"
TIIEERDCLOOCIIIKF.
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V 7
1
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V H
Ulf1I ITMI W 1 V WWi i tloKliiii. Alice Mitchell inn liark, ellmb
jh VjMI u i i i i j i i r iiAjM (i(1 ln(o tlRi liMRB. wth MM .tIllllon
THE SLAYER OF PRETTY FREDA
WARD NO MORE
Mii Wm tin' Victim "f IVrirriiliiii A
TruKOtly Tlmt Hull No Pjrullcl In
MIMory Iter Mlu In mi I limine
AnjIihii.
HI-: death of Alice
Mltphcll. In the In
81U1P ii h y 1 u in at
Ilollvsir, Toiiu., ro
calls a fiendish
murder which bus
novpr liail u parul
let In h 1 h t o r y.
Aliciut 4 o'clock on
Monday afternoon,
Jan. 5, 1SU2. she put
tlu throat of Freda
Ward, a girl aliont her own ago. with
a razor, then chased a slater of Miss
Ward and woiindod her with the same
weapon. ThP tragedy wjih oniiptod on
the Iovpo in Memphis, us tho Misses
Ward wore proceeding to a stoainhoat
upon wlilpli they were to embark for
their homo, a few miles up the river.
The principals In the affair wore of
good famllloH, and themselves very
popular In society, and hud up to that
time hpcn most intimate friends. At
thp Investigation of the ease It devel
oped that the cause of the murder was
an unnatural Infatuation conceived by
tho Mltpliell Kill for Miss Ward, who.
she said, had promlspd to marry her.
It wan ('".elded that Alice Mitchell was
IiiKani .ml slip was, after the trial of
. removed to the asylum,
ho died the other day. Miss
was the daughter or a wealthy
furniture manufacturer of Mem-
On the afternoon of the murder,
Ihiee young girls, all chatting merrily,
wore walking down the pavement along
Front street toward the levee In Mem
phis, where they intended taking a
boat for their homo at Hold Dust, Ark.
They were: Miss Freda Ward, a girl of
17; her sister, Josle Ward, not over lit
years old, and Miss Christine I'arnoll.
one of their schoolmates, who also lived
at Gold Dust. The boat was waiting.
The three had reached the vicinity of
the customhouse, where at that time
many people are usually congregated
to see the sunset on the river. Sud
denly a buggy came dashing down the
street in the rear of tho three girls.
It was driven by a handsome blonde
whoso eyes were Hashing lire. It was
an unnatural gleam of vengeance such
as might Issue from the optics of a
ghoul. That person was Alice Mitchell.
Hcsldo her In the buggy was another
young woman named Johnson, the
daughter of a wealthy and miich-ro-spectcd
citizen of Memphis, who lived
in a palace on Vance street. When the
vehicle reached tho party of girls walk
ing It was brought to a standstill, and
the gay sorrel driven was forced back
Jijion his haiuiphes by the maddened
"girl who held the Hues.
"There Is Freda," she exclaimed with
much excitement, as she jumped out of
the buggy. "I must see her before she
takes the boat hold the horse."
Miss Johnson had hardly picked up
the reins to the frightened horse be
fore she was called upon to witness a
scene that caused her blood to run
cold. Alice .Mitchell ran quickly up to
Mlbs Ward from the rear and threw I
one arm about her neck. Thp loungers
about tho custom house grounds
thought she intended to kiss her, as
did the victim's sister. Quick as a
flash a blade of glistening steel swung
In the red light from the right hand
of AIIpo Mitchell, and with almost su
perhuman strength she bent her vic
tim's brad over with her left arm and
with thu right drew tho razor through
her left temple and cheek, laying her
face open. Freda struggled. It was
all done so quickly that tho other glrlu
fould not as yet realize what was hap
pening. Again the razor was brought
into play, this time laying tho victim's
rhln open. The latter's sister Jo by
this time realized what was going on,
and, running up, knocked Alice down
with her umbrella. In the meanwhile
AUCR MITCHELL.
Freda had fallen to the ground. Tho
Mitchell girl jumped up and ran to
Freda. She caught her by tho hair,
and bringing her head hack fetched the
razor across her white throat, severing
It to tho spinal column from ear to
ear, coming very near to severing It
from tho body. The poor girl strug
gled to her feet In splto of her injuries
and staggered to tho railroad tracks
a few feet away, where she fell from
exhaustion, while great pools of her
own blood formed on either side of hor.
An ambulance was quickly called, hut
before It had proceeded half a frquaro
with the wounded girl nho died, and her
body was taken Immediately to the
morgue.
As soon as she had accomplished her
nut the two drove away. The miirder
r$a was arrested soon afterward at hor
homo. She met the ofllcers very calm
ly. In fact It was said that for days
before she had not shown such marked
composure. She said that she wanted
to die any way, and was taken to the
county Jail Immediately where quar
ters were arranged for hor. Soon af
terward Miss Johnson was anested on
the same charge and placed in the
same loom with the murderess, on ac
count of having been with the Mitchell
girl before and after the tragedy oc
curred. The startling features of the
case were to follow, however. At Hist
It was believed by maii that an en
mity which had sprung up between
Mrs. W. II. Volhniur. a sister of the
Ward girls, with whom they lived, at
Hold Dust, and Alice, was the cause of
the tragedy. Alice had visited the girls
at their homo, but their married sister
took exceptions to her actions on the
occasion of hor visit, and sent her
home with a note to her mother, which
explained that there could be no long
er any intimacy between Alice ami her
sisters. Tho Ward girls followed the
instructions of their older sister, and
after they bad turned the cold shoul
der on Alice. Then Alice became des
perate. Fieda Ward had sent back the
ring which Alice had given hor. and
their correspondence, which had hith
erto gushed with love, was brought to
a sudden termination. Miss Johnson
testified thnt after that Alice was never
herself until after she had killed Fre-
I da. a thing that she had more or less
I openly tlucatcncd to do before the
I murder occittred. One sensation after
1 another follow d In the subsequent In
vestigation of the case. Alice Mitchell
I h.ul received letters from the postnf
' lice from Freda addicssed to Je-w
I James and other noted criminals. H
developed that she had always shown
; a marked propensity for Imitating men.
She would shoot sparrows with a rllle
and tide horses bareback at a break
neck spcdl. and often donned mens
clothing, though for her opposite sex
she had always preserved a hostile at
titude, devoting all her attention tc
K
VSP
P- A -
- '.v
V
V'( .-
FKKDA WAHD.
girls, and Freda Ward in particular.
The night after the murder Alice and
Miss Johnson slept In each other's
arms, and In tho morning appealed
cheerful and much refreshed. In fact,
It seemed that neither fully realized
what had occurred.. They chatted mer
rily. During the day Alice asked
wliero Freda was. and when she was
told by the jailer that she was dead she
bogged to be allowed to go and see
her. When refused she broke down
and cried for the llrst time, ami plead
ed that all she wanted was to bo al
lowed to Ho down beside her in death.
She appeared Inconsolable.
At the coroner's luquest Alice admit
ted that she hail killed Freda because
she loved her. and that she had found
It impossible to give her up. She said
that they wore to have been married,
and that they had planned to go to St.
Louis to live. She said that she had
reasoned it all out and concluded that
she would rather die herself than to
live apart from Fredo. Tho prosecu
tor endeavored to bring out In the evi
dence that she had killed her school
mate for other reasons, hut failed, and,
after one of the most remarkable and
sensational cases over in history, tho
Jury brought In a verdict of "present
Insanity," and the pervert was remand
ed to tho asylum at Hollver, where she
died. Miss Johnson was dismissed, as
It was clearly proved that bIiq had
nothing. whatever to do with tho mur
der. After being committed to tho
asylum Miss Mitchell suffered more or
loss fiom melancholy, and on two oc
casions endeavored to end her unhap
py existence. When not depressed she
was apparently as happy as a child,
and amused herself In the most Juve
nile ways. She was never violent or
hard to handle. Confinement, how
ever, seemed to fret her, and she gradu
ally pined away, death dosing her ter
rible career when she had scarcely
crossed tho threshold of womanhood
Itcltlilerc
Whllo traveling in New York stat.
lecently Mrs. Helva Lockwood, who
once ran for tho presidency, was rude,
ly roused from a reverie by hearing a
brukeman open n door and shout what
hounded to her llko "Helva, dear!"
Hor Indignation was only cooled down
when tho train stopped at a small tow
hearing the name llelvidere.
Itiillllni; Tree.
In ono of tho Canary Islands there li
a tree of the laurel family that oc
rasloually rains down In the carl;
evening quite a copious shower oi
water drops from Its tufted foliage. The
water comes out through liiniinierablf
little pores situated at tlio edgo of thf
leaves.
In Hprlln tho pawnshop Is a royal In
stitution, and Is not allowed to mako r
profit. Its aurpliis goes to charltabp
purpose.?.
..vs
II
V
MK. FRANK THOMSON.
MASTER OF TRANSPORTATION
JN THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
lit' lli'Kiin I. Iff III t tin Mn limilcul Do
imrlnifiit unit I In WurLcil IIU Wuy
t'l l Itl'KllIt of lltunl .1 iiiIk tIK'll I
Hunt ii ill tlir I'mprr Tlmi',
UHSIDF.NT Frank
Thomson of the
Pennsylvania rail
load, who has been
p.illul on by Sepie-
'-
L.tv'
t '.
WW f -ft' Will charge of the mill
f . fiiia"1- tar.v lullroade, Is
no new mum in
this brnuih ot
h I s profession.
i. Atiiirt fiom helni: a
thorough railroad man. Mr. Thomson
has had pi act leal experience not only
in handling troops In time of war, hut
in tin actual construction of military
railroads and telegraphs,
When the gieat war of the lebelllon
puiiieou it found .Mi. Thomson a .vouth
of 20 hard at work In the shops of the
Pennsylvania road, learning tho details
of the mechanical department of rail
loading. Thomas A. Scott, the thou
president of the great road, had been
made assistant secretary of war lit
charge of the war transpoitatlou. The
gieat Scott knew young Thomson's
ability and lapadty ami made him
his chief lieutenant. The young man
was sent to Alexandila. Va.. which was
then occupied by the federal troops,
and lie quickly leentisti noted the shops
and the equipment of the Orange ami
Alexandria and of the Louden and
Hampshire roads, which the confeder
ates hail left behind. The work he did
there elicited the highest praise fiom
the denartiueiit in Washington.
As tho troops advanced young Thom
son was met with larger and more dllll
eult piohloms, all of which ho solved
quickly .anil thoiottghlv. He built new
roads. put up new telegraph lines, ic
poiistriicted bridges, built new ones,
and lepalred old toads which the con
federates had partlj destroyed. He
FRANK
assumed entire responsibility for the
work, and the direction of all these
Important undertakings devolved upon
him alone.
This early training made him not on
ly familiar with the necessities of the
situation that confronted him, but de
veloped In his character that master
ful resource which has carried him up
In tho service of the vast system that
employed him until, about a year ago,
he was made president ot the road. In
Thomas A. Scott, whoso services to the
government during the civil war were
of Inestimable value, Mr. Thomson
found n warm friend and an apprecia
tive superior ofllcor.
Mr. Thomson returned from his mili
tary work a true soldier. He had shar
ed tho perils and privations of the
army, and was admired and inspect
ed by officers three times his age. Mr.
Thomson Is a Ponnsylvanlan by birth
and Is Ii" years old. His father was a
noted Judge, legislator and educator In
the early part of tho century.
Up llnrlril Tcnly-To Ulien.
No-wa-she Jack Pots, an old Indian,
who icsldes with his four squaws on
Snake creek in tlio Creek nation, Is one
of tho greatest living curiosities In this
country. Ho Is said to bo 109 years
old, but, judging from the different
events which ho claims happened with
in a lifetime, he must bo even older.
The most remarkable feature about No-wa-sho
Is that ho has already lost two
tots ot teeth and now has grown a
tltird set complete. His hair in jot
black, with no signs of turning gray,
his step Is firm and hearing erect; he
has hurled twenty-two wives and Is
now living with four. He was origin
ally a Delaware, but w:ib captured by
the Apaches when young and held for
a number of years; he was adopted by
tho Muspogees when a middle-aged
man and has been regarded as tho old
est man In tho tribe for tho past thir
ty years. No-wa-she Is treated with
tlio greatest reverence by the members
of tlio tribe, who regard him as a su
perior being, and the crafty old fellow
doesn't hesitate to take advantage of
their superstitions by accepting all the
favors they feel disposed to bestow up
on him. -rushing (Col.) Herald.
There aro no shade Hops and ham-
mocks scattcied along the road that
leads to success.
Vv "
CARRIER PIGEONS IN WAH.
Tlie ItlriN Vtiiv He I Mil on llniinl Putrol
I
limit ii Mi'i'H;i'rH.
The experiments which the French
r.Mveriiiuent Is now making with ear
lier pigeons ate not novel, though fiom
the scientific way In which they are he
lug conducted It Is believed that new
data as to the ellloienoy of tin so swift
birds as inossoimeis in time of war
may he gatheied. Simitar experiments
have been made In this country recent
ly, notably those under the manage
nient of Howard (.'inter of the naval
homing pigeon ervlce of New York,
It Is calculated that the pigeons lly at
a taie vaivlug ftotu :'() to CO miles an
hour. This means that a message
fiom a hip '.'no miles at sea might be
sent to the home loft In from four to
live bonis. Fur Instance, If the pi
geons vveie i doused from a scouting
vessel to give warning of the approach
of an enemy's vessel or licet, they could
heat tho average patrol boat to shore
by 1(1 to 1'J hours over a '.'(Hi-mile
pouise. Such advance warning would
bo of gieat value In an emergency. It
Is proposed, In case of war. to place
crates of these pigeons on board the
fastest patiol boats which may lie as
signed to outside duty.
Mr. Carter's method of training pi
geons illlfers materially from that of
a few yeais ago. He tiles his birds
singly or In palts at distances ranging
from' Id to 100 tulles from tho home
loft. When they ate reteaM'il In pairs
he sends a slow hiul with a swift one.
lie found that the old st.vle of taking
a basket full of birds and leleasltig
them at vaiyiug distances in lots of
10 to l.'i didn't lit the pigeons for swlf:
llights when they wen released singly.
! The Ni vv Yoik loft broke the i coord for
i 1.10 miles in I Silt!, and It is believed that
If the necessltv for using pigeons nrbes
those from this loft will do good hcr
vice to tills port. New York Sun.
HONEY UEE POISON.
Inli'l-i'slliiK i:il'llllirnlH .Mnile III 111'. .Iii.c
Vinurr, ii tirriiiin M'lrnlM.
The chemical ami toxic piopertles ot
th" poison of the honey bee have been
a subject for long study by a Gorman
THOMSON.
scientist, Dr. Jose Zanger. During his
li.vestlgatlons Dr. -anger employed t!fi,
000 bees. lv found that the fresh poi
son was dear, like water, of an acid
reaction, bitter taste, ami of a lino aro
malic llavor. On evaporating and dry
ing at a temperature of 100 degrees
centigrade CMU degrees Fahrenheit), a
gummy residue is left. It is soluble
In water; with alcohol It forms an
emulsion-like mixture.
The aromatic odor is duo to a vola
tile substance, which disappears on
evaporation, and is not poisonous. Tlio
poisonous constituent is not destroyed
by short boiling, nor by drying and
heating the residue to 21U degrees Fnh
lonhelt, nor by tho diluted adds or al
kalies. Dr. Zanger has proved the ex
istence of formic add, but he has also
proved that there is not the poisonous
principle. Tlio latter Is an organic
base, soluble with difilculty In water,
but kept In solution by an acid.
On tho healthy skin neither the bee
poison nor a L' per cent solution of the
poisonous principle has any effect, hut
they act as powerful Irritants on the
mucous membranes. His tests, made
on rabbits and other animals, show
that when the poison Is brought in
contact with tho eye there follow Inch
rymatlon, hyperemia, cliemosls, and
croupous membranes In conjunction.
The general condition Is nlsn affected;
tho animals become melancholy, take
no food, but aro very thirsty, and tho
urine shows small amounts of albumen.
A (iuii'N (irlm lllnlory.
A correspondent of the Atlanta Con
stitution, "who fit tin ough the war,"
writes: "Will a man bo allowed tc
carry the gun ho prefers In tho war?
I have one that saw service In every
battle of tho late war, and which, to
my certain knowledge, has killed 120
men. I parried a notebook with mo
tho first two years of the war and kept
count, till It got to be such an or Unary
thing that I lost interest in it. Hut I
know that it has killed 120, am) that
It Is in as good lighting trim now as it
was then. I havo come to have an af
fection for It, and If I enlist I hope
they'll lot me carry it with me. i'n
getting rusty and needs exercise,"
It doesn't matter very much whether
I n nnm moots his wife downtown or a
I holp-up man on his way home.
AH0AM) TIIM PKKIX.
THE CALIFOHNIA REGIMENT
GOES TO MANILA,
A fnrrni'11 Ilriiinnxl rntlnn - A Trntiiiirt
Ship Itriilwn II h I'lrnt Cuf-Kiinf iiti1lrr
Tun VrMirln .Mil) t.rim1 Sin I'luinUio
fur tin- 1'tillliiliii'H Ttulu.v,
Ran I'iiaxcisco. May SI.- California
aid pood by to her First regiment of
volunteers this morning as thry
marched gaily forth from the Presidio
to start on their long journey to Ma
nila. Tho men left camp nt ( o'clock
and marched to the l'neitlo Mall dnclc
where the big steamer City of I'ekin
lay ready for them, lly noon the sol
diers were all on hoard and before night
everything will bo in readiness, fot
their departure.
The farewell demonstration by the
people of San 1'raiieiseo will long be
remembered by the soldlerMif the First
regiment. Kvery street lending from
the Presidio to the Paollle Mail dock, a
distance of about live miles, unsllncil
with people, who, after tho soldiers
passed, followed in their vvaho and
marched with them to the docks.
At Van Ness avenue the cut ire police
force of San Francisco was in waiting,
and fell in ahead of the soldiers. The
hitter were in heavy marching order,
carrying blanket rolls mid loaded
knapsacks.
At Pacitle avenue the naval reserve,
signal corps and National guard stall
ofllcers were in line and presented arms
lis the soldiers went by. Then thc.v.tnn.
marched to the dock. As the regi
ment proceeded tliroiij.li the resilience
district on its way down town the
crowd grew thicker and thicker.
There was one continuous roar of
cheers, Hags were waved frantically
and people along the line, as the.v
recognicil some friend among Ihe
soldiers, rushed out and grasped him
by tho hand to say good by. Many
weeping women followed along after
the soldiers, as though loth to let them
out of their .sight. Kven men were not
iiNhamcd to show their emotion.
As the marching men nearcd the
water front bombs were Hred, steam
whistles blown and every device Imag
inable for making a noise was put into
full operation.
In vain the police nnd the mounted
signal corps attempted to keep the
crowd back. They would not lie de
nied ami rushed to the dock in the
wako of the soldiers.
At tho dock the volunteers were
marched on board the transport with
out delay. It took considerable time
for each man to be consigned to his
quarters, but this task was accom
plished with little confusion. After
tlio soldiers vere once on board the
ship the police with ditliculty cleared
the dock, and the gates were hhut. All
day, in. w ever, a big crowd hung about
thu dock, in the hope of getting one
more glimpse of the men who are going
to sail 0,000 miles to light for their
country.
Tho First regiment of California vol
unteers is commanded by Colonel
lames F. Smith and consists of 1.0SO
ofllcers and men. To-morrow the Sec
ond regiment of Oregon volunteers,
one batalion of Fourteenth infantry,
United States regulars, and a detach
ment of California heavy artillery will
board the steamship City of Sydney,
and it is probable that the Peking and
Sydney will depart in company vvliei;
biippllc arc taken on board.
ON HER WAY TO MANILA.
Tlir C'lmrlrnton Nullril I'min Sun
lrrun-
rUm uitli Ammunition.
c
San Fiiaxcisco, Cab, May SI. The
Charleston Is well on her way to Ma
nila. Tho big cruiser passed through
the Golden Gate at B;','0 o'clock yester
day morning. Kvery steam vessel in
the harbo rblovv an revoir to Captain
Glass and his crew. None of the forts
In the harbor saluted the vessel, but
the demonstration made by the 0,000
soldiers gathered at the Presidio wius
tremendous. When the vessel was
sighted coming down the bay the
Holdiers gathered on the lieach
to bid her bon voyage. They lined the
beach for a mile and cheer upon cheer
rang out from the men who arc to so
soon follow the Charleston to the scene
of Admiral Dewey's triumph. The
Charleston's big siren answered the
boys on the beach time and again and
the whistling was heard from one end
of tho city to the other. Never has a
war vessel leaving this harbor received
ouch a send-off as was given the
Charleston, which was tho first of the
American fleet to Ihj built on tho Pa
cific coast. She was launched from the
Union Iron works in this city ten years
ago and was ono of tho "nest eggs" of
the present American navy.
For Sampiion unit Dkhtj-.
Rkadi.vo, Pa., May 84. On a rush
lelegram from Washington, tho Car
penter Steel works late last night sent
150 thirteen-inch projectiles destined
for Sampson's fleet. These weigh
1,200 pounds each ami will go through
ouythlng Spanish afloat. Over 800
projectiles of somewhat smaller size
are on hand and they go to San Fran
cisco for Admiral Dewey at Manila.
The thirteen-inch projectiles are popu
larly known hero us "McKiulcy's
peacemakers."
Amrrlmni Iluil to Kctlr.
Madiiiii, May 24. An official dis
patch from Havana says: "Two Amer
ican warships attempted to force an
entrance at Isabcla Sagua, near the
mouth of the Sagua river, Santa Clara
province, on tho North coast. Tho
troops were massed upon the shore am)
compelled tho Americans to retire.''
IlllniiU Ni-hihi'ii fur Pittiipanii' I'leet.
Ciiicaoo, May 84. Two hundred and
five members of tho Illinois naval re
serve will bo sent to thu Gulf coast to
morrow. It Is said they will Iks given
a chance to bcrve with Admiral Samp
tou'b licet.
THE FIRST NA AL
LBigSON.
llic Ariutiml riilcr 1'rnvo to
Moil U ii mil 1 1. v
Wasiiinoton. May 21.- As a result of
the maneuvers executed by tho Span
ish licet under command of Admiral
Corvera. future naval constructors will
give t lie armored cruiser u prominent
place in the types adopted for offensive
warfare
This, perhaps, is the best lesson
taught up to this time by the war with
Spain. Such is the opinion of naval
experts since iluiirul Corvera, with bin
speedy squadron, arrived ten days ag(
at Martinique It marks tho downfall
of the theory so strongly advocated by
Captain ('. 1". (ioodrieh. now In com
mand of the Yale and formerly profes
sor of the Naval War college, that the
armored ember had no plr.ee in mod
ern navies.
"Captain (ioodrieh Is now probably
convinced of the value of armored
cruisers." said a naval otllcer, "In view
of the fact that, as commanding ofllcor
of the Yale, he has been scouting for
the licet since a few days before its ar
rival at Martinique.
"The armored cruiser is nothing
niori than a swift sea-going battleship
Japan recoguies this fact and Is tho
only nation t tint was quick to take ad
vantage of such recognition. Her les
sol was learned at Yalu. where her
protected cruisers of great speed and
equipped with rapid firing guns, drove
from the scene of battle the Chinese
battleships of slow speed anil thick
armor.
"That the ic-on was well learned is
shown by the fact that Japan inline'
diatelv placed contracts with the rin-
stronfs of Lnghiud for the construc
tion of si bat th". hips of great speed
In order to get the speed desired, IS
knots, with the protection the arma
ment spivttli'd by the mikado's govern
ment, it was necessary to make thf
ships of great displacement. Two of
them, the Yashimn and Fuji, which
are now on their way to Japan, are of
l'.'.IMi tons displacement each. Tho
biter ships have a displacement of 14,
s.Mi tons each. On their trials the Ya
sbinia and Fuji developed speeds of lS..r
and I'.i.S knots respectively.
"These vessels are really the develop
ment of the armored cruiser type.
What would we now give for such ves
sels under the command of Hear Ail
uiiial Sampson'.' Two of them, with
the New York and ilrooklyu, would bo
aide to destroy or drive away Admiral
Cervera's squadron. This government
in building the Iowa obtained a type in
sonu respcits similar to tho armored
cruiser, lint her speed Is only 1(1 knots,
and under pre -cut conditions is prob
ably but I a or It.
"Since tlie war began wo have been
usini; vessels for purposes for which
their types iiusu'tted them. For in
stance, the Indiana anil Massachusetts
nre coast dcfci.se battle ships. Yet
they have been sent to sea cruising for
the ei.emv when they were really in
tended lor defensive purposes. Thou
wo have been employing harbor defenso
monitors for blockading purposes and
for offensive warfare, the result being
to cripple the maneuvering quality of
our fleet ami handicap Itear Admiral
Sampson seriously in his offensive, tjtid
defensive operations. Our ship build
ing policy is all wrong. The country
has gone on the theory that n defens
ive navy was all that was necessary.
The present war teaches that an offens
ive navy is absolutory required.
"The necessity of target practice in
time of peace is apparent when wu
think of the tiring of the Spaniards at
Manila, at Matan.ns and at San Juan
upon the American squadrons. We
knew ls-fore the war began tho desira
bility of employing smokeless powder,
but unfortunately Congress failed tu
make the necessary appropriation when
it was recommended several years ago
and the department had to fall buck
upon brown powder.
"I think Congress will now agree
that docks are the crying necessity at
this time. Although none of the bat
tleships are capable of greater speed,
than 10 knots an hour, under present
foul conditions they can probably not
steam at a greater rate than 12 or 1.1
knots. The divers who have been sent
down to Key West from Norfolk will
be able to scrape the jiropellcrs clean
and thus increase tho speed of tho
ships, but they will not remove tho
barnacles off the bottoms of the ships
to any great extent, for it is impossi
ble for them to do good work under
SPAIN'S FLEET AT "CADIZ.
Ono Ci-nlMH-'" Mntn Ilutterjr Is Nearly
l'lfH, Owing to Defective Mnclilnorjr.
Ni:w York, May 84. A dispatch from
Cadiz says: It is stated here very pos
itively that the Pelayo, Carlos V, three
of the transatlantic steamers ar,i two
torpedo lsmls are about to sail for tho
Philippines.
Tho Pelayo Is well armed, armored
and manned The Carlos V is well
arinoml and manned and has good
guns, but hor heavy ones forward will
not swing, owing to defects in tho ma
chinery, and can only be flrcd directly
ahead.
The captains of theso boats aro good
men and experienced, but Admirul
Camara is regarded by naval men as
difficult to work with, giving orders
and contradicting them almost in thu
sumo breath.
OUR TROOPS NOW IN CUBA.
l"rt Kipcilltlon From tlio United 8tnte
K.ilil to Iline I.itmleii.
Chicaoo, May 84. A special from
Macon, (in., says: "Unless some acci
dent has befallen tho I'nlted States
transport Florida, thero arc now
I'nitcd States volunteer troops on thu
island of Cuba, or they will bo thero
within a few hours. From accurato
infomation obtained hero to-day it
can be stated as a fact that the first ex
pedition toward Cuban soil has started
uud the outlook is for u successful trip.
fto tlio
i
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