Medford mail tribune., January 26, 1924, Page 1, Image 1

7T
Medfoed Mail Tribune
The Weather
Prediction: llaln tonight and
Sunday.
Maximum yesterday 60
, Minimum today 40
Weather Year Ago
Maximum 45
Minimum 32
MEDFORD, OREGON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1924
lly Eighteenth Year,
eekly Fifty-Third Yeai
NO. 262
rulvcislty Library
NT ON
OIL LEASE
President Coolidge Requests
' Immediate Report From U
' S. Department of Interior As
- tn Nature of Oil Leases
Refuses to' Delay Probe By
'I Federal Government-
; WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 6. While
the senate oil committee was seeking
further light today on the relations of
former Interior Secretary Fall and
Hfirry Sinclair, President Coolidge
asked the Interior department to sub
mit to him expert advice as to the
wisdom of the policy under which the
Sinclair and Doheny interests secured
leases from Mr. Fall for the reserves
in--Wyoming and California.
( The president asked the department
to furnish him at the earliest possible
moment a report on the question of
whether the leases protect the inter
ests of the government.
..This inquiry is separate from the
instructions given the department of
Justice which Is studying the evidence
to- determine whether there has been
proof of fraud, but both actions are
directed toward the same end. The
purpose is to ascertain definitely whe
ther the leases should be cancelled.
.-Mr. Coolidge may make a public
statement of the government's inten
tions both as. to criminal and civil
proceedings as soon as the depart
mental investigations are concluded
and as soon as Mr. Fall has been
given. an opportunity Monday to pre
sent his side of the matter to1' the
senate committee.
No Delay Warranted
tThe president believes the evidence
produced before the committee is too
jjaerious to warrant ..much delay in
Totollneatirig the government's course.
' He does not think it should be post
' poned until the committee makes its
report.
. The disclosures before the senate
; committee were talked over by the
: president today with John T. Adams,
chairman of the republican national
committee. Mr. Adams declined to ,
discuss the nature of the conference
but indicated that his view on the
matter had been set forth in an edi
torial appearing in the current num
ber of the National Republican, which
says:
; . "The disclosures in the Fall case
are in a sense discreditable to the
United States senate and to the Hard
ing administration, for Senator Fall
was a member of both. They do not,
however, involve the integrity of the
senate or of the Harding adminJstra
tion as a whole. '
' -"Guilt is personal and dishonesty Is
a characteristic that has been noted
In men of all parties. There will
; never be a political party in whU-h all
of its members charged with official
authority may bo dependod upon not
to betray their trust.
"Every act committed by an official '
4 in violation of laws lie has sworn to
. uphold, every betrayal of trust by :
DEMANDED
whomsoever committed should be
prosecuted with a view to punishment
of the guilty."
; ,. . Ix-aHe Is Explained
l Reviewing the terms of the leases
, to the Sinclair and Doheny Interests
k Senator Walsh, democrat, Montana, in
a statement today said that if all the
oil In the Teapot Dome reserve were
taken out under the lease and the
government given from 16 to 17 per
cent, the government would have not
to exceed 5,000.000 barrels. "The
: question is presented accordingly,"
Senator Walsh said, 'as to whether it
. would be better for the government
to have 22.000.000 barrels In tho
ground or five million barrels out of
r the ground. But that is not the whole
story. The contract of Sinclair is not
only a lease, but It is a contract of
sale; under, which the government
sells its royalty oil to Sinclair who
pays for it in royalty certificates re
ceipting the amount of oil sold by the
government with the value thereof at
the current rate, settlements being
made monthly. These certificates
may be exchanged for fuel oil at the
seaboard barrel for barrel. They may
be utilized to purchase from Sinclair
gasoline, kerosene, lubricating oil and
other oil products."
T IN Fi
POINCARE THREATENED BY DEPUTY
PARIS, Jan. 26. A tremendous
'hubub broke out In the chamber of
deputies today when Premier Poln
eare was speaking on his tax program.
. Deputy Leon Blum started to rush to
V the speaker's stand. An attendant
, stopped him. ,
' Polncare, replying to an Interrup
tion from Deputy Bracke, said: "That
is a thing that will be settled outside,
f The left benches were highly ln
. censed against the premier because of
;
Klan Egg-Throwing
Case Dismissed, No
Witnesses Appear
. - , .
FOREST GROVE, Ore.. Jan.
4 26. A crowd gathered in justice
court here yesterday to hem tho 4
finale of the ore throwing enl-
4 sode that occurred early in Do- f
4 cember when the Ku Klux Klan
4 was staging a parade. There
fr were no witnesses or attorneys
f present to prosecute and Judge
C. B. Wagner dismissed the case 4
on motion of Attorneys Loyal M.
Graham and W. P. Dyke.
Frightful Loss of Life in Illinois
Coal Mine When, Mysterious
Explosion Occurs Bodies
Horribly Mutilated Mine
Manager Killed.
JOHNSTON CITY, 111., Jan. 26. (By
tho ASROCiated Press.) Two more
bodies were brought from the east
mine of the Cerar-Cllnch Coal com
pany this afternoon, bringing tho num
ber of known dead in yesterday's ex
plosion to thirty-two. James Dritt,
head bookkeeper, said six more men
are In the colliery.
JOHNSTON CITY, 111., Jan. 26. J
Thirty miners were killed, two prob
abaly fatally wounded and eight oth-:
ers sorlauqly soorchod ' In an unex-',
plained explosion late yesterday on
the main level of the McCllntock coal
mine here operated by the Crorer-j
Clinch Coal company. i
Approximately sixty of the 376 min-'
ers at work were entombed In the low- j
er levlls of the mine but a few ofi
them escaped. A number of bodies'
brought to the surface last night and
early today were burned beyond rec
ognition and attempts to identify the
dead were unavailing, mine company
officials giving up the attempt until
a full check of the force could bo ob
tained. Company officials declined last
night to make any statement as to
probable cause of the explosion.
The bodies brought up bore mute
testimony as to the force of the explo
sion. The clothing hud been almost
torn away and all were badly burned,
even tho hair being scorched away.
The men near the cntrancos escaped
easily.
The dead Include Herbert McCoul
lough, mine manager and his assistant,
JOHse Ford.
In several cases, two members of
the samo family, futhor and son, were
killed.
1ST
I
FRESNO, Cal., Jan. 26. Tyler
Thomas Holcombe, San Jose sales
man was Instantly killed this morn
ing when the machine he was driving
to his mother's funeral In Los Ange
les skidded at the sharp turn In the
highway entering Fresno and crashed
into a tolophone pole. His brother,
Dr. J. V. Holcombe of Oakland said
that the car failed to negotiate the
turn because of tho light fall of rain
and because of the sharpness of the
curve. He was only slightly Injured.
The sons were motoring to Los Ange
les to attend the funeral of their
mother, Mrs. T. T. Holcombe.
his assertions that Frenchmen were
helping to depreciate tho franc.
Deputy lACotte, the first speaker In
today's debate, said the salvation of
the franc depended upon the friend
ship of the United States adding that
tho foreign policy of France was in
adequate to bring out the advantages
that friendship might afford. For in
stance, he said, it was a great error
for France to treat her debts to 6reat
Hritain and the United States on the
same footing.
32 MINERS ARE
KILLED IN COAL
Ml EXPLOSION
W. LINCOLN
MURDER IS
CLEARED UP
Mysterious Crime in Aurora,
Illinois, Solved By Second
Confession and Finding of
Bodies Encased in Concrete
Where They Were Put By
Eccentric Lawyer.
AURORA, 111., Jan. 26. Warren
Lincoln today confessed to the police
that he had shot and killed his wife,
LIna, and her brother, Byron Shoup,
January 10, 1923, and had burled their
remains after dismembering the
bodies. The heads were found, as he
described, in the city dump, embedded
in a concrete block, 24x18x22 inches,
he had moulded around them.
A new confession by Lincoln that lie
killed both although he previously
has said he had killed his wife in self
defense after she had shot and killed
her brother led the way to clearing
much of the long mystery that has
interested this county. Lincoln's mind
Is believed to be wrecked. When he
had told today of having dismembered
the bodies and sealing the heads In a
concrete block, the police rushed to
the dumping ground and found the
block where Lincoln said he had plac
ed it. When the hardened concrete
was chipped off the heads were found.
Mystery Is Solved
The finding of the victims' heads
clears a mystery which the police
have worked months to solve. It had
its' beginning In the disappearance of
Lincoln, a lawyer-horticulturist, from
his little home and greenhouses ohthe
Indian Trail near hore yast year, un
dor circumstances designed to make
It appear that he had been murdered
or kidnapped. Bloodstains, which he
afterward admitted he had made after
killing chickens, first pointed to a
theory that Lincoln had been murder
ed or at least seriously maltreated and
his body, dead or alive, hidden or car
ried away.
Lincoln's wife and her brother
could not be found and it was upon
those two that Lincoln, according to
the authorities, sought to throw- sus
picion for his disappearance. A few
months later Lincoln turned up alive
and the mystery was regarded by
many as a hoax.
Lincoln again later last year drop
ped out of sight Through letters the
suspicion arose that Lincoln was hid
ing In Chicago as the lottors were
mailed from Evanston, ft suburb. In
that way Lincoln was traced 'and ar
rested there and taken to , Aurora
where he made his first confession
that his wife had shot and killed her
brother and bellovlng that she was
about to turn on him he killed her
with a poker and burned both bodies
in the furnaces of his greenhouse.
Murder Over Year Ago
The double killing occurred on Jan
uary 10, 1923, according to Lincoln's
new confession, in which the police
say he admittod that he shot and kill
ed both. The date was only a few days
before Lincoln disappeared to make
it appear, ho himself had been slain
or kidnapped. Lincoln's eccentricity
had made him a figure of mystery and
little credence was placed by the au
thorities In much of his former state
ments. The question of a motive for which
the authorities had sought was an
other, mystery, although; there was
evidence that Lincoln hated both his
wife and her brother. He had declar
ed they often had beat him and had
wanted to get rid of him.
Mrs. Lincoln Is Bald to have owned
land near Roosevelt, Okla., valued at
nearly 20,000, and this property was
hold by some Investigators to havo
been a sufficient motive to a man will
ing to profit by murder.
KILLED
ST. HRr.V.N'B. Ore.. Jan. 26. C. W.
Emerson, 82, who claimed to bo a sec
nnrt rniisln to Italnh Waldo Emerson,
died twentv minutes witter being
knocked down by the Astoria bound
i min here last evening. Emerson evi
dently did not see the train as It
slackened speed for the station and
was hurled several feot by the Im
pact, suffering Injuries to the head.
He died in the depot almost as soon
as a doctor could be summoned.
COUSIN OF EMERSON
Tempest Over? Teapot Oa
" Lease Becomes Political
. Storm;Threatens Cabinet
m.
, secretary denby!. and assistant secretary
Roosevelt leaving the white house: the rock
fromwhichixeapot.dome. obtains its name:
NEWj.YORK Here's"' vhyTtlicyrcair it Teapot ' Dome the oil'
lands leased by former Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall to.
thej Sinclair interests. without asking for' competitive bids,' i
vThc( present "tempest in a Teapot' in Washington, arising over'
charges ;'of Scnator.Carr.way that Fall "sold the lease for a corrupt
'consideration? reported, to . be, over $100,000," bids lair to become
a;political'.cyclone,iiiTolvlng a, number of cabinet members.
Somefofithosejaflcctcd, by the alleged i scandal ore Secretary
'of The NavySDcnby. who recommended transfer of oil reserves to
Fall s'i department Theodore; Roosevelt. J''. ..assistant secretary of
the navy and director of the'.Siuclair, Oil. Company; Attorncy-Gcu' '
cral Daugherty, and. others. -'
COUNTY COURT PRINCF REGENT
ORDERS PAVING OF JAPAN WEDS
RUCH HIGHWAY ROYAL PRINCESS
Unexpected Action Taken By
County Court 24 Hours
After Mass- Meeting Mike
Hanley Demands Similar
Pavement to Lake Creek.
The county court nt a session
Thursday afternoon reached a dnrls
ion to pavo tho mad between Mcd
ford and llucli, work to start as soon
as the material and equipment con be
gotten together.
This docision came quicker than
anybody expected, following the muss
meeting In the courthouse Wednesday
afternoon when County Ju.lo flnrd
ner announced that the matter would
bo taken under advisement, with no
doflnlto time fixed for n final de
cision. It was generally understood
that another public meeting . would
bo held before any final action was
announced.
The proposed rond Is 12 miles in
length, and tho estimated cost of pav
ing Is 113,000 nor mile, with a mile
on the steeper part of that grade that
will not ho paved. Available funds
for tho construction consist of the
"left over" of 0,000 from a 1920
bond Issue, and J43.000 from thd mar
ket road levy of this year, to be
matched by. tho state.
Incidental to Mcdford-Ruch road
building, the citizens of Lake Creek
and Eagle Point headed by Mike Han
ley, plan to clrculato petitions at once
for tho paving of the road from Kaglc
Point to Lake Creek. Hanley called
at the cojnty clerk's offlco this morn
ing, and secured all the available
forms for petitions, and has hired a
lawyer to see that It Is done right.
A mass meeting on the subject also
impends.
WORRIED BY OIL PROBE
PARIS. Jan. 28. Harry Sinclair.
American oil magnate, is being kept
fully advised by private cables of the
senate Investigation of the Teapot
Dome lease but he resolutely refuses
to comment at present.
Mr. Sinclair's visit here is described
ns one of business.
He will remain in Europe until his
Tokio Indulges in First Joyous
Celebration Since the Earth
quake Disaster , Ancient
Ritual Observed Bowls of
Wine Are Interchanged.
TOKIO, Jan. 26Qf Associated
Press). In tho sacre'JM'fflJiSta of the
Imperial palaco and llf 'Lv'!?Wdanco
with aifclunt ritual1 ic Jntttig the
Christian era, Prince'fiesfelit Jllrohlto
wns wedded this mothnijjHdPrlnces-l
Nngnko, eldest daughtefr ' Prince
Kunl. ' '' ""
Itnsldcnts of Tokio Indulged In Joy
ous celebration of the event, the first
public expression of joy since the dis
aster of lust September. Great crowds
gathered in tho streets which wero
gaily docoi-uted for tho occasion and
thronged tho open spaces lltho vicin
ity of tho palace for a gllnipso of the
royal couple. The spirits of 122 royal
predecessors witnessed tho union and
gave their blesHings, according to de
vout Japanese belief. Tho couplo ox
changed bowls of sacred rlco wlno, to
plight their truth, after tho ancient
custom.
No foreigners witnessed tho coro
mony, only tho mombors of tho royul
family and the highest dlgnltuiles of
tho government being pormlttod to
attond tho rites. . '
Tho ceremony waB comparatively
simplo, being compurablo to a civil
wadding In Christian countries, ac
cording to Japaneso students.
Tremendous crowds grootod the
prlneo and his bride as they passed to
and from tho palace, beforo and after
tho ceremony.
After the ceromony tho Imperial
salute of 101 guns announced the
completion of the wedding ceremony
to tho throngs waiting outside , the
palace.
AIIC'IIBIKIIOP C1IUIKT1K BF7TTKK:
TO LKAVK FOH HOME 8UO.V
OAKLAND, Cal., , Jan. 26. Arch
bishop Alexander Christie, who lias
been suffering from ptomaine poison
ing at a hospital here was reported
lato today as showing much Improve
ment In his condition. He plans to
leave for his home in Oregon some
timo during the coming week.
business Is eomplotod. He Is consult
ing numerous persons, presumably In
regard to the Ilussio, concession,
40 Miners Entombed
By An Explosion in
Pennsylvania Mine
CRESSON, Pa., Jan. ?6.
Forty miners wero reported to
have been entombed in an ex-
plosion lato today at tho Lan-
cashier mine No. 18 of the
Barnes and Tucker Coal com-
pany at Shauktown, Indiana
county, forty miles from here.
First aid crows from tho mines
of the Bethlehom Hteol company
at Hellwood were hurried to the
scone. It was reported that both
openings to tho mine had been
closod by the force of the blast
and several hours must elapso
beforo it would bo possible to
reach the Imprisoned minors.
WILL BE TAXED
State Income Tax Rules Inter
preted by Tax Commission
Non-residents Have Right to
n j xs i
Adopt UWn MethOd Of AP-
portionment.
SALEM, Ore., Jan. 2C The state
meeting held
tax commlsslson at
Friday tentatively npprovod regua-1 1
Hons for the now Inronio tax law. I
The printed regulations will be ready
for distribution about February 5.
The blank forms adoptod by the
tax commission are similar to those
used by the federal government. Most
of these forms have boon recnlved
from the state printer. Forms to be
used by Individuals, partnerships and
iig mailed to the
fiduciaries are bol
tax payers today. Annual Information
returns, similar to federal forms 1098
and 1099 are now ready for distribu
tion and will bo furnished by the com
mission upon requost. Forms to be
used by corporations will be mallod
to tax payerB during next weok.
The statomont prepared by the com
mission today says:
So far as the Oregon law does not
conflict with the federal Income tax
act, Orogon will closely follow the reg
ulations Issued by tho troasury de
partment "A Vegulatlon was adopted to pro
vide for the apportionment to the state
of Oregon of that portion of the ln
como of non-resident individuals and
corporations to be taxed under the
state income tax law. This regulation
provides that only Income earned with
in Orogon by non-residents shall be
taxod. In case tho non-rosldent con
ducts buslnesB both within and with
out the stato a rule was adopted by
which to determine tho part of his In
come earned In Orogon. However, If
the non-resident can Bhow fairly the
nnr.lnn of his Income earned In Ore-
gon, tho tax commission will accept
tho taxpayer's
mothod of npiwrtion-
ment."
FORCED 10 CLOSE
MISSOULA. Mont., .Inn. 26. Duo
to heavy withdrawals since tho first
of the week, tho American Bank and
Trust company closed Its doors, an
hour aftor It hud opened for busi
ness. John Dnlgren, president of tho In
stltutlon sulil tho action was taken at
tho order of tho board of directors.
Tho bank ho said, carrled'tho bulk of
farm loans In this vicinity.
INCOME EARNED
IN OREGON ONLY
EX-SECY FALL A VERY
1
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26. Examin
ation of former Interior Bocretary
Fall In the senato oil Inquiry has been
deferred until next Tuesday. Chair
man Lenroot said It was doubtful that
Fall would bo ablo to appear Monday
as planned, because of 111 health, and
that, besides, senators wanted to be
on the senate floor Monday because
the whole subjoct would be debated
then.
Mr. Fall remained secluded today
at the home of J. W. Zevuly, Harry
Sinclair's personal attorney, who testi
fied yesterday that Sinclair loaned Mr.
Fall $26,000 in Liberty bonds three
months after he left the cabinet.
IS
OF
FAITH
State ,' Prosecuting Attorneys
Charge Governor With Going
Back On Promise Made to
Them Thursday Through
Ward Irvine, Private Secre
tary, Regarding Dry Law.
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 26. Indig
nant over statements made by Gov
ernor Waltor M. Plorco In his speech
at tholr nnnual banquet last night,
district attorneys of Oregon declared
at their convention today that they
were ready to fight the executive to a
finish nnd would rotuse to cooperate
with him until, he shows a change of
heart as regards responsibility for the
enforcement of the prohibition law.
Charges were made from tho floor
thflt. tllA Pftvornnr ha1 vnna ha1r nn
his pledgo to cooperate and bad re-
pudlatod an agreement made with the
district attorneys through his private
secretary. Ward Irvine, at a confer
ence held In Portland Thursday after
noon. It was said that at this conference,
which was arranged by the governor's
representative and attended by offi
cers or me aisinct aiiorney s assoc.a-
the governor tacitly agreed
through
Irvine that hereafter he
would notify district attorneys In ad
vance whtn he planned to sepnd spe
cial prosecutors or Investigators Into
counties of the state and that he
: w,"ld lh,em ,t0" ,nThlch. '
lng any action. . Through hlB represen-, ,
tatlvos, It was asserted the governor
. als0 aereod state prohibition
uAuiit biiuuiu lana mo uiobiiui, unui-
neys into their confidence and present
their cases to them for legal opinion
Instead of working In secrecy, as In
the past. 1
District Attorney Myers of Multno
mah county; Clyde N. Johnston, presi
dent of the association' and Ben S.
Fisher, secretary, represented the dis
trict attorneys at the conference with
'ho Kvera.'s Phonal representative. .
A Direct Turn-back
District Attorney Myers outlined
the steps loading to the conference
Thursday and tho agrement reached,
adding:
"His speech was a direct turnback
on the course he had agreed upon
through his representative. I firmly
believe he Intended It that way."
Fisher declared that "if there Is a
single district attorney who swallows
tho speech the govornor made last
night I say you are easily led."
"I say that the governor questioned
our Integrity. He may question my
"" r "'"""
"S to notify me hereafter when he
Bends an agont into my county "or
there will be no co-operation betwpen
hie and tho governor's office."
District Attorney Francis V. Oallo
way of The Dalles Bald he would re
sign If the governor Bends special rep
resentatives to his county to take gen
eral charge of prohibition enforce
ment. "The law Bays I have control of the
prohibition fund and I won't approve
vouchers of any special Investigators
sent by the governor or anyone else,"
he declared.
The Governor1! 8peech
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 20. Dis
trict attorneys of Oregon, hore attend
ing their annual convention were dis
cussing today an address delivered by
Governor Walter M. Pierce last night,
at the annual banquet of their aBso-.
(Continued on Pane Six
Although Fall's physical condition
was said to be somewhat improved,
his physician. Dr. Wharton, doclared
It was not yet absolutely cortain
whether he would be able to appear
before the committee on Monday. Ho
remains confined to his bed and is
being attonded by a trained nurse.
Another phyBlclan, Dr. William Mer
cer Sprlgg, was called In today by Dr.
Wharton.
"Mr. Fall Is a very sick man," said
Dr. Wharton. "He was sick In the
south and his condition was aggravat
ed by his trip to Washington, enpec
lully the bronchial trouble.
PIERCE
BAD