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THE NOME DAILY NUGGET
- JIXULill 1_ - -- - " " --- -----—---- ' ' 1 — ~ ' -
VOL. 37. No. 59. NOME, ALASKA, Tuesday, March 10, 1936. Per Copy Ten Cents
Confessed to Slaying Nomeites Wife
Funds Granted New Nome-Bethel Air Mail Route
BODY MRS. ADA FRENCH RICE
FORMER WIFE CHAS. RICE OF
NOME FOUND UNDER 2 FT. LIME
Jerome Braun Selz Confessed Slaver
»
Suspected Of Two Other Slayings
Woodside, Calif., March
10th — Sheriff James Mc
Grath said that Jerome von
Braun Selz, aged twenty
seven, confessed to the slay
ing of Mrs. Ada French
Rice in her Woodside Glen
home, with a poker last
June thirteenth. He insist
ed that the body of the fif
ty eight year old Alaska
woman was never found
and never would be. Selz
is reported to have said
that a man slugged him as
he entered the unlighted
cottage which he rented
from Mrs. Rice, and “in the
darkness grabbed a poker
and hit someone on the
head. The body fell and
some one ran to the back
door and turned on the
lights and I found I had kill
ed Mrs. Rice.”
The trail leading to the
purported confession be
gan when he admitted
when faced with the hold
up of a service station
where he was employed.
An investigation showed
he was living in her home
and that she had not been
seen since June. He had
no deed to the property and
it was alleged that he forg
ed her signature and trans
ferred her bank account to
himself and writing letters
to her son, Hugh French of
New York, who asked the
authorities to hold Selz for
the disappearance of his
mother.
She was married on Jan
uary 29, 1935, to Charles
Freeman Rice, former May
or of Nome, Alaska. He in
stituted divorce proceed
ings a month later.
Selz is facing a quiz for
the killing of Loise Tuber
of San Diego, Kathyleen
Robinson of San Mateo and
Mrs. Betty Coffman of San
Francisco, due to boasts
that he knew something of
their deaths.
Woodside, Calif., March;
10 —The body of Mrs. Ricej
was found in a 'two-foot
deep grave near the Sky
line Boulevard, eleven mil
es northwest of the Sarato
ga, San Mateo, Santa Cruz
county line, covered with
quick lime and was easily
identified. Selz pointed out
the spot and was rushed
back to jail and didn’t wit
ness the unearthing of the
body. The gravesite is in
a heavily wooded section
and down an incline where
passerbys could not see it.
In Seattle it was learned
that Chas. F. Rice, aged
seventy-two, Nome and
Seattle contractor discov
ered that Mrs. Rice was the
former Mrs. Ada Mengler.
“I made several attempts
to find her during the divor
ve proceedings but receiv
ed no answers to the pub
lished notices.” Rice was
mayor of Nome in 1921 and
1922.
Redwook City, Calif.,
March 10 — Officers ques
tioned Jerome von Braun
Selz about the disappear
ance on June nineteenth of
Mrs. Ada French Rice aged
fifty eight, after he alleged
ly said he knew something
about it and lived in her
home. He was also quizz
ed on the unsolved slayings
of Betty Coffman, whose
nude razor slashed body
was found in San Francis
co on April seventh; and of
Miss Louise Teuber, who
was found hanging on a
tree at San Diego, April
in nineteen thirty one.
A Seward, Alaska, dis
patch said that Mrs. Rice’s
husband was exmayor of
Nome. She is the sister of
Mayor Don Carlos Brown
ell of Seward. Brownell
said that his sister often
went away without telling
anyone where she was go
ing. He last saw her last
summer when she was en
route south from Seward.
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OFFICE OF A. J. DIMOND
Delegate from Alaska
(By J. J. ECKLES)
February 15
The temporary authority
granted on December 13.
1935, permitting Federal
agencies in Alaska to pur
chase coal for current
needs, irrespective of the
provision in the Bitumin
ous Coal Conservation Act
precluding purchases from
coal producers other than
Code Members, has been
ordered terminated today
by the National Bituminous
Coal Commission. The Com
mission holds that now
with the opportunity hav
ing been given all coal pro
ducers in Alaska to obtain
Code membership, there is
no further need for the au
thority of indiscriminate
purchase and that it is
against public policy to con
tinue such authority for the
government agencies.
February 8. The applica
tion of Radio Station KG
BU, at Ketchikan, for a con
struction permit to author
ize changes in die equip
ment and the increase in
power from 500 watts to
1000 watts during night
time operation, and 5000
watts during daytime opera
tion, was approved by the
Federal Communications
Commission. In the con
clusions reported on the
hearing of this application,
the Examiner for the Com
mission reported, ‘There
are many unusual consid
erations involved herein
which indicate a need for
the increased power re
quested and it is believed
that the granting of this
application will well serve
public interest, convenience
and necessity.”
February 10. Two bills
were introduced in the
House today by Delegate
Dimond. One of these was
to authorize the city of
Klawok to issue bonds in
any amount not exceeding
$20,000 for the purpose of
making improvements in
the water system and sew
er system and other munic
ipal works. The other bill
is to authorize and direct,
the Secretary of War to
have an examination made
of the Matanuska River
with a view to the control
of floods in the vicinity of
Matanuska.
February 12. Assistant
Administrator Aubrey Will
iams, of the Federal Emer
gency Relief Administra
tion, today advised Dele
gate Dimond that an addi
tional 33 1-3', increase ov
er the funds made avail
able for relief purposes in
the Territory last Novem
ber by the Federal Govern
ment.
The War Department Ap
prapriation Bill for the fis
cal year 1937 passed the
House yesterday carrying
several items for Alaska.
They are:
\laska Communications
System (U.S. Signal Corps)
$163,338, an increase of $6,
585 over the appropriation
made for the fiscal year
1936. In testifying before
the sub-committee having
charge of the bill, General
James B. Allison, Chief of
the Signal Corps, called at
tention to the fact that the
operation of the system
turned into the United Stat
es Treasury in cash the sum
of $299,819 for the fiscal
year 1935, the same being
receipts from commercial
business, and that in add
ition the system handled
without charge during that
year about four million
words, approximately one
third of the agregate traffic,
for various Government De
partments.
The bill also carries an
item of $800 for mainten
ance of the Salmon River
flood control works. This
is to be supplemented by
$200 supplied by the city
of Hyder making the total
sum available for mainten
ance $1,000.
For Hood control of Low
ell Creek near Seward, Al
aska, the bill appropriates
$8,000. an increase of $6,
000 over the appropriation
for the fiscal year 1930.
This increase has been
made necessary by the flood
which did much damage
last fall to the flume used to
carry the waters of Lowell
Creek. A bill has been in
troduced by the Delegate
calling for an examination
and survey of this project
(Continued on Page Three
ENGLAND REFUSES FRENCH
REQUEST FOR HELP TO OUST
GERMAN ARMY FROM RHINE
France Ready To Treat \\ it It Germany
For The Peace Of Europe Is \l Stake
(Bv The Associated Press)
Paris, March 10— (Copy
righted) The British refus
ed France’s request for im
mediate help in ousting Ger
many’s armies in the Rhine
land. The French issued a
general appeal to league
members for support "to
fight for peace.”
Foreign Minister Flandin
failed to obtain backing in
a conference of the Locar
no signatories. Premier
Sarraut, before the Cham
ber of Deputies proclaimed
the government’s deter
mination for a precise de
cision on “agonizing prob
lems of strength of right
against might.” Minister
of Justice Yvon Delbos
made a similar plea in the
Senate.
Sarraut asked the Ger
mans "Would you have con
fidence in France’s signing
of new treaties if she had
just torn up old ones. How
then, can France have con
fidence in fresh negotia
tions which Germany pro
poses. France cannot be
dominated by violence.
France is ready to treat
with Germany once again
in respect for international
law for she is assured that
.he future of European
peace is at stake.”
In London, King Edward
conferred with Baldwin and
Secretary of War Cooper.
Britain is assuming the role
of conciliator in the crisis.
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Appropriations
Made For New
Air Mail Route
(By The Associated ^ress)
Washington, March 10 —
The. Senate Appropriations
Committee yesterday add
ed two hundred forty two
thousand, seven hundred
fifty five dollars to the treas
urv Post Office bill for the
new Nome-Bethel Air Mail
service and from Ketchi
kan to Fairbanks via White
horse and Tanana Crossing,
and from Tanana Crossing
to Seward via Cordova, Val
dez and Anchorage.
The Senate also confirm
ed the appointment of Brig
ham Y. Grant as postmas -
er at Wrangell.
Card Party and Dance
The Catholic Ladies will
give a card party and dance
including refreshments,
March 17th, at St. Joseph's
Hall, 9 p.m. General ad
mission 75 cents.4-t
Courts Give 1 he
Custody of Child
To Ann Harding
< By The A xociated Press)
Los Angeles, March 10 —
Ann Harding was granted
court permission to take a
trip o Europe with her
daughter, aged seven, after
i stormy hearing in which
her ex-husband. Harry
Bannister, actor, was charg
ed with demanding money
from h'T on threats of pub
licly scandalizing her.
which his attorney denied.
Odd Fellows And
Rebekahs Attention
AM Odd Fellows and Ke
bekahs are requested to as
semble at the parsonage o
the Federated Church a'
l:dO p.m. for the purpose o
attending the last rites o
our late brother, Sylvan;
Sansoucy, to be held at th<
Federated Church. VVedne
day, March 11, 2 p.m.
Norvin W. Lewis, secty
NAT Tri-Motor Plane Will Arrive Nome Wed. and
WILL DEPART FRIDAY, MARCH 13, FOR FAIRBANKS AND VALDEZ