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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1911)
unday Bee r PART TWO Society and Drama PAGES ONE TO EIGHT VOL. XL-Xo. !). OMAHA, SUNDAY MOKXIXO. JANUARY 1. 15U1. SIXCU.K COPY FIVE CENTS. Political and Social News by Cable and Correspondence from the Old World PART TWO EDITORIAL SECTION PAGES ONE TO EIGHT Omaha ... -irlE' XI J .4" t, IV UU OljUiUiUllW : FOltBlti GAME Agenda Club Formed in London to ; Attempt to Wake Up the. Nobility. LOESS ABE LIVING IN SHELLS Some Notable People Participate in ; First Meeting. KINO GEORGE A GOOD GUNMAN Kills 1.7C0 Birdi with 1,400 Cart ridge! in One Day. AMERICAN DOLLARS HOLLOW CRY Crnl Britain Largest Forelaa Holder of Our Securities, In be Amount f fil, 500.000.000 Aliened Amrrlog Crooks Work. BY PAUli LAMBETH. LONDON. Dec. 8L (Special to The Bee.) It has been publicly suggested here that It was possible that slum missionary work might have to be done among English peers and the nobility In order to bring them to their senses. The Agenda club, an or ganization on novel lines, was formally In augurated a few nights ago at the Hotel Cecil. Hon. Sydney Holland presided In the absence of Lord Shaftesbury, and among those present were Lord Brassey, the bead masters of Eton and Harrow, and W. W. Asquith, the prime minister's brother. "The object of the Agenda club," in the words of Its constitution, "Is to do a few things that need doing and can be done for the betterment of the existing social con ditions." The club Is established "for a limited period of twenty-five years, and shall cease to exist December 7, 1935." In general the idea behind the club Is thait there are many men In the world who wish to do something for their fellow men and are discouraged because there Is no business-like organization which will tell them what to do and help them to do it. Mr. Holland, In dealing with the objects of the club, said: "One aim will be to bring gentlemen, the natural leaders of our country, out of their shell. It may be our duty to slum among dukes, rescue earls, and set young peers on their legs, even If their last legs." Klaar a Good Gu,n Man. The king left Thetford by special train Friday morning on the conclusion of his visit to Viscount Iveagh at Elveden. As the party motored to the station the scholars of Thetford school greeted the king, who most cordially responded. Dur ing shooting at Elveden It Is said that his majesty used 1.400 cartridges In .one day, killing: 1,700 birds. It looks as It tie was going to prove as useless an ornament as tola father. - Hellowaes et Election Slogan. The torlea have been doing much shout ing In denunciation of American dollars, as though (hey were something to be avoided. In view of this outcry It may not be generally known that Oreat Britain is the largest holder of American stocks among the other nations of the world. Its holdings amount to about 700,000,000 or 13,500,000,000. Clever Crooks at Work. American crooks are still at- work here. A good reason for the success of American crooks here Is the fact that the average English crook, It he be born in a lower strata of society, is apt, all his life, to cling to certain mannerisms that plainly Indicate the class from which he sprung. Americans, being more adaptable, soon dis cover that abroad there are Just two real classes and shape their personality so that they are mistaken for those of the upper class. Consequently most of the "big deals" In the English criminal world are turned by Americana. Most of the men of the underworld who keep the police In hot water here are old enough at the business to emulate the monkey who persuaded the cat to take the chestnuts from the flames. There Is "Cherokee Frank," who actually conducts a sort of criminal Intelligence bureau, with headquarters in Paris, advising his "tools" when anyone leaves Paris for Berlin, Rome, Ixmdon or St. Petersburg, with any amount of Jewelry or money on his person. "Cin cinnati Kid" Is said to be one of his most valuable assistants. "The Toledo Punk" christened Frank Vaols is said to be a general sales agent for "the gang," a sort of "traveling fence," who knows whom he dare trust In the matter of selling stolen goods. Strange as It may seem, Eddie Ckierln, nee a shining light In his peculiar world, has sunk low in tho estimation of criminals and la my no means on an equal footing with thoee whose names are above men tioned. He la a sort of leader among the cheaper crowd, pickpockets and the like, who frequent that unsavory section known as Aldgate, below "The City." the rejuve nation of "The Seven Dials Gang," which dates bark to the times of which Dickens wrote. Ouerln promised Inspector rtock ley that he would "turn square" If he was allowed to remain here, and as a matter of fart, r. thing has bi en proved against Mm since he managed to beat the extradi tion by means of sald-to-be perjured evi dence to the effect that he was English born. His friend. "Dutch Ous." another Mew Yorker, Is the president of the as sociation of pickpockets who work the "Tupenny Tube" and the Underground rail way. These are all English thieves whom Uus has trained. Another Sknw Fullare. deorge Bernard Shaw has made another failure, here. He has written a play upon the life of Shakespeare, railed "The Dark I-ady of the Sonneta" To judge by the reports of It. It Is one of the tiresome liter ary practical Jokes of which Mr. Shaw has become proud and the public has be come sick. American Gambler a Winner. Among the visitors here recently was an American whose name ia said to be Willis D. Danbro, who, thanks to the tables of Monte Carlo, Is M,W0 richer. The first day he played he risked 1.300 and won heavily. He continued, and at one time had a credit balance of U.0U). From that mo ment his luck turned, and he won and lost from 12.000 to 16,000 a day. He finally decided that he had passed the maximum of good lurk, and so let well alone. Fur ten consecutive years he has been to the Kivlera In the summer and autumn, when the hotels are quiet, and one can give proper attention ta the game. ENGLISH RULE A FAILURE Lord MacDonnell Proposes a Scheme of Devolution. NO PARALLEL NOW IN OPERATION Sew Plan Has Concurrence of Lord Dunrarea and Woald Let the Irlak Control All Home Affairs. BT THOMAS EMMET. DUBLIN, Dec. 31.-(Speclal to The Bee.) Lord MacDonnell, addressing the Historical Society of Trinity college recently, out lined a scheme of devolution In which he said he had the concurrence of Lord Dun raven. The proposed system had no parallel In our colonies. It postulated the maintenance of an imperial parliament at Westminster; a representative Irish assembly with legis lative and administrative functions con trolling the executive and dealing with purely Irish matters, and the establish ment of an Irish treasury, furnished with funds In the manner Indicated in the Irish councils bill; the continuance of the British treasury responsibility for financing land purchase, and the reasonable financial recognition of the conclusions of the Royal commission of financial relations. From tariff reform, he said, Ireland had nothing to gain, but a great deal to lose. He believed Irishmen would not relax their efforts to procure that measure of legis lative and administrative control which would enable them to manage the domestic affairs of Ireland free from English of ficial meddling. English Hale Incompetent. . The Irish people had been willing to live as subjects to the king, if only they were allowed to live In peace. They objected to being governed by a foreign nation which had demonstrated Its absolute un fitness to govern any people foreign to Itself. They objected to being plundered and oppressed by men who never saw Ire land and had no interest In it save the Interest a freebooter has in the place he pillages. "But the English government had never forgiven the concessions they had been compelled to make In 1782, and had striven at every favorable opportunity to recover by guile what they had yielded to force. They succeeded In neutralizing the con cession of a free parliament by purchas ing through mast shameless corruption, the votes of a majority of its members. And thus it came to pass that while the feel ing in Ireland in 1785 was strongly In favor of Orattan's policy of conciliation, and while the Irish parliament. If left to It self, would have responded to the coun try's feeling, an event occurred which de feated all hope, and brought untold woes upon Ireland." Four Centenarians Die. The death of four AMitMiftrUna ti& tnt been announced. Thev were: William Wark, Wlnterhlll. Donegal, who celebrated bis wot h birthday last September; Miss Margaret Kelly. Donegal, ared 108: Felix O'Boyle. Drumkeevln. County Antrim, aired 1W, and Mrs. Stables, Cavan, aged 100. Beat Brother's Widow. 'Peculiar kind of love-maklne:" remarked one of the magistrates at Balbriggan. The defendant had been James Halpln, sum moned by his sister-in-law, Mary Halpin, a widow, for assault. Two years ago Mrs. Halpln married a brother of Halpln, and a few months after her marriage her hus band died In an asylum. VThe defendant. It was stated, proposed marriage to the widow, who promised to marrv him when eighteen months had elapsed. This con dition did not suit Halpln and he beat Mrs. Halpln. He was held for trial. Ireland Wins Soccer Match. The International "soccer" match between teams of English and Irish amateurs ended In favor of Ireland, 8-1 Queue Cutting Popular in China In Hong Kong Alone 11,000 Men Have Discarded Once Cher ' ished Appendages. IIONO KONG. Dee. SI. (Special to The Bee.) Hong Kong has Just witnessed a re markable queue-cutting demonstration. Six wealthy elders, the aggregate of whose ages la 449 years, Bet an example to their fellows on the platform of the Chinese club while an Indian, military band played se lections from Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Hundreds of other men followed their lead. The promoters of the movement had ef fectively cited the case of an oiler who was killed when his queue became entangled in machinery. The movement has become so widespread that in Hong Kong alone within three days 11,000 men voluntarily discarded their queues. No change In the national costume Is contemplated. Mrs. Napoleon Worries Belgium Wife of French Pretender Sets Up a Toy Court Menage that May Explode. BRUSSELS. Dec. Jl (Special to The Bee.) Tho Belgian government "has a rather difficult problem on Its hand. Prin cess Victor Napoleon, who was Princess Clementine. Is not only settling In Brus sels, but also seising the excuiee of her po sition as wife of a Napoleon to surround herself with French ladles-ln-walttng re cruited from the French nobility. It Is feared that such a menace might easily cause offence to the French government, with whom Belgium Is now very friendly, and. though Prince Victor Napoleon Is for bidden to issue manifestos, or otherwise to further his cause on Belgian territory, it Is nevertheless being pretty plainly hinted that It might be better if the pair would settle, say. In Italy, Instead of Belgium. MONKS' LARDER HELD OUT Party Isolated at Hoanlec In lulu Alps by Storms Has Uood Lick, the GENEVA, Dec. SI (Special to The Bee,) For fifty hours last week were the monks of Petit St. Bernard and twelve travelers Imprisoned In the hospice, T.OriS feet high, by snowstorms. The hospice is always pro visioned a If for a ajege, and there war. therefore, no danger of the monks and their guests going abort of food. CADETS JUGGED" IN BRUTAL WAYS German Army and Navy Authorities Are Accused of Upholding the Practice. GAUNTLET OF FIRE ONE FORM Hazers Do Not Spare the Victims of Their Deviltry. SOME ARE CRIPPLED FOR LIFE Cases Instanced Where Death Has Resulted. KAISER FRIENDLY TO CATHOLICS Ecclesiastics Who Heeall the Days of the Knltar Kampf Most Aaree ahly Surprised by the Pres ent Policy of Wllhelm. BY MALCOLM CLARKE. BERLIN. Dec. 81. (Special to The Bee ) Nowhere Is the practice of ragging more prevalent than In the German army and navy cadet circles. Ragging Is Just what having Is at West Point or the Annapollc Naval academy. The military authorities shut their eyes harder than most other official bodies to the practice. If any thing, they encourage It as the means of discovering the young officer recruit's stamina In times of peace. The theory is. of course, wrong, as experience has often demonstrated, for many a young" man who will chrrrfully face the risks of a bsttle fleld under the influence of patriotic ideals will shrink from the unmeaning brutalities of his fellow cadets. The pranks tolerated are of low. bulgas, brutal order, such as only men belonging to the "nobility" could think of or carry out. Of all the forms of hazing the most brutal perhaps Is the "gauntlet" of fire. The freshmen upon whom that punish ment Is visited Is kept in a dark room. In the next room his tormentors twist news papers Into Imitation torches, which at a signal they light. When the torches are burning they form themselves In two lines; another signal Is sounded, the door of the dark room is thrown open and the fresh men is ordered to 'ride between the lines, while he Is mercilessly lashed with flam ing brands. However quickly he may run the gaunt let, by the time he has reached the end his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes have been singed to the skin, his eyelids are seared and swollen, his lips blistered, his uni form ruined.- One of the surgeons in at tendance covers up the sores with bandages and sends the singed plebe to the in firmary. The official report mention the explosion of an alcohol lamp or some other accident of like nature. ' Some Maimed and Killed. More than once cadets have been crippled for life, and there are two cases on reeor where death was the direct result of horse play. A young fellow, brought up on a large estate In a little civllljted section of Po rn er an la. Joined one of the Prussian schools. From the first day his lanky frame, red hands and awkward gait designated htm as a target for the school's banter: He was constantly reproved for imaginary offenses against the code of honor. He was made to shine shoes, to polish brass buttons. One day a cadet was expelled. Poor Fritz had nothing to do with the incident. He was, nevertheless, commanded to appear before a "court of honor." There he was bullied Into con fessing that he was responsible for his classmate's dismissal. The jury rendered a verdict of guilty on all counts. The penalty was to be death by decapitation. Frits wrote, under dicta tion, a letter to his family explaining that his death was voluntary. Masked men then entered the room, car rying a block and a sharp, glittering axe. Frits, blindfolded, stripped to the waist, let the executioner place his head on the block. He heard a noise as of a man would make lifting and swinging a heavy axe A sharp, stinging sensation on his neck and, with a cry of terror, he seemed to. fall into a bottomless pit. The execu tioner, still holding the wet towel with which he had lashed Fritz's neck, picked Mm up and tried to revive him, while the crowd was howling with glee. Frlts's pale and motionless countenance, however, si lenced the young savages, for the cadet was dead. Foolish Prank Reanlts Fatally. A dare-devil cadet was asked whether on All Souls' night he would jump the wall of a cemetery and, crossing the awe some garden of death, come out at a gate the boys designated. He took the chal lenge. That night the boys stole out of the dormitory, escorted their heroic friend to a place where the graveyard wail could be easily scaled. Watched him for a while winding his way past the tombs and finally ran to the other end of the cemetery, where he was to meet them. Hours elapaed; he never appeared, and the boys, some of them laughing at their friend's cowardice, whloh had probably prompted him to flee back to the school. The next morning dare-devil Jack failed to answer roll ealL The leader of the group made a clean breast of It to the commanding officer. A search was Instituted. The boy was found dead In the graveyard, his face horribly convulsed, as though he had wit nessed some terrifying sight. He bore a curious little wound on his neck, a wound from which hardly a drop of blood had oosed, and which looked as though fleah less fingers had throttled him. No steps have ever been taken by the army authorities to combat the abuses. Kntaer Friendly to t at holies. Friendship between the Catholic church and the kaiser, who is a Protestant, seems to grow from day to day so much so, in deed, that ecclesiastics who suffered In the time of the Kulturkampt find It truly difficult to realise what a great change has occurred since 1V7Z. In the Teutonic church of St. Maria del Anlma a further proof of the good will felt by Catholics towards William II was given a few weeks ago, when Mgr. Doebblng, bishop of Sutrl, In ' presence of the German Catholics of Rome, the ambassador of Austria and the ministers of Bavaria and Prussia, presided at the Te Deum In honor of the emperor's Wt U birthday. On the German side a cordial response was given the same evening at a banquet offered by the Prussian minister to the German ecclesiastics and diplomats of the city, at which the health of the pope and W tUlam were drunk. It Is hinted that the kaiser, like his uncle, the late King Edward of England, is more than half way Inclined to Catholicity. NORWAY'S NEW DIYORCE ACT Operation of "Mutual Consent" Law is Quite Satisfactory. NO NEED TO GO TO COURT if Husband and Wife Agree They Do Mot "ait Each Other, nr One la Given an t nfalr leal, the Split-Out Is F.asy. BY ERICK GRUNDMARK. COPENHAGEN. Pec. !l.-tSpec!nl to The Bee.) Norway's "mutual consent" divorce law has been In effect now for Just a year and has on the whole been thorn lly sat isfactory In Its working. Even l.e clergy wlili. looks with disfavor upon divorce. Is Jncllmd to concede thatthe law has tended to a higher standard of morality. Under the Norwegian law men and women have eiul rights and responsi bilities. If a man and his wife, agree to dissolve the marriage they need no publlu lawsuits or complulnts against each other. Separation always Is granted by the mag istrate when If" Is demanded by both par tics. If the husband and wife are not agreed on separation either person can force the separation If the other has been unfaithful or Is a drunkard or Ill-treats the mate or the children, or uses the In come to the family's ruin, or has a deep rooted dislike to the consort. ' The ministry of Justice, In case the couple Is not agreed, decides the Issue, and says which shall have the children. In the case of non-agreement, where only one person wants the separation, the mar- I rlage cannot be dissolved by divorce until after two years' separation. In case of agreement the marriage Is dissolved after one year of separation. After a divorce either party can marry again. Women Police All Riant. Sweden now has women policemen. Sev eral have been enrolled in Christlanla and their work among women has been satis factory. Kino; of Greece Foreslahted. As an indlcatlop of the feelings or the king of" Greece Tn regard to the security of his throne, it has Just transpired thai he has become tho owner of three palaces in Denmark and has also purchased val uable properties In Paris and Austria. Cable Line tn Grccnlnnd. The North Atlantic cable scheme has not yet been considered by the Danish govern ment, but should It be accomplished It will provide communication with Greenland and will thus undoubtedly serve Danish interests. The president of the Great Northern Telegraph company declares that his company looks forward with pleasure to the carrying out of a project which It has always been anxious to further, but which has hitherto been looked upon as Impracticable. As far as Canada Is con cerned, that country some twelve or fif teen years ago negotiated with the .Great. Northern company on the subject, while, attempts have been made by former Dan ish ministers to establish telegraphic com munication between Greenland and Den mark. German Brewers Resent Wilhelm's Newest Policy Keepers of Berlin Beer Halls Also Take a Hand in Voicing Their Displeasure. BERLIN. Dec. 31. (Special to The Bee.) The brewers and saloon keepers threaten to make more trouble for the emperor than the socialists have made. His repeated utterances In favor of temperance they re gard as tending to kill their business. One saloon keeper has gone to the extent of publicly censuring him. Another whose place of business Is near the palace has hung up a placard announcing that he sells "the same kind of beer that the Kaiser drinks." NEW MINERAL DISCOVERED Find Made In Spain May Revola tlnnlse Sulphate of Soda Industry. MADRID, Dec. SI. (Special to The Bee) Several million tons. It Is believed, of a new mineral He In a remarkable vein, of which a sample has Just been discovered at Benahadux, near Almerla. which has been named calafatlta, after Its finder, Senor Calafat. This mineral consists of a substance which, after being calcined, pro duces pure alumina and pure sulphate of soda It Is thought that this discovery may bring about a revolution In the sulphate of soda market, which has up to the present been monopolised by the Germans. An American firm has already made a firm offer to purchase M.000 tons of the new mineral annually, but so far no decision has been arrived at. BERLIN PRISONERS UNRULY Authorities Find It Necessary; to Arm the Prison Wnrdcra with Sabers. BERLIN, Dec. . (Special to The Bee.) Owing to the frequent assaults made by prisoners In the local courts on warders, these officials will henceforth be provided with sabers. Several warders have been seriously Injured by Infuriated prisoners. It took six men to subdue one of the latter in a court recently. SWITZERLAND CUTS BUDGET Money for Military Inatrnrtlon and War Material Will Bo Spent Sparingly. I BERNE-, Dec. SI. (Special to The Bee.) Whlle the military budgets of moat coun tries are increasing annually, Swltserland has Just decided to reduce hers by 1214,320. The chief reductions are $39,430 In military Instruction, S44.&O0 in war material and 177.000 In fortifications. HAT WITH HEN ON Grrau Woman rM m. I.. by Wearing Exact Imitation or a Nest. BERLIN. Dec. Si (Special to The Bee.) A woman created a sensation a few days ago tn the streets of Bocholt. by wearing a hat which was the exact copy of a bird's neat, with a large hen In It. FRENCH CAUGHT IN SUttAKCORNER Chilean Speculator Has Manipulated I Margins Until He Controls the Supply. HAS IT IN BONDED WAREHOUSES Disastrous Consequences of a Former Corner Recalled. RUIN AND SUICIDES FOLLOWED Usual Weekly Mystery Provided by Murdered Woman. WAS A SERVANT FROM BAVARIA Florence Mahtlnaalc of France Is to Marry Colonel Mnrchand of Fnahiiln Fame Hero la Drowned. BY PACL V1LLIERP. PARIS, Dec. 31 (Special to The Bee. Another supar corner Is on and It Is likely that a number of wealthy Parisians will suffer from It. The man who Is manipulat ing It Is a Chilean, Mr. de Santa-Maria. Me has been busy accumulating enormous stocks In the bonded warehouses here, in London and Hamburg, and he appears now to control the market. With the system of "margins" this Is not an Impossible foot. The price of sugar began to go up during the spring of last year and by the end of July it had reached famine price. Many Frenchmen, the Prince de Broglle among them, have reason for remembering the last corner of sugar which brought on a panic. This was six years ago. Nearly everybody was buying "margins" In sugar. Some of the stars of the Paris opera were in it. Brokers scoured the provinces, find ing customers everywhere. Prices were climbing and the leaders of the market were unloading. They did not unload fast enough, in a week sugar dropped from 45 to 25 francs. Jules Jaluzot. the proprietor of the Prlntemps stores, was ruined. M. Crosnlcr, the director of the Egyptian re fineries, committed suicide. Young M. Say, one of the wealthiest men, was absolutely ruined. Princess de Broglle saw her Income reduced from flW.OOO a year to f 24,000. Again the public are beginning to protest. Weekly Marder Mystery. Paris has another mystery, the victim being a woman, as was the case In the Baroness B. mystery. The murderer had apparently strangled the woman, Annie Knoll, who is said to be related to a mem ber of the German Parliament. She came from Bavaria. Just at daybreak a few mornings ago laborers going to work at Thelx were startled to find the partly burned corpse of a woman. A match box and a bottle which had contained petroleum were found near her.. As her watch and. purse bad not been taken the police thodght that she had committed suicide, but an examination re vealed that she had previously been strangled. There was no difficulty, In tracing her Identity, as in a pocketbook was a paper with her name, and mention of the fact that ahe was born In Bavaria and was a governess. An officer In whose family she had been employed, having heard of the affair, went to the prefecture of police and stated that she had been looking after his children until the previous week, when she left to take another place. His soldier-servant carried her trunk down to the street door and she drove off In a cab. Efforts are being made to discover the cabman, as the woman was never seen at the address which she had given on start ing. Pending Investigation it Is thought that the woman must have been slain In the city and her corpse conveyed during the night to ine spot where it was found and there burnt. Colonel Marchand to Marry. A romance of the battlefield is a rarity, but is likely to happen. Colonel Marchand, famous for his connection with Fashoda and later with the campaign in Morocoo, Is to be married. It is a soldier's romance. The bride-elect Is Kile. Saint Roman, called by many the Florence Nightingale of France. She has long Identified herself with the care of the sick and wounded, and founded a Woman's Red Cross society, which rendered admirable service in the Morocco campaign. When war doea not call her, she works among the unfortunate here. Colonel Marchand met her in Morocco during the war. A Hero Is Drowned. A notable French hero is dead. He lost his life one day this week. The man, Jean Gorges, was recovering floating timber from the Garonne river at Bordeaux, when he fell Into the water and was drowned. Gorges was at one time employed as keeper of the Town Hall garden here, and when the terrible fire raged In that building during the charity bazar he res cued five persons, being himself badly burned. For his gallantry he was awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor. Linguists In Demaad. The Central Telephone exchange will soon possess more polyglot telephone girls; these employes will have to pass an examina tion, and they will get about 10 cents a day, extra pay for eaoh foreign language they speak. The ponufftce will make a similar ex periment and is offering Inducements to its employes to learn foreign languages. In certain postofflces, here, as well as those in the provinces frequented by for eigners, polyglot clerks will be appointed. The polyglot policemen who made their appearance two years ago, are not an unqualified success, and only two mem bers of the corps now patrol the boule vards. "It Is dreary and monotonous tq have to supply information to foreigners who have never before been to Paris," said one of the force recently, "and we decided that we would move to have ourselves abolished. Nearly every hotel nowadays has an Interpreter, and the need for our existence struck us as more than doubt ful." Gaston Hat on, a cook, has committed suicide by throwing himself from the top of the north tower of Notre Dame. It it surmised that he took a running Jump from the platform, otherwise he could not have avoided the gargoyles and parapets. Freed from a Rrnte. Mme. Parat, who claimed that her bus band forced her to wear a padlocked belt and chained her to a wall In a dark room, was granted a divorce. She was given the custody of their children, whom the de fendant will be permitted to visit twice a month in the presence of a relative. He has to make an alowance of about 20 a week to the family. In its Judgment the civil court says the pour woman's life was a lung martyrdom. ! NORFOLK GETS PAPAL ORDER i ! Premier Duke of England Given Golden Spur by Pope. i TOMBS OF TWO AMAZON QUEENS Italian Excavator Kinds Women War rlora Were Hurled In Maine Fash Inn aa Fighting; Men of the Pre-Christian F.ra. BY CLEMENT J. BARRETT. ROME, Dec. 31 (Special to The Bee.) The Papal Order of the Golden Spur, w hich the pope has Just conferred on the duke of Norfolk, was originally .given to papal employes on the anniversary of the pope's election The duke of Norfolk Is the only man In England w ho holds the order. Just as he Is the only English holder of the. fourteenth centruy Order of Christ, the oldest of the papal decorations. In 1S41 It was associated with the new order of St. Sylvester. Knights holding both orders have two small gold spins suspended from the two bottom coiners of the Maltese cross of the Sylvester older. In the early letters of the appointment the knights re ceived the high-sounding title of "Counts Palatine and the Kateian Court." The duke, who Is a very devout Catholic, Is the premier duke of England and tail marshal. His family name Is Howard. Although he Is absolute master of cere monies at royal functions, he Is famous us the worst dressed man In England. 1 Il ls one of the men whom rank, wealth and power have not spoiled. If marks of honor such as decorations counted for rithlng they could not be awarded to a worthier man. Tombs of Aniasona Found. Camilla. Amazon queen of the Volsolans, has 'been purged of the suspicion that she was merely a poetic figment of Virgil's Imagination by the discovery at Belmontu, by Prof. Dall Osso, of the sepulchres of two women warriors. The discovery was reported briefly, but now further details are available of the women who fought and died eight centuries before the tinm of Christ. The district which Is being exca-vi-ted Is rich in relics of old Etrurla, and the existence of Amazons there, is proved by the fact that two women whose re mains have been discovered were burled In their panoply of war beneath their char lots In exactly the same way as the fight ing men whose skeletons have been un earthed. The first Amazon tomb which the professor opened was fifteen feet long, eight feet wide and ten feet deep. Garoue Takes to Palmistry. Palmistry and other sciences akin to It are sweeping Europe In a vast revival. Writing with Immense appreciation and sympathy in the nachrlchten the other day, an observer of the work of the flying; men referred to "La Jeunesse qui salt mourir." In strange opposition to such brave recog nition, oX.tho advance of acanae ara table turning, casting of horoscopes, talking tablets, study cf handwriting for charac ter and for indications of future events, belief In the power of the evil eye, the constant use of mascots, and other de vices reminiscent of the days of black magic. Throughout Europe the Cathollo church made an endeavor to cast aside these practices, yet German women reg ularly consult soothsayers. Two Killed at a Wake. While a number of persons were watch ing by the bier of a woman who had re cently expired at Montellnone, the floor suddenly . gave way, precipitating all the mourners Into the cellar below. Consid erable difficulty was experienced In ex tricating from the debris those who had been burled, and It was found that two had been killed, while one was fatally and thir teen others very seriously Injured. Boer Woman Had Six Husbands, Many Children Married at 18, Mrs. Van Wyk Has Fulfilled Literally the Biblical Injunction. PRETORIA. Dec. 81. (Special to The Bee.) The Transvaal claims a record for Mrs. Thlla Van Wyk, aged 78. She has fifty children who called her mother and 270 grandchildren. Bom on October 80, 1832, Mrs. Van Wyk began what was to prove an eventful matrimonial career at the age of eighteen, when she married Potrus Jacobus Lubbe. At the end of two years she became a widow with one child. After being a widow for ten months she 4narrled Nicholas Marthlnus Pertorius, a widower with four children. After .living with him for a year and five months hs also died, leaving her with five children. After five months she married for the third time, David Step hanus Pleterse, a widower with seven chil dren. With him she lived eleven years and had seven children, when he also died. After five years' widowhood she married for the fourth time. Daniel Lodewikus Cronje, a widower with eight children. With him she also lived eleven years and had four children, when he, too, died. Five years later she married, for the fifth time, Hendrlk Klopper. With him she also lived eleven years, and had ten children, when he also died. After two years she mar ried for the sixth time, on this occasion with Conraad Hendrlk Van Wyk, a wid ower with five children, and with hi an she had four children. After having lived to gether for eleven years he also died. WORK IN QUEER COLONY PAID IN HOURS OR KIND Members Save Their Time Iastrad of Moaey aad Devote It to Heereatlon. BCENOS AY RES, Dec. 11. (Special to The Bee.) The Colonla Cosine, on the Par aguay, above Asuncion, is one of the most curious In the world. The members of the colony make or grow everything they want and Import nothing. The workmen have seven hours work a day and earn not money, but time. Their wages are hours and half-hours. These they sometimes save up till they have a week In hand and then go off on an excursion. If a man wants a chair or table he pays for it in hours of work, which are deducted from the balance to his credit. Three men went off up the river In a canoe for a three weeks' holiday. They sold their canoe at Asuncion for S3 and came home overland in ten days, lodged In the best houses In the villages on the way and yet bad some money at the tnd. CZAR INTERFERES TO WEAKEN DUMA Russia's Alleged Parliament Has No Real Power, Being Merely an Advisory body. PRESIDENT IS READY TO RESIGN M. Guchkoff Has Unsatisfactory Audi ence with Nicholas. CZARINA'S HEALTH IS NO BETTER Russian Empress Now Reported to Be Hopeless Invalid. BEAR STRENGTHENING FENCES Destructive storm on Volga Heanlts In l.oee of 1. Ives Convicts In Khnrkoff Prison Kill Wnrdrra nnd Lose Lives. ST PETERSBURG, Dec. 31. (Special to The Bee.) The czar Is taking a strong hand with the duma and it has been re duced practically to an advisory chamber, with no real power. M. Guckhoff, presi dent of the duma, has, I understand, de cided to resign as the result of a recent audience with the czar. Referring to the scandal provoked by the reactionaries over the Tolstoi commemora tion his majesy said. "No compulsion Is admissible In this matter. Every one should be allowed t( act as his conscience directs." M. Guchkoffs complaint that the upper house was systematically blocking the re forms ordained by the czar, notably the bill on religious tolerance, met with a sim ilar rebuff. ' His majesty rejoined: "I have been liv ing in Germany, where I noted the slow work of the relchstag Yet there Is no complaint about the German legislature. I see no cause for finding fault with the council of the empire." M. Guchkoff next touched upon the na tional defense and especially the reform of the Navy department. The emperor waived the question. "Let us await the results of the Inquiry," hs said. M. Guchkoff next tried to say a word for the universities. His majesty cut him off with the re mark: "Disorder still prevails there" Referring to the Finnish bills the em peror said: "No time must be lost." Csarlnn I nliuproved. No permanent good has resulted to tho health of the czarina from her long so journ in Germany. Those who have, seen her majesty recently declare that she is a hopeless Invalid. Her nervous trouble does not seem to have been abated in any marked degree and she walks with cx-trem-i difficulty:' She m-rotos' B' "Much of her time as she possibly can to her chil dren, for she Is a devoted mother, and seems to have an overshadowing dread that the little czarnitch will be either killed or taken away from her. The fear she feels for her little son is almost an obsession. Trouble 11 rew Ina. Russia Is strengthening her position on the Turkish frontier. General Guerugross, chief of the staff, has gone to Kurs, where he will take command personally until the crisis is past. The opinion in well Informed circles here is frankly pessimistic of a peaceable settle ment of the Persian trouble. On the Turk ish and British frontiers, as well as the Russian, a state of practical anarchy ex ists, which it is believed can only be ended by a Joint protectorate or the practical partition of China. Htorm Causes Death of 300. Graphic descriptions have been received In St. Petersburg of the scene at Astrak han when a caravan of barges with their tugs were storm-driven from the river bank and carried down the Volga towards the open sea, 300 men perishing. The Volga Is now ice-covered and In flood. The craft were dashed one against the other and were stove In by driving ice floes. Most of them were soon mere wrecks, to which the men clung until over come by cold. Splendid work was accom plished In almost pitch darkness by two Ice breakers and three other steamers. They succeeded in rescuing over two-thirds of the 1,000 workmen whose lives depended on heroic promptitude In the desperate chance of saving more lives the steamers have been battling day and nlifht against the solid masses of lea which have meanwhile formed at the Volga estuary, barring access to the barges which have partly survived the battering by Ice, flood and storm. In consequence of violent gales In the sea of Azoff the water lias been driven away from the coast, the sea having In some places receded as much as three miles. , , A number of ships are consequently stuck fast In the sand, and their crews were In some cases as long as forty-eight hours without food. Lifeboats were sent out. The sea was covered with drifting l e. Convicts Kill Warders. Three convicts In Kharkoff prison killed two warders with crowbars, seized their keys and . a revolver and rushed out Into the courtyard, where they killed a third warder and mortally wounded three moro. While attempting to climb the prison wall they were shot. The remaining ninety-six convicts were passive spectators of the af fair. Order has now been restored. Kacape from Schlnsarlburg. For the first time in living memory a oonvict has escaped from the Island fortress of Schlusaelburg, in the Neva. While working In the afternoon In the open air the convict scaled the wall with the aid of a rope and subsequently, though chained, walked all night across the Ice of I.ake Ladoga towards the Bugrovesky lighthouse. Early on the following morning the man was discovered by some peasants and was seized and taken back to the prison. The Schluselburg fortress, rich In memories of the battles between Russians and Swedes, is seen from the river, a place of old walls and low, round watch towers. Among the famous political prisoners who spent years there was IS iron. Hmpress Anna's favorite. The Bchlunselburg pris oners nowadays are treated with no little consideration. The cells are lighted by electricity and heated by hot-water ra diators. The prisoners are allowed to smoke and there is a good library. Every man sentenced to more than eight years' per uil servitude Is, during the first two years, chained on the teet.