Medford mail tribune., May 18, 1923, Page 1, Image 1

M
The Weather
Prediction: Generally fair
Maximum yeaterday 72.1
Minimum today ...37.2
edford Mail Tribune
Weather Year Ago
Maximum
Minimum
. 1.73
48
D-llv Eighteenth Year. '
Weekly Fifty-Third Year.
, MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1923
NO. 49'
73 DIE IN
King Tut's Curse
Rester On Gould,
Death Follows Visit
Plenty of Gold to
Principals in Leighton Mount Murder Inquiry
TUESO'Y LAST
Keep 'Tiger Woman'
From Prison. Claim
MO PANIC
Oil Lamp Explodes at Gradua
tion Exercises, Camden, S.
C, and Entire Families Are
Trampled to Death Stair
way, Collapses, and Many
Leap for Life. .
CAMDEN, S. C. May 18. (By tho
Associated Prcsa) Tragedy, stalk
inn in the wake of comedy, today had
turned Kershaw county into a county
of mourning.
As tho aftermath of a commence
ment nlny of the Cleveland school,
eight miles from here, seventy-three
persons, lnoluaing- whom ' lamiues.
are dead, two persons are missing and
dozens are injured
As the play reached its climax, an
oil lamp On tho stage overturned and
' exploded. In on instant the stage
was a mass of flames- .Panic seized
the audience of 300 parents, brothers,
sisters and relatives of the graduating
class, who were there to honor the
youngsters that had crowded the lit
tle auditorium.
There was a concerted rush for the
single exit that led to a narrow wood
en stairway. The weight of the mass
was too much for the steps and they
collapsed, hurling scores In a tangled
mass, numbers being crushed to
death.
In a breath, It seemed to persons
who escaped, the, entire building was
wrapped in flames. And within an
hour the building was .little, more
than a heap of smouldering ashes,
the funeral pyre of more than three
and a half score' of Kershaw county
citizens.
Noarly every home in Kershaw
county was affected by the disaster.
Many Cnmden' people had. gone to
witness the playlet and some of theso
are numbered ' among- the " victims.
Vivo Injured are irr tho hospital here,'1
but all are too badly hurt to talk
about it.
The Cleveland school is' located In
tho center of a fertile section, but
sparsely populated.' 'The road lead
ing to the scene Is little mote than
a one-way path, along' the edge of a
plowed field. This morning hun
dreds of automobiles and buggies
were passing to and fro, marking the
route to the scene where the tragedy
occurred.
In tho panic which followed the
explosion, llttlo effort apparently was
made to fight tho flames, which
quickly communlcnted to the dry tim
ber of the little frame nchool build
ing, Mothers with children In their
arms were trampled under foot.
Young and old fought alike for exit.
"When tho stairway collapsed many
were Impaled on tho jagged timbers
and others were pinned down by the
weight of bodies 'above' them. ' Those
who had made their way out of tho
building turned at once to aid tile
victims, but they found llttlo oppor
tunity to do so, the only exit, except
windows, being cut off.
Many ran to the windows and
leaped out. Many of theso sustained
broken limbs and sonio were report
ed as seriously Injured.
In the meantime, without means of
stemming the blaze, those who hnd
escaped or who were attracted to the
Irene could only stand by and see
the flnmes complete their work of
destruction, helpless to aid. The more
serlory Injured were rushed to hos
pitals at nearby places or taken to
their homes. Many of tho victims,
suffering from burns . and broken
limbs were brought to a local hos
pital. Tho flro was caused by the over
turning of nn oil lamp on the stago
during tho commencement exercises
which were being witnessed by a
crowd that Jammed the room. A
panic followed. Tho school building,
a two-story frame building, contain
ing three school rooms, burned rap
Idly and before outside aid could be
summoned nothing remained but to
collect the dead and give medical
enre to the Injured. All avnilable
doctors were called from Camden
and othor nenrby towns.
The denth list, reads like a roster
of tho families of the community.
Family after family were virtually
wiped out in almost every instance
where parents are listed as dead,
from one to four children perished.
Among tho dead Ib County Coroner
O. L. Dixon and his young daughter.
, In nn incredibly short time the
flimsy structure w-as a mass of flames
when a lnmp turned over nnd from a
merry gathering of neighborhood
friends and relatives the hall was
converted into a place of death. A
narrow wooden stairway, the only
means of egress from the second floor
was quickly jammed with a panic
stricken struggling mass of humanity,
according to reports.
Women, men and children fought
to force their way out nnd mnny went
to their denth under tho crush.
Peeing, the hopelessness of their
position a number of persona Jumped
from the windows suffering broken
bones nnd other Injuries.
Severn mothers hurled their chil
dren Into eager hands below.
(Continued 00 rge Five)
NICE, May 18. (By the As-
sociatod Press.) Friends Of
George J. Gould, tho American
financier who died at Cap Mar-
tin Wednesday declared today
his fatal illness originated in a
cold caught in tho valley of tho
Kings of Egypt, which he visit-
ed after the discovery of Tut-
ehkbamun's tomb. The cold
persisted, pneumonia followed
and with a complication of heart
dlseaso, caused his death.
,,.
Two Outrages On U. S. Premi
ses in Month Try to Blow
Up Attorney First Incident
Kept Secret Reds Blamed
for Incidents No Arrests.
MEXICO CITY, May. 18. (By the
Associated, Press.) Two bomb ex
plosions on United States government
premises In Mexico. City have occur
red this month, the first at the Amer
ican embassy on Aiay'4; and the sec
ond today In the building housing the
American consulate general. The fact
Is that the first explosion did not
become known until after the bomb
ing of the consulate building today.
Neither bomb did material damage.
This morning's outrage' occurrgd'at
2:35 o'clock when a bomb was ex
ploded at the side door of the consul
ate general, damaging the door and
destroying the windows on the lower
floor, but causing no casualties. The
consular offices themselves were not
affected, the damage occurring to the
furniture and windows of the office
in the consulate building occupied by
i' Mexican attorney.
The first explosion, It was learned,
occurred at 3 o'clock on the morning
of May 4, in the garden of the em
bassy building jiear the terrace, a
fragment from the infornnl machine
clipping a chunk oft the embasBy
building.
WASHINGTON, May 18. (By the
Associated Press.) The bomb which
exploded on the premises of the
American embassy in Mexico City
May 4 was hurled into the embassy
from tho garden about 3 o'clock in
tho morning and its explosion was so
weak that it did no damage what
ever, according to tho brief report of
tho incident transmitted to the state
department, Tho department was
still awaiting lato today a report as
to tho bombing ot tho Mexico City
consulate
No arrests have been reported. Tho
nilsBile was hurled Into the embassy
garden at the time of radical demon
stratlons in tho streets of the city, in
the course ot which the demonstra
tors protested against the recognition
conferences between the American
and Mexican governments. It is as
sumed here that tho outrage was the
act ot some radical fanatic.
LAREDO, Texas, May 18. The
bomb explosion In Mexico City early
today occurred In the office of Llclon
da (Attorney) Castillo In the same
building in which Is housed the Amer
ican consulate, according to a tele
gram here from the Mexican foreign
relations department to Consul Ver
quez. Llttlo damage was done.
PARIS, May 18. (By the Asso
ciated Press) The health of Andrew
Bonar Law, according to Information
derived from persons In close relation
with tho British prime minister, is so
seriously affected that his retirement
appears to be only a matter of
weeks, or even days.
Tho longest perod mentioned for
him to retain office is a month, to
afford time for the re-arrangement
of the cabinet.
Nothing precise Is lndlcnted as to
why tho premier must retire, except
that a malady of tho throat prevents
Ills talking.' while he cannot endure
much without becoming fatigued.
Ne vertheless he Is able to walk on the
strc-" and rtlno at a restaurant out
side his hotel.
KAN BOMB
EXPLOSION NEAR
YANKEE CONSUL
BRITISH PREMIER
MAY QUIT POST
Standing, in the center is Roscoe C. Fitch, a classmate ot young Leighton Mount, Northwestern university fresh
man whose death is being investigated by the state grand Jury. Fitch assorts he saw Mount at two in the mor
ning of the class fight in which Mount Is believed to have met his death. At the left is Asst. Statos Attorney
William McLaughin; at the right is Coroner Wolff. Seated are Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Mount, parents of tho slain
student. Insert, his sweetheart, Miss
CHICAGO, May 18. Charles
Chuck" Palmer, star football player
and senior at Northwestern univer
sity after being held part of the time
in a cell which he referred to as a
dungeon since 1 a. m. yesterday In
connection with the state's attorney's
investigation of the disappearance of
Leighton Mount, a freshman, after a
class rush in September. 1921, was
OF PRESBYTER'NS
DITCHES BRYAN
''Peerless One" Not Named
On Important Committee
Per Custom Agitation of
Evolution Question Thought
Reason.
INDIANAPOLIS, May 18.--(By
the ' Associated Press.) Presbyte
rians of the United States of America
completed -the organtaztlon of their
135th general assembly today with
the appointment ot J. Spencer Chap
man of Philadelphia, as vice mod
erator and the naming of standing
committees.
Dr. Charles Wishart, the nowly
elected moderator, caused the dis
tinct surprise when, contrary to the
usual practice, he failed to name his
nearest rival, William J. Bryan, as
chairman of the Important committee
on bills and overtures, the steering
committee of the convention. In
stead Dr. Wishart selected the' Rev.
Hugh K.-Walker of Los Angeles for
the chairmanship and relegated Mr
Bryan to tho leadership of the loss
Important committee on homo mis
sions. Dr. Walker's committee will
pass on the overture from the Phila
delphia Presliyterla on the pronch
ingB of Harry Emerson Fosdlck. Mr.
Bryan, as .a leader ot the fundamen
talists, Is an active oponont ot the
liberalism of Dr. Fodslck.
Dr. Clarence MacArtnoy of Phila
delphia, who brought the Fosdick
overture to tho assembly was placed
far down in the list of committee
chalrmon, heading the committee on
freedmcn. "
Although the new moderator did
not refer directly to tho Fodslck case
yesterday, ho declared that unity was
the aim of the assembly and his com
mittee assignments today indicated
an organization which will subordin
ate the more conservative vlows of
the fundamentalists and also Mr.
Bryan's opinions on such scientific
subjects as evolution, In tho Interest
of a harmonious church.
HE IS INNOCENT
FORT WORTH, Texas, May 18.
Dr. Frederick A. Cook, under federal
Indictment with twenty-nine other
persons In connection with the oper
ations of the Revere Oil company,
pleaded not guilty yesterday when
arraigned la that case.
NEW MODERATOR TRFATMFN
Doris Fuchs.
I
freed on his own recognizance today
by Chief Justice McKlnley.
The football player was taken Into
custody yesterday after Mrs. Violet
Bachman, who before her marriage
was friendly with," the athlete, had
said he had told her shortly after
Mount disappeared i that Mount was
safe and that be knew all about the
Mount case. (
If
OF JAPS IS
Sole Obstacle to . Friendly Re
lations With U. S. Says Mi
kado Aide in Speech Im
migration Problem Vexes,
But Capable of Solution
Outlook Held Bright.
NEW YORK, May 18. The treat
ment ot Japanese In this country, in
the opinion of Masanao Hanihara, the
.Tapanoso ambassador is the only
thing that Is apt to disturb the friend
ly relations ex'lstlng between the
United States and Japan. - -
Addressing the Japan society horo.
tho ambassador declared, that the
"happy result" of tho Washington
arms conference was the "removal
from our mutual Intefnational rela
tions of the two countries of the "sus
picion which had disturbed them."
He added however, that the Amer
ican attitude toward the Japanese Im
migrant, was the one question, "In
the whole bright outlook," which
"vexes tho minds of both people." ,
"Tho question Is simply one ot ell
montary prlnclple'in International In
tercourse, that is to say of discrim
ination or no discrimination based on
color or nationality.
"Now It Is clear to me that Amer
ica wants to be just and that she Is
friendly to Japan. On the othor hand
Japan has no desire to send to your
country such of hor poople as you do
not desire. So, with no conflict ot
great Interests between us and with
no cause on either side for distrust or
suspicion, hut with evident desire and
every reason on both sidos for a mn
tually beneficial friendship.! con
fess that I cannot soe why our com
mon intelligence and collective wis
dom should fail to find the right so
lution, fair and satisfying to all ot
us, to a problem which is apparently
difficult but really simple.
"With this question settled, there
will be nothing for years to come to
mar tho happy relations.
Discussing tho benefits derived
from tho Washington conference the
ambassador declared "it has been ap
parent tor so-ne time before the con
ference that distrust and suBplclott
had cropt Into the minds of soma ot
the people of both countries."
"It scorns to me," he eontlnuod,
"that this had been duo largely to
Influences some merely Ignorant,
other malevolent, which had been ex-
(Continued on Pogs Fire)
THORN
Palmer denied the story told by
Mrs. Bachman and told the state's at
torney's assistants he knew nothing
about the Mount case.
At the police station Palmer said
he was placed in solitary confine
ment despite protests that no war
rant had been Issued for his arrest
and no charges lodged against him.
", National.
.'.''At New York . . : R. H.
Cincinnati ......7 10 0
Now York -. . . ; 0 6 1
-, Luque and Hargrave; Bentley.'Jon
haTd and Snyder,. rAjj,t'm
At Brooklyn ' R. H. E.
St. Louis ......3 7 1
Brooklyn . . ; . 1 8 0
Rhordel and Clemohs: Vance and
Deberry.
At Boston R. H. E.
Pittsburg .....R. HSHR
Pittsburg ...'. 10 0
Boston i 3 9 2
, Adams, Kunx and Qooch, Schmidt
Fllllngtm anil O'Neill.
American.
At Clovoland- R. H. E.
Philadelphia' ... 4 7 0
Cleveland 1 2
, Harris and Perkins; Shaute, Mor
ton and Myatt. ,'
' At Detroit R. H. B,
Boston 13 1
Detroit 2 ( 0
Ehmko and riclnich; Dauss and
Bossier.
' At Phllndolphla R. H. E.
Chloasro 10 13 2
Philadelphia ....7 10 2
Aldrldgo, Stouland, . Keen and
Hartnott; Head, Winters,.'. Welnort,
Hubbell and Honllno.
At Chicago: R. It E.
Washington 8.7 5
Chicago -.14 19 1
Batteries: Mogrldgo, Russell, Zahn
Iter, Ilrllllmrt, Holllngsworth and
Oharrity, Ruol; Cvengros, T. Blanken-
shlp and Schalk.
TRUST RECITED
NEW YORK, May- 18. Robert
Dehor, president of the Universal
Films corporation testified today bo
fore -the federal trnde commission ln
yssUKatlng charges that the Famous
Players-Lasky corporation and its
subsidiary constitute a trust, that
When ho owned a theater In Indlana
(lolls the accused refused him pic
tures hocnuso ho declined to contract
for 62 Paramount films a year.
NATIONS OF TODAY
HAVE LOST HOPE
MONTREAL, N. C May 18. "The
tragedy of nations today is that they
have lost tholr hope," Dr. Robert
Hpeor, president of the federal coun
cil ot the Church ot Christ In Amer
ica, and secretary of the foreign mis
sions committee ot the northern
Presbyterian church told the general
assembly of the southern Presbyte
rian church today. '
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, May
17. Police officials assort that
they have Intercepted corrospon-
dence from the woman held as
Clara Phillips, tho California
"hammer murdeross," to porsons
ot unknown Identity offering
large sums of monoy It they
should assist tlie prisoner in
escaping from .'all here. As a re-
stilt, the authorities have doubled
tholr vigilance and have decided
that the woman may have no vlsi-
tors. Tho police also say they
have information that two per-
sons have loft Mexico for Hon-
duras with tho object ot assisting 4-
the prisoner to escape,
KRUPP OFFICIAL
L,
OH UPHELD
Death Sentence1 On Prussian
Officer and Prison Terms to
Krupp Directors Confirmed
Go to Cells While Appeals
Await French Orders.
DUESSELDORF, ' May 18. Tho
court granted a re-trial to Horr Muel
ler, member ot the factory council ot
the Krupp works, who was convicted
at the same timo as the Krupp direc
tors and was sentenced to six months
in JalL
The demand for the re-trial of Dr.
Krupp von, Bohlon and the other
Krupp directors was based on eleven
counts, the principal one being the
argument that!1" tlio-' -eonrt afWertleii
which trlod them was incompetent aa
the occupation of tho Ruhr was Illegal,
under the treaty of Versailles.
The death sentence upon Albert
Schlageter, the former Prussian offi
cer convicted of espionage and sabot
age and accused of being a chief of
what the French call the "murder
gang" was confirmed by the revision
court. This was the first death sen
tence pronounced since the occupation
of the Ruhr. Schlagetor's counsel will
try to bring his case boforo the court
of cassation.
The sentence passed upon Dr. Krupp
von Bohlon, head ot the Krupp works,
confirmed today by the revision court
was fifteen years In Jail and a fine ot
100,000,000 marks. Directors Hartwlg
and Oe.'terlon received identical ' sen
tences and Director Bruhn was sen
tenced to ton years Imprisonment and
100,000,000 marks fine. Superintendent
Gross ot the apprentice department of
the Krupp works, was given a ten year
term. The trouble at Krupp plant on
March 81, which led to the shooting by
the French resulted in the death of
fourteen workors.
DUESSELDORF, May 18. (By As
sociated Press). Tho sentences Im
posed by the recent court martial
upon Dr. Krupp von Bohlon and tho
other Krupp directors tried for Insti
gating opposition to the French at tbo
Krupp plant at the time of the shoot
ing on March 31 were confirmed today
by tho court of revision. The convict
ed men will be transferred to prisons
In France while their counsol appeals
to the court of cassation.
HELD f OR MURDER
OF
SEATTLE, May 18. Complaint was
filed in' suporlor court here today
charging Adolph B. Boos, Morcer
Island ranchor, with first dogroe mur
dor for tho slaying ot JoBoph Smith, a
former employe, on Morcor Island,
May 12. ' '
Boos asserted that Smith was killed
by the dlschnrge ot a shotgun during
a scuffle after Smith had attacked
him. According to offlcors, Boos told
several varying stories of tho shoot
ing, i
VICTORIA, B. C., May 18. Ron
ald 8mlth, 17 year old : boy found
guilty of manslaughter In connection
with the shooting of Ernest Lionol
Loreni, a bank clerk on the night of
February 28 last, was today sentenc
ed to serve fu years In the peniten
tiary. .
. Herbert iBurton, 15 years old, com
panion of Smith on the occasion,
charged with highway robbery with
violence, was sontenced to serve six
years In tho ponltontlary.' i
S NEW A
DAY OF GRACE
FOR CAPTIVES
Chinese Bandits Release Man
to Bring Word Americans
and British Will Be Shot
Unless Troops Withdrawn
German Priest Describes
Visit to Stronghold.
WASHINGTON. May 18. Minis-'
ter Schurman reported to the state
department today that negotiations
tor release ot the foreigners held by
Chinese bandits appeared to be in
progress between the bandit leaders
and representatives of the Chinese
government and that the prisoners
might be released within two or three
days. i
SHANGHAI, May 18. (By Associ
ated. Press). American and British
captives of the Shantung bandits will
be shot next Tuesday it the Chinese
troops are not withdrawn, according
to the final ultimatum of the bandits.
brought from the mountain stronghold.
today by Marcel Oliver Berube, a
Frenchman, one of the prisoners who
was released tor the purpose.
k.
' SHANGHAI, May 18. (By Assoclat
ed Press). Lloyd Lehrbas, an Amer
ican newspaperman who was on the
Shanghai-Peking express train wreck
ed by bandits near Suchow twelve
days ago, but escaped before the for
eign captives were taken into the
Shantung hills, has arrived In Shang
hai from Tsao Chwang with the pre
diction that unless there are unfore
seen deevlopments the prisoners will
be released In ten days or two weeks.
He quoted Marcel Oliver Berube, the
.Frenoh captive,, who was .in Tsa
Chwang on a briof "parole" from tlie
bandit stronghold, aa saying: "I am
satisfied that on the slightest susplc
Ioub move on our part or by the Chi
nese troops, the bandits wilt kill one
or two of us and send out the bodies.
Lehrbas Intends to return to Tsao
Chwang shortly. Negotiations with
the Chinese bandits are proceeding he
said, with everything possible being
done.
Communications to the foreign hos
tages still can be forwarded from Tsao
Chwang to the new and more remote
camp of the bandits, Lehrbas added.
Regarding the censorship he ex
plained that delays In the transmis
sion of telegrams from Tsao Chwang
was drie chiefly to the single wire,
manned by a lone operator 65 years
old, who had to handle floods of offic
ial messages, principally to and from
Peking.
SHANGHAI, May 18. (By Associ
ated Press). Another letter from Rev.
William Lenfers, the aged Gorman
priest ot Llncheng, was delivered to
the Associated PresB here today and
describes his second trip into tho
stronghold of the Shantung bandits.
For the second time within a few days
ho interviewed the bandit cheftaln but
did not succeed in obtaining the lib
eration of any of tho torelgn captives.
Starting from Tsao Chwang Tues
day Father Lenfers was accompanied
by Dr. H. Martens and Father Buts,
a Dutch missionary. They travelled
13 hours.
Father Lenfers relates that the ban
dits refused him permission to see the
prisoners.
"I begged to see Chevalier Musso,
who Is sick, offering the Cathollo
mission's guarantee. I begged for per
mission to take Musso out. Refusing,
they said Musso was ten miles away,"
he wrote. '
"The bandits gave me a tetter on
dirty paper purporting to account for
their movements. ' Then they offered
us a sixteen year old Chinese girl cap
tive from Shanghai. Wo decided to
refuse, still asking for Musso. The
girl was taken away and we were
warned to leave by three o'clock. :i . ),.
"Tho leader accompanied us for a -short
distance, charging bad faith In
regard to the troops, but ho shook
hands with me ns ho left. f'
"The chief told me that he would
free only a few captives when the first
conditions were fulfilled, a few more .
when the second conditions were car-,
rlod out, and all only when the whole
bandit army was safeguarded. i
"I advise you to print In largo let
ters that there Is no hope ot the pris
oners being released In a short time.
Who thinks otherwise 1s ignorant ot
the ways of mountain outlaws. ' .
"Wo returned to Tsao Chwang at
eight o'clock the same night" ;
TIEN T8IN. May 18. (By Assoclat
rd Press). Tho Suchow bandits on
Wednesday shot five of their Chinese
captives and "would not hesitate one
(Continued on Page Ftre) 1