The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, November 17, 1919, Page 3

MONDAY, NOV. 17, 1919 PROBLEMS IN NOMENCLATURE WHICH - WAR RISK BUREAU HAS T0 TACKLE Difficulties the ‘Buseait plete: én Answering Letters and Maintaining the Correct Addr esses of Demobilized Men— Many Become*Transients and Others Give Only Frag- mentary Information, Washington—Ecce homo! Behold the man! “Get me this man’s name so that I! can report definitely on the status of | his insurance.” That, together with a “slip bearing the memo, “James Hall, . (3,721,505) McCall, South Carolina. Beneficiaries: Mrs, Ella Stalks (wife), Mrs. Fannie Stalks (mother),” was handed fo a file searcher in the bureau of war'risk in- surance, ‘ ‘The man’s naine was ‘given as Hall, while thas of his wife and his mother were given as Stalks. Patently, Something was wrong somewhere. Ju what was wrong, however, was not so evident. To find out what and where the error was, was the job. Finding, the error somebody else Made is always the job of the war risk index file searchers, and it's a tough job if they fail to get at the bottom of 4t. Going into the index files section where are listed the names of nearly five million men who were inducted into military service, the young wom- an made a complete inventory, of all Girl Sleuths Searching Cart “Index Files, the thousands of men surngmed Hall. Among them all there was not one who came from McCall, South Carolina, nor yet one who had a wife or mother “Whose name even remotely resembled | the “Stalks” given as the name of the | two beneficiaries. Calls for Nimble Wit. This, clearly, was a case for the use of that specially nimble. wit and. fine! deductive faculty which has character- | ized much of the werk of the search- ers of the index files, and given them- a process of procedure iwhich mighk} be used to: addg@a leaf to the book of the Burnses, the. Pinkertons and the Flynns, “Well,” remarked the girl charged with producing the needed informa- |-% tion, “this .man may be ‘Stalk,’ sinee that is the name given for his wife and_ mother.” But. search through the “Stalks” brought nothing to ‘identify the case. “Still,” she. persisted, and. they al- ways do persist, these girls. “His | hame. myst be some kind of a ‘Stalk,’ but what kind? Corn stalks, béan stalks, and cabbage, stalks are the only kind of stalks I know- anything about so I'll just look them up.” And sure enough, it turned out that his name was “some,kind of a Stalk.” Cabbage stalks, in fact, and his index card was duly changed to read: “James Cabbagestalks, (3,721,505) McCall, South Carolina ; beneficiaries, Mrs. Ella Cabbagestalks (wife), Mrs. | Fannie ‘Cabbagestalks (mother).” | “You see that girl’wearing the blue | sweater over there,” said oné young | woman, | ‘ | The girl of the blue sweater appear- } ed so, young-She’ might have just left School. She’ was searching tatne in- dex cards, her fingers rapidly running | from one to another. With each flap of the card ‘she had taken a- mental note of the inscription thereon: but.to the observer she was making a.speed record in’ touching every card in the file drawer, % Suddenly—Bang! . The drawer was | he. movedsa' foot to the right, n another Marathon in curd move- ments, selected one, made a. notation on, a, slip of paper .she.carried, placed the card among the-others, closed the | drawer, and walked toward the man | who is in. charge of. the file section. i This pantonrime was quickly enacted, and as it turned..ong it brought. to a close a remarkable case which had been under investigation’ for some | days. * | The “Divis Mystery. The title of this strange’ case might be the “Divis mystery”. with Miss Blue . Sweater as the detective heroine, A typewritten letter was received by ON ee eR TEE TOTO When «a debtor in -Siain’ is’ three months in-arrears he can be:seizett’ by the ¢reditor and Compelled to. work out his indebtedue: "All: Russians, men ‘atid .women: haye | Pa. | complex case.ar !Maine, a girl from that state Lnavy clerk. | worry to, searchers. t.spelled in four or five ways. the bureau from an abmy camp, and ended as follows: “Respectfully, “Private Divis Spruce, Hastings, Pa.” Miss Blue: Sweater was assigned to the letter fith instructions to secure the man’s policy number. that certain information requested as to the stand- N jing of his insur: ‘ance might be farnish- ed him, The name of Divis Spruce could not be found in the files. 'Thenyeamé the time for imagination and deduction, No matter how. the name was split to make some other plausible name, the files could not produce results, ay the young woman decided to address a letter to the man at Hast: ings, Pa., requesting him to furnish in- formation about himself. In due time the letter was returned to the bureau as unclaimed, This did not put’ an ‘end to the search) by any means. Tmagination and deduction again were brought into the case, andi further study of the original letter Was made. Divis Spruce, Spruce, Division. Of course! The Spruce Divisi The Spruce division was the American army. Miss Blue Sweater secured a roster of the Spruce di vision from the war department and searched through the nearly 40,000 names for 2 man who lived ‘at Hastings, Pa. In this she was rewarded. The list showed only one man from that to He was Herman Miller. With this formation the young woman had no difficulty in finding the card of Her. man Miller, (poticy number 1,877,15: serial number 866,255) of Hasting: This man was furnished the in- formation he desired, and in thanking the bureau he admitted he had forgot- ten to sign his name to thé letter. Searchers From All Sections. Girls from every part of the coun- try are employed as searchers. If a involving a man’s his, home. is_ in}; ssigned to. run down the mystery and she near- | ly always does, Should‘ the state be | California, a’ gti’ hailing from the “Coast” soon ee the correct data care- Cully listed in the files. . There are innumerable “wonderful” cases under investigation every day, but these girls are not unlike the he- roes from France who! never exploit the “wonderful” things they. them: selves did in line of duty. Han@writing experts are, employed to determine the identity of many sig- natures, since every conceivable form of handwriting reaches the bureau. Often the body of a letter will/be per- identification, and Checking Names of Soldier Survivors. fectly legible, but the signature will prove to. be one of those nonforgeable jumbles of pen strokes which are the delight and pet hobby of the writer and. the Gospels of oe hopeful reader. Silent letters in-names “must always be taken into consideration. The name of Hlynack is a. good example, where the silent letter is the key, letter for searching, but atthe same time it is particularly, dead, in pronunciation. This name is pronounced Lynack, and in the hurry: of wsiting, often names are misspelled, when on the surface they appear very simple and correct. Foreign names are often typed in- correctly because the soldier at, the time of making application for insur- ance may have been unfamiliar with English and made a, mistake in re- peating the spelling-to the army or This is a great seurce of Names Spelled Many Ways. Frequently one man’s name may be If rela- tives, parents or someone interested in his welfare inquires about his ingur- nce, each will; spell it in their.way. Girl. searchers must determine which jis, the correct spelling and then ver- | ify it from. the man’s original signa- ture, “OA clever. piece gi deduction was that in the case of, Andtew Good of North Dakota. ° His name could not be found . and_ the ‘result.is;that, there; are more showy: boots worn)in* Russia than any- where else. - Tokioiis to/have.a subway’ to help solve its: transportation: problem, it. is @ weakness. for - beautiful footwear, Lreported, © NEW BRIDGE IS GIVEN APPROVAL BY GOVERNMENT Permission Given to Construct | $1,000,000 Strycture at Lower Height Final. approval for a height of 38.4) feet above high water for the $1,-| 000,000 bridge over the Missouri river | from Bismarck, to Morton. county hi been ‘given by the-chief of engince: at Washington, D. C., and all that now remains for the completion of the pro» posed bridge is the necessary funds. | Capt. I) P. Baker, «who returned} trom. Washington today, brought word that the federal government had ap-| proved the plans for the bridge which | provided that’ the approach to the} bridge on the Bismarck side of the river would be level with Main street! approximately. This is a saving of almost twelve feet in height as orig- inally planned and will result in the saving of thousands of dollars in the} ultimate cost of the structure. With final approval to the plans being given by the government, .con- struction of the huge bridge will be rushed as rapidly as funds are avail- able. Morton and Burleigh counties have already signified their intention of contributing $180,000 .toward the cost of the bridge which will be raised by bond issue, and it is expected that the coming special session of the legislature will appropriate the bal- ance of amount required. Work Started Work has already been started on taking soupdings for the four piers that will support the steel superstr ture, one on each bank of the river and two in mid-stream. It has been found that a permanent foundation was, located 80 teet below water level, and the tour piers will be sunk to this depth. he piers will be of reinforced con- crete and will be approximately 60 by 20 feet on the bottom, tapering somewhat as they reach upwards. Cofferdams will ‘be built and they will become the outside shells of the four piers. If sufficient money is ap- propriated this year, actual construc- tion of the piers will be started this winter with the expectation that they will be completed before next summer. Conerete Driveway The plans provide for a concrete highway stretching trom Main street, Bismarck, to Main street, Mandan. Where.the road crosses the North- ern Pacific right-of-way it will be low- ered and pass underneath those tracks |so that there will be no grade cross- ings on this side of the river. Because of the low land on the west bank of the river, it willebe necessary to construct a’ fill approaching the bridge on the Morton county side. In- feet lower than originaly planned, this will mean @ big saving in construction expenses for this work, as well as lowering the height of the pier and removing the necessity of a giant span, All parties “interested in the con- struction of the bridge all over the state will-make every “effort to get the necessary appropriation through the special session of the legislature so that this work can be started at once. iScandinavian Bank Assistant Attorney General Sheets Aids Prosecution Assistant Attorney General Albert E. Sheets, Jr., is in Fargo, where he is assisting Judge W. G. Lawder of. Wahpeton in the prosecution of President H. J. Hagen and Cashier P. R. Sher- man of the .Scandinavian-Amer- iean bank, who are charged with having made false exhibits to deputy state bank, examiners. KEPT FROM CHURCH, HE SUES San Francisco Man Wants Damages Because Laundry Wasn't Delivered. Max Steinberg, vroprietor of a shoe store in San Francisco, filed suit against the New Princess French Laundry company because, he charges, they kept him away from worship by refusing to deliver his, laundry, the company refusing to deliver it because of a dispute over a previous bundle Steinberg says was lost. High Cost of Living Causes Suicide. Despondent over the losing struggle against the high cost of living, which kept her five children in ill health, Mrs. Catherine Wohlford of Newark, N. J., committed suicide by taking poison. Jealous Dog Kills Child. Enraged when its master kissed four-year-old “Margaret, Jane Hoy, an Airedale leaped on the little girl and killed her by tearing open her throat. The little girl was spending the sum- mer with her parents at Rondaxe, N, Y. Russia has fewer phy: any other civilized countr tis than ‘orwegian, every cubie foot of an iceberg nbove water there are eight feet below wat By French. law ‘no physic! inherit property left to him by a de- ceased patient, Phone 453. for Wilton Lignite. This Coal does not clinker, and contains Jess Sulphur and Ash than any ‘other Lignite mined in North Dakota. Washburn Lignite Coal Company cubic asmuch as the bridge is to be twelve}. S grade on the Bismarck side of the|iu Heads Are On Trial BISMARCK DAILY TRIBU famous headlock. Weismille here on November 26 agains Tribunal Affirms Decision From Cass County Decreeing That Wartime Exemption Clause Applies Only to Special Haz- ards Incident to War A ruling of interest service men throughout handed down by the supreme Monday when it held that the clause in life insurance policies pro- viding for limited liability when a policy-holder entered military or Naval services without the consent of the insurance company does not apply in case of a death from influenza under conditions n which ther ed none x ent to mili- to families of America wag court war ober 80; 1917, purch: mia the Am- erican Life Insurance Co. ef Des Moines a $2,000 policy for the benefit of his mother, Mrs. Lena Mybli. This policy contained the usual wartime providing that if within five ts after its issuance the insured shall die while in milt val ser: vice in time of war without previo having obtained from the company permit therefor, the company’s liabili- ty shall be limited to the cash prem- Dunwoody Je there he contracted which caused his death at polis hospital on October 7. insurance company declined to full amount of his poliey to hi y because he had not obt on fo enter naval service. rs, Myhli brought suit in Ca county where won a verdict full amount. vatdi ed in-supreme cour. [tribunal hel. does ot exe ei occasioned by dent to naval against which the insn sought to protect. itself. LAST RITES HELD * AT STERLING FOR PIONEER | FARMER} The 10! hene- ben thi. ae tat ye Chitise ty ery “COM on Funeral services were held at Sterling Methodist church’ Suiday for the late Michael Reedy, who Sunday, November 9, after a prolonged | illne of the deceased resi:l- ing in Washington state was unable to reach Sterling until last. Saturda and the funeral was postponed untii Sunday. Rev, C. W. Finwall officiated XMAS. supply grav Come ADAM WEISMILLER Claimant to the world’s welterweight wrestling title, showing his DEATH FROM INFLUENZA IN NAVAL ERVICE HELD BY SUPREME COURT NOT TO INVALIDATE INSURANCE - (widow, for month. tne! died | | ENGRAVED, CALLING CARDS We are in position to and Calling Cards. samples. Bismarck Tribune Co. w he AG to ke in to are deer Te ers, r is billed to wrestle to a finish it Kid Blackie of Hope. com) at the ehurch and at the cemetery, one-half mile from Sterling. Michael Reedy came to Burleigh, county in 1904 and settled on a home- «nine miles northeast of Ster' ing. He was born September 19, 186 in Norway. In the spring of 1888 he came to America first locating in Min- neapolis, where he remained until he came to Burleigh county to take up 2 homestead, He prospered as a farmer and he leaves a considerable estate consisting principally of developed Bur- leigh county ferm Jand. There survive the deceased, M Agnes Reedy, five and two daughters- Ma John, Robert and William, and Clara and Carrie Reedy. stea his sons Popular Men Form New Auto Company With Novel Ideas! Will Start in Business About First of December With Several Surprises Another automobile concern will soon pake its how to the publie of the Bis- marck territory. Articles of incorpora- tion have been granted tu Baker-Top- pins Co. by the blue sky commission, | and the company wl handle one of the} best, known cars n the country. The incorporators of the new con- cern are Frayne Baker, Benton Baker und Alexander F. Toppins. ‘Che com- pany will be located at the northeast ‘corner of Main and Third streets, using| jone-half ofsthe store room that is now ‘occupied by the Bortell Hardware Co. | A complete service station with sev- jeral new featu 1 be included in lthe new quarters which the company expects fo occupy about first of next The store part will he remod- celled and large plate glass windows putin on the west side. Mr. ‘Poppins is one of known automobile salesmen in the Bismarck territory, haying been pre- viously connected with the Western Sales Co. and the Lahr Motor Sales »Co. He is well known among the deak jers thruout this. territory and will be ithe field man for the new company, jwhile Frayne Baker will handie the [i ML end of the business. The company intends making formal {announcements of the car it will han- dle, its future plans and some of the jdetails of its service in a few das | Oh! Yes! JOHNSON’S for | Hosiery. the — best Owing to the ca of true cork in Sweden, wooden corks are being used. AND you with En- ed Christmas in and see our of the varions states in this district so that each state will obtain the same supply of cout as it did un- der the directon of the federal fuel fuel Fe aati for the request of Governor release of coal stored at the head of the lakes. MORE WOMEN DEER Virginia, hunting thi proximately £ predicting a number of accidents have yietims who may be brought here. PLENTY OF COAL AT HEAD OF LAKES TO SUPPLY NORMAL NEEDS OF STATE, SAYS FORMER FUEL ADMINISTRATOR ~ “Tam informed that the supply at the head of the lakes will meet all of our usuat-demands — for foreign coal this winter,’ said Capt. Baker. “About seventy percent of the coal used in this state is im- ported, There wil be suflicent con! for the other northwestern states to prevent suffering and depriva- tion, his is already stored at the head of the lakes and will be re- leased by government: order, There is absolutely no danger of a fuel shortage in North Dakota, and the government has promised’ to see to it that the people of this state get their share of coal.” There is ample coal at the head the lakes for the entire north- est, and the federal government us apportioned this coal among ministration last year, uy snp Wi ade day by Capt. LP. Baker, former North Da- return from Wash- whither he went at Lynn J. seek from federal authorities the 1S pta, upon h ton, D. C. ee 1 | , SERRE TAT | : ‘ TO CLASSIFY HUNTERS THAN EVER || TOO LATE el BEFORE IN WOODS! finn. Noy. 17. more interest in det r than before, A ap- sty women are out after or moose all from this city, pease of the large number of h in the woods health authoriti FOR RENT 522 2nd street. 11-17-3t FOUND—Mouth piece of a horn on 5th street, opposite McKenzie Hotel. Owner may have same by proving property and paying for this ad at ‘Tribune. 11-17-1t 640 ACRES one mile of station to trade for hotel. For particulars write L. Wang, Box 255, Billings, Mont. 11-17-2wks Room for rent. Women | displ ements to care for; pleted | arral Small But Important... / A dollar nowadays does not seem a very large amount to many people, but it can be made the basis of a very important undertaking—your cam- paign for financiz pendence in later life. One dollar starts a Sav- ings Account with the First National Bank, and earns interest at 4 per cent, compounded quar- terly. If added to regu- larly the deposit will amount to a very satis- factory surplus in a sur- prisingly short time. Bismarck,ND. The Oldest and Largest Bank in this sectionof The Slate Established 1879 Mr. ‘Oliver Towne CALL OVER TOWN) Some of the folks hereabouts call me a busybody. —a gadabout. | Maybe they’re right. I certainly get into all the highways and byways, the nooks and corners, the business marts and the mansions, the cottages and conferences, everywhere and I know what is doing wherever I go. I’m a sort of get-together fellow. And I’m at your service wherever I go. I make it my busi- ness to know who’s looking for a job and I make it my business to know where the job is and I put one and one together. That’s addition—that’s-me. “Ad” is my middle name. That’s the way they classify me. If you’ve services to séll, jobs to give out, houses to rent, property to dispose of, an auto to swap, just tell me. I'll tell it “all over town” and then you'll realize what-a get-together service I render, through the Want Ad columns of : THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE