THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : THTJKSDAY , DECEMBER 1 , 1898. FEDERAL CRANDJURTSWORK J Body of Inquiiltora Very Btuy Preparing IU Presentment * . MANY TRUE BILLS ALREADY REPORTED Probability thnt Some Spn tlon lie flprnnir ! Stronn What the Judge * Are Doing- * Suit * Started. The United States grand jury Is still In session with a possibility that the body will complete Its labors and be discharged on Saturday of the present week. There aecms to be little doubt of the industriousness - ness of the present grand jury , ns the mem bers turned in nineteen Indictments last week and twenty-nine yesterday. There Is no Intimation as to whom the Indictments recently found are against , but It Is surmised that some of them will catch the bankers who have allowed their banks to go to the wall within the last year or so. ' Capiases are being Issued for the arrest of the parties indicted and they will be arrested as rapidly as the warrants can be served by Marshal Thummel and his deputies. It is the Intention to arraign all of the prisoners before Judge Manger on Saturday of this week and begin the trials on the following Monday , disposing of as many cases as possible at the present term of court. Wah Lee , the Lincoln Chinaman who came here for the purpose of trying to secure the indictment of Hong Sling of the Mee Lee Wah Village company on the charge of bringing Chinese women to this country for the purpose of sale and for Immoral pur poses , has returned to his home without hav ing his ambition gratified. Ho was before the grand jury and told what ho know realttvo to the alleged transaction , but his utory was eo vague and barren of facts that the case was thrown out without a bill having been found. The following parties who have been Indicted have been apprehended and have given bonds for their appearance until the cases agalnet them are called for trial : Selling liquor to the Indians on the Win nebngo reservation : James Smith , Loula Priest , We-Lum-Nlc-Law , James Noble , James Bird , Ocorgo Lake. Passing counterfeit coin : Jack Haley , For having In bis possession and trying to pass a $20 counterfeit bill : Frank Dln- nuzzo. The case of John W. Scofleld , receiver of the Union National bank of Denver , against Edgar M. Morsmau , on trial before Judge Munger , baa been disposed of by the jury , which found for the defendant. In this case the receiver sued Morsman on some bank Block that he formerly owned and turned over to his son before the bank became In solvent. The plaintiff contended that the jury should find that the transfer of the stock was made for the purpose of Morsman avoiding liability as a stockholder , but the jury did not take this view of the situation. In Judge Garland's court the case of Rice Bros. & Nixon against W. J. Perry and others still drags along , with a prospect that the trial will consume the balance of the week. The plaintiffs are suing to recover on an indemnity bond given by Perry to se cure his honesty and Integrity while serv ing as manager of. the South Omaha business of the firm of Rice Bros. & Nixon. Wiley and Keith County IlondM. Solon L. Wiley Insists that he is misrepre sented by the allegations In the petition filed the other day by the Cleveland Savings bank In dbo federal court. Mr. Wiley Bays that his connection wlth * the Ogalalla irrigation ditch Is solely as sub-contractor for Us con Btructlon , The contract for the work had . .tve'eptlpttotho Ogalalla.'Powcr nritl'Irrlgti.- tlon company , under which Wiley began the work on a sub-contract. After he had built n portion of the ditch and paid $5,000 , the officers of the company stopped him and finished it themselves. Keith county sued Mr. Wiley for damages for not finishing the . ditch , the case having been de cided against the county only a short time ago. _ Mr. Wiley asserts further that he never had anything to do with the bonds and never handled them , as they were soli directly by the county authorities and the proceeds paid to the Ogalalla Power and Ir- rlga'tlon ' company. Ho had helped to or ganize the company , but had no interest In It. Girl Held for Trial. Bessie Sutphenk the young colored girl who opened a letter , the property of Jessie Harris , appeared before United States Com- mlislcuier Anderson yesterday and pleaded guilty. She was held in bonds In the sum of $500 to await the action of the United States grand jury. l nurglar * nnd Thieve * . CLAY CENTER , Kan. , Nov. 30. ( Special Telegram. ) Burglars and thieves are nu merous in this county. Friday evening of f last week several lap robes and harness were stolen from teams and buggies at Sweede church , fix miles north of town. The property was located , but the thieves have so far escaped. Sunday morning burglars entered the cold storage room ol M. O. Patterson nnd stole forty-two cases of eggs. No clue. Early this morning burglars visited the Union Pacific depot , blew off . ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. A NEW DISCOVERY WHICH 18 WOIITH THAT MUCH. To Any One Afflicted with Pile * . The Pyramid Pile Cure , the new , painless remedy which baa been so remarkably suc cessful in curing very form of piles and rectil diseases , has reccntlv been placed on eate at druggists , and It is sjfe to say that when Its extraordinary merit bt.'antes fully known there will bo no such thin ; as surgi cal operations for the cure of thb obstinate and common trouble. Mrs. M. 0. Hlnkly of 601 Mississippi street , Indianapolis , Ind. , says : I had been a terrible sufferer from piles for 15 years and no remedies benefited me until I saw an advertisement of the Pyramid Pile Cure ; I got a package , also * package of Pyramid Pills and used both according to directions. I was astonished at tha Immediate rellel obtained and now I honestly believe the Pyramid to bo the only certain cure for piles. That you may reallzo how bad I was , 1 wilt say I was confined to'zny bed and wenl before the college physician * hero , who sail my case was a new one to them and wanted seven or eight hundred dollars to undertake cure ; the great pain had brought on a rupture and I knew an operation would bo death to me on account of blood poisoning Nearly every one here knew of my terrible suffering from piles and I feel that I cannoi praise the Pyramid Pile Cure enough and the Pyramid Pills also. My husband will join me In blghlr recommending the Pyra mid , my daughter was cured by one box only. For several years I weighed about 9 ( pounds , now I weigh 150 and feel In perfect health. This seemi to be tha unlverstl testimony of every sufferer from piles who has ever tried the Pyramid ; it 1 the safest , most painless pile our * yet discovered ; contains no opiate , morphine , cocaine or any poison ous Ingredients whatever , has a soothing , healing effect from the first application and the moderate price places it within the reach of every one needlng'treatment. The Pyra mid Pile Cure li sold by druggists at CO cents and $1.00 per package and the Pyra mid Pills at 25 cents per box. Send to Pyramid Co. , Marshall , Mich. , far fret book on causa and cure of pllei. ho outer door of the safe , but failed to got any money. They alto visited the Olffcrd umber company office with the same result. 'o arrests have been made. The tools usM were taken from Chapman's foundry * nil eft nt the Union Pacific depot. TIRES OF LIFE'S ' STRUGGLES Yonnic Mnit Found Dead In IIU Dwel ling Young Woman Aban dons Her Babe. ABERDEEN , 9. D. , Nov. 30. ( Special. ) A young Scandinavian named Andrew Iver- 4on was found dead In his house , ten miles from Frederick , S. D. , on Sunday. Neighbors , becoming alarmed over the fact ) f Ivcrson not being seen around his place for several days , broke open the door of Ills house and found his dead body hanging from the rafters , frozen stiff. Ho had been quite despondent over money matters of late and no doubt this caused him to commit the deed. A few weeks ago a young woman rented a houio hi this city , saVlng she was the wife of a railway mall clerk running Into Fargo. She soon gave birth to a child , which she tried to get some friends to adopt. Shortly after this the babe was found on the door- iteps of the Manitoba house by Mr. and Mrs. Westmeyer , the proprietors. The heartless mother disappeared at this time and was finally located at the home of her parents In Dickey county. She had never been married and took this method of coverIng - Ing up the results of her error. Mr. and Mrs. Westmeyer have became quite- fond of the little foundling and may decide to adopt It rather than attempt to compel the heart less mother to care for her little one. Senator Kyle Is still here , having been detained by the serious Illness of his mother- in-law , Mrs. Dugat. He will not bo able to leave tor Washington for a few days. Another large colony of Russians arrived here on Monday , cnroute from Russia to Monango and other points north and west of here. GA8 1'HOSPECTOnS STRIKE FLOW. Jievr Well Shoir * Very Good Result * nt Depth of 40O Feet. PIERRE , S. D. , Nov. 30. ( Special Tele gram. ) The first flow of gas In the new well was reached today at 400 feet. The flow is the strongest found In any of the wells be fore the artesian flow was reached at about 1,100 feet. The new well promises to be the best ono yet sunk. Plan to Abolish Choke-Up. YANKTON , S. D. , Nov. 30. ( Special. ) Mr. H. C. Bergman , head miller , and John Edborg , assistant miller at the Excelsior mills In this city , have been at work upon an Improved feeder. All mills are troubled more or less with what Is known as choke- up , the flour from the roller going Into the elevator becoming clogged , and In rectify ing this the miller is obliged to take a cer tain amount from the elevator to start the flow of flour. This has to be put Into the roller again by means of a shovel. The new feeder Is designed to do'away with this extra work. It Is self-feeding , the corru gated fe d roller being governed by a bolt Just over It , which can be set to suit the flour and feed. Any flour needing rebelling can be placed In this feeder and no more trouble experienced. A large mill , It Is esti mated , will use several to each floor , per haps one to every other roller. MerchantN Support State Fair. YANKTON , S. D. , Nov. 30. ( Special. ) Fifty-one per cent of the amount guaranteed by the business men of Yankton on last fall's state fair hero has been agreed upon by the directors of the fair association toward liquidating the expenses Incurred then and collections arc being made ac cordingly. Conducting a state fair wholly without state funds Is conceded by the ma jority to bo a poor Investment. DEATH RECORD. Mnnon and Veteran. AVOCA , la. , Nov. 30. ( Special. ) John Cool , an old and high respected citizen , died at his home last evening , aged 74 years. Mr. Cool came to Avoca in 1869 and has re sided hero continuously since. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and a prominent Mason , having belonged to .the . Masonic order forty years and to Mount Nebo lodge of this place twenty-eight years. His wife , two sons and a daughter survive him. The funeral will occur Thursday , con ducted by the Masonic order and the Grand Army of the Republic. Death In a Hotel. HEBRON , Neb. , Nov. 30. ( Special. ) W. J. Pemberton of Falrbury died In his room at the Central hotel In this city last night. He was here as a collector for the Deerlng company and seamed as well as usual In the evening , although be bad mentioned tea a friend , earlier In the day that he had felt a pain In the region of his heart. He failed to respond to the call this morning nnd on entering the room was found dead. I V. Smith. DE3 MOINES , Nov. 30. ( Special Tele- eram. ) L. V. Smith died In bis chair In his office in the Youngerman building this afternoon. He had just come to the office from his home and was talking to Jolly Jones , when ho dropped back in his chair and died. Ho is the agent of the North western Mutual Life Insurance company of Milwaukee. Ho was about 60 years of age. He baa been sick for some time , but had been to his office each day , Jnme * Myer * . CRESTON , la. , Nov. SO. ( Special. ) James Myers , an old man , aged OS years , dropped dead on the street yesterday after noon about 3 o'clock. No one saw him at the time , but he was found a short time thereafter by J. P. Weber , who was passing along the street. Word was brought to the city and the body was taken In charge by Sheriff Edward Nichols , who immediately notified Coroner Stewart. FouKht Agalnit Maximilian. SAN FRANCISCO , Nov. 30. Captain A. do la Terre , organizer of the Jaurez guards of this city In early days and an officer ol the army * of ex-President Jaurez of Mexico , who foucht to drive Maximilian out ol Mexico , died at San Rafael after a prolonged illness. Heart fallurft was the cause of his death. Young Graduate. WEST POINT , Neb. , Nov. 30. ( Special. ) Kenneth Freeze , son of Nellie Freeze , formerly of this city , died In Washington recently. Master Freeze was a bright youth and had just graduated from the public schools of the capital city whei ne was taken sick and died. FIRE RECORD. Illerole Store. TRBMONT , Neb. , Nov. SO. ( Special. ) The fire department was called out about S o'clock last evening by a blaze In a build ing belonging to Richards & Kcene , on F street. The loss on the building , which wai partially destroyed , Is fully covered by Insurance. William Durtz , who occupied the building with a bicycle repair shop , place * his loss at $150 , with no Insurance. A number of wheels were saved. Good * Damaged. MITCHELL. S. D. , Nov. 30. ( Speclil Tel egram. ) A fire occurred in the store o Spooner & Nordlker last night. The fire did but little damage , but the large stock of goods , valued at $24,000 , was Injured by water. The building was filled with smoke and prevented the firemen from getting a the fire. The building was damaged abou $600. Iniurance on stock of goods was 117.000. { IRELAND'S ' SLAYERON TRIAL Man Who Killed His Friend Instead of His Enemy Faces the Jury , HORT STORY OF SULLIVAN'S ' CRIME Qnnrrel .vlth yrgtocn Which End * In the Shooting or nn Innocent White Man Wltneme * the State nolle * Upon , It took all day yesterday to get a jury In ho Sullivan murder case In Judge Sla- laugb's court. Sullivan was formerly an employe at the warehouse of W. M. Bush man. The crime with which he Is charged s the shooting and killing of his friend , Thomas Klrkland , on the night of May 23 ast , under the Tenth street viaduct. He ms all along contended that the killing of Klrkland was the farthest thing from his mind at the time. He supposed ho was shooting at a negro when lie fired at his victim. In the work of empaneling the jury every man put on the stand was closely qucs- loned for the state by Phil E. Winter , who 3 prosecuting the case , and Qurley and Sstelle , Sullivan's attorneys. The full num- > er of peremptory challenges , sixteen for he defense and six for the state , was ex- musted. The jury was completed and worn Just before the hour for adjournment. Along In the afternoon a batch of fifty lames on the regular venire had been ex- tausted and It was necessary for the court o have Deputy Sheriff Grebe go out and summons enough additional men to com plete the panel. Quite a number had been challenged by the state because of their scruples against capital punishment. Leo Estcllo objected to Mr. Winter's questions on this point when ho BO framed them as to say that the statute provided capital punishment , but the court generally over- ulcd the objections on the ground that the statute does practically provide for the death penalty in giving to the jury the option of saying whether It shall bo death or life Imprisonment for murder In the first degree. Judge Slabaugh took this position n consideration of the supreme court deci sion In the Hill case at Plattsmouth. The first man brought in from the out side was A. J. McVlttle of 2903 North Thirtieth street. He was an exposition cashier in the Department of Concessions. Another man was called and Winter exer cised one of his peremptorles on McVlttle. John Hensman and W. P. Cowger soon ound themselves In the jury box to stay and Charles Eden , O. C. Wilson and John Lak- ctrom followed. Lint of the Juror * . The complete list of the jury by residence ind occupation Is : George D. Blckol , la borer , South Omaha ; J. D. Wilson , butter- trader , 219 North Thirteenth street ; Frank Wlllard , teamster , 2975 South Twentieth street ; Benjamin Malqulst , contractor , 1627 South Twenty-seventh ; F. W. Swain , me chanical engineer , 3167 Davenport ; Edward fJenze , harness maker , 1409 South Four- eenth ; Peter Feeney , packer , South Omaha ; Fohn Hensman , shoemaker , Forty-ninth and Walnut ; W. F. Cowger , bricklayer , 1007 North Twenty-second ; Charlea F. Eden , salesman , Sixteenth and Williams ; O. C. Wilson , clerk , 122 South Twenty-fifth avo- lue ; John Lakstrom , restaurateur , South Twelfth and Jackson. The state will open Immediately this morning and the taking of testimony will Follow. It Is thought that the case may take eeveral days. The case IB surrounded with many peculiar circumstances. Sullivan's chief point of de- tense is that he could not have maliciously killed Klrkland , because he intended to shoot another man , the negro , Samuels. Sullivan had formerly kept bar for Walter Brandes , and had more or less terrorized the negroes in that vicinity. On the night the shooting occurred he was with the Hult- berg girl and bad been drinking a great deal. He saw a negro .woman , Laura Lock- ley , picking up some shingles back of the saloon. The evidence given at the coroner's Inquest was to the effect that 'he ' accosted the woman roughly and swore at her , de manding what she was picking up the shin gles for. She went home at 80814 South Tenth street and told her husband , Thad Lockloy , about it. Lockley and Robert Samuels went after Sullivan to take him to task about Insulting Mrs. Lockley , where upon Sullivan showed fight , and the negroes , becoming frightened , fled. Bound to Ilnve It Ont. The Hultberg girl tried to get Sullivan to go home , but he had made up his mind to have It out with the negroes for good. Samuels afterward appeared In the saloon and Sullivan assaulted him , almost tearing the negro's shirt off. Samuels ran out of the saloon and Sullivan after him. Ho chased the negro under the bridge and was struck with a missile of some kind In the breast. Sullivan said it was a brick , and that Samuels bad thrown It at him , though Samuels testified that he went up town to buy a new shirt. Then Sullivan returned to the saloon , and threatening that he was going to "kill some nigger , " took a pistol from behind the bar , In spite of Bell's opposition , and went out , supposedly to shoot Samuels. He saw a man coming around the corner of Tenth and Leavenworth streets , and at once took aim and shot at him. The man dropped and Sullivan went up to him , to discover that he had shot Klrkland Instead. Klrkland and Sullivan had both been rooming with the Tadlocks , white people , at 1019 Leavenworth street. The former had been drinking some and had started ostensi bly to buy a piece of tobacco when ho met his sudden fate. Ho was a married man , but his wlfo had just packed up her things and left for some reason , and this had set Klrkland to drinking that afternoon and night. Mrs. Hill , who Is a widow , was with Mrs. Lockley when Sullivan started the trouble. Esther Hultberg testified at the Inquest that when Sullivan had his first quarrel with Lockley and Samuels he had a knife In one hand and a brick in the other. Mpgenth Anwer * the Connty. Answers to the suits brought against him by the county were filed by ex-Register of Deeds T. A. Megeatb yesterday. As against the amount with which he was charged with collecting In 1892 , namely J15.799.20. Mr. Mo- greath sets the sum of $13,609.92 for salaries for himself and deputies and employes around the office , leaving a balance of $2- 289.28 , which , on the demand of the county board , bo says , he paid to County Treasurer Irey , February 7 , 1893. Likewise be charges $12,054 for salaries against the $12,773.20 col lected In 1S93 , and nays he paid the balance to Irey , January 30 the following year. Other sums said to have been collected by him ho explains by representing that they were personal fees for certifying to Hens and mortgages and not a charge against htm In favor of the county In any way. DUtrlct Court Note * . Judge Keysor Is expected to return from Sarpy county court today , having pretty well cleaned up his docket there. There Is not much probability of the gambling cases being called for arraign ment until the Sullivan murder case is dis posed of. It was agreed between County Attorney Baldrlge and City Attorney Connell yester day to have the Bechel case called on Tues day or Wednesday next Divorces have been granted to Mlnnlo Roenfleld against Ferdinand Roenficld for non-support and Sadie A. Petrel against Charles Petrel for abandonment. In the suit of Clarence L. Chaffee against the German Village company , the exposition and Urn Belndorff estate , to recover for ma terial furnished , the Johnson-McLean com pany has Intervened with a smalt bill. Judge Fawcett has overruled n motion to vacate the writ of mandamus In the suit of Mrs , Lincoln against Constable Learn over the picture of "Trilby" and allowed forty days for a bill of exceptions to be filed , A motion for a new trial In the case of Mrs. Mary W. Gaylord against the Nebraska Savings nnd Exchange bank was partly nrgucd before Judge Dickinson yesterday afternoon. In thin suit the jury awarded ta Mrs. Gaylord a verdict for over $12,000. The controversy between the Consumers' Ice company and M. Rawllnga baa been decided by County Judge Baxter in favor of the former concern on the ground that the Ice was not twelve Inches thick nnd therefore not according to contract , but ho allowed only part of the amount asked for. The Consumer * ' Ice company ued Hawllngs for $1,000. Judge Baxter awarded the plain tiff a judgment for only $256.39 , with 7 per cent interest. Mrs. Gertrude Gobcl Crane tins filed a re ply In the matter of the guardianship of the Gobel heirs. In which she reiterates that Rev. John Williams received $3,000 on Feb ruary 22 , 1S97 , but never accounted for It to her' and also that the judgment on the Christian Spccht conveyance was made In favor of Mr. Williams but not the Gobel heirs. She admits that $1,580 , the amount of the foreclosure proceeds , should bo deducted from the Item of the loan to Specht of $4,000. The controversy between the Goodyear Glove company and the Commercial Na tional bank on the one hand and the Omaha Rubber company ou the other has been set tled by stipulation. Accordingly a journal entry was made by Judge Dickinson yes terday finding that Sheriff Bennett had the goods properly In his custody 'under ' execu tions issued in replevin and that the Apsley Rubber company Is Indebted < to the Good- ynar company and the bank to the amount of $1,229 , judgment for which Is rendered. NEEDS NEW PLATFORM SCALE Work of the FoHtofflce Hampered l y the Lack of Facilities for Handling It. Postmaster Martin , Assistant Woodard and Superintendent Latenser of the new government building are taking steps to secure the location of largo platform scales n the mailing room of the postofllco. Just tow they will proceed to secure such scales ias not been decided upon , but it is more han likely that they will do so by showing that their Installation Is necessary In the nature of repairs in the mailing room. At this time there are some scales In use n the mailing room of the new government building , where all paper and second-class mall bos to be weighed whenever It comes o the office. As the scales are small nf- nlrs , the weighing of this mall Is slow and cdlous work , 09 each sack and parcel haste to be handled separately , thus consuming a great deal of time. During the lost thirty days the paper and other second-class mall has aggregated 700,000 pounds , taking into consideration nothing except what has come along In 1,000-pound lots. During the second end and third quarters of the present year ho amount of this mall has bSon simply enormous , averaging 8,340 pounds per day. When you ask for De Witt's Witch Hazel Salve don't accept a counterfeit or imitation. rhero are more cases of piles cured by this ban all others combined. DISAGREE ON MILWAUKEE BASIS. PaiBenger Men' * Conference at St. Panl in to Meet Again. CHICAGO , Nov. 30. Roads interested in eostbound passenger business from St. Paul 'ailed to reach any agreement at their con ference today , regarding the discontinuance of what la known as the Milwaukee basis in : ho construction of through rates. A reso lution was offered , providing for the dis continuance of the Milwaukee basis Decem ber 10. The result of 'this would have been to advance through rated' from St. Paul 11.80 on the day named- ' * ' t The amount of ttio'"Mllwaukeo basis i * lower than the Chicago , which it was the desire of the other roads to adopt. When the mid-day adjournment was taken it was believed this resolution would be adopted , but on reassembling it soon became apparent that the concert of the "Soo" line thereto could be obtained only on conditions which would have the effect of restoring the Cana dian Pacific's old differential by way of Montreal. It was therefore decided to take an adjournment to next week. SANTA PE RAILWAY DROPS SUIT. Sued to Compel WeNtern Union to Par for StampN on It * McNing ? * . NEW YORK. Nov. 30. The suit of the Atchlson , Topcka & Santa Fo Railway com pany , In the United States district court , to compel the Western Union Telegraph com pany to affix and pay for the revenue stamps required in telegraphic messages trans mitted under Us contract With the railway company , , has been dismissed at the rail way company's cost. The contention of the railway ompany was that the service which the telegraph company agrees to give to the railway com pany Is to be free of all charges. The tele graph company's answer was that it could have no responsibility for the taxes laid by the government on telegraphic messages , and especially In view of the repeated rul ings of the commissioner of Internal revenue that the law requires that the "maker , signer or issuer , " of telegraphic messages must affix and pay for the stamps. Overcome evil with good. Overcome your coughs and colds with One Minute Cough Cure. It Is so good chlldicn cry for it. It cures croup , bronchitis , pneumonia , grippe and all throat and lung discuses. HEARD ABOUT TOWN. "While the National Hemp , Ramie and Fiber association organized nt Omaha last September has not accomplished much yet In the way of benefiting the farmers of the west , I am of the opinion that eventually It will bo heard from , " remarked J. 1J. Olion of Blue Earth City , Minn. , last night. "Such men as Secretary Wilson of the De partment of Agriculture , Hon. J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska , Commissioner Dortch otd many others are Interested In the as sociation , and I believe that within five years they will do much to Induce the farm ers of the west to raise more flax and ramie than they are growing now. At the present time ramie Is comparatively a new product. The time will come , however , when It will bo raised by every farmer In the west , for as a crop It must provo more profitable than any that Is now grown. Ramie , you know , Is raised for the fiber , which is almost as fine as silk and as strong as flax. Experi ments show that It makes a cloth that Is much finer and more durable than linen. As to flax , most of our farmers raise It for the seed , 'thus ' allowing the most valuable portion tion the fiber to go to waste , simply be cause there are not the mills to treat It. With the fiber association doing the work for'which It was organized , I think thn time will come , and nt no very far distant day , When you will see mills and factories all over the west where the flbcr of ramlo and flax will be made into cloth. " "Speaking of snakes , " said T. H. Perry , an old hunter from the Black Hills , "tho most curious I ever saw was up In the South Dakota bad lands along the White river last summer. I had been trailing an antelope for several hours one afternoon , when I came upon a little pocket In the clay bluffs. It bore some resemblance to a cave , extend ing into tha hilt possibly fifty feet , the en trance being slightly narrower at the farther end. As I reached tha spot I heard a Wss- Ing sound and suddenly stopped. Looking around I saw that the floor of this cave was one writhing , squirming mass of snakes of all kinds , from the harmless little garter snake to the big yellow rattler. They all seemed to bo going In one direction , and that toward the extreme end , where there was a hole some three feet In diameter extending still further Into the hill. Outside of tbe cavern the snakes seemed to be almost as numerous as Inside and all seemed to bo making for the same point. While I did not count them , I feel safe In estimating that there were 10,000 snakes within a radius of 200 square feet. Not having lost any snakes , I got away as soon as I could and In telling the story to 'the ' Indian whom I met a short time thereafter , was Informed that for years this had been the winter hab itation of snakes. Ho said that they went into this bluff each summer long before the approach of cold weather and remained there Until spring. Slnco then I have told this story to a great many white men , but about nine times out of ten , after the conclusion , they ask mo what kind of liquor I hod been drinking 'that day. I hope you will not ask the question , for on the day when I saw the snakes I was as sober as on the day when I was born. " "Out In western Kansas people are pre paring to put out a great crop next year , " said Dudley H. Barnes of Santa Fe , who came * In from the west last night. "This fall the farmers have sown an unusually largo acreage of fall wheat , which , owing to the late rains , Is looking first rate. Dur ing the post two weeks there has been a heavy snowfall throughout the western part of the state and farmers out there argue that an Inch of snow is equal to an inch of manure. Next spring the farmers will sow some spring wheat , but their principal crop will be corn , the acreage of which will be the largest In ten years. At this time there is plenty of old corn , plenty of hogs , plenty of cattle , and most of the people are out of debt. The greatest surprise to mo is that the Omaha merchants do not reach out and secure a portion of the trade of that section. The country Is overrun by the traveling men from St. Joe , Kansas City and St. Loula , but it Is seldom , If ever , that you see a repre sentative of an Omaha wholesale house out there. It Is a good country and It seems to me that its trade ought to bo worth going after. " "There is a better and cheaper way of disposing of snow than by hauling It off the streets , " said Ernest E. Dawson of Buffalo , N. Y. "Two years ago this coming winter wo had a very heavy fall of snow at Buf falo and in a few hours after It com menced our streets were next to Impassable. The street forces were put at work as soon as the storm subsided , shoveling up end hauling the snow from 'the ' principal streets. This proved to bo not only slow but very expensive work and threatened to bank rupt the city treasury. A happy thought struck one of the city councllmcn , who suggested the use of the small , down-blast portable furnaces , used by the asphalt com pany in repairing the asphalt pavements. The associates of this councilman smiled when ho suggested that the snow could be melted at a very small expense. Well , the experiment was tried and It proved a great success. The furnace was placed In a huge drift , the gasoline turned on , the fire started and the blast put In operation. In less than two minutes three feet of snow and Ice un der and three feet on each side of the furnace - naco had been melted. The furnace was moved and again put In operation with the same result. This was kept up for half a day and nearly a block was cleaned in the We've Got 'em ' Now A $3 shoo that boats the world no rubber boots required just these ? H tun shoes that Drex L. Shoman now offers the men folks a heavy sewed sole ex tension sole back stay and strap In one piece , Riving the shoo an extra solidity latent perforated tip now wide , round toe brass eyelets and hooks a shoe that looks like n 94 shoe that Is a ? 4 shoe and n shoe that you would pay $4 for If we would ask It but It's only ? 3 and It's the bljJKost ? 3 worth ever put In a shoe let us show you this ? 3 shoe. Drexel Shoe Co. , Omaha's Up-to-date Shoe Ho * * * . 1410 FARNAM STREET. Our Christmas Showing this year Is oven better than last , only the more substantial toys , such ns velocipedes , tricycles , wagons , wheel barrows , shooflys , hobby horses , tool chests , banks , stoves , sleds , skate * ( Peck & Snyder skates ) aud the more fancy articles , as carvers in stag , bone and pearl handles , razor sets In cases , scissor sots In cases , knives the largest assortment In Omaha. Wo In vite you to come In and sec what wo have and get our prices. Special reduc tions this mouth ou Jewel 1mno burucrs. A. C. RAYMER , WE DELIVEtt YOUtt PUtlCIJASK. 1514 Farnam St , HOME FURNISHERS We do'nt advertise to jjtvo you nine dollars worth of poodo for 84.33 the doaloi * that ivs ho will h uUhonodt , and you can't rely on his state ments. If you want asurvlcnhlo , dependable article at a rousonablo prlco , wo will Biipply you. WEEKLY OH MONTHLY PAYMENTS if you like. No extra charge. Our Our Guarantee Guarantee It will heat It will heat 3 Rooms 3 Rooms > a Bcason with a season with 2 Tons 2 Tons of coal or your of coal or your money back. money back. The handsomest 500 Omaha Btove in the Testimonials world. meant I mo. The next day the work was re sumed with a dcucn of the furnaces In oper ation and before night a mile of street had jeen cleaned and the water from the melted snow turned Into the sowers. To do this work required less than $5 worth of gas- ollno" and the services of twelve men at $1.25 each a total of about $20. Last win ter wo adopted this plan of disposing of snow when It became so deep that It ob structed travel , and I think that we will continue It this winter. " Two of the Omaha hotels change managers today. At the Murray , Nat Brown , formerly with the Merchants' and more recently with the Drexel , takes charge , succeeding Benton SHloway. Ira Hlgby will remain In charge at the Murray and will act In the capacity of chief clerk. Colonel Anderson , who has been with the hotel as clerk ever since Its opening ten years ago , has resigned. He has several flattering offers to engage In business but for the present he will enjoy a vacation , probably going into some other line of employment In < the near future. At the Schlltz J. E. Hlmo , formerly of the Pacific hotel at St. Joe , succeeds Henry Lelben , who has been In charge of the house since thu opening , a couple of years ago. Colonel Sttllwell , connected with Biiffalo Bill's wild west show , Is In the city for a few days. Ho says that Cody has had one of the' most prosperous seasons that he has yet experienced nnd has made all kinds of money. Ho declares that Cody cannot get over talking of the flattering reception that was accorded him hero last summer when ho paraded the exposition grounds upon the occasion that was set apart nnd designated as "Cody day. " Df. Salothe and J. Clement Uhler , twopf the cattle kings of Wyoming , are In the city. They say that the recent storm on the west ern ranges proved rather severe on Block that was without shelter , but odd that the Iocs was very light. They say that cattle throughout the entire western country are In prime condition , owing to the fact that the late range has been the best In years. D. B. Breok of Lacrosse WIs. , came In last night and will remain several days , lookIng - Ing after his property Interests In the city. Ho Is the owner of a largo number of lota In outlyvg additions and when asked If he vas desirous of selling" replied : "Not yet. Omaha lots are as good as gold bonds. The town has been slow for a number of yearn but now the turn In the tide of affairs has sot In and property will continue to ad vance. Omaha is bound to be the best city between Chicago and the Pacific coast and with the coming of two or three new rail roads people will BCD much better times here during the next few years. I anticipate that before the end of another year Omaha will bo the liveliest city In 'the ' United States. " Pemonal I'arngrnphii. Rabbi Leo Franklin returned home yes terday morning after a short eastern trip. County Commissioner Thomas Hector Is laid up with n slight attack of pneumonia. County Commissioners Ostrom , Harte nnd Hofeldt , Sheriff McDonald , Charles Wltte nnd II. A. Nolto of Elkhorn left on the nftcr- noon train for St. Loula. They expect to bo back by Saturday. Senator Warren of Wyoming was la Omnha for n few hours yesterday. Ho spent the time In conference with friends. Assistant Suuerlntendeiit Tnlcott of the Pullman company returned to Omaha yester- duy morning after several days' absence in the east. Rialph H. Owens , hardware merchant oE Knnsas City , Kan. , is in the city visiting friends and relatives. Mies Bertha Ilurkett has resumed her duties nt the union depot looking after the comfort of the feminine travelers after a two weeks' vacation. Nebrnskans nt the hotels : D. M. Owen , Norfolk ; F. M. Ratbbun , McCook : Tom. swan , Gordon ; E. H. Allen. Arnpahoo ; Henry Mwrrymnn , Orctnn ; F. Flick , Crow- ford ; Andrew Flint , Lltchficld ; Charles E. Hewitt , Fremont. Colonel Lamollo of Dubuquc , In. , Is In the city , the first time In twenty-seven years. Ho notices many changes In the city slnco his former visit and predicts that with the coming of the Illinois Central railroad there will bo something of n boom. Henry S. Uurko of San Francisco is In town , renewing old acquaintances. Mr. Burke Is a Bon of Colonel Burke , who waa In business In Omaha twenty-five years ago. This Is his first visit to Omaha In twenty- two years. Ho Is n member of the staff of the San Francisco Commercial. TaxcN on Exposition Ground * . Tax Clerk Solomon bns figured up what the tnxcs on the exposition property for 1897 amounted to. .The total Is J3.150.49. Esti mating that the taxrs for 1S)8 ! ) would foot up about the same flKuro brings the total for the two years up to $0,300. Adding half the amount for 1S % mokes It a little over $7,800 altogether. This Is what the execu tive committee nskcd the county commis sioners to rebate , which request ) 4ho board refused at Its Tuesday meeting. Credit Mon'H O Hirers. The election of officers was completed at a meeting held nt the Commercial club yes terday. It resulted In the selection oi V. B. Caldwell , president ; W. S. Wright , vice president , and J. H. Taylor , secretory and treasurer. A couple of hours were spent In an informal discussion of matters con nccted with the future plans of the organize tlon. Snlrilrm Arc Welcome. FORT CROOK , Neb. , Nov. 30. To th Editor of The Boo : Men are always wel come where men would be. One-third of the attendance at Bcllovuo 'Church Is of men In blue uniforms , welcomed In honest fervor by the citizens. In the same fervor men In uniform arc- welcomed In Bellevua homes and social gatherings. M. C. ELLIOTT , Twenty-second Regiment. llolio Get * a MiicklutoMh. Some hobo passing the stare of the Omaha Tent nnd Rubber comrony , 1311 Farnam street , Tuesday night denuded a dummy left In front of the place of an expensive mackin tosh and coolly donnlnK It walked away. Several people who witnessed the act were so dazed by the coolness of the man that they did not recover their senses until tha fellow hnd faded from view around a cor ner. It's ' Easy for Us to make such prices as we do ot only first-class pianos for we buy In such quantities and are the sole representa tives of such popular and well known makes as the Klinball , Knabe , Kranich & Bach , Ilullet & Davis , IIospu and twelve other makes we have saved from $50 to ? 100 for other plnno buyers why shouldn't we for you ? Our terms are the most liberal kind usually $12.1 cash secures one of these new pianos- then a smaller payment each montn It's like paying rent , only the piano Is your own. A. HOSPE , MUSIC ono An 1513 Douglas Saturday We Give Away A flno lllumlnum plate-tested ther mometer that sells ut $1.00 to every b cash purchaser of that amount or over In any of our departments This Is no cheap penny affair , but a thoroughly reliable thermometer that would retail nt $1.00 anywhere It Is 2x8 heavy wood back Como In Saturday and purchase $1.00 or more at our cut prices and get your money back In a ther mometer. The Aloe & Pen fold Co Cat I'rlce Drug Iluune In Omnliu. Uriilem In Camera and Optician. 1408 FARNAM STREET.