Evening Star Newspaper, January 19, 1942, Page 8

Jap Planes Atfack ~ Borneo Oil Port and Isle Off Sumatra Nine Killed, 41 Injured In Raid Yesterday on Indies Airdrome BY the Associated Press. BATAVIA, Netherlands Indfes, Jan. 19.—Japanese air raids on the Borneo oil port of Balik Papan and on the island of Sa- bang were reported today by the Netherlands Indies high com- mand. Sabang is an island off the northern tip of Sumatra. The high command also an- nounced that nine persons were killed and 41 injured in yestercay's attack on an e in Middle Sumatra Island. ’ The communique s2id njne enemy bombers escorted by six fighters carried out the attack on the vicin- ity of Balik Papan, damaging the lightship near that city. Three planes raided Sabang with- out inflicting demage, the commu- nique added. Japen's air force fanned out to attack air and naval bases over a span of 2200 miles in the Nether- lands Indies archipelago, the Dutch announced yesterday, possibly as a prelude to attempts to seize vantage points from which to flank the key island of Java. The severest of the raids were aimed at Sumatra, the long western wing of the Netherlands Indies which extends along Malacca Straits, opposite Malaya and Singa- pore, and which might offer sub- sidiary bases from which to attack that British naval base. However, Amboina, the Dutch island naval base and alr station northeast of Java and between the Celebes and New Guinea, also was paid another visit by Japanese bombers, A German broadcast, heard in London, said the Japanese already had landed at Amboina, and oc- cupied the port and capital “after overcoming brief resistance.” Amboina, a 262-square-mile island with a-population of about 40,000, is | in the heart of the Netherlands| Indies. It is about 1,500 miles from Batavia and only about 600 miles from Darwin, port and defense sta- tion in Northern Australia. Medal Given Discoverer 0f High-Test Gas Lead By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, Jan. 19.— Thomas Midgley, jr., discoverer of tetraethyl lead. which has made possible great advances in automotive and aircraft engines, is the winner of the 1942 Willard Gibbs Medal of the Amer- ican Chemical Society, it was an- nounced yesterday. Dr. Midgley was cited for “dis- coveries which are outstanding both from the standpoint of pioneering in new fields and from the stand- point of commercial importance.” Other achievements of the win- ner included the development of safe refrigerants, and contributions to synthetic rubber research and to methods of extracting bromine from sea water. The performance of modern mil- ftary and transport planes is due in large part to the development of high octane gasoline, a develop- ment in which tetraethyl lead played an important role, the announce- ment said. Dr. Midgley discovered tetraethyl lead in 1922 after he and his colleagues in the General Motors research laboratories had tried more than 33,000 different compounds without success. Sheean Says Japs Haven't "Ghost of Chance’ fo Win Recently returned from a trip to the Far East and the South Pacific, Vincent Sheean will speak on “The War in the Far East” at the Shore- ham Hotel Saturday afternoon. The noted author and foreign corre- | spondent is appearing under spon- | sorship of the Bryn Mawr Club of | ‘Washington. The author of “Personal His-| tory,” “Nqt Peace but a Sword” and other ks made his first stop | on the recent tour at Auckland, | New Zealand. From there he went | on to Sydney, Batavia, Singapore, Bangkok, Rangoon, Chungking and Hong Kong. Returning to the| United States, he passed through Guam, Wake, Midway and Hawaii on the eve of the war with Japan. The Japanese have not “a ghostly chance of winning the war,” Mr. Sheean said on his return home, though he pointed out they have achieved “some immediate tempo- rary successes.” The Japanese, he said, are likely to win first battles because they are operating so much nearer home bases than the Ameri- cans and British. Miss Mollie Williamson Honored by Trinity Church Miss Mollie Williamson, a mem- ber of the Trinity Methodist Church for 70 years, was the honor guest at services at the church on the eve of her 84th birthday yesterday. Called before the congregation, she was presented with a large bou- quet of flowers by Mrs. Walter C. John, secretary of the division of local church of the Woman's &o- ciety of Christian Service, on be- half of the society and the church. Her long span of membership be- gan as a girl when the church was known as the Fourth Street Con- gregation. She became a Sunday school teacher in 1885 and still reg- ularly attends the Louise Shelton | Ladies Bible Class. | Her favorite hymn is “Abide With | Me"” and her best-loved scriptures | are the Psalms. She makes her| home with a niece, Mrs. Curtls T. Martin, 3254 Patterson street N.W. Augusta County Exceeds War Fund Drive Goal Special Dispatch to The Star. STAUNTON, Va, Jan. 19.—Lyle G. Weller, chairman of the campaign to raise $20,000 as Augusta County ehapter's quota of the $50,000,000 American Red Cross War Emergency fund, announces that the goal has been exceeded. The sum of $21,361.97 has already been received and addi- tional contributions are yet to be counted. Of the total, $12919.5¢ was raised n Staunton and the county and $8,- Arrest Bares Amazing Career Of Jersey’'s Woman ‘Ponzi’ Investigators Tell Story of Charity And Crime By CHARLES E. WHITING, Wide World News, NEWARK. N. J., Jan. 19.—“There's 50 much oil on my California prop- erty that the plum trees are turn- ing yellow.” This fantastic inducement led s T1-year-old Newark woman to in- vest $4,700, sent detectives digging into a maze of bunco and bigamy, charity and crime, decit and daring, and ended in the arrest of the amaz- ing Mrs. Amelia Everts Carr. They came up with a tale of a “petticoat Ponzi” so astonishing in its ramifications that only after persistent checking and rechecking 'would they reveal its contents. The cause celebre was a sweet- faced woman of 66, whose gentle demeanor gave no hint of years spent in State penitentiaries. Her cultured voice gave no indication of a criminal past. except for one disastrous lapse into the jargon of the living dead. “Did you think I'd ‘blow my top’ to i them,” she asked scornfully when two police matrons were assigned to quiz her. Wife of Churchman. When Mrs. Carr was taken into custody on December 17 for ques- tioning, the detectives thought there must have been a mistake. She was the wife of J. Clarence Carr, 170-year-old chairman of trustees of the Roseville Methodist | Church. He is a respected member of the community, with a small real estate and insurance business. She was active in church affairs | and doled out food and clothing to | the needy. She spoke of her wealthy | parents and a fabulous estate that %ould soon be hers. But, three weeks later Prosecu- tor William A. Wachenfeld accused her of being a notorious swindler, Mrs. Carr Pleads No Defense; Asks Mercy of Court BY the Associated Press. NEWARK, N. J, Jan. 10— Mrs. Amelia Everts Carr, 66, church worker whom police records revealed as a confidence woman with a half-century rec- ord, threw herself on the mercy of the Essex County Court to- day by pleading no defense to a charge of defrauding a New- ark woman of $4.700 County Judge Daniel Bren- nan reminded the slightly nerv- ous defendant that her tech- nical plea of no defense was tantamount to an admission of guilt. He set January 28 for sentencing. James L. McKenna. assistant prosecutor, told the court that the specific charges were three allegations that Mrs. Carr ob- tained a total of $4,700 from Mrs. Mabel Burnett, a widow. whose trail under s half-dozen aliases led across the country, leav-| ing in its wake countless victims, | fleeced of more than $1,000,000. The processes of methodical 1n-‘ vestigation had unmasked this blue- | eyed “angel of mercy.” | She was arrested on & specific| charge of defrauding Mrs. Mabel | Burnett, 8 fellow-churchworker, of $4,700. Husband Shocked. Her septuagenarian husband of five years was shocked and heart- broken but loyal. Confronted with her admissions of | prison sentences and the dubious termination of previous marriages, he recalled that she had nursed him devotedly during three serious {llnesses. He sat at her side dur- ing long periods of questioning and declined to start annulment pro- ceedings. at least until after her case was adjudicated. Lt. Louis Sklarey of Wachenfeld's | staff and Assistant Prosecuwr} James McKenna directed the in- vestigation. It was to Lt. Sklarey | that Mrs. Carr revealed most of | the information about her life. | How did she get her victims to| fall for the promises of enormous profits through investment of their savings with her? “Almost every one has a little larceny in his heart. That made it easy,” Lt. Sklarey quoted her as replying. What happened to all the money, estimated by Lt. Sklarey to involve more than $100,000 in the Newark area alone? “1t went for thus n}x‘\d such.” She denied having a cache. ‘After days of questioning ln.d tracing down tips, Mr. ‘Wachenfeld's investigators’ story aides produced this story: | During a convention of & religious | sect in August, 1936, & woman reg- istered at & Newark hotel as Mrs. Mildred Harjes Everts. She be- came acquainted with snother guest, invalided by blindnes?, and visited occasionally by Mr. Carr, an old friend. Mrs. Everts showered the-invalid with presents and often stayed to attend her during Mr. Carr’s visits. She told them she was the widow of a minister. On Christmas eve, she and Mr. Carr went to New York and re- turned later as man and wife. When Mr. Carr became ill a short time later, she took over his business in- terests and urged him not to worry, saying that money would not be a problem. To him and members of the Rose- ville church she told a weird story. She was, she sald, the daughter of H. Hermann Harjes, president of the Paris branch of the J. P. Mor- gan banking firm, who was Kkilled in a polo match while playing with a Lord Montbatten and a Duke Peneranda. 6 Per Cent Intevest Promised. Her father had ‘left her a large estate. which would not become available to her until 1942. In the meantime she was receiving money from certain investments. e She chided her new friends for leaving their funds: in savings ac- counts, drawing one per cent in- terest, when she could get them six per cent. She brightened her story by flashing checks for huge sums, ineluding one for $100,000 and an- :':‘H for $86,000, both payable to = The money flowed in. Only a few of those who “invested” their save 442.43 in Waynesboro. L} ings ever saw their capital again. [} THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1942. MBS. AMELIA EVERTS CARR. Only those who threatened Mrs. Carr with legal action, when their suspicions were aroused by glib promises but no returns, were paid back. “She took it from Peter to pay Paul” was Lt. Skarey's explana- tion of these transactions. The oil and plum tree story tripped her, but the eyes of de- tectives popped when they received her dossier from the F. B. I. Her fingerprints retraced a trail going back to June 15, 1918, when she was arrested in Pittsburgh under the name of Mildred M. Boniface on a false pretenses charge. Web Spreads to Washington. From theer the web spread south to Washington, east to Philadelphia, southwest to Dallas, Tex., and west to Spokane and Walla Walla, Wash., and Los Angeles and San Francisco. Then 'the search was easier. A/ baptismal record from St. Mark's Church of Frankford, Pa.. revealed that she was born Amelia Everts on February 24, 1876, in the Bustle- ton section of Philadelphia. Her parents were Charles and Hannah Everts. Her first tangle with police au- thorities came in Atlantic City,| N. J, on September 19, 1901. She was sentenced to State prison for 10 months on a false pretenses charge. Most sensational of her escapades was in Philadelphia in 1921, when & hearing on swindling charges il- luminated her bigamous relations and gave her the pseudonym of “Petticoat Ponzi.” Everett Marshall of Newfleld, N. J.. accused a soft-spoken woman friend of swindling him of $2,300 and sald she had also relieved him of a total of $30,000 over a period of | two years. Other purported victims flocked | to make complaints, among them Robert H. Mountford, a South Jer- sey farmer and truck salesman who | said that she had taken from him | $5,000 of his mother’s money to in- vest. He got back $1,500. Both Mr. Marshall and Mr. Mount- ford named their defrauding friend as Mildred M. Boniface. Accusation Blews Up. up when “Miss Boniface” produced a record showing that she was mar- ried to him on October 20, 1920, at Reading, Pa. Mr. Mountford ad- | mitted the marriage, saying that he | had lived with her only a mnoth, but contended that the wedding was illegal because she had never been divorced from a previous husband, whom he named as Willlam V. Chambers. (Wachenfeld's detectives con- firmed this Everts - Chambers marriage in Frankford, where records revealed that they were wed in 1895, but the investigators have not determined whether Mr. Chambers was still alive at the time of the Mountford marriage or whether he still is living.) However, Mr. Mountford had an- other wife! She disappeared from a ferry crossing the Delaware River a few days after the bigamy charge against her husband was made pub- Mr. Mountford’s accusation blew | Taxes on Pin-Ball And Slot Machines Raise $4,708,696 Wisconsin’s. $477,000 Is Greatest ‘Take’ Received by Treasury B> the Associated Press. The Treasury acknowledged yes- terday a near $5,000,000 “take” from pinball and slot machines taxes— but, with the machines illegal in some States, was discreetly ignor- ant of who paid them and where. A $10-a-year tax on pinball games | and $50 tax on slot machines went into effect on October 1. llec- tions through December 31 totaled $4.708,606. Officials said they had no.ready figures on how much came from pinball machines and how much from slot machines. Wiseonsin Leads. As for collections by State, they said Wisconsin led with $477,000. No other figures were available, but New York and Minnesota were said to be & close second and third. The Treasury said it had no knowledge of any machines going out of business because of imposi- tion of the Federal tax, but that many requests for lists of the spe- clal taxpayers had been received from reform groups. Officials said they were inform- ing such inquriers that an old law requires that collections of internal revenue in each State make such lists available for public inspec- tion “at the convenience of the collectors.” What is ‘“convenient,” officials said, is entirely a matter for each collector to decide for himself. Lottery Agitation. When Congress approved the -slot machine tax there were arguments from some legislators that it amounted to legalizing gambling all the way and approve & national Government-controlled lotery. The lottery idea, a hardy per- ennial, has come in for increasing agitation since the war wtih advo- cates contending $1.000,000000 a year could be raised that way. tion, however, to entertain the proposal. Russia (Continued From First Page.) stubborn street fighting was taking place in another town in the Mos- cow sector. The name of the town was not given. Mozhaisk, 57 miles west of Moscow, was the pivot of the German pincer moves against Moscow last fell and the high point of the Nazi advance on Moscow from the west. mans, in & vain effort to snap the | Russian drive, had rushed troops from France to Smolensk, 170 miles | west of Mozhaisk, and transported them by air to the front. But the Germans were compelled to retreat, the writer said, and suf- | fered heavy losses. (The Moscow radio said the Russians were within 60 miles of Smolensk, where Adolf Hitler was said in Stockholm to have set up headquarters after as- suming supreme command of the army.) Town Reported Retaken. In another success, the official Soviet communique announced th Russian occupation of Polotnyany: Zavod, on the Moscow central front Meanwhile, it was disclosed in Kuibyshev that the Red Army had completed training an enormous new pool of reserves under the uni- versal compulsory military service started by Premier Joseph Stalin October 1. + These men were said to give Russia additional power to meet the spring offensive the Germans have promised. In this connection, the retiring lic. Her body was recovered from the river two months later. At that time Mrs. Everts, mother | of the woman whose love affairs| and confidence operations were | newspaper headlines, predicted: | “My daughter shall reap what she | has sown. So far as I am concerned, she is not in the land of the living. I do not know her. Her mad ac- tions have broken my heart.” Sentenced on Coast. Mrs. Mountford was released by the Philadelphia authorities to ap- pedr “when wanted.” The F. B, I. record shows she turned up next in Spokafie, Wash., where she received | a penitentiary sentence as Mrs. George Hayes and served five years. In Newark, as Mrs. Carr, she reached the height of her career, with a maid, a houseman, a chauf- feur and a gardener. These and other former employes told a Jekyll- | Hyde tale of their employer's life. “I was told to grab the 'phone before Mr. Carr. could answer ‘t,” and to give her the mail before her husband saw it, related Mrs. Nancy Parham, a former maid. Mrs. Harry Weiser, wife of a for- mer chauffeur, pfctured Mrs. Carr| as “a sort of Robin Hond,” a Lady Bountiful who sent her son Christ- mas presents and gave food and clothing to the poor. But another former chaufleur told of her taste for expensive brandy and the prosecutor's detec- tives found several bottles of liquor in her home. ‘Won Confidence by Charity. From butcher, baker and grocer | in the Roseville neighborhood the | story was the same. She won their confidence with her church work and charity—plus large orders paid for in cash. But once her offers wkl;west their sav- ings were , rejected, the. largess ceased. Those who did part with their funds found that only threats to gd to the police brought them action, usually partial restoration of their funds and promises of greater retwmns. . Her powers of persuasion were fllustrated by Lt. Sklarey in & story told to him by the bréther of & Newark businessman who gave Mrs. Carr $3,500 to invest, without asking security or a note, and received back on demand his original invest- ment plus 6 per cent interest. “He would have mag me sign. over my arms and legs i had ssked British Ambassador to Moscow, Sir | Stafford Cripps, in a farewell mes- | sage published by the government newspaper Izvestia declared the Germans had “lost the initiative and we must never allow them to regain it * * * We must give them no | rest, no time to re-form their armies, no chance to strike in some other theater of war.” President Urged to Assign War Duties fo Legionnaires Lynn U. Stambaugh, national commander of the American Legion, asked President Roosevelt today to find a place for the Legion in the war-time operations of the Fede-ul Government, most possioty in the Office of Civilian Defense. Commander Stambaugh saw the President at the White House. He had pointed out previously he felt the many activities of the Legion could be made more eficient and effective if they were linked officially to some public office. Races and Creeas—Mingle In Building of Church | By the Asscetated Press. Elmwood Methodist Church was formslly opened yesterday with its fouMwalls dedicated to the Negroes, who built it and the tower to & Jew who supplied the money. . “The Church That Friendship Built"—a $25,000 structure which cost only $750 to build—was erected “in 19 months by members of the five racial and religious groups working side by side. The Rev. E. W. J. Schmitt, pastot, read f letter of congratulation from President Roosevelt, who described | the work of the church as “the spirit Youngster Sets Record On Teugh Ski Course him for $3,500,” the brother said. “But he told me jater he would have given her $10,000 if she had asked him before this happened, so greatly did she impress him.” A The near mile-a-minute time was and that they might as well go| Congress has shown little disposi- | A Red Star writer said the cm'-l PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 19.—The | Chinese, Cathotics and Episcopalians | P And Know They Are The following is the first eye- witness account of the epic battle which Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s American and Filipino forces are waging for control of Manila Bay in the mountainous Batan Penin- sula, where they have held out Jor more than two weeks. It is the second dispatch re- ceived from Associated Press Cor- respondent Clark Lee since two days before the fall of Manila on January 2. His first, on January 9, told of the escape to Corregi- dor of flve young American sol- diers from Southern Luzon, where they had been encircled. By CLARK LEE, * Associated Press War Correspondent. WITH THE 60th UNITED STATES COAST ARTILLERY ON BATAN PENINSULA, P. I, Jan. 16 (de- layed).—The day starts early for the crack anti-aircraft units of the United States arrmed forces of the Far East. ‘The sun has been up less than 40 minutes when the radiophone in the dugout beneath us crackles: “Flash, Flash. Six planes flying from the China Sea just above the lower layer of cloud: Capt. A. A. Abston, a tall, sandy- haired, red-mustached battery com- mander, eases from his seat on the sandbags into action. Sergt. Paul Verdi beats out the alarm signals which alert the bat- tery. All around us men take their posts with disciplined speed. Edward R. Wright, a raw-boned, taciturn, red-mustached private, glues his eyes to the rangefinder. Pvts. Ernest E. Wheeler and Louis Rio help him operate the big de- vice. “Flash, flash,” sounds the radio- phone again. “Those planes are enemy dive bombers now flying 2,000 yards' altitude.” The motors are now audible. o Japs Pay Costly Price. The second report had come from | another of the outposts which ring | vital American positions in this | area and whose teamwork has made | the Japanese pay a costly price for | their raids. Corpl. Clarence Graham directs the operations of the rangefinder in a quiet voice. “Elevate . . . Depress a little . , . Hold it . . . Take reading.” This instrument, together with another which Lt. L. Peterie oper- ates a few feet away, gives complete data to the gunners, making their work almost automatic. The instruments do everything | except tell whether the enemy’s pilot’'s name is Momotarosan or Ha- | bakkari. Just as Corpl. Graham calls out, “On the target!” we see the planes. They are flying single flle and plunge through the bottom layer of clouds into the clear. They are out of range of our big guns. Capt. Abston takes over. Controlled Excitement. “Flash, flash, flash.” he says, put- ting in an extra flash, “Six Jap- anese dive bombers flying certain direction at 1850 yards’' altitude. Leading three diving. Two others | flying straight ahead. One winging toward us.” | He speaks rapidly in a tone of controlled excitement which per-| vades the entire battery. | This battery has set a world anti- aircraft record for number of planes downed per number of rounds fired, the officers say. It has shot down a total of 12| nd is after its 13th In front of us three Japanese planes go into a shallow 45-degree dive and we hear a series of heavy | “whoomphs” as the bombs hit. ‘The sixth plane is diving straight | for us now, too close for the big | | | | | | | | guns. Capt. Abston grabs the inter- battery phone. “Machine guns open fire,” he or- ders. ‘The guns cut loose with a deadly, staccato chatter. “Take cover,” Capt. Abston shouts to the remaining battervmen. But everybody is too interested to think of safety. Golden tracer fire streaks past the Japanese pilot and he quickly | changs his mind, dumps his entire load of bombs at random and reaches for the safety of the clouds as the bullets tickle the tail of his plane. . Come Back After Breakfast. The Japanese give us time for an | uninterrupted breakfast, but im- mediately after the meal they are back again. 4 ! A low-flying observation plane slips by and Capt. Abon decides to “g've him a few, just to keep our hands m.” At his order, “Open fire — (s0 many) rounds only.” we crouch be- hind the sandbags watching the plane. The big guns crack and the shells scream skyward. Some pray sudibly, “Get him, knock him down!” The first shell bursts *within 50 yards of the plane, and the pilot does not tarry to do more observing. He has seen enough. He dives sharply and streaks for home. Says 1. MacDanields, Air Corps first lieutenant, attached to the battery as an observer: “He's sure as hell got some shrapnel to pick out of his tail.” This battery got one Japanese plane yesterday for sure. and prob- ably another. The confirmed hit blew the plane into infinitesimal | jeces. « These anti-aircraftsmen actually for enemy planes to come, partly because of the fun of shoot- ing them down, mostdy because every plane destroyed is one less to harass the unsafe ground forces. They realize that pending the ar- rival of American airplanes, anti- aircraft is the'U. S. A. F. F. E's sole means of defense against air attack. Alerts All Morning. All morhing long we get alerts. Once it is a twin-engined, twin- taled bomber on an observation mission. Usually the planes are single-motored, two-seated 97-dive bombers. One of the latter comes close enough for our battery to fie, but another battery opens simul- taneously sand the pilot dives out of range. So Capt. Abston ojders ours to cease fire. v Lt. J. D. Kwiatkowski reluctantly records the number of rounds fired and gives his mates a friendly bawl- W&ILM those shells. Think “Quit 0se shells. of bur average. If you keep-missing it will be back to the Infantry for turned in on the ‘Diamond. 8un | you. course which has & vertieal descent of 3,200 feet. A g All except the observers take shelter from the mid-morning sun A J 13 Anti-Aircraftsmenin Philippines Pray to Jap Planes to Come Defenders Get Fun in-Shooting Down Enemy Aiding Ground Forces in the dugout where we swap the names of our home towns. Capt. Abston is from Tuscfloosa, Ala.; Kwiatkowski, from Pittsburgh; Peterie, from Kinsley, Kans.; Mac- Daniels from Jackson, N. C.; Verdi from Netcong, N. J.; Wheeler from Comstock Park, Mich.; Wright from Montrose, Minn.; Rio from New Britain, Conn.; Graham from Lin- coln, Nebr. f Capt. Abston explains that the re- arkable score of anti-aircraft is “90 per cent information, 10 per cent in using information. “We are just part of a smooth- working anti-aircraft defense orga- nization .which supplies us informa- Clark Lee, shown with his spot to get a crack at the Japanese.” As he talks he keeps looking at his watch and wondering where “Tojo’s vig ones” are. Just after noon the radio phone flashes, “noise of many motors heard in — direction.” Without waiting orders, the boys jump to battle positions, grinning a little and nodding, “this is it.” No one hides his disappointment when the planes turn back when still far distant. Throughout the afternoon Japa- nese planes fly in the general vicin- ity, but the big bombers do not appear. As I leave the post, the gunners Laundry Dry Cleaning Hat Cleaning Rug Cleaning, Pillow Cleaning Blanket Cleaning Clothing Storage Ask us to send our booklet containing complete information and prices. Let Maohattan relieve you of all your cleaning worries, extract & promise to revisit them “when something’s really popping.” In farewell, they call out, “Keep ‘em flying.” and I reply with the anti-aircraft gunner's slogan, “Keep ‘em falling.” They grin, “We sure will.” ’ Postscript—With the U.S. A.F. F. E. on Luzon Island, Jan. 17 (Delayed) (#).—They kept their promise. The official report just received said & Japanese dive bomber plunged in flames & few minutes ago. Capt. Abston’s battery downed it with less than a score of shots. Fighting Yanks of Batan Sing Defiance of Japs The following dispatch, filed by Mr. Lee, was received by the As- sociated Press this morning: /By CLARK LEE, Associated Press War Correspondent. WITH THE U. S, A. F. F. E. ON BATAN PENINSULA, Jan. 18 (De- wife, the former Princess Liluo- kalani Kawananakoa of Hawaii, while they were in Hong Kong. —A. P. Wirephoto. | also with song, the fighting Yanks of | Batan Peninsula sound their de- flance to the attacking Japanese. ‘ To a variety of tunes the soldiers | are singing a poem entitled “Dive | written by | | Low, Dive Bombers.” | Corp. Dumot F. Wade, who comes from Ceronado, Calif. Corp. Wade is one of the men in a crack anti-aircraft unit I saw in action two days ago and his poem tells the whole story of the spirit | of these warriors: DIVE LOW. DIVE BOMBERS. I looked straight up and what did I see? Six dive bombers diving at me! If my eyes listened to my feet, My eyes would still be running— in retreat. But I cut the fuse on a 3-inch shell And our guns were quickly giving them hell. 8ix silver planes came sailing by, And we blasted two right out of the sky. This is our warning to the Rising Sun: It won't be long 'til we have the War won, Dive low, dive bombers, and give us a chance; Dive low, dive bombers, in your dying dance. Here are other notes in a war correspondent’s notebook: A Sunday morning snapshot: A tin-hatted private of the hard- boiled 4th Marines leaning his head agamnsc a machine gun sarrel and carefully reading page after page ! of the Bible. The U. S. A. F. F. E. ground forces on Batan Peninsula are composed of thousands of soldiers whose name is Joe. That's because the Ameri- cans call all the Filipinos “Joe” * * * and the Filipino’s respond in kind by calling all the Americans “Joe.” Many meals }un' with quinine. That's to combat the malarial mos- quitos infesting the midlands. The Batan Peninsula, in which the American and Filipino forces and the Japanese Armies have set- tled down to positional warfare, is a sparsely settled, little-cultivated region of fantastically shaped trees and nearly impenetrable jungle un- dergrowth. Many of the trees are from 30 to 50 feet in circumference and though they tower 300 feet there is follage only near the top. Parasitic creep- ers as thick as a man's body extend from the ground to the foliage. Soldiers of both sides climb the vines and hide in the treetops for: sniping and observation. While heavy vegetation prevails and off-the-road progress is most difficult, there are a few scattered areas where bananas and sweet potatoes are grown. There are also a few other clearings, and progress is relatively easy also along the coastline. There also are two main moun- taln masses behind the U. 8. A. F. F. E. lines—one near the shores of Manila Bay and the other in the southwestern corner of the peninsula. | Cathedral Services Held For Servicemen's Families A message calling for greater sacrifices by “still complacent” civil- ians was delivered by the Right Rev. James E. Freeman, Bishop of Wash- | ington, at special services for fam- | ilies of members of the armed forces at the Washington Cathedral yes- terday. | Pointing out that men in the serv- | ice are fighting on the front line to E preserve our way of life, Bishop | Freeman declared that “we have | not yet outgrown our complacency.” ; “It is time now for the home guard to go forward with more courage, tion. We happen to be in a good | layed) —With shot and shell . . . but | more zeal, more determination and more devotion,” he said. Another speaker at the services was Col. John C. Wolcott Linsley. chaplain of Fort Myer, who called on civilians to make the same sac- rifices made by those in Great Bri- 'tain and the Philippine Islands. Brig. Gen. Albert Cox, commander of the Washington Provisional Bri- gade, brought greetings to the special guests at the services and predicted the complete defeat of America's enemies. The scripture lesson was read by Lt. Col. Walter B. Zimmerman of the Chaplain Corps. Special music was played by the 12Ist Engineers Band under the direction of War- | rant Officer Mayer Goldman. Don’t Worry Lady! MANHATTAN CLEANS EVERYTHING FROM RUGS TO ROMPERS! Yes, Ma'm! And Manhattan does a beautiful cleaning job! You'll find "most any type of laundry or cleaning service you want in the list of Manhattan services below: Fur Cleaning, Storage, Repair, Remodeling Curtain, Drapery, Portiere Storage, Repair Cleaning Slip Cover (Fu: Phone DUpont 1117 COMPANY 1326 to 1346 Florida Avenue, N. 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