New Britain Herald Newspaper, March 24, 1925, Page 1

News of the World By Associated Press e ee——————— ESTABLISHED 1870 ) Average Deily Circulation For Week Ending l 2,0 41 March 21st , NEW BRITAIN HERALD NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, TUES s sy ; PRICE THREE CENTS JUDGE DENIES CHAPMAN PLEA ON MAKE-UP OF JURY PANEL ONE FIREMAN KILLED WHEN | Professional Baseball, Football CITY HALL AT NEWPORT IS PARTLL_dLLY RAZED BY FIRE Defense Explodes Sensation at Open- ing of Trial by Attempt to Halt Pro- ceedings— Spectacular Cavalcade Captain Tumbles To Death Down Flight of Stairs — Another Badly Hurt When Roof Falls In on Him. Damage to Building TIs More Than $200,000— | Probe Started to Ascer- tain if Blaze Was Incen- | diary. Newport, R. I, March 24.—One member of theNewport fire depart- ment lost his life today in a fire which. caused damage to the city hall building estimated at more than $200,000, John Roynan, a call fire- man, was badly hurt when a part of the room fell on him. Captain John Malloy was killed by falling down 1 flight of stairs when dazed with moke. Report of Incendiarism While atreams were still playing on the ruins city authprities began «n investigation of reports that the ire was of incendiary origin. Captain John Malloy, a veteran member of the fire department, was killed when he fell down a flight of | stairs in the building after having heen. overpome by smoke, Beveral others were overcome or suffered ninor injuries, Discovered at 3 a. m. The fire was discovered shortly 1fler 8 o'clock on the second floor of the city hall, and spread rapidly. Defective wiring was first assigned s a probable cause, but members of the board of aldermen today re- called that before their meeting last 1ght an olly rag was found in one of the rooms of the building. In- «quiries revealed that the rag had not been left by cleaners. At last night's ity council meeting an appropria- fon of $11,000 was passed to cover lamage caused by a fire in the building a month ago, Fire apparatus from the training station and from near-hy towns was rushed to the aid of the Newport force in a vain effort to halt the flames. The roof collapsed ind the entire interior of the build- ing had been consumed by 8 o'clock, only the outer walls remaining standing. The city records were be- leved to be safe, but were scattered aiwiong varlous city buildings, and the vaults were uninjured. The city hall was built in 1898 at a cost of between $200,000 and $300,000. Records Destroyed A checkup later indicated that the records of the school committee, board of health, building inspector and recreation department had been lestroyed. The land and other rec- ords covering a period of more than 200 years were removed safely to & school building nearby, and other archives were savad although there was water damage in some cases. Mayor Sullivan called & speclal meeting of the board of aldermen at 5:30 o'clock this morning, and the board planned to remain in session all day. The Sheffield building, se- leeted as the site for a new court | house, will be used as a temporary | city hall. The fire was the third in three months in the building. ELECTION OF MEETING BOARD IS ADVANCED Mayor and City Clerk Decide to Set Date at April 2 Instead of On April & Because the electors will be busy preparing for primaries and the city lection during the week of April 6, the date originally set for the city | meeting board special election, \ayor A. M. Paonessa and City Clerk Alfred L. Thompson declded today to issua the call for April 2, instead of April 6 Mayor Paonessa has written aldermen advising them of the changed date and requesting that vard caucuses be held for tha pur- poses of nominating candidates for the board. In almost every ward there are vacancies to be filled in addition to the election of eight members for three year terms. the French-German Potash Syndicate Protested W-shiugton, March 31.— Formal complaint was lodged with Secretary Kellogg today by Senator Harrls of Georgla, against practices the French-German potash syndicate. naval | BEAT SHERIFFS WITH OWN GUNS AND ESCAPE, | !Two Maryland Despera-| does, Handcuffed Being Sought in Swamp Salisbury, Md., March 24. a pistol from a deputy sheri®, who | with another officer was taking them to the Baltimore jall in an automo- bile, Andrew and Luther Bevans, brothers, shot and beat both officers, wrecked the car and escaped in a | swamp near Newark, early today. | The officers, William W. Purnell, | | chief of police of Snow Hill, and J. | W. Davls, deputy sherift of Worces- | ter county, were rushed to a hospital here. Davly' wqunds may prove | fatal. Posses are searching the swamp, known as Copper's Neck. The prisoners were handeuffed. The Bevans brothers had been held in the Baltimore jafl awaiting { trial for arson. They were brought | | to Snow Hill yesterday only to find | that court had adjourned until ¥ri- | day. Fearing for the safety of t | prisoners, the officers were return- ing them to Baltimore when they were attacked. The brothers were captured in a swamp three months { ago. . | Snow Hill, Md., March 24.—An- drew and Luther Bevans, brothers, | who escaped from their guards after wounding them this morning, weré | arrested last December after a hunt of four wecks and locked up gn | charges of burning the home of John Burke, a farmer. They were cap- | tured In a swamp on th tern shore of Virginia after heing trailed by bloodhounds and dcputies of Worcester county and Virginia. A fire which broko out across | the strect from the jail here this | morning is believed to have been | started by friends of the Bevans | brothers In an effort to divert at- | ention from the fugitives. The blaze, which was extinguish- ed with difficulty, owing to a strong | heart of the town | wind, menaced the | for a while. ! Cropper's Neck, where the | prisoners made thefr break for Wberty, Is an idcal hiding place for fugitives. Woods skirt both sides of | the state road for more t mile and most of it is virgin forest, with | dense underbrush. Only blood- | hounds could follow a trail through | these woods, and there are plac | were no man could follow the dogs. MRS, DENNISTOUN IS GIVEN $25,000 AWARD iJm‘y Finds She Did Loan Former Husband Money —Verdict Terms Vary | | iB,‘ The Assoclated Press. London, March 24.—A verdict of | £5,000 or nearly $25,000 in Mrs. Dorothy Muriel Dennistoun reidered this afternoon by the J | in her suit against her former hus- band, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Onslow Dennistoun for money she claimed she had loaned him. | The jury found that C 1 5 | nistoun did make a verbal ag ment to assist in his former w support from time t ne but not make tha agreeme in Mrs. Dennistoun’s claim. The jury also found that the suy port was to vary Ip accordanc Mrs. Dennistoun’s means, Colonel Dennistoun was only bour to assist her when the necessity arose; nor was he bound to support | her if she became the wife or mis- | tress of the Spaniard, Bolin, or the wife of a rich man. The consideration for the agree ment, the jury said, was Mrs. Den nistoun’s abstention from claimir maintenance or alimony before French court at the time of the favor of set forth - | vorce. The jury also found that Colo | Dennistoun, before the I the writ in the case, was le to support his former wife The verdict found that all the | sums Colonel Dennistoun X ad re- celved from Mrs. Dennistoun were 'm of loans which 1 not repald retired again to declde lon of damages the de- DR. HALL DIES AT 70. 5. Louls, March 24.—Dr. Fred kK Aldin 7 Hall, 70, ¢ peritus of Washington | died today of bronchial p rsity eumonta. | {that rema Isecond, the sounding out informally | T 75 Pound*Boy Says 240 Pound Sheriff Gave Him Beating = ‘Walerbury, March 14—Deputy Sheriff Willlam Jenusaitis, welgh- ing 240 pounds, was arraigned in city court this morning on a charge of beating an 8 year old school boy who welghs about 75 pounds. The deputy's case was continued until Thursday. He surrendered when a warrant was issued for him, COOLIDGE STARTS ON MOVE FOR CONFERENCE Instructs Kellogg to Take Preliminary Steps for Disarmament Session Washington, March 24.—President Coolldge suggested to Secretary Kellogg that certain definite prelimi- nary steps be taken toward laying the ground work for a new naval limitation conferen The work, as the president sees it, divides itself into two phases, the first being determination of the technleal aspects of naval limitation n to be concluded; the f the sentiment of powers as to the desi calling a new conferenc FIRST DAY OF DRIVE the other ability of BRINGS IN OVER $9,000 Teams Report Substantial | “reform measure” representatives of Contributions at Ki- wanis Luncheon More than $9,000 was reported at the close of the first day of the Community Chest drive at the luncheon of the workers at the Bur- ritt hotel today. The report of the team and the amounts pledged follows: Captain Amt. S. Raymond . . 56 8 G. Raw 1052 F. Hausman 600.25 Geo n 219.00 Kisselbrach .50 11 Gold ... 40 Parker . wn Page . hjcrden Kimhall Parker ...... J. C. Loomis ., W. Pullen ... Mrs. L. W. Young .. G HMysont ool Miss Mary Meyer ., Fr H. Shield B. A, Grzybowskl Mrs. Owslak Mrs. H. C. Warner , C. W. Buckey captains were as 604 409 Mrs. G B W Mrs, D, ent was provided dur- heon by “The Serenad- work of the Boy Scouts of ed and illustrat- stories of incldents during & Harold Willlams ot Pri nce, R. I, who was in 1 as the youngest Boy Scout tive in America. Williams referred to the sat on felt by a sculptor when he zns a statue or an engineer when is a bridge and compared th satisfaction of a out- he realized 1s ing manhood.” a story of two Boy \ America was expl ed by when he » were lost in s getting back ot of people spend their to get back on the trail end of the day they have ow for it." workers were guests of the ions club today. Tomorrow they guests of the Kiwanis club fitlon to the teams and cap- iblished in yesterday's Her- tory teams are xperienc a : to 8 willl be In ad as fol- Captain, Clapp, Mike | L. agalnst 51 |House Receives From Ju- diciary Committee the Buckley Bill Designed to | Allow Such Games—-—Ve-‘I feated in 1923, State Caplitol, Hartford, March 24, —Professional baseball and football on Sundays under local control is | |again a possibility In Connecticut as the house received from the judt- clary committee today the Buckley | blll, heard last Thursday, to allow | such games on Sunday afternoons. Such a bill was adopted in 1921 and vetoed and* its adoption {wo | years ago falled because a roll eall was demanded in the house and ac- cording to Major Buckley, then re- publican floor leader, many members who had promised to vote to localiz that which 18 now done in many | communities “turned hypocrites” | because they refused to go on record | by roll call on the bill and yet re- fused to adopt a law to enforce statutes against professional sports. | Medical Practice Bill | A very large number of persons interested in likaly changes in the | present medical practices act were here today for the hearing this | afternoon, before the judiciary com- | mittee on the bill offered by Senator | Brigham which was drawn by Bene- | dict M. Holden foreman of the in- | | quisitorial grand jury, which a year { ago investigated conditiops in Con- | necticut because ot an exposure of | operations of “fake diploma mills" hiere, Senator Brigham isic member | of the grand jury which is still esist- |ent, | The Bill which was the suofect of | the hearing has been denounced by its opponents who claim that it toed In 1921 and De- | WALTER SHEA N GERALD CHAPMAN The Victim of Armed Guards Escorts Bandit From Prison to Courtroom Five Jurors Chosen Up To 2.45 This Aftemoon (8pecial to the Herald,) Hartford, March 24.—In a court room tense with | expectancy, Gerald Chapman, accused of the murder of | Policeman James Skelly in New Britain, on October 12, 1924, today began his fight to escape the noose at Weth- ersfield state prison. | When court recessed at 1 o’clock this afternoon [only two jurors had heen chosen. They were Fred W. | Viets, a farmer, of East Granby and Thomas Rourke, |an insurance man, of Farmington. Viets is a young | man—in his thirties. Rourke is 59 years old. “Viets seems to be a fair man—he'll decide this case on the evidence,” Chapman said during the recess. Juror No. 3, A. W. Burrows, Bloomfield, a hook- POLICE) SKELLY would set up “a medical trust” and, it had been sponsored by the Con- necticut chamber of commerce as a the organization speaking in vari- ous parts of the state in advocacy of jt. Several schools of medicine | MRS. SKELLY DOESN'T WANT CHAPMAN HANGED FOR CRIME | oppose the bill claiming the intent | of it Is to legislate them out of legal | standing in the state. | | The gathering at the hearing was | made up of allopaths, osteopaths, | chiropractors, homeopaths, elec- tics, natureopaths and others. all anxious to be heard, Many s were on hand to represent | clients who are medical men. The hearing was in the hall of the house of representatives and was its | first general hearing this session on | A bill which drew a large attend- | ance. The next “big bill" to be heard will be that on the Wheeler enforce- | ment bill, so-called, next month. | Adoption of the bill is forecast but some discussion on it may come {in thE house Judges Approved The governor's nominations Fugene F. Farley and Sheridan | Whitaker to be judges at New Hav- were confirmed by the senate. The house concurred on the Far- and Whitaker resolutions. Mr. rley received 156 votes with 15 Whitaker 174 with ten | judges will take thelr | of | | {en |against. Both Iscats July 1. ‘he house received a bill to abol- ish the school district in New Hav- | Both branches adopted a resolu- \ for $1,000 to mect expense of exchange of a confederate flag ca |tured in the Civll war for ecticut ofticers sword now held at |New Orleans. The “stars and bars [tlag was shown from the desk was also on a table in the senate chamber when the resolution | {was before each body. a Co Safe Crackers Get $40,000 At Valparaiso ‘Post Off i_cg Chicago, March Val- Ind., post office w of postage and reven lued $40,000 by t e d v was notified by the Valpara chief. The robbers thought to have come from Chicago. paraiso ear her WANTS WOODIOCK'S PLANS Washington, March 24 ° intends to asc Thomas F. Wood ment as a member of t nferce commission b decision as to 1 be taken to fill the 1 by the resignatior missioner Potler, sid will acel a re wha — THE WEATHER SR For New Rritain and vicin- ity: Fair and warmer tonight; Wednesday — umseitled and warmer, [ tion of who will get t guilty | JTames Skelly, ne portance to the selec | couns toda to Selection Jury Crowding the Chapman for t of murdering s and s only secc Judge Fredetick J. for Gerald C! pture of C ature, for ur informed, pred ey | was off | murd 1 rer of Pat t De rds ar ards s Tn spit Gr and nnings, w 1 ) wi first clue and tt I3 Tag Worth $4.0 » American exy TEXAN APPOINT! as, tr of » rewards the arrest of Chapman if he is found Policeman nof a Groeh! apman, said All this talk about w going to get the $4 for the c tle 100 ED. 4 This problem is in the minds of many of the police wit- in im- ury. senior 0 18 | s 00 in rewards man is a Iit ss I have t FLURRY OVER REWARD 1 e s " ELBOWS TRIAL ITSELE Runs Second in Interest Guilty “God Will Punish Him,” Widow of Murdered Policeman De- clares. . Mrs. James Skelly, policeman the d on t Gerald 1 of the crime, will hanged, even if s found who was Skelly was found engaged in her home, papermen called to see her as asked if she intended to the Chapman trial n the negative. wish to go,” she said. and going to look v say killed him will : any or bring him to ., when news- and rep! haven't ‘Poor Pa is it the man th not help again." Referring to Chapman, “I suppose he did it. it except t by somebody “He did me a 1o and ! For the sake of to be put she sald Ever 1y ENO GOES BANKRUPT Prominent Simsbury Farmer Has As- sets of $10,820 and Tiabilities | | Totalling $85.017.77, | Haven, i a memt lest families in ition in bankrupt DENY M Wash {keeper was accepted by hoth sides within ten minutes |after court opened for the afternoon session. As in the {cases of the first two men accepted defense counsel did |not accept Burrows until Chapman had nodded his ap- proval. | The fourth juror was chosen a few minutes later, | He was Lawrence Klein, an Enfield salesman. The fifth juror chosen was Walter S. Case of Canton, { At the ppening of the trial, which is expected to be i replete with thrills, the defense created a sensation by | attempting to have the panel of talesmen from which the jury will be selected changed. Attorney Murphy, of counsel for the defense, argued on the challenge, !c]aiming that too many talesmen were selected from re- mote rural districts and that they were not chosen in public. During the argument of the challenge spectators {and officials held their breaths as it was realized that the case which has attracted attention from one end |of the country to the other might be halted before it | was well under way. State’s Attorney Hugh M. Alcorn, {upon whose shoulders rests the burden of hringing about a conviction, did not appear disturbed by the mo- tion to enlarge the panel. Attorney Murphy argued that it would have been more fair | to select a panel of talesmen more representative of the county. | He pointed to the fact that the city of Hartford, with one- | third of the population in the county, was not represented on | the panel. He also noted a similar sitaation with regard to other cities. | Judge Newell Jennings, who will hear the evidence in the case, sat immobile during Attorney Murphy's argument, and then denied the motion. He explained that due notice had been | given that the panel would he drawn and, therefore, it could | not be properly said that it was not held in public. He ex- I| pressed the conviction that the jury would not be chosen from | the 150 talesmen who had been summoned and said that in- | cluded in the next panel would be citizens of larger communi- | ties, such as Hartford and New Britain. | After Judge Jennings had denied the motion, the work of selecting the jury was begun. : Chapman is personally picking his own jury, the 12 men who are expected to reach a decision which means life or death to him. As each prospective juror is called, Chapman ‘>tl1fil(’s him intently, apparently relying on his acute and trained powers of observation to determine the fitness of the candidate. Attorney Nathan O. Friedman of with counsel for the defense, examined the talesmen this morn- ing as they were called. He asked several questions and then went over to Chapman and sat down with him. In every in- stance the decision whether the prospective juror was ncbept- able to the defense was made by the bandit himself. He gave each candidate severe consideration and then made his de- cision after rubbing his chin and apparently reflecting on the impression the candidate had made on him. A terse “No"”, and the prospective juror was excused. Each side is entitled to 25 peremptory Hartford, associated said he was opy No Photographers Allowed. sed to th death not allow photographs tak courtroom. He said he ss gave the pro- he ap- serve om wington a charge of They were pro- n and the minor ase befors the Page estions, (Continued an Four) 4