The Washington times. [volume], February 13, 1922, HOME FINAL EDITION, Image 1

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

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NUMBER 12,163. aj?ug WASHINGTON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 13, 1922. calS^S^Rms THREE CENTS EVUIIHtt
Taylor's Servant May Hold Key To Death
? ? ? ? ? & & ? ? ? ? ? it
THEATER WALL WAS SHAKEN BY CMS
a ?. A A A i ill AAA
Woman It TNT?Man DF.
No Mountain, No Valley.
Indians Not Irish.
To Get Cash, MAKE It
?Br ARTHUR BRISBANE?
(Copyright, IMS.)
Billy Sunday, musing on news
from Hollywood and the Taylor
?hooting incident, says: "Wom
en are as dangerous as TNT.
Adam said it, and Marc Antony,
Byron, and a few million
others. ?
Billy Sunday will tell you
that women are not dangerous
to men that mind their own
business. If Adam had said:
"Thanks. I don't eat apples,"
he would have kept out of trou
ble, and the clothing business
would not exist today.
It is not the woman's explo
sive nature, but the asinine
character of man that makes
the trouble. A middle-aged fool,
crediting to his own charms the
influence of his pocketbook, is
flri?t an ass, then a corpse, when
Somebody happens to shoot him
??and they blame it on woman.
A superintendent of schools
wants jatz music forbidden?
music generally censured. "Mu
sic gets into the blood of young
folks and stimulates them like
alcohol." Yes, for instance,
music got into the blood of
David, and he danced before the
Ark. Old King Cole ordered
music with his pipe and his
bowl. It was music and the
dance of the seven veils com
bined that persuaded the king
(to chop off the head of John
the Baptist.
Music stimulates without any
reaction; no headache the next
morning. But what are the re
formers to do? If you stop
music, there will be the birds
singing?can't shoot them all.
There will be sun rising in
glory, intoxicating sight to cer
tain minds.
It's a hard job to make the
mind of man level and flat, like
that of an angleworm. It might
not be a good thing. "No moun
tain without a valley," says a
German proverb. Excitement pro
vides the mountain. Men climb
up and see farther. If they break
th?i? j^ocks coming down it does
< net~matter. "7*"' -
' n
Newspapers tell of dissatisfac
tion in India, say that India is a
second Ireland. Nonsense The
Indians are not Irish, therefore
India is no second Ireland. Could
you imagine England holding
down three hundred million Irish
men as she has held down three
hundred million Asiatics? India
would suit our moralists. Those
Asiatics are teetotalers, vegeta
rians, never jazz?and a few beef
eating, beer-drinking, self-indul
gent Englishmen seven thousand
miles away rule the 300,000,000
Indians with ease.
Where to find money for the
soldiers' bonus? Nobody wants
to be taxed, least of all those that
war and the soldiers made rich.
Why is it necessary to tax
ANYBODY? The nation wants
^five hundred millions now and
more later to distribute among
three million soldiers. The mo
ment the money is given it will
be spent, distributed among 108,
000,000 Americans, quickly ab
sorbed. Why not simply print
the currency and pay the soldiers
with perfectly good m#ney manu
factured by the Government at
the cost of paper and printing,
without taxing anyone or dis
turbing any business?
Financiers will tell you that
would be ruin, "inflation,"
most horrible of nightmares.
But financiers proved, in their
opposition to the Federal Re
serve, that they know nothing
about money, except their own
desire to monopolize it.
There is not enough currency
In circulation. Our gold re
serve is three times what it has
been in the past. We could
double the amount of currency
without harmful "inflation."
$Ioney needed for the soldiers
could be printed, distributed,
and spent, and it would have
on the nation's finances no
more effect than a few gallons
of water on the Mojave Desert.
First?What difference would
It make to sound finance if the
Government printed and issued
few currency to the soldiers?
Second?Would wise finan
ciers ever know the thing had
happened if no one told them?
The result would be a boom
in prosperity, based on free
spending by soldiers.
* The nation is afraid to try
it, fearing that a thing done
wisely and reasonably today
might be repeated foolishly.
i
.
IMU
STIRTLED
BUILDING
FUMMI
Treasury Expert Tells Jury En
gineering of Knicker
bocker Was Faulty.
The Columbia road wall of the
Knickerbocker Theater while in
course of construction was shaken
violently by vibration from street
cars crossing the tracks at Colum
bia road and Eighteenth street,
Harry J. Freeman, foreman for the
Hammond Fireproofing Company,
who had charge of construction o(
the walls of the structure, testt
fied today at the Coroner's inquest.
Violent Vibration.
"Kvery time the oars crossed the
track" there was a vjolerft vthru-J
Uon." testified Freeman. "The vijr*?,
tlon was greater than any I had ex
1 perienced in wall construction since
| 1907."
This swaying and vibration of the
wall, said Freeman, was first notlca
ble when it was only three feet high.
When the wall was half up we felt
that it would be necessary to brace
It and it was reinforced with a
i concrete band.
The collapse of the roof of the
theater <vas not attributed to the
walls, however, by Ernest C. Rueb
sam, a civil engineer, who up to the
outbreak of the war was for thirty
years chief structural engineer of the
Treasury Department, and who dur
ing that period had charge of all the
structural work on all Government
buildings throughout the country.
"In my opinion," Ruebsam told
the Jury at the inquest being held
at the District Building, "the col
lapse was due to insufficiency of
the design fabrication of the struc-;
tural steel."
Declares Design Faulty.
He declared the designing of the
building was faulty, that construc
tion of the entire bulding was pool
and that not sufficient support had
been given to the trusses which held
up the roof.
"The plans submitted to the build
ing Inspector's office," deoiared Mr.
Ruebsam, "did not show tne height ,
or dimensions of the trusses. One of j
the main trusses was too shallow i
and it was not secured properly. It
was a case of bad engineering. Had
the main truss been properly spliced
and had sufficient plates been con- j
nected in the channels it would not I
have fallen. The truss was over
loaded for its support. This over
stressing caused it to become un
seated.
"One of the columns was not
plumb. It was at least three-quarters
of an inch out. To cover up th.s
deficiency, the plasterer filled out the
column to make it appear plumb."
Freeman further dwlared that
the specifications passed on by the
building inspector's office d*d not j
call for the hollow tiles used in
the wall construction to be filled
with concrete.
"Did you inspect the wall each
day as it was bo.ng erected?" Free
man was asked by District Attorney
Gordon.
"I did "
"Was concrete put in the hollow |
tiles?"
"Not all of them. The only tites I
that were filled with cement were j
those that supported the beam1 set j
in the Columb a road wall on which i
the truss was seaK-d."
"Then the walls were not of!
concrete filled tiles?" asked the j
district attorney.
Rudalph Miller, an engineer who
wrote the New York City building 1
code and has been Identified with
engineering enterprises there for i
many years, probably will be the first I
witness to be called bnfore the Sen
ate District Committee when it In
vestigates the Knickerbocker disas- '
ter.
Mr. Miller Is one of the lending j
authorities on building regulations in
the United States and his advice will
be sought at the suggestion ?f j
Senator Calder, with reference to I
a redrafting of the District build
ing code, which a number of mem
bers of the Senate District Com
mittee believe to be necessary.
Senator Ball, chairman of the Sen
ate District Committee, does not
think it advisable for the Senate to
take any action until the present
local Investigations have been com
pleted. He expressed himself today
as well satisfied with the progress
that they have been making.
Sales Tax to Pay Bonus Urged
William Desmond Taylor, murdered movie director, had just the kind of funeral that would have pleased
him had he been directing a funeral scene for one of his famous pictures. The upper picture ahows
Canadian soldiers dramatically firinjr a salute over his grave Below ia shown the body leaving the
Cathedral of St. Paul at Los Angeles and being placed in the hearse. Throngs crowding street,
hands impressively at salute?all a cinema success.
5 KILLED IN 24
NEAR BELFAST
Orders for British Troop With
drawal From Cork
Canceled.
Br International Npwi Nervlre.
liONDON. Feb. 13.?Two person*
wore shot to death and several other*
wounded In fresh disorders in Bel
fast during the morning, according
to a Central News dispatch received
from that city at 2 o'clock this after
noon. This brought the dead in Bel
fast. and environs in the past twen
ty-four hours up to five?four men
and a woman.
"Disturbances are reported I
throughout the whole countryside'
(Ulster province)," telegraphed the
Central News correspondent. "An
American newspaper man who left
Belfast for the Free State on Friday
has not been heard from since. A
number of sawmills in the Baltlna
district were burned." .
Orders for British troop withdraw
als from Cork have been canceled,
?aid a dispatch from that city.
BELFAST, Feb. 13.?Three per
sons have been killed In this city and
environs dur.ng the past twenty four
hours. A man was found shot dead
this morning in a field on the out
skirts of the city.
Ulsterltes who were seized by Sinn
Felners in County Fermanagh (Ul
ster province), are reported to have
been moved southward to County
Cavan, the southernmost county ot
Ulster, lying on the Fro? Stale line. I
U. S. CARDINALS WILL
HELP ELECT NEXT POPE
ROMK, Feb. 13.?Pope Pius XI
has solemnly promised that a pope
never again shall be elected without
participation of American cardinals
in the conclave, it was revealed to
day by Cardinal O'Connell, of Bos
ton.
The Boston prelate told the Inter
national News Service that he had
an audience with Pope Pius XI after
the coronation ceremonies.
"The pontiff repeated to me the
conversation he had with Cardinal
Dougherty of Philadelphia on Sat
urday; that he will take immediate
steps to amend conclave regula
ions." said Cardinal O'Connell.
"The Pope desires that the regu
lations be changed to allow suffi
cient time for cardinals in the United
States, Canada and Australia to ar
rive for the balloting."
"UNCLE JOE" CANNON WILL
NOT SEEK SEAT THIS YEAR
"Uncile Joe" Cannon, of Illinois,
veteran of twenty-three Congresses
and former Speaker of the House of
Representatives, announced today
that he would npt be a candidate
for re-election.
Cannon's announced Intention of
not entering the Republican pri
maries at Danville, 111., as a candi
date for the Sxty-elghth Congress
came like a bombshell In Washing
ton, where he has been a familiar
and picturesque figure for half a
century.
In addition to announcing that he !
would not be a candidate for the j
next Congress, "Uncle Joe" would
make no statement.
He was first elected as a member
of the House In 1873 and has served
almost continuously ever since.
Army Sales Net $3,144,086.
Army surplus property sales dur
ing the month of January netted a
total of 13,144.086.81, the quarter
master general announced today.
The principal sales were those held
at Atlanta, January 8, 7 and I,
which netted *2,000,000,
2 WOMEN CLAIM
MOTHERHOOD OF
IDENTICAL BABY
Case Will Be Bitterly Fought
in Court Here Next
Week.
King Solomon, the wisest of the
wise, must share honors next week
with Judge Kathryn 8ellers, of
Juvenile Court, who will be called
upon to deelde the parentahlp of a
saven-months-old baby girl, now In
the custody of the Board of Children'*
Guardians
When the Judge opens court
February 23 two women, one an
Italian only recently como to this
country, and the other a resident I
of Tuxedo, Md., will lay claim to the!
baby girl. Both avar they are the
real mother.
The storiea of these two women
are strange. The Italian woman
says she put her child in the cua- ]
tody of the other woman, being
unable to care for her at the time
of birth. The other woman admits
receiving the child and declares she
Kave it to another woman, who took
it to Georgia. In the meantime, j
the Tuxedo woman declares a child
had been born to her.
But Mrs. Mara Antonio Mattio,!
of 2526 Georgia avenue, will not
accept the atory of Mrs. Etta Peck, I
of Tuxedo.
"She haa not aent my boby away;
It la my baby ahe says was born to j
her," says Mr?. Mattio.
Mrs. Peek emphatically denies
Mrs. Mattlo'a statement, and ahe haa
i (Continued on Pace 14, Column 4.)
>
Los Angeles Police Think He
May Be Able to Give
Solution of Slaying.
By ELLIS H. MARTIN.
International Stmt Umln.
LOS ANGELE8. Feb. 13.?Does
H*nry Peavey. nearro servant of
William Desmond Taylor, alain
movie director, hold the key to
the most baffling murder mystery
that has ever come to the atten
tion of the local police?
(Julzxe4 Three Times.
A considerable number of the in
vestigator*. who have been working
cm the .-simaUpn. have reached this
ce...'tunlbir TJtimt, the v*Jet-h?ua*
man has been questioned. At the
coroner's Inquest he burst into hys
terical laughter. He has come
through each of the other rigorous
Interrogations smilingly. Rut he has
made remarks, which lead the in
vestigators to believe that event
ually he may supply the "start
ing point" for the unraveling of the
tangled skeins of the tragedy.
One of these remarks made out
side the official investigation is
the reported declaration that
Peavey had feared for hie employ
er's safety and would not have
been surprised to have found Tay
lor murdered at the time the Tay
lor bungalow was robbed recently.
Harold Kreeman. a milk man, gave
i this Information to the police.
To Be Questioned Again.
| Peavey will be questioned from
time to time until every scrap of
Information he may have Is se
cured. Captain of Detectives Adams
said today.
I Another "starting point" oought
by investigators Is the revolver
With which Taylor was slain. The
weapon has not been found. De
tectives are still seeking the re
volver reported found In an alley
way In the Wllshire district the
morning the murder was dlscov
ered.
It was Peavey who discovered the
slain director. In all of his inter
rogations, detectives and attaches of
the district attorney's office have
endeavored to learn If he had any
knowledge of the presence of a
weapon near the body which might
| have been spirited away.
Police admit they were handl
! capped from the start due to the
fact that considerable time had
elapsed after the hody was found be
fore they called.
i A third "starting point" which
Captain of Detectives Adams insists
Is vital, is the finding of Edward F.
Sands, valet-secretary of Taylor.
Still Seeking Sands.
"We must know what Sands
knows," he said, and the nation-wide
search for Sands will continue.
Sands disappeared several days be
fore Taylor returned from Europe,
August 1 last. Official reports have
Sands in Los Angeles the latter part
of November and early In December.
It was in December the Taylor home
was robbed of valuables amounting
to $1,000. A few days after the rob
bery stubs of gold tipped cigarettes
stolen from Taylor were found en the
door step. Indicating that the burglar
had returned.
The latest angle of the search for
Sands Is an attempt to find a
woman with whom he is reported to
have been friendly. Expensive lin
gerie purchased by Samls and
charged to Taylor's account during
his absence Is also being traced.
Detectives hope thus to gam definite
information as to when Sands was
last here and possibly a clue to hie
present address.
Admittedly aftere twelve days' In
vestigation no real "starting point"
has been developed. Many hy
potheses have been advanced, but
in each Instance the basis In evi
dence is lacking.
Scores of theories have been set
aaide because salient facts had not
been developed.
The chief result of the Investiga
tion, so far, has apparently been to
give clean bills of health to persons
whose names have been bandied
about In rumor and gossip.
One promising lead, a slightly
blood-stained cap, found In the poa
1 session of a man arrested on a bur
glary charge, has apparently re
sulted In nothing. Police are seek
| Ing the owner of the cap. but on a
burglary charge.
Miss Minter Praises
Taylor as "Symbol
of Honor"
LOS ANGELES, Feb. is.?
The following statement nan i$
tued from the office of the at
torney? of Mary Milet Minter
here today.
tty MAKY MILES MINTKR.
There is no persona] or finan
cial sacrifice that I would not
gladly make to bring the slayer
of William Desmond Taylor to
justice.
Mr. Taylor was one of my best
friends. His death was a great
I shock to me. I met Mr. Taylor
J first in 1919, when he became ray
| director, I was then .seventeen
years old, and his inspiration,
his unfailing courtesy and con
sideration, not only to me, but
to al~ with whom he came in
contact, immediately won my
highest admiration.
From 1919 until the day of his
death, Mr. Taylwr was to me the
symbol of honor and manliness,
an inspiration, friend, guide and
counselor?the symbol of that
which a girl admires in a man.
His friendship was uplifting
and his adrice and '?Id were in
-sa-aswHj
raise toy voice to proclaim what
he was and to repudiate those
who would besmirch his char
acter.
I have told the authorities all
that I know of both his life here
and in the East. That, I fear,
has been of little aid to them.
I cannot conceive the character
of a person who would voluntar
ily wrong Mr. Taylor or cause
his death.
HONEST QUIZ, IS
CRAFTS' GLJilM
Fairmont, Va., Church Adopts
Resolution Urging Inquiry
on Divorce Evil.
By HARVEY L. COBB.
(Copyright, 19 28. by Tha Washington
Tlmsa Company.)
Legislative Investigation of the
Alexandria divorce scandal, to b?
made the basis of Impeachment
charges against Judge Robinson
Moncure, Is being demanded by va
r ous associations and societies of the
Old Dominion.
A resolution demanding a legis
lative investigation of the disgrace
ful cond.tions in Alexandra was
adopted yesterday by the congrega
tion of the Fairmont. Va., Methodiat
Church.
Another petition wa* adopted by
the Young Men's Christian A?mn.t
tion of the same place declar.ng that
the legislature should take a hand In
the proceedings "and remove the
st gma that has blighted the name of
our fair Slate."
That a legislative Investigation will
be made is practically assured, mem
bers of the assembly stated laat
night, according to Amtt-inblynian
Wilbur C. Hall, whose anti-d vorre
bill has aroused the ire of members
of the divorce ring.
Reconsideration of Judge Mon
cure's election by members of the
legislature was urged in an addrcNn
yesterday at Fairmont by Dr. \V 1
bur F. Crafts, .head of the Interna
tional Reform Bureau
Ring Is Tricky, Crafts Says.
"The trouble is not in the State
laws of Virginia," Dr. Crafts told
his audience.
"Members of the ring are seeking
to pull the wool over the eyes of
you Virginians by declaring that the
law allows too many loopholes. They
will not succeed in the;r subter
fuges, however, to shift the blame
for their own crookedness." l?r. i
Crafts declared.
"They?these crooked lawyers?
tell you that theae disgraceful con
ditions in Alexandria are the re
sult of inadequate laws. They lie.
and they know they He.'- Dr. Crafts
declared.
"The law is not to blame for their
criminal acts of subornation ft
is a specific crime against the rorrt
monwsalth.
"The procuring of w!tn>?is swrh
(ConUnued on I'age *?. Osiiuna U j
GENERAL
LEVY SEEN
AVENUE TO
HARMON)
Impost of Ons-Hs* off
Cent WouM Essrfy
Moosy
Ths Hmh ??
Com mirtee'x
tww to H) tW
i u to be an
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Whm tbr
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PW
and Mmm t
attempt to l>r?ak (W
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(ram haa hmoctit
lax acain
promlor on whwh
wo'ild a(m
The uni?.pular i af *?
on o??>l;i?.
IKjat and ti
?to. k and nal
IhMtrr tk-krta
l<-n?rth at lb? White
Senator Sn..
to the Wl?lt?
MrOumher of
< 'h airman
Ways and
the S? nate
<1?-adlork Haiarftf mm M i
?aid that the Pr afc?i hod ?A?M
a "hand* off' Hti y
mand that^tkST kmva MS ? ri a?
own flnarvtnc prtrMaai MM MS
the OimruMail 1 atari Skat ?
waa up to theaa to wt Ml St
method of flnar
memtem of < i
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Mean* |mm am Mi t? ho
hnwfvfr T>>"
of the atorm ,<
developed <"? tW
cMI tax plan, and It
he eue*ea?ed it
Men hera of the
mlttee that now M>
ins out the hofiua
an id today an ?-nt?ra**
of ralMn* the ra?a
wo'ltd br adopt aS
?tolea Tax ta Br t ??aS
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twetina by W' aatar taae a* tM?
flrat of th* aliwuu*' paaa ?>?
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iner to have the aMSialMMM
for lh? tax
waa finally ar
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rviailer wraM ntoajaMi
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t?i?poeitlon '? 'he
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and honktn* trienr? -
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every mail
|<ro|<oOed IS i?'
profile of f-<ii pai ??Oe?
IniTranlnn the tai oo
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tenth of one t?
In* the tax on
to $1 per ll.Oaa
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the Waya and M ?
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hllea and l?4am'
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