Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 35, Number 8, 15 November 1909 — Page 1

EICHMONB PAIXAMIIME A1ST oUN-TELEGR am. vol. xxxv. NO. 8. RICII3IOXD, IXD., 3IOXDAY EVENING, NOVE3IBER 15, 1909. SINGLE COPY, 2 CENTS.

THE

FRANCHISE GRANT AT IOWA CAPITAL: HOW IT OPERATES

Palladium Representative Had The Opportunity of Seeing The Commission Government While at Work. PEOPLE GET A SHOW IN FRANCHISE CASES Des Moines Method Is a Great Contrast to the Secret and Cumbersome Methods Under the Old System. (By Carl Bernhardt.) ARTICLE 8. At this point in the consideration o'. the Des Moines Plan, it may be v I'. to stop for a moment to see how the ulan actually works. I was extremely fortunate while in Des Moines to be thre at a tmi when a franchise was ii the prooc33 ot being considered and ftrarited. And it was not the least interesting day which I spent in Des Moine.i to be actually on the ground whe.i this was being done. I have already mentioned the fact that for years the whole town of Des Moines has been disturbed in thi matter of its street car system. I have explained for a prolonged period there has been litigation over the question as to whether the public service cor poration really had a franchise un-ler which It could do business in Des Moines. This has led to a serious impairment of the street car service in that city, which has worked a tremen dous hardship on the laboring men, who rely on the cars for transportation to and from their work. As the distances are enormous the question !s almost as vital as employment itself, to say nothing of the rest of this town of over one hundred thousand inhabitants scattered over an area of fiftyfour square miles. I Jiave'Thehtioneif, also, that these evils 'grew out of. :m unsatisfactory handling of the city affairs, which is so common une- the old form of government. Most of the greatest troubles can be traced to the form of government itself. Many Attempts Made. Time after time, there had been attempts under the old government to straighten out the trouble between the citizens and the street car company. These had all failed. It was not without serious charges that the street c.ir company conducted its attempts to settle the question. Graft and corruption were bandied on every lip. The people were in dismay. The manager of the street car system was held for Indictment by the grand jury on several occasions and barely escaped by one dissenting vote. In the meantime, the Greater Des Moines committee (composed of some thirty of the most influential men in Des Moines), who make it their sole business in this committee work, to better and boost the city, took a hand. They went to see Mr. McKInley, of the great McKInley intemrban syndicate. He agreed to come to Des Moines and buy the system there If the city would give him a franchise which would guarantee his rights. System in Action. This he did, and was in Des Moines while I was there investigating the system of commission government. It was under these conditions of great interest, that I saw the commission form of government in action at their work of granting a franchise. The small room in which the council holds Its deliberations, was packed with people. Representatives of labor unions, the old Btreet car officials, and the Greater Des Moines committee together with many others, who had vome out of Interest or curiosity. Theie were speeches from all these men for the council had asked for a representative expression of public opinion. The speeches were short and to the poin. At length, Lafayette Young, Jr., the president of the Greater Des Mo:rs committe, arose and addressed the meeting. "Gentlemen," he said, "for years ie have had nothing but talk on the subject of the street railways. Everyone of us knows what the conditions are We have had our discussion when can we have action? 1 will ask the council how soon they can consider the matter. I beg you that this matter be attended to at your earliest convenience." Council Was Prompt. Tluieupon. the council, withoi: tie slightest hesitation, replied. "We wiil consider the question immediately after dinner ' It was tl.cn twelve o'r'oVk. t.id t exactly two o'clock that afternoon the council was in session euy for work. The Daylight Pian. As the council adjourned. I said io Mayor Mathis, "I have been very m-.tch interested in the work you are doing here; bae you any objection if I attend your meeting this afternoin?" He .v-ired at me moment in mi--pIse. end 1 very much feared tha; he (Continued on Page Eight)

Prince Eithel of Germany Coming?

"'iff-' Son of the Kaiser is reported to guest of the Vanderbilts. SUPREME TRIBUNAL MAKES RULING 111 a CONTEMPT CASE Tennessee Officials Must Serve Jail Sentences for Ignoring Orders Given by the U. S. Supreme Court. LYNCHING OF NEGRO CAUSED THE TROUBLE Sheriff Shippe and Two of His Deputies Must Serve Ninety Days and Three Others for 60 Days. (American News Service) Washington, Nov. 15. The supreme court today sentenced former Sheriff Joseph F. Shippe and former deputies Henry Padgett and Nick Nolan, to ninety days in jail and deputies Jeremiah Gibson, William Mais and Luther Williams to sixty days in jail for contempt of court. All are residents of Chattanooga. These men were found guilty of contempt for conniving at or participating in the lynching of a negro named Ed Johnson. Origin of Cases. The cases originated in the court's deciding in March, 1906, to consider the appeal of a negro named Ed Johnson, from a verdict of the Tennessee courts, holding him guilty and sentencing him to be hanged on a charge of assault The night after the determination of the supreme court to review the proceedings in the case was wired to Chattanooga, where Johnson was locked up, a mob stormed the Jail, took him out and lynched him. In the opinion of five justices, including Chief Justice Fuller, these men were guilty of an act of contempt In conniving at or participating in the lynching of Johnson. Johnson had been convicted of assault on a school girl and sentenced to death by a state court. The United States circuit court refused to grant a writ of hab eas corpus and on March 17, three days before the date set for the execution, an application was made to Justice Harlan, of the supreme court at Washington, for an appeal to the circuit court. This was allowed and two days later an order was made by the supreme court directing that all proceedings against Johnson be stayed pending an appeal. That night a mob surrounded the jail, seized the prisoner, bound him and then took him to the county bridge over the Tennessee river, about -six blocks from the jail, and lynched him. The first time Johnson was strung up the rope broke and he dropped to the ground. He was swung up a second time and shot. Other shots were fired and he again fell, and ten minutes later, after members of the mob had emptied their revolvers, he was dead. That disregard of the stay of execution by the

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be planning a visit to America, as a

supreme court established a precedent and immediately the federal government, spurred on by the court, took steps to punish the offenders. Investigation is Made. A thorough investigation was made by the department of justice, and proceedings were instituted against the sheriff and twenty-slxother men, Including several deputiesThese proceedings were dismissed against all of them except Sheriff Shippe, Deputy Gibson, Williams, Nolan, Padgett and Mais, who. it is stated, were members of the lynching party. The charge against the sheriff and his deputy was that they were in a conspiracy to permit the lynching of Johnson by making no effort to guard him although it was common knowledge in Chattanooga on the night in question that plans had been made to move against the jail, capture Johnson, and execute him, in the face of the appeal granted by the supreme court. The court was much incensed by the lynching and at its instance, the attorney general instituted proceedings against Shippe, who was the sheriff; the jailer and twenty-five others supposed to have taken part in the affair. ALLEGED AFFINITY OF BIG FOUR TREASURER Mrs. Jeannette Stewart or Mrs. Jeannette Ford, as she is also known, whose name has been mentioned in connection with th expose of the stealings of Warriner, the former treasurer of the Big Four road at Cincinnati. When Mrs. Stewart was located in a fashionably furnished flat in Cincinnati, she denied having informed of Warriner's peculations, but asserted the tip was given by another woman whom she named. She says she will tell all she knows about the case when It comes up in court.

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BURLESQUE GETS

BLACK EYE FROM PASTOBS OF CITY Attraction Presented Last Week Given Roasting and Good Citizens' Aid to Police Is Suggested. the PRAYERS OFFERED UP FOR THE SMALL BOYS The Ministers Think They Should Be Protected From Such Shows as Much as From Saloons of the City. At the meeting of the Ministerial As sociation this morning, prayers were offered by five ministers in which hope was expressed that the boys of the city would be protected as much from the shows, which tend to excite in an immoral way, as from the evils of the saloon. A report was also made by the committee of good citizenship and temperance, relative to the Moulin Rogue Burlesque troupe which appeared at the Phillip's theater, Thursday and Friday evening of last week. This was adopted by the association. At a session of the Men's Brotherhood of the First Baptist church yesterday, a resolution was adopted, signed by all the members, in which disapproval of shows of the character of the Moulin Rogue Burlesque troupe was expressed. In the action of the Ministerial association it is suggested that a commit tee of public spirited men be appointed to act as an aid to the police in inspecting and giving advice on shows of an admittedly low standard of morality. The ministers believe that It would be wise to have such a committee inspect the shows., as they are not well pleased with the action of the police last week. The Men's Brotherhood of the First Baptist church adopted the following resolution: Brotherhood's Protest. ."Having kpowjedge. M the fact that indecent and immoral shows have been conducted in some of our theaters and believing that such things should not be permitted, therefore be it Resolved, That we. as a Brother hood of Christian men of the First Baptist church, hereby express our disapproval of all such performances, and pledge ourselves to support offi cials ang do anything in our power to cause tne enrorcement or me law related to such demoralized influences in our city. J. W. Ferguson, J. H. Unthank, A. J Ford, Chas. S. Farnham. E. G. McMahan. E. C. Newcomb. Elmer A. Un thank, Chas. F. Morgan, F. B. Unthank, Will N. Whitely. I A. Mote, W. A. Unthank, F. W. Klausmeier, Charles Ray, F. M. Jones, Edwin Moore. HarryAnderson, George Kramer, Will Berry, Geo. L. Goodwin, Edwin Moore. The report of the committee of good citizenship and temperance of the Ministerial association adopted by the association, is as follows: Report of Committee. "To the Ministers' Association of Rich mond, Indiana: "Your committee on Good Citizenshin, has carried out your instructions to the best of its ability in reference to I the "Moulin Rogue Burlesque Girls "We desire to tnantc tne manager oi the Gennett theater, the owner of the Murray and the Phillips for interviews the city papers; the mayor. Dr. Schil lineer: the police commissioners and police force, for their advice, co-opera tion and censorship. '"The whole subject of public amusement for gain and gaiety needs a thorough, wise and sympathetic view and .review by the moral parents, peo pie, spiritual advisers, teachers and proprietors of show houses, dancing halls, etc., of our city. Must There Be Censor? "Shall we need write over our thea ters, "Let those who enter here aban don the common canons of decency," or will it ever be possible to say for the supporters of the drama, the comedy, the tragedy, the vaudeville, the moving picture shows, "Blessed are the pure In heart for they shall see God." "Shall our play houses be publicly advertised by the management as showing "Approved Vaudeville," and in another, under the same direction, be allowed to flaunt, disapproved burlesque of notorious reputation and police discovered impropriety in the face of a good natured public? Favor Investigation. "We therefore recommend even In view of the strength of the theatrical trust and combine of today, that a careful censorship of so called approved vaudeville, theatrical performances, burlesque for men only, moving picture shows, etc., be regularly maintained by a committee of citizens to be known as an "Aid society to the police," and that the advertising of suet shows as are publicly notorious or are gossiped about on the streets, while on the boards, be reported to the police f fraction, to the press for restraining advertising of such, t j other cities for action which it may not be possible tc take here for lack of time. Signed. Committee on Good Citizenship and . Temperance. T. J. Graham and C. Hubes-

RMJI1G MGA1E AT CIMY MSCOTOS MffiE TOMES TODAY

T REGARDING WRECK AT COLLIHSVILLE Coroner Burnett Today Finds That Ed Johnson and Ralph McDonald Cannot Be Legally Given Blame. TESTIMONY OF BOTH MEN AT A VARIANCE Official States That It Would Be Unjust to Fix Responsibility Without More Conclusive Evidence. (Palladium Special) Hamilton, Ohio, Nov. 15. Coroner Burnett this morning rendered his verdict in the Pennsylvania wreck at Collinsville, on October 22, in which six lives were lost, including Louis Marshall, Oscar Raines, J. H. Hatfield, R. C. Webb, all of Indiana; Charles Johnson, of Eaton, Ohio, and an unknown man. The collision was between passenger train No. IS and freight No. 75. Brakeman Ralph McDonald, of the freight train had bersn held responsible by the Pennsylvania officials. Coro ner Burnett removes much of the' blame from McDonald. His finding follows: 'I find that the switch had been closed by the flagman of fright No. 81, after the train pulled out of the siding into the main track. Some Employe to Blame. "I do also find from the evidence that the switch had been unlocked and thrown. . by, some pe-rson in , the. railway's employ. It is my further opin ion that the testimony of Ralph McDonald and E. S. Johnson directly conflict, and that to hold McDonald guilty of throwing the switch without more direct and conclusive testimony. would be an injustice. Therefore, I do find that the wreck at Collinsville on the P., C, C. & St. L.. was caused by an open switch being negligently unlocked and thrown by some person In the employ of the foresaid railroad. From the fact that the lives of three mall clerks were lost in the wreck, and inasmuch as said persons employed had no chance for their lives in such a catastrophe, I would suggest the dis placement of the present wooden cars by those built of steel, which I believe would lessen the fatalities to a marked degree." Verdicts In the cases of the Individ ual victims were also filed. BISHOP GREER IS TO HAVE AN ASSISTANT Bishop Greer, of the Protestant Episcopal diocese of New York, whose duties have become so arduous that the diocese, at its recent convention, decided to ask the general convention of the church for the appointment of a suffragan bishop. A suffragan Is merely an assistant, while the coadjutor bishop has the right to succession. ,

RENDERS

VERD1C

Oxygen Helmet Inspectors Made Three Descents Into the Pit of Death, But the First Two Times.They Went Down They Were Unable to Perceive Anything Owing to the Dense Smoke and Steam, But on the Third Descent They Found Many Bodies Near the Foot of Main Shaft.

"He Who Came Back" Cherry. 111.. Nov. 15. The storj of the thirteen heroes who went down to their death in the blazing shaft of the Cherry mine and of the one man who came back, seared by fire and blackened- by smoke, to tell the tale, is being related here in all its details, and forms one of the most enthralling narratives in the history of mining in this country. Standing out above all the others is the story of Dr. L. B. Howe, the "man w ho came back," the only one of the heroic bind who survives to tell what happened. Seven times before the other rescuers began to go down into the burning shaft, he went down alone in a lift, and each time he brought to the surface his quota of 6aved. Twenty-five miners owe their lives to him. Sunday his bands were badly burned, but he shows no other scars. When asked to describe hU experiences he merely shrugged his broad shoulders and said: "I couldn't have done anything else than I did. It is not worth talking about. Besides, I am too busy to talk today." The disaster brought to light many unnamed heroes. Among these was a miner who, while fighting his way through the blinding smoke, stumbled across the body of a little "trapper" boy who had been overcome at his rost pf duty at one of the trap doors that controls the air supply. Stooping, the miner felt the boy's heart, and. finding that life still existed, he picked up the unconscious form and placing it upon his shoulders, staggered on until he met one of the rescuers. Both the miner and the boy reached the sur face in safety. IS TO CELEBRATE 400TH. BIRTHDAY Fletcher Medearis Insists on Having the Celebration Held Tomorrow. PROGRAM NOW ARRANGED GREENSFORK WILL ENTERTAIN MANY PEOPLE TOMORROW, ALL OF WHOM WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO "THE OLDEST MAN." Although greatly enfeebled by the xuiirmiiies oi nis advanced. aee. Fletcher Medearis will not listen to the calling off of the celebration of his 100th birthday anniversary, and so the event will be observed at Greensfork in a characteristically fitting manner, to morrow. Lavish preparations are being made for the celebration. The town ball has been rented and everyone is cordially invited to come and bring well filled baskets, to participate In the dinner in the ball. In the afternoon there will be speaking in the hall by the Rev. Milton Mahan of New Castle, the Rev. Guild of Richmond, and others. The feature of the program will be an address by Mr. Medearis In which he will recount his early experiences in Wsyn-s county. There will also be services in the Methodist church. Mr. Medearis has been a staunch methodist since he was about 18 years of age. and until recent years has been a faithful attendant at church. Relatives will arrive from all parts of the country tomorrow to engage In the celebration and there will also be several hundred friends of the centenarian, who intend to partic ipate in the event. STAUBACH HAS GRIP Chief of Police George Staubach is confined to his home with a slight attack of the grip. His condition is somewhat Improved today, however. TOBE WENT Oil TEAR While drunk, Tobe Lovel, colored, created a disturbance at his home on South Fifth street yesterday and at the request of relatives was locked up for safe keeping. He was released this morning, however, and the charge against him was dismissed. THE WEATHER. INDIANA Fair Tuesday. and much colder

CAUSE OF HORROR WAS THE- USE OF TOBCHESJII WALL Mine Was Generally Lighted By Electricity, But on Day Of Disaster There Had Been Wire Troubles. MINE STILL BLAZES

HINDERING RESCUERS Mysterious Explosions Heard Beneath the Town Thought To Be Signals From the Imprisoned Miners. (American News Service) Cherryt Ills.. Nov. 15. The first bodies of dead miners were discovered forty feet from the foot of the mala shaft at ten o'clock this morning. Their faces were blackened and burned and identification is considered impossible. James Hand, Henry Smith and R. Y. Willams, of the United States Reserve Station at Urbana, made the discovery, on the third de scent of the oxygen helmet brigade. LThe . first two descents' were . unavalW ing because of the dense smoke and steam. The timbering of the drifts has collapsed1 in many places and big rocks impede the progress of rescue. The mine is still on fire and burning fiercely in the lower level. Mysterious explosions beneath the town convince experienced men that some of the entombed miners are . still alive and are signalling. At an inquiry into the cause of the mine disaster today it developed that the firo was caused by the use of open torches. Ordinarily the mine was lighted by electricity, but the wire were in trouble and pending the arrival of new cables the torches were being used, being fastened In the walls of the mine. A SYSTEMATIC EFFORT. (American News Service) Cherry, II L, Not. 13. Systematic efforts to release the 230 men Imprisoned in the St. Paul mine were begun two hours before daylight today. Throughout the night hundreds ot shivering women and children stood in the cold about the tightly sealed shafts waiting for day. White-faced widows and fatherless children stared in wide eyed hopelessness at the rescuers. Occasionally a wail of grief from some woman set many sobbing, bat most of them were quiet. The first cage was dropped Into the main shaft since the fire broke out. today. Make the Descent. Daylight had scarcely broken when the four experts, James Hand of Spring Valley, Henry Smith of Pern. James Taylor of Peoria and R. Y. Williams of the United States rescue station at Urbana. I1L, began their descent and dense clouds of steam and smoke belched from the reopened mouth of the shaft. A great column rose straight into the frosty air. The explorers were equipped wits oxygen helmets . and telephones. Without these devices descent would have been Impossible. The first word received from the bottom of the shaft seems to confirm the worst fears. An effort was made to keep it secret but the word was: "They are lying about everywhere." Six dozen of the oxygen helmets reached here from Pittsburg today. They were rushed through by special train. As soon as they arrived a large party prepared to go down the shaft. Hope About Abandoned. The belief that any of the Imprisoned men remain alive was practical! abandoned until a miner named Redenskl reported at dawn that be had heard signalling during the night. The inquest was resumed by Coroner A. IL Hahn today. Eleven wit n esses were beard. The sufferings of the women and children who refused to go to bed even after the shafts of the death, trap in which their loved ones were caught, had been sealed for the night. Increased with every hoar. A heavy frost covered the ground and the sufferers shivered pitifully. Those women, who believe there Is hope for the lives of the imprisoned men. besieged the mine