wm& r
BR - /
DOWNED CANNON
flew Tillman Oatwkted the Speaker on
Claim for Old Debt.
WHICH HE DEFEATED
South Carolina Senator Talks to
..Atlanta Newspaper Men on Politics
and "Joe" Cannon.?Kays
I>emoorat? Played Came Poorly.
HIh Fight witn Wily r>peaner.
"The Democrats played their game
poorly," said Senator Benjamin R.
Tillman Thursday In the first interview
he has given since his illness,
according to the Atlanta Contitutlon.
He sat by an open window
at Robertson's Sanitarium, but the
only evidence of his recent illness was
a sU wness of enunciation and a
slightly enfeebled voice.
His mind was keenly active, and
much interested in the recent "eruption,"
as he called it in Congress.
"They played their game poorly,"
he repeated, "when they called for
that vote to declare the Speaker's
chair vaeant. It rallied the Reuublicans,
insurgents and all to Cannon's
support, for a Republican is
first, last and always a Republican,
and a patriot?secondarily.
"There was no need for that
move," the Senator continued. "Cannon
had been shorn of practically nl!
power when they took from him
the privilege of naming the committee
on rules; and if the Democrats
had let matters stand, he
would have been politically lost, i'he
result of the call for a vote restored,
in a measure, his pies'ige."
"You do not think that Caiman
will ever regain as much power &s
he held formerly, do you?"
"No," the Senator replied, "never
as much. A part of his power is
gone, but he hasn't slipped far
enough to break his neck."
"What do you think will be the
eventual result?" was asked.
"He will probably retire at the
favorable opportunity," said the Senator.
"Will that not, practically, be an
admittance of defeat?"
"Well, in a measure," the Senator
replied, "but he is 7 4?"
"Are you and he friendly?" the
question was put irrelevantly, but it
brought a slight, humorous twinkle
to the Senator's eye.
"Well, we are now, but I believe 1
am the only man that ever downel
Cannon.
"It was about getting the Government
to pay an old debt to the
State of South Carolina. First they
tried to show that my State owed
the Government, but 1 get the records
for both and in the end it was
shown that the Government owed the
State. - 1 wanted them to pay the
debt, but old Joe was opposed to
It.
"I got Allison and Hale, two of
my personal friends and leaders on
the Republican side, to insert my
claim for South Carolina in a civil
bill that came up for conference adjustment
on the 3d of March, the
last day before final adjournment.
"Cannon said that it shouldn't go
through; and I swore be d?d that
it should go through. Some of my
friends said that they would help
me to filibuster in the session which
met at 8 o'clock, and they kept the
House busy; so I sent out and got
Byron's 'Vision of Judgement.'
"Have you read it?" he interjected.
"Well it is one of the keenest
of Byron's satires, and some people
think that It is blasphemy, but I
have always thought it a good piece
of work. I was going to read them
that.
"But seeing that if the civil bill
was not passed an extra session of
Congress would have to be called to
consider the naval and civil bills,
the opposition gave in and 1 got the
bill pased.
"It took Cannon a long time to
get over that," Interposed Mrs. Till-"*
man, a quiet, knowing little woman,
and the Senator smiled pleasantly.
"Do you think Cannon will be returned,
to Congress?" was the next
questiion.
"He will, if he wants to be. His
people like him?probably because
he gets things for them.
'That's the reason Atlanta hugs
old Lon Livingston so closely, because
he got the United States penitentiary
for it. and I An nnt Itnnn;
how many other things. Atlanta has a
'sweet tooth.' "
"The Cannon fight was the first
thing that really Interested my husband
since his illness." said Mrs.
Tillman. "Just six weeks ago, do
you remember?" she said, turning
her husband, "you became ill, and
now you are getting well so quickly.
So much more rapidly than any of
us dared to hope."
Mts. Tillman had taken part in all
the conversation and showed such j
thorough knowledge of the political <
situation that the reporter said, i
laughingly, as the Senator and Mrs. <
Tillman started out for their usual
afternoon walk.
"Mrs. Tillman knows almost as <
much about politics as yon do. Sen- t
ator." t
SHELL KILLS EIGHT
FATAL EXPLOSION OCCURS ON
THE CHARLESTON.
United States Cruiser Was Holding
Target Practice Off Olongapo in
Phillippine Waters.
The premature explosion of a 3inch-gun
on the United States cruiser
Charleston killed eight men and
injured several other this week while
the ship was in target practice off
Olongapo in the Philllppine Islands.
Seven of the victims were killed instantly
while the other died on the
way to Cavite. The dead are:
Philip McKee, master-at-arms, W.
Nanticoke, Pa. ^
Walter Anstedt, seaman, Trenton,
111.
Henry Heater, seaman, Smithland,
Ky.
Leo Rommele, seaman, Omaha,
Neb.
Harry Graden, seaman, Chester,
Pa.
Ross Darkman, seaman, McKinley,
Md.
Maxle Barnerd, seaman, Kave-inRock,
111. I
Edward Molln, private marine.
Rockford, 111.
The cause of the exploslnon is not
known, but was probably due to the
premature discharge of the gun. Rear
Admiral John Hubbard, commanderin-chief
of the Asiatic fleet, has ordered
an investigation. The bodies
of the vicUn^a will be buried at Cavite.
It is Known that when the
shell cut loose it flew across the
deck and mowed down the men who
had gathered to watch the target
and cut through a steel sanchion.
LITLE 1M?Y KILLED.
Editor Webb's Son Dies Under the
Wheels of Trolley Car.
Little George Robert Webb, Jr.,
son of George R. Webb, editor of
the Horsecreek Valley News, was run
over and instantly killed Thursday
morning by a car on the AugustaAllren
mllu'nv The little tollnnr
who was not quite two years of age.
was presumably playing near the
trolley track, at Mr. Wehb's home at
Warrenville, and ran on the track.
Mr. and Mrs. Webb and family reside
at Warrenville near the car line, and
Mr. Webb's printing office is facine
the track, a platform running to
within a few feet of the road. The
have passed the old maid limit, but
morning, passing Warrenville about
nine, was going down grade just before
reaching Fox's crossing, when,
it is said, the little fellow ran from
behind the platform on to the track
and the car, ocing uui a f^w feet
distant and going down ht'.i, cou'd
not be stopped until the little boy's
life had been crushed out under the
wheels.
FATALLY SCALDED
In Attempting to Escape from Officers
Foil in Vat.
Alonza George, the negro man who
was fatally burned in a hot well
at the Stephens pottery, Macon, Ga..
Saturday night while he was attempting
to make his escape from county
officers who had closed in on a Bkin
game, died at the Macon Hospital
Monday eveninir.
The negro is said to have gone to
the skin game along with about 15
or 20 otherB. The sheriff's office got
a notice that the game was in prog
ress and deputies went out on tfie
case. The party was flushed and
Alonzo George ran into a hot well,
which was then carrying a temperature
at about the boiling point.
The officers pulled the man out
and found that scarcely a spot on his
Inidy was not terribly burned. He
was carried to the hospital and there
he put up a plucky battle for life,
but finally succumbed to his burns.
GROWING MORE SERIOUS.
Natives and I,il>erian Troops Are Engaged
in War.
Advices received at Liverpool state
that fighting continues between the
natives and Siberian troops at Cape
Palmas, Liberia, and is growing more
serious. The Rev. Mr. Spear, a native
pastor at the mission in Cape
Pnlmna hoes Koon '? -1 ,-nl * 1
. V...UW, ..C?a umu nnui <11111 K 11 It'll
and the lives of the white residents
are said to he in danger.
The hostile natives appear to be
getting the better of the troops. The
latter were sent to stop the native
trade in French territory. It was
their excesses that caused the outbreak.
The natives are said to be
anxious to have a few Englishmen
killed with the object of bringing
about intervention by Great Britain.
The Liberian gunboat Lark, temporarily
commanded by a German officer,
bombarded the native villages,
but did little damage. A German
gunbond arrived and its commander
offered to bombard Hoffman Station
and pluke, but the authoriites defined
assistance.
"iMrs. Tillman is a better pollti:ian
than I am," replied the Senator,
is he walked slowly toward the outloor
sunshine.
HAPPY FOR ONE DAY
WIDOW SAW MISTAKE AFTER
MARRYING MAN.
She May Seek Divorce on Ground of
Incompetency as Husband Is in
Charge of a Trust**.
One day of bliss was all that William
D. Ashley, formerly of New
York city, was allowed to enjoy with
his bride, Mrs. Bessie Carye, a widow.
of Amsterdam, N. Y. They were
married last week in Jersey City and
Ashley created such a rumpus after
the wedding that his bride had to
take three bottles of whiskey from
him. The groom is past 7 6 yearB of
age and his bride has passed 56.
Then years ago Ashley was adjudged
incompetent to manage his estate
of $80,000, inherited from a
relative. After a time he was committed
to BlackwellB Island but he
got out and sold a mortgage of $3,000
on his farm.
For some time he has been corresponding
with the woman at Amsterdam,
she not knowing that he was ip
charge of a trustee. With his $3,000
they left his home in Newburg,
N. J., and went to Jersey City, where
the ceremony was performed.
The next morning Mrs. Ashley left
for home, declaring that she realized
a mistake had been made and Bhe
would seek divorce. Ashley did not
appear a bit sorry as he accompanied
his bride to the railroad station.
Later he called upon a lawyer and
accused the woman of desertion. It is
probable the marriage will be annulled
because the man had been declared
incompetent and could not '*nter
upon any contract or agreement
that would stand upder the law.
HELD IN AN OLD MILL.
Young Pennsylvaniun Tells Weird
Kidnapping Tale.
A strange tale of being kidnapped
and held prisoner in an old, abandoned
mill is told by Harry Bushy,
aged 22 years, of York, Pa. He returned
to his home last week after
being absent for over three months.
i iniiij; MiiBuy disappeared mysteriously.
He says he was struck in
the head and rendered unconscious
when he went to his father's barn
one night to investigate a peculiar
noise. He was then taken to an
old mill, so his story goes, and there
locked up and fed on bread and
water. Last week, he asserts, he
was drugged and later found hLnself,
without coat or hat, lying on
the ground near his father's barn.
Bushy can give no information
that will lead to the location of the
building. There is no mill in the
vicinity of his home where he could
( have been imprisoned. The youth's
father is wealthy and it is now believed
that the kidnappers inteded
to hold him for ransom, but were
afraid to make this move. Bushy's
home is near Dillsburg, in the northern
j>art of the county, not far from
the South mountains, and it is believed
that he was hidden away in a
secluded part of the hills.
YOUTHFUL GRANDMOTHER
Yound Mother Brings Hist'net ion on
Her Family.
All the records for youthful grandmothers
have been shattered by Mrs.
Everet Parker, of Rlehmorwi in<i
She enjoyB the distinction of being
grandmother at 28, before she has
passed the old maid limit. Mrs. Parker
was married at 13, and her
daughter, now Mrs. Charles Lane, of
Indianapolis, Ind., is 15 years old.
The child born to the latter is the i
fifth generation in the family, of
which the oldest is 90 years. "It
does seem rather odd, when 1 come
to consider it," laughingly exclaims
Mrs. Parker, "to think that I have
become a grandmother even before 1
have passed teh old maid limit, but
I guess it runs in our family."
Motor Car Upset.
In an automobile accident at
Rockport, Texas, on Monday night,
Louis Moorkens was killed and Louis
Bailey and Guy Henks were probably
fatally injured. Edmund Armstong.
the fourth occupant of the cnr was
uninjured. In turning a corner the
car upset, young Moorkens being
pinned un'ierneath and mashed oO
badly that he died within an hour.
A Big Fire.
in a spectacular fire of supposedly |
Incendiary origin, the entire Knoxville,
Tenn., plant of the Standard Oil
Company with the exception of one
80,000 gallon oil tank, was destroyed
Tuesday night. Fifty thousand gallons
of oil in seven tanks were consumed.
A wood fibre plant located
nearby was consumed as were four
or five cottages.
Another Big Trust.
At Albany, N. Y., the American
Telephone and Telegraph filed with
the Secretary of State Koenig a certificate
of increase of capital stock
from $200,000,000 to $500,000,000.
This makes it next to the largest corporation
in the world, the United
States Steal Corporation being the
leader. . ,
I
Ml "
HUGE GRAB GAME
BEING TRACED TO TAFT'S AT- I
TORNEY-GENERAJL.
Who Declares That His Partner and 1
Not Him Worked for the Sugar
Trust in a I/Ogal Way.
,The charge preferred on the floor
of the House last Friday by Representative
Martin, Democrat, from
Colorado, that thp "former attnrnev
of the Sugar Trust Is now the head
of the department of justice of the
present Administration," brought
forth a letter of denial from Attorney
General Wickersham. addressed
to Representative Bennett, New
York, and was read into the record
Monday.
"In order that such statement may
not gain any currency," says Mr.
Wickersham in hlB letter, " I should
1 like to state through you that I never
was attorney for the Sugar Trust
?by which I understand is meant
the American Sugar Refining Company
and its allied or"subsidiary corporations?nor
had I any professional
or business relations to it.
"The only possible foundation for
such a statement lies in the fact
that one of mj partners, some three
years ago, was retained as one of
the counsel for the American Sugar
Refining Company in a single lawsuit
against it, and pursuant to such
retainer, he assisted in the defence
of the company in that action and an
appeal taken fro ma judgment in
its favor, but in that lawsuit I was
neither consulted nor did I render
any service."
Mr. Martin announced that he intended
to carry his charges against
the department of justice to a definite
conclusion. He now has a resolution
pending for an investigation
of the acquisition of Frair lands In
the Phillipines by the Havemeyer interests.
Mr. Martin said in an interview:
"The Attrney General you will observe,
carefully avoidod making pny
denial of the prlnicpal feature of !
my charges, to wit: "That his dclslon
gave the Sugar Trust 55,000
acres of the Friar lands for a price
less than the Government paid for
them, and that there was no warrant
of law for such a decision.
"Mr. Wickersham says that hi?
partner, whom I understand was
Henry W. Taft, a brother of the
President, and not he, was the attorney
for the Sags'* Trust. This
form 'of disavowal will not carry
much weight.
"I shall continue to show by my
efforts what I b'-llcve is but the beginning
of a gigantic grab of the
Frair lands of the Phillipines by the
Sugar Trust, all made possible by
an unwarranted decision of a?_
torney General. I shall decide upon
a further course within a day or
two."
FAMILY GOKS CRAZY.
Five Stricken With Insanity in Two
Days' Time.
Insanity, the Nemesis of the Goetz
family of Belleville, 111., claimed five '
victims in two days last week. Three
of them are now in an insane asylum,
while the remaining twj are ,
in the detention ward of a hospital (
under observation.
'None of the Ave thus stricken, (
it is said, can be cured. The dreadful
visitation is having a depressing t
efTect upon the other resident of the .
little town of Belleville-, and the ^
Goetz home is being shunned as a N
pestilenc. - ^
Nothing can save the queer uflllc- r
tion of the family is talked about v
th<e town and all sort of themes are
suggested. Some say it is the manifestation
of divine wrath for some
infraction. Others suggest it is hereditary,
but long dorman. All that '
is known is that each had accused
the other of dishonesty, and possibly
the acoilSHatlnn rfr-ni'n -""V
u.uto cam llliuril
insane. j
FIEND CHASED AND CAt'fiHT 1
, \
Attempted an Criminal Assault t'pon i
a Woman.
r
After a chase in two States and <"
lasting more than a week. Howard
Harris, who attempted, it is charg- *
ed, to criminally assault young Mrs. 1
Dutton at her home near Thomas- s
vllle, Ga., March 21. is a prisoner, f
having been captured Tuesday morn- t
ing by Sheriff Houston of Leon conn- '
ty, Florida, at Tallahassee. Fearing I
a lynching would be attempted if the 1
negro was kept at Tallahassee, Vie
quietly slipped away and took the t
prisoner to Live Oak. The chase for l <
the negro has been going on nighti'
and day since the attack on Mrs. ' c
Dutton and has led through swamps'.'
principally. f
IUgli Winds lllow.
Winds of almost hurricanic violence,
accompanied by heavy rain *
and snow Tuesday cut off Denver, 1
Col., from the rest of the world. H
Over the entire region west of Kan- 1<
sas City to the Pacific coast and from J d
Sante Fe, N. M., into central Wyom-:d
ing the storm raped, paralyzing tel- d
egraphlc communication and serious- in
ly delaying traffic. Miles of tele- tl
graph poles are down. ii
%
A DARING ROBBERY
EIGHTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS
IN STAMPS
Taken from the Vault of the Postoffice
at Richmond, Va., by Expert
Robbers.
Combining the skill of experts with
the simplest of methods, thieves Sunday
night, or early Monday morning,
robbed the vault in the otlice of the
cashier at the Richmond Postoftice
of stanrpB estimated to be worth
about $85,000, and incidentally carried
off $160 in cash belonging to
the pay roll fund.
Por audacity, the feat was almost
without parallel, certainly in that
part of the country. The parties could
hardly have chosen a more public
place in which to operate. They wore
within less than fifteen feet of one
of the main thoroughfares of the
city, which is at all hours of the
the night brightly lighted, while the
room in which the robbery was accomplished
was lighted Sunday night.
Large windows open on the street,
and no movement could well be made
within the room without observation
by passers-by.
To avoid this publicity in part,
the robbers shifted one of the two
book cases obliquely across in front
of the safe. In this way the man
operating the drill could work without
being clearly seen. The drill
was first applied to the outer door
of the vault, which was pierced with
ease apparently, and the interior
mechanism -of the interior was pried
away.
The same operation was then performed
upon the inner door and the
booty was within the grasp of the
looters. No dynamite was used. One
of the amazing things about the job
was its magnitude.
Box after box of stamps was removed
from the vault. One man
could not possibly have carried all
away, nor could half a dozen men.
The probabilities are that some sort
of vehicle was used to bear off the
l>ooty.
Secret Service men from Washington,
under the direction of District
Inspector Harrison have been on the
case, assisted by the police, and it
is understood that there is a clue,
which may lead to an arrest or several
arrrsts nt an early hour. This
involves an individual, an alleged
travelling man for a New York novelty
house, who has been traced to
one of the local hotels.
? MURDERED THREE PEOPLE.
Father and Ills Two (liildreu Slain
by Assassin.
Alexander I.indhahl, a wealthy
farmer; his daughter, 10 years old;
and his son, 3 years old; were mysteriously
murdered Monday night
while riding in a motor boat on the
Republican river, near Concardia,
Kansas. Their bodies were found
Tuesday, the childern in the boat
and the father a few feet away,
amid some brush. He evidently had
gone to fight the assailant, and in
in effort to save the children's lives,
ivas himself killed. The three bodes
had been clubbed repeatedly af
:er the victims had been shot several
times.
Hidden behind the pile of brush
he assassin had shot at the victims
is they were about to step ashore.
Tuesday afternoon John Nordmark
vas arrested on suspicion of have
lone the killing. It is said Nordnark
quarreled with Lindhahl last
veek.
MOTHER CLEARS POOLROOM,
'roprietor Had Allowed Her Sons to
11 ainr A pmind
Enraged because her two sons had
>een allowed to loiter about the
dace and asserting that one of them
tad lost most of his earnings there
n games of chance, Mrs. Lena Finelerg
of Trenton, N. J., went to the
toolroom of Julius Gillinski and
leaned out the resort with a cue.
When Gillinski and his friends atempted
to escape the widow bomtarded
them with billard balls and
everal of the men were badly cut
tbout their faces. The breaking of
he windows anil mirrows followed,
drs. Fineberg then grabbed her
toys by the collar and took them
tome.
She declares that she will repeat
he raid with increased severity if
aillinski does not keep the boys from
he resort. Gillinski dare not proseute,
for it is against the law to alow
boys under 16 years of age in
toolrooms.
Shot Utile tiirl.
Arthur Shumate and Martin Long:,
/hite nu-n arrested for shooting the
2-year-old daughter of Charles
Under in the Thompson Valley, were
adged in jail at Charlotte Wednesay.
Ixing is charged with having <
one the shooting and claims as a I
efense that he was shooting at a 1
abbit and the bullet glanced and hit <
tie Kinder child. The girl was Bhot i
1 the head while in her home. i
MANY PERISH
Three Hundred Dancers are Burned t?
Death at a Village Ball
THE ONE EXIT BARRED
While the Dance Was at Its Height, ^
Women's Dresses Became Ignite!,
an?l the Flames Spread so Itapidly
. that a I'anic Prevented Opening
of the Only Wav t?f K\it.
The Hungarian village of Oekoerit
and adjacent. ;.'?ict8 have tr'e*
'1 'own into mi'i.'s; i g by a tcrrlula
disaster, which occurred at the
former place Monday night, and
which resulted in the death of botween
three hundred and four hundred
persons, and the Berious injury
of nine hundred others.
A public ball was announced to
be held at the. hotel of the village!!
a coach house had been fitted up as
a ball room. It was a great barnlike
structure, decorated with tinderdry
june branches left from a previous
entertainment to which were
added for the occassion other decorations
and Chinese lanterns.
The festivity attracted pleasureseekers
from the wi.olo surroundi.vs
country, ard the building was 8'
backed just before the ball commenced
that the single door which
afforded entrance and exit was nailed
up to prevent th.* admittance of the
scores who clammored outside.
While the dancing was in full
swing a pine branch caught fire and
fell to the floor. It blazed furiously,
and almost instantly the dresses of
several of the women burst into
flames, which spread with astonishing
rapidity.
A panic ensued, the revellers losing
their heads completely. Many
of thein with flames shooting out
from their garments, rushed towards
the barred exit, where a surging mass
was jammed together. Women and
men fell and were trampled under
foot. Those in front vainly endeavored
to tear open the door, but were
crushed helplessly by the pressure
of the crowd behind them. The
roaring and crackling of the flames
mingled with the despairing shrieks
of the doomed throng.
Soon the roof crashed in, the blazing
wreckage falling upon the helpless
victims so that many of them
who hitherto had escaped the flames
were struck down by beams or buried
under the wreckage. The scene
was horrifying. ?
When the door was finally broken
some few persons escaped, but most
to those collapsed before they got
far. Inside there were heaps of
charred corpses and heartrendinsr
screams and groans still were audible
from the smoking piles. A
detatcbment of troops were ordered
to the scene to clear the wreckage
and help bury the dead.
The official estimate as given
states that 200 persons perished, but
it is believed that the total death roll
will prove much larger, as many persons
have not been accounted for.
SKXATOIl TIL.L3IAN IMI'HOVINO.
He Is Decerning Interested in Politics
Once More.
A dispatch from Atlanta says as
evidence that Senator Tiluuan is regaining
his faculties, he discussed
politics for an hour Thursday, at the
sanitarium where he has been a patient,
since coming from his homo
in Trenton, S. C. His theme was tho
recent "eruption," as he termed it,
in the House. "The Democrats played
their game pooriy," said the Senator,
"when they called for that voto
to declare the Speaker's Chair vacant.
Cannon hid been shorn of practically
all power when the took
from him the privilege of naming tho
committee on rules, and if the Democrats
had let. matters stand, he
would have been politically lost. The
result of the call for the vote to
declare the Chair vacant, restored
in a measure, his prestige."
Senator Tillman believes that Con
non will retire from the Speakership
at the first favorable opportunity."
Ho beieves that Cannon will have
no trouble in securing re-election to
Congress if he asks for antoher
term. Senator and Mrs. Tillman daily
take a long walk.
Mysterious Killing.
At Eloralia, Ala., Tuesday night
.Tames (larrett, agent for the L. and
\\ railroad, was shot and killed by
Charles Hnrg<ss, a well known citizen.
Burgess, who is under arrert,
declines to discuss the tragedy. Tho I
two families have been on intimate
terms. 4
? ?
Faro Hnsted Him.
In a confession made by George
\V. Coleman, the young man charged
with embezlement fmm ?.? kt?
.. tuo nu"
Llona) City Rank of Cambridge, Mass,
bp admitted that he took a hundred
ind eighty thousand dollars and that
practically every cent was lost "tryng
to break a faro bank" in New