The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 168, Ed. 2 Tuesday, January 16, 1940 Page: 1 of 8
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THE WEATHER
For the Lower Rio Grande Valley: Don t FOTget • a •
Partly cloudy and not quite so cold
Tuesday night: Wednesday partly
cloudy and wanner VALLEY MID-WINTER FAIR
High Tide— Rirlinfen. Jan 23-28
Tuesday . 1:09 p ir
Wednesday .... 10.30 a. m—8 31 p. m. UHARRO DAYS
f Tuesday .. 1:38 p. m. BroWMVllla Fab 1-4
Wednesday . 2 43 p.ro.
FORTY-EIGHTH YEAR—No. 168 BROWNSVILLE TEXAS TUESDAY JANUARY 16 1940 » * *EIGHT PAGES TODAY5c A COPY
POLICE DETAIN LOUISIANA CANDIDATE
Canners See Citrus Estimate 1500000 Boxes High
_«4 M .. k 14.
aa* i
VAUEY
THE LOWER RIO GRANDE
Valley Is receiving a great deal
of publicity over the nation just
now that is costing nothing.
■ The reason at least In part is
probably the fact of a European
war and the closing of many of the
usual paths of tourists visiting for-
eign climes.
Recently Ernie Pyle traveling
staff writer for the Scripps-How-
ard newspapers spent a week oi
more in the Valley.
Soon after his departure daily
articles on the Valley began appear-
ing in the Scnpps-Howard papers
Papers like the New York World-
Telegram the Washington D. C.
News the Denver News and others
in the chain carried his short but
factful observations.
He varied his datelines carrying
one article from each of the Valley
towns.
• • .
I^ENNETH FAXON. CHAIRMAN
of Charro Days announced
just last week that Holland's Maga-
zine has decided to devote its full
first page to a Charro Days sub-
ject.
This will not take place until
about January 1941. Holland's
like most monthly magazines op-
erates on a schedule a year or more
ahead. And has in preparation a
cover that is certain to be attrac-
tive. Hollands incidentally is the
only woman* magazine ever pro-
duced in the South to achieve suc-
cess.
• • •
A NOTHER EXCELLENT AR-
tide on the Valley appeared re-
cently in the New York Herald-
Tribune. in a Sunday edition.
^ Significantly it was prepared
by Earnest B. Bearnarth. director
of the Travel Bureau Automobile
Club of New York.
The very fact that it was issued
by the Important Travel Bureau is
an Indication of the interest that
is being developed in Texas and in
the Valley.
Mr. Bearnarth describes routes
that may be taken out of New York
City to Texas and to the Valley
and tells his readers that:
...
“AMERICANS WHO HAVE
** heretofore traveled to Europe
want some place to go—and It ts
estimated that there are at least
300.000 who are now seeking other
places to visit. Tourists who go to
the lower tip of Texas say they are
amazed as well as delighted They
find when they get to McAllen
Tex. now one of the leading winter
resorts of the Southwest that they
are 500 miles farther south than
Los Angeles and only about five
miles farther north than Miami
But an even more amazing fact is
the discovery that more than SC
per cent of the Republic of Mexico
is north of the lower Rio Grande
Valley of Texas.
Their astonishment at these geo-
logical facts however is not greater
than the wonderment they express
when they find that they are in
the tropical climate with ultra-
modern hotels in bustling new cities
with every refinement of modern
civilization and yet within a short
distance they can see the old world
civilization of Mexico or by a thir-
ty-minute ride they can be in a
dense thorn bush wilderness where
they may shoot deer quail white
wing and the famous wild hog the
javalina
m rn m
THE VERY NEARNESS OF THE
* country is one ol it* major at-
ractioas. It is not "fished ana
vuni'd out " The sportsmen ma>
(Continued on Page Eight)
THIS DAY—
23-Years-Ago ilOlTl-The Val-
ley v.2. oh-ing and ah-ing ovei
the inauguration of "Jim" Fer;.iU-
ion for his second term as gov-
ernor of Texas
UNIT ADOPTS
$5 MINIMUM;
SETUP GIVEN
South Texas Group Is
Optimistic Seeing
Market Justi f y i n g
Better Prices
WESLACO — Valley can*
' ner* and bankers meeting
in Weslaco Monday night
heard an announcement by
J. A. Burch secretary of the
South Texas Citrus associa-
tion that a survey of the
grapefruit crop of the Valley
indicates a production of not
more than 12000000 field
boxes.
“This figure on total pro-
duction is very much lower
than previous estimates both
government and private and
is due to growth hindrance
because of lack of rainfall”
Mr. Burch said.
Government estimates on Valley
grapefruit production this year have
been around 13.500.000 field boxes.
Minimum Adopted
As a result of the discussions of
the general situation on grapefruit
the canners adopted a resolution
recommending a minimum price of
S5 a ton for canning fruit.
This price recommendation was in
line with a similar recommendation
of the association earlier in the
season.
It was revealed that about forty
per cent of the total estimated crop
of 12.000.000 boxes Is now off the
trees and that of the remaining 7-
200.000 boxes about fifty per c?nt
will go into fresh fruit channels and
about fifty per cent into cans in
the form of juice or whole fruit
In an analysis of the situation
following the meeting Mr Burch
pointed that last year 4.500.00C
cases of juice were put up by Val-
ley canners.
"There will be about as much
juice this year as last” he said
"But there is this difference. The
six-ounce can trade has grown tre-
mendously in the past year with
(See CITRUS. Page Two.)
-PAY POLL TAX NOW-
FINNS DISPERSE
TWO RED UNITS
Russian Planes Raid
At 5 1 Below Zero
HELSINKI— (/P) —Finland Tues-
day announced two Soviet army
companies had been dispersed on
the eastern front near Salla in spo-
radic fighting that accompanied ex-j
tensive Russian air raids on towns
far behind the battle lines.
A Finnish communique said that
from 70 to 80 Red warplanes took
part in Monday s raids and four
were shot down. Unconfirmed re-
ports from the interior said the
raids were continuing Tuesday in
bitter cold weather that increased
the sufferings of the embattled
populace.
No lives were lost in cities away
from the war zone but the com-
munique said 40 injured had been
reported thus far At Viipuri. gull
coastal city which is in the war
zone three were killed and four
wounded
Suffering in small villages was
said to be particularly intense be- |
cause of difficulties of air raid vie- !
tims in finding shelter. In some
parts of Finland the thermometer
(See FINNS. Page Two.)
-PAY POLL TAX NOW
Trail of Escaped
Convicts Is Found
CROSBYTON. Tex —< /P*—Officers
Tuesday kept a sharp lookout for
J. W. Mann. Robert Lacy Cash and
Andrew H. Nelson life term con-
victs. who escaped Saturday from
a prison agent at Buffalo and were
seen headed this way.
The three fled from officers near
Abilene and Colorado City Monday
after stealing a school teacher's
automobile at Colorado City. Mann
and Cash were sent up for murder
and Nelson is a habitual criminal.
-PAY POLL TAX NOW-
Anglo-Swedish Pact
Is Denied Officially
STOCKHOLM— —It was of-
ficially denied TMMin that En-
gland has offered Sweden a guar-
antee against violation of her inte-
grity.
THREE BRITISH SUBS MISSING
High Advisor to Chinese Cabinet Pauses Here
The fall of Japanese military rule in China and
eventual exhaustion of Japan was predicted here
Monday afternoon by T. K. Thing high advisor
to the Chinese cabinet. Japanese puppet govern*
ment attempts were “phoo-phooed" by Mr. Thing
who is adept at using American slang. The Chinese
advisor was met by several of his countrymen
here. Left to right above are: Fong Yet and Jue
Tin of Matamoros; Mr. Thing; Lee Lit and Joe
Wing of Brownsville. (See Story Below)
Unwritten Law Death Penalty
Passed Up in Montague Case
LAWYERS PICK
MEN FOR JURY
More Are Questioned
Tuesday
EDIXBl'RG—Second juror was
chosen Tuesday at 1:50 p. m. in
the murder trial of Dr. L. J. Mon-
tague. prominent Edinburg physi-
cian charged with slaying his
wife.
6 Juror was George Davis a Mis-
sion grocery clerk. The first to
be chosen was- Oliver Swinnea
school bus foreman for the Wes-
laco schools who was selected
late Monday. One venireman was
questioned during the noon hour
but was excused by the prosecu-
tion. . He was Marvin Evans of
Pharr.
By BILL WATTS
EDINBURG — The trial of Dr. L
J Montague prominent Edinburg
physician charged with the slay-
ing of his wife slowly began to take
shape Tuesday morning as prosecu-
tion and defense attorneys closely
questioned prospective Jurors.
The prosecution has revealed that
it will not seek the death penalty
In questions put to prospective ju-
rors. the defense indicated that it
would not invoke the unwritten
law "
Three veniremen were put on the
stand Tuesday morning but none
was chosen as a juror.
The first was A. W. Owens of
McAllen who was excused by the
defense.
C. F Spikes of Mission was ex-
(See MONTAGUE. Page Two)
-PAY POLL TAX NOW-
Red Baltic
Crisis Near
COPENHAGEN — P— A Soviet
Russian broadcast accusing Sweden
of forcing the unemployed to Tight
for Finland increased Tuesday the
strain of relations between the
US.SR and Scandinavian coun-
tries.
Russia previously expressed dis-
satisfaction with replies of Sweden
and Norway to her complaint that
they were sending men and sup-
plies to the embattled Finns and
permitting anti-Soviet press cam-
paigns
Meanwhile the Swedish and
Norwegian governments Monday
night directed their ministers in
Moscow to protest alleged viola-
tions of their borders by Soviet
planes.
The Swedish foreign office said
10 bombs had been dropped on the
Swedish island of Kallaks Sunday
and that one of the nine Russian
planes sighted was believed to have
made a forced landing in Sweden.
Montague
Sidebars
EDINBURG — The trial of Dr
L. J. Montague prominent Edin-
burg physician on charges of slay-
ing his wife attracted wide atten-
tion this week but most of those
who drove to the courthouse Mon-
day were turned away when they
tried to enter the courtroom.
The large Jury panel of 20C
crowded the courtroom far beyond
capacity. Veniremen in the aisles
sat in the jury box. on window
ledges and finally as the day be-
came more wearisome sat themsel-
ves down on the already-burdened
press table
• • •
Lawyers complained about the
number of veniremen but then
veniremen and courtroom atten-
dants noticed that there were a
few lawyers present too.
•They called 200 of us.” one
venireman said. * but someone
must have summoned a panel of
250 lawyers.”
• • •
Courthouse -wise guys” kept a
sharp eye out for any display ol
rivalry between District Attorney
Tom Hartley and State Senator
Rogers Kelley of the defense coun-
sel.
Back before the South Texas elec-
torate sent Kelley to the senate he
was district attorney for Hidalgc
county. And Hartley was his chlel
assistant
The wiseacres were disappointed
Kelley several times called the D
A. -Tommy.”
• • •
Only bit of sidebar noted was
when Hartley glanced over at the
imposing array of lawyers at
Montague's table and said: Sen-
ator when you get time make
me out a list of defense attorneys
will you?"
”1 certainly will. Tommy ” Kel-
ley answered with a grin. ’ And
when you get to an adding ma-
chine count up your assistants
for me. will you?"
All four of Hartley's assistants
happened to be in the courtroom
at the same time.
• • •
The impersonal forces that sum-
mon a Jury panel dragged in some
unusual “prospects” on this one.
It Included two peace officers.
Police Chief S. B Bledsoe of
Weslaco and Constable C. C. Clay-
ton of Mercedes: one lawyer An-
gus McLeod of McAllen and a
newspaperman Gordon Keithley
of Weslaco
• • *
Oliver Swmnea. of Weslaco had
a lot of room to sleep in Monday
night. He was the only venire-
| man sworn in Monday and had
the whole jury room to himself
that night.
He had a special body-guard
too—the bailiff.
• See SIDEBARS. Page Two )
-PAY POLL TAX NOW—*
‘GULPING JAPS
ARE TO CHOKE’
China Conquest Like
Swallowing Pie’
_________
<See Picture Above)
BY A. D. HAWKINS
T. K. Ching high advisor to the
Chinese cabinet didn't mince any
words here Monday afternoon
uhen he said in American slang:
"We're going to lick the Japs.”
The former Chinese minister of
industries under Generalissimo
Chlang Kai-shek arrived here by
Pan American Airways from Mex-
ico City.
“Can you swallow a whole pie?” '
he asked. "No. You'd choke to
death. That's going to happen to
Japan."
Japan he explained is attempt-
ing too big a task in her un-
declared war against China There
is going to be only one result: the
eventual exhaustion of Japan he
said.
Rule In Day Cringe at Night
The conquered* areas of China
are ruled by Japan only in the day-
time. because at night the Chinese
(See CHING. Page Two)
-PAY POLL TAX SOW-
Murphy Confirmed
By Vote of Senate
WASHINGTON—(JV- The sen-
ate confirmed Tuesday the nomina-
tion of Attorney General Frank
Murphy to be an associate Justice
of the supreme court.
The action was taken on a voice
vote without audible dissent. The
chamber then quickly approved the
nominations of Solicitor General
Robert H Jackson to be attorney
general and Judge Francis Biddle to
be solicitor general.
U-BOAT LOSS I
HEAVY BLOW
FORALLIES
Part of Crews From
Two Of Undersea
Craft Reported
Rescued
LONDON——The loss of three
British submarines the Seahorse
Starfish and Undine was acknowl-
edged Tuesday by the admiralty
marking Germany's first victories
over Britain's underseas fleet.
An official statement said the
vessels “have been engaged on par-
ticularly hazardous service and the
admiralty fears they must now be
regarded as lost.**
"The German wireless has an-
nounced that part of the crews of
the Undine and Starfish hav* been
rescued." the admiralty said. The
i three submarines normally carried a
total of 107 men but total casualties
were not known.
Greatest Recent Blow
The Berlin communique said "the
British U-boat* Starfish and Un-
dine were destroyed through Ger-
man defensive measures In German
(Helgoland! Bight" but did not
mention the Seahorse.
The loss of the three submarines
was the greatest blow suffered by
the British navy since the German
pocket battleship Deutschland sank
the armed British raider Rawal-
pindi with a loss of 280 live* last
Nov. 25.
Each of the three submarine* cost
approximately $1000000.
Monday night the British announ-
ced a salvo of bombs from a British
plane was believed to have sunk a
German submarine in the North
Sea.
The admiralty has acknowledged
the loss of the submarine Oxley
victim of an explosion the first
week of the war.
The three submarines lost raise
the total of British naval vessels
loss of which is admitted by the
admiralty to 20 with a total ton-
nage of 79.128
-PAY POLL TAX NOW-
VALLEY LAND
HEARING SET
Unit’s Reorganization
To Be Discussed
DALLAS—/**—Federal Judge W
H. Atwell Tuesday set February 5
as the date for a hearing on the
reorganization of the American
Rio Grande Land and Irrigation
Company which involves 16.000
acres of Valley land.
Under the petition filed by the
Great Southern Life Insurance
Company and the Republic Na-
tional Bank of Dallas the bank as
trustee would be authorized to
foreclose on the defendant com-
pany's properties to satisfy a note
on which the suit alleges the Val-
ley firm defaulted.
The petition said that under
terms of an agreement foreclosure
was not exore&sly provided for. but
that the case was left open for a
possible amendment authorizing the
sale on the part of t.ie court.
Lauds Valley
Harry Hines chairman of the
State Highway Commission
praised the Valley Monday night
before the annual meeting of the
Kaymondville Chamber of Com-
merce and at San Brnito break-
fast Tuesday honoring him.
VALLEY SEEN '
VACATIONLAND
Harry Hines Honored
At San Benito
SAN BENITO—South Texas and
especially the Lower Rio Grande
Valley as a motorist s paradise was
pictured before a group of a hun-
dred Cameron county citizens at
a breakfast here Tuesday morning
honoring Harry Hines chairman of
the State Highway Commission .
Mr. Hines who came down to
the Valley to be the principal
speaker at the annua! meeting of
the Ravmondville Chamber of
Commerce Monday night was also
the principal speaker at the break-
last.
He came to San Benito as the
guest of his good friend. Walter
W Housewright. who arranged the
affair attended by visitors from
Harlingen. San Benito Browns-
ville. Los Presnos and other points
m the county.
The speaker introduced by Rev.
Hugh Robertson of San Benito
recalled that when he was ap-
pointed to the highway commis-
sion. he visited the Valley and at
Raymondviile met with citizens
anxious to bring about the opening
of the Kenedy county road. He
committed himself to work for
that proposition and was now in
position to state that the Kenedy
county highway is well along to-
ward completion.
Interested m advertising the at-
tractions of South Texas. Mr.
Hines suggested that this area
might consider the possibilities of-
fered by the touring motor truck
exhibit along the lines of the Gen
(See HINES. Page Two»
-PAY POLL T %X NOW-
RFC APPROVES
DISTRICT LOAN
WASHINGTON —(API— The
Reconstruction Finance Corpor-
ation announced Tuesday approv-
al of a $45000 refinancing loan
to the Cameron County Water
Improvement District No. 15 at
Harlingen.
U. S. Revolt—On the “Christian Front ”
Armed with rifles allegedly taken from national
goard armories five members of the “Christian
Front." arrested by FBI agent* are charged with
a plot to overthrow the United States govern*
ment are pictured here. Left to right are Michael
VIII Macklin Boetiger. Frank Malone. John Vle-
brock and John Graf. They were among the 18
accused in the revolt plot. (Acme Telephoto.)
NOE CHARGES
IRREGULARITY
IN BALLOTING
Governor Carries
Of Huey’s Machine
In Crucial Test Ol
Its Power
NEW ORLEANS — (AP)
—Police detention of one of
the principal gubernatorial
candidate* was reported
Tuesday as Louisiana voter*
decided the fate of the 12-
year-old Huey P. Long poli-
tical dynasty.
State Senator James A Noe. the
candidate and two aides were
taken to • police station by of-
ficers after they had made picture*
of what Noe contended was a vote
irregularity.
"They won’t book me. Senator
Noe said at the station as he sum-
moned attorneys.
The police however had Jailed
Scott Wilson. Noes publicity rep-
resentative and WUluim Vann a
photographer on charges of dis-
turbing the peace They were re-
leased an hour later on parole
"There Is a gallery overlooking
the booths at that precinct" No#
said ‘‘and our people had protest-
ed that persons were standing up
there looking down and seeing
i how the voters were marking their
ballot*."
Voting Mart* Heavy
Voting was heavy before 7 a. m
in the New Orleans residential dis-
tricts. Numerous irregularities
were reported to the local arbitra-
tlon committee before three hours
had passed.
Election workers expected near-
ly 000.000 persons to express them
(See LOUISIANA Page Two)
-PAY POLL TAX SOW —
AIDES AGREE
TO AID TURKEY
Money For Armament
Will Be Loaned
■■ —»
LONDON —op— Prime Minister
Chamberlain Informed the House of
Commons that Britain and Prance
I signed economic and financial
agreement* with Turkey at Pari*
on Jan 8 providing Tor a loan of
£25.000.000 < 8100 000 0001 to Turkey
for the purchase of armaments
Previously the prime minister
told the House of Commons that
It was "pure Invention" to suggest
that there had been pressure on
him from the army to displace
Leslie Hore-BelLsha. dropped from
the cabinet in the shakeup of Jan.
4.
The prime mli.lster spoke to a
r Kked and frequently cheering
House which had gathered to hear
both sides explain the sensational
dismissal of the war secrtary.
Previously Hore-Belisha declared
he was "reluctant to believe" that
high army ofTlcers would have
made ••representations" tha* led
to Ch -mberlaln s derision
"It did not occur to me.” he
declared discussing his administra-
tion of the war secretaryship "to
consider that we were making an
army too democratic to fight for a
democracy.”
“I am reluctant to believe that
any high officers with whom I
have been associated would have
been so unfaithful to the cod#
which imbues the whole army aa
to make any representations Irreg-
ularly or that if he had **one so. It
would have been countenanced."
-PAY POLL TOC SOW-
Finn Soldier
Kills Brother
In Russ Army
WITH THE FINNISH ARMY
ON THE SALLA FRONT—(APi
A Finnish patrol commander
Tuesday told how brother fights
brother in Finnish lapland where
Communist sympathisers Jumped
the border into hoi let Russia and
returned with the Red army.
The rommander said one of his
men discovered his brother who
fled to Russia seven years ago.
among a group of Russian pris-
oners raptured on this front."
“Brother look what you havo
done!" the officer said the Fin-
nish soldier cried.
Then said the officer the Fin-
nish soldier drew his revolver and
killed hia own brother.
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The Brownsville Herald (Brownsville, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 168, Ed. 2 Tuesday, January 16, 1940, newspaper, January 16, 1940; Brownsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1405396/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .