Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 65, Ed. 1 Friday, June 17, 1938 Page: 1 of 8
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Policeman Father Of Phantom Bandit
Lays Trap For Wayward Son
CHICAGO — (UP) — Harold
Keen, 21, sought the last three
weeks as Chicago's "phantom
bandit", last night walked into
a trap set by his policen^n-
father ancry>ung wife and was
slain by a barrage of machine
gun bullets.
He was killed instantly as he
approached the south side home
of his wife's girl friend, Mrs.
Salley Lerch, for medication of
wounds suffered Tuesday night
in a fruitless police pursuit.
Joseph McCabe, one of three
detectives who lay in wait for
him, riddled Keen after the youth
attempted to open fire with a
.32 calibre pistol.
Bandit's Father Aids Police
The bandit's father, Police-
man Ernest Keen of the stolen
automobile detail at the detec-
tive bureau, and young Keen's
wife, Angeline, an expectant
mother, had "tipped off" au-
thorities several hours earlier
that the youth would go to the
Lerch home.
It was only shortly before that
the elder Keen revealed the
"phantom bandit" was his own
son. He had predicted his son
would be dead in a week and
vowed he "would be the one"
to catch him.
"He'll shoot, I know, and I'd
rather get it than have some
other policeman killed," the fath-
er said.
Though the elder Keen did not
participate in the shooting, it
was he and his daughter-in-law
who provided the information
that trapped the young bandit
and ended in the fatal fusillade.
Was Ready To Shoot
Police said it was Mrs. Lerch
Who identified Keen as he walk-
ed toward her home with a bun-
dle of clothes in his right arm.
When he was 10 feet from
the Lerch home, Keen switched
his bundle to his injured left
arm and with his right hand
reached into his pocket for his
gun, police said. Then Mrs.
Lerch blurted out:
"That's him."
McCabe ordered Keen to
"stick 'em up". Young Keen
whipped out his pistol, but be-
fore he could- use it, McCabe
opened fire with his machine
gun and riddled the youth, kill-
ing him instantly.
Beneficial Rains In Sweetwater Area
County Gets Half An Inch
CMTROL TELLO#
Sweetwater Reporter
VOLUME XLI
SWEETWATER, TEXAS FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 1938
NUMBER 65
Heavy Rains Blanket Texas
Rainfall, varying from an$>
inch and a half to light showers,
was reported generally over the
Sweetwater trade area today,
welcomed by farmers and stock-
men except in sections where it
was sufficiently heavy to wash
out cotton and feed which had
been replanted as many as four
times.
Rain which began falling in
Sweetwater about 6 o'clock this
morning totaled .58 of an inch,
according to M. C. Manroe, vol-
unteer government weather ob-
server. According to reports
from other communities in the
county, the rain was general
and of inestimable value to
crops and ranges. It was the
second rain in the county dur-
ing the week and brought the
total for the period to .86 of an
inch. The total rainfall for the
year is now 11.42 inches.
Harvest Halted
Harvest of the record grain
crop in this area was tempor-
arily halted. The rain was slow
and did no damage to grain, 30
per cent of which is still to be
harvested.
A quarter of an inch rain
at Roscoe, general in the corn-
See RAIN Page 8
o
Czech Frontier
Armv Demobilized
j
PRAGUE, Friday — (UP) —
Al! reserve members of the
Czechoslovak army called to
the colors May 21 will be de-
mobilized over the weekend, it
was intimated today in official
circles.
The withdrawal of the remain-
ing men of the original 70,000
reservists placed along the
Czech-German frontier will com-
plete a gradual demobilization
begun two weeks ago, it was
said.
The reservists on May 21 were
called to the colors for one
month—for the period during
which a series of municipal
elections were held throughout
Czechoslovakia.
Minister of National Defense
Frantisek Machnik, after he
completes a series of visits to
frontier districts later today,
is expected to issue a statement
regarding the demobilization.
o
Boy Scout Review
This Afternoon
According to Scout Executive
A. .T. Stiles, a board of review is
is to be held this afternoon at
5 o'clock in the Scout head-
quarters. Stiles said that the
review was to be held primari-
ly to complete review work
started the latter part of May.
Irving Loeb is to direct the
review.
Scouts who pass the board
are to be awarded their certi-
ficate of advancement at a court
of honor which has been com-
bined with the showing of the
jamboree films tonight at New-
man high school auditorium.
SWEETWATER RAINFALL CHART
Jaii Feb Mar
Apr
May
.Ine
J«y
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec Totl
26
.77 .04 3.02
2.56
2.28
4.09
6.46
1.95
3.42
5.68
.72
3.31 33.99
'27
.49 1.66 1.05
1.69
>5
2.42
4.77
.81
7.75
.92
XX
.90 22.57
"23
.41 .91 .33
.81
6.78
2.46
7.48
3.53
.75
.94
.64
.48 25.52
■29
.40 1.10 1.94
.81
6.70
.52
3.03
XX
5.10
1.41
.22
.09 21.35
'30
.27 xx .27
1.68
3.31
1.47
.82
1.72
1.51
7.40
1.70
1.75 22.00
31
1.50 2.881.29
2.24
1.32
1.30
2.32
.68
XX
8.90
2.52
7.18 27.13
32
2.54 2.58 .05
6.07
8.20 14.67
1.16
9.04 14.76
.17
XX
5.25 64.95
'33
.10 1.01 .28
.85
4.14
.16
.62
5.66
1.79
1.03
1.70
2.19 19.43
'34
.24 .50 3.15
2.72
.13
1.69
.76
1.88
.33
.33
3.48
.06 15.02
•35
.12 2.34 .54
3.05
8.89
6.80
1.64
.16
4.20
1.22
1.21
.26 30.43
'36
.11 xx .75
1.78
2.78
XX
3.67
.01
6.31
1.77
.72
.80 18.70
'37
.59 .021.62
.41
3.99
.75
.43
.91
.66
1.86
.85
1.35 13.44
'38
1.07 2.47 2.62
1.46
2.34
.80
11.42
Says Husband Beaten
*
Bodies of 5 Believed Drowned in
Texas' Floods, Objects of Search
WELLINGTON — (UP) — ;•>
Hundreds of men patrolled the
banks of flood-swollen streams
today, looking for the bodies of
five persons believed to have
drowned during a 12-inch rain.
Hours of searching failed to
locate the bodies of two crew
members who rode a freight
train locomotive into the Salt
Fork of the Red river when the
engine plunged through a bridge.
Bert Freeman, Wichita Falls
newspaperman, his wife and
their three-year-old son were be-
lieved to have drowned when
their car was swept off a high-
way near Clarendon, about 40
miles west of here. Their car
was found upside down, off the
road.
The trainmen who were miss-
ing were M. V. Briggs. engineer
on a Fort Worth and Denver
train, and C. E. Burton, his fire-
man. Both lived at Childress.
Brakeman Swims To Safety
Dick Brown, head brakeman
on the train, was thrown into
the river when the locomotive
crashed through the flood-weak-
ened bridge. He was carried
several miles downstream by
the rushing current, but final-
ly reached the bank. A farmer
found him. exhausted, and called
an ambulance which took him to
Shamrock.
H. L. McKenzie, another brake-
man. was riding behind the
engine but saw the wrecked
bridge in time to climb to safe-
ty on top of a box car.
The train wreck occurred on
the north plains branch of the
Fort Worth and Denver rail-
road. Service also was stopped
on the main line when several
thousand yards of track were
washed out by the heavy rains
near Clarendon.
12 Inches Of Itain
In some sections the rain-
fall was estimated at 12 inches.
It caused thousands of dollars
damage to crops and highways
and sent torrents raging d"wn
stream beds that are dry in
normal times.
— o
m
Softball Games To
Be Played Tonight
Rain will not interfere with
the Softball schedule tonight:
M-M plays Gulf and Internation-
al meets Sunbeam.
WEATHER
SWEETWATER — Fair and
increasing winds.
Maximum temperature yes-
terday 89 degrees. Low this
morning 64 degrees. Tempera-
ture at,2 p. m. today 86 de-
grees.
WEST TEXAS — Partly
cloudy tonight and Saturday,
warmer in Panhandle tonight.
Mi's. Claire Hurkitt charged
that her husband, Jeff, foe of
Mayor Frank Hague, was beat-
en and otherwise cruelly treat-
ed in the Hudson county pen-
itentiary. Burkitt is serving a
<> months' sentence resulting
from his efforts to speak in
Jersey City without a per-
mit.
Nolan Co. Boys
To Attend Meet
Preparations are being made
for the district 6 encampment
of junior club boys at San An-
gelo July 31-Aug. 2, said Coun-
ty Agent R. B. Tate today with
definite plans to be decided
when the area agents congre-
gate at College Station for the
July short course.
This will be a two-day event,
with all boys enrolled in 1938
clubs, or who completed goals in
1937, eligible to attend. Transpor-
tation will be provided, includ-
ing adult supervision, and all
expenses covered in the fee of
$1,25 for each boy.
A good representation from
Nolan county is in prospect for
this event, Tate said.
Dr. L. A. Woods to
Speak at Trent
TRENT — Dr. L. A. Woods,
state superintendent of public
instruction, is to be the princi-
pal speaker at 8 o'clock tonight
as Trent dedicates its new
school plant and gymnasium.
Superintendent Woods is to de-
liver the dedicatory address.
Rep. J. Bryan Bradbury of
Abilene is also on the program.
The new structure is to be open-
ed to public inspection.
"The new Trent school plant
is one of the best small school
plants in West Texas," accord-
ing to R. L. Fortune, Trent
school superintendent. "It is
arranged according to the latest
specifications for proper light-
ing, arrangement of classrooms,
and beauty."
Dr. Woods goes to Sweetwat-
er from Trent where at 9
o'clock Saturday morning in the
Nolan county district courtroom
he is to make a public address.
—o
San Angeloan Dies
In Truck Accident
FORT STOCKTON — (UP) —
Dewey Nelson of San Angelo
was killed yesterday and his
employer, J. W. Cockburn, also
of San Angelo, suffered a bro-
ken back when their truck over-
turned 15 miles west of Fort
Stockton.
Cockburn was driving the
truck loaded with sheep shear-
Water Shortage
Is Relieved in
Rio Grande Area !
Half-Foot Water Falls
In Waco; Lubbock Gets
More than l'A Inches
By United Press
Heavy rains fell in many sec-
tions of Texas today following
a 12-inch cloudburst which caus-
ed a train wreck and was be-
lieved to have tuken five lives
in the Panhandle yesterday.
Waco had 6.4 inches of rain
last night; Mexia 4.14 in the
same period and it was raining
today.
Other reports included: Kauf-
man, 2 inches; Dallas 1.65; Lub-
bock 1.62; and Amarillo .26 in-
ches.
An acute water shortage that
had necessitated rationing in
14 cities and towns in the low-
er Rio Grande valley was re-
lieved by heavy rains, amount-
ing to more than an inch in
some points in the valley.
o
Highway Board to
Give Hearing to
Local Delegation
Extension of Farm to
Market Road South of
Sweetwater Is Sought
AUSTIN — (UP) — Forty-
four delegations from various
counties were registered today
for hearings before the sftate
highway commission Monday on
requested road projects.
Former Governor W. P. Hob-
by of Houston will head a group
from Houston. Fort Worth and
in-between cities with a request
for an airline Fort Worth to
Houston highway.
Among projects listed are:
Extension of farm-to-market
road south of Sweetwater.
o
Farm Committee
Meeting Today
Members of the county agri-
cultural committee are meeting
with County Agent R. B. Tate
this afternoon to discuss com-
pliance methods and personnel
setup for the agricultural con-
servation program, dates for
wheat insurance meetings, and
other urgent matters.
It is planned to select the
compliance personnel, and give
the group a week's schooling,
before making a personal check
of farm crops to ascertain if
they comply with records and
allotments in the extension of-
fice.
New feed crop allotments for
Nolan county also will be con-
sidered in the meeting today.
Cold Storage' for Uncle Sam's Silver
Many Drown As
Flood Spreads
Over Wide Area
More Than 700,000 Left
Homeless, Starvation Is
Facing Many Thousands
The grim-looking one-story concrete structure is the new federal silver repository at West
l'oint, N. V., built to receive the overflow of si Iver from the New Vork assay office. Mrs. Nellie
Taloe Ross, director of the mint, inspected it re cently and said she would soon start moving
in silver for "cold storage" at the rate of mo re than $3,000,000 a day.
Business Crisis Holds Sway
75th Session
Congress Ends
WASHINGTON — (UP)—The
75th congress adjourned sine
die at 9:09 o'clock (EST) last
night after a 120-day session in
which it. approved record peace-
time appropriations of $21,050,-
174,000 of which $5,691,000,000
was earmarked for recovery and
relief.
The economic- crisis occupied
the legislators until the end.
Among the last measures
rushed to President Roosevelt's |
desk for signature were the
753,000.000 spending-lending bill
and a wages-hours measure.
The two houses late in the
day compromised a dispute over
the $212,000,000 farm subsidy
and an appropriation of S700,-
000 administrative expenses of i
the rural electrification admin-!
istration in the recovery bill.
Problems Left Unsettled
High among problems left un- I
settled by the legislators was |
the financial crisis in the S26,-1
000,000,000 railroad industry, j
legislation which would have |
liberalized Reconstruction Fin-
ance corporation loans to the S
hard-hit carriers was thrown I
overboard in the adjournment
scramble.
Chairman John O'Connor, D., |
N. Y., of the powerful house
rules committee, forecast a spe-
cial session to meet the situa-
tion. House Majority Leader
Sam Rayburn, D.. Tex., said
the administration hopes that
an anticipated revival in busi-
ness will ease the crisis, but in-
cated a special session might
be necessary if the depression
continues.
Investigation of Business
Shortly before the curtain
was rung down on the tumul-
tuous session, President Roose-
velt signed a resolution which
will initiate the most searching
inquiry of business practices
See CONGRESS Page I
Leads Medicos
Indifference to
Safety Program
Cited by Barber
County Council Year Old
But Nothing Done Since,
Says State Committeeman
By United Press
Japanese military engineers
admitted tonight that they had
lost their fight to control the
Yellow river, flooding across
central China.
As the end of a 48-hour crisis
neared, the river had spread
over more than 1500 square
miles. Thousands of persons
were drowned, 3500 or more vil-
lages were under water. More
than 700,000 were homeless.
The river threatened to make
a new outlet to the sea some 300
miles south of its present
mouth.
Refugees Are Desperate
Many refugees were desper-
ate. In some areas they were
forced to eat tree bark. Japa-
nese said that some of their own
garrisons were in danger.
Sudden renewal of German
efforts to drive Jews from Ger-
man national life, meanwhile,
emphasized the threat of an
early European war.
The intensity of the anti-Jew-
ish campaign was illustrated
when teachers warned school
children not to associate with
Jews nor to enter Jewish shops,
even at request of their par-
ents.
Hundreds of arrests, acts of
violence and mob action against
Jewish shops indicated that
Nazis had opened a major cam-
p«ugn i)gaiu.st German Jews.
In Washington, Secretary of
State Cordell Hull revealed that
the United States has rejected
Germany's suggestion that she
is not liable under international
laws for the foreign debts of
the former Austrian govern-
ment.
President Irvin Abell, Louis-
ville, Ky.,' is to serve as presi-
dent of the American Medical
association until the associa-
tion meets again next year in
St. I/<>uis. Dr. Abell is to be
succeeded by Dr. Rock Sley-
ster, Wauwatosa, Wis., elected
president at the closing ses-
sion of the convention in San
Francisco yesterday.
Band Concert
Saturday Night
The weekly concert of the
Sweetwater municipal band is to
begin at 8 o'clock Saturday
night on the lawn of the court-
house, Director Jack Armstrong
announced today.
The following program is to
be given:
March, Old Comrades; over-
ture, Daughter of the Regiment;
trombone solo, The White Star,
Richard Blancett. march. A
Frangesa, Costa; selection, The
Grass Widow; characteristic
march, Trombonium; popular
tunes of yesterday, arranged by
Briegel; and march. New Colon-
ial.
Promise of Social Disease Control
Comes From American Medical Meet
Crippled Children
At 1-Dav Clinic
"Sweetwater should begin
j making plans immediately to I
! co-operate in the state-wide ef- [
fort to reduce traffic accidents I
and the attendant loss of life I
and property," said Geo. D. Bar-
ber today. Barber returned yes-1
terday from the traffic safety j
convention at Fort Worth, the;
first of its kind held in the j
south.
Barber, who is a member of j
the governor's traffic safetyj
committee of 100, and a mem- i
ber of safety committee of the j
American Legion of Texas, ex-1
pressed concern at the appar-
ent lack of interest on the part j
of most Sweetwater and Nolan
county residents in the terrificj
toll of motor accidents on the j
streets and highways of Texas, j
"We organized the Nolan j
County Safety Council more I
than a year ago." he said, "but j
we have done little else since. |
Every civic organization in our j
community should have at least i
one traffic safety program a I
year to impress the importance j
of constant vigilance upon our
citizenship. Law enforcement!
agencies cannot do the job alone.!
We must give them our fullest j
co-operation."
Three "Es" of Program
Of the three "E's" in the traf-1
fic safety program—education, I
enforcement and engineering — j
the most important is education, j
See INDIFFERENCE Page 8
SAN FRANCISCO — (UP)
—Sulfanilamide, cheap and
easy to administer, may
hold the answer to one of
America's most pressing pro-
blems of social disease con-
trol. two Los Angeles ex-
perimenters told the Ameri-
can Medical association.
The work Drs. Bernard
Silver and Manning Elliott
did with the drug in treat-
ing gonorrhea led them to
believe that if carefully used
sulfanilamide could be of
unprecedented efficacy.
For their tests they took
two groups of men, one of
200 sufferers and the other
of 1425 afflicted wjth the
social disease.
The first group was giv-
en strict supervision and
maximum doses of the drug.
They had no other treat-
ment. Within a month. Sil-
ver and Elliott reported,
three-fifths of the cases were
cured. In the end only four
cases failed to show benefi-
cial effects of the treatment.
In the larger group the
supervision was not so strict
and some of the men
"played hookey" on treat-
ment days, so that the treat-
ments were not uniform. But
the doctors considered the
procedure ip this group
close to what would be an
average condition. Smaller
doses were prescribed and
some other forms of treat-
ment were administered.
In spite o/ these difficul-
ties, 47 per cent of the cases
took less than a month to
cure
'Bargain Days*
Seven Nolan county children o | fy •
were accompanied to Abilene! Jet I)V ViOnimitteC
yesterday by Dr. George A.
Gray, director of the Nolan
County Health unit. Miss Ella
Patton, nurse. Miss Gertrude
Saviors, child welfare director,
A sub-committee appointed by
Glenn Russell, chairman of the
trade extension committee of
the Board of City Development,
and Miss Ernestine Frazier. nu-! Thursday afternoon designated
tritionist. for a crippled child-
ren's clinic, conducted by the
Texas crippled children's asso-
ciation, for residents of this
area.
Dr. T. D. Young, Roscoe, ac-
companied Barney Cox. who is
suffering an attack of infantile
paralysis, to the clinic.
Children inspected and par-
ents advised were: Tommie
Doyle Bennett, John Ray Howe,
Billy Enfinger, Lora Mae Foy,
O. j. Edwards, Carroll Ray
Green and Doyle Fox. There
were 112 children examined.
Friday and Saturday, July 1-2. as \
"Sweetwater Bargain Days," and j
to continue the bargain day as a
regular event the first Monday
in each month starting Aug. 1.
This decision wras the result of
a vote by the trade extension
committee to sponsor a trades
day or similar event, in which a
large sector of Sweetwater mer-
chants had evinced interest.
Reason for setting the first
"Sweetwater Bargain Day" on
Friday and Saturday, is that the
first Monday in July is July
Fourth, a holiday.
Jerry Goff Sets
Pace in Contest
Jerry Goff. who carries route
number ten for the Sweetwater
Reporter burst into first plac
in the 10-day California vacation
trip contest as the third week
got under way. He moved to the
top notch from second place,
aheud of Forrest Snyder, Ros-
coe. who slipped back to third
position when Frank Rousseau
climbed into second place. This
change of positions put Johnny
Darnell in fourth position, but
he is right on the heels of For-
re-t. In fact, there are very few-
votes between them as the mat-
ter now stands.
James Rasor put himself
among the upper six carriers by
grabbing off fifth place. In ord-
er to hold this position though
he will have to fight off Harrell
Greenhaw and Bob French who
are tied for sixth place.
Of course, being in sixth place
is in reality, only third place
since there are vacation trips
for two carriers, who will have
all their expenses paid on a trip
to the Pacific coast.
Backing up these six leaders
in the contest and trailing by
only a few votes are Pat
Pceples. Simon O'Keefe, Ray
Fitzgerald, Wayne Jar vis, Bill
May and Fred Wilson, the lat-
ter only recently added to the
carrier forces in Sweetwater.
Dennis Kennedy, Otto Hull,
and Cecil Knox are leading
among the out-of-town carriers.
Reporter c i r c u 1 a tion lists
have reached a new high point
in the Sweetwater trade area
as the busy carrier salesmen
have brought in an avalanche of
new subscribers.
——o
Fair Board Session
Scheduled Tonight
An important session of the
directors of the Nolan County
Fair association is scheduled
for s o'clock tonight in the Board
of City Development office, on
call of Austin Jordan, presi-
dent. Details of the Midwest
Exposition, including definite
carnival contract, premium
list, approval of superintendents
for various departments, and in
general the program are up for
decision tonight.
...I "... — .
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 65, Ed. 1 Friday, June 17, 1938, newspaper, June 17, 1938; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth290391/m1/1/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.