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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1899)
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SATURDAY , DECEMBER 30 , JSSU ) . Seyeral Celebrated Oases Decided by thn Testimony of Experts. TURNING THE TABLES ON A FORGER Ml or 1'nlnp'H AHcrril ' 1'impr of At- -lilMM.vory of Form-ry In n rntnotiH will Con- trat In Montana. Handwriting experts arc again having their day In court In the trlnl of Holand U. Mollnctix , now In prrigrcBs Ir New York City. The fate of Mollnctix hinges largely on thin class of tcalknony , nnil the result of the trial will do much to determine the value of evidence of this character. Some very complicated cases have been un- ravolcd during the last flftcon years by hand writing experts. Ono of thu most famous rases of this Itlnd , relate * the New York Run. was the Dodge libel suit , tried at Ply mouth , N. U. , m 18BG. J. A. Dodge was the president of tlm Hoston , Concord & Mon- trcnl rnllroad , nnil a man of considerable wef.Ith. llo had as confidential man nnd sec retary one Henry Haymond , a man of excel lent reputation , who was superintendent of the local Sunday school and n highly es teemed citizen of Plymouth. In 1S82 Mr. Dodge went to California for his health. He returned n fc-w months later and In August of Iho Hamo yenr died. A few hours before hlo death a check for $2,500 , signed by him , was presented at a local bank by Raymond , nnd cashed without question. The check was dated a few days before Mr. Dodge died. Immediately after the funeral Haymond pre sented a note for $5,000 , sinned by Dodge , to the widow , requesting Immediate payment. Ho explained that Mr. Dodge had given him the check and the note tis a reward for hla lifelong devotion to his Interests. Mrs. Dodge , who enjoyed her husband's full confi dence , denounced him ns a forger and a fraud. It wnH very strange , elm said , thai her husband had novcr spoken to her about the matter , and he declined to honor the note. The matter got Into the newspapers , nnd thcro wore oppressions of sympathy with Raymond. Mrs. Dodge was accused of { rylng to defraud him out of the reward her hus band had planned for him. She replied by denouncing Raymond an a swindler. Then Raymond made his first mistake. Ho began nn action for libel , placing damaged at $5,000 nnil a second action to recover the amount of the note alleged to have been given to him by Mr. Dodge. Tliu Corm-ri'd. For the Ilrst few days of the trial of the libel suit It looked as though Mrs. Dodge was hopelessly beaten. Witness after witness , all men who wore familiar with Mr. Dodge's handwriting , wont on the stand and declared that the signatures on the check and 'the ' note were genuine. Mrs. Dodgo's friends ad vised her to give up , but eho refused to. In open 6ourt she again denounced Raymond and declared that she would prove her alle gation bcforo she got through. When the plaintiff finally rested ho hud made out a strong case. Mrs. DoJgo made little head way against him at llrRt. She had engaged Daniel Ames of this city as an expert , aud the turning point was reached when he was put on the stand. After an examination of Iho exhibits In the case Mr. Ames came to thn conclusion that both check and note were fcrgcrlce , IIo produced enlarged photographs of Mr. Dodgo's signature to his will and ol the signature to the chock and note. Hu pointed out differences that would never be noticed by a layman nnd Illustrated them on a blackboard In court. IIo produced a letter written by Mr. Dodge in California to Mr. Raymond 'find' showed beyond question that the figures " 2C" nnd the word "Rayimond" In the note wcrt > made by holding the note , which was on thin paper , over the letter nnd tracing them. Ho also showed on the black board twenty-eight capital DB , made in let ters , notes and checks written by Mr. Dodge and compared them with the D in the signa ture on the note presented to the widow by Raymond. The expert convinced the Jury and the spectators In the courtroom In five mlnutc-H that Mr. Dodge did not write the E in the signature to the note. The distinctions made by the expert were based almost entirely on Infinitesimal differ- i-flcefi In shading and loops. In the mallei of 'tho letter D the expert brought out his strongest evidence. Ho showed that everj D written by Mr. Dodge In notes and letters Iho genuineness of which was not questioned could bo oxaclly boxed In an exact square wlth.eomo portion of the letter touching the sides' and the top nnd bottom. The Ds In tin note aud check would not fit in n square ; In fact. It took all kinds of angles to mukt a box for the Ds which would allow of semi portion of the letters touching each sldo am the top nnd bottom. Yet be/ore they wen boxed the letters were so much alike that m difference could bo discerned by the inox- jiert oyo. There was a complete change o sentiment among thu people of riymoull nfter Mr , Amos' testimony was in. The vcr : people who had been nbuslng Mrs. Dodge rat to congratulate her nnd Raymond found him eclf without a friend. His attorneys throv up the case nnd surrendered the forged noli to Mrs , bodge. Raymond was arrested n once , charged with forgery and only escapee the pcnltttitlary by jumping his ball. AVII1 of Minor I'M I n r. An even more Interesting case which wai solved by Mr. Amen Involved the will o Minor I'alno In this city In 1SSO. Hero n deliberate liberate attempt to get away with Homethlnj llko a half million dollars was made. Whei ' qultp a young man James II. I'alno "was i clerk In n Boston business house. Ha In horlted a lot of money nnd came to this city where all trace of him was lost. He speculated ulatod with the money aud everything hi touched turned to gold. Ho soon became i very wealthy man. Then ho became u mUer Genuine Carter's Little Liver Pills. Mu&t Bonr Signature of i See Pac-Sltnlle Wrapper Below. Tory mall and to toke an ngur. ' FOR HEADACHE. CARTER'S FOR DIZZINESS. ITTLE FOR DILIOUSHESS. IVER FOR TORPID LIVER. PILLS. FOR CONSTIPATION. FOR SALLOW SKIN. FOR THE COMPLEXION MVI Purely VeffctaW CURE SICK HEADACHE. He went around the streets In MRS , lodged ta a garret with n French family on the west side who took him In out ot pure ehatlty , an ! lived on the leavlnga which restaurant' keepers gave him. There was only one thing that ho would spend money on ; that was music. He was passionately fond of music and for years was a familiar figure In the lobby of the Academy of Music iltirlnR the opera season. Ho would go thcro early In the evening and beg people to pay his way In. If he didn't nnd a philanthropist ho would buy a ticket himself , but ho never gave up hope until ho knew that the curtain - tain had risen. Finally Paine was run over by a cab In ttroadway. Ho was taken to a hospital , but made such a fuss about staying there that ho was finally removed to his garret home. He died there In a few days. Then a man came forward with a power o > attorney which he said I'alno gave him In 18S5 and which au thorized him to take charge of I'alnc's Inter- pat In Iho estate of his brother. Robert Treat I'alno. The closing paragraph empowered him to attend to all of I'alnc's business and to dispose of his property without consulting anybody In the event of anything happening to him. Nothing was known then of I'alno's possessions. Later Chlckerlng. the piano man , came forward and said that some years before Palno gave him a package wrapped up In an old bandanna handkerchief for safe-keeping. Ho had opened this pickagc and found that it contained $300,000 in bank notes. Other possessions were nlso found. When the holder of the power of attorney sought to get possession of this property some distant relatives of Paine attacked the genuineness of the document. It wns finally placed In the hands of Mr. Ames , who showed thnt , whllo the greater part of the paper was genuine , the sentence giving the holder the power to act for the dead man In all matters nnd to dispose of his property as ho saw fit was forged. The only power of attorney ever given by Paine was In the matter of his brother's estate. Mr. Amos proved the forgery by making comparisons bcforo a Jury. Cclclirntfd Darin Case. Another famous case that hinged on the testimony of handwriting experts waa the Davis will conspiracy , whcro the swindlers came near getting away with J13.000.000. An- droiv J. Davis was a Massachueetts man. Ho went to California in the late -tO's with a i bad case of gold fever. Ho made some money there nnd afterward lived successively In own , Indiana and Michigan. Later he moved .o Montana , where ho accumulated a for tune of $13,000,000. Ho died there In 1800 , a single man. His next-of-kln were three Jiothers , Irwin , Calvin and John A. Davis , 'our sisters and several grandchildren. For some tlmo after his death it was under stood that he died Intestate and It was prac tically agreed among the heirs to divide the estate. The .fact that he had left no will was apparently settled by several friends who said that Davis had told them shortly bcforo his death that ho had not made a will , r.nd by an old friend nnd business as sociate named Knight , who said that ho had made n will , for Mr. Davis In 1S80 , but had afterward destroyed it at Mr. Davis' com mand. Davis told Knight at the time that ho would never make another will , as he pre ferred to let the law divide his catate. Shortly after Mr. Davis' death letters of administration on his estate were Issued to John A. Davis , his brother , despite the pro tests of the other heirs. John had been ad ministrator for about a month when news came from the backwoods of Davis county , la. , that a will drawn up twenty-flve years bcforo by Mr. Davis , in which ho bequeathed all of his property to his "dear brother John , " had been discovered. There was a howl from the other heirs at once nnd they showed that If there was one relative who was not dear to the dead millionaire , It was this same brother John , with whom he had had frequent quarrels. The newly discovered will left all to John , with the exception of some money for the maintenance of "T. J. and Pat Davis , " al leged to be natural children of A. J. Davis nnd a Miss Rurgett. The executors named to carry out the 'provisions of the will were Jt mes Davis nnd his son Job , who were In no way related to A. J. Davis. Both had been dead long when the will was produced nnd the only living witness wns one J. ( ! , Sconce. Of course the validity of the will was attacked. On the trial Sconce told the story'of how it was drawn In great detail. Thcro wasn't a thing about It that he didn't seem to remember. The heirs alleged that the will was a forgery and that It was drawn by Jamps U. Eddy , a nephew of Job Davis. Kddy figured as the discoverer of the will , but It developed that neither ho nor any body else in Davis county , Iowa. , had ever mentioned the subject of n will until the news of J. A. Davis' death and the fact that hit had left an estate valued at $13,000OUO found its way out to Iowa. Mr. Ames wa.j called in. Ho first dug up the fact that Job Davi's , who , Sconce eald , wrote the will , waa a man of some education and , at any rate , a good speller. The spelling in the will was execrable. Hero are some samples : "Gulve" for give , "wherther" for whether , "shcat" for sheet , ' "ahal" for shall , anil "warldly" for worldly. Then the expert declared that the paper on which it was written waa comparatively now , but that it had been steeped in coffee and tobacco to give it an antique appearance , nlbo that the edges had been scalloped with n knlfo or clssors nnd then gratwl down , to glvo the appearance of having crumbled from size. Then the paper had been partially carbonized by heat and punctured with pin holes in simulation of holes which often op- pear In the creases of old paper. iMr. Ames next showed thnt the signature to tbo will was written bcforo the body ol the document was put in. Tills was clcai frcm the crowding of the last few lines , and the reason for It wns obvious. It was necessary to get a entlsfactor/ signature be. fore writing the body of the will. By com paring the will with two nfber wills which Kddy admitted having drawn. Mr. Ames wliowod the same misspelling In all three o : the documents. Then ho began making hand' writing comparisons and after two days In and the other handwriting exports employee on the case , convinced everybody of tlu fraudulent ! character of the will. Hut on < Juryman hung out tor the will and couldn'i bo Induced to change. So there was a dls agreement. The case was ect down for < now trial , but it never came off and It ii understood that the legal heirs finally dl vlded the millions left by A. J. Davis. Kentucky I'ulltli-nl Speroli. A candidate for the otllco of constable I : noono county , Kentucky , recently made th < following speech : "Ladles and Gentlemen , [ or I am glad t we that there nro BOIHO ladles hero. N place In the wide world nro ladles so fal of face , so bright of mind or so Hmull o feet ns on Coal river. In offering mynel as n candidate I am called forth by th need of the hour. The country Is going t ruin. The president hits tried to check I b > h'sulnjr tiniuls , but the country need free silver. AVliero is the man In this vas audience ( there were Just fourteen present that dare : ) to deny that u double gtandari ain't butter thau n single one ? Ain't i double trco better than a single tree ? 1)1' ' you ever tco u elngle man that was nny ac count ? This ain't no one horse country : I nt-wls all the standards It can sit. Th pictldcnt ain't been able to help you. Con grout * ain't been able to help you. The conn try Is Ruin' to ruin. The old uhlp of ptat is Koln' down grade with all brnkca on miino und tall n-llyln' , n boll liooplr Cut-use mo , Indies , but that'u Just how who' to Its destruction. Hut , thank Go < ! ilioro'H IH > JH < yet. Elect me constable , an I'll settle the whole foiifouiid > 'd alTalr. " Not Qiiallllfil fur tlie Chicago 1'ost : "No , " t.ild the munagci "I am afraid I can't Uo anything with you. "Hut you have had absolutely no test a my ability , " protested the woman wh wanted to eo on the utagc , "Not lu'ceusary. ' ' replied the manager. ' tun looking fur Bomcono to t > tar In soclet ; pi ty * and I have discovered that you ar aitunlly llvliiK in peace and harmony va your tiuubund Oh , you wouldn t Uo at all , ' PICKINGS HERE AND THERE Extra Sugar Lamps that Sweeten the Toil of Members of Congress , WHAT THE PERQUISITES AMOUNT TO .Mlli-nur Tirrnt.v Ontn n Mile Very llntiilv for U > tern Mrn Uommox of Vnrlon * ICIndtt Hwrll tlic Siilnry. The compensation of n member of con gress Is supposed to bo $5,000 n year. As n matter of fact , relates the Philadelphia Press , It 1 " $5,000 and perquisites. " Since the famous "back pay congress" the Forty- third when the members raised their salary from $3.COO to $5/K)0 ) and made It retro active , for the entire term of two years , no one hns seriously proposed Increasing thr annual stipend , but year after year there have been tucked Into the corners of appro priation hills Items which arc In the nature of n bonus to members. The rnojt substantial perquisite that goes with a Heat In congress is mileage at the rate of 20 cents per mile each way , to nnd from the capital , once each session. For ex ample , If the member lives 1,000 miles from Washington , on arriving at the cnpitol ho finds the sergeant-at-nrms of the house , If he Is a representative , or the secretary of the senate , If ho Is n senator , has credited his account with $400 , or nearly nn extra month's pay. The rate of 20 cents per mile vnsllxed long ngo , when transportation was % ilgh. The members from the Pacific slope are luckiest in the inllcngo hand-out. One > f them gets $1,412 per session , or $2SS4 for ho term. If a member rides on railroad passes the mileage Is all clear gain. Allowance for Stationery. Congress appropriates every year $125 per nember for "stationery , postage nnd nows- laperu. " The stationery clerk opens nn ac count with the member , crediting him with 5 at the start. He may take his choice ) ctwcen drawing $125 the first day of the session , or he may let his account remain open during the session , drawing from time o timu such supplies of pens , Ink , paper , etc. , as he needs , which an. charged to his account as he gets them. At the end of the session ho signs a voucher for the unex- > endc < l balance. Wise members , old In the service , never leave a pen nnd holder on their desks in the house. If they do , before the ink dries on the pen some colleague bor rows It and absent-mindedly locks It up In its desk. Then , too , the congressman need not buy letter paper when he can get from the committee of which h. Is a member paper on which his name appears In splendor aa a part of the committee's olllclal heading. The chief clerk of the house contracts with various jobbers fcr these supplies , nnd they arc furnished to members at their actual coet to the government. Thus , whether ho draws his $125 In cash nnd pays for what he takes from the stationery roomer or keeps an open account , the member pays about one-third to one-half what other people plo would pay for the same article. The allowance for "postage nnd news papers , " Included In the $125 , Is another relic of the old days when members put postage stamps on their letters and news papers In which they were supposed to feel : he public pulse cent fancy prices. The Cranking privilege has changed all that , and the congressman delights In nothing more than In his ability to send tons of stuff through the malls free of charge. AliiiMf of FraiiUliiK I'rlvllcuc. The franking privilege baa had its upi and downs. Years ago U was practically carte blanche members franked everything , tint the privilege was so much abused that the law was repealed. Then the privilege was limited to public documents nnd letters to officers of the government on ofllclal busi ness. The last change made wan In ISM , when members were authorized to send under frank any communication "on olllclal business" to any person , provided the weight did not exceed two ounces. The weight limi tation Is Ignored by members and it is not enforced. The congressman determines for lilmsaH what constitutes "official b"slness. " At the beginning of the last sesblon * of congress there came Into the house pretofllce one day a typewriter , boxed , bearing the frank of a BcHton member of congress. To him that was "oincial business. " Not very long ngo one member used to frank to nnd from Ills home , 500 miles away , weekly , the family wash , which was laundered and returned to him under frank as "olllclul business. " An agrarian member was accustomed to have sent in from his farm fresh supplies of butter , green vegetables , etc. , under a frank which -declared them to be , in the member's opinion , "official business. " Then comes the matter of clerk hire. Ur to the time of the fifty-third congress mem bers not chairman of committees had to pay for clerical work out of their own pockets Some rich members maintained competent secretaries nt a reasonable salary , hut the majority simply paid small sums to n steno grapher for an occasional batch of letters These who had no clerks were simply er rand boys for their people nt home. When they should have been In their committee rooms or on thn llocr preparing themselvc : to vote Intelligently on public matters thej were scattered about the pension bureau the War department , the Postotllco depart ment and the need division , using the tlait for which the people paid them $10 n day U petty business that could bo handled by any Intelligent clerk. Joe ( Jiiimon mid III * Clerk. The fifty-third congress , therefore , pro. vldcd that members should receive $100 pel month during the ttessloti for clerk hire. Hut It was only during the session. The fifty- fourth congress met'the proposHIon that n good clerk could not be had on n nesslon basis iby making the rlerk hire $100 peri month the yenr nround. This did not Include clerk hire for chairmen of committees. The | chairman of n committee appoints the clerk of the committee and the clrrk of the com mittee aels as the chairman's private secre tary. Twenty clerks on the annual roll of | the house get $2,000 n yenr each. Clerks . to committees for the session only "session clerks , " ns they nre called get $ C a day dur ing the session. In the second session of the fifty-fifth congress It wns provided thai chairmen of committees having nnnual clerks should also get $100 per month clerk hire , not during the session , but , verily , during the recess of congress. Few people , even about the capltol , know Just why this wns done , but the reason for It lp.y In the fact that the clerk cf Uncle Joe Cannon's committee on appropriations had nil the Job he could handle right In his com mittee room during the recess In preparing for the succeeding session. Now , Uncle Jo ? rcnlly needed n private secretary ns much ns any oiembor of the house , for there wns a campaign on nnd Uncle Joe's district , usually appreciative cf his valuable services , has nevertheless once or twice left him by the wayside. It would not do , however , to give recess clerk hire to one chairman unless other chairmen nlso received It. So they all got the extra $100 a month. Clerks of nnnual committees getting $2,000 n year thus re ceived about $ ,00 extra for their arduous labors In helping to reeled their chiefs to congress during the campaign of 1S9S. "HuUr-IHT" from t'li-rUi. There Is , however , a well grounded sus picion that In n good many cases congress men have regarded the $100 monthly clerk hlro as another perquisite of their own. It clerks to members draw their $100 tit the disbursing office nnd signed the pay roll llko other employes of course there would bo no rnke-off for the member. IJut the clerks are Unknown officially. The member signs n voucher which states that he "has paid or agreed to pay the sum of $100 for clerk hire 'during the month of , " nnd files It with the disbursing clerk , who thereupon sends the member a draft for $100 , payable to his own order. The law saya "not to exceed $100. " and a few Instances are known where members have certified only $50 or so. Some members have regular clerks to whom they turn over the $100 straight. Quite a number of bright men handle each the work of two , three or four members , receiving from each $10 or $50 a month the member making suitable disposition of the balance of the $100. A resolution was offered In the last congress to put the clerks to members on the pay roll , letting them draw their own money. Of course It was promptly stilled. Salary , stationery allowances and clerk hlro glvo the member $0,325 a year , to which must bo added the variable sum received for mileage. This exhausts hla pull on the treas ury , but If ho Is BO minded he ftlll has the opportunity to turn a penny by selling his seeds or public documents. Ills nnnual quota of "seeds , plants and cuttings" Is ns follows : Vegetable seeds ( Ilvo papers In a package ) , 5,200 package's. Flower seeds ( five papers In n package ) , 400 packages. Field corn , fifty quarts. Lawn or graps seed , sixty quarts. Strawberry plants , 140 plants. Grape vines , forty vines. This seed luxury costs the people like $100 per year for each member. lIooUN of ( iooil .Mnrlii-1 Value. As for the public documents , the congress man gets each year twenty-five large wall cuaps of the United States , which cost the people $1.25 each. IIo gets nearly 100 copies of the Agricultural Yea.r Book , a bulky doc ument full of colored plfit.es. lie gets from time to time , such valuable books as Rich ardson's "Message and Papers of the Presi dents" In sets of ten volumes , now selling at $24 to $32 a set ; the ' . 'Diplomatic Correspond ence of the American Revolution , " seven volumes bound In sheep ; "Moore's Interna tional Law , " quoted at $20 a set ; the book on "Diseases of the Horse , " or "Diseases of Cattle , " reports of the geological surveys and the bureau of ethnology nil full of expensive plates und in some cases costing $7 per vol ume. ume.His His order will draw a large number of ex pensive charts from the coast and geodetic surveys und from the geological survey. Font thousand farmers' bulletins nre annually Is sued to him from the agricultural depart- I ment. The postoffice department furnishes him each session a post route map of his ' state , mounted on a roller. Ho Is entitled i to have bound for his personal use at the , government bindery "one copy , " and later j a "remaining copy" of every document printed by order cf congress during his term. These magnificently gotten up In full morocco , with his name stamped on them In gold. Or ho can have a constituent's name placed upon them. A member whc serves several terms cnn accumulate a stocli of books which have a satisfactory market value , if the government binder has been In structed to omit the member's name froir the binding. The clerk of the clerk's document rcotr furnishes the member , each session , tbrc ; parking boxes , two large and one small They nro made of smooth boards , with Irm handles , locks nnd keys , and the member's name Is stenciled on the lid If he so directs The largo boxes bold about as much aa f small trunk , nnd the member uses them tr send back nnd forth from home his valu able books nnd papers. The small box Is sup posed to be bent by the member's order tt the United Stnlcs botanic garden , where tin superintendent of that Institution will till li with a hundred or HO of small plants geran iums , fuclislas and what not which ihi member franks homo to set out In his o\u llowor garden or to distribute to his constit uents. ( ifttlnir Aronml ( In * I.IMV. Hut what the member really lough for ute to be chairman of a committee. Arrived a that distinction , he Is In clover. The com- | mil tee of which he Is chairman hns n I.ITRO pleasant room assigned to Its use nnd this room becomes tinchairman's private ofnVc. The first thing he does after receiving his own appointment from the speaker Is to ap point his seorctnry clerk of the committee. The next thing Is to obtain from the house leave for his committee "to have printed -ml bound for Its use such papers and docu ments ns may be deemed necessary during the th congress. " ' On n simple order with his name signed to It the government printer will turn out thousands of letter heads , envelopes , pamphlets , cards overv- thlrlg printable , nnd bind books In full morocco , ad lib. The law says the expense of this sort of thing "shall not exceed $500 during the ses sion , " but in Washington they have n smooth way of doing things whereby this Is con strued .to mean that the expense of any one order "shall not exceed $500. " The doorkeeper of the house assigns n messenger to look after the loom , see that It Is kept In order , gunnl the rortat when the committee Is In session nnd run errands for the chairman. These are some of the Items that go to make n representative's lite a happy one. Senators get the same pcr- qulsltlcs , only more. Their clerks get higher salaries , they have more luxury l < i their committee rooms and they get a larger pro portion of documents nnd like stuff. Size doesn't Indicate quality. Hcware of counterfeit nnd worthless salve offere.l for DeWltt's Witch llnzcl Salve. DcWItt's Is the only original. An Infallible cure for piles nnd all skin diseases. HI IMCU TOWN OF .V.MAI.FI. Xovoll.nt Criitvforil TnlkH Aliout llu lllxtnrli- Italian Town. V. Marlon Crawford , the novelist , who Is familiar with every foot of the Italian const nnd has slept many nights In nn open boat beneath the overhanging cliffs of Amalll , conversed about the historic town to n re porter for the New York Times. "I spent some tlmo there last June , " he said , "and as a matter of fact have visited the place every summer and often during the winter for the last fifteen years. "Tho mountain back of the cliff rises tea a height of more than 4,500 feet , nnd , like the greater part of the shores of western Italy , Is of limestone formation. The Hotel Cnppncclnl , which slid Into the sea , was formerly a convent , nnd stood on a plateau nearly 300 feet above the sea level , directly under n vast mas of overhanging rock. The scenery Is among the wildcat nnd most picturesque on the coast nnd the path that leads from the hotel terrace to the top of the mountain Is so steep that the greater number of visitors who desire to roach tin ) summit are carried there by the mount aineers. The face of the cliff upon which the hotel wns built waa almost sheer to the water's edge , near which stooj the old Capuchin monastery in n hollow of the great rock. "The harbor , although not a good one , Is one of the best on the western Itnllan shore , nnd during the last year has been Improved greatly. In fact , the harbor Improvements were still being carried on so as to Improve the place as a beaport , for It must be re membered that except the bay of Messina thereIs no natural harbor on the entire coast. "The natives nre among the most Indus trious In all Italy , und nt one tlmo domi nated the Mediterranean. They had quar ters In every city of importance , where their agents carried on business with other resi dents nlong the entire length of the se.i const. The city was roundel 'by ' the Knights of Malta fifty years before the first crusade , and the convent , which was one of the last In Italy , was founded In 1212 by Cardinal Pletro Capuano for the Cistercians. "A short distance away stands the mon astery of La Cava , where the bones of many pilgrims and crusaders have lain for centuries. H is one of tha last two monas teries that remain In Italy , and contains a magnificent library. The architecture is of the period of Roger the Norman , and Is one of the objects of Intercs't to all trnvelers In Italy. Another point of interest is the cave , said to bo the last hiding place of Masa- nlello , whose history has been Immortalized In the opera of that name. "Tho principal industry of the natives Is the manufacture of mnccarnnl , and back of the town arc several mills , where the coarse paper used for wrapping that product Is manufactured. Other residents follow the sen , nnd are acknowledged to be the most daring nnd skillful small boat sailors on the Mediterranean. During the last few years a railroad has been cut through the mountains - . tains so that AmalH can now be reached from the Interior by way of Vletri , which Is a station on the main express line. He- fore this railroad r-nd been cut through communication with the town was obtained exclusively from the sea. A 'boat ' drawing ten feet of water can safely anchor fifty yards from the base of the cliffs , and the water deepens rapidly , BO that even the largest square-rigged vessels can come well within the harbor. "The harbor works have doubtless been destroyed , tout I trust the reported"lops of life Is exaggerated. From my own experi ence these disasters nro not uncommon on the Itnllan coast , nnd there IB generally Eomc wurnfng in the shape of small pieces of rock falling for probably n week before the grcnt mass tumbles down Into the sea. I saw the great mass of rock that was dis placed on the Naples road In 1SC5 that de stroyed It entirely , and nlso had n similar ni'cldeiit an my own rlnce nt Sorrento three years ago. In each cnso wainlng was given before the most Important masses cruHho.l downward with the noise of a great earth quake. "The cause Is plain. The entire coastline la llmcstcno and badly cracked. Rain formfl In the strata and in time the portions must of necessity fall away. The various basins nlong the shore nro all of volcanic forma tion , nnd not its stable a foundation for the great cliffs as they might he. " o o _ & Dr. SSanden's Ellectrio Belt , Q © 0 0o After 30 years of success in the ® treatment of disease by electricity 9 I am pleased to bz able to offer my famous Electric Belt on 30 days' trial to any one in any part of the world who is sincere and honest. All electrodes covered. No burning or blistering. Improved Aug. 1 ? last. New and scientific appliances. Cures without using drugs all WEAKNESSES OF MEN. I will give 1,000 , for any Electric Belt superior to mine. With its new scientific suspensory attach ment a pleasant current passes through the weakened parts all night. It cures while you sleep such disorders - orders as result from youthful errors or later excesses. 6.OOO CLJ RES I N IS98. Used by women as well , for Rheumatism , Lame Back , Nervousness , etc. We are the oldest and largest makers of Electtic appliances in the world. CAUTION . The new and improved Dr. Sanden Belt can be had only at my offices. Those sold by others are of old date , 20 years ago. Cure yourself and pay me afterwards. My little book , a guide to men , sent free sealed. G. SANDEN , IBS So. Clark St. , Chicago , III. REMARKABLE SERIES Of ARTICLES. WRITE FOR THE BEE ON THE To begin the new year , 1900. THE BEE utmouuces a number of great special articles , fully illustrated. Each of them is written by a man celebrated the world over , each discusses a topic of universal in terest , each reviews in some degree the progress of the century now closing. W. T. STEAD , For EJitor of tlio " Kcvlcw of Reviews , " January 7th ON "Breaking Through the Veil , " K wllli n lirlof rovli-w of fluiiroitrrnN Jif the country In c , Mr. SU-ail Irmln itiMTnril tliroimh Ilio ninrvol * of ( he mntrr- Inl irnrlil , trli-Ki'iipliy , < rlcilionc , X-llnyn , < trlrlrrlronrniii' nnd " nlrpli-HH lolom-niiliy , to the linrdcrlniiil Jimt lipj-oiul tn the IIOB.I- MIltli-M of Iliouuht triumfcrciico or Iclfimtliy , ihf rlrolii tolcn- nililiy of tlioiiKlit. ! ! iirrnoiitu tin- whole * xiilijrot of tmycltlr rc- cfiruli HH It iii > | " ' ! > r.i nt I IncinNof tin- century In I olcnrrnt nnd mint oonvliifliiir innniicr. In tliU nrtlclr thr writer iilno K-C ! the ciaul mctlioiln of coiiiiminliMitliiK liy tcloimtliy , NO Unit anyone m 117 praolleo it. . T. STEAD , Editor of the Review of Reviews" For ON Jammry 14th "True Incidents of Thought Transference/ ' TItN IN nn nniiHiinl norloN of liit < rrlny KlioMt Mtorlrn. Hclc-Mtlflr m-comit of ninny notiililr limtniirpn of ( oloiiuMiy. of ilunl cinlioilliiiriit. mul of niipnrltloiiN. HOIIIP of irliloli IMIIIIP uiulrr Ilio rrrlter'N iM-r-xina ! oliiorvntloii. TUP article ttlno trpntH fully of nn-tlui.v of medium tvrltluir. HENRY M. STANLEY , The World's Greatest Explorer , For ON January 22st "The Unexplored Regions of the World- " 'In till * story of the unillncoVPTPI ! the worlil'N urrntt-Nt explorer dpneriupN HOIIIC of tin * tnnlcx vrhluh the Ki-onrnplier of the -Otli cen tury mil Fit nolvp. HP telln irlth ara-ililo Intel-cat of the liunjfer o { the nation * for Africa , how ilecnilo by itecaile , the ISiiftllBli , th * ( iermniix , the French , huve hecn crowding : ilecpi-r nnd deeper Int * the JuiiRle mill yet lenvtiiK vimt nreRH nlnnmt untouched. Illn no- count of the commercial mid Hclentlfle. pimnllillltlPH of imdlftcorered South America , Aimtrnlln , .Siberia , In of n kind tn fire the Imnnlnn- tloii of the youiiKcr nenerntlou which immt noire Ilirxp problem * . The article will IIP very fully Illustrated with ninpM nnd vrlth the Intent portrait of the author. Dr. CYRUS EDSON , Famous Chief of New York Health Department , For ON January 28th "Medicine in the Closing Year of the Nineteenth Century. " A rr.iild mill fnnclnnllnK nnrvey of the recpnt nntonlnhlii ( ; nc- cniiiitllahmpntH In mpdlclnc nnd nnrirery , with nil Invnlunlilo nnm- jniiry of the very Intent inethodn of treatment of nonie of the more Important illNenncH. "Cnn typhoid fever lie cured f"Vhnt nre the chuiicei of recovery In piiemiioiiluf" "Ooen I'nntenr'n Inoculation rcnllr cure rnblenf" Thenc < | iientloiin nnd ninny other * equally Im- liortnnt mid Interentluir lire nil miNwereil by one of the urcatrit of American iiiitluirltlen In medicine nnd In the light of the world' * latest Itnowlcdicc. Dr. FREDERICK A. COOK For Famous Antarctic Explorer , February 4th ON "Walking to the Pole. " Ir. Coolt bcllcvCH thnt the pole will finally be readied by a ntnrdy party of American * nn foot ) IIP ulven In thin article the reiinon for thin liellcfi telln whut eijuliiiiiciit In nepe.iinry nnd how IOIIK n time Mill IIP neccuMiiry to complete ( he expedition , Thn iir- tlclp IN , In Nhort , n clear and conclne preneiitiitlon of the very late.t poiu-limloiiN of exiilorer * on the problem of the polen. It will be rlrlily Illuntratcil with plcturen tnken by Dr. C'ooU In the Ice. melon * PROF. N. S. SHALER , For Famous Geologist of Harvard , February 11 th ON "The Earth's Deepest Depths. " Thli article promUeH to be of much more than ordinary Interr.t. Immediately following Prof. Shaler's article , there will be articles by SIR NORMAN LOCKYER , England's greatest astronomer ; by PROF. JOHN DEWAR , the famous Chemist , who was the first to liquefy hydrogen ; and by several other men equal ly celebrated.