Semi-weekly Express, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 1 June 1897 — Page 2

TEN MURDM A PIUTE

VENGEANCE OF A RENEGADE INDIA* FOR HIS BROTHER'S DEATH. "*.

t~w*.

FORCED TO SLAY HIS BROTHER

Who Had Murdered a White Man— Plans of Revenge Lone Cherl»hed—Hi» Tribe Forced to Purine and Kill Hiin.

Th^ murder in one day by a revengeful Piutl Renegade Of ten lonely miners and teamsters on the Colorado river at El Dorado canon, in the extreme southeastern point of Nevada, has alarmed every solitary dwelled' along- the great riVer and in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Ahvote, the Indiar# who committed the murders, had. no personal quarrel with the men 'whom he ambushed and shot down as he would have shot a mountain lion or a rattlesnake. He was simply cairylnyout a scheme of revenge for the death of his brother eight years ago. He crept up on '"all his victims and shot tfliem with his Winchester. Then he set about seeking safety in the neighboring momitaftis, where he would have been secure from pursuit by white men, and •®here he doubtless counted on making same compromise ^ith his tribe which "vouSd permit him to go into another part off the desert. But the white settlers bllocked his game. They gave his tribe Hie choice between bringing in prompt satisfactory proof of Ahvote's death aaad suffering annihilation. The Indians lmow o't old the white man's temper w&en roused, and they promptly trailed Atrvote and shot the murderer as he was going up a canon on his way to the BKraxitains. The Indian of the desert is not a lovely specimen of his race, and the Piutes of southern Nevada and northern Arizona are about the worst types etf the aborigines on the coast. The band to which Ahvote belonged was also corns pted by renegade Mormons who for 'Various crimes were compelled to seek eateiy in the wilderness along the C'oloi^#do river. It was here that John D. &ee, the leader in the Mountain Meadows xnasasucre. found an asylum and lived tor several years until the long hand of the law reached down into this remote iftglon and made him pay with his life Uie penalty of his crime. These Morahons were haters of their kind because Uhey had no hope of any return to civilisation. They

TAUGHT THE INDIANS

the use of weapons and they also taught Uhepi their vices. So it is no wonder that the'toed men of the Colorado canons are noted for their savagery and debauchery. »Ehe- Piutes of Nevada were a strong ttSbe vtoen the 'Forty-niners came swarmJtjg over Pathfinder Fremont's old trail fbzwHglb Nevada and over the summit of the Sierras where the Central Pacific •frrrqftrug now run. Old Winnemucca, even then in middle life, was their chief. Some his young braves killed a few solitary emigrants and prospectors, but the chief had good, hard sense, and quickly saw the folly of warring with the white men. Fremont told him'of the thousands who would come to dig for *old ind of the money which his people «©rtld male* by furnishing to the emi-

EDWittcca

ts food and horses and acting as gxtiAes across the mountains. So made a treaty of peace •With ffr© whites which he kept religiously. HSs tribe kept it also, for what Winxrenm&CAfSaid was law to the whole Piute TULtiftn, that spread over into California, j£rizo«a*anid New Mexico. Even the renegades who went into the canons that ftftrjge ttofl Mojave and Colorado deserts {du,rid it wise to heed his edicts, for he had an ugly way of sending out small ind well-armed expeditions to punish those who defied him. They generally returned with the heads of the offenders a-s evidence that they had hot failed in their mission. The old chief was further boun4,.-tQ

whites by his daughter,

Sarah* winnemucca, who became noted at th* east as a lecturer on the rignts of the Indian. She was a woman of rare intelligence and much personal magnetism, and she had a warm friend and partisan in Miss Peabody of Boston. Saiah wrote several books, and she did much to help her tribe. About ten years ago Winnemucca died, and the chieftainship went to Natchez, his oldest son. Natchez lacked his father's force and proved unable to

RULE THE RENEGADES

in southern Nevada. Several times durders were committed, but the white settlors ere too few in number to successfully •erifofce' punishment. Finally, about eigjifyfears' ago, good strikes were made in this remote corner of Nevada and a large '•humbetr' of prospectors came in. MH1S were *lso started to reduce ox-e. Ahvote, the -Indian who has just left a Woody trail ^.Ijong the Colorado river, was the^'ia youijg man ot 22 years, a fair (•pepinien of the Piute of the border of the desert. He was above the averag§ height, but he looked short because of the great breadth of his chest and his immensely muscular arms and legs. Probably He would have remained an average Indian had it not been for the crime of h1« brother, who for some reason shot down -the mail carrier near I?1 Dorado Canon. The murder wafc wanton, and the jjet-tlers ordered the tribe to kill the murderer. Ahvote, as the nearest relative, was delegated to do the killing'. According to Indian ethics he would have had no compunctions had his brother shot one of his own tribe, but it stirred liis gall to take his brother's life for the sake of a hated white man. So he returned with the ear and fingers of his brother. The whites refused to accept these-objects as proof, and Ahvote. to save his tribe from white vengeance, went again into the desert, and this time returned with the bloody head of his brother, which he sullenly turned out of a gunny sack before the leaders of his tribe and the white men who had been called to witness his return. It was said at the time that Ahvote swore an oath that one day the whites should pay dearly for this sacrifice of his brother's life. .But no attention was given to his threats. It was noticed, however, that he no longer mingled in the Indian games. He built himself a hut in the mountains 'and went to the settlement only occasionally for bacon, beans and coffee." He was a good hunter, and he. also prospected in the mountains. His tribesmen' said he wouldn't talk with I hem any more than with the whites. He was sullen when met on the trails or pn the river: but no one ever gave a Ihoyght to him. He was simply

A MOROSE INDIAN

who had a fondness for a hermit's life. F.vents of the last Tew days show that the Indian recluse was brooding all these vears over his wrongs and watching for an opportunity to redress them in blood. How many of the solitary prospectors who have been missed from time to time in these years fell before Ahvote's rifle will.fBever be known. But It Is certain that his brooding, smoldering hate was fanned into a fierce flame last February by the "murder of two prospectors near his home by Mouse, a renegade, with •whtfm Ahvote sometimes talked. Mouse escaped over the mountains into southwestern Nevada and has thus far eluded pursuit. "Wednesday. May 12. Ahvote. having evidently made up his mind to emulate Mouse's exploit,, left his cabin hi the mountains and started .for the settlement. That he still retained hts savage cunning and self-control was proved bi'lSP

fact thtlt the

1^lloe

wa^fcyohn. Huse's cabin. John had compaSl1 at breakfast, and both he and his friend had their Winchesters withih eufey rr&ch. Ahvot? took a survey of the outfit ana concluded not to begin operations ulLtil he found some victim without arms. •rife two men, being veteran prospectors.. wire constantly on the alert, and they., g-fcre the Indian no chance to get thjv drop on them. So he begged for breaksfast and then ate it. Then he set off on' a lope toward the cabin of Chris Neilson.* about a half mile away. Neilson was at5 wfrk in front of his cabin when the In— crawled up on" him and shot him t£irf»h the back. The wounded man.

tried to reach hi* cabin, but death cam® as he dragged himself across the doorway. Up the canon rushed Ahvote, mad with the thirst for blood. Two. victims he found in the road—unarmed teamsters. 'Lars Fansden. who was driving a big team loaded with ore, came along .first and fell from his .'Beat with' three ballets in his body. .His companion, Jones, on the team behind, had po warning of Lars' fate, and he1, too, was.hit-by two rifle balls and fell into the dusty road under his team. The.Piute, having now scored three victims, went back to the river. He unfastened all the boats, so that no one could pursue hijjv by water or give the alarta. Then he.started down the river to the Marie catnip: -.There he surprised Charles MonaghanJh his cabin. The miner had been working on a night shift and was sleeping soundly in his bunk when the Piute crept Jip to the open window and shot the helpless man through the neck, killing him instantly.

Near by, at the Gold Bug mill, which is now shut down, old Judge J. M. Morton" was in charge of the work as a sort of watchman. Morton was in his cabin when the Piute appeared, and, though shot through the back, he lived for two days. These are -all the victims of Ahvote that have been found thus far but five oiher men are missing, and there are grave fear's that they fell before his rifle. The first warning of Ahvote's work came from Superintendent Graey at the Marie cyamp, He found the dead teamsters tn^ the road and .followed Ahvote's trail for some distance.Then he sent out men to warn miners. In an hour a large

GANG OF ARMED MEN5

had been gathered. They ju'mped to the conclusion that the whole band of renegade Piutes* were on the warpath but this was soon found to be false, as the Indians were' discovered in complete ignorance of any crime. Finally, when Judge Morton was discovered, he solved the mystery. The Indians were promptly notified that if they valued their lives and the lives of their squaws and pappooses they must get out and hustle on Ahvote's trail and bring in proo'f of his death. They were sullen at first, and held a big pow-wow, but the impatient whites warned them to make haste, and they soon saw it was useless to temporize. So they selected their best trailers, among them was Ahvote's cousin, his nearest relative in the band. It .was understood that he was to do the work of execution if they overtook the murderer alive. These Indians are the greatest "trailers in the world, their instinct being as keen and sure as txiat of a bloodhoifnd. They took along several white men to bear witness to their good faith. They took up the trail of the fugitive, and followed it through canons and over hills down to Cottonwood Island, which. is thirty miles from El Dorado, and which Ahvtfte had reached by a stolen boat. From that island the way would have been clear to reach the mainland and travel by little used trails to the wooded mountains seventy miles away, where he could have defied pursuit from all but the most skilful Indian trailers. From the rocky fortresses of these mountains he could have picked off his pursuers one by one, and thus ultimately gained an asylum in the Inyo or Mono counties. But the pursuit was more rapid than he anticipated, and the trailers came tipon him when he had no suspicion that he was followed. Ahvots's cousin shot the murderer as he was laboriously climbing a hooded canon to reach the other side of the island. The body was brought down to the bank of the Colorado river, where it was identified by {he white men. Then the Indians built a pyre of the driftwood that thickly lined the shore and burned the body, performing the rites of their tribe. This ends all reprisals upon the tribe for Ahvote's deed, but a posse is now out in the hills after Mouse, the Indian who

KILLED TWO WHITE MEN last February, and whose crime set Ahvote off on his murdering expedition. The Piutes, to whom Ahvote belonged, are the same tribe that committed the murder of a Chinaman at Brldgepo/t, Mono county, about four years ago. The Chinaman was suspected of killing" a Piute and pickling his Aesh. It "was even asserted he used some of the Indian's body to furnish a feast at his restaurant, in which Piutes took part. The Chinaman was tried, but ho evidence was producied to bear out the allegations of the Indians, and the prisoner was discharged. In court were several Indians and outside were fully .a hundred braves, well armed. The poor Celestial, in fear of his life, begged the sheriff to lock him up in jail until the Piutes should leave town, but the sheriff refused. All the cou#t officers knew of the man's danger, but they failed to lift a.Jiand. The Chinaman, in fear and trembling, went out of the court. He had not got out of the courtyard when the Indians seized him. Despite his cries and screams for help, he was rushed to the outskirts of the town. The Indians took him into the chaparral. They charged him with the murder and told him he must die. He "begged for life, but while he was on his knees an Indian cut off one arm with a cleun stroke of a sharp hatcnet. Another used his bowie knife and lopped off the other arm. Then they slit his face, clipped off his ears and nose, and finally cut off his mutilated head and slit open his stomach. Then they played football wiih the head of their victim. Nothing was ever done to punish this outbreak of savagery. Down on the Colorado no old miner ever trusts a Piute.- All the veteran, prospectors look upon the Indians as the settlers in Australia regard the natives or the South African colonists watch the Kaffirs. Gratitude i^ not in the Piutes. They are as apt to kill a benefactor as an enemy. They are great beggars, but even the man who gives liberally to them must pay the full rate of wages if they do any work for him. They are lazy, and only work when they need food or ammunition, or whisky and tobacco. #..

SISTER'S BABY.

I s'pose I'll have to see the thin% Aw—ma she makes me sick The way she carries on and talks— And brother Sam '11 stick For half a dav around the house— The worst I ever saw— He struts around and acts a fool If some one calls him "pa." I heard the baby cry to-day. Such howls you never heard. 'Taint even got a decent voice But they dotVt say a word. If I'd let out such squawks as that r« cmswl vnU hpt stop that

XI I lt*l UUL wuvii I'd catch it good, you betMa'd say. "Now, Tommy, noise"— And what a spank I'd get.

Sam says that I'm an uncle now. 1 don't believe it though— Cause uncles all are grown up men, He thinks that I don't know. He thinks because he is a "pa, He'll fool me good that way. But he can't catch me with that talk, No matter what he'll say. Ma savs the baby looks like Sue, And pa and her agree. Sam says that when it cries and kicks He thinks it looks like me. Oh, but he thinks he awful smart He thinks he's funny, too. But when they bring that baby out I'll run—that's what I'll do. But sister Sue's been awful good When I was sick In bed: She stayed right by me day and night Or else I might be dead. She might f^el bad if I was mean And Sue ain't mean—no. sir, I s'pose I'll have to see the thing, I guess I will—fer her. .*

A Warship on Paper.

A man-of-war is built upon paper before a single plate of steel is forged. Not only are the length and breadth of a ship decided upon in4 advance, but the naval constructor will tell you to an ounce how much water sh^ will displace when her armour ivnd guns are placed upon her, how manv limes her propellers will revolve in a minute with a given pressure of steam, and how many tons of coal an ho»" must be consumed to drive her at a certain r.ate of speed.

Mrsu Langtry has decided to try divorce on the Americnn plan as an antidote f«r jnarr»a*» -u the ASurauean ulaa.

i" i"

iVc}

TEBRE HAUTE EXPRESS, TUESDAY, MOBNIHO, JUNE 1, 1897.

STORY OF SPICER MM

DETAILS OF THE HORRIBLE BUTCHERY AS TOLD Bif HOLY TRACK.

TOBK OF TQDHG INDIAN FIEHBS

The Adults Disposed of the Yoanf, Murderers Beat Out the Brains of the Babies With Chair Runs.

There have been many stories published of the circumstances surrounding the cold-blooded jnurder of aix members of the Spicer family near Winona, N. D., last February, but all of them that have been so far printed have been fragmentary and incomplete. A correspondent secured a copy of the evidence given at the preliminary examination of the five murderers at WilliamspOrt, a few days ago, and is enabled to give the ^xact recital Of the young Indian Holy 'track, who tnade a complete confession of the crime.. The opening of the story related, to the personalities of the men who were concerned in the murder. All of them are old residents at the agency. Holy Track testifies that he hai' lived there thirteen, years, and that he' has known the other four men, whb assisted lfc the murders, for twelve! Thai milder was first plotted between him and prank

F1UIIBU

in Wfilv TVar-lr

of February 11. On the following Saturday Holy Track states that he met Alex Coudot, another of the murderers, at the agency. Of this he said in his statement at the examination: "Alex wanted to see me and we went down under the hill fronv.thete. Al^x then asked me if Frank had ever said anything to me. I asked him what about?* He said: 'Oh, about anything.* I said 'yes,' and Alex asked me what I thought about it, and Isaid I* would do anything. About that time Georjye Defender came there. He asked Coiidot if I was satisfied, and Coudot said yes. Defender was laughing at me and said I. woujd not kill a cross dog.. I told Defender to shut up, a.njl. that he would see me do it all. We .then went on to decide what family ,we would kill. We talked of one man's house, but Defender said that there were iqen working there and it would not do to try it. Defender then asked about the hous6 this side of Winona (the Spicer place). I told bUn there was one old man there and two. women. He asked me if they, had money, and I said they had. Then -he said it was all right—that that was the place."

Thus the murder and the victims were agreed upon. But while the plan for the killing was maturing in the minds-of the plotters. Coudot became suspicions that the crime would iriure to the sole benefit of Black Hawk, and that he would reap all the financial benefit, as he had not infrequently cheated the other men out of the proceeds of different Crimes. So he proposed that they do the killing before Black Hawk was ready, and steal a march on him. Holy Track says of this: "Alex told me that In a few days Black Hawlt would' be dow.n and that if he was in it he w.opld,, get all the money. So he told me to come to his Souse in thb iriornin$"and"

,r'*"

BRING ^MY 'GUN,

and that Defender Would be -there and that in the afternoon they'would go over to Spicers."

Then comes the harrowing part of the recital—the tale of the brutal murder of six unsuspecting persons by these fiends who had so deliberately plotted to take their lives for what little money might be found about the premises. The murderers met as agfeed upon, and rode to the Spicer place. They. went, to the stable and left the gun there and then went into the house. Coudot addressed Holy Hawk in Indian and, «sked how many persons were in the houses and after being informed, told him. to stay there until he took the horses down into the timber, and that then he •would come back and help to kill the family. Then Holy Track says in his confession: a-. "Mrs. Spicer, after they had gone, said: 'They are awful drunk, aren't they?' andc I said yes, I think they are. She wantedto know what they wanted, and I saidt they wanted something to.eat. She said: 'If yott had told me that I would have, given them their dinner.' Spicer then, went out of the house to the stable a^d, Philip and I went with him. We werel there quite a long time before Coudot and Defender came back. The old man was hauling out manure. Defender, Coudot and myself were inside and when^ Spicer would go out with a load, we would go behind the barn door and drink Finally, when he went out with a load, Alex told me to shoot1 -and I told him I couldn't do it. Then he told George to shoot and he said he could not do it. We wanted Coudot to shoot and he wouldn't do it. Then I told thefn.to &ive me the gun, that I could do it, a,hd. the next time he started out with the manure I shot him. When I shot, Philip Started to run away and then came back again. Defender picked up the pifchfork aild stabbed him. Philip came in the stable then and

COUDOT GAVE HIM

the shovel and -told -hhn- to hit, him, and he did. I told PllMlp to load up the gun again, and I went behind the door an.d took another drink. After they all came back in the stable again, Defender wanted Philip to go up and bring Mrs. Spicer down. He would not do it, and so I went. When I went up to (the house told her that her man wanted her. ,She wanted to know if the -Iddians hsid cojne to buy a horse, and I said yes. She said that whoever would pay $"5. for the horse could have it, and I told her they would give her more than that. When w-e got close to the stable I ran in and told Defender to shoot. He said he couldn't,and I took the gun and pushed him out of the way. and just as she got a little in the door I shot her-*I think about here (witness, indicated hhs neck and throat). I cannot say exactly,»as I dldn take any aim. When I shot her and she fell, Philip went and stabbed, her with the fork and Defender hit. her with a shovel, and Coudot hit her .with an axe. We then came out of the stablie and dran|t two bottles of whisky, and then we no-* ticed the blood about the dead people and told Philip to cover it up: While av© were doing this a man drove past'in a sleigh. After he had gone Coudot said*. 'Let us get some clubs -and go up to thp house.' Alex picked up the axe. and Defender a cottonwood club. When w.e were going in heard the women crying. I had a stovewood stick and threw i^ awav, and picked up a branding iroh.^ When I got into the house Coudot wa^ lying down

ON THE FLOOR

near the cellar door. While he was down on the floor he dropped the axe. and I dropped the branding iron and picked up the axe. The young woman (Mrs. Rouse) standing close to the door when 1 went up to strike her. and I-struck over the' door with the axe. Afttr striking the' door I low.?«'ed the axe and started to in. and the young woman met me and struck me over the h^ifl with, the hoe. When she struck me tjre blood ran down in my eyes and I dropped the axe and went out toward the door. When I dropped the axe Coudot took it 413d went

into the Other room. I saw Philip striking the? old l£dy (Mrs. Waldron). He knocked her down. I wiped the blood off of my face and went in again. I had picked up the branding iron and the your# lady was still' standing in the room. I hit her twice with-the branding Iron. George had already killed one of the babies. After they were all killed we Mirtted, but did not fled any money ahdjA^1^ began to take.the clothing."

This, was the statement made by the youiif Indian ©ri the withess stand. He* was farther questioned as to detail and said that Defender had killed the'babies with" We leg of the table. When Coudot firs#'fcntered-the house—he'was the first to enter—he was met by Mrs. Rouse,,who straqj* him in the breast with the butt, of jEtggun that was standing near and floojje#, him, ..but she was finally overcome, by the-superior number of her adversaries.. -After the murder the Indians went tq,.the river and crossed back to the "agency on the ice. They drank, according to Holy Track's story, seven bottles of whisky while at the Spicer place and during the timfe they were committing the, murders. Black Hawk is a half-breed negro,? and* Indian. He had a bad reputation and has served a, term, in the -penitentiary He is,, however, fairly well edwcateS, and-a far more intelligent man than would be,.tbou$ht

FROM A GpAtfCE

at his picture.Sle. weighs pounds and remarked.to the officers in speak-

ihg of the possibilities of punishment for

Black Hawk and the occasion was upon 'the fcrfme^ thit they would have to tie a ttrip

tn WlnOtia after

wpio'ht tn

a of Holy Track to, Winona after whisky. This is the way.-, he tells, the story in his confession as it appears from the transcript of the evidence1: "On the way over I met Frank Bladk Hawk in the timber. Fifank asked me what I was going after and 1- tolu him Wliat was glMUg aitw B11U f". -".V""-—-whisky. When I told Frank thj»-'h» did* stimff,} and h&s not the merit of not say anything, but afterward*.'fcre saftd:: -.wiping

weight' to his feet to break' his neck if he Wats hanged. He is a dangereus man, find dne that no une- would care to offend, as he is vindictive and a fighter. Coudot is a French and Indian halfbreed, rather tall and slim, and a complete craven. He 4s treacherous by inr

vto

'There are lots of cattle here a-nd« fanisdeedj? when' found out. He has alwill steal some that are not branded aiij| ready,, attempted suicide, and would do get-the money for. them.' Frank then,, anythfrig to'save his own neck at the

..a.

said to me: 'Xre you a man?' I said I was, and then he said 'Why not go to somebody's house, where there are only two or three persons, and kill them and get their money?' I said all right, and then he gave me a bottle of whisky, and I went home."

This appears to have been the flret time the murder was broached betwfeen these two. This was on

THE MORNING

suffer, Jhe consequences of

mnWO bbM men TTaIv TfflPlt'

expense of the" other men. Holy Track Is a full-blooded Ihdlftn, about five feet ten Miches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He is an athlete and possessed of a brute courage that made him the leader in the actual-killing of the. Spicer family. His face ia expressionless, except for an occasional smile when spoken to. He is willing to hang for the crime, and says the sopner. he .is punished the better it will suit him. Defender is about 25 years of age arid also a full blood: He is probably six feet tall and very Slender. He hafe an intelligent face, and is a brighter m^n^ intellectually than either of the 'othdr full bloods. He is married and has a -Wife* on the reservation. He chafes under confinement and protests his innocence. Ireland is a mere boy and is probably the least guilty of the, five men.

Hi? is small, standing about five feet five ingfces in height, and is correspondingly slight. His "coniplexion is light and his face devoid of intelligence. He does not rekllz^ the position he is in, and has no adequate conception of the terrible crime for which he is in part respofislble. If any One of the participants in the murder escapes hanging,, he- will probably be the one.

BASS-FISHER BEATS THE RECORD. .bt r-, tTnfile Joe Irwin,-, of, Kansas City. Proud n«. of a Recent Achievement*

Uncle Joe Irwin, the Nestor of western fishermen of IJansas City, Mo., has crowned his sixty.- years of experience With the hook And line by,landing the largest black bass ever taken out of a stream in that part of the country In'-a legitimate" way^that is, with reel and rod. The finny wanderer taftasured nineteen inches in length, seven inches in width, and it is said by. those who viewed him before he found his way into the fry*ing pan that'he was "unusually thick."

Like all good fish, his weight was elastic

1—he

was weighed on a sliding scale. Some eye- witnesses put his total avoirdupois at Ave pounds, while others are morally certain that it was seven pounds. The^other, day Uncle Joe Irwin and Captain' Stout went out to Faiirmount park, in that city," for a "quiet hour with the pblfe arid" line.'Cafi'fiMii Bfout was mowing th'e boat slowly near the Shortf. '"Utifcie Joe had set one line and was just baiting another with a squirmy minnow when there was a sudden rush of something through the water. The anglers soon, discovered that the creators of the disturbance, were, two very large fish which had been nosing around the bank—"riiaking their ries.t"—as Uncle Joe says. The old fisherman cast a line in the direction they had taken and in'a few seconds he had his hands full "of .business. He says that in all his experience of sixty years £s an angler, in nearly all of the western streams, he nc ver saw a more,game fish. For twelve minutes there was as pretty a light as any sportsman could desire. ^{ie'captive leaped?'Parted, plunged ind pulled until the calm Surface of the water had the appearance of -an immense tilfe of soda water, but'It availed him not. Wftien the fish was well tired Uncle Joe, skillfully played him alongside the boat aiyl Captain Stout lifted him into the be$it. "I have caught hundreds of black bass." says Uncle Joe, "and I have seen hundreds more caught by others, but in all mV experience as a fisherman I have n'SVe^'seen one comparing with that one in size, weight and courage."

.»

REMARKABLE CHtJftCHESi

They are Cut Out at Solid Rook and Took In A.-iti Years to Build. Marvelous churches cut out of the solid rock may be seen both in Abyssinia and India, There are six such churches in the City of Lalibela, in Abyssinia, which took twenty-three years to complete. These very remarkable churches were cut out

rin

the twelfth century in the re

gion of Lalibela (after whom the city was nam6d) by five hundred workmen, un4er the superintendence of an Egyptian summoned to the country for that purpose. The rock churches or temples near Efe'mbay' Required the labor of forty thodsa'nd m&n for forty years to complete. One of the most remarkable rock churches is that in the City of Karli, in iHdia, which is regarded as one of thewonders ,of, Asia. '-Before its entrance stands an immense stone elephant, upon whose back is seated a colossal goddess. The nav^ ii: 124 feet,long, 45 feet broad, and 46 feet'frvm floor to celling. There are' aisles"'on Uach side separated from the nave by octagonal piUaie. The capital of each pillar is crossed by two kneeling elephants on whose backs are seated figures of the divinities to whom the church'is dedicated. There are thirty eight columns and pillars, the grandest of which- is the lion pillar with its sixtge'n carved asides. -The whole is cut out of the solid roctf. At Knaresborough there is a chapel cut out of solid rock (also the seats), and this is said to be the only one to be seen in this cbuntry.

Didn't Know This Coin.

A captain in a regiment stationed, in Natal, when payipg his company one day, chanced to glyc a man a Trans\aal half.crown'.'whlcli.' as one would naturally, expect. bears

,vtiie

Infage ahd superscrip

tion" of President Kruger. T*tie maft brought it oaok to the navtable and said to the captain: '''PleaSer^tr you're fciven me a bad7 half-crown."

4 3

Thet officer^took.^the cojn^and, without lookin#- at it* .cutis it on the table, and then remarked: Wk 4. "It sounds all right, Bagster. What 'wrong with it?" rV:':: 1 '"Ydu look at It, sir," was the reply.

The captain glanced at the coin, say-

"It's all right, man it will pasS-'lri the {canteen." This apparently satisfied Bagster, who walked"off, making the remark: "If vou SHV It's right, sir, it a a .right: but it's the first time I've .seed the, Queen wV whiskers o»-"

The Washington Post ha$ discovered that "a few shirt-wasted girls do not make a summer." but tho'. easilv ke&u M. divorce court bus»- .. t» *4 ?js!!v^'1"

THE WORLD'S LARGEST NET

NINE THOUSAND SHAD AND 350,080 HERRING AT ONE HAUL

OPERATED IN POTOIAC RIVER

A Little Way Below Washington— Its Bliles of Rope Wonnd tn by SteamNear! jr Two Miles of Net.

A short distance from Washington on the Potomac river, is operated the largest seine in American waters, and probably in the world. The fishing grounds are located at Stony Point, Va., nearly opposite Indian Head,, about twenty-two, miles below Washington, the river at this point being one and three-quarter miles wide. The seine is owned by Capt, William Neitzey and used only during the shad and herring season, or nine or ten weeks each spring, beginning about the middle of March. Although this seine has been hauled on this shdre year after year for nearly a third of a century few people, except tfioste directly interested, are aware of its siz^&nd importance. The length of the seine is 1,000 fathoms, or 9,600 feet, 960 feet less than two miles long. Attached to each fnd are large, heavy, ropes leading to the. shore, one rope being 8,100 feet long arid, the other 9,6(10 feet long, a combined length of seine and rope of 37,000 feet,. or considerably over five miles. It .is a riove| and Interesting sight to witness the haMhij? of the seine, and to observe the ^skilful irianipulations wiych result Jn the capture of immense quantities of fish. The living quarters of the men consist of two long, narrdw buildings, one occupied by the officers Cttfc^he other by the crew, the total num-

SttUftily employed being seventy or seventy^srs^. nen. The only other building on the grounds is the engine shed, situated on the shore, nearly threefourths of a mile south of the main buildings. This shed contains two engines, one known as the "land" and the other as |he "boat" engine, which pull tn. the "land" and "boat" ends of the seine, respectively. They deveflop twelve-hprse power, and were constructed expressly for this purpose. Two hauls of the seine are made every twenty-four hours—on each ebb tide—regardless of the weather. When the tide is highest the exact time is nqtedi and the water allowed to run out about an hour before preparations for the haul are begun. All hands are then called out the seine crew embarks^

IN SEVERAL ROWBOATfe

for the large seine boat, which is anchored a short distance offshore opposite the main buildings other men proceed in a number of smaller boats to various point3 in the seine berth to meet the big boat as it comes around while still another boat containing a large stack of rope, one end of which is connected with' the engine", three-fourths of a mile distant, make's "off in'the direction'of thte seine boat, paying out the rope as it goes. A few minutes afterward the captain of the setae crew is on board, and the boat, after lifting anchor,, proceeds northward, almost parallel with, the shore. The seine boat is 70 feet, long and about 12 feet beam. It is propelled with'oars, having beats for twenty-four oarsmen,, twelve on each .side. Continued practice has made the, crew expert rowers, the oars rising and falling with uniform regularity, and the click of the oarlocks sounding in unison'.' An extra man in the bow, the captain and the seine attendant complete the boat's crew, in all twenty-seven men The captain stands with his back to the seine, facing the men and directing their movements, as well as steering ,the boat. The seine is pil£d in the stern and occupies perhaps, one-jihird .the length of the boat. Its width or depth is accommodated to the depth of the water, ranging from twelve to thirty-eight feet deep, the lead line being supposed to always rest on the bottom. The cork floats, of course, hold the top line on the surface of the water. On nearing the upper edge of the berth, the seine is first let overboard, running oyer an iron roller at the stern. This is called the "land" end of the seine, arid to it is attached the rope brought out in the boat before mentioned, which reaches to the engine, now over one and a half miles away. This rope is 8,100 feet in length. The "land" engine immediately begins to haul in on this line as soon as the seine is thrown out, but its movement is very slow compared with the speed of the boat. The boat is now turned to ,the cast, making for the channel. The centre of the seine Is Indicated by a large can buoy. Th$ channel being reached

THE BOAT IS DIRECTED

down the riveruntil -all th6 1,600 fathoms have run out, the seine being'laid out in the' form: of a semicircle and the ends being ,at least a, mi}e apart. This end of the seine is called the "boat',', end. An enormous coll of rope which has been lyr, ing under the seine is now disclosed oh the bottom of the bofet, one end of which is fastened to the seine and follows it out over the roller. This rope is to connect the boat end of the seine with the engine, and is 9,900 feet long, or nearly two miles. The boat i3 now headed for the engine shed, which is but dimly discernible at such a distance, paying out the rope as it goes. Large wooden keg buoys serve to keep the heavy rope near the surface .of the water. When the engines,are "reached the crew are landed, the rope is taken by the "boat", engine, and hauling in on this end begun, the ropes running around grooved wheels to prevent them from slipping. The process of laying out occupies an hour and a half. The five miles of rope and seine are now in the water, but, of coirfse, the fish which are within the circle have not' as yet felt any restraint imposed upon their freedom. and they do not discover their danger until it is too late to escape from it.

The small boats, six or seven in number, which meet the seine boat at various points, in th? bertb can be seen very slowly rowing toward the land they are following the .seine, and are known as the "lookout boats." so called because It is the duty of'the' occupants to look out for vessels and tffevent th«n from running over the rieV,- as well As to look after the seine generally. In about half an hour the land ropo is all In, followed half an hour later by the boat rope, thus leaving nothing in the water but the seine. At this point several coils of rope, which have been piled on the shore, are loaded into rowboats, one end remaining with the engine arid the other taken out and hooked ihto the first "becket:" the "beckets" of which there are twenty-two on the seine placed about 440 feet apart are large wooden floats, two ropes

ABOUT THIRTY FEET LONG leading from each, one to the cork and the other to the lead line, each "becket" being provided with a ring Into the ring of the first "becket" is hooked the rone now brought out. The engine then pulls on this line, and when it is in another coil is sent out and hooked into the next "becket," and so on Two gangs of men receive each end of the seine as it comes in remaining in the water until the haul is ended* ea£h gang b$ing commanded by a captain This part oj .the work requires great physical endurance. When only about 1,700 fct of the.lsein^ Still remains in th& watef both 'edging are stopiied, the rest of'the haufihg b'cing done* by the mtto themselves?. By this time the'tid4 has tarried the' seine downu itftitil' the back ot "bBnt" has swung beloasnhe men so that' thev have to pull against the tide. A few hundred herring are found gilled in the meshes, and this is the only indicatlon thus far that any fish have been inclosed in the net which has swept such a tremendous expanse of water. The two gangs of men. which are about 100 yards apart, now begin to move slowly toward eneh other, palling in as tluy go. This Is continued until they have approached within fifty feet of each other, by wh'ch time the w'ator within the constantly narrowing limits inclosed by the seine fairlv glistens with the silvery tlifs and tails of the captured fish, which arc frantlcallv endeavoring to- cntape. A m'an follows tin- back erf the seine, beating the Wat** with an o*r to frighten the.

fifth toward the oeatr* to ririMro th# j-, pressure against th« net. then are now working with the Mia*. Sfoe ihtttx in which those nearest the snore ai-a standing is about knee, deep, ir&Ue thXse furthest out are up alwre tttelf waUvtyb. At this juncture a nemw of b$Hrjl planks are placed end to end is ^be Wi reaching from one side of th*" 0® between the laen to tjua otfefr, tfee of the boards extending several JBcbeS above the jsurfaca. This effectually CtogWi every possible avenue of eso^pe fljf the fish. The seine is now'gradually -titled past the ends of the boards, the iBq^tilure in which the fish Are held*Atxla •naajjfar and smaller, vmtil the lenifthr of the c*rj£ line still,in the watjer^ai^fc c*rr^£o#ds, with the length, of tha .bpard line-rl. e., or 60 feet—when the moment fdr the final manoeuvres has- arrived." The' lead ltne is now moved slowly toward the beards until it touches the bottom of them. It is tl^eu carefully secured by the men, aild at a signal^from the captain raised crat of the water. The scene" ifhieh #efiew» almost defies description. The fish are all retained between the cork aad -lead lines, this being

THE WIDEST PART

of the seine, the middle, of ceutag, resting on the bottom, the men holding up the sides or walls of the net, standing so close as to almost touch each oilier. The water," which is about waiyt deep, is churned into foam by the theofands

an'

vof

struggling fish held in this'.comparatively small iriclosure, not over1 sbrty feet Jotig by twenty feet widp an,d it wonld seem that surely the climax of aifinvai tcmi.ty had been'reached- Nearly everyfbhy aftpears to, be herring, but oocasionaUy larger fiab are seen plunging .through the mass these are shad. A large lighter is now brought, alongside the net, and

¥tthe.

cork line thrown over the rail. Foyr or five men with short dip nets get inside the circle, ar\d, standing in the seething mass of struggling' fish, commence to shovel them into the scow. The flstr beat a merry tattoo on the bottom of the boat ae they are thrown in. Soon, however, the bottom is covercd and the pile ragpidfy deepens. The fish on top are all flopping vigorously, displaying a scene ofrthe.most Intense activity, and bewilderinff the efyfl to look upon it. The incessant patter^pi such a multitude, of fish in their explri^j movements is unlike any other sound eve* heard. The shad are separated from thl herring, counted arid put in a conjpvti ment to themselves, many of t'nem bein^ splendid specimens. At the haul of wfcicli this is a particular description nearly 100,« 000 herring were taken, and over 500 shad,' representing an-aggregate weight of atjout 42,000 pounds, which tested the earning .capacity of the lighter. As to the herring .this was considered a good h*ul, being above the average, while as to tha shad it was somewhat below the average.. The largest number of shad ev%r taken with this seine at a single haul was 9,000 and of herring about 850,M0. Within a few minutes after the lighter was loaded the tug having It in tow was steaming toward Washington, and the haul of the largest seine in the world,"so far as is known, was ended, the wiysla time consumed from commencement" to finish being six hours.

REGULATING CLOCKS BY A STAR. .,,

Novices Need Not Be at a Lost for thf Time When the Sky is Clear. When some .crank makes the 'NJIsqov* ery". that.the points' of the compass^®U be. approximately determined by looStojj at the sun and using a ^atch to show^tt| divisions of the plane, it is apt to^'go fif* rounds of the press as sorftething.veey pe* culiar. If this discoverer were sufficiently conversant with the principles of riavftra? tion to note for the public benefit thai the running of a watch or clock masTbt regulated by observing a star, fhey might confer some practical benefit. This is a very simple thing to do, and might be of great use in a country place where"accurate time is not always obtainable, but all that is necessary is a fixed location on the earth's surface and any old thing in the way of a timepiece. Choose a south window from which any other fixed point comparatively near and high, such as a chimney, side of a building, etc., may be seen. To the side of a window fasteA a piece of card having a small hole III-It so that by looking through the hole with one eye toward the edge of the elevated object, some fixed star may be seen. Watch the progress of the star and th» instant it vanishes behind the fixed point the observer must note the exact time it disappears. Watch the same star the following night and it will vanish behihd the same object just three minutes and fifty-six seconds sooner. If the timeplec« marks 9 o'clock when the star disappears one night, it should indicate three, minutes arid fifty-six seconds less than 9 the' following night. If several cloudy nights follow-the first observation of the star It is only necessary to multiply three minutes and fifty-six seconds'by the number of days and deduct the product Jrom clock time to iind the time the star, will pass. Of course the same star can b: h' be observed during the few weeks, ffir as it gains nearly an hour in a fortnight it will, in a short time, come to the meridian in broad daylight and become invisible. To make sure the observer is watching a star instead of a planet, he should notice that stars twinkle, whereas planets give a steady light because reflected, and if he wishes further assurance he may observe that all fixed stars appear to maintain the same relative position with regard to each other, most noticeable with the different stars in the constellations, whereas a planet changes its place with regard to the other stars This method of verifying time is easier and more reliable than a shadow on a sundial. In the famous observatory at Greenwich, England, from which longitude is counted, the clock by which chronometers are set regulated In just about this manner, but over 206 of the fixed stars are observed. The observations are taken with a telescope, across the centcr of which is the line of a spider's web to mark the meridl-

The Mystery Was Solved.

Early one morning a day or so ago little crowd of people gathered at On« Hundred and Sixteenth street and Lexington avenue, New York, and watched a man who was painting white stripes on the pavement in the middle fcf the street, "Well," remarked one individual, as h4 followed the movements of the brush, "I've heard of 'scouring the country' and 'painting the town red,' but I never heard before of a man painting paving stones white."

Curiosity finally got the better of him* and he walked over to the painter and asked him why he was painting the street. "So that the cable cars will know just where to stop before and after going around the curve from the avenue to the street," answered the painter, and the mystery was solved.

No Cause for Alarm.

J'wo

old crontes met one morning not ving seen each other for ten years, when, after the usual questions regarding each other health, came the question fj»om one of them: y."Eh, mon, hoo mony, children, hae ye noo?" "Lemme sec. There's George Arthur, Ernost William, Frederick James, Mabel Millicent.and "Good gracious, mon, hoo'mOny more.' Ye mun hae aboot teri on 'urn?" "Na na, only four but they all Mvi tw6 riWrteS each."

A White Blackbird.

Askins (for want of something bettt*.. to talk r.bout)—What is the most remarkable thing you have 3een this- year, Grimsliaw?

Grimshaw (promptly)—A young woman was called "Mamio" and at the same time possessed sen.'c.

The Holland submnrino boat is said to be a succoss. Hat this government n^V.-r has experienced any difficulty in getting together a navv which v. PI no i.naer water: it Is" much harder to keep a navy ii'ioaW-