North Carolina Newspapers

. 1 J, ,111111. . rxru m J DtsPATOirai J ' ' JOWI . aT v VOLUMIiXViiL i:n:;non 1 isra:ci;;:;3E;j Third Day of the Argument . Started by Mr. Frank Arm- ; field This Morning. Mr. John T. Dooling Followed. THREE MORE ; ARE TO $PEAK Mr. Dooling Will Be Follow. ed By Messrs. Hartsell and Cansler, and L C Cald- . . Well Will Close for State. At the couveniug of court at 1 o'clock Thursday afternoon, . M. H. Caldwell, for the defense, continued hit - argument before the Jury. He amid that all these proceeding and all the evidence presented here, to htm at ed "much ado about nothing.". Thia aid not mean, be said, that the death , 01 Mrs. King was "nothing." The statement that Afton Means was said to have made at the moving f- - picture snow, that Mrs. King was , whirling the pistol around on her fin ger "like a fool woman," and accident ally shot herself, said Mr. Caldwell, had no bearing on the case. Afton . was not where he could see what hap pened, and the remark simply showed . how he thought the accident could ; have happened. The telephone mes sage received by GoL W. O. Means that same night from an unknown person, . saying there must be a coroner'a in quest was the "sinister voice' of suspi cion, pointing its finger toward Gaston B. Means." The next place this voice Is heard is in the cemetery near Chi cago, when the autopsy was perform ed; and again when the New York - authorities received a mysterious tele gram asking them to Investigate the death of this woman. f ' ' If a motive is'not necessary, he ask ed, why did the State of North Caro- x Una bring ail these witnesses' here from New York and Chicago to es tablish a motive? On the other hand, if there whs ever a motive for wanting to keep .Mrs. King alive, ; Gaston B. Means had every reason for wanting to preiierve her life. - The trust fund of Mrs. Robinson : was dissolved by Mrs. King and her self, said the lawyer, and not by Gas ton Means. 7 Mrs. King was badly In . need of cash to further establish the validity of Jan. C. King's second will, and this was the reason the trust fund was revoked. . ;- Mrs.- King's hat was not destroyed until several days after the coroner'a , , Inquest. The' jury had , been rendered Its verdict, and there was positively ; no indication, that there was any sua ; plcion whutever. Why, then, was there any reason for preserving this tram- pled hat? .- . He closed his speech at 3:18 o'clock with auother-tribute to the testimony ' given by Mrs. O. B. Means and to her derotedness to her husband. J. F. Newell. -J. F. Newell, for the State, said that there was no pleasure for him to as : sist in the prosecution of this case, and wished that he could help make the world so there would be no need of any such proceedings. ( - .-;; He reviewed to the jury the law re lating to first degree and seconds-degree murder, and stated that the solic itor was correct, in saying that In this case a verdict f guilty la. either of ' these counts-could b returned In this '.case. ..'-'. -?!".- The testimony given by the prisoner, he said, should be most carefully scrut ' inlted before being accepted by the jury. The speaker then reviewed the ' activities of the. defendant since his ' relations with the Cannon Mills ceas- - ed several years ago, as testified to by - Means himself. This included the em ployment by the Burns .Agency, and the dealings with the so called "Oar man Interests."?, - t - After becoming -business k manager for Mrs. King, the defendant rapidly improved bis financial condition, and moved into fine quarters on Park ave- 1 nue, which he himself stared might have cost 20,000. When hexneeded . more money, he though of the trust fund of Mrs. Anna L. Robinson, and began plans to get hold of this fund -. by telling Mrs. King they needed more funds to get the second will invest! ,v gated, and telling Mrs. Robinson that .,. she was to get more money every , month than she was then receiving. ' This paper which was shown Mrs. - Robinson was never placed in the Mer- - ehants- Loan Trust Co., and If it Bad been it would not have been worth i the paper it was written on, because . Mrs. King had no money in that bank. . The cotton speculations, aald Mr. - Newell, were carried on without the . knowledge of Mrs. King, or of 01d -TO," as Mr. Patterson called Mrs. Rob ' inson. ' When the. crash came on the .cotton market, did Patterson go and , tell Mrs. King the partnership had lost. $31,000? When they gained over . 110.000 on a cotton contract did they 'vivo Mrs. Kins one third of the win nings? Why did Patterson give a note" " for all of the loss, when he was oniy to . pay one-third of the losses? , .- Mr. -King. was kept from talking with people, ssld the speaker, as was proven by the threat he made against - Mr. Rockefeller, and. told of by Mrs. Robinson. All mail for any of the -''arty was to go to Gaston Means, ana this was for the purpose of keeping the women from getting In touch with the world. That he received the mall Is told of In his own letters to his wife and to his brother. ' .,. -A At the time Mrs. King came to Con- cord, her. estate as enumerated by the defendant, consisted only of 110,000 caHh in the -bands of the defendant, . .. and a check for something more than 12.000 for the Northern Trust Uom pany. . The balance of the $140,000 es tate was In Jewelry, furniture and worthless notes. On none -of these could any more cash be obtained by - the business manager.- Of course, he would have received a little more mon ey If Mrs. King had lived, but he also ran the danger of being exposed In hi biiHlnexrt management. , Xbe events at th frri tfcsjvtiiirjj , Jm f the tngSf wre erpWtned by the attorney tt ti prawratkM. He told a tt asrproWLUitr of "rabfcU bom Nr," aa4 ef a ricttf buM psrwa retains ap a putet la ha tcrt kul. ta k aa, anMturU . poalilas. The aioage ca Wt aaad of the- w aaa vera tut aaa4 by ta ptarol. as iu aa h anvwa. yae towt of Captala Jones ahow4 ttiit tt .23 eut ivj aatoaaaUe HJ-vVt gaa aad saiosa rmmm eve a diaeotarartoa. The aa totaker said It looked Ilka an at off of box car. Ernest Enry, who was driving the aatoaioblla, sad helped ta put Ua llfrieas body aato the antmA. eua, and his hand may have bee soil ed. ' The woman wai killed br a ttUtol anuchi the 4efeBdaat had loaded only a xew mutes Before, aad br a bullet which he had placed la that pistol, said Mr. Kewell Nobedr bat tha da. tendant was bresetft when the shot was area. Tola fast. eouoM with the other ctreaaMtanees la the ease, mrht to lead to a conviction, aad the apeak-J r aasen uw jury 10 us dosing re- aaaraa u opoom tne dignity aad ma eaty of the- law. His speech: lasted W TWW BOOTS. . , ' ' JL Lee CrewelL" Lea Crowe 1L for the defenaa. be gan hia argument to the'lurr at t o ciock. tie first attacked the argu ment af Attorney Newell, for the pros ecution, stating that ha had mlsa not ed the evideace. - - . - He also discredited the testimony given or ut. sunaetster. The natbol oglst, he said, had not mentioned in his. orsc evidence, given at tne prelimin ary hearing, the presence of the track through the brain of Mrs. King, evi dently ade by a probe after death. When lie Came to testify at this trial and had learned ef this track, he tried to revise his testimony accordingly. . , And why have all these experts come ao far, of their own volition, to take part in helptag the Bute convict this defendant? Doesn't It show that there la some power back Of all this? The State haa presented evidence for some thing like 84 hours, but how much of thia time haa been devoted to -the Charge of murder? under the evidence, aald Mr. Crow. ell, only two verdicts are possible guilty or murder la the first decree. or not guilty. - -. - Gaston Means fat no traitor, aald the speaker, but a hero. To bear out the assertion, he read a part of a letter written by the defendant to his broth er Afton, saying that If his country needs his services, he would offer them. He divulged to the United States government the whole nlot to foment trouble between Mexico and this country. ' If that la not correct, why did the State not bring Josephus uanteia here to deny it The experts who testified here that the shot could not have been fired by Mrs. King, are contradicted by hlne physlclana here. most or whom we know. Does not-this raise a reasonable doubt as to whether or not she did so? . . j la condusteo-the jmeaker aald the only thing brought the defendant la! simply tnttatarloo.f "rSThefie might have killed Mrs. King. If be can be, put out of the war the Northern Trust: Company, woud have nothing, else to tear xnna xne seoana wui or J as. u. King. The Jurors must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt, he conclud ed, and asked whether there was not a reasonable doubt la tlla matter. Court at ,7 1 m o'clock adjourned un til 9 o'clock Friday morning.- - , . ;, i ' TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS. The seventeenth- dav of the trial of Gaston B. Meant began this morn ing at 9:16 o'clock, when the third nay of argument by counsel was start ed by Attorney Frank. Armfield. He read to the jury the decision of court, stating -what evidence should be considered in a ease, and what should not. Even if the defend ant had been proven to have been an embezzler, it does not necessarily follow that he would want to kthe witness against him. It has been done n a few instances, he admitted, but there are thousands of instances in which it has not happened. The re lations of the defendant and his em. oloyer were the best possible, and there had never even been a threat of a suit by the employer. There is. therefore, no connection between a active and the nma. -. The Mpers which would enable the defendant to account for all bis trans actions with the dead woman, said Mr. . Armfield. had been withheld from him, and he had not been given "square deal" . ; The fact that Mrs. Robinson's trust 'fund had teen revoked, was additional reason for the defend ant to want Mrs. Kinr to -continue to live, sine she herself .-could ex plain why-the trust , had" been revok ed. The old ladT was to receive, in stead of 9600 per month, the sum of $1,000 and later tzaoo per month. .Therefore : no wrong had been done to Mrs. Robinson in this respect. The restraint exercised over Mrs. Kin. by. the defendant, said the speaker, amounted to nothing. There were telephones in the. Chicago Beach Hotel rooms of Mrs Kinr and Mrs. Robinson in- adjoininaT apartments. and Mrs. King eould have easily got. ten in tench with anvone she wished, She had also taken an automobile ride with Judge Cline, and could easily, have whispered her troubles to hua. in case she needed any as. aistanee. i- At the time of the tragedy there was every circumstance to lead to an ac cident , The woman was a heavy per son, the weapon a treacherous one, the exposed roots were there, and a pair of high heeled slippers were worn. The evidence put up by the state was so flimsy, concluded the speaker, that be fore- he would convict a man on such evidence, he would rot rn his seat Jens T. Dealing. John T. Dop""vft the prosecution, began Wa spefctu aftiO;8S o'clock, pre facing hla remarks with a warm ex pression of thanks for tne courtesy and consideration shown to him and to wit nesses from sister states, by the court, by the solicitor, and by all counsel in the case. Be also thanked the Jury for their patience and for bea ranee, for their patient and forbearance, if at any time he allowed himself to become too sealous la hia work. To thia, the court replied that tie had not Offered the court at any time. The sneaker said that be la here at the request of the Solicitor of this dis trict and at the orders of hia super ior, the district attorney of New fork. Ha added that- Solicitor Clement had in all rwnnrts Dwwroi t'i can ai . -, Itmuurud 4 last and ruu DOKIIHrTi Oil FODDPRODUCTS Because of the Temputlons Thrown in the Way By War Conditions. Adulter ation of Food is a. Danger. MUCH SUGAR HAS .1 BEEN ADULTERATED The Substances JUsed to In crease the Bulk of Articles Are Deleterious toHealth In Many Cases. (By International News Service.) Washington, Dec, 11 Federal -offi cers charged with the enforcement of the pure food laws are keeping an es pecially aha rn watch on Droduoera of food products because of the new tem- peatiooe thrown In their way by war conditions, Baeause of the price fixing: reguiauona . or tne food administra tion food manufacturers and dealers' cannot run prices up to the extent they would la ordinary tlmea. With his customers clamoring for such products aa sugar, the iohsst as the grocer cannot charge increased prices although they would be well paid If they did. Instead, It Is feared there will be a general attempt to take advantage of this situation by- adulterating food producta. In fact, adulteration of some pro ducta already base been reported to the Federal authorities. It is alleged that certain dealers having on hand only a fraction of the amount of sugar which they can readily sell, have mixed other substances with sugar to Increase the bulk. . Many complaints have been received of sugar which la pot normally sweet Such sugar, it is alleged, haa been tampered with, r Offldala will be especially vigilant because there is more involved than fraud in selling a substance which is not wholly what It purports to be. The substances used to increase the buly of articles are delterious to health In many cases. The officials are deter mined that adulterated food and food substitutes shall not bring about here the troubles which they have caused in Germany. - - - . - . t v. WHAT A GERMAN . ; VICTORY WOULD MEAN. A foraanent Peace Most Renwve the . Rivalry ef Power., ; CBy The a mates Prat) v-' Amsterdam, Dec. 14. German t vic tory -la the .war vwl awan thAt- ihe Germans - "a 1 the -dominant a. would have to keep In subjection by force of afms the crushed and dhu possessed people." asserts George Goth' eiiva leading Liberal memoer or me German Reichstag, In an editorial .ar ticle In the official organ , of the influ ential German Association for Coin- Lmerclal Treaties. ' - ' ' - Should we actually succeed in gam ine a decisive victory, : which only a few persons believe possible," he writ es, "we should have to bear a weight of armaments for that purpose which would make it Impossible for our na tional strength, so terribly weakened ifl sny case by bloody losses, again to regain its economic i power. And yet without this -permanent political strength is impossible. One day the world would rise against the German way, would burst its fetters, would destroy jur power wnicn . wouia oe lacking In economic support, tor u we have been able to hold out this time we have above all to thank our economic efficiency. There ' remains only one solution, peace by understanding. A peace which In permanent must remove from 'the world the rivalry pi power. 'An economic war alter tne war would be unbearable for Germany." PLENTY OF SUGAR, SAYS CLAUS SPRECKELS Declares Thai There b no Shortage 'Except in Spots. (By International News Service.) Waahlmrton. Dec 14. Clans A. Bpreckels president of the Federal sug ar refining company, testifying be fore the Senate Manufacturers sub committee in the sugar investigation today, declared there is no sugar short age "except in spots," One of the spots la the Kastern umtea ntates, we saiu. The United States has ample sug ar," he said. "The shortage Is localised In the eastern states. Aa a., while there Is plenty of sugar." Mrr Spreckles added 'that there la enough sugar in Java to supply the whole British laies ior a year. ... COLLISION ON SOUTHERN ... RAILWAY NEAR CALHOUN Fireman and Baggage Man Were Fa- --!-, tally Injured. ' I y ae Aslated Frees) Washlnirton. Dec. 14.--In a collision on the Southern railroad this morning near Calhoun. 8. C between north- hnnnit local train No. 40. and SOUtn bound express and- malt train No. 48 the fireman and baggage man of the express train, were fatally injured and several passengers sngntiy injured. Reports to the Southern headquar ters here say the accident was caused by failure of the telegraph operator at Seneca, 8. C, to deliver orders to the engineer of the local. w ff, . THE COTTON MARKET. Opened Steady t to S Points Lower Later Sells to M Points Lower. . (By International News Service.) New York. Dec. 14, The cotton market opened steady and about 8 to 8 points net lower. The market even tually sold off 18 to 29 points under hist nlght't dose. ' Cotton -opened : December 8020, January 20.40) March 20.10; May 28.83, July 28,82, Octobr 2T.13 a 270. y i Fruit cakes for Christmas ft Lip yard ft tfarriar'n . - . ; CONCORD, N. C, f R1DAV, DECEMBER 14. 1017. atoorr rLiAM.Tr Ktwa. Peseta W Lerfwtg Uurary fce- etety This Eraaingv-Jf I Is ruber U Bb Married. Other . . . I aiaiMfa. . . Mt Pleasant Dae, It. The tftMash aaaual pubMe debase af the Ladwig Literary t Hodrty of the Collegiate In stitute will be held at the auditorium this evening at 8 o'clock. The query, "Resolved. That tne Keating Child Labor Law. Should Be Sustained." will be debated, aud the -entire programme win measure up to the high standard set by the soriery ta the past. - . Mr. BeaV McABlster returned Wed nesday night to tfeup Sevier, Green ville, 8. Carter- spending a ave day furlouch at hbv onate acre. Miss Julia vta Dhaea, of Spartan hnrv. H. (1. has been the aneat of friends here tor ,the paat week. Mrs A- IS. jaaea was hostess Wed nesday afternoon. t4 the Study Play Club. , ! First term examiastiona are being held at Montr1. Amass Bemlnary thia week. '.(; Mr. Paul Foil. -who haa Joined the aviation" corpa, left, yesterday for a training camp In Xentpeky. , Mrs. u s. Hhireg, wao nss been quite sick for the past war, is improving steadily. , . . Prof, and Mrs. J. H. C risher have Issued invitations to the marriage of their daughter,' KathWuie Brown, to Ms. Luther Bawmau Barrier, the wed-1 Qing IO laae f putce in tiuiy riuuy Lutheran Church at p:30 Monday ev ening. December 24. .- : ' . Mlsa Lucille Beatty has returned to her home In ('Charlotte, after spend ing the past w,eek with relatives here. The Bazaar, held last Friday and Saturday under -the auspices: of the Civic BettermentCnib, was a 'decided success. .'" ' ' . .. . Misses Stella: Foil and Stella May enhelmer are spending, several days th friends in. Charlotte. ,. . . Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Moose and lit tle daughter, of Belmoat, spent the past week end with relatives here. KEEPING AN EYE ; , V" - ' , : ON AUSTRIAN SUBJECTS. Many Austrlans J. Are Experienced . W orb men fat Steel aad Other MiUa. ' fTasuiugiuu, vwt .'ao. ma tiiaiix comparing reason :foi the extremely: lenient tenor of the resident's procla mation governing the 'restraints upon' subjects of Austrian-It angary In this country during existence of a state of war is that , the interment of these1 enemy nationals, would have. cut steel and coal production thirty per cent ; Persons of the nations making up the, 'dual empire secret - service officials! have reported, . sre .well-disposed and, have-conducted themselves with uni form orderliness being .good workers in many large industries In the great, steel mills of the Pennsylvania district i there are thousands of these sub jects engaged In the various duties in cident to steel manufacture.? as the winning s war depends very largely upon the steel output 'of the United States It has been deemed Inadvisable, in view of the dtsaoeltiDa at the Ana- trtann. Ho cut off thia tremendous supply of experienced and skilled labor. Before drawing the proclamation which permits Austrlans to do about as they please as long as they do not aid the enemy or break -the peace, President Wilson received data show ing to (what extent the steel mills and other Vital industries would be crip pled by the internment of large num bers of these nationals. - ' Although the proclamation Is couch ed in the most lenient terms and ap parently places no restrictions on the Austrlans except as to exit from and entry to the United States, agents of the department of Justice and other Federal officers will keep in close touch with the Austrlans here and those misbehaving will be summarily, interned or Jailed for the period of the war. -' - '-v.-.' "I nvn. una AI.I, ' OVER RUSSIAN EMPIRE. Reliable Reports as to Result of Fight- ing Cannot Be Obtained. ' (By International News Bervice.) Civil war has spread to practically every part ol tne uussian empire. Troops supporting tne uoisnevuu are being engaged by Cossacks at many places. Reliable reports cannot be ob tained as to the result of the fighting. The Bolshevlkl leaders are putting put a veritable flood of dispatches claim ing to have defeated the Cossacks. Only a few reports nave come iroiu the Cossack' leaders, These, add. de clare that the Bolshevlkl force are being crushed and that the end of the Lenine and Trotsky government is In lrht. .-r. v ! -? '' ' . Qermanys proposea giganuc unre " . i .i j i Oennanys proposea gigantic - anve nrrnunded with mystery. Both Paris and London report only minor activi ties last night r NUMBER OF AMERICAN - - . ' ENGINEERS ARE KILLED. Met Death by German Aerial Bombs in a Town- Somewhere Behind- the British Front . ' With the American Army in Franca, Deo. 13. (By the Associated rrees. A number of American railway en gineers have been killed by German aerial bbmbs In a town somewhere be hind the British front Details are not yet known. - . ! Jt Is now permitted to announce uiu a 'German bomb fell in a street in town through which American troops were passing. Pieces of the bomb shat tered the windows of a house In which there were officers, showering them ith hnr hurtlnff no one. ! Two American soldiers have died hi hospital from gunshot wounds. , British Lecturers to Address American - ; . Hoidiers, . I (By International News Service.) j With the American Army in France, Dee.. 14. Arrangement has Just been completed whereby British lecturers will address American soldiers in the X.. M. C. A. hots scattered about the training camps. The arrangement ta a mntnal one. the lecturers who have aodm from the United States bavin greed In return to speak to the British soldiers at tneir Diueis oenmu : .iiw linn . - - nun . .. I - . , i . i Many Christmas Specials at Yiityn- So MW ad, , ' ItAlbTDECBMR ;s!:ovstor:i ih years New York and the Surround- ing Territory Blanketed Under From Four, to Six Inches of Snow Today. ! TRAFFIC FACILITIES ARE PARALYZED The Central Railroad of New t Jersey Forced to Abandon All Its Trains.Telegraph Wires Down. (By International News Service.) New York, Dec 14. Sweeping- down from the northeast on the wings of a gale which reached ar velocity of fif ty miles sn hour, the heaviest the heaviest early . December snowstorm In years, early today blanketed 'New York and the surrounding . territory under from four to six Inches of snow Transportation and communicatloq fa cilities are paralysed. - At 3 a. m, today the Central Rail road of New Jersey was forced to abandon all its trains. Officials of the New York Central reported that all of Its telephone and telegraph wires were down and that train schedules were completely demoralised. 'We are all mixed up. Our trains are from one to Ave hours late and most of onr wires are down," was the report of the Erie Railroad. Trains from Chicago are all report ed from one to seven hours late.. Rail road officials say it Is impossible to predict when traffic will again ap proach normal conditions. ' Outside of The Narrows the gale assumed the proportions of a hurri cane. Scows snd lierhters were torn away from their moorings and a num ber of trans-Atlantic ships were un able to enter the harbor. Scores of vessels turned tall and fairly ran for the open sea. Twenty barges laden with grain, cot ton, food and rails, consigned to the American troops in Europe, broke loose from their mooring aud were drawn into the bay.1 Seventeen of these finally were towed back, but three were so badly damaged they sank. The coal situation is immeasurably worse as a result of the storm, and thousands of tons -en route from Penn sylvania, West Virginia and Ohio are held up along the -line by blockade., Coal lying in yards as close as Jersey , City cannot be conveyed rapidly across the Hudson, because so many - barges have been sunk or beached. '. ,i---Zetw Weafeca 3tlcac. Chicago, , Dec,-. 14. More than six Inches of snow covered the ground here and more is falling. The thermometer Is dropping and the forecast is for zero weather before nightfall. Trains en tering the city continue to meet with delay and traffic within the- city also is hampered by -the storm. . FURIOUS STORM IN THE ; NEW ENGLAND COAST. Plays Havoc With Traffitv-Trains all . ' Running Behind. (By International News' Serviced) ' Boston, Dec. 14. Driven by. a fifty mile gale from the east the' New Eng land coast was lashed by a snowstorm last night that played havoc with traffic. The trains on all roads enter ing Boston were from twenty minutes to one hour late. Suburban car lines were crippled by the snow. A rise iu i?mprat"I?Ktod"3r t"rn?1 tbe.,owtt slush and the city streets and country roads were inches deep in water. The coast guard patrol was doubled but so far no wrecks have been reported. 3 Inches of Snow at Buffalo. Buffalo, Dec. 14. After experienc ing another period of suspended traffic In the midst of a blinding snow storm Buffalo today awoke to find the tem perature hovering around aero. There is about thirty Inches of snow on the level and in outlying sections the drifts are ien feet high. . All traffic Is suffer ing. Trains are from one to ten hours late nd the freight yadrs and express houses are congested with millions of dollars worth of merchandise. ARMY NEGOTIATIONS AT BREST-UT0VSK. If Armlstlee Is Signed, Russian Dele gates Are Empowered to Enter into Peace Negotiations. : -y'.-- I i Br The Aasseteted Pressr' London, Dec H-rLeon Trotsky, the Bolshevlkl Foreign Minister, accord- cording to Renter dispatch from Petro- grad, announces that if an armistice for the eastern front is - signed at Brest-Iiitovsk, the . Russian delegates are empowered to enter . into peace nora nations. Amsterdam, Dec 14. Official tier- man and Austrian statements say that Russian delegatea arrived at Brest- Lltovsk Wednesday, and that the army negotiations were resumed yesterday. RAID OXLW. V. HEAD- QUARTERS AT CLEVELAND Tom of Inflammatory Posters and i Dodgers Wore Seised. : ; (By International News Service.) Cleveland. O., Dee. 14. Ton of inflammatory posters, dodgers, post cards and other printed matter wus seised by Federal authorities here to-; dav following a raid last niarht on 1. W.V. headquarters here. Seventeen aaid to be leaders of the I. W. W, activity throughout the nation were arretted and will be interned, accord ins to the district attorney. A majori ty ;of the offenders in smeller towns were receiving instructions and sup. plies from the Cleveland offices, Miss WtUte May Stratford will leave tomorrow for her home in Char lotto to spend the Christmas holiday. She will be accompanied by Miss Sarah Mlllerr who ,wUl be Wr gnpst for. wit qj , . , Pric Fire Cents WAGONER-PATTERSON. Marriage af Two PaaaOs to Take That This evening at 8 o'c-kirk Mr. Charles B. Wagoner and Mlas Janle Alexaader Pattersoa will be uulted la atarrlage at tne bom of the bride's pareota, Mr. and Mrs. J no. K. Pattersoa, oa North Lnloa street The eereasoay will be performed by Rev. Z. Paris, pastor of Central Methodist Charch. - ' The wedding muale from. Madame Bunemy wiU be played by Mlaa SeU Herring. Miss Nancy' Lee Patterson, the youngest sister of the bride, will be maid of honor, and Mr. Hugh Propst, or t-ampiico, K. c, win be best man. The bride will be gfren in marriage by her brother, Mr. H. Kay Patterson. Tne wedding will be a quiet one, only relatives and a few intimate friends oeing invited. - GERMANY MAKES DENIAL. That a Neutral - Gevemaaeot- Has Sounded England For Peace. (By International Kewa Service.) Amsterdsm, Dec.' 14; A fist denial of Foreign Minister Balfour's recent declaration In the House .of Commons that a neutral government had sound ed England for Germany upon the pos sibilities or peace was made In a Ger many official statement received here today. "Great Britain and not Germany,' the statement said, "Was responsible ror the peace feelers.' -After asserting that the peace query was made with thesanction and full knowledge of the British government vne statement continues: . "The clrcumntances surrounding the inqury led to the assumption that not only Great Britain, but also other al lies were connected with the sending out of the feeler.' , . . .. , .- "A direct verbal reply, through an Intermediary appeared to be the most opportune course. The trend of events, however, forced conviction that noth ing was being done by our opponents to facilitate such a direct reply and further steps were not taken on the German side." .. COTTON CONSUMED Census Report Made Public Now 33,604,650 Acive Spindles (By International kews Service.) Washineton. Dec. 14. Census re. port shows cotton, exclusive of lin ters, consumed during November 509.- 66 running, bales in 191 1 compared nilb 583,044 in 1916. of which 333.- 52U bales were consumed in' cotton arowwsr states in 1917 and 323,029 in 1916. Cotton held in consuming- establishments on November 30, was 2.408.327i bales in 1917 and 2.196.- 502 in 1916.- and in'rmblio storage and at compresses 3,745',485 bale8,-m 1917 and 4.088,798 in 1916. Imports. 7.038. equivalent to 500 bales in 1917 and' 1330 in 1916: Exports, includ ing linters 418,685 running bales' in 1(117 nrul .MS 971 in - IQIfl 5 fnttnn swindles aeUve 'diirihg'November'SS,! 6H iilll91tiwii 32845 in 1916.-,-... ,. ..Z, Cotton exported du fins' November' 9.700 bales in 1917 and 8.039 :in WW ..' LOOKING FOR THE BOLD, BAD BANDITS. Five Youthful .Bandits ,Get 146,730 .; From a Chicago Bank. ' - '' (By International News Sef vtteij " Chicago, Dec. 14. Every available de tective rind policeman fn Chicago today is searching for the Ave youthful auto" mobile bandits who robbed the" La Grange State Bank. 'A careful audit of the bank's cash' resulted In the an nouncement earty today that the ban dits obtained $46,730, the largest bank loot obtained In the Middle West in years. ' ' '' " ' ' ' - Officers believe the bandits are hiding In Chicago. Constables and police offi cers or nearby towns are aiding 'Pink erton detectives and the Chicago police in the search. - Fifteen men, believed to be members of a burglar gang that has obtained more than $100,000 worth of loot from burglaries of homes and stores in iChicago, are tinder arrest here today,. More than 125,000 worth of ' stolen goods, It is declared, has been recovered Several of the men are said .to have confessed. - -' '--: - -. TEUTONS PREPARING FOR STUPENDOUS ATTACK Against the Italian Positions from the Brenta.to xh Piave. '. . (By International News Service.) Washinfrton. Dec 14. Artillery preparation for a stupendous attact bv the Austro-German- troops assem bled under Gen.. Von Beulow is wsinff caried out against the" Italian posi. tions from the Brenta. to the Piave, a,.co i-n? to efflciaj.,dispatflhes from tne uaiian war nuniair.v i.uis uira- The operations - of the Teutons (asainsi tne capsuo onageneaa, wnicn had for, their objective the penetra: ition- of the Venetian - lasoon. .Were halted after they had met with some! success, counter-attacks, ov. tne nai' ions have attained successes at -sever al points. .. .. ' . , i Miss Margaret Wilson ia Guest of Charlotte Today. Charlotte. Deo. 13. Miss' Margaret Wilson, dauirhtef of President Wood- row Wilson, arrived in Charlotte! this evenme at 7 :30 and will be the guest of the' city during Friday ind Satur-' day. Friday night 'she will appear in a concert at the -city auditorium ""in the interest of war relief work.' Miss Wilunn waa met at tm atatinn hv riumber of proirnneiitt crtizeim tuid a as. from there, driven le the hotel. She gave audience to the reporters hut saw no one else." Friday she "will remain in hers room ell day. She will be escorted to .the auditorium Fridat ' night, fey the French.- and British . officers and American-officers at -Camp Jreene. She will be presented bv Maibr Gen. cral Dickman, commanding officer of Cntrir, Greene, who with : . Mayor McNinch; arid :the- French: British and .American offirers who escort her from the hotel Nwill- have seats on the stage.' Saturday thornin' Mdss Wilson" will be taken on a drivO' over the ritv arid at 1 o'clock will o ten ered: a lancb'eon":'Bv, the ; women- of Charlotte at the" Selwyn hotel.-. She t . i . .'II ': 1 1 ' Burg wpcroil'.ll"i5)fl inonwvj,. , . hxr . J ' luu IV-f BflranttiHHIHTrS- WWkVllbllill I UllWkU HE SUCCESSFUL In the First Clash With the Counter Revolutlonists The Reports from Various . Sources, However, Conflict .. 4 SEVERE FIGHTING IS GOING ON Intermittent Artillery Activ ity Continues on French Front Not Known Where Germany Will Strike Blow. y The AMMlatad fan) The Bolaneviu iorcee apparently have been successful in tbe first dash with the counter revolutionists. It is reported that they have captured tbe towns of Tamanovka and Kaluga. Gen. Kaledlnes is besieging Rostov on- the Don, the largest city in the Don prov- IIVC llllli, J 1IEUUIII UI BCOI ED progress since Sunday. Gen. Fonanov. ka is near Bielgorod 350 miles south of "Moscow, and near where the forces of Gen. -Kornltoff, also a counter revo lution, are reported to have been en gaged In a' heavy battle with the Bol shevlkl. One report says that Gen Kor nlloff has been . defeated and wounded while another says he was victorious. There is a railroad town named Pa- luga, 100 miles southwest of Moscow, and If this Is the town referred to in the ' unofficial report from Petrograd it appears thst the counter revolution ists have' approached nearer old Rus sian capital than previous reports have Indicated. . Severe fiichting has been going around Rostov, which is only 25 miles -southwest of Novo Tcherkask, the Don , Cossacks capital. The Kaledlnes troops -are besieging the city while the Cos-. sacks forces In Rostov attacked the Bolshevlkl. The losses are reported to have been heavy on both sides. Wire communication has been broken. Artil lery and local Infantry fighting has been in progress on tbe western front, and to Which Germany has been rush lug troops and supplies. The enemy have attempted no further attacks , since Wednesday and there is still no outwurd sign of where the expected - blow v.111 come. ' ; , .In Cambral yesterday the British - stormed the German dosttions on the -south end of the sector while on the north end there was bomb fighting and . which lierman prisoners were captur- . ed. The German artillery is especially active south-of Scarpe-In the -Arras area and northeast of tpres in Flan- . : ftl'r..Itfterntllteirt- wrtUlcry . activities arajeontlnuiiig along the French front. ' The only infatry action has been near - Juviucourt, north' f " Rhelms, where. a German attack was repuiseu. - . ; Est of the Brenta 'river on the Northern Italian front there has been v- further bitter fighting.. Austro-uennan troops, reinforced by fresh reserves, -attacked the Italian position in, the tiMcys descending toward the river from the Itella Bretta region. The Italian resistance - held the attackers and forced them to give up the effort : after . having suffered heavy losses. Other violent attacks In the same re-, gion brought no gains. -t German bombs have killed a num- - ber of railroad engineers In a town be hind the British -front. In another town a German bomb fell In a atreet ? through which Americans troops were marching. Although the missile fell , very" close no injuries resulted. SI0 FUEL ADMINISTRATOR ON THE LANDLORDS Will Be His Duty to Make Him Come Across With the Reas,- - - (By International News Service.) iit..i.:i (iu " u ;; the, Fuel Administrator on the landlord. ,It will be the tliel Administrator s duty to make him come across with .u.: it -a minfA mi . onicial 11111 UCOV, " M . 8atement--a suggestion which came in today on the Dream oi a snow, storm, is; made effective. - s. u The suggestion should 4 bring joy lo the hearts of renters and lessees of homes in all parts of the.counirv." . the- fuel administrator says, if made effective. (Concretely tne sugKeauuu that the local fuel administrator . be empowered to take up the matter directly with the landlord u.. tenant's1 refuses to repair a house. make furnace equipmeni, iww.-; able. Dogs Can't Run at Large in Oastonia ' ." Gastonia. Dec. 13. After January 1st. no dogs will be allowed .to ruff at law in astonia, -an ordinance iu thia effect having been passed by the ; ;ta last mnAtinir. Here- CllY cuuuuil B- - . I after every owner of a doe must keep tlie canine- securely connnea u , premises or, when taking the dog out, the -latter must beled bv a chain. , The enactment of this law was the re- . suit of the biting oi a nine m.u , the street by a dog some weens bko. j The Coal Situation Does Not .Improve. l- Ik. tnfnrmiitlnn tit IMV CUstOm- . rvi ic . ii . vj. ....... ., . . i .m Mats that I haul out a great deal of coal for 'the different cotton mills to their help and wnen you ww m wnimns hanllna coal .it is hot evi dence that t have coaL ' ! Today I have orders on my .i. .it K. nnai i MiMct to receive dur- 'ing the next three weeks. However, It ? . .1 1 1 -' .... 1 1 mat I C xu secure some uiuiii -will e in shape t. book orders for earlier delivery. ,: ' - , , . The labor question is getting serum, cannot itet men to work during the ba"d weather '' ' V -' ' . ... nri.u uatflncA nf Hie Fuel A1- i.it iuv. , " .ministration, I am doing everythln dB my, power to secure ior voncira ppfflclent fuel. i3-2t . I r , FOtr: -.