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About The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 1897)
1 ; i i w ifiMj(!W1'W4 Ji W -?? ,--T3eiw V JpBtS'S'?. ""r" f1? T-?JF- Cfltomlras jmrtuiL as rffciJfaiJ-h-ia"' VOLUME XXVIII. NUMBER 17. COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA. "WEDNESDAY. AUGUST h 1897. WHOLE NUMBER 1,421. I '. .. IV - t : - ; - Bf. i-- - . & US- AN ADVENTURE STORY N March 22d, 1892, this engine saved the life of her en gineer, James Rus sell." These words, en- Ajk frvpS i graved on a silver Illfvrfll'V Plte fastened to nit .j .,.". large Corliss en gine in a quartz mill in the moun tainous region of northwestern Neva da, commemorate a really remarkable occurrence. The engine stands in a space cut off from the rest of the mill ly a tight partition. The room is made to con form nearly to the shape of the en gine, the wall being about eight feet from it on all sides, except where the belt runs down into the fly-wheel pit. There the partition is at least twenty feet from the nm of the fly-wheel, and the great belt or band which carries the power into the mill comes in through a hole Fix feet up in the wall, and slants down to the bottom of the fly-wheel about the same distance be low the floor. Thus in ordr to pass from one side or the room to the other at this end it is necessary either to jump over the belt next to th fly-wheel, or to crawl under it next to the wall. The fly wheel is an immense affair sixteen feet in diameter, weighing twelve tons, and wide enough on the fare for the thirty-six-inch belt to run. The engine makes more than a hundred revolutions per minute, and this belt whizzes down through the floor toward the fly-wheel in a way to make one dizzy. The en gine itself is kept in a highly-polished condition by the unremitting atten tions of the engineer, who speaks of it ns "Old Alice," and who lias painted this name in gilt letters on her var nished frame "n memory of a little daughter who died. There is no direct means of commu nication betweon the mill and the en gine room, as the latter has only one door, and that opens from the outside. At the time of the occurrence I am about to relate, this door had on it a very complicated spring lock, and every time the door slammed the lock caught ami. according to the engineer, "it took ten minutes' work and the key to get it open again." The mill runs continuously, being lighted at night by a small electric-plant in the building, and two big arc lamps hang dirertly over the engine. About ten o'clock on the night of the 22nd day of March, 1S92. James Rus sell (the night engineer) was sitting In a chair at one side of the room read ing an old newspaper, while his train ed ear followed every stroke of the engine, and instantly detected the al tered sound when an oiler stopped feeding or a screw worked loose. "Old Alice" ran as moothly and regularly as a watch, and the engineer grew so absorbed in his paper that he did not at first look up when he heard the door swing open and then shut with a snap. Soon, however, the indescrib able feeling that something alive is near caused him to lift his head and look about the room. There, Just In front of the door, blinking like an owl la the glare of the electric lights, and s "T" !,- exu ,- nv WMMI ROUND THEY RAN. fazed by the fast running machinery, ctood a great, dingy browny-black beast that looked to the excited en gineer as big as a cow. The engineer knew at once that his visitor was a bear, and a grizzly at that, and was correspondingly scared. The miners had told him many tales of the cun ning and ferocity of these animals, and he knew that a few savage old fellows still lingered in the mountains near by. This particular bear had just waked up from his long winter's sleep, and was hungry, or he would not have been so bold. It is probable that in prowling about in search of food be had come close to the mill, and had smelt the oil in the engine-room, and, muling the door open a-crack, had pushed it open wider, and stepped in. When he saw the lights and the en gine, he had tried to back out. but had nm against the door, causing it to slam ard the springlock to catch. Failing in his attempt to get out of this dangerous trap, the bear turned around in great wrath, determined to take summary vengeance on the first thing he could get at. Unfortunately the first object that caught his eye was the engineer cowering against the wall, and he started for that individ ual withcut delay. As he lunged across the floor he gave a tremendous growl, and lifted his lips like a spite ful dog. showing some terribly long and sharp teeth. The engineer lost no time in getting away from there, and ran around the cylinder end of the en gine like a college sprinter, while the bear demolished the chair with one stroke of his paw, and tore the paper into shreds. After conscientiously completing this destruction, the griz zly looked around for more worlds to conquer, and seeing the engineer, thought he would do. and started for him again. As the bear rushed around the cylinder, the engineer ran toward the fly-wheel, and as the bear raced down that side cf the engine, the man jumped the belt and started up the other side. The bear paused only an instant when he came to the flying belt, then over he went, and chased the man on around the cylinder end. Round and round the engine they ran. jumping tie belt, slipping and Eliding on the slick, oily floor, but get ting faster and faster all the time. There was nothing in the room that do would for h weapon, and Russell could form no plan of escape, his great est desire for the moment being to keep the engine between him and the m &$AIU ! fwpzm grizzly. Even this became Impossible, as the bear gained on him, and the distance between them gradually les sened till they were running only a few feet apart. The engineer shouted again and again, but he had very little hope of any one's hearing him because of the great noise made by the machinery; and even if they did hear, they could not ge; in to help him. for the door was locked, and he could not spars time to fool with that lock just then. It was simply maddening to him to think tlia there were twenty men in the mill only a few feet away, all ready and willing to help him if he could only let them know of his plight, and yet to have that relentless brute chas ing him around like a rat in a trap. A few minutes of this wild running exhausted the engineer, and he wguld have stopped and le the grizzly do his worst had it not been for the dread ful blood-curdling noise made by the animal's claws as he scuttled over the slippery floor. The bear lunged and plunged along like a great awkward calf, growling prodigiously the while, but he made astonishing speed for such an unwieldly-looking beast, and was fast o-erhauling the man in spite of his utmost efforts. Once, as tha exhausted engineer leaped over the belt, he thought that to drop on it and be crushed by the fly wheel would be an easier death than to be torn to pieces by the bear, and he almost decided to end the dread ful chase the next time he came atound. But when he saw the belt running so swiftly to certain death his heart failed h'm, and he waited till next time. Not so the bear. Almost as the man's feet touched the floor af ter the leap he heard an awful roar, and the next instant a badly mashed bear struck the ceiling and dropped like a shoL That timely event is easily explain ed. As the man and bear ran round, centrifugal force caused them to swing cut farther anJ farther from their cen ter of motion, the engine; and the bear, being heavier than the man, flew farther out till he came to a place on the slanting belt where it was too high for him to jump. Then he put his forcpaws on it. intending to climb over, and that was the last of him. The belt, running at that high speed, jerked him in like a feather, and ran him thrtugh between it and the fly wheel. When the fly-wheel got done with him. it threw him off at the top, as dead as a. herring and not much thicker than one. The engineer, however, firmly be lieves that the spirit of his little daughter influenced the engine to save his life by killing the bear; and who can ray it is only a fancy? The next week he sent to Chicago and had the silver plate made and put it on "Old Alice." and he declares that she Is quite proud of it. A BASHFUL BACHELOR. Reasons Enough for Falling to Wla Wife. "Fate made me what I am," growled a gouty gacheior. "I was intended by nature to love and be loved and to have the joys of old age in a bright family circle instead of being shut up In a decorated dungeon like this. The fickle jade has played mo a mighty mean trick." "Why didn't you marry like a sen sible fellow?" asked the old friend who was making a duty call, says the De troit Free Press. "Fate. I tell you; predestination, hard luck or some of those other agen cies to which we charge our misfor tunes. When a young man I was smit ten a ccore of times and hit so hard that it dazed me. It made an awkward sort of an idiot of me. I could neither think, talk nor properly control my motions. The only thing on earth I was afraid of was a pretty woman, and she simply paralyzed me." "Pshaw; nothing but bashfulness, and you could have overcome it." "You don't know what you are talk ing about. It wasn't anything of the kind. When In love I was controlled absolutely by seme ulterior force. If I attempted to cross a room to address a young lady my feet would walk me out of the door. When I bowed I would fail to straighten up till some one bjoke the tpell by a word or laugh. I'd start to say something and the re was afraid of was a pretty woman and she simply paralj-zed me." "Why didn't you make one grand effort and throw off the strange con trol?" "That's what I did when I was visit ing in Tennessee and fell in love with the gramleest woman that ever lived. One dny in the garden I set my teeth and determined to propose. Then I passed out of myself. I walked through a flower bed, fell over a baby carriage into a barbed-wire fence, swore like a pirate and came up with a face like a cranberry patch. The sweet creature ran. So did I. That was my last love affair, and now there is nothing left but to sit in solitude and nurse the gout" No Delay Necessary. He is a very business-like man and he proposed for the young woman's hand and heart in a straightforward, unstudied manner. "Oh, sir," she ex claimed. "You must give me time to consider." "It isn't necessary," was the replj-. "I brought along my book, all balanced up. and I have a volume down stairs which shows mj- financial rating. I thought I might as well bring along the data, so that j-ou could make up -our mind at once." Washington Star. Crushed. "This is the most cruel yet." wailed the rising -oung poet. "What is?" asked the common sense person whe had dropped in to smoke a few of the poet's cigarettes. " 'The Gabbock' saj-f I do not exhibit a single stigma of de generation." Indianapolis Journal. The Difference. Mr. Tiff (reading) Princess Maun give her husband an hour's lessot every morning in the English lan guage. Mr. Tiff I am a little different from the prince. Mrs. Tiff How so? Mr. Tiff I receive my hour'i- language from my wife at night. Eustis, Me., News is filled wltlt re ports that bears are thicker thaa keep. WITH lilS CO AT OFF SECRETARY WILSON NOT DE TERRED BY HOT WEATHER. (Forking Awajr in t!ie Intercut of tlir Farmer Soma Interesting Kroutta Which lis Urns Obtained 1'rcMporlljr Is Now with V Sure. (Washington Letter.) "The man with his coat off" Is not disturbed by hot weather. The 'foil ing days in Washington have not checked the activity of that rugged old worker, the head of the Depart ment of Agriculture, and he is pushing along with his new plans for increas ing the earnings cf the farmers, and at the same time decreasing their hours of labor. Secretary Wilson has had numerous t uujuiwtB as to me result, oi nis iriai shipments of butter to England. lie has received reports from the second shipment, and is of the opinion that he is working upon the right line and one which will develop a largely In creased industry for the farmers of this country. Speaking to your cor respondent about this, he said: "Our shipment of butter consisted of various styles of packages, small, half-pound prints, square boxes, large tubs and otber packages, and generally arrived in good order. The depart ment has received letters from a num ber of Englishmen, commission mer chants and others who used this but ter and who generally speak of It in high terms as regards its quality and flavor, in comparison with the best siade of English butter. The only criticism recms to be that the butter generally is not dry enough to suit them, but this is a point whfch can be r.si!y remedied. There is no doubt in the vicrld but that as soon as we "get c.:to them" we can do business with them, and at profit. We have just been having some tests here in New York of an interesting nature. We !tave had exrerts examining samples of butter shipped from England, Ire "ar.d. Denmark and Australia, and - mpctiug with our own butters ship ped from the western and northwest ern states. We met them half way. i only one c ise, that of a sample from i.gJar.il. did the foreign butter come p to the ctar.danl of the best Amer ran butter. This is very encouraging to c.v.r butter makers and shows that ve mal.e as good butter as is produced. ' It is perfectly logical." continued the rcretary. "that if we send our grain to Denmark to be fed to foreign cattle to pn.di.ee butter that we can feed it to our own cattle and send abroad the butter instead." "Another question which I am going to soon take up." said Mr. Wilson, "is that of the foieign cheese market. Nothing has been done in this line as jet. and I am not ready to offer any American cheese abroad. We are not now in a condition to sell our cheese abrood for the reason that the market la full of the adulterated article, and owing to the laxity of the internal rev enue regulations it is almost impossi ble to discover it. As long as this 'filled' cheese is sold as pure cheese it :.--, inij csrible to establish a reputation for gr.od cheese. Filled cheese." ex plained the secretarj". "is made in this way: Milk is run through a sep aratcr and all the fat taken out, at a a'ue of perhaps 13 or 20 cents per round. For this is substituted cheap Tit ton-seed oil. lard, etc., at a cost of onlj- a few cents a pound. Cheese made in this nanner has poor keeping qual ities, will not ripen, and is of a low grade generally. The revenue laws are constantly being violated and cir cumvented with regard to the sale of tl.is substitute for c'leese. which is placed upon the market in large quan tities as the genuine article. I have been .cettirg after Secretary Gage and his reople about this, as it is of course necessary to establish a high standaru fci American cheese before we can ex jret to do anj-thing in exporting it. 1 be law requires that this filled cheese sl.all be so marked in large black type, but various modes of evasion are pr'Clccd which serve to practicallj rullify the law. I believe our farmers cmi make as good cheese as it is pos sible to produce, and that with proper methods we can procure a market for it abroad which will give us a largely increased market for this agricultural product." "The Department is doing something about the foreign dircrimination against American meats. Mr. Wilson?" We Want Woolens Again. "Yes. This matter is being carried forward quietlj-. We are going about this in a very modest manner and will be able to thoroughly convince foreign countries. I believe, that it is to their best interests (as well as our own) to remove these obstacles against Amer ican products. If they do not see it in that light, why, then, there are oth er methods." "The subject of growing tea in the United States is a subject which has recently come, especially to my atten tion. Considerable experimenting in the past has been done in the tea line in this country, and the trouble has always been the difficultj- of procuring labor to pick the tea leaves, but I am prepared to say that there is no reason why the southern states of this countrj should not raise and market every pound of tea used in the United States, and a far better article, too, than the great bulk of tes eoJu n?re cow. i n3 is an excellent subject for considera tion ar.d experiment, end i!l be heard frtni later.1' G. II. William?. Crop and Itailncs Pronrrt Coo.l. A week of exceptionally favora'.ils weather for the growing crops and a complete absence of developments of & nature calculated to unsettle conf!d"acP have brought nbout a furthei' improve ment in the business situation. This improvement is not to be measured by the volume of clearing house exchanges although the Increase of 7.7 per cent over the same Week last year Is a sure indication of progress, because many merchants end manufacturers are holding back awaiting a clearer manifestation of the improvement that is already sufficiently obvious to many But the Increase In railroad earnings during June of more than 3 per cent as compared with the same period last year, and the steady purchases of se curities by Americas-investors which have advanced the average price of stocks 1 per cent in the week and 5 per cent since he upward movement bcfgin early in May, are corroborative ano additional evidences of the prog re? toward better conditions that is steadily becoming more apparent. The important positive influence un doubtedly is the improving condition of te growing crops. The weather has been most satisfactory all over the country, being warm where warmth was most needed, and rainy where ad ditional moisture was required. The result is that complaints of damage, which usually figure so largely at this season, are almost entirely nbsent As to wheat, the winter wheat harvest is nearing completion, and Is admitted that the previous calculations of the crop were entirely too low. The crop may run up to 300,000,000 bushels, or 60,000,000 bushels more than the gov ernment estimate indicated as prob able, while spring wheat is progress ing so finely and has been so extensive ly sown that an immense harvest is reasonably certain here. Our total wheat crop may run up to 550,000,000 bu. or 125.000.000 bushels more than last year. This remarkable prospect has not in the least lowered prices, which on the contrary have risen 1 cents a bushel on the confirmation of reports of damage to the European crops. It is a significant circumstance that the September option is 7 cents a bushel below the July price, indicating a belief that the known necessities of Europe will compel purchases before the foreign crops can be harvested. Silver a Dead Issue. Uncle Horace Bois of Iowa has just made public his views on the 16 to 1 fallacj. He declares: "For one, I do not believe it possible to succeed up on a platform that demands the un qualified free coinage of silver at the ration of 16 to 1 with gold. We have fought that battle, and it is lost. We can never fight it over under circum stances more favorable to ourselves. If we hope to succeed, we must abandon this extreme demand." The frank statement of Uncle Hod shows that he has come to a realiza tion of the fact that a majority of the American people are intelligent enough to understand that a free coinage law at the 1C to 1 ration would simply drive us on a plane with Mexico and China. The value of the coin of ultimate re demption depends entirely upon the market value of the bullion of which it is composed. A silver dollar, under these circumstances, cannot be worth any more than the silver it sells for. The stamp of the government creates no value. It is nothing but a certifi cation of weight and finances. Mr. Boies evidently rellzes these things. From his letter, we infer that he would be in favor of dropping to the silver standard and to a 48 cent dollar, if he thought the people could be induced to adopt it. But he sees they will not and hence he wants the scheme modified. He will find no tenable ground out side of that taken by the Republican national convention in the platform at St. Louis last jrear. Toledo Blade. The Revival of Trade. One of the most encouraging signs of a return of prosperity is shown in the statement made by Strawbridge & Clothier, of this cit.v, of their retail sales during the month of June. The sales of the firm, which is one of the oldest in the cit were larger than in any corresponding June since they have been engaged in business. The in ference to be drawn from this gratifj--ing statement is clear, and its signifi cance is not to be uhderstimated. it surclj' portends a revival of trade which, now only beginning, gives a promise of exceptional prosperity to come. And this is only one instance. The price of iron has advanced; there is a better demand for coal; prices arc firm and steady everywhere, and not one report of a depressing nature is re ceived from any section of the countrj-. Unless all signs fail, the opening of the fall season will find the promised pros perity upon us. Philadelphia North American. Aiding Private Interests. The natural and inevitable question for every shrewd citizen to ask is, then. Why disturb the country and unsettle business by a lot of tariff changes that are not called for except to aid private interests? Providence. R. ., journal. For the very reason that they do "aid private interests." the "interests" of every private individual in the countrj', thus constituting the interests of the masses which form the public interests. Glad to See It. We venture to say that the headline in the newspaper most pleasing to the eyes of the majority cf the people cf the country is that which sas "Tariff Bill Rushed Along." The one thing which the people of the country want, and "want bad." is the passage, as soon as possible, of a tariff law which will protect American labor and protect American interests. Prompt Work In Proper. Protect our people from "perfidy and dishonor" by thu immediate enact ment of a tariff for protection. Wages of school teachers in Con necticut have doubled in thirty years. The Aia '' .i.i I ... 'i . Thc.e ;s u n. e " i J-o a rr itct if yc au't m.d fwe".M.jy to ta it. The mal.cr murt t'..:l iLe tskc You will nol cmrlt'J larrr to n.ke product if you rannct f rl a lnysr f that product after labor hr.s made it "President S.'cInIj'. This is to obvltus a truth that wt may suppose that even a free-trade, wctiltl at:cf to it. T'.ic corc'nilons in evitably rerulting frc:r. this trs:."i arv equally obvious. Why the froe-iradcr. cannot see thtm is cue of the mj-ste-rics of the nineteenth centurj. It ought to be pprfc ly plain that if. by fiee trade, th products of foreign manufacturers are brought into this country to undersell Aincricm man ufactures, the foreign "makers" will find all the "takers," and the result will be that American manufacturers will not be able to find buyers for their products, and will, therefore, not employ labor to xnal-c those products. -The reasoning is perfectly simple. But we" have had something more than reasoning in regard to it during the last fcttr j-ears. We have had a prac tJcal demonstration. The doctrinaires and hide-bound free-traders maj not yet have had their eyes opened, but the. people of the country have. . nd that's why William McKin'ey is pres ident of the United States. Protect American Shlpli . Are the Mills CloslnR? The convention of Iowa fusionists declared that the mills were closing and thousands of workingmen were thrown out of employment. Brad street's and Dun's Review report the reverse. These publications arc non partisan. They state the facts. They are published for the information of business men and tradesmen, and can not afford to make misleading state ments. Their patronage depends upon the correctness of their reports. On Saturdaj. June 26, Dun's Review said: There is no step backward in busi ness, although the season of midsum mer quiet is near. The improvement continues, gradually and prudently cautious a3 before, although in many branches evident where no signs of it appeared a few weeks ago. Business men of the highest standing in all parts of the countrj- having gradually perceived that the tide has begun to rise, are regulating their contracts and investments and their plans for the future with a confidence unknown to them a short time ago. Great changes before the adjournment of congress are hardly to be expected, but the removal of uncertainty is with reason expected to bring into operation buying forces which have been restricted for months. "There are signs of improvement where none were observed a few weeks ago. There is an encouraging increase in the demand for textile goods and even for cottons," says the same com mercial report. Concurrently with the statement of Dun's Review comes in formation from the east that The custom of closing the cotton mills during the summer months which has prevailed in New England during the operations of the Wilson law will not be followed this season, the recent announcement from the manufacturing districts there indicating that work is to go steadily on this summer in view of the prospect that a protective tariff will soon be upon the statute books. With these evidences of the return of better times it was not opportune for the fusionists to declare that the mills and shops are closing. Dubuque Times. Senator McLaurin's Poitlon. The utterances of United States Senator John L. McLaurin of South Carolina upon the tariff question have given rise to the opinion that Mr. Mc Laurin is a protectionist. We regret to say that he still clings to the Demo cratic theory and the Democratic par tj and for these reasons he cannot be considered a national protectionist. We should welcome his cipport of protect on and the protection policj. Mr. McLaurin may possibly be con sidered as a "Randall Democrat." but we fear that he has hardly reached even fiat state. Mr. Randall was a protectionist, also an ardent Democrat, but the qualities of an ardent Demo crat Irrgelj" destroj- the effectiveness of his efforts as a protectionist. Where I.ahor Fares Well. Labrr in England is faring well. The British board of trade reports changes in rates of wages during April that affected 53,."00 people, of whom 52,500 received increases that averaged 42 cents per week after deducting the decreases in the wages of the 1,000 workers whose earnings were lower".!. Hurry along the tariff bill and tiaiifcfer a little of that prosperity to Amer'can ware-earners. CAMPF1RE SKETCHES. GOOD SHORT STORIES FOR THE VETERAflS. A Drop of t.lnri:i'a f:Jttil rrerrcd on the PlajMIl !1- Held Whrn A asAlnatrd Satcl by Mnuriser John T. Ford -It It Prme.l CSennlne. Oi.r YounRrt otdirr. V It country s niniR?St sol- :icr !: Arlcfji bcurtttll 'f"" L ended s-kies! Prco;i low. O Stripes and gloried Stars. Poi him who bore tine in thy Tiling witle across the purpled ih ims Where armed hosts of brave men be. Sun-kissed In beauty, fold on fold. Thy azure with the crimson rolled! Far. far above Death'."; turn til tide. rndamue.'. heart nd patriot pride. The tempest of our uonow Mtilis. As our unsullied Freedom uirilh! A brne reun'M heart! A brave man's tait! Divinest l.itrriy's best art! The form beneath the bier may lie A gallant spirit cannot die! The God of I'attlcs well doth ke'p The eoiisierated place of sleep. Ejrth blossoms where our soldiers rest. With Freedom's tins above each brea&l! From star to fed, a rndinnt licht Throne ev'ry hero's grave to-nlsnt: While- kingdom's nation, ns one scroll. Will onward to the cent'riea roll! Our country's youngest soldier lies AB!etp benea'l: the bended Pkic! Droop low. O Pnipps and gloried Stars. For him Who bore tbee in thy wars! K. S. L. Thompson. There died recently, at the age of 48 years th youngest enUted soldier in the late Civil War." lie tnlisted in the service at the age of twelve years. Tlny limp of Lincoln' Itlood. An intei esting ar.d valuable relic, which brings vividly to the mind the historic scene In I-Vrd' theater. Wash ington, o"n the eve of April 14, 1865, is owned by Col. James S. Chase, at ono time a resident of Philadelphia, bu whose home Is now in Hroo!:!yn. It Is only a p!ny bill, but upon it is a discoloration made by a tiny drop of President Lincoln's blood. It was picked up just after the tragedy bj John T. Ford, the manager of the thea ter. He founl it oi the finer cf th. box where it had fallen from the President's hand when the bullet of Assassin Rooth pierced hi5 bead. It lay beneath the chair in which the ci'i r.en hero received his death wound. There was a tiny spot of blood, still red and warm as It came from the great heart of Lincoln, en the edge. ?.tr. Ford, who was also manager of the HolMday Street theater, Daltlmore, and the Academy of Music in this cltj-. carried the precious paper home, and only parted with it at U12 icquest of the late A. K. Browne, of Washington, who was a warm personal friend of the manager. It came into Mr Browno's potsesslon while the nation was still mourning for its idol, an-1 soon after hW assassin had met justly merited fate at the hands of Sergeant Boston Cor nea. The pl-y bill Is somewhat ye! low from age. but is otherwise in an cvie-llent stale cf preservation. The bloodstain is now a dark brown. The program is "Our American Cousin." which was being given f:r the benefit il Iaura Kejne. The bloodstain is nearly half-way down the program, ipposltc the names of John Dyott and Harry Hawk, Miss Kccne's leading sup port. This relic came into Colonel Case's possession nineteen j-ears.ago, it hav ing been bequeathed to him bj- Mr. Browne, who was his uncle and a well known Washington lawyer. The bill is preserved in a large frame, which ilso contains affidavits in support of 'ts genuineness and authenticltj-. One nade by Mr. Ford at the solicitation f Mr. Browne reads: "I, John T. Ford, on oath say that I resented Mr. A. K. Browne with a rogram of the play, 'Our American ousin,' which I picked up near Presi ent Lincoln's chair when he was as--.csinated, and I have every reason to !icve that the one hereto attached is 'lo identical one. "John T. Ford." Teste: D. W. Bliss. M. D. Subscribed and sworn to before me lis lath day of November, 1879." "Th. Harris Hodges, . "Notary Public." The other affidavit is signed by Mr. rownc and witnessed also by Dr. iiss. who attended the late President -.rficld during his final illness, caused v Assassin Guitcau's bullet. Colonel Case prizes dearly this pro mts momento of Lincoln's death. He as received many offers to part with ', 1 ut his cne answer his been that shall be an heirloom of the Cue milj There is nn interesting story of late pars connected with this program. A hcrt time before the death of Edwin ?coth. an actors' fair was given in New fork for the benefit of the actors fund. rtage friend of Colonel Case, who .r.ew rf his possession, suggested to he committee having the fair in barge that the program be secured for exhibition with other rare programs. Colonel Case consented, but the daj be fore the fair opened Broth beeam aware cf the action of the committee and made a personal request that the program be not exhibited. The mem ber cf the committee to wham Booth made the request Is authority for the statement th?t this little incident, done unthinkinglj. and wlthrut intention of cauiug him snrrow. h?d the effect of easting a glocm over thrse friends cf the great actor who knew oi his aver sion to pvn a thoazht or consideration of the desperate and insane act of his brother. P.it!illc Iliri.lcnt. From the Lexington Leader comes a story of the civil war of a sort to be always welcome. "i he narrator is Wil liam Wilkerson, described in the Lead er as "a man noted for his fidelity to truth." The scenes described were wit nessed by him just after the battle of Richmond, Kentuckj-. in 1SK2. A son of mj- friend. Cassius M. Clay, was killed in the fight, and it became my duty to visit the battle field and identify the bodj and take it to his father's home. While riding slowly over the field I heard groans which I was sure came from a cornfield near at hand, and looking down the corn rows I discovered two wounded soldiers ly ing about forty yards apart. One was a Federal, the other a Confederate. A csnnon ball had broken and terribly mangled both the Confederate's legs, IB Va LeXJ while the Federal was shot through the j body and thigh. "I am dying for water." I heard th Federal say Just as I discovered them. His words sounded as if they cam from a parched mouth. "I have som'f water in my canteen. You aro welcome fo drink It if you come here." said the Confederate, who hud feebly raised his head from th ground to look at his late enemr, when he heard hi pitiful cry for water. "I couldn't move to save my life groanOi: the Federal, a he dropped his head to the ground, while his whole bcd- quivered with agony. Then I beheld an act of heroic dero tiofi which held me spellbound until It was too isll" for me to give the assist ance I should hdr rendered. The Con federate lifted his lieasl again and took another look at his wounded foe. and I saw an expression cf tender pity come over his paln-dietortcd face as he said: "Hold out a little longer. Yank, and I'll try to come to you." Then tho brave fellow, by digging his flngcr3 ! the ground and hold ing on to the corn stalks, painfully dragged himself to the Federal's side, tbe blood from his mangled legs mak ing a red trail the entire distance. The tears ran down my cheeks like rain, and out of sympathy fur him I groined every time he moved, but I was lost to everything except the fellow's heroism; and did not once think of helping him. When the painful journey was finished he offered his canteen to the Federal, who took it and drank eagerly. Then with a deep sigh of relief ho reached out to the Confederate, and It was plain to see, as they clasped hands and looked into each other's eyes, that whatever of hate might have rankled once in tho hearts of these men had now given place to mutual sympathy and love. Even as I watched them I saw tho Con federate's body quiver as If in a spasm of pain, and when his head dropped to the ground I knew that one more hero had crossed the dark river. Tho Fed eral kissed the dead man's hand re-peatedlj-, and cried like a child when I had him removed to the hospital, where he, too. died the next day. An Alien ut West 1'olnt. The most popular joung fellow in the class of 1S97. just about to graduate from the militnrj academy, is not a citizen of the United States, nor will he receive a diploma which would com mission him a second lieutenant in Un cle Sam's armj-. He will merely re ceive a certificate from the academic board setting forth his qualifications as a student and the fact that he naa passed tho standard of proficiency re quired of candidates for the commis sioned ranks of the army. This cadet is Francesca Alcantara, a native of Venezuela, who has been edu cated at the academy at the expense of his government. The young man's father, who died some years ago, was one of the most patriotic citizens in the South American republic. He served as president of the countrj-, was commander-in-chief of its army, and was an able statesman and a thorough sol dier. Before he died he expressed a desire that his only son should be edu cated in the United States mllitaiy aca demj, and congress, at the request of the Venezuelan government, passed the necessary resolution admitting him to the academj-. "I shall return to my native conn try," he said, "present the certificate of my graduation to President Crespo and receive from him a captain's com- mission in our army. It will be my duty to assist in the reorganization of our little army, and to apply the prac tical knowledge which I have gained here in drilling and disciplining the Venezuelan troops." History Iteprats Itaelf. It is curious how history repcas it self, especially in the unchanin Ha?;. We read a few weeks ao how the Circassipn cavalrj-men at I,aris;a doffed their worn-out things and donned instead the spic and span new uniforms which were stored up for th Greeks. This recalls what happened af the siege of Troj when on the niht of the sack of that city, Aenas and a number of his companions arraj-cd themselves in the armor of slain Creeks, and went through the citj-. dealing death among their enmis I'nluckilj-, however, thej- were at last mistaken for Greeks by their own countrj'men. who plied them vigorous ly with tiles from the tops of the sur rounding houses. It does not, however, necessarily follow that an exchange of accoutrements such as this leads to disaster. I -ivy tells us how at the bat tle of Cunnae the Afri might have easi ly been taken for Romans, so generally had thej attired themselves in the ar mor of Romans who had been killed at the Trebia or Lake Trasymene. War is a rough and rcadj- game, and the transformation is no doubt a fairly common one. Slightly Mitk:ii. Mr. S., on one of his holiday excur sions, visited Mount Vernon. In ex ploring the grounds about the tomb of Washington he came upon a lady of mature years, who, bathed in tears, was kneeling before an edifice some distance from the monument. Think ing she was in some sort of distress, Mr. S. offered assistance. "No, sir, thank j-ou very much; I am not in trouble, but mj patriotic feelings overcome me when I gaze up on the tomb of the Father of his coun try." "Quie so." Mr. S. replied tendcrlj-. "I thoroughly understand, but, my dear madame, j-ou have made a mistake. This is not the tomb of Washington. Jt is over yonder. This is the Ice house." New York Home Journal. There is but one factory in Japan where leather shoes are made. The na tives, except those about the court.wear sandals of straw and wool W" lib. THE OLD RELIABLE. ColumbusStateBank (Oldest Bank in tho State.) Pass Interest on Tiis Deposits AXD Mates ta oi Real Estate. ISSUES SIQIIT DRAFTS OS Omaha, Chicago, Now York and all Foreign Countries. SELLS STEAMSHIP TICKETS. 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