Newspaper Page Text
The Jones County News
VOL. IX.
KING AND QUEEN MURDERED
People of Servia, Goaded to Wrath,
Enact World=Shocking Tragedy.
RULERS SLAIN IN PALACE
King Alexander, Queen Draga
and Ministers Die Ignobly
at Hands of Soldiers.
Universally Hated Dynasty Blotted
Out and New King Proclaimed.
Queen Draga’s Disgraceful
Career Brought to Sud¬
den Close.
A military conspiracy, which subso-
' quent events show had the sympathy
of the majority of the people of Ser¬
via, was carried out in the early hours
of Thursday morning, and King Alex-
under, Queen Draga, her two brothers
and several ministers were assassina-
ted in the royal palace at Belgrade,
the capital.
Prince Peter Karageorgeoviteh, pre-
tender to the throne, has been pro-
claimed king by the .army, and there is
every reason to believe that this decis¬
ion will be confirmed by the Servian
parliament, which has been summoned
to meet.
The revolution was executed with¬
out any 1 opposition on the part of the
people of Belgrade and the capital
and the,country remain tranquil.
While, Vhich the main outlines of the
events took place within the
royal p'sASce are known, the details
are conflicting, e^ owing to‘the extraor-
dinary seer with which \ the plot
was contrived and carried out. The
chief conspirators were all men of
high rank, who acted in concert with
the army. The participation of the
latter in the assassinations which have
blotted out the Obrenovitch dynasty,
which has ruled Servia, with a short
intermission, for nearly a century, is
mainly due to the attitude of King
Alexander and his Queen Draga to-
ward the officers of the army, whom
lie always treated with scant courtesy.
His desire to remove the war school
from Belgrade to Shebatz particularly
gave the officers offense.
The fatal day was a sinister one in
the history of the Obrenovitch house,
being the thirty-fifth anniversary of
King Alexander's great uncle, Michael,
who was done to death by agents cf
Alexander Karageorgeoviteh, then
leading member of the house, which
has long disputed the throne of Ser-
via against the Obrenovitch family,
and whose head, Prince Peter Kara-
georgeovitcli, has been proclaimed
king.
Dissatisfaction against King Alexan¬
der's rule has been great slDce nis sus¬
pension of the constitution last April,
and it is fiom that time mat the mili¬
tary plot dates. The organization of
the bloody deed was carried out with
consummate skill.
Hew the Deed Was Done.
About 1 o’clock a. m. the troops,
who had been tampered with by the
foes of the dynasty® surrounded the
palace. The doors were forced and
the leaders of the plot encored and as
sassinated King Alexander, Queen.-
Draga, the queen’s two brothers, Pre- ;
mier Markovitch, the minister of war, j
two aides de camp and two other efii-
cers.
The time of the assassination is giv-
en officially as 2 a. m.
Accounts as to how the king and
queen were murdered vary. One story
goes that an officer approached
bed of the king and queen and, rous¬
ing them, demanded that Alexander
abdicate, as lie had degraded Servia
by marrying a public prostitute."
The king’s reply was a shot from a
revolver, which killed the officer.
Alexander and Draga, attired in ;
their night clothes, where ien fled to the J
roof of the palace, ihoy were
pursued and shot to death, Another |
account states that Queen Draga was
brained by an ax in the hand's of her
brother in lav/, Colonel Alexander
Machin.
Excitement at High Pitch.
As the morning advanced the ex¬
citement. in the streets of Belgrade
grew steadily. In spite of the pouring
rain, thousands of people gathered in
the vicinity of the palace. Everywhere
troops of all arms were posted and
field guns were placed in positions (o \
deal quickly with any opposition to
the newly formed government’s will. !
Bands of young men paraded tho
streets waving flags and shouting, i
"Long live Karageorveovitch!” - !
Flags were Belgrade flying and from there nearly every abso- j
house in was
lately no display whatever of crepe or j
other signs of mourning. The royal
PRESIDENT’S BRIEF COMMENT.
' Roosevelt Greatly Shocked ca Hearing
of Tragedy in Belgrade.
President Roosevelt’s train passed
through Harrisburg, Pa., at 10 o clock
Thursday. There was a small crowd
at the station to greet him. The presl
dent was informed by a
of the Associated Press ci the assas-
sination of the king and queen of
via, and was greatly shocked, saying:
“That is bad.”
standard was lowered from over the
palace.
Reports from places outside of Bel¬
grade indicate that the country ac¬
cepts the disappearance of the Ober-
novitch dynasty without regret.
Queen Draga a Prostitute.
The assassination of King Alexan¬
der and his Queen Draga creates no
particular surprise throughout the civ¬
ilized world. Many plots to poison
Queen Draga have been undertaken,
but failed. So great is the resentment
felt for the shameful acts of this noto¬
rious woman, that a sigh of relief 13
felt throughout the civilized world
upon the announcement of her death.
From all acoounts Draga is painted as
file vilest of the vile. A woman pos¬
sessing ne sense of honor, busying her¬
self at all times in intrigues and coup
d’etats, since early womanhood, she
has figured conspicuously in scandal
and has associated with disgraceful
reprobates. She has often been styled
as the notorious mistress of unprinci-
paled court officers.
When Draga was divorced from her
it was her ambition to share
the throne with Alexander, who was
at that time generally admitted to oe
marriage to Alexander, all Servia was
shocked at fae shame of the marriage.
- She was more than twice the age of
tho boy king. When he was less than
15 years of age, he fell a victim to the
wiles of Madajn 4 ,Draga. He brought
her to the royal’palace soon after he
went upon the Lthrone. Alexander’s
mother, the.. Dowager Empress Nata¬
lie, made many efforts to oust Draga
but the king’s mistress won and the
dowager emprese/wasMorced; from the
palace by her atilt***'
During the king’s minority he was
supposed to rule through three re
gents, but it was generally known he
was absolutely under Draga’s iuflu-
ence.
When Alexander was 17 years old,
at a state dinner in the palace, the re-
gents were seized at the, instance of
Draga, hurried to prison and Draga
caused Alexander to be proclaimed
king in fact.
Draga has never been nappy be¬
cause the crown heads of Europe long
ago refused to receive her or to recog-
nize her. At t-ho courts of Europe her
name is hissed, For many years Dra-
ga has mado every effort to compel the
empress cf Russia to receive her at
court., but Russian influence and social
etiquette has prompted the empress to
refuse to entertain the suggestion.
World travelers describe Alexander
as the prince of degenerates. He in-
herited most of the bad qualities of
old Milan, the worst ruler Europe ever
knew. He is the direct descendant, of
a peasant who was a slave at the royal
castle many years ago. Scandal forced
Alexander’s father to abdicate the
throne in 1889 in favor of his son,
Alexander.
Murderers Issue a Statement.
The new ministry Thursday night
published the following statement:
"Certain differences which arose
at court have led to the intervention of
the army and a conflct in which the
king and queen jost their lives.
“Yi’ith a view to maintaining peace
and order in the cdun f :ry, at the pres-
ent moment difficult and fateful, the
representatives of all the political par-
ties have hastened-to come to an un-
GerstamVing and to form a provisional
government in order to re-establish
the constitution, existing before March
23, 1903, and'to reassemble the repro-
sentatives elected under the constitu¬
tion of April 6, 1901- ;
'Ai a sitting to be held on June 15,
the. national representatives will elect
sovereign and assume control of the
situation. According to the reports
received up to the present from the
civil and military authorities, order
ha3 not bepn disturbed in.any part of
the country and the government will
take steps to maintain it. The gov-
eminent feels convinced tiia-fc by -act*
ing thus it will insure for the new or-
d’er of things the sympathies of all'the
European powers.” f ... v-
The New King.
Peter Karageogeovitvh. who has
been proclaimed king, has been the
recognized pretender to tho throne as
the descendant of the great Kaia-
george, who wa8 the liberator Of Ser¬
via. Peter Karageorgeoviteh has been
living quietly in’Switzerland ter a good’
many years, engaged in scientific pur-
suits. He is an old man and it Hfcaot
considered probable th'at' he had any
direct hand in the plot for the over-
throw of Alexanwer, JJiough he and Ihe
followers of his family have been the s
leading opponents of the Alexander dy-
nasty, He married the . daughter of
Prince Nicholas, of Montenegro, and
his relations with Rfis-sia are very
close.
DOOM OF DEATH FOR SiX.
___. s, - :•
A'abama Supreme Court Breqkfi^Flec- \
ord in Approving CentSneer.
The Alabama state supreme court
broke all records .mu Thursday ,,•(•! by nanding .
dqwn decisions in the r ase:-: cf Felix
Hall, Sidney King and Albert Jonca,
of Jefferson county: Win Starks and
AUxsnder Means, cf Montgomery, and
Jim Stuart, of Wilcox, affirming the
action o' the lower courts in convict-
ing them of murder. j
GRAY. JONES 00, GA.. ; THURSDAY. JUNE 18. \m.
CONSPIRACY REVEALED
Evidence Tends to 8how that Jett and
White Were Hired to Murder
Attorney Marcum.
An unusual number of newspaper
men arrived In Jackson, Ky., Friday,
including magazine writers and art¬
ists for illustrated papers. They found
a quiet town. Provost Marshal Long-
mire had made no arrests for the pre-
vious two nights and two days. Since
he closed the "blind tigers" there has
bc-en no shooting during the night.
The free use of weapons in the ca¬
rousals around these places led to re¬
ports at times of bands of feudists
coming into towns to attack the jail.
When court had to take the noon re¬
cess Friday earlier than usual, be¬
cause the next witness was unable to
get on the witness stand, it was evi¬
dent that liquor is still available from
some source.
The feature of the trial during the
lay was the drift of evidence toward
a conspiracy implicating county offi¬
cials and others, and tending to show
that Jett and White had no such mo¬
tives as the conspirators, but were
simply hired to kill J. B, Marcum,
who was the attorney for parlies con¬
testing the election of county officials.
The defense during the forenoon at¬
tempted to have the case continued
on account of the absence of witnesses
and again in the afternoon on account
of the illness of one of the attorneys
for the defense. In both instances
Judge Redwine ordered the trial to
proceed.
Missing Witnesses.
Lieutenant Kennard, who was sent
after the missing witness, Harry Frie-
man, returned without hits man, and
Deputy Sheriff Whittaker was sent af¬
ter him. Upon the opening of court
Attorney O’Niel, for the defense, filed
a motion asking that.;the case be con¬
tinued on the ground that the defense
needed absent witnesses, Moses Felt-
ner, John Smitli and- John Abner, to
contradict the evidence, of Mary John¬
son, a sister of . the murdered man
The trial proceeded. '
The first witness was William Hurst.
He was questional concerning a plot
to assassinate MaVcum in which two
county officials were implicated. Wil¬
liam Eversole and other witnesses
were examined ps to the alleged con¬
spiracy. ^bnegj.. Smith .and Feltiier
,
are s aid Ttf'-difMie, Jieen in the^vlot to
assassinate Marcum. Abner after-
wards made affidavit that he kept
Marcum posted. He made an affidavit,
which was filed in court, stating that
the plots were formed in the office of
County Judge Harris, 'and that Judge
Harris and Sheriff Ed Callahan were
furnishing the money. Mrs. Johnson
testified niso to this information be-
ing furnished her brother by Feltner.
The defense claims these, men are bad¬
ly needed. They are supposed to be in
Perry county. Feltner has forfeited
a bond of $3,000 after being granted a
new trial for the murder of Jesse
Fields in the French-Eversole feud.
Marcum was his lawyer, and secured
a reversal in his case. Because ho
was a friend of Marcum, it is alleged
ho was picked out to assassinate
him, as he would not be suspected, a
pardon for the Fields murder being
promised.
NEGRO LEADER PASSES AWAY.
James Hill, Prominent in Mississippi
Reconstruction Politics.
James Hill, Mississippi’ 8 foremost
negro citizen, leader of the republi¬
can party, chairman of tne state execu¬
tive committee and industrial promot-
er, died suddenly in Jackson Frida-;
morning of heart failure. He was
about sixty-six years of age and had
been in public fife for the las't. quarter
of a century. His first office of impor¬
tance .was as secretary of state of
Mississfppi during reconstruction rule.
Later he sefved as collector of inter¬
nal revenue, postmaster at Vicksburg
and registrar of the land office. He
held the espect and esteem of all white
citizen-., and much regret is express¬
ed over his death.
Frost Reported in Kentucky.
The thermometer at Louisville, Ky.,
Friday morning registered 44, the cold¬
est ever recorded there in June. Frost
was reported from several places in
Kentucky. -■
WOOD TO RULE THE MOROS.
Epecial Laws Enacted for Government
of Fierce Filipinos.
A Manila special says: The Philip¬
pine -commission has enacted a bill
providing for the government of the
Moros. Governor Taft and Major Gen¬
eral Davis jointly drafted it. The
measure practically makes the More
provinces an autonomous colony of
the Philippines with the Philippine
government controlling.
The bill provides for a partial mili¬
tary government, and it is expected
that' Geheral Leonard Wood will be
the first governor of the Moro prov¬
ince.
ROBBED ON THE OCEAN. ■
passenger on Steamer Germanic Re-
ports Loss of $20,000.
Robert Neill, a wealthy resident of
l os Angeles, Cal., who was a first cab-
in pa88e „ ge r on the White Star line
steamer Germanic, which arrived at
New York from Liverpool Friday, re-
ported to the police on his arrival that
p e h a{ j been robbed while in midocean
0 f drafts and money to the amount
of about $20;<)00.
DARK AGES SHAMED
In Atrocities Perpetrated By
Benighted Servians.
DEAD BODIES MUTILATED
* • *»
Remains of King and Queen Trampled,
Spat Upor.i and Given Secret
and Ignominous Burial
at Night,
Later advices from Belgrade >§> stale
that King Alexander and Queen Dnrga,
who wore assassinated early Thursday
in the r:»yal palace, were buried during
(he night in the family vault of the
Obernovitclies in the chapel of the
cemetery of St. Mark, 'The interment
was carried on with complete secrecy
between 1:30 and 3 o’clock Friday
morning.
The strictest privacy was maintain¬
ed in order to avoid hostile demon-
si ration 3 . Two coffins were brought in
by servants and carried,up, to the roo.nfc
where the bodies of the late king and
qijeen were lying.
The corpses were then put in the
coffins and the latter were placed In a
hearse which was hurriedly driven to
the old cemetery, whore the other
numbers of the Obernoviteh family
afe interred. In addition to the at¬
tendants only two "priests were pres¬
ent at the funeral. The Metropolitan
of Belgrade ' was absent. The whole
ceremony lasted only a few minutes.
The body of the late Premier Marko-
vitoh will be buried with military
honors.
Colonel Naumovics, who was killed
while forcing an entrance into the pal¬
ace with dynamite, is described in the
official notice of his death, as “dying
on fhe flfdd of honor for his father-
land. ’’ It is now confirmed that only
Queen Draga’s two 'brothers were kill¬
ed. Her sisters were taken to Pana-
vosa by some of the conspirators.
Sensational stories,', many of which
are undoubtedly sent for the purpose
of political effect, are published in Bel¬
grade, the most revolting of them be¬
ing that the soldiers outraged Queen
Draga and mutilated the body of King
Alexander, and that those who were
admitted to the psiac*. Friday to view
the remains spat (and stamped on
them.
Tho dispatches sent out have every
indication ‘of having^ been mutilated
and censored. All.telegraph Hues and
post stations have been seized by the
newly declared government and only
certain dispatches, such as would put
the new minislry in a favorable light,
are believed to be sent out.
History of 3ervia.
Servia, one of the four Balkan
States, was settled by the Serbs in
the seventh century. In 1459-Servia
was conquered by the. Turks. It was
ceded to Austria in-1718; reconquered
by the Turks in 1739, .and. its inde¬
pendence was practically* established
in 1829, was recognized;‘in..1878 and
proclaimed a kingdom in 1882..
The population of Servia by the last
census was 2,312,484, about.. 90
cent Servians. The Slavl's population,
3,731; Roumanians, 159,510; Kgyp-
tians, 50,000, and..5,000 Jews. Belgrade,
a city, population of 59,000 people, is
the capital.
The government of Servia is admin-
istered by a king and council of eight
ministers. Military service is compul-.
r.ory between the ages of 21 and, 48.
In 1897‘the’ army consisted of 1 248
officers and 21,000 " The-
men. war
strength is 363,366 men. ' -
The kingdom of Servia occupies
twenty 'thousand square
surface of the country is very ■ moun¬
tainous. ' Almost, equally; dividing the
kingdom is the great river, Morava.
Tho Danube river forms the northern
boundary, separating Servia from Aus-_
tria-Hungary. To the eStst’ o? Servia
is Roumania and Bulgaria. To tho
south lies Turkey in .'Europe and the
city of Montenegro.;. The climate is
healthful and invigorating, but. irirlim"
ed lo tropical excesses.. Servia is rich
in mineral deposits,.carries on a largo
live stock industry and iljs marketa-
hie products are many* It. possessive
modern railway facilities, .telegraph
fines and many school'houses. -The'
education of children is compulsory.
LIKE HAPPY HOOLIGAN,
This Mao Stand's Chance of Getting
Sentence, of 163 YearS.
A Boston dispatch /fays: W. W.
'Walc, bogus 'coal- deatef, was found
guilty on all of tweniy-ync counts nj.
indictment and is liable‘.to sentoirto
‘ ’ *
-
of each .
eight years on , count, . making
a total of 108 years. District Attorney
Snghrde, in his closing argument, said
that Waie was unfit to associate with
inmates of the state prison. "He is so
despicable,” said Hugh rue, “that ’ fib
comparison with him robbers and Rur-..
lars are , honest gentleman." • -
tr*,.
THIRTEEN HURT '•IN’ WRECK.
Passenger Train on L. and N. Leaves
Track—Fireman Scalded to Death.
^ passenger train on the Louisville
an(I OrVeans Nashville railroad bound from
New to Cincinnati was wreck
ed on Muldraugh’s hill 32 miles south
of jxiuisville ’ Ky. Tuesday afternoon
j 0 jj n of i.ouisville, the fireman,
was s0 badly scalded that he died
Tueg( j ay n)g ht Thirteen persons were
injured.
CITY UNDER WATER
East St. Louis in Mighty
Grasp of Flood.
MANY REPORTED DROWED
Known Fatality List i3 Eleven—Disa3-
.ter Result of Broken Levee.
Gang of Looters Reported
Shot by Guards.
A special from cl. Louis, Mo., says:
Almost two-thirds of the territory eai-
braced by East St. Louis, Ills., is un¬
der from two to fifteen te*et of water.
Between twilight Tuesday night nud
dawn Wednesday eleven lives were
sacrificed to tho angry waters and
damage which uo one has attempted
to estimate has been done to property.
Not a wheel of industry is turning
In East St. Louis, but the flooded wa¬
ters w'hlrl and suck at U 10 foundations
of many great buildings that have
been deserted, The vast railroad
yards can bo located only by hundreds
of half-submerged cars ami locomo¬
tives. Huge grain elevators stand
surrounded by running water.
To the south beyond the railway
yard are thousands of cottages owned
by laborers and containing their nil,
submerged to the eaves.
In northern East St. Louis the con
dition is not so bad.
Tho business portion of the city and
the district containing tho better resi¬
dences is still Intact, but for how long
is not known. Broadway, running
from Eads bridge east, to tho city lim¬
its, a wide street built of sand and
walled with stone 15 feet high, divides
the city in halves. *Ovcr ten feet of
water is pressing against Broadway
from the south and in many places i3
seeping through in streams ns thick as
a man’s body. Traffle over certain
portions of tho thorougnfare has boen
prohibited. If Broadwny breaks, tho
water will rush over much of tho city
until Missouri avenue, running paral¬
lel one block’ north, is encountered.
How the Flood Came.
Along the river front to the west a
levee of sand hags from 2 to G feet
high and two miles long keeps the riv¬
er out. Tuesday night, the river sud¬
denly began to nso. Tired men work¬
ed with energy to strengthen tho sand
bag levees. The city was made safe
along the river front, hut word was
received that the Illinois Central
bankment. skirting the river along the
southern boundary of the city, was
about to give way. Couriers were sent
to shout warnings to tho inhabitants
of the southern half of the city, and
hundreds of laborers and citizens has¬
tened to strengthen Ihe embankment.
Locomotives riishod car loads of sand
bags to the place and work was hur-
riedly begun.
Accustomed by this lime to warn¬
ings of impending danger, Ihe inhabi¬
tants did not leave their homes. High¬
er and higher crept the water until a
thiok stream began te pour over ihe
embankment and suddenly it broke.
The break occurred at 1 1:40 o’clock
Tuesday night. A section of the cm
bankment was torn out and a stream
25 feet wide rushed through. Another
section of the embankment, went out a
minutes later and then that por-
tion standing between the two streams
we a4- .down and the river poured
through.
The alarm spread like wild fire, and
whistles were blown, bells rung, shots
fired and cries of warning wore sound¬
ed, hut even with all this pandemo¬
nium many of the inhabitants failed to
.leave their homes. Within an hour the
houses stood in water hnt reached to
the roofs of the ohe-slory cottages.
Many fled to large brick buildings.
Rescue boats Wednesday found many
people In second ’stories and on house
tops, but there is .grave fear that many
dead will later be found in Ihe flooded
cottages and the desolated quarter.
I" *he turmoil it has been Impossi-
hie to verity .reported deaths, but from
apparently reliable sources the Asso¬
ciated Press gathered that tho follow-
log 'eleven persons were drowned
.
Tpuifisdny night:
■ John Koolish and three children.
drowned’’oft; nortTi side; unidentified
"SHOOT HIM ON THE SPOT.”
Author of Famotta Sentence Passes
‘Away at Age of Seventy-One.
George Bethune McCarter, a promi-
nent,democrat.pf New York and ono
chiefs of the bureau of < n
graving and printing in Washington,
18 dead “ at, “ his home in Salem in the
seventy , first . year of bis age.
Mr McCarter wrote In dictation as
private j secretary to the (jeneral treasury John A. in
j(x Recr qtary of
president Bn’cha*ari’8 cabinet, thin
-message?
-, “If aity man pirifs down the Ameri¬
can dlag shrtot him-on-tne spot.”
ALLEGED ROBBER IS NABBED.
John Bibb Held on Charge of Looting
Ticket Office of $7,000.
The arrest of John Bibb was effect¬
ed at Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday af-
ternoon. Bibb is wanted in Ilirming-
ham, Ala., where he and an accom-
plice are alleged to have robbed the
safe in the Louisville and Nashville
ticket office several weeks ago. The
/ mount tajeen is placed at f.7,000.
baby, B. H. Sherwood, Lawrence Day,
•two unidentified women, two unidenti*
fled men.
It was currently reported that seven
negroes caught looting houses Tues¬
day night were shot to death. They
were all on a raft and were surprised
by guards who shot them down and
threw tholr bodies In the water. Whllo
this is not confirmed lt is known
that there was heavy firing on the
north side where those negroes aro
said to have been linied.
Gave Lives for Beer.
The deaths of Jonn Koolish, a Pol¬
ish carpenter, and his three children,
two boys aged 5 and 7, respectively,
and a girl of 12 years, were drowned
by trying to save threo kegs of beer.
The Koolish home had been Bur-
rounded by water for several days.
The family had been living In the sec-
ond story. Tuesday night decided to go
to land, Koolish took two sons and
his wife and three-months-old baby
safely to land, lie then returned for
his other three children. Getting
them safely into the boat, lie stopped
at a submerged house to Lake off three
kegs of beer as requested oy the own¬
er, a friend. ’ In trying to load the
kegs into the boat the craft was over¬
turned and the occupants were swept
to their deaths by the swift current, in
full sight of the mother.
Scene Beggars Description!,
The scene In East 8t. I>ouis beggars
description, Hundreds of families
from tho choicest residence portions
of the city carrying trunks, grips,
bundles of clothing and valuables be¬
gan to cross Eads bridge toward St.
Louis. Most of the refugees were
scantily clad. Strong men carried i.ged
women in their arms. Barefooted
children were in the procession which
continued steadily over the bridge.
BESSEMER BANKER SKIPS.
Cornwall Steals In Neighborhood of
$280,000 from Depositors and
Goes to Parts Unknown.
With President T. ,T. Cornwall in
parts unknown and short nearly $280,-
000, (he Bessemer Savings nank, at
Bessemer, Ala., one of the strongest
Institutions in the district, will close
Its doors and ask for a receiver.
President Cornwall, wno was a mem¬
ber of the late constitutional conven¬
tion and ono of the most prominent
men in the state, left behind him
three notes explaining the shortage.
In one addressed lo the public, he
says that lie lost the money In trying
to make back $42,000 he lost in a legit¬
imate business transaction. He fur¬
ther exonerates nil the.officers of (ho
bank ana takes the whole blame 011
hlmself.
In a letter to his wife, which sho
was Instructed to open Wednesday
morning, he stated that ho would not
commit suicide, but would let her
know if he died. In a uiird letter, nd-
dressed to Cashier Cockrill, he states
that he had nothing left for him to
do but "wander on tho face of (bo
earth, or become a convict in the state
coal mines.”
The shortage was not discovered un¬
til Wednesday morning, when Presi¬
dent Barr, of the First National Bank
of Birmingham, presented chocks for
$800 at, tho window of tho Bessemer
bank, and stated that the bank had re¬
fused paymont on thorn. The officers
were surprised and an investigation
followed showing tho shortage.
President Cornwall left Sunday and
stated that he was going to Walker
county, to dispose of some land and
get some money, He has not beetr
seen since.
The shortage will not effect the Bir¬
mingham banks, as they all have ta¬
ken their paper out The Bank of
Commerce of Bessemer has made ar-
they rangoments need in to borrow of all tne that money In- j
caso a run on
etitution, so no further trouble Is ex j
peeled In any of Ihe banks.
It is understood that a great part
of the money was in Ihe deposits of
the merchants and miners, together
with employes of the rolling mills,
furnaces and Industrial plants of Bes-
s< mer. The city of Bessemer loses ,
$17,000.
The bank will probably not be able
to make a payment of more than a
very small percentage on its deposits,
Tho hank was organized In 1891, with
a capital stock of $100,009, and had
deposits of about $260,000.
LOOT CASH IN SPECULATION.
Watson Appears in Washington Court
and Pieads Not Guilty
James Watson, the clerk In Ihe au
dltor's office of the district govern
ment, at. Washington, who was arrest-
od for 'alleged embezzlement of large
sums, appeared, in the police court
Wednesday, pleaded not guilty and
waived a preliminary hearing. Bail
was fixed at $30,000, which Watson
was unablo to give.
According to the authorities, ’ most
of the money Watson is alleged to
have, embezzled was spent in stock
speculatlons.' libs books arc in a de-
plqrable condition. ]
‘ Vo I
DECLINES ACCEPT AID. !
;
Russia Will Watch After .Klshin?f
Sufferers Without Assistance. I
Numerous offers have rearhed the
Russian government from American
sources to aid tho families of sufferers 1
in the recent Kishinef incident. All i
such offers have been declined for Ihe
reason that Russia is entirely capable |
of extending relief, and, under the < lr-
cumstances, cannot accept aid from
the outside.
NO. 30.
ONLY PRIVATE SNAP
Proctor Reports on Crooked¬
ness in Postal Department.
PUBLIC INTEREST WAS NIT
Chairman of the Civil Service Com¬
mission Gives Some Hard Raps (
to High Officials of the
Department.
A Washington special says: Chair-
nlan proctor, of the civil service com-
mission, on last Saturday, submitted
to Postmaster General Payne the re-
port mado by tlie commission, at the
request of tho postmaster general,
with reference to the charge of viola-
tion of the civil service regulations in
tho Washington postofflee. Tho in¬
quiry covered tho following points:
(1) Whether all of the employes out¬
side the forco of carriers were regular¬
ly In the service and entitled to their
positions; (2) whether the civil ser¬
vice rules had been observed in'the em¬
ployment and assignment of laborers,
and (3) whether there had been a gen-
ral observance of the civil service law
and rules in the administration of the
Washington postofflee during the In¬
cumbency of tho present postmaster.
In addition to the report proper, a
transcript of tho testimony taken, Mr.
Proctor presented a summary of the
findings. This summary concludes, In
part, us follows:
"A departure from the observance of
tho civil service rules appears* in tho
promotion of certain employes In the-
Washington postofflee which have
been directed by the department, al¬
though reports of efficiency arc'nelther
requested nor received by the : depart¬
ment.
"Tile Information disclosed by the
Investigation seems to warrant tho
statement that appointments to classi¬
fied positions in the Washington post-
office without examination, by the
method of -appointment In small un¬
classified offices, or in offices about to
be consolidated, and subsequent trans¬
fer, and the appointments of those la¬
borers who were appointed and sepa
rated during the administration of tho
present postmaster, show a wide de¬
parture in policy from a strict regard
for tho public interest and afford in¬
dications that tho department used the
Washington office for political and per¬
sonal purposes to an extent which left
the authority of the postmaster in
transfers and appointments of this
sort but little more than nominal and
placed the office in many respects In
(lie relation of a bureau to the depart-
men I
Directed by High Officials.
"The investigation seems to show
clearly that most of the irregularities
herein mentioned were directed by tho
department, or requested or zuggsted
by high departmental officials, and in
cither caso came to tho postmaster
with nil th n force of a direction.
"Tho investigation indicates that the
employes who entered the service by
transfer and without examination are,
in general .inferior to those appointed
through competition.
Rural Free Delivery Service.
“Nearly all of tho clerks and messen¬
gers in the rural free delivery service
who were covered into the classified
service were in poaitions in Washing¬
ton, D. C. One hundred and thirty-
three of them were appointed prior-to
July 1, 1901; twenty-six were appoint¬
ed in the four months immediately
preceding the classification and flfty-
R | x were appointed In the twenty-six
days preceding classification. How
many of these were appointed for rea¬
sons other than the needs of the ser-
vice, it is, of course, impossible for the
commission to determine, but that the
service was packed with employes in
the interests of the Individuals is indl-
cated by the fact that the number of
appointments in the month of the clas¬
sification was more than twice as great
as for the preceding four months,
“The appointments mado under tho
circumstances above set forth resulted
in n congestion of the service, and
a reduction Is to be made the cm-
appointed for political or per¬
considerations are cared for,
at the expense of persons
upon merit and without in-
In relieving the branches of
service thus crowded with em-
transfers are made to other
of the service, to the injury of
in line for appointment by
of their ascertained fitness.
............
LOWLANDS BEING FLOODED.
-
Levee Near Memphis Breaks and Wa¬
ters are Pouring Through.
A special from Memphis, Tenn.,
The embankment recently built
the crevasse cut in the St. Fran-
levee at Hollybush by the March
broke Saturday before tho'..
of the rising waters of the Mis-
and a big stream is pouring
through to the lowlands behind the
__
Seven Killed in Whisky Distillery^
Three men, three boys and a woman
were killed and a number of persons
were injured as the result of a fire at
a whisky distillery in Glasgow, Scot-
land. Thousands of casks of spirits
bringing down a wall adjoin¬
The victims were buried beneath
debris,