Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 1900)
o ° A Story Illustrating g I " CHAPTER VI. ( Continued. ) As they wnlkcd toward the door nayburn's cyca foil on the dark bulk 01 the dond hyena beside It. A curi ous expression passed over hln face. Ho touchod"'lho dead bcnBt with hla ' > ' foot. "What's this. Cloland-a dead dog ? ' "Rather a dangerous Iclnd of dog , " answered Clolhnd , Binlllng. "It Is hyoim , nnd would linvo inndo short work of ino If 1 hud not happened to he beforehand with my rifle. " "Lucky for you. 1 thought I heard a shot us I came round ; but fancied i hail made a mistake afterwards , " nald the other , with a peculiar Inton ation. "An ugly customer to deal ' to have es with , and you're lucky caped.Well , are you ready ? " They went out Into the moonlit night. Cleland led the way up from the camp. "I'was tempted by another follow to take a look around before wo turned in , " ho said , as they walked on as quickly niTtlio sand would permit. "Wo thought wo might happen to fall on some traces of the Baggara. Wo got Into a jungle , and had the greatest difficulty In finding our way out. In the thickest part of It the other fellow tripped and toll , his rlflo went off , and ho shot hlmuclf right through the nhouldor. It's a nasty wound , and , .though . I did the best I could to bandage - dago It , I'm ratlior afraid ho won't bo able to keep It still. I ran all the way back , and have not roused anyone , 1 was In such a hurry to got you up to him. " Cleland thought this account a little inconsistent with the leisurely way in which ho had seen Major Rayburn wandering round the camp ; but he said nothing , and the two men hur ried on together. The ground became less arid as they did so. An occasional mimosa-bush dotted the sand. Presently they came in view of what was evidently the Jungle , "You are done up , I can see , " said Hayburn , suddenly pausing to look at the other. "I have a ilask with mo. Will you take a little ? " "I am all right , thank you , " said Cloland , quietly. "I do not take alco hol , you know. " The other made no remark , but stepped on , Cloland following. In a few minutes they wcro in the very heart of-tlio scrub. An almost'fmpcno- trablo Jungle It was , whoso sharp mi mosa-spears caught the Incautious traveler by the clothing , pierced it through , and pierced the flesh with a thousand sharp , thorny pricks , over whose rough half-grass Ills feet stum bled and tripped at every step , and whoso huge twisted ropes of creeper flung ; down straggling tendrils over his neck and shoulders RO that ho was caught like a fly in a spiders , web. " This is becoming almost Impassa ble ! " Cloland exclaimed. "Wh'oro is your , wounded man , Major Ray burn ? Is ho anywhere near here ? " "Wo were quite as far as bore , but looks to me as If I had lost iriy bear ings , " Eaid Rayburn. Ho paused and seemed lost lu thought | then started suddenly. ! "All , I sco now ! This palm tree was our guide , I remember that. This is the way , Dr. Cleland. " Ho turned aside to the loft , leading Clelaud more into the heart of tjio Jungle than over ; then ho paused again. "Will you stay here for a few min utes while I run on in this direction , doctor , and sco If there is any trace of my poor companion ? I begin to fool quite uneasy. Have a cigar while 1 am away ; they are the best Havanas. " Cleland agreed , and stood waiting while the other went on , and soon dis appeared from sight , Cleland heard him calling "Vanburgh ! Vanhurgh ! whore are you , man ? " for a few min utes ; then his voice died away and there was complete silence all around. CHAPTER VII. How long ho waited ho never after wards know. It might have boon nail an hour , it might have been more. But suddenly a strange sensation be gan to crqcp over him , a sensation of most extraordinary drowsiness , which he seemed unable to combat. Ho had taken one of Rayburn'o prof fered cigars , thinking it would bo un gracious to refuse , and feeling , more over , that ho would bo the better for one after that long tramp and the fa tiguing scramble through the jungle. He was smdklng It as the feeling of drowsiness crept over him. Ho made a courageous effort to shako it off by trying to move about as well as his limited space would al low. Once or twice ho shouted Ray- burn's name nt the pitch of his voice ; but no answer came back. "I may ns well sit down , " ho thought at last. "I feel ns If my limbs would scarcely support me. " A little knoll of the rough half- grass formed a. temptation ; ho yielded to It and sat down. In a few minutes the- whole of his' surroundings the Jungle , the thought of Rayburn and Ills wounded friend faded away into nothingness ; drowsiness passed Into unconsciousness , and Cloland slept. When ho awoke it was daylight- nay , more , the sun was high In the heavens , and was pouring down the ' full' heat of his rays upon the tall palms , the mimosas and asaslas sur rounding Clolnnd. Ho started to hla t i : I Ijl . - \ feet with a etHled exclainatlon and looked at his watch. "Is It possible I can have been asleep for 10 hours ? It Is now 2 o'clock ! And Hayburn , what on earth has hap pened 16 him ? " ' ho ejaculated , look ing round in a confused way. Presently the bewilderment passed , and ho began to understand his posi tion more clearly. Ho wun alone In the bush , having slept for 10 hours. Rayburn had ut terly disappeared. Ho had never come back , that 'was quite evident. If ho had done so ho would have awakened Cleland. What was Cloland to make out from this ? It was some time before ho came to the conclusion that ho had been delib erately deceived by Rayburn , and led Into this unhappy position for pur poses of Rayburn's own. Cloland was not a superstitious man , and ho was too honest and upright himself to think evil of others ; but ho could ar- rlvo at no other conclusion. What had caused him to sleep so soundly ? Ho remembered his sudden drowsiness a very unusual condition with him. Was It possible the cigar given him by Rnyburn had anything to do with that ? Ho remembered now he had noticed a somewhat peculiar llavor , not unlike that known to the hashish cater , about it. Ho had thought nothing of It at the time , but now the rem m- brnnco confirmed his worst suspicions. Kor some purpose of his own Ray- burn had deliberately led him into the jungle , drugged him , and then left him there , to whatever fate might overtake him. Hut what could his purpose have been ? Suddenly It flashed upon Cloland that the camp had expected in all probability It would be called upon to march forward to Hudl to-day. If that wore the case , the brigade would have loft at break of dawn at least eight hours before this ! Would they have noticed his ab sence ? It was highly improbable. Paul Cleland was a brave man , and as ready to face a day's hard marcher or a sharp brush with the enemy as any old and seasoned soldier ; Hut at the prospect of a solitary march over that desolate and nathlcsn dnnnrt. In utter Ignorance of the direction taken by the army , his heart sank. What if ho should take the wrong direction , and get further and further Into the unknown depths of that vast sandy lesort "a dry and thirsty land where no man Is" and wander there aim lessly , fruitlessly , endlessly , until thirst and starvation did tholr work , and ho dropped on the torrid sand , never more to rise from It , only to leave Ills bones bleaching there , where never a human eye should see or pity ? Cleland roused himself from these thoughts with a shudder. His first effort must bo to get put of the jungle ; its second , to find the camp. "If they're really gone , " ho thought to himself , "time chough then to in- .1 ill go , ln these ghastly anticipations. And oven If they are why , I must make a bold effort to make up with them. " Getting out of the jungle was easier said than done. Rayburn hud made that as dlfllcult ns possible by turning and twisting several times instead of taking a straight path. Hut It was accomplished at last , and Cleland found himself in the open once more. Ho know in which dlrqction the camp lay , and a quarter of an hour took him down to the deserted village. Alas ! his worst fears were realized. Not a tout , not a man remained ! Like the Arabs themselves , the whole bri gade had , In the early dawn , silently folded their tents and as silently passed away like dreams of the night. Cleland stood still for a moment , a sense of sickening disappointment coming over him. To lind oneself ut terly alone In that vast , unknown des ert , with no human companion , no chart to guide the way , nothing to cater or drink , no hope of over again seeing a human face , save tlnough one's own unaided efforts , is enough to appall the stoutest heart. But Paul Clolund bad the obstinate and determined nature of his country people. Nothing , but death Itself would over make him give in when once ho made up his mind to a thing. Ho paused a few minutes to take his bearings. Ho had a llltlo pocket compass with him , and by that alone ho could hope to guide himself. Once ho decided which , direction to take ho marched forward .without hesitation. Walking In the 'deSo'rt Is slow work. By C o'clock Cleland calculated that ho had walked 10 miles ; but he was no nearer the moving brigade for any- thlng'ho could make out. At sundown a sandstorm arose. Cle land had bcen , In QUO before , but this seemed to bo the most terrible expe rience he had yet been through. The sand blew In his face , and soon formed a hard crust over It , which cracked painfully with every muscular motion ; his eyes wcro bloodshot , and he could hardly see ; his throat felt as If It wcro llllcd with gravel. Ho was chok ing with thirst , and his mouth was parched like a bit of cinder. The blue sky was hid from his view ; the plain beneath was a mere 'whirling mass ho could see nothing but sand. Presently it thinned a little. The night was now coining down rapidly. Looking right ahead , through the whirling clouds of black dust like cayenne popper In appearance , ana qulto as disagreeable Clolnnd saw something which made his heart leap. It was n long line of stationary llghtal ' i : f I J ' He had no doubt now but Unit ho had come In sight of the English' camp. Ho spurred on , hope lending him strength taiid swiftness. In half on1 hour ho jwas quite closa to the encampment * Th'cni ho paused , a strange , uneasy feeling possessing him. him.Could Could this bo bis own. ' ramp ? It consisted In the center of a long zare- ba , protected by what scorned like a jungle of mimosa and palm , thickly Interspersed' half-grass and'crcep- era. As ho approached ho saw that In front.libra ( was a deep trench and a stockade. At either end there , wore a few tents , not unlike those to which Cleland was accustomed. Ho stood still , a chilly fear creep ing over him. Suddenly , as It they had sprung out of the ground' , two tall figure's stood" , ' one on cither sldb of him , and two immense brown hands gripped each ono of his nrmsi Clolnnd turned quickly towards ono Of his assailants , and saw a tall , dusky Jlguro , clad In a dark and dirty "Jib- beh , " or upper garment , loose draw ers , and on Its head a plccq of'rolled cloth , somewhat resembling the Turk ish turban. The face beneath was dark and sinister. Cleland could no longer have any doubt on the subject. IIo was In the hands of the enemy ! , IIo had aufJlclont knowledge'of the language to explain. "Where arc you taking me ? I nm an Innocent man ! " "Cursed be all Christian dogs and Inlldcls ! " exclaimed one of his cap tors. "Allah II Allah ! You are a spy , and the Khalifa will hang you , ns he has hung others ! " "Are you taking mo to the Khalifa ? " exclaimed Cleland , only able to under stand half of what was said. The man made a brief assent , and then , pointing his lance at Clcland's breast , made him come on. There was really nothing else for It but to allow himself to bo led forward , and Cleland submitted without any resistance. He was dragged on by his captors , whoso savage looks and tones showed clearly that they had no feeling save that of bitter hatred against the man who wore the dress of the hated Eng lish Inlidcl. In a few moments Cle land found himself entering the zareba by means of an opening concealed be- blnd brushwood and mimosa-thorn. Inside the zareba ho was dragged across pits and trenches , between lines of florco-fnced. nloomv-oved dervishes. Who sprang to their feet , lance in hand , past huts , donkeys and tethered camels , on to a central hut , which ho guessed must bo that of the Khalifa. The door was open , and the next moment he found himself In the pres ence of the ruler of the Soudan , the man who had such terrible reason to hate the accursed white race ac cursed both for their unbelief and for thqlr determined attempts to over throw his power. A straw mat lay on the floor In the center of the hut ; on this reclined the Khalifa. Ho looked up as his soldiers entered with tholr prisoner , but made no attempt to rise. Cleland mot a pair of cold , merci less black eyes , set in a thin , dark face , keen as an eagle's , and as cruel , without wincing or wavering. The Khalifa waved his hand towards his men , who began an excited oration , most of which Cleland could not un derstand ; but one word ho could make out , and that was "apy. " ( To bo continued. ) DolU-iito Surglcitl Opnnitlon. A celebrated astronomer sufterod acutely for over twelve years from an unknown trouble In his leg. The surgeons did not seem to be able to diagnose his caso. Ho llnally went to the Johns Hopkins hospital at Balti more , and an examination by two young surgeons showed that the lame ness was duo to a diseased nerve in the leg. The patient was told that the operation would bo painful , and In the nature of an experiment , as it had been tried only once before , In France , hi which instance it was successful. The patient refused to take anaesthet ics , as ho desired to witness the oper ation as far as possible. The leg was opened and the nerve was found to bo diseased , and the patient directed the surgeons to cut it out. The nerve waa entirely removed , the wound closed and In ten days the patient was able to dress himself and walk about the hospital , and ho Is now able to go up and down stairs and walk half a mile at a time. The Cliilm AVn < JUHllllml , Visitors to the Paris exposition may have noticed over one of the restau rants the inscription , "Icl on parlo toutes los Inngucs. " Those who are familiar with the results obtained in French restaurants where "Anglais" Is spoken will naturally bo rather skep tical about this comprehensive claim to speak all the languages under the sun. A visitor recently remarked to the manager : "You must have a great many Interpreters hero. " "Not ono/ ' was the reply. "Who , then , speaks all the languages ? " "Tho customers , monsieur. " New York Chronicle. Truth's Clinrnotorlzntlou of I-ntndorf. According to London Truth , Count Lamdorf , who Is spoken of ns successor ser to Count Mouruvteff of Russia , never goes Into society , and hardly has any friends. Ho lives in apartments at tlio Russian Foreign olllce. Why should a clock bo arrested for striking the hour ? THE STATE Bold Raids Being Made on State Funds by Fusion Officials. ARE PAID fOR SERVICES NEVER RENDERED How High Up Officials Have Promoted Treasury Raids Fresh Bread for Officials and Stale Bread for Inmates. BEATRICE , Neb. , Aug. C. Last week's report concerning the manage ment of the State Institution for Fee- bio Minded V outh at this place only gave n brief recital of the facts. There are other facts relative to U hitherto unpublished which are wor thy of the closest consideration by everybody. FORAGING ON THE STATE. Not content with placing an army of Incompetents on the payroll , there Is positive evidence that , not only have favorites been permitted to furnish their relatives with bed and board , but they have been permitted to draw money from the public treasury for services never rendered. In this con- nctlon the name of Judge Sullivan again appears , and that , too , in con nection with a very questionable transaction. The facts are these : On the 8th day of August , 1809 , Miss Keat ing voluntarily tendered her resigna tion as matron to Superintendent Lang. On that day she gave up her keys , moved all of her effects and left the institute. She notified the superin tendent that she had resigned. The salary of the matron Is $ GC.G6 per month , and a voucher for ? 17.23 , the amount due for eight days' service , was made out , and Miss Keating signed It. This voucher recited the fact that It was "hi payment In full for all serv ices rendered the state. " It was sent to the Board of Public Lands and Buildings for approval. But It was never approved ; It was abstracted by somebody and made awny with. Ho also Informed the governor that he did not believe Miss Keating would do such n thing. "Well , " said the governor , "just send her a voucher made out for the full amount and sec what she will do. " Again Superin tendent Lang Informed him he would do nothing of the kind. "I will sign the voucher on the back in blank. " said the superintendent , "and I will leave the matter of making the fraud ulent claim to Miss Keating. " Super intendent Lang did this very thing , and he also ot the same time , on learn ing that Judge Sullivan was mixed up in the matter , sent the following letter - tor to Judge Sullivan : "BEATRICE. Nob. , Oct. 7. 1S99. "Hon. J. J. Sullivan : "My Dear Sir I learned from some rources that you nro not satisfied with the disposition of Miss Abigail KeatlnK. Your letter of Inquiry to mo a short tlmo aso was courteously and kindly answered. I stated to you the facts that Miss Kent- IIIR resigned her position and turned over her keys of this Institution on the 8th day of August , 1899 , and that she moved all of her belongings then from this Insti tution , and has acted In no way since ; that she then notified employes of this In- HtltuUon that she hud resigned , that I did not dismiss her , and that at that time It was made public In Beatrice that that was the case. I nnulo out said vouchers for the tlmo served and sent them to the secretary of state. Believing that she Is acting under your ndvfco I say to you that I am much surprised at the stand you take In this matter. That slit * has been tisod kindly and was advised rightly cannot be denied , that she resigned the 8th day of August , 1S93 , can be supported by the ullhlavlt of the employes of this Institution nnd the press of Beatrice , and that she 7ievcr returned to thlrf In stitution. I , am dealing In t\ls | matter for the state of Nebraska as I Would with Individuals , and I nm sorry to think that \\o have any man or woman In our ranks that would domain ! of me , who has loyal ly supported your honor , or ask any par ty to make any aflldavlt of service under such circumstances. I have forwarded her a blank for record for her to fill out which I presume she will , acting under your advice. 1 htivc the triplicate vouch er signed nnd receipted by her without any erasures , and If hiich clerical era sures appear on the original voucher ns Is often the case , I never had any Inten tion of filling out vouchers for nny more than time served. 1 often make the er ror In filling out for full month when part Is only served , so the original voucher corrected shows exactly what amount was duo for tlmo served. I think our party and state olllclals have treated you very kindly , and hope that you appreciate the kindness fnllv. Yours truly , "BENJAMIN V. 1..ANG. M. D. "Superintendent of Institute for Feeble Minded 'Youth. " At the same time ho mailed a vouch er signed In blank to Miss Keating , appended to which was the following caiifatic letter : "UEATniCE. Neb. , Oct. 17 , 1S99. "Miss Abigail Keating : "As 1 understand there has been some talk as to the amoimt'due you from this Institute. I have sent out vouchers for you to till out for tlmo nerved at this In stitution and on duty. You will fill out the Hiuno and swear to them. I trust that you will observe that It Is to be a matter of record , and also , that the man ner In which you left the Institution Is known to each and all. In my dealing with the state of Nebraska I observe the same rule that 1 would In dealing with Individuals. That you resigned your po sition here the Mh day of August. 1899 , and turned over the keys of your volun tary act , goes without dispute. I regret very much that any person of our party or of the state of Nebraska would ask mete to do an act of record that 1 do not deem prudent. I signed the voucher only on the back , expecting you to fill out for time served. Yours respect fully. "BENJAMIN F. LANG. M. D. "Superintendent. " One week afterwards Superintendent Lang received the following reply from Judge Sullivan , written from Co lumbus , Nob. , on a letterhead of the supreme court : SUI'HEME COt'R i' OP NEBRASKA. "COLUMUfS. Oct. 13 , 1M)9. ) "Dr. r . V. I-ang : "Dear Blr Your favor of recent dnto re ceived. My views of the matter about which you wrlto mo are these : Mlss Keating was matron of the Institution during August , She was ready and willIng - Ing to do the work Incident to the poM- tlon and was therefore , legally and mor ally entitled to receive -the salary. Re gretting that 1 nm obliged to differ with legurd to the justice of her claim , 1 re main , very truly yours , -J. J. SULLIVAN. " Miss Keating signed the voucher for the full month , swore to It , and re turned It to Superintendent Lang to bo forwarded to Lincoln. Superintend ent Lang refused to have anything to do with It and sent It back to her. She then sent it to Lincoln , but there must have been quite a wrangle over It , as It was not allowed until Octo ber 30th and was not paid until No vember 27th. ( See Voucher B. 40S03. ) Appended to the voucher Is n letter from Governor Poynter to Auditor Cornell under date of November 23 , in which the governor says : "So far as I am Informed Miss Keating wrta matron at Beatrice utiil entitled to her full salary until September 1. Evi dently n mistake has been made In allow ing Miss Keatlng'.t voucher for salary from August 1st to August 8th , and then afterwards allowing her a full month for August. She should bo allowed for her full month for August , but not double allowance for part of the month. " It would appear from this that the first voucher for $17.75 had been al lowed before the scheme wag concocted to draw pay for the full month. If this was done , however , the records fall to disclose it. It fiav-j's somewhat of Millkln's "corn mr.tl" nnd it Is pj- slblo that It Is a problem of that char acter. Neither Is this the only Instance wherein the state treasury , has been looted by salary grabs of this nature. Under the superintendency of Dr. Sprague , who preceded Dr. Lang , a henchman of the fuslonlsts , ono C. W. Phelps , was steward. He was of a charitable turn of mind , especially In dealing with himself. The lirst thing ho did was to gather remnants of a large family around him nt the insti tute and feed them at the expense of the state. At times , the Phelps fam ily was well represented at the festal board. The number Is variously esti mated at from five to thirteen , the records of the Institute being in such shape that nothing definite can be learned ns to the number of people outside the inmates living there at the expense of the state. True to tra dition , Phelps beramo obstreperous , re fused to obey the superintendent , and , after a period of month ? , during which time he kept the institution in turmoil , he abdicated. He was a Jiold- ever from the Holcomb administration , and his only iccommontlation was that ho needed the position to support his family. Shortly after Poynter entered upon the discharge of his duties Dr. Sprague went to him nnd laid the Phelps case In his hands. Poynter told him he had no Interest In Phelps any more than In thousands of other men , and that if Phelps was a disturbing charac ter ho should be summarily dismissed. Relying on this , Dr. Sprague gave Phelps thirty days notice to quit the institution. Phelps paid no attention to the notice. The first notice was given March 1st. On the last dav of March , seeing that Phelps had taken no action towards moving his effects , Dr. Sprague gave him a written no tice announcing his d smissal. This notice Phelps took to tin governor , and , though having authorized Dr. Sprague to remove Phe'ps , Governor Poyu4er , for some unknown reason , turned a complete somersault , and In stead of upholding the superintendent , told Phelps to return to the institu tion and stay there. He was relieved of his duties on the last day of March , but stayed at the Institute with his family until June 15th , at which time both he and Dr. Sprague rotlied. Hav ing nothing but spare t'me en his hands , PliPlps turned his attention to creating discord , going among the em- plojes and telling them that they might with impunity disobey the or ders of the superintendent , that he had a "pull" with Governor Poynter and would back them up. When the change came and Phelps had to go per fect bedlam relgnfd. However , since April 1st , Pbelps' salary had been held up. He had performed no services and was entitled to no pay. But he got his pay , and , like the Keating case. It was through the Instrumentality of Governor Poynter. Dr. Sprague resist ed payment of th3 claim , protested that Phelps had not worked at the Insti tute and was theicfoie not entitled to draw any pay , and , on learning that Governor Poynteras aiding Phelps in his effort to get the monpy , fll d with the auditor a sworn statement ( Sep tember 18th ) to the effect that he discharged Phelps April 1st , and that from that dnto until June 15th Phelps was neither steward nor employed In nn'y ' capacity at the Institute. That he ( Sprague ) did not withdraw any re quest on the governor for the dis charge of Phelps. nor consent to his remaining. That he made no request on the governor to discharge him for he discharged himself , as undf-r the law as interpreted by Holcomb and the State Board , ho had a right nnd the authority to do. In the face of this , Governor Poynter wrote the following letter to Auditor Cornell , being care ful , however , not to make oath to it : "I hereby certify that Mr. C. W. I'helps was steward of the Institute nt Beatrice until Juno 20. 1K99. Prior to that time Dr. Sprague , the superintendent , requested the removal of Phelps from the steward ship , but subsequently withdrew the rc- ( luent and agreed with me that Mr. I'helps shouhi be retained , nnd ho was re- t.Uned until Juno 20th. " \V. A. POYNTER. Governor. " Here It Is , one official under oath declares that Phelps was discharged April 1st and another "certifies" that he was not. The ono who made the oath was at the Institute and In charge of It , nnd certainly ought to speak ad visedly. The other was nt the capital at Lincoln , forty miles away , and had no way of knowing the facts other than by hearsay. There is a glaring inconsistency In the statements of the two men. Sprague says under oath that Phelps did not peiform the Berv- ices for which ho wanted pay , that he never consented to Phelps remain ing and that he never recalled his re quest for removal. Poynter "certifies" that he did. At any rate Poynter and Phelps car ried the day and Phelps. in addition to living with several of his family at the institute nnd doing nothing for nearly three months , was allowed and paid $222.21 , the full salary for that time. ( See Voucher B. 30102. ) OUTRAGE ON TAXPAYERS. Perhaps ono of the most shameful outrages that has been perpetrated on the taxpayers of the state by the fu- | j slon regency Is the maintenance of .tho "J name of Mrs. Thomas upon the puy roll of the state. Mrs. Thomas lias her name on the pay roll because , grid * t ) only because , she Is the mother'of State Oil Inspector Sprechor , who Is reputed to bo Governor Poynter's .irjpet trusted orderly. She Is a woman who has crossed the meridian of life , beIng - Ing about 60 years of ago. She baa held the position of matron , first'at Lincoln , then at Norfolk , and was from Norfolk transferred to Beatrice. At Beatrice she stubbornly refused to perform nny of the duties Incident to the position , and the duties of' ma tron are being performed by the wife of the superintendent , who draws a salary of $2o per month' . Thus , two N persons are on the pay roll for the same office , and the state pays $91.iG ( per month , simply that the mother tt a leading fusion politician may hnvo her name on the pay roll nnd live In luxury. The wife of the superintend ent Is not envious of her position and , according to her own words , she Is "forced to do the work in order to prevent disease , sickness nnd death among the inmates ns a result of filth \mcleanllncss , as Matron Thomas refuses to perform the duties. " Ever since she has beennt the Institute at Beatrice she has , with her 18-yeir- oltl daughter , lived luxuriantly In apartments at the Institute , drawn a salary of JGG.GG per month and refused to perform the duties of matron. Only a few weeks ago Superinten dent Lang resolved to submit to the Indignities no longer and summarily dismissed for Insubordination Matron Thomas , Miss Mutz , Miss Candee , Miss Brady , Miss Spanogle and Miss Larson. All provisions , or nearly so , arc sup plied by contraqts , and the rule Is to award contracts to the lowest blddsr. The evil of this is , that the contracts are let In omnibus form , and , as usual ly results , the state pays more for an article by contract than It could buy it for In the open market. By conspir ing with the steward a contractor can V- reap a rich harvest , and to all outside appearances It would be legitimate. STALE BREAD FOR INMATES. Considerable feeling has been aroused over the reported fact that Contractor Wolf , who furnished bread to the institute for the second quarter of the present year , delivered two kinds fresh bread for the officials and employes and stale bread for the inmates. When asked what became of his stale bread Mr. Wolf , without re alizing perhaps the force or signifi cance of the statement , replied : "I sell it to the institute. " "Do you sell two grades of bread to the institute. " "Well , some 01 it is better than the other. The old man ( meaning his de livery clerk ) takes out some fresh bread every morning , but I don't know whether he leaves any at the institute or not. What I send out there for the Institute is the unsold bread I get returned - - turned from the grocery stores. " "Do you ever take stale bread back from the grocery stores ? " "Yes. " "What do you do with it ? " "I sell it to the institute. " "Do you take back any stale bread from the institute ? " "No. " ' Other bakers arc required to sell" their stale bread , and do It every day , for five cents a barrel. It is used for food for hogs and horses. Not so with Contractor Wolf. He sold his to the state for $2.40 per hundred pounds. . When asked about It Superintendent ' Lang persisted in a flat denial and de clared that , so far as he knew , there was not a word of truth in it. He said that he and his wife used the same quality of bread supplied to the In mates. The bread received was re ceived by the steward and not by Su perintendent Lang and Superintendent Lang would therefore know little or nothing about the quality of the ma terial delivered. However , the author ity for the statement that stale bread was delivered Is Contractor Wolf , the man who delivered the goods. A DEPLORABLE SPECTACLE. To close the chapter , which is but a partial recitation of the facts , it is enough to say that the Beatrice Insti tute of itself presents a bitter arraign ment of the fusion party. It is not a pleasant subject for contemplation that this institute , designed to care for al most helpless and defenseless people , should be converted into a political mad-houso and maintained as a resort for broken-down politicians and party henchmen. It is bad enough that the state should be required to support an army of political parasites without having the treasury exposed to the rapacity and perfidy of this same ele ment. It is no doubt true that could the records speak they would disclose some startling facts. One instance is recited where a young lady , who was an official at the institute and who is nqw an official at another institute , disposed of about $30 worth of brushes manufactured by the Inmates and made no report of It , nor has she over paid over the money to the state. Thlg Is only ono Instance of dishonesty ; there are said to bo many others. ' 41 Odd rciinsylyunlii I , iw. By a peculiar arrangement of the Pennsylvania election law votes are not canvassed for the candidate for whom they are cast , but for the ticket or tickets upon , wlilqh his name ap pears. Thus in the election of Chester ( Chester is a strong republican coun ty and contains the town of Chester with its largo shipyards ) , both par ties agreed last year upon Joseph Homphlll for common pleas judge. Thbi Is the way the official canvass was declared : Joseph Hemphill , re publican , 8,102 votes ; Joseph Hemp- , hill , democrat , 4,371 votes ; Joseph Hemphill , fusion , .1,013 votes ; Joseph Hemphill , scattering , 374 votes. There was no other candidate In the field. Lived 1"3 Yriirg. In San Diego county , California , re cently there died at the great ago of 133 years Augustine , chief of the Se quoia tribe of Indians. He had ruled the tribe over 100 years , nnd in all that tlmo had never been Incapacitat ed by sickness for more than one day at a time. .