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. .
