Dedicated To The Progress Of
WILMINGTON
And Southeastern North
Carolina
VOL. 74.—NO. 253._ • WILMINGTON, N. C., TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1941. I FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867
State Agents
Probe Bryan
Disappearance
WILL SEARCH SWAMPS
SBI Director Handy Asks
War Department For
Troops to Aid Hunt
MISSING SIX WEEKS
Plan to Search Wilmington,
Beach, Camp Davis
Swamp Lands Told
The six-week-old disappearance of
Mrs. E. C. Bryan of Carolina
Beach, who, with her four-year
old daughter, Mary Rachel, dropped
mysteriously from sight on the
night of May 10, held the attention
last night of local and state au
thorities as Frederick C. Handy, di
rector of the State Bureau of In-'
vestigation. announced from Ra
leigh that he had “reason to fear”
that the woman and child had
been victims of foul play.
Simultaneously, Mr. Handy re
vealed that yesterday afternoon he
had telegraphed the War depart
ment in Washington, D. C., re
questing the aid of at least 200
Camp Davis soldiers to comb
I swamp lands in the vicinity of
Carolina Beach, Wilmington and
Camp Davis.
■ Interviewed by telephone from
Wilmington last night by The Star,
the SBI director said that two SBI
agents had been working in New
Hanover county for the past ten
days in an effort to “break” the
Bryan disappearance. He refused
to divulge what information or
clues the agents had uncovered,
which, presumably, led to the re
quest for army assistance in scour
ing the swamp lands of this dis
trict.
Going to store
Mrs. Bryan, a comely 36-year-old
woman, wife of an Atlantic Coast
Line freight office employe, left
her teach home about 9 o’clock on
the night of -May 10, saying she
was going to a nearby grocery
store to make some purchases. At
the last minute before the woman
left the house the couple’s little
daughter joined her mother. Mrs.
Bryan and Mary Rachel drove off
in the family’s Ford coupe.
They have not been seen nor
heard from since.
Mr. Bryan first reported the dis
appearance to Carolina Beach au
thorities about three hours after
his wife and daughter had failed
to return home. A check of the
grocery store developed the fact
that Mrs. Bryan had not reached
there.
On May 11, at the request of
Carolina Beach police, sheriff’s
deputies joined the hunt for the
missing pair. A systematic search
was conducted of the forests be
tween the beach and Wilmington,
find for two days a private air
plane was used to scout from the
air little-traveled country roads.
For the first week after the dis
appearance, Wilmington city police,
deputy sheriffs and Carolina Beach
authorities dragged the Cape Fear
river and numerous small inlets
and the inland waterway on the
possibility that the woman, child
and car had plunged into deep
water.
F.B.I. Investigates
Seven days after, the disappear
ance the Federal Bureau of Inves
tigation through its Wilmington
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
Air Raids!
Continue*
By British
RAF Blasts Channel Coast
For The Thirteenth
Successive Night
LONDON, June 23.—(J)—Brit
ain’s airforce darkened the chan
nel twilight sky with planes and
blasted the invasion coast anew
tcnight in acceleration of the vio
lent aerial offensive which indi
rectly supports the Russians on
the distant Eastern fr^nt.
The attack carried into the thir
teenth successive night the offen
sive which an American Army ob
server declared already had won
England “absolute supremacy” in
the air over northern Europe.
Destruction Great /
The observer said he had seen
photographic evidence that de
struction by the RAF in the Reich
had far outstripped damage to
London in the German blitz la6t
fall.
The roll of heavy explosions was
heard on the Kent coast tonight.
After many planes had flown to
ward Calais, observers said that
it seemed at times as if the sky
were filled with British aircraft.
One reporter telephoned from the
southeast coast that the British
were dropping “big stuff’ which
was even more thunderous than
the Western front bombardment in
the last war.
In one section, people lined the
cliffs to watch squadrons flying
toward Boulogne and later heard
shattering explosions across the
channel. While the raid continued
scores of RAF fighters .patrolled
the channel.
Nazi Planes Downed
Eleven German planes were shot
dcwn over northern France and
the channel, making the day’s to
tal 18. Four British planes were
lost—two fighters and two bomb
ers.
This brought to 74 the number
of German planes reported shot
down in three days.
German losses in eight days over
Fiance and the channel were an
nounced as 116 against 29 RAF
planes missing.
Soviet sources expressed ' kus
sia’s approval and heartiest thanks
for the heavy raids dealt on Ger
many’s industrial sections and the
supremacy of the air which now
belongs to Britain.”
They added that they were most
pleased w it h Prim# Minister
Churchill’s speech yesterday offer
ing aid to Russia, especially pas
sages in which he "underlined the
vilany of the Nazi regime” and
“pledged the help of the great
free British empire.”
No Opposition
The American observer said that
in the 100-mile arc from Dover
swinging across France and the
Low Countries there was "no ef
fective opposition by day or night
to the Royal Air Force.’’ The
specter of invasion, he said, had
been "effectively banished” for
the first time since it appeared
in June, 1940. I
Higher Estate And Gift
Taxes Are Recommended
WASHINGTON, June 23.— I® —
Higher estate and gift taxes, esti
mated to yield approximately $113 -
509,000 more than current rates, were
recommended tentatively today by
•he House Ways an4 Means com
mittee as part of its plan to raise
53.500.000. 000 additional revenue an
nually.
The committee figured that these
levies, together with the new in
dividual income and corporation
ta*es already tentatively agreed
upon, would produce a total of about
52.594.600.000.
H is proposed to raise the re
maining $905,000,000 needed to attain
the $3,500,000,000 goal by excise
Southern Coal Operators
To Meet With Mine Union
Washington, June 23.— (/P) —
The Southern soft coal operators
8n‘l the United Mine Workers
union will meet tomorrow morning
or a final decision on the signing
°f a two-year wage agreement cov
ering the Southern Appalachian
field,
John L. Lewis, union president,
831(1 that the meeting, which may
etermine whether there is to be
8 contract or a shutdown in the
■ outturn field, was arranged for
omorrow at the request of the op
erators who originally were sched
8(1 f°r a final meeting with the
Uni°n tonight. ,
taxes which are levies such as those
now imposed on whiskey, beer, new
automobiles and refrigerators. Taxes
on soft drinks and theater tickets
are among suggestions the commit
tee has received.
Because of the death of Senator
Harrison (D.-Miss.), it was decided
to defer action on excises at least
until Friday. Some members said
they hoped to complete action on the
entire bill by the end of this week.
Chairman Doughton (D.-N. C.),
announced that in recommending
the new estate and gift levies, the
committee had decided to retain the
present lump sum exemption of $40,
000 for both estate and gift taxes.
The new rates would increase
taxes most sharply on relatively
small estates. The committee took
the view, it was said, that large
estates already were heavily taxed.
On estates between $45,000 and
$50,000, for instance, the rate was
jumped 300 per cent—from two per
cent to six per cent.
Illustrating how the new levies
would apply, the committee said that
a n't estate of $50,000, before the
exemption of $40,000 had been de
ducted, would pay a tax of $495 as
compared to $220 under the present
rate an increase of 125 per cent. A
net estate of $1,000,000 would pay
$282,405 instead of $228,780.
The highest effective rate under
the new program would be 72.7 un
, (Continued on Page Six; Co1- 4>
SBI PROBES DISAPPEARANCE |
The State Bureau of Investigation has entered the Investigation
seeking some solution to the mysterious disappearance of Mrs. E. C.
Bryant of Carolina Beach, and her four-year-old daughter, Mary Rachel,
it was announced last night from Raieigb by Frederick C. Handy, SBI
director. The stlte director said there was reason to fear foul play
had visited upon the mother and daughter, and disclosed that he had
asked for permission to use 200 or more Camp Davis soldiers to search
certain swamp lands in this vicinity, Mrs. Bryan and her daughter
dropped from sight May 10.
JACKSONVILLE
CAMP APPROVED
President Authorizes 200
Unit Trailer Facility For
Onslow County Seat
President Roosevelt yesterday ap
proved plans for the establishment
of a 200-unit trailer camp near
Jacksonville, according to an Asso
ciated Press dispatch received from
Washington.
The trailers, which were 'request
ed by the Jacksonville office of the
Farm Security administration, will
provide quarters for defense work
ers and farm families who have been
forced out of their homes because of
the establishment of the large U. S.
Marine corps training base in Ons
low. They are expected to be located
a short distance north of Jackson
ville. Application for the temporary
housing units was filed more than
two months ago.
Tract Acquired
The FSA recently acquired a large
tract of land about two miles north
of Jacksonville and will erect 80 pre
fabricated houses there. Twenty of
the units are now nearing comple
tion and are expected to be ready
for occupancy by the end of the
week. They are scheduled. to be used
by defense workers and farmers who
formerly resided within the area of
the Marine base.
According to the Associated Press
dispatch, the trailers will be used
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 5)
CARE IN HELPING
RUSSIAADVOCATED
Legion Commander Urges
U. S. to ‘Go Mighty Slow’
In Assisting Soviets
DURHAM, June 23.—UR—'The na
tional commander of the Ameri
can Legion, vigorously reaffirming
his organization’s stand against
communism, told cheering North
Carolina, legionnaires today that
the United States should think
twice before rushing war materials
to embattled Russia.
Speaking at ne state convention
of the Legion here, Commander
Milo J. Warner of Indianapolis,
Ind., said that, despite the Nazi
invasion of the Soviet, “Russia has
been and so far as I know still is
the breeding ground of Commu
nists.” v v ■. -_
“And we just don’t like Com
munists in this ■ country,” he shout
ed.
He said he thought the concensus
of the . legion was “that we go
mighty slow in getting supplies to
| (Continued on P. ge Three; Col. 2)
WEATHER
yORRCAST:
North Carolina. South Carolina and
Georgia—Considerable cloudiness Tues
day and Wednesday with scattered
showers Tuesday.
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday):
(By tr. 8. Weather Bureau)
Temperature:
1-30 a. m. 73; 7:30 a. m. 76; 1:30 p. in.
75; 7:30' p. m; 76: maximum 80; min
imum 70; mean 75: normal 78.
Humidity:
1:30 a. m. 98; 7:30 a. m. 92 ; 1:30 p. m.
84; 7:30 p. m. S8.
Precipitation:
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30
p m. 0.08 inches: total since the first
of the month. 2.41 inches.
Tides For Today:
(From Tide Tables publishes by U. S.
Coast and Geddetic Survey).
High Low
Wilmington - £§&
Masonboro Inlet —- 7:14a. 1:20a.
Sunrise 5:01a.; sunset 7:27p.; moon
rise 5:04a.; moonset 7:15p.
Cape Fear river stage at Fayette
ville at 8 a. m. June 23, 9.40 feet.
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
*British Assurances*
Suggested by Gen. Wood
CHICAGO, June 23. — (yP) —
Gen. Robert E. Wood, chairman
of the America First commit
tee, questioned today whether
America should continue aiding
Britain “without some assur
ance that everything we send
will not be relayed to Stalin
in accordance with Churchill’s
pledge of aid.”
“With Stalin—the mortal en
emy of small democracies—now
in the picture, and with Fin
land fighting on Hitler’s side,
new questions of national pol
icy are presented which our
government must decide at
once,” he said in a statement.
“In the name of the four
freedoms are we now to under
take a program of all-out aid
to Russia?”
REVOLT RUMORS
HEARD BY FINNS
Russia’s Northwest Frontier
Threatened by Latvia,
Estonia Revolution
HELSINKI, Finland, June 23—UP)
—Actual of impending revolt in
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and
a Finnish army facing Leningrad
were declared by anti-Soviet sources
today to be threatening Russia along
her northwestern frontier.
Reports for revolt in Lithuania
and a call for an uprising in Lat
via were broadcast to the Baltic
area by the Lithuanian radio and
the German station at Koenigsberg,
East Prussia. Latvia was reported
under rigid martial law.
Estonia, third of the little Baltic
states absorbed by Russia last sum
mer, wras expected by Baltic political
exiles to revolt with the approach
of Nazi armies.
Will Maintain Neutrality
Official Finnish spokesmen de
clared Finland would maintain neu
trality as long as possible. Finland
protested to Russia against bombing
of Finnish obectives by Soviet air
planes and received a promise from
Soviet Minister Pavel Arlow of ex
planations from Moscow.
The Finnish army command as
serted tonight that a -Soviet bat
tery at Pummani fired yesterday
on a Finnish trawler leaving Pet
samo fjord, but the vessel was not
hit. The shells were said to have
fallen “comparatively far’’ from the
ship.
The communique also asserted
that on the same day in Mirsilampi,
in the Immcmajaevi district, Soviet
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 8)
Contract For Pre-Fabricated
Housing Units Given To Green
Awarding of a contract for 475
prefabricated houses to Green Lum
ber company of Laurel, Miss., an
nounced yesterday by the Housing
Authority of the City of Wilming
ton, brought to 1,275 the total num
ber of defense housing units au
thorized for Wilmington.
The Green company will con
struct houses for shipyard workers
at a cost of $1,350,900.
Another contract for 300 housing
units let to T. A. Loving and Com
pany of Goldsboro calls for an ex
penditure of $7588,475.
Before erection of the pre-fabri
cated houses can begin, contracts
must be awarded for preliminary
work on the site, such as grading,
construction of water, sewerage
and power lines, and seeding of the
lawns, Housing Authority officials
stated.
Bids for this type of work will
be asked within the next week, it
was stated, and a 10-day period will
be allowed before the bids are open
ed and contracts awarded.
It was said that the Mississippi
lumber firm \2!}1 supervise erection
Reds Destroy 300 Nazi Tanks
Capture 5,000 Berlin Troops;
Germans Claim New Advances
NAZI PLANES BUSY I
Carry [The War in Opening
Stages to Unidentified
Black Sea Sub Base
MOVE ON BESSARABIA
High Command Says All
Operations Are ‘Pro
ceeding on Schedule’
(By The Associated Press)
BERLIN, June 23.—The German
advance against Russia is progress
ing swiftly and according to precise
schedule, the people were told by
Nazi military leaders today.
Speed in attacks and even more
speed in following up and exploit
ing every advantage, were said to
feature the mighty Nazi offensive
along 2,000 miles of battlefront.
Sub Base Bombed
German bombers carried the war
in its opening stages yesterday to a
Russian Black Sea submarine base,
ynidentified, where oil stores were
set afire, said DNB, official German
news agency. The attack was in
tense, likewise the defense, it was
said, for minor damage was acknow
ledged to a few German planes.
The Luftwaffe “very successfully
continued” the attack on Russian
army airports during the day, in
formed sources said. DNB, tabulat
ing Sunday’s air battles over Poland,
reported S5 Russian planes shot
down.
The news agency also said tne
German-Rumanian advance into
Bessarabia was continuing. Its mili
tary report told of Nazi infantry
units breaking through Red fortified
lines in many places, with hand-to
hand fighting in the streets of one
unidentified village.
Famiiar Picture
The descriptions of the fighting
painted for Germany a now familiar
picture. Prisoners were coming in,
armored detachments were chargng
forward in a general offensive, bomb
ers—level and Stuka—roared and
screamed.
The first actual pictures of the
action showed the smoke of many
fires rolling over the steppes and
marshes.
The high command, with economy
of phrase, characteristic for this
stage of a campaign, summarized
land operations in a short sentence.
All operations, it was said simply,
were “proceeding on schedule and
successfully.”
While there were rumors that this
or that great city had been captured
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 8)
NAVY PLANS MOVE
TO END WALKOUT
Will Begin Signing Ship
yard Machinists on Civil
Service Rolls Today
SAN FRANCISCO, June 23.—(#)
—In a two-fold effort to end a 45
day strike of machinists in ship
yards with $500,000,000 in warships
and other emergency contracts, the
Navy tomorrow will begin signing
machinists on civil service rolls
and Bethlehem will sing a closed
shop contract for the major struck
plant.
Striking CIO machinists termed
the Navy’s move a “strike-break
ing agency.” AFL machinists will
vote Wednesday night on what at
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
here of the pre-fabricated houses,
but that it is possible local labor
will be employed.
The pre-fabricated demountable
type of construction has been
recommended by federal housing of
ficials for defense housing projects
in localities where it has been
found that the need for additional
houses to shelter defense workers
is likely to be temporary.
The type of demountable house to
be erected here differs from the
panel type of demountable construc
tion in which each house consists of
a series of portable sections, or
room units, which are bolted to
gether on a permanent foundation
to form a complete dwelling. There
are three, four or five sections, de
pending upon the size of the house.
It was pointed out that the ad
vantage of this type of construction
for defense housing lies in the ease
and economy with which the houses
can be taken apart and moved to
other locations when the housing
needs of a war industry community
diminish.
NAZI’S PATTERN OF ATTACK
The Nazi pattern of attack on Russia, marked by map, above, in
dicates that the German invasion is pointing at the rich granary
of the Soviet Union—the Ukraine—while a spearhead is being driven
northward through the Baltic states, to meet Finnish troops moving
on Leningrad industrial center, from the north.
International-At-A-Glance
(By The Associated Press) i
Russia declared today (Tues- I
day) that the broad German of
fensive from the Baltic to the
Black sea was a failure but ac
knowledged that the German
legions had captured the fort
ress city ' of Brest-Lltovsk,
where Germany once forced the
Bolsheviks to yield a big chunk
of land.
The Moscow communique
said the Red army had cap
tured 5,000 German officers
and troops in two days and had
destroyed 300 Nazi tanks.
The Red army high command
also said 127 German planes
had been shot down in the two
day war, 76 Sunday and 51
Monday.
The Germans strove to devel
op their offensives along the
whole front from the Baltic to
BRITISH DRIVE
DEEP IN SYRIA
Allied Forces Said Prepar
ing For Pincer Move
On Coastal Capital
By the Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt, June 23.—British
motorized columns, after driving
150 miles over ancient caravan
trails, have reached the important
desert garrison of Palmyra, in the
heart of Syria, and, the British
command announced today, “are
now meeting with resistance from
a Vichy column.”
Plmyra, 140 miles northeast of
Damascus, is astride the northern
pipeline from the Mosul oil fields
to the Mediterranean coast. An
important trading center since an
cient times, it is the junction of
several strategic desert transport
routes.
Informed sources, emphasizing
the new importance given the Syri
an campaign by its position on the
soi vhem flank of the Russian-Ger
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 1)
DEFENSE /)•_
BOND \gUtZ
«. What is a U. S. Defense
(Savings Bond?
A. This bond is proof that
yqu have loaned money to the
United States Government for
national defense. Your bond
bears interest at the rate of 2.9
per cent a year, if held to ma
turity (ten years).
Q. Why should I buy Defense
Bonds?
A. Because money talks. To
dictators it speaks defiance. To
friends of freedom,- it says,
“Here’s my hand!”
■Note.—To purchase Defense
Bonds and Stamps, go to the
nearest post office or bank, or'
write for information to the
Treasurer of the United States,
Washington, D. C.
k
the Black sea, the command
said, but "met with no sue- I
cess." In the Shavlai and Ra
varusska directions the Ger
mans were driven out of Rus
sia, it added.
The Russians also admitted
that the Germans had occupied
Kolno and Lomha,
Shaulai is about 100 miles in
side the old Lithuanian frontier
along East Prussia and about
75 miles from Kaunas, former
capital of Lithuania.
Action in that area indicates
one branch of the German
thrust was headed toward Len
ingrad, Russia’s second city
and great naval base.
Coast Presents Threat
A thrust to Leningrad would
give the Germans the entire
Baltic coast, along which lay
the three Baltic states of Lith
uania, Estonia and Latvia
which Russia absorbed after
the war began.
The Russians said about 300
German tanks were destroyed
by Russian artillery fire in the
Shanlai fighting.
The Red army said it had re
pulsed the Germans in the "di
rection” of Vladimirvolynsk and
Brody, in old Poland.
Brest-Litovsk, about 110 miles
east of Warsaw, is where the
Germans forced the Bolsheviks
to sign a peace treaty during
the World war in which Rus
sia lost Lithuania, Estonia, Lat
via and most of Poland.
((ontinued on Page Two; Col. 5)
U. S. May Give Material
AidTo Reds In New War
By J. C. STARK
WASHINGTON, June 23.— (A>> —
The United States cast its sympa
thies officially on the side of Soviet
Russia in the new conflict with
Germany today and opened the
definite prospect of lease-lend or
other material aid to the Red
forces.
A government declaration issued
on behalf of President Roosevelt
by Sumner Welles, acting secre
tary of state, asserted that the
principles and doctrines of “com
munistic dictatorship” were as
“intolerable and as alien” to the
American people as were those of
“Nazi dictatorship.”
“Chief Dangers”
But it branded Adolf Hitler’s
armies as “the chief dangers of
the Americas” and said that “any
defense against Hitlerism” and
“any rallying forces opposing Hit
lerism from whatever source”
would hasten the downfall of Ger
man leaders and "redound to the j
benefit of our own defense and se
curity.”
Russia has not yet asked for
lease-lend aid from the United
States, Welles explained, and un
til such a request is received the
American government is withhold
ing any decision on the question.
He pointed out, however, ' that
President Roosevelt had full au
thority under the act to extend
lease-lend aid to all countries de
LOSE BREST-LITOVSK
- i
Total of 127 Nazi Planes
Downed in First Two
Days of War
FRONT IS EXTENDED
Communique Does Not Re
veal Depth of German
Penetration in Russia
MOSCOW, Tuesday, June 24.—
(41—Soviet troops colliding with the
mechanized fury of the German
army on a front extending from
the Baltic to the Black Seas de
stroyed 300 Nazi tanks ' and cap
tured 5,000 German troops, the
Red army high command announc
ed early today.
The fall of Brest-Litovsk on the
Bug river in former Poland near
the Getman-Russian frontier was
acknowledged but the main Ger
man offensive was branded a fail
ure by Moscow.
Planes Downed
A total of 127 German planes
was claimed shot down in the first
Iwo days of war. Seventy-six were
shot down Sunday and 51 yester
day, the high command said.
“During the day the enemy
strove to develop his offensives
along the whole front from the
Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, di
recting his main effort toward
Shaulai, Kaunas, Grodno, Volko
visk, Kobrin, Vladimirvolysnk, Ra
varusska and Brody, but met with
no success,” the communique said.
“ . . . All enemy attacks in the
direction of Vladimirvolysnk and
Brody were repulsed with heavy
losses to the enemy.”
Nazis Ousted
The Russians said they had driv
en the Germans out of Russia at
one point.
“In the Shaulai and Ravarusska
direction, the enemy in the morn
ing pierced into our territory but
was defeated in the afternoon and
driven by our counter-attacks be
yond the state frontier,” the com
munitque said.
“In the Shaulai area about 300
enemy tanks were destroyed by
our artillery fire.
“In the Byelostok and Brest-Lit.
ovsk directions the enemy suc
ceeded in forcing our covering
units to withdraw after fierce fight
ing and in occupying Kolno Lom
zha and Brest-Litovsk.
“Our air fcrce carried out suc
cessful operations in. protecting
our troops, airdromes, populated
areas and military objectives,
against enemy air raids and co
operated in the counter-attacks of
our land forces.
Planes Downed
“During the day our aircraft and
anti-aircraft artillery shot down 51
enemy planes over our territory
while one enmy plane was forced
down by our fighters on an air
drome near Minsk.
“During June 22 and 23, Soviet
troops captured about 5,000 Ger
man officers and men.
“According to the latest infor
mation 7G and not 65 enemy planes
—as stated in the communique of
the Red army high command for
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3>
fending themselves against aggre*
sion.
Diplomatic quarters expected
that Russia would not immediately
request lease-lend aid but instead
wo ild seek release of “frozen”
Russian assets in this country and
permission to buy and export vital
delcnsc materials.
Machine tools and other types
of machinery needed in defense
production have been the chief
items bought by Russia in the Unit
ed States. However, the enigmatic
Soviet foreign policy and grow
ing demands in recent months for
strategic materials by the Ameri
(Continued on Page Six; Col. 4)
Poland Might Make
Peace With Russia
LONDON, June 23— (JP)—General
Wladyslaw Sikorski, premier of the
Polish government in exile, hinted
before the Polish national council
today that his government might
make its peace with Russia.
"The Polish - Russian question
which might have shadowed the
outlook of many a friend of ours
in the west I believe may disappear
from international politics.”
(Half of Poland was occupied by
Soviet troops during the 1939 Ga|»
man campaign^ v