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About Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930 | View Entire Issue (May 23, 1902)
V WHY THEY DID NOT GO REASONS MEN GAVE FOR STAY ING AWAY FROM CHURCH. One Had u Grievance Against a Mem ber and the Other Was Surfeited "When He Was Younc Observations of u Country Minister. He was a young minister whose charge is in the country , and he was talking nbout the decline in church at tendance. "It Is we preachers in the rural dis tricts , " said he , "who have a chance to get at the real reasons why people stay -away. Of course , we have no data that would help solve the problem as it presents itself in the cities , but , being privileged in the country to talk to one and all , we get reasons at first baud. Some of then ) are interesting and when analyzed they are more likely than not to resolve themselves into personal dis like to churchgoiiig or to some one in the church. "There was an old farmer in one dK- trict where I preached who had the reputation of never going to church , lie \vtia u peculiar old fellow who seldom iind much to fi\y. \ but one day I went to see him. and in the course of the conversation asked why he never came to hear my sermons. "lie was silent fora minute , and then * aid : * I did go Jo church once , and I wasn't treated right , and 1 ain't been there since. It was when they was hav- . In' revival up in the white schoolhouse. and things were getting pretty warm. 1 went there one night and sat next the window. After awhile they got to the shouthf part , and one old wom- au got to ruiinin' up anil down the aisle , shoutin * and askin' everybody to come up and pray. " * I sat there and looked on till I saw she was ma kin * forme , and then I look- od for a way out. The window was open , and the lirM thing I kmmed I was goin' out of it. As I .struck the ground 1 heard old Klder Abbadusky. that sat right aero * * * thf aisle from me. shout. "There goes the devil out of the win dow. " Now 1 don't consider that a re spectful way for on > man to speak of another , and I never wont back again , and I don't intend to till old Abba- dusky goes to glory. ' "One day I went to see another man who was a very good man. but never -went to church , lie was a Scotchman nd when I a > ked him why he did not attend he said : 'Young man. if you keep on going to church the way you do now all your lit' * ' , and if you live to be 300 you will not have been to church as znuch as I have. " "I asked what he meant. " 'My father wa < a Scotch convenan- 1er , ' he said , "and when I was a little shaver we r ed to go to church in the morning and May all day. 1 would sit on those hard benches : in l listen to ser mons that I didn't understand. My legs would dangle over the tloor till they ached. " 'If I went to sleep there was always a deacon or M > me one else to poke me In the ribs and whisperingly inquire if I wanted to no straight to hell. That > vas on Sunday. " 'Then there were prayer-meetings during the week and one or two extras of different sorts between. There was always more church and more sermons M'hen I would have given my boots ( to "be out hum ing. " 'That thing went on from the time I was big enough to remember until I was 21. I made up my mind long be fore I reached the latter age that when It came there would be no more church for me. and there wasn't. 1 haven't been since. Now. really , dominie , do you wonder at it ? ' -'And. " concluded th dominie , ac- tording to , the New York Times , "I can't say that I did. " PASSING OF THE CASCO. Ancient Fil i > itio Craft that Lighters Will Soon Supplant. "The inarch of progress is timloubt- edly gointr to be a great tlilnjr for the Filipino one of these days. " .said a mail who got back from the islands notlong ago. to a New York Sun re porter , "lint ouo of the prices he's cot to pay for it is the gradual wiping out of pietureMjue customs and tradi tions of many centuries' standing. A good example is the passing of the Filipino casco before the improved and wholly unbeautitied lighter of western commerce. "The casco is a craft for coast and river commerce , and at the same time the permanent home of its crew and commander , or patron , the former liv ing forward and the latter afi. It is a long , crude-looking structure , hood ed or covered with bamboo , and under the manipulations of expert boatmen Is capable of rather surprising agility. Manila is not a city of good wharves , Sior is Manila bay a deep water har bor , hence when big ships arrive their cargoes must be lightered ashore , and this has been the casco's work for ages. i The larger cascoes have a tonnage of from 20 to 100 tons and the smaller ones , or casquito.s. of from 8 to 20 tons , and they range from 20 to 00 feet in length with a 12-foot extreme beam , and when loaded draw only U1 * . feet of water. They are built of a light , tough wood grown in the province of Ratam. which resembles teak and will last for centuries on land or water. ! "Cascoes arcusually propelled by a jbaniboo pole eighteen or twenty feet long , in the hands of the husky Fili pino river men. The poles are spiked and padded so the crews may place them against their shoulders to give force to their pushes. The crews num ber from live to ten men. and tlioy ajifl their families live almost wholly 011 rice , lish , oysters , clauis ami shrimps. Their pay is a peso a day , about 50 cents. At night the bow is cleared and the deck spread with palm mats , and on these men. women and chil dren He down like sardines in a box. " HOT WATER FOR HEATING. House Kept at a Uniform Temperature During Cold Weather. The supply of hot water for public beating systems from a central station is growing in favor in smaller towns and it would seem to be the ideal and most economical method of heating , even in large cities. The hot water 18 returned to the central station after passing through the radiators of the consumers , with a comparatively small loss hi temperature. One occasion iir' an Ohio town , with over two mile.of mains , finds that the loss in temperature is only 3f degrees when water is sem out at a tempera ture of UK ) degrees. The temperature of the water circu lated is modified to suit the weather conditions. When it is very cold the temperature of the water sent out from the central station is made higher , and the pumps which force it through the mains are made to work faster. In this manner a uniform temperature is maintained at all times , despite mark ed changes in the weather. The com pany guarantees to maintain a given temperature within 2 per cent. Of course the freedom from dirt , ashes and other tire troubles are also desirable features. As the water is used over and over again the central company , particularly if the system is conducted as an adjunct of a power station , can furnish the service at a comparatively moderate price. In the latter case , says the Philadelphia Rec ord , the exhaust steam furnishes near ly if not all of the heat required. LITTLE THINGS YOU CAN'T DO. Feats that Seem Ka y that Caunot Be Accomplished. A man cannot rise from a chair without bending forward or putting his feet under the chair or outside of it. Many a man will back himself to give another a start of lifly yards in a race of 100 , provided the man having the start hops all the way. But no runner , however swift , can give that amount of start to an ordinary man. For the first live yards they go at prac tically the same pace. Therefore , the runner , to go ninety- live yards , would have to run more than twice as fast , and it would be a weak man who could not hop forty- five yards at a pace equal to twenty seconds for 101 ; yards and that would mean that the runner , in order to win , would have to beat all previous rec ords. If a man boasts that his penknife is particularly sharp , ask him to cue with one stroke of the blade one of those yellow ribbons , mostly of silk , which are around bundles of cigars. In U1K ) cases out of 1UOO the knife is not sharp enough to do this. It Avill cut through all the ribbon except the last strami and that will pull out long and the more he tries to cut it the longei it will pull out. No one except a blind man. says the New York Herald , can stand without support of any kind for five minutes at a stretch , if he is thoroughly blind folded , without moving his feet. If he does not mo\e his feet he is pretty sure to topple over in about a minute. WAS ALMOST A HERO. Didn't Kescue Anybody , but Nearly Broke His Neck. "I know how it feels to be almost a hero , " said a young man with a black eye , an arm in a sling and a patch of court plaster adorning his features. "I live near the Barrett residence at 40th and Tine streets , which was burned out the other day. 1 happened to know | that Mrs. Barrett was ill in bed , but I did not know that she had been quiet ly removed by the back way to a j neighbor's house before I arrived on \ the scene. "When I got the e a colored .servant j girl was out in the street pointing fran tically to the upper part of the house , 1 shouting unintelligibly and generally acting like a'crazy person. The interior of the house was already In flames i and I immediately jumped to the con clusion that her mistress was In dan- ' ger of losing her life. Without waiting to question the girl I rushed into the house and in groping my way through the smoke succeeded in pitching head- ' long down the back stairs. I had sat isfied myself , however , that every one hadgotten safely out of the house. "When I readied the street again , choking for breath and pretty well bat tered u } > . " continued the young man , according to the Philadelphia Record , "the servant girl was still wringing her hands and screaming at the top of her lungs. I asked her what she was car rying on that way for. Pointing to a window on the top floor she wailed : " 'See dat room up dere ? "Dat's my room , an'my two weeks' wages is in my trunk up tlere burniu' up. ' " Fatality. "When I began business , " said the plutocrat , wearily , "I made a vow that whenever i had earned an even million I would quit" "Why. you've done that many times over , long ago. " K.- > rl the other man , "yet you are still accumulating. " "That's the curse of it. Whenever I rhiuk I've made the even million I find mi figuring it up it's either a little more or a little less , and I've got to renew the struggle. " People often wonder why a girl mai ries the most undesirable man of her acquaintance. l . iliey knew he was the only one to propose they would no longer wonder. MINISTER TAKEN TO JAIL REV. MR. BENBROOK MUST AN SWER FOR SHOOTING. Wymore. Neb. , May 16 Kev. S. C. Benbrook' who last night filed five shots at Dr.J H. Johnson , was to day taken to the county jail at Be atrice. Rev. Mr. Benbrook talked freely of the affair with the officers after his arrest. Tie admitted that he was induced ' , to to take this action because of slan derous reports he believed had been circulated by Dr. Johnson concern ing a young lady in the case , toge ther with insinuations as to his , the ministers , own charactor in the same connection' Kev. Mr. Benbrook has been paster of the Christian church here for the last six months , having come fiom Memphis , Tenn. Dr. Johnson is a member of the same church , being secretary and treasure of the board of truftees. The minis- ner took an active part in the saloon license question this spring and em bittered a number of people. He was of a peculiai disposition , emphatic in his likes and dislikes and just as emphatic and impolitic in everything he said. Mr. Beubrook is a native Missis- Bippian , thirtyeight years of age. He is a widower with two children living , both of whom are in the south , their exact address being un- kncwn. Dr. Johnson has resided in Wymore for a number of years and is un honored and respected citizen. FJXO A MAX IN THDIH ROOM. ( Jirl Students at Fremont Normal Given | a Had hen re. Fremont , Neb. , May 16. Two lady Students at the Fremont normal School , Misses Kate and Maggie Launnlin of Axlell , Neb. , received a I right on Tuesday night by having a man enter their room at the dormi- t > ry while ! they were asleep. When Kate Lauyhlin happened to rouse her self from slumber she stretched out her hand ancl it touched the face of a man with several days' growth of beard. The fellow warned her not to make a noise of any kind or he would kill her , but in spite of his command she emitted a loud scream. Ilersis- 1 ter at. once awoke and a night watch- ' man hurried to the door. The mid night intruder lost no time in jump ing out through a window. j Yesterday afternoon a pair of blood hounds were put on the trail , but they I could not ; follow it with certainty. The rain had washed away the scent so that it was impossible for them to pursue it closely , it is still unknown whether the man who invaded the young ladies' room lives in the city or not , . Jn order to make sure that no one rooming at the dormitory was re sponsible lor the affair , every room ' was searched and all the students found to be where they belonged. The opinion is held by some that the guilty person was familiar with the dormi tory building. ACCU.SKD OF HIGH WAY KOBBKR7 Trial ol Frank Kerning IJ > jin at Bed Cl ) ii l. RED CLOUD. Neb , May -The most important criminal case that has b3en in court here for some time was called yesterday , being that of the State of Nebraska vs Frank Keating. This is a case of alleged highway rob bery , in which John C Rose , a highly respected citizen living in the north part of this county , was knocked do\vn on a dark night last December and robbed of thirty dollars , after which the criminal was pursued for some time and finally made his escape. fehortly after this Frank Keating was arrested in Dakota county , charged with the crime and was brought here for a preliminary hearing and lodged in the county jail , where he has been confined ever since. The defendant will attempt to prove an alibi and has some fifteen witnesses in his behalf while thelstatehas subpoenaed fifty- two. Warden E. D. Davis arrived here yesterday noon in charge of Con vict Thomas C. Shirley to give evi dence. County Attorney Overman se cured this witness by a habeas corpus proceeding and he testified to a con fession by the defendant to himself of his being the guilty man. The de fense is represented by Attorney John Potter of this place and has five or six witnesses from Dakota county. This is a distance of three hundred and twenty miles from here and it will be a heavy expense to bring them here to testify. The jury in the district court here yesterday returned a verdict in the case of Firs National Bank of Omaha , against the State Bank of Blue Hill , this county , in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of $919.39. Child Swallows-Fafcty Pin. Fremont , Neb , . May 16 For some time past the youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. C. Christensen , who live in Saunders county has been showing unfavorable symptoms but the cause could not be learned. The attending physician treated the case two week ? without results. Finally it was found that the child had swallowed a safety pin , which Itfdged in the throat pas sage. The pin has been taken out and the baby is cutting better. IN A SEA OF FIRE SERIES OF FATAL EXPLOSION AT PITTSBURG SUBURB. CARS OF NAPHiHA IGNITED TWO OR THKEK HUNDRED THOUGHT TO HE INJURED. TWENTY-FIVE KNOWN DEAD First Explosion Followed br Gathering Crowd , When a Second .Envelope ! Them In the Fiery Mass. Pittsburg. Pa. , May 13. Word is just received of a terrific explosion , of oil cars in the Sheraden yards of ] the Pan Handle lailroad. The ex ploding cars took tire , communicat ing to other oil cats in the yard. The yard is reported a veritable sea of burning oil , tieing up the entire Pan Handle system. A second explosion occurred after a large oruwd had gathered , the result being that between two hundred and three hundred people were caught by the explosion and flames , and all were badly burned. Many have died f and the injuries of many others are " expected to result fatally. - - - ' , AT LEAST TWENTY-FIVE DEAD. SheradenPa.May 13. A remarak- able series of explosions between 4 and 7 o'clock this evening has caused the death of at least twenty-live per sons , the burning and injuring of two or three hundred others , and a property loss that will run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. The explosion occurred in the yards of the Pan Handle railroad and at 8:30 o'clock tonieht the yards are a fiery furnace of burning cars , natpha oil and merchandise. The cause of the disaster , from the meager reports at hand , was the ex plosion of a naphthd car. brought about bv a leak in the car which com municated ton snitchlight neaiby. | Thisexplosion _ o-jcuneri - about 3:50 : p. in. Thousands of people , men , wo men and children , quickly gathered to look at the h're and were lined about the yard on the hillsides. When all danger had apparently passed a second explosion of naphtha followed , far worse than the first. The names from the second car were thrown 500 feet into the air , completely enveloping theon-lookers. In an instant tiie scene was one be yond description. The air was super heated to n degree impossible for human life to exist in. Tl > so near est the exploded cars < - . caught and fdll to the ground. The clothing of those farther away was soon afire , and the victims ra frantically about , tearing their burn ing garments from their bodies and screaming for help. ENTIRE I'AUD ATCLAZE , In the meantime the fire had spread to other cars and in an in credibly short time the entire yard was ablaze. S2veral cars were quick ly buined and the flames rapidly spread to scores of other cars. The heat was so intense that fire men were unable to get anywhere near the scene. The burning oil entered what is known as Cork Run sewer , and came out one and one-half miles below , where another fire started. The burning oil was carried through the sewers to distant parts of the district , one of the results be ing an explosion in a pool loom at McKee's Kocks , where hundreds of men were gathered. Four men were reported killed at this point. At the scene of the explosion hun dreds are lying around on the ground in all conditions of injury and death. All the ambulances from Pittsburg and Allegheny , together with many physicians , was quickly started for the scene , and at the earliest possible moment the victims were taken to Pittsburg. At Pitsburg all the hospitals are crowded with writhing patients and the morgue is full to overflow ing. wt HOIthE AND liUGGY STOLEN. Wymore , Neb. A horse and buggy owned by Lafe Pearl , was stolen from where it was hitched on the streets Saturday. Postal cards have been circulating offering a liberal reward for the arrest of the thief and the return of the property. THREATENS THE OFFICER. Schuyler , Neb. , May J3 Ed Lack ey , a mail carrier from this point to Wells , a country post office , was arrested in this city charged with carrying concealed weapons. After being placed behind the bars he made several desperate attempts to escape and , it is alleged , threatened several times af er his weapon was taken from him to blow the officers head off after he was released from jail. ALMOST PARBOILED HIM OFFICER OF THE RORAIMA TELLS OF MIRACULOUS ESCAPE- New York , May 14 , James Taylor who was one of the officers of the Roraima , the Quebec line steamship which was destroyed in the harbor of St. Pierre , gives a graphic story of the tragedy of last Thursday. "We experienced the greatest diffi culty in getting into port , " said he. "Appaling sounds were issuing from the town which was shrouded in darkness. All the passengers were up and some were trying to obtain photographs. "Suddenly I heard a tremendous ex plosion. Ashes began to fall thick up on the deck , and I could see a black cloud sweeping down upon us. I dived ( below and dragging with me Samuel Thomas , a gangway man and fellow countryman , sprang into a room , shut ting the door to keep lout the heat that was already unbearable. "The ship rocked , and I expected every moment that it would si nk. Out side I heard a voice pleading for the door to be opened. It was Scott , the first officer , and I opened the door and dragged him into the room. ' ' It soon became unbearably hot andj I went on deck. All about were lying' the'dead and dying. Little children were moaning for water. I didvtiat I could for them. I obtained water , but when it was held to their swollen lips they were unable to swallow be cause of the ashes which clogged their throats. One little chap took water in this method and rinsed out the ashes , but even then could rot swallow , so badly was his throat burned. He sank back unconscious and a few minutes later was dead. All aft the ship was , afire , and from the land came drafts' ' of terrible heat. At last , when I could stand it no longer , I sprang over board. The water was almost hot enough to parboil me , but a wave soon swept in from the ocean bringing witl it cool water. - * CARRIED OUT TO SEA. " 1 was caught in the receding wave , which was of tidal velocity , and was carried put to sea. Then , on the sec ond return of the wave , I washed against an upturned sloop , to which I clung. A few minutes later I was joined by another man whom I learned was Captain Muggah of the Roraima. He was in dreadful agony and kept begging piteously to be pat on board . . . . his ship. - - - - "Picking up Some wreckage and a tool chest , with live others who joined me , we succeeded in forming a rude raft , on which we placed the captain. Seeing an upturned boat J asked one of tbe live to swim out to it and bring it over so tbat Captain Muggah might have an opportunity to live. The man succeeded in gettintr the boat righted , but instead of returning he picked up two of his countrymen ancJ went away in the direction of Koro de France. "Seeing theRcddman , which had ar rived in port si.on after we anchored ; making for the Roraima. J said good- by to Captain Mugga' and svvr.m to the Eoddman. Before I could reach it it burst into flames and put out to sea. 1 finally reached the Roraima about 2:30 : in the afternoon and later was taken off by the cruiser Suchet. " Samuel Thomas , the gangway man whose life was saved by Taylor , de scribes a woman who was burned to death while she neld her baby in her rms , protecting it with her own body from the fire that tilted the air. The child was alive long after its mother had ceased to suffer. GIKI , SAVKS MINERS' I-.IVJES. Them in Time to Ksrape From an Kxplo ion. Norristown. Pa. , May 14. The presence of mind of Miss Katie Hen derson saved the lives of thirty men employed in the quarries at West Conshohcoken from death or injury. Miss Henderson resides a short dis tance from the quarry and as she looked from a window she saw that the rocf of the powder magazine was blazing. The men at work in he quarry were not aware of their danger until she ran to the quarry and warned them , not a second too soon. Whi e the men and Miss Henderson were fleeing for their lives there was a terrible explosion and the air was filled with splinters , stone and dirt , which fell upon their heads. CONFESSION OL' ' A MURDEK. Sprliifffleld , 111. , Man Admit * He Killed a Companion Springfield , 111. , May 14. John Po- leet , aged 22 , of Granite City , 111. , to day confessed to Deputy Sheriff Ryan that he murdered Charles Isaksson of Grafton , a felloe countryman and companion whose mutilated remains were found along the Cnicairo & Alton cracks at Springfield two .veeks ago. Poleet waived a jury trial and pleaded guilty. He was indicted today. GERMAN STEAMKR IS JLOST. Valparaiso , Chile , May 14. The German steamer , Sakkarah , Captain Piening , has become a total loss at Huamblin island , off the coast uf Chile. The fate of the Sakkarah's and passenirers is not , kno vn. The cargo of the Sakkarah included $1.500- 000 in gold specie which wa being re mitted by the Chilean government. 'The ' Sakkarah left here April 24 for Hamburg. ' NEBRASKA NOTES. Beatrice is to have a golf club. An association of 125 farmers bar * " bought and will operate a grain le ? vator at Blue Springs. A bronze statue of the late J. Star-1 ling Morton will be erected in Mor ton park , Lincoln. Gov. Savage and staff will attend' the launching of the battle ship braska at Seattle July 4. A hundred candidates were recent ly initiated at a raeetling of the A . 0. U. W. lodge at Lincoln. The monument in memory of th - Madiosn local soldier dead waa nu - veiled Friday , May 16. The Filley Baptist church was to tally destroyed by fire which resulted * from a stroke of lightning in tfaff spire. The Wymore High school has been , advanced half a point in its ratings at the state university. The rating last year was 27 $ points. This year it is 28. 28.Mr. Mr. and Mrs John Jacobson and 1 $ months old daughter were burned ta death in a fire which broke out in tha Jacobson mill at Laurel. The Jacob- sons lived over the mill. A traveling representative of Nebraska Telephone company been at Brainard perfecting arrange ments for a direct telephone commu nication between Brainard and David City. Two new banks will be started in Lincoln in the near future. One ofr them with a capital of 350,000 will ; be run by lincoln citizens. Illinois ! capital will manage the other. i . * W * At the normal school of Peru th j commencement exercises will b * earlier this year than usual. Tha regular classes finish May 19 an& the summer school begins May 26. During a recen storm at Schuyler , , lightning struck the Platte river wag-j on bridge , demolishing a pier and let- , ting the end of a span into the river and starting a fire that burned threes- spans. i The railroad company has conw menced the erection of a dipping vatj for cattle at the stock yards at Long' Pine , which will be the largest ana. most complete in this part of the state. ; It will be thirty-six feet long by seven feet wide jmd will be a boon to the. cattlemen in this vicinity. The Shelton cornet band which was organized last lall with a membership -jl" sixteen , and all new nickel instru- ! ments has recently been uniformed with tiue tailored suits. A band wag on is about complete and the organ-f ization will fill some prominent en gagements. Superintendent W. J. O'Brien and Assistant Chief Game Warden George Carter , arrived in Sydney Tuesday with a carload of fish which thej planted in the river there. They also secured a large supply of Japanese gold fish from the Oberfelder lake aC Lodge Pole which they took to state hatcheries. Rev. S. P. Benbercoke , pastor of th& Christian church at Wymore , went * into the ofilce of Dr. W. H. Johnson and fired five shots at him without effect. Mrs. Johnson , who was in the- office , grasped the preacher's arm and" d verted his aim until her husband- got away. Benbercoke was arrested and is in jail. Both men are promi nent and the affair has cauaed a greafc sensation. The cause of the assault ! is not known. Walter Lesh and Fred Hall have been expelled from the Lincoln school ? for attempting to delay the principal" * letter that was written to the ger of an athletic contest in St. informing him that Lesh was deficient ; in his studies there and should not take part in the contest. Lesh learn ed of the letter and stopped its pas , sage , took part in the contest for th . Lincoln High school and won twq events. William Schmidt has brought suif against the city of Fremont LO recovi er the sum of 31.000 damages which be alleges was sustained by falling on a defective crosswalk in Novem-t her last. His son , William Schmidt , jr. , has brought a similiar suit for 55,000. He alleges that he was in- jured at the same time and placg that his father was hurt and thati his injuries are of a permanent ture. The Omaha and Council Bluffy street railways are to , be consolida ted. The first step in the process being the addition of 81,000.000 ta the "capital stock of the Omaha , company , the total being SB.000,000. H. A. Mulliken of Fremont has returned from a trip around thq world. He left home October 14. The principal points in Europe Egypt , China and the Philippine were visited.