THE VALENTINE DEMOCRAT . . . . - - - - - i ii fmt I. M. RICE , Publisher. VALENTINE , NEBRASKA. U. S. GIVES 1 .FIRM ATTITUDE TAKEN BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT FOR FAIR TREATMENT. ORDER SENTTO AMBASSADOR Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson In- sturcted to Present Views of This Country to Both Federal and Rebel Authorities or that Country. Washington , D. C. Warning by the United States to the Mexican govern ment , as well as to Gen. Pascual Or- zoco , chief of the insurrectos , "that it expects and must demand that Ameri can life and property within the repub lic of Mexico be justly and adequately - ly protected and that this government must hold Mexico and the Mexican people responsible for all wanton or illegal acts sacrificing or endangering American life or endangering Ameri can property or interests. " The attitude of the United States as expressed to both the federal and rebel authorities is that any maltreat ment of American citizens will be deeply resented by the American gov ernment and must be fully answered for by the Mexican people. Acting Secretary Huntingtou Wil son , of th state department , who is sued special instructions to Ambas sador Henry Lane Wilson at Mexico City and Marion Letcher , American consul at Chihuahua , authorized the statement that intervention was not contemplated by the United States. Ambassador Wilson was ordered to communicate the views of the United States to the Mexican.minister of for eign affairs and a copy of his instruc tions was likewise sent to Marion Letcher , American consul at Chihua hua , with special representations ad dressed to Gen. Orozco. Orzoco recently refused to recognize Mr. Letcher as the American consul at Chihuahua because the United States recently withheld recognition of the rebel cause. The presentations to Orzoco accused him of the "prac tical murder" of Thomas Fountain , an American gunner enlisted with the federals , but summarily executed last week when taken prisoner by the in surrectos. Though declining to justify partici pation of Americans on either side , the United States expressly stipulates that American combatants when taken prisoner must be given humane treat ment in accordance with the interna tional rules of war. DIRIGIBLE PLUNGES TO EARTH. Prof. Schiuette's German Aircraft Partially - tially Wrecked. Schwetzingen , Germany. The four teen passengers carried by the Schuette-Lanz dirigible balloon on its first flight this year had a narrow es cape from death near here. When the dirigible , with the inventor , Prof. Schuette , acting as pilot , had reached an altitude of a few hundred feet , the vertical steel gear jammed and the airship plunged at full speed to the earth , where it bui'ied its bows and the forward gondola in the ground.- The six inmates of the gondola , to gether with Prof. Schuette and a mechanician , were thrown out with great violence , but nobody except the mechanician , whose breast was crush ed in , suffered serious injury. The dirigible , with the remaining passengers , then rose again rapidly. The water ballast containers had been smashed and the airship was blown helplessly across the Rhine , but a de scent was eventually effected without further mishap. Fire Burns Over Sixty Acres. Minneapolis , Minn. Fire caused from a spark of an engine burned over GO acres , destroyed 15 box cars in the Chicago , Milwaukee and St. Paul rail way yards at St. Paul park , a suburb and for a time threatened the destruc tion of Interior and Great Western , two of the largest elevators in Min neapolis. Live Stock Market. Sioux City. Cattle Good to choice corn fed steers , $7.25@S.25 ; medium to good , $6.25(3)7.25 ( ) ; good to choice fat cows and heifers , $5.50@6.50 ; grass cows , $3.50@5.00 ; canners and cutters , § 2.50@3.75 ; bulls , $3.75@6.00 , veals , § 3.50@7.50. Hogs Prices range from $7.40@7.75 , with a bulk of the sales at ? 7.GO@7.70. Sheep Lambs , § ( J.OO@ 7.25 ; yearlings $5.75 @ 6.50 ; ewes , ? 4.00@5.50. Insurance Man Passes Away. Chicago. George W. Wontgomery , for years prominent in fire insurance circles , died of pneumonia after a short illness. Phosphorus Match Bill Signed. Washington , D. C. The president has signed the bill to tax white phosphorus - phorus matches. It is claimed the law will effectually prohibit their manu facture. The matches have been de nounced in congressional hearings as harmful to laborers engaged in their manufacture. KILL II. S. AMERICAN SHOT TO DEATH BY MEXICAN REBELS DESPITE PROTESTS. SLAIN UNDER 'LAW OF FLIGHT * Insurrectos Ignore Plea in Man's Be half From Washington Tried by Court-Martial for Disabling Federal Gun After Villa's Retreat. El Paso , Tex. Among the 184 Americans and other foreign refugees .who returned from the battle-swept 'districts ' around Parral was an American - , can newspaper man , who brought news of the execution of Thomas Fountain of Las Cruces , N. M.f by the 'rebels ' , after American residents had ineffectually sought a modification of his sentence and after what is be lieved to have been an appeal for his , llfe from Washington had been made. Fountain vas captain of a federal jgun under Gen. Pancho Villa. When , Villa retreated last Thursday night Fountain removed parts of the piece and concealed himself in a part of a private residence seldom visited. The American was driven by thirst and hunger to reveal his presence on 'Sunday ' after 72 hours of self-imposed torture. He was armed with a re volver , but made no resistance. On Monday he was compelled to show the rebels where he had secreted the missing parts of his rapld-firer , was tried by court-martial and con demned to death , apparently for hav ing disabled the gun. American Consul Letcher at Chihua- ihua gent to General Salazar what Is 'believed ' to have been an appeal from Washington. In delivering the missive tto a messenger the consul remarked : ! "This is the last resort. " In Mexico they have recourse to' ' what is known as the "law of flight- under which a prisoner who has been ; condemned , but where there exists a' ' doubt as to the legality of the sen- ; teuce , is allowed his freedom within' certain limits. The prisoner knows his fate. isj sealed. Even If he does not walk ai step the fatal bullet will come from some unexpected quarter and the report - ' , port will be made that he was shot -while "in flight. " It was thus In Fountain's case. He told the corre spondent that there was no hope , but strolled about the streets waiting for death. When his body was brought in it contained four bullet wounds , made by .shots fired from behind. Washington. Consul Letcher at Chihuahua was Instructed by the state department to make a peremptory de mand on the rebels for the release of C. A. Heberley , an American consult ing engineer , who has been held pris oner in Jiminez since April 7. Tele graphic communication is interrupted partly and it is believed possible the engineer has been released and is making his way into Chihuahua. SPRECKELS WILL FIGHT ENDS Litigation by Sons and Heirs Over . Sugar Magnate's Millions Ended by Court. San Francisco. Years of litigation over the millions left by the late Glaus Spreckels , sugar magnate , in which two sous , Glaus A. and Rudolph Spreckels were arrayed against his other sons , John D. and Adolph B. Spreckels , ended here when the su preme court sustained the validity of the elder Spreckels' will. Five million dollars was involved in ithe contest. Glaus Spreckels left an estate of § 10,000,000. Half of this [ went to the widow and the other half was willed to Glaus A. and Rudolph Spreckels and Mrs. Emma C. Ferris , his daughter , In equal one-thirds. f The decision of the supreme court 'reverses ' Coffey's decision and leaves John D. and Adolph B. Spreckels with no share in the $5,000,000 under con test. They Inherit only what their father gave them before his death. CAIRO IS ALMOST NORMAL River Falling and Business in Illinois City Has Again Been Resumed. Cairo , 111. The river marked 53.8 feet on the gauge here and is falling. The lid Is off and business has been resumed in Cairo. Adjt. Gen. Frank S. Dickson went to see what was needed in way of supplies for flood refugees and will order them more sent by the state. The government steamer Noko- mls passed Cairo point loaded with supplies for'tne flood sufferers at Col umbus , Hlckman and other points down the river. The boat had on board several thousand dollars' worth of provisions donated by the citizens of St. Louis , besides a supply from the government , Including many tents and blankets. None of the railroads will be able to resume business into Cairo before the end of the week. Claims Against Estate $4,500,000. Denver , Colo. Claims aggregating $4,506,566 were filed against the estate of the late D. H. Moffatt in the district court. It Is conceded by those fa miliar with the estate of the Colorado railroad builder , banker and mining man that of an estate valued at $10- 000,000 to $15,000,000 the heirs will realize only about $750,000. New Mexican Minister. Mexico City. Pedro lascurian took the oath of office as minister of foreign relations , to replace Manuel Calero PREPARING TO HONOR COLUMBUS yijfc * * - . - < J J | , . . - . . ; . . . . v.v.v.-.v'x. fcg' ' . -y-XgS < M9& AT x - . . ; > ; > & * * * * vxx" . fe. . " ' : . . \ ' . . * " * t vrxl 1 V tLt\ r , -fT.r r - ujrirTr viwwix7W - ) / \ / : < ? ' ' /r / T/V are very busy In Washington erecting the statue of Columbus WORKMEN bus in front of the Union station. The monument is to unveiled on June 8 with considerable ceremony. SECRETARY STIMSON ALSO CRITI CIZED BY COMMITTEE IN AINSWORTH CASE. REPORT IS SENSATIONAL Says That Accusations Against the General Were Based Upon Preju dice ; That His Advocacy of 5-Year Enlistment Plan Was the Cause. Washington. The house committee on military affairs came to the de fense of former Adjt. Gen. Fred C. Ainsworth in a report which impugns the motives of the president of the United States , challenges the veracity off Secretary Stimson and discredits the ability and experience of Gen. Leonard Wood , chief of staff , and charges that a conspiracy between Stimson and Wood forced Ainsworth out of office at a time when his serv ices were most needed by his country. Charging that the accusations against General Ainsworth had been bolstered up to secure his removal and that the language used by the officer in his communications had been tor tured , misrepresented or suppressed by Secretary Stimson , the report con tinued : "The secretary of war In his letter of February 14 , 1912 , addressed to the adjutant general of the army , uses language more intemperate and less justifiable than any which your com mittee has been able to find In the Ainsworth papers , or which has been quoted by the secretary of war. " "Your committee , being familiar with all the different phases of the legislative features in the army ap propriation bill can very readily ac count for this violent assault on Gen eral Ainsworth. On May 17 , 1911 , in response to a summons from this com mittee , and not at his own suggestion General Ainsworth appeared before this committee for a hearing on the bill then pending to fix the term of enlistment in the army at five years. He expressed himself frankly and freely In favor of the measure and his reasons for favoring the bill were so cogent , so convincing and so clearly stated as to carry conviction of their soundness to the mind of many If not to those of most of the members of the committee. "Clearly It was to the Interests of those opposing these measures to dis credit General Ainsworth and his views. It was known that the army appropriation bill would come to a vote on February 15 , 1912. On that date the letter of the secretary of war of February 14 , relieving General Ainsworth from the duties of his of fice was served upon him. Referring to Secretary Stlmson's claim that he was not required to send the Ainsworth papers to . the house , the committee observes : "The secretary of war has a very erroneous Idea as to what his relation Is to the congress of the United States. His office Is not a constitu tional one. He derives no power from the executive. He Is the crea ture of the congress of the United States and as such Is amenable to It. He has no power which the congress does not confer. " Rate Cut Peril to Roads. Los Angeles , Cal. Henry D. Mudge , president of the Chicago , Rock Island & Pacific railroad , declared that If the Interstate commerce commission re duced freight rates on the transcon tinental roads after the opening of the Panama canal , in all probability the terminus of all western roads would be In Denver. "If rates are de creased , " said Mudge , "it simply means that the railroads cannot do business as transcontinental carriers. We cannot compete with the canal. " Signs Child Bureau Bill. Washington. The act of congress creating a bureau of child labor In the department of commerce and labor was signed here by President Taft. The pen used by the president was given to Dr. A. J. McKelway , secre tary for the southern states of the child labor committee. Have Third Set of Twins. New Castle , Pa. Twins have ar rived at the home of Constable and Mrs. Jack Fee , the third set to reach their home. KEY TO PEACE HARD COAL MINERS AND OPERATORS - ATORS HAVE MEETING TODAY. President White Believes Suitable Terms Will be Reached Will Re new Old Demands. Philadelphia. Hard coal miners' officials and the representatives of the operators met here in a conference at which it is hoped that all existing differences may be settled. With the conference rests the de cision whether the present suspension in the anthracite coal regions will be come a strike or the men shall return to work under a new agreement. President White of the United Mine Workers in discussing the situation prior to going into the conference de clared that he and his colleagues would renew the demands which they had presented at the last conference with the operators. In case he and his committee failed to reach a satis factory agreement with the operators , he said , there would be no arbitration and the union would not apply for mediation under the terms of the Erdman act. He expressed his belief that suit able terms would be reached , but said : "We realize that we are not going to any front parlor conference. " The miners' leader said that neither President Taft nor former President Roosevelt had taken any hand in the present controversy. He declared tfiat no governmental nor political interfer ence was desired and that the miners are amply able to take "car 9 of them selves without any outside Interfer ence. TWO RECEIVERS ARE NAMED D. W. Call and Otto H. Falk to Take Over Allls-Chalmers ' - Company's Affairs. Milwaukee. Receivers have been appointed for the Allis-Chalmers com pany by Judge A. L. Sanborn of the United States district court. The re ceivers are D. W. Call , president of the company , and Gen. Otto H. Falk of this city , a prominent manufacturer and president of the Merchants and Manufacturers' association. The appointments were made on the application of the First National and the Wisconsin National banks of this city , both creditors of the company , and W. W. Nichols of New York , a bondholder and stockholder. PLAN SHAFT FOR BJORNSON Norwegians of Minneapolis Honor Poet In 1914 Will Give Norway $1,000,000. Minneapolis , Minn. Norwegian res idents of Minneapolis have formed an organization to erect a § 10,000 monument ment to the memory of Bjornstjerne Bjornson , the poet , during the centen nial celebration of Norway's freedom in this city , May 17 , 1914. A fund of $1,000,000 also is being raised by the Norwegians of America to be present ed to Norway at the time of the cele bration , with a four-volume history of Norwegians in the United States. GENERAL BOOTH 83 TODAY Head of Salvation Army Hopes to Re- gair Sight By Operation In May. London. General William Booth , the heud of the Salvation Army of the World , is eighty-three years old. The old general is In good health , save for the annoyance caused by his partial blindness. On May 23 he will under go an operation which he hopes will restore his sight. His medical advisers say that after the operation he may have ten years of good sight. Authorized to Wear G. A. R. Buttons Stockton , Cal. Sons and daughters of Civil war veterans are authorized to wear the bronze button of the G. A. R. by a resolution Introduced at a meeting here of the department of California and Nevada. This action * was taken In an effort to prevent the vanishing of the decoration. Greek Islands Damaged by Quake. Athens. Considerable damage has been done by a series of earthquakes in the Greek islands of Cephalonia and Ithaca. 71 LIVES'ARE MENACED THIRTY PASSENGERS SAVED FKOM BURNING SHIP. Blaze Is Extinguished After a Hard Fight S. O. S. Signals Wake the Rescue Possible. Ditch Plain Life Saving Station. L , . I. The rescue of a ship in peril at sea was again due to the wireless , when the 30 passengers of the coast-wise steamer Ontario , plying between Bal timore and Boston , were taken off the craft after a fire had broken out in the hold. The ship ran aground off Montauk Point and the passengers taken to New London by the tug Tosco , sum moned by wireless. The crew , 41 men , stayed with the captain on the boat , and after a hard fight succeeded In ex tinguishing the blaze. The fire broke out during the night and became so threatening that Cap tain Bond ordered the wireless operator - ; tor to send S. O. S. distress signals. An hour later he turned back upon his .course . and drove the vessel full speed ahead for the reefs off Montauk Point. The life savers , reinforced by a crew from the Hether Plain station , two miles away , transferred the passen gers In small boats to a tug and stood off In readiness to take the crew ashore if need be. The passengers were transferred In the Ontario's life boats. The revenue cutters Mohawk and Seneca picked up the wireless call at New York and the cutter Acushnet at Boston hurried to the scene. They were able to give little assistance , however. JOHNSON NOT FREE MASON Committee Appointed to Inquire Into Legality of His Initiation Declare It Void. London. Jack Johnson is not a Free Mason. This Is the conclusion arrived at by the committee appointed by the Free Mason provincial grand lodge of Forfarshire to Inquire into his hurried initiation last summer as a member of the Dundee lodge - The .committee states that the meeting at which the initiation was carried through was illegal and all the pro ceedings at that meeting are there fore null and void and the initiation .of Johnson has no effect. The find ings of the committee have been ap proved and the lodge which admitted him will be directed to show cause [ why it should not be suspended. DENIES GRANT WILL QUIT Aid de Camp Howze of General Calls Report of Serious Illness Mere Fabrications. New York. A revival of reports that Maj. Gen. Frederick Dent Grant , U. S. A. , in command of the depart ment of the east , was ilT in the south and might relinquish permanently ac tive work , led to the issuance of the following statement by Lieut. Marion Howze , General Grant's aid de camp : "The reports about General Grant's health are mere fabrications. General Grant , who was run down in health , upon the advice of his physician ob tained an ordinary leave of absence and went south for a rest , giving no public address so that he might not be bothered with mail. " TOO U. S. SOLDIERS HELD Sergeant and Private Accused of Holding - ing Up Man Who Had Be friended Them. Chicago. Two soldiers of the United States army , one of them a sergeant and the other a private , were arrested charged with having robbed D. A. Caldwell , a Jailor , of his watch , a diamond stickpin and a small sum of money , after he had given them food and shelter in his home. The soldiers , Sergeant Harry Van Reed and Private Frank Coonfield , the latter engaged to marry Miss Ada Kissel of Libertyvllle next Thursday night , were arraigned In Judge Caver- ly's court , but not having counsel their cases were continued. WOMEN PLAN TO BUY SALOONS Fair Sex of Excelsior , . Minn. , Have Novel Scheme to Keep Town "Dry. " Minneapolis , Minn. Women of Ex celsior are planning to keep the vil lage "dry , " even if they find it neces sary to purchase the saloon licenses at $1,500 each. The formation of this plan comes as the result of the recent election in which Excelsior , a few miles from here , went "wet" after several years of no liquor. Two Die In Auto Accident. Philadelphia. John Lewis Hoffman and Arthtr L. Ryerson , Yale students , were killed In an automobile accident while speeding. The young men were home for the Easter holidays. Ryer- son was the guest of Ho-man. Rock Island Mayor Wins. Rock Island , 111. Henry McCaskrin , whose public address was followed by the recent riots In which two men were killed , and which resulted in the state troops being brought here , was nominated by the Republicans for state's attorney. Candian Coal for England. Ottawa , Ont. The steamer Muir- field has left Cape Breton for Eng land with 5,000 tons of coal , the first - cargo of Canadian coal ever sent from Cape Breton to England. \ F. 0. MAJOR GENERAL IS CALLED SUD DENLY AT MIDNIGHT THURSDAY. WIFE WITH H1IV1 AT TIME Army Man Closes Life at Buckingham Hotel , Where He Had Been Taken from St. Luke's Hospital Few Per sons Knew He Was in the City. New York. Grant is dead. The news , flashed from the apart ments of Maj. Gen. Frederick Dent Grant at the Hotel Buckingham short ly after midnight Thursday , sent a MAJ. GEN. FREDERICK D. GRANT. shock through the city such as that which startled the whole country on the death of his father twenty-seven years ago. The news was far anore sudden. It came less than an hour after the first alarm had been sounded that Gen. Grant Avas even seriously ill. The alarm itself had come before it had been generally learned that Gen. Grant was even in the city , as his presence had been kept a secret. The following statement was made at 1 o'clock by Gen. Grant's attending physician , Dr. Abbey and Dr. Dcnch : "Maj. Gen. Frederick D. Grant died suddenly of heart failure without pre monition at the Buckingham hotel at midnight , April 11 , after retiring at 11 o'clock , apparently in better con dition than for several weeks. Ho had returned from his recent trip much improved and looking remark ably well and vigorous. His condition since his return had given no special anxiety to his physician , who had been with him during the afternoon and congratulated him on his good heauth. He expressed himself as feeling re joiced at his renewed strength. "Gen. Grant had been suflering from diabetes and the attendant digestive disturbances , which seemed , however , to be perfectly under control. 'This sudden termination came as a great surprise. His wife and nurse were with him at the time and physi cians who were called at once found the 'heart had stopped instantly : " HOME RULE UP TO COMMONS. Irish Measure Put Before British- House. London. In a speech lasting two hours and described by old parlimen- tarians as the most masterly in recent years , the prime minister introduced in the house of commons the home rule bill , which bears the official title of "the govenrment of Ireland bill. " This is the third attempt of the lib eral party to settle the Irish question , which caused the disruption of the par ty under Gladstone and kept them out of power for nearly twenty years. Mr. Asquith's bill met with support from practically all the- liberals and laborites and both sections of the na tionalists , the Redmondites and the- O'Brienites. Bomb Outrage in Paris. Paris. A bomb exploded inside a > taxicab on the Rue de Lyon. The blast shook the neighborhood and' wrecked the motor car. The chauf feur and several pedestrians were in jured. The outrage is believed tc have been committed by chauffeurs , mauy of whom have been on strike for over two months. Entire Negro Family Killed. San Antonio , Tex. William Burton , his wife and two children and Leon Evers , his brother-in-law , all negroes , were murdered while asleep in their- home here. The head of each of the victims appears to have been crushed with an axe and butcher knives were * found stickingin all bodies except , those of the children. Chooses a tennessee Senator. Nashville , Tenn. Gov. Hooper hass announced the appointment of Xewell. Sanders , of Chatanooga. as United- States senator to succeed the -late- Senator Robert L. Taylor. iv/enty Persons Beheaded. Nanking. Twenty persons v/ere arrested - rested and immediately beheaded. They were charged with complicity in. a plot to dynamite the yamen and "kill Huang Sing , who has been put in con trol of the Nankink sphere.