THE NORFOLK WEEKLY NEWS-JOUttNAt FKIDAY AUGUST 20 1909 CHILDREN DYING NEAR NORFOLK EPIDEMIC OF SPINAL MENINGI TIS PREVAILS AT STROM8BURG. 300 CASES ARE NOW REPORTED Dr. J. H. MacUay Discusses the Uses of the State Health Association ; Says Council .Should Have Allowed U His $10 if Norfolk , Nob. , Aug. 14. Editor of The News : For whose good Is the stnto health association ? Let me give a graphic Illustration and then judge : An epidemic of mennlngttlH Is pre valent at Stromsburg. It has spread into the surrounding country and up to date there has been 300 cases. Jdvory church In the city Is closed and there have been no public meet ings In a month. Their clmutauqua and races and carnival were abandon iff ed. No person who cnn absolutely iffI I avoid It comes to town or goes to a store or to visit a neighbor and many of the farmers in the country are los ing their crops , because their families have the ( Unease and no one will help them with their harvest. The dead are burled nt night and the large number of small now made graves in the cemetery nro mute reminders that n poBtlllenco is abroad In the land. The financial loss to the city and coun try will aggregate many thousands of dollars. Two-thirds of all who have had the disease and recovered will bo life cripples. That is not all. Yesterday three cases wore reported at David City In the county north of Polk. This county joins Platte and the latter joins us and there Is dally communication with Norfolk. How many of your Norfolk readers know that such a dangerous contagious disease exists in the second county south of us and what would any of us give to avoid the death of one of our children or its being a cripple or feeble minded for life ? When It first broke out people smll- od at the health officials who tried to suppress It. Now they can have all the money and co-operation they need , but they had to learn this from the graves on the hillside. I spent parts of two days with the health officers of Polk county and learned how the disease got its start and how they have finally got it practically under control in that county , although it got out to Butler county. Colonel Bannister , who has been thirty years in the army and hud charge of the sanitary work in the Philippines and other tropical posts and who is now chief surgeon of the department of the Missouri , ad dressed our meeting at length and gave minute accounts of how the gov ernment suppressed epidemics in the tropics and made it safe for white people to live there. The methods employed by Dr. Bannister are with slight modifications applicable to all epidemics and it was a valuable les- BOH to me. Theie were other equally valuable discourses and I learned that if the coming generation of children are to be protected from the blight of con sumption , wo will be forced to go into the public schools and weed out those now afflicted no matter whose chil dren they are. Down In Polk county the recent , epidemic of mennlngitis did not even spare adults. If It comes to Norfolk what will our loss be in money , In happiness and human lives ? It will depend upon our vigilance in stamping it out at the outset and recognizing the very first cases in fected. The state health association was organized for mutual co-operation In stamping out epidemics and conserv ing the health of our people. Unfortunately , not until the graves get too numerous In any month do people - plo realize Its value and significance. I attended two meetings of this or ganization at Omaha and Lincoln and took a part in getting It established Jl over the state. I have spent more than my salary to date and I notice that a bill I presented to the city council for flO I spent twice that amount for expenses to one of these meetings , was rejected. I ask the pub lic who will ultimately be the loser by this policy ? I was the only health officer in the state who had to pay his own expenses. The United States government sent a representative , the Lincoln newspapers gave us columns of space and the Lincoln Journal gave n half page to my paper alone. J. H. M nek ay. RAILWAYS CARRY DISEASE. Won't Transmit Horses with Glanders ; Carry Human Consumptives. The paper rend by Dr. J. H. Mackay before the state health board , refer red to in the above communication , is reported as follows In the Lincoln News : Taking for the title of his paper , "Look Out for the Cars , " Dr. J. H. Mnckoy of Norfolk , went after the railroads before the Nebraska Health association , this morning , blaming them for the unsanitary conditions they permit. Ho snld that every de partment of human activity has been almost revolutionized by the commer cial evolution of the past half century , and that our present sanitary barbar ism must eventually yield to the force of business exigencies , because di V sease is wasteful of economic pros perity. He said in part ; "Now , however , that our national government has a department with agents at every cross-roads to look after the diseases of domestic animals and divers bugs , worms , gophers and rodents that threatened our industrial xlstenco , we may hope to bo next to < lve consideration. In 1007 it was discovered that the rat bill of the country wan $180,000,000 , In 1008 It was ascertained that the annual finan cial loss to the country from tuber culosis wax $1,000,000,000 , and since thin discovery was imulu there has not been such another sanitary awakenIng - Ing since the days of Moses. There is a general demand tddny for pure food , wholesome water , clear air and clean surroundings , because these condi tions promote physical and mental vig or , which are In turn transmitted to prosperity , and without these the health of a hog avails nothing to n nation. "Time was when the country was all one untainted temple of Hygela , but now the hacclllao of grcgarloUBiniBH everywhere pollute the soil , and un less wo seek out and abolish these sources of Infection wo shall be phy sically undone. To him who wanders abroad upon such a quest , the most conspicuous germ carrier that will challenge his attention will be the railroad. The great railroad systems of the country spew their filth from ocean to ocean , heedless of all sani tary considerations , The pollution of the factory Is local and Is amenable to local restrictions , but the pollution of the railroads encompasses the entire country , and they are without excep tion unmitigated , insanitary repro bates , This statement applies pnrtlcu- Inrly to the transportation of pnssen- gurs. A different condition applies to the shipping of ilvo stock. Every ron- ' furnishes Its agents to the leniotest shipping point with tegular bulletins , containing the latest and most com prehensive information relative to the prevalence of Infectious diseases In animals In every section of the coun try. Go Into any freight oftlce of any road and you can learn of the quarantine for foot and mouth disease In parts of Maryland and Pennsyl vania , of Texas fever in certain coun ties In Oklahoma , or scabies in sheep In Utah , of the laws of North Carolina that prohibit bringing Into the state animals afflicted with Infectious mala dies , or of the laws of New Mexico that penalize the shipping of that state of fruit trees that arc diseased. The roads have an elaborate system of Inspection , disinfection and watchful ness to safeguard the carrying of live stock , because there is a penalty at tached for violation of certain restric tions. "Come now to a survey of the methods employed by the railroads In the carrying of passengers. On the trains wo touch elbows with people irom the uttermost part. } of the earth. These people carry their diseases with them , and over mountain and plain , Into rivers and upon cultivated fields , through farm-yards , towns and gar dens they distribute their germ-laden discharges , to bo washed into the water-courses from which we take our drinking water and ice supplies , to be carried by the winds or by flies or animals to our homes or food , be smearing and infecting a fair and salubrious land with unseen and un suspected sources of infection , to spread disease , suffering and death abroad. Obviously it is not In har mony with modern conditions for the pulpit to proclaim the 'mysterious visitations of Providence * where a railroad with open closets traverses the country. Thousands of years ago , In the early history of the Christian religion and civilization , open closets were prohibited. ( See Deuteronomy , 23-13. ) "It is a peculiarity of Invalids , seemingly to be always traveling in pursuit of that elusive illusion , the fountain of health , and forgetting that health , like the kingdom of heaven , Is largely within ourselves. In the chair car in which I rode the other day there sat a consumptive , spitting life away Into the aisle of the car. In de fiance of the company's rules I went out to the platform of the car , when a porter began to dry-sweep the car with a oroom while the train was mov ing. When he reached the car door , the result of his work was only a few harmless scraps , the dust having all been stirred into the air and left in the car or blown out of the windows. The roads have a posted notice not to stand on the platforms of the cars , but there Is no prohibition of sweep ing while passengers are in the cars. In the vision of Mirza it seemed to him that many of the vast cavalcade that were crossing the bridge of life , If left alone , would surely have passed safely over and out into the mists that enshrouded the farther end of the bridge , if it had not been for a host of imps who hovered about and with scimitars thrust upon the trap doors those who otherwise might have es caped ; and thus the railroad , not con tent to have the public risk the num erous dangers , sanitary and otherwise , that beset its passengers , must send a porter with that accessory of death , the broom , to increase the hazard of railway travel. Pictures a Station. "Here is a picture of a railway pas senger station in a city of two hun dred thousand. Have you ever been In that ancient , moss-grown shack in Kansas City called the Grand Union passenger station ? It is a gateway tor a large class of people seldom seen on more northern roads Orientals , Arabs , Syrians , Chaldeans , Mexican peons , negroes suffering from the un controllable diarrhoea of pellagra , and all those unwashed hordes of germ car riers who swarm in warm latitudes. There is a common drinking cup for all ; the floors and walls are old , mouldy and filthy ; and the closets an tiquated , dirty and totally inadequate to the requirements of the public. On the narrow , foul platform you dodge a truck laden with unsavory bundles of bedding or wearing apparel and collide with a Syrian suffering from trachoma or a consumptive from the eastern states going to or returning from that over-vaunted Eldorado of the south west , and you will fall to observe any sanitary precautions on the part of the railroads or any effort being put forth by them to compel their unsani tary passengers to suppress their reck less sowing broadcast of disease. "The limits of this paper will per mit of only brief Illustrations of the conditions that prevail on railroads all over the country and for this rea son detailed analysis and description Is Impractical. A person suffering from a contagious disease , If not ap prehended on the way to the railroad stations , can travel all over the coun try and escape detection. To my per sonal knowledge a man suffering from smallpox traversed the entire length of three railway systems last spring wlthqut any interference on the part of the railroad officials. So far as the railroads care , a person could carry Asiatic cholera or any of the major Infectious diseases all over the coun try and Initiate an epidemic that would cost thousands of lives. Per haps If a few railroad presidents should contract some of these diseases while riding on their own trains , the situation might change. "Briefly , 1 may explain for those who have not followed Its scientific Importance , why all this should be come Biich a menace to the health of n nation. Two French scientists in oculated a Held with the germs of ty phoid and found them flourishing In the soil after a lapse of three months. Two Gerninn Investigators performed the same experiment with water In Its natural environment and found that typhoid fever germs would live In wat er foi : i period of eighty-five days. An opldeninc of typhoid at the St. Law rence ( New York ) state hospital for the Insane was traced through a laboratory Investigation to the use of ice cut seven months previously , the germs having been fast frozen in the Ice. Two physicians In Philadelphia took sewerage from a city In that state and separated the bacillus of tuberculosis from It , thus proving that the stools of n patient may carry the germs of this disease. As early as 1884 Koch proved that the germs of common cholera could flourish In water , and that atmospheric heat or cold would not destroy them. That Is the reason why the dejecta of people ple suffering from certnln diseases , when tin own upon fields or finding Its way Into a stream or pond , be comes a positive danger to a nation. Deadly Drinking Cup. "Besides the imminent danger from pollution of the soil and water , theie is the menace of the common drink ing cup that carries the germs of diph theria and a host of other diseases. Then there are the unclean books hawked on the train that may harbor the germs of skin and venereal di seases. The system of cleaning trains is also dangerous to the public health , and is of no particular benefit to the cars as a sanitary meas ure. At the railway terminal , gen erally a large city , the cars arc dry- swept and the dust and dirt thrown upon the right of way near a public thoroughfare or station where the wind can blow it into public places and where it will be Inhaled by hun dreds of people or become attached to the food eaten , and in this manner be provocative of unestlmated mischief. There Is but one sanitary method for dusting a car , and that Is to use the vacuum process and burn the dirt obtained. Have you ever seen a pas senger car washed Inside ? I know what elaborate care is given to the outside of the cars , but my imagina tion was never equal to the task of believing thnt the cars were ever washed on the inside or that the plush cushions In the sleepers ever receiv ed a sanitary renovation. "This is but a brief recitation of a few of the many ways in which rail roads undoubtedly spread disease and transgress sanitary laws , and yet to make even this brief indictment has required the employment of several thousand words. To tell the entire story would transcend the entire ses sion of this association. "The fearful significance of the In discriminate and unrestricted journeyIng - Ing from place to place of those carryIng - Ing infectious or contagious diseases , and the criminal negligence of the railroads in contributing to the dis tribution of such diseases has not yet dawned upon our senses. Only a fort night ago , within fifty miles of this city , on the same train , a woman gave birth to a child and a man dies of consumption. Whatever excuse there may have been for the woman , no cir cumstances could justify a person with terminal tuberculosis In riding on a train. "It is begging the question to say that the railroads cannot exercise any supervision over such cases. That same railroad would not transport a horse afflicted with glanders or a single sheep having scab , for any money. It would not carry In Its ex press car the corpse of a person who had died from a contagious disease , except It had been disinfected and placed In a metallic coffin. And what excuse Is there for open closets , for the lacK of a disinfecting solution in all closets , for the neglect to disin fect cars and sweep them in a sani tary manner ? To ship a corpse is a serious matter ; a dying man journeyIng - Ing in a car with other passengers Is not an incongruity to the railroad. Can you Imagine how the berth In which that man died was disinfected ? Would it be difficult to Imagine that it was made up again within an hour for some other person ? Truly the railroads are living up to their motto 'Look out for the cars ! ' "It would involve no great expense to the companies to have their cars disinfected at the ending of each run. A shed Is needed to house the train and the train generally lays over for several hours. The shed could be made tight and gas turned Into it and an entire train disinfected while It waits for its run. When we realize that for every person who dies of tuberculosis , five others are infected , the frightful menace of the upholster ed car , the foul matting on the aisles and the dry sweeping of cars with passengers In them , become apparent to even those who run as they read. Time to Wake Up. "These conditions are out of har mony with the trend of modern civili zation , and the sanitary awaken1 ! g tnat Is taking pln < o nil over the world , and they have ben n pinrltted because the enormiti of tie menace entailed has not been fulh appreciated. The remedy needs no elaboration. It Is' ' the same remedy that is being ap plied to the shipping of live stock , the remedy that Is used In hospitals and cities and states , thnt has been em ployed In Cuba , the Philippines and the canal zone. "The first thought Mint comes to our minds after summing up the dan gers of disease dissemination by rail roads Is , why something Is net being done to put a stoi > to these condi tions. We must remember that rail roads are scarcely hnlt a century old , thaf the country they traverse and pollute today was recently virgin and untainted , and that wo are today but on the threshold collecting facts for our case. We arc bound ere long to obtain a thorough comprehension of nil the facts and arrange them In i scientific order , and until we do thnt ( it would be absurd to asK for regula tion by statutory enactment. My sug gestion la that a scientific survey should be made of tlin entlrf ) field of Inquiry , and authoritative facts put in such an array before the railroads , the public and the legislature that they shall bo irresistible to compel the re forms wo desire. "One of the resolutions adopted at the last meeting of this association reads as follows : " 'The pollution by railroads of their right-of-way constitutes a serious menace to the public health , and It should bo required of them to disin fect , before disposing of same , all ex cretions from persons traveling entrains trains in the state , and that their trains bo swept by vacuum process and the resultant dirt burned. ' "This seems n pertinent and rea sonable requirement , and yet every newspaper that published the report of that association blue-penciled that particular paragraph. Each of the lending dallies of Omaha gave us a column notice , but left out this reso lution. An enterprising dally up the state gave a lengthy report of our meeting and commented favorably on Its significance , but left out all reference - once to railroad sanitation. "This Illustrates the Importance of making the facts so strong that they rannot be Ignored , thus enlisting the support of the press and the sym pathy of every person who seeks to ameliorate present unsanitary condi tions. " Says There's Yellow In Leedom. Brother Crellln of the Platnvlew Republican - publican seems to be of the opinion that n grent many lepubllcnns will vote for democrats at the approaching pri mary election. We fnll to see any good reason why a republican should go to the primary and vote against such men as Welch , Cnlundan , Kin- kald , or Tepner , when selecting a man for sheriff. They are all good men and representative of their communi ties , and while n voter may have a choice of Individuals yet as a partisan , the choice should be made by repub licans from the four whose names ap pear on the official ballot. Osmond Republican. Our congratulations to the Repub lican editor , for the above sentiment would be heartier if his record In the past had squared with his words. Brother Leedom has not always prac ticed what ho preached. Four years ago he started what he now complains other republicans are going to do and the largo number of republican offi cials now In the court house ( ? ) will stand as an everlasting monument to his "partisanship" and party loyalty. Yes , Brother Leedom started some thing on the unpartisan order four years ago and the party has not re covered from its effects yet. We hope , however , the above clipping represents the editor's sincere sentiment and pur pose this year and that the sectional feeling and prejudice the brother preached four years ago among his party will have been forgotten and republicanism in Pierce county be re turned again to that which it is justly entitled to. Pierce Leader. Junction News. Mr. and Mrs. Julius Salzwedel are at Laurel visiting their daughter , Mrs. T. Jefferies. T. D. Flee of Long Pine is here tak ing in the chautauqua. S. C. Graham , master mechanic of Missouri Valley , was at the Junction yesterday. Mrs. Flaute of Inman returned home last evening , having stopped off for a few days' visit on her way home from Omaha. Brothers Gave Knapp's Ball. Madison , Neb. , Aug. 16. Special to The News : Charles Knapp , charged with shooting his wife with Intent to kill , and who was bound over until the fall term of the district court in the sum of $2,000 ball , which was given by his brothers , Jake and John Knapp , has engaged the services of Allen & Dowllng of this city to defend him. M. S. McDuffle represented Knapp at the preliminary hearing and no doubt will assist In the defense. B. W. McKeen , the Junior editor of the Chronicle , is rejoicing in the ad vent of a bouncing boy at his home Saturday morning. Kenneth Percy McKeen is the youngster's name , and "Mac" says he is the very likeness of the old man. Donovan Almost Overcome. J. B. Donovan , deputy game warden of Madison and editor of the Star- Mall , had a close shave to being pros trated by the heat Saturday evening while coming to Norfolk from Pierce. He called on a physician Immediately after getting here and it was neces sary for him to be confined to a bed in a hotel here until Monday morn- Ing. He says he Is feeling much bet ter today and will probably return to Madison this afternoon. Ninety-five In Shade Here. Sunday saw almost the hottest day of the season , the mercury going to 05. The barometer was low , making the day unusually oppressive. Monday morning's sun seemed fully as hot. Not since the summer of 1900 has there been such a period of high tem perature , and It Is doubtful if there has ever been a period of such oppres sive heat as that which has continued throughout August. Every day since the first of the month has seen the mercury above 86. In July , 1900 , the maximum for the month averaged 100 , while It was almost as hot through August of that year. Bert Miller Is Missing. Pierce , Neb. , Aug. 16. Special to The News : Bert Miller , arrested last week on a charge of selling liquor without a license , and whose trial was set for 9 o'clock this morning , had not put in nn appearance by 10:30 : and his bond of $100 was declared forfeited. Miller left town lust Friday in his automobile and it is the general belief that ho will not return. His mother signed his bond. It is charged that he has been selling liquor at his coal shod and from his automobile , that he sold liquor to boys and thnt ho sold liquor on Sunday , If it's something which somebody ought to ant to buy , advertise It ! . + M * ! < + M-M-M SOCIETY Pleasures of the Week. Thursday night at 8 o'clock there was a pleasant gathering of the friends of Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Walters at their homo on Norfolk avcnuo to celebrate the birthday of Mrs. B. H. Walters. Miss Charlotte Mathowson celebrat ed her seventh birthday on Thursday. A family supper party , which Included the grown-up people , was enjoyed by Mls3 Charlotte and the guests. Little Doris Lutz was 4 years old last Saturday. A company of little tots spent the afternoon and helped celebrate the event. Personals. The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. D. Daum are very glad to have them home from Rochester , where Mrs. Daum has been In the hospital several weeks. She Is Improving all the time and will soon bo able to bo out. Mrs. J. II , Logan of Ponca and Mrs. Willis McDrhlo of Elgin have been guests of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Logan and Judge and Mrs. Powers during the chautauqun. Mrs. KunUman of Tllden was In Norfolk the past week for a visit in the homo of her sister , Mrs. D. E. Lutz , on Pasewalk avenue. Mrs. Elmer Byorly of Chadron has been visiting in the home of her pa rents , Mr. and Mrs. M. D. Wheeler , during the past week. Mrs. George Schiller and son , Harry , loft for their home in Central City Monday morning. Clark-Keleher. Tuesday morning at 9 o'clock there occurred the -wedding of Miss Anna Kelehor and Clarence Clark. Father Buckley performed the ceremony , im mediately after which the young cou ple left for Chicago on their honey moon. They will , after a short trip , go to Janesville , Wis. , where Mr. Clark has a position as head chemist in a beet sugar factory. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Kelo- her , and well known hero as a popu lar music instructress. The groom is the oldest son of W. II. Clark , 400 South Tenth street. SATURDAY SIFTINGS. Bids for the rebuilding of the Beeler Brothers' department store have been delayed on account of the prospective strike of planing mill laborers at Omaha. Bids will , however , be let by August 17. Among the day's out-of-town visitors in Norfolk were : J. L. Dunn , Meadow Grove ; C. S. Smith , Madison ; C. H. Taylor , Yankton ; Mrs. C. F. Hanson , Brunswick ; Mrs. A. B. Naper , Naper ; Earl Lyons , Wlnslde ; John Claseman , Wayne ; M. Walker , Pierce Ralph Gilman - man , Verdel ; Mr. and Mrs. Lew Jones , Wlnslde ; C , C. Hecht , Plain view ; John E. Buckmaster , Stuart ; Eva Herther- Ington , Belgrade. The Elks will meet tonight at 8:30 : o'clock. Union Pacific did not stop at 214 , but closed Saturday at 21SV- > . Rudolph Wichert will move Into his new modern house on South Fifth street Monday. A valuable 3-year-old driving horse belonging to Henry Wllhems suc cumbed to the colic. Dr. R. A. Mittelstadt has sold his residence property on Koenigsteln av enue to his father-in-law , John Koen- Igstein. Mrs. D. Baum spent a comfortable night and today , although still very weak , Is reported gradually gaining strength. While unloading glass and bottles Thursday , Mlllard Green accidentally cut a deep gash in his thumb. Al though the cut Is not serious , it is painful. A crowd of jubilee singers trying to get to Columbus In time for a train connection were stalled in an automo bile a mile south of town. They piled Into another car and went on. J. D. Sturgeon has rented the Krug building , which Is being repapered and remodeled. Today he is busily en gaged in moving into his now place from the Richards building , partly de stroyed by fire some time ago. The store room will probably undergo re pairs. A few branches taken from a crab apple tree at Herman's orchard are now decorating the walls of the Ne braska National bank. The branches are overloaded with flne healthy lookIng - Ing fruit , which is only a sample of the abundant apple crop in store throughout north Nebraska for this season. Norfolk firemen who were at Hum phrey Thursday are enthusiastic over the coming state tournament at He bron , which takes place August 25 , 26 and 27. A team from Norfolk will be sent to Hebron and will probably car ry away some of the honors. They will keep on practicing on the race track until ready to leave for Hebron. Ira M. Hamilton , who was arrested Thursday on a charge , filed by his son Frank , of being drunk and disorderly , has been released on a $50 bond. Ills trial was postponed till Monday morn- Ing. Affidavits , however , have been filed with the county attorney and efforts - forts are being made by his family to have him sent to Lincoln. The county attorney will turn the case over to the county insanity board , who will prob ably give Hamilton a hearing soon. G. A. Taylor , "The Burke Giant , " champaign middleweight wrestler of ! South Dakota , is expected In Norfolk tomorrow to make a short visit with "Kid" Jensen , champion middleweight , of Norfolk. The Burke GiUnt is on his way to Walthlll , whore he will wrestle "Farmer" Burns on August 28 , and it' ' is probable Jensen will act as referee at the event. "Farmer" Burns chal Icnged the Ilurko Giant after hearing of his remarkable record and prowess Battle Creek En'orprlse ' : Thomat Taylor , one of the victims of the Spo kane wreck In which a number of Mad Ison county people were Injured , returned turned homo yesterday and Is recover Ing rapidly from his Injuries. He still uses a cane , but believes he will bo "as good as over" in a few weeks. The In Juries of Will Deck , says Mr. Taylor , were decidedly serious , though It Is the opinion of the surgeons that he will be able to leave the hospital In about six weeks. In addition to bavins both arms broken above the wrist , as mentioned In llrst reports , ho suffered a fracture of the elbow which will ln < capacitate him for manual labor for some time. The other breaks arc heal' Ing rapidly and ho has already partly regained the UBO of one hand. Mr , Taylor adds that while It was several hours after the wreck before medical aid arrived , every attention possible was shown the Injured and the trans portation company has a corps ol skilled surgens in constant attendance upon those not yet able to leave the hospital. Claims for damages arc be ing settled as rapidly as possible , and Mr. Deck , especially , will no doubt re main In Spokn.io until satisfactory set tlement has been made with him. Mrs. Beck was a Dattlo Creek visitor yester day and announces her Intention of leaving for Spokane In a day or two to attend her husband. J. C. Chamberlain returned from Wayne this morning. J. C. Engelnmn , who Is now situated In Madison , was here on business yes terday. Mrs. F. Schula and her sister , Miss McGulre , went to Schuyler today to visit friends. H. E. Mason , who has been hero visiting with friends , returned to Meadow Grove. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Hill left today for Wyoming , where they will spend about ten days in the hills. Prof. Aug. Steffen is in Seward at tending the convention of the German Lutheran teachers which is being held there. S. J. Alexander , state agent of the German American Insurance company of New York , had business in the city yesterday. HALEY SAW PLOT IN IT. Thought Telegram Was Decoy to Lead Him Into Murder Trap. Chicago , Aug. 14. Special to The News : Marguerite Haley , aged 13 , daughter of H. A. Haley of Norfolk , Neb. , has mysteriously disappeared from a girl's boarding school at Oak Bank , near Lake Geneva , WIs. , and efforts to find her have thus far been unsuccessful. She disappeared suddenly from the home of Mrs. George Fellows , who has had complete charge of the girl for the past three years. It was several days ago that she disappeared , but not until today that the fact became known. A telegram sent to H. A. Haley at Norfolk , Neb. , yesterday from Lake Geneva , and signed "Babe , " is be lieved to have been a decoy message , sent perhaps to lure Haley there. The telegram said : "Meet me at Williams Bay. Come at once. Wire Quick. Babe. " Williams Bay is a small lake town a few miles from Lake Geneva. H. A. Haley of Norfolk Is deeply per plexed over the mystery surrounding the strange disappearance of his daughter from Lake Geneva , and tr a letter and a telegram which he has received , signed by the girl. The tele gram came Friday , as stated in the above Chicago dispatch , but it carried only mystery between the lines. Not until informed by The News did Mr. Haley know anything of the girl's dis appearance and that fact , now that it has been made known , only deepens the mystery. Left Home for Visit ; Never Returned. Mr. Haley had not heard from his daughter for three years until recent ly , when a letter came from her at Chicago stating that she was going to Lake Geneva next day to spend the summer and would be escorted by Mrs. Fellows , her instructress. In the let ter she asked her father to send her money , stating that , while she had plenty of funds , she wanted the satis faction of receiving money from him. It had been three years since Mr. Ha ley had either heard from or seen the girl. Three years ago she left her home In Norfolk for a visit in Su perior , WIs. , and she never returned. Shortly after that her mother left her later married A. H. Winder , Mr. Ha ley's former business partner here. So the mother and girl never came back. Surprised at Telegram. It was this chain of circumstances that surprised Mr. Haley Friday when ho received a telegrain from Lake Ge neva , WIs. , saying : "Meet me at Williams Bay. Come at once. Answer quick. Babe. " And now that It Is learned that the girl disappeared several days before that message was sent , the plot only thickens. When he got the message , Mr. Ha ley's first Impulse was to get on the train and hasten to Chicago , from which place Williams Bay is but a short distance. His second Impulse , however , was one of fear and suspi cion. Something seemed to say : "Don't go. " And he didn't. Instead ho telegraphed ; "Cnn not come. Write full particulars. " Since then he has heard nothing from the daughter. Winder Has Threatened Him. It was because of threats that have been made by Winder that Mr. Haley decided the safer course was to re main In Norfolk. When Winder left , ho told Haley he would make htm all possible trouble , though from the fact that Winder had Induced Mrs. Haley to leave her home to marry him , it seemed to most people that if any one had revenge coming It would be Haley. It was otar Vuolr business settle ment that Winder became augured and ho made the threats. Since then nothing has boon hcixnl of the whereabouts of either Winder or the former Mrs. Haley. Perplexity Deepens , So the mysterious telegram rocelr ed by Haley aroused his suspicions and he decided that Norfolk was ti good place to remain In. And the hint from Chicago that the nit-amuse may hnvo been a decoy , only Intensi fies his perplexity and his opinion that he was on the right track In not leav ing her until he got further facts from the daughter , If Indued It was from her thnt ho heard at all. Ho has wir ed to Lake Geneva to learn whether or not his message was delivered to his daughter In person , and when this Information comes It will , It Is believ ed , help clarify the uncertainty sur rounding the case. Mrs. George Fellows , who line had charge of the girl for three yearn. Is principal of a boarding school for girls and formerly lived at 4707 Wood- lawn avenue , Kenwood. Row May Have Been Stirred Up. Mr. Haley thinks that possibly the uystonoiis ( llsnjijienrnnoe of tha n\vl \ and the telegram he received may bo the outcome of a row between Win der and Haley's former wife , though It is not known to a certainty that the two arc living together at this time. After Judge Welch , In the district court at Madison , had annulled Win der's divorce , at the Instance of the original Mrs. Winder. Winder and Mrs. Haley , who had secured a dlvorco to marry Winder , disappeared and have never come back. At that time , un der the court's decree , Winder was a bigamist and It Is not known whether or not he ever had hissecond , or il legal marriage annulled'or not. Mr. Haley has remained In business In Norfolk , being a dealer in wall papers and art decorations. lie livca on North Eleventh street. The pres ent Mrs. haley , formerly Miss Anna Miller , was previously bookkeeper in Mr. Haley's store , and a well known Norfolk girl. She Is a daughter of H. H. Miller. Mr. Haley believes that In case his daughter is in trouble or Is trying to escape his first wife , she will seek refuge In Norfolk and that she may ar rive on any train. Girl Killed Under Auto. Pierre , S. D. , Aug. 1C. Miss Helen Kllngman was killed and E. A. West , a real estate man of this city , suffered a broken leg in an automobile acci dent in Sully county , northwest of OkobojI. The machine , driven by Mr. West , balked on a steep hill , and run ning back down , turned turtle , pinning Miss Kllngman beneath It and crushIng - Ing her to death. Other members of the party escaped by Jumping. Norfolk Team Badly Crlplped. Norfolk's Standing. Played. Won. Lost. Pet. 18 10 8 .555 Owing to an Injury to Archie Ward , the Norfolk southpaw who was sched uled to fan the AInsworth batters Sat urday afternoon , Pitcher Young was put In the box for a third successive day. He had pitched hard games the day before and the day before that , so he wasn't ' in the best of shape. Alns- worth won the game , 10 to C. Up till the seventh inning it was a tie , 6-6. On the previous afternoon Archie Ward , while batting , received a pitched ball on his pitching finger. The ball ground the finger hard against the bat and mashed it badly. As a result , it was out of the question , for Ward to attempt to pitch on Sat urday. Buckmastor was put In the box at the start , to do the best he could ( though he doesn't pretend to be a pitcher ) . AInsworth landed sir scores In the first two times up and Young was substituted In the curve box to finish the game with a lame arm. Norfolk Players Frequently Injured. Norfolk players have been playing in a streak of bad luck on the casualty list. Early in the season Brown and Buckmastor split open each other's faces by colliding. Then Buckmaster sprained an ankle. Last Thursday at Valentine Tottenhoff got a thirteen- Inch gash on the head , laying the skull bare , when a beam blew off the grandstand , and Schoenauer was also Injured. Next day Buckmaster batted a ball right down upon his foot and crippled himself for the third time. And Ward got hit on his curve finger. Norfolk got ten hits off DeSylva Sat- uiday more hits than any other team bas landed this season. Monday the local team went to Stanton - ton to play and Thursday Correctton- vllle , la. , comes here. The players who have returned say that at AInsworth Friday just twenty- seven men faced Young , no AInsworth runner ever getting to second base. In the game at Valentino Thursday , stopped by a storm , Norfolk had had one man on third , while Valentine had never seen first. It was the first half of the third inning when the storm came up. Norfolk was at bat. One man had gone to the plate and struck out and no others bnd gone to bat when the game stopped. Score In Saturday's game : Alnsw'th. 33000031 0 10 12 2 Norfolk. .003210000 6 10 2 B a 11 o r 1 o s Norfolk , Duckmaster , Young and Luslnsky ; AInsworth , Do- Sylva and Horro. Hears of His Son's Drowning. Joe Sirens , who travels for Grainger Bros , of Lincoln , received a telephone message at 6 o'clock last evening while stopping at Norfolk saying his son was drowned yesterday while ' 'I ' swimming at one of the lakes near Lincoln. Mr. Sirens was prostrated with grief and friends stayed with him all night trying to console him In his bereave ment. Mr. Sirens left on an early train for Lincoln this morning.