The Omaha Sunday
Bee
EDITORIAL SHEET, g
J PAGES 13 TO 24.
ESTABLISHED JUE 30, 1S71.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MOKXIKG, JANUAItY 27, 1001.
SINGLE COPY E1VE CENTS.
DECADE'S RAILWAY PROGRESS
dining Years of Nineteenth Century
Marked by Great Improvement.
INFLUENCE OF OMAHA IS INCREASED
Trllinlnrr Territory Knlnricril liy
uiii'roui llxleiiftloni nml the
Clt)'ft Commi-relnl I'rpHllKe
Thereby (iri'iill)' liiiliuuocil.
Ten years In comparatively a short time.
Ytt tho cloning dermic of the nineteenth
tm'ury wns tlmo sufficient to permit the nc
compHshmcnl of wonderful Improvement In
the railways of Omaha and adil much to tho
Influence of this city as a railroad me
tropolis Improvement In train service havo fa
cilitated tho transportation nffnlrs of this
city and extensions of the systems centering
here have dono much In widening tho circle
of tho territory trllminry in and dependent
upon Omaha as a commercial metropolis.
A perspective of the achievements of tho
last ten year and an Invitation to desig
nate that which has been moat Important
to Omaha would bring forth Ideas and mi
i.wers widely at variance. For tho wcl
faro of the city at Inrgo ami hecniiso of
tho spirit of civic pride engendered as Its
rer.nl' the most popular achievement un
doubtedly was I he relegation to oblivion
of tho Inadequate depot facilities and tho
erection in the stead of the so-called "oow
eheds ' of two handsome passenger stations.
Anoth r marked ttdvnnlngo which tho last
decado brought to Omahu was tho exten
sion Into this city of tho Illinois Central,
uddmg to Us Held of eommerco the vast
territory north, enst nnd south tapped by
the far-reuchlng lines of that great system.
The completion of tho bridge across tho
Missouri rlvrr anil the extensive trackage
fncllltlen of tho Omaha Bridge and Terminal
company was also an epoch of the last
dctndo In the railroad history of this city.
( miliiliiitliin In tienci-nl.
Without it single exception nil of the
rntlrnadH of Omaha have In a measure con
tributed to the growth, Influence and pros
perity of this city during tho decade thnt
came to nn end with tho close of tho nine,
teenth century. The Omahu St. l.ouls
Ingratiated Itself with tho commercial ele
ments of Omaha when It abolished the
bridge arbitrary - generally condemned as
unreasonable and unjust. The Northwest
cm nml Its allied Hues the Elkhorn, Omaha
nni Sioux fity & I'liclflc has added to tho
nu h eonimi relal prestige by Important
ri listens nnd Improvements In service,
nnd the snmn ,nay be said of the Milwaukee,
UorI Island and Missouri I'aciflc.
("loK.'lv associated with the growth of
On .ilia has been the development of tho
I ii i on Pacific and the Burlington, unlver
nallv considered lis products of Omaha and
the wi'i-t keeping pace In their progress
nml expansion with the advancement of the
great trunsmlssuui I region. With tho Ilur
llngtnn tbu years intervening between lSfiu
nnd l!i00 witnessed improvements, oxten
blnns and chnugen almost without number,
nil cf which have been of marked benefit
to .Omaha and to Nebraska.
Ten j-enr-4 ngo tho terminal fnrllltjct In
this city wcro such that nn Omaha person
felt no Joy In welcoming n guest from nn
oth r city. Today .onii may point with prldo
to tho structure that sovcrnl well known
writers havo described as "The hand
Foment railway station In the United
Kintcs " Tho Burlington opened Its new
station In Omaha on July 1, 180S. Tho cost
of ihit structure complete exclusive of lm
provcmi ins In track nnd platform was $3.'.0.
Ono The marble anil mosaic work alone cost
J.lf'.OuO. The elation Is .11 6 feet long, 112
fiet wide anil seventy feel high.
The large olllce building at Tenth nnd
Furnani streets, Omaha, popularly known
ns "H. & M. hcndiiuarters," has during
the last year been remodeled and rebuilt
Inside. Tho Improvements cost nbout $100.
000, und tho work hns been carried on with
jur Interrupting tho routlnu of any of tho
departments.
KxtoiiNlooi Are iiincroni.
Within tha last ten yenrs numerous ex
tensions havo Veen mado by the Hurllngton
railroad until Its mileage now amounts to
R.Otil miles. Of this mllciigo 3,803 mites
form tho Hurllngton & Missouri Hlver
ltallrond In Nebraska. Ten years ago tho
Hurllngton did not reach Dondwood, S. I).,
or other points In tho Hlnck Ullls, whllo
Hillings, Mont., the present terminus of Its
northwest line, was several hundred miles
beyond Hurllngton rails. Hy tho construc
tion of Its Hillings line, extending 892 miles
through northwestern Nebraska, South
Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, tho Hur
llngton opened up a now and valuable ter
ritory for the trade of tills section. Tho
cattle markets of South Omaha ns well as
tho Jobbing interests of Omaha havo re
reived tho bcuctlts incident to tho opening
of this Hold.
Within tho stato of Nebraska extensions
of jho Hurlluglon routo havo been so
nuinotnus as to bring tho mileage of the
company In this stato up to ".200 miles, and
It Is growing greator nil tho while. Within
tho last year two Important branches of
tho Hurllngton have been built from Alli
ance. Neb. Ono of these extends nlong tho
north bank of tho North l'latto river ns fur
ns (luornsey, Wyo., where vast deposits of
Iron nro waiting to bo mined. Another Im
portant branch constructed within the Inst
yenr connects Alliance, on the Hillings line,
with Hrusli. Colo., on tho Omaha-Denver
line, n distance of 150 miles. Tho now lino
penetraW'3 a section of Nebraska hereto
fore reiuolo from any railroad and will
doubtless prove an Important factor In tho
development of the western portion of tho
unto
Another branch lino of the Hurllngton now
Hearing completion extends Into tho nig
Horn basin of Wyoming, which Is being
rapidly settled by Mormons from Utah and
Immigrants from tho east. Tho new lino
Is 130 tulles long, nnd extends from Toluca.
Mont., on tho Hillings line, southward to
Cody, Wyo., tho most Important town In
northwestern Wyoming.
Additions to tho train scrvlco nf tho Hur
llngton to and from Omaha within tho last
ieendo havo been numerous nnd Important.
!n 1891 ono train with a fairly good sched
ule nnd ono train with a slow schedulo
between Omaha and Chicago wero suillclent
to accommodate tho passonger trafllc. In
1901 tho Hurllngton runs every day four
trains from Omnhn to Chicago and three
of them are flyers. Then n person going
to Chicago had to leave at a certain hour,
now ono can almost select tho tlmo most
convenient und And u Chlcngo tram leav
ing tho Hurllngton station not far from
that time.
Driiiiuiil for Kim I Trains.
During tho Transmlsslsslppl Exposition
of 1698 tho Hurlluglon placed a St. l.ouls
flyer In service, leaving Omnhn late In the
afternoon and arriving In St. l.ouls early
tho next morning. Thii experiment whs
su h a success that this train has mudo
the run every day since then. It Is now
carrying a volume of buslnofs thut Insures
Its permanency.
The fast mall scrvlco of tho Hurllngton
has been greatly extended and Improved
ili-rlng the Inst ten yenrs Iu 1S90 tho Hur
llngtoa run ono fust mall trulu a day be
tween Omaha and Chicago, nnd tho speed
of these trains, though regarded as great
thrn, would appear slow In comparison
will, the remarkable time now made. One
exclusive mail train enstbouud and three
westbound now coer the 600-mllo stretch
of tho Hurllngton between Omaha nnd Chi
cago every day.
The acquisition of new territory In the
I'aciflc and tho consequent development of
trade has had on Increasing effect on the
transcontinental mull, notably on tho west
bound mail. It Is not generally known, but
It Is a fact that the westbound mall con
stitutes 72 per cent of tho transcontinental
mall. That Is tho reason why tho de
mands of tho I'ostolllce department for
westbound mall scrvlco arc so great.
Along with tho Increase In the mall there
has been a wonderful reduction In tho run
ning tlmo of Hurllngton mall trains. Ten
nnd ono-quarter hours Is now tho schedulo
of one nf tho Burlington's mall trains be
tween Omaha nnd Chicago and the run has
been made in nine hours and twenty-three
minutes, full lime, or eight hours nnd forty
two and one-half minutes actual running
tlmo.
talon I'nellli' Inltiii'iicc.
The Influence of the 1'nlon I'aciflc has
been continuously beneficial. Primarily It
Is considered by many to be tho cause of
the construction of the Iowa nnd Missouri
railroads to Omaha, it was also tho'enusc
of t lie expansion of competing lines until
Iowa. Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado. Utah
nnd tho west constitute n network of sys
tems, ns well us Its own. amounting to
moro than CO.000 miles. Hunnltii; through
tho full length of the stato from taal to
west, with branches rndlntlng In various
directions. It constitutes tho spinal column
of tho business Interests of Nebraska and
tho trnnsmlssourl states extending to the
Pacific const.
The decade from 1S90 to 1900 lllustrntcs
tho substantial growth of Omaha during the
period of depression resulting from tho
panic of ISM, which continued until It was
broken on tho 1st of February, 1S9S, when
tho Union I'nclflc Inaugurated Its last
Omnha-Donver trains. This was the key
stone of tho arch of tho present prosperity.
Tho yenr 1S97 hud been one of unusual com
merclal gloom. Tho nation nnd people were
poor. Llko n man rescued from drowning
the throes of recovery were painful. The
eollapre. hud paRsed. The patient regained
strength. A directing eneigy was needed.
This enmo with tho net of the company In
tho Inauguration of Its elegant fast train
service.
It was Instantly felt In every city be
tween ChUngo, Omaha and Denver. Men
went to work! Tho farmer ordered from the
retailer, tho retailer from tho Jobber, the
Jobber ftom tho manufacturer. Tho move
ment enveloped tho nation nnd soon was
heard the hum of the manufactory, the
whistle of tho locomotive-, tho movement nf
well illicit passenger trains and heavily
laden freight, moving the travel nnd trafllc
of tho nation over tho Union Pacific nnd
tho national highways. A new era for the
west had developed and Omaha felt the
Impetus among the first. In two years Its
trndo increased moro than $30,000,000. Its
population Increased neniiy 11,000 nml Its
wenlth more than $170,000,000. Every storo
building bcramo occupied. Residences at n
r.iiltnbln rent wcro sought. Colossal busi
ness blocks wero erected.
Tho Transmlcslsslppl Exposition with Its
millions of Yirltorn received liberal- and
munificent subscriptions and encourage
ment from tho Union I'nclflc and tho adver
tising tho exposition received from tho
Union Pacific was most effective.
Tho exposition gnvo men n chnnco to seo
Omaha In Its splendor. Tho Union I'nclflc
rose to tho occasion. It Increased Its ser
vice. It hired more men. It paid them
well. It secured the erection of another
large grain elovntor nt the Council Muffs
transfer tho largest in tho west. It se
cured another beet sugar factory in Omaha's
tributary of Nebraska. It Improved Its
roadbed and added magnificent trains. It
gnvo Omnhn nddltlnnal fast mall trains and
sent them east and west. It built the
Omnhn passenger station -a model of lux
ury and convenience. It employed thou
sands of men at Omaha. Its employes arc
among Omaha's best citizens. It disburses
millions in Omaha annually for current
labor nnd supplies. Its purchases from tho
business men in Omaha eonstltuto tho warp
nnd woof of the prosperity of tho country.
Tho development of tho forces along Its
lino will perforco mnke Omaha tho chief
central emporium of tho United States.
HERE'S ONE ON THOMPSON
Lawyer .Make Aiiinxlnpr Attempt
to Inbuilt Judicial
DlKiilty.
Tho laugh was on Attorney Will It.
Thompson In police court yesterday. As
ho rut listening to a caso on trinl he
not let (1 a peculiar looking cap on tho head
of ono of the auditors. It wns a colored
person who wore tho peculiar headgear,
fashioned from yam. Leaning over, tho
attorney whispered, "Tako oft your hat."
No heed was oald to his suggestion nnd ho
repented it
llelng determined that tho hat should he
removed, out of deference to the court that
was In session, Thompson went to tho bar
nnd sugges'ed to the court ofllcer that a
man had refused to takn off his hat.
On turning around to direct tho attention
of tho ofllcer to the person to whom he re
ferred, Thompson saw a diminutive col
ored woman sitting there with that obnox
ious yarn cap on her hend.
PLEADED GUILTY IN HURRY
Two NtrniiuiTH tie! Minimum Flues
for Siivlnir (lie Thut- of the
Police MnivlMtnti'.
Tho promptness with which E. M. Prltch
nrd and J. M. Heard said "guilty" In pollco
court yesterday Induced Judge I.enm to
fine them merely $1 und costs. They had
been arrest oil for tacking signs nnd adver
tising matter on poles nlong tho street, a
bit of desecration which la forbidden those
who do not have the required permit. Tho
Judgo rend tho complaint to them nnd be
fore he had time to finish his question ns
to what they had to say, they had mado
tholr pleading.
"Well that's prompt," said tho Judge.
"I guess I'll muko the flno tho minimum
because nf thnt prompt answer."
"Tho only thing we ran say," answered
Heard, "Is that wo ore strangers hero nnd
did not know of such an ordinance."
MANY SMALL CONTRIBUTIONS
I'rlileiit Sniiliurn Well l'lcnm-il tilth
the Vii Imlltorliim I'll ii tt I'iiii-
ttllUCN to (il'OIT.
"Small contributions are coming In
nicely," said F. E. Sanborn, president of the
Auditorium company, yesterday. "We tako
off our hat to tho small contributor, for ho
will build the nudltorium. This doesn't
mean thnt wo nro disappointed to tho largo
contributors, for, with potslbly one excep
tion, they aru coming down handsomely. I
can closu with tho Hostou store, tho No
braskn clothing store nnd W. H. Hcnnntt
jfr Co. for nn nggregato of $G,O0O today If I
want to."
Friday's subscript Ions nmountcd to $2.(523.
which brings tho total up to $110,000 In
rouud numbers.
KEEPING TAB ON NICKELS
Evolution of Strict Car Eogister Wrought
by Progress,
VARIOUS DEVICES FROM TIME TO TIME
J
t) m nli ii ItultiTii)- Ximv Him One of the
.Mont .Modern Systems In the
Ctui ii t r Sonic Queer .Num
ber llenlntereit.
Persons who have patronized tho street
tar lines of other Amerlrnu cities have
often remarked the simplicity of fnre-taklng
tlolees In use on tho street ears of Omaha.
They consist of the conductor's coot pocket
nnd n stationary register over the front
door with u bell in it. When tho conductor
takes n fill o no pulls a cord, tho bell rings,
tho Indicator shows that fl cents havo been
added to tho company's revenues, and that's
nil thero Is to It,
While the street cor companies of other
cities have been experimenting with all
manner of queer devices, tho single purpose
ot which wns to enforco honesty on tho
part of conductors, the Omaha company hns
never made but ono departuro In this di
rection which It hns been compelled to
abandon, und that wns In tho mutter of
portable registers. A portable register. In
street car parlunco, Is a nlckel-plntod box
nbout tho slzo of n C5-cent alarm clock.
Fitted with n bell nnd a system of revolving
disks, llko n tilckel-in-thc-slot machine,
the conductor wears It upon tho front of his
vest and "rings up n faro" by pulling a
llttlo chain that hangs from It Then tho
wheels go round and record tho transac
tion. At night the register Is Inspected nt
tho car barn, nnd If tho story It tells
doesn't tnlly with tho conductor's cash
receipts ho Is usually given a ehunco to
explain. s
These reglstera were In use on the Omaha
cars nt one time, but they were abandoned
In the evolution of progress. Tho principal
reason for their rejection was tho tempta
tion to uso tho "brolher-ln-lnw." an In
sidious mechanism concealed beneath tho
vest of the conductor, but prrhnps the
"brother-in-law" wan never used here.
Like the honest register, tho "brother-Ill-law"
wns equipped with a bell. It could bo
rung by the pulling of n string projecting
beneath tho hem of tho garment, nnd Its
purpose wns to client tho company by
enabling tho conductor to collect fares
without recording them. When ho would
tnki In n nickel ho would ring the "brothor-In-lnw"
Instead of tho register, nnd no noto
would be mnde of the fnct.
Though no conductor was over detected
maintaining scandalous relations with the
"brother-ln-luw," simply ns n safeguard
the portable registers were relegated to tho
lumber room, and tho company anchored
its faith to the stntlonnry registers, which
nro In uso todny. So far ns known, no
scheme hns been devised ns yet for cheating
l, nnd tho chnnces nro thnt no such nttcmpt
has ever been mnde, for It Is a notablo fact
that Omaha conductors have particularly
good reputations for honesty.
Hollo of Horse Cur lli.
Tho flrst fare-collecting dovlco In uso In
Omaha camn unl went with the horro car?.
This wns n box built Into ono end of thu
car. Its purposo being to reduco tho crow
to one man nnd enable .the driver to per
form nlso tho duty of a conductor. Tho
passenger was supposed to walk up nnd de
posit his nickel In the slot. A small trap
door of glass caught tho coin and held It
u moment, nnd, after tho driver had ex
amined It, ho touched n button, nnd It wns
! dropped Into tho receptnelo beneath. The
tioublo with this mechanism wus thnt tho
passengers would not make tholr own
change, much to tho embarrassment of the
driver.
Thcso fnro boxes are still In uso on two
brnnch lines of tho Omaha syBtem. however
tho Albright lino and tho West Leaven
worth Hue. In connection with them Is
used tho stationary reglBtcr.
K. A. Tucker, superintendent of tho
Omnhn street railway system, was at ono
time engaged In "street earring" In Knn
biis City. It woh thirteen years ngo that ho
left the city by tho Kaw to eomo to Omaha,
but his memory still abounds In Incidents
that occurred while ho wns struggling to
keep Con Holmes' flat-wheeled cars on tho
rails. Ho j elates the following:
"It wns nlong In the 'SO'a that tho bell
punch cutno In uso on ono of tho lines there.
U was Introduced merely as an experiment,
and was later abandoned, but thut doesn't
ncecssnilly reflect upon the cfllclenry of tho
bell punch. On tho contrary, I understand
this dovlco Is nil right, and that It is In
qulto general uso throughout tho country.
Hut In Kuusas City it wns necessary to
retlro It, uni for this reason: Somo of tho
men nt lcnst one of them stole tho secret
of Its combination.
Wiu-li of ii ! f : r I t in ii ii .
"You sec, tho bell punch Is n mechanism
much tho same ns tho eating house clerk
uses to punch your menl ticket, except thut
It Is equipped with a four-tumbler combi
nation lock, llko that of a safe. Every tlmo
tho conductor takes In a nickel ho punches
n coupon, the bell In tho punch strikes one,
nnd the reglstei Indicates that a fare lias
been collected. All this takes place In tho
punch, which Is no larger than a 22-collber
pistol. Well, ono of our grlpmen, an un
usunlly smart fellow, got onto tho combi
nation of that bell punch. How ho man
aged to do It Is n mystery. Helng a grip
man, he had no occasion to handle tho
punches. Hut tho fact remains that ho stolo
tho secret
"Well, In tho course of tlmo wo had oc
casion to discharge that man. It didn't
hurt his feelings much, 1 guess, for ho
made moro money nftor ho left our em
ploy than ho did before. I believe that for
a whllo he made no Iofs than $l!i a day.
His graft wns this: Out of the thirty odd
conductors using the punches there wero
eight or ten whom he took Into his confi
dence. I don't mean that ho told them the
combinations of their punches, becauso that
would havo been killing tho gooso that
laid the golden egg, but ho gave them to
understand that ho know these combinations
and that If they were willing to mako n llt
tlo on tho sldo ho was In n position to show
them how to do It. ;'htr they would agree
upon a meeting place, nnd every day at u
certain hour tho cx-gripraan would meet
his confederates, ono ut a time, nnd would
divide tho spoils with them.
"Suppose tho conductor would decide that
ho would llko nbout $2.u0 In addition to his
day's wages tho combination on tho bell
punch would bo set back so that It would
Indlcato $3 less than tho day's recclptu.
Then each man would tako otic-half.
"Wo found out about this nftor a while,
but lot matters run on for fully a month
before wo did anything ubout It. All this
tlmo wo wero gathering our evidence. Then
ono day wo called nlno conductors upon tho
enrpet nnd discharged them.
"Soon nfler this tho company 1 repre
sented dispensed with tho bell punch."
'Vn o-lli-Ono .Milt' 111 ll.
Tho stntlouary register, though n simple
looking device, is really qulto complex, ns
it combines two machines In one. There
Is the running register that beams witi
four zeroes nnd continues until It has re
corded tho collection of nlckles, or
$499.95. And thoro Is tho trip register
which records tho faros collected In a single
trip, from ono end of tho lino to tho othor.
Tho trip register Is set back to zero every
time tho car reaches a terminus, whllo tho
other Is permitted to rim on, and never
reaches four zeroes, or tho starting point,
except by a continuous arithmetical pro
gression. Every tlmo the string Is pulled
n nickel Is recorded simultaneously on
both registers. When a conductor turns a
ear over to his successor ho takes n nolo
nn his trip sheet of the amount recorded on
the running register, and turns this In to
tho car barn with his cah nnd transfers,
all tied up In a ennvns bag, properly labeled
and dated. Tho whole Is dropped Into tho
barn safe, to ho checked up by tho clerks.
This register frequently records some
cabalistic numbers, nnd the conductors
watch them with much Interest. When a
lucky number shows up, It Is looked upon
ns n harbinger of something good, but
sometimes tho figures arc bad. 1 313 for In
stance, nnd then well, that's nnothcr
story.
FILLED UP ON FIREWATER
liulliiii Trouble tlir Itcmilt of Too
.Much l,liiior nml Not of
Norloin foiiieiiiH'iiee.
II. W. Cheney of Ida drove. Ia was In
the city esterday morning on hl-i way from
Oklahoma territory to his home. On his trip
to tho southwest Mr. Cheney visited the
scetio of tho alleged Indian tipiislng In tho
Indian Territory and reports tho stories
sent out by tho correspondents ns without
foundation It fnct. According to his ln
formntlon, tho vl'olo trouble orl;mnted with
n pnrty of Indians who went Into ono of the
now towns in tho Indian country and filled
up on firewater. Whllo under tho Influence
of liquor they mndo somo warlike demon
strations nnu municipal officers undertook
to arrest them. They resisted the ofllccrs
and returned to their homes. Then white
olllcers of tho town nttempted to servo n
writ on them in tho Indian country and they
again resisted, claiming that these olllcers
hnd no authority outside of tho corporation
limits of the town.
An appeal was mado to tho Indian au
thorities and tho lawbreakers refused to
recognlzo the nuthorlty of these olllcers,
claiming that their Jurisdiction did not ex
tend further than offenses committed in tho
town. Then tho correspondents took a hand
In t ho nrfalr. A meeting of the friends of
the accused wns magnified Into a war parly
nnd the senred olllcers called for assistance.
According to tho views of Mr. Cheney, the
ro3ldents wcro fully competent to settle tho
case, but tho prcseliro of tho United States
troops probably saved the lives of somo of
the Indians who refused to recognlzo white
nuthorlty.
There Is nnothcr plinso of territorial life
nt present which Mr. Cheney helteves will
have a greater Influence upon tho west
than any Indian uprising, nnd that Is tho
opening of the Comanche nnd Kiowa rcser
ntlnns to white settlement, which will tako
placo somo tlmo next cummer, probably
tho latter part of July or tho first of Au
gust. Thero will bo nbout 2.C0O sections of
land for whllo men after tho Indian allot
ments hno been made, nnd n dozen men
will appear for each quarter section. Al
ready tho boomers havo pltched(thclr camps
nn Iho borders of tho '.''' tlont. New
lownB have sprung up ns If by magic. Tho
town of Oranltc, two miles from the Kiowa
line. Is eighteen months old nnd has a popu
lation of nbrnit 2.000.
Hands of from four to ten men havo been
formed nnd havo In their trips over tho land
selected such lot at Ions ns they deem best
for the purpose ot their business. They In
tend to ride together to tho Innd nnd work
together In Inking their proofs. It Is nn
open secret thnt nny mnn going upon the
ground nlone will havo little chance to
hold n claim, no practically all of tho reser
vation hns been prospectively entered by
members of thcso clubs, who will enforco
their claims to tho land by physical force.
HUNTING WAR BY TELEGRAPH
l.lcutennu t Dixon I'nnblr to Discover
AIU'kciI Outlirenk of
I ii il Ii ii 1.
Down In tho Indian Territory thero Is a
flrat lieutenant of tho United States cav
alry hunting for warlike Indians by tele
graph, and up at tho headquarters of tho
army of tho Dnpaitmont of tho Missouri
thero Is nn adjutant general who hns llttlo
expectation that thero will be any discov
eries. Yesterday morning a tolegrnra was re
ceived from Lieutenant Dixon, in command
of Troop A of tho Eighth cavalry, who Is on
tho scene of tho alleged troublo with tho
Snake band of tho Creek Indians. Lieu
tenant Dixon's telegram was not sent from
Henrietta, Tex., but from Henrietta, 1. T.,
a small station on the Choctaw railroad,
not far from South McAllister. Tho lieu
tenant stated that when ho arrived nt Hen
rietta ho found no troublo nt that point,
but his telegram indicates that ho heard
reports of troublo nt other places, for ho
says that ho has opened up telegraphic com
inculcations with tho ofllccrs of tho coun
ties in thnt pnrt of the country to ascertain
If nny troublo exists In tholr locnllty which
would requlro tho presenco of United States
troops. So for ho has found no ofllcer who
needs the nsslstnnco of the strong nrm of
Undo Sam to control tho natives within his
bailiwick, and ho Is now awaiting orders
from headquarters as to his further action.
HE SHORT-CHANGED HIMSELF
fiioeer l'ov Helli'i t pon Word of Cos.
turner mill Xoiv lit; Is
Sorrj .
II. Fox, tho proprietor of a grocery at
1321 Capitol avenue, has asked tho pollco
to find thu man who bent him out of $3
Kriday. During tho evening a man mado
n purchase of some lemons nnd In payment
banded Kox n $2 bill Enylng, "filvo me
change for $5," nnd with this request Fox
promptly complied.
When tho customer hnd departed, the
grocer noticed that ho hnd short changed
himself, having received only $2, but tho
man was hopelessly out of sight with tho
other $3 to which ho was not entitled.
Mortality Statlsties.
The following deaths nnd births wero re
ported to tho city health commissioner for
tho twenty-four hours ending nt noon Sat
urduy :
Deaths M. It. McKennn. St. Johci1i'h lns.
pltnl, aged :Si; Morris Kelly, 3527 California,
aged (Si.
Births John Clarman, nit South Thir
teenth, boy; Joseph 11. Vollte, S12 North
Sixteenth, boy; Morris Kane, 15IS North
Stxteenth. boy; Wurren Thomas, itllil
Dodge, girl; Joseph Waring, M7 Soutli
Tlilrly-flrst. gtil; Dick Keefe, Fourth nnd
Hickory, girl; Henry Freiirlckson, E'eventh
und Leavenworth, girl.
Itnllvii Nolcx ami PiTKonitlPi.
Among the Omnlia traveling railroad men
wliu eanu In yeHt.Tliiy to ppenil Sunday nt
homo wer: Lew Helndorlf of tho Union
Paclllc, Herbert Howell of the Mllwuukeo,
Sam North of the Illinois Central, 'Pom
WUhelni of the Itock Island, John Mclleti
of the Northwestern. W C Barnes and
II F Fisher of the Missouri l'nclllc
J W lllne agent or the Elkhorn in Hnpl 1
Clt w,is a visitor nt genera' head pjurtcrs
In thu city yesterday.
PASSING OF THE FLAGMAN
Eapid Abolition of Grade Oroisingi Zillt
His Occupation.
VIADUCTS ARE NOW QUITE FASHIONABLE
Oliinbrx Lends Other American Cities
In Vlailiirt t:tciiMoii 1Inou!Ioii
of the .Subject liy IJipert
Cltll Kimhiorrn.
The mnn with the red flag whoso duty
In life Is to stand nt the railway crossing
und dissuade weak but ambitious human
ity from bumping up ngalnut the superior
forco of tho locomotlvo will not for many
years longer find a field for his particular
usefulness In Omaha. He Is rapidly going
out of date In this city, on account of the
cnrrespciidlngly rapid npproarh of the end
of the grndo crossing, it will not be many
years before Omaha will be moro fortunate
than nny other city of Its size In Iho coun
try In having every one of Its numerous
rnllroad tracks removed from tho grado at
street Intersections.
(itad crossings havo caused so many vio
lent deaths nnd other serious accidents
and proved such a formidable obtuclo lo
rapid transit that their abolition has been
a subject of public demand in almost every
American rlty, and fow municipalities, If
nny, havo been ns fortunate as Omaha In
putting nn end to the nuisance. However.
It must not he understood that grndo cross
ings havo been knocked out In Omaha with
out nn effort. On tho contrary, the work
of getting tho tracks over nnd under Inter
secting streets has been accomplished only
by tho persistent, long-continued nnd Intel
ligent elTorts of faithful public servants.
Vlmliieti Come II lull.
Hulldlng viaducts nnd subways to put
numerous rnllroad tracks under and over
street erojslngs cnlls for the expenditure
of Immense sums of money, nnd well-man-aged
railroad companies never invito un
necessary expenso mil nlwnys endeavor lo !
put tho burden ot abating grndo crossings
upon tho taxpayers of tho city whose strectn
they cceupy. Such endeavor on their part
generally results In a compromise, whereby
the companies sliaro the cost of viaducts
and subways with the titles. In the enso
of Omaha. It was necessary for the munici
pality to ttnol in the speedy company of
the rnllroad peoplo ns far as the United
Stntes supremo court In order to secure th
benefit o the Inw which provides that when
n railroad track Is built across n street
tho public highway must ho left In the Fame
condition of snfety ns It was before tho
construction of the track. To tho enforce
ment of this law Is duo tho fact that nil
viaducts over nnd subwnys under railroads
In Omaha aro built nnd pnld for by tho
railroad companies.
It mny be said to tho credit ot the rail
way companies entering this city Hint they
have not hesitated to carry out their obli
gations In regard to tho abolition of grade
crossings slnco tho time when these obliga
tions wcro determined by tho courts. Tho
splendid now viaduct over tho Union I'aciflc
nnd Hurllngton tracks at Sixteenth street
was built at tho exponn Vf the companies .
and the similar crossing nt Twenty-fourth
street, which Is to bo constructed during
tho coming summer, will bo nnothcr heavy
charge ngnlnst them.
When tho now Twenty-fourth street via
duct Is completed tho end of grade crossings
In tho south section of tho city will be nl
most nt hnnd. At Tenth nnd Eleventh
streets tho tracks pass under viaducts,
Twelfth street Is practically closed. Thir
teenth runs under tho tracks. Fourteenth
and Fifteenth nro closed, Sixteenth hns n
viaduct, Seventeenth Is used nt thu railway
crossing by but ono manufacturing estab
lishment, located alongside tho tracks,
Eighteenth nnd Nineteenth do not cross tho
tracks, nt Twentieth thero is u subway, tho
next threo streets nro closed, and nt
Twenty-fourth street tho now viaduct Is
to go up.
Hut Kovr firnilc CrossliiKS.
It will bo seen that tho only grodo cross
ings remaining In the south section of tho
city nro between Tenth street nnd tho river,
whero the trafllc on tho streets Is not
heavy enough to make them dangerous.
In tho north part of town n great many
streets are crossed at grade by tho Elkhorn
nnd Holt Lino tracks. Tho Elkhorn passes
Thirtieth street overhead, thero nro bridges
over tho Holt Line at Hamilton nnd Center
streets nnd thero nro subways under tho
trncks at Cuming street, Sherman nvenuo
nnd Forty-fifth avenue, but at nil other
points where railways and streets Intersect
thero aro grado crossings. Tho most dan
gerous of thcso crossings Is nt North
Twenty-fourth street, und this one In nil
probability will soon bo abolished.
Tho tracks that cross tho north pnrt of
town are used only by tho Elkhorn nnd the
Missouri Pacific, and trains nre Infrequent
as compared with thoso run over tho lines
In tho south section. Theso facts, together
with tho comparatively light street trnlllc
In tho north end nnd tho possibility ot
briuglng tho Elkhorn nnd Missouri Pacific
trains Into tho Union station over the south
ern trncks at somo tlmo In the future, ex
plain why moro attention has not been
given to tho abolition of grndo crossings In
thu north section.
.May CliiuiKe Depots.
Tho tlmo Is likely to como when tho uso
of tho Webster street passenger station
will bo discontinued. Only local trains are
run Into that depot nt this time, nnd It ;s
probab'.o that tho Elkhorn and Missouri
I,uiflc managers will nt somo future time
And It ndvantageous to carry all of their
passengers to and from tho union station.
Such nn nrrntigemont may easily ho mado
by both companies. Tho Elkhorn has a
track that connects with tho Union Pacific
and Hurllngton at South Omaha nnd It could
readily avail Itself of tho uso ot either of
thcso llt.es for n southern entry Into tho
city. Tho Missouri Pacific would And It
convenient to enter tho city nt tho south
by merely turning to the south Instead of
to tho north when It strikes tho Holt lino.
If nrrungemonts should bo mado for
bringing tho Elkhorn and Missouri Pacific
passenger trains Into tho union station, os
has been suggested, tho necessity for nbol
Ishlng tho grado crossings In tho north
part of town would uot bo pressing. How
ever, If the present conditions nro to con
tlnuo tho grndo crossings will probably bo
dono away with at n tlmo not bo very far
In tho future.' City Engineer Hosowntor
believes tho proper thing to do In tho north
section Is to ralso tho tracks from five to
eight feet nnd lower tho streets from flvo
to ten feet, making overhead railroad
crossings.
"When It Is deomcd necessary to tho
public safety," says Mr. Koscwater, "tho
grado crossings In tho north part of tho
city will bo abolished. I have no doubt the
railway companies nnd tho city will bo ablo
to agree upon plans for tho Improvement
when tho tlmo lomes'for It. I think the
Elkhorn crossing should be removed from
the street grade nt North Twenty fourth '
street as soon as possible, beiansu that Is
a much-trnveled thoroughfare
Chief Euglneer Marsh of the Elkhorn
says: "As to the probability of bringing
tho passenger trains of our road Into the
union station over the Union 1'aplflc nnd
Uurllngton trucks, yoa will have to cousult
somo one higher In authority than I ntn.
As to the grado crossings of our lino In the
north part of tho city, 1 will sny that there
have been no serious accidents on their
account nnd whenewr the personal Injury
liability of the company Is lucrened by
tho fact of thelt existence they will prob
ably be dono away with, although that Is
something r.bout which 1 csntiot speak with
authority No plans for the ubolltlon of
tho grade crossings have yet been made."
Chief Engineer Herry of the Union Paclllc
says: "As far as our rond U concerned,
grade crossings In Omnhn have practlcnlly
been abolished. When tho Twenty-fourth
street ladurt is completed we will have a
elenr trniis out of the city to the wentward,
whlih will remove nil chances of crossing
nrcblcnls und give us the best possible fa
cility for the speedy outlet of transconti
nental trains."
SINECURES FOR FUSI0NISTS
County Hoard Vote to (lice Milclit
i'lio Additional A.
nlxtaiil.
Although Commissioners Hnrto and Os
trom protested against the action und cited
tho statute- to show Its Illegality Commis
sioner Connolly. Doctor nnd Hofeldt nt
yestordny's meeting of the county board
put through a resolution appointing Harry
E. Ilurnhnm special deputy county attorney
and W. H. Ouusoltih messenger to the county
attorney n,nd fixing their salaries ut $75 n
month.
Tho lesnlutiou came from tho committee
on poor farm, of which Mr. Hoctor Is chair
man, with n rcccmmcmlntlon for adoption.
Mr. Hnrlc spoke ut some length In opposi
tion to tho measure, spying:
"County Attorney Shields Is present in
the room und 1 am glad of 11. 1 wnut him
to show me a law authorizing this board to
appoint a special deputy or a messenger for !
his office. 1 say that this board has no
legul right whatever to maku theso ap
pointments 1 don't believe tho county at
torney's ofllco needs theso extru men nnd It
looks to mo llko a scheme In provide places
iu tho public service In liquidation ot polit
ical debts.
"Only the other day ono of tho deputy
county attorneys told mo that If he had
to devote all ot his tlmo to his public
nirico ho would resign. Now, I want to
know what Mumo deputies nre appointed for
and what tho county pays salaries to them
for If it Is not to have them glvo their tlmo
nml attention to tho county's legal bus
iness." Wheu Mr. Harto had finished County At
torney Shields naked If tho commissioner
wnntcd to hour from him on tho subject.
Unite tioM Alter Milclils.
"No," replied Mr. Hnrto, sharply. "I only
want you to show mo a Inw under which
this board may legally appoint a special
deputy und u messenger for your olllce."
Mr. Shields sat down without another
word.
Commissioner Ostrom nlso contend! d that
the board hnd no legal right to make the
appointment:! nn,i denied that they were at
nil necessary nt this time. "Wo employed
n special usslstunt for tho county attorney,"
said Mr. OUrom "during tho TransmlsslH
ilj.pl Imposition, whin tho city wnc mini
with thousands of strangers nnd thero was
it necessity for the sharpest of pollco pro
tection, but that necessity does not exist
todny. Tho county nttorney nnd tho three
deputies provided by law consltuto an ntnplo
forco to euro for oil tho cases coming up
nt this time.
"Mr. Shields himself ndmlls that the
salaries of deputy county attorneys must
bo fixed by .tie Judges of the district, yet
this resolution not only appoints n deputy,
but fixes his salary. l sny thin board will
have to go outsldo Tho limitations placed
upon il by tho stntutcs to adopt this reso
lution." On roll mil the resolution was ndopted
with tho ofllrniatlvo votes of Hoctor,
Hofeldt nnd Connolly, both Hnrto nnd
Ostrom -egtsterlng themselves In tho negu
tlvo. Mr. Hnrto'B resolution to rescind tho ac
tion of tho board In npprovlng tho bonds of
Deputy County Attorneys Abbott and
Dunn wan taken up nnd Mr.
Doctor asked County Attorney Shields to
ndvlso the board In tho matter. Mr.
Shield? said the law requires the amount
of the bonds of tho doputy attorneys to bo
fixed by the Judges of tho district court,
but ho presumed tho bonds should bo filed
with tho county commissioners ns other
bonds of county ofllccrs nro tiled.
Mr. Hnrto asked if tho commissioners
hail nny nuthorlty In law to npprovo tho
bonds, and Mr. Shields ventured the
opinion that "tho nctlon of tho bonrd In
npprovlng the bonds would not hurt them."
Iloml In Woi-IIiIc'nm,
"If It should ever become necessary to sue
on onu of these bonds, could It not bo suc
cessfully contended thnt tho bond was not
cffectlvo becnuso It had not received lh'
approval of the Judges of tho district court,
us required by law?" asked Mr. Harto.
"It might bo well enough to have tho
bonds approved by tho Judges," answered
Mr. Shields, "If you enn ever get all of them
together. I am merely contending that tho
approval ot tho commissioners docs not
hurt tho bonds."
"What Is tho uso of this board approving
of bonds which nro not authorized by law
to uct upon?" nsked Mr. Ostrom.
Thoro was no answer to this last query
and tho roll call proceeded. Tho popocrntlc
majority voted to let tho approval of the
bonds by tho bonrd stnnd.
A resolution by Hoctor to appoint John
McOreel assistant to tho county agent nt a
salary of $.10 n month went over to the
next meeting becnuso It was objected to by
Chairman Connolly. Heforo tho objection
was mado, however, Mr. Ostrom spoko
against the proposed appointment. He sold
that pcrjonnl consldorntlonH would Impel
him to oto n placo to Mr. Mctireel, but
public duty nlono should bo considered In
this mntter.
"The county agent," declared Mr. Ostrom,
"Is not lu need of nn assistant and every
member of this hoard knows It.
Hecauso by prosperous times nnd an open
winter wo havo saved n largo sum of monoy
In tho poor department Is no reason why
wo should creato positions In order to pay
out what we havo saved In salaries of un
necessary employes."
Tho following appointments wcro ap
proved b tho beard: John SCalondl, consta
blo for tho Second ward of South Omaha;
A. E. Hubbard, assessor for Valley pre
cinct; Hiury Ilium, constnblo for Chlcngo
precinct, nnd Paul Haumer, constable for
West Omaha precinct.
.lapaiii-Ho ( oiimiiI Proti-Nts,
VIOTOKIA. H. C, Jan. L'C.-Tho JnpaneRo
consul nt Vancouver has protested to Wash
ington against tho action of tho Cnlted
States Immigration officers on the sound In
treating Jopaneso merchants belonging to
that city nnd other places mi the Canadian
sldo of the sound ut Immigrants. It Is
understood that tho Japanese government,
ncllng upon the ndvlcn of its consul at
Vancouver, hns decided to issuo no more
pnFhporH to immigrants bound for Hritish i
clumbia un mi ount of Hit i-nfon uncnt of'
the Natal tut b tho goicrnmiui of this
province i
SIZED UP TO A FINE POINT
Pat Crowe'" Fhjeical Record a Prt of
fiertillon Archival,
FACTS ABOUT CRIMINAL MEASUREMENTS
Uucer Letter nnd KlRtirr Are MUe
ii Punic til (In- I ulultlicteil,
Yet They All Have n
Men ii I ii j.
It has been paid by men skilled In
criminology that If Pat Crowo Is ever
captured tho authorities will hnvo tho
Hirtlllon system of Identification to thank
for It. This system has been In uso by
the Omaha police slnco 1S3G. and In that
time has aided In tho apprehension of
Kcxeml shady characters and It Is now In
a position to further exalt tho nnmo of ita
inventor. M. Alphonso llertlllon of Paris.
In tho circulars descriptive of tho
Ctidahy kidnapers, which tho police havo
been sending nut slnco January 4, nppcars
this cabalistic matter:
Ht.llllTO-I.O. A.Ml-0. Tr.9.1-li.H.I..10-3.H.W.
ir..4.Ch.l l-lH.E.0.)..L.F.:G.4d2. L.M.F.lt.J. L.
L.F.O-I.L.F A.lS-fi.
This rends llko n cryptogram such ns
Captain Kldd is supposed to hnvo left to
point out the hiding plnro of his plunder.
And, Indeed, It Is something In the order
of a cipher letter, nnd It docs yield tho key
to n tidy sum twice as much as tho b.indltt
received for returning the stolen boy. It
Is tho open sesnme to a vault containing
$GO,000 In gold. All one has to do to earn
It Is lo act tho rolo of tho prince In tho
story of Clndcrelln mid find tho man who
will fill thoso measurements.
Hero Is tho magic key to the cipher: Tho
letters In tho mysterious passage, In every
case save one. refer to various parts of tho
human anatomy. For example, "Ch" stands
for cheek bono, nnd "L. M. F." for left
middle finger. Tho numbers appertain lo thu
measurements of these pnrts, tho metric
system being- used instead ot tho cumber
some old-fnshloned standard of measure
ment. JitpaiM'ic (iu nicy nictlioil.
Toe "cryptogram" points out tho physical
peculiarities of Pnt Crowo und they apply
lo him and to no other mnn In tho world.
The Japanese) luuo n syBtem of Identifying
their criminals by means of tho peculiar
markings on tho ball of the thumb, n fnct
which him been pretty thoroughly adver
tised through tho medium ot Mark Twaln'n
"Puild'nhead Wilson." Tho thumb of tho
suspect Is pressed upon n pleco of soft
wax. whereby Is secured nn ovnl-sh.ipcd
mold of mlniito lines, llko thu dollcato
Irnclng of ocenn borders on a map. This,
with the minio ot tho criminal, tho nature
of his olTenso and the date of his arrest. Is
filed away In the archives, which correspond
to the rogue's gallery of tho moro civilized
nations. It is said that Iu nil tho world,
with Its billions of people, no two thumb
Impressions nro Identical, and this may bo
true. Hut the system Is defective, never
theless, because It Involves somo remark
ably dollcato work with tho mlcroscopu to
distinguish tho mlntito variations Iu tho
wnx negatives. Tho llertlllon method, If
less concise. H moro practical. It Is based
upon tho' theory that whllo two men mny
havo nrms tho nmo length to tho fraction
of n millimeter tho chnnco of their being
Identical In nil tho either nieasuremelilH
and In all other physical characteristics
amountH to nn impossibility.
Pat t'nmc'i .Vteaxiiri-uiPiit.
Hero nro tho llertlllon measurements ni
npplled to Pat Crowe, expanded for tho
benollt of thu uninitiated: Height, l moter.
7 centimeters. - millimeters; o. ,. (out
stretched nrms). SO centimeters; Tr. (top
of head lo seat while silting). On centi
meters. 0 millimeters; II. L. (head length).
10 centimeters, 3 millimeters; . W. (head
width), If. centimeters, I millimeters; Oh.
(cheek hone, measured from sldo to side ot
the face between points of grentcst width),
14 contlmetors, 1 rallllmoter; It. E. (right
ear, measured with slldlns compass from
upper rim to bottom ot lobe), rt centi
meters, 8 millimeters; L. v. (eft foot,
measured from tho Hp of tho grca; too to
heel), 2 centimeters. I millimeters; L. M.
F. (left nlddlo Hngeri, 11 eentlmotelH, ?
mllllmetots; L. L. F. (left llttlo llngor),
centimeters, 4 lnllllinoters; L. F. a. (left
forearm), 48 ceiitlmeteni, 5 millimeters.
Iliinloii on III !!. .
It will be observed that in tho left foot
measurement theso characters nppcar-"L.F.!fi-ldS."
In this tho "d" stands for"
"doviates" nnd tho "2" for "mllllmctors."
nnd by experienced llertlllon operators Is
Interpreted to menu that thero Is an ab
normal formation, caused probably by n
bunion or n tight shoe, r-sultlng In tho blr
toe deviating from n straight line nnd that
If tho too wero straightened out tho foot
would bo two millimeters longer than it Is
now.
Tho Hortlllon system tnkes rognlanrn
of nearly every possible physical peculiarity
and characteristic. For example, whllo It
recognizes only two colors of tho human
eyo (blue nnd muroon) It notes eighty sub
divisions In shndo of theso two grand
divisions. Thero is no such thing as n
grny or brown eye, nccordlng to Mr.
llertlllon. Nor Is thero any such thing ns
hlnck hair, save among negroes and certain
Latin races.
Tho system nlso Includes two pictures ot
thu subject a front view nnd n prolllo.
Theso aro,always photogrnpha with tho ro
touchlng process omitted, In order that nny
llttlo facial blemish may bo noted. In
Omaha tho photographic work Is dono by
n professional photographer, whoso gnllory
Is at (.10 South Sixteenth utreot, nnd Un
llertlllon measurements aro tnken by Oscar
Knrbaeh, sccrotarv to tho thief of pollco.
Tin. metric, system Is used Instead of tho
old "foot-nnd-inch" standard, becnuso it
Is more convenient nnd accurate. Jn thu
hitler tho smnllest unit of mensuro Is tho
Inch, so In describing tho noso, flngors, oars,
etc, of tho subject It would ho necessnry tu
uso fructlnmi. whli h uro nlwnys awkward
In comparison with wholo numbers. Thu
Hortlllon system has dono a great deal
toward Introducing tho French stnudnrd of
weights nnd measures among tho common
peoplo of America.
ONLY A PASSING SHOW
Flurry of Kln-I I'nilei Aa-I'nilei-
Wiirnilli of
Sll ii I lull I.
Tho brief storm of ruin, snow and hall
which, tamo upon Omaha Friday o oil
ing nnd mado tho Htrcots llko glass during
tho night extended but llttlo west of tho
Missouri rlvor, boing hcnvlor In lown and
Its full effect being felt from tho Missis
sippi river to tho lower lake region. In
Omaha tho total precipitation was 2-100 ot
nn Inch, nnd tho duration of tho fall wnH
llttlo moro thnti half an hour. Wostorn
Nebraska had no precipitation, nnd next
morning tha sky was clear.
Mori- I 'ii 1 1- Itli'i'i'lorN.
.H.FI.'lMtHiiN ITV M J. in "i Tho
I. II t i nur. ii I. ii Lumber . t W'-rld'
fir i r ' i r f i u ' ' ' " e . '0
(4'"'"ii tin li'i' o by .1 un vikiii" is cot
tcn'iiy