New-York tribune. [volume], November 20, 1920, Image 1

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Vol. LXXX No. 27,033
(Copyright, into,
New York Tribune Inc.)
SATURDAY
TVews ? Editorials ? A dvemsemtnts
THE WEATHER
Generally cloudy to-day *v.d to?
morrow; moderate temperature;
moderate west winds.
Fall Report on f.?*! P&ge
NOVEMBER 20, 1920
? * *
TWO CENTS
In Greater New York
TnitEE CENTS
IV it hin 200 Mile?
FOI R CENT!?
F.lam-her?
Berlin Files
Protest on
Allied Policy
On Mandates
_ i
Communication to League
Criticizes the Manner in
Which Powers Distri?
buted Spoils to Victors
Virtual Annexation
Of Territory, Claim
Germany Insists Assign?
ment of Colonies Was
in Violation of Treaty,
She Not Being Consulted
By Ralph Courtney
Sped?! fnbte to The Tribun*
Copyright. 1920, New York Tribune Inc.
GENEVA, Nov. 19.?The German gov?
ernment has handed to the officials of
the League of Nations a long communi?
cation protesting against the manner
j:i which the question of mandates has ,
been handled by the Al'ied powers.
The note asserts that the nations hold?
ing mandates over the forme^ German
eclonies and other territory formerly
belonging to the Centra Power? have
acted without full authorization and
ct-tside ?f the letter of the Treaty of
Versailles. I
The Germans complain that the
league has so far failed in its duty in
(referring mandatory powers. The
iot? points out that the mandate ter
i-tories have been allowed to become
nothing les? -han the colonies of the
;tates holding the mandate? over them.
This amounts in mnst cases, the note
says, to fhe virtual annexation of the
territories, while, according to ths
tpirit of the treaty the mandatory
powers should be responsible for the
idministration of the former German
territories 'or the benefit of the popu?
lation.
The Germans contend that the re
snonsibi t; of the league with respect
to mandates implies responsibility to
a Leo^'ie of Nations in which Germany
herself is included. The note objects
to the way in which the great powers
amonp- the Allied countries came to
?.-fcthcr at;d distributed the mandates
tmong themselves to their mutual sat
if.iction without consulting Germany
or the other nations of the league.
Germ-.ns "repare Lengthy Briefs
The German document, which covers
?orne st .en and a half typewritten
foolscap ."ages, points out in detail
every respect in which the mandatory
arrangements do not, according to the
Germans, conform to ?he letter of the
iieacf treaty. Tfay.; army of German
jurists in Geneva, it is said, has com?
pleted the compilation of five great
volumes of 300 p;-g?s, each containing
comm-ntarirs on the Versailles treaty
and its application. The Germans are
fully aware of all the flaws in the,
treaty and know the points on which
the Allies admittedly have not been
able to orry out its provisions.
Although the subject of mandates
Was discu sed by the League of .Na?
tions council, both at its San Sebas?
tian meeting und at Brusse.s, Leon
Bourgeois, who was in chnrgo, was
compelled to confers at the last meet?
ing in Bruss":s that tho mandatory
question was then not in a fit state for
presentation even to a committee of
the league assembly.
Question Still Hangs Fire
The mandatory question is, there
lore, cont nuing :o be an acute bother
to the league. At San Sebastian, in
despair of knowing what to do, the
league council decided to address notes
to the mandatory states askin?; them to
State their views as to boundaries and
the administration of mandata terri?
tories. This act of asking the owner to
?efine his pos tion, although it be?
trayed the extreme weakness of the
league Itself, was held by the council
members to be the only course of ac?
tion they could take.
Nevertheless, despite the added
*s:ght of America's protest against
the Franco-British seizure of the Turk?
ish oi! fields for themselves, it was
impossible for the league to get any
satisfaction fnm tho mandatory
powers. All except one of them aio
reported to have scorned the league's
communication altogether, and this
wag France, which sent a partial re?
ply
At Brussels the league council again
appealed to the mandatories with nega?
tive results. At Geneva when the
league council met, the solution was
ftlll out of reach.
Protest May Affect Commission
Germany's latest protest may help
'he secretariat of the league so to dis?
tribute the membership oi tue league
commission on mandates as to put a
major::y of the votes in the hands of
"on-mandatory powers. Great Britain
(Cgntlnutid on pag? four)
Congressman Garland
Found Dead In Bathroom
Pittsburgh Representative Falls
Across Tub When Stricken
With Heart Disease
WASHINGTON. Nov. 19.?Congress
Jan Mahlon M. Garland of Pittsburgh,
Kopubican, Represcntutive-at-Large
'Fom Pennsylvania, was found dead in
'Be bath toom of his home here late
to-day. Death was due to heart di
?"?ase. Mr. Garland returned to Wash
gfton from Pittsburgh Wednesdny.
wben he failed to go to his office this
?orning, his secretary went to his
hem?.
He then was ill, but declined to have
? Phybirian. In the afternoon, failing
?? ?et an answer to a telephone cal!,
toe secretary again went to the home
?nd found Mr. Garland dead across the
B?th tub, where he had fallen when
?tricken.
Mr- Garland, who was sixty-four
years old, had served in Congres*
WH sessions and prior to that was
Collector of Customs in Pittsburgh for
?**ento?n years. An only daughter,
w,*o survives him, now is in Europe.
Ex-Aviator Reported in Flight
With $100,000 of Train Loot
Money, All in $10 Bills, Is Part of $3,500,000!
Taken by Bandits; $400,000 Found in Chicken
House; Five Are Arrested and Four Confess!
Special VUpatch to The Tribune
OMAHA, Neb., Nov. 19.?With ten
' thousand $10 bills packed in two suit
| coses, an GX-IisJatenant, who saw serv
! 'ce in avia'ion during the war and won
many military decorations, to-night is
aid to be fleeing with a large portion
; of the loot of the treasure car of the
transcontinental fast mail, which was
! robbed last Saturday night between
I Omaha and Council Bluffs. The lieu?
tenant is identified as the head of the
prang which robbed the treasure car
nT\-i as the man who drove the taxicab
in which the robbers were to have es?
caped. He is the only one of the rob?
bers now at liberty and the govern?
ment Secret Service men have started
n nation-wide search for him.
He is supposed to be putting as many
miles between himself and the scene of
the robbery as possible. The $100,00'')
rvhich he took with him when he left
Council Bluffs was all in $10 bills.
To-day's developments prove the rob?
bery undoubtedly to have been the
greatest in the history of the postal
service, and the $3,500,000 which has
been stated as the maximum is now
looked upon rather as a minimum
amount secured by the robbers.
Three bushels of $10 bills were re?
covered to-day where they had been
hidden in a chicken house. They were
neatly stacked and tied in packages
of $1,000 each, just as tray came from
the bank. They have .lot been counted,
but estimates run all the way from
$200,000 to $400,000. To-morrow the
great pile of bills will be counted.
Omaha bankers say the bills, if
loosely thrown into the big sack in
which they were found, will look like
about $800,000, but if neatly stacked,
will' total about $400,000
The bag of bills was found in the
chicken house of T. A. Daly, 2735 Sev?
enth Avenue. Daly is under arrest,
ns is a so H. A. Reed, a roomer at
the Daly home.
In addition to the great bag of bills,
which came from the Daly chicken
house, a batch of between $10,000 and
$20,000 was found under a fence,
where Mrs. Daly had hidden it after
Reed, the roomer, had been arrested.
Besides the cash recovered to-day
and the $100,000 which the lieutenant
is said to have taken away with him,
a hurdred secret service men, police
special agents and detectives _a*<.
searching for $1,000,000 which the
robbers are supposed to have secretee
in Council Bluffs. Every nook anc
cranny wit./in a mile of the homes ol
(Continued an page four)
Appeal to Irish,
Rumely Wrote
Dr. Dernbnrg
Ex-Editor of Mail Told;
in Letter of Offer of
Gaelic Paper as Medium
for German Propaganda
Sent Care of BernstorfF
Desire to Stir Up Anti
British Feeling Is Dis
I closed During Trial
Two letters were accepted as evi
j dence yesterday at the trial of Dr. Ed?
ward A. Rumely, tormerly proprietor
; and editor of The New York Evening
: Mail, which tend to show that he con?
sidered an offer, said to have been
made by t'ie editor of The Irish-Ameri?
can, that its pages might be used for
German propaganda.
i Dr. Rumely is being tried before
i Judge Grubb, in the United States Dis
I trict Court, along with Norvin Lind
! heim and S. Walter Kaufman, charged
with withholding from the Alien Prop?
erty Custodian the alleged German
ownership of The Evening Mail during
: a part of the period of the World War.
The letters, written by Rumely, weie
accepted as evidence after A. Bruce
Bielaski, who was chief of the bureau
of investigation of the Department of
Justice, testified that Dr. Rumely knew
i Brogr.n, editor of The Irish-American,
and that they had attended the same
i school in England.
Addressed to Dernburg
The first letter is dated November
! 28, 1914. It is addressed to Dr. Ber
' nard Dernburg, care of Count Von
i Bernstor?f, Hotel Ritz-Cailton, and
i reads us follows:
"My Dear Sir:
"At the time of my visit to New
York I mentioned to you the need of
! crystalizing the sentiment of the Irish
? in this country, who are very influen?
tial, against England. I mentioned The
. Irish-Amencan as the oldest Gaelic
! paper and told you that it would be
' available for a special edition.
"I, myself, have invested several
- thousand dollars in this paper about
' a year ago in the hope t:,at I might
influence it along the effort 1 was iv.uk
j ing with Shuitze-Garverntz toward
! creating more favorable sentiment in
! this country for Germany. |?ow the
critical time is here. If you'eare to
avail yourself of the opportunity, it
is yours. Further inaction on your
part will lead, I fear, in spite of any?
thing I can do, to the sale of the paper
to creating Irish sentiment lor Eng?
land. The Irish in this country are
, .strong politically and are strong fac
; tors in the Church. Of seventy-two
bishops, over fifty are Irish.
"I have been asked to ptnte my posi
(Contlnued en pao* Ihre?)
Deck Games Lurellarding
| From Book Aboard Ship
President - Elect Plays Whih
Vessel Travels 300 Miles
South Under Clear Skies
ABOARD STEAMSHIP PARISMIN^
Nov. 19 (.By Wireless to The Associatec
Press).?Shaking the bad wenthci
jinx that wrecked his vacation in Texas
President-elect Harding sailed towarr
j Panama to-day under bright skies anc
! over a smooth sea.
His steamship, the Parismina, whicV
left New Orleans late yesterday after
noon, steered almost due south and
\ during the first twenty-four hours o
the run, had covered almost 300 mile!
of the 1,400-mile course to Cristobal
Officers of the ship predicted perfec
weather would continue throughout thi
trip.
The President-elect slept late thit
I morning, and af t :r a brisk walk abou
1 the deck settled down in the warn
sunlight to read a book about Panama
I Soon, however, he became ''nterested i:
! a game of shufflebonrd being player
or deck by some of the newspaper mei
in his party and could not resist thi
challenge to join the gamo. He prac
j tical'v s'H.nt the rest cf the day ii
playing shufflebonrd und other games
| Senator and Mrs. Harding occupy i
! small suite adjoining the state room:
i of other members of the party. The1
take their meals in the general dininj
saloon. ' To-night they attended a pic
I ture show and concert given In thei
honor.
Malone, M. P.r
Gets Jail Term
For Sedition
_ i
Ex-Colonel Convicted for
Referring in Speech to;
"Churchills and Curzons!
Swingin? to Lamp Post"!
Sentenced to Six Months!
Was Said To Be the Author;
of a Pamphlet Called
"Red Officers' Course"!
From The Tribune's European Bureau
Copyright, 1520, New York Tribune Inr.
LONDON, Nov. 19.?Cecil L'Estrange j
Malone, member of Parliament for East
Leyton and formerly a colonel in the
army, was s? ntenced to-day to six
months' imprisonments by a magistrate <
in Bow Street police court. Notice was ?
given that an appeal would be taken.
Malone was charged with "doing, in !
making a speech November 7 in Albert !
Hull, an act likely to cause sedition and
disaffection among the civilian popa- i
;.ltion."
Malone is widely known for his Bol- j
shevik sympathies and as an energetic !
opponent of the government in the
House of Commons. England is noted |
for her freedom of speech, but some
of the utterances attributed to Malone
went beyond the tolerance even of this
country.
Address That Caused Arrest
"What are a few Churchills and Cur- '
zons swinging to a lamppost compared
to the massacre of thousands of human
beings?" he is said to have asked, amid
cheers from his Communist audience.
"Make up your minds whether you are !
for the capitalist classes, with their j
scurvy agents, Lloyd George, Churchill,
Curzon, Thomas. Henderson and Brace, j
or whether you are with the working
class movement. The only solution for
the working classes in this country lies I
?n communsm."
What counted even more heavily I
against Malone than those alleged ',
utterances was a pamphlet discovered '
by the authorities, lt was called "Red :
Officers' Course," am! was found under ?
circumstances pointing to Malone as j
the author. The pamphlet contained j
complete instruct ons for carrying on i
an armed revolution against the gov- |
ernment. Two loaded automatic pistols !
were found in the apartment of the ex- j
colonel,, He did gallant service as an i
officer during the war. j
"Shame!" Cry Sympathizers
LONDON, Nov. 19 (By The Associated \
Press).?There were loud cries of j
"Sharne!" from Malon-1 s; mpathir.ers in \
court when the sentence was- pro
nounced. Two surety bonds of ?1,000 ;
each were demanded pending the ap- j
peal.
Among the charges against Malone
was the allegation that he had in his
possession two cloakroom tickets fi>r
parcels containing pamphlets of an al- ;
leged seditious nature, wh.ch were de- '
posited in a subway station checking
room. On this charge the prisoner was
bound over on his good behavior to keep
the peace for one year.
" ' ' l!
Sweetheart Special
Arranged for Harvard
Special Dispatch to The Tribune
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 19.
?The Harvard Limited, which
starts to-morrow morning shortly
after 8 o'clock for New Haven,
will have a pair of cars in each
of the two sections called the
"Sweetheart Special." These com?
partments are .to be reserved
completely for Harvard men and
the girls they are taking to the
game.
There are numerous other
trains scheduled to leave. Auto?
mobiles of every description are
getting ready, and a big sight?
seeing bus left to-night with a
rollicking band of undergradu?
ates. There was only a handful
of students present when the
football squad left Cambridge
this forenoon.
?. m. .i i i m i .,_
Searles Will
Fight Ends in
Compromise
Contesting Nephew May
Get $2,000,000; Both
Sides express Satisfac?
tion at the Outcome
Settlement Comes
As Court Surprise
New York Beneficiary,
Former Employee, Gets
Greater Part of Estate
Special Dispatch to The Tribune
BOSTON, Nov. 19.?Settlement of the
contest of the will of Edward F. Searles,
the Methuen millionaire, which had
been Drought by his nephew, Albert
Victor Searles, was announced unexpect?
edly to-night by the attorneys for the
'.-ontestants. This remo\es the case
from the trial list of the Essex Superiol
Court, where the issues were to have
been heard by a jury.
Counsel for both sides refused to dis
'dose the agieement terms.
Sherman L. Whipple, chief counse
for the nephew, late to-day gave ou
this .-statement:
'The Searles will case has been set
tied by the parties. The terms, beinj.
private as between Mr. Walker an<
Albert Victor Searles, will not be an
nounced."
A similar statement was Issued fror
the office of Choate, Hall & Stewarl
who are attorneys of record for th
estate.
An unverified report is ?that th
nephew accepted $2,000,000 to end th
contest.
Many Millions Involved
The will involved from $25,000,00
to $40,000,000. The bulk of the estati
according to the terms, goes to Arthu
T. Walker. New York agent for th
deceased. The nephew contestant wa
to receive $250,000.
By the agreement reached by couns*
for the two sides, the issues frame
by Judge Alden P. White, of the Esse
County Probate Court, will be di:
charged and the case will again con:
before Judge White on the questio
of allowing the will without cbjectiu
By the settlement the special admii
islrators appointed to handle the enta1
will be discharged and the exeeutoi
will assume charge of the property.
Soon after the -leath of the so-callc
recluse Albert Searles, the nephew, a:
nounced his intention of contestir
the will, and a hearing was held
the Essex County Probate Court.
After a lengthy argument, Judi
White framed three issues for \
jury; whether the will was execut
according to law; whether the m?lio
aire was of sound mind at the time
was signed, and whether fraud or u
due influence was used by Arthur
Walker, Louis Delafield, a New Yo
attorney; Dr. Joseph E. McCarthy,
New York physician, who attended ?
Searles during his laut illness, or
Mrs. Mary A. Rowland, of Philadeiph
a cousin, who with her three childr
received bequests of almost $4,0u0,0i
After an inventory of the proper
by the executors, the estate will
divided in accordance with the terms
tho will, with the exception oi' the pi
vision arranged for the nephew in t
settlement just reached.
Both Sides Are Pleased
Attorneys for both sides claimed
be highly pleaded with the arrangent!
disposing of the nephew's suit.
Arthur T. Walker and Louis De
field are named as executors under 1
will. They will proceed after the d
charge of the administrators, Augi
tus P. Lonng and Roger Ernst, i
pointed to serve pending proceeding
During the hearings in the Probi
Court the eccentricities of Searles we
frequently referred to by counsel a
it was brought out that he had <
veloped a great fondness for a Gkc
youth, Angelo Milton Ellison, who w
named as a beneficiary to rece
$10.000.
Mr. Whipple alleged that Sear
had intended to adopt the youth, ur
dissuaded. Counsel also contended tl
by the undue influence of those v\
drew the will the bulk of the est;
would be divided between Mr. Wall
and the Greek buy.
Mr. Choate .said the relations
tween Searles and the Greek yoi
were as "father and son" and t'
Searles was intent upon giving the
an education and providing for him
his later life. He contended that
nephew had shown no apparent int
est in the affairs of his uncle.
Foreign Ring
Said to Rnle
Ship Board
E.F. Luckenbach Declares
British interests Were
Favored to Exclusion
of American Citizens
Witness Calls It
The Slipping Board
Bad Construction Work
Covered by Paint, Own?
er Tells Investigators
Edgar F. Luckenbach, of the Lucken?
bach Steamship Company, one of the
largest and oldest ship companies in
America, testifying before the Con
TroKsional committee investigating the
Shipping Board, yesterday charged
that development of a successful
'mcrican merchant marine was being
'hwarted by favoritism, inefficiency
:.nd subserviency to foreign interests
n the part of the Shipping Board.
He referred to the board ai "the
lipping board," and charged that at
'east 50 per cent of the board's ship
??orators did not know their business.
He said that at one time he planned
to transfer the vessels of his company
o British registry in order to get
airer treatment from officials of the
?oard. He also asserted that men who
ad never contributed a dollar to ?he
?pbuilding of an American merchant
narine were getting the choicest allo?
cations of ships, while operators whe
' ad been in the shipping business all
heir lives were relegated to the back
round. Mr. Luckenbach complained
? articularly of faulty construction o?
'he board's vessels and overcharges
nade by the board.
The British Ring
He charged that foreign interests
nd men who had always been oppos?e
to the upbuilding of an American mer
' chant marine have made nests fo:
:hemselves in subordinate positions ii
he Shipping Board with the intent tv
.elping foreign competition. The shi;
vner also referred to what he termei
he influence of the British ring it
he Shipping Board. On the latter poin
a testified that the Kerr Steamshi]
..'ompany, of New York, was allowei
o make three fr?je trips?i. e., exemp
rcmx charter hire?with vessels pur
chased by the firm from Austrians af
ter the entrance of the United State
into the war. Mr. Luckenbach sai
hat Mr. Kerr and Mr. Clcgg, his as
sociate, were then British subjects. H
aid that when the Kerr Company re
eived this permission for free trip
'reight charges were the highest i
.he history of the world.
Mr. Luckenbach asserted that dis
crimination in the allocation of ves
sels dates back to the commandeerin
of Dutch vessels in American water
;>v the government. These vessels, h
said, were allocated to British shif
ing firms, while American operator
stood by. This kind of discriminate!
he averred,, put his company out c
?.he Australian trade, on the upbuildin
of which it had spent large sums c
money.
"A British firm," he said, "which ha
not a single dollai invested in Amer
can shipping, was allocated seventee
boats for the Australian service."
Testifying in favor of the bare boi
charter plan, whereby operators woul
carry all expenses for payment c
crews, supplies, etc.. as against th
present method of chartering and ->pe:
ation of ships, Mr. Luckenbach said
"If such were the case the Shippin
Board would be making monej instea
of losing millions of dollars ev< y day
Serious Financial Losses
Mr. Luckenbach testified that he ha
been subjected to serious linanci:
.osses as a result of the methods (
the Shipping Board in the repureha?
of ships commandeered from his con
pany by the government in 1917. 1
addition, he said, he had to pay S 4
817,000 for the reconditioning of shi{
requisitioned by the board and returnt
to him on five days' notice. He sa
that a claim presented bv him again
Uc board on these vessels, of whi;
there were seven, remair.t unpaid ar
h? has been informed that he will g>
no interest, as he was not entitled 1
it. He said he paid $1,000,000 for tl
reconditioning of one of these shi]
alone.
Mr. Luckenbach testified that sim
the armistice his compary bought eig!
(Continued on next ntfe)
Prague Parliament Stormed
In Anti-German Riots; 1 Dead
PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia, Nov. 18 I
(By The Associated Press).?Three'
days' rioting culminated to-day in an I
attempt by tho crowds to storm the
Parliament building despite efforts by
mounted police to hold them in check.
Four times deputations forced their
way to the back doors of the building
and demanded that the Premier sur?
render the German Deputy Baern, who,
it has been reported, spoke in a dis?
paraging manner of the Czecho-Slovak
legionaries.
The trouble began en Tuesday after
a mass meeting. The German dramatic
theater was occupied by the Czechs and
the statue of Joseph II was removed
from the square. In retaliation the
Germana demolished a Czech school. ;
German Senators and Deputies walked ;
out of Parliament as a protest against ;
the Czech demonstrations.
Police Inspector Svohgr was dragged :
from his horse, during to-day's disturb
j anee and instantly killed. The statue
> of Bismarck was paraded through tho
streets for hours, decked with a paper
cap and inscriptions "Shame on the
Germans."
Dr. Eckstein, German member of the
Municipal Council, has resigned, de
faring his presence in the body is
useless because the Germans "have
been deprived of all rights before the
law.**
Throughout Wednesday afternoon
the city was the scene of national and
anti-Jewish excesses. The editorial and
printing offices of The Prague Tage?
blatt, The Bohemia and Tribune were
entered and half a dozen German clubs
were seized. Youths and demobilized
soldiers from Siberia were the princi?
pal participants in the demonstrations.
No res stance was attempted by the
Germans when a crowd of several thou?
sand seized the German Ca3:no.
The plant of- the newspaper Bohemia
was left intact, because of the fact that
bank notes and state papers are printed
on its presses.
The Tribun-- Is rtad by wideawake and
ambitious employees. Telephone your Help
Want Ad to Beekraan 3M*r).?Advt.
Building Material Costs
In IL S. Ruled by Trust?,
Says Witness at Inquiry
-??-,?_?-<?
Milk Prices To Be Reduced One Cent
A Quart Dec. 1, Instead of Advancing
Milk to the local consumer will be a cent a quart cheaper next
month. Dire-cl-ors of the Dairymen's League, acting with the consent
of the eight. ?ht thousand farmers of the East who are members
of the organization, voted last night at a closed session in the Murray
Hill Hotel to sell their December milk testing 3% per cent butter fat
at $3.38 a hundred pounds and that testing 3 per cent at $3.18. The
new price is a reduction of 47 cents a hundred pounds to manufacturing
distributors under the present or November price, and was voted by
the dairymen with the understanding that the distributors will reduce
the cost to the public by the same margin.
The action was unusual on the part of the dairy farmers, who have
held out each year for an increase in the price of their milk for Decem?
ber. Virtually every December for the last fifteen years, an official of
the league said, the price has been advanced in an effort to keep pace
with rising costs of feed, farm labor and transportation. The result
has been that the distributor has added the price increase to his costs
and the public has paid the bill.
Cohan to Head
Friars Again:
I Ends Old Feud
i __- ?
Actor's Reinstatement and
j Predicted Re-election as
Abbot Close War Result
ing From Equity Strike
J. J. Gleason to Retire'
; Action Expected to Better!
Relations Between the
Players and Managers j
George M. Cohan again is to take ?
! his place as head of the Friars. The i
| official announcement of his return to !
! the fold was made last night by the
; board of governors of the Friars or
; ganization. Ii marks the close of one
I if the bitterest personal feuds result
: ir.g from th* strike of the Actors' '
: Equity Association more than a year
; Rgo.
I It was announced that Mr. Cohan's
, application for reinstatement as a
\ member of the Friars was acted upon
! favorably by the board of governors
i yesterday.
Simultaneously it was said that
John J. Gleason, who was chosen abbot
; of the Friars to succeed Cohan, when
? the latter stepped down a year ago,
1 had signified his eagerness ' to retire!
from the governing chair, and that the !
?board, next Wednesday, would accept!
Gloason's resignation and immediately !
! thereafter reelect Cohan to his old
? post.
Broadway Circles Rejoice
Yesterday's vote on Cohan'3 applica
I tion was unanimous in favor of rein
I statement, and the announcement:
I caused great rejoicing in Broadway j
? circles. It was regarded as the defi
nite end of the bitterness created by
the strike of the pleyers, and it was ?
1 looked upon as certain that a better
j feeling would be immediately created I
1 between the players and representa- |
i tives of the managerial forces of the
theater. '
Cohan took a conspicuous part in the ;
managerial opposition to the demands
of the players. His resignation from :
the Friars came as a natural sequence,!
but was regretted by members, for '
? Cohan, himself prominently identified ,
I with the profession as producer, play- |
j wright and actor, was one of the best J
I loved men on Broadway prior to the
! Equity struggle.
Members of the Equity contended
i that in their stand for a. better treat- '
! ment of the playing forces they meant :
I no personal attack on Cohan, but were '
1 engaged in a fight for a principle, in j
; which success only could be attained by ;
combating the entire managerial realm, j
Actor Quit Harris
As an upshot of t?he trouble, Cohan '
severed his business connection with I
: Sam II. Harris, after an intimate re- !
; lationship that had continued for j
nearly twenty years. Disgusted with ;
the turn of events, he announced he ?
would quit the theater entirely.
But the old germ returned this sea
? son. Cohan, producing on his own
: account, introduced three plays to the
Broadway theaters and finally made
I his return complete and emphatic by
I essaying the title r?le in his new
\ play "The Meanest Man in the World."
The reconciliation with the Friars, to J
i which he.was devoted frcm its earliest!
days, marked the complete he*ling of
the old wounds. His reelection as
abbot next Wednesday is expected to ;
be an event without parallel In the
history of this organization.
France Ashed to Fix
A Monopoly in Oil
Special Cable to The Tribune
Copyright, 1920, New Turk Tribune Inc.
PARIS, Nov. 19.? Laurent
Eynac, of the cor-.missary of oils
and petrol, proposed at to-day's
Cabinet meeting, which was pre- j
sided ovar by Premier L^ygues,
that a monopoly of petrol and \
oils be established in France for !
the benefit of the state, beginning
next January.
The proposal is regarded gen?
erally as designed to favor an
Anglo-Dutch syndicate, which
wants to keep the price of gaso?
line at its present level and
to retain the French market ex
? clusively.
Two Suspected
Of Plot to Rob
Palmer Home
Arrests in $500,000 Gem
Mystery Expected To-day; j
Victim's Story of Crime
Is Given Full Credence
-
X-Ray Substantiates Her
-_
Slit in Window Shade, Be?
lieved to Have Been Used
as Peephole, Also Found
Two persons are under suspicion of
having helped plot the $500,000 jewel
robbery in the home of Mrs. Charlotte
j King Palmer, 59 East Ninetieth Street,
early Tuesday morning. They are be?
ing watched and one or both of them
may be arrested to-day.
Mrs. Palmer's story that she was
waylaid as she entered her bedroom
by three men?one of them a French- j
man, whose chivalry somewhat light- !
ened the rigor of the six hours she I
spent gagged and bound, while his j
confederates ransacked the house?has j
been established to the complete satis
faction of Thomas J. Corrigan jr., head
of the agency investigating the rob?
bery for the insurance underwriters.
"I am entirely convinced that Mrs.
Palmer's account, fantastic though it
might seem, is accurate," Corrigan
said. "If there is any one to whose
interest it would be to break down her
version it is myself, for I could there?
by save my clients, the insurance com?
pany, more than $50,000. But if it
were to cost them $1,000,000 I could
not honestly express any other view.
I have questioned Mrs. Palmer several
times, under different circumstances,
and her stories have never varied."
X-Ray Shows Broken Bones
The detective added that he had seen
the X-ray photographs of Mrs. Palmer's
feet, and that they show three broken
bones in one and two in the other.
He construes, this as substantiating
her statement that she jumped down a
long stairway in an effort to escape
the burglars.
Another bit of confirmation was ob?
tained yesterday when one of Corri
gan's men discovered a slit in a win?
dow shade on the westerly side of the
top floor, This, it is believed, was
used as a peephole by the robbers to
see Mrs. Palmer's car when it drove
up to the curb. They are supposed to
have taken turns as lookouts during
the four hours from 9 o'clock Monday
night, when' the two servants say they
were set upon, gagged, bound and
blindfolded, to 1 a. m. Tuesday, when
their mistress reached home.
Captain John B. Duane*, command?
ing the Fourth Branch Detective. Bu
(Contlnued on PM? Iwr)
16 Woodsmen Drown
When Motor Boat Burns
Workers Become Panicstricken
After Failing to .Quench Fire
and Leap Into Maine Lake
BAXGOR, Me., Nov. 19.-?Sixteen
woodsmen were drowned in Chesun
cook Lake, in the heart of the lumber?
ing district, late yesterday afternoon,
when a motor boat caught fire. The
men were being taken across the lake
from Chesuncook Dam to Cuxabesis.
Efforts to quench the fire failing, the
r-arty became panic-stricken and many
leaped overboard.
The icy water soon exhausted those
who thought to escape by swimming,
and ail of them are believed to have
lost their lives.
About half the crew remained with
i the boat, and although they were
' forced to drop overboard after the en
| gine stopped they clung to the side of
; the craft until it was blown shoreward
| by the strong wind. The boat drifted
i aguinst a mass of stumps that pro?
truded above the water, and these
| served as isles of safety for the men
until they were rescued by crews from
! neighboring lumber camps and village
?.folks who had seen the flames from a
distance.
Seventeen in all are believed to have
been saved. Some of these, however,
were reported in a serious condition
from exposure.
Contractor Alleges Coin
bines Compel All Bid?
ders to Use the Same
Prices in Estimates
Big Slump Since
Investigation Began
Values Are Slashed From
Ten to Thirty Per Cent;
Policeman BrindelFs Aid
The Lockword committee entered
upon the second phase of its investi?
gation of the housing situation yes?
terday with startling disclosures of
alleged nation-wide combines in con?
trol of building materials.
it developed also that the inquiry
already has accomplished the dis?
ruption of several of the alleged
contractors' combines that operated
under John T. Hettrick's "Code of
Practice" scheme, resulting in the
sudden slashing of prices on burid
ing materials of from 10 to 30 per
cent. Free competition in many
items of the trade, it was testified,
has been restored for the first time
in many years.
George Atwell, head of the D?moli
tion Company, who has testified to pay?
ing over large sums of money t?
Robert P. Brindell, the reputed labor
king, for protection against strikes,
said that the price of brick had dropped
I from 530 a thousand to $15 since the
legislative inquiry began.
Contract Cat $87,000
Hugh White, a vice-president of the
I Georgo A. Fuller Construction Com
; pany, related how an estimate of $700,
| 000 for work on an annex to the Plaza
j Hotel made two months ago had been
I reduced ?S7,000 within the last two
I weeks. He expected additional sav?
ings? While the greatest saving ha*
come from materials, he said th?t his
j superintendents report a greater pro
? ductivity on the part of labor.
Other facts developed at the hearing
were:
Stephen Birmingham, a policeman at?
tached to the Clinton Street station,
had been granted a six months' leave
of absence to work in the Compensa?
tion Bureau of Brindell's Building
Trades Council at an alleged salary of
$5,000 a year. Birmingham is said to
be a nephew of Charles J. Kelly, head
of the Building Trades Employers' As?
sociation. The circumstance was point?
ed to as another indication of the close
relation that existed between Brindcl!
| and the buildei.s' organization.
After the courthouse site had been
dug up and had been excavated broom
I clean, the Street Cleaning Department
refilled it with rubbish and ashes, ac?
cording to Atwell. The city paid Rog?
ers & Haggerty, a contracting firm,
about $200.000 to clean the place up
| again, he said.
City-owned piers available for the
' landing of building supplies were prac
; tically controlled by four firms, who
! got the piers year after year, it was
| charged. They had full say over all
! building material that came into the
city by this m..thed and made their own
prices for services, accoiding to testi?
mony.
I Alleged Cement Combine
Mr. White produced evidence tending
? to prove that the dealers and manufac
I turers in various lines of the building
I material industry had get together. The
i brick and cement people, he .said, weu
j in one organization, the latter with a
I net work, ue assented, that threaded
the whole country. The lime, sand and
? gravel peop:e were in another combine,
? he said, the limestone people in another
and the marble and granite people in
another. Prices in all these lines, he
! sa.u, except cement, had taken a sud?
den s'?mp, showirg that the combines
were falling to pieces under the attack
oi Cue i.vc*WGod inquiry.
He detailed how two months ago the
Fuller company received estimates
from sub-contractors for work on the
Plaza Hotel extension. The estimates
then aggregated $700,000. Two weeks
| aso, he aid, the c-jiitraciors submitted
new estimates and the contracts were
let for $87,000 less. The estimate for
the limestone aione on this operation
amounted to $52,4?0. It has been re?
duced to $;38,160 within the last two
weeks.
In connection with work on the Na?
tional City Company Buiiding, now be?
ing erected on the site of the Man
i.a.tan Hotel, Mr. White said that the
best bid he could get for marble early
in October was about $24?>r2-17. Th?
same firm that entered this bid chopped
it down on October 28, when the in*
quiry was ill fuil swing, to $192,000.
White was sure that the limestone
bids were entered in accordance with
| the Hettrick "code of practice," but
| was not sure of the granite estimates.
! Because of the alleged cement ring, h*
I said, his firm, which uses annually
I about 1,000,000 barrels of the product,
is unable to obtain any of the com?
modity from any place but Naw York.
Dealers in Newark or Philadelphia
I absolutely refuse to deliver the product
j to this city at any price. The country.
! he asserted, had been apportioned
! among dealers and none dared go out
of his district. The prices obtaining
here were invariably uniform.
Estimates Ail Alike
In support of bis statement that w.o.?
bids on building material were based
on collusion, he cited the estimates re->
, ceived by the firm on the operation of
i the Combustion Engineering 8uildin?
! in Broad Street. Eleven estimates on
? brick for the work were identical in
j price, and every proposed contract wa
i worded similarly, ha sa-j. The sam t