p> SUGAR BOUNTIES.
1% -
'The law is declared uncon
stitutional.
Th# Comptroller of the Treasury Renders
an Opinion on the Celebrated Oxnard
Sugar Bounty Claims—Claimants Can
Co Into Court and Test the Validity of
Their Demands—An Important Decis
ion.
Declared Unconstitutional.
Washington, Sept. R. B. Bowler,
■the comptroller of the treasury, yes
terday rendered an opinion on the now
celebrated Oxnard sugar bounty
claims, in which he holds in effect,
first, that he, as comptroller has
jurisdiction of the case, and second,
that, in his opinion, the act of March
2, 1895, making the sugar bounty ap
propriation is unconstitutional. He,
however, decides that the papers in
the case be sent to the court of claims
for the rendition of a judgment, in
order that there may be furnished “a
precedent for the future action of the
executive department in the adjust
ment in the class of cases involved in
these sugar bounties.”
The particular claim decided is sub
stantially on the same footing as all
other sugar bounty claims, for the
satisfaction of which congress, at its
last session, appropriated $5,258,289.
The comptroller answers at great
length the arguments presented by
•counsel at the hearing, in which his
jurisdiction was attacked, and in the
course of his reply, he says statutes
which do not conform to the constitu
tion, are not law, and therefore, when
a statute .is in apparent conflict with
the coustitution it becomes the duty of
the executive oflicer to determine for
himself as between the statute and the
•constitution whether the statute is the
law.
j As to the constitutionality of the
•act. the comptroller says in part that
' the priijciple has so long been decided
taxation mhst he for a public pur
pose; tfftat an attempt to take money
from the people by the forms of taxa
tion for a purpose other than a public
■one, is not an exercise of legislative
power and, therefore, that an attempt
to do so is a mere nullity, as an effort
by the legislature to exercise ■ power
not granted by the constitution.
Manufacturing establishments have
been uniformly treated as private
rather than public enterprises. Nu
merous decisions are cited tending to
show that factories of all kieds, saw
mills, rolling mills, etc., are private,
and are in no sense public enterprises.
It ■ is suggested that when congress
gets out of the domain of law and into
the realm of equity and justice their
power is unlimited. That woiild be
no doubt true if congress could get
out o* the domain of law, but it can
not do so.
The bounty of the act of 1835 is not
limited to those who may have suf
fered an injury by failure to receive
the bounty of the McKinley act, but is
given to all alike, whether they suf
fered loss or not. There is nothing
which indicates that it is intended to
make compensation for such injury,
and that cannot be implied.
By a refusal to pay the claims the
ultimate rights of the claimants are in
no way alfected, for they have a per
fect remedy in court to test the valid
ity of their claims and obtain payment
thereof after a final determination of
the constitutionality of the law, if it
be held unconstitutional.
A CONSPIRACY CHARGED.
totter From a Duluth Man Who Says
the Prisoner Is Not Fraker.
Topeka, Ivan., Sept. 7.—The Kansas
Independent, a Populist paper, pub
lishes a letter from a citizen of Duluth
to its editor, I. W. Pack, which pur
ports to expose a conspiracy on the
part of the insurance companies and
the chief of police of Topeka to arrest
William Schnell and palm him off for
George W. Fraker of life insurance
fame. The letter is written by a Ger
man of the name of Harberger, and is
to the effect that Fraker or Schnell
is a crazy hermit, whose great
ambition is to achieve notoriety.
The author of the letter
declares that it can easily be proven
that Schnell has lived in the woods of
Minnesota and Wisconsin for years,
and that he passed in the locality
where he was arrested as “King of the
Forest.” It is alleged that it is not
the intention of the insurance com
panies to push his prosecution after
the money handed over to Fraker’s
executor has been recovered. It ex
plains that the reason why Fraker's
•companion in Minnesota was not taken
into custody was that he would swear
that the prisoner is not Fraker and
furnish the names of any number of
witnesses who would so testify.
J. P. Davis, president of the Kansas
Mutual Life Insurance company, in an
interview said there was no doubt of
Fraker’s identity, and tlirt no effort
would be made to secure the return of
“the insurance money until all inter
ested admitted it. H e said that he
believed Fraker would be sent to the
penitentiary, although he admitted
that a number of prominent Kansas
and Missouri attorneys whom he had
consulted had expressed the opinion
that he could be convicted of no crime.
For Killing: Daulei Stonei.
Liberty, Mo., Sept. ?.—Georg*© W.
Russell was arrested at Smithville this
morning on the charge of having mur
dered Daniel Stone, the farmer who
was found June 23 at his home, a mile
cast of there, with his skull crushed.
The officers say that the evidence is
very strong against Russell, lie runs
a pool hall at Smithville and has had a
bad reputation. He once lived in
Kansas City, and is said to have killed
a man there.
A Florida Girl's Terrible Fate.
Amii.i.a, Fla., Sept. 7.—Last Tues
day night Stella Johnson, the iO-year
■old daughter of a widow who lives
near here, was kidnaped. This morn
ing the nude corpse of the girl, strap
ped to a log and horribly mangled,
was found floating in a small lake
about six miles from her home. The
girl's neck had been broken and her
throat cut from ear to ear. Her right
arm had been severed from her body
at the shoulder. -
WILL SECURE JUSTICE.
Till* Country Win Investigate Chinese
Riots.
Washington, Sept. 7.—The United
States government, it is announced at
the state department, has decided to
enter forthwith upon an independent
investigation of the Cheng Tu riots,
w.th the co-operation of a Chinese rep
resentative.
As at first arranged, the .inquiry was
to have been made in co-operation
with England, but there has been a
cliango of plan within the past few
days, occasioned partly by the fact
that the British consul at Chung King,
v ^u° i* oon^uct the investigation on
behalf of his government and to
whom, with the concurrence of an
American missionary member, it was
at first proposed to entrust the pre
liminary investigation of the facts,
has been detained at his post, and, it
is said, will not be able to begin the
inquiry for a month or more. There
are also understood to be other reasons
why the state department has decided
upon an independent investigation,
such as Prance has already made and
such as England will make later.
It is said at the state department
that it is not true, however, as has
been represented, that the policy of
this government has been changed by
any feeling of dissatisfaction or re
sentment caused by any apparent de
lay on England’s part in proceeding
with the inquiry. The department lias
other reasons, which it is not yet pre
pared to make public.
China is expected to lend her sup
port to the American inquiry to the
extent of supplying an escort to the
persons who will conduct it, but who
have not yet been designated, and
will probably furnish an official who
will co-operate with, the American in
vestigators, as in the Ku Cheng in
vestigation. Tho investigation is ex
pected to be made by some officials
now on the Chinese coast. •
TRANSFERS IN THE ARMY.
Extensive Changes of Infantry Companies
and Troops of Cavalry Ordered.
Washington, Sept. 7. — Extensive
transfers of troops in the West were
ordered to-day by the secretary of war
as follows: The present garrison of
Fort Buffalo,N. D.,to Fort Assinaboine,
Mont.; two companies of the Twenty
second infantry from Fort Assina
boine to Fort Harrison, Mont; one
company of the Second infantry to
Fort Yates. N. D., to be joined by an
other company of the Eame regiment
now at Fort Keogh, Mont.; three com
panies of the Tenth infantry now at
Fort Yates and their commanding
officer. Lieutenant Colonel Comba to
Fort Niobrara, Neb., from which two
companies of the Eighth infantry are
to depart for Fort Bussell, Wyo.; the
three companies of the Seventeenth
infantry now at Fort Russell to
go to Columbia barracks, Ohio.;
four troops of the Seventh cav
alry now in the department of
Texas, to the department of the Col
orado; four troops of the First cavalry
now in the department of the Col
orado to Oklahoma, two troops going
to Fort Sill and two to Fort Reno, re
lieving four troops of the Third or
dered from Oklahoma to Jefferson
Barracks, Mo.
Fort Buford, N. D., and Fort Han
cock, Texas, are discontinued as army
posts and directions given to turnover
the public lands to the interior depart
ment. Where the troops and compa
nies to be transferred have not been
designated in the order, the depart
ment commanders will make the selec
tion of the troops to be removed.
AFTER ROTHSCHILD.
Another Attempt to Dynamite Him In
His Faria Hanking House.
Paris, Sept. 1.—M. Rothschild’s
banking1 house in this city was the
scene yesterday of another nihilistic
attempt. At 3:20 o’clock a man en
tered the bank from the Rue Lafitte.
In the vestibule a detective, who was
on guard there, saw the stranger try
ing to light the fuse of a bomb which
he carried, with a cigarette. The
ashes on the cigarette prevented the
ready ignition of the fuse, and -the
man, seeing that he was observed,
threw the bomb upon the carpeted
floor. The weapon did not explode,
and the man was arrested. When he
was taken to the police office he boldly
awovved himself an anarchist. lie
made a desperate attempt to use a
razor before he was overpowered by
the detective and a policeman, who
had come to his assistance. Police
officials believe, from the appearance
of the culprit, that he is a brother of
Pawels, who perpetrated the Made
line outrage.
To Combat Silverites,
Chicago,, Sept. 7.—^Democrats from
all parts of the state arc attending the
meeting to-day of the Honest Money
league of Illinois at the Palmer house
for the purpose of preparing for the
presidential campaign of Kbit,. Lead
ers of the party were present, and
after transacting routine business dis
cussed the work of the coming year
and the means of combatting the free
silver element of the party.
A Tennessee Negro Lynched.
Nasiivii.i.k, Tenn.. Sept. 7.—At Fay
etteville last night, Dock King, colored,
arrested on the charge of attempting
to criminally assault Mrs. Charles
Jones, near Fayetteville, was taken
from jail by a mob of 200 men and
hanged. 11c protested his innocence,
but he was identified by Mfs. Jones
and her sister as the guilty man.
Two Topeka Papers Consolidate.
Topeka, Kan., Sept. 7.—The Kansas
Breeze, the official btate paper, F. C.
Montgomery and T. A. McNeal, pub
lishers, and the North Topeka Mail,
Arthur Capper, publisher, have been
consolidated and beginning next week
will be published as the “Kansas
Breeze and Topeka Mail.”
Mr. Harrison Wants Adirondack Land*
Old Forge, N. Y., Sept. 7.—The ne
gotiations which ex-President Harri
son is carrying on with Dr. Steward
Webb, owner of thousands of acres of
Adirondack land, will probably result
in his buying a number of lots near
First lake, in the vicinity of Dodd
camp, where he now is.
FRAKER BEHIND BARS
WHERE HE DRAWS BIG CROWtiS
TO SEE HIM.
Many Old Friends and Acquaintances
Have a Talk With the Swindler In the
Kansas City Jail—Taken to Richmond
—Lawyers All Agree that He Is Sore
to Go Over the Road.
Fraker, the Swindler.
Kaxsas City, Mo., Sept. 6.—Dr.
George VV. Fraker was brought back to
Kansas City at 5 o'clock yesterday
afternoon.
James Patterson, a druggist of Ex
celsior Springs, was the first to grasp
his hand.
“Well, Dr. Fraker, how do you do?”
he said with emphasis. The doctor
answered in a scarcely audible voice:
“How are you, Jimmy?”
Judge A. II. Dooley of Excelsior
Springs was the next to speak to h im
and he was recognized, too, by the
doctor. Melvin L. Zener, the manager
of the Hartford Life aud Annuity com
pany, which had paid 815,000 for
Fraker’s “death,” spoke to the doctor
but was not remembered by him.
E. L. Moore, manager of The Elms
hotel at Excelsior Springs, Attorney
D. J. Ilaff, J. P. Davis, president of
the Kansas Mutual Life association,
the company which ran him down, and
United States Marshal Jo O. Shelby
were among others who crowded
around the doctor and spoke to him.
lie was hurriedly driven to the sher
iffs office. As he sat with nervous
hands clutching the hat on his crossed
knees, he was beset, browbeaten, vol
leyed with questions. Every detective
and lawyer and newspaper reporter in
the room took a hand at it. He an
swered all questions with the same air
of meekness and weariness which has
characterized him since his arrest. He
had said often that he was tired and
worn out from hiding out from the
men who were hunting him. He said
ho was glad the thing was over. lie
did not appear glad, but he did look
resigned.
■Before Fraker was taken away a re*
porter talked with him.
‘•I notice,” he said, “that a great
many people seem to believe there was
a conspiracy with several persons in it.
Now this is not true. When X went on
that fishing excursion I was preparing
to take a trip to California to bring
back my nephews. I had collected
some outstanding debts and had $340
in my pockets when I fell in the river.
When I got out of the water half a
mile below where the accident oc
curred, my clothing was covered with
mud and I was wet to the skin. I first
thought of going back to the camp,
but 1 did not want to return to the
Springs in such a plight, so I stayed in
the brush all that night and the next
day and caught a freight train for
Kansas City the next night.”
Dr. Fraker was placed in cell No. 4
on the south side, third floor, of the
county jail. From the time of his ar
rival until late in the evening the jail
was besieged with people who wished
to see him. Probably 200 were admit
ted to see him, but very few succeeded
in engaging him in conversation and
fewer secured any information from
him. Dr. Fraker was tired and slept
fairly well last night, though after
enjoying the freedom of the Northern
woods so long, confinement in a close
jail was most disagreeable.
About 10 o'clock Fraker induced one
of the other prisoners to shave off his
Eurnsides. The amateur barber did
a butcher’s job before an audience
that would have delighted the pro
prietor of a mtiseum. When he had
finished Fraker’s face was bleeding,
but fairly smooth, with no beard left
except his mustache, which is light
and thin and not very long. The
presence of the crowd disgusted him
and he would sit reading newspapers
and pay no attention to the remarks
and questions of his visitors.
Fraker was taken to lliclimond, Mo.,
on the 5 o clock Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul train this afternoon,
Sheriff ,T. It. llolman of Ray county
and City Marshal Byers of Richmond
having come after him.
iiuuimrja uaii uuu v an ViUKeuuurg^
say there is no chance that Dr. Fraker
will escape conviction in the circuit
court of llay county, where hs. will be
tried on five counts of attempting to
cheat the insurance companies. The
information lodged by Mr. Van Vallc
enburg in llay county against Dr. Fra
ker, aud on which the warrant for his
arrest was issued, charges him with
violating section 38t'0 of the statutes
of Missouri. This statute makes it a
felony, punishable with seven years
in the penitentiary, for a person to at
tempt to obtain money from any other
person by means of a cheat or fraud or
false pretense, or trick of any kind.
“You will notice,” said Mr. Ilaff,
“that to violate this statute it is not
necessary for a person to obtain the
money by fraud; the simple attempt to
obtain it is a violation of law. The
statement is made in some quarters
that because Fraker did not obtain
any of the insurance money, and did
not seek to obtain any of it, his will
having left it to his relatives, he can
not be convicted under this statute.
All supreme court decisions on this
point hold that it is not essential that
the person himself should actu
ally receive the money. It is suffi
cient for conviction if it be delivered
in accordance with his wish, or for his
advantage, or for the purpose of effect
ing some object of li is.
Other lawyers who were asked about
the possibilit v of conviction in Fraker's
case said the statutes covering at
tempts to defraud were very broad
and would undoubtedly cover the case
of l’i alter.
SOMETHING ABOUT GEORGE HARRY.
Although Attorney Herrick lias per
sisted in his refusal to say whether or
not it was George Harry who gave him
the information that led to Fraker’s
arrest. Fraker says to-day that he is
positive that Harry was the man.
“How about your boy at the shanty
where you lived?”
“He never heard of me as Fraker
and did not know anything abeut my
history. That is impossible. liis
name was Fred Springstead and he
couldn't possibly have known any
thing to tell about me. He thought
my Dame was Sehnell.”
The fact that it was shortly after an
exchange of letters between himself
and Harry that Herrick got his first
Intimation of Fraker's whereabouts
points to Harry. Before there could
be another exchange of letters Fraker
moved to Minnesota, anti not long af
terwards Harry disappeared. Simul
taneously a store was robbed in Ra
ton, N. M., where Harry’s mistress1
is 6aid to live, and simultaneously,
too, Mr. Herrick's friend dropped out
of sight. Harry knew the name and
address of the only man in Wiseon- :
sin who knew Fraker’s address. Fra- 1
ker thinks Harry wrote to this man !
for his address and that as he knew
of the previous correspondence be
tween the two the youpg mnn gave it.
If Harry committed the robbery with
which lie is charged there was a mo
tive for him to keen his whereabouts
secret. \\ hen he was arrested twe
vyeeKs ago there was no longer any
reason for him to keep himself hid,
but he needed money and there was nd
easier way of getting it than bv giv
ing up I1 raker and securing the re
ward previously promised, probably
more money than llarry had ever be
fore seen in his life.
llarry was one of the men who was
with Fraker on the night of the al
leged drowning. He was the ohief
witness for the Fraker heirs. He tes
tified that he saw the doctor lull in
and drown. He may bo a witness
against Fraker at his trial in Ray
county, though Ills former testimony
might impeach his evidence now. ft
has developed recently that ne
lias beeD a professional thief for
years and that as long ago
as 1875 lie was a friend of Dr.
Fraker. In that year Attorney James
Garner was prosecuting attorney of |
Ray county. The James gang was,
looting banks all over Western Mis- I
souri and bank officials were uneasy I
and in Richmond, Ray county, all sus- j
picious strangers were arrested and I
held until they could give some honest i
excuse for being in town. Among the
suspicious ones arrested in Richmond
was George Harry and he was held till
officers from Texas came and took him
to Texas on a charge of horse stealing.
BOMBS FROM THE CLOUDS.
Dynamite Balloons Prepared for Cnban
Rebels.
Hartford, Conn,. Sept. S.—Samuel
Andrews, a machinist of this city,
claims to have perfected a war balloon
which he has sold to a syndicate of
New York Cubans for use in aid of the
Cuban insurgents It has been tested
in the fields and is said to work per
fectly.
Instead of the ordinary car fixed
with an armored box from which a
number of bombs can be suspended
the bombs are ignited and released by j
automatic machinery in the box and
after all are discharged, the box ex
plodes, destroying the balloon. An
drews claims to hare a devieo by which
he can control the direction of the
balloon.
New York, Sept. 5.—Advices from
Santiago de Cuba are that Dr. Donald
Dodge, alias Frank M. Boyle, who
says he is a correspondent of a New
York paper and who sailed from
Nassau by the Ward line steamer j
Niagara, was arrested by the
Spaniards upon his arrival in Santiago
de Cuba and confined, charged with
being an emissary of the Cuban junta
in New York on his way to Maceo's
rebel camp. Despite the Spanish mil
itary governor's expressed purpose to
have Dodge court martialcd and shot
as a spy, Consul Hyatt, after several
long interiews with the civil governor,
succeeded in having the case trans
ferred to the ordinary courts.
THE COLD RESERVE.
Deposits Made to Offset Anticipated
Withdrawals of Gold.
New York, Sept. 5.—It was quite
evident yesterday that the Morgan
Belmont bond syndicate expected an
other large drain on the sub-treasury
this week. At the opening of business
it was announced that the Farmers’
Loan and Trust company had depos
ited $2,000,001) in the sub-treasury. No
explanation of the deposit was made,
but it was gene, ally known that it
was for the account of the bond syndi
cate and the belief was confirmed
later by Washington advices.
This is the second financial institu
tion to come to the aid of the syndi
cate. The first was the American Ex
change National bank, which deposited
$500,000 about a week ago. At that
time it was said that a number of na
tional banks and financial institutions
which had been members of the bond
syndicate had agreed to aid Messrs.
Morgan & Belmont in their efforts to
keep to the spirit of the contract with
the government to maintain the gold
reserve against exports in every way
in their power.
Medico-Legal Congress.
New York, Sept. 5.—The Medico
Legal congress which convened in
this city to-dav, has attracted a great
number of leading scientists, lawyers
and physicians, not only from this
country, but from Europe. U’he ses
sions of the congress will bo held in
the United Slates court in the post
nflice building. It will continue until
the night of September 0, when a ban
quet will be tendered the visitors at
the rooms of the Press club by the
Medico-Legal society of New York.
For a Banker's National Association
New York. Sept. 3.—At a meeting
of the New York State Banker’s asso
ciation, resolutions were adopted de
claring in favor of a national associa
tion made up of delegates from state
associations and a committee was ap
pointed to arrange for a national
meeting
Women May Go Armed.
Lexington, Ivy., Sept. 5.—In an edi
torial in his paper II. II. Gratz of the
Kentucky Gazette, says that the next
legislature will be asked to repeal the
law prohibiting the carrying of con
cealed deadly weapons so far as
women are concerned. Ho declares
that it is necessary for women to go
armed to protect themselves from
negro assailants.
An Illinois Leader Dies In Kanm
Blue Ratid-s, Kan., Sept. 5.—Jam**
G. Strong, cx-state senator of Illinois,
died this morning, aged 59. II located
in Dwight, 111., in ]859, and was di
rector, secretary and treasurer of the •
Plymouth, Kankakee and Pacific rail- I
rad, and identified with the Kankakco !
River Improvement company. In Jn?0 j
he introduced the first bill for the ap'- ■
pointment of a board of railroad com- I
missioners in Illinois. !
UN DING OF FRAKER.
CAPTURED BECAUSE HE WAS
BETRAYED. <
Be Toll* AH About HI* Insurance Swind
ling;—Denies that He expected 930,000
From Ills Heirs—Talks Very Freely
About His Movements Since His Mys
terious Dlsappearauce—Distribution of
Money Enjoined.
Fraker Was Betrayed.
St. ,Toskph, Mo. , Sept. 4.—A reporter
met Dr. Fraker, the insurance swin
dler captured Sunday in tho woods of
Northern Minnesota, and his captors,
Attorney Robert Herrick and Chief of
Police Wilkerson of Topeka, at Tal
mage, Iowa, on the Chicago Great
Western railway at 9 o’clock this
morning, Betwoen Tulmage and St.
Joseph, which was reached at 1:50
o clock this afternoon, the reporter
talked with Fraker and the others and
obtained the complete story of the
Chase and capture, now published for
the first time.
.Speaking of the capture, Mr. Her
rick, said: “Wilkerson deserves great
credit for his part of the work. For
myself, I am tho company's lawyer,
and it is my duty to proteot tho com
pany from any injustice through tho
courts. Of course, I shall get a good
ice for this work and Wilkerson will
get enough to justify him in making
the trip. There is no stated reward
out. All oilers of reward have been
withdrawn.”
“Tho other clues have generally been
fakes and we did not got Fraker until
we found some one who knew him and
knew where to get him. It is useless
to ask who that person is, because I
shall never tell.”
*«« itiuicr urresi is DJ\ Lt. >V.
Fraker, by his own confession and by
the positive Ulcn llcntion of Judge Jk£
W. Sullivan of Excelsior Springs.
Any stranger who had never seen
him before, but had seen his picture,
v ould bo struck with the resemblance
ti the pictures, though he now wears
short burnsides with a short mus
tache, a mixture of red and yellow.
Ills trousers are patched, his brown
wool shirt shows evidences of wear
and his slouched hat has seen long and
rough service. In short, ho looks very
fnuch a hermit, who had lived a long
time in the woods.
When asked to tell the story of his
wandcringk, Dr. Fraker said there was
pot much to tell.
‘•I did fall into the river the night
we were fishing,” he said, "and came
very near being drowned. However,
there was driftwood floating in the
stream and I caught a log and floated
down the river for a considerable dis
tance. Finally I found a place where
I could touch bottom and waded ont
on the land, I laid there all that night
and all the next day.”
When reminded that, the current at
the point where he disappeared formed
a whirlpool where the best of swim
mers would not think of venturing,
he said he knew it was a terribly dan
gerous place and considered his es
cape from drowning a miracle
No amount of questioning or argu
ment could make him change this part
of the story in the least.
“I don't know just when it was,” he
continued, ‘‘that I left the river, but
with ray clothing muddy and bedrag
gled, my hat lost my hair full of sand,
I was in no condition to go back to
the Springs, and accordingly I came
to Kansas City. I had formerly stopped
at first-class hotels, but this time, be
cause of my appearance,I did not want
to go to one of them, and so went to a
rooming house on Grand avenue siuth
of Fifth street,almost diagonally across
from the Ccntropolis. I stayed there
foyr days. On the second day I went
to Twelfth street near Walnut street,
and bought a razor, and then I shaved
oil all my beard, and if anyone In
Kansas City who know me had seen me
on the streets he did not recognize me.
* At the rooming house no one asked
my name, and I did not volunteer to
tel! it. Then I went to Chicago.
While there I think I saw Dr. I. N.
Lot e of St. Louis, but he was talking
to sonic ladies and I did not approach
him. From Chicago I went to Milwau
kee and stayed most of the fall of that
year. lly that time the name of Fra
kcr had been too much advertised, and
I told a roommate that I was from
Denver and that my name was William
Sohnell. I went by the name of
Schnell from that time on.”
“Hot about your being called
Quick?” was asked.
“You don't understand German,
then?” lie replied. ‘'Schnell is the
German for Quick, and a few people
used the English word for it, that is i
all.” j
‘‘I lived in Wisconsin and Minne- i
biHii ever MUUU.
‘•Were you in the timber or the
towns?”
”1 btuyed most of the time in towns.
Tliere are no big towns outside of Mil
waukee in that country. I went from
one place to another. No, I won’t tell
you what towns we visited. You must
excuse me now."
"Wliy did you conceal your ident
ity?”
“I didn’t.”
“Yes, but, the assumed name and the
fact thut you kept out of sight when
the companies were looking for you
proves the contrary.”
"Well, J lmd not decided to stay
away until the papers said all kinds of
things about me. Then I knew I was
in disgrace and could not make a liv
ing if I came back. It was you news
paper boys wliogot me into it.”
Then after a long pause lie said:
“No, it was my own fault and no one
cl-e's. I have wanted to eoine back a
thousand times, and came near com
ing, but the disgrace and what people
wore saying abdut me kept me from
doing so. This living death is horrible
ami 1 am glad now I am going back.”
"It was telegraphed from Duluth
that you expected a share of the in
surance money.”
"That was not true. It was all to
go to my heirs"
"Were von not planning to buy
some land with springs and spend
S'Jt'.ooo making a resort of it?”
"The way that came to be told was
that I said the springs had good medi
cinal qualities and it would take $20,
to lix them up right. I never said l
had that much money, or would de
velop the springs. I stayed in the
woods in that part of the country for
Ithe lust six months to get the benefit
of the springs, because my health has
be-a bad, 1 have beet) gieje nearly
three year* now and nothing did me
any good until I reached those
springs.”
Dr. Fraker carefully avoided answer*
ing questiors Intended to reveal hla
means of subsistence. Finally, when
the question, “Who gave you away to
the insurance companies and tarnished
the information that led to your
arrest?” was bluntly asked, the doc
tor started suddenly and said: “I
think it was George Harry, one of the
men who went fishing with me. I
wrote him from Wisconsin last win
ter. He was in New Mexico then. He
answered my letter and I wrote again,
but never heard from him.”
“In my second. letter I told him
about a young man, whose narqe I
won’t mention, who was very kind to
to me when I was sick. I told him
the young man’s name and I think he
wrote to him and got my address after
I moved into Minnesota. I am
satisfied that Harry gave me away.
He is in New Mexico now under ar
rest. Ho was arrested at Moberlv two
weeks sgo for burglary. I don’t know
of any one else who had the means of
knowing just where I was, who would
give me away.”
Dr. Fraker denies that he has seen
Johnnie Edmunds, his former office
boy, since ho left home. He also says
he knows nothing of Menendez. the
Spaniard, who was fishing with him.
lie says he has not seen a Kansas City
paper or any of his Kansas
City acquaintances since he went away
more thau two years ago. He went
smooth shaven most of the time, bnt
grew a beard in Minnesota because of
the mosquitos. He says his main ob
jection to coming back is that his pri
vate history has all been raked up and
scattered broadcast by the newspapera
■i*
. ’7 '-'
STONE SILVER WORK.
Che Governor Confer* With Bland Com* *
mltteemen for Four State*.
St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 4.—Governor
Stone, who had a conference last night
with ex-Congressman B. P. Bland on
the silver question, said to-day: “We
merely talked over in an informal way
the work of organization of the
friends of silver in accordance with
the general plan adopted by the
recent conference at YYashington.
At that conference I was appointed a
member of the provisional committee,
with instructions to confer with the
leading free silver Democrats in Mis*
souri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa
with regard to the selection of a com
mitteeman in each of those states to
take executive charge of the work. I
i have opened correspondence in pnr
j suance of that idea and qb soon as the
: free silver Democrats in the states
■ named Indicate to me the men for the
work I will report the names to chalr
| man Harris of the national committee,
who, 1 suppose will issue a call for
| another meeting of the friends of sil
ver in order to perfect the organiza
tion of the silver forces in the Demo*
I crntic party for an aggressive cam
paign.” _
The Defrauded Insurance Companies Pre
run! to Tie Cp Some of the Money.
Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 4.—At 10
o’clock this forenoon Judge Foster,
Judge Sandusky, Judge Fowler, At
torney Claude Hardwick of Liberty,
Attorney HaiT and J. P. Davis of To
peka were in the office of the clerk of
the United States circuit court. Mr.
HaiT filed five suits by five of tho de
frauded insurance companies. They
were against James E. Lincoln, exec
utor of the Fraker estate, George W.
Magruder, trustee for the Fraker dr*
phuns, W. E. Fowler, judge of the
probate court at Liberty, Nancy J.
Magruder and Cynthia A. Hatfield,
sisters of Dr. Fraker, and the Commer
cial Savings bank of Liberty.
The court is asked to set aside the
judgment which was rendered in favor
of the Fraker heirs, and that Lincoln
and Magruder be ordered to pay back
the judgment money, with principal
and interest, and that Judge Lincoln
and the other defendants be enjoined
from paying out any of the money.
The court made tho order as asked for
without objection.
Two More Victim* for Holme*.
Pf.nvkh, Col., Sept 4.—J. W. Hum
mel of Sandwich, 111., has written a
friend in this city suggesting the pos
sibility that F. J. Gregory and his
0-year-old daughter, Dee, Who disap
peared from their borne in Kearney,
Neb., March 6, 1894, may have been a V
victim of II. H. Holmes. Gregory
had Slu.ooo in his possession when ha
left home. He formerly worked at
Noldredge, Neb., for J. \V. Burnett, a
real estate dealer in this city. There
is no evidence that Gregory ever had
any business relations with Holmes.
HI* Clothiers Aulga.
Louisville, Ky., Sept. 4.—Henry H. '
Wolfe & Co., one of the largest whole*
sale clothing firms in the South, filed
a deed of assignment in the county '..*
clerk's office yesterday. The firm owes
about SfOO.OOO and has assets which
they believe will e<£al if not exceed
that sum. _
Bank Note* Not Boycotted.
Washington-, Sept 4.—The boycott
declared by the Knights of Labor
Rome time ago on national bank notes
became effective yesterday, but the
bank notes are as eagerly accepted to*
day as they ever were. John W.
llayes, secretary of the Knights of
Labor, says lie cannot tell hgw long it
will take the boycott to begin to show
its effect, but thinks that in the course
of sixty days’ bunk notes will begin to
be turned down by a great many peo*
Die. _
The Luddonla Bank Reopened.
Mexico, Mo., Sept. 4.—The Farmers
bank at Laddonia is again open and
ready for business. Tlio attorney gen
eral, bank examiner and receiver and
attorneys met here yesterday and the
matter wu - settled. The director* of
the bank have fully complied with the (,.,j
law.
For Female Suffrage.
Trenton, N. J., Sept. 4—The gub
ernatorial state convention of the
People's parly of New Jersey was
held in this city. Vi. 1J. Ellis of
Trenton, wus nominated for governor .1
after several others had declined the
honor. The Omaha platform was re- v
' affirmed and a resolution passed favor*
ing woman suffrage. __ >\
The Duke d’Arcos, Spanish minister
to Mexico, and Miss Virginia Wood*
bury Lowery of Washington wer%
married at New London. Conn. . .J