t
The Hemineford Herald.
38
VOLUME IV.
HEMINGFOKD, BOX BUTTE COUNTY,, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1898.
NUMBER 17.
IV
fi 1
1
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Fir
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WORK OF HEROES ON THE U. S. SHIPS
STORY OF THE EXTRAORDINARY BRAVERY OF THE CREW OF
THE MERRIMAC TOLD BY CADET POWELL.
ONE OF THE MOST DARING FEATS IN NAVAL WARFARE
Lieutenant Hobson and His Soven Men or Iron "Nerve and Patriotism
N.o.v Rank Side By Side with the Greatest Naval Heroes.
"Wnshlngtoii, D. C, June C The navy department has posted the
following bulletin: .
"Mole, Haytl, June 1. Succeeded In sinking the Merrlmnc In the chan
nel of Santiago at 4 p. m., June 3. This was enrried out most gallantly un
der the command of Naval Constructor Hobson and seven men. Uy a Hag
of truce from the Spanish admiral Cervera, sent In recognition of their
bravery, I am informed, all aie prisoners of war, two slightly wounded.
Request authority to approve exchange, If possible, between these nnd
prisoners at Atlanta. Six of the Spanish squadron In the harbor of San
tiago, unable to avoid being captured or destroyed. SAMPSON."
Port au Prince, Haytl, June !. During a tiemendous bombardment of
the fortlllratlons of Santiago de Cuba by the American squadron to at
tract the real purpose In view, beginning about 3 o'clock Friday morning
the collier (a coaling ship) Merrlmnc, Lieutenant Hobson commanding,
with seven seamen, dashed over the torpedo mines, through the terrltle
firing fiom land batteries and powerful guns on the Imprisoned Spanish
warships to a selected spot in the harbor entrance, turned the vessel
crosswise In the neck of the harbor and deliberately sunk her to the hot
torn. It was as successful ns it wa8 a desperate effort to so obstruct the
outlet of the harbor that it Is Impossible for any of tho Spanish licet
to escape.
Just inside the entrance the channel Is so narrow that a vessel as largo
as the Merrlmac sunk there would make It Impossible for Admiral Cer
vera's skips to pass on either side. she went down "perpendicular
(a pic). An officer, an engineer and six seamen were taken prisoners.
Only the funnel and mast heads of the sunken vessel can be seen.
There was great excitement In the city. A part of the population as
slsted in the fighting on the heights. Everybody is astounded at the nu
daclty of the American vessel.
The American squadron was cru8inf nil the while In the offing.
The Merrlmac was a collier vesHei 0f 5.3G2 tons, and was copable of
carrying 5,000 tons of coal. She wns purchased by the government from
Jefferson Hogan of New York, an,, unlike most of the colliers which
have been purchased, she was not rennmed, but bore the same name
in the navy that she sailed under When owned by Mr. Hogan.
The officers of the Merrlmnc vere Commnnder James M. Miller, com
manding; Lieutenant W. W. Gilmer, executive; ensign, J. M. Luby; ensign,
J. It. Y. Blakely; assistant entneer r. k. Crank.
Now that Admiral Sampson has thoroughly blockaded the entrance
to Santiago harbor and penned Admirnl Cervera and his ships Inside he
can leave Commodore Schley In front of Santiago with a few ships nnd
can take the remainder of his fleet to Puerto Itlco to operate with the
military expedition against that isan(
Mole St. Nicholas, June 6. The name
of Hobson has gone on the list of
American heroes with Lawrence and
Paul Jones, Perry and Cushtng and the
rest. ,
For It was Lleutcant Richmond P.
Hobson of Alabama who took the big
collier Merrlmac right Into the channel
of Snntiago, in the face of the fire from
all the Spanish ships and batteries,
and there deliberately sunk his vessel
to keep Cervera in the harbor until
such time ns the Americans get rendy
to capture him and his ships of war.
Thursday night Admiral Sampson
decided to send the Merrlmnc In and
blnk her at the channel's narrowest
I'nrt- , , ,
He called for volunteers, explaining
that It was a desperate mission, death
being nhnost certain for all those who
ventured in.
SHOWED THEIR METAL.
Then the navy showed the stuff it
is made of. Admiral Sampson wanted
eight men. He could have had every
officer and man In the fleet. Every one
ina vha.a linn rpndw
Manv begged for the chance with
tearful eyes. But Hobson and seven
others were selected, and the rest had
to content themselves with giving the
heroes a cheer ns they went to their
death or fame.
Just before 3 o'clock Friday morning,
the collier, deeply laden with ballast
material and some coal, was headed,
without preliminary maneuvering,
straight for the entrance, over which
the remaining batteries of Morro frown
from one side, nnd, those of Socapa
from the other.
DASHED INTO THE HARBOR.
In the dark of the early morning the
Merrlmac, without a light showing
anywhere, dashed well in the line of
the foitlficatlons before she was dis
covered, our ships thundering at the
enemy s batteries to uiveii men in
tention from the collier.
The eye could not follow the Mer
rlmac, but the ear soon told that she
had been detected by the Spnnlards,
for the fire from up the chanenl showed
that every possible gun was being
brought to benr on her.
The Spaninrds may have also en
deavored to destroy her by the mines
they are supposed to have In the har
bor, but If the attempt was made It did
not succeed, for the Merrlmac went to
the point which Admiral Sampson had
directed Hobson to take her to. There
hhe was anchored and coolly swung
across the channel.
Thn Hniisnn blew a hole In her bot
tom, and with his seven men, only two
of whom hnd been Injured, took to a
boat. . .
All that Is yet known of that heroic
dash, beyond these bare facts, comes
from Admiral Cervera himself.
The Spanish commanuer sem worn
of the Merrlmnc which led him to send
out the flag of truce and the offer of
an honorable exchnnge.
Mole St. Thomns, Hnytl. June fi
(With the American fleet, off Snntlngo
de Cuba.) All the members of the Mer
rlmnc exnedltlon are safe. Only two of
them were slightly Injured, and their
names are not known. Lieutenant Hob
son wns not hurt. All of the Merri
mnc's men are held as prisoners of
war.
The news of the wonderful escape was
sent to Renr Admiral Cervera. the
Spanish admiral, who wnsso struck
with the courage of the Merrlmac's
crew that he thought Admirnl Sampson
should know that they had not lost
their lives.
Admiral Ceveia's chief of staff. Cap
tin Ovledo. boarded the New York un
der a flag of truce, bearing the an
nouncement of vhe safety of the Mer
rlmac's men, and returned with a sup
ply of provisions and money for the
prisoners.
The men who accompanied Lleuten-
Lleutennnt Cushlng in 18G4. The ad
miral Is Just ns glad as the youngest
Jackie.
Clausen, the New York's coxswain,
went on the Merrlmnc ugntnst orders.
Nothing could have kept him from
Hint trip Into the Jaws of death.
It Is possible that the Spaninrds will
try to blow up the Merrlmnc, but Im
probable that they will succeed.
Speculation Is rife as to the exact
details of how Lieutenant Hobson mnn
uged to blow himself and ship up nnd
live to tell the tale.
At quarters last night on the New
York Chnplnlr. Koyce. praying before
the bareheaded crew on deck, thanked
God for having preserved Lieutenant
Hobson nnd the men under him
CADET POWELL'S STORY.
Cadet Powell, who was the last man
to see Lieutenant Hobson before his
start, and who had chaige of the
launch during Its perilous trip, nfter
much needed sleep told the story of
his experience. He said:
"Lleutennnt Hobson took it short
sleep for a few hoiirs, which wns often
Interrupted. At 1:45 he came on deck
nnd made final Inspection, giving his
Inst Instructions. Then we had n lit
tle lunch. Hobson was as cool ns a
cucumber. About 2:30 1 took the men
who were going on the trip In the
launch, and started for the Texas, the
nearest ship, but had to go back for
one of the assistant engineers, whom
Hobson finally compelled to leave.
"I shook hands with Hobson the last
of all, and he said: 'Powell, watch the
boat's crew when we pull out of tho
harbor. We will be cincks, rowing
thirty strokes to the minute.'
"After leaving the Texns I saw the
Merrlmnc steaming slowly In. It was
only fnlrly dark then, and the shore
was quite ylslble. We followed about
three-qunrterB of a mile astern. The
Merrlmac stood about a mile to the
westwnid of the harbor, and seemed u
bit mixed, turning completely around,
Finally heading to the enst It rnn down
nnd then turned in. We were then
chasing him because I thought Hobson
hnd lost his bearings.
"When Hobson wns about 200 yards
from the harbor the first gun was fired
from the eastern bluff. We were then
half a mile off shore, close under the
batteries. The firing Increased rapidly.
We steamed In slowly and lost sight of
the Merrlmac In the smoke which tho
wind carried off the shore. It hung
heavily.
"Before Hobson could have blown up
the Merrlmnc the western battery
picked up and commenced firing. They
shot wild, and we only heard the shots
We ran in still closer to the shore nnd
the gunners lost sight of us. We heard
the explosion of the torpedoes on- the
Merrlmnc. . .
"Until daylight we waited jubi oui
elde the breakeis, half a mile to tho
westward of Morro, keeping a bright
lookout for the boat or swimmers, but
saw nothing.
"Hobson hnd arranged to meet us
nt that point, but thinking that some
one might have drifted out, we crossed
In front of Morro nnd tne mourn oi me
harbor to the eastward. k-
"About 5 o'clock we crossed the har
bor again within a quarter of a mile
and stood to the westward. In pass
ing we saw one spar of the Merrlmnc
sticking out of the water. We hugged
the shore Just outside of the breakers
for a mile and then turned toward the
Texas, when the batteries saw us and
opened fire. .
Tt wna Ihon hrnnrt daylight. The
first shot fired dropped eightly yards
COL. W. J BRYAN
THE GREAT NATURAL BORN
GENERAL APPOINTED.
VIFQUAINANO MERGER ALSO
of severnl of the' lines nro opposed to
Sunday excursions on moral grounds,
and they will probably not be run, This
Is so, I think, with the Burlington, the
Union Pnclllc nnd the Northwestern
systems, nnd they comprlsa the strong
est llticH Into Omnha."
DON'T BUY PAWN TICKETS.
LIEUTENANT -COLONEL AND
SURGEON ARE SELECTED.
Nebraska's Third Roglmont Is Do
ing Quickly Recruited with Men
Drawn From tho Flower of tho
Stnto.
THE MONEY POWER
CAPTURES U. S. SENATE BY A
DECISIVE VOTE.
nnt Hobson on the Merrlmac were: j nstern, but the other shots went wilder.
te, J. .
Dnnlpl Montncue. George Charett
E. Murphy, Oscar Delgnan, Jonn r.
Phillips and John Kelly, all non-com-missloned
officers or enlisted men.
The daring officer attempted to iur
in nfter daylight on Thursday, nnd
was only stopped under protest nfter
stern orders to return from the ndmlral.
All day yesterday the preparations
proceeded, and by nightfall tho craft
was In rendlness. A row of torpedoes
hnd been arranged outside the null, so
that Lieutenant Hobson could explode
them from the bridge of the vessel and
thus Insure its rapid sinking.
At nightfall the various ships of the
fleet passed the doomed Merrlmac,
cheering It lustily. Hundreds of men
and scores of officers volurteered for
the duty, and Captain Merrill, who has
been commnnder or the .Merrimnc. ueg
ged of the commander to be allowed to
go. but Lieutenant Hobson wanted only
six men.
By 10 o'clock nil but the men who
were going on the dnngerous errand
hnd been taken from the Merrlmac,
and the collier took a position near
the New York, to nwalt the approach
ing hour.
It wns an Impressive night among the
men of tho fleet, for few expected that
the members of the little crew would
see another sunrise. The night was
cloudy, with fitful lightning flashing
iiptwpen the hostile lines, and show
ing the grim shadows of the battle
ments. Soon after 3 o'clock the black
hull of the Merrlmac began to drift
slowly toward the land, nnd In a half
hour was lost to sight.
It was Lleutennnt Hobson s pinn to
ALL CUBAN CABLES CUT.
steam nast Morro. swinging crosswise
tn Aiimlrnl Samnson. under a flng of ho channel, drop his anchors, open the
truce, of the capture of the eight Amer- vaives, explode the torpedoes on the
lean dare-devils.
PRAISED BY CERVERA.
He gallantly praised their heroism
nnd offered to nnnnge an exchange for
Spanish prisoners now In the hands of
the United States.
From the boat bearing the flag of
truce It wns learned that the Merrlmac
was frequently hit while steaming up
the narrow channel, but not one of the
shots disabled her.
More thnn a hundred projectiles
struck near her, over a dozen struck
home, nnd two of her intrepid men
were bruised by splinters from the
woodwork.
whpn Hobson left the ship In the
bont he made an effort to row out of
the harbor and regain the American
Jleoi out he had gone too far up the
channel, nnd he soon saw that the
efTort to pass Pll the aroused batte.rles
In the then daylight would mean the
sncrlflce of nil his crew.
Soon he turned and rowed straight
for the Spanish squadron. Some shots
were still sent nfter the boat, but be
fore long the Spaniards saw that Hob
son evldenly intended to give himself
up, and ceased firing.
The American lieutenant rowed
strnlght to the Almirante Oquendo and
surrendered to Admirnl Cervera. who
received the prisoners courteously and
trented them with the respect due gal
Innt men who were prisoners of war.
It was undoubtedly his admiration
for the heroism displayed In the dash
tiort side, lenp overboard, preceded by
his crew, and mnke their escape in n
little lifeboat which was towed astern,
if possible, and if not, to attempt to
swim ashore. All the men were heavily
armed, ready to make n fierce resist
ance to capture.
STORY IN DETAIL.
Lleutennnt Hobson appears to have
can led out his plan to the smallest
detail, except as regards the method of
psenne. The rowbont In which the crew-
wore to attempt to escape was either
blown up or shot to ple:es. ror lleu
tennnt Hobson nnd his men drifted
ashore on an old cntamarnn which was
slung over the ship's side at the last
moment as an extra precaution.
Upon reaching shore the men were
taken prisoners and sent to Santiago
city under guard. Later they were
taken to Morro castle, where they are
now.
Captain Ovaldo, Admirnl Cervern's
chief of staff, who boarded the New
Yrrk under a flag of truce, did not
give further details of tho capture.
The bravery of the Americans evi
dently excited a much ndmlratlon
among the Spaniards ns It did aimng
the men of the American fleet.
The prisoners will be perfectly safe,
nnd will probably be well treated while
they remain In Morro castle.
The fleet Is wild with delight tonight
ever the termination of the most daring
expedition since the destruction or the
confederate Ironclad Albermarle by
The La3t Strands Binding Cuba to
Outside Word Severed.
Off Santiago de Cuba. June C (Per
the Associated Press Dispatch Boat
Wnndn. via Kingston. Jamaica, June fi.)
The last cable strands binding Cuoa
to the outside world were 'ut Friday
afternoon by a cable vessel convoyed
here by the United States dispatch gun
boat Dolphin. This black sea crab
delved all day nlong the const, hour by
hour, nnd Its powerful claws at length
brought up the barnacle-clustered cable
strands and snapped them, nnd tonight
Cuba is wholly Isolated.
The first cable picked up was inai
running to Kingston. The coast loop
connecting Santiago and Guantannmo!
was then cut. Proceeding to Guantn
namo the cable vessel finally grap
pled and severed the Hnytien cable
This ends the cable cutting operations
begun a month ago, when the Marbli.
head and the Wlndom lost five men
In n fight off Celnfuegos. where three
enbles were crippled anS severnl hun
dred Spaniards were killed by shells
from the warships. Afterward the St.
Louis and Wamp.itue cut the San Juan
de Poito Rico cable at Santiago. The
strands cut wete only the ones remain
ing, exceot n few const loops, and these
will probably be severed In a short
f lrnn.
The cuttlnir of these cables Is almost
ns serious for the Spnnlards in coast
towns ns the cutting of foreign enbles.
the land wiies connecting the coast
towns being wholly at the mercy of
the Insurgents. Therefore, in the event
of Amerlcnn troops landing In Cuba,
the absence of the coast loops will ser
iously Interfere with the hasty mob
llizatlon of the Spanish troops.
DYNAMITE THE MERRIMAC.
Lincoln, Neb., June 7. Governor Hol-
comb on Saturday Inst caused the
following declaration to be made:
"Adjutnnt Gonernl's Office, Lincoln,
Neb., June 4, 1898. General Order No.
20: The following regimental nppolnt-
ments for the Third regiment, Ne
braska volunteer Infantry, have been
determined upon nnd are published for
the Informntlon of nil concerned:
Colonel, Wllllnm J. Bryan, Lincoln;
lieutenant colonel, Victor Vlfqunln.
Lincoln; surgeon, with rank or mnjor,
S. D. Mercer, M. IX, Omalm. By direc
tion of the governor,
II. P. BARRY,
Adjutant General.
There nro menstrous few men In a
great and healthy state like Nebraska
whose minds nre so dwarfed as to
Impugn the motives of Colonel Brynn
and his nssoclntes In organizing n regi
ment to be placed nt the disposal of
President McKlnley. The Washington
Post snyH:
COLONEL WILLIAM J. BRYAN,
"It appears that Mr. Bryan may get
his regiment nfter all. We hope he
will. He has come forwnrd at his coun
try's call, anxious to serve It In any
useful way, and has devoted himself to
the crentlon and organization of a Ne
braska regiment. He hns not vaunted
himself. He hns displayed no spirit of
vanity or ostentation. While hordes
of popinjays favoilte sons, proteges of
great men, curled darlings of society
clamored for staff positions or big com
mands, Wllllnm J. Brynn, with more
nblllty thnn nny hundred of them put
together, has gone to work modestly
and without eelf-seeklng. He recruited
a force nnd it wns taken from him. He
persisted nnd got another force. Tho
newspnpers have made fun of him, his
enemies have sought to cover him with
ridicule and derision. He has taken
no notice nnd has pursued hla purpose.
Now there Is nnother Nebraska regi
ment nnd both the soldiers and the gov
ernor wnnt Bryan to command It. We
trust It may be so. Mr. Bryan Ih young,
he Is patriotic, he has courage, nerve,
brains, Inltlntive, equilibrium There Is
nothing discreditable In his ambition to
lead a regiment of his fcllow-cltlzens
In this emergency. We do not know
where Bourke Cochrnn, Billy Bynum
nnd the rest of tho spluttiing heroes
who deserted the democratic party two
years ago, are at present exhibiting
their prowess We do wnow, however,
that Mr Brynn Is trying to do his part,
nnd we believe that he Is worth more
to the country nnd deserves more nt
Its hands than any of them."
Lieutenant Colonel Vlfqunln, with his
mllltnry record and well know qualities
ns a soldier which gained for him not
only thnnks from officers and congnss
for bravery in action, but for ihnt other
quality hardly less essential, the nblllty
to so hnndle a regiment of volunteers
that they were referred to ns "models
of discipline," will be nn Ideal com
mander of the First battalion and sec
ond in comnmnd or the regimem.
Dr. Mercer has been a resident of
Omnhn so long nnd prominent hi the
business life nnd growth cf the west
In such n mnnner that he Is recognized
ns one of the representative men nmong
those who have built up the state.
These selections have been made, as
the others yet to follow will have to be
made, from a long list of npplicnnts,
among whom are scores of nnmes of
men known from one end of the state
to the other ns standing nt the head
of their communities, In professional,
In business enterprlhe and in social life.
Fiom the number nnd character of
those offering their services In this regl
ment It is evident that the task has not
been to Hnd lit men for the positions,
but rather to select from the numbers
every way fit the few that are needed.
Reports are being received dnlly by
the adjutant general and the governor
from the company commnndeis and re
cruiting officers In temporary charge of
the twelve companies of this regiment.
All except two or three are already im
parted as lecrulted up to the maximum.
One of the leports todny received wns
from J. II. Brown of Wakefield, and In
It he says that his company Is re
cruited up to the 10G limit nnd can be
concentrated at that point In four
hours' notice. Similar reports are coin
ing from other companies, and many of
them are having the lecrults carefully
examined by surgeons and rejecting all
who do not come up to the require
ments of the army regulations.
Tho Old Gold Watch Pawn Tlokot
Trick at Work.
Omnhn, June 7. A unique method
of swindling by menus of a pawn check
nnd tho connlvnneo of a pawnbroker
wns brought to light by tho arrest of
a rustic looking man, who gave tho
name of John Williams. The prisoner
wns arrested for obtaining money from
Charles Bookman, a chance acquain
tance, by finud. The method employed
by the swindlers Is this: A sharp, keen
man dressed ns a former 1m inplned
by a pawn broker to go about the city
with a bunch of pawn tickets supposed
ly repiesentlng pledges for watches
valued at from $2G to $100. This man
selects a piospectlve victim nnd tells
him a story of ill luck. He exhibits
a pawn ticket for a very valuable watch
which he will sell for $1. The watch
Is In pawn for perhaps $10. The victim
buries to the pawnshop to redeem the
watch. Here is where tho pawnbroker
comes In for his share of the transac
tion. Upon prescntntlon of the pawn
ticket, which, of course, Is a bogus
one, the pawnbroker hnnds out nn an.
tlqunted timepiece that Is not worth
25 cents.
Five of these pawntickets nro said
to have been disposed of by Williams.
The pawnbroker he Is snld by the police
nnd Bookman to be working with Is
Gross of 51G North Sixteenth sticet.
Gross' methods were ordered Invest!
cnted further bv Police Judge Gordon.
The watch which Bookman redeemed
for $8 he said was not worth a package
of cigarettes. After he hnd thoroughly
examined It, he said he took It bnrk
to Gross and demnnded his money back,
and the latter nfter much conciliatory
talk surrendered the money.
THE SUGAR-COATED PILL
SPEAKER REED TO CUT OFF
ALL GOOD FEATURES.
Tho Taxation or Corporations to
Bo Fixed In Conference Commit-too-
Infamous Bond Proposition
PulllnRThrouBh ns Per Program.
NEBRASKA TROOPS NEXT.
Tho Long Delay Prolongod Another
Ton Days.
Snn Francisco, Cal., June 7. The or
ders from Asslstnnt Secretary of War
Melklejohn to get the Nebraska regi
ment away on the next expedition to
Manila caused wild Joy In the cami.
of those volunteers. It Is only tempered
by newH that thlB movement cannot
possibly take place before ten days.
Everybody hoped to get started by the
middle of this week, but It Is said that
It would be criminal to senu unnccu
mated men over with insufficient ac
commodations. None will be sent until
transports are no fixed that men can
live comfortnbly on bourd both on the
trip nnd after reaching the Philippines.
This Is not the case now, and were
the troops herded on nonru unuer me
present conditions it is deemed certain
nn epidemic would break out. l'lve
ships will go The Colon, Chlnn, Cen
tennial, Zealandla and Ohio.
Tho first move Indicating the Ne,
brnska troops are sure to go was made
Saturday morning. Colonel Hughes rig-
Idly Inspected tne trim rxenraHKu icKi.
ment, and said he was surprised at
the way It showed up. It Is better
equipped nnd better drilled than he
thought. He snld It was a fine regi
ment. Men were In heavy marching
order.
NEBRASKA NAVAL RESERVES.
FIvo Hundred Younsr Men of the
State Given a Chance.
Washington, D. C, June 7. Assistant
Secretary of the Navy Allen stated to
Colonel Stnrk of the Fourth Nebraska
district that 500 naval reserves would be
accepted by the navy department
should so many men oe ennsieu nom
that state. The paw of a nnvnl reserve
Is SIC per month nnd found. They nro
nonnui nt nomfortnble quarters, free-
dom from malaria, pure wnier anu
other features not given those In the
army, especially an army of invasion.
Secretary Allen said that If companies
of navnl reserves could be raised in
the state he would detail a surgeon to
make the necessary physical examina
tion, and they would nt once be sent to
Join the auxiliary fleet. Congressman
Stnrk has written a letter to Governor
Holcomb, outlining what Inducement
the navy holds out for young men desir
ing to learn sometning nnoui me on
Uncle Sam's ships, and believes the op
portunlty should not be let slip.
, - . '
YOUNG STARK ENLISTS.
Dons AHompt to Clear the Chan
nel Crazy Yankees.
Port au Prince, Haytl, June C It Is
learned from Santiago that the Span
ish engineers have been endenvorlng to
dynnmlte the wreck of the Mcrrlmao
and clear the channel, so that Admirnl
Cervera may put to sea if oportunlty
offers or if nnother Spnnlsh fleet bhould
come to relieve him. Meanwhile. th
Insurgents are closing In on the city, as
If momentarily expecting an oiiuck uy
the Americans.
There Is n report In Snntlngo that a
great army of Americans Is being
landed nenr the harbor's mouth. There
has been a rumor here thnt the Amerl
can battleships had forced the entrance
to Snntlngo bay and engaged Admiral
Cervera's bquadron, but Snntlngo de
nles this, and reports everything quiet
since the Merrlmnc episode, except for
a skirmish with a small band of In
surgents In the suburbs.
The American prisoners nre still on
the Spanish flagship and there Is much
curiosity to soe the men who are called
crazy Yankees. The officers on the
ships will not permit the prisoners to
be annoyed, however, and are treating
I them well.
OMAHA SUNDAY EXCURSIONS
Railroads, Because of Moral nnd
Other Scruples, Say Not Yet.
Omnha. June 7. The matter of run
ning Sunday excursions Into Omaha
during the next few months hns been
considered by the rallrouds converging
here, and it cannot be said that there
Is nny likelihood of such a movement
belnc stnited right away. The general
passenger ngents of all the big lines
prefer to work up travel for the week
day excursions to the exposition, aim
special efforts are now being made for
big crowds here on Nebraska day. Illln.
ols day and Missouri day. From rail
road reports there will be a close racb
among the sons and daughters of these
three states to see which can turn out
the biggest attendance.
One general passenger agent. In
speaking of the Sundny excursions,
said: "I do not see nny chnnce for them
Just now. We prefer to emphasize the
week-day excursions. They nro better
for the city and for the exposition.
The people cannot trnde at the stores
here on Sundays, nnd there nre very
few that will not take a day or two
off to attend the exposition. The heads
Congressman's Son Joins a Naval
Batalllon at Washington.
Omaha, June 7. Luclen Stark, son of
Congressman W. L. Stark, now repre
sentlng the Fourth congresslnl district
of Nebraska In Speaker Reed's con
gress, has enlisted In the naval battal
Ion, District of Columbia, at Washing
ton. D. C., which Is now with Its 200
plucky and enthusiastic men on the
high road to success.
Young Stark, Nebraska representa
tive In District of Columbia naval bat
talion, Is a fine young man and will
no doubt follew In the footsteps of
his father In rellecting credit upon him
self nnd the people he assumes to represent.
Lydia Corey, a 15-year-old girl, Is In
the custody of Police Matron Ryan nt
Omaha, According to her story the
girl has beon criminally Intimate with
four men. She snys she was enticed
into a wine room on Sherman avenue
last Wednesdny night, drugged and as
saulted, and that the offense was re
pented Thursday and ngaln Friday
night of Inst week, but by different
men. A complaint hns been filed
charging a man named Brown with an
alleged criminal nssoult. The girl will
be sent to the reform school.
Rnllrond cars can be quickly unloaded
by n now machine, which Is provided
with a section of tubing large enough
to receive the car, which runs in on
two rnlls, after which the tube Is lifted
and rolled upward at an angle until
the top of a chute Is reached, an open
ing In the tube permitting the load
to fall Into the chute.
Washington, D. C, June C By n voto
of 48 to 2,7 the senate passed the war
tax bill nt 7 o'clock Saturday evening.
The bill, with its neatly 200 amend
ments, Ib sent back to the house with
i he usual addition of a conference com
mittee on the part of the senate named
In advance Senators Allison, Aldrlch
and Jones of Arkansas.
The house adjourned until today after
a brief Besslon Saturdny, but It is
confidently predicted that the meas
ure will be out of conference and be
come a law before Saturday night of
this week, Mr. Dlnglcy says by
Wednesday night.
As It stands the hill, it Is estimated
conservatively, will raise as much ad
ditional revenue as the Dlngley act
Itseir. Numerous schedules will ralso
more than 110,000,000 encl..
So sweeping Is the measure that
even such experts as Aldrlch and Alli
son will not venture to go into detail
as to the extent to which the revenues
will be nffected. The war taxes of tho
'COh afford no safe basis for an esti
mate, as In the last thirty years tho
business of the country has multiplied
out of all proportion to the lncreaso
of population.
Three amendments ndoptcd will af.
feet tho producing power of the bill
to the extent of millions. Senator
Tillman's amendment which was
adopted taxing all tea Imported after
July 1 10 cents a pound will produco
rs.ooo.ooo.
SWEEPING STAMP TAX.
The Shllton nmendment extending
the stamp tax to all articles of a
proprietary character sold at retail In
packages carries an elephant In Its
stomach, the size of which passes
estimate. If accepted in conference,
not less thnn $10,000,000 additional may
be looked for from this source alone.
The tax of 2 cents on each sleeping
enr ticket sold will probably fall on
the sleeping car companies, ns It la
not expected that exnetly that addi
tion will bu mnde to each ticket, al
though It Is suggested that by a read
justment of certain distance rates the
tax can, us usual, be shifted to tho
public.
An amendment of some Interest to
newspapers was the exception from tho
stamp tax of newspaper express pack
ages weighing less than 100 pounds.
In conference four-fifths of the sen
ate amendments w'.ll be accepted or
adjusted at comparatively little fric
tion, ob they ar. admittedly Improve
ments of the mea3u-es. But on about
twenty, there will be considerable dis
cussion, MAY BE MODIFIED.
The Btamp taxes will be accepted
almost as they passed the senate with
the exception of thn Chilton amend
ment, which will, as one senator ex
pressed It, tax everything in "enclos
ures, from a box of tooth picks to a
herd of cattle In a ten acre lot." It Is
regarded as too sweeping a proposition.
The express, freight and telephone
stamp taxes .nay be further modified
In the direction of simplicity, but will
remain In substantial form as they
are under the senate amendments
Senator White's nmendment placing
a tax of Vi per cent upon the receipts
of oil and sugar refining companies
Is doomed. The mnjorlty of the con
ferees are against It, claiming that
these companies are peculiarly able to
shift any tax Imposed on them directly
to the consumers of oil and sugar.
The Wolcott amendment providing
for coining the seigniorage will have
no friends on the majority side of
the conference, but the attitude of the
senate is rather stiff backed In favor
of the proposition and It is popular
with western representatives, so It
may be saved, despite the objictlon.
of Secretary Gage.
The senate bond proposition is re
garded as In much better f m than
the draft In the house bill an 1 It will
go through conference unchanged.
The vote on the revenue bill was as
follows:
Yens Aldrlch. Allison, Baker, Bur
rows, Caffery, Carter, Chandler, Clark,
Davis, Deboe, Elklns. Fairbanks, For
nker, Frye, Galllnger. Gear, Gorman,
Hnle, Hannn, Hansbrough, Hawley,
Honr, Kyle, Lindsay, Lodge. McBrlde,
McEnerney, McMillan. Mantle Mason,
Mitchell. Morrill, Murphy. Nelson, Per
kins, Piatt (Conn.), Piatt (N. Y.),
Prltchard, Sewell. Shoup, Spioner.
Thurston, Turpie, Warren, Wellington,
Wetmore. Wilson, Wolcott Total 4S.
Nays Allen, Bacon, Bate, Berry, But
ler, Cannon. Chilton. Clay, Cockrell,
Daniel, Harris. Heltfeld. Jones (Ark.).
Jones (Nov.), McLnurln, Mallory. Mar
tin, Money. Pascoe, Pettigrew, Pettus,
Rawlins. Roach, Stewart. Sulllan,
Tillman, Turley, White Total 28.
Omalm, Neb.. June 7, It will be ob
served that the above press dispatch
has a great deal to say about "war
revenue bill" and tax on corporations,
but nothing about the Infamous $500,
000,000 gold bond clause of the bill.
According to the above report those
senators voting nay are opposed to the
"war revenue" bill and especially to
the corporation tax features, when in
truth they favored forcing the corpora
tions to bear their Just portion of taxa
tion, and are voting against the crime
of saddling upon the people a stupend
ous unnecessary debt a debt deliber
ately created for the purpose of giving
the mopsy power a firm and more pow
erful hold on the United States gov
ernment and its people.
It will be observed that the senate
amendments taxing corporations have
yet to be passed upon by Speaker
Reed's republican congress.
It Is the greatest victory the money
power has achieved since the demone.
tlzation of silver in 1S73.