Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, May 13, 1901, Page 6, Image 6

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THE OMAHA DATLY UTCE: MONDAY, 3f AT in, 1001.
WUOQtf IIARY TI1IQ HOY
II llUjiv 1) iV D 1 lu lllli) uJl
fi..,.uu Cuc.nu.ctb. MtUj of a Child
iiXCltei low ripn.
STRANGE STORV PUZZLES AUTHORITIES
Abduction if Itny Hlllott Ilrlnn Nut
a ItcToltltiK Confession nml n
Pint OenW of the Al
iened Fnctn.
Iowa has n kidnaping ensn that Is In
many respects quite as remarkable nn tho
abduction of Kddlo Cudahy. The victim of
tho Iowa conspiracy was little liny Mllott,
4-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. George El
Hon of Marengo. He was stolen May 12.
1693, and was rcstorcdjto his parents four
teen months later, but not until tho last
few weeks has thu mystery of his abduction
been "clcorcd awny. Tho story reads llko
fiction. It Bceras, It the confession of one
lleuben (lood li to bo credited, that tho kid
naping of tho child was but tho sequel of
another and even more heinous crime, a
rrlron of which the community In which It
was rommltted olght years ago knew noth
lug until (iood volunteered tho story of It.
Tho first crime, according to Otxvl, ton
fclsted of tho manslaughter, or rosslble mur
der, by his mother of his sister's Illegiti
mate, child, (loaded by a,fcar Irst thn homi
cide bo detected, ho says, she kidnaped little
Itay Elliott and palmed him olt upon tho
nelghborn as her daughter's son,
Thn mother says that tho boy who now
passes for Itay Elliott Is not Hay Elliott,
but her son by adoption, and that his name
Is Louis Ieroy Moskoll.
flood at tho tlmo of the confession was In
tho niack Hawk county Jail on a charge of
robbing his mother, Mrs, David I.ucas, and
tho latter alleges that tho so-called confes
sion Is a story mado out of whole cloth by
her son; that It was Incited by spite anil a
desire to bo avenged against her for caus
ing his arrest. The son retaliates by charg
ing his mother with having an ulterior
purposo In his prosecution, or persecution,
nB ho calls It. He says tho rharge of rob
bery against him Is n trumped up accusa-
tlon preferred by his mother In tho hopo
of sending hlm to tho penitentiary to lessen
his ehnnco of telling tho story of tho lioml
cldc, or of Ita being credited If told.
County Attorney In ventilates
Tho confession Is now locked In the vault
of County Attorney Heed of lllack Hawk
county, and It Is possible that It will form
tho basis of nn action against Mrs. Lucas
on a charge of maaslatightcr. Attornoy Hoed
Is now engaged In Investigating tho facts
nttendlng tho Incident, and thus far nothing
has been found to contradict Good's story.
Tho case Is arousing not n little comment
In niack Hawk and Iowa counties, tho latter
being tho county from which Hay Elliott
was kidnaped. At first It was thought that,
whether Good's story was true or not.
nothing could come of It, ns It was alleged I
thnt the statute of limitations would opcr-
nto ngalnst tho case, but slnco then It has
been learned that tho Iowa statute of limi
tations does not apply In causes of this
kind. Tho county nttorncy says that If the
circumstances warrant he will file Informa
tion ngalnst Mrs. Lucas, charging her with
manslaughter.
in nis concession itcuticn aood savs a
sister of his and a daughter of his mother
by her first husband was betrayed In the
early '90s and went to a homo for the un-
fortunate In Michigan. A child was born to
her and, under tho name of Mcskcll, when
tho Infant was but a fow weeks old, sho
directed tho authorities at the homo to send
It to Mrs. Luc.ib of La Porte City, la., being
careful not to mention thnt Airs. Lucas was
her mother. Mrs. Lucas, she explained to
them, was a woman of her acquaintance
whojcould bo trusted to take caro of the
bubo.
This the authorities did, and Mrs. .Lucas,
having been advised by letter that tho child
would bo sent to her In tho caro of a
nurse, received It and apparently mado It
welcome. Good, who was then a compara-
tlvely young boy, was living with hU
mother at tho tlmo tho babe arrived.
GniMi'M llnrrlf Iiik llecltnl.
i'or a long tirue. uood continues, "my
mother seemed to be very fond of tho
child, but ono day It became peevish and
fretful, and my-mother. In n suddun burst
of anger, struck nt It. Thn blow was harder
than she Intended, nnd tho high chair In
which the child wns sitting was upset,
The child fell' heavily to tho floor, striking
Its head against a sharp projection, nnd t
sustained Injuries of which In a few mln-
utes It died."
men no goes on to give tho ghastly de-
tails of how his mother set about It to ills-
pose of the body. On realizing the enormity
of her crime, ho says, sho became frightened
and went out to dig a grave, but tho ground
was frozen, and sho was compelled to Bcek
another course. Then It occurred to her
to burn thn romalns In thn kitchen stove.
This sho did, but a horrible odor arose
from tho burning flesh, and to hldo this sho
went to n neighbor's house, houcht n
chicken nnd burned Its feathers In the
Btovo also. There wcro not enough feathers
on the chicken, so sho took tho fentbcr3 out
of a pillow and put them In tho stove.
The remains having been successfully
disposed of, Mrs. Lucas bcean to worrv
lest tho neighbors should miss tho Infant
and grow susnlclous. Sho talked about HiIb
for several days, ho says, devising various
Bchcmes for allaying suspicion, only to
discard them. Then she suddenly left I.n
Porto City. A fow days later, while aim-
lesslv walklnir tho strnnts nf Mnrnirn. in,n
county, she espied tho child known as Ray
Elliott, and was Btruck by his resemblance
to her daughter's dead son. Sho then and
there, Good says, concocted the plan to
kldnan him. a ninn iviii,.i, 0i,rt
afterwards was successfully carried out.
Little Ray Elliott was taken to La Porto
City, and later . Bprnniinn. ir. ihn ..
turned over to Mrs. Lucns' ilnuehtcr.' who
believed It tn lm hKr .hiu
Good goes on to say that when the parents
of tho kidnaped child offered a reward of
$500 for Its return his mother, havlnc nro
vlously exacted a promise of secrecy from
n woman named Mrs. C." T. Heplcr of
Waterloo, left It In her hands, and subse
quently rccoivo.1 half of tho rewnrd.
!. Limit '1YU llrr .Story.
Now comes tho really strango feature of
this, strango story. Mrs, Lucas, being
placed In the sweatbox, denied her son's
account In toto, nnd added a chapter for
nerseir a chapter which calls Into Question
thn Identity of Ray Elliott, nid sets out the
astounding allegation that tho boy Mr.
and Mrs. Georgu Elliott are now fostering
as tneir son is not their son, but tho tile
gltlmato offspring of, an unknown woman.
She says that sho and her daughter, now
Mrs. Thomas Rurlte, have made repeated
attempts to recover possession of the
child, hut that Mr nn,i Mr.. Kiilntt rpf,,
tn pIvb II !,n Thn -nnrl rnrnrrta Inu,
county show that habeas corpus proceedings
to this end havo been instituted there, hut
thntthey failed of their purpose, tho El
liotts having proved their parentage,
When the Hoy Wan Stolen.
Ray Elliott, the 4-ycar-old son of Mr.
and Mrs. Oeorge Elliott of Marengo, la.,
was kidnaped on the afternoon of May 12,
1893.
For two days business In the little town
war. suspended, all able-bodied men beln'g
engaged in the search for the lost child. At
the end of this time, no cluo to his where
abouts having coma to light, the theory of
, abduction became generally accepted and
circulars were sont broadcast offering a ro-
1 ward of $500 for his safe return. About this
tlmo several persons of the village remem-
bcred that on the day the child disappeared
a tnn an,i a woman were seen ramping In
the vicinity at the village They hail boon
traveling In a covered wnpon. One or two
woman say that Hho had recently lost a
child anil that since then the loneliness bad
lionn nlmni iintipnrnhlp. Thtfl. then con
gttutcd the raotlyo tor the abduction, nn
clement whlih had hcretoforo been lacking.
The circulars which wcro sent out de
scribed the missing boy ns follows: "A
small boy, 4 years old, whlto hair, blue
eyes, light complexion, considerably freck
led, woro gray dress, black plush cap, shoes
out at toes. Supposed to have been carried
off by persons traveling In wagon. A re-
ward of $500 will be paid to the person re-
turning the child or furnishing Information
leading to his recovery."
This waB signed by E. E. Alvcrson, mayor
of Marengo,
MrarrlilnK entered WnKon!
For many months after this every per
son seen traveling In a covered wagon
within n radius of 100 miles of Marengo
was hauled up and his vehicle searched, as
constables, sheriffs and policemen through
out thu state were keen to earn the reward.
Every gypsy tamp was bearched and every
"''W ' ""J"' " J ''
scrlptlou of Itay Elliott was photographed
and tho picture sent to the distracted par
ents at Marengo.
I'lnnll. one day, at the end of fourteen
months, Mr and Mrs. Elliott received u
letter from a woman In Waterloo, la.,
named Mrs. 0. T. Heplcr, and Inclosed was
a picture of u B-year-old boy whom they be
lieved to be their son, Tho letter told n
strange story It was In substance that tho
original of tho photograph had been left
with the writer by a stranga woman who
had desired her to adopt him. "I was not
willing to decide Immediately," wrote Mrs
Heplcr, "so the woman said she would leave
tho child with me for a week on trial, and
that at the end of that time she would re
turn for her answer. J never saw tho
womaa before and If she told mo her name
I havo furgotton It. 1 kept the child for a
week, as I agreed, and as the woman didn't
return nt tho end of that time I began to
grow suspicious that all was not as It
should be. 1 had heard of the Ray Elliott
case, to thought I'd havo the boy photo-
graphed and send the picture to you to too
If he was your son.
Tho photograph from Waterloo was shown
to hundreds of persons In Marengo who had
known Ray Elliott and nil agreed that It
bora a striking resemblance to hlm.
No tlmo was lost In Investigating tho
mutter. Mr. Elliott, the father of tho hoy,
accompanied by Rev. W. II. Phelps, went
to Waterloo and brought him back, and that
night there was general rejoicing In Ma
rengo. Dells wcro rung, whistles blown,
and In the vlllago park a public meeting
was held at which speeches wero mado
rongratulatlng tho parents upon the ro
covcry of their son,
Arrest mill Threnteneil Lynching.
Amidst all this rejoicing n wish
often expressed for the arrest and pun1
Ishment of tho guilty parties, but no one
seemed to know how to accomplish this
end. Tho story told by Mrs. Hepler ap
peared plausible. She said sho didn't know
tho name of the woman who had left the
child with her, nor did she know whence
oho camo or whither she went, and to nil
appearances this chapter of the story would
never bo known.
A few days later, when evcryono was
racking his brain for some way to find
tho mysterious woman In the case, the
unexpected happened, nnr the womnrt hor-
self Mrs. David Lucas accompanied by
her son-in-law, Thomns Burke, and her
daughter, Mrs. Thomas Durko, arrived in
tho city. Tho boldness of this net took the
wind out of tho sails of those .who had been
so keen to devise schemes for the woman's
capture and punishment. Moreover, tho fact
that sho was a woman embarrassed them.
They preferred to wreak their vengeance
upon a man, nnd, ns there was a man in
tho party, thoy selected him as the butt of
their Jcero and threats. Oreat crowds of
people gathered about him nnd cries of
"hang him!" wore raised. "String him
up: ' shouted the moh. "Hang him to tho
tlrst tree! I'll help pull tho rope."
Mr. Elliott sworo out n warrant ngalnst
tho three and they were lolged In Jail.
This seemed to satisfy tho moh and It soon
nwnri1 dispersed
Ksplanntlon Offered (lie fiilillc
Whllo In Jail Mrs. Lucas explained that
sho ami her daughter and son-in-law had
como to Marengo to secure tho child which
aim had left In care of Mrs. Heplcr nt
Waterloo ten days or two weeks before.
Thru sho told this story of how sho
orldnnlly camo In possession of tho child
in iss, sno said, she was employed as
matron In the lnsano department of tho
Muscatine county (la.) poor farm, And dur-
'nK tho summer of that year a young un-
married woman was brought to that Instltu-
tlou for confinement. Tho child, a bright,
but unhealthy malo Infant, was horn July
s'rs Lucas offered to adopt it and tho
mother agreed
In November, 1892, Mrs. Lucas" daughter,
now rs- Thomas Burke, visited her and
offered to take tho child, who then went by
"10 norao of Louis Leroy Meskell, to her
"oni in Marion, u. airs. Lucas consented
nnl n ow "Ry la,or tne Infant was taken
,0 0hl. whero Us namo was changed to
Iloy Burke;-
A ycar ,ator Burke and Roy camo
back to a visit to Mrs. Lucas In Iowa. It
wns tnon ,nRt 800 (Mrs. Lucas) took tho
cn,,u w wl nomo 01 nepier.
Aucr MTa- LlUra8 na tno uurKes wero
released from Jail they at once Instituted
habeas corpus proceedings to recover poa
Besslon of ,Uo chlltl. starting a litigation
wnIcn "ragged through the courtB for moro
tnan two 'cars' 00,1 Anally closed with tho
Kll,ot,a uolnK Bvcn custody of tho boy,
Mrs, Lucas and the Hurkes always took
lno lnttlatlvo In this litigation, and at no
BtaE0 of the Proceedings was it possible to
Prosecute them on a charge of kidnaping.
..Thus the matter stands today, leaving the
'"tie hoy in the case In a decidedly un-
fnv1Ub'6 r: b Cn"n,t b" V wnctDer
?? l 1 ?y t,1,lott' Roy D,,rko or Louls herf
Meskell.
A. 0. U. W. TO MEET AT HURON
South IlnkotH Lodge to Convene in
Annual Semilon, llrRtnnliia'
Muy 14.
HURON, 8. D May 12. (Special.) The'
grand lodge of the Ancient Order of United
Workmen of South Dakotn will hold Its an
nual session here, beginning Tuesday, May
It. For this event the local lodge has mado
great preparation.!, It is estimated that 200
delegates and visitors will bo present.
reception will be given for members of the
r"n? '?,,s ? nf Tuesday night at
w.h.leh Ma.yor A' 12," n"j1Cler al
address of welcome. This will be followed
W'H dancing. Wednesday evening "Nlobe
l" bo presented In tho OpCM hoUSe, to
w,h!fn aU member of the grand lodgo and
visitors from out of the city will be given
complimentary tickets.
Tho city will be decorated In honor of tho
evont. The grand lodge of this' order was
organized for the two Dakotas In August,
1ES9, and another session was held here in
May of tho following year. The fourth an
nual session oi the grand lodge' was also
here In Ma, 1893, as was also the adjourned
session from the lllack Hills
Mr. F. V. Arnold, Arnold, la., writes
"He was troubled with kidney disease
about throo years. Had to get up several
times during tho night, but three bottles
of Foley's Kidney Cure effected n complet
cure. He feels better than he ever did and
recommends It to his friends.
WHICH STATE OWNS WATER
Control of Inttritate Eiren Eionght to the
Supremo Court.
KANSAS CASE AGAINST COLORADO
I. on vr tn linlltutr Suit tn llmtrnln
the MoiintnlnciTx from talUK
tlir tt'ntrm nf the Ar
Lnnnnn In Jouuht.
WASHINGTON, Mny 1.1. (Special.) On
Monday next will begin a battle royal in
tho supreme court of the United States
between the sovereign states of Kansas
and Colorado. Tho attorney general of
Kansas will ask leave of the court to flic
a suit In equity against Colorado to pre
vent tho peoplo of tho latter state from
using tho waters of tho Arkansas river for
Irrigation purposes. Tho attorney general
of Colorado will contest tho right of Kan
sas under tho law to Institute such a suit
nnd some weeks later the court will rule
upon tho question, which Incidentally will
bring up thn entire question of interstate
rights to use of streams which flow from
one state to another. The suit has been
threatened by Kansas for several years.
In April, 1900, the attorney genernl of
Kansas came to Washington to Institute
suit, but for some unknown causp decided
to postpone action. Tho fact that such
suit was contemplated lod to the Intro
duction In tho senate of a resolution di
recting tho secretary of tho interior to
transmit to the senate the reports of meas
urements made by tho geological survoy of
tho How of the Arkansas, especially nt
points near tho Kansas-Colorado stato
line.
Iteciiriln Arc Vol Complete.
In rcsponso to this resolution tho secre
tary of the Interior reported as follows:
.Measurements of tho How of Arkansas
river havo been made nt various points,
beginning In 18SS. In mnklng these
measurements of the discharge of tho
Arkunsas river It has not been possible
to conttnuo them at all points sys
tematically throughout tho twelve years
since lss. In n number of Instances there
have been changns or developments which
have destroyed the river gouges, nnd In
some yenrs there havo been such demand
for work In other localities or shortnee
of fundH thnt stutlons nn Arkansas river
havo been temporarily discontinued. From
nn examination of the facts, however. It
has seemed that the river hns n certain
regularity of behavior, with Hoods out
inluatlnt: In Mny or June, such that ttiov
nro depended upon for the Irrigation of
largo tracts of land. Tho waters of these
Hoods, although occurring with regularity,
nro for tho most nart not used In lrrlca-
tlon. but nass off down the Kt renin out of
Colorado nnd throUKli Kansas.
The low water discharge of Arkansas
river Is wholly used for tho purposes of
gricuiture, and during a considerable part
f the year thu river Is dry above the Knn.
pus-Colorado line. From this vicinity.
easterly through the Greater part of Kan
sas, the channel is often dry. n small
amount of water lielnc sunnlted hv n few
inuuitiries, sucu, lor examine, us Jl(ue
Arkansas river at Wichita, lCnn.
fit-enter Kcnnoiny in I'lissllilr.
i no secretary in ma report submitted a
tablo snowing the Uow of tho river Bt
arlous Kansas and Colorado points, and
of this said:
An examination of the fleures In the
table unu cons derut on of the facts re
latlng to reservoir sites show that n lance
uniouiu oi water wnicn might bo snvea
goes to waste and lends to tint conclusion
uini it win io pofsiuio to conserve tho
waters of this river so that they will
ultimately reclaim an acreago fnr greater
limn that now watered. This can only
come atiout, however, by pursuing some
systematic plan by which the Hoods or
excess waters are held ut points of great
cbt advantage to all concerned, it la not
irouaoio mat an or tho land sultablo for
rrlgntlon. especially that In the lower
vnlievfi. can be watored. hut th,, lnnrn:iun
in thf available supply will result in
notably augmenting the prosperity of this
impurumi rcRion as lar east us me lrri-
guieu areas ot Kansas.
Arknnxan UrnliinKe llnstu.
Regarding tho examination of the Ar
itnnsaB river uratnago basin tho report
stated:
Exploration nf the drnlnnirr, hnuln lino
been t-nrrled forward systematically nnd
u reconnoissancc map completed of over
inrcc-iuurinH oi inu entirn itrt'it. tiiim huh
been published In the series of topogrnph-
ii-.u iiu.i.i tini-eis. it. may no snid mar
about three-fourths of thu reservoir sites
wnicn are reported to exist have bee.n
found, although It Is believer! that thorn
are from ten to twenty localities which
deserve conbldtrutlon.
Surveys of the area and eanaoltv nf nlmnt
one-rourth or reservoir slii's iinnwn tn
exist, nave ueen mude. There tire, in round
mnnuurs, twenty oiner ryuervoirs whoso
capacity snouid be ascertained.
The examination of sites for dams and
tho preparation of estimates of cost wart
begun In the case of only reservoir, nnd
that the most exnnslvi nml lmmrt:mt
at Twin lakes. Subsequently construction
nan ueen uegun ut tnis point by a canal
company.
The total area of the Arkansus river
drnlungo basin at the Kansas-Colorado line
m oMiinuiteu to uo .'t.ovu Mjuarc miles, an
extent laruer than tin- ncrrrprrntn nrr.n rf
the states of- New Hampshire, Mnssachu-si-tw,
Rhode Island ami Connecticut. At
uiiieninson, Hun., tho drainage area is In
ui cituii ijv iiuuiil iu.im Hmi.'ir,. mi nu n it
tlo more than tho area of Vermont. Most
of this country should bo rapidly examined
tor iosiuit! reservoir sues, uitnough It Is
known that the moro Important of these
are within the 0.CKW square tnllcB of moun-
turn ureu.
Ceuter nf Population,
Recent telegraphic announcement was
made that the center of population of the
united Mates has moved westward four
teen miles nud southward two and one-half
miles In the last ten years. In making
the computation tho population of Alask
and Hawaii, although Included tn the
Twelfth census, has not been considered,
Tho method used by tho census bureau in
obtaining its conclusions was as follows
The population of tho country waB flrst
distributed by "square degrees," as the
area Included between consecutive parallels
and meridians Iibb been designated.
poini was men assumed, tentatively, as
tno center, and correction In latitude and
longitude to this tentntlvo position were
computed. In this case the center wa
assutmd to bo nt the Intersection of the
parallel of 39 degrees north, with tho
meridian of 86 degrees west of Qrconwlch
Tho population of each squaro degree wa
assumed to be located at tho center of that
square degree, except In cases whero It
was manifest that this assumption would
be untrue, as, for Instance, whero a part
of tho square degree was occupied by tho
sea or other largo body of water, or where
It contained a city of considerable magnl
tude which was situated "oft center." I
this case the position of tho center of th
population of tho square degree was estl
muted as near as possible. Tho shortest
distances between each such center of popu
lation, of a square degree (whether assumed
to be at, or at a dlstunce from, the center
of tho square degree), nnd the assumed
parallel nnd meridian were obtained. The
population of each square degreo was thon
multiplied by tho shortest distance of Its
center of population from tho assumed
parallel of latitude, and tho sums of the
products, or moments, north and south o
that parallel were obtained. Their differ
once, divided by tho total pomilatlou
the couutry, gave a correction to the latl
tudo of tho assumed center of population
in a similar manner the east and west mo
meats were obtained and from them a cor
rectlon to the longitude of the assumed
center was obtained.
Xut Fixed FhoI,
Tho center of population has moved
steadily westward stuco the tlmo tho flrst
census was taken In 1790. In that yea
the center was twenty-threo miles east of
Baltimore, Md. Ry 1S00 It had moved
forty-ono mlle.4 nnd was eighteen miles
west of naltlmore. From 1S0O to 1810
It moved westward and slightly southward
to a point about forty miles northwost b
west of Washington The southward move
meat was due to the annexation of Louis
lana. From 1S10 to 1S20 It again moved
cstward and southward to a point six
teen miles north of Woodstock, Vn, From
1S20 to 1SS0 It still moved westward nnd
southward to about nineteen miles south-
est of Moorflcld, In the present state of
West Virginia. This southward movement
was due to the addition of Florida to our
territory and tho extension of settlement
tn Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ar
kansas. From 1830 to 1SI0 settlements
In Michigan and Wisconsin and tho .pralrlo
states deflected the course northward to n
point sixteen miles south of Clarksburg. In
tho present state of West Virginia. From
1840 to 1830 it continued Its westward
course, deflecting Bllghtly to tho south,
reaching a point twenty-tbreo miles south
east of Parkersburg, In the present state
of West Virginia, The southerly move
ment In this decade was due to tho an
nexation of Texas. From 1850 to 1860 it
moved westward and slightly northward to
point twenty miles west of Chllllcothc, O.
From I860 to 1870 It ngaln moved west
ward and sharply northward, reaching a
point forty-eight miles east by north of
Cincinnati. The northern movement wan
due In part to the wnste and destruction
In the south consequent upon tho civil
war, and In part to tho fact that tho cen
sus In the south wns not accurately taken.
In ls80 tho center of population had re
turned southward to about tho same lati
tude It was In prior to the civil war.
I. nut nml l'rrnont t.oontlon.
In 1890 tho center of population had
moved northward Into practically the
same latitudo It occupied In 1870. This
northward movement was largely due to
the great development In the cities of the
northwest ami In tho state of Washington
nnd nlso tn tho Increase of population In
Now England.
During tho last decade tho center of
population has moved westward a llttlo
over fourteen miles nnd southward a llttlo
less than threo miles. This Is tho smallest
movement that has ever been noted. The
slight southwnrd movement Is due Inrgoly
to the great Increase In population of In
dian Territory, Oklahomn and Texas, while
tho great decrease In tho westward move
ment of the center Is undoubtedly due to
tho largo Increaso In tho population of
ho North Atlantic states. It also shows
that the population of tho western states
has Increased as rapidly as In former
decades.
The total western movement during tho
past 110 years fias been 610 miles. Tho
renter has followed along tho 39th parallel
of latitude, deflecting slightly north
ward or southwnrd, as accessions or settle
ments were made In either direction.
Tho center of area of the United States
excluding Alaska and Hawaii nnd other re
cent accessions, Is In northern Kansas, In
approximate latitudo 39 degrees, 55 mln
utes, and In approximate longitude 98 do
greej, B0 minutes.
.Mod Inn J'nlnt In Different.
Tho median point of population Is the
point of Intersection of the line dividing
the population equally north nnd south
with tho lino dividing It equally cast and
west. It differs from the center of pop
ulntlon In tho fact that distance from the
center is not considered. Its movements
from census to census bear no relation to
the movements of tho population, blnce
only movements by which bodies of ponttla
tlon aro transferred across Its paralllel or
its meridian have any influence upon Iti
position. To lllustrnto this, a million pco
Pie may move from Minnesota to Washing
ton stato without affecting Its )oitlon
whllo tho moving of a hundred persons
from Michigan to Wisconsin might affect
it appreciably. In 1900 tho meridian of
81 degrees, fil minutes, 29 seconds, equally
divided the population of tho United States
east and west, and the parallel of 40 de
grces, 4 minutes and 22 seconds, oqinlly
divided It north nnd south. The median
point therefore is located at Spartanburg
10(1.
In 1SS0 the median point was sixteen
miles west of Springfield, O. In 1890 It
moved north and west to a nolnt four
miles southwcBt of Greenville, O., and from
ltau to 1900 westward to Spartanburc. Ind
ino comparison of the movement .if the
center of population nnd the median point
snows tnai iney ao not move In parallel
lines, ns irom ISM) to 1890 the median noln
moved west twenty-seven miles and north
six and six-tenths miles, while tho center
or population moved west forty-eight miles
and north nine miles. From 1890 to won
tno median point moved 10.8 miles and
norm miles, while tho center of nonnin
tlon moved west 14 miles and south 2.C
miles.
ItriKivutliiR the White House.
Colonel ningham. who Is in charen n
the Whlto House and Its grounds. Is taklnu
niivantago oi tue absence of President am!
.virs. wcKinley to glvo tho exterior of tho
executlvo mansion a much-needed coating
oi wiiho paint. Tho Whlto House Is at
oesi not a very Impos ng or decant resi
dence, nnd when its porches and walls hn
come discolored with big blotches of yellow
rusi stain, nna the onco whlto paint bo
comes irom exposure to the weather
u'' uiuu, it presents an appearance
positively discreditable. Co onol nincimm
Is going to do the best ho can tn hnnmifv
n uiihuk lie temporary unoccupancy. and
a score or more of whlto paint artists are
loucning it up with g arlne whlto nnlnt
uisiuo tno mansion men and maids are
taking up carpets, removing curtains and
wielding witn vigor moos and nrnh
brushes. Tho president. beslden oninir,,.
his trip, Is missing nn old-fashioned, soapy
oiuius nuusu cleaning.
Jim Hum Lewi Ha Hone.
Ex-Rcpresentntlvo James Hamilton Lowls
has been a Washington visitor during the
week. Ho wears liner clothes and more
luxuriant whiskers than when ho was In
congress, and admits that tho moro ho
mixes In politics tho more prosperous ho
becomes. Despite his well-groomed whisk
ers and superfine garments "Ham" Lewis
as lie gets most frequently called here. 1
a favorlto with the newspaper fraternity
nnu wun government officials of all po
lltlcal faiths in Washington.
If through his friendly relations with
government olllclals he gets hold ot "ex
elusive news, tho .ox-renresentatlve con
erously remembers his newspaper friends
nnd It was this kindly disposition whlcl;
wns tne source of a news Item quite gen
crany wired to numerous newspapers
fow evenings ago that Secretary Root Is to
resign from the cabinet when tho president
returns, and that Judge Taft, president o
tne j'niiippine commission, Is to be his sue
cessor. It was an "important if true
story, buf. subsequent Inquiries dovolope
the fact that while Secretary Root I
sacriiicing at icnst $75,000 per annum
which ho would undoubtedly recelvo from
his law practice he Is Arm in his Intention
of remaining In the cabinet as secretary
or war. to a friend he said recently:
havo put In a ycar and a half of the hard
est work I over undortook In my life trying
to get tho workings of tho War departmen
In grasp, and now that I begin to know
something about tho business I feel tha
I can do tho country some measure of good
by remaining, and will remain even nt
financial sacrifice, as long as I can accom
push good."
Tho secretary, whllo losing n big Incom
by giving up his law practice for a cab!
net position, win not suffor. Both be an
Mrs. Root aro wealthy, and If ho neve
earns another dollar the family will be
enabled to live, and that without practicing
any unduo economy. Should the secretary
make an unusually good showing with War
department affairs during tho .coming two
years ho will be pretty well to the fron
In presidential availability on tho repub
lican iiao.
All. INTEREST 1T AMERICA W
i,mw. .i, ,,i,u,i,viiu
United States Stocks en London Utrket I
uniiea otaiei iocri oh iionaon Market
' n ! . ! T-.I 1 i - . . ,
vjjim jjQiue Aiieauoi,
UNEASINESS OVER NORTHERN PACIFIC
Mnxt of Them Show Smile Improve
ment nml Hero !rles Fitrelun M
curltleM Cheerful nt I'lrnt, hut
Iteceile Litter In Week.
LONDON, May 12. During the last week
the attention ot tho stock exchange hns
been so absorbed In Americans that little
hns been done on other markets to which
notice can be called. When tho storm of
xcttemeut was tremendous It wns soon
seen that tho worst was over. Oood buying
followed, whereupon tho feeling wns Im
proved. The close In Americans was quiet
and firm, but below tho level of New York.
There still nxlrts some uneasiness regard-
ng tho settlement, especially of Northern
'a el lie, In spite of tho fart that this stock
loscd 35 points up nt 17014, which Is 70
bovo the last quotation.
The recording of tho quotation fluctua
tions during tho last week Is practically
useless, as theso have been so abnormal
bat they furnish little valuable Indication
of condition. Most Americans showed an
mprovement, but cloird under tho best.
Union Pacifies recovered 1G, Now York
Central Wi, Wabash 4',i. Ilaltl
morc .t Ohio and Illinois Central recovered
points, Denver & Rio Ornndo 3, Erie pre
ferred 2?i, Louisville & Nashville, Atchi
son, Topcka &. Santa Fo and Chesapeake
Ohio recovered 2 points and the others
fractionally.
Foreign securities wcro cheerful nt flrst.
Coppers havo been depressed, but wero
higher on balance. Earlier this week
Kafllrs showed a good tendency on tho re
opening of some mines, and tho Parts buy-
ng strengthened the market. Later, values
receded In sympathy with general dullness,
but on Saturday they somewhat Improved,
Rands rising 3 1-16 to Wt, and others frac
tionally. Money was In good supply. Until Monday
It was quoted at 24 to 2-J, fixtures wero nt
3Vi to 3U, and three months' bills at 3 to
3.
COTTON PRICES DECLINE
Instability nf MnrUet Hinder-. Doul-
Iiikh In All Knhrlcs nnd llry
(iooiln.
MANCHESTER. May 12. The predomi
nant fenturo of tho last week has been the
decline In cotton, the effect of which has
been to hamper tho cloth sellers. Notwlth
THE
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I stnndlnc the later Improvement most of
isinctory uum
Imiulry, There
and. which Is
.. i, 1 1 ii mi ( it ihr,. lt a fiilr ltidulrv
It il HICK Ol worannir tit-inium. niuvn m
.ii.nMi.Mintlrif. Thn frrllnir nrevalls that a
i fair business would probably be transacted
t tho proKcnt level of values should it
xtilbtnty develop. There were a con-
i i ..... ...... I. . .. f ..,.., tn- fi.l.rlnu f-nin
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India, but the results were disappointing
Option" weto given to tho China trade on
some sale of the b- tier grades of shirt
ings ft low rates. Yarns were quiet. The
fall In cotton caused buyers to hesitate
and they only placed such orders as wcro
necessary for early delivery.
BIG BOOK ABOUT FARMING
Dennrttueut of Agriculture Issues
IMItlun for UIOO. tn He Itenily
toi- Distribution July 1.
WASHINGTON, May 12. The year book
of tho United States Department of Ag
riculture for 19C0 Is now In press and will
be ready for distribution about July 1.
In addition to tho secretary's report and
tho appendix this volume contains thirty
one articles, In which each division of
original work Is represented. A now
feature Is the publication of requirements
for admission to tho Agricultural depart
ment of the land grant colleges and tho
cost, of attendance.
The year book Is a volume nf S8S pages,
Illustrated with a froutlsplcce, eighty
soveii plates, of which nine are colored
and eighty-eight text figures, Tho regulnr
edition Is C00.00O copies, of which 470,000
aro by law reserved for tho exclusive use
of congress nnd 30,000 for the departments.
All others than crop correspondents must
apply to their senators or representatives
In congress.
Tho articles Include. "Smyrna Fig Cul
ture In tho United States," "Amplification
of Wenher Forecasts," "Commercial Plant
Introduction," "Forest Extension In tho
Middle West," "Influence of Rye on tho
Price of Wheat," "Mountain Roadn," "Fun
gus Diseases of Forest Trees," "Rabies,"
"The Scale Insect nnd Mlt Enemies of
Citrus Trees," "How Birds Affect tho Or
chard," "Hot Waves," "Potatoes as Food,"
"Practical Fores'try In tho Southern Ap
palachians," "Commercial Pear Culture,"
"Development of the Trucking Interests,"
"Tho Date Palm," "Practical Irrigation,"
"Free Delivery of Rural Malls," "Suc
cessful Wheat In Scml-Arld Districts."
Dolus Itnoil,
The following extract from a letter writ
ten by Mr. Oeorgo II. leader, publisher of
tho Ilrecze, Akron, N. Y., will give you sorao
Idea of the great good that Is being done by
Cbambtrlnln'B Cough Remedy In curing
colds alid grip: "My wife and self have
used Chnmberlaln's Cough Remedy for la
grlppo and with to attest to Its beneficial
effects nnd thank the manufacturers for tho
good they aro doing suffering humanity.
Whenever I hear of a case of la grippe 1
recommend this remedy." For salo by all
druggists.
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