WEATHER
Showers and not so warm west
portion, partly cloudy and warm
east portion today followed by
clearing and cooler tonight and
Wednesday.
The Hhelby Buily thr
STATE THEATRE TODAY
"TONIGHT AND EVERY
NIGHT"
Rita Hayworth — Lee Bowman
Also NEWS
CLEVELAND COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1894
TELEPHONES 1100
VOL. XLIII—68
ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS SHELBY, N. C. TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1945
TELEMAT PICTURES
SINGLE COPIES—5c 1
AMERICAN TROOPS ENTER STRATEGIC COBLENZ—Soldiers of the U. S. Third Army enter Coblenz,
key Oerman city at the junction of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Walking along a street, they pass a dead
comrade <right>. lying in debris against a wall. His helmet is in the roadway, Yanks first entered Coblenz
March 17. This picture was made by Byron H. Rollins, Associated Press photographer with the war time
picture pool.
Police Ordered To
Arrest Loiterers
i
Abernethy Charges Misconduct On School Grounds
Nightly; Police To Make Arrests
Shelby police were given special instructions by the
board of aldermen, meeting at the city hall last night, to j
arrest any persons found loitering on the school grounds I
FOUR BUILDINGS
GOING UP HERE
Projects Representing
$150,000 Get WPB
Priorities
Four building projects ^repre
senting a total investment or $150.
000 or more are underway in Shel
by under priorities issued by the
War Production board. Builders are
experiencing difficulty in getting
materials' and equipment even
with priorities, but these projects
are furnishing work for various
types of construction workers.
Lutz-Yelton who are building a
wholesale and retail place for the
distribution of petroleum products
and automobile accessories on N.
LaFayette street are making an
Investment in building alone of
over $60,000. In addition, this firm
will handle the McCormick-Deer
lng and International farm ma
chinery lines. A repair and serv
ice department for farm equipment
will also be operated. It is ex
pected that this building will be
ready for occupancy in May.
The brick walls for the new $40,
000 laundry at the Shelby hospi
tal are nearly up. The laundry is
being erected adjacent the power
plant so that steam from the heat
ing system will be convenient.
The Carolina Dairy is erecting
a modern dairy products plant on
Grover street (Fallston road) and
the brick work is up to the second
floor. Much of the machinery has
been delivered and is ready for in
stallation. The new dairy pro
ducts plant will cost with equip
ment about $50,000.
J, W. Cash is erecting a home
on West Sumter street under pri
ority granted by the War Produc
tion board. Mr. Cash was unable
to secure a suitable home and ap
plied for permission to build last
summer. Materials have been
placed on the ground and excava
tion has been done for the foun
dation and basement.
Why Is Food Short?
Why is food short?
Why is there lots of meat in
some parts of the country and
almost none in others?
What’s becoming of all the
eggs?
Who released meat last* year,
and why?
What about those exports to
liberated and allied countries?
Ovid A. Martin, outstanding
farm news reporter, answers
these questions — and many
more—in a series of four Asso
ciated Press articles beginning
today, page 3, Shelby Star.
during off-school hours.
This instruction was given after
Superintendent Walter E. Aber
nethy had appealed to the board
about what he described as intol
erable conditions existing in and
around school premises; conditions
which led the school superintend
ent to assert that these grounds
were being used nightly for "places
of prostitution and assignation.”
"I have appealed to the police
six times by letter to put a stop
to these pernicious practices,” de
clared Mr. Abernethy and so far
as I know not a single arrest has
even been made. I don’t think
it is fair for children of tender
years and teachers to have to be j
forced to walk over evidence of j
immoral conduct when they come
to school each morning.
"I want to say that it is not an
occasional happening but evidence
See POLICE Page 3
Queen Wilhelmina
Visits Homeland
LONDON. March 20 — UP) —
Queen Wilhelmina, first of Eu
rope's exiled monarchs to return
home, has visited liberated areas
of Holland and received a tremen
dous ovation from her people, it
was announced today.
The queen toured freed areas af
ter a plane trip from London to
Brussels which contrasted strpng
ly with her hurried flight in May,
1940, when German parachutists
attempted to capture her as they
invaded the Netherlands.
Her appearance in the homeland
was expected to act as an inspira
tion not only to those of her peo
ple who already are freed but to
those still awaiting liberation.
Her most frequent message to
her people has been:
“The fight goes on. We have
no fear of the outcome.”
LIQUOR CASES
GROUND OUT
Many Judgments Entered
In United States Dis
trict Court
United, States District r.oiyt
ground out a ' steady stream ot
liquor ca: s yesterday afternoon
and this morning while the grand
jury worked at its docket, prepar
ing for the Charlotte, and States
ville courts as well as returning
the Shelby bills.
A true bill against two former
OPA agents. Thomas Earl Heaf
ner and Lewis Brumfield, charg
ed with accepting bribes was re
turned in open court yesterday and
these two will be tried at the Char
lotte term of court.
Fred Huffman, Frazier P. Huff
man and Leroy Brittain, all of
Lincoln county, charged with li
quor violations were sentenced tc
10 months imprisonment each.
iUUOR VIOLATIONS
Floyd Gardner was fined $25 and
.ven a six-months sentence for
a liquor violation. Eckles Miller was
given an eight-months suspended
sentence and Estelle Miller was
given a year and a day term sus
pended upon good behavior.
William M. Cassels, of Gaston
county, wvas given one year in prN
son on a liquorfrviolation charge.
Troy Francis? of Burke county
was given an 18-months suspended
See LIQUOR Page 2
WHAT’S DOING
TODAY
2:00 p.m. — Mass meeting of
Kings Mountain Association in
main auditorium of First Bap
tist church.
7:30 p.m.—Second session of
mission revival at First Baptist
church.
7:00 p.m. — Scouters club
meets at Presbyterian church
with Troop 1 as hosts.
7:30 p.m.—C. A. P. members
meet at armory.
7:30 p.m. — Call meeting of
Cleveland Lodge 202 A. F. & A.
M. for work in second degree.
WEDNESDAY
7:30 p.m. — Midweek prayer
and praise service at First Bap
tist church.
7:30 p.m—Fellowship hour at
Central Methodist; church.
7:30 p.m. — Hdgular prayer
meeting at Presbyterian church.
LOCAL LEGISLATION:
Senator And Representative
Return From Legislature
Senator Lee Weathers and Rep
resentative C. C. Horn have re
turned from Raleigh where they
have been attending the General
Assembly since January 3rd, rep
resenting Cleveland county and
the 27th Senatorial district which
comprises the counties of Cleve
land, Rutherford and McDowell.
The Legislature is expected to
adjourn tonight after having run
two weeks longer than expected.
Most of the important state legis
lation had been considered and
passed on so the local representa
tives came home because of per
sonal duties. Should any legisla
tion develop today that would re
quire their return to' Raleigh, thej
will leave tonight. However, £
dispatch from Raleigh says thai
the major matters have been pass
ed on or agreed to and adjourn
ment is expected at tonight's ses
sion.
LOCAL LEGISLATION
No local legislation was enactec
except that sponsored by loca
governing bodies. The county wa!
relieved of any financial responsi
See SENATOR Page 2
SOVIETS SMASH
FORWARD IN
BUDAPEST AREA
Nazis Flood East Prussian
Coast Lowlands Near
Koenigsberg
trappedTn POCKET
LONDON, March 20.—(JF)
—German troops have with
drawn across the Drava river
on the Hungarian-Yugoslav
frontier and a Russian of
fensive northwest of Buda
pest has smashed beyond Tata
to less than 12 miles from
Kamoran on the Danube, the
German high command an
nounced today.
MOSCOW. March 20. —f/P)—
German forces trapped in a dwin
dling pocket on the east Prussian
coast southwest of Koenigsberg
were reported today to have open
ed the coastal dikes and turned
the lowlands into a big lake in an
effort to halt a Russian extermina
tion drive.
A Red Star dispatch said the
waters of the Frisches Haff (La
goon) were pouring into an in
land basin below sea level where
"frightened German soldiers are
unable to put up an organized re
sistance and many are throwing
away their guns and fleeing.”
A communique last night said
the pocket had been cut to little
more than 100 square miles—about
18 miles in length and seven from
the sea at its deepest point—and
that the two major towns in the
area, Braunsberg and Heiligen
beil, were under direct attack.
TANKS USED
Although rains have softened the
ground, Russian tanks carrying top
loads of machinegunners are
. cruising .steadily, into the peri
meter of the enemy pocket, the
Red Star dispatch said.
"The roar of battle southwest of
Koenigsberg is ceaseless,” it add
ed.
In the muddy lowlands the Rus
sians were forced to haul artillery
pieces forward by hand through
fields pitted with bomb craters.
In advances of up to three miles
yesterday along a 25-mile front, the
Russian forces approached to with
in one and three miles, respective
ly of Braunsberg and Heiligenbeil,
capturing more than 30 commun
ities and 2,138 prisoners.
Dispatches reported steady pro
See SOVIETS Page 2
Business Booms
In Big Town’s
Night Spots
NEW YORK, March 20—(IP)—
The big town’s $100,000,000 enter
tainment business, its curfew
qualms salved by a 20-25 percent
increase in trade and nightclubs,
generally took advantage last night
of Mayor La Guardia’s 1 a.m. clos
ing hour, despite a reproachful
frown from official Washington.
Some uneasy nightclub opera
tors, reflecting upon the wartime
disciplinary powers of the federal
government, stuck with the mid
night curfew, but most niteries
took War Mobilizer James P.
Byrnes’ hands-off statement at
face value.
Byrnes said yesterday he was
powerless to crack down on recal
citrant New York City but urged
the rest of the nation on patriotic
grounds to abide by his midnight
closing hour.
NO ENFORCEMENT
"X believe that a controversial
enforcement of the measure in
New York City without the sup
port of local officials would be
impossible,” said Byrnes. “The
government has no police force of
its own available to discover vio
lations. It has no intention of
building such a force.”
He added: “Measures of this
type adopted by the federal gov
ernment must apply uniformly
throughout the country. We can
not set one standard for the New
_ York City and another standard
for the rest of the country.”
New Jersey liquor dealers appar
ently were afraid their customers
would skip blithely over to New
York City for more leisurely tip
pling.
In New York City’s bars last
night, whether of the swank or
“what’s yours, bud?” variety, a
common practice was to toast
Mayor La Guardia with the last
drink.
BUSINESS UP
At El Morocco business was up
25 percent; sales jumped 20 per
i cent at Versailles. Similar perking
up of sales was noted at the Stork
See BUSINESS Page 2
THIRD STRAIGHT DAY:
Mitscher’s Carrier Force
Planes Continue Raining
Bombs On Japan Today
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS, Guam,
March 20.—(J-P)—Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher’s mighty car
rier force was reported bombing Japan today—a third
straight day—defying the imperial fleet to come out for bat
tle and giving the lie to enemy communique claims that
seven of Mitscher’s ships were sunk and one damaged.
neec Aam. unester w. Nimitz
announced briefly that carrier pi
lots moved northward Monday to
loose bombs and rockets against
shipbuilding Kobe and a major na
val base, Kure, on the home island
of Honshu. Sunday, carrier plan
es sent probably 2,500 tons of
bombs winging down upon Kyu
shu and Shikoku, industrially-vi
tal islands at the southern end of
the empire.
“Enemy attacks are still
continuing,” Tokyo flashed an
English language broadcast to
the United States today. The
announcer did not state wheth
er the raid was on Honshu or
whether the bombers had re
turned against Kyushu.
Tokyo identified the raiders as
“the mainstay of task force 58”—
the carrier force which leaped in
to fame last June by destroying
405 Japanese warplanes on one
day; then sinking or damaging 17
Japanese warships in a thrilling
sea chase the next.
FIVE GROUPS
The enemy radio said the force
comprised five groups of ships, in
cluding 15 carriers and was about
300 miles south of Shikoku when
first sighted Sunday. It added
that Japanese fliers -were continu
ing their attacks against the U. S.
fleet.
Japanese communiques claimed,
without confirmation, that Japa
nese planes sank seven American
warships and heavily damaged one
in counterattacks Sunday and
Monday, while 183 carrier' aircraft
were shot down. Unofficial Tok
See MITSCHER’S Page 2
Medical Care Bill
Sent To Committee
House Refuses To Concur ln Senate Amendments To
State Hospital, Medical Measure
RALEIGH, March 20.—(A5)—The house refused unani
mous, to. concur in .senate amendipents State Hos
pital and Medical Care bill and the measure went to a con
ference committee.
The motion to refuse to concur was made by Rep. Pear
sall of Nash, chairman of the appropriations committee.
xuuimiubuii immediate
ly named Reps. Stone of Rocking
ham, Pearsall, and Smith of Da
vidson to the conference commit
tee, and sent word of the house's
action to the senate by special mes
senger.
President Ballentine of the sen
ate appointed Senators Hodges of
Buncombe and Jenkins of Bertie
to the conference committee, which
met immediately.
.Meanwhile, it was freely pre
dicted that the legislature
would adjourn sine die around
noon tomorrow, after 67 days.
The house calendar committee
reported without prejudice a bill to
allow the state to become self-in
surant against loss by fire.
AMENDED BILL
The senate amended a revived
bill providing for a 48-hour wait
ing period for out-of-state couples
before they are granted marriage
licenses. As it passed, it related
only to the counties in the first two
senatorial districts—Dare, Tyrrell,
Washington, Martin, Beaufort,
Hyde Pamlico, Camden, Currituck,
Chowan, Gates, Pasquotank, Per
quimans, Hertford and Bertie.
Senator Ward had moved that
passage of the bill be reconsidered
and when a floor fight loomed,
Senator Culpepper of Pasquotank
rushed through his amendment
pertaining only to the counties in
the first two districts. Culpepper's
amendment, which probably saved
the bill, was quickly adopted and
the measure went back to the house
for concurrence.
MEDICAL CARE
The hospital and medical care
amendment provides that a $1,
000,000 contingent fund to provide
treatment of indigent patients dur
ing the next biennium, be split in
half and the other half million
dollars be used to aid in the con
struction or enlargement of rural
See MEDICAL Page 2
REICH RAIL
LINES BOMBED
Bombers Destroy Com
munication Lines, Sup
port Ground Forces
Bv HENRY B. JAMESON
LONDON, March 20—l/P)—Brit
ish heavy bombers attacked Ger
many’s largest, freight, yards at
Hamm and another railway junc
tion at Recklfhghausen on the
northern fringe, of the Ruhr in a
continuing deviation of the Nazi
communications* system today.
Hundreds of other warplanes
raked enemy positions close to the
front, resuming the pounding which
cost the Germans nearly 5,000 ve
hicles yesterday.
Some 500 planes took part in
this twin blow, .delivered ahead of
another large scale attack by U. S.
Eighth air force bombers. The
flying Fortresses and Liberators,
out later than .usual, still were
bombing as the British fleet made
its way home.
The U. S. Ninth air force flew
more than 1,000 sorties from for
ward continental bases before
noon, losing one fighter. Four
Nazi ships were destroyed aground,
and one in the air.
The RAF made its 28th consecu
tive raid on Berlin last night, but
this time the Mosquitos struck
shortly before dawn instead of a
bout midnight.
Approximately' 8,000 Allied planes
swarmed over Germany yesterday
in one of the greatest mass sweps
See RElCH Page 2
MULTIPLE SLAVING VICTIM—A
body identified as that of Mrs.
Tayce C. Hall <abovei, 19, was
found near Little Rock, Ark., and
Detective Chief O. N. Martin said
her husband, James W. Hall. 24.
had confessed he killed her and
five other persons last August.
rAJNAY ISLAND
IS INVADED
Hardly A Man Lost In In
vasion Of Seventh Of
Philippines
MANILA, March 20.— i.'P) —The
big broom sweeping the Japanese
from the Philippines reached Pa
nay island Sunday as Maj. Gen.
Rapp Brush’s 40th infantry divi
sion, again achieving complete sur
prise, invaded the flat southern
coastal plain and quickly closed in
on the port capital of Iloilo and its
big airfield. Headquarters announc
ed the invasion today. *
No Japanese but cheering Fili
pinos met the Yanks swarming
ashore in amphibious vehicles and
afoot just before dawn. Many sec
tions of the large island had been
cleared of enemy troops by guer
rillas.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur said
hardly a man was lost invading
the seventh major Philippine is
land. He reported “complete tac
tical as well as strategic surprise
was accomplished.”
Panay had been a decided threat
to American convoys passing
through central Philippine seas to
ward Manila.
CORDOVA SEIZED
The Eighth army doughboys,
landing at Tigbauan, broke into
right-angle spearheads, one seized
Cordova, four miles inland, and
the other swept seventy miles east
along the coast to Oton, halfway
to Iloilo, a city of 90,000 w'ith one
of the best harbors in the central
Philippines.
A small enemy force was en
countered on the road to Cordova,
but otherwise the area was sur
prisingly free of Japanese. Fliers
scanned the country behind the
beachhead in search of enemy po
sitions. but found none.
FLAT AREA
The landing was made on tire
only extensive flat area of the en
tire triangle-shaped island, which
is between American-held Mindoro
and enemy-held Negros. Cruisers,
destroyers and rocket-firing sur
See PANAY Page 2
pfc.Tl. BRIDGES
KILLED IN ACTION
j Mrs. Velma Bridges of Shelby
j route 4, was notified by the war
| department this morning that her
j husband, Pfc. J. L. Bridges, pre
| viously reported missing in action
| was killed in action February 24 in
Germany. No other details were
: available.
THIRD, SEVENTH
ARMIES ARE
NEAR JUNCTION
Patton's Men Flanking
Siegfried Line, Patch's
Through It
20-ODD MILES APART
PARIS, March 20—(/P)—
German defenses collapsed in
the Saar basin today while
the rampaging American Sev
enth and Third Armies raced
.toward an imminent junction
near the Rhine.
Lt. Gen. George S. Patton’s
Third Army flanked com
pletely the Siegfried and al
ternate Hunsbrueck lines in
the Saar and Palatinate and
in sweeping gains moved
within four miles of the sec
ond Palatinate city of Kaisers
lautern, within nine miles of
Mainz and 20 miles of the
chemical center of Ludwigs
hafen.
Seventh army was completely
through a 12-mile stretch of the
Siegfried line between Sarrbrueck
en and Zweibruecken.
A pocket around Saarbruecken
and the great steel mills of the
Saarland was all but closed—if not
already so since developments were
lagging hours behind reports de
layed by security blackouts. In the
Kaiserlautern area, the armies
were but 20-odd miles apart and
closing fast.
More than 50,000 of the originally
estimated 80,000 Germans of the
enemy's first and seventh armies
! already were counted as casualties.
In seven blazing days. Patton's
offensive has inflicted at least 45,
000 casualties on the original 80,000
I Germans in the Rhine-Mopelle
| Saar pocket, Correspondent E. D.
I Ball said in a dispatch from the
f front.
Prisoners alone totaled up to
i 20.000 and the Seventh army had
taken at least 4,000 additional.
NEAR JUNCTION
Patton's troops crashed to within
four miles of the major Palatinate
road center of Kaiserlautern and
captured Alzey, 23 miles from the
chemical centers of Mannheim and
Ludwigshafen on the Rhine. The
Third army was less than 25 miles
from the Seventh army in the Kai
serlautern area. Ball messaged:
"With the Siegfried line flank
ed, the Third and Seventh army
should meet shortly somewhere
: near the Rhine.”
Patton's army captured 8,353
prisoners yesterday alone and 45
or more towns.
The Seventh army attacking the
Saar and Palatinate from the
south breached or threatened the
main Siegfried Tine in a 12-mile
| stretch between Saarbruecken and
j Zweibruecken. The seventh itself
! was bidding for a clean break
through to snap a trap shut on
Germans remaining in the heart
of the Saarland. </Pt Correspondent
Lewis Hawkins reported.
A dimout was imposed at noon
on movements of the Seventh ar
my's tank forces moving from the
Rhine valley opposite Karlsruhe.
FORTIFICATIONS BELTS
The Third army flanked the two
German fortification belts by cap
; turing a Hessian town founded by
See THIRD Page ’
Fort Dufferin
Taken By Allies
i —
LONDON. March 20—i.P)— Fort
Dufferin in Mandalay has been
captured by Allied forces, a dis
| patch from Mandalay said today.
The fort had been a holdout
! stronghold in the Burma city.
Himmler Was In On
Later Reneged When
By LOUIS F. LOUII1NLK
Copyright. 1945, By The
Associated Press
BONN, Germany, March 20—{/Pi
—Heinrich Himmler, Gestapo chief
whose name is associated with
some of the blackest deeds com
mitted by Nazi Germany, was in
on the plot last July 20 to assas
sinate Adolf Hitler, apparently with
the hope of becoming No. 1 man
in the Reich.
Himmler afterward reneged, de
claring he had pretended to play
along just to get evidence on the
plotters.
That is the story I have been
told by a man who now is a fu
gitive from German authority be
cause he also was implicated in the
attempt on Hitler's life. My in
formant is a man 1 have known
tor years. j. *
(Lochner, cnief of the former
Associated Press Bureau in Beilin,
Mans to return to the German
;apital when it falls).
It was Himmler, according to my
nformant, who delegated H. Joh
annes Popitz, Prussian finance
minister, to sit in on ttte conspi
rators’ meetings. He also sent an
attorney named Langbehn to Swit
serland to ask the Allies whether
le, Himmler, would be acceptable
n case Hitler ceased to exist.
STOOL PIGEON
But seven days after the ill-fat
ed attempt Himmler, in order to
rlear himself, asserted it actually
ivas Popitz who had contacted him
about the plot and that he had
gone along simfllv to try to trip
ap the conspirators.
Plot Against Hitler;
Attempt Had Failed
i uoi. uen. uiawig tsecK, iormer: i
j chief of staff of the German army
j who resigned when he realized
Hitler's reckless course, was the i
[ spiritual as well as the active lead
I er in the plot.
Col. Count Claus Von Stauf
fenberg, a one-armed, one-leg
ged hero of the First World
War, actually placed the bomb
under Hitler’s chair. Hitler es
caped only with injuries and
burns because he had gotten
up just before the bomb ex
ploded and stepped to a cup
board to look for a magnify
ing glass.
The conspirators first got toae
| ther in December. 1941, shortly
| after the United States entered the ,
I war. My informant said America
entry made defeat a certainty to
:very thinking German.
Unknown even to Hitler, a first
isisa&sination attempt was carried
>ut in December. 1943. but the bomb
was defective and was recovered
jefore Hitler's associates discover
'd it.
The ideal occasion for putting
he plot into effect in earnest seem
'd to come when Hitler invited
Vlussolim to general headquarters
near Loezen in East Prussia to
attend a ceremony incorporating
:wo fascist divisions into the Ger
nan army.
Von Stauffehberg was the offi- J
:er designated to swear in the f
italluns. Field Marshal Wilhelm
:ve tel opened the ceremony with ,
a 10-minute address. Sfauffenberg
See HIMMLER Page I