Tall Heiress Divorces Short Hubby

1920

Objects to Mate Because of His Low Altitude

LOS ANGELES, Cal., Jan. 1. — Mrs. Ellen Van Trees, heiress, is alleged to have objected to Eugene M. Van Trees, her husband and likewise heir to a fortune, because her 5 feet 9 inches of slender beauty did not "match well" With 5 feet 4 inches of dapperness.

They quarreled over Van Trees' lack of height until he left, and she sued for divorce, claiming desertion.

Attorney Wilder, for Van Trees, produced a letter which the wife had received from her mother. The letter reads in part:

"Don't let his size worry you. My mother was a beautiful woman and taller than my father. It made no difference. Live with him and be happy. Help him. It is your duty. Put his estate in both your names and don't let others meddle in your affairs. Every one will be nice to you when you have money, but without it the world is cold. You know that, dear."

Judge Crail granted the divorce, remarking:

"They appear to be fairly nice folks. But it's evident they can't live together, so I'll give her a decree of divorce and an allowance of $1,200 a year."

Tallest Man Reported Ill

1915

Captain Bates, Aged 70, Is Nearly 8 Feet in Height

SEVILLE, Ohio, Dec. 16. — The tallest man in Ohio is ill at his home near Seville. He is Capt. M. V. Bates and is 7 feet 11½ inches tall. Bates' wife, who is caring for him, is slightly over five feet.

Being ill is a new experience for Capt. Bates. Until a few weeks ago he worked daily on his 150-acre farm here.

Capt. Bates quit the circus sideshows in 1880 and settled on his farm. He is now seventy years old.



Bullet Kills Rat; Also Man

Glances Off Rodent's Body, Hitting Spectator in Stomach

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Dec. 16. — The bullet which killed a rat in the restaurant at 239 Cedar avenue, claimed its human victim when Daniel Golden died at the City Hospital.

Tuesday night Thomas Christo, employed in the restaurant, took a shot at a big gray rat. The bullet killed the rat, glanced and struck Golden in the stomach.

Lauds The Bantam Soldier

1915

British Medical Journal Says the Little Fellows Are Good for Trench Work

London. — That little men have many advantages in war time over their bigger brothers is an argument advanced in the British Medical Journal.

After expressing the view that 30,000 have been lost to the army in the last few weeks owing to the present high standard, the journal says:

"Not a little is to be said in favor of short infantry. Short men occupy less room in transport. They find cover more easily and offer a smaller mark to bullets and shrapnel. They are better sheltered in trenches and require to dig less deep trenches to protect themselves.

"It takes less khaki to clothe them and less leather to boot them. The army blanket covers them more amply and they need much less food than tall, thin men to keep up their body heat and maintain their marching energy.

"Those who stand the rigors of cold climates are not always big men and the sailor, like the wind-swept tree on the coast, may be a short man. Warmth and easy conditions of life rather tend to the development of tall men.

"The cavalry and artillerymen require to be big and powerful, but as to those who burrow in the trenches, how can it matter whether they are four feet nine or five feet six? We are not out for a show and a parade, but to win a war of sieges and attrition."


Germans Advised To Save

Commerce Minister Warns People to Be Sparing With Their Grain

Paris. — The Amsterdam Handelsblad says the Prussian minister of commerce has issued a proclamation which says that although Germany is well provided with grain the people should not waste it.

"The enemy," the minister says, "are trying to starve Germany as if it were a fortress. Therefore be sparing of your bread. Remember that the soldiers would be glad to have on the field of battle the bread you waste."