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ATTEMPTS TO KILL HIMSELF
Harold Van Alstein of Omaha First Murders Woman.
ASKS MOTHER BE NOT TOLD
Had Been Rejected by Philadelphia Actress.
Not Sorry He Shot Marion McLaren But Bemoans Disgrace It Will Bring Upon His Family.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13.—"Please don't tell mother her boy is a murderer."
Harold Blake Van Alstein, twenty-four, of Omaha, tossing on his cot at Bellevue hospital, declared today he was not sorry he shot and killed Miss Marion McLaren, thirty, Philadelphia actress who rejected his love, but bemoaned the disgrace it would bring upon his family.
Van Alstein, who also shot and wounded Hugh McLaren, the girl's brother, and then attempted suicide, said his mother is Mrs. C. H. Thomas, 2211 Davenport street, Omaha, Neb.
The shooting occurred last night in the Autodine restaurant near the Pennsylvania station, when the McLarens, known on the vaudeville stage as the "Five McLarens," entered to obtain lunch before taking a train to their home in Philadelphia. Van Alstein, who had attempted to talk to Miss McLaren earlier in the evening, but was ignored, entered and shot the actress without warning.
DISCUSS POULTRY TOPICS
Enthusiasts From All Parts of State Come to University for Short Course.
An average of one hundred twenty-five poultry enthusiasts gathered in the large auditorium of the dairy building on the agricultural college campus each session of the poultry short course. One man came from Kimball, another from Scottsbluff, and several others from the western part of the state. The course began Monday morning and lasted until Friday noon. The largest attendance recorded at any single session was on Thursday evening when at least two hundred fifty watched the movies of Hollywood farms in Washington and some poultry farms in Nebraska.
Everything from the poultry business as a whole down to the minutest detail of the industry was covered by poultry specialists of the agricultural college and by practical breeders and fanciers of Nebraska. Judging, selection, breeding, hatching, rearing, housing, feeding and marketing problems were discussed from the standpoint of the back-yard establishment, the general farm flock, and the commercial poultry farm. Orcharding in connection with poultry raising, house construction, economic marketing problems and disease prevention and control were also discussed by other specialists of the agricultural college. The course was offered for the third consecutive year.
OIL TRAFFIC STILL HEAVY
Many Train Loads From Wyoming Wells Add to the Tonnage of the Railroads.
T. Roope, general superintendent of motive power of Burlington lines west, has returned from a ten days' trip over the lines northwest of Lincoln. The trip included the Sheridan and the Casper lines of road. He found shop conditions pleasing, work being well handled, plenty of power to move business and considerable business moving. He said the oil business at Casper continues to be the biggest thing in that part of the world and that many trains are being hauled from Casper to Chicago without changing the couplings excepting for engine and caboose.
MAY RELEASE A JUDGMENT
Torrance VanAndel Admitted Making Settlement Out of Court With Maude Fritts.
According to parties interested in the breach of promise case tried a year ago in district court in which Maude Fritts was plaintiff and Torrance VanAndel defendant, a settlement was made out of court between the plaintiff and defendant Saturday.
A jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff for $5,025. This judgment was not paid. It was said that since the settlement out of court the judgment would probably be released.
Mr. VanAndel refused to state the sum paid to Miss Fritts as a compromise, but stated that there had been a payment.
LIQUOR ATE WAY OUT.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13.—Liquor confiscated by New York officers ate its way out of its can and when the police tried to pour it into another container, exploded, burning two severely.
AIR MAPS OF TRAFFIC.
CLEVELAND, Jan. 12.—The cities of Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles have had aerial photographic maps made to show the condition of traffic on the streets at certain hours.
MEMBERS OF BRITISH DEBT COMMISSION SAIL FOR UNITED STATES
This photograph is of Stanley Baldwin, British chancellor of the exchequer, who, with members of the British debt commission, has sailed for America to discuss the British war debt and reduce the interest charge of 4 1/2 per cent demanded by congress.
SQUINTING AT SPECIAL TAX
LEGISLATORS INCLINED TO CONSIDER NEW PROPOSALS.
Suggestions for Luxury Taxes Likely to Receive Attention After Appropriations Are Figured Out.
There is a disposition among the democrats in the legislature and in power at the statehouse to keep the pledge to reduce the state taxes that a person pays directly to the treasurers, and to make good the deficiency in the revenues thus created by special taxes.
Republican members think that this move has come about thru a realization that so long as federal dollar-matching continues there is no place in the government where any considerable saving can be made by cutting down activities. Here and there it is possible to quit spending money by simply discontinuing the activities. In most of these cases, however, the activities are self-supporting, thru fees, and it is only in those tax-spending agencies where the principal dependence is upon appropriations that the knife can be applied.
The big task of the finance committee, working with the governor, is to find where in the appropriations for the state institutions, the state university, the state normals and the state executive offices cuts can be made without impairing the efficiency of any of them.
A tax on cigarets, one on lipsticks, rouge, powders and other cosmetics, one on gasoline before it reaches the consumer, and other so-called luxury taxes have been talked over among members, and it is not unlikely that bills covering these as well as other excise taxes will be presented for the consideration of the members.
Taxes promise to engage the serious attention of the members, and so far there is no indication of a division of sentiment along party lines on the subject. The program of the taxpayers' league to put every expenditure, from the state expenditures to the schools, under the microscope, has substantial backing in the legislature.
TO BOOST GUARANTY FUND
American State Bank Receiver Is to Pay Back $27,000 Drawn for Depositors.
Edward M. Warner, receiver of the American State bank, applied for an order in district court Saturday morning granting permission for the return to the state depositors' guaranty fund of a dividend of 5 per cent on the $550,000 taken from the und for protection of the depositors who patronized the bank. The order was given. The 5 per cent will amount to approximately $27,000, Mr. Warner said.
The refund will raise the total returned to the fund to about 40 per cent of the amount taken out. Mr. Warner said he believed the bank would be able to refund at least 60 per cent of the amount taken from the depositors' guaranty fund.
ANOTHER GERMAN NOTE
French and Belgians Told Seizure of Ruhr Territory Violates International Law.
BERLIN, Jan. 13.—The German government has sent another note to France and Belgium declaring the seizure of Ruhr territory violates international law as well as the Versailles treaty.
The note also announced the German government's inability to make further reparation payments at this time.
REPEALED BY THE CODE LAW
BOARD OF MEDIATION NOT LEGALLY IN EXISTENCE.
Governor Bryan So Finds When Investigating the $1,000 Budget Recommendation by Outgoing Governor McKelvie.
Governor Bryan sprung what might be called a legislative or executive joke. He finds that in the face of common belief that there is no board of mediation or conciliation in Nebraska, the Governor McKelvie appointed such a board and included in the estimates of probable expenses of the state government an item of $1,000 for such a board, there is no board of that nature in existence. Governor Bryan himself favors such a board and in his message to the legislature asked to create a "permanent state tribunal," not for compulsory arbitration, as he believes public opinion can be depended upon to be the final arbiter.
The code law of 1919 repealed the law for a board of mediation, either by intent or by accident, and no one appeared to have known it until Mr. Bryan began to trace the question thru a request for a $1,000 appropriation in the budget of the outgoing governor.
Within a year certain labor representatives inveighed against the make-up of this board so far as it represented labor organizations and suggested that labor disputes would not be brought before it by labor unions.
Governor Bryan's investigation shows that the code law of 1919 repealed the law creating the mediation board which was originally passed in 1913. The legislature of 1919 passed an act amending the law. This amendatory law was approved by Governor McKelvie April 15, 1919. The same legislature passed the code bill which was approved by the governor four days later than the approval of the amendment to the mediation law. The code law repealed, among others, sections 3665 to 3674, inclusive. The mediation law is made up of sections 3633 to 3641 inclusive.
Under this law which was apparently repealed, Governor McKelvie had appointed as member Benjamin Green, a machinist, of Lincoln; W. J. Pitzer of Nebraska City, an attorney, and Charles B. Towle of Lincoln, a manufacturer and employer of labor. Some contend it is difficult to conceive that the legislature intended to repeal this law after it had amended it by passing a separate act.
Makers of statutes consider the last act of the legislature on any one subject as the controlling law. As the code law repeals the mediation law, the latter was omitted from the statutes of 1922.
Governor Bryan desires some such a law and he may allow the $1,000 item to stand in the budget of the outgoing law so that it can be used by a board of mediation if this legislature recreates one or a similar tribunal having only advisory power.
The amendatory act of 1919 passed and then repealed four days later provided that the deputy labor commissioner should not be a member of the board of mediation, a place he occupied in the original act. It also provided that the board should function when employers or employees requested. The original act required action only at the request of the governor.
The board of mediation which existed in 1919, when A. J. Sawyer of Lincoln was a member, attempted to mediate in the 1918 strike of teamsters in Omaha involving the building trades. It has not since been called into action.
BRICK DIVORCE DISMISSED
Couple Knew Each Other Two Weeks, Married, Lived Together Two Weeks and Separated.
The divorce suit instituted in district court by Melvin A. Brick against Mary Brick, nee Mary Wilsey, and the cross petition for divorce filed by Mrs. Brick, have been dismissed in district court by request of both parties. Mr. and Mrs. Brick were married in Wilber September 26, 1922, after having known each other two weeks, according to pleadings in the case. After their marriage they lived together two weeks and separated, the husband claiming his wife deserted him. There had been a difference of opinion as to the paternity of the infant born since the marriage.
FORGERY CASE FOR TRIAL
William Hahn of David City to Be Tried for Connection With Bank Failure.
The suit of the state against William Hahn of David City, charging forgery, has been set for hearing in the district court at David City for January 30 at 1:30 p. m. Assistant Attorney General C. L. Dort will assist the county attorney for the state. Mr. Hahn is a stockgrower and shipper who is charged with forging his father's name to a note which appeared in the assets of the failed Octavia State bank. Cashier Rusher of that bank disappeared prior to the closing of the bank by the state banking department. He is a brother-in-law of William Hahn, the defendant in the forgery suit.
Mr. Dort has returned from O'Neill.
