Indiana daily times. [volume], February 23, 1920, Home Edition, Page 11, Image 11

About Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922

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CRIME WAVE
RECALLS TWO
OLD MURDERS
No Clew Found to Slaying of
Wealthy Bachelors in
Like Cases.
BOTH MEN RECLUSES
NEW YORK, Feb. 22.—Consideration of
terrible crimes of recent times in New
York, which have halted agents of jus
tice at dead walls of mystery must bring
to mind the Fhilhower-Robee murders of
a little more than a year ago. They were
committed within five weeks of each
other, the scenes within a few blocks of
each other in the Murray Hill section of
Manhattan, and were altogether curiously
alike.
In both extraordinary interest was
stirred by the maniacal savagery un
leashed in their commission. The set
tings of the crimes were alike bizarre.
The characters of both victims were most
peculiar vet alike as to themselves. And
!he men had been friends.
The first to die a victim of violence
was Winfield Scott Philhower, a bachelor,
S6 years old. He was an electrical ex
pert of ability, an art connoisseur and
collector of jewels and weapons ancient
and modern.
As thus indicated he was in more than
comfortable financial circumstances. Tel
he resided entirely alone and without
servants in a six-room flat on the ground
floor of the Smithsonian apartments. No.
148 East Th rtieth street. He had made
it his home for ten years. The artistic
luxury of its furnishings was striking
The walls were galleries of fine old
prints, original oils and copies of mas
ters, and displayed a strange collec
tion of swords, sabres and barbarian
spears.
In this handsome, lonely abode of the
bachelor the dectectives made a discovery
of significance in view of what tad hap
pened there. This was that Philhower
had evidently lived in extraordinary fear
of the lawless invasion of his rooms.
For he had used his expertness with
delicate electrical devices (he had spe
cialized in his business caicer in the ar
rangement and construction of electrical
clock and time-lock mechanisms) to set
his rooms with a maze of traps for any
person who might try to enter it by force
or stealth. Doors, chairs, tables, win
dows, even the rugs, pictures and wea
pons were invisibly strung with delicate
wires. With the controlling alarm de
vice set, scarcely an article in any of
the rooms might be touched without the
ringing of high. sharp bells of warning.
But that thieves were those of whom
he lived in dread was contradicted by
other discoverable facts. These were that
Philhower, far from being a recluse, fre
quented many hotels, restaurants ,aud
cases, and was prone to make chance
acquaintances, especially of young men,
the*while going about extravagantly be
jeweled and habitually- carrying a large
roll of money which it was a pet vanity
with him to display.
"YOUNG MEN
KEEP HIM YOUNG. - ’
Judging from the callers who came
to his apartment, his social hours were
spent almost entirely with young men,
regarding which he himself had been
known to comment, saying: ‘ - I keep
young because I associate with the
young." The Smithsonian apartment
servants said these young men callers
never behaved .boisterously in the Phil
hower apartment. All were decorous,
well-dressed. It was further said of him
that he frequently started alone oh
strolls, usually along Fifth avenue, many
times, however, returning with a youth
ful companion, who would spend an hour
or two with the elderly host.
Os women visitors to the apartment
there could be recalled but one—a white
haired woman not more than a few years
older in appearance than Pbilhower, but
who, he said, was his aunt. Pbilhower,
it became further known, had ’four years
prior to his own death, faiien heir to
money and possessions of art from his
only sister, who had enjoyed a high
salary for many years as buyer for a
large fur importing house.
Not only did Pbilhower act as his own
housekeeper, but the investigators were
astonished by the nicety, the fond care
with which it was evidently done. Floors,
rugs and every article of the crowded fur
nishings were flawless of dust. In spick
and span appearance, thoughtful and or
derly arrangement of utensils, neatness
of china closets, refrigerator and the
provision storeroom, a feature of which
were shelves lined with Jam of home
made preserves labeled In bandwriting,
the bachelor’s kitchen was fit to excite
n home woman’s envy.
mSCOVERED MANY
HOURS EATER.
The murder of the eccentric was not
discovered until many hours after its
commission. At 12:30 o'clock of the aft
ernoon of .Tan. IS. 1010. George Herzog,
of the Smithsonian, saw a light
ihinlng through the transom over a
3oor' on the ground floor to the right of
:he efltranee to Philhower's flat. Herzog
xas Immediately convinced that ro such
nethodieal man* as Pbilhower would have
tone away leaving the light turned on.
Te tried the knob of the entrance door
ind found the door unlocked. He en
ured the apartment and went to the
•oom where the light was burning.
This was a small apartment, between
1 library and a bedroom, and was fash
'oned In the character of a "den" or
smoking room. Tapestries. pictures,
-ugs and a large divan constituted its
hirnishings.
Stretched on the floor beside the divan,
with one knee doubled under the other
ittd a couch pillow resting lightly on
:he face, was I’hilhower’s body. Ase v
’eet away was a sword bayonet. With
this weapon he had been murdered.
The divan covers were half ripped
off -where the falling man had clutched
them as he was repeatedly felled—re
peatedly. for It was evident Phllhower
bad fought hard for his life. Near his
right hand was a small leather “billy,”
* weapon used by the police in many
cities. It had swung from its strap
n a nail on the wall. Pbilhower had
snatched it down as a means of defense
against his sabre-armed assassin. A
blow of the sabre had gashed the handle
of the club.
POSSIBLY St DOEV
IMPULSE, BELIEF.
It was found that the sabre-bladed
bayonet had not been taken from the
walls of the den, but had been ripped
ofT the wall of the hallway of the apart
ment, where it had been strung on wires ]
in company with four other swords. The
snapped wires dangling on the wall gave
evidence. The wires were strong and
the hand must hare been strong that
snapped them.
From this the deduction was made
that the assassin had not entered t’hil
hower's home with the intent to murder.
He was pictured as having In all prob
ability left his host in the den and
Started down the hallway to make ills
•xlt from the flat when the resolution j
to attack and kill—a resolution which the !
Weapons on the walls may have sug
gested—came suddenly upon him. Rip
ping the weapon from the wall, he is
further pictured as having dashed back
to the “den,” surprising Philhower with ,
a fury of murderous attack.
Physical examination disclosed that,
despite his 50 years, the victim pos
sessed a muscularity and general well
‘WHY?’
BOOST EVANSVILLi AUTOMOBILE CLUB
Left to right—E. H. Hyman, secretary-treasurer of Automobile Club of Evansville; M. E. Noblet,
manager Hoosier State Automobile association; J. E. Burton, field secretary Hoosier State Automo
bile association, in charge of work at Evansville; Edward M. Schaefer, president of the Automobile
Club of Evansville.
being suggesting the vigor of 35. Evi
dences of the hard struggle he bad made
against his siayer were everywhere in
Philhower’s “den. - ’
The autopsy showed that every char
acter of blow possible had been inflicted
by the slayer—deep stab wounds and
slashes, and the skull had been fractured
by a crushing stroke either with the
broad or the dull back of the blade.
The coat of Philhower, who was fully
clothed when he was killed, had been
slashed to tatters.
MIDNIGHT CALLER
-MAKES VISIT.
His condition of being fully clothed
proves, of course, that he had not yet
retired. Further evidence was in the fact
that his web system of alarms had not
been set. It was his invariable custom,
on retiring, or when he went out, to
do this. There was no sign of forcible
entrance on doors or windows of the
ground floor apartment. Therefore, Phil
houer is believed to have freely admitted
on tills night the man who was to destroy
him. The assassin may have been a man
well known to him; on tbr other hand
he may- have been such a chance ac
quaintance as Philhower appears fre
quently to have made in his saunterings
in the city's streets and visits to its
resorts.
It could not be estimated exactly in
what hour the murder occurred, but med
ical experts' examinations resulted in the
time of the crime being placed between
!l and 11 o’clock of the night previous—
or from fifteen to thirteen hours before
the body was found.
YICTIM MADE
NO OUTCRY”.
It being evident that Phlthower had
survived the first attack for a few min
utes at least before he finally succumbed
under the raining blows of the sabre,
the police were puzzled to understand
why. with his life at stake, the min did
not make an outcry. There was only a
single wall separating the scene of com
bat from the public lobby of the Smith
sonian, where afro stationed throughout
the night a telephone operator and an
elevator attendant. Tests made showed
that a shout of medium volume from
the Phllhower apartment could be d’-
tictly beard In the outer hallway. The
attendants were positive they would have
heard any calls for h<;-!p, or even a
single scream of despair.
One of the puzzles for the police, thor--
fore, was to determine the character of
I’hilhower’s murderous guest, and the
circumstances of his visit. Had Phll
hower reason so grave for concealment
of the presence of hi* slayer as to pre
vent him from calling for outside aid.
pven with death immediately upon him?
None of the wounds was in his throat.
The blow that fractured his skull must
have been among the last to fall. a
indicated by the evidence that he had
fought his slayer long and hard.
To be sure, robbery may have been
tbe sole motive. A diamond ring whose
value must have been to S).O(K>
was habitually worn by the bache'or.
He was fond of displaying end decant
ing on the perfections of the cut‘and
quality of the stone. Very little money
was found in his clothing, whereas It
was known he usually carried large
sums In cash. His flue gold watch and
chain had also been taken.
(( RIME MOTIVE
NOT CLEAR.
But there were at hand heavy solid
silver articles and gold ornaments and
valuable jewelry in a frail desk which
tad not been taken. Only the body had
been stripped of valuables. Tbe police
were not convinced that the robbery was
not committed with intent to conceal
another, deeper motive, as suggested by
the savage mistreatment to which I’hll
hower had been subjected.
However, tbe case may be, the bache
lor's murderer entered his rooms unseen
that night and departed unseen. Os
course, the police made haste to Inter
view all persons whom they could trace
as having been associated or In any
manner acquainted with Philhower. They
found that for a time his two nephews
had lived with him, but these young
men had been gone many months in war
service. There was a young sailor whom
Philhower had befriended and who had
been his guest for several days, but this
youth was traced to his ship, and his
presence aboard the night of the murder
was established.
There was found among the dead man's
effects a memorandum slip containing
half a dozen names and addresses. Their
owners were traced and rigorously exam
ined. but, all satisfied the authorities they
could have no connection with the crime.
-Among these was fJ. R. Campbell, a
butler employed by Miss K. T. Moore,
of 108 East Thirty-sixth street. Camp
bell said he had met Philhower many
years back at Martin’s, at Broadway and
Twenty-sixth street, then n lively resort.
But he said he bad seen the bachelor
only four times in the many years h
tad known him. He decribed the dead
man as “very much of a gentleman,” and
added:
“He might unbend to some people, but
he never did much tej me. The last time
I saw him was two ’weeks ago, when I
called on him one evening with a friend
and asked him to witness my will. I
wanted some man who had standing, and
I happened to think of Mr. Philhower. T
went there one evening nearly two years
ago, when he was entertaining some
friends. He asked me in, and we had
cocktails and sandwiches. He never dis
cussed his personal affairs with me, and
I was nothing more than an acquainta
ance.-'
BLIND CLUE
FOOD BY' POLICE.
One other clue the police had which
gave them hope for a little while. This
was a bit of cardboard on which was
scribbled Philbower’s address. They
thought at first it might be in the hand
writing of the assassin, but it proved to
be the writing of the dead man. It
looked as if it were a memorandum or
Ills address, made hastily. I) it there was
no printing of any kind on the card
board to indicate where it came from,
and it was therefore of no help in solving
the mystery to figure it as having been
given by Philhower at a previous meet
ing with the man who was to become his
assassin.
Very little were the investigators able
to learn of the bachelor’s movements on
the day of his death. • He was known to
have arrived at his apartment at 5:30
o’clock in the evening, carrying parcels
of provisions. He ptopared and ate din-
M. E. Noblet. manager of the Hoosier
State Automobile association, who is back
in Indianapolis today after a trip to
Evansville, says the Automobile club of
Evansville is growing by leaps and
bounds.
While in Evansville Mr. Noblet at
tended a meeting of the board of direc
tors. At this meeting It was decided that
J. E. Burton, field secretary of the Hoo
sier State Automobile association, would
take over the work previously handled
by H. It. Kroh, who has severed his con
nections with the association
According to Edward M. Schaefer, pres
ident of the Evansville club, he expects
that Evansville will have 1.000 members
on their organization. The other officers
are Dr. L. E. Kritch, vice president; Otto
Marines, second vice president; Hay Gra
ham, third vice president, and Eugene H.
Hyman, secretary-treasurer.
ner alone. An hour afterward he had re
appeared in the lobby, looked for mail in
his private letter box and returned to
his rooms. He was not seen to leave
again.
And then the deadwall of the mystery
had been encountered. Nothing more of
Philhower of his associates or possible
motives for the crime aside from robbery
was elucidated, no slightest clue to the
Identification of his slayer uncovered.
TIIE >t( KDEK
OE ROBEE.
On the night of Keh, 24, 1919- Just
twenty-nine days after the murder of
Philhower—George H. Kobee was slain
in his home at 238 Madison avenue,
which is directly opposite to the home
of J. P. Morgan.
The murders instantly linked. I-'or
the two crimes presented an almost per
feet parallel In all respects. The scene
was the same -an elaborately furnished
"den.'' As with Philhower, Ilobee’s nju--
derer had been his guest a secret guest
in that none saw him enter the Kobee
residence, no sound betrayed him In his
act of killing, and he managed to leave
the "den" and Robee’a house unobserved.
Os astonishingly the same stamp were
Kobee and Philhower. Both were elder
ly bachelors and art connoisseurs. Both
had specialized in the collection of an
cient and curious weapons. Both were
addicted to an extravagant display of
Jewelry on their persons Both lived
in dread of attack in their homes an 1
had made elaborate preparations against
the possibility. Inspection of the lives
of both found them oddly empty of
attachment or association with women.
Both bad a disposition for the society
of much younger men. and had many
sue); aequaintanees.
Living in the same district of the city,
frequenting many of the same hotels
and restaurants, visiting Fifth Avenue
art galleries and antique shops as they
were tireless in doing, it was rather to
he expected that they were found to
have been close friends. The tndtented
motive for both murders was robbery,
but In both cases only the valuables
they used In personal adornment were
stolen, while other Jpwpls and silver and
gold objects of art and aervlce, plainly
in sight, were ignored.
NAME CHANGED
FROM "KELLY.”
In only two particulars did the crimes
differ. Philhower was hacked to death;
Koi.ce had been strangled by the hare
hands of his assailant. The marks of
relentless fingers were deeply Imheded
in the victim's neck. The other difference
was that in Robee's ease there had been
FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS
V f A 7 I SmrpMlOY y
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INDIANA DAILY TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23,1920.
no struggle. He had no chance to offer
a fight for his life. He had been taken
by surprise and the strangler’s grip
clamped on his throat before he could
make an outcry.
Robee, whose real name was Kelly,
was a native of Mansfield, 0., and was
60 years old. He had traveled exten
sively as the companion of -a wealthy old
man, an Invalid, who made tireless pil
grimages from country to country In the
hope of finding one whose climate would
suit him. Itobeo often spoke of this
patron, and it became understood that
most of his art possessions and the cap
ital with which he afterward started and
prospered In business had been Inherited
from this source. Following his Jour
neylngs he had discarded the name of
Kelly and assumed .that of DeKobee, un
der which appellation he established a
fashionable ladles’ dressmaking concern.
He eventually dropped the "De” and had
his name changed by court decree from
Kelly to Robee.
<aßd parities
AND DANCES.
At the time of his murder he was
conducting very successfully at the Madi
son avenue address, which was former
ly the Weatberbee mansion, a hoarding
house, whoso rates were high, but whose
accommodation, service and meals were
of the first class. There were twenty
lodgers, hut scores of persons living iu
the neighborhood had arrangements for
taking their meals at the Robee house.
He frequently organized card parties au.l
dances for his guests, and to these were
always Invited freely young men in war
aervlce on leave iu the city. -The night
he was killed, soldiers and seamen from
a debarkation hospital were being en
tertatned in the house adjoining by a
Y. M. C. A. club of women war workers.
Robee’s body was found at 7 o’clock
Feb. 25 by George McCain, one of eleven
negro servants he employed. McCain
went to his employer's room on the first
floor, directly over the kitchen, it was
McCain's dally dfity to awaken his em
ployer and serve him his breakfast in
bed. McCain received no reply to hts
knock on this morning, so pushed open
the door and entered the elaborately fur
nlshed "den" and bedroom.
MAN STRANGLED
TO DEATH.
The bed was in order, but the body
of Hobee on the floor nearby was clad
only in pajamas. There was a deep
gash on tils forehead, but an autopsy
showed that Indubitably be had been
strangled. The wound on the brow was
superficial and had probably been caused
by his head striking the footrni! of the
hed when he was borne to the floor In
the grasp of his assailant. Tbe <icep,
purple marks on the flesh of his throat
were, of course, valueless ns furnishing
finger print evidence, but they did stamp
the size of the murderer's bands as large
and very strong.
Over Robee's bed, on the wall and
within easy reach, were hanging a bolo
knife and a curious ent-o' nine tails whose
leather cords and handle were highly
ornamented by Inlaid Jet and mother of
pearl. But, unlike Philhower, he had no
opportunity to grasp either knife or
heavy-handled whip In self-protection.
He had been attacked suddenly by the
strangler and choked Immediately Into
.helplessness, for nothing In the room had
been disturbed. He had been borne down
to death on the spot where he had been
seized.
Th police found several loaded pistols
in bis room In easily accessible drawers
of desk and dressing tables, with which
Robee had confidently expected to stand
off the attack of any person invading hit!
quarters. This subject of self-defense or
precaution to withstand attack seem? to
have obsessed him in the same degree
that it did Philhower, who had vainly ex
ercised his electrical ingenuity in estab
lishing a system of alarm belis in his
home. Robee had several plans of just
w-hat movements he would make if con
fronted by a marauder, by night or day,
and frequently went through his program
in discussing the matter with favorite
guests. ,
Robee’s den was the scene of many
late-Jiour parties, iu which young men
figured exclusively as guests, and fre
quently he returned very late with a
single companion. His guests were never
boisterous, never gave cause for com
plaint among his lodgers.
As in the case of the Philhower apart
ment, the Robee house gave no evidence
of a forcible entry. Physicians deter
mined that the death of Robee had oc
curred at 11 o’clock the night of Feb. 24.
At that hour the outer door of the house
was always locked, rlie lodgers having
individual keys. Many of the lodgers
and some of the negro servants on the
premises had not yet retired at this time,
and must have heard, it would seem, a
ringing of the doorbell. None did.
PROBABLY AN
EXPECTED GUEST.
.The conjecture was consequently made
that Robee bad appointed a late meeting
with his murderous guest and given him
a key to the premises that he might
enter quietly. Os fully twenty-five per
sons in the house at the time. Including
a sister nnd a nephew of Robee, none
beard the slightest sound of distress or
noise of any kind from the “den” In
the hour of the murder. The music and
noise of a dance of soldiers and seamen
in full swing in the adjoining Y. M. C.
A. clubhouse were sounding until mid
night.
Even more futile than in the case of
Philhower were the efforts of the in
vestigators to round up the many young
men of whom he was constantly making
acquaintance. His letters and papers
furnished no clew.
Three diamond rings of a value of
fully 12,000 had been stripped from the
dead man's fingers, his watch and chain
also were taken. Rut, as at the scene
of Philhower's assassination, many ar
ticles of jewelry and gold and silver
pieces which a burglar with any method
of search must have found easily acre#
slide, had rot been touched. The closest
watch on pawnshops throughout all cities
failed to truce the rings and watches and
chains of either of the victims.
Alike In mystery, the cases of both
peculiar old men remain with the very
strong l likelihood from ever;- point of
comparison that the same man effected
the death of both, and with a suggestion
of a deeper motive than robbery, of a
desire to do violence aroused to frenzy,
strongly persisting, supported by the
evidence of the stark ferocity with which
both crimes were commllteed.
%
Wealthy Mining Man
Dies; Victim of Villa
DENVER, Colo., Feb. 23. -Another vie*
tirn of the crude practices of Francisco
i Villa, the Mexican bandit, was revealed
! here in the death of Oorge W. Boyce,
! millionaire mining man, in Phoenix,
I Arlz..
Boyce was a well known geologist and
i civil engineer, and formerly made his
j home tn this rlty.
| A long period of confinement in one
! of Villa’s camps, where he was forced
i to eat decayed burro meat, and subjected
| to many other cruelties. Is said to have
so weakened Boyce's physics! condition
j that he npver recovered his health,
j Boyce is said to have paid Villa nearly
s."i<in.ooo ransom money for his release.
Boyce was well known throughout the
j west. He had large real estate holdings
! in Chicago, supervised the building of
j the Wisconsin Central railroad, and was
, for many years associated with Thomas
j W. I.awson of Boston In Mexican mining
j projects.
Figures Show Farms
of U. S. Are Prospering
NEW YORK. Feb. 23. American farms
were never so prosperous as today, sta
j tistics of the United States department
j of agriculture showing an Income last
year from live stock and crops amounting
to $25,000,000,000 made by fi.ooo.oot) farms,
according to K. A. Ktrout, president of
\ she K. A. Strout Farm agency, which has
more than 600 branches throughout the
| country. The desire to take up farming i
i is spreading all over the country, he
said, and farm land has greatly Increased
j In value.
CRIPPLE. SENT TO PRISON.
SPRINGFIELD. 111., Feb. 23.—The 'as
Bride of Bloomington, an elderly cripple,
was sentenced by Federal Judge Fttz
henry to serve six months in the Mc-
Lean county Jail following hts pica of I
guilty to a charge of using the malls for;
fraudulent purposes.
BY lILOSSER
Teach Everybody
Americanism , Is
Plan of This Man
' Wk
w wB
yf
aBKWe-I. MI'Y£RS
NEW YORK, Feb. ~.1 —The Constitu
tional league plans to put a copy of the
United States constitution in every one
of the 20,000,000 homes in America.
Jerome A. Myers is director of the
league. It is also planned to thoroughly
explain the constitution to everybody in
she county to promote Americanism and
better citizenship.
GIRL SACRIFICED
TO DEATH TREE
BY WEIRD 'TRIBE
Mkodos Sentence Young Wom
an in Southeastern Mada
gascar Wilds.
By MAI BERT ST. GEORGES,
PARIS. Feb. 23. In the southeastern
■•art of Madagascar, there is inland a ra
tion barely known, whose white visitors
can be numbered on the fingers of one
j hand. In this regloq there lives a race
i of natives who call themselves Mkodos.
They are among the smallest races in
the world, the tallest I ever saw scarcely
measuring four and a half feet.
The religion of these natives consists
simply In the worship of n snored tree.
This tree is most remarkable in appear
ance. it has a strange barrel shaped
trunk rising to some eight or nine feet
In height, covered with a quaint inosalc
like bark. At the top it la about nine
feet In circumference, and is capped with
a strange saucer-like structure. Under
neath the edge of this sauce; there stretch
out stiffly and horizontally a series of
green branches seven to eight feet long
Beneath these hang eight leaves of great
thickness, tapering to a sharp point, the
outer sftrface being plentifully strewn
with what appears to be large venomous
looking thorn*. Lastly above the green
branches there grow pointing upwards
half a dozen frail-looking palpi. I think
the name Is, that shiver as If constantly
agitated by some strong wind.
Naturally, gods have to have some sac
rifices, and I was lucky or unlucky
enough to witness one of these celebra
tions, as this tree was no exception to
the rule.
GREAT FIRES BUILT
ABOUT TREES.
One night the nafve* gatherer! about
one of these tree* and built great fires.
Then they gorged themselves, also drink
ing some kind of native liquor. Soon
they were ail more or less Intoxicated.
A specially chosen band then began to
•lance around the tree, shrieking. Jump
ing. their ugly, distorted faces hellish
in the firelight. For a while they con
tinued this, singing or rather yelling
propitiatory promises, asking whether
the devil god would be satisfied with
the present of a beautiful girl.
As far as I could understand it. the
ceremony was as follows. The saucer
at the top of the rtee was filled with
some sweet Juice, the produce of the
tree, the drinking of whlfh produces in
toxication and then coma. A woman was
forced to climb Into the tree and drink.
If the devil was in good humor she
would be allowed to Jump down, but
if he was suffering from a fit of temper,
then it was "good-bye." Exactly how
the tree would stop her from Jumping
down I could not see at the time, but
was *?oon to learn.
TIIE*I EMBRACES
WRITHING VICTIM.
Having finished their awful screech
ing, the dancers suddenly turned and sur
rounded a woman, ordering her to climb
the tree. As she refused and struggled
they used their spears, and stabbing
at her forced her to go in the direction
of the god. For a moment she resisted,
then seeing that It was useless, gathered
herself for the effort and sprang toward
the tree. Like a monkey she scrambled j
up, and kneeling, drank of the boly j
liquid. Then she sprang up, seeming
mad with fear, and I thought all was
over, expecting her to spring off the i
tree. Suddenly I stood transfixed with |
horror. The tree so dead and motion- ;
less a moment before, had come to life
at the contact of the woman. The palpi,
so weak looking, suddenly ceased their
quivering. For a moment they were still,
then they coiled themselves about her
head and shoulders. The green branches,
so still a moment ago, began to writhe
and wrap themselves round and round
her like evil snakes. Lastly the great
leaves began to writhe, and then closed
about the victim, crushing !her with
those terrible thorns. As these pressed
more and more tightly together there
trickled down the trunk a pinkish mix- i
lure, the intoxicating fluid from the tree I
and the blood of the human sacrifice.
Then the feasting began again amidst |
much rejoicing. The devil was appeased. |
But What Could
the Poor Man Do?
CHICAGO, Feb. 23.—Fult to evict a
tenant because the later permitted rela
tives to visit him in his apartment was
filed here by a landlord. Robert It. Rar
nitt is the tenant. The landlord, Solo
mon Halperin, charges that Barnltt per
mitted his mother-in-law and father-in
law to live with him for four days. Hal
perin bases his suit on an obscure clause
In the lease which reads, "the tenant
thnll not permit the premises to be oc
’upied by any other person, nor sublet
’he same without consent of the land
lord."
As this clause is in most leases issued
here flit tenants generally are taking
much interest It) the case. The judge
has postponed his decision.
JAPS BUILD WIRKLKSS.
TOIvIO, Feb. 23. —The Japanese gov
ernvment is erecting a powerful wire
less station in the Proteeturv of Fuku
shtma to relieve congested communica
tions between this country and the United
.States.
TWHY?
SEEK NATION’S
REALTY MEET
City and State Committees
Called to Discuss Move.
W. E. Bash, chairman of the national
convention committees of both the Indi
ana Real Estate Board and the Indian
apolis Real Estate Board, sent out no
tices today to members of those commit
tees of a point meeting to be held at the
office of the local real estate board to
.morrow afternoon at 4 o’clock. They will
discuss the advisability of attempting to
bring the 1921 convention of the National
Asosciatio nos Real Estate Boards to In
dianapolis.
The subject was discussed at a recent
meeting of the board of directors of the
Indianapolis Real Estate Board and re
ferred to the national convention commit
tee, with the understadding that the com
mittee would discuss the question and
make a •.•ecommendation to the board of
directors.
It was decided at the last meeting of
the board of governor of the Indiana
Real Estate association that Indiana
should make an effort to secure the na
tional convention this time. The national
convention never has been held in In
diana. This year it wIU be held at
Kansas City the first, week in June, and
It will be at this time that the effort
will be made to bring the realtors to
Indianapolis in 1921.
This Is the first time the officers of the
Repeating Its Last Week's Success —
Sale of All-Silk
Georgette Crepe
■ ‘1.98
Oti Sale in Aisle Eight
The eagerness with which this silk is being bought
is sufficient reason to believe that the entire lot will
be sold in a short time—and when it is, the opportu
nity of getting values like this will go with it.
In spite of the heavy selling, the assortment is still
adequate.
Brown, various shades Taupe Nile
Copenhagen Battleship gray Purple
Wistaria Steel gray Amethyst •
Light red Bmoke White
Dark red Hunter’s green Black
Light blue Emerald green
Forty inches wide. Sale price... _ $1.98
HOUSEFURNISHINGS
Aluminum Ware \ J
t ALUMINUM SINK I
STRAINERS, triangle I
shape. Will fit in cor- f
ner of sink 1 Choice
ALUM INUM DOU- \ ° ***
BLE BOILERS. iQ
quart size, colonial / I /IX
style i leT
ALU MIN U M COF-1 ,
FEE PERCOLATORS, 1 *
7-cup size ............ 1 £
ALU M I NU M CON- I &
VEX KETTLES, 4- / '
quart size
—Fifth Floor. 1
BASEMENT STORE i^fta|
Domestics and Beddings
UNBLEACHED
SHEETING MUSLIN,
W HITE POPLIN, yard wide, bleaches
29 inches wide, mer- nicely; good quality for
cerizod, extra A sheets and slips ;Q _
special, yard.special, yard.... 000
“ BLEACHED PIL
NAINSOOK, 30 LOW CASE MUS
lnches wide, perfect LIN, soft, even
bleach, launders thread, launders nice
nicely, suitable for j y
women’s and chil- 54 i nc hes wide,
dren’s undergar- y ar q 57^
ments or infants’ 45 i nc hes wide,
dresses (no phone yar( j 52^
orders),
special, yard ljOKj yard 49^
LONGCLOTH, yard
wide, fine chamois fin- ~~~~~ . v ,
ish, suitable for under- SHEETING, 2%
wear, launders nicely; yards wide, bleached
very special. OH/v or unbleached ( no
35c quality P b °ne orders), extra
special, HClr>
LONGCLOTH, yard yard I Z/C
wide, soft, even thread,
especially good for fine
lingerie, launders per- BLEACHED
fecUy— 1* /•. u SHEETING, 2%
7-yard bolt (T -j OQ yards wide; best
for A,KJ %s standard make; reg-
CAMBRIC MUSLIN, ?lar 95cqual-Q ir -
yard wide, perfect “y, yard.....\JC-J v>
bleach, fine finish, laun-
ders nicely, excellent PILLOW TUBING,
for nightgowns; reg- yard w i de> so ft, heavy
ula 7. C 9Q r* thread, wears well,
Q ual,ty LJZ7\s launders nicely, 4Q C
BLEACHED MUS-
l^n N g’oloth ar fi d nish Wl de BLEACHED
Srabl? (OP uider. SHEETS, 81x90 tacho.
' garments DO seamless, neatly made;
,pecM .'...29c j sg-.wfii.9B
UNBLEACHED MUS
LIN, yard wide, clean, BEDSPREADS, fun
even thread; bleaches double bed size., hem*
nicely (no phone or- med, good selection of
ders), extra OPT~ patterns; AA
special, yard.,. dZIOL> special... — >O.UV/
.L==========s —=
THE Wm. H. BLOCK CO.
local board have thought the board or
ganized well enough to handle an affair
of this size. The local men will have
hearty support of ail the members of the
state association, and every board
throughout the state will do its part to
help bring this convention to the Hoosier
capitol.
The members of the national conven
tion committee of the Indiana Real
Estate association are J. S. Cruse, Harry
L. Mott and W. Dudley Pratt, all of
Indianapolis; A. E. Hazelrigg, Terre
Haute, and Herman Tohulka, South
Bend. The members of the same com
mittee of the Indianapolis Real Estate
Board are William E. Bash, John B.
Griffey and Frank E. Gates.
Send Garden Tools
to War-Torn Area
LONDON, Feb. 23.—The Royal Horti
cultural society war relief fund col
lected last year £20,000 to assist in re
storing the gardens and orchards of the
allies in the devastated areas, and they
have Just arranged to send to France
a first large consignment of horticultural
tools, some 21,000 articles, weighing over
thirty tons.
Illiterate, but Gets
$5,527 Pay in Year
ST. CATHERINES, Ont., Feb. 23.—An
illiterate Austrian earned $5,527 in Can
ada in one year of the war, as a laborer
at the Welland Steel Foundries, It waa
learned here when Mike Enia was fined
for making a false Income tax return.
11