Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-13
QUEER PLEAlN DAMAGE CASE
Man Sued for Breach Of Promise Alleges
Plaintiff is Already His Wife,
DOCTORS TO INVESTIGATE MENINGITIS
Des Moines Plumbers Ask an Increase
of wages from s3.7S to S4.5O FER
Day-workman in Mid Air
Has Arm Crushed.
lFrom a star CorresnondsntN

DIES MONIES, April 12.-tSpecialD-That
the suit for a breach Of promise should
have been a suit for divorce is the defense
Of Ben Banning, a wealthy Polk county
farmer, In the district court to $1,000
breach Of promise suit brought against him
by Miss Lottie Louer. Banning employed
Miss Louer as his housekeeper. At the
time Of the engagement he complained that
he had difficulty in keeping his house
keepers, because they got married, and
remarked that he would have to marry the
next one to keep her. In the suit in the
district court it was shown that they had
lived together as man and wife This was
all on the evidence Of the complainant,
Miss Louer. When the plaintiff rested the
attorneys for the defense moved that the
case be dismissed, claiming that the evil
dence showed that they were married by
common law, and that the only suit that
could be brought on the evidence would
be one for divorce or separate maintenance.
Fenr Meningitis.
At the meeting OF the State Board Of
Health it was decided to ask the execu-
tive council to authorize an investigation
of the prevalence of meningitis through
southern Iowa and northern Missouri. The
board has named a committee to con
duct the investigation Drs. Hanchett,
Eiler. Decker Moerke and the state vet
erinarian. Paul O. Koto. Another commit
tee was appointed to make an investiga-
tion Of the colleges to see whether or not
they are complying with the regulations as
to preliminary requirements for admission.
Still another committee, consisting of
Drs. Sans, Eiker and Thomas, was ap-
pointed to completely revise the quarantine
regulations of the board. The board voted
81. N.,,1
Ietin issued and recommended DR.. Hanchett
of Council Bluffs for appointment as dele
gate to state reciprocity boards meetings
in Chicago April %, and DR.. Powers Of
Waterloo as delegate to the meeting of the
Association for the Study and Prevention
of tuberculosis in Washington in May
Miss Mabel Conlon Of Red Oak was elected
stenographer.
Arm Crushed in Mid Air.
Henry Ercenbreck, a laborer on the new
Fleming block, today had his arm crushed
while hanging 100 feet above the ground.
It is his business to ride the beam when
the huge derrick lifts it into place Today
the engineer lifted it too high and Ercen-
brecks arm was pulled into the pulley
and mashed He was 100 feet above the
street. He held on with his left hand and
shouted to be lowered. When he reached
the street below he was exhausted and
tainted and was taken to the hospital
Investigate Murder Next.
Witnesses have been subpoenaed to APP
pear before the Polk county grand jury
next Monday to testify in the murder
charge against Mr.. Fred West and Miss
Warren, who were tried in justice court and
bound over to the grand jury on the charge
Of numbering an infant.
Sell Bodies of COuntrymen.
Emanuel Z. E. Fredericl, Italian counsel
at Chicago, is in Des Moines investigating
charges that Italians are selling the bodies
Of their countrymen to medical colleges.
He claims to have already uncovered evil
dence sufficient to base suits. Informations
will be filed and it is his claim that GER
tain Italians in Office have been guilty.
1t is claimed that Italians who have been
resident in this country some years and
are familiar with the laws and customs
have taken advantage of new arrivals to
charge them extortionate prices for OBJ
tanning for them cheap jobs, and that
should an Italian without relatives die
they sell the body to medical colleges.
Plumbers Ask Increase.
An increase CT 20 cents a day or a raise
from 1910 to $500 a day, is asked by the
!
effect May l. Master plumbers have been
/ dumbfounded by the demand, for they
claim they are already paying 81 to most
of their employees and that all the big
| contracts for this year have been figured
on that basis Further that there are but
/ two cities, Chicago and St Louis, east Of
the Missouri, paying above $3.50 a day.
Colonel Drake Resigns.
Colonel L. d. Drake, superintendent of
the Industrial School for Boys at Edora,
! has rendered his resignation to the State
| Board Of Control He came to this state
! from Bonneville, Mo, where he had built
up similar institution. His successor will
! be selected at once
Insurance Men Coming.
! Iowa fire insurance underwriters Will
! meet in Des MONIES soon for the purpose
| of organizing. 1t is announced that the
| organization will not be for the purpose
of fixing rates and will therefore not be in
antag with the Blanchard anu-com-
| pact law.