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VOL. 41. No. 152. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 1939 Price Per copy 15#
Captain Of Graf Spee Takes Life
r = ■ ' -■ --- - —■ =^~
Crew Scuttles Loaded German Liner Columbus
Captain Hans Langsdorff
Commander of Graf Spee
Kills Self At Buenos Aires
BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 20 {&)—
Captain Hans Langsdorff, com
mander of the Graf Spee com
mitted suicide the German em
bassy announced. Langsdorff
brought himself and his men
here aboard tugs for interment
by Argentine after destroying
the battleship Sunday night.
He first talked freely about
the running battle with the three
British cruisers but at nightfall
last night however he indicated
a different attitude. “I don’t de
sire to talk further—I’ve talked
so much now I'd like to quiet
for the next three weeks” he
told interviewers.
The Germany embassy said the
body was found this morning
and that he had shot himself to
death with a revolver. He took
his life at the naval arsenal last
night.
The embassy statement said
“the commander of the Graf
Spee sacrificed his own life for
the Fatherland eliminating him
self voluntarily, as he himself
said in a letter addressed to Ger
man ambassador Von Thermann
that from the first moment he
made up his mind to share the
fate of his magnificent ship.’’
Captain Lan,gsdorff was detain
ed at the arsenal after he reach-;
ed Argentina from Uruguay with1
more than a thousand of his men.
He called his staff officers for a
consultation and talked for three
hours. When the meeting broke
up the Captain gravely shook
hands with each of his men, makj
ing a complete circle of the Nazi
officers assembled before him.
Then he went to his room leav
ing word he was not to be dis
turbed because he was tired.
His crew received the news in
stunned silence.
To Take Steps
Prevent Another
Battle in SA
UNDATED, Dec. 20 </P) —Un
der secretary Sumner Wells of
the State Department in a New
York speech forecast steps soon
to be taken by the American na
tions to prevent the recurrence
of the battle off South America
and which sent the Graf Spec to
Montevideo where she was sunk.
High diplomatic sources in Ur
uguay disclosed that the United
States, Argentine and Brazil of
fered Uruguay armed aid if the
Graf Spee deified her order to
Ipave port within 72 hours.
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ATTY. GEN. MURPHY MUST
BE GOOD MAN
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 — At
torney General Murphy was re
moved as a possible VicePresi
d >nt candidate for 1940. Murphy
also cast out rumors that he
would accept an appointment as
Supreme Court Justice.
Murphy said that he was op
posed to any Attorney General
holding any public office until at
’east two years after leaving the
Cabinet post. *
Answering the possibility of ap
pointment to the Supreme Court, I
Murphy said that he knew of
three men better than himself
for the position.
SAVE MONEY!
Buy Your Turkey
At LEHMANN'S
German Sink
23 British Vessels
In Three Weeks
UNDATED. Dec. 20 </P) —Ger
many announced that 2'J British
“vanguard” vessels were sunk in
the past three days, with losses
higher than those acknowledged
by the British as a result of con
centrated German aerial attacks
on British trawlers.
The heightened northern Eu
ropean warfare brought a call to
colors of all Finns up to forty
years old to he p resist the Rus
sian invasion. For the first time,
Finland has gone above the us
ual classes of reservists.
Air raid warnings were sound
ed in 'Hel-inki but. 140 bombs
were dropped. Soviet planes
were active over other parts of
Finland for the second successive
day.
Reports from the far northern
front said the Finns had fallen
back to the northern “Manner
heim Line” and prepared defens
es after Russia cut off her outlet
to the Arctic. ^
Norwegian dispatches said 25
below zero temperatures halted
operations in that sector.
Military observers in Paris ex
pressed the belief that the Allies
will send planes and guns to Fin
land rather than an expedition
ary force, as a result of the Su
preme War Council’s reported de
cision to aid Finland. On their
own war front France reported
that German patrol raids were
repulsed.
Exceptionally Fine Lutefisk
Now Ready
LEHMANN’S
Kcgoayah Public Library now
open at City Hall Friday even
ings from 7 to 7:30 pm.
German Inner
Columlms Sunk
300 Miles at Sea
NORFOLK, Va„ Dec. 19 r/P) —
Read Admiral Joseph K. Taussig
of the Norfolk Naval Operating
Base reported that the United
States cruiser Tuscaloosa radio
ed that the German liner Colum
bus was being scuttled at sea.
The Columbus left Vera Cruz
last Wednesday. The Tuscaloosa
message said it was standing by
to pick up the crew. The approx
imate position of the Columbus
I was given as 300 miles north
l east of Cape Henry.
U. S. Cruiser
Picks up Crew of
|Sinking Columbus
I NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (/P)—The
! cruiser Tuscaloosa took aboard
; 579 crewmen oft the Columbus
iwhlO Is a burning wreck and* 5
rapidly sinking 400 miles east of
Cape Henry, Virginia. Two crew
men were reported missing.
Nineteen lifeboats are adrift and
the wreck and the boats and call
ed menaces to navigation.
Germany’s third largest civil
ian ship was deliberately fired
and the seacocks opened when a
British destroyer neared. No nav
al engagement was reported. The
incident occurred outside of the
American neutrality zone.
Manager John Schroeder at
the New York offices of the
North German Lloyd Lines cried
"Oh, my God, it’s one blow after
the other.”
Canadian Soldiers
Think European
War is “Swell”
SOMEWHERE IN GREAT
BRITAIN, Dec. 19 </P) —Canad
ian doughboys awoke to steam
heated “luxury” barracks won
dering whether this is a lace cur
tain war.
The first contingent to arrive
in Great Britain for a period of
intensive training before leav
ing for the Western Front were
their first workout today after
debarking Sunday and Monday
astonished troops who faced
from liners.
The troops found their quar
ters equipped with steam radia
tors, hot and cold running wat
er, showers, bath tubs and even
receptacles for old razor blades.
“Gee, it’s swell” grinned young
privates.
LOST — One Chevrolet Door
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Claims Conflict
Outcome On of
Aerial Battle
UNDATED. Dec. 19 (/P — A
Russian air raid on Helsinki,
Gorman aerial attacks on Brit
ish fishing vessels and accounts
of the Helgoland air battle stress
ed the importance of aircraft in
Europe's two wars. At least two
Soviet bombers and possibly oth
ers were downed by anti-aircraft
fire during the Helsinki raid in
which eleven bombs were drop
ped harmlessly near a suburb of
the Finnish capital.
One British fishing trawler
was sunk and four others attack
ed by German air raiders at sea.
Four lives were lost in the en
counters. The extent of the out
come of the air battle off Hel
goland was disputed by British
and German accounts. Germany
increased from 44 to 52 the num
ber of British planes reported en
j gaged and increased from 34 to
36 the number of British planes
said to have been lost. Britain
declared that they lost or'.y 7
pfanes and asserted that 12 of the
21 defending German planes
were downed.
The official German news
agency called it the greatest aer
ial battle in history.
Moral and material aid to Fin
land was reported agreed upon
by a meeting of the Allied su
preme war Council in Paris.
Large Assortment Of
XMAS TREES
At LEHMANN’S
F I N N—Grimly Gen. Hugo
Osterman, chief of Finland's
armed forces, studies a map as
Russian maneuvers continue to
harass this debt-paying nation.
Widow of Rudyard Kipling Dies
LONDON, Dec. 19 {IP) — Mrs.
Rudyard Kipling, the widow of
the author died at her home in
Sussex. She would have been 74
years old on December 31 and
was the former Caroline Starr
Balestier, born at Brattlesboro,
Vermont. ~
She and Kipling were married
in 1892 in London and returned
to Vermont for their honeymoon.
They remained there for four
years while Kipling write some
of his most famous works.
They had three children; two
daughters and a son, Lieut. John
Kipling who was killed in the
World War.
The news of her death was giv
en out by Mrs. George Bamb,
who is the only surviving rel
ative.
Appointments As Flying Cadets
Now Open to Qualified Applicants
(Army Press Release)
SEATTLE, Dec. 19 — “This
office has received information
originating in the War Depart
ment to the effect that approxi
mately 400 vacancies are avail
able in each of the three next
classes for flying cadets. These
classes will begin in February,
March and May, 1940. This is the
best opportunity offered in sev
eral years for qualified applic
ants to receive early appoint
ments.
Candidates for appointment as
flying cadets must be unmarried,
male citizens of the United Stat
es who at time of application
have reached their 20th but who
have not reached their 27th birth
day. An applicant must present a
certified document from the
office of registrar of a recogniz
ed college or university showing
that he has completed satisfactor
ily at least one half of the nec
essary credits leading to a de
gree which normally requires 4
year’s work or must pass a writ
ten examination in lieu thereof.
Applicants must be of excell
ent character and must present
evidence of that fact. They must
be of sound physique and in ex
cellent health. They must remain
unmarried during the period of
training as cadets.
Candidates for flying cadet ap
pointment are required to sign
an agreement to enlist for 3
years as flying cadets and not to
request release from flying train
ing before completion of the pre
scribed course, with the under
standing that upon completion of
the course of instruction, normal
ly about 9 months, they will be
discharged as flying cadets.
Those cadets who for any rea
son are found not qualified to
continue the training are dis
charged from the service with
out delay.
Candidates must also agree
that upon successful completion
of the course of instruction as a
flying cadet they will, if their
services are desired, serve for 3
years active duty with the reg
u ar Army Air Corps as reserve
officers, unless sooner relieved
by competent authority.
All men who fullfil the require
ments for appointment as flying
cadets are advised to obtain
forms upon which to make ap
plication for appointment, These
forms may be had of the com
manding general, ninth corps
(Continued on Page Three)
KING WINTER, TOO, WILL BE FOE OF RUSSIANS
Snow and bitter cold will add to the difficulties of both Russian and Finnish troops in Europe’s
undeclared war. These Russian soldiers are shown in maneuvers last winter, working under
heavp snow conditions such as they will have to face.
Community Xmas Tree Celebration Friday Night
HIGH SCHOOL GYM 8:00 P. M. ADMISSION FMfc
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