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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1900)
RENT PAID INGBOGBRIES Privato House and Office Ront Paid In Orocerijs Taken FROM SOLDIERS HOME AT MILfORD Old Soldlcri Crowded Out to Mnko Itoom for llelutlvei nnd Friend of OnicInU How State Fundi Aro Uselessly Squan dered by l'opullat OfllelaU. Without a doubt tho most open and flagrant corruption practiced In any of tho stato Institutions la practiced at tho Soldiers' nnd Sailors' Home at Mllford. Officials of tho Homo have gone so far as to appropriate public property to tholr privato uso; as to pay private bills, such as houso nnd office rent, with groceries nnd provisions bought with stato funds; ns to dispose of pub lic property and not properly account for tho same; ns to purclmsc clothing nnd fancy furnishing goods for rela tives nnd have them put on the books as groceries nnd pay for them out of nionoyB belonging to the stato; and as to fill tho building with relatives nnd friends and furnish them with bed, board and lodging at tho expense of the state. In short, thero Is scarcely an oflenso associated with the saving and obtnlnlng of money fraudulently that has not been committed by some one or another connected with the Home. James Fowler succeeded Captain Cttl Ter ns commandant of tho Homo about four years ago. From tho time ho assumed control up to tho present ho has kept both hands on tho public teat. After getting his own name on tho pay roll at $900 per year, with bed and board, ho set out to have his wife's name placed thero nlso, and he finally succeeded In causing tho re moval of Matron Ferguson nnd the appointment of his wife, who Is now on tho pay roll as matron nt $IS0 per year, though nt this time thero Is not a female ward In tho building. Though drawing $40 per month for performing tho dutlea of matron, Mrs. Fowler, wife of tho commandant, has Gpent a goodly portion of her time visiting relatives nnd friends In other parts of the stato. At pne time she left tho Home and was gono for several weeks, while tho only female Inmate of tho Home, Sarah Prime, the aged and helpless widow of an old soldier, lay on her sick bed and had to be at tended by tho old soldier inmates. Mrs. Fowler remained awny, and, finally, feeble, sick and penniless, poor old Sarah Prlmo was hauled to tho depot and loft on tho platform with only $3 in her possession nnd no place to go or lay her head. A FAMILY AFFAIR. Nor did Commandant Fowler con tent himself with placing his wife's name on tho pay roll. Ho went fur ther and converted tho Homo into a family boarding houso. At various times he has had himself, his wife, his two sons and their wives, his two daughters, and a grand child, all sleep ing and eating nt the Homo at tho ex pense of tho state. Half of the entire socond story is occupied by tho com mandant and his relatives and friends. It Is charged, and, presumably on good authority, that fancy linen, laces and material for female nether ap parel have been purchased for tho daughters nnd daughters-in-law of a certain ofllclal at tho expense of the" state. In making these purchases, ru mor says that the bills and vouchers were made out for groceries, provisions or other material, so ns to cover up the transaction. Tho fact that tho commandant has purchased oysters and othor eatables of a luxurious char acter and had the bills nnd vouchers made out as butter and other staples in tho grocery and provision line Is a fact which ho hlmslf can not truth fully dony. Nor is it likely thnt ho will or daro deny that ho has per mitted Dr. Tracy, tho physician in chnrgo at tho Homo, to tako Hour, sugar, coffee and canned goods from tho store room of tho Home goods paid for by tho stato nnd ostensibly bought for tho Homo, nnd pay house nnd ofllco rent with them. RENT PAID IN GROCERIES. Tho physician In charge at tho Homo Is Dr. S. P. Tracy. Shortly aftor Fow ler was appointed commandant ho Is sued rations to Dr. Tracy, something which had never beforo been done, and which Is clearly in violation of law. This was kept up for somo tlmo un til finally, to avoid throatenod expos ure, It was to all outward appear ances stopped by order of the Board of Public Lands and Buildings. It wns a sad day for Tracy when this edict was promulgated. For Dr? Tracy hnd a vory nice thing of it. Ho not only received rations, but ho had ac cess to the storo room, with tho op portunity of helping himself. It wns while this condition of affairs pre vailed that ho hit upon the plan of paying his houso and offlco rent in groceries and provisions. Ho ronted an ofllco from nn aged widow named Dlantha Brown. When asked If it wero truo that Dr. Tracy paid his rent in groceries, Mrs. Brown said: "Ye3, Dr. Tracy, on divers occasions, brought mo flour, sugar, canned goods, tea and tho llko. Ho told mo ho got tho articles from tho Soldiers' Home. I nsked him to glvo mo somo coal, but he snld ho could not do It, as they did not glvo him much of that. I think tho Inst groceries ho gave me was In 1898. Ho moved out of my building owing mo $50 back rent, nnd I havo his noto for $130 nt this tlmo for rent, which ho owes, only $10 of which has been paid. I don't remember just how much groceries ho gave mo In all. I romombor nt ono tlmo he brought mo a wholo sack of flour." Mrs. Brown Is a widow nnd Is 83 years of ago. Sho Is an old citizen of Mllford and has a large number of relatives residing In that vicinity, all of whom stand high In public esteem. Dr. Tracy has for six years occupied a houso owned by J. D. Cunningham. Mr, Cunningham was asked as to whether Dr. Tracy over paid any por tion of his rent In groceries or pro visions. Ho said: "Yes, I havo rocolved somo of the rent in that way. He has glvon me flour, groceries and canned goods, I cannot say Just Itow much It all amounted to. Ho is owing me back rent now, but I have reduced his rent and hav required him to pay part of tho back rent each month, so thnt ho is catching up. As for groceries, I cannot say where ho got them. All I know Is that ho brought them to my house nnd gave them to rnc In pay ment of rent." An old soldier who was formerly connected with the home, In such n position ns to speak authoritatively, and whose namo Is not mentioned herein, through fear of his expulsion from the Home, statod that ho had seon Dr. Tracy go to tho store room, unlock tho door and go in nnd help himself. He had a key and was priv ileged to tako whnt he wanted. On ono occasion, this nuthorlty states, ho took, among other things, n wholo sack of sugar. Dr. Tracy has his horse pastured at tho expense of the stnte, but whether he Is st 111 receiving an nllowanco of rations, nobody outsldo tho Homo ap pears to know to a certainty. Dr. Tracy has considerable profes sional practice outsldo tho Homo, but tho druggists of the town say that ho has very few privato prescriptions filled by them. This may explain In part Uio depletion of the 'drug nnd surgical Instrument" fund of tho Home, In faco of tho fact thnt there has been little sickness nt the Home within tho Inst eighteen months. MANIPULATING THE FUNDS. The mnnnor in which tho funds nre being manipulated anroaches and re flects criminality. The laBt legislature appropriated for tho Homo $37,471. Of this, $500 wns for furnituro and bedding. Tills fund Is practically ex hausted, and tho vouchors that should bo drawn against it nnd against no othor fund, have been drawn against othor funds. In ono lnstanco a vouch er for nearly $40 was drawn on tho "clothing nnd maintenance" fund for carpets, fringe nnd window shades. Of the funds received from sale of state property, such as stock and prod ucts raised on tho grounds .of tho Home, timber cut and sold, and the pasturing of stock, little Is known of their disposition. Nono of this monoy has ever been paid into tho treasury, nnd no report of it has ever been made to tho auditor. It is kept by the com mandant for "emergency" purposes, though the receipts amount to more than $300 per yenr. The commandant reports the nmount of monoy received to the governor seml-nnnually. The re port for the first half of the present year should havo been filed with the govornor Juno 1st, but up to July 27 no report was on flic. Inquiry nt the governor's office elicited the Informa tion that "Tho report had been offered for filing, but It contained errors and wns sent back for correction." About $1,500 worth of timber wns cut from tho grounds several months ngo. Much of It wns sold, but thus far no complete report has been made of It. About a dozen head of cattle and horses hnve been pastured at tho Homo all spring and summer, but there is nothing in tho reports on filo which account for any part of this monoy. In tho last year fully 200 chickens wero disposed of in one way nnd another, yet the reports account for less than half that number. Other property has passed through tho hands of tho offi cials, but neither tho records nt the Home nor the reports on file with the govornor, disclose what has been done with tho proceeds. In cutting tho timber much damage was done tho ground from a pictur esque point of view, nnd, whllo the commnndnnt affected to mako It appear that tho foliage was not destroyed through ulterior motives, there is ev ory reason to bellovo that tho primary object was to swell tho "emergency" fund. The "labor" fund Is exhausted, the employes not having rocolved any pay since Juno 1st, thus mnklng n lnrgo dollclency in tills fund Inevitable. Juno 30 there remains In tho Furulturo and Bedding Fund only $8.72; In tho Drug and Surgical Instrument Fund only $29.75; in tho Fuel and Light Fund, $251.10; Maintenance and Clothing, for which $8,000 was appropriated, $2,0G8; Stock, Feed and Farm Imple ment Fund, $G3.13; Visiting and Ex amining Board Fund, $81.80. It will bo seon by tho foregoing that there Is scarcely a fund whose condition is not such nt this time as to foreshadow a deficiency nt tho end of tho year. In connection with this It may bo well to call attention to the fact that, while tho law requires Commandant Fowler, among othor things, to mako a report Decembor 1st, of each year to tho Commissioner of Public LandB and Buildings, setting forth tho num ber of Inmates admitted nnd dis charged, recelptB, disbursements and expenditures of monoy or other funds (see section 49G1 Rovlsod Statutes, 1899), he has never In tho four yenrs of his incumbency mado such a re port. This statement is made on the authority of attaches of tho department of Public Lands and Buildings. OPENLY VIOLATING THE LAW. Thero Is at tho Homo, a young man who has only recently crossed tho threshold of his majority. His namo Is J. H. Perklnson, nnd he occupies tho Important position of adjutant. Tho law distinctly and explicitly says that: "Tho commandant shall perform tho duties of adjutant and quartermaster, or havo theso duties performed without expense to tho stato" (sco Sec. 49C8 Rovlsod Statutes, 1899), yet J. H. Porklnson Ib adjutant at the Homo and draws a salary of $25 per month and board, washing und lodging. In tho official reports of tho Home and in his official duties ho Is known only ns adjutant. To cvado tho law in making out vouchors for his pay, however, ho is made to appear as "Commissary Sergeant." Thus, In the records at tho Homo and In the official reports ho Is ono thing, and In tho voucher record In tho auditor's ofllco he Is another. Under nelthor title Is It lawful for him to draw monoy from tho stato. When Captnln Culver was commandant, .under a republican administration, ho had his son perform the duties of ndjutant, but ho never claimed any pay for him and nono was ever allowed. INHUMAN TREATMENT OF OLD SOLDIERS. Reports of Inhuman troatmont of old soldiers at tho Homo are numerous. Only thoso who havo been thero nnd left tho Home, however, daro utter a protest. Commandant Fowlor rules wltli a hand of tyranny, and any ono who dares to complain of treatment ro colved at the Homo, or say anything reflecting on the management, Is under pain at once of summnry discharge for "disgraceful conduct" A few weeks ngo nn old soldier namod Martin V. BoVard was dishon orably discharged from tho Home, nntl his only offenso was that somo tlmo bofore thnt ho protested to tho gov ernor against nn unlawful assessment that wnB being levied upon the In mates by the commandant. Last yenr, for six months, tho com mandant lovlcd an assessment of CO cents por month on all tho pensioned Inmates to ralso funds for "holp" In tho dining room. All told, about $36 por month was collected, thero being about sixty Inmates. Out of this fund four inmate received $5 por month each as waiters in the dining room. Whero tho remaining VlG went to no body but Commandant Fowler appears to know. Prior to this it was custom ary to detail lnmntcs for this class of work, and, to nil appearances, it had been satisfactory. BoVard was ono of those who had th ocourage to protest against tho tax, but this protest count cdfifor nothing. Finally, tho Inmates raised $1 to pay BeVard's expenses to Lincoln and ho went thero and laid tho facta beforo Governor Poyntor. Govornor Poyntcr was not disposed to lntorforo, but when Informed by Bo Vard that tho matter would bo laid bofore the authorities at Washington, ho said ho would sco that it was stopped Immediately. From thnt dny until a few weeks ngo, when BoVard wns dishonorably discharged, Fowler made It anything but pleasant for him. Finally, a few weeks ago BoVard, without any othor cause, was dishon orably discharged and, against his ap peals to permit him to remain nnother week until ho got his pension, wnB turned out on the world among Strang orB, a penniless nnd helpless objoct of chnrlty. Another old soldier named Gresham, who has scarcely a crumb of broad to spare, finding BoVard lying In tho weeds nnd suffering from a run ning sore in tho log and moaning from rheumatic pains, took him In nnd gavo him somothlng to oat. From tho 3rd to tho 10th of July BoVard ato nt Grcsham'B Htlo cabin, but, as there was only ono bed and one room, ho had to look elscwhore for lodging. Poverty-stricken, sick, helploss nnd alone tho old veteran wandered about In tho night until he found a shed, almost In tho shadow of tho Home, whero ho crawled In nnd slopt. For seven nights ho slept thero on the hard plank floor, with no companion but tho stars and nothing to Bhlold him from tho Btorms and the elements but tho will of Providence. Exposure and dampness, both Incentives to nsth ma and rheumatic afflictions, had fur ther Impaired his health, and, when ho got his pension and loft Mllford, his suffering wns so Intense that tears coursed down his cheeks. BoVnrd had a Bplondld war record, having sorved four years na a Union soldier, part of tho tlmo In tho famous brigade commanded by Genoral Mulli gan. Ho enlisted ns a privato in Bat tery L, First Regiment, Illinois Volun teer Light Artillery. For eighty dnys he was n prisoner of war in Llbby Prison, having been captured whllo gallantly defending a vnntngo point known as Four Mllo Ford on tho Po tomnc. Ho Is well known nmong tho railroad men of Nobraska, having worked on tho various railroads off and on for nbout twenty-eight years. Speaking of tho treatment accorded old soldiors at tho homo, William G. Groshnm, a former Inmate, said: "Tho fact is, Fowler despises tho Grand Army of tho Republic. I know whereof I speak, when I say ho hates old soldiers. I myself, spent somo time nt tho Homo. "I havo taken my dlschargo twice from tho Home slnco ho hns been thoro. I tried to put up with tho abuses but could not." CALLED THEM YANKEE BUM MERS. "I havo heard Harry Fowler's wife," continued Mr. Greshum, "call old sol diors 'Yankee Bummers' nnd 'Yankee Robols' right to their face. Now, it Is harsh under nny conditions to apply any such names to old soldiers, and when you considor that she was tho daughtor of a notorious confederate, who was a lleutonnnt in Quantroll's nrmy you can readily realize tho mag nitude of tho Insult. Tho old hoys know who nnd what she waB, but sho was tho daughter-in-law of tho com mandant and wo had to put up with her jeers, snubs nnd Insults and say nothing. "Now, thoro 1b Porklnson. Think of putting a young man senrcely old enough to voto In as adjutant whero he exercises nuthorlty over a lot of men threo times his ngo. "I took my socond dlschargo some tlmo ngo and I hopo to ho ablo to mako a living for mysolf nnd mother, doing such work ns I can get nround town for tho rest of our days. Mothor (moaning his wlfo) was discharged from tho Homo shortly after I loft becauso Fowlor did not llko me. Sho is C9 years old and I am GO. She was there two years, and In that tlmo was allowed only two calico dresses, worth about 50 cents each, and two pnlrs of cheap shoes, amounting In nil to less than $10. The government allows $25 por yoar for clothing and shoes for each Inmate, but that la all mothor could got. "There is no um talking, the Homo Is shamefully mismanaged. I, for ono, havo seen tho commandant In a condi tion that convinced mo that ho was trader tho lnfluonco of liquor. At ono tlmo I remember ho had to bo assisted up tho stairs, and I was that near to him that I detected tho odor of whis key. "Then there Is that man Benton, tho steward. Ho draws $20 por month nnd board and lodging, besides monoy ho mnkes on tho sldo. Ho is rich and owns lota of property, but ho is tho steward, though thoro Is no moro need of n steward than there 1b for two governors at Lincoln. "I do not wish to presont myself In tho light of nn outlaw, but let mo toll you that wo wero uolng so badly treated at tho Homo at ono tlmo that a ropo was purchased with a view to disciplining nnd making an oxamplo of ono or moro of tho officials. I havo tho ropo In my hoiiBo nt tho presont time. It was not used for that pur pose, but It camo vory noar being. "I wish somo of tho alleged vetorana who aro Bonding out appeals for votes for fusion could como hero and boo what fusion has dono for tho votoruns." Mr. Grcshnm wns a member of Com pany B, Ntnctenth Iowa Infantry, nnd saw four years' of torrlblo sorvlco, having been wounded threo Umo3. Theso nre tho type of men Commnnd nnt Fowler'a daughtcr-ln-law called Ynnkeo Rebels. Could nhy affront be more wnnton nnd cruel? When Fowler enmo to Mllford It 1 roportcd that ho woro n Grand Army button In tho lapel of his coat Some tlmo afterwards it disappeared. When nskod by ono of tho votornns outside of the Homo whoro It wns, ho said: "I really am not entitled to wonr It Besides, I nm not much of a G. A, R. man anyhow." A BUNGLING JOB. Within tho last year an addition lins bon built to tho Homo nt a cost of $5,000. Tho contract for brick nnd atono work waa let to a fusion con tractor nt Lincoln, na was also tho contract for plumbing. Tho "brick nnd mason work is far Bhort of a first-class Job. Very llttlo cothent wns used In tha foundation, nnd tho outer layer In tho walls rovoals tho fnct that a vory largo number of broken brick nnd brlck-bnts was used In constructing the building. Much of tho brick work was dono by stono mnsons, presuma bly bocauso tho wages of stono masons nro lower. Tho construction of tho building was not supervised, and tho contractors followed tho plans nnd specifications In a way to Bult thorn solves. Tho work wna ao poorly per formed thnt even a thick coat of rod paint falls to thoroughly disguise It. A fuslonlst named Blake from Lin coln had tho building contract and he left tho town owing a board bill for his mon at tho Grand hotel of $58, and labor bills aggregating $75. LOOSE BUSINESS METHODS. Looso business methods provnll nt tho Homo. Not nn nrticlo delivered from tho stores at tho Homo Is wolghotl. Seldom nro tho goods checked over to see If tho dollvory Is In nccordnnco with bills rondoretl. In connection with this it Is reported that tobacco Is bought at tho state's oxpenso nnd ngaln sold at tho Home. No positive proof of this could bo found, though thoro nro pooplo who say that it is truo. It has been cua tomnry for certain of tho officials to keep tobacco on salo nt tho Homo, nnd rumor has It that somo'of tho tobacco purchased at tho oxpenso of the stato hns found Its way Into bucIi privato sources. Considerable tobacco Is used at tho Home. Tho Inmates are al lowed to smoko In tho nssembly room and there only, but tho commnndant may bo seen at nlmost any hour going all through tho building pulling smoko llko a slx-wholod "mogul" going up grndo. He breaks his own rules with Impunity. If any of tho Inmatos would daro to ntempt to..oxcrclso llko priv ileges they would bo "dishonorably dis charged" Instantor. VISITING COMMITTEE. Perhaps tho most pnlpablo fraud on tho taxpayers Is tho bo called "Visit ing and Examining Board." This committeo pays a visit to tho Homo onco a month, ostensibly to audit the hooks, but in reality to havo a pleasuro trip without cost to thomsolvos. Tho members nro allowed $1 por day each nnd their oxpenscs. Ono woman from Lincoln, who Is a member of tho com mitteo, invariably leaves Lincoln nftor suppor time nnd wnits until Bho gets to tho Homo beforo dining. Sho renches thoro about 8 o'clock In tho ovonlpg. and a sumptuous sprond Is laid for her. Her train does not leave Lin coln until nftor G o'clock, giving hor nmplo tlmo to havo suppor, or G o'clock dinner at homo boforo sho starts. Between fraud, looso management and needless oxpenso, tho ' cost por capita tho last fow yoars at tho Homo hns been greater by 15 por cont than formerly. Tho stato would nctually savo monoy by paying tho board nnd lodging of tho veterans at good hotels and In addition giving thorn a reason ablo allowanco for clothing. SHOULD SUPPRESS FORAGING. Somo steps should bo taken to sup press foraging by fusion ofllclnls nnd tholr frlondB. At tho Homo, S. A. Langford nnd wlfo nro on tho pay roll for doing tho laundry work nt $22 per month, board nnd lodging. Thin work was formerly dono b Inmates. Tho chango was mado to vnako room for the LangfordB who nro populists. Threo lnmntcs woro shifted out of their quartors to mako room for tho Langfords. Adjutant Porklnson occuplos quar tors formorly occupied by four in mates. It is charged that Superintendent Edwnrds has practiced falso economy, In that sho has gono bo far ns to solicit prices from firms or business houses as far away as Chicago, nnd at tho same tlmo has put tho Btato to tho I033 of ten times tho nmount sho would thus savo by kcoplng rolatlvcE and frlonds at tho Homo at tho stito'fl oxpenso. Tho vouchor record nt Lin coln Bhowa a alight jugglery of tho funds of this liiEtltutlon, newspaper subscription in ono instance having been chnrgod up to tho "burial" fund. Ono improvomont might bo mado. and thnt la, in puting a ntop to tho practlco of permitting tho stownrd of tho Soldiers' Homo to come to tho In stitution nnd poso as a minister of tho gospol nnd colloct monoy from tho In mates for porformlng thnt sorvlco. Thero aro ministers of tho gospol In Mllford, schooled In Biblical lore, who would no doubt for the UBklng cheer fully perform the eoivIco without tnx lng tho unfortunate lnmntcs. Upon tho wholo, howovor, tho manngoment of this institution Is far hottor than tho avorngo. Only rocontly Mrs. Benton, wlfo of tho hospital stoward, paid a protract od visit to tho Homo. Sho was no compnnlod by a lady friend from Croto who also remained at tho Homo for a consldorablo longth of time. Two of Commandant Fowlor's daugh ters, who aro attending tho Stato Uni versity, aro now apondlng tholr vaca tion at tho Homo, whero thoy havo always tipont it. Two of his sons aro. frequently thoro. A privato dining room la main tained for theso guests nnd sumptuous repasta aro sproad. for all of which tho dear pooplo of Nobraska must Btop up to tho captain's doak nnd settlo. INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. Thoro la nnothor stato Institution nt Mllford known a3 tho Industrial School fop Glrla. This institution, though not entirely free from spoliation, is porhaps lesu tnlntml with it than any othor in tho stato. Uo far as disci pline la concerned It Is duo to Mrs. EdwardB, tho suporlntondont, to say HOLDS BOARD IS LEGAL Ahornoy General Files Supromo Court in Support of the Law, THE MATTER AGAIN GONE OVER Itensnnn for Knowing tho lllll t'nMed the Legislature nnd Effort to ltcpcnl It Floater Found In the MUnourt Hirer Oilier Ninrak Matters. LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 22. Tho nt tornoy general Hied In Biipremo court his brief In tho enso of the Btato against the Burlington nnd tho Elk horn railroads, us per the stipulation reached at tho recent extra sosslon of tho supreme court. Tho question to bo decided in whether or not the title which Is borno by tho act crcnttng the board of transportation nnd dotlntng its duties, na tho samo appears on file In tho secretary of state's ofllco, was passed by both houses of tho legis lature. Tho defonso holds that It was not, and that, thoroforo, tho net wna Invalid, and tho board without logal existence. It was on this point thnt Judge Munger granted hla temporary Injunction restraining tho bonrd from Interfering with existing interstate traffic ratos. And it Is this point that tho Bupromo court Is asked to pass on boforo the question of mnklng tho In junction permanent la passed on by Judgo Muugor. In hla brief tho nttorncy general re vIowb exhaustively tho history of tho pnssngo of the bill and Its tltlo, in an attempt to show thnt tho tltlo borno by tho enrolled bill Is tho same ns that under which It passed both Uio houso and tho senate. Itlrtmrdiinn li Demi. ALLIANCE, Neb., Aug. 22. Tho shooting of Brudls Rlchnrdson by R. M. KUuo has proved to bo a fatal shooting, Rlchnrdson dying. Richard son was a euloon keoper and Kllno waB a musician employed by Rlchnrd son, who, with hla wife, played In Richardson's saloon. There la no ex citement, ns It was done In tho ten derloin district and between parties who make up Its citizenship. Tho af fair grow out of an insult said to havo boon offered to Kline's wlfo while nlio was drinking beer and playing Uio plnno with her husband In Richard son's saloon. RlchnrdBon'B former homo wna nt Bcren. Ky., whoro ho ban n wife and tlvo children. Kllno 1b an ltlnornnt fiddler nnd his wife n piano player omployed to play in such plnccs. Kllno la in custody. I.oriitluir Htoleu (lond. HUMBOLDT, Neb., Aug. 22. A num bor of parties in and noar Humboldt nro 111 at cnBojtheso days owing to tho presence of n railroad company dotoe tlvo, who la horo endeavoring to lo cato n quantity of merchandise which waa taken from tho cars which woro smashed up at tho tlmo of tho wreck In tho yards hero. Tho Bmash-up oc curred nbou 3 o'clock In tho morning, nnd tho section men did not nrrivo on tho sceno for somo time, and buusg quent oventit go to show that some othor parties visited tho wreck oarllor, for when tho goodB woro checkod.ovor n considerable shortago was discov ered and the ofllclnls ordorcd an In quiry. Nut linn Itedlleld'it Dentil. NEBRASKA CITY, Neb., Aug. 22. Nathan Rodflold, ono of tho oldest set tlors of this Bectlon, la dead. Tho do seasod samo to this city In 185G nnd lino slnco made It his homo, snvo whon ho servod with tho Second Nebraska cavalry In tho civil wnr.' He was 78 years of ago. His funeral will tako placo tomorrow under tho nuBptcos of tho Grand Army of tho Republic post of this city. Ho loaves n widow nnd ono sou. Found I'lonlor. HOMER, Nob., Aug. 22. Tho nude body of nn unknown man wna found floating In tho Missouri vlver about six miles southeast of horo at Blyburg by somo young mon. Coroner Sawyer at Jackson was notified and will hold nn inquest. It wns at first believed to be tho remains of the man who leaped from tho combination bridge nt Sioux City nbout threo weoks ago, hut ns ho was fully dressed It proved not to bo him. Tho body was Bccurcd to tho shore pending Investigation. Muraliul I.cnvcH Tmru. CALLAWAY, Nob., Aug. 22. George Rupert, who hns been mnrshal of Cnl lawny for some tlmo, suddonly loft for parts unknown. No trnco of him hns yot been found, nnd numerous credit ors mourn his departuro, ho having run bills nnd borrowed money from nl most ovory business man In tho town. His wlfo and baby wore left behind, Old Cm troversy Itevlveil. CALLAWAY, Neb., Aug. 22. Tho present outlook Indicates thnt Custer county will bo divided this fall. The voto In this quarter will bo almost unnnlmous for It, and roporta como from tho othor quartors that parties who horotoforo opposed division will voto for it on tho present lines. Kohhml n I'ostofllce. OCTAVIA, Neb., Aug. 21. Rohbors entered tho hnrdwnro storo and post ofllco hero and blew open the safe, securing auout $97 worm of postage stamps and a low cents In money. Tho robbers usod blnck powder to do the work. Pieces of tho safe wero blown through tho celling. No clue. Itlcluirdit I Witntod. BLAIR, Nob., Aug. 22. Tho caso of J, B, Richards, tho man taken in cub tody as a fugitlvo from Justice from Minnesota, eamo up for hearing In tho county court. Owing to tho nbsenco of Important testimony the caso was con tlnuod until Saturday. Bail waB fixed at $3,000, It 13 3xpoctcd the requlsl Mon papers will bo horo by that time, when In nil probability tho prisoner will bo taken to Minnosota, whero it In nlloged tho crime of assault with Intant to kill wn r.ammlttad. LEASES FOR INDIAN LANDS. Acting Socretnry Itynil Iimlitn That They llo Minutely Scrutinized. WASHINGTON. Aug. 20. The at tention of tho Intorlor department waa recently cnllcd to tho fact that nearly 400 leases on allotted lands of tho Omaha nnd Winnebago Indinna in Thuraton county, Nebraska, woro be ing held up. nnd thnt If Immediate ac tion wns not had consldorablo hnrd ship would result to Indian allottees. Acting Secretary Ryan said today that lenses had to bo gono ovor carefully boforo flnnl approval could bo mado, nnd ns tho force of tho Intorlor do- partmont Is at prosont ahort-handeJ by reason of employes taking vaca tions tho work of examination la nec essarily much slower thnu would or dinarily bo tho caso. Ho Bald that leases woro not "held up" In tho senso of opposition to them, but woro vory minutely scrutinized, so that Indians making leases would havo rightful protection. "Lenslng of Indian lands la wrong In principle." Bald Socretarv Ryan. " nnd a Btop should ho put to It. Tho government should Insist upon tho In dians becoming eolf-aupportlng in stead of pormlttlug them to become loafers. It la a mlataken Idea to por mlt tho Indiana to live off tho govern ment, instead ho should bo taught to work and to rcallzo that hla stand ing In the community depends entirely upon his ability to farm his lands and realize on his crops." Tho Interior dopartmont rocontly is sued nn ordor thnt nil leases of al lotted lands hcrcaftor Bhould contnin a I'lnuj stipulating thnt tho lessor agreed to Improve tho Icnsohold In tho way of building, fonces, barns nnd outhouses, so that whon tho Indian began farming ho would find that hla proporty hnd advanced In value in stead of having retrograded by reason of tho lenses. Tornndo Wrack Dulldlnct. SUPERIOR. Nob.. Aug. 20. A tor nado with tho usual funnol-ahnpod cloud struck tho town of Bostwlck, eight miles west of horo, coming from uio northwest. No ono was hurt, but tho proporty tlnmago la considerable. J. Wnrren Kelfer, Jr., la ono of tho principal Iosors. A houso and ele vator bolonglng to him woro wrecked to tho extent of $1,000. Mrs. McCon- nell's and J. I. Burwoll'a housoa wore wreckod. Charles Henderson's house, oecuplod by J. W. McBco, waa badly damngod. Tho hotel wnB partially wrockod. Tho now town hall 1b oft its foundntlonB. In thla city a numbor of small buildings wor6 ovorturned. Took .Strychnine hy Mlntukc. HO WELLS, Nob., Aug. 20. Anton Dloughy, a prominent Colfax county fnrmcr, ennro vory noar reaching hla death as tho result of a doso of poi son accidentally ndmlnlstorod by hla own hand. H1b wlfo hnd placod somo ntrychnlno In a cup, with a small amount of water, and put it in what alio consldorod to bo a safo plaoc, In tending to uso tho poison to kill go phors. Mr. Dloughy wont to take a drink of liquor nnd not knowing nny thing nbout tho poison plckod up tho cup In which his wlfo had placed It, poured out hla drink and swallowed It Antidotes wero admlnlatorcd nnd nfter vlgoroiiB work ho was brought out of danger. liny mid Torpedo, GRAND ISLAND, Nob., Aug. 20. Young Body, aon of Henry Body, hnd tho thumb nnd forefinger of his right hand blown off whllo lighting a tor pedo. In company with sovornl othor lads of his stzo and ago ho was play ing, when ho discovered n packago tucked undor ono ond of a corn crib, which contalnod a largo numbor of mining torpedoes. Ignorant of their destructive powdor young Body took ono of tho explosives, etoppod somo distance away from his companions nnd applied a match to It Had ho boon loss careful IiIb Ufo would havo paid tho penalty. Whoro tho torpe does camo from is a myBlory. Stnntnn Mhii TukcM Strychnine. STANTON, Nob,, Aug. 20. Fred Pe toraon, a well known young man of this placo, died from the offocta of a doso of strychnlno," taken with sui cidal Intent. No rcanon 13 known for Potoroon'B nctlon. Ho wrb tho keeper of a restaurant horo, apparently pros poroiu In business, an oxomplnry man in ovory rospoct nnd had tho confi dence nud good will of all. Ho was quite woll acquaintod throughout tho county, linvlng taught school In tho country for several years. His father and mother llvo hero, a brothor and alfitor In Froir.ost, a slater In Omaha and another In Lincoln, Hull Cuuglit In California. SACRAMENTO, Cnl., Aug. 16. Robort B. Hnll of South Omaha, Nob., waa nrrestod in thla city today upon nrrlval of tho train from tho oast. Hall la accused of having stolen largo sums from firms for which ho had actod aa collector. Ho admits having taken tho money and Bays he fled from Omaha to Choyenno, vihero ho started to en list in the army. Celebrated Iti Illrthdny. DIXON, Nob., Aug. 18. Tho tenth birthday of Dixon was celebrated herb by n grand harvest festival, aa has been tho custom for a docado, Thou Banda gathered for miles about, com ing not only from neighboring coun ties, but from South Dakota and Iowa as well. Ilnrfie Kllli Variu Hund, KENNARD, Nob., Aug. 20. Petor Andorson, a farm hand, working for Frank Jahnel, was kicked In the Btomnch by a broncho and died from hla Injuries, Drought llnclc to Life. BELLEVUE, Nob., Aug. 20. Dick Hootou waa dlscovored hanging In tho barn of hla brother-in-law. His body wna still warm and ho was cut down and resuscitated by tho mothod of pro ducing artificial roaplratlon by work ing tho arms and cheat. Hooton was tllsnpotntod and angry at being brought back to Ufo and ho threatened ho would try It again In a few dnys. Ho waa put in charge of tho Insanity board. Hooton, who wa8 a bill poster In Council Bluffs, has been despondent and grown mentally unbalanced slnco his wlfo left him In February,' she go ing back bo tho Bluffs,