Evening Star Newspaper, December 9, 1924, Page 1

WEATHER. (U. S. Weather Bureau Fair and colder tonigh row; lowest temperat about 30 degrees. hours ended at 68, at 2:15 p.am. at'8 a.m. today. Full repol Temperature for toda; Forecast.) t and tomor- ure tonight 24 Highest, owest, 54, rt on page 7. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bcnds, Page 28 ch No. 29,442 0. Entered as second class matter post office, Washington, D, C. 8 HINTS LIQUORPLOT {11 BEREBELLION FORARMY TOSTOP Judge Tells New Jersey Jury Weehawken Incident Has Wide Possibilities. TROOPS HELD POSSIBLE ANARCHY ALTERNATIVE Jurors Also Told They Face Per- sonal Danger in Rum In- vestigation. the “en- water ernative 1o ax called to the Hudson County Supreme Court to them the ng a today ¥ nturn in hi u ] in- a b Weehawker con- Scex Wider Channels, t may lead you ion so broad rifications as ive th confined to ate,” Justice s co-extensive subtleties | the pro- y re- indictme two po- policeme of the rin Possible F al Danger. to urder its man who hide; and tha = held fearful rty entive aul at trength to 1t surround Ruled by Outlaws. be tes, | the to ruled by shall her- it is to be conceded that we c cceed in this stru d that failure is to be inevi- 1t and that hereafter ours vernment of official « 1 with the Diack flz 5 hich murder § ¥ of exposur then ome for you and The pro s court to retire from your j nfession of in- eptitude, and request the President and the gove to enforce martial law upon our waterfront as the only al- hative to statewide anarchy.” U. S. PROBE UNLIKELY. not st table re of your rnor te No Funds Available for Investiga- tion at Weehawken. officials be- Attorne) with an for a ion liquor y that can comply hasx been Justic ehawke artment had no appropriation tions of liquor 1 except in connection hich are being prosecut- leral Government. 1 Walker Willebrandt, ttorney general in charge hibit enforceme d it d be out of the ordin tion of the W » ordered fair BOARD AUTHORIZES .DOUBLE-DECK BUSSES Commission Approves Application for Two-Story Cars on Local Streets. e introdu busses tlon of double-deck into Washington was uthorized for the first time by Utilities Commission today. commission apy the appli- Washington Rapid Tran- to instail two-story busses on street, Tublic The oved ition of the it Co sixteenth following route: From ind Buchanan stree teenth, south to H, place, south to the roadway back of the State, War and Navy Bullding, west to Seventeenth, south to B and west to the Lincoln Memorial. In veturning the b eventeenth avenue to Madison up Sixteenth street. ¢ probably will be in operation fore February 1 west to Six- west to Jackson " MINISTERS WARN CHINA. Envoys of Powers in Boxer Treaty Advise Need of Adherence. PEKING, December 9.—The minis- ters of the powers which signed the Toxer peace protocol met today and drafted a note to the Chinese govern- ment drawing attention to the nece =ity of China observing her treaty obilgations, and indicating that the powers concerned are ready to assist her in accordance with the Washing- ton treaty if she fulfills her foreign agements. The note was dis- ched this afternoon. this | v for an | the | operating over the | Fourteenth Noted Career Ends | JUSTICE MAHLON P EY, EX-JUSTICE PITNEY * DIES AT AGF 0F 65 }Noted Jurist Succumbs to Long lliness Brought on by Overwork. NEWS OF DEATH SURPRISE | ! Disability of More Than Two Years Terminates Distinguished Public Service. and the ! of | ted | R| Former Justice the Supreme Court of the Ui died at his home, 1 stre 1y today Death occurred in the diately after midnight, and was de- seribed radual weakening of | his system after a long illness. Jus- tice Pitney, who retired from the| bench because of ill health December | 1, 1922, had been confined to his bed since the late summer. Members of | his immediate nily were at the| bLedside when death occurred. Although Justice Pitne; had serfously i1l for more t three | { months, his immediate death was not | expected, and no intimation was| given prior to his death that his con- | dition was more unfavorable than it had been for some time. The former justi d been residing in his home | here since his retirement from the! Supreme Court bench. i Justice Pitney, who was 66 years| of age, was known as one of the hardest working members of the S preme Court, and overwork was as- | cribed as the cause of his breakdown | The strain after a number of years resulted in an attack which totally disabled him from the discharge of his dutles, and he was placed on the retired list of the court. i Retired on Ac Mahlon Pitn hours imme- as a been | ount of Tllness. Associate Justice Mahlon Pitney was | forced by illness to retire from the | United States Supreme Court at |hP“ height of his usefulness. Enthusiastic | and tireless in devotion to duty, he un- | stintingly drew upon his reserve strength until a seemingly sound and | vigorous constitution was undemvh\ed.' and the collapse came without warning to his associates upon the bench or the | public generall; J The stroke fell while he was visiting ! Philadelphia to join with Chief J\xslu‘?: Taft and other members of the Supreme | Court in the rededication of the room in | Independence Hall where the court hzd" held its There a blood | clot formed hise brain, but prompt | medical_attendance enabled him to re- | | turn to Washington. careful nursing | " (Continued on P Column 3.) § 'SLAYER WINS REPRIEVE | | T0 COME TO D.C. HOSPITAL | ! = | | War Veteran Given Three Months | for Treatment at Walter Reed. | Then Must Return. | By the Associated Press. THOMASTON, Me., December Edgar M. Ward of Randolph, a war | veteran, who is serving a life sen- | | tence in State prison for the murder | | of Marie Burnier in 1919, left that!| institution today in custody of a pro- | bation officer for Washington, where Ihe will enter Walter Reed Hospital | for medical and surgical treatment. The reprieve under which he was granted this privilege is the first ever issued in Maine to a “lifer.” In Bos- ton Ward will be taken in charge by |a member of the Veterans' Bureau, who will accompany him to the Army | hospital. At the end of three months Ward is to surrender himself to the prison ,warden and continue serving | his sentence. o | | ACTRESS MAY. WED TODAY. | NORFOLK, Va., December 9.—Mary Miles Minter, motion picture star, today checked out of the.local hotel where she had been registered for the past several days and was whisked away In a taxicab to the ferry between here and the navy vard, where the U. S. S. Jason, com- manded by her reported fiance, Lieut. | Comdr. Ridder, is being overhauled. |1t was reported around the hotel yes- | | terday that Miss Minter and the| naval officer would be married aboard the Jason, but this could not be confirmed. ACED oot A | KORETZ CLEANS YARD. | | STATEVILLE, IlL, December 9.— Leo Koretz, serving a sentence of from 1 to 10 years for swindling in | connection with the promotion of a | phantom Panama oil scheme, in which | relatives and friends invested $2,000,~ 000, has been made a prison “white { wing.” He will poMce the yard of the | State penitentiary for bits of paper | ana_rubbish. Warden Whitman assigned him to the job when informed by prison phy- sicians that the fresh air would be beneficial to the chronic diabetic. {neck | tendants | although I'mit him to tell the story of the trag- | edy | morning. | one ever knew of either harboring a | with the ! negotiations for the site have. not WASHINGT:! VETERAN S SLAN INSNE PAL HELD Body of Patient Found Under Cot at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. N, STRANGULATION IS CAUSE Man Seized Said to Have Been Washing Bloodstains From Pillowslip. The body of Alberto Medeno, for- mer soldier in the United States Army, was found early today stuffed beneath a cot in a ward of St. Eliza- beth's Hospital, with a tapestry table runner tightly knotted around its Death had resulted from strangulation. A few minutes later excited at- found Alexander Banaski, of the United States Navy, washing bloodstains from a pillowslip that was later found to have been stuffed into the mouth of the dying Medeno in a desperate effort to stop | a hemorrhage. Murlder Theory Accepted. That Medeno was murdered was ad- | mitted by hospital authorities, and, they are unwilling as vet to accuse Banaski of the crime, the latter has been placed in confinement under heavy guard to prevent him from attempting to commit suicide before he has been restored to a suffi- ciently calm mental condition to per- veteran that occurred in the about an hour before dawn. The last time Medeno was seen alive was shortly after 6 o'clock this At that time he was stand- ing in the door of his ward talking| to Banaski. Both men had been friends since entering the asylum and | had slept together in the ward. No hospital grudge against the other. Pillowslip Gives Hint. An hour later an attendant noticed | a pillowslip missing from a bed in the ward, always regarded as a seri- ous harbinger in institutions for the insane. Quickly investigating, the man found Medeno’s body crumpled and crushed beneath the cot. The tapestry table runner was tightly knotted about the throat. Death, physicians declared, must have oc- curred within a few minutes. The alarm was sounded and guards were sent hurrying throughout the institution to find Medeno's slayer. It was apparent immediately that the man could not have slain himself in such a manner. Within a few min- utes a guard rushed into the lavatory of the ward and there found Banaskt feverishly washing out the missing pillowship, literally covered with tell= tale stains. No Evidence of Struggle. Seized by two guards, Banaski| crumpled and was in such a highly nervous state that he could talk only incoherently, and any hope of getting from his lips facts about Medeno's death was abandoned after a few minutes of questioning. It is the theory of the doctors at lizabeth’s Hospital that Medeno seized from behind and strangled table runner, stolen from waiting room last night, before he could make an outcry. No evidence of a struggle was found in the ward, except that two of the beds were | mussed where Medeno apparently had made a feeble fight for his life. St Vietim From Mexico. | Medeno was a Mexican and was | sent to St. Elizabeth’s from Columbus barracks of the Army in 1920. He is not known to have any relatives in this country. Banaski’s home is in Bay City, Mich. He has a sister living there. Last February Banaski attempted to kill himself by hanging, and was saved just in the nick of time by hos- pital guards. It is believed that his particular form of insanity had given him a predisposition toward strangu- lation, and that in a moment when he did not know what he was doing he leaped upon the helpless Medeno and Kkilled him! 88-STORY BUILDING PLANNED IN GOTHAM Huge Structure to Tower 1,000 Feet Into Air if Tests Prove Project Would Be Safe. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, December 9.—New York is to have an 8S-story office building outranking In_height the Woolworth Building, which has 51 storles, according to information ob- talnable in real estate circles. A test to determine when the Wool- worth tower sways in winds of high velocity is said to have been planned in contemplation of the new sky- scraper’s construction. At the offices of Cass Gilbert, archi- tect, it was admitted that the project was under consideration, although details are being withheld because been closed. The new mammoth structure will | occupy an entire block on downtown Broadway, it is said. Leaders in the architectural, en- gineering and construction world were called into conference to de- termine the practicability of rearing a structure of such height, and as result it was decided to make a study of the Woolworth Bullding. The tests of the great tower which now tops all other buildings in New York City. has been under way for two weeks. Whether the new skyscraper will be built to the height contemplated will depend upon the outcome of the tests of the Woolworth Building. Mr. Gilbert, who designed and superin- tended the construction of the Wool- worth structure, has charge of the tests. The Woolworth Bulldigg is 792 feet high and if the stories of the contemplated building were of the same height it would tower more than 1,000 feet above the ground. The United States Steel Corpora- tion and the du Ponts have been mentioned as possible backers of the new building = project, although no definite information as to this phase has been obtained. e ——— Radio Programs—Page 42. D05 | Hugh { swindles took place during his term WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION TUESDAY, D BLASTS SET OFF ECEMBER 9, 1924 - FORTY-EICHT ¢ Foening Star. PAGES. A CROSS PUZZLE BY YEGGMEN CAUSE $30,000 BELTSVILLE FIRE |Garage, Blacksmith Shop Auto Seen to Dash A and Store Destroyed. way After Explosion in Nearby Maryland Town. Special Dispateh to The Star, BELTSVILLE, Md., December 9.— Fire started by an explosion set off by yeggmen attempting to blow a| safe in the garage of J. Earl Gingell here, early today, destroyed the ga- rage, @ store, a blacksmith shop and a dwelling and for a time menaced other nearby property. Benjamin Snyder, a merchant, who was asleep in & house across the alley from the garage, was nearly hurled from his bed by the force of the ex- plosion, and seeing flames shooting from the building, gave the alarm. As he rushed to the Gingell dwell- | ing to arouse the father of the owner, | who made his home there, he noticed the door of the garage open, and re- turning a few seconds later, saw an automobile shoot down the roa while eries iof ““fire” .came from machine. He could not determine the number of occupants. Blast Heard Three Miles. Almost simultaneously there was second blast from the interior of CHARGES §3,000,000 INDIAN FUND GRAFT Oklahoma Judge Accuses U. S. Officials in R&port to Congress Committee. By the Associated Press. OKMULGEE, Okla., December 9.— Murphy former Okmulgee County judges acting on instructions from the congressional committee which recently investigated Indian probate affairs at Muskogeo, yester- day made public a report to the com- mittee, charging grafts and misap- propriations of Indian funds totaling more than $3,000,000. The alleged of office four years ago, the report says. The alleged grafts were carried on principally by attorneys and members of the United States Indian Commis- sion, with the sanction of State courts, the report says. The report makes a severe arraign- ment of the Indian commission and of State courts, including in each charge corroborating evidence and names of witnesses who may be sum- moned by the committee when it con- venes next March. The report bears the caption: “A Documentary Recital of\ Continued Outrage, Submitted Under the Advice of Committee on Indian Affairs, In- vestigating Indian Affairs in Okla- homa, Pursuant to Act of Congress.” JEWELRY THEFTS TOTAL NEARLY THREE MILLIONS Robberies and Burglaries During 1924 Far in Excess of Last Year. By the Associated Pres: NEW YORK, - December 9.—Last year’s losses of $1,975,000 by the Jewelry trade of the country through robberies and burglaries have been greatly exceeded this year, the losses up to December 1 being $2,795,680, according to statistics compiled by the Jewelers' Security Alliance. De- cember's losses will swell the total over last year's losses to more than $1,000,000, it is expected. There were 860 robberies and burglaries last year, compared with 368 during the first 11 months of this year. FRANCE INVITES GERMANY Asks Nation to Take Part in Paris /Arts Exhibit. the garage, and spectators coming | later “said ‘the explosion had been | heard at a distance of three miles. Snyder called the Washington Fire Department, snd apparatus responded, as well as the departments from Hyattsville and Riverdale, and suc- ceeded in preventing the spread of the flgmes. Several automobiles in the garage also were included in the loss, which it was said by Gingell would approxi- mate $30,000. Safe's Combination Smashed. The combination on the safe was smashed and one hinge torn off, but whether the contents were touched cannot be ascertained until experts have opened It. It contalned about $200 and valuable papers. An automoblle containing three men was seen parked near the gurage late last night. It was sald aleo that there was nothing in the garage, so far as Is known, that could have ex- ploded, all the gasoline being stored In tanks on the outsid BLIZZARD MOVES OUT OF NORTHWEST Traffic Blocked, Schools Closed, Towns Dark in Storm’s Wake. B the Associated Pre ST. PAUL, Minn., December 9.—Re- lief from the Midwinter weather which has gripped the Northwest for the past two days was promised to- day, as the storm, which at times as- sumed the proportions of a blizzard, swung eastward into upper Michigan. Behind in South Dekota country roads were left blocked by snow- drifts and several trains were can- celed. Many automobiles were stall- ed in drifts, and one train, bound for Sioux Falls, was stuck in the snow near Beaver Creek, Minn. Towa was particularly hard hit by the storm, the second within a week. Sioux Clty advices told of public school sessions being canceled for the day because of the deep snow, amd street car and train movements were hampered. Towns Without Lixhts. Irwin, Deflance and Manning, in Towa, were without electric light and power service as the result of nearly 100 poles being blown down. Railroad and bus transportation ‘was interrupted in parts of South Da- kota and North Dakota by drifted smow. South Dakota reported some snow and below-zero weather. The progress of the storm today was fore- cast to manifest itself in rains along the South Atlantic Coast and New England, and in snow flurries in the Lower Lake Region and upper Ohio valley. Another storm, centered yesterday over the far Southwest, was felt in the form of rains as far as the Pacific Coast and snow in the plateau region. | PARIS POLICE SEEKING COMMUNIST LEADER ‘Whereabouts of Henri Xuflbenux, Once Sentenced to Die, Are Mystery. By the Associated Press. PARIS, December 9.—The where- abouts of the Communist leader Henri Guilbeaux, who was condemned to death by default in 1919, now has become a matter of mystery similar to the case of Jacques Sadoil, who returned to France last week. There are reports that Guilbeaux-is in- hid- ing at St. Denis, just-north of Paris. At any, rate, ‘a large force of police, all armed with his Iatest photograph, are hunting for him there. On the other hand, dispatches from Geneva say that when Sadoul came back to France to demand a retrial Guilbeaux Intended coming with him, but that he changed his plans at the PARIS, December 9.—The French Ambassador in Berlin has extended an official invitation from the French government for Germany to partici- pate in the international exhibition of decorative arts, which will be held fn Paris from April to October next year. last moment and went to Geneva, where he is in hiding. The Geneva police are searching for him, as he was expelled from Switzerland some time ago. 1t is stated that several notorious French “defeatists” have also gath- ered in Geneva. . WORLD LAW CODING WILL GET UL 5. AID Administration Has Voiced Approval of Move Now Started by League. BY DAVID LAWRENCE. Decision by the council of th League of Nations at Rome to sum mon fifteen jurists of world-wide fame to draft a code of international 1w will receive the co-operation of America. For many years the United States Government has been anxious to see a start made toward the real codifica- tion of international law. Elihu Root succeeded in including a clause to that effect in the Republican national platform of 1920. Mr. Harding was in sympathy -with the project and both President Coolidge and Secretary Hughes have since emphasized its im- portance. Indeed, in the last mes- e sage to Congress Mr. Coolidge made | a special paragraph on the subject, which now has been taken serfously by the League of Natlons, whose ini- tiative in calling the conference is the first practical step since 1903. It is pertinent in view of the action by the League of Nations Council quote Mr. Coolidge's exact word: Coolidge Favors Idea. “Our country should also support ef- forts which are being made toward the codification of international law. We can look more hopefully, in the first in- stancefi for research and studies that are likely to be preductive of resuits, to a co-operation of representatives of the bar and members of international law institutes and societles, than to a con- ference of those who are technically reprseentative of their respective gov- ernments, although when projects have been developed they must £o to the gov- ernments for their approval. These ex- pert professional studies are going on in certain quarters, and'should have our constant encouragement and approval.” The League Council realized the truth of Mr. Coolid words about technical representatives of govern- ments, so, in line with his idea, the jurists who will be asked to draft the new code will not be representative of governments, but a committee of specialists. This is exactly the way the constitution of the International Court of Justice was framed when Elihu Root was invited as a jurist and not as a representative of the American Government to sit with jurists from other countries, - Powers to Declde. When, however, the committee con- cluded its investigations and recom- mended a definite protocol, the latter was submitted to the governments of the world for approval. So also may the recommendations of the interna- tional lawyers be submitted to the different governments for ratification. The fact that the League of Nations took the initiative in summoning the conference complicates the problem | no more than the action that has been | taken by the league in summoning an international oplum conference or other humanitarian activities in which the United States has participated. Step Toward Peace. The making of a new code of in- ternational law is in itself one of the most vital steps toward preserving peace that has been needed since the last European war. On all sides there has been agreement to that effect, but the process has lagged. The frst and second Hague conferences were designed to codify the rules of war which constitute the bulk of Interna- tional law and the conference which resulted in what Is Declaration of London, in 1909, was the last document on international law to cdme from a large gathering of important powers. The declara- tion was not ratified generally, and those nations which did ratify it made important reservations, so that when the war of 1914 broke out the belligerents were disposed at first to adhere, but later disregarded some of the most important provisions in the code.. . Need Wartime Rules. No code seemingly has been drawn which has been considered binding in time of war, and the jurists will have as their major- problem the making of ‘such- rules as can be obeyed in wartime. The jurists wij have no difficulty, but the experts in the armies and nayles of the countries concerned ‘usually bring pressure to bear 'to prevent ratification of any- thing which inhibits their effective- ness during war, for, while it is true that all nations are bound by the samo rules, they sometimes operate to.diminish the power of a maritime nation with a large navy more than they do other nations. i (Copyright, 1024.) to| known as the: The Star’ every city block and the regular edi- tion is delivered to Washington homes as fast as the papers are printed. Yesterday’s Circulation, 98,407 “From Press to Home Within the Hour” s carrier system covers # House Microphone, Victim of Oratory, Finally Gets K. O. After being banged about for two vears at the hands of fervid orators, the microphone’ in the chamber of the House has received its final knockout, and persons wandering the caverns be- neath the Capitol will no longer be startled to hear, coming from nowhere in particular, the most eloquent descrip- tions of desérving projects which the Government should finance in various places. The microphone, with accompanying amplifying apparatus, was placed in the House two years ago by a commercial company. It incurred the displeasure of many members by its intonations, while others, in the” course of violent orations, frequently knocked parts of it to the floor. Some of the members con- tended it had the effect of diminishing the volume of thefr voices, and nobody came forward with a proposal that an appropriation be made to buy it. During its service the nficrophone car- ried every debate in the House, and | through it the messages to Congress of | | Presidents Harding and Coolidge were | | broadcast. | HIS PAPERS STOLEN, MORTIMER CLAS |Informs Court They Were Taken Three Times and Given to Col. Forbes. |TELLS OF AGREEMENT Sags Director Insisted on Reliable { Contractors to Build Hospitals. i By the Associated Press. i CHICAGO, December 9.—Col. | Charles R. Forbes, during his term | | as director of the Veterans' Bureau, | sought “only high-class, reliable, able {and financially responsible contrac- | tors” for hospital work he repeated | told Elias H. Mortimer, contractors’ ‘a("n(, the latter testified today in cross-examination in the trial of Col. Forbes and others on conspiracy charges growing out of the Veterans' Bureau administration under Forbes. { Mortimer also told of an agreement | between himself and Forbes, reached | early in 1922, under which they would | | divide between them 35 per cent of | the profits on contracts awarded to | firms which Mortimer represented in inegotiations with the Veterans' | Bureau. ! Second Day on Stand. | Mortimer was on the stand for his |second day's cross-examination to- |day. He s the chief Government | witness against Forbes and J. W. { Thompson, Chicago and St. Louis | contractor, on trial for conspiracy to defraud the Government in the alloca- tion of hospital contracts. | Mortimer recounted his meetings with Forbes in March, 1922, months after Forbes was appointed to the bureau post. After several conversations with Forbes, in which he represented himself as soliciting agent for various contraetors inter- ested in veteran bureau awards, he had been given a list of proposed| hospital sites by Forbes late in May, | 1922, Mortimer said, James S. Easby-Smith endeavored | to bring out that each of three sites on the list had previously been defi- two | | decided, but this feature, as well | shipmen from Annapolis. { the. President has i mite nitely selected by President Harding as a hospital site and the announce- ment published in the newspapers. Disnppearance of Papers. Mortimer told also, under a rapid fire of questions from Forbes' coun- | sel, of the disappearance of some of | his papers from his apartment in the Wardman Park-Hotel, in Washington, and from a safe deposit box in a| Washington bank. t “The papers were stolen at three| different times and given to Col.| Forbes,” Mortimer replied in answer | to Col. Easby-Smitb, defense counsel, question. The answer was permitted to stand despite the obiection of the defense. Deposited in Banks. Coming to the $5000 advance to Mortimer from Thompson in June, 1922, the witness said that the amount, | with $100 more, had been deposited in three Washington. banks. A heated wrangle bétween counsel | followed attempts to question Mor- timer as to the use he made of the funds. % The court sustained the Govern- ment's objection that it_was a purely | personal affair of the witness. Defense counsel persisted in an ar- | gument that the distribution of the funds might prove to be of vital im- portance to the defense. 1 | | | | Orders Checks Presented. Judge George A. Carpenter reaf- firmed his ruling several times, but later when it developed that all the bank’statements and canceled checks were In the custody of the Govern- ment. ordered them presented to the defense counsel for examination. In regard fo his first contact with | Forbes, in March, 1922, Mortimer said one of the first questions from the di- rector, when the Thompson and Black Construction Company_had been sug- | gested for future hosbital work, re- lated to the integrity, reliability and general good’ standing of the firm. “Did Col. Forbes ask you about an: other contractors who might be in- terested in the bureau hospital?” the defense counsel asked. “He asked abowt others generlly, said the witness. “Did he mention anything about thelr reliability, financial responsibil- ity, good reputation - and general trustworthiness,” Easby-Smith con- tinued. “Yes, he asked about their qualifi- cations generally,” the witness re- plied. “When you first ‘mentioned Thomp- son and Black did Col. Forbes ask similar questions?” “Yes,” Mortimer said. Mortimer then told of\ his visit to Chicago in June, 1922, On_June 20 he said he went to the Chicago office of Thompson and Black between 10 a.m. and noon, and signed a note for a $15,000 loan. That afternoon, Mortimer said, he went to his room in the Drake Hotel and found Mrs. Mortimer and C Forbes: “shooting craps on the bed, o “It cost me $220 to pay for his ‘fun’ that afternoon,” Mortimer said, over the objection of the defense. TWO CENTS PRESIDENT AGRES TOINAUGURAL LPON ELABORATE SEALE Great Parade on Avenue and Evening Reception May Be Feature. | | i {AFFAIR TO BE MANAGED BY LOCAL COMMITTEE | Question of Ball Not Definitely Set- tled—Citizens' Bodies Elated at Prospect. ‘The National Capital having an elaborate the inaugural of on March 4 next President Coolidge cdllers at the Whi it, although he not definitel decided about the extent of the cele bration, or the details, he has agreed to a large parade on Pennsylvania avenue. He intimated that the prop osition to hold an official reception that evening has not been definitely is assured of celebration President Coolidg: of himself House told today has others suggested as be worked out later. incidental, wil Local Management Planned. It also s the intention of the Pres ident to leave management of th. celebration to a committee of citl zens of the Distfict and, he Intimated that the next step he will take in the settlement of the inaugural project will be the appointment of the chair- man of this important committee. In the meantime the President wants to confer with the Senate and House i committeemen who will have charg of the Capitol. While President Coolidge has from time to time made it quite plain that he personally would rather have the inaugural ball feature eliminated those with whom he talked today received the impression that he will not persist in this stand. It was gathered that the evening function will be officially described as a re- ception rather than a ball and that it will be arranged in such a manner as to meet fully the President's ap- proval and at the same time add to the impressiveness of his inaugural ceremony. inaugural ceremonies at the Civis Bodies Co-operate. The President's partial today to a return to the * ioned” inauguration ceremonies the past is considered to be the di- rect result of movements launched in that direction by the civic bodies of the District. The Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants and Manufacturers’ Asso- ciation have both sent delegations to the White House with suggestions for the inauguration this year, both of which mentioned a parade as one of the features which should be re- ! sumed, while the Board of Trade has | offerea its full co-operation to the President. It is probable that the parade will |include West Point Cadets and mid- as well as representative bodies of troops of th Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Such details as this, however, will be worked out by the committee to be placed in charse of the whole affair Charity Ball in Balance. One of the important features of the ceremonies, and one upon which not taken a defi- reception or in- held the night stand, is the augural ball usually of the inauguration A group of prominent society and welfare leaders of the District has suggested that the charity ball, which | made a successful debut last inaugura- | tion in lieu of the inaugural ball, and sum for Dbe which raised a substantial certain charities in the District repeated this year. It is not the intent of these leaders, however, to have the charity ball if an official reception or inaugural ball is decided upon. The advantages of this function, which directly benefits worthy causes, will be considered by the President as against the advan- tages of a formal reception. mmerce Chamber Propos: The recommendations for fnaugural celebration on March 4, as proposed by the Chamber of Commerce, were laid before Senator Butler of Massachusetts, chairman of the Republican national committee, at the Capitol today by Isaac Gans, president of the chamber, and other officers. Senator Butler ex- pressed his interest in the matter. It is expected he will confer with the Presi- dent before long to ascertain his views regarding the inaugural ceremony. Following the visit of the officers of the Chamber of Commerca Senator But- ler said that the proposal submitted was new to him. He will be guided in the matter by the advice of the Presi- dent. If there is to be an inauguration of thé kind suggested, and a local com- mittee is to be appointed, the chairman of the Republican national committer will make the appointment, it is ex- pected. ¢ Issues Statement. Following the conference, Mr. Gans issued the following statement: “The committee of the Chamber of Commerce, whicli yesterday visited President Coolidge to confer with him regarding plans for the proper observance of inauguration day, this morning had a very pleasant inter- view with Senator Butler, chairman of the Republican natlonal committee. The committee advised Senator But- ler of the steps so far-taken, and furnished him a copy of the resolu- tions which were presented to Presi- dent Coolidge yesterday. “Senator Butler met the committee very cordially, and expressed himself as pleased that the committee desired to keep him advised of any local sug- gestions or plans for the proper ob- servance of inauguration day. He ex- pressed the opinion that the wishes of the people of the country should be considered. The Senator, of course, could do no more than take under advisement the suggestions made, as Congress has as yet taken no. steps toward the appointment of its inau- gural committee.” Gompers IIl With Cold. MEXICO CITY, December 9.—Sam- uel Gompers, president of the Ameri- can Federation of Labor, was unable to attend yesterday's meeting of the Pan-American Federation of Labor Congress, being confined to his hotel with a cold.