The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, February 24, 1905, Image 7
I r s f j h p V c 4 AFITT BY ARY 0EVEREUX CHAPTER XX The following day Lafitte accom panied by Pierre and Nato made a hasty trip to Shell Island where he fourfd all as he had left it and re ceived a hearty welcome from all his followers But when early in the aft ernoon he returned to Grande Terre it was to a scene of great excitement An English warship a brig was to be seen in the offing and a boat from it bearing a white flag was approach ing the island Lafitte went himself in a boat to meet the stranger which as he saw through a glass held besides its crew two officers in the English nav al uniform The officers introduced themselves as Capts Lockyer and McWilliams of His Majestys navy bearers of a mes sage from Col Nicholls commander of the forces in Rlorida to Capt Jean La fitte Commandant at Barataria I will take the message gentle men said Lafitte when they had stat ed their errand as it is not quite possible that you will be permitted to land oh the island At this the officers conferred with each other in low tones then the one who had introduced himself as Cap tain Lockyer and who was the senior of -the two addressed himself to La 1itte We cannot do this Our orders are to see Capt Lafitte himself and to place the message in his hands Very well gentlemen be it so re plied Lafitte But in that case I must insist for your own welfare that you go ashore in my boat leaving your own to lie off the island The Englishmen consented to this and the boats were brought side by side so that the officers might board the Baratarian craft The outlaws wondering and excited and with arms ready for use stood watching the returning boat wherein the hated English uniforms showed in JJSCBSANA mm ILLUSTRATIONS BT DOM C WL50N eaten place and I invite you on the following terms Your property shall be guaran teed to you and your persons protect ed in return for which I ask you to cease all hostilities against Spain or the allies of Great Britain your ships and vessels to be placed under the or ders of the commanding officer on this station until your pleasure is known but I guar antee their value in all events I herewith enclose you a copy of my proclamation to the inhabitants of Louisiana which will I think point out to you the honorable intentions of my government You may be a useful instrument in forwarding them there fore if you determine lose no time Should any inhabitants be inclined to volunteer their services into His Majestys forces either naval or mili tary for limited service they will be received and if any British subject being at Barataria wishes to return to his native country he will on joining His Majestys service receive a free pardon When he finished reading which he had done with a rapidity suggestive of carelessness Lafitte refolded the papers placed them in their cover and slipped the package inside his coat Capt Lockyer was the first to speak Now Capt Lafitte what have you to say to us that we may report to Col Nicholls He spoke cheerfully and confidently as if there could be no doubt of La fittes ready acquiescence in the pro posal Do these papers cover the entire matter demanded Lafitte ignoring the question Not altogether began Capt Mc Williams then he paused and looked at Lockyer as if preferring that the latter should explain This he did by enlarging upon the manifest and great advantages to re sult for the Baratarian commandant and his followers by acceding to the MaNnlaaMMniiiliMMwMMMiBMMaaiMaaMiMiMB Are we to understand sir that this is your decision seeming friendliness with their own fellows and leader But when Lafitte stepped ashore he bade them disperse and motioned his guests to precede him up the pathway leading from the beach They lost no time in doing this scru tinized keenly by the resentful and still puzzled outlaws who when the scarlet uniforms disappeared inside the fort with Lafitte began muttering among themselves as to the meaning of this strange proceeding Lafitte going to a buffet at one end or the room took from it several cut glass decanters and glasses which to gether with a large silver box filled with cigars he placed upon the table Permit me to offer you a glass of wine or brandy gentlemen he said Then you may proceed to talk for 1 am at your service I am Jean Lafitte the commandant if such I may be called at Barataria Both officers stared at him in undis guised amazement Then they again looked at one another but now as if for mutual comfort while they began to mumble confused apologies Proceed Lafitte repeated paying no heed to their discomfiture What do you want with me what can any English colonel have to say to Jean Lafitte of Louisiana that Jean Lafitte can care to hear Leaning back in his chair he folded his arms and looked steadily at the two men Capt Lockyer rose and drawing from the pocket of his coat a sealed package laid it upon the table near where Lafittes arm was resting There said Capt Lockyer resum ing his seat Is a most important communication intrusted to us by Col Nicholls for conveyance to your hands We have orders to await your answer The paper ran as follows I have arrived in the Floridas for the purpose of annoying the only ene my Great Britain has in the world as France and England are now friends I call on you with your brave fol lowers to enter into the service of Great Britain in which you shall have the grade of a captain lands will be given to you all in proportion to your respective ranks on peace taking proposition entering the service of His Britannic Majesty and placing all their vessels under the control of the English He added with much vpressiveness that besides the rank of captain in tne British navy he was authorized to promise Lafitte the sum of thirty thousand dollars in gold Lafitte instead of replying walked to the fireplace and standing beneath the pictured face of his idol Napoleon whose eyes seemed to be regarding the group with cold intelligence looked down at the two seated men His hands were clasped behind him and his eyes held a glitter that was menac ing Gentlemen he said I agree with you in saying that the matter is a most important one for me as well as for yourselves so important to me that I cannot decide it as speedily as you seem to expect but must have a few hours in which to give it proper consideration Both officers looked annoyed and Capt McWilliams expostulated How can you possibly need to re flect upon a proposal promising so much for you in the way of wealth and position as against an enemy who has proscribed you and branded you with infamy It is very important that we lose no time in pushing the operations already planned against lower Louisi ana We must act at once and as soon as we obtain possession here our army will penetrate into the upper country to make a junction with our forces from Canada It would appear said Lafitte as he threw the remnant of his cigar into the fireplace and took another from the box that you count upon no pos sible failure in your plans Failure repeated Capt Lockyer his face glowing with confidence In deed no Our plan of campaign is perfected and we are certain of suc cess Regarding our chances I will tell you that we expect excellent re sults from an insurrection of the slaves to whom we shall offer freedom as the reward for aiding Great Brit ain The cold indifference of Lafittes face turned to sudden sternness Do you know anything of the negro nature and how it would show itself under such- circumstances he de manded adding before they couhl an swer him I do and Iwarn you that what you propose- doing would be equivalent to unchaining the demons of hell The Englishmen looked uncomfort able but Lockyer muttered something about the fortunes of war and Mc Williams said But the cruelty of the negroes can add little after all to the punishment it has been decided to in flict upon New Orleans The city is to be given over to fire and pillage This announcement made with something of a dramatic air did not seem to make the expected impression upon Lafitte for he passed it by and said somewhat impatiently and with unmistakable decision I repeat that I cannot answer you before morning and such being the case I must re quest that you remain here over night The two officers had risen and now stood before him their faces showing mingled consternation and anger Are we to understand sir that this is your decision demanded Capt Lockyer excitedly You are unless you see fit to give up all further negotiations with me In case you accept what I suggest answered Lafitte you will send an or der for your crew to return to the brig and to come for you at noon to-morrow The tone of quiet authority accom panying the words appeared to leave no alternative for the British officers who could only nod fheir assent evi dently deeming it more diplomatic to check the anger showing in their faces Lafitte smiled and moved toward the door Now I must leave you but I will place you in the care of Scipio a faithful old servant who will attend to your comfort They bowed stiffly and he went out closing the door after him and the officers heard him lock it and remove the key Scipio soon appeared with a lighted lamp This he placed upon the table and taking notice of those present proceeded to work with the result that in a few minutes a cheery fire was blazing And as the Englishmen drew their chairs to the hearth the old negro closed and barred the heavy shutters besides placing for the night an iron bar across the already locked door We seem to be prisoners rather than guests remarked Capt McWil liams in a tone too guarded for his words to reach the partially deaf ears of Scipio who was busy at the table It is a cheap price to pay after all if it results in bringing him over to us said Lockver in the samfi low - i tone Those hands of his and his i manner the whole cut of his jib suggest the idea of his being quite able to hand a lady her fan with the grace of a courtier but they also suggest to me at least his ability to clutch an enemy by the throat and hurl him ovei a cliff or make him walk the plank To be continued GOLD IN THE EAST Immense Amount of Precious Metal Waiting for the Miner I believe that from Halifax to Ten nessee in a line winding around through Maryland Virginia and the Carolinas there is going to be a re habilitation of gold mining said Col A B Ituss of Montgomery county Md at the National last week says the Washington Post When the miners went West in 1849 they left this very field I am speaking of and after that field was explored they came back to a richer field in Colo rado which they had entirely over looked After a time they went to Alaska and just a short time ago rich fields were found in Nevada from which millions have been extracted But it seems to be little known that right around this neighborhood of Maryland and Virginia there are rich deposits of the precious metal I think it would surprise many people to know that not long ago in my coun ty some god was assayed that yielded 236 to the ton while the average was 8 to 10 In another place there 2000 was dug up in one day and all this by entirely crude methods It runs through a vein of quartz some eighty feet down Near Great Falls seven veins have been opened from three to twenty feet wide Six Colo rado mining capitalists a day or two ago bought 600 acres of land in that locality for the very purpose of ex ploring this It is not confined to that locality either I have driven in my buggy 600 miles from Maryland down through the Carolinas and have found many places where the same conditions prevail In South Carolina there are mountains of iron ore that have never been touched I tell you the mineral resources of the eastern South are unknown Berlin at Night Berlin is at its best at night says a traveler They have discovered the secret of electric lighting and when people step out from their offices and shops at eight and nine oclock at night it is into an enchanted city Tho solid palaces the monstrous stat ues the enormous houses and wide spaces of the long and stately streets are then soft and gracious with a fairy radiance It is a city not only of prosperity but of pure delight The heaviness of the buildings and the rigidity of their lines are blurred and softened In the clear northern air the million lamps blazing from the walls of houses snining across the in terminable streets and glowing in a straight line down the whispering av enues have something of the magic gentleness and sensuous inspiration of an Arabian story You begin to think Berlin is the greatest city in the world Montreal Herald LEGISLATURE of NEBRASKA A Synopsis of Proceedings of the Twenty Ninth Gsiv 1 O era oession a SENATE These bills were read a third time and pased in the senate on the 14th S F 04 allowing any one whether an officer or not to seize a seine or net being used illegally S F 79 to provide that inebriates and those addicted to the dope habit be confined in the asylum for treatment 40 providing a penalty for overwork ing a horse or mule and for unneces sarily tormenting any other animal S F 41 providing that corporations shall act as guardians trustees etc This bill was objected to yesterday because it was argued that it would place all of the probate business of the state in the hands of foreign cor porations but today there was no ob jections to it A large number of bills were many reported tor general file and recommended for passage HOUSE The house on the 14th took up bills on third reading and passed To give to cities and villa ges the right to foreclose tax sale certificates immediately after their purchase and to provide rates of in terest in such tax sale certificates Providing for a state accountant at a salary of 2000 a year Giving to res taurant and boarding house keepers the same legal protection against fraud as is accorded hotel and inn keepers Providing for the payment of the entire county road tax in cash To make the penalty for breaking and entering apply to buildings of all characters Providing for construction of plank brick stono and concrete sidewalks in cities under 50000 popu lation Making the open season for deer and antelope August 15 to No vember 15 on prairie chickens sage and grouse Sepember 1 to November 30 ducks and other wild water fowl September 1 to April 15 jacksnipe and yellow legs September 1 to May 1 wild pigeons doves and plover June 15 to August 1 trout April 1 to October 1 other fish April 1 to November 15 prohibiting killing of quail during 1905-6-7 and fixing open season on them after 1907 from No vember 1 to November 30 limiting number of geese or brant to be killed per day by a single hunter to ten game birds twenty five and prairie chickens ten during the month of September The bill imposes a fine of 55 a bird or sentences of ten days for each for all birds killed in excess of the legal number Providing that the proceeds of inheritance tax shall be used for the construction of perma nent roads and go into the road funu Vesting in the State Banking Board discretionary power as to the integ rity and responsibility of persons ap plying for banking charters Appro priating the 15000 balance from the Worlds Fair state fund to enable Ne braska to paricipate in the Lewis and Clark exposition in Portland Ore and providing for the appointment by the governor of a board of commis sioners to carry out the provisions of this act A call of the house was necessary to secure the twothirds for an emergency clause SENATE The Shreek rraternal bill providing for an elected member ship of 95 per cent to control the af fairs of lodges was killed in the com mittee of the whole in the senate on the 15th House roll No 30 was recom mended for passage giving the frater nal societies the right to incorporate All the orders were included and sen ate files Nos 10 and 12 were inde finitely postponed House roll No 102 by Ward to give 3000 to the South Bend hatcheries was recommended for passage House roll No 146 was re commended for general file The bill regulates the speed of motor cars Senate file No 169 the Shreek drain age bill was recommended for gener al file House roll No 128 by Rouse regulating the payment of hotel bills and providing a penalty for neglect thereof was read for the first time in the senate Senate file No 7 by Shel don was passed without the emer gency clause The bill provides a 1 mill levy to pay the state debt Senate file No 21 by Vore to regulate the passage of traction engines over bridges was recommitted to the com mittee Senator Gifiins reapportion ment bill was recommended HOUSE When- the house met on the loth Jones of Polk called up his resolution calling for an investigation of the action of the state board of public lands and buildings for having used to build cottages at the Norfolk asylum 100000 that was appropri ated two years ago to rebuild the west wing of the asylum which had been destroyed by fire A motion to table the resolution was defeated House roll No 133 by Jouvenat to provide a guaranty deposit fund on interest bearing deposits in state banks by an annual tax of one fifth of 1 per cent on deposits to be paid by the banks was defended by its introducer and opposed by Howe of Nemaha Ferrar of Hall Wilson of Pawnee and other members The bill was recom mended for indefinite postponement These bills wrere introduced To per mit state officers in case of emer gency to purchase stationery costing less than 25 without intervention of the state printing board To redistrict Nebraska into senatorial and repre sentative districts To amend chapter 43 of the Compiled Statutes of the etate of Nebraska of 1903 by adding a new section To prohibit the stealing of or attempting to steal rides on trains engines or cars or any part or portion thereof or climbing thereupon while stationary or in motion and to provide a penalty and punishment not exceeding sixty days in jail and 25 fine Authorizing county boards to ac quire title to land to be used for pub lic road purposes To amend sections 5 and 45 chapter 28 of the Compiled Statutes of Nebraska for tho year 1903 relating to the fees of sheriffs and other county officials Fixing the salaries of sheriffs and the manner of appointing and paying their deputies To fix the minimum number of trains and regulate the running time on rail roads in the state of Nebraska SENATE The senate got busy on engrossed bills on the morning of the 16th and passed these measures S F 107 transferring 264615 from the penitentiary special labor nind to the general fund S F 104 allowing coun ty courts to dispense with administra tion of estates and to enter decrees in certain cases S F 128 providing when a husband or wife is competent to testify for or against each other S F 113 to prevent the illegal ex penditure of public funds S F 123 to repeal the statute providing for the appointment of county attorneys S F 106 to transfer 693945 from the in heritance tax fund to the general fund of the state S F 129 to provide for suspended sentences in cashes of wife desertion S F S6 district cleric fee bill S F 116 providing for the pay ment of road taxes in cash or labor A motion by Sheldon of Cass was adopted to not consider H It 49 pro viding for the establishment of a binding twine factory at the state pen itentiary until the appropriation bills had all been considered HOUSE In the house on the 16th H R 20 by Richardson of Madison appropriating 35000 for general re pairs at the Norfolk Insane asylum including the rebuilding of the old wing was favorably acted on despite the protest of Jones of Polk who wanted the bill to lay over until the investigation committee appointed un der his resolution yesterday reported H R 62 by Ernest of Johnson pro voked much discussion being an ap propriation bill It provided 10000 for an agricultural pavilion at the State fair It was recommended for passage H R 110 Junkins anti trust bill was amenled so asto have suits brought under this act for its enforce ment in the state and not county courts The bill has been recommend ed for passage H R 1Q5 by Rouse of Hall requiring saloonkeepers to give guaranty bonds of 5000 was recom mended for passage but Horton moved to except it from the committees re port and have the bill recommended for indefinite postponement Burns moved to except H R 169 his bill to allow university regents to condemn land for university purposes which had been reported for indefinite post ponement and recommended it for passage S F 198 by Epperson of Clay and Meserve of Knox To estab lish a State Engineers Examining board S F 199 by Gilligan of Holt To amend an act to regulate the pur chase of supplies and to create a Board of Control therefor The Board is composed of the members of the Board Of Public Lands and Buildings and is authorized to purchase supplies in wholesale quantities S F 200 by Cady by request To allow the state board to grant certificates to osteo paths when latter have diploma from a school of osteopathy SENATE On the 17th S F 60 in creasing the salary of the game war den and fish commissioner was pass ed Standing committees reported as follows for the general file S F 181 allowing a township road district or precinct to vote a tax of 25 mills for the improvement of public roads S F 51 making state warrants draw 4 per cent interest school district war rants 5 per cent warrants of town ships or sub divisions less than a county to draw 7 per cent interest S F 50 51 52 and 53 bills to amend the present decedent law H R 52 legalizing the use of voting machines H R 29 to pay to former Attorney General Prout 240 which he paid for a bond H R 98 to provide jury trials in justice courts H R 97 to provide for a change of venue where cases are to be tried in justice courts H R 100 to provide for payment of cost in changes of venue from one justice court to another H R 99 to fix fees for jurors in cases tried in justice courts Among new bills were the fol lowing Establishing a standard for state printing To label penitentiary made goods and to regulate the sale thereof A judicial apportionment bill recently printed herewith To make justice of the peace outside of towns overseers for the poor and to compel county boards to employ physicians for country districts to be paid not more than 200 yearly To authorize the leasing of the home for the friend less when vacated To fix the salaries of deputies to state officers at 1S00 The present law provides that the de puty secretary of state and deputy state superintendent shall each re ceive 1500 a year Each is now get ting 1700 HOUSE On tho 17th IL R Ill by Copsey of Custer providing for tho distribution of tho temporary school fund on tho basis of tho number of school districts instead of population was indefinitely postponed Jackson of Antelop made a strong plea for tho bhl urging that it was needed in the western part of tho state where tho sparsely settled communities did not get their just share of this fund Ono item of business was to henr and act on committee reports on forty bills The general file containing forty three bills was entirely cleaned up All the bills which sifted through tho strainer of the committees go direct ly to the general fUe Casebeer of Gage won his fight to compel mem bers to sign applications for supplies before receiving any at the first of each session The bill provides- that at the end of each session the State Board of Public Lands and Buildings shall invoice legislative property left over and hold it for the next session and that no member shall be supplied until he shall have made written ap plication on regular blanks furnished for that purpose McCIays bill appro priating 10000 to re imburse T P Kennard was recommended for pas sage The bill says M Kennard as secretary of state under Governor Fur nas expended out of his own pocket 10000 in the prosecution of claims on the sale of Indian lands Ho was to receive -50 per cent of tho money thus collected The house revenue committee reported for indefinite post ponement the fusion caucus revenue bill and the report was confirmed by the house The bill was rather volum inous and made sweeping changes in the present revenue law Senatorial Districts The apportionment bill introduced by Giffin of Dawson was amended by the steering committee as follows and placed on general file on the 13th Following are the senatorial districts as arranged by tho measure District No 1 shall consist of tho counties of Richardson and Pawnee and bo entitled to one senator District No 2 shall consist of the counties of Johnson Otoe Cass and Nemaha and be entitled to one sena tor District No 3 shall consist of the counties of Saunders rnd Sarpy and be entitled to one senator District No 4 shall consist of the county of Douglas and be entitled to four senators District No 5 shall consist of the counties of Cumins and Burt and be entitled to one senator District No G shall consist of the counties of Thurston Dakota Dixon and Wayne and be entitled to one senator District No 7 shall consist of the counties of Pierce Madison and Stan ton and be entitled to one senator District No S shall consist of the counties of Cedar Knox and Boyd and shall be entitled to one senator District No 0 shall consist of the counties of Holt Wheeler Garfield and Antelope and be entitled to one sena tor District No 10 shall consist of tho counties of Boone Merrick and Nance and be entitled to one senator District No 11 shall consist of the counties of Dodge and Washington and be entitled to one senator District No 12 shall consist of the counties of Platte and Colfax and b entitled to one senator District No 13 shall consist of the counties of Hall Howard and Greeley and be entitled to one senator Distrct No It shall consist of the counties of Polk and York and be en titled to one senator District No 15 shall consist of the counties of Butler and Seward and be entitled to one senator District No 1G shall consist of the county of Lancaster and be entitled to two senators District No 17 shall consist of the county of Gage and be entitled to ono senator District No IS shall consist of the counties of Saline and Fillmore and be entitled to one senator District No 19 shall consist of the counties of Jefferson and Thayer and be entitled to one senator District No 20 shall consist of the counties of Hamilton and Clay and be entitled to one senator District No 21 shall consist of the counties of Adams and Kearney and be entitled to one senator District No 22 shall consist of the counties of Franklin Webster and Nuckolls and be entitled to one sena tor District No 23 shall consist of the counties of Phelps Harlan Gosper and Furnas and be entitled to one senator District No 24 shall consist of ths counties of Frontier Red Willow Hitchcock Hayes Chase and Dundy and be entitled to one senator District No 25 shall consist of the counties of Buffalo and Dawson and be entitled to one senator District No 2G shall consist of the counties of Sherman Valley Custer Loup and Blaine and be entitled to one senator District No 27 shall consist of the counties of Rock Brown Keya Paha Cherry Sheridan Box Butte Dawes and Sioux and be entitled to one sena tor District No 2S shall consist of the counties of Lincoln Perkins Keith Deuel Cheyenne Kimball Banner Scotts Bluffs McPherson Logan Grant Hooker and Thomas and be en titled to one senator Force of Dynamite Dynamite explodes so rapidly that its force is exerted in the direction from which the greatest pressure comes That is if the dynamite be placed on the ground the explosive force is down if it be hung against a wall its force attacks the wall if it be hung under an object its force is upward Cost of Capital Punishment France was on the verge of abolish ing capital punishment because of tho expense Yet the salaries of the exe cutioner and his assistants amount to only 3S0O a year with fees of 4 for each execution outside of Paris and it cost 300 a year to stable the guillotine London Births The average of births in London Is 11000 a month It is computed that a single months births of male babies would nearly suffice to replace the men lost by England on the Boer bat tlefields