Nebraska Newspapers

    BUT THREE FORTS
THAT IS ALL THE RUSSIANS SE
CURELY HOLD.
THERE ARE OTHERS OCCUPIED
But Owing to Heavy Artillery Fire
of the Japanese They are- Uncer
tain—Boys are Fighting in Russian
Ranks.
CHE FOO—Golden hill, White
Marble and Liaoti mountain, accord
ing to Chinese advices, dated the
night of August 22, are now the only
main forts securely held by the Rus
sians at Port Arthur. Others are
occupied by them, but they are sub
jected to an artillery fire which ren
ders their tenure uncertain. Fort
number five, which has frequently
been reported taken by the Japan
AT PORT ARTHUR
!
Desperate Fighting Is On From Day
to Day.
ST. PETERSBURG—A dispatch
from Che Foo, dated August 22, says
that according to Chinese reports the
Japanese Sunday bombarded Port Ar
thur from C o'clock in the morning
until 1 o’clock in the afternoon, pour
ing in a very hot fire, but that the
Russians succeeded in silencing the
Japanese batteries.
The following is supplied by a Rus
sian correspondent of the Associated
Press:
“With each additional report from
Port Arthur wonder increases both at
the persistence of the Japanese at
tack and the heroic stubbornness of
the defenders of the fortress. The
Japanese are literally throwing away
thousands of lives in the hope of
shaking the courage of the Russian
i troops.
The Jap lines now practically encircle the main Russian army under
Kuropatkin, centering on Liaoyang. A portion of Kuroki’s army has gained
a point northeast of Mukden and is advancing on that base. Gunboats
drawing troop-laden barges are proceeding up the Liao River from New
Chwang. Ammunition and food are being transported via this stream.
ese and retaken by the Russians, is
again deciered to be in the hands
of the Japanese.
A rumor having some points indi
cating authenticity says that the
new European section of Port Ar
thur is in flames. Owing to the mud
and. brick construction of the build
ings. however, it is probable that the
fire is not general.
It is said that the Japanese are
using guns taken from the harbor
defenses of Kobe, Nagasaki and Yo
kohama. These guns, numbering
300. are of heavy calibre.
A Junk which left Port Arthur Au
gust 22 reports that the Russian
wounded at that date numbered 5,000
and that the Japanese occupied the
heights near Chaochanko. It is
further reported that boys are fight
ing in the Russian ranks now.
Major L. L. Seaman, U. S. A.,
went from here yesterday to the sum
mit of a mountain on one of the
Miao Tau islands, twenty miles from
Golden Hill, near Port Arthur. With
a powerful telescope Major Seaman
could see a great deal of the coast
of the Liao Tung peninsula. He
heard 6ix heavy shots and much small
artillery firing, indicating that fight
ing had subsided to a certain degree.
JEFFRIES WINS IN SECOND
Butte Miner Unable tc Shew That He
Is in Championship Class.
SAN FRANCISCO—Like the veriest
amateur in the prize ring. Jack Mun
roe of Butte, Mont., went down and
out before Champion James J. Jeffries
Friday night in the second round. The
man from the mining district made
such an extremely sorry showing that
the great throng in Mechanics' Pa
vilion roundly hooted him as he pro
tested to Referee Graney against the
decision that had been given in favor
of Jeffries.
The two giants had not been in the
ring two minutes when it was for
seen that the aspirations of M unroe
had been quickly disposed of. The
miner was scared and awkwrard and
Jeffries in the first round had him
twice on the canvas taking the count.
Jeffries directed his bombardment
against the stomach of his opponent
and each shot was followed by a blow
on the jaw that sent Munroe to his
knees.
Forty-five seconds after the gong
sounded for the second round Munroe
was lying on the floor, a bloody,
bruised mass of humanity, with Jeff
ries standing over him ready, if ne
cessary, to put the quietus on the
championship ambitions of his adver
sary. The miner was too dazed to
rise to his feet and the timekeepers
counted him out.
May Have Found Murderer.
DENVER—Chief of Police Oelaney
of this city has communicated with
the warden of the penitentiary at
Joliet, 111., to ascertain if a prisoner
confined there under the name of
John Mahran is really Wellington C.
Llewellyn, a former member of the
Thirty-fourth United States infantry
who shot and Killed Policeman Thom
as C. Clifford and N. E. Griffiths In
this city August 13, 1899. The de
scription of Mahran tallies with
Llewellyn, who was six feet in height
at the time of the murders.
In the Hands of Brigands.
DENVER — A Republican special
from Roswell, N. M., says John El
land, vice president of the Bank of
portales, Portales, N. M., and a weal
thy sheep man, has fallen into the
hands of brigands in old Mexico,
where he went on business. Mrs. Ell
and has received a letter from him
postmarked Oputo, State of Sonora,
Mexico, saying that be has been cap
tured by brigands and they demand a
heavy ransom and that unless ar
rangements are made to pay the ran
som he will be tortured and killed.
“Major General Fock says he is
confident the fortress cannot be tak- !
en. but that if it is taken the whole
Japanese army will have to immolate
itself on the slopes of the fortifica
tions.
“There were five desperate assaults
on Green hills July 26, the Japanese
apparently having inexhaustible rein
forcements.
“In the final assault, however, the
Japanese broke badly, throwing away
their guns, cartridge belts and even
their boots to facilitate their flight,
and leaving 7,000 dead or wounded.
“Our surgeons worked heroically,
impartially aiding Japanese and Rus
! sians. The Japanese were so touch- .
I Pd that they tearfully thanked the 1
Russian surgeons.
“The assault on Green hills was re
i peated on July 27, and there were
j frequent hand to hand encounters, the
| Russians leaving the trenches to fol
I low their enemies.
“The assaults of July 28 and 29 on
| the Wolf hills were not follow-ed up,
i the Japanese being too severely
shaken. We evacuated the Wolf hills
j chiefly for strategic reasons, as the
> hills made the line of defenses too
long to effectually withstand the furi
ous attacks of the Japanese.
“The assault of July 30 was made
in the dark of night in the hope of *
surprising the Russians. Sixty thou- J
sand men were hurled against our
43,000, but we drove them back again
; and again at the point of the bayo
net. It was another Shipka pass.
“The Japanese poured in fresh bat
talions and the slopes, covered with
dead and dying, literally ran with
blood.
“Our Thirteenth regiment was forc
ed from its position, but the Four
i teenth regiment came up and with
the bayonet again dislodged the vic
tors.
“The Japanese losses since the siege
began have been 28,000 men. The
explosion of one mine wiped out 500.
This wTas an awful sight. A volcano
of stones dismembered the bodies of
the soldiers, while the sky was lit
up with a purple glare and the mud
walls of the Chinese village were
thrown down by the shock. After
this fight General Stoessel collected
20,000 Japanese rifles.’*
Repairs Ordered Stopped.
WASHINGTON — Consul General
Goodnow' at Shanghai cables the State
department that the Chinese toatai
of Shanghai, through the British con
sul, has ordered that the repairs to
the Russian cruiser Askold and the
torpedo boat destroyer Grozovoi be
stopped.
Cost of Colorado Uprisings.
DENVER—A special committee of
the grand jury reported to District
Judge Carpenter criticising certain
expenses of the military during the
campaign in Cripple Creek and Tel
luride as “extravagant.” With re
gard to the experience of troops on
the streets of Denver on election day,
comment as to “whether a soldier
should perform partisan services un
der the guise of citizenship and ren
der a bill to the state therefor” is
withheld. The report shows indebt
edness for insurrections of $921,239.
Leander Dies of. Injuries.
PARIS—George Leander, the Amer
ican bicyclist, died here from injuries
sustained in a terrible fall at the Parc
Au Princes on Sunday as the result
of running into a motorcycle which
was pacing a race in which an at
tempt was being made to break the
record for one hour. There were
three cyclists in the race. At the
time of the accident Leander was trav
eling at a pace of fifty-seven miles an
hour and was more than a lap ahead
when he was thrown over the handle
bars of his machine.
L
THE EASTERN WAR!
—
THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR
SEEMS NOW IMMINENT.
REPORTS OF CORRESPONDENTS
—
Japs Are Now Within Main Defenses
and Their Guns Command Town—
Capture All Outlying Fortifications.
LONDON—The Chronicle’s corre- !
spondent with General Kuroki, cab
ling under date of August 24, via Fu
san, August 25. says: “The fall of i
Port Arthur is imminent. The Japan- i
ese are now within the main defenses ,
and their guns comfnand the town. !
Desperate fighting occurs night and j
day and the losses on both sides are j
enormous.
1
“The Russians are making curious ;
counter attacks, but the Japanese are 1
clinging to the positions they have
won at so great a cost.”
LONDON—The Daily Mail s Kobe
correspondent, in a dispatch dated
Saturday last, says: “Following is
the position of Port Arthur: The
Japanese have captured all the out
lying fortifications, but the Russians
still hold the citadel on Anteshan,
Golden Hill forts and the forts on
Tiger’s Tail and Liaoti mountains.
The Japanese are in possession of
the parade ground and barracks un
der the Anteshan fort on the out
skirts.
“The fall of Port Arthur is believed
to be imminent. It is believed that j
the garrison will make a desperate
sortie before the end comes.”
LIAO YANG—The Russians retired ,
from Anshanshan yesterday after a j
fight which began on the morning of
August 2G, and continued in a desult
ory manner all day and night.
Arrangements for a battle had been
completed by night time, when the
<"rder to retire was given on account
of the situation to the east.
The order was received with dis
appointment by the troops. The re
tirement was made in an orderly man
ner.
The plain between Anshanshan
and Hai Cheng was covered with Ja
panese troops, who burned the bridge
and shelled the railway station after
the Russian retirement. The Russian
losses amount to 300.
The Japanese are advancing with
great rapidity.
The position at Kaofengshik at 2
o’clock this morning was unchanged. j
CHRISTENS HEIR OF RUSSIA.
Elaborate Ceremonies Mark Services
at Church of Peterhof Palace.
ST. PETERSBURG—A wave of re
joicing and festivity swept over Rus
sia with the rising of the sun on the
christening day of the heir to the
Russian throne, culminating when the
te deum, softly chanted in the beau
tiful little church of Peterhof palace,
announced the ceremony was accom
plished and the news was heralded to
the world without by the crash of can
non and the chiming of innumerable
:hureh bells. Notwithstanding the
momentous events pasing at the front,
the whole population turned gladly
for the time being from the more seri- ,
ous considerations to participate in
the day of glittering ceremonial and
pageantry at Peterhof, where the tiny
successor of the great white czar re
ceived at the hands of the church the
name of Alexis Nicholaevitch, from
which he is destined to pass in course
of time to the dignity and responsibil
ity of autocrat of all the Russias.
THE MOON BECOMES SPOTTED.
Observations of Prof. Pickering of
Lowe Observatory.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—A telegram
has been received here from Prof. W.
H. Pickering, who is at the Lowe ob
servatory, California, tending to con
firm an observation of a spot on the
moon, made by him last month. He
saw a hazy patch in the large lunar
crater, Plato, which had not been de
tected before. It was again seen on
August 2 and 3. It had then grown
dark, measured about two inches in
diameter and resembled a sinalll cra
ter. The object is said to coincide
in position with a previously record
ed cratorlet, but is apparently larger.
Renewed scrutiny in the last few days
reveals the continued existence of the
feature, which now measures three
miles across. Two other tiny crater
lets and a dark spot on the floor of
Plato, not previously reported, also
are announced by Prof. Pickering.
Money to Aid Irish Cause.
NEW YORK—John E. Redmond,
the Irish leader, and those who came
to America with him. Captain A. J.
C. Donelan, Patrick O’Brien, Connor
O’Kelly and Mrs. Redmond, were
tendered a reception Sunday night in
Carnegie hall by ihe New York Muni
cipal Council of the United Irish
League of America. Mr. Redmond,
Captain Donelan, Mr. O’Brien. Mr.
O’Kelly and W. Bourke Cockran
spoke. Ten thousand dollars was
either subscribed or paid in cash to
ward the Irish fund.
Cab'e to Alaska Completed.
SEATTLE, Wash.—Amid the cheer
ing of 300 men and women, the
shrieking of whistles and the play
lH£ of the national anthem, the final
splicing of the Sitka-Alaska govern
ment cable was made Sunday in the
harbor ten miles out of Seattle. Ten
minutes later Mayor Ballinger of Se
attle cut the rope holding the joined
ends of the wires aboard the United
^tates sl}ip Burnside, and with a
splash the completed wire connecting i
the United States and Alaska fell to
the bottom of Pugent Sound.
Women Spill Much Liquor.
CUBA, KAN.—Four joints or Illicit
s&loong were wrecked by women here
and much liquor destroyed. Mrs. E.
O. Fites and Mrs. William McDonald,
wives of prominent business men,
armed with hatchets, first entered
without warning the place run by
Ben Hull. Without ceremony they
began to smash everything in sight
and soon they had demolished bar
and fixtures and broken every bottle
and opened every keg to be found.
Later they were reinforced and other
joints were raided.
THE CROP REPORT.
Abundant Rains Have Fallen in Corn ;
Belt.
WASHINGTON—The weekly crop •
report issued by the weather bureau !
is as follows:
The drouth prevailing in portions i
of the central valleys in the previ
ous week has been relieved by abun
dant rains, but drouth continues in
central and western Tennessee and
is beginning to be felt in the middle
gulf states and over a considerable
part of Texas. The central and north
ern Rocky mountain districts and the
north Pacific coa3t region are also
suffering from drouth, the prevalence
of forest fires being reported from
Idaho and Montana. The latter part
of the week was too cool in the lake
region and unseasonably low temper
atures occurred in the northern
Rocky mountain districts and upper
Mississippi valley on the 21st and
22d, but elsewhere east of the Rocky
mountain district the temperature
has been favorable.
The principal states have experk
eneed a week of good conditions,
abundant rains having fallen through
out the corn belt, except in portions
of Ohio and Nebraska. Corn has
made satisfactory progress in most
of the Missouri valley and is gener
ally improved in the central Missis
sippi and Ohio valleys, although a
considerable part of the crop in the
Ohio valley has been injured beyond
recovery. In the middle Atlantic
states and lower Missouri valley
early corn is now partly matured.
Spring wheat harvest is generally
finished, except in North Dakota and
northern Minnesota, where rust is
continuing to cause great injury.
Rains in North Dakota in the latter
part of the week interrupted harvest
ing. Harvesting is also nearly fin
ished on the north Pacific coast.
Reports indicate a general scarcity
of apples in the greater part of the
middle Atlantic states and central
valleys, but in New England, New
York and the lake region the outlook
is more favorable, a good crop being
promised in the two last mentioned
sections.
The reports respecting potatoes in
dicate a good crop is generally prom
ised in the more prominent potato
producing states. Drouth has im
paired the outlook in portions of the
Ohio valley, however, and rot and
blight are increasing in Pennsylvania.
Throughout the central valleys and
middle Atlantic states the soil is in
fine condition for fall plowirig, which
work is in general progress and well
advanced in some places.
JAPS GETTING VERY CLOSE.
Chinese Say Assailants Have Reached
the Home of General Stoessel.
CHE FOO—Acording to Chinese ad
vies brought here from Port Arthur
by a junk the Japanese were hotly
pressing the Russian center along the
railway and the Russian right in the
vicinity of Golden Hill. The Chinese
declare that the Japanese occupied
Taipingtse and penetrated along the
railway to General Stoessel’s resi
dence on August. 21.
As this report would indipate that
Port Arthur had all but fallen the
Japanese expert attached to the local
consulate received the information
with great reserve. The information
is accepted, however, as a confirma
tion of previous reports that the Rus
sians have been driven from Itshan
and that the Japanese are very close
to the southern forts and the eastern
defenses.
The local Japanese, under the lead
ership of their consul, are subscribing
money and preparing to celebrate the
expected fall of the fortress.
LETTER NEARLY FINISHED
President Roosevelt Putting on Fin
ishing Touches.
OYSTER BAY L. I.—During the
next three or four days President
Roosevelt will put the finishing
touches cn his letter of acceptance.
It probably will be placed in the
hands of a printer on September 10.
The letter will contain approximately
12,000 words. The date of its publi
cation has not been determined de
finitely, but very likely it will be on
Monday, September 12.
The president has not received the
representations said to have been for
warded to him by the attorneys for
the western federation of miners urg
ing action by the national government
in the matter of deportation of citi
zens from the disturbed district in
Colorado. The department of com
merce and labor, through Carroll D.
Wright, commissioner of labor, and
his agent, has made an exhaustive
inquiry into the Colorado labor situa
tion and is keeping in constant touch
with it The president is thus en
abled to have practically first hand
information on the subject. As the
matter stands now it is understood
to be entirely improbable that any
action will be taken by the national
government.
Officeholders.
WASHINGTON—In view of the
approaching election, the civil service
ccmmission has addressed a letter to
the heads of all government depart
ments and bureaus, calling their at
tention to violations of the civil ser
vice law which have occurred in the
lacr political campaigns and inclosing
a circular containing a warning
against the demanding or paying of
political assessments and partisan
activity of officeholders. Prosecu
tion and punishment will follow vio
lations ot the law.
German Crop Conditions.
BERLIN—The imperial crop report
up to August 15, the scale being one
for perfect and five for poorest, shows
the grades of winter wheat to be 2.6,
against 2.7 in 1903; summer wheat,
2.9, against 2.6; winter rye, 2.5,
against 2.4; summer rye, 2.8, against
2.5; barley, 2.8, against 2.5; oats, 3.1,
against 2.5; potatoes, 3.4, against 2.5;
clover, 4.0, against 2.6; lucerne, 3.6,
against 2.7, and meadows, 3.9,
against 2.4. The unusual drought
and heat from July 15 to August 16
hindered the plan* growth m-eatiy.
STRIKE TO CO ON
THE CONFERENCE TO SETTLE
MATTERS AVAILS NOTHING.
NO CONCESSIONS FORTHCOMINC
Strikers Have Not Changed Their Po
sition and the Packers Prepared to
Offer Only Such Terms as They
Have Offered Before.
CHICAGO—Conferences of the
committee appointed earlier in the
week to attempt a settlement of the
stock yards strike, with the parties
to the dispute, resulted in nothing.
There is no present prospect that they
will result in anything in the future
and the chances of an agreement be
tween the packers and strikers appear
very meager.
The strike leaders appeared before
the committee and stated their side
of the case. They did not suggest tc
the aldermanic committee that it
make any overtures to the packers,
but simply gave their view of the sit
uation.
Representatives of the packers
then appeared before the committee.
After a session that lasted three
hours Mayor Harrison said:
“The packers have said just what
they have said before; that they are
running their plants and have nothing
to arbitrate, and that there is no rea
son why they should confer with the
men.
“We heard a review of the entire
strike trouble and the packers say
that in every city except Chicago and
Omaha the strike is over and they as
sert that with 70 per cent as many
men as they employed in Chicago be
fore the strike they are now turning
out 82 per cent of the normal output.”
Labor leaders tonight announced
that in all probability the butchers’
strike would be settled peaceably be
fore next Wednesday. They declined
to explain the cause of their belief,
but were positive in their statements
that the strike would not be called
ofT.
President Donnelly of the butchers
has called all the members of the
butchers’ executive board to meet in
Chicago next Wednesday.
Union leaders and packers con
ferred with the committee appointed
by the city council to seek terms of
settlement of the stock yards strike.
Separate sessions were arranged.
President Donnelly of the butcher
workmen, Matthew Carr of the allied
trades conference board and Organ
izer John J. Fitzpatrick of the Chi
cago Federation of Labor were se
lected to represent the unions. Presi
dent Donnelly was hopeful.
“It is a game of checkers,” said
Mayor Harrison at the end of an
hour’s conference with President Don
nelly’s committee.
“The strikers have not changed
their position,” said the mayor, “and
the meeting resulted only in the al
dermen being given a full explanation
of what that position is. President
Donnelly told of the history’ of the
original strike, the agreement to re
sume work and the strikers’ side of
the renewal of the strike.”
WANTS AMERICA TO LEAD WAY
London Newspaper Thinks United
States Should Act at Shanghai.
LONDON—The afternoon papers
here take it for granted that if in
tervention is necessary at Shanghai
the powers will act together in up
holding the neutrality of China equal
ly against both belligerents.
The Westminster Gazette says: “If
the American government will lead
the way in this matter it will be doing
a service to ail the governments, for
it is high time thi.t the neutral powers
come to an understanding about the
meaning and limits of China's neutral
ity so as to be able to act together
and arrive at a solution of the com
plicated situation.”
The Pall Mall Gazette considers
that the powers should follow at
Shanghai the correct precedent be set
by Germany at Kiao Chou and insist
on the obedience of the Russians to
the order to leave or disarm without
delay, and thus settle the whole ques
tion of neutral Chinese ports for the
remainder of *._• war.
MICKEY WILL GO TO SEATTLE.
Nebraska Executive Will See New
Battleship Christened.
LINCOLN, Neb.—Governor Mickey
and twenty-five invited guests will go
to Seattle to witness the christening
and launching of the battleship Ne
braska. A Nebraska girl, probably
Miss Maria Mickey, will toss the bot
tle of champagne against the hull of
the vessel. However, the governor
may object to any member of his fam
ily handling intoxicating liquor, and
in that event the honor will fall to
some one else. The governor has no
tified the shipbuilding authorities that
he will be present.
Those who will accompany him will
be state officials and politicians.
Japanese Minister Visits Adee.
WASHINGTON—Mr. Takahira, the
Japanese minister, called upon Act
ing Secretary of State Adee to talk
of the settlement of the questions
connected with the presence of the
two Russian warships in the harbor
of Shanghai. The minister expressed
gratification at the outcome of the ne
gotiations in the agreement to dis
arm the vessels and lay them up dur
ing the war, but regarded it as es
sential that the completeness of dis
armament of the ships be established,
to Japan’s satisfaction.
Squadron Not After Smolensk.
CAPETOWN—There is no founda
tion for the report circulated In the
United States that the American
South Atlantic squadron. Rear Ad
miral Chadwick commanding, now in
these waters, had been ordered to
leave here and watch the Russian
volunteer fleet vessel Smolensk,
which, it was added, was believed to
be waiting for an American ship. The
British warships Crescent, Odin,
Pearl and Porte. Rear Admiral Dusn
ford commanding, are at the Seychel
les islands.
; _ __^
NEBRASKA STATE NEWS
NEBRASKA IN BRIEF,
Threshing machine men have de
cided not to make any exhibit at the
state fair.
The citizens of Hooper have taken
preliminary steps for organization of
* commercial club.
Wages of county teachers in Lan
caster county have been considerably
increased, still good instructors are a
scarce article .
Just now a great many western
sheep are being shipped into Johnson
county to be fed the coming fall and
part of the winter.
Imposing ceremonies will attend the
laying of the corner stone of the new
postoffice building at Lincoln if pres
ena plans are carried out.
While traveling from Wisconsin
and while asleep in the Omaha depot,
Salem Twist, a resident of Callaway,
was robbed of a billbook, which con
tained a draft for quite a sum of
money, besides his pension voucher
and other valuable papers
Patrolman R. C. Joerger of the Lin
coln police force has sued the Lin
coln Traction company for the sum
of $5,000. The suit is a result of the
police-street railway war, the com
pany having withdrawn all free t%'ins
portation from the policemen.
In the justice court at Seward John
I. Goeggers was bound over to the
November term of the district court
in the sum of $500. charged with im
personating an officer. Defendant is
the young man who tried to gain ac
cess to funds of the Tamora bank by
claiming to be a bank examiner.
While the youngest child of Rev
H B Smith of Falls City, who lives
upstairs over a grocery store, was
playing about the back door the
screen was pushed open and the child
fell to the platform below, a distance
of about twenty feet, lighting on its
head and receiving injuries that are
likely to prove fatal
Olney D. Smith, alias Brent A. Neal,
a young man who, it is alleged, suc
ceeded is defrauding several banks
of Beatrice and private citizens in
amounts aggregating about $2,000 by
forged checks and misrepresentaticfis.
was arrested on a charge of obtaining
money under false pretenses. He was
bound over to the district court.
' Charles F. Junken, an old soldier
and a carpenter, 7G years of age. met
with a serious accident at Bancroft.
He, with some other laborers, were
engaged in raising a roof on a dwell
ing ,a section of which dropped and
caught Mr. Junken, one leg being
crushed at the knee, one arm was bad
ly torn, besides being badly bruised
on the body. He is not ‘.xpected to
recover.
Deputy Game Warden Hunger has
reported the arrest and conviction ol
three prominent citizens of Ord, Neb.,
for violation of the state game l^ws.
Mr. Hunger was at Ord and arrested
T. Rockford and C. H. Patridge for
having in their possession ten young
prairie chickens which they had slain.
They were assessed $50 and costs
amounting to $5.90. When the two
men were arrested they at once sent
out mounted messengers to notify
others hunting in the vicinity of Ord.
Frank Barker who is under sent
ence to be hanged September 2, is at
work wheeling cement for workmen
within the wralls of the prison. He is
not compelled to work. The warden,
out of deference to the usual custom,
would rather keep the man in seclu
sion because of tne nearness of the
day for the execution, but he was
obliged to accede to Barker’s request
for work The man pined away when
shut up in his cell for three days and
now the workmen witness the unusual
spectacle of a fellow7 laborer whose
life is drawing to a close on the gal
lows working along contentedly at
their sides
At Decatur Art English killed
James Hanslip in a quarrel over a
horse trade, choking him to death.
Both men had been drinking. English
was arrested and is now in jail at
Tekamah. Hanslip is a harnessmak
er and has lived in Decatur thirty
years. Art English’s home is in Lin
coln township, Moqpna county, Iowa,
and his father is a well-to-do farmer
there.
A brand new barn on the premises
of Mrs. Catherine Duval in East Te
eumseh was burned to the ground.
Children and matches were the cause
For the first time in the history of
that institution has a general farming
campaign been made on the Grand
Island soldiers’ home farm—the ef
forts hitherto being confined to stock
purposes, and hay more particularly
This year, however under the direc
tion of Adjutant Bowen, sixty acres
were also put into corn and quite an
acreage to oats and both have yielded
well The home has sufficient oats in
the three glistening stacks for its own
use, 600 tons of alfalfa hay, 200 more
than needed, and will nave 30 bushels
to the acre of corn
At Auburn William Flack was ar
rested for deserting bis wife and child
some 2 months old. Flack was ar
raigned before Justice Horn and took
a thirty days’ continuance and his
bond was placed at $500, but he has
not yet furnished sureties.
Monday evening at Table Rock a
neighbor of Mike MeCork, on going to
his home on an errand, found him in
a dying condition, and in a short time
he was dead He was about 70 years
of age and unmarried He lived by
himself for many years and had $8,000
to $10,000
Mrs. Emma Stirkel of Lincoln, wife
of a Burlington employe, was commit
ted to the insane asylum. She start
ed out with her three children after
threatening to drown them.
Governor Mickey has received a let
ter from Alexander Finn, the newly
appointed British consul for Nebraska,
stating that he has received his ex
chequer from “his excellency, the
president ei the United States.” The
new consul will reside in Chicago and
he has already entered upon the dis
charge of the duties of his office, be
Informs the governor.
2J
MORE MONEY FOR SCHOOLS.
Varions Counties in State Are In*
craesing Amount for Education.
LINCOLN — The school returns,
which are being made to the office of
the state superintendent, show that
many of the county school authorities
have made decreases in the average
levies, but in most cases the decreas
es in the rate of taxation are not
equal by several per cent to the in
creases in the valuation, and the re
sult will be that the aggregate of
sheool taxes will be in excess of the
totals for last year.
An example is the case of Otoe
county, which scored a 50 per cent in
crease in the taxable valuation, the
average levy for all toe districts was
reduced from 8 to 6^4 mills, a de
crease of 18 per cent, or slightly more
than one-third of the increase re
ported in the taxable valuation. In no
case reported so far has the levy de
creased at the same rate as the in
crease in the valuations. The follow
ing table shows the changes in levies
and the rate of increase in the valua
tion of each of the reporting counties
as compared with last year:
Inc.
Levy Levy Val.
County. 1903. 15*04. Pr Ct.
Sarpy. 13 9 33*3
Polk .19 11 161
Platte .12 7 115
Jefferson.16 12 64
Johnson .13 10 "8
Saunders.14 9 207
Antelope.21 17 63
Butler.17 11 97
Dixon .16 12 76
Gage. 13 9 68
Greeley.17 13 53
Harlan .19 15 60
Kimball.13 14 33
Hamlin. 12 8 62
Otoe. 8 6t4 50
Saline .16 1<B* Tg
Hamilton.17 12 1*
Thayer.15 13 43
DISPOSITION OF STATE LANDS
Recommendation That They Be
Leased at 3 Cents an Acre.
In response to an inquiry from Gif
ford Pinchot, head of the United
States bureau of forestry. Land Com
missioner Follmer has recommended
that the public lands in the western
section of the state, not homesteaded
under the terms of the Klnkaid law.
be leased at not less than 3 cents an
acre, or as much mor<s as it will bring
at a competitive bidding or auction.
This it is believed would help the
state in disposing of tbe leases of its
school lands.
“I am unable to see” he says,
“where the state would receive any
greater value by exchange or consoli
dation with the national government,
other than co-operation regarding the
leasing of public land.”
This last response was In answer
to the query of the head of the for
estry bureau as to the possibility of
some kind of a joint management or
national control of the public land in
the west. The proper method of
handling the problem is the leasing
of the vacant United States domain
at not to exceed 3 cents an acre.
Work on Normal Delayed.
LINCOLN—The work on the Kear
ney Normal school 73 making slow
progress. According to the statement
of an official who has just returned
from that city, the footings for the
walls have not yet been completed, al
though it is more than three months
since the contract was let. The con
tractors are at work preparing the
cement blocks which are to enter into
the construction of the building. Some
delay was experienced in securing
the necessary machinery for the con
struction of the blocks of the two
sizes needed.
Girl Killed by Wagon.
HEMINGFORD—Harry Wildv and
Miss Herrick were rding in a lumbei
wagon when their horses took fright
and bolted. The wagon was loaded
with timber and the jolting threw
Miss Hetrick into the wheel, where
she was so badly crushed that she
died within a few minutes.
Child Drowned In Well.
GREELEY CENTER—The 2-year
old son of John Foster was drowned
in a well. The father had gone to
town, two miles distant, and tbo
mother was powerless to save the
child.
Erstwhile Lover Arrested.
FREMONT—Miss Lizzie Renter of
Scribner has had Otto Schweitzer ar
rested and put under a peace bond.
She says he has threatened to bodily
injure or kill her. The pair formerly
kept company, and finally had trouble.
Mr. Rodger Tattersall and wife
celebrated their golden wedding anni
versary at their home in Boone last
week.
Domestic is Burned to Death.
NEBRASKA CITY—Miss Henrietta
Staack, a domestic In the employ of
A. F. Kendail of Syradhse, was fa
tally burned by an explosion of coal
oil. She had built a fire in the
kitchen stove, and as it did not burn
well she took a can containing a gal
lon of coal oil and commenced to put
the oil on the fire, when the explosion
occurred. Her clothing was saturated
by the burning oil. Mr. Kendall heard
the girl’s screams and hastened to
her assistance, but she was so badly
burned that death ensued.
Corn is Dying at the Roots.
PLATTSMOUTH — Cass county
farmers say the corn is firing at the
bottom of the stalk and the ear is
not filling as it should. When a stalk
is pulled up, they say, the roots are
dead. They think this is due to so
much rain and cold weather.
Steal a Stock of Clothing.
GRAND ISLAND—The dry goods
and shoe store of A. C. Menck was en
tered and seventy-five pairs of men’s
trousers and overalls were taken.
One of the burglars has been caught.