The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-05-27
NEWS review OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Demented Michigan Farmer
Dynamites a School,
Killing Forty-Four.
BY EDWARD w. PrckARp

ONE of the most extraordinary and
~ shocking crimes of recent years
was committed at the little town of
Bath, near Lansing, Mich, resulting
in the death of A persons, 81 of whom
were children, and the injury of some
forty others. Andrew Kehoe, farmer,
and school district treasurer, his mind
unbalanced by financial troubles which
he laid to the necessity of paying
school taxes, planted a big dynamite.
mine in the basement of the Dcomnlu-
nifty school, wired it carefully, carried
another load of explosive to the build
ing in his automobile and set both
off. The north wing of the school was
destroyed and the ruins were full of
the shattered bodies of the little pu-
pills. The principal and one teacher
also were killed. as were two men who
were passing the building. Kehoe him
self was among the dead. Before
blowing up the school he had killed
his invalid wife and burned his own
house and farm buildings. State
charge Of the sit ion, found in the
basement of the undestroyed wing of
the school dynamite planted in eight
places. Had this been exploded the
death roll would have been doubled.
Hundreds of pounds of the explosive
had been stolen recently from a con-
tractors store house, presumably by
Kehoe, and the plot had been worked
out carefully during number Of days
by the insane farmer, who was consid-
cred to be an expert electrician.
PROTECTION for the Mississippi
valley from future floods will be
demanded and planned at great con-
ference of representatives of the q.
states, called by Mayors Thompson of
Chicago, Miller of st. Louis and
O'Keefe of New Orleans The meet
ing will open in Chicago on June 2
and will be attended by senator's, con-
gressmen, army engineers, bankers,
lumber trade members and other bust
ness leaders. Secretary of Labor Da-
Wis will represent President Coolidge.
Secretary of Commerce Hoover has
told the President special session of
congress is not necessary to deal with
the flood situation, as the Red Cross
will be able to care for the refugees
efficiently. The relief fund is still
growing, and the continuance of con-
tributions is urged. Last week the
most serious development was the
inundation of the town of Melville, La.
on the west bank of the Atchafalaya
river. The waters broke through the
levees during the night and about ten
of the inhabitants were drowned. The
rest took refuge on the levees, where
they soon were isolated. The Bayou
des CLASSES levees gave way, as was
expected, and hundreds of persons in
that section, northwest Of New Or
leans, were driven from their homes
The Mississippi fell slowly along the
lower river, the weather bureau at
New Orleans estimating that half of
the water from the Tensas basin was
being diverted into the Atchafalaya
basin through the crevasses. The crest
Of the flood still was in the Tensas
basin, far above Bayou DIES CLASSES.
VIOLENT storms in Iowa, Illinois
and Indiana in the middle of the
week caused some loss of life and the
injury of many persons; especially in
Peoria and Indianapolis. Rain, hail
and wind resulted in severe property
loses. p
Eight lives were lost when wall of
water from what is known as the.
"slide" dam in the eros Ventre river
swept over the little town of Kelly,
Is miles from Wilson, Wyo. The
dam, created when Sheep mountain
shifted several feet two years ago,
had collapsed.
CEVERAL thousand members of the
- American Medical association at
tended the seventy-eighth annual meet
ing of the organization in Washington.
and vQro Welcomed NV proc;dopt TooI