General Outfitting Headquarters Fur Depot Gateway to Upper Yukon
THE NENANA NEWS
VOLUME IV
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
NENANA. ALASKA. SATURDAY. JULY, 21, 1923
NUMBER 480
PRESIDENT NOT DISTURBED BY THREATS
VILLA, FORMER BANDIT CHIEFTAN, ASSASSIN A TED
ENGL AND STARTS MOVE TO BRING PEACE TO EUROPE
VILLA KILLED IN FIGHT
ON RANCH BY SECRETARY
CHIHUAHUA CITY, July 21—
Francisco Pancho Villa, long active
as leader of the rebellion against
the Mexican federal government,
was killed on his ranch near this
city yesterday by Miguel Trillo, his
secretary. Trillo is said to have be
come incensed at the former bandit
leader and fired at him without
warning, shot causing 'the death
of Villa almost immediately.
The shooting was followed by a
general battle between the men
who quickly rallied to the support
of Trillo, and those loyal to Villa,
and more than 100 casualties are
said to have resulted, Trillo being
among those killed. Villa had about
800 men on the ranch all trained
in handling firearms and formerly
part of the Villa army in campaigns
against the Obregon government
prior to the surrender of Villa and
signing of the armistice. Trillo, who
has been acting as Villa’s secretary
lately, held the rank of colonel in
the Villa army.
De*erters Suspected
PARRAL. July 21—The body of
Francisco Pancho Villa, the Robin
Hood of Mexico and unquestionably
the most interesting character in
the Southern Republic, forming a
strange combination of “horse sense
and fiery impulse, lies in the city
hall here, where thousands of per
sons have viewed it. Always heavily
guarded, as part of his military
strategy learned in the hard school
of experience. Villa met death yes
terday on the outskirts of Parral.
near the Guana Juato bridge. Trillo
and Rosario, the first a body guard
and the second a bystander also met
death and one of the Villa guards
was wounded.
The attacking party numbered
seven, the bandit’s unlucky number.
General Martinez, commanding a de
tachment of 100 federal soldiers, is
reported to have captured three of
the attackers late yesterday and is
holding them pending further inves
tigations.
Two theories are advanced con
cerning the death of Villa. One is
that a deserter from the Villa guard
did the killing and the other is that
of revenge. Villa had no enemy so
bitter as Francisco Pen-era, sole
survivor of the P err era family,
prominent in Mexico. One of the
members of the family, general of
the left wing of the Villa army in
1904, was mysteriously murdered.
Another brother also a general, the
father and a younger brother were
executed Easter morning, 1915, af
ter having been led to the Parral
graveyard. Francisco Pen-era the
only member left is now a govern
ment official at Gomez palace.
Trillo Exonerated
CHIHUAHUA CITY, July 21
Official telegrams received at mili
tary headquarters confirm the death
of Villa and exonerate Secretary
Trillo of all blame. The report says
that Villa, Trillo, their chauffer and
two guards were ambushed by a
number of men and shot down.
Donald L. McGinnis, progressive
Anchorage clothier, arrived from the
coast yesterday on a hurried business
trip -which may take him to Fair
banks before returning to his home
at Anchorage.
PRESIDENT DOES NOT BELIEVE
FARMERS NEED EXTRA SESSION
I
SAN FRANCISCO SENDING
PARTY NORTH ON BUFORD
SAN FRANCISCO, July 21—The
steamer Buford, carrying trade en
voys from the San Francisco cham
ber of Commerce and a number of
1 Boston businessmen sailed this morn
| ing on a forty-day excursion to
| Alska and Siberia. The delegation
is headed by S. S. Hubbard and the
purpose of the outing i3 to study
commercial and economic conditions
in the North, and create interest in
the commercial activities of San
Francisco.
A class of twenty novices will be
initiated at Nome by the Shriner
members of the delegation.
The Buford will go first to Prince
Rupert, then to Ketchikan and then
to Juneau, and it is expected a
trip will be made to Interior Alas
ka by way of the Alaska Railroad.
GREEK ORPHAN BOYS TO
BE TRAINED AS FARMERS
LONDON, June 21—Two thou
sand orphan boys from Anatolia
have been transported as farm colon
ists to the rich agricultural district
behind the Macedonian front,
through the efforts of the Near East
Relief and the British Red Cross.
The Greek government has allot
ted 5,000 acres of land near Philippi
to the Near East Relief, which is
establishing three farm villages for
the boys. Within a year, the boys
will be able by hard work to esablish
themselves on individual farms.
This is the first farm experiment
of its kind in Greece and the Govern
ment farm experts will pay close
attention to the initial stages of the
enterprise.
i TO DESTROY SNAKES BY GAS
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, July 21—
| Poisonous gases will be used in the
destruction of Texas rattlesnakes,
according to present plans of the
predatory animal bureau of the U.
S. Department of Agriculture, as
sisted by the chemical -warfare ser
vice of the Eighth Army Corps Area
Major George M. Halloran, chemical
warfare officer of the corps, will be
gin experiments soon to determine
| which gas is the most effective in
i killing snakes.
Phosgene generaly is considered
j by the bureau to be among the
most fatal to animals with respira
tory systems and will be tried first
Other gases which may be used in
the experiments are chlorine, which
asphyviates, and mustard gas, which
sears or burns. The preliminary tests
will be conducted at Fort Sam Hous
ton, under the plans.
“It is planned to ascertain through
the summer which gas is most dead
ly to the rattlesnake, and when cold
weather comes and the reptiles have
i gone to dens and hibernating places
j to experiment on them en masse,’1
! said an announcement.
A safety device has been invented
for mine cars operated on incline?
that automatically stops them should
the hoist ropes break.
| CORDOVA, July 21—President
! Harding, it can be declared posi
I tively has no intention of calling
j Congress in session in advance ol
j the regular December meeting
I While the chief executive, himsell
j has made no direct statement, those
! among his Alaskan party who re
j fleet his views, assert that the Pres
ident has no idea of heeding the
! demand for an extra session made
I this week by Senator Brookhart
• Republican, of Iowa. The President
they say, feels that there is little
i or no need for any immediate
meeting of the federal legislative
| body and fkirthermore that the
I leaders in Congress, in common with
the public generally, are of the opin
ion that the country is benefiting
for m the present recess of Con
gress.
j As for need for relief legislator
for the farmers of the country
those close to the President are un
able to agree with Senator Brook
hart in that respect. They point oui
that the Executive, in his Hutchin
son, Kansas, address last month
presented a list of measures insti
tuted by the Government for the
benefit of the fanners which, he a:
that time said should, with the grad
■ ual improvement in business condi
; tions, restore the agricultural in
dustry to normal. Any further legis
lation at this time, it is held bj
some of the President’s advisers
would do more to hinder that re
■ storation than to help it.
j The President and Mrs. Harding
with the members of their party
are enroute today from Cordova tc
Sitka, scheduled to arrive at th<
latter place at nine o’clock tomor
, row morning for an all-day visii
before bidding farewell to Alaska
Alaska Will Develop
The concensus of opinion of th<
officials of the Harding party reach
ed after the virtual conclusion of
of their tour of inspection of the
Territory, is that Alaska will de
velop gradually. No sensational boom
can be expected as a result of the
j visit of the President and his party.
Secretary Hoover, it is expected
will make his Alaska policy clear
: in a statement to be issued
soon and, it is understood, it will be
confined largely to the fisheries pro
blem, suggesting probably the crea
tion of additional reservations with
a view to conveying the supply a
gainst too rapid harvesting.
Secretary Work is said to favor
amplification of the laws governing
homesteading, simplifying them in
such a way as to make possible the
more rapid issuance of patents by
the Washington government. In oth
j er respects he is said to agree that
the Harding administration is not
warranted in recommending that
i Congress authorize large appropria
i tions for Ala3jcan development, but
is willing to ask Congress to pro
vide for developments as they may
be needed.
Secretary Wallace already has
announced his conviction that agri
cultural development will be slow
;and that the farmers of the Terri
' tory yet have many difficulties to
overcome before they can get the
industry on a plane where success
is assurred.
Preiident On Trail
President Harding took a two
hour ride out the trail from Valdez
while the Henderson was in port
there, going as far as Wortmans.
Mrs. Harding, however, did not
1 leave the ship, having been ordered
by the presidential doctors to ab
stain from further exertion inci
dent to public receptions. She i>
responding nicely to the treatment,
however.
1 H. L. Rider, superintendent of th(
Kenai Star Mining Company, pas
sed through N'enana yesterday en
route to Fairbanks on a brief bus
iness trip, this being his first trif
to the Interior. The company undei
the direction of Mr. Rider, is doinj
extensive development work on it!
quartz properties in the Hope dis
trict, and the showing thus far mad<
(is very encouraging to those inter
'ested.
i’ Volney Richmond, supenntenden'
of the Northern Commercial com
pany, of Alaska, arrived in Nenanj
yesterday from an inspection trij
along the lower Yukon river, havinj
made the trip up river on the Gov
eminent steamer Davis. He wil
, leave for Fairbanks within the nex
day or two.
Harry A. Clark, postmaster at Ru
by, who has been in Fairbanks dur
ing the last several days on a com
; bined business and pleasure trip, re
turned to Nenana yesterday to a
wait the departure of one of thi
!
Government steamers, on which hi
j will return to his home at Ruby.
Miss Louise Pinska, sister of the
popular Fairbanks clothier and Miss
, Mathilda Johnson, who arrived in
the Interior recently from St. Paul
returned to Nenana from Fairbanks
yesterday and will return *to the
coast by way of the upper Yukon
river, leaving on the steamer Yukon
tomorrow. They were accompanied
i from the upper town by Mr. Pinska.
Mrs. Robert J. Sommers will leave
for Nome tonight on the steamer
Davis to spend the remainder of the
1 summer in that district with her
husband, who is in charge of road
11
: work there.
Bernard M. Stone, one of the most
widely known newspapermen in Al
aska, arrived from the coast yester
day for a stay of several days in Ne
nana. He is a guest at the Cooney
hotel.
_
I To prevent a fruit jar clipping
S when its lid is being screwed on 01
removed is the purpose of a new
clamp that can be fastened to a
table
WHEAT GROWERS PLANNING
CURTAILMENT OF PLANTING
CHICAGO, July, 21—A coopera
tive agreement to curtail the psroduc
' tion of wheat by the Wheat Grow
er’s conference of the Southwest,
will clear the way for the prosper
ity of wheat growers in 1924, ac
cording to a statement made here
i yesterday by Grosvenor Dawe, exe
cutive vice president of the Wheat
Council of the United States. The
statement was contained in a report
submitted to the council.
MEXICO TO EXTEND MANY
COURTESIES TO SCIENTISTS
MEXICO CITY, July 21—Excur
sion rates, consisting of a round
trip ticket for a one-way fare, have
been established by the National
Line for those who wish to visit the
northern .-tates of Mexico on Sep
tember 10, to observe the total ec
lipse of the sun. It is hoped that
similar rates will be granted by the
railways of the United States.
In preparation for the thousands
of scientists and others who are ex
pected to visit Mexico to view the
eclipse the government is planning
the establishment of numerous en
campments at advantageous point8
in San Luis Potosi, Lower California
and Sonora. While the phenomenon
will be visible in all parts of the
republic, these states are believed
to offer more advantage? for accur
ate observation.
The news that the world’s most
eminent scientists from America,
Europe and Asia will attempt to
check the accuracy of the Einstein
theory of relativity by observations
of the sun’s eclipse from Mexico’s
mountains has roused the govern
ment to exert every effort to facili
tate their work. Their instruments
will be alowed to enter the country
duty free and the government plan;
to erect whatever structures may be
needed.
PLANE CRASHES—TWO DIE
CHANUTE FIELD. 111.. July 21
First Lieut, Harold McNab of De
catur, 111., and First Lieut. Edward
j N. Kinney of Chicago, were killed
here yesterday when the plane crash
ed while they were trying to make
a landing.
FAMOUS BIBLE GOES TO ITALY
1
i
i
LONDON, July 21—The famous
Bible of the Borso d’Este valued at
$250,000 and belonging at one time
to the late Emporer Karl of Austria
has been purchased by a rich Milan
manufacturer who outbid an Ameri
can banker for it.
Ti.e Bible is illuminated by ar
tists of the 15th century and is re
garded by antiquarians as the fin
est specimen of its kind in existence.
During his stay in Switzerland, be
ing short of money, sold the rare
book to a London antiquary, who in
turn disposed of it to its present
owner in Italy.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT TAKES
STEPS TO AVERT WAR CRISIS
I
1 LONDON, July 21—There ia a
feeling of relief here as a rejuit of
the dispatch yesterday of a British
I note seeking American and Allied
; views on the reparations issue. It
! is understood the note suggests the
the appointment of an international
commission of experts to make a
study of Germany's ability to pay.
i suggests to Germany that in re
! turn for a cessation of passive re
j sistance to French occupation. Great
, Bri.ain will request that France per
j mit the recovery of German industry
j by reducing to a minimum the
; forces of occupation and the purpose
| finally, of submitting the entire re
parations problem to a conference
i of plenipotentiaries who might meet
; at Brussels.
The German government, through
the London embassy, has been striv
ing 'to have the reparations note
convey to the French government
Germany’s willingness to cease its
passive resistance in Ruhr, subject to
certain concessions, these con
cessions to include the with
drawal of Franco-Belgian troops
of occupation, with the excep
tion of a skeleton force, and per
mis>j./n f»r expelled German officers
to return to their posts, restoring lo
cal administrations and ail civil ser
vice. Another concession demande 1
I is that the French government agree
1 to restore confiscated currency, a
I demand with which the French gov
’ ernment, it is thouhg't here will not
i be granted because it is not accom
panied by any definite assurance or
guarantees that the reparations pay
ments will be forthcoming.
I
OCCUPATION INTERRUPTS
SWITZERLAND TOURIST TRAVEL
BASEL, Switzerland, July 21 —
Swiss tourist traffic has been hard
hit by the French occupation along
the Rhine, and the consequent up
setting of through travel from Scan
dinav.a, Holland, Poland and France
which foremerly drained through
the Rhine valley.
Trains still run, but they are slow
and irregular as compared with the
service which formerly connected
Ostend, Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam
and Copenhagen with the German
watering places along the Rhine and
in Switzerland. The public was ac
i
, customed to the old route and s
slow to start on other lines which
are not affected by the French oc
cupation, but cannot offer the o’d
time de luxe service.
_
BOY GUARD TO PROTECT
THE CANADIAN FORESTS
OTTAWA, Ont.. July 21—One
hundred and forty thousand Canadi
an school boys have been banded into
an army of guards to watch for and
prevent forest fires in the Dominion
this year, according to an announce
ment made by the Canadian Forestry
Association.
I The new organization, which is
known as the Young Canadians For
est League, will, it is expected, save
several million dollars worth of timb
er from fire ravages.
MEXICALLI, lower Cal., July 21
—The Mexican government has as
signed 60 men to patrol the 50
mile strip of border between Low
er Calofmia and the United States,
! where drug runners are active.