Newspaper Page Text
WASHINGTON, D. C.
"MOVEMENTS OF THE PRESIDENT
AMD HIS ADVISERS.
U-rOISTMENTS, DECISIONS, AND OTHER MATTERS
OF INTEREST FROM TUE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
The president has pardoned John W.
Rarklev, convicted in Georgia of passing
counterfeit money.
Secretary Noble received a telegram
w Wednesday, from Charles Foster,
Chairman, dated Fort Gates, announcing
the successful completion of the Sioux
commission.
The commission Jacksonville. of R. E. McMurray as
postmaster of Fla., which
has been held forwarded up pending charges against
him, was to him Wednesday,
tlie charges having been disproved'.
Chief Postoffice Inspector Rathbone
has been informed of the arrest of George
Crawford, mail agent running between
Wellston and Cold Spring, Ga., for rob
bing a registered pouch of ten letters.
- Attorney General Miller appointed
James Atkins to be special assistant at
torney in the southern district of Geor
gia, to assist in the prosecution of the
cases of the United States against Ex
Marshal Wade.
'..The president left Washington on
Tuesday morning on his trip to Bar Har
bor Me., to visit Secretary Blaine. He
was accompanied by Secretaries Windom
and Proctor, Private Secretary Halford
and also Secretary Tracy. The presi
dent expects to return to Washington by
the 17th.
The report of Captain Shepard, com
manding the revenue steamer Rush, in
regard to the seizure of the British
staler, Black Diamond, winch was mailed
at San Francisco, in July, has just been
received at the Treasury Department.
Acting Secretary Batchellor refuses pos
itively to give it to the press, but admits
that it confirms substantially the news
paper reports concerning the seizure. He
says further, that as the qu< stion seems to
have assumed political importance, he
preferred to do nothing whatever in the
matter without consultation with Secre
tary Windom.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany claims that it has the better end of
the present controversy with the govern
ment. The telegraph officials say that
under the terms of the agreement be
tween them, certain rates have to be
fixed annually, subject to acceptance of
all the companies interested, and that
June, agreement and expired on the 30th of last
that no contract between the
government and the companies is now’ in
existence. They are, therefore, in no
hurry to bring about a settlement of the
charge pending controversy, for they propose to
the government full commercial
rates for all telegraphic business
transacted by them since the first of
July. During the absence of tbe Presi
dent and the members of his official
family from Washington, the telegraph
business of the Government is larger
than at any other time, and under the
circumstances the telegraph company
professes to be willing to prolong the
controversy with the postmaster-general.
The president, on Monday, appointed
Julian H. Bingham, of Alabama, and
Nathan H. Alexander, of Alabama, to
be register of the land office and receiver
of public moneys, respectively, at Mont
gomery, Ala.; William H. Hart, of Indi
ana, to be third auditor of the treasury;
John T. Rankin, of Pennsylvania, to be
deputy auditor of the treasury for tiie
post office department; Walter II. John
son, of Georgia, to be collector of inter
nal revenue for the district of Georgia;
kugene A. Webster, of South Carolina,
to be collector of internal revenue for the
district of South Carolina; Columbus C.
Wimbish, of Georgia, to be surveyor of
customs for the port of Atlanta, Ga.;
ohn i. Patty, of Louisiana, to be naval
officer of customs in the district of New
rleans, La.; George W. Jolly, of Kcn
ucky, to be attorney of the United States
or the district of Kentucky; William
rant, of Kentucky, to be attorney of the
^ nited States lor the eastern district of
tjouaana; Peter A. Williams, of Florida,
o be marshal-of the United States for
oe southern district of Florida.
SOUTH CAROLINA FRUITS.
4 WONDERFUL PLENTY—PEACHES
FIF
TEEN CENTS A CRATE, ETC.
to h. C abun ^ an ce of fruit this year seems
of c® ^onth £^ nera Carolina. l throughout the whole state
« actually In Columbia fruit
l"*™ bring a “glut” on the market,
into that city wagon
8 o \ rne l°a8 for which they are
ahl e find un<
o a market at any price. Can
u P e3 ,°f the finest quality sell for
•oti tbe a
t A 01 t mi tmeg variety is sold at fif
tj. ' vent y cents a dozeu. One of
.
r commission merchants had
. tuber , a
of crates of peaches in front of
- s ore marked “fifteen cents crate;”
gjj a
"ere fresh and of good quality,
cent' I ’ r Wa fac ^ eirae ^thereis * ona sell superabundance for five or ten
0 f a
want uniform RATES.
learlin railroat l representatives of the
ofiif.,, % lines was held in the
New v ork ?’ Wednesday. runk Line Association in
and » After a long
their fines agreed to mako a uniform ‘5® foll rate " win on -
•
SSn TruakLKr
hot' * U ^ ? erH Was who 011 Lie requisi
ered h, a b rents had consul
rates ™ se i v es discriminated against in
ittigfaction nrra,n S emeat U aVe universal
he raised the money
but was finally brought
TO GRIEF
UNEXPECTEDLY.
second^uo Sl f ben and . S - Gra!!d AIIen » Street of the Forty- Ferry
n ° f New York
arrested arrested Wednesday > ™
George i| afternoon on
efl ‘ a uding the company.
ceZf^rl i 400 W Sh ? reUtlCe 0f ’ a brokpr > had vl
lo n 1 r ircs the com paoy's stock
th®’ snl „ q 7 he a bu customer, vcr before and paying, had made tlm
J 0ekput . - in > his wie, wished
P Pi r entice went to the «« and
transfer office to have the
made. The president was out,
ancl the treasurer acting for him made
the discovery that the numbers* on the
stock were duplicates of stock credited
On the book to other persons, Fraud
was apparent, and treasurer com
municated at 6lice with the directors.
Allen confessed his guilt without much
urging. H e wa8 engaged in the iron
business outside of his connection with
the company, he said, and became inter
ested in some inventions, one of a patent
lire escape, the other of a clothes post
system for use on the roofs of houses.
Both promised well, but the officials of
the bureau of buildings refused to allow
their use, and the scheme fed flat. Allen
became unbarrassed, and, to relieve
himself, took blank certificates of rail
road stock, tilled them out with his own
name, or that of some other person, and
banks. hypothecated the boeus shares in various
He thinks that he has
scattered seven hundred shares or
so about in that way, and bor
aowed about $125,000 or $130,000.
A HEAVY FORGERY.
A MINNEAPOLIS LAWYER USES HIS CLIENT’S
NAME TO THE TUNE OF $227,0U0.
John S. Blaisdell, one of the oldest
and wealthiest ciiizens of Minneapolis,
Minn., Tuesday,discovered that forgeries
to the amount of $227,000 had been
committed in his name. The forger is
a young lawyer of that city whose father
is also wealthy and prominent. Blais
dell had befriended the young man in
business transactions, going so far as to
indorse his note for $15,000. The young
man made the indorsement the basis for
a systematic series of foigeries, reaching
the sum above mentioned. Mr. Blaisdell
discovered the forgeries merely by acci
dent. He at once charged the young
lawer with the crime, the latter con
fessing in the presence of several wit
nesses. The forger’s friends at once
took steps to hush the matter up and an
arrangement was made whereby the en
tire amount of the forgeries was to be
paid orer to Mr. Blaisdell in considera
tion of his not prosecuting the young
criminaL But on Wednesday, however,
matters assumed a different phase. The
newspapers gave the case publicity. The
forger’s name is J. Frank Collum, of
Rockwood – Collum, attorneys at 22G
Temple court. The forger has been Mr.
Blaisdell’s attorney and was tbu3 enabled
to have access to his papers—an oppor
tunity which he used for the furtherance
of his schemes. Collum is a man of
about thirty-five years of age.
CAN GO TO CHICAGO.
HYDROPHOBIA UNFORTUNATES WILL NOT
have to leave the country.
Residents of Chicago, or elsewhere, be
who may be unfortunate enough to
bitten by mid dogs, will not hereafter
have to go to Paris to be treated by Pas
teur. The county’s public service com
mittee Wednesday, on the recommenda
tion of the hospital committee, ward thirteen set apart be
two unused rooms in to
used by Dr. Antonis Lagorce, for the
treatment of hydrophobia according to
Pasteur’s method. Dr. Lagorce spent
five years as a student with Pasteur. The
hospital medical stall recommended the
utility of bacteriological work and pre
ventive inoculation for rabies at the hos
pital, and Dr. Lagorce will undertake it.
A COTTON TRUST.
SOUTHERN COTTON MILLS AFPROACHED BY
AN ENGLISH SYNDICATE.
A formal proposition has been made to
many leading Southern cotton mills by
syndicate of English and Ensterh capital
ists for the purchase of their plants with
a view of combining interests in one cen
tral trust company, in the 6ame manner
that cotton seed oil mills have heretofore
combined. The letters of proposal mill are
now in the hands of various owners
in Columbus, Ga. No steps have been
taken, but there is no knowing the final
result.
FATAL COLLISION.
Wednesday morning, at Noifolk, Ya ,
while the Old Dominion line steamer
“C l Dominion" was coming up the
river, she collided with tbe sloop
Ella May, of Warwick county. James
Henry Coombs, captain, and two of the
crew, colored men, were drowned.
KILLED BY LIGHTNING.
At Catawba, North Carolina, on Mon
day night, Mr. J. A. Troliinger had
accompanied Miss Addie A. Reid from
church, and while together in the parlor of
a thunder storm began, and a stroke
lightning, tearing down the chimney,
instantly killed the young lady aud her
visitor.
IMMEDIATE DELIVEBY.
Customer (to grocer)— I want to get a
pound of old cheese. send il
Grocer—All right, sir. I’ll
around in five minutes.
Customer— All right, and let it bring
a couple of crackers with it.
scmjfr coxjisT? news.
CURIOUS WILLS.
Some Modern Instances of Tes
tamentary Eccentricities.
Testators Who Made Odd Dis
positions of Their Eodies.
Modern instances of testamentary ec
centricity abound, and the United
States in particular, seems to be singu
larly prolific of curious wills. Some
little time since Mr. Solomon Sanborn
of Medford, Mass., left his body to the
late Professor Agassiz and Dr. O. W.
Holmes, to be prepared by them in the
most scientific manner known to anat
omical arr, and placed in the museum
of Harvard College. Two drum heads
were to be made of the skin. Upon one
was to be inscribed Alexander Pope's
“Universal Prayer," and the other the
“Declaration of Independence,” and
then they were to be presented to the
testator's “distinguished friend,” the
drummer of Cohasset. This presenta
tion was subject to the condition that
on the seventeenth of June, at sunrise,
every year, the drummer should beat
upon the drum heads at the foot of
Bunker's Hill, the spirit-stirring strains
of “Yankee Doodle.”
Another American, who died within
the last few months, by way of revenge
on his relations, who had neglected
him, bequeathed to his brother his left
arm and hand; to another brother, his
right arm and hand, and to others his
legs, nose, ears, etc. He also left one
thousand dollars for the dismembering
of his body.
Among other testators who have dis
played this peculiar tendency to leave
legacies in the shape of portions of
their bodies may be mentioned Jeremy
Bentham, the English writer, who be
queathed his body to the University
College Hospital, with instructions that
his skeleton should be prepared and
cleaned, and that it should preside at
the meetings of the hospital directors.
Whether this provision w T as ever carried
out is doubtful, but it is certain that
the skeleton was preserved, and may be
seen to this day in the hospital museum.
A wealthy Germm who die 1 the other
day bequeathed his effects to a poor
man whom ho greatly disliked on con
dition that he always wore linen under
clothes and dressed in white, and a short
time ago Stanislaus Poltmarz, a Hun
garian, left the greater part of his for
tune to a notary named Lotz, forbidding
him, however, to take possession until
he hnd sung at La Scala Opera House,
the parts of Verdi’s “Otello” and “El
vira” in “Sonnambula;” wbi'e John
Reed, the gas-ligliter of the Walnut
Street Th atre, Philadelphia, directed
that his head, after being duly prepared,
should be employed to represent the
skull of Yorick in “Hamlet.”
Lord Newborough who died last No
vember, directed that, after a certain
period elapses, his body is to be ex
humed aud re-interred in Bardscy Is
land, which i3 reputed to have no fewer
than twenty thousand saints buried in
its soil, and Mr. John Browne of Rath
bane county, Limerick, required that his
son, the R?v. Peter Browne, should un
der penalty of forfeiting a considerable
estate, change his Christian name “Pe
ter,” for either “William’’ or “James, > }
the old gentleman having taken an in
veterate dislike to his son’s name, while
a rich saddler ordered in his will that
his daughter should lose the whole of
her fortuue if she did not marry a sad
dler. It turned out however, that she
married the Earl of Halifax, who in or
der to win the bride actually served an
apprenticeship of seven years to a sad
dler.
Not long since a Mr. Harper settled a
hundred a year on his “young black
cat,” tbe interest to be paid to his house
keeper, Mrs. Hodges, as long as the cat
remained alive; and quite recently an
old Parisian dame left fifteen hundred a
year to her butcher, whom she had never
seen; while one man chalked his will on
a corn-bin; and another inscribed his on
a bed -post, Both the corn-bin and the
bed-post are filed in tbe Will office at
Doctor’s Commons, London, The
whimsical will of the Scotch gentleman,
who bequeathed to each ot his daugh
ters ner weight in one pound notes, has
often been quoted, More remarkable
still is the will of the New Yoraer who
directed that his one and seventy pairs
of trousors should bo sold at public auc
tion without being examined beforehand.
The sale was actually held, and the
seventy-one purchasers found in the
right-hand pocket the neat little sum ol
a thousand dollars in cash.
Another peculiar legacy was that of
Col. Nash, an English officer, who be
queathed an annuity of fifty pounds to
the bell-ringers of Bath Abbey, on con
dition that they should muffle the clap
per of the bells of the Abbey and ring
them with doleful accentuation from 8
a. m. to S p. m. on each anniversary of
his wedding day; while a Mr. Luke of
IiotLeringhanr, after leaving a penny to
every child who should attend his fu
neral, directed that forty dozen loaves
should be thrown down from the parish
church steeple at noon every Christmas
day forever .—Once a Week.
Woven Rattan Cofllng.
“What do you think of a rattan cof
fin?" said a very fashionable undertaker
yesterday who prides himself on his
blue-blooded patrons.
“I have just received from an Eastern
manufacturing company two rattan cas
kets which have been sent as a sample.
1 have not yet had any calls for them,
but they have received the stamp of ap
proval of several of my scientific friends.
The caskets are designed to meetthede
siros of persons who object to the now
prevailing mode of sealing bodies in air
tight caskets. It is argued that this
method, as in the case of cremation, is
not in accordance with the decrees of
the Bible, and prevents the body from
returning to the dust wbeuce it came.
With the rattan casket change the ac
tion of the earth has full sway, just the
same as in the days of yore, when
bodies were placed in the caves, and it
is not long before all traces of the
corpse and the coffin, too, have disap
peared entirely. Besides these excel
lent qualities the rattan casket has this
advantage. It can bo produced very
cheaply, but at the same time the rattan
can be worked up into beautiful designs
and with rich trimmings can be made a
receptacle w’orthy of holding a million
aire corpse.” The coffins are manufac
tured in Boston, where there is quite a
demand for them .—Philadelphia Press.
Bargaining in Mexico.
An American, ten years resident in
Mexico, taught the writer how to bar
gain with the Mexicans. A dealer in
onyx carvings came by our door one day
and exhibited his stock in trade. Some
of the articles were exquisite. Wo
priced one superb piece—$30.
“I will give you $8 for it.”
“O, no, senor, I will take $25.”
“I will give you $7 for it.”
“Senor, tho work alone is worth
more, and I cannot take less than’’
mirtih' J£ tv-v .
“Well, I’ve concluded not to give
more than $6 at most.”
Ah, senor, but”
“Here is a $5 bill if you want it
take it and give me the onyx.” Quick
as thought the bill was transferred to
his dirt} pocket and the carving was
mine. The sight of the money and the
fact that I kept offering less, each time,
is what did it. The rule works excel
lently with all kinds of merchants in
Mexico, even in some of the largest
stores. If you are a gringo they expect
yon to pay fifty per cent, more than a
Mexican would give.— Dixie.
The Oldest United States Soldier.
Henry Smith, said to be the oldest
soldier of the United States army, whose
real rank was that of first sergeant, died
at the residence of his daughter, in
Brooklyn, recently. Sergeant Smith
was for years in charge of Fort Jackson
in this State, and at the outbreak of the
late war was forced to surrender it to
tho Confederate forces. He afterward
returned with Gen. Butler’s forces after
the surrender of New Orleans to Farra
gut. He had been educated for the
trade of a printer in Charleston, S. C.,
his birthplace; but at the age of twenty
four the idea of army life attracted him,
and he enlisted and served (luring the
Seminole war in Florida .—New Orleans
Times-Dem ocra t.
A Stake Through Her Body.
On the way from Brunswick to Harps
well is a point where four roads meet.
Nature smiles on the spot, but it marks
a uniquely cruel episode in the history
of the New England colonists. In 1752
Ann Conner committed suicide in the
old town of Brunswick. In accordance
wi.h the old blue laws she was burled at
this place of the meeting of the four
roads, with a stake driven through her
body. This is said to have been the
only instance in which the old law was
put into execution in this country.
— Lewiston, Me., Journal.
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.
i.
Gnomium is' the name given to tho
new metal discovered in commercial
mckel and cobalt, v
Mucous membrane from the mouth
has been transplanted successfully to
the upper eyelid, the entire graft living
and giving perfect results.
A French scientist shows that 8 per
cent, of marriages in France a?e sterile,
25 per cent, yield one child, and 100
families average only 259 children.
At the electrical exhibition at Birm
ingham, England,, there will be con
structed an electrical switchback telph
erage system, upon which visitors may
take aerial flights around the hall.
A test has been mode in France to seo
whether the color of a horse had any
thing to do with his characteristics. It
was demonstrated that any such idea
was all nonsense. Pedigree and early
training have all to do with it, and
color nothing whatever.
Professor Renzi, of Naples, reports
that numerous physicians have success
fully treated tetanus by rest. The ears
of the patient are closed with wax, and
he is placed in a perfectly dark room
far from any noise. Liquid food is
given, so that mastication is not neces
sary.
Tbe famous torquoise-blue enamel of
tho old Egyptians, w’ith which their
amulets and s pulchral figures were of
ten coated, has been the subject in re
cent years of several communications to
the Mineralogical Society of France. It
is found to be a double silicate of cop
per and calcium, without any trace of
alkali.
It is not possible to arrive at the
amount of capital already invested iu
electric lights m the United Kingdom,
as a very large proportion of the w T ork
is being done by private companies; but
the limited companies engage 1 in elec
tric lighting havo a nominal capital of
more than $20,000,000, of which about
half baa beeu called up.
M. Danion, writing in a Paris paper,
gives some remarkable results of the
treatment of facial paralysis by electrici
ty. His experience leads him to con
clude that the best method of treatment
consists in the application of voltaic
currents of five to soven milliamperes
applied weakly on the trunk of the fa
cial nerve and the length of its terminal
branches.
Carpenters and other tool users who
keep up with the times now use a mix
ture of glycerine instead of oil for
sharpening their edge tools. Oil, as
is well known, thickens a id smears the
stone. The glycerine may be mixed
with snirit§ jn greyer * or less propor
tion, according i" * (he tools to be sharp
as
ened are fine or coarse. For the average
blade two parts of glycerine to one of
spirits will suffice.
A very smooth, solid and compara
tively noiseless roadbed is now made
in the following manner: Bricks, con
structed from tho refuse clay not suita
ble for regular firebricks, are laid end
wise, with broken joints, in sand. They
are then pressed $own with a heavy
roller, and boiling tar is poured over
them, so as to make a compact mass, as
well as to exclude the water. A layer
of sand is thrown over tho tar before
cooling. This paving has been in satis
factory use for some time in various
cities.
Deer and Rattlesnake in a Fight
A gentleman narrated to your corro
apondent a fight he witnessed some time
back near Cisco, Texas, between a deer
and a rattlesnake. lie saw the deer
some distance from him engaged in cut
ting up peculiar antics. He could not
understand what it meant, but upon
creeping up near he heard the
rattling of the snake and understood
that a fight to tho finish was in progress.
He waited and watched. The deer
would run forward, jump off theground,
throw its four feet together and come
down with all its force in one place, then
bound from the ground as if a rubber
ba'l, retreat, snort, ruffle up its hair and
return, again to go through the same
proceedings. This was kept up for
some minutes. In tho mean time the
snake was perceptibly weakening.
Finally tho deer cautiously approached
the snake, raised one foot and pawed it
until satisfied the snake was dead. After
the battle was over and the deer gone,
the ground was found to be beaten
down, tho grass destroyed, and tho
snake pawed almost to pieces. — St. Louis
Republic