Newspaper Page Text
14
. KND @
U ® FLORIDA.
GEORGIA.
The Price Free Library will be opened lo
the Macon public one day this week. All
(he arrangements for the event have ab:>ut
lea com. It tod and the building itse.f is
In rerteci order to receive the store of
cent’ifcutlons which have arrived.
Mr. "WUliam Morris, aged 97 years, died
Friday nieht at Alpharetta. “Uncle Billy,’’
tile was famiila ly called, was the ol .cat
lrs n in that county. He wus an honest,
vprt:ht, law-abiding citizen. He leaves a
W.' ow tir.d several children to mourn hit
loss.
Tom Wll iatns. a negro man, living in th<
southern portion of Albany hit his * jr>-
in the fnce with a burning lamp la-/, flight
in! ’- leg eertous Injuries. The ofnnn will
i jn<t!,s.s lose both eyes, it,-she recovers,
>• ems doubtf'i',vnls morning. Wil
li ms w; N"Js*or'and 1 )dged In Jail.
Mr. Thomas Hardy was accidentally
killed Thursday at Chipley. Mr. Hardy
was strutting llghtwood and his pistol fel.
out of his pocket. The ball nte ed Ids
breast, killing him Instantly. The e'e
ceased was 35 years old and leaves a wife
end one child lo mourn his untimely
death.
The Columbus City Council has changed
the whisky ordinance, making the hour ol
closing for saloons 10 o’clock Instead of
32 o’clock, as In the past. The change
was vigorously opposed by a number ol
aldermen and a tie voted resulted. Mayor
Chappell cast hla vote in favor of 1C
o’clock. The Council then tied on various
amendments and the Mayor voted “no” in
each Inatance.
The itatement given out to the effect
that the tialarles of the professors at (he
State Normal School were not changed by
the commission at Its meeting a few days
since in Atlanta was erroneous. On ac
count of the failure of the legislature to
appropriate money for sanitary and other
purposes, the commission was forced to
make a cut In the salaries of the profes
sors. They reduced all the salaries hy a
graduated scale from that of the president
down.
Moultrie Observer: We believe that a
Colquitt county grand Jury will readily
recommend that the dog tax law become
operative in this county. The taw is
a good one. Intended for the protection
of the sheep Industry, and as Colquitt is
the banner sheep county of the state, it
would seem strange If her people didn’t
want the sheep protected. If n dog Is
worth as much as a hog. he ought to be
taxed, and if he isn’t worth the prescrib
ed tax, he certainly ought to be killed,
and what he eats fed to the pigs. We hots'
that the next grand jury will act firmly
on this mailer.
Woodbine Southeast Georgian: Old man
Ready Johnson, a colored man who lived
rear 'he big road between Woodbine and
rots urg, fell Into the tire Wednesday
mo ning and was so badly burntd that he
died on Thursday. The old man lived alone
ind his relgbbo s hearing him scream ran
to his house and found him on the bed
v'th hi ob thing and the bed clothes on
: r . They extinguish'd the flames and did
it | , fey " ru'd *o relieve his sufferings. It
seems that the old man was subject to Ills
and tad fnl en Into the nre several times
le ore, and it Is supposed that he fall in
ire fire and was burning, when he crawl
ed t the bed and set it on tire with his
bt rn'ng clothes.
W. T. Channel, the young Mississlpplan,
who is un'er sentenec© of deaih for the
murder of Postmaster Thompson, of
O enwood. Montgomery county, will prob
abl ■ 4 now his fate next Tuesday. The res
-1,1 e ie-ently g'ven to the condemned man
will exp re Friday, Jan. 5, and unless hts
b- ntc ce is commuted, he will hang that
day. The prison commissioners have fixed
next Tuesday as the day when 'hey will
tender their judgment in the case, and as
soon as thpir recommendation is received
by the Governor he will take up the mat
ecr for a final decision. Channel was
railroad agent at Glenwood and had re
st:'ed-in Montgomery county but a short
time befo.e the killing.
The pec>p!e of Buena Vista were shocked
Friday morning al the arrest of A. K.
Pickard, charged with arson. Last Sat
urday nigbt Dr. Edwards, who lives at
Taswell, seven miles east of ths place,
lost by Are three small store houses and
their contents, amounted to tome $5.W>
no insurance. It Is now charged that
voung Mr. Pickard, a clerk in ano her
store at Taswell. in company with Grunt
Carson, colored, set lire to the prope ty.
Carson tried to escape, but was arres ed
fifteen miles below Americus. He alone
tells the story of Pickard’s connection in
the matter. Carson Is a very bad retro,
and the people at Buena Vista are Inconel
to believe Pickard innocent. Mr. Pickard
is a young man highly respected and be
longs to one of the best families liv.ng in
that community.
Americus Times-Recorder: The many
friends of Mies May Wheatley, the bright
and talented young daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. George D. Wheatley, are congratu
lating her upon winning two handsome
prizes yesterday lta a contest open to all
of youthful Georgia. Recently the Apple
ton Company offered a prize of S4O in gold
for the best composition written upon
“The Mining and Agricultural Resources
of Georgia." and this was supplemented
by a prize of $lO in gold offered by Ma).
Van Holt Nash, of Atlanta, for the best
composition upon any subject. Little Miss
Wheatley went in for both and won,
though among her competitors were hun
dreds of Georgia girls her seniors by sev
eral years. It was an honor of which she
may well be proud and reflects most cred
itably upon the talent and ability of a
school girl of 14.
The Are insurance companies doing busi
ness in Georgia are preparing to relieve
the treasury of the stale of between $90,-
W 0 and $1,000,000 of bonds deposited by them
to secure the payment of their policy
holders. The fire companies from other
states and countries doing business in
Georgia number between sixly and seven
ty. The deposit formerly required of fire
companies was $25,000, and under the old
law there Is now on deposit in the treas
ury the sum of $1,725,000, Including the
bonds placed there by both fire insurance
companies and guarantee companies. The
m .hod to bt* pursued by each fire com
pany In withdrawing $15,000 of ks bonds
is a simple one. Controller General
Wright has directed each company that
has applied to him to surrender to the
treasurer of the stale his receipt for the
deposit in excess of SIO,OOO and the sur
plus of $15,000 will be at once placed at
the disposal of the company owning it.
FLORIDA.
Walter Griffin, a prominent young man
of Greenville killed himself while hand
ling hts pistol Friday evening.
Henry M. Flagler, with a party of
friends arrived at the inn at Palm Reach
by special train Just before noon Thurs
day The party is composed of Mr. Flag
ler, Mr. and Mrs. W. H Ketain. Mlsa Ke
nan nisi Mis- Karat) O Kenan of WJf*
•ningfon. N. (V. W. It Kenan. Jr., of Mb
agsra Falla. N. and Ml and Mrs. J
L. Wise and tMel of Macon Ua. Vic#
Fiesident J. R. Parrott anti General Su
perintendent R. T. Goff of the Florida
Most Coast Railroad were also on the
speciol train.
The arms and equipments of the Key
West Naval; Reserves have arrived, and
• the boys wia 1 scon be able to commence
practice. TJhc arms consist of one Gat
dng gun, ogle Hotchkiss rapid-firing gun,
titty rifles, bayonets ami cutlasses.
The Florida Foundry and Machine
Works t Orlando has the contract for
furr'rfilng the iron work for the packing
* warehouse of Armour & Cos..
JT<\\ being ere ted in Tampa. The work la
"
The representatives of a Belgian syndi
cate, viz. F. Prich, Prof. Edmond Le
piae, Wllh. Flecker, A. Albeek, Louis
Brutxioher, have been prospecting at Gulf
Hammock for hardwood timber, minerals,
etc. They have just left and are highly
pleased with the outlook for further de
velopments.
Ocala Star: The postofllce at Welrsdale
was robbed Oct. 12 and Dec. 13 of $5B. A
reward of sjfl was offered for the arrest of
the thief. He was captured yesterday
and proves! to be Earl Simmons of that
place. He was brought to Ocala nr.d put
under a S>VX) bond for his hearing befor ■ I>.
S. Williams.
The startling announcement made in an
afternoon paper Friday that Mayor Bow
den of Jacksonville was "enjoying poor
health” and in consequence was a)>out to
resign his office, was received wilh gen
eral astonishment. Inquiry developed the
fact that Mayor Bowden has not tin
slightest intention of resigning.
Titusville Florida Star: Bean shipments
are constantly going forward from this
point and all stations along the coast
down the river. With the recent cold
snaps, which will stop shipments from nil
points much further north, the truck grow
ers along the East Coast ought lo reap a
rich harvest of returns for their produce.
Kissimmee Valley Gazette:' Oscar Bass
tiled to "bust” a pine tree at Narcoossea
on Christmas Day with a p-und of gun
powder. The fuse went out. He under
took to light It with a match. Some col
ored men standing by picked him out of
a bunch of palmettos about ten yards
away and carried him home. W*e are sor
ry to hear his face was badly scorched.
Eden Correspondence Indian River Ad
vocate: The scarcity of eggs in Eden Is
appalling. For weeks we have walked
in every ,1 rection looking for the delicious
henfruit, and at last we succeeded in get
ting a dozen, but evidently the hen that
laid them was In her dotage. Little did
the person to whom we bought them
dream that he was throwing in seven
small chickens, ail for 30 cents.
Kissimmee Valley Gazette: R. G.
Snowden, a former resident, came up from
Winter Haven to spend Christmas In his
old haunts. Having enjoyed himself to the
full he started to walk home, but mistook
his direction, and went north instead of
south. Upon reaching Waterhouse’s mill
he discovered his error and wa keel the
ten miles back. When he got here he re
merohored he had a return ticket In his
pocket, so went back by train, which
proves the value of a good memory.
WITH FLORIDA’S TEACHERS.
They Elected Officers, Passed Resolu
tions and Adjourned.
Tallahassee, Fla., Dec. 30.—The receptioi
tendered the teachers of Florida by the
lteopie of Tallahassee, at the Leon Hotel,
last night, despite the inclemency of the
weather, was a grand success, and the
teachers declare it exceeded anything ever
given them since the organizat’on of the
association.
At yesterday morning's session cf the
association the business part cf the pro
gramme was taken up first. The following
officers were elected for the ensuing year:
President, Z. W. Ituchholz of Tampa;
vice president. Miss Benella Davenport of
Bartow; secretary .H. S. Phillips of
Gainesville; treasurer, A. A. Muxphree of
Tallahassee.
Executive Committee—A. Williams of
Bartow', S. Phillips of Bronson, W. A.
Cate of Jasper, and H. E. Bennett of De-
Funiak.
Tampa was selected for the next meet
ing of the association, against Orlando
and Gainesville.
The newly-elected president. Superin
tendent Buehholz, was introduced and
made a short speech, which was received
with hearty applause.
The resolution formerly introduced by J.
H. Falks, providing for one summer school
for teachers, was taken up. It was
amended by substituting “five” for “one,"
and adopted.
A committee was appointed to see that
Florida was properly represented at the
National Educational Association, when it
meets at Charleston, The association ap
propriated S2OO for this purpose. Popu
lar subscript lons were called for, ml
several hundred dollars Were subscribed.
President Forbes of Stetson Univ> rs ty
leading off with SSO.
A financial statement was read, show
ing the balance at last report to be *474.7*5;
receipts since, $279, making a total of
$771.67. Expended, $310.53; present bal
ance, $461.09.
A declaralkm of principles was read by
Prof. Buchholz, and unanimously adopt
ed, as follows:
First. A higher maximum limit of tax
ation for school purposes.
Second. Terms to secure a uniform and
truthful assessment of property through
out the state.
Third. Terms making it possible for the
bonding of towns and communities for the
erection of school buildings.
Fourth. No lntereference with present
examination laws, except to limit third
grade certificate® to one year, reissuable
once, and the issue of special eertifleot's
to primary teachers and teachers of spe
cial subjects.
Fifth. Better provision for industrial
training.
Sixth. Practical education for negroes.
Seventh. Liberal appropt la lions for
summer sclvols.
Eighth. Organization of public and
professional libraries.
Ninth. Organization of county bureaus
on the plan of this Bureau of Public in
terest to co-operate therewith.
Tenth. Widest und freest possible dis
cussion of all educational questions.
The customary resolutions of thanks
were read and unanimously adopted.
The business part of the programme was
resumed, site.* which, at 12 o'clock, the
association adjourned sine die. by singing
the long-metre doxology: “Praise God.
From Whom All Blessings Flow."
—“Pa," said the small boy, his eyes look
in* longingly at the new mechanical top,
"you've showed me how to work it now
for an hour Is*t me try.”—Philadelphia
North American.
--First Populist—" They say tax-ad In Kim
berley Is wellin' at three shillin’s a loaf."
Heeond populist “It must lie aggravatin'
to have rich a state of affairs an’ not tar
a tit* to blame it on a trust,"—f'uvlt.
THE MOFNING NEWS: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1800,
OE.\. WHEELER'S WAR HORSES.
He Is to Write of Sixteen Killed
I niter Him In Untile.
Pine Crest Villa. Malt.and, Fla., Dec.
30—Maj. Gen. Evander Mclver Law of
the Florida Military Institute, t Bartow,
has formally announced his slaff as com
mander cf the United Confederate Vet
erans of this state and he seems to have
made his selections with praiseworthy
care and excellent Judgment. Col. Fred
L. Robertson, the well-known Brooksviile
editor, whose military bearing and Con
federate gray uniform have always been
conspicuous at reunions, is assistant ad
jutant general, and Col. D. E. Maxwell
of the Florida Central and Peninsular
Railway, is inspector general, a position
he is fully competent to till. He was a
gallant captain in the Confederate army,
and since ihe war has served several times
on the Governor’s staff, with credit to
himself and honor to the state. Before
his recent severe Illness Col. Maxwell, in
manner and movement, as well as in per
sonal npiamrance, resembled his old com
rade, Gen. John 11. Gordon One of Gem
Law’s aide-de-camps is ex-Gov. H. L.
Mitchell, of Tampa, with the rank of ma
jor.
I am proud of the many deserted t ib
ules paid to Maj. Mark Newman and his
estimable wife of Sandersyille, Ga., mi (hi
recent celebration of thti *go <i*n weidi tg.
for I never knew a more “golden hearted,”
lovable gentleman than this once gal ant
Confederate soldier, and now honored cit
izen. 1 first met him at Sar.de:sville dur
ing the famous Corday llarri-t negro in
surrection. where I represented the New
York Herald and the Morning News dur
ing that exciting time and also nt the li
ter trials in court, and to Maj. Newman's
kindly and generous nature, I was In
debted for many appreciated courtesies.
Since then I have met him In various
meetings, conventions, etc., and always
found him the same genial, warm-hearted,
courteous gentleman. i last remember
him as a conspicuous and honoied and * egate
to the Confederate reunion in Cut*. la noil,
where his old comrades gave him n hearty
and slneere greeting. Washington county
owes Savannah a lasting debt of g at tude
for giving her not only such a Chris ian
gentleman in private and bus ness circles,
but the “best Ordinary” In the nation—as
his twenty or more years of fabhful s r
vlce have proved. The life r,f such a man
cannot tie prolonged beyond the limit of
usefulness to his generation.
Mr. Charles Edgeworth Jones, in his se
rial History of Georgia, speaks of the late
Gen. Henry C. Wayne as adjuiant gener
al of the state at the close of the Civil
War, and then refers to “Brigadier Gener
al John Mclntosh Kell, the present adju
tant general, which is rather misleading
to those unacquainted with ihe facts. Gen.
Wayne was a West Pointer, and an ac
complished regular army officer, and serv
ed the state when a great war was in
progrtss and full generals and lieutenant
generals as well as major generals and
brigadier generals were frequently on duty
wl'hin her borders. Since the war, how
ever, the office of adjutant general has
been, some of the time a cross between
military and civil duties, but is now pure
ly military, yet with the lower rnnk of
colonel. Several times the office has been
filled by* near relatives of the Governor,
the appointing power. During my ac
quaintance with the Georgia military,
some thirty years, there has never been a
bilgadier general “in it,” so far as I
know. Alabama and South Carolina and
Florida, with fewer, and in some cases
poorer, organizations, have had their ma
jor generals and brigadier generals (not a
few, however, only on paper) and their ad
jutants general with rnnk of brigadier
generals. Here In Florida, with hardly a
full regiment—of any—the adjutant gener
al ranks as a major general. Georgia—with
her full regiments and grand military his
tory—nowhere shows up even a single bri
gadier general.
In the death of Maj. Gen. Henry W.
Lawton, U. S. V., the regular army has
lost one of its ablest and most trusty
civilian soldiers. Without the usual West
Point Military Academy training, he went
into the regular army from the volunteers
of the Civil War, and yet in no position
in which he was placed, whether in the
war department at Washington, on inspec
tion services around the country, or, best
of all, displaying his valor and fine sol
dierly qualities in the frontier Indian
wars, did he ever fall short of the con
fidence placed in his rare ability, clear
Judgment und superior courage. He came
to the Spanish-Ameriean war in Cuba a
model brigadier general, and won there
the earliest honors (hat have made his
name a household word the world over.
I shall never forget the deep impression
my official Intercourse with him nt Tampa
made upon me, although for years and
years I had been intimate with famous
generals of much higher rank. There
was, to use a homely but good phrase,
“no nonsense about him,’’ but In every ac
tion and expression he showed himself a
born soldier of the finest type. He served
his country well and died us he had lor.g
wished to die, on the field of battle, with
his face to the foe. He deserves all the
honors his country and his countrymen
can bestow upon his memory.
“No storied urn, nor animated bust,
Hack to its mansion calls the fleeting
breath;
Nor Honor's voice arouse the silent dust,
Nor flattery soothe the dull cold ear of
death."
It Is safe, I think, to say that there are
thousands of Confederate veterans who
wi’l be glad to know' that Lieut. Gen.
Joseph Wheeler. C. S. A., but now a
Brigadier General in the United States
army, has consented to write an article
for the Youth’s Companion of Boston, en
titled “My War Horses." Now when it
is remembered that this gallant and fear
less “Little Joe” Wheeler of Confederate
Cavalry fame, had sixteen horses shot
from under him in his raids an.l cam
paigns, as well ns a number wounded, the
announcement means something of un
usual interest to all classes of readers,
who are always anxious for such war
narratives from either side In tho Civil
War.
“What, sixteen horses shot from tinder
h m and yet he still alive to tell the
story?" asks some “Doubting Thomas.”
Gen. Wheeler may have had charmed
life in Imttle. but where scores fell close
at his side the brave little hero himself,
although wounded, escaped the deadly fire
of the enemy. What mi array of killed
and wounded officers the memory of those
■ War Horses” calls up! Let me mention
some of -them, by way of emphasis: Gen
Robertson, chief of staff; Cols. Dunlap,
King. Wade. Grenfell, Wadklns, Mr-
Nairy. Dawson and Shannon; Majs. Hud
son, Wailes, Pointer, Wright, Prent.ee,
Turner and Humes (later on a brigadier
general); Capts. Telfair, Hodgson, Steele,
Rudd. Staples and Warren; Lleuts. Harris.
Bellinger, Lacey, Hill, Walker, Taylor and
Patten, all killed or mounded while? serv
ing on Gen. Wheeler’s staff. Capt. Rudd
being killed by the same shell that wound
ed the general. And .the horses that
Gen. Wheeler is to write about were ac
tor* in these death struggles between
contending armies. What a thrilling nar
rative It must prove to be, and who, of
nil the world’s great military commanders,
ever had such an experience?
Sidney Herbert.
—ln the electric supply station* In Lon.
don Ihe ho lers and engines in use tire di
vided as follows; Water tulie, 75.5 per
rent.; murine. I! per cent.; Lancashire,
5.6 per cent.; r.i.scell,menus, ft per rent ;
while the engines me lilgti speed, H 2 a
per cent.; |ow-|m—<i vertical, £Z ** . will |
low-speed horizontal, t.2i per cent.; spe
cial, t, 26 per Mil Direct coupling is uni
i vtraal.
OIK TRADE WITH HI SSIA.
America Is Proving u Must Formid
able Rival to England.
Washington, Deo. 30,—American goods,
and especially American manufactures,
are making rap.d gains in popularity in
Russia. This fact is shown, not only by
the increased total of our exports to that
country, but by t le w irnings which the
consular representatives ol other nations
in Russia are senoing to their home gov
ernments respecting the popularity of
American .goods aid the success of Amer
ican merchants in their business methods.
British consuls ir. Russia have recently
sent to their government a series of state
ments upon this stbject, copies of which
have just been received by the treasury
buteau vf statistics, and from which, the
following exfracls are iaken;
The British coh;ul at Kieff, in his re
port, says: “Wh’le Germany Is talked
übout as our greatest r.val in the mar
kets of the world, th. re do3 not seem to
be the same attention paid to the rapid
ly developing ccmpeti.ion of America.
The strides America is making are start
lingly apparent in th- foreign trade. The
agricultural machinery trade i3 practical
ly controlled hy America, the trade in du
plex and other entam pumps is more or
less American, t:e introduction of im
proved machine tor is is due to America,
which is now reaping the benefit of prac
tical ideas combimd with utility, and now
the supply of fixed steam engines to tlie
foreign markets is being energetically
pushed.”
The British consul at Odessa writes:
"Cycles of English make tire held in high
esteem, but they are distanced by Amer
ican machines. Our cot ns across the
Atlantic can supply good cycles 40 per
cent, cheaper than those of English make,
ar.d can. therefoie. easily undersell the
latter. The reason o' this difference in
price is to be found in the fact that the
American bicycles have many of those
parts cast which in Engl sh machines are
turned. The German cycles have a good
reputation for durability, and consequent
ly. though little cheaper than English
machines, have a fair sa'e.”
Ppeaking of the popularity of American
agricultural machinery in Russia, the Brit
ish consul genera] at Odessa says: “In
reapers and binders America still enjoys
the monopoly of this market. Hand reap
ers still command a ready sale, though
tloy are gradually being superceded by
self-reapers and binders. During the past
year trade in agricultural machinery of
English make has been fairiy brisk, and
lucrative, in spite of a failure of the crops
in several provinces bordering on the
Black sea, nnd notwithstanding a rise in
pti es ranging from 7 to 15 per cent. This
activity was undoubtedly due to the abro
gation of the heavy customs duty on cer
tain agricultural requisites. There has
Iteen an increase! demand for portable
engines and thrashers of English make,
nnd In this class of machines we may
hope to hold our own against foreign riv
als.” The consul general also quotes the
British consul at Kieff as saying that
“grass mowers, reapers, and horserakes—
all of Amriean make—found a ready sale.
Horse thrashing machines and horse gears
were in good demand."
The following table shows the exports
from the United States to Russia in each
year from 1893 to 1899:
Fiscal year—
-1893 $ 2,447,414
1894 6,991,330
1895 6,1(52.793
1895 8.H64.652
1897 8.016,218
1898 7,954,197
1899 10,029,783
AN ANECDOTE WITH A MORAL.
Secretary Wilson Learned Parlia
mentary Law While Harvesting.
From the Philadelphia Saturday Evening
Post.
The present Secretary of Agriculture
when about 15 years of age came to this
country with his parents and settled in
Connecticut, but soon removed to lowa.
Not long ago an old friend of Secretary
Wilson wrote to him that in going over
some old books a volume had come to light
which bore upon the fly-leaf the auto
graph of one James Wilson of Traer, la.
He forwarded the little sixteenmo volume,
and the secretary recognized it as his old
companion of thiity years ago.
“I remember.” said Mr. Wilson, in re
ferring to it, “that when I was first elect
ed to the Legislature in lowa I did not
know so much about parliamentary proce
dure as I thought a representative should
In order to be useful to his constituents
and at ease on the floor of the House. It
behooved me to learn something about the
rules of order.and to that end I sent for
a copy of Cushing’s Manual, that famous
little book which has been Indispensable to
so many state and federal legislators. This
is the identical copy that I bought fully
thirty years ago.
"The book reached me, as it happened.
Just when we were busiest with the corn
harvest. It was the custom In those days
—and I suppose still is—for three men to
accompany the wagon into which the ears
of corn. Tvf re thrown as gathered. Ore
man walked on each side of the wagon
and gathered the ears from two rows,
while the third man went behind and gath
ered the corn what was called tho ‘down
row,’ otherwise the row which was press
ed down by the W'agon body passing over
it. In consideration of the f>ct that be
had to stoop more or less to do his woTk
his one row was held to be a fair third of
the whole job.
"I could not stop work to study Cush
ing’s Manual, and I had very little fro?
to master it before the meet’ng of tbs
Legislature. 1 thought I could work and
study, perhaps, at the same time, the
manual work being mechanic?!, so I took
to myself the labor of the ’dewn row’ and
found I had some intervals of leisure whi e
the other men were doing their two tows
apiece. The book I fixed between the tail
or the wagon and the Iron rod which held
Its two sides together. I could take an
eyeful of Cushing and digest it men'ally
while gathering the corn, a process which
seems unfavorable to close study, hut
which I found quite practicable. 1 got
a pretty good idea of the manual, and
when the Legislature met my knowledge
of the rules was quite invaluable to me.
“It is hardly necessary.” added the sec
retary, “to point the moral of this story -
he who runs may read; but the Very ob
vious benefit I derived from utilizing those
spare minutes in the cornfield taught me
something of the value of time which I
hope I have not forgotten. To be su e. one
can't keep the bow bent all the time; the
mind must relax occasionally or It will In*?
its elasticity; but it Ik umhnlable that any
man who Is sufficiently In earnest abmt
It ma.v acquire much useful know.edge by
employing the mere unconsidered moments
that jure gent rally wasted."
Three terms in ail Mr. Wilson served In
the Legislature of lowa, and was Speaks
of the House during the third. Latei in
life his fellow-citizens sent him to repre
sent them In the wider field of the nation
al legislature.
-Germany will mttk a large display of
machinery at the Pads Exposition. Two
;< ad.ng firms will each have a dynamo act.
uated by a iVoo-horse-power engine; the
one company <>f Cologne will have one of
i.iwu-horse-power Installation, and a noth* r
of Krarikfort-on-the-Maln will have one
of 14.U00 bores-power. The crane which
is io Is- used rot ttunsporting tteavy ma
chines in Hu- central gallery will be cap
able of raising twenty-five ton* to a bight
of (ofiff UtU
HOW THE BISON PERISHED.
RII.I.IONS OF THEM SLAIX HA
MI STERS IX A FEW YEARS.
One Herd That \\ a* Fifty Miles W ide
anil Took. Five Dnyf* to Pa**—.An
other TJiat Overturned a Railroad
Train In Katina*—A neploralile
War of Extermination.
From the Scientific Amertcen.
One of the mo-i extraordinary events
that has characterized the last half of
the pr-sent century is the extermination,
the wiping out, of the American bison.
There is little use in resorting to invective
or endeavoring to stigmatize those who are
guilty cf this crime, bur it would be well
if the acts could be held u;> in a bright
light, that those who committed them
might be excoriated in the time to come,
when a few bones and pictures will alone
tell the story of a mighty race swept from
the face of the earth by the civilized peo
ple of the nineteenth century.
“In 1870, and later,” said on army officer
to the writer, “the plains were alive with
bison, and in crossing at places I had dif
ficulty in avoiding them, so vast were the
herds, if any one had told me then that
in twenty or thirty years they would
have become almost entirely extinct, I
should have regarded the statement as
that of an insane person.”
That so many of these animals could
have been ki led in mere wcnienness seems
incredible when their vast numbers are
realized. We first hear of the bisen 'rom
Cortez and his followers in 1521. Monte
zuma had one in a zoo oeical garden, the
specimen, in ail probability, having been
caught in Ooahuila. In 1530 Cabeza saw
them In Texas; and in 1512 Coronado found
a herd in what is now the Indian Terri
tory; one of his officers describing them
as horrible beasts that demoralized the
horses. In 1612 Sir Samuel Argoll observ
ed herds of bison near the national capi
tal, and, in all probability, 287 years ago
herds of bison grazed on the site of the
capltoi building at Washington. In 1678
Father Hennepin observed them in what
is now Northern Illinois, and in October,
1729, Coi. W. Bird saw herds In North
Catolina and Virginia.
These and other facts have provided
data by w,hieh the early geographical dis
tribution of the bisen has been deiermhe t,
and it is known that this grand anima',
that is to-day represented by a few indi
viduals, formerly ranged in millions f om
the Atlantic seaboard to the Gulf of Mex
ico, from Texas to the Great Slave Ink-,
and as far West as Central Nevada. As
to their numbers, they were like the sand;
of the seashore, and the accounts given
by those who hunted them twenty or thir
ty years ago, to-day seem like vagaries of
a disordered imagination. Mr. Hornndav,
who has hunted in South and Central Af
rica, where game is remarkab’y plentiful,
states that the bison of this country pre
vious to 1870 exceeded, in ail probability,
all the African game of every kind. An
army officer in service on the plains In
1807 stated to the writer that on one oc
casion he was surrounded by buffaloes,
and that from the tap of a small hill he
could see nothing but a black mass of
their bodies. It was impossible to es
timate their numbers, and the party were
in great fear lest they should be caught
in a stampede, the rush being irresistible.
Col. Dodge, in his memoirs, states that on
one occasion he rode twenty-five miles in
Arkansas, always being in a herd of buf
faloes, or many small herds, with but a
small separating strip between them. The
animals paid but little attention to him,
merely moving slowly out of the way or
advancing, bringing the w-hole herd of
thousands down on him with the roar of
an avalanche. This he met by standing
fast and firing when they came within
short range, the shot causing them to di
vide. In one day, Col. Dodge kil ed twen
ty-six bison from his wagon; not in sport,
but as a protection. Otherwise they would
have run him down and crushed man,
horses and wagon.
This herd observed by Col. Dodge was
later found to be fifty miles wide and to
occupy five days in passing a given point
on its way north. From a high rock,
from which points ten miles distant coul l
be seen in every direction, the earth seem
ed to be covered with bison. To make
an accurate estimate of the numbers seen
would be impossible, but Mr. Hornaday,
by a conservative calculation, estimates
that Col. Dodge must have seen 480,000
and that the herd eompris and
half a million buffaloes. A train on tbe
Kansas Pacific road in that state in 1868
pasesd between the towns of Els worth
and Sheridan—l 29 miles—through a contin
uous herd of buffaloes. They were packed
so that the earth was black, and more
than once the train was stopped, the
surging mass becoming a menace to hu
man safety.
"You cannot believe the facts as they ex
isted in the days of 1871-72," said an armv
officer. "I was at that time on duty in
the pay department, which made it nee
essary for me to travel on the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. One day
the train entered a large herd, whicn scat
tered and seemed to go wild at the shriek
ing of the whistle and the ringing of the
bell. As we went on the thicker they be
came until the very earth appeared to be a
rolling mass of humps so far as we could
see. Suddenly some of the animals near
est us turned and charged; others fell
in behind, and down on us they came like
on avalanche. The engineer stopped the
engine, let' off steam end whistled to stop
them, while we fired from the platforms
and windows with rifles and revolvers,
but it was like trying to stay a tidal
wave. We stood in the center of the car
to await the crash, some of the men going
to the rear. On they came, the earth
trembling and plunged heads down into
us. Some were wedged in between the
cars, other beneath; and so great was the
crush that they toppled three cars over and
actually scrambled over them, one buf
falo becoming bogged by having his legs
caught in the window. Such Incidents oc
curred several times, and twice in one
week were trains derailed by charging buf
faloes. whose numbers It was impossible
to compute.
Hunters have heard the roaring of buffa
loes at a distance of from three to five
miles, and that the earth trembled when
they charged we can well imagine when
the large bulls are known to weigh 2,000
pounds, the cows 1,200 pounds. The ques
tion of interest to-day Is how was it pos
sible to destroy so many animols in so
short a time and what methods were em
ployed. The natural fatalities were few
compared to the enormous numbers. The
cow bison displays little affection for her
young, and many calves were lost every
year; hut. all in all, the conditions were
extremely favorable to them, tind their
increase was enormous. Many were de
stroyed by stampeding over precipices. In
1867. 2,000 buffaloes, or half a herd, be
came entangled in the quicksands of the
Platte river. At another time a herd was
lost by breaking through the Ice of Lao
Qul Parle in Minnesota. The cold win
ters sometimes killed many that remained
in the Far North; but these dangers were
ns nothing compared to man. Man soon
found that the buffaloes had a value. The
Indians slaughtered them by the thousand
for their skins, bene and for food; they
killed 100 oftentimes to secure five, and
waste and prodlgsldy were the rule Yet
so vast were dielr numl>rs that doubt -
|. ss the Ind.an inroads upon th< tn had lit
i It (■ I •kt.rmliijU .il Is i on
rented Rut with the while man It was
different, gone wish'd to moke records
and killed for sport, some killed for the
tildes and fistula, eome became professional
buffalo butchers to provide the gangs of
railroad men with meat, slaughtering a
magnificent animal for ils tongue alone.
It lias been estimated that previous to
1879 nearly three-quorters of a million buf
faloes could have been killed yearly and
the herds kept intact; how many were
killed and wasted will never be known.
Each animal, however, had a value at this
time estimated by Hornaday at $5; the
robe. $2.50; the tougue. 25 cents; hlndquar
ter meat. $2; bones, horn and hoofs, 25
cents; and this was sufficient to attract
an army of destroyers. The h des wete
the greatest feature, and one firm in New
York between 1876 and 1884 pain the kill
ers nearly $1,000,000, or, to be exact. 8728.070.
for the robes and hides, which represents
the final extinction of the animal. The
government never interfered, owing to
protests of interested legislators and the
neglect of higher officials. Another firm
pnid $216,000 for robes and skins, and there
were scores of private traders in the field.
The word went out to kill everything in
sight, and from 1876 there was a price cn
the head of every buffalo.
It was a dark and disagreeable subject
to probe, but it is interesting to note some
of the methods of these national calamity
makers. A band of half breeds in two
hunts, according to Ross, killed 47,770 buf
faloes. 620 men being engaged in the sport,
out of which about 30,000 animals were
wasted or partly eaten. Hornaday esti
mates that from 1820 to 1825 buffalo ex
peditions went out composed of 610 carts
each, killing 118,950 buffaloes. From 1825
to 1830 five expeditions, of 750 carts each,
killed 146,250 buffaloes. From 1830 to 1875
six expeditions, of 895 carts, killed 174,528
animals. From 1835 to 1840 fifty-four ex
peditions, of 1,090 carts each, killed 212,550
buffaloes. Total number killed by the Red
River half-breeds alone in twenty years.
652.275. valued at $3,261,375. An interesting
table has been furnished the government
by the firm previously mentioned, J. & I
lloskowiiz, showing the decline of the buf
falo as an article of commerce. It shows
that In nine years this firm handled 246,-
175 skins, costing $924,790. In 1878 they re
ceived 41.258 robes; in 1883, 5,000; in 1884
none. The end had come, and the buffalo
was a memory. dealer, Joseph
LTlman, slates that in 1881 he handled 41,-
000 robes, valued at $3.50, and 12,000 at
$7.50. In 3582 he purchased 40,000 hides at
$3.50 and 10,000 robes at $8.50. The prices
hunters received were: Cow' hide, $3; bull
hide, $2.50; yearling, $1.50; calves, 50 cents.
The expense of transportation brought the
hide up to $3.50 in New York. This dealer
in four years paid out $310,000 to these men,
who killed buffaloes by the tens of thous
ands for $2.50 a head. Both of the above
mentioned dealers in eight years paid out
$1,233,070 to the exterminators.
That the real extermination of the buf
falo was caused by the demands of trade
there can be no doubt, aided and abetted
by sportsmen, Indians and others; but the
blame really lies with the government
that in all these years permitted a few ig
norant congressmen to block the Legisla
ture in favor of the protection of the bi
son, so that all the efforts of humanita
rians were defeated and the bills when
passed pigeon-holed.
There are many methods of extermina
tion that are graphically illustrated by
paintings and models in the Smithsonian
Institution. The still hunter was the most
insidious enemy of the buffalo and a sin
gle man by sneaking upon a herd has
been known to kill 1,000 in a single season.
One Capt. Jack Bridges of Kansas has
the honorable (?) record of having killed
1,142 buffalos in six weeks. He took the
contract to that effect and bagged hi 9
game. Up to 1870 there were undoubtedly
several millions of buffaloes alive, but the
lust for blood was on, and soon came the
demand for robes and hides from the deal
ers, and men who could not make a liv
ing at anything else went out to kill buffa
loes. In the different states the r e were
regular killing outfits that cost, in rifles,
horses, carts, etc., from $2,000 to $5,000.
Such methods developed some famous
characters. Buffalo Blit was one. He
contracted with the Kansas Pacific Rail
road to furnish them with all the buffalo
the men could eat as the road was built;
and, according to Mr. Cody's statement,
they ate 4,280 buffaloes in eighteen
months, for which he received $5OO per
month, the price he paid for his title.
Many buffaloes were killed by running
them down; this was the popular method
among the Indians, who shot them with
rifle or bow and arrow, or chased them
over precipices. The great herds north of
the Missouri were mostly exterminated by
the Indians of the Manitoba Red river set
tlement, who hunted them In a regular
army. One division of such an army of
exterminators consisted of 603 carts, 700
half-breeds, 200 Indians. 600 horses, 200
oxen, and 400 dogs. The movements
against the buffalo in Nebraska were of
ten made by 3,000 people, and as each man
killed at least ten, 30,bX) buffaloes bit the
dust. In this way Indians as above killed
it is estimated, 652,000 buffaloes.
The completion of the western railroads
divided the buffaloes into two herds,
northern and southern. In 1871 the south
ern herd was composed of an estimated
3,000,000, and from now on the animals
dropped away so rapidly that It was esti
mated that 3,000 or 4,000 a day were killed.
It became evident that they were doomed,
and appeals were made to the govern
ment by hundreds. From 1872 to 1874 there
were 1,780,461 buffaloes killed and wasted;
3,158,780 in all killed by white people and
the skins shipped East over the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe road. During the
same time the Indians killed 390,000; bo
rides these settlers and mounted Indians
killed 150,000, so that the grand sum total
of these years was 3,698,780. In the follow
ing year, 1875, the deed was done. The
southern herd had been swept from the
face of the earth; the northern herd went
In the same way. In 1882 It -was believed
there were 1,000,000 buffaloes alive in the
herd, but there were at least 5,000 white
hunters in the field shooting them- down
at every point. Such a merciless war of
extermination was never before witnessed
in a civilized land. Then came 1883; thou
sands took the field this year, aud Sitting
Bull and some whites had the honor of
killing the last ten thousand.
There were living at the last government
census, made eight years ago, 256 pure
blooded buffaloes in captivity, the last of
the untold millions that covered this con
tinent during the past century.
Reflections of n Bachelor.
From the New York Press.
Life is the oyster and love is the horse
radish 6auce.
Prosperity has Its disadvantages; it's
the buttsr side of the dropped bread'that
picks up the most dirt.
There ought to be a law against any
girl giving an old bachelor anything for
Christmas that he can't eat.
Convince a man and ho will generally
own up to It; make a woman own up ro
it and it's a good sign that she isn't con
vinced.
After a woman has found out that her
husband was once in love with another
woman it takes her about as ion- to lo c
him again as much as she did as it d<d
when she was a little girl to get used to
her doll after her mother had got u new
head put on it. w
P. P. P., a wonderful medicine; it gives
an appetite; It Invigorates and siretfgm
ens. P. P. P. cures rheumatism and all
pair.H in the side. back and should/ '
knees, hips, wrists anj joints n
cures syphiills In all it. various t LS'
old u.cers. sore and kidney romnlslru ..
I>. P. cures catarrh, e.*e m . crTs u, ' ,
skin diseases and mercurial n,
V P cures dyspi psta. chronlAe'Zu
plaints and broken down cunstim ti j
loss of manhood p j. j. *"<l
purifier of the age ha- mode mor i, l
naut cures than all other - ! ,r ! M '
Bros , sol. proprietors,
OGean SteamsniD Go.
-FOR
IVew York, Boston
—AND—
THE EAST.
Unsurpassed calfln accommodations. All
the comforts of a modern hotel. Electrio
lights. Unexcelled table. Tickets include
meals and berths aboard ship.
Passenger Fares from Savannah.
TO NEW YORK—Cabin, S2O; excursion.
$32. Intermediate, sls; excursion, s;t_
Steerage, $lO.
TO BOSTON—Cabin, $22; excursion, S3B.
Intermediate, sl7, excursion, S2B. Steer
age, $11.75.
The express steamships of this line ara
appointed to sail from Savannah, Central
(90th) meridian time, as follows:
SAVANNAH TO MEW YORK.
CITY OF AUGUSTA, Capt. Daggett,
MONDAY, Jan. 1, 4:30 p. m.
CITY OF MACON. Capt. Savage. TUES.
DAY, Jan. 2, 5:30 p. m.
TALLAHASSEE, Capt. Asklns, THURS
DAY, Jan. 4, 7:00 p. m.
KANSAS CITY, Capt. Fisher, SATUR.
DAY, Jan. 6, 9:00 p. m.
LA GRANDE DUCHESSE, Capt. Hanlon.
MONDAY, Jan. 8. 10:30 p. m.
CITY OF AUGUSTA, Capt. Daggett.
TUESDAY, Jan. 9, 11:00 p. m.
CITY OF MACON. Capt. Savage,
THURSDAY, fan. 11, 1:30 p. m.
TALLAHASSEE. Capt. Askins, SATUR
DAY, Jan. 13. 3:30 p. m.
KANSAS CITY, Capt. Fisher, MONDAY,
Jan. 16, 5:00 p. m.
LA GRANDE DUCHESSE, Capt. Hanlon,
TUESDAY, Jan. 16, 5:30 p. m.
CITY OF AUGUSTA, Capt. Daggett,
THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 6:30 p. m.
CITY OF MACON, Capt. Bavage, SAT
URDAY, Jan. 20, 8:00 p. m.
TALLAHASSEE, Capt. Asklns, MON
DAY, Jan. 22, 9:00 p. m.
KANSAS CITY, Capt. Fisher, TUES
DAY, Jan. 23. 10:00 p. m.
LA GRANDE DUCHESSE, Capt. Hanlon,
THURSDAY, Jan. 25, D;3O a. m.
CITY OF AUGUSTA, Capt. Daggett,
SATURDAY, Jan. 27, 1:30 p. m.
CITY OF MACON, Capt. Savage, MON
DAY, Jan. 29. 3:30 p. m.
TALLAHASSEE, Capt. Askins, TUES
DAY, Jan. 30. 4:30 p. m.
SAVANNAH TQ BOSTON.
Steamers CITY OB’ BIRMINGHAM,
GATE CITY and CHATTAHOOCHEE
sailing on irregular schedules.
Steamers leave New York for Savannah
at 5 p. m. dally, except Sunday, Monday
and Thursday. The sailings between Bos
ton and Savannah will be irregular. Call
on W. G. BREWER, Ticket Agent, 107
null street. Savannah, Ga„ for Informa
tion as to the time of sailing for Boston
direct.
W. G. BREWER, City Ticket and Pass
enger Agent, 107 Bull street. Savannah,
Ga.
E. W. SMITH, Contracting Freight
Agent, Savannah, Ga.
R. G. TREZEVANT, Agent, Savannah,
Ga.
E. H. HINTON, Traffic Manager.
JOHN M. EGAN, Vice President.
AGENTS
SCHAGHTICOKE POWDER CO.
AM) I.AFLIN & HAND’S
SMOKELSS POWDERS.
EDWARD LOVELL'S SONS
113 BROUGHTON STREET, WEST.
JAP-A-LAC!
The new finish for Floors, Oil Cloth*.
Linoleum, etc. The “Greatest Reviver" of
old wood work and furniture. “Easily sp
oiled. Quickly dried.”
F. W. DEVOE & CO.
TUBE PAINTS
10, U AND 20 CENTS. r
Sm’MLMiNliniM.
NO. S WHITAKER STREET.
Pawnl
I—PAINT—!
Removes all Corn*, Banioir* and Warts,
wituout pain, Rpetdily and permanently
f/J%L w Ail Pm*|-ist sell Abbott’s *
w/Jwk. / ***** LHDU,f Cobji Pa art. 1 JJLsSWi
TEXAS SEED OAII
RED RUST PROOF.
Hay, Grain, Bran, Cow
Feed, Chicken Feed, &c.
T. J. D/\VIS,
Phone XU. Ho. Ut Day street, w ft.
EHNYR9.yAA.PjU3
' HAPK. Aiwa
Ad •-? <111(111-1 Kit'* ' >'•'
1" Hill* ',l Uold u.em-
Wu.rlb(—i f'eke •<* other. rwe
* *" tl 'T. n
fTT Um. M*f of viur
Jr tUfTiM for Pjra#u)r*. “**
B u>4 ** Relief nv’T.itkiM, l **
r (ere Melt. I 0.07ie t~ti;-
“•44eJe l ‘tTeirir
i *•***/ L. >. 4 U., * tea. *•*