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REVENUE OF CITY OP 5300,635 lil MIW Council Will Have Extra $450.- 900 to Spend if It Antici pates 1913 Increase. Tue city's revenue increased just t.:• ■■..833.78 in 1912, according to figures implied today by Graham West, chief •■rk to the comptroller. On these figures the 1913 city budget ,111 be based. The total actual reve j .j s $2,838,011.05. approximately one-half of this jiount was anticipated and appropri ited when the 1912 budget was made last January. The remainder was portioned later in tlie year. If the finance committee of the new milnlslration anticipates an equal in ...,se in revenue for 1913 —and city of generally agree that there will ... u equal increase—the new council have $450,000 more money to spend in w,.s available last January. Treasury May Be Strained. Mayor-elect James G. Woodward has ..uiiouneed, however, that he wUT op anticipating any revenue. If he . ar.-les his point, the treasury .-.ill lie sorely strained. Comparative figures of the city's ■cvenue are as follows: 1912. 1911. Taxes $2,053,939.33 $1,809,019.84 Licenses.. .. 216,400.28 218,861.13 .Vater 430,022.96 373.219.3 ti Police coin... 82,654.96 $1,406.45 .Xar-beer li- censes .. .. 55,000.00 54,675.00 Total:.. ..$2,838,017.53 $2,537,181.80 The tax assessors said today there mill be a large increase in assess • nts in 1913, but they would not haz ard a guess. The officials expect a gain approximating the $19,000,000 gain of tills yel l'. Tin- water department will show an imreuse in revenue equal to the gain of 111- y t a:. $56,803.57. No Other Marked Increases. T other departments show no ap {■l ec'.jiblt* increases. While the 1913 budget will contain appropriations totaling more than $5.- OOO.OuO. the actual money to be up •>..r;ioned is the amount stated above. T.ie difference is mafic up by bond ■ney. the expenditure of which is ,il r- :dy specified, and placing assess ments for street and set er work on both sides of the finance sheet. The total figures are thus gieatly increased. Councilman W. G. Humphrey, of the Eighth ward, is expected to be the new chairman of the finance committee, succeeding Aiderman John S. Candler. But Councilman Humphrey’ nor any one !>■<■ is absolutely sure whom Mayor Woodward will appoint, and Mayor .Voodward won’t tell. AUSTELL THORNTON TO BUILD COUNTRY HOME AT ASHEVILLE ASHEVILLE, N. C„ Dec. 31.—Aus tell A. Thornton, formerly of Atlanta, C.i.. who has resided tier -for the past everal months, i nuounces that lie will build a modern country home on the arm of 100 acres near here, which lie r cently purchased from Governor ■ ieet Locke Craig and Garland A. Thom •• <m. of this city. Mi:. Thornton owns * uiisiderable property in Atlanta, and ' HI spend a portion of his lime there, lihough he will call Ashevill • Iris liomi hereafter. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are admirers of good horses, and it is understood iiat they will maintain large stables in connection with their country honm. At the recent Asheville horse show their animals won many valuable cash prizes • ml premiums, UNDERWOOD CONFERS WITH WILSON TODAY ON SPECIAL SESSION TRENTON, N. J.. Dee. 31—Impor tant announcements concerning the ex tra session of congress are expected as result of today's conference between President-elect Wilson and Representa tive Underwood, the majority leader in be house. Tlie meeting took place at 2:30 ■'clock, the morning being devoted by -Mr. Wilson to state business. John Maynard Harlan, of Chicago, son of the late Justice Harlan, of the supreme court, visited the governor today. He is an old friend. AUTOMOBILE CRASHES INTO WAGON IN FOG The dense smoke-fog today was tlie ■ ause of an accident. Dr. Dan Y. Sage, of 431 Washington street, was going north in an automobile on the Wash ington street viaduct in front of New som's stable. The coast seemed clear, but he heard a rasping noise and felt a Jolt. A wagon belonging to Walker Brothers, wholesale grocers at 2 Wash ington street, had blocked a narrow Passage and Dr. Sage had taken off one of Its wheels. The automobile lost a tire and a fender. KILLS MOTHER-IN-LAW: SLEEPS PEACEFULLY KENDALLVILLE, IND., Dec. 31.—F2d ward Hart shot and killed Sarah Mc- Bride, ig mother-in-law, and fatally wounded his wife, Reana, at their homo in LaGrange. Hart slept peacefully In the home where the tragedy was enacted and was arrested after a posse sea-re bed six hours for him. PLOTTED HUSBAND'S DEATH v. ■ Uulu r?C*9wqtgSi2t:u•: ‘‘E l?- -y b ■. I jj - -' HilSt > - W / ilk J ■ \ jl "• • • k ' 4 II L fli ; xasuiiaa v , I!!* 11 ' || I - ' ■ ‘ j wlaF ’ f / O Or ’' ' /I J’ 1 / " * .drs. Katherine King, who planned the death of her husband. CHATSWORTH II ram Secretary of State Makes Deci sion in the Bitter Contro versy in Murray. Phil Cook, .secretary of state, today deckled the famous Murray county seat controversy In favor of Chatsworth. In ruling in favor of Chatsworth and against Spring Place. th< s'eretary thr<-\v out entirely tlie 427 v-' .'.st in favor of Eton, on the ground that Eten was not included in the oriiinarj s caV for a county seat removal election, and that all votes cast for it. therefore, were merely no votes at all. In the original call for this election, it was Stipulated that the contest should be between Spring Place, the present county seat, and Chatsworth, a new town on the Louisville and Nash ville railroad, which traverses the coun ty. Afterward, however. Eton was In jected into the light, and the vote given Eton, if counted, would have deprived Chatsworth of the required two-thirds of the vote east. The vote was divided as follows: Cliatsworth 862. Eton 127. ami Spring Place 155- Secretary Cook holds that only J,017 of these votes are legal and. in that view, Chatsworth received 862 against Spring Place’s 155—0 r a clear two-thirds and over In favor of Chats worth. This case lias attracted no end of attention throughout north Georgia, and feeling hi Murray and Whitfield coun ties has run wry high because of it. It was appealed io Secretary < ook some two months ago, all three sides to the controversy being represented by able counsel at the hearing. The case may be appealed to the leg islature, but the impression is that Sec retary Cook's ruling means that Chats worth will be the county seat eventual ly, if not immediately. Since the case was appealed, a large number of those who voted for Eton have assured the seer tary of state that, as between Chatsworth and Spring Place, they much prefer Chatsw orth. RAIN IS FORECAST. The new year will have a baptism of rain. The weather map portepds nothing else but showers on the first day of 1913, and thr promise of rain tonight and probably Wednesday has been posted, THE ATLANTA GEORGIAS AND NEWS. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1912 R. R. CHIEFS CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER FQR DEATHS IN WRECK BRIDGEPORT, CONN., Dec. 31. Bench warrants were Issued by Judge Case in the criminal superior court to dav at the Instance of the state’s at torney. Stiles Judson, for Henry J. Horn, of Boston, vice president; Ben- I jam in R. Pollock, general manager, and i harks N. Woodward, general super intendent of the New Haven, officials of rhe New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company. The men are charged with man slaughter in causing the death of pas sengers who lost their lives in the wreck of the Springfield-New York ex press on the Now Haven road, which was derailed and wrecked while taking the short cross over at Westport bridge, October 3 last. More Officials Indicted. INDIANAPOLIS, IND., Dec. 31. Sweeping indictments of all the "men higher up’’ In the C. H. and D, Railroad Company were returned by the Marion county grand jury today. The indict ments were returned with a view to bringing legal punishment upon the of ficials for tolerating such conditions as brought about the recent C„ H. and D. wreck at Irvington, in which 16 lives wore sacrificed. In addition to the officials. Engineer Willis York and Brakeman Carl Gross were indicted. It is understood the in dictments charge involuntary man slaughter. BANK CLEARINGS OF YEAR SHOW HEALTHY INCREASE OVER 1911 Increase in the volume of Atlanta’s business for 1912 over that of 1911 may be measured by the comparative clear ing house figures, which for 1912 show an increase of $38,810,833.85 over 1911’;, total. The increase is approximately 6 per cent. Clearings for the period of twelve months which ended at noon today amounted to $691,941,254.20, at which figure the r ords of the Atlanta Clear ing House association for the year w ere closed. For the twelve months of 1911. the figures were $653,130,420.35. The figures reveal that during the last two months of the year clearings were less than in the final months of 1911, the shortage in December amount ing to nearly $3,000,000. However, in every other season of the year, except the late fall, the 1912 figures are far and away above those of the preceding year. JUDGE C. J. WELBORN RESIGNS. The governor lias received the resig nation of Judge C. J. Welborn, of the county court of Jeff Davis, to take ef fect immediately. 2 INDICTED FDR Veterinary and Undertaker of Indianapolis Held for Killing Woman Physician. INDIANAPOLIS, IND., Dee. 31.—Dr. 'W. B. Craig, of the Indiana Veterinary college, and A. M. Ragsdale, prominent Indianapolis undertak-r, were indicted for the murder more than a year ago of Dr. Helen Knabe, former state pa thologist, by the Marion county grand jury, which reported today. The indictment of Dr. Craig for the crime itself and of Ragsdale as an ac cessory closed a historical session of the grand jury, the secrets of which were carefully guarded, bitt which probed deep for facts. Undertaker Her Administrator. Surprise was occasioned by the in dictment of Ragsdale, the undertaker who was the administrator and settled up the affairs of the lone physician who was found on the bed in her apart ment in the Delaware fiats on the morning of October 23, 1911, with her throat slashed in a manner that in dicated the hand of an expert with sur gical instruments. Tile police, after exhaustive work on the ease, declared it one of suicide, while the coroner insisted that bis in vestigations conii elied him to decide on murder. A silken kimono is said to figure strongly in the evidence before the grand jury which returned the new in dictments. Some pillow slips are also involved, being articles that did not fig ure in o' were overlooked by former in vest igat ions. Blood on Kimono. Part of the evidence before the grand jury is said to be the finding of human blood, by chemical analysis, in certain of the garments of Dr. Knabe, even aftei/they had been washed. Tne discovery of the blood spots on the kimono might be taken to indicate that Dr. Knabe wore the kimono at the time of her death, but the witness who found her says it was not on her at the time. Many new witnesses were ex amined by the grand jury which re turned the indictments today. MOVING DAY IN VIDALIA. VIDALIA, GA., Dec. 31. This is mov ing day in this place, fully seventy-five families having moved in and out of town today. Most of the movers, however, are farmers moving to their new locations for the coming season. Several of the mer chants have nlso secured new quarters for the coming year DYNAMITERS OFF FOR U. St PRISON Special Train Takes Convicted Labor Men From Indianapo lis to Leavenworth, Kan. i i i I INDIANAPOLIS. IND.. Dec. 31. I Thirty-three union labor leaders con victed of complicity In the McNamara dynamite plots are now on their way to the Federal, prison at Fort Leaven worth, Kans., where they will serve their terms. The “dynamite special” carrying the prisoners left Indianapolis at 11:35 a. m. over the Pennsylvania railroad. The train was made up of two coaches, one carrying sixteen prisoners and the other seventeen, and a diner and a baggage car. The prisoners seemed in n cheerfu' frame of mind and they spoke cheering words to one another. Attorneys for the men filed a writ of error and a writ of supersedeas today, but both matters were put over until Thursday by Judge Anderson. Guard For Each Man. Each of the prisoners was accompa nied by a guard on the way from the Mu-ion county jail to the train. How ever, the trip was made without inci dent. In the party on the "dynamite spe cial" were some of the best known la bor men in the country. Among them were Frank M. Ryan, president of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers; Herbert S. Hockin, formerly secretary of that body; John T. Butler, vice president of the organization, and Olaf Tveitmoe, secretary of the California Building Trades council. Some called it the "dynamite special.' others the "Leavenworth limited." and still others the "arsenal train.” The wives of the dynamiters stood in the dusk of the train sheds clasping their hands tightly until the last whis tle shrilled its good-bye. Then they turned back—alone. Tearful Scene at Station. Deputy United States Marshal Ed Schmidt said he feared no trouble. I There is a guard for each man, who | never leaves the prisoner. They sit in I double seats, the prisoner in front, the I guard facing him. Never for a moment • will this vigil relax’until the somber I gate at Leavenworth swallows its new | est consignment of lives. | It was a tearful scene—that parting lat the station. Hundreds of spectators crowded to the gates to watch. Both the convicted men and their wives bore up bravely, however, and many dashed away the tears and tried to smile. Some of the smiles were wan and some of tlie faces were pale with grief. The women were attractively dressed and some of them in extremely fashionable mode. The convicted conspirators, many of them at least, looked like prosperous business men off on a trade journey. The manacled wrists told a different story. GIRL COUGHS UP NEEDLE IMBEDDED IN GOOSE &T. IX)UIS, Dec. 31. —Miss Margaret Bux, a telephone operator of Belleville, was on goose at her home last I night when she fell a pain in her throat. ; She coughed so violently ihat her mother, j Mrs. William Jenks, sent a hurry call for ! a doctor. Before the physician arrived, however, Miss Bux had succeeded in ! taking from her throat the cause of irri | tation, a large needle. How the needlv came to be in the goose, j Mrs. Jenks, who cooked the fowl, cun not ■ understand. The needle must have been : in the bird’s thigh while it was living, she believes. LEAP YEAR FALLS SHORT ON MARRIAGE LICENSES DALTON, GA., Dec. 31.—Leap year has pmved a severe disappointment to I Cupid in Whitfield county, for tlie sale | of marriage licenses shows fewer is ! sued during the past twelve months than for any other similar period in seven years. Just 176 marriage licenses were Issued here, as compared to 186 hi 1911, 199 in 1910. 187 In 1909, 189 in 1908, and 209 in 1907. WOMAN KILLED IN FUN; GLASS PIERCES NECK LOS ANGELES, Dec. 31. —Falling on the ragged edges of a glass door broken in a playful bout with a guest over a box of cigarettes, Mrs. Ortance Koetsch, a wid ow, was almost instantly killed in her home in West Sixteenth street, when one of the Jong slivers of glass pierced her neck. So unusual and dramatic was her sudden death that several of her women guests became hysterical and fainted. FIND GRAIN SPECULATOR DEAD IN ROOM FROM GAS CHICAGO, Dec. 31. -Charles Thiop", a grain speculator, was found asphyx iated in a rooming house at 661 Dear born avenue. His death is believed to have been accidental. TWO SURVEYORS DIE WHEN MINE EXPLODES VINCENNES, IND., Dec. 31.—A gas explosion in a mine at Bicknell killed Frank Stewart, county surveyor-elect, and fatally injured A. J. Frey. The men were surveying the mine. Both of Stewart’s hands were burned off. 'TWO BILLIONS U.S. EXPORTS FOR PAST ELEVEN MONTHS WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.—The value of the total imports into the United States for eleven months, ending with November, 1912, aggregate $8,664,270,806, according to a bulletin by the bureau of for eign an«l domestic commerce and labor. IThe value of exports from this country to all parts of the world for the same period amounted to $2,148,617,616. EXPERT SANDS ON HOW TO MAKE CITY STREET DEPARTMENTEFFECTIVE By Herbert R. Sands Efficient administration of the office of chief of construction demands that it be filled by a high-grade business executive se lected solely on merit. It would be better were he to have a technical engineering training also, but this is not essential. When men such as this position needs can be persuaded to serve the people in such an office the position must usually come to them by appointment without the strife, and often taint, of politi cal contest. The head of the department chargd with building and maintaining the city's streets should be bound by no cam paign obligations and have no political fences to tend. And yet this is an elective office in Atlanta. Such work can not he mixed with politics without just such a result as Atlanta has experienced. It is logieallj’ to be expect ed. The chief of construction should be appointive and the best man available in Atlanta or anywhere else in the Y’nited States should be eligible for appointment. Bolstering Up an Illogical Structure The two main functions of the department comprise the con struction and repair of streets, and the construction and repair of sewers and operation of sewage disposal plants. A recent or dinance intended as a basis for reorganization of the department provided for an assistant chief of construction, an engineer in charge of streets and another in charge of sexvers. The latter two positions are necessary, but assuming the head of the depart ment to be efficient it does not seem that as a matter of organi zation an assistant chief of construction is necessary. Such inter nal reorganization can at best but bolster up an illogical struc ture. As indicated above changes are basic. The men at the head of the bureau of streets and the bu reau of sewers should be men of experience and recognized standing in street and sewer construction respectively. If they are also graduate engineers so much the better, but the prime requisite should he experience. They might be designated re spectively as superintendent of streets and superintendent of sew ers. (The present position of superintendent of streets should be abolished.) Salaries should be provided for these positions ade quate to attract competent men, ami they should be continued in office under civil service regulations. The farmer would have supervision of all street work, both new work and repairing and including sidewalks and curbs. The latter would have supervision of all eons!ruction and repair of sewers. Other construction and repair work such as sewage disposal plants, crematory, etc., might be assigned to either of these two bureaus, according to the judgment of the chief of construction, or retained under his per sonal direction. * Should Be Strictly Accountable The superintendents of streets and sewers should be held strictly accountable for results, and they ought, therefore, to be allowed to nominate lheir subordinates, appointments being made by the head of the department after a test of qualifications. Pending establishment of a civil service commission such tests might be conducted under temporary civil service regulations. The city, through this department, is following a policy of changing many street grades. Before approving plans for fur ther changes of this character it would he wise to await the de velopment of the plans of the newly created Atlanta city planning commission. Xo grades should be changed hereafter; without the. approval of that commission, because only in that way can all public projects co-ordinate in the development ami beautification of the city . The old adage a "stitch in time" is pgrtieularly apt when applied to street pavements. A rut or hole in a pavement, if re paired when it first appears, takes but little time, and may be done at a minimum cost ; if such hole* are allowed to remain, however, vehicles continually drop into them, and not only en large the hole each day. but rebounding, strike the pavement beyond with such impact as to start a second depression, and thus a series of depressions result which become very expensive to repair, flood economy, therefore, demands that a sufficient appropriation be made available each year to repair breaks in pavement at once they appear. COSA4OPOLITAN LIFE TO BE REORGANIZED FOR BUSINESS FEB. 1 Reorganization of the Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company wifi be effected as soon as the necessary details, including a decrease of the $1,900,000 capital stock,’ and an addition of a substantial sum to the surplus, are arranged. Heretofore known officially as the "Cos mopolitan Lite Insurance Company," the rehabilitated concern will be called "The Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company," with an addition of the article as the only change of title. The step toward a change of organiza tion was made as a result of the litiga tion into which the affairs of the com pany have been plunged. Every indica tion as regards the volume and extent of business done is flattering, the stockhold er.- announced ala meeting held yester day With $2,500,990 insurance written before the receivership suit was filed last fall, with business hi sight to swell the volume to $4,009,000, and with a new lease on life which the reorganization will give, the company will prosper, the stockhold ers believe. The newly organized con cern will be ready for business Febru ary J. The decision to reorganize, with other details connected with the proposition, was made at Monday's meeting of the stockholders. HUNDREDS OF CATTLE BURN IN PRAIRIE FIRE CENTER. N. D., Dec. 31.—Prairie fires are unusual in North Dakota at this season, but one burned a strip from one to three miles in width from Sanger, this county, to the Missouri river. There was a heavy wind and the flames jumped over all the ordinary "fire breaks." Thousands of tons of hay were burn ed and several hundred head of cattle perished. The ranch of Tlmnuis Hall, recently elected secretary of state, was in the path of the tire, and he lost heavily. QUAKER OATS CO. IS PROBED BY U. S. IN SEARCH FOR TRUST CHICAGO, Dec. 31.—A Federal grand jury Investigation of tii«.j4uaker Oats Company, regarding certain transac tions which the government believes were violations of the Sherman anti trust Jaw. is under way here today. The purchase of the Great Western Cereal Company about a year ago by the oats company is the point under examination. It is the belief of lha district attorney tiiat the transaction virtually made the Quaker Oat* Com pany >■ cereal trust. SAILOFMN U.S. NAVY NOW WORTH $250,000 WEST HAMPTON, N. T._ Dec. 31. Knight Wheeler, son of the late Fred erick M. Wheeler, and worth about $250,000, has for the last five years been an < nlisted man in the United States navy. His duties have been so well performed that his friends are ex pecting any day to hour of his winning a commission as ensign. He is visiting his mother and sisters at the magnifi cent Wheeler estate. He rose through lite various grades until now he Is chief machinist on the Albatross. BONITA MAKES HIT WITH BIG COMEDY DURING THIS WEEK The Bonita, 32 Peachtree street, scored another big success on Mon day when the initial performance of “The Demented Wife” was presented to standing room only, and the lobbj’ packed to the sidewalk. This is truly one of the best comedies seen In Atlanta this season. On Thursday .the bill will change to a rattling coon comedy entitled ‘Razor Jim." Beautiful new motion pictures as usual. vAdvt.) 5