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NW.V/J^JU fifvft îa «' »MSu -r.»::z CHICAGO "CAR BARN BANDITS" EXPIATE THEIR MANY CRIMES ON THE GALLOWS The notorious Chicago "car barn bandits" have paid the penalty the law exacted for their numerous crimes. At 7:30 a. m. on the morning of April 22 they were awakened and told to prepare themselves. At 8:30 breakfast was served. The tondemned men were furnished with whatever they cared to eat. At 9:00 Father O'Brien heard the •onfessions of Marx and Van Dine. Niedermier was contumacious to the snd. At 9:30 the sheriff appeared a* eacif death chamber and read the death warrants. At 10 the march to the gallows be­ gan. By 11 the execution was over, and the bodies of the desperadoes were in their coffins. Peter Niedermeier, the leader of the fcandits, made two desperate attempts at suicide early on the morning of So the bandit rolled his sleeve a bit higher and began on the radial vein, Just below the elbow. And this time he was more careful. He scraped patiently uhtll the skin had been re* moved. And all this time the guard stood at the door. Niedermeier pushed aside the flesh, and it was torn and ragged. Then he felt the vein with the point of the pencil. He felt the blood rushing through as he bared it. Then came the surpreme test. The lead was placed against the tender vein. The bandit gave it a quick jerk. The blood spurted in bis face. And all the wtytfe the guard stood at the door and wondered how a man who was to die so soon could sleep so peacefully. But the mind of Neidermeier was working rapidly now. Although the blood was running from his arm It did cot reach the floor. He wrapped a blanket about the wound; not tight enough to stop the flow, but Jtight 1 7pg w April 18. He had planned his at­ tempted suicide carefully. First he masticated and swallowed the heads of seventy-flve or 100 sulphur matches. While the phosphorus was burning his stomach, he sawed at the radial artery of hie left wrist with a sharp- pointed lead pencil. Striking a bone In the wrist, he gave up trying to sever the artery and turned his weapon to the large vein on the outer side of the left forearm and with Jabs and a see-saw motion he lacer­ ated the flesh and muscles of the arm and tore open the veins, leaving a large lagged wound exposed, through which the blood gushed 1a streams, dyeing his bed clothing and running down over the cell floor fn pools. Niedermeier gave no signs Sunday afternoon or evening of the desperate resolve he had formed. He wrote a •chapter of bis book during the after­ noon. As he wrote he could hear the singing of the prisoners at the chapel exercises. The head jailer left him at 12 •o'clock. Reeder, one of the death watch, took his place. He stood at the cell door for half an hour, and It seemed to him that the bandit was sleeping. Another fifteen minutes passed and Niedermeier rolled over. Then bis breathing became regular and the guard thought that he was asleep again. But the bandit's eyes had not been dosed. He held a sharpened pencil in his right hand. It had been sharp­ ened for the occasion ^nd had a point like a pin. Somewhere he had read of a man who opened the arteries in his wrists and had let the blood flow until he was dead. Niedermeier was trying It He shoved the point of the pencil beneath the skin at the radial artery of his left wrist The man that com­ mitted suclde had done the same. It was painful, this passage of Sharpened lead through the flesh. The blood came, but there was no spurt, as the bandit had hoped. Instead he struck something solid, and that hurt until he ceased. The bandit had struck a bone. He was afraid to try again. This time the point of. the weapon might break. If it did his only weappn was gone. CAUSE OF NEWSPAPER FAILURE. enough to keep the drip from warning the guard. And then he made his next attempt. He thought of the matches which he had saVed and took them from beneath his pillow. He had planned that part of it for a long time. Sometimes he did not receive more than one or two matches a day. It was sppposed that he smoked a pipe, and if he did not burn any of the matches he would be sus­ pected. So he cut the matches with his finger nails and used one half for his pipe and saved the other for the- fight with the gallows. He swallowed one match after an­ other until the carefully hoarded sup­ ply had been exhausted and then Peter Niedermeier thought that he had certainly cheated the gallows. How long be was in a stupor no one will ever know. The deep breath­ ing ceased. Then came the sound as if some one was choking. This guard leaped to his feet. "Niedermeier!" he shouted. But Niedermeier did not answer. "Niedermeier!" he shouted again. This time Niedermeier groaned. The door of the bandit's cell waa throw# open. Then the guard saw the blood. He saw the great wound on the forearm. He knew In an In­ stant what had happened. The bandit was quickly taken to the hospital ward. An intravenous In­ jection of salt solution followed. It was all that kept the bandit from dying. Then three pints of saline so­ lution were injected and the physi­ cian says that it was heroic measure. The bandit was unconscious all the while. It was an hour before ho showed the first return of con­ sciousness. He was lying upon a cot. There was a bandage upon his wrist ^nd forearm. The brain of the bandit was scheming again. He felt the covers in a casual sort of a way and said nothing. A moment later he did the same. The guards were watching bim all the while. When he repeated the operation and made no attempt to molest the bandage, they turned their heads. In a fla^i he was at the cloth. He was tearing it away and attempting to open the wound when he was over powered. Leaves a Boastful Letter. In searching Niedermeier's cell this letter was found: "April 16, 1904.--It is pleasant for me to think of death. I will certainly be relieved of my sorrows and cares; hopes and fears I have none. Many battles have I fought and always won. Quite often I have thought of suicide. Is it because I never cared to live or was it through my courage and marksmanship that I should have to disgrace my folks, and through cowardly traitor like Marx? I may be a most desperate criminal, dangerous and defying to society, but I am ioyal to my own kind, though all the shrewd and restless police force were trying every method known to science to make me reveal an associate. "No pain or torture or money could buy me. Many confessions I could have made. Many mysteries I could have explained. During my entire career I have been hit with one thirty caliber rifle ball, one thirty-eight cal­ iber rifle bullet, one thirty-two caliber revolver bullet, and thirty-three buck and bird shot. "Every shot I received was while facing the enemy. Twenty-five shot and a thirty-two caliber bullet I have in my head at the ,present time, There are four reasons why I should take my own life. "1. Because of the public boast that I cannot commit suicide while I am so closely guarded. "2. And that I cannot cheat the scaffold. "3. That they cannot say they exe­ cuted me and made me pay for crime. "4. To have another ^mystery for the ignorant police to solve. I repent of my career. I leave with regret and love for those few who have loved me. Life is nothing but passing sorrow, with short moments of enjoyment. Why should I dread to die? Death is welcome, with fu­ ture thoughts of peace. It seems very pleasant to have this everlasting en­ joyment of rest. I am an atheist, and do not believe in any religion. (Signed) "PETER NIEDERMEIER.' m HOW BANOIT NIEDERMEIER ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. These drawings explain how Niedermeier tried to kill himself. He took a pencil and probed holes in his arm at the points Indicated by the arrows In the diagram of the blood vessels. Both perforations were great enough to have caused death quickly if the flow of blood had not been stopped. Possible Reason Why New York Daily News Did Not "Go." Dispfetches announce that Frank A. Munsey, the magazine publisher, has abandoned his effort to make the New York Daily News a success on the lines he had laid down. Mr. Munsey acknowledges he has sunk a good deal of money in the fruitless attempt. It Is recalled that on one occasion, while In conversation with a Chicago news­ paper man, Mr. ^tunsey expressed the Arm conviction that no one other than a college graduate was fit for an edi­ torial position on a magazine. The ill-natured suggestion is now thrown out that perhaps he manned the New York Dally News with collegians, and had, therefore, failed of success. Peculiarity of Heligoland. Earthquake recorders placed on Heligoland show that the whole Isl­ and trembles when there Is a big atorm froir the west. During one Off these stenns not long ago, the Ger­ man emperor's vessel was not able to reach land. Japanese Fencing. The Japanese sword is usually wielded with both hands. The cut­ ting plays a much larger part in their sword play than the thrust and point. They also fence with two swords at once, the long, two-handed weapon be­ ing held in the right hand, while the left uses the shorter and lighter blade. The fencer stands with his right foot forward and his sword held in both hands directly in front of him, Its hilt at about the level of his waist, its point being at nearly the level of his opponent's eyes. Discipline at the White House. Employes in the white house for a long time have been in the habit of soliciting subscriptions from and of­ fering tickets for sale to persons who call at the executive mansion. Tie custom had become so general as to be a nuisance and an order has been issued putting a stop to the abuse. Messengers and doorkeepers had fallen Into the habit of reading newspapers, magazines, etc., while on duty. This also has been ended by the same order. RULES IN EAST AFRICA. American Girl Wife of Powerful Gen man Official. Countess Von Goetzen, wife of the military and civil governor of Ger­ man • East Africa, will return to the United States for a brief visit this summer. The countess, who was Mrs. May Stanley Lay of Washington when she was married to Capt. Von Goetzen in 1898, has reigned like a queen in east Africa since his appointment as governor, in 1901. The governor and his wife first occupied a palace at Windshock, the\ capital of German southwest Africa, but have recently residW in the eastern provinces. The governor rules over a territory of 800,000 square miles, which is occu­ pied by over 6,000,000 people, mostly wild tribes distinctly hostile to each other. President Brodrick Must Serve Ten Years in Jail at Leavenworth. CASHIER GETS SHORTER TERM Director Brown Is Let Off With Eight- Year Sentence, Though Judge De­ clares He Is Probably the Most Guilty of the Three Men Involved. Indianapolis dispatch: Justus L. Brodrick, president of the wrecked In­ diana National bank of Elkhart, which failed for $642,000; W. L. Colltas, cashier, and Walter Brown, a direc­ tor, all brothers-in-law, ^e rushing across the country toward the United States military prison at Fort Leav­ enworth. Brown may never reach the prison alive. He was unable to appear in court Thursday morning for sentence. He was ordered into court in the af­ ternoon, however, and appeared weak and trembling. His physicians pro­ tested, fearing a total collapse, so he was not required to'stand during sen­ tence. J. L. Brodrick, president of the wrecked bank, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in the United States prison at Leavenworth, Kan.; W. L. Collins, cashier, was' sentenced to six years. The judge, in sentenc­ ing Collins, took into consideration his services to the government as a witness and took the ground that he had been used as a tool. Director Brown received eight years. Eighteen of the sixty counts In the indictments against him were dismissed. Sentence was on the other forty-two. In overruling the mqtion for a new trial, Judge Anderson said the prisoner had had a fair trial, and the verdict of the jury met the court's full approval. "I do not see how twelve men could have come to any other conclusion," said Judge Anderson. It was possible, he added, that Brown's guilt might be greater than that of the other three, but he re* garded Brodrick, as president of the bank, the most culpable. Brown's attorneys gave notice of an appeal, and- asked the judge to send the pris­ oner away at once. The judge re­ fused, however. Mrs. Brown went with her husband to the prison to care for him on tne trip. Mrs. Brodrick bade her husband a tearful farewell at the hotel. Both have been constant attendants at the trials. Thus tragically closes a struggle be­ tween men of wealth, Influence and social standing, which, while in point of value at stake, it does not equal some of the titanic wars of finance now attracting attention, in dramatic features, stirring situations and strong climaxes, it probably has a prior claim to attention. Fight With Congressman. While many interests were Involved and the conflict ramified into numer­ ous phases, the real essence of the strife was the hostile personal feel­ ing between ex-Congressman C. G. Conn, the widely known band Instru­ ment manufacturer, and Walter Brown, director of the wrecked bank, a member of Gov. Durbin's staff, and a czar in the political realm. The antagonism of the men rendered har­ monious existence impossible in the same sphere of influence, and had Its vent in a project which Brown took hold of for centralizing the water power of two local hydraulic compa­ nies into a big electric power plant Here the interests of Conn and Brown squarely clashed, for Conn's factory derived Its power from one of the hy­ draulic canals. Brown sounded the opening war note by boasting that he "was going to put Conn out of the business." This was the opening skirmish. The climax came when, on the same day that Walter Brown was convicted on a federal indictment, Conn was grant­ ed a franchise by the Elkhart city council to build the power plant, and also a ten-year light contract with the city. It was a dual triumph for Conn. Brown came to Elkhart from To­ ledo, Ohio, ten years ago. It was rumored that the bank was backing Brown in his fight with Conn for the hydraulic control. When Conn filed a mandamus suit to com pel the transfer of stock to him, it be­ came known publicly that he held the trump cards. A few days later the bank closed its doors for liquidation. There were 2,500 depositors. Gov. Durbin, whom Brown had in­ terested in the power scheme, had de­ cided not to go ahead with the plan, after Brown had assigned to him all rights and holdings of the company. Conn Baw Durbin and purchased hie rights. Conn is now preparing to de­ velop the power schejne, while Brown faces a long prison term. ILLINOIS NEWS r :T *'VS3 •H- --f. Choice items from over the state, specially selected for our readers ADVERSE WEATHER FOR CROPS BARREN VICTORY FOR NEGROES. Thermometer Ranges Ten Degrees Below Normal at This Season. The wheat crop in Illinois has had a setback, caused by adverse weath­ er conditions and by floods. The Illi­ nois section of the United States de­ partment of agriculture has issued the following bulletin pn crop condi­ tions for the week ending April 19: "The temperature was abnormally low during the week, there being a marked deficiency over the entire state. Freezing temperatures and lower were recorded in the central and northern districts, and killing frosts occurred the latter part of the week. The daily deficiency of mean temperature in the central district averaged about 10 degrees. An al­ most total absence of rainfall, to­ gether with high wind movement, has fitted the soil for plowing in many localities, although much complaint is still made on account of th's w£tr- soggy condition of the ground. "Wheat is generally in a fair condi­ tion, but many adverse reports have been received. In submerged fields in lowlands, and in low spots, the plant is dead. The crop has made but little, if any, development during the week, and it is not so promising as it was ten clays ago. "The feature of farming operations has been the sowing of oats, in which rapid and satisfactory progress was made. Seeding is finished in several localities, and such advancement made in others that reports indicate at least half of the crop is now in the ground. * "Meager reports show rye to be in a good condition. "Some plowing for corn has been done In the central and northern dis­ tricts, and a few fields have been planted in the southern district. "The weather has been too cold for grasses and growth has been slow. Considerable young clover has b&en killed or damaged. "Stock is in good condition. "Thp full effect of the latest cold spell is not yet apparent on fruits, but no serious damage is believed to have occurred. In the southern dis­ trict cherries and some peaches are in bloom. "The past winter has been severe on bees and many hives have been killed. "Gardening is in a backward stage. Considerable planting of potatoes has been done in the southern district." Little Likelihood of Success in Enter­ ing School at Alton, interesting feature of the Alton scL > il case decided by the Illinois su- pre e court is that the colored people as i whole may still be unable to gain t' v admission to all the white schools. The suit was started by Scott Bibb for his two children. During the seven years the case has been in the courts one of the children has become older than the school age. and the other is nearly too old to go to school. Now it is claimed by legal authority that when the mandamus is issued by the supreme court, as it probably will be soon, the writ will apply only to the Bibb children, and that for the re­ mainder of the colored people the vic­ tory will be a barren one. Upper Al­ ton had a similar suit many years ago. and when the writ of mandamus was issued it applied only to the children fne family. Prepares for Trouble. Capt. J. N. Ashlocft of the Alton night police has one of the most dan­ gerous weapons in the city, which he purchased in anticipation of trouble during the World's fair. The weapon is a magazine revolver machine gun, similar to the weapops used by the Chicago car barn bandits. Capt Ash- lock will use the weapon to g^iard the headquarters at night, it being nec­ essary for him to be frequently alone guarding bad characters. HA8 MANY DESCENDANTS. President Roosevelt should be "de­ lighted" to meet Mrs. Elizabeth Deaf- inger of Taylorville. She is distin­ guished as a woman who can claim 271 living descendants. She Is the mother of sixteen children, all living. She has seventy-seven grandchildren, 171 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren. She is 86 years old and says herself that she is "as lively as a cricket." Her maid­ en name was Padgett and she was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, in 1818. On Sept 7, 1834, she was Sons Get Estate. The will of Philip Kelmel, who died at Hillsboro on April 1. has been pre­ sented for probate. He devised all his real estate to his two sons, Charles and Edward, on condition that within six months after his death they pay to his daughter, Mary Fettig, such a sum as, with $2,500 ad­ vanced her by testator, should make the shares of the three children equal. Greater Decatur. The propositions to admit two tracts of land to the city of Decatur were carried at the election, and this will add about 500 people to the pop­ ulation. The districts admitted now join the city limits. The proposition to put the police force and the fire department on a civil service basis also carried. Vetoes Perpetual Franchise. Mayor Devereux vetoed the ordi nance granted by the old council giv­ ing the Illinois Central traction com pany a perpetual franchise to use the streets of Springfield. The veto was sent to the new council and unani mously adopted. The mayor recom mended a twenty-year franchise. Doctors to Banquet. The thirtieth anniversary of the or­ ganization of the Central Illinois Medical society will be celebrated at Pana on Wednesday, April 27, with a banquet at the St. James hotel. Dr J. N. Nelms of Taylorville will re­ spond to the toast, "The Physician a6 a Citizen." 8urvey for Railroad. Surveyors are at work on the pro­ posed Okaw & Eastern railway, which passes through Clinton county, seven miles north of Carlyle, running east and west. The right-of-way, including right to a mine the underlying coal has about all been secured. Charge Telegram Swindle. Chicago, Illinois, dispatch: Harry Schneif^ki, 16 years old, was ar­ raigned before Justice Hurley on a charge of delivering false telegrafiu and* collecting fees from persons tc whom they were taken. Prevent Students' Protest. Cincinnati, O., dispatch: The stu dents of Cincinnati university at tempted to hold a mass meeting oi protest against the dismissal of Presi dent Ayers, but were prevented. Cows In Europe. According to German statistics there are 35,900,000 cows In the nine leading. European countries. The an­ nual butter production is 1,475,000 tons. t|' Kills Youth Who Threw Snowballs St. Louis dispatch: Angered be cause they pelted him with snowballs Fred Guiguesse, a negro, fired into e crowd of men and boys, fatally wound ing Robert D. Barry, white, who died shortly afterward. Deadly Family Quarrel. Nashville, Tenn., dispatch: Bet Harris, aged 90, and George Eldridge, his grandson, are reported dead In Cumberland county, Tennessee, th< result of a family fight. MRS. ELIZABETH DEARINGER. married to Jacob Dearinger in Wood­ ford county, Kentucky. Her husband died in 1882. When sitting for her picture she insisted on smoking her pipe, saying her doctor told her to smoke and that she wasn't easy in mind unless she had her tobacco. She wears glasses, but can thread the finest needle and spends her time making carpet rags. She had two sons in the Union army in the civil war. Most of her relatives live in Kentucky, but Mrs. Dearinger has made her home in Taylorville for the last fourteen years. Presbyterian Commissioners. The commissioners to the Presby­ terian general assembly, which will meet in Buffalo, N. Y., the third Thurs­ day in May, chosen by Alton presby­ tery, are: Rev. Edward Harris of Brighton and J. G. Benner of Wood- burn. School Exhibit for Fair. The Cairo high school has collected an exhibit of the work done in the various departments of the city pub­ lic schools, to be sent to the World's fair at St. Louis. Scarlet Fever Is Checked. The warm weather has checked the scarlet fever epidemic which has been raging at Taylorville, and there is now not a case in the city. Three deaths resulted from the disease. Girl Orator Is Selected. Miss Ethel Borden has been select­ ed to represent the Alton schools In the declamatory contest, May 6, in Collinsville. Miss Pauline Guy will compete for the essay prize. Defeat for City Employes. At a meeting of the Quincy city council a proposition to advance the wages of city employes resulted in a tie vote by the aldermen. The move­ ment was defeated by the mayor cast­ ing his vote in the negative. 8tudents in the Cooler. Two students of the James Milll- kin university were arrested and con­ fined in the Decatur prison. They were part of a crowd of students who built a bonfire on the campus. They were released before morning. Teachers' Institute. The Jersey county teachers' insti­ tute will be held in Jerseyville May 30 to June 3. Miss Lelia PartrTdge of Philadelphia, Miss Geneva Burtoin of Gillespie and Prof. S. H. Treago of Clayton have been engaged as in­ structors. Improve Coal Mine. Improvements are being made at the Murray coal mine, preparatory to the renewal of coaling the Louisville & Nashville engines in Nashville. New Telephone Company. The Oak Grove Telephone com­ pany has been organized in Fort Rus­ sell township. Eight miles of wire will be constructed to start with. Civil Service Loses. The proposition to establish civil service in the Alton police and fire department failed to carry by a small majority. Signal Man Loses Thumb. William Price, a signal man for the Chicago & Alton, suffered the loss of a thumb while completing a new block system. REVERSES ALTON SCHOOL CASE Supreme Court Declares Negroes Were Discriminated Against. Among other opinions handed down by the Illinois supreme court at Springfield was the celebrated Alton school case, in which the court, for the fourth time, decided to reverse the decision of the Mason county circuit court, sending it back to trial for the fifth time. The suit was brought by a colored taxpayer named Scott Bibbs, who asked for a writ of mandamns to compel the city of Alton to permit him to send his children to the Wash­ ington school. The city had refused to let him send his children there, saying that there were two schools especially set apart for the colored children of Alton. In the decision, the supreme court declares that the con­ tention of the Alton city council that they were not discriminating against Bibbs on account of his Color Is 'p* worthy of consideration. \ '4 MAY HEAD COLLEGE. _____ ' i v* -i, Dr. William A. Evans, who been named for the presidency of the University of Illinois, is one of a group of Chicago physicians whose ; achievements are well known far out- j side their own neighborhood. Dr. Evans is 45 years old, and has been practicing his profession since he graduated in 1885 from the Tulare university of Louisiana. He came to Chicago twelve yeads ago, unknown . ' h Oil In Palestine. A well producing from twenty-five to thirty-five barrels was struck on the Batton farm, one mile south of Palestine. The company, composed of local people, owns about two thou­ sand acres in that vicinity and is planning to drill more wells. Boy Admits Burglary. Louis. Akin, who br^ke into David McClay's grocery store in Nashville, pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to the state reformatory. The boy is only 10 years of age. Would Be W. R. C. Chaplain. Mrs. C. L. Carroll of Taylorville is a candidate for chaplain of the state W. R. C. encampment. The encamp­ ment meets in Springfield to elect officers. Coal Company incorporates. Articles of incorporation of the new Staunton Coal company have been filed at Edwardsville; capital stock $100,000, with headquarters at Olive, in Madison county. The incor­ porators are John Scullin, D. R. Fran­ cis, J. E. Rutledge and Geo. L. Sands. \ and without influence, and la this comparatively short space of time has gained an international reputa­ tion through his original researches into many fields of scientific and economic effort. He is ex-president of the Chicago Medical society and a leading member of the principal med­ ical bodies of the city. Dr. Evans is chief of staff of the Cook County hos­ pital for consumptives. Gets Free Franchise. The Decatur city council granted a thirty-five-year franchise to the Illi­ nois Central traction company, allow­ ing interurban cars to run through the city on the tracks of the local street car company. There was a bit­ ter fight against the franchise on the part of Alderman R. I. Hunt, but the majority of the council favored the franchise. The company is not re­ quired to pay anything to the city. Court Exonerates Defendant Circuit Judge Holder instructed the jury which was hearing the case of Leo J. Scherer, in Belleville, who was being tried on a charge of falsifying county records, to find the defendant not guilty. Scherer is a real estate dealer of East St. Louis. The charge against Scherer was that he executed a worthless mortgage to certain prop­ erty in East St. Louis, which be­ longed to a Mrs. Bessie Lee Bates. Clerks Will Play Ball. ~ The retail clerks of Mount Vernon have organized a baseball team, Fletcher Pooie being elected captain and Walter Boyd manager. The other members are: Ed Burnett, La Verne Cooper, Charles Palmer, Frank Dewey, Fritz Oehm, Orlie Pemberton and William Dewey. Merchants Elect Officers. At the annual meeting of Quincy Retail Merchants' association J. O. Fisher was elected president, George H. Lyford vice president, Daniel Spey- er treasurer, David "Stern, W. iT. Du- ker, M. A. Oppenheim and N. Heintx, trustees. Has Arm Torn Off. Richard Taylor and David Miller were thrown from a wagon in a run­ away accident at Quincy. Taylor had his right arm torn off at the elbow, and Miller received numerous bruises. Church Delegate. The German Evangelical church of Nashville has elected William Poeh- ler delegate to the annual conference of the southern Illinois district Limits Crossing Blockade. At a meeting of the Centralis city council an ordinance was passed lim­ iting the time a railroad Is allowed to block a street crossing to ten consecu­ tive minutes. A violation of the ordi­ nance means a fine of $10. 1; Loses Stock in Barn Fire. Two barns belonging to W. Q. Spil- ler of Carbondale were destroyed by fire. Five horses and four mules per­ ished. The loss is $3,000; partially insured. Find a Human Skull. The street force, while construct­ ing a sidewalk on Kansas street, Ed­ wardsville, found a humon *knii about a foot below the surface, that from appearances had been there many years. To Build Electric Line. The necessary steps have been taken by business men of Carbondale to incorporate a company for the pur­ pose of building an electric railroad from Carbondale to Carterville to con­ nect with the Williamson county CQQl belt road. !Vt Fruit Buds Are Chilled. Six inches of snow fell in Alton vicinity April 20. Hortirulturalists say that fruit buds were badly chUled, and they fear the peaches hare killed. -• ' \A :W'