thf, Datty Independent
. B J 1 1 J ? J j % I I J 8 Ij ll/lj l I moderate shifting winds becoming east
frs. warmer on coast. -L _m_J-L 1 1 erly over south portion and fair Tues.
_ 1908 COMBINED WITH THE INDEPENDENT, A WEEKLY ESTABLISHED BY W. 0. SAUNDERS IN 1908 1936
Krrr- !>'T KT^X'tah r.;Ty ELIZABETH^lTY^j^UESDAY^MARCH 23, 1937 En>^ tlutT' c" SINGLE COPY 5 CENTS
i[)isaster
inquiry
?ft e p o r t s
Hgffurt to Save Heat
? jjjjr Costs Brought
? Death to 426
? from Basement
^?siijierinleiult'iO NVar (Jol
? lapx- Vtter loll ins; of
? lappiirj: (?as Main
| New London. Tex.. March 22.?
? Xatur;-.: vis. piped into the
? v schoolhouse to
I sue .1 ^-.i-tnenth heat in* bill. |
? caused excie-um wnich de- j
? M> building ana I
? - teachers last
? t;--;;- ;;ry board re- j
r "-'e announced
? appeared be
; \?d swathed
? admitted!
? the building
? from a nearby oil ?
S 5< hool head.
? ia the
? and
H >ted from the wit
i Board's Findings
i..;r:ly afterwards. Dr. E. P.
Sc.wv-. explosion expert from the :
L"n;ve:s::y of Texas, announced :
.wire. - findings and Col. Clar- i
face E Parker lifted martial law
free the school zone.
E-.c.Txe presented to the board
if: no culpability for the disas- !
tv a., feel that the trustees of
vi.ool acted for the very best
It.:., the best intentions." he ;
| al. They were not aware of '
a: proper installation of gas
iipmen*. was and did not know
Dr Schoch > repor* said:
In the basement there were ]
'pproximauv- to 000 ubic feet of j
air 1 for e of nalur- '
a . .. 6 5 per cent
eightiis .:. tint ? s thru
Um bas< m the 72 gas radia
tors wis left flowing a id ntally'
for 17 hours, this maximum ex*
1 Continued on Page Fivei
Loyal Iroops
Prepare Drive
I hi Rebel Base
trance ? Men Mate Been
Lon e,I Bark 20 Miles
- Sinn- I i.|?. | uriietl
I M - J Pj? Loy
I into new rebel
I Guadalajara
I and prepared to at
11* . )a>e of Siguenza.
d o;. >nt;nued victories,
iiist Commander
a umea nis newiy
1 and mterna
ontinue the of
aaainst Gen. Francisco1
: iemonnaires and
. ue.s to remove the
? .reat against the capi
:;r tn ? north. The rebels I
: oack 20 miles so i
: ?.
army attacked the
A ra from three sides
Continued on Page Three) ;
John J. \\ illiarns And
( ompany Settle
Out of Court
- of John T. Williams.
- i'tisquotank county com
auainst the Norfolk
n Bus corporation, which
. for trial at the pre
' ot tiie United States
been settled, it was
: uerday. Under the
settlement Mr. Wil
; receive $500 and the
o ' orporation will assume
i "::c court, it war; stat
?ci
lams entered suit for
fclOV;!) auamst the bus corpora
??u.ng that he had been
accused by the dis
at Norfolk of being drunk
' ? a condition to ride the
ou.>.
nil of the case at the last
:v'i'ial couit resulted in
a 1^,. .
i The School That Was a Death Trap
HERE is the consolidated school building as it appeared before the explosion that brought death to
426 pupils and teachers. Grammar and the advanced high school grades were merged in the building,
largest such school in the world.
Clark Defends Court Plan;
Chief justice Has His Say
Retired Justice Sees
Change As Rein#
Constitutional
San Diego. Calif.. March 22. -
(U.R)?John Hcssin Clark, the only
living former justice of the United
States Supreme court, broke his
long silence in public affairs to
night to defend the constitution
ality of President Roosevelt's ju
diciary program.
The 79-year-old retired justice,
in a speech delivered over a na
tion-wide radio network, described
as "plainly constitutional"' the
president's proposal to have con
gress increase the number of just
ices on the court he served for
six years.
Is Impersonal
Clarke carefully avoided ex
pressing a personal opinion on
the plan itself, discussing only
the "naked legal question" of the
controversy.
"The wise men who framed our
constitution." he said, "may have
had more confidence in the wis
dom and patriotism of the con
gresses and the presidents which
were to come after them, and less
confidence in courts than some
seem to have today. Whether or
not they were wise in entrusting
to the congress and to the presi
dent such extensive powers over
the courts as we have found they
possess and have long exercised
?are not questions which are now
before us. The single question I
am considering is. would a condi
tional increase of the number of
judges of the Supreme court, by
act of congress, as recommended
by the president be constitutional
or not?
Within Powers
I think that the answer to
(Continued on Page Three)
Lightning Rod
Augurs Return
Of Prosperity
Success of Salesmen In
dicates Better Times
Are Ahead
| v -
By MRS. J. L. MIRPJtY
Mantco. March 22.?Prosperity
| has returned to North Carolina.
? and its advent was well demon
strated a few days ago along with
; the first signs of spring.
Proof of the fact that prosperity
is in our midst again was clearly
1 indicated recently, not in grow
ing bank deposits only, nor in in
i creasea car loadings, but by the
skillfully presented...case of the
i lightning rod.
For molr than half an hour the
i proprietor of a general store in a
! rural community let the waiting
I customers wait while he listened
j to the smooth oratory of the
| lightning rod salesman and ex
: amined his latest 1937 model, tri
ped-supported white porcelain-in
sulated nickle-tipped and ball
decorated lightning rod truly a
I thing of beauty.
The customers almost forgot
i what they had come to purchase.
, they became so engrossed in as
sisting the proprietor to decide
' which color ball should decorate
his lightning rod and whether
gold, silver, blue, red or white
1 should shoo the lightning away
from his domain. This rod was a
thing of beauty and something to
be proud of. a mark of rare dis
tinction. proclaiming to all and
sundry who gazed aloft to the roof
<Continued on Page Three)
Letter From Hughes
Read Before Sen
ate Committee
Washington, Mauh 22. ?(U.R)?
Chief Justice ?ny?les Evans
i Hughes said today in a. letter to
Sen. Burton K. Wheeler, D., Mont.,
that President Roo^K-elt's judici
! ary reorganization p$an was like
| ly to impair the efficiency of the
I Supreme Court.
Wheeler read the letter to the
senate judiciary committee as op
ponents of the plan opened their
attack on the measure - In it the
chief justice cast doubt pn the
constitutionality of dividing an
| enlarged court into sections to
speed its work, a suggestion made
I by administration witnesses.
Brandeis Assents
Hughes said he spoke with the
concurrence of Justices Louis D.
Brandeis and Willis Van Devan
ter. who arc considered the No. 1
liberal and conservative, respec
tively of the court. He added that
while lie had not had time to con
fer with all members, lie believed
(Continued on Page Three)
BEST SPELLER
WILL RECEIVE
A SILVER CUP
\\ inner to He Determined
In Test; Something
Entirely New
Elizabeth City High School stu
dents have won cups for debating,
athletics and other activities, but
i this year for the first time in the
j history of the school a silver cup
is to be awarded for spelling, it
i we;j announced yesterday by Sup
j erintendent Edgar E. Bundy.
The Bright Jewelry Company
| has offered to donate a cup. which
will be awarded by Superintend
ent Bundy either on Class Night
or at the Commencement exer
cises.
The winner of the cup will be
(Continued on Page Three)
I ~
Frank Vesper's
Body Is |
Washed Ashore
i v _j
Eastbourne, Eng., Tuesday, J
j March 23.?(U.R)?A nude body
j washed ashore near here was
j identified today as that of
< Frank Vosper by two relatives of
j the English actor-dramatist who
disappeared mysteriously two
j weeks ago from the French liner
Paris.
The body, washed in from the
sea at Seven Sisters Cliffs, be
| tween here and Seaford was
! identified by the actor's father.
Dr. Percy Vosper of Stanmore,
his uncle, M,aj. P. Vosper of
j Pevenscy Bay. The father view
I ed the body while major Vos
! per identified it from a photo
graph.
The fact that the body was
I unclothed aroused speculation
as to what happened to the
$25,000 or more Vosper w-as be
; lieved to have been carrying
j when he leaped or fell from the
| Paris after a gay champagne
' party. _
Army To Fight
Cancer Is Being
Organized Now
Enlistment Campaign On
In the Albemarle
This Week
Columbia. March 22.?The fol
lowing 12 captains in the counties
of the first congressional district
of North Carolina are directing an
enlistment campaign this week in
the Woman's Field Army for the
Control of Cancer, it was announc
ed today by Mrs. W. S. Carawan.
vice-commander of the district.
Miss Margaret Fearing. Pasquo
tank; Mrs. Wheeler Martin. Mar
I tin; Mrs. B. F. Koonce. Perqui
I mans; Mrs. J. C. Mullin, Gates;
! Mrs. B. C. Cuthrell, Camden; Mrs.
(Continued on Page Three)
WPA Foremen Will
Meet Here This A.M.
There will be a meeting of all
1 WPA foremen in the counties of
I the Albemarle at the Community
; Building on Dyer Street this morn
! ing at 10 o'clock.
Mr. Lee Wallace, District WPA
director and other district offi
cials will be present.
Senator Bailey Publicizes
Letter To This Newspaper
Reprints It In Page Ad In
News and Observer ami
Daniels Replies
Editor's Note: Senator Bailey's
letter was published in full on the
editorial page of the March 4 is
sue of THE DAILY INDEPEN
DENT.
Raleigh, March 22.?(U.R)?Full
page advertisements appeared in
several North Carolina daily news
papers today explaining in detail
United States Senator Josiah H.
Bailey's reasons for opposing the
judicial reform program advocat
ed by President Roosevelt.
Senator Bailey, senior member
of the upper house of congress
from North Carolina, has been se
verely criticized in some North
Carolina newspapers for opposing
the court reform program. The
advertisement, "published by
friends of Senator Bailey and of
constitutional government", was
the senator's letter to a critical
newspaper editor.
To W. O. Saunders, editor of
the Elizabeth City, N. C., Indepen
dent, the senator states why he
has chosen "the hard way" instead
of "The Easy Way", in determin
ing his position on the Supreme
Court issue.
"This is a strange picture you
paint of me." the senator's letter
which was reproduced said in its
(Continued on Page Three)
Ivnapp's
Case Ends
InAFizzie
Government Makes a
Very Sorry Show
ing In Court
Fines of $1 Each
Mr. Knapp and His Co-de
fendants Enter a Plea of
Nolo Contendere Rather
Than Defend Them
selves In a Frivolous
Prosecution.
The government's exultation
back in December over the appre
hension of five too many ducks in
the possession of certain rich men. |
and threats to make an example
of alleged "malefactors of great
wea'th" fizzled in the United
States Court here late yesterday
afternoon when the case against
Joseph P. Knapp. Lee W. Max- j
well. Giles Whiting and Isaac
Doxey was called.
Messrs. Knapp. Maxwell, Whit
ing and Doxey were charged with
possession of 45 ducks from a day's ,
kill, in violation of the law fixing
the bag limit at 10 ducks per man.
Messrs Maxwell and Whiting were
guests of Mr. Knapp at Mackey
Island, and Mr. Doxey. one of Mr.
Knapp's superintendents accom- ;
panied the party.
StClair Lewark and another
deputy game warden confiscated
(Continued on Page Three)
,
No Imported
Speaker For:
Graduation\
Bund) to Have Graduating
Students fur Speakers
at Commencement
Instead of importing -some edi
| tor. minister or college professor
I to make the Commencement Ad
dress at the graduating exercises j
of the class of 1937. of Elizabeth |
City High School. Superintendent
Edgar E. Bundy this year will in
I augurate the innovation of having
the graduates make all the
I speeches at the graduating exer
cises.
This idea, which has been em
ployed with success in a few
schools elsewhere, has never be
fore been carried out in this sec
[ tion of the State.
The general plan is as follows:
an outstanding student will make
a brief introductory talk and will
present the Saluatorian. who will
give a talk outlining his or her
viewpoints on the school program.
The Salutatorian will then intro
duce several other students who
will give five-minute talks on var
ious parts of the school program.
The Valedictorian will conclude
the exercises.
The commencement exercises
will be held this year on Thursday
May 20.
Hack Hroken in Jump
From Frisco Bridge
San Francisco. March 22.?(U.R)
Ray Woods. 30-year-old St. Louis
bridge jumper, received serious in
juries today in the first recorded
leap from the San Francisco-Oak
land bay bridge?A feat which he
had said contained ?'absolutely no
danger."
Physicians at Harbor Emergen
cy hospital said his back was
broken. At San Francisco hospital
it was said he might not walk
again.
A strong wind caught Wood's
body as he hurled from the lower
or truck deck of the $75,000,000
span and threw him off balance.
TODAY'S LOCAL
CALENDAR
A. M.
7:30 Sunrise service First
Methodist
8:30 Mens Christian Federation
P. M.
6:15 First Baptist YWA
6:30 Kiwanis Club
7:00 Local Institute class First
Christian
7:30 Jr. O. U. A. M.; Eureka
Lodge Masons;
7:30 Special services City Road
8:00 Special services First
Christian. "Atonement"
j | library Hours: 2-t. 7-3
Madame Fontanges Says
Mussolini Was Her Man
Frenchwoman Who Shot Diplomat Whom She Ac
cused of Wrecking Her Romance, Says She Was
Mistress of II Ducc From April to July
Paris, March 22,?(U.R)?Exotic
the shooting of tlie Count de Ch
hours of unforgettable love" witl
told an examining magistrate that
April and July of last year.
The magistrate asked her, dur
ing a two-hour hearing at the Pal
ais de Justice, whether she everi
had been intimate with Musso
lini.
"Yes." she replied blandly. "I
was his mistress between last
April and July."
Referring to her last rendezvous
with Mussolini in July, she said:
"He was tender and sweet with
me as he had been on the previous
occasions."
She described how, last Novem
ber, she tried to commit suicide in
Rome after Mussolini had jilted
her.
'ihc man responsible for II
D'tcc's lost love, she said bitterly,
war. the Count de Chambrun whom
she tried to kill last Wednesday.
He violated her confidences, she
explained, and caused Mussolini to
end their clandestine romance.
De Chambrun, she said, shat-1
tcred "my hours of unforgettable I
love."
The dark-haired beauty, whose
I lurid diary of "confessions"
threatens to create an internation
al scandal if ever made public,
told of repeated rendezvous with
Mussolini.
. Frequently, she said, they met
' in Rome's Venezia Palace. Musso
lini's official residence.
The 29-year-old woman, former
Madeline dc Fontangcs, held for
ambrun because he shattered "my
i Premier Benito Mussolini, today
she was II Duce's mistress between
*
II Duce's Pet
v J
MADELINE DE FONTANGES
actress and journalist, described
the events of her adventurous life
and scattered loves up to the point
of her attempted suicide. Then the
magistrate adjourned the hearing
until April 8.
(Continued on Page Three)
New Honor Is
Conferred On
The Governor
Senate, In Holiday Mood,
Appoints His Excellency
An Honorary Page
Raleigh. March 22.?<U.P>? The
senate tonight in holiday mood in
anticipation to the close of the
session, scheduled for noon to
morrow, presented Lieutenant
Governor Horton with a silver
service and conferred upon Gov
ernor Clyde Hoey the office of
honorary page of the senate.
The senate passed the house bill
regulating hours of labor to 55
weekly for men and 48 for women
and returned it to the house for
concurrence in various amend
ments. Also passel on second and
third reading was the bill provid
ing for a vote on a proposed con
stitutional amendment which
would establish a department of
justice, including a bureau of
identification, in the state.
A bill was passed under which a
commission will visit New York
with a view of investigating the
feasibility in cooperating in the
coming World Fair there. An ap
propriation of $2,500 was provided
for the purpose and the governor
(Continued on Page Three)
Thinks Police
Got Purse And
TheLiquor' Too
KIlis W illiams, Inventor of
Ingenious Hootch I)is-J
penser. Gets 3 Years,
f But Wife Not Satisfied.
The solemn dignity of the U. S.
Court is occasionally relieved by
rip-roaring comedy. Ellis Williams
old offender of the liquor laws
furnished comedy for yesterday's
afternoon session of the U. S.
Court here.
Williams arranged upon evid
ence furnished by city motorcycle
patrolman Walter Spence. who in
company with night officer Geo.
Twiddy raided Williams' home and
found a gallon or more of moon
shine whisky in a ten gallon cask
concealed in the kitchen attic.
From the keg a rubber hose was
run thru the partition wall be
tween the dining room and a
downstairs bedroom. From holes
on either side of the partition
Williams could draw liquor from
the hidden cask.
Williams declared that he had
purchased the liquor for his own
consumption, because he could not
afford to pay the price of legal
liquor. The police said they had
I. (Continued on Page Three)
t ?
New Obstacle May Delay
Edward-'Wally' Wedding
^ |
London, March 22.?(U.R)?Brit
ish legal experts warned tonight
that Mrs. Wallis Warfleld Simp
son's first divorce, obtained in the
United States 10 years ago, may
be invalid under British law.
The new complication, they
said, may jeopardize the early
marriage of the former Baltimore
girl and former Kink Edward if
the case is brought into British
courts.
Arthur Berriedale Keith, out
standing authority of constitution
law, was responsible for the lat
est surprise development in the
"world's greatest romance." He
wrote to the Edinburgh Scotsman
saying that Parliament might be
obliged to enact special legisla
tion legalizing Mrs. Simpson's di
vorce.
She divorced Earl Winfleld
Spencer. U. S. naval officer, at
nYafrefiton, Ya. in 1927.
A specialist Ui English ' family
law" told the United Press that
Keith's disclosure were legally
sound.
He predicted that British law
would not accept Simpson's first
divorce as valid.
If Mrs. Simpson's first divorce
were held invalid, her second mar
riage also would be declared ille
gal and automatically be annul
led. She therefore would have to
obtain a new divorce from her
first husband in England before
she could marry the Duke of |
Windsor under English law.
The warning that the divorce
obtained in the little Virginia town
not far from Washington, D. C.,
might not be valid were based on
the fact that British courts re
cognize only dicorces granted in
courts of a state in which the
husband lives at the time the suit
is filed.
Spencer they aid auueared not
l to have been a Virginia readeut. I
Chrysler Accused Of
WithholdingEvidence
?-?? a
Not Candid With La
Follette Investiga
tion Committee
Spied On Employes
Strikers Have Added the
Crime of Burglary to
Others, Declares Com
pany Man.
Detroit, March 22.?>(U.R)?
Threat of a general automotive
strike in Detroit faded tonight
as Mayor Frank Couzens an
nounced after a conference with
union officials that the police
department would not interfere
in "peaceful so-called sit-down
strikes."
Police evictions of sit-downers
in small factories through the
city had led to a threat by
Homer Martin, United Automo
bile Workers, president, to call a
general strike of automotive
workers here.
Detroit, March 2.?(U.R> ?
Chrysler corporation. nine of
whose plants are held by 6.000 sit
down strikers, was accused to
night by union officials of black
listing, labor espionage and of
withholding data from the LaFol
lette senate civil liberties commit
tee.
The charges, made by Homer
Martin, president of the United
Automobile Workers Union, were
denied by B. E. Hutchinson,
Chrysler finance committee chair
man.
General Strike Threat
Martin, holding the threat of
a general automotive strike in De
troit over police who have been
raiding lesser sit-down strikes, de
clared the union had found "irre
futable" proof of the charges.
Richard T. Frankenstccn. organi
zational director for the union,
showed newspapermcnt what he
said were photostatic prints of
Chrysler corporation records to
back up the charges.
"The charges, to the best of my
knowledge and belief are untrue,"
Hutchinson said. "Whatever evi
dence they have can, of course, be
handed to whatever public author
iContinued on Page Five)
Big Navy Bill
Passes Senate
By 64-11 Vote
Gen. Hugh S. Johnson h
Witness Before Mili
tary Committee
Washington. March 22.?(U.R)?
Tiie senate today passed the $522.
847,808 "Big Navy" appropriation
bill, providing $130,000,000 for
ship construction and $29,186,000
for new airplanes during the 1938
fiscal year.
The measure was aproved 64 to
11 as administration forces beat
down protests that the money for
shipbuilding puts this country in
to a naval race with Great Britain.
It now goes conference with the
house to iron out minor differ
ences.
Meanwhile, the house military
affairs committee heard Gen Hugh
S. Johnson urge approval of the
Hill-Sheppard bill giving the pre
sident dictatorial powers to regu
late prices and draft the nation's
industrial, financial and man
(Continued on Page Three)
Added Bus Service
To Benefit New Bern
And More head City
Effective Friday March 26. the
Norfolk Southern Bus corporation
will inaugurate an added bus
service, giving through service be
tween Norfolk and Elizabeth City.
New Bern and Morehead City.
There will be two buses leaving
the Norfolk union terminal at 4:10
p. m.. one for Raleigh and one
for New Bern and Morehead City,
both via Williamston.
There will be no lay-overs in
Washington for bus passengers
from New Bern to Elizabeth City
and Norfolk.
And effective Saturdays and
Sundays only, there will bo an
extra bus from Columbia. Roper
and Plymouth, giving passengers
at thcie points a chsite cl Hurts
trips instead cI two.