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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1908)
THE CITY COUNCIL IW ; REGULAR SESSION ..UlT-7 TWO SISTERS PUT ON TRIAL TODAY. Charged With Death of Captain J. Clayton Erb. THEY PLEAD NOT GUILTY. niePhnlbehind ihcSuif Franchise Grantedjto Nebraska Telephone CompanyLight Question jPostponed. I - :!f i fcCo i teat. t --;' . v. ; -.v. ,. ' . . ; i .': v- -.-.Vl . . i ... i ..'.1 I lillll If lr:: 1 :::..;.!:;;;..:.:. vl i ..'. .. " i ! ;..'; :' :1 ?j -: 1 ."; ' V'Vi L! i .;..-;;;. 1 . .: ; : ..y. vsp S rrscf Are Always Cheapest! Correct in every particular. Correct in Weave: Correct in Workmanship: Correct in Styles, anil always Correct in Prices. Such are the ioods can be found at our store. Kverythinur in (ient's and Hoy's Keaily-to-Wear Cloth ing and Furnishings. Kl PLATTSMQUTH, - NEBRASKA WHEN THE KETTLE SINGS it's a sitrn of coal satisfaction. Want to hear the inusic in your kitchen? Easy order coal from this otlice and yard. The output of the Trenton mine the fuel we handle has no su perior anywhere, its equal in few places J. V. EGENBERGER, PLATTSMQUTH, - - - NEBRASKA Best Time to See the Southwest Every first and third Tues day of each month, low-priced horneseeker's excursions are run over the lines of the : : : Missouri Pacific Iron Mountain into the rich and resourceful f armirjr regions of the South west. It is a splendid chance for the Northern and Eas tern farmer, r.fter his wheat is pathered, to combine a pleasure and propecting trip. VYrite for rates and literature to HUGH NORTON, Agent. M. P. Ry., riattsmouth, Neb. Krofii Tii'nIsi v's l;iil '. Tim ni--tiiiK of the ity touixll last :v-niiiK was rcniarkablo for tlx lart! amount of business which it transacted in a short space of time. The passage of an ordinance granting a new franchise to the Nebraska Tel ephone (Tompany, and leaving them free to establish whatever rates they saw fit to charge so long as the state railway commission held them to be reasonable was the chief feature' of the meeting. Weber and Neuman fought the ordinance hard and en deavored to have a limitation of rales placed in it but they were unsuc cessful as they could muster only three votes against it. The three voting against the franchise were Weber, Neuman and Mendenhall, the remaining seven councilmeii voting for it. The session opened with Acting Mayor Sat tier in the chair and all the members present. Alter reading the minutes of the last meeting, a com munication from former Mavor tier ing was read extending his thanks to the council for their resolutions praising him adopted at the last meet i.igand cordially inviting the members to call upon him in his new location in Omaha. On motion the communi cation was placed on file. A communication from Street Commissioner John Janda resigning his office was promptly accepted. Mr. .Tanda resigns to embark in other business and will leave the city it is understood. Then came the ordinance granting the new franchise to the Nebraska Telephone Company. This ordi nance is printed in full in another col umn of the paper. It gives the tele phone company an unlimited right to the streets and alleys of the city, provi'iing they remove their poles from .Main street east of Seventh street and place their wires in a conduit or cable, this to bo done within six months from the passage and approval of the ordinance. No mention is made of rates to be charg ed by the company in the new fran chise, although they were limited un der the old one which is expressly repealed. A motion by Weber to re fer the ordinance to the judiciary committee brought Steimker to.x his feet as he desired to amend it. He understood that the telephone com pany was making its annual esti mate of expenses for the ensuing year and wanted to know just what the city intended to do with them. He understood that the expense of changing the system in the business district would be pretty heavy and for lhat reason the company wanted to know if the city would require it. He moved to amend by suspending the rules, have the ordinance read a second an,l third time by its title and placed upon its final pr.ssasro. This was seconded. Falter called the attention of the council to the fact that the city had been trying for some time to get the poles on Main street removed and now was the chance. He thought the ordinance ought to pass. He thought the company would spend about $15,000 to $20,000 in the way of reconstructing their plant. Thought the amendment proper. Weber, in a way, was not opposed to the ordinance but he remembered how the people had protested in times gone by against the action of the council in giving away valuable franchises and privileges and did not feel like being hasty. Another thing he objected to was the fact that the ordinance did not fix rates. He called the attention of the council to the fact that under this ordinance, the State Railway Commission would fix rates deciding what were reasonable rates. He was there to protect the people. He spoke of the home com pany and believed in protecting it. Steimker did not believe that Weber understood the situation. The Nebraska people already had a per petual franchise, this having been de cided by the courts. It had cost the city money to find out the rights it had. The company now wanted the privilege of removing tl;e old poles and placing its line in ft roe1 am! al leys. He was not bulldozing or try ing to harm people. Competition would keep phone rates down. If the Nebraska Company raised hcir rates o;;t would go their phones. As mat ters stood the citizens could h no worse off than they were. Schulhof wanted t" know .is to the rates now charred arid how ih.?y were charged. Steimker IrJi down the law gov erning the powers of the State Rail way Commission as he understood them, and pointed out that the new rates of the company could be con tested if considered too high. Sat tier read the old franchise un der which the company was operat ing and that section which fixed the rates for commercial houses at $24 per year and residences at $12. The amendment was then adopted those voting aye being Falter, Schlunt,, Slattor, Steimker, Hook meyer. Schulhof, Vondran, Menden hall. Nays Weber ami Neuman. Weber then ofefred an amendment limiting the rates to be charged to $21 for commercial houses per year and $12 for residences per year. Neuman spoke of repealing the I present ordinance and leaving the patrons with no protection against exorbitant rates. Schulhof contended the State liail ' way Commission would fix reasonable ! rates if contested. Falter referred to the a't of the last legislature in conferring power 1 on ttie Kauway Commission to lix rates and gavovhis understanding of the law. i Weber contended that if t In- coun cil had the right to vote privileges ; it had the right to fix rates and was satisfied the intention of the Nebras i ka Company was to have the Rail ! way Commission fix a higher rate in jtliis city. Ho again made; a plea for ! protection for the home company and I wanted the same? rates c harged by ' both companies. The Weber amendment was lost, I those voting in favor were Sattler, Weber, Neum-in and Mendenhall. Nay, Falter, Schluntz, Uookmeyer, Steimkvr, Schulhof, Vorndran. The ordinance then passed the only change from the vote on the Weber amendment being that Sattler who had voted for the amendment then voted for- the ordinance, the vote standing 7 to 3 for it. The bond of 15. S. Ramsey as city attorney in the sum of $G00 was then submitted and approved, the sureties being W. C. Ramsey and C. C. Metz ger. Claims Allowed. The following claims were allowed by the council and the pay of the city fathers was also voted to themselves: Wilson Reinforced Concrete Co. cement pipes $270.00 Lee Cotner, salary 6 25 Ceo. Mann, salary 6 25 Ceo. McDanieis, salary .... 6 25 Karl Hammersack. salary .. 6 25 Peter Ever:-, salary G 25 Al. .Janda, street work .... irt G5 Phil Harrison, street work 10 S6 C. W. Paylor, coal G 5 0 The following claims went to the Claims Committee for investigation, C.us Pein, salary $C.25. Objection was made to Pein's bill as he had been absent from t lie city for the past three months. Cass County, boarding city prisoners September, October and November, SCO. 20. A report was received from the re tiring street commissioner on the quantity of tools on hand which went to the streets committee. The judiciary committee asked fur ther time on the water works propo sition which was granted. The claims committee reported fa vorably upon the claim of L. A. Moore for $S.15 for lumber used and the same was ordered paid. The streets committee reported the street commissioner's report as O. K. which was filed. The fire and water committee re ported the various hose cart fore men's reports as O. Kj, which also were filed. The gas and lighting comimttee asked that further time be granted and that a special meeting be held in the near future to deter mine the light question. This was granted and the meeting will be sub ject to the call of Acting Mayor Sat tler. The police committee reported the reports of the police judge and mar shal as O. K. which were filed. Schulhof reported that the walk up Winterstee Hill which had been ordered repaired had not been so and he wanted it done instanter as sev eral people had fallen through holes in the walk already. A motion to have it done and charged to the property carried unanimously. On motion of Steimker the mar shal was instructed to notify the school board to look after the walk around the Columbian school before it vanished completely. A motion to adjourn then made caught Falter in the act of unloading an invitation from the Commercial Club to meet with that body tonight at Coates Hall. He finally get the invitation out of his system after the council had adjourned. Victim of Shooting at Country Home Was Prominent National Guardsman and Politician and Husband of One of the Defendants. Media, Pa., Dec. 29. In a crowded courtroom here today the unusual spectacle was presented of two sisters called upon to plead to the charge of compassing the death of the husband of the one and the brother-in-law of the other. Uoth of the women pleaded not guilty. Owing to the prominence of the vic tim in the case, Captain J. Clayton Erb, who was a well known politician, national guardsman and lieutenant to Israel AV. Durham, the Republican leader, interest throughout Pennsylva nia is focused on the trial. One of MRS. .1. CLAYTON Kill'.. the defendants in the case is Mrs. Florence Erb. and the other is her sis ter, Mrs. Catherine Beisel. They are each charged with voluntary and in voluntary manslaughter, the charges growing out of the death by shooting on Oct. G of Captain Erb at his coun try home. Red Gables, at Village Green, Delaware county. Media is the county seat of Delaware county. Shot in Family Quarrel. It is charged by the prosecution that Captain Erb was shot by Mrs. Beisel after a bitter family quarrel at Red Gables following a long series of do mestic dissensions. Captain Erb had forbidden his sister-in-law to visit the house, but she was admitted by Mrs. Erb. Returning to his home unexpect edly, Captain Erb found his sister-in-law there and ordered her from the house. A quarrel and the shooting fol lowed. The charge against Mis. Erb is that of being an accessory to the shooting. Mrs. Rois-.C'I s plea is sell defense, ; and Mrs. Erb denies any complicity in the shooting. Servants will he called upon to testify to the relations of the deceased and the two defendants and to the occurrences on the day of the shoot ing. Since the trae'ly Mrs. Eeisel has been confined in jail, but Mrs. Erb has been out on bail. The latter is a beau tiful young woman, a fine equestrienne and has been prominent in society. U, S. WARSHI?AT WILLEMSTAD. Cruiser North Carolina Follows Close Behind Des Moines. Willemstad, Curacao, Dec. 29. The United States cruiser Des Moines ar rived here. The Des Moines was in communication with another American war vessel about five miles outside the harbor. The second' warship is be lieved to have been the cruiser North Carolina, and after the two vessels separated she proceeded west. Reliable information has reached here that General Celestino Castro, the former president's brother, who was stationed in Caracas in command of Venezuelan troops and who was re ported to have come over to the side of President Gomez, has crossed the Colombian frontier. Several others among the Castro adherents have also left the country. Ethel Roosevelt Makes Debut. Washington, Dec. 29. President Roosevelt's youngest daughter, Ethel, last night made her formal bow to so ciety. Preceding the dancing in the east room of the White House, which began at 10 o'clock, Mrs. Roosevelt and Miss Roosevelt received the guests in the blue room. Miss Roose velt's gown was of soft white satin, trimmed with crystals. The guests numbered about 400, only unmarried members of the younger set participat ing in the dancing. At midnight the music ceased and the guests partook of a supper, which was served at small tables arranged along the lower cor ridor and adjoining rooms. Coopers Are Denied Bail. Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 29. Judge Hart has refused bail to Colonel Coop er, Robin Cooper and John D. Sharp, charged with the murder of Senatoi Car mack. Copyright, 1903, Roscnwal.l &: Weil, Chicago Exclusive Clothes pANCY Suits will be very popular this Fall, but you don't want to sec a hundred other chaps with a suit like yours. "GLtQJ" Clothes are exclusive, and just to be sure they can't be common, we buy a few of many pat terns. Fhe tailoring and material in all "GtiCtf" Clothes are guaranteed. C. "Where Quality Counts" THE COLORADO General Manager Holtfrege Will Inspect PSew Acquisition. One of the features of the after math of the great Hill-Colorado t Southern deal is brought out today in the sht'.pe of the announcement that, a great merger of Texas ranches in the territory adjoining the Col orado & Southern Railway is being formed by James J. Hill. This mer ger it is stated will comprise 7,000, 000 acres of land valued at $75,000, 000. This land lies in the Texas Pan-Handle and covers a vast area, greater than many states. It com prises the lands which a few years ago were pronounced worthless but which in the last five years have been rapidly settled up and has proven to be as fiiu land as lies out of chors. There.' are a gieat many people in this vicinity who are iuier'sted in this property, it having been soil out at prices ranging fioi.i five to twenty dollars per acre recently while some five years ago it could be bought for from fifty cents to one dollar. The taking hold of this prop erty by Hill means its rapid develop ment and, incidentail-y, a great profit to himself. It also means to build up a vast territory of riches for his new road to drain ar:d means the creation of a great system of the I'ai-ewell I 'arty. From Tue-silay'.s Iaily. A farewell party was tendered Geo. M. Porter and wife last evening at the home of E. B. Perry in the western part of the city, by a large number of their friends. This party took place just previous to the de parture of these most estimable peo ple for their new home in Lincoln to which point they departed this morn ing. There was a great many present and the evening was delightfully spent. There was music In abund ant qualities furnished chiefly by Misses Mollie Godwin and Myrel Mul lis, both accomplished musicians, while the remainder of the even ing was taken up with games and amusements of various kinds. The closing feature of this mere than pleasant evening was an oyster sup per given by the hosts of the eve ning for the departing guests. Those who were present and con tributed to the success of the fare well were Misses Anna Porter, Ada Porter, Edith Buzzell, Carrie Becker, Blanche O'Neill, Mollie Godwin, Myrel Mullis, Minnie McKay, Celia Taylor, Stella Gooding, Daisy Perry, Messrs. Jas. Hunter, Ralph Mullis., Oscar Wilson. Everett Gooding, By re n Gortcn, Burton Gort'-r., Ratio "j . ylor, J'-sse Perry, G- o. Porter, Jesse Bra ly, Henry Perry, Ilallie Perry. Flash lights (pocket) Goring & Co. UT&EiirJ ( Colorado t Southern and Fort Worth ! fc Denver railways in conjunction i with the; Kurlingt on. Another piece of news is that Geo. j W". Holdrege, general manager of the Rurlington line s we-st of tlx- Missouri j River, departed yesterday on a tour l of inspection of the new road. This ; probably means that this road will bej added to .Mr. lloldroge's already ex tensive! territory ami that, the new ! road will be; operated largely from Omaha with subsidiary heacp uarter3 at Denver and Fort Worth. Additional information of an in teresting nature- is also giw-u out from Chicago to the effect, that it. i.s iic;v the i;it niion of Mr. 1 1 i 1 1 t o con struct, a hW grade route- from liill-in.-Ts, .''lent., on his Gn-af Xorthem rc.ad to Denver, where m ucf.l.ion with the- C. k I"., will be Made; ail e;i:t;et t'- the I'.i' ifje c-oa. t lines to the- Cnif and a through Hill ro :te; for len !x-r ainl other products. 'I he an-i:o:.nce-Mi' tit also !-'at; K tha' a low grade- route will he- built from Kear ney t'j Dillings e (.n ne e t i n with thf D'-nvc r-l;illin:rs route at li' n Junc tion, Wyo. This also me ans a freight route to contribute to the- s :-:-,h of the- ne-w Gulf line-. Is DoiiiK Well. From TiMs.l.iy's J).iil'.-. Jose-j.h V. SwobocJa, formerly of this city, but who has been living for some time past at Lawrence, Neb., paid the Journal a very pleas ant visit yesterday. He is doing quite well in his new home and this year he enjoyed a very good crop which at present prices will bring him in a good sum. He 13 looking fine and hearty and his many friends are glad, to know that he is prospering so well. For a number of years he has beeu a subscriber to the Journal and he finds that he gets a lot of news from his old friends from its columns. His visit was much appreciated. Mr. Swoboda took second prize for wheat at the state fair at Lincoln, a fine showing for this state and for his farming abilities. As he realized ."j2,j bushels to the acre it can be fee- n that h; did extra well. Xairow JNcape From l'ire. A special from Elmwool, under date cf December 2 7, says: ' L. F. Lrmghorst came near having a seri ous conflagration in his department store last evening. When lighting the fas je t in the west show window some celluloid Christmas goods be came ignited and blazed nearly to ' the ceiling. By prompt action by those in the store the fire was extin guished before the fire department was called out, with but little dam- : age resulting. Willie Langhorst, son. of the proprietor, had his hands badly ; burned in putting out the blaze." i
