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minutes for each passenger is effected. According to the passenger traffic of that city, this makes an economy of 10,000,000 hours a year, equivalent to 1,250,000 days' labor of eight hours. If time is money and one day's labor is worth ?1, the electric cars are saving the city $1,250,000 a year in time. ILLINOIS INCIDENTS, SOBER OR STARTLING, FAITH FULLY RECORDED. ALASKA'S HUMAN BIRDS. • • . ' \ , ^ a g i h t f i H i i i t t i - ' s REPUBLICAN .GOSPEL. TEXT OF THE PARTY'S DECLARA­ TION OF PRINCIPLES. ^Reaffirms Allegiance to Tariff Pro­ tection-^Reciprocity One of the Car­ dinal Points--Gold Standard for Currency Demanded. Text of the Document. • * I' olio wing is the platform upon which Republicans will make the light for 1896- JE.hU^pU% lc?ns of the United States, hs- seinbled by their representatives In national convention, appealing for the popular and 1 • f1, cat 'on of their claims to the 0 KH achievements of thirty years of ?' earnestly and confidently address themselves to the awakened intellN esPerience and conscience of their !r«,"fna ^C 'D " fo l lowinS declaration of facts and principles: A MIRIER FLRST VME 8inee thc civil war the ! )°ople have witnessed the ca- consequences of full and unre- S Democratic control of the govern- Wo h"f ,beeu a record of unparalleled ^ dishonor and disaster. In admin- fl,.3 .V^1mamigement tt has ruthlessly sacri- nced indispensable revenue, entailed an In­ creasing deficit, eked out ordinary current {expenses with borrowed money, piled up the (public debt by $202,000,000 in time of peace, loivea an adverse balance of trade, kept a perpetual;menace hanging over the redemp­ tion fund. pawned American credit to alien syndicates, arid: reversed' all the measures and • results of .successful Republican rule, r? . r - broad effect of Its policy it has pre- clpmuod panic. -biiglited industry and trade witli prohmgpQ . depression, closed factories, reduced work and wages, halted enterprise and. crippled American production while 8timulaliijg,;foreign production for the Amer­ ican market. Every consideration of public •safetysnd individual interest demands that - t ^ovf itnifent shall be rescued from the hands of those who have shown themselves Incapable to conduct It without disaster at home and dishonor abroad, and shall be re­ stored to the "party which for thirty years ad­ ministered' it with une<jualed success and prosperity. Renews Allegiance to Protection. •JTf ren?,w an ' ! emphasize our allegiance to the policy of protection as the bulwark of American Industrial independence and the foundation of American development i '^perity This true American policv • ln]nstrv"'!t" products and encourages home J ' ' , P",1.8 tho burden of revenue on £<><>ds; T°" r°8 t l le American mar- •hi I V AmerIca i l producer; It upholds 4 Anu-ri an standard of wages for the American workingmau; It puts the factory 1 the side of the farm and makes the American farmer less dependent on foreign J-T? ! 'Vd p, r l ( '° : l f d i f f"^s general thrift T s t r IvnKt-h " f all on the sm ,fth of each. In its reasonable applica­ tion r* s just, fair and Impartial, equally opposed to foreign control and domestic PO'iopoiy to sectional discrimination and lndividua! favoritism. -- We denounce the present Democratic tariff as sectional, injurious-to the public credit and destructive to business enterprise. We demand such an equitable tariff on foreign importR which come Into competition with American products as will not only furnish adequate revenue for the necessary expenses of the Government, but will protect Ameri­ can labor from degradation to tlie wage level of other lands. We are not pledged to any partieu.ar schedules. The question of rate's Is a practical question, to lie governed l)v the conditions of the time and of production; tne ru.lug and uncompromising principle is the protection and development of Ameri­ can labor and industry. The country de­ mands a right settlement and then It wants rest. We believe the repeal of the reciprocity arrangements negotiated by the last Repub­ lican administration. wa» H national calam­ ity, and we demand their renewal and exten­ sion iin such terms as will equalize our trade with other nations, remove the restrictions which now obstruct the sale of American products in the ports of other countries, and secure enlarged markets for the products of our farms, forests and factories. Protection and reciprocity are twin measures of Repub­ lican policy and go hand in hand. Democratic rule has recklessly struck down both and both must be re-established. Protection for what we produce; free admission for the necessaries of life which we do not produce- reciprocal agreements of mutual Interests which gain open markets for us in return for our open market for others. Protection builds up domestic Industry and trade and secures our own market for ourselves; reci­ procity builds up foreign trade and finds an outlet for our surplus. We condemn the present administration for not keeping faith with the sugar nro- ducers of this country. The Republican partj favors such protection as will lead to the production on American soil of all the sugar which the American people use, ni.d for "hleh they pay other countries more than $1(10 000.000 annually. To all our prod­ ucts--to those of the mine and the field as well as to those of the shop and the factoiv-- to hemp, to wool, the products of the sreat Industry of sheep husbandry, .is well as to the finished woolens of the mill--we promise the most ample protection. i ,vV*r faJ0r 1ref0r ' ,ng tbe enr l-v American pol-cy of discriminating duties for the upbul'd- lng of our merchant marine and the protec­ tion of our shipping In the foreign earrvine trade, so that American ships--the products of American labor employed in American shipyards, sailing under the st'ir-i an.l stripes and manned, officered and owned bv Americans--may regain the carrying of o.i'r foreign commerce. The Republican party is unreservedly for sound money. It caused the enactment of the law providing for the resumption of specie payments In 1879; since then every dollar has been as good as gold. We are unalterably opposed to every measure cal­ culated to debase our currency or Impair the credit of our country. We are therefore opposed to the free coinage of silver exc >nt by International agreement with the leadinc commercial nations of the world, which we pledge ourselves to promote, and until such agreement can be obtained the existing sold standard must be preserved. All our silver and paper currency must be maintained at par ty with gold and we favor all measures designed to maintain inviolably the obllira tlons of the United States and a'll our money whether coin or paper, at the present stand ard. the standard of the most enlightened nations of the earth. , n a The veterans of tbe Union army deserve and should receive fair treatment' and' gen­ erous recognition. Whenver practicable they should be given the preference in the matter of employment, and they are entitled to the enactment, of such laws as are best calculated to secure the fulfillment of the pledges made to them in the dark davs of the country's peril We denounce the prac­ tice in the pension bureau, so recklessly nnd unjustly carried out by the present adminis­ tration. of reducing pensions and arbitrarllv dropplng names from the rolls, as deserving the severest condemnation of the American people. Our foreign policy should be at all times firm, vigorous and dignified, and all our In­ terests In the western hemisphere carefully watched and guarded. The Hawaiian Islands should be controlled by the United States and no foreign power should be permitted to Interfere with them the Nlearaguan canal should be built, owned and operated by the United States and by the purchase of the Danish Islands we should secure a proper and much-needed naval station In the West In­ dies. • The massacres In Armenia have aroused the deep sympathy and just Indignation of the American people, and we believe that the United States aSould exercise all the in­ fluence it can properly exert to bring these atrocities to an end. In Turkey American residents have been exposed to the gravest dangers, and American property destroyed. Thereand everywhere American citizens and American property must be absolutely pro­ tected at all hazards and at any cost. We reassert the Monroe doctrine lu Its full extent, and we reaffirm the rlgbt of the United States to give the doctrine effect by responding to the appeals of any American state for friendly lute- reutlon in case of European encroachment We have not In­ terfered and shall not Interfere with the existing possessions of any European power In this hemisphere, but those possessions must not on any pretext be extended. We hopefully look forward to the eventual with­ drawal of the European powers^'rom this hemisphere and to the ultimate union of all English-speaking parts of the continent by the free consent of Its Inhabitants. From the hour of achieving their . dependence the people of the United have regarded with sympathy the i ' ! of other American peoples to free the from European domination. We wati deep and abiding Interest the herol' of the Cuban patriots against cruelty presslon, and our best hopes go ou'1 full success of their determined cd liberty. The government of Spall) lost control of Cuba, find being uuab tect the property or lives of reside '•an citizens, or to comply with Its ligations, we believe that tile Gov 'the United States should actively fiuence and good offices to restore give Independence to the Island. The peace and security of thk, and the maintenance of Its rightful among the nations of the earth ' naval power commensurate with 1 and responsibility. We therefore 'continued enlargement of the nr Complete system of harbor aud se ,tenses. | For the protection of the qua American citizenship and of the wages of ?? r "'orkingmen against the fatal competi­ tion of low-priced labor, we demand that the Immigration laws be thoroughly enforced, and so extended as to exclude from en­ trance to tbe United States those who can neither' read nor write. Tim civil-service law was placed on the statute book by the Republican party, which ..has always sustained it, and we renew our repeated declarations that If sliall be thor­ oughly and honestlv enforced and extended wherever practicable. For a Free Ballot. We demand that every citizen of the Uni­ ted States shall be"S!I5\ved to cast one free and unrestricted ballot, find that such ballot •shall be counted and returned as cast. We proclaim our unqualified condemnation of the uncivilized and barbarous practice, well known as lynching or killing of human beings, suspected or charged with crime, without process of law. We favor the creation of a national board of arbitration, to settle and adjust differ­ ences which may arise between employers and employed engaged in Interstate com­ merce. i j,. ; We believe In an imedlate return to the free homestead policy of the Republican party, and 'urge the passage by Congress of the satisfactory free homestead measure which has already passed the House and is now pending in the Senate. We favor the admission of the remaining Territories at the earliest, practicable date, having due regard to the interests of the people of the Territories aud of the United States. All the Federal officers appointed for the Territories should be elected from b'ona-flde residents thereof, and the right of self-government should be accorded as far as practicable. ' , . .. • . We believe the citizens of Alaska should have representation In the Congress of. the United States to the end that needful legis­ lation may be intelligently exacted. We sympathize with all wise and legiti­ mate efforts to lessen and prevent, the evils of intemperance and promote morality. The Republican party Is mindful of the rights and interests of women. Protection of .American Industries includes.equal' oppor­ tunities, equal pay for equal work and pro­ tection to.-the home. We favor-the.admis­ sion of women to "wider spheres of "useful­ ness, aud we need tlielr co-operation in res­ cuing thecountryfrom Democratic and Popu­ list mismanagement and misrule. ' - Such are the principles and policies of the' Republican party. Ry these principles we will abide, and these policies we will put Into execution. We ask for them the con­ siderate judgment of the American people. Confident alike in the history of our great party and in the justice of our cause, we present our platform and our candidates In the full assurance that the election will bring victory to the Republican party and prosperity to the people of the I. nited States. A Few Mexican Taxes. Every inhabitant of tlie republic wlio sells goods to the value ol' over $'20 must give to the buyer "an invoice, uote or other document accrediting the pur­ chase," and affix to the same and can­ cel a stamp corresponding to the value of the sale. Sales at retail are exempt from this tax,- and retail sales are de­ fined to be "sales made with a single buyer, whose value does not exceed $20. The reunion in a siugle invoice of va­ rious parcels, one of which does not amount to $20, but which in tlie aggrs gate exceed that quantity," remains subject to the tax. Retail sales in the public markets, or by ambulatory sell­ ers, or licensed establishments whose capital does not exceed $300, are also exempt. Tickets of all descriptions--railroad, theater, etc.--must have a stamp, as must each page of the report's of meet­ ings, each leaf of a'merchant's lodger, day or cash book, and every cigar sold singly, which must be delivered to the buyer in a stamped wrapper. Sales of imported spirits pay 8 per cent, on the duties levied on their importation, and a half of 1 per cent, in addition when retailed. Domestic spirits pay 3 per­ cent. when sold by producers or deal­ ers at wholesale, aud a half of 1 per cent, additional when sold at retail. Gross receipts of city railroads pay 4 per cent., public amusements, 2 per cent, upon the amount paid for en trance; playing cards, 30 per cent.--paid in stamps--on the retail price, and man­ ufactured tobacco a variety of taxes, proportioned to quality and value. Mer­ cantile drafts are taxed at $1 on every hundred--Appleton's Popular Science Monthly. Tannine Leather in England. At the opening of the shoe and leath­ er fair in London a few days ago the principal speaker said that when he entered the business It took three years for the hide of a bullock to be convert­ ed into leather fit for shoemaking, but now it was possible for a bullock to be walking about on Saturday and for its hide to be good, serviceable leather on the following Tuesday. Because of our primitive methods, trade had slipped away into other hands; but all that was past now, and the English tanner w^.s able to procure cheap and fancy leather and good leather as well. Still, Ameri­ ca was ahead of us in the matter of the cheaper production of the manufac­ tured article, the reason being that the newest labor-saving machinery was used. American bullocks were brought to this country to be killed, and their hides were shipped back to America to be made into boots for the English mar­ ket. Speed of Electric Locomotives. Apropos of the shipment of the last of the three electric locomotives for the operation of the trains in the Belt Line tunnel at Baltimore is the state­ ment made by the designers, the Gen­ eral Electric Company, that with these locomotives a speed of eighty miles an hour has been attained without effort, and that they could as easily make 150 miles-an hour as a steam locomotive makes 60. As the electric locomotives have ;in all respects fulfilled the claims pf their designers, there is no reason to disbelieve this statement. Not a New Thing. Prepaid envelopes are bj* no means of modern invention. As far back as the reign of Louis XIV., M. l)e Yalfyer, with the royal consent, established a private penny post, using street boxes on the corners, just as we do now. in which might be posted letters wrapped in envelopes, which were on sale at offices established for that purpose. Valfyer also printed a form of billets, or noteg, which were to be filled In by the Writers. It happened that M. Pelis- son wrote to the celebrated Mine. Scu- derie, using one of these billets, and th:j nature of the writer and recipient was such that the document has been pre­ served, still inclosed in its prepaid en­ velope, so as to again exemplify the truth of the adage that "there is noth­ ing new under the sun." Not Injured by Hisrh Voltage Wires. An experiment to ascertain whether a high pressure alternating current'can be sent from a conductor to earth by means Of a jet of watef from a hose of a fire engine, and also whether the cur­ rent'can be transmitted to the fireman under jsueh circumstances, was made a short time ago by Professor Slaty, of Berlin. The overhead conductors of a 10:000 volt power transmission line were used for the experiment. A volt meter was connected between the metal moutli-piece of the water hose and the earth. On turning the water on to the live conductors no flow of current to earth was noticeable. Edison's Record of Patents. Thomas A. Edison has been granted 711 patents duing the last twenty-five years, which beats the record of all times aud all countries by a large ma­ jority^ Ellliu Thomson stands No. 2 on the list, with 394; Francis H. Rich­ ards is third, with 343; Edward Weston, 274; Charles E. Scribner, 248; Charles J. Vauderpoole, with 244; Randolph M. Hunter, with 22S; and George West- iughouse, with 217. Seventeen other gentlemen have received more than 100 patents during thc twenty-five years ended with 1895. Connecticut patents more inventions than any other State in proportion to its population. The District of Columbia comes second. Then come Massachusetts, Rhode Isl­ and, New Jersey, New York, Montana and Colorado. The inventive genius is least developed in Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, (ieorgia and Arkansas, where compara­ tively few patents have been applied A Safety Stop. An automatic safety device for en­ gines or other machinery which instant­ ly stops them on their attaining an ex­ cessive speed, has been adopted by the North Hudson Railroad Company. The device is the invention of their chief engineer, T. A. Bonta. The apparatus consists of an air-pump, a small reser­ voir for compressed air aud pipes lead- Race Who Chatter Chirrup. People who talk like birds, who whistle and chirrup in their speech, with notes varying from those of the wren to the harsh guttural of the cock­ atoo--a tribe of such people has actu­ ally been discovered by Dr. Franz Boaz. i He was the first white man to locate these chirruping savages, which he did near the boundary between Alaska and British Columbia, though many trav­ elers have heard them spoken of by other Indians. Once a tribe of,some importance, only about twelve indi­ viduals now survive, and they are per­ petual fugitives--hunted like wild beasts, In fact, and possessing no per­ manent homes. . , It has long been a-practice among the coast Indians of Alaska, .when a chief died, to go and kill a few of the Tsutsowt--as the people who talk like birds are called--the object being, that the chief might have .servant's to wait on him while on his way to the aborig­ inal Paradise. In the course of. time the pursuit of this goad old custim greatly reduced the number of the Tsutsowt, and the latter during the last fifty years, being too few to fight, have been kept continually on the jump. The last of them would have been killed some time ago but for the fact that they have retreated to the highest mountains, where they live chiefly by hunting marmots. These lit­ tle animals dwell among the rocks, and may often be seen sitting erect at the mouths of their holes, whistling shril­ ly. The Tsutsowt capture them by means of "dead-fall' traps set at the hole mouth. Dr. Boaz had much trouble in find­ ing these people owing to their mode of life,. At length, he came upon a Tsutsowt boy, and, obtaining his con­ fidence, was introduced-to other mem­ bers of the tribe. The bird-like lan­ guage of which he had heard so much appeared to owe its peculiarity to an extraordinary richness in sibilant and guttural sounds. When spoken it had actually a remarkable likeness to the chirruping of birds. The Tsutsowt tribe formerly con­ sisted of two clans, and among them the common aboriginal law against marriage within the clan was rigidly enforced. That is to say, no maiden could take a husband from her own clan, or vice versa. But now one of the clans has been wholly wiped out, not a single member surviving, and on this account the men have taken wives Willi in the last lew years from--tlte Nass River Indians of Northern Brit­ ish Columbia. Once a year they come down from the mountains aud spend a fortnight with the Nass River people, in order to see their wives' folks. It is an odd fact-that the Tsutswot are hunters exclusively, whereas all other tribes in their region are fishermen. AUTOMATIC SAFETY DEVICE. Hollow Brick. Hollow brick, it is said, are coming Into more general use in eastern cities, and quite a number of large buildings have been built with them. They crush at 30,000 pounds, or about the pressure which the best solid brick stand. They are made 8x8x12, with walls one inch thick. It is claimed that they cost one- third less than the regular form, mak­ ing walls proof against fire, moisture and frost, being warm in winter and cool in summer. They require a pecu­ liar clay in their manufacture, one that ill not shrink when dried or burned, he brick are set on end, thus making wall hollow from top to bottom. Mnrnaffhaii's Bull. A good bull was made recently in Parliament by,'Mr. Murnaghan, mem­ ber for Tyrone, who, on being stopped by the Speaker, said; "I bow, sir, to your ruling, and merely beg to reiterate what I was about to observe." ing to the various pieces of apparatus to be controlled, and to places from which it is desired to shut the machin­ ery off. The air-pump automatically stops when it has produced in the sys­ tem the desired pressure. The auto­ matic device consists of an auxiliary governor belted to the engine shaft, and a brass pipe, working in a stuffing box so as to be easily adjusted to any height . This pipe is closed at the end by a small glass tube, like an ordinary test tube, but much thinner than the or­ dinary tubes. The movable brass U-tube is adjusted so as to carry the glass end a very short distance above the normal position to which the gov­ ernor balls revolve. Any dangerous increase iu speed will lift the balls, thus breaking th,p glass tube and relieving the pressure of the compressed air. which acts to operate a valve cutting off the supply of sleam. These tubes are also located on each side pf the main belt and above the belt, so that in case of the raising of a lap of the belt it will break one of the tubes and thus stop the engine, or if the belt should slip off sideways the same result would be produced.--Philadelphia Record. Biography In a Nutshell. > Born, welcomed, caressed, crl^d, fed, grew, amused, reared, studied, exam­ ined, graduated, in lore, loved, engaged, married, quarreled, reconciled, suf­ fered, deserted, taken ill, died, mourn­ ed, buried and forgotten Brevities. The British army officials have had an electric light plant installed at the prac­ tice and testing grounds, at Lydd, for the purpose of working a search light to be used during the heavy gun prac­ tice at various objects during the night. This will, of course, afford an ideal practice. One of the newest developments of the practical applications of the electric current is in the production of the char­ acteristic effects produced by massage. By suitably applying the different forms of electric current muscular stimulation is produced. That the electric launch is making progress in England is illustrated by the report that at one place the local electric light company has run a cable "to the water's edge to provide suitable means for readily recharging the stor­ age batteries employed in these launches. It Is" figured by a.»statistician in New Orleans that by the change of the street car system from horse to electric power Ui that city an average saving o^welve Railway Incident. Prof. Lincoln, of Brown University who died a few years ago, used often to relate with glee a railroad adventure which he had in Germany during his last European tour. The party was traveling in one of the little German railway carriages with the doors at the sides when the train stopped at a sta tion where there was a restaurant. They were told that the train would wait a few minutes, and so, with Amor ican independence, Prof. Lincolu and an other member of thc party stepped out crossed another track, and proceeded to the station. This infraction of German regula tious was at first unnoticed, but ou the return an obstacle was found in the shape of another train between them and their car. The various railway personages ap peared stolidly ignorant as to time tables. The train was too long to go around; the cars were unprovided with our convenient end platforms and stops, and the space beneath them was none too ample for a cat to go under; only one course remained--that was to go over the train. This seemed a simple matter, as the German cars are very small affairs compared with our own, and moreover are provided with a convenient ladder on each side for the use of the man who climbs up and puts the lamps down through a hole in the roof. Accordingly the start was made, and the feat was about lialf-accomplished before it was noticed by the railway officials. Then began a great commo­ tion, with violent gesticulations and commands to come down. But by dint of Prof. Lincoln's vocif­ erations in German to the officials to the effect that coming down on the farther side was just as well as to re­ turn to the station, and of sotto voce hints in New England vernacular to his comrade to keep on going, the retreat was successfully covered and the rail­ way carriage safely gained just in time. Desperate Act of a "Young Chicago Thief--Disastrous Result of a Lacon Man's Curiosity--Suicide at Moline-- Fatal Accident at <Sak Park. Death Before Arrest. A well-dressed Chicago crbok' took his last chance the other day to escape the ignominy of arrest. Then, failing, lie shot himself before the eyes of the fainily of the man whom lie was trying to imper­ sonate, and almost ran within reach of the officer who was about to arrest him. The body is unidentified, and Mrs. George W. Chamberlin, in the front hall of whose Uouse he took his life, lies in a hysterical etate at her home. There is no name upon the clothes of the suicide, but they are of the latest cut, although ready made. Even the derby and patent leather-shoes are of the conventional shape, and the features of the-man, plainly 'Jewish' in cast, are delicately chiseled, and -.indicate a refined and sensitive nature. This is thought to be. the reason why, rather than have his. disgrace become known to those who had Once- known him, the" dapper-appearing stranger threw jin aristocratic Kenwood neighborhood into confusion 'by Ki l l ing himself when held at bay by the law's rep­ resentative. Autograph Albums. • Is it possible that the album craze is about to revive? Thirty years ago no young lady was without her prettily bound volume, in which she teased apd coaxed her friends to make all sorts of absurd confessions as to their fa­ vorite flowers, food, occupation and what not. Or, did she aspire to higher things, she would get them to inscribe a couplet or a rhyme. We hope that the fashion is not going to revive, for it became a nuisance, but for all that, Princess Henrietta of Belgium, now duchess of Yendonie, received among her other beautiful wedding gifts an album in which the leading literary men of Belgium had inscribed their ideas in verse and prose. Suitable il­ lustrations were contributed by various distinguished artists. - Struck by-a Locomotive. Through his, horse taking, fright ftt the noise of a suburban traiii,. Friins Woods, of Oak Park, lost his life, and his three .companions- narrowly escaped the sanie fate. Woods was a foreman for the Chicago Telephone Company. With Ju­ lius Bodine, Edward Williams and Mark Dugan, linemen, he was driving a supply wagon -pAF-nllel with the railway tracks, where he was repairing the wires. The party attempted to cross the tracks, but found the east-bound suburban train, which was standing at the station, in the way. Woods turned and drove east on the side of the road nearest the track. As the train left the station and approached from the rear the horse began to plunge. oods lost control of the animal and the wagon was dragged upon the track just as the train bore down on the spot. The engineer had no chance to reverse the lever, and the pilot struck the forward part of the wagon, setting the horse free. Woods was killed instantly. Bodine sus­ tained serious injuries about the head and neck, but lie probably will recover. The other two, by jumping, escaped with slight bruises. Woods, who leaves a widow and three Children, was one of the telephone company's most valued men, haviug been in its employ seventeen years. \ Proves to He H Case of Suicide. The man whose body was found In the river near the Moline bridge on the Gov­ ernment Island shore with a coupling link and a rock buttoned inside his clothes committed suicide. The Mooney & Bo- land detective key tag found in his pocket has been found to have been stolen from its rightful owner in Chicago some years ago. The body was partly identified by the proprietor of a hotel iu Davenport, IoAva, as tha t of Hen ry Sehwartz, of Chi- cago, who was a traveling solicitor for the Catholic News of New York. Schwartz disappeared a few days ago after a spree and he was known to have money. The autopsy revealed no marks of violence. The indications are that the man loaded his clothing and jumped into the water. He Found It Would Burn. Gasoline leaked from a tank in Wes- cott's warehouse at Lacon and floated down an alley on top of the stream oc­ casioned by the heavy rains. A gentle­ man touched a match to 6ee if it would burn. With a flash there was a river of fire two blocks long, which communi­ cated to the warehouse tank and to build­ ings along the alley. The quick work of the fire department saved the principal business block of the town. A Sailor's Remarkable Escape. A seamau on H. M. S. Edinburgh re­ cently had a remarkable escape. He was at work ou a ladder on the bow of the vessel as she was going into Ports­ mouth harbor, steaming ten knots an hour, when the ladder broke and he was thrown into the water directly un­ der the'keel. He came up again In the wake of the ship, two ship's lengths astern, unhurt, having escaped the suc­ tion ofthgs_E»8S$l and contact with the propellers. State News iu Brief. ^ illiam Roberts, aged 24 years, a mem­ ber of the Pnna military band, tried to kill himself. His father had been squirrel hunting, but at the request of the mother had djjawn the charge, leaving the cap oii. The young man pointed the gun at his head, but when he pressed the trigger with his toe only the cap exploded. He is engaged to marry a young woman of Pana, but his parents refuse their con­ sent. He says he will kill himself yet. In the United States Court at Spring­ field, before Judge W. .T. Allen, the case of the Massachusetts Life Insurance Com­ pany against Brad K. Durfee, State sup­ erintendent of insurance, was heara upon an application, for an injunction restrain­ ing the State superintendent from pro­ ceeding under the statute against the company for failing for sixty da^s to pay a judgment recorded against it in the Cir­ cuit Court of Adams County. The court, after hearing the arguments in the case, denied the injunction. Saturday morning the dead body of Miss Gertie Meisenheinier was found in front of the home of Alva Jones, a fann­ er who lives about eight miles southeast of Litchfield. She was the daughter of Daniel Meisenheinier, of Hillsboro, was about 1G years old and had been a guest at the home of her sister, Mrs. Henry El- ledge, who lives near the Jones farm. Ev­ erything indicates suicide by carbolic acid, as she had tried three times before to take her own life and there were evidences of this poison about her clothing. While standing at his bench, and with six fellow workingmen near him, Charles Boucek, a Chicago harncssmaker, com­ mitted suicide by cutting his throat. The self destruction took place in the harness shop of Janles Zisler, No. 3111; Michigan avenue. The man died almost instantly. Boucek was 38 years old, and had been employed by Mr. Zisler for two years. His wife died a year ago, aud this is sup­ posed to have made him despondent. He leaves four children, who are inmates of an institution on the Northwest Side. Thursday Fred I. Gibson placed his horse and buggy in a Peoria livery stable, and since that time no trace of him can be found. He is a well-known farmer re- Biding near Dunlap, and came to Peoria on business. He is known to have had several hundred dollars when he arrived. An unusual incident occurred at Wau- kegan Thursday night. While Policeman Hicks was wrestling with an unruly horse on Genesee street his revolver drop­ ped out of his pocket Ynd was discharged, the bullet passuig through the legs of Miss Annie 'Stoltz just below the knees, sever­ ing an artery and making a serious wound. Walter Qeirtson. the young traveling man who shot John Lane at Rock Island Monday .night, was held to the grand jury under $1,000 bonds on a charge of as­ sault with iuteiit to commit murder. While the last race Was being pin at the Marion fair grounds Friday afteraoon the horse rode, by Johnnie Reeves flew the traik and ran into a horse on which Ed Durham, a spectator, was seated. Both horses and riders fell in one heap. In the fall Reeves had hfs thigh and collar bone broken and tiis chest crushed. ; The surgeons pronounced his injuries fatal. Durham escaped with a few slight bruises. The horse was frightened by a band that was playing near fhe track. Lewis Sorretts, a farm hand, waa killed by lightning near Littleton. Footpads robbed Father P. F. Sheridan of St. Mary's Catholic parish, Peoria, of his watch and $3 in money, all, he had on his person. The hold-up occurred on a fashionable residence confer. i ' The City Council of Bloomington is con­ sidering the expediency of raising the liquor license rate from $600 to $1,000 a yeajr. The city now has sixty-four sa­ loons. The saloon men, as a counter-move* ment, are circulating and ' signing an agreement to the effect that in case the license fee is raised "they will thereafter not take out city licenses, but will operate under the gallon law, taking out licenses to sell by the gallon only. The body of a man, badly decomposed, thought to be that of a traveling man, was taken from the river at Moline. A railroad coupling pin was in the coat pock­ et and a heavy stone fastened inside, the pants. A key ring bore a tag on(which was the following: "Return^to Mooney & Boland detective agency, ^ew York and Chicago; $1 reward." On the reverse side was C 7036' and a Maltese cross. On his linen was "F. S." and "4283." The entire Salvation army at Decatur, • numbering about thirty persons, was ar­ rested Tuesday night and locked up in the city prison. This is the culmination of a crusade which the city began to stop the open air meeting^ of the army under the ordinance which prohibits the blockading, of streets and causing a nuisance. Tues­ day night the army went out on the street and held the.usual meetings, stopping on a prominent corner and attracting a big crowd. The police then made the arrests. The merchants in front of whose places of business the army stopped were, the first to enter complaint and appealed to the city to stop the meetings. The officers gave the army the privilege of parading, but ordered it not to stop anywhere. For three hours Sunday night Spring­ field was' swept by one of the most violent electrical and thunder storms that ever occurred in that section of Illinois. Many thousands of dollars' damag* resulted. In many ca^es the first floors of houses were flooded with several feet of water. The municipal, telegraph, fire and police elec­ trical systems were knocked out for eight •hours and the city left In darkness most of the night. Several aldfms of fire add­ ed to the terror of the situation. The State House electrical system was demol­ ished, telegraph and telephone switch boards were scorched, and other damage done. Thousands of sparrows covered the ground, having been drowned by, the deluge. The Sangamon river has risen five feet and there has been great damage in the lowlands. W. Giertsen,--a traveling representa­ tive for I. A. Fay & Egan Company, man­ ufacturers and machinery merchants at Chicago, ended a day's debauch at Rock Island by shooting John Lane, an attend­ ant at Luther Harm's summor garden and restaurant. Glertsen then ran screaming through an alley, throwing his revolver and hat away as he fled, and rushing into the saloon of O'Connpr & Brotjgh, he went into the rear, and pulling out a knife made an attempt to thrust the blade into his throat, but was seized by'one of the proprietors and the weapon was taken from him. He was then turned over to -the-police, He immediately became fran­ tic and wept piteously, making a scene as he was taken through the streets to the county jail. Lane will recover. The two little children of Fred Wagon­ er, an old resident of Crystal Lake, were playing in their father's barn Monday, when, from some unknown cause, fire broke out in the straw, and before tbe youngest, a little girl of years, could be rescued, she was fatally burned, dying a few hours later. The mother was also frightfully burned about the face In the attempt to rescue her little one, and the older child was severely scorched. The mother is frantic with grief. The 250 pupils in the Union school building across the street became frightened. A woman teacher fainted, and a panic was avetfed only by the coolness of the superintendent of tne school, William Calhoun, who pass­ ed from room to room giving reassurances to the screaming children, fhe larger boys tvere dismissed to assist iu fighting the fire, and the crowd succeeded in con­ fining the flames to the outbuildings. Commencement exercises at the Uni­ versity of Illinois at Champaign had a rather unpleasant ending Wednesday. The great feature of the year at the in­ stitution is commencement day, and the class was ushered into the world in the presence of thousands of spectators. As an ending of the day, and one that was not down on the official program of events of the week at the university, a deputy sheriff of Champaign County ap­ peared before tbe Board of Trustees while it was holding its closing business ses­ sion aud placed thc members present un­ der arrest for alleged violation of the Illi­ nois flag law. The members on whom service- was had are: Dr. Julia Ho'mes Smith, Chicago; Col. Richard P. Morgan, Dwight; Nelson W. Graham, Carbondale; J. E. Armstrong, Chicago, president of the board; S. A. Bullard, Springfield; Isaac S. Raymond, Sidney; Col. N. B. Morrison, Odin; Alexander McLean, Ma­ comb. Ten thousand dollars is the amount demanded by Graham II. Harris, a Chi­ cago attorney, as a balm for wounded dignity in a suit filed against James Q. Maltby and Clinton J. Warren, proprie­ tors of the Plaza hotel. As a co-ordinate issue in the outcome of his claim is in­ volved the question whether a bicycle dress is to be considered just "the thing" when worn in a dining room after 5 o'clock at night. Mr. Harris and his wife, together with F. D. Montgomery and his wife, give it as their opinion that the knickerbocker and the abbreviated skirt are proper attire in any dining room. They tried to impress this opinion, Mr. Harris says, upon the waiters at the Plaza cafe, and their poor success is what led to the legal proceeding. The waiters refused to serve the aforesaid four wheel- folk while in their wheel costume. Mr. Harris says he considers himself and party were grossly misused and he thinks it justifies legal proceedings. The executive committee of the Dis­ tillers' Association at Peoria agreed that all members of the association, whether belonging to the American Spirits Com­ pany or independent houses, should close July 15 and resume Sept. 1 if the condi­ tion of trade warrants. Carl Kloppenburg, cashier of the State Bank of Buffalo, who with his brother, Joseph Kloppenburg of Springfield, rob­ bed the bank a few weeks ago, pleaded guilty in Sangamon Circuit Court, and was sentenced to the penitentiary. Klop­ penburg was an embezzler, and the rob­ bery was committed to hide his crime. WELPV/WEDDINGS ARE EXCITING Winnl Bride Is Not All tha Groom Is Expected to Do. A wedding, as it was customarily aiv .ranged in Wales, some forty years ago, 'was an interesting affair. In those days, as soon as the young people had made up their own minds, before they could speak of a wedding, the consent of the bride's parents had t;o be obtained. This arrangement^ or rather consent, was called the Gofyn* y-ferch, and could by no means b« done by letter, a written document be­ ing considered very bad taste. A good deal of formality surrounded the Gofyn- y-ferch, and it was not to be omitted even when the parents were known to be willing. The accepted lover had many anxieties, and among them (the necessity of which will be seen by and by) was the pace of his best horse and the pace and mettle of his friend's horses. • f , At last the wedding day dawned. Tha bride was dressed early, but over her finery she wore a long cloak, buttoned • all the way down to the ground, while : a hood entirely covered her head and" face. In the course of the morning tha . bridegroom sent some of his friends to seek out the bride. Arrived at her fath­ er's house, they found the door, locked, and before they c-ould be admitted the.y f;; had to recite some poetry. Sometimes the fair lady's whims and caprices made the delay in unlocking the dbor very long. When the door was open the bride was still to be found. She had taken refuge in some obscure cor­ ner out of sight, completely covered with her long cloak. This game Of hide f and seek was sometimes so prolonged that when the bride was found it was too late to be married that day, but this ° did not happen often. When the bride was really found there was a great mounting of horses; she, in her modest cloak, was seated behind her father, and all the company set off as fa3t as their steeds could go--all except the ' bride's mother, who seldom, if ever, attended her daughter's wedding. Up bill and down dale, oyer smooth and rough ground, the mountain ponies galloped, and shame on the bridegroom if he and his friends did not reach the church before the bride. Service over, the bridegroom had still to keep guard over his wife, for In one country parish, if not in many, it was the custom of friends of the young man to wait out­ side the church until the service was over. When the happy couple appear­ ed the bride was seized and placed be­ hind one of the men, who galloped oil with her. Naturally, she was hotly pursued by the bridegroom, who, of course, after au exciting chase, eventually captured her. When at last the wife was secured she took her seat behind her husband, and on his own horse, and the'company rode off again to the bride's old home. Arrived at the house, all the party drank the health .of bride and bride- groom out of the same pewter. -r TIvo Oldest Rose-Bush in the AVorld. The oldest rose-bush in the world Is found at Hildesheim, a small city of Hanover, where it emerges from the subsoil of the Church of the Cemetery. Its roots are found in the subsoil, and the primitive stem has been dead for a long time, but the new stems have made a passage through a crevice in the wall, and cover almost the entire church with their branches for a width and height of forty feet. > The age of this tree is interesting both to botanists and gardeners. Ac­ cording to tradition, the Hildesheim rose-bush was planted by Charlemagne in 833, and, the church having been burned down in the eleventh century, the root continued to grow in the sub- soll, .2g|, Mr. Raener has recently published a book upon this venerable plant, in which he proves that it is at least three centuries of age. It is mentioned in a poem written in 1690, and also in the work of a Jesuit who died in 1673. i "Sermons in Stones." , The phrase "sermons in stones" is best known from its use by Shaks-; peare iu "As You Like It," where he says: Aud this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the run­ ning brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything. Five hundred years before the birth of the Bard of Avon the same expres­ sion was employed by St. Bernard, who, in one of his letters, wrote, "You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees preach sermons such as you will never hear from men." Wordsworth has the same idea in the lines One impulse from the vernal wood May teach you more of man. Of moral evil and of good, Than all the sages can. Oldest West Point Graduate. General George S. Greene, the oldest living graduate of West Point, celebrat­ ed his ninety-fifth birthday on Wednes­ day last. He was born In Rhode Island, and graduated from West Point in 1S23. He was engaged in government engineering until the war broke out, when he went to the front and rose to the rank of brigadier gen­ eral. After a brilliant war record he was promoted to brevet major general in 1865, and retired from active service' a year later. He then returned to his engineer work. While holding the post of chief engineer of public works he planned all the Washington, D. C., sewerage, and afterward helped to lay out the annexed district of the city. He now spends his winters in New York City, and his summers at Morristown. Although nearly 100 years old he looks little more than 60 years old. Tritz Greve, a bricklayer from Colfax, Iowa, was found dead in the basement of the Rock Island postoffice building, in course of erection. A coroner's- inquest found his death to have been due to ex­ posure following > a physical collapse brought on by excessive drinking.- He was 35 years old. Rev. Edgar D. Arney, pastor of the Pana First Congregational Church, ear- prised his congregation Sunday by ten­ dering his resignation, to take effect im­ mediately. The cause is allegQfi to be the result of derogatory remarks made by members of his congregation,, and a damage suit for defamation of character may follow. Greater New York. Greater New Y'ork, with Its area of 350 square miles, will be the second largest city in the world. It has 1,100 churches, 90 postoffices, 37,000 busi­ ness houses, 130,000 dwellings, 1,100 miles of street and elevated railways, 1,100 hotels, 850 public schools, a debt of $170,000,000, taxable property of $2,5S3,324,239, and a population of con­ siderably over 3,000,000. In the year 1800 the"population of New York was 60.4S9 and of Brooklyn 2,37S, a total of 62,867. y • • • 1'i' Profit in a Song. 1 ^ "Tommy Atkins," which during the first year of its existence brought to the published an ineome of some $25»* 000, or a little overJiSOO a week, wi| purchased by them for 1 guinea.