nf
'OBER 12, 1906
9
JV XiS ''WOT t le'W' ?
lower floor. They investigated and found that
top had been sawed through. The bottom was
kut half through. The prisoner readily con-
isea ana snowed tne warden now ho had accora-
Ished the feat. The ravellngs of his woolen
Ick he had twisted together as a tailor would
sees of thread, He had made them compact by
equent wettings. Dust and sand picked up in
quarry were kneaded into the string. When
fished it was almost as hard as a piece of emery
ne. Tt required two days, he said, to saw
rough the bar with the string, several new
rings having to be made, as they wore out quick-
The warden doubted the statement at first.
le prisoner offered to show him and made one
lUhe instruments out of common twine. Small
sees of a broom stick were used as handles.
Pith this the warden had the prisoner finish saw-
through the bottom of the bar. When plans
fr the new penitentiary were made it was de-
Ided to use Bessemer steel for the window grat
is, it being deemed harder and nearer saw-
roof than the iron which had been used. The
irs at his window were the ones sawed. The
)ening was large enough for a man to have
rawled through. 'The fact that Bessemer steel
lars have been successfully sawed without using
fteel makes it more and more necessary that
juards be constantly, on the watchout,' said Mr.
, V OVt4r1 rir irnafnflnvr T3t eirr nun lmpA win A - nnurn
fcJUlllJ JCObbtUUJt X IIOVUUIO UtLYU UJUUi; OUHO
of. tin cans and the like, but never before of
common yarn.
0S'''
NO PAGE IN HISTORY, according to a writer
in the Philadelphia Record, reveals a migra
tion as that of the Irish to America. This writer
says: "The figures are astonishing. From 1840
to 1860 not fewer than two millions of Irish im
migrants crossed the ocean to settle in the United
States; from 1860 to 1880 an additional million
made a fresh start in life in the great republic
over the seas, arid from 1880 to the present time
another million was added to our population.
Since 1860 the average has been half a million a
decade. The twelve agricultural states, repre
sented by Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wis
consin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Ne
braska, North and "South Dakota, contain one
fourth of the five millions. Of the portion set
tled In the North Atlantic states, but one-fifth are
on farms; but this tendency to crowd into the
towns disappears when the surroundings are agri
cultural,, as Is shown by the large percentage
over 50 of those who have taken to farming In
the twelve agricultural states above mentioned.
It is only because the bulk of the Irish In Amer
ica are not in the midst of farming districts that
they are less an agricultural people than the other
immigrant elements added to the population. They
have found an outlet for their energies In the
congested districts, and their wonderfully adap
tive natures' have allowed them easily to enter
upon the industries of the people among whom
they were thrown. It is in the eastern states
that the Irish promise to ultimately constitute
a majority of the population. This is already the
caso in three New England states and in many
New England cities. In New York City they are
barely behind the Germans, and also slightly so
in Chicago."
THE DECLINE IN the price of wheat since
the early part of July, Is attributed by the
financial editor of The Independent, of New York,
to the unprecedented size of our own wheat crop,
estimated at 759,000,000 bushels, and also to the
abundant harvest In Europe. The Independent
editor says: "Trustworthy estimates make the
output In the Importing countries of Europe
greater than that of last year by about 90,000,000
bushels. This increase compensates for a short
age of about 90,000,000 in Russia. Large gains
are reported in France, Germany and Austria,
with smaller increases In Italy, Belgium, Spain
and Portugal. The world's crop of wheat this
year is the largest ever harvested. Beerbohm's
Liverpool report makes it 3,500,000,000 bushels,
I'against 3,366,720,000 in 1905. Our government's
latest report points to a record-breaking corn crop
LOf 2,780,000,000 bushels, and crop authorities whose
opinions have weight say that the total will be
nearly 3,000,000,000. The cotton crop will prob-
fably exceed 12,000,000 bales, and be second only
to that of 1904."
N ENGLISH, WRITER declared recently in a
London newspaper, article, that there was
mystery surrounding the death of George Wash-
The Commoner.
ington, about which Americans hesitato to talk.
Commenting upon this statement the Utica (Now
York) Observer says: "George Washington caught
cold when riding over his plantation at Mount
Vernon on the afternoon of December 12, 1799.
Forty-eight hours later ho died. Ho waa attonded
by three of the best physicians of that part of
the country. Ho was bled no less than Uireo
times to relievo a Boro throat, and ho was dosed
with calomel enough to deprive a healthy man of
his life. But what Is tho mystery? Enlightened
physicians frequently assert that General Wash
ington was killed, that ho was bled to death and
poisoned with calomel. Tobies Lear, his secretary,
says that after tho doctor had bled him to tho
extent of half a pint Washington interrupted with
the remark: 'The gash is not big enough; mako
It wider.' And the highly trained professional
idiot proceeded to do so. 'Does your throat feel
any better?' asked the learned leech. 'It's very
sore,' murmured Washington. When tho second
physician arrived Mrs. Washington tried to stay
his murderous hand by protesting that 'the general
was too old a man td stand much bleeding.' 'Yes,
yes said tho mighty doctor No. 2, 'I'll be cautious
in blood-letting.' And then he proceeded straight
to rob his country's father of a full pint of life's
most precious fluid. When the third physician
had come ho rolled his eyes solemnly and said:
I will bleed him.' 'We both tried that said tho
other doctors. 'Yes, I know announced the con
sulting sage, 'but If blood-letting does not relieve
him I must increase the dose of calomel.' After
the third bleeding in which we are not surprised
to learn that Washlnton's arm yielded Its life
fluid more slowly than It had before the sore
throat continued, in spit of the last consulting
doctor, and when his wearied body failed to re
spond to a heroic overdose of calomel the two
consulting physicians retired and left Washington
to die. Is there any mystery in his death?"
THE GENERAL AWAKENING of the public
conscience is attested in a somewhat remark
able editorial that recently appeared in the Wall
Street Journal, which is unquestionably tho fair
est of all the Wall Street financial publications:
"The business world has a right to know of any
business man not only where he spends his days,
but where he spends his nights. It has a right
not only to know his financial standing, but also
his status in the scale of social decency. It mat
ters not how profanely ho may protest that his
private affairs are not other peoples' business..
But the protest is that of the man in the wrong.
The man who is faithful to the duties of his ofllce
and false to the standards of domestic decency
must have his financial credit marked down and
the business confidence of his fellow men Idwered
to the class of extra hazardous risks. Such men
are adventurers masquerading before the commu
nity as respectable people, under the belief that
they are deceiving those about them. But a man
who can neither be true to himself nor loyal to
his family can not be a safe leader in industry,
commerce or finance, because the very foundations
of integrity have become rotten in his character.
He is a man divided against himself. When the
crack of a tall building appears we know that
there is something giving away at the bottom.
We do not need a detective service to find it out
As sure as night follows day, wrong wrecks its
perpetrators, first morally, and then in business
usefulness. Such a man may live out the full
measure of years allotted to him, but from the
time he has become a whlted sepulchre, his pres
ence in his country and his community, however
great his wealth or high his station, Is just so
much of a burden to carry. Nature has her own
slow way of destroying the individual who in his
heart has turned traitor to his own better self
and to the moral judgment of a self-respecting
community."
ACCORDING TO A writer in the Pittsburg
Dispatch "there are several European
states, notably Russia and Austria that de
cline to surrender their own citizens whoso
extradition is asked by a foreign state,
taking the ground that to them primarily belongs
tho right of punishing offenses committed by their
own subjects upon foreign territory." The Dis
patch writer concludes: "The United States,
Great Britain and France, on the other hand, ad
here to the principle that criminal law in ter
ritorial, and on this account refrain from calling
their subjects to account for crimes committed
abroad, except in Instances where their extradi
tion Is demanded. Thus a Russian who robbed or
murdered another Russian or ov.on an American In
this country would bo punished for his crime by
tho Muscovite tribunals on his roturn home,
whereas if an American citizen woro to commit
a murder In Russia, or anywhere in Europe, ho
could not bo punished by any American court
for tho defense, and would only bo arrested on
tbls side of tho Atlantic In connection therewith
If his extradition wore applied for by tho country
in which ho had perpetrated tho crlrno. Tho
only exceptions which tho United States and Great
Britain mako in this rospc6t arc when crlmos
are committed by their subjects on tho high seas,
or in semi-civilized or barbarous countries, whoro
they enjoy oxtra-torrltorinl Jurisdiction. Thus an
American who. rendered himself guilty of forgery
nt Constantinople would, by virtue of tho so-called
capitulations, bo tried and condemned by tho Uni
ted States consular court at Stamboul, and would
then bo brought back to tho United States to un
dergo his sentonco bore. France likewise pun
ishes offenses committed against her safety, such
as high treason, tho counterfeiting of her money,
etc., when perpetrated by her subjects on foreign .
soil. The one drawback to extradition Is its ox
ponso and, owing to the latter consideration, hesi
tation often takes place before any recourse is
made thereto. In fact, It leads In tho cases of
crimes against properly to tho feeling that a re
sort to extradition Is meroly an Increase of tho
pecuniary losses already sustained and that It Iff
preferable on this account to pormit the criminal
to escape without tho further waste of monoy to
secure his punishment Few people have any
Idea of the thousands upon thousands of dollars
that frequently have to bo paid In order to securo
the extradition of a clever criminal who possesses
sufficient means to employ the service of shrewd
and shnrp lawyers cognizant of all tho posslbill .
ties of tho habeas corpus act. Tho latter in
America, as in England, is justly venerated as
tho most potent of the bulwarks which guard the
liberty of tho citizens. But it may be questioned
whother this admirable safeguard does not some
times become an instrument in tho hands of, for- .
eign criminals for baffling tho pursuit of justice
In cases which can of themsolycs admit of no .
reasonable doubt and for tho , proyention of their,
extradition."
SOME ONE HAS asked for 'tho most Justly
celebrated passage 'in English prose Htcra
ture, and a writer In Success Magazine says that
this Is like asking for the most Justly celebrated
sort of fruit In the orchard. This writer adds:
"There are easily a score of equally worthy pas
sages, each one making its especial appeal to a'
different mood of mind. RusUih's description .of
Turner's Slave Ship satisfies" our love for the
majestic color and motion of the sea. DoQulri
coy's reverie on the Nebula In Orion carries a '
sense of the vastness and mystery of the sky.
Pater's picturing of the Shield of Hercules re
builds for us the light and life of buried Hellas.
Swinburne's eulogy of Rosotti astounds us with
the splendor and speed of hlrt words. Le Gal
llenne's prdse fancy, 'The Twelve Wells stirs
our hearts with the precious disquiet of old sor- "
rows. Victor Hugo's oration in 'The Man Who
Laughs' awaktins In us the ennobling passion of
humanity. Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Speech' hushes
the soul with Its fine appeal to the heroic in the
heart of man. I might go on to mention Emer
son, Poe, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Lake Harris,
Jeremy Taylor, as well as St. Matthew, St John,
Isaiah, Job and other peers In tho parliament of ''
words. But I content myself with making the
one selection that is perhaps my favorite in most
of my moods. I refer to that stately and sonor
ous passage from Carlyle's 'Sartor Resaftus
whore he sees history, as a stupendous proces
sion, forth-Issuing from Cimmerian Night and van
ishing into pathetic and fathomless Silence. Here
Is the passage. 'Like some wild-flaming, wild
thundering train of Heaven's artillery, does this
mysterious Mankind thunder and flame, in long
drawn, quick-succeeding grandeur, through the un
known Deep. Like a God-created, fire-breathing
Spirit-host, we emerge from the Inane; haste
storraily across the astonished Earth; then plunge
again Into the Inane. Earth's mountains are
leveled, and her seas filled up, In our passage;
can the Earth, which Is but dead and a vision,
resist Spirits which have reality and are alive?
On tho hardest adamant some footprint of us is
stamped Inr the last Rear of the host will read
traces of the Earliest Van. But whence? O
Heaven, whither? Sense knows not; Faith knows
not; only that it Is through Mystery to Mystery,
from God to God."
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