THE NEWS IN NEBRASKA |
GOVERNOR MICKEY CRANTS
FRANK BARKER REPRIEVE
LINCOLN—A reprieve of two years
"was granted by Governor Mickey to
Frank Barker, the Webster county
murderer, who was condemned to be
hanged Friday, June 16. During the
two years an examination of Barker's
sanity will be made. The supreme
court reversed the decision of Judge
* Holmes of the district court, who held
that he had no authority to grant a
hearing as to the sanity of the man,
because the warden had refused to
sign an application for the hearing.
The reprieve granted by the gover
nor is as follows:
“Whereas. Pursuant to the order and
direction of the supreme court of the
state of Nebraska, the clerk of said
supreme court has issued you a man
date or death warrant commanding
you to execute the death sentence im
posed by the district court of Web
ster county, up Frank Barker, upon
the 16th day of June, 1905; and,
“Whereas, It seems proper that the
execution of the Mid sentence should
he delayed until'the time hereinafter
mentioned and fixed:
“Now, therefore. This is to command
you, the said warden, to delay and
postpone said execution of the said
Frank Barker until June 16. 1907, be
tween 6 a. m. and 6 p. m. of said day,
at which time, to-wit: between the
hours of 6 a. m. and 6 p. m. of said
day you. the said warden, will carry
into effect and execute the said man
date or death warrant issued by the
clerk of said supreme court and in all
respects in accordance therewith,
only the date of said execution being
hereby altered.
“You will retain the said Frank Bar
ker in your custody and in confine
ment in saW penitentiary according
to the directions of said mandate or
death warrant until the said writ has
been by you executed.”
PARTRIDGE OF NEBRASKA
CETS PRINCETON PRIZE
NEW YORK dispatch: Gifts to
Princeton university of 33f> acres of
land almost contiguous to the univer
sity property, more than doubling the
amount of land held by the university
of an annual income of $100,000, and
a recitation hall to cost about $300,
000, were announced by President
Woodrow Wilson in his address at
commencement. Among the prizes
awarded was the $150 ethics prize to
Charles P. Partridge of Nebraska.
Banker Loses His Mind.
NORFOLK—Worry over the failure
of his bank at Plainview some years
ago is said to have unbalanced the
mind of ,T. F. Heck, formefly promi
nent in North Nebraska.
Lancaster Assessment.
LINCOLN—County Assessor M'ller
has completed the I>ancaster county,
assessment. The total for the city this
year is $2,414.32, against a total of
$2,555,727 last year.
Morse Succeeds Bender.
LINCOLN— Clarence Morse, star
twirler of the State university base
ball team, has*been elected captain
for next year to succeed Bender.
RAVAGES OF THE LIGHTNING.
It Kills a Girl and Fatally Injures Her
Brother.
LEIGH—In a thunder shower light
ning struck the farm residence of
George Hanel. a Bohemian farmer,
about five miles southeast of this
place. ^
Striking the roof near the chimney
in the corner of the building, it pass
ed through to the sitting room below
and from there to the kitchen and out
through the kitchen door, which was
open, to the porch where the greater
part of the family was assembled, in
stantly killing one child, a girl of 6
years, and burning seriously a boy 8
>*^rs. It burned the skin on the boy’s
body from the breast down to his feet.
He cannot survive and his death is
but a question of a few hours. Mrs.
Hanel was also severely shocked and
rendered insensible for some time.
Girl Drinks Muriatic Acid.
NORFOLK—Miss Louise Bedford, a
student at the Wayne Normal school
all winter, lies in a critical condition
at the home of her parents. Mr. and
Mrs. William Bedford, at Redbird.
Neb., as the result of drinking two
ounces of muriatic acid with suicidal
intent, during a temporary spell of in
sanity. After she had recovered
enough to speak she said she regretted
her action and didn’t know why she
had done It. She admitted, also, that
she had taken a bottle of red ink at
Wayne last winter.
Nebraskan ? Centenarian.
COLUMBUS—Saturday Andrew Gil
lespie of Scotia, Neb., will be 100
years old. He has served Uncle Sam
in many ways. A grand celebration
in his honor will occur and hundreds
are expected to attend.
Wanted in Missouri.
- LINCOLN—Governor Folk of Mis
souri has issued a requisition for the
return of W. & Stewart, desired in
Buchanan county. Missouri, to answer
a burglary charge. This was honored
by Governor Mickey.
Charges Father With Incest.
TECUMSEH—Miss Minnie Schrod
er. daughter of August Schroder, a
farmer of this community, came into
the county court and swore out a
complaint against her father, charging
him with incest. Miss Schroder is
aged about 20 years.
National Guard Encampment.
The state military board decided to
hold the annual encampment of the
National guard, beginning August 8.
The encampment will last from eight
to ten days.
STATE NOTES.
Tecumseh is going to have a rock
pile for its prisoners.
Many handsome residences are
being built in Wayne this year.
The Great Northern is hurrying up
the right of way through Saunders
county.
Dr. Rawlins, one of the early prac
titioners oi Cass county, 85 years old,
died last wreek.
The Old Settlers’ association at
Palmyra held their annual picnic with
a good attendance.
George Nelson, a Dakota county
farmer, has been declared insane and
sent to the asylum.
Material has been ordered for an
extension of the telephone line from
! Curtis to Maywood.
Another SI0,000 church is to be
built in Auburn, making three at the
i same cost within one year.
The child of Mr. and Mrs. B. S. R.
Batson of Lincoln, while visiting at
Arlington, was killed by being caught
under falling lumber.
Near Hoskins a runaway team
I threw August Bruckner out of his
: wagon and fractured his skull. Proba
bilities are that he is fatally hurt.
For four months ending April 30
. there were received in Omaha 11,
545.500 bushels of grain, as against
| 4.752,100 bushels for the correspond
| ing period of last year.
The Teeumseh Military band has
ordered twenty-five new uniforms for
its players. The suits will be bottle
green. trimmed in black, and the caps
will be trimmed in gold.
The city of Teeumseh has bought a
lot and will erect a pen in which it is
j proposed to put city prisoners to
I pounding rock. As it is the city has
no work for its convicts.
The two sons of Roselle Fenner,
living nine miles northeast from Alli
ance, were taken to the asylum at
Lincoln. The attending physician
fears both are incurably insane.
Miss Carrie Elliott, a mission
teacher in Indian Territory, is in the
Beatrice visiting with her parents.
She brought home with her a little
Indian girl, who will remain during
the summer.
The trustees of Hastings college
have decided to start work at once on
the new dormitory. The location for
the building has been selected and all
bids for construction of the building
have been called in.
A young son of C. A. Danner of
Gibbon was accidentally shot in the
side by one of his brothers with a
small rifle. The bullet struck a rib
and glanced around the body. The
outcome is in doubt.
Important changes have been made
recently in the rural free delivery
service in Cuming county. A new
route has been established from the
West Point postoffice, making seven
deliveries from the city.
Charles M. Chamberlain, default
ing cashier of the failed Chamberlain
banking house of Tecumseh, has giv
: en bond to the district court in the
: sum of $20,800 to appear for trial on
the charge of embezzlement.
Rev. G. W. Crofts of Beatrice has
been awarded first prize by the Chris
tian Endeavor World, published at
Chicago and Boston, for the best
poem paraphrasing the Lord’s prayer.
There were about 100 contestants.
The land rush for the Indian lands
recently opened is on at Alliance.
Quite an additional city is temporarily
located on vacant land just outside
the corporation. The people are liv
ing in tents, just as the' people did
when Alliance started.
J. H. Criss, who has brought to
Beatrice from Lanham a week ago
and lodged in the county jail with his
friend, W. H. Thompson, who is
charged with stabbing Thomas Rich
ardson, was released. Thompson will
be held to await the outcome of Rich
ardson’s injuries.
Paul Springer of Beatrice has con
cluded to remove his paper bag fac
tory to Omaha, where a number of
business men have given him such
! encouragement as will warrant the
j change. The machinery will be
shipped just as soon as the stock of
paper on hand is disposed of in the
i manufacture of bags.
After three days searching the bod
ies of the men drown at Hooper were
recovered. The body of E. C. Neal
was found in the river five miles east
of Hooper badly decomposed and
hardly recognizable. It was taken to
Elk City for burial. The body of D.
C. Foley was found about a mile from
the scene of the drowning.
The faculty and students of Doane
college, Crete, headed by the college,
band, marched to the depot to wel
come home President Perry from his
successful financial canvass in the
east. He secured one gift of $10,000
from George Whitcomb of Worcester,
Mass., and several smaller gifts,
which raises the total to about $13,000
and rumors have it that a much larger
gift is yet to come.
The directors of the new Young
Men’s Christian association building
in York, soon to be dedicated, held a
meeting and elected Harry Beard of
St. Joseph. Mo., as secretary of the
organization. Mr. Beard is very
highly recommended.
The new Commercial club of York
is one of the most active business
associations in the state. They are
now trying to induce the officials of
the Burlington railroad to build a de
pot there that will be large enough
to transact the business and accom
modate the public and be a credit to
the city.
An association, consisting of 25 of
the leading horsemen and stockmen
of Wayne, has been organized for the
purpose of holding a big race meet
and thoroughbred stock show the
20th, 21st and 22d of September.
While plowing corn in Forest City
precinct, Sarpy county, the 15-year
old son of John Melia had a startling
experience. Before he knew it he
found himself looking into the barrel
of a revolver. The man behind the
gun informed young Melia that he
wanted to exchange clothes with him,
but did not enforce his decree and
soon departed.
UNITED STATES ARMY AND NAVY IN
MANEUVERS TO DEMONSTRATE EFFICIENCY
mamm—mmmmmmmmmm—mmmmmmmma—mmmmmmm^mmmm—mmmmmmm^^m aaaaHBaMHaananaaaaMliaMHlM wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmBmmmamma^mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammmm
The scene of the army and navy
exercises this year was Chesapeake
bay, and, in a measure, the movement
was to determine the value of the
fortifications in preventing a foreign
foe from making an attack upon
Washington from the sea.
Officers in Command. „
Rear Admiral F. W. Dickins was
in command of the invading fleet,
and the defensive works were com
manded by Major General James F.
Wade, commanding the department
of the Atlantic, who had as his chief
of staff Brigadier General Frederick
D. Grant.
All the elements of actual warfare
were not present; for, among other
things lacking was a defensive fleet,
which, in the event of war, espeeially
if it were believed Washington was
to be directly menaced, would be float
ing in the waters of Hampton Roads.
In actual war this fleet would be con
sidered advisable to protect the large
government navy yard at Norfolk, if
for no other reason.
Rear Admiral Dickins had in his
command a torpedo boat flotilla, under
Commander M. Johnston; size third-,
class battleships, two cruisers and
three converted yachts.
Nearly 10.000 Man Forts.
The fortifications in the three artil
lery- districts, which comprise the de
fenses of Washington and Baltimore,
were manned by nearly 10,000 men,
or more than half those in the fleet
opposed to them. Seven forts were
engaged in the war game; Fort Mon
roe, in the Chesapeake district, com
manded by I.ieut.-Coi. Ramsay D.
Potts; Fort Washington and Fort
.Hunt, in the Potomac district, com
manded by Col. Benjamin K. Roberts,
and Forts Howard. Smallwood, Carroll
and Armistead in the Baltimore dis
peake, is a government wireless tele
graph station, which also had its
quiet part in the exercises. This
t-gency, which was in communication
with the forts, naturally endeavored
to keep the army informed of the ap
proach of the attacking fleet, and also
attempted to “overhear” any wireless,
messages passing between the flagship
and the other vessels in the fleet.
Likewise the fleet tried to “tap” the
Gen. James F. Wade.
wireless messages passing between
the commanders of the artillery dis
tricts.
Fort Monroe Chief Point.
Fort Monroe, at the mouth of the
James river, which commands the en
trance to the Chesapeake, was the
most critical point in the war game.
Although Major General Wade's head
quarters were movable, it was at Fort
Monroe where the headquarters flag
first fiew. The fortress is a very dif
ferent defense from what it was even
so late as the Spanish war. Very con
siderable improvements have been
made to it, and its battery of great
could not in any even risk grounding
in order to pass the upper forts.
Defense of the Cities.
Washington is about 175 miles from
Fort Monroe, and Baltimore is about
160 miles from the entrance to the
Chesapeake. Defending Washington
are Forts Washington and Hunt, on
either side of the Potomac, about
twelve miles below the national capi
tal. Baltimore is defended by Fort
Carroll, which is on a small island
lying In the Patansco river, about
seven miles below the city, and on tne
west bank of the river, nearly oppo
site. lies Fort Smallwood. About four
miles below them are Fort Howard, on
North Point, and Fort Armistead, near
ly opposite, both guarding the on
trance to the river from the bay.
The Game of War.
Only the destroyers and smaller
boats attempted to pass these foitifi
cations, and choose the night for the
work. It has been the usual belief
among those who have made the wag
ing of war their specialty that ships
can rarely be pitted against fortifica
tions with success. And it has been
found in practice in recent wars that
the damage done on either side dur
ing such an engagement is very small
indeed, although a chance snot from
a fort would work more damage to a
ship it happened to hit squarely than
any broadside is likely to effect upon
a modern fortress.
The night attacks were to ascertain
the efficiency of the searchlight? of the
fortifications and also to give the navy
exercise in constructively making
these lights dark. Actual experience
has demonstrated that it is most uif
ficult to hit a searchlight, and inci
dentally, most difficult to navigate a
ship on which a searchlight has been
turned, the effect of the light being tc
FORTRESS MONROE, OFF WHICH PART OF THE WAR GAME MANEUVERS WERE CONDUCTED.
(1) View of harbor. (2)
trict, under the command of Col.
Frank Throp. Artillerymen were col
lected trom the ports all along the At
lantic coast, and augmented by few, if
any, state militia.
Preparations for Resistance.
In the fortifications the greatest
preparations for the event were made,
but for the most part the improve
ments made and the equipment install
ed are intended to be permanent.
Within the last few months $125,000
has been expended in the purchase
and installation of the most complete
telephone equipment which could be
obtained. In time similar equipment
will be in place in every artillery dis
trict on the coast to carry out the ap
proved system of fire control. This is
a most elaborate scheme of attack on
an approaching enemy which cannot
be seen by the gunners anywhere.
It is possible by this arrangement i
to direct the fire with effect, not only j
as to the time of discharging a gun.
but in respect to ranee and direction
of the shell. This mysterious factor j
is made possible by means of numer
ous instruments, miles of land wire
and cable, and a comprehensive secret
code.
Signal Service Complete.
The new portable searchlight for
fortifications was another important !
feature which was tested under prac
tical conditions of service. It was
discovered in the maneuvers of two
years ago that the gunfire of ships
was directed with what would have
been telling effect if the shots were
real, on account of the stability of the
searchlights.
In the war game these lights did
not remain in one place. They were
mounted on wheels, and in that way
their location was ehaneed. in addi
| ‘ion to which their removal prevented
their destruction by a shot from the
fleet. At Cape Haftrra?. 11.5 miles
south from the entrance to the Chesa
Edible Swordfish.
The Block Islanders are justly
Droud of their swordfish, for they
almost have a corner on that variety
of the finny tribe, the flesh of which,
it is claimed by many, surpass any
thing caught in the deep. The de
mand for the swordfish is invariably
greater than the surply. for although
a number of boats from the islands
make daily trirs. they have practi
cally no competition, as the fish even
in the best fields are not numerous,
and it is hard and dangerous work.
Hawk the Prey of the Weasel.
A New Zealand paper relates that
a settler noticed a hawk flying about
in a peculiar manner and crying out
as if in pain. The settler obtained a
gun and shot the bird and investiga
tion showed the cause of its distress
was a weasel which was perched on
the hawk’s back, with its teeth buried
In the bird’s neck. Apparently the ani
mal had pounced upon the hawk
when it was on the ground and was
carried skyward with the flight of its
prey.
Water battery in Fortress Monroe. (;
disappearing guns is believed to be
invincible.
The fleet did not attempt to run past
Fort Monroe in the day time, although
the deepest part of the channel is
almost fourteen miles distant. On the
part of the artillery officers it is
claimed that even at night there was
little hope for the fleet to pass suc
cessfully by the fortification. There
are frequent heavy fogs in this neigh
borhood, however, and had the fleet
been favored with such an ally, the
naval men believed that they could
pass in without the fort being aware
of it. The extensive mine fields of The
military at this point, however, would
Admiral Francis W. Dickins.
be expected to destroy a deet hazard
ing the attempt.
For the fleet to reach Washington,
or even Baltimore, was hardly prac
ticable, owing to the shallowness of
the channels of the Potomac and the
Patapsco. Consequently the main
fleet, under Reap Admiral Dickins
Coal-Black Rat.
A coal-black rat was caught in a
trap at the police station the other
morning. The rat was unusually large
in size and its skin was very soft, like
velvet. The animal was drowned
along with several other rats which
were caught in the same trap. Many
people saw the animal and they all
said that never before had they seen
a black rat. It attracted a great deal
of attention even among the prisoners
in whose apartments in was caught.—
Portland Oregonian.
Great Singer’s Tomb Prepared.
Mme. Emma Calve, the famous sing
er, is one of those people who like to
have their tombs ready for them in
case anything should happen. Some
four years ago the great singer and
actress gave instructions to a well
known French sculptor to prepare a
design for her monument, and though
at first he thought she was in jest
and hesitated to begin the work, he
soon found she was in earnest. He
set to work, therefore, and modeled a
sketch.
t) View of fort and moat.
I blind the navigators as well as the
gunners.
To render this exercise the more ef
fective, the ships of the squadron were
painted four colors: The Texas, New
ark. Atlanta. Terror. Puritan, Hornet,
Siren and Silvia, white; the Florida.
Arkansas. Nevada, war color: the
Hartford, black, and the torpedo boat
destroyers, dark green.
The object of each of several forms
of attack by the navy was to demon
strate the strength or weakness ot
some particular phase of the defense.
The results were known only at the
conclusion of the exercises, and then
known only to the proper authorities.
This precaution was emphasized as
important, that the character and
strength of the various defenses might
not become known to possible enemies
of the country.
Oldest Judge in Active Service.
Judge Charles Field of Athol, Mass,
is ninety years old. He is in active
service, holding court in the first dis
trict court of northern Worcester, at
both Athol and Gardner, several days
each week. While, naturally, his
health is not quite as robust as ten
years ago, he is still vigorous enough
to administer justice in the two courts.
Judge Field is said to be the oldest
judge in the country in active judicial
service.
Keeps Important State Records.
Gov. Warfield of Mary land has had
made a large scrapbook of newspaper
clippings on the death of Lloyd
Lowndes of his state, to be filed in
the state archives at Annapolis. He
says: “I believe it is the first time
that any history of the death of a
governor of Maryland has ever been
compiled and I propose to take care
of predecessors and trust that my ex
ample may be followed by my succes
sors.”
Peculiar Case of Smuggling.
A smuggling case which is probably
unique, even in the strange annuals ol
contraband, has just been before the
customs court of Marseilles. On board
the French steamer Touraine there
was found a large quantity of opium
smuggled, not by any individual in
particular, but by the whole ship's com
pany, and the strange spectacle was
witnessed of the heavy fine of £2,000
being levied on all, every man in the
vessel being mulcted in Bis proportion,
assessed according to wages.
Dowries for French Girls.
A recent winter says of the commer
cial side of matchmaking in France:
“In most French marriages money
plays the Important part. The first
question asked by the young man is
‘How much?’ As a rule, it is an easy
matter to ascertain without applying
directly to the papa, but even when
no question of dowry is raised at the
formal demand there is always a
contract, drawn up by a notary, which
specifies the exact sum the girl re
ceives.”
I"*1* “ " “1
Of the reigning families of Europe,
none has added more to the luster oi
kingly honor than that to which be
longs the present monarch ot Sweden,
whites Harry Bariett Chamberlain in
the Chicago Record-Herald. From the
time of its founding by the diclin
guished marshal ot France, the Prince
of Ponte-Corvo, whose title came
through the empiric power of the
srreat Napoleon, the house of Berna
dotte has been one which has ever
commanded the highest respect and
admiration.
The ruling houce of Sweden is now
in its third generation, the present
king being the fourth of the Berna
dettes. The line is modern, begiunirg
with Charles XIV., who was succeeded
by his son. Oscar I., who in hi- turn
bequeathed the crown to his son,
Charles XV. This Charles, dying
without issue in the kingly line, his
brother, Oscar II., the present mon
arch, came to the throne.
His father, a briefless lawyer, Tran
Baptiste Jules Bernadoite, was l>orn
at Pau in Bearn. Jan. 2d. 17d4. Des
tined for the law, he followed nis na
tural bent and chose the profession of
arms, enlisting in 1780 as a private in
the royal marines of France. When
the arbitrary distinction of classes was
swept away by the revolution, open
ing the path of preferment to ai’ alike,
the abilities of Bernadotte secured
speedy recognition. He had s^en two
years of garrison life in Corsica, but
his nine years of service had brought
him nothing more than the chevrons
of a sergeant. From this time on his
rise was rapid, and in 1702 he was a
colonel in the army of Gen. Custines. '
The year following he served with
Kleber and demonstrated His ability
so thoroughly that he was promoted
general of brigade and almost imme
diately afterward became general of ■
division.
In the campaigns of the Rhine and
of Italy his brilliant work furnished
the foundation for his soldierly repu
tation. During these years he avoided
rather than sought the favor of young
Napoleon. Each instinctively distrust
ed and disliked the other. It is said ]
that after their first meeting Berra- j
dotte remarked, “I have seen a man, j
2fi or 27 years old, who wishes to be
thought 50; this, does not augur well
for the republic,” a judgment which
in the light of later history proved his
sagacity as a prophet and the keen
ness of his perception in reading men.
“He has a French head and a Roman
heart,” said Napoleon after the inter
view’. "He has iron blood in his
veins,” proving himself not inferior
to Bemadotte in his reading of men.
During Bonaparte's absence in Egypt
Bernadotte was appointed minister of
war. He reorganized the army and
prepared the way for the 'mmeuest of
Holland. His popularity was so great
that the directors became alarmed,
fearing that he might dismiss them
and reconstruct the government. They
removed him from the ministry, an ac
tion by which they doomed tbe^•selves^
for there is no doubt that distrusting
Bonaparte, whom they wished arrest
ed for abandoning the army in Egypt,
he would have gladly protected the
directorial government had he been
placed at the head of a sufficient body
of troops. Though he had no share in
the revolution which established the
consular authority, he snared in its
advantages, accepting the position of
councillor of state and general in chief
of the army of the West. *
so brilliant was the work of Berna
dotte that jealousy conspiring against
him led to his displacement. Never
theless. when the imperial dignity was
assumed by Napoleon, the reputation
of Bernadotte was so firmly estab
lished that even the emperor could
not ignore it; with other distinguished
officers he received a marshal's trun
cheon. and in 1806 was invested with
the principality cf Ponte-Corvo for his
distinguished services at Austerlitz.
As prince, the government of Fionia
and Jutland were intrusted to him,
and the mildness of his administration i
won for him renown as a statesman
and ruler.
In 1810 the death of Prince Augus
tenburg of Sweden left the throne of :
that country without an heir The
Swedish states in council nominated
Bernadotte as successor to Charles
XIII., who adopted him as his son. In
the campaigns of 1813 and 1814 Ber
nadotte. as Crown Prince of Sweden,
joined the coalition against Napoleon
and it was his Swedish contingent that
decided the battle of Leipsic.
On the death of Charles XIII., in
February. 1818, thirty-eight years after
his enlistment as a private soldier in
the army of France. Bernadotte was
crowned King of Sweden and Norway,
with the title of Charles XIV. John!
His coronation as King of Sweden
took place in Stockholm May 11; as
King of Norway, at Drontheim, Sept
1.
Dying at Stockholm March 8, 1844,
the man who had been called from
sunny France to the snowy throne of
the fair-haired Harold was sucq^eded
by his only son. Oscar, surnamed “tbe ■
Amusing Typographical Error.
Laurence Hutton cites as the most
amusing and, at the time, most per
plexing typographical error in his
long journalistic and literary career,
one which occurred in an article he
wrote at the time of the consolidation
of the Astor, Tilden and Lenox librar
ies, in which he was made to express
the following remarkable opinion:
New York, perhaps, has never fully
realized until this day how greatly it
has been enriched by receipt of the
vest buttons of James Lenox!” He
had written “vast bequests.”
Bathe Your Tired Eyes.
“I have never found anything so
helpful for my eyes when they are
weak and tired as bathing them in a
weak solution of borax and water,”
said a business woman. Her work re
quires close application all day and
sometimes many hours into the night,
and her eyes are, consequently, often
overstrained, weak and tired. She
said that for years borax and water
had been the only thing that tided
her over and made it possible for her
to continue her work.
(CHARLES XIVJ
SERJJADOTTE.
OOC^R- I
CAiARL-ES XV
OSCA'R. XL .
peaceful.” This monarch reigned less
than a score of years, but his admin
istration was noteworthy. He brought
the criminal law of Sweden ard Nor
way into line with modern ideas; he
abolished slavery in Martinique; he
advocated large appropriations for
popular education; be secured citizen
ship to women after the age of 25; he
made daughters equal inheritors with
sons; he reformed the prison system;
he improved the civil, sea and war
laws; he developed railways, roads
and canals, and the commercial
classes prospered by leaps and
bounds.
Charles XV., regent for two years
and elder brother of the present king,
came to throne in 1859. He was thor
oughly a man. His ear, heart and
hand were always open to the needs
of the people, but he disliked conven
tional demonstrations, and the story
is told of him that on returning to
Stockholm, where a formal reception
had been arranged, he changed clothes
with the coachman of the first car
riage. whose scat he took, and so pass
ed through the streets, calling out
laughingly that the king was in the
rear. He died Sept. 18, 1872, since
which time the second Oscar, who
also bore the titles of Prince of Swe
den and Norway and Duke of Osier
gotland, has upheld the traditions of
his line.
Poet, painter, musician, linguist, ora
tor and promoter of peace. Oscar II.
inherits the aristocratic qualities of
mind combined with the democratic
spirit which raised the first Berna
dotte from the ranks of the people
to the proud position of king of a
free nation. Like the three of his
house who preceded him, he has been
a good, just and wise man. The domi
noting qualities of the house of Ber
radotte are character, courage and
culture. Handsome physically, intel
lectually acute, morally fine, the Ber
nadottes are an ideally kingly race.
Long Sermons.
Baxter, Knox, Hooper, Bunyan and
Calvin rarely preached lees than two
hours, and often saw the sand run out
of the hourglass for the third time be
fore they came to “lastly.” But not
one of them all could rival the prolix
ity of the Rev. Thomas Banks, a sev
enteenth century divine, who on one
occasion, after keeping his congrega
tion over two hours, said: “And now,
having cleared the ground by these
few preliminary remarks. I will ad
dress myself more directly to my
text.”
Old Font Desecrated/
In the parish church of Selston,
Nottinghamshire, England, reopened
last week after restoration, is an old
font which has a romantic history.
After standing in the old church .for
nearly five centuries it is said to have
been taken by a farmer and used as a
cattle trough for fifty years.
Next it did duty for a century as a
trough at the village inn, and subse
quently was placed in a conservatory
with a rose tree planted in it. Now it
has returned once more to the church.