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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Jul 03, 1949
Page
1
Partly cloudy weather with scattered thundershowers in Alabama and warm humid conditions in Tennessee. Local travel and holiday events include families visiting West Palm Beach, Carlsbad, and Montgomery. Police report 14 arrests for drunkenness and traffic violations after a busy night.
Alabama cotton leaders meet in Montgomery to approve a statewide education program to boost cotton production costs and consumption. The plan, backed by multiple state and national groups, will roll out via district and county meetings beginning in July with North Alabama sessions at Belle Mina and Crossville.
Decatur slows as Alabama Hosiery Mill closes for a week of vacations with 4 percent vacation pay for staff with over five years and 2 percent for those with one to five years. Cooper Wells and Co. lets workers take July fourth off and closes July 22 to August 1 for another week of vacation with the same pay structure. Decatur Iron and Steel Co. adopts a different summer vacation plan for all employees.
A weekend of religious holidays sees Slovak peasants rally with pitchforks and clubs to guard Catholic priests from communists, as travel limits on diplomats hinder Western observers. Bulgarian Premier Georgi Dimitrov dies, with Stalin leading tributes in Moscow.
The Associated Press reports 76 traffic deaths and 31 drownings over the long weekend, with 14 in miscellaneous accidents. Four lives lost in New Haven and another four in Texas highlight the holiday danger as states list totals. The National Safety Council projects a weekend toll near 290 with about 33 million cars on the roads.
Seattle July holiday attractions feature the Northwest Regional Conference of Nudists on Tiger Mountain. Pilots from Sky Ranch near Issaquah planned rush business while Nudist protesters challenged aerial peels over the grounds. Sky Ranch manager Ab Davies cited airspace freedom and a backing from a CAA representative. Nearby regions Idaho Montana British Columbia Alberta may follow.
A pedestrian was hit by a truck while walking near Pike and He Heights community areas in Tarrant. The incident occurred in a busy stretch and police are investigating the circumstances.
The $20 million bridge bill, expanded from 15 million, stalls as administration filibuster continues. Senators Robin Swift and Bruce Henderson push the measure amid repeated amendments and extended debate. An overpass project in Dothan-Cottonwood gets federal funds strings. others demand state finance or federal matching. The chamber plans to resume after the Fourth of July holiday.
Tuscaloosa firemen report the most unusual fire alarm in history caused Friday night by a lightning bug that lit up an attic. Assistant Chief Woolsey Morris said the bug crawled over cracks in the ceiling and sparked a false alarm at a Negro dwelling. Fire crew responded and found no fire.
Betty Bowen 16 and Alwyn Sonny Ivers 19, engaged in Oklahoma City, wed in hospital plan after he survives a shootout with a masked bandit. Betty grabbed the gun, shot the attacker four times, and drove them to safety. Ivers was wounded, lying in a Southwest Los Angeles car as details emerged.
Robert L. Stephenson aged 72, a retired industrialist and former vice president of the Decatur Iron & Steel Company, died suddenly Saturday night at 6:30 at the home of Mrs. R. M. Rieves in Birmingham. Funeral services will be held Monday at Brown's Chapel in Decatur with Rev. Otis S. Kirby officiating and interment in the city cemetery. He is survived by a niece, Mrs. Rieves, and other relatives.
Major Coie of the 1343rd Engineer Combat Battalion announces plans nearly complete for the Alabama National Guard unit to move to Fort Benning Georgia for two week annual field training starting July 10 by motor march rather than rail. About 11 000 enlisted members statewide ready for the program, with openings in Captain Sims Company C at Hartselle. Enlistments on hold until after Fort Benning return July 24.
Senators George and Taft pressed for spending reductions after the Treasury deficit neared 1.8 billion dollars. George urged a 5 percent cut, targeting ECA and armed services funding, while Taft linked revenue drops to rising unemployment and stressed economy in federal outlays.
State Representative Bil Stewart says prospects for the Somerville Arab road and the Falkville Eva road look brighter. He notes talks with Governor Foltom and State highway officials, and mentions discussions with Senator Noble Russell. The group has held several conferences on their construction.
In Roanoke Virginia a Hastings court jury found 16 year old Lee Bobby Scott guilty of first degree murder in the church slaying of 16 year old Dana Marie Weaver and sentenced him to 99 years in prison after two hours of deliberation The verdict disposition followed a question from the jury about life terms and parole and defense moves to set aside the verdict.
In Tuscaloosa county a father and son from Powderly were drowned when a small boat overturned at Lock 17 on the Warrior river. The victims were Silas Ray senior about 45 and Silas Ray junior about 25. A third person wore a life preserver and survived. Mrs Ray and three young children were unaware of the tragedy at the scene.
A strong tremor was reported in Pasadena California today. Dr Charles Richter of the California Institute of Technology was cited as evaluating the event. The quake was felt at 12 40 p.m. Pacific Standard Time with potential for damage if near populated areas.
A Methodist minister Rev Luther Brown reported receiving a warning about being on the whipping list after mobs flogged and threatened philosophers. State authorities under Bankhead Bates began investigating the alleged floggings across Clay and Marion counties with other ministers revealing hooded attacks and cross burnings while a veteran claimed a similar assault near Boston.
A July 9 postponement was set for the condemnation suit filed by the Decatur Board of Education seeking 3.72 acres for a negro high school athletic field. Paul Penney and Birmingham Trust National Bank, trustees of the J. E. Penney estate, are defendants. If no agreement is reached, the city may take the property under eminent domain.
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