President Harding Dedicates Bolivar Statue
Census Reveals
Less Illiteracy
Decrease of From 22.9 to 16.1
Per Cent in Ten Years
Shown in Alabama.
DECLINE IN OTHER STATES
Marked Improvement Is Shown In the
Education of the Negro Popula
tion in the Southern States—
Funds Are Limited.
Scene during tlie ceremony of unveiling the stutue of Simon Bolivar In Centrul park, New York city, anil, nt right.
President Harding delivering the principal address.
Swindlers Net
Near Million
ir
Atlanta, Long Mecca for Slippery
Gang of Crooks. Starts
a Cleanup.
MURDER IS PART DF GAME
Bankers and Buelnesa Men Among the
Victims Lured From Many States
—Raid Reveals Bogus Broker
age Offices—Police Accused.
Atlanta, Ga.—That a dupe Is born
every minute nnd that uo scheme Is so
fantastic that It does not find some
one—hard headed business man in
many cases—to fall for it, has been
proved to the satisfaction of every
body In Atlanta through revelations
made during the hearing by a council
committee of the activities here of a
million dollar bunco gang, who oper
ated, It la charged, either with the
connivance or through the colossal Ig
norance of the police department
The hearing also has proved that no
section or locality la exempt from Its
crop of dupes. Men with money to
contribute to the support of the gang
that operated In Atlanta have come to
this city to be fleeced from Bending
and Philadelphia, from Maryland,
Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Louls-
lana. Florida, Ohio, Indiana nnd Tex
as. Indeed, Texas was very good to
the Atlanta seekers for easy money.
Especially wns one W. It. Manning, a
dapper young man of Dallas, Tex.,
kindly disposed to the eon men.
And It has been shown tliat when
money Is at stake even murder Is not
too high a price to pay in order to
keep It and retain liberty. Here is
the death roil of Atlanta's bunco
Rung:
Doctor Blanchard, son of a former
governor of Txiulslana. who committed
suicide In Memphis after losing his
roil.
W. C. Dukes, banker of Milan, 0a.,
who came to Atlanta to confer with
the gnng on an easy money proposal
nnd mysteriously disappeared.
Ed Mills, member of the gang,
roommate of Floyd I* *. Woodward, al
leged leader, who wns shot nnd killed
hy Woodward because, it Is alleged,
Mills wns tipping the police off to
the operations of the gnng.
Charles Dorsey, taxicab driver, who.
It Is said, knew too much nbout the
Mills killing.
Ruth Gobel, another witness, was
disposed of when Woodward married
her.
Left Their Rosy Hopes Behind.
Here Is a partial list of the men
who came to Atlanta with roseate
hopes nnd who left—If they were
able to get away—heartbroken and
pockets empty:
W. D. Hill, an aged Confederate
veteran, former ordinary of his coun
ty nt Clarkesville, Ga.. who lost about
$2.600.
J. A. Nations of Asworth. Ga.. who
lost $3.500 at the Cedi hotel here In a
gnme that was framed by Mark Til
lery, recently captured in Texas,
brought bnek to Atlanta nnd turned
over to Solicitor John A. Boykin. Til
lery wns reputed boss of the local
game at one time.
W. II. Manning, from Dallas, Tex.,
lost $7.000.
George W. Wiley of Whitehall. Va..
lost $10.000.
D. II. and W. M. Bland of Drew,
Miss., who contributed $10.000 to the
game.
M. E. Holtey of Aiken. S. <1. lost
$11,000 and would have lost more had
he been able to get checks cashed, but
a hanker friend tipped him off Just
In time to keep him from losing $50,-
000 more. This wns a stock deal, In
which his supposed winnings had run
up In the hundred thousands.
C. T. Madeira of Heading Pa., who
lost $27.000, at one time had a big
apparent winning, hut In the end the
pn|>er profit disappeared and be went
back to Pennsylvania sadder but may
be wiser. In this deal one of Atlan
ta's best-known citizens aided the op
erating gung.
One comparatively old man came to
Atlanta from Indiana, lost his money
nnd is still here. Ills story was one
of the many already told during the
four weeks of Investigation of the
eusy money syndicate of Atlanta.
Then there was on Ohio banker who
came to this city, fell In with smooth
talkers and attempted to get checks
cashed for approximately $30,0*10, hut
all the gnng got him for was $2,000.
Chicago Man Involved.
There is the case of Albert H.
Thompson of Chicago. Thompson Is
being sought on a larceny chnrge and
It is thought that lie Is in Cuba. So
licitor John Boykin refuses to di
vulge for the present the details.
Thompson’s Indictment wns a sur
prise, for his wife was known to be
wealthy. The Thompsons have a fine
home In Asheville.
More than one hundred indictments
have been returned.
The situation Wfts first called to the
attention of the public when John
Boykin, solicitor, made an address at
a forum luncheon o f chamber of com
merce members. He charged that the
situation wns known to police officials
and others In authority.
Finally there was a demand In
council for un Investigation and Mr.
Boykin agreed to appear before this
body. A mass meeting of 1,000 Atlanta
citizens was held and money was
raised to prosecute the solicitor’s
charges. Eugene It. Black, one of the
city’s best lawyers, wus engaged to
represent Mr. Boykin.
It has developed that the chief of
police and the detective chief have
clashed. On one occnsion when the
chief of police was wiring to a Florida
point trying to get n confidence man
the chief of detectives wns wiring that
the man wns not wanted in Atlanta,
although lie wus under indictment at
that time. It wns nlso charged that a
detective for several years had received
$200 a week to allow n notorious blind
tiger to operate unmolested.
*The raids started as a result of the
fleecing of Holley of Alikin cut of $11,-
000. Ha and a companion made a noise
tliat all Atlanta heard. Officers were
sent to see liim, and he nnd his com
panion laid a trap for Abe Powers, the
alleged steerer in the game. The detec
tives told them to go on out and meet
Powers and they would follow. Thnt
wns nbout the last they heard of the
detectives, but they met Powers by
agreement and seized him. A pnsslng
policeman wns liniled finally and
Powers went to Jail.
Then started a search for tlie head
quarters of the gnng. The detectives
the next <lny were piloted to the build
ing in a downtown locality, where the
South Carollntans said they had been
robbed. But search ns they might, the
officers could not find the room.
Raid Reveaia Broker’s Office.
The next day they appeuled to the
solicitor and lie led a personal raid of
the building. The room was found at
once and lie seized all the parapher
nalia. The place was fitted up with all
the elaborateness of n stock broker’s
office in New York. There were black
boards, fake telegraph Instruments,
fake money, nnd everything else
needed. It looked like there was all
tlie money In the world there, hut In
vestigation revealed that only the
cover hills were good. The rest was
green paper.
Thnt was the beginning. Within the
next few days the solicitor raided three
places operated by the gang. In one
case using axes to break In. In this
place were found nil the Instruments
needed for marking cards, crooking
dice; fake money, several hundred dol
lars of real money In the safe; crap
tables; and before the night was out
ninny visitors, who liad been taken
Into custody had to tell what they
knew or go to Jail.
The raids were followed by many
prosecutions. The gang had seen that
the jig was np and most of them had
disappeared. Gradually they are being
rounded up and brought back to Atlan
ta. Abe Powers and eight of his con
freres have been sent to the penitenti
ary, but carelessness at the prison farm
was utilized by Abe Powers and he is
at large again. Many others are under
arrest and some have given bond.
Among those Indicted and soon to stand
trial will be Ira Fort, who was mixed
up. It Is said In the Madeira swindle.
A feature of this prosecution Is found
In tlie fact that the solicitor himself
has ofTered big rewards for the cap
ture of the various "con” men, and
' paid some of them.
The search continues the country
over for Floyd P. Woodward. He Is
held up as the “Master Mind" of the
gang. Since his escape he has written
a letter back to Atlanta In which he
charges that he had paid out $2,000
as a bribe at one time to Solicitor
Boykin; had paid large sums at other
times, a cut In of his receipts to
Joseph Ewing, a lawyer formerly con
nected with Boykin’s office before he
became solicitor, a id who, according
to Woodward was the go-between for
Boykin.
These charges by Woodward, the hall
fellow, who was friendly with every
body In town, went hunting with Chief
Poole, gave diamond rings and phono
graphs to councllmen and dispensed
money with a liberal hand, have given
the police a club to lilt Boykin. So
they chnrge that Boykin knew as much
of the operations of the gang as they
did, or more.
One feature of the investigation has
been the charge made by Joe Ewing,
lawyer, that Councilman A1 Martin and
Floyd P. Woodward ran one of the
“dons” together; Martin for whiskey
nnd Woodward for gaming; nnd that
nt this place hundreds of gallons of
liquor find been delivered by n young
man now In Birmingham. Anoiher
allegation was that Aldine Chnmbers,
who led the campaign in Georgia for
Pnlmer when lie was seeking the presi
dential nomination, had worked to re
cruit the gnng by getting men out of
the federal penitentiary for this
purpose.
Texas Victim Gets Angry.
There is the case of young Mr. Man
ning of Texas, who started out In his
testimony before tlie committee very
bravely, but wilted toward- tlie end
under a rapid fire cross-examination.
Manning lind told his story. He had
asserted that Chief of Detectives
I.nmar Poole nnd I-leut. Shaw had
permitted swindle operators to escape
after he had furnished Information
Hint should have resulted lu their cap
ture.
Then he wns confronted suddenly
with a letter signed W. K. Manning,
In which an offer was made to drop
all prosecution of the swindlers con
cerned provided that they would re
turn his money. He vehemently de
nied that he had written It, branding
It a forgery.
During tills cross-examination he re
peatedly contradicted himself; lost all
his sang-froid, became angry and
offered to make It a personal matter
with one of the lawyers for the
defense.
He told the committee that he missed
his train In Atlanta and that as his
wife was visiting her people and there
wus no room for him there he decided
he might as well remain in Atlanta.
He declared he liad been picked up nt
the Union station by bunco steerer«
who had conducted him to the Ansley
hotel, and how they had become very
warm friends. This steerer, he said,
was Clyde Smith, who said he was a
representative of the Harry Payne
Whitney company.
In his story a fake telegram from
Harry Payne Whitney of New York
was described. According to his narra
tive tlie gang had two exchanges. One
wns No. 2 In a downtown spot, and the
other wns supposed to be the Capital
City club (Atlanta’s swellest). But
somehow the bunco victims were al
ways steered to No. 2. something al
ways eop-ing np to bar a trip to ex
change -'O. 1.
WEAVES THOUGH BLIND
Washington.—Thut illiteracy is de-
,’reasing in this country la indicated by
l survey of early reports from the cen-
ius office by Sara L. Doran for the
Bureau of Education of the United
States. The figures for Alabama, Ar-
tansas, Delaware and the District of
Columbia have been published and all
)f them show substantial Improvement
iince 1010.
In Alabama the proportion of per-
10ns ten years old and more who can-
iot write In any language lias dropped
!rom 22.9 per cent to 16.1 per cent;
n Arkansas from 12.0 per cent to 9.4
per cent, In Delaware from 8.1 per
?ent to 5.9 per cent. In the District of
Columbia from 4.9 per cent to 2.8 per
tent.
“The condition Is even more encour-
«glng than the figures thnt relate to
he total population seem to Indicate,”
tontlnues the Investigator, "for It Is
svldent that the coming generation of
intive Americans will he practically
Tree from Illiteracy In nearly every
part of the country.
"Alabamans have been constantly
mindful of the evils of Illiteracy dur
ing the last 20 years. The census of
1900 showed a marked Increase In the
ictual number of Illiterates In the pre
vious decade. The figures were pub-
Ished widely throughout the state and
h e people awakened to the fact that
h e public school system was not hold-
tig its own. The result was shown In
he census returns of 1910. The ten
ancy to increase in numbers which
lad appeared previously was entirely
jvercome, tlie illiterates were reduced
)y 91,880 and the proportion of 11-
Jterates in the total population was
tut from 34 per cent to 22.9 per cent
Government Helps.
‘These numbers were recognized as
much too high, and the agitation for
iniversal education continued. This
tulminated in a survey of educational
conditions throughout the state under
h e direction of the United States
commissioner of education and n gen
eral revision of the laws in consonance
with the recommendations of the sur
vey commission. Alabama's first com
pulsory education law was passed In
1915. and nn Illiteracy commission was
sstabllshed In the same year. It has
Jlnce been engaged In direct efforts
:o educate Illiterates.
“The money available for these pur
poses has been limited, however, for
h e finances of the state have not been
n an entirely satisfactory condition,
ind the efforts of education have been
tampered by that fact. No stnte money
las yet been appropriated for the 11-
lteracy commission, although it was
established by legislative action; and
the only funds which the commission
Pas had came from private sources.
"It is well known that the greater
pnrt of the Illiteracy that exists in the
southern states Is among the negroes,
tn 1890, seven negroes In every ten lu
Alabama were unable to write. Tills
proportion has been reduced nt every
census since that time, and In 1920 It
was three In every ten. Nearly 211,000
Alabama negroes were reported Illiter
ate In that year. A similar lack of
education prevails to an undue extent
imong the native white people of the
state; 67,287 of them cannot write.
That number is 6.4 per cent of the
native white population over ten years
of age.
“With a much smaller proportion of
negroes In her population, Arkansas
may be expected to excel the showing
made by Alabama In the education of
her citizens. The number of taxpayers
among negroes Is relatively small In
all the southern states and the amount
they pay In school taxes Is not enough
to maintain their own schools. The
whites, therefore, must educate not
only their own children, but those of
the negroes as well.
“Arkansas has within her borders
121,837 persons ten years old or over
who cannot read; 4*,753 of them are
nutlve whites and 79,245 are negroes.
The percentages of the corresponding
totatepopulatlon are 4.6 per cent, and
21.8 per cent, respectively. Clearly,
Arkansas Is better off educationally
than Alabama.
“Like Alabama, and presumably
many other states, Arkunsas has much
less of Illiteracy in the cities than In
the rural portions of the state.
“Negroes constitute only 13.0 per
cent of the population of Delaware,
and the proportion Is decreasing.
“Native whites In the cities of Dela
ware show only 0.7 per cent of Illiter
acy, and tliat is presumably among the
adults. Outside the cities, however,
3.2 per cent of the native whites are
unable to write. City negroes are Il
literate to the extent of 17.1 per cent,
and country negroes to the extent of
20.8 per cent.
“The reverse Is true of the for
eign born, for it appears that the bet
ter class of them go to the farms and
the Ignorant laborers are Inclined to
tlie cities; 6 per cent of the foreign-
born population of the country are Il
literate, but 19.2 per cent of those In
the cities are In that category.”
Miss Agnes Stafford, although bill'd
from the age of four months, has a
remarkable color sense and makes all
the color selections for the exquisite
tapestry weaving which is her work
at the New-York Lighthouse for the
Blind.
With President Harding as
honorary chairman and Miss Winifred
Holt, “The Lady of the Lighthouse.”
as director, the committee for light
houses for the blind is carrying on a
campaign for the extension of Just
such work us goes on every day In the
weaving, sewing and handcraft rooms
of the lighthouse.
Babylon Had Rent Woes
4,000 B. C., Bulletin Says
Washington. — The modern
head of a family who must move
or worry about rental rates and
leases may think Americans are
alone In huvlag such troubles.
But, according to a bulletin Is
sued from the Washington (D.
C.) headquarters of the National
Geographic society, families are
having
similar
tribulations
whether In Japan, Persia or Eng
land, and have had evictions and
harsher penalties hanging over
them since men wrote on clay
tablets 4,000 or more years ago.
‘T he very earliest records of
dally transactions that have been
found, the clay tablets on which
were written the contracts of
Babylonia 8,000 and 4.000 years
ago, show that the renting of
houses was a flourishing busi
ness among the landlords of
Babylon and Nippur.”
The Mountain Goes to Mahomet
Marion, Ky.—Sunday school teachers
were In dismay when It was learned
thnt tlie track tenm of the Marlon high
school and the rooters would not be
back In time for Sunday school on “Go
to Sunday School day,” so the Sunday
school moved over to Blackford, Ky.,
half way, and there the rooters and
track tenm assembled and the services
were held. The Marlon Sunday schools
had a 100 per cent attendance.
Red Leaders
Are Two-Faced
Take Both Sides of the Argu
ment to Appease the Peas
ants and Workers.
IN FEAR OF FARMER POWER
Bolshevik Organ Warns the Peasants
That if They Do Not Support the
Soviet the Resuscitated White
Generals Will Return.
Helsingfors. — Recent speeches of
Bolshevist lenders in Russia and the
utterances of the Bolshevist press
have Indicated a double purpose—to
nppease both peasants and city work
ers, whose Interests are very differ
ent
This two-sided attitude is main
tained, It Is said, to conciliate the
peasants, who form the vast majority
In Russia, even at the cost of sacriflc-
Mr. Harding Starts a New Church
Bite of Polson Bug Kilt« Man.
Cumberland, Md.—M. A. Tutweller,
age fifty, a huckster, died at* his home
President Harding breaking ground far the National Baptist Memorial
In Kersey, W. Va., from poisoning church In Washington, to be bntlt as a memorial to Roger Williams and re
caused hy the bite of an Insect while ligious liberty. The dirt was pMcad in ihe toy wagon of Griffith Joiinvm, Jr.,
at church.
son of the ;>astor of Emmanuel Baptist church.
lng some communist principles, and at
the same time of persuading the town
workers tliat the adoption of a con
servative land policy, like the granting
of concessions to foreigners, Is a
clever bit of tactics.
“The Last Battle.”
Nikolai Lenin, the Bolshevist pre
mier, addressing a meeting of railway
workers at Moscow the other day,
dwelt on “the last battle” with the
peasants, whom he characterized as an
uncertain factor that might swing In
favor of capitalism or of the
proletariat.
“The peasants helped the revolu
tion.” he declared, "but now they are
tired and have swung around to a pro
nonneed petite bourgeoisie.
They
might even turn monarchist.”
This “last battle” with the peasant«
Is In reality a battle of cajolement.
It Is n campaign to win over the land
workers.
The well-known Journal
Derevensknia Kommun (Village Com
mune) hns been rechristened Dere-
venskala Pravda (Village Truth) and
the peasants are begged to regard It
as their special pnper nnd to make
their wants known to Its sympathetic
ear.
Threat of “White General«."
“You most know, peasants,” It
writes, “tliat If you will not support
soviet rule, tomorrow the resuscitated
white generals will reappear. Only
the czar can replace the Bolshevlkl.
You must decide for yourselves wheth
er you want him or not.”
Meanwhile the peasants are filled
with relief at the substitution of a
corn tax for the odious requisition and
the réintroduction of free commerce.
»■
■
—
Sense of Smell Least
Intellectual of Senses
New York.-r-One hit In ten
chances I A hatting average of
only .100 was scored hy Dr.
Nlchi^as Murray Butler In a spe
cial test submitted by the engi
neering society of Columbia uni
versity at its dinner in Earl hall.
Doctor Butler was asked to
Identify as many as he could of
ten odors. Successively placed
before him were cloves, sassa
fras, anise, cltronella, winter-
green, carbolic acid, lemon oil,
hay rum. alcohol and turpentine.
And of the ten he recognized
only that venerable scent of the
barbershops—hay rum.
“Well, gentlemen," Doctor But
ler said, “the sense of smell Is
the least Intellectual of the
senses.”
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