Ventura County Star from Ventura, California • 1

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Fhr tonight til Satxrday; wirmt early moraiag tltnc vI par tiaa; du( ia temperature. NKT stf tArcmitimm OK wiiUdt kit kick aaatMr Mmi TW Star ic April UN. IM'i Iri VmMw (Mill AND i fatTttlUKE DAILY Htof. ALUaUED 1883. FRICK FROM NEWSBOYS THREE CENTS VL 59, N.

7t. VENTURA. (Official Name. 8aa Bwanveatore) CALIF FRIDAY. MAT 11.

1931. $75,000. Asked By Gettle Kidnapers nmm All Hi State Supreme Court Upholds Title Of Pioneer Owners Of Oil And Fern Lands Against Claimant THE supreme court of California ha handed down an opinion upholding the decision of Judge Frank C. Collier in favor of the plaintiffs in the suit brought by Edith Neel Mercer and others against William Ramelli and Thomas Mai loy, San Francisco attorney, to quiet title to valuable river bottom lands in the Ventura river adjacent to the Ventura Avenue oil fields. The case was tried ia the Ventura superior court five year age and occupied six days of testimony, involving early day surveys and records.

6 ,4 Group Of More Than 50 Civic Leaders Pledges Wholehearted Support At Chamber Gathering ENTHUSIASM for the Ventura County Days of the Golden West ran high last night at a meeting of civic leaders, city officials, newsoaper men and leading merchants, called by President J. E. Hirschfelder of the Chamber of Commerce and held in the chamber offices. President Hirschfelder told the more than 50 men present that the committee has done everything ia ita power to get the celebration under way, that all its plans are perfected and all that now is needed 'M to get the community solidly behind it to make this the greatest Jolden West Ventura county has ever seen. Together with J.

A. Lagomar-sino. chairman of the budget committee, ho worked out the committee plan for the celebration, Hirschfelder told the group what the committees have done to date after mora than a month of hard work during which the committee members had neglected their own businesses to put the celebration over for the community. The Golden West is now in your Hirschfelder declared. We are ready to go and now we need your eupport and the co-operation of every man, woman and child In the community It did not take the group long to tell the committee what it thought about the Daya of the Golden West.

Every man present pledged his loyal support AH Pledge Support Gus Gleichman and Camille Held, representing the hotel men; Mayor Frank J. Dennia and City Manager A. E. Stockburger, representing the city; Charles Huffman and C. E.

Appling, representing the automobile dealers; William McDonough and W. II. Fear, representing the merchants; Roy Pinkerton, Ed Clancy and E. N. Hurd, representing the newspapers, and C.

B. Corcoran, representing the theatres, assured the board of directors of the chsmber of their enthusiastic support. While this meeting was taking place the Central Labor Council. able Monday morning when the United Costume Co. of Lot Angeles will move into the building at 54 South Oak street.

Many Venturans are buying their costumes outright from local merchants as the Days of the Golden West is planned as an annual affair. Those who wish to rent costumes are asked to patronize the United Costumers. Advertising Orders Made The counties of Ventura, Kern and Santa Barbara will be liberally plastered with show paper advertising the Ventura County Days of the Golden West following the placing of an order yesterday by the executive committee for hundreds of single sheets, four sheets, placards and other lithographic material. Bumper strips will be available at headquarters Monday. Emmett Will Lead Caravan More than 70 persons have signed up for the trip to Maricopa, Taft and Bakersfield Tuesday, exclusive of the entertainers and and, according to the latest of D.

T. Bonham, chairman Dust Cloud Over Third Of Country Despairing Farmers Lose $2,000,000 Daily During Drought CHICAGO, May II. (U.BA gigantic cloud of dost 1,500 miles long, 900 miles cross and two miles high buffeted and smothered almost one tl trd of the nation to-day in a spectacular climax to a drought more damaging than the 192 Hoods which made 00,000 persons homeless clowly shift'ng winds promised rsrly abate.et of th dust storm, but Cespairing farmers, losing an esimated 12,000,000 daily as catioa irnet in the ground, ere given hope of rain. For raor. than 36 hurs arid winds from the plains of weste-n Canada twirled tons of sand and grit eastward.

Cattle in parched fields sickened end died as dust blanketed grass and fodder. Thousands of persons suffered seriously from eys and nose irritations, and health authorities warned of epidemics of disease. Wheat Price Jumps In Chicago, St Louis, Des Moines, Kansas City, St Paul ant Minneapolis everywhere under the grimy blanket the snn was obscured and visibility limited to less than a mile. Pilots of commercial airplanes climbed to heights of almost 15,000 feet to reach clear air. Thick layers of gray powder sifted through window and door cracks, defying every precaution of housewives.

Foods were ruinet and furniture made unuseable. The storm so dramatized damage done by the drought that wheat leaped the 5-cent limit on the Chicago board of trade yesterday and crop experts predicted a (1 quotation within a week. May wheat sold at 90 3-8 cents a bushel, 13 cents higher than a fortnight go. 17 States la Full Path Corn and oats participated In the upward movement with price increases of 1 to 3 cents bushel Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace assured the country that there is no danger of a foot shortage, despite the fact that I million bushels of wheat are be ing destroyed daily and prospects for the spring crop are worse than at any time since the famine harvest of 1894.

Wallace said that surpluses of former years, held in elevators, would supply the deficit. States in the full path of the storm were Montana. Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Northern Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky snd portions of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. n. -i.

4t I -sP i. I'S. i2 1 1 TmIi WILLIAM Insull Free As Friends Raise Bail Judge Orders Delay Of Arraignment Until Next Tuesday CHICAGO, May U0I.R) Samuel Insull, a maa of vanished wealth and shattered glories, was freed from the county jail today when frienda who rode in the wake of his phenominal power provided $250,000 bail money. Insulls battle against the right ef the government to bring him to trial was postponed until Tuesday. The delay was ordered by Federal Judge Philip Sullivan after a brief court hearing when the 74-year-old prisoner was brought from the Cook county jail for arraignment on two federal indictment! charging mail fraud and violation of the bankruptcy laws.

His attorney, Floyd E. Thompson, attacked what he called a pretended extradition proceedings." Dist. Atty. Dwight H. Green asked the postponement in order to prepare a reply to Thompson charge.

It was announced the fallen utility czar would gain his liberty Inter today on bond. Six Injured In Two Crashes Here Six persons wer injured in two outomobfle accidents here last night. One crash occurred at 11:50 o'clock at Coronado and Vain atreet when the car driven by La-Verne Witt, 21, of Piru, struck the curb and landed up against a power company pole. Witt told officers he fell asleep at the wheel. Witt sustained cuts on the face; passenger, Leonard Branch, of 41 No.

Olive street, sustained cuts on the face ns well ns having several teeth knocked out; and Leonard Branch, jr, aged 7, aus-tained cuts and braises. All were treated at the county hospital and released. The other three were Injured when car driven by R. E. Stewart, 431 Lupin Way, and J.

M. Cochran, 350 Arcade Drive, collided et Meta and Figueroa street at 6:25 o'clock. Mrs. Fay Cochran suffered injuries to her right leg, Mary Jane Stewart, aged 2, sustained cuts and bruises on the head; and R. E.

Stewart suffered cut over his eye. Former Ventura Youth Drowns Colin A. Campbell, 18, of Beaumont, former resident of Ventura, was drowned while swimming yesterday in a lake near Beaumont, his mother, Mrs. Mae Earl, 356 E. Main street, Ventura, was advised in a telegram received late yesterday.

It was just one year ago yesterday that his father, A. W. Campbell, former Ventura druggist, died of a heart attack at Beaumont. Young Campbell lived here until three years ago. He was a former pupil at the Lincoln school.

Besides his mother, he leaves a brother, Frederick of Beaumont, formerly operator at the Mission theater here. D. A. V. STATE CONVENTION ON SACRAMENTO, Cal, 11.

(U.R) Presentation of resolutions occupied the attention of delegates to the 13th annual state convention of Disabled American Veterans here today following adoption of committee reports which severely condemned activities of nazis and silver shirts in California. Malloy claimed ownership of a atrip of land beginning approximately at Gosnell hill and following down the Ventura river for a mile and a half between the boundaries of the Rancho San Miquel-ito and the Rancho San Buenaventura Ex-Mission. Ramelli appeared in the action as a trustee and a nominal defendant. Involved in the litigation were the old survey lines, a meander line, and the boundary line between the two eld Spanish ranchos; whether the boundary line was a common one or whether it was separated by the strip claimed by Malloy; and title by adverse possession or a prescriptive title. Involved in the issues were the hundreds of acres of oil and citrus holdings of the E.

P. Foster family and other property owners who assigned their interests to Mrs. Mercer for the purposes of tho trial Following Judge Colliers decision in favor of the plaintiffs, Malloy took an appeal to the appellate court and finally carried the matter to the supreme court, where the unanimous decision was returned this week. The case for the plaintiffs was handled by Louis Drapeau, of Ventura, and Charles Blackstock, of Oxnard, while Malloy appeared in his own behalf. C.N.PA Officials Daughter Drowns BALBOA, CaL, May 11.

(U.R) A fall from a seawall was blamed today for the death of Nancy Long, 9, daughter of John B. Long, executive secretary of the California Newspaper Publishers association. Although there were no witnesses. it was believed the girl was strolling along the wall last night when she lost her balance and slipped into the bay. Her body was recovered.

Another Appeal To Kidnapers Strike Disorders In San Francisco And Portland SAN FRANCISCO, May 11. (UR) Anger and disorder mounted among 10,000 striking longshoremen on the Pacific Coast today ee they watched other men, protected by police, take their places in unloading ships in ports from Saq Diego to Seattle. Resentment over the use of strikebreakers flared into violence at San Francisco and Portland. As the tempers of the strikers shortened, police vigilance increased. Shipping firms went steadily ahead with their plans te nullify the effects of the walkout by hiring replacements.

Federal authorities threatened to take over the docks to protect publle interest-' unless the disputants agreed to arbitration of wag demands. First blood was spilled on the San Francisco waterfront. A crowd of strikers mistook Ernest Grant, Los Gatos, for a strikebreaker. They overturned Isis automobile, parked near a pier, and punched grant- Ia. Portland, a police officer received a blackened eye In a melee with demonstrators.

Shipping firms reported they gradually were reorganizing sufficient crews to unload cargoes. In San Francisco they claimed te have almost normal forces. In Portland, Seattle, Long Beach and Lob Angeles, strikers apparently, had the upper hand and by peaceful picketing had succeeded In crippling movement of cargoes. In each port, however, some stevedoring was accomplished. Mrs.

C.L Willard Called By Death Death came to Mrs. Anna Reynolds Willard early today at tho Foster Memorial hospital following an emergency operation performed Saturday, ending the career i representing all of the organised labor unions of the city, met and Officers Declare Truce Until Dusk Aid Negotiations Of Attorney figures of the caravan committee. A band of 25 musicians from Santa Paula will accompany the caravan. Lane Perry of the Recreational Association having agreed to furnish the transportation and the Chamber of Commerce the meals, the band donating its ser vices. Dan Emmett and a party of Santa Paulans will lead the caravan in the formers airplane.

Abel Wins Suit Over Expenses BAKERSFIELD, May 11. (Special) Attorney Alfred Siemons suit against Supervisor Stanley Abel for the return of 3318 in expenses to the county incurred while traveling on county business, has been denied by Superior Judge William Dehy, of Inyo county. Siemon listed between 40 and 50 claims in his complaint and alleged they were not in the form required by law. Attorney Fred Borton, retained as special counsel for Mr. Abel, in his defense of the latter as defendant, read from the state political code a passage which, he said, caressed in the plainest possible Inglish" the right of the supervisor to obtain traveling expenses when engaged on official business outside of the county.

He also said the legislature took official cognisance of supervisorial duties outside of the county end made provision for such duties snd their expenses. BYRD INFANT DIES Margaret Ina Byrd, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie E. Byrd of 1883 Thompson boulevard, died this morning at the Byrd home.

Services, in charge of the Barker Mortuary, are to be held at the graveside in Ivy Lawn cemetery at 10 a. m. Saturday, with Rev. Ethel Singleton of the Santa Paula Foursquare church officiating. w.

A F. GETTLE To made public after several hours by District Attorney Buron Fitts. Noon said he intended to remain In bis office throughout the day and night if necessary, hoping the kidnapers would make a contact with him and give him definite instructions. He said he was most interested in concluding this tiling quickly because of the condition of Mis. Gettle, who has been ill for some time and whose condition has been made aggravated through the shock of her husbands abduction.

Think Some Withheld Police said a woman taken into custody last night after' making a suspicious remark to her landlady probably would be released soon. They said they were convinced she was a pathological liar who knew nothing about the case. Because of great credence placed in the telephone ransom call, it was believed T.hat officers withheld a considerable portion of the conversation. -It was ported out that the questions and answers released to the public told nothing that would definitely Identify -the caller. At the same time, law enforcement heads and Nocn appeared confident that the man who placed the call at least had contact with the abductors.

KNOWN IN SANTA PAULA William F. Gettle, retired business man of Beverly Hills, now being held by kidnapers, is well known in Santa Paula where he was a frequent visitor a few years ago. At that time Gettle owned a third interest in the stock of the J. C. Penney company store at Santa Paula, R.

C. Hensey of Santa Paula and Amos Lowora, formerly of Ventura, being the other owners. Gettle, however, retired his Santa Paula interests in 1929. The kidnaped man is a brother of O. K.

Gettle, former assistant manager of the Ventura store of the J. C. Penney Company. Decide Blunk Did Not Aid Dillinger CROWN POINT, May 11. (U.R) Ernest Blunk, correspondent school sleuth, was freed late today of charges that he aidd John Dillingers escape last March 3 from the Lake county jail here.

Judge Maurice Crites, who heard the case without a jury, decided the state only by inference had connected Blunk with volun tarily aiding Dillinger. TUCSON, Ariz, May 11 (U.R) Officers today pinned their entire hope for recovery of kid naped June Robles on dramatic appeal made to the kidnapers by Fernando Robles, father of the zix-year-old hostage. United States department of justice operatives, with the exception of one or two men, prepared to go to Los Angeles to concentrate on the kidnaping there of William F. Gettle. For the first time since June was seized April 25, the Robles family had the case entirely in their own hands, and the kidnapers were afforded an opportunity to collect ransom and return the child unmolested.

she had written and. directed 0 many pageants in the schools in MACON TAKES OFF 'vhich she taught, including The MIAMI. The U. S. Dirigiuic Peace of Nations and Early Cal- Macon left its mooring mast here ifomia, today to participate in the United States fleet maneuvers in Car.b-bean waters.

It will return of one of the best loved teachers of Ventura. Born in Fort Jones, Nov. 28, 1882, the daughter of Isaac and Gara Reynolds, California pioneers, she married Charle L. Willard on May 6, 1905, and moved to Ventura in 1919, beginning her teaching that year at the Avenue school. Later she taught at the Mill, Santa Ana valley, Mound and Del Mar schools and was recognized for her modern methods and experimental educational work, being 1 especially successful with the project method.

In recent years she had worked with the Mexican chil- She is survived by her husband; a daughter, Aileen W. Grafft; a son, Robert Willard; a grandson, Ickes Approves Development Of 194 New 01 Pools WASHINGTON, Mav 11. U.B Oil Administrator Harold L. Ickes today announced he had approved plans for developing 194 new oil pools in 10 states in an estimated probable producing area of 81,000 acres. Ickes approved the plans on rec-ommendation of the petroleum administrative board after hearings and investigations by the production division of the board and technical experts of the interior departments geological survey division.

Their approval was required under the oil code as part of the widespread program to balance the overproduction of crude oil with consumptive needs to conserve supplies and prevent a demoralization of the industry. Fifty nine of the 194 plans covered 19,740 seres In Texas, the largest single producing state. Division of the other plans was California, Colorado, Kansas, 42; Louisiana, Michigan, 11; Montana. New Mexico, Oklahoma, 57; and Wyoming, 11. passed a resolution heartily endorsing the Golden West and pledging its support.

The executive committee of the American Legion, meeting at the chamber at the same time, not only pledged its support but made plans for active participation. When president Hirschfelder called for a vote the entire assemblage rose. Yon need a showman head up yenr celebration, City Manager Ntoekburger told them. A man like Will Rogers. I know Mr.

Rogers well and if he is in Southern California I am sure I can get him to come and head the parade. He likes this sort thing." Other speakers were B. J. Loughman, commander of the Legion; George Newell, city councilman and chsmber director; B. F.

McCormick, chamber director; W. E. McNeil, vice-president of the chsmber; Harry Moore, chsirmsn of the grand ball committee; Fred W. Smith, chairman of the parade committee; Bob Cavanaugh, of the United Tent Awning Co. of Los Angeles, and D.

K. Mitchell, who Is handling the queen contest. Headquarters Open Monday Headquarters for the Ventura County Days of the Golden West kwill be opened Monday morning in the Arcade building. Telephones, lights and desk equipment are being installed and a big sign is being painted to go over the entrance. A hone trough will be placed in front of the building and that side of the street will be reserved for hones and hone drawn equipages.

Arrangements are being made for covered wagons and other early day vehicles to be placed in the block near headquarters. Streets Will Be Decorated By Sunday morning Main street will be transformed with a new type of decoration seen only once before in California. Huge Spanish shawls with beautiful heavy silken fringes mixed with flags of early California will be strung for 11 blocks. The decorations belong to the Los Angeles Fiesta Association and were obtained by the executive committee. This is the first time they have been used since the Los Angeles Fiesta for which they were specially made.

Costumes On -yiand Monday Rental costumes for the Days of the Golden West will be avail- 9 1 LOS ANGELES, May 11. (U.R) Peace authorities announced today an armistice with the abductor of William F. Gettle, Beverly Hills oil millionaire, will end at dusk tonight. Until then city, county, state and federal authorities will make ne attempt to capture the kidnapers nor to interfere with attempts of the snatchers to collect ransom money in return for Gettle freedom, it was said. An anonymous telephone call, believed to have come fiom one of the abductors, placed $75,000 as the sum Gettles family must pay for his safe return.

The telephone conversation between the caller and E. E. Noon, attorney appointed to represent the Gettle family in negotiations, came this morning. A broken connection ended the call before Noon could receive instructions as to how the ransom was to be paid. Call Comes At 8:30 A.

M. Failure of Noon to hear further from the man who represented himself as being one of the abductors led to the setting of dusk as the deadline of the "hands off policy of peace officers. Chief of Police James E. Davis, District Attorney Buron Fitts, Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz and Department of Justice Agent R. E.

Vetterli attended the closed conference that led to the decision to turn hundreds of law enforcement officers in search of Gettle and his abductors if negotiations for the millionaires return were not concluded hastily. Earlier the same officials gave out a formal statement declaring their belief that the wealthy oil man, abducted by two masked gunmen from his country estate at Arcadia Wednesday night, still was alive. Noon received the call from the kidnapers about 8:30 a.m, at his Beverly Hills office where he had remained through the night after announcing that the Gettle family was ready to pay "any reasonable ransom. Noon said the following conversation took place: Will yon pay seventy-five grand?" the caller asked. "Why Noon hesitated.

Make np your mind, came a curt demand. All right, Noon said, "well pay. Well, then, yon follow instructions and everything will be alright." the voice said. Noon said his caller started to give instructions when the phone correction was broken. News of the conversation was FOUR GO FROM HERE Delegates attending the Sacramento convention from Ventura chapter No.

24 of the D. A. V. are Arthur Keene, chairman, C. Mayfield and Harry McCarry, all of Ventura, and George Price of Ventura.

The four left Wednesday, ani will return Sunday. STARGAZER SAW: A NEAR-EXHAUSTED ROOSTER refusing a bright green Billy Grafft; a sister, Emmy Lou Reynolds of Whittier, and two-brothers, A. B. Reynolds, Sacramento attorney, and Robert Reynolds of Fort Jones. Funeral services will be held from the Reardon chapel at 2 p.

m. Saturday with Mrs. H. O. Wise a reader and Mrs.

Hugh Gormley a soloist. Burial will follows in hy Lawn cemetery. Mrs. Fields Wins Conejo Election Eleanor Field, incumbert school trustee in the Conejo grain-mar school district, was the winner in the special election held et the school Wednesday, wth votes cast for her against 22 Cot William Taylor and 38 for Wil liam L. Siolmach.

At the regular election in April Taylor and Stolmach each polled 29 votes against 28 for Mr, Fields. A special election wat called to settle the matter and public interest ic the issue high. Hitch-Hiking Snake Killed A HITCH-HIKING red racer snake met his Waterloo in Ventura at noon today when he dropped down from beneath an Arrowhead Water Co. truck before the Sifmal service station to get a breath of fresh air and look the town over. Much to the surprise of W.

A. Hall of the Oil Wed Supply 264 W. Main, and other bystanders the snake, measuring approximately 4 feet, id gracefully down from beneath the truck and slithered into the sun where it was immediately surrounded ty a dozen sparrow's who strutted back and forth eyeing it. Shunning the inspection of the birds, the snake meandered back beneath the truck and again found its riding place. Then employes of the service station showered it, with water from the station hose, dislodged it and finally killed it.

Judge Scores Ad alorem Tax PASADENA, May 11. (U.R)The state board of control has no authority to levy an ad valorem tax to meet a threatened deficit. Judge Arthur P. Will of Alta-dena, former counsel of the state legislature, declared today. Judge Will said the statute under which the state board might levy the tax is constitutionally unsound.

The power of taxation incident to sovereignty and in a free country can be exercised only by the people themselves or by their legally elected representatives acting together in legislative capacity with the strictest observance of limitations provided by the constitution, Judge Will said. "Any doubt of the propriety of methods to be followed must be resolved in favor of the taxpayers. r. 4.