davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1951-05-13

first produced their poisons. But a
plant that kills or sickens animals
which eat it has "a big advantage
over other plants without such
weapons.
sCalifornia's giant redwoods are an
excellent example of this. One rea-
son why these enormous trees keep
going century after century is that
they have evolved an almost bug
proof bark. It's so full of tannic
acid that any insect which tries to
bore its way through is tanned into
a low = but very dead - grade of
leather.
Evening star., 1951-05-13

iocoweeds, poison vetches, dog
banes, sneezeweeds and death cam
asses. And they have launched
eradication campaigns which have
made some parts of the vast govern
ment-owned grazing areas almost
completely safe.
Think Twice
BUT so far, Dayton says, he and
his colleagues have barely scratched
the surface in their studies. This
doesn't mean city slickers should
cancel their vacations in the Wild
wood. But it would be a good idea
to think twice before you chew or
smear yourself with anything green
and growing. The End
Evening star., 1951-05-13

ance. Their chief task is ferretine
out less obvious dangers.
Typical of these is the snakeroot.
Eubdtorium rugosum, a perennial
herb with attractive white flowers
which has been found all over the
eastern US. and Canada. Ever since
Colonial days, this pleasant, HARM
less looking little plant time and
again has decimated whole COM
munities with its epidemics of milk
sickness"
One frosty night in the fall of 1878
fearful little boy stood beside his
mothers bed in a pioneer cabin in
southern Indiana. Something, he
knew, was wrong. He called to her
again and again. But there was no
answer. Nancy Hanks Lincoln was
gone, and young Abe, not yet turned
10, was motherless.
1t was "milk-siclness" which took
Abe's mother. And there were hum
dreds, perhaps thousands, of other
similar epidemics before the disease
was traced to the white-fowered
snakeroot. Only a few mouthfuls
of the plants leaves may be enough
to sicken a cow and make its milk
deadly poison to susceptible humans.
Still Strikes
Even today no one knows precisely
how the snakeroot poison works.
And despite intensive efforts to
eradicate the plant from all grazing
areas, '.milk-sickness" still strikes
occasionally in out of : the way
places.
Neither Dayton nor anyone else
yet understands how such plants
Evening star., 1951-05-13
Subtle Attack

ONE of the subtlest plant attacks
on animals involves a neat bit
of chemical juggling. Both plants
and animals require infinitesimal
amounts of sulphur in their metabo-
lism. In some areas, particularly the
dry range lands of the Southwest,
there is little or no sulphur in the
soil, but there is plenty of its chem
ical brother, selenium.
Plants in such areas quickly learn
to use selenium in place of sulphur.
In doing so they make themselves
deadly to animals. For although
plants can make the substitu-
ton, animals cannot, and the
plants selenium kills them.
Still subtler and even more devas-
tating was a plant attack launched
a few years ago in northeastern
Australia. After careful study for
possibly poisonous plants, a rich
new grazing land had been opened
there. Yet within few weeks large
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
BY the Assoeiofed Press

BALTIMORE, Mar. 5.-A radio
jazz band blared out over The
prison broadcast system. The
brassy music disguised the steady
clink Of a chisel against concrete
That was 20 months ago.
Joseph Holmes, 80. colored, was
on the first lap of a 70-foot tunnel
to freedom that lasted only l3
days.
He was recaptured Saturday
night when he tried a IS holdup
under the shadow of the Washing.
ton Monument in downtown Bal
timore.
Minutes after 64-year-old Mrs.
Mary Ruiz, was robbed, Holmes
was grabbed by Patrolman Frank
Plunkett just a few blocks from
the scene of the holdup.
The wiry man spun around and
damned an ugly revolver into the
pit of Mr.. Plunkett's stomach
There were two clicks. But the
gun failed to fire.
Holmes ran. Mr.. Plunkett fol-
lowed. joined by three detectives
in a prowl car. The fleeing man
fired on the run and the officers
returned shot for shot, they re-
lated.
Finally, at the door of a bowl
ing alley, Detective Sergt. James
A. Downes made a desperate dive
Selling Holmes and wrenching
the gun from him.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
Transit Man to Explain
Bethesda Bus Cancellation

Dean J. Locke, staff engineer
of the Capital Transit Co., will
explain the company's decision
to discontinue two Bethesda area
bus lines at a. o'clock Bethesda
Chamber of Commerce dinner
meeting tonight in the Kenwood
Country Club.
Mr.. Locke also will discuss con-
ditions under which the lines
might be continued.
Area citizens groups are pre-
pairing to fight the dropping of
the two suburban lines-O-2 and
N-8. serving the Bradley boule-
ward and Massachusetts, avenue
sections. The lines are among
eight which the transit firm is not
renewing because Of operating
losses.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05


nection with -four or five house
breakings," Capt. Otto E. Fuss of
the Robbery Squad said.
Spreading, police testified at to-
days arraignment. was seized
after he had forced Joyce Mawyer
of the Franklin Apartments, into
the ice box of the store. 2141 Wis
consin avenue NV, with a clerk.
While Sprading was forcing the
manager. Gabriel Mask, to open
the stores safe, the clerk tainted.
Miss Mawyer asked to get some
thing from her purse to treat him.
Returning to the rear of the
store with a nickel she telephoned
the police. In a few minutes
Spreading was arrested by police
Pvt. J. E. Findley and Corpl. Ro-
land j. Mumbert.
Mr.. Mask told Commissioner
Lawrence Spreading entered the
store with an ice pick and a pistol
and forced him to hand over $505.
Bond was set at $4,000 on q
holdup charge and $4,000 on a
charge of using pistol during a
felony.
Capt. Fuss said jewelry identi-
fled as having been stolen from
homes in the Bethesda area was
found in the car Spreading was
using. 1t was parked on Hall
place N. W., about a block from
the scene.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
6. 0.P.Legis|ators Hill
Bills 10 Permit Slots

Slot machines have no chance
to wedge their way into Prince
Georges County this year.
Republican Delegate F. Frank
Lillard, jr., made that clear in
a statement today.
1--WE ran on a platform promis-
ing the people of Prince Georges
County clean house." Mr.. Lillard
declared, land that is exactly
what we intend to give them. -
Mr.. Lillard said he voiced the
views Of State Senator John r.
Fletcher and Delegates William r.
Hughes and Harry E. Taylor, as
well as his own. All are Re-
publicans. Democratic Delegate
Leroy Humphrey is expected to
take the same stand.
Two separate proposals to legal
ize slot machines in the county
have been placed before the dele
gates. One. backed by the Hotel
and Restaurant Owners Associa-
ton. would remove the ban en-
tirely. The other would permit
their operation only in veterans
clubs.
Mr.. Lillard said he and Dele
gates Hughes and Taylor have
rejected both proposals and if
necessary will fight them on the
floor of the House.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05

Once through the concrete, he
dug straight down through dirt
for a distance of six feet.
Digging with stolen pieces of
scrap metal he angled his tunnel
expertly. slightly toward the pris-
on wall. Small amounts of dirt
were carried each night in bags
made of old clothing back into
his cell where they went down The
toilet.
Stolen kerosene in stolen bottles
with cloth wicks provided light
for his mole-like efforts.
Water seepage caused some
trouble. But he dug as under
ground drainage pit, then carried
the water out of it.
Twenty months after he start
ed digging. Holmes burst through
the sod in the prison yard.
With extra clothing in a hand
sewn bag and 1852 he made run
ming a numbers game in the
prison, Holmes scaled a 7-foot
fence and dropped into the night
and freedom.
During his two weeks of free
dom, he visited New Haven,
Conn: Philadelphia and several
other Eastern cities. He almost
landed a job in Philadelphia, but
he didn't have a social security
card.
He returned to Baltimore about
5 pm. Saturday. Three hours
later, he was behind bars again.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
PUG Sets Public Hearing
On Pepco Rate Increase

The Public Utilities Commission
today called a public hearing for
10 am. next Monday on the
increased rates proposed by the
Potomac Electric Power Co.
The power company last month
was authorized by the PUG to in
crease its rates to produce an in
crease of $2.5 million yearly in its
gross operating revenues. Rate
schedules filed by Pepco last week
ARE designated to do this.
The proposed rates would boost
the monthly bill of the average
residential customer by about 10
cents. The rates call for an ad-
ditional $550.000 annually from
residential customers: $3.50, 900
more from commercial customers;
a boost Of $265, 900 to the Districts
street lighting bill and $3.50, 900
more from Capital Transit Co. for
the power it uses.
Pepco originally had asked for
$3.5 million additional revenues
to meet expansion costs, but the
PUG settled on the $2.5 million.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
Worry, Poor Health Blamed
For BIadensburg Suicide

Henry F. CASTOR, 60, of the
1900 block of Fifty-first street,
BladenSburg, killed himself by
taking poison at his home early
today. DR.. John T. Maloney, a
county coroner, said the death
was a suicide.
Mr.. CASTOR was dead on arrival
at the hospital, where he was
taken by the Bladensburg Rescue
Squad.
Mr.. Gaston's wife Hulda, a
nurse. said that her husband had
been in i'll health and was worried
because he was unemployed. He
formerly worked at the War Pro-
duction Board.
The body is at Gasch's funeral
home, Hyattsville. "-
Mr.. CASTOR was born in Phila-
delphia. The family has lived in
Bladensburg for II years.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
Prison Tunnel Expert Gets Himself in Hole

No one was injured in the
shooting.
Prison officials are still gasping
over his fantastic escape.
The story of it goes like this:
For eight years he paced back
and forth in the narrow confines
of his cell. serving a 20-year
sentence for burglary. Then in
the first part of 1949 he began
to worry about going "stir
happy"
So he conceived a fabulous
plan to dig himself free.
With a nail on the end of a
stick he cut a rectangular trap
door in the slate floor of his cell.
The cutting was accomplished,
by punching tiny holes very close
together.
That took about 40 days of
painstaking work.
Next came 10 inches of con-
crete. A stolen chisel and ham,
mer, wrapped in cloth to deaden
the noise of the pounding, were
brought into play.
And the noisy prison radio
helped.
1t took about six months to
chisel through the concrete. Each
piece had to be pulverized and
flushed down his cell toilet.
There were cell inspections twice
each month. But Holmes stole
cement from the prison workshop
to disguise the outlines of his trap
door.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
RobberyNow Believed
Motive in Staying Of
Woman in Baltimore
BY the Associated Press

BALTIMORE, Mar. Police
today said the motive in the STAY
ing of Miss Thelma Parker, Sc
year-old metal worker at an air.
plane plant, probably was robbery.
Miss Parker. who formerly lived
with her sister. Miss Pearl Parker,
at lit Vermont avenue NV,
Washington, D. c., was found
strangled Thursday. She had been
dragged up a 20-foot embankment
from a sidewalk to her apartment
after working the night shift at
the Glenn L. Martin Co.
Police are holding a 25-year-old
steel worker, described as q pa
rolee from a Federal prison. He
was picked up on a tip that
placed him near the scene of the
Staying.
No charge has been placed
against the man. However, the
FBI was asked to put its micro
scopes on his shoes and clothing.
The Staying at first was thought
to be the work of a sex maniac
Police, however, have learned
from her sister that she wrote
recently she had saved 5000.
Investigators then picked up the
rumor that she had carried the
cash in money belt around her
waist. They found it. in $40
bills, folded up in the hip pocket
of a pair of dungarees hanging
in her bedroom. \
Miss Parker has lived in a $50
a-month apartment in a Balti-
more suburb since the develop
ment was opened about six years
ago. Acquaintance said she spent
around $3.50 week for groceries
She earned about $685. a month.
The investigators could find no
one who had ever seen her out
with a man. Her apartment was
stacked with racing papers, form
sheets, astrology books, sheets of
mathematical tabulations, books
on mechanics and watch and clock
parts.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
Letter Praises Mason
For Services 10 District

Commissioner Mason's services
to the District were praised in a
letter presented to him today by
the National Conference of
Christians and Jews, Inc. The let
ter was presented by DR.. George
R. Ellis, one Of the co-chairmen,
and Mrs. Verna D. Linzel. Wash
ington area director.
The letter expressed regret that
Mr.. Mason is leaving District
service and expressed apprecia-
ton Of the invaluable service he
has rendered to the community
during his years as Commissioner.
F. Joseph Donohue has been
nominated to succeed MIR. Mason.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
2Die in Traffic.:
Hit-Run Driver
Hurts Man, 80
Sailor, Il, Victim
Of Truck-Auto Crash,
Civilian Is Killed

Two traffic deaths in the Wash
ington area occurred over the
week end.
One was sailor whose car
crashed into a gasoline truck in
Mount Rainier, Md, early yester-
day, the other a civilian who was
struck by an automobile near his
home at BerWyn.
Apprentice Seaman Robert Ku-
remsky. 81, the sailor injured in
the Mount Rainier crash, died this
morning in Bethesda Naval Hos
pital. He was attached to the
hospital.
Three other Navy employees with
him suffered minor injuries. They
were Miss Georgia E. Chamberlin,
81, and Miss Bernice F. Guillory.
20, both WAVES stationed at the
Naval Receiving Station in Ana
costa, and John May, 81. also
of the receiving station.
Truck Driver Charged.
Police identified the truck
driver as George w. Backoff, Al,
of Baltimore. He was charged
with reckless driving.
Ellis Dulaney, At, of 9O78 Bal
timore avenue. Berwyn, died in
Leland Memorial Hospital several
hours after he was struck yes
terday afternoon as he was cross
ing Baltimore avenue.
Prince Georges County police
said Mr.. Dulaney saw the ap-
preaching automobile and jumped
in an attempt to avoid being
hit. The driver of the car, see
ing Mr.. Dulaney in the middle
Of the street, swerved but in the
same direction and struck the
man. police added.
Driver of the car was identified
by police as S/Sergt. Francis
j. Kelly, %, of Camp Pickett. Va.
He was not held.
Hit-Run Driver Hits Man, 80.
In another accident yesterday,
an aged man suffered serious in
juries when he was struck by a
hit-run driver in Fairfax County.
The man. suffering with head
injuries at Arlington Hospital, was
Identified as Ben Douglas, 80, COL
ored, Of Clifton, Va.
Arlington Police Pvt. William
Haines saw Mr.. Douglas walking
in the middle of Highway 211 near
Fairfax an hour before the acct
dent. He stopped and warned him
to walk on the side of the road.
An hour later, Mr.. Douglas was
struck at about the same spot.
Student Injured.
A 16-year-old Leland Junior
High School student suffered a cut
knee today when his motor scooter
collided with a car driven by a
teacher at the school.
Norman E. Barnard of River
road, Bethesda, was treated at
Suburban Hospital.
Montgomery County police re-
ported Norman was thrown from
his scooter as he collided with a
car driven by Miss Alice Dempsey
Conner. 48. of 7036 Strathmore
street, Bethesda, at Wisconsin
avenue and Willow lane.
The late model green sedan
which hit him did not stop, police
said.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
front will be community in it.
self.
ro,nfcr&o hv~ So Vxy:~<n.

front will be a community in It
self.
Comfortable in Winter.
Mrs. Lillian Large, owner Of the
Teck, a 145-foot steam yacht
built for George Gould in 1905,
lived on board through the winter
and reports it very comfortable
existence except that it Is diff
cult to get housemaids to come
down to harbor to help with. the
housekeeping. She probably will
lease apartments on the yacht
for the summer and return to her
Vermont avenue apartment.
DR.. A. B. Bennett, a nose and
throat specialist. was encountered
sandpapering the deck Of his
cabin cruiser at the Corinthian
Yacht Club.
why are many yacht clubs
called 'Corinthian'?" he says re-
peating the question asked him.
We'll. it doesn't come from the
Epistles of st. Paul. He called
the Corinthians terrible names.
1T comes from this: The Ro-
mans destroyed Corinth about $50
years BIC. But about 100 years
later in the time Of Caesar,
Greek art objects found in the
ruins became collectors items
among wealthy Romans.
That led to calling the smart
set Of wealthy Romans 'Corin-
thians.' They were marked by
another characteristic - which
meant more to them than art COL
Letting. They were sports.
THE 'Corinthian' in Caesars
day was a sportsman. He was
fond Of racing and he drove his
own chariot.
Fish Fleet Dwindles.
That's why they are called
Corinthian yacht clubs. The mem
bers sail their own yachts or cap
tain their own motor cruisers"
DR.. Bennett resumed his sand
ing.
The boats loaded with fish and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
tenn OF government that is demo
cratically run"
Says Bill Falls Short"

tenn OF government that is demo-
cratically run"
Says Bill "Falls Short"
Karl K. Cover, president of the
BrlghtWood Citizens Association,
said his group would favor home
rule" but was opposed to the
pending bill as falling short of
this. Specifically, he voiced objec-
ton to the provision which would
permit a resident of the District
to vote in city elections here al
though retaining voting rights in
his home State.
John H. Connaughton, past
president of the Federation of
Citizens Associations, and speak
ing for the Northwest Council,
objected to the bill. He said "a
mess" had developed here back
in the 1905 when Washington
had an elected city government.
Senator Nicely retorted that
was no worse than we have now"
but the witness replied that argu-
ment didn't prove that what hap
pened in the 1905 was good.
Mr.. Connaughton said the I'M
official plebiscites on suffrage
questions here some years ago
showed that the Retworth area
was opposed to local home rule.
Senator Nicely ruled that thought
out, however. on the ground that
the Kefauver-Taft Bill, not then
drawn, was not the subject of the
plebiscite.
New Deal Riff Raft.
Mrs. Branson G. McIlwee, SCI
Oneida place NV, speaking for
herself, said the present form of
government here was best for the
National Capital and that "the
New Deal, Fair Deal riff raft
should not be allowed to change
the form of government"
She got a big laugh when she
added that any change should be
delayed until we get a Repub-
lican in the White House."
Witnesses who spoke for the bill
in the closing session included
Prof. Francis E. Jones and Frank
Tavenner for the Young DEM
ocraSs of the District; DR.. George
w. Hodgkins. former president of
the Kalorama Citizens Associa-
ton; Huver I. Brown for the
Washington Bar Association; and
Mrs. Elizabeth H. Ross for the
Washington chapter of the Amer
lean Association of Social Work
ers, and similar groups.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
Keep Elephant and Send Tiger,
7 rumun to Tell Cumbodiun Kinq

President Truman is going to
answer the King of Cambodia that
he would prefer a tiger to an ele-
plant.
This has nothing to do with the
Tammany tiger or the Republican
elephant. 1t came about in this
way. The ruler of the new king
dom of Cambodia in Southeast
Asia, Norodom Sihanouk Darmen,
Is sending minister to Washing
ton and wants him to present a
gift to the American President.
The King suggested an elephant.
Robert E. Hoey of the South
eastern Asia section of the State
Department checked with DR.. Will
liam E. Mann. director of the Zoo.
DR.. Mann'S answer was:
"Sure we'd like an elephant;
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05
New Maine Avenue Pier Adds to Beauty of Cys Waterfront

brought in $4,000 bushels OF
oysters. Eighty-eight river boats
unloaded 189, 400 watermelons. One
hundred eighty Six schooners
brought in Is million feet of lum-
Der, and TAB boats brought in
$1,000 cords of firewood.
Roads Parallel to River.
The highways paralleling the
river have done away with all
that and the few fish boats still
come up from Crisfield only be-
cause many people still like to
buy fish off a boat. The men in
the fish stalls at the Municipal
Wharf call the boats a racket,
point out that a refrigerator
truck can make the run from
Crisfield via the Chesapeake ferry
in six hours and that it takes
the boats II hours.
But the fish boats add a valu-
able bit Of color to the water
front for people not only have
an idea that fish bought off boats
Is fresher; they like to eat fish
in waterfront restaurants.
The big change in waterfront
eating is due to the deep freeze
Crab cakes, crab flakes and crab
jumbo soup are on the menu all
winter, although the crabs will
not begin to crawl into the creeks
until the weather is warmer.
The same process makes oysters
available during the summer but
there is something about the old
saying about an "R" in the month
that sticks in peoples minds. It's
a rule that the customers, for the
most part, still stick to.
Sam Rayburn, who has just
passed Henry Clay's record OF
service as Speaker of the House
is one of the figures from Capitol
Hill who is frequent diner at the
waterfront. He uses the family
entrance" of Halls Garden, al
Seventh and K streets S.W., the
Oldest of the waterfront restau-
rants. and goes to a private din
ing room in the rear. Mr.. Ray
burns order is always the same
pitcher of beer, plenty of bread
and a big lobster.
All the waterfront restaurants
Herzog's. MAYORS and Hogate's
are experiencing increased bust
ness due to the emergency with
out-of-to wners who seek water
front restaurants in any port they
visit and uniformed groups from
the Pentagon and Air Force and
Naval establishments.
All up and down the Potomac
the rivermen are getting their nets
ready for the shad and herring
runs that used to mean so much
to the diet of the citizens of this
city. Probably only a few old
timers still consider sailed Poto.
mac herring an ideal breakfast
dish.
Until few years ago the Board
OF Trade used to hold outdoor
parties with shad broiled on oak
planks as the only dish every
spring. But they finally had tc
bow to the decline in public TASTE
and offer fried chicken as an al.
ternate. ~
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05

We'll take anything. But we'd
much rather have a tiger"
Indian Prime Minister Nehru
recently sent twin elephants here
as gift, and his sister Nine.
Pandit, the Indian Ambassador,
presented them.
A Republican President also had
to suggest that he would rather
not have elephants. On February
3. 1862, Abraham Lincoln wrote
to King Somdetch Phra Para
mendr Maha Mongkut of Siam
suggesting that a herd of ele-
plants would be of little service
to him.
Steam on land, as we'll as on
water" he wrote, "has been our
best and most efficient agent of
transportation"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-05

gallon Of oysters. The bushel price
is around 81 today.
Terrapins used to sell for $12
a dozen. They now bring 81
apiece. Crabs used to bring 81 a
barrel. This year they probably
will bring about 81 a dozen and SO
for the soft shelled crabs.
A harbor historian who checked
District records found that in one
year near the end of the last
century ITO schooners brought IN
$4,000 tons of coal. Five hum
dred and sixty-eight oyster boats