Evening Star Newspaper, October 6, 1922, Page 1

WEATHER. dy tonight , Prol af for twent; T rda; Full lowest, No. 28,649, post office Way PARLEY DEADLOCK THREATENS WAR N NEAR EAST AGAIN Allied Generals Making. An- other Effort to Stave Off Hostilities. FRENCH ON TURK SIDE, BRITISH ALARM SHOWN Paris Protests to Greeks Against Sending Reinforcements Into Thrace. By the Associated Press. CONSTANTINOPLE, October 6.— After conferring for most of the night with the high commissioners and military experts here the allied gen- erals this morning prepared to leave again for Mudania for a resumption of the armistice conference. The result of the deliberations here was not announced. It was conceded that the situation was very serious, but it still was hoped that a basis for common agreement among the British, French and Italian delega- tions could be reached. The warships bearing the allied delegates were scheduled to leave at uoon, arriving at Mudania at about 2:30 o'clock. Belated dispatches from Turkish sources in Mudania telling of the ar- rival of Col. Plastiras, chief Greek delegats to the armistice conference, say the Greeks are not given the privilege of active participation in the conterence, but are acquainted by the allies’ representatives with all deci- sions taken, as an act of courtsey. Col. Plastiras is quoted as declaring the Greek army is prepared to take the fleld at once in defense of Thrace. PARLEY NOT ENDED. Lord Curzon Prepares to Go to Paris. By the Associated Press. LONDON, October 6.—The Mudania conference is not ended, it was offi- vially stated at the conclusion of the British cabinet meeting this| morning, but it is deadlocked and ! cannot be resumed before the British " and French governments have con-i ferred over the situation. ! Lord Curzon, the British foreign | secretary, will leave Immediately for Paris to see Premier Poincare. It was also officially stated, in rough outline, that from the British point of view the Turks af < ing more than was offered in the al- lied note, and on the other hand that they were not accepting the condi- tions of that note. It was erted ihat the Turks want to obtain the «concessions of the note without the conditions. The officials decline to give in de- ! tail what the Turks were demanding. Thrace Main Question. The British cabinet today debated the situation in its entirety, but the main point appeared to be the ques- tion of Thrace. It is understood the Eritish view Is that there should be | some consideration given the Greek | minority population there, and what might happen to it if the Turks were permitted to enter. There seems to be no difficulty over the question of the Chanak area which the British have been oc- cupying. On broad lines the British policy, it was stated, is the same as it has been since the Greek debacle, which means that the British are opposed 10 the Turks crossing the straits be- fore the peace conference. It is considered possible several days may elapse before it can be de- termined whether the divergencles between the British and the Turks can be reconciled so they can enter the peace conference. The French and the Italians, it was declared, have ot the same positive vlews with regard to Thrace as have the British, and it was stated that until the various viewpoints could be brought closer together the Brit- ish could not reply as regarding the peace conference. Greek Attitude Important. ‘The Greek attitude in Thrace con- tinues to be an important factor. The Greeks are threatening to arm them- selves to fight for Thrace and the British have this threat to use as a possible argument against the Turk- ish attitude. Things were going well at the Mu- dania conference, it was explained,! until yesterday, when Ismet Pasha de-l clined to recede from his demand re- garding Thrace. 1t was stated in officlal circles that | the visits of ex-Premier Venizelos of Greece had not changed the views of the British cabinet and that Venizelos realized it was' inevitable that the Greeks must evacuate eastern Thrace. | The armistice conference of allied, Greek and Turkish military leaders | at Mudania was adjourned suddenly vesterday after a dramatic passage in which Ismet Pasha, representing the Angora government, demanded that the Turks be allowed to occupy eastern Thrace as a precedent to any peace conference. Turk Threatens War. Ismet Pasha told the allied gener- als that if the Turks could not have Thrace peacefully “we have the means to enforce our determination.” Earlier in the day the Greek dele- gates had declared in no less certain terms their readiness to fight, if necessary to retain the province. That the Turkish demand had been duly weighed and calculated is evi- denced by the almost simultaneous receipt of an Angora dispatch quoting Mustapha Kemal Pasha as declaring before the national assembly: “The evacuation and surrender of Thrace must occur immedtately, especially as, since the Greek revolution, the Moslem subjects are in great dangen” Ismet Pasha’s bombshell was fol- lowed by another when the French delegates announced they were in- structed to support the Turkish de- mand. This created a definite split, with the Turks and French opposed to the British and Itallans, the latter rnoon or nl eport on page 7. Stocks and Bonds, Page 26 Entered as second-class matter i practice with Walte Hoyt appearing in | the rafter three hours a day, ; tomorrow ably sh hington, D. C. Bulgaria Stands Firm'in Decision To Stay Neutral By the Associated Press. SOFIA, Bulgarla, October 5.— Bulgaria will remain neutral in the near east controversy under all circumstances, the parliament was told today by Minister of the Interior ' Daskaloff, speaking in place of Premier Stamboulisky. The parliament voted approval of the government's policy. He sald Bulgaria had not the slightest intention of mobilizing or of intervening in the conflict in any way, but that she would not cease to protgst against in- Jjustice toward herself. Bulgaria, said the minister, de- mands an autonomous Thrace as the only way to preserve peace in the Balkans. “Thrace for the Thracians,” de- clared the minister, “would make it a Balkan Switzerland.” CAPACITY THRONG ATTHIRD CONTEST Bleacher Gates CIysed Early and Hundreds Are Unable to Gain Admission. HOW TEAMS FACED IN THIRD BATTLE l YANKEES. GIANTS. | Witt, cf. Bancroft, ss. | | Dugan, 3b. Groh, 3b. Ruth, rf. Frisch, 2b. Pipp, 1b. , E. Meusel, If. | | R. Meusel, If. Young, rf. Schang, c. Kelly, 1b. Ward, 2b. Cungh’'m, cf. Scott, ss. Smith, c. Hoyt, p. Scott, p. Umpires — McCormick (Na- tional), behind plate; Owens (American), first base; Klem, National), second base; Hil- third debrand (American), base. By the Associated Press. POLO GROUNDS, NEW YORK, Oc- tober 6.—Though the crowd has been big at the world series games, with every seat taken, today's throng being a capacity one, the contests have been marked by the absence of the early rushes to the ball park and today was no exception.| Scarce one thousand spectators were | on hand when gates to the unreserved | upper stands and bleachers were; opened today, and after they had been | seated the early arrivals trickled in slowly. ““Whe day was warm and clear and a | light breeze from the north wafted away the heavy October haze that has | been bothering the batters as twi-| light came on during the late innings of play. It was cooler than yester- day and perfect base ball weather. The gates to the unreserved stands were closed an hour before game time and hundreds were turned away. Only those having reserved seat tickets were | admitted. The Yankees took their usual batting the line-up. Big George Murray with his roundhouse curve, flung them up for the Yankees to try their batting eyes. Babe Ruth choked his bat all through the workout sending the ball continu- ously to leftfleld, a strange territory for him to shoot into. The collegiate pitcher Blume took the mound for the Giants while they tried the ranges of the fleld. Blume had a | lot of stuff on the ball, but the Giants ironed out his curves and smeared his pitching all over the ball yard, Casey ~Stengel, the Giants' center flelder, was still suffering from a charley horse,” pulled in yesterday's game and took no part in the practice. He may be out of the game for the remainder of the series. There were the usual pre-game pre- liminaries for the edification of the crowd—a band concert and buffoon- | eries by Nick Altrock and Al Schacht, all of which is part and parcel of a world serles. After McQuillan had warnied up, Manager McGraw suddenly called him to the bench and sent out Deacon John Scott to warm p. McGraw then decided to pitch Scott, as he showed to be in better form. Manager McGraw said: “I was go- ing to start McQuillan, but as he was not feeling just right. and was not' likely to show to the best advantage, 1 decided to start Scott. —_—— GIRL, CHAINED IN ATTIC BY FATHER, IS RESCUED By the Associated Press. DETROIT, October 6.—John Sall, a factory worker, todav faced a charge of cruelty to a minor, following the finding in the attic of his home, in Hamtramck, of his thirteen-year-old daughter Wanda, whose wrists had been chained to a rafter. The girl was so imprisoned, Sall told the nolice, because he had been told she conducted herself improperly at school. He decided to chain her to be- lieving that more humane than whip- | ping. When found by detectives, the girl was near a state of coma and her wrists were cut and bruised by the links of the chain. She was sent to the St. Ann Community House for medical attention. BORDER RUM RUNNERS UNMOLESTED, SAYS DAY By the Assoclated Rress. NEW YORK, October 6.—Ralph A. Day, prohibition director for the state of New York, whose resignation, ef- fective November 1, has been accept- ed, declares that Washipgton pro- hibition authorities did not believe liquor smuggling over the Canadian border of “sufficlent importance "to .worry about.” Concerning a statement attributed to him that numbers of airplanes were jumping oft from Canada, loaded with liquor, and landing in New York, and that the small “dry fleet” was unable to cope with them, Mr. Day denied the existence of any New York prohibi- tion air fleet whatsoever. “The conference in Washington, holding that evacuation of Thrace by the Greeks and reoccupation by the Turks should follow, and not precede, the peace conference. The allied generals thereupon ad- Journed the meeting and left for Con- (Continued on Page 2, Column 7.) from which I have just returned, h: nothing to do with my personal fairs, and the presence of United States District Attorney Hayward was a mere coincidence,” he said. The appointment of a new state di- rector will probably not be made un- ul next week, according to Mr. Day. [ the 1letter N The ¥ A R WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION bening St WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1922 -FORTY-TWO PAGES. CIVIL SERVIGE J0BS | FOR D C.RESIDENTS UNDERNEW TESTS Psychological Studies Will Be Used in Making Ex- aminations. HUNDREDS ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE APPLICATION First Time System Was* Ever Tried in Washington—Cleri- cal Positions Only. Residents of the District are to have their first opportunity November 4 to take one of the new-type civil service examinations, in which mod- ern psychological studies play a large part. The Civil Service Commission to- day announced a general clerkship examination, to be held here and throughout the country on the date named. This is the first examination of the new type to be held here, similar examinations having been held first in certain states July 14. Eligible to “Field Service.” ‘Those examined here also are eligi- ble for positions in the “fleld serv- ice” ‘in the District, such as the Washington navy yard, quartermas- ter's corps and other local branches. A flood of applications for the ex- amination are expected by the com- mission, not only because the new- type examination is different and in- teresting, but because it is the first general clerkship examination sched- uled here for months. The announcement of the examina- tion to fill vacancies in the depart- i mental service here at $300 to $1,000 a year salary, plus the bonus, con- tains four sheets, the second of which lists the subjects of the examination and gives examples. Must Be Eighteen Years Old. Applicants must have reached their eighteenth year, but not their seven- tleth year. Men and women are eligible. Spelling is given a welght of twenty points in the examination,| penmanship, ten points; clerical tests, fifty points, and arithmetic, twenty points. The second page of the an- nouncement gives sample questions, tests and descriptions, so applicants can get a pretty good idea of what the examination will be like. “In some of the sentences one word has been misspelled,” declares the sheet. Then it gives the “Flowrs grow in the country. word “flowers” is misspelled. Clerical Tests. Under clerical tests the announce- ment instances the following: & “Write the letter ‘C’ before each statement that is correct, and write ‘W’ before each that is wrong. ‘Albany is in New York. “Milwaukee is in Wisconsin. “Boston is in Maine.” Of course “C” goes before the first two and “W" before the last, for Bos- ton is in Massachusetts. S 'y Problems. Citles in groups are to be arranged in alphabetical order. The applicant is asked to underline a word, in paran- thesis, that is exactly opposite in meaning to the key word given in heavy type. Four sample arithmetic problems are given. The samples are of the “gnappy” type, such as: “John has twelve hens that laid 960 eggs in a certain time. What was the average number of eggs per hen?” D. C. WATER SUPPLY DEFIES DRY SPELL The drought prevailing here has not affected the water supply of the Dis- trict, it was learned today. Maj. Max Tyler, engineer officer in charge of the system, and his assistants say that,there is nothing in the existing situation to cause any alarm or even apprehension. It is declared that never since the ‘Washington aqueduct was put into operation in 1858 has the river failed to meet all the demands put upon it. Reservoirs Little Lower. Admission 15 made that little water is flowing over the big dam at Great Falls and that the water in Deleca: lia or receiving reservoir, at the Dis- trict line, and in the Georgetown and filtration plant reservoirs, is some- what lower than usual. Notwithstand- ing the reducéd amount of water at the Falls, and in the reservoirs, Mr. Hardy says that there has been no special diminution in_the daily flow of water from the filtration plant into the distributing mains of the District. 7 The records show that the water demand has been fully -met in recent days, despite the fact that it was above the average on several days. For instance, the amount 'of water pumped to the filters (representing tife gross consumption) September 30 was 69,920,000 gallons. The daily amount pumped reduced to 63,- 330,000 gallons last Tuesday and in- creased to 69,290,000 last Wedn day, falling again yesterday to 380,000 gallons. Heavy Drain Shown, These figures show the heavy drain on the system that has been met suc- cesstully, despite the reduced amount of water in the Potomac, from which the supply is taken. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1922, the daily average consum tion of water in the Distriet was 6 710,000 gallons, aund the dally per capita consumption was 140 gallons. The greatest daily consumption in that year was 76,400,000 gallons, in July, 1921, and the 70,000,000 galions record was exceeded &lso In days in August, September, January, Febru- ary and . The smaliest daily consumption in that, year was 44,- 370,000 gallons, in January last. @i \V.. HIS PROBLEM. CAMPAIGN WARM UPIN TEN STATES Politicians Getting Their Gait for Pre-November 7 Election Fights. NEW YORK TILT -LEADS Battle On in New Jersey, With ‘Wet and Dry Issue Brought Into Fore. BY 0. MESSENGER. The political campaigns in New York and New Jersey have started off with a swing and rattle which fore- cast lively doings. between now and {-elgction dgy;November 7. Massachu- setts’ campaign has been under way for wome time, Connecticut is warm- ing up, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are getting their gait! and the near:at-home fleld promises to supply battlegrounds of as great Interest to Washington as Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and states farther west. The governorship fight in New York promises to be attractive to Wash- ington readers. Already people around town are eagerly asking, “What will New York do?” New York repub- licans who have reports from home are very confident of republican suc- cess, while democrats are trying to at least 180k hopeful. Democrats were somewhat downcast when the New York Times, a democratic journal of influence, came out in an editorial strongly commending the republican | candidate for governor, Gov. Nathan L. Miller, for re-election over the democratic candidate, Alfred L. Smith. Smith Would Be Handicapped. The election of Gov. urged on the ground that both can- didates, being equally men of high ability and personal character, Gov. Miller could do more for the state and the people because he would have a republican legislature back of him, while if Mr. Smith were elected he would have a politically hostile leg- islature as a handicap to achieve- ent. The appeal for the election of Gov. Miller was based upon business and utilitarian_grounds, and was regard- ed by politiclans as a notable ex- ample of departure from party metes and bounds and an appeal to in- dependent spirit in the choosing of public officers. Smith’s Hopes Aroused. Candidate Alfred E. Smith is not dismayed, however, and is going into the campaign with vigor. He recelv. ed formal notification of his nomina tion at the Natlonal Democratic Club, in New York city, last night and in his speech of acceptance gave indl- cation of the kind of fight he will make. A would not ‘permit Elihu Root’ o ntation of Gov. Miller's recor [aoffice to go unchallenged. He as; sailed Gov. Miller as & “reactionary’ and as working for “the interests, contrasted with his own record as governor. He sald. his only interests had been the plain people. He de- Z er as nounced Gov. ety onary” governor. Gov. Sttt will be on the stump con- tinuously from now on. 3 soon as the state In New Jersey, as soon as the state e coting 4t Newark th a_rousing meeting a o the old-fashioned kind, bands play- ing, campaign songs roaring, the eagle screaming and everything going with a (Continued on Page 2, Column 2.) HOOVER CONFINED TO BED Held at Home by Attack of In- digestion. ‘Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover is confined to his bed at his home on S street today by a severe attack ‘of indigestion, which hfs physicians hold is not at all dan- gerous, but which will keep him from his office for several days. Secretary Hoover was taken ill in New York yesterday, wheré he had gone to address the banquet given last night by the Americin Bankers' Association. He was unable to at- tend. the dinner and remained at the home of rge B. Baker, an asso- ciate on the American Relief com mfttee, where he was s until time to cateh the train t for e = \ Miller was! He made it clear that he; Court Dismisses Appeal of Focht In Election Issue By the Assocated Press. PITTSBURGH, October = 6.— The} Pennsylvania supreme court today | dismissed the appeal of Representa-| tive B. K. Focht against Edward M. Beers being declared the republican nominee for Congress in the eight- eenth district of Pennsylvania. The court placed the costs on the ap- pellant. An opinion will be filed later. Beers was nominated on the face of returns. The court remitted to the lower court for an opinion the appeal of {the Vinton Colliery Company and others against an injunction granted the United Mine Workers in Cam- bria_county. The injunction re- strained the company and its em- ployes from interfering with union {meetings at Vintondale, Pa. The Civil Liberties Union of New !York city brought the action in Cambria county, charging_that the report of free support and free as- semblage was being denied union miners in the Vintondale section. APPROACHING RAIN | 'T0 SMASH DROUGHT Weather Bureau Forecasts! Wet Weather All Over East Tomorrow. Prepare for rain tomorrow after- noon or night! As the weather bureau was today reconciling itself to more dry weather for the country in’ general, “a radical change, as regards future condition: took place in the west, with the re- sult that Tain is forecast in all sec- tions east of the Mississippi river | within the mext thirty-six or forty- elght hours. The temperature will be slightly | lower here than it has been for the past few days when the rain arrives, jthe bureau said, and will ‘remain around normal. The rainy weather, with a northeast wind, will keep the thermometer at this level for several days, it was predicted. Rain in West and South. There is rain in spots today in the west and also south] but that condi tion is not general, the bureau added. 1f the forecast of the bureau comes true Washington will be dampened tomorrow for the first time since September 12. This will also hold true in many sections of the country where a consistent sun has preyed upon the agricultural interests for virtually the same length of time. Despite the extent and Intensity of the drought, however, the damage to crops has been exceedingly small, agriculturists declare, because of the harvest generally being practically over. The most serious effect has been the retarding of winter wheat sowing. Rural communities in wide areas also have suffered from the dry- ing up of streams, wells and reser- voirs. Fire Damage Enormous. ‘The menace of forest fires, already causing huge damage and threaten- ing additional loss of life in Canada, in addition to areas aggregating about 100 square miles now burning in northern Minnesota, is by far the most feared consequence of the drought. It has caused officials of the forest serv- ice of the Department of Agriculture to repeat warnings agalnst lighting fires in the woods. This is the time of year, it is declared when the “sec- ond forest fire” period can be expect- ed, and, with a continuance of the dry weather, the spread of fires from Maine along the Atlantic coast south red. g " V&?l.xlle forest fires in the west also have caused foresters considerable trouble this year, showers have elim- inated most of the danger there. A summary available frorggovern- ment records today of the five-year period from 1916 to 1920 showed tim- ber and property destruction of more than $85,715,000, due to forest fires that burned over an area of 56,500,000 square miles, more than-the area of the state of Utah. Half the forest fires which occur in early spring and late summer and fall are preventable, officials pointed out. In that period 9.8 per cent of the fires were caused by lightning, 114.9 per cent by sparks from locomo- ives, 6.2 per cent in lumbering ac- tivities, 13.7 per cent by brush burn- ers, 12.7 per cent bx campers and 12.5 per cent by incendiaries. l SHERFF ANDLS. - - ARENTSINCLASH Maryland Official and Dry Raiders Seek Each Oth- ers’ Arrests. TOPS FIGHT OVER BABY Fstlle;, Denied Child by Wife's Parent, Leads Prohibition Squad to Latter’s Booze. Conflict between federal and Mary- land state authorities, which’ may dead to the federal courts at Balti- more, flared up today near the little town of Waldorf, Md., where Pro- hibition Agents Hines and Rose were out with warrants for the argest of Sheriff Simms of Charles county, who was understood to have in his hands a warrant for-the arrest of the agents who were after him. The cris-cross fight turned around an involved story of a father's love for his little daughter, and the siez- ure by prohibition agents Wednesday morning of 1,000 gallons of liguor at the home where the little gir) with her mother, Cawthorn, Fears Being Mobbed. Cal Robinson McCawthorn, the father, who was seeking his daugh- ter, is held at the first precinct sta- tion here under charges by the mother that, during the liquor raid he at- tempted to assault her, and that he drew a pistol on her. He was arrested here yesterday afternoon by Detec- tives Kelly and Scrivener, and when questioned at police headquarters by Inspector Grant, McCawthorn said he would not return to Maryland with out a hearing on 4 requisition. “I'm afraid to return there,’ the inspector. mobbed.” The double-barreled search today by officials of the federal government and Maryland for each other grows out of the question of authority at the little home where the thousand gallons were seized. On information from McCawthorn the federal agents seized the liquor, armed with a war- rant from Justice Robert E. Joyce of Prince Georges county, and arrested Mr. McCawthorn for illegal posses- slon. They transported 390 gallons of it back to Washington. They went back to the house for the remainder, and, according to their story, the first intimation they had that they were (Continued on Page 2, Column Mrs. Myrtle Mec- he told “I fear I would be ar. lived | Yesterday’s Circulation, 89,909 * Supreme Court Confirms Ruling In Stillman Suit By the Associated Press. WHITE PLAINS, N. Y., October 6.— Supreme Court Justice Morschauser today confirmed the referee's report in the Stillman divorce case and al- lowed Mrs. Anne U. Stilimar, who defended the suit against her banker husband, costs in the case. The report, subntitted to the court by Referee Daniel J. Gleason, refused a divorce to James A. Stillman, exon- erated Mrs. Stillman of charges ot adultery with Fred Beauvals, an In- dian guide, and affirmed the legiti- macy of baby Guy Stillman. U. . FLYERS SMASH ENDURANGE MARK Army Birdmen in the Air for 26 Hours and 34 Minutes, and Still Going. CIRCLING OVER SAN DIEGO Started on Flight Across Continent, Held Up by Fogs, Officers De- cide to Stay Up. - | By the Associated Press. SAN DIEGO, Calif., October 6.—All aviation endurance records for heavier- than-air craft were smashed today by Lieuts. John A. MacReady and Oakley Kelly of the United States Army, who at 8:30 o'clock had been aloft in their monoplane T-2 for twenty-six hours and thirty-four minutes. The previous record was twenty-six hours, nineteen minutes and thirty-five seconds. ‘When the aviators hopped off they intended to attempt a non-stop flight to New York in twenty-six to thirty hours, but heavy fogs over the first mountain ranges caused them to postpone the at- tempt. But the huge motor of the T-: was working nicely, and they decided to remain in the air for an endurance test. They spent the day and night circling about the vicinity of San Diego. One of the messages they dropped stated that they would endeavor to cross the continent at the next full about a month. . Will Descend Later. The young officers aboard the T-2 planned to stay up until between 3 and 7 p.m. today, according to a note they dropped yesterday. v Officers at Rockwell Field said that when the great machine went into the air at 5:56 am. Pacific time, yester- day its total weight was 10,300 pounds— more than ever had been carried up before by an aeronautical motor. Excellent flying conditions of yes: terday and last night continued today and at 8 o'clock this morning the big monopiane apparently was working as smoothly as at the start of the grind. Aviation officials at Rockwell Field stated that they believed Mac- ready and Kelly have sufficient gaso- line ‘and oil to remain aloft another moon—in believe the airmen will alight until their supplies are exhausted. Started Yesterday Morning. The flizht began at 5:56 o'clock (Pacific time) yesterday morning, when_the pair started from Rock- well Field on what was intended to be & non-stop flight from San Diego to New York city. When they reached Temecula, where they had planned to cross the first range of mountains, they ran into heavy cloud banks that compelled their return to San Diego. Because of the excellent start they had made and the fact that the big motor was working smoothly the aviators decided to make an effort to establish a new endurance record. FRENCH OFFICERS SLAIN. Islim Pasha Wounded When His Auto Is Attacked. !By the Associated Press. CAIRO, October 6.—Two French of- |ficers were killed during an attack on the automobile of Islim Pasha, Governor of Hauran, in French Syria, as the governor’s party was leaving fthe capital yesterday, according to & report from reliable Sources, 1slim Pasha was wounded in the leg land his chauffeur and secretary wers injured. Weeping Poplar Solves Mystery Of Alexandr ia’s Midget Rain Special Dispatch to The Star. ALEXANDRIA, October 6.—A tale ‘more wondrous than the Arabian Nights of how the heavens had sent rain upon a little ten-foot area on Washington street here, while the whole country- side wa? basking in the glorious sun- shine of a perfect October, drew hun- dreds of the curious to the spot yes- terday in vain. The rain turned out to be nothing more than the tears of a despondent poplar tree, which, reflecting too deeply upon the glories of centuries long dead, has been weeping coplously since last Monday. Botanists will say the tree is afflicted with a disease that is wasting its sap; but those who know it de- clare the tree is just naturally sad— and it looks it. Many Watch Drops Fall Last Monday night the sprinkle started. Quickly gathering their cush- fons, residents of the two or three houses that have long enjoyed the tree's shade hastened into the house. But, to their amaszement, they beheld residents across the street, and others only two doors away, still sittiug on their front t e Ing the fall evening. o o e g o Investigation proved that the sprinkle was covering an scarcely more than ten feet in diam- eter. be. could distinctly see the drops de- scending, but never did the drizzle stray from the small shute it seemed to select in jumping from the sky. area Water it certainly seemed to Those standing off a few foet life sprang to life; the tree, ’twas said, stands directly over the spot once occupied by that well. Could the elements, at so late a day, be weeping for the loved and lost? Others suggested the presence of strange currents overhead and still other imaginations ran to even more extreme lengths. For three days the sapposed rain continued, and then it reached the ears of a news-hunting reporter. ‘When his information was conveyed in all seriousness to the weather bu- reau in Washington, however, there ‘were lusty “haw-haws” had by all— except the scribe. It was suggested that the possibility of an invision from Mars was just about three mil- lion times as great, and the kindly prognosticator advised the all-believ- ing pen-pusher to swallow the yarn with several shiploads of salt. Just Sap From the Tree. Among the pilgrims to the scene of the supposed phenomenon, how- ever, was one wise in the ways of na- ture. The life of the great outdoors ‘was stamped upon his very soul. He looked once or twice, smiled and turned away. To a friend he said: “Why, that is just a sort of sap from the tree. It Is nothing unusu Ofttimes in the fall of the yi the sap runs too freely and finds its way out of the hundreds of tiny points at the end of twigs. Falling from these, true eneugh it resembles rain. But you folks can put away your um- brellas now, because it isn't raining rain here, it's raining sap.” And - last night Alexandria again slept soundly. Stories of celestial goblins ~ and bloodcurdling an old well where |legends were put away with the um- "'&'{,‘,‘}"" ran r'lto that night. curses, staries o an Indian maiden had once lost her ' brellas. sixteen hours and that they do not| TWO CENTS. BODY OF WOMAN, WEIGHTED DOWN, FOUND IN POTOMAC Flatiron and Chunks of Pav- ing Attached to Corpse in Shallows. SUICIDE THEORY HELD BY POLICE AFTER PROBE Victim, Well Dressed, Shows No Marks of Violence—May Have Been Drugged. The Body of a well dresed woman. heavily weighted by a flatiron and large cakes of asphalt paving, was dragged garly today from the shallow waters of the Potomac river near the south end of the Highway bridge. The woman apparently had been in the water for several days and the body bore no marks by which it might be identified. Whether or mot she committed suicide or was the vfc- tim of assassins is a question the police have been unable to solve. Discovered by Fisherm: | The body was discovered by Charles | Sanford of 313 Linworth place southwest as he was setting out on a fishing trip. A short distance from shore his gttention was arrésted by a light blue garment floating on top of the water. Rowing to the spot. the fisherman saw the woman's body, partially embedded in the mud. Sanford rowed quickly to shore, noti- | fied the police and aroused the tent coi- lony that still occupies a resort known | as’ “Jazz Beach,” just off of which the | body lay. No efforts were made to re- {lease the body from the Potomac until the harbor police tug arrived and raised | it from the river bed by means of ropes. | Around the waist was strapped au | eizht-pound flat iron, held tight by | means of a belt. In thé lining of a cape. which the woman still wore, were sev- eral cakes of asphalt paving as large as building bricks. A smal] piece of white string was still tied around the iron, it probably having held fhe price tag and indicating that the iron was purchased recently. Body Well Dressed. A closer examination at the morgue showed the woman to have been ex- ceptionally well dressed. She wore blue crepe de chine frock of the latest design. A hat of the same material, trimmed Wwith flowers, was held to the head by means of a veil: the cape bad once been gray but was stained a light {olive drab by the muddy waters of-the Potomac. She wore black silk stock- ings and low shoes. Her underclothing was of the finest silk texture. The woman was about forty-five vears old, 5 feet 2 inches in height and weighed between 115 und 120 pounds. Her hair was brown, slightly mixed with gray. The sizé of her shoes was 31:. She wore no jewelry and_there were no marks on her clothing by which she might be traced. I a Suicide Theory Held. Two facts lead the detectives to be- lieve the woman might have commit- ted suicide. One Is the absence of any marks of violence on her body. The | other is the fact that the body rested {in comparatively shallow water. it is not thought likely the current of the Potdimac would have been strong enough to carry the woman any ¢i tance, so heavy were the weigkts, and it is regarded as virtually certain that the drowning occurred where the body was found, whether self-in- flicted or by murderers. Detectives Ira Keck and Harry Burlingame were assigned to the case and both expresscd (he opinion that the woman had killed herself. If such is the case, however, the police declare it to be one of the strangest suicides on record. That any person could walk out into the water, heavily weighted, and delib- erately lie down in the mud to die at first seemed incredible. 1t was suggested that the woman might have been drugged and drop- ped into the river from a boat. The weights would have held her under long enough to cause death before she regained consciousness. Such a plan, it was pointed out, would account for the absence of marks of violence and the presence of a drug in the system can be determined by the autopsy. SNARES SAFETY PIN INBABY'S STOMACH Swallowed Open, Specialist Closes It With Wire Loop. Special Dispatch to The Star. ATLANTA, Ga., October 6.—An op- eration performed by which an open safety pin was taken from the stom- ach of Mac Asbill, jr., six-month son of a well known Atlanta attorney, today was characterized by doctors as one of the most remarkable feats in the history of surgery. By means of a wire loop at the end of a rod a foot and a half long the point of the pin, which rested just at the entrance to the baby's storaach, was pushed under the safety catch and then the pin was drawn out with- out injury to the child. In addition ‘to the wire loop the docior used a tiny pair of pinchers on the end of two long pieces of wire and lowered down the baby’s throat a tiny elec- tric light to enable him to sea. No Anmesthetic A Inistered. The entire operation was performed without anesthetic and lasted about fifteen minutes. The child had swal- lowed the pin while in bed. His mother, hearing him scream, noticed when she went to him that :he safety pin used to hold down ‘he biankets in which he was wrapped was missing. However, the baby soon stopped cry- ing and she decided that he was wll right. Careful search failing to ie- (Continued on Page 2, Column 4.) D S N