Bunch of Cats
Sirs:
In your issue of Aug. 7 you had a story about some difficulty that William Amos Smith, whom you said had three boys and seven cats, was having with his neighbors. You stated that William Amos Smith was a justice of the supreme court and a former attorney-general. This identified the writer of this letter pretty well as the person who was having trouble with the neighbors over a bunch of cats. Now the fact is that it was William Redwood Smith who was having trouble with his neighbors over the cats. He is a former justice of the supreme court but left that tribunal to become an attorney for The Atchison Topeka &, Santa Fe Railway Company. He never was attorney-general. I was attorney-general and then went on the supreme court. Mrs. Smith and I do possess three boys but we never could afford any cats.
The only damage that has been done is that it has shaken my confidence a little in your magazine, which I had always thought was a standard of accuracy and dependability. The newspaper men here say that the story was written correctly in this city but that some editor of the magazine changed it. As far as I am concerned I don't care but I thought the magazine might like to know.
WILLIAM A. SMITH
The Supreme Court of Kansas
Topeka, Kan.
TIME apologizes for confusing cat-owning onetime Justice William Redwood Smith with non-cat-owning Justice William Amos Smith. The application by William Redwood Smith for a restraining order to prevent the city of Topeka from enforcing an ordinance limiting the number of cats per citizen to two is on the docket of the Shawnee County District Court, has not yet been acted upon.--ED.
Honest Criminal Lawyers
Sirs:
After several readings, I am forced to take issue with your statements regarding lawyers who practice criminal law.
The statements referred to appear in your issue of Sept. 11 under Crime and subtitled "A.B.A. and Federalization." I cannot agree with your blanket charges against lawyers practicing criminal law. To be frank, they are very inaccurate and unfair. The editor will find after due investigation that the overwhelming majority of lawyers who practice criminal law are high-classed and ethical lawyers. I am sure he will also find such eminent lawyers as Hon. Martin W. Littleton and Frank Hogan on the membership rolls of the American Bar Association. I am also taking the liberty to point out that Hon. Charles S. Whitman, a former president of the American Bar Association, as late as 1927, has practiced criminal law quite extensively both as a District Attorney and as counsel for the defense.
As late as 1921, Hon. Charles E. Hughes, also onetime president of the A.B.A., appeared in the U. S. Supreme Court in behalf of a client convicted in the Federal courts of Michigan. Hon. Elihu Root, also a former president of the A.B.A. in his youth, did not hesitate to appear in the defense of criminal cases, when he felt it necessary to do so.
As late as 1931, Hon. James A. Reed, probably the greatest living trial lawyer in America today, despite the enormous pressure of civil business, did not hesitate to appear in a murder case. In his earlier years Senator Reed enjoyed enormous criminal practice, including what is probably an all time record for convictions obtained while a prosecuting attorney. It is hardly necessary to add that he won the murder case in 1931 in Kansas City, Mo. I firmly believe that the editor of TIME will find after due investigation that honesty is not limited among lawyers to those who specialize in the exclusive practice of civil law. . . .
RUSSELL F. WOLTERS
Houston, Tex.
TIME said: "With a money-interest in crime, most U. S. criminal lawyers bitterly oppose any legal reforms which might reduce their clients' chances to keep out of prison. Few of these criminal lawyers belong to bar associations." TIME is aware that many a Great Name in U. S. Law has participated in criminal cases. Fact remains that the "overwhelming majority" of criminal lawyers--those who live by defending petty gangsters, stickup men, hoodlums from the minor criminal charges constantly brought against them--are neither ethical, honest nor bar association members. Last week Attorney General Cummings announced: "One of the most important elements of predatory crime is the manner in which some members of the bar cooperate with the underworld. I could put my finger on the names of a good many lawyers who are under suspicion."--ED.
Refreshed Physicist
Sirs:
It is very refreshing and of great satisfaction to find in TIME, Sept. 25, a very clear cut and interesting discussion of the last meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago. Scientific subjects are very often handled so poorly in news articles, that this certainly must be considered a very fine example.
J. J. GREBE
Physical Research Laboratory
The Dow Chemical Co.
Midland, Mich.
Appreciative Osteopath
Sirs:
I wish to express my appreciation for the quite extended, complete and fair report of the recent convention of the American Osteopathic Association which you published in an issue of TIME a few weeks ago under the heading of Medicine.
I wish to also suggest that an error, which may create a wrong impression concerning osteopathy, was embodied in your reply to the letter of John M. Beard in TIME, Sept. 18. You stated: "His [Frederick Murphy's] Minneapolis osteopath straightened him up by massaging the nerve center in the small of the back. . . ." Perhaps Mr. Murphy called the treatment which he received "massage"' as patients sometimes do for want of knowing a more accurate term. If such is the case the error was not yours.
I do not believe the Minneapolis osteopath massaged a nerve center in the small of Mr. Murphy's back to correct his stooped condition. I believe the osteopath manipulated the area of the spine in question to restore its unimpaired mobility and adjusted the spinal joints to their normal anatomical relationship. If massage was used it was as an adjunct as it might be used by a member of any other school of practice. Stimulating or "massaging" the nerve trunk near its exit from the spinal canal would affect organs associated with that nerve trunk through communicating branches but would not particularly affect a spinal structural defect such as Mr. Murphy had.
C, S. PARSONS, D.O.
New Bedford, Mass.
Epizootic Man
"UNDER MEDICINE SEPT. 25 ISSUE WRITEUP REGARDING KELSER INADEQUATE TO DO JUSTICE. AS MAJOR ARMY VETERINARY CORPS RECENTLY COMPLETED IN ARMY MEDICAL COLLEGE BRILLIANTLY CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH ON ENCEPHALOMYELITIS AFFECTING HORSES. WAS LAUDED IN 1927 BY GOVERNOR GENERAL LEONARD WOOD AND SURGEON GENERAL IRELAND FOR HEROIC VETERINARY SERVICE IN PHILIPPINES WHERE HIS RESEARCHES BROUGHT ABOUT CONTROL OF RINDERPEST EPIZOOTIC LYMPHANGITIS AND SURGEON GENERAL IRELAND OFFICIALLY REFERRED TO THIS SERVICE AS EPOCH MAKING. VETERINARY PROFESSION IS PROUD OF MAJOR KELSER.
ORVILLE E. McKIM
Port Chester, N. Y.
Man Sent From God
Sirs:
TIME lapses when it states that '"Vienna saved Europe." I refer to your account of the 250th anniversary of the siege of that city by Turkish hordes in their last great invasion of Europe [TIME, Sept, 25]. Although you make a brief allusion to the part played by King John Sobieski of Poland in dispersing the Turks you somewhat doubtfully add, "whoever won it, it was a great victory."
Sobieski, not Vienna, saved Europe in 1683. Had he prudently stayed at home Vienna would have been sacked by the Turks within five days of the date of the Polish king's victory. With the city's fall most of Europe would have been at the pleasure of the Grand Vizier. But Sobieski, the only European warrior who could stop the Turks, was respected and feared by Islam. When the crucial fight got under way King John, at the head of troops outnumbered five to one, literally hewed his way with his Polish sabre through the heart of the battle to the tent of the Grand Vizier. When he arrived there Turkey's reign as a great military power had reached a bloody end.
No Viennese doubted then, as TIME does now, who won the victory that saved Europe. At the Te Deum celebration in the Vienna cathedral after the battle the preacher choe for his text: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John."
EDWARD A. MOSZCZENSKI
New York City
Curly Pledge
Anyone failing to sign the Consumer's NRA agreement has passed up the opportunity of receiving a fairly accurate barometer. Our 4 1/4x5 in. pledge starts to curl at the bottom when a storm threatens; curls decidedly when it starts, and flattens out when the moisture has left the air.
E. S. WALKER
Elizabeth, N. J.
Floating Landplanes
Sirs:
The footnote on p. 49 of TIME, Sept. 25 is most inaccurate: "Like all landplanes, autogiros sink in the water." As to the autogiros, this probably is true. As to landplanes, unless entirely wrecked upon coining in contact with the water, it is not true.
A landplane, forced down over water, would, if properly landed in the water, float until broken up by storm conditions. Otherwise, it would float until the water eventually rotted the covering of the wings, etc.
I point this out merely in the interest of public understanding of aviation facts, since I am an ardent supporter of flying (see TIME, issue of Jan. 16, Aeronautics).
J. HERON CROSMAN III
Ardmore, Pa.
Post at Quincy
Sirs:
This past week when Aviator Post "cracked up" at Quincy, Ill. the Chamber of Commerce pounced upon the accident as an occasion for a banquet. The mayor was allowed to make the introductory speech. He stumbled and stuttered about for three minutes about the great honor that had come to Quincy, fumbled a bit more and finally leaned across the table and asked Mr. Post to repeat his name.
In his acceptance of the warm welcome and the introductory speech from the mayor and citizens of the fair city, Mr. Post talked for several minutes about the honor conferred upon him, the delight of being feted by such an attractive community, and then suddenly leaning across the table to the mayor, he asked, "Mr. Mayor, what is the name of your town?"
NELLIE B. SHIELDS
St. Louis, Mo.
Chirp Ratios
Sirs:
Apropos of your interesting article upon the cricket campaign at Lynn, Mass., in TIME of Sept. 25, you describe the cricket's chirp or song and explain how it is produced. It may be of interest to also note that the cricket chirps in accordance with a fundamental law of nature which governs many other phenomena, i.e., its activity increases with temperature. Many observations which I have made indicate that the cricket's chirp is an accurate temperature indicator, the relation being approximately expressed at temperatures between 50DEG and 75DEG F., by adding to 38DEG the number of chirps in one-fourth of a minute. At about 50DEG F. the cricket ceases to chirp and at 80DEG F. it is chirping at the rate of about 170 per minute.
H. K. BARROWS
Boston, Mass.
Deer Off a Ledge
Sirs:
TIME'S high standard of correctness in reporting the news is occasionally cracked as evidenced by the contents of the Letters column but rarely is it as badly broken as in "Deer Off a Ledge," Sept. 18 issue. I was mildly amused at the fact-garbled accounts in the newspapers but when TIME could do no better I feel that it is time for a debunking. Following are some of the facts of the case which were incorrect in TIME'S article.
Your estimate of a total of 350,000 seeing the deer, with 100,000 over Labor Day weekend, is a gross exaggeration, a closer estimate being 55,000 over that hectic weekend.
You say "no end of elaborate wiles and artifices, including stuffed deer, an Indian chief, a plank bridge, were brought into play to lure the animal from its prison. . . ." Actually there was no attempt to release the deer, except by the newshawks with the Indian "chief" they dug up, before Sept. 5 other than to supply him with a bridge if he would use it. Besides the bridge the only other wiles brought into play were the placing of desirable food on the bridge and finally gentle persuasion by approaching men. True, stuffed deer and about a hundred other ingenious tricks were offered by big-hearted citizens from all over the East.
The "mate," which supplied the love interest, and which was killed in the gorge was another buck. Furthermore it was killed before being found and not by falling off the "ledge" upon which the buck was marooned.
The "ledge" was actually a steep bank about 300 ft. long and from 20 to 50 ft. wide with lots of trees and shrubs on it. This bank ran way to the bottom of the gorge and could be negotiated by the buck with no trouble. . . .
The part played by Gardiner Bump, State Superintendent of Game, was to analyze the situation with me and to decide upon a course of action. This was done and the carrying out of the plan turned over to me. The plan was carried out to the letter and the deer rescued on the second attempt (the first attempt was doomed to failure because newsmen, camera men, visitors were admitted to view). On the second attempt the park was kept clear and two park employes following my directions slowly urged the deer to go down into the gorge and up the other side, the same way he came in. Thus your statement that the deer saved itself "before Mr. Bump could go into action'' was untrue.
Lastly I want to correct one impression. The deer could have been released any time by closing the park and giving him the necessary encouragement. This was not done because he was in bad shape from his tumble into the gorge. By leaving him on his comfortable bank and feeding him well, he was enabled to gain back his strength so that when released he would not be an easy prey to roaming dogs. . . .
FRANK C. EDMINSTER JR.
Game Research Investigator
N. Y. S. Conservation Department
Ithaca, N. Y.
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