Evening star., 1942-04-30
Melville Jocoby, Correspondent Killed in Crash,
Gave His 81 500 Savings to Chinese Relief

killed In an airplane crash IN Aus
tralia. was the kind of fellow who
refused to take his 81 800 savings out
of China because of his intense
sympathy for the suffering of the
Chinese people.
An Associated Press dispatch from
Gen. MacArthur's headquarters to-
day told of Mr.. Jacoby's death in
the same accident that killed Brig
Gen. Harold H. George, Gen. Mac
Arthurs chief aide.
|. Mr.. Jacoby's mother-in-law Mrs,
Leland E. Whitmore. All Maple
avenue, Bethesda. Md, told some
of the experiences of Mr.. Jacoby
and his wife, the former Annalee
Whitmore.
! 1t is tale of adventure in the
warning Orient by the two 25-year-
old writers who for months sue
ceeded in keeping a Jump ahead of
the Japs.
Mr.. Jacoby for a time was corre-
spondent in Chungking, China. for
Time, Life and the National Broad
casting Co. When he was trans
ferred to Manila to become Far
Eastern manager for the news mag
azineS, Mrs. Whitmore said, Mr..
Jacoby had saved $1,000.
Gave 1t to Relief Agencies.
But he felt he could not take
the money out of besieged China
and gave the entire sum to relief
agencies there, wiring home for
passage money when he reached
Hong Kong.
Mr.. Jacoby and his wife met at
Stanford University, Palo Alto,
Calf, where she was managing
editor of the Stanford Daily-the
first woman to hold the job-and
Mr.. Jacoby was night editor.
When they were graduated In
1887 Mr. Jacoby began his travels
in the Orient and Miss Whitmore,
after a year, became a script writer
for Metro-G Goldwyn-Mayer. She
wrote the script for Andy Hardy
Meets Debutante"
Annalee went to Manila In Au-
gust for United China Relief, TAX
ing passage on a Dutch freighter.
She met a missionary aboard, Mrs.
Whitmore said, who taught her
Chinese in return for promise to
stop smoking.
From Manila, Annalee went on
to Chungking, where she renewed
her friendship with Mr.. Jacoby. Mr..
Jacoby proposed, Mrs. Whitmore
said, while the two were riding to
an official reception in rickshaw.
Annalee accepted between hand
shakes on the reception line.
Married in Manila.
The proposal came shortly after
Mr.. Jacoby received word OF his
transfer to Manila. They were
married in Manila last November "a
by a minister who, by chance, was a
friend of neighbor of Mrs. Whit
more.
A few days later the japanese
struck. and on New Year eve the
couple escaped with Clark Lee, As
sociated Press correspondent. to
Corregidor, with the clothes they
had on their backs"
They were forced to leave behind
valuable wedding presents given to
them by high officials of the Chi
nese government-gifts which had
been transported with dif1culty
from seacoast cities as the japanese
forced their way to inland China.
Some of them were from Gen.
Chang Kai-shek and Gen. Mac
Arthur
On Bataan and Corregidor the
couple made many photographs and
collaborated on stories to come out
of the epic land stand in the
Philippines.
With Mr.. Lee they escaped to the
Philippine island of Cebu. just be-
fore the fall of Bataan. From Cebu,
short time before the japanese
invaded that island, they took q
freighter for Australia. A providen-
tial storm saved the vessel from a
Japanese warship. and they safely
negotiated the journey to Australia.
The ships motors broke down,
Mrs. Whitmore said, as the vessel
was creeping into Brisbane Harbor.
Jacoby Arrested in Indo- China.
In 1910 Mr.. Jacoby was in French
Indo-China, where he and United
States vice consul were arrested by
a japanese sentry for taking pic
lures. The two Americans were not
released until after the State De-
partment had protested to French
Indo- China
Gen. Macarthur. whom Mr. Jacoby
came to know on Bataan, paid
tribute to the writer in words quoted
by the War Department this morning
in its communique on the crash.
The general said:
HE was attached to our forces
during the Philippine campaign and
later joined the Allied command in
Australia. He covered his assign
ments with efficiency and devotion
and fulfilled completely his obliga-
tions, both to the public press and
to the military forces"
Secretary of War Stimson told his
press conference today that Mr..
Jacobys death ''in such circum-
stances is a reminder of the con-
slant. patriotic. valuable and haz-
~ & E:1b+or d.