The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, February 15, 1936, Page 1

Oldest Newspaper ESTABLISHED 1878 THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1936 The Weather Fair tonight gil a continued PRICE FIVE CENTS Bismarck Temperature Sinks to -42 xk k & | | xk* tk FURTHER ADD ASKED |H{ell AS CHRISTMAS FUND SURPLUS DWINDLES Rural Schools Close in County as Buses Find Highways Are impassable CANCEL CHURCH SERVICES Farmers’ Fuel Supplies Near Exhaustion; Wells Reported Frozen Solid In_ Bismarck, Smith of the Salvation Army issued an appeal for warm clothing, particu- Episcopal In Bismarck, Sunday services at St. George’s Episcopal church were can- celed by the Rev. N. E. Elsworth be- cause of cold weather. Many farmers were reported having trouble keeping warm. Snow-blocked geson Pleads Guilty t kkk kk * ‘Back Welford’ Is _ |SRNTENGE DEFERRED|_ Pes cuir] Machine Gun Jack Plea by Flannigan ow Thermometer Sank, Stayed Down > Rammcesapertenen Definer natal * How the temperature plummeted downward and then stayed down on one of the coldest days in Bismarck’s is disclosed by the hourly tem- perature readings at the fed- eral weather bureat This is the official record for the 26-hour period from 7 a. m., Friday CONSPIRAGY BARED BY NEW EVIDENCE HOPTON DECLARES Insurance Commissioner Says Forgery in Settlement of Hail Loss Uncovered he ‘hed which tel to show s conspiracy had beer effected in connection with settlement of one hail loss. their animals. Stockmen said horses} is statement came as Attorney can eat snow without trouble but that) General P. O, Sathre continued an it may cause suffering or possible} investigation into records of the hail death among other livestock. amor insurance department, while account: One man was reported frozen in this area. In the North- west as a whole five deaths were at- tributed to the cold wave. Simon R. Burch, North Mankato, Minn., was fatally injured when his ants pushed their audit toward com- pletion. Hopton said the “new evidence” would be turned over to the attorney general's office, “for such action as it may see fit.” car collided with another in a snow-| i. declared the evidence would support his contentions “forgery had Hopton did not divulge further de- tails, asserting it “might result in the attorney general's investigation being | balked from this particular angle.’ “This is the type of evidence which can be used in court, but other ele- ments must be checked, hence it would in| only block the investigation to reveal reported in| That it consists of in detail,” he de- The temperature re ts Matteson, ee ee Last Monday C. J. Myers, assistant tran three|Manager of the state hail insurance was ousted by Hopton, loss claims. He $2,340 sae Stats: respectively, against Valen- , Myers’ 5 pele Myers’ removal followed closely ac- tion by Gov. Walter Welford calling Se an Roosevelt Dollar too tiring f Sufferi 4 Mumps Lexington, Ky., Ven. 15.—(P)— Roosevelt Dollar, 19. and 11 other those suffering from mumps. towns will need supplies “pretty quick.” ~ M. A. Kennedy, South Dakota relief himself Lac du Bonnet, Man., Feb. 15.—() , Meade county seat. —John Zoskie, who is an old man, * vith Data’ ee in North Da-|and his Collle dog started out Friday Minnesota, fear was express-|to travel the 75 miles to Winnipeg Sees, Dt mane Receene | by bos. ee and farm houses. Bus rules prohibited the carry’ floods harried Call-|of animals, but on the aged man’s rains continued on the Pa-| pleading the driver let him put the (Continued on Page Three? dog in the luggage carrier, outaide, Thoresen Also Adds Voice to Those Supporting Governor For Endorsement (By the Associated Press) The political pot bubbled in North Dakota Saturday in state-wide ballot- ing for precinct committeemen of the |Nonpartisan League involving an ap- parent Langer-Welford fight. Hanging partly on the committee selections was the league’s eventual stand on whether to endorse Acting Governor Welford or former Gov- ernor William Langer for state chief executive. League members in precincts of tions, which in turn will chose repre- sentatives to the state convention of the league at Bismarck, March 3. Two league leaders, W. J. Flanni- gan, state highway commissioner, and T. H. H. Thoreson, once foes, united Friday night in radio appeals for Welford support. Flannigan was once Langer’s supporter. Lines Closely Drawn Lines were drawn closely between Welford and Langer—the latter gen- erally accepted as bidding for en- dorsement of the league for return to the governorship, although he has not formally announced his candi- dacy—while Welford has definitely declared his intention to seek the chief executive's chair for another term. ‘ Thoresen made a radio appeal to followers of his faction, a few hours after he had met with state officials of the present administration and pl them the “cooperation” of himself and similar factionists who bee gee s_ago failed in a move to Neither Flannigan nor Thoresen mentioned Langer by name, although Flannigan ‘cited “self-styled leaders who would have you flock to their drooping standard away from the real leaders you have elected.” Cites Welford Record Fiannigan drew attention to accom- plishments of the present administra- tion, and declared “you are due an accounting from the men you have placed in the positions of trust in the league and in the state govern- ment.” He cited as accomplishments of the administration under Welford: Extension of the time for tax delin- quent payments to September 1, 1936. Action of the legislature to “pre- vent transfer of tax titles before Jan- usry 1, 1937.” Enactment of a sales tax law and administration of the sales tax de- partment “at about two per cent of the revenue.’ Enactment of a legal moratorium’ by the legislature and “broadening” of its provisions by action of Wel- ford. Establishment of the state welfare board and tax survey co Operation of the state mill and elevator “on the basis of 1,000,000 barrels a year.” Reduction of the real estate bond interest load “through retirement of $5,000,000 in bonds.” Discusses Pension Plan Flannigan discussed the 1935 act providing for old age assistance and declared “whether it be the Townsend plan or some other development that is found suitable for North Dakota, your state officers are pledged to work toward its ultimate success.” He said Welford had “approved a program involving $100,000 of federal aid funds to obtain needed data to definitely formulate a program suit- able to the needs of the state with- tornado fund, under Harry Peterson, its manager, and the state hail in- surance department, under Lars J. Siljan, manager, and Harold Hopton, insurance commissioner, “assets” to the state. He called attention to the “smallest tax levy in 10 years”—the total tax levy for 1935 imposed by the state board of equalization was $1,907,253 —the total tax load for the state and all its political subdivisions was $20,673,357—the smallest total tax load for many years, he said. Flays Political Paper In what was assumed s criticism against the “Leader,” Langer-spon- (Continued on Page Three) 0C COOKE RETIRING Minneapolis, Minn,, Feb, 15.—(?)— The planned retirement next July 1 of Dr. L. J. Cooke from the Univer- sity of Minnesota athletic depart- ment, of which he was practically a parent, was disclosed Saturday on his 68th birthday anniversary. Old Man’s Pet Freezes to Death Because of Bus Rule At Beausejour, after an hour's run in the 36-below-zero cold, the bus stopped. Zoskie went out to care for the dog. It was dead, frozen by the intense cold, ‘The bus went on to Winnipeg. Its passengers, looking back, saw Zoskie remaining by the side of the road, holding the stiff body of his pet in ‘his arms. He was crying, 80 JUDGE CAN SCAN EVIDENCE IN CAUSE Conviction Carries Penalty of 1 to 21 Years, Fine of Double Misappropriation KELLEY CASE UNAFFECTED Cameron Claims Burchard Au- dit Created Biased Opinion in Mind of Public A. H. Helgeson, former deputy sher- dff of Burleigh county, Saturday pleaded guilty to s charge of fraud- ulent appropriation of public funds and securities. The plea was made before District Judge R. G. McFarland who then be- gan a hearing to determine the facts of the case to aid him in fixing the sentence. Conviction or a plea of guilty on this charge carries a sentence of from one to 21 years in prison and a fine of double the amount of the embezzled funds up to certain maximum. At the hearing Saturday Helgeson pointed out numerous instances in which refunds had been made to tex- payers that would lessen the amount of shortages claimed in the report by ¥. F. Burchard on which the charges were based. re Joseph L, Kelley, sheriff at the time of the alleged peculations and whose “not guilty” plea to similar charges was unaffected by Helgeson’s admis- sion of guilt, was in the court room during the special hearing Saturda; oe ee ee ee Cameron. Represents Helgeson After ® short introductory state- ment by Scott Cameron, counsel for the defendants, Helgeson took the stand and began a review of many of the items where the alleged shortages occurred as charged in the special auditor's report. Cameron charged Burchard with making his own deductions and con- clusions and inventing his own mo- tives for the reported shortages. He claimed the entire report was preju- dical and unwarranted and that it Placed both the defense and the pros- ecution in an embarrassing position He explained how the sheriff's office had been burdened with the task of collecting back taxes while not being supplied with the proper clerical help. Denies Criminal Intent ‘The purpose of the hearing, Cam- eron said, was to attempt to prove that neither Kelley or Helgeson wil- fully or maliciously intended to de- fraud the county. Claiming that Kelley knew nothing of the shortages, Cameron stated that Helgeson was virtually forced to enter his plea of guilty because of the pub- lcity given to the Burchard report, “much of which was false,” which cre- ated a biased opinion in the minds of plained that many of the alleged shortages charged in the Burchard report were erroneous. He exhibited canceled checks to show where re- funds had been made to taxpayers for penalty and interest, lifted by the state legislature in an emergency measure, Tells of Other Refunds He stated that other refunds had been made in cash or through the county treasurer's and auditor's of- fices, He claimed that Br "8 charges that the sheriff's office had incorrectly represented to the gov- ernment the amount of unpaid taxes, the basis on which federal loans were Condemned Murderer Fights Death to Last Canon City, Colo. Feb. 15.—(P)— Convict Otis McDaniels fought the death fumes in Colorado's lethal gas chamber Friday night and lost after nine and a half minutes. The 30-year-old prisoner, sentenced to die for the of a Montezume county sheriff, walked calmly into the gas chamber at 7:51 p. m. later several small pills rolled chute from the back wall and dis- solved in @ pan of acid to form a deadly vapor. Ordinarily the execu- tion is over in a minute. Drug Clerk Convicted Of Murdering Grocer lis, Feb. 15.—() -Harold Segal, 24, drug clerk, faced life im- prisonment Saturday on his convic- tion of first degree murder in the holdup slaying of Oscar Odean, grocer. A district court jury found him guilty Friday. A companion, James Con- nolly, is under the same accusation. Sentencing of Segal was expected $000,000-000 FARM BILL [S PASSED BY SENATE, 56 T0 20 Democratic Leaders Forecast Early Consideration of Meas- ure By House Washington, Feb. 14.—(7)—The $500,000,000 farm bill to subsidize soil conservation—backed by the New Deal to replace AAA—was passed Sat- urday by the senate, 56 to 2. It now goes to the house whi ‘Démocratic leaders forecast early con- sideration. Just before the final ballot of ap- proval, the senate rejected 54 to 21 a motion by Senator McNary, the Re- publican leader, to return the meas- ure to committee with instructions to report out a new bill in three weeks. McNary said the administration measure was “unworkable and uncon- stitutional.” He urged a bill be worked out from proposals of his.own, of George Peek, former trade adviser to the admin- istration, and others. The senate earlier rejected 45 to 28 &@ proposal which would have prohib- ited grazing of dairy and other cat- tle on lands taken out of production of crops under the soil conservation- subsidy farm bill. STATE GROGERS 10 AID NATIONAL MOVE Patera Asks All to Cooperate in Observance of Retail Grocers Week North Dakota food dealers will ob- serve a Retail Grocers Week from March 16 to 21, it was announced here Saturday by Joseph A. Patera, presi- dent of the state organization which is, in turn, a division of the North Dakota Retail Merchants association. North Dakota participation will be as a part of a nationwide observance under the sponsorship of the National Association of Retail Grocers, rep- resenting more than 100,000 food stores throughout the United States, Patera sald. The plan is to call to the atten- tion of the public the service rendered by retail grocers to community and to emphasize that service by suit- able food sales. Manufacturers and processors of food products together with whole- salers also will join in the effort and both manufacturers and retailers will join in an advertising campaign, de- signed to acquaint America with food values and to stimulate interest in the products offered for sale. The aim is to make National Retail Grocers week an outstanding event for the buying public as well as the tially destroyed heated stove at noon Sati race horaes owned by Jack Smith, Moorhead, were gotten out structure safely. OO Hogan Says He Is Oldest Valentin —_—_—— Thomas J. Hogan, 315 Fourth 8t., opined Friday that he was the “oldest valentine” in Bis- marck. Hogan was born on Feb. 14, 88 years ago near Hartford, Conn., and for the last 31 years has lived in North Dakota, settling near Steele, Kidder county, in 1904. Three years ago he came to Bismarck where he has since made his home, : M’Gurn Gangster Accused of Valentine Day’s Massacre Shot Down in Bowling Alley Chicago, Feb. 15.—(?)—“Machine Gun Jack” McGurn, notorious terror- ist of the old “Scarface Al” Capone alcohol mob and once indicted for the St. Valentines Day massacre of seven rival gangsters, was assassinated in typical gangland fashion early Sat- urday in a northwest side second story bowling alley. The deliberate killing, at the hands of three men who followed him into the recreation room, came just an hour too late to fall on the seventh anniversary of the massacre of which he was accused. The state quashed the indictment after its principal wit- ness was slain, McGurn was reputed to have amas- sed several hundred thousand dollars. He died on the blood soaked bowling alley floor with $3.35 in his pockets. McGurns Were Broke His widow, the “blonde alibi” credit- ed with saving him from prosecution in the massacre, sobbed hysterically as the police took her in for question- ing. She said the former Capone “big shot” had fallen into low estate and that they were “broke.” “All he owned was a piece of book (a horse race betting establishment) ‘at Melrose Park,” she said. The police said McGurn had been reduced to taking 50 cents bets in person. lf McGurn, about | 33.years old, was ‘u. brummel of tte Capone:} mobsters, The gangster who made his fortune from illicit alco- : hol, was shot jf mA fi down at the close JACK MSGURN of ‘soft. drink night” in the recreation parlors, where free non-intoxicating beverages were being served. McGurn died in much the same manner as the victims of the St. Va- lentine’s Day massacre of 1929. He was accused of the crime—but was never tried. Seven persons were taken into cus- tody for questioning, including Mc- Gurn’s widow. It was the widow, the former Louise Rolfe, who helped Mc- tine Day massacre case. She testified that she and McGurn were in a hotel (the Stevens), at the time of the shooting. McGurn and his “blonde alibi” later were married. Both were convicted of violating the Mann act, but the United States supreme court reversed the conviction. Six Held for Probe The other six held for questioning were William Aloisio, owner of the bowling alley; his wife, Jacqueline; his porter, Tony Mascarella, and three men believed to have been witnesses | to the shooting, Sam Aloisio, brother | William, and John Battaglia and Charles Alssowka. The gangster’s death came with the same dramatic suddeness as did the massacre of the Moran men. While McGurn and two unidentified com- panions sat in a second floor bowl-, ing alley at 805 Milwaukee Ave., on (Continued on Page Three) Burke Will Address Junior Association Thomas Burke will deliver an ad- dress on Lincoln and there will be shorter talks by members when: the Junior Association of Commerce meets at 7:30 p. m., Monday in the Ameri- can Legion rooms, World War Mem-/| building. Cards will follow the regular business session and program. Secretary Swanson Is Reported Weaker ‘Washington, Feb. 15.—()—The na- val hospital Saturday reported the condition of Secretary Swanson, ill of pleurisy and a broken rib, “is not as satisfactory as it was last night.” He was described as noticeably weaker.” Bismarck Man E. H. Weber, 215 Tenth St., was recovering at his home Saturday from @ joust with death on a country road three miles south of Hazelton Thurs- day afternoon. Weber, a salesman for a Kansas City firm, got stuck in a snowdrift about 3 p. m., Thursday, and started to walk to a farm house about three quarters of a mile away. The snow was deep and the going hard, The cold stabbed at through a relatively light coat and loves. He was wearing a hat and his ears were unprotected. As he plodded along his ears froze Then his hands, feet, legs and arms @ew numb and bp fell in the high- Murdered ‘Blonde Alibi’ LOUISE ROLFE McGURN WILLIAM R. M'RAE DIES LATE FRIDAY Son-in-Law of Dr. and Mrs. V. J. LaRose Succumbs to Two- Week Illness Word that William Roderick Mac- Rae, 30, Minneapolis, son-in-law of Dr. and Mrs. V. J. LaRose, 522 Sixth St., died late Friday afternoon after a two-week illness of encephalitis came as a shock to the many friends of the family and the community. Associates of Mr. MacRae in the Pillsbury Milling company telephoned Dr. LaRose about 3:30 p. m. that he was sinking and « message a short time later brought word of the death. Dr. and Mrs. LaRose and their niece, Miss Mary Cayou, left for Minne- apolis on the evening train. Saturday afternoon no word regarding funeral arrangements had been received here. | ©; Both Dr. and Mrs. LaRose had gone to Minneapolis last week to be with thelr son-in-law and daughter, but had returned, Dr. LaRose Satur- day, and Mrs. LaRose this week, assured that he was on the road to recovery. It was expected that he would be discharged from Abbott hospital Saturday. The wedding of Mr. MacRae and Miss Margaret Marcelle LaRose on Wednesday, June 12, 1935, in the home of the bride’s parents and on their twenty-ninth wedding anniversary, was one of the leading social events in the Capital City last year. After a trip to the Canadian Rockies, the couple established their home in Min- neapolis, The addtess is 1932 Emer- son ave., 8. Born in Minneapolis, MacRae was graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1928, He was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. Surviving are his widow, his moth: Mrs, James MacRae, Minneapolis; a sister, Mrs. George A. McLaughlin, Minneapolis, and two brothers, James, Minneapolis, and Dr. Gordon C. Mac- Rae, Duluth. ) Thiet Takes Only i $12 of $50 ‘Roll’ ¢ Baltimore, Feb. 15.—(#)—Drug- gist Robert Lotterio produced a “roll” totaling $50 when an armed robber came into his place of Hho but the man took only 12, “That's all I need,” Lotterio quoted him as saying. Recovering From Joust With Icy Death way. Stumbling along half-blinded. he fell again and again. Finally about half a length of a city block from his objective he could rise no more, So he crawled on hands and knees to the door of the farmhouse and fell feebly against it. The farmer opened the door and took him in, Weber fainted. After resuscitating Weber the him | farmer pulled his car out of the snow- drift and took Weber to Hazelton. from where he was brought to Bis- marck, Saturday his ears were badly swol- len and his face was black from frost bite. x * * 16 Bismarck Mothers Appeal for Clothing As Cold Continues o Embezzling County Fundsils Sic0 LOWEST READING RECORDED HERE FOR FEBRUARY Marks 36th Successive Day That Subzero Temperatures Have Been Registered DENBIGH NOTES MINUS 56 No Relief in Sight As Northwest Continues to Suffer from ‘Vicious Circle’ Bismarck Saturday recorded a tem- perature of 42 degrees below zero, the second lowest for the month in the 62 years’ history of the federal weather station here, but it was just a “warm- up” for the mark of -56 recorded at Denbigh in the sand dunes of Mc- Henry county. The lowest February mark on rece pis for Bismarck is -43, recorded in The Northwest Airways airport depot reported a -42 temperature at 8:30 a. m., and Fort Lincoln recorded -43 at the same time. At the U. 8, Great Plains Experiment Station near Mandan, the temperature at 8 a. m., (MST) was -39 and a minimum of -42 had been recorded during the night. The mark of -56 was not made by an official government thermometer but other near-record marks were. Underwood reported an official -54 and Willow City and McClusky each scored -53. Other low readings were: Devils Lake -46, an all-time Febru- ary record there; Minot -49, an all- time record; Dickinson -46; mn -44; Grand Forks and Jamestown, each -41, and Fargo -36. The Denbigh temperature equals the lowest mark ever made on an of- ficial thermometer in North Dakota, This was -56 made on a government instrument at the Goodall ranch in McKenzie county on Jan. 12, 1916. North Dakota to be the center of the current frigid wave, no other points on the weather map re- porting ures as low as were recorded here. No relief was in sight, the forecast being for clear weather with lttle change in temperature, All Records Threatened All records for continued cold ep- peared likely to go by the board, Al- ready the former record for ve days with below-zero has been broken. The number now stands at 36. The previous record was 33. ‘Phe new drop brought the average temperature for the current cold wave to the lowest in the 62-year history of the federal weather bureau here. , From Dec, 24, 1687 to Jan. 25, 1868 the average of minimum readings was -19.9 degrees, but for the current pe- riod, from Jan. 11 to Feb. 15, longer by three days, the average of minimum Teadings was -20.4. This exceeds the previous low average by half a de- ee. ‘The worst of it is,O. W. Roberts said, there is no relief in sight. Through- out the cold period Bismarck has been in a high-pressure area. The low-pressure area anywhere nearby is the one which has hovered over Salt Lake City for the last week, but that will not come up this way, since low- pressure conditions affecting this ter- ritory move in from the northwest. Although the sun mounts higher in the sky each day, its effectiveness is reduced by the deep covering of snow, Roberts explained. In fact, he asserted, this section is caught in the grip of a vicious circle, since snow contributes to the cold and the cold contributes to the high at- mospheric pressure. Bureau Busy Roberts’ explanation was made while citizens clamored to reach the weather bureau on the telephone, 300 calls having been received Saturday morning between 3 and 9 o'clock. From 8 p. m. to midnight there were 150 calls. ‘Western North Dakota was favored, however, by the absence of wind and this state appeared to be “getting by” in much better shape than South Da- kota, Minnesota, Montana and Iowa, where heayy snows have halted traf- fic, isolating many towns and caus- ih GRE #83 g ed the coming of airplanes to food. Creameries in numerous communi ties shut down. Farmers hauled sup- plies of milk and cream to town on toboggans and sleds. At Windom, Heron Lake and Manka' farmers rode in on food supplies. Scores of passengers, i (Continued on Page Three) * be