North Carolina Newspapers

THE ASHEMiE CITIZEN THE WEATHER: FAIR. CITIZEN WANT AD3 BRING RESULTS VOL. XXXIV, NO. 64. ASHEVILLE, N. 0., MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 17, 1917. PRICE FIVE CENT'S The Unwelcome Visitor HEAVY SACRIFICE OF MEN AND FIVE DAYS FIGHTING FOR BUSINESS IS GIVE TEUTONS POSITION ALL TRANSPORTS Make Slight Advance Against Italians Much Pre-Holiday Work Quartermaster Genera) Has Been Accomplished W Since Opening. Although at Great Cost Agreement Sharpe Points Out Ne-." cessity for Legislation. for Armistice Between Bolsheviki and ill RECORD LVAHTS MILITARY SERVICEMEN! IDE BY CONGRESS PROHIBITION VOTE TO BE TAKEN TODAY Prohibition Advocates Con fident of Approval. May Recess Tomorrow WASHINGTON, Dec. 18. With an unusual record for business ac complished at a pro-holiday session . already made, congress turns to- morrow to A. flAAn-un nt Anmtwtin , Jt&glslatlon before the Christmas holl- days, after which It proposes to de vote Itself exclusively to war prob lems. Adjournment Tuesday until January S a holiday recess some what 16nger than usual is planned under a house resolution which comes before the senate tomorrow. Binoe the session began a fortnight ago, congress has declared war against Austria-Hungary, extended tne presi dent's $100,000,000 war emergency fund, made progress on natural re source legislation, recommended by the president; passed the $333,000,000 postomce appropriation bill through the. house and launched several lm- fiortant Investigations, including those n the army and navy war prepara tions and the sugar and fuel shortages. Much Other Business. To be squeezed into two days before the recess Is much other important legislation and during the r committees will proceed with investi gations and drafting of appropriation bills to follow in the new year. Chief interest -now is in the nation wide prohibition question to be voted on by the house tomorrow afternoon at 6 o'clock. Prohibition advocates are confident of approval, by consider ably more than -the necessary two thirds majority, of the resolution for submission to the states of the na tional prohibition amendment to the constitution. The resolution was adopted August 1, last, by the senate by a vote of sixty-five to twenty. Action by the states three-fourths .of which : must . approve before the amendment becomes effective is re quired in seven years by the house resolution and six yean under the Onate resolution, . . .. . .,.. Must Bo Adjusted. If the house acta - tomorrow, the difference must be adjusted in con ference"' 'and the eonference report VlMpted by bottr bodies before the f resolution 'ir submitted- I 6 the" States: Xiveijr... aenttte . is- expeoteo -m- ui house. wlth . demonstration by the prohibition forces which have fought forbears to set action from congress. Disposal before the'- recess of the proposed woman suffrage amendment 1b regarded as impossible. A vote may be taken in the house soon, after the holidays. Polls conducted by the leaders indicate defeat of the inlifrin. In whtnh nvflnt a senate one might be tought for a record and Its effect on public opinion. The senate tomorrow will resume consideration of the Walsh-Pittman cowl and oil land leasing bill, which probably will pass Tuesday, In futher ance of the program of legislation for natural resource development. Investigation by the senate military affairs committee Into the war depart ment's operations will be resumed to morrow, with Major General Crosier, chief of ordnance, again under exami nation. Several more days probably will he spent In the ordnance inquiry, with Co'onel Lewis, inventor of the Lewis r. achine gun, army ordnance experts and department officials as witiioaaes. Secretary Baker will be I railed before the inaulry closes. Plans to begin Inquiry into the naw's war activities will be made to morrow bv the house naval sub committee. Hearings of department heads, it Is expected, will begin at Ann., t Investigation of the sugar and fuel Germans Has Been Signed. HEADQUARTERS OF THE ITALIAN ARMY IK NORTHERN ITALY, Saturday, Dec. 15, (By the Asso ciated Press) After a heavy sacrifice of men and five days of continuous fighting the enemy has succeeded in making another slight advance, bringing his position up to Caprille Hill, just east of the Brenta river. This repre sents an advance of about three-quarters of a mile, its chief importance being that Caprille is one of the domi-. nating heights at the head of Ban .Lorenzo valley, leading southward to the plains toward which the enemy is per sistently exerting all his pressure. As his chief effort the previous week was to gain command of the passes west of the Brnjta river so, all his attention in the last week has been given to tne passes on the east bank. The fighting durujj ttiS last five days has been heavy and at times despjate for the control of strategic positions. - ' Double Aspect The struggle yesterday and today took on a double aspect, with the Italians attacking on the right of Mount Pertica, occupied by the enemy while the Austrians con centrated their attacks on the left, around Mount Beretta and its neighboring hill, Caprille. The Alpinis again dis tinguished Themselves in charges up the slopes of Pertica in an effort to redeem the hill but while all reports agree that heaps of enemy dead marked the course of the Alpini assaults, they were unable to maintain their positions at the summit exposed to the sweep of enemy batteries. Austrian attacks on the left were twice repulsed, but late yesterday with a large addition of fresh troops, the Austrians reached the summit of Uapnlle wnile tne Italian lines were correspondingly drawn-back. Although Caprille is at the head of San Lorenzo valley, the passage along i . 11 1 11 1 l J.L. 1 " 1. - J.T. " J L.I tms vaiiey is conirouea Dy me utugiius oa vow siuee ueia by the Italians. , . - CONTINUE ETFOETS.- Notwithstanding the . terrible losses they have sus- rnwd-th (rMttttiidiAtistrT mountainous region of northern itary continue, tneir Ef forts to break the: Italian line and open s passageway : the lower plains bejow. In JBYance and Belgium there ts little military activity, except for small engagements by outposts and raiding contingents and artillery duels, ijie nearest approach to attacks in force were made by the Germans Saturday night in the Champagne ' -region of (CONTINUED OK PAGE TWO.) (Continued, on Page Two.) ADMIRAL VON TiHPITZ 0 BBITI HAS IN IN THE WAR UP TO DATE Declares Peace Based Status Quo Ante Out of Question. . on GERMANY'S NEEDS. AMSTERDAM. Dec. -The Ger , man newspapers contain lengthy ac counts Ovb speecn or urana Aa ' mind v.T'Trtpits, before the Him "burg brknch of the ratherland party. In which the admiral amid: "Up f to the - present in this war . Oreut Britain has won, rather than lost. Peace based on the status quo ante or on renunciation, therefore, is out of the question for Germany." With reference to the rumor .that Germany would give up Zeebrugge and Ostend if the British evacuated Calais. Von Tripltisald: . . "The evacuation of Calais would never be equivalent to the loss of such flnrt-cUss security. . Moreover, the channel tunnel will become a fact after the war. For real security, we should hare, besides- Flanders and Antwerp, Calais sad Bologna The rumor ia question is a screen behind trhich the question of Flanders might lMperuiitted to disappear. The pre . tax that ws cannot , coerce Great Britain and .America falls on the ground when ws consider the growing scarcity of the cargo spaoa of our ruthless arch ensmy. The time for final decision will corns whan real dls- tree begins to take the place of mere ly threatening distress. . That tune MOVEMENT TO REALIZE NATIONAL ENTITY OF THE JEWS IS LAUNCHEO Practical Re-Occupation o Holy Land Is Expect ed to Follow. BIO FUND OUTLINED. BAITIMOTtE, Dee. Two hun dred leaders of the Zionist organlsa. -Moo of the country launched at convention hero today the movement to realim Jewioh national entity as a result of the capture of Palestine from Turkey. Intimation was ' gn during -the sneetmg that a practical rejoccupatloa of the Holy Land would be under way tat a month or two. A cable rouolvcd from London said physicians and nurses and , medical units could go to Palestine within another month and it was Informally announced that uio American Jew tab unit organised-by the Hadassah, tho ymec s Zionist organisation of the country. Is ready to begrin work ia Peeatine at one. The outlines of an international Jewish fund of 1100,004,000 to make to Jewish TweoeupaUon real aad Draottaal were given and I8S.000 was raissd toward an initial 1 1.000,009 of the international fund with whidh to Decin toe i aissiiiiiisuuii 01 sne The I100.000.eo0 road ts to Us nssd for constructive) and . adonlmotratrre work m tho new Jewish state. The delegates were primed to return to their homes to form Vocal organise lions to raise funds for. the national trsasury. A resoldtion of gratitude to Great Britain for the liberality of Us dec laration andoislng the re establlsh- tnt of Palestine as tho national. bom for tho Jws was passed. ' Assoc late Justice Loins u. Brandeia of tho Supreme court of tho United States, appeared unexpectedly and ex tended his ootsgratuhiUons to the mists tor tb prosceotire realisa tion of their dreams ... ' . SAXJCOir AS FOOD. WA8HLVOTON. Dee. !. Food added to the nation's war-time store houses by tne HIT oaten ot Alaska salmon was the largest amount in the history of tho territory aad far. ex ceoded in value that of any other sea u The pack of eaoined salmon win aggregate t.k0.00 esses, the bureau of nshkiies announced today, valued MOST COMPREHENSIVE FOOD INVENTORY EVER MADE WILL START TODAY Schedules Will Be Mailed to AH Producers and Deals in Country. NEED PRECISE DATA. WAaHJKOTOJf, Doe. It. The most oomprebensive Inrsntory of Amerloan food rssouroea ever made 'the war emergency food survey, authorised by corgress win begin this week with the mailing of the first bateH of mors than tie.000 schedules or question I, a Ires to the food producers and deal ers in every section of the country. The object is to give the government producers, dealers and consumers ex act Information of the quantities of the various Important food materials on nana, so that safs arrangements can be made for conserving and dis tributing stocks rl&y for use and for producing th"pplles nesdJ to; tho coming jrf. From the producer to the mil re tail dealer, every person handling food supplies will be required to furnish reclse data or tho stock on ban J ecember tt. No attempt to classify maivtauai lamuy stecx, win be mads. Plans saving been completed for de- tern.lring average household needs by small survey or a representaUvs number of specially selected homos in au parts or the country. . A line not exceeding 11.000' or Im nriaonmsnt not exceeding one' year' or both may os imposed lor wilful fall' ore to make correct reports upon ra- qa t.. ' -, v . ,jt 8EVKKTEEN HISSING. - 4 . v.-- WABHIKOTON. -Dec II. GASTOtl B. MEANS IS FOUND "NOT GUILTY" OF MURDER OF MRS. KING AFTER SOME DELIBERATION BY JURY Verdict Rtlomtd Shortly After tO &clock Ytsterdaj nd Uetns Is Immediately Released From CustodfNo Demonstration Following Verdict, But Defendant Receives Congratu- latloas ot His Friends os Streets. , CONCORD, N. C., Dee. l.-r-"Not guilty" was the verdict of ths jury In the case - of Oaston B. Means, charged with (ha tturdar of Mrs. Mands A. -King, widow of a Chicago millionaire, who was shot to death at Blaokwslder Spftnk, near Concord, on the evening of Aufuat tl last The Jury mads known Its verdict at t . o'etoek" fhb f; mernlnf. after having deliberated sine T o clock mu urday night.' Tha finding was, mad known, .to Judo. XtCUas4sk Cabarrus county courU'oom . in the pressncs of thft aetsndant, his wife, ins father-ana motner, otner relatives. renresefltatlves of counsel 'and several others who had learned that the lurx was about to make its report and bur' nsd to tee courtnouse. ' ' If 6 Bomonstrtuion. There was no dtmonstratlon, prob. ably prevented by a warning Judge Cllne had given before hearing ' the Jury's report, accompanying it with instructions to Sheriff Caldwell to ar rest anyone who made any demonstra tion. . However, a little later, when the prisoner had been formally dis charged and the court 'adjourned. Means was surrounded ; by. relatives. attorneys and friends, who hastened to shake : his hand and ' congratulate him upon his acquittal, . Alter nis release, accompanied oy hie srifa Means left the , courtroom and went' to ths home Of hie father. little later, he reappeared on the streets of the town where scores of friends extended congratulations. As he and Mrs. Means were leaving the courtroom . they met one. of his sis ters who had Just arrived and the two women rushed into ' one another's arms, weeping for Joy. i; .-. Send Word to Jtodge. At 1:10 o'clock this morning, the Jury sent Sheriff Caldwell to Judge Cllne's hotel to request that he appear In courtroom. The Judge was at breakfast and it was 19 o'clock before he reached the courtroom.' To the crowd that had assembled,, he made known the fact that the Jury was about to appear but that he had not been apprised wnetner it was reaoy to announce a decision. In the event such was the case, - thsre must not be any demonstration, regardless of what ths Jury's finding might be. Then he had directed' the sheriff to arrest any ons violating his instructions. - He also cautioned against any attempt to talk with any of ths Jurors before they were disonarged. When the Jurors had filed into the courtroom, Judge Cllne told them that during hie charge of the day before, he had inadvertent referred to the time of the .sheeting ee "In -the eve ning" and asked if they interoretsd that ..taataan. 'a express ' hsjf"3atE,- itUig opinion as to the fact of the time of j Means rehttli ine irageay. in unisoni tns jurors replied they had not The clerk of the court then .asked the formal question as to whether a verdict had been arrived .at J. Frank Goodman, wiie nan oeen cnoeen foreman, an. swtred In the affirmative. Directing the defendant to stand and raise hie right hand, the clerk then asked the jury if they "found the defendant guilty or not guilty of the erime charged." . "Not Gouty." "Not guilty." resiled Foreman Goodman. Judge Frank Osborne, of for the defense, then asked Solicitor Hayden Clement if he had any further charge against the defendant to which the solicitor replied "I have not" Judge Osborne .then formally asked th court to release the de fendant from custody. and Juris Clins said: ' Ths defendant is released." Gaston B. Means then entered nnnn the first full day of freedom since he went to Jan in September, walvln preliminary hearing before a masts. trate. 'ot papers end documents of various kinds seised at Means' apartment In New Tork. These Mr. Doollng took wnn mm wnen ne ten ror New Tork last night, soms of thorn being subject o us oraer or tne New zork courts. It has been rumored that In the event of acquittal on the charge of murder, Means might be proseouted In New Tork on other charges. When tsked aboht this.- Solicitor Havdan Clamant said this afternoon, that ha did .not anticipate any such action, but that h wi epeaa wun eutnorny. ' ? lV."ho was on a vliilt to relatlvea. net death swif. welder ftprtn. a lonehr snot n th oounury near here early on the even mt of August . last. With Means ana a party of Ms friends, she had stopped WhMoon an automobtio itriv. presumaUy that she might practice ohootins; with Hall, pistol Means oudhtl ,ifor .her. Means ana taie woman were olono at the Ainu - v.. . m : . . ' - uut it. a oiniBin ana Al ton Mesas, 'a brother of " Oaston Means, having .walked down the road to snoot reooitav a coronere inouast acoemtod the, statement of Gaston Means that she shot herself accidentally. After the woman's ody was taken tn Ohtaam tfor burial, charges of foul play were muo. x nmrm vne coronor s pnysiclan declared that the wound m the back of the woman's head would not have loeen seii-mniotea.' Probably no trial aver etmanMA in North, Carolina, has held the wide in terest of that of Means, nor, has any brought more attendants from other numoer or witnesses from New Tork and Chicago testifying. Assistant District Attorney John T Doollng. of New Tork city, assisted in the prosecution, coming to Concord at the request of Solicitor Clement be cause both Means and Mrs. Means wrVMc.ra4 eitlsens of that state. Mr. Doollng brought with him a mass The tavesMsatloto ehtfted t M Tork where Mrs. Kmsr had resided tor several years end where Means had handled hr buamess affairs. Search of the apartments there of Mrs, Ktn and her sister and Mr. and Mrs. Gas- ton Means disclosed, aocordlnc to New Tork officials, that Means had misappropriated the woman's monev, and also that he was conmscted with German agent Documents seised In the apartments' were cited by New Tork as proof of these saeertMna Mrs. Kin had inherited approximately $1,. 000,000 from her second husband, the late James C. King of Chicago and New Tork, and Chicago officials de- 1 dared nearly all of this sunt had! "vanished" during the time Means connected with tne woman's af CIVILIANS ARE NOT : RELIABLE, HE SAYS Cites Instances of Men Holding Up. Trans- ' ports b y Demands. WASHINGTON. Dec. ld.-Tmmodl. ate legislation to hring the crews of ' transports, mine layers - and . other !' army vessels Into the tnfiMary service 4s urgently recommended by Quarter master General Sharpe m his annual ' report, made pubJw tonight, Contln ual difficulties with civilian crews are , deocrtbed, with, the eonrflustarv that grave danger can be averted only by v masking officers and men subject to JnUkary dlscipUna - ' ' New Element The report adds a im Almn the controversT ever h muiin ships carrylnc troops and supplies to Ourope, A proposal to have u inur. . 4can overseas merchant craft (nam nod : y naval reserves has been . rejected y the Oh lipping board, which reoentlV announoed that' the navy would op-' AMMI -kMa . - . . .my. i carry- . ing solely military supplies, hut that an otnors would retain their merchant crews. ' . . ! - : General Sharne oroihaMv win atw. pear, this week as a witness in ths . enate military Investigation army war preparations and his toattmony ' with Its proposal ofetUl another plan may result ia a general airing of the subject before the commit Dee. . . an abnormal demand for seamen. General Sharpe'o report says, there Aas been trouble. Thej chief dlflloulty ' encountered for several years' was with the oonstant Changing of crews ' as men were drawn w K aitm of higher pay m the merchant ser vice, interfering with the sneed and Precisian of suah tmnortant duHeo thartior tnltrkig and troops rnovomenta, ' - .iranspons tieia. tp.--He cites several inetanoes : where rtny trvpots ready to sail with. "- -eeitv s ti. sjvajfMieTSS tnmHM ' VWW 1 ibeld up by demands for higher pay or tne crews. Tt flmanle 'ha-vS had to ' he met he said. f- the -; ehkpe-oould sail. , - (', :-a, ' , law." be report ears 'tho deoartmenfe - - has found itself seriously embarrass- - ea - ana nsoaicaippea M undertaking; t to accede te the demands for i-n-creases and in several fee Dances an adjuwtntent to meet the renutrement or the crew has only rewiWed In a .(Continued on Page Two) ELECTIVE OfliFT THE GREAT ISSUE TODAY in .. .'I ttECTIOliS Most . Bitterly . Contested Campaign In History of Dominion. SOLDIEBS VOTE. (Continued on Fag Two,) BOLSHEVIKI-TEUTONIC - -f IS Seventeen enlisted men of the 4- United States army enaineer corps were reported missing in e- action on November 10, the day -4 of the .German turning 'move- most at Cambrel aad are be- Ileved to have fallen Into-' the hands of the Germans while fight- lag valiantly with the engineer contingent whloh distinguished e Itself helping the British to check the attack. Tho men were all from New Tork. New Jer eey aad New England points. - . Becomes Effective at Noon Today - and Is in Force Until January 14. BERLIN. tvU London, Deo. 10). An armistice agreement between the Bolsheviki government in Russia and the Teutonic albas was signed at Brest Xdtovsk, Saturday,, according to an official communication .Issued today. The. armistice, becomes effective . at noon Monday end is to remain in force, until January It. A provision m the armistice agree- mentis that peace negotiations are to begin homed lately after the signta of the armistice, i- TJi text of the oommnneeaMon fol lows: . . , r . . , ... . ... . . ; An annlstsee agreement was sign ed at 9rest-X4tovsk yesterday by yesntpotentlary representatives of the Russian upper army administration the en hand and those of the npner army dtorl adtnintetrattoM of Germany, Austria-Hungary. Bulgaria and Turkey en the other hand. r "The armistice begins at noon De- eewher IT and remains In force on to January II, Unices eeven days notice is given it continues In force automatically, tt extenda te all the land, air aad naval corces of the common fronts. ,. 'According to Uauss nrne of the v, pce negotfauens are ee ke- HUGE TOBACCO PLJINT AT IS Britisn-American Tobacco . Company's Buildings Burn to Ground. NORFOLK, Va, Dec. , II. The plant of the British-American To bacco company, oomposed of to six- etory buildings, on Water 'street, was completely wiped out by Are this eve ning. The estimated loss is tlOO.000. The fire originated on the second floor of the new building, facing, on water street ana quickly spread to ths old structure in the rear. The new building was , completely .de stroyed. The old building was gutted. An immense stock of tobacco aad several floors of cigarette machinery were destroyed. .-. Several explosions of bey rum-after tns discovery of the nre caused the flames to spread rapidly.. At ons time tt tooked like the United States cus toms house would go, ana a guard of marines was thrown about ths struc ture by request' of offlclala . The origin of the are le a mystery. Fire department officials declare it was probably . ths work of an in cendiary. The entire plant' was used for the manufacture of cigarettes for expsrtation to England and franco. Three hundred and fifty people will be thrown out of employment , ' . . . THE WEATHER. L MARYUNO PILOT BOAT Pilot Boat Caught in Sub marine Net. No Lives Lost "WAJHTNXTTON. Dec II. for North Caroitaai Tmtr Monday end AN ATLANTIC PORT, Dee. U. The Maryland pilot boat Pilot while caught in a submarine net off this port, was rammed and- sunk by ths steamer. Berkshire, of ths Merchant and Miners' Transportation company. No lives were lost The Berkshire was only slightly damaged.' The Pilot was sn route to the city early today for eoal and supplies and became en tangled in the submarine net Is try ing to enter the inner harbor. With a misty rain falling and foggy eondi lions prevailing the - pilot and crew, who tne exception or captain areen, her commander and two of the operat ing crew, came ashore for the day.' . The Berkshire, Inbound from lata in the afternoon la passing ths net rammed the Pilot nearly amid ships. The little ' craft remained afloat but a few minutes, before sink ing, stern first in about sixty fast of tor. . Captain Green aad the two other men aboard were taken oft by the- custom house launch. Several other ships including the Berkshire, lowered boats to aid In. ths rescue work, r ' a . The Berkshire suffered . onlv la. dented plates la her prow.' Officers ire silent tonight ae te the cause for the accident, except that at the time sa has erer set (est TiferweiMa4 saseA st ls OTTAWA. Dec. It.- With selective nooacrlptlon as the great issue, the voters of Canada will . decide tomor. row. whether the1 new union rove ra iment of air Robert Borden shall re main in offloe or Sir Wllf rid Laurfer, the veteran leader of the. liberal on Position, shall he restored to power. Th campaign. Just ended is consid ered the snost important as well as the most bitterly contested in the his-' tory of the dominion, " ..iv There are approximately i, BOO, 000 electors, of whom afcout SRO.000 are soldiers over-seas. -The military voto already has been cast in camps and trenches in almost every quarter of the world. ......,. , Prime Minister Borden . and ', his ' supporters are etanding squarely on. ti consrrtpticej issue end apparent ly have no fear of the result, j They ; maintain tliat the soldier vote and that Of women relattves of mem rn , their eervtce wiH- Us . east almost ,t solidly for them. They have conten ded in their campaign that defeat for" the union government would mean -, that Canada must drop out of the war . for lack of men to keen her flrhrmg forces up to the necessary strength. . Bir wiimo as an alternative to the compulsory conscription law he . ' has proposed a referendum. The Be ' leaders na asserted ' that un der their leadership the province- of Quehee. which - thus- far has offered comparatively few soldlere te the eer- rloe of the domMHon. would provide more volonteers than could be en- . Mseed by eonrptrislon. They professedv, tonight te believe they wHI have . - snejonlty of tt seats in parliament - THE SUN DAT CITIZEN v :' ?t v Gty . . . . ..4.741 Suburban , 2, T80 Country . e 1.247 Net fid ', , 8.168 Serica. 224 Unpaid . . . , " 1 7 1 ' Total , . . . 8.36J BiO ft H (I OnA .MP VVU. tA MlrtA kmA-m stages ea ai