Brownsville herald. [volume], June 18, 1933, FINAL SUNDAY EDITION, Image 1

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

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ifi THE WEATHER H
Brownsville and the Valley: Part
ly cloudy Saturday night and Sun
day, probably with local thunder
showers.
FORTY- FIRST YEAR—No. 298 BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 1933 EIGHTEEN PAGES TODAY fieA COPY)"
- _
I
HERE IN BROWNSVILLE TO
day were plenty old-time friends—
And seems like most of our
friends—
Have descended in the social
scale,
And become mayors or something
like that!
There was “Jack” Frost of Mis
sion—
Complaining because “all of the
Mission stories in The Herald—
“Carry a McAllen dateline.”
And then there was Mayor Geo.
B. Fleming of Pharr
Cheerful as ever,
And bragging to the limit—
About that O. F. baseball team
of his—
That cavorts around the diamond
at night—
Up there in the “Center City”. ,
* * *
NOT A MAYOR, BUT MIGHTY
close to one, is J. C. Lear, city se
cretary of Mercedes, down here
with “Cotton” Boling, former San
Beni tan, now ramrodding the C. P.
& L. plant in the “Queen City.”
We are sure that John Ewing of
McAllen, recently re-elected mayor
.f the ‘Palm City”—
Was in the crowd—
And we know that Emmett Bar
more, mayor of Sart Benito, was
among those present—
To say nothing of his city at
torney, A. L. Montgomery, who—
in case you did not know it—is a
law partner of Cameron county’s
attorney, Chas C. Bowie.
* * *
BILL MORRIS OF MISSION—
if you know anybody at all in Mis
sion you know B ill
Comes forth with the best one
yet.
Says Mission has decided that—
If there is any newspaper pub
licity about anything in which
Mission is interested—
It will be published AFTER it |
ha*. happened, not before.
^id three Valley newspaper men
promptly bit the dust on hearing
Bill’s statement—
Whcih was backed up by Wil
lard Ferguson, county commission
er from BiU’s home town.
i
YOU SEE, THE CROWD GATH
ered in Brownsville to hear about
how to get in on the inside of
these federal loans scheduled to be
granted under Pres. Roosevelt's
Industrial Recovery bill.
And then the wheel flew off the
car driven by the man who was
coming down to give us the dope.
So—they all came around to see
a.
Nobody told how much money
taeir particular city was seeking,
probably because they id not want
the other fellow to know—
What was doing in a rival town.
But—we wish it would happen
often—this gathering of old and
new friends.
We surely do enjoy talking about
the '‘time when.”
m 9 9
BACK FROM CHICAGO COME
more Brownsville people, and how
they do howl because—
That Texas building, right be
tween Florida and California—
Is symbolical only of the—
Wide, open spaces of Texas.
We wish we could do something
about it.
Of course Texas should have an
.‘Xhibit—
And we believe, we hope, we
know—
That before this Century of Pro
gress has run its course—
Texas WILL have an exhibit.
9 9 9
HERE’S SOMETHING WE DID
do something about—with the help ;
of A. L. Benoist, manager of the
Harlingen store of Sears-Roebuck :
& company.
They tell us that Sears has a big
(Continued on Page Two)
I_
■*r
V
NAVAL PLANES1
AND SHIPS TO
SEEK MATTERN
Government To Take
Hand In Search
For Flier
WASHINGTON, June 17. —(£>)—
Admiral William V. Pratt, chief of
naval operations, tonight ordered
all naval vessels and airplanes in
Alaskan waters and in the vicinity
of the Aleutian waters to start a
search for Jimmy Mattem, round
the-world flier missing on a hop
from Siberia to Alaska.
The navy department said the
repair ship Argonne, in command
of Capt. Harry Dact, was in Alas
kan waters and that at least two
navy fliers also were in the vicinity.
They were Ensign William A. Mof
fett, Jr., son of the late Rear Ad
miral Moffett, and Lt. John Vest.
Pratt’s order instructed all naval
vessels and pilots to make every I
effort, by sea and plane, to locate
the missing airman.
MOSCOW ALARMED
OVER DISAPPEARANCE
MOSCOW, June 17.—(/P)—Definite
information from America that
James Mattem. American flier, had
not been reported there since he
left Khabarovsk, Siberia, occasioned
serious alarm here today.
The Tass (Soviet) news agency
sent urgent inquiries both to Kha
barovsk and to Petropavlovsk, Kam
chatka peninsula, seeking word of
the aviator.
At a late hour tonight no replies
to these inquiries had been received
and this accentuated belief here
that Mattern may have been borne
down either in the Sea of Okhotsk
or the Bering sea by ice accumula
tions on the wings of his airplane,
or at best forced down on some isol
ated island in the vicinity of Kam
chatka.
If the American has come down
on the Kamchatka peninsula he
would find it most difficult to com
municate with the outside w’orld.
Whatever Mattern’s fate has been, j
Moscow’ so far wras absolutely in the
dark.
REPRESENTATIVE SAYS
SAFE IN ALASKA
NEW YORK. June 17. — upy—
Jack Clark, personal representative i
of Jimmy Mattem, round-the-world
flyer, today said he felt “there is
better than a 50-50 chance that
Jimmie Mattern is safe somewhere
in Alaska.”
“There were af least eight land
ing fields in obscure sections of
Alaska that Jimmie knew about,”
said Clark.
“We feel confident he has landed
and is unable to communicate his j
whereabouts. When weather con
ditions improve, I think some of
his pilot friends in Alaska will lo
cate him.”
Summer School
In Full Swing
Summer school is in full swing in
Brownsville with 66 enrolled in high
school, 40 in college and 27 in jun
ior high school. The faculty is com
posed of E. C. Dodd, director; Char
lotte Hymen, English; R. J. Bing
ham and Mrs. R. L. Stell, mathe
matics; Mrs. Iznaga Juana Iznaga
de la Portilla, Spanish; Mrs. J. A.
Russell, 6th and 7th grade subjects;
Kenneth Faxon, government and
history and Mrs. A. J. Price, librar
ian and English.
Those who plan to graduate from
high school are Vivian Austin, Anna
Bell Ball, Lorenzo Collins, Teofoli
Fores, Clara Louise Gilson, Beatrice
Berusa and Mary Lou Lindhe. Luisa
Perez and John Sanders plan to
graduate from the college.
Valley Woman Gets
Burns In Car Wreck
(Special to The Herald)
EDINBURG. July 17.—Mrs. A. M.
Garrett, daughter of Mrs. Z. Sam
ples, well-known Sharyland resi
dent, was rescued from certain death
in the flaming wreckage of her au
tomobile between Edinburg and
Falfurrias last night by an un
identified truck driver.
Rushed to Edinburg by Robert
N. Clark, chairman of the Hidalgo
county republican executive com
mittee, Mrs. Garrett was theated
for painful burns on both legs and !
arms.
The victim stated her car over
turned and caught fire immediately.
Pinned beneath the wreckage, she
watched several cars pass without
stopping. She said the truck driv
er told her he was enroute to the
Valley from Oklahoma when he saw
the burning car and decided to in
vestigate. The car was burned com
pletely, together with a stock of
dress goods she was selling and $65
in her purse. •
Texas Jail Break
Suspect Arrested
BALTIMORE. June 17. —</P>—
Mitchell D. Bassin, said by police
to be wanted in El Paso, Tex., as
one of a trio who escaped from
jail there December 31, was arrest
ed here last night and held under
$5,000 bail awaiting the action of
Texas police.
Police here said Bassin denied
be escape dirom the Texas jail.
Gamer Turns
From Senate
To Chickens
_
ST. LOUIS, June 17. ^)—Will
ing to discuss chickens, vegetables
and grapes, but shunning the sub
ject of politics, Vioe-Pres. and
Mrs. John Nance Gamer passed
through St. Louis tonight enroute
home to Uvalde, Tex.
“Politically speaking, I’ve been
deaf, dumb and blind ever since
March 4,” chuckled the vice-presi
dent. “All I want to do is just
hibernate in the bushes for a
while—become a modem Rip Van
Winkle,” he explained.
He did comment that he had
discovered his tenure as speaker
of the house gave him more pow
er than he exercises as vice presi
dent.
“I’ve had a very pleasant 100
days as vice-president and anyway
all that any of us care about is
helping out Pres. Roosevelt any
way we can,” he concluded.
MLEAffilRAFT
‘NAILED’ HERE
Four Angelo Men Held On
Attempt To Work
Racket
Sheriff W. Frank Brown believes
he has finally nailed down a case
of “mileage racket” with the arrest
of four San Angelo men here. This
is an evil the state attorney and
comptroller have been fighting, but
heretofore they have been unable to
nail down a concrete case.
This is how the racket works, ac
cording to Sheriff Brown:
Hunts Up Friends
An indicted man goes to several
of his friends who are not working
and arranges for them to hitch
hike and ride the rods to some far
off point in the state. They are
then subponaed at that point as
defense witnesses, regardless of
whether they know anything about
the case. The “witnesses” return
in the same manner with the trip
costing them little or nothing.
The state is forced to pay them
four cents per mile both ways, and
the “witnesses” frequently agree to
give a portion of this for the in
dicted man’s defense.
At the state’s expense they get a
(Continued on Page Two)
Shaw May Take
Home Loan Job
‘Special to The Herald)
AUSTIN, June 17.—It was reliably
reported here today that James
Shaw, state banking commissioner,
will resign within a few days to ac
cept a federal position as state co
ordinator in the home loan banking
system.
Sen. Gus Russel probably will be
appointed by Gov. Ferguson to suc
ceed him.
Race Track To Be
Built at Houston
HOUSTON, June 17. (A3)—Con
struction will start within 30 days on
San Jacinto Downs, one-mile race
track to be built on the La Porte
highway, near Houston, F. W. Neu
haus, vice president and general
manager, announced today.
William P. Kyne, one of the
country’s best known racing men, is
due here Monday to confer with San
Jacinto Downs officials. Mr. Kyne,
who owns the Tanforan track at San
Francisco, many be named supervis
or of San Jacinto Downs’ first meet
ing, tentatively slated to open Dec.
1.
Former Brownsville
Man Dies In Spain
Word has been received here of
the death of Manuel Tamargo, 58,
former resident of Brownsville, in
Spain early this month.
Tamargo, who left Brownsville
about 40 years ago, was well known
among the older settlers in this
section. After leaving here, he set
tled in Saltillo. Mexico, before re
turning to Spain.
He has a brother who is Spanish
consul in Saltillo.
University Prexy
Is Seriously 111
ABILENE, June 17. (IP)—Dr. J. D.
Sandefer, president of Simmons uni
versity here,tonight was reported in
a seflous condition following a ma
jor operation at Baylor hospital,
Dallas.
Dr. Sandefer, accompanied by
Mrs. Sandefer, went to Dallas for a
diagnosis. Immediate operation was
advised this morning.
Oil Man Found Dead
CHICAGO. June 17. —(/P)—Harry
H. Smith. Tulsa, Okla.. secretary
of the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas
Association, was found dead in his
hotel room this evening, appar
ently of heart attack*
• He had been here two days at
tending the oil producers conven
tion. When word of his death
reached the convention, the entire
body stood silent for two minutes,
in tribute to him. 1
U. S. REFUSES
FRENCH DEBT
PARLEY PLEA
Only Those Who Have
Paid Stand Chance
For Revision
WASHINGTON. June 17. —<^)—
In a formal note, the United
States today ignored France’s ap
peal for a review of its war debt
and forcefully reminded the Paris
government of its two unpaid debt
Installments totalling $60,000,000.
At the same time a note was
handed to Italian Ambassador Ros
so saying while his government’s
payment of $1,000,000 on a total
instalment due of more than $14,
000,000 might be considered by
congress and the American people
as “unsubstantial,” Mr. Roosevelt
was willing to enter upon a dis
cussion of the Italian debt.
Must Pay Something
Meanwhile, it was made clear, in
formally, that while Pres. Roosevelt
would not brusquely wave aside
further French representations on
the debt question, that nation must
(Continued on Page Two)
TEXAS CO-ED
IS SHOT DEAD
Fiance Wounded as Couple
Returns to Announce
Engagement
BRYAN, June 17. OP)—Miss Ledelle
Hammond, 20, of Kosse, was killed,
and Erwin Conway, 21, of Bryan
her escort was wounded when they
were shot down nine miles north of
here last night w’hile driving here
to announce their engagement.
Miss Hammond was shot once
through the heart. Conway was shot
through the shoulder and his con
dition is not considered serious .
Flagged by Woman
Conway told officers that he and
Miss Hammond had reached an un
derpass nine miles north of here on
highway No. 6 when he saw a car
parked by the side of the road.
A minute later his headlights pick
ed up the figure of a woman by the
car and she waved at him.
“I stopped the car and she came
up toward us,” Conway said. “She
had on what seemed to be a brown
dress.
“As she neared my car two men
(Continued on Page Two)
Girl Confesses She
Killed Her Father
POTEAU, Okla. June 17 UP)—A 12
year old girl confessed beside the
body of her slain father in their
lonely mountain cabin near Damer
field, Okla., today that she killed
him with a rifle after he had beat
en her with a stick of stovewood,
county officers announced on their
return from the scene tonight.
The body of the father, Walker
Boyette. 45, was found on a bed in
the cabin by LeFlore county offi
cers who were summoned by a
neighbor.
A1 Smith To Get
Honorary Degree
NEW YORK, June 17.—(A>)—For
mer Gov. Alfred E. Smith, who
many times has remarked in the
presence of distinguished educators
and scholars that his first degree
was an “F. F. M.”—standing for
Fulton Fish Market, in which he
worked as a youth—is going to re
ceive a doctor of laws degree from
Harvard University.
It was learned at his office to
day that he will go to Cambridge,
Mass., to have the honor conferred
upon him next Thursday.
Dallas Leads State
In New Construction
DALLAS, June 17. —<;fi— New
construction in Dallas the past
week reached a total of $50,908 and
this city led others reporting build
ing permits in Texas. Houston was
second and Austin a close third.
Royal Family
Likes Valley
Citrus Fruit
The Japanese royal family think
This is shown in a letter from
of Valley citrus fruit.
H. T. Nolan, Broadway moving
picture manufacturers’ agent, to
the Brownsville Chamber of Com
merce.
Mr. Nolan was here last Janu
ary and had a box of citrus fruit
shipped to the Japanese royal
family. It was shipped at the re
quest of Dr. N. Kunitomo. Japan
ese medical representative in the
U. S. who is at Denver.
The fruit had to be shipped to
Seattle, Wash., due to the Cali
fornia embarbo, and went from
that port to Japan, the longest
distance a box of Valley fruit
ever traveled.
Mr. Nolan sends a copy of a
letter to Dr. Kunitomo from Prof.
Hidezo Katsura in Japan. The
letter follows:
“Received the oranges and
grapefruit in good condition. Ev
erybody has praised the flavor
and sweetness, particular Prince
and Princess Kitashirakawa-No
Miya and their family, who compli
mented the fruit most highly, as
well as Baron Furuichi, who is a
member of the privy council of
the imperial palace and who is
my father-in-law. Also highly
praised by the staff members of
the prince’s palace. They all en
joyed and relished this delicious
fruit and thank you and the good
people of Texas for remembering
us.
Prince Kitashirakawa is the un
cle of His Imperial Highness Yo
shihito, emperor of Japan.
BIDS ON DOCKS
NOT YET READY
Outer Channel Work To Be
Completed First, Says
Louthan
Bids for construction of docks,
wharves and other terminal facil
ities at the Port Isabel turning ba
sin will be asked by the Port Isabel
San Benito Navigation district as
soon as definite information is
available as to the time for begin
ning work on the outer channel and
jetties. Judge James Q. Louthan of
San Benito, attorney for the dis
trict, said.
Judge Louthan made the state
ment when asked about radio
broadcasts over a Mexican border
station recently to the effect that
the army engineers have asked the
navigation district to ask for bids.
Judge Louthan stated there is no
definite information as to wrhen the
outer channel work will be started,
but it is expected to be done with
out much delay from funds from
the public works appropriations.
“As soon as these funds are avail
able and the government is ready to
start the work, we will go ahead
with the bids for the terminal fa
cilities.” he said. Judge Louthan
said the government engineers had
made no requests for bids or guar
antees in connection with the ter
minal facilities because “they know
we will build them as soon as they
are ready.”
Port Isabel To
Celebrate Fourth
("Special to The Herald)
PORT ISABEL, June 17.—Plans
for an ambitious Fourth of July
celebration here will be made at a
mass meeting to be held at the city
administration building Monday
night, it has been announced.
A well rounded sport docket, em
phasizing aquatic events, is to be
arranged in addition to fitting pa
triotic exercises.
The opening of the new casino on
Lake Isabel will be one of the ma
jor events of the day.
"MA” FREES 15
AUSTIN. June 17.—(JP)—Gov. Mi
riam A. Ferguson today granted
executive clemency to 15 Texas
convicts.
FEDERAL MEN
PUT ON TRAIL!
OF MURDERERS
Justice Department^
Accepts Slaying As
Challenge
WASHINGTON June 17. (£>)—A
federal government angered by the
slaying of a department of justice
operative in Kansas City tonight
was moving toward stamping out
racketeers and gunmen.
Challenge Answered
The slaying of Raymond J. Maf
frey, the justice department man,
in an apparent attempt at Kansas
City to free Frank Nash, an Okla
homa train robber, was accepted by
Atty. Gen. Cummings as outright
defiance of a governmental agency
which gangdom long has respected.
He answered the challenge with an
order to set the entire justice de
partment on the trail of the killers
and specifically assigned a detail
from points near Kansas City to the
case.
Cummings’ order, by coincidence,
followed closely a statement by Pres.
Roosevelt last night that “we must
protect” the newly legalized trade
associations “from the racketeers
who invade organizations of both
employers and workers.”
The provisions of the new indus
trial bill, it has been pointed out,
intensify the need for control of the
labor racketeering which has ha
rassed the industry and commerce
of the nation’s great cities.
Troubled Too Long*
Cummings has expressed himself
as believing that “as a people we
have been troubled too long by the
racketeers of violence and blood
shed.’’
“It is my hope,” Cummings said,
“that in the field of law enforce
ment and in the detection and pros
ecution of crime I may be able to
bring about a better coordination of
state and federal activities.”
At upwards of 20 other points in
the nation, federal agents are delv
ing into racketeering operations, the
scope of which infringes on that
section of law enforcement dele
gated to the federal government
liquor syndicates, gem, drug and
alien smuggling and gang domina
tion of labor unions.
Man Freed in Death
Of Peeping Youth
EL PASO, June 17.—(JP)— Gra
ham McNary, son of J. G. McNary,
prominent southwest lumberman,
stands exonerated as far as the El
Paso county grand jury is con
cerned in the fatal shooting of Earl
James, 18, last week.
The grand jury yesterday review
ed the case but took no action.
Young James was shot in an alley
near McNary’s home. He died sev
eral days later.
At an inquest, it was testified
James and another youth were
peeping into a window across the
street from McNary's home when
McNary and another man sur
prised them. The other y%uth sur
rendered but James fled.
Two More Bales
Ginned In County
Cameron county produced at least
two bales of cotton Saturday, both
ginned near each other.
H. N. Jones brought in the first
bale to be ginned in the Harlingen
community and the other bale was
ginned at Rangerville, on the di
viding line between San Benito and
Harlingen trade territory.
Jones, who lives two and one
half miles west of Combes, brought
in 1,560 pounds of seed cotton to
the Combes gin and it yielded 557
bales of lint.
It graded middling and Sam
Botts, an owner of the gin, said
it was purchased at ten cents a
pound which is about a cent pre
mium over the market.
Gloom Hangs Over Texas Negro Convicts
Measles Epidemic Blasts ‘Juneteenth ’ Fun
RAMSAY STATE FARM, An
geleton, Tex., June 18. (AP>-—'The
white man’s burden is nothing
compared to the black man’s bur
den on Ramsay State Farm.
The worst thing in the world
has happened.
The great Juneteenth—emanci
pation day for Texas negroes—is
at hand and the boys, black and
brown and tan are in the depths
of despair.
It’s measles.
The big fish fry and barbecue
planned for the 270 negro con
victs Monday has been postponed
because of the scourge. Misery lit
among the negro convicts like a
bolt from the blue. It laid 22
husky convicts low at the first
blow.
The other negroes laughed—
"the less you eats, the mo’ they
is fo’ me’” they said.
A double celebration had been
planned here and at Clemens state
farm 30 miles away in the Brazos
river bottoms. The captains let
the boys invite their girl-friends
down for the day and boxing,
baseball and dancing was on the
card.
I
Both camps sought to out do
each other in bathering bass,
trout and perch from the Brazos
river. A friend ’possum was kill
ed on this farm.
It appeared all ol’ man Adam’s
“chillun” were in for a feast and
a feast to the black man means
fun, but double troubled “drop
ped pigeon” on the plans.
But the weight of the black
man’s burden on Ramsay Farm
grew—for the prison doctor today
nailed a sign on the barracks door
that read:
“Quarantined."
Machine Gunners Slaughter
Five Officers and Prisoner
Woman Tells
Story Of
Shooting
BY MBS. LOTTIE WEST,
Travelers’ Aid Worker, Kansas
City Union Station
KANSAS CITY, June 17. (/P)—I
saw the killers of the government
agents, city detectives, the Okla
homa police chief and Frank Nash
in front of the union station this
morning, calmly awaiting their vic
tims to group themselves about the
motor car which was to take them
to Leavenworth.
I then saw them step out of hid
ing and deliberately open fire. The
first men to fall were officers. Nash
was one of the last to be killed.
• Sitting at my desk I watched the
group of officers take Nash through
the doors from the trains, march
him across the lobby. Two of the
offioers carrier sawed-off shotguns.
Another kept his hand on his hip
(Continued on Page Two)
HOUGH TO FACE
PERJURY COUNT
Donna Man Indicted After
Testimony At Murder
Investigation
(Special to The Herald)
EDINBURG, June 17.—Roy W.
Hough, one of three prominent
Donna residents indicted several
weeks ago in connection with the
murder of a youth in 1922, was in
dicted Saturday on charges of per
jury by the 92nd District Court
grand jury.
The perjury charge resulted, ac
cording to the indictment, from
testimony by Hough before the same
grand jury in May during its in
vestigation of the Alejo Quintanilla
murder, which was committed about
July 15, 1922.
The indictment stated in that
Hough told the grand jury he
knew nothing of the death of Quin
tanilla when “the said Roy Hough
then and there well knew in truth
and in fact that the *** on or about
July 15, 1922, did with malice afore
thought kill the said Alejo Quin
tanilla, and the said Roy Hough
then and there was present and well
knew that the said *** did kill Ale
jo Quintanilla.”
Walter G. Weaver. Hough and
Sam Barnard, all of Donna, were
indicted by the grand jury on May
11, 1933, on a charge of murder in
connection with the disappearance
of Quintanilla, a youth residing near
Donna. His body was found in a
clump of brush near Edinburg on
July 18, 1922, after relatives discov
ered he had not been taken to the
Hidalgo county jail here following
his arrest on July 15 by one of the
three men. Weaver made bond of
$2,500 on the murder charge and
the other two made bonds of $1,000
each. A motion for a change of
venue for the three was granted by
Judge Bryce Ferguson on Mav 15,
1933, the case being moved to Bee
ville.
Hough’s bond on the perjury in
dictment was set at $500.
Gotke Appointed
To State Board
Supt. G. W. Gotke of Brownsville
Saturday was appointed to serve as
a member of the state textbook ad
visory committee by the state board
of education at Lubbock.
The board ended its two-day ses
sion at Lubbock late Saturday.
Mr. Gotke received several tele
grams Saturday from state educa
tors congratulating him on his ap
pointment.
Willacy County Gins
First Bale of Season
(Special to The Herald)
RAYMONDVILLE. June 17.—The
first bale of 1933 cotton grown in
Willacy county was ginned Friday
morning at the Willacy County gin.
The bale weighed 475 pounds and
was grown by Pedro Lopez on his
farm four miles southwest of Ray
mondville. A premium of 2c per
pound was paid by the gin and the
chamber of commerce is collecting
from Raymondville merchants oth
er premiums to be given the grower.
Galveston to Get
Dredging Allotment
WASHINGTON, June 17. —{JF}—
Allotment of $215,000 was ap
proved by the war department to
day for dredging in Galveston
Channel, Galveston, Tex., to restore
the channel to its full depth of 32
feet.
Bids for the project will be
asked Immediately,
7 SHOT DOWN
IN FRONT OF
KANSASDI OT
Street Turned Into
Slaughter House
By Gunmen
KANSAS CITY, June 17. UP)—
Blazing machine guns turned Kan
sas City’s union station plaza into
a scene of horror today as seven
officers and a prisoner were am
bushed, five of them killed outright
and two others wounded in a brief
but deadly burst of fire.
The wholesale killings resulted
from gangsters’ efforts to release
or slay Frank Nash, notorious Okla
homa train robber and killer being
returned to the federal prison at
Leavenworth where he escaped three
years ago.
Five Die Instantly
When the murderous rattle of
machine gun slugs ceased, Nash, the
Oklahoma desperado, was crumpled
up dead in an au%Dmobile he had
entered the moment of the attack.
Lifeless about him were: Raymond
J. Caffrey, special agent of the U.
S. Bureau of Investigation.
Otto Reed, chief of police at Mc
Alster, Okla.
Frank Hermanson, Kansas City
detective.
W. J. Grooms, Kansas City defceo
tive.
W. J. Gftooms, Kansas City detec
tive.
The wounded were F. J. Lackey,
special agent at Oklahoma City of
the U. S. Bureau of Investigation
whose condition is considered criti
cal, and R. E. Vetterli, agent in
charge of the Kansas City Bureau
of Investigation, who returned the
fire of his assailants as they drove
away.
Lackey was shot three times in the
back. Vetterli suffered a slight
wound in the left arm.
At Washington, Atty. Gen. Cum
mings issued an order setting the
entire justice department on the
trail of the killers and specifically
assigned a detail from points near
Kansas City to the case.
Federal Men on Trail
He also set men to checking
through the names, data, finger
prints and photographs in the filed
of the Leavenworth penitentiary.
“It is my hope.” Cummings said,
“that in the field of law enforce
ment and in th*> detection and
prosecution of crime, I may be able
to bring about a better co-ordina
tion of state and federal activities.’*
Nash, a member of the A1 Spen
cer gang which terrorized north
east Oklahoma 10 years ago, was
arrested by agents of the bureau of
investigation, department of Justice
at Hot Springs, Ark., yesterday aft
er a long and relentless search.
“I don’t believe they intended td
kill Nash,” Vetterli said in recount
ing the details of the slaughter, ap
parently staged by four men arm
ed with machine guns who had hid
den themselves near the officers*
car and calmly waited for them to
group themselves about the auto
mobile.
“We went to the station to meet
the officers who were bringing Nash
(Continued on Page Two)
Target Range Work'
Begins This Week
Construction work on Fort
Brown’s new target range, across the
highway from the Port Isabel pump
ing plant on the Boca Chica road,
will begin this week, it was an
nounced at the army post Saturday,
The lease has been approved by
the War Department.
The target range will probably be
ready for use by the first of August,
and will be used at once by Fort
Brown soldiers.
It was definitely announced Sat
urday that Fort Ringgold soldiers
will use the target range here. In
the past soldiers from Fort Brown
have used the Ringgold range.
Troops from Ft. McIntosh will
probably come here for target prac
tice.
Victoria Road Work
Progress Is Shown
The road grading machine loaned
to Matamoros and the state of Tam
aulipas by Cameron county Is mak
ing rapid progress nn throwing up a
grade on the road from Matamoros
toward Victoria.
The work has started at a point
about five biles below Matamoros,
and later will work back toward
that city.
A 50-foot roadway Is being grad
ed and will be In good shape after
the work is finished.
A'barbecue for Matamoros and
Brownsville planned for Saturday
afternoon has been postponed. Date
for it will be announced in 4 lew
days. '