THE WAR AGAINST THE TRUSTS.
Complaint Filed Against the Vir
ginia-Carolina Chemical Co.
Columbia," December 2S.-South
Carolina has joined in the procession
- of States that has brought suits
against alleged industrial combina?
tions. At the recent session of the
General Assembly a joint resolution
was passed instructing the Attorney
General to make "'an investigation"
to determine by what authority the
Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company
is doing hjusiness in this State,"
and then that "he institute such pro?
ceedings, civil or criminal, as may be
necessary to prevent and punish the
violations of such laws against trusts
and combinations."
The General Assembly little knew
when it called upon the Attorney Gen?
eral what a tremendous responsibility
and task it was throwing upon him.
Mr. Bellinger and Mr. Gunter have
been working quietly and indefatig?
ably for months and months, and
today they had their guns ready to
fire at the Virginia-Carolina Chemical
Company. They have fired a broad?
side, and when the General Assembly
meets it will find that Attorney Gene?
ral Bellinger has gone down to the root
of the matter, and has prepared a most
elaborate and exhaustive report.
General Bellinger is a fighter with
a reputation and in this, as in all
other cases he has taken hold of, it is
certain that he will keep up his
reputation and at the same time it is
to be remembered that in other States
similar litigation, so far as known,
has amounted to nothing. Mr. Bellin?
ger will do his part, but, of course,
whether the Virginia-Carolina is or
is not a trust or combination, as al?
leged, and whether it is or is rot
. detrimental to the public welfare, is
entirely another question.
The first gun was fired here today.
The formal complaint in the case was
served on Mr. Washington A. Clark,
who was president of the Columbia
Phosphate Company, before that cor?
poration sold out. Similar suits will
be brought in the vavious counties
where the sales complained of occurred.
The litigation started today, as
shown by the records, involves con?
siderably more than a million dollars
worth of property, besides far-reach?
ing principles.
General Bellinger realizes that he
has a hard case ahead of him, and
that talk a:ad law do not always run
together, anud he has secured as as?
sistant counsel former Judge J. H.
Hudson, of Bennettsville, and Mr. J.
X. Nathans, of Charleeston. Of
course, Assistant Attorney General
Gunter will be associated in the case.
Tn employing Judge Hudson and Mr.
Nathans, General Bellinger has obtain?
ed two of the ablest and best lawyers
in the State to assist in the litigation.
In the meanwhile the Virignia-Caro
lina Company has not yet shown its
hand but as this is the first case of
the kind that has been brought against
it, ii is safe to say that they will
resist the contention tp the utmost
and oppose the view that it is a com?
bination or trust against the inter?
ests of the public. It will be a most
interesting case, s
THE NORTHERN RAILROAD TRUST.
Judge Elliott Grants Injunction
Against Officers.
Minneapolis, Dec. 30. -Judge Elliott
of the district court of Hennepin coun?
ty today granted a temporary order
restraining the officers of the ^Northern
Pacific railroad company from retir?
ing the preferred stock of that com?
pany. The order was issued on the ap?
plication of Peter Power of New York,
who holds a hundred shares of the
eommon stock, and who came on from
New York with his attorneys for the
purpose of beginning the action. It
was supposed that the failure of the
action brought in the New York
courts by holders of preferred stock
cleared away the last obstacle to the
retirement of the preferred on January
1, leaving the Hill interests in control
of the road through its majority of
the common stock. It is inferred, al?
though it does not so appear, that
the present action i's brought in behalf
of the Harrison interests to prevent
control passing out of its hands for
another year or until the legal stand?
ing of the Northern Securities com?
pany is settled. The claim set up by
Mr. Power in his suit is that the
retirement of the preferred stock is in
violation of the agreement that such
retirement would lay no additional
burdens upon the common stock, and
he holds that the certificates of deben?
ture bonds, to be issued to offset the
retirement of the preferred, would be?
come a lien upon the common stock
and thus work an injury to his prop?
erty. It is understood that the block
of 100 shares held by Power is the
only block of common not hitherto
controlled and definitely located upon
one side or the other, the Harrison
people or the Hill-Morgan interests.
The retsraining order will not only
be served on the officials in Minnesota,
but will be telegraphed to New York
and served on the officials there. The
papers were served on President Chas.
S. Mellen of the Northern Pacific to?
day.
OLD LADIES ROBBED.
Augusta, Ga., December 29.-A spe?
cial to the Chronicle from Washington,
Ga., says: The Misses Battle, two
elderly maiden ladies living at Bar
neta Junction, on the Washington
branch of the Georgia Railroad, were
robbed at an early hour this morning
of 86,000 in gold. When the robbers
entered the house the women, hear?
ing a noise, investigated, lighting a j
lamp. The robbers dashed a bucket j
of cold water on the one holding the 1
lamp and overawed them. An alarm
was raised and when help arrived the
robbers had ried, after riiflng a trunk
containing the above named amour!.
The women lived alone in'the house.
Several previous attempts have been
made to rob them during the past few
months. A few weeks ago an entrance
was made in the house and the trunk
carried out in the yard and rifled,
the would-be thieves getting no money.
The ladies believe the robbers were
white men, having recognized one of
them they say.
Railroads Favor Fertilizer Trust.
Independent Companies Learn by
Accident That Trust Gets Low?
er Rates.
Anderson, December 29.--The an?
nouncement that the attorney gene?
ral had commenced action to secure
the annulment of the charter oi the
Virginia-Carolina Chemical company
was read here today with a great deal
of interest. Today" it was learned _ of
^another matter in connection with
"the fertilizer business in the State
that will be of great interest. It is
understood that there is quite a stir
among the independent fertilizer com?
panies on account of the discovery that'
the Southern railway, the Seaboard
Air Line, and the Atlantic Coast
Line have for several weeks bad in
force a reduced, or three-quarter rate,
on acidulated rock from Charleston to
points i.n North and South Carolina
where the Virginia-Carolina Chemical
company has oil mills. * The railroads
deny that the rate was made specially
to the Virginia-Carolina Chemical
company, but it is a significant fact
that the rate was never published and
that the independent companies learn?
ed of it only by accident. When the
railroad authorities were asked about
it, they admitted that the special rate
had been in force but would be with?
drawn on Dec. 31. The practical
effect of the special rate has been that
the Virginia-Carolina Chemical com?
pany ships its goods from Charleston
to points where it has oil mills at a
three-quarter rate while the indepen?
dent companies have been paying full
rates, having had no notice of the re?
duction. It is understood that the
railroads claim that the special rate
was given by the consent of the State
railroad commissioners, but this is not
believed here. The matter has been
brought to the attention of the com- :
mission and there will be a hearing
on it Tuesday. There will naturally
be much interest in the hearing, and ;
the action of the commission will be .
awaited w.th interest.
Mr. F. G. Brown, president of the
Anderson Phosphate and Oil company, 1
the largest independent fertilizer com?
pany in the State, stated in reply to
an inquiry that he had not been noti?
fied by the railroad authorities of any
reduction of the rate on acidulated 1
rock, or other fertilizers, to any point :
in this State, and that his company ;
w<fs still paying the old rates on all :
shipments. He further said that since :
the railroads have demonstrated that .
this class of freight can be hauled for 1
25 per cent less than the rate hereto- J
fore in force, he would appear before *
the railroad commission on Tuesday
and ask that th present'rate on acid
phosphates and feritlizers, either in
bulk or in bags, be reduced 25 per cent
from all factories and to all points in
the State.
NEGROES KILLESBY POLICE.
Waterloo, Dec. 29. A-At 5 o'clock j
Saturday evening J. F. Duvall, town \
marshal of Waterloo, arrested Walter
Lowe, colored. Lowe immediately .
drew his pistol and demanded his ;
release. At the same time George
Cunningham joind Lowe and the
marshal was powerless. Duvall cailed
to his assistance G. W. Long, a mern- '
ber of the town council. Long called
John Pitts to his assistance. In the j
mean time Long secured a Winchester
rifle and they attempted to arrest the 1
parties. When in about 50 yards of
the negroes Walter Lowe called on the ;
marshal to halt, at the same time ?
opened fire on the marshal, Long and
Pitts. By this time the negroes were
joined by Pies Lowe, colored. Long '
handed Pitts the rifle and told him to ?
shoot. After the smoke had cleared .
away George Cunningham was found
shot through the body and died in a ;
few hours. Pitts with his rifle had [
lodged a ball in Pies. Lowe's left
shoulder, shattering the bone, and his [
condition is serious. Walter Lowe is
at large. He is a very bad negro.
Sheriff Docket is on the ground and 1
no furthre trouble is expected. Ex?
citement was high for a time. W. 1
A Deadly Weapon.
Jackson, Miss., Dec. 29.-At a pre?
liminary trial for murder, held at
Yazoo City, before Justice of the Peace
Stevens, the magistrate held that a
negro's head was a deadly weapon
such as would justify the defendant
in using a pistol to protect himself
from grave bodily injury or possible
death from that source.
The ordinarily accepted definition
of a deadly weapon confines the term
to pistols and weapons of that variety,
and the Mississippi magistrate is un?
doubtedly the first to announce the
doctrine that the proverbial hard head
of the Ethiopian is a weapon of grave
danger and peril to the one/against
whom it is turned
The defendant, a negro named Henry
Gordon, was charged with the murder
of another negro, styled "Buttin" Jim"
at Eden in that county a few weeks
before. The testimony showed that
"Buttin' Jim" was appoaehing him
furiously with lowered head for the
attack. The assailant also had a stick
in his hand, which was. of course,
not a deadly weapon. The evidence
was introduced to show the redoubt?
able nature of the head which the as?
sailant was about to employ as a weap?
on. It was testified that in the rail?
road yards at Tchula in Holmes coun?
ty the dead man had killed a man by
the violent impact of his head.
Other instances were cited where he
had laid others up for months by the
infliction of severe internal wounds
with his cranial battering ram. In
fact his adroitness with that fatal
weapon was well known all over the
county among the negroes, and they
feared him as they feared grim death.
His sobriquet of "Buttin' Jim" bore
witness to his reputation in that line.
After considering the case the mag?
istrate announced that tho circUm
: stances showed that the defendant was
! being attacked with a deadly weap?
on : that he had good reason to if ear
i for his life, in view of all the circum?
stances, and he therefore discharged
him from custody, without bond.
Lynchburg, Va., December 29. -A
; landslide On the Ci: esa [.-ea kc and Ohio
; Railroad, near Reusen?s station, five
miles west of Lynchburg, on the James
River branch today caused a wreck in
which the engineer, conductor and
baggage man of a passenger train were
killed and several other preso ns injur?
ed, but none of them seriously.
MISS NELL CROPSEY'S FUNERAL.
Many People Braved Storm to
Pay Last Tribute to the Dead.
Charl?te, N. C., Dee. 29.-A spe?
cial to The Observer from Elizabeth
City, N. C., says: In a storm of in?
termittent wind and driving rain and
in the presence cf thc largest crowd
which ever assembled at a church in
this city, the funeral services over the
remains of Miss Ella Maud Cropsey,
the girl supposed to have been murder?
ed five weeks ago, were held this after?
noon in the Methodist church. . There
were 1,500 people packed in the audi?
torium, balcony and annex, and hun?
dreds could not get admittance. The
deceased became a member of this
church 33 days before her disappear?
ance. Among those in the funeral
cortege were Judge and Mrs. Cropsey,
three daughters and a son, and Lawyer
Andrew G. Cropsey of New York.
The remains are lying in the Metho?
dist church annex over night and will
be started to Brooklyn tomorrow morn?
ing.
The jail in which young Wilcox, who
was arretsed for alleged participataion
in the girl's death, is confined lies only
a stone's throw from the church. Wil?
cox knew the funeral was in progress,
but showed no emotion and merely in?
quired if a large crovvd were present.
He is more nervous than yesterday,
but retains Fmuch of the easy manner
that has characterized him at all
times The guards were withdrawn
from the jail today and permitted to
go home. Public sentiment is strong
against Wilcox, but there is less talk
of lynching and some of the ministers
today took occasion in their sermons
to advise against mob violence. Wil?
cox absolutely refuses, under advice of
his attorney, to say anything regard?
ing the case. He is charged with the
murder of the girl and as the offense
is not bailable in this State, he will
waive an exaimnation and permit his
case to go direct to the gand jury next
March.
"We know Miss Cropsey was killed
by a blow on the head with a sandbag
or blackjack. If the blow was struck
whlie she was rn the porch, then her
unconscious form was dragged across
the lawn to the river, only a short dis?
tance away. If the blow was struck
on thc lawn we are convinced she was
induced to cross the lawn hy Wilcox
and that while walking across she was
struck by him. There is another wit?
ness who may be called upon to testify.
Et is R. F. Parker, who told his wife \
the night after Miss Cropsey disap- ?
pea red that he had seen Wilcox drag- ?
iring a girl across the road in front of
che Wilcox residence. We will in- j
eestigate that.4 ' .
- 11-.a - w- - .
CHARLESTON EXPOSITION. !
Charleston, Dec. 29.-The exhibi?
tors and concessionaires at the J
Charleston exposition have organized :
a club for the double purpose of ?
forwarding the interests of the exposi- '
tion and that of the firms which they .
represent. The president of the club ;
is H. C. Bliss, the vice president. ^
Wallace S. Shaw and the secretary and
treasurer, L. C. Good. The exhibi- J
tors have made splendid progress in 1
the last week in the installation of <
their exhibits. The attendance on (
the exposition is steadily increasing. '
The races are proving to be a splendid '
attraction : the buildings and grounds '
present a most charming appearance "'
2nd the railroads are doing a heavy 1
passenger business. Tomorrow will be
'Citadel Academy" day at the ex?
position and Xew Year's day will be !
celebrated by the negroes as^Emanci- 1
pation day. "
Arrangements are being made for the
International League of Press clubs ?
and the Pen and Pencil club of Phila- !
deiphia, which will spend two days at :
the exposition in January and an
elaborate programme will be made for ;
the reception of the Libeity bell which 1
will arrive here Jan. 10th. The live \
stock show will open on Jan. 6th and
will be the largest ever held in the :
south.
BIG FLOODS IN FOUR STATES.
Disastrous Results of Heavy Rains (
in Last Few Days.
Atlanta, Ga., December 30.-The
torrential rains of the past two days
in Georgia, Alabama and East Ten?
nessee and portions of North Carolina :
have caused the death of four persons
as far as known, and inflicted serious
damage on all kinds of property. The
rains have been followed by much
colder weather, accompanied by high
winds. The weather bureau announc?
ed today that the Chattahochee River 1
would continue to rise during the next :
thirty-six hours and it is feared
much damage will result. Three peo- ''
pie were drowned at West Point, Ga.,
while attempting to cross the turbu?
lent Chattahoochee, and Thomas Rus?
sell, an engineer on the Atlanta and
West Point Railroad, was kill?
ed in a freight wreck caused
by a washout near Notasulga, Ala.
Thousands of dollars are lost at
West Point and there is much suffer?
ing. Today the water in the streets of
West Point was from 1 to 5 feet deep.
Many of the people spent the night
in Fort Tyler. No trains have been
sent through from Atlanta to Mont?
gomery over the Atlanta and West
Point Road since Saturday, and last
night the Strathern Railway's New
York and New Orleans limited train
was sent around by Birmingham and
Meridian. A washout is reported on
the Southern between Asheville and
Knoxville. At Columbus. Ga., the
Chattahoochee registered 38 feet. The
property damage is already - heavy.
Nearly five inches of rain has fallen
in the vicinity of Rome, Ga. Two
washouts arr reported on the main line
of the Louisville and Nashville Rail?
road, south of Montgomery.
A Fireman's Close Call.
"I s uck f' ir. v engine. akh^ugb tvery jori,
a oj) i ;> n 1 every ; erv? was racked wirti pain."
write? G TC Kellala r. loom >tiV2 ?ircasan, o
Burlington. I >...;' "I wai weak and pale, wirli
??ut ?ny anpeilte sn?! ali run down A- \ vrai
?ib?'Ut t<> giv? up, ? eot bot'ie ??f Electric Bit
fers and, :: "ter raking ir, I fc'l a? well as I ever
di<i hi my life." Wenk, sickly, run down j>e<>
pie al ?vivs gain new life, strength an<i vigor
from their use. Try them, ?aiiiifactna guaran
teed by J F W DeLorni?. Price 50 cants. 2
WILD BILL'S FIRST BATTLE.
Story of the Most Remarkable
Conflict in Border Annals.
Forty years ago, in December, ten
men on bay horses galloped across the
dry bed of Rock Crook, skirted a lit?
tle clamp of cottonwoods, and drew
rein before the bars of the Overland
Stage Company's horse coral on the
California trail a few miles north of
Manhattan. Bill McKandlas, jumping
from his horse, put his hand on the
top oar. A tall, slender young man
stepped to the door of the dug-out a
few yards away with a gun in his
hand, and eyed the McKandlas gang
with dark disfavor. He called out
with some emphasis that he would
shoot the first man who took down a
bar, and made some comments on their
parentage.
A few hours before they had gone
by his quarters jerking an old preach?
er at the end of a lariat. As they
passed they announced that they would
come back for the stage horses in the
coral at three o'clock in the afternoon.
The young man with the gun had
replied that he would be there when
they came back. He was paid to
feed, harness, and protect the com?
pany's property, and intended to earn
his money. The ten visiting gentlemen
tied their horses to the corral, and
turned to the more cheerful duty of
exterminating the imprudent and
forward young watchman. He retired
into his dug-out domicile, barred the
door, and stood waiting with a rifle in
bis hand. Even then he had the habit
of not shooting until the occasion
really demanded it. The highwaymen
hunted up a log from among the cot?
tonwood?, and with praiseworthy ?in?
dustry proceeded to batter down .the
door.
Jim McKandlas, with a revolver a
bowie-knife, a whoop, and a yell
leaped across the threshold and into
eternity. As the others rushed through
the door the man inside fired three
shots, with that accuracy of aim for
which he was so much admired in the
rears that were to come. The six
somewhat startled horse thieves who
remained alive swarmed across the
dug-out floor, and piled upon the
ronng station keeper with revolvers
and bowie-knives. One dealt him over
the head with a gun and Bill McKand?
las struck with a bowie-knife, only to
bury it in the table, and with a bul?
let in his heart, to suddenly terminate
.i career which had furnished an in?
anit? variety of interest for the
sheriffs and vigilants of several coun?
ties.
The rusty stove fell from its insecure
foundation across the surging combat?
ants, mixed in inextricable and san?
guinary confusion. Outside a horse
broke his hitching strap and galloped
ft way. The little table broke down
beneath the weight of a thousand
pounds of shooting stabbing, swearing
Frontiersmen. The fattest " bandit
rolled toward the door, and catching a
glimpse of the brown prairies outside,
which looked good to him, suddenly
reached the conclusion that he did not
really need any stage company horses
in his businesss and bolted.
By this time the affair had ceased to
have for the other four horse fanciers
that enticing interest which had
drawn them into it. As he afterwards
3xpressed it, the young man in charge
jf the stage station had "gone wild."
Covered with wounds and freckled
with bullet holes he had lost every
thought and instinct except the lust of
death and victory. As they fought he
struck the sixth man in the throat
with the bowie, and the man fell
across the little pile of blankets. The
three who were now on their feet re?
treated through the door and toward
their horses, tbeir host staggering
after them with the gleam of battle
still in his blue eye. That morning
his associate in the company's service
had gone hunting, to return on the
run barely in time to witness the close
of the tragedy. Doc Mills, the asso?
ciate, had lost a golden opportunity.
While he was out shooting quail, Fame
had knocked at the dug-out door,
handed a laurel to James Butler
Hickok, and passed on. Hickok wrest?
ed the gun from Mills's hand, and
killed another of his fleeing foes be?
fore they were fifty yards away. One,
badly wounded, sped down the little
creek, found his way to Manhattan,
and died within two days. The ninth,
more fortunate, mounted a horse, and
followed the fat deserter across the
pm i rie.
When the stage from the East came
rumbling in, half on hour later, they
found this hero of the most savage
and the most remarkable conflict in
border annals insensible and at the
point of death. The floor of his dug?
out looked like the deck of a viking's
warship after a glorious triumph.
Six months elapsed before he recover?
ed. He had beaten ten men in a fair j
fight, killing eight of them, but he i
had won his fight, saved his employ-1
er's propertv, and henceforth he was
"Wild Bill" for all time.-E. C. Lit- j
tie in Everybody's Magazine.
THE BOBDER CONTROVERSY.
Pauncefote Wants to Settle it
Before He Retires.
Washington, December 29.-It is ex?
pected that efforts will be renewed be?
fore long for the settlement of the
numerous controversies which have
long existed between the United States
and Great Britain, growing out of
relations along the Canadian border,
tho Atlantic fisheries, warships on the
great lakes, the Alaskan boundary and
other questions. Heretofore the nego?
tiations designed to secure a settlement
of the matters recited have not proven
(?licet i ve, largely because of the cum?
bersome machinery of negotiation, and
this has led to a belief that much
more could be accomplished by direct
negotiations between Secretary Hay
and Lord Pauncefote on the main
points, and the subsequent assembling
of a commission representing the Uni?
ted S?atts and Great liri fain and
Canada to give form to the bases of
agreement rendered. The Britsb au?
thorities have expected for some time
that when the Isthmian Canal treaty
was disposed to adjust the Alaskan
boundary and other pending ques
ti ons, the canal treaty being regarded
as one of tiie many pending issues.
Now the British Government, has
yielded the Clayton-Balwer treaty and
other points in the Isthmian neogtia
tions it desires to take up some of
the other questions in which it has
important interests involved. Lord
Pauncefote desires to clear np all pend?
ing differences and have "a clean
slate" before his present term as am?
bassador comes to a close. When he
came to Washington there were four
great issues between the two Govern?
ments. The first of these-was the
Behring Sea controversy, which had
reached an acute stage. The second
j issue was over Venezuela, which, like
I the seal question, at one time threat?
ened war. But the efforts of diplo
I macy were again successful in avert
? ing trouble and bringing about a set
! tlement. The third important issue
j was on the Isthmian Canal, which has
been satisfactorily disposed cf by the
recent Hay-Pauncefote treaty. This
i leaves only one issue remaining in or
I der to bring about a "clean slate,"
namely, the border controversy, both
as to Canada and Alaska. At present
a modus vivendi exists as to the
Alaskan boundary, chiefly for the pur
pose of avoiding a clash along the
border and holding each side in check
until a final boundary is determined
upon. _ It seems to be conceded on
both sides that the modus cannot be
carried on indefinitey and that sooner
or later the main question of estab?
lishing a permanent boundary must be
settled.
The Battleship Missouri.
Washington, Dec. 27.-Members of
the < president's cabinet with their
families and several bureau chiefs of
the navy department, guests of the
Newport Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
company, left here for Newport" News,
Va., at 10 o'clock this evening by
special train, to attend the launching
of the battleship Missouri at ll o'clock
tomorrow morning. C. B. Orcutt,
president of the shipbuilding company
accompanied the party. A large num?
ber cf senators, members of the house
and others, including Senator Cockrell
of Missouri, and his daughter, Miss
Marion Cockrell, who is to act as
: sponsor at the launching, sailed for
Newport News tonight and will arrive
there early in the morning.
The Missouri is a sister ship to the
Ohio and the Maine. Her contract
price was S2,8S5,000. Her keel was
laid Feb. 7, 1900. and on the latest
construction report she is set down as
51 per cent completed. The Missouri's
contract speed is 18 knots an hour,
so that she will rank next to the bat?
tleships of the Georgia class in regard
to speed. Her compliment will be 40
officers and 511 men.
The hull is built out of steel and is
unsheathed. It is 3SS feet long on the
load water line ; 75 feet 2 1-2 inches
extreme and at a mean draught of 23
feet 6 inches, displaces 12,230 tons.
The hull is protected abreast of the
boilers and engine by a side armor belt
of from 7 1-2 to ll inches thickness
and by the casemate armor, 6 inches
thick.
Potection is afforded the vitals of
the ship below the water line by a
protective deck, with armor from 2
3-4 to 4 inches thick. The main bat?
tery of the ship consists of four 12
inch rifles placed in two balanced tur?
rets and 16 6-inch guns.
A new feature introduced into the
offensive power of the ship are two
submerged torpedo tubes. While Ger?
man ships have been equipped with
these tubes for a number of years,
the Missouri and her class are the first
battleships of our navy to be supplied
with them.
Bilge keels to reduce rolling are
fitted to the vessel, experiments in re?
cent years in our own and foreign
navies having demonstrated the great
efficiency cf these keels in preventing
excessive rolling.
The Missouri and her class are the
first battleships of the United States
navy in which water tube boilers are
Drovided.
- ag. o .erv - -
The Panama Canal for Sale.
Paris, December 2S.-M. Lampre,
secretary-general cf the Panama Canal
Company, sailed for New York today
on the French Line steamer L'Aquit?
aine, from Havre. He will confer on
his arrival in thc United States with
a number cf the Panama Company's
American representatives and overtures
for the sale of the canal property to
the United States will then be renew?
ed.
In view of the doubt existing in the
United States regarding the price the
Panama Canal Company's representa?
tives intend to ask for the property,
the correspondent of the Associated
Press made inquiries from the best
source of information on that subject
and is enabled to sav that the price
will be approximately 640,000,000. This
figure cannot yet be given as the exact
one because the company has not yet
come to a definite decision, but it will
not be appreciably higher. The isth?
mian commission's full report is now
in possession of the Panama Com?
pany, and its valuations will be
studied in detail. The report of the
directors of the Panama Company
cabled to the Associated Press, on
December 21, said :
4 ' We offer to accept as the basis and
point of departure of fresh negotia?
tions the figures and declarations con?
tained in the isthmian commission's
definite repot."
The estimates come to by such emi?
nent men are not thought to be open
to question, though possiblv a few
items are susceptible to reconsideration
and a few matters may remain to be
decided, such as a valuation of the
company's stocks of supplies, but none
of these is calculated to modify the
gross figure to any extent. The com?
pany does not-intend to give the
slightest ground for any further
misunderstanding, and believes the
definite'price put forward will now be
acceptable. With M. Lampre in
America, it will not be necessary for
the mandatory who is empowered to
submit the definite price to depart
from France until later, when the
negotiations are under way.
CHILI A^DTRGEKTINA.
^Washington, December 29.- -Advices
received by Senor Infante, the Chilian
charge, today, confirmed the news al?
ready published that the Argentine
minister at Santiago had informed the
Chilian minister of foreign affairs that
Argentina could not accept all thc
terms of the protocol heretofore signed
by the settlement of the dispute, and
thal seine changes would be necessary
in tl'?' instrument. Senor Infante's
information isthat there is no founda?
tion whatever for the statement that a
change was made in the protocol by
the Chilian minister of foreign affairs,
but that on the contrary it was pub
lished as agreed upon between the
represenatives of the two govern?
ments. The understanding here is
that no formal demand has yet been
made upon the Chilian Government
j for a change in the terms of the proto
; col, but that the matter has simply
j been one of informal talk at Santiago.
M. Infante continues to express his
j firm conviction that there will be no
j war because of the present under
! standing.
! SHORT N^W*3~STOR!ES.
I Compensation For r. HciL Crier-Spoil*
ed tic Sp?lcr'a Cccne-.1
"Prepress"' Cepcrt.
Lord Rosebery, formerly premier cf
Great Britain, surprised some cf his
hearers at a recent gathering :;y refer?
ring to himself as an agriculturist, says
a London newspaper. It is m, i generally
known, even in England, thai Lord
Rosebery, statesman, author, sports?
man, is also a farmer. His farm is at
Mentmore, on the rplendid estate
which came to him on his marriage. It
is conducted cn the highest scientific
principles and is one of the first model
fruit farms in England. Large quanti?
ties of fruit come from Mentmore to
the London markets. Lord Rosebery
has also a dairy farm on the Mentmore
estate. At Dalmeny his association
with the world of industry is in the
form of shale mines lymg cn a remote
corner of his estate. Now and again
the wind brings the smoke and smell
of the mines up to tho mansion, and it
was this which provoked a visitor to
remark on the nuisance of having sucb
things so close by.
"Ah. my friend," said Lord Rosebery*
"however unpleasant it may be to you,,
to me it is the smell of 20 per cent."
Spoiled tte Spider's Seene.
H. Cooper Cliffe tells an amusing
story of his first performance of the
Spider at the Globe theater, in London..
In the last act of "The Silver King"
the Spider locks a case of jewels ot
enormous value in an iron safe. Mr.
E fl * Jj ?j! ?i iii |i iii il l|| Nj iii '7
-i ll ll ' ' r "ililli,'
r i i n ih
"TEE JEWELS ARE SATE."
Cliffe did some elaborate business with
the key and the safe and turned to ice?
house to give full weight to his lines:
"Securely locked. The jewels are safe."
There was a roar of laughter. He spuu
around and perceived that the locked
doors were wide open again, giving the
audience a full view through the back
of the safe of a lime light and the legs
of the stage carpenter.
A "Progrress" Report.
Congressman Clayton of ??abams
was sitting in the cloakroom of the
house when one of his colleagues drift?
ed in.
"How are they getting along with,
the river and harbor bill?" asked Clay?
ton.
"Well." was the reply. "I can report
progress."
Clayton laughed. "That reminds me/*
said he, "of an old negro down in my
district who was known as Henry Bur?
ley. He was quite a steady church?
goer, used to pray loudly and sing lus?
tily, and so when the congregation de?
cided to build a new church he was
placed at the head of the committee to
solicit subscriptions. He provided him?
self with a little book, and as he was
well known to all the merchants of the
town he soon raised quite a little sum
of money. Whenever the congrega?
tion called upon him for a report of his
endeavors he always answered. 'Brud
dren, I'ze only able to report progress/
And he reported progress and nothing
more for at least a year. At the end of
that time the church bad nothing, but
Burley was living in a new cabin
which he had built for himself. He
was still reporting progress."--Wash?
ington Post
Goodwin's Costly Joke.
Nat Goodwin has the apparatus of &
joke that cost him $100. He bought it
in the Swiss section of the Invalides.
Fortunately, that is. for Mr. Good?
win, if not for his friends, it can be
used again and again: indeed it is
warranted for five years. To whom it
may concern, warning. Among the
Swiss clocks was oue whence every
hour a little wooden soldier emergec.
and fired a gun-for 2 o'clock, fer 3
o'clock, and so on.
'Tm going to buy that." said Mn
Goodwin to his wife. Maxine Elliott
"That silly thing. Why':"
"Oh, just to kill time." Mr. Good
win replied lightly.
And if that joke doesn't wear out be?
fore the clock does he may get the
worth of his money.-Saturday Even?
ing Post
-tm i? i II m rr
CASTOR IA
Por Infants and. Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
Bears the ST? -S?f?+-jU '
Signature of Ifv&fffi?lcA?/tt