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DECIDED AGAINST RAILROADS INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMIS SION SAYS RULE Is VIOLATED. DECLARE RATES ARE EXCESSIVE. The Case Is Similar to the Celebrated Social Circle Short Haul Contest. Its Nature Sweeping. The interstate commerce commis sion, at AVasliiugton Thursday, in an opinion by Commissioner Frouty, ren dered a decision in the case of Brewer A Hanletter against the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company, Nash ville, Chattanooga and St. Louis rail way company, Western and Atlantic Railroad company and Central of ’Georgia Railway company. The commission decides that these carriers in charging on freights from .Louisville to Cincinnati more for the shorter distance to Griffin, Ga., than for the longer distance over the same line to Macon, Ga., have violated sec tions three and four (the long and short haul sections) of the interstate oommerce act. What the Decision Means. This is another Social Circle case, and the question decided is one of far-reaching importance involving the relations of small towns to commercial centers. It is especially interesting just now because it establishes one of the propositions laid down by Mr. W. H. Brewer in his recent application to the railroad commission of Georgia for a reduction of 33l per cent on all freight rates in the state. One of the grounds of that petition was the allegation that the railroads were handling freight from Ohio river points to Macon for less than they carry it to Griffin. This is the second important deci sion the interstate commerce commis sion has made on the long and short haul claim of the interstate commerce act on a oomplaint from Georgia. The decision in the Social Circle case was affirmed by the United States supreme court after protracted litigation. It was a qualified decision, however, and the result of the new case, which is likely to go to the court of last re sort, will be watched with interest. The principle is in favor of the small towns and against lower rates to the commercial centers and tends to put all communities on an equality. The president is now undecided whether or not to send in any message for the reason that a number of most important leaders of the party in the senate and house have made a strong representation to him of the inadvis ability of sending a message to con gress while the tariff bill is in confer ence. WHOLE FAMILY CREMATED. Non© Were Able to Eftoap© From Their Burning Cottage. A special from Pineville, Ivy., says that Hugh Joeson and family of five, who live fifteen miles northeast of that place, were burned to death Tuesday night, being unable to escape from their cottage, which was fired over their heads. The dead are: Hugh Joeson, the father; Mary Joeson, his wife; Fanny Joeson, a daughter, fourteen years old; Joe Joeson, a sou, ten years old; a daughter, eight years old; Maggie, a daughter, six years old. The remains of all six were found in the debris. The fire was undoubt edly of incendiary origin, and t.ie Bel! county officers are taking steps to discover the guilty party or parties. BANQUETED AND DIED. Quartet of Paris Dressmakers End Their Live# Together. A great sensation has been caused at Paris by the discovery that four dressmakers have committed suicide by inhaling charcoal fumes in a fiat wherein they lodged. The four met in the evening, par took of a sumptuous dinner with wine, sang and smoked until late and con cluded life with the statement in writ ing, signed by all: “We die deliberately and without any regret.” When the bodies were discovered the tables and floor were strewn with cigarettes and cigar ends. On the center table were letters addressed to their relatives. TO LAKE CHAMPLAIN The President Will Go To Spend Hia Summer Vacation. President McKinley will spend most of his summer vacation on the shores of Lake Champlain. Plattsburg, N. Y , will he his nearest town. His party will consist of the members of the presidential family, of Vice Presi dent and Mrs. Hobart, Secretary Alger and family, Secretary and Mrs. Porter and probably of some other members of official society. The president will make quite a prolonged stay, lasting several weeks at least, The president’s summer plans were informally talked over with the oabiuet members Friday. SPEER NAMES DATE For Hearing Petition of Macon Citizens Against Kailroad Consolidation. A telegram from Macon states that Judge Emory Speer has set the first week in August for a bearing on the petition brought before him by the merchants and citizens of Macon against the consolidated railroads in Georgia by the Southern railway. The petition asks for an injunction and receiver for stock claimed to be illegally held. The hearing will be at Mount Airy, where the judge goes everys umrner. A CAMPAIGN ISSUE To Be Made of the Lease of the North Carolina Bailway. A special from Raleigh, N. C., says: Governor Russell says the lease of the North Carolina railway to the Southern is positively to be made an issue in the nest campaign; that he does not know whether a plank de claring against it will be in the repub lican platform, but it will be in >yhat I*9 terms the voters’ platform, SENATE HONORS HARRIS. Body Adjourns Out of Respect To the Deed Senator. The senate met Friday under the depressing influences of the death of Senator Harris, of Tennessee, who had been one of the conspicuous figures in the upper house of congress for over twenty years. The desk he occupied so long was not draped, as the senate had as yet no official knowledge of his demise. Rev. Johnston, the chaplain of the senate, in his invocation, referred feelingly to the loss the senate had sustained and spoke of his “rugged honesty, his unswerving attachment to his political principles, his opposi tion to all he considered wrong, his devotion to his state and his service to the nation.” After the journal had been read, Senator Bate, of Tennessee, made the announcement of the death of his col league. In doing so he paid a high tribute to the memory of the distin guished dead. He spoke of the con spicuous part he had played in his state and in the nation during his long and eventful career. He was the last of the great war governors, north and south, said Sen ator Bate, who presided over the des tinies of sovereign states during the stirring struggle between the states. Mr. Bate then offered the usual reso lutions which provided for a funeral in the senate Saturday, to which the house was invited, and for a commit tee of nine senators to accompany the remains to Tennessee for interment. Mr. Cockerell, of Missouri, offered a supplemental resolution extending an invitation to the president, mem bers of the cabinet, members of the supreme court, the diplomatic corps, the major general of the army and the admiral of the navy to attend the obsequies. Then, at 12:15, on motion of Mr. Bate, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, the sen ate adjourned. MANY DRIVEN TO DEATH By the Sizzling Heat In Crowded Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati. A Chicago special says: Of all the hot days that have made life a burden since the warm weather of 1897, Fri day was the warmest. There were more deaths of human beings and of animals and the number of prostra tions was greater than upon any other day of the long hot spell that has hung over Chicago. Sixteen people are dead of heat, two are insane and out of a large number of prostrations ten cases are critical. Out in the Bridewell, where seven prisoners went insane Thursday be cause of the heat, others suffered the same fate Friday. Three men either strong in the belief that a life of rectitude secured an eternal abode in some place less hot than this, or de termined to be packed in ice at any cost—took their lives. Friday was a sizzling horror, there was comfort to be found nowhere—it was the hottest night Chicago has ever known. A Cincinnati special announces the number of heat deaths in that city Friday as six. Thirty prostrations were reported, with the usual quota of serious cases. The maximum heat by trustworthy thermometers for the day was 96 at 4 o’clock p. m. It was 81 at 7 o’clock in the morning, and it was 82 at 11 o’clock at night. The num ber of deaths in the last seven days is sixty. Seven people died from the heat in. St. Louis Friday. DYNAMITE’S DEADLY WORK. Five Negroes Blown to Pieces By a Hidden Bomb. While a gang of workmen were mak ing excavations along a line of street railway at Lexington, Ivy., Friday, one of them struck what appeared to be a piece of pipe, but which proved to be a sixly-four-pound dynamite cartridge. A fearful explosion followed and five of the six negroes in the gang were blow'n to atoms. The other was so badly injured that he cannot re cover. The police are inclined to think the dynamite was placed there by some miscreant who had a grudge against the street car company; others think it was left there by workmen on the Cin cinnati Southern some years ago when they were making excavations for a road in the same neighborhood. Windows in the neighborhood were broken and several buildings slightly damaged. I)EMANDS INDEMNITY; Senator Lodge Reports a Very Significant Resolution. The senate committee on foreign relations, through Senator Lodge, re ported a resolution Wednesday author izing the president “to take such measures as he may deem necessary to obtain indemnity from the Spanish government for the wrongs and inju ries suffered by August Dolton and Gustav Richelieu, two naturalized American citizens, by reason of their wrongful arrest by Spanish authorities at Santiago deCuba in the year 1895. ” The resolution further authorizes the president to “employ such means or exercise such power as may be nec essary.” __ REPORT ON COTTON. Status of tli Staple I. (liven Out By the Government. The July returns for cotton to the department of agriculture at Washing ton indicate an average condition of B'i, as compared with 83.5 in June, an increase of 2.5 points. The average condition for July, 1896, was 91.5. The averages of the states are as follows: Virginia 87, North Carolina )0, South Carolina 86, Georgia 85, Florida 80, Alabama 85, Louisiana 89, Texas 88, Arkansas 88, Tennessee 80, Missouri 95, Oklahoma 82, Mississippi 31 and the Indian Territory 93. TO RUSH TARIFF BILL House Committee on Buies Will Allow Only Short Debate. The house committee on rules deci ded Thursday to present a special or der sending the tariff bill to confer ence as soon as it was received from the senate. This will give but 20 minutes’ debate on a side. The dem ocrats tried to secure an agreement for a time to debate the conference re port, but none was made. The repub licans offered a day, and the demo crats asked for three or four days, SENATE PASSES lIFF Bill THE FINAL TOTE WAS THIRTY EIGHT TO TWENTY-EIGHT. POPULISTS HELD OFF FROM YOUNG. McEnory th Only Democrat to Vote For the Bill—Measure Will Now Go to Conference. The tariff bill passed the senate Wednesday afternoon, the vote being 38 to 28. This large majority of ten votes was due to the action of some of the populists and silver republicans in withholding their votes. But one democrat voted for the bill, McEnery, of Louisiana. There was nothing dramatic about the final vote. Just before it was taken there were some interesting explanations by individual senators as to their position. Every body was anxious for a vote and every body seemed glad when the vote was announced and the end of the senate struggle reached. Speaker Reed, Chairman Dingley and many of the members of the house of representatives were in the rear, while every seat iu the galleries save those reserved for foreign representa tives was occupied. The early part of the day was spent on amendments of comparatively minor importance, the debate branching into financial and anti-trust channels. By 4 o’clock the senators began manifest ing their impatience by calls of “vote,” and soon thereafter the last amend ment was disposed of and the final vote began. There were many interruptions as pairs were arranged, and then at 4:45 o’clock the vice-president arose and announced the passage of the bill yeas, 38; nays, 28. The vote in detail was as follows: Yeas —Allison, Baker, Burrows, Carter, Clark, Cullum, Davis, Dehoe, Elkins, Fair banks, Foraker, Gallinger, Hale, Hanna, Hawley, Jones of Nevada, Lodge, Mcßride, McEnery, McMillan, Mantle, Mason, Mor rill. Nelson, Penrose, Perkins, Platt of Con necticut, Platt of New York, Pritchard, Proctor, Quay, Sewell, Hhoup, Spooner, Warren, Wellington, Wctmoro and Wilson -38. Nays—Bacon, Bate, Berry, Caffery, Can non,' Chilton, Clay, Cockrell, Faulkner. Gray, Harris of Kansas, Jones of Arkansas, Kenney. Lindsay, Mallory, Martin, Mills, Mitchell, Morgan, Pasco, Pettus, Itawlins, lioach. Turner, Tnrpie, Vest, Walthall and White—2B. The following pairs were announced. The first named would have voted for the bill and the last named against: Aldrich and Murphy, Chandler and McLaurin, Frye and Gorman, Gear and Smith, Hansbrough and Daniel, Hoar and Harris of Tennessee, Thurs ton and Tillman, Wolcott and George. An analysis of the final vote shows that the affirmative war cast by thirty five republicans, two silver republi cans, Jones, of Nevada, and Mantle, and one democrat, McEnery, total thirty-eight. The negative vote was cast by twen ty-five democrats, two populists, Har ris, of Kansas, and Turner, and one silver republican, Cannon, total twen ty eight. Eight republicans were paired for the bill and eight democrats against it. The senators present and not vot ing were: Populists five, viz: Allen, Butler, Heitfeld, Kyle and Stewart. Silver republicans two, viz: Teller and Pettigrew. Following the passing of the bill a resolution was agreed to asking the house for a conference, and Senators Allison, Aldrich, Platt, of Connecticut; Burrows, Jones,of Nevada;Vest,Jones, of Arkansas, and White were named as conferees on the part of the senate. Story of tl© Debate. The tariff debate began on May 25th, on which day Mr. Aldrich, in behalf of the finance committee, made the open ing statement on the bill. The actual consideration of the bill began the next day, May 26th, when schedule A, relating to chemicals, was taken up. The debate was continuous since that time,covering six weeks and one day. Mr. Aldrich’s illness took him from the chamber after the first day, and the bill was then in the immediate charge of Mr. Allison. The opposi tion has been directed in the main by Mr. Jones, of Arkansas, and Mr. Vest, while Senators White, Caffery, Gray and Allen have frequently figured in the debate. HOSPITAL FOR ASHEVILLE. Millionaire Vanderbilt Will Erect One For Treatment of Indigent Sick. Asheville, N. C., is to have a mam moth hospital. The institution is to be erected and maintained by the Biltmore millionaire, George W. Van derbilt, and is intended for patients who are unable to pay for treatment. All kinds of diseases will be treated, especially tuberculosis, and ailments that are contagious. A corps of ex pert physicians will be in charge, and every convenience and comfort possi ble for such an institution will be in stalled. Mr. Vanderbilt will begin the project with an outlay of SIOO,OOO. TURNPIKE CHARTER SOLD. Famoim as Being the Road Over Which Andrew Jackson Traveled. The charter of the once famous Cum berland turnpike has been sold to Cumberland county, Term., for $75. This was one of the first roads built in Tennessee and over it emigrants came from North Carolina and Vir ginia when it w'as but a trail. When iffages coaches were in vogue the mail from Knoxville to Nashville was car ried over this road, and over it passed “Old Hickory” on his pilgrimage from the “Hermitage” to Washington to take the oath of office as president. BEER TRUST PROBABLE. Twenty-Six Breweries in Detroit Contem plate Going Into One Syndicate. It is reported that the proprietors of the twenty-six breweries in Detroit are planning to sell out to a syndicate composed chiefly of English capital ists. Nearly all the brewers have signed an agreement- for the above purpose. The result of the combina tion will be a rise in the price of beer from $4 and $5 to $6 per barrel. CYCLONE KILLS FOURTEEN. Iloii.e. Demollnli><l ami Railroad Train. Wrecked lly Wlml In Minnesota. Fourteen people are known to have been killed in the cyclone and cloud bursts in Minnesota Wednesday. The storm was general and it is impossible to estimate the amount of damage with any degree of certainty. The cyclone, which was central near Glemvood, was the W'orst that ever struck the state. The list of dead at Glenwood, so far as known, is as follows: Toleff Lavan, Samuel Morrow, Mrs. Samuel Morrow, Winnie Morrow aud Oswald McGow an. Others were fatally hurt. Trainmen say that a number of houses were blown from the founda tions by their storm, and undoubtedly more lives are lost. Railroad traffic is paralyzed because of the heavy fall of rain. The rain came so suddenly and so fiercely in some places that many trains ran into washouts before they had any intima tion of danger. A bad wreck on the Great Northern is reported about eight miles west of St. Cloud, twenty freight cars being ditched. Charles Washburn was in stantly killed and W. H. Pepper, the engineer of the train, was seriously injured. A freight train on the Chicago, Mil waukee and St. Paul road w as wrecked near Faribault and two of the crew were killed. Crops have been damaged to an irreparable extent, and a large amount of live stock was killed. Re ports of washouts, floods and cyclones are being received hourly. Every rail road in the state has some damage to the tracks and rolling stock. It is hard to even approximate the loss, but con sidering other damage it will probably exceed §1,000,000. TRANSFERER TO GOVERNMENT. Monongahela River Is Now Open for Na tional Commerce. The formal transfer of the property of the Monongahela Navigation com pany to the United States government was made at Pittsburg Wednesday aft ernoon. The Monongahela river is now free to the commerce of the na tion. The transfer was made to Assistant Secretary of War Micklejohn, who de livered the warrant drawn on the United States treasury for the amount awarded $3,601,615.56, to President Donnell, of the Navigation company. The freeing of the river mean; a sav ing of $225,000 annually to the coal operators. The transfer will release nearly 10,000,000 bushels of coal which has been held in the pools by the opera tors to save lockage tolls. This coal will be carried down to Pittsburg at once. THORNE MAKES CONFESSION. If© and Mrn.Nack Had© Way With William Guldensuppe* A New York dispatch states that the positive identification of the man arrested Tuesday night as Martin Thorne, the alleged confederate in the murder and dismemberment of the body of William Guldensuppe, was made Wednesday. Acting Inspector O’Brien says that he has in his possession a full confes sion from Thorne admitting that he had murdered Guldensuppe and giving all the details of the crime. Mrs. Augusta Nack, who is hold as an accomplice in the murder, is in prison under a charge of murder and with a complete chain of circumstan tial evidence woven about her. The detectives claim that there will be no trouble in convicting both parties. MORE TROUBLE FOR BERESFOKD. Fitzgerald Authorities Ask For “Me Lud’s'* Arrest. Sidney Lascelles, whose meteoric financial career startled the sober minded citizens of Fitzgerald, Ga., is again in trouble, it will seem. A number of telegrams were sent to Savannah Wednesday asking that Las celles be arrested and held until an officer from Fitzgerald could arrive. The telegrams were placed in the hands of the Savannah detectives, hut Lascelles could not be found after a search of the city. Several days ago Lascelles left Fitz gerald, going to Savannah. The war rant issued charges him with cheating and swindling. He is wanted badly in Fitzgerald, and if he is located, he will be carried back to bis home to face the charges which have been pre ferred against him in his absence. RUSSIAN CROPS RUINED. Excessive Bainfall Ha* Nearly Destroyed Hay and Beets. The London Daily Mail’s corre spondent at St. Petersburg says: The harvest prospects in Contral and South Russia are growing worse and worse. Continuous rains are destroying the hay crops, while the exceptionally poor beet crop in Podolien has prac tically ruined the sugar industry. The crops in some of the Baltic provinces also have suffered heavily from rains, and a significant sign of the gravity of the situation is the fact that an unusually severe censorship is exercised over news concerning it. GAGE MAKES SUGGESTION. Thinks That Tax of One Cent Per Pound On Sugar Will Help Matters. A Washington telegram states that Secretary Gage has written a letter to Senator Allison suggesting the advisa bility of putting a tax of 1 cent a pound on all refined sugar made from stock imported prior to the passage of the tariff bill. It is the opinion of the custom offi cials of the treasury that this duty would increase the government’s reve nues by several millions, and that the hardship would fall ou those best able to bear it. SENATOR HARRIS SERIOUSLY ILL. Too Weak To Be Bemoved to the Tennes see Mountains, As Proposed, A Washington special says: The condition of Senator Harris is preca rious. During the heat of Wednes day afternoon there were fears that in his debilitated condition he would not rally again, but as the atmosphere be came cooler towards night the senator regained partly wbat be bad lost during the day. His proposed removal to mountain resort has been dismissed, 11 MINES CLOSED DIN. RECORD OF GREATEST OF WAGE STREGGLES FOR A WEEK. THOUSANDS OF WORKERS ARE IDLE. Minors Are Jubilant Over the Situation So Far — Success Depends on West Virginia -Diggers. Sunday marked the beginning of the second week of the coal miners’ strike and already it gives promise of being one of the greatest wage strug gles in the history of this country. The coal operators in the Pittsburg district and the miners themselves little dreamed that within one short week such an era of general suspen sion could be wrought as now exists in the bituminous mining industry. Then the mouth of the many coal pits throughout the Monongahela, Youghioheny, Allegheny and Peters Creek valleys, and the valleys of Tom’s and Miller’s Run were open and turning out thousands and thous ands of tons of the best coal that en ters into the competitive markets of the world. Now, all is changed. The vast cav erns are like so many graveyards. On the hillsides basking in the shade there is an army of 18,000 men, who are anxiously waiting for more to join the troops of idlers. On nearly every railroad track leading to the mines there stand empty cars, apparently anxious to be loaded that their burdens may be carried to the ports along the lakes. The success that has attended the movement has greatly elated the miners and during the next few days every effort will be made to bring out the men in the few mines that are still working. This will be a difficult task, but they express confidence in their ability to make the suspension com plete. From the best information obtaina ble the Pittsburg operators are in no hurry to have the difficulty adjusted, so many of them having stocks on railroad sidings which they hold for an advance. Much of this was disposed of Saturday at a good profit. One (prominent operator said that it would take another week to determine the exact state of the markets, and by that time a general cleaning up will have taken place. All interested will be ready to begin business on anew basis and probably at a higher price. “This whole thing will result in a compromise,” said another prominent operator. “The operators are in a position to stand it for some time and I believe the miners are in about the same condition. It looks as if busi ness will brighten up and in that event the operators will be able to get better prices and the condition of bus iness and the condition of the miners will be simultaneously improved.’’ The effect of the strike is being manifested in the price of coal. An increase of 60 cents a ton was shown when an application was made for con tracts and a number of Pittsburg op erators, not being able to work their own mines, are seeking to liny coal in the West Virginia field in order to reap the advantage of the advance. Thore has been no intimation of lawlessness as yet in the region, but Sheriff Lowrey, of Allegheny' county', has anticipated any trouble by swearing in 500 deputies. The miners say there will be no overt acts. No openly aggressive work was done Saturday by either side, but the mi ners’ officials held a secret meeting, at which it is believed a vigorous cam j paigu against the New York and Cleveland gas coal miners, which will : be inaugurated at once, was decided ' upon. The operators apparently are I doing little and are saving less. How : ever, their confidence of defeating the miners has not abated in the least. DEMAND FROM AMBASSADORS. | Turkish Government Ik Asked to Not Ob struct Peace Negotiations. Acting upon instructions received j from their respective governments,the ambassadors of the powers at Constan tinople presented a collective note to the Turkish government Friday de manding a cessation of the obstruction J of the peace negotiations. A SUNDAY SESSION Held By Conferees of House and Senate on Tariff Bill. A Washington dispatch says: The conferees on the tariff bill held a four hour session Sunday. The anxiety to reach a complete agreement as early as possible induced them to meet ou the Sabbath and at present both the house and senate conferees appeared satisfied with the progress that has been made. Several hundred of the minor amend ments have been agreed upon. Many of them were chauges of phraseology and on a large majority of these the house conferees naturally have yielded. COMPETITOR PRISONERS To Be Brought (o Trial In Havana at an Early Date. The state department at Washing ton has been informed that the cases against Competitor prisoners will be brought to an issue at Havana within a very short time. It is expected that the cases of the Americans, Melton and Leavitt, will be separated from the others and they will be leniently dealt with the Span i all ftij t.h or ihi P-R. MANY DEATHS IN ST. LOUIS. Fearful Heat Continues With No Belief In Sight. A St. Louis dispatch says: Thurs day was the eleventh day of 100 de grees heat in St. Louis. By 3 o’clock in the afternoou seven people had died from the heat, one man attempted sui cide and there were at least four out of the many prostrations which will prove fatal. There is no relief in sight. It is a cool bedroom in which the temperature at night is lower than 92 degrees, and in consequence the vitality of the peo ple is becopiiug exhausted. A GHASTLY FIND. Dl.m.mbered Rodt of a Woman Found In a Barrel. A special from Quitman, Ga., says: Jacob Wooten and some friends, while fishing Saturday on Mule creek in the upper part of the county, discovered a barrel buried upright in the mud and containing a human body. The body had been cut into blocks and placed in the barrel, and mud had been thrown in, filling the barrel, which was then headed and buried. News of the discovery soon spread through the neighborhood and hun dreds of people have visited the scene and viewed the ghastly remains. The identity of the body aud everything connected with it are shrouded in mystery. The swamp in which the body was found is a dense jungle, and the spot where the barrel was unearthed is a mile or more from any house. The neighborhood is thinly settled and about fifteen miles from Quitman. No one has been missing and none of those who have come from the scene can account for the mystery. Following so closely upon the fa mous New York mystery of the mur der of Guldensuppe and the cutting up of his body, the excitement is in tense. Wooten and bis friends first remov ed the head of the barrel; then the dirt which had formed into a hard cake, and to their horror beheld a neat plait of human hair about two feet in length, soft and black, and evidently belonging to the head of a young white woman. Next, pieces of flesh and clothing were taken out, all in a fairly good state of preservation. The flesh, had dried and the skin had a mummified appearance. The dress was of checked homespun, while there was an under skirt of bleached homespun, machine made. FUNERAL SERVICES IN SENATE Conducted Over llumalnß of Hon. Isliain G. Harris. Impressive funeral services over the late Senator Isham G. Harris occurred in the senate chamber at noon Saturday in the presence of President McKinley and the members of his cabinet, sena tors and members of the house of rep resentatives, members of the diplo matic corps, justices of the supreme court and officials from all branches of public life. The chamber had been elaborately draped for the occasion. The desk of the late senator was heavily bound in crepe. In the semi-circular area, imme diately in front of the presiding offi cer, stood the casket, resting on heavy black draped pedestals aud literally buried in floral offerings. On the plate was inscribed: “Died July 7, 1897. Isham G. Harris. Aged seventy-nine years.” The services were brief and simple, consisting only of prayers by Rev. Mr. Johnston, Rev. Dr. Duffy, of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, and Chaplain Coudeu, of the house of representatives, the latter pronouncing the benediction. At 12:30 p. m. the ceremony was over and on motion of Senator Bate, of Tennessee, the senate adjourned. AS BAD AS AN EPIDEMIC. Death Record from Heat Was Three Hundred and Fifty for Month. The fierce heat under which the greater portion of the country has sweltered since the Ist of July, mod erated iu many localities Saturday, and predictions from the weather bureau at Washington indicate that lower tempeaatures will bring general relief. The record of prostrations and deaths resulting from the long heated term approaches in magnitude that of a general epidemic. Reports from all sections of the country received by the Associated Press up to Saturday night showed prostrations numbering iu the neighborhood of 2,000, with fa talities close to 350. In addition to this, there were scores of deaths resulting indirectly from the intolerable heat, the death rate iu many of the large cities showing a fearful insrease over previous years. The central states suffered more se verely than other sections, the heat being most deadly in Chicago, Cincin nati and St. Louis. Iu number of fa talities Chicago headed the list, with 87 deaths; Cincinnati and suburban points reporting 05, and St. Louis 42. Through the lower south the heat was intense, hut the death rate is much lower than in the north. NATIONAL HAY ASSOCIATION Will Meet August 10th With Many Dele gates Present. A call for the fourth annual meeting of the National Hay association at the Monongahela house, Pittsburg, on August 10th, is announced in the last issues of the Hay Trade Journal. The crop in the state being much larger, with probable lighter imports than during the past few years, gives new impetus to the trade. Delegates will be in attendance from all parts of the United States and bus iness pertaining to the hay trade will be fully discussed during the three days’ session. CHARGED WITH LYNCHING. Three White Men Are Bound Over at Birmingham Under SI.OOO Bonds. After a three days’ preliminary hear ing before Justice Benners, at Bir mingham, Ala., Joe Williams, Charles Clark and Zaek Hollins were held to bail in the sum of SI,OOO each for the murder of Jim Thomas, colored, near Blossburg, a week ago. It is alleged these men carried Thomas to the 3 r oods and killed him because he claimed to know the negro who attempted to assault Mrs. Hollins. OFFICE SEEKERS DISAPPOINTED. No Other Diplomatic Nono,illations to Be Made for llie Present. A Washington special says: It can now be announced on authority that with presentation to the senate of the large list of diplomatic and consular nominations which has been prepared, the president will positively make no another appointment to plrces of this character until after the adjournment of congress. This notice is inspired by a desire to spare useless importunities by seek ers after diplomatic and consular places, THE GREAT STRIKE ENDORSED LABOR LEADERS OF THE COUNTRT GIVE THEIR APPROVAL, AND MINERS WILL GET SUFFORT. A Meeting Held In Pittsburg and the Situ ation Fully Discussed by Gotn pers, Ratchford and Others. The greatest gathering of labor leaders that ever assembled iu this country during a national strike was held in Pittsburg, Pa., Friday night to devise means to assist the miners in their contest for increased wages. The conference was called suddenly, but the officials responded represent ing nearly every branch of organized labor in the United States. Those present were: Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor. M. L. Ratchford, national president of the United Mine Workers of Amer ica. M. M. Garland, president of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. Stephen Madden, secretary of the Amalgamated association. J. M. Hughes, first vice-president of the Federation of Metal Trades. M. ,T. Counahan, national secretary of the Journeymen Plumbers’ Associ ation. M. P. Carrick, president of the Brotherhood of Painters and Decora tors. D. R, Thomas, president of the Na tional Pattern Makers’ League. W. P. Mahon, president of the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees. Frederick Dolan, district president United Mine Workers. The session was secret, and it was almost midnight when it was over. The press committee, Messrs. Gom pers, Ratchford and Counahan, then gave out the following statement in which was corporated, they said, all that was done at the conference. The manifesto follows: “After an Informal discussion, reports were made by Messrs. Ratchford, Dolan and Warner in regard to the situation of the movement, and it demonstrated that the situation in West Virginia required atten tion in order that the suspension should be absolutely general and success assured. With that object in view, action was recom mended by President Gompers, of the American Federation of Labor, and it was determined upon to overcome this feature of the contest. It was also, determined that every effort be made on the part of those present to secure the co-operation and practical aid of organized labor for the struggling miners. “All the circumstances warrant the Arm conviction that the miners will ultimately achieve victory and to this end the aid of the labor and the sympathetic public is in voked. Conscious of the great interest which the public has in a contest so wide spread as that of the miners, it gives us great satisfaction to know that the miners have not been and are not now opposed to arbitration. We, therefore,urge and advise that a conference be held by the representa tives of the miners and the operators with a view of arriving at a settlement of the pres ent suspension.” To Stop in West Virginia. Notwithstanding the positive an nouncement by the committee that the statement furnished the press covered all the proceedings of the conference, it is known that an organized effort to secure a general suspension of mining in West Virginia was decided upon. After a thorough canvass of the sit uation it was unanimously agreed that the West Virginia miners held the key to the situation and without their united support the success of the gen eral movement would be greatly jeop ardized. In furtherance of this de termination, the officials present pledged themselves to send into this field a full quota of the best organizers in their several associations. After adjournment in resjionse to the question whether a 2 per cent assess ment on all organized labor, as con templated, would be made, President Dolan, of the Pittsburg district, said he thought such action would eventu ally be taken. He would not admit, however, that the matter of assessment had been considered at the conference, or that the question of a general sympathetic strike had been discussed. LEE’S GOOD ACCOUNT Shows a Large Surplus of the Money Ap propriated for Cuban Aid. United States Consul General Lee has been rendering some account to the government of his expenditures from the fund appropriated by con gress for the relief of destitute Amer ican citizens in Cuba. His figures were presented to the cabinet Friday, and the showing was remarkable for it appeared that of tlie total of $50,000 at the disposition of Gen. Lee, hehad expended only SO,OOO and yet had given substantial relief to every distressed American whom ho could find ready to receive aid and be sides bad shipped some of them back to the United States. SEIZED SMUGGLE lUWEED. Customs Inspectors at New York Capture Choice Leaf Valued at 82,000. Customs inspectors at New York, Friday, seized two lots of smuggled tobacco worth about $2,000. The first seizure was made at a ho tel, corner Dey and West streets, where several bales of Sumatra tobacco was found. Later a hundred small pack ages of choice leaf tobacco were dis covered hidden aboard the Red Star liner Southwark. DURRANT RESTS EASY. His Fate Is Now In the Hands of Cnele Sam’s Groat Court, A special from San Francisco says: The reprieve granted Theodore Dur rani by Governor Budd expired Fri day, but the murderer of Blanche La ment and Annie Williams was in nc danger of hanging. It does not mat ter whether Governor Budd grants a further reprieve or not, as the granting of an appeal by the United States circuit court to the United States su preme conrt takes all power but of the state officials uutil the highest federal court renders a decision iu the case.