The Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune from Muscatine, Iowa • Page 1

WEATHER' Muscatine Fair and continued mild tonight and Sunday. Lowest temperature tonight will be near 25 Iowa Fair and continued mild tonight and Sunday. THE MUSCATINE AND NEWS-TRIBUNE ASSOCIATED PRESS and SERVICE PKICE FIVE CENTS NO. 18 Allied Sea MUSCATINE, IOWA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1944 EIGHT PAGES ESTABLISHED 1840 Of RAF Bombs Crush Light Raids 'Hit Berlin France (By TOM YARBROTJGH) London The RAF's campaign to flatten industrial tar gets crushed the city of Magdeburg in Saxony Friday night under more than 2,000 long tons of bombs as the major of a great aerial operation which included a smaller attack on Berlin. The new blows against fol 1 i up a heavy ton assault on the capital the previous, night, cost the RAF 55 bombers, one of the heaviest losses suffered in a year.

They came while the Germans themselves were stabbing at London and southeast England with two sharp raids by a force of ap- proximately 90 bombers. Probably 1,000 planes took part in the wide-spread operations of the RAF during the night, striking also into northern France and laying mines. This made it the Allied offensive within 14 hours. Approximately that number of American and Brilish aircraft attacked the Pas De Calais area in daylight Friday. TheT'L ere Heaviest since 58 bombers went down during a great assault on Berlin last Aug.

23. Fourteen of the missing bombers xvere Canadian. j) Rail Junction Point. Magdeburg, a city of 300,000 on the left bank of the Elbe river, about 83 miles southwest of Berlin, is a junction point for the main railways to Leipzig, Kassel ana Hamburg all previously heavily. Madeburg itself was bombed exactly a week before by Mosquitos while a big fleet of British bambers concentrated on the aircraft manufacturing center of Brunswick, 26 miles away, which Vsome neutral sources now say "ceases to eist." The 'air ministry described Friday night's blast at Madeburg as "a very heavy attack" and said great fires were left burning.

The RAF force which returned to Berlin, where fires still blazed from the 2.3000 long ton bombing of the night before, included both four-engined Lancasters and the swift little Mosquitos. A At the same time other bomb- struck unidentified targets in France, following up Friday's daylight assault on the so-called "rocket gun coast" in the neighborhood of Pas De Calls. TJ. S. Planes Lost.

ijfc.F i a y's daylight operations against the Pas-De-Calais region cost the attacking force 21 planes, six ot them U. S. heavy bombers! Nineteen German fighters were shot from the sky The Allied slackers dropped perhaps 2,000 tons "of bombs. London Area Hit. The Germans, goaded into making a counter blow, sent one group of bombers across, the channel before midnight and another in the hours of this morning.

They operated mainly over southeast England, but about -30 of the invaders struck into the London area. A communique said, "Bombs 0were dropped at a number of places. Damage was caused and there were a number of casualties, some of which were fatal." Eight were de. strowed. Ida County Woman Dies; Mate Jailed Ida Grove A 58-year old Ida county farmer was held today in connection with the death of his wife after allegedly confessing he put poison in her vitamin capsules to get rid of her after becoming infatuated with a Sioux City hotel maid.

Ida County Attorney Ray G. Walter, who disclosed the said he would file an information during the day charging William Lorenzen first degree murder in the death last Oct. 1 of Mae Lorenzen, 57, to whom the farmer had been married for 30 years. Walter named Mrs. Eleanor Huss, .47, as the hotel maid but said she had no connection with the death' and that he did not plan to file any charges against her.

She formerly resided at Hoi- stein, and is a divorcee. The county attorney said Lorenzen had made a written confession in which he allegedly adr milled having plotted the death of his wife since last August. The farmer had known Mrs. Huss since childhood, had started going with her in 1942 and had kept company with her regularly in 1943, officers said. Lorenzen was described by Walter as "an extremely active churchman" and a resident oE the Ida Grove vicinity most of his life.

Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzen had no children. The Lorenzens farmed a rented place near Ida Grove but early in January, about three months after his wife's death, Lorenzen sold out and went to Sioux City where he was Wednes- had- reached its climax. Walter said the first development in the case came when Dr.

E. S. Parker of Ida Grove declined to sign a death certificate because, the county attorney explained, "he detected evidence of poisoning" when called to the farm to Mrs. Lorenzen the night of her death. Subsequently.

Walter said, Ida County Sheriff Charles W. Yous- Hng began an investigation. Contents of Mrs. Lorenzen's stomach were sent to Iowa City where an analysis by Dr. Wilbur Teeters, state toxicologist, confirmed the presence of poison.

After the toxicologist's report was received Dec. 28, Walter said, R. W. Nebergall. chief of the Iowa Bureau of Investigation, was notified and supplementary steps were taken leading to Lorenzen's arrest and purported confession.

Walter quoted the farmer as confessing he bought the poison under an assumed name, placed it in the vitamin capsules and replaced the capsules in the bottle Reds' Success Opens Moscow And Leningrad Railway Line from, which Mrs. Lorenzen the capsules daily. took BUY WAR BONDS Vote Out City Manager Plan At Mason City Mason City Bv a vote of 2,615 to 2.480 citizens of Mason City decided Friday to abandon the city manager form of government and return to the mayor alderman plan. The first election under the mayor-alderman system will be held in March, 1945. London (AP) Soviet capture of Mga, key rail junction 30 miles southeast of Leningrad, has reunited Russia's second city by rail with Moscow for the first time since the.

city was laid under seige by the Germans two years ago, Moscow dispatches reported today. At the same time Leningrad gained a permanent rail link lo tap lend-lease supplies coming from the northern port of Mur- mansk through Volkhov. During the seige Allied supplies had been reaching the northern city over a railway built on Lake Ladoga's ice and a highway wrested from the enemy a year ago. Capture of Mga, hailed by Premier Stalin Friday in a special order of the day; liquidated the tip of a salient long held by the Germans southeast of the former czarist capital. New Breakthrough.

Reduction of the strategic junction climaxed a new breakthrough on a 30-mile front from the Nerva river southeast to the town of Vinyagolovo. It freed from German control the railway running from Leningrad to Moscow, 400 miles to the southeast, via Volkhov, Volgada and Yar- islavi. Under direct pressure from the advance Soviet forces was the main Leningrad-Moscow trunk railway a few miles westward. The two northern Russian armies were on offensive along the and fronts, the Moscow communique reported. Led by Gens.

Leonid A. Govorov and Kyril A. Meret- skov, both of whom were by Stalin for the capture of Mga. "Under continuous blows by Soviet troops enemy is rolling back in a southerly direction and abandoning one fortified place after another," the war bulletin announced. Other units of Govorov's Leningrad army were driving south and southwest of the city toward Krasnogvardeisk, junction of an east-west escape rail line leading Narva, Estonia.

Capture oE this strategic center would trap untold thousands of Germans gleeing from the east. 2,000 Germans Killed. The same were punching Germans in front of them toward troops of Gen. Meretskov's army racing west from captured Novgorod, less than 100 miles south of Leningrad. Two thousand Germans were killed in this mopping-up operation.

MGA was captured in a linking maneuver by forces of Govo- rov's and Meretskov's armies. Here, the communique said, the demoralized Germans were throwing away their arms and surrendering in batches. Meretskov's westward lunge from Novgorod netted another 2,400 read nazis. The Germans also were in trouble in lower White Russia. Here Gen.

Rokossovsky's Baltic troops lunged- out in the Kalinkovichi- Mozyd area and captured Ozarichi, district cented 25 miles northwest of Kalinkovichi. and, eight other The Germans left more than 1,000 dead on this front. PRINCIPALS IN MYSTERY SHOOTING Mrs. Frank Starr Williams (left) wife of a state department attache, who was shot in the head by a "mystery woman" as she entered her Drake hotel room-in Chicago with'Tier daughter, Mrs. Patricia Goodbody (right).

(NBA Tclepholo). Democrats See FDR, Or Defeat Next Year democratic national committee today elected by acclamation Robert E. Hannegaii as chairman to succeed Postmaster General Frank C. Walker, who resigned. (By JACK BELL) Washington A fourth term nomination for President Roosevelt loomed so certain in the minds of many members the democratic national committee today that, they began planning for what may be the only major battle at the projected July convention in choice of a vice president.

Most party organization members, meeting formally today to hear Chairman Frank Walker offer his resignation and elect Robert E. Hannegan, 40 year old St. Louisan in 'his place, gave only perfunctory attention to the routine business of the day. Their minds admittedly were' on the tough battle ahead' with the republicans. Midwest Lines Almost to a man they were agreed that President Roosevelt must run again they are to st-em Even the the resurgent GOP tide, midwest democratic Rural Areas Report About Fourth of Bond Quota Sold Approximately 25 per cent of the quota of 5535,341 assigned the rural division in Muscatine county in the Fourth War Loan campaign had been reached today, on the basis oE reports supplied to campaign leaders at noon today.

The quota for the entire county in the campaign is $2,349,000. In, the rural division, Seventy- Six township and the town of Atalissa continued as pace-setters, Atalissa having reported its quota reached earlier in the week, as did Seventy-Six township. group today had boosted its total sales to 338,813.75. well beyond the quota of 333,464. Fruitland township had boosted sales to $16,175 Lake township sales up to $21,437.25.

Sweetland township today reported its total sales were $25,197.50. No reports were available at noon from six townships, Cedar, Fulton, Goshen, Orono, Montpelier and Wapsinonoc. Leaders were anticipating that figures on bond sales in these areas might be received later in the day. Approximately 40 women and division of the campaign held a mobilization luncheon Friday afternoon at the Y. W-.

C. A. cafeteria, following groups launched their campaign in both the business and residential sections. Talks were given by Robert L. Roach, chairman of the county war finance committee, Mrs.

Vern Lear and Mrs. P. H. Naber, chairmen of the women's division, and by Sherwood Phillips. C.A.Ed monds, city chairman, presided.

Arrangements are going forward for the erection of bond sales booths in some of the larger downtown business houses, it was reported. Reports from elsewhere in Iowa, in Associated Press messages, were to the effect that two Iowa counties were over the top of "their Fourth War loan campaign goals. V. L. Clark; executive Manager of the state campaign committee, today appealed to farmers to Approximately 40 women and make their war bond purchases as would be i men.

solicitors ia the Muscatine early.as possible, ZJt conference members, widely touted as possible "insurgents." recognized this with a resolution endorsing the fourth term. James C. Quigley, Nebraska presented this resolution later at the White House to the president. Quigley said he received only a non-committal "Oh." After a White House reception for committee members, James P. Alyward of Missouri voiced the sentiments of an apparent -majority with the comment: "The party is united behind the president for a.fourth term." There was one piece missing in the almost complete picture identity of the vice presidential candidate.

Two potential candidates, Vice President Henry A. Wallace, and Speaker. Sam. Rayburn (Texas) of the were on the program for tonight's $100-a-plate- Jackson' day dinner which will the committee's meeting. Wallace a five-minute time allotment without a broadcast.

Rayburn was down for 15 minutes, with the radio carrying his Wallace Shows Strength. Although there have been reports that Wallace might be dropped from the ticket asia political liability, the vice president showed unexpected strength among delegates. Former Gov. Culbert L. Olson, a national committeeman, said California's delegation would be for his renomina- tion.

Jake More, Iowa state chairman, said Wallace's home state would support him. Other representatives sgid Wallace if is the Plan Democratic Meeting To Halt Fourth FDR Term Omaha A drive to consolidate anti-administration democrats in their stand against a fourth term is to be launched in Chicago next nionh, Robert O'Brian, Des Moines, president of Tabor college and former secretary oE state, has disclosed. In an interview with the World. Herald' here Friday, O'Brian was reported to have said the campaign will be started on Feb. 4 when Harry Woodring, Topeka, former secretary of.

war, speaks before the Chicago executives club. O'Brian was quoted as. saying: "The move started with the private conversations of a few people who were disturbed about the future of our country. They felt a fourth term and a continuance of certain new deal policies would mean the extinction of the republic." O'Brian is declared to have said democrats from all parts of the Allies Lash At Jap Held Island Bases (By MOKRIE LANDSBERG) (Associated Press War Editor) Allied planes, lashing at Japanese bases with time-table regularity, hurled more bombs into the campaign to soften up strategic enemy positions for possible new landings in two sectors of the Pacific. In both invasion-marked areas Madang, northern New Guinea, and the sprawling chain of Marshall islands no Japanese air interception was reported in the latest raids announced at Allied headquarters The absence of enemy fighters indicated that the Japanese are holding back their aerial forces to strike at any further landing attempts on their war-won territory, or that the heavy toll of ship losses may have caused a serious break in the Tokyo supply line.

Many Japs Downed. The Nipponese have sent up sizable air units to raids recently but the cost has proved high. More than 200 of their planes have been listed in Allied communiques as probably destroyed in the Rabaul area this month alone. Madang itself was' not mentioned in today's war bulletin from General MacArthur's headquarters, but other attacks along the coast -of New Guinea and in the interior plainly were directed at facilitating the drive toward that major Japanese supply and air center. Medium and dive dropping 74 tons of explosives, made the second heavy assault in two days on Japanese positions in country will the meeting.

go to Chicago for Soldier Vote To Get Green Light On Senate Floor Washington With the tax bill out of the way, the prospect developed today that the senate may give the revised Green-Lucas soldier vote bill the right. of way over, pending legislation" to repeal food subsidies; which had been tentatively scheduled for consideration next week. Sen. Lucas (D-I11.) told the senate that controversial, sections of the voting precipitated a recent lengthy fight on the senate been removed in a compromise federal ballot bill' approved Friday by the elections committee. He expressed the view that it could be passed by the senate in two days.

Sen. (R-Ohio) declared, however, that it extraordinary procedure" for the senate to take up the voting bill ahead of the subsidy legislation which went on the calendar first. The senate recessed until Monday -without reaching any understanding as" to procedure, and Democratic Leader Barkley he would attempt to an agreement during week-end con-' ferences 'with" senate leaders. Thirty-Five Die On Nazi Railway London Berlin radio announced today that 53 persons had been killed- in "a railway disaster" near Hannaver. in north- central The broadcast gave, no-details.

paratory to activity by Australian ground forces on the inland road to Madang. American troops are less than GO miles from Madang in the Sai- dor invasion beachhead established Jan. 2. An Australian coas- lal force is moving to join the American after a successful drive un the Huon peninsula. More Barg-es Destroyed.

At Hansa Bay. north of Madang, Mitchell bombers supply and gun locations and sank 2o" barges, while P-T boats wiped out 160 enemy troops in destroying barges carrying them to Ma- dang. American army and navy bombers delivered four new blows in the mid-Pacific Marshalls. raiding Wotje and two islands of Jaluit atoll and damaging a Japanese cargo transport vessel near Maloelap. The Japanese apparently only put up anti-aircraft fire.

Two of the raiders failed to return. Only Japanese interception reported today came in an attack on the enemy seaplane base on Amboina island in the Dutch East Indies, 600 miles north of Australia. Two Liberators were shot down, but at least five Japanese planes were destroyed. General Attack Launched As Fifth Army Men Land Within 30 Miles of Rome Allied Headquarters, Algiers (AP) Powerful American and British forces of the Fifth array striking by sea toward Rome landed on the west coast of central Italy before dawn today in a heavy attack to smash the Germans' flank and turn their winter fortifications in the Gustav and Adolf. Hitler lines.

The first landings were successful, winning a beachhead several mile's long, and "the situation is developing favorably," Allied headguarters announced at noon. The announcement did not locate the invasion point. Berlin Locates Landing. A German broadcast heard here, however, said the Allies went ashore between the I mouth of the Tiber river, 16-miles I rt 1UI southwest of Rome, and Nettuno, HOIS iTlCvl 30 miles to the southeast, and the same distance from Rome and had. occupied Nettuno harbor.

From the German announcement, it was apparent the Fifth army had sidestepped the easily- defended Pontine marshes protecting Rome, and that only a few scattered hills stood between the landing forces and the Eternal City in contrast to the mile- upon-mile of towering, mountains on the Fifth and'- Eighth army fronts to the south. The plunge threatens to close the escape roads of the German Tenth army at the Rome bottleneck if the nazis try to withdraw. These roads are 12 and 22 miles from Nettuno harbor. The bold thrust commanded by Lt. Gen.

Mark W. Clark under the direction of the new commander of central Mediterranean forces in Italy, Gen. Sir Harold Alexander. Ending the slow process of frontal attack alone, it wa.s supr ported by blistering air and naval bombardments, and followed air attacks that have severed the Rome area from communications to the north. This left the Germans there with! only their Malady Fatal To Wilbur Umlandt; Service Monday Wilbur Harry Umlandt, 34.

600 Maple avenue, died at the University hospital at Iowa City at 5:40 p. Friday after an illness since last Saturday with spinal meningitis. Mr. Umlandt was stricken with the malady while at work at the Automatic Button company last Saturday and was rushed to the hospital where he had, received treatment since. His condition was considered as satisfactory until Thursday afternoon when he suffered.a relapse.

Wilbur H. Umlandt was born in Muscatine on July 19, 1909, the son of William H. and Gertrude Suman, Umlandt, and had spent his entire here. He attended Muscatine public schools and was graduated -from Muscatine high school with the class of 1927. During his.

senior year, Mr. Umlandt was editor- in-chief oE the high school publication, the Auroran. Following his graduation he became associated with Automatic Button company as a button manufacturer and was also a partner in the Pearl Blank Cutting Co. He married Norm a Wulf on Sept. 26.

1935, at Clinton, la: Mr. Umlandt was a member of Grace Lutheran Surviving are his wife; one daughter, Elizabeth Ann: his parents, and Mrs. William Umlandt: his sister. Mrs: Bernard all One brother died in. The- body was Foe Planes Over New Bridgehead (By KENNETH L.

DIXO.V) An advanced Air Baje in Italy (fP) pilots who flew a sunrise 'cover for the Allied landings on the west coast of Italy said today they had sesn little or no artillery fire from the shore and that there were no fiiriiBi the beach. Sweeping back and forth over the assault area in P-40 War- hawks 8,000 feet, the pilots found no enemy aircraft during their first few patrols. They said weather was ideal for the operation. They reported boats already beached along the coast and said some landing craft were already going back out to the ships for additional loads. Maj.

Brice Biddlecome of Phoenix, leader of one patrol, said, "I could see boats on the shore and some vehicles on the beach. There were fires invading ashore. fleet sped supplies "In view of the impossibility" of breaking German resistance at the southern Italian front," the broadcast declared, "the Allies decided in the course of Friday night to resort to a system of landings." cover of darkness," the broadcast continued, "they succeeded in forming bridgeheads between Nettuno and the mouth of the Tiber south of Rome and in occupying Nettuno harbor. There are as yet no details about the progress of the heavy fighting which developed since the hours of First reports which came here from advanced headquarters in Italy did not indicate the of German resistance encountered by the landing units. Yanks Cross Rapido The smash into the Liro'valley dame from the Cassino area, where American and French troops have been pressing against the German Gustav line.

American troops crossed the Ra- pido river "under withering fire," a communique, said. Air attacks leadings up to landings included bomber raids Friday on Salon and Istres Les Tubes airfields near Marseille bases German equipped aircraft. torpedo- All the experience gained in the Sicilian and Salerno landings were employed in new invasion of central Italy. The current operation, however, differs in that it is coupled with an overland drive valley. in the Liri Hoffman Funeral church- where it will remain until funeral services, which will be conducted'at 2:30 p.

Monday at Grace Lutheran church by the pastor, the. M. Funk. Interment will be. in Greenwood cemetery, gunst Leonard C.

Lydon" of Stuart, who led a flight over the battle field at 6:30 a. said he could see boats sweeping in from the sea. He added that several Allied miles out at sea broadsides into targets some distance inland. air. officials' declared.

It was coupled with a general assault from Gen. Clark's. Fifth army front farther south alocg a 15-mile line. American troops forced their way across the Ra- nn pido river near Cassino against in 3 a "withering fire," French troops I were ffrins conti seized two mountains in the 0 1 same area, and British forces captured more villages on the north bank of the Garigliano. Germans Counterattack The nazis launched several fierce counterattacks on this front, an indication that the great amphibious flank attack apparently had taken them by surprise.

American Rangers and British Commandos of the Fifth army spearheaded the new leapfrog landing, the biggest seaborne attack in Italy since the invasion ramming ashore near Salerno in September. First reports did not indicate the strength of German resistance. All the experience of Italian and Sicilian invasion jumps strengthened the new seaborne plunge. The first wave spread over the beachhead, and the Limits Ordered On Agricultural Workers' Wages (By OVID A. (Associated Press Farm Expert) Washington (F) In a move unprecedented in all American farm history, a wage control program for agricultural workers, with a maximum ceilings of 400 a year, has been ordered by War Food Administrator Marvin" Jones.

Aides of the administrator, who disclosed the plan, said War Food Administration labor offices have been directed to set up state farm wage boards to hold hearings and establish maximum wages. These groups would function much in the manner of the War Labor Board in determining the ceilings for industrial workers. Shortly after the 1942 wage stabilization act. Stabilization Director James F. Byrnes put farm wages under the supervision of of the WFA but officials did not consider it necessary to take any immediate general action toward control.

Farm Wages High. Now however, farm wages have reached the highest point in 20 years. Many workers have gone into war Those who have remained on the farms have repeatedly received what amounts to a blanket deferment from selective service. There are few restrictions on their transfer from one farm to another. Thus they are- in a position to bargain.

This, it was disclosed, has played a big part in leading the WFA into the unprecedented wage control program. A recent report of the bureau agricultural economics stated that in every section of the country farm wages had shown a sharp increase in the previous 12 months. For the year 1943, wages stood at 264 per cent of the 1910-14 average, and 64 points above the 1942 level: Present rates are said to average SS3 a month, with board, compared with $50.91 a year ago and with 526 for, the 1935-39 average. In some areas wages are considerably higher than-- the Average. May Lower Ceilings.

The farm wage boards will be instructed to set ceilings only for specific types of farm operations for- certain designated areas. Wages considered sub-standard will not be affected. However, ceilings below; i may be set if boards it necessary..