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ILLINOIS INCIDENTS. • • ... • • . -V :**<?' ' JW OR startling, faith? tULLY RECORDED. barge Fire in Marlon--A wfnt Fat* of * Child--Mystery in a Mine Warder-- ^ Oamaee Cb«m4 b]r "mktlpp" • liiaded Quit. *< i r $v One of the most disastrous fires ever known in Marion broke out early the oth­ er morning, destroying over $20,000 worth of property in less than an hour. The Qoodalt House was burned, and with it went most of the hotel furniture, a cloth­ ing store, saloon and barber shop. The origin of the fire is unknown, though it started, in the clothing store. The hotel was filled with sleeping guests, all of whom escaped. Some of them lo&t most Of their clothing. One gentleman left his pocketbook, containing considerable money, under his pillow. Before the ar­ rival of the firemen it looked as if the entire southern half of the tewn was sure of destruction, as the wind was blowing a gale from the north, bdt by three hours of hard work the flames Were confined to the hotel building. ^ i Fint Thread Speoler Bead* ^jprs; Martin Little Davidson, who en­ joyed the distinction of having spooled the first spool of thread in the first factory known to the thread industry of America, died at her home in Lebanon, aged 80 years. The pioneer mill was a crude af­ fair in the little village of Dracutt, Mass., now a part of the city of Lowell, and it was to teach the trade to a force of em- Mpn that Martha Little and her sister '"pro brought from Paisley, Scotland. \ " ' nine Engineer Found Dead. Derby Davis, night engineer of the Hillsboro Coal Company mine at Hills- boro, was killed about 11 o'clock the other night. Many circumstances indicate that he was murdered, but .this is uncertain. The throttles were found wide open and the engine and hoisting apparatus wreck­ ed. The mine is equipped with machines And has been running wholly with non­ union labor for several months. Onn Contained a Char are. While a crowd was gathered in the sa­ loon of Pred Uetz, at Wheeling, Pred fipicer was given a gun and put through the manual of arms by an ex-soldier. Spicer did not know the gun was loaded, and, when the order to fire was given, he pointed the weapon at Uets and pulled the trigger. The saloonkeeper's arm was shattered at the elbow and bad to be am­ putated. The victim will die. Child Bnrned to a Crisp. Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Gibbs were away part of the day from their home in Ply­ mouth. Upon returning the mother ob­ served that the carpet in one of the rooms had been on fire, and, looking in the rear of the house, she discovered her 7-year- old daughter lying dead on a wood pile, with every vestige of clothing gone and the body burned to a trisp. Brief State Happenings At Kewanee, Oust Carlson was killed by the falling walls of a <&al mine. Mrs. Sarah Ann Ballard died suddenly while on her way from her home in Troy to Alabama. A careful estimate of losses to lake ship­ ping and vessel owners for the record breaking year of 1898 places the probable figures at $2,500,000. Two young men went skating near Jacksonville, and one of them, George Da- ris, fell through the ice and was drowned before help could reach him. Rosie Oafces, 5 years old, was suffocated with her two pet fox terriers in her home in Chicago. While playing in a room she succeeded in turning on the gas. Michael Maccbierli, on trial for the mur­ der of Amidio Delnegio, was acquitted by a jury in Judge Gary's court in Chicago. The shooting occurred May 23. Bishop W. E. McLaren of Chicago, in his official visitation to St. Matthew's Episcopal congregation of Fairbury, con­ firmed a class in the church edifice. Horace Lincoln Bailey of North Adams, Mass., reputed to have been employed as traveling salesman by the shoe house of M. D. Wells & Co., committed suicide in his room at the Grace Hotel in Chicago by shooting himself in the head. Dennis Kenyon, one of the largest land and stock owners in central Illinois, died at his home near McLean, aged 67 years. Two years ago he was stricken with par­ alysis and had been in a critical condition 4ver since. He leaves a widow. At 9:30 o'clock, owing to the unaccount­ able ignition of a reservoir of 30,000 gal­ lons of crudg..oil,, followed by a terrific explosion, at the gas works at Decatur, the gas supply was exhausted and all gas lights went out. No one was hurt. The State Auditor of Public Accounts has granted a permit to organize the State Bank of Mansfield, with a capital stock of $30,000. The organizers are William H. Frike, A. J. Langley, S. W. Allerton, J.O. Langley, John N. Dighton and A. C. Thompson. An order for two large steel freighters --a steamer and a tow barge--to cost $400,000 has been placed with the Chi­ cago Shipbuilding Company by Pickands, Mather & Co. of Cleveland. The enlarge­ ment of the company's slip at 101st street and the Calumet will be necessary to build them. -- -Within a few days two" genuine wild deer.have been shot in Marshall County. . Deer in Illinois, outside of public parks, are something unknown and the farmers and sportsmen ar<> at a loss to conjecture from what source they came. Others have been seen in addition to the two already killed and a big deer hunt is being planned 6for the near future. One was shot by Wardie Broaddus nearVarna and the other by a Henry sportsman near the - Henry river bridge. They are thought to be about 4 years old. Interest in the Harrison murder mys­ tery at Alton is revived by the offer of a $200 reward by the family of the murder- ed man for the apprehension of his as­ sassin. Gov. Tanner will double this amount by the addition of the customary State reward. John Leisure, who has resided at De- qgtur. ind., a short time, was arrested for horse stealing at Cofleen. The sheriff of Montgomery County, with Indiana offi­ cers, made the arrest. After his arrest Leisure made a confession, aad told where the team of horses were he stole, and Which were recovered. The organization of the First Grand Tribunal of the Order of Fraternal Trib- imes was accomplished in Rock Island. Fifty delegates from various sections of the State were present. The headquar­ ters of the order, which is now in its sec­ ond ye Ms are located in the city. Capet William Lamothe, who died at Alton, aged 81 years, was one of the best- known captains on the Mississippi. In 1842 he built the Luella. This boat was burned between Alton and St. Louis, and from that incident John Hay, now Secre­ tary of State, found material for the poena, "Jim Bludsoe." It is said that Oapt. Lamothe was ia reality the proto­ type of the hero of the poem. Mr. and Mrs. William Osman celebrated their golden wedding at Ottawa. Private M. Thomas, Company K, Eighth Illinois, died at Santiago. Fred Frost of Plum Grove was fatally suffocated by coal gas from a stove. At Rockford, the Spafford planing mill was destroyed by fire. Loss $20,000, no insurance. It is proposed to establish a pottery at Rus^ville, t exceUentj Cla^ (, having been found there. J The front door of the Alton postoffice was pried open and the mailsack from St. Louis was stolen. f Auditor McCullough has issued a final permit for organization, of the First State bank of Waverly. An order for goods to be shipped to Rus­ sia recently came to an incubator manu­ factory at Quincy. At Hampshire, the little daughter of Mr. Studor, a farmer, was burned to death, her clothing catching from a brush fife. Nearly 1,000.000 bushels of grain is ly­ ing in the regular warehouses of ]Peoria, 20,000 bushels more than at this tbhe last year. Utt Brothers, brick manufacturers of Springfield, have confessed judgments ag­ gregating $7,500. The total liability is said to be about $20,000. Mrs. Diana Norfolk, the eldest resident of Charleston and the oldest in that part of the State, is dead. She had resided in Charleston since 1833 and was 91 years of age. Rer. Howard E. Clark, pastor of the Vincent Methodist Episcopal Church of Chicago, and Miss Estella Hopkins of Yorkville were married at Rockford by Rev. William Clark, father of the gpoom. Recently a Rushville man received a postal card that had been mailed at Bow- en over four years ago. The card bore the postmark of St. Paul, Minn., and those of the sending and receiving offices. A Mobile and Ohio engine was wreck­ ed at a point thirty miles south of Red Bud. The engine was uncoupled from the rest of the train and was backing down Rattlesnake hill, when it jumped the track and rolled down the steep em­ bankment. Fireman Regie was killed in­ stantly and Engineer Goodin so badly scalded that be died. Conductor Ashby and Brakeman Hunt were also in the cab and both were seriously injured. The Rev. H. M. Brooks of Paris, min-' ister In the Christian Church, has been in Decatur presenting his plans to temper­ ance workers there for the inauguration of a movement which it is expected will be taken up in all States of the Union. A mass meeting of cjtizens was held at the tabernacle. The Rev. Dr. Brooks' plan, as presented in his address, is to adopt the moral suasion system, studiously avoiding politics and seeking out drunkards every- where, leading them to profitable employ­ ment and to lives of sobriety. In the United States Circuit Court at Springfield, Judge Allen decided the case of D. B. Wesson, New York, versus the township of Mount Vernon, in favor of the defendant. Wesson brought suit to compel the payment of principal and in­ terest of bonds issued by the township of Mount Vernon in favor of the Wabash, Chester and Western Railroad. The court held that the bonds were illegal because the election was held July 16, 1870, whereas the constitutional amendment prohibiting cities and townships voting aid to railroads went into effect July 2, 1870. The bonds' involved amounted to $25,000 with interest. Governor Tanner has commuted the sen-| tences of convicts as follo^sf' "Michael! Condrey, Jersey County, sentenced in No­ vember, 1894, for larceny to seventeen years, commuted to six years; Frank Pry-' or, Pulaski County, sentenced in May, 1893, for murder to fourteen years, com­ muted to nine years; Fritz Meyer, Sinclair County, sentenced in September, 1892, for larceny to twelve years, commuted to ten years; William Vanderburg. Jersey Coun­ ty, sentenced in October, 1896, for murder for life, commuted to twenty-five years; Frank Smith, Macon County, convicted in October, 1893, of burglary and sentenc-. ed for twenty-one years, commuted to ten years. The Woolner family has again come the front in the distilling business. Jacob Woolner, the senior brother, has purchas­ ed a dismantled distillery at Peoria, which he is fitting up to run as an independent house. Samuel Woolner, who ran the At­ las distillery as an anti-trust house for several years, was got into line when the new Standard distilling combination was organized a few months ago, his house be­ ing bought at a hij?h price and he being made a director and vice-president. This put the distilling business on a satisfac­ tory footing, with all interests working to­ gether, and both the American Spirits Manufacturing Company and the Stand­ ard were making money. Tbg advent of the new Woolner house will demoralise the situation. The famous Alton school case was prac­ tically concluded at Ed wards ville, wh«i the jury found for defendants. It was instituted as a mandamus proceeding in the Supreme Court of Illinois by Scott Bibb, a colored citizen, against the Mayor and the School Board, to compel the ad­ mission of his children to the nearest school instead of assigning them to one farther from his home. He charged dis­ crimination on account of color, and em­ ployed eminent counsel, among them Gen. John M. Palmer and Col. J. J. Brenholt. The case was certified to the Circuit Court of Madison County for a trial of facts. The jury was occupied a week with the hearing. It answered the Su­ preme Court's interrogatories in substance as follows: Educational facilities of the schools are equal; Bibb's children did not apply for admission at the 1898 school term; that police officers were not in­ structed by the Mayor and Council to pre­ vent colored children from attending cer­ tain schools; that Bibb's and other colored children were not denied admission be­ cause of color; that the city was not laid out as one district for the purpose of en­ abling the superintendent to assign col­ ored children to separate schools. In Judge Waterman's court at Chicag<- Harry Butler was convicted of the killing of Christ Passollos July 13. The jury found him guilty of manslaughter, and as he is under age he will go to the reform school. An exchange notes that a carpenter was working on the Rock Island-Davenport bridge the other day and threw a plank into the river. One end of the plank was imbedded in the mud at the bottom and the other arose to the surface with a bicy­ cle attached to it. The man got the bi­ cycle, which was apparently new and had probably been thrown there by a thief. A. Montgomery Ward will present each of 250 married men in the store of Mont­ gomery Ward & Co. in Chicago with s $1,- 000 life insurance policy as a Christmas present this year. Mr. Ward will pay the premium for the first year. Henry P. Hots, Ferdinand Vodwold and Charles Pauly, business men of Edwards- ville, who grubstaked Nick Agassis last year and sent him to the Klondike, have received word that he has disposed of a half interest in the claims he located to ax Foglish syndicate for $300,000. The claims are on Seventy Mile creek and run as high as $400 to the pan. Hotz, Vor- wold and Pauly expect to realize $100,000 each on their investment of $1,000. AfiE GAINING FAVOR. KIAHY OBVIOUS ADVANTAGES OF vlliSCRtMINATINa DUTIES. * * * , X * f ' f l f V. >*? V ra­ tion." Our new duty to the Orient could not be better expressed la one sentence than in the words of the freat statesman who during the mo9t critical period of our history filled the office wow held by John Hay. • " The Element of Permanence Vitally Important in Any Plan DcrUcd for the Restoration of Ik* American MercftiantMarine. There is abundant reason to believe that among practical and far-sighted men the policy of protection to Amer­ ican shipping, by means of discrimina­ ting duties upon imports in foreign vessels, is rapidly growing in favor. Shipbuilders who have hitherto ex­ pressed doubts as to the wisdom of adopting this policy, and have leaned toward some form of subsidy or sub­ vention, now express the conviction that the policy of discriminating du­ ties is the only one likely to be effec­ tive and of permanent benefit. They recognize the fact that subsidies are difficult to obtain from Congress; that they are unequal in their operation, favoring a few and affording little or no protection to the many; that the subsidy measures heretofore passed by Congress have originally been so Imperfect as to require radical amend­ ments; that the arguments in favor of subsidies are easily controverted, and that this form of protection would not accomplish the, desired end--the res­ toration of the shipbuilding industry and the creation of shipowning organi­ sations. Subsidies might prove beneficial to shipbuilding plants fully equipped for the construction of passenger steam­ ers, either large or small, for subsidies would teud to encourage the building of such ships. But thedemand for pas­ senger vessels is comparatively lim lted, and it is not likely to increase greatly, owing to the competition of foreign ships either already on the Gold Redemption and the Menage. No feature of the President's mes­ sage invites closer study than the pas­ sages regarding our money system. The term "currency reform" fits the subjects of his remarks fairly well. Yet it is misleading, inasmuch as it has been appropriated and almost monopol­ ised in recent times by the advocates of a monetary policy which is totally distinct from the President's. The policy of the so-called currency reformers has for its ccntral idea the abolition of greenbacks and all other United States notes, and the substitu­ tion for them of national bank Mils based on the assets of the banks. The President does not favor any such rad­ ical project. He does uot propose any change in our national bank circula­ tion, nor any reduction in the quantity of our legal tender notes. The United States has no currency problem. It can hardly be said to have a monetary problem, so simple is the remedy, but, to the extent that this Government has a problem, the question is one of coin, rather than paper. The President has a clear conception of this distinction. It would be well if some of those per­ sons who occasionally pretend to re­ flect his views had equally clear ideas on this subject.--Chicago' Inter Ocean. BIG NEW. YORK FIRE. " , : ! y y : • " - > ' > - ' c • H -"*W •- •'%} GB*AT *UtLD!NGS tJESTWOYBO •, v *. B v rtamE*. rM" ̂ • Twenty£tory Structures Hefpto Feed > Fnrious Bla xs - Peat met i 6n of Sogers* Peet St Co.'* Building and Othera Badly Damaged. Neglect Too Long Continued. That we have stood alone among the commercial and naval nations in the neglect of our shipping Interests it would be folly to deny. But the outlook for shipping facilities equal to the in­ creased and constantly increasing vol­ ume of American trade was never bet­ ter than it is now. The Government of the United States, looking forward to a A CONDITION OF ENFORCED IDLENESS. it lines or which could easily be diverted to such service from other routes. What is imperatively needed is such a system of protection as will enable shipbuilders to devote their attention to the manufacture of vessels suitable for cargo carrying. Plants equipped for the construction of such ships heed Encouragement to enlarge their facili­ ties'without materially augmenting the cost of their permanent force employed in drafting, molding and other opera­ tions Incident to ship construction. It is essential to economical shipbuilding that two or more vessels of precisely equal dimensions and form shall be un­ der conract at the same time, so that multiples of every part can be pre­ pared with only the additional cost of the material. Vessels so built would be uniform in every respect, perfection in model and workmanship and ma­ terial would be attained, the reputa­ tion of the builder would be estab­ lished, and this economalic plan of construction would enable him suc­ cessfully to compete with foreign builders and thereby secure profitable contracts. It is said that there is not now a duplicating plant in this country which is equipped for the economical con­ struction of cargo steamers in the man­ ner above Indicated. And yet there is scarcely a yard, at least on the Atlan­ tic seaboard, which cannot build a steamship as cheaply as it can be con­ structed abroad, the lower cost of ma­ terial and the use of labor-saving ma­ chinery and appliances nearly if not quite counterbalancing the enhanced cost of labor. The English shipbuild­ ers are devoting their attention and energies to the construction of steam­ ers instead of sailing vessels. They are, by manufacturing two or more ships of the same size and pattern at the same yard, reducing the cost of construction to the minimum, and they are striving to the utmost to retain their advantage of economical produc­ tion. Clearly, therefore, this is our oppor­ tunity. No time should be lost in pro­ viding such a system of protection as will enable our shipbuilding Industries to retain the advantage they now en­ joy and to acquire further advantages by the enlargment of their plants for the still greater economy of ship con­ struction by what may be termed the wholesale manufacture of vessels, as is done in the English and Scotch yards. The adoption of the policy of discriminating duties upon imports in foreign vessels would create such a demand for American cargo carrying ships as to stimulate the enlargement of our shipbuilding plants to the ca­ pacity required for the manufacture of large numbers of vessels of the same sizes at the same time, and It would also encourage the establishment of additional yards and restore the ship­ building industry to its pristine vigor. Alike as to the building and operating of American merchant ships, the policy of permanent protection in­ dorsed in the Republican national platform of 1896 seems to be the policy best adapted to the placing of our com­ mercial marine Industry upon an even keel with foreign competition. Onr Duty to the Orient. It^f now thirty-seven years since William H. Seward, as Secretary c?f State, gave these instructions to our Minister to Japan: "You will, by an equal, just and honorable conduct of your mission, make the people of Japan respect not only the institutions of your own country but the institutions of Christianity and Western civillsa- rivalry in foreign trade with England and Germany, must improve our ship­ ping laws or be forced to acknowledge defeat before entering the race. The Republicans stand squarely for the pro­ jected Improvements. The Democrats have always been antagonistic to our shipping, and like the dog in the man ger, they seek to throw cold water on a Republican policy that is bound to pro­ duce beneficial results if carried Into effect.--New Orleans Daily Item. MQMWTHmTIjQfl 5.** &. &t". s; ,• *• '-y* ,.>,• * "ft"^ jr ^ ^ ANNUAL" REPORT OF ^CRE- *' :V' TARY- QAGE?' . Fire in the business section of New York Sunday night destroyed property to the value of millions. The Home Insur­ ance Company building, the Postal Tele­ graph Company building, the United States Life Insurance building and the downtown establishment of Rogers, Peet & Co. were destroyed. Other structures in the neighborhood were also damaged. Rogers, Peet & Co.'s establishment is a total loss. All of the woodwork in the United States Life Insurance building was burned away. The Postal Telegraph and the Home Insurance buildings were of stone and marble and were thought fire­ proof. The firemen were unable to cope with the fire in the big sky scrapers for the rea­ son that it was impossible to reach the tiames, as they, made their appearance on floors midway from the basement to the top. A stiff gale was blowing and a blind­ ing rain was falling. Over fifty fire com­ panies were called to battle with the ele­ ments, for It was bitterly cold, and water soou formed coatings of ice on the exte­ riors of the blocks upon which it was thrown. The blase started in the Rogers, Peet & Co. building, at the southwest corner of Broadway and Warren street, next door to the north of the lofty, fireproof struc­ ture. The old-fashioned architectural landmark was licked up like a fabric of cardboard. The fire was discovered at 0:50 o'clock. Policemen saw flames burst­ ing from the basement of the building of Rogers, Peet & Co. A minute later the whole ground floor was^a furnace. The police reserves were called out and Chief Bonner sent out additional alarms, the fifth and. last being sei^t.in ?t 10:04 o'clock. At 10:26 the roof of the Rogers, Peet & Co. building fell in. The flames leaped clear to tke top of the Home Life building, fully 150 feet above the other roof. The effect was instantaneous. The Home Life window panes cracked, and in a minute fire burst from each of these windows as the furniture and curtains of the rooms ignited. The buildiug had withstood the flames for nearly three-quarters of an hour, but in the end was conquered. For fully twenty feet on each side of the airshaft the flames were drawn into it and went roaring upward. Soon the win­ dows here were seuding forth flames al­ most equal in vigor, and it was evident that the fire had gained a stronger foot­ hold here than at any other point. The Home building was one of the most mag­ nificent of the modern skyscrapers on low­ er Broadway, and was conspicuous, even though it occupied a place next the great block of the Postal Telegraph Company. At 11:40 part of the Warren street front of the Rogers. Peet & Co. building fell with a crash. It was said at the time that no one was hurt, as the wall had been bulging for some time, and the firemen, who had been keeping close watch, took to their heels at the sound of the first crash. The estimate of the losses by Chief Bon­ ner after midnight was $1,000,000. An insurance man roughly estimated the losses at about as follows: Rogers, Peet it Co., building and stock, and losses to other tenants in the building, $350,000. Ilotne Life Insurance building and losses to other tenants, $500,000; Postal Tele­ graph building and losses to other tenants, $100,000. ANOTHER STORM IN THE EAST. Discussing a Dead Issne. On so recent a date as October 28 the Louisville Courier-Journal gravely discusses the question whether the wool growers of the United States have been benefited by the wool du­ ties of the Dingley law, and whether there ought to be any tariff at all on wool. Of course, the Courier-Jotirnal reaches a negative conclusion in both cases. Such a discussion is time wast­ ed. If there was one thing more than another that condemned the Wilson law in the eyes of the American peo­ ple that one thing was its free wool clause. The question is dead and buried. It will never be resurrected. No party platform will ever again ad­ vocate free trade in wool. There may be honest differences of opinion as to the amount of duty to be levied upon imported wool for protective purposes, but as to the main question, whether wool should be protected, it has been settled in the affirmative once for all. Germany's Cheap Labor. Lower the tariff according to Demo­ cratic ideas and American workingmcn will soon find the country flooded with the productions of Germany's cheap labor. Germany, notwithstanding the Dingley tariff, is actually forcing some of her productions into this country be­ cause of the cheapness of labor. Our tariff has not even stopped the sale of German sugar to America. It comes in spite of all competition. For the year ending June 30, 1897, the sugar ex­ ported from the Breslau district amounted to $298,909. The price was then 1.023 cents a pound. It Is now sold at 1.869 cents for raw. In addition to which the manufacturer gets an ex­ port bounty. This is a matter that should be con­ sidered immediately by the working- men of this country.--Buffalo News. Gen. Grant an Expansionist. Gen. Grant was an expansionist Somehow the language of his message advocating the acquisition of San Do­ mingo by the United States sounds like a rebuke of the small faith of Dr. Abbott, Dr. Parkhurst and other timid theorists. He said: I do not share in the apprehension held by many as to the danger of governments becoming weakened and destroyed by rea­ son of their extension of territory. Com­ merce, education and rapid transit of thought and matter by telegraph and steam have changed all this. Rather, I believe that our Great Maker is prepar­ ing the world, in his own good way, to become one nation, speaking one lan­ guage, and when armies and navies will no longer be required. Is It Chance ?| Why Is it that good times always hap­ pen under Republican rule? Is It chance? If it is, why isn't It a business proposition to take more chances?-- Great Falls (Mont.) Leader. An End of Jeering. The Dingley law has vindicated Itself and the wisdom of Its authors, and there will have to be an end to the Democratic jeers at Dingleyism.--Troy <N. Y.) Record. Hurricane from the Gulf Goes Howl* ing Up the Coast. A great snowstorm and a. gale of hurri­ cane proportions that were at the height of their destructive reign Sunday night over the territory between Indiana and the New England coast caused damage and disasters of Which only vague details could he transmitted on account of injury to telegraph wires. Driving snow snapped wires by the hundreds. So quickly was the havoc made, and so completely, that the big telegraph companies were render­ ed helpless to transact ^heir Eastern busi­ ness for many hours. A big fire raged in New York City during the storm, and its spreading to the Postal Telegraph building further hampered that company. Points on the New England coast for the second time within a week experienced, a blizzard-like visitatiou that paralyzed traffic and caused distress and disaster. Out at sea, in the track of the great liners and coasters, it blew as it never did, even in the recent great storm. The cause of the remarkable gale was a cyclone, which originated in the Gulf of Mexico and swept across the country to the sea. It was reported on Saturday off the middle Atlantic coast and moving north. There was no area of high pres­ sure to impede it, and it rushed up the coast with a roar, swishing inland and drenching everybody out of doors. The raiu came in horizontal lines and the ter­ rific gusts made any sort of protection ex­ cept a rubber suit next to useless. Even when the gale moderated a bit, it was slashing along at a fifty-four knot gait. It is estimated that fully 800 houses were unroofed in Baltimore and vicinity. SLAYS TO END FEUD. William Kent Kills Brother on a Kail* way Train at Girard, 111. Noble Kent was shot and killed by his brother William at Girard while the train was stopped for coal. Noble Kent was the elder son of Abner Kent, a wealthy farmer who died last February, leaving William Kent, the younger brother, most of the estate of $20,000, Noble only being freed from the debts he owed his father. Noble was enraged at this and swore ven­ geance on William, saying his father had been influenced in writing the will. NOT ble appeared at the Kent home soon after­ ward and fired a ball into William's head. He escaped and William finally recovered and offered $200 reward for Noble's ar­ rest. The Springfield police captured No­ ble after he had made a second attempt to shoot William and made an assault on a trainman while going to Springfield. William could not pay the reward, as his mother would not assist him in securing the money. The police held Noble for the reward. Finally William secured the money and wired the sheriff to bring the prisoner to Carlinville. As they neared the coal shed at Girard William entered the coach where Nobje sat beside the sheriff, handcuffed, and fired five bullets into Noble's body, four entering his head and one in his breast. William attempted to shoot the sheriff, who tried to prevent 4he assassin from firing again, and then swung out the coach door and made his escape. The verdict of the coroner's jury accuses William Kent of willful murder. News of the Great West. The family of ex-Senator Carey of Cheyenne deny sensational stories of the elopement of their son with a young wom­ an of New Haven, Conn, Gov. Richards of Wyoming was caught out in a fierce blizzard the other afternoon while driving to the railroad, and had his face frozen, but not seriously. Chief of the Traaaury Department Dia- cntaee the Need of Banking Keform and the, Necessity of Meetlag New Condition*. Secretary of the Treasury Gage has made public his report on the condition of the finances of the country and the work accomplished by his department during the year. It is an interesting document. Upon the subject of currency and banking reform he says: The arguments against government tssnes of paper money as a medium for commer­ cial exchanges have been fully made and need not be repeated In detail. The pro­ posal to substitute bank Issues for govern­ ment notes is opposed with many honest prejudices and assailed by bitter denuncia­ tions. The first arise from a failure to com­ prehend the true philosophy of a paper cur­ rency and must be patiently considered. The latter obscure the question by reckless statements, charging that all propositions for currency reform are bank conspiracies. If It be conceded that the legal-tender money issued by government does not pos­ sess the qualifications to make It a proper factor In the country's exchanges of prod­ ucts and manufactures. If the fact also be admitted that It is a deranging and disturb­ ing factor In Its relation to Industry and commerce, then the time has come to sub­ stitute for It a currency which will ade­ quately, economically and safely meet with the ever-growing needs of the couqtry, rap­ idly developing, as it Is. In the power of production. In the number of Its people and the Importance of Us domestic and foreign trade. In answer to the question whether a bank note currency can he established which will be economical, adequate and safe and serve the public needs in a bet­ ter way than is now served, the Secre­ tary points to the system in force in Canada. The facts set forth by the Comptroller re­ late exclusively to the proposition that the notes of a failed bank shall be a paramount Hen upon the assets for their full value be­ fore any rights accrue to other creditors. The Issue of uotes upon the general assets of national banks may be made perfectly se­ cure without the requirement that the notes be a first lien upon their assets. It would only be necessary to award to the notehold­ er the same ratable proportion of the assets whlcli wenf to other creditors, and to pro- vlife that the amount required to pav the dtff erence be obtained by an assessment up­ on all the national banks, collected ratably In proportion to their share In the circula­ tion of this character. The vital question Is, What percentage of assessment upon this circulation would be required in order to cover the losses to noteholders in the case of failed hanks? The experience of the na­ tional banking system demonstrates that the assessment would be Inslgulficant^ The total circulation of failed hanks out­ standing at the time of failure up to Oct. 81, 1807, was $20,893,827. The loss upon these notes. If the security for* them had been Impaired In the same degree as the security for other liabilities, would have been $5,T<79,165, or an annual average of altout $163,000. This loss would have been made good by a tax of about otie-tweTfth of 1 per cent, per year upon the circulation of the solvent banks. A tax of one-flfth of 1 per cent, upon the average circulation of the national banks since the foundation (ft the system would have paid such losses to Oct. 31, l$p7, and left a surplus of about $9,000,000 In the guaranty fund. Urges Formfr BIenaures. . In rey last report I ventured upon specific recommendations. These recommendations If adopted and formulated Into law, woxilS In my opinion be curative of the evils herein pointed out. In house bills Nos. 10,289 and 10,833 are embodied u series of measures in some respects more meritorious. The meas­ ures herein proposed are the result of care­ ful study by expert and experienced men. With some modlflcatlons--the reasonable fruit of full discussion--they would, I be­ lieve, meet the country's needs. I com­ mend the subject to the early and earuest attention of Congress. On the point of fractional ailver the re­ port contains this paragraph: . The amount of fractional silver coin held by the treasury July 1. 1897. was $16,201,- 960: July 1. 1898, $12,070,«90. This stock has at present, Nov. 18, been reduced to $7j- 122,506, much of which is so worn as to be unfit for circulation. The amount available, distributed among the several sub-treasuries, gives but small stock to each, and some de­ nominations are exhausted. The Secretary of the Treasury should be authorized to re- coln this uncurrent stock and any such coin whlcli may hereafter accumulate In the treasury, the difference between 11% face value and th6 new coin It will make to be paid out of any moneys In the treasury not otherwise appropriated. Further provision should be made to add to the stock of frac­ tional coin, and to that end It Is suggested that th* Secretary of the Treasury l>e au­ thorized to use any sliver bullion uow In the treasury for the coinage of such denomina­ tions as may be required from time to time to meet the demand from the different sec­ tions of the country. With an ever-Increas­ ing population, which will be added to In the near future by the acquisition of addi­ tional territory, the demand for fracttofeal silver coin will be such as to make It essen­ tially necessary that the stock should be In­ creased. ' It is suggested that,'at the proper time, action be taken by Congress to assimilate the currency of Porto llico to that of the United States, so far and so rapidly as this can be done without unduly disturb­ ing existing conditions .and contract rela­ tions in Porto ftico. This, it is believed, can be accomplished by making customs dues in the island payable in American money, yet receiving the silver pesos and centavos at a fixed relation to our dollar. The revenues of the Government from all sources for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1898, were $494,333,053.75, while the expenditures for the same period were $532,381,201.35, showing a deficit of $38,- 047,247.00. As compared with the fiscal year of 1897. the receipts for 1898 in­ creased $G3,946,785.8G. There was an in­ crease of $77,594,423.23 in the ordinary expenditures. The revenues for the cur­ rent fiscal year are estimated at $577,- 874,047.37, while the expenditures for the same period are $689.874,047.t7, leaving a deficit of $112,000,000. For the fiscal year 1900 the revenues are estimated at $610,958,112 and the estimates of appro­ priations for the same period aggregate, exclusive of sinking fund, $641,000,490.04, or an estimated deficit of $30,048,387.04. "The first proceeds of the popular loan of $200,000,000," the report reads, "were received June 14, and from that date for­ ward the inflow of money from.this source has been rapid and constant. The total amonnt received up to Nov, 1 was $195,- 444,187.62." Mint Receipts and Uttjposits. The receipts and deposits 5f bullion ll mints and assay offices, including redepos- its, aggregated $215,566,261.54, of which $198,740,492.23 was gold and $10,825,- 769.31 silver. The deposits of gold were greater than in any previous y^ar of our history. Foreign coins to the amount of $47,210,078 were deposited during the year. It was recommended that an appro* priation of $50,000 be made for the erec­ tion of a building for the assay office at Seattle. The number of national banks in opera­ tion is 3,|>98. During the last year fifty- six were ^organized, sixty-nine placed in voluntary \ liquidation and seven failed. The capitalof the newly organized banks aggregates $9,605,000. The Middle States lead in both number of banks and aggre­ gate capital. 8parka from the Wlrott Open gambling has once more been stop­ ped temporarily in Denver, Colo. Printers in Pok-to Rico, who earn* from $4 to $7 a week, have struck for an ad­ vance of 50 per cent. In Belgium there are 183,000 liquor es­ tablishments of all kinds, or one to every twenty-nine of the population. The Red Cross Society wilf endeavor to obtain the release of Spaniards bttig^fia- eners by natives in the PhilinDiae*. . The effect of territorial expansion upon' the merchant marine of the country is al­ ready being felt, and the outlook Cor do­ mestic shipbuilding is considered ally favorable. The output of Ac yards next year is expected to exoeod 400,000 tons. The greatest annnai output (iBCC the civil war was during 1874, vtitai 2^147 vessels of. 432,725 tons were boUt* - Dur­ ing the last year the additions %o our mer­ chant marine from all sources amounted to about 200,000 tons, of whk-ti 20,000 tons were foreign vessels purchased by the Government for use during the wa* and given \merican registers. The ve»» sels condemned as prizes amounted to nearly 20,000 tons, which, howvfr, will be included in the reports of the next year. The merchant fleet under the Hawaiian flag consists of sixty-two vessels, aggre­ gating 31,543 tons. The Philippine fleet consists of ninety-three vessels of 19,966 tons, but Porto Bico is practically with­ out shipping. The total number of all kinds of merchant ships under the United States flag on the 30th of June, 1898, was 22.705. This was a slight increase from the 22.633 reported for the previous year, and a falling off from the 22,908 reported for 1896. The tonnage of all these ves­ sels amounted in 1896 to 4,703*880 tons; in 1897, 4,769,020 tons, and iu »18P8 to 4,749.738 tons. The geographical diqfai- bution of our' merchant marine fcr ai fol­ lows: - Number. Tonnage. Atlantic anS Golf coast.;. 16.442 2,553,730 l'aclfle coast ............. 1,754 (ireat lakes 3.1i.i6 1,437,500 Rivers 1,253 261,720 Hawaii will become a full-fledged |na^ ritory of the United States on July 4, 1899, if Congress follows the recommen­ dations of the Hawaiian commission. The congressional members of that body, Sen­ ators Cullom and Morgan and Representa­ tive Hitt, together with Justice F»ear of the Hawaiian Supreme Court, who, with President Dole, represented the islands on the commission, have been meeting in a semi-formal manner at the eapitol, putting the finishing touches upon their report. Their conclusion will be embodied in a Wll establishing a territorial form of govern­ ment for the islands, with a delegate In Congress, a local Legislature, and other features of territorial organisation *e*- siderably different from "those wfeieh have obtained in the old territories of the Unit* ed States. •.--*• . •• « .... i.., With the signing of the treaty of the Government will begin to save from $450,000 to $500,000 a month in wages alone, paid to enlisted men in the army. The" pay of a private soldier in time of war is $15.00 a moplh. but ia time Of peace it is only $13. The pay of a first sergeant is $30 in time of war and #35 in time of peace, and the number •£ other non-commissioned officers will decrease in about the same proportion as> soon aa peace is declared. There are in the com­ bined volunteer and regulnE armies abont 160,000 men. whose pay- a£ pretest amount? to about $2,600,000 a month* , i . t • ~ - Illinois continues fo be the largest con­ tributor to the Internal revenues of the Government, the five highest States being as follows: Illinois, $39,658,686; New York, $21,058,569; Kentucky, $18,226,- 518; Ohio. $16,430,908, and Pennsylvania, $13,846,790. This covers the taxes on whisky, tobacco, beer, oleomargarine1aiid other articles. Th^ianner district of, the United States is Nfe. Fifth Illinois ^Pe­ oria), which paid $2^,^7,554 out a,to£*l of $170,866,819 collected ment during the ye«f._, ~ Reports received from officers engaged in recruiting service for the regular army show that some difficulty is being experi­ enced in securing recruits, and that the greater number of the applicants are ob­ viously not fitted for military servicc. The reluctance of the most desirable class of men to enlist is ascribed to the hardships of the Spanish war, and the reports, some­ times exaggerated, regarding the deadly disease certain to be encountered by troops stationed in tropical climates. ^ . Chief Justice Fuller is to add another. son-in-law to his already long list, the en­ gagement being annaunced of his young­ est daughter, Jane, to Mr. Francis of Bos>- ton. This latest, marriage in the Fuller family is scheduled to take place in the early spring. The chief justice already has six sons-in-law and with seven on his hands in the spring he will still hare a chance to gain another, as one daughter still remains unmarried- There are 29%appointmentsof presiden­ tial postmasters awaiting confirmatioii bjf the Senate. This number represents pres­ idential offices tilled during the recess. Ail these appointees assumed their postoffice functions at once, but their continuance ia office depends on the action of the Senate. In addition to these four others w&e^t£- pointed, but their commissions wcriFMft- sequently withheld. The widow of Captain Charles Grid)ey, who commanded Admiral Dewey's flag­ ship, the Olympia. at the battle of Ma­ nila, is to have a pension. Her formal application has been filed with Pension Commissioner Evans. Captain Gridley died ou his way home a few days after the memorable battle. His home was in Erie, Pa. j "SI : ".V j'.rfg .i • iVS! % * «f '*• " J Senator Foraker says an extra of Congress can hardly be avoided. He does not see how all the work of Con­ gress can be finished by the 4th of March. Personally, he is1 in favor of ratifying thn treaty with Spain. As to currency legi»- lation. Senator Foraker is doubtful if anything in that line will be don*. Senator Hoar has announced himself an positively opposed to the treaty which ac­ quires the Philippines. He says: "The constitution was framed upon the theory that sovereignty is not a salable article. The people of the U nited States have con­ ferred upon nobody the power 4« make such purchases in their behalf." Politics makes strange bedfellows, fix­ ator Hoar and Mr. Bailey, Mr. Cankeole and Mr. Pulitzer are working together to prevent the ratification of the peace treaty, while Mr. Teller and Senator Al­ len are assisting President McKiaieg In his expansion policy- A billfcas been drawn and will*eiott»> duced in Congress providing for appro­ priating of $1,000,000, to be used in per1 feet ing a thorough water and saNMnv* system for Chickamauga Park. Secretary of the Navy John t<M| has ordered that the eight-hoar law Shall be enforced in all navy yards, and that 50 per cent additional be paid forafi over­ time.