The Weekly Times-Journal. (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, February 12, 1904 Page: 2 of 8
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DITCH IN A DESERT
WM. CURTIS WRITES OF SUEZ
WATERWAY
MUST HAVE PILOTS
There is Danger of Doing Dam-
age to the Canal
CHICAGO, FpIi. H.—Wiftiam K. Cur-
tis, writing to the Chicago Record Her
aid Lain "on board ship in the Red
sea," says:
Every vessel passing through the Suez
rapal is compelled to take h pilot, he
caUK the skipper* of ordinary vessels
can not he trusted to navigate the nut
row channel, for the slightest deviation
luy cai'.^e dumage that will cost thous-
anui of dollars to repair. Kaeh year,
however, navigation is rendered easier
by the widening of the channel and hy
the excavation of additional aiding" or
basins where vessels can paa*. From
the moment the pilot goes on the bridge
he takes charge of the inovementa of
«he *hip and is responsible for what-
ever may happen, regu'.ating the speed
i (-cording to tonnage and draught.
Vessel* ean not pass in motion.
When they meet the one which arrive *
first at the signal .station is compelled
to stop and tie up in a basin until
«ho other goes by. The.se basins are
found at intervals of a few miles, ami
rt every basin is a "gare" or station in
C(targe of a signal officer, who corres
ponds to a train dispatcher on one of
our railroads, aud the block system is
used to regulate the movement of the
easels. Formerly no traffic wan allowed
nt night, but now it is carried on with
out interruption by the aid of electric
light* on the shore aud eeurchlights
cn the vessels.
The cana^ look* exactly what it is-
a big <1 itch through a desert of sand
on which foxe*, jackals, hyenas and oc-
casionally lion* aie ween by tin- watch
men in the signal towera. At some
places the hanks of earth are piled so
liigh that passengers on the *tearner
• an not see over them, but for most of
(he journey you have a wide sweep on
\oth Hides hack to the mountains that
ii*e from the desert, and at a certain
point for a mile or two Mount Sinai is
\isible thirty severt miles to the south -
Mat, and is pointed out to you by the
captain or the deck steward. Naked
Arab boys run along the banka, crying
for backsheesh and easily keep abreast
of the creeping vessel, grabbing at the
pennies which passengers throw them
from the deck. Half the coin* roll
down into the water, which is exasperut
itig to the youngsters. They do not like
to stop and dive for them while there is
a chance to getting more, but 1 im-
igine they mark tlie sjmiIs and come
lack to leeover lost baksheesh when
they have left the vessel.
There arc oly two towns of any ac
count r.o the canal. One is tamaha, a
half-way point, with a population of
4,000. li \< the only monument in honor
of the Khedive Ismail, who did the
.host and spent the most to carry out
(lie enterprise, and lost his throne there
I v. It is a rather pretty town, abund-
untly irrigated, and hence ha* love.y
gardens and groves of palm and other
trees. Hero reside most of the cilgi
neers and other officers of the caual
Vecause it is preferable to Port Said.
Th 'ic is a hospital for «ick employes, a
club for the benefit of the officers and
hi- era I good houses, including one
erected especially for the entertain
nicut of M. de Lesseps, when he should
he pleased to use it Beyond Ismulia,
i. s before, are occasional oases in the
'csert groves of palms and luxuriant
gardens surrounding the stations of the
i inaI officials, for wherever you can
turn water upon that lonely desert
everything will grow with s wild luxuri-
ance. It seems a* if the earth suddenly
icleased germinating power that had
Seen accumulating during centuries of
suppression.
The chief interest is found in the
town of Sues, because it i* the crossing
place of the great caravans of camel*
that furnish transfKirtation between the
two continents of A*ia and Africa, and
travel iegulai\y between Cairo, Damns
eus and Itagilad; also because Hiblical
historians believe that here the waters
of the lied sea opened 3,500 year* ago
and allowed 3,000,000 of the Children
of Israel to cross over upon a dry hot
tom. It require* a considerable conces
.ion to the imagination and a strength
of faith which the most of mankind do
not possess to accept this theory, but
no one knows to the contrary, and ex-
perience ha* taught me never to doubt
the truth of interesting stories. If you
do you deprive yourself and others of
much pleasure. It is like analyzing the
Attractions of a pretty woman or separ
uting her features into lot*, classifying
them and measuring them by the Venn i
de Milo.
On the other side of the Red sea,
which, by the way is not red but blue
es Hue a* the sky in dune you can see
4,he purple peaks of the Sinaitic range,
wild a lew miles from the shore, which
you can reach in three hour* by donkey,
one of those remarkable oases that arc
frequently fouud in the desert. This,
particular one is called the Wills of
Moses. There is a coin forties* hotel
kept by an Arab, where beds aud refresh
/uents can be obtained, but it is bettei
to start eurly in the morning, so as to
get back the same day, aud take a
luncheon in u basket from Sue/.. The
nip cun easily be made while the vessel
is coaling.
The Children of Israel, according to
the HiL'e, wandered three days in the
wilderness of Shur and found no water
uud when the came to Marah they could
not drink the waters, for they were
..utter, and the people murmured against
Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"
and he cried unto the Loid and the Lord
showcu him a tree which he cast Into
the waters and the waters were made
sweet. And they came to Klim, where
there were twelve wells of water and
three score and ten pulm trees, and
they encamped there by the water*. And
Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of
Auron, took a timbrel in her hand, and
all the women went out after her with
1 ibrels and dances. That beautiful
- ue, one of the most dramatic in the
1 •«. is believed to have tsken place
I . for these weHs are the wells of
I in, and three and ten palm trees still
shelter a collection of a doaen or more
spring*. The village is peopled with na-
ked Arabs, sinewy, springy, enduring
fellows, whose lletli shines like polished
mahogany and who must resemble the
young men of Israel when they started
on the journey that was not finished
for forty years.
It is diffhult to understand why and
how long they happened to be wander
ing about so long down here. If you
will see that Suez is almost on a line
with Cairo, and it was the most natural
rendezvous for the tribes, who were
scattered all along the Nile from Mem
phi.*, which is just above Cairo to
Thebes, which is just below Luxor. The
account in the Bible is condensed, and
we are compelled to take a good deal
of the traditions on faith, but, a* I have
already suggested, it is worth while to
do so.
The Red soa is 1,400 mile* long and
its greatest width is 200 mile*. It i*
about the shape of a sausage and tapers
at both ends. On one side i* Arabia,
the most mysterious and primitive of u'.l
countries, and on the other side are
Egypt, Nubia and the Soudan At the
north end what is known a* the Sinaitic
peninsula projects southward and di-
vides the sea into two arms, and near
the |>oint of the peninsula is Tor, the
landing place for Sinai. Opposite Tor is
Jebel Y.f Zcit, which means "the moan-
tain of oil," where petroleum was dis
covered some years ago, and created
great excitement. Hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars have been expended
in sinking wells and building docks,
warehouses and refineries,'but they have
all been abandoned, because, for some
reason, the manufacturers could not
compete with the Standard Oil company
or the Russian factories on the Illack
and Caspian seas.
People think there is a good deu'. more
wealth in Arabia than we know of. It
was once of greater importance than
now, and in ancient days produced con-
siderable gold and other metals, hut
now it ships little but dates, wool und
coflee, and even these are gradually
falling off. Mocha coffee i-> produced
at the extreme end of the Arabian pen
insula in a province called Yemen, and
derives its name from the little port it
is shipped from. IJut the people have
no enterprise, the coffee orchards have
been injured by insects and blight, and
the trees have not been renewed. This
is accounted for by government. As
everywhere c'.se in the dominions of the
sultan of Turkey, for Arabia is nomin-
ally a part of the Ottoman empire, the
officials receive no salaries and live off
blackmail. Hence, whenever a citizen
gets u little uhead, when he shows signs
of prosperity, he immedistely becomes
an object of plunder and persecution by
the tax gatherer and every other rep-
resentative of the government. There
is no incentive for the coffee growers to
extend their orchards or to increase
their product.
One does not realize, until he comes
face to face with the fact, that Arabia
is nearly half as large us the United
States. Its area is almost us great us
that of India and is nearly equ:.\ to
that of our state* east of the Missis-
sippi river. The population is unknown,
because there has never been a census,
but it is supposed to be b'tween seven
and twelve millii'v*. The distance from
north to south is more than a thous-
and miles and east to west, it varies
from live hundred to eight hundred.
Yet, in thi* enormous territory ihere is
no centralized authority. The interior
is governed by petty sheiks, each being
absolute over the members of his own
tribe. Along a coast line of nearly 2,.">00
miles are only six ports, where the sul-
tan of Turkey maintains pasha gover-
nors and garrisons to protect the collec-
tors of customs who are tequired to pay
him a certain amount of tribute every
year and they wring it out of the peo-
ple in any way they can.
The relationship between the govern-
ment nt Constantino}'.« aud the Hed-
ouins of Arabia is very slender, and is
due solely to the cohesive power of the
Mohammedan religion. There Is no law
in Arabia but the Koran; there are no
courts but the priests; there are no
mails, no postofflees, no postage stamps,
and a person who wants to communicate
with a distant friend must send his let-
ter by a messenger, which is expensive,
or by a caravan, which is the < • mm« n
way. There is no telegraph line, no
newspaper, no railroad, and, strange to
say, not a river in all that vast terri
tory except a few shallow, rocky beds
which during the spring bring down
water from the melting snow on the
mountain top* to the sea, but for nine
months in the year are as dry as u
crematory.
The captain tells me tfint they pro-
duce a curious phenomenon. The coast
of the Red sea i* lined with coral banks,
built by those mysterious and wonderful
little masons who, like some men I know ,
hate fresh water, and wherever the
spring Hoods fall into the sen there is
always a wide break iu the coral reef.
The mountains of Arabia reach an al-
titude of more than 10,OH) feet, anil in
spot* where borings have been made the
sand is more than 000 feet deep. It is
the prevailing impression thut Arabia
is a vast expanse of desert, but that
is a mistake. There are wide strips of
barren sand, which are irreclaimable
for cultivation only because they can
not be reached by water, but two thirds
of the country is capable of cultivation,
and, lying at an ulaitude of 3,000 feet
above the sea, might produce cotton,
sugar and other semi-tropical staples in
unlimited quantities. Although there
are no streams, plenty of water can bo
had for irrigation purposes by digging
twenty or thirty feet, and the introduc-
tion of windmills would simplify the
pumping problem. On the coast it is in
tensely hot, anil the summer season
make* life unendurable, but in the in-
terior, upon the table lands, along the
mountain slope* and in the valleys, Ihe
mercury seldom ri*e* above 85 degree*,
even in midsummer. While the direct
ray« of the sun are intense it is cool in
the shade, and at night the mercury
often falls below 60.
More than two-thirds of the popula-
tion are lledouin nomads, without per-
manent places of abode, who live in
tents nuido of camel's hair, just like
the patriarchs of old. They have enor-
mous flocks of sheep and goats and
herds of cattle and camels. They follow
the grass, and move from place to place
with all their possessions. There are,
however, several prosperous cities of
considerable population and commerce.
Trade is conducted by camel caravans,
which cross the desert regularly and
transport enormous quantities of dates,
wool and other merchandise.
The gold contained in the medals, vee-
sels, chains and other objects preserved
in the Vatican would make more gold
money than the whole of the present Eu-
ropean circulation.
Net only is the British shoe made
chiefly of American leather and by
American machinery but even the metal
hooks and eyelets are practically all
iiupcrtcd from the United fctutea.
HflCKETT'S
REMOVAL
SURPRISE TO INDIAN TERRI-
TORIAL OFFICIALS
WHAT TROUBLE WAS
Commenced Over Short's Es-
cape—Many Differences
SOUTH McAI.KNTKK. I. T„ Feb. 8.-
The news of Major iiaekett's removal,
which reached South McAlester by tele-
gram. came like a thunder clap out of a
dear sky. Chief Deputy Cennug, when
seen, udmitted thut he bud heard the
news, but insisted that there was prob-
ably some mistake uliout it.
The cases out of which the trouble
grew were the escape of .short, a pris-
oner, and the munugement of the In-
dian trouble* ut Tuskahoma, the capi-
tal of the Choctaw nation.
"Mujor Hackett is in Washington
now," he said, "and surely if anything
of the kind had been pending lie would
have had some intimation of it. Until
further confirmation of the report I
prefer not to suy anything uhout it."
The history of the Short euse is as
follows: F. M. Short, u newly appoint-
ed deputy at Howe, spent Labor day at
Ilurtford, Ark., und was well under the
influence of liquor when he boarded the
train in the evening for his home, lis
begun to parade the train with a drawn
revolver in his hand and in some manner
became angered ut Tom McKlrane, an
Indian miner, who was sitting in the
smoker, und shot him in the head. The
Indiun fell to his knees und Short shot
him a second time iu the breast, kill-
ing hint instantly.
Short disappeared, but the next day
came into Poteuu and gave himself up
to Deputy Em inert. He was examined
and held under $.'>,000 bonds, in default
of which he went to jail.
September 13 the murshul's office re-
ceived word thut Short hud made his
escape from the jail during the night.
It was found that Short had not been
placed in a cell, but had been allowed
the freedom of Ouard Thomas Admire's
quarters on aucount of u case of small
pox which had been discovered among
the prisoners.
Some said the smallpox scare was a
hoax, and Dr. M. C. Wilson, jail physi-
cian at South McAlester, diagnosed the
case and insisted thut it was smallpox,
asserting that the people of Poteau were
interested in denying the presence of
the disease in their town.
At all events, Short made good his
escape und i* still at large.
The trouble nt Tuskahoma, to which
our dispatches refer, took place in Sep
tember, 1802, and wa* the result of a
dispute between the D'.ikes and McCur
tain factions over the election of a gov-
ernor by the Choctaw*. Both faction.*
claimed their man had been elected.
Dukes had possession of the capitol end
for a time a clash was feared. Major
Hackett and deputies were called and
were keeping the peace when Indian
Agent Shoenfelt ordered that every one
be di .aruied. The marshal aid he
could keep the pence without this, but
the troops were called out and dis-
armed every one. Major Hackett with-
drew his force, but refused to allow his
men to be disarmed. He kept the de-
partment fully advised of his actions.
es will be svan by the correspondence
with the department und Dukes, which
is on file at the marshal's office.
Major Hackett was called to Tuska-
homa by the following order, received
September 10, 1902, from the attorney
general:
"As required by the secretary of the
interior you are directed to be present
in person or by one of .your office deitu
ties at Tushahoma on or about October
0 with a sufficient number of deputies
to keep the peace."
On September 20 he received a letter
from Chief G. W. Dukes, at Tuskahoma,
asking him to come to that place on
October ti, us the Indian council would
convene on that date. He asked that
deputies be stationed about town with
strict orders to break all whiskey bot-
tles found and keep order.
Major llackett had his men prompt-
ly on the ground and made all arrange-
ments for the enforcement of the law.
On October 7 he received a letter
from the department telling him not to
interfere with the tribal affairs of the
seating of members or counting the
vote*, but simply keep the peace und in
case of bloodshed to send for troops.
Mujor Hucket wired the department
us follows:
"Everybody quiet. Have placed guard
at steps of capitol, ordered step* kept
clear. So far as United States au-
thority i* concerned, every one except
contestants can .enter, but must enter
iu orderly manner. Report is that Mc-
Curtain "has organized government ;it
hi.i hotel. Governor Dukes proceed
iing to organize in state house. Agent
Shoen felt has withdrawn his police from
statu house and refuses to act in con
cert with me. I will not decide who
are member* of the Choctaw senate or
house. 1 refuse to decide any point of
law, fact or model of procedure on
either side. I do not refuse any one ad-
mission, but request that they enter in
an orderly way. Shoen felt want* me
to decide questions of law and act on
my own decisions. I can keep the peace
without interfering with either party.
1 want your further orders."
The marshal and his forces finally
withdrew and left the field in posses
■ion of Indian Agent Shoen felt und the
soldiers from El Reno, and it has been
a matter of dispute from that day to
this, whether llackett or Shoenfelt was
in the wrong.
GLEO IN EARNEST
( l.EO, Feb. 8,—This city is in ear-
nest on the proposition of a division of
Woods county and the establishment of
a county peat at this point, the mer-
chants, bankers and other residents of
statement, which demonstrates whut
Cleo will do.
Building a court house, county seat
removal and county division, are the
question* that are ugitating the minds
f the taxpayers of Woods county at
the city having issued the following
, which
the present time:
,e pro
"We. the business men of Cleo, be-
lieve that every tax payer is honest in
the position he takes iu reference to
these* quction* as te what would be
the-e questions as to what would be
"And we are honest iu our belief when
we any that county division is the only
solution of the problem und the only
means that will forever avoid county
seat wars in thq count\.
"A ju-t und equitable division of
Woods county would naturally suggest
Cleo as a county scat; therefore, we,
the business men of Cleo, pledge our-
selves. that if Wood.-, county be divided
and Cleo made a county seat, to build
a stone or brick optirt house that will
compare with the court house of any
county in the territory of Oklahoma
and donate the same to the county,
free of charge.
SI'.N VTIT1KS
"Sharrock A McCoy, general mer-
chants.
"I. M. Wiley, cashier Farmers* Stat?
bank.
"F K. Christie, M. I)., druggist.
"Philip Herald, general merchandise.
".Josephaou & Keinstein, Cleo's big de-
partment store.
' II. K. Martin, money broker.
"('. K. Williaiius, cashier Cleo State
bank.
"J. II. Antrobus, lawyer.
"Arthur It. Rice, editor Cleo Journal.
"Charles K. Walker, real estate, loans
and insurance.
"Wylie Brown. M. D.
"W. und C. K. Brown, general mer-
chandise.
"Norton Bassett, general merchandise.
"John II. Gambill, contractor und
builder.
"Thon. M. Murray, wholesale an I rev
tail liquors.
"B. A. Murray, ex-postmaster " .
TEACHERS'
ASSOCIATION
south McAlester, Feb. ft.—The of-
ficial program for the exercises during
the two days' aession of he Indian Ter-
ritory Teachers' Association wine ti will
be held in this city Friday and Satur-
day, February III and 20, has been an-
nounced. It is expected that the at-
tendance will be the largest in the his-
tory of the organization. The prognni
follows:
FEB. 10, MORNING SESSION.
invocation.
Music, duet, Misses IVmberton and
Staleup.
Address of welcome. Rev. H. Bnl',
South McAlester.
"Nnturarl Methods," Robert Swain,
Caddo.
Discussion of above, opened by E.
B. Hinshaw of Ivemp.
"The Function oi the Public High
School of Today," J. C. Tu-'ke.r, Coal-
gate.
Bif-eussion, N. S. Cowart, Haileyville.
"Education of Women," L. M. Logan.
Tahlequah.
Discussion, Lillian Lee. South McAles-
ter.
A FT Eli NOON SI > SI ON.
Music, solo. Miss Staleup.
"The Teachers' Duty in the Commu-
nity," J. B. Trisb r. Holdenville.
Discussion, opened by Bruce Melvin
ley. Eufaula.
"Waste in Education," Geo. Be k,
Tishomingo.
Discus ion. Calvin Ballard, South Me
Aleat er.
"The Preparation of the Teat-bar,
J. B. Masters, Dwight.
Businc > meeting.
EYFNING SESSION.
Music. Cecilian Club.
Lecture. Interdependence," Rev. (.co.
Barr. South McAlester.
Munic, Cecilian ( lub.
Lecture. What hall We Teach?
Supt. «L D. Benedict.
FEB. 20, MORNING SESSION.
Invocation.
Music, solo. Miss I t ha IVmberton.
"Individuality of the Teaclui," A. L.
Malone, Durant.
\)i, us*ion. T. F. Fierce, McAlester.
"Mis-ion of the Te .chcr," Jus. M. Oa
born, Paul's \ alley.
Discussion, J. A. Lynn, South Mc-
Alester.
"Manual Training," H. 11. Bunch.
Discussion. E. II. Rishel, Atoka.
A FT 1:11 NOON SI SSION.
"The Human Voice and What the
Schools Should Do For It," H. S. Bruce,
Wagoner.
Paper, donas Cook, Chickasha.
Adjournment.
After the leader named in the pro-
gram bus discussed any subject, it will
be open to all during the time given.
PORTO RICO
REGIMENTS
FINE BODY OF MEN DEVEL-
OPED BY TRAINING
OPPOSE DISBANDMENT
Want to Continue in Service-
Would bs Invaluable
OKMULGEE. I. T., Feb. 8. -It having
been announced thut the Creek nation
is entitled to one delegate nt the na-
tional republican convention the repub-
lican club of this city has gone on rec-
ord as endorsing the nomination of John
L. Peacock, the representutive of the
nation in the convention. At a recent
meeting after endorsing the adminis-
tration, the following resolutions were
udopted:
Whereas, The Creek Nation is entitled
to one delegate in the republican na-
tional convention, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the republican club of
Okmulgee in convention assembled:
That we favor the nomination of John
L. Peacock of Okmulgee, for national
delegate to the Chicago convention.
Whereas, The next four years will
lie four years of vital importance to the
republicans of Indian Territory, and be-
lieving that the party should continue
to l>e represented upon the national
committee by an active and aggressive
republican, therefore he it
Resolved, By the republicans of Ok-
mulgee in convention assembled, that
we favor the selection of Hon. Pliny
L. Soper, of Vinita, as the member of
the national committee from the Indian
Territory.
RE-
PUBLICANS
DUNCAN, I. T., Feb. 8.—The repub-
lican club of Duncan held an enthusias-
tic meeting Saturday night and after
a number of speeches proceeded to elec-
tion of officers. The result follows:
Benjamin Rjdge, president! II. S. Bak-
er, vice president; H. W. Fairmont,
second vice president; Robert Matt, sec-
retary and William P. Mclntyre, usais-
taut secretary*
Resolutions were parsed cudorslng
the administration of Theodore Hoose
relt.
P. L Taber was endorsed |or national
its of Kyan tor delegate lo the national
committeeman and Judge H L. Mor-
convention waft fkoeen.
SAN J CAN. Feb. S.—As the time
proposed for the disbunding of the
Porto Rico provisional regiment ap-
proaches the sentiment throughout the
island and especially in Sun Juan is
growing steadily stronger against such
action. This untidisbanding feeling has
been intensified during the past week
by public Knowledge of a quiet polling
of the Porto Riean soldiers to learn
how many would be willing to enlist
for service at Panama in event of war
with Colombia >r us u guard along the
canal. Ninety-five per cent of the men
expressed themselves as unxious to re-
enlist, especially if there is a prospect
of going to the isthmus. The polling,
it is said, was by direct orders of tlie
war department, the rules of which
prevent the sending of soldiers to war
w hose terms of enlistment expire within
six months, und therefore few if any,
of the soldiers of the Porto Rico regi-
ment could be sent involuntarily to
Panama.
The only way that the regiment can
be used in the war with Colombia if it
should come is by a voluntary re-enliat
ment of the men, or the enlistment of
other Porto Rieans. The latter proced-
ure would not be practicable, as the
new men would not have Huffbient
training to do the work in Panama.
The fact that the men are acclimated
and speak the Spanish language makes
them especially available for service iu
any Spanish-speaking territory. Indeed,
they would be an invaluable safeguard
in event of any war in which Porto ilico
might become involved.
The development of tlese men, physi-
cally, intellectually, socially and as sol-
diers, has been one of the most inter-
esting studies in the Americanization
of Porto Rico. They are proud of their
position, and the island '•* proud of
them. Through their having been taught
habits of economy, many of the men
who were formerly indigent now have
good bank accounts und own real es-
tate. In brief, they ure men trans-
formed. Their shooting is a matter of
national repute. Company E made the
best record of any company in the de-
partment of the east in rifle practice.
This was a great distinction for the
company among such a lnrge number of
competitors. The company did not get
the medal which is awarded for making
the best record, simply because the
regiment was not a part of the regular
army of the* United States, yet the rec-
ord is recognised and stands. On this
year's shooting the company is again
head among the companies of this regi-
ment in the preliminary trials.
There are. many athletes in company
E. The men have won many prizes in
open contests with others. Among those
who have distinguished themselves as
athletes are Privates Cheron, Pellesser
and Melendez. Sergt. Palanco is the
best shot, according to the records, aud
was the one to put his company at the
head of the list in the whole department
of the en it.
The tine appearance of the company
has been the subject of much comment,
not onlv here, but in the United States.
When Wie soldiers were sent to Wash-
ington to be reviewed by Presiednt
Roosevelt he made sonic very compli-
mentary remarks about their appear
a.iu^c, and experts who have viewed
the troops here have expressed the
opinion that they compare favorably
with other troops and are much -like
the German soldiers.
Last fall, in long distance marching,
under most trying conditions, the regi-
ment made a remarkable record, still
further proving its exceptional adapta-
bility to tropical campaigning.
The officers of the regiment who are
over the legal age for first commissions
in the regular army are much concerned
over the danger of losing their occupa-
tions, and the regimental officers have
sent First Lieutenant Ralph E. Gambell.
formerly a legislative correspondent at
the Pennsylvania capitol, and who is n
good fellow, a shrewd lobyist and a
sharp politician, to help along, if pos-
sible, Senator Clapp's bill to save the
regiment und the officers thereof. Lieut.
Gambell, who is over 27, and who has
u splendid record here as an officer,
would be one of the victims if the regi
ment disintegrates.
Senator Clapp's bill proposes that on
und after June 30, 1004, the regiment
shall constitute an infantry regiment of
the regular army, the enlisted strength
to be composed as nearly as practicable
of natives of Porto Rico. To protect all
the officers now in the regiment it is
provided that the field officers shall be
appointed by the president from the
array. The captains, tirst and second
lieutenants, and assistant surgeons of
the present Porto Rico provisional regi
ment of infantry, who are recommended
by the conimunding officers of that regi-
ment, shall be commissioned in their
respective grades, with their rank in
thut regiment, us officers of the Porto
Rico regiment of infuntry, und shall
have the rank, pay and allowances of
their respective grades in the regular
army. To till all vacancies which may
exist in the grades of captain and first
lieutenants in the two battalions consti-
tuting the present Porto Rico provi-
sional regiment of infantry, after they
are merged into the Porto llico regiment
of infantry, promotions shall be made
according to seniority of the first and
second lieutenants commissioned from
the present Porto Rico provisional
regiment of infantry. Remaining va-
cancies shall be filled by the president
by the appointment of persons from the
army, or who were in the military ser-
vice" of the Unltsd Stutes during the
war with Spain, und who arc not over
40 years of uge.
Americans and natives iu Porto Rico
deem the disbanding of (lie regiment at
this time to be an act little short oi
dangerous folly.
FROZEN OVER
CHICAGO. Feb. fl.—Lako navigation
this winter lias fitted the crews of the
fteamers service for A da*h for the
pole, for it combin" all the e::peripnce*
of arctic navigutiv^ lake Michigan
hue at last frozen ner, the cold spell
of the last few df./A 'liing the widely
scattered parts c. opeu water between
the ice floes. In most winters there
is a wide stretch o: open water in mid-
lake.
At many points ..lor.g the west shore
the ice is piled up «oiid until it reaches
from the bottom forty feet deep, to
un equal distance above water lines.
At the cribs tile ;ee is piled up until
it is higher than tli^ structures.
The icebergs are cf great size, and
how they came to be formed is regurded
us a mystery by water navigators, as
the thickest chunks of ice they have
seen are not owr eighteen inches in
thickness.
It is considered by steamboat men
thut there is not half the danger in
winter navigation v'th the lake frozen
over as there is when there are vast
moving fields of ice to catch the steam-
ers and crush them. In tin* past u
number of valuable steamers have been
crushed by the floes and lost.
The average temperature for Decem-
ber was 8 degrees below normal, aud
thus far in Junuary it has been 4 de-
grees. This average has been excelled
but once, and that was during the win-
ter of 1870.
SANTA FK, Kan., Feb. 8.—William
Baird, a Reno county farmer, who has
been experimenting in wheat raising sev-
eral years, is convinced that the wheat
raisers in the western third of the state
can produce largo; crops by use of the
CnmpbeA by stem of soil culture than
by irrigation. He says the general adop-
tion of the system will do that part of
the state more good than millions of
dollars spout or irrigation plants. Mr.
Raird ruisod fifty-one bushels of wheat
to the acre la.st year on his farm, which
is iu a neighborhood where twenty bush-
els to the acre is regarded as a big
crop. Mr. Baird wrote the following
letter to John J. Miller of this place
yesterday:
"In the spring of 1002, I began the
preparation on the CampbfcM system of
a small plat of groand for wheat. I be-
ban operations by double dcscing the
ground. Then after each rain, which
was heavy enough to form a crust on the
surface, I went over the ground with a
harrow, to loosen the surface and keep
down the weeds. In the latter part of
June an dfirst part of July I plowed the
ground six or seven inches deep, and fol-
lowed the plow closely with a surface
packer and followed the packer immedia-
tely with the harrow. Then I continued
the harrowing- after each heavy rain un-
til seeding time. I sowed the wheat
about the middle of September with an
ordinary drfll, an«l the following spring
when the wheat was stooling I gave it
a thorough harrowing, and the result
was fifty-one bushels of line wheat to
the acre.
"I do not believe that such results
ns this can be obtained every year, as
the season of 1003 was very favorable
for the growth of ^1 kinds of crops, but
I firmly believe that if the farmers
throughout, the sami-arid belt will adopt
the Campbell system of soil culture they
Can raise from twenty-five to forty
bushels i'most any year, and that a
totul failure will be a physical impossi-
bility.
"Many persons ure agitating the sub-
ject of irrigation for this country and
urging upon congress the necessity of
making large appropriations for this
purpose, but if the farmers of this sec-
tion will adopt the Campbell system
there will be no necessity for irrigation,
as better crops can be secured by this
method at much less expense."
t* II
ST. LOUIS, MO., Feb. 8 In Ashby O.
Stewart, alias A. M. Schumacher, 22
years old, of 4257 Vorgan street, who is
a prisoner at cen . ' station, the police
believe they have one of the youngest
and cleverest forgers who ever operated
in St. Louis. With drafts aggregating
over $500,000, all of which are pro-
nounced forgeries, Stewart is said not
only to have attempted to secure the
money on them, but to have inveigled
Charles H. Adams, a man of 40 years,
into a scheme Whereby the two expected
to obtain the amounts perforated in the
forged drafts.
The youth, when taken into custody,
refused to give the police an yinforma-
tion as to his C^jtity, but las* night
Detectives Joyce vnd Dyer located his
room ut the City hotel, Fourteenth and
Market streets, where they fond two
dress suit cases filled with evidences
of the boy's nefarious calling. Wigs und
eyeglasses and other diaguiser were
found, together with a block of printed
checks signed with the alleged forged
signature of S. W. Pennington, cashier
of the Albia (la.) bank.
Stewart admitted, the police say, that
he obtained the checks from a printing
establishment in the city where he called
to secure prices on printing. He says he
saw a block of b'u^k drafts of the Albia
bank on a counter. While employes of
the establishment were not looking, he
says, he put them in his poeket.
The possession of these blank drafts,
he says, inspired him to attempt to se-
cure money on them. He at once adver-
tised in a newspaper for "a man who was
willing to go into a scheme to secure
easy money." Adams, it is alleged, an-
swered and the two originated a scheme.
Adams, the elder man, was to repre-
sent himself as the guardian of Stewart,
alias Schumacher, the younger man said.
He was to represent that the youth had
$4,000 to invent. Willi this in view the
two visited t\ic Hartford life insurance
company, where, on a draft for $150,
they secured $50, the balance to be paid
in a fe«v days. ?,'V cy next visited the
North American divestment company,
where they offer*4 to purchase $2.Sti2
in bonds, tendering a forged draft of
$4,000 iu payment. The investment com-
pany wired the cashier of the bank, Mr.
Pennington. The answer disclosed the
scheme and the arrests folowed,
I Warrants charging forgery were Is-
sued and Fennington was notified. He
will arrive in the city today to prose-
ctate the case. The perforation ma-
cline which young Stewart used for the
drafts was secured by the police and is
held as evidence, a« are the blocks of
foiged drufts. Many of the drafts found
in Stewart's room la-it night were blank,
but for the perforated figures and the
fo'ged signatures o! Pennington,
COST OF DOR
PAPER MONEY
SAVING EFFECTED BY IM-
PROVED METHODS
PROVIDE CLEAN NOTES
Importance of Knowing Exact
Cost of Printing ,
WASHINGTON', Feb. 8. The exnet
cost of printing, putting in circulation,
und redeeming our paper currency has
become u question of pructicul import-
ance in view of several proposed pieces
of legislution in the hands of the house
committees. The treasury bus just
learned by a computation from lust
year's accounts that more modern and
economical methods huvc in the last
few years affected a saving of almost
two mills on each piece of paper money,
regardless of the denomination. The
knowledge of this fact will doubtless
induce a congress with a present obses-
sion for economy to look favorably
upon bills which if enacted into law,
will result in the more rapid retirement
of'our paper money.
One-of these, and the one in regard to
which information was first sought from
the treasury department, is the post
check currency bill. This bill adds one
to the number of ways in which the
career of a piece of paper money is li-
able to be terminated. Under it any-
one can convert a five dollar bill into
a money order by a few strokes of his
pen -in which case, of course, a new one
will have to be issued by the depart-
ment to take, its place. The bill of Rep-
resentative Wiley, of New Jersey, to
impose on our treasury the Hank of
England rule that paper currency once
redeemed is never to be reissued would
put upon the bureau of printing and en-
graving the tawk of making enough new
islls to take the place of those which
are so fdightly crumpled or soiled as
now to be thought fit for reissue. Iu
the ease of the currency received from
the eastern cities, such bills may make
up as much as half of the total num-
ber. The "clean money" bill of Repre-
sentative Gaines of Tennessee would en-
courage the sending of soiled money to
the treasury for redemption by trans-
porting it there and back at govern-
ment expense. How fur this would re-
sult in replacing the soiled and offensive
paper of the remote districts is some
what in dispute, but Mr. Gaines bus
foimd that in 1H81 and 1H82, when the
government made appropriations for
transporting paper money for redemp-
tion, appropriations were used to the.
last dollar, and in 1882 there was even
a deficiency. This, he thinks, ought to
show that the people outside the sub-
treasury cities would appreciate a
chance to get cleaner paper money for
their every day use. if they did not have
to pay express charges on it.
The present cost of printing, handling
nt the treasury department, issue and
redemption of a gold certificate, silver
certificate or treasury note is 1.707
cents. Two years ago, when the depart-
ment undertook a similar computation
on the busis of its books for 1001, the
figure was found to be 1.08 cents. The
saving which is considerable, has been
brought about chiefly by the use of
more perfect machinery and the adop-
tion of improved methods of handling,
us for example in the system of bin-bug
the currency into packages and putting
the seals upon them. Some difficulty
has been fotuid in upportioning the
various items of expense. In some cases
it was u very line point to decide
whether u particular charge should bo
set down for issue or for redemption.
Now that the general figures are collect-
ed it will probably be practicable to^
work out the cost of each of these ele-
ments in the total figures ulreudy given.
It is by no means u simple matter to
tell just what our money costs. In
1807 for example, Secretary Gage set
the figures so low that a comparison
now would indicate a great deterioration
in the methods of the treasury. In <i
letter to L. Carroll Root, secretary of
the monetary commission, he said that
the cost of paper, engraving and print-
iing, handling at the treasury, issue
and redemption was $05,710- per thous-
and sheets -that is, four thousand bills.
This comes to approximately 1.043 cents
for each piece, or nearly one mill less
than the figure for last year. The ex-
planation is ptobably to be found in the
omission of some essential item in a
hastily prepared statement, but the sec-
retary's letter was read before tlie
house committee on appropriations of
that year and used by it in considera-
tion of the treasury department's ex-
penses. The practical difference be-
tween these small decimals is realized
when one considers the fact that a
change of a hundredth part of a mill
in this item would make an aggregate
difference of more than $1,000 u year
iu the treasury expenses.
SURROUNDED
Several Hundred Men Guarding
Negro and Wife
VICKMiURO. MISS., Feb. 8.- Uriv. n
to buy in a dense swump near Green-
wood. Luther llolbcit and his wile,
wanted at Doddsville for the murder oj
lames Eastland, are prepared to hell
their lives dearly. T be ncgroc, today
killed four of the state's bloodhounds
thut had trucked them into the sw.imp.
Several hundred num from four coun-
ties are guarding every exit from tins
swamp. Unless the couple attempts to
break through the cordon tonight the
possemen nluu to beat the woods thor-
oughly, lloibert's wife, dressed in men's
attire and armed with a brace of re-
volvers. swears she will not be taken
alive. Holbert is armed with a rifle und
a revolver.
Two negroes were killed by a posse
near Belaoni, Yneoo county, today. One
of thctn, thought to ba Holbert, showed
light when called upon to halt, and both
were shot down.
The prosent accne of action is in Lf
flora county, the chase having tukbfl
up over three countta.
\
a *.
T
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The Weekly Times-Journal. (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, February 12, 1904, newspaper, February 12, 1904; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc149774/m1/2/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.