The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, December 23, 1885, Image 6
A respectable young farmer of Texa?
recently committed suicide on account ol
grief at tlie death of a mule to which he
was passionately attached. Mules are
fiequently the causes of affliction, but
not usually of affliction of a tender nature,
and the case of a mule which caused
suicide from affection is ceitainly unique.
Ic Southwest Virginia there are thirteen
counties where the roar of the railway
has never yet been heard, and the
people live in ignorance of the events of
the outside world. Very little money
^-1- ? i? Af-fl A?
circulates among mem, uiu jjiwutw ui
tlie farm being used as the medium of
exchange in most business transactions.
Mr. "Wi'Iiana Bender, of Cincinnati,
has been sent to a sanitarium bccause of
the little eccentricity of throwing in the
fire a package containing over $40,000
in government bonds. William had been
on a prolonged bender, and he fancied
some of his relations were seeking hi3
wealth; hence he is now in bonds as a
lunatic.
The transfusion of blood from a
healthy patient to a dying one has been
employed occasionally for many years,
and often with good results, but the
infusion of warm salt water into the
arteries is something new, and, its complete
success in a recent case in Bellevue
hospital, New York, will bring it into
general notice as an acceptable substitute
for blood transfusion.
The city of Albany's two-hundredth
anniversary will be celebrated July 2*2,
18SG. On that day in 168G the city's
charter was received, and the event was
duly celebrated on the 2Gth by her 1,200
inhabitants. In 178G the ceuteDnial celebration
was held. Albany is one of
the oldest cities in the Union, and pro
poses to hold a celebration worthy her
history and her advance in population
and industry. The governors of the
thirteen original States and the mayors
of cities that are over 100 years old will
be invited to participate.
The passion for relics has curious
phases. Sticks and stones, grass and
weeds are common forms of gratification
of the relic-hunters; articles of personal
apparel, furniture, and chips are other
means enjoyed. A cat-o'-nine-tails is
certaiulv unique and would not be supposedly
a desired relic, but after the
iherift at Chester, Del., had performed
his duty of chastising two offenders at
the whipping-post, a New York gentleman
purchased the cat o'-nine-tails for $o
and carried it off with him as a memento
of tfte occasion.
Undoubtedly one of the motives for
our Northern neighbors spending $250,000,000
in the building of the Canadian
Pacific railway, much of which money
was furnished by the capitalists of Great
Britain, is in the conveyance of troops
for the defense of the Dominion, and, in
fact, to furnish a line for the shipment
of stores by the imperial government for
its naval stations on the Pacific coast, as
well as for the conveyance of troops
should trouble in the East prevent their
being forwarded through the Suez canal,
or by t heordinary channel of commerce.
Great Britain now has a railway for the
transportation of her troops to the East
over a road owned and controlled by
Englishmen.
The water boy who goes through the
passenger trains in Connecticut,with his
pail of water and tray of tumblers, offer*
? ? ' ^ *\nnnan/vAra l a
lug xrue uiiuks iu an iuc ?
a survival of the war period. During
the Civil war thousands of sick and
wounded soldiers passed through the
State on their way home to be nursed,
and many of them, their canteens being
empty, longed in vain for a draught of
cool water. The late J. F. Trumbull,of
Stonington, who was in the legislature
at the time, having ridden on a train in
which were home-returning soldiers and
noticing their distress on account of
their inability to get water, at once
pushed a law through the legislature
providing that all railroads in the State
must carry water boys on their passenger
trains. The statute still remains in
force.
A m.in who has the cramps and sends
in haste for the doctor is naturally a
good deal astonished if the doctor, hav
ing found him rolling iu great pain on
the sofa, a:id having felt of his pulse,
falls to culling him soundly on both
sides of his head, and pulling his nose
powerfully, and slapping his face. An
ailing person in Paterson, X. J., recently,
who alleges that, he received treatment
of this sort from a physisian whom
he had called to treat him for cramps,
caused the physician's arrest; but the
law did nothing to the physician, because
he proved that the patient did not
have cramps, but hysteria, and that
cuffing is an old-fashioned and excellent
treatment for that complaint. Iu
the case in point the cuffing made the
patient angry, changcd the current o]
his thoughts, and left him deeply offended,
to be sure, but without hysteria
and without even the delusion that h<
had cramps.
' *
Vanf Va el- TTw.tl/I fl-m'Q fVlftf
X 11X2 XX V A. VI U AAtl IH.W k/.?j a ?4?Mt
bright red stockings are condemned bj
Dr. Edson. Several persons wlio liav<
worn tliem have complained recently
that painful sores appeared on their fee
and legs. The doctor purchased a lo
of the stockings at different stores ant
anal) zed them. He said that they wen
all found to contain arsenic and anti
mony. The arsenic is one of the in
gredients of the dye, and the antimon;
is used to fix the color. The arsenic cai
be easily extracted .from the stocking
after it is dyed, but it is so cheap tha
the manufacturers do not care to tab
the trouble. The poisonous brigh
red stockings are all made iu Saxony
en 1 were found on sa'e in the best retai
stores of the city. The proprietors have
been directed to take them out of stock
at once. If the order is not obeyed, I)r.
Kdson says he will prosecute any one
I caught selling hose cf this kind. The
! offenders will be charged with selling
' poison without a label, as that, according
to the doctor, is the only statute
that covers the offense.
There is a man in Xcvada named Angela
Cardclia, who claims to be the
strongest in the world. He is an Italian,
aged thirty-eight, and stands five
j feet ten inches, weighing 108 pounds.
* * * - it- iiritll llim frtl* lip
111S Sirengiu. was uuiu Wifcu .... ?
had no athletic training. He differs
from other men chiefly in the osseous
structure. Although not of unusual
i size, his spinal column is double th?j
ordinary width, and his bones and joints
are made on a similarly large and generous
scale. He has lifted a . man 200
pounds with the middle finger of his
right hand. The man stood with one
foot on the floor, his arms outstretched,
his hands grasped by two persons to
balance his body. Cardelia then stooped
down and placed the third finger of his j
j right hand under the man's foot, and |
j with scarcely any perceptible effort j
raised him on a table near at hand.
Once two powerful men waylaid Cardelia
with intent to thrash him, but he
seized one in each hand and hammered j
them together until life was nearly
knocked out of them. Ilis strength is
inherited, for he says his father was
more powerful than himself.
A new mania which bids fair to have
as great a run as the spelling matches'
of a few years ago has appeared in some
sections of the country. It is the "pro- i
nouueing match." The contests are conI
ducted somewhat like the spelling
? ci/ioo orp phnsnn and referees i
LLItt Lis ilt/O. UIUVJO Mi W WMWWN... ?
are appointed, who have before them
copies of Webster and Worcester unabridged.
A word pronounced by either
authority i8 considered correct. The
test words, which have previously been
chosen, are spelled by some one selected
for that purpose, and those entered foT
i the fray pronounce them ?or at least
I they try to. When any one fails he sirs
I down, the word is pronounced correctly
and another word is given out to the
next person. When any dispute arises
it is immediately referred to the referees.
If the word is not understood it may be 1
written down on a blackboard, and the
contestant may ask to have it defined.
At a recent match in an Ohio town some
thirty-five contestants above the average
skill and ability in this regard were put
down on a list of about 2u0 words, the j
most ot them m every-aay use. nmuug
the words which were missed were dismay,
sacerdotal, equable, presume,
courtesy, harass, amateur, suffice, voluminous,
infantile, oleomargarine, apotheosis,
tonsolitis, brooch, Arab, bravado,
exhibit, piquant, wan, almond, condolence,
comely, effusive, blithe, etc.
There are probably very few persons who j
can attend a contest of this nature without
obtaining considerable valuable information
concerning their own language.
The Christmas Carols.
George Moore, the eminent English
philanthropist, began life in extreme
j poverty. His biographer, Samuel Smiles, |
j gives a pitiful account of his crying iu |
J the streets of London, bccause ne naa no ;
friends and could not find work. His j
middle life was passed in weli-earned j
affluence, and hi3 last years were spent i
i in the grand oM castle of the ancient :
j Percys, which he had gazed upon in awe
j in boyhood, and which his great wealth
! at last enabled him to purchase for a
i home. Ilis moral life was a succession j
of growths. He was exposed to great i
temptations in youth, but when he came
to feel that the tendency of his life was
wrong in any direction, he arrested the
wrong course by prompt decision.
It was these decisions, these constant
j turnings from evil courses into life's best
j ways, that led him at last to a career of
j 'worldly success, piety and philanthropy.
J He thus describes one of the dangerous
: periods of his first apprenticeship:
"My master gave way to drinking,and
set before me a bad example. I lodged
in the public house nearly all the time,
and saw nothing but wickedness and
' drinking. I played cards almost every
i nicrht. I sometimes played the who e
| night through. Gambling was my passion,
and it might have been my ruin."
It was Christmas morning. The apprentice
lad had spent the night at the
! card-table. lie had retired lung after
i midnight, with a conscience ill at ease,
! and the prospect of dismissal from his
j master's service before him. Suddenly
I bis ear was arrested by strains of music.
I The gray light was breaking, and the
i | waits, as is the custom in England, were
abroad playing cards. The music brought
before his mind, like a vision, his old
home, the future dangers of his present
course, and, in contrast with his own
eclipsed life, the luminous Bethlehem
story.
"Getter thoughts,"hesays, 4'cameover
me with the sweet carols. I felt over!
whelmed with remorse and penitence. I
j thought ot my dear father, and feared
that I might break his heart and brin^
I his grey hairs in sorrow to the grave. I
' "it ? J3
i resolved to give up cara-piaymg uuu
| gambling. This resolve I firmly carried
1 j out.''
- : Many years passed, and George Moore's
[ ' life became an expression of gratitude to
God for the grace that he had given him
at these critical periods of youth.
' "George Moore's Christmasea" became a
; famous feature of London's charities, and
he himself had learned to sini; in spirit
the refraiu:
"Let's hasten to adore Hitn,
' i I ot'.i hasten to adore Him,
r 1 Let's hasten to adoro Hitn,
_ - Christ, our Lord!"
- i
[ Why ?
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal e'er
t utter,
} One word 'gainst the "beautiful snow?"
When a fellow can take his best girl in a
3 I "cutter"
Through the city and country to go.
I What matter if passed the ball season
| When a fellow has plenty of chink?
rr To complain of dull times thero's no reason
When there's festival joy tit the rink.
* Oh, why is the spirit or anglers uiscresseu
' If the season lor fishing is dead?
t In the festival stew he might now invest
2 And go fishing for oysters instead.
For all of our ills there is some compensation,
& 'Tis a rule that will work t'other way;
Though editors nre pleased with much con'
densation,
11 They stiil have "the devil to pay." i
RIOT AT COAL MINES.
Non-Unionists Attacked by a Body
of Masked Men.
Several Men Injured and a Locomotive
Wrecked.
Pittsburg (Penn.) dispatches describe
another riot among the striking coal miners
along tho Monongahela river, which resulted
in probably fatal injuries to Newton Campbell
and serious injuries to several other nonunion
workman. The riot occurred at the
Pine Run mine, owned and operatad by
James Lynn & Son, located in tho second
pool, three miles above MeKeesport. For
- 1
some weeks seventy non-union men nave ua-n |
at work there for two anil a half cents per ,
busheL At l> o'clock a. m. 15'j strikers, wear- ,
ing masks anil arrayed in grotesque costumes j
started out from their rendezvous near the [
mine. Half a mile below the mine they mot i
Newton Campbell, a driver, on his way to ,
work. lie refused to return homo when ;
ordered, whcivupon several men pounced j
upon him, knocked him down, kicked and
trampled on him, and then loft him bruised, j
bleeding and unconscious. He was found
several hours afterward conscious, but still j
unable to ai 1 himself.
The desperate strikers marched on toward
the mine, where they met lifte?n miners on
their road to work. The latter wisely returned
homo, thus escaping injury. Soon afterward
another squad of workmen appeared,
and they were commanded to return
heme. Richard Hall, more bold than his fellows,
defied the masked strikers and attempted
to enter the mine. ''Halt!" cried one
of the strikers.but Hall kept on his way. Then
ono of the masked men rushed at him with a
club and struck a blow at his head, but the
club fell upon his shoulder. He was partially
stunned by the blow, but managed to
get back to his comrades, who left at once for
the residence of .Superintendent James O'Neil.
The strikers alf=o assailed and beat Samuel
Morford and James Dorford. The pit boss,
William Menford, was also attacked and
knocked down.
The superintendent and a number of men,
on being informed of the action of the strik- j
ers, boarded an engine and started for the j
scene of trouble. When the strikers saw the 1
smoke rising from the little locomotive they j
ran down the track and opened several j
switches and blockaded the track. The en- :
gine was thrown from the track and wrecked,
but its passengers escaped injury. Mr.
O'Neil, surprised at such a large body of
men, offered no resistance. The strikers eel-1
ebrated their victory with a yell and disappeared
almost as suddenly as they had come.
Later in th-3 day fifty non-union m?n entered
the mine and continued their workwithout
interruption. Word was sent to
Sheriff Gray, who went to the mine with a
po3?e, arriving there at 1U o'clock. All was
quiet then,however, and the sheriff's force returned
to Pittsburg. About twenty of the
strikers, notwithstanding their masks, were
recognized, and their names were given to tho
superintendent. Warrants had boon issued
for their arrest. . The strikers were becoming i
desperate, and the families of the miners who
were at work had been alarmed for their
safety. It was feared that the riot would
be renewed if the non-union men attempted
to go to work.
LATER NEWS." !
A second body?that of Martin M. Gold. I
schraidt, of New York?ha3 just been burned j
in the new crematory at Fresh Pond, Long i
Island.
Ax explosion of natural gas in Cannon3" j
burg, Penn., completely destroyed the large |
frame residence of Wesley Greer. The oc j
cupanls of the building?Sir. Greer, his wife ;
and two small children?were blown from j
bjd into a lot thirty feet away, but none j
were fatally injured.
A tornado of small dimensions but great
power'8wept through Chester, 111., and the |
jail being directly in its narrow path, that 1
structure was damaged to the extent of ?21),- |
COO, while three men?a keeper and two i
convicts?were fatally injured.
Two colored men?Nelson Stewart and Anderson
Davis?were hanged at Charlotte, N.
C., on the 9th for robbing a house on Septem- !
ber 21 last. I
Four men were instantly killed and a fifth j
fatally injured by the caving in of a sewer at J
Akron, Ohio.
The interior department received information
from the governor of Alaska that the
public lands were being stripped of timber, '
without legal authority, for exportation purposes.
and steps have been taken to 6top the
depredation.
At the thirteent h annual convention of the
American Public Health association, held a
few days since in Washington, various sanitary
measures were discussed.
Delegates frcm all parts of the United
States and Canada were present in WashingAt^annirv
af fnnnnol CUQCIAn
tun au tiiu v|/oaui^ wt uuu iuvit uuuuu? uouutvu
of the Federation of Organized Trades and
Labor unions.
A sewer in Chester, Penn., in which a
number of men were at work, caved in the
other afternoon, and buried four of them,
killing Thomas McTamany and seriously injuring
the remaining three.
According to the provisions of the will of
John L. Nowborry, Ihe Chicago public library
is to come into possession of about $2,500,000.
The sheriff's officers made a descent upon
the ranch of Manuel Delgardo, a Mexican residing
near Ea?le Pass, Texas, and long suspected
of harboring horse thieves and smuggler.?.
Delgardo and two other Mexicans
were killed.
Sam Fowler (colored), imprisoned at
i Kenton, Tenn., for setting on fire and rob.
bing a store, wa> taken out of jail by a
crowd and hanged.
A general order ha? been issued from the
I headquarters of the Grand Army of the ReI
public in Washington city, informing tho
| members of that organization that WashI
ington has been selected as the site of tho
j proposed G. A. R. monument to General
Grant.
President Cleveland and cabinet, with
the diplomatic corps and many other prominent
ollicials, attended sMemn re piiem
: mass for the repose of the soul of the lata
i King Alfonso, of S;?ain,:' celebrated at St.
! Matthew's Church, Washington.
Forty Servians have been shot for muti;
lating themselves by blowing their trigger
j lingers oft' and otherwis: injuring themselves
I to escape military service.
Germany is to build a ship canal between
the Baltic, the Klba and the North sea. The
cost will bo about $40,000,000.
The Servians have renewed the war with
Bulgaria.
A revolting story con^s from Rome,
Italy. At the trial of a butcher named
Tozzi, his wife, son and daughter, for the
murder of another butcher, tin son confessed
that the bo ly of the victim had been cut into
pieces, and tha blood boile l into black puddings,
which were s old in t ho shop.
NEWSY GLEANINGS
Tni- H(>hrp.\v nonnlation of New York *
50,000.
A Pittsburgh entomologist lias 50,000
butterflies.
The Am> rioan colony in Paris numbers
about 3,0JU persons.
The personal expenses of the sultan are
$12,000,UU0 per year.
. A colony of Scots, with a capital of $250,j
COO, is on the way to Florida.
There are $100,000 worth of flowers in
the White House conservatories.
Many Australian wool growers shear their
sheep by machinery driven by steam.
Halk ui' this year's cotton crop in the
South his beaa by white labor.
NEWS SUMMARY,
Eastern and middle State**
Two women were fatally injured and three
houses destroyed by an explosion of natural
gas in Pittsburg, Penn. Many families were
r&scued with difficulty from the burning
buildings.
Six children, bitten by a mad dog in Newark,
N. J., have been seut to Paris for treatment
by M. Pasteur, the French scientist
whose recent discovery of a euro for hydrophobia
has been heralded to the world. In
response to a cablo message from Newark, M.
Pasteur replied that if thsre was danger to
send the children immediately. Public con- J
tributions of money were made to send tlie I
six unfortunate children to Paris.
Upon a test case, the issu9 of which ha3 i
long been awaited with interest, Judge Sim- j
onten has decided at Harrisburg, Penn., that !
the State law prohibiting the manufacture I
of oleomargarine is constitutional.
two of the mon employed on cne lugooac j
which was blown up at New York were not
on board at the tima of the explosion, leav- j
ing the number of victims at four.
Five men were seriously and others |
slightly injured by a collision of cars on the
Brooklyn bridge. The accident was due to
the failure of a grip to hold the cable which
runs the trains.
WniLE five workmen were descending a
shaft of the new New York aqueduct near
Sins Sing, a heavy wooden crosstroe fell upon
them, instantly killing four and fata!ly injuring
i he fifth. By a similar accident a few
weeks previously three min met their death.
O.v the day after five men were killed
while at work on the New York aqueduct
another accident occurred, resulting in the
death o! one man and serious injuries to a
second.
South and West.
Fearixg a Mormon outbreak at Salt Lake
City, the government ordered a body of
United State.; troops to proceed immediately
to the stronghold of polygamy. The Mormons
are reported to be holding secret meet
ings and to contemplate an insurroction.
Over 550 Scandinavians who have settled
in the West have returned to their native
land on one steamer to spend the holidays.
A prairie fire in tho vicinity or Burton,
Kansas, spread over an area of thirty miles,
destroying a great amount of stacked hay,
grain and other property. Several persons
were fatally burned.
Dr. Lyon'S and his fourteen-year olddaughter
were murdered in their home at
Tyne Creek, Mo., by an imbecile named
Williams, who was immediately afterward
shot dead by the doctor's son.
Three colored men wore handed a few
days slnco in the Gates county <N. C.) jail,
their crime baing the robbery of a country
store last September.
A Chicago company has just received an
rttvlni' frtr 9. >,')0 flfli) nrninrls of dl'B5Sed beef for
the French army.r The contract involves
tbo slaughter of 25,000 cattle.
A heavy fall of snow has greatly impeded
railivad travel in portions of the West.
n aMhlng-ton*
At a preliminary caucus of Republican
Senators in Washington, on the 4th, upon
motion of Mr. Edmunrls the nomination of a
successor to the late Vice-President Hondricks
as president pro tern, of the Senate was unanimously
tendered to Senator-elect Logan,
but Mr. Logan declined tho proffered honor,
saving that ho could be more useful on the
floor of the Sonate.
Speaker Carlisle has received a long
letter from Samuel J. Tiklen, urging
tho necessity of proper legislation looking
to the strengthening of our
sea coast defences. . Mr. Tilden says
that the i rope'"ty exposed to destruction
by hostile naval invasion is worth live thousand
millions, an 1 that to leave ourselves defenseless
in order to reduce the cost of
whisky is a solecism.
The President has appointed James W.
Porch, of Missouri, to be United States consul-general
at Mexico; Van V. Richardson to
be United States marshal for the eastern district
of North Carolina; William J. Tinnin to
be surveyor of customs at San Francisco;
.Tam3s E. Tucker to be a-sistant appraiser of
merchandise at San Frnncisco; Henry O.
Kent to be naval officer of customs, district
of Boston and Cbarlestown, Mass.; Nathaniel
Newburg to be appraisar of merchandise,
port of Cincinnati; Thomas J. nami.ion, ot
Washington Territory, to be United States
marshal for the Territory of Washington.
The report of the supervising special agent,
Louis G. Martin, to the secretary of the
treasury, shows that through the efforts of
the special agents there has been paid into the
treasury during the past fiscal year $8.0,318,
as follows: On account of seizures, $10,231;
fine3 and penalties, $14,470; suits, $33,01)8;
duties, $772, 2j2, and miscellaneous, $312.
The President has made the following additional
appointments: United States attorneys?John
E. McComb for the eastern district
of Texas; Thomas P. Murphy for the
northern district of Iowa. Receivers of public
moneys?John Montgomery of Idaho at
Oxford, Idaho; Tyreo H. Bell of Idaho
at Visalia. Cal Registers of land
j office?Frank W. Beane of Utah at
' Oxford, Idaho: Henry Lockharfc, of New
| Mexico, at Santa Fe. Supervising inspector
of stuam vessels?William L. Daly for the
Eighth district, with headquarters at Detroit.
John Sherman, to be president of the
Senate: John U. Carlisle, to ba speaker of the
House; the bill making members of the Cabinet
eligible to the Presidential succession
speedily to become a law, and Thomas B.
Reed, of Maine, to be the minority leader
! in the House?such, in brief, was the chief
i result of the various caucuses held by the
j members of the two houses of the Forty-ninth
, fYmcrrna^ All the old Officers Of th'3 HOUSO,
j except the chaplain, were renominated by
I the Democratic caucus. For chaplain, Rov.
! W. H. Milburn, the blind preacher of Chicaj
go, was chosen.
During the past fiscal year the netrevenue
of the government was $323,01)0,7015, a decrease
of $34,82.1,103 over the previous year,
and Jthe expenditure was $2150,226,935, or
$10,10U,09i) greater than that of the year before.
The secretary of the treasury ha3 trans'
mitted to Congress the estimates of appro!
priations required for the fiscal year ending
June.'H), 1887. The total amount estimated a*
required for all expanses of the government ij
$3o9,.'589,552, which is $13,678,158 more than
j the sum called for in the estimates sulmittod
j last year, and $50,820,710 more than the agj
gregate of appropriations for the present fiscal
year..
As the Democrats have a large majority
in the Virginia legislature, th?ir selection in
caucus of ( ongressman Daniel to succeed
United States Senator Mahona was equivalent
to an election.
Foreign.
j Prince Alexander, of Bulgaria,demands
i a war indemnity of $8,40U,UOO from Servia.
I There are indications that the new Sa
i gasta cabinet in Spain cannot survive, anu
lhat it will bv? succeeded by a liberal minis!
try undor General Lopez Domingue*.
A (JALE terrific in its efTeot has raged for
J two clays at Aspinwa.Il. Sixteen vessels wore
j lost, two with all on board,and much damage
! was done to the wharves and railroad propI
erty.
j The armistice between Servia and Bulgaria
has beon renewed until January 13.
A census at Berlin just taken shows a population
of l,31<y\!!>2, an increase of 201), 0U(.
since 1SS0.
Bv a coalition of the conservatives and
Parnellites tiiey will have a slight majority
over the liberals?Gladstone's party?in the
j new British parliament.
A general docree of amnesty to Spanish
I -'.l.'tinDl on,l rt*VQ4 nfTAndors Iia3 be6U Silled
by (,Nueen Christina. _
PROMIN E NTP? OPL E.
General Logan expects to raako fortune
and famo out of his new bo uk.
Senator Edmunds reads books iu most of
the modern European languages.
Vox ItANKE.the distinguished German historian,
was ninety years old recently.
The tlireo daughters of tho late Francis A.
Drexel, of Philadelphia, are worth $4,000,00(J
each.
It pays to be president of France. Grevy,
who is said to be very close, draws $240,000 a
year.
Congressman Green, of North Carolina,
owns the largest vineyard cast of tho Sierra
| Nevadas.
i Sunset Cox and George H. Fcndloton have
: both written homo that they enjoy their
diplomatic posts immensely.
The Chinese minister at "Washington is
soon to give a ball, which, as it is the lirst ol
the kind, is looked forward to as a novelty.
S. nator Stanford intends to add enough
muii.'y to his great university nt Palo Alto,
Ca:., to make its total endowment at least
' fSOj'JQOjOOO.
WILLIAM E 7MDERBILT.
Sudden Death of the Richest
Man in America.
Suc:umbing to a Stroke of Apoplexy
in his Library.
William H. Vanderbilt, tho great railroad
magnate an:l richest man in America, if not
in the world, was stricken with apoplexy a
few minutes after 2 o'clock p. M., on the 8th.,
and died almost instantly. He was in the
library of his residence in Fifth avenue, New
York, at the time, and was sitting in
his easy chair and conversing with Mr.
Robert Garrett, president of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railway, and up to
the very moment of the attack was
apparently in his usual health and spirits.
Not a hint or a moment's warning did either
he or his family have that his health was in
so precarious a condition. Ho was stretched
dead on the floor at his guest's feet almost as
suddenly as though his brain had been
pierced by a riflo bullet.
Since 1881, when ho suffered a shock of
paralysis, not long after the sale of 250,000
shares of New York Central, his health had
been a matter of almost constant solicitude
with his family, but for several
months recently he had been better
and brighter. He frequently spoke
of the improvement himself, an l was often
congratulated upon his hearty appearance.
He clung tenaciously to life, and often said
I of late that by the time he was sixty-five he
[ would be rejuvenated and set out on another
| long life He was sixty-four when he died,
j Mr. Garrett arrived at Mr. Vauderbilt's
! house about half an hour aftor Mr. Vanderj
bilt had left the luncheon table. He was at
once shown into the library, where Mr. Van!
derbilt received him. It was thou about a
quarter to 2 o'clock.
Mr. Vanderbilt and Mr. Garrett talked for
about half an hour on the relations of their
respective railroad systems anl the new
Slaten Island projcct of the Baltimore and
Ohio. The talk having thus drifted to
Staten Island, Mr. Vanderbilt spoke
of his early manhood there and
tho Vanderbilt property there. He was
talking of the Vanderbilt family tomb and
mausoleum when Mr. Garrett noticed that
his voice became thick and indistinct. Glancing
quickly up, ho saw that-the muscles of
the face were twitching violently, and at the
same moment Mr. Vanderbilt, with an effort
to articulate which ended in a gasp, started
to a half standing position,and pitched heavily
forward with his l ace downward. Mr. Garrett
started up an 1 caught him in his arms and
eased his fall to the floor, catching a cushion
at the same time from off the sofa and
putting it under the dying man's head. Mr.
Ganvtt then rang an electric bell, which
summoned Louis. Mr. Vanc'erbilt's valet.
TT~ 11 .. / -! t\r\y*rrrk Vnn/lorhilt". AJlrt Mr
X1U t'illicu ?Ul . vvwa Jju ? unuw* v**? ??? ?
Twombly. It was then thought that Mr.
Vanderbilt was in a fainting lit only, and
his wife and daughters were so informed.
Dr. J. W. MeLano, tho family physician,
and other doctors were called in, but they
could do nothing, as the vital spark was extinguished.
Dr. McT.ane said that tho cause of Mr.
Vanderbilt-'s death was clearly apoplexy. He
had never before manifesto 1 any symptoms
of an apoplectic tendency, however, and tho
attack was a complete surprise to tho doctor.
It merely showed, h> said, that the blood
vessels of tho brain had become brittle, and
under the stimulus of a hearty meal and of
animated conversation one "of them had
broken.
Mr. Vanderbilt's Career.
William Henry Vanderbilt was born in
Brunswick, New Jersey, Ala}* 1, 1S21, and
was therefore sixty-four years and seven
mouths old. His father, at the time of his
birth, was owner and in command of astcamboatrunning
to New York. The family soon
removed to New York city, where, and in
Staten Island, William attended the public
schools, finishing his education at the Columbia
Grammar school. At eighteen
he entered as a clerk the 1 ouseof Drew, Robinson
& Co., a leading firm of bankers and
I stock brokers of the period. At the end of
two years his business aptitude was so great
that the firm offered him a junior partnership.
Remaining until two years thereafter,
his health failed him in consequence of closo
application. He then purchased seventy-five
acres of land on Staten Island, which was
soon increased to 350, and went to work
farming.
During the first year of this activity he
was chosen receiver of the Staten Island railroad,
and after two years of hard work, having
restored its finances to a sound condition,
he was elected its president. His father was
a large stockholder in this road, but, as is
well understood, lent no adventitious aid to
his cider son's career. Aftsr a few years of
Lard work on his farm and in the railroad
o I lice, Mr. Vanderbiit went to Europe, in
consequence of the precarious condition of
his brother Georges health. He remained
with him until his death, a period of several
months, when ho returned to Staten Island
and his farm, not engaging any further in
railroad administration until 1S04, when he
became, by his father's desire and the election
of the corporation, vice-president of the
Now York and Harlem railroad.
For twenty-two years preceding the assumption
of this position Mr. Vanderbiit was to
all intents and purposes a practical and hardworking
farmer, tilling his own land, marketing
its produce, and attending personally tn
the farm labors. His father slowly learneti to
lean upon his business judgment, but the son
did not attempt any special figure in the
market or as a financier. He married
in iS-ti Miss Kissam. daughter of a well
known Brooklyn physician, by whom he has
had eight children, four boys and fonr girls.
His Staten Island life was a healthy and
hard working one. He generally rose very
earl3'?about 4 or 5 in the morniug?coming
to the city on market business, and often returning
by 7 to take the plow or join his
hands m the harvest fields. Ho was then, as
always, a hard worker, a shrewd manager
and trader.
Commodore Vanderbiit's plans were working
to full fruition when the oldest son was
summoned to his ail. After assuming executive
control of tho Harlem ho was, in ISO"),
elected vice president of the New York and
Hudson River railroad. During the five
years that followed his entrance into railroad
affairs Mr. Vanderbilt was probably
tho hardest working executive
in the country. He made himself familiar
with overv detail of administration, personally
examining o:\ch mile of the great system
under his charge, and becoming acquainted
with the nature of every man's duties and
work and wages, and the relations they bore
to all others employed by the corporations
he controlled.
In pursunnce of his father's plan of concentrating
tho great interests he pos^esse 1 in
his family's bands, his son William was
named in the articles as first vice-president
of the New York Contral railroad?that is,
of the consolidated r. imis. This consolidation
involved at the time an investment of at
, least 100,000,00 ), a majority of which was
I owned and controlled by tho Vanderbiit family.
At the death of his father, in 1S77,
, Mr. Vanderbilt was elected president or tne
; New York Central, the Lake Shore and the
i Michigan Central railroads, positions which
I he hold until when, in his (?2d year, lie
deliberately retired from the active control oi
1 tlieso corporations, providing for the Van
I derbilt direction, however, in thf
persons of his sons and sons-in-law
who are active as directors.
Mr. Vanderbilt was a man of strong nnc
stalwart frame and build, being nearly sn
feet in height, and largo in proportion. H<
was a sturdy-looking man, direct in speech,
and in manner. He was fond of horses, a(
one time owning Maud 8., and his stalwart
figure behind a toam of thoroughbreds waso
familiar sight on the boulevards of the metropolis.
Mr. Vanderbilt was regarded as ono of the
richest men in the world, and the impression
was not far wrong. Ho was richer than any
single member of the Rothschild family, and
although the Duko of Westminster is cred>
ted with being worth ?200,000,000 his
iat.ntA nnvs him 0?lV about tWO pel
cent. Last year Mr. Vanderbilt lielc
, 000,0; 0 of 4 per cent, bonds, but later re
I duced it to ?3">,0')0,000 of '<]}4 percent, gov
eminent securities. It is said that heownoc
at least $75,000,000 in government bonds. Hi
valued his house in Fifth avenue, with it:
art treasures, at i-'J,001,000. His ordinary
, household expenses were ?200,000 a year.
It is estimated that Mr. Vanderbilt wai
worth $200,000,0 '0, although his investment!
i depreciated last year. His income was cal
ciliated as follows: $2,"72,000 a year fron
; government bonds: $7,.'i04.00> from railroat
1 stocks ami bonds; *070,'j'>5 Irom misce'laneou
securities; making a total of over $10,000,000
a year, or $28,000 a day, $1,200 an hour or
$19.75 a minute.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Summary of Secretary Wkitney'a
Flr?t Annual Hcport.
The first half of the first annual report of
William C. Whitney, secretary of the navy,
comprises briefly the usual routine of . the
,1 _ ? ~4?t? ^ irflftH an/4
Utjptw l/LUCJUt uuicaus LSJk IUD uocai J VUl Oiiuing
June 30, 188-3. After describing the location
of the different squadrons, he draws A
doleful picture of our navy yards. It appears
that this property, "aggregating in value
some fifty million dollars," is falling rapidly
into a condition of extreme decay. The report
Bays: "If it is the policy of Congress to maintain
the navy-yards as shipyards, workshops,
or depots of supply, it is manifest that the
work of putting the buildings, wharves and
other appurtenauces^in proper repair should
be undertaken at once, and should bo kept up
from year to year, as the only alternative
must bo the abandonment of all this property
to waste and ruin."
The net amount drawn by the department
on warrants during the last fiscal year was
$13,337,807.72, leaving a balance ot $1,0*8,075.00,
which with the amouut unexpended
in the hands of pay officers, leaves an aggregate
unexpended balance of $2,353,645.75. The
money spent this year is $997,755.54 less than
the net amount drawn in the fiscal year ending
June 30,1884.
Tho navy estimates to be presented to Congress
for the next fiscal year amount to
$35,104,005.15, in which sum are embraced estimates
for new oojects, not those ordinarily
for the service, amounting to ? Hi, 009,050.24,
leaving for the customary purposes of the
service $10,034,744.01. They embrace: For
increase of tho navy $10,503,770; for the completion
and armament of the doubieturretoi
monitors, $4,202,056, and for public works
and improvements at the yards and stations,
$4,268,337.41.
Mr. Whitney dovotes considerable space to
a history of his controversy with John Roach,
already familiar to tho public. The secretary
favors changing the whole system so long in
vogue and compelling the dopartmant hereafter
to mature all plans and specifications
thoroughly before advertising for contracts.
He has adopted this plan already in preparing
for the construction of the two additional
cruisers and two gunboats, at a cost of nearly
$5,000,000, authorized by tho last session o?
Congress.
Attention is drawn to the importance
other countries attach to the torpedo-boat
as a branch of naval warfare by a tabular
statement of those possessed and in process of
construction. The United States have none;
England has 1'2'J, and 55 mora ordered;
Russia has 131, and 14 ordered; France has
82, and S7 ordered: Germany has U. and 61
ordered, aud even China has 5, and 10 more
ordered.
The last half of Mr. Whitney's report is devoted
to a reviow of what he calls longstanding
abuses in the navy, and to suggesting
remedies. He reviews the history ot our
naval construction since the war. From
1S6S to tbo present time over seventy-five
millions have been spent oa construction, repair
and ordnance of vessels, for which we
have practically nothing to show. We have
not a single vessel afloat that could encounter
the ships of any important power.
This, the report says, has baeu chiefly because
i nnrcolvoc r\f 1 hoi QfMPn- I
omruenaauon ot ms preuoceoswi buuu nuwuiity
bo given the judges of the United State*
courts to sentence in their discretion prisoners
convicted of first offences to such reformatories
or graded prisons 03 may be selected
by the attorney-general He nlso suggests
(he advisability of building jails at each
place in the county where United States
courts are held. The necessity of building a
government penitentiary where nil persons
convicted of United States offencos could be
confined, is strongly urged Such convicts,
he says, could be employed in the manufacture
of supDiies exclusively for the government,
which would assist in making the institution
self-sustaining.
He renews the recommendation of his predecessor
that the number of witi-.essas which
the United States shall be required to summon
and pay for any defendant shall not ex- |
cued four, except in capital cases, un'ess their
materiality and importance are first approved
and certified to by the district attorney.
He also adopts the views of his predecessor
on the subject of criminal procedure,
and says that it is of the highost imEortance
that the pleadings in criminal c ises
e simplified, a uniform system of challenge
provided, and the whole proceedings shorn of
the technical objections and number!es3 dila- ,
tory motions that can now bo interposed to J
nreveut a speedy trial upon the merits.
The attorney-general suggests the propriety
of erecting on the grounds adjoining tho department
of justice a proper building for the
accommodation, in addition to that department,
of tho supreme court and other proper
courts and commissions of the United States.
FARM PRICES OF CROPS,
Flff iires From t^c Dorcmbcr Report
of jlie Agricultural Department*
The crop reports of the department of ag- J
riculture for December gives tho farm prices
| of the principal crops. The increase of tho
I product of corn has reduced tho average
, value of the crop to thirty-three cents per
bushel. The average va.'ue of tho previous
crop in December was thirty-six cents. Tho
reductioff is largest in the Ohio valley and in
j tho Southern States. West of tlie Mississip1
pi the increase of st ick feeding has corrected
the tendency to extremely low prices. Tho
J average in Missouri is twenty-six cents, tho
' same as last year. In Kansas it is 24 instead
of 22 last year. In Iowa 24 instead of 23, in
Nebraska l'J instead of 18. It is 23 cents in
Dakota, two cents lower than last year; :>J
> in Minnesota, ono cent lower; Illinois 25, Ini
fii'mm a.) Ohio ;>2. Michigan :>4, Kentucky 35:
1 Pennsylvania 4!>. New York 5S.
J Conip irod with former prices corn values
' are very low. For the proceeding five years,
nearly all under average in pro iuction. the
3 average farm value was -14.? cents per bushel,
> and for the proceeding ten years 4.'.0 cents.
The prico of wheat, though still low, is conI
siderably above last December's average,
: which was sixty-five cents.
3 "
s A LI0fl_L003E,
i Attacking: Hh Keeper and Killed by
an Elephant.
Bolivar, the largest elephant now in captivity,
the other afternoon had a terrific encounter
with the Nubian lion Prince, at
1 the winter quarters of Forepaugh's
menagerie, Philadelphia, when
1 the lion, va'.uod at $2,000, was killed.
I The trainer had entered the cage with the
. beast. Prince was in an ugly mood and
. attacked hiiu, and in endeavoring to
] escape the trainer loosened the bars of
a the cage and fell out. The lion bounded out
3 after him, clearing his body as it Jay on
th j tan-covered ground. lie did not turn
back, however, but pursued his way through
3 the ring barn and entered the open door of
? the elephant-house. Bolivar stood nodding
. whore lie was chained to a stake near the
j door. The lion attacked him and an encounj
ter ensuod, which ended in the lion being
g 1 crushed to death.
- ' . * , v 7-" '-.''A
m
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT. ]
Summary of Secretary Lamar's
Pitio4 Vnnwlr P nnArf
1'llOU xcanj Akcp;iM
Th8 Indian Question, Publie Lands,
Timber Presarvationi Etc,
'4
The secretary of tha interior begins his
annual report with a review of the Apache
troubles in Arizona. For a settlement of
the Apache question he concludes that the
recommendation of the commissioner of Indian
affairs that the less guilty of the rebel*
lious Chiricahuas should be transported to
an island in the Pacific ocean, as a penal colony,
to earn their own living by fishing,
stock raising, etc., or sent to the military
prison at Fort Leavenworth, merits
consideration. They certainly should be ' . ^
removed during tha coming winter to some
place where they can be more securely
guarded. .
The trouble with Indians in the Indian
Territory, growing out of the Indian leases - ?
to cattlemen, is detailed at considerable
'
length. The privilege of occupying these
lands for grazing purposes was not opened
to public competition. The Indians left to
themselves, wore easily induced to
convey profitable privileges at rates
far below the real value thereof.
While many of the Indiana
favored the leasing of their lands for graz- *
in? Dumoses. others opposed such use of their
reservations, and refused to participate in
the making of the alleged leases, or to accept
any share of the money received thereunder. 1
SuiHcient influence, however, seams to have been
brought to bear upo^a majority of the
respective tribes to induce them to enter
into the arrangements mado. The secretary
adds:
"In my judgment, not the least amona
uch influences were the encouragements and *
persuasion of the respective Indian agents, .
or some of th?m at least; and in many instances
I fear they have shared in the profit*
of these speculative transactions. I now have .
the satisfaction to state that the reservation ' j
is entirely free from cattlemen and their
herds. ;
The fact that a large amount of land is, in
consequence, l/ini waste is recognized. The *
secretary thinks tne land should be used, but
is opposed to tho lease; to cattlemen. The
estate of the sixty-seven different "domesticated
dependent nations'' includes 134,- -V
000,003 acres of land, worth $1 au ' ''&
acre; $17,003,0)0 in funds, beside
the annuities, which, on account of the * uncertainty
and indefiuiteness of some of
them, cannot be accurately calculated
beyond each year, and other property
in ponies, sheep, cattle, industrial im?
* A? ? * ? C /ifimn.T fnr fVincd
wo imve uuu a*unvu . ?
ific improvements! of the age in ship-building
and armoring. A naval vessel now is a
product of science. Each part of her is
absorbing the exclusive study of scientific
men. We have madu no provision for keeping
pace wicii this march of science, and
nence can show nothing of power in modern
naval warfare. Our educational groundwork
is years behind the age."
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
'? he Annual Ilcport of Attorney-Gen*
crai Garland.
The annual report to Congress of Attorney
General Garland gives a detailed and succinct
statement of the operations of that department
during the past year, including the
business of the supreme court, the court of
claims, and the court of commissioners of
Alabama claims. He discusses the various
plans suggested for the relief of the courts,
and endorses the general features of the
Davis bill for the establishment of a court of
appeals, or intermediate court,as best adapte d
for the purpose. That measure, however,
does not, to his mind, cover the case, and he
suggests a plan based on that bill, tho main
features of which were incorporated in the
President's message to Cougrc-ss with his
commendation.
The attorney-general treats at length on the
subject of prison reform, and repeats tho rec
piemenis, oiu. jluo wsv ui
nations is over $6,000,001) a year.
To advance theinterosta of tbe Indians, the
secretary recommends that a portion of
every reservation bo divided up into separate
tracts of suitable size for farms, to be -?
allotted to each individual as his sole and
separate estate Provision should be made
against the power (until after a time limited)
of selling or mortgaging the same, or
even leasing it to any but Indians living
within the same reservation. Provision
should be made that the Indian accepting a
patent for his land shall not thereby forfeit
any of his rights as a member of his trib?,nor
the protection an I benefit which the laws of
the United States extend to the Indiana
generally. The existing reservations,
when entirely out of pronortion to the
number of Indians thereon, would be
reduced with the consent of the In*
dians, and upon just and fair term}; and tha
policy of placing by patent tha titles to these
diminished reservations as fully under tha
protection of the courts as are titles of all
others of our people to their lands is favored.
The portion cut off should be subject to sale
and the proceeds invested for the benefit of
the Indians.
The secretary is of the opinion that the service
could be greatly improved by the appointment
of a commission of iiot exceeding
six men, three to be selected from the officers
of the army, whose duty it shall be to visit
each of tbe reservations and investigate the
condition, peculiar circumstances, and needs
of the Indians. Perhaps the commission
might be empowered to obtain the consent of
the Indians to such changes as the measures
proposed would involve.
The secretary asserts that tha scheme of
removing all the tribes to three or four reservations
is impracticable. He concludes this
matter by saying:
"It is my duty to say that I do not believe
any measures of the government or efforts of
philanthropy will of themselves solve the
Indian problem, but that the Christian re*
ligion must and will be the chief instrumentality
(through its pure and holy influence!
upou individual character, moralsand aspirations)
to regenerate and uplift this race from
its present condition to a higher and noblei
destiny."
During the year the cash sales of the pub
lie land have amounted to 3,912,450 acres,
while the miscellaneous sales amount to 20,995,513
acres, which include 7,415,885 homestead
entries, 4,715,005 timber culture entries,
and 3,558,^11 railroad selections. Tha
cash receipts from these sales amounted to
$8,619,598. The amount of laud on hand
4 - " * J-?~Af A I a ol*a
suDjecu do iurure (u^jjuouiy uuloiuo vl ^kujumi
is 600,772,654, of which 176,000,U00 acres will
be required to satisfy old railroad land grants.
A very large part of the remainder is desert
and mountainous.
The preservation of the timber on government
lands is asubifict that occupies a prominent
place in the secretary's report. He re?.
commends that where timber lands hare
baen surveyed and plots filed, each subdivision
of the laud should be examined, and
the timber appraisod at its full value, and
the values of the subdivisions aiarked on the
plots. In the future surveys the surveyors
should be required to appraise the
timber and mark the values of
the subdivisions on the plots. Then, after
rcsarving one section in four of the timber
lands, the balancj should bo sold at publio
auction as the secretary of tho interior may
direct, but in no case for less than tho api
praised value. By subjecting the lands to
I appraisement and public sale their true value
will bd obtained. When the real value is
paid the interest of the purchaser will guard
against waste.
Duringthe year !S84 the mining products
of tho country were as follows:
Gold, >$0,)5u0,!)00: silver, 54S.800.000; copner.
S17.789.087; pig iron, ?73,761,634; coalj
S14-'J,7S!5,578; petro'eum. ?i5w,-170,^4; vaiua ui
a!l the other mineral pro lucts of tlie United
Status for the saino year $77,708,4M7; value
of the entire mineral product of the country,
$11:5.104,620.
For the preservation of the Yellowstone
Parle, the e tablishment of a court within the
park, with exclusive jurisdiction over all
misdemeanors, and with pow;r to examine
and to hold to bail in all casos of felonies tc
lj ) trie 1 in the nearest court having criminal
jurisdiction is recommonded.
The secretary conclu Jos by recommending
that a national university should be established
at Washington by combining, as integral
p irts of an institution, all the various
commission.*, bureaus, and divisions ol the
executive departments at Washington, which
have for th^ir object tho proje-'ution of scientific
research.
THE TREASURER'S REPORT.
Statistic* A';ont the Contents of the
National I*uck< tbook.
Tho annual report of Mr. C. N. Jordan,
treasurer of the United St stes, shows that
the net revenue of the gov. r.im9nt during the
JO ... a til <?/v! ? ?oa
last fiscal year was ?.:>; ,u m, iv.j, vi ?w*,829,163
less tha:i that oi the preceding
year, while the expenditure was
*280,226,935, or $10, ICO,greater than tliat
of the preceding year. The surplus available
for the reduction of the public debt at the
close of the fiscal year was therefore $40,929,834
less than was available on July 1, 1834.
The assets, according to the new form of
statement, September :J0, 18S5, were ?574,708,2.50,
or an increase of #5;),018,007, over
1S84; the liabilities were $380,381,777?an increase
of $10,210,591 over 1834, and the balance
$194, o26,47S?an increase of $44,?01,416
over 1SS4.
During the same period thero has beon an
increase of $33,403,033 in the gold assets of
$22,093,010 in the silver assets, $0,775,423 in
' the legal tender assets, $171,li84 in national
. bank notes, ar.d $1,147,107 in national bank
deposits. Tlia "bullion fund," or deposits in
the mints, were on the 30th of Juno of this
year $W<,504,629, as against $141,04S,008 on
June 30, lSi'4.
i The amount; of fractional coin hold in the
treasury is $-31,236,591).49, and the. treasurer
recommends the appeal of the redemption
j law as to these and the minor coins.