1
"* ^ ISSUED SEMI-WEE^L^
l. m. grist & sons, Publishers. 1 % ifamflg JlcaspHger: Jfor the promotion of the political, Social, Agricultural, and (Soinmerrial lnterests of the people. _ {c4D?A,iCE'
ESTABLISHED 1855. 7 QRKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 1899. I^O. 53.
I *m-A T J u "Att '' aoi/1 I r.... ^ _ : C .1 : I Jt| 4 I
By JAMES RAI
Copyright, 1899, by the Author.
CHAPTER IV.
At the dinner table that night the
professor was quite talkative, but hia
conversation was abont matters foreign
to the work that had engaged him in
the afternoon.
However, the students were naturally
curious to know what his observations
thus far had led him to think, and
at last Ben Rice asked:
"Well, Professor Gilman, have you
formed any opinion yet as to who killed
Damon and why it was done?"
Professor Gilman was very deliberate
about replying?so deliberate, in fact,
that the students began to think he was
not going to make any reply, and Josephine
Maxwell, looking at him, thought
he could not have heard the question.
She was about to call his attention to it
when the professor opened his lips.
"Myobservations thus far," said he,
"as you know, have not been very extensive.
I have learned, in the course of
a somewhat protracted career, that it is
well not to form judgments hastily. A
circumstance or even two or three circumstances
in conjunction may seem to
ipoint 6trongly to a certain conclusion
|and that conclusion afterward prove to
be wholly erroneous. Hence it is best
not to reach a conclusion until one has
made a thorough study in all its various
aspects of a question under consideration.
"I may say that in this matter of
Mr. Damon's disappearance I have
noted circumstances that to my mind
seem to point to a certain conclusion.
In the light of all that I have learned
tbns fur this conclusion seems right and
reasonable. 3nt, as I said a moment
ago, my observations have been limited,
the circumstances that I have noted
are comparatively few, and it were perhaps
unwise to base a final conclusion
upon them. Further study of the case,
bringing to it new light and additional
circumstances, might give it a wholly
different aspect. In view of such a possibility
I prefer not to express an opinion
at this time, nor indeed until I
have looked carefully into certain matters
that thus far I have lacked time to
give my attention to."
Not a word more could they get from
the processor that night. Even Josephine
Maxwell, who could have elicited
information from him if any one could,
when she privately asked him what he
thought about the case was put aside
with: "Wait, my dear; wait. In a
few days?a day or two perhaps?I
shall be ready to tell you, but not yet."
But the curiosity of all was piqued
by what the professor had said.
The next morning Josephine and her
mother invited the professor to attend
church with them.
"Thank you. I believe I'll not go today.
Next Sunday perhaps, if you are
good enough to renew the invitation, I
may be glad to accept." The professor
was not very regular in church attend
ance, and today he was thinking of other
things.
About 10 o'clock he boarded a car
and went down to the public library.
The reading room of the institution
was open on Sundays, and for an hour
or more Professor Gilmnn busied himself
in looking through the tiles of local
papers published during the previous
week. Patiently he ran his eye up and
down column after column of the two
leading daiJ'es, but it was clear from
the way he passed from one page to another
that the thing he was looking for
did not meet his eye.
Turning to the files of a third daily?
one of less circulation than either of
the others?he began his search in that.
He had not been looking many minutes
when his eyes rested on an item of a
half dozen lines down in one corner of
the page devoted to local news.
Taking out his notebook, the professor
made a memorandum therein and
rose to go. It was not yet 12 o'clock,
and instead of returning at once to the
house in Somerset street he got upon a
car that took him out to Mercy hospital.
He remained there about 1"? minutes
and then returned to his boarding
place.
At the dinner table nothing was said
about the Damon mystery. The matter
had been pretty thoroughly talked over
in all its phases before this, and after
what Professor Gilman had said the
night before no one felt like asking him
for his opinion. If he had reached a
definite conclusion, he wonld tell them,
they thought. Meanwhile they would
not bother him with onestions.
"When dinner was about over, some-1
what to the surprise of the boarders I
the professor said: "Mr. Rice, if yon
and snch of your friends as are specially
interested in this Damon business
will come to my room about 8 o'clock
tomorrow night I think I shall have a
theory to offer. I will not say the theory
will be correct, though I believe you
will be interested in listening to what
I have to say."
For the rest of the day the professor
made himself agreeable to Mrs. Maxwell
and her daughter, and, so far as
was apparent, had entirely dismissed
from his mind all thought of the case
that he had recently been at work on.
Professor Loomis returned to the city
that evening, and all through the day
following he and Professor Gilman were
busy together over their abstruse astronomical
problems.
Professor Gilman did not mention
the Damon matter to his colleague. Indeed
it is doubtful if, during the long
hours that they were engaged together
that day, thought of the affair once
came into Professor Gilman's busy
brain.
About 8 o'clock that night several
I>eople. assembled in Professor Gilman's
MOND PERRY.
? . i? -x xu:n rtrtUTT TnoAr?tiir>fl
room tO llStt?li tu mo tucui j. v uou^uiuu
Maxwell had been greatly interested in
the case from the first, and she and her
mother were there. Ben Rice, whose
room was next to the one occupied by
the professor, was there, and also Mr.
Sexton and two or three other students
of the Rusk Medical college. Simon
Hopper, the detective, had also come at
the invitation of Ben Rice, who seemed
to be acting as a sort of master of ceremonies.
Rice appeared to be in excellent
spirits this evening, and the quaint
half smile that always lingered about
his mouth seemed to tremble toward a
laugh more than once. Just
when they had got about settled
and ready to listen to the professor
Rice was called out of the room for a
moment. A gentleman wanted to see
him at the door. He returned in a few
minutes, remarking that a friend had
called for him, but he had excused himself
on the ground of having an engagement.
Professor Gilman sat in an armchair
near a small writing table. He was
talking to Josephine Maxwell and idly
rapping his left hand thumb nail with
a long lead pencil held between the
thumb and forefinger of his right hand.
Rice took a seat over against tne
partition wall between the professor's
room and bis own and, tilting his chair
back, prepared to listen. Conversation
among the others stopped, and Professor
Gilman's voice was heard saying:
"The periods of certain variable stars
make it probable that"?
Noting the silence, he stopped and
said: "The company seems to be ready
to hear about my theory; so, if yon will
excuse me. Miss Josephine, I will continue
what I began to tell yon about
the so called 'star of Bethlehem' some
other time."
Shifting his position a little in his
chair, Professor Oilman began:
"I have it in mind to say, by way of
preface, that in the exposition of my
theory I may make two or three seemingly
startling statements. I would
caution you, however, not to jump too
hastily to the conclusions they may
seem to point to lest you fall into error
and for the time at least cause your
suspicions to rest in the wrong quarter.
You would better suspend judgment
until I have finished."
The assembled company looked a little
mystified, but no one said anything.
"I will add, by way of further preface,"
continued the professor, "that all
the facts assumed by my theory may
not prove to be just as I hope and expect
them to. It is an easy matter to
overlook some circumstance that might
have a more or less important bearing
on the case. Especially may this be
likely considering the quite limited
time and attention that_have been devoted
to this matter b^aie. However,
you all understand this no doubt and
rr.il! rottmiint +.<"> Tllftko fllTl of thfl old
"4U "vv MVIIV"11'V wv ?
professor"?his gaze swept the faces of
the half dozen medical students, and the
wintry smile played about his lips?"if
he falls into error now and then."
Professor Gilman paused a moment
and then began: "Perhaps we may as
well take up the question of the student
named Nutt and try to trace his connection
with the disappearance of Damon.
"Mr. Nutt states?or so I am told; I
have had no talk with him?th.it he
spent the Wednesday night in question
with a friend at the Lincoln hotel. This
friend, it appears, left for Mexico on
the following day. and Nutt. rather
singularly, is unable to remember the
name of his destination; hence it is impossible
to comiuunciate with this man
and through him possibly establish an
alibi for Nutt. We merely have Mr.
Nutt's unsupported word here, and so
far as evidence is concerned it would
have to be regarded as worthless in any
event. But here comes our friend Mr.
Hopper tonight with the statement that
the police authorities have discovered
that his story about spending the evening
with his friend is a myth?a fabrication
pure and simple. The police au
thorities nave Deen a me iu ieuru ?uu>
Nntt was unable to remember?the destination
of the man named Mason. He
has been communicated with and denies
that Nntt was with him that night.
He knows Nntt, and saw him that day,
but it was before 6 o'clock in the evening.
"I mention this discovery by the police
becanse yon may be interested in
it, not because it is important in establishing
the theory I hold. I was convinced,
as indeed were the police, that
if Nntt was at the Lincoln House at all
that night it was for only a short time.
Like the police, I fully credited the
story told by the student named Wymnn.
He says ho saw Nntt in company
with Damon ascend the steps to the
vacant house at 480 Taylor street at
about 9:80 p. m. Wednesday. He knew
both young men well. He was quite
near them and is certain that it was
they whom lie saw. It seems quite clear
therefore that Nntt entered the vacant
house that night, and that when the
door closed behind him it also closed
upon uamon.
"I may Kay. however, that it matters
not a rap to my theory whether Mr.
Nutt was at 430 Taylor street that
nitflit or a thousand miles from there."
And the wintry smile played about Professor
Gilman's lips.
SJome of those present looked astonished,
particularly Simon Hopper, the
detective, but Rice and the other students
only looked curious.
"I perceive by the look on Mr. Hopper's
face," resumed the professor,
"that my words have astonished him.
I understand that he and the police authorities
generally now believe that
Nutt is responsible for the murder of
his friend Damon. They don't know
just how ho accomplished it, but they
believe he did it. They point to the
quarrel the night before and say,
'There was the motiveI' And they
point to the fact that he and Damon
were seen to enter the vacant house together
and say, 'There was the crime
committed I' And they doubtless believe
that tiirip will show the details.
"Regarding the motive, I don't believe
one existed. Nntt's roommate
says he overheard lond words between
Nntt and Damon in the next room. He
heard one of them ntter the words,
'Take care! Don't go too far!' or some
threat of that sort, bnt he is nnable to
' ij j
"The chief conspirator I believe to be sitting
i? this room."
tell which cne said it. Now, that does
not seem reasonable. He was perfectly
familiar with the voices of both, and if
one of them was talking in load tones,
ns he states, he ought to have been able
to recognize the voice; would have
been able to, I believe. I doubt if he
ever heard any such evidences of a
quarrel in Damon's room, but if he did
it was a bit of play acting, depend upon
it?a bit of play acting!"
The students exchanged glances, and
Rice shifted a little uneasily in his
chair, and the quaint smile on his face
almost faded away.
"I believe Nutt to be wholly innocent
of the murder, and I expect to 6ee him
liberated tomorrow.
"No; the disappearance of Damon is
the result of a conspiracy, I believe."
Professor Oilman spoke the words with
impressive deliberation.
"I believe it was the result of a conspiracy
between several of his fellow
students?young men whom he had every
reason to believe were his best
friends.'' As he uttered the words Professor
Oilman looked straight at Ben
Rice. That powerful framed young
man returned his look quite unconcernedly.
The quaint smile was back
upon his lips again.
"The chief conspirator I believe to be'
sitting in this room,'' the professor added.
His words brought consternation to
" * A a. T> j
ail ms listeners except xvice ?uu mo
students. The expression on the face of
each of them was a study.
Simon Hopper made a movement toward
the door to guard against the
escape of any person. Professor Gilman
motioned him back to his chair. "Have
no fear. No one will attempt to
escape." he said quietly.
"I have discovered the name of the
mysterious caller at Damon's boarding
place Wednesday night." he continued.
"I interviewed the servant girl who
answered the man's ring that night.
Her manner struck me us that of one
who might know more thun she had
told aud who feared questioning. The
only description that she had given of
the man was in regard to his height.
Ho was tall. Why she told that much
I am unable to say. That of itself could
have furnished small clew to the identity
of the caller. There are many tall
men. But one particular tall man I
had in mind as the possible caller. Why
I had him in mind will appear later.
"Going upon the assumption that
this man was the caller, I questioned
the servant and surprised her into the
statement that she had recognized the
caller, but for reasons that had seemed
to her sufficient had chosen not to tell
the police. That man was the one whom
I have designated as the chief conspirator.
He is sitting with us in this room,
and yon have, of course, guessed whom
I mean. It is Mr. Rice."
"Yes, professor. I was the caller
there that lii^cht, * * confessed Ben Rice.
"Your narrative is very interesting. I
am waiting to learn how yon propose
to connect me with the murder. As a
precautionary measure, it might bo
well for Mr. Hopper to handcuff me if
he happens to have a pair of bracelets
with him."
"It is quite unnecessary," replied
Professor Gilman coolly. "Because you
happened to call for Mr. Damon and
because he left the house with you does
not necessarily prove that you had a
hand in killing him. Indeed I will say
right here, lest some present may be
harboring unjust suspicions, that Mr.
Rice is entirely guiltless of the murder
of his friend.''
Josephine Maxwell and her mother
looked greatly relieved at thia Rice
and the students looked puzzled. The
professor indulged in liis wintry smile.
"I have called Mr. Rice the chief
conspirator. I believe tho appellation
to be apt. Mr. Sexton here is another
of the conspirators. Nutt and ono or
two others were also engaged in the
conspiracy. Yet none of them is responsible
for the crime. There was still
another conspirator whoso name I have
not told, and he was the one who made
away with Damon. That man was Damon
himself."
There was an impressive silence, during
which the sound of a cough in the
next room was distinctly audible.
"Do you mean," asked Josephine
Maxwell, perplexed and with a grave
look on her face, "that Luther Damon
| committed suicido?"
CHAPTER V.
"That," said Professor Oilman,
"brings us to the subject of the discovery
made in the basement of 480 Taylor
street. The body found there had
been decapitated. It would, of course,
be extravagant to suppose that a suicide
could discover means of beheading himself
and hiding his head in some place
where it could not be found and his
body in another and difficult hiding
place. So, at the risk of puzzling Miss
Maxwell yet more, I am afraid I shall
have to say that the idea of suicide had
not occurred to me.
"The condition in which that body
was found furnished the clew to the
whole case. I am surprised that the
clew has not occurred to all of you.
Perhaps it has to some of you. The one
I ?- -X il??4 ~4.~~.J1 -V -11
(Startling iact iuhi oiwu UUII uuuvu mi
others was not that the body was headless,
but rather why was it headless.
"Can yon conceive any possible reason
for the mnrderer beheading his victim?
Yon might ventnre the theory
that it was for the pnrpose of destroying
his identity. That wonld be the natnral
thonght and also the reasonable
one except for the other facts in the
case. It is these other facts that make
it impossible to believe it. A mnrderer
seeking to destroy the identity of his
victim wonld never leave his victim's
body clothed in apparel that wonld
identify him just as snrely and swiftly
as his face conld do it. Yet we find that
this body was so clothed. It had npon
it a snit that several different persons
conld swear was Damon's, bnt to set
all donbt at rest, on the vest was the
tailor's mark, bearing the name of Damon?proof
conclnsive that the snit
was his. There were, moreover, other
articles on the body to identify it.
There was the intaglio ring with an old
English 'D' cnt in the stone, and engraved
on the inside of the band were
the initials 'M. L. D.' Damon's friends
conld swear the ring was hi9; also in
one of the pockets was fonnd a cardcase
? j xi. xt.?
containing six carus engraveu wiui mt>
name 'Mr. Martin Lnther Damon.' It
could scarcely be questioned whose property
this was.
"Quite as remarkable as the things
found on the body was the absence of
certain other articles. Dalmon's watch
and pocketbook were not found. Those,
of course, might have been stolen,
though the theory held by the police did
not embrace theft as a motive for the
crime. But the man's keys, his pocketknife,
his match safe?it seems Damon
was a smoker and carried one?even
his lead pencil?every student carries
one?were missing. Most singular of
all, not even a pocket handkerchief was
found in the pockets. It is idle to suppose
a man in Damon's class would be
without a handkerchief. Yet all those
articles were missing?a most remarkable
circumstance, I maintain. Every
article found could be used for purposes
of identification. Not an article was
found that could not aid in doing that;
not any one of a dozen trifles that might
belong to one man as well as another.
In fact, you might say that the body
suffered from overidentification. It
was enough to arouse suspicion.
"And yet over against these circumstances
to prove the man's identity was
the missing head?removed presumably
for the purpose of destroying identity,
seemingly two opposing circumstances.
"That the head had been removed
for the purpose or destroying tne identity
I entertained no doubt in spite of
the easily identified articles found upon
the body. Inasmuch as the murderer
would not be foolish enough to seek to
both destroy and preserve the identity
of his victim, there was but one reasonable
deduction to be made, and I have
no doubt many of you have made it?
namely, that the body found was not
the body of Damon.
"It was equally clear that it was intended
to be taken for his body, Damon's
clothing and other property being
witness to that.
"If not Damon's body, then whose
was it? That was the next question to
be answered. It did not look too difficult.
You must bear in mind that I
had already formulated a theory, which
was helpful to me in indicating the
course to pursue. I vsiited the public
reading room and looked through the
files of daily papers bearing date some
days prior to Wednesday. At last I
found what I was looking for. It was a
brief item stating that on Monday an
unknown man had been run down by a
train at a street crossing and fatally injured.
He had been removed to Mercy
hospital, the item stated.
"I next paid a visit to Mercy hospital
and there was permitted to see
the hospital record of the unknown
man. He had never recovered consciousness
and died Tuesday night.
"I ought to state here that, after
visiting the undertaker's Saturday in
company with Mr. Rice and Mr. Sexton,
I returned and made a careful examination
of the corpse. I discovered
that the big toe and the second toe of
the left foot had been cut off. The
amputation was an old one. The hospital
record showed that the same members
were missing from the body of the
unknown man who had died there
Tuesday. I had expected to learn that,
for I was convinced that the body found
in the vacant house in Taylor street
was probably that of the unknown man
killed by the train.
"I was also given, though somewhat
reluctantly, the information that the
hospital sometimes furnished cadavers
for the use of surgical practice by students
and professors at Rusk college.
Whether the cadaver of the unknown
man had been removed there for that
purpose I was not told. I did not care
to be. I knew.
"And now we come to the conspiracy
which I have mentioned. Mr. Rice I
have named the chief conspirator. After
calling for Mr. Damon Wednesday
night the two went directly to Rusk
college, I assume. Nntt and Sexton
were also there, and other students also
perhaps. I don't know how many.
From the college Nntt and Damon went
to the house in Taylor street. They
waited outside till some one happened
along who rcould be sure to recognize
them, and then they enteml the honse
under that person's observation. Nutt J
had a key to the house, which explains a
why that house was chosen. Later in i:
the evening Rice, Sexton and aa many i
more as may have been required went
to the house, taking with them the e
cadaver from the hospital. This house I
is so situated that it may be approached I
from an alley in the rear with little d
danger of being observed by neighbors, e
A church stands next to it on one side, e
and the brick barn of the house on the 1
other side shields the approach from t
that direction. So it may not be won- c
dered at that no one has come forward q
with a story about seeing them enter it *
from the rear. c
"The cadaver, having had its head re- t
% 3 ..x !._ J i. J J T
moven 10 destroy its iuuiiu uy uuu emu
in Luther Damon's brown suit and ^
bearing other articles to identify it as t
Damon's body, was deposited behind r
the barrels in the basement. It was
found thero Friday by Mr. Hopper and f
a fellow officer and supposed to be the 8
body of Damon, as tho conspirators had *
intended."
The faces of Rice, Sexton and the "
other students had been a study while
the professor was speaking. Rice's smile
was scarcely perceptiblo now. He looked z
crestfallen. As tho professor paused he
said:
P
"Well, even supposing your theory
to be correct. I don't see that you have
explained tho disappearance of Damon. N
He hasn't been seen since Wednesday.
Where is he now V Neither have you a
advanced a motive for our taking all ?i
this trouble. We should like to hear d
your views on the subject." e:
"I intended to give them," returned si
the professor blandly. a
"First let us see about Damon's dis- t?
appearance. When I visited his board- ti
ing place in Wallace street Saturday, ti
the servant girl permitted me to go up ti
into his room. I had an object in doing d
it, of course. I went directly to his ti
closet and found hanging there only one si
suit, a heavy winter one. I presumed jj
ho might possess and sometimes wear ft
more than one summer suit. I question- ft
cd the girl and found that he did. A jc
black coat and vest and gray trousers S|
formed one suit. The other was a n
brown one. The brown one has been ac- d
counted for, as we have already seen. Ci
Where was the black one? Presumably j,
on Damon's own person. It was at least Hl
missing from the closet, and that was ^
all I cared to learn. In the pockets o
that suit doubtless were the.other arti- 0
cles that we might have expected to find jt
in the brown suit?the watch, keys, ft
knife, match safe, etc.?in brief, the C(
things Damon would need daily. He j(
could spare his ring, his cardcase and
some cards very nicely. And I should
suppose"-?here the professor looked at ^
Rice with his wintry smile?"that he
might also have spared a pocket hand- ^
kerchief. But I suppose you overlooked t]
that. And I regard it as lack of shrewdness
on your part that yon did.''
Rice looked rather sheepish at these ^
words.' but said nothing.
"As to the motive of this queer confmiracv.
the Question of course might u
-* ' - u
occur, Did Damon carry insurance on ?
his life and did he consent to appear to
be killed in order that the claim might u
be collected and he share in the pro- ^
ceeds ? I thought of that, of course, but ,
so little did I believe that to be the mo^
31
1111 ^ ^ . t(
A young man, loaning in name wanner m o
Professor (Jilmtin, stepped Into the room. ^
tive, so little donbt had I of the real
motive, that I have not even taken the rj
trouble to ascertain whether his life
was insured or not. f(
"In a moment now the motive will ^
bo apparent to you. But first let ua ^
turn to Damon. You ask. Mr. Rice, r)
where he is." g|
Professor Oilman rose from his chair jg
and walked to the door leading from ^
his room to the hallway. gl
"Mr. Damon I" he called loudly. tj
There was a movement in the next
room, and a moment later a young man. j?
looking in some wonder at Professor ^
Gilman. stepped into the room. tl
"I have never had the pleasure of
meeting Mr. Damon, but this gentleman
answers to the name. Perhaps
some of you here recognize him." said ^
the professor. A
shout of laughter rose from the |
students, and great astonishment was
depicted on the faces of all the others. ?
Professor Oilman, resuming his seat, t
sat smiling and tapping his thumb
with liia pencil.
"Tell us how you knew he was there."
demanded Josephine. "Yes, tell us how :
you knew," the others chimed in.
"I didn't know he was. I merely *
- - - ? ti
thought he would tie. i couia nave given
you my theory as well yesterday aa 31
today. I announced yesterday that I
would give it today in order to give P
Mr. Rice time to communicate with 1,1
Mr. Damon. I felt sure he would have ,s<
him at hand, where ho could bring him (:'
in dramatically and thus smash some n
pretty theory which he expected my sl
fertile brain might evolve. Instead of v
that I preferred to give the stage direc- M
tions myself and bring him in at what ?
I conceived to be a dramatic moment. ^
My suspicion that Mr. Damon might ^
be in Mr. Rice's room was strengthened
a few minutes ago when I heard some P
one cough there." C:
" "J3U6 1 UUU il J?CI> IJUIUU DTO, txiiu I
Irs. Maxwell, "the motive for doing j
,11 this." Whereat her danghter broke (
nto a merry laugh. "Why, mamma, t
fc's plain enough I" she said. <
"Madam, "said the professor, "it ia i
lot at all unusual for the students at j
Jrania university to indulge in pranks. t
judge that it is the same with stu- ,
lents the world over. Medical students t
rcirw tlipm no dnnht. the same as oth- ,
rs, perhaps even more than others. J
?he moment I learned that a headless t
ody had been fonnd enrobed in the
lothing of one of the students I felt ,
[uite certain that my fellow boarders. s
?ho were students, had entered into a (
onspiracy, the object of which was to
tefuddle, if possible, the old astronomer
rith a penchant for doing detective ^
pork. My investigations simply proved
hat I was right They tried to puzzle
ne and failed."
"But we shall not try it again, pro- j
essor. It is your laugh and our treat," '
aid Ben Rice. The quaint smile was .
>ack upon his lips once more. ,
THE END.
ittiacfUiincous ^tcaclinq. .
BRRT SUGAR INDUSTRY. \
rogre** Made Last Tear Described In a 1
nnv?rnment Rennrt,
ew York Sun.
The report of the department of j
griculture on the progress of the beet
ugar industry in the Uuited States ,
uriDg 1898, just issued from the gov- .
rnment printing office, records the j
nccessful production of the beets ^
nd the sugar in nine states and terri-- t
jries, the results of experiment sta- ^
ons in 19 and projected new or addi- v
onal factories and plots in 24. Secre- s
iry Wilson, in his letter to the presi- f
ent transmitting the report, remarks g
iat it is seen that the Pacific slope t
till holds the leading place in furnish- e
ig areas suitable for the most success- ^
il beet culture; but almost equally .
ivorable areas are presented by Mich- e
;an and New York and by a few other t
tales in the northern and eastern t
3gions of the country. "It has been t
emonstrated that where irrigation t
an be carried on there are large areas t
l the arid regions where beets of t
uperior excellence can be produced," |
e says. 0
Charles F. Saylor, the special agent c
f the department, who carried on the 0
ivestigation, directs attention to the t
ict that the average gain in sugar v
ousumption in the United States dur- e
ig the last 23 years has been 12 per 8
ent., while the rale of increase of
opulatiou is estimated at only 3 per ^
ent. annually. The completion of a
lammotb factory at Salinas, Ual., by
'laus Spreckels, gives to this country
lie largest factory of the kind in the j,
rorld. Beets can be supplied to the
beds in carloads aud the cars emptied ^
y a trip automatic platform. The
ost of the factory was $2,750,000, and
i run it 1,200 barrels of petroleum will ?
e used for fuel daily. To supply the
,000 tons of beets which it will work P
p daily into 400 tons of raw sugar ,u
'ill require 30,000 acres of land, and
le concern will pay out for these '
eets about $13,000 a day. Its water ?
jpply of 13,000,000 gallons a day is J1
i come from artesian wells. One .
?regon factory demonstrated its ability
) use 100 tons more beets a day than
r was designed for. A distillery has fi
een established at a Utah factory to a
take alchohol from the lower grade
lolasses after the sugar factory is a
irough with it. The intention is to
lanufacture alchohol from this for two ,
lonths of the year and from rye the
jst of the time. ?
The single factory in New Mexico 1
onducts a stock-feed enterprise in 1
rder to dispose of the pulp, and fed P
ist year 1,100 lambs. The lambs J
aiued 10 pounds each in 21 days on 1
lis feed. The secretary of a cattle- 8
seding company in Nebraska raised 1
00 acres of sugur beets simply to feed J"
attle. Illinois, too, has taken to the
11 - . . r
ullivation of the beets for this pur- ~
ose. Mr. Saylor suggests that farm- I
rs generally should lake to raising 1
ae beet "for the same purpose as
ther crops, namely, food for man and ?
east." He says that for the table c
aere is no more palatable beet, if f
ghtly prepared, and adds :
"It is excellent for the milch cow, 8
>r fattening hogs and for fattening f
Leers and sheep. There is nothing 1
aat excels it. * * Some wonderful 8
ssults have been produced by feeding 8
agar beets. A gentleman in California |
i an extensive grower of fruits, which
e prepares for the market in the 8
hupe of dried fruits. Iu the produc- *
on of these commodities he has a 1
reat deal of waste, which he utilizes
i feeding stock. Experience taught 1
im that he could handle hogs easier ^
ban anything else to cousume these
astes, but he wanted something more J
jbstantial to feed with them, so beiveen
his young non-producing trees
e commenced growing sugar beets and 8
jeding the same iu connection with 8
ae waste fruits. His feeding industry ?
rew so, that when I saw him, he had 1
bout oUU hogs tnat wouia weign irom
50 to 400 poucids each, and no finer I1
pecimena could be found. They were 1
jperior iu every way for the market. ?
"hese hogs had been put in this con- ^
ition without an ounce of grain of "
uy kind. As I understood it, his ra- c
on consisted of bran, waste fruits and *
ugar beets." .
As for feeding the pulp, the waste
roduot of the sugar factories, to cat- ?
le, Mr. Say lor says: "Pulp can be
ioured at these factories for from 35 ^
ents to $1 per tou. Of course it will ?
ot reach this latter figure until the
Lock interests begin to appreciate the ?
alue of the pulp for feeding. But
^here is it that a farmer can buy a ton
f really nutritious stock food for $1. ^
Te should arrange it so that he can
ike a load of beets to the factory and
ben return with a load of pulp. This
ulp is easily stored and easily taken
are of. It can be kept for three or I
uur ycnis, u ucsireu, wiiuoui i using
la qualities as a desirable aud outriious
food. * * * There was a
ime when the Pacific slope used to
:all upon the Mississippi valley for her
)utter, aud upou the eastern slates aud '
tfew Euglaud for her cheese; butsiuce
,he introduction of tbe beet sugar iniustry,
California has rapidly forged
o tbe front as a dairy stale. A large
jart of ibis change bus been broughi
ibout by the introduction of beet pulp
is a food for the dairy."
Such properties has the sugar beet
hat its leaves, left on the grouud,
lerve as most proper and desirable fer.ilizer,
Mr. Saylor says.
Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan,
Slew York and Wisconsin, with Cali
oruiu, Oregon, Utah and Mew Mexico,
nake up the list of the beet sugar proluciug
divisions of the country, as it
itood lust year. Reports of the prosjects
for uew factories then showed
ictivity in attention to this branch of
nduslry in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois,
[ndiana, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri,
VIoutana, New Jersey, Onio, Pennsyl/uuia,
South Dakota, Texas, Virginia
ind Washington, besides promises of
extensions in the states and territory
ilready produciug the sugar. It is
loiuled out that the sugar beat is al eady
a competitor with other farm
eroducts as a raw materal.in the manlfaclure
of alcohol. In FranCe the
mnual output of alcohol distilled from
>eets is 20,000,000 gallons.
As to our progress in the industry
generally, Mr. Saylor says: "As with a
;reat many subjects of this kind, be- *
ore an experience and acquaintance
vilh the subject are obtained ; that is
o say, before practical details have
teen learned by tbe people generally,
ve have advocates representing all
hades of opiuion, good, bad and indiferent.
These views are deduced from
tudying tbe results obtained in Euro>ean
countries in which results and
experiences differ on account of tbe
lifferent conditions that prevail. Protositions
based on European experinces
are jumbled together and offered
o tbe American people interested in
he industry of raising sugar beet as
he principles governing tbe status of
be vegetable in tbis country. It is safe
o say that hardly any of these proposiiou3
is more than partially true. We
rnve agricultural conditions of our
iwn, differing from those of other
ountries. We have agricultural methds
of our own which are sux>erior to
hose of any other country. So, as
ve acquire more experience, we are
stablisbing facts and building up a
cience of our own touching the growng
of sugar beets of good quality unler
our owu peculiar conditions."
OVERCROWDED PROFESSION.
(any Son* of Kings Are Deadbeats and
Paupers.
lew York Commercial Advertiser.
PriDce Luigi, of Italy, has discoverd
gold in tbe Klondike and will come
tome much richer than be went. Tbe
? ' ? aolla/1 o mipoIxi nloaa.
iriUCO 9 trip WOO vanou a |/uivij |/ivuu^
ire trip, for climbiDg mountains; but
f it began thus, be caught the gold
ever in Alaska, or what is more proiable,
be bad a sneaking notion of
lunting for gold when be started,
hough it was Dot mentioned for
ear of failure and ridicule. Men
lo not, except in very exceptional
ases, fall into gold mines unless they
,re hunting for them very bard, and
be times are such that kinglings are
,s likely to be assidiously searching
or gold as anyone else.
Europe, indeed, is overrun with
:.ugs and the sons of kings. Times
>re stagnant in the king busiuess, and
t becomes more and more difficult to
>rovide for all the royal blood. The
topular impression prevails tbat the
roung men of all this stock make it
heir business to marry heiresses. And
o large a number have taken to this
netbod of providing for themselves
hat the popular impression can hardly
>e said to be false; still, there must be
nany who would gladly turn an honest
>enny in any honorably way besides
natrimony.
The army, or course, nas oeeu a
;reat resource, aDd for this reason the
conference at The Hague must have
caused mauy an anxious flutter in the**
learts of queen mothers with young
ions growing up. But the army was a
itaif rather than a crutch, since even
n the English army the pay is so
imall as to call for private means belides.
The wholesale liquor trade in
England is said to be almost monopoized
by the aristocracy?which may
iccouut for the ennobling of such few
>Iebians as have managed to push
heir way into the business. And cerain
other sons of kings have lived
ipon their wits and their skill at
gambling.
The American public has only a
rague idea of the resources of royal
amities in general. If it is not taken
or granted they are rolling in wealth
uflicient for all, including younger
ous, then these youuger sous are
srynically supposed to exist by cheat
ng tbeir tailors aud haberdashers. A
ittle reflection, however, will convince
inyone that this latter method, while
t might be a great help, would hardly
lo as a sole means of subsistence.
Some of the deposed monarchs, like
he Bourbons and Bonapartes, carried
iff a good deal of loot with them
vben they went, invested it and have
teen living off the interest ever since.
Jut this does not provide for the inrease
in the royal race, and some of
he royal houses have doubtless hundred
to earn their living by the sweat
?f their brows. If Prince Luigi has so
luugered no one will grudge him his
uccess. Convention makes it much,
larder for the royalty to earn money
bau for common men, and from all
ccounts the gold obtained in the
Clondike may most certainly be said
o be earned.
tGT There are four Irishmen to every
englishman in the United States.