Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1901 — Page 6

WEEKLY REPUBLICAN ■■ *ssss==' ' GEO. E. MARSHALL, Publisher. RENSSELAER. ♦ • INDIANA.

FAILURES OF A YEAR.

MANY DISASTERS TO TRADE DURING 1900. Natural Reaction from Prosperity of 1899 Is Felt—Business Now FirmSenator Pettigrew’s Son Hurt in a Kansas City Theater Lobby. R. G. Dun & Co.’s weekly reveiw of trade says: “While it is not yet possible to print accurate figures of failures during the full year 1900, detailed returns for all but the last few days or the year have been compiled, and adding a proportionate amount for the time still to elapse, it appears that comrnbrcial failures will number about 10,630, with liabilities of $137,000,000. Of this number 2,300 were in manufacturing, for $49,750,000; 7,800 in trading, for $60,000,000, and 530 brokers, traiynrtera^_£t£u_ properly belonging in wther of-the other classes, for $27,250,(KX). Besides these strictly commercial defaults there were sixty financial concerns with liabilities of $34,000,000, swelling the total to 10,090 in number and $170,000,000 in amount. This shows a large increase over the preceding year, when JUII failures, numbered 0,393 and Ifabilitiesjwere $123,132,679. It must not be forgotten, however, that 1899 was a year of exceptional prosperity in business, and while trade was then stimulated by rising succeeding year had to bear the bitteirrfruit of reaction. Despite these disasters, made unavoidable by the very conditions that brought such a phenomenal rfijeord for 1899, it still will be found that;l9oo compares favorably with other recent years* So general preparation had been made by Eastern business interests for a squeeze in money near the end of the year that the expected advance did not occur. Wool lost the temporary increase in activity, sales aggregating only 4,576,700 pounds, a decrease of 2,661,300,c0mpared with the preceding week. Stocks at the close of the year are excessive,Wthough dealers are encouraged by the ftoyvledge that manufacturers’ supplies are light.” SENATOR’S SON IS AfeAULTED. Young Pettigrew Seriously Hurt by an Usher in a Kansas City Shea ter. Frank Pettigrew, son of States .Senator Pettigrew-of South Dakota, was assaulted and seriously injured by an usher in a Kansas City theater. Young Pettigrew, who recently retiwned from South Africa, where he served in the Boer army, is in the employJof the United States government survey and is on his way to join a surveyinjgcorps in Arizona., He lighted a cigaray in the lobby of the theater and therebjWecame involved in a controversy with the usher as to the rule forbidding smoking. His right cheek bone was broken.

FILIPINOS FLAX AND TORTURE, Captain H. W. Newton Writes Folks from Luzon of Native Cruelty. In a lettei written from the Philip pines to his folks in West Superior, Wis., in November, Captain Harry W. Newton says that the encroachments of the natives were worse they had been at any time during the year previous. As one instance of their ferocity he writes: "Just the other day they jumped a detachment of our Twenty-fourth, numbering twenty-two men, and captured sixteen of them. One was found terribly mutilated, showing signs of being skinned while yet alive.” j Dreyfus Would Reopen Case. Dreyfus has written to the premier, M. Waldeck-Rousseau, classing as another falsehood the recent statement of M. Henri Rochefort in the Intransigents that he (Dreyfus) had sent to Emperor William of Germany, in 1894. a letter stolen from the German embassy at Paris, and asking fur another official inquiry. Threatened Strike Averted. The threatened strike of the employes of the Wilkesbarre and Wyoming Yhlley Electric Railway in Pennsylvania will not takp place. The "company and the men, after several conferences, have succeeded in effecting an amicable arrange ment, in which eaCß* side made concessions. 4— To Utilize Convict Labor. Warden Hayes of the Kings County, New York penitentiary has a road-build-ing plan, which be would like to put into effect between New York City and Buffalo, making a highway 150 feet wide a nd-420 miles long. He thinks the work could be done by the convicts in the penal institutions of the Stale. Theological School Is Burned. Hamma Divinity Hall, on the Witten berg College grounds at Springfield, Ohio, burned to the ground. It was occupied by the theological Mminary. The loss on the building will be about $20,000, cover ed by insurance. Botha Strikes a Blow. Gen. Botha’s forces have dealt the British another serious blow in the eastern Transvaal. An entire garrison has just been completely routeil at Helvetia, with the low of 50 killed and wounded and 250 taken prisoners. f*. J. De France Is Paroled. Stonewall J. De France, a noted forger, who was wnWto the State’s prison at Jackson, Michwfrom Kalamazoo County in 1804 for eleß-n years for defrauding a Kalamazoo bu& of several thousand dollars, has been Bxruled by Gov. Pingree. k Dea As ■ Geniui. AwiJliani jmlnke, the inventor and Bhaeer bjlwiieatk man of Chicago as n Kuet/fn the xwll-known linn of Adamdied at hi.* home, 1 S[.<n.-.-r N. Y- During his lifetaken out about .';<*! indhid ’ ’;J . Then Kills Him-a-ls. tin Pa. HiIgt .twy , . 1 ' : i - ; ' - Ek • J < h r Ehable.

FROM THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE EARTH

INVENTED a HOLD UP STORY. Toledo Woman Confesses that Her Claim of Robbery Was Untrue. In connection with the present epidemic of hold-ups in Toledo, Ohio, the police have secured the confession of Mrs. H. O. Y oung, who, they claim, invented her hold-up story to prevent her husband from joining a lodge. The signed confession reads: “I, Mrs. H. O. Young, do hereby say that 1 was not robbed Sundaynight or any other time.” As Mrs. Young first told her tale she was en route to a coal dealer’s office when she was seized on the street and robbed by a colored man in a long, light-colored coat. She had about $lO,. which he took. A colored man answering to the somewhat vague description was arrested'and Mrs. Young w’eut to the police to see whether she could identify the prisoner. Meantime the detectives had been working on the case npd the woman w ( as confronted by the chief in his private office. He s,ays she informed him that her busband was'about'to join a lodge and wanted the $lO for the initiation fee. Not wishing him to join, she secreted the money and reported a hold-up. The colored man has been released. This makes four bogus hold-ups exploded out of twelve reported in’two weeks. FIND MISER’S HIDDEN RICHES. Ohio Farmers Discover $-45,000 in Bonds in a Neighbor’s Hat Miami County, Ohio, is excited over the discovery of $45,000 in government bonds in the hut occupied by Miser Ypsilanti Smith, w-ho died a few days ago near Springfield. For almost a quarter, of It century the old man had occupied the hut. , He made a small living out of the products of a patch of ground he had purchased and no one had the slightest intimation that he had any money. His mind was unbalanced thirty years ago from grief over the death of his wife and only child. In his younger days he was in the law’ office of the late William Lawrence of Bellefontaine, and after the death of his wife and child he disappeared from that City and settled down in the hut. Neighbors found the bonds in an old wooden box under the floor.- The coupons had not been cut for thirty years, and pension papers were also found dating back over thirty years. The vouchers were nicely arranged and apparently had not been disturbed for a long time. KIDNAPED AT KALAMAZOO. Hobart Clayberg, 17 Years Old,fs Abducted by Two Men, but Released. Hobart Clayberg, a 17-year-old boy, whose father, John B. Clayberg, is a prominent citizen of Helena, Mont., was kidnaped in Kalamazoo, Mich., by two men. The boy was .blindfolded and compelled to walk to Mattawan, a distance of eleven miles, it became so stormy that the kirnapers released young Clayberg at Mattawan after robbing him of. the small sum of money he had in his pockets. The boy telegraphed for help and was brought home during the night. Main in Fulling Elevator. A fatal accident occurred in the Paterson, N. J., department store. The store was packed with shoppers and ah elevator load of them was going up, when suddenly one of the big cables yroke. The car to the bottom floor and to make the accident more terrible the big balancing weight was jerked from its guys and crashed down through the car, crushing its occupants to death and scattering their brains about. Two persons were killed and three badly injured. Hol 1 Silk Burglaries. The dry goods house of Julius Barnes & Co. in Laporte, Ind., was entered by robbers. The silk department was looted of silks to the value of SBOO. The officers say that within the last year the operations of this gang of silk robbers have caused losses to Indiana merchants of nearly $25,000.

French Troops Rout Force of Chinese. The French troops encountered east of Chochan, between Pekin and Pao-Ting-Fu, a Chinese force numbering 2,500 men with artillery. The Chinese fled in the direction of Kuan-Hsien. They suffered losses aud left behind them five standards and four cannon. Killed by Exp!o Ung Beer Vat. Just as Sebastian Joos, aged 52 years, a foreman in the Quinnipiac brewery iu New Haven, Conn., shut off the air valve of an immense oak beer vat the vat exploded and a piece of oak struck the foreman in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Big Fire in Calgary, N. W. T. The mbst destructive fire in the history of "Calgary, N. W. T„ wrought damage estimated at SIOO,OOO. Several of the finest business structures fell prey to the flames, notably the Clarence, Eau Claire and new Norman blocks. Two Killed by Wabash Train. While on their way to a .dance at Blakeslee, Ohio, a buggy containing Charles Gannon and Wayne Crawl, both of Montpelier, Ohio, was st|uck by Wabash express No. 3 and both men instantly killed. Killed in Sq a red Circle. Frank Barr, 18 years of age, a boxer, was struck over the heart in a match with a local featherweight named Kelly at the Athletic Club of Philadelphia and died shortly afterward. Fatal Trolley-Car Accident. As a result of a trolley crash near the Broadway ferry, Brooklyn, an "unknown woman was killed and two others seriously injured, while at least half a dozen more received minor injuries. Slays 1,500 Reformers. News of the massacre of 1,500 members of the reform forces in China and the beheading of twenty-seven of their leaders has been received. The engagement took place in the province of Pechili.

'Market quotations. Chicago—Cattle, common to prime. $3.00 to $5.90; hogs, shipping grades, $3.00 t 055.05; sheep, fair to choice, $3.00 to $4.75; wheat, No. 2 red, 69c to 70c; corn, No. 2,35 cto 36c; oats, No. 2,21 c t© 22c; rye, No. 2,46 cto 47c; butter, choice creamery, 22c to 23c; eggs, fresh, 20c to 21c; potatoes, 43c to 47c per bushel. Indianapolis—Cattle, shipping. $3.00 to $5.85; Ilogs, choice light, $4.00 to $4.95; sheep, common to prime, $3.00 to $3.50; wheat, No. 2,72 cto 73c; corn, No. 2 white, 36c to 37c; oats. No. 2 white, 24c to 25c. St. Louis —Cattle. $3.2." to $5.65; hogs. $3.01) to sheep. $3.00 to $4.25; wheat, No. 2,70 cto 71c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 33c to 34c; oats, No. 2,22 cto 23c; rye. No. 2. 48c to 49c. Cincinnati —Cattle, $3.00 to $5.85; hogs, $3.00 to $5.05; sheep, $3.00 to $3.35; wheat. No. 2. 77c to 78c; corn, No. 2 mixed, 3.7 c to 38c; oats, No. 2 mixed, 23c to 24c;’rye, No. 2,53 cto 54c. Detroit—Cattle, $2.50 to $4.50; hogs, $3,00 to $4.75; sheep, $2.50 to $3.75; wheat, No. 2,76 cto T7c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 38c to 39c; oats, No. 2 white, 27c to 28c; rye. 51c to 52c. Toledo—Wheat, No. 2 mixed, 74c to 76c; corn, No. 2 mixed, 36c to 37c; oats, No. 2 mixed, 22c to 23c; rye. No. 2,51 c to 52c; clover seed, prime, $6.00 to $6.40, Milwaukee—Wheat. No. 2 northern, 70c to 71c; corn, No. 3,34 cto 35c; oats, No. 2 white, 25c to 26c; rye, No. 1,50 c to 51c; barley, No. 2,59 cto 60c; pork, mess, $10.50 to $11.15. Buffalo—Cattle, choice shipping steers, s3.oo>to $5.40; hogs, fair to prime. $3.00 to $5.15; sheep, fair to choice, $3.00 to $4.00; lambs, common to extra, $4.00 to $5.75. New York —Cattle, $3.25 to $5.40; hogs, $3.00 to $5.40; sheep, $3.00 to $3.90; wheat, No. 2 red, 75c to 76c; corn, No. 2, 44c to 45c; oats, No. 2 white, 31c to 32c; butter, creamery, 24c to 25c; eggs, western, 23c to 24c. THINKS THEY ARE DIAMONDS. Expert Finds Field of Gems Near Alamogordo, New Mexico. A prominent railway official at Alamagordo, N. M., received a box of fifty gems closely resembling and alleged to be diamonds, found near Capitan, the coal camp on the line of the El Paso and Northeastern Railway Company, eighty miles north of there. The stones were found by J. J. Blow, formerly associated with the Deßeers Consolidated Company at Kimberley, South Africa, who has been secretly investigating the field for the last month, and a .letter from him accompanying the shipment says they are either diamonds or something so closely resembling the gem that they deceive him. WOMAN GIVES HIDDEN MONEY. Three Burglars Put Mrs. Albert Kern on Rack in Her Own House. Three burglars subjected Mrs. Albert Kern of Blue Island, 111., to fearful torture before she would reveal the hiding place of SSO, of which they were in search. After she had finally’ submitted to the robbers the woman was bound and gagged and left senseless in her room, where she was found by her husband. The thieves escaped. Mrs. Kern is the wife of a" cigarmaker who is reputed to have saved considerable money and secreted it about the house iu which he lives. Noted Criminal Is Caught. Gustav Kindt, alias French Gus, alias Frank Leroy, alias Felix King, 66 years old, burglar, safe cracker and a most dangerous criminal, whose face is familiar to the police of all the large cities of Canada and the United States, was caught while looting a safe in the w-hole-sale liquor store of John T. Sloaue in Philadelphia.

Father Shot by Son. To save his own life, Arthur Albertsen, 17 years old, shot hud killed his father, Samuel Albertsen, 52 years old, in Chicago. The latter, frenzied from the effects of liquor, previously had attempted to kill his wife with a stove poker in the presence of his nine children. Kill and Eat a Gold Hunter. According to news received from Queensland by the steamer Miowera, blacks are alleged to have killed and eaten a prospector named P. Killane. The police have found the scattered remains and a saddle and rifle which belonged to him. Last of Suicide Club Dead. Gustave Wolf, who is supposed to have been the last member of the Bridgeport, Conn., suicide club, was found dead with a bullet in his brain in the jewelry store of Isaac Brush. Wolf was employed there for years as chief clerk. He was 51 years old and a diamond expert. Toronto Youth Dies In Fire. In a fire which destroyed the store and dwelling of Robert Litbeo, on Queen street, Toronto, bis son Henry was burned to death mid his wife wits so severely injured by jumping from a window that her life is despaired of. Ask Big Sum of China. Two hundred million dollars is the maxiuium sum the powers demand of China as indemnity for the Boxer outrages, yet the claims to be made by natives and individuals are likely to be many times that amount. Married Her Ranch Manager. Miss Grace lloward, daughter of the New York journalist, has been married to Joseph Mesnard, manager of her big stock ranch. They will make their home forty miles west of Chamberlain, 8. D. Under Martial Law. Martial law has been proclaimed in the Dutch districts of Beaufort West and Carnarvon, Cape Colony.

CONFESSES AN OLD MURDER. H. Green Tells of a Crime Committed in Jlichlgan Thirty-five Years Ago. A man named H. Green has surrendered himself to the police in Sacramento, Cal., saying that he and. his brother, John, murdered a man named Bill Feeny at Claire Station, Mich., in 1875. He says they took Feeny out, knocked him in the head, cut his throat and robbed him of S6OO. They then cut a hole in the ice on the lake and threw the body in. Green says he and his brother went to Detroit, enlisted and were sent to Dakota. There he shot and wounded a man named Selby, but was acquitted on the ground of self-defense. He went to Buffalo, re-enlisted, and was sent to New Mexico, where he deserted and returned to Michigan. He committed burglary at Corunnt and was sent to the penitentiary in Jackson for five years. His convict number was. 1902, Green says his brother was the '‘John Morgan” who was killed while the two were trying to hold up a Davisville, Cal. He states that he is willing to pay the penalty for his crimes. OFFICIAL UPHOLDS MOB LAW. Chillicothe City Attorney’s Bold Statement During a Trial. Rev. John W. White, pastor of the Chillicothe, Mo., Free Methodist Church, who was arrested recently charged with assaulting his children, John, aged 14, and Ada, aged 10, was found guilty of assaulting the boy and was fined $lO and costs by Jolice Judge Orr. The case was hotly contested and created not a little feeling. City Attorney Barton said in the course of his speech that if Pastor White should repeat his offense the people of the community would take the law in their own hands and that he (Barton) would indorse their action. This so inflamed some of the preacher’s adherents that they waited on Mayor Hoge with a demand that he request Attorney Barton’s resignation for upholding mob law. The Mayor refused. White has appealed his case to the Circuit Court. MYSTERIOUS CRIME AT A WAKE. South Dakota Man Whose Son Is Dead Is Wounded—Guest Tries Suicide. While several friends were gathered at the house of John Pyplar, near Veblen, S. D., to sit up with the remains of one of his children, Pyplar was found unconscious between the house and the barn with several gashes in his skull. Upon seeing his condition Moses LaFrombois disappeared and a little later was discovered hanging from the limb of a tree near the barn. He was cut down before, life was extinct. Pyplar is in a fair way to recover. LaFrombois is under arrest to await the result of the injuries to Pyplar. BEARS THE MARK OF CAIN. Herbert Romine of Middleport, Ohio, Kills His Brother. Lester Romine died at his home, north of Middleport, Ohio, from the effects of a bullet wound inflicted by his brother, Herbert Romine. Herbert, who was under the influence of liquor, became enraged because his brother snatched his cap from his head, and declared he would shoot if the act was repeated. Thinking his brother was joking, Lester snatched the cap again, whereupon Herbert pulled a revolver and shot Lester just below the heart. Herbert is’ uuder arrest. Murder Is a Mystery. The death of Frank Richardson, a wealthy citizen of Savannah, Mo., a member of the firm of Fife & Richardson, dealers in general merchandise, which resulted from a pistol shot, is shrouded in mystery. It is believed that Richardson was murdered, but there is not the slightest clew to the assassin or his motive. He was shot dead in his home while his wife was waiting for him to accompany her to the theater.

High Mason Is Shot. Mystery shrouds the shooting of William H. Smythe, secretary of the Masonic grand lodge of the State of Indiana, which occurred in Mr. Smythe’s office in Masonic Temple in Indianapolis. Mr. Smythe’s story is that a woman did the shooting, but the police have been unable to find auy trace of her. Famous Firs Under Control. The officials of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company are jubilant over the fact that the fire in the celebrated burning mine at Summit Hill, Pa., which started forty-two years ago, is now under control, ami it is said ‘that the next two years will see its extinguishment. Says Roads Will Unite. It is reliably reported that the Toledo, St. Louis and Western (Clover Leaf), Missouri Pacific, Lima Northern and Ohio Southern railroads are to be consolidated and that the deal will be announced in a few days by the officials. Oberlin College Gets Gift. President Barrows announces that the magnificent hotel property in Lodi, Ohio, known as the Taylor Inn and valued at more than $50,000, has been deeded to Oberlin College as a gift by Mr. and •Mrs. A. B. Taylor ,of Lodi. Holds Up <x s-tagE Coach. An unknown highwayman held up the Hot Springs stage in the mountain near Holy Springs, Ark, and rifled the contents of a private express box. It is thought that the booty was light. Falls for Three Millions. * A. K. Housekeeper of Nagberth, Pa., was discharged as a voluntary bankrupt in the United States District Court, with liabilities of $2,891,093.43 and assets of $25. Trapped by Boers. A sqiHidJtop of yeomanry which bad been following the Boers from Britstown is reported to have been’ entrapped. There were several casualties, it is said, and the remainder of the force was captured.

BIG CENTURY PLANS.

EVERY CHURCH HAS AMBITIOUS PROJECTS. Religions Denominations Asking far ®Methvdists Have Four Movements, the Financial One Being Far Toward Success. With the exception of half a dozen, every religious body in the United States and England has on hand some new century forward scheme., Methodists of England set the pace, and Methodists of the United States brought the idea over the Atlantic. The start was made along finances, and so it has come about that the religious emphasis of the new century observances is, on the whole, monetary rather than spiritual. Smaller religious bodies, and also religious societies, have copied the idea, and there is, at a moderate estimate, $100,000,000 asked by the religious bodies of the United States on the hinge of the advent of a new century. Methodists have no fewer than four new' century movements on hand. The principal of these is the raising of $20,000,000 with which to pay debts on churches, to strengthen charitable efforts, to endow colleges, and to tret p tire-fnnds-for aged ministers. To date almost 'ex' actly $10,000,000 has been subscribed, the largest part for church debts. Churches" in different cities are organizing, some have already done so, and with the advent of the new year they will make combined efforts to raise a fund With which to pay off debts on all churches within the respective city limits. About $3,500,000 has been subscribed for educational purposes, and nearly $1,000,00*1 for philanthropies. In England the Wesleyans have raised practically all of their 1,000,000 guineas.

Among educational institutions the university that has gotten the most to date is the Ohio Wesleyan, and the American at Washington has done next best. Together these institutions have raised over $1,000,000. Methodists have also a mission fund in hand. The Missionary Society will trv to increase its receipts from $1,300,000 a year to $2,000,000. Methodists South seek to raise a fund of $2,000,000, to be employed in a manner similar to the $20,000,000 fund of Methodists North. The general conference in Chicago last summer authorized a spiritual movement, which aims to get 2,000,000 new members as a new century task. It placed Bishop Thoburn at the head of this movement, but his uncertain health throws much of the labor upon others. ‘ Presbyterians Want Money. Presbyterians North and South have financial new century schemes on hand, and the former have a Sunday school membership plan. The moderator of the General Assembly North, the Rev. Dr. Charles A. Dickey of Philadelphia, is spending his entire time in the interest of money raising. Presbyterians seek to pay church debts, provide for local improvements, help the work of the synods, endow’ colleges and mission boards, and Increase offerings for work in China and other foreign fields. There is a Sunday school movement which seeks to get 500,000 children into Presbyterian schools in addition to the 1,000,000 already there. Congregationalists have not entered heartily into a new century scheme either here or in England. The only plan In hand is the raising of $250,000 with which to strengthen the American board. The suggestions made by the Baptists of the North are being adopted by Baptists, white and colored, in the South. These suggestions have a slight 'rtference to money matters. The only reference is to greater system in giving to all denominational benevolences. During the opening week of the new century many Baptist churches will hold all-day prayer meetings, and the fourth Thursday In January will be kept as a day of prater for colleges. On the third Sunday in April Baptist ministers will preach on denominational progress during the century, and at the anniversaries next May one day will be given to speeches on Baptist achievement in all the world.

Two years or more ago Roman Catholics discussed the plan of taking a census of numbers and property throughout the world, with a view of publishing early in the new century the impressive facts or data in mass and so making before the world such a tremendous showing as only the Church of Rome could make, of material and spiritual acievement. The holy year has been observed and the census idea seems to have been forgotten. At any rate the American churches are not yet in the work of taking this census. On the closing night of the century mass was said in all Catholic churches, a dispensation having come from Rome authorizing it at this unusual hour. Episcnpaliant and Lutherans. Episcopalians and Lutherans are not making much of the new century coming. The former will make much of the approaching Lent, not alone in a> religious sense, but also in the Sunday schools. Lent will see more services than ever before, and the children in the named will push their combined offerings for missions beyond the SIOO,OOO limit, a stint which they have hud for several years, but have never yet reached. The new Brotherhood of St. Andrew President is trying to put new life into that organization, and a part of the plan is the holding of a summer instead of an autumn national convention next! year. Lutherans are getting ready to observe with much formality the 400th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther. They talk of founding a Lutheran university as a memorial of the occasion. The date is 1017. Christian Endeavorers take note of the new century by recommending all State conventions during 1001 to hold celebrations and by appointing the Cincinnati convention in July us a time of special rejoicing. Editor Oswald Ottendorfer of New York Staats Zeitung died. He was prominent in politics. In Austria, his native country, he established and endowed several charitable institutions for which the Emperor desired to decorate him. He refused because he was an American citizen. ' There are 300,000 French Canadians, of whom 25,000 are voters, in MaMachusetts. It was discovered that many counterfeit gold pieces are in circulation in Hay th

COMMEPCIAL AND FINANCIAL

New York—During the last week calls have been made by both the Comptroller of the Currency and the State Auditor of Public Accounts for reports of the conditions of the banks under their respective jurisdictions. These are the last official reports of the year, and a careful study of them discloses some interesting facts bearing on the general business situation. Changes in the totals of the principal items are comparatively small, and standing by themselves perhaps would have little significance. But an an* alysis of the statements shows that in the matter of deposits there has been a movement that does not appear on the surface. It will be found that in the active, or commercial accounts, there has been a material reduction, while in the savings accounts there has been a mark; ed increase. The condition of the savings banks is regarded by many students of economies as a pretty correct index of the.-general situation. The growth of ings deposits means a larger employment of labor, which in itself is conclusive proof that general conditions are satisfactory from a business point of view. Chicago—At the close of Friday’s session prices of the various -commodities speculatively dealt in on the Board of Trade .did - not differ mu eh„,fromthose prevailing at the end of the previous week. An’ apathetic feeling pervaded the entire list, and complaints of dull trade were universal, not excepting even the business in corn, although that commodity approached nearer to an appearance of normal activity than any of the others. Reasons for the dullness in speculation on the Board of Trade are various, and not the least of them is the greater but superficial attractiveness of the New York Stock Exchange, where fortunes are being made and lost daily, and while the losers are dumb and gainers talk of their success and bring forth imitators by the hundreds. In comparison with stocks what attraction can such a market as wheat, for instance, have for anyone who does not make of it his daily occupation? May wheat, in which the bulk of the trading is at present being done, had a range for the week of 1% cents a bushel, and whereas its value at the close of the previous week was 73% cents its price at the close of the market Friday was 73% cents. Narrow, however, as are the fluctuations at present in the grain markets, there would unquestionably be much more speculative business in them if the quotations had more prompt and wider dissemination. The grain trade as a field for speculation has the great advantage over the stock market of being an open book that anyone can read who chooses to devote to it the necessary study. In addition it cannot - be controlled or manipulated to any material extent by cliques or coteries of insiders having, as in stocks, a monopoly of the information necessary to an intelligent appreciation of the situation, no such exclusive intelligence of conditions affecting grain markets being possible.

FACTS ABOUT THE CENSUS.

The census of population in New York State reveals iu striking fashion the urban trend of the nation’s growth. The State, as a whole, gained 1,270,159 in population, or 21.01 per cent, in the ten years, which is a greater gain than in most of the Western States, but not so great as the gain in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and other States which are more distinctively manufacturing communities. In New York State, of the total gain of 1,270,159 inhabitants, 974,039 was in the three counties of New York, Kings and Erie, containing Manhattan and Brooklyn Boroughs and the City of Buffalo. These three counties are thus responsible for nearly 80 per cent of the increase, although their total population is barely one-half that of the State. At the present rate of growth Tammany would soon be able to dominate the New York Legislature were it not for the constitutional provision limiting the representation of New York and Brooklyn in that body. Twenty of the counties of the State showed decreases, and these are entirely agricultural-in. their Interests. The counties containing the smallest manufacturing cities showed almost as great increases as those in which the big cities are located. The conditions In Illinois are much the same, the six counties that showed decreases at this census being alfhost entirely agricultural. A Kentucky woman whose husband is entered as “idler,” gave her occupation as “washing and wishing.” The puncher who came across this queer entry remarked that the phrase meant that the woman was washing to support her twelve children and lazy husband and wishing that he would go to work and assist in the maintenance of their numerous offspring. In many as the returns from the Southern States men of means and leisure are entered in the occupation column as ‘‘gentlemeM,’* and in one instance as “rich.” An Invalid in Illinois is given occupation as “laid up,” and a paralytic figures in the same column as "'has fits.” It remained for a Pennsylvania enumerator to record a Gorman, 45 years of age. as “occupation, villain." Whether this was the enumerator’s personal estimate of the man, of whether the German himself gave this unique and suggestive oo cupation, Is not known. Neither is It known whether the villain was entered u “N. G.” or “0. K." In many of the returns from the rural districts of the South a large number of children under 10 years of age are recorded as farm laborers, and under the proper headings it is stated that they are so employed eight months and attend school but two months in each year. Two Southern housewives appear in the occupation column as “does housework” and “minds baby.” • , Geh. Greely, jhief signal officer of the army, has been informed that 200 miles of telegraph land lines have been constructed in the vicinity of the Southern Yukon and Nome. Alaska.