North Carolina Newspapers

gsi=s| IBUmttwiiutJMnnttnn Sto []§Sfl - a/ State and National New«° rV)f ™ NO lft4- ----------— ---— — WILMINGTON. N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1947 --^tmtgI,TO ■ Thirteen Fire Alarm Boxes Arrive Here City Manager Announces Weekly Shipment Ex pected BEING INSTALLED Units Now Being Placed In Operation In Sun set Park The arrival of 13 Horni fire alarm boxes in Wilmington, the first of several shipments sched uiecl to be delivered within the next fev weeks, was announced ]ate yesterday by City Manager j R. Benson, The installation of the units, the first of which will be located j„ Sunset Park, will begin at once, he said. Benson disclosed that the present tchedule calls for the delivery of ]0 to 12 boxes each week and said that they will be installed as thev irrive. A great part of the wiring for the placing of the boxes has at reach- been completed, with work the remainder now underway Ben'oi- had earlier- revealed that the first Honri unit arrived and war put into oneration last No vember and that the eouipmeir had functioned perfectly after test,- had been conducted by City Ehctfician David Sandlin. Jr. The contract to- the delivery of 111 alarm im;*s was awarded to Wilrr’rgton Electric Supply last March, an action which was fol lowed by various disagreements ir, official channels as well as a Court action . The decision to order the Horni equipment was resisted by the Game-well comnanv. which had sought the contract, but a court lotion to halt the delivery by Horni on the grounds that the units manufactured by fhe latter firm dij not meet specifications iras quashed in Superior court by Judge R. Hunt Parker last June \m OF MOTOR BACK IN ASSEMBLY Penny 0* Guilford Sends Un Bill Calling For State Referendum RALEIGH, Feb. 12 - m — The Itatewide liquor issue was back in the lap of the Legislature tonight. Senator Penny of dry Guilford county sent up a bill todav asking for a statewide referendum ext November 4 on the sale of liquor ind all wines of more than thre pe: cent alcoholic content. He would exempt light, domestic vines. The bill did of mention beer. It was sent to the finance com mittee. headed by, Senator Gray of Forsyth, another dry county. In recent legislatures, measures calling for a statewide referendum usually have been introduced in the House, only to die in com mittee. Dry leaders always charge that the chief purpose of the House’s two thirds, or gag. rule is to de feat referendum measures. Under the rule, a two-thirds vote is necessary to remove a bill from the unfavorable calendar. There is to two-thirds rule in the Senate. Church Support While he said he introduced the htll entirely on his own initiative, Penny will have the support of the 'hied Giurch league for- prohibi tion of beverage alcohol. Trustees ®‘ league met here two weeks ?.t>° a~d drafted plans for introduc tion of such a measure. It was at mat meeting that Hep. Mull of Cleveland, long-time temperance ■eader and former speaker, assert 'd that he believed such- a meas Ul’e ,"'ou have little chance of Passing in this assembly. He urged CflUrch folk to continue their fight •gainst intoxicating beverages, owever, and said that some day jurth Carolina again would be The Senate passed. 3? to 12. a ,-easu‘’e authorizing the erea , n °* a five-member board of rammers for funeral directors. It ^Continued on Page 2; Col. 5) mbones meditations By Alley Mr onjjertakuh Sts ) A OM-FRIEH'LY sorter man, But I*SE 4LLU2. eLAp T’ SEE '»M — HE Bout j>e oncies' MAn Roun' HEAH X j PON' OWE > <Ret«ase^V *■-^cd,i2-.e' lac.) Trade Mark "•* C. 9. Pat Office) Wife Slain A semi-nude, brutally beaten body found in a field at Los Ange les has been identified hv Detective Lieutenant Gene Bechtel as that of Mrs. Jeanne French (top). Her estranged husband, Frank French (bottom), was arrostod for ques tinning. (AF Wirephoto). 1X-C0NVICT HELD i IN “DAHLIA” CASE Incriminating Evidence Found In Trunk Of Stolen Automobile PITTSFIELD, Mass. Feb. 12. — (U.R)—A Boston rx-convict. who was ■' kos Anqeies when Elizabeth Short was slain, has been, seized here and will be questioned in con nection with the “Elack Dahlia” murder, state police announced. The man, identified as George F Poleet, 21, of Boston, was driving a car allegedly stolen in Albuquerque. N. Mex. in the car were found an axe and an Army entrenching tool. State police said t n e axe bore stains and other matter which ap peared to be dry hair. A single gray hair also was found on the entrenching tool— a type of shovel. These pieces of equipment, found locked in the car's trunk, were taken to the state police laboratory at Boston for examination. Poleet expressed surprise at the discovery of the tools in the car's trunk. In Los Angeles State police quoted him as say ing he was in Los Angeles from Jan. 4 to Jan. 21. working lor the National Restaurant system. Miss Short's body was found in that city Jsn. 15. Poleet said that after being paid off he started East. In Albuquer que, he said, he stole the auto mobile which was registered to J. B. Stephenson of that cily. Keys were in the ignition, Poleet said, but there were no keys for the trunk. He told police he did not look into the locked trunk at any time during his trip across the country. (Continued on Page 2; Col. 2) azaleafestTval MEETING CALLED Group To Meet Tonight At Chamber Of Commerce At 8 O’clock The initial meeting or represent atives from city and county or ganizations to lay plans for an Azalea Festival here in 1948 will be held tonight at 8 o'clock in the Chamber of Commerce ‘Oo...s, j Fourth and Princess streets. Dr. W. Houston Moore said last night that the meeting nas u«.-eh called in order to attempt to or ganize a group who will take an in terest in s'aging the festival here and to make plans for the event. It is hoped that the Azalea Festi val can be staged here each' year during the blooming season, Dr. Moore said. Present plans are to make the event community-wide, , onsored by a representative group of the city and the county, he' added. All organizations in Wilmington and New Hanover county are ask ed to participate. Britain OnWar. ^ ' •WOfY? To Save l ' Attlee Order Decrees Fines Or Prison Terms For Waste Of Current trainsTancelled New Committee Calls For Mobilization Of Civil ians For Work LONDON, Feb. 12.— W —Prime Minister Attlee placed Britain on a virtual war basis tonight issuing an order under war-time defense regulations that decreed fines or prison sentences for any of the na tion’s 49,000,000 people who dis regarded a new1 island-wide limita tion on household electricity. Acting after nearly 72 hours ol scheming against threatened dis aster to his war-weakened nation in the coal crisis, Attlee also es tablished an emergency committet of nine-peace-time equivalent of the war cabinet—to deal with what he called a “dangerously critical” fuel shortage. The order also applied legal penalties to industrialists who do not comply with a blackout order shutting all but essential plants in 38 of the 64 counties in England and Wales. Earlier, .the government ordered the five-hour cut off of electricity to householders extended to the en tire island — all of Britain except Northern Ireland—and directed nation-wide street lighting re ductions amounting almost to. a war-time blackout. Trains Cancelled The emergency committee or dered cancellation of all railway passenger services in every in stance where it would clear tracks or free locomotives for coal trains. These steps were taken as the Board of Trade announced that 5, 000,000 to 6,000,000 men were out of work because of industrial shut downs, and that the crisis threaten ed to be felt in every phase of the economy. , The sharp announcement from (Continued on Page 2; Col. X) WMFD HERE ASKS POWER INCREASE Radio Station Applies To FCC; $80,000 Expan sion Planned A request for an increase of pow sr from the present 250 watts to 1000 watts has been forwarded to .he Federal Communications Com mission by Radio Station WMFD, Richard A. Dunlea, owner-man ager, has announced. Also requested of the FCC was a change in kilocycles, Dunlea, stat ed. As soon as the FCC acts favorably upon the request by WMFD, an ex penditure of app oximately $80,000 is planned for installation of a new transmitter and a directional antenna system at tne radio sta tion here. ' This change will give WMFD a radio coverage of 125 mile radius, reaching as far no. th as New Bern and as far south as 30 miles past Southport, Dunlea said. The first application was pre pared in 1942, but the FCC had ordered all radio construction frozen because of the war, Dunlea said. “Since the end of the war 1 have tried to find a frequency that I thought would be suitable for Wilmington,’’ he added. The new kilocycle rating that is lending will change the present dial reading from 1400 to 630. This will decrease the congested posi tion and give a clearer reception with less station interference from neighboring towns, Dunlea said. No confirmation has been re ceived from the FCC in Washing ton as to whether the application has been placed on file, he said. Some word should be received by the end of this week concerning whether or not the application is favorable. If it is not satisfactory to the FCC another frequency will be sought, Dunlea said. WEATHERMAN ~SAYS DON’T FORGET TO CARRY UMBRELLA The warmer weather of yester day will be here again today, ac cording to Paul Hess. Wilmington weather observer, as the mercury is due to climb to about 55 degrees during the day. Occassional light showers are also predicted for to-' day. The whole map shows warm weather. Hess says, and continu ed warmth for the next several lays. _ Helicopter Plucks Hermit From Heart Of Wilderness SARANAC LAKE, N. Y.. Feb. 1? _ (jp) _ Bearded Noah Rondeau lested in the luxury of a hote loom tonight after a helicopte; nad plucked him from the heart of a three-million acre Adirondack wilderness on the first leg of his j journey to New York City. • ‘TT -> i0 ;mv .' fel* the air was| onlv for birds.” the 63 year old us\ he landed here after his first flight. But now T feel aviation is here to stay.” Rondeau, who has lived 33 years m a crude shelter 22 miles from here, will fly to New York Friday or the opening of the National Sportsmen’s shew. Dressed in animal skins and hunting clothes, the recluse said he planned to spend tomorrow shopping here ”so I can make myself presentable.” His personal equipment, incluri ing bows and arrows and beaver and bear skins, will be exhibited at the sportsmen’* *how. Rules Judge Walter C. Hendrix of the Fulton (Atlanta) circuit who yes terday upheld the claim of Herman Talmadge to the Governorship of Georgia. TALMADGE GAINS COURT DECISION Atlanta Jurist Upholds His Claim To The Georgia Governorship WcDONOUGH, Ga„ Feb. 12—(/P> —A Superior (Circuit) court up held Herman Talmadge today in his claim to the Governorship of Georgia, but filial decision rested with the State Supreme court which already has one diametrical ly-opposite decision of another judge awaiting review. Stolid, florid Judge Walter C. Hendrix of the Fulton (Atlanta) circuit held unequivocally for Tal madge and dismissed suit by Lieut.-Gov. M. E. Thompson for a declaratory judgment ousting Tal madge from office. He ruled in a 2,000-word decision that Georgia’s legislature was authorized to ig nore 143.000 votes cast for Eugene Talmadge, after the latter died Dec. 21, 1946, and held the As sembly was within its Constitalioir al rights when it elected ‘Gene’s 33-year-old son to serve the elder Talmadge’s four-year-term. Opposite View At Rome, Ga., last week, anoth er Superior Judge, Claude Porter, took the opposite view. He held the legislature had 'exceeded its authority, and declared Lieut. Gov. Thompson was legal "acting (Continued on Page 2; Col. 4> BRIGADE TO MARK 51ST ANNIVERSARY Senior Fraternity To Play Host Friday On Foun der’s Day The fifty-first annual Founders Day and Reunion of the Brigade Boys club will be held Friday night at the Brigade armory, it was announced by R. C. Shackleford, president of the Senior Fraternity, which organization will play host to the members of the Old-Brigade at the reunion. The Brigade was originally or ganized on February 14th, 1896 by the late Colonel Walker Tay lor, in the Emmanuel Presbyter ian church, which was located at that time at Front and Queen Streets. Through the leadership o f Colonel Taylor, the Brigade grew from a group of eight charter members to over 100. In 1904 the Brigade Armory was dedicated by Governor Glenn, and the club moved from its former quarters in the Presbyterian church to Second and Church Streets, where it has been located since that date. In 1916 account War conditions, the Brigade was disbanded and (Continued on Page 2; Col. 1) - -- - .iOU • U.S.-CANADA WILL CONTINUE WARTIME DEFENSE MEASURES; LABOR WARS AIRED ON HILL _m._ i Pennsylvania Bombings Are Part Of Tale Witness Before House La bor Committee Relates Startling Facts TERRORISM RIFE CIO Leaders Charge Mo nopolists With Pushing Anti-Union Laws WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 — (TP)— Tales of bombings and truck burn ings in Pennsylvania union war fare reached Capitol hill today along with a CIO assertion that monopolists are pushing anti-union laws as a smokescreen for their own misdeeds. Also, an industry spokesman argued that 7,000 coal mines had been converted “into a single, synthetic bulldog” and thrown muzzled into a government-dug pit to tight for its life against John L. Lewis and his United Mine workers. Taking one thing ax a time, the day’s developments included: 1. Testimony before the House Labor committee by Meade J Mulvihill, general counsel for the Pennsylvania State Brewers’ as sociation, that "terrorism and an archy” had spread through the Pittsburgh area because of a ''beer war” between AFL and CIO unions. CIO Accusations 2. The CIO “Economic Outlook” published an accusation that greedy “monopoly interests” had brought about a crisis by forcing decontrol of wartime curbs on in dustry. It added “these monopoly interests are diverting attention from the necessary sbluliu'nTby cu recting public attention to anti labor proposals.” (Continued on Page 2; Col. 5) FEDERAL AGENCY STUDIES ROUTES State Chairman Awaits Word From Atlanta Of fice On Truck Lane Plans for an around-the-town truck route for Wilmington are now in the hands of officials of the Federal Bureau of Public Roads in the Atlanta division office of the government agency, an official of the State Highway Commission revealed to the Star last night. Although not divulging the de tails of two separate plans which he said were drawn by the .Raleigh office of the federal bureau, the spokesman said that State High way Commission chairman A. H. Graham was waiting for the re action of the Atlanta office to the proposed program before arrang ing a meeting with Wilmington of ficials. Following the return of the papers containing the plans from Atlanta, the highway official said that Graham would contact City Manager J. R. Benson for detail discussion of the matter. A meeting of the highway com mission was held in Raleigh yes terday, and /the alternate truck route for Wilmington was discuss ed during the session, the spokes man said. There has been local agitation for an alternate route for trucks which would divert some of the heavy traffic from Third street but no decisive action has been taken in the matter as yet. Along The Cape Fear HISTORY OR FABLE? — “How oft we sigh “When 'histories charm to think that histories lie!,” so wrote Thomas Moore in The Sceptic. Thomas, you’ll recall was by no means alone in his views concern ing history. Matthew Arnold in his Literary Influence of Academies said: “On the breast of that huge Missis sippi of falsehood called history.” Napoleon, being a military man with not as much flourish for fine writing, merely stated: “History is a fable agreed upon.” Then our own Henry Ford, taking time off from the important joo of making EUtomobiles for a mo ment. proclaimed “History is bunk.” A survey of the legends of the Lower Cape Fear region some times lead one to think that Moore. Napoleon, Arnold, and Ford had something when they burst fortn : with their opinion on tales of the i past. * * * CO’JD EXAMPLE - The duel of ”apt. Ale;-: Simp, n a . ihrr ■ as Whitehurst way b ck in 1765 is a perfect example of why many wonder where history leaves off and fable begins. Several historians have mention ed this famous duel and it merely depends on which particular his tory you select as to the version of the battle you’ll get. Most are agreed that the two gentlemen were members of the crew of the good ship Viper about the time of the Stamp Act excite ment on the Cape Fear. One reputable chronicler of the times says that the duel occured in February, 1766 and that Simp son sided with the colonists while Whitehurst favored thu Royal Gov ernor. This particular version con tends that Simpson killed White hurst. A friendly judge acquitted Captain Simpson, an act which en raged the governor -who immedi ately put the jurist on the carpet. So humiliated w'as the poor judge at being caught red-handed that he committed suicide. Another historian agrees on most of the points in the case but contends that Captain Simpson was condemned but later escaped to England. * * ♦ TAKE YOUR CHOICE — If nei ther of those versions of the Simp son-Whitehurst duel please you, (Continued on Page 8; Col. 3) Doctors Advise Retirement CHIEF CHARLES H. CASTEEN Police Chief Requests Retirement From Duties Charles H. Casteen, a member of the Wilmington police department since October 21, 1923 and chief of the force for the past six years, yesterday submitted a request for retirement to City Manager J. R. Benson. In his letter requesting his pension, Casteen explained The Weather FORECAST North and South Carolina—Coiyirlei> aole cloudiness and little change hi tem perature Thursday. Friday, partly cloudy and slightly warmer. (Eastern Standard Time) (By U. S. Weather Bureau) Meteorological data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p.m. yesterday. Temperatures 1:30 a.m. 36; 7:30 a.m. 37; 1:30 p.m. 55; 7 :30 p.m. 50. Maximum 55; Minimum 35; Mean 45; Normal 48. Humidity 1:30 a.m. 67; 7:30 a m. 79: 1:30 p.m. 20; 7:30 p.m. 77. Precipitation Total for 24 hours ending 7:30 p.m. — 0.00 inches. Total since the first of the month — 0.32 inches. Tides For Today (From the Tide Tables published by U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey). High Low Wilmington _ 3:47 a.m. 11:02 a.m. 4:05 p.m. 11:13 p.m. Masonboro Inlet _ 1:42 a.m. 7:56 a.m. 1:47 p.m. 8:05 p.m. Sunrise 6:59; Sunset 5:54; Moon rise 1 :18 a.m.; Moonset 11:46 a.m. River stage at Fayetteville, N. C. at 8 a.m. Wednesday, 11.1 feet. ANTI-LILIENTHAL FORCES GROWING Senators Moore, O’Daniel Voice Opposition To His Nomination WASHINGTON. Feb. 12 — ftf) — Senators Moore (R-Okla) and O’Daniel <D-Tex) came out today against confirmation of David E. Lilienthal as chairman of the Atomic Energy commission, but Senator Myers (D-Pa) called him “a perfect choice” for the position. Moore said that President Tru man ought to withdraw the nom-, ination, but that failing that, the Senate should turn Lilienthal down on the grounds he is a ‘‘New Deal er” with a philosophy of centraliz ed government. ‘‘I do not know whether Mr. Lilienthal is a Communist or a Communist sympathizer.” Moore said in a statement, ‘‘but it is well known that the whole New Deal, from top to bottom, was polluted with Communists and Communist sympathizers and with others who had no fundamental concept of our form of government, and those who had no respect for it. “New Dealism and all that it stood for was repudiated by the American people last Nov. 5.” Blasts New Deal O’Daniel said “the many letters and telegrams coming in from Texas and other states about Li lienthal and other nominees indi (Continued on Page 2; Col. 3) | that the decision to quit the force j came only after consultation with j three Wilmington doctors, each of j whom urged him to retire at once 'due to bad health conditions. He said last night that he was leaving for a sanitorium shortly for treat ! ment. ! Benson, expressing regret at Cas teen’s decision, said that the mat ter would now be referred to the city police board of pensions with final action on the application to be made by the city council. Casteen did not fix any exact date for the action to become ef fective and urged that his retire ment be acted upon only at the pleasure of the city. Benson ex plained, however, that it would more than likely become ap plicable upon the appointment of a successor. When asked whether a decision had been made as to who would succeed Casteen, Benson replied that so far no thought had been given to the matter. Doctor’s Report In his application. Casteen said that the decision came after three doctors. Dr. E. P. Walker, Dr. G. R. C. Thompson and Dr. J. F. Robertson, had examined him and recommended his immediate re tirement from the force. "I have enjoyed my work for the city of Wilmington," the lettei said, ‘‘and have contributed the best part of my life to law en forcement and if it was necessary with reference to my condition I (Continued on Page 2; Col. 2) PHILLIPS SPEAKS AT PTA SESSION County Council Hears Pres ident Of NCEA Outline Responsibilities Stressing the need for corpora tion between parents and teachers, C. W. Phillips, public relations head of the Woman’s College, Greensboro, told members of the P-T A County Council yesterday that the responsibility of the wel fare of the children rests with both groups. Phillips, who is president of the North Carolina Education Associ ation and vice-president of the Na tional Congress of Parents and Teachers, s^ooke to representatives of the 14 schools of New Hanover county yesterday afternoon in Hemenway school. He was introduced by H. M Roland, superintendent of county schools. Mrs. I. J. Sutton, county (Continued on Page 2; Col. 4) Kidnapings Mark Era Of Terrorism In Jerusalem JERUSALEM, Feb. 12 — (JP) — Three Jews — one believed to be a member of the underground and the others membrs of the anti underground — were reliably re ported to have been kidnapped to night' in a second outbreak of strife between Jewish elements in Palestine. There was no official confirma tion, but reliable private informa tion said 10 armed Jews, believed to be members of the moderate Hashomlr Hatzalr party, had ab ducted an underground member from an Orange grove near Rehovoth. This was followed swiftly by the kidnapping, apparently in retalia tion. of two Hashomir members in the all-Jewish city of Tel Aviv, the informant said. The Tel Aviv headquarters of the Hashomir party, which has been outspoken in its opposition to underground tactics, was ra'd ed last night by underground mem bers and 12 persons were injured. Newest Pact Of Agreement Well Received Governments Proclaim Five-Point Program For Miitary Unity NO BASES ASKED Atomic Bomb Excluded From General Under- ' standing Of Nations WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.—CP)— The United States and Canada announced today they will con tinue in peacetime their close war time collaboration for the military security of North America. Without entering into a formal treaty or binding agreements, tha two governments proclaimed a five-point program for unifying training, standardizing arms, and using each other’s military, naval and air facilities. Anything to do with the atomic bomb was excluded from the gen eral understanding, it was made clear, since both government* have separate channels for de velopment and administration of atomic energy. Both stressed too, in formal an nouncements made simultaneously in Ottawa and Washington, that the charter of the United Nations “remains the cornerstone of th* foreign policy of each.” In Ottawa. Prime Minister W. L. MacKenzie King told the House of Commons that the joint principle* agreed upon would strengthen rather than impair the “coopera ion of each country within th« broader frame-work of the United Nations.” Iso Rases Asked King emphasized that the United Slates had not asked for military '-•■sea it' the Canadian northiand. The two governments said that their collaboration for “peace time joint security purposes” would ba limited and would be only to tha xtent authorized by law of each. Their proclamation, issued less than a month before the opening in Moscow of the Big Four Foreign Ministers conference, served never theless to underscore United States-Canadian unity on defense of “the Arctic frontier'’ facing Europe. Since 1940 the neighbor govern ments have unified their common military problems through tha permanent joint board on defense. That body will continue its work, based on these enunciated princi ples: Five Points “1. Interchange of selected in dividuals so as to increase tha familiarity of each counVy’a de fense establishment with that of the other country. “2. General cooperation and ex change of observers in connection with exercises and with the de (Continued on Page 2; Col. J) PRUETT APPOINTED CIRCULATION HEAD Former Wilmingtonian Joins Star-News Staff As Manager Wallace E. Pruett, a former Wil mingtonian, has been appointed Circulation Manager of t h e Wil mington Morning Star, The Wil mington News and the Sunday Star-News, R. B. Page, publisher, announced yesterday. Pruett, who has assumed hi* duties, returned’ here from Mont gomery, Ala., where he was a member of the Circulation depart ment staff of the Montgomery Ad vertiser-Journal, one of the south's oldest and largest newspapers. He was Circulation Manager of the Star-News newspapers from 1925 to 1938, when he left for Montgomery, his native home. During that period he was active in the Carolinas Circulation Man agers association, having served one term as president. He is a veteran of World War II. Page also announced the ap pointment of Steadman L. Vick as City Circulation Manager. No other changes in personnel of the department are contemplated at this time, he and Pruett said. And So To Bed Its been lost dogs and lost ponies and other assorted members of tbe animal king dom. But, to effect a change, this morning it’s a lost watch and the loser needs it badly so that he can get to work on time. John Capps, Star linotype op erator, reported last night that he lost his means of telling and keepmg time in The Manor theatre Sunday night. John asks that anyone find ing a watch in a gold case and having a black face notify him, please.