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Newspaper
Grafton Sentinel
Location
Grafton, West Virginia, United States of America
Date
Dec 19, 1940
Page
1
Prime Minister Churchill told the House of Commons that invasion remains a supreme danger and Hitler must act within the next two months. He cited German air attacks easing but warned Britain cannot be complacent while Britain readies long range defenses and remains well armed for 1941.
British forces closed in on the Libyan port of Bardia from land sea and air while Italian troops reportedly fell back toward Tobruk under heavy harassment. Reports say Bardia may fall and Tobruk could be abandoned as Italian lines crumble under intensified assault.
The Grafton Sentinel invites Mrs G W Cole of 629 West Main Street to attend tonight's screenings of Money and the Woman with Jeffrey Lynn and Brenda Marshall at the Dixie theatre or Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier at the Strand theatre.
A B 17 bomber on a routine training flight crashed into Marion mountain in the San Bernardino National Forest killing six Army fliers. The dead include Ist Lieut Harold J. Turner of Corning Iowa Ist Lieut Donald T Ward of West Los Angeles Ist Lieut Vernon McCauley Riverside and Sgt Thomas P Sweet among the crew. Official investigation launched with strict secrecy.
Unconfirmed reports from the Greek Italian battlefront in Albania say Italian forces pulled back from Klisura and Tepeleni. A second dispatch suggests Greek occupation is imminent. Italians reportedly retreated to nearby heights to cover the towns while Greek advances unfold.
The Navy announced contracts totaling more than 50 million dollars to seven companies for ordnance plant expansion and equipment. The largest, 45 million dollars, went to Carnegie-Illinois Steel for the ordnance plant at South Charleston West Virginia, covering building expansion and tooling and equipment.
London reports three consecutive RAF raids on Mannheim the southwest German industrial hub to disrupt Rhine Neckar river rail links to Italy. The attack linked with strikes on Milan Genoa and an airfield in northern Italy, aiming to sever axis communications while British forces press in Libya and aid efforts in Albania.
Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands arrived in Washington and met President Roosevelt and the first lady. She planned to attend Mrs. Roosevelt's all female press conference, have tea at the Dutch legation, and join a formal White House dinner. Her first day included a motor tour past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial to Mount Vernon.
Helsinki dispatch reports Risto Ryti, acting president since last summer, was elected president by the electoral college with 280 of 300 votes to complete Kyosti Kallio’s term through March 1943. Ryti, wartime prime minister and financier, had served as acting president since Kallio’s illness. The Soviet press urged a leader to maintain stable foreign policy and friendly neighborly relations.
Secretary Hull urged a wartime production basis to speed up munitions. The plan for unlimited aid to Britain would trigger a surge of orders for factories behind on contracts. Wartime efficiency aims to peak output quickly as Britain, Greece, China and pan American defense programs require ready arms.
Madera California December 19 Hal Kemp orchestra leader was treated today for a broken left leg rib fractures and multiple cuts after yesterday's head on collision on Highway 99. The other car’s driver was slightly injured. One car pulled out to pass another machine.
The Sentinel notes the campaign speeding toward its finish with four major awards in play. Subscriptions remain strong, with top credit totals rising as few bid to stay in top spots. Clubs offer 200,000 credits per ten dollars, prompting anxious competitors to boost weekly volumes to maintain or improve positions. Continued on Page three.
A federal court in Chicago dismissed an indictment against Western Union Telegraph and 11 individuals for conspiring to violate lottery laws by interstate delivery of racing results. Judge William H. Holly sustained a demurrer, dropping most charges tied to M. L. Annenberg era figures now linked to the case.
In Middlebourne on December 18 1855 two native residents Mrs Nancy Huth and Mrs Marie Crumline Courtney marked 85 years with a joint birthday observance. Each is the last surviving member of her family. Mrs Huth, youngest daughter of late Christian B Engle who served as Tyler county circuit clerk 1862 to 1896, mourns the loss of her husband William H Huth who died ten years ago.
The U S battleship Arkansas and freighter Melrose collided about 15 miles off Sea Girt New Jersey. The battleship sustained little damage while the freighter sprung a leak. Both ships proceeded to New York under their own power with the Ponchartrain escorting them.
In Tampa area at Zephyrhills a Seaboard passenger train and Atlantic Coast Line freight collided at a crossing. One trainman, engineer Ben Green of Tampa, was killed. porter Isaac George and several passengers were injured. the Sunbeam tore derailed with engine and first two coaches damaged. a tank car toppled into a ditch and Fireman E P McLeod escaped with scratches.
Chicago bookmakers and related interests evade court summons as Attorney General Joan E Cassidy seeks to shut them down. Cassidy won a temporary injunction on December 3 restraining 2,006 bookmakers and others in Illinois from handling horse race wagers or selling turf information. A bundle of 1,380 summonses reached the courts as authorities move to prosecute or restrain the bookmaking operation.
Tokyo dispatch reports Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka pleading with the United States to avoid entanglement, warning of Armageddon. Ambassador Grew rebukes the minister saying American China interest is not sentimental and stresses actions over words. The exchange occurred at a farewell luncheon for Nomura.
Circuit Judge Decatur H. Rodgers ordered early Christmas paroles for six Berkeley county jail inmates in Martinsburg. Five inmates serving misdemeanor sentences were granted immediate paroles while a sixth will gain freedom on December 23.
Washington dispatch reports that storm conditions in the Mediterranean prompted the State Department to speed American ambassadors to posts in France and Italy and to check on French African colonies. Secretary Hull announced William Phillips, ambassador to Italy, will return to Rome after the holidays and confer with Premier Mussolini. Admiral William D. Leahy is named ambassador to France and will depart for Vichy.
Huntington December 19 The government's case against 17 persons accused of conspiring to violate liquor laws neared the jury as A U S District Attorney Love urged conviction portraying the defendants as those who distilled transported and peddled moonshine in the tri state area The whisky was said to be manufactured in Lawrence county Ohio and Boyd county Kentucky and moved to Huntington for sale Philip Baer for the defense argued conspiracy was not proven Six indicted pleaded guilty and 15 others remain at large.
Federal and state mine inspectors probed the Raleigh Coal and Coke No 4 mine in Beckley for causes of Tuesday’s explosion that killed seven men and injured six. A U S Bureau of Mines inquiry, led by N P Rhinehart, is also underway as ventilation was restored in preparation for hearings. Funeral services followed the disaster.
War Secretary Anthony Eden said up to December 16 British forces in the western desert had taken 30,000 Italian prisoners at a conservative estimate with about 1,000 British casualties. He spoke at a London luncheon noting all imperial forces were engaged.
The Furness-Withy Steamship Company reports that Mr. and Mrs. John Allen of Norfolk Virginia were among the 18 aboard the liner Western Prince when it sank last Saturday. Also listed among the fatalities are Gordon Scott a financial adviser to the Canadian munition ministry and Mrs. D Sproule Mrs. J W Broughton and Mrs. Frank E Dougall, all with unlisted addresses.
Clyde William Buchanan 40 dies four hours after a gun battle with a tri state posse near Wheeler Virginia. His son Clyde 15 is captured after a 2½ day search in the Cumberland mountains. Deputy Fisher 63 was killed and Officers Minton 48 and Perry 43 wounded during the trailer camp incident.
CIO United Automobile Workers asked President Roosevelt to order federal agencies to mediate the long running clash with Ford Motor Co. Michael Widman Jr said Ford management seeks a strike by flouting labor laws and demanded use of Labor Department and National Defense Advisory Commission conciliations to halt dismissals at Lincoln plant and tire building site in Detroit.
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