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About Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1905)
The Valentine Democrat VALENTINE , NEB. L M. RICE , Publisher MBS. MYEES TO HANG FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER IN FIRST DEGREE. Confession of Frank Hottman , Her Paramour , Led to Conviction of the Woman He Testified Volunta rily and Was Offered No Immunity Tho jury which has boon sitting at Lib erty , Mo. , for the past week in the case of Agnes Myers , of Kansas City , charged with the murder of her husband , Clar ence Myers , Sunday returned a verdict uf guilty of mui-dor in the first degree. This verdict moans that the death penal ly by hanging is to be inflicted. Whon ihe jury retired at 11 o'clock Saturday night it stood ton for conviction and two for acquittal. The jury coirtin- ncd its consideration of the case intormit- fently throughout the night , and the de liberations continued for several hours Sunday. It was not until the most ur gent arguments wore presented by tho fen men in favor of conviction that the other two were prevailed upon to change their votes. The crime for which Mrs. Myers was convicted was one of the most atrocious ever committed. According to the story of her paramour , Frank Hottman , who confessed to being an accomplice with Mrs. Myers in tho murder of her hus band , the crime was premeditated and was executed in the most brutal manner. Hottman was tried last February for the crime and was convicted and is now awaiting the death penalty. According to Hottman's confession he was admit ted to the Myers homo at an early horn- on the morning of May 10 , 1J04 ! , by Mrs. Myers in accordance with a prearranged plan to kill Clarence Myers. After Mrs. Myers had administered a drug to hoi- husband to compel sleep , Hottman went fo the bedside of the sleeping man anil dealt him a blow with a billiard cue. This served to arouse Myers , who grap pled with Ilottman , and as tho latter was intoxicated Myers was getting the better of the fight , when Mrs. Myers -struck her husband with a bed slat and later cut his throat with a razor repeat edly. She then stabbed the dying man In the back a half dozen times with a pair of scissors. The confession of Ilottman was the strongest evidence of the state against Mrs. Myers. Ilottman testified volunta rily against tho woman , and he was of fered no immunity by the prosecution. BLOODY RUNNING FIGHT. Idaho Ranchmen Get After Cattle Hustlers. A bloody battle has taken place near the edge of Jackson Hole , Wyo. A num ber of cattle rustlers rounded up about ninety head of fine steers and started toward the most favorable railroad point , the intention being to gather moie cattle en route. The ranchers to whom the cattle be longed organized a posse and pursued the outlaws and there was a running fight for sixty miles. Two of the rustlers were killed and one of the settlers , ami numerous wounds were sustained. The names of the killed outlaws were given as Robinson and Lewis. The name of the rancher was not learned. NANSEN ON REPUBLIC. Not Sure It is the Best Government for Norway. At Christiania. Norway , prayers wore offered in all the churches Sunday , not on'y for the fatherland , but for King Oscar , with thanks for what the king had done for Norway. Dr. Fridtjof Nansen. in an interview Sunday , expressed his personal opinion that a republic would be as convenient a form of government for a democratic country like Norway as a monarchy , but said that something was due to the fool ing of other Scandinavian countries , ed which were accustomed to a monarchical form of government. $ Deacon Lived Double Life. The Milwaukee Journal prints a story of the double life of Peter H. Deacon , who died in Chicago April l.'i last. Ac cording to the story told by Deacon' ? son-in-law. Deacon lived a double life for twenty years , having at tho same time families in Somerville , Mass. , and for Milwaukee. the Peace Negotiations. in St. Potorsburgadvicos state that Russia Is waiting foi Japan to fix the time and place when and where the Japanese .11 terms will be placed in the hands of Rus " sia's representative. Tho foreign ollice expects that the delay will be brief. the Cashier i * ? Arrested. the W. E. Peters ; cashier of the suspended American Savings Bank at Trinidad , Colo. , was arrested at mSdniiiht charged with receiving money when ho knew the bank to bo insolvent. tial Sioux City Stock Market. Saturday's quotations on the Sioux on City stock market follow : Butcher steers , : . Top hogs. .VJO. Fatal Plunge of Automobile. Throe people were drowned and two others narrowly escaped a like fate Sat SO' urday night when an automobile in which UK the five were rilling plunged into the open the draw of the Rush Street brmge crossing the Ihe Chicago River in Chicago. part Petition to Roosevelt. A petition to President Roosevelt ask I ing him to recognize the new government tra of Norway is being circulated in Chicago Vi among Norwegians. It will soon be for- SF 5varded to Washington. Uli PEACE MOVE IS MADE. President Roosevelt Addresses Note to Japan and Russia. An identical noto , tho text of which by authority of the president was made pub lic late Friday night at the White House at Washington by Secretary Loeb , has been forwarded to tho governments of Russia and Japan by President Roose- volt. In the interest of humanity the president urges the warrinft nations to conclude peace. * It is suggested by the president that the negotiations for peace be conducted "directly and exclusively aelweenthe belligerent nations. " The note ndicates the president's belief that an intermediary may not be necessary to Affect conclusive negotiations , but like wise expresses the president's willing ness to do all that he properly may do to promote the preliminary arrangements for a time ami place for the meeting of representatives of the Russian and Jap an eso governments. The foregoing noto was forwarded to ho Russian and Japanese governments I'riday afternoon. It is rendered espe cially significant by the fact that it was prepared and sent only after assurances had been received from Tokio aud St. Petersburg that such a proposition would DC welcomed. While both Count Cassini , Mie Russiui ambassador , and Minister Takahira , of Japan , were cognizant of .he nature of the note it was not sent to : heir respective governments through them. It was cabled by direction of the president to St. Petersburg and Tokio and there delivered directly to the Rus- 'ian and Japanese governments respect ively by Ambassador Meyer and Minis- : er Griscom. A formal reply to the note may not bo received for several days , but as already aiade clear , informal assurances that it u-ould be welcomed are already at hand. [ n view of the significant character of : hc document and of the attitude toward .t which both Russia and Japan have as sumed it is regarded in official and diplo matic circles as the first firm and decisive towmd ultimate peace. UNION FLAG DOWN. The Norwegian Tricolor is Hoisted Throughout the Land. The Norwegian tricolor was hoisted Friday over Akershus fort at Christiania and throughout the country in the place 3f the union flag. The substitution was attended by groat ceremony at the fort , tvhere the members of the storthing and 30,000 of the public assembled. According to the latest news received it Stockholm , Sweden , from all parts of : he country , the Norwegian coup d'etat nas been received with calmness border- lug on indifference. Beyond demonstra tions of loyalty to the throne there is no ; ign there that anything unusual has happened. DYNAMITE WRECKS BANK. The Explosion Fails to Break Open the Safe. At Paris , 111. , the Ediar County Na tional Bank was wrecked by dynamite at 4 o'clock Thursday morning. The charge also demolished Bradshaw's jew elry store and Wetzel's shoe store , adja cent to the bank. The vault was wreck ed. but the safe , in which were the bank's funds , was intact. A strange circumstance is that Walter Juntgen , a bookkeeper in the bank , has a broken arm , which he says was caused by a brick flying into his window across the square from the explosion. IS NOT GAMBLING. Speculation in Cotton Held to be Legitimate Business. In the case of ( T. A. Nuckles against C. A. Hooker , of Marshall County , at Montgomery , Ala. , the supreme court of Alabama hold that transactions in cot ton futures is not gambling , but is a le gitimate business. Nuckles gave a mort gage on property as security lor margins , and an effort was made to foreclose the mortgage. He contended that the mort gage was invalid , inasmuch as it was given to secure a gambling debt. a Accounts 5i OOOO Short. Wm. W. Karr , the accountant of the Smithsonian institution at Washington and disbursing agent for the govern ment bureaus under it , has been arrest , on the charge of embezzlement which , from his own confession , aggregates $40,000. His stealings , he confessed , have been going on for the last fifteen years. He is HO years of age. Hickory Handle Men Combine. As the result of the mooting of tho na in tional association of hickory handle man ufacturers , controlling < J. > per cent of the output , held at Memphis. Tenn. , Fri- day , plans were laid in executive session 111. the colsolidation of practically all on hickory handle manufacturing plants tj the L'nited States. ' New New York Scandal. tho "You may state , said CJov. Higgins , po New York , at Duhuli. Minn. , Friday. "that I will call a special session of the legislature immediately on my return to state. This session will bo called for , m purpose of investigating certain charges mado against members of the state judiciary. " the Martial Law Declared. .1 St. Petersburg dispatch says : Mar law has been declared in .rivan. ing where on .Tune 5 a Mussulman mob fired sill Armenians in a bazaar , killing and liU wounding over twenty. Tho fighting was rei continued on June (5 ( and 7. mc Chili Wants Railways. Santiago , Chili , advices state that the government has presented to congress a AVj motion to raise a loan of $20.000,000 for ( jjr ( construction of railways throughout thi country. These railways will form of of the Pan-American railways. co Bubonic Plague Spreads. Bubonic plague is increasing in Aus- 'j tralia , according to advices received at ma Victoria , B. C. , by the steamer Aaranjri. the Sydney , Newcastle , Ballini , JJsuiore and vc , Ulmarra are infected. fer PANIC IN A CHICAGO THEATER ' * - - Several Persons Hurt in the Rush to Get Out. A fight between boys in the gallery of the Academy of Music , a west side thea ter at Chicago , Thursday night created a panic among the audience and before it subsided several people had been bruised and one boy so seriously hurt that it was found necessary to remove him to the hospital. The performance , which was the "Kreutzer Sonata , " was nearly conclud ed when two boys became involved in a fight over the right to occupy certain seats. Other boys joined in the fracas , and in a minute a free fight was raging in the gallery. The uproar overheard alarmed the pooI pie in the balcony directly under the gal- lery and they commenced to leave their seats. Tho attendants of the theater did their best to quiet the disturbance , but a crowd of I > " g fe Wi pushing to- to hold theSsjj - > < w i. | tnanic quickly spread to t If UMjce * * ! ' $ | tl0 ! theater. Mamiser { & ; . ; . \n Stheater , stop5 just as ho c J ij ak somebody in the audic | ie yelled "fire , " and a rush for the ' * jors took place. Dozens of wo men screamed wildly and. rushed for the exits and it was impossible for the fire men and policemen stationed in the buildT ing to check them. F. B. Meyers , one of the doortendors , closed the doors lead- ing into Halsted Street , but several men tore him away and throwing open the doors ran into the street. At the first sign of trouble Policeman O'Rell had turned in a riot alarm , and a large force ol"1 police from Desplaiii"s Street police station was quickly oa hand , but by the time they arrived all the audience was in ihe street. Reuben .u'osc-s , one of the boys who caused the trouble , was knocked down in the panic and badly hurt. He was taken to the hospital for medical treatment and was then locked up in the police sta- tion. SHEA IS IN FULL CHARGE. No Peace in Sight in Chicago Team- ster's Strike. Peace in the teamsters' strike at Chi cago is as far off as ever. The railway express companies are still firm and policemen and deputy sher iffs will not be withdrawn from trucks and wagons if the Employers' Associa tion can prevent their withdrawal. President Shea seems to be in full con trol of the teamsters again. It is ex pected $ ± . > ,000 will be contributed for strike benefits , and this , he says , will keep the strike alive for at least two or three more weeks. Plans are said to have been matured by the teamsters to continue < the strike "all winter. * ' At an informal meeting of the execu- tive committee of the Team Owners' As sociation Thursday it was decided to con tinue to be neutral , so a spread of tho strike is not likely for the present at least. BREACH IS WIDER. Little Hope for Settlement of Scan dinavian Row. Stockholm advices state that King Os car has refused to receive a deputation appointed to present him the Norwegian storthing's address. The request that the king receive the deputation was sent by the president of the storthing , Bernor , who * received a telegram from him reading as follows : "As I do not recognize the revolutiong ary steps which the storthing , in violah tion of the constitution and the act of un ion , and in revolt against its king , has unfortunately taken , 1 decline to re- . ceive the deputation. ' ' The king is receiving many telegrams expressing sympathy and devotion fron : all parts of the kingdom. Woman 3Iust Go to Gallows. $ Judge Peckham. of the United States supreme court. Friday declined to graiit writ of error which Avould allow the case of Mrs. Mary Rogers , of Vermont , now under sentence at Albany , N. Y. , for the murder of hor husband , to go to the United States court. Kice Murder Case. The court of appeals at Albany , N. Y. , Friday sustained the lower courts in ad judging Albert T. Patrick , a New York lawyer , guilty of murder in the first de b gree in causing the death of William of Marsh Rice , an aged Texas millionaire , a 1000. iPi IK Drowned in Pond. OI Merritt Aiken , the S-yoar-old son of the Rev. and Mrs. E. J. Aiken , of Aurora. . , was drowned by falling from a raft n a pond. lie did not return at bod- time , and a search which lasted until , " > o'clock in the morning resulted in finding no body in a well in the center of the pond. Wounded Sailors Picked Up. Fifty-five Russian sailors , some of them wounded , were picked up eighteen miles off Mishima on Wednesday. Twen ty-three of the crow of the Aurora were landed and ton refugees were rescued in same vicinity. ' Morocco Problem a Menace. Germany's < note to the powers propos ? an international conference on tho subject of Morocco is regarded in the the highest quarters at Paris , France , as , are renewing the gravity of the situation al most to the point of making it menacing. Indorses Norway's Course. The Norwegian Society of America , St which is in session at Fargo. N. D. . has sti directed tho secretary to cable the stor | tei thing at Christiania that the members be the society heartily approve of the and course taken at homo. Send Note to the Powers. The Associated Press learns that Ger El many has sent an identical note to all tei powers signatory to the Madrid con rent B. vention , proposing an international con B.ha ference on the Question of Morocco. STATE JJ OP NEBKASKA NEWS ! OF THE WEEK ! IN A CON- DENSED FORM. English Holds Boy Eiempt Attorj ney for Guy Breckner Declares Client Not Subject to Prosecution Charge is Killing of Albert Kuhn Former County Attorney English has submitted to Judge Day at Omaha a for mal brief in the case of state against Guy Breckner for the killing of Albert Kuhn last ] February at South Omaha. In his brief Mr. English raises some new points that promise to be somewhat puzzling , lie squarely presents the proposition that Breckner is not now amenable to punish- incut of any kind. At the time of the killing the boys had j met just outside of South Omaha while the Breckner bay and some com panions were out hunting. The meeting resulted in more or less talk , and finally young Breckner threw up his gui and the Kuhn boy was shot and killed. At" the time Breckner was not Ki years of age , but under the old law he would j1 have been subject to trial for either murder or manslaughter , the two crimes which were excepted from the reforma- { tory law of Nebraska. j March 4 the new juvenile court law went into effect. It is general in its pr j- visions and makes no exceptions of any crimes committed by children under 1(5. ( They are ail to be amenable to the new law. Mr. English contends that as Breckner was under 1U when the new law went into effect and had not yet j been tried under the old reformatory law I he was brought under the povisions of the i juvenile cout law. Then , as he was not tried by that court up to the time he became 30 , in April , tne conclusion is adduced that he is not now subject to trial or punislfmcnt at all. The county attorney's olllce is going ahead on the supposition that the legis lature l ! never intended to exempt anyone from punishment for a crime committed. fI fo will be contended that the provisions of the old law relating to manslaughter and murder are still in force , ai.d that even if they were not the courts will not sustain what the county attorney says i is a forced construction of the juvenile KILLED IN BALL GAME. Injuries Received by Mariaville Farmer Result Fatally. James E. Rickard. a farmer living near Mariaville , says a Bassott special , dioil at his home Thursday morninir from tho effects of an injury received while play-1 ing ball at Mariaville last Saturday. In I attempting to make third base ho fell i on his stomach and ruptured an intos- j ( tine. He did not know at the timo that , he was hurt seriously , though he did ' not play any more. j A physician was called Sunday and i . Monday an operation was performed , but ] | it was too late. Mr. Richard was ' { . " j years old and leaves a wife and several small children. Cigarette Fiends Ready for Fa mini ; Cigarette ' "fiends" at Omaha are mak ing preparations for the anti-cigarette bill , which goes into effect July 1. by lay ing in an abundant supply of manufac tured cigarettes and papers. One dealer tvho has on hand about 45.000 cigarettes j * aas reduced the price and has sold sev- ! 2ral 1,000 lots to smokers. Girl Commits Suicide. Miss Blanch Castile , daughter of Andy Castile , who lives northwest of York , committed suicide Thursday evening at C o'clock. She tried to purchase strych nine at Jerome's drug store , but was re- fused , but afterwards obtained it at Ky- ! $ ' ' an's , saying she wanted it to kill rats , j Sho had expected to graduate from the ! high school this week. Barn Burned. A large barn belonging to IT. G. Lor.v- of itt on the East Mills farm near Levitt , was totally destroyed by fire Wednesday night. A number of horses were saved , I but two and one mule were burned , to- } an gether with a quantity of harnesses and j farming implements. The loss is about j 'p\ $2.500 , and is partialljcovered by in- tj surance. tn Rains Played Havoc Avith Corn. j Tl Farmers on the Platte bottoms report oil that the rains of the last ten days have i Ti played havoc with the com crop. Much j of it has rotted in the ground and is i being replanted. One farmer near Fre- j n mont is replanting a second time. On of the bluffs the situation is much better , } \ but the corn there is poor in low places. , , i L Has New Pipe Organ. j izc A handsome $2,400 pipe organ has just \ 1)C' been < placed in the Presbyterian church | Wayne and Wednesday night a large i and appreciative audience attended a j , - , pipe organ recital given at the church in t JV honor of the event. This is the second ' of the kind in in organ that city. . To Tax Building and Loan. PI Deputy County Attorney Matson , ! tho Lancaster County , in an opinion filed j the with the county assessor , has declared j that building and loan associations have j property that is exempt from taxa- ' nt tion. He insists that the loaii s , lands , : * tho ] mortgages and franchises must bo taxed. , j > Bodies Still Missing- f is According to reports from Hooper the j bodies of Foley and Noal. who were drowned in the Elkhorn Tuesday after- ! noon , have 'not been recovered , though j ivj ; the search is still going on. Foley was i ] don. 'president of the Comt t recently organized Com- , , ,0 mercial Club of the town. < j,0. Crops Looking Fine. At Geneva tho wheat is heading and fields look uncommonly line. Oats ey rather short and also commencing to aft head out. Corn is good and being well i me cultivated. ' na i Flagman Killed at Crossing- . j John Steele , flagman on tho Randolph j T Street crossing at Weeping Water , was ' Coi struck by a freight engine Wednesday afat ' ternoon nnd instantly killed , three cars It besides the engine passed over his body , ; thr the head was severed from the trunk. the ; a t Drowned in the JElkhorn. The capsizing of a ferryboat in the Elkhorn River near Hooper Tuesday af E ternoon precipitated eight men in the cur Coi of the river. Two , Daniel Filey and the C. Neal , were drowned. The bodies dist have not been recovered. non KILLED HIS WIFE. George Elsain , of Axtell , Con mitJ Murder nnd is in Jai1 , A Mimlen special says : The county at torney and sheriff have been at Axtell in vestigating a case of murder in which George < ; Elsam. a well known and rich nothing to indicate that there had been ntf town , shot and killed his wife some time during Monday niirht. The facts as gathered at this time aro that some time during the night he killed her. then walk ed ( into Axteil , called tip S. C. Stew ard , tho banker of the town , and gave ah him his revolver and asked for protec tion. He staid around town until offi tie cers < could be sent for. a distance of ten miles , and was not placed under arrest until late Tuesday afternoon. He docs not say that he killed his wife , or that he did not. She was found at homo , however , lying at the foot of the bod , partially dressed , dead. There was ntohintr to indicate that there had been a struggle and at her feet was found cer tificates of deposit amounting to nearly $ (5.000. ( No motive can be ascribed for the deed , unless there had been a quarrel of some kind between them. He is reputed to be worth at least $ .10,000. CASH RECEIPTS. Treasurer Mortensen Takes in Nearly $1OOOOOO in Six Months. State Treasurer Mortensen has filed at Lincoln his semi-annual statement of re ceipts and disbursements for six months , ending May .TL The report shows that the receipts wore $0'J..SO. ! ) > . : J > 2.while . tho expenditures were ? ! > 7. .44S.4.1. The receipts in the general fund would have boon greatly increased had the Un ion ; Pacific and Burlington Railways paid their taxes. One big item in the expenditures was tho ; legislative expenses of 100,000. Dur ing the six months tho permanent school fund received $ ] .Q'2'2.W2J > , while the amount paid out was i ? ! I4.'i ! > 0. . ' > ! ) , leaving a cash balance of $108,141' . ! ( J. NELSON MAN MURDERED. Coroner Investigates Death of 31. E. Evans and Two MPII Are Held. At Nelson , as a result of the findings of the coroner's jury , stating that M. E. Evans , who was found dead at the foot of the stairway of a restaurant , had been murdered. E. S. McCormick and George Chapman are held on the charge of kill- ing Evans. The jury returned a verdict , implicat ing the two men mentioned. The pre liminary hearing of the two men will probably be held this week if caught. Arrested for Robbing Store. Sheriff Hauman. of Fremont , arrested Bernard Gothrim on an oastbound train 01 tho Union Pacific , tho charge airainst him being tho larceny of a quantity of goods from a store at Sidney. Tho pris oner , being a Russian and unable to understand English , the sheriff had some ditliculty in informinir him of tho chariro against him , which lie finally suc ceeded in doimr in German. Ho admit ted to tho sheriff that ho was the man wanted and acknowledged having stolon tho goods , tho value of which was about $100. Music Ijfsson Swindle. A pair of well-dressed swindlers visit ed Blakely Township the other day. rep- rofvntinir that 'they wore soliciting pupils for music lessons , and that the music , books , etc. , were to come from Dallas , Tex. They explained the necessity for collecting tuition in advance , and in this way succeeded in getting $ . ' ' . " > each from two residents of the township. Then they skipped. Alleged Blackmailer Arrested. Mrs. Mary Kirby , of Osceola , is charg ed with sending a letter to Mr. Robert , McBeth , demanding that he send her ' ; $30 in bills to Stromsburg or she would 'peach" on him. The matter has been hanging | fire for a week , but Saturday af- tornoou a complaint was filed before the ! county judge. Mrs. Kirby was brought before him and she is now out on bonds $200. Saloon Burglars Caught. Burglars pried open tho windows of the saloons belonging to E. C. Stantou , ri and Vesley & Motsick at Ravenna. They si secured ( $20 and some cigars and whisky. Through \ information from Sweet water the robbers were arrested in attempting' pass Ravenna on a freight train. ! of They wore placed in jail , but later escap by bursting open the jail door. Two New Companies Incorporated , Tho Standard Trust Company , of i so Omaha ! , with an authorized capital stock i ? 100.000. has filed articles of incor- poration in the office of Secretary st Galusha. The J. II. McShaine Lumber th Company , of Omaha , with an authormi ized capital stock of $1. 0,000 , has also ' ar been ' incorporated. ri Alleged Assailant Bound Over. cv . , ; The preliminary hearing of Joseph ge Fletcher , charged with an a < ault upon j jy David King , with intent to kill , and also' ' ' ' & a second count with assault with in-1 Of tent to wound , was completed at North ' ch Platto Saturday in tho county court and | defendant. Fletcher , bound over to ' < district court. m Bryan Makes Gift to School. be beme At Corner university commencement I me Lincoln announcement was made o . als ' ( donation to tho university by W. J. ' for Bryan of land valued at $1.000. Cotner i e.n tho denominational university of the ! Christian church of Nebraska. dh UK Found Dead in Bed. the Henry Kauffoldt. a prosperous farmer . lar living a short distance northeast of Miu-j . was found dead in his bed the other' morning , and his death is attributed to fro heart failure. ate nal Honored Ex-Go v. Furnas. Acting on tho suggestion of Gey. MickC01 C01 tho state house was closed Saturday j j 0 nfternoon as a tribute of respect to tho ! eu- memory of former Gov. Robert W. Fur- wa < Independent ] 'Phone Line Busy. Tho Farmers' Independent Telephone' ' / - . 'ompany. which was recently organized j 3f Blue SprinITS. is doimr much business , is -.A _ i- _ its lines in , , n .1 ? A ? _ _ _ j * Ulii oxt ending all directions ! Q rough the country. Every farmer in ' vicinity is or will be supplied with ' telephone. ? ? _ : he Pollard lor Congress. sys Ernest M. Pollard , of Nehawaka , Casa' ' res Bounty , was nominated for congress at * ford Republican convention for the First * usha listrict at Falls City Saturday. The je lomination was made on the 551st ballot. plant Saturday the state board of public ; lands and buildings entered into another contract with the Lee Broom and Dusterf Company for the employment of the * convicts at the penitentiary at the rate1 of 50 cents a day , which prevailed underr the old contract. The Sterling Manufac- [ turing Company , of Illinois , had an offer- to pay 32 cents a dozen for overalls sub ject to its acceptance , and the members- ! of the board believed that it would net the ( state a satisfactory return for thor Iab6r of the men , but it was rejected be cause the board did not have the availa ble funds with which to install the ma-J- chinery and did not wish to offend the numerous Nebraska manufacturers off overalls and shirts. While the amount called for under the new contract is th same as the consideration under the old ; some of the conditions are much more favorable to the state. Under the old. one the contractor could practically dic tate how many men he would employr over 150 , and the board had nothing to- say , even though some of the convicts were idle. Under the new contract the- broom company is to take all the mcE offered by the board , but has the right- to a minimum of 200. thereby insuring- him a practical monopoly. At the samo- time the state is protected against the possibility of having a , large number of. idle convicts on its hands. v f * Friday the state board of equalization granted a special hearing to Tax Com missioner Dudley , of the Milwaukee , . who protested against the assessment of its trackage facilities at Omaha on the ground that the statute fails to grant that power to the board. At the conclusion of his argument he was informed by dov. Mickey that the road comes into the state to get its business and that it should be taxed in fairness to the other railways and the taxpayers. Dudley filed a state ment under protest and the members- of the board intimated that the assess ment would be bas-ed on the rolling stock 3 used on the G.13 miles over which the road . operates in Nebraska. Dudley took the . ground that the action of the board t in . assessing a road with bare trackage rights would revolutionize the taxation- of railways in the state. f * * Friday Attorney General Brown filed a . brief in the supreme court sustaining the biennial election law on the ground that the legislature had the discretion tc construe < the constitution in the interest 01c the public , and he also raises the novel contention , regarded as the main hope of ; the friends of the statute , that the provision of the constitution relating to. Pel elections is not mandatory , but only dii rectory , to be disregarded if the legisla ture in its judgment saw fit to do bo. U > is contended that the main purpose oi tlf convention was to provide for th < forthcoming election and not set up c fixed : rule for the future. Still auothei contention < is that the courts are bound ctc tc allow the legislature to construe th . tcP political < sections of the constitution. * * * Labor Commissioner Bush has au nouuced < that his department will under take to supply Nebraska farmers with : harvest ; laborers. Some inquiries are be * ing made , but the harvest is still in the future. As soon as the demand become fibi specific an effort will be made tt bring it in touch with the supply. The department < will co-operate with the laboj bureaus of surrounding states in direct * ing the surplus labor supply as far aa possible. < Bush is not in possession oj- sufficient data yet to enable uim to ap proximate the number of men needed to care for the crops. Last year , througlj the wide publicity given the efforts o3 > the bureau , hundreds of collegians wer led to apply for vacation jobs on the- farms. ] * * * Secretary Dobson , of the state board o : irrigation , has received a protest fron ; f the owners of the Eaton & McGrath caj nal complaining because the Western In i1 rigation ; Canal Company is allowing iti- surplus ; moisture to find its way into th < complainant's waterway. This is tii . first time that a complaint has com < from that section of the state because an excess water supply. The canals are located on the South Platte River , e i which in ordinary years goes dry during. f the height of the irrigating season. Lit > tie trouble is anticipated from thaJ-- source this year. Notwithstanding the action of state ; insurance department in revokm- the license of Van B. Lady , tho Omaha- man who represents a New York hsur > - ance company , it is probable that 1:0 s& * rious resistance would be offered in th - event that he takes action to secure a re instatement or a new license. Auditoj Searle states that his purpose was chief- to vindicate the department from th < r charge implied in the alleged statement Lady that the company could pun- chase a right to do business in the stater- * * * Geo. ( L. Shumway , one of the leading. men of Scott's Bluff County , who has- been in Lincoln , says that the goveru-i ment will construct 1,000 miles of later for tho interstate canal , cross sectioni which are now being laid out by th engineers on the Nebraska side of tht line. The construction of these smaller diversion ditches will afford employ * nient to the settlers , who are awaiting. ( completion of the project to till theii * lands. * * # IT. G. Leavitt , according to advice from Scott's Bluff County. Avill inaugur work on the Farmers" Irrigation ca within a few days , despite the receil- report that an effort was being made 'tc- compromise the differences betweeir Leavitt and the interior department by- effecting ( a deal to supply his land with- water. The fanners' ditch will supply * uearly 100,000 acres with water. * * * Secretary of State Galusha and Land' Commissioner Eaton , who are members the state board of public lands : : nd buildings , have returned to Lincoln froic Omaha , where they went to inspect an icetylene gas plant which former Sec retary of State Porter is trying to sel } state. They speak favorably to the system , claiming that its adoption would result in a considerable saving and af. good light. Secretary of State Ga- ' intimated that some action would taken looking to the purchase of a for the illumination of the state * louse.