Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1894 — Page 2

gljePtmotroticScntinel or. W. McEWEX, Publisher. RENSSELAER, - - • INDIANA.

THEY ROB A JEWELER

THIEVES LOOT A WHOLESALE HOUSE OF $6,000. Small Fire In Mew York Results In Fearful Loss of Life —Kansas City Has a Big Blue—Mercier, Canada’s Ex-Premier, Dead. Bold Daylight Robbery. One of the most peculiar robberies the Chicago police bare yet bad to Investigate occurred Tuesday afternoon. At 2:15 o’clock, according to the story told, a man carrying a piece of lead wastepipe two and a half feet long and elx Inches In circumference walked Into the office of the Brethauer Watch and Jewelry Company on the second floor of Na 71 Washington street. Accompanying this Individual was a young man armed with a big gun. These two men laid violent hands upon the person of G. W. Brethauer, Jr., and —considerately leaving the outer door open for him so that he could breathe—shut him in the vault. W’hen Brethauer got out the office had been looted of everything valuable, the thieves showing a nice discrimination in the matter. The loss-, is said to be $6,000. As a souvenir they left behind that extraordinary piece of lead pipe and it is worrying the police If. as they think, the robbery was committed by experts, they want to know why they carried twelve pounds of lead through the public streets when billies are so cheap and concealablo. SEVEN KILLED BY SMOKE. Occupants oT a Mew York Building Are Suffocated to Death During a Fire. Seven people were smothered to death by smoke in a tenement-house fira at 216 West Thirty-second street. New York. Another woman jumped from a thirdstory window and will die. The fire came suddenly and cut off all escape b 7 the stairways. In the excitement everybody looked to his or her own safety, and rushed down the fire escape. The following perished in the building: George Friedman. 4 years: Levy Friedman, 3 years. Annie Appleblatt. 22 years; Lena Mitchell. 24 years; Margaret Killian. TO years; j Jacob Killian, her son, 40 years • George Levy, Mrs. Killian's grandson. 20 years, years Lena Friedman, mother of the dead children, jumped from the third-story win- ' dow. She was badly crushed and mangled and will die. Tne house is a five-story brick tenement, the ground floor being occupied by a grocer/ and the upper stories being arranged with front and rear apartments There were seven families in the house. The only means of exit for the people is by means of a stairway, narrow and dark, which runs directly up through the center of the building. Before they were thoroughly aroused the flames shot wp through the air shafts and hall- | ways, licking the wood-work and cutting off the escape of the ten- ! aoV. By the lime the firemen came the Inmates were in a state of hopeless panic. Some of them made their way to the roof and escaped to adjoining houses. Others appeared at windows surrounded by flames and crying piteously for aid. A groat crowd gathered in the street below, unable to extend any relief to the paplc•tricken victims. These imprisoned persons who did not lose their heads climbed out on the fire escapes, and some of them reached the ground in this way. The fire j was extinguished soon after the hose was turned on. and though the work of rescue was prosecuted with zeal from the instant the firemen arrived on the scene, they were too late. The damage to the house will not exceed $2,000.

bees may go by mail Ban Salvador Honey-Makers Admissible in Sample Lots. The International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union at Berne, Switzerland, has officially announced thak the postal administration of Salvador gives circulation In Its malls to packages containing live bees. Consequently packages of live bees will be admitted as “samples” to the malls hereafter dispatched from this country to the republic of Salvador, provided they are properly packed. Two Sticks Is Found Guilty. The jurv In the Two Sticks case at Deadwood, S. D, rendered a verdict of guilty. Two Sticks Is the Sioux Indian supposed to have been the instigator as well as one of the perpetrators of the murder of the four cowboys at Humphrey & Sturgis’ ranch Feb. 3,189 a Of the other four Indians implicated one Is dead, another, Too Too, is In the penitentiary, and the remaining two have pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Municipal War On. A great municipal war Is on at Toledo, Ohio, and demands are being made for an Investigation of all the city department! The Mayor and City Auditor are at loggerheads, and each Intimates all sorts of disclosures in connection with the other. The Council and Board of Aldermen have demanded an examination of all departments, the Mayor's included. Charged with Sedition. E F. Talley, editor of the People’s Advocate, a Populist newspaper Issued at Blpley, Tena, was arrested on the charge of sedition, growing out of the publication of au article In the last issue of that paper. Editor Talley was arraigned before a magistrate, waived a preliminary examination, and was admitted to bail under *2,500 bond. Death of Mercler. Ex-Premler Mercler died at Montreal Tuesday morning. Mercler was In some respects one of the ablest men Canada.has produced for many a day. He was born In 1840 in the village of Ivervllle, Province of Quebec. Ohio Town Wiped Ont by Fire. Tbe town of Rising Sun, In Wood County. Ohio, has been totally destroyed by Rising Sun has a population of 1,500. Costly Blaze In Kansas City. Fire at Kansas City destroyed the store nod stock of the Green Grocery Company. The store was a fbur-story building at Santa Fe and St. Louis avenues, and was bnllt In 1885 at a cost of *30,000. It was Insured for *15,000. The stock was worth *BO,OOO and was insured for *50,000. Jatne3 Green was the sole owner of the building Embargo Is Extended. The prohibition against the landing of American cattle and American dressed meat announced by a decree of the Hamburg Senate on Saturday last, has been extended to every port of Germany. Not Ready to Lock This Season. Although It is claimed by the contractors that the Canadian canal will be ready for locking this season, such Is not the case. The dredges have not completed their work at the upper end yet, and It will take them thirty days to do so. The machinery for moving the gates is not in place yeL Killed by Dynamite. A targe Hungarian boarding bouse at Laurel Bun, near Wilkesbarre. Pa., was blown to atoms by dynamiters at \Z o’clock Sunday morning and three of the inmates were killed outright, four-fatally Injured pad a half dozen seriously hurt. The wounded were robbed.

CRANK CALLS-OM HIM. I Cleveland Is Mot at Home to Mr. Richard Boeder. A crank of note called at the residence es Dr. Joseph Bryant on West 36th street, | hew York, where President Cleveland was stopping, and demanded to see the President The man Is Richard Boeder, of New York, the same man who wrote to Emperor William of Germany some months age. challenging him to a duel. Boeder rang the door bell of the Bryant home violently about 9 o’clock, and when the butler responded, demanded to see the 1 President The butler told him that Mr. I Cleveland could not be seen. “But it is a business of extreme national importance,” insisted Boeder. This brought Dr. Bryant to tbe door. He reasoned with the crank and toid him it was impossible to see tbe President at that hour. Boeder was finally persuaded to go away. The crank is a man of middle age and was well dressed. He is of wiry build and talks nervously. Boeder told Dr. Bryant that he had been trying to see the President for years in order to wipe away the stain which had been put upon him by incarceration in a lunatic asylum in Germany. He said be had challenged Emperor William to a duel, but the latter was a coward and had him put in an asylum. President Cleveland was the only man who could wipe away tbe stain now resting upon him. As he left the house Boeder promise 1 that be would call again. BIG DISASTER IN JAPAN. Earthquake Destroys Three Thousand House#—Many Lives Lost. Yokohama advices say 3,000 houses have destroyed by .a succession of earthquake shocks As far as known 260 lives have been lost and hundreds of people have been injured. It is reasserted that the army corps under Field Marshal Count Oyama, formerly Minister of War, has affected a landing at Solkiosso. near Port Arthur. It is also again asserted that the Japanese army under Field Marshal Yamagata has successfully crossed the Yalu River and entered Manchuria. It was announced Sept 26 that Field Marshal Count Oyama ha? sailed Hiroshima with tbesecond Japanese squadron. Since then It has been repeatedly asserted that the Japanese had effected a landing near Port Arthur, and it has been stated that a report was current that this Important place had been captured by the Japanese, On tbe other hand, the Japanese have several time? been reported as having crossed the Yalu Elver, and also as having been repulsed. TO LOSE THEIR HEADS. Chinese Generals Handed Over to a Board for Trial and Punishment. Gena Yeh Chi-Chao and Wel-Yu-Kwe, formerly commanding in Corea, have been handed over to the proper board for punishment. They will probably lose their heads. The former is charged with cowardice and responsibility for the murder of a French missionary, Josua. Geo. Wei is accused of extortion and cowardice. Other Important officials have been cashiered and a complete reshuffling has taken place throughout the viceroy’s prbvlnces. The French minister has threatened the Tsungli Yamen, or foreign council, with serious consequences should a long list of claims handed to them remain unsettled.

SWEPT O’ER BY FIRE. Five or More Lives Lost, While Large Stocks of Hay Are Destroyed. For the past few days terrible prairie fires have swept the sand hills country in Nebraska. Bumors of death and destruction are rife, but little can be verified. The counties of Thomas, Cherry, Sheridan, and Grant are those in which the fire prevails or has prevailed and tbe only authentic list of deaths and loss of property follows. The dead: Bliss, ranchman; E, H. Lachtner, ranchman; three unknown farmers Loss of hay: Bartlett Richards, 1,500 tons; Margraves, 350 tons; Pit Moore. 100; West. .100; H. Woodruff, 600; Stansbie Brothers, 1,000; G. H. Miner, 1,000; Mason Brothers, 1,200 and barn. Putting on the Screws. The price of coal is not going down. Recent dispatches from Philadelphia indicated the anthracite pool had been broken up and that a cut-throat war was about to begin. But Thursday Chicago coal dealers received telegraphic advices to advance the price of anthracite in car-load lots from $5 to $5 25. The reasons for the advance in the price of coal are many. During the summer labor troubles and the strike among the soft coal miners many operators of anthracite fields, fancying they foresaw a short market, mined sufficient hard coal to glut the market in the late summer and early autumn. This kept prices down. In the early portion of tbe season lake rates on coal were as low as 25 cents and rail rates fell from $4 to $3.50. Since then lake rates have risen to 70 cents, and while rail rates have not changed, an advance to $4 Is expected within the next few days. Also, the cold weather is beginning and examination of stocks on hand shows Chicago dealers that the supply is by uo means as great *as it was thought to be. Further, small dealers with outputs of a million tons have placed their product in advance of that of the big dealers with outputs of four millions And these are the reasons the coal men give for making the public pay a little more for its winter fuel.

Caprlvl Steps Ont. Chancellor von Caprlvl has handed his resignation to the Emperor. Count zu Eulonburg, President of the Ministerial council, has also resigned. Dr. Mlquel, Prussian Finance Minister, has been appointed President of the Council, and Prince von Hohenlohe-Shllllngsfurst, Governor of Alsace-Lorraine, has been offered the chancellorship. Before offering the chancellorship to Prince llohenlohe. Emperor William consulted with the envoys from Bavaria, Wurtemberg, Saxony, and Baden. It Is reported that Prince Hohenloho declined the office owing to his age. Iho Emperor has summoned General Count Wuldersee, the political soldier who was conspicuous In the final intrigues against Blsmarca. The general Inference Is that he Intends to n ake him Caprivi’s successor. They Suspect a Double Murder. Thompson Township, near Delaware, Ohio, is excited at finding the charred remains of two human beings In the rubbish occasioned by the burning of William Deholt’s barn. A (ramp was seen next morning after the fire looking very intently at the burning embers, and It is suspected that he knows much about the burned barn and how the two men met their death. Ho has escaped, but people think It Is a case of double murder and that he fired the barn to covr>r up his crime. The officers are after him. Disgrace Causes His Sudden Death. Daniel McCllntoc, Trustee of pilfty Township and defeated candidate for the nomination of County Auditor, died suddenly at Columbus, Ind. Ho is known to be short In bis accounts from $4,000 to *5,000, and last week forged a note for *3OO and one for *25 Thursday. His tondsmen filed a petition in court to be released, and when notice was served on him by the Sheriff It produced such a shock that he died. Six Seamen Blown Up. At Brest, oho of the boilers of the French cruiser Aretbuse exploded while the vessel was lying In harbor. Six of the crew were Instantly killed and twenty were more or less seriously Injured. Small-Pox at Washington. Another case of small-pox was developed at Washington. James l Parker, of Indiana. a law clerk In tne division where tbe other cases were reported, was the vic-

tlm. The email-pox scare at the Interior department gathers force. Dr. Woodman, the health officer of the District, made an urgent appeal to Secretary Smith to cloee the entire Interior Department in the Interest of public health, and in accordance with tbe request an order was issued to close the department for fumigation. This applies to tbe secretary’s office, census office, patent office, general land office, miscellaneous division, railroad division, and Indian affairs division, all of which are in tbe main Interior Department building. DIED IM A FIRE BOX. Sixteen Humans Burned to a Crisp In a Seattle Hotel* At Seattle, Washington, sixteen persons—teu men. three women, and three children were burned to death In tbe West Street Hotel Saturday morning. Thirteen bodies have been identified. The financial loss Is less than $20,000, well Insured. Tbe Are was undoubtedly caused by the explotlon of a lamp in the kitchen The proprietor’s sou was aroused by the noise of tbe explosion about 1 o’clock, but before he could investigate the flames had spread all through the house The corrugated Iron sheeting kept tbe flames hid until nearly the whole Interior was a furnace. The thin partitions were of resinous pine covered with cheesecloth and burned furiously. SHOOTS A CLAIM-JUMPER. Plucky Miss Agnes Jones Defends Her Property in Oklahoma with a Gun. Miss Agnes Jones, who has entered a tract of land several miles north of Perry. Q. T., shot- Sam Bartell three times, and several other shots were fired which -missed the mark. It seems that Bartell bad jumped Miss Jones’ claim while she was away from home, and bad taken possession of her house. On her arrival at home Miss Joues told Bartell to vacate her house, which be refused to do, and Miss Joues shot at Bartell six times, three shots taking effect and wounding Bartell seriously if not fatally. Bartell shot at Miss Jones once, but failed to hit her. Bartell asked to be carried from the claim as soon as he was shot. NEARLY READY FOR BUSINESS. Pullman Concern at Hiawatha, Kas., Has Applied for a Charter. The difficulties of the Pullman Co-ope-rative Company at Hiawatha, Kas., have been adjusted and a charter has been applied for. The capital stock is $75,000. Tbe workmen take $25,000 of the stock and pay for It in work. Eighteen families and thirty-two men have arrived from the Pullman works. Ihe superintendent of the Hiawatha manufactory will be D. H. Vannasche, said to be one of the finest workmen employed by tbe Pullman company. The new works will not manufacture cars, but will make furniture and coffins and anything there is a demand for.

Her Story of Abuse Was Falte. Mrs. Emma Wohlhuetter, wus arrested at Akron, Ohio, on the charge of arson. Six weeks ago she created a sensation by declaring that three negroes assaulted her in her own house, threw her, bound, down cellar, and then, pouring kerosene over Everything, set fire to the house. 'the story was believed at first and a posse ol several hundred citizens set out to find the negroes Local colored people resented the story, took up the mattor, and the arrest is the result. Kicks Her Father, Shoots Herself. John Sprouts, a Grundy County, Ma, farmer, was chastising his 17-year-old sou wheu the boy’s twin sister tried to prevent the father from whipping her brother. Failing to pull the father off, she kicked Sprouts so violently that ho is in bed with three broken ribs, Feeling remorseful, the girl loaded a target gun with shot and discharged the load into her left breast Sho died twenty-four hours after the shooting. Drops Dead at His Baby’s Feet. While wheeling his baby on the streot at Laporte, lud,, Lynn Boyd fell forward dead from ai oplexy. He was never sick a day in his life. He was eleven years in the United States mail service. He was Noble Grand of Laporte Lodge, Na 36, I. 0.0. F., and Commander of Canton Laporte, Na 10, Patriarchs Militant Crlspi in Danger, As the date for the opening of the Italian Chamber of Deputies approaches it becomes very evident that the situation of the ministry is one of extreme difficulty. The financial problem is still unsolved, and the deficit is calculated at 60,000,000 lire. Killed In a Railroad Collision, A fast freight train on the Pennsylvania Railroad Sunday evening crashed into the end of a construction train at Croydon Station, just outside of Philadelphia. Three men were killed and nine badly injured. Saloonists Organize, Several hundred saloon-keepers met in secret session in Brazil, lud., to prevent the passage of a proposed bill in the next Legislature limiting tbe number of saloons to one for each 1,000 inhabitants. Mexico to Have an Exposition. There Is a scheme on foot at the City of Mexico, for an exposition of Belgians aud Americans. It is claimed that this exposition will bo the legal successor of the midwinter fair of San Francisco. Mythical Insurance. H. Hoffer was arrested at Xenia, Ohio, charged with issuing policies of insurance on a mythical company, the Supreme Lodge of “Unity.” He *as fined S2OO and sent to work for ninety days.

MARKET QUOTATIONS.

CHICAGO. Cattle—Common to Prime.... $3 75 @ 6 25 Hogs—Shipping Grades 4 00 ® 5 03 Sheep—Fair to Choice 2 00 ® 3 60 Wheat—ho. a Red 61 ® 62 Cokn-No. 2 "iio © 61 Oats—No. 2 27 © 28 Rye—No. 2 46 © 47 Butter—Choice Creamery 22 @ 2252 Eggs—Fresh 17 leg} 18W Potatoes—Car-lotß, per bu.... 65 a# 70 INDIANAPOLIS. Cattle Shipping a 00 © 5 75 Hogs—Choice Light 400 © 5 00 Sheep—Common to Prune 2 00 @ 3 00 Whkat—N o. 2 Red 48 © 49 Corn—No. 2 White 62 © 6252 Oats—No. 2 White 31 © 32 ST. LOUIS. Cattle a 00 © 5 75 H° ciß aOO © 4 75 Wheat—No. 1 Red 48 © 49 Cohn—No. 2..... 4652® 47*2 OAiS-No. 2. 285a® 29)2 Rye—No. 2 49 © 6i CINCIN , ATI. Cattle 3 to ® 6 60 Hogs 4 00 ©4 75 bHEEP 2 00 @ 3 00 AS HEAT—No. 2 Red 1 49)2© 6052 Cohn—No. 1 Mixed to © 02 Oats—No. 2 aiixed.. 30 © 31 KrTE-rNo. 2.J,.. 61 © 63 DETROIT. Catt1e....... 2 so © 5 00 Hogs 400 ©4 75 Sheep...-,,, 200 @275 Wheat—Nff, 2 White...., 65 © 56 ■Corn—No. 2 YellawvU'.... 60 © 60)2 Oats—No. 2 SVUjte. 31)2© 82>a TOLEDO. Wheat—No. 2 Red.L 62’® 53 COJiN—No. 2 Yehow 61 © 62 Oais—No. 2 White 31 © 12 Rye—No. 2 7. 48 © 60 - BUFFALO. Wheat—No. 1 White 57 @ 68 No. 2 Rtd 64 ® 66 Corn—No. 2 Yellow 65 © 66 Oats —No. 2 White 84 © 34V, MILWAUKEE. Wheat—No. 2 Spring 6452® 66)2 Corn—No. a 62 ® 625 s Oats—No. 2 White 31 © 32 BARLEY-NO. 2 53 © 65 Rye—No. 1 49 © iq Fobs—Mess 11 76 @ l2 25 NEW YORK. Cattle 300 ® 550 H°GS > 8 60 © 6 50 Sheep. 200 © 4 00 Wheat—No. 2 Red 66!2@ 67)4 Oats—White Western., 35 @ 40 Butter—Creamery 23 ® 24 Eggs—Western....- 19 @ as

NEW SOIL FOR PLOWS.

INDIAN RESERVATIONS SOON TO BE OPENED. All That Is Needed Is the President’s Proclamation— White Man’s Civilization wui Follow — Fund to Be Created for the Uee of India *. Waiting for the Word. All that now prevents the settlement of the Yankton -. D.)lndian Resirvation by white settlers is the proclamation of the President. The treaty has been signed, the allotment of lands to the Indians has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior, and Congress has made an appropriation to carry out the provisions of the treaty. This land will be readily taken, as it is desirable, being in a oounty that produced good crops this year, and one which is rated as the host corn-produc-ing county in the State. The Yankton Indian Reservation lies within the borders of Charles Nlix County. Outside the reservation the county is well settled, and contains three thriving villages and a great many well-cultivated farms. Negotiawith these Indians were concluded Dec. 31, 1892. By the treaty thus made the Indians released to the United States IBs.OOO acres of choice fanning land, which will soon be open to settlement to'homesteaders at $ .75 per acre. The si.m thus realised will goto reimburse the government for the amount pa d tho Indians for their land. There are about 2,900 of these Indians, who have made considerable progress in civilization, and have all taken land in severalty and become citizens of the United States. They are now entitled to vote for State officers. Soil that Is Deep and Fertile. Tho soil of the reservation is a rich, black alluvial and vegetable mold, slightly sandy, and from one to four feet deep. The surface soil is underlaid by a clay, or more properly a calcareous marl subsoil which has a remarkable faculty of holding moisture and enables vegetation to withstand practical droughts such as would ruin crops in a less favored country. The reservation is in the celebrated corn and stock belt of South Dakota, and when thrown open to settlement will give the homesteader some of the best land at the Government's disposal. On the land in Charles iviix County, outside the reservation, the yield, per acre, of crops in 18 3 was: Wheat, 2'; oats, 59; oorn, 62; flax, 11; barley, 54; rye, 19; potatoes. 150. As yet no railroad penetrates the reservation or the county in which it

GOVERNMENT SCHOOL. YANKTON AGENCY.

is located, but one road terminates four miles from the northern boundary and another road terminates at the Missouri River, three miles from the eastern boundary of the reservation. A railroad has been surveyed from the city of Yankton, through the reservation, to the western boundary of Charles Mix County. The Yankton Indians are making satisfactory progress in civilisation, aid already many of them are capable of taking care of themselves, and for such, it is believed, it would he better if all pecuniary aid from the government were withdrawn, throwing them wholly upon their own resources. HOME OF THE KICItAI’OOS. RloT and Beautiful, and Inhabited by a Lazy, Worthless People. It will not be long before the Kickapoo indian reservation in Oklahoma Territory is thrown open to settlement, and when that time comes the sun of this curious race of people will have nearly set. Already the note of approaching dissolution of the tribe is sounded in the McCrae bill, which provides for the selling of the public lands in the leservaticn at public auction. This measure is in the interests of the cattlemen, and is regarded as an outrage against the poor citizens who are clamoring for homes in this, almost the last, remnant of the public domain. The reservation consists of 200,00 t acres, and is of great value. It is timbered, well watered, and the soil in the South Canadian River valley is as black and rich as Illinois prairie lea-'-. The Kickapoo Indian who possesses the 1 rdly domain is constitutionally lazy. In the South Canadian River bottoms the Indians grow little patches of corn. "When they have planted the crop they think they have done their duty, and as a result they scorn cultivation, and weeds and wild sunflowers keep pace with the growth of the corn. The hickapoos have no schools within their reservation. There are no missionaries there. Rut for the effort of a gentle C uaker lady, Mis 4 Elizabeth Test, who has successfully oonducted a small school in the K ickapoo country, the rising generation would he exceedingly dull in the matter of education. Miss Test ha-* been seventeen years among the Indians teaching the little

A MILL THAT NEEDS A FINER SIEVE

papooses the primary steps toward an education. The Kickapoo country is rich in timber. The settlers who are fortunate enough to secure these lands will reap a rich harvest. Pecan, wild plum, hickory, elm, red oak; post oak.'jack oak burr oak, whito oak, walnut, chitam, persimmon, cottonwood, and mulberry trees grow in prolusion, and many game birds, including the quail, prairie chickens and wild turkeys, are to be found. Of the wild animals, there are eray wolves, timber wolves, coyotes, wildcats, catamounts, and occasionally, in the stillness of the night, the cry of the panther can be heard in the dense forests along the Canadian l iver. The woods are full of the frisky gray and fox squirrels, and as they playfully leap from tree to tree

RED TOMAHAWK AND DOG CHASER.

they keep up a chatter that is confusion. CLOTHING MEN UNITE. Organisation Backed br Millions Formed to Stop Profitable Bankruptcy. Twenty-five of the largest wholesale manufacturers in Chicago, according to a dispatch, have organi. ed a strong defensive association. They propose to reorganize the system of credit*, to protect their interests when threatened by hostile legislation, and to grapple as one firm with organized labor, should concerted action be necessary. There are thirty-one large establishments in Chicago where men s and youths’ clothing is made. The twentyfive manufacturers, under the name of the Merchants’Association of Chicago, represent an invested capital of *ls- - to *.0,000.000, and employ from 10,000 to 15.000 tailors,cutters,and seamstresses. The first object is said to be to prevent overpurchasing by that class of merchants which gees into bankruptcy just after laying in a large stock of goods. These dishonest failures have hit wholesale clothiers harder than any other manufacturers. Oust; mers whose credit wa- good for several thousand dollars at the utmost found it both possible and profitable to come to Chicago markets, buy to their limit at half a dozen or more houses and then go home and fail just about the time their bills fell due. That is one of the things the Merchants’ Association intends to stop. The entire system of credits has been changed. Instead of each firm making credits for itself, there is now an interchange of credit news, so that any firm can learn from headquarters whether a shaky customer is over-buying.

A NOTED QUEEN. The Famous Worn,in Wlio Rules Over Mad* a?»Hcar. The efforts of the French to gain control of Madagascar bids fair to cause a big disturbance with other

European powers. The warlike natives of the islands also object t o French domination. The island, which is the largest in the woi\d, is a monarchy, but is not all under one ruler. Queen Rana-j vaiona rules the! greater part of it,' however. She is the’ great-granddaughter of Rahety, and is said to be intensely

proud of her ancestry. She was born in 1801, and appointed queen by her predecessor, who was her mother. The royal dynasty of Madagascar boasts of blue blood in spite of black skins. It has been in power since 1700. The present ■ ueen dresses in the garb of western civilization, her dresses being imported from Paris. She has been cn the throne nearly eleven years.

MAY SUCCEED MILES. General Thomas 11. linger Is Now Much Talked Abou In Army Circles. One of the most talked of men in United States army circles is General Thomas H. Huger, who will in all

probability succeed Gen. Nelson A. Miles in command of the Department of the Missouri, with headquarters in Chicago. He is now located -at San Francisco, in charge of the California division. Gen. ( Huger is about 58 years of age, and is a very genial and accomplished man. He

GEN. T. H. RUGER.

entered upon his cadetship at West Point, July 1, 1850. and graduated in 1854, taking rank as I ieutenant. Till 1855 he served as assistant in charge of constructing the defenses on the approaches to New O.leans. He then resigned and began practicing law, but at the outbreak of the war promptly enlisted and did excellent service for the Union throughout the war. He was brevetted Brigadier General for gallant services. Since the war he has been in almost constant service, and held many responsible army odices in all pUrts of the country.

TORNADO OF FLAME.

WHOLE COUNTIES IN NEBRASKA SWEPT BY FIRE. Homes, Stock and Crops of Ranchmen Ruined—Burning in Many Directions — Homeless Persons Seek Safety Along Water Courses* May Be Many Death*. The prairie fires which have p evailed in Grant. Cherry. Sheridan and Thom is Counties, Nebraska, since Tuesday have assumed vast proportions. They started in Sheridan County and have thus far burned over a section of count: y forty miles in width. The damage to ha. - , ranch property and cattle is enormous, but i.otning like an accurate estimate is yet possible. Many ives a e suf po.-ed to have been lost, and thou and* of tons of hay have b en burned, leaving the cattlemen destitute. Homes and stock were also burned, and She cattle ranges are ruined. Txie list of known vict ms at present is: lioiss . ranchman IA HSR. E L, ranchman. Twoiarmer;. names unknown. Ranchman. »rMul't*n. The two first-namod were attempting to. ; ave their property by back burning, but the high wind drove the flames on them and cut off all oscape before thay were aware of their danger. Lacher lived long enough to tell his story to ranchmen who came to his rescue afierthe flames had pasted, Thouna <is of U itl *f > «.igli. Hundreds of thousands of bead of cattle are grazing in Cherry, Thomas. Grant and the other counties where the fires are raging. The e cattle were sent the e from the southern part of the State, where the drought has been felt :o heavily, to graze for the winter; It is feared a large proportion of these cattle have perished. Several ranch houses are reported to have been destroyed, and there is probability of a large loss of human life.

The fires bsgan : everal days ago and the line of the railroad for tever.il counties is obscured by the dense smoke. Farmers and stock growers from Custer and parts of neighboring counties, where crop failure was complete of bath grain and hay. moved into Cherry, Thomas, Grant and Hooker Counties this fall and took hay lands, m stly on lease. They cut hay enough to carry their sto k* through the part of the winter when it could not range, and moved their cattle and liorses up to Cherry and the ether “sand hiil” counties, where the fires are now raging. Nothing like the present disaster has hapi ened for years. As there are numerous streams in the ah icted section it is presumed many of the ranchmen have succeeded in taking their families to these water courses and thus avoided danger. The flames are not driven high, since the grass is not tall, consequently anyone reactiing a stream can escape death unless overcome by the dense smoke. Thursday night was a direful one in a large portion of the sand hills. Devastating fires swept through the western part of Cherry and Grant Counties all dav, burning on the north side of the Burlington Railroad track to within about four miles of Hyannis. Lashed on by a furious wind, the fires traveled at a pace that carried consternation and destruction. The fire on the railroad was started the fir t of the week by a man and his pipe about ten miles northwest of Alliance. The man was drunk, and in filling and lighting his pipe threw the burning match to the ground, where it ignited the grass. In an instant a fire started, which, fanned by the northwest wind, at once set out on its mission of destruction.

COUNT ITO SPEAKS. An Elaborate Address Before th'i Japanese Diet—Japs Whipped at Yi Chow.

QUEEN RANAVALONA.

passed between the Japanese and Chinese governments before diplomatic negotiations were suspended and war was declared. The speech made a deep impression upon the House. Tne feeling of the Diet appears to be unanimous in favor of the course pursued by the government. The universal expression is that the war must be vigorously pursued until it is brought to a triumphant conclusion. The Diet has manifested the greatest willingness to grant everything asked by the government The two houses passed by a unanimous vote the bills introduced by the government relating to war expenditures, which involved a total sum of 8150,004,000. Advices from Chemulpo, C:rea. state that the pacification of the country is seriously impeded by the Tonghaks, who, although unarmed, are a standing menace to the Japanese interests on account of the spreading of their propaganda of mistrust of the Japanese. The latter are scattering silver about the country with tre ob ect of purchasing the favor of the people, and it is stated that 100,0J0 yen have been distributed about Seoul alone. The Japanese arrangements are very defective, and a number of dead borses and cattle are found along the roads between Seoul and Ping V ang. On the battlefield of Ping Yang are many dead Chinese partially buried, and the stench from their bodies is ter ible. It is now reported that the Chinese infantry cut through the Jap anese at Ping Yang, but it is said that the Chinese cavalry was easily destroyed, as the horses stuck in the mud and their riders were shot before they could extricate themselves. Chinese officials report that a battle occurred near Yi Chow and that the Japanese were repulsed southward, with a loss of 3,000 men on each side.

CUT RATES IN FLOUR. Millers Fall Out and the Retailer Reaps a Profit. Flour has taken the place of sugar as the bone of contention among the wholesale grocers of Chicago and the Northwest. A combine, con isting of the Pills bury-Washburn company, the Washburn-Cros by company, and i\orthwestern Consolidated Milling companv —has gone to pieces. One re ult of the war is that grocers and dealers for several hundred miles around are flocking to Chicago and taking advantage of the free an 1 open market. For some time the three concerns named have had a community of interests. 1 heir plan of business was to send products to local jobbers on consignment, the latter agreeing to abide by and sell at the prices established by the “Big Three.” Their profit came in as a commission of 25 cents a barrel. Competition was keen and prices were frequently shaded when it

JTO the Prime Minister of Japan, made an elab rate speech in the Hou 3 e of Lords upon the as enabling of the Diet at, Hiroshina. He explained at length the causes of the war between Japan and China. During the course of his speech he read the correspondence which had

was necessary to do so to secure an order. When the knife was put into the sugar price-list the flour schedule began to suffer—sympathetically. Jobbers who found their sales dropping off complained to the “Three” and asked them to enforce the maintenance of rates. The Pillsbury and Northwestern people were perfectly willing to grant the request ani notified jobber* to live up to their agreement. The Washburn-Cro .by representatives took another view oi the m >tter. They said if people to whom they so’d flour wished to sell either at a less or profit it made no dL'ierence to them, and moreo'e. - they would furnish them with all the strek they needed. And so the war is on. with two big concerns pitted against one and the little fellows, who were never in the combine, will als 3 suffer.

BOOTH WILL FIGHT VICE.

Salvation A-mv Founder Come* to America to Comlnct a Viirorous Camnatcn.

ggjpa ggt HE founder and BSj/r Eommander-ln-chief of the Salvation Army, Gen. f/JW William Booth, Is Y'jA now in New York fj City, ani to inquiring newspaper men he oitlined the plans for a campagn which he will wage against | the devil in seventy cities in this

country and Canada, between now and. the middle of next M.trch. So well has the campaign been arranged that the general Knows how ho will spend every min te of his time until he returns to England. Ho will hold in all 5.( meetings. Time has not dealt too unkindly with the General during the eight years ince he was last in the United State*. Though he looks every minute o his sixty-nine years, and his hair and beard are gray, there is still plenty ot fire in his voice and energy in his action when he gets r: used while speaking of his life’s work. General Booth i- now t>9 years old and has been engaged in the Salvation Army movement for 7 years. He was the son of a Methodist preacher and was suc-

cessively a draper s apprentice, itinerant eshorter, gold miner and Salvationist. The idea of the army was suggested to him by a dream. The new national headquarters of the army on Fourteenth street, New York City, the corner-stone of which has recently been laid by the millionaire iron manufacturer, J. M. Cornell, of New York, will be eight stories high, and the material will be Indiana limestone for the two lower stories, and colored brick for the upper portion. The cost of the edifice will be *125,000, while the site is valued at $200,000. Appropriate exercises will be held upon the General’s arrival, to celebrate the progress of the work on the structure, which will be finished by the end of the year. An auditorium, seating 3,000 persons, will furnish a meeting place for army gatherings of importance.

MISS FAIR AND HER FORTUNE. Young California Millionaire Heiress, Rumor Say*. I* Soon to be Married. Miss Virginia Fair, the young California millionaire heiress, who, rumor says, is to be married soon, is a ih-

year-old, unaffected, healthy girl of quiet tastes and mo est demeanor. She posse sees exceptional vivacity, and in appearance is short and plum;', has dak, wavy hair, bright black eyes, a good skin.anianoseof the retrousse pa 11 ern. M 83 Fair is at present enjoying an in.come of $-,500 per

MISS VIRCINIA FAIR.

month. Her fortune, which she is not to receive for six \ears, amounts to about $15,000,004. This was left her by her mother, who died two years ago. Miss Fair’s father, ex-Senator James G. Fair, of Nevada, is one of California's multi-millionaires. She will probably inherit a large share of his wealth. Her education was acquired in the Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco. She is a good musician, and speaks I rench and German. She is a devoted Roman Catholic. Sparks from the Wire*. The triennial conclave of the King's Daughters and Sons opened at Montreal. The annual meeting of the Michigan Ea--list convention began at Lansing, Mnh. Fight thousand pe- sons listened to the first joint debate between John M. Thurston and Congressman Bryan at Lincoln, Neb. Gov. McKinley concluded his Ohio tour with addresses at Dayton and Hamilton. He will now visit the chief Southern cities. Officers of tbs St. Lou's Bank Note Company we;e indicted for p inting State warrants in the likeness of United States currency. J. A. Bdttorff was sentenced at Springfield, 111., to one year for embezzling SI,OOO from the Pacific Express Company. Daniel H. Burnham, of Chicago, was re-elected 1 resident of the American institute of Architects at the New Yo. k session. A practical demonstration of the benefit of hypnotism in surgery and dentistry was made before the Minneapolis Cental College. T.-ie Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias of Illinois denied the Uuth of the charges of disloyalty to the sup eme body male by Past Grand Chancellor Blaokwell. . I Nearly 24,000 Democrats were placed in charge of postoffices during the first year of the present administration, exceeding the record made under President Harrison. Harris Olney and Charles Dalton were found dead in a room at the Mettropolitan Hotel, in Brooklyn. They had retired, leaving tbe gas turned on full head. Olney, who was 28 years of age. and resided in Brooklyn, was at one time a jockey, ard Dalton was connected with race tracks.