The Knoxville independent. [volume], June 02, 1917, Image 1

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VOL. XXIll, No. 33
CAPT. L P. MAGRUDER
m W -
Capt. T. P. Magruder, U. S. N., Is at
tached to the naval militia division of
the navy department. He distinguished
himself In the Spanish-American war.
DRIVE AGAINST FRANCE
Hindenburg Hopes to Crush Foe
Before U. S. Aids.
German Commander Has 1,000,000
Fresh Troops Ready for Huge
Offensive.
- Washington, May-30. Smash France
before the United States gets In.
Tills is Germany's chief hope of vic
tory, and it Is the policy on which the
German government la . concentrating
all Ifs energies. A, revelation of the
power of Germany to carry out this
program is expected within the next
six weeks.
The situation is viewed as desperate
by many American army officers. The
allies are weakened and war-weary
and waiting for the United States to
come In and give Germany the coup
de grace.
But the United States will not get
In effectively until next year. The gov
ernment does not contemplate sending
more than 100,000 men before snow
flies. So with the submarine on the
sea nnd Hindenburg on the land Ger
many has nearly a year In which to
carry out her effort to wrest victory
from impending defeat.
' The American government has come
Into possession of a vast amount of
startling Information concerning the
war situation In which the United
States is Involved, but the contents of
this dispatch are all that I am at lib
erty to present In print under the
terms of the voluntary censorship.
The administration has learned that
Germany has a new army of between
1,000,000 and 1,500,000 men who never
have been In the trenches, but have
been under Intensive training for sev
eral months. These fighters were re
leased from the factories by the Indus
trial reorganization resulting from the
German man power legislation and by
the labor of the Belgian workmen, de
ported to Germany.
The American military authorities
believe that Von Hindenburg, re-enforced
by this fresh army, Is about to
launch a terrific onslaught on the west
ern front.
LEVY $2,000,000 ON BELGIANS
Germans Increase Exactions to $144,
000,000 for Use of Army In
crease in Upkeep.
Havre, May SO. The German gov
ernor general of Belgium, Baron von
Fulkenhausen,; has Imposed a supple
mentary war, tax of 10,000,000 francs
($2,000,000) on the Belgians. The pro
vincial councils have been summoned
to meet on June 2 to decide on the
method of raising this amount. With
the new tax the amount of money al
together exacted from the Belgians
amounts to 720,000,000 francs ($144,
000,000). The Increased cost of the
upkeep of the troops occupying the ter
rltory Is given by the Germans as the
reason for this extra levy, which, they
declare, cannot be considered as nal.
- s "w$$Kk.
Jews Ordered To Leave Jerusalem.
Copenhagen. According to Informa
tion received In Zionist circles from
Palestine the Turks twice have given
orders for the evacuation of Jerusa
lem by the Jews, but the orders each
time were suspended owing to repre
sentations from the German Govern
ment, which feared for the safety of
the shrines and other holy places, and
still more the effect upon the world's
public opinion. -
' ' "... .
BQUAI RIGHTS TO ALL, "IiX;
OTTD TO 13
OfOXYCLLE, TENNESS1B,
TALiAN CANNON
BOMBARD DUINO
Gateway of Trieste Is Under Fire
and Fall of City Is Im
minent. CAPTURE, A DIFFICULT TASK
Austro-Hungarian Stronghold Is De
fended by Mountains Which Bristle
With Artillery and Machine
. Guns Progress Slow.
- Berlin, May 30. An attack by Rus
sian and Roumanian troops Is expected,
the official report says.
Rome, May 30. Both Italian guns
and Infantry are pounding away at
Dulno, the gateway of Trieste.
The capture of this Austro-Hunga-rlan
stronghold Is a difficult task, be
cause It Is defended by mountains
which bristle with artillery and ma
chine guns. But despite the severity
of the task, the Italians are pressing
ahead with blows that win fresh
ground every day.
The forcing of a passage across the
Tlmova river gave the Italians a foot
hold In the village of San Giovanni,
and It has been maintained despite fu
rious counter-attacks by the Austro
Hungarian forces.
The fighting enabled Italians to
consolidate positions which they regard
as impregnable. -
Demoralized by Artillery.
Prisoners streaming back from the
Carso plateau front declare Italian ar
tillery, supplemented by British guns,
have demoralized Austro-Hungarian
forces and they were dazed by It- be
fore they were attacked by Infantry.
Especially severe was fighting With
big guns around Jamlano, There It
was a battle between the heavy Italian
and British guns and the gigantic "sko-das-'
wlth -which '-the Germans' and
Austro-Hungarians have reduced some
of the mightiest fortresses on both
eastern and western fronts.
' Italian military critics are jubilant
over the success of the drive, but are
not making predictions as to time
when Trieste will fall. However, mili
tary chiefs make It plain Italians are
In position to fight all summer for the
prize, If necessary.
Face Mountain Forts.
In a sense Italians are. battling
against what might be termed nn Austro-Hungarian
Hindenburg line, and It
requires a slow process of pounding
mountain fortresses of Austro-Hunga-rlans
before Infantry can be brought
up.
Artillery duels all along the Isonzo
river front' are Increasing In violence
as a result 'of the arrival of fresh Austro-Hungarian
batteries-from the Rus
sian front.
It is estimated that Austro-Hunga-rlans
have from 400,000 to 500,000 men
along the 'narrow strip from the Plava
mounta!nsector to the Adriatic sea.
ROB SAILORS; SINK VESSEL
Germans Bomb American Ship as the
Crew l Set Adrift in an
Open Boat.
. New York, May 30. The American
schooner Margaret B. Rouss, which
left St. Andrews bay, Florida, Febru
ary 4 with cargo of pine lumber for
Genoa, was sunk by a submarine April
27 near the French-Italian coast and
the crew robbed by the Germans, ac
cording to Capt. Fred L. Foot, master
of the schooner, who arrived here from
France. t
Captain Foot said a detachment
from the submarine boarded his vessel
and took from It everything of value,
Including foodstuffs, navigating instru
ments, and even the extra clothing of
himself and his six men. They were
set adrift In an open boat and were
landed at Monte Carlo by a patrol
boat, which picked them up. The
schooner was sunk by bombs.
BRAZIL SEIZES GERMAN SHIPS
Forty-Nine Vessels, With Tonnage of
250,000 Requisitioned by the
Government.
Buenos Afres, May 30. The Brazil
ian congress1 has, authorized the requi
sition of 49 interned ships in Brazil
ian harbors, says a dispatch from Rio
Janeiro. The ships have a total ton
nage of 250,000. Previously news had
been received that the Brazilian cham
ber of deputies by an overwhelming
vote haid decided "to revoke the declara
tion of i neutrality.
Norwegian Ship Sunk by Gunfire.
Chrlstlansand, May 30. The Norwe
gian steamer Norway, 1,447 tons, was
sunk by gunfire while on .her way to
her home port. The crew were rescued
.by a Dasslmt steamer. ;
ffiCT
Coaches Lifted From Tracks By
Tornado Which Wipes Out
Missouri Village
SEVEN K.LLED 22 INJURED
Three Die on Relief Train Out of Min
eral Point Passengers Are Euried
.'In Debris of Depot After Fleeing
From Cars That Are Turned Over.
Western Newspaper Union News Service.
St. Louis, Mo.-Seven persons are
reported to have been killed and at
least 22 were injured in a tornado
which virtually wiped out Mineral
Point, Mo., a little mining village 15
miles south of Desoto, Mo. The cyclone
moved southward to Etlah, Mo., where
one man is known to have been killed.
A relief train sent out from Desoto
brought in 22 injured persons, and they
are being cared for in the Emergency
Hospital of the Young Men's Christian
Association In Desoto. Four of those
who lost their lives were killed outright
and three others were so badly injured
that they died on the relief train en
route to Desoto. Virtually every house
in Mineral Point, a town of about 30C
population, was wrecked with the ex
ception of the schoolhouse, which was
standing after the storm passed.
Lemaster was crushed to death un
der the ruins of the Iron Mountain
Depot at Mineral Point. Many oth
ers were severely Injured whenthe
storm struck and the depot collapsed.
The building was a complete wreck.
Frank Goff's child was blown from
the Goff home when the house col
lapsed and It was blown against an
other house. The child was dead when
picked up. Goff and his wife were
among the severely Injured who were
taken to Desoto. Many passengers
on an Iron Mountain passenger train,
which was standing at the depot in
Mineral Point, fled from the train as
the storm approached and took refuge
In the depot. Two coaches on the
train were turned upside down by the
wind, but the engine remained on the
rails when the storm had passed.
Many of those who had taken refuge
in the depot weja injured when that
building- collapsed.
The new Tiff mill at Mineral Point
was among the buildings wrecked by
the storm. Among the Injured at the
hospital at Desoto Is a woman, mother
nf flva children whnfin horl, la WHn
She is expected to die. Three of her
five children also are severely in
jured. . David Obuchon was among
those injured. He was struck In the
i head by flying timber. Ralph Kaiser
I saw the storm approaching. He ran
into the schoolhouse for shelter and
escapeu umnjurea.. He said ne saw
the funnel shaped cloud sweep down
on the city, and as soon as the fnrre
I THE FLY Om'Wm IS ON
PT I fill 10 I DESIGNATES MEN
dl. LUUIO
G CLO 1 E
of the storm had passed he aided In disclosed the fact that irom id to
the relief work, which was startedini-: yoims Americans, with little baggage,
mediately. Debris from Mineral Point , but carrying plenty of money and ap
was carried by the wind as far as De- - parently of good families, are crossing
soto. and flying timbers were scat,
tered in various parts of the city.
SmithYtHe. Chancellor A. H. Rob
erts closed a very important term of
his court at this place. He had a very
large docket with much important liti
gation at this place, and was not able
to finish it on account of having to
n court at Wartburg .
? i .
MTU&DAY. JUNE
EXCEPTED
Provost Marshal Crowder Issues Regis
,.5 tration Regulations Procla-
? ' mation Is Construed.
JVJashington, May 30. Provost Mar
sha Crowder issued the following reg
ulation relating to the selective service
act; )
The president holds that selective
service act of May 18 and proclama
tion . ,and registration regulations of
samj date do not require registration
of members of any duly organized and
recognized force, military or naval,
subject under other laws of United
States to be called, ordered or drafted
into niilltary or naval service of United
States, and In order that this construc
tion'may be made plain, he directs
that sections 4 and 61 of registration
reglihitions of May 18 be construed as
If weul sentence in each .section read
as filiows: "The only exceptions are
iry or noval service
.nfr
oflU:m aud eu: -, ted meu of the regular
arni?,;4he Begultu Aruiy reserve, tlw
Officers Reserve corps, the Enlisted
Reserve corps, the National Guard and
National .Guard reserve recognised by
the mllltla bureau of the war depart
ment, the navy, the Marine corps, the
Coast guard, and the Naval mllltla,
Naval reserve force, Marine Corps re
serve, and National Naval volunteers,
recognized by the navy department pe
riod." ; Proclamation of May 18 will
be construed accordingly.
LANSING TELLS OF SPY WORK
Says Germany Tried to Raise Friction
Between Allies and America While
U. S. Was Neutral.
Washington, May 30. Secretary
Lansing, testifying before the house
conimerce committee, in support of the
tradlng-wlth-the-enemy bill, said the
government had evidence that Ger
many, while the United States was
still neutral, had sent agents here who
organized a steamship company and
loaned Americans the money to buy
the grain aboard ship In order to raise
an Issue with Great Britain and
France over seizure upon leaving port
Exploration Expedition Safe.
New York, May 30. The McMillan
Crocker land exploration expedition Is
safe, according to a cablegram from
the Shetland Islands received here.
St. Louis Race War Renewed.
St. Louis. One negro was shot and
two were taken to a hospital, severely
beaten, when the race rioting In East
St. Louis broke out again. Despite
the efforts of the police, special depu
ties and national guardsmen, several
mobs, composed of more than 100 per
sons, gathered and pursued negroes.
Arrest Agitators Against Registration.
Washington. Special orders were
sent to Government officials through
out the country to keep close watch on
meetings at which there may be agi-
' tation ttainst rel8tratln under tne
' War army aci, aim 10 yieparo u, uiruai
speakers who encourage violations of
the law. Although the Department of
Justice Is satisfied that German influ
ence and money are behind efforts to
interfere with registration, it is said
officially that such influences are re
garded as local and sporadic and not
Inspired by serious, organized effort.
Slackers Crossing Into Mexico.
Laredo, Tex. B'ederal officials .here
i Into Mexico daily. They go soutn ob
tensibly to mine, prospect lor ou or
pursue other occupations for which
they apparently are not trained, and it
is believed by officials that they are
leaving the United States to avoid con
scription. Most of the young men are
from eastern states, some being iTom
points' as tar east as Maine and New
Hamuabire. - .
8PECIAL PRIVILEGES
$F he eras m
2 t17.
PLOT REVOLT T(i
OPPOSETHE DRAFT
Mountaineers Are Arrested Near
Roanoke, Va., by Federal
Officers.
GERMANS ACCUSED BY U. S.
Department of Justice Says Similar
Conspiracies Have Been Discov
ered Severe Punishment
Awaits Offenders of Law. -
PENALTY FOR FAIL
URE TO REGISTER
FAILURE TO REGISTER
ON JUNE 5 RENDERS ONE
LIABLE TO A YEAR'S IM
PRISONMENT. THE FACT
THAT ONE IS NOT ENTI
TLED TO VOTE DOES NOT
EXCUSE HIM FROM REGIS
TRATION. WHITE AND
COLORED, BETWEEN THE
AGES OF TWENTY-ONE
AND THIRTY, BOTH INCLU
SIVE, MUST REGISTER ON
JUNE 5.
E. H. CROWDER,
Provost Marshal General.
Washington, May 30. Official an
nouncement was made of a plot to bin
der registration and to resist conscrip
tion by an armed uprising against the
goveruii! '!.. Kleven unvst.-; have liron
iiimle tin. I nine hidictmetiis have al
ready Im'-u retunud by fcuevs! :"-;inl
jtirios. ' ' '" ' ' """ " "
The ('Oi)s.ii-!i''y Is declared by the
department vf justice to have had its
origin In Texas, where a society was
formed several months ago for the os
tensible purpose of co-operative buy
ing. The members were required to
take a secret oath.
"After the enactment of the selec
tive draft law," says the department's
announcement, "a strong German influ
ence succeeded in inducing the organ
ization to turn Its efforts to combat
ting conscription and high-powered
rifles were obtained to intimidate per
sons subject to registration and the of
ficials who will be appointed to per
form the registration."
Two Jailed In Roanoke.
Two of the men arrested were
brought to Roanoke, Va., and landed
in jail. They are William Vernon Mc
Coy, a grizzled mountaineer of sixty
five, who gained notority in the fa
mous Hatfleld-McCoy feuds, and his
lieutenant, J. W. Phipps. These men,
It Is alleged, were the organizers of
an armed company In the mountain
districts of Virginia.
Similar conspiracies have been dis
covered in the middle West, where
the influence of the I. W. W. is be
lieved to be responsible for the at
tempts to combat conscription. Re
ports received from government
agents ' Indicate that this organiza
tion is doing its utmost to arouse
armed resistance to the law.
The nine men indicted were promi
nent members of the Texas organiza
tion. They were dealt with prompt
ly, It Is stated, as a warning to the
public generally of the stringent pol
icy' which the attorney general pur
poses to pursue In enforcing the army
measures.
McCoy and Phipps were arrested In
St. Paul, a little town In Whyte coun
ty, In the extreme southwestern part of
Virginia. Dispatches from Roanoke de
clare that the plot which they were
preparing to execute Included the
murder of well-to-do property owners,
the seizure of their property and a
virtual declaration of war against the
government of the United States.
Three hundred mountaineers whom
they had provided with arms, it Is
alleged, had taken an oath to extermin
ate the land owners.
Demand Whole Country.
The declaration of war follows:
"The country Is ours and all
therein. We only have to come to
gether and demand It. The big land
owners, the speculators and the rev
enues shall no more be known. There
will be no fighting; we have already
learned that. Get ready."
A. J. Devlin, an agent of the de
partment of justice, who arrested the
ringleaders, is said to have in his pos
session all the incriminating papers
of the revolt. Other agents of the de
partment are rounding up numbers of
the band and It is expected that scores
more of the conspirators will be
hrought Into the Roanoke jail.
Chicago Plotters Arrested.
Chicago, May 30. The Iron hand of
TO NONE.
WHOLE NUMBER 1I77
JOSEPH R. HAMLEN
People who offer their services to
the government in these times must
be prepared to make good immediately.
Joseph R. Hamlen, vice president and
general manager of a large lumber
business in Little Rock, asked Eliot
Wadsworth of the American Red Cross
If he could do anything for him In
Arkansas. "No," replied Mr. Wads
worth, "but you can do a lot right here.
Take that desk over there." From
then on Mr. Hamlen was Mr. Wads
worth's secretary, and has not yet fin
ished the business he went to Wash
ington to do.
FRENCH SEIZE POST
Position North of Vacherauville,
Near Verdun, Captured.
j Tv. German Attacks In Hurteblse Re
gion, on Champagne, Repulsed,
Says Paris Report.
Paris, May 30. The French have
captured a German post north of
Vacherauville In the Verdun region,
according to an official announcement
issued by the war office. Two German
attacks in the region of Hurtebise, on
the Champagne front, were repulsed.
The Germans attacked after violent
bombardment.
"A violent bombardment in the re
gion of Hurtebise, was followed by two
German attacks, which were repulsed
by our fire," the' statement says. "Our
positions were maintained In their en
tirety. "Patrol encounters occurred In the
Champagne, In the sectors south ot
Nauroy and Moronvilllers. Our bat
teries directed an effective fire on the
defenses and railways of the enemy.
"On the right bank of the Meuse
, (Verdun front), we captured a small
' German post north of Vacherauville
j and took prisoners.
I "Seven German airplanes were
brought down in aerial engagements by
' our pilots nnd 12 others, seriously dam-
aged, were compelled to land within
the enemy lines."
I London, May 30. "Hostile raiding
' parties were driven off southwest of
Lens and west of Messlnes," says the
i official statement. "We made success
' ful raids north of Ploegsteert wood.
I "The enemy's artillery was active in
the neighborhood of Bullecourt and on
both sides of the Scarpe."
"SUBS" SINK 102 GREEK SHIPS
Tonnage Destroyed Is 300,000, Leaving
500,000, Says Athena
Newspaper.
Athens, May 30. The Patrls prints
a list of 102 Greek ships totaling 300,
000 tons which have been sunk by Ger
man submarines. Greece has 149 ships
remaining, with a displacement of 600,
POO tons.
Knoxville. A fine of $50 was im
posed on the J. Allen Smith company,
one of the largest milling establish
ments in the south, in the city record
er's court, disposing of the case charg
ing the company with the selling of
flour short in weight.
military""' necessity closed Its strong
fingers on two women, accused of be
ing the directing brains of a nation
wide plot against the army draft regis
tration which becomes a reality on
June 5. Three men also were arrest
ed, and a fourth man is being sought
by federal operatives. The names of
all the prisoners are withheld, but it
was believed they would be made pub
lic when indictments are obtained by
llinton G. Clabaugh, federal chief
of Investigation.
In war time plotting such as the pris
oners are alleged to have committed
Is punishable by death.