Nebraska Newspapers

    THE O’NEILL FRONTIER
D. H. CRONIN. Publisher.
XNEILL, NEBT.A9KA
-: ir —
The University of Illinois has lately
added a number of relics to Its Abra
ham Lincoln collection. Among other
treasures In the university’s possession
Is an ox yoke made by Lincoln at New
Salem. 111., In 1830. when he was 31
years old. It remained there until 1848,
Just after Lincoln's return from his
only term In congress. Then Lincoln
and his brother-in-law, Clark M. Smith,
visited New Salem together. While
there the two attended, an auction sale
of farm chattels, among which was
the ox yoke. When the yoke was of
fered for sale it was treated as a nov
elty, because made by a congressman.
Lincoln having acknowledged made the
yoke, and Mr. Smith bid it off, saying
"it was worth taking home for a sou
venir because made by his brother-in
law and a member of congress."
London's original water supply was
the River Thames and every apprentice
was supplied with a water tankard for
transporting the liquid to house. As
early as 1479 there were "water
thieves;" "for in this yere a wex
chandler in Fleet street had hi craft
per-ed a pipe of the condlt wlthynne
Vhe ground and so conyeled the water
to his sclar; whereJor he was Jugld
to ide through the cltte with a condlt
upon his hedde.” The first official wa
ter supply for London was made in
Germany. In 1582 Peter Maurice, a
German, made an engine at London
bridge by which water was conveyed
In lead pipes to the citizens’ houses,
and he and his descendants became
rich on the proceeds.
Joel Chandler Hfirrls has a horror of
talking about himself. If an enterpris
ing reporter undertakes to Interview
the creator of "Uncle Remus” the lat
ter will wheedle the young man outside
to look at his roses, divert him In any
way, but nothing will Induce him to
tell just where he sat, hbw he felt,
whether he had his coat on or off the
day he wrote the the first of his stories.
!lle Insists upon reserving his own life
and the life of his home from the pub
lic stare.
--
Some friends living luxuriously in an
elaborately appointed and well serv
tanted menage suddenly became nffect
ed with the vegetarian fad. One even
ing when the dinner hour came their
(Solemn and unhappy English butler,
;having seen that the malted wheat
.flakes and shredded corn meal and the
.graham sticks were on the Bideboard,
came to the door of the drawing room
land solemnly Bald: "Madame, 'it' is
iServed.”
At a recent conference held at the
ministry of commerce, St. Petersburg,
lit was decided that agricultural ma
ichtnery required by peasant emigrants
Ito Siberia and other portions of the
{Russian empire would have to bo or
dered abroad this year, as the Russian
factories would be unable to deliver In
time. Next year an attempt will be
made to Introduce Russian machinery
among the settlers.
Near Ashcroft, In British Columbia,
are a number of small lakes, whose
shores and bottoms are covered with a
crust containing borax and soda In
such quantities and proportions that
“when cut out It serves as a washing
compound. The crust Is cut Into blocks
and bandied In the same manner as
Ice, and it Is estimated that one of
the lakes contains 20,000 tons of this
material.
Notwithstanding the fact that she
Is the daughter of the president,
Mrs. Nloholas Longworth will
be expected to make the first
calls In Washington this year.
The list of first calls for her to
make will Include the wives of sen
ators, cabinet members, supreme l
court judges and representatives who
are seniors of her husband.
The campaign against child labor Is
at last making Itself felt among the
cotton mills of South Carolina. More
than two-thirds of the spindles of the
state have agreed to reduce the work- I
Ing hours of employes from sixty-six
to sixty-four hours a week, and to
slxty-two hours in 1908 and sixty hours
In 1910—wages to remain as now.
In six Swiss colleges no fewer than
2,193 women are now studying. Tho
majority of tho enrolled female stu
dents are Russians. The women are
most largely represented at Berne,
where 486 are enrolled, almost all In
the medical course. Lausanne has 399.
Zurich 276 and Basle fourteen.
The beautiful grounds surrounding
the old homestead of Mrs. Augusta
Evans Wilson, the author of "St. Elmo”
and "Vashti," near Mobile, Alabama,
are about to broken up into building
lots and will become a part of Mobile.
It was here she wrote most of her
popular books.
No doubt the Invention of wireless
telegraphy was foreshadowed by a
book of philosophy which appeared in
1617. This work mentions communica
tion between two persons at different
points by means of u loadstone and
a needle placed upon a medal dial. ,
Airships a few of which have been
comparatively successful, nre called a
new Invention; but in 1679 a pamphlet
was written by Francesco Lana ex
pounding the theory of ships which
would navigate the air as well as tho
,aea.
The first forest reserve telephone
put In by the federal government,
will be a line of 100 miles,
costing $5,000 In the Big Horn forest
reserve in Wyoming. This is to secure 1
prompt help in fighting the timber
45 res.
The four-day mail service between
6an Francisco and New York, has been
discontinued, owing to the fact that
the railroad companies have taken off
the fast trains on which the mall was
■ent. Hereafter the time will be five
days.
The greatest lengths In miles of the
great lakes in the United States are:
Lake Superior, 390 miles: Lake Mlchi- :
ran, 34 5 miles: Lake Huron, 270 miles;
Lake Erie, 150 miles, and Lake On- i
tarlo, 100 miles.
Professor Bailey Willis holds that
there Is conclusive evidence that the
North American continent has been
submerged four times and has five
timts been elevated above the sea.
Exports of American timber. lumber
and furniture in tne nine months ended
with September amounted In value to
JCI.000,000. or $25,000,000 more than In
tbe same nine months In 1S9G.
At a mild red heat, good steel can
he drawn out under the hammer to a
tine point: at a bright red heat It will
< rumble under the hammer, and at a
unite heat It will fall to pieces.
A Kansas editor expresses fear that
If the family of Joseph Smith. of
Utah, continues increasing ho will have
to call out the militia every time hs
'wants to spank his chllcire
| WORKED WHILE WAITING
FOR PARDON THAT CAME
■ Ilf ,/
MRS. LENA M. LILLIE IN PRISON CELL.
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 7.—Mrs. Lena M.
Lillie was photographed the day before
Governor Mickey signed her pardon re
leasing her from a term of life im
prisonment in the penitentiary here, for
the alleged murder of her husband in
1902 at David City, Neb.
DENIES VALIDITY OF
DIVORCE, WANTS LAND
Woman Learns of Two Succes
sors, But Will Not Ac
knowledge Them.
Des Moines, la., Jan. 9. -Denying the
Validity of a divorce decree which her
husband obtained from her in Nebraska
without her knowledge, she says, in
1889, after which time it is claimed he
was married to two different women,
Mrs. Delia E. Johnson, who lives with
her sister, Mrs. J. 1). Rule, is seeking
to recover a one-third interest in 260
acres of land near Winterset, which
Johnson purchased from one J. M. :
Simpson in 1892.
In that transaction Johnson claimed j
he was unmarried. Mrs. Johnson as
sorts that, if he was unmarried it was !
after obtaining a divorce from her, the 1
legality of which she denies. There- J
fore she claims that the transfer of the
land from Johnson to other parties was
fraudulent as she did not. sign the
deed.
The records show that Johnson did
obtain a decree of divorce by publica
tion in the Nebraska courts, but that
he gave notice by publication and
named the woman Dell Johnson instead
of Delia. After that time he i; alleged
by the woman to have kept writing to
h*er, addressing her as ids wife, and
she says she did not know of this di
vorce and of his two subsequent mar
riages until years after, the decree was
signed.
Johnson was a wealthy stockman
near Monroe, lie traveled about the
country purchasing stock which he aft
erwards sold in eastern and foreign
markets. At one time he sold a ship
ment of S00 mules to the Boers in
South Africa and delivered the ship
ment personally.
WOMAN WHO WAS WHIST
CHAMPION GIVES UP CARDS
Des Moines, la., Jan. 9.—Declaring
that the iniiuence of card playing is
bad, Mrs. A. I!. Sims, national whist
champion and holder of the champion
ship loving cup, announces that site has
given up tlie game and that playing
cards are henceforth banished from
iter home. The announcement was
made in University Place Church of
Christ before 1,500 persons.
Mrs. Sims lias long been socially
prominent in Dos Moines. Site lias been
u devotee of cards, especially whist and
bridge whist, anil for several years has
been Identified with the national whist
tournaments.
Her renunciation of this form of
amusement is the direct result, she says,
of the Chapman meetings, especially
Dr. Chapman's talk on amusements.
Before that time. Mrs. Sims says, she
had given the question no thought.
Since then she had studied it. looked at
it from every conceivable point of view,
and her determination was made only
after the.most careful thought.
With the card rack goes the ball room
and Mrs. Sims' entertaining will here
after lie along less material lines; the
national whist tournaments will lose
one of their most prominent figures,
anil the til - of champion of the United
States is open.
MID-WINTER LIGHTNING
STARTS A BAD FIRE
Marshalltown. Ia.. Jan .9.—Lightinlng
this morning struck the large barn of
Bryant a Keoppel, one mile west of
St. Anthony. The structure burned to
the ground within a half hour entail
ing a loss of Sl'.OOO. Six head of cattle
and two buses besides large quantities
>f grain and farm machinery wore
burned.
GOVERNMENT CLOSES
IN LAND FRAUD CASES
Widow of an Iowa Soldier Gives Some
Breezy Testimony at
Omaha.
Omaha, Neb. .Jan. 9.—The govern
ment's testimony was finished yester
day in the land fraud trial of A. R. and
A. M. Modisett, H. C. Dale and William
O. Smoot. The defense has not yet an
swered whether any witnesses will be
Introduced on that side or not,
Mrs. Sarah M. Allen, of Defiance, la.,
a soldier's widow, told of filing on land
at the request of A. R. Modisett, who
paid her expenses. She said she after
ward visited the claim and found on
it a little building which looked to her
like a playhouse. The Modisetts, she
said, gave her a handful of peanuts and
told her to go Into the house, eat her
lunch, and thus comply with the law.
"DM you intend to live on the land?"
asked the government’s attorney.
"Well. I should say not," was the
reply. 1 would not give 35 cents for the
whole shooting match. I would not
spend Mur cents for Improvements on
such stuff as that."
"Why did you tile on it?" asked the
attorney.
"Well, they came to me with the Kin
kaid law and a lie in their mouths and
1 needed the money."
Mrs. Emma Copeland, of Lincoln,
Neb., and Mrs. Mary A. Taylor, of
Lyons, Neb., soldiers' widows, also tes
tified to filing through the solicitation
of the defendants. Leases were made
In each, but there were no agreements
to sell.
Miss Anile T. Stewart, of Rushville,
district clerk of Sheridan county, tes
tified in regard to the filings made In
her office to which she affixed her jurat.
She received only the regular fees in all
cases.
NEBRASKA'S SPEAKER
AT HOME RULE MEETING
Omaha, Neb., Jan. 9.—Dan Nettleton,
speaker of the Nebraska house of rep
resentatives, will be asked to preside at
the Irish home rule meeting1 which is
to be held January 21 at Edward
Creighton institute. This was decided
at a session Sunday of the committee
in charge of the meeting. Representa
tives James Walsh and Mike Lee were
appointed a committee to invite him.
Mr. Nettleton is a native of County
Tyrone. Ireland.
—4—
ANOTHER“UNLOADED”
GUN KILLS A MAN
Wuusa, Neb., Jan. 9.—Herbert T.ind
Htrom. a single man who lias been
farming in this community, met with
his death Saturday afternoon, caused
by the accidental discharge of a gun.
He had been to town in the morning,
where he had made final arrangements
for the renting of a farm.
He had just arrived home from town
when he and a son of the farmer where I
he was hoarding suggested that they
take Ihe gun upstairs to clean. In do
ing so the gun was accidentally dis
charged, the contents entering the
man's abdomen. They didn't know the
gun was loaded.
FIRE DESTROYS A GREAT
NORTHERN WATER TANK
P.elden, Neb.. Jan. 9.—Fire destroyed
the Gr -at Nortnern Water tank here.
The origin of the blaze is unknown. No
other damage was done.
NORTHWEST IOWA GETS
NEW POSTMASTERS
Washington, D. C., Jan. 9.—Iov'a
postofiieo nominations made today art-;
John Meyer. Alton; S. P. Chrysler,
I.ako Park, and Simon J Mab*, iR.
wood. J
PARDONED WOMAN GOES
TO HUSBAND'S MOTHER
Mrs. Lillie Thanks Governor Mickey
and Her Friends—Crowds Follow
Her in Streets.
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 7.—Mrs. Lena,
Lillie, pardoned yesterday from prison,
spent last night there as the guest of
the warden's wife. This morning she
called upon Ex-Governor Mickey to
personally thank him for her freedom.
The remainder of the day she spent in
shopping. She was followed by cur
ious crowds. To reporters she said:
"X want to thank my friends for their
faith, their prayers and their love. Gov
ernor Mickey did what he believes was
right and just. The newspapers that
criticise have nothing against me, per
sonally, but they are taking the occa
sion to even up with the governor on
personal accounts. I go tonight to visit
my husband's mother, Mrs. Lillie, at
Bellwood. She has always believed in
my innocence. She has always trusted
purely to her womanly intuition and
believed her mother heart instead of
men’s logic.”
She was convicted of killing her hus
band.
LAMBERT GETS YEAR
FOR ASSAULTING PRIEST
Dakota City, Neb., Jan. 7.—Judge
‘Graves at 3 o’clock this afternoon sen
tenced Logan Lambert to one year in
the penitentiary. lie was recently con
victed of assault with intent to do.
great bodily injury to Rev. Father Jo
seph Schell.
X RESPECTABLE CITIZENS X
> STEAL COAL IN BLIZZARD. ♦
+ +
+ Baynard, Neb., - Jan. 7.—When a 4
4 blizzard raged here New Year s day 4
4 and the people burned outbuildings 4
4 and fences to overcome the zero 4
4 temperature, a group of respectable +
4 but determined citizens boarded a +
4 westbound freight and unloaded ten 4
4 tons of coal. There was no violence, -f
4 '+
——
TO FOSTER AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENTS IN NEBRASKA
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 7.—Congressman
E. M. Pollard Is in the city attending
the inaugural ceremonies attendant up
on the assumption by his cousin, George
L. Sheldon, of the office of governor.
Mr. Pollard has been a frequent call
er at the agricultural department tit
Washington and has a promise from the
chief of the bureuu of plant industry
that not only will the fruit spraying
experiments begun last year be con
tinued in the First district, but that
other experiments in the line of cereal
production will be conducted.
The department is engaged in en
deavoring to produce by means of
breeding and selection corn that will in
Itself be a balanced ration. With the
corn now used it is necessary to give
rough feed in order that protein and
fatty mutter are absorbed in proper
proportions. The new kind of corn
will do away with all extra feeding.
Another line of work the department is
engaged in is in producing a kind of
wheat and a kind of oats that will not
pust.
The success of these experiments
means millions to the farmers of the
country and the department is anxious
to see if the proposed grains can be
acclimated in this state.
—t—
OMAHA WANTS BOAT
LINE ON MISSOURI RIVER
Omaha, Neb., Jan. 7.—A public meet
ing will be held this afternoon at the
Commercial club to organize a company
for the establishment of a boat and
barge line on the Missouri river from
Omaha to St. Louis. Members of the
Commercial club and Omaha Grain ex
change and all citizens interested are
expected to be present.
At a meeting Wednesday, after an
address by Congressman Kennedy,
Chairman Wilhelm appointed a com
mittee to draft resolutions expressing
the sentiments of Omaha's commercial
bodies on the general proposition of
$50,000 annual appropriation for rivers
and harbors, and specifying what part
of this amount ought to be spent an
nually on the Missouri river.
WILL NOT EMPLOY
CLERKS UNTIL NEEDED
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 7.—The senate
committee on employes does not pro
pose to put applicants for positions on
the pay roll until their services are
needed. This was made manifest at the
meeting of the committee when only
those whose services w-ere needed at
once were placed on the pay roll. The
other employes will not be appointed
until the competency of the applicants
has been investigated and the state will
thus be saved their salaries in the in
terim.
The committee has postponed the ap
pointment of all clerks and assistant
clerks and has only put on the pay roll
three out of eight stenographers. No
committee clerks were named. A bill
clerk Wits selected with no assistance.
John Davis, formerly of Paw-nee
county, will be chief enrolling and en
grossing clerk, and L. P. Corrick clerk
of the committee of the whole. J. H.
Cleaver has been appointed bookkeep
er. Miss Harriet Bardwell will act as
private secretary to the lieutenant gov
ernor. while Clarence Hopewell will act
as individual page to the same official.
J. R. Manning was selected as door
keeper and Harry Wilsey as messenger
to the secretary. Samuel Rush and
Harry Bradley were appointed floor
Janitors, and W. A. Shottenkirk, mail
carrier. L. Ashenfelter will serve as
bill clerk, and J. Cole as page. Henry
Resse will do duty as night watch and
Rose Sweet man, Elva Douglas and Fay
Gels as stenographers.
Gibson was given the privilege of
naming another stenographer and
Thomas will appoint the custodian, j
The other places will not be filled unti' j
necessary.
CALL “EXTRA,” FINED;
NEWS NOT AS HERALDED
Milwaukee, Jan, 7.—Judge Neelen of the
district court established a precedent in
Milwaukee when he fined two newsboys
each $1 and costs for crying out “extra”
which did not contain the r,ews heralded
by them.
• • •
KILLED IN DUEL OVER WOMAN
Paris. Jan. 7.—A real duel was fought i
near Paris yesterday, regulation army
revolvers being used.
When the order to fire was given each
combatant was allowed to fire twenty
five cartridges. The principals were
Lieutenant Spitzer and Lieutenant An
drcal Six shots had been exchanged
when Spitzer dropped his revolver and
fell dead into the arms of his second.
The fight was to avenge a woman, the •
report being that Andreal's name was
offensively coupled with that of a worn- I
Pit relative of Spitzer. ]
LASH FOR LOBBYISTS
I AND THE RAILROADS
—
Nebraska House of Representa
tives Puts Out Third House
in First Round.
SECONDED BY GOVERNOR
|
Sheldon Sends in Stirring Reform Mes
sage in Which Corporation Are
Warned—Many Progressive
Recommendations.
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 5.—The house of
representative last Thursday adopted a
resolution barring lobbyists of all kinds
from its precincts and instructing the
sergeant at arms to use force in eject
ing any that he catches inside. The
| vote stood fifty-nine for U> twenty-eight
I against. ' ,
I , The resolution recited that in past
sessions the legislature had been af
flicted with railroad lobbyists and
lobbyists of other kinds, that it be the
sense of the house that they be denied
any privileges. The resolution was op
posed on the ground that members
were not of a kind that could be in
fluenced by lobbyists.
Governor’s Strong Inaugural.
In simple, strong language Governor
Sheldon in his inaugural defined to the
legislature this afternoon what he con
ceived to be necessary legislation. In
part he said:
"I sincerely believe that it will be for
the best interests of the state that you
give your immediate attention to the
enactment of laws that will do away
with professional lobbying, that will
abolish the free pass nuisance and that
will define the powers and duties of the
railroad commission so that the com
mission can get to work at once. There
is great need in this state for a re
duction of freight and passenger rates.
People Are Awakened.
‘‘The people of Nebraska are to be
congratulated upon the fact that they
have become awakened and are deter
mined to govern themselves. We have
been elected to carry out a definite pro
gram. It is to be hoped that the new
deal will be a just one. Let us work
together in harmony. Let us not for
get to fulfill our promises and our
pledges. I bear no malice toward any
one, not even to the great corpora
tions that have so strenuously opposed,
and which probably will continue to op
pose the establishment of common jus
tice in this state. Their rights must
be protected, but when they abuse their
privileges as they have done in the past
they must be held to strict account.
must e»et uut ot Politics.
‘‘The welfare of our state demands
that they must not be put out of bus
iness but that they must be put out of
Nebraska politics.
"I realize fully that this reform
movement is not a crusade against
wealth, hut rather a movement against
graft and greed and abuse of power.
It has for Its object the establishment
'in this state from one end to the other,
of government by the people and for
the general welfare of the state. Legit
imate Interests must be protected. Con
spirators against the common good and
violators of the law must be prosecuted.
The law of the land must prevail.
“I hop* and trust that I shall have
the loyal support and the wise counsel
of the good citizens of this state. With
the light of their intelligence and with
the wisdom that God may grant me I
'hope and ‘rust my administration may
meet the expectation of the people of
this state who have elected me."
Other Recommendations.
The governor’s other recommenda
tions are: That appropriations be
carefully pared so that the public debt
be not increased; that a constitutional
amendment be submitted permitting
wide investment of permanent school
fund; that the revenue law be amended
so that all mortgages be taxed and per
mitting deduction of debts from assets
In making assessments; that congress
be memorialized to deprive railroads
from enjoining the collection of taxes
in federal courts; that professional
lobby is to be barred from legislative
halls, and that the law prohibiting their
employment be passed: that the rail
road commission oe empowered to pro
hibit rebates, fix rates and abolish dis
criminations, and that railroads be de
prived of the right to enjoin the en
forcement of a rate made by the com
mission pending an appeal to the state
courts; that congress be memorialized
to prevent the same appeal to federal
courts from rates fixed within the
state; that the law he amended so that
the terminal property of railroads may
be assessed locally.
Railroads Must Pay Tax'es.
The action of the railroads In not
•paying their taxes is strongly com
mented upon. The governor said that
they have by their conduct proved they
did not possess the quality of pa
triotism. and that it is not strange that
their conduct has aroused a patient
people. He says there is no disposi
tion to assess them unreasonably, hut
that they must pay their just share of
taxes.
Retiring Governor For Reform.
In his farewell address to the Ne
braska legislature today. Governor
Mickey pronounced himself as in favor
of redeeming the platform pledges of
the republican party by the enactment
of laws prohibiting the issuance of free
passes, substituting the direct primary
for the convention method of making
party nominations, legislation enabling
the newly-created railway commis
sion to stop all abuses, lower rates and
abolish discriminations, for laws that
will supplement the national pure food
enactment, and for amendments to the
revenue law that will provide a bet
ter basis for taxation assessments,
pure food law and anti-lobby legisla- !
tion.
Other recommendations are;
That legislation that will' reduce
freight rates and operate against dis- i
criminations and which will clothe
with ample power the newly-created
railway commission should be en
acted.
Advises the legislature make all
appropriations specific, so that they
cannot be juggled with as in instances
cited.
Asserts that governor should have
absolute power to remove institutional
heads and that his action shall not he
subject to review by any court or
board.
Declares the free pass to be an un
just discrimination and subversive of
the public weal, and recommends law
with a penalty for both the party is
suing it and soliciting it.
Believes that party platform pledge
on the direct primary be redeemed, and
insists that a majority and not a plu
rality should nominate.
Right to Refuse County Attorneys.
Ask for laws giving ‘the governor
power to remove county attorneys who
neglect or refuse to perform their duty,
and that shipments of liquor to dry
towns be prohibited.
Declares the parole law to be wise
and beneficial, and defends his pardon,
record in vigorous terms. He says that
if the law’s are too liberal they ought
to limit pardoning power.
Suggests that in view of the import
ant legislation coming before the pres
ent session all bills on these subjects
should be formulated and introduced by
a joint committee of both houses.
Advises that the state ought to en
act legislation that will prevent courts
from setting aside just decisions for
mere technical errors in pleadings, in
structions and evidence.
Recommends submission of constitu
tional amendment creating a supremo
court of five judges, to be Increased to
seven in the discretion of the legisla
ture.
Recommends an adequate law prohib
iting the employment of child labor.
Suggests that passenger rates be re
duced to 2% cents a mile, with 1,000
mile books at 2 cents fiat.
GOV. WARMER*WARS
ON THE LOBBYIST
Lansing, Mich., Jan. 5.—While large
ly devoted to state affairs, the second
message of Governor Warner to the
Michigan legislature, read this after
noon, discusses several matters of na
tional interest and importance. Ho
recommends the appointment of a legis
lative committee to investigate "the
freight car shortage question, in co
operation with the Interstate Com
merce commission; recommends plac
ing electric lines under the supervision
of the state railroad commissioners;
urges the elimination of the profession
al lobbyist; wants an amendment to
the laws fixing three cents a mile as
I the passenger tare on roads in the up
per peninsula, and two cents in the
low'er peninsula, except in the case of
a few Independent lines earning less
than $1,000 per mile; recommends
placing private banks under state su
pervision and inspection; recommends
the erection of a binder twine manufac
turing plant in the prison at Jackson;
indorses the indeterminate sentences
law for convicts, and recommends that
the requirements of the Michigan pure
food law bo made to conform to the na
tional pure food law so far as practi
cable.
FOLK WANTS LOBBYING
TO BE MADE A CRIME
Jefferson City, Mo., Jan. 5.—Governor
Folk in his message to the legislature
today recommended a number of acts
relating to life insurance companies,
among others a standard policy for all
companies.
He recommended the enactment of a
law making it a crime for anyone for
compensation to lobby with members
of the legislature.
The railroads, he said, should be re
quired to carry passengers within the
state for 2 cents a mile. There should
be a state primary law for the nomi
nation of all elective officers, including
United States senators.
The governor invited consideration of
the propriety and advisability of the
adoption of a resolution making appli
cation to congress to call a convention
for proposing amendments to the fed
eral constitution, particularly with ref
erences to the election of senators by
a direct vote of the people, the estab
lishment of an initiative and referen
dum and for an income tax.
policeprefecTslain
IN ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg, Jan. 5. — Major
General Von Der Launitz, prefect of
police, of St. Petersburg, was shot and
killed by a young man in the institute
of Experimental medicine, this after
noon.
Von der Launitz, at the invitation of
Prince Peter Alexandrovitch, was at
tending consecration in the Institute
chapel. During the services, and while
mingling with several high officials, the
prefect was approached from behind by
tlie young man who drew a revolver anil
shot him in the base of the brain. Von
der Launitz died in two minutes. As the
assassin turned to flee one of the offi
cers present drew a sabre, cut him
down and killed him. The identity of
the assassin has not been established.
TUNNEL DUG UNDER 2
RULES OF LABOR HOURS
Helena, Mont., Jan. 5.—A novel situ
ation arises in connection with the
building of the Milwaukee road to the
coast. The new transcontinental line
goes from Montana into Idaho by
means of a tunnel.
An eight-hour law has been passed
in Montana, but none exists in Idaho.
In consequence, the men working on
the Montana side are required to work
only eight hour shifts, while those on
the Idaho side are working ten hours.
The men on the Montana side are
paid $3.50 a day, while those on the
Idaho side receive $3 for ten hours’
work.
FIRST YEAR IN FIFTY
WITHOUT AN EXECUTION
New York. Jar.. 6.—In the criminal
history of New York the year 1906
broke the record of nearly a half cen
tury, in that no execution occurred in
Sing Sing prison.
There are eight men under sentence
of death in the prison, but each has
received a stay on appeal.
The records show that the time from ,
which a murderer receives sentence
until the law's decree is carried out
lias gradually grown lunger. In the
beginning of Sing Sing’s history only
a few months elapsed, and now years
pass before every legal method has
been exhausted by condemned men.
RESCUED MINER A
FAILURE ON STAGE
Los Angeles, Cal., Jan. 5.—L. H.
Hicks, who for more than two weeks
was buried in a tunnel of the Edison
Electric company on Kern river, and
whose rescue attracted the world's at
tention, made his debut on the stage,
and a sorry spectacle ho was. Such
was his stage fright that it was pitiable
to see his terror.
Hicks’ show had been extensively nd- ,
vcrtised. Hicks had been coached
thoroughly and had committed to mem
ory the story of his amazing escape
from death, and his backers supposed
liis story would make a liit.
At the last minute Hicks balked. Ho
refused to go on the stage at all. and
declared that he didn't care what his
manager lost. He finally consented to
take a seat in tlie front row and an
swer such questions as were put to him.
KING OSCAR I !Vi PROVED.
Stockholm, Jan. 5.—A bulletin from,
the chamber of King Oscar today an
nounces improvement.