Brownsville herald. [volume], February 09, 1929, Image 1

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----—! THE VALLEY FIRST—FIRST IN THE VALLEY—LEASED WIRE SERVICE OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS—(/P)
THIRTY-SEVENTH YEAR—No. 220 BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1929 EIGHT PAGES TODAY 5c A COPY
ARGUMENT IN
DALLAS TRIAL
r IS UNDER WAY
lEx-Klan Head May
I Know By Tonight
Iwtf He Is to Wear
I ™Garb of Convict
I DALLAS, Feb. 9. — (JF) —Whether
iBen C. Richards, Jr., shall climax his
lapectacular career ss politician, club
Iman and former cyclops of the Ku
iKlux Kian by donning prison garb
lor whether he shall continue a free
■man be be known by tonight.
■ Arguments were begun in the trial
Hndny, and were to be concluded
■shortly after 4 p. m.
If Richards has listened to almost
■three solid days of testimony against
■him, broken only by his testimony
Heaterday and that of several wit
Kiesses who said he was on hia way
Ho Greenville to attend a cornerstone
Haying when the alleged fraud oe
Hcvrred. Richards denied any connec
Hion with or knowledge of the con
Hpiracy that came to light when V.
■Ray Adams, Bartlett fnrmer, shot Or
■ville L. Mathews to death on a busy
Horner.
■ As the state reconstructed the case,
■Richards placed $1,000 against a like
Hum posted by Adams and associates
■ in the Mayfield-Connally senatorial
H unoff. Richards lost, the state ccn
■ ends, but collected the $2000 by
Hiaving his friend, A. A. Crabb, pre
H ent the stakeholder, Mathews, with
■ orged credentials authorizing him to
■ ollect for the Adams clique. After
■ vdamn had asked Mathews for his
Hvinnings and had been informed it
Hiad been paid to another, he shot the
■ rank teller. Adams testified st his
■*ecent trial for murder he thought
■Mathew* had “heat him out of his
Hnoney." The jury was discharged
■without having reached a verdict.
B Crabb’s testimony featured the
Htata's case against Richards. The
■•Iderly man, who said he never had
^kad more than $100 in his pocket,
^taid Richards persuaded him to pose
Hs “Clyde R. Vest, present the forged
■credentials, collect the wager stakes.
■He testified Richards gave him ap
Iproximately $250 for his part in the
■conspiracy.
I On the stand yesterday Richards
■admitted meeting a “Clyde R. Vest’’
■ t the bank where Mathews was em
■ployed and indorsing the two cash
Hcr's rhecks, but denied Crabb was
■the man. He said he indorsed the
■checks only to release the $2000 in
Holved and thought the credentials
Hresente.t by “Vest'’ were authentic.
We denied having conspired with
■Crabb in any way.
IJndertaker Hurt
In Car Accident
OpM exico Ranch
' Speeding back to Brownsville over
I slick road to hi* sick son. Marcclo !
tana, local nndcrtakcr. was severe
ly injured when his car overturned
hree times as ho hit a poor bridge
even miles south of Matamcroa
Cana suffered several cuts and
•ruises and was con^’ned to his bed
'aturdav morning. He was consid
'rablr shaken ur* by the shock.
Garza had made a delivery to a
anch south of Vatamoros hv him
elf and the accident occurred on
he return trip. He was picked up
(y people passing hv and was taken
o Matamoros from where ho was
amoved to his home in Urownsville.
His car was hadlv damaged.
Garza is believed to be in no 1m
nediate danger.
Two Are Injured
| In Auto Accident
I Mrs. William B Efty of Donna, and
[er daughter. W ilhelmena. 7. were
Udlv injured late Friday afternoon,
[car Harlingen, when thrown against
he front windshild of a Missouri Fa
fie bus when the bus swerved to
void a i on in the highway.
I Mrs. F.gly. who is a sister-in-law of
h. H. Neale, deputy rtMoma inapec
[ir hare, and Lieutenant of Police
John Armstrong ©f th-s city, waa on
ler way home at the time. She and
|er daughter WYro in the front sect
p the bus.
Tim c er *wprvpd ir.to the ditch
P • Wp*«“lli*4on with an auto, which
|arUpFWrm a > do street juat at the
latfttirts of Harlingen, the motion
hrowing Mrs. Egley and her daughter
nto the windshield.
Both sustained severe gashes about
he fac* and mouth. They wera given j
srat aid treatment at the Valiev Bap- 1
*t hospital and then brought hern. I
MEN WHO ARE TO AGREE ON GERMAN REPARATIONS
-
KEYES, FOll)
GUILTY, WILL
SEEK APPEAL
Former District Attor
i
ney And Mates Are
Convicted of Accept
ing Bribes
LOS ANGELES. Feb. 9.—W—
From his cell in the county jail,
Asa Keyes today directed his fight
to escape imprisonment.
The former district attorney of
Los Angeles county sit convicted
here last night with Ben Getzoff
and Ed Rosenberg of conspiracy to
; bribe. The jury of ten men and two
women, after deliberating three and
one-half hours, upheld state's
charges that Keyes received $165,000
and other considerations for lax
prosecution of fraud cases.
All three defendants, who will be
sentenced Monday, announced they
would appeal if a new trial is not
granted. The penalty for conspiracy
to bribe is one* to fourteen years.
The bribery case grew out of the
collapse here in May, 1927, of the
Julian Petroleum Corporation when
it was discovered that about $100,
000.000 worth of spurious stock had
been sold to the public.
Keyes conducted an investigation
which resulted in the filing of
charges against fifty or more per
sons. among them certain officials
of the Julian corporation. One aft
er another these charges were drop
ped until eventually the only two
held were Jacob Berman, and Ed
Rosenberg, stock salesman. It was
alleged the stock fiasco had netted
about $35,000,000.
During the trial of Berman and
Rosenberg on a f-aud charge, the
prosecutor filed a motion to dis
miss the case against Rosenberg. J
(Continued on page eight)
—
Mission Man Hurt
In Auto Accident
(Special to The Herald)
MISSION, Feb. 9.—R. A. Cham
bers, engineer of water control and
improvement district No. 8, was se
verely injured at 8 o'clock this
morning when his automobile col
lided with a Bentsan Nursery truck
on the highway, one mile west of
here.
The accident occurred when the
driver of the truck swerved around
another car which suddenly halted
Chambers sustained a number of
cuts and bruises, but his condition
is not serious. He was removed to
hit home following medical treat
ment.
KING GEORGE
MOVESTO SEA
Throng Gathers to See
111 Monarch Leave
London Palace
BOGNOR, Sussex. Fng., Feb. 9.—
(A*)—King George, slowly recovering
frorathe long siege of illness which
has stricken him, was safely re
moved to Craigwell House near here
today in order to benefit from the
sea brrexe.
Queen Mary was on hand to re
ceive her husband, having traveled
from Buckingham Palace by a short
er route.
LONDON, Feb. 9. — (API — King
George today left the room where
he has lain ill since last November
to undertake a motor trip to a home
by the seashore at Bognor, Sussex,
where he hoped to regain his health.
Thousands waited outside Buck
ingham Palace for a sight of -he
ruler v ho at stages of his illness
was very near death’s door. Their
(Continued on page eight)
The Little House on the Hill where happiness dwells. Be
fore “closing the deal," the buyer shopped carefully through
the "Houses For Sale" column of The Herald Want Ads. This
eolumn gives a prospective buyer many locations, prices and
types of housss to select from. When in the market to buy
a home, keep your eye on the Real Estate for Sale ads herein.
REPARATIONS
ORRIS HOLD
FIRST PARLEY
Representatives of 7
Nations Will Begin
Work Monday; U. S.
And Belgium Meet
PARIS, Feb. 9.—(A*!—Financial ex
perts of seven countries who hope to
find some definite settlement of the
reparations question held their first
meeting at the Bank of France at 11
a. m., today.
It was an Informal meeting plan
ned principally as a means of get
ting acquainted. But there was also
before it the prospect of discussion
of the chairmanship of reparation!
committee, and the date and place of
the first plenary sessions.
Emilie Moreau, governor of the
Bank of France, received the experts
in the stately board room of the
bank. There were present only four
teen delegates and Thomas W. La
mont, alternate for J. P. Morgan,
American delegate.
After the meeting, an official com
munique was issued in which it was
stated the next session would be
held on Monday.
Speed of American experts In set
ting about solution of the vexing
I problem of reparations is regarded
as a good omen for the work of the
conference.
The American experts. Owen D.
loung, Mr. Morgan, and Mr. La
mont. met with a number of Bel
gians last night at the Paris branch
of the Morgan International Bank
ing house.
It is said that when Mr. Morgan
j alighted from the special train which
brought them from Cherbourg to
Paris yesterday he remarked, “let
us see what Belgium has to say."
Emile Francqui, who was associ
ated with Herbert Hoover when he
was engaged in relief work In Bel
gium. happened along then and an
swered, “w« are happy to meet you,
Mr. Morgan, let us get down to
work."
That the initial meeting of the
Americans should have been with
the Belgians is regarded here as an
evidenct of their desire to be im
partial. Hitherto Belgium has been
mmmitted to the Freneh view that
Germany should pay sufficient to
coyer all damages to occupied terri
tories as well as amounts equal to
debts incurred by allied governments.
This viewpoint has been considered
somewhat antagonistic to the rep
i*ed willingnes of America and
FrgUnd to grant Germany a reduc
tion in the rrand total.
PATIENTS ESCAPE IN FIRE
CHICAGO. Feb. 9.—<*»V—Twenty
patients were carried to safety by
nurses snd two patients were over
come by smoke and later revived to
day after fire bed broken out in
: the Chicago sanitarium for nervous
| and insane patients. Special alarms
were sounded to bring extra fire
apparatus to fight the flames in the
structure, separate from other build
ings.
I .PLANNING
DEVELOPMENT
OF AIR LINES
Mexican Government
To Make System of
Air Transport One
Of Main Objectives j
Development of air transportation
throughout Mexico will be one of I
the principal objectives of the ad
ministration of President Portes Gil,
was the statement of R. B. Creager
of Brownsville, who arrived home
late Friday after spending two days
as a guest of the Mexican president
on an inspection trip covering agra
rian communities and irrigation
projects in Tamaulipas.
Leaving Tampico early Friday
morning in an airplane, Creager was
fog-bound five hours at a fishing
camp at Sota La Marina, midway
between Brownsville and Tampico.
The fog lifted in the later after
noon, the plane continuing the
flight to the border.
“President Gil expressed himself
as greatly interested in the opening
of the air mail service between
Brownsville, Tampico, Vera Crus and
Mexico City,” Creager said. “The
president is intensely interested in
development of aviation throughout
the southern republic, stating that
the development of a complete sys
tem of air lines would be one of the
objectives of his administration.
GU For Air Line Here
“The Mexican president had re
ceived an invitation to attend the
celebration here on February 23, in
honor of the opening of the Mexican
air mail. He expressed regret that
he would be unable to attend, due to
the press of public business, but
gave the assurance that every fa
cility of the government would be
extended in developing the air line.”
Leaving Tampico early Friday
morning in an airplane, a dense fog,
driving ahead of the “norther,” was
encountered a few miles below the
mouth of the Sota la Marina river.
(Continued on page eight.)
MRS. FOKKER
DIES IN FALL
— HI., _
Plane Maker Sleeps
As Wife Drops Out
Of Window
NEW YORK, FebT"”}.—l/P)—While
her husbend dozed in the seme room,
Mrs. Anthony H. G. Fokker either
jumped or fell to her deeth lest
night from a window of their fif
teenth floor apartment on Riverside
Drive.
The airplane d*»>Cn*r awoke when
a maid entered the room a moment
after his wife fell.
Police listed the case as a suicide,
although Herbert Reed, secretary
and treasurer of the Fokker Airplane
company, issued a statement saying
Mrs. Fokker had been subject to
fainting spells.
The body, clad in a pink negligee
and slipper, was found on the side
walk by a pedestrian who called an
ambulance.
Mrs. Fokker had returned a few
hours before her death from Presby
terian hospital, where she had been
undre treatment for a nervous dis
order.
Mrs. Fokker. an attractive bru
netter, was 29 years old.
• PROFESSOR. ILL FALLS
NEW YORK. Feb. Robert
J. Leonard, instructor at Columbia
university, fell or jumped to his
death frgra the sixth floor of his
apartment. He was 43 years old. He
had been suffering from influenza.
HOUSTON WOMAN FALLS
HOUSTON. Feb. 9.H^V-A woman
said to be Mrs. Jessie Scheriffius,
about 40. was taken to a hospital
severely injured eariy today after a
leap or a fall from a third story
window of the Bristol hotel. Shi
was nttt expected t» live.
She was picked up on the roof of
the Travelers hotel annex by Motor
cycle Officer A. O. Taylor, who was
off duty at tha time and who heard
the crash from his room in the
BristoL
WOULD ADD SUPREME JURISTS
AUSTIN, Feb 9^-1^-Thi sen*
ate today passed the Joint resolu
tion proposing a constitutional
amendment to increase the supreme
court membership to nine. The
hoese passed it several days ago
and it goes te the governor, who
•dvocated tha increased member
ship.
p - J
Toral Executed
By Firing Squad
In Prison Yard
- — * -
Jose De Leon Torsi
VALLEY WINS
PRAISE FROM
FARM LEADERS
i
Crop Champions And
Agricultural Work
ers Impressed B y
Rapid Development
Praise for the Lower Rio Grande
Valley and ita citisens was express
ed Friday night by speakers repre
senting the agricultural workers of
the United States and crop cham
pions of ten southern states, after
completing an automobile tour which
covered the entire irrigated section.
The agricultural workera, agricul
tural writers and members of agri
cultural college faculties, 315 strong,
accompanied by 45 crop champions
of ten southern states, arrived in
the Valley at Edinburg Friday
morning, their visit terminating
with a dinner at Matamoros, at
which 530 were served.
Speakers at the dinner included
Martes Gonsales. Mexican secretary
of agriculture* Matamoros federal
, and city officials and representa
tives of the agricultural workers
and the Chileen Nitrate Ce.. which is
tendering the crop champions of the
(Continued on page eight)
J. D. Me :re New
McAllen C, of C.
Executive Head
rSpeeial to The Herald)
McAllen. Feb. J. A. Frisby
was elected president of the board
of development of the McAllen
Chamber of Commerce for the com
ing year at the meeting of the board
here Thursday evening. J. D. Moore,
who has been employed as director
of publicity for the past year was
elected secretary of the body to fill
the vacancy left by W. R. McGarity,
who will leave soon to begin work
with the Andes Development com
pany in Honduras.
The annual meeting of the board
will be held next Thursday evening
at which time the public will attend
and hear a summary of the work ac
complished by the body during the
past year.__
‘Unluckiest1 Berates
Officer to His Face
JACKSON. Miss, Feb.
If any contest* to determine the
world's nniuekiest man are held,
F. L. Etier of Fort Worth, Texas,
wants to pot in his card.
Etier was leading a procession
of *0 automobiles being transport
ed from Florida to Texas across
Mississippi. Only three bore li
cense plates. Near here a man
questioned him a bent the unli
censed S7 cars.
Etier Mid that the attorney gen
eral* of Florida and Alabama had
said it voald 1m alt right
“How about the attorney gen
eral of Mississippi T* asked the
stranger.
-Te hell with him * replied Mr.
Etier.
Mr. Etier sap amis d U» in li
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 9.—<A>)—Jose
de Leon Toral, assassin of President
elect Alvaro Obregon, was executed
by a firing squad at 12:35 p. m.,
today.
The execution took place in the
court yard of the federal penitenti
ary on the outskirts of Mexico City.
It had been planned to carry out the
death sentence at noon, but the time
was advanced until 12:30.
Prayers, a visit with his family,
and hours spent with a Catholic priest
occupied his last night on earth. His
spirit waned after notification of
his sentence and the formality, re
quired by Mexican law, of signing
his own death warrant, and he ate
only frugally.
Seee Baby
, But with the arrival of his wife
and hia newiy born baby, accompa
nied by his father and mother—a
special dispensation allowed by the
authorities—he squared his should
ers and assumed a cheerful mien.
If Toral was cheerful members of
his family could not control their
amotions, and once in his presence
gave vent to their feelings in tears.
He took the baby, which he had never
seen, in his arms and fondled it,
kissing it on its cheeks.
Permission to Torsi's young wife
to visit him in the prison came with
such suddenness as almost to cause
her collapse. Throughout Thursday
night she had prayed she would be
granted this one boon, she said, but
had believed her plea hopeless.
Bald Was Ready
Torai’s family stayed with him un
til a late hour. They left only to
have a Catholic priest arrive. Toral
confessed, and was given absolution.
Newspapermen interviewed Toral
in his cell while the prisoner was
eating his last breakfast of choco
late and rolls. He told his visitors
he was ready to die.
“My only moment of anguish in
these last hours,” he said, “was when
I held by new-born son in my arms
for the first time. I wish I could
have been alone with my baby, and I
(Continued on page eight.)
COMMITTEES
TO BE NAMED
Airmail Celebration
Worker* Are To
Be Selected
Membership of eight committees to
handle plana for the Brownsvllla
Mexico international air mail open
ing celebration here, will be appoint
ed by the airport committee on com
mittees of th« chamber of commerce
Saturday, it was announced by G. C.
Richardson, manager.
Preliminary plans for the celebra
tion were discussed at a meeting of the
airport committee Friday afternoon
and a general lina-up of the various
details was obtained. Due to the
lack of time remaining to arrange
plans, it was decidad that every ef
fort to speed up must be made.
The majority of work will be under
taken by members of tha following
eight committees, decided on, and to
be appointed:
Finance, invitation, entertainment,
publicity, reception, entertainment at
hotel, program and transportation.
Each of these committees will have a
definite program to work out, none
conflicts with the other and the air
port committee will urge utmost co
operation from all members.
A number of invitations already
have been sent out and acceptances
received. Richardson says, but con
siderable work remains ta be done.
K IRK WOOD LEADS TOURNEY
PENSACOLA, Fla., Feb. 9—<**>—
Joe Kirkwood. Albany, Ga., profes
sional. sank a 20 foot chip shot on
the nintfc hole here today to lead
the field at the turn In the morning
round of the Pensacola ©pen golf
tournament with a snappy SS.
MERCURY MAY
HU 26 OVER
THIS SECTION
Frigid Blast Holding
Central States; Frost
Feared By Monday
Morning
Freezing weather waa predicted
for the Valley Saturday night by U.
S. Meteorologist Schnurbusch, after
this section barely escaped Friday.
The forecast said: "Lowest tem
perature tonight^26 to 30 degrees if
weather clears and freezing or
slightly lower if cloudy.”
Lower recorded here Friday night
was 33 degrees and the mercury
showed a mark of only 35 at 12:30
p. m. Saturday.
Schnurbusch believed that tha en
tire Valley escaped Friday night hut
stated that in a few isolated placet
the thermometer may have sunk to
32. He urged all precaution* in re
gard to fruits, vegetable*, automo
bile radiators, water pipes, ate.
A slightly stormy condition that
kept the elements over the Valley
churned up and prevanted tha ther
mometer from reaching the freezing
mark Friday night, was to subside
Saturday. This stilled condition
will be conducive to low tempera
tures, Schnurbusch said. Tha out
look was for cloudy to partly cloudy
tonight and Sunday.
The cold was to continue Sunday
and it was expected that the akias
would clear off bv Monday. With
the skits clear, thera la a strong
probability of frost Monday morn
ing. This la more to he feared by
the agriculturist that the freezes, it
was said.
This would be the firzt freeze fa
this section since Jan. 2, 1929.
While winter vegetable grower* of
the Valley are somewhat perturbed
over the forecast for severe wea
ther Saturday night, citrus grawar*
are confident they will sustala on
material damage, according to re
ports from various parts of tha Val
ley.
In the Brownsville section thera fa
large acreage of beans and tomatoes
which may b* damaged. Grawar*
expressed the poinion that tha pota
to crop is not seriously menaced,
though some of the most tandef
plants may bs damaged.
"No anxiety ia felt here.” waa thd
report of T. M. Melden of Mission,
manager of the Texas Citrus Fruit
Growers’ Exchange. "A frests of
2R degree* would do no material
dsmare to eitrus fruit at present.
No effort is being made to pick fruit
today, as we do not think the tern
perature will go low enough to dam
age us.”
In all sections of ths Valley grow
ers were distributing oil, coke ar
other fuel for orchard heaters, soma
growers piling brush and cotton
■talks on the north aide of their
groves to fire in the event the mer
cury drope to a dangerous point.
Plantings of vegetable crop* have
been heavy in all parts of the Val
ley sfnee the holidays, but it la be
lieved that most of the plants ar*
sufficiently protected to escape a
moderate freeze. However, In the
event the sky clears, every section
(Continued on ptge eight)
THE WEATHER
For Brownsville and the Valley:
Probably cloudy to partly cloudy to
night and Sunday; lowest tempera
ture tonight 20 to 30 degrees if
weather clears and freezing or
slightly lower if cloudy: con tinned
cold Sunday; probably frost Monday
moraine.
For East Tests: Fair and con
tinued cold tonight; freed«g to tho
coast; temperature 22 to 20 on the
east coast, and 20 to 29 degrees an
the west eoest; Sunday fair and not
so cold.
Moderate northerly winds on the
coast.
RIVER FORECAST
There will be no materia! change
in the river during the nest few
days.
Flood Present 2«-Hr It-Hr.
«|ln meres fleeter, ft mess
Eagle Pass .. 10 2.7 94 .19
I-aredo . 27 -0J 0.0 M
Rio Grand# .. 21 4JJ 0.0 J9
Mission . 22 4J 0.0 .00
San Benito ..23 t.0 40.1 49
Brownsville . 1§ 2.0 -9.1 .02
TIDE TABLE
High end low tide at Point lanhet
tomorrow, under normal meteorologi
cal conditions:
High.2:24 a. m.; 2:29 p m.
Low .9:17 a. tn.; >9:41 p m.
MISCELLANEOUS DATA
Sunset today ..
Sunrise tomorrow |^|4|.0 0 9»APS«