Evening Star Newspaper, December 24, 1925, Page 1

WEATHER. orec S Weather Bureau iuir tonight; tomorrow ¥ light rain or snow; in iemperature: lowest t . Bre Ternperatures—r noon today: lowest, day. Tull report ol prob- little change onight izhest, 32 de 40 at 8 p.m. yester- Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 14 * TIENTSIN CAPTURED BY FENG'S TRODPS; National Army Men Enter City After Battle. Which Lasted Several Days. FORCES OF LI CHEN-LIN FLEEING IN DISORDER Victory tm'm("hiarnig.”Manchurmn War Lord, Also Is Reported in Tokio. TEKT 1 Fen yops entered ' this mc veral day is were killed or woung LiChen- and Feng's ter’ ched the native q n, where soldiers at rmy are engaged in | and volunteers the gates which is bar- Foreign prote: Yueh, inted tupan (c yvernor) . to succeed Li STIANGHATL Decem ‘nese coneession, accompanied by CHANG VICTORY CLAIMED. War Lord Reported to Have Cut Lines of Opponent. 4 () —Kokus A ) advices from anchur pital, say that of Gen. Chang Tso-Lin, un war lord, claim that the \dministered a severe blow Kuo Sung-Lin when he yes- terday captured Palkipu, cut Kuo's lines of communication and captured of munitions, med that Chang's forces ptured 12 fleld guns, guns and many prisonert TOKIO, Dee anese New: neavy is said that Chang has offered a big | eward for the capture of Kuo. 2 situation extremely confus- ng to Tokio. The foreign office claims that the defeat of Chang Tso-Lin is inly a matter of time, while the war thats Chang has a chance office sa for victor Gien. Nanao Matsul, for a long time adviser to Chang Tso-Lin, has return ed to Tokio, but government spokes- men deny he was recalled. Tokic advices te reported that Kuo, a former hman of Chang's, had been de feated in @ battle between Mukden and Sinminfu, west of Mukden. This same report, however, said indica- tions were that Chang eventually would be defeated in the persistent warfare, THREE FIREMEN KILLED WHEN TRUCK OVERTURNS | Accident Occurs While Speeding to | Blaze—15 Overcome in Boston. Br the A lated Press NORWELL, Mass., Ds Three voluntger uate fire department were two others knos their t skidded eding to a comber 24.— cilled and erturned here this and s fire ning. dead Barrows, Hugh Mc ¥rank Ha George sther of th dren; »ermott, single, nd ather of five children. of ee ch BOSTON, December 24 (). overcome four-alarm of undctermined which did $65,000 damage to a building on Fulton street at f the market district thi an_employe of a ompany, was -d out ntter he had risked his life by turning off gas connections on the first, second sand third floors FALLS EIGHT STORIES DOWN ELEVATOR SHAFT Fifteen Plasterer Who Was Working on affolding Dies Before Reach- ing Hospital. 38 years old, st, died on the Hospita! this eight in an Dominick Lenpini, 1830 (i street northe ergency falling ator shaft ng under construction at ith street. Lenpini was do. work inside the sha: on the seventh floor when the s which other laborers allege \properly secured, came loo fell to the basement with the s ing on top of him. The H. P. Giddings Construction Co. is doing the work on the building, but Lenpini was emploved by 3 street northeast Lenpini had about three weeks. ed THIS BAND‘T HEARTLESS. 1 we ing plasterin was He affold- working there He was unmar- Too Near Christmas to Leave Any Money, He Tells Woman Victim. NEW YORK. December 24 (P).— ristmas is no time for a hold-up ¢ sentimental, in the opinion who held up a Broadway mil- » and stole §300 from a cash er last night. Pauline Turner, proprietor of shop, said that during the 3 min- the armed man was in their <he begged him to leave a little yey behind him, ‘Nothing doing,” uear Chri he replied. under a previous members of the Scit-| d unconscious when | while fighting | - | form “Its | 1 | ‘(Ioolidge Will Lead Natio B | i WASHINGTON, D. C, MOST PROSPEROUS CHRISTMAS WILL BE WELCOMED TONIGHT Celebration by Lighting Great Community Tree—Many Busy’ Bent on Aiding Needy of City. 1 | fore lights are dimmed and exclted |little eyes are closed to_awalt the coming of good old St. Nicholas to- =ht, Washington will leud the Na ally fnaugur ng the mo: ous Christinas season Ame er known. The vccasion will ting of 4 national commun mas tree in Sherr qu ident Coolidge. at an re k - vears old, yet young in joyousness, the spirit of Christmas will have been iven gladsome welcome to the Capi- however, long before the Presi dent touches the button that I8 to symbolize the official beginning of the tal yuletide se: It will be welcome from the hearts of the peo expr in acts of charitable k ever . In the last few crowded hours be.|ness from the more fortunate to the| needy. In possibly half a dozen places, bas- kets of food, bundles of warm clothing and stockings of shiny toys are being distributed octations ted to mak fe’s unfor- Before will have some portion of ing the da tunates brighter | dark thousands | been supplied at lo | the Yuletide joys |and in this work Mrs. C | ing her unstinted help. Throughout the afternoon Washing- ton will be bent upon this mission of | mercy. Then at 5:40 o'clock this eve- ing the silver-throated chimes high in the tower of the Church of the Epib will burst forth in a symphony o greeting to_the approaching (Continued on_ Page 3, Column 3. POPE LEADS RITE ning | CLOSNGHOLYYEAR tends Shutting of Door of Basilica of St. Peter. By the Ascoiated Press ROME, * December 24.—Pope Piux | XI, picturesquely clad in pontifical f rich medieval design and sur- stical dignitaries, today performed the ceremony of clos ing the holy door of the Basilica of | St. Peter, the mammoth mother hurch of Catholicism. The ceremony officlally brought to 4 close the year of penitence and par- don specially marked on the Catholic { calendar once every quarter of a cen- | tury | The holy door had remained open | since one vear ago today, when the Pope he central figure in a sim- | lar_opening ceremony. ~ Since that | time more than 3,000,000 Catholic pil- | grims from every corner of the world {had crossed the sill and kissed the | door posts of that sacred aperture as | a_sign of devotion and humility. Most | of them likewise kissed the celebrated | fisherman’s ring on the right hand of the supreme spiritual leader and re- d_medals commemorative of the holy year from the Pontiff’s own | hands. Cardinal Hayes Prominent. | Cardinal Haves of New York was a | prominent figure among the cardi- nals at the ceremony, while the group of bishops in the procession included Bishop Lillis of Kansas City, Bishop | Hoban of Scranton, Bishop Drumm of | Des Moines and Bishop Lawler of | Lead, S. D. Several thousands of pllgrims. to- | gether with multitudes of Romans, imen occupying high positions of state and members of the historic | Roman aristocracy, composed the 170.000 persons who filled the great basilica and its massive portico to- day to bear witness to the time-honor- ed solemn ceremony. Other thou- | sands without number congregated {in the spacious St. Peter’s Square, ! covering virtually every flagstone be- tween the weather-worn cloisters, de- signed by Bernini, which skirt two sides of the square, knowing they could never see any part of the cere- | mony. but hoping to receive some vicarlous spiritual benefit from such close proximity. The main portico, with and gold ceiling, was decorated with s tapestries, mellowed by cen- { s of age, and with crimson velvet. { The tribune erected especially for a | privileged few, including the members of visiting royal families, the family ' of the Pope and the diplomatic bod: | was richly draped with crimson dam a These decorations gave to the scene un appearance of solemnity and warmth in the midst of cold massive marble pillars and floors. Papal Throne Near Door. The papal throne had been erected | only « few feet from the holy door, and was draped with tapestries bear- ing the papal coat of arms. While the crowds gathered and the scene was being made ready the pon- tift repaired to the ducal hall of the | Vatican to don his ceremonial gur- | ments. He was nied by his religious and by Princes | Orsini, Boncompagni, Massimo and Al | dobrandini, wearing the uniforms of | the various hereditary oftices which | they 1ill; by the major domo, master |of the chambers, the papal almoner, sacristan and secret chamberlains, all dressed in crimson silk and old lace. On the way to the basilica the papal | procession wax jolned by members of the noble guard, the Knights of the |(Zap(‘ and Sword, dressed in_Eliza- bethan costumes, with the traditional ¢ cardinals present in their long red silk and wearing white ermine by Oriental patriarchs, their heads glittering with jeweled head- dress: white-mitred abbots and canons | of St. Peter’s in purple robes trimmed with white lace: specfal corps of Swiss and Palatine guards in full dress uni and the Swiss guards bearing | aloft their axlike halberds. i Trumpets Herald Coming. At the entrance to the portico the Pope was raised in thewedia gestatoria { and was borne into the admiring audi- |ence. His coming was heralded by the sounding of six silver trumpets |in a specially erected balcony over- pes: ~(Continued on Page 5, Column 1.) | Picturesque Ceremony At-| its white | Armistice in Syria . Is Reported Signed By Druse Tribesmen By the Associated Press CAIRO, Egvpt, December —An armistice is reported to have been signed between the Druse tribesmen and the new French high commissioner in Syria, Henry de Jouvenel. All prisoners held by the French authorities in Syria on political charges are to be liberated, the report added. LONDON, December 23 (P).— Cabling from Damascus on~Wed- nesday, Reuter's special _corre- spondent in Syria said the French were endeavoring to speed up their peace negotiations with the Druses They were moved by disquieting rumors regarding the situation on the northern frontier, where Turk- ish bands were reported to be massing. The Turks, it was said, had even occupled some of the | French posts. SUTHERLAND GIVEN * CUSTODIANS POST Former Senator Named to Position Vacated by Death of Hicks. President Coolidge today appointed Howard Sutherland, former Senato: from West Virginia, alien property custodian, to flll the vacancy caused by the recent death of Frederick C. Hick: It was said at the White House when announcement of this appoint ment was made that Mr. Sutherland will be sworn in today and will as- sume his new duties at once. This appointment was made public follow- ing a conference between the Presi dent and Mr. Sutherland shortly after 10 o’'clock this morning. The nomina- tion will be sent to the Senate when it reconvenes after the holidays. Service in Congress. Mr. Sutherland s a Republican and served in the Sixty-third and Sixty fourth Congresses and term in the Senate, but was defeated for re-election in’ November, 1922. Upon leaving the Senate he practiced law here and in West Virginia. He was born September 8, 1865, and was graduated with an A. B. degree from Westminister College, Fulton, Mo., in He edited a Republican newspaper at Fulton immediately after gradua- tion. He came to Washington as chief of the population division of the eleventh census, during which lumbian University. He resigned this Government position in 1893 and moved to West Virginia. Mentioned for President. Mr. Sutherland was mentioned as a candidate of the Republican party and during his term in the Senate was active in the aairs of the party. He is one of the many former Govern- ment employes in Washington who have risen to a high place in the councils of the Nation, and has had a distinguished career in West Virginia, where he went from Washington as a young man. He served In the West Virginia State Senate from 1908 to 1912, and was then elected a member of the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Con- gresses, He was chairman of the West Virginia Good Roads Commis- sion and a pioneer in framing the first laws for permanent improve. ment of State roads. Moving to West Virginia in 1893 Mr. Sutherland be- came identified with the Davis Elkins coal and railroad interests, becoming general land agent. He later went into the coal and timber land business on his own account. Bell Leaves for Holidays. Lieut. Col. J. Franklin Bell, District Engineer Commissioner, left Washing- ton’ today to spend ihe Christmas holidays at his home in Washington, Pa. He plans to return the early part of next week. 1 By the sociated Press. LONDON, December 24.—There is a | woman who looms large in the Mosul controversy, although she_strives to | keep in the’ background. She s Ger. | trude Bell, the ‘right-hand man” of King Feisal of Irak, who has many | Arabian shieks doing her bidding. | Feisal's kingdom, of which Mosul is a part, is 2 mandate of Great Britain. Miss Bell officially is known as the Ori- ental secretary to the high commis- sioner of Irak. But in reality she is the chief British authority in that part of the world. She is a daughter of Sir Hugh Bell, ironmaster and colliery owner. She was educated at Queen’s College, London, and St. Margaret' 1 "She was on military intelli |English Woman Aide to King of Irak Looms 'Large in Controversy Over Mosul | mystertous Masked Man Sears gence service early in the war at Cairo and later becanie liaison officer of the Arab bureau on Irak. Then she be- came assistant political officer at Bagdad and after Felsal was estab- lished on the throne took over her present position. Miss Bell has written many books of travel and on politics. She is an accomplished linguist and an indefati- gable traveler who has penetrated many of the least-known parts of the Arabian desert and personally assisted in establishing the boundaries in a land unknown to the surveyor's sextant. Radio Programs—Page 18 served one | time he studied law at the then Co- | WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION BROKERS IN RUBBER INENGLAND RETIRE, - ROLLING INWEALTH Public Wonders if They See! Collapse of Boom and ! **Stand From Under.” INTERNATIONAL SWINDLE | i CHARGED BY LONGWORTH | | House Speaker Says Congress Is Seeking to Aid Americans, in Akron Speech. | By the Associated Press. LONDON December 24.—Rubber brokers ~re beginning to retire with | well filled pockets and the public is | wondering whether they forbsee a | collapse of the boom and wre “stand- | ing from under.” Baiss & Rogers, who have an-| | nounced they have decided to close ! down thefr business, have been in rub | ber brokerage for less than four years | jand are sald to have made £1,000,000 fin profits. Several other firms say | | they will retire with the end of this | {vear. Balss & Rogers have often { handled more than two million rubber | shares for as many as 2,000 customers n a single day. The firm had to reserve a large ! number of rooms in a hotel adjoining its offices fn the city and its employes slept in relays. Sometimes they were able to get only & few hours of | sleep because of the press of business. Work was kept up Sundays as well s week davs. Big Bonuses Given. i Many rubber brokers in the city | have seldom been able to close their | offices before midnight of recent months and the pressure continues with new fssues of rubber plantation stock offered constantly in the papers Among those who are least per- | turbed over the American attacks on | the British rubber policy are the staffs | | of the brokers who have minted for- | | tunes. It is the custom of many | | brokers to give Christmas bonuses to | | employes in’proportion to their vearly | | profits, and the sums disbursed thi; way this year are said to total ten | of thousands of pounds. The Dail | Mail says one firm is giving each em. | plove & bonus equivalent to one year's | salary. while sums ranging from £10 i to £100 each are common. ! CALLED BIG SWINDLE. 'Longworth Attacks Rubber Policies | of Foreign Nations. AKRON, Ohio, December 24 (#).— Nicholas Longworth, Speaker of the House™ of Représentatives, after a tour of Akron rubber plants and con- ferences with officials of the com-| panies yesterday, sald last night that ‘ongress is secking every means to {help’ American rubber manufacturers I meet British restrictions and compe- | tition. “There seems to be a combined ef- fort on the part of every foreign natlon producing rubber to restrict its output. thereby Increasing the! { price of rubber products,” he declared. Information obtained by him here, | he said, would be used to facilitate Ithe investigation into restriction of |crude rubher vproduction authorized by the House of Commons. “International Swindle.” In an address last night Mr. Long- worth described restrictions imposed ! by foreign nations on production and exports of rubber as an ‘“interna- tlonal swindle.” “The recent artificial and unfair in- creases in rubber prices are handi- capping a great industry and robbing | the ‘public of millions of dollars,” he | said. 4 ‘““We have placed the investigation | {in_charge of the committee on inter- ““{Continued on Page 2, Column 1) RAIN FLOODS THREATEN |SEVILLE; MANY HOMELESS | Torrential Precipitation in Spain Swells Rivers and People Are | Alarmed at Prospect. | ! By the Associated Press. SEVILLE, Spain, December 24.— Imminent danger of inundation by torrential rains, which continue un- ceasingly, threatens part of Seville. | Provisional lodgings have been pro- | vided for the residents of the subur- !ban villages of La Vega, Triana, Las | Erillas and other places, and urgent measures have been taken to fill in an open space on the banks of the Guadaira River to prevent the flood- ing of Cortijo and Palm Drive. Many olive groves are under water and the residents of a considerable of the river's territory have aban. doned their homes. Miraflores is to- |tally isolated by the floods and the | population is in a serious situation. The naval authorities have dis-| | patched launches to the villages of La | | Algaba and Camas. | The people of Seville are greatly |alarmed over the impending danger, for with the continuation of the rains and the overflowing of adjacent streams, the evacuation of many homes will be necessary. BINDS AND TORTURES | WOMAN TO GET LETTER| ! | Shoulders of California House- wife With Hot Poker. By the Associated Press. SAN FRANCISCO, December 24. Dispatches from Merced, southeast of here, say Mrs. Charles Sibley, 40 years old, living on a ranch south of there, was bound to a chair yesterday by:a masked man, who stripped her to the waist and burned her back and THURSDAY, DECEMBER BUTLER ¢ Foening Star. 24, 1925 -TWENTY-TWO PAGES. THE HOMELESS AUTO OWNER. service. (#) Means Associated | The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press news Yesterday’s Circulation, 99,090 Press. TWO CENTS. U.S. WILL KEEP OUT OF SECURITY PACTS ATLEAGUE PARLEY Names Terms on Which Ini- tation to Arms Meeting Is Accepted. HOLDS AMERICAN ARMY NOW DOWN TO MINIMUM Three Reservations Satisfactory to Borah—Will Not Object to Participation. Participation by the United States in the preliminary arms limitation onference at Geneva, to which this country has been invited to send delegates by the League of Nations has been agreed to, with the follow ing conditions: 1. That the United € s 18 to join in any security compact ar iranged at the arms conference proper i THREATENS TOPUBLISHDIARY, General Says It Will Show Mayor Protected Big Law Violators. By the Associated Presa PHILADELPHIA, December 24 Gen. Smediey D. Butler, dismissed b Mayor Kendrick as head of the Phila- delphta police, said today that public tion of his diary would “raise a ruc- ton.” He kept it during the two years he was director of public safety, | 1 and recorded, among other things, con- | versations with the mayor and other | city officlals. The general said that a broadside in which he alleged the mayor a kprotector of big violators of the pro- hibition law was only a preliminary blast. “I'm going to keep right on with the | attack until I get ready to stop,” he added. “And I won't stop until I prove my case. Would Recall His Resignation. Gen. Butler let it be known that he would endeavor to recall his letter of resignation from the Marine Corps, i which he submitted Monday in order | to remain here. He plans to visit Washington early next week for a conference with M: . Gen. John A. Le- | jeune, commandant of the corps, who | has indicated that he s anxious to {have the general remain in the service. In making public letters which passed between himself and Mr. Ken- drick and Joseph P. Gaffney, city so- licitor, the general attempted to show that it was because he would not “go | easy” on the big hotels that he was “fired.” Butler said that he wanted the Ritz- Carlton Hotei padlocked for liquor law violations and the dance licenses | of the Bellevue-Stratford and the Wal- ton Hotels revoked for the same rea- son, but that the mayor disapproved. Hotel Man Under Bail. David P. Provan, manager of ‘ht‘;me engineer of No. 85, southbound. Ritz-Carlton, s under $1,000 bail for a hearing on charges of violating the prohibition laws ks a result of a raid on two rooms of the hotel, where a private party was being held. The correspondence included a let- ter from Butler to the mayor last No- vember, which gaid in regard to one hotel: “Drunken men and young girls were found upon the ballroom floor.” In one memorandum Butler quoted the mayor as saying: “You're going too strong on these $7,000,000 invest- ments,” and “You have to lay off | these big places” because “there is a difference between a $7,000.000 invest- ment and a cheap place which black- malls people.” Mayor Kendrick made no comment on the correspondence, but issued an appeal to the people to support him in enforcing the law. 'STORM PLAYS HAVOC ON ISLAND OF YAP Wireless Poles Every Building on Coast Hit by Tidal Wave and Gale. By the Associated Press. TOKIO, December 24.—A report from the navy department today stated that the tidal wave and storm which struck the Island of Yap on Decem- ber 15 broke two wireless antenna poles and damaged virtually every buflding along the coast. No casualties were reported. Both cable and wireless communication was suspended for a short time while re- pairs were being made. During the storm a wind of 150- mile velocity was reported, accom- panied by waves 20 feet high. ]THREE DIE IN HOTEL FIRE. Four Injured and 13 Barely Es- cape Okmulgee Blaze. OKMULGEE, Okla., December 24 shoulders with a hot poker to force her to divulge the whereabouts of a letter she had received. The woman said the man found the letter and left. She was released from her bonds by her 5-year-old child. ‘When her husband came home he found her in a faint. She will recover. Officers are looking for the man. (P).—Two children and a 19-year-old Broken—Nearly | girl were burned to death, the mother | of the two children was critically burned, three others were injured and 13 others barely escaped with thelr lives when a threestory frame hotel, the oldest in Okmulgee, burned early today. The dead are Clem Wall, 14; Lorna Wall, 10, and Beatrice Mul: berry, 18, of Arkansas. { Another, Missing, May Be Man Is Arrested For Threatening Coolidge by Mail | By the Assoclated Prese. AN FRANCISCO, December Willlam Elmore Wolfe, allas David Watson, 50, a violin maker, was arrested by Governmen at Oakland today on a using the mail to in s tion of Federal \Wolte had been sought for several vears in various parts of the country for ‘sending printed matter to Presidents "Wiison and Coolidge and to a number of Congressme; Delittling their public acts and sug- | gesting methods of punishment for | them. | A complete printing outfit was | found in his room, the door of which had been padlocked. WEEKS IS INJURED: 3KILLED IN WRECK i | Dead in Head-On Collision | Near Charleston, S. C. By the Associated Prees. CHARLESTON, §. C., December 24! —Three persons are known to be dead, two are missing and several in- fured, among them John W. Weeks, former Secretary of War, as a result of a head-on collision of two crack | Atlantic Coast Line specials early to- day at Gaillards Cut, just south of | Moncks Corner. | A relief train with doctors and | myrses, accompanied by a wrecking ‘rain, has been dispatched to the scene of the accident. The engineer of No. 76, northbound. | Herbert T. Parish of Florence, and | J. E. Cumming of Savannah, were | killed. The fireman of train No. 76.| northbound, a man named Williams. is missing. C. Baxter of Florence, fire- man of the southbound train, was found dead. S. M. Aydlotte of Charles- ton, baggagemaster, uflered a broken eg. | The locomotive, a Pullman and club | car of No. 76 were deralled. The bag- | gage car and locomotive of No. 35| were deratled. i Tt wae stated that due to the hlock- 'ng of the northbound track hy a treight train derailed last night, the two truins were running on the| southbound track at the time of the | accident. They were laden with Christmas travelers and tourists. | At the point where the wreck oc- curred, it is said unofficially that there is no double track and the trains have | to go on a siding to permit passage. The siding was reported obstructed and the two trains kept to the main track, and running fast‘to make up for lost time, came together head-on. SEVEN KILLED IN WRECK. SANTIAGO, Chile, December 24 (#). Seven persons are known to have been killed and 40 injured when a train on the Longitudinal Railroad overturned Jast night at Vallenar. Details of the accident are lacking. There is an old saying that men never grow up. No matter what their prominence there are certain boyish traits they never lose, and Calvin Coolldge, President - of the United States, is no exception. Around Christmas the average boy lkee to peep ahead of time at the presents he is to recelve. Presi- dent Coolidge, although most matter of fact in most things, has this com- mon tralt of boyhood. The President did some peeping today. He looked happy when he had satisfied his curiosity. At the same time he looked a littie sheepish. He probably would have appeared very awkward it Mrs. Coolidge had seen him at the time or, if she had caught him in the act. Very likely the President grew tired of waiting for Christmas day to ar- rive, when the White House Christ- mas presents and cards would be open- ed by the household. So today he made an early visit to the executive office, ahead of the time for the clearks and other employes to arrive, { ! exactly | represent Foreign Minister Sarzanov | proper, FRANCE AND RUSSIA ABSOLVED OF GUILT Minutes of Czar’s Ministry]! Meeting Show Attempt to | Avert World War. ’ 5 the Associated Press. i STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Calif., December 24.—A copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Russlan minis- try, held July 24, 1913, which shed! new light on the part Russia played | in the stirring events precedins the| World War, has been found in the! Hoover War Library here and has ! been translated by Robert C. Binkley, | reference librarian. These minutes, which Mr. Binkley |says have not been cited in all the | (feneva. 30 years of efforts to fix responsibility | for the war, are sald to show that Russia, instead of helping to precip! tate the war by urging Serbia to re sist Austria, as has been charged, took | the opposite course. They as advising Serbia to refrain from armed resistance and the other minis- | ter as approving this advice. Sought Delay. | The document also records that th ministers gave their approval to Sar- zanov's proposal to get in touch with the other European powers in an effort to persuade the Austro-Hun- garian government to grant Serbia a | delay in her reply to Austria’s ulti-| matum resulting from the assassina- tion” of the Archduke Francis Ferdi- | nand at Sarajevo. The meeting of the ! Russian ministry was held on the day after Austria issued her ultimatum. The minutes also inferentially ab- solve France of any suspicion of that | country's collusion with Russia in| preparing to force war at that time | because of the fact that Viviani and | other French government heads had | bheen in conference with the Russian| government at St. Petersburg (then)' P to the day before the Austro-Ser-| bian crisis. 1f Russia was hatching| no plot, cbviously France could not | be participating in one, is the deduc-| tion made by Stanford historians. The Russian ministers met at o'clock in the afternoon, after - nov had spent the morning going | over the Austrian ultimatum and dig- | ging into the situation. The minutes record that the ministers decreed: (1) to approve Sarzanov's propoSal to get in touch with the cabinets of the great powers in an effort to induce| the Austro-Hungarian government to! grant a postponement in the repiy of | Serbla to the ultimatum so there| might be time for the powers to in- | ) (Continued on Page 5, Column 6.) H. H. MORGAN TO RETIRE.| Consul General at Buenos Aires| Ending 40 Years' Service. | BUENOS AIRES, December 24 (#). —Henry Hayes Morgan, United States consul general here, announced today that he was retiring after a connection of more than 40 years with the American _diplomatic and consular services. He will sail for New York on December 31 to rejoin his fami Robert Harnden, consul at Rosario, will be temporarily in charge of the Buenos Aires consulate. Only one or two policeman, a secret service man and several newspaper men were about the buflding. The| President did not sit down at his| desk immediately, but went to the| mail room and selected from the large bundle of letters, cards and packages several bundles neatly wrapped in tissue paper and tied with red ribbon, some with little cards bearing pictures of holly and Santa Claus attached to them. The President selected several of these packages with their tell-tale wrappings, and hurried to his desk | and then did something he probably would have been severely scolded for if he had been a boy. He peeped, opened the packages, and carefully studied their contenfs. When he was through, he attempted to rewrap one or two, but he evidently thought he was making a miserable job of it, or | her 2 ‘That this country shall not be involved in any agreement the en forcement of which rests upon the League of Nations. 3. That the United States nothing to do with the question land armament, that being purely Suropean problem, since the States has already lr forces to a minimum. Has Borah's Support. This is the program which ha worked out for American participatior in the conference by the administ: tion in consultation with members o the Senate, Including Senator Borah chairman of the foreign relations com mittee; Senator Lenroot of Wisconsin enator Moses of New Hampshire Senator Underwood of Alabama and others. And with these understandings, Sen. ator Borah has sald he has no oppo sitfon to the sending of delegates the preliminary conference at Genev which is to frame the agenda for the arms conference proper. After the agenda has been drafted then the TUnited States will determine whether it shall take part. It is confident expected, however, that this count will participate in the conference proper. House Is Considered. Hugh S. Gibson, United Stat Minister to Switzerland, it 1s re- ported, will represent this country the preliminary conference It 1s expected that other diplomatic representatives of th- United States y officals also will be included im the delegation. Already there is speculation as to the probable personnel of an Amer- ican delegation to the conference and among those whose names are mentioned as possible se lections are former Secgetary Charle. Evans Hughs, Elihu Root, Col. E. M House, Senator Oscc- W. Under- wood of Alabama and Senator Borah of Idaho, chairman of the foreign relations committee, who has been a leading spirit for disarmamen: since the United States first de- clared for such a policy follow!: the war. Congress may be called upon for an appropriation to meet the ex- penses of the delegates to the pre- liminary conference, it was said to- day. This matter will be taken when Congress reassembles. —_— COL. MITCHELL OFFERED JOB AS AERIAL DIRECTOR has Army Officer Recently Suspended by Court-Martial, Invited to Serve Private Concern. Col. William Mitchell, sentenced by court-martial to five years suspen sion from the Army, has been asked by the Aerial League of America, with offices in New York, to bacome its general director and to supervise the organization's plans for airways development. A _letter addressed to the colonel by Henry Woodhouse, president of the league, said the colonel's services were sought in connection with plans for establishment of 34 transcontin ental, transatlantic, transpacific and pan-American airways; 18 transcont!- nental, transatlantic and transpacific sirways, and to build the first twe ‘afrcities” in the world on land already purchased for the purpose at San Marcial, Sonora, Mexieo, and tracts being bought in Arizona. Col. Mitchell is expected to decline the ofter. FALSE OATH CHARGED. !D. C. Woman Arraigned in Alex- andria on Husband's Accusation. cia} Dispatch to The Star. ALEXANDRIA, V; December 23 —Mrs. Amelia Crawford, 29 vears old, | was brought from her home in Wash Coolidge, Eager to See Santa’s Gifts, | Takes “Tiny Peep” and Gets Caught ington to this city today and arraigned in Corporation Court on a charge of swearing falsely in connection with application for a divorce. Her address was given as 218 Q street northwest, Washington. The charge was made by W. F. Crawford, jr., of Brentwood, Wash- ington suburb, who alleges that on March 19 his wife made oath in Cor poration Court here that she and her husband had been separated three years, whereas they had been living apart only four months. Bond of $1,000 was allowed for trial in Police Court December 29. FOUND GUN “WORKED.” Veteran Dies by Accident After Trimming Christmas Tree. NEW YORK, December 24 (#).- After plucing the last trinket on a Christmas tree, which he had prepared for his young daughter, Bryan Cole- man, 27 years old, World War vet- eran, shot himself today at his home else his conscience hurt him. At any rate he called for a messenger, and, pointing to the little pile on his desk, directed that they be taken o the ‘White House. in Roosevelt, Long Island. He died two hours_later. “I wonder if this blume thing works?" Coleman remarked, as he pulled the trigger of the revolves.