Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

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U. S. WARSHIPS TO LEAVE FOR TROUBLE ZONE
A Paper for The  Home
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
W eather
Sunday:   Partly cloudy. Monday: Partly cloudy, coMsi^
SIXTY-EIGHT PAGES
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, DECEMBER   19, 1937
PRICE TEN CENTS
MURDER
YATESVILLE
FOURTH U. S. PANAY SAILOR DIES
MARINES IN BRUSH WITH JAP TROOPS IN SHANGHAI
  f	
Navy Today Sending Ships Japanese Emperor Hears Report
To Tsingtao; Ohio Sailor Has   End   Hastened By Forced Exposure
CHINA STRIKING BACK
On Blunt Demand From Roosevelt
HOUSE VOTE IN FAVOR OF HOUSINGACT
Invading Army Of Japanese Rolls Deeper Into China
Shanghai. Dec. IB., Sunday, (UP) - Two United States warships arc preparing to depart for Tsingtao, It was announced today shortly after Rear Admiral Harry E. Yar¬ nell, commander of the U. S. Asiatic fleet, abruptly postponed his de¬ parture for Manila.
The warships are being sent "due lo the situation" al Tsingtao, the announcement said.
Departure of the flagship Au¬ gusta for Manila was "indefinitely postponed." The official announcement said: "The destroyer Pope will leave for Tsingtao at daylight, to he fol¬ lowed by the cruiser Marblehead as »non as possible, probably about U a. m."
Situation Tense II was reliably reported Chinese ! hsd    set    afire    an    undetermined numher of Japanese mills at Tsing- ' tan and the situation there waa re¬ garded as most tense. | Tsingtao,  a former tJerman  port ¦ on the M)uth«rik.«id» of the Shan- j lung peninsula, is fhe normal port | for     removing     missionaries     and j niher Americans in the Interior of! Shantung.
It is also the summer port of the American Asiatic fleet. ;
JOO Ameriran* Ther* Vhere     are     approximately     .'Jnii Americans   in   Tsingtao   and   they [ have instructions,  in  the  event  of | emergency,  to mobilize  nl  the ex- ; elusive Edgewater Mansions, where transportation to warships  can  be arranged   easily.     There   also   are many  Britons,   including   residents of a  British  boarding  school,  and other Europeans,
The only American warship In Tsingtao is the cruiser Sacramento, which lefl Shanghai several days ago.
11 was recalled that Tsingtao and its vicinity throughout the Chinese war has been left untouched by Jspancfie because they feared a movement to occupy the city would cause destruction of more than 3no,nni1,fion yen labout SflO.nno.OOOl worth of Japanese-owned mills.
The Japanese commanders have carefully confinerl their attacks Ihus far to the part of Shantung north of the 'Vellow River. Chlnetie. AttAOk City The British American Tobacco Company reported it received a terse message from Its Tsingtao representative:
"The Chinese arc blowing up Tsingtao."
It was believed this wns an ex¬ aggeration, but there appeared no doubt that serious conflicts were Roing on belween Chinese and J.ipanesc there.
The report of the burning mills raised the possibility that the Japanese, if this information is confirmed, will move immediately against Shantung province, In which Tsingtao is 'ocated. Tn this event they probably wnuld land Somewhere on the peninsula in ad- ilitlon to crossing the Yellow River, since any reason tor delay would be nullified hy Ihe threatened de- • Continued   on   Page   A-2>
((opyright, 1937, By liiit<-d Press)
Tokyo, Dec. 18. (UP) Rmperor Hirorito granted an audience to¬ night to Prince Fumimaro Konoye, Japanese premier, after the United Slates delivered a new and stronger protest on the Panay incident.
It was understood that Prince Konoye reported lo the Rmperor the desire of the government to convolve an imperial conference next week to sharl a definite course with regard to the situalion in China,
The mounting seriousness of the situation was emphasized by the arrival here of Rear Admiral Teizo Mistunami, chief of aerial opera¬ tions in China.
Offers To Rewign
The United Slates' demand for punishment of the attackers is re¬ ported lo have resulted in an offer by Admiral Kiyoshi Haesgawa. Japanese navy commander in chief, to resign. It was understood, how¬ ever, that the offer was rejected on the grounds thnt the govern¬ ment held that responsibility rested "or the most part with Mitsunami.
Milsunami,  who  was  directly  in
charge of aerial activities, was re called  to Tokyo and will give  the
government  an  account  of  the  or-| gj||  ReCOITimended By PreSl" ders he issued to naval fliers.
dent Roosevelt Passes By 325 To 23
GOES NEXT TO SENATE
Measure To  Aid  Business By Starting Construc¬ tion Wave In Nation
Meanwhile, Sir Robert Craigie. British ambassador, visited the Foreign Office and asked for clari- flcation of certain points in the Japanese reply to protests against the attack on the British gunboat Ladybird.
The French govcrnmeni also be¬ gan taking hand when Ar.sene } Henry, French ambassador, called at the Foreign OflBce and asked for assurances regarding protection of French ships on the  Yangtse.
Pregident Demands Guarantee
¦Washkigton, Dec. 18. (UP)— President Roosevelt is determined lo    obtain    definite    and    concrete
Washingion,  Dec.  18.  (UP)—The
House  tonight passed and sent to
. , , the  Senate  a  housing  bill  liberal-
Japanese guarantees against future! down-paym-nt   requirements
attacks on United States ships and i .'   *
its citizens in Cliina before closing i '|.up*^yot;g^t,n the    Panay    incident,    responsible
Federal   Housing   Act a roll call was 325 to ;
23.
Intended to stimulate home con¬ struction and thus aid the business
(Continued on  Page A-lfi)
U. S. AMBASSADOR TO GREA T BRITAIN DIES
Robert W. Bingham. 66, Had
Distinguished   Career;    -
Was Business Leader     '
PUBLISHER, JUDGE
Baltimore. Dec. 18. (UPi Robert W. Bingham, American ambassador to Great Britain, died lonight in Johns Hopkins hospilal.
BinRham. who was (>« years old. had been in poor health for somc months. Death was attributed to Hodgkin's disease a relatively rare disease affecting the lymph system of the  body.
The American ambassador was operated upon early this week for exploratory purposes. Later il was announced that an inflammatory condition of the abdomen had been disclosed.
He rallied after the operation, but today his condition turned for the worse. Members of his family were summoned to the hospital. He died at 7:21 p. m.
Appointed By Roo«evrlt
Bingham, publisher of the Louis¬ ville,     Ky..     Courier-Journal     and | Times,   was   named   ambassador  to Creat  Britain  by  President  Roose¬ velt  at  the  outset  of  his  adminis- I tration in 1933,
Bingham's resignation from his London post had been expected for a fortnight because of his poor health hut it had not been known that he was in so critical condi¬ tion, i
His  successor in  London,  it  has [ b"en   revealed,   is  to   be  Joseph   P. Kennedy,  retiring chairman  of the U. S. Maritime Commission.
Bingham is survived by his widow  and  three  children,  Robert
officials declared today
Official dispatches from Ameri¬ can government representatives in China are confirming in additional   situation, the measure was reconi-
mended    by    President    Roosevelt early in the special session.
Republican mjmbers of the House banking and currency com¬ mittee made repeated efforts to amend the bill. Rep. Jesse P. Wol¬ cott, R., Mich., charged that it juit the. government in competition with private lending agencies. One Amendment Paasea All amendments except one were defeated. The amendment adopted was by Rep. James W. Mott, R., Ore., making rural homes eligible for insured loans.
The  Senate  housing  subcommit¬ tee will meet Monday in an effort to complete a Senate bill  in tim* for passage by Wednesday. Chair¬ man  Robert J. Bulkley, D.,  C,  in¬ dicated  there  were  no serious dis¬ agreements    in   the   subcommittee and hoped for a unanimous report. Senate Ma.iority Lender Alben W. Barkley   said   that  he   felt   the   bill should   pass   the   Senate   with   only one day's consideration, but that if necessar.v  he  would  keep  the  Scn- I ate   in   session   through   Thursday ! to complete action, j Hope For Boom
' By lowering the down payment required on homes purchased with federally-insured funds, the ad¬ ministration hopes the construc- i tion it will start will create a ] boom in the building trades and halt the current business reces¬ sion.
A rapprochement, it was be- Teved, would release frozen utili¬ ties construction funds, thus stim¬ ulating business generally. Tues¬ day's   conferences   were   scheduled
Through   tha  mtmorial  gateway j strive   to   catch   up   with   the   re- ! at Tazang speeds this motor trans-   treating     Chinese.    Tazang     was port truck as the Japanese forces | heavily  attacked  by  the  Japanese
as a key point in the Chinese de¬ fense line when the Chinese fell back  from  Shanghai.
MHERS OF CIIY
148.600 BACK PAY
Audit  Shows  190  Eligible
In One Year Instead
Of 'About 76'
CASE IN HIGH COURT
ROIIKRT  \V. BINtiHA.M
. . .  "Ideal  Diplomat"  .  . .
Worth. Henrietta Worth and George Barry Bingham.
Bingham had a long career in public and civic affairs. He served Jefferson couniy. Kentucky, as prosecuting attorney from 1004 to 1907 and in 1907 was elected mayor (Continued  on   Page  A-lfi)
(Continued  on  Page  A-16)
SOVIET PRISONER CASE GROWS COMPLICATED
Police Seek Blonde Accomplice Of French ^Bluebeard' Murderer
Paris, Dec. Ig, (UP)—A blonde accomplice of the "Bluebeard Mur¬ derer of St. Cloud" was sought by police tonight as they prepared to confront Eugene Weidmann and otlier alleged members of his "mur¬ der mob" with the evidence of Weidmanii's six confessed killings.
'Phe  new  woman  in  the  case  is
it Colette Tricot, who has been lEscrihed as a lure for Wcidmann's executions, according to police, but "there is reason to believc that she played an imporiant role" in the gang's  activities.
Police are now convinced that in addition to murdering for money the gang was engaged in other illicit traffic, including the manu¬ facture of false passports, stolen automobiles and procuring women for  white  slave   rings.
"The money thev spent wilh a full
yet  been   evaluated."   a   police   in¬ spector  told  the  United   Press. Advertised for Women
"Weidmann assiduously frequent¬ ed hotels for which slave traders and traffickers in women have a marked preference. When he put ads in the English papers for young women seeking work he perhaps did not have only homicidal thoughts  toward   them.
"It may have been that he hoped to exploit them other than by killing them. Wc are at present investigating the disappearance of several women whn it seems were in touch with Weidmann."
Weidmann and his alleged ac¬ complices, Robert Million and Colette Tricot, will be brought to¬ gether Tuesday and confronted wilh  their  various  stories.
At that time Million will have an   opportunitv   to   deny   to   Weid-
New York, Dec. 18. (UP)-- i Efforts to identify the mysterious "Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Robin¬ son" now held in a Soviet prison, became more difficult than ever to¬ night after several interesting clues blew up in the face of in¬ vestigators,
Fritz Kuhn, square-jawed chief of the German-American Bund, denied assertions that "Robinson" was the American Nazi, Raymond J. Healey, after telephoning the Bund hendquarters at Chicago, where he was informed Healey was living there.
Picture   "Identified"
Pre\ iously a paisport photograph of the man arrest.,>d in Russia had been shown to several of Healey's former associates, who said it looked like a picture of Healey.
"Healey is at the Haus Vaterland in Chicago," Kuhn snapped angrily. "The German-American Bund has nothing to do wilh this Robinson."
Other clues uprooted from a mass of vague and contradictory evi¬ dence were:
1. That the pair travelling in Russia on fraudulent American passports were members of an in¬ ternational C^ommunist "Red un¬ derground."
2. That "Robir.son" was formerly a  New York school teacher.
3. That he was a former student
hand   did   not   come   to   them ! mann's   face   the   latter's   flat   ac- solely   through   murders,   although I cusalion   that   Million   shot   Rober jat the City College of New York, •II that they got that way has not ' Leblond. >   *¦ That he was a sailor aboard
a West African freighter.
:>. That "Robinson" was a wo¬ man and his wife may have been his sister.
The supposed "identification" of Healey was regarded as the strongest clue thus far, until Kiihn's telephone call proved Healey had not left the United States.
Healey  la  Found
Chicago, Dec. 18 (UP) Raymond J. Healey, who resembles passport photographs of the mysterious "Donald L. Robinson" held in a Soviet prison, was found in a norlhside apartment-hotel tonight.
He at first denied he was Healey but admitted his identity when confronted with photographs of "Robinson," whom he was reported to resemble.
Healey showed a marked resem¬ blance to "Robinson's" passport photograph and description. He said he is employed by a construc¬ tion company and has lived here 11 monlhs. He is married and has a four monlhs old baby.
Asked about his reported affil¬ iation with an American Nazi movement Healey  replied:
"1 got  no politics."
Mrs. Healey, however, told re¬ porters that her husband was In¬ terested in "nstional youth move¬ ment." Mrs. Healey bore a strong resemblance to passport photo¬ graphs of "Mrs. Rohinion," also held in a Soviet prison.
Recently the Dauphin county court became the second to decide that salary increases withheld from teachers in the 1933-34 and 1934-3.'! school years musl be repaid them. Should the Superior Court, now to hear the case, affirm these deci¬ sions, Wilkes-Barre will be affected to a much greater extent than has been believed and tremendous tolals will be run up through the county.
Contrary to opinions that oniy "about 76 teachers would be effect¬ ed," it was shown lasl week that 190 cily teachers would be owed .?19,000 for the salary increases they did nol receive in 1933-34 and that 175 would be eligible for that and the additional $200 also owed for 1934-35 and that the grand total the school district would have to provide to make up their claims would be ,$48,600.
Some Claim $Sm (For example, a teacher might have been paid $1,400 in 1933-34 instead of $1,.")00, when an increment was not given. For that year she would be owed $100. If the next year she also was paid $1,400, it would mean that she had missed two increments that year or $200, for she would have been paid $1,600 if the Edmunds Acl had been fol¬ lowed. Thus, in those two years she was paid $.300 less, due to delay in starling the increases. It is because of this that 190 cily teachers may be due for $100 for one year and 175 due $200 for the next. The differ¬ ence In number of Icachers Is (Continued on  Page A-16>
Left 3 Million,
Kills Himself
Santa Barbara, Cal., Dec. 18. (UP) Percy Grubb, 40, unmar¬ ried, killed himself today be¬ cause he was not permitted to spend aa he pleased a fortune of $3,000,000 which hc inherited from his mother, the coroner's office   reported.
Grubb's body w>\s found in a closed garage belonging to his brother-in-law, A. G. Wood, al Carpentcria. It was believed he had started the motor of an automobile and died of monox¬ ide   poisoning.
Grubb's mother, Mrs, Alice Grubb, owned land on the Rln- con coast, under which oil was found.
NEW REVOLTS ARE THREAT OVER NEXT
LOYALISTS SCENT GREAT VICTORY AS
Bitterest Battle Of Civil War j     Wages In Snow; Cut j        Off 60,000 Rebels
Shattered Special Program
Shows Split In New
Deal    Front
WAGE BILL BURIED
MAY BE TURNING POINT
A   New  Short  Serial
LADY BETTE
By .lOH.N CAPITOE BPXJINS TOD.W
Betle Vare's aunt left an eccentric will, bequeathing Bette $200,000 if she lived for two years with the socially prominent Parker family and learned to become a lady.
But Betto found that even in society nne can encounter hatred and greed, jealousy and revenge. Her adventures will hold you in suspense in •very installment.
Turn tn page A-32 and be¬ gin  the  first  chapter  today.
Hendaye, Franco-Spanish Fron¬ tier, Dec. 18. (UP) Fall of the walled city of Teruel, important Nationalist base on the Aragon front, within a few hours was predicted tonight by jubilant Loyal¬ ist   forces.
The government said its forces had captured the last important defensive position and taken a mill norlliwest of Teruel, the keypoinl of resistance to entrance lo the cily. Agence Espagne claimed it marked the collapse of Nationalist defenses in  this sector.
Evacuation  Demanded
The Rebel prisoners were sent back to Teruel with mes.sages or¬ dering the Rebels to evacuate the civil population of the city by 9 a. m. Sunday, after which the town would  be  declared a war zone.
A Loyalist army communique said that governmeni aviation had scored heavily againsl Nationalist shock troops who were rushed up in  an  attempt  lo relieve  the siege.
More than 100,000 troops were engaged in the hattie, one of the most bitter of the Spanish civil war. They fought knee-deep In snow in what frontier observers said might be a turning poinl to the 17 months of bloodshed. «0,000   Troops   Besieged
The Loyalists asserted that their troops, aided by squadrons of heavy tanks and an "All-Spanish" air force composed mostly of youths, had penetrated the city at the southesal and fought hancl-to- hand with Rebel Moors in an old cemetery,
E.scape   has    heen    cut    off    for
60,1100    enemy    troops    and    12,000
civilians within the city renowned
for  seven   centuries  for  the   tomb
(Continued on Pag* A-16)
Washington, Dec, 18. (UP)—Ad¬ ministration leaders tonight sought to salvage remnants of President Roosevelt's .shattered special ses¬ sion program and turn the tide of congressional rebellion that killed the New Deal's labor standards bill.
The task of restoring administra¬ tion dominance in Congress was made doubly urgent from the New Deal's poinl of view—by frus¬ tration of the emergency session Icsislalive agenda nnd by the threat of more turbulent uprisings in the regular session opening in January. Rnosevelt Taken Action
Mr. Roosevelt took cognizance of the ilifficult road ahead by asking his congressional leaders to come to the White House on Monday for a thorouprh canvass of the leg¬ islative situation, which appeared uncertain to both friends and foes of  the   administration,
"The nel result of the session is zero minus." Senate Minority Lead¬ er Charles L. McNary, R., Ore., summed up without regret for the opposition. The session will end Intc  ncxl week.
"We made headway," House Speaker William B. Bankhead. D., Ala., countered. "We have made substantial progress toward ad- jourment of the regular session around April 15."
"The House burial of the wages- hours bill is an indication that Con¬ gress will no longer by simply a yes-man." Sen. Rurton K. Wheeler, (Continued  on  Page  A-16)
SHOT DOVIN IN DISPOTE ON LUMBER
George Ratz Dies in Argu¬ ment Over Second-Hand Wood His Son Took
WANTED TO BUILD BUNW
Luigi Bonomo Flees To Sur¬ render In Office Of His Lawyer   In   Pittston
Shot through the ahdomeri, George Ratz, 51, of Yatesville, died yesterday afternoon one hour a£te« he had been wounded by a ne'gn; bor during a quarrel over the thefU of flfty cents worth of wood. Polic* lodged a formal murder charga against Luigi Bonomo, ,30, also of Yatesville, who last night was ba< ing held prisoner at Wyomin| Barracks ot the Pennsylvania Mtx tor Police.
The murder of Ratz, married aniJ the father of five children, occur* red on the front porch of his homa al 22 Calvert street in full view oC several passersby. While the dying man wa.'i being taken to a hos" pital. Bonomo, alsn married aniJ the father of two young children! ran from Yatesville to Pittston, where he surrendered to his at* lorney and wailed for the policf to come for him.
Boys Took His Lumber A shotgun alleged In have beeq used by Bonomo wa.s discovered h* police al the prisoner's home. It had heen thrust away there imme* diately after the shooting. A load! of buckshot had been fired from it authorities claimed. Bonomo tolq police that he did not intend tfl shoot.
The desire of two of Ratz's son) to build themselves a bunkhous* in the rear of their home was saiil by authorities to have led to Ih^ fatal shooting. The two hoys, i| was claimed, went to Bonomo'j home at 14 Maple street. Yates* ville, where thoy found some oddi and ends of wood that Bonomo haij been using to build an addition til his own home. Th» alleged thefj of wood occurred early yesterdajj and Bonomo believed the Ratz boyil were responsible.
"It was some second-hand wood and wasn't more than an armful,* said one of the police last nighf as they che< ked over the storieg told by both  families.
Fired >\ hen Rushed Bonomo appeared at the RatJ home shortly before 3 orlock carry* ing a shotgun, witnesses declare(l. Meeting in the parlor, Bonomo ae4 cused the Ratz boys of stealing hiJ wood and a hitter argument dee veloped. It ended when hoth men appeared in angry mood in th( doorway leading to the front porclv Police were told that Ratz atM templed to push his nelghbo^ away and at that moment tint shotgun  was  discharged.
Ratz fell lo the porch bleeding from a wound in llie abdomen. Hil wife and children rushed to hli aid while neighbors arranged foj an automobile to take him tfl Pittston Hospital. In the conftij sion, Bonomo ren to his own homJ less than half a block awsy. Therf (Continued on  Page A-16)
Reynolds* Tobacco Fortune Going To Campaign On Social Disease
Winstnii-Salem, N, C, Dec. 18. (UP)—Trustees of the Zachary Smith Reynolds foundation, a memorial to the young tobacco heir who was killed mysteriously here five years ago, announced to¬ night that the income from the $7,0(10,(K)0 fund wiil be used exclu¬ sively for a campaign in North Carolina   against   syphilis.
A check for $100,000 already has been presented to the North Caro¬ lina state board of health to be used in connection with other funds alloted for the 1938 veneral disease control program of the board.
The $7,000,000 memorial fund to Smith Reynolds, established for¬ mally in 1936, represents the re¬ mainder nf an allocation of 37H percent of his estate under a settle¬ ment  approved  by  atate  and  fed¬
eral  courts  at  the  end  of  a  long
legal   hattie. i
Children, Widow  Cared  For     '
The   rest   of   the   estate   of   th«
youngest  son   of  the  lale  Richar^
J. Reynolds, tobacco multi-million^
aire, was divided  among his posti
humous    son.    (."hrislopher    Smit^
Reynolds, who received 25 percenik
Anne Cannon Reynolds, his daugh]
i ter by his  first marriage, who raa
I ceived    37'.j    percent,    and    Libbjl
j Holman Reynolds, Broadway torrU
I singer   who   was   Reynolds   seron]
wife.   She   received  $7.W.0OO.
In making income from th< memorial fund available to Nortlj Carolina for a war against syphle Us, the trustees specified that 2f percent of the income should r^» turn to the principal ench yeag until tbe principal reaches $50,000* (X>0
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