NEWS
In Brief
trade law 4 restored
BY 17 TO 8 VOTE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 —UP)—
Democrats drove through the house
ways and means committee on a
17 to 8 vote today a bill restoring
until June 12, 1951 the full powers
of the old reciprocal trade law.
President Truman requested the
legislation, telling congress it is
needed to remove hobbles put on
trade negotiations by the GOP
tarrif law passed in 1948.
He said full operation of the
trade act would build world com
merce.and promote peace.
Two Republicans—Rep. Kean (N
J) and Holmes,(Wash)—joined 15
Democrats in support of the meas
ure.
Opposing were eight Republicans.
The legislation will go to the
house for debate next week, with
a vote expected Wednesday.
It gives the President power,
without any reference to congress,
to cut American duties up to 50
per cent below January 1, 1941
tariffs, in trade pacts with nations
that agree to reduce their trade
barriers.
US INSPECTOR IS
KILLED IN MEXICO
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 3 —(#)—
Robert L. Proctor, foot and mouth
commission inspector of Tucson,
Ariz., was killed by a native mob
Monday at a mountain village 75
miles northwest of here.
Proctor was thought to have es
caped after he and three others
were attacked by about 600 men
and women as they rode horseback
into San Pedro Del Alto, five miles
from Temascaltzingo.
But Proctor, the commission
learned today, was killed and bur
ied at the village and later that
night his body was taken into the
hills and reburied. Today, Mexican
troops brought the body here.
Proctor was 23 and spoke Span
ish fluently and apparently got
along well with the Mexican peas
ants. He joined the joint U. S. foot
and mouth disease commission here
Nov. 11, 1948.
Yesterday a Mexican army plane
and 100 troops searched the rug
ged region for Proctor but it was
only after the military and police
arrested 43 natives and obtained
some confessions that the full
story became known.
Proctor with a Mexican, Raul
Sanchez, also a livestock inspector,
rode with two soldiers as guards,
into San Pedro Del Alto Monday
about 4:00 p. m.
The two inspectors were on their
way to vaccinate cattle and other
animals against aftosa.
KOREAN SOLDIERS KILL
TWO SENTRIES IN REVOLT
SEOUL, Feb. 3 —OP)— Korean
Army Headquarters reported to
day 38 soldiers mutinied and kill-
td two sentries Sunday night at
Pohang, an east coast fishing vill
age 165 miles southeast of Seoul.
The Rebels were reportedly sur
rounded by 400 loyal troops 10
miles south of Pohang.
The mutineers killed the sentries
at an ammunition dump where they
seized'25 American rifles, 35 car
bines and 3,000 rounds of carbine
ammunition the army said.
The government has said a re
bellion at Yosu in October was in
spired by Communists. There was
no further information on the
Pohang mutiny.
DALLAS TO FIGHT
MIDWAY REFUSAL
DALLAS, Feb. 3 —OP)—Dallas
promises to “exhaust every legal
remedy” in its fight to win a re
view of the civil aeronautics board
grant of funds to Fort Worth for
the Midway airport.
The city’s stand was outlined
yesterday by H. P. Kucera, city
attorney. Earlier in the day the
fifth U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals
at Npw Orleans turned down a
petition by the city of Dallas ask
ing for the rehearing.
The funds would be used to
build a controversial airport about
midway between the two cities.
PECOS COMPACT PASSES
SANTA FE, N. M., Feb. 3 —CP)
The Pecos River compact between
New Mexico and Texas will be sub
mitted for approval to the New
Mexico senate. It was unanimously
approved yesterday by the New
Mexico House of Representatives.
Library Features
San Quentin Show
“Life at San Quentin Prison in
California” is the theme of a spe
cial exhibit which will be on view
until February 12 in the Library.
The photographic exhibit, pre
pared by the staff of Life Maga
zine, shows how San Quentin offi
cials attempt to reform and rehabi
litate criminals. The photo panels
are displayed in the lobby of the
library.
Monroe Concert
Tickets on Sale
Tickets for the Vaughn Mon
roe concert were placed on sale
today for members of the Ca
det Corps and the general pub
lic.
Non-corps members were giv
en a purchase priority during
Monday and Tuesday. Non-
corp members may still pur
chase tickets.
Only general admission tic
kets are now available. The
general admission tickets are
$1.
Library-
BO ^Battalions
The Battalion
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE
Volume 48
COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3,1949
Number 116
Gone to Potts
^y
SpoedeAndPotts To Share
Batt Sports Editor Duties
By CHUCK MAISEL
The old order changeth, and the
Batt has a couple of new sports
editors. One, Bill Potts, will write
columns, make up the page, and
give out assignments. The other,
Robert W. (Sack) Spoede will
handle the more important details
of sweeping out the office, sharp
ening pencils, and emptying waste
baskets. If Potts should be sick or
snowed under, Sack will probably
help out a bit with his duties.
What is the background needed
for so vital a position as Sack
holds? Just what qualities must
the man have ? Perhaps a brief tour
of his life—which sounds like an
extended tour of Texas and the
World—will divulge the answers to
these questions.
Sack is a big city boy. He
was born in that Gotham of East
Texas, Wallis. Citizens of Wallis
are at present making plans to
erect a suitable monument for
the home town boy that made
good in the big, bad journalistic
world.
During his early years, Sack was
a sort of nomad, going frcan one
East Texas town to another Near
ly every grade school east of Dal
las can boast of his attendance. He
finally settled down long enough
to graduate from Thomas Jeffer
son High School in San Antonio.
At present, Beaumont is more or
less the place where he hangs his
hat.
Sack, a handsome six-footer,
gave 19 months of his time to the
Marine Corps during the late war.
His oversea experience was Puerto
Rico, a land of which he never
tires telling war stories.
A&M was first graced with
Sack in June of ’44 and rapid
calculation tells that he Is there
fore in the Class of ’48. He is
a history major with a minor in
education. At present, his plans
beyond A&M are directed toward
going into the Regular Army.
Originally a member of A Bat
tery, Field Artillery, Sack finish
ed his military science here last
spring. He received his commission
in Frankfort, Germany last June
while visiting his father, Lt. Col.
H. H. Spoede.
Sack ranks with Ivan Yantis as
a world traveler. He was a Batt
foreign correspondent last summer
as he visited such spots as Paris,
London, Hanover, Bremen, Salz
burg, and Berchtesgarten. Summer
school students will probably re
member his-interesting accounts of
these places.
Sack gained much of his fame
on the Batt by his excellent cover
age of the Fish football team this
past season. A great part of the
wide reader interest was no doubt
due to the hoped-for greatness of
the freshmen players themselves,
but to Sack goes a large share of
the credit for his accurate and in
teresting reporting.
Spoede was once a Distinguish
ed Student. He says, however,
that this happened before he
went to work on The Battalion.
If it’s the sports page you
like to read, look forward to a
good one under the leadership of
these two.
By CARROLL TRAIL
“It’s just another small town
boy makes good story,” Bill Potts
said, explaining his new job for
The Battalion.
Bill has just been appointed co
sports editor to succeed Art How
ard, and he attributes his success
to hard work, clean living, and
Howard’s astute guidance.
A 22 year old veteran of 21
months in the Army, Bill began
working for the Batt last summer,
covering football games, boxing
bouts, ping pong matches, and
beer parties.
His keen interest in sports dates
back to his school days in Gates-
ville where he played football his
junior and senior years. “I played
for Gatesville High School, not to
be confused with Gatesville State
School for Boys,” Potts explained.
“We intend to give all organi
zations equal sports coverage
and hope that they will submit
their sport news to my desk in
the Batt office, Goodwin Hall,”
Potts said.
Incidentally this is the first time
the sports department has used
the co-editor system. This way,
Potts can blame any mistakes on
Spoede.
Borneo and Juliet’ to
Staged in Guion Monday
By M. N. BROWN
The National Classic Theatre, of
Pleasantville, New York, will pre
sent William Shakespeare’s “Ro
meo and Juliet” on the stage of
Guion Hall at 8 Monday night.
Clare Tree Major, the director
of the troupe, is widely known for
her Shakespearean productions. It
is her belief that Shakespeare’s
characters are completely natural
Re-Open ingSetFor
Two Local Firms
By DAVE COSLETT
Contrast will be the by-word in
the College Station business world
this first week of February as two
long-established businesses hold
their grand re-openings—one of
them owned and operated by this
community’s oldest grocer, the
other by the community’s youngest
proprietor.
The former is Charlie Opersteny,
51, a well-known localite who
claims 31 years of grocery service
to the college community.
The youngster is Mrs. Vesta
Taylor, 26, a rather energetic
young lady who has owned and
operated her own businesses since
she was only 19 years old.
^ Both stores have been open
for business for several days,
but each of them has scheduled
a formal re-opening the latter
part of this week.
Mrs. Taylor’s enterprize, the
Taylor Variety Store, was formal
ly re-launched this morning from
eight until nine o’clock. In addi
tion to other gifts for grownups,
bubble gum were awarded all vis
iting youngsters. Mrs. Taylor did
not specify the age range signified
by the term youngsters.
Opersteny, better known by the
name Charlie, will hold the formal
opening of his store, Charlie’s Food
Market, tonight from eight
to nine and a special grand opening
sale Friday and Saturday. Visitors
will receive gifts and refreshments.
Refreshments will consist of cook
ies through the courtesy of the
National Biscuit Company and cof
fee supplied by the Duncan Coffee
Company.
The Taylor Variety Store was
founded 25 years ago by Albert
Opersteny, Charlie’s b r o ther.
Club Membership
Lists Needed Now
A complete list of club member
ships in alphabetical order should
be turned in to the Aggieland 1949
office immediately, Stan Rogers,
club section editor, has announced.
This information is necessary if
the club picture is to appear in
the annual, Rogers emphasized.
Rogers reminded club officers
that in order to have their indi
vidual pictures with the club pic
ture, they should have one made
at the Aggieland Studio by Feb
ruary 10. Since regular class sec
tion photographs will be used, this
should not be done if one for the
year has already been made.
Clubs should complete their pay
ments for club pictures with the
Student Activities Office by Feb
ruary 15, he said.
Mrs. Taylor purchased the store
about three years ago and oper
ated it at its present location
until last April when she moved
to a back - lot building which
housed the firm while repairs
and remodeling work was being
done on its former site.
Mrs. Taylor refers to the time
spent in the back-lot location as
pioneering since she was forced to
more or less rough it to the extent
of using kerosene stoves. She mov
ed into the remodeled location
about three weeks ago.
Quite a versatile woman, the
young proprietress proudly ack
nowledges that she did all of the
glass-work and organizational work
entailed by the remodeling pro
cedure. The store has entirely new
fixtures and is decorated in what
Mrs. Taylor refers to as “shocking
new colors,” a combination of
chartreuse, pale pink and brown.
In addition to the normally
expected line of variety goods,
the establishment stocks Hall
mark greeting cards and offers'
engraving services in the line of
wedding announcements, station
ery and calling cards. Mrs. Tay
lor’s husband, Tom Taylor, is a
specialist in this line of work. ,
The youthful business-woman, a
native of Ft. Worth, came to Col
lege Station as a bride eight years
ago. She formerly operated the
Vogue Beauty Shop.
Charlie’s Food Market has been
operating for 16 years, but its
owner has been in the grocery busi
ness since 1918, long enough, says
Charlie, to put him on a speaking
acquaintence with most of the long
time profs and deans of A&M.
The new store, which occupies
the same location as its fore
runner, has all new fixtures. In
addition to a fully-stocked meat-
market, it boasts a complete line
of both fresh and frozen fruits
and vegetables, canned goods,
and household necessities, all in
nationally advertised brands.
Old only in the business sense
of the word, Charlie has one son,
Charles, in his first year at A&M.
The younger Opersteny is an ath
lete trying for the Aggie baseball
team. Charlie and his family are
residents of Bryan.
people and are not so different
from the people of our time.
Following this contention, Mrs.
Major’s policy is to cast young
players in the youthful roles.
The play features Winton Sed-
gewick in the role of Romeo, and
Patricia Larson as Juliet, and
both of these young players give
realistic portrayals of Shake
speare’s lovers.
At the present time in Verona,
ijltaly, where Romeo and Juliet liv
ed in the 16th century, more than
4,000 girls are named Juliet. Juliets
tomb is a lover’s shrine, and sou
venir hunters frequently hack off
stone chips from her crypt.
On the other hand, Romeo’s final
resting place is unknown and the
name of the world’s greatest lover
is almost forgotten.
For those who have never seen
“Romeo and Juliet,” this will be
an excellent opportunity to see
this famous play staged by an
established troupe.
Tickets for the production are
now on sale in the Student Acti
vities office. Student tickets are
50 cents, and tickets for non-stu
dents are 70 cents.
Methodist Board
Will Meet Tonight
An organizational meeting of the
Student Board of Stewards of the
A&M Methodist Church will be
held tonight at 7 in the new Stu
dent Lounge, Asbury Lennox, as
sistant pastor, announced yester
day.
Lennox asked that all members
of the board be present as this
would be one of the most import
ant meetings of the year.
Refreshments would be served,
he added.
Extension Courses
For Vet Wives \
To Be Discussed
College courses by extension will
be offered to wives of veteran stu
dents or of veteran employees of
the College,. according to Dr. T.
F. Mayo, head of the English De
partment.
Those interested are invited to
the YMCA Solarium at 7:30 to
night, Dr. Mayo said.
Courses in accounting, child psy
chology, English, geography, land
scape art, Spanish, trigonometry,
and woodcraft were applied for at
a preliminary meeting.
Equivalent to regular college
courses, these extension courses
carry credits transferable to other
colleges. However, they do not lead
to a degree at Texas A&M, Mayo
said.
Mayo pointed out that a course
will not be offered unless at least
10 women apply for it. Therefore,
he said, it is important that all
women interested attend this meet
ing.
Oil Haulers Short
Course Being Held
Fourteen supervisors of oil field
hauler fleets are attending a short
course on vehicle fleet operation at
A&M.
Russell Fitzpatrick, in charge of
motor transport training in the
Industrial Extension Service, said
the current course is one of a
series of six with one starting each
Monday.
Next week’s course will be at
tended by insurance company safe
ty engineers and will be followed
by others for warehouse and van
company supervisors and two
groups representing private car
riers.
HOGAN REPORTED SAFE
EL PASO, Feb. 3 —UP)— A
physician expressed the opinion
early today that Ben Hogan, the
nation’s top golfer injured yester
day in a car-bus crash near Van
Horn, was “not seriously hurt.”
Bear Facts • •.
Birth Of The
Bears Bruises
Biting Bruins
By MACK T. NOLEN
We never thought it would
happen at a denominational
school of all places, but the
state papers have been full of
stories concerning Cannibal
ism at Baylor so it must be
true.
The version we heard reports
that a Mrs. Josephine (nat
urally the names have been hushed
up) gave birth to twin bears re
cently at her bear-pit home and
her bear husband came home drunk
one evening and proceeded to have
one of the youngsters on the half
shell. Those are the bare facts of
the case.
Without meaning to be venge
ful for any past slights or insults
hailing from the Waco area, we
feel that it is our duty to call for
the full penalty of the law for the
perpetrator of this horrible deed.
In a society such as ours, this
dreadful sort of thing cannot go
unpunished lest every time bacon
goes up a few cents, the younger
generation gets “decimeated.”
If this occurrence heralds a
trend, some future date might
find families grooming one son
for the army, one for the minis
try, and one for beef.
Meanwhile the text for today at
Baylor seems to be “Suffer little
children come unto me,” medium
rare with French fries.
A&M Horticulture
Professors Attend
Baton Rouge Meet
Ten members of the Horticul
ture Department left Sunday for
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where
they will attend a four-day meet
ing of the Southern Section of
American Society of Horticulture,
according to Dr. Guy Adriance,
head of the department.
Members of the department who
made the trip are F. R. Brison,
professor; R. F. Cain, associate
professor; J. F. Rosborough, ex
tension horticulturist; Dr. H. T.
Blackhurst, associate professor;
Dr. W. H. Brittingham, associate
professor; M. D. Bryant, in charge
of the tomato breeding laboratory
at Frankling; Dr. A. L. Harrison,
in charge of the tomato breeding
laboratory in Yoakum; Dr. O. H.
Cowart, of Texas Agricultural Sub
station 19 in Winter Haven; T. S.
Stephans, horticultural instructor;
and H. C. Mohre, assistant profes
sor.
These men will present papers
before the Society, and will take
part in general round-table dis
cussions while there, said Dr. Ad
riance.
Most Decorated Soldier
To Attend Military Ball
Several national, state, and local dignitaries have accepted invitations to attend the
Military Ball February 12. Among these is Audie L. Murphy, Texas-born war hero, most
decorated soldier of World War II, and now a moving picture star.
College guests attending include the seven members of the Board of Directors and their
wives. Charicellor and Mrs. Gibb Gilchrist and President and Mrs. F. C. Bolton also accepted.
1" Murphy, a native of Farmers-
Economic Culture Patterns To
Be Subject of Lecture Monday
Dr. Paul C. Manglesdorf, Harvard University faculty
member, will speak on “Economic Plants and Human Culture
Patterns ,, in the Physics Lecture Room, at 8 p. m. Mon
day.
The lecture will be illustrated with slides and charts.
It should be of interest to persons*
connected with the physical and
social sciences as well as to per
sons concerned with the biological
sciences, P. B. Pearson, dean of
the Graduate School said.
Dr. Manglesdorf did his under
graduate work at Kansas State
College and his graduate work at
Harvard in the field of genetics.
He joined the staff of the Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station
in 1927.
Later he served as assistant
director and vice-director of the
Agricultural Experiment Sta
tion. Since 1940 he has been a
member of the Harvard faculty,
and is at present director of the
Botanical Museum and profes
sor of Economic Botany.
The doctor’s work covers a wide
field. He is recognized as a world
authority on the origin of com,
said Dean Pearson.
Among some of the scientific
commissions on which Dr. Mangles
dorf has served are the Rockefel
ler Foundation, Agricultural Com
mission to Mexico, the National
Academy of Science, the Genetics
Society of America and the Ameri
can Society of Agronomy.
Dr. Manglesdorf’s lecture is the
third of a series for graduate stu
dents since last September. Three
more are scheduled for the current
school year. The lecture is open
to anyone wishing to attend. ( /
Student Loan Fund
Opened at A&M By
Hereford Group
A new student loan fund has
been set up for junior and senior
animal husbandry students by the
Mid-South Texas Hereford Asso
ciation.
The fund'will be administered
by the Mid-South Texas Hereford
Association Student Loan Fund
Committee composed of the presi
dent of the Saddle and Sirloin
Club, the secretary of the Former
Students Association and the head
of the Animal Husbandry Depart
ment.
The money for the fund was ob
tained when the Directors of the
Association met October 1 and
voted to dissolve the organization
and use the existing balance in the
treasury, $608.03, to set up a stu
dent loan fund.
Ward Mooring, president of the
organization, contributed enough
money to bring the total to $750.
Only junior and senior animal
husbandry majors are eligible to
borrow from this fund. A grade
point ratio of 1.5 made on a nor
mal schedule is necessary for loan
fund eligibility.
In addition, the applicant must
be earning a part of his expenses
and must show evidence of a legi
timate need for the loan.
Loans will not be made to stu
dents having outstanding debts,
and no student may draw more
than $300.
A standard form note, bearing
interest at the rate of four per
cent will be used. All loans from
this fund should be paid in full
within 12 months after graduation.
Fortson Named On
Research Group
Eugene P. Fortson Jr., chief of
the hydraulics division, Waterways
Experiment Station, has been se
lected as a member of the Hy
draulic Research Committee of the
American Society of Civil Engi
neers.
Shortly after graduating from
A&M in 1932, with a B. S. degree
in civil engineering, Fortson was
employed by the Waterways Ex
periment Station. He served five
years with the U. S. Army corps
of engineers during World War II.
After separation from the mili
tary service, Fortson returned to
the Waterways Experiment Sta
tion where he was assigned as
chief of the hydraulics division,
the position which he holds at the
present time.
Gunter Named
To Extension
Service Post i j™
Allen C. Gunter, instructor
in the Entomology Depart
ment for the past two years,
has been appointed associate
entomologist of the Extension
Service, according to Dr. H.
G. Johnston, head of the De
partment.
Gunter’s appointment was effec
tive February 1. He will replace
Charles A. King. King, who has
been extension entomologist since
April l946, plans to enter commer
cial insecticide work, with head
quarters in Waco.
Gunter was born in Antlers, Ok
lahoma, and graduated from Com
merce High School, in 1934. He
attended East Texas State Teach
ers College, receiving his BS de
gree in 1939. After teaching school
for two years in Plantersville, Tex
as, he spent five years in the mili
tary service and was discharged
as a captain in 1946.
In 1947, he received his M.S.
degree from A&M, and spent the
next two years instructing in
the Entomology Department.
King, born in El Paso, received
his B.S. degree from A&M in 1932,
and. spent the next two years in
mining engineering work. From
1934-36, he was assistant in cot
ton adjustment, and became an as
sistant county agent in 1936. From
1937-41, he was county agent in
Star County. In 1941, he entered
the Army and was dischai’ged a
major in December, 1945.
ville, Texas, enlisted at the age of
17 in 1942. His “route” from there
on was the path of the American
armies in Europe—Africa, Italy,
France, Germany, and on into
Austria. He was wounded three
times and for spectacular heroism
received a total of 15 medals—•
about all the United States can
give a combat infantryman.
The medals include the Bronze
Star, three Purple Hearts, Le
gion of Merit, Silver Star with
cluster, equal to three Silver
Stars; Distinguished Service
Cross, and the Congressional
Medal of Honor.
Most spectacular of Murphy’s
accomplishments came in Holtz-
wihr, Germany, when he mounted
a burning tank destroyer and single
handedly held off 250 Germans
and six tanks for an hour.
Asked about his record, Murphy
once said, “I’m just a fugitive
from the law of averages.”
As a first lieutenant at the end
of the war, Murphy was flown
home in 1945 and received tremen
dous ovations, including one in
Dallas that equalled those for Ad
miral Nimitz and General Eisen,-
hower, two other Texan heroes.
On the strength of his war rep
utation, Hollywood producers sign
ed Murphy for a part in “The
Long Grey Line,” a picture about
West Point. Somewhat to Holly
wood’s surprise, Murphy’s perfor
mance was the best thing about
the picture.
Now a star in his own right,
Murphy has made a picture,
“Bad Boy” in which he plays the
part of a wild youngster who re
forms and enters Texas A&M
College at the end of the picture.
The film is soon to be released,
and those who have seen previews
have praised it.
In Hollywood, Murphy met and
married Wanda Hendrix, film star
let. The “averages” which Murphy
had cheated so long finally caught
up him at the time of the marri
age. Both he and his bride came
down with influenza and had to
cancel their honeymoon.
Vice-Chancellor for Agricul
ture D. W. Williams and Assist
ant to the Chancellor E. L. An-
gell and their wives will also at
tend the Ball.
Members of the Board of Direc
tors who will attend with their
wives are E. W. Harrison, John W.
Newton, Roy C. Potts, Henry Reese
III, Rufus R. Peeples, Tyree L.
Bell, and C. C. Kraeger.
Bad Weather Looms
Ground Hog Foils
Bell County Club
By DAVE COSLETT
An imposter has been unearthed.
The culprit in the case is that
age-old weather prophet the ground
hog, who deigns to stick his head
out of a hole each February 2 in
search of a sometimes too elusive
shadow.
For countless years, many naive
folks have put their utmost faith
in the ability of this subterranean
mammal to accurately foretell the
length of winter. Little do they
know that they have placed a
sacred trust in an imposter.
The real truth arose from an
investigation conducted by the
IOWMF&P (International Order
of Weather-Men, Forecasters, and
Prophets), Local No. 672.
They found that, first of all,
the furry deceiver is not a
ground-hog at all. That name is
just one of his several aliases.
He’s more widely known as a
wood-chuck.
Traveling under this psuedono-
men, the little animal tries to make
the uninformed think that he is a
hard-working, honest lumber agent.
Here again, he is deceitful. The
name wood-chuck stems from a
northern Algonquian word, “we-
jack.” This latter word holds no
connotation whatsoever of any
thing to do with lumber, but means
simply “a fisher.” Obviously the
Aggieland ’49 In
Need of Workers
Aggieland 1949 is in desperate
need of workers for the coming
semester, according to a plea made
today by Truman G. Martin, co
editor.
Martin urged all men who have
worked on the annual before and
any new men who are interested
to contact him immediately.
A number of new men will be
added to the staff in order to com
plete work on the yearbook during
the spring semester.
little deceiver must be trying to
hide, some subversive activity of
his in the giant fishing industries
which support large numbers of
our nation’s population.
It is the so-called weather pro
phet’s real name which is incri
minating, though. After his cloak
of secrecy has been removed he
stands forth as his real self, the
Marmota monax. Upon learning
this, the House un-American Ac
tivities Committee immediatly tried
to book the “ground-hog” on char
ges of being a Communist. With a'
name like that what else could
he be?
Retribution toward this treach
erous creature was fast and sure
in our own state as soon as the
whole truth was revealed. An
anti ground-hog organization,
The Bell County Ground Hog
Beaters Association, was formed
last Tuesday. They stood vigil
all day yesterday armed with
base-ball bats. With these they
were prepared to sock each
ground-hog which dared to show
his head.
In an effort to hide the alarm
ing truth from the unsuspecting
public, they disguised the act by
saying that they were trying to
keep him from coming out. “That
way he can’t see his shadow and
we won’t have to worry about
more bad weather.” The real rea
son behind the move is obvious to
us, the informed.
The infamous fiend, however,
was not to be beaten so easily.
He assumed his alias, the name
wood-chuck, stuck his head from
a hole in Punsawtawney, Pa.,
far from his bat-swinging adver
saries, saw his shadow, and dis
appeared into his hole.
And do you know that some peo
ple actually think that that indi
cates six more weeks of cold wea
ther? I would go on with this ex
pose, but I must go and tell my
room-mate not to send my over
coat to the cleaners—J don’t want
to freeze to death.