I THE NEWS IN NEBRASKA, I I NEBRASKA BRIEFS Business men of Ashland have or ganized a commercial club. * Great Northern track-layers are now working four miles west of Oakland. Mrs. George Keller, of Ashland, dropped dead from heart failure. ■ Belhe Kilsey is in jail at Broken Bow serving out a fine of $25 for shop lifting. Mr. and Mrs. B. T. Snyder of Loup City, last week celebrated their golden wedding. Ladies of the Presbyterian church at Plattsmouth realized over $100 from a "rummage” sale. After being closed nearly all winter the hotel at MCCool has been again opened to the public. The authorities of Tekamah closed the churches and schools for a few daj’s on account of diphtheria. Religious meetings in Fairbury con tinued five weeks, during which there were over three hundred conversions. The Christian church congregation of Beatrice will soon begin the con struction of a new edifice to cost prob ably $12,000. Blackleg has broken out among the cattle of western Cass county farmers, and a large number of the animals have perished. The right-of-way contracts for the Union Pacific cut-off connecting with j Stromsburg are about all secured and the line seems to be assured. The fine new Congregational church at Ashland will be dedicated February 25th. The structure cost $12,000 and is practically free from debt. An artificial ice plant will probably be constructed at Central City in a short time, as it seems to be the only way of providing ice in that vicinity. The Nebraska Nations 1 guard will be inspected beginning February 28. Captain Frank A. Wilcox of the Thir tieth infantry will be the inspecting oflieer. This promises to be an ui\preeedent ed year for building in Cambridge. There are now $55 000 worth of build1 ings jn prospect and under construc tion. The Southwest Nebraska 1 earners association will be held in Arapahoe, March 30 and 31. William Hawley Smith and Dr. Ross will deliver lec tures. Governor Mickey received from the St. Louis exposition officials a hand some bronze medal, heart-shaped, and bearing an inscription commemorating Nebraska day at the exposition. At Auburn Dr. James L. Grady, charged with attempting to corrupt a witness and to induce him to commit perjury, was held by County Judge McCarty to the district court lor trial. The Updike Grain company of Oma ha has completed the purchase of a large line of elevators in Nebraska and Kansas formerly owned by W. H. Ferguson of Lincoln, who is a stock holder in the Updike firm. Governor Mickey h?s honored the requisition of the governor of Okla homa for the return to Logan county of G. W. Burton, “wanted” for dispos ing of mortgaged property. Burton is now under arrest in South Omaha. At Seward John Cox of Utica, charged with selling liquor without a license, had his preliminary hearing and was bound over to the district court. His bond was tlxed at J500 which was furnished by Wallace Boon. The annual meeting of the stockhold ers of the Farmers’ Grain and Live Stock company of Oakland, was held last week. The reports showed the company to be In a flourishing condi tion and a 10 per cent dividend was de clared. Frank Fulton of Wymore, has ar ranged for the publication of a month ly magazine in the interests of nark and cemetery Improvement societ'es. It is Mr. Fulton’s intention to perfect a national organization or these so citles. Engineer A1 Shearon of tne Kock Island, while oiling his engine in the yards at Fairbury, slipped and fell with his left arm across the rail-. The engine was moving slowly and the drivers cut off his hand and lacerated the flesh to the elbow. v Milo Draemel. who graduated trim the Naval academy at Annapolis, has returned home to Fremont, until March 10. when he leaves ror Seattle to report for duty at the PhiliDpine sta tion. Mr. Draemel is the first FYe mont boy to graduate from Annapolis. Fred Hinze, the sugar manufacturer of Chippewa Falls. Wis., who had pre viously made a proposition to the in dustrial company at Norfolk, looking to converting the old sugar factory into a new plant, with local capital in vested along with outside funds, ar rived in Norfolk, looked over the plant, expressed himselt favorably and then made a proposition which the company immediately declined. Rev. Knox Boude, pastor of the Os ceola Presbyterian church, has accept ed a position in California, and re signed his pastorate with the Osceola organization. He will leave with his family to assume his work on the coast March 10. An effort is being made by several leading citizens of Nebraska City, to have the Mattes Brewing plant, which was recently badly burned, pass into new hands. An effort is being made to form a new stock company and place the management of the plant in the hands of ex-Commissioner Theo dore Webering. J. j. Lynch, the Northwestern fire man who is alleged to have left Scrib ner with *400 belonging to a widow, has concluded to tight the case that will be filed against him in district court and has employed an attorney to look after his inteiest. Lynch is in Jail. Last year the Farmers’ Elevator company at Odell bought 127,000 bush edls of corn, 46,000 bushels of wheat and 18.000 bushels of oats. At a re cent meeting of the stcokholders a lib eral dividend was declared in addition to paying the highest market price for grain. —- I AS TO INSURANCE COMPANIES. Deputy Pierce Believes They Will All Pay Up in Time. LINCOLN—Insurance Deputy Pierce does not know officially that tiro in surance companies are doing business in Nebraska without a license, though he suspects it as an individual, conse quently he will not take any steps at the present time to have the companies prosecuted. The licences issued to companies expired February 1 and those companies which have not paid the resiprocal tax in conformity with the decision of the state supreme court have not been relicensed. As there are only two or three companies which have paid up. a great majority of the companies are doing business without a license. “I believe all the companies Intend to pay.” said Mr. Pierce, “and I do not intend to be very technical in constru ing the law. It would be a bad thing for the state to shut out all of these companies, especially as there is little doubt they will all pay the tax. In fact, some of the companies have written to me for the decision and they said they would comply with the law in the matter. “I don't know officially that any of the companies are doing business at this time. Of course if they' are, they are technically violating the law, but I don’t want to be too technical in this matter.” DRAWING LINE ON MILEAGE. No Mort Vouchers to be Signed by Secretary of State and Auditor. LINCOLN.—Vouchers for mileage books, tiled by state officers, will no more be signed by Secretary of State Galusha or allowed by Deputy State Auditor Cook. This because Mr. Ga lusha asserts he has -evidence in his possession that two at least o.* the state officers have used mileage bpught by the state for private purposes. A voucher was filed by Land Commis sioner Eaton for mileage books for himself and deputy and the secretary of state refused to sign. After a con sultation with the deputy auditor the latter concluded to refuse to issue any -nore warrants to pay for mileage books. Hereafter the state officer will have to pay his railroad fare and take a receipt from the ticket agent. Then if his transportation shows that he has gone to a town in which there is a state institution the officer will stand a good chance to get his money tack, but if the ticket reads to some place where the officer would hardly go on state business the money will remain in the treasury. SENT TO FEDERAL PRISON. Lieutenant Homer Lewis Begins Serv ing Sentence. FORT CROOK.—Lieutenant Homer Lewis of the Thirteenth infantry was taken to the Leavenworth federal prison to serve his sentence for dupli cating pay accounts and embezzling funds intrusted to him. The sentence is eighteen months, which good be havior may reduce to fourteen months. Personally Lieutenant Lewis has been most popular and his downfall is at tributed wholly to drink. About all or the enlisted men in the garrison were at the station to see him off. No Licenses Yet. LINCOLN.—Licenses to do business in Nebraska have not been granted by* Insurance Auditor Pierce, though many of the fore’>n fire insurance companies withholding payment of their taxes applied for licenses imme diately after opinion sustaining the re ciprocal law was handed down by the supreme court. Members of the state insurance department said todav that the companies do’ne business in the state without a license were violat ing the law*. Farmer Commits Suicide. AURORA.—William Dart, a farmei living five miles south of here, com mitted suicide by shoooting himself with a 38-caliber revolver. Death was instantaneous. Buvs Svstem of Elevators. HOLDBEGR—John W. Anderson, for seventeen vears active manager of the farmers’ elevator at this place, has bought out the system of elevators now owned hy Titus Bros, of this city. This system embraces elevators at Funk, Sacramento and Ragan. Train Kills ?. Jap. CLARKS.—Union Pacific Los An veles train No. 7 struck and instantly killed N. Shimizu, a Japanese laborer who was walking on the track, a mile' east of the station here. Addit'on to Peru Faiulty. PERU.—Proefssor G. W. Silvers has recently been elected by the state board of education as professor of manual and physical training in Peru normal. He will begin work at once. Camocn Will Come Home. LINCOLN.—George L. Campen, water commissioner for the Isthmian "anal zone, has announced to his friends in this city his intention of re signing his position. He sailed for home from Colon February 2. Farmers Do Well. SUTTON.—The Farmers’ Grain and Stock company of this city has made a very flattering report of the business done the past year, showing a decided increase in business over any previ ous year. Boy Is Attacked by Hog. FILLEY—Guy Yobe, 16 years of age, son of Wood Yohe, one of the prominent farmers of this section, was seriously Injured by a hog while' in a lot feeding the animals. R. H. Miller of Nebraska City is making arrangements to head a party that state’ in June to attend the re union of old residents. He will carry with him a register of the names of ail natives of that state who are at preesnt making their homes In thal part of Nebraska. American Chorus Girl Gets Matrimonial Prize Prances Belmont, former American Florodora girl, who was quietly mar ried to Lord Ashburton in Paris, was one of the .Maggie- Doolans who scrubbed the floor in “Miladi” when Lord Ashburton first saw her. La ter she was one of the “Floridora” sextet. When she became engaged to Lord Ashburton a year and a half ■ -.* f»a ago he took her off the stage and placed her in a convent near Paris, where she has been educated for the part of the wife of a British peer. Lord Ashburton is the owner of 60, 000 acres of land in Great Britain, and has a London house and a coun try residence. It is believed he plans to enter public life. THE WORLD’S WICKEDEST CITY Many Great Centers of Population Have Been Thus Designated. Oliver Ninmann, an enthusiastic re ligious preacher, has been telling how Berlin is the wickedest city in the world. The information will be re ceived with surprise doubtless by all of the inhabitants of the German cap ital and with indignation by most of them. The “wickedest city,” however, has been named by different cities at dif ferent times, and probably no two of the critics agreed on the same city. New York, Chicago, London, Paris and others have been described each in its turn as “the wickedest city.” Qnce when a traveling Briton told a lady of New York society that he had found- American manners atro cious, the lady merely lifted her eye brows In sympathetic surprise and assured the gentleman that he must have had rather unfortunate letters of introduction. In like spirit, anybody can find the "wickedest city” by acquainting him self only with its wicked features and by ignoring the fact that the great modern municipality in every case is a huge center of all kinds of the most beneficent influences and activities. Characteristics of Gen. Grant. Gen. Frederick D. Grant, who is in command of the department of the east, with headquarters on Gover nor’s island, is making himself tsseful in a number of quiet ways entirely distinct from his military responsibil ities. Gen. Grant is a good listener, as was his famous father, and when he has anything to say he says it clearly and in so direct a manner that every one can understand what he means. He seldom appears in uni form in public, but is always one of the best dressed men to be found in New York city, and while other men in a public meeting will lounge about in careless manner as to position, and dress he always sits in his chair’ with a military erectness. His resem blance to his father increases 'every year. Public “Shot” at Enemy. Charles Hands of the London Daily Mail came to Washington to report the white house wedding and at