ISSTTE3D TWICE A WEEK-WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY. l. m. gkist & sons, Pnbihhers. \ |L ^amilii Deirspper: 4or |f?motion of the jpotiticat, jfotial, garieutturat, and to reach some habitation by it. He walked qn for a long time?a good i two hours. The thicket was interspersed ! with little glades for some way; then a real wood began. He had long ago got ( rid of his bag, throwing it into a thicket. A not very close observer might now have taken him for a manservant out ' of place, in search of bis lack, and obliged by poverty to travel on foot. At any rate he looked dismal enough. He was very hungry and tired, and this, together with his sleepless Dight, bad beguD to tell upon him. But this dd not trouble him much. He was far more worried by a sharp pain in one ankle and a numb feeling in the knee joiDt, as though it had received a blow. Evidently his desperate leap had not left him quite whole and sound. Nevertheless he still trudged on and on. The wood grew more and more dense, and gradually changed in character. Pine trees began to be more frequent, and in time he found himself in a dark pine grove. The branches of the great trees overhung the path. As far as the eye could reach into the depths of the grove stretched long avenues of tall, red brown columns. The soil, friable and barren of undergrowth, was covered evenly, as with a carpet, with yellowish fallen needles, which seemed as if luminous with a faint light that lent something of the mysteriousness of a temple to the dusky arches. The young fugitive, now hardly able to keep from sinking down with exhaustion, struggled on and on, taking no heed of anything, until he suddenly noticed light shining through the trees, and presently came out to the edge of the wood and saw before him a great sheet of water, all flooded with slanting rays of sunlight and glassy as a lake on a still day. It was the "mother Volga," the great Russian river which he so loved, and beside which his childhood had been spent. The road turned sharply round to the right beside the river. The fugitive, with fresh energy, tramped ou aljng the bank. He was sore to come tpon houses and people now, and he hoped to find help among them. On the opposite bank he could see villages, lookiug from across the river like toy models. "If I were to undress, tie my clothes into a bundle on my head aud swim across," flashed through his mind. Certainly no better way of putting pursuers off the scent could be imagined. He was a good swimmer and could hope to make the dangerous crossing successfully. But he began to feel such complete exhaustion throughout all his body that he gave up the idea of tempting Providence a second time. The entire population of the Volga banks joius in the fishing industry. He would be sure to find a boat somewhere that he could buy?seize, 6teal, if necessary. TO BE CONTINUED. B@F The sweet old-fashioned flowers of our grandmothers are coming intc vogue again, and will soon regain theii lost popularity, according to a writei in the April Ladies' Home Journal i There is nothing prettier than thesf i old-time blossoms, nothing so refreshi ing as the flower garden of half a cenI lury ago, and it is a pleasure to know i that they are coming back. The fashion in flowers, like that in other things seems to repeat itself. [ B&P Reading without thinking is like ; pouring water through a sieve. ittiscdlaucous grading. COLORED CAVALRY. Crnck Negro Troojitt May Be Sent to Cuba Fort Robinson, Neb., April 5.The Ninth cavalry is preparing t< * move to the coast. A message wa received from the department com mander late last night and was de livered at once to Lieutenant Colone Hamilton. The exact contents an not known, but orders were issue* I before midnight for preparations fo immediate departure. For severa ) weeks there has been a rumor that thi command was to he removed to a poin GENERAL GfiMEZ. ' Just bow the action of the queen regen in ordering an armistice in Cuba is goinj l to affect the situation cannot be foretold i It all depends upon General Gomez. Thi Spaniards have already tried to maki i terms with the Cuban junta in the Unitec States without success, and now it is tb( . understanding that they are trying to sei what they can do with General Gomez the commander in chief of the insurgen armies. Gomez has more than once saic I that so far as he is concerned, it is liberty ! or death, and there is not much reason tx believe that he will even respect the arm istice. Anyway, thesituation.will deter mine whether or not the Cubans really have a government that is deserving o recognition. If Gomez yields, the gov 1 eminent is no good ; but if he stand: firm, then it will look like the insurgent: ought to be recognized. in Florida, and in the eveut of wai would he sent into Cuba as the nucleus i of the invading army. It was the un derstanding that the department con templated sending the Negro soldiers to that point because better servict might be expected of them in the cir cumstances than of the white troops There are 600 members of the Ninth officers and men. The information is general here tonight that the Tenth cavalry, composed also of eolorec men, now in Northern Montana, has been ordered south as fast as steaa will carry them. No one knows here exactly when they will start, butprob ably as soon as the equipments can be loaded on the trains. It will require several truins of freight cars to trans port the horses. From the orders tc load all camp equipment, the impression is that field service is coming. Already the 25th infantry has beer sent to Florida, and the only other troop of Negro soldiers, the 24th infantry, is expected to go at once. This will make a force of over 2,000 colored troops ready to embark for Cuba or do work at southern points. Colonel Perry, commander of the 9th, is away on sick leave, and Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton commands. The officers refuse to say what orders have been received or when the troops will move, For several days a number of freight cars have been sent here, supposedly for this purpose. The members of the troop have taken a keen interest in CAPTAIN GENERAL BLANCO. This is the Spaniard who now ha! charge of affairs in Cuba. He succeeded the bloody Weyler, and although then is nothing to be said of him that is espe cially good, for a Spaniard he stands pret ty well. Lee called upon him last Satur day before leaving Cuba; but the under standing is that he was too busy to "re eeive" our departing representative Hut Lee, no doubt, will meet Genera Blanco again. It is not at all improbable that if an American army goes to Cubs it will be in command of the gallant con sul general who has just left there. the war news and all tonight express pleasure at the prospects of fighting j the Spaniards. The opinion has beet , ventured in official circles here thai the government will utilize the color ed troops to co-operate with the Cubar insurgents. . The 9th is a famous troop, and has . a long list of victories against Indian.1 . to its credit. It is probably one of th< , finest fighting commands in the world . Each member is armed with the verj latest carbine and two big revolvers For some time it has been thought bj the troopers here that they would b< ; sent south on short notice, as all leave! of absence had been refused for th< last two weeks and all members awa; at that time were given peremptor; : orders to return instantly to their com mand. The "Fighting 9th," so calle< for its deeds of daring and terribli k* campaigning qualities, have Dot aeei service since the Sioux war of 1890-91 0 But prior to that they had been en 9 ged almost yearly in fighting the In dians. It is said here by veterans whi j know the value of this command tha if the 9th and other colored soldiers ii 9 the army could be added to the Cubac insurgents they would give a splendi< T account of themselves. Though the government proceeds ot e the theory that the colored forces wil 1 be less susceptible to southern diseasei i a. ~.L:. ? i LUttU lue WUIIC3, OIIU IUCIC1UIC U1UII useful, it is feltr by some that ibis tbeo ry may prove incorrect, for with few exceptions, the members of the color ed troops have been enlisted from th< ranks of Negroes who have not beei south for years. The troop was origi nally enlisted from the stales of Ken tucky, Mississippi and Louisiana, bu that was in 1867, and but a few mem hers of the original company remaii in any of the colored commands. OUR PRKPARATIU.N FOR WAR. One of the Marvel* of Our Nations Experience. The rapidity with which during th? last six weeks this country has beet made ready for war is one of the mar vels of our uational experience. The foremost element, of course, it producing that result was the patriot ic action of congress. The $50,000,000 put by it at the president's disposal 1 furnished the sinews of war; its ad ' dition of two artillery regiments in ' sured the safety of the coasts; whih the liberality of the fortifications, navt I and army bills, which chanced to b< 9 pending or in preparation, allowed th< Q military and naval authorities to g< ahead with a free hand, t Then there was a great deal of wai 1 material nearly or quite ready for use j which needed only finishing touches > All along the coast emplacements wen - nearly ready, wailing for the winter t< .'j CONSUL GENER , CoDsul General Lee left Havana la; , ashore at Key West at 11 a. m. Sunday, , was the last American to leave Havam were at his disposal. Having bade f for the departure of the vessels, General orders for the fleet to sail. There was Cubans down at the wharf. As the F ) oaths and execratious, among which "G ( States Vice-Consul Springer, who had ' yelled loud enough for all to hear tl . friends. We will be back !" As the sea, she passed the wreck of the Ma had been laughing, talking and joking; with one accord, each man reverently salute to the heroic Americans who we afterward the Fern passed a British st of the steamer ordered that the Union J and the British tars gave a hearty cheer it is unnecessary to talk about Lee hei of the whole trouble. pass before being completed ; heavj guns by the score were parked at Watervliet and Sandy Hook ; carriages also, by tbe the score were building here aud there; at the YVashingtoi ordnance factory, batteries had beet prepared for the auxiliary cruisers; ii the navy yards ships were under re pair. When it became possible tc enlist all the men needed for the guns aud the ships, and foundries, factories, uud navy yards worked night aud da} with greater results because of mucli having been done before. A third and very great advantage was that we had the whole experience 4 of the Civil war to rely on. From the I president down through all the stall 5 departments and bureaus of both army . and uavy, among the commuuders ol . the most important ships aud the regi mental aud other field officers of the - land forces, veterans of the years be tween 1861 aud 1865 were found. As . a consequence, the entire stall'and line 1 knew exactly what was wauled, at the 5 first menace of war, and not only were 1 the wants promptly supplied, but no ' time was wusted in wondering whattc . do, aud uo labor in experiments or in 5 doing anything not required. This r knowledge of what to do and how tc i do it, based on the war experience o! t hundreds of staff and bureau officers in the army and the navy, accounts i largely for the rapidity with which the country has been put on a war fooling, 3 Thia tnn is; I h? host. HSSIiranc.c i that the energy with which the work i of preparation has thus far been push. eil will be continued. If Spain should t be able to attempt any uggressive . operations against our coast it would t presumably be at points where success ; would have for her a strategic import3 ance, and hence at such points tht j defenses will probably he increased y during the time left for preparation. y A few more 12-inch guns at two or - three of the leading porta will not 1 come amiss, since in proportion as the e land defenses are strengthened the i fleet is free for agressive operations. Another way in which the defense work has been perfected is through the careful drilling both of the ships aud 3 the garrisons, as if in the face of an t euemy, and the completion of prepari at ions for the speedy transfer of the i army from the interior to the seaboard, 1 as well as for its temporary quadruple cation, by enlistments, should coni gress authorize that step. Here, again, 1 the experience of a generation ago is i invaluable, while it finds means and ; appliances at hand vastly more effec live thau those of that earlier day.? ir New York Sun. 2 SESSIONS OF CONGRESS. i Their Length In Tltnea of War and In Peace. I There has been considerable discus. sion of the length of the session of 3 congress in the event of war, it being the prevailing idea that a declaration of war would involve the prolor\^tion of the sessions of congress. The sessions of congress, begiuning 1 with the war of 1861-65, are given below, with the sessions of the followe ing, show that iu war times congress i did not consume as much time as is usual in times of peace: Thirty-seventh congress, 1861-63, l three sessions, 365 days. Thirty-eighth congress, 1863-65, two . sessions, 299 days. , Thirty-ninth congress, 1865 67, three - sessious, 329 days. Fortieth congress, 1867-69, three 3 sessions, 382 days. I Forty-first congress, 1869-71, three 5 se.-sions, 341 days. 3 Forty-secoud congress, 1871 73, three j sessions, 228 days. Forty-third congress, 1873-75, two r sessions, 291 days. , Forty-fourth congress, 1875-77, two . sessions, 344 days. 3 Forty-fifth congress, 1877-79, three > sessions, 342 days. AL FITZ-HUGH LEE 3t Saturday afternoon at 5.15 o'clock, came and is now in Washington. General Lee i. The Olivette, the Bache and the Fern arewell to General Blanco, and arranged Lee stepped on board the Fern and gave a big mob of Spaniards and autonomist em moved olf, it was followed by hisses, et out Yankee swine," was mild. United been in service in Cuba for thirty years, ie significant remark, "Wait, wait, my Fern rounded to, heading for the open ine. General Lee and other Americans but suddenly a silence fell over all aud, 7 bowed his head and lifted his bat in nt down with the illfated vessel. Shortly earner that was unloading. The captain rack be dipped in salute to the American, that was returned with enthusiasm. But re. As matters now stand he is the hero ' Forty-sixth congress, 1879 81, three sessions, 393 days. , Forty-seventh congress, 1881 83, two > sessions, 337 days. i Forty-eighth congress, 1883 85, two i sessions, 311 days, i Forty-ninth congress, 1885-87, two sessions, 330 days. > Fiftieth congress, 1887-89, two sesi sious, 412 days. , Fifty-first congress, 1889 91, two ses' sions, 397 days. i Fifty-second congress, 1891 93, two sessious, 340 days. ! Fifty-third congress, 1893-95, three i sessions, 347 days. Fifty-fourth congress, 1895 97, two I' sessious, 280 days. I Modern Men o'-War.?The average educated person knows far more t about the general structure and arrangements of an old three-decker s than he does about the ponderous me1 tallic engines of war which have now t usurped their place, and the chief rea; son for this is the delightful air of romance with which the old vessels are , inuoalerl Ku i>prl?in nnvpliatq Anrl t.hp. . ... .vm J , i real stories of heroism which will ever i be linked with their memory. But i there is much that is interesting about f the mere prosaic battleships of today ; and Mr. Yates, the chief constructor i at Portsmouth, Englaud, dockyard, i who lately delivered a lecture on this , subject, found many attentive listeni ers. He tells us that it is impossible ; to realize the magnitude of these float' ing monsters, for the most important I part of each ship is below water; and > that submerged part displaces a mass I of water equal to the total weight of i the ship. The size of the ship, and its consequent weight, depeud upon a ! uumber of considerations, such as the 1 size of the harbors or docks she would be required to enter, and the design of ships with which she would co-operate Then the weight was distributed in such a way that the bull structure was only responsible for one-half. Armorplating was now of such perfect manufacture that a modern 6-inch steel plate was as efficient as an old pattern 14-inch plate of wrough iron. This armor, with the guns, costs about half the total of the completed ship. This is the American who has been rep Madrid. The understanding is that he baa discretion about leaving Spain, as circui time this page had to be printed (Monday) Woodford is still in Madrid. He was thei ure during Monday or Tuesday, the facts \ TO ENJOY A CIGAR. Few Men Get the Beat Possible Results. "Personal observation has taught me," said a Cuban cigar dealer to a Star reporter, "that not one person in a hundred knows how to smoke a cigar to enjoy it thoroughly. For instance, most men, after buying their niffara. stick them between their teeth and gnaw the ends off recklessly, thereby tearing and loosening the wrapper. Then they light their cigars and puff away as if their very lives depended upon finishing them in a hurry. Thus treated the finest cigar will burn irregularly, and the smoker will, nine times out of ten, lay the blame on the cigar. The cigar may be to blame, but in most cases the fault lies in the way it has been handled. "After a cigar has been bought the end should be cut smoothly off by a clipper or sharp knife. The reverse eud should then be placed in the mouth, mouth and the cigar blown through, removes all the little particles of dust which cannot be avoided in the manufacture and prevents them from being inhaled into the throat and from producing coughing. The cigar should then be lighted, and particular attention should be paid to its being thoroughly ignited all over the surface of the end. Then instead of puffing away like a steam engine, the smoker will find that three or four puffs every minute make the best way to enjoy the cigar. The smoke should be kept in the mouth a short time in order to appreciate the flayor of the tobacco. Then it should be emitted slowly. "In case one side of the cigar should burn and leave a ragged edge on the other side it is not necessary to relight it, as I often are many people do. A '4r TORPEDO E( Here is the finest existing specimen ol has been said during the past few week cost $97,500. The speed of the Foote is som numerous torpedo and six small rapid fii part of Captain Sampson's lleet. On last ] would probably move on Havana, and the chances in case of having to make an i imously of the opinion that not one mai chance of ten to come back alive. But, al for the order to go against the Spaniards, ai as if the whole thing was to be a picni gentle blow through the cigar toward the lighted end will ignite the ragged side, and it will burn regularly. Smoking this way is a pleasure. It frets me to see a man smoking a cigar who does not know how to enjoy it, and I often feel like giving him a few words of advice and would do so were it not for the fear of offending hiui." Washington Star. CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST. Death on the Cross Was a Most Terrible Form of Torture. "Crucifixion was a terrible death," writes the Rev. Amory H. Bradford, D. D., apropos of Holy Week, in an article on "The Last Week in Christ's Life" in the April Ladies' Home Journal. "It was reserved for offenders of a servile class and never used for a RT L WOOT (resenting the McKinley administration in i been instructed that he could use his own nstances might seem to warrant. At the we have no information but that Minister re Sunday. If he should take bis depart* vill be stated on another page of this issue. Roman citizen. The hands and feet of the victim were nailed to the wood, and a kind of rude seat was provided? just enough to prevent the weight of the body from tearing through the flesh. The exact spot where Jesus was crucified cannot now be identified. Golgotha was probably some skull* ahnnoH hill 'nntsidfl t.hft ritv wall.' Thither a strange procession wended its way?the condemned with their crosses on their backs, the bard-hearted rabble making fun of them as they passed. The strength of Jesus failed before the destination was reached, and another was compelled to carry the cross for Him. This crucifixion, like all others, was cruel and barbarous in the extreme. The executioners were Roman soldiers, but a host of Jews feasted their eyes on the hideous sight. "Such agony was no protection against the gibes of the crowd. With but one of His disciples in sight, and only two or three friendly women near?one of tbem His mother?Jesus passed the last hours of His earthly life. Those who suffered by crucifixion sometimes lingered three or four days?Jesus lived about five hours. While hanging on the cross He spoke seven times. Soon after the cross was raised, looking over the coarse and brutal soldiery, and the mistaken fanatics who bad bounded Him to that hour, He uttered a prayer, which has probably made a deeper impression on the world than any other single prayer ever offered : 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' " Mites and Cholera.?Get some crude carbolic acid and mix it with whitewash, equal parts of each, and ^^."j * * DAT FOOTE. " the torpedo boat, about which so much s. She belongs to the United States and etbing like 25 miles an hour. She carries e guus. She is now at Key West as a Friday, it was understood that the fleet i crew of the Fonte were discussing their ittack on a warship. They were unann in the whole crew had more than one 1 the same, they were eager and anxious w ad talked about the matter as indifferently c. mop the entire interior of the fowl house with the mixture. This will effectually keep off mites aud lice. Fill the water trough with fresh water every morning and put six drops of commercial sulphuric acid to each quart of water. This, if regularly attended to, will prevent cholera. Armenia has over 40,000 orphans.