in
Id.
MOTTO All Tho Nctts When It Is News.-
VOLUME XVIII
DAKOTA CITY, NED., FRIDAY,' APRIL 22, 1910.
NUMBER 33
DAKOTA COUNTY
LATEST BY TELEGRAPH
SUMMARY OF THE NEWS OF
' THE WHOLE WORLD.
MARK TWAIN IS DEAD
CAHIOEIt OF S.VMCKL L. CLEMENS
COM I'M TO AX END.
Pases Awny While In Coma I'utal
Termination was Unlookcd for at
Time Sudden shock to Relative
and Public at Largo.
Samuel Langhorn Clemons (Mark
Twain) died painlessly nt 6:30 o'clock
Thursday night at Redding, Conn., of
angina pectoris. He lapsed into coma
at 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon and
never recovered consciousness. It
was the end of a man worn out by
grief and acute agony of body.
Wednesday was a bad day for the
little knot of anxlbus watchers at the
bedside. For long hours tho .gray,
aquellne features lay molded In the
inertia of death, while the pulse sank
steadily, but late at night Mark Twain
passed from a stupor into the lirst
natural sleep he. had known since he
returned from Bermuda, and Thurs
day morning he awoke refreshed, even
faintly cheerful, and in full possession
of his faculties.
He recognized his daughter, Clara,
v(Mrs. Ossle Qnhrilowltsch), spoke a
rational word or two, ond feeling him
self unequal to conversation, wrote
out In pencil: Give me my glasses."
They - were his last words. Laying
them aside he sank first into n reverlo
and later Into final unconsciousness.
Angina pectoris is a paroxymal af
fection of the chest of baffling and
obscure origin, characterized by se
vere paln. faintness and depression of
the spirits: The pain is severe and
of an oppressive, crushing or stabbing
character. 7'he attacks progress in
frequency and severity, with uncertain
Intermissions, sometimes of long du-
Mark Twain did not die "in anguish.
Sedatives soother his pain, but his
moments of consciousness aggravated
the mental depression. On the way
up from Bermuda he said to Albert
Blgelow Paine, who had been his con
stant companion- in tyrtefta: .-."Th'.f
Is a bad Job; we'll never pull through
with It.
KIOTS RECURRING IN CHINA.
lawless Natives Engage lit Serious
IMsttirbances.
The lawlessness of the natives
which began at Chang Sha, the capi
tal of Hunan province, China, Is re
ported to be spreading. Advices re
reived at Pekln state that riots have
occurred at Ning Slang, the site of
a Protestant mission, about thirty
miles west of Chang Sha. mission
Bchool at Yl Yang, twenty miles north
of Ning Slang, has been burned. The
foreigners are said to have escaped
harm.
Foreign residents at Yo Chow were
preparing to leave that place last
night. These reports were coupled
with the statement that a wholesale
desertion of the troops has taken
place.
One hundred Chinese from the Chi
nese cruiser that recent'y arrived at
Chang Sha are guarding the foreign
settlement there.
HEIRS LOSE THEIR SUIT.
Chicago Doctor Awarded $100,(100 of
tho McVlcker Estate.
Dr. L. C. H. Zcigler, of Chicago,
by a supreme court decision rendered
Thursday, is entitled to $100,000 from
the estate of Mrs. James H. McVlcker,
as provided by the contract he held
to render her medical attendance dur
ing her life. Dr. Zelgler lived up to
his part of the contract for five years,
when Mrs. McVlcker died. Her
heirs attacked the contract and won
In the lower court, but this decision
was reversed by the Illinois supreme
court at Springfield today.
Coul Ijwidrt Withdrawn.
Secretary Ralllnger of the depart
ment of the interior has withdrawn
from entry at proximately thirteen
and a half million acres of coal lands
in southeastern Montana, believed to
contain valuable deposits, pending ex
amlnation and classification as to their
values.
1'luyern for Oniuha.
President Johnson of the American
Baseball leaguo Thursday announced
the following releases: By St. I.ouis
to Omaha, li. E. Shotten, J. M. Corrl-
don.
Shoots Wife and Self.
Thlliip Berry, of Bloomington, ill.,
aged 4 3, shot his 21-year-old wife and
himself Thursday. Both will die. Re
cently the couple quarreled and sep
rated.
Diamond Ornament Stolen.
During Wednesday night a diamond
ornament was stolen from the greatly
revered image of the Virgin In tho
Uspenskl cathedral in the Kremlin
at Moscow, Russia, and many precious
stones were cut ut of tho frames of
the pictures of the saints.
Sir John William Schroeder, of Lon
don, head of J. H. Schroeder & Co.,
bankers, died Thursday. He was born
In 1825.
BITS UNMOVED AND CAL!
Hostile Array of Facts are Faced by
Woltcr.
No prisoner on trial for his life In
the New York courts Is ever remem
bered to have faced such an array of
hostile facta and hcartrenderlng testi
mony with stolid Indifference as did
Albert Wolter Wednesday when con
fronted with the charred fragments
of the body that once was Ruth
Wheeler whom he Is charged with
luring to her death In his Hat not a
month ago.
Phillip O'Hanlon, a coroner's phy
sician, testified that Ruth Wheeler
had been attacked before she was
murdered and that there was still
life In her body when It was soaked
with kerosene. Jammed up the chim
ney of Wolter's fiat and set afire. He
had found human hair not her own
adhering to the burned fingers. There
fore he knew she had fought for her
honor. There was soot In the lungs.
A corpse does not breathe. There
fore he knew a living and still senti
ent body had Inhaled smoke and
flames.
During this testimony, which made
the Jurors fidget In their chairs, Wol
ter sat listlessly scanning the Jurors,
the grewsome exhibits themselves and
his lawyers. He gave no sign of emo
tion when Adelaide Wheeler, 19 years
old, and said to be an extraordinary
resemblance to her sister, took the
stand.
With perfect poise the girl Identi
fied a braid of artificial hair that had
been ,her sister's, bits of undercloth
ing that she knew by their texture,
Jewelry Ruth had worn, and lastly,
which came as a surprise to the de
fense, a seal ring engraved with Ruth
Wheeler's initials and which was
found on tho body. The prosecution
will contend that this clinches beyond
doubt the previous Identification
which It had been thought the defense
would attempt to overthrow.
ART SWINDLE UNCOVERED.
Hundreds of Americans Have Been
Duped.
The revelations made In the case of
Count de Gatlgny, who, with the
countess, is being examined at Tours,
France, on a charge of having misrep
resented the origin of paintings and
the antiquity of furniture purchased
by Mrs. Cha8. H. Paine, of Paris, but
formerly of Boston, have caused a pro
found Impression In the world of art
and served to open up the whole ques
tion of the. many sided traffic in sham
paintings, other works or art ana an
tique furniture.
Although the declarations of Henri
Rochefort, editor of the Patrie, re
garding the Rembrandts may consti
tute a satirical exaggeration, it is the
general opinion that there Is some
truth In his assertion that celebrated
collections in hundreds of homes In
America and elsewhere cpntain spur
ious Rembrandts, as well as copies
of other masters.
M. Rochefort has said that 80 per
cent of the "Rembrandts" owned In
America were forgeries.
"I have seen so many 'Turners,' "
said M. Rochefort, "that I have almost
decided that Turner never existed. He
could not have turned out the works
attributed to him, if he had lived 200
years. It is the same with the Rem
brandts. AFRICAN M. E. CHURCH".
Nearly $20,000 Raised for Work In
the Past Year.
Nearly $20,000 was raised for the
work of the African Methodist Epis
copal church In the fiscal year Just
ended, according to a report made to
the financial board in session in Wash
ington Wednesday. Bishop Grant, of
Kansas City, is presiding.
Rev. John Hurst, financial secre
tary, reported that after reservations
for educational purposes, church ex
tension, superannuation of minsters
and provisions for their widows and
children, nearly $100,000 was reserved
for the general treasury ot the church
for payment of salaries of bishops,
general officers and denominational
needs.
Girl Strangled by Her Hairi
Ella Pohl of Belln, a student In tht
New Mexico agricultural college, while
plcknlcklng climbed a cliff, lost her
hold and plunged over. She was
caught In a crevice. Her hair acted
as a noose and she died in a few
hours.
Slain by An Assassin.
Walking into his drug store and
taking his place at the cigar counter,
Sam Welch, president of the Berea
National bank of Berea, Ky., was as
sassinated Tuesday night, five shots
being fired into his body. The assas
ln has not been apprehended.
Itevulce Gets Life Sentence.
Charles Revalee pleaded guilty at
Richmond, lnd., Wednesday to the
murder of Mrs. Frank Allison and was
sentenced 'to Imprisonment for life.
Gotch In Training.
Frank Qotch said Wednesday that
arrangements had not been complct
ed for his championship contest with
Zbyszko. Gotch is training at Minne
apolis and declares himself In excel
lent form.
Yandcrhllt's Horse Second.
W. K. Vanderbilt's Defender finish
ed second in the prlx Ru Bias, which
was run at Trembluy. Frunce, Wed
cesday.
QUICK WORK n JURY.
Former Pittsburg Official In Guilty of
Bribery.
Guilty ns Indicted, with the recom
mendation for extreme mercy from
the court, was the verdict returned
Tuesday In the case of former Council
man M. L. Swift, Jr., the first of the
Victims of the graft scandal to be put
on trial at Pittsburg, Fa., on the
charge of bribery. The Jury was out
an hour and forty-five minutes. At
torney Rody Marshall, for the defense,
announced that a new trial would be
asked. Assistant District Attorney
Warren L. Seymour said that Judge
Frazer had signified his intention of
considering the recommendation for
mercy, and also that the district attor
ney's office would not oppress- Swift.
Swift was on trial for two days, and
the chief witness for the common
wealth was John F. Klein, whose con
fession was the wholesale exposure.
The defense relied mainly on the at
tempt to break down Klein's testimony
and the verdict become a most import
ant one for the prosecution, because it
indicates the district attorney may re
ly on the confession of Klein as the
mainstay In the prosecution of the
other cases.
Immediately after the Swift case
had been disposed of, former Council
man A. V. Simon was called, but his
counsel pleaded illness of his client
and asked for a continuance. Seymour
unexpectedly called a physician, who
said he had examined Simon at noon
and there was no need for him to re
main in bed, and that he was not ser
iously HI. Counsel was ordered to
produce his client for trial Wednesday
morning.
BOY HELD FOR tOARD.
Consigned to a Missouri Bank as Col
lateral for a Debt.
One 7.year-old boy was received on
bill of lading at the union station at
St. Louis, Mo., Tuesday over the Iron
Mountain railroad from Monroe, La.
He was consigned to a local bank ns
collateral for a board bill to be remit
ted to a bank in Monroe. Mrs. J. J.
Koontz, acting as agent for F. J.
Koontz, father and owner of the boy,
whose name is Arthur, called at the
union station for the consignment, but
the railroad officials refused to deliver
him to her because she was not the
consignee named in tho bill of lading.
The boy, still tagged, was taken to
the bank In a taxlcab. A disputed
board bill incurred by the boy being in
Monroe for seven months caused the
.bill .oX-hidlng to be. Issued. . When thtj
boy reached the bank tho amount
due was paid and the boy turned over
to his parents.
MOTHER'S INSANE ACT.
Ends Life of Daughters and Self bj
Turning on Gas.
Mrs. Nellie McNamara, wife of a
captain In the fire department, whose
body with those of her daughter Ma
mie, aged 14 years, and Helen, 12
years old, were found . in a room in
their home in Chicago Tuesday, caused
tho death of herself and daughters by
turning on the gas, according to the
verdict of a coroner's Jury
Evidence was introduced to show
that the woman, while temporarily
Insane, had attempted to induce two
other daughters to remain in the
room. The other daughters became
frightened at their mother's actions
ind left.
Surprise for Twin Sisters.
A Prague dispatch says the twlr.
sisters Blazek, who are known as the
successors of the famous Siamese
twins, being Joined together insepar
ably, recently entered a hospital,
where Rosa, one of the sisters, be
came the mother of a fine boy. Jose
phine, the other sister, expressed great
surprise at the event.
President of Guatemala.
Manuel Estrada Cabrera was re
elected president of Guatemala In the
lections ended Tuesday, according to
a government cable message received
at the Guatemalan consulate In New
York. The election was tranquil and
Senor Cabrera was chosen by "an
overwhelming majority," the dispatch
states.
AntcloiMi Is New cclnicn.
Edmund Heller, the zoologist, oi
Riverside, Cal., who accompanied Mr.
Roosevelt on his African hunting trip,
has decided that the sable antelope
killed by Kermit Roosevelt, Is a new
species peculiar to the Mombasa re
gion and not heretofore described. II
will be named the Roosevelt.
Trans-Andino Tunnel Opened.
The Trans-Andine railway tunne
was formally opened Tuesday. The
tunnel is 12,000 feet above sea level
and links the republics of Chile and
Argentina commercially.
Once Rich; Now Penniless.
Edward Jf. Field, son of Cyrus W
Field, of Atlantic calilo fame, Is In
Belleyue hospital, New York, pennl.
less and suffering from neuphrltls.
Police Stop Record Dance.
After they had danced nineteet
hours and thirty-eight minutes, foul
San Jose, Cal., men, who were the onlj
survivors out of a list of twelve en
trants in a dance contest, were stopped
by the police. ,
Gicu six Moulin.
Because J. J. Keon, a socialist lead
er In Grufton, 111., refuses to pay a
poll tax of $1.60 he began Tuesday
afternoon a sentence of six month'
Imprisonment.
1 Nebraska
Week j j . mi form
-rsst-r State News -w
GETS FIVE YEAR SENTENCE
McMlchacl Pleads Guilty to Grand
larceny Charge).
James M. McMlchacl pleaded guilty
before the district court at Plattsmouth
Saturday to tho charge of grand lar
ceny'and was given a sentence of five
years in the penitentiary. McMleh
ael by a trick worked J. B. Mikelson,
a Jeweler of Nebraska City out of a
diamond ring valued nt $145. McMlch
acl appeared a few days ngiy at the
Nebraska City sti.re and ordered the
ring sent to a factitious friend "Marsh"
at Mynard, Neb. The ring was to be
Sent by express subject to the ap
proval of his friend. The man then
went to Omaha, and picking out a
cheap Imitation, stone, had It mounted
to resemble the real stone. He also
had a real dlaTnond Bet In a solid gold
mounting, and an exact duplicate
made with a pasto stone. He gave his
name at the Omaha store as "Jack
son." Going to Mynard, he presented him
self as "Marsh" mid asked for tho
ring, and while examining it made
the substitution. He refused to accept
the ring and safely made his getaway,
coming to Plattsmouth, where he tried,
to dispose of the valuable stone and
was arrested. He had nine rings in' a
purse when searched.
LEAVES WITH THEIR COIN.
Clairvoyant Reaps a Harvest nt Hast
ings, Neb.
More than 100 of tho members of
the "swell set" of Hastings are onxlous
to find Mme. Delia Ionldos, a clair
voyant, who has suddenly left for purts
unknown. Mme. Delia had arranged
to give a "spiritual" party, nt which
she was to permit the exclusive ones
to discourse with their dead friends
and relatives. She had hired tho
largest hall in the town, ond in order
to get Into communication with the
"spirits" she had demanded and col
lected $5 to $10 from each of the
parties who were to attend. All went
well until the night of the "spirit"
party. Then those who were to meet
the departed ones were on hand,' but,
the madame failed to appear. It was
later learned that she had taken with
her both "spirits" and cash.
SIGNS PLEDGE; GETS BAHV.
Omaha Father ami Mother to Let
Strong Drink Alone.
"No baby unless you sign a pledge
to cut out drinking." That was "the
order of Judge Sutton of the Juvenile
court, Issued to Martin and Anna Vo
laskl, of Omaha, whose 2-year-old
baby had been taken away from them
by Probation Officer Bernstein.
'In court the father and mother
signed a pledge to abstain from drink
ing for one year, and tho child was
returned to their custody. As they
left the court room Judge Sutton In
formed them that If they failed to
keep the pledge tho child would be
taken away and that they would never
have It again.
MRS VAN ORSDEL IS DEAD.
Steele City Woman Succumbs to Her
Injuries.
Mrs. Cora Van Orsdol died shortly
after 9 o'clock Tuesday evening at her
home at Steele City, from a self Inflict
ed wound. Mrs. Van Orsdol, while
temporarily Insane last Thursday
night, murdered her 2-year-old daugh
ter, Janette, by beating her over the
head with a hammer and then cutting
her throat with a razor. She then
secured a butcher knife from the
kitchen and cut her own throat. At
first some hopes for her recovery
were entertained. The woman,
though badly Injured, was able to
write answers to questions asked her
on paper. She said that she had com
mitted the deed herself while tempo
rarily insane. Mrs. Cora Vun Orsdol
Is the widow of the late W. S. Van
Orsdol, who died about a year ago.
EIGHT WANT LICENSES.
Increase of Cost In Beatrice Makes
Little Difference.
In spite of the fact that the city
council has Increased tho license for
saloons to $1,800 a year and has also
passed a drastic antl-treatlng ordi
nance, there are eight applications for
saloon license now on file at Beatrice
with the city clerk.
Owing to the fact that the council
Is on record as favoring but six sa
loons, two of this number will not be
able to secure licenses. Just which
of the two will be turned down Is the
subject of much speculation at the
present time, as all of the applicants
are residents of Beatrice.
Editors Meet.
The Cass county editor's association
met In Plattsmouth Tuesday, and in
the evening the members were enter
tained at a banquet given by the com
mrclal club.
Four Days of Snow,
After snowing for four successive
days and with two freezes with a
wind blowing almost a hurricane, the
fruit prospect around Greeley la
blasted.
. FIND BODY OF MR. HAMILTON.
Man Wht Aided Officer Was Evident
, ly Murdered.
Through a confession made by
Frank Cleavenger the body of O. F.
Hamilton, of Mullen, who disappeared
suddenly two years ago, was found
Saturday buried in the stock yards at
Mullen. Hamilton was employed by
the government In unearthing public
land frauds, and his death Is believed
to have resulted from his activity In
that work.
Cleavenger made his confession to
the sheriff, stating that Hamilton's
body was burled at the place designat
ed. Investigation was made and the
body dug up. Cleavenger charges 11.
G. Mclntyre, a railroad brakeman,
with having killed Hamilton. He says
Hamilton was found asleep In a sa
loon, and that Mclntyre struck him
over tho head with n revolver. Ham
ilton was then thrown down a cellar
way, according to tho confession
where, Cleavenger asserts, Mclntyre
killed him. Ho says C. W. Rec tor was
a witness to the crime, and that Rec
tor and himself were sworn to secrecy
under pain of 'death. ,
Cleavenger declares . he was con
science stricken, and could not keep
life secret longer.
Hamilton, who was a well known
lawyer, was netlve In the secret serv
ice of tho government, nnd aided ma
terially in unearthing tho land frauds
for which several convictions have
been secured, nmong them being that
of an Kfllscopal minister.
Mclntyre resides at Seneca, where
he has a family.
THIEF CAUGHT AT PIERCE.
An Overcoat and Other Goods Found
in II in Possession.
Marshal Ulrlch of Pierce received a
telegram from Niobrara Saturday fore
noon to arrest a fellow on train No.
400 upon Its nrrlvnl at 11:35 a. rn., he
beln gchnrged with stealing an over
coat from a hotel nt Niobrara. The
marshal went to tho train and was
cautioned by the conductor to bo care
ful, as the fellow- looked' like' a bad
man. The marshal went Into the car
and soon had tho nllegei! thief 'out,
though he protested vigorously. On
being taken to Jail he was searched.
A couple of revolvers were found in
his pockets, as well as a lot of other
plunder that he had evidently picked
up-nt Niobrara. The missing over
coat was also found In his possession.
A constable came from Niobrara Sun
day noon and took the prisoner back
n the afternoon train. He gave, his
name as John Town.
HASTINGS IN LINE.
Mayor Miles Culls Mecdng to Discuss
Cupltal Removal.
Mayor Miles, of Hastings has an
nounced he will call a meeting of the
Commercial club to consider the prop
osition to change the location of the
capital -to some point In central Ne
braska. It is probable the commit
tees will bo nppointed to co-operate
with Commercial clubs of central and
western Nebraska towns. Removal of
the capital has been agitated there on
several former occasions, but thls la
the first time a woll defined move
ment has been launched. Tho Kear
ney and Grand Island clubs have tak
en initial steps for the removal cam
paign. MAX IS INSTANTLY KILLED.
Sec tion Hand Run Over by a Passen
ger Train.
Henry Koehler, a section hand, was
instantly killed in Fairmont Saturday
morning by train No. 1.
Mr. Koehler was working with his
back toward the train and a strong
wind was blowing so ho could not hear
It approaching.
His skull was crushed nnd both legs
broken, ills body wns knocked about
thirty feet from where he was stand
ing.
Mr. Koehler was an old resident of
Fairmont and leaves a large family.
To Vote on School Bonds.
The board of education of Nebraska
City at a meeting held last week
adopted a resolution to submit tn tho
voters of that city the proposition to
vote for $80,000 school bonds with
which to erect and equip a new high
school building. The special election
Is to be held on May 24.
Calls Oakland Pastor.
Rev. K. Foreman, pastor of the
Swedish Mission church of Oakland,
has received a call to Essex, la. He
has not announced whether or not he
will accept.
The present cold snap recalls the
blizzard of 1873. the thlrfv -Hftvent h
anniversary of the blizzard being April
14. Many lives wero lost and much
stock perished, especially In western
iveurasKa and the. Dnkotas.
Preliminary arrangements ara ?.
ing made at Albion for the Chautau
qua for this summer. The datea have
been set for August 6 to 14. A strong
er program will be presented thla year
than ever before. ,
WASTE BY FIRE. I
City Far Capita Loss Exceeds That
of Rural Districts.
The report of the Uulted States Geo
logical Survey on tho waste of struc
tural materials by fire gives interest
ing figures concerning the Are waste in
this country. In connection with tbla
Investigation the Survey took up the
question of fire losses and the expenses
connected with Ores, such as fire de
partments, waterworks, etc. Detail
are given which are accepted as ac
curate. Elaborate statistics were se
cured by sending blanks to the chiefs
of fire departments in more than
5,000 incorporated towns and cities and
to the postmasters in rural districts
with no large cities, to determine ths
comparisons between urban and strict
ly rural risks.
The per capita Are loss reported
from the cities was $2.54 and from the
country districts $2.49. The absence ol
the conflagration hazard in the country
and of the exposure fires which form
so large a proportion ot the losses Id
the towns and cities Is offset by thf
efficiency of the fire departments in ths
cities, the proportion of the total
losses being very much larger In tht
country. It is estimated in the report
that about 55 per cent of the total
property is insured, a much stnallet
proportion than is usually supposed.
Excessive fire waste In tho United
States is attributed to the predomi
nance of frame buildings, over two
thirds of the losses being in such risks
The report has grouped eleven
States which are practically treeless
and compared thorn with the eleven
States in which there Is still an abun
fiance of timber, showing a per cnplta
loss of $2.89 in the former States and
$2.30 in the latter.
States have been grouped geograph
ically to analyze the fire loss, show
ing a per cnplta of $2.19 in the South
Atlantic States, $2".37 in the North Cen
tral, $2.50 In the North Atlantic, $2.65
in -Die Western and $3.GG in the South
Central. The excess in the latter dis
trict is attributed to nn Unusually
large number of frame buildings, care
less construction and inferior f.re pro
tection.
WAHRINCr ON A PEST. '
National Aaaanlt on the Damajerona
Ilouact Fly.
The house fly miiBt go. Years ago
science discovered that this filthy In
sect was a dangerous disseminator of
disease and the public has rapidly
learned to protect the home, especially
the Kitchen and dining room, from its
encroachments. But war Is now de
clared upon the fly's very existence. :
Tho' American Civic Association hat
taken the matter up, with headquar
ter? in Washington, and the Depart
ment of Agriculture is planning a
;outitry-wide crusade aided by an army
of laborers and no end of drugs and
chemicals.
The campaign will be started in tht
country districts, where the flies in tht
past have been permitted to multiply
without molestation. A special farm
ers' bulletin is being prepared by ths
bureau which will give valuable fly-
killing recipes and tell of the various
dn.eases spread by the fly.
One feature of the campaign will b
moving pictures, which will be used
by lecturers all over the country to
show the enormous mischief the fly
is capable of.
A union of the wood, wire and metaj
(athera la being formed at Baksrsfleld,
Cal.
During February there were 237 In
dustrial accidents In Canada and forty
one work people killed.
International Union of. Blacksmiths
will send organizers to Boston to or
ganize thoroughly the craft in that vi
cinity.
Organized labor in Denver, Colo., has
united In a demand for the publlo
ownership of the water supply for that
city.
The number of national and Inter
national unions of laboring people has
grown in nineteen years from twenty
to thirty-five.
The National Pharmaceutical Socle
ty la the name given to a union recent
ly formed by the drug clerks of New
York City.
Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen of North America
will hold their annual convention in
Louisville, Ky., May 9.
In England an Injured workman
receives during his period of dis
ability one-half the wages he would
have earned if he had not been in
lured. A recent meeting of the Memphis
(Tenn.) tradea and labor council took
up and discussed the question of a local
labor temple, and a building commit
tee to go Into 'tlie question was named.
The Porto Rico unions which are af
filiated with the American Federation
of Labor are making an appeal to un
ions In the United States for funds to
aid the bakers In Mayague, who are on
strike.
The biennial vote of the Internation
al Printing Pressmen and Assistants'
Union for their annual executive coun
cil was announced by the board of
electors at Cincinnati recently, showing
a 65 per cent vote out of a membership
of 22,000.
From 1897 to the close of last year
the American Federation of Labor had
Issued 6.821 charters, as follows: Inter
national 107, department 4, state, 38,
central 986, trade unions 3,856. At this
time It costa $208,702 a year to conduct
the office of the American Federation
of Labor.
The average dally mail received at
the White House Is, of course, very
large. The President cannot, it fol
lows, read these letters as an ordinary
business man reads his morning mail,
but by a carefully developed system
their contents are in substance pre
sented to him, nn exchange says. A
corps of confidential clerks open the
letters and give them a first reading.
They are then carefully sorted. Msny
of them do not need to go to the Presi
dent, as they are simply recommenda
tions for office. These, after being
courteously acknowledged, are referred
to the proper departments, and placed
on file there until the subject to which
each of them relates can be taken up
for consideration. Many ot the let
ters are purely formal, or contain re
quests for something which cannot bt
granted. These the clerks answer and
the President's secretary signs. Tht
requests for charity are so many that
a special "form" has been devised to
be used in answering them. They art
all alike necessarily and politely re
fused. All letters which the President
ought to see are carefully briefed that
Is, a slip Is pinned at the top of each
letter, and on this is a typewritten
synopsis of its contents, telling who
the writer Is and what he has to pre
sent. Frequently the President Is suf
ficiently Interested by the brief to
cause him to read the whole letter.
Sometimes the communication is re
ferred to a cabinet officer, In which
case the slip is retained at the White
House and filed away. When a large
amount of persona write on the same
subject the letters are bunched, and
the brief at tho top gives the names ot
those who present one argument, and
In another list the persons who offer
a different view. This is an admir
able way of "Jumping at conclusions,"
made necessary by the excessive bur
dens of the presidential office.
At the end of February, when eight
months of the fiscal year had expired,
the deficit of the treasury was a little
less than twenty Ave million dollars.
The ordinary receipts were a little less
than four hundred and twenty-
seven and a half millions; the
ordinary expenses, slightly more
than four hundred and fifty-two mil
lions. . The ordinary receipts and ex
penditures are tlie entire receipts and
disbursements except those on account
of the "public debt and the Panama ca
nal. As compared with ths same
months of the preceding year the re
ceipts wero forty-two millions more.
and tho disbursements a million and a
half loss. In that former year the def
icit for tho eight months up to the
end of February was sixty-eight mil
lions, or more than forty-three million
above that of the current year. Tht
appropriations become effective on the
fh'Bt day of July; and In that and tht
three or four succeeding, months tht
disbursements are heavy In amount,
whereas the receipts are not usually
larger than the average. Almost al
ways the last few months of the fiscal
year, which ends with June, exhibit
an improvement over the first half of
the year.
The opinion of officials in the cen
sub bureau at Washington Is said to
be that the population of the country
as a whole will be found to approxl
mate 90,000,000. If the same rate ot
Increase, however, has been maintain.
ed In the last ten years as prevailed
in the preceding ten the DODulation
will reach 93,000,000. There are ex
perts who figure that even a bireer
rate of increase will be found to havt
occurred and who declare that tht
number of inhabitants of the United
States will be discovered to be car.
ticularly close to the 100,000,000 mark.
if tnese optimists are right, the na
tion's population has Jumped ahead
about 24,000,000 in ten years. At tht
Inst census the population was 76,000,.
000, an increase of about 14,000,000
ovet the census of 1890.
An array of counsel ereater In nnm.
ber and more noted than ever assem
bled at The Hague to engage In tha
trial of a special case has been retain
ed to represent America and Great
Britain in the determination of whnt
is undoubtedly the most important Is
sue ever presented to the great peace
tribunal. Arguments will be begun on
June 1. Technically this is tht deter
mination of differences which havt
arisen between the two governments
&s to the true Intent of the nrovlslona
of tho treaty ot 1818 defining the fish
ing rights of Americans and Cana
dians In their respective waters.
Mrs. John B. Henderson has come to
be known as the Terpsichore of Wash
ington. It was Mrs. Henderson who
formed the famous Greek and Span
ish waltz classes for the Lenten per
iod In which her pupils danced upon
arising before open windows to make
them supple and graceful.
Home consumption of the country's
products continues to show expansion
when compared with last year. For
the nine months ending with last
month the exnorts of breadstuff, mmt
and dairy products, food animals, cot
ton and mineral olta from the United
States, as shown by figures ot the De
partment of Commerce and Labor, ag
gregated in value 1658.289.954. For
the corresponding period ot 1908-09 tho
ralue of the commodities waa $687,794.
128.
