The Greenwood Commonwealth from Greenwood, Mississippi • Page 1

GREENWOOD COMMONWEALTH VOLUME 19 NUMBER 173. GREENWOOD, LEFLORE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 22, 1935. FIVE CENTS! VI AM JV rfly 0) o)yL MilillEl DCv iwnvffiffvti i State National Guard Troops Arc Demobilized In Levee Areas PLAN ALLIANCE AGAINST REICH MRS. HENDRICK TAKEN BY DEATH HOUSE PASSES PATMAN BONUS INFLATION BILL TENANT UNION HEAD IS WARNED LEAVE COUNTY HOW IT FEELS TO BE DYNAMITED BY BEDFORD JACKS The following eye-witness account of the dynamiting of the Tallahatchie river levee one mile southwest of the town of Philipp was narrated especially for the Associated Press by Bedford Jacks, 24-year-old filling station operator, from a Greenwood hospital bed. Jacks was critically injured by the dynamite explosion when he threw his body over a small child to protect the infant from the blast.

Jacks was one of the spectators. the north side. Everybody that was watching ducked for cover. I was standing on a truck with another fellow, and we glanced down and saw this little baby on GUARD TROOPS ARE LEAVING Soldiers Are Demobilizing After Levee Troubles Are Settled General Tom Grayson was demobilizing his national guard troops today, following assurances given to Governor Sennett Conner at a conference at the Irving Hotel yesterday by representing citizens of the affected areas that the force of public I opinion would be thrown against further dynamiting efforts in either Tallahatchie or Leflore county. The guard companies were being withdrawn gradually during the day as the situation remained quiet and additional assurances were in evidence that the citizens in the flooded areas would throw their united support toward a permanent solution of the Delta flood problems.

Lieut. Fred Koops and his Greenwood battery received their first active service in the flood troubles, and have received high praise from officials for splendid personnel of the ioeal battery. WOMAN IS SHOT BY LEVEE GUARD AT PARAGOULD Sentinel Shoots Into Car Which Failed To Halt At Bridge PARAGOULD, Ark. OP) Miss Harriet Hasty, 35, member of a prominent Paragould family, died at noon here today after she had been shot and wounded by a Missouri national guardsman patrolling a bridge over the swollen St. Francis river.

Baby Lindbergh Still Alive, Letter Tells Bruno's Wife DETROIT UP) An anonymous letter in the hands of Mrs. Bruno Richard Hauptmann suggesting that the kidnaped son of Col. Charles A. Lindbergh may be alive and living in Detroit, was characterized by the chi ldren's welfare society today as "absurd." Mrs. Hauptmann, here to make a Sunday night appeal for funds for her husband, who is under a death sentence in New Jersey for the death of Baby Lindbergh, said she had been given the unsigned letter in New York.

I The writer, she said, claimed that the child identified near Hopewell, N. as baby Lindbergh was not the son of the famed aviator. The Lindbergh child, said the anonymous informant, taken to Detroit and deserted in a theater. Mrs. Hauptmann said she proposed to search the records of the children's aid society in an effort to determine the truth of the statements in the unsigned letter.

Society officers said a child beween two and three years of age was placed in their care July 1933, but that the possibility of a connection with the Lindbergh case was "absurd." NEWMACHlNERY FOR CROP LOANS President Signs Bill Appropriating $60,000,000 For Seed Loans. WASHINGTON, Mar. 22 (IP) The Farm Credit Association today started its machinery to make in seed loans available within a week to farmers who need help to grow their 1935 crops. The bill appropriating the money was signed by President Roosevelt last night and today Governor Wil-! liam I. Myers of the Farm Credit Administration announced the i plans would be disbursed through regional offices, which include Springfield, Memphis, and Baltimore.

Only farmers cooperating with the government's crop control program are eligible for the loans, which will be limited to a maximum of $500. No loan, however, may be made that is greater than actually needed to nurchaso seed and fertilizer Myerj also announced that the loans will be made only to farm ers unable to obtain advances from local banks, production cridit asso ciations or other sources. Farmers needing the emergency loans must apply to county crop loan committees which already are in existence in every county. The county committees will forward the applications to the regional offices for approval. ROBERmPARKS IS DEAD AT DREW DREW, Miss.

Robert Wilson Parks, 66, died at his home here yesterday following a brief illness. Mr. Parks was born at McNutt in Leflore county near Greenwood and was active in church, civic and educational activities, In 1898 Mr. Parks moved here I and built the first house in the town. He served as mayor several years, was a former member of the school board, and an alderman, past city clerk and a planter.

Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Nannie Stancil Parks; a daughter, Mrs. Sam Atkinson, Memphis; three brothers, T. P. Parks, J.

W. Parks and George Parks, all of Drew; two sisters, Mrs. Hess Booth, Drew, and Mrs. Jennie Garrott, Greenwood. began to rise.

Investigation showed a colony of beaver had taken advantage of a temporary structure erected below the new bridge to build a dam. "The "slappers" had used the bridge supports as anchors. 4 ine snooting occurred micj last night. Miss Hasty was a passenger in a car which some members of the militia-party guarding the bridge charged was exceeding; the speed limit for the St. I Francis flood area.

Captain J. V. Moore, in charge of Company national guards- men of Caruthersville, an-j Pioneer Leflore County Woman Will Be Buried Saturday Afternoon Mrs. Alice Hendrick, 85, died early this morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. D.

M. Myers, of Sidon, following a heart attack. Funeral services will ok held at the residence, Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock, with Rev. J. O.

Dowdle, pastor of the Sidon Methodist church conducting the rites. Interment will be made in the Sidon cemetery. Mrs. Hendrick was the oldest resident of the Sidon community and until her death this morning, was one of the few remaining widows of Confederate ceterans. She was the widow of the late G.

S. Hendrick, who served with distinction in the Confederate army under the command of General N. B. Forrest. She was born Alice Caraway, the daughter of Mr.

and Mrs. B. A. Caraway, in Kemper county, in 1850, and following her marriage removed to Leflore county in 1872. The mother of eleven children, Mrs.

Hendrick is survived by four daughters, Mrs. S. I. Brown, Mns. D.

W. Myers and Mrs. A. J. Hatch, of Sidon, and Mrs.

H. L. McPhail, of Trinity, Texas; one son, S. M. Hendrick, of Sisson; a sister, Mrs.

A. L. Wallace, of Tchula; and a brother, B. A. Caraway, of Portersville.

Twelve grandchildren and eighteen greatgrandchildren also survive. A woman of sterling charac- ter, she was possessed of a benevolence which drew to her the love and affection of those who came within the sphere of her influence. Mrs. Hendrick was connected with many religious organizations, and was an active and devoted servant of the Methodist church, of which she was a life long member. Keenly interested in affairs and active and alert until her death, Mrs.

Hendrick could scan the daily newspapers without the aid of glasses. She interpreted modern trends with a temperance the outgrowth of a rich experience, and carrying with her to her death the memory of tra gic hardships which pressed about her and her family during the dark days of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, entertained throughout her life a dread of military conflict and spoke often of its tragedies and its use-lessness. Active pallbearers at services tomorrow will be her grandsons and great grandsons, Stanny Sanders, Marion Hendrick, Ocie Smith, Joe Hendrick, Hendrick McPhail, Berry D. Brown, Gordon Smith, and John L. Hendrick.

Honorary pallbearers are: T. U. Black, T. J. Niven, Dr.

T. C. Kelly, J. M. Hooper, J.

T. Conger, C. M. Smith, W. W.

Bettis, Dr. A. M. Gill, Robert Pickett, Waits McMath, J. P.

Jar-man, R. H. Swanzy, W. G. Roberts, J.

A. Ward, W. E. Ware, C. S.

Ware, H. Browning, J. B. Hathcock, Means Johnston, H. H.

Holland, J. D. Smith, Clyde Wiggins, R. E. Scott, Ben Chat-oney, A.

Smith, O. O. Smith. Harry Smith, H. S.

Moorehead, Kooert baines, Kichard Stephenson, B. H. Brown, S. C. Loper, J.

M. Swanzy, T. P. Morrow, F. Holmes, Roy Bew, G.

S. Pate, L. S. Rogers. on a disarmament idea which has since been definitely abandoned by the powers." A spokesman for the German! government declared that now the French and Italian protests; have been rejected, there remain only two alternatives for thei Paris and Rome governments." "There are only twe things they can do," he said.

"Either start their armies on the march or decide to negotiate vith us as equal powers." "SLAPPERS" WORK FAST POCATELLCs Idaho (JP) Engineers building a bridge across the Port-Neuf river near here, became alarmed when waters of the stream suddenly Iron Wall Would Be Erected Around Re-Armed Nation WASHINGTON (IP) The American government's disapproval of Germany's rearmaament in violation of disarmament provisions of the Versailles and German-American peace treaties was inferentially expressed by Secretary Hull today in answer to questions at his press confer- LONDON (IP) A new system of alliances to build an "Iron wall" around rearmed Germany was seen as a possibility today in the event of failure, of the negotiations next week between Sir John Simon, foreign secretary, and Reichsefuehrer Hitler. A strong hint of the likelihood of such a policy was given by Sir John in the house of commons last night. "A system of select and special combinations, for assistance against the danger in our the foreign secretary said, was bound to be the alternative if it proved impossible to bring Germany back into the councils of Europe. Sir John added, he had strong hopes such a necessity would not arise as the alternative was one for which Great Britain has no enthusiasm since it is opposed to special pacts of the sort. "It is scarcely necessary to say," he said, "that we are not contemplating any special agreement between this country and any other." If the Berlin negotiations succeed, Sir John said, he hoped Germany would be persuaded to participate, in a general confer ence of the powers for conclu-j sion of mutual security pacts guaranteeing peace.

Captain Anthony Eden, lord privy seal, will fly to Paris to night to represent Great Britianj at the momentous three-power conference with France and Italy tomorrow. His mission will include an attempt to mollify French wrath! over what was termed England's "capitulation" to Germany fol-1 lowing Hitler's thunderclap coup announcing German conscription. In the role of a lone "shock trooper," Eden will ascertain the French and Italian views on the current crisis and at the same time pave the way for his I and Sir John's interview with Hitler starting Sunday. The British emissaries, it is expected, will be confronted in( Berlin by Hitler's demand for a German army of at least 500,000 1 air strength equal to that of France and a navy at least one-third the size of Great Britain's. The seriousness and difficulty with which the foreign secretary views the task of discussing European security with the fueh- rer was made plain by him in! the house of commons last night when he said: "Nobody is less tempted than we are to magnify in advance the possibility of good results." i The agitation with which news of Germany's refusal to enter-1 tain the French and Italian pro-j tests against her armament policy first was received was allayed somewhat today.

I The Times editorially chided France for her ire against Great Britain's more moderate noting with profound satisfaction that Great Britain should be pur-1 suing "a strong independent policy of mediation" and com-j mending Sir John's determina-i tion to carry out the original plan of conferring with "It is highly desirable, The Times said, "that the tragic blunder of drifting into a one-i sided settlement should not be, repeated." The Morning Telegraph liken-; ed the foreign secretary's Ber-j lin visit to the "momentous visit of Lord Haldane in 1911." I "On that occasion," the newspaper said, "the secret of the ne German fleet was first confided to the British representative. Hitler, on the other hand, has disclosed his great secret After Beating Off Vinson Bill, Representatives Give Bonus Big Majority WASHINGTON UP) -crats voting for the Demo-Patanra bonus bill included: Alabama Carmichael, Hill, Starns, Steagall. Mississippi Colmer; Doxey; Dunn; Ford; McGehee; Rankin. Louisiana Dear; Fernandez: Maloney; Montet; Sanders; Sand-lin; Wilson. Against: Alabama Hobbs: Oliver.

Mississippi Whittington. WASHINGTON UP) The administration-opposed Patman bill for paying off the soldiers' bonus by issuing $2,000,000,000 of new money was passed today by the house and sent to the senate. President Roosevelt has threatened several times to veto the legislation if passed by congress. Senate approval was freely predicted, but administration leaders counted on that body to refuse to pass the measure over a veto. That would require a two-thirds jvote.

Before final passage, the house rejected 204 to 207 the Vinson-American Legion bill for paying the bonus but leaving up to the government the method of raising the money. It also turned down tha Ty-dings-Cochran-Andrews measure for making the payments in negotiable bonds. The vote was 318 to 00, more than the two-third required to pass the measure over a presidential veto. INFLATION MAY DELAY RELIEF BILL PASSAGE Senator Thomas May Offer Pat-man Bonus Bill As Rider WASHINGTON (IP) The 830,000,000 relief bill, pitched and jtossed about in ight weeks of and foor me senaie, met a new ueiay when Senator Thomas (D-Okla.) announced he would offer the Patman bonus bill as a rider if his silver inflation amendment fails. The silver-haired Oklahoman's announcement at the opening of debate gave a blow to plans of administration leaders to dispose of the huge appropriation measure before the week-end adjournment.

The Patman bill, now being acted on by the house, would pay the soldiers' bonus in new currency. Speaking on his rider for mandatory purchase of 50,000,000 ounces of silver a month and issuance of currency against it and silver already on hand, to help finance the relief cost, Thomas said the senate had spent two months considering the bill but not one minute had hem Hevnted to means of raisins the mnnov. "Why is it there is no money in this country to pay the teachers and others?" he asked. "The United States has followed a policy of making this scarce to make them high. The same policy has been adopted with regard to money and because of that money is so high the teachers and taxpayers can't get it.

"Yet we are told the banks are full of money and our trouble is not monetary." 40 POUNDS TO THE ROOM PHILLIPSBURG, Kas. UP) The janitor of the Agra high school decided to weigh the "sweepings" after a recent dust storm. More than 500 pounds were swept up in the eight-room striK'fcnrp. Stultz, President of Organization Ordered From Poinsett County MARKED TREE, Ark. (IP) W.

H. Stultz, president of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, said today that he found a note on his doorstep this morning warning him to leave Poinsett county "within 24 hours." The note, written on a typewriter was signed with ten X's, and said: "We have decided to give you 24 hours to get out of Poinsett county." Stultz took the note to C. T. Carpenter, attorney for the sharecroppers' union, who said he advised Stultz to "stand his ground" and that "a man has a right to protect his home." The warning to Stultz came on the heels of the firing of 32 bullets into the home of A. B.

Brookins, a negro organizer for the union, at Marked Tree Wednesday night. The 60-year-old Brookins, a preacher, escaped in his night clothes when a mob made its appearance at his home. A negro woman housekeeper hid under a bed. The negro woman said the mob, which appeared two or three times at Brookins' home asked then for the address of Stultz. Carpenter announced from Memphis, where he visited later in the day, that he was preparing a telegram for Fred Isgrid, U.

S. district attorney at Little Rock, asking that federal officers be sent to Little Rock to investigate the threats. in advance, although other shocks may still be to come in connection with Germany air strength." The Post, commenting on the Berlin air raid rehearsals said: "They are symptomatic of war psychosis, one might almost say of hysteria of which the danger is obvious. By the subtle suggestion of fear which they instill they are more calculated to stir up belligerency than anyl number of belligerent speeches and gestures." BERLIN UP) The French protest against German rearmament brought from the official press today a counter-charge that France failed to take advantage of opportunities to improve her relations with the reich. The accusation was contained in comment by the government mouthpiece, Diplomatische Poli-tische Korrespondenez, on the refusal of Baron Konstantin von Neurath, foreign minister, to entertain the French and Italian notes regarding Germany's violation of military clauses of the Versailles treaty.

"France has seglected a multitude of opportunities to bring about better relations with Germany," the newspaper said. "While the diplomacy has been seeking and discussing formulas, facts have happened which have made these formulas meaningless." One passage of the French note which contained the reproach that Germany had intentionally wrecked any prospect for successful negotiations in the interest of European peace was singled out by Korrespon-dez for scathing denunciation "This is a premature conclusion," it said, "which permits the inference that French policy has already acquiesced in such an eventuality and indeed would not even regret it." The official organ vijro-ously jrotested the section of the French note which accused Germany of ignoring its declaration of December 11, 1932, by which she recognized that her equality in arms "could not be achieved without the establish-men of a regime of security for all." France, Korrespondez said, was not justified in invoking this declaration because it was based "It was the first explosion like that I had ever seen, and I don't want to see another. "All day long, I had been seeing strange cars coming through Phillip. I don't know how many cars there were, but it was quite a large number. ''The men, all of them older fellows, drove thru Phillip yesterday morning and went up several miles north of town where they blasted a levee.

Whfn they came back thru Phillip about 5:30 yesterday afternoon, everybody in town knew what was going to happen. A good many people in town, about 50 I guess, followed them out to the place where they st ped and began preparing to blast. I suppose there were about 25 men who began boring holes in the levee, the top of which serves as a road. It took about two hours and a half for them to get everything ready. All the time, spectators were standing about 2,50 yards back watching the men.

All at once, we saw them dash back away from the the dynamite. They had set off the fuse, though I couldn't see it from where I was. I didn't hear any warning cry, or anything. The dynamiters ran in a different direction from the crowd on NATCHEZ TRACE WILL SEEK FUND TO PAVE ROADS Petition Will Ask Highway Commission To Build Historic Road JACKSON, Miss. (IP) A petition will be presented to the state higWway commission by the Natchez Trace association asking that the state pay the cost of paving the Trace from Natchez, its southern terminus, through Wilkinson county.

Under a bill now betore congress, which Mississippi congressmen and senators feel assured will be approved, the historic roadway would be constructed with federal funds from Nashville, to Natchez. The association decided to call upon the state to complete the paving of the trace through Wilkinson county at a meeting here yesterday. Mrs. Ferriday of Natchez, former vice president, was chosen as the association's new president to serve with the following new slate of officers: R. L.

Landrum, Kosciusko, secretary treasurer (re-elected): Mrs. Dunbar Rowland, Jackson, historian and Mrs. J. S. Mayfield, Amory, executive chairman of the board of directors.

Each of the 15 counties through which the Trace runs was represented on the newly-elected board, as follows: Nelson Segrist, Kosciusko; Everett Truly, Fayette; Dave C. Bam-lett, Woodville; Mrs. Edith Wy-att Moore, Natchez; Mrs. B. H.

Morehead, Port Gibson; Dr. Joseph Frazier, Canton; Frederick Sullens, Jackson; P. N. Harkins, Carthage; Francis Furr, Pontotoc; Mrs. J.

M. Brett, Webster county; W. H. Thompson, French Camp; Dr. V.

B. Philipot, Houston; George Maynard, Tupelo; W. W. Carver, Boone ville; G. C.

Stevens, Tishomingo. 3(C 5p 3(i fi sjfi 5jC 5ff THE WEATHER 3f sjc sf sfc sjc )jc (c sfc s(c )Jc se ss TEMPERATURE Maximum 86 degrees; minimum 63 degrees; rainfall, 0.00; river gauge, 35.43; fall 0.12. FOR MISSISSIPPI Partly cloudy tonight and Saturday. the ground. Both of us jumped down over it.

I crouched down on my all-fours over the kid. mere was a lerruic explosion, and clouds of black dust and gravel were blasted high in the air, showering cars, people and everything in sight. I felt something hit me on the legs with a dull thud. It was a large compacted clod of gravel. I I didn't lose consciousness, but I didn't see what else was going on.

Luckily the baby nor any of the other people were hurt. Some fellows helped me up and as they carried me away, I Could see the water rushing through the huge break in the levee. With the road gone, Philipp was entirely cut off by road, and they put me on a railroad motor car and took me to Ruby (the next railroad stop) there I was met by an ambulance and brought to Greenwood. My right leg was broken, both bones, and the other one is bruis ed quite a bit; but I think I'll, be okeh before long. I didn't know any of the fellows doing the dynamiting." PLAN AIR BASES FOR FRONTIERS Bill Would Authorize Six Powerful Air Bases In United State WASHINGTON A bill to authorize the war department to build six powerful air bases to defend the nation's frontiers was approved unanimously today by the house military committee after it had heard the measure described as "essential" by high army officers.

The full military committee will take up the bill Tuesday. Chairman McSwain said he thought its unanimous approval was likely. In determining the strategic locations for the bases, the war department would give consideration to these regions: (1) The Atlantic northeast to provide for training in cold weather and in fog: (2) The Atlantic southeast and Caribbean areas to permit training in long-range operations, especially those incident to reinforcing the Panama Canal; (3) The southeastern states To provide a depot essential to the maintenance of the general headquarters air force; (4) The Pacific northwest to establish and maintain air communication with Alaska; (5) Alaska For training under conditions of extreme cold; (6) The Rocky Mountain area To provide a depot essential to the maintenance of the general headquarters air force, and to afford, in addition, opportunity for training in operations from fields in high altitudes; and (7) Such intermediate stations as will provide for transcontinental movements incident to the concentration of the general headquarters air force for maneuvers. The "full approval of the war department" was given the measure in a letter from acting Secretary Woodring read into the subcommittee's record by Chairman Rogers (D-NH). The bill was drafted by the department as a substitute for a measure offered by Representative Wilcox (D-Fla).

SPOKANE, Wash. (IP) Police Judge G. W. Tocker outlined a policy of even-handed justice for reckless drivers. They will go to jail for the same length of time persons injured by them are incapacitated.

nounccd he bad placed Private Ray Bixler, 20, of Steele, under military arrest pending an investigation. Captain Moore quoted Bixler as saying the car in which Miss Hasty was driving with Mack West, of Paragould, was travel-j ing at a fast rate of speed in I violation of military orders for protection of the levee sector and that the car failed to halt in answer to an order. Bixler, Captain Moore said, re ported he attempted to fire over the machine in line with in- i structions but that his rifle I slipped, the bullet entering the car. Miss Hasty, shot in the chest, was brought to a rospital here where her condition was described as extremely critical. West, driver of the car, said he was driving at a moderate rate of speed, that he stopped when commanded and later drove on when the guardsman turned to return to his post on the bridge.

The bank-full St. Francis river in Arkansas temporarily broke through its barrier late yesterday near Lake City, threats ening to inundate that town of 1,000 population. Engineers said they had succeeded in mending the break but many citizens have left their homes to seek refuge in Jonesboro, 12 miles away. Clyde Crosnoe, 33, assistant United States fleet engineer ofj the Memphis district, wasi drowned in the St. Francis river) near Marked Tree, late yesterday w-hen his speedboat) struck a snag and threw him! overboard.

Crosnoe, who could not swim, drowned, but several ovther occupants of the boat were able to get to shore. His death brought the death toll of the present flood to four, three negroes having drowned near Sikes-ton, last week..