Brownsville herald. [volume], April 22, 1929, Image 1

About Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current

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Lawn Mowers PIPE and CASING
Garden Hose - Sprinkler. ""“WESTsE
Gra.. Shear. - Trimmer, Alamo Iron Work.
IV. H. Putegnat Company .1 Brownsville — Corpus Christ!
Brownsville, Texas j San Antonio — Houston
1__ i - - ■ ...^=J
THI^Y-SEVENTH YEAR—No. 292 BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1929 ' TEN PAGES TODAY 5c A COPY
m our1
VALLEY [
___
rnmm———■ —.——mtmmrn. .. —
ALTHOUGH not officially desig
nated as such, Sunday might well
have been called “Beach Day” or
“Splash Day” In the Lower Rio
Grande Valley.
The roads were in perfect condi
tion, the weather ideal and the
water Just right to draw thousands
to coast resorts.
Thousands of persons enjoyed
dips in the Gulf of Mexico during
the day on a 10 to 15-mile front
extending from the mouth of the
Rio Grande to well above the
pavilion on Padre Island. And
many of the more enthusiastic
today are being forcibly reminded
of their outing on the seashore by
blistered arms, sunburned backs
and faces.
Others are suffering sore mus
cles from the unusual exertions in
the water.
• • •
But all the thousands are on the
Job this morning refreshed and
feeling fit for another battle. The
sunburned complexions will become
a badge of robust health and the
sore muscles will harden and pre
pare their owners to combat the
attack of disease.
The trek to the beaches at Padre
Island and Boca Chica was started
early Saturday afternoon by the
more fortunate individuals who
were able to get away from their
places of business for a half holi
day. Officials at the toll bridge at
Brazos Island and seamen aboard
the boats and ferry which ply be
tween Point Isabel and Padre
Island estimated that more than a
thousand c? these persons spent
the night camping on the two
Islands and on the mainland beach
\ I' * e •
of these were fishermen,
and no unusual catches were
report/All enjoyed the outing, re
, ports ^dicate. These began re
turning home Sunday morning but
#they w-ere replaced by several other
• thousands during the day.
Threatening clouds in the after
noon failed to deter the enthus
iasts and the beach was crowded
until well after dark.
If all those bathing in the surf
in the cool hours of the afternoon
could have been gathered into a
strip a mile or two in length, as
on most beaches, a very favorable
comparison could have been made
to the usual Galveston beach
Sunday afternoon crowd.
• • •
THE BOARD OP TRUSTEES of
<he Brownsville independent school
district do not need an efficiency
engineer.
When the necessity arises things
are accomplished with a smooth
, working and clock-like precision
-which merits the attention and
study of many business enterprises.
At present there are too many
students enrolled in the public
schools of the city for the most
efficient teaching methods to be
applied.
This situation arose as a result
of the unprecedented growth of the
town and while provisions were for
expansion in accord with expected
growth, the enrollment outstripped
the foresighted program of .the
board.
• • •
Early this year it became appar
ent that relief would be needed.
A bond election was called out.
and, as has been the custom, the
citizens cooperated with the board
and passed the bonds with an
overwhelming majority. This was
on April 6.
On April 30 the bonds are to be
sold, on May 6 contracts are to be
let for the two new buildings con
templated. The contractor who is
awarded the job will be required to
complete the structures in time for
the opening of the next term.
And when the 1929-30 session
opens there will be ample room for
the enrollment, small children will
be provided with class rooms within
a few blocks of their homes, pre
venting long and dangerous walks
to school, and the system will
function with added efficiency.
• • *
McALLEN LEADERS are determ
ined to build an airport—modern
in every detail. They point out
that an emergency landing field
will not meet their desires.
An election likely will be called
soon when citizens will be asked to
vote a $100,000 bond lsaue.
To building sentiment for the
airport, M. L. Keridler, chairman
of the civic affairs committee of
the McAllen Chamber of Com
mercejhas offered prizes of $5. $3
. and SaBor the best essays written
by scfrfe children of that city on
“Why MCAUen Should Have An
Airport.”
English teachers in the schools
are to judge the offerings.
• • •
UP AT ALAMO the new city
administration have inherited some
(Continued on Pace Teni
FUNERALFOR
SLAIN DEPUTY
HELD SUNDAY
Stanner Has Chance to
Recover as Two Men
Wounded In Battle
Are Arrested
Four men were being in the coun
ty jail here today for investigation
following the shooting at the Pritas
dance hall on the old military road
Saturday night which resulted in
the death of R. D. Brown and the
wounding of three others.
Two of the men wounded in the
fight, Manuel and Antonio Flores,
brothers, were among those held for
questioning. They were removed
from the Mercy hospital at noon
Sunday upon the report of the at
tending physician that they were
not in a serious condition. The
other two held were Jesus Flores,
a brother of the other Flores boys,
and a man said to be named Juan
Garza.
These men were held after dili
gent inquiry into the events sur
rounding the gun battle Saturday
night. The Flores brothers resided
with theil father on a small farm
near Villaneuva and were well
known to officers.
Mystery Shooting
Mystery coluds the snooting and
little information from creditable
sources was available Mondav morn
ing. Brown, w U e suffered 14
wounds in the back end chest, ac
cording to the attending physician,
did not lose consciousness from the
time Ho was shot until he was re
moved to the Mercy hospital. He
died there shortly after arrival.
Deputy Constable Frank Stanner,
who suffered two wounds in the
body, was reported as resting well
at the Mercy hospital Monday
morning. One of the wrounds he
sustained punctured his intestines a
number of times. If peritonitis does
(Continued on page ten.)
Moody Facing Last
Chance to Realize
Ambition on 2 Bills
By R. W. BARRY
Associated Press Staff Writer
AUSTIN, April 22.—(/F)—Facing his last chance to realize some of the
innovations of government he had hoped to bring about during his ten
ure as chief executive, Governor Dan Moody may be expected to make
the most of the special session of the legislature which convened today.
At two regular and one special sessions the governor has failed to get
his prison concentration and civlh
service ideas accepted. One of the
things that has puzzled him and
his friends is the apparent popu
larity of the governor with the peo
ple of Texas, measured by results
of his campaigns for office, and the
reluctance of the legislature to ac
cept his ideas affecting the welfare
of the state.
Realizing this will be his last
chance to get over those things he
has so earnestly hoped to see adopt
ed, the governor is expected to take
personal command of his followers
in both houses and keep in closer
touch with the lawmakers than
heretofore. He has probably used
more of the “personal touch” than
any other governor, having attended
many committee meetings and of
fered his suggestions on legislation
during the last regular session.
Governor Moody is hopeful the
special session will clean up all un
finished business, including the ap
propriations, which will carry some
$40,000,000 for support of the gov
ernment during the next two years,
within the alloted 30 days. In this
he is supported by Speaker of the
House W. S. Barron and Lieuten
ant Governor Barry Miller.
Reports of two important investi
gating committees will be disposed
of during the session. The senate
committee investigating texifccok
awards has drawn and submitted
its report, but action was deferred
until the special meeting. The joint
house and senate committee which
investigated the general land office
has not drawn its report. It will
do so early in the special session
and give it to the two houses for
disposition.
The senate textbook committee,
had stirred the disapproval of Gov
ernor Moody in its reference to ac
tion of the textbook commission,
of which he is chairman, in making
adoptions. The original report crit
icized the commission in purchasing
books when there were large quan
(Continued on page ten.)
SINCLAIRMUST
SERVE 90 DAYS
Supreme Court Makes Rul
ing And Days ‘Must’
Unless Pardoned
WASHINGTON. April 22.—(/P)—
The supreme court ruled today that
Harry F. Sinclair, unless pardoned,
must serve three months in jail
for refusal to answer questions be
fore the Senate Teapot Dome com
mittee.
Sinclair had appealed from a de
cision of the court which upheld
the sentence of three months in
jail imposed upon him but the
highest court today refused to re
consider the opinion.
Sinclair’s sentence calls for him
to serve the sentence in a “common
jail.” It has been expected he would
be committed to the District of Co
lumbia jail here, although there has
been some speculation as to whether
he might be sent to the workhouse
at Occoquan, Va., a few miles from
Washington. \
The appeal from the court’s rul
ing was made last week and was
acted upon with dispatch. Sinclair’s
lawyers held the law under which
he was convicted and sentenced was
unconstitutional.
He still has facing him a sen
tence of six months imprisonment
I for contempt of the supreme court
of the District of Columbia. This
resulted from the jury shadowing in
the cases against Sinclair and .Al
bert B. Fall growing out of the Tea
pot Dome’ case**
• ft
11 Jail Breakers at Large
_ _———••—~— -————
HITS EMBASSIES
Senator Cole Blease, democrat,
South Carolina, introduced a
bill asking President Hoover to
request foreign diplomats in
Washington to refrain from
serving or use of intoxicating
liquors.
GERMANS CONFER WITH
AMERICAN DELEGATES
PARIS, April 22.—(JF)-Dr. Hjal
mar Schacht and Dr. Alfred Voesler,
chief representative of Germany to
the reparations conference, arrived
in Paris this afternoon after a week
end of consultations in Berlin and
shortly afterwards entered a con
ference with the American delegates
Owen D. Young, Thomas Lamont
and Thomas N. Perkins at the Hotel
' George V.
JURY CHOSEN
I HARLINGEN
PARKBATTLE
Plaintiff’s Pleading
Charging Illegal
Warrants Read By
Greenwood
The jury to try the Harlingen
park contest in civil district court
here was completed at 2:20 p. m.
today with the selection of W. E.
Wainwright and J. K. Junkin, both
of Brownsville.
P. G. Greenwood, representing the
plaintiffs in an action seeking to
cancel $80,000 worth of Harlingen
city warrants issued to pay the pur
chase price of the park, read the
plaintiffs pleading to the jury’. It
charged $500 per acre had been paid
for land worth only $200 and that
the warrants were illegal because
they were dated March 1 although
they were not really issued until
March 21.
Volney Taylor, member of the
firm of Seabury George and Tay
lor, representing the city of Harlin
gen, entered a general demurrer and
general denial. ,
The case of John D. Hill, et al,
vs. Sam Botts, mayor, (of Har
lingen), et al, bringing to a head
the Harlingen park site row, was
scheduled to get under way be
fore Judge A. M. Kent in the civil
district here Monday afternoon.
The Harlingen city commission
recently authorized the Issuance
of $80,000 in warrants for the pur
chase of the defunct Arroyo Colo
rado Country club which was to
be used for a city park, airport,
golf links, etc. Another group of
citizens were in favor of the pur
chase of another park site.
The case now in the court seeks
to have the warrants issued to pay
for the Arroyo site cancelled.
Selection of the jury got under
way Monday morning and ten had
been accepted for duty at noon.
The sheriff’s department was out
in search of prospective jurors at
that time to fill out the set of 12.
No Harlingn men bad been accept
ed on the jury.
Those accepted were: F. W. Run
nels, San Benito; O. M. Combe,
Brownsville; A. L. Bauer, La
Feria; T. B. Washburn, La Feria;
M .B. Higgins, San Benito; C. J.
Waters, Rio Hondo; J. R. Law
rence, Brownsville; O. T. Williams,
Olmito; G. B. Willis, Olmito; and
J. M. George, Brownsville.
Hill is represented by P. G.
Greenwood of Harlingen and H. L.
Yates of Brownsville. The law
firm of Carter and Sternberg of
Harlingen is handling the case for
Mayor Botts.
Late Bulletins1
CIVIL SERVICE BILL
BEING DRAFTED
AUSTIN. April 22.—{IP)—Model
ed much after fashion of systems
used in larger cities of the state, a
civil service bill by Representatives
George Kemble of Fort Worth,
Emmett Morse of Houston, and W.
T. Williams of Austin, was drafted
today for submission to the house
as a step towards Governor Moody’s
; announced plan of placing state
' employees on a merit basis.
I ALLEGED BANK
ROBBER IDENTIFIED
I SHERMAN. Texas, April 22.—(P)
i —Harvey Blassingame, alias E. L.
Robinson, held here on charge of
robbing the First National bank of
Bells April 8, was Identified here
today by Joe Hughes and Paul Wil
son. bank officers, and George Fer
guson, Bells business man. as the
man sought in connection -with the
robbery.
SCORES KILLED IN
JAPANESE STORM
TOKYO, April 22.—(AP)—Japan
counted the cost today of wind
sbfgg whirfl swept the islands last
night, killing more than a score, In
juring others, and leaving many
missing.
EFFORT AT COMPROMISE
ON PEN BILLS FAILS
AUSTIN, April 22.—PP)—An effort
to effect a compromise between
prison relocation and concentration
bills drawn by Senator T. J. Hol
brook of Galveston and Rep. Dewey
young of Wellington failed today. .
‘DOESN’T KNOW’
“I certainly did not!” said Tex
as Guinan, New York night
club queen, very emphatically
when asked in court if she
knew the Salon Royale. raided
night club of which she was
hostess, served liquor. Texas is
shown leaving court after a
session in which it was revealed
she earned $93,000 yearly as
hostess.
WATER SWEEPS".
THROUGH LEVEE
Break Comes Suddenly And
Families Flee From Path
Of On-Rushing Waters
MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 22.—(JP)
—Laconia Circle levee in Arkansas
crumbled today and water was re
ported sweeping through a gap fifty
feet wide and broadening steadily.
The crash came unexpectedly
and many families in the path of
the enrushing waters hurried to
places of safety.
The break, it was believed, would
result in a vast acreage being cov
ered and several villages, including
Snow Lake, Ark., being inundated.
It was expected also that the Mis
souri Pacific railroad line between
! Memphis and Natchez, Miss., would
be closed to traffic.
The Laconia Circle levee break
occurred several miles from Knowl
| ton where hundreds of men have
worked for 48 hours to prevent a
crevasse with apparent success.
QUINCY, 111., April 22.—{£>)—'The
Mississipi river here was today
within a foot and a half of its high
est mark in history, recorded in
1851.
At 7 a. m., the stage was 21 feet
with the river still rising. Reports
of breaking levees at Gregory, Mo.,
Canton, Mo., and Marks, Mo., were
received, thousands of acres being
inundated.
The state militia again was or
dered to the South Quincy gardens
where several hundred men were
reenforcing levees to save 5,000
aers of truck farms.
Reports from the Lima Lake
district north of Quincy, embrac
ing 20,000 acres, were the levee
could stand but very little more
rise.
Commissioners cf the various
districts said the situation was
graver than at any time since last
month’s floods.
POLICE FIND
NO TRACE OF
ESCAPED MEN
Sheriff’s Department
Scours County And
Watches Points On
Rio Grande
Although south Texas and Cam
eron county in particular has been
scoured by peace officers since 11
prisoners escaped from the Cam
eron county jail Saturday night, no
trace of the missing men had been
found Monday. From the time the
11 men beat Jailer A. Bassler over
the head with a milk bottle, rush
ed out the back of the jail, scram
bled over the hot wires atop the
high prison wall and melted into
the darkness of the night, they
have not been sighted.
The known haunts of the escaped
men are being searched methodi
cally apd the Rio Grande is being
watched for attempted crossings.
It was expected that at least three
of the escaped men would make a
break for the river. Federal,
county and city officers joined in
the search shortly after warnings
wTere broadcast by telephones from
here Saturday night.
Most of the prisoners were held
on relatively minor charges. A
large portion of them had one year
sentence for violation of the Dean
Act.
The break was evidently well
planned. Trusties on an upstairs
floor were believed to have been
key men in the break. When A.
(Continued on page ten.)
Visitors to Corpus
Chris ti Shown City
Growth With Harbor
The marvelous development that
the opening of the Port of Corpus
jears ago ‘‘opened the eyes” of a gi
who visited the city and port Sunda
ville Chamber of Commerce.
The high point of the trip was a;
voyage through the port on the
launch Japonica through the cour
tesy of the Corpus Christi Chamber
of Commerce, with Sidney Kring,
the manager of the chamber, S.
Maston Nixon, president of cham
ber, Grady Kinsolving, publisher of
the Corpus Christi Times, and Hal
Rush, managing editor of the Cor
pus Christi Caller, in attendance.
The launch plied the inner chan
nel. passed the docks and wharves
and circled the turning basin, which
has a depth of 30 feet. An inter
esting sight was the raising of the
drawbridge by power. The entire
framework was raised into air twice
to permit the launch to pass
through.
Novel side entertainment was af
forded when someone harpooned a
porpoise playing around the prow of
the boat. A small barrel attached
to the end of a rope made it possible
to trail the porpoise. A skiff was
launched and boarded by three men
one of them armed with a pistol.
Six shots were required to quiet the
porpoise, after w’hlch he wTas hauled
aboard.
An interesting relation of facts
in connection with opening and
development of the harbor and the
simultaneous growth of the city was
given by Mr. Kring.
The port was opened on Septem
ber 14, 1926, and the cost of con
struction, including local and par
ticipating government funds, was
$6,634,085.
The channel to the gulf is 25 feet
deep, 200 feet wide, bottom depth,
The turning basin is 1000 feet wide,
3000 feet long, and 30 feet deep
There are 2670 lineal feet ol
wharves, 22 feet wide, and an oper
dock 440 lineal feet long, 40 feel
wide. The warehouse system con
sists of eight units, with a total ol
416.354 square feet of floor space.
One privately owned warehouse
consists of two units of 50,000 square
feet each.
The port embraces three major ter
(Continued em page ten.)
T,
School Toppled
Off Blocks; Road
To Laredo Shut
(Special to The Herald)
ROMA, April 22.—The east wing of the school house
here was blown from the blocks, trees and electric line
poles were tom down and other serious property damage
was dealt out by a wind storm which struck at 5 p. m.
Sunday.
No one was injured.
A light pole on the highway was struck by lightning
and was split from top to bottom.
All traffic on the road irom kigt
Grande City to Laredo has been
stopped, detours around bridges now
under construction having become
impassable, due to the heavy rain
fall which accompanied the wind.
A heavy rainfall is reported
through Zapata county.
The rain is said to have assured
a cotton and com crop on farms
fronting the Rio Grande in this
vicinity.
A report received by The Herald
this morning said a light rain was
falling in Donna and threating
clouds indicated a heavy downpour
was imminent over Hidalgo county.
The forecast for Brownsville and
the Valley was “mostly cloudy and
somewhat unsettled tonight.”
Rio Grande City reported a
rainfall of 1.34 inches to the local
weather office this morning Laredo
reported .62 inches. The rainfall
i here was measured at .02 inches.
Mission reported no rain Sunday,
indicating that the rain storm had
stopped between Mission and Rio
Grande City.
Threatening clouds and consid
erable lightning gave promise of
rain to Brownsville about 8 p. m.
Sunday but pased off with only a i
light sprinkle.
Trippe Fails To j
Give Decision On
Airport Contract
_
T. J. Trippe, president of Pan
American Airways, Inc., had failed
to call W. L. Morrison, local repre
sentative, at noon today relative to
the proposed operating contract be
tween that firm and the city o!
Brownsville relating to the airport
here.
Mr. Morrison was attempting to
reach Mr. Trippe in New York City
by long distance telephone.
Terms of the contract offered by
the city were forwarded to Mr.
Trippe by air mail Saturday and he
was expected to make known his de
cision at some time during Monday.
Mr. Morrison was confident he
would have word from him by night.
Corpus Christi has experienced since
Christi more than two and a half
■oup of 18 Brownsville business men
y under the auspices of the Browns
CHARGE GUARDS
BOARDING BOAT
FORT LAUDERDALE. Fla., April
22.— (/P) —An investigation was
started at the coast guard base
here today on charges of four fish
ermen that drunken coast guards
men boarded their boat at Burn
ham Island in Little River inlet,
brandished a pistol and took three
of the group prisoners without
preferring charges.
Captain R. J. Jack, commandant
of the base, ordered the inquiry
conducted behind closed doors aft
er hearing the complainants, W. C.
Kyle, banker and a former city
commissioner; J. E. Allen/ Jack
Sikes and Larry Crabtree, the lat
ter of whom own the boat “Wan
derlust.”
MORE FREE
TICKETS FOR
CAPITAL SHOW
Two more subscribers of the
Brownsville Herald are being of
fered free tickets to the Capitol
theater, where Douglas McLean
is appearing in “The Carnation
Kid,” all-talking picture.
The names of the lucky sub
scribers appear in the classified
; advertising columns of The Her
ald today. Possibly you are one
of the lucky persons. If you are
' two free tickets are awaiting you
! at the office, Adams at Thir
teenth street.
MOODY WANTS
BETTER SYSTEM
Governor Appeals For En
actment of Laws Regard
ing Prisoner Handling
AUSTIN, April 22.—(^—Gover
nor Moody added laws with refer
ence to the handling of prisoners
in the state prison and enactment
of statutes to reform methods in
which the district courts shall
function to prison concentration,
civil service and educational sub
jects in his message to the special
session of the legislature.
The house and senate met
promptly at 12 o’clock and a com
mittee from the house notified the
governor the session was ready for
business. They found the chief ex
ecutive adding the finishing touches
to his message.
“It is my desire to first submit
for your consideration subjects un
der which I believe legislation may
be passed that will improve de
partmental economy and effi
ciency,” he said. “Therefore, the
following subjects are respectively
submitted for your consideration:
“The enactment of laws providing
for the concentration of the Texas
prison system, and the improve
ment of said system along modem
and scientific lines.
“The enactment of laws with ref
erence to the handling of prisoners
confined in the state penitentiary,
including the adoption of an ade
quate parole law.
“The enactment of the laws car
rying into effect the amendment
to section eight of article VII of
the constitution. 1
“The enactment of laws to place
the selection of subordinate em
ployes of the state government
upon a merit basis.
“The enactment of statutes to
abolish the terms of the several
district couts of the state and to
provide that such courts may hold
sessions in any county of their
several districts at any time to be
determined by the judge of such
court, and to otherwise simplify
and reform the procedure in civil
cases.”
One hundred and eighteen of
the 150 members of the house an
swered roll call and 29 of the 31
senators were prese.it.
WILDCAT PLANTINGS
HURT TRUCK CROPS
_
WASHINGTON, April 22.—(JO—
! Unique expansion of truck crop
acreages, aggravated by “wildcat’*
plantings of promotion agencies, ia
held responsible by A. W. McKay
cf the department of agriculture, for
the most serious over-production
problems of the fruit and vegetable
industry’.
SIX SAVED AS THEY PRAY
GLASGOW —Six persons, trapped
in a burning tenement, were on them
knees in prayer when fireme*' ***
cued them.
' THE WEATHER
I __________
For Brownsville and the Valley.
Mosly cloudy and somewhat un
settled tonight and Tuesday: not
much change in temperature.
For East Texas: Increasing
cloudiness tonight and Tuesday
becoming unsettled; rising tem
perature in interior.
Moderate easterly to southerly
winds on the coast.
RIVER FORECAST
There will be no material change
in the river during the next few
days.
Flood Present 24-Hr. 24-Hr
Stage Stage Chng. Rale
I Eagle Pass .. 16 2.3 0.0 .01
I Laredo . 27 -0.1 +0.4 .«
Rio Grande . 21 6.4 +2.1 1.3*
Mission. 22 3.9 -0.4 .0<
San Benito .23 8.8 -0.5 .0(
Brownsville . 18 3.9 +0.2 .01
TIDE TABLE
High and low tide at Point Isa
bel tomorrow, under normal met
eorological condition:
High .4:07 a. m.; 2:38 p. m
Low . 10:19 a. m.; 9:24 p. m
MISCELLANEOUS DATA
Sunset today . 6:3
Sunrise tomorrow . 5;j