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The Commoner.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER X
CURR8NT
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AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE TOOK PLACE RE
contly Iti a jury room in Chicago. Patrick
J3cehan was on trial for murder and when the jury
rotirod for doliboration tho foreman, William II.
Diet., suggested to his fellow jurors that they
kncol in pruyor and ask for divino guidance. Tho
Btiggestion was adopted and Foreman Diet' led
his follow jurors In pruyor. Tho verdict of tho
jury was not guilty. To a nowspapor reporter
Foreman Diotz said: "I felt hoforo wo could ao
anything in tho matter of taking a vote on Doc
han's guilt or innoconco that personally I needed
wisdom. God has said to us when wo needed
wisdom that wo should pray for it. I felt that tno
Holy Spirit should bo my guido in this matter be
causo of tho ovidonco wo had heard. I theroforo
naked my brothor jurors to kneel down and ask
God for wisdomthat wo might look to II im for
guidance. I belloved that every juror know thoro
was a God, though thcro wero many denominations
represented. At my request not ono refused to
kncol."
ONE MEMBER OF THE JURY, REFERRING
to tho incldont, said: "Wo wero surprised
whon Foroman Dictss asked us to kneel with him in
prayor, but I thought it right, and followed him in
my heart. I was praying mysolf in my own
words, but as I romeraber his words they were:
'Our Heavenly Fathor, wo pray to Theo for guid
ance in tills act wo aro about to commit in decid
ing tho fato of tho defendant. Wo ask Theo on
our beaded knees to guido us in our deliberations,
that justice may bo dono. Wo ask Theo to guido
us by Thlno omnipotent power in our deliberations
and givo us tho wisdom to decido between right
and wrong, for Thiuo is tho kingdom, tho power
and tho glory for over and ovor. Amen.' " It is
rolatod that tho dofendant showed no omotion nor
offerod to thank tho Jurors when tho verdict was
rendered. Later, however, on being told that tho
Jurors knolt In prayor boforo entering upon their
deliberations, tho dofendant said: "I did not
w,,that nm not a Paying man, nor everi a
Christian, hut I am deeply thankful to tho jurors
especially Mr. Diets, for tho result of their prayer"
,ml ? bolicrvIS mo not guilty. I am not
guilty of murder. I hopo their prayer will do
STfwx?0?1 U WUI lGad mo to the same
God that Mr. DIetz worships."
to js
THE WASHING OF THE FACE OF THE
groat Westminster clock was thought to bo
of snfllciont importance to justify a London ca
blegram to tho Chicago Record-Herald. It Is re
lated that this la tho first time that tho face of
this clock, known as "Big Ben," has been washed
? 015 y w?' A Btatement more interesting
than that relating to this clock's bath is tho de-
Th TO T??ntoln0d ln ,Vll8 London cablegram:
Tho Big Bon towor which holds aloft Britain's
SlhS0??,888.1,18 popnlnr name taSTaS
5SUEib-e11, Whlch wolBha 13 tons u hundredweight
The hammer for tho bell weighs. 4 hundredwe I t
while tho quarter bolls weigh 78, 83U 2 i and 21
hundredweight respectively5 The pendulum is
Just over thirteen feet long and woighs nearly 700
pounds. The dials of the clock aro 22 feet In
?Jr, Th hour flnsors aro 2 feet long ami
tho minute spaces 1 foot square. The minute
hands aro 11 foot long. They are tubular andmado
of copper. Tho operation of winding is porforaod
nlfftK.0nan,! mcn,ns sovoral Motifs' hard woA
SJ&5S? 0r STwSSr Zy tlT ?
clocks ana bolls cost about n5,000 the
A LNDON MERCHANT HAS ADOPTED A
Li inPlan f dGallng wlth wo klepto
maniacs When a woman is detected in tho act of
, shop-lifting, sho is given tho privilege of choosing
between prosecuUon in court or a very v igorou?
SriChhi?r A,8trong womau ia stalled to apply ?lo
' eavs- Klln "I18 Plan' thQ LodonTruth
y?' .J ono 8nop alono twenty women havo ac
cepted the ordeal of birching in Stl Z t
young girls of foreign nationality, who ll conskl
eration for their tender years wflfltwli?
milder form of chastisenS" d t0
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE AWARD OF
tho first two scholarships in Oxford uni
versity granted under the terms of the Cecil
Rhodes will, is made in a London cablegram to tho
Chicago Chronicle. These scholarships havo been
awarded by tho government of Rhodesia and it is
said that "both go to Catholics, students at the
Jesuit college in Bulawaya. In his letter an
nouncing the nominations Earl Grey pays a high
tribute to tho importance of the work tho Jesuit
fathers havo done in Rhodesia among both whites
and blacks,"
THE SOUTn AFRICAN MISSION OF JOSEPH
Chamberlain is said to have been a failure.
Referring to Mr. Chamberlain's visit, tho London
correspondent of tho Chicago Chronicle says:
"Ho has settled nothing, but has been badly
worsted by the Rand magnates over the war con
tribution. That contribution of $150.000,000 less
than half what the public had expected it to bo
Is outweighed by the loan to be made by tho
imperial government to the now colonies and It Is
made conditional on Mr. Chamberlain's giving the
mining companies a frco hand in 'crimping' bladk
labor for tho mines. That he could not consent
to flatly, so he 'adopted the device of appointing a
royal commission of raining magnates and their
friends to fix the terms upon which native labor
may bo impressed. Mr. Chamberlain has fallen so
completely under the influence of Lord Milner, tho
British high commissioner in South Africa, arid
of tho Rand party, that his visit has further an
tagonized the Boers instead of conciliating them."
DURING THE YEAR 1902, 500,000 IMMI
grants arrived at New York. This was an
increase of 138,000 over 1901. During 1902, 5,51G
immigrants wero denied admission to this coun
try. The number who were turned back in 1901
amountbd to 3,646.
A BILL WAS RECENTLY INTRODUCED IN
the Massachusetts legislature "to provide
for the better caro, preservation, and development
of the denture of minor inmates of the public in
stitutions of the commonwealth." The bill is
supported by tho Associated Charities organiza
tion and by tho state dentists' society. It is
stated Ijy the champions of this measure that
"poor teeth cause indigestion and irritability of
tho stomach causing a 'craving for stimulants,
and stimulants cause crime." Tho Chicago Tri
bune, commenting upon this measure, is unkind
enough to say that "perhaps, after all, it is not so
much tho good of humanity as a handsome job
the dentists have in view."
EXTREME DESTITUTION PREVAILS IN
northern Sweden. The Gelllvare, North
Sweden, correspondent of the Chicago Tribune
says: "Hero in this desolate, frozen region thou
sands of human beings are face to face with actual
starvation. Seventy thousand persons are living
3L ?f i an famiUe rations If relief supplies
should slacken even temporarily thousands would
2ni r Sr iThore aro in this district 500,000
head of cattle, horses, and sheep. These animals
could of course, be slaughtered for food, but wRh
tho live stock gone the condition of tho people
would be hopeless for years to come It is esti
mated that $1,000,000 will be need? to keep the
people alive until the new harvest Is reaped next
August, and to purchase seed for th f sp?SS
plan ing. The Swedish government is facing thl
problem resolutely and will buy and imnort seed
f enough can bo found raised far enmigh north
Swede"?"10" rtpen to tho SSdeTof
HPHE POSTMASTER OF CHICAGO WAq RF
J. cently visited by a young woman who said
Sff 81G Wanted. t0 make a Payment to tte post
office department This woman explained: "Three
years ago I sent a dollar bill to Sweden f did no?
have much money then, so I thought I would save
something by wrapping tho bill InTneaJeJ in
stead of sending it in a letter. I did not think it
was wrong then. But my conscience has troubled
Sfn,my, VmCVince then' a4 as I am now 2
good Christian I want to return what I cheated
tho government out of." Tho postmaster decUned
to accept the conscience money, saying that ho
was not authorized to receive such a fund and
that the payment of tho small amount would put"
the government to great expense for clerical ser
vices in making tho record.
PHIL SHERIDAN ONCE HAD SOMETHING
to do with a coal famine. It was during the
days following the great Chicago fire. The public
committee on fuel discovered that coal dealers
were giving short weight and in this way increas
ing their profits. The chairman of tho committeo
issued an order providing that coal wagons should
be weighed before leaving tho coal yards by
agents of the aid and relief association. The coal, .
dealers refused to accede to the proposition. It is
said that rather than comply they would refuse to -.
deliver any coal whatever. General Sheridan at
tended the meeting of the relief association. Mr.'
Prosser, the chairman of the fuel committee, made
abatement and he was asked by Henry W. King,
president of the association, what course should
be adopted. Mr. Prosser said: "If I wero Gen
eral Sheridan I should be able to tell you mighty
quick what should be done." General Sheridan
asked: "What's that which ought to be clone?"
Mr. Prosser replied: "I would declare martial law,'
take possession of all coal in cars and seize every
deposit of coal in Chicago." General Sheridan de
clared: "I'll do it." The city was placed under
martial law and Sheridan issued an order direct- -Ing
the troops to take possession of all coal sup
plies. Before this order was carried into ef
fect, however, coal dealers complied with the rules
issued by the aid and relief association.
PERHAPS THE SMALLEST REAL ESTATE
deal on record is reported from Minneapolis.
The owners of the Donaldson Glass block pur-"
' chased a strip of land 120 feet long and but threo
inches wide. Consideration was $500.
AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF A PE
culiar statue is given to the Chicago Inter-
Ocean by its Hackensack, N. J., correspondent. It
is said that the old burying ground at Hacken
sack contains what is undoubtedly one of the most
unique monuments in the world. Instead of having
the conventional urn or cross, it is surmounted by
toys finished in marble. The toys on the top of
the monument are not ordinary toys. They aro
the reproduction in stone of the playthings of tho
child that now lies beneath the stone. By means
of delicate chiseling, the sculptor has wrought
out of a solid block of granite a little toy horse
and a wheelbarrow filled with blocks. In raised
letters above these stone toys are tho words.
Bertie s Jim Horse." Although the little boy
who once played with his pony and wheelbar
row died nearly a quarter of a century ago, tho
elements have made little impression upon his -Playthings.
The saddle cloth, the tasseled bits,
ahd the embroidered straps of the "Jim horse"
the tiny stono spokes of the wheels supporting tho
named Albert Romoyr Tkarr CUS dta la Z
months before his fifth birthday.
0Nf, P, PECULIAR STRUG-
third and Broadway 'n TyoT XS TuF& -'
at 940 Broadway hX w V? a merant
owners of tne buUd ing S ? against
bill of comnlaint ff SIL!?L0J?0?ainaSO?-. In his "
said 'Flatlron' builiim? i ' says: Tna tho
ly peculia and unUslfal syhnnfn ?Vts extreme
struction, is a TpubHc and npfvntftand.form of con
when the rtnilUovBrS' that
direction against the wS, J erftaln nortbeasterly
building last aforesaid J'S Tl??y wal1 of tho
Its itmlSlA te verted wm
and violence . wwX ectG? with eat force
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