rate, Mel­
ing for Ford's right profitable busi­ lon lias paid an Income tnx on an an­
ness.
nual Income of between $2,000,000 and
$3,000.000. Ford ’ as paid on $5.000,-
Greatest Fortunes in U. S.
It Is also odd sounding thnt the three 000. Rockefeller h ' a paid on the same
richest men should nil be In America. amount as Ford.
But Hugo Stlnnes' fortune, the greut­
His Business Is His Pleasure.
est in Euro|>e, Is generally rated below
all three of the Amerirun fortunes. The
Bahson, who knows him well, says:
Rothschild money Is so split and divid­ “ Ills Income can tie prnctlcally what
ed thnt no one of the family can make he makes It. He hns the financial (low­
a claim on the little kingpin moneyed er If lie cares to exercise It. But he
man.
Is a hanker nnd capitalist rnther than
Henry Ford has an Income of $125.- an Investor; he enjoy« the exercise of
000,0t)0, roughly stieaking (If one may his remarkable talents (or organizing
speak roughly of such a sum) which and building up great financial and In­
is the largest pay envelope nny man dustrial enterprises, and he devotes
draws down yearly. It would not be more attention to the»? activities thnn
Improper In nny way for him to nt- to Increasing his alrendy great personal
tempt a capitalization of his business fortune and earning the tremendous in­
for $ 2 , 000 ,ixili.ikk). Rut Bahson thinks come he could undoubtedly have If he
he could not sell the securities, no mat­ chose."
As for Rockefeller, various estimates
ter how ► « I and pi"! 'able the Invest­
ment. There In that miicti money In have been made of bis fortune. The
the country, hut tflere Isn't that much American Economic league a few years
ago said It was worth $2,000.000,000.
desiring to buy For ’ stock.
There la no way of telling, for with
Ford's wealth differs In this respect
from Rockefeller's; Ford Is reinvesting Investment« fluctuating, gifts altering
his profits regulsrly In his own busi­ it, various forms of Investment chang­
ness. John D. reinvests, when he does ing regularly from good to bad nnd
reinvest. In other businesses than the from bad to good. It Is a difficult, prac­
Standard Oil.
tically Impossible Job to set It at a
Ford gave some Interesting Insight figure.
The only conclusion Is the Inevitable
Into his wealth when he disclosed some
of bis Income tax figures. He said be general feeling among financiers. With­
had $14ILW5,IMUI In cash In the hank. out doubt Mellon, Ford and Rockefel­
Ills asaeta—taxable assets—in Michi­ ler are the richest men In the world.
gan were given at 1215.21(1,602.02. and Which Is the richest la a problem. The
outside of Michigan, $114.«M,470.05. only definite feeling In the money
The total he gave. Including good will, marts la this: that Rockefeller la worth
waa $-010.820.132.07.
approximately $750,000080, after all
But taxable property Is not all that gifts have been deducted; that Ford
Ford owns, or any other rich man. could realise *00000.0)0; and that
The tat fee la an Inaccurate way of Mellon could realize the same amount
This guess la as good ss any.
gauging a fortune. The high rate« of