Evening Star Newspaper, May 26, 1937, Page 5

HATCHET SLAYING DEFENSE RESTS Youth Denies Striking Blows, but Admits Hold- ing Girl’s Mother. By the Assoclated Press. JERSEY CITY, N. J., May 26.—The defense rested today in the murder trial of Donald Wightman and Gladys MacKnight with each of them accus- ing the other of striking the hatchet blows which killed the 17-year-old girl's mother. The action came after long and sharp cross-examination of 19-year- old Wightman had ended without shaking materially his story that Gladys killed Mrs. Helen MacKnight * while he held the woman's arms. Gladys similarly had accused him of the actual slaying which she as- serted occurred as she struggled with her mother for possession of a kitchen knife after Mrs. MacKnight had sur- prised the young couple in a love- making scene in the kitchen. Unable to Explain Blows. Donald told the jury and prosecutor during cross-examination that he couldn’t explain why a hatchet struck the girl's mother five times in the same spot, but denied he held the| woman's head steady for the fatal| | blows. The lanky, red-haired youth averted | his face from a gruesome picture of | the slain woman's body and answered | loudly, “No, sir,” to Prosecutor Daniel T. O'Regan’s accusations of his part in the crime. had contradicted the story told by his co-defendant, Gladys MacKnight, 17, and accused her of the actual hatchet | slaying of Mrs. Helen MacKnight . while she had testified he struck the hatchet blows. “You didn't do anything to prevent Gladys from striking her mother?” the prosecutor asked. ‘No, sir.” “You held her mother while the blows were struck?” “Yes, sir.” “And you held her still, so she eouldn’t move, didn't you?” “No, sir.” Gives Picture a Glance. ‘Then the picture was placed before him and he was told to look at it. He gave one glance, then turned away. “You heard the doctor testify about * that wound?” “Yes, sir.” “You heard him say that that wound was made by five hatchet blows?" *“Yes, sir.” “You must have held the head steady so those five blows could be delivered in one spot?” » “No, sir, I didn't.” “How do you explain how those five blows came to be struck in that one spot 1f you didn't hold her still?” “I can't explain it.” Prosecutor Grows Harsh. ‘The prosecutor’s voice rose and grew steadily harsher, as his cross-exami- nation of the accused youth pro- gressed. At one point, after Donald expressed uncertainty over something that hap- pened, O'Regan shouted: “You're getting hazy now, aren’t « you? Everything's been clear up to here. But it's getting too close now— too close to home. “No sir,” Donald replied. Donald testified the 17-year-old girl persuaded him to take the blame for the slaying and trusted to his “in- ventive genius” to embroider a tale of & “petting” party that led the mother to attack them with a knife in her | Bayonne kitchen last July 31. Girl Has Mocking Smile. Gladys listened with a mocking | smile on her face as her counsel, R. Lewis Kennedy, questioned Donald: - “You said Gladys snuggled up tol you in the side road and said it would be nice—it would prove your love—if | you went back and took the blame?” “I wouldn't say those were the ex- | act words, but that was the gist of it.” ‘“You agreed to say that her mother caught you petting and came at you with the knife?” “Yes, sir.” *What was the whole agreement you made—that you were peiting when her mother came at you?” “No, sir, not all, but that was the foundation of it.” RADIO TESTS APPROVED ‘WJSV Gets Right to Operate Port- able Transmitter. Radio Station WISV of the Columbia Broadcasting System was granted au- thority yesterday by the Federal Com- munications Commission to operate & 100-watt portable transmitter on 1,510 kilocycles on an experimental basis between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. until | June 2 within the Washington area. The purpose of thé portable trans- mitter, the commission said, is to test | sites for location of a new transmitter for the station. | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, Honeymoon Gowns for Mrs. Warfield Three of the Mainbocher of Paris gowns chosen b, The 19-year-old former choir singer| JOllowing her marriage, June 3, to the Duke of Windsor. soft crepe romain. Center: | high-necked frock and long-tailed jacket in flowered crepe. Left: Y Mrs. Wallis Warfield for her honeymoon A frock of deep midnight blue Mrs. Warfield’s choice of a black silk crepe dinner dress. Right: A —Copyright, A. P. Wirephotos. Taxes (Continued Prom First Page.) The only alternative is to raise the | tax rate.” Representative Nichols, Democrat, of Oklahoma broke into the discussion with a prediction that “Irksen is wrong." “I believe a sales tax will go through the House,” he declared. Finally Commissioner Hazen told the subcommittee the proposed sales tax had been approved by business interests in Washington through the Board of Trade. He said the board also indorsed other features of the tax program of the Commissioners | and had suggested raising the gallon- age tax on liquor from 30 to 80 cents. Instead of a sales tax, Nichols sug- gested a business privilege tax. De- nouncing Washington business men, he said “I never saw a city where the business men were as cold blooded and as unresponsive to the trade as they are in Washington.” Nichols next turned on parking lot operators, describing them as a “bunch of bloodthirsty robbers.” Assails Parking Lot. Nichols called particular attention to a parking lot on Pennsylvania avenue which charges 25 cents for the first hour and 5 cents for each addi- tional hour. “Those fellows are getting away with murder,” he declared. Taxing foreign corporations doing business in the District was another source of revenue which Nichols said should be tapped. He also declared the license law should be revised to raise additional revenue. Corporation Counsei Elwood H. Seal said it could be done so the District could get about $100,000 in additional revenue each year, Seal explained that fees now are based on the cost of inspection, but said the plan had its inequities. As an illustration, he pointed out the Wash- ington base ball club pays a license fee of $5 a year, and on the opening day of the base ball season nearly one- half of the metropolitan police force 13 detailed there for protection of the public and to direct traffic. Proposes Intangible Tax. Dirksen then proposed an increase in the present tax on intangible per- sonal property. He said Tax Assessor Fred D. Allen had testified that if “teeth” were put in the existing law, at least $1,000,000 a year could be col- lected from this source. Vernon West, principal assistant corporation counsel, said he “doubted” if the amount would reach that figure. Returning to a discussion of the sales tax, Representative McGehee, Democrat, of Oklahoma, said that if the plan is approved, it should pro- vide for the use of tokens rather than the “hidden” tax proposal of the Commissioners. Unless tokens are used, he declared, the District would lose 60 per cent of the revenue from such a tax. McGehee also declared there should be no exemptions under a sales tax. The Commissioners’ plan would ex- empt food, and on that basis is esti- mated to yield $5,300,000 a year. Nichols explained that his State, which has a sales tax, had adopted tokens after trying out the “hidden” tax plan. During a discussion of the wisdom | dicated his disapproval of adopting parking meters, which it is estimated would yield $600,000 a year in additional revenue, Commissioner Hazen said he believed parking should be eliminated in the downtown section. Predicts Parking Meters. “I would like to see how popular your plan would be” remarked Nichols. “You just can't do it. You are coming to parking meters just as sure as you did to traffic lights.” Hazen argued that parking meters would not drive cars off the street. McGehee, however, contended meters would discourage parking. Representative Cole, Republican, of New York, injected the real estate tax | increase proposal into the discussmni by asking what a 10-cent raise would | produce. Commissioner Hazen replied | $1,000,000. | “But real estate already is heavily | taxed,” added Commissioner Hazen. “I don’t think, however, there would be a kick on a 10-cent increase. That would not solve the problem. At least { $4,000,000 would have to be raised if the sales tax is abandoned. Urges Income Tax. Benjamin C. Marsh was permitted to testify briefly before the subcom- | mittee at the close of the conference | with the Commissionrs and oiher Dis- | trict officials. He urged adoption of a progressive tax on incomes over $3,000 | and transferring taxes on buildings | to land values. “The District for at least a quarter | of a century,” he said, “has been run for the benefit of the financial in- terests and land speculators.” | The Commissioners proposed the sales tax as a substitute for an in- come tax because they feared the latter would be held unconstitutional. | Whereas the sales tax yield was es- timated at $5,300,000 a year, the in- come tax was estimated to yield $2,500,000. The final program of the Commis- sioners submitted to the subcommit- tee yesterday would raise an esti- mated $8,900,000 in additional rev- enue, which would hardly meet the new anticipated budget deficit Of‘ $8,000,000, since $1,100,000 which ! would be derived from a 1-cent in- | crease in the gascline tax would not | be applied to the general fund. Representative Nichols, who has | vigorously opposed the proposed | gasoline tax raise, also has in- | of the plan to place a weight tax on | motor vehicles by proposing that the | revenues from this source be shifted to the special gasoline tax fund rather than the general revenues. He also has urged that $500,000 derived from the permits for automobile drivers be Pplaced in the gasoline tax fund. If the subcommittee approved his | suggestions, the District would lose $1,600,000 in the general fund, which would have to be drawn from some other source to meet the prospective shortage. New Soybean Experiments. Oklahoma A. and M. College has started experiments with 45 new strains of soybeans in an effort to find a substitute for cottonseed in oil manufacturing in Oklahoma. RUG CLEANING PRICES EX-DEAN ACCUSED OF INTENTTOKILL Charge Recalls Killing of Head of School That Sus- pect Directed. By the Assoctated Press. BOSTON, May 26.—Despite a sweep- ing denial by Thomas E. Elder, former dean of the Mount Hermon School for Boys, Capt. John F. Stokes, chief of Massachusetts detectives, said today he had obtained a warrant charging Elder with “assault with intent to murder while armed with a danger- ous weapon.” Stokes said he was awaiting word from two detectives that Elder had been arrested at his Alton Bay, N. H., home. F. Allan Norton, former cashier at the Mount Hermon School, was quoted by Stokes as saying that a man he identified as Elder accosted him last night at Greenfield, Mass., pulling a shotgun from under his coat. Elder promptly told newspaper men by tele- phone that he had not even been in Greenfield last night. Dr. Elliot Speer, headmaster at Mount Hermon, was slain in 1934 by a shotgun blast through his library window. The slayer escaped, and the weapon never was found. An inquest was held, and 63 witnesses paraded before Judge Timothy H. Hayes. The court found Dr. Speer had been slain by “a person or persons unknown.” Reached by telephone at his home in Alton Bay, N. H., Elder asserted he had not been in Greenfield, Mass., where Norton told police Elder had ! accosted him. Even as Elder talked by telephone with newspaper men, Capt. Stokes said | he had dispatched two detectives to Alton Bay. Elder told newspaper men by tele- phone that he had gone to bed in a hotel early last night at Keene, N. H., about 40 miles from Greenfield, and had not arisen until this morning, “because of a bad heart condition.” ADDRESSES SYNOD Dr. Carl C. Rasmussen Speaks at Baltimore Conference. ‘The synodical sermon of the Mary- land Synod of United Lutheran Churches of America was delivered last night in Trinity Lutheran Church, Baltimore, by Dr. Carl C. Rasmussen, pastor of Luther Place Memorial Church. This synod is the third in the East- ern States which he has addressed. Dr. Rasmussen will mark his seventh anniversary with Luther Place Church next month. and PROTECTION from MOTHS and TRAMPING FEET Just think ., . it eosts you enly carpets in Merch Mothoroot Sto wash th wrices at left. ® 50% Reduction in stor- jment” Ryan told delegates to the | delegates. 'ganization campaign. = Green indicated he intended to fight D. C, WEDNESDAY (.10, WAR SOUGHT) BYLONGSHOREMEN A. F. L. Is Asked to Prevent Spread of Activities on Atlantic. BACKGROUND— American labor movement split apart last Summer when A. F. of L. Council suspended C. I. O. unions which were pressing organization drives in mass production in- dustries. Recently C. I. O. began to issue charters and its afiliates have ap~ peared in direct jurisdictional cone flict with A, F. of L. unions. Trou- bled maritime industry has been one to feel this conflict of forces most directly with rival unions Junctioning on both coasts. By the Associated Press. CINCINNATI, May 26.—Joseph P. Ryan, president of the Longshoremen’s Union, sought united American Feder- ation of Labor action on the Atlantic coast water front today to prevent the spread of C. I. O. activity. Contending that John L. Lewis’ Committee for Industrial Organiza- tion and Communists were closely linked in their seaport activities, Ryan went before the A. F. of L. Executive Council to try to settle numerous ju- risdictional disputes that have ham- pered the federation water front unions in their efforts to combat the Lewis movement. As his first move in his anti-Lewis program Ryan threatened to call strikes against all ships that employed radio operators belonging to the Radio Telegraphists’ Association, a C. 1. O. union. Ryan said this union was strictly Communistic. The water front unions have been beset by division for several years. First all of the Pacific Coast unions but the longshoremen broke away from their international unions sev- eral years ago to form the Maritime Federation of the Pacific. The West Coast Longshoremen, led by Harry Bridges of San Prancisco, remained with the national union in name only. Atlantic Union Divided. Last Fall the International Sea- men's Union on the Atlantic Coast divided, with a left-wing section claiming to represent the majority of the seamen. This section eventual- ly formed the National Maritime Union, which has been dickering for C. I. O. membership. “Every A. F. of L. union on the water front faces a dual union move- A. F. of L. loyal union conference here. “It's high time we settled our | own differences and set in to defeat this gang of Reds.” Other principal issues to face the council: 1. Whether to indorse President Roosevelt's minimum wage, maximum | hour and child labor bill. | 2. How to manage the ‘“co-ordi-| nated” organization campaigns di- | rected by the conference in view of the opposition to direct war on Lewis voiced by a considerable block of William Green, A. F. of L. presi- dent, declined to comment on the | wage, hour and child labor bill before | the executive council expressed its| opinion. He said, however, that many federation leaders consistently had opposed Federal regulation of mini- mum wages for men because Con- gress could fix maximums if it could fix minimums. Division in A. F. L. Ranks. Support of the child labor pro- visions, he added, might give the impression the federation was drop- ping its support of the constitutional amendment to outlaw child labor for | all time. Considerable division has developed in A. P. of L. ranks as to how the federation should proceed with its or- the C. I. O. directly with rival unions in some cases. Another group's spokesmen said the federation should try to retain its supremacy by organizing the unor- ganized, but should not move into Lewis’ territory. Daniel Tobin, presi- dent of the Teamsters' Union, warned the conference that his organization would not contribute double dues to try to take from the Lewis movement members who had not been organized before the C. I. O. campaign started. | subcommittee of that group. | subcommittee already has held a se- Lewis, in New York, expressed little MAY ‘26, 19317. Runs Mt. Vernon COL. DODGE'S AIDE IN CHARGE. CHARLES C. WALL, Assistant to the late Col. Har- rison H. Dodge, superintendent of Mount Vernon, who has been selected for the higher Zost by the Mount Vernon adies’ Association. A graduate of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, Wall has been assistant superin- tendent of Washington’s home since June, 1929. Col. Dodge was superintendent for 52 years. —Harris-Ewing Photo. concern over the council's plan to combat his organization. Fund Held Insignificant. Terming the conference “merely a council of desperation,” he predicted many unions would refuse to pay the additional assessments and declared “in any event, the amount the federa- tion proposes to raise is insignificant as compared with the financial re- sources of the great industrial unions which are members of the C. I. 0.” Green indicated he intended to fight on all fronts by saying: “There are men in mass production industries appealing for admission to the American Federation of Labor now. Up to this time, I have said no. But the clock has struck and the hour is here. We are going to give them a home in the American Federation of Labor if they will come in.” Slaughter House (Continued From First Page.) favorable report, should be drawn by the Commissioners. “I have therefore requested them to draft such a bill and submit it with their report to this committee in order that it may be considered June 2 at our regular meeting. my intention at that time to set a date for hearings on the bill before the full committee so that we may all be well acquainted with the facts in the case. I hope in this way to report out of the District Committee as s500n as possible a piece of legisla- tion that will meet, in so far as is possible, all valid objections to the | original nuisance industries bill. “There is no doubt in the mind of any one I have come in contact with that something must be done to keep out of the Nation's Capital all nui- sance industries, and a wholesale slaughter house should be considered as nuisance No. 1.” The immediate effect of Mrs. Nor- ton’s original bill would be to prevent erection of a slaughter house and rendering plant in Benning, D. C., by the Adolf Gobel Co. of New York and Chicago. An identical bili; sponsored by Chairman King of the Senate District Committee, is now pending before a The ries of public hearings on the measure. | Sixes & Eights C IMMEDIATE DELIVERY WE NEED USED CARS Flood Motor Co. Direct Factory Dealer 4221 Connecticut Ave. Clev. 8400 Oil Burners In Your Own Home . .. 4 Months FR for EE For complete details regarding the Agnew Plan of A B C Burner installation and year-round hot-water equipment, telephone NAtional 3068, or if you prefer, visit our show rooms any day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. and get all the informa- tion through personal observation of an A B C in operation. install the famous A No Money Down— No Payments Let our engineers B C Oil Burner NOW. ‘Till September SLAUGHTER HOUSE HELD SLUM CAUSE Mrs. Brooke Poses Question Regarding Plant in Let- ter to McCarran. Declaring it is “a recognized fact that slaughter houses create slums,” Mrs. Frederick H. Brooke has written & letter to Senator McCarran, Demo- crat, of Nevada, submitting nine ques- tions which she said should be answered in connection with the pro- posal of the Adolf Gobel, Inc., to re- build its Benning plant. Senator McCarran is chairman of the subcommittee which has been holding public hearings on the King bill to ban so-called nuisance indus- tries from the District. Mrs. Brooke, who for a number of years acted as chairman of the Subsistance Garden Committee inter- ested in the clearing of the Anacostia It is | | been questioned as to what, if any, in- River Parkway, already has testified | in support of the King bill. She added it is significant that the company's lawyer made no effort to disprove testimony by a United States health officer that reopening of the slaughter house, which burned in 1933, would result in increased pollution of the Potomac River. Questions Submitted. The list of questions submitted by Mrs. Brooke follows: 1. Should not the proof of need be required before the slaughter house in question be permitted to be rebuilt and reopened? 2. Since there are three abattoirs in Baltimore, and nearby Virginia has two, what is the economic necessity | of creating a slaughter house in Wash- ington except for the convenience of | non-resident cattle producers? 3. Interested farmers in Prince | Georges County, Md,, and in Virginia, | advocating creation of a slaughter house for their convenience in the District, have stated that there would be a saving of $1.50 per animal driven over the road to the slaughter house. Can the routes that they intend to use for this purpose be made known? 4. Since the capacity of the plant is for the slaughter of over 3,100 an- imals per day, what proportion will be brought in by truck? Will not prop- erty along these routes be seriously | affected?> How can it benefit the Dis- | trict to have animals brought in alive | instead of in a finished condition? 5. Can it be proved that by applying | this convenience taxpayers in the Dis- trict must suffer not only from a de- preciation of property, but from the necessity of creating additional sew- erage facilities as stated by the United States health officer? 6. Recognizing the proximity of an expensive school, should not consid- eration be given to the brutalizing effect that the sight of cattle in pens or being driven to slaughter has on a chiid's mind? *% A-S the plant would provide needed work ; been verified? Is there a surplus of * skilled labor needed for butchering im the District of Columbia? Will not the normal development of the area for house sites provide more labor than the stockyards would command? Mrs. Brooke's Letter. In her letter, Mrs. Brooke stated: “For a number of years I have des voted much time and effort as chaire man of the Subsistence Garden Com- mittee to the clearing of the Anacostia River Parkway, extending from Gal- linger Hospital to Benning road, so that 800 gardens for the unemployed might be developed there. “From 1933 through 1935 I witnessed great improvement in this neighbore hood and the building of rows of pleasant small houses adjoining Ben- ning road. I was primarily interested in the effort of a colored employe of our family, who, with the help of her husband, regularly met the payments necessary to acquire a home and by | her industry was able to educate her sisters and brother to become capable and self-respecting citizens. They represent one of many families whose property will depreciate in value and whose efforts will be wasted and sav- ings sacrificed if the Gobel Packing Co. is permitted to rebuild their slaughter house and reoccupy the cattle pens belonging to the Union Stockyards Co. * * * “It was significant that even the Gobel Co.'s lawyer made no attempt to cross-examine or disprove the United States health officer’s predice tion of increased pollution of the Po- tomac River, following the reopening of the slaughter house. “Any one contemplating the wooded ground rising behind the site in ques=- tion or looking across the Anacostia River to the parkway and new high school cannot fail to agree with the Planning Commission that this sece tion of the District adjoining the projected parks of Fort Du Pont and Fort Mahon is well suited for resis dential purposes and offers an alternative to the continuous crowding of Washington's population into one section of the city. “That slaughter houses create slums is a recognized fact. Fortunately the Gobel firm has made no important monetary outlay since the fire that closed the plant in 1933 and is in & position to utilize it for any other commercial purpose, “At the hearing it was apparent that the Gobel firm and its supporters considered the matter a purely local issue. Their repeated statement that 90 per cent of the neighborhood was in favor of the project awaits cone | firmation by numerous southwest citie zens' associations anxiously for an opportunity to be heard.” _— “It stimulates sluggish kidneys and tends to correct acidity”’ 7. Has the initial cost of the Gobel H plant been ascertained and have they surance they received after the fire at the plant? f | 8. A statement was made by the manager of the hotel adjoining the | property that his guests were not in- convenienced by the cattle plant. Did not further testimony develop the fact that the Union Stockyards were own- ers of the hotel in question? writes a physician. He refers to Mountain Valley Water, the natural aid to weak, faltering kidneys doctors have prescribed for 75 years. Let us send you a case. Just telephone MEt. 1062. MOUNTAIN VALLEY MINERAL WATER From HOT SPRINGS, ARK. 9. Has the claim that reopening The Topic of Rug Cleaning 1405 K St. V. Is Usually Discussed When the Tuesday Ladies’ of feminine interest you'll inv: is a subject of vital interest. Club starts to discuss themes ariably find that rug cleaning You’ll find women looking for cleaning that is thorough, safe, speedy and economical. And you'll always find women agreeing that they get those fea- tures at DIENER'S—always. perfect handling. Take the advice of hundreds of women in this town—send all your Winter rugs to Diener's for Don't try to clean your rugs at home and expect them to be absolutely free from destructive grit—only expert and professional cleaning can restore the beauty of rich colors and re- move all the imbedded dirt. Phone for our ex- perienced attendant to pick up your rugs—NOW. “Next to a New Ruglsa Diener- Cleaned Rugl' age rates if rugs are scoured by us. ® 259% Reduction in stor- age rates if rugs are D¢ tie Dusting " Washing $3.60 $8.10 2.16 4.86 1.72 3.87 1.08 2.43 dusted by us. 56 1.26 3.0x6.0 36 .81 NATIONAL 6900 2.3x5.0 25 54 Dusting prices for Oriental Rugs same es above. Washing prices slightly higher. Over 35 Years® Quality Service MEHEHANT TRANSFER AND STORAGE CO. 20 ESTREET NW A In order o obtain the: services of rug cleaners . ok for D 3218° Visualize ?ust how comfortable your home will be next winter with one of these marvelous A B C Oil Burners installed and providing com- fortable, even, automatic heat without nxw effort on your {zart, then decide right NO that you are going to look into the merits of the A B C Oil Burner. Nothing to Pay in May, June, July or August Size 12.0x15.0 9.0x12.0 8.3x10.6 6.0x9.0 4.0x7.0 DIENER'’S RUG & CARPET CLEANERS Telephone Dlstrict 3218 & 1221 22nd STREET N.W.. g thr of Squibh profucts offcred by sour druggist are 714 13th St. N.W. NAtl. 3068 (Oppesite thé Telephone Bldg:) SQUIBB TOOTH POWDER SQUIBB SODIUM BICARBONATE SQUIBB MINERAL OIL SQUIBB COD; LIVER,OIL SQUIBBs MILK OF MAGNESIA SQUIBB ASPIRIN