W-—
; The Largest Paid-Up
Circulation of Any
Newspaper Published
in Randolph County
“Over 10,000 People
Welcome You to
Asheboro, the Center
of North Carolina”
ILUMELXI
ASHEBORO, N. C., THURSDAY, DEC. 23,1937
NUMBER 176
where the Hoover Went Aground
CHINA
President Hoover sails frohi
Kobe, Japan to Manila. P. I.
FOOCHOW
Takes unusual route
to avoid war perils
in Shanghai area.
TSHfcfiW*
(FORMOSA)
AMOV
Midnight Dec. 10 strikes
reef off Hoishoto Island.
Dawn, Dec. 11, passengers
safely set ashore
Dec. 13—all passengers
taken aboard rescue ship.
Dec 20—Hoover breaks
up.
LUZON
SOUTH
CHINA
SEA
Dec. 15, President McKinley
arrives at Manila with
shipwrecked passengers.
MANILA
This 'map tells graphically the story of the luxury liner President
Hoover’, lost voyage, when she sailed a strange course and went
aground off Hoisho’o—an island so little known that few chart
show it. Taking off 435 passenger*,- the -crew stayed with tlv
vessel until her keel was broken by the pounding waves.
1‘Santa” Jumps From Plane
■With Toy Bag; Feared Lost
B. F. Spivey Dies
Last Night In
Randolph Hospital
Benjamin Spivey, 40 year old
engineer of Home Building, Inc.,
su ccumbed last night in the Ran
lolph hospital to pneumonia fol
lowing a week’s illness.
Mr. Spivey, the son of the late
Mi. .'iid Mrs. J. M. Spivey, has
be< :i residing in Asheboro for the
pa.-.i eight or nine years.
Surviving are his wife, the for
mer Miss Alice Hancock, and the
following: one son, Wayne; three
daughters, Dorothy, Ruth, and
Rer.a. all of the home; six brothers,
El* of Steeds, Temple and Henry
of Star, 3. W. and E. M. of Ashe
bo.o and Jonah of Pleasant Gar
den; three sisters, Mrs. J. W.
Lewis of Candor, Mrs. Jesse Har
relsnn of Asheboro and Mrs. James
Ou'rfield of Mount Pleasant.
The funeral will be conducted
at the Dover Baptist church in
Moore county Friday afternoon at
2 o'clock, Rev. William Garner of
Rundleman officiating. The body
will remain in, Farlow’s funeral
home in Asheboro until 1 o’clock
Friday at which time it will be
removed to the' burial place. In
terment will follow the service in
the church cemetery.
Memorial Today
For Bingham At
Westminster
London, Dec. 23.—(.U—Strains
of the Star Spangled Danner soft
ly echoed today in Westminister
Abbey’s recesses as Great Britain’s
cabinet members and foreign dip
lomats and others attended the
memorial service for United States
Ambassador Robert W. Bingham.
Foreign minister Anthony Eden,
friend of the late ambassador, was
pb s'cially moved.
House Caucus
Planned For
Budget Prohe
Washington, Dec. 2.'1.—(/P)—Rep
resentative’ Dies (D.-Tex.) told
1‘rpsident Roosevelt in a letter to
day, that a house group would call
a caucus, or conference, “to agree
upon a definite program to balance
the budget immediately after con
gress reassembles."
He said an attempt would be
made to place organized house sup
port benind the executive’s budget
balancing program.
Moscow, Dec. 23.—(/P)—Soviet f
authorities last night announced
plans to take four polar campers
from a drifting ice floe as soon
as they get far enough south so
by ice
they can be approacl
fceakev*
Boston, Mass. Dec. 23.—<.!'>
—Army planes and police
boats searched Boston harbor
today for U. 8. Army corporal
Harold J. Krawer, 35, of Win
throp. Mass., whose parachute
descent as a “flyins Santa
Claus” turned to death last
night.
Boston, £>cc. 23.—</P>—High over
Boston airport, a brightly-costum
ed Santa Claus last night stepped
front a circling plane and, suspend
ed by a wind-caught parachute,
dropped and disappeared in dusk
blanketed Boston harbor as a
Christmas party of children look on
horrified.
Several hours later, two army
pilots reported they had seen the
body of the parachute jumper, 35
year-old Harold Kraner half in a
sandbar, half in the water. They
said Kraner still wore the para
chute;
Coastguard, army, navy, and
harbor police craft converged on
the general locality. Darkness and
a falling tide impeded the search.
Soon after the search started, an
army plane, taxing to a landing,
and a police automobile, rushing
underwater searchlights to the
scene, crashed, sending Sergeant
Edward J. Seiboldt, Boston police
ballistics’ expert, to a hospital crit
ically injured. Less seriously hurt
was hts assistant, Patrolman John
Ciorin
Almost simultaneously, a small
boat in which two enlisted army
men. Richard Miller and Earl Jor
dan, were searching for the para
chute jumper, capsized. Coast
guards pulled the men, half-drown
ed, from the frigid water. They
too, went to the hospital.
The accidents came at the climax
of a party for children of members
of an army air corps detachment at
the East Boston airport.
Jumping up and down with glee,
the children awaited the descent of
Kris Kringlc from the air when:
“Private Kramer stepped out of
the plane”, reported Captain Rich
ard E. Cobb, commanding officer of
the fetachmcnt and pilot of the
ship. "His ’chute opened. We were
about 1,500 feet above the airport.
There was a 40-mile-an-hour wind
blowing.
“The wind caught the parachute.
Kmmer landed in the water
about 150 to 200 feet from the
airport. He struggled to free him
self flora the parachute.”
CIO Warned In
Jersey City
Jersey City, N. J., Dec. 23.—CM
—Corporation counsel, Janies A.
Hamill, warned CIO and labor’s
non-partisan league leaders today
that if their members hold a “pub
lic parade or public assembly”
without a permit, or distribute cir
culars in any public place, they
would be “dealt with and punished
according to law.”
Raleigh, Dec. 23.—CPI—Dr. B. J.
Lawrence, Raleigh physician, has
accepted the post of surgeon con
sultant -t the Central prison here
Fred L. Dunlap, state highway and
public commission chairman, said
today. ■ J
Unemployment Probe, January 4
London Perfects
Technical Plan
For Battleship
Area In China
London, Dec. 2‘i.—(.'!’)—(ircut
Britain took .steps today to insure
quick action on part of her Medi
terranean fleet to the Orient in
any emergency.
A decision was understood to
have been reached, however, against
ifn mediate naval reinforcements
for the Far East.
Authorative sources said the
cabinet at yesterday’s and last
night s session considered admin
istration of a technical plan for
naval reinforcement but left fur
ther decision to prime minister
Neville Chamberlain and foreign
secretary Anthony Eden over the
ChWstmas holidays.
The cabinet was understood to
have decided large fleet move-1
merits, now, might be considered by
Japan as unduly provocative.
It was believed a decision would
be with held until Tokyo replies to
the recent Brist protest against
attacks on British shipping in the
Yangtze. The reply was expected
soon.
Plan To Let
People Vote On
War Referendum
l oqui vji .» vote ,of.
t?ic people Before a declaration of
Washington, Dec. 23.—Thei
natu nal movement to amend the
people
war has been accelerated with the
formation of the national commit
tee for a war referendum, headed
by Major Gen. William C. Rivers
of Pulaski, Tenn.
General Rivers, retired army of
ficer, is chairman of the newly
foinicd national committee which
includes prominent army officers
such as General Smedley I). But
ler, former marine commander;
well-known educators, including
Dr. Frank P. Graham, president of
the University of North Carolina,
and leading editors and publishers
such as William Allen White, edi
tor of The Emporia, Kans., Gaz
ette.
Opposed By Hull
This movement is bitterly op
posed by Secretary of State Hull
of Tennessee, on the ground that it
is sm encroachment upon the pre
rogative of the executive depart
ment of government as well as the
legislative. Secretary Hull is back
ed in his position by former Secre
tary of State Henry L. Stimson,
who declared, “the proposal, if
adopted, would not only revolu
tionize and destroy our existing
plans for national defense, but
would make any system of nation
al defense much less effective.”
For three years, Representative
Louis Ludlow, Democrat of Indiana
has sponsored a resolution in Con
gress proposing an amendment to
the Federal Constitution to have a
referendum on war except in the
case of actual invasion. Already a
sufficient number of House mem
bers have signed a petition to call
the lesolution from the rules com
mittee, where it has been buried,
and it will be one of the first
matters to conic before the new
session of Congress, commencing
January 3.
Twelve Die In
Gas Chamber;
22 Waiting
Raleign, Dec. 23-—(M—Twelve
men died in lethel executions at
state prison this year and 22 others
sat on “death row” today wonder
ing what the year 1938 would mean
to them.
This year was tinusual insofar as
executions at state prison went and
this morning Governor Hoey issued
| a statement telling of his actions on
I death cases, asserting the matter
of race or color should not be a de
termining factor in the adminis
tration of justice.
The governor commuted death
sentences of 10 persons, three white
and 7 negro men.
New York, Dec. 23.—</P)—Direc
tors of Westinghouse Electric &
Manufacturing company authorized
today a Christmas bonus to em
ployes of .$1 for each year’s serv
ice with the company, plus $6.
Latest Hollywood Merger
i mum mm ■■HHWHlHii;
The latest star and movie director to merge their domestic interest;
are glamorous Virginia Bruce and successful J. Walter Ruben, who
were married quietly at their temporary home in Beverly Hills,
Calil. Pictured after the ceremony are the bride and groom, with
Mrs. Ruben’s four-year-old daughter, Susan Ann Gilbert, whose
father.was the late John Gilbert.
Japanese Admit Firing
On Americans; Not Panay
Tokyo, Dec. 23—LB—The Jap
anese army today admitted, for
the first time, the machine gunn
ing of Americans in the Yangtze
river Panay incident but did not
admit firing on the gunboat it
self.
Lieutenant Colonel Yoshiaki
Nishi, former assistant Japanese
military attache at Washington,
described at length the incident in
which the Panay and three other
Air.qi lean vessels were, attacked.
TJe had just returned from an in
vestigation held at Pukow, across
the Yangtze from Nanking.
Nishi’s investigation had formed
National Guard
Regiments May
Be Reorganized
—
Raleigh, Dec. 23.-—OP)—Adjutant
General J. Van B. Metta said last
night tlv war department was
considering and probably would ap
prove a plan to reorganize four na
tional guard regiments in North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Ten
nessee.
Under the plan, the regiments
which are now split among the
three states, would be “redis
tricted’’ so that each unit would be
completely within the borders of
a state.
The contemplated change would
give North Carolina a full engin
eers regiment and South Carolina
would get a full artillery regiment.
Cavalry units at Asheville, Stat
esville ami Lincolnton would do
! changed to engineers units, Gener
al Metts explained. The number of
national guardsmen in this state
however, would not be changed.
“The reorganization will be in
the best interests of efficiency,” he
added. j
The Weather
North Carolina: Probably rain I
tonight and Friday. Slightly colder I
in control portion tonight. 1
i the basis'of previous official Jap
anese army statement on the Pan
ay incident.
Previously, the military attache
at Shanghai had issued a denial
of American charges that the Jap
anese army boats machine-gunned
the Panay.
On the same day, the Japanese
foreign office spokesman at Tokyo
reversed the government’s previous
denial that the Japanese army
craft had fired on the Panay.
He stated positively the Japan
ese. troops had failed to see iden
| tification or flags of any. kind.
Cotton Highways
May Prove
Outlet For Crop
Washington, Dec. 2.'5.—(.!’)—
Secretary Roper said yesterday ho
had received estimates that 10,000,
000 bales of cotton a year eventual
ly might be used in highway con
struction.
He explained that cotton had
been used successfully in many
states to re-enforce bituminous
surfaced highways.
The secretary said the estimate
came from experts outside the gav
eminent.
Roper auded that officials of the I
agriculture department and bu
reau of Air commerce had discussed
recently the possible use of cotton
products in construction of airport
runways.
The agriculture marketing divis
ion is concerned with greater utili
zation of cotton products,
j The bureau of air commerce an
nounced that arrangements were j
; being made to donate cotton mater- j
j ials to sponsors of airport projects,
I with a limit of $10,000 per project
'in the value of material furnished.
’-,f>’ - 1
Capitol Believes
Investigation
May Develop A
Major Situation
Washington, Dec. 23.—(.!’)—Of
ficials arranging for the senate
uneuiployinent investigation be
ing planned for January 4, today
indicated it would develop into a
broad analysis of the extent of
the 1 usiness recession.
Governmental and industrial
leaders will be called, they said,
to testify on the present indus
trial activity and prospects for
the next few months.
Some informed persons forecast
that the inquiry, under direction
of Senator Byrnes (D-S. C.) would
be one of the most important
events of the 1938 congressional
session.
It probably will provide the
background, they said, for the
dominant issues of the session—
governmental expenditures and
budget balancing.
Roosevelt Plans
Rough-Tumble
Fight Next Year
Washington, Dec. 2d.—</P>—Evi
dence accumulated today that Pres
ident Roosevelt forewarned, by his
experience at the special session of
congress, was preparing for a
rough and tumble battle with ad
ministration foes in the fprthcom
’tog-glgcticin -year -session. -
Developments in the house, which
sidetracked ' the administration
wage and hours bill has convinced
many observers the chief executive
will abandon the “hands off atti
tude” he assumed during the re
cent session and will take aggres
sive leadership of the legislative
program.
One bit of evidence they cited
was Mr. Roosevelt’s letter yester
day to the chairman of the house
roads committee, reiterating his
demands for curtailment of federal
appropriations.
Another was an appeal by Secre
tary Wallace for farmer support of
the wage and hours legislation ir.
return for labor support for the
farm bill.
The labor measure, he said, was
needed to “create a more construc
tive balance” between labor and
agriculture. But, most convincing,
to some political observers was the
White House conference with sen
ate libera! leaders Monday night,
that the chief executive would fight
for his legislative recommenda
tions, rather than compromise.
I Mexico City Hit
By ’Quake; Many
Pray In Streets
Mexico City, Dec. 23.—i.P)—A
heavy earthquake shook Mexico
Cay early today, killing at least
two persons and crushing adobe
homes at the outskirts of the city.
Communication with cities in
the interior were disrupted and
I led to the possibility they may
have suffered heavily.
One report was that Toluch
Park, in the southern part, was
damaged.
One aged woman was fatally in
jured here when the roof of her
home fell in and a man was elec
trocuted by a broken high tension
wire.
A number of adobe huts at the
edge of the city collapsed. The
people were calm, however, and
occasional Indians, praying in the
middle of the city, were the only
signs of alarm.
Yeager Captured
Raleigh, Dec. 23.—'Charles Yea
ger, 23-year-old safeblower, who
was one of the seven men figuring
in the sensational kidnap escape
from Caledonia prison farm Feo
ruary 15 under the leadership of
Bill Payne, has been caught in An
derson, lnd.
Emporium, Penn. Dec. 23. f.P>
|—An east, bound express of the
| Penn, railroad ran through an
' open switch and crashed, head-on
early today with a freight on a
siding.
The railroad reported 131 pas
sengers, two firemen apd an ex
press messenger had been hurt
but none seriously.
Wives Of U. S.
Workers Leave
New China Governme
___
She Won’t Be
Sold as Bride
Fourteen - year - old Margaret
Gozmanian. above, has returned
from France to the home of her
father, an unemployed laborer,
in Newark N. alter figuring
in a puzzling incident, .certain
she had escaped from being
“sold” into marriage with a 40
year-old man.who tiad offered
$350 tu« her uncle for her hand.
--n—
I Merchants Will
Observe Xmas;
Offices Close
Virtually every business- in Aslie
boro will be silent, Saturday,
Christmas day.
Merchants, with the possible ex
ception of drug stores, some to re- j
main open to accommodate per
sons seeking medicines and other
necessities, plan to close their stor
es Fridav night, and remain closed
until Monday morning.
Both 'or.nks will observe the ho!-J
iday as will the municipal and
county offices.
The Daily Courier, following its
policy of giving its employes a full
day of rest on Christmas day will
not publish its Sunday morning edi
tion, as such publication would de
prive the employes of the greater
part of Saturday.
The post office will be closed al
though patrons will have entry to
their mail boxes.
Chief Clarence Rush again today
cautioned residents of the city to
take extreme precaution against
fires over the holiday. Christmas’
trees, lighted with burning candles
or placed too near an open fire, he
pointed out, are a menace to safe
ty.
Public officials also advised ex
treme caution in the use of fire
works.
Wage And Hours
Legislation To
Be Revived
Washington, Dec. 23.—(.P)—A
new administration bid for enact
ment of wage and hour legislation
came vesterdav from Secretary
Wallace.
The agriculture department chief
expressed hope that representativ
es from farm areas would support
the sidetracked labor standards bill
at the regular session of Congress
beginning in January.
He toid reporters that the bill
was necessary to promote a “more
constructive balance” between la
bor and agriculture.
Saying that representatives from
farming areas had helped send the
measure back to a house commit
tee for revision, Wallace added:
“Many city representatives sup
ported the administration farm bill
when its fate was in doubt. Rep
resentatives of agricultural consti
tuencies were not quite' as con
siderate of labor as representatives
of labor constituencies have been of
agriculture.
He declared the bill to fix min
imum wages and maximum work
ing hours would help the farmer
rather than hurt him.
i
Hangkow, Dec. 23.—(.1*)—Three
hundred American and other
foreigners fled a feared attack on
this temporary seat of China’s gov
eminent tonight.
They were aboard an interna
tional “Christmas express” evacua
tion train.
The flag drapped train nf which
both Chinese and Japanese had been
informed in advance, was expect
ed ix reach Hongkong on Christ
mas or the day after.
Of the 300 refugees, 97 were
Americans, mostly wives and fam
ilies of missionaries at Hankow,
Wucnang and Hangkow. All Amer
icans and other foreigners have
been urged to evacute the Yangtze
vailey.
Another international train will
leave here next week with several,
hundreds of additional refugees,
including a number of Americans
for Jiuling.
.Shanghai, Dec. 23.—(/P)—Japan
ese officials today announced the
foimation of a new autonomous
government at Nanking, presumb
ly icplacing the Chinese regime of
General Chaing who fled from the
former capitol a month ago.
The Japanese army announced
the capture of Nanking December
13 rnd the. Japanese army and
navy commanders in this section
maac a triumphant entry four
days later.
Recent Japanese military oper
ations on uii arc, west and north
of Nanking, has been described as
designed to prevent any Chinese
counter attacks which would upset
the Japanese plan for a new pro
visional government at-Nankingr' • - *
Ten days ago, “a provisional gov
ernment of China” was proclaimed
under Japanese auspices at Peip
in<", renamed Teking. It aspired to
be the government of all China and
raised the flags of the Teking re
gime, which ruled China before the
nationals revolution of 11)26-28.
Hov the Teking and Nanking rc
gemts are to be reconciled has not
been made clear.
From Nanking, various depart
ments of the Chinese government
fled late in November.
A Japanese army spokesman pre
dicted the early capture of Hang
chow historic capitol of Chekiang,
southwest of Shanghai and Japan
ese authorities warned foreigners
to evacuate the city.
It was feared evacuation of
Americans anil other foreigners
from Hhangchow would be diffi
cult.
Dismal Picture
Painted By PWA
In Employment
Washington, Dec. 23.—L-P)—A
PWA official estimated today that
2,000,000 persons had become un
employed since September 1 and
that 1,000.000 more might be cut
of jobs by the. end of February.
These estimates were made by
Leon Henderson, consulting econo
mist, while preparations were made
for the senate unemployment in
vestigation, beginning January 4.
CHRISTMAS
SUPERSTITIONS
I-- II X X \ I
Babies born on Christmas Eve
possess a ready tongue, while
those bom Christmas Day do
not have such a "gilt of gab”
but better logic, according to a
superstition in the Vosgea
Mountain region of' Germany.
I Shopping
'Till
I ■ ' _ •*
a m&M.’