Medf Mail Tribune The Weather Predii'tlou: Snow tonight; fair Tuesday. Continued colli. Maximum yesterday 4t Minimum today 2fl Weather Year Ago Mil x'milflnf ... f. 44 .Minimum .....!hjtn.......X1 Dally Eighteenth Tear. MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1923 NO. 210 weekly Firty-Tblrd Tew. ORB A.R.WILLITS KILLED IN E Medford Business Man Is In stantly Killed When Wall Falls in Page Theatre Fire Fire Chief Injured Play house Is Completely De- v stroyed By Blaze. - Afl a result of a ' spectacular lire. Y which originated from -an unknown cause and which 'was practically in full blast when first discovered, the Pane theater was completely gutted Sunday, nnd Amos R. Willlts, volun teer fireman and popular young busi ness man and partner In the Prcst-o-i.lte Battery Service and Electricnl Supplies Station, was instantly killed and Fire Chief Roy Elliott was badly injured, when the stage fire wall col lapsed and fell on them. Amos Willlts was 89 years old and leaves a wife nnd son, Billy, about one year and a half old. He was of exceptionally ploaslng character and disposition, nnd his tragic end is mourned by a wido number of friends, while the sympathy of the entire com ruunity goes out to the widow. The funeral services will bo held Thursday at 2 n. in., at the Perl Pu- nerai Home, Mrs. Willlts' brother being en route here from North Da kota, to attend the funeral. " Estimate. Ioss $100,000 The loss on the building nnd its enuinment la about $100,000, In the neighborhood of $50,000 each on tho building and Us contents. It Is under- stood that tho building, which is . h, ,em,,erature down to 22. qwhed by the Dr. Frederick Page cor-.brought the temperature down norB.tion.lB fully insured, but that tho Four inches of snow fell at North George A. Hunt Theater company, I Head, Wash. Snow is deep in the Which held the lense on tho Pagv Is coast range In this vicinity. hot anywhere near fully insured. The! Hunt company owned the sentH, seen- SALEM, Ore., Dec. 31. A blanket ..ery,1 pipe orgnn,. H"n macnino ana other equipment. -. -. -. - ! manager uemg. nu - all of fee records having been de-, 1 .... i .1 i,o of It. 8- Antle of tho company In Pasa dena, Calif., where ho recently went to spend the winter,- has as yet been unable to get an exact line on tne loss suffered by tho company, or to ascertain the exact amount of insur ance carried. . He estimates the loss at about $40, 000, and only partially covered by in surance. The film of Potash and Pcrlniuttnr, : valued at $3500 wus taken to the ex press office after tho performance Saturday night, and as the film "SI" Days" did not arrive . until aft-r tho fire, there was no loss as far as films are concerned. When tho attaches loft the building at the close of the hist picture show about midnight Snturday night there was "no sign of firo. About 6 o'clock Sunday morning John B. Palmer nnd George Corum, who wore en route for a duck hunt, when driving pust the building snw smoke and flames pour-I Ing from the. cast end of the front of I the structure. They drove at once to the city hall and gave tho alarm. About the same time tho father of Frank Gordes. the restaurant man, discovered the fire, and gave the alnrm. The fire department, which hurried lo tho scene, after blowing a general fire alarm, however faced a hopeless task in trying to qtioll the flames, but nevertheless poured streams of water from hose lines, through the doors and windows of the big struc ture until after several hours the in terior had burned itself out. There was little danger to other buildings as there was no breeze and a heavy fog was on, and because tho burning building stood Isolated on tho west bank of Bear Creek at the edge of the business section. Fall of Wall L'liMpertral. For the purpose of making surf that the firo was all' out and that there was no further fire danger from the smoldering ruins on the inside. Fire Chief Roy Elliott and his close friend, Amos WillitB. fc-ho had re sponded with the other members of the volunteer fire department, when the general alarm had been sounded, began a tour of Inspection about 10 A. M. of the ruins in the interior. (Continued on Page Eight) LEAP YEAR A SPOKANE, Wash., . Dec. 31. Woman's right to propose marriage, theoretically hers during 1924, should be accorded her In fact, not only dur ing leap year but at all tlmeB, Mrs. W. E. Barnhart, president of the Spokane Women's club, declares In a newspaper Interview today. "The reason many girls who would build up wonderful homes go through 'SPOKANE CLUB WOMAN WOULD MAKE 2 Oregon Bank Yeggs Plead Guilty, Get 20 Years in Pen EUGENE, Ore., Dec. 31. Tom Murray and Eddie Walker, ar- rested recently at Portland plead- ed guilty today to holding up the Ijine County State and Savings bank at Florence, Ore., and were sentenced to twenty years In prison by Circuit Judge Skill- worth. They were taken at once to the penitentiary at Salem. An attempt to escape the jail by cut- ting the bars of their cell," discov- ered yesterday, accelerated this action. PORTLAND, Orrf., Dec. 31 Light snowfall last night with whistling wind gave Portland a blizzard but the snow ceased before enough had accu mulated on the ground to produce drifts.- Sub-zero temperatures pre vailed throughout the state with tem peratures ranging from eight above at Tinker to 32 above at Roseburg. Port land's minimum was 19, Umatilla's 11, Eugene and Albany both reported 21 and Salem 20. The forecast was lor occasional snow tonight, with fair and continued cold tomorrow. The sun was shining here this morning. ASTORIA, Ore., Dec. 31. Two incileB 0j 8n0v fell here Sunday. The . I.rort iast nlcht. an east wind of Bnow fivG inChos thick, the nrst 8now of t)e wintor, lay over the WI1 , morning, ' w,0 temperature stood at 18 above, Tho the. coldest of the season. PENDLETON, Ore., Dec. 31. Th9 official weather report shows a seven Inch snowfall at Pendleton with a . . . k minimum temperature of nine above zero. Unofficial reports from the hills to the north of the city show thermoin- eter readings below zero. I SAN FRANCISCO. Dec' 31. Rain i v. i - i- v,o -,r1v mnrninc which began In the early morning hours, continued through the fore- noon and promised to give this city a wot New Year's eve, bringing to a clo'so the dryest December the state has experienced since 1017. NEARLY ESCAPE JAIL IN El EUGENE. Ore., Dec. 31. Efforts to discover how a hack saw reached tho cells occupied by Tom Murrny. Eddie Walker and Jimmy Wells, pris oners held In the county Jail here in .,r.iw.Hrin with the robbery of the I,nne county Slate and Savings bunk nt Florence, was being made today by Sheriff Fred G. Stickles,, following tho discovery yesterday afternoon that the prisoners had sawed off ono of tho bars In their cell and had sawed .n ihronirh two moro bars. Ac- cordlng to Jail officials, the only way the prisoners could have obtained the , ,.. thrnuch trusties or a woman saw was through trusties or a woman who visited them last week. Dirt l L'l 1 1 1 ' I ! 'P SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 29. Koyna Belasco, eleven year old daughter ol Walter Belasco of this city and niece of David Belasco, theatrical producer, was fatally Injured tonight by an au tomobile driven by James H. Mason, a bond broker. Mason was arrested on a charge of manslaughter. PE1AINT AFFAIR life without marrying Ib that they are not able to make their love known to the right man." Mrs. Barnhart saia. "In many cases, through lack of fi nances or because of bashfulness, the Tight" man haa held back, when if the way were made clear to him he would Joyfully welcome matrimony. "Give the woman the right to pro pose marriage to the man she believes can make her happiest." BLIZZARD AND COLD SNAP HITS NORTH OF STATE NOW n n 1 1 as ssi mm . rJUSL I LliiililHjEiiK . . . . .. . " Above is shown the Pao Theatre, the best and most modem pluylinuso In Koutlmrn OreRon, wlricli was completely guttol by flro early Sunday morning at a loss CMtlmalcd at $100,1100, imi-tJally nn-mil by liiHtu-uiK-v. The origin of the flro Ik still u nijuuwy, but It uiuloubK'dly stnricil In uiu imrf-unst ctinn of the bulldlnir, jmrtly shown at the clrcmo left of the plclure. MANY INJURED IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL INCENDIARY FIRES .OAKLAND, Cal.. Dec. 31. A half score firemen were injured, one per- haps fnt,llly. tt fire of supposedly .incendlarv orlBln wnich destroyed tho Col0 Bramniar Hcno0 here today wlth a loBS C!)tmatcd nt $100,000. It was j tho second school firo of possible criminal origin in Alameda county in a week's time, the Lincoln school in uii ,uuit uywn few nights ago. vvmiam Tnrusnor, truck lo. a was tne most seriously injuren. ureman. Ho and a number of his companions I were caught bonoath falling wall. Two men were Injured. A bunch of oll-BOakcd rags was found in a room of the Garfield ch' in East Oakland by an employe today a few hours after tho Cole Kramymar schoo, burned Police suara8 have been Btationcd at all of tne scnools in the city. WOODLAND, Cal.. Dec. 31. A fire supposedly Incendiary origin dc- stroyed the Woodland high school to- day with a loss estimated at $300,000. Tho fh,o followod lno destruction scv- era( eeijg aKO cf tne grammar school at Esprto, 16 miles from here, by a fire whiph also gave evidence of hav- ins been criminally started. Elmer Smith, who resides near tho htKh school and turned In tho alarm, said that ho saw a man rush from tho second story of tho building and dis appear. Later firemen said that there was a strong odor of kerosene in tho second Btory during tho early stages of the fire. SALEM SALEM. Ore.. Dec. 31. Four nil! (ton. flvo hundred thousand rasos of fruit were packed by canneries In tho northwest din-lug 1033, according to figures compiled by local cannerymen for tho Capital Journal today, Figures for tho Salem district show a decrcaso In tho pack of approxi- mately 40,000 eases as compared to the pack of last year. Smaller packs of loganberries and pears, duo to tho glutted condition of tho market for these canned fruits enrly In tho your account for tho greater part of tho ,sh"l;taB''- The pack of strawberries, 117,939 cases for 1923, was nearly-double that of last year. The royal anno cherry and prune packs were also nearly twice that of 1922. Grade Kiam. Papers, Salem SALEM. Ore., Dec. 31. County school superintendents of the stato met here today to grade papers sub mitted by the teachers of thl atato following the Btato teachers' examina tions two weeks ago. Most of the week will be required for the reading. The superintendents will also hold their annual convention whilo hero. No Paper New Years. Following the usual custom there wHl be no Issue of the Medford Mail-Tribune tomorrow, New Year's Day. A full occount of the sport events for that day will bo printed In Wednesday's paper. A MASS OF RUINS Postmaster's Health Much Improved By Raise in Salary SAN FRANCISCO. Dec. 30. Tho chief prescription today for Postmaster James E. Power, who is ill with influenza was written on a postofflco book keeping slip' and read that his salary was to be raised from $6000 to $8000 a year as a result of tho San Francisco postoffico passing tho $7,000,000 a year of tho San Francisco postoffico passing tho $7,000,000 a year mark in receipts this year. Tho figure placed the post 4" 4 office in tho same class , with 4 New York, Boston, Philadelphia 4 4 and other big euHturn cities.,-. ' Mr. Power's condlllon Is re- -4- pot-tod much Improved. 444. 4444444444 4.C DARING ESCAPE F ATLANTA, On., Doc. 31. In tho most sensational jail delivery In the history of tho Atlanta federal prison, four convicts, ono a partner of Oornltl Chapman, million dollar mall bandit, were at liberty today after having wormed their way through a narrow tunnel under tbo fifty foot concrete wall encircling tho prison, late yes terday. Of tho quartet tho most no torious of the fugitives is Goorgo An derson, who was serving a 25 year, sentence for participation in tho $1. 000,000 New York mail delivery for which Chapman was convicted. Anderson was thought to have engi neered tho escape. Three of tho men were thought to day to bo hiding near Macon, tin. Prison officials believe Anderson will attempt to mako his way cast. With Anderson wore Hiram Lepper, 50 years of ago, sentenced In Halll morc In 1015 for fifteen yenrs; Lud- wltf Schmidt, a Oormnn sailor, sen tenced in Rochester, Now York, fif teen vcurs for mail robbery, and Frank Hayncs. sentenced in Chatta nooga, Tcnn., for eighteen months, BUFFALO. N. Y., Dec. 31. Ludwlg Schmidt, tho Gorman sailor, who escaped from the Atlanta, On., prison yestcrdoy with three others, was one of three bandits who robbed a mall truck of J300.000 in negotiable paper at Niagara Falls, N. Y., on April 1 1921. STATE POULTRY CROP PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 81. Tho Pacific Co-operatlvo Poultry Pro ducers announced today It has been Hucf.-cssfui In its drive to recruit mem bers representing nt least 250,000 hens Into the association. Manager K. J. Dixon gave the following Btute ment to the press: "The poultrymen of Oregon and southwest Washington have decided to continue their marketing associa tion. We received sufficient con tracts In this morning's mall to bring our total to 251,112 hens." ROM ATLANTA SALEM IS FLOODED WITH APPLICATIONS FOR SOLDIER BONUS; 8ALF.M. Ore., Dec. 31. For tho reason that today is the final day for making Initial applications for tho ex service men's cash bonus under tho stato bonus and loan act, tho ex-or vico men's stato aid commission has an exceedingly heavy mull today. Tho fact that today is the final day for this class of benefits under tho act. lor tho act, ,-vlce men does not. bar tnose ex-service. whoBo loiters iisKing'-'roi- nppllc ment, though the actual application IMILIIKM UIU Mil inn WILI1 l!!U UU Ptlll- may not have been received. In such pai iniom. uruurs i.m.jw, "-". yeniber raided the town of i,iKwan- rases tho bontiB may bo paid at any . commanding the Eighth nrmy corps KU nn1 killed or wounded approxl time. inrea. to turn over the purchnsod , matelV two thousand persons, noma It is explained that initial nppllra- tlnns for lonns may be mado up to nnd Including Juno 30. 1027, which nlsoi Is tho Inst date for filing a final an- I'm iinun iwr uiu limn. jsuiii iifjiv. Hons for tho loan may bo filed at nny ii"'o"i'j - -. (rom Thnoyang, the station most re time prior to that dato. In tho Initial ammunition and airplanes. In con- CPntiy vided, abandoned tholr cstab applicatlon tho applicant designates lioctlon with an assertion by represen- nnlinicnt and sought Bafety In a larger whether ho desires a loan on city or tntlves of the De Ln lluorta faction community. farm property, but If ho desires to n Mexico that the Obregon govern-j Emboldened by success, LaO-Yang-chango from one to tho other, a final mont also asked for some light cruls-; Hen somo weeks ago threatened death application is necessary. attention was called today to the a most cruel form to all who re- Rome ex-service men are refunding . ,, provision In tho Washington "'"'; a l"' """'"J,0" ensn bonuses previously pnia ho inai they may apply for loans. About 260in,,vr ,r ,y , .. of these have been approved. '''a,:" OI u' ,u'"'ul,h i" "" Tsao Yang Is approximately bt miles Total applications received up lo dortnkos not to dispatch by gift, snle;fl.()m ukwankis. Tsno Yang Is lo and including December 29, woro 33,-lor other modo of tranHfor nny vossol tntcd In a rugged country oh tho upper 619. Of this number, 21.250 oro cash bonuses that havo boon paid, amount - ing to i.bui.:i . i.iz. i-,oans pniu toiai 4S27. amounting to $12,237,300. tom.'ficlnrlos have paid back on In-1 terest .'1:11,234.71 nnd on principal 2S.!72.1 S. or total repayments of $000, 206.94. FATTY ARBUCKLE IS DIVORCED BY WIFE PROVIDKNCK. R. T.. Dec. 31. Mln tit K, Arbuckle, wifo of Hohcoo (Fatty) C. Arhurklo, was Kra uteri a divorce In tho superior court hero today. The case was heard before JuhUco Chester W. Harrows on depo sitions and was Kranted on the ground of neglect to provido and desertion. Tho divorce will liccomo absolute six months from today. Death Toll of the Automobile SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Dec. 31. Major fleorgo W. Fishback, former ly in tho United States diplomatic ser vice in South America, anil his wifo were instantly killed near this city today when their automobile was de molished by a Southern Pacific train. Tho couple were In a closed car and were driving toward this city front their suburban homo. Mrs. Fishback was at tho wheel whilo tho major wad on tho back seat. Th car ran onto a crossing of tho main line of the railroad Just as tho fast northbound passenger train reached it. Tho couplo came hero from San JoscCal. Stores to Close Dy agreement of the' Mor- chants Association and the usual custom, the Medford stores will be closed all day tomorrow, New Year's day. Local Phone Rate Increase Is Held '. Up for Sixty Days ' SALEM, Oro., Dec. 31. The stato public service commission 4 this afternoon ordered suspend- ed for sixty days the proposed In- 4. crease In rates of the Home Tel- ephone nnd Telegraph company 4 of Southern Oregon pending an 4 investigation and hoarlng. The date of the hearing has not been set. The increased rntos would oth- erwlso liave Bono into effoct to--1. morrow ' 444-4-44-44'4-44.4444.4-4' WASHINGTON, Dec. 31. Tho Do La Huertn faction in Mexico today filed' with the state Vuirtniont a formnl protest against tho plan of the United Stntos to sell war materials to the Moxloo City government of Gen eral Obregon. Tho protest was signed by tho De U. S. A. ACTION? IS PROTfSTED B! LA HUERTA La Hunrta confidential agent at Ncw The three missionaries aro repre V(1,, i scntatlvea of tho Church of tho Lutn- Tho Obregon authorities nlono are recognized by the United States In this dealing with Mexico and there was no Indication whnt consideration tho communication would receive at the stato department. WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 State and war department officials continued' their consultations today over details of the plan to soli a quantity of war materials to tho Obregon government' 0f Moxico. I Secretary Hughes dlscussod the sub-j Secretary Hughes dlscussod the sub-; j t wlth anerotttry WoPks who w . . ., 011 to 1,0 "iuoa notorn mo war property to Obregon ronresontutivos at gan Antonio. Tne exact mmntity of material to ,)() B0,d ,mf) n)t ,)00n rnV(,,Pd but It of war In such manner that such vos- ! mil mnv become a vossol of wnr in tho nftvy ot nnv foreign power. ' WIFE PLEADS FOR SACRAMENTO, Cel.. Dec. 31. Mrs. Anno Kels of Lodl, whoso hus bnnd. Alex A. Kels, Is under sontenco of death at Folsom penitentiary, ap peared beforo Governor Richardson this morning and presented petitions nsklng that ho husband's sentence tie commuted to life Imprisonment. Mrs. Kels Informed the governor of her belief that her husband, who con fessed the murder of an Itinerant worker at Lodl, September last, was Insane. No statement was forthcoming from tho governor afler tho Intcrvlow, butrho University of Arizona's polo team It was understood that no iniormeu is strongly lavorou iui mo Mrs. Kels that any proof of hor claims orn intolcollogiate polo championship of insanity i the part of hor hus- today as tho result of an easy 10 to 0 band should bo presented to Wurdon victory ovor the Colorado Agricul J Smith of Folsom prison. tural collogo toamjrojfojurday. : FRENCH DIVERS TO FIND LOST AIRSHIP AT PARIS, Doc. 31. (Ely tho Asso ciated Urcss) As soon as tho galo off the coast of Sicily abates, tho French authorities will Institute-' diving opera tions around tho spot whoro tho body of Lieutenant Gronadan was found last week, ln an effort to determine hoyond a doubt whether tho airship ho commanded tho lost dirigible Dlx mudc, with her fifty officers and men, wont down In that vicinity or If her commander'! body alone foil from tho airship thore. PALERMO, Sicily, Dec. 31. The body ot Lleutonant Qronndan, com- AMERICANS ARE TAKEN BY BANOIIS Mrs. Julia Kilen Is Captured and Professor and Mrs- Hoff Wounded in Raid By Chinese Bandits On Siang Yangfu Victims Are U. S. Mission aries U. S. Consul Protests PEKING, Dec. 31. Followers of the notorious bandit leader, Lno Yoa Jen enptured an American missionary, Mrs. Julia Kilen and wounded Pro fessor Hernhard Hoff and Mra. Hoff In n raid upon the town of Isao Yung, in northern Hupeh province near tho bolder town of Slang Yangfu, accord ing to advices received hero today. The American legation has taken actlvo stops to bring about tho cap ture of tho brigands and tho libera tion of Mrs. Kilen. Tho Chinese gov ernment has offered a bounty for the capture, dead or alive, of the bandit loader. ernn Brethren of tho United Suites and were conducting a mission at Tsao i Yang when tho town was raided. Warned of activities of the bandit in tho vicinity, they had vacated their . station nnd embarked on river craft for safety, before tho raid. Later. I however, on receiving assurances from tho tuchun that tho bandlta had been suppressed they returned to tno mission. . ; Mra, Kllon is fifty years old and her 'home Is in Northfiold, Minn. The enptor of Mrs. Kilen, known both as Uio Yun-Jcn nnd Lao Yang- Hon for weeks has been terrorizing Hon for weeks nus neon lorronzing tho -frontier country along the north- ,. It wnB hla ,,nnd whl(.h i,t No or wnoni wero put 10 m'um w.iii ...... riblo tortures. At that tlnio missionaries at Lao Hokowa, a station about forty miles from Llkwankla nnd a little further i in ine uiiituik wi bviuoi r..j.... lence to Professor nnd Mrs. Hoff. roaches of the Fuho river, a iriuuuiry of tho llanglang, BY CATTLE OUTLOOK SAI.KM, Oro., Dec. 31. After a trip to his Union county cattlo ranch Governor pierce returned to hia of fice, today, feeling encouraged ovor tho Siiurkct outlook for boot cattle. The governor said there is no doubt that tho market is starting an up ward trend and that tho boef cattle producer will soon bo In a position to mako some money. Tho governor said ho found prosperity in eastern Ore gon spotted, with tho towns flourish ing and the farmers dlsheartoncd. . , Arlnna DcTents Colorado SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Deo. 31. SEE IF THEY mnndor of tho lost airship Dlxmude, was brought to' Palermo today ac companied by a guard of honor. It will bo sont to Franco tomorrow. Tla coffin is covo'rod with a French flag and will bo guurdod continuously by dotachmonts of marlmss, regular troops and mllltla. J- TUNIS, Dec. 31. A squadron ot small French war craft! which put Into this port for shelter from the storm In tho Mediterranean, left today to renew the search along the coast ot Sicily tor bodies of victims of the Dlx mude disaster and for wreckage from tho dirigible. i ; l. !. !-