06 May 1940
Page 1
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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
May 06, 1940
Page
1
The column riffs on the Franco British Norwegian crisis and US drift toward possible involvement in a future war. It notes editors misinterpret foreign news, questions German air power claims, and fears an additional American expeditionary force. It also critiques Washington politics and press access at annual editors’ meetings.
The U S Supreme Court refused to review Walter W Rhodes of Iowa City who faces execution Tuesday for the 1937 dynamite gun slaying of his wife Mabel He argued unfair trial coercion and juror bias The Iowa Supreme Court had upheld the conviction Marshalltown lawyer J B Tye sought a stay from Justice Stanley Reed Pending review of the state court action.
Fort Madison Iowa AP reports Walter Ho Rhodes condemned wife killer spent his last day with relatives accepting death on the penitentiary gallows at 7 15 a m Tuesday He gave up hope of reprieve and had a chicken dinner Sunday Rhodes has been on death row since April 1937 and the scaffold was prepared days ago with four others executed in the past 27 months Col Glenn C Haynes the warden said he would check for any last requests.
Ida Chamness of West Branch and her two daughters visited Gov. George A. Wilson to seek a last minute reprieve for Walter H. Rhodes. The governor declined a life sentence commutation and denied a 10 day delay. Chamness had previously aided John Mercer’s case and burial after Mercer’s execution in Madison.
Col Robert W. Stewart of Chicago will launch Coe college fundraising in Linn county with a Monday Memorial Coliseum dinner and a 30 minute band concert starting at 6. Colored motion pictures of Coe campus life will be shown. Stewart, a trustees member and donor, outlined campaign aims to Coe students at the Monday chapel service and will be introduced by Dr. Harry M. Gage.
The Supreme Court, in a 5-2 ruling, upheld convictions of 12 oil companies and five officials for Sherman Act price fixing in the Midwest. The decision, 67 pages, rejects market stabilization as a defense, covering Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
An 83 year old motorist William H Dunshee paid a $50 fine plus costs in Justice H R Churchill s court for leaving the scene of an accident without identifying himself after Captain Gordon Hughes of the police traffic division refused a settlement proposal. Assistant County Attorney Carl Hendrickson had suggested a $25 fine if Dunshee would pay damages to P A Olson whose car was side swiped while parked on First avenue East. Dunshee pleaded guilty and Hendrickson noted the case would be continued to page 2 column 8.
President Roosevelt urged support for an international agreement to protect civilians from bombing. He warned the shelling of noncombatants is a universal atrocity and backed adherence to any convention ensuring civilian protection. Norman H. Davis noted 250,000 American women made 2,000,000 garments for Europe with Red Cross funds and gifts.
President Roosevelt left his Hyde Park estate eight hours early and departed by special train for Washington. Officials gave no explanation for the shortened stay at the estate.
The Rev Charles E. Coughlin asked Sunday why laborers of any nation should become cannon fodder for commercial wars. He urged workers not to submit to being used to maintain the power and dominance of those who profit from conflict.
Cartoonish wartime commentary by Arthur Bugs Baer compares war to hens scratching in neighbors' gardens. He notes wars erupt in unlikely places and that by standard, both sides suffer while others pay the price. The piece mocks strategic rationale and highlights collateral damage.
More than 100 Cedar Rapids residents visited the census office in the Federal building on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon for enumeration. An additional 50 people scheduled interviews by telephone as area manager Milo J. Sedlacek reported that cooperation is high and more appointments will fill remaining slots. The office may extend hours, with possible weekend and Sunday additions if counts continue to rise.
The piece portrays Abraham Lincoln facing harsh, vicious criticism with steadfast resolve. It argues his success came from ignoring spite, maintaining focus, and doing his best despite jeers. A closing quip emphasizes resilience and steady effort until the end.
Yugoslav and Italian border clashes near Fiume spark fears of a broader conflict as Turkish, German, and Russian movements draw in the region. Diplomatic efforts involve Britain and Germany seeking Bulgarian support and a potential corridor to the Aegean as Greece faces renewed tensions.
In Blackpool England the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers narrowly rejected a resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities against Germany. The vote totaled 62,908 against the motion with the margin not disclosed in full.
Clouds brought rain prospects as Cedar Rapids saw a warming trend from 50 at 7 am to 64 by 2:30 pm. The day reached a year high of 82 at 4:30 pm after a 38 degree low from 1 to 3 am with humid fair conditions and readings on the Chambers Inskeep dial.
German forces mass ski troops and aircraft from Trondheim toward Narvik as submarines deploy along Norway’s north coast to challenge Allied naval dominance. A claimed British battleship was hit near Narvik while Norway’s south road to Namsos fell under German control, with reports of hits on British forces and a possible invasion of Britain discussed by German observers.
George Gorman, of 291 Fourteenth Street SE, was arrested Sunday evening by Highway Patrolman James Clapp after his car crossed the curb and swerved into a private drive. The county attorney said a preliminary charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated would be filed Tuesday after consultation with Justice Churchill.
In London Allied reports say three destroyers sunk by bombs as the war widens. Berlin claims Alpine troops march 200 miles to aid besieged Narvik and a British battleship was hit by a bomb. Budapest warns of Balkan fear with troops from Germany Russia Italy and Turkey on the move. Paris notes ongoing fighting around French outposts in the Saar for a third day with heavy artillery.
The Associated Press reports sinking of three Allied destroyers by German bombers. The French admiralty confirms the destroyer Bison sunk near North Sea convoy operations plus the Polish naval unit cites the warship Grom sent to action. British losses include the Afridi and Cossick incidents. Norwegian campaign details indicate Narvik operations slow with 3,000 to 4,000 German-held troops nearby. Prime Minister Chamberlain faces calls for stronger war conduct as critics blame government handling amid withdrawals.
In Cedar Rapids James Titus 39 of Grand Rapids pled guilty to larceny after stealing small change from S. P. Ellerton at a filling station. Titus was convicted after deception at a Veterans club and sentenced to 30 days in jail with 10 days to be served and rest suspended on leaving Linn County.
The Watersbury Republican and American of Connecticut won a $500 Pulitzer gold medal for 1939 merit in exposing municipal graft. The award honors disinterested service by an American newspaper and recognizes the paper's campaign that uncovered corrupt practices.
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