THE WEATHER FAIR TO-NIGHT AND TO-MORROvV , Metalled Report. r«fe 6 SS?i t , l 3r H « KD VOL. 77—NO. 45. KIELCE NOW IS OCCUPIED BYGERMANS Austro-German Forces j Capture Important Naval Base of Czar in Russian Poland HEAVY FIGHTING IN THAT REGION; Capture of Kielce Follows the Initiation of New Offensive Movement By the German and Austrian Armies Along Easterfo Battle Front Berlin, Jan. 26, via London, 12.-5 F. M.—A dispatch received to-day from Cracow, Galicia, says that Austro-Ger man forces have occupied Kielce, Bus- . Kian Poland. Kielce is the capital of the Russian province of that name and lies in Southern Poland, about 50 miles north of the border of the Austrian province j of Galioja. In that region has occurred 1 some of the heaviest lighting of the ! eastern campaign. Kielce has been a Russian base and is of considerable | strategic value because of the fact that it is the most important railroad junc tion northeast of Cracow. Its capture, if effected, follows the initiation of the new offensive movement by the Ger- 1 man and Austrian armies all along the | eastern battl ru.it. German Vic';ory Near La Bassee Berlin, Jan. 26, By t,o Lon-) rlon, 3.26 P. M.—The German war of fice in its statement given out this aft ernoon says two strong points of sup port in the possession of the English were captured by German troops yes terday in a general assault on the Eng- I lish positions near La Bassee. The text of the communication j reads: "In the western theatre tho enemy, j following his custom, placed Middel- j kerke and Westende (in Belgium) un- j der fire yesterday. A largo number of j the inhabitants were killed or injured j bv this fire, they including the burgo- j master of Middelkerke. "Our losses yesterday were small. ! Contlnueil on Kleventh I'agr. BIG GERMfIfTcUN IS PUT OUT BY THE BRITISH ARTILLERY St. Omer, France, via Paris. Jan. 26, 4.45 A. M. —The heavy artillery of the British has destroyed au enormous i gun which the Germans were placing on I a hill about a mile behind their first line of trenches, and about two miles from Festubert. with the object of si lencing the English bowitsers aud bom barding Bethune. The position of the big gun was marked by a British avi ator and the fourth shell from the Brit ish guns demolished it. The British gunners then directed j their fire on a group of German ar- j tillervnien engaged in placiug a similar gun a mile further behind, scattering! them with a few well-timed shells. They also smashed three pumps brought up by the Germans to empty water out of their trenches. LATE WAR NEWS SUWffIARY The German armies of the west have suddenly taken the offensive, deliver ing violent attacks simultaneously at several points. The German War Office report to-day claims an important vic tory over British troops along La Bas see canal, in France, just south of the Belgian border. Positions of the Brit ish extending over about two-thirds of a mile, including two strong points of support, are said to have been taken by storm and held in the face of coun ter attacks The French official state ment. however does not concede this victory to the Germans. It admits that they made progress temporarily, but as rerts that subsequently they were re- i pulsed. Both communications report progress for the Germans near Craonne. where trenches of the allies were taken and ! retained in part. Elsewhere, according to the French version of the fighting, the Germans were repulsed, with the possible exception of Alsace. It is said that the Germans bombarded Scnt hcim. This town lies six miles south- j Coßlluucd ob Kleveiilh I'ucc. ) 31)t Star- iMfe JtikpettkntJ 9 IP GERMANS CLAIM TO HAVE SUNK THREE OF BRITISH VESSELS IN SEA BATTLE Berlin, Jan. 26, (By Wireless to Lon don, 9.45 A. 'M.) —Additional details of the sinking of a British battle cruiser in the naval fight in the North sea, nest of Heligoland, which is claim ed by the Germans, is given in a state ment. issued here to day. The statement follows: "According to well-informed German i sources this cruiser suffered hoavily | from the fire of our cannon and was j then sunk by a German torpedo boat ' by two well directed shots. The sinking ' was observed by a German airship which followed the battle closely. Two i English torpedo boats were also suuk. The airship also observed the serious | damaging of other English ships.'' Berlin, via London, Jan. 26. 10.36 i A. M. —In the absence of furthet dc- I tails of the naval battle in the North ' sea the newspapers confine themselves to comments about the great superiority | and strength of the British units en gaged. No credence is given to a Brit i ish Admiralty's report that uo British ! vessel was lost in the fight. Much more space is given in the I newspapers to the new orders of the , federal council concerning breadstuff's which are welcomed by all writers. Prince Joachim, the youngest son of ; Emperor William, has been unable to j start his convalescent leave as recently planned :n he has been affected with a j high fever for several 'days. 50 Blueclier Survivors Land Edinburgh, Scotland, Jan. 26, via London. 2.3S P. M.—'Fifty survivors of the German armored cruiser Blueeher. which was sunk in the North sea on j Sunday in an engagement with British warships, were landed from two British torpedo boat destroyers to-day at Leith, two miles north of Edinburgh. A contingent of the Red Cross corps : was at the dock with ambulances to receive twenty-three men who had been j wounded in the fight. One of the I wounded Germans had died while on the nay to this port, but the body was i landed. Several of the wounded were | terribly injured. The prisoners of war were taken in i automobiles to Ediburgh Castle. The ; men who had escaped unscathed looked I fit and were not down cast. They watch- I 1 ed interestedly the soldiers drilling on the parade grounds. The survivors were dressed mostly in the blue of the navy. 'RUDIOR GERMAN CRUISER GAZELLE WAS TORPEDOED Malmoe, Sweden, Jan. 26, via Ixm don, 4.35 P. M.—lt is persistently as serted here that the German protected i cruiser Gazelle was torpedoed yesterday 'by a submarine of unknown nationality j at a point in the Baltic near the island ; of Ruegen, which is off the coast of ■ Russia. Although the Gazelle was dam aged, she was able to return to tho i port of Sassnitz. , The German cruiser Gazelle, a sister I ship to the Niobe has a displacement | of 2,645 tons, a complement of 264 j men and is 3>2'B feet long. She was | built by the Krupps in 1908, and her ! armament consists of ten 4.1-inch, fourteen 1 pounders, 4 machine guns and 3 torpedo tubeß. HURT IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH I Condition of Former Harrisburger In jured in Savannah Is Alarming The (ondition of Jacob B. Arthur, 30 years old, son of Samuel Arthur, 1516 Green street, the latter a con ductor on the Philadelphia division of the Pennsylvania railroad, who was se riously hurt in Savannah, Ga., last Sun ; day afternoon when his motorcycle I crashed against a w.igon, continues to I be so alarming that his two brothers, Ira and John, of this city, will go to j his bedside in Savannah next week. Mr. Arthur suffered a split knee cap, severe bruises and lacerations of the face and scalp and internal injuries. He was born and reared in this city, but left here about two years ago anil settled in Savannah, where he has a j lucrative position. He married Miss 1 Elsie Smith, daughter of George Smith, 1632 North Fourth street. SAYS STOUUH IS IMPROVING Dr. Cartwright Assures E. F. Weaver Evangelist Will Preach To-night "Dr. Stough was never any more alive in his life thiui he is now 1 guess,'' was the reply E. F. Weaver, executive * secretary of the local campaign, made this afternoon to inquiries concerning a rumor of the death of the evan i gelist. Where the rumor started, neith er he nor anyone else seems to know. Mr. Weaver is certain, however, that not later than 1.30 o'clock this after noon he spoke with the Rev. Mr. Cart wright, Dr. Stough's associate, by long , distance phone to Altoona, and that ; Mr. Cartwright assured him that the i evangelist was regaining bis health and would appear on the tabernacle plat . form at Altoona to-night. Swallows Toothpick at Dinner J. M. Zwok, 3615 Samson street, Philadelphia, a salesman, gc! The Governor jollied the reporters a i bit about all being in bed while ho - i was addressing the meeting of the State f | Agricultural Society, and while they | were thinking it over he remarked that i he had no news to-dav and then added, I " Nix kum 'rails.'' anil left the room. | The reporters believe he reallv meant ; it. ' TRUNKS FULL OF SWITCHES ARE SEIZED BY THE POLICE Along With Them Are Taken Two Women and a Man Accused of False , Pretense in Soliciting Human Hair in the City of Altoona There are in this city two trunks , ! full of hair belonging to Altoona folk ! r awaiting identification by the owners. ! With one trunk fnli of human hair e | on the sidewalk in front of 329 Chest- i > nut street and in the act of packing! R j another for shipment, W. E. Pelar, wanted in Altoona on a charge of false! B j pretense in which the hair figures' jj prominently, was arrested at 3 o'clock; - this afternoon by City Detective White, I The |»olice say they are certain that! ; some of the hair belongs to Altoona' '; people and they heiicve that some of! 1 it comes from Johnstown, and there is { a chance that some of it is Harrisburg, hair. The police think Pelar was going '' to sell it. Two women were traveling * with Pelar and, the poiive say, were so-! i liciting "combings" which they prom-j iiseil the Altoona folk to make int'>i " ("switches" and "rats." The Altooaa! j warrant was issued after these people j | gave the wrong address as that of their lodging house. The two young women, . iwlio were afterward apprehended at ;the Pennsylvania Railroad station, r | gave their names as Elsie Bige'ow and . ■Sarah McGuyre. All three were com- I j mitted to jail to await the pleasure of ' j the Altoona authorities. The hair was I taken to police headquarters here. MILLIONAIRE SLA YER Br VJ jUII |M| H iwi SB IBB BHBB ÜBI a S ff 1 flj sBI s % - W 9 IS* Hi IB vOßflP*f SB si PHBBB fßP^Blys| HAR.RY K. THAW IN THE TOMBS. o « Herein is shown Harry li. Tlmw In the famous Tombs in New York city. After an absence of years from the gray stone prison the slayer of Stanford White was placed there soon after bis arrival in New York city from New Hampshire, where he enjoyed compartive freedom for nearly eighteen months. Thaw is buoyant and cheerful, more so than be was in Canada immediately after his sensational escape from the Asylum for the Criminal lusane af Matteawan 011 Sunday morning, August 17, 1913. He believes that following his trial on an accusation of conspiracy incidental to his escape he will be a flee man and able to go to Pennsylvania anil be with bis aged inothel for the remainder of her days. mm its I 1 raifr Home Was on a Hill So Steep That Apples Roiled Down Into the Public Road HE PRESIDES ONE HOUR AT MEETING Biumbaugh, as an Ex-officio Member, [ Attends Convention of the State Board of Agriculture and Urges Sci-; entific Methods of Production Governor Martin G. Brumbaugh, us an honorary officer ot' the organization. ! availed himself of the opportunity to day to do something 110 (Governor ha* done in liftecn years—this is act as' chairman of a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture. I'liis board, which is made up of one ■delegate from each of the agricultural or horticultural societies in the State,; opened its annual meeting in the Boird | of Trade auditorium this morning. The i sessions will last until to-morrow aft-! ' ernoon. Governor Brumbaugh, an ex oilicio member of the board and its president, assumed charge at the oj>en-1 itig of the session. He gave an in- j formal talk on the possibilities of in creased agricultural production by use I of scientific methods and told the board ' that it could iio a lot toward bringing this about, lie referred briefly to agri cultural legislation and touched 011 the points he made in his inaugural mes sage. ' Dr. Brumbaugh knows a lot about farming and his hearers listened closely as lie started to talk about his early ] luntinned mi tlleveutli I'Ujie. ALL GRAIN PRICES SOAR HIGH Assertions Current That 1915 Wheat Crop, Yet in Ground Is Being Sold For Export By Associated Press. ( hicai;o, Jan. liG.—All grains—j corn, oats, rye and barley, as well as , 1 wheat —sold to-day at the highest prices in many years at this season. The volume of trading in com and oats was extremely large. Assertions wore ; current that the 1915 crop of wheat , which is not yet out of the ground, was already being sold for export. The biggest rise in price to-day was for July wheat, the first delivery of the 1915 crop. July showed a jump of nearly five cents a bushel from quota tions in the early trading this morning. May wheat overtopped yesterday's highest war price and reached »1.46 7-8, CONTENDS HIS MARRIAGE WAS NOT A LEGAL ONE «■ • l i Samuel Looper Raises Unusnat When Judge Orders Him to Pay slls Monthly Maintenance Money 1 —Court to Hear Argument ou Point 1 Before Judge McC'arrell made an or-' dor last evening directing Samuel Loop- j er to.pay his wife $-5 a month, Loop- j er, defendant in a non-support case,, put in the unusual plea that the worn- | an seeking tin financial aid is not | actually his wife. He admitted, liow- j ever, that since ISSS he has reoog- ! nized her as such and to his friends had 1 referred to her as his wife. Looper admitted that he wont ; through a marriage ceremony with .Mrs. Looper in ISSS, but he contends that was before she had obtained legal sepa ration papers from her first husband and that therefore the second marriage was not legal. Judge McC'arrell gave Looper's counsel permission to move j to have the $25 a month maintenance 1 order vacated, saying that he will en- ] tertain argument ou the technicalities the defense, proposes raising. Half a dozen desertion and non-sup-j port cases, held over from yesterday's session, were continued until the aft ernoon session to-day, due to the reg ular argument court being held this morning. One of the dozen cases list-1 eil for argument, a case involving tech- | nicalities, was heard this morning, 1 three were continued and the rest were slated to be heard at the afternoon ses sion. •MOVIE' MEN HERETO FORSI STATE-WIDE ORGANIZATION | | Opeu Three-Day Convention in Bolton 1 House During Which It Is Under-1 stood They Will Urge Legislation Including Repeal of Censorship Law A convention of motion picture ex-! hibitors of tile State, held for the pur- \ pose of forming a state-wide orgauiza- j tion which will probably become affili-j ated with the National Motion Picture I Exhibitors' League, and which will ad vocate the pas-age of Pennsylvania: laws beneficial to the business, was j opened this morning in the Bolton House. One aim of the organization, iti is under-stood, will be to work for thai repeal of the present State law provid- j ling for the censorship of films, and it was said by some of the members at tending t'lie meeting to-duv that Sena tor Penrose has promised to use his in fluence in this direction. The conven tion will close with a banquet Thurs day evening. At the session this morning pre liminary arrangements were made for| the rest of the convention. Hen 11. 1 Zerr, of Reading, was selected as tcm-! porary chairman; James Delves, of' Pittsbugrh, secretary, and B'rank A. j (Joul, Reading, publicity representative,! Mayor John K. Royal made a few remarks, welcoming the exhibitors, but 1 he will be called upon again to-morrow j for a more lengthy speech. Marion S. j Pearee, president of the National Mo tion Picture Exhibitors "League, s|>oko briefly. Among other things he said: "I am never more happier than when I am with motion picture exhibitors. 1 Cnntluui-il on Ulevcntli rant, CITY (MASH F9t 11RELIEF Full Force of Collectors at Work To-day in All Districts to Raise Funds ' MANY PLEDGES START CAMPAIGN I Women in Legislators' Families Are Invited to Aid in Work at Head quarters—Housewife Says She Has Taught Husband to Sew That full force" of collectors work ing for tiic U ays and Menus commit tee of tlie Ho : e mid War Relief Com mittee will be at work to- lay, giving all tlie citizens opportunity to aid this charity, was the report of seven neigh borhood executive committeemen last night to the Ways and Means commit tee, which heard details of the first day's efforts. Pledges and collections totaling more than SSOO were reported, although but five collectors had turned in totals. Of all the contributions reported the one exciting most interest was that of Li. C. Young, of the First ward dis trict. He told of ti " widow's mite'' in the form of 10 cents, pledged each week by a widow with live children. Other committeemen told of slti~> being secured by canvassing one industrial plant, another of a S4O pledge follow ing a brief talk with employes of a downtown store, still another or the big individual contributions of $2 to $5 from private eitiz«ns. No amount is too large, however; the SoU contributions are just as w»I --tome as the 5-cent ones, according to the busy committeemen. Legislators' Families Invited Wives, sisters, daughters or mothers of legislators are invited to spend a day, or many of them, at headquarters, 7 South Front street, sewing or knit ting. Materials of all kinds will be provided, along with needles and even I'ontfnunl nu Twelfth I'nise. OCCUPY HEDKII K HOUSE Legislators Move In At Chestnut Street Assembly man James F. Woodward, of McKeesport, and his fellow legisla tors who club together each session in a home run and inhabited by them selves, have leased {he former Hcdrick home at 312 Chestnut street, for this purpose this year. It is the most com modious dwelling the legislators have ever occupied during sessions. Tho first floor is used as dining rooms and the second and third floors for sleeping quarters. There are sixteen sleeping rooms in the dwelling. The rooms are all occupied by members. POSTSCRIPT PRICE, ONE CENT. MRDSCIAISLE' GEISHTOIR Homes Will Not Be Hazed This Year and Possibly Not Even in 1916 "NO HURRY," SAYS OFFICIALS City Commissioners Admit That Compli cations in the Matter of Acquiring Property Titles Will Cause Long Delay in Removal of Settlement " HardscrabWe" property owners whose homes thu < itv proposes to raze to permit changing the lines and re opening that section of North Front street, between Herr and (Jalder streets, need now have no fear that they will tie as»koil or compelled to vacate their home on April 1, next, as had been an nounced, or even before the same date in 1916, so the City Commissioners said this afternoon. Without going into detail the Com missioners announced that the "Hard scrabble" case looks to them like one : that will mean years of litigation in the courts beforsp all of the property ; owners and the City cam be satisfied. There is no reason for hurry, they say ; now. Officially no action was taken on the ; matter at the Commissioners' meeting this afternoon but after the adjourn ment Commissioner Lynch raised the l>oint that the property owners and ten ants, who are eager to know whether they must vacate by April 1, next, i should be given some satisfaction. "Tell them that it will be at. least, a I year before they will hiave to got out,'' j suggeste>l Mr. Gorgas. "There is no im j mediate necessity for hurrying this thing along. Besides it is too impor tant a question to rush through." Then it was suggested that the es timates of damages to 'be sustained by the property owners through the sur render of their homes, which recently were given to the City Solicitor by the property owners, should be considered and sown action taken. A tentative plan wae suggested under which the City Solicitor would ascertain if all or < any nu iber of these estimates are fair I and should he accepted, and if all are \ not eqintaWe, the legal advisor then | would be directed—probably next Tues | day—to ask the Court to appoint a j board of viewers who would tix the preii cnt values of the real estate. That work alone would require months, and the Commissioners now lig i ore that they will not be ready to or j dcr the razing of the houses before the spring of If> 1 H ait d possibly not then. A few of the estimated property vnl | nes, as submitted, the Commissioners | ligure, should be accepted, but the ma jority of them, they contend, are so | high as to call for the appointment of the viewing board. To those whoso j prices are accepted bonds will be given to protect the property owner. Of I course bonds also will be Hied to protect I all the property owpers when the eon- I demnation proceedings are actually be | gun- BERTH OF FUCROOR KEEPER Enoch M. Russell, on Capitol Hill Twait ty-clglit Years, Dies at Now Cumberland Home | (Special to the Star-Independent.) New Cumberland, .lan. 2ti. —Enoch j M. Russell, 75 years of age, who for : the past twenty eight years had charge of the flag room in tho Museum build j ing on I apitol Hill, died at 5.25 o 'clock I this morning at his home on liighth | street, this town. Death resulted from a complication ol diseases. About a week ago ~\lr. liussell had | been taken to his home ill from the ' apitol. Up to that time he had sel dom missed a day at his post. Before ' the battle flags were removed from the Museum building to the Capitol ro ! tunda, he had spent his time among j the eases in the flag room. He was a veteran of the Civil war. i In the battle of Lookout Mountain he 1 lost a leg, but re-enlisted several years liter and acted as a government dis patcher. He was a member of Post 58, G. A. K., and of the New Cumber laud Methodist church. He had made his home in New Cumberland for the past fourteen years. A widow and three daughters remain, Mrs. Prank , l\cj ner, Harrisburg, is a daughter by ! his first marriage. Stepdaughters are: iVlis. Henry Bowman, of Speeceville, and Mrs. Samuel Lick, of Harrisburg. Funeral services wili be held on Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the house. The Kev. J. D. Adams, pastot of the New Cumberland 'Methodist church, will officiate. Burial will be made in the Paxtang cemetery. U. S. Steel Suspends Dividends /?V Associated Press, New York, Jan. 26.—The United ( States Steel Corporation to day sus | pended the dividends on the common j stock. The regular quarterly dividend of | 1 3-4 per cent, was declared on the preferred stock. WALL STREET CLOSING New York, Jan. 28.—Speculation be came stagnant in the final hour. The | closing was irregular. Trading was narrow and dull for the greater part of today's session of the Stock Ex change. U. S. Steel was a feature, some uncertainty attended the common div idend on which action was to be taken I after the close.