2
V
RLT
4
A
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iHEATEECOfiDBROKEN
AUGUST WEATHER IS EXPERI
ENCED IN APRIL
ASyBcsrinninj Before Sunrise the Ther
mometer ai Chicago Works Itself Up
to 884 oCIock and
Public Melts
Oppressive Weather
Records in the weather Hue underwent
4i shock Thursday from which they can
not recover for at least a year With a
-unanimity that was admirable all the
thermometers and all the old residents
agree that it was the hottest April day
that ever fell to their lot
The thermometer in the Chicago Audi
torium tower which always is bashful
about climbing up too high registered at
one time during the afternoon as high as
84 but its metallic brothers in the streets
below wore not at all backward in pro
claiming their knowledge that it was 8S
The weather records hold only two cases
approaching that of Thursday and those
two days were in 1S93 and 1894 respec
tively But no proofs written or unwrit
ten could persuade the people that it
wasnt hottest day that any April ever
produced
It began long before the sun shot up
over Lake Michigan in the early morning
By 5 oclock the jubilant mercury tube
registered 7S From that time on the
metal seemed to have things its own way
lt shot up with eaeh succeeding hour un
til at 4 oclock it registered just 8S At
the same time the marking in the Audito
rium tower had it 84
Th e trouble as everybody agreed was
that people were afraid to discard wool
lens which had been in use during the
winter for lighter underwear While the
temperature went up and up the people
ikept saying witli a fatal persistency
Well itll be cooler to morrow Its only
April and this cant last But that
brought no relief and the tired men and
women simply kept on perspiring One
man was overcome by the heat
Chicago was not alone in its torridity
2sew York just tied the record of S4 de
grees and the official thermometer of St
Louis which like Chicagos is bashful
about too high an ascension registered S8
In Louisville there was a good hot base
ball temperature of SO and even frigid
Boston mustered up a marking of 7G The
iliot wave extended over practically the
whole Mississippi valley
CLASH MUST SOON OCCUR
Bellicose Forces in the Valley of the
Nile Drawing Together
The Emir of Dongola is moving north
ward with considerable forces Spies re
port his having passed Aboo Fatneh sev
enty miles south of Sparda to join the
dervishes who are massing at the latter
place which is forty five miles from the
Egyptian outpost at Akasheh
Sarras and Akasheh have been strongly
garrisoned The railway between these
points is being pushed forward as rapidly
EGYPTIAX MOUNTED INFAXTKY
iis possible Four miles of rail have been
already laid and the track will be com
pleted along the course laid down in 1SS4
In order to pass the cataracts For the
guarding of the railway strong posts
have been established on the Nile at Sem
neh Wady Ambigel Tangur and Sonki
of these posts has been supplied
with a contingent to guard the point oppo
site to it on the line as it is laid in order
to prevent the dervishes from destroying
the works The dervishes at Suarda who
number 3000 have advanced their posts
to Mograkeh distant fifteen miles from
Akasheh the main body of the dervishes
still remaining at Dongola
The moral effect of the announcement
of the expedition has been excellent in the
Soudan and has been of the utmost ser
vice to the Italians at Kassala News
paper correspondents are at present pre
vented from going beyond Sarras The
opinion is held at Egyptian headquarters
that commissariat difficulties will prevent
the dervishes from making any formidable
advance north of Suarda
MICHIGAN PROHIBITIONISTS
Adopt a Free Silver Platform and
Elect National Dclejrntcs
The Michigan Prohibitionists in ses
sion at Lansing spent Thursday discuss
ing the relative merits of the dominant
idea and the broad gauged platform The
dominant idea men succeeded in capturing
a majority of the Committee on Resolu
tions and secured a majority report mak
ing no mention of free silver
The minority however reported a free
silver plank and a resolution instructing
the delegation to the national convention
to work for a free silver plank in the na
tional platform The minority report was
adopted unanimously and the free silver
plank by an overwhelming majority The
resolution of instructions was adopted by
a close vote
The delegates-at-large are Henry A
Reynolds of Pontiac Samuel Dickie of
Albion George It Malone of Lansing and
Rev John Russell of New Haven
Mrs Jane Hutchens a new woman of
Pierce Neb with- an ambition to figure
as a bad man visited Norfolk a few
days ago became inebriated purchased a
revolver and returning home opened fire
on pedestrians on the principal street
jShe was disarmed after a lively tussle
with the town marshal
i
A Irene Dupont Coleman son of Bish
top Leighton Coleman of the Delaware
diocese of the Protestant Episcopal
Church has renounced the faith of his
fathers And joined the Roman Catholic
Church
BRITAINS BIG SURPLU
Enormous Revenue Receipts Con
dition of Working Classen
In the British House of Commons
Thursday the Chancellor of the Exche
quer Sir Michael Hicks Beach made the
budget statement He said that the sur
plus for 1805 and 1S9G was 4210000
and he estimated the expenditure for the
current year at 100047000 He said
that this had been a wonderful year and
one of unexampled revenue in spite of
the fact that the expenditures had been
the largest since the great Avar The sur
plus wiib the largest ever known and a
larger sum was devoted to the reduction
of the national debt than ever known
The condition of the working classes he
continued judging from the consumption
of tea tobacco and sugar had materially
improved and it was a remarkable fact
that while the decrease in the exports and
imports for the first six months amounted
to 7531000 the increase for the second
half of the year amounted to 28228000
Tea Sir Michael Hicks Beach further re
marks was driving coffee out of the mar
ket and British and Irish spirits were en
tirely displacing foreign spirits
The increase in the import of tea was
10000000 pounds from India and Ceylon
and replacing so much Chinese tea The
increase in the import of tobacco was
108000 pounds The increase in the im
port of tobacco was 10S000 over the es
timate chiefly for cigarettes The cus
toms authorities calculated he added that
1000000 yearly- wastlirown in the gut
ter in the shape of the ends of cigarettes
and cigars The imports of wines had in
creased 1250000 light wines were pre
ferred Beer had increased 017000
the death duties were 2SS1000 and
stamps 1029000
Referring to the estimates for the cur
rent year the Chancellor of the Exche
quer said that the expenditures were
placed at 100047000 and the revenue
calculated upon was 101755000
MADE BLIND TO BEG
Young Children in Chicago Who Are
Cruelly Tortured
The police of Chicago have unearthed
a system of child torture which is almost
without parallel in the worlds history
One morning recently a police officer saw
a woman of distressing appearance sitting
on the sidewalk With her were three
children two of them being blind The
eyes of the little ones were inflamed and
red The woman by signs was begging
the people who passed to drop pennies in
a little box which was in front of her The
women and children were taken to a po
lice station During the course of the
day a stalwart Italian walked in and
asked for them He was Achille Mas
selli the husband of the woman and the
father of the children He was at once
placed under arrest for physicians had
declared that the eyes of the little ones
had been made blind with something like
pepper or gunpowder Both the man and
the woman denied that anything had been
done to the eyes of the little ones but de
clared that they were born blind
From the investigation which has fol
lowed this startling discovery has de
veloped the fact so the police say that
the practice of blinding the eyes of young
children so that they will be more use
ful in begging is regularly carried on in
Chicago The blindness thus caused is
not always permanent but in the case of
the two children of Masselli at least
it is very doubtful if their eyesight will
ever be recovered
CROWDS ATTEND BALL GAMES
Total Attendance on Opening Bay
Larger than Last Year
Nearly 80000 persons saw the six open
ing games in the National Baseball
League Thursday This is somewhat
larger than the total attendance last year
and is not far from the greatest number
ever recorded on an opening day The
figures
1S95 1S9G
New York 1S000 Philadelphia 23000
Baltimore 12000Baltimore 11200
Cincinnati lLOOOCincinnati 14400
Louisville 9000Louisville 10000
St Louis 12000St Louis 11000
Boston 15000Washington 9250
Total 77000 Total 7SS50
This will serve to show that great en
thusiasm is being shown everywhere over
the national game and seems to testify
the predictions of the magnates that 1S9G
will be a phenomenally good year for
baseball
Chicago defeated Louisville 4 to 2
Brooklyn worsted Baltimore G to 5 St
Louis scored 5 to Clevelands 2 Wash
ington won from New York 0 to 3 Bos
ton scored 7 Philadelphia 3 and Pitts
burg almost shut out Cincinnati 9 to 1
OPPOSES HIGH HATS
Philip Fosdick the Legislator Who
Fathered the Anti High Hat Bill
This is a portrait of the man who has
made pleasure seeking in Ohio a process
attended by difficulties He is Philip Case
PUN
I jiSi fi wilf
I if I Us ms i
PHILIP CASE FOSDICK
Fosdick of Cincinnati who has achieved
fame by introducing into the Ohio Legis
lature the anti high hat bill and by hav
ing it passed
Julius Mulh the United States consul
at Magdeburg the center of the German
beet sugar industry says the reidhstag
will pass a sugar bill which will cheapen
sugar in America but will kill the infanS
beet sugar industry of Nebraska and Cali
fornia
United States Consul Hanger at Bey
muda reports to the State DepartmQnf
that the work of improving the ship chan
nel there has been completed and vesseli
drawing twenty feet of water may comi
in at low tide directly to the wharves tJ
Hamilton
0E A GREAT STATE
NEWS
FROM ALL PARTS
-NEBRASKA
OF
A Double Tragedy at Selniyler Pat
riclc Fimiegaii 3Iurders His Wife
anil Then Kills Himself Nebraska
News Notes
Murders His Wife and Suicides
Patrick Finnegan murdered his wife
and shot his head nearly oil Monday
morning at Schuyler James Nichols
his son-in-law hearing of the tragedy
hastened to the farm Mrs Finnegan was
found dead with a hole through her head
from the base of one ear to the upper part
of the opposite side of her head Further
investigation disclosed the fact that Mr
Finnegan had ended his life with a ball
from the same rifle in his barn lie tied
a siring to the trigger passed it around a
part of a cultivator beyond the rifle sat
upon the floor with his hat placed upon
his knees and pulled the string The ball
passed through his head from temple to
temple and on out through the door The
hired girl was locked in her room while
the deed was committed Mr Finnegan
often threatened to kill his wife About
three years ago he attempted his own life
by taking poison Mr and Mrs Finne
gan were divorced some twelve years ago
but remarried within a year It seems
that the tragedy was brought about by
Mrs Finnegans refusal to sign au agree
ment lor final payment on laud
Bothered by White Caps
David Neal who lives in Plattsmouth
reported to the police that a gang of men
visited his house and after inviting him
in anything but gentlemanly language to
come forth had bombarded the house with
brick bats and other tokens of hostility
and then fired a load of buckshot through
one of the windows David has had a
great deal of trouble lately A few
months ago his wife died and in
what the neighbors considered an in
decently short time he obtained a
license to wed another woman At
the last moment it was discovered that she
still had a husband living from whom
she had neglected lo secure a divorce
This woman has since that time been liv
ing at the Neal home as a housekeeper
Divorce proceedings have been com
menced against he husband in the district
court These actions of the couple seem
to have incensed the citizens living in that
neighborhood and they have been fre
quently requested to move but so far
without avail Neal says that if the gang
calls upon him again he will be in a posi
tion to annihilate them
Woman Wants Damages
A case from Louisville is attracting a
good deal of attention at Plattsmouth
Mrs Mary Griffin is suing her brother
Joel Stevens and the town marshal M
D Piuby for 1000 damages Mrs Grif
fin according to the testimony keeps a
lodging house in Louisville and her
brother with whom she has not been on
good terms for a number of years made
up his mind one night last February that
she was harboring gentlemen who had no
right in her house He accordingly re
paired to her domicile and demanded ad
mission which was refused He then
aroused the marshal and together they
went to the house where the latter was
admitted and proceeded to search the
place finding as he said
right For this indignity
Mrs Griffin asks damages
everything all
trespass etc
Tramps Made Him a Slave
Officer Sheehan at Omaha found a boy
about twelve years of age shining the
shoes of a gang of tramps who were
camping under theL Street viaduct The
officer took the lad into custody in order
to get him away from his tough associates
At the jail the boy said that his name was
Otis Anderson and that he lived at 503
Delegare Street Kansas City lie fell in
with the tramps in the freight yards at
Kansas City and they took him with
them and made a servant of him He ap
peared to be glad to get away and said he
was willing to go home He had not been
abused by the tramps he said
Rewarded a Good Deed
About a month ago Lewis Baldwin a
fisherman and farmer living near Ash
land discovered a pile of rock and dirt
which had caved down upon the B M
track and flagged a passenger train just
in time to save it from being derailed and
precipitated over a high embankment into
the Platte River The railway officials
as a slight token of their appreciation of
Baldwins conduct notilied him to call at
their headquarters in Lincoln where he
was presented with a fine team of horses
a new wagon and harness and a new
breaking plow
Epworth League Convention
The second annual convention of the
West Nebraska Conference Epworth
League will meet at Cozad June 25 26 and
27 next Many prominent Christian work
ers will be present among them Lucy
Eider Myer of Chicago Robert Mclntyre
of Denver and one of the bishops of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
Will Bridge the Platte
The Lincoln County commissioners will
soon call a bond election to vote bonds in
Nicholas Precinct for a bridge over the
North Platte north of Hershey station
The bridge will be about 8000 feet long
and its estimated cost is nearly 8000
Post office Safe Blown
Tim at Goehner was robbed
the safe blown open and contents taken to
the amount of 150 in stamps and money
Tho robbery was supposed to have been
committed by tramps who was seen loi
tering around ttie depot during the day
Farmer Fatally Hurt
Harry Hinman a fanner living near
Wymore was badly injured by a runaway
team which he was driving to a stalk cut
ter He is sad to be fatally hurt Both
legs have been amputated
Trentons Young Flyer
Trenton boasts of a curiosity in the
shape of a pacing colt less than a year
old that can show an eighth of a mile in
eighteen
Dorchester Swept by Flames
Fire destroyed four of the principal
business buildings of Dorchester The
blaze is supposed to have been started by
tramps One entire block was swept
clean Some of the stores burned are be
lieved to have been robbed by those who
started the fire The total loss is 24000
with 21000 insurance
To Help the Irrigation Fair
The Linooln County commissioners are
in session this week and are considering
petitions for a 1000 appropriation for the
Nebraska Irrigation Fair to be held at
North Platte Out 12 18 and 14
Part of His Farm Disappeared
People in the vicinity of Surprise are
somewhat excited over the discovery of a
cave in of the earth on the farm of Jacob
Way On going into his Cottonwood
grove Way discovered that the earth for a
space of about ten feet in width by four
teen feet in length had sunk down out of
sight the place being filled with water
but this soon sank away Way tried to
find out how deep the hole was but he
could not reach the bottom with an eight
een foot pole Mr AVay has lived on this
farm for the past twenty three years and
has never known of any well being dug
or of any cave on the premises and theie
is no stream nearer than the Blue River
two miles away which is in all probabil
ity from seventy five to 100 feet lower
than the table lands where the farm i
located The ground all around this hol
is springy and indicates that there is v
vacant space below
Jail Birds Clever Break
George Kingen and William Winnegar
the two prisoners who have been confined
in the county jail at York escaped at an
early hour on the morning of the 15th
Their escape was discovered about 6
oclock by Jailer Walsh On opening the
inner door of the jail it was discovered
that one of the barred windows had been
forced open and the locks drilled and
wrenched off of the iron cage in which
Kingen and Winnegar were kept Tho
damage to the jail will be heavy
Defends His Castle Well
A family by the name of Barnes that
lives up in the new made land on the Mis
souri River near Blair has given the
Burt and Washington County officers
more trouble than all others put together
The old man and one of his sons got into
a dispute over some land with Pat Quin
lin and son The Barnes attempted to
tear down a shanty built by the Quinlins
The result was that the older Barnes had
his shoulder broken by an ax in the hands
of one of the Quinlins and the younger
Barnes was shot through the arm
Dodge Saloonkeepers Arrested
Complaints were filed with a justice of
the peace against the five saloonkeepers
of Dodge Win Parr Chris Dunker F
Srb E ilubanka and Vencil J Yunek
on the charge of selling intoxicating liq
uors on Sunday Deputy Sheriff Ed
waids took them to Fremont1 They took
a continuance and gave bonds for their
appearance in the sum of 200 each Their
arrest occasioned considerable stir in
Dodge and was a surprise to all the peo
ple there
Want New Fair Grounds
The Dodge County Agricultural Society
has appointed a committee to try and sell
the old fair grounds at Fremont The
plan proposed is to sell the old grounds
and buy a portion of the Chautauqua
grounds that part north of the Rawhide
Creek The plan further contemplates
tiie purchase of that part of the Chautau
qua grounds south of the Rawhide by
the city for a park
Declared the Bonds Carried
The city council of Hastings met in ad
journed session and after listening to the
opinion of City Attorney Burton declared
the proposition for issuing of bonds for
water works improvements for 8000
which was voted on carried The attor
ney held the laws as simply requiring a
majority of the votes cast on that question
to carry instead of a majority of all votes
cast at the election
Farmers Grain Stolen
Thegrainary of Steffcn Braack a farmer
living one mile and a half we3t of Ben
nington was visited a few nights ago by
some one who evidently knew the con
tents of the several bins and stole fifteen
bushels of wheat and a quantity of oats
The thief was tracked as far as Benning
ton by the wheat that had rattled out of
the Avagon
Disorderly House Kaided
The authorities of Pierce made a raid on
the inhabitants of the bad lands One
of the girls who is only 15 years of age
was cared for by some of the women of
the town The joint has been operated
without a license and Pierce people will
be gratified if the outfit is gotten out of
the community
Arrested for Perjury
The case of John Fan ton charged with
cattle rustling has been in progress at
ONeil for several days Jim Tracy one
of the witnesses for the defense who was
arrested on the charge of perjury shortly
after he left the witness stand was re
leased under 500 bail His trial was set
for April 24
Juniata Citizen Pronounced Insane
V C Wall an old resident of Juniata
was pronounced insane and sent to Lin
coln Several years ago his skull was
fractured and part of the bone presses on
the brain to which is attributed the cause
of his mania
Home Forum Lodge Organized
A lodge of Home Forum consisting of
thirty six members has been organized at
Surprise The ceremony of initiation and
installment were conducted by the Rising
City Forum
Nebraska News Notes
The town of Brock is sinking an arte
sian well for public use
Work on the improvements on the
canal has been recommenced
Nellie Lashbrook a prominent young
woman of Fairmont was thrown from a
horse and her broken leg is now doing
nicely
Frank Martin of Fillmore County who
has been under arrest on the charge of
assault with intent to kill has been ac
quitted
Commencing this week the B M bal
lasting trains on the Black Hills line will
run in and out of Ravenna instead of Au
rora as heretofore
John Skeen shot and slightly wounded
a fellow citizen at Nemaha The fellow
citizen was helping himself to Skeens
coal pile and escaped in the darkness
A prairie fire burned down the tee-
phone lines near Rogers thus cuttinir off
a I communication witn surrounding
towns and breaking the entire circuit
A 10-year-old son of George Simson in
Deuel County trailed a wolf two miles
cornered and killed it with a cjub The
wolf measured 5 feet 10 inches irom nose
to tail
The citizens of Geneva raised 25 by
popular subscription for the purchase of
a barometer
The number of section hands on the St
Francis branch of the B M has been
materially reduced
The old B M roundhouse at Brown
vill one of the landmarks was recently
leveled by h frisky cyclone It has been
a free lodging house for tramps for many
years
A sister of Mrs Stremk at Bratton was
nearly burned to death recently but the
doctors saved her life Since then they
have grafted 850 pieces of skin upon her
bodv but the new skin has all noma off 1
WORK OF C0K6EESS
THE WEEKS DOINGS IN SENATE
AND HOUSE
A Comprehensive Digest of the Pro
ceedings in the Legislative Cham
bers at Washington Blatters that
Concern the People
Lawmakers at Labor
After two days debate the House Sat
urday by a vote of 1G0 to 5S passed the
Grosvenor filled cheese bill Practical
ly the only amendment adopted was one
reducing the tax on retail dealers from
40 to 12 The bill requires the manu
facturers of filled cheese to pay a tax of
400 annually the wholesale dealers 250
and the retail dealers 12 and for failure
to pay such tax imposed upon manufac
turers a fine of from 400 to 3000 upon
wholesale dealers from 250 to 1000 and
upon retail dealers from 40 to 500 It
also requires the branding of filled
cheese and its sale only from original
packages
The George bill to establish a uniform
system of bankruptcy was reported to the
Senate Monday from the Judiciary Com
mittee The most important amendment
made by the committee was that provid
ing that where any debtor who being
a banker broker merchant trader or
manufacturer owing 500 makes an as
signment or conveyance of his property
or gives any lien or incumbrance thereon
contrived or devised with the actual in
tent on his part to defraud his creditors
such act shall be deemed bankruptcy The
measure provides for voluntary bankrupt
cy At the same time Mr Mitchell of
Oregon submitted the views of the mi
nority of the committee in the shape of
the measure agreed on by the House Com
mittee on Judiciary with some modifica
tions The latter provides for voluntary
and involuntary bankruptcy The propo
sition to secure the passage of a bill pro
viding for an additional United States
district judge in the northern district of
Illinois comes too late to accomplish any
thing during the present session A pro
nounced sentiment exists in the House
against creating any new judgeship
The house Tuesday passed without
amendment the fortification appropriation
bill carrying appropriations and authori
zations involving an expenditure of 11
3S4G13 The appropriations for fortifi
cations since the Endicott commission in
1SSG reported its plan for the defense of
twenty seven seaports at an approximate
cost of 100000000 have averaged some
thing over 2000000 annually It was
made apparent after a lively colloquy in
the Senate that there was no disposition
among the silver and Populist Senators
to allow the resolution for a Senate in
quiry into recent bond issues to lapse
Mr Squire Rep Wash made an elab
orate presentation of the pressing need
of coast defenses pointing out the de
fenseless condition of our great sea coast
harbors
In the House Wednesday Mr Hull
chairman of the Committee on Military
Affairs called up the resolution for the re
appointment of William B Franklin of
Connecticut Thomas J Henderson of Illi
nois George L Beale of Maine and Geo
W Steele of Indiana as members of the
Board of Managers of the national sol
diers homes Mr Blue made a sensa
tional speech against Gen Franklin
charging him and Col Smith for whom
he said Gen Franklin was responsible
with cruel and brutal treatment of the in
mates of the home at Leavenworth Kan
He moved to substitute the name of Gen
O O Howard for that of Gen Franklin
Mr Blue said his purpose was to free the
Leavenworth home from the drunken and
brutal man now at its head Mr Blue
read a telegram from E T Anderson and
others urging him to fight Gen Franklins
reappointment and telling him that 00
000 soldiers in Kansns were behind him
He claimed that Gov Smith maintained
the biggest saloon in Kansas under the
shadow of the flag the soldiers fought to
save Last year he said the profits of
the beer hall alone were 13000 Mr
Blue also read an Affidavit charging that
a contract existing whereby the Keeley
cure was given to inmates for G while
outsiders were charged 20 Has not the
board made an investigation of Gov
Smiths administration asked Mr Hull
Any investigation made by the Board of
Managers replied Mr Blue is a roar
ing farce With the understanding that
a vote should be had Thursday the House
adjourned The Senate ratified the Ber
ing sea arbitration treaty The treaty
provides for a commission to arbitrate
the claims made by citizens of England
against the United States for seizures of
vessels engaged in the capture of fur seals
prior to the Paris award
Mr Blues fight against the reappoint
ment of Gen William B Franklin as a
member of the Board of Managers of the
National Home for Disabled Volunteers
which was the feature of the proceedings
in the House Wednesday terminated un
successfully Thursday when his amend
ment to substitute the name of Gen O O
Howard for that of Gen Franklin was
rejected 149 to Gl Several minor bills
were passed The speaker announced the
appointment of Mr Cobb Dem of Ala
bama on the Ways and Means Commit
tee in place of Mr Tarsney who was un
seated Mr Aldrich Rep of Illinois on
Banking and Currency and Mr Van
Horn Rep of Missouri on Labor De
bate of the resolution for an investigation
of recent bond issues consumed the time
of the Senate
The Senate continued debate of tha
bond bill Friday and incidentally Mr
Allen called Mr Gear a liar He was
compelled to subside and his words were
taken down The net result of five
hours work on the private calendar in
the House was the passage of four pen
sion bills one to pension the widow of
Rear Admiral Foote at 50 a month the
rejection of a bill to retire a hospital
steward as a second lieutenant of cavalry
and the passage of a war claim less than
000 The latter was the first war claim
brought before the House for consider
ation and naturally provoked a generii
debate on the policy of paying war claims
The Land of the Boers
Gold was discovered there in 1SS6
Country has been enjoying its inde
pendence since 1852
In 1884 a convention at London rec
ognized the republic
Two thirds of the Christians belong
to the Dutch Reformed Church
There are about 20000 farms wheat
and tobacco being the chief crops
The largest town is Johannesburg
with a population of 15000 Pretoria
has 5000
nxn
REINDEER IN ALASKA
Project Is SuccoHfnl and Will Do of
VnHt Honofit
Tho experiment of introducing reh
deer into Alaska which tho bureau of
education has been conducting under
the direction of Dr Sheldon Jackson
says Wm E Curtis in the Chicago
Record has proved a decided Hiicoers
and tho secretary of the interior has
nsked Congress to appropriate enough
money to extend the enterprise upon
a basis that will malce It of immediate
value to the Eskimos and white miners
who have been attracted fo tliat
j tory by the gold deposits Beginning
with 1811 the bureau of education baa
been given an annual appropriation of
7500 with which to purcliase rein
deer in Siberia and hire the necessary
I herders to care for the animals and
struct the natives That year sixteen
deer were purchased In 102 171 In
1803 the number was increased 127 by
1 purchase S7 fawns were lorn and 8
died in 1894 120 were purchased 18G
J fawns were bom and 40 died last year
130 deer were brought from Siberia
29S fawns were born and 22 died It
will thus be seen tliat during the five
years 5G4 reindeer were purchased and
delivered in Alaska and tliat the nat
ural increase by fawns was 571 of
j which only 71 died
I The slaughter of the seals and walrus
during recent years has practically ex
terminated those animals so far as the
Eskimos are concerned who have been
reduced to a condition of starvation
which suggested to Dr Jackson the In
troduction of the reindeer for food as
well as for transportation The idea
ivhile considered feasible from the be-
ginning has been given a thorough
test which has demonstrated its prac
tieability beyond question But at the
rate of progress which has been possi
ble with the meager appropriation
available it would take at least fifty
years to stock Alaska The discovery
Df rich gold veins has attracted more than
2000 white miners to the central part
I of the territory where the thermometer
j hovers in the neighborhood of 75 de-
grees below- zero during the winter
months and all food must be imported
i Most of the deer acquired for the ex-
periment were purchased in Siberia
and brought to Alaska in government
vessels free of transportation charges
As the latter item is the greatest ex
pense the small appropriation was suf
ficient to establish the necessary sta
tions and give a thorough trial There
are in northern central and western
Alaska at least 400000 square miles
of territory not adapted to agriculture
or cattle raising and without an ade
quate food supply for the native Es
kimo or the white population now going
into the gold districts Over this vast
region there is a growth of long fibrous
white moss the natural food of the
reindeer Basing the estimate upon
statistics obtained in Lapland where
14000 square miles feed 322568 head of
reindeer or twenty three to the square
mile Alaska where similar conditions
prevail should sustain at least 9200
000 deer worth at the rate prevailing
in Sweden o per ifeadTlS2SC0uuo
The original purpose of introducing
domestic reindeer into Alaska was to
provide a new and permanent food sup
ply for the half famished Eskimo
Previous to the discovery of gold there
was nothing in the country to attract
whites except for hunting but new vil
lages are springing up in all directions
and with groceries breadstuffs and
other provisions scarce and imported
at great expense it is considered abso
lutely essential to its future prosperity
that the reindeer which can exist on
-the moss should be introduced in suf
ficient quantity to supply the food and
clothing necessary for the rapidly in
creasing population There are no
roads in Alaska and prevailing condi
tions will prevent any being made for
years to come Traveling at present is
confined almost entirely to dog teams
which is at the rate of from fifteen to
twenty five miles a day In many sec
tions of the country dog teams cannot
be used because they cannot carry suf
ficient food to subsit them en route and
must confine their journeys from set
tlement to settlement within easy dis
tance One dog team hauling equip
ments or passengers must be accom
panied by another to haul supplies and
the cost of transportation is thus enor
mously increased With reindeer trans
portation the conditions are different
From fifty to ninety miles a day can be
covered by them across lots and at
night they are permitted to browse for
themselves The best authorities con
sider them absolutely essential to bind
together the isolated settlements and
growing centers of civilization in that
wild nortliland and render possible the
development of the gold mines and the
support of hundreds of thousands of
miners who will soon be at work there
The reindeer multiply and increase
so rapidly that Dr Jackson estimates
that 5000 in addition to the herds al
ready in Alaska will well stock the
country and he is anxious to get them
within the next three years It is for
that pui pose that the appropriation of
45000 has been asked of Congress
That sum will buy 1500 deer in Siberia
transport and deliver them in Alaska
and pay the herders who are necessary
to look after them and instruct the
Eskimos in their care
How He Fooled His Schoolmaster
As they led the condonnud man
from his cell they saw lhat he wafl
smiling Even while they were bind
ing him in the electric chair the smile
lingered on his lips The curiosityjoi
the warden was aroused He paused
with his thumb gently touchingthe
fatal button and asked the cause of
the unseemly mirth
I I was just thinkin chuckled
the malefactor how Im foolln m
old schoolteacher He always said 1
was born to be hanged
Then the wardens thumb
down
