Evening Star Newspaper, January 27, 1931, Page 4

WARIS REEALE Gen. M&chell Gives “Inside | Story” of Birth of Ameri« ™. oan Combat Corps. [~ BY REX COLLIER. Indulging in a few war reminiscences at his palatial home near Middleburg, Va., Gen, Willlam Mitchell, gentleman stock rajser and farmer and erstwhile chief of the A. E. F. Air Service, today told the “inside story” of the birth of America’s first combat air force. In an interview in a den filled with trophies of the war and the hunt, Gen. Mitchell credited Gen. John J. Persh- ing with organization of the Nation's pioneer military aviation corps. “Gen. Pershing tells the absolute truth about our miserable aviation plight at the outset of the war,” Gen. Mitchell declared. “He was quick to yen:ehle the vital importance of an air force at the front, and to him is due the credit for creation of the crack fiying service we had in Prance.” There was no real air force prior to the World War, Mitchell said, in recalling repeated efforts of himself and a few others to develop govern- mental interest in aviation. ‘The veteran flyer was asked to sketch conditions before the war. “Afrplanes always intrigued me, began, leaning back reflectivel took my first examination in aviation in 1901. It was @ dozen years later that our first aviation appropriation was granted by Congress. There was & little group of Army offi deeply interested in % . T. DeWitt Milling, Col. Charley Chand- ler and myself used to go out to Col- ege Park and watch the Wright brothers in their contraptions, Oranges Used as Bombs. “I remember one day we discussed the feasibility of using an airplane to drop bombs on an enemy. Chandler, I think it was, §lled his pockets with some oranges, went aloft and pelted the fruit at an object on the College Park fleld. I could see them squash- ing close to the target. That convinced me of the possibilities of aircraft in war. “Col. Lewis, the machine gun in- ventor, came forward some time later with his gun for airplanes. The Army Ordnance Department turned the gun down, prefcrring the Benet-Mercle, which was a terrible thing with a belt of cartridges that threw shells into your face. Some of us liked the Lewis gun 80 much that Col. Lewis finally consent- ed to present us with two of his guns. But we didn't have any ammunition to use with them, and when we applied for some, the Ordnance Department replied that none was available. So Col. Lewis then very kindly agreed to give us some ammunition, also. “The first aerial machine gun was fired at College Park in 1911 or 1912, I'm not certain which, by Col. Chandler. “When the war came we had no artil- lery, no grenades and no machine guns to speak of. Before we entered the war I tried to srouse interest of the general staff, of which I was & member at the time, with the rank of captain. Thej staff did not become interested. I told’ the general staff America was bound to be drawn into the war—that there was no way out of it—and I drew up a def- inite plan for formation of an air force in the event of war, ¢ ‘Won Wilson’s War Duty Consent, “Part of my duties was to keep up war maps in the White House, at the Capitol and in the War Department, showing the situation at the front in Europe. That, of tourse, was before we entered the war, One day at the White gmi‘.: - to ur as 4 military et me Europe observer. xg:ae formal ication and Gen. Squier approved it. I arranged to sail in March, 1917, just a month be- THE EVEN. My Experiences in the World War Ordnance Chief Blamed for Delay in Refusing to Act Without French Opinion of Needs. STRESS AGAIN PUT ON RIFLE TRAINING ‘Buck Passing’ in Capital Draws Criticism for Holding Up Essential Work in France. CHAPTER XVL AVING learned that despite my recommendations little or no attention was being given &t home to the importance of teaching our men the use of the rifle, it seemed necessary again to emphasize my views, especially after further knowledge of its neglect in lied armies. .‘The Infantry soldier well trained in stealthy approach and in the art of taking cover makes a small target, and if an expert riflem: there is nothing that can take his place on the battle- 1d. fle”dsptcllllfl.s of trench warfare at home,” I cabled Washington September 24, 1917, “should not be allowed to interfere with rifie practice nor with intensive preliminary training in our schools of soldier, company and bat- talion.” On this latter point the following, which was dwelt upon in the A. E. F. with all vigor, was added: “I cannot too strongly impress upon the War Department the absolute necessity of rigid insistence that all men be thoroughly grounded in the school of the soldier. Salutes should be rendered by both officers and men in most military manner. * * * The loyalty, readiness and alertness indi- cated by strictest adherence to this principle immensely increase the pride and_ fighting spirit of our troops. “The slovenly, unmilitary, careless habits that hgve grown up in times of peace in our Army are seriously detri- mental to the aggressive attitude that must prevail from highest to lowest in our forces. Strict methods used at West Point in training new cadets in these elementary principles have given the academy its superior excellence. These methods should be applied vigor- re now organizing.” Exclusive Jurisdiction. My dairy notes the following: “Chaumont, Wednesday, September 26, 1917. Then French agree that we should retain exclusive jurisdiction over American _soldiers in ~France. ~Find Capt. R. B. Owens, the head of elec- trics, University of Nebraska, when I was there, now Russel'’s assistant. “Chief of Ordnance at Washington delays storehouse construction by re- questing views of French commissioner regarding_our necessities. Col. Keen, Medical Department, just arrived, as- signed to command medical units with British, Frederick Palmer spent last ht with us. m!!{n: again cabled relative to t‘uusly and completely in the forces we care- fore we entered the war, taking 8|~ Spanish ship in Havana. “My mission in Spain was to see what the Spaniards had in the way of military pow:r, as we felt Spain *would side with Germany. I went to Madrid and from there visited the Spanish military schools and other places. that Spain had little in the way of military supplies to furnish Gérmany, and so reported to America. 8 “I was in a hot?l at Toledo on April @, 1917, when some one rapped en my door and I was advised that the United States had declared war on Germany. Immediately I took a train for the frontier and arrivzd in Paris on April 8. “Maj. Logan and Capt. Churchill were there on a mili mission, and we went into conference. We consulted with the British and the French and 1aid out plans for ports of d-barkation for American troops and for their transportation to the front. Went to Front With Petain. “I applied to the Ambassador for rmission to visit the French front. e request was granted, and Gen. Petaln took me to the front so I could see some of the actual fighting and Jook over their artillery, planes and #o forth. Incidentally, I was the first American officer under fire in the war, as a result of that trip to the front, and also the first to fly over the German lines. “Returning to Paris I organized an seronautical office with $2,000 of my own money and some additional funds contributed by friends. We got the French to take Americans from their ambulance service and put them in aviation schools. We could have put about 15 or 20 air squadrons in the fisld by July of that year as a result of this training.” Gen. Mitchell picked up & copy of The Star and pointed to a reference in Gen. Pershing’s war story to a cable- gram from the French asking for 4,500 airplanes from America, “Ill let you in on a secret about that telegram” Mitchell said. “I shaped that message up for the French officials to send. We worked the word- ing out at a dinner I had with them | sbout s month after America entered the :;;d Bu;‘ the message didn't do any . There was no reply from the United States, “When Pershing came to Paris he Was met at the station by Ambassador Sharpe, Marshal Joffre, Maj. Logan, Capt. Churchill and many others, in- cluding myself. Gen. Pershing had brought with him Capt. Dodd as head of his air service, yet to be organized. Capt. Dodd, knowing of my interest in aviation, came to me and suggested that in view of my knowledge of the subject and my seniority, I should be the air chief, and he said he was gong to recommend me to Gen. Pershing for appointment as chief of the expe- ditionary aviation service. Both of us talked with Pershing at his hotel and we impressed on him the urgen: need for a well organized, efficlent Amer.can @i corps. Distinet American Corps Urged. “I remember that Pershing appeared Beeply impressed by what we had said, and he promised to appoint a speciai board to look into the matter. The board was composed of Russell of the Signal Corps, Churchill, Dodd, Lieut. Carberry and myself. We recommended unanimously the formation of a dis- ginct American flying corps. “Pershing at once began organize it. It was separated from the Bignal Corps and was the first inde- m&:nt military air force of the United to help us “On being appointed chief of the I soon saw both of which were responsible for the useless loss of many lives during the war. The D-H was a fire-trap with rubber gas pipes, vulnerable igni- tion system and other serious defects. We called them ‘flaming coffins’ As for the Liberty motor as we received it in Prance, it was just an automobile ‘engine, unfit for War purposes. Developed Splendid Flyers. “Despite the many handicaps im- posed on us, we succeeded in develop- ing a splendid body of fiyers who per- formed bravely and efficiently. I am very proud of & letter Gen. Pershing sent me after our first air offensive, expressing appreciation of our work.” Gen. Mitchell complied with a re- quest_of his interviewer to see the let- ter, While he was rummaging through his desk for it, the visitor noted on the wall two framed citations conferring the Distinguished Service Cross and the D. 8. M., “for repeated acts of extragr- dinary heroism in action.” He found the Jetter, which read: < “Please accept my sincere congratu- lations on the successful and very im- portant part taken by the air forces under your command in the first offen- sive of the First American Army. The organization and control of the tre- mendous concentration of air forces, including American, Fren British and Itallan units, which has enabled the Air Service of the First Army to carry out so successfully its dangerous and important mission, is as fine a tribute to you personally as are the courage and nerve shown by your offi- cers a signal proof of the high morale which permeates the service under your command. Please convey to your command my heartfelt appreciation of their work. I am proud of you all.” U. S. Falls to Profit by War. “Yes,” Gen. Mitchell mused, “we had a pretty good alr force by the time the war was over, but, instead of keeping up the good work, America has slipped back tragically. We may have learned some other lessons from the war, but we have surely failed to profit by what we learned about military aviation. “National defense? Why, there is no national defense without aviation. “The next war will be fought in the air—and we are still on the ground!” The Bank that Makes You a Loan with a Smile The terms of Morris Plan Loans are simple and practical and fair —it is not necessary to have had For each 360 or Jraction borrowed you agree to de- sit 35 a month in an account, the proceeds of which may be used to cancel the note when due. Deposits may be made on a weekly, semi- monthily or monthly basis as you prefer. $540 $1,200 $6,000 A. E. F. alt service I recommended again adoption of air equipment that had been proved to be good in actual battle, such as the Spad plane for pursuit, the Breguet for bombardment @nd the Salmson for observation—all ©f French design. Instead of heeding advice, those in authority in the States picked the DeHave “nd the Liberty motop— s e s e 10 —B Gen. John y— J. Pershing Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces ‘Yankee troops landing on French soil and swinging away to the troop trains. lessness and delay in loading of trans- Tts.” ‘The War Department had brought up the question of civil jurisdiction over the members of our forces in France and had inquired regarding the atti- tude of .the Prench. A committee of the American Bar Association, being of the opinion that counsel and advice might be needed, had offered the free services of several of their members familiar with French laws and lan- guage. i My judge advocate, Col. W. A.| Bethel, “presented our opinion to the French authorities, which was that ac- cording to the principles of interna- tional law and in view of the conditions under which the American Army was | serving in France its members should not_be subject to criminal prosecution in Prench courts, but should be answer- | able only to our own military tribunals. ‘This view was readily accepted by the | French, and, very properly, the jurisdic- tion over our forces, both civil and mili-4 tary, remained in our hands. ‘With reference to storage for ord- nance, as noted in my diary, a very careful calculation had been made of | our yequirements, and sites for three lltge{dewts and shops were selected at Glevres, Mehun and Foecy, besides | storage depots at the ports of St.| Nazaire and Bordeaux and in the for- | ward area at Is-sur-Tille and Jonchery. There were also many smaller plants at | various points In the 8. O. 5. As to| construction, with the exception of spe- cial I'mlk shéps it had been requested that the matter be left in the hands of my chief of ordnance. Satisfactory | types of buildings had been developed by the Prench and British, and the organization of our Ordnance Depart- | ment was such that the work could be done by men on the ground. Pershing Hits at Delays. However, the chlef of ordnance in Washington was apparently unwilling to accept our calculation and asked the French Commission at Washington to obtain the views of the French on the subject. The commissioner transmitted the request to his government and the government sent it to Gen. Petain, who, | of course, referred the question to me. | My reply, which went direct to Wash- ington, naturally supported the origi- nal recommendation. At times it seemed that the last re- finement was being invoked to cause delay. The following cable regarding the incident was sent to the chief of staff: | “s % '« This endless chain should clearly indicate the necessity of han- dling such matters direct with my head- quarters. Ordnance officers here cap- able of managing this construction work, thus leaving to chief of ordnance more important duties and decentraliz- ing his office as to details that should be handled here. Request approval of my recommendation and reply by cable. “s’ & & Again recommend that all requests for information required by our War Department be sent direct to these headquarters, as invariably such mat- directly or indirectly.” It appeared to be difficult for some to think in terms of a World War, and sions on questions involving the large requirements in supply, construction and material. If they had only real- ized the pressing necessity for early preparation and had accepted the views of the men oh the spot, it would have saved time and patience. As a matter of fact, my cables were too often regarded merely as recom- mendations which the bureaus might approve or not, as they chose. This conception of their functions was en- no previous study of these questions made at home, and they could not, from that distance, know what we needed as well as we ourselves knew. Moreover, in principle it was simply their dfity to furnish the Army what it asked for, if possible, as otherwise we :nunld not be held responsible for re- ts. As pertinent to this disregard of my requests in some quarters of the War Department, we received on a certain date confidential cable advices of sail- ters are referred here by French, either | of the bureaus of the War Department | they naturally hesitated to make deci- | tirely erroneous, in that there had been | ings that were to take place from New York which had been furnished the French representative nine days earlier. After protesting once more against the dangerous practice of giving this sort of advance information to the French, the chief of staff at Washington finally stated that it would be discontinued entirely. Up to this time we were not get- ting the full use of even the limited shipping at our disposal, as the aver- age time for a round trip of our frans- ports, estimated to be 40 days, was being exceeded considerably. The de- discharge rapidly at. French ports, on account of meager dock facilities and shortage of labor, but that great delay occurred at ports of departure shown by the fact that the average time of the first 12 transports to make the round trip from St. Nazaire was over 55 days. ‘There was ample evidence of great confusion at home due to lack of effi- clent supervision, even in New York Harbor, where experts should have been easy to find. Ships were seldom loaded to their full capacity; supplies greatly needed were often left behind; non-essentials were being sent over; many things were broken due to care- less loading; troops were often shipped to one port and their equipment to another. The Washington bureaus often fol- lowed blindly some out-of-date supply table, perhaps drawn up under a for- mer regime by an antiquated desk sol- dier long since retired and forgotten. As an illustration, I recall a bill of lading from one of our transports that was presented to me about this time as a curiosity. It listed & number of articles quite useless to an army in the field and provoked the following cable: “For all departments. Recommend no further shipments be made of fol- lowing articles * * * bath bricks, book- cases, bathtubs, cabinets for blanks, chalrs, except folding chairs; cuspi- dors, office desks, floor wax, hose, ex- cept fire hose; stepladders, lawn mow- ers, refrigerators, safes, except iron field safes; settees, sickles, stools, window shades, Further stop orders will follow soon.” Real Necessliles Delayed. I have often wondered what manner of m°n was responsible for shipping such things, whether on supply tables or not, thereby wasting tonnage, when Winter clothing, building material, steel and a lot of real necessities were being delayed. All of these facts suggested & con- dition of affairs during those earlier months that must have paralleled the inefficiency displayed in the manage- ment of our transport system in the Spanish-American War, a comparison that was frankly stated in the follow- ing cable October 10, 1917: “‘Ascignment of Medical Department with troops heretofore arriving indi- cates lack of supervision. The Field Busxness 1S “Hail to the Chief!" by Loans are pass- ed within a _day or two after filing rvfr l}::'t on— b excep- MORRIS PLAN notes are usually tho: hmh:yw"' ugh they,ma: be {vm Sfor an; of from 3 10 12 months. 20.00 $25.00 $30.00 $45.00 $100.00 $500.00 MORRIS PLAN BANK Under Supervision U. S. Treasury 1408 H Street N. W. “Character and Earning Power Are the Basis of Credit™ o e lay was partly due to our inability 0| Hospital Ambulance Company that came with 26th Division arrived with- out any except personnel equipment and without transportation of any kind. Regimental detachments came with combat equipment only. Medical offi- cers report their equipment was loaded on ships on which they sailed, but prior to sailing it was taken off and sent on other ships. Manner in which these regiments come to France does not in- dicate much_improvement over condi- tions Spanish-American War. * * *" It was then nearly six months after we had entered the war and no sys- tem at points of embarkation was yet apparent. ‘We were short-handed, both at depots and along the line of communications, in all classes of labor that should have been sent over long before. The Quar- termaster Corps in France was seri- ously handicaped in handling, caring for and issuing its stores and supplies. ‘The need for stevedores had become most urgent. Combat troops were still being used to unload cargo and much |time was wasted by the use of labor that was entirely unsuitable for this sort of work through lack of experience. | Moreover, it was urgent that the com- | bat troops should be sent inland to re- celve their battle instruction. The French, although short themselves, had | loaned us a few prisoners and also some | women as laborers to help out, but | neither class was satisfactory. Under ithe conditions, there was danger that our ports would become hopelessly con- gested, although three weeks later, and | after further urgent appeals, the War | Department promised to send stevedores at once. Probable Cause of Delay. From our point of view it was not understood why any number of labor- ers, both skilled and unskilled, should not have been sent to France promptly. It may be stated, however, that it was more than hinted that there existed in administration circles a lingering hope that after all it might not be neces- sary to send large numbers of men abroad. There were other indications | that this might have been the reason— |the delay in sending over troops, the slowness in beginning the preparation of cantonments and in organizing the ports of embarkation, |, There was also an apparent failure to utilize all available shipping to send explain them otherwise, unless it be con- ceded that there existed in Washing- urgency and the immensity of the task or_want of leadership in handling it. ‘The French now came forward with an urgent plea for-mechanics for air- plane construction, claiming that we had promised to furnish them. ' Whatever the understanding may have Very Good! The Right Price the Rig.ht Time Hundreds of New Suits, New Topcoats and Overcoats $19.75 Buy 'em on the Famous Kaufman Budget Plan Just Y down and the balance in 10 weekly or .emi-mor.\thly payments. HOME OF SMITH SMART SHOES abroad material for the construction of | docks and railways. All these apparent delinquencies could be explained on the above hypothesis, and it is not easy to ton in those earlier months a lack of comprehension of the importance, the Department and & request made for 3,000 mechanics in November, a like number in December and 6,000 in January. = ‘The French offered some of their ies, but concluded that our shipping could transport them as fast they were ly. My diary notes the folloging: “Chaumont, Thursday, October 4, 1917. “Gen. de Castelnau called Tuesday to discuss entry of 1st Division in the line. “Witnessed attack maneuver of the :ll(vlabn yesterday and conducted cri- ue. q"Ambnnder Sharp came today with Mr. Joseph Reinach for a visit and had lunch with us. Have cabled appeal for officers fitted for general staff. ‘Wanted Moral Effect. ‘The French, always solicitous regard- ing the progress of our training, were anxious that our most advance * Ameri- can unit take its pluce in a quiet sector for the experience. The main reason they advanced for suggesting front-line train- ing at this time, wi which I fully agreed, was that it would give new en- couragement to their armies and through them to the people. The 1st Division itself was keen to take a more active part and was soon to have the opportunity. ‘This division had been billeted in the training area since July 15 and had begun to show the excellent effects of the system of training we had pre- scribed. At the maneuver which I at- tended the officers handled their units with considerable ~skill, particularly Capt. F. H. Burr, who conducted an attack with his battalion of the 28th Regiment, and Maj. Theodore Roosevelt, jr., who did a similar problem with his battalion of the 26th Regiment. At the Division School the bayonet exercises, special target practice, firing with trench mortars, bomb throwing and other trench training were well carried out. I returned much pleased with the evidences of efficiency in this organization, which was later to be- come famous among the armies on the western front. My diary says: “Paris, Wednesday, October 10, 1917 —Spent Sunday at Gondrecourt, 1st Division fleld meet, with Gen. Har- bord, Gen. Ragueneau and Representa- tive Medill McCormick. We lunched with Bullard. “Yesterday evening the officers at G. H. Q. called to extend congratulations on confirmation of my appointment as general. All heads of permanent staff departments appointed to grade of brigadier general. “A group of major generals are over on tour of inspection.” 2 The staff department heads who be- came brigadier generals at that time were: James G. Harbord, chief of staff; Benjamin Alvord, adjutant general; Harry L. Rogers, quartermaster gen- eral; W. A. Bethel, judge advocate gen- eral; Edgar Russel, chief of Signal Corps; G. C. Williams, chief of ord- nance, and A. E. Bradley, chief sur- geon. Division Commanders on Tour. In accordance with my recommenda- tion, division commanders from the States were being sent over to visit the battlefields, armies and schools in order to become acquainted with conditions and to experience the atmosphere of war. It was important that they should appreciate the realities and become fully impressed with the urgency of thorough _preparation of their com- mands. become impressed with the aggressive spirit that characterized our training It was thought they would | No: Heckscher Funds Aid to Scientific Search at Cornell “Dividends” Include Dis- covery of Germanium Source. By the Assoclated Press. ITHACA, N. Y., January 27.—The | rare scientific fun which August Heck- scher of New York is having with his millions was fully shown, perhaps for the first time, in a statement from Cor- nell University. He has been giving money to enable professors to take time out from their teaching and try scientific exploration. His “dividends” to date include dis- covery by these Cornell men of a source of the rare metal germanium, radiation that reduced colds among students, arsenic in meteors, a water plant which kills breeding mosquitos and discovery of the disease which threatened extinc- tion of ruffied grouse. ‘These hardly scratch the surface of all the interesting experiences of Cor- nell sclentists due to Heckscher's money. Two of these professors have won sclentific medals. President Livingstone Farrand said | tonignt: “Correll's standing as one of the great > 2search centers of America can be at .fbuted in large part to the sub- stantial assistance which the Heck- scher fund has given during the past 10 years. With the spirit of inquiry permeating the entire university, I an- | ticipate a period of unprecedented ac- | tivity which gives promise that in- | creasingly important contributions to our fund of knowledge may be made.” DR. HART TO TALK | Historian to Address D. ¢’ Educa- tion Association Saturday Night. Dr. Albert Bushnell Hart, historian of the George Washington Bicentennial Commission, will speak at the meeting of the Education Association of the Dis- trict of Columbia at the Wilson Teach- ers’ College Auditorium, Eleventh and Harvard streets, Saturday night, on “Great Men in History.” Preceding Dr. Hart’s lecture, the In- ter-High School Festival Orchestra of Washington, under the leadership of Ludwig Manoly, will present a one-honr concert. The concert will begin at 7:30 o'clock. in France by coming into close touch with our meshods. These officers were sent to visit the allied fronts and to see demonstrations at our training flelds and schools and also were taken along the lne of com- munications. I took occasion to give them personally my conception of the course of training that should be fol- lowed at home, making an especial point of rigid discipline, rifie practice and the instruction of junior officers in open warfare. A number of the officers sent over were either physically unfit or had reached the age when new ideas fail to make much of an impression, and consequently I recommended that those of both classes be left at home .for other duty or to be retired. ‘Tomorrow: Joffre inspects our 1st Division—Pershing incensed at dispatch quoting him as saying the German lines were impregnable. piehis Teserved. including the Seandinavian: FOUR KNOWN MEN SOUGHT IN SWINDLE Identity of Quartet Who Fleeced Mrs. Blacklidge Believed Established. By the Associated Press. «CHICAGO, January 27.—Police in- vestigating the alleged faro game in which Mrs. Myrtle Tanner Blacklidge sald she lost $50,000 in borrowed cash and $207,000 in paper profits. were seeking four men today, all desired as ;z]idfly known card sharps and swin- ers. Row Browder, alias B hunted. Chief of Dmcuvesutv'::: N‘(;:f ton said, as the “steer man,” who, Mrs Blacklidge sald, lured her into the game by posing as a friend of her late husband. The others whose arrests were ordered were Charles Fernandes n: ggfivellnd, Frank Hall, alias Davis, of icago and Joliet . hu;;l o:wacmu. Kll\a.‘“fl et rs. Blacklidge, who went to & Chi- m hospital uld!’:er her Springfield ex- nce, yesterday was rei private home. 2 T CHICAGO GIVEN RECORDS, Cleveland Police Send Plctures of Three Swindle Suspects to Illinois City. CLEVELAND, January 27 (#).—Ber- tillon records and pictures of three men Wwho were arrested here last November 7 after swindling Cleveland business men out of $1,800 at cerds have been forwarded to Chicago police for possible identification as the same m>n wanted for the $50,000 faro fleecing of Mrs. Myrtle Tanner Blacklidge. The swindlers escaped prosecution here because the hotel at which they were arrested feared the notoriety and their victims would not admit their losses publicly. The rhml’rlpl'l ‘were forwarded by Detective Sergt. Jacob Stewart, who made the arrests here, after noting the siniflarity of their de- scriptions with the men wanted in Chicago. RETIRED MARINE’S WIFE ASKS $50 ALLOWANCE $30 a Month Insufficient, Says Mrs. Bettie Petrola in D. C. Supreme Court. Mrs. Bettie Petrols, 62 years old, tells the District' Supreme Court in a suit for maintenance against Vincent Pe- trola, retired Marine, that she cannot live on the $30 monthly allowance made to her by her husband, and asks that it be increased to $50. In addi- tion to her husband’s retirement pay of $132.74 monthly, the wife says, he owns their home. They were married August 17, 1887, and have six living children, all adults. Mrs. Petrola declares that when she returned from & visit to her daughter, Mrs. E. M. King, June 15 last, she found that her husband had changed the locks on the doors and refused to permit her to enter her home, and he threatened her with bodily harm if she attempted to enter. She has been com- to seek shelter elsewhere. At- Reproducti - [Reproduction in whole or in part prohib torneys E. K. Prender and George E. 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