Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1900 — Page 2

WEEKLY REPUBLICAN. GEO. E. MARSHALL, Publisher. RENSSELAER, - INDIAN a.

TWO YEARS IN SWOON

SAN FRANCISCO GIRL UNCON. SCIOUS FROM ASPHYXIATION. . Having Quarreled with Her Lover, She Attempts Suicide by the Coal Gas Method—Bad Weather Retards S Development of Spring Trade. ■“g ■ ■ Elda Wilbur of San Francisco, who for nearly two years has been unconscious, as a result of asphyxiation by gas, is coming back to life slowly. The other day she suddenly opened her eyes, smiled sadly and said: "Nobody loves me now. Attendants hurried to her bedside, full of ■hope “that the long sleep had terminated. I but* Miss Wilbur had relapsed. Repeat- ‘ edly within the past fortnight she has *’ awakened and murmured those words, but all the eager endeavors of her relatives will not move her to say more than ; “Nobody loves me now," For long njjmths this beautiful girl has lain .insensible, while her pulse beat almost regularly and the fresh color was bright in her cheeks. She seemed in a natural sleep that any sound or jar might break, but for .two years the best physicians available JaFbfed vainly to awaken her. For two years, since she quarreled with Janies Dunphy, her betrothed, and was found next 'morn- . ing unconscious in a room full of’illuminating gas, she has uttered no articulate •? word and has given no sign of kense till recently. BY BAD WEATHER. Storm Delays Development of Spring Trade at Many Markets. Bradstreet's says: “Stormy weather has retarded the development of spring trade at many markets, interrupting telegraph and railway communication and naturally checking the movement of merchandise. In prices aggressive strength is still the feature of the cotton and cotton goods market, while metals remain steady. Food products, however, - have weakened, and some raw like wool and hides, are quotably lower. I Wheat (including flour) shipments Tor the ■week aggregate 3,863.387 bushels, against 3,660,850 bushels last week. Corn exports for the week aggregate 4.533,730 bushels, against 2,896,175 last week." | ELECTRIC-LINE CARS BURNED. Plant of a Cleveland Suburban Coni-' pany Is Destroyed. The car shops, paint shop, repair shop and offices of the Cleveland, Elyria and Oberlin Suburban. Electric road at Cleveland, were burned to the ground. The loss will reach 870,000, and includes | nearly -the entire equipment, machinery (except that in the power house), cars, supplies and office fixtures of the company, together with four snow plow®. At the time the fire started, between 4 ami , 5 o’clock in the morning, all the ears, with the exception of four or five, were in the barns, and so rapid was the spread of- the flames that none was saved. Ten . big suburban cars were destroyed. The ’ building, which burned, was about 200 :: feet long and 600 feet wide. DEATH CAUSED BY CIGARETTE. Smoker at Pittsburg Sets Off Cau of Benzine and Perishes. f - Charles McGivern, an inveterate sinok- ? er of cigarettes, lost his life and imperiled the lives of dozens of people in St. | Francis hospital at Pittsburg. He was a painter and had his shop in the basement of the hospital. When he went to work he lighted a cigarette too close to a can of benzine and there was an ex- .• plosion. When assistance came MeGivern’s clothing was ablaze. He died shortly afterward. The fire was confined to the paint shop.

Three Children Burned to Death. John, Charies and Emma, aged respectively 5, 7 and 9, children- of CharlesWenger, living eleven miles from Olym- ‘ pia, Wash., were burned to death. The i parents were absent from home, attendE ing a dance, and an elder sister, aged 12, was left in charge of the house and chil- ; dren. The fire was started by the ex- ; plosion of a heater. Boy Parricide Is Dead. John Lewis Howard, 18 years old, who I recently made a confession implicating | his mother in his father’s murder, died at Middlesboro, Tenn. Almost with his .' last breath the lad made the startling if revelation that he murdered his father, I shooting him to death at the instigation f of his mother, now Mandy Parker, she | having married again. Murder in Seeond Degree. 1 At Omaha, Neb., James Shannahan was • convicted of murder in the second degree J for the killing of Ed Callahan in Shannahan's saloon in South Omaha. In a preS vious trial he had been acquitted of the I murder of Ed Joyce. Both men were shot by Shannahan at the same time. Want Homes in Minnesota. t Hendrick O. Hurdt of New York has been in Minneapolis looking up locations for the forty Holland families which were intending to migrate to the Transy vaal, but which have been compelled bv i war to change their plans. Will Make By-products of Milk. 1 Thp Casein Company of America was h iMCOrporated at Trenton. N. J., with a ■jjhapltal of $6,000,600. The company will tire condensed, sterilized and i,n ‘i 'l*"‘ by-products of | Bt. Louis Box Factory Burned. Wood & Downs’ l>ox factory, on Tenth wand Mullanphy streets, St. Louis, was ■Aeatrofed by tire. .... - V,' Bush Firctt in Australia. ■ The steamer Aorangi from Sydney & bring* an account of the most disastrous ■ hush fires in Victoria experienced in the I last fifty years. The entire WarrufamKhool district has been devastated, and a the damage is estimated at S2JH s >.<sto. ■Hevea persons perished in the Hames, A- * rri r ''' 1 ' 1 Yale Student lisa Smallpox. ; Gantts William Perkins of Grand Rapa atpdeiit id the freshman IffUaa of the Kbeffi. Id Scientific School at mTale University, is ill with smallpox at Kia room In New Haven.

GIRI. BORNE ALOFT BY OWLS. fiix-Year-Old Child le Attacked and Carried in Midair. Attacked by owls and carried by the birds to an abandoned building a quarter of a mile away, from which she was, rescued by her father, was the exciting experience of little Annie Johnson. Mr. Tolleson, who lives three miles South-of St. Vincent, Minn., is a poultry raiser. At dusk the other evening Annie, who is 6 years of age. heard a commotion in the hen yard. Rushing out, she found the place bad been attacked by a large number of white owls of gigantic size. The girl went at once to the .defense of the fowls. Instantly she was set upon by the birds, which made ferocious onslaughts upon her. In order to protect her face and eyes from the beaks and claws of the birds the child was forced to cover her head with her’ dress) Her father, hearing her screams, ran from the house just in time to see the owls dart upon the child, fasten their talons in her clothing and then raise her from the snow-covered ground and bear her away. Mr. Johnson followed them until they disappeared in the old building. Immediately a great noise arose within, and as the half-crazed father entered he saw the birds deposit the child on a platform half way up to the roof, where she was immediately surrounded by hundreds of the birds. As Mr. Johnson approached they flew away. The little girl was found to be uninjured, but her dress was torn almost to ribbons. FIRE SWEEPS CLARION, PA. Fourteen Business Houses Burned— Ex- Judge Barr Drops Dead. “. Fire destroyed the -business section Clarion, Pa., and resulted in the death of ex-Judge W, W. Barr? who dropped dead from excitement. Fourteen business houses were destroyed. The loss will amount to 8150,000. The fire started in the billiard parlors of Charles M ilson at 2 a. m., and before it was controlled at 5 o'clock all the buildings on Mam street from Fifth to Sixth avenue on one side -of the street were destroyed. The buildings burned were the Jones House, the office and residence of J. Frank Ross, Huling’s news stand, Milson’s billiard hall, D. W. Cook’s meat market, the Western Union telegraph office, J. E. Wood’s law office. G. E. Sloan’s law office, George E. Witmer’s law office,-the offices Of ex-Judge Barr, the store of J. C. Mclntyre and the Masonic Hall, in which the postoffiee was located. The water pipes were all frozen and the firemen were powerless to save the buildings from destruction.

NEWARK SUFFERS FROM FIRE. Four Firemen Injured, and Property Loss Estimated &t $1,000,000. The greatest tire Newark. N. J., ever experienced swept through the retail dry goods district, destroying a score or more of buildings. The loss is estimated at over $1,000,000. The fire destroyed W. V. Snyder’s department store and its stock, worth $500,000; a building adjoining, occupied by J. M. Mantz and others; T. B. Alien’s confectionery store; (’. B. Peddie’s trunk store; the rear of David Strauss’ department store, and L. S. Plant's dry goods store; W. T. Rae's jewelry store; I*. J. Garrigan's drug store, and a number of small stores, and Bierman’s pawnshop. Four firemen were buried under a wall at the rear of Snyder’s that fell with a terrific cfash- Capt. Walter Harris and Fireman Thomas Brown were taken out unconscious. The other two firemen were severely injured. Several persons are missing, and it is feared they met death in the flames. Mutilated Body Found. The dead and mutilated body of Mrs. Everill E. Synon was found by her husband, Michael Synon, lying in a clothes closet off one of the wretched rooms the family occupied at No. 240 South Green street, Chicago. The woman’s sktrtl had been fractured in several places and there were a dozen gashes in her neck. Her head had been beaten out of all human semblance. The woman's husband is suspected. Heavy Fire Loss in Detroit. In Detroit the deparment store of Marr & Taylor was gutted by fire. Losses: Marr & Taylor, $65,000; George C. Darwin, cloaks and furnishings, slo,ooo', Razenswig & Co., boots and shoes, $lO,000; Moll & Stock, tailors; John D. Mabley, clothier; H. M. Kittle & Co., trunks; Mrs. 11. S. Weaver, and K. F. Craigie suffered light losses. The total loss is SIOI,OOO. 2 Indiana Boy’s Heroism. At Peru, Ind., Charles. Hardwick, 14 years of age, rescued his mother and three sisters from their burning home. He awoke just as the roof fell and saved himself by jumping from the second-story window. Remembering his mother and sisters were still in the burning house he fought his way through the flames and succeeded in getting them out just as-the house collapsed. Democrats Are Sworn In. The Kentucky State contest board has awarded certificates of election to all of the Democratic contestants for minor Slate offices. The contestants were sworn in and repaired to the statehouse in a body, where they made a formal demand on the Republican incumbents for possession. Fair’s Will Held to Be Valid. The Supreme Court of California handed down a decision by which the validity of the trust will of the late Senator James G. Fair is upheld. The decision will prevent Mrs. Nettie Craven, who claims to be Fair's widow, from getting more than SSO from the estate.

Flour Trust Is Broken. The United States milling combine, generally known as the flour trust, has gone to pieces, but the fact did hot become known until .Judge-Jenkins in proceedings auxiliary to the United States Court of Nc.w Jersey appointed three receivers for the company. To Resist Plans of Cattlemen. The Governors of all the Western States have called a meeting in Salt Lake to plan resistance to the Cattlemen's Association in asking Congress to pass a bill leasing Western grazing lands to the highest bidder. . : 1 Vocalist Is Found Dead. Harold L., Williams. 35 years old, a vocalist, of Chicago, died at the European hotel'in Marion, Ohio, lie was on his way home from a visit with friends at Circleville. Ohio, and stopped over to spend Sunday. Vasael Probably a Total Loss. The Allan line steamer Californian, which went on the rocks off Ham Island, Me., appears to be leaking nt many points. Part of the cargo has been ruined. ’JTie passengers were safely removed.

LAKE RATES ADVANCE

TRAVEL ON GREAT LAKES TO COST MORE. Representatives of Prominent Transportation Line, Meet in New York and Put Up Prices for Passenger Tickets— Unsatisfactory Torpedo Boat* Representatives of the Northern Steamship Company of Buffalo, Detroit and Cleveland Line, Northern Michigan Transportation Company, Manitou Steamship Company and the Erie and Western Transportation Company’ met at the Hotel Cadillac in Detroit and effected a raise in tourist rates on the above lines. The advance does not affect rates on the regular traffic between ports where railtvay■Connections are important factors, but on round-trip and one-way tickets between Buffalo and Dujuth, Detroit and Mackinaw, Chicago and the Soo there has been an advance of 81 and 50 cents respectively. TORPEDO BOAT SOMERS UNFIT. Purchased in Germany Just Before the Spanish-American War. A special from Washington says: "Secretary Long has received a report from the board of inspection and survey, .stating that the torpedo-boat Somers is in many respects unsatisfactory. The Somers was able to make only I<% knots, and the trial showed that'she was unfit for sea service. The board suggests that the vessel be used for harbor defense, and states that she is not worth any great expenditure of money. The Somers was purchased on March 28, 1898, of the Schichau works, Elbing, Germany, for 872,997. It was reported the Spanish Government was negotiating for her purchase, and to prevent her from passing into the possession of the Madrid Government the American naval attache was authorized to pay the price asked by the Schichau works.” PLUNGE TO DEATH WITH TRAIN. —_■ Passenger Coaches Leap Downtan Embankment Into a River. 3 A passenger train <in the Northampton division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad went through a washout about two miles north of Plainville, Conn. Four persons were killed and seven injured. The wrecked train was made up of an engine, baggage and mail car, combination car, passenger car and i.he pay,car in the rear. The train was nearly one and a half hours late and was proceeding cautiously when it struck the washout. There—were no women, aboard the train. The scene of the wreck is ordinarily a small rivulet, the waters of which flow through a spacious culvert. At this time, however, the water assumed greater proportions owing to the heavy rain.

Big Land Deal in Cuba. L. G. Burnham, second vice-president of the United Fruit Company of Boston, and Hippolyte Dumois, the agent of the company at Havana, have purchased 198,000 acres of land on the Bay of Nipe from an old French syndicate. This is the largest land deal consummated in Cuba in many yertrs. The sum of $750,000 is involved. Spanish Cruisers Cannot Be Saved. All chance of saving any of the Spanarmored cruisers sunk off Santiago, Cuba, has gone. Word has reached the Navy Department that the Cristobal Colon, which was pushed on the beach by the cruiser New York after the battle with Cervera’s command, has slid into deep water. Earthquakes in California. James Pachstein and W. It Krebs, who have arrived at Anaheim, Cal., from the Santiago Mountains, report that there have been many earthquake shocks in that section since last Christmas, being very severe Jan. 22 and Feb. 11. No serious damage is known to have been done, as there are few habitations there. $20,000 Fire at Deshler. One of the most disastrous fires that have visited Deshler, Ohio, occurred the other morning. One-fourth of the business portion of the town was burned in a remarkably short time. It is estimated that the loss will reach $20,000. Seven blocks were burned and two others damaged somewhat. Shooting Due to Jealousy. . John Martin, 19 years old, a mill operalive in Cohoes, N. Y., became insanely jealous of Mary Perry, another operative, and, drawing shot the girl three times. Martin had been paying attentions to the girl for several months, until recently, when she refused to accept him. Equal-Suffrage Proposition Defeated. The Ohio House of Representatives defeated Mr. Hauer's resolution proposing to amend the constitution by giving women the right to vote at all elections after Jan. 1, 1901. Eighty-two votes were required to adopt, and the vote was 49 nays to 57 yeas.

Murder Over a Line Fence. Jacob Lovcnshei mer, a well-known resident of Huntington township, Ohio, died from injuries received at the hands of a neighbor itanied Patrick McMahon. The two nien quarreled over a line fence, and McMahon fractured I.ovensheimer's skull with a club. McMahon escaped. Suicide of a Little Girl. Haze] Rogers, 12 years of age, a bright hud prepossessing child, committed suicide at Fort Madison, lowa, by shooting herself in the heart. Although little is known regarding the cause, it is believed she grieved over a childish love affair until death seemed the only relief. Will Be Training Strips. Orders have been issued by Secretary Long directing that arrangements be made for placing the auxiliary cruiser Buffalo in commission. It is expected the Buffalo will be used as a landsmen's training ship. The Topeka will also be used for this purpose. Two Killed and Six Hurt. The Missouri Pacific’s local passenger train from St. Lotiis ran into the rear end ot the same road s St. Louis day express about ten miles cast' of Kansas City. Two women were killed at»sk six persots injured. Dreyer Again Found Guilty. Edwnrd S. Dreyer has again been found guilty of Jailing to turn over $319,tMK) which he held ns treasurer of the West Park Board in Chicago. ’ This is his third conviction for ibis offense, and be miist uow go to the penitentiary.

SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE HEAD.

Business Man of Menominee Driven to Suicide by Reverses. Former State Senator Joseph Fleisheim, who failed for from 875,000 to 8100,000 recently, committed suicide at Menominee, Mich., by shooting himself in the head. The corom. jury returned a verdict of suicide during a fit of temporary insanity, caused by business reverses. Mr. Fleisheim was bne of the oldest and most prominent business men of the city, having conducted a large insurance agency for the last twenty years. He was also largely interested in various mining, manufacturing, and other industrial enterprises, and his failure was due to unsuccessful investments. He was 52 years old. RIVER MAN KILLS HIMSELF. Financial Troubles Supposed to Have Preyed Upon Wni. H. Chisholm. William 11. Chisholm, a river jnan, committed suicide on the eighth floor of the Odd Fellows’ building at St. Louis. Chisholm was a member of Red Cross lodge, Knights of Pythias. He attended a meeting of the lodge, and shortly after 8 o’clock withdrew, crossed the hall to the lavatory, placed a pistol to his breast and pulled the trigger, dropping dead with a bullet through his heart. Financial troubles are supposed to have been the cause for the act. RESCUED FROM A WRECK. Three Men, a Woman and Child Saved After Two Days of Suffering. Three-men, a womffn and a child, who spent two days and nights shipwrecked in Great South Bay, off Babylon, L. 1., and five members of the Fire Island lifesaving crew who went to their, succor and were cut off from -the- main beach by ice floes and gales that swept the frozen area at the rate of eighty miles an hour, fought their way through the icepacks in a lifeboat and were safely landed at Fire Island. Kills His Employer’s Wife. Dr. Franklin Caldwell of Chicago shot and killed Mrs. Ephraim I’. Hayes, also of that city, in the Endicott Hotel, New York. He then took his own life. At the coroner’s inquest facts were brought out tending to show that Dr. Caldwell, who was employed by Dr. Hayes, was infatuated with the latter’s 'Wife,; and killed her because his affections were not returned. Russia Borrows in New York. The Russian imperial government has come to New York for a loan.. A syndicate of financial institutions of that city has arranged the purchase of an issue of $25,000,000 of 4 per cent bonds, representing a first mortgage on the Wladikawkas Railway system.' Bride Dies at the Wedding;. While the marriage ceremony of John S. Blair and Miss Nannie Sommerset, north of Perry, O. T., was being performed the bride fell dead. The couple had just taken their places in front of the clergyman.

Find a Leper in New York City. Consternation was created by the discovery of a well-defined case-of leprosy in the New York barge office. The vic* tim is Archibald Mandeville, 22 years old, Mandeville is isolated and will be deported. Sewer Pipe Combination. Manufacturers of sewer pipes from various parts of the country have formed a combination taking in the majority of the firms in the United States. The capitalization of the new organization is $10,000,000. Fire Destroys Business Buildings. At Defiance, Ohio, fire destroyed two business blocks. The losses arc: A. Martin & Co., furniture. SIO,OOO on building and $15,000 on stock; Craven & Ruess, dry goods, $4,000; Y’oung's grocery, $4,000; building, $15,000. ■ Col. William 8. King. Col. William S. King, ex-Congressman and a national character for the last forty years, died at his home in Minneapolis. Col. King was born in Franklin County, N. I’., in 1828. Saved by Her Bulkhead. The steamer Westover, from Jacksonville for Philadelphia, was seriously damaged- by collision with one of the stone ice piers in the Delaware river at Marcus Hook. Death in Electric Chair. Antonio Ferraro was electrocuted at Sing Sing prison for the murder of Luciane Muchio in Brooklyn April 4, 1898. Gen. Cronje Gives Up. The London war office announces that Gen. Cronje has surrendered his whole force unconditionally. MARKET QUOTATIONS. Chicago—Cattle, common to prime, $3.00 to $li.OO; hogs, shipping grades, $3.00 to $5.00; sheep, fair to choice, $3.00 to $6.00; wheat, No. 2 red, 63c to 65c; corn. No. 2,34 cto 36c; oats, No. 2,23 c to 24c; rye, No. 2,51 cto 53c; butter, choice creamery, 27c to 29c; eggs, fresh, 13c to 15c; potatoes, choice, 38c to 45c per bushel. Indianapolis—Cattle, shipping, $3.00 to $6.00; hogs, choice light, $3.00 to $5.00; sheep, common to prime, $3.00 to $5.00; wheat. No. 2,68 c to 70c; corn. No. 2 white. 33c to 35c; oats, No. 2 white, 26c#to 28c. St. Louis—Cattle, $3.25 to $6.00; hogs, $3.00 to $5.00; sheep, $3.00 to $6.00; wheat. No. 2,70 cto 72c; corn. No. 2 yellow, 33c to 35c; oats, No. 2,23 cto 25c; rye, No. 2,54 cto 56c. Cincinnati—Cattle, $2.50 to $6.00; hogs, $3.00 to $5.00; sheep, $2.50 to $6.00; wheat, No. 2,73 cto 74c; corn, No. 2 mixed, 35c to 37c; oats. No.- 2 mixed, 25c to 27c; rye, No. 2,61 cto 63c. Detroit— Cattle, $2.50 to $6.00; hogs, $3.00 to $5.25; sheep, $3.00 to $5.50; wheat. No. 2,71 cto 73c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 35c to 37c; oats. No. 2 white, 27c to 28c; rye, 58c to 60c. Toledo—Wheat, No. 2 mixed, 70c to 72c; corn. No. 2 mixed, 35c to 36c; oats, No. 2 mixed, 25c to 27c; rye, No. 2, 58 c to 59c; clover seed, old, $4.95 to $5.06. Milwaukee—Wheat, No. 2 northern, 63c to 65c; corn. No. 3,33 cto 35c; oats. No. 2 white, 25c to 26c; rye, No. 1. 56c to 58c; barley. No. 2,45 cto 46c; pork, mess, 10.25 to $10.75. Buffalo—Cattle, good shipping steers, $3.00 ir> $6.25; hogs, common to choice, $3.25 t’i $5.25; sheep, fair to choice, $3.00 to $6.75; lambs, common to extra, $4.50 to sß.o’).

New York—Cattle, >3.25 to $0.50; hogs, $3.00 to $5.50; sheep. $3.00 to $0.25; wheat. No. 2 red, 75c to 77c; corn, No. 2, 41c to 43c: oats. No. 2 white, 31c to 32c; butter, creamery, 20e to 25c; eggs, western. 14e to 15c.

SAYS BRITAIN IS RIGHT.

John Hays Hammond Condemns Oom Paul and His Policy. According to John Hays Hammond, the American engineer whose activity at Johannesburg while associated with the Rhodes mining interests at the time of the Jameson raid in 1896. came near costing him his life at the hahejs of the Boers, America’s sympathies in the Brit-ish-Boer conflict should be not with Oom Paul but with her majesty’s forces. Mr. Hammond gave expression to this view at a brilliant dinner given him a few days since in Chicago. He spoke of the condition of affairs in the Transvaal prior to the war and took the opportunity to say that England was carrying on a just war and that the Boers were wholly to blame for the present diffietilty. Mr. Hammond made the assertion that the Transvaal mining industry would never have achieved success were it not for the fact that English capital and American ingenuity became interested and entered the field. The Outlanders, he said, were invited to the territory by Oom Paul, who, when they had served his purpose, denied them the right' to.exist there by reason of the oppressive laws

,he directed against them. The (Jutlanders paid nine-tenths of the taxes and yet had little or no voice in the government. All that is wanted by the Outlanders, said Mr. Hammond, is the establishment of the principle that there shall be no taxation without representation. In Mr. Hammond's opinion, the present strife was forced upon - President Kruger by -his inability to longer control the widespread conspiracy he had built up against England. Oom Paul, said Mr. Hammond, was waiting for a rupture between Great Britain and some other power when he t would make his effort to attain independence. For many years the Boers were actively pursuing a scheme of conspiracy for driving the English from South Africa and were buying guns, building fortifications and hiring foreign officers in anticipation of a conflict. It might be supposed that Mr, Hammond was prejudiced in the matter in favor of the English because of his participation hi' movements against the Boers, but, he claims, this view of the matter would be wrong. He spoke as an American, he said, and put the facts of the case plainly before his auditors.

Side Lights on. the Boer War.

The health of the horses in South Africa is a question which is worrying British officers almost as much as the health of the men. On account of the lack of railroads and the quickness of the enemy's moves, mounted troops are almost as essential as guns. With the change from the dry to the wet seasons comes the danger to horses'. The average death rate among the horses now from sickness alone is about 25 per cent. In some localities it has been known to reach 80 and even 90 per cent. The disease works rapidly. It often happens that a trooper is riding along when his horse begins to stagger, then drops and dies on the spot. Donkeys are immune to the disease, but mules are not.

The Kafirs, Basutos and Zulus are the native “runners.” But it is not by running that they do the best of their work. This they do by shouting their messages from hill to hill. They are the South As- . rican telegraph system. The first news of the battle of Glencoe which reached England and America came to Cape Town in this way. Whoever message is given by a native negro is never altered by any one who forwards it, though it may be passed along by 2,000 men. The precise words that are uttered by the first man are the identical ones which the last one hears. In the pursuit of Gen. Cronje to Paardeberg some of the British regiments marched twenty-seven miles in twenty* four hours. They got ahead of the transport, and the men lived on quarter rations. When the white flag of surrender was displayed by the Boers, a regiment stationed on a hill saw it and set up A cheer which ran down the lines and was taken up by the men in the trenches. An officer dashed to headquarters witn the news. On Christmas day three Englishmen, who had previously received passes tb remain in the Free State, were commandeered and ordered to proceed to the front. They declined to tight against their countrymen, and on the same day were taken to the market square at liar-’ risinith and shot. Well up to the front, among the popular heroes of the Boer war. is Bugler Dunn, the boy T>f 15, first of the Royal Dublin Fusileers to erpss the Tugela, and who, wounded in tin- right hand while sounding the "advance,” immediately sounded the "advance" with his left hand. Lord Roberts is not the only British general to have lost a son in the South African campaign. Gen. Brabant, commander of Brabant's Horse, and one of the most popular military men in South Africa, had a son, Capt. Brabant, killed in a sortie from Ladysmith. A private in the Shropshire Light Infantry wrote home from Orange river: 1 am as black ns n Kaffir, with a beard about five inches long. 1 have only one suit of khaki, ami the trousers are *ll grease and u» UeUa."

CONGRESS

On Monday, in the Senate, formal discussion of the right of former Senator Quay to a seat in the Senate was begun by Mr. Turley. Consideration Of the Hawaiian government bill resumed. An amendment was made striking out the property qualification of voters for members of the legislature, but little other progress was made. | The,Senate on Tuesday heard Mr. Depew in support of the retention of the Philippines and Mr. Turley in opposition to the seating of Mr. Quay. Amended Hawaiian bill so as to make void all contracts for labor entered into since Aug. 12, 1858. The general debate on the Porto Rican bill in the House closed in a blaze of glory. The galleries were banked tq the doors and every seat on the floor was occupied when the rival champions . of the. respective sides—Mr, Dolliver of lowa and Mr. Bailey of Texas—made the closing arguments. Before these closing speeches wore made Mr, Cannon of Illinois, one of the veterans on the Republican side, made an-exceptionally effective speech in support of the bill. On Wednesday the Senate postponed until Thursday the vote on the Hawaiian government bill. Mr. Aldrich, chairman of the finance committee, liiade an explanation of the work of the conferees on . the financial measure, his statement resulting in an unexpected and spirited debate. Mr. McLaurin of South Carolina made a speech®on the Philippines. On Thursday in the Senate the bill pro viding a form of government for the territory of Hawaii was passed without division. Mr. Clay delivered a carefully prepared speech on the Philippines. He favpred the adoption of the Bacon resolutions, declaring it to be the policy of the United States to turn over the islands to the Filipinos as soon as a stable government could be established by them under the protection of this country. At the instance of Mr. Foraker the Porto Rican tariff bill was made the unfinished business and will be considered as soon * “as”ttte conferc'nce report on the finance bill shall have been disposed of next Tuesday. It was decided to take a final vote on the conference report on the financial bill next Tuesday at 4 p. m. In the„ House the Democrats scored their first victory of the session on the motion to take up the contested election case of Aldrich vs. Robbins from the fourth Alabama district. On two separate votes the Democrats, with the aid 'of two Republicans, Mr. Mondell of Wyoming and IL C. Smith of Michigan, beat the Republicans upon the question of consideration. An agreement was. made to consider the Loud bill relating to second-class mail matter March 20. A bill was passed to grant an American register to the ship Windward, in which Lieut. Peary will make an attempt to reach the north'pole, in the House on Friday a special message from the President was read recommending that all the revenue collected on importations from Porto Rico since the evacuation of the island by Spain (amounting to over $2,000;P00) should be placed at the disposal of the President for the relief of the island. It is as follows:

“To the Senate and House of Representatives: Since the evacuation of Porto Rico by the Spanish forces on Oct. 18, 1898, the United States has collected on products coming from that island to the ports of the United States the duties fixed by the Dingley act and amounting to $2,095,455.88, and will continue to collect under said law until Congress shall otherwise direct. Although I had the power and, having in mind the best interests of the people of the island, used it to modify duties on goods ami products entering, into Porto Rico, 1 did not have the power to remit or modify duties on Porto Rican products coming into the ports of the United States. In view of the pressing necessity for immediate revenue in Porto Rico for conducting the government there and for the extension of public legislation just inaugurated by the House of Representatives, and for the purpose of making the principle embodied in that legislation applicable to the immediate past, as well as to the immediate future. I recommend that the above sum so collected, and the sums hereafter collected under existing law, shall without waiting for the enact merit of the general legislation now pending be appropriated for the use and bene fit of the island.” In the Senate Mr. Hoar made a speech in favor of the seating of Mr. Quay. Debate on the Porto Rican tariff bill consumed the rest of the day. On receipt of the message from the President the House passed a bill placing in the President’s hands all the money collected upon Porto Rican goods since the Spanish evacuation, to bo used for the relief of Porto Ricans. Mr. Maun (111.) called up the contested election case of Aldrich vs. Robbins from the Fourth Alabama district. The Democrats attempted a filibuster, but the case was taken up, 136 to 129. The case was debated for the remainder of the day. Saturday's session of the Senate vas brief on account of the death of Representative Epes of Virginia- Mr. spoke in opposition to the seating ot .1. S. Quay, and Mr. Teller spoke in criticism of the conference report upon the currency bill. A number of private pension bills were passed. In the House the chaplain in his invocation made feeling reference to the death of Mr Epes. It had been intended to proceed with the Aldrich-Robbins contested election case, but unanimous consent was given to vacate. the order heretofore made and postpone' the final vote until the next Tuesday nt 2:30 p. m. Resolutions on the death of Mr. Epes hvere adopted and u committee appointed to attend the funeral.

Brief News Items.

It has been determined that light is an important factor in sugar production, recent investigations showing that the, sugar content of the plrint is dependent on the amount of direct sunlight received. A Lehigh Valley Railroad engine reccntly accomplished the felt of hauling a train consisting of thirty-three steel cars of 100.000 pounds capacity and thirtyseven wooden cars of SO.imKI pounds pacity. each fully loadeil with anthracite ? coal. The total weight of the seventy ears was 4,567 tons.