(1- ' ft a a .cy m a jtJ r
THE GAZETTE-NEWS
Has the Associated Press herrlce.
tt ts In Erery Respect Complete.'
Member Amdtt Bureau Circulations.
THE HOME PAPER
Of Abbeville and Western N. C
"A paper In the noma la worth
thonmnd In the highway."
, . Marshall Field.
VOLUME XX, NO. 122.
ASHEVILLE N. C. SATURDAY AFTERNNON, JULY 3, 1915.
PRICE 2 CENTS N
v s. s r mm mm m .
c
RUSSIAN AND GERMAN
WARSHIPS ENGAGE IN
BATTLE IN BALTIC SEA
Petrograd Report Conflicts
With Unofficial Accounts
of Result of the i '
Battle.
DAMAGE TO RUSSIANS
INSIGNIFICANT, IS CLAIM
rive German Cruisers andXlo-
tDa of . Torpedo Boats i
' Engaged Fog1 Covered
Zone of Battle. 1 '
. Petrograd, July. 3. When
the Russian naval eqnadron in
(the Baltio gave battle to five
German cruisers and a flotilla
of torpedo boats off the east
coast Gothland yesterday,
jone German cruiser 'was beach
ed and the other German war
ships were put to flight, ac
cording,, to an official state
Went issued by the Russian ad
miralty. , : The damage to the
Russian ehrps, the statement
jadds, was insignificant.
Battle in Bosphorua.
Russ Petrograd, July 3. -A
inssian submarine in the Black
eaj says an . Admiralty - state
ment,' has t sunk two - Turkish
Reamers;' and. One sailing, ship
fcritlr cargoes, of i. coal and(pro
I psions,, andjexchanged shots
with three armted schooners off
jthe mouth; of .the, iBosphorus,,
Jdriving them ashore. ,
Belgian Steamer Sunk.
London, July 3. The Bel-
an steamship Boduoquat has
been torpedoed and sunk by a
jGerman submarine. The crew
jwere landed at Falmouth.
London. Julv 3. Details of
ftbe naval engagement between
(Russian and German cruisers
in the Baltio yesterday appar
ently were lost in the fog which
enshrouded the one of the con
flict ' -
Petrograd claims officially
that the Russian cruiser squad
ron drove a German cruiser
asnore, out an unotticial ac
counts agree taht the vessel
that met disaster was the nine
layer Albatross. Petrograd
'also says the German warships
Were forced to retire, while un
official reports deolare the Rus
sian ships had to retire before
superior numbers after a bat
tle of half a day.
The submarines of the en-
tents powers are now. .having
their innings. Yesterday there
came a report from Athens that
a Turkish troop ship had been
sunk in the sea of Marmora by
a British submersible, while
iPetrograd claims that a Rus
sian submarine obtained a
,'hoavy bag of merchant ships in
th Black sea, ' .
London is encouraged bv the
report from General Hamilton
at the Dardanelles, which says
thaft the French troops have
also advanced until the' Anirlo-
iFreneh lines on the GalUpoH
peninsula are almost safe,
frhis report is countered by the
fcJonstantlnople claim thta ' the
ftritish forces have been driven
back to their original posi
tions. i kh n mm m n n n m
-.
" TH3 WEATH2R
DOOAIi TirCTTI) ETl STIOWETt . H
W
p m m m m m tt n m n n n st
Shepps Declares He Has
Secret of Becker Case
Nsw York, July 8. Sam Shepps,
on whom the state relied In the Bret
trial of Charles Becker to corroborate
the testimony of Jack Rose, Harryl
Vallon and Bridgle Webber, three In
formers, Is Quoted aa saying that he
held the secret of the Becker case
and that he was willing to tell it to
Governor Whitman. Becker faces
death on July 28 for the murder of
Herman Rosenthal, unless the federal
courts Intervene. ' -?
"I hold the secret of the Becker
case," Shepps is quoted aa saying,
"and Whitman can get It for the ask
ing. The story is so clear that any
one will believe it, but as for proof
sty do you want" that" I should go bo
far as to bring Becker back to Broad
way and me take his place In the elec
tric chair?" -
The secret to which Shepps is
emoted as referring Is believed to be
what was said at a recent meeting
between Mrs. Becker and Jack Rose
at Shepps' Jewelry store.
-. Bridgle Webber, - onejof the three
self-confessed accomplices in the
Thinks Thaw
Illusion
New York, July S.-James M. Bar
ret, a policeman assigned to the ten
derloin station, on the night that Har
ry K. Thaw was taken there after
he had killed Stanford White, testi
fied for the state in the jury
hearing whtoh Is being held to deter
mine Thaw's sanity. His testimony
was Intended by the state to prove
that Thaw, whilt In his oell that
night was' under the Illusion, that 1.9
heard the voices of little girls screaming.
Astor Transferes Property
In New York to His Son
New Tork, July I. Deeds record
ing the transfer of $7,180,000 worth of
real estate from William Waldorf As
tor. of England to . his youngest sea
Captain John Jacob Astor, on file
here are declared to represent the
largest gift of real estate other than
by bequest ever made in New York.
Thet deeds were filed yesterday by
counsel representing the elder Astor
here, and Include half of the old As
tor House, the other half of which
Relief Measures for Mexico
City Before the Officials
Washington, July l9iRUef meas
ures for MqMx City today oooupled
largely the attention cut the officials of
the Washington government Both
President Wilson at - CornUh, N. H
and Boo rotary Lansing, at Washing
ton, bad under consideration relief
plans for the Merloan oapltal where
MUBPHY: TO SEHD LARGE
:T0 .BUD MEET.
Murphy, July I. Murphy will send
a big delegation to the, North Car
olina Oood - Roads association whloh
meets In Ashevllls July 1 4-18.10.
The. matter was dlsouseed at the
board of trade meeting last Friday
night and a stnong and live delegation
was appointed, who will go In the
Interest of, and boost for the Ashe.
villel Murphy fioenlo highway.
The plans are to start from Mur
phy with aa many autos as are avail
able, oerrylng the delogatlen, and be
Joinsd by others from Andrews( Pry
inn City, Franklin, Cjrrra; Dll)toro,
Waynesboro and Canton, and together
invade the city of Ashfvllle, and cap
ture the State Oeod Roads associa
tion In the interest ef the AsheviUe
Murphy Bcenlo highway.
Col. Edmund B, Nerven has been
appointed dslegat ts ths association
from Cherojiee oovnty,
INTEREST IN NEGRO
EXPOSITION ASKED
Washington, July l--Prlo,nt Wit
eon's proclamation p'esraehlng 'na
tional Internet In an exposition torn,
meliorating II years. ef achievement
br the netrV faoe. whloh opens at
Rtfltimond nant week, was Issued at
the white house today.
plot which resulted in the killing of
Herman Rosenthal, the gambler, has
said, according to his attorney, .that
Charles Becker had absolutely noth
ing to do with the murder.
A statement to that effect was made
by H. T. Marshall, an attorney.
"Becker," said Mr. Marshall, "had
absolutely nothing to do with the
murder of Rosenthal. Bridgle Web
ber, when he employed me as his
counsel at the first trial, admitted thin
to me and said he and ' the others
were perjuring themselves in order to
save their sklno. When Webber told
me that, I told him to get another
lawyer.
"From that time on my mouth was
sealed, I could not speak because of
professional obligations. But had-1
not been convinced of Booker's innocence-1
would -not have aligned my
self with the lawyers In hts defense
at the second trial. I never would
hove .entered ' the case had I not
known from what Bridgle Webber
told me that Becker was deliberately
'framed up' by Webber, Harry Vallon,
Jack Rose and Sam Shepps."
Was Under
While In Cell
" "He aekv me two or three times if
little girls, were not screaming. I told
him they were not," said the witness.
"Some women had been arrested
and ,1, told him he heard them, but
he Aid, 'Oh, no, they are little girls.
I hear them' screaming.' .
"He asked who was beating and
abusing them." '
Thaw, the witness said, when he
.wfls.Jjrpufht to the' station had his
neaa inrown dock ana us eyes were
I staring. ,
was torn down two years ago, and
two office buildings in the financial
district
Captain Astor thus becomes one of
the largest real estate holders on
Manhattan Island. Captain Astor
Joined the English army several years
ago and went to the front soon after
the war began. He is captain in the
Life Guards. He was reported to have
been wounded in battle in France last
October; ' '
the latest advices told of famine and
anarchy and threats for the safety of
foreigners.
The relief measures lnolude efforts
to obtain the consent of Carransa to
shtp supplies to Mexico City through
his agents and the removal from the
danger sons of foreigners through the
efforts of the dtplomatlo corps.
PEACE IE69IIIUS
Oalveston, July I Offlolal denial
that peace negotiations are in prog
ress or contemplated between 'Villa
and Obregon baa been made at Vera
Cms by General Carransa, according
to a cablegram to the Carransa con
sul here. Ths defeat of Zapata forces
east ef Mexloo City by General Qon
sa'es ls also reported.
Consul General Bhanklln and C. J.
O'Connor, representing ths Red Croes,
It Is said, reached Mexloo City Wed
nesday wits, a large quantity of sup
pllea FIRST GiiSie MSS
Washington, July I. Ths selsotlon
of nine offloers to form the first or.
gaaised class In aviation at ths .na
val aeronautlo station at Penaaeoia,
has been announoed by the oavy da
parunent, i
The effleers will be assltis4 at
sno and will take' wp the study of
senatruntlen, repairing ana assemb
ling ef aarpplss.es. ( t
DAMAGES
CAPITOL OF U.S
Public Reception Roo:
East Side
of Xsudnsr
Wrecked bjKawer-
ful Explosion.
EXPLOSIVE PROBABLY
PLACED BY CRANZ
Official Statement Concerning
Incident Will Be Deferred
Pending - Sspert
Investigation.
Washington, July S.-The publio
reception room in the senate wing of
the capitol building was wrecked Just
before midnight lest night by an ex-
plosion, protiably of a bomb
1
or ln-ihe
fernal machine. No one was Injured'
and today there was only one clue to ,
the perpetratorr a letter' which was
received by the Washington Times, an
evening newspaper, bearing a post
mark' timed 'shortly before the explo
sion took place and announcing that
it, would occur. The letter, although
written Jue 1, was ' mailed at 10
o'clock last' night, about two ' hours
before the explosion. It was slgnod
by "R.. Penrco,'.' was typewritten and
Indicated that the writer hod waited
some time for an opportunity to car
ry out his plan, which- ha said would
be the "exclamation point of my ca
reer." .
The letter was at oncq turned over
to the police. There Is only one man
of the name that was- signed to the
letter given In the Washington direc
tory, ', and search la being conducted
for him. ; .v
Washington, July 3. A tremendous
explosion, believed to have been caused
by some kind of bomb or Infernal ma
chine, wrecked the public reception
room on the east side of the capitol,
building shortly before midnight last
night No one was Injured.
Officials believe that the explosive
was placed by a crank who desired to
create a sensation. Visitors were al
lowed in the room during the day, and
a timed machine might have been left
without attracting attention.
Superintendent Wood, of the capitol
building, summoned by panic-stricken
watchman, made a hurried investiga
tion and then telephoned for an expert
on explosives.
Until the expert har made his report
no official statement concerning the in
cident will be made public.
The doors of the capitol were closed
immediately after the explosion and
no one was permitted to enter while
the investigation was under way.
While the origin of the explosion had
not been explained, some reports in
Circulation said It might have- been
caused by a bomb.
Reports said the windows In the re
ception room had been blown out, that
an Immense plate-glass mirror had
been demolished and that part of the
celling and walls were torn down. Tho
explosion 'was heard for several
blocks.
Persons who reached the capitol
soon after the explosion occurred said
they noticed the odor of burned pow.
dr, which persisted for some time.
Elliott Wooda'euperlntondent of the
capitol building,
Sergeant-at-Arms ,
HIgglns of the senate and head of the
capital police, who directed the In
quiry, refused to give any theory of
the cause of the explosion until the
Investigation was completed.
The building had been closed since
dark and there was no one in It but
the watchmen and telephone switch-1
board eperatora Watchman Jones on
the floor below at the east entrance
said he was blown from his chair.
The report oould be heard for a
mile and In a few minutes a crowd of
excited people had gathered. In the
meantime lights had been switched on
and evclted officials were rushing back
and forth en two floors of the great
building. ,
After the first rumor of a bomb,
em of the Investigators concluded
that the blast had been caused by
spontaneous combustion In a gas pipe.
The aides of the wall were tern out,
however, and all th' pipes apparently
wore Intact There had been no gas
fixtures en the senate side slnoe an
explosion occurred there nearly 80
years ago, It was said.
A strong odor permeated ths build
ing, but pons seemed able to detect
what it waa No trace could be found
of an exploded bomb or of anything
else that might have caused the' ex
plosion. Superintendent Wood 'said he had
examined the structural features of
the buflding and found there was no
damage except In the Immediate vi
cinity ef the reception room.
While seme officiate thought ths ex
plosion was the work of an Irrespon
sible' erank with no others end In view
than a sensation, others seriously tug.
gosted that it might have been perpe
trated by sems on desiring to demon
strate Ms disapproval ef oma of the
peliales of the Ameiioan government
It was apparent there waa no Intent
to destroy life, as it is generally known
ths room la empty at night
J. P. MORGAN SHOT BUT
MOT SERIOUSLY IN JURED;
ASSAILANT UNKNOWN
Carolina League to Have
Split Season: First Season
Ends Mondav: Locals Win
For the first time slnco the North
Carolina League of Professional Base
ball clu-bs was organized three years
ego, there will be a split season the
first part of the present season to end
next Monday night and the second
season to bogln Tuesday afternoon.
This Information was received by The
Gazette-News in a message from
President Arthur Lyon of High Point
at noon today.
This means that Ashevllle win win
be,n four . a.-i. ,f
jgame is lost between now and the
I end Monday, which will be three
games, the Mountaineers would etlll
shcad . and winners off . the first
pennant.
I -every ciud m tne league voted for
a split season with the exception of
Question of Armeni oris.
Charier JSot Cleared Up
Washington, July S. Ambassador
Page at London has cabled Washing
ton that the British steamer Armen
ian which was torpedoed and sunk
Monday by a German submarine had
been "requisitioned" by the British
520,000 More Russians
Naw In German Hands
Berlin, July 3 (Via Sayyllle, L. I.)
Military writers declare that the Rus
sians, from May 2 to June 27, left in
T U
National League Man Llakes
Record of .336 Ty Cobb
Leads Americans.
Chicago, July J. Jake Daubert of
Brooklyn has regained batting leader
ship in the National league, accord
ing to averages made publio today.
In the American league Cobb con
tinues to head the list and Magee
holds the lead In the Federal leagues
Leading National league batters
who have participated In at least half
tho rames of the season, including
Wednesday's, are as follows!
Daubert of Brooklyn ,181; J.
Smith of Boston .323; Merkle of New
York .123; Ludegus of Philadelphia
.331; Good of Chlcugo .311; St Louts
and New York are tied for first
place in club batting with .211.
Among the National league pitch
ers who have worked In- ten or more
games the leaders are: Pierce of .Chi
cago; won eight and lost one; Alex
ander of Philadelphia, won li and
lost three: Meadows of Bt Louis, won
seven and lost two.
A merles n Iragno.
The batting leaders of the American
league arei Cobb of Detroit .371;
Fournler of Chicago .343; Jackson ef
Cleveland .330: Crawford of Detroit
.119; Lalole of Philadelphia .321.
Cobb also leads In base stealing with
61 and he has scored the most runs
71 in 17 games, but Crawford has
bested Cobb In long hitting with hits
for a total of 132 bases.
Chicago leads In team batting with
.267, and Detroit Is next with .211.
The top notch pitchers of the Amer
ican league are Leber of Chicago, 14
won and two lost; Wood of Boston,
six won and one lost; flcott of Chloago,
ten won and three lost
odrral Leagnn. '
Magee, the Brooklyn manager,
heads the ederal league batters with
.353. Then fotUrw: Campbell of New
ark .143; Deal of St. Louts .117, Ths
Brooklyn club leads In team hitting
with .311.
The best Federal pitchers are:
Plank of St Louis, nlns won and three
lost; and Allen of Pittsburgh, 11 won
and four lost
"Washington, 'July I. Rev. James
W. Wlghtmsn, a prominent Preaby
terlan educator, died today at the age
of 71 years. ' lis formerly was pros!
dent of Wilson college In Pennsyl
vanla and of Ogden college In Ken
tuck. , -
DAUBER
LEADERSHIP
Raleigh, that team voting against it
When the proposition was received
here last night by the directors of tho
Ashevllle team. Manager Jack Corbett
of the Mountaineers stated that he
whs opposed to It, because he had a
comfortable lead; had worked hard to
get it and stood a god chance to win
the pennant for the entire season; but
he stated that he would sacrifice his
own interests for the welfare of the
league and with the local directors
Vote for a split season.
The locals will end the first half of
the season here Monday afternoon
after playing Charlotte five games, two
games being scheduled for Monday
morning and afternoon games. On
Tuesday Ashevllle will open the see-
end half of the season at Winston-Salem.
- .
government, but that the requisition
had been cancelled before the vessel
sailed from Newport News. The status
of the ship, as heretofore understood
however, is unchanged, as dispatches
nbt yet made public, do not clear up
the question of charter.
the bands of the Germans 130 officers
and 620,000 men as prisoners; and 800
field pieces, 770 machine guns, besides
incalculable war material.
E
CHICAGO CLOSE
Largest Lumber and Brick
Plants Close Operations.
Many Stop VTork.
Chicago, July 2. Forty-three of
Chicago's largest lumber yards and 68
brick yards closed business today,
throwing out of employment several
thousand men. It was announced that
they would not deliver any building
material until the strike of 18,000
oarpenters was settled.
The eleventh hour decision of the
allle dbuildlng, construction and ma
terial interests to oontlnue manufac
turing operations but not to sell ma
terial placed a more eptlmtstlo aspect
on the lock-out against carpenters and
other striking building trades work
men. No building material, either
of brlok or wood, will be permitted
to reach any building contractor or
manufacturer in Chicago, it Is declar
ed, however, until Industrial peace Is
restored.
IS AT HOI FOB REST
Ashevllle Boy Has Completed
Course at Thomas Bros',
School, Ithaca, N. Y. ,
Completing a course In tho Thomas
school of aviation at Ithaca, N, Y.,
and securing his pilot' lloense in
three months Harry Noland, son of
Mr. and Mrs. M. O, Noland of this
city returned to Ashevllle yesterday
for .a short rest bofons taking up ex
hibition flights In the south,
.Mr. Noland states that a machine Is
being butlt for htm now at the
Thomas (lotpry and Just as soon ss
It Is flnt'jiod It Will b shipped her
and he expects to give hi first flights
In Aahevlllo and then bogln a tour of
the eeuthern states,
With Mr. Noland at Ithaoa was
fitev MaBnlry,' who, entering the
class a short time after Mr. Noland.
hat not completed his course yet tiut
he Is expected to arrive hrre within
the next few weeks,
PLANTS
Wonld-Be Assassin, Presuxna
bly a Crank, Wounds H
nancier in Home at '
Glen Cove, L. L'
SHERIFF SENDS MEN
TO INVESTIGATE CASE
Assailant Reported to Havel
Concealed Himself in Mor-i
gan Home Last Night.
!i Official Statement
New York, July 8. J. P. Morgaaj
was shot but not seriously wounded,
by an unknown man at his home af
Glen Cove, Long Island, at 9 o'clock
this morning. This announcement wa 'r
Issued bv J. P. Morean and .-mmAl
pany: ' : ; . J,
"J. P. Morgan was shot ty an wl;
known man, presumably , a crap.'k, ' af
his home at Glen Cove' at 'clocK
this morning. His physician a6fr-
that the wound is not serious, .1
! The first news of" the shootlug of
Mr. Morgan was fewrvWat.thofflce
of Sheriff Pettit of Nassau oounty a 1
mineoia. -j.ne anerm lmiriecFiateiy ais
patched men to Glen Cow4 to Invest!-'
gate.: '
Details of tho affair were lacking at
the hour the message was received by1
the aherlt V..l;7';-i-1"' -
It was reported at GlenCovo'ha! '
the man who shot ' Mr. Morgan so ,
ere ted himself 1n tho Morgan home
last night.
' 1 ' ,' "- -:v,t'
pennon;
PASSES KM IN PARIS
Former Mexican Dictator Died'
Last NightHis Health
Failed Rapidly. 1
Paris, July 3. General . Porflri
Dlas, former president of Moxlcoj
died here early last night I :
General Dies' wife, Sonera Carmen)
Romero Rubio Dlas, and their son,
Porflrlo Dlas, Jr., and tho tatter's wife
were by hts side when tho end came,;
General Dias began to fail rapidly,
about three weeks ago ksii while his
death was not unexpected, " owing to.
his advanced age and the recent faiu
lng health, the crtcila came suddenly
this afternoon. Porflrlo Dias, Jr., and;
his wife were hastily summoned and,
arrived at tho bedside only a few mo
ments before the end, which came at
7 o'olook last night,- " . ,
Colonel Dlas, in announcing tho
death of his father, said that he Waa
unable to state the nature of tho
malady, but expressed the pinion'
that a complication of diseases due ts
advanced ago was the cause, -
' i
REV. E. C. CROOK ILL !
SPEAK in.flCJ.!
Rev. E. C, Crenk, secretary of th
Lutheran Layman's Missionary move
ment of Columbia, will be the speake
at the men's meeting at ths Y, M.
O. A, tomorrow afternoon at 4 o'clock.
Dev. Mr. Cronk wit speak en "God's '
One Purpose In Your Life,"
A splendid muuleal program has
been arranged for the meeting, whloh
will consist of a club of 11 men under
the leadership of Captain C, H, Bart-,
lett The Y. M. O, A, orohestra will
play during the services.
n m m m m n it n it n m H
m
m
n
ItCSSI IX LOA1T.
H Petrorrad. July I. The offlcla.'
( Journal publishes teday an Impo
st rial edict authorising the Ruoslan
t minister of (Inane to make two
It Issues of treasury obligations ut
S 1280,060,000 each, to be put et
H In the shape of Ave pr ont short
l ter notes, free of Inoome tux.
a - '
sci(tttit:ittTitititsiiiititnn
V
v-
v v v". . . 44