Mexico Ledger from Mexico, Missouri • Page 1

Dally Afternoon Carrier Vandalia, Laddonia, Martinsburg, Wellsville, Montgomery City, Auxvasse and Centr alia K' A. ifcxtro ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN AUDRAIN COUNTY Study Prints Found At Rape-Strangling Former Mexico Businessman's Daughter Found Slain In Home Where She Was Baby-Sitter; Officers Check Footprints, Fingerprints COLUMBIA, March 20. (AP) Officers studied lootpnnts and fingerprints today in an effort to trace the assailant who raped and strangled a 13-year-old baby sitter The body of brown-haired Janett Christman, a high school student was found early Sunday in a Columbia home where she was baby sitting. WEATHER DRIZZLE OR SNOW, SHOWERS WARMER TOMORROW MEXICO, MISSOURI, MONDAY AFTERNOON MARCH 20,1950. VOL.

41 Mr. and Mrs. Ed Romack found the body when they returned home. Their three-year-old son, Gregory, with whom Miss Christman was baby sitting, still lay asleep. He apparently had slept throughout the evening.

Prosecuting Attorney Carl Sapp said blood was smeared through the house, indicating the girl put up a terrific struggle. Footprints were found in a sleet covered area near a broken window in the house. Police be- Jieve the intruder crawled through the window. The State Highway Patrol also is processing fingerprints found at the scene. An electric iron cord was twisted around the girl's throat.

Her scalp had been pierced several times by an instrument, apparently similar to a small lead pipe. The crime in many ways was almost identical with the brutal rape and slaying here in February, 1946, of Miss Marylou Jenkins, Stephens college student, in (lie living- room of her parents' home a little more han two blocks from where Miss Christman was slain. Janett Christman, brown-haired 13-year-old high school girl, was raped and strangled to death Saturday night in a Columbia home in which she was baby-sitting. The 3-year-old child she was attending, Greg, the son of Mr. and Mrs.

Ed Romack, apparently slept through it all. He was asleep in his bed when his parents rushed to his side after Mrs. Romack discovered the mutilated body of the baby-sitter on the living room floor at o'clock Sunday morning. Carl Sapp, prosecuting attorney, said that JDr. M.

P. Neal, University ol Missouri pathologist, who performed an autopsy, fixed cause of death as asphyxiation by strangulation and said that death occurred between 10:30 and 11,30 o'clock Saturday night. The girl evidently had put up a terrific fight for her life with the assailant, who gained entrance to the home through a living room window. Sapp, in a radio broadcast last night, appealed for aid by citizens in solving the crime. Officials appeared to be against a blank wall in their search for the killer.

There was an indication that the girl herself may have sought the aid of police as the slaver approached her. Roy McCowan, Columbia policeman, said he answered a telephone call from a hysterical person about 11 o'clock Saturday night. The feminine voice was so excited that what was said was not intelligible, McCowan said. "I urged her to calm down." McCowan said, "'and just tell me where she was. Then there was the sound of a receiver being hung up just silence," Efforts to trace the call were futile.

Police believed the call came from Miss Christman. Miss Christman was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Christman. Her father operates a cafe here.

She attended junior high school here after the family moved back to Columbia a year ago from Boonville, where "she also attended junior high school. Besides her parents she is survived by a brother and sister, both younger than she. Columbia police, who for months have been kept busy by Father of Girl And Her Employer In Business Here Charles Christman, father of the slain girl, is a former Mexico businessman. He operated Charlie's Cafe, on W. Promenade st here for a number of months, later returning to Boonville and Columbia.

The murdered girl and others of the family, however, did not live here at the time, (Ed Romack, whose home was the scene of the Columbia baby-sitter slaying, 3s a member of the Columbia firm of Romack and Williams, auditors who have an office in Mexico He is the son of R. W. Romack, senior partner of the firm). an unusual number of calls reporting prowlers and window peepers, along with a few more serious cases, searched their files for possible clues. Several men were being questioned.

There was no immediate comment on re suits. Miss Christman's scalp was punctured several times by an in strument which Dr. Neal said may have been a small pipe. A cord from an electric iron was twisted about her neck. Miss Jenkins was similarly garroted with an electric cord.

Miss Jenkins' slayer, Floyd Cochrane, a Negro, was convicted of murder by a jury in the Boone County circuit court here, and later died in the gas chamber at the state prison at Jefferson City The murder was the third attack upon a young womaa to confront Columbia and Boone county officers in six months. For the other two, the raping of another baby-sitter and an attempt to rape a Stephens college day student at her hpme, a Negro, Jake Bradford, is in jail awaiting trial. Both of those cases occurred within a few blocks of the Romack home, where Miss Christman was slain Saturday night. The prosecuting attorney, who directed the investigation of Miss Christman's murder, said he could see little reason to connect the brutal slaying with the other two recent cases. In each of the other two the Negro assailant entered the front door of the residence after seeing his victim through a window.

But in neither was the violence of Saturday night's case involved. The full strength of city, county and state law enforcement agencies was thrown into investigation of the crime. Romack told Sapp that Columbia police were at the scene of the crime within five minutes after Mrs. Romack's discovery of Miss Christman's body as she preceded her husband into the living room of their home Sunday morning. E.

M. Pond, chief and virtually the entire night city police force arrived immediately, with Sheriff Glen Powell and highway patrol troopers and technicians" following. Bloodhounds from the state reformatory at Algoa arrived quickly, and twice followed a trail to a bus stop five blocks from the Romack home. There the trail apparently ended. Other dogs were to try later.

Sapp said that the officers are without tangible clues as to the identity of the slayer, but said that Sergt. J. F. Williams, highway patrol laboratory technician had gathered a great deal of evi- (Continued on Page 3) 3 Bites to City Removes 4-Inch Snowfall From Business Area Streets ReelecfTwoTo Rural Fire Board Satisfactory Record For Year's Work Is Reported Members of the Mexico Rural Fire Association had their annual business meeting at the court house Saturday afternoon. The association's fire truck which is operated by members oJ the Mexico Fire Department, was called out on numerous occasions in the past year, and a very satisfactory record of performance was reported by the association members.

Leonard H. Mundy and Drake Pipes were re-elected to the board of directors. Other members of the board are Lon J. Lewis, pres ident; J. W.

Bissell, vice-presi dent; Sam Mundy, secretary- treasurer; Elliott P. Cunningham and R. W. Van Wyngarden. The meeting was presided over by the president Mark Givens Dies Sunday At Hospital Mark Tvl.

Givens, 78, lifetime resident of Audrain county, died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock at the Audrain Hospital. He had been a patient there since Wednesday, and death was attributed to a heart condition. The body will remain at the Precht Funeral Home until services, arrangements for which have not been made. Born in Audrain county in the Little'by community, on June 18, Mr. Givens was the son of Charles William, and Ellen Meaker Givens.

He'was a member of the Littleby Methodist church. On August 21, 1898, he was married to Miss Mary Hughes of the Rock Hill community, who survives. Mr. Givens spent his entire life in. farming.

Other survivors include four daughters, Miss Louise Stevens of the home near Thompson, Mrs. A. C. (Margaret) Spencer'of Walnut, who arrived here Sunday night, Mrs. Nelle Thomas of Peoria, 111., and Mrs.

Don (Frances) Falwell of Crescent City, who are expected for the services; one son, Robert Givens of Fort Smith, who will arrive Tuesday, and a sister, Miss Sallie Givens of Temple City, Calif. Nine grandchildren, four great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews also survive. VMS Vocational Ag Approved; MU Students In Practice Teaching The Vandalia high school has been approved as a vocational agriculture teaching center by the Missouri College of Agriculture at Columbia. Merle Wenneker of Ewing, Wiliam Frazee of Knox City and Clarence Ray of Laddonia, all students of the University of Missouri Ag school, have been teach- ng for the past three weeks at Vandalia and will spend another three weeks there, as practice teachers. Patrick Michael O'Neal Mr.

and Mrs. Royal O'Neal of Mexico are the parents of a son born Friday. The baby weighed seven pounds and has been named Patrick Michael. Attack Mainland Rare Blood Disease Billy Colvin, nearly three years old, shown at the Babies and Children's hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, with his mother, Mary, suffers from a blood disorder which has doctors puzzled. Billy, the son of Mr.

and Mrs. Ray Colvin, has been kept alive through repeat transfusions. He has suffered from slow nose bleeds at irregular intervals since birth. Doctors are certain it isn't hemophilia, an ailment which the blood fails to clot properly. They know that the bleeding comes from small skin openings, but beyond that they are in the dark.

(NEA Telephoto). A Ledger "Fight for freedom" Will Be Given School Children Here The Ledger is distributing comic books! Only this comic book is a pictorial presentation of America's history in and under the title of "The Fight For Freedom." The book, in colors, features a strapping Minute Man who "tells" the story outlined in the pictures. Underscored throughout the book is "man's endless struggle for liberty." The book opened with slavery in the Land of Ur, 6,000 years ago includes the story -of Abraham through the building of the pyramids to Moses leading his people out of slavery "and handed down the world's first code of freedom the Ten Commandments." But the Minute Man points out that "man still had a long, hard fight ahead to hold on to his freedom." He fought on through the Dark Ages until the signing of the Magna Carta the forerunner of our own Bill of Rights. Next came the Puritans and others to America fought for their freedom against the British and on winning it wrote their Constitution. As freedom came to America i the country started to grow.

It moved west against the Indian and hardships and once settled from east to west, it kept growing until today it offers its citizens the highest standards of living in the world. People have challenged America's freedom recently there was Hitler and other dictators right up to today's Stalin. The comic book ends on the theme that Liberty and Freedom are precious things which must always be cherished and never lost by indifference. The book was originally published by the National Association of Manufacturers. Through this organization, the Ledger received 3,000 copies.

The Superintendent of Schools in Mexico, Vandalia, Farber, Laddonia, Martinsburg, Wellsville, Montgomery City, Auxvasse, and Centralia have been contacted bv the Ledger and asked to cooperate in the distribution of the booklets. L. B. Hawthorne has been sent 1500 copies for the Mexico schools. Frank S.

Paxson is being sent 100 copies for Martinsburg's schools. One Day's Take On Income Tax Returns Totals $635 Million WASHINGTON, March 20. income tax' payments otaling $635,379,897.23 were tal- ied March 16, the day after the 1949 income tax return deadline, Treasury reported today. The single-day tally amounted more than five per cent of total collections of this kind throughout the preceding eight and one-half months of the fiscal year, which began last July 1. The March 16 figure still did not cover all income tax payments mailed on the deadline date.

The Treasury estimated it may take about two weeks to open all those envelopes and tabulate the receipts. Presser Hall Packed to Hear Barbershop Quartets Sunday Add $307 To 4-H Agent Fund; $1042 to Go Weekend Donors Headed by MFA $250 Contribution Donations for the 4-H Assistant County Agent Fund which have been going slow, took a spurt over the 'weekend with $307.50 turned in. Largest donor so far is the Missouri Farmers Association which turned in to the Ledger Saturday a check for $250 for the 4-H Fund. A total of $1600 is needed to make sure the 4-H youths of Audrain have an assistant County Agent helping them in their work this year. There are 1500 eligible youngsters in the county.

Farm officials agree their "largely in 4-H work may well determine the agriculture future of Audrain." The fund raising campaign is being sponsored by a Farmers Committee and cooperated with by the Leader. The drive has been endorsed by both the Vandalia Business and Professional Men's Club and the Mexico Chamber of Commerce. The County Court said it was unable to hire the 4-H agent this year because of the emergency created by its plans to build the new court house. Until before the weekend only $250 was on hand. It included checks for $100 from the Mexico Savings Bank and the Gilmore Implement company, and a $50 check from the Audrain County 4-H Council.

Weekend checks totaled $307.50 to bring the fund on hand at the Ledger to $557.50 which leaves $1,042.50 to be raised. The checks just received include: $250 from the MFA, $2.50 from the Prairie Mound Extension club, Mrs. Sam Martin, president, $10 from the BushneU Tractor and Equipment Mexico, $25 from the Bean Creek P-TA Association, who enclosed a note signed by Mrs. Harvey Wray, secretary and treasurer, which read: "We this is a very worthy cause, as we have several boys and girls in the 4-H club in our community." $2 from the Hickory Happy Neighbors 4-H club, $10 from Frank Wilfley, a member of the sponsoring committee, $10 from Fred E. Hollingsworth.

The county court has indicated that next year is may be able to take over the expense of the assistant agent for 4-H work. Woman On Trial For Eerie Night Attack MARSHFIELD, March 20. ff) Mary Margaret Evans, 31, accused of an eerie night attack on the wife of her lover, went on trial today in the Webster county circuit court. The Springfield telephone operator was arrested and charged with felonious assault last October after Mrs. Carmen Rainey of Marshfield was injured in a battle with a woman intruder who tried to chloroform her.

With four inches of snow falling over the weekend, the Mexico street department began something new downtown Mondav. Snow was removed from the streets around the square and in the downtown area, through use of new machinery. The machine, a front lift loader, is here on demonstration. The city has the purchase of one in eluded in the tentative budget, according to City Manager Peter F. Roan.

The machine's primary'use is for handling of gravel and other street materials, to speed and economize on such work. But it is also capable of filling a dump truck with snow in two or three bites, as it did downtown Monday. Two trucks were used to haul away the snow, before it could turn to traffic-dogging slush or ice. City prisoners aided in the Weatherman Smoky Woods measured the weekend snow- just two days ahead of the first day of 4.1 inches. Saturday brought .3 of an inch, and Sunday 3.S inches.

Sunday's snowflakes were the biggest that many Mexicoans ever saw, some bigger than silver dollars. KANSAS CITY, March 20. arrives tonight with a chilly breath. Light freezing drizzle, light snow and occasional showers are in store for Missouri for the next 24 hours. Weekend precipitation left a coating of ice on highways in the St.

Joseph and Macon divisions, the State Highway Department reported. Spots of "very slick" ice were reported in Lewis, Marion. Shelby and Monroe counties and thin sheet of ice in Knox, Clark and Scotland counties. Map shows where Chinese Nationalist landing force invaded the Communist-held Chekian Province coastal city of Sung- men (1), about 200 miles south of Shanghai (2), according to Nationalist naval communique. Other units reportedly closed hi on Haimen (3), and men were landed between Haimen and Taichow (4), to prevent Red counter-attack on Sungmen.

Landing was the first large- scale attack on the mainland since last November. If anyone has to be crazv to go out in weather like Sunday's then there are lots of crazy people. Presser Hall was packed Sunday afternoon with Mexicoans and visitors to hear one of the outstanding events of Mexico's mu- I sical year, the Parade of Quar- tettes of the SPEBSQSA. The program was in two parts, with the first by "home folks" from Mexico, Centralia, Moberlv, Columbia and Jefferson City. The setting of a Gay Ninties gathering, with a pink lemonade stand as a background, a white board fence, potted geraniums, colored balloons floating in the air, and the singers in Gay Nin- ties costumes, drew appreciative applause from the audience.

The quartettes performing in this half ranged from a "spanking new" one from Columbia, organized since the first of the year, to the Melloaires of Mexico, one of the first quartettes in this Little Dixie area. All were dressed in appropriate costumes. A huge black banner stretched above the stage had the organizations initials in barbershop stripes of red and white. The quartettes in the second part are contestants for the regional and central states honors, and will appear in Topeka, May 6, with the district contest in June. The Greater St Louis Four, opened this half, with Rudy Fick's Royalaires of Kansas City, One More Four of St Louis, the Hawk-eve Four of Des Moines, Hy-Power" Serenaders of Kansas City, and The Her- nels of Omaha, following.

To name a winner, with these contestants competing, will be a difficult job for any judges. The program closed with the entire chorus singing "Abide With Me" and "Keep America Singing," directed by Terry Everman. Students from Mexico High School assisted in seating the crowd, with Barbara Stuart, Helen Righter, Suzanne Stribling and Patricia Carr distributing the programs. Ushers were Robert Schooler, James Cooper, Robert Moe, Eugene Lierheimer, Robert Hill, James Gallop and Howard Hall. Draft Board Office Hours Will Change The Selective Service Office, Local Board No.

4 for Audrain county, located at 106a South Jefferson, will open on Monday from 8:00 a. m. to 5:00 p. m. instead of Saturday, beginning Monday, -March 20.

All men becoming IS years of age are to register within five days after their birthday or as soon as is possible considering the one day per week office hours basis. All registrants should notify the local board office of changes of address and of any additional information which should be in their file for the board members to consider in making the correct classifications. The office has a telephone, number 2278, for the benefit of the registrants. Suit Over $1000 To Jury Monday Members of the jury heard the irial Monday of a suit to recover 51000, brought by Mrs. Ruth O.

Graham against Almond R. Nolting. The case was expected to to the jury this afternoon. Members of the jury; George Stahl, Leon Hubbard, Elmer Gatewood, Marilyn Ford, Paul Lier- icimer, Ben Denton, George A. Settles, Mrs.

George Doebelin Gatewood, Mrs. Jesse Wai- lace, Dozier Azdell, and Lowell 1 Says Senator's Talk Is'Irresponsible' Ambassador Jessup Tells Senate Group McCarthy Shows 'Shocking Disregard For Interest of Our Country' WASHINGTON, March 20. Philip C. Jessup today denounced as "utterly irresponsible" the charge made by Senator McCarthy (R-Wis.) that he has an "affinity for Communist causes." RED CROSS BULLETIN Red Cross 1950 Goal Donations to Date Needed by March 31 Rites Near Paris for Mrs. Mrs.

Lela Vanlandingham, 58, died Sunday night at 9:35 at the Audrain hospital. She had been a patient there for the past two months. The body has been taken to the Speed and Blakey Funeral Home in Paris to remain until services Wednesday at the Antloch Christian church, southwest of Paris, with interment in the church cemetery. She wsa a member of the Antioch church. Mrs.

Vanlandingham, who was Miss Lena Miller, was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Miller. She had been making her home here at 808 E. Promenade street with her daughter, Mrs.

Velma Peters. She came to Mexico from Kansas City. Another daughter. Miss Delia Vanlandingham Kansas City; three sisters, Mrs. Frank Smock of Paris, Mrs.

Mary Green of Colorado and the former Mrs. Fannie Ornett of Oklahoma; and two jrothers, Joe Miller of Paris and Harvey Miller, also survive. Her husband, Roy Vanlanding- preceded her in death about 20 years ago. Thomas W. Blackmore Mr.

and Mrs George Blackmore of Mexico, Route 5, are the parents of a son born at 3:03 a. Sunday at the Audrain Hospital. The-baby weighed seven pounds and three ounces, and has been named Thomas Wayne. Mr. Blackmore is employed at the A.

P. Green Fire Brick company. In making the charge, told a Senate foreign relations subcommittee, McCarthy displayed "a shocking disregard for interests of our country." The subcommittee will detitde later whether to let Jessup McCarthy cross examine other. In another important develi ment, McCarthy finally over to Senator Tydlngs the subcommittee chairman, tr of 81 persons who McCarthy are Communists or Commurfl sympathizers in the State Department. Tydings said he would ask the State Department immediately to let the committee have the files on the SI persons for study.

McCarthy said yesterday that the country would be better off without Secretary of State' Acheson, Jessup's superior officer. But at Key West, today. President Truman let it be known that he has no intention ot firing his Secretary of State. KE YWEST. March 20.

(JF) President Truman backed up Secretary of State Acheson 100 per cent today and let it be known that any rumors he might be replaced are "completely without foundation." .1 Presidential Secretary Charles G. Ross told reporters that' rumors have reached the President that the visit here of Chief Justice Vinson may have some nection with a change in" the, office of Secretary of Speaking for the President, Ross, said: "Those rumors are' completely without foundation. No changeln the head of the State Department is contemplated. All rumors to the contrary are complete fabrications. The -President has completely confidence in the tary of State and believes he t9 running the department admirably." J.

E. Mosley, 74, Dies At Coil Home J. E. Mosley, 74. five miles west of Mexico, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs.

George Coil at 1311 West street Monday morn- ng at 3 o'clock. He had been a aatient in the Audrain hospital for the past 10 days, and was dismissed Sunday afternoon. He had been in poor.health for the' past three The body will remain at the Arnold Funeral Home until eerV- ce, arrangements for which have not been completed. Born in Callaway county on June 6, 1875, Mr. Mosley resided lear Fulton for 40 years, moving from there to a farm near Mexico where he has since resided.

He was married 53 years ago Jo Miss Stella Price Herring who survives with two daughters. Mrs. Coil and Mrs. Ernest Monk of Thompson; two sons, Claude VIosley and Clark Mosley of Mex- co; one half brother, James MOB- ey of Fulton, and a half slater, Mrs. Seth Craghead of Fulton.

Twelve grandchildren, and four great grandchildren also survive. Remember Me? 9 "Have yoo forgotten B-B Byes? I the ninth to lock bornt Tracy. lOi I rarely fee ognize Prnneface, don't yon? I the 10th to go to the mat with Pj'k Tracy. In all. waf have tried it.

Soon it will be 31." See thii tomorrow. Killed In Sunday at High Hill HIGH HILL, March 20. Lucille Bailey, 65, of St. Louis was killed Sunday when a motor car skidded and struck a light pole on U. S.

highway No. 40. Her husband, William V. Bailey, president of a St Louis car body firm, was injured slightly. They were on their way to Excelsior Springs.

Hollywood Tops In Celebrities NEW YORK (IP, Hollywood still is Top-Town, U. S. A. when it comes to famous citizens. The authority for Hollywood's preeminence as the home of the best-known people in the land is a nation-wide survey conducted by Schenley Distributors, Inc.

Movie stars rate closest to 100 per cent public recognition in widely scattered American cities, edging out stage luminaries, radio and television stars, syndicated writers and other celebrities, the survey shows. Mass X-Ray Days This X-Ray Takes Less Than Minute, No Disrobing At All Required X-rays are quick and simple, under the procedure to be used in the mass X-ray days for Audrain county this week. The set-up will take the small films at the rate of one or two a minute, if prospects line up that fast. To operate at top speed, those to be photographed must be grouped for similar heights, to avoid frequent readjustments on machine. Members of the Audrain County Tuberculosis Association committee, sponsoring the mass X- rays Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, emphasized that no disrobing at all is necessary for the X-rays.

The X-rays will be free for high school students, 75c for adults. No grade school students will be X-rayed, unless recommended by the school nurse. What, Where, When On X-Ray Days What: High school students get X-rays free; adults pay 75c charge or may arrange for free X-rays. X-ray is routed to family physician. When: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, March 22-23-24.

Where: Laddonia. Wednesday morning; Vandalia High School Wednesday afternoon; Vandalta, adults, Wednesday evening; Menico High School, Thursday morning; Garfield High School, Thursday afternoon; Garfield, adults, Thursday evening; International Friday morning; Me. Millan School for adult X-rays Friday afternoon and evening, Says Teachers Talk Too Much TROY, N. Y. An RPI professor thinks college teachers talk too much.

In a memorandum on "teaching pitfalls," Professor Neil P. Bailey, head of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's department of mechanical engineering, says "the worst temptatiotj in teaching is excessive talking by the instructor." Mr. and Mrs. Roland Long and children are spending this week visiting with relatives in Bremond, Tex..