The Decatur Daily Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 18

REVIEW Decatur, Illinois, Monday, March 2, 1953. PAGES TODAY. THE DECATUR Mrs. Major Dies in Crash At Taylorville incomplete. Mrs.

Strange Dies Of Crash Injuries Mrs. Pearl S. Major, 63, wife of Elmer L. Major, a vice president of the National Bank of Decatur, was killed yesterday afternoon in a cartruck collision near Taylorville. Major was seriously injured and is a patient in St.

Vincent's Hospital Taylorville. A son, Edwin of Litchfield, reported today that his father was some improved this morning. He suffered six broken ribs and a severe fracture of the left leg at the knee. The Majors live at 1421 W. Riverview Ave.

Christian County Sheriff Leonard Norris said that the accident happened in a severe snowstorm about 4:30 p.m. on Route 48, six miles southwest of Taylorville. The sheriff said that the Major car and a cattle truck driven by Charles B. Wade, Morrisonville, collided headon. The pavement was slick at the time of the accident.

Mr. and Mrs. Major were returning to Decatur after visiting their son in Litchfield. An inquest into the death will be conducted by Earl J. Baker, Christian County coroner.

Mrs. Major was a life-long resident of Macon County. She was born in Oakley on June 29, 1889, daughter of Edwin and Ida Smith. She was married to Elmer L. Major in Oakley Oct.

8, 1910. Besides her husband, she leaves two sons, Edwin Litchfield, and Elmer Chicago, and a sister, Miss Anna F. Smith, Decatur. She also leaves two grandchildren. The body is in the Brintlinger Funeral Home.

Arrangements are Mrs. Fleta Strange, 30, of 1735 N. Illinois died at 6:15 p.m. yesterday of injuries received four hours earlier in a car-truck crash two miles north of Kinmundy on Route 37. Her husband, C.

W. (Bill) Strange, a conductor with the Pennsylvania Railroad here, is in critical condition at Salem Memorial Hospital. Also killed was Mrs. Loretta Hardiek, 30, of Effingham. State Patrolman Earl Jackson said that the Strange car skidded into the path of a trailer truck driven by Randall Lauv, New Orleans.

Mrs. Hardiek was dead on arrival at the Salem Hospital. Mrs. Strange leaves her husband; her mother, Mrs. Mary Lewis of Benton, and a sister, Mrs.

Thelma Hawthorne of Decatur. Mrs. Hardiek leaves her husband, LeRoy, who is the owner of the Motor Service in Effingham. Two sons, Robert and Kenneth, also survive. Robert is a student at Quincy College.

Mrs. Strange's body is in the Linton Funeral Home, Kinmundy. No arrangements have been made. Three in Hospital After Sunday Crashes Three persons are hospitalized today at Decatur and Macon County Hospital after suffering traffic injuries in yesterday's snowfall of five and one-half inches. Two others received emergency treatment at and St.

Mary's. Most seriously injured was Richard W. Rozanski, 38, 2775 N. Main who with his wife was involved in a collision near the east end of Nelson Park Bridge. The hospital reported.

him "only fair" and suffering internal injuries. No visitors are permitted. His wife Eldora, 35, is "satisfactory" after suffering abrasions and bruises, and may have visitors. In the same hospital is Miss Boyd Blades, 23, St. Louis nurse, who suffered a scalp cut and shoulder injury when her car apparently hit the Friends Creek Bridge on Route 48 near Argenta.

She is reported in "satisfactory" condition today. Treated and released from St. Mary's Hospital yesterday was Robert Young, 17, 30 Lake Shore Drive, whose car was involved in an accident at Fairview Park about noon, the hospital reported. Ronald Howerton, 21, 440 N. 35th was treated and released from after injuring his finger when trying to get his father's car out of a ditch.

His finger was wedged in between a culvert and the bumper. It was partially amputated. Studies Petition County Judge Gus T. Greanias today reserved a decision on a petition for admission to probate of the will of the late Mrs. Eva Kirkendoll of Decatur.

Under the will, a bequest of $25 is made to a brother, Paul V. Stockdale of Jacksonville and the remainder is left to a sister, Mrs. Myrtle Peterson, Duluth, Minn. MOTORISTS LEAVE AUTOS THEY Drivers of these automobiles surveying the damage. The overwere among many Sunday and turned car was in a field about Monday motorists who abandoned one mile south of Decatur on their stuck or wrecked cars after Speaker Panel Named for Sewer Talk A panel of speakers for a public meeting on the sewer problem at 7:30 p.

m. Tuesday in the YMCA was announced yesterday by Mrs. Neal F. Doubleday, publicity chairman for the League of Women Voters. Each of five speakers is to give a 5-minute talk backgrounding the sewer problem of the Decatur area.

A vote also is to be taken at the meeting to decide whether now is the time for a drive for new sewers. Speakers will be: Alex Van Praag president of Warren Van Praag, consulting engineers who have drawn sewer plans for both the city and the Sanitary District; Walker Mills, attorney for the Decatur Sanitary District; Dr. W. D. Hatfield, Sanitary District superintendent; Mayor Robert E.

Willis; Dr. P. A. Steele, former city health commissioner and present township health superintendent. Mrs.

Clifford Smith, president of the League of Women Voters, said she and Mrs. H. W. Gibson, chairman of the local activities committee, have received many inquiries and offers of from outlying areas. Response from residents of areas now served by sewers has been poor, however.

"People within the city do not seem to comprehend the importance of the interceptors," she said. Leaders in the move- for new sewers generally agree that laying of large interceptor sewers around the city should be the first step in a program of sewer improvement to safeguard the health of the city. Ask to Bring Tavern in City Nellie's Tavern, 2717 N. Main will be brought into the city of Decatur, if an annexation petition approved today in County Court is accepted by the City Council. Mayor Robert E.

Willis said the city ordinance governing tavern licenses probably will be amended to allow a city license for the tavern, if the area is annexed. Joe Vigneri, operator of the tavern, said the proposed annexation may interfere with a petition to the county zoning board of appeals for a remodeling permit. STAMP CLUB MEETS The Decatur Stamp Club will meet at 7:30 p. m. today in the Association of Commerce rooms in the Decatur Club Building.

About 20 covers of early "fumigated" mail will be shown. The Junior Stamp Club will meet at 7 p. m. in the YMCA. Oreana Man's Dental Work Causes Expensive Month The following story, the product of the water shortage of a few weeks ago, has just leaked out of Oreana: Seems a fellow named Bill Acom went out to look into his cistern to see how much water he had left.

Somehow he dropped his upper plate into the cistern and, since it was pretty new, he didn't want to leave it there. Oreana's new fire pumper was called into service and the plate was recovered. Leaving his newly resurrected teeth in a safe place, Acom again checked his cistern. The fire engine had pumped all the water out so he was forced to come into town to buy water to refill it. FALL Route 51.

The other car was ports on the wrecks had not been abandoned on the highway only made to the sheriff's office at a few yards farther north. Re- noon today. (Herald and Review Photos) LOOK PA, NO TRACKS railed and brought back to Decatur in time for the 10:30 a. m. run.

Sheriff's Deputy William Holman stands in front of the car. (Herald and Review Photo) A casualty of today's crossing. The car tied up most snowfall was the Illinois Termi- highway traffic until it was re- dooked East Peoria run attained its goal of Forsyth second try todav. The first leaving Decatur at 7:10 was derailed by packed a at the Route 48 beltline Wabash Man Collapses, Dies Benjamin Robinson, 62, of 1909 N. Morgan collapsed at the Wabash Car Shops shortly before 7 a.

IN. today and died a few minutes after he was admitted to Wabash Employes Hospital. Robinson had been a car repairer at the Wabash 31 years, coming here from Clinton. He was born Oct. 2, 1890, a son of Benjamin and Anna Nocton Robinson.

From the age of five he was reared by Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Taylor, Dewitt.

He was married in Farmer City Jan. 20, 1911 to Miss Ruth Turner. He was a member of the car repairers brotherhood at the Wabash. He leaves his wife, two daughters, Miss Lois Robinson, Maywood, a teacher at Proviso High School, and Mrs. Myrtle Metlock, Decatur; two sons, Benjamin Maywood, and Lynn Chicago, and five grandchildren.

The body is at the Dawson W.ikoff Funeral Home. Arrangements are incomplete. Harold Brintlinger will conduct an inquest into the death. TEEN-AGE BRIDGE CLASSES TO START Teen age bridge classes, planned and sponsored by the Youth Council of the Decatur Public Library, will start this week. The first class meeting will be Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

in the auditorium of the library. Young people only will be welcome, according to Miss Jean Fox, youth librarian. Teacher of the class will be Miss Kathryn Gray, Roosevelt Junior High School mathematics instructor who has been bridge teacher for the adult education program of the public schools. Tentative plans are to meet once a month, Miss Fox said. Definite and final arrangements will be up to the students who turn out for the first lesson, however, she said.

FEBRUARY RAINFALL GOES OVER NORMAL Precipitation in the month of February totaled 2.41 inches which is .44 of an inch above the. normal rainfall for this short month. It is the first month to go above normal in precipitation since last November and only the second month to reach above since last July. Mean temperature last month was unofficially 36.4 degrees which is 5.9 degrees above the normal mean for Decatur. Rural Schools Are Closed By Snowfall Decatur schools opened today, but schools of several surrounding districts either observed a snow-bound holiday or remained open only, to those children who could be reached by limited bus service.

Districts with no schools open were Moweaqua, Mt. Zion, District 11 which includes Warrensburg, Latham, Kenney, Austin, Boiling Springs and Sunnyside Schools; Assumption, Blue Mound, Mt. Auburn, Findlay, Argenta, Lovington, Maroa and Niantic-Harristown. School districts remaining open but maintaining bus service rangling from none to nearly complete, were Stonington, Illiopolis, Lakeview, Bement and Cerro Gordo. St.

John's Lutheran and St. Thomas Catholic Schools opened, but did not provide bus service. Seventeen Decatur public school teachers, visiting south of here for the week end, were stuck en route home and did not show up at classes this morning. Suburban Transportation Company, which operates school bus service to Garfield and Oak Grove Schools, canceled its runs to those schools. Five Coasting Areas To Be Supervised Starting today the Recreation Department will supervise its five usual coasting areas, Supt.

Russell Foval announced after being assured that the street department will find time to cinder the foots of the hills. Hours are and 7-9 p. m. weekdays. If the snow lasts, the hills will be open 10 a.

and p. m. Saturday, and 4:30 p. m. Sunday.

Regular coasting areas are: East Johns Avenue from Calhoun to Jasper. East Hickory Street from Woodford to Folk. West' Marietta Street from Dunham to Kvle. West Macon Street from Taylor to Dennis. Spring Street from Green to Edward.

Snow Aids Lake Level Yesterday's brisk winds whipped some water-in waves- over Lake Decatur Dam after all else has failed since July. But the water today remained about four inches below the dam. Gerald L. Davis, waterworks superintendent, said he expected the first real flow of water will soon result from yesterday's snowfall. If the sun were to come out today, he said, the water probably would reach dam tomor- row.

Rural Mail Goes Out All eight Decatur rural route mail carriers started on their routes today, but star route mail service in all directions was curtailed because of the weather, Postmaster Richard E. Ellison reported. The eastbound star route truck from Springfield was stuck in a ditch at Riverton all night and arrived here at 9 a. hours late. Nighttime runs to Bloomington and Champaign were cancelled.

Service resumed today. The parcel post run to St. Louis also was postponed until tonight. Train mail arrived on time. 'Sno Day for Golf Yesterday the Decatur Park District's two golf courses officially opened, but nobody played golf.

It was snowing, the same as it did the first day last vear. Ralph Cripe, Scovill professional, said several golfers stopped in and talked golf. Adam Brohez, Nelson professional, said he had no players. One Runway Clear Ozark Airlines canceled all of its flights through Decatur this morning, and said weather outlook for the rest of the day was unfavorable. The southeast runway at the Municipal airport was clear this morning, and park district snowplows were working on the northeast and west runways of the triangle.

The southeast runway was largely swept clear, by the wind, but drifts piled up on the others. Good Robin Weather With the biggest snow of the year on the ground, there were more calls reporting "the first robin of the year" made to The Review today than in the previous two weeks. Rent Board Delayed The Decatur Rent Advisory Board, which ordinarily meets the first Tuesday of the month, is postponing its March meeting to 7:30 p. m. March 10, Mrs.

Jeanne Lyda, rent office clerk, reported. The dateswitch is blamed on the weather. Meetings are at board Secretary Lyle Campbell's office, 448. N. Church St.

IN CONCERT Lauritz Melchior Melchior Sings Here April 5 Lauritz Melchior will give a concert at 8:15 p.m. Sunday, April 5 in Kintner Gymnasium under sponsorship of the American Legion Junior Drum and Bugle Corps. Tickets will go on sale at Staubers March. 16, according to William Frazee, who is in charge of arrangements. Melchior, a tenor, has starred in many entertainment fields," including opera, concert, radio, television and movies.

He will be accompanied by other entertainers including singers, dancers and instrumentalists. Parking Rule Change Asked Sixty-three "patrons and friends" of the Decatur Day Nursery ask the City Council for parking rule changes in the 300 block North Edward Street to decrease traffic hazards for children. A petition was handed the Council today by David White, 236 Stuart who said got it up after seeing a child althost get struck by a car recently. It asks that parking be switched from the west to the east side of the street so children will not have to cross it. It also asks a 15-minute limit in the south half of the block to make space for cars bringing children to the nursery or picking them up.

Parking now is banned on the east side of the one way street from East Eldorado to Main." He was supported by the Rev. Alvin Mueller pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, who was present to give an invocation at the start of the Council meeting. The Rev. Mr.

Mueller, who said he drives frequently up Edward to Decatur and Macon County Hospital, said he has been impressed by the traffic hazards at the nursery. He suggested, however, that if the change is made it be made the entire length of the one-way street from Eldorado to Main. The petition also points out that city buses continue to stop on the east side of the street. It was referred by the Council to the police department. MONEY MOVEMENT Bank Clearings Show Slight Rise over Last Year Total bank clearings for February land the first two months of this year have increased only slightly over corresponding figures for 1952, a report from the Decatur Clearing House showed today.

Total clearings for the month were $16,993,526. For February, 1952, the figure was $16,454,192. The report also showed a total of $34,991,443 for the first -two months of 1953. Total for the period Jan. 1 to Feb.

28, 1952, was 583,845. Gives $500 Bond Robert- Harrington, 23, of 1842 N. Van Duke was released trial on a charge of disorderly conunder a $500 bond today, pending duct. Traffic Arrests Traffic Arrests Charles Lee Davidson, 1808 N. 25th was fined $9 for driving without a driver's license.

Enterprising Trucker Offers Cinders for 50 Cents a Shovel At least one enterprising fellow was making a good thing out of the Central Illinois blizzard this morning. He had his pickup truck full of cinders parked near the underpass on Route 51 between Decatur and Elwin and was distributing the cinders among unlucky motorists for 50 cents a shovelful. The drivers screamed, "Robber!" but they paid his price, it is reported. Audit Shows Adjustment in City Account Fred Whitten Pledges Aid to Demo Ticket nal's which on its run, a. snow Of The Review Staff Rumored factional strife in the local Democratic organization appeared to be healed today.

Fred M. Whitten, Democratic county chairman, pledged full support for the Democratic nominees in the Decatur Township election April 7. "I believe we have a strong township ticket," he said. "It is a ticket that deserves election and I support it wholeheartedlv." This year, Whitten, for the first time in his 16 years as county chairman, took no active part in the assembling of a township ticket. The job fell to William Holman, township chairman.

Clarence Schlesier, defeated candidate for mayor of Decatur in 1951 and loser in a campaign to beat Whitten for state central committeeman in 1952, aided Holman in getting a township ticket. Dan Dayton also helped. It was their activity that brought rumors of a Democratic split. The rumors were spiked by ten. "There is room in the local Democratic organization for all men and women who want party success," Whitten said.

"I will do all in my power to win the township election on April 7." By J. Neely Martin The Macon County Boy Scout district board of review will meet at 7:30 p. m. today in the Salvation Army building to examine 15 bovs for second class rank and five for first class. John F.

Regan, is chairman of the board of review. Scouts Review Scouts Review Sportsmen Call For Election A special meeting of the Macon County Sportsmen's Club has been called for 7:30 p. m. Tuesday by Robert Borchers, a director. Borchers said a new board of directors and slate officers will be nominated and elected.

Borchers said he was acting in pursuance with a by-law provision permitting three or more directors to demand and call a meeting. The meeting will be at the city Recreation Building, 243 S. Water rather than at the club building in Big Creek Park. SIGNAL DEPOT PLANS ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION The Decatur Signal Depot will join with other U. S.

Army Signal Corps branches over the country i in celebrating the 90th birthday of the Signal Corps tomorrow, according to Capt. Clarence McGowan, public information officer. A display of equipment from the Signal Depot will be exhibited in the glass case in the main lobby of the Decatur Library this week and in the window of the Illinois Power Company, Captain McGowan said. A Signal Depot display also is scheduled for the outdoor library cases during Armed Services Week later this spring. Where's Washington's Letter? Document Disappeared After 1920 Exhibit By Tom Mahoney Of The Review Staff Perhaps it is too late this to ask but where is George Washington's letter to Capt.

William Bartlett? The letter was in Decatur back in 1920-but no one seems to know what happened to it after that brief exhibition. The clue to the existence of such a letter in Decatur was furnished by Wilbur H. Duncan in last month's issue of the Decatur Stamp Club news. He ran across it while doing postal history research. It seems that in October, the Stephen Decatur Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, opened' a display in the Art Center.

The DAR had a special room in the Art Center at that time and members brought along their valuable pre-Civil War material. The Oct. 8, 1920, issue of the Decatur Herald and Vol. 13 of the Journal of the Illinois State Histori-cal' Society both carried the same story, here quoted in part: "A letter signed by George Washington and a bas-relief of Washington in his youth were among the interesting things which were put on exhibition by the Decatur Daughters of the American Revolution in the Art Institute in Decatur. The letter is of more, than usual interest because no one in Decatur seemed to know of its existence until a few days ago.

"When the attic of the Millikin Lawrence W. Cannon, former city treasurer, corrected an error of over $2,000 of 6 years standing shortly before he left office last October, according to the semiannual audit of city accounts by Earl E. Richardson. In the customary. letter accompanying the report filed today by the City Council, Richardson points out: "There was a deposit in the amount of $2,004.76 made to the special assessment paving fund bank account on Sept.

18, 1952. This deposit was made by L. W. Cannon, former city treasurer, with the explanation that it was to correct errors made in 1945 and 1946 for: the overpayment of certain paving fund bonds in Improvement 3783. find no evidence that the special assessment funds have ever been audited other than a test check of cash receipts and disbursements.

A detailed audit of these accounts would be necessary to justify an opinion regarding the status of the unpaid bonds and delinquent instalments." The report and letter were filed by the Council without comment and without reading. Finance Commissioner Don- F. Davis said after the meeting that the overpayment was discovered and reported by Cannon during the time he worked as treasurer after he had Submitted his resignation. Davis said Cannon said there was only one overpayment involved. It was paid to the Millikin National Bank, which acts as collector for several bondholders.

Cannon presumably made up the overpayment out of his own pocket, Davis said. The bondholder who benefited from the overpayment is not known, he said. Cannon was reported by neighbors to be out of the city. Davis said he will ask the Council for an appropriation in the budget year starting May 1 for an extra clerk for a pre-audit survey" of special assessment accounts. He said he will propose a survey by a clerk under the supervision of the auditor before considering a fullscale audit because there is no assurance that an audit of the old accounts would "tell us what we want to know" and Richardson is "very indefinite" about the cost.

"I think very strongly that it would be good to have someone do some rechecking on it and if that is the commissioner's suggestion it is fine with me," Mayor Robert E. Willis said. He said he did not know about "that particular transaction" at the time of Cannon's resignation. Cannon submitted his resignation suddenly at a Council meeting Aug. 14, following a half-hour conference with Willis in the mayor's office.

Cannon said at the time, he resigned because he needed a rest. He said the talk with Willis related to special assessment bonds but was of a "personal He and Davis both said that special assessment accounts were not associated with the resignation. Willis and Byron M. Merris, corporation counsel, refused to discuss the matter publicly. Cannon delivered his resignation to the Council about 20 minutes after his talk with Willis.

He stayed in the room while the vote unanimously accepting the resignation was taken, but he did not address the Council. He had been a finance department employe 22 years, most of the time in charge of special tax and assessment accounts. He been appointed city treasurer on Davis' recommendation when Davis took office as commissioner in May, 1951. J. W.

Loftus, who had been treasurer, succeeded Davis as city clerk. Cannon continued to keep special assessment accounts after he became treasurer, explaining that the work was light as there has not been a city project financed by special assessment since construction of the Southeast sewer in 1929. Cannon gave a month's notice when he resigned, but stayed: 2 weeks longer to give Davis more time to find a successor. Treasurer now is Walter E. Griffin, former manager of the South Side Country Club.

Many property owners became delinquent in special assessment taxes in the depression years of the early 1930's. Some of the assessments were erased by state law when the properties were sold because of delinquent taxes. As the city some years ago ruled that only special assessment money could be used to pay off the bonds, the market value of the bonds has gone way down, although special assessment payments are still made once in awhile and the is used by the city to buy back bonds. The bonds are negotiable and there is no record of the owners. homestead was being cleaned the letter, with other documents which had at one time belonged to Mr.

and Mrs. James Millikin were found. "The letter was written in Cambridge, Nov. 5, 1775, by Washington's secretary, but was signed boldly 'G. It was written to Capt.

Bartlett and contained directions for the transfers of some prisoners. It had been folded to form its own envelope. No one could be found late last week in a short but intensive search who knew anything about the letter. Many local persons connected with the DAR were helpful in suggesting persons who might know, but after contacting a dozen or SO without anyone even recpersons- ognizing the topic--this reporter gave up. One source offered a clue to the disappearance of the letter in that much material was "lifted" from the DAR exhibit room before it was closed some 15 years ago.

The contents are not too important- the prisoners were undoubtedly taken care of -but a sigof the first President is. If nature it had been Lincoln's signature, 40 dozen Macon County residents would be able to give complete information, including grade of ink used. But, as was stated earlier, perhaps it is too late this year to ask..