The Davenport New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 15, 1915 Page: 3 of 8
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DAVENPORT. OKLA., NEW
ASSASSIN
SUICIDE
SUCH WAS THE LAST WEEK OF
THE CAREER OF HAR-
VARD PROFESSOR.
GERMAN REPLY
WILSON DECLINES TO DISCUSS
INFORMAL DRAFT SHOWN
TO GERARD.
OFFER IMPOSSIBLE CONDITIONS
MORGAN'S ASSAILANT
DANGEROUS LUNATIC
Tried to Blow Up the Capitol and an
Ocean Liner—Identified as
Erick Muenter, Wanted as a
Wife-Murderer.
As Price of Safety To American Trav.
elers Germans Require Report
On Cargoes of All Vessels
Leaving U. S. Ports.
New York.—The dead hand of Frank
Holt, assassin, bombmaker, alleged
wife murderer and suicide, reached
out over the Atlantic and menaced
with dynamite attacks two trans-At-
lantic liners with nearly 1,000 men,
women and children aboard.
Somewhere on the ocean, Holt
wrote his wife, the liner Saxouia it
the Philadelphia—he was not sure
which—would be destroyed July 7. A
dynamite bomb containing thirty
pounds of explosive which Holt is
known to have received and which had
not been accounted for is believed by
the police to be the means Holt had
chosen to destroy the ship.
Wireless Sends Warning
While Holt lay a suicide in his cell
in Mineola, L. I„ where he was taken
after his attempted assassination of
J. P. Morgan, the wireless crackled a
warning over the Atlantic, telling of
his threat to blow up a ship and the
mystery of his life was cleared fiway
with his positive identification as
Erich Muenter, the alleged wife mur-
derer, who fled Harvard in 1906.
Nothing more dramatic in the last
few crowded days of Holt's life has
come to light than the warning ol
destruction that was uncovered after
his death. His confession that he
placed the bomb In tne capitol at
Washington, his attempted assassin
ation of J. P. Morgan, the growing be-
lief that he was Erich Muenter, al
leged murderer of his wife, culminat-
ing in his positive identification—in
death—as Muenter, and his sensational
suicide by leaping from the top of his
cell to the floor formed a series o£
events to which the threatened de-
struction of the Philadelphia or the
Saxonia fitted as a startling climax.
The powerful wireless stations of
the navy yard were enlisted in the
efforts to prevent the threatened dis-
aster at sea. In answer to the warn-
ing there were reseived messages
from the captains of the two steam-
ers which said that everything aboard
had been identified and that all was
well.
Holt lived thirty years of his life
unknown to the world. Saturday,
July 1, he shot J. P. Morgan twice,
and at once confessed that he dyna-
mated the senate reception room of
the capitol the night before; next day
his identity was associated with that
of Erich Muenter, Harvard professor
who disappeared nine years ago, after
the presumed murder of his wife
during an experiment to see of the
soul would leave the body like a blue
flame; next day he committed suicide
by fracturing his skull against the
floor of his cell. Then the police
found a trunk full of dynamite among
his belongings, his wife received a let-
ter telling of the bombs on the ships
and Bertillion measurements verified
the Muenter Identification.
Holt was a dangerous lunatic,
obessed with an idea that he could
stop the war by violent means.
GEN. HUERTA MAY BE RELEASED
If He Gives An lron-Clad< Guarantee
to be Good.
Washington.—It is believed here
that the case agaiiv t Gene."*! Huerta,
charged with conspiracy to violate
American neutrality by inciting a new
Mexican revolution, might be avan-
doned.
Huerta is due to appear this week
before a United States commissioner
for a hearing. Although officials are
reticlent, persistent reports are cur-
rent that there will be no prosecu-
tion and that Huerta will agree to
leave the Mexican border and take up
bis residence somewhere in the north-
ern part of the United States, to inter-
fere no more in Mexican political af-
fairs.
It was pointed out In official quar-
ters that such a settlement would ac-
complish the chief end desired by the
government—prevention of Huerta's
return to Mexico, complicating the
situation there.
Washington. — The United States
government will not engage inform-
ally in any discussion or negotiation
with Germany regarding the character
of the forthcoming reply to the last
American note on submarine warfare.
Ambassador Gerard at Berlin has
been Informed that such is the presi-
dent's decision and that the ambassa-
dor is to make no comment on the ten-
tative draft given him by the German
foreign office. If asked for an expres-
sion, he is to say that the United States
will await a formal reply before dis-
cussing the question further.
The outline of the German note as
cabled by Ambassador Gerard is far
from satisfactory to officials. With re-
spect to the sinking of the Lusitania
on which more than one hundred Amer-
icans perished, no admission of liabil-
ity is made. Whether in extenuation
or not, the view is expressed ill the
draft that when torpedoed it was not
believed the Lusitania would sink as
rapidly as she did. As for the future,
citizens of the United States would be
permitted to travel with safety on the
high seas if passengers are on Ameri-
can ships or belligerent ships not car-
rying munitions of war.
The United States would be required
to inform the German government of
the date of the departure and character
of vessels carrying Americans and
guarantee that such ships had no muni-
tions of war on board.
In this connection high officials stat-
ed that it would be an unneutral act
for the United States to notify any
belligerent government of the date of
departure from an American port or
the character of the cargo of a mer-
chantman of another belligerent.
Count Von Berustorff, the German
ambassador, was in communication by
wireless with his government during
the day and is understood to have ad-
vised the Berlin foreign office that the
form in which the proposals had been
made did not appear to be acceptable
to the United States. He learned that
the position of the Washington gov-
ernment is that there must first be a
recognition by Germany of the prin
ciple that an unarmed and unresisting
merchantman must be visited and
searched and passengers and crew re-
moved to a place of safety before the
ship is destroyed. Until there is an
agreement on this principle, the Amer-
ican government cannot discuss any
modus vivendi or temporary arrange-
ments, it is declared. The German
ambassador, it is believed, Is urging
his government to make a broad state-
ment on the principles involved and
reserve for later discussion arange-
ments concerning the separation of
passengers and contraband traffic.
There are many evidences in official
circles that the German controversy
was again regarded as critical and that
the reply as outlined was very disap-
pointing. The concessions were re-
ferred to as a slight departure from
the illegal position held by Germany
and It was pointed out that the United
States holding a strictly legal position
was unable to make any changes or
surrender any point.
It was suggested that Ambassador
Gerard, probably realizing that the pro-
posals as made by Germany in the ten-
tative draft would not meet the Amer-
ican viewpoint, asked for instructions.
I some official quarters there is still
hope that the refusal of the American
ambassador to discuss concessions
may convince the German officials of
the earnestness of the United States
and bring about modification. There
are Intimations from Berlin, however,
that officials there do not believe the
American government will insist on
the position it took in its first note and
that public opinion in the United States
favors compromising the issue.
MIGHT BE "SPOTLESS TOWN"
Wlllemstad, Port of Dutch Island of
Curacao, One of the World's Most
Delightful Spots.
Wlllemstad, the port of the Dutch is-
land of Curacao, is a quaint little
town, and with its rows of brightly
colored tiled houses of Dutch construc-
tion reminds one very forcibly of the
pictures of "Spotless Town." The
Dutch government maintains a gar-
rison of home troops there and the
island is under the management of
a governor sent from Holland.
The natives speak hardly a word of
Dutch, but employ a patois composed
of nearly all languages, with Spanish
predominating. This patois is called
"papiamento."
The harbor of Wlllemstad is very
beautiful, with a depth of water suffi-
cient to accommodate the largest
ships. Steamers enter the harbor
through a picturesque pontoon bridge
constructed by an American consul
who was stationed there for some
years.
The water in the harbor is a clear
bottle green color and the masts of
a vessel that was sunk at the dock
years ago can be plainly seen. A
quaint tramway line with almost toy
cars drawn by one mule serves as a
carrier for the population.
From Curacao the American steam-
ers with transshipped cargoes run
across the very important town of
Maracalbo, in the Gulf of Maracaibo.
Maracalbo is one of the most impor-
tant commercial ports of Venezuela,
serving as an outlet for all the coffee
and other valuable products of eastern
Colombia.
Filipino Myths and Legends.
The oldest, as well as the most fan-
ciful tales of the early people of the
Philippine islands, are those of the
primitive raconteurs of the mountains
of northern Luzon. The Igorots, the
Ifugaos, the Kalingas, and the others
all have curious myths and legends of
the origin of the world and of man-
kind on the earth, some that in a way
even follow the Bible story of Noah
and the ark. Whether these stories
really originated in the islands or have
come acrdss the waters from China
and Japan or other lands in older
days, one cannot know, but they have
a very Important influence upon these
peoples today, not only in their reli-
gious beliefs, but in their everyday
customs and habits.—Pennsylvania
Grit.
There is no pauperism in Servia.
The poorest have some sort of free-
hold property.
The lord leutenant of Ireland re-
ceives an annual salary of $100,000.
Foolish Worry.
It's pitiable to see how old some
folks become before they reach mid-
dle life. They undermine their own
lives by carrying burdens that never
materialize. They are always borrow-
ing trouble and making themselves
needless worry. And the sad part of
It all is that mental trouble is very
real. It's a bigger burden than physi
cal weights. If folks could only be
taught they would soon see that It's
not the real struggles that deepen
their wrinkleB and unsteady their
steps. Worry is far more enervating
than physical strain, and the worst of
it is that most things we worry about
never happen. It's this dissipating
factor that's so potent in producing
Amerlcanltls— Pennsylvania Grit.
TREE IS FOE OF MOSQUITO
All There.
"She talks like a book."
"Yes, the volume of her speech
is truly wonderful!"-—Judge.
After a man is fifty you can fool
him by saying he is smart, but you
can't fool htm by saying he ia hand-
some.
Professor Plants Eucalyptus, Which
He Believes Will Help to Rid
State of Two Pests.
Mosquitoes had better give Pennsyl-
vania a wide berth In the future, If
Prof. Henry G. Walter's eucalyptus
trees begin to flourish. Recently the
professor planted 600 seeds of this
tree, which is a native of Australia, at
his plant research Institute at Lang-
horne, Bucks county. He says they
keep away mosquitoes and miasma.
Professor Walters is not certain
that he can induce the tree to stand
the Pennsylvania climate, but he's
going to try. Unless they are treated
chemically, they succumb usually to •
temperature below 27 degrees. When
they grow properly, they attain a
height of 375 to 480 feet.
They have other values in addition
to being mosquito exterminators. The
oil has a fragrant perfume. From the
eucalyptus rostrata, or red gum, Pro-
fessor Walters says a delicious bever-
age is obtained by steeping the blos-
soms In water.
The tree species planted at L«ng-
horne are the amygdalina, or pepper
mint gum; the rostrata, or red gum,
and the globulus, or Tasmanlan blue
gum.
Elevating the Standard.
"You don't seem to have the trou-
ble over your baseball games that
you used to have," remarked the visi-
tor at Crimson Gulch.
"No." replied Three Finger Sam.
"We made a new rule that keeps
everything nice an' orderly. Nobody
but the umpire is allowed to carry a
gun."
Good Habit to Cultivate.
The habit of viewing things cheer
fully, and of thinking about life hope-
fully, may be made to grow up in us
like -any other habit.—Samuel Smiles.
Several Naval Losses Reported.
London.—The Italian navy has suf-
fered its first serious loss, an Austrian
submarine having successfully tor-
pedoed the cruiser Amalfi in the nar-
row waters of the Adriatic. Most of
the crew were saved. As an offset it
Is claimed a French warship has sunk
a German submarine in the channel,
while the British admiralty announced
that it was a British submarine which
torpedoed a German warship in the
Baltic recently.
((
99
Builders of the
Big Ditch
There has just been issued by the Historical Publishing Company
of Washington, D. C., a magnificent illustrated history of the construc-
tion and builders of the Panama Canal. The editor of this great history
is Mr. Ira E. Bennett, with associate editors, John Hays Hammond, cele-
brated mining engineer; Capt. Philip Andrews, U. S. N.; Rupert Blue,
Surg. Gen. U. S. Public Health Service; J. Hampton Moore, Pres. At-
lantic Deeper Waterways Ass'n; Patrick J. Lennox, B. A., and William
J. Showalter.
One of the most interesting portions of the book is that dealing with
the feeding of the immense army of laborers. A few paragraphs
ceming one of the foods chosen and supplied by the Cc
Department, are quoted (beginning page 428) as follows:
con-
ommissary
"Visitors to the canal who -were privi-
leged to get a glimpse of the routine
inner life will recall a familiar picture of
workmen going to their places of labor
carrying round yellow tins.
"Often, as they went, they munched a
food poured from the tin into the hand.
This food, which played no inconsider-
able part in 'building' the canal, was the
well-known article of diet, 'GRAPE-
NUTS.'
"The mention of Grape-Nuts in this
connection is peculiarly pertinent. Not
merely because Grape-Nuts is a food ■
for of course proper food was an integral
part of the big enterprise—but because
it is a cereal food which successfully
withstood the effects of a tropical climate.
This characteristic of Grape-Nuts was
pretty well known and constituted a
cogent reason for its selection for use in
the Canal Zone
"This food is so thoroughly baked
that it keeps almost indefinitely in any
climate, as has been demonstrated again
and again.
"One finds Grape-Nuts on transoceanic
steamships, in the islands of the seas, in
Alaska, South America, Japan, along the
China coast, in Manila, Australia, South
Africa, and on highways of travel and
the byways of the jungle—in short,
wherever minimum or bulk and maxi-
mum of nourishment are requisite in
food which has to be transported long
distances, and often under extreme diffi-
culties.
"The very enviable reputation which
Grape-Nuts has attained in these respects
caused it to be chosen as one of the
foods for the Canal Zone."
Grape-Nuts
*■ FOOD
—scientifically made of prime wheat and malted barley, contains the
entire goodness of the grain, including those priceless mineral elements
so essential for active bodies and keen brains, but which are lacking in
white flour products and the usual dietary.
There's a reason why Grape-Nuts food was chostii by the Canal
Commissariat. There's a reason why Grape-Nuts is a favorite food of
hustling people everywhere!
Sold by Grocers
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Tryon, W. M. The Davenport New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 15, 1915, newspaper, July 15, 1915; Davenport, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc110003/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.