THE WEATHER FAIR TO-NIGHT AND TO-MORROm Detailed Report, rant 8 f,E?? L , , :" KD VOL. 77—NO. 98. HANDCUFFS IE TRIFLES II ROSS 12-Year-Old Houdini Picks Two Pairs In Effort to Escape From Headquarters JAIL MAY PROVE TO BE AS EASY Coppers Find Him in Cell With Locks Picked and Fasten Him Again— Pleads Guilty to Larceny of Bicy cles and Is Sent to Glen Mills The hardest person to keep in cap tivity the police of this city have ever liad to dea! with is Clarence Ross, 12 years old, colored, who twice escaped from detention cells at police headquar ters and who picked two pairs of hand cuffs and was luckily captured before he got out of his cell for the third time. A much relieved bunch of policemen took Clarence before Judge McCarrell in chambers this morning, and had the satisfaction of seeing him turned over to Sheriff Wells, to be ultimately sent to Glen Mills. The Sheriff put the boy to jail and the police are none too cer tain that he will not escape there. Writes Note to Policeman After his fourth arrest and second escape the boy was manacled to a bench in a detention cell at headquar ters. Methodically working on the cuffs that held his legs to a park bencn in the cell, he picked the lock with a wire cork puller and was loose yester day afternoon when found by Detective Ibach and Policeman Shoemaker. Hav ing been offered $5 if he would escape 1 rum. his shackles by Policeman Schel lias. lie set about earning that $5, and, to make sure of it, he wrote Policeman tSchelhas a note on a cardboard, which was found in the cell yesterday after noon. The note reads: "To Mr. Paul, night man. 1 told you fellows I could get out. I'll keep tlie others for myself (referring to the liandcuffs and chain which were stili on his legs, having gotten the cuff loose from the bench) I got them off at that. Air. Ross." Picks Cuffs on His Ankles The chain was then put through the cast iron fixture of the bench an i a handcuff fastened to both legs. This morning he was loose again having picked the lock on a set of handcuffs on which the makers guarantee against that to the extent of SIOO. That money rannot be collected, however, because the boy had them on his ankle instead of his hands and hail both hands to work with. This remains a mystery as nothing was found in the cell by which li rl could work them. This particular pair of cuffs belong to Detective White and he still refuses to believe that the boy got them oft. The boy pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny in Juvenile court this morn ing and was sent to Glen Mills. The police had him charged with stealing two bicycles. Judge McCarrell express ed a belief this morning that a deten tion house for the commitment of juve niles was necessary. PAYNE BUYSjjSICHOME Tenant of Fleming Mansion, Recently Willed to Civic Club, Will Move to Front and Muencb Streets Frank Payne, who occupies the Fleming mansion, 612 North Front street, which was willed by Airs. Wil liam M. Fleming to the Civic Club of Harrisbung, is preparing to vacate that house on July 1, having purchas ed the house at the northeast corner of Front and Muench streets, from Herman Tausig. The deal was closed Saturday. This house was built by L. 11. Kin nard, vice president and general man ager of the Bell Telephone Company, and was purchased two years ago by Mr. Tausig, who has occupied it sin e then. Mr. Payne's lease on the Flem ing house runs until August 1. Argument on the question of whether the Civic Club can legallv re ceive the '.Fleming house—the clurb not having been an incorporated body at the time the will became effective — will be held in court on April 4. William Jennings, president of the Commonwealth Trust Company, on Saturday purchased the old Forstor property, 7 South Front street, now being used as headquarters of the Home and War Relief Committee, from Mrs. Herbert L. Clark. Je.nnini.js de clined to say what use is to be made of the building. SKULL FRACTURED AT WORK Highspire Man in Serious Condition In Harrisburg Hospital Jacob Albert, of Highspire, suffered a fracture of skull, in a fall this morn ing in the Bridge and Construction De partment of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, where he was employed. He was arranging a drain around a steel bridge beam and fell about four feet, striking his head on the steel. He was taken to the Harrisburg hos pital where he was opeiated on imme diately to remove the pressure of the fracture on his brain. His condition is serious. ,\• • - ® }t Star- Inkpcnkni PLANNING COMMISSIONERS DIVIDED ON $27,000 PLOT Views of Members Differ and Sugges tion Is Made That Site Further North Be Bought—Ordinance Will Not Be Acted on Finally To-morrow The Taylor ordinauce providing for the purchase ol a $-'7,000 plot at Fifth and Emerald streets —proposed as a new playground site—will not be acted upon finally at to morrow's meeting'of Hie City Commissioners, so it was said by Commissioners to-day. The Cifv I'lanning Commissioners took this meas ure under consideration along with other pending ordinances at a special meeting this morning, but they post poned making a decision, preferring first, they said, to view the site before approving or disapproving of the Tay lor plan. During the discussion the questiou arose as to the advisability of paying $9,000 an acre for the Fifth and Em erald street ground, in preference to obtaining a plot farther north at cheap er cost. E. S. Herman, president of the Planning Commission, this after noon said the Commissioners are divid ed on this question, but he added that Cantlnnptf on Muth I'nsr TAYLOR HURTJN HIS AUTO Park Commissioner Is Showered With Glass When Drift-pin Breaks the Windshield Park Commissioner M. Harvey Tay lor received a cut on his right hand and was showered with glass it noon to-day when a drift-pin. being used by the men constructing the steel work on the Front and Mulberry street sub way, crashed through the windshield The drift-pin was being used by a of his automobile. gang o riverters. When it was knock ed through a hole in connecting a joint preparatory to the insertion of the rivet, it struck the commissioner's auto. Tovlar was not seriously injured, but narrowly escaped getting bits of glass in his eves. COL JAY FOUND DEAD IX BED Vice President of New York "Herald" Company Dies in West Virginia White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., March 29.--Colonel William Jay, of New York City, vice president of the New York "Herald" Company, was found dead in bed he-re yesterday by Mrs. Jay. He had been in poor health for some time and came here about two weeks ago. Physicians said death was due to heart trouble. Colonel Jay was 74 years old and had practiced law in New York City since 1869. He was attorney for the Trinity corporation. He served in the Civil War aud was a great grandson of Chief Justice John Jav, of the United States Supreme Court. ADDICT ELK OF READING S LODGE Harrisburg Members of Order Surreptitious ly Send Stuffed Spe cimen Here ANIMAL HAS TRAVELED FAR First Purloined From the Elks' Club House in Tacoma, Washington, and Has Since Been Coming East, From Lodge to Lodge This is the story of the stuffed elk that has been on its travels from the Pacific slope to the various cities and towns in which there are lodges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The stuffed animal, a noble specimen of the Cervus Aloes, began its travels in Tacoma, Washington, when some eastern Elks, coveting the fine beast in the lodge room in that city, did, by divers methods known only to Elks, sur reptitiously divorce the elk from said lodge room and ship it East. It found repose in a lodge room for a short time, until a delegation of Elks did bv various other devious methods seize the animal—when nobody was looking—and sent it farther East. And so it went. The stuffed elk was here to-day and gone to-morrow, and it finally landed, after much travel where by it lost its youthful freshness, in the lodge of the Reading Elks. It was turned over to a member of the Read ing lodge, who keeps a hotel at Min eral Springs, n day at the office of Building Inspector James H. Grove. The new building will cost in the neighborhood of $26,000. It will be built of brick and will be three stories high. ' This improvement it" one of several costing a total of $4 1,100, for which permits were issued this morning. The E. B. Mitchell estate will build a $lO,- 000 structure on the site of the Stieff piano house. 24 North Second street, for the use of the piano company. Another permit calls for the erection of a 2 '/j-story tile and stucco house on Hillside road, south of Twenty-first street, by Dr. B. E. Wright, to cost $6,000. John Snyder got a permit to build a one-story garage at 1945 Kensington street, costing SIOO. ALL HOPE FORM GREW ABANDONED Navy Department Or ders Report On Exact Location of Sunken U. S. Submarine EFFORTS MADE TO RECOVER BODIES Heroic Attempts of Divers to Raise an Object Thought to Be the Lost Submarine Resulted in the Discov ery of an Old Anchor Bp Associated Press. Washington, March 29.—The last remote hope that any of the submarine of F-4 crew might be alive has been abandoned by the Navy Department, and to-day Acting Secretary Blue order ed Rea Admiral Moore, commanding the Honolulu naval station, to report the exact location of the sunken boat and the de>, th at which she lies tnat the department may estimate the prob ability of salvaging the hull and recov ering the bodies of her commander and crew. Honolulu, March 29.- —Hope of rais ing the United states submarine F-4, submerged outside the harbor since Thursday morning, was again revived last night when vessels engaged in the rescue work reported tihev had finally located Hie missing craft in Which twenty-one persons are believed to have perished. Divers Go Down 215 Feet ■Heroic attempts of the last fbrfv eiglit hours to bring to the surface fjrom a great deptih an object that appeared to be the submarine, resulted in the discovery by two divers Sunday that it was only an old anchor, probalblv tost by the battleship Oregon. "Phe divers went to a depth of 215 feet but fallea to find any trace of tibe F-4. Refusing to 'be disheartened by this discovery, hundreds of rescue workers, although tired by their long work and without sleep for many hours, re doubled their efforts when another body believed to be the F-4 was located. Portions of a vessel's upper ntruc ture have been brought to the surface ! by tbe grat; pl'ug appai-scns of the vari ous boats and it is this which maKes the rescuers confident thev are from the F-4. Big Naval Crane Being Used The dredge California, whose chains are thought to have been securely fixed on the body, will be moored in a po sition directly above it and tug boats wilj criss-cross it in all directions with their drag chains in an effoTt, to wind tbein into a net around the hulk. A big naval crane having a lifting capacity of 150 tons dead weight will then attempt a direct lift on the sub marine if the chains are made last to the craft. The dredge will assist. W. C. Parks, a civil engineer, has started construction of an immense div ing bell fitted wjtth heavy plate glass ports which is expected to be ready for use bv noon to-morrow. A hvdro aero plane is being held in readiness for im mediate flight, if required. LOSS OF LIFE IS HEAVY AS SUBMARINE SINKS FLABA London, March 29, 3.4fi P. M. —The report of yesterday that the British steamer Falaba had been sunk by a German submarine was confirmed to day. The Falaba was sent to the bottom yesterday afternoon off Milford Haven, an inlet on the coast of South Wales. The loss of life probably was heavy. The Falaba left Liverpool on Sat urday for the west coast of Africa with 14-0 [*assengers aud a crew of 120 men. Her oflicers stated that when the German submarine appeared it whistled thrice as a signal for the steamer to prepare her life boats but before this could be dome a torpedo struck the ship near the engine room. Three of the Falaba's life boats were swamped. Many persons aboard the vessel were thrown into the sea where they struggled while the sub marine circled about, offered, accord ing to stories told by thoee rescued, no assistance. A fishing boat appear ed on the scene and saved 140 of the passengers and crew. Captain Davis, of the liner, was picked up dead. Eight other bodies were recovered. The survivors were landed at Milford Haven. The Falaba was considerably larger than most of the British merchantmen which bave been sunk by German sub marines. Slie was 380 feet long and her net tonnage was 3,011. She be longed to the Elder Line, was owned in Liverpool and was engaged in the African trade. Stock Exchange Open Good Friday New York, March 29.—Memberg of the Stock Exchange decided' by viva voce vote to-day not to close the Kx .change ou Good Friday. AUSTRIA WILLING TO CEDE TO ITALY A PART OF TRENT Paris, March 29, 5.10 A. M. —Aus- tria has made a definite offer to cede to Italy a part of the province of Trent at the close of the war, the "Petit Parisiene's" Rome correspondent says he has been informed. He adds that the proposal was made on Thursday and that the Italian government de ferred its reply. Geneva. Via Paris, March 29, 5.05 A. M.—Count, Stephan Tisza, the Pre mier of Hungary, has returned to Buda pest from Vienna, where he conferred with Cabinet ministers regarding the future coursp if the dual monarchy. Ac cording to dispatches received by Swiss newspapers, the leaders of different po litical parties are trying to induce Count Tisza to make any effort to per suade Emperor Francis Joseph that Austria should conclude a separate peace. The Premier, however, is said to have refused to make 3ueh an attempt. Advices receded here from Austria are to the effect that well-informed public men i:i thai country profess to believe that the intervention of Italy on the side of the allies is imminent. Count Andrassi. former Hungarian Premier, is said to be one of (hose who no longer attempts to conceal his con cern. Chancello? Vjn Bet'hmann-Hollweg, of Germany, the Swiss papers declare, remains inflexible in his determination that Austria shall sacrifice some of her territory to preserve the neutrality of Italy. The Austrian Emperor is re ported to be equally determined not to cede to Italy any material portion of the monarchy. Reports from Bucharest regarding the attitude of Rumania, it is said, have increased the alarm in Austro-Hungar ian political circles. LATE WAR NEWS SUMMARY Germany's submarine warriors have added two names to the long list of vessels which they have destroyed in the waters about the British Isles. The British steamer Falaba, one of the larger merchantmen to be sent to the bottom, was torpedoed off the coast of South Wales, probably with a heavy loss of life. The British steam er A&uila was sunk in the English Channel but her crew of twenty-three men. were saved. General Von Kluck, who led the ad vance of the German forces to the gates of Paris in the early days of the war has been wounded. To-day's Ger man official statement says he was in jured slightly by shrapnel and that hw condition is satisfactory. The new German oiVensive in Po land has led to sharp fighting in which the Russians are said in Berlin to have suffered heavy losses. The war office announces that Tauroggin, in Russia, across the east Prussian border, was stormed successfully. In France and Belgium there were minor engagements at various points Coutinuod on Mntlt l*nge. [Willi BOYS BIN BUM Hummelstown Youth Who Makes Confes sion Gets Another Chance PROMISES TO QUIT SMORINC Says He Was With Another Youngster Who Dropped Lighted Match in Hay in Barn—Pair Then Ran and Rang Fire Alarm Bad associates, improper nourish ment and lack of proper home training were among the causes of juvenile crime mentioned by physicians and pro bation officers at a brief session of juvenile court this morning. Judge MeCarrell presided. The smoking hab it among boys name in for severe criti cism. by the court. .Judge MeCarrell required several of the boys to display their hands in a search for nicotine stained fingers. A Hummelstown youth, whb became 16 years old shortly after he was ar rested on several criminal charges, said he has made a resolution to be a better boy and then with a storv that appeared to Vie truthful he related in detail, even down to the minute, how he had ro/bbed the grocery store of Frank Brantner, Hummelstown; looted the barber shop of Frank Frantz, also of Hummelstown, and subsequently fired tfae hay barn of Robert J. Walton, Waltonville, causing a blaze that re sulted in an SBOO loss. Oi> his promise to do better Judge MeCarrell decided to give him "one more chance" and placed the lad on parole in the custody of Mrs. Anna Simonetti. The boy said another lad actually applied the match to the hay barn and he also declared that boy also was a party to the store robbery. The boy referred to recently was sent to the Huntingdon reformatory. Tells of Burning Barn On December 11, last, at 8.30 o'clock in the morning the two boys stole into the Brantner store, through the cellarway, so the youth testified this morning, and took a revolver, box of oandv, sixty-three cents and some to rontlnueil on Math I'aite. POSTSCRIPT PRICE ONE CENT. BIG GERMAN LOSSES AT SKWA RIVER Whole Division of Kai ser's Troops Suffers Heavily In Assuming the Offensive OBSTINATE FIGHT AT WACH NOW ON Great German Forces Taking Part In the Battle, in Which the Russians Claim to Have Captured an Ambu lance and Its Staff Petrograd, March 28, Via London. March 29, 4.47 A. M, —An official statement issued to-night by the Rus sian War Office says: "In the German offensive east of the Rkwa river a whole division was en gaged. It suffered heavy losses and not only failed to capture any of our trenches, but was obliged to abandon its first liue ot trenches at the village of Tnrak. "Great German forces are taking part in an obstinate battle at Wach. We have advanced some distance be hind the enemy's first line and captured an ambulance and its staff. German Squadrons Set in Motion "At the "illa?3 of Bomanewico. on the Pilica river, the retreating Germaus in their disorderly flight abandoned » huge quantity ol correspondence. THis contains manv letters from German sources complaining of their immense losses, nnd of starvation in the trenches and expressing hope for a speedy end of the war. "The Russ'an force which conduct ed reconiiaisiiuces toward Memel and defeated two landsturm regiments, thus causing the Germrns to concentrate a