Evening star. [volume], July 25, 1931, Page A-2, Image 2

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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A-2
HOLY NAME UNION
MEETS IN LAUREL
Hundreds From Capital Will
Attend Session Tomorrow
Afternoon.
With hundreds of local member in
attendance, the Washington section of
the Baltimore Holy Name Union will
hold its July quarterly meeting at St.
Mary’s Church, Laurel. Md„ tomorrow
afternoon at 3 o'clock. George C.
Wants, president of the Baltimore
Archdiocesan Union of Holy Name So
cieties. will be the principal speaker.
Yeighbc.-iog parishes are expected to
tend large ‘delegations for the rally.
Invitations have been extended to each
of the 53 affiliated branches of the
society In the Washington section.
Rev. Joseph A. Myer, pastor at Laurel,
will be the host, assisted by the follow
ing officers of St. Mary's Holy Name
Society: John H. Collins, president;
Harold Street, vice president; George
Miller, Jr., secretary; C. S. Davis, treas
urer, and Prank Hurd, marshal.
Caesar L, Aiello, president of the
Washington section, was assisted In
completing arrangements for the meet
ing by all the parish presidents and
the following officers: Patrick J. Haltl
gan. K. S. S., vice president; Francis
Anthony McCann, secretary; John J.
Curtis, treasurer, and James Garvin,
marshal.
This will be the first time the Wash
ington section has met at Laurel. Right
Rev. Mgr. Peter L. Ireton, spiritual
director of the Baltimore Archdiocesan
Union, and others will attend.
BIGGER TIPS KEEP
CAB DRIVERS GOING,
SURVEY INDICATES
(ConUnued From First Page.)
enough passengers into a day’s work to
keep us from starving to death. If we
hauled no more people than we did be
fore the charges were slashed, we'd be
Working for nothing.”
Only one of the drivers asserted the
reduced fees have had no affect on his
driving. "That's the tough part of it,”
he said. "I've' got a wife and children
depending on me. and I can’t afford to
take a chance on getting hurt. I won't
go faster than 25 miles an hour for
anybody—and, as a result, I can't make
any money."
A driver, operating on a 20-cent "city
proper" rate, declared he had to work
12 hours yesterday in order to earn
$4 65 cents.
Fares Total $6.50.
"I did 27 Jobs," he explained, "and
my fares totaled $6.50. of which I got
40 per cent, or $2.60. My tips made up
the rest.” i
"The fares were just about as much
as they averaged before the prices were
chiseled down from 35 cents, but the
tips were quite a bit more.
"Nevertheless, I can't stand the pace—
it's much too swift for me. A fellow
has to work himself darn near to
death, and even—after it's all added
up—he's no better off than when he
was working on the old 35-cent basis.
If it lasts much longer, I'm going to
quit—l hare to!”
Much the same sentiment was ex
pressed by. another driver, working on
a 15-cent "city proper" rate. Like the
20-cent driver, he did 27 jobs yester
day. as compared with an average of
about 18 a day before the advent of
the next-to-notning fees.
"I had to start out at 5 o'clock in the
morning to break even.” he said, ''be
cause I figured that if I worked on the
regular time schedule I’d have to drive
fast and furious, and that's something
3 won't do.
"One of the things that makes it
tough for me is that I have to take in
$4.50 before I can make a penny for
myself. You see, we have to pay the
company $4.50 a day for the use of
their taxis.
"Yesterday I carried $8.40 worth of
passengers—tips and all—so my profit
was only $3.90. The tips, I guess, fig
ured out to about half.
"But some people are still pretty
tight. This morning, for instance, I
picked up three girls in the 1600 block
of R street and took them downtown.
It was a 15-cent job, and that’s all they
paid me. And they were so tickled to
think they could beat the street car
companies by riding to work for a
nickel apiece that they asked me to pick
’em up again tomorrow. They won’t
aee me again, though, if I can help it!”
An independent driver, operating on
a 10-cent “city proper” rate, said he
worked from 9 o’clock vesterday morn
ing until about 10 o'clock last night,
but still made nearly $2 less than be
fore the beginning of the price-whit
tling competition.
Used to Average $9 a Day.
*'l used to average about $9 a day on
the old 35-cent basis.” he said, "but I
pulled only $7.55 yesterday, and at least
two-thirds of that was in tips. Driving
my own cab, I guess I make out quite
a bit better than the fellows who are
working for others —my expenses don't
run more than a dollar or two a day
—but. even at that, I won’t be able to
keep it up.
"The way I figure it out, the hours
are too long and the risks too great.
If I doh’t die from overwork. I'm afraid
Dll get pinched for speeding—and I
can't see any profit in either.”
PRESIDENT ORDERS
DRASTIC ECONOMY
IN U. S. EXPENSES
(Continued From First Page.)
ponements in view of this emergency.”
The President referred to the Treas
ury deficit in excess of $900,000,000 at
the end of the fiscal year 1931 on June
30, and to the appropriations for the
current year amounting to approxi
mately $5,000,000,000.
"The situation is a serious one,” the
letter continued, "and demands that
we all make the most earnest effort to
eliminate or postpone all activities such
as may be so treated without serious
detriment to the public welfare.
"You have been requested to furnish
to the Bureau of the Budget for my
information not later than August 17,
a statement of appropriations available
for expenditure during the current and
subsequent fiscal years, with an indica
tion of the amounts expected to be ob
ligated therefrom and the contemplated
ultimate savings.
"Pending the compilation and analysis
on this statement. I wish to suggest
that you refrain from obligating money
actually available for expenditure dur
ing the current fiscal year except in
those cases where such postponement
or elimination will clearly be to the
detriment of the public welfare.”
This letter followed the recent re
cuest of the President that all high
Government officials supervise prepara
tion of the 1933 budget estimates to
, restrict them to actual operation needs.
Earlier in the Summer, through con
ferences with the Secretaries of the
various departments, Mr. Hoover ob
tained assurances that economies
reaching into the millions would be ef
fected. particularly in the naval and
military establishments.
While the expenditures in the past
fiscal year exceeded $4,000,000,000, the
revenues fell to low levels due to the
business depression and the consequent
decline in revenue from the income tax,
the largest source of revenue for the
Federal* Government. It was the first
time slnt* the war period a deficit-Ac
tarred U' the Treasury. *7
1 ■■ - --
Czarist Grandeur Decaying Here
RUSSIAN EMBASSY, EMPTY IS YEARSt FACES RUINATION IN DISUSE.
! ' f v
; | ___g gg
I | mk jNH , M rj '
~ ~ Up j1 * <f| t *
Upper—Glimpse of the grand hallway of the Russian embassy as it appeared early In Its hey-day as the stately home
of Mrs. George Pullman. This colonaded chamber now Is empty, dust-laden and faded.
Lower —The embassy itself, photographed In its glory, just before the chancery wing was added by the imperial Rus- :
sian government, to the right-hand side of the structure. The building now is boarded up and unused.
—Photographs loaned by N. C. Wyeth, architect of the house. I
THE ghost of Philip Nolan, curser
of his homeland, who wandered
derelict over seven seas—a man
without a country—would do
well to move into 1125 Sixteenth
street and establish there, at last, a
home. Nolan would find kindred spirit
in that house without a country—the
dank and dusty, the decaying Russian I
embassy.
Nolan, implicated in treason, was
exiled to the seas, where he was trans
ferred from ship to ship for 53 years
until his death. His architectural coun
terpart. old Russia's embassy, involved
in political intrigue from its creation,
seemingly has been banished from its
former magnificence through its trans
fer from master to master on the trail
to whatever death it is that awaits such
structures.
Government Non-Existent.
At present the four-story, white
stone-and-llght-brick structure has the
unique status of embassy from a gov
ernment which does not exist, in the
eyes of the United States State Depart
ment —the handsome building is the
embassy of the provisional government
of Russia which Kerensky established
following the fall of the Czarist regime.
But Kereqsky's governmental house of
cards long since has collapsed and the
Soviet government has taken its place—
in Russia. The State Department,
cognizant of the fact that there are
only 2,000,000 Qommunlsts in Russia
where there is a population of 160,-
000,000 or so. holds that Russia today is
‘‘in a state of revolution.” And so the
embassy here remains in waiting for
the establishment of a new provisional
government which the United States,
can recognize.
Meanwhile, the building stands a
veritable ghost. Only a room or two in
ifs chancery, a wing erected by tl»e
Russians after they took over the splen
did residence, boasts occupancy. The
rest, and that means the stately halls,
the drawing room, the reception room
and the grand dining room, is empty
and dying. Dust lies thick like a blan
ket over everything, bringing decay.
Once intricately lacey wrought-iron
stair rails are flaking rust chips on dust
cached steps that rise among streaked
columns. The gold overlay that once
made brilliant the carved cornices and
colonades is tarnished and dim. Rich
furniture that formerly served aristo
cratic users is gone.
That is the picture seen by Nathan
C. Wyeth, the architect, who, In 1910,
had watched his plans develop into
gorgeous reality.
Lawns Neatly Cut.
From the Sixteenth street sidewalk
the Russian embassy looks quite grand
and not unlike any town house that's
boarded up for the Summer absence of
its owners. The lawns are neatly
clipped and the walks nre cleanly swept.
There’s an uncommunicative colored
man who attends to that. And, too, he
keeps clean the quarters in the chancery
that are occupied. This man has been
performing these duties for several
years now. and he receives his pay from
Serge Ughet, financial attache of the
Russian embassy when It served the
THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON. D. C., SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1931.
Kerensky government under the stew
ardship of Boris BakhmetefT, Ambassa
| dor of the provisional government.
I Mr. Ughet now lives and works in
New York City. His pursuits there are
| private, but he pays the colored janitor
■ for his services here at the embassy out
jof his own funds. The Soviet govern
ment, of course, has no interest in the
embassy, so far as the United States is
! concerned.
The occupants of the chancery of the
embassy, Mr. Ughet told The Star, are
Alex L Krynltsky and his wife, Helen
Krynitsky. Mr. Krynltsky, a former
Russian who now is a citizen of the
United States, is a scientist employed
at the Bureau of Standards. Mrs.
Krynltsky is a translator at the Depart
ment of Commerce.
“Mr. Kdynitsky,” Serge Ughet ex
plained, "lives there as a personal favor
to me. He has only a room or two and
he superintends what care the embassy
gets.”
No Visitors Allowed.
No one may visit the embassy itself.
It is a matter of principle and it must
not be seen, Ughet said. “There is
nothing of interest in the embassy
building now—except emptiness and si
lence.” .
The former grandeur which marked
the furnishing of the mansion, he re
lated. disappeared when George Bak
meteff. Ambassador of the Czar to the
United States, resigned his office with
the collapse of his government, in
March, "1917. Despite the similarity of
names of the Czarist and Kerensky Am
bassadors, they were not'members of
the same family and were very much
opposed to each other politically. So,
when Ambassador George Bakmeteff
and Mme. BakmetelT quit Washington
they took with them, Mr. Ughet says,
most of the grand furniture of the em
bassy.
Then, when the second Ambassador
Bakmeteff took up his residence here
following the recognition of the pro
visional government by the United
States, later in March 17, 1917, he used
the embassy almost solely as "an office.”
He was there only five or six months
when Communism ran riot in Russia
and the Soviet government was estab
lished in November, 1917. Then he left.
And so did Mr. Ughet. And the em
bassy has remained silent and empty, as
it collected the debris of time, ever
since.
Some ships, men who sail in them will
say, are “unlucky”; a sort of curse that
follows them from the ways brings
them ill fortune. And so it may be
with the Russian Embassy. That
house was built for a disappointment
that antedates even its chameleon al
legiance to governments.
Built House for Daughter.
Mrs. George Pullman, the wife of the
inventor and builder of railway cars
that bear his name, so the story goes,
wished a magnificent Washington home
built for her daughter, the wife of the
then Representative Lowden who was
plotting his political course for the
Senate chamber.
And so the great house at 1125 Six
teenth street was designedly Mr.
Wyeth. It was a great house, too, as
the contract prices of 1909, still on
record in the District tax assessor's
i office testify. Completed, the house
cost $361,477.64. Os this total, more
than half was represented by costly
• finish. The lignting fixtures, for in- j
stance, cost SIO,OOO and those wrought
iron doors that were executed by Ger- I
1 man craftsmen in New York, were |
placed at a cost of $750. A vaccuum j
cleaning system added another $998 to !
the bill for extras and the mantels that I
grace the stately rooms cost $1,238.40.
A "special finish” which might mean j
almost any kind of architectural glory 1
for all the records show, but which j
probably applies to the cast plaster I
panels of the cornices and the wall
treatments, was contracted for at an
outlay of SIIO,OOO.
Russia Acquires House.
Mr. Lowden did not go to the Sen
i ate. and through real estate trades, the
| house came into the possession of John
I Havs Hammond, internationally known
I engineer, who sold the property to the
imperial government of Czarist Russia,
i The sale was consummated in Novem
ber, 1913, when the American Security
& Trust Co. presented a deed of trust
to the District Commissioners, showing
that the residence and its grounds had
ranks of diplomatic possessions, and, in
cidentally, removing it from the juris
diction of the District tax assessor. Nor
have any taxes been paid on it since.
The District, in fact, does not antic
ipate any attempts to realize returns on
the idle mansion. W. P. Richards, tax
assessor, says that as long as it is car
ried as an embassy, it is not taxable.
Efforts to sell it for taxes in view of its
allegiance to a non-existant govemmen.,
he believes, would be futile because no
one would invest money in a property
which—and quite legally—at any mo
ment might be claimed by a recognized
foreign power.
I •
ACCUSED OF STRANGLING
HOUSEKEEPER TO DEATH
Fall River, Mass., Painter Arrested
as Slayer After Discovery of
Flaws in Alibi.
By the Associated Press.
FALL RIVER, Maas., July 25.—Peter
L. Vaillancourt, 42, a painter, today was
charged with the murder of Miss Mari
anna A. Gauthier, 46. housekeeper, who
was strangled June 16.
The body of Miss Gauthier was found
between the mattresses of her bed with
rope twisted around her neck. Vail*
lancourt, who lived in the same house
where Miss Gauthier was employed as
housekeeper for William Mcßride, was
subjected to a five-hour questioning
yesterday. Police said flaws had been
found in an alibi offered by him.
The motive for the slaying, police
said, was robbery. Among the articles
taken from the Mcßride home were a
watch, a pair of Mcßride's shoes and
a small amount of money.
DECLARES HELEN'S
DIVORCE IS FINAL
Spokesman for Carol Makes
Announcement—lleana Weds
Anton Tomorrow.
By Cable to The Star.
BUCHAREST, Rumania, July 25.
Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a cousin
of King Carol 11, announced to the
press yesterday that Carol and Princess
Helen had been legally divorced follow
ing normal procedure In the courts.
He said he made this announcement
to end certain rumors. He added that
there was no reason to look on this
divorce as something extraordinary,
since thousands of persons had obtained
divorces without exciting the public.
So far as is known, the divorce re
ferred to Is that which Helen obtained
in 1928 while her husband was In self
imposed exile with Mme. Magda
Lupescu. If any other divorce action
has been taken It has not yet been
made public.
Regarding 10-year-old Crown Prince
Michael, the prince said that special
arrangements had been made between
King Carol and Princess Helen regu
lating the latter’s rights in respect to
her son. Princess Helen is now in
England.
(Qooriizht. 1M1.)
WILL FLT TO CASTLE.
Anton Will Pilot Plane on Trip to
Transylvania and Munich.
BY JOHN OI’NTHEB.
By Cable to The Star.
VIENNA, Austria, July 25. —Gorgeous
scenes are being witnessed today in the
pine-fringed mountain town of Sinaia,
Rumania, as festivities proceed for to
morrow's wedding of King Carol's sis
ter, Princess lleana, and Archduke
Anton of Hapsburg.
A great effort has been made to make
the wedding something of a national
festival. Peasants from all parts of the
country in national costumes have been
summoned, and the decorations are
purely Rumanian.
Princess Ileana's bridesmaids are her
sisters, and her train will be carried
by six girls of the Bucharest Y. W.
C. A., trained in the American spirit.
Her wedding gown is of crepe de satin,
with a veil of silver gauze and a train
of embroidered silver.
Among the gifts are the following:
From King Carol, an airplane and a
pearl necklace; from her mother, former
Queen Marie, furnishings of three rooms
In the national Rumanian style; from
her sister. Queen Marie of Jugoslavia,
a diamond necklace; from former Queen
Elizabeth of Greece, a silver service;
from President Paul Doumer of France,
a valuble set of Sevres porcelain: from
Archduke Anton's family, a brooch and
family jewels, and from Premier Nicho
las Jorga, a pearl necklace.
Wedding witnesses for Princess lleana
are King Carol and Prince Frederick of
Hohenzollern: for Archduke Anton, his
brother. Archduke Leopold Salvator,
and Count Guelt.
After the wedding the royal couple
goes by airplane, with Archduke Anton
piloting It, to their castle in Transyl
vania, and thence to Munich, where
they have been given nearby Alberg
Palace as their home by the groom's
cousin. Prince Joseph of Hohenzollern.
The marriage has some political sig
nificance. since it unites the Rumanian
throne with a branch of the Hapsburg
family.
WEDDING CITY GAY.
Princess Illeana and Anton Greet Many
at Sinaia.
SINAIA. Rumania. July 25 UP i. —The
Summer castle of the royal family is
gay with flags and flowers—the town
is thronged with visitors—everywhere
big limousines—everywhere brave uni
forms—for the prince and princess will
be married tomorrow.
lleana, daughter of Dowager Queen
Marie, and Prince Anton of Hapsburg,
whose bride she will become, were
happy and sparkling today as they
welcomed their arriving guests.
Sinaia forgot everything else and
gave itself over to romance. Crowds
watched for every move of the wedding
party, and on the slightest provocation
there were shouts of "long live lleana.
child of the people."
At the palace of Pelesch the trousseau
was displayed, along with the almost
; countless gifts lleana and her airman
I Prince have received from foreign gov-
I ernments, ministers, friends and rela
tives.
A stately dinner and reception were
the principal items on today's program,
and at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning the
wedding ceremonies will begin.
Justice Minister Officiate*.
At that hour the civil marriage will
be performed at the palace by the
i minister of justice in the presence of
! the royal family and the court.
An hour later, in the vestibule of the
1 castle, the religious ceremony will be
I held. At noon King Carol. Dowager
Queen Marie and little Prince Michael
j will accompany the bride and bride
i groom to Prahova, where a WTeath will
| be laid on the graves of soldiers killed
in the war.
j The wedding breakfast will be held
at 12:30 p.m., and immediately after
ward Anton and lleana will leave for
a dreamy castle in the hills of southern
Germany near Munich, where they will
spend their honeymoon.
Queen Helen, sister-in-law of lleana
• and former wife of King Carol, is the
only member of the Hapsburg and
Rumanian houses not invited to the
ceremonies She is in London.
The King, at first reported opposed to
the match, has indicated his present
sentiments by presenting the couple
with an airplane. Anton is an expert
pilot and has given lessons in flying
to lleana.
Among the other gifts are a silver
service from Dowager Queen Marie and
a Sevres porcelain service, presented by
the president of Parliament.
Veil of Gold Thread.
| At the marriage ceremony the prin
j cess will wear over her bobbed auburn
hair a veil of gold thread, the work
of members of the Young Women's
Christian Association, which was estab
lished through her patronage.
lleana, who is 22 years old, is known
in America, as she accompanied Queen
Marie on a tour of the United States
in 1926, at the conclusion of which it
was rumored the princess had received
nine proposals of marriage.
The bridegroom, 30 years old, is the
son of Archduke Leopold Salvator, who
took his family into exile from Austria
as a result of the war. They lived in
Barcelona, where Anton first engaged
in the motor cycle trade and then be
came an engineer and later an aviator.
He’s a speedy flyer, a tennis player,
skater and sklier —and lleana is as
much of a sportswoman.
NAVAL ISSUE TALKED
Cordial Conversations Held in Lon
don by Laval and Grandi.
PARIS, July 25 (/P).—Le Journal said
today that while in London Premier
Laval had cordial talks with Foreign
Minister Dino Grandi of Italy, and “it
is certain an effort is going to be made
to disengage finally Franco-Italian re
lations from the sterile, puerile blind
alley of quibbles about ships that wllr
be built in five or six years.
More homea are being built In
■vitaerland than * yev ago.
GERMAN SABINET
DISCUSSES PLIGHT
Delegates Report Parley Re
; suits to Hindenburg—Stim
son Arrives Today.
(Continued From First Page.)
Germans have abandoned their plan
to ask for a large American credit.
Monday morning Mr. Henderson will
arrive, to be Joined later in the day
by Mr. MacDonald, who will make the
trip by airplane. They will remain in
Berlin until Wednesday, returning the
call of Herr Bruening and Dr. Curtius
to London several weeks ago.
“GOLD RUSH” CONTINUES.
1 $18,866,250 More Withdrawn From Lon
don, Principally for France.
LONDON, July 25 (JP). —Another
$18,866,250 in bar gold was taken from
the Bank of England today, principally
for France, although some may have
gone to Holland.
The total withdrawals since July 13
have been more than $160,000,000.
BACKS HOOVER PROPOSALS.
Portugal Makes Certain Reservations
Regarding Payments in Kind.
LISBON, Portugal. July 25 UP). —The
Portuguese government today announced
officially its acceptance in principle of
the Hoover moratorium proposals with
certain reservations regarding payments
in kind. A Portuguese financial expert
Ls on the way to London to take up
these reservations with the committee
of Young plan experts there.
BULGARIAN PLAN OPPOSED.
ATHENS, Greece, July 25 UP).—' The
Greek government today notified the
Bank for International Settlements
that it can not agree to the suspension
of Installments of reparations payments
by Bulgaria.
The government alleged Bulgaria has
failed to pay installments due in April,
May and June, contrary to treaty ob
ligations and not in agreement with
the Hoover war debt proposal.
FRENCH DELEGATES LAUDED.
PARIS. July 25 <£»).—Premier Laval's
conduct of negotiations at the inter
national meetings here and in London
today received the unqualified indorse
ment of the cabinet, which extended
its thanks to the French representatives
for "their comprehension of French
interests and the Interests of peace."
After the cabinet meeting the pre
mier received Premier Venizelos of
Greece, who came here from London
where he has been pleading the Greek
cause before the Committee of Young
Plan Experts, who are working out a
method of aiding those countries whose
budgets are affected by the Hoover
moratorium.
LADY ASTOR REVIVES
HOPE OF PROFESSOR’S
WIFE, HELD IN RUSSIA
(Continued From First Page.)
| parliamentarian caused a sensation at
a British embassy reception Thursday
by kneeling before the Soviet commissar
for foreign affairs and presenting her
cablegram "as a peasant before a czar.”
"I have applied three times for per
mission to go to America," Mm t
Krynin declared, "and each time there
has been refusal without explanation."
Sava Life Difficult.
She said that life was difficult in
Moscow, but she had nothing to com- j
plain about except that she was not al
lowed to rejoin her family. She denied
being a counter-revolutionary.
Lady Astor and Shaw were in Lenin
grad today. They are expected to re
turn in a day or two, and the visit to
Mme. Krynln's little room probably will
take place then.
U. S. ADVISES PROFESSOR.
State Department Unable to Admit Wife
Till She Quits Russia.
Prof. Dmitri P. Krynine of Yale Uni
versity has made no arrangements to
gain admittance into this country for
his wife, who is now in Russia, it was
said today at the State Department.
Officials said the professor had at
tempted to make such arrangements,
but was informed it would be impos
sible until his wife left Russia.
Under the usual procedure if Mme.
Krynine escaped from Russia she could
apply to an American consul for per
mission to enter the United States and
then the question of the length of her
stay would be determined.
Under immigration laws, so long as|
Prof. Krynine is in this country in a j
professional capacity as a non-quota
immigrant, his wife and minor children !
have right of entry.
DEATH OF AUTO !
DEALER MYSTERY;
North Carolina Coroner's Jury Re
jects Suicide Story of Woman
and Child.
By the Associated Press.
KINGS MOUNTAIN. N. C.. July 25.
Elements of mystery were injected into
the death of Thomas J. Phillips today
by a coroner’s jury verdict that the 41-
year-old Lenoir automobile dealer came
to his death “from gunshot wounds in
flicted by person or persons unknown.”
Phillips, twice mayor of North
Wilkesboro, where he formerly lived,
was fatally wounded near here Mon
day night while riding in an automo
bile with Mrs. Charlotte Yount, hand
some 32-year-old widow, of Newton and
Kings Mountain.
Wife at Death Bed.
Shot through the head with a pistol,
he died the same night in a Shelby
hospital. His wife, Mrs. Beatrice Myers
Phillips, rushed to his bedside from
Lenoir and was with him when he died.
In returning Its verdict at an in
quest here yesterday, the coroner s jury
refused to accept a statement of Mrs.
Yount that Phillips, despondent over
financial worries, shot himself.
Both Mrs. Yount and Billy Eugene
Neisler, aged 6, testified the business
man fired the fatal bullet himself.
Billy Eugene, who had to be helped
into the witness chair, said he was
standing in front of the home of his
father and saw a man waving his hand
over his head in an automobile in the
road. He said the man had a pistol
in his hand and shot himself with it.
Sudden Act During Drive.
Mrs. Yount said Phillips fired the bul
let into his head after stopping the car
with a jerk and telling her to get out
and see if there was a flat tire.
The young widow, mother of two
children, told of a long friendship with
Phillips. It extended, she said, from a
period after her husband, John Clar
ence Yount, Newton glove manufacturer,
died, seven years ago, until she came
recently to live with her father, Ed A.
Smith, Kings Mountain cotton mill
owner.
"You knew, of course, he was mar
ried?" she was asked. ~
"Yes," she replied quietly.
Fire Sidelights
Pittsburgh Physicians Face
Huge Task.
(Continued From First Page.)
persons were given first-aid treatment
on the lawn of the burning oulldlng.
John Ryan, who resides In a small
town In Westmoreland County, drove
50 miles to Pittsburgh last night.
Only a short time before Ryan had
heard over the radio the tragic story
of the fire that was raging In the home
of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Ryan's
father was an inmate.
Today Ryan waited at the morgue
and scanned newspaper bulletins for
news of his parents—listed among the
missing.
Joe McConvllle, captain of Engine
Company No. 7, of the East End, was
on his vacation. He was taking It
easy in his club house on the corner
when he heard the first alarm for the
fire at the home of the Little Sisters
of the Poor.
He raced to the scene, only a few
blocks distant. Soon forgotten was the
fact that he was off duty.
McConvllle was.the first to scale the
wall, which surrounds the extensive
building, the first to climb the fire
escapes and the first to take up the
rescue work.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 persons
crowded the streets about the institu
tion. The great clouds of smoke, and
the bright tongues of flame that red
dened the sky could be seen for miles
and attracted thousands of motorists
from all sections of the city.
The silence of the pense crowd as
the charred bodies were brought from
the flames, one by one, and laid upon
the lawns, was broken at intervals by
cheers as another was carried alive
from the inferno.
At daybreak, a while-haired Capuchin
monk. Gather Paul, chaplain of the
institution, stood with bowed head be
fore the charred building. Tears
streamed down his cheeks as he raised
his eyes to the blackened cross atop
the main building and murmured a
prayer for the dead and dying.
Patrolman Gabrial Voletto was on
duty at an East End police station last
night when word came that the home
of the Little Sisters of the Poor was
ablaze.
Voletto’s mother long had made her
home there. Frantic, the officer searched
the hospitals—then the morgue.
Just before daybreak Voletto returned
to or.e of the hospitals. He stopped sud
denly before one of the white cots
"Exhausted —and the smoke; she'll be
all right," a nurse whispered.
And then Gabrial Voletto heard his
mother call his name.
ZEPPELIN LEAVES
BERLIN FOR ARCTIC:
NEARS LENINGRAD
• FTom First Page.)
our polar outfits for our flight into the
Arctic.
The ship had to be towed a good way
at the start, owing to the slight ground 1
wind which broke across the field in
pursuit.
Wives Bid Farewell.
The wives of those participating in
the expedition tripped briskly below us.
headed by Lieut. Comdr. Edward H.
Smith's little wife. Next to her was
Frau Eckener, wife of the ship's com
mander.
"If you want to keep up with us," j
shouted Lincoln Ellsworth, the Ameri- !
can Arctic expert, as we started, "re- '
member the way to Berlin is long.”
An amusing incident occurred shortly !
before the departure. Herr Samolil- j
owitsch was missing when he was want
ed to speak over the radio and was dis- 1
covered shaving, having overslept.
Filmed in Outfits.
As we were sitting in the closed-in
flying laboratorium. with neither polar
‘ bears nor unexplored territory between
Friedrichshafen and Berlin, our film
man. Hartmann, insisted on filming us
in our polar costumes. The first to be
filmed was Lincoln Ellsworth, represent- S
ing the American Geographical Society,!
and then his friend. Lieut. Comdr. Ed
ward H. Smith of the U. S. Coast !
Guard.
Next, Herr Samolilowitsch. the scien
tific leader, was taken, looking like
Attila with his ferocious moustachios.
He has a childlike nature with a pas
sion for photography. Then came Herr
Moltschanoff, the meteorologist, with
his full-moon face, freckles and good- j
natured smile, satisfying his passion for '
sourdrops, which he is always sucking. !
Jnndberg Humorist.
The gaunt Swede, L. Jundberg. ex
pert geomagnetician. enlivened the scene
with his dry humor, disturbing the se- ,
riousness of Prof. Weichmann. meteorol- :
ogist: Prof. Aschenbrenner. geophotog
raphy engineer, and Kohl Larsen, our !
physician.
After being filmed we went to dinner, j
which we ate flying over Bayreuth. It j
I was served on paper mache plates. We ;
i sampled pemmikan and ground meat!
with kidney fat and vegetables. We
have 2.000 kilograms aboard, enough to
last 46 men three months.
We reached Berlin at 6 p.m. and pre
pared to depart for Leningrad.
(Copyright. 1931. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.)
Smith Represents 17. S.
Lieut. Comdr. Edward H. Smith of
the U. S. Coast Guard represents the
United States Government on the ex
-1 pedition. He was appointed to accom
i pany the ship in response to an invlta
j tion sent from the Aero-Arctic Society,
j sponsors of the trip, to the Government
lof this country. He is an expert on ice ;
i movements in the Arctic regions.
RUM BATTLE CASE
OFFICERS GIVE UP
Cu»toms Inspectors Will Face
Charges of Careless Firing
and Assault.
By the Associated Press.
DETROIT. July 25. —Customs Inspec
tors Clarence E. Fish and Arthur j
Weisolowskl surrendered to county au
thorities today to face charges of care
less use of firearms and felonious as-;
sault because of the wounding of a
passenger aboard an excursion steamer l
while they were chasing rum-runners'
Tuesday night.
They were taken to the county jail, l
where they were registered and their
fingerprints recorded. They will be ar
raigned in Common Pleas Court later, i
The complaint against them was
signed by Arthur Gajeski, who received
a bullet wound in his forearm whan,
with a number of others, he crowded 1
to the rail of the excursion steamer to
watch the brush between the officers
and a rum-running craft. ,
Efforts are expected to be made by
the United States district attorney’s
office to have the case against the two
inspectors transferred to Federal Court,
where the Government would defend
them.
JULIUS ROSENWALD ILL !
HIGHLAND PARK, 111., July 25((P). !
—Julius Rosmwald, capitalist and phl-|
lanthroplst, was under the care of
a physician today, although his condi
tion was not regarded as serious. He
was sent to bed at his home for a rest.
Last April he was also rdered to bed
after too strenuous activity In his varied
Interests.
26 KILLED, 217 HURT
AS HOME IS BURNED
Death List Expected to Mount
at Pittsburgh Institu
tion for Aged.
(Continued From Mrst Page.)
mltted that had not volunteers swarm'd
to the scene the situation could not have
been controlled as quickly as it was.
The experience of Mrs. Margaret Con
nell. 75, was typical.
"We were almost suffocated,” she
said. "The women had to run from
window to window for air. Sister Pasca
line, in charge of the floor, made them
stick their heads out and breathe be
fore going on. There were no lights
and the heat on the floor was intense
I felt too weak to go on. I sank back
on a bed and a fireman carried me out.”
Crowd of 20,000 There,
Eight alarms were turned in within
a few minutes after the first warning
cry was raised. So many firemen and
their apparatus were called out that
barely a skeleton crew kept watch over
the rest of the city. Soon streets near
by were jammed with a crowd estimated
at 20,000 persons. Cabs and automo
biles bringing more sightseers to the
spot were commandeered to bear the in
jured and overcome to hospitals.
All three nearby hospitals were
crowded to their capacity within an
hour, and homes, schools, and parish
houses in the n-ighborhood then were
thrown open to receive the hurt and
doubly homeless. An emergency hospi
tal was set up in a school across the
street.
Nuns, priests, volunteer* from the
streets, firemen, policemen and inmates
—heroes all—were found on every side
today as accounts of the disastrous fire
were recounted.
Many Risked Lives.
The Catholic sisters, in charge of the
institution, remained at their posts in
the fire swamped structure, aiding their
charges to escape. Priests braved fire
and smoke to administer last rites to
the dying, and men and boys—from
poolrooms, residences and corner gath
erings—risked their lives along with
firemen and police.
William Gaefke. who lives two houses
away, saw an old man frantically waving
his arms from a third-storv window and
shouting "fire.” Gaefke turned in the
first alarm and then turned to work of
rescue. He aided 15 inmates to the
lawn. ■
John Hoffman, a city emplove. one of
j the first on the scene, told of battling
i with several old men who resisted his
| efforts to lead them to safety. The men
i declared the home was under divine
guidance and could not burn, Hoffman
related, and one agra inmate shoved
him to the ground from a ladder. Hoff
was was uninjured.
Thomas Martin. 18 and another
youth whose name was not learned, res
| cued 21 persons. Martin also broke into
j the chapel and carried the chalice to
! the outside, where he handed it to a
priest.
, Bert Huber. 21. collapsed while
! climbing a ladder to continue rescue
| work and was taken to a hospital suf
. fermg from smoke and exhaustion. He
1 helped rescue 10.
Ed Crock, another volunteer, retrieved
i a body and brought out four person
j alive, and an unidentified bov of 17
I or 90 ran to and from th' building
seven times to save seven inmates and
j then collapsed.
Sister Agatha, the mother superior
• in charge and one of the foremost in
I rescue efforts, led the firemen and vol
j unteers. unlocking the main doors and
the doors to the rooms on the inside
the institution having been locked up
I at the usual time. 8 o'clock.
Eight aged women, occupants of a
room on an upper floor of the home,
made efforts to save each other as the
fire spread terror. Mrs. Margaret Mc
; Connell. 75. one of them, said she was
just getting to sleep.
Help Cripples Escape.
! "Sarah Carlson, an old woman who
lived on the same floor,' Mrs. McCon
• nell related, "rushed in. crying that the
building was on fire. I arose, groping
my way through the dark and the
smoke, and aroused the seven others
and then went to an adjoining room,
where she and I awakened three elderly
women, all cripples. The cripples were
helped into wheel chairs, and by that
j time the firemen had arrived,
j "Mrs. Carlson, thinking that her
I husband, Daniel, also an inmate, was
! still in the building, broke a wav from
i the firemen and ran back into the fire
crying out his name.” Mrs. MeConneli
continued, and added “I haven't seen
! her since."
The Little Sisters of the Poor wept
; today as they looked upon the stark
, blackened walls and the twisted. char Ted
I timbers that was their home until the
j fire.
! Little was left by the furious flames
I of th? famous old institution, which
, repres nted years of work and sacrifice
i on the part of the nuns and those who
assisted them through charity.
The Little Sisters came to Pittsburgh
from France in 1851 and from a modest
beginning h-re built up the home.
The building was a large four-story,
red brick structure of Georgian archi
tecture. Latest additions had been built
in the past decade.
Principal of the vows of the Littl
Sisters of the Poor is to support the
work of their order with door-to-door
solicitation. The building and all its
furnishings and equipment were ob
tained in this manner.
The Little Sisters have retained the
quaint black-and-white French cos
tumes. They wear black bonnets. All
I the nuns serve their noviate in France.
Many American women are members of
the order.
FRANCE CONTINUES
CUSTOMS ATTACK
Representative at The Hague Con
tends Austrian Independ
ence Would Be Cut.
By the Associated Press.
THE HAGUE, July 25.—Joseph Paul
| Boncour today resumed his argument
j for France against the projected Austro
| German customs accord in the World
I Court, hammering on his contention
i that the union would compromise Aus
; tria s independence in violation of the
I post-war treaties.
j He interpreted the 1922 Geneva
protocol, which Austria signed in ex
change for financial assistance, as re
quiring Austria to refrain from "any
act whatsoever which might threaten
j her independence.”
j Austrian attorneys regard this hear
ing as exceedingly important because of
1 the far-reaching interpretations which
might be placed on the recommendation
! of the court.
BAND CONCERT.
By the United States Soldiers' Home
Band this evening at the bandstand at
5:30 o’clock. John Zlmmermann, band-
I master; Anton Pointner, assistant.
March, "Conclave” Losey
Overture, “Egmont” Beethoven
Characteristic, "Suite of Serenades.”
Victor Herbert
I Spanish. Chinese. Cuban. Oriental.
Scenes from the opera "Der Rosen
kavalier” Strauss
Intermezzo, "Amina" Lincke
Waltz. “Enchanted Nights” Moret
Finale, “The American Patrol,”
Meacham
"The Star Spangled Banner.”