Evening Star Newspaper, February 10, 1930, Page 17

¢ Foening Staf DISTRITBLUE SKY BLISINTRODLEED 3¢ SENATOR BLANE Senate Also Gets Measures to Control Real Estate Li- censing and Mortgages. COMMISSION OF FOUR WOULD BE CREATED Action on Proposed Legislation Is Not Expected Until After Tariff Disposition. Three bills of far-reaching impor- tance to the District of Columbia were inlroduced in_the Senate today by Sen- ator Blaine, Republican, of Wisconsin. One would provide for licensing and regulation of the real estate business, another for control of the sale of se- | curities, and the third would define the ! method to be followed in foreclesing ! mortgages here. i The real estate bill creates a commis- | ion of three members to be appointed the District Commissioners, who, with the District assessor as ex-officio member, would have authority to issue annual licenses to dealers and salesmen and to suspend or revoke licenses. The so-called blue-sky measure would confer on the Public Utilities Commission the general task of licens- ing stock and bond dealers and sales- men, and to register securities. Measures Are Tentative. In presenting the bills Senator Blaine | explained they were tentative, and that | their introduction “does not bind any | member of the District committee for or against them.” He said they were being introduced so that those inter- | ested may have notice of the tentative | Iegislation his subcommittee has mind. Senator Blaine introduced the bills #s chairman of the subcommittee which last year was instructed to make a study of the needs for legislation dealing with these three subjects in Washington, It is not expected the District committec will give much consideration to these measures until the tariff bill is disposed of in the Senate. The real estate license measure out- lines in detail conditions to be com- plied with to obtain a license as broker or salesman, such license to be at the | rate of $15 a year for a broker and $5 a year for salesmen. Provides for Investigations. The bill provides that the real estate commission may investigate the holder | of a license and, following a hearing, suspend or revoke licenses if deemed practicable. The bill also contains a general pro- vision for suspension or revocation where a licensee has been guilty of any other conduct “which constitutes fraudulent or dishonest dealing.” H The three real estate commissioners composing the board would be paid at ! the rate of $15 a day for davs devoted 1o board work, But not to exceed $2.000 a year. The original board would be appointed for one, two and three years, respectively, but thereafter all terms would be for three years. All fees collected would be deposited to the credit of the District of Colum- bia, and all expenses of the board paid out of such funds. All applications would have to be accompanied by a bond to the amount of $1,000, but no bond would be re- quired of a firm if the applications of the individual members were accom- panied by bond. The real estate bill also provides that it would be unlawful to execute a deed IS THIS been cornered in Mackey’s cellar. WA “THE PANTHER”? A coyote, reported captured Saturday night near the District approach to | Chain Bridge, posed for The Star photographer, but refused to either deny or affirm rumors that he is responsible for the depredations on th stys of Northeast Washington and nearby Maryland. | Below: J. D. Mackey (left), who says he captured the coyote with his bare hands, and Creed Crombaugh, who aided him in the catch after the coyote had “BORN" ATHLETE'S PROWESSIS TRACED Abilities of Specific Types Run in Families, Carnegie Scientists Hold. - “born” athlete is a biological act. ‘That athletic abilities of specific types run in families is the conclusion from an exhaustive research of the genetics laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. “The inheritance factor in success in athletics,” says the report, “is as clear as that of racing ability in horses.” Heredity and performance records of scores of athletes were analyzed in this study, due "allowance being made for favorable training. It is concluded that training, however excellent, can- not compensate for lack of constitu- tional characters which probably are derived from the athlete’s ancestors. Olympic Athlete Is Cited. “The presence of the physical heredi- | tary factor in the athlete,” says the report, “is shown not only by the ob- served facts of the difference in bodily proportions of persons who have been successful in different types of athletics, but also by the fact that in certain families of brothers the standard train- led to the same extraordinary resuit. If two members of one family qualified for the 10,000-meter race on the Olympic team it was not merely family tradition or the excep- tional skill of their trainers, but also their suitable bodily form, their fond- ness for outdoor activity and for com- of conveyance on real property that is not a bona fide sale, but made for the | purpose of misleading others as to the | value of such property. It also would | be unlawful to execute a mortgage or deed of trust that would not in fact Tepresent security for a bona fide in- debtedness. The penalty for any person violating the proposed law would be $500, or not to exceed six months imprisonment, or both. 1In the case of & corporation, the fine would be $1.000. The bill dealing with registration and sale of securities also sets out in detail conditions under which the Pub- lic Utilities Commission would register salesmen and dealers and would re- quire a $5000 bond for dealers. The measure outlines at length the classes of securities and conditions under which they would be subject to super- vision of the commission and gives cer- tain exemptions. This bill would give the commisison authority to proceed by injunction, in addition to other reme- dies to prevent practice of fraud or misrepresentation in connection with the dealings in securities. GEORGETOWN CHANNEL BRIDGE CATCHES FIRE Coals From Locomotive Are Be-| lieved Cause of Threatening Blaze Soon Put Out. Fire, believed to have been caused by | coals falling from a_locomotive, tem- porarily threatened the railroad bridge | across the Georgetown Channel of the | Potomac River yesterday morning. The | blaze was extinguished, however, before | much damage was done. Officer F. T. Cain reported to Capt. P. J. Carroll of the United States Park Police that he was notified by a passing motorist about 9 o'clock of the fire. | With the aid of railroad employes the | fire was put out before fire engines| could be brought into action. { | HOUSE MEMBERS END TRIP| st PP | Five Battle Head Winds on Flight! From New York. After battling head winds for three and & half hours, five members of the Minnesota congressional delegation re- turned from New York today in an Army tri-motored transport plane, piloted by Lieut. Leland S. Stranathan, Army Air Corps. They left New York at 8:45 oclock and landed at Bolling Field at 12:15 o'clock this afternoon. The delegation flew to New York in two “hours yesterday to attend the vinto its constituent elements to be { horse, unaffected by the actual condi- petition, such as their brothers, their RAILWAY DISPUTES |1. C. C. Begins on Settlements | of Eastern Merger Con- troversies. By the Associated Press. Preliminary steps in dealing with two controversies raised by railroad consol- idation plans in Eastern territory were taken today by the Interstate” Com- merce Commission. A hearing date was fixed for March 10 for the consideration of the competi- tive claims of the Nickel Plate System and the Pittsburgh & West Virginia for authority to control the Wheeling & Lake Erie Line. Coincidently, the date of April 9 was set for considering the Pittsburgh & ‘West Virginia's claim for power to pur- chase the Western Maryland. The Wheeling & Lake Erie stock ownership has been divided between the Pittsburgh & West Virginia and Nickel Plate interests, but the Nickel Plate shares, by agreement with the commis- sion and the Department of Justice, have been deposited with a trustee to await disposition of railroads in the consolidation situation. The Western Maryland is now domi- nated by the Baltimore & Ohio, but the commission recently ruled that the Baltimore & Ohio should divest itself of its interest in the Western Maryland on the ground that the association of the two lines was a violation of anti- trust laws. By the commission's tentative con- solidation plan, the Pittsburgh & West Virginia, Western Maryland and Wheel- ing & Lake Erie have all been allocated only sister and their father also re- véaled and their father’s father who | could jump 5% feet. The correlation | in grade of success in brothers who | trained for the same sport is in some | sports _extraordinarily high.” | Comparative records of brothers | trained for the 440-yard dash, says the | report, show a correlation of more than | 0.90, which is practically perfect. | Mathematician Invades Track. | The mathematician is invading the race track. The horse “dopster,” as many have learned from sad experience, often pro- duces very poor “dope.” So eventually he may give way to the unemotional doctor of philosophy who thinks in terms of logs and antilogs, constitu- tional indices, standard mean seconds and Mendelian characters. | This does not mean that scientists | of the genetics laboratory of the Car- negie Institution of Washington have become frequenters of the track or have any interest in bets on races. But it is generally supposed that racing ability of various kinds Is hereditary in horses | and the animals have been bred for generations to bring out this ability. The scientists want to find out what lines this inheritance follows and whether it can be sufficiently analyzed redictable; Prpor this. purpose, they have worked out & mathematical formula by which the racing_capacity of the individual tions of the race, can be calculated. This they call the “biological handi- cap.” Even to look at the formulas probably would give the average veteran race “dopester” a severe headache. From these records efforts will be made to obtain reliable heredity formulas. Mental Level May Be Gaining. ‘The mental level of the population may be increasing. This develops from a study under- taken at the genetics laboratory to find out whether certain human mental traits are hereditary. A large number of school records of parents and chil- dren have been studied. In general, the results so far arrived at tend to show that mental traits are inherited, although the distributions are 50 complex they defy exact analysis. It was found that “student ability in fam- ily pedigrees tended to concentrate in proportion to nearness in genealogical relationship.” “There is clear-cut evidence,” says the report, “of a positive correlation between the quality of children and the type of parental matings. The distribu- tion of the children per mating accord- ing to type reveals that ‘low’ matings vield children of lower average student ability indices with a distinct prepon- American Legion aircraft show now being held there. The legislators who made the flight are Representatives Melvin J. Mass, Marine Corps Reserve pilot; Frank Clague, William I. Nolan, Paul'J. Kvale and Godfrey Goodwin. SAIL FOR HAITI SOON. Members of Hoover Commission Leave February 22. Henry P. Fletcher of Pennsylvania, former United States Ambassador to Italy, said today that the presidential commission to investigate conditions in Haiti planned to sail from either Miami or Key West February 22 to the Island Republic, derance of ‘low’ type children. ‘High matings’ yield children of higher aver- age, with an even greater proportion of ‘high’ type children. “In general, the student ability index for the children is distinctly higher than that of the parents, suggesting that there is a rising tendency in the mental level of the population, but this may be a reflection of better educational facilities of the later generation, and therefore environmental rather than genetical.” Mountaineers Are Studied. A survey has been completed by the genetics department of various aspects of degeneration among the Appalachian mountaineers. to the Wabash system. D. C. POLICEMAN FAILS | TO APPEAR FOR TRIAL! Accused of Cruelty in Running Down Dog, He Forfeits Bond in Alexandria. Epecial Dispatch to The Star. ALEXANDRIA, Va. February 10— Frank Adams, 25, a patrolman attached to No. 1 precinct, Washington, D. C., who was arrested here Thursday night on a charge of cruelty to animals and released on $25 personal bond, failed to show up in Police Court this morn- ing and Judge William S. Snow ordered a capias issued for his arrest and that his $25 bond be forfeited. Adams 15 said to have struck a stray dog on the 1100 block of King street Thursday night, dismounted from his car and without seeming to care for the condition of the injured animal placed it on the curb and left. He later reported the matter to headquar- ters and was there arrested on com- plaint of a local resident that he had been cruel to the dog. Judge Snow said today that the mat- ter would probably be referred to Maj. Pratt, superintendent of District of Co- lumbia police, and handled by him. DIES OF WOUND. Danville Bookkeeper Shot Himself, Police Say. By the Associated Press. DANVILLE, Va., February 10.— Archer Gray, 48, a bookkeeper, died here yesterday evening as the result of a bullet wound in his head, said by police to have been self-inflected. | | Scouts Have Birthday. MOUNT RAINIER, Md., February 10 (Special).—An_interesting program was given last night in the Methodist Episcopal Church South here in cele- braton of the sixth anniversary of the organization of Troop No. 108, of this place. The celebration also marked the nineteenth anniversary of Scouting. The Scouts entered the church in a body and heard an address by the Rev. J. Herndon Billingsley, pastor, on “Bears and Giants.” of economic opportunity in the moun- tains. The more energetic and am- bitious have moved away in each gen- eration, leaving only the poor stock be- hind. 'Consequently, in Tegions which have not been _industrialized, ~thus bringing in new db!ood. the stock has become rer and poorer. "Cerla'rx)!olt is,” says the report, “that it was a selected population which faced the hardship of migration to the moun- tains, Doubtless many were fugitives from slavery for debt and from the so- cial organizations. The land to which they came was not good for agriculture and the more ambitious families passed further West. Those who remained were thus selected out as the least am- bitious and successful.” “The studies indicate,” 1t is con- cluded, “that the conditions now found in the Southern Appalachians are mainly the result of biological selection and do not ensue from isolation and res indicate that this is due ting process due to the lack consequent undes privilege.” e dogs and pig | HEARINGS CALLED SHINGTON, D. C., CAPTURED COYOTE DRAWS CROWD 10 - CHAINBRIDGE GAGE Owners Doubt That Animal Caught in Cellar Is “the Panther.” DOGLIKE BEAST NATIVE | OF WESTERN PLAINS Federal Expert Declares Captive Unlikely to Attack Man Unless Cornered or Rabies-Stricken. A cowering coyote, in a tiny, chicken- wire cage, today stands before a little store at the Virginia end of Chain | Bridge as exhibit A in the search for | the “panther,” which for a month has ! harrassed the farmers of Northeast | Washington and nearby Maryland. ] Incidentally, Mr. Coyote is booming | business for the store and the gn.sohnc‘; station next door. The coyote was captured by the bare hands of Joseph D. Mackey and Creed M. Crumbaugh last Saturday night as the marauding beast feasted upon chickens killed in the cellar of Mackey’s home, about 400 yards from the Vir- ginia end of Chain Bridge. That the coyote is the “panther” of the Northeast, Mackey and Crumbaugh doubt, but both of them, from two ex- | periences of catching the beast, the first time Saturday night and again this morning after it had broken from its tiny cage, are willing to tell every one | who visits the Mackey store that Mr. Coyote is one of the most ferocious ani- mals with which they have ever come in contact. Coyote Eats With Gusto, Mackey exhibits a torn overcoat from his encounter with the coyote, but Crumbaugh has come through two cap- turing experiences unscratched. The coyote has been mauled and kicked a bit, but is none the worse for such treatment, and is eating & pound of steak a day with gusto, According to Mackey and Crumbaugh, it was shortly after dark Saturday night when they went up the hill from Mackey's store to light the furnace in Mackey's house. At the cellar door, they say, they found a dead chicken. Entering the cellar, they found another and were startled to find two gleaming eyes regarding them from the dark- ness behind the furnace. Thinking the animal only a stray dog, Mackey advanced and kicked at the beast. ‘It cowered into a corner, snarling; Mackey kicked at it again and it sprang at him, tearing his coat pocket with its teeth. 'Crumbaugh, who was behind Mackey, scared the animal back into its corner again, and got a light. : gRecognlzing the animal as a wild one, botih men warily advanced on it-againy and while Crumbaugh engaged the ani- mal's attention, Mackey slipped up and secured a piece of wire about its neck. They left it in the cellar, tied, and went back to Mackey's store to get help in catching the animal. Returning with about a dozen men and a hastily con- structed cage of chicken wire, they se- cured the wire and stuffed the coyote into the cage. Animal Is Put on Ehibition. ‘Then the animal was put on exhibi- tion. Hundreds of motorists driving to and from Washington over Chain Bridge stopped to view the animal Saturday night and yesterday, and incidentally they bought candy and tobacco at Mackey’s store and gasoline and oil at Crumbaugh's filling station, next door. Business boomed. Such an attraction is the coyote that Mackey and Crumbaugh last night turned down flat an offer of $350 and “25 per cent of the profits,” made for the animal by H. B. Travis of Alexan- dria. Several others, seeing the pos- sibilities of exhibiting the coyote as the “panther,” made gerous offers for 1t, but Mackey and Crumbaugh are keep- ing the animal and looking after trade. Crumbaugh and Mackey gave vigorous denial today to suggestions of casual visitors at the store and filling station that the coyote might »ave been brought into this country from its native habitat, the plains of the West, to at- tract trade to the store. Mackey went so far this morning as to offer to bet any amount, at two-to- one, that it could not be proved that he and Crumbaugh imported the animal to help along the dull Winter trade. Coyote Doesn't Attack Man. W. E. Crouch, acting head of the di- vicion of predatory animal control, Bu- reau of Biological Survey, Department | of Agriculture, today declared coyotes to be dangerous animals. In the West, he said, they frequently attack hogs and sheep and play havoc with the chicken ranches. None has been known, he said, to attack men unless cornered or suffering violent rabies. Rabid coyotes, he said, constitute a grave danger on the plains of the West to all forms of life, including humans. He could not account for the presence of the animal in this section of the country. They are extinct east of the Mississippi River, he declared. It was pointed out in Crouch's office that so dangerous is the coyote con- sidered in the West that the State of Oregon has recently passed a law for- bidding any one to keep a coyote in captivity, allowing only z00s to exhibit the animals. Many coyotes, it is ex- plained, have broken from their private cages and run amuck among children and domestic animals. May Sell It to a Zoo. After the escape of the animal this morning, and its recapture, Crumbaugh and Mackey determined to get a larger and stronger cage. Some time last night, they said, the coyote broke out of the cage in Mackey's store and tore up things around the store in an attempt to escape. Marks of the animal's teeth were exhibited upon a window of the store. They managed to corner the animal again this morning and get it back into its cage. Crumbaugh and Mackey say they will keep the coyote as long as it ms their business and then will sell it, probably to some zoo. DEAD AT AGE OF 88. Special Dispatch to The Star. MARTINSBURG, W. Va. February 10.—Rev. Samuel Hunter McKown, 88, born in this county, died at the home of a niece here, where he had made his home for some years, Saturday. Death was due to old age and followed a period of ill health. He was the last of his generation of his own family. He served Presbyterian pastorates in New Jersey and New York before being compelled by ill health to retire from active ministerial work many years ago. Burial will be made today in Gerards- town, this county. MONDAY, Rescued From Ice Cake | tar Staff Photo. Train Passenger’s Wire Brings Help For Marooned Dog| | Party Rescues Collie From | Ice Cake on Potomac River. “Boy,” handsome young pedigreed collie, is romping merrily again in his old haunts above Key Bridge, after a | sad attempt to emulate Little Eva in the big ice scene. Eliza as everyone knows, succeeded in_crossing the river by jumping on cakes of ice, but “Boy” lost his nerve after the first jump and he probably would have been still afloat today had not a kind-hearted passenger on a | southbound train spled him from the | airline. railroad bridge yesterday morning. The kind gentleman was J. F. Wind- sor of the 3400 block of Connecticut FEBRUARY 10, ARLINES TO LINK 1930. 0., WITH NATIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA Direct Transportation Offer- | ed by New York, Rio and | Buenos Aires Lines. SANTIAGO IS BROUGHT WITHIN 8 DAYS OF U. S.. Direct Service From Here to 39 Ports of Call, Starting in Spring, Is Regular Schedule. The National Capital this Spring will be given dirget air transport connection with 16 nations and colonies of the Americas, over the New York, Rio and Buenos Aires lines, now operating ex- tensively in South America, it was an- | nounced today. ! On February 18 the organization will | inaugurate service between Miami and | Buenos Alres, completing a total of 8,000 miles of operating airways. On that date planes will leave Santiago, Chile and Miami, 8,000 miles apart, to cut travel time to elght days between the United States and Chile. Offices Already Open Here. Though service through the National Capital will not be opened until late in the Spring, the line already has opened offices here, in the Washington Building. These offices are the local headquarters of William P. MacCracken, jr., former | Assistant Secretary of Commerce for | Acnonautics, Who now is chairman of | the board and special counsel to the new | Opening of the long section of the ! line between North America and South America will climax two years of avenue, who was en route to Richmond. When he reached his destination he could not get the predicament of the dog out of his mind, so he went to a telegraph office and wired his son, F. H. Windsor, about it. Windsor organized # rescue squad at once and the ice- crusted canine was lassoed and brought to shore. Owner Is Located. “Boy,” his identity then unknown, was thawed out at the Animal Rescue League and his owner, J. W. Barton of near Simpson’s Boathouse on the Virginla side of the river was located by The Star this morning through the dog’s license tag. There was a jubilent reunion between the two at league headquarters today, “‘Boy’ disappeared from the boat. house about 1 o'clock Saturday night, Barton said today. “I heard him bark- ing loudly about that time, but thought nothing of it. Apparently he had gone out to play on the ice, where we had been skating that evening, and either Jumped on a loose cake or was maroon- ed when & piece of the ice broke off. ‘We searched“for him Sunday without success. - We think the world of him. He is a thoroughbred, 7 months old, and a great pet on the river front. I can’t express how grateful I am to the man_on the train and to those who saved him.” On Ice Cake as Party Arrives. The dog was sitting resignedly on the ice cake, which was between the rafl- road bridge and Hains Point, when the rescue party arrived yesterday. Mr. Windsor went for a rope, and in the meantime the dog was seen by two employes of the railroad bridge, G. Bird Cantwell and J. A. Newman, who noti- fled Park Policeman P. R. Toland. Frank S. Jones, another spectator, vol- unteered to do the lassoing, explaining he was an expert at roping steers in Texas. Jones demonstrated his ability with dispatch, neatly whirling the lariat over the dog’s neck. Within a few moments the shivering animal was on his way to the Rescue League headquarters on Maryland ave- nue, where his icicles were brushed off ?ndd his hunger satisfied with warm 0od. Today Boy was none the worse for his dramatic experience, but he care- fully confined his sportive antics to terra firma. . FAIRFAX FIREMEN FORM ASSOCIATION Effect Temporary Organization by Electing J. H. Beattie President. Special Dispatch to The Star. FALLS CHURCH, Va., February 10.— Firefighters of Fairfax County Saturday night effected a temporary organization pioneering work, which has ~included the establishment of a trunk airline over the ice-capped four-mile-high Andes Mountains between Chile and Bu_;gos Alres. e line will give this city direct service to 39 ports of call on the regularly scheduled routes, in Cuba, the West Indles and down the east coast of South America. Trade Route Is Wealthy. The opening of the line is expected to be of great importance in sttm\s:tlng the growth of trade and commerce be- tween the Americas. The Department of Commerce places a $3,000,000,000 trade value on the route covered by the line. Over this route 78 per cent of the total world trade of Latin America is concentrated. . The line opened its first air serv- ice in South America last August be- tween Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. This line reduced travel time between the two capitals from 16 hours by steamer to 90 minutes by air. At the present time three planes are making round trips over this line daily. Up to January 15, 2,466 pas- sengers had been carried over the line, it was announced. Malil also is carried. On September 1 transcontinental service was opened from Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile. This route is 850 miles long and passes through Upsallata | Pass, 16,000 feet high. The trip re- Qquires eight hours by air, as against 41 hours by rail, Service between Buenos Aires and Bolivia was’ inaugurated over a 1,099~ mile route through Central Argentina to Yacuiba on November 27 and three days later a line was opened from Buenos Alres to Mar del Plata, Ar- gentina. Major Divisions Opened. Last month the first major divisions northward were put into operation be- tween Buenos Aires, Porto Alegre, Santos and Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janiero and Pernambuco, Natal, Forta- | leza and Para, at the mouth of the Amazon River. On the first of this month the or- ganization had 6,109 miles of airways in regular operation and the company was operating 15,718 miles weekly on CITIZENS PROTEST GRAMTON PARK BILL Mass Meeting at Williamsburg Adopts Resolutions Against Provisions of Measure. Speclal Dispatch to The Star. WILLIAMSBURG, Va., February 10. —A mass meeting of citizens crowding to the full capacity the high school au- ditorium here Saturday night adopted strong resolutions against the Cramton ill in Congress as it applies to the in- of the new Fairfax County Firemen's Association, electing J. H. Beattie, chief of the McLean Department, as president and R. E. Kendrick, president of the Falls Church Department, as secretary. The next meeting of the association Wwill be held February 21 in the engine house at McLean, at which time it is hoped to make pians for incorporation and permanent organization, A temporary rory set of laws was adopted which wiil serve as the basis for the permanent constitution. Several sections recom- set of by-laws was adopted which will were held in abeyance to permit re- drafting in accordance with the pro- posed articles of incorporation. The b, laws call for a president, a vice presi- dent and three directors from each de- partment in the county and a secretary and a treasurer, At present only three of the flve com- panies in the county are officially mem- bers of the new organization. Herndon was not represented Saturday night, but George Harrison of Herndon stated at & previous meeting that Herndon would affiliate with the county organization, and the company is expected to be re resented at the next meeting. Falls Church Department postponed tion on affiliation until after Saturday’ meeting in order that members might clear up doubts in their minds as to the status of Falls Church in the new or- ganization, inasmuch as the company's engine house is located just across the line in Arlington County. President e 's | farmer and lifelong resident of Pooles- | clusion of “parts of Williamsburg” in the proposed Colonial national monu- ment to be formed from Jamestown Island and the Yorktown battlefield, ownership of these two last-named Pproperties not being opposed by the cit~ izens of Williamsburg, who want Mr. Rockefeller to complete the great work he has undertaken without the restora- tion being complicated with the power of eminent domain over even an inch of Williamsburg territory for any use whatever except by the Government itself, as in case of a post office or court house. Strong opposition was expressed by leading citizens, who analyzed the Cramton bill and claimed its provisions relative to Willlamsburg are unneces- sary. RETIRED FARMER DEAN, Richard F. Spates of Poolesville Passes Away. Special Dispatch to The Star. ROCKVILLE, Md., February 10.— Richard P. Spates, well known retired ville district, died last night at the home of his nephew, Walter Butler, near Poolesville, aged 79 years, His | death was due to paralysis, with which he was stricken while en route in an automobile from Pollesville to his home. Kendrick stated that he felt sure the Falls Church members would take fa- vorable action at their meeting tonight. L. L. Freeman, delegate from Fairfax County, explained the bills for firemen’s insurance which he will introduce next week in the Legislature. State Canners Eut Officers. RICHMOND, Va., February 10 (Spe- cial) —E. R. Ikenberry of Daleville was elected president of the Virginia State Canners’ Association, succeeding E. C. Hatcher of Thaxton, at the concluding session of the association convention, held at Rodnoke. Other officers elect-son funeral parlors for Mary L.| (8 ed were J. T, Jones, Christianburg, first vice president; C. B. second vice president, an and d F. W. Brugh, Nace, secretary He was the father of Mayor J. Roger Spates of Rockville, Mrs. Annie Shaw and Webster Spates of Washington, Howard Spates of Bluefield, Va., and Mrs. Frank Bachman of South America. The funeral will take place at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon from the chapel in Monocacy Cemetery at Bealls- JOSEPH H. LEWARK. —Star Staff Photo. P. SHOTS' AT LEWARK BELIEVED BACKFIRE FROM STOLENAUTO Police Doubt Noise Heard by McPherson Case Witness Was From Gun. JOY-RIDERS ARE BLAMED FOR SEVEN EXPLOSIONS Street Car in Which Conductor Was Riding Fails to Reveal Bullet Marks. COOLIDGE CENTER | | Argument Arises Over Sign-| ing of Act of Congress Before City Heads. OF ROV ATHEARING Police officers attached to the tenty precinct placed little credence today in reports that Joseph H. Lewark, & street railway conductor, whose testi- | mony figured prominently in the Mc- Pherson case, was shot at several times before daylight Sunday while on duty in the Soldiers’ Home section. Lewark reported to the tenth pre- cinct station at 1:15 o'clock a.m. yes- terday that while aboard his car of the Washington Railway & Electric Co. he heard explosions at New Hampshire and Georgia avenues and again at Georgia avenue and Rock Creek Church road that sounded like pistol shots. Lewark also made a report when he turned the car in at the car barn. The An argument over the circumstances under which President Coolidge signed an act of Congress in 1925 enlivened a hearing before the District Commission~ ers today on a proposed new code gov- erning the installation and operation of refrigerating devices. The law in question was signed on March 4, 1925, and provides that dur- ing the operation of any machine driven by electricity, steam or gas a licensed engineer shall be present to supervise. There is no qualification in the terms of the law so that by a strict interpre- tation it might be taken to refer to vacuum cleaners, washing machines or any other domestic electrical device. John H. Lorsch, representing the Engineers’ Union, Local No. 99, called the attention of the Commissioners to this act and pointed out that the pro- posed code would allow certain auto- matic refrigerating machines to op- erate without supervision. Rufus 8. Lusk, representing the Operative Build- ers' Association, then said that he knew the circumstances under which Presi- dent Coolidge had signed the act. He said that the President called for the then corporation counsel. Francis H. Stephens, and asked him if the act meant what it said, and that Mr. Stephens had replied that it was obviously not the intent of the act to lpgl‘y to small domestic machines and that the President had thereupon signed the bill. Mr. Lorsch denied that this was so, but said that he knew the circumstances under which the President had signed. “I had him sign it,” he said. . Engineer Commissioner William| B, Ladue, who was presiding at the meet- | ing, cut the discussion short, however, giving Mr. Lorsch the opportunity to file any further argument in the form of a written brief. e DOWD QUESTIONING IN DEATH DELAYED ! Subpoena for Former Broker Is Not Served in Time for Appear- ance Today. Robert E. Dowd of Chicago, a former broker, today failed to appear before the grand jury investigating the death of Mrs. Aurelia Fischer Dreyfus Octo- ber 20 at the Potomac Boat Club. Neil Burkinshaw, assistant district attorney, announced the subpoena call- ing for Dowd's appearance here today was not served in time for the former broker to arrive as soon as expected. Burkinshaw added it probably would be several days before Dowd was examined. Decision to call Dowd was reached after he told newspaper men he pos- sessed “startling” information concern- ing Mrs. Dreyfus' death. He probably will be the last of more than twoscore | witnesses questioned unless his testi- | mony should result in the summoning | of others. DESPONDENT WAITER IS FOUND STRANGLED Charles Klupp, 49, Whom Physi- cians Pronounced Permanent Cripple, Declared Suicide. Police today were endeavoring to lo- cate relatives of Charles B. Klupp, 49 years old, who police say strangled him- self to death yesterday in a room 1022 Ninth street. A suicide certifical was issued by the district coroner, Dr. J. Ramsay Nevitt. Klupp, & waiter at the Willard Hotel for more than 20 years, recently became incapacitated and entirely dependent upon a local waiters’ union for his up- keep. Physiclans Saturday night are said to have advised that he would be- crippled permanently. This is believed to have caused him to become de- spondent. The body was found by Paul H. Peterson of 1360 Irving street, a mem- ber of the sick committee of Waiters' Union, Local No. 781, when he called on Klupp last’ night to give him his weekly allowance. o MRS. BRADLEY DEAD. Wife of Wealthy Farmer Expires | Near Luray, Va. Special Dispatch to The Star. LURAY, Va., February 10.—Mrs. John D. Bradley, aged about 60 years, wife of a wealthy farmer and old-time school teacher of the Dry Run section, 3 miles east of Luray, will be buried today at 2 o'clock. Before her marriage she was Miss Ida Revercomb of Peola Mills, Va., and ville, where the interment will take place. Bl Mary L. Mitchell Buried. FALLS CHURCH, Va., February 10 (Special).—Funeral services were held yesterday afternoon at the O. C. Pear- Mitchell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. . | Ep! Shaffer, Luray,|Joseph Mitchell of East Falls Church, | held next Interment Hx::usuo:m who died Friday morning. followed in Oakwood Cemet is survived by her husband and one daughter, Mrs. P. B, Judd. Interment will be in Beahm's Chapel Cemetery, and services will be conducted by her pastor, Rev. Charles A. Hall of Luray. e | police were told later by employes at the car barn that Lewark’s car showed no bullet holes. In his report to the precint the conductor said he wasn't certain he had been fired on. | Lewark's version of the experience, in |effect, was that' he noticed a “big | cream-colored touring car” on Georgia 1 avenue near New Hampshire avenue as {his car approached the intersection. Two “shots” were fired and the automo- bile proceeded along New Hampshire avenue. Thinking the noise was back- fire, Lewark gave the incident no further thought until he arrived at Rock Creek Church road on Georgia avenue and prepared to make the re- turn trip to town. The cream-colored car had followed him, he observed, and as he stepped from the street car to swing the trolley pole about he heard five explosions—two, and then three. The automobile again speeded away. Officer Also Heard Reports. That being too much for Lewark, he made his report to the police. Aside from the fact that the street car ap- parently was unmarked, two other cir- cumstances tended to lessen official in- terest in the report. One was that Lieut. J. M. Walsh, ummrlrlly in com- mand of the precinct, chanced to be in the vicinity of Georgia and New Hamp- shire avenues when Lewark was first disturbed. Walsh also heard the' noise. “Several cars were proceeding along | Georgia avenue,” the lieutenant sai today, “and I stopped for a moment to place the noise. There was no noise | following the sound, nhobody seemed { concerned and I went on, thinking it | was back-fire.” ‘The other circumstance was that a | creem-colored automobile was located at Eighth and Randolph streets later, about six blocks from Georgia and {New Hampshire avenues. At 1:40 | o'clock, about 20 minutes after Lewark made his report, the identical car had been reported stolen. Rufus R. Hewey of 1628 Nineteenth street, owned the machine. Search of the car revealed nothing {of a suspicious nature. Meanwhile | Lieut. Walsh had assigned Policemen L. G. Parker and L. C. Arion to in- ;\*esugate. and the reports of the of- ficers confirmed his opinion that no shots were fired. Parker and Arion | questioned several persons in the neigh- borhood of Ge:rgia and New Hamp- | shire avenues, but failed to locate any one who heard shots. Back-firing Motor Blamed. Lieut. Walsh advised George Darnell of the homicdde squad this morning that policemen would question Melvin G. Sanders of 535 Fourth street south- east. Lewark's motorman, but that he thought there was “nothing in the case.” That anybody might fire seven times at a person near a street car and not hit the car was doubted by Walsh. “Some skylarkers in the stolen car back-fired the motor and maybe followed the street car, or just chanced to meet it twice,” Walsh ventured. At Lewark's residence, 2214 Minne- sota avenue southeast, there was no disposition to minimize the supposed danger confronting him. The police might doubt, but Mrs. Lewark was con- vinced that her husband was shot at. He was off duty toddy until 4 o'clock tomorrow, and Mrs. Lewark denied en- trance to the house until her husband finished his sleep. What with" news- paper reporters frightening her by call- ing to find out what time he leaves for work, the hour of his return and where he went last Thursday week, she was taking no chances. Lewark figured in the McPherson case Wwhen he reported that young Robert A. McPherson. jr., on the night his wife, Virginia, died in the Park Lane apart- ments, rode on his car to New York avenue and Ninth street. WASHINGTON. STUDENTS HURT IN AUTO CRASH Two Youths Were Driving to New York When Car Caught Fire and Overturned. News was received here today of an automobile accident near Trenton, N. J, in which two Washington stu- dents were injured while driving to New York for a brief visit. The ine Jured, C. Wesley Frame, 23, of Hyatts- ville, a George Washington Medical School student, and Jean H. McKillip, 25, of 1612 Twentieth street, a George- town Law School student, were removed to_St. Francis Hospital in Trenton, Frame suffered a fractured left leg, cuts and bruises, while McKillip was injured internally. The accident occurred after Mc- Killip applied the brakes when his au- tomobile suddenly burst into flames, The car plunged into a ditch, struck w telephone pole and overturned. It was destroyed by fire. Y.W. C. A. AID TO BE TOLD. Means of caring for persons who be- come stranded in Washington will be discussed at a meeting of the Council of Social Agencies in the Y. W. C. A. next Monday. A special report on the situation will be made by Miss Ruth Hudnut. Special attention also glven Card Party to Aid Church. MOUNT RAINIER, Md., February 10 ) —For the benefit of St. John's 1 Church a card party will be Thursday evening at Star the auspices of the Rector’s will be to a report on the blind by Miss Cl: Somerville, secretary of the mn::x‘: department. Charles Hayes of the American Foundation for the Blind of New York assisted in the . The meeting, originally planned for today, was postponed because of the Community Chest campaign,