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Newspaper
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Location
Bluefield, West Virginia, United States of America
Date
Dec 29, 1929
Page
1
The article traces the origin and meaning of holidays from ancient times to modern observances. It notes how celebrations reflect a people’s moral development and describes how Christmas and other feasts emerged from pagan traditions and later Christian adaptation.
The article argues Christmas stems from Christ and earlier Jewish feasts, noting Puritans once viewed celebrations as unholy while Jesus and the Apostles celebrated religious feasts. It cites Pope Julius I setting December 25 as the Christmas date, Dickens, and modern customs like gifts, lights, and trees. It mentions Druids once using mistletoe rituals and hints at broader holiday traditions.
Buffalo N Y December 28 warrants charging manslaughter in the second degree will be issued Monday against three members of coast guard patrol boat No 2245 crew in the fatal shooting of Eugene F Downey Jr on Christmas night. The guardsmen Randolph H Thompson Orville Lagrant and Asa Ennes accompanied by Commander Martin W Rasmussen and Captain Forney will be arraigned Tuesday and remain under military arrest until then.
Chicago unions and actors faced renewed racketeering as three bootleg and extortion suspects were slain by detectives. A Christmas charity scam involving theater casts surfaced with donations paid for nonexistent dinners. The coal teamsters conflict centered on George Barker and a pending contract, while a cleaner trade dispute ended with a major plant project to avoid competition. William Quan and William Wilson, longtime criminals, were among the dead. Frank W. Rein was identified postmortem as one victim.
The United States and Germany reach a reparations settlement aligning with the Young plan. Acting Secretary Ogden Mills says Congress will review the agreement which abates the American share and follows proposed annuities of 40,800,000 reich marks from each payment.
Senator Frederick M. Sackett of Kentucky is named by President Hoover to be ambassador to Germany. He is an intimate Hoover ally, recently served in the food administration during World War I, and would be the second senator in Hoover’s diplomacy lineup after Walter Edge's France posting. Sackett's selection eases Kentucky Republican political tensions ahead of the spring primaries.
Fort William Ontario December 28 Mrs C C Gerow's Christmas turkey is blamed for a gold fever sweeping Rossport after two bean sized gold nuggets were found in the turkey's crop. The turkey came from a neighbor who bought it from a butcher who bought it from a farmer near Rossport.
Elmer Grayson a Smiths Grove KY bandit tied to the Oakland KY robbery says he drove the getaway car and acted in the robbery but denied murder. He identified two Indianapolis men as co‑participants and told investigators he fled when pursued as citizens opened fire.
Senator Borah charged that open saloons operate in district attorney offices nationwide as Washington reels from fresh enforcement clashes. He attacked the permit system as a scandal while Senators Jones and Capper urged broad action by Hoover and tied Borah’s demand for a cleanup to recent moves by Attorney General Mitchell and Chairman Wickersham. The dispute rises as Congress reconvenes with renewed enforcement debate.
United States business outlook in December shows strength with Lamont noting inventories and demand remain balanced despite a stock market dip. In Huntington West Virginia a trio of unmasked fugitives Adrian and Dana Bias and Basil Childers robbed two groceries and a gas station within blocks, stealing about $230. Police, aided by witnesses, pursued multiple leads and news photos helped identify the suspects who escaped from Maundenville prison on December 18.
Huntington detective report states Olet Sexton aged 26 died from bullet wounds inflicted by an unidentified gunman who robbed a filling station last Saturday. The bandit fled without obtaining any money.
Public showing of the Peking man skull in Peiping indicates a finding over a million years old with a large brain capacity. Dr. Davidson Black notes features like massive brow ridges and jaw mechanics, while Roy Chapman Andrews calls the discovery the most important in human evolution.
Officials in Washington expect the French position on the London naval conference not to derail talks. Secretary Stimson refuses to comment as House Naval Affairs members urge that Paris could still allow a three power agreement if needed. Kellogg Pact reference draws debate over its role in enforcing peace.
President and Mrs. Hoover will host the traditional New Year’s reception at the White House starting 11 o clock a m with cabinet and diplomatic corps, followed by Supreme Court justices, lawmakers, military, public health and coast guard officers, and departmental officials.
At his Ormond Beach home The Casements John D Rockefeller Jr danced a jig at a Christmas party after a golf victory earlier in the day. He joined Mrs W T Bovard of Ormond for a partner in a game on the Rockefeller Yale fete night in a festive room with gifts from the Christmas tree.
New York City Police Commissioner Grover Whalen and Chicago Police Commissioner William Ruaselli announced a joint program to fight racketeering. The plan creates racketeering squads in both cities and a continual exchange of personnel and evidence, starting with Chicago receiving New York case material from the Marlow and Yale gang slayings.
The Stavropol captain reported Carl Ben Ellison, missing American aviator, may have landed with natives near Tchukotsky Bay. Reports say smoke seen near Vankarem and a plane sighting west of there, in addition to a raging gale along the Arctic coast where Ellison and Earl Herland have been missing for weeks.
Reports from Moscow claim Carl Ben Eilson and mechanic Earl Borland were seen by natives near St Lawrence Island. The sighting suggests they drifted about 300 miles south of their planned course after disappearing on November 9. R. 8 Pollister, Seattle representative for Swenson Fur Trading, was in Seattle today.
Alphonse Lapke, 30, is jailed on charges of fatally slaying his mother Mrs. Anton Lapke, 50, at their farm home 22 miles north of here. Officials say the fatal throat wound followed frequent quarrels over finances. the body was found in a straw stack. The father and four sons were detained for questioning in connection with the case.
Paris reports the chamber of deputies approved 2.9 billion francs to strengthen frontiers and expand the navy, with over a third usable in 1930. Senate ratified the appropriations amid calls to defend the Rhineland border and notes 45,000 tons of new naval tonnage for 1930 including a cruiser, six destroyers, six first class submarines, and a submarine mine layer.
House Democrats push for a coalition with progressive Republicans to back Hawley Smoot rates for farm products. Garner of Texas argues a joint vote could force a record agriculture rate vote, while Borah and Ramseyer weigh the timing and chances of success amid mixed Democratic support.
Shanghai dispatch reports the Nationalist government will end extraterritorial rights on January 1, asserting sovereignty over all residents. Foreigners in Shanghai doubt an immediate full cancellation and expect only limited enforcement outside treaty ports for now, with possible wider scope after a year.
Paris reports the chamber backed Premier Andre Tardieu by 116 to 271 on the bank for international settlements. It marked the ministry’s third win in two days as deputies Marjanne and Bonnet attacked the bank’s scope and warned of American influence unless governments control the institution.
Lousville, Ky. December 28 Jouett Shouse chairman of the Democratic national committee criticized President Hoover for not declaring his position on the pending tariff act. Speaking at a dinner honoring Woodrow Wilson's birth Shouse said Hoover avoided views on a major issue but previously rejected congressional actions on the debenture and flexibile tariff provisions.
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