The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, March 21, 1929, Page 2

Pies M "FAW SEEKER Toe, [SENS wr comer oe PUBL ULI + BEGANFLOWING 10 {| THIS AREA IN 1928 Northern Pacific Sales Show 84 per Cent Increase for Last Year Over 1927 URGED 10 EDUGATE COMPLAINTS AWAY C. W. McDonald of State Rail- road Commission, Speaks to Otter Tail Staffs Fergus Falls, Minn., March 21.—(4) —Pointing out that the public forms E ICEQ ANNE AUSTIN - THIS HAS HAPPENED On Monday morning RUTH LESTER, Secretary, finds the body of her employer, “HAND- SOME HARRY” BORDEN, sprawled beneath the airshaft window of his private office: McMANN, detcctive sergeant, questions the following suspects: MRS. BORDEN, Borden's cs- tranged wife and mother of his two children; RITA DUBOIS, Tm glad he’ came, anyway. Come on. in, Miss Lester, and I'll tell you all about it.” Before obeying, Ruth Lester gath- ered up the four typed sheets of what Birdwell had called a “serial story” and folded them into a small square which she tucked away safely in the pocket of the brown velveteen frock she was wearing. “A man’s will is a pretty good in- dex ‘to his characte: r,” McMann be-| ing inside and outside this window,” Mc- Mann reminded her. “If it hadn't been for those pigeon footprints, in- side and outside a closed window, I doubt if a grand jury would have indicted him—” 4 But again he was amazed to dis- cover that the girl was not listening to him. She was smiling and nodding withcarefreegayety, to theyoung man across the airshaft, who, after read- , gave her a ost Active Settlement on Northwest Lands Since War Looms BLAGK P NEA Service, Inc. $00 LINE SEED CARS HERE THIS EVENING; TOUR DRAWING 1000 if Farmers Are Not Forced to Work by Weather, Special Will Prolong Rounds ‘The Soo Line. special seed cars will the brief its opinion of a public utility largely} nicht club dancer, with whom | gan, after he and Ruth had seated | puzaled smile and nod in return, and WEW RAIL LINES ATTRACT by its experience with public utility; orden was infatuated; © and | themselves opposite each other at the | then tore the ribbon of employes, C. W. McDonnell, member of the North Dakota State Railroad JACK HAYWARD, Ruth’s fiance, whose office is across the narrow dead man’s desk. “And more times than not, when a rich 's been per to bits, The pigeons fluttered Bier them. greedily. i commission, today told representa-} airchaft from Borden's. murdered, his will is the pollce’s best eee Many of Arrivals Enter Red- tives of the Otter Tail at pas ad Jack’s guilt secms emphasized | bet in ‘looking for a motive. I tried| “What was that’ message?” Mc- water Valley, Opened Last that their attitude toward the publ by his admission that he returned _|to get hold of Attorney Walters yes- | Mann demanded sternly. Fall, More Inquiring St. Paul, March 21.—Land sales in the northwest by the Northern Pa- cific Railway compan: in 1928 in- creased 84 per cent in acreage and about 179 per cent in money consid- eration when compared with figures of 1927, J. M. Hughes, land commis- sioner of that railroad, mude known today. The stimulus given to land ment in the Northwest in 1928, increasing tendency by tenant-farm- ers in other areas of the United States to seek ownership of low- priced, productive farm lands, and the recognized improved evonomic condition of the northwest gave a basis for Mr. Hughes’ forecast that land settlement. in the northwestern area traversed by the Northern Pa- cific railway lines in 1929 will be the most active in any period since the World war. “There will be no boom settlement of lands in the Northwest,” Mr.: Hughes said: “But qualified, ca- pable farmers are turning to the Northwest as an area in which they may insure their future through land ownership,” It is one of the few re- maining sections of the United States where land, properly farmed, is high- ly productive and may still be pur- chased at low prices. Statistics just prepared by the land department for 1928 are significant of the trend, and emphasize the growing demand for ‘western lands, both arable and graz- ing in character.” Mr. Hughes’ compilation showed that: In 1928 the Northern Pacific sold 287,000 acres of land. The consideration was approxi- mately $2,400,000. Statistics show that a large amount of arable land was sold to farmers in western North Dakota and eastern but it was in the Redwa- in eastern Montana, the Northern Pacific, that the great- est sales were made. Work on the “Hey, Jake, sing that one again cottage for two. of approximately $2.70 per acre. A decided change in the question of land ownership is coming about as a result of improved conditions in the stock industry. Flocks and herds are being increased and many stock- men are finding range more and more restricted. Many of them are rapidly reaching the conclusion that so far as possible they must, as a measure of protection, own their ranges outright and not longer de- pend to a major extent as hereto- fore, upon leased’ property and free range. If such a program is followed out it should result in the adoption of better methods of handling stock on controlled ranges and, in the long run, & more profitable business.” GOLD MEDAL AWAITS TON-OF-PIG RAISERS construction of this 62-mile line was in the spring of 1927 and com- in the fall of 1928 in time to Jast year’s crop. In the 18- th period from July 1, 1927, to December 31, 1928, the advantage of this newly opened-up country, where 1,000,000 acres af agricultural lands were available, were brought to the attention of the nation’s farmers. Farmers raped middlewest showed particular interest in the proposition of settling up the lands along the new line, according to Mr. Hughes. ‘The statistics show that 1,344 indi- viduals made personal. observations in conducted parties. The railway company’s automobiles were driven 92,000 miles on landseekers’ trips in the Redwater valley in that year and Many others, driving their own cars, made their own investiga- tions. “As a net result of all this activity the company sold 75,928.17 acres of farming lands in that district up to the end of 1928, and under 283 land contracts, for an aggregate of $973,- 105.45,” Mr. Hughes continued. “ , there were outstanding at the end of the year 57 short time op- tions affecting 23,011.42 acres to be sold for an aggregate of $275,083.06. “The population of the district had been increased by the end of 1928 to the extent of 75 new farmer families, 364 individuals, who took Feat Will Have to Be Accom- , Plished in 180 Days From March 1 to July 15 The North Dakota ton litter project is outlined to give recognition to our most successful hog raisers. A gold medal will be awarded to any person in North Dakota who produces a litter of pigs, farrowed between March 1 and July 15, that reaches the weight of one ton, 2,000 pounds, when 180 days old. Some of the regulation of this pro- Ject are: Members must enroll with the coun- ty agent before April 1. Members shall ear-mark the pigs of each litter within ten days after far- rowing and forward certified report to the county agent. Every litter of pigs farrowed on the farm between March 1 and July 15, inclusive, must be ear- marked and reported. All herds from which litters are nominated for awards shall be in- tee of two or more disinterested par- ties selected by the county agent. more litters, last year the intention of settling in their new homes in 1929, some have already moved out since the first others are to fol- Indications are ex- il secretary of the project. ect, may write to the county agent. spected before July 1, by a commit- Members may nominate one or Litters shall be weighed by a com- mittee of two or more parties selected by the county agent the day they are 180 days old. Official reports on the weights shall be certified by the com- mittee and forwarded to the state Hog raisers interested in this proj- about the girl what's waiting in the MACHINERY BOUGHT FOR HIGHWAYS THIS | YEAR GOST $72,322 Difference in Price Is Due to Varying Types for Pur- poses of Experiment Although the maintenance division {of the state highway department will have more miles of road to maintain this year it will have more machin- {ery with which to do the job. Purchases of equipment, made re- cently by the state highway commis- ‘sion, totaled $72,322.80, exclusive of the season's supply of cutting edges ‘for the blades used on grading ma- chines. These were contracted for and will be ordered as needed. ‘The list of new machinery includes one caterpillar tractor, $4,485; one 12- foot blade grader, $2,135; one truck grader, $2,522; two truck graders, $1,920 each; one truck grader $2115.- 50; two 15 horsepower tractors $2,070 each; one 15-horsepower tractor, cat- erpillar type, $2,094; two planers for motor patrols, $595 each; five-horse- patrol graders $170.25 each; four- horse patrol graders, $138.40 or $194, depending on type selected by main- tenance engineer; one International truck, $958; one Chevrolet truck, $678.75; two motor patrols $2,734 each; seven motor patrols, $2,464 each; two moter patrols, $2,525.60; five motor patrols, $2,569 each; two motor pa- trois, $2,605 each. Differences in prices for the same Kind of machines are accounted for by the fact that they are different de- signs purchased from different firms. The highway commission is adopting the policy of testing out various makes of road machinery in order to deter- mine the types which give best results under North Dakota conditions. A GOOD JOB Tramp: 'Elp me, lady, please! For three years I worked for the cause of temperance. ; acy: Were you a temperance ora- or Tramp: No; I was the ‘orrible ex- ample.—Answers. will largely determine the success of their corporation. To the customers the man with whom he comes in contact is the company, McDonnell said, and if his impression is bad the company usu- ally gets the blame. Its public rela- tions suffer and trouble develops. Confpanies serving the public are de- pendent for success on the good will of the communities served and good will is best obtained by earning it. “Comparatively few people know the general managers of the large utilities and seldom have any deal- ings with them direct, but every cus- tomer knows the meter reader, the cashier, and, usually, the linemen and trouble shooters,” McDonnell said. “To the customers they are the company and their attitude is takén as an indication of the attitude of the managing heads of the business. More Patience Required “The public as a rule is poorly in- formed as to the details of the opera- tion of any public utility and fre- quently ask what appear to be foolish questions regarding them. Having been a railroad agent in the good old days when the agent performed the duties of telegraph operator, freight hustler, mail carrier, yardmaster and others, I can sympathize with any- one behind a counter who is required to explain things that the questioner knows nothing about.” He said he once took half an hour to explain to a lady that she could not buy a railroad ticket from North Dakota to Boston with a stopover at San Francisco. $ Ignorance on the part of a cus- tomer may be a joke to the public utility employe, McDonnell said, but it is no joke to the customer and he resents its being taken as such. Dur- ing a car shortage when ‘the grain movement was at its peak, he said, a brakeman for a railroad extending into Canada jokingly told business- men who wanted cars that all cars were being sent over, into Canada for use by Canadian shippers. Proved Costly Joke The employe’s joke became so serious that the state railroad board had to conduct an investigation to Prove that Canadian shippers were not being favored by the railroad, McDonnell said, and in that com- munity the public relations of the railroad are still unpleasant because of the incident. He suggested that care and atten- tion to complaints about overcharges for electric current would save power companies much trouble. If a quali- fied representative of the utility would make a check of the customer's premises, compute the time that lights and appliayces are used and demonstrate that the bill is fair and just, the customer would be perfectly willing to pay for service received, McDonnell said. He said a customer whose complaint had been handled in this manner probably would pass the word along to his friends with the ultimate result that complaints would be reduced to a minimum. Suggesting that public utility com- panies launch educational campaigns to acquaint their customers with their business, McDonnell said the result would be a sharp decrease in the number of complaints received by the company and the number of com- Plaints which come to the state rail- road board for settlement. About 95 per cent of the complaints received by the state railroad board come from five per cent of the utili- ties or their customers, McDonnell said, expressing the opinion that this situation is due largely to poor public An average of 1000 canaries a day were imported into America in 1928. relations on the part of the utilities involved. OUT OUR WAY By Williams to the seventh floor Saturday aft- ernoon, and by the testimony of MICKY MORAN and OTTO PFLUGER, elevator boys. BILL COWAN, Jack's friend, unwill- ingly tells cf having heard Jack threaten Borden's life Saturday morning. McMann questions BENNY SMITH, Borden's office boy; ASHE, his manservant; MINNIE CASSIDY and LETTY MILLER, seventh floor scrubwomen, and CLEO GILMAN, Borden's dis- carded mistress) MARTHA MAN- NING is brought into the case by Ruth's clever detective work. She swears she last saw Borden Fri- day night but admits phoning him three times Saturday aftcr- noon. When McMann pointbdlank ac- cuses her of the murder, she chal- lenges him to bring forward any- ene who saw her in the building Saturday. While Ruth and Jack are out for lunch, Ruth deter- mines to check up on Martha's stery. The memory of Martha’s nervous, twisting hands stirs some dcep-hurried impression in Ruth’s subconscious. ke NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER XLIV “Yes—old subconscious working at last, darling!” Ruth answered, when the elevator had discharged them at the seventh floor. Her eyes were shining like blue diamonds, but even if she had wanted to confide in her sweetheart, the inevitable group of re- Porters clustered about Borden's door would have prevented her. Throwing back at Hayward a bril- liant smile by way of farewell—a smile destined to grace the front page of an extra a few hours later—Ruth slipped into her office, or rather the office which had been hers until her em- Ployer had been murdered. She found Detective Birdwell with his feet on Benny Smith's desk, his black derby tilted low over his per- petually weary eyes. At the girl's en- trance, down came the feet and off came the derby, but the expression of bored gloom on the detective's face deepened. r “Has anything happened?” Ruth asked, as she hung up hat and coat, and fluffed her golden curls before the washstand mirror. “Oh, nothing much,” Birdwell drawled wearily. “Nothing except that Commissioner Weeks has been here handing out nice, hot little sam- Ples of hell. You'd think to hear that guy talk, that nobody hadn't done nothing but twiddle their thumbs or play tiddly-wmks since you stumbled over Borden's body yesterday morn- ing. As the chief says to him’—and Birdwell jerked his head toward Bor- den’s private office, where McMann was presumably hard at work—‘“he says, ‘Give us time, commissioner. We ain't been on this job 30 hours yet,” he says, and the Big Noise comes back at him with this kinda proposition: ‘If you can’t make an arrest by five o'clock today, McMahn, he says, I'll assign the case to Lieutenant Pryor.’ Hunh! I know Pryor! He'll clap everybody in sight in jail, and then say ‘Eenie meenie miney mo’ to see which one did it.” “And what did Mr. McMann say to that?” Ruth asked, smiling cheer- fully. “Oh, this and that,” Birdwell told her wearily, “but the gist of it was that he guessed your sweetie, Hay- ward, would have to be the goat. Thought I'd tip you off—” “Thank's awfully, Mr. Birdwell!” Ruth replied, but to the detective's obvious amazement her smile was not @ whit less cheerful. “Is Commis- sioner Weeks still with Mr. McMann?” “No, he’s toddied on off to brighten up another dark corner,” Birdwell grinned, “but Borden’s lawyer—a la- de-da chappie, with a cane and spats and everything—dropped in a few minutes ago to lend a helping hand. terday, of course, but he was out of town—didn't get back. till noon to- day. ‘And did you find a motive?” Ruth asked eagerly. “Not unless we want to believe that Mrs. Borden got impatient,” McMann said slowly. “Outside of a few thou- sands to his lawyer, who, it appears, expected more for keeping Borden out of jail on some of his fake stock schemes, everything goes to the wife and kids—” * * * “Nothing to Martha Manning's child?” Ruth interrupted. “Not a red!” McMann answered “I've just told you that a man’s will is a good index to his character. He makes no provision for the child that Miss Manning claims is his. Maybe. he had cause to question his pater- nity, but I doubt it. I'd stake my hope of promotion for solving this case on that woman’s telling the truth —so far as the kid is concerned, at least.” “I agree with you,” Ruth said sob- erly. “Did Mr. Borden leave a large estate?” “About a million and a quarter, according to Walters, though the will simply says, ‘More than $10,000.’ The usual thing you know,” McMann a! swered. “Of course I asked Walters if Mrs. Borden knew either the extent Position made of it in his will and She must have been pretty sure, how- ever, that whatever her husband had would come to her and the children, but since Borden was giving them $500 a month, I’m afraid we'll have to look elsewhere for a motive that will hold water.” “Mrs. Borden didnot kill her hus- band,” Ruth stated quietly. “You seem pretty sure—oh, all right, Birdwell! What is it?” as his sub- ordinate appeared in the doorway. “Captain Foster on the wire, sir. Wants to talk with you.” While McMann was arguing and ex- postulating with his immediate su- perior, who had evidently just been heckled by his own superior, Com- missioner Weeks, Ruth sat staring at the airshaft window, smiling strange- ly, her chin resting on her inter- locked hands. McMann, glancing at her once or twice for approval of the way he was “standing up” to the police captain, saw to his amazement that she was not even listening. Something did arouse her out of her smiling abstraction, however. It was the mournful, reproachful call of the black pigeon, which was-strut- ting up and down the broad white ledge outside. the airshaft window. With an exclamation of dismay at her own thoughtlessness, the girl jumped up and ran to the outer office, to get the envelope which she had filled with bread crumbs from her own luncheon. But the hungry pigeon’ had to wait a minute longer, for Ruth stopped to type one line and tear it, a narrow ribbon, from the sheet of yellow paper. With her message, bread crumbs and a length of black thread, she hurried back into the private office, where McMann was just replacing the re- ceiver, his face flushed with right- eous indignation. * * * “Expect a man to solve a mystery like this in two shakes of a dead lamb’s tail!” he grumbled to the girl, then abandoned his self-defense to ask curiously: “What are you doing there?” “Just feeding the pigeons!” Ruth laughed. Poor things! I’ve neglected of her husband's wealth or the dis- | ® he answered ‘no’ to both questions. | © “Oh”—Ruth as she turned away from the “Justa novel way of making a date with my young man! Please don’t scold, Mr. Mc- Mann! I promise you that Jack won't run away—that if, at five o'clock to- day, you still want to arrest him for the murder of Harry P. Borden, he'll be here and I shan’t utter a word of protest!” “You're pretty sure of yourself,” McMann told her, eyeing her with frowning curiosity. “Holding out on me, aren’t you?” “Why, of course not, Mr. McMann!” Ruth disclaimed with wide-eyed inno- cence. “You know far more than I do—and all that I do. But we were talking of Mr.. Borden's will. It was rather disappointing, wasn’t it? I thought he had more originality than. that—” McMann returned to the desk, sat down and selected a memo from his stack of ‘notes. “I wouldn’t'say Harry Borden was lacking in originality,” he said with an odd smile. “There’s one clause I haven't told you about—the strangest clause ever written into a last will and testament...” (To Be Continued) ‘What was the. clause in Harry Bor- den’s will? It's told in the next chapter. > IN NEW YORK | > New York, March 21.—Glancing through a morning newspaper, I came upon & single phrase; which seemed fairly to leap out of the page. ... “and when his stage engagements becarhe scarce he returned to New York with his last $15. When that was gone he collapsed from under- nourishment in his rooming house. . .” So died that grand old trouper, John Thompson, at the age of 8... so he died while starvation stood out-| side the door crying down the final curtain, ee : It is the fear of just‘such a finale which haunts the heart of every man, woman and child who has cast a hat. into the Broadway ring. It comes to haunt them more and more as the years go by, and they find them- selves still dragging along in the “small time” ruts. Each player learns in his time that Age is his most re- morseless enemy that one day there will be no place for him, no public for him, no patience with him. He can tramp from office to office,always with the same reception, .. And then what? Perhaps like old John Thompson there will be one last round of the outlying circuits. And then, with $15 left, a last fling at Broadway. Old John Thompson the fellow they had called “the one-man show” . .. for couldn't he make eight changes, playing four instruments and writing his own songs and gags? ... A “one man show” playing all over by the river. ... . Ah, but a room on. ¢2nd street, after all... . Good old 42nd street, the hub of the ... Even down by the river, the big lights came streaming faintly by. . ... dust a hop-skip-and-jump from old friends who would have helped had they only known. 8 But old-John didn’t give them the “cue.” . 2s to e No money for food... . St: Ty, and smut sterlizing onstrations are made of both, wher- ever the car stops. The cars are operated by the agricultural depart- ment of the Soo Line. In spite of the fact that the recent thawing weather has put all roads in an almost impassable condition, farm- ers continue to find means of getting to the towns at which the special ex- hibit cars are scheduled to make stops. Demonstrations were given the. past week at Lidgerwood, Fredonia, Lehr, Wishek, Ashley and Danzig. The lowest attendance at any one point for the week was 105, the highest 400. The total attendance for the ten days the cars have been in operation has reached 2,500 and shows every indi- cation of going to 10,000 before the schedule is completed. ‘This week stops will be made at Burnstad,-Napoleon, Kintyre, Under- wood and Garrison. The week of March 25, the cars will be at Max, Sanish, Parshall, Ryder, Drake and Anamoose. Advance reports from all of these towns indicate an unusual amount of enthusiasm for the meet- ings’ and demonstrations. At many points arrangements are being made for’ special market days, luncheons, night meetings, for the farmers of the locality for the day the demonstra- tions are led. H. A. McNutt and Jens Uhrenholdt, of the Soo agricultural department, are in charge of the cars at present. They report that highest interest is shown in recommended varieties and treatments for the control of smut, while the jage car, which is equipped with the various makes and sizes of seed cleaning machinery, seems to hold the greatest interest for the farmers. At present consideration is being given to the operation of these cars on into April if seeding has not start- ed at that time. If this is done 18 towns between Drake and Fordville and Fordville and Kenmare will be included in the itinerary. R. P. Woodworth, chairman of the Northwest Crop Improvement associ- ation, and a group of grain men from the Twin Cities are tend one of the meetings and de: onstrations held at these cars at Ana- moose or some other point along the main line. . Mountrail Farmers Study Sheep Problem Seventy Mountrail farmers spent ‘several hours, last Wednesday, learn- ing something about sheep. The meeting was in charge of County Agent C. A. Fiske and the sheep topic ‘was presented by Don McMahan, from the agricultural college. 8o interested were the farmers that questions flew thick and fast for over four hours. Everyone attending voted that they got more out of it than any meeting before. They expressed the hope that Dr. McMahan would return soon, The county agent plans on putting on several demonstrations over the , county in May, on castrating, docking and drenching of sheep. Good Farm Reading In State Bulletins A number of new bulletins and cir- them shamefully. I hope ‘the next tenant in this suite has a more hu- manitarian A secretary.’ ‘Say! That's a pretty sight!” Mc- strolled to Mann commented, as he the airshaft window, where the girl stood, laughing and cooing to the flock of pigeons, which fought greed- ily for the crumbs she was sprinkling upon the ledge. particular interest to the average farmer at this time of the year. Some of them are: “The North Dakota Farm Outlook for 1929 of the 1928 North Dakota Wheat Crop;” “Cleaning Grain on Farms”; “Alfalfa, the Best Fodder Crop”; “Plants in the Home”; “Painting on the Farm”; “Raising Hogs in North Dakota”; “Cream Faults which Re- “Oh, you greedy thing!” she cried, duce Farmers’ Cream Profits,” of . as the black* demand ‘ands of the eaace So YOUR CAKE, WHICH want to see the chief I'll call him out |the crumbs it held. “Now you've Nearly Son acres of this cess of y BAKIN’ N {- for you.” made te spill half of your dinner!” * * ‘a Monten, ‘Washington, a One Ai, WORST “No. I’ve got a job to do that’s|She added ruefully, asa shower of| Chelsea Village they have come to INVENTS FOLDING CELLO ll fmamesenhs Waatiowicn, sid FALL WEY 2 WeLL, IF going to keep me very busy indeed for call this quaint and quiet slice of] New York, March 21—UP)—A great THIS 156 A SAMPLE O WHUT the next few minutes,” Ruth answered New York, which juts back from the| boon to humanity could as‘she sat down to her desk and took street with neat and tiny green lawns | even {TS MACE OUTA ~ YOU SHOULD BE WuARUIN' ASOT 1T COMIN’ UP, NOT FALLIN’ Down. going to be punished by being made to work!” And‘one little hand closed firmly about the gleaming body of the black pigeon. “What are you going to do now?” McMann asked indulgently, as swift narrow ribbon and rows of hedge. ard the . ‘ it is the cover from the typewriter that had stood idle since the abrupt ter- mination of her career as private sec- retary to Bsa Harry” Borden. . 6 u a: gz ae Hip a Whe gone. ua itl