Evening Star Newspaper, June 27, 1931, Page 16

{ A—16 ¥x» SIK BOYS ARRESTED - AS YOUTHFUL GANG -INROBBERY SERIES Alleged Leader, 14, Styles Self “Al Capone, Jr.,” Police Say After Round-up. THIRTY-ONE CHARGES BOOKED ON SEXTET False Fire Call Probe Leads to Quiz | of Individuals, With Officers Saying Each Confesses. The gangster career of a group of “Washington schoolboys who emulated gangland methods as poitrayed in cine- | mas and stories came to an abrupt end | yesterday when six of the youths were 3 Constitution Sailors Here 0! booked at the tenth precinct station on | 29 charges of housebreaking and two of | petty larceny. ! Policeman Elmer L. Dalstrom, whose | investigation of a series of robberics which extended over®a period of a year | Jed to the arrests, said the boys had | admitted all the offenses now charged against them. The youths were released in the custody of their parents on the Promise that they will bs brought to Juvenile Court when ordered i The leader of the youthful pillaging | expeditions was said to be Glenwood Insley, 14 years old, of the 1300 block of 1rving street, who is reported to have boasted that he was “Al Capone, jr.” The others arrested were John F. Backus, 14 years old, of the 3400 block Mount Pleasant street; George Young, 14 years old, of the 1300 block Park | road; Eugene Chandler, 12 years old, of the 1400 block Parkwood place; Henry McDowell Deaderick, 12 years old, of the | 1300 block Irving street, and Arthur Thurston Penn, 11 years old, of the 1200 | block Irving street. Held After Fire Call Quiz. ‘The youngsters were apprehended fol- Jowing an investigation of a false alarm turned in at the Powell School, where five of the boys were students, which Tesulted in the emptying of the school building. Policeman Dalstrom said he traced the act to one of the gang and through information supplied by an un- | named informer and questioning of each of the, lads separately, obtained the alleged confessions. Police said the boys went on their forays in groups of two or three, but every member was aware of all the “jobs” done, whether | he actually participated in them or not. { A seventh youth has been linked with | the activities of “the gang, but he re-| cently moved out of the city with his parents. The school boys imitated gangsters' | methods to the point of adopting their jargon, and they told police that at one time they had “put on the spot” 9-year-old “Jimmie" Jones of 1373/ Irving street because they believed he had “squealed.” The child, who was| not & member of the gang, was the tar- | get for a cross-fire of stones, but made | his escape uninjured. A stray stone | from the barrage struck Mary Williams, 10 years old, also of 1373 Irving street, and cut her head, according to Police- man Dalstrom. Mail Box Looting Charged. Policeman Dalstrom said the youths carried cap pistols, and that while he ‘was taking them about the city they leaned from the car and practiced “giving the works” to passing pedes- trains. One boy is said to have removed checks from certain private mail boxes in the Chevy Chase district. Only the fact that the missives had been filnced in the boxes for mailing, and ad not passed through the malls or into official government boxes, saved him from facing the severe penalties imposed on those convicted of tamper- ing with the United States mall, if convicted. ‘The wife of Policeman Samuel S. Biddle, attached to the third precinct, ‘was one of the alleged victims of the youngsters. The boys are charged with he theft of $10 from the purse of Mrs. Ann R. Biddle at her apartment, 1421 Columbia road. The largest haul charged against the lads is the theft of between $50 and $60 from the Spick & Span cleaning branch at 3008 Four- teenth street. Three of the youths ad- mit taking $48 and splitting it three ‘ways, police state. ‘The proceeds of the alleged robberies ‘were spent at amusement parks and for tickets to the gang movies, which they liked, the boys told police. The youths ' :'&ld l.hdey tookbenr!lc]es '}?r the thrill of . “and’ not, because they wante; Teeded. the stuff.- i o Alleged Offenses Listed. The first count held against them is for the entrance of the store of-Jesse L. Prather a% 3165 Mount Pleasant atreet and the removal of 150 pennies, 10 nickles and 5 skeleton keys. This is alleged to have been done on Septem- ber 25, 1930. Other offenses said to have been ad- mitted by members of the gang are: Theft of $22 from purse of Mrs. Jennie Penn of Irving street, sald to be _a relative of one of the boys. Theft of money from the purse of Lillian Maizel while she was at work in the Wolp Jewelry Store, 3302 Four- teenth street, on October 15, 1930. Entrance of Elite Laundry branch 7t 3331 Fourteenth street, through a sky- light, on night of June 1, and theft of money from cash register. Store Robberies Booked. Entrance of delicatessen store of Harry Ferris, at 2820 Fourteenth street by breaking glass in a rear window and theft of $15.94 from cash register. Theft of cigarettes, candy and pen- nies from gum machines at the store of Domenico Del Veconio, 1564 Park road, on May 10. Theft of perfume and handkerchiefs, =& check for $29.82 and a fur collar cut from a woman's coat and damage to other clothes at the store of C. T. Porter, 3176 Mount Pleasant street, on June 11. s Tash Register Theft Charged. ‘Thbft of $8.50 from the cash register of ‘the store of Walter Camp, at 3121 Fourteenth street, April 19. ‘Theft dpf two vending machines from the barber shop of Willlam Hilton, 3205 Mount Pleasant street, June 16. The machines later were recovered on a va- cant lot: Theft ‘of a $3.50 cigarette lighter, ‘which later was scld to a colored man for 50 cents, from the Kenesaw drug store, ount Pleasant and Irving ltreev.sl March 11. Theft of cigarettes, cakes, soft drinks snd $1.40 in cash from the store of Morris Berger, 3102 Eleventh street. GIRL FELLED BY AUTO Seriously Injured When She Runs Into Path of Moving Car. Running: from between two street cars at Fifteenth and F street, Miss ‘Marjorie Badger, 21 years old, of 1900 P street, was knocked down by an auto- ! next week on a A schedule of BY REX COLLIER. 1 N 85-year-old Navy veteran, who saw duty on Old Ironsides be- fore she was retired, is bemoan- ing a fate that has confined him to his apartment here on the eve of executing a plan for serving once more aboard the restored frigate. But for an automobile accident se eral months ago, Edward W. Creecy, one of the few living “survivors” of tha Constitution of old, would have applied to the Navy for permission to become a special member of the modern crew which is to man the vessel on its forta- | coming patriotic voyage to Esstern | | | ports. “I know every rope and pin of th: old ship from stem to stern,” Mr. Creecy | declared today, as h> lay cn a lounge | in his room at the Dupont apartments. | “I had hoped to serve aboard her when | she was restored. I thought they would | like some one on the ship who knew | all about her and could tell her story | to visitors.” Suffering Pain. He spoke weakly, and as he attempted | a gesture his face was wrenched in pain. | “But my back won't let me go| through with the plan,” he said, mourn- fully. He had just returned from another long visit to the Naval Hospital, where | he has been under treatment for an in- | jured spine—the result of a taxicab | crash last December. Mr. Creecy, who gave up a naval career to enter business after the Civil | War, disclosed that two other veterans | of the Constitution reside in Wash- | ington. They are Rear Admiral Daniel | D. V. Stuart of the Wyoming Apart- | ments and Rear Admiral Joseph New- | ton Hemphill of 2139 Wyoming ave- | nue. Both are in poor heaith, it is said. | The two rear admirals were midshipmen | in Mr. Creecy's class at the Naval Academy, and the trio received their seamanship training on the Constitu~ tion. Saved by Immortal Poem. That was in the days of the first “resurrection” of the venerable frigate, | a resurrection inspired by the publica- tion in the Boston Advertiser in 1830 | of a poem, “Old Ironsides,” by Oliver | Wendell Holmes. The poem, since be- | come immortal, aroused public elamor | for preservation of the ship and she was | rebuilt and egain put into service in | 1833. | In 1855 Old Ironsides was laid up at | the Portsmouth Navy Yard for a while, but later she became a training ship for midshipmen. It was while she was performing this service in_ Civil War | time that Mr. Creecy and his com- Music and First Commencement of last night at Barker Hall to stitute. At 8:15 o'clock the cere- of the board of trustees, assisted by to Bertha Gordon and Dorothy Sorn- was awarded Dorothy Sornborger. and preparatory certificates were Following the recital ceremonies Helen Furr, Evelyn Eibender, Gloria the second piano in the Haydn was sung by Laura Willlams, Walter three other selections, and Bertha raine German, Mildred Mennen, geshall, Dorothy Sornborger and mobile and seriously injured yesterday afternoon. She is- being treated at Fmergency Hospital for severe head injuries, cuts and bruises. ‘The driver of the car, Henry Albert ‘Bagelman, 23, of Lanham, Md., was mnot held. A test of the brakes on Bagelman's car proved them to be in good condition. ~Police said the ac- Washington Musical Institute. VERY large group of friends 4 ‘ ‘witness the first annual com- mencement and eleventh re- monies began by the distribution of diplomas and certificates by Edwin Weldon Carter, director of the in- stitute, who awarded the gold medal borger. Teachers' diplomas were awarded to Dorothy Coggeshall and Intermediate certificates were given Jar\i Fellows, Edith Harrison, Vir- gin! given Gloria Carter, Evelyn Eibender, Helen Furr, Margare; Ann Morgan a musical program was offered by the various departments. Among Carter, accompanied by Evelyn Scott; Edith Harrison, Bertha Gor- Concerto; original compositions played by Mary Gastrock, whose Snellings, William Rittenhouse and - Miss Gastrock: Dorothy Sornborger Gordon, who wrote “Cradle Song” for the violin, and a quartet, “Pre- John Wilcox and Eugene Kresin. The program was concluded with Victorine Boulllon, and violin solos by Evelyn Scott, assisted by Mar- and relations was present cital of the Washington Musical In- * N. C. Barnes, Mus. Ed. D., president for_highest all-around scholarship Bertha Gordon. A graduate diploma Grove and Margaret Hedgcock, and Frances Bartley. those who took part in this were don, with Dorothy Sornborger at “Quartet for the Forty-sixth Psalm” playing her own “Chaconne” and lude to Evangeline,’” sung by Lor- piano_selections by Dorothy Cog- jorie Davis. Joint Recital Announced For Next Wednesday Evening. MARY ‘TEMPLIN, contralto, and R. Deane Shure, organist, will give & joint reclbgl next Wednesday evening at 8:15 o'clock in the Mount 85, SORRY HE CAN'T SAIL “OLD IRONSIDES.” “Old Ironsides” drying sails at dock ig Boston preparatory to setting out visits which will bring her to Washington. —A. P. Photo. rades served aboard her. The ship was partially rebuilt egain in 1877 and then made her last trip across the Atlantic. In 1897 she went into ‘oblivion at the | Charlestown ‘Navy Yard, from which | heavy calls upon many organizations. she is now ready to emerge, fully re- tored through patriotic contributions. As memories of the old ship came to reecy’s face brightened. E he said, “I received by first hazing as I was about to go aboard the Constitution to report for duty as a newly appointed midshipman. I was a green recruit from Louisiana, armed with a carpet bag and an umbrella, Remembers Hazing. “My appearance created quite & stir, and I was taken in hand by some upper classmen, who proceeded to give me in- structions on behavior. I stood their jesting as best I could until they told me I should go aboard ship and salute the deck officer with my carpet bag in one hand and my raised umbrella in the other. Then I lost my temper and started to fight. That ended the hazing.” Creecy sald that during the Civil ‘somg fellows from Prince Georges 3 ‘n%mcceded toward Annapolis with the announced intention of “blow- ing up the old tub"—meaning the Con- stitution. ‘The middies learned of the threats and rallied to a defense that frustrated plans of the raiders. The proposal of Representative Sol Bloom, associate director of the George Washington Bicentennial Commission, that Old Ironsides be manned by a crew in the uniform of 1812 and sent forth on her cruise under her own sails has the hearty indorsement of Mr. Creecy. “There's nothing prettier, you know, than a comely woman, a prancing horse or a ship under full sail. The saying is an old one, but 1t still holds good!” Hero in Obscure Grave. PHILADELPHIA, June 26 (#).—In a | tumblédown cemetery now being aban- | doned has been found the iong-for- gotten grave of a man who “served his | country for 40 years.” The grave—obscured for years by tangled weads—is th2t of Capt. John Guinn, former commander of Old Iron- sides—soon to start on her post-restora- tion cruise. Most of the bodies have been ex- humed from the old cemetery, but no one has claimed that of the man whose tcmbstone reads: “In memory of John Gwinn, United States Navy; btwrn June, 1791; died at Paletmo, Sicily, Septem- ber, 1849, while in command of United States frigate Constitution.” Members of the Pvt. John McArthur Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, hope to have the body removed to the National Cemetery at Arlington. Musicians Reviews and News of Capital's Programs. Vernon Methodist Chureh, Ninth and Massachusetts avenue north- west. Miss Templin's program will include Schubert,.Brahms, Meyer- beer, and such moderns as Sidney Homer and Mary Turner Salter, and Mr. Shure will play one of his own compositions, as well as selections by Dubois, Lemaigre and Lemmens. Pupils’ Recital, Monday, At Eldbrooke M. E. Church. ‘LARA YOUNG BROWN will pre~ sent her pupils in a recital Mon- day night at the Eldbrooke M. E. Church, Wisconsin avenue and River road. Those taking part on the program will include Betty Lee ‘Thompson, Joseph Perna, Leonard Duvall, Richard Brown, Carl John- son, Myra Riddle, Gaspar Segreti, Lois Smart, Helen Murphy, Helen Burgess, Dorothy Dilley, Elizabeth Merwin, Maybelle Shoemaker, Doro- thy Noble, Margaret Burgess, Rich- mond Houser, Lois Roberts, Helen Dilley, Charlotte Hewins and Clar- issa Colller. Mrs. Brown will sing a group of songs, accompanied by Louise Prescott. Sunday Evening Concerts At Shoreham Hotel. ANNDUNCEMENT has been made that outdoor concerts on the terrace of the Shoreham Hotel will be a regular Sunday eve: at this hotel throughout the Sum- mer. The program will be offered between' the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Raoul da Costa will direct the orchestra at these events, and tge- d;‘d emphasis will be put on “light” music, POLICEMAN BURNED Raymond V. Sinclair, Trafic Of-|% ficer, Injured by Motor Cycle Fire. ‘Motor Cycle Policeman Raymond V. Sinclair, nemessi of Capital speeders, w;am burned about the hands last nigh wl ICOMMUNITY CHEST HOSPITAL PAYMENT | CHANGE PROPOSED Organization Would Reim- burse Institutions on Basis of Service Given. BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL CONSIDER PLAN Profits on Full-Pay Patients Would Go to Reduce Rates and Debts. A uniform classification of accounts for all Community Chest organizations, including a plan for reimbursement of Chest_hospitals on the actual basis of their free and plrt?ly service to ward patients, is expected to be adopted by the Community Chest following ap- proval of proj 1s made yesterday by the Budget Committee of the organiza- tion, The meeting of the board of trustees of the Chest was held in the United States Chamber of Commerce Building. Under the present method Chest hos- pitals have prepared their budgets on the basis of deficits ‘incurred in oper- ating expenses. With the adoption of the new system they will be paid for all services rendered on a free or part-pay basis to people of Greater Washington, being permitted to retain any profits made from their pay patients to reduce debts, buy equipment or reduce rates to pay patients. The plan, according to Elwood Street, director of the Community Chest, repre- sents a study of the American Hospital Association, Cleveland Hospital Asso- ciation and other methods, Organizations affillated with the Chest continue to draw in excess of their budgets in many instances, al- though the average is about normal, being 41.9 per cent for the first five months of the year, which constitutes 414 per cent of the year, it was re- ported. This is due to a large number of institutions which have not begun to take over their Chest funds as yet, while_the higher ratios, which range up to 75 per cent of the year's allot- ment, are due to the unemployment situation, which has made unsually In the absence of President John Poole, Mrs. John Jay O'Connor pre- sided at the meeting. Y CITY NEWS IN BRIEF. TODAY. Card party, Star Point Society, Good Will Chapter, No. 36, O. E. 5, 920 Bladensburg road northeast, 8 p.m. Lawn fete, Capital City Club, Twenty- :econd and Prout streets southeast, pm. FUTURE. Meeting, Upsilon Lambda Phi Fra- | ternity, Hamilton Hotel, tomorrow, 4 {pm. | THE WEATHER District of Columbia, Maryland, West Virginia—Fair tonight and tomorrow, | warmer tomorrow; moderate northerly | winds. | Virginia—Generally fair tonight and { tomcrrow, warmer in north and west { portions {omorrow; moderate northwest winds. Record for 24 Hours. | . Thermometer—4 p.m., 86; 8 pm., 71; | 12 midnight, 69; 4 am, 68; 8 am., 73; noon, 80. Barometer—4 pm.. 2099; 8 pm, 29.99; 12 midnight, 30.00; 4 a.m., 29.98; 8 am, 29.99; foon, 29.97. Highest temperature, 87, occurred at 4:15 p.m. yesterday. Lowest temperature, 68, occurred at 6 am. today. Temperature same date last year— Highest, 82; lowest, 67. Tide Tables. | (Furnished by United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.) Today—Low tide, 12:26 p.m.; high tide, 5:33 am and 6:02 pm. i Tomorrow—Low tide, 1 1:19 pm.; 6:5¢ p.m. The Sun and Moon. Today—Sun rose 4:43 a.rgy = 7:38 p.m. W o Tomorfrow—Sun rises 4:4¢ am.; setd 7738 p.m. s m. :35 am. and high tide, 6:25 am. and Ranfall Comparative figures of the monthl, rainfall in the Capital for the first lli months against the average are sh in the following table: # S rainfall for the first six m?’nnm L. TR anuary, , 7.09 inches; A 1884, 6.34 inch March, lglb,r“;;yd inches; April, 1i inches; May, 1889, 10.69 inches; June, 1900, 10.94 inches. Weather in Varlons Cities. 1sousH @ |- supanswor Jacksonville, Fla. 30 Kansas_City, Mo’ Los Angeles. LTI PR SR FE R PP I TS BTN IR IR ER I3 8IS IIIBBI AR P 3 FOREIGN. (7 a.m., Greenwich time, today.) Stations, 3 3 W boongy 1 'n-.;r‘nm ‘Weather. Paris, | HIT-RUN MOTORIST 7| Highway at Jol ‘The cou Deposed Physics Head Wants Only to Teach \TRAFFIC EMPLOYES FLOWERS AND HIS SCHOOL FILL LIFE OF DR. HEDRICK. Dr. Willlam A. Hedrick, deposed as head of the department of physics in the public schools, and his country home, where he lives alone and works among the flowers. | ZEALOUS desire to teach his| beloved science -for the two | years remaining before the law requires him to retire from | Washington’s public schools | and the flowers that grace his country home in Montgomery County today are supporting Dr. Willlam A. Hedrick, whose position as head of the depart- ment of physics in the schools was cut from under him by the Board of Edu- | cation Wednesday. For 44 years he has been head of | his department in_ the schools, and Wednesday, with three members ab- | sent, the school board eliminated Dr. Hedrick’s position and that of head of the department of chemistry and bilology, now held by Dr. William Hay, | and combined the two. Hearings had | been held by board members before the final action was taken and hints | of lack of educational leadership and unsatisfactory ratings by high school principals for Dr. Hedrick escaped from the executive sessions. Publicly it was asserted that Washington's school children would benefit by the union of the two departments under a “director of- science.” Change is Opposed. Officially, and_publicly however, the | names of Dr. Hedrick and Dr. Hay | were mentioned only by Henry Gilli- | gan, board member, who vigorously op- posed the change. School officials still | are non-committal as to what will be done with the two heads. | “I want to teach science, that’s all” Dr. Hedrick told a reporter for The Star today. “I have only two more years before 1 reach 70—the age of compulsory _retirement—and I just | want to teach science. I am not much | disturbed whether they call me head of the department or not. I just want | to_teach.” i he continued, “I am all | Mrs. Hedrick died two | years ago and I am living alone on ! —Star Staff Photo. our place out near Dr. Jenkins' radio towers. We have 12 or 13 acres there and I am doing my best to take care of our flowers. Mrs. Hedrick loved them 50, you know.” On Way to Schoel. The reporter, as a matter of fact, had gone to Dr. Hedrick’s home only 1o find the scientist already on bis way to Central High School. But the brief | visit was enough to confirm Dr. Hed- rick’s opinions of “our flowers.” Lilies and roses are blooming profusely today. In his laboratory at Central, Dr. Hed- rick discussed the board's action in Tesponse to the reporter's queries. “From the records,” he declared, “it does not appear that the reorganization | of our departments is made because of the transmitted ratings of the princi- pals on the heads of the depsgments, or because of the lack of educational leadership of either of them, or because of the results of the science teaching as shown in-the standings of the boys and girls who have spent part of their lives under the instruction of these heads, or their inability to teach and inspir: their lack of scholastic training or pro- fessional standing, or because of com- plaints from the citizens that the sei- ence is badly taught or that the spirit- ual or moral influence of the instruc- tors is harmful to their children, but | because of the belief of the superin- tendent that the present system should | be abolished.” Asks Only Two Years. Continuing, Dr. Hedrick quoted the minority report of the board’s Person- | nel Committee, presented by Mr. Gil- ligan, in which their champion ex- pressed the hope that the reorgani- zation would not result in demotions for the present heads of the depart- = | ts. 'So if they’ll only let me teach sci- ence, I'll be satisfied,” Dr. Hedrick said. He added that forced retirement at this time would work a hardship upon | him, while after a teaching position for | the next two years—he’s due for retire- ment June 30, 1930—"things would be better."” But, if Dr. Hedrick is not irked by the School Board's action, his associ- ates in the educational life of the Capi- tal are aroused in his behalf. The Executive Committze of the Teachers’ Union of Washington already has en- tered formal protest against the action as formulating “a policy that under- mines the peace of mind of the teach- ers, thereby affecting their initative and their service.” The Teachers' Council is planning similar action. While board members who were absent when the action was taken Wednesday would not commit themselves today, at least one said he would consider re- opening the case at the reorganization meeting next Wednesday. Dr. Hedrick holds the degree of doc- tor of philosophy from John Hopkins University. He first was appointed to the school system in 1887, when he was | “head” of the science department, and | Allan Davis, now principal of Business High School, was the teacher. THIRD SUICIDE TRY MAY PROVE FATAL Mrs. Sarah Babys Near| Death After Slashing Throat With Knife. Despondent because of ill health, Mrs. | Sarah Babys, 56 years old, slashed heri throat today in wrat thirteenth pre- | cinet police declared was & third at- | atempt to end her life. | Mrs. Babys, according to police, cut her throat with a small butcher knife | while eating breakfast in the kitchen | of her son's home at 6220 Georgia ave- nue. She was found by her daughter- in-law, Mrs. Jean Babys, who notified | police. | After receiving first-aid treatment at | Walter Reed Hospital Mrs. Babys was transferred to Emergency Hospital, where physicians described her condi- tion as critical. She was unconscicus when she reached the institution and the doctors expressed fear that her wound, a deep gash across her throat, would prove fatal. According to members of her family, Mrs. Babys had been ill for about two months, during which time she was under the care of two nurses as well as 2 physician, She slashed her throat, members of the family explained, a few minutes after one of the nurses had left and before the arrival of the other. So far as police could learn, she was alone in the room at the time. Mrs, Babys, police reported, had been closely watched by the nurses since her previous attempts to end her life, KILLS PEDESTRIAN Beltsville Man Found Dead on _nnl- timore Pike Near Home. By a Staff Correspondent of The Star. HYATTSVILLE, Md, June 27—A man was killed by & hit-and-run driver, and another man and a woman injured in two automobile accidents in suburban ;flnu Georges County early this morn- g. Walter K. Merson of Beltsville was found dead on the Baltimore Boulevard near his home early today, the victim of a hit-and-run driver, according to the verdict of a coroner’s jury. Merson is believed to have been killed while walking to a chicken farm where he is employed. His body was found by Guy Roby. Policeman Claude Reese investigated the case, and a coroner's jury, impaneled ~n ‘he concluded the man met his acath wl struck by an automobile driven by an unkn own person. J. R. Williams, 1700 Lamont street, Washington, and Mrs. L. A. Harliss of Charlottesville, Va., were injured when an automobile, which they were , was in a collision with a tele- phone company truck on the Defense 's Corner. lacerations, while Williams was treated for lacerations of both hands broken finger, Members of the rescue squad said the truck overturned, but no one was hurt and no arrest was made. ‘Deaths Reported. ‘The 1¢ iths ha T e S o, g 2y 2 BT S mts E‘.‘.’ AL B . SEcknacn i ’32 Fete Offices Sent to Basement Alongside Adams ‘The District Committee on Em- ployment, which yesterday found itself placed against its will in one of the small rooms on a court in the basement of the District Building, today finds itself in dis- tinguished ccmpany. The Dis- trict Commission on the George Washington Bicentennial Cele- bration was assigned two rooms adjoining it. Mr. George Adams, ousted from one of the more spacious rooms on the top floor, Tegarded his descent with considerable disgust, and threatened to resign if the room did not suit him after a tryout. Dr. Cloyd Heck Marvin, president of George Washington University, who heads the Bicen- tennial Commission, however, seemed much pleased with his Tooms. R.ELHALL 59, ENDS LIFE BY SHOT Retired Tobacco Merchant Kills Self After Worry Over Ailment. Brooding over a nervous ailment from which he had been suffering for more than a year, Robert E. Lee Hall, 59- year-old retired tobacco merchant, of 2819 Nineteenth street, seught relief from his worries in death yesterday afternoon. Going into his bedroom, Hall lifted a .32-caliber revolver to his head and fired one shot, ending his life. He was found lying across the bed with the gun gripped in his hand by Dr. Frederick C. Fishback, who was leav- ing the Hall residence after treating the man when he heard the shot. The physician pronounced Hall dead, and a suicide certificate was issued by Coroner J. Ramsay Nevitt shortly after he conferred with Dr. Fishback and Jearned that the merchant had been worrying for some time over his ail- ment and had threatened to take his life. 3 Police_were told by the wife, Mrs. Clyde Hall, that her husband on & preyious occasion attempted to end his life by inhaling illuminating gas, but was revived and suffered no serious effects. In addition Hall, who for years was proprietor of a wholesale tobacco house on Pennsylvania avenue, is sur- vived by two children. 137 LEARNTO SWIM AT STAR SCHOOL |First Class of Season Grad- uated at Y. M. C. A. Pool Last Night. One hundred and thirty-seven Wash- ington men graduated last night from the Learn-to-Swim School of The Star and the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion, following a week of free group instruction in' the pool of the Y. M. . A The average attendance at nightly classes was 225 men, but some of these were unable to appear for the final tests. A good percentage of those who did not take the tests learned to swim. 16 Per Cent Pass Tests. Only 16 per cent of the 163 men who were examined for ability to swim 20, 40 or 80 feet last night failed to make the grade, according to C. Ed- ward Beckett, physical director of the “Y.,” who supervised the course. He said this was an excellent record for group instruction. The instructors were R. B. Morgan and Bernard Philips, natatorial experts of the Y. M. C. A. Of the 137 men who passed one or more of the tests 85 swam the full length of the pool, or 80 feet: 44 swam half the length of the pool, and 8 swam 20 feet. Some of those who feiied to master 80 feet succeeded in swimming 60 feet. Rated as Beginners. All of the students were rated as non-swimmers when they began the | course last Monday. A number of those who failed to pass the tests expressed a desire to continue their training and have signed up for a §] 1 Summer membership course to be conducted exclusively for “¥Y” mem- bers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fri- days at 3, 3:30 and 7:30 o'clock. The Y. .M. C. A. will give these backward swimmers special instruction and will “guarantee to teach even the most hopeless pupil” how to master the art of swimming. g BURNET LEAVES HOSPITAL Commissioner of Internal Revenue Goes Home Today. G0 TO NEW POSTS Al Members of Director’s Staff Jein Vehicle De- partment. LICENSE AND ASSESSOR’S BUREAUS ARE MERGED Van Duzer Will Direct Service Salary $7.500. at of The District Commissioners today is- sued an order transferring all employes of the office of director of traffic over to the new Department of Vehicles ana Traffic, created by act of Congress and effective July 1. At the same time the office of the superintendent of licenses was abolished as a separate organization and made part of the assessor's office. Employes ol that office who previously had beer engaged in distributing automobile license plales, also were transferred te the new Department of Vehicles aneé Traffic, which will handle this service, Willizm A. Van Duzer was appointed some time ago as director of the new department. He will receive a salary of $6,500, the minimum of his grade, and after a month's service this will be raised to $7,500. William H. Har- land, present Director of Traffc, will become assistant director of the new department at a salary of $5,400, and Maurice O. Eldridge, present assistant director of traffic, will become assistant director of the new department at $4,800. Other Transfers Listed. Other employes transferred to the new department are Alfred G. Seiler, office engineer, $2.900; Robert F. Cor- nett, chief examiner, $2.000; Thomas E. West, examiner, $1,620; Ethel M. Jaeschie, stenographer, $1,740; Mildred Gruver, stenographer, $1,740; Julia L. Vass, clerk, $1.740; Marion B. Bond, clerk, $1.620; Mary E. Kaufman, clerk, $1,740; Eleanor Wall. clerk, $1,440; Cori McKenzie, cierk, $1,440; Gurley E. Frye, clerk, $1,560; Merk Dunn. clerk, §1,440; Mae Graham, clerk, $1.320; Ida Brown, clerk. $1.260; Willard H. Murphy. clerk, $1,320: Lamon H. Davis, clerk, $1.260; Ross Jones, clerk, $1.380; Francis Wells, jr., messenger, $1,260. Licenses Office Shifts. The following employes of the office of the Superintendent of Licenses were | transferred to the new department: | Anna C. Buettner, clerk, $1860; Ed- | ward R. Deane, clerk, $1620; Elaine S. Ford, clerk, $1680; Florence A. Sulli- van, clerk, $1620; John D. Padgett, | clerk. s1480; Philip Padgett, clerk, $1440; William H. Blue, $1320. Miles W. Bell, field examiner in the | Auditor’s Office, was appointed chief clerk of the new department at s salary of $2.600. Mindred Snow, an empioye of the Assessor's Office, was transferred to the new department as a clerk at $1440. SILVANUS J. MACY DIES AT HOSPITAL Prominent Horseman Had Many Mounts in Shows Here. Virginia silvanus J. Macy, well known sports- man of Watrenton, Va., died this morn- ing at Mount Alto Hospital after a long illness. 23 57 years old. A naive of Avon, N, Y., Mr. Macy moved to Warrenton about three years ago where he gained a reputation as a horseman. Many of his mounts were entered in local and nearby horse shows, He ‘served overseas during the World War. He is survived by his widow and three children, Mrs. William Sloan of Rochester, N. Y.; S. J. Macy, jr, and Morgan Macy. Funeral services will be held Tues- day morning at 10 o'clock at the home of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jane C Caruth, 1613 Nineteenth street. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery. CITIZEN GROUPS PLAN JOINT JULY 4 MARCH Parade to Open Independence Day Fete With Long Program for Five Associations. Representatives of five citizens’ as~ sociations of Northeast Washington met last night at Taft Recreation Center, ‘Twentieth and Otis streets northeast, to complete plans for an Independence day celebration at the center July 4. The civic groups sponsoring the pro- gram are the Brookland, Burroughs, Dahlgren Terrace, Michigan Park and Rhode Island Avenue Citizens’ Associa- tions. Raymond L. Gilbert is general chairman of the committee preparing the celebration. The day's festivities will commence at 10:30 am. with an automobile pa- rade from Rhode Island and South Da- kota avenues, traversing the main streets of the Northeast section. The David Burnet, commissioner of in- ternal revenue, glannzd to go home to his residence, 3509 Rodman street, to- day from Homeopathic Hospital, where he recently underwent a serious opera- tion for removal of gall bladder and appendicitis. ‘The commissioner was reported to be ‘well on the road to recovery. BOYS RETURN WHEN FLIVVER FAILS; SHOP FOR SHOE LEATHER TODAY Ivan Perez and Kenneth Smith Back After Week of Roaming in Search of Adventure. Ivan Perez, 18 years old, son of the former Cuban commercial attache here, and L. Smith, 17 years old, son of Mrs. Grace W. Smith, 418 Shep- herd street, today were shopping for shoe leather. A police search for them -at the re- Kenneth, two Central High School students, returned to the Perez home, 1434 Webster street, tired, rain-soaked and their worn out. One week ago left their respective homes for the v:pen spaces the West. Their motiv€ power was a di- mld.hd automoblle, famous for its ty. friend pooled their savings, amounting to $120, and sli] out of town as noiselessly as their fivver permitted. All went well until they reached - Their motor chi out much their engine refused their nts ended last night |to chi parade will be joined by foot marchers at Twelfth and Monroe streets north- east. Addresses of welcome by William J. ‘Weber, president of the Dahigren Ter- race group, and by Edward C. Colladay will open the program at Taft Recrea- tion Center. Patriotic songs by a choir assembled from churches of the section will be an opeping feature. A base ball game and other athletic events are scheduled for the afternoon, followed in the evening by community singing and a concert by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Band. A fireworks display will conclude the program. Dur- ing the day prizes will be awarded for children’s floats, costumes and tableaux and for the best decorated automobiles and trucks. FIREWORKS ACCIDENT CUTS MOTHER AND GIRL First Mishap of July 4 Season Oc- curs as Woman Bounces Tor- pedo Thought Ball ‘The first casualties resulting from the use of Independence day fireworks were reported when Mrs. Sewell Shreve of 116 Si street north- east and her 3-year-old daughter Mar- Y | tha suffered minor cuts in the explo- sion of a torpedo. 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