i NEBRASKA IN GENERAL ij
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FIRES IN NEBRASKA CITIES.
South Omaha and Beatrice Suffer
Considerable Damage.
The big sheep barns at the Union
stock yards in South Omaha were tot
ally destroyed by Are Thursday. It is
estimated that the loss will be a little
over $50,000, fully covered by insur
ance.
Just how the fire started has not
been ascertained. One of the employes
discovered the blaze and immediately
sounded the alarm. Before any of the
firemen arrived the entire main struc
ture was In flames and great clouds of
black smoked rolled lazily away to
wards the south. The smoke attracted
the attention of people all over the
city and within half an hour after the
flames broke out the yards and sur
rounding fences were almost black
with people.
The main structure was 700 feet in
length, 160 feet in width and thirty
feet high. It was constructed of tim
bers and was sheathed on the outside
with corrugated iron. The flooring
was of vitrified brick. This building
was erected several years ago. Last
year the stock yards company found
a need of increased capacity and erect
ed an addition 200 feet long by 200
feet in width, thirty feet high, south
of the big barn. This building was
similar in construction to the other
and was also destroyed.
At the time of the fire 993 head of
Rheep were confined in pens in the big
barn. When the alarm was given some
of the men at hand hustled out 500
head into the alleys and these were
saved, the balance were smothered to
death.
BEATRICE—Fire originating in the
basement of Day’s drug store, in the
Masonic temple block, totally de
stroyed the entire block and contents.
Conservative estimate places the loss
at $150,000.
The fire is supposed to have been of
Incendiary origin. The flames spread
from the basement to the floor above,
and before the arrival of the fire de
partment was beyond control.
The Beatrice National bank, Trevitt.
Mattis & Baker, private bankers. Day’s
drug store and a number of lawyers,
Insurance agents and real estate men
occupied the building.
The fire was discovered by Judge
Callison, who roomed over the drug
Btore. He was awakened by the smell
of smoke and, although crippled by
Rheumatism, managed to crawl to a
window, break the glass and call for
hel p.
His cries were heard by the printers
In a nearby printing office, who turned
In the alarm and rescued him.
UNITED AFTER MANY YEARS.
R. G. Backus Finds Daughter After
Long Separation.
PL.ATTSMOUTH—There is connect
ed with the life of Mrs. Agnes Lieber
shal, formerly Miss Agnes Backus of
this city, a story which reads like fic
tion.
Mrs. Llebershal’s mother died six
months after the former was born,
and her father, R. G. Backus, after
placing his child in the keeping of Mr.
and Mrs. Dennis McCarthy of this city,
drifted out into the world to seek his
fortune, and not from that day until
recently did he hear anything directly
from his daughter.
Then he recived a letter from her
addressed to Cincinnati, O. He im
meditely answered it, expressing his
great pleasure at hearing from her and
stating that he had written many let
ters to relatives and others in Platts
mouth inquiring about her, but for
some unknown cause these letters were
unanswered and he had been kept in
Ignorance as to whether or not the
child was still alive.
Mr. Backus arrived the day before
ChriBtmas and is spending the holi
days with his daughter. He is a rep
resentative of the Cincinnati Times
Star and from general appearance is a
very happy man. His daughter was
married about six months ago to An
tone Liebershal, a ctgarmaker.
Ten-Year-Old Boy Suicides.
Adelbert I<emon, the ten-year-old
son of Rev. H. A. Lemon, of Bethany,
state evangelist of the Christian
church, with self-destruction in his
childish mind, on the day before
Ohrtstmas placed a rifle against his
body and flred. The bullet passed en
tirely through his abdomen, severing
the internal organs in many places.
After telling Ills sorrowing parents
that lie did the deed on purpose he
submitted to a surgical operation with
out sign of faltering and died from
hemorrhage and the shock.
He was a bright, intelligent boy. a
model son. whose life had a short
time before been bubbling over with
Christmas joy. On his death bed ho
said he had been considering the deed
for several weeks. He gave no partic
ular reason why he had thought of such
hn act.
A row of seven frame buildings in
the business center of Culbertson was
destroyed by Are.
The annual meeting of the state bar
association will be held in Omaha
January 8 and 9.
The state bank at Surprise was en
tered Tuesday night, the safe blowm
open and $2,200 stolen.
The first train on the new Union Pa
cific extension from Cedar Rapids to
SpaMling was run Tuesday.
Mrs. Bernard Dolan, an elderly Lin
coln woman, was found in the ice of
Salt creek, frozen to death.
William Zeplin, a prominent young
man of West Point, slipped on the
ice and fell, dislocating his neck. He
died a few hours later.
Livestock Agent Upton of the Bur
lington says the recent storms in the
range country of Nebraska, Wyoming
and South Dakota have caused no great
losses to stock.
Adams county has paid off $25,000
of the bonds held by the state, leav
ing $100,000 in bonds still in the
hands of the state treasurer. Another
block will soon be taken up.
Mrs. Lena Lillie has been arrested,
charged with the murder of her hus
band, Harvey Lillie, who was mys
teriously killed, while asleep in his
home at David City two months ago.
The papers in Mexico City all com
ment on the arrival of W. J. Bryan,
but it is understood that his visit is
merely one of pleasure and recreation,
he being accompanied by his family.
It Is authoritatively stated that
Governor Mickey will make no ap
pointments to the jKisitions of adju
tant general of the Nebraska National
guard and state oil inspector until
next spring. Several candidates are
making a lively scramble for these
positions.
Charles S. Young, formerly assist
ant general advertising agent of the
Burlington, has been appointed gen
eral advertising agent of the Mil
waukee with headquarters in Chicago.
Mr. Young was formerly a reporter
in Omaha. His advancement in the
railway world has been rapid. '
Two unusual marriages occurred at
Ainsworth Christmas week. The con
tracting parties in one were Levi Lind
[ quist and Miss Grace Hagerman, the
groom weighing a little over 100
pounds, while the bride weighs 320
pounds. In the second marriage Ca
leb Hiveley, aged 72 years, was united
in marriage to Mrs. Anna E. Bopher,
aged 67 years.
An interesting suit will soon be
started in Lancaster county, wherein
the county commissioners will seek to
compel County Judge Waters to pay
into the county treasury fees which he
has collected for performing marriage
ceremonies. Judge Waters insists that
he is just as much entitled to the fees
for performing the marriage ceremony
as are the ministers of the gospel who
perform them.
J. H. Hadkinson of Omaha has been
appointed head gardener for the de
partment, of horticulture in connection
with the world's fair. Mr. Hadkinson
is a native of England and studied
gardening in that, country. He hau
charge of the gardening at the Omaha
exposition and of Nebraska's horticul
tural exhibit at the Pan-American.
For two years he was secretary of
the State Horticultural society of Ne
braska.
NEBRASKA CATTLE ALL RIGHT.
State Official Makes Investigation and
Reports Favorably.
L.INCOLN.—State Veterinarian
Thomas, who has just returned from
Seotts Bluff county, reports that after
a critical examination into the condi
tions prevailing in the western end of
the state he finds the cattle industry
in excellent condition. This tends to
relieve the alarm that has been cre
ated by the reports sent out to the
press concerning the condition of the
ranges in Wyoming and Colorado. The
snow injures the grass for forage pur
poses to a certain extent, but the Ne
braska ranchmen are awakening to the
need for exercise of more foresight and
lese dependence on providence to safe
guard their herds and keep them
through the winter. He saw much
stacked hay that had been put up in
preparation for the winter. He did
not see any herds that appeared to be
suffering from the stress of the weath
er and heard no stories of distress
among the ranchmen on the Nebraska
side of the line.
Much interest is being stirred up in
the state university at Lincoln in an
ticipation of the preliminary debates
next month. The university will hold
debates with Colorado at Denver,
Kansas at Lawrence, Kan., and Mis
souri at Lincoln early in May.
John Gotte, a well-to-do Kimball
county ranchman, is believed to have
perished in the recent storm. He left
his ranch to look up stray cattle. Noth
ing has been seen of him since. Three
days after his departure his horse re
turned alone.
THE LIVE STOCK MARKET.
i
Latest Quotations from South Omaha
and Kansas City. * -•
801TII OMAHA. _
CATTLE—Receipts of cattle were very
light so that it only took a compara
tively abort time for practically every
thing in the varils to change hands.
Buyers took hold quite freely and the
market was active from start to fin
ish.
About the usual proportion of the re
ceipts consisted of corn fed steers and
some of the cattle showed considerable
quality. As high as $5.30 was paid,
which is the highest price in some little
time. They were western cattle, but
were good and fat. As a general thing
the market did not show much change
from 'Wednesday, but sellers were call
ing It all the way from barely steady
to strong, ft was evident that packers
did not like the idea of paying the
prices asked, but. as they had to have
a few cattle, the kinds that suited them
sold to good advantage, while the kinds
that did not strike them as favorably
were hord to dispose of at steady prices.
The cow market was active and strong
er from start to finish. Buyers were all
out early and bought up everything
that was offered In good season. The
prices paid looked all the way from
strong to a dime higher. Hulls, veal
calves, and stags also sold at fully as
good prices as wrere In force last Wed
nesday.
There were very few stookers and
feeders In the yards and not many were
wanted. Speculators were not looking)
tor much of a demand the remainder of
this week and as a result they did not
went any cattle unless they could buyi
them lower. The market could probably
best be described by calling It slow and
weak.
HOGS—There was a light run of hogs
here and besides that about 18 cars were
consigned direct to local packers and
rot offered on the market. Packers all
needed fresh supplies and the market
advanced right close to 10c. Packers
started out bidding only about a nickel
h.gher and a few hogs sold that way,
so that the general market was 5®10c
higher. The bulk of the sales went from
*6 32‘/4 to *6.3714.
SHEEP—Owing to the destruction of
the sheep barn by fire Christmas morn
ing the sheep that arrived were yarded
In the new hog division. The pens are
well covered, ro that the sheep are given
ns good protection from the weather as
though they were housed In the regular
barn. The capacity is sufficiently large
to handle all the sheep that will arrive
for the next several months, so that
patrons of the market will be given the
same service that they have always re
ceived.
There were only six cars of sheep and
lambs on sale and the Quality of the
most of them was rather Inferior. Three
cars of Mexican ewes that were In Just
fair condition brought *1.65 and some
western ewes sold at *3.00 and western
wethers at $4.00. Considering the quality
the market was pronounced steady to
strong and everything sold In good sea
son.
There were not enough feeders on sale
to tell anything about the market, but
being so near the end of the week, there
were not many buyers in sight.
Quotations for fed stock: Choice lambs,
*5.00®5.25; fair to good lambs. *4.50®f>.00;
choice yearlings, *4.00®4.50; fair to good
yearlings. *3.75®4.00: choice wethers, *3.60
HM.OO; fair to good, *3.25®3.60; choice
ewes, *3.50®4.00; fair to good, *3.00®3.50;
feeder lambs, *3.00®4.00; feeder yearlings,
$3.00®3.50; feeder wethers, *2.75®3.2o; feed
er ewea, *1.50®2.25.
KANSAS t ill.
CATTLE-Receipts, 2,000 head. Includ
ing 400 head Texans; stronger; native
steers, J3.25ft6.00; Texans and Indian
steers, J3.004i4.23; Texas cows, J2.50Gi3.00;
native cows and heifers, J1.50@4.00;
stockers and feeders, J2.OOfj4.25; bulls,
J2.26®4.00; calves, J2.75faG.25.
HOGS—Receipts. 5,0»i) head; strong to
5c higher; bulk of sales, JG.30ffG.45; heavy,
JG.25ftG.50; packers, $6.10®6.37tt; medium,
jG.25fi6.45; light, J6.17%@6.35; Yorkers,
Jf.30ftG.35; pigs, J5.50ftG.05.
SHEEP—Receipts, 1,000 head; stronger;
muttons, J3.00ft4.10; lambs. J3.G0@5.45;
range wethers, J3,OOft4.GO; ewes, J3.00®
4.20.
MORE MONEY FOR MITCHELL.
Leader of the Miners Will Have His
Salary Increased.
INDIANAPOLIS—A motion will be
submitted to the convention of the
United Mine Workers increasing the
salaries paid the president and secre
tary. At present Mr. Mitchell re
ceives $1,800 and Mr. W’JIson $1,500.
The miners are looking torward to
securing increased pay for themselves
and want their executive officers to
share their profits.
It is said the convention will be the
largest ever held by the miners, as
over 1,200 delegates will be present,
as ugainst 1,000 last year.
Railroad Building in 1902.
CHICAGO—According to the Rail
toad Gazette, railroad building in the
United States for 1902 aggregated'
0,026 miles, a total not exceeded in
any year since 1888. Second track,
sidings and electric lines are not in
cluded. Oklahoma leads with 570,
Texas comes second with 496, Arkan
sas is third with 371 and Indian Ter
ritory is fourth with 363 miles.
Twenty thousand coal miners in the
Connellsville coke regions, Pennsyl
vania, will have their wages increased
8 per cent January 1. '
Simple Funeral for Bishop.
LONDON—The remains of the ,. . ch
bishop of Canterbury were rented
from the archepiscopal palace at 1 am
beth to Canterbury for intern at.
There was no display. The body . as
taken to the railroad station in a sam
ple hearse, followed by carriages < ,:n
taining relatives of the deceaseu \
I surpliced choir sang an anthem at tho
station as the coffin was placed
board the train.
[
I THE NEWS IN BRIEF. f
<*>$>■$ v * ^ ’>r'?*e4<£
Gea. Reyes, Mexican. minister of war,
has resigned.
An anonymons admirer or ABrauam,
Lincoln Is going to plat e busts of the
great war president in every public
school in New York city
indications are that the convention
ot the National Live Stock association
to be held in Kansas City in January
will be very largely attended.
After General Miles, General Young
will be lieutenant general five months
and then General Chaffee will serve
about two years at the head of the
army.
Every employe in the clerical depart
ment of the Chiiago & Alton railway
has been, granted an increase of 10
per cent in wages, dating from De
cember I.
Charles E. Osborne, formerly a coun
try newspaper man in Wisconsin, has
been offered $2,000,000 for an iron mine
in Ontario, of which he is the princi
pal owner.
Winnie O'Connor, a young jockey,
will get $25,000 a year for the next
three years. He will ride on foreign
tracks for Baron de Rothschild and
M. De Bloch.
Mrs. George A. Graves of Ogden,
Utah, has just received a check from
the United States government for $250
in settlement of a claim that has been
pending for 105 years.
Societies of the Ancient Order of Hi
bernians in the^cjlfferent countries
have been amalgamatef^U*1*0 one boily’
whereby all will be broute* untler
same governing board.
A pool room in Hot Spring^v^^*'
tyi '1 C
was wrecked the day before Christa^
by an explosion of gasoline, resulting
iu the death of two men and serious
accident to several others.
Newton Thorp is designing thf ■on
ument in Union square, San Francisco,
which will be erected to commemorate
Admiral Dewey’s victory of Manila
bay. It will cost about $4r,000.
When the Missouri Savings bank
balanced its public schools account last
week, the books showed that the 1,239
children who have accounts there had
$12,159.64 to their credit. This is just
about $10 apiece.
For the second time in fifteen years
President Roosevelt did not act as
Kris Kringle in person at the Cove
school. Oyster Bay, where his chil
dren were taught prior to his eleva
tion to the head of the nation.
Emperor William spent Christmas
hi his usual way. His majesty took a
walk in the afternoon in the Sans
Souci park, Berlin, and distributed
bright gold pieces fresh from the mint
among the gardeners and watchmen.
The Missouri supreme court has de
nied the Wiltmer school of magnetic
he/iing of Nevada, Mo., a rehearing
in the suit against C. M. Bishop for
libel. The court holds that the busi
ness is not legitimate and that the
ompany is not entitled to the pro
jection of the libel laws.
The cabmen of St. l^ouis went on
a strike Christmas eve. As a result,
the street cars have been providing
transportation to many people who us
ually patronize the cabbies. Seventeen
funerals on Christmas day were de
prived of carriages and the mourners
went to the cemeteries in the street
cars.
Ex-Chief Isparhecher, of the Creek
Indians, died suddenly tonight at Ok
mulgee, I. T., at the age of 90 years.
He had been prominent in Creek af
fairs for three score years and has
been connected with every treaty of
importance between the United States
government and the Indians during
that time.
J. Pierpont Morgan has been sum
moned to appear in the district munic
ipal court to answer in a suit brought
against him for $250 damages. The
claimant, a tenant in a house owned
by Mr. Morgan, asks these damages on
the ground that he caught a severe cold
through the house not being heated,
owing to the lack of coal.
It is stated on good authority that
Grant G. Gillett, the fugitive Kansas
cattle king, who has been in Mexico
for more than three years, has gone to
New York to perfect a mining deal.
Since taking refuge in Mexico Gillett
has not recrossed the border into the
United States, but has turned his at
tention to mining. His recent rich
strike near Chihuahua has made him
a millionaire again.
The members of the Studebaker fam
ily of South Bend, Ind., have decided
to mark the anniversary of the death
of Clem Studebaker by giving to the
Epworth hospital in their city 150,000
in addition to former gifts for a hos
pital building.
The great gandfather of Mrs. Mary
Jane Pairo, who has just died in Balti
more, was a member of the Boston
tea party, and in her home hangs the
mirror which hung in the hall of the
house from which the Boston tea party
started on its expedition.
Robert S. McCormick, retiring Unit
ed States ambassador to Austria, will
have his farewell audience with Em
peror Francis Joseph on December 29.
He will then leave Vienna for St.
Petersburg to assume the duties of
American ambassador to Russia.
I “ BEN HUR” COMINGlo OMAHAl
p^ss? Mrirjp; w..r«?«
The production Is a notable one In °'er^ w , ti.„, 0t,nrloi race and
;«taV\Tfie&
are carried complete. The c«mpun> trav l <arsP and altogether tt
isTo^eredVhrrmPosrpreCtenMous and massive undertaking ever attempted
ln K^r 'the convenience of out-of-town patrons, special reduced rates anil
?l,udr” wteklanS Sr^fr^U rSlly" flVd la the order they
are received when accompanied with remittances. _
I— -----—
Arabian Coffee.
The Arabian coffee-maker, having
prepared his fire of charcoal, and
placed it near a huge pot containing
water, takes a few handfuls of green
coffee berries, carefully culls out all
Imperfect berries and foreign sub
stances, and then places the best of
the berries in an iron ladle held over
the Are. The berries are permitted
to roast until they begin to smoke and
are then, while still uncharred, placed
In a small mortar and carefully brayed
with a pestle closely Attlng the cup
of the mortar. The berries are not,
however, reduced to a dust. While
this process has been going on a small
pot has been half filled with tepid
ne frrtm thp lflTPP not and placed
-
eugar.
Fisherman’* Strange Catch.
While trolling for bass the other
afternoon, near San Francisco, J.
Brunz felt a tug at his line and squar
ed himself for a battle with his finny
prisoner. The struggle was a royal
one, and Brunz sighed with relief
when he was finally able to haul in
the line and bring the fish alongside
the boat. As it came to the surface,
however, the start which he expert
enced nearly caused him to let go the
line and snatch at an oar in self
defense. In weight the fish tipped the
scale at five pounds. The body fins
and tail were those of a striped bass,
but the head resembled that of a seat,
with an under jaw projecting in front
at least, an inch beyond the upper.
Brunz has been an enthusiastic fisher
man fcr years and has seen all forms
of denizens of water, both fresh and
salt. He and his associates assert
that it has never been their misfor
tune to hook such a monstrosity hith
erto. -
Remarkable Monolith in Chili.
A remarkable monolith, more than
5,000 feet in height, was recently dis
covered in Chill. The base of thie
stupendous undersea needle is barely
240 feet in circumference, yet it rears
itself, solitary and alone, to the height
of nearly a mile, its culminating point
a flat, circular surface no bigger than
a cartwheel, reaching to within less
than 600 feet of the surface. No such
natural phenomenon, on any such stu
pendous scale, could possibly stand
alone on dry land freed from its sup
porting and protecting envelope of
perfectly still water. But even sup
posing that it were possible to lift it
bodily from the depths of the ocean,
and set it up on land, storm, beat
and frost would cause it to crumble
to pieces in a very few years.
A IiOndon newspaper man, said to
be capable, was suddenly called upon
to write an obituary of Bret Harte.
With a mind full of something else—
we are not told what—he wrote a
column and a half and sent it to the
printer. When it came back in proof
he was horrified to find that he had
written a lengthy article about Mark
Twain. It was too late to re-write
the obituary and he was obliged to
change the name and the titles of the
books and let the article go In.
The Champion Liar Turn* Up.
Such a long time has elapsed since
anything has been heard heard from
Joe Mulhauon, "the world's champion
liar," that he is generally supposed
to have been dead for years. There
fore when he suddenly turned up in
New Orleans a few days ago hie
friends greeted him as one returned
from the dead. He has been mining
tn Arizona for eight years, and in all
that time has been practically lost to
the world. “A number of new liars
have appeared during my absence,”
says Joe, “but they had better look to
their laurels. 1 am tired of mining
and will now take to lying again."
Wax from Trees.
The wax palm of the Andes Is a
vegetable 'wonder. It grows to a
height of nearly 200 feet and thrives
not only on the plains but the moun
tains. The wood is tough and durable
and Is employed in carpentry. The
wax comes from the pits between the
trunk and fronds. It is yellow or
grayish white, is as pure as beeswax,
and is used for making candles. A
"peon” climbing the tree can gather
from 20 pounds to 30 pounds from
each.
A Heathen Rito in Russia.
A curious account is given in a Ka
zan (Russia) paper of a heathen sac
rifice recently offered up to idols in a
Chuvash village in the Province of
Kazan. Contributions of butter, milk,
salt and meal were requisitioned oy
the priests from th< villagers, a%d on
a propitious day the whole people
turned out to the river bank where
prayers were offered up to the gods
for rain, and a swallow, having been
caught and smeared with butter, was
released to “fly upwards to carry our
prayers to the ears of the gods.” Tha
proceedings closed with a feast, after
which the priests began pusnlng one
another Into the water, and then
flinging water over the assembled
crowd. The story is baldly told, with
out the least Interest In what appeirs
to be some relic of old-age ceremonial
which may be worthy of the atten
of the learned in such matters.—'
don Standard
An Insectivorous llluminantl
Here is an insect that carries i
Wr at night, It is called the “Ian1
t‘P South America.
fly," ami is’Io.^.. < .
Its huge head is ho
and papery tissue, I pairted red
and yellow, like M At night—the
fly is nocturnal imt—the head Is
Illuminated like®tern, affording
quite a brilliant®,
Frenchman Mr Hia Tomb.
An eccentric plntleman named
Chapelain has jifl at Monhoudou,
in the Depart tjpf the Sarthe,'
France. He \vjp. rich, and had'
caused a montunC omb to be built
on a piece of laqrining the ceme
tery.
In this tomb h^for twenty years
past spent serinrinrs a day, often
sleeping thenfiller, as he said,
to get used to future dwelling
place. t"
At this ho ept the coffin in
which he wa buried, and used
It as a bed. r- invariably had
his winding shroud laid on
the table in ng room in Jteu.
of a table* ^don Express.
known that in
clay is eaten
for butter.,
butter,” and is
of Germany, rn
earth ia
is Bold in
on the Italian
the Island of
and other trop
•• aays this
its origin in the
earths have some
take the place of
Ingredient h» *n
■ens meat
re shown.
whiefclxHiAr turned the joint to
the
Fop:the ;l|ime in the his*01,hat
Yalaj unveiM a president jnto
institution H entered aft • idpnt
athletics. Mv days ag0'nli>(r of
Arthur T. Ky, a» ® " d against
the ffttttlty His team. P‘: jde lost
■e rn!hree but Mr.
Ms to t^ee antag
M h>« >ont'‘nVen,ional
■attiretf >" t0 be an
H and pr° • 1 ight sets.
■ pa8l1y '“kps secretary
wa||Jmdl>^Bdod at the