300 PERISH IN SHIP EXPLOSION Frightful Catastrophe Reported on Brazilian Turret Ship Aquidaban. VT PORT JACREPAGUA But One Officer Said to Have Beef Saved—Details of the Awful Ac cident Have Not Yet Been Received. Rio Janeiro. Brazil, Jan. 24.—The Brazilian turret ship Aquidaban has been sunk at Port J acrepagua, South Rio Janeiro, as the result of an ex plosion on board. The report is that 300 of the crew perished and only one officer was saved. MADE MONKEY OF MANN Counsel Osborne Introduces Letters in Town Topics Trial Which Controvert Evidence. New York, Jan. 24.—“I expect to show, that some persons were treated very badly In the columns of Town Topics for some time, and that then suddenly there was a change, and then pleasant references to them were made In the paper. I will also show that the con sideration for this change of attitude: was money, and I will introduce a document written by Colonel W. D., •Mann showing that a financial consid eration was given to him.” This remark made by James Osborne In his defense of Norman Hapgood, edi torial writer for Collier’s Weekly, who is on trial for criminal libel, charged by Judge Joseph M. Deuel, a shareholder in the Town Topics company, was the keynote of the defense. Mr. Osborne went far to prove his as sertion, for he introduced flies of Town Topics in support of his assertion that wealthy men who declined to subscribe, to "Fads and Fancies” w'ere subject to] unpleasant publications. While being cross-examined by Mr. Osborne, Colonel • Mann declared he never had instructed Wayne, editor of Town Topics, to praise any one, or to say nothing unpleasant about any par ticular person, although he may have, told him he had a particular reason to be pleasant with a particular person, as far as the columns of his paper were concerned. "Did you ever tell Wayne to let up on any person?” “Not in that language.” “Or to assist any one in his or her so cial ambitions?” ‘‘‘Never.” Then Mr. Osborne handed to the wit ness two letters, which he identified as having been written by him. One was, written a few days before he left for Europe. It was just a scribbled few lines, but, in view of the colonel’s statement, a laugh was caused when Mr. Osborne read: “T. T. will be very careful of any thing said about Mrs. Inman, of At lanta. Nothing unpleasant. Let up on Henry T. Sloane.” CRISIS IN ZION CITY. Overseer Speicher Provokes Jealousy of Absent Apostle, Who Sends Cables and Hurries Back. Chicago, Jan. 24.—John Alexander Dowie’s immediate return from Port. Antonio, Jamacia, was reported prob able at Zion City last night in view of the arbitrary attitude assumed by Overseer Speicher, who has become too liberal in his sermons and talks of ad vice. The fear that Speicher is endeavoring to displace him in the hearts of his 9,000 folowers is said to have engend ered intense jealousy on the part of Dr. Dowie, requiring his presence at home in the community he founded. In the ecclesiastical department Over seer Speicher has become so bold that Dowie has sent two cipher cablegrams rebuking the overseer telling him not to become so conspicuous and deposing him from absolute power. There was an intimation of jealousy in the cable messages. The new regime has made a com plete change of government in Zion City. Zion City, as a whole, will no longer be responsible for the debts of the various departments. All the com mercial and industrial Interests will in the future be operated as private insti tutions and enterprises. Affairs in Zion City are in a tangle. Debts aggregating $40,000 are being pressed by the creditors. The manage ment has had a difficult time In even paying the Interest on these debts. The city has been thrown open to any manufacturers and business men who cared to enter and establish enter prises. Meanwhile suspense and anxiety is felt by the people. Two factions have developed. One coincides with the new management, the other resents the change in conditions, and remains faithful to Dowie. Dowie has gone into temporary re tirement. He is praying for advice. NINE HURT^IN WRECK. One Woman Fatally Injured WhenTwp Trains Collide on Suourban Line in Chicago. Chicago. Jan. 24.—Nine people were Injured, one unidentified woman fatally, when two suburban trains on the Chi cago and Western Indiana railroad col lided this morning. Steam blown from a switch engine covered the track in such a manner as to prevent the engi neer of one train discovering the train ahead until the engine was too close to prevent the accident. UP TO LEGISLATURES. Insurance Commissioners Agree on Need for Reform. New York, Jan. 23.—A general decision that insurance reforms should be inaugur ated immediately by state legislatures throughout the country was arrived at by the insurance commissioners of several states who conferred with the New York legislative committee which investigated life insurance. Conferences between this committee, and the state commisiscners have covered a period of two days. RICE SEEKS NOMINATION. Canton, S. D.. Jan. 22.—The friends of Hon. George Rice of Flandreau are urging him to stand as a candidate for the nomination for railroad com missioner. ” ** ' CHICAGO SUMMER ENDED 3!eet Visitation Ties Up Wire am Rail Communication—No News from the East. Chicago. Jan. 24.—Chicago is cut oft from news of the world today by a sleet storm which prostrated wires iii every direction. Business is curtailed greatly by stalling street car lines all over the city. Hundreds of thousands of peo ple are seriously affected by the tie-up on the traction service. A single wire to Milwaukee is the only one working out of Chicago this forenoon. This afternon but few telegraph wires out of the city in any direction are working and there is no commu nication whatever with the east. In side the city, telephone communica tion is badly crippled and all means of transportation are badly demoral ized. On some railroads east hundreds of miles of wires in the aggregate art down and trains from the cast are from two to five hours late. This condition is in striking con trast to the weather of Saturday and Sunday, when temperatures through out the Mississippi valley were high est in many years. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Illi nois, Michigan, Missouri and Kansas reported the temperature the highest known in January for more than a quarter of a century. In Pittsburg the temperature was the highest ever recorded in January. One of .the hot test places in the country Saturday was Louisville. Ky„ where the ther mometer touched the 73 degree mark and established a record not equaled in January for thirty-three years. Western Points Cold. Kansas City, Jan. 24.—At Kansas City and Oklahoma City the mercury is twelve degrees above zero. It is pre dicted that a general snow storm will Visit Arkansas. Topeka, Kan., Jan. 24.—Wind from the north at twenty miles an hour pre vailed today with a temperature nine above zero. There is no snow with the etorm. St. Joseph, Mo., Jan. 24.—A blizzanj is raging here today and tne mercury dropped fifty degrees in forty-eight hours Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 24.—A hard wind but no snow prevails here. The tem perature is one above zero and ice cut ing began in parts of the state today. HIS LAST TIP. Noted Broker, Samuel Mills, One Time, Partner of Jay Gould, Expires Af ter Misfortune Had Come. New York, Jan. 23.—“I think that St. Paul will go higher.” "Union Pacific should be a good buy In this bull movement.” Thus delivering himself of a market opinion to a little coterie of brokers and; traders who daily congregate in New| street, where the “put and call” men hold' sway, an old man, bent and grizzled, tot trod up the Exchange incline to Broadway and Policeman McLaughlin assisted him aboard a passing car. “Happy New Year, officer,” said the bent old man. "Same to you, Mr. Mills,” replied the po liceman, cheerfully. 1 That night “Sam” Mills, who in his day controlled millions and was the partner, broker and friend of Jay Gould, passed Into slumber and never awoke to know whether his favorite stocks had gone up Dr down. Samuel Miller Mills “died in the har ness,” nervously fingering the tape from gay to day and dreaming that old dream that he would live to make another for tune. In his forty years in Wall street he had naturally acquired the ticker habit. His daily routine was to come down to the “street” at 10 o'clock in the morning and remain until 3, spending the greater part of the time about the ticker in the smok ing room of the stock exchange, but for bidden by the decree of fate from cross ing the threshhold of that institution of which at one time he was the most con spicuous member. His failure for millions caused his exclusion. “Sam” Mills, as he was affectionately called by his intimates in Wall street, was the leader of leaders on 'Change in his day. As the broker of Jay Gould he handled from 10,000 to 100,000 shares of stock on the floor of the Exchange, In a aingle day. and it was said of him that he seldom tabulated his transactions, but car ried the figures in his head until the close of the day’s business, when he made up his accounts from memory. CITY SURRENDERS. Brief Telegram to State Departmen Announces that Guayaquil Has Given Up the Fight. Washington, Jan. 24.—The state de partment has received a brief cable gram from Guayaquil, Ecuador, an nouncing the surrender of Guayaquil, and saying the situation i3 quiet. Nc further details are given. An earlier dispatch from Guayaquil says: Gen. Alfaro occupied Quito, the cap ital, at 3 p. m. Thursday. A junta of notable persons met in the govern ment palace here today and formed p, new government. Former Gov. Bazue rizu Moreno assumed the executive power, establishing the capital here and I appointing a new ministry. ! Rioting followed. The people during the afternoon attacked the prisons, lib erated the political prisoners and after ward captured the police barracks, where the rioters obtained possession of a number of rifles and some cannon. Rifle shots later were heard in all parts ; of the city, and the rioters became so bold that they attacked a battalion of artillery. Many persons were killed or wounded on both sides during the fight ing. The new ministry, however, only lasted one hour. The people rejected the administration of Bazuerizo More no and proclaimed as president Gen. Eloy Alfaro, the former president o£ Ecuador and leader of the revolution; and in his absence Dr. Emilio Aravallo assumed the civil and military author ity. ‘ RED SUNDAY?’ Patriotic Parades in "Bomb Formation" the Only Signs of Celebration of the Anniversary. St. Petersburg, aJn. 23, 10:50 a. m.—Fre quent patriotic parades in all streets this morning marching at wide Intervals in bomb formation. This is almost the only indication that today >s the anniversary of “red Sunday.” Stores arc all open and the ordinary lifu of the city is proceeding as usual. Up to 11 o'clock no trouble was reported. The streets are crowded with people en gaged in ordinary occupations but many wore bands of crepe on their arms as a s-ilent sign of sympathy with the revolu ionary cause. ! CLOUDBURST IN THE SOUTH. Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 23.—Parts o, Huntsville, Ala., were flooded yester day by a cloudburst. Many houses wert) Inundated, bridges washed away and street railway traffic stopped. No load of life is reported. MANY ARE KILLED DURING FIRE PANIC Eighteen Negroes in Fear of Blaze Meet Death In a Philadelphia Fire. I - A STAMPEDE ENSUES Several of the Victims Were Literally Trampled to Death Beneath the Feet of Hundreds of People All Seeking the Exits. __ Philadelphia. Jan. 23.—A wild panic following a loud shriek of ‘ Are” brought death to eighteen colored per sons and injuries to nearly two score of others hist night In St. Paul’s Bap tist church on the west side of Eighth street, between Poplar street and Gir ard avenue. The terrible rush to gain the street was of short duration, and that more were not killed in the stam pede was probably due to the fact that the church was not crowded. At tiie time the disaster occurred not more than 300 persons were jon the sec ond floor of the building, which with the gallery was capable of aceomnio j dating «00 to 700. The lire was a trifling one and was extinguished before the I llremen arrived. The smell of smoke added to the panic and despite the heroic work of the Rev. E. W. Johnson, the pastor of the church, who tried In | vain to allay the fears of the frlght ! Dned worshippers, the terror stricken people made a desperate rush to leave the church only to be choked up on the narrow stairway. 1 Those in the rear leaped over the 1 prostrate forms of those who fell, and when the rush was over eighteen lay dead on the first floor and stairs of the building. Death in nearly every case was duo to suffocation or trampling. Following is a list of the Identified dead: SARAH RUFING. MRS. LAWRENCE. MRS. PATTON. RUTH FRAMER. JOHN BERRY. ANNA ALEXANDER, aged 40. MAMIE M'KINNEY. SUSIE HOLMES. MRS. MARY WEDLOCK. CHARLES GARDINER, aged 14 years. MAMIE M’CALL. ABOZ SLAUGHTER, 3 years old, CATHERINE SEWELL. RUTH TRAINER. The disaster occurred while a col lection was being taken up. The pastor had just concluded his sermon, the text of which was, “Why sit we here until we die?” Following the collection there was to nave been a baptism of a man and wife. Some of the colored people, owing to Ihe lateness of the hour, had left the :hurch and others were about to go. As the pastor was arranging the pulpit preparatory to beginning the paptism service a woman in one of the front rows of the left side of the altar gave a loud shriek of "Fire!” Instant ly all those about her were on their feet looking for the blaze. There were no flames in sight, but there was a smell of smoke, and the whole congregation became panic stricken. The pastor by this time realized the seriousness of the situation and in a loud voice, which only added to the confusion, called to the terror stricken people to be seated. No one listened, and despite his frantic appeals a rush started that meant death to many that were in It. At the rear of the church on the second floor there is a wide doorway which leads to a stairway to each side of the building. Each stairway has a sharp bend, which proved to be the principal contributory cause for the Jam. The front door on the first floor Is wide and easy of exit. When the rush started those In the rear of the church did not fully real ize what was wrong and were slow to move. The frantic shrieking of the women and children became louder and more general, and many were knocked down In the two aisles of the church. Then came the terrible rush down the stairways. For some unknown rea son everybody tried to get down the left side of the building, comparatively few attempting to leave by the right stairway. One eye witness says that perhaps a dozen persons got safely down the stairs when several people tripped and fell and caused the nar row way to become jammed. Several men on the first floor attempted to hold the people back, but were knocked down, and then the human stream came tumbling down. The weaker ones fell, only to be trampled upon and crushed by those coming from behind. The horrible shrieks sent up by the prostrate persons added to the con fusion, and by this time even the cooler ones in the rear of the fighting mass of men, women and children became terror stricken. Strong men In fear that the building was falling leaped over the heads of women and children and fought for their own safety. A SHOCKING ACCIDENT Girl’s Foot Catches in Buggy Wheel and Leg Is Twisted Off. Mitchell, S. r., Jan. 23.—A most un fortunate and distressing accident oc curred to Miss Etta Emith, daughter of Mrs. Lew Merriman, who lives nine miles north of town. Miss Smith had Oeen to Loomis and started home, but ifter crossing the railroad tracks she ?ot out of the buggy to unfasten a tug :hat had become unloosened. The horse darted up and she endeavored to climb in the buggy, but her foot was caught between the spokes of the front wheel. Her leg was twisted and the bones were broken square off and hung by the flesh. The young girl fell backward in the movement of the buggy, her head falling between, the hind wheel and the box. Her hair became en twined around the axle of the wheel and for a mile she was dragged in this condition. Two men, E. Cooper and E. Darmer, who were driving a short dis tance back, saw the accident and whip ped up their horses to overtake her and by tilling around the horse succeeded in stopping the animal. They extri cated the girl from her position by cut ting the hair from her head, so tightly was it wound around the wheel. Khe was bruised terribly and unconscious. SUMXER liTcHICAGO Warmest Winter Day Save One Since Weather Bureau Was Established There. Chicagc, Jan. 20.—This was, with one ex eeptfon, the warmest winter day experi enced in this city since the establishment of the weather bureau, the temperature reaching fi?. AN ASSURED SUCCESS. Hen. Theodore P. Shonts Talks iit Taft's Home About Panama Canal Project. Cincinnati, O.. Jan. 24.—Hon. Theo dore P. Shonts, chairman of the isth mian canal commission, addressed tho Commercial club of this city Saturday night on canal affairs. He declared it was a great pleasure to speak in Secretary Taft's home and praised the secretary. He regretted the kind of j canal to be built had not yet been re- I ported upon but said it would be soon and that affairs were in such shape that work upon the pfoject would be gin at once and that it would be com pleted in the shortest possible time in (order that Its utilization might ben efit the people of the country at tho earliest possible time. The speaker paid his respects to Poultney Bigelow, who has recently criticised the canal preparations and project, and who has refused to an swer questions propounded by an in vestigating committe as to where he got ids information. Mr. Shonts re ferred to Bigelow and other critics as "scandal mongers." Among other things, Mr. Shonl3 said: Praises Secretary Taft. Mr. President and gentlemen of the Com menial club: It is a pleasure to speak of the Panama conal In the home of Secretary Taft, and to an assemblage of his neighbors and friends. He Is a son of Cincinnati and of Ohio in whom the whole country takes pride, for his services on the bench, In the Philippines, and In the government at Washington have brought honor, not only to his native city and state, but to the ■ American name before the world. I con I sider it a high privilege to be associated ! with him under the direction of President I Boose volt in the conduct of t lie most stupendous enterprise to which this nation lias ever put its hand, lie brings to this task the broad intellectual grasp, the calm, clear judgment, the complete i>a trlotlc devotion, and the Inflexible, uncom promising, and outspoken, honesty that aro the distinguishing traits of his public ca reer. The value to the country of the ser vices of such a man in its government can not be overestimated. When the canal shall have been completed—as completed It surely will be—no small share of the credit for the great achievement will bo due to his wise counsel inspiring co-oper ation, and unflagging faith In the ability of the American people to solve any pro blem with which they are confronted. I am here tonight to talk, as I have said, not of an experiment, but of an assured success. We are not merely going to build the Panama canal—we are building it. Preparation is a part, and a most im portant part1, of the work of construction. When that shall have been fully and thor oughly accomplished, a great step forward will have been taken. You cun not erect a house until you have laid the foundation. We are approaching the end of the pre liminary work. We have made the isthmus a healthful place in which to work. We are getting the line of the canal into a condition which will enable us to operate an exca vating plant to the best advantage, and we are assembling the plant with which the work is to be done. Buying in United States. This vast quantity of supplies has^ beet, purchased almost exclusively in the United States. In accordance with our policy of buying in the cheapest markets, we have bought chiefly in the United States because its markets, in the main, are the cheapest in the world for products that we need in this work. 1 wish to repeat and to emphasize the opinion I have expressed on former occa sions in regard to the application of the eaght-hour law. The present wage varies from 80 cents to $1.04 per day in gold. As compared with the best common labor in the United States, its efficiency is rated at from 25 to 33 per cent. Over 80 per cent, of the employes of the canal are now and will continue to be alien laborers. A majority of the other 20 per cent, employed will be in a clerical, a supervisory, or in some other capacity to w'hlch the various labor laws of the United States are not appli cable. It Is to this kind of labor we are compelled to apply the eight-hour law'— that is, to aliens who know’ nothing of the law’s existence until they arrive on the isthmus. It Is obvious that by forcing the eight* hour day upon us, milions of dollars will be added to the cost of construction. American labor in this country will have to pay its share in the consequent increase of taxation and for no appreciable benefit, for, as I have shown you, there are only a very few American laborers on the isth mus. There Is no question of American labor involved In isthmus work, and I re peat what the commission has urged In its annual report, that It is a mistake to handicap the construction of the Panama canal with any laws save those of police and sanitation, and that labor on the isthmus should be excluded from the appli cation of the eight-hour law, the contract labor law, the Chinese exclusion act, and any other law passed or to be passed by congress for the benefit of American labor at home. Great Business Enterprise. Gentlemen, we aro treating this task as a great business enterprise and are seeking to accomplish it by the applica tion of strict business methods, paying no heed to politics or political “pulls.” Our sole aim and purpose is to give the Ameri can people the full worth of every dollar they put Into the work, and to hand over the work completed to them at the earliest possible day. Fn lontr we continue in control of the job it will be managed on these principles and on these alone. When it becomes apparent that wfe will not be permitted to build the canal In that way we will step aside and let somebody else take it in hand. Invite Investigation. Speaking for the members of the com mission as well as for myself, I wish to say with all possible emphasis that we not only invite investigation of our acts, but ask for it as a rignt. If we are doing our work honestly and efficiently, our hands should be upheld; If it is shown that we are doing it Inefficiently, we should be removed: »r»d *f we are doing In dl^hon e tl", we h uld he x-'-prd. e n leted, 00 tor contempt and com mitted hiit to jail until the fine is paid The trouble arose over several gam Tiers’ cases which were begun by Judge Johnson end were taken from his court t»v Stidger and* removed to the criminal division. Stidger protested vehemently ard charge-! the court with unfairness. JAMES CASE ENDED Out GrirmcH * las Not Yet Been Judged. Annupoii- -The naval < ourtmartial conUuucu cue trial of the cuoc against Midshipman Charles S. James of Grinncll, Iu„ this morning, G orgo Mann, his counsel, having ad dr ssed the court. Late the court took up tli" case of Claude R Mayo, of Columbus, Mich., against whom hazing ts alleged In live different instances. JUDGING CONSPIRATORS To Setter Facilitate This the Capital of Colombia Is Declared in State of Siege. New York, Jan. 23.—Louis E. Bonilla, ronsul general for Colombia, today made public the following cable re ceived by him from President Reyes, dated Bogota, January 18: "The capital is declared In a state of siege in order to judge conspirators with perfect calmness. The siege will be raised within a few days. Absolute tranquility prevails throughout the country.” The conspirators alluded to are Felipe Angelo and three others arrested last December for trying to overthrow the government of President Reyes. Theii arrest was followed by considerable agitation in the capital and throughout the country. WEATHER IS TOO MILD Activity in Building Materials Is, on the Other Hand, Unprece dented. New York, Jan. 23.—Bradstreet's says today: Mild weather continues a source of complaint by affecting re tail trade collections and some reorder business from wholesalers, but com pensations are found in continued ac tivity In t utfloor work, practically un checked building operations, better than ordinary midwinter transporta tion conditions and uninterrupted progress In all manufacturing lines; particularly Iron and steel. Spring trade prospects continue as favorable* as heretofore, and there is consider-' able looking around; shipments on earlier orders are heavy, and the feel ing favors an earlier than ordinary opening of wholesale operations in dry goods, millinery, shoes and kindred lines. Building materials were apparently never so active before at this stage ofi the season. Large purchases of pig Iron slightly below the market by leading Interests insure consumption, of all supplies for the first quarter and most of the second quarter, while de-i mand for rails, structural materials plates and other finished products as-' sure work for the mills for six months' to come. . MoHt staple products display notable strength for a midwinter season, cotton' being especially strong, but adequate supplies favor ease In coal and coke^ Increasing production and resales on earlier purchases of copper make for, weakness In that metal, with declines noted also in lead, and mild weather tends to declines tn eggs, potatoes and: some other lines of country produce. x Bank clearings again break all rec ords for the week. Money Is easier at, nearly all markets. Summed up, there is undiminlshed confidence in an im mense if not indeed record business for six months at least, but there is a per ceptible Increase In the stress laid up on the need of conservatism In specula tion. Wheat, Including flour, exports for the week ending January 18 are 3, 148,862 bushels, against 4,768,772 bush els lust week. 1,138.974 bushels this week last year, $3,538,192 bushels In 1904 and 3,353.757 buihels In 1903. From July 1 to date the exports are 77,237.654 bushels. 95.829.516 bushels In 1904 and 142.571,557 bushels in 1903. Corn exports for the week are 5. 544,574 bushels, against 6.342.569 bush es last week, 3,186.529 bushels a year ago. 1,150,202 bushels in 1904 and 2. 376,683 bushels In 1903. From July 1 to date the exports of com are 54,505. 325 bushels, against 24.805.429 bushels In 1905. 31.001.006 bushels In 1904 and 18,290,813 bushels in 1903. ARMENIAN ATROCITIES 3revent Aid Reaching Famine Stricken Mohammedans and Kill Ruthlessly Right and Left. Kllzabethpol, Trans-Caucasia, Jan. 23. —A courier arrived here today from \gdam with dispatches describing re peated attempts made by the authorl iles to get a convoy of provisions to the ! starving and beleaguered Mohamme dans of Shusha. The convoy set out three times with l strong escort of troops, Mohammedan volunteers, but was intercepted by Ar menians holding the mountain passes. The whole district around Agdam is harjied by Armenians and others who ure perpetrating horrible atrocities, not giving tiny quarter to wounded or wom en and children. Mohammedans are greatly enraged; at the attack made on the celebratedl shrine, Karapirim. After a savage con flict the Armenian attackers broke and fled, leaving fifty dead or wounded. BOMBARD BELGIAN FLAG It Is Announced a Moroccan Gunboat Is Preparing to Further Compli cate Algeciras Conference. Malaga, Spain, Jan. 23.—A report is current at Mellila, a Spanish settlement on the north coast of Morocco, that the Moroccan gunboat Sidetturki is pre paring to bombard the Maripaca fac tory, where the Belgian flag is floatings | PAGE B Y E/!F£ CLD. Baby Son of an Ohio Legislator Draws $2.50 a Day. Columbus, O., Jan. 23.—State Shop inspector J. H. Morgan has sent orders to Speaker Thompson, of the house md Lieutenant Governor Harris, pres ident of the senate, to discharge all' page boys under fourteen years of age. He says the legislature is a flagrant violator of its own laws in this re-, gard. There are a dozen boys so employed in the two houses, but the most flag-1 rant case is that of Ivan Harper, baby son of Ur. E. B. Harper, one of the members of the house, who toddles about the chamber occasionally doing an errand for u member, for which he Is paid $2.50 a day, including Sundays. The boy is only five years old. MYSTERIOUS MURDER I □ anker-Farmer R. K. Lewis Victim of Unknown Slayer. Warren. <> ■ Jan. 22.—The people of West*5 Farmington, a village near Here, were greatly excited today as the result of the mysterious murder last night of R. K. Lewis, a wealthy banker-farmer. An unknown man came to the home of Lewis ill a carriage. Lewis and the man , were in conference for an hour. At the ; lid of that time the hired man in an ither part of tin house smelled smoke, . rushed into the room and found Lewis' lying dead with his head crushed, his hands and feet tightly bound. The body1 was covered with burning straw which had been saturated with coal oil. The un-t known stranger is missing. A DELEGATE FOR ALASKA. Washington. D. C„ Jan. 20.—The sen ate committee on territories yesterday' ordered a favorable report on Senator Melson’s bill providing for a delegate in congress from Alaska.