Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon mist. (St. Helens, Columbia County, Or.) 188?-1913 | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1902)
7 XU PI O.T' Tann ivxia x, VOL. XIX. ST. HELENS, OREGON, FKIDAY, MARCH 21,' 1902. NO. 14. rpTT XXI rirp "Rv ii RALPH IIJIDDEIOI 5 HE Mill BY VELLIAM MINTO. CHAPTER V CONTINUED. Deleantur ex vlvontium. Jut uh tliw merchant pronounced theae words Ms henchman Lawrence galloped up from behind the wagon, bin right arm point ing ahead. They had tolled up from the valley, and were now on the high ground opposite Carford Green. The spire of Haverhill Church waa visible ahead of them la the distance. They proposed to rent and eat at Haverhill, and the merchaiit at first anppoiied that Ijiwrenco'i gcsturea were nienut aa humorous ex proaslon of delight at the nearnesa of the end of that atuge of their Journey. ' "Yea, I know," lie aald. "We can nee Haverhill from hero. Two miles more and we are at n et In oar Inn." Lawrence waved hl arm Impatient, ly. "Heel . Look! Therel" lie cried. "Behind thatliodget" He pointed to a hedge at right angle to the road aome little distance In front. The travellers looked, and aaw aomo glittering apoar-polnta and helmets bobbing above the hedge evidently anr mounting a troop of horsemen riding towards the road. CHAPTER VI. The wagoner had aeon Lawrence's gesture and tho cause of It, and were making haute to drag soma, weapons from a hoc rut repository under the" wagon. The apprentices rode up to help. The wagoners had pulled out two crossbows, and the apprentice had possessed themselves of two aim pie looking maces, when the mounted men swept round the corner onto the rood, about a hundred yarda In front of them, allowing their full strength. There waa a knight armed eap-a-pia, and about a dozen men at arma in mixed armor of plate and mail. "Resistance la uaatana, If they mean robbery!" cried Simon to hie men. "Put the weapoiia away. You will only give them an excuse for picking a quarrel." "Nevertheleaa," Hold Ralph, "it la aafer to have aoine means of defence if one la put to It and with your leave I will borrow one of those maces." Ralph glanced Into the cart aa he took the mace from the apprentice, who waa obediently rwtorlng it to Ita place, and aaw a large heap of them in the locker underneath. They were of simple make a twll of lead aome seven or eight pounds In weight, with an ashen ahaft atiout two fort long. "One could deal a fair blow with thin, if necessary," he thought to himself aa .he felt the weight of the weaKn anl d Isposod of . H under h la cloak . There balng no time for remonstrance, the merchant could only smile at this contempt of hia order. "Harry Hurat waa right In aaylng you had mistaken your trade," he muttered; and directed the wagoner to draw to one sido, and leave the party of horsemen full .room to pass. They came alongside at an easy pace, without any algn of hostility. "Olve you good day, mastor,"'criod the knight. Ralph at once recognized the voice of la old enemy, Kir Richard Bainham. Aa the knight atoppod to apeak, some of his mon paased on and halted ! yond the wagon, outflanking the merch ant and hia company on both aides, "Bound for Stourbridge Fair?" the knight continued, when thia maneuver had boon completed. "Methlnka your load la too heavy. Your poor horsos are ateaming like furnacea. It aero a charity to the poor brutea to relieve them of part of their burden. Our Kngllah hilla are too atoep for auch load." "Thaka for your kind conaideration, Sir Knight," returnod the merchant. "We can make shift to drag along. Pray do not burden yourself on our ac count." "Nay, nay," laughed the knightj "I could not permit it. Think of the horses, I warrant there is some good broadcloth In those balea. Here, you knaves!" he ahuted to the apprentices; "dismount and ahow us your wares." The apprentlcea looked doubtful, but Simon aignod to them to comply with the knight's good humor, which seemed rora the broad grins of his rotinue tc be much appreciated by them. Tho apprentices began to fumble with the knots on one of the packagos. The knight called to some of his men. "Come, help, yeu lasy rascals! Why to you stand gaping there? Lay to your band and your knlvea, and help the honest lads." "They are not ao neat handed aa your trained apprentlcea," the knight re marked; "but they work with a will, and you must grant they do their work with expedition. "Come, you roguoa," the knight shouted at last, "you have enough to keep you warm next winter! And now, Master Merchant, name your own price and call for It the next time you pasa. I will uphold you against all penalties for overstalllng the market, and your horsos will travel to the fair 'more easily." The merchant made no answer to this raillery. He had watched the proceeding with lmpasaivo composure, and once or twice had checked the more impetuous Ralph, and counselled him to silence. He only said, "You are content to lot us pass?" The knight made an exaggerated ges ture of acquiescence. "Do not forgot to call for the price next time you pass," he said. "I never forget my engagements," said the merchant. There was more meaning In the tone than the knight altogether liked. "If you are to 1m so punctual," lie cried, "we may as well make the bill a little largur. I saw your men busy behind the cart. Hue what there la Jn the locker, my good Nicholas, he culled to the mun who rode next to him, and seemed to bo second in command. "Our knavea are nut yet overburdened. We should hate to dual scurvlly with so brisk a merchant. At this Ralph Hardelot lost patience. "Sir Richard llainhum," he burst out, addressing the knight by his name, "do you think it beseems your knight hood to play tho common thief and robber? Is this how you fulfill your duty to your lord the king? Plunder ing where you are vowed to give protec tion, and trying to cover your shame with rilwld buffoonery? "Ha! Sir Priost, are you there?" re plied the unubushed lawbreaker. "I marvelled that you forolxiro so long to give us a taste of your rhetoric." "My rhetoric cannot lm)e to plorce your shame-proof hido. Hut you will answer aomo day to a heavier indict ment." "In the meantime, since the spirit of prophosy is on yon, you had bettor fore cast whut Is to happen to yourself. You have put off your gown since yesterday-" "What do you know about my gown?" "Ah, my young Joromiuh," laughed the knight, "weure not so remiss about our duties as you are pleased to Imag ine. We have heard of your doings, though it la but yesterday. The king shall not And ua wanting in vigilance towards troublcrs of the realm. You must come with me." He tnndo a sig nal to his men, saying at the same time, "Take him, but do not hurt the tender youth. I have other pursues for him." The men made a move to capture Kalpli, but aa the nearest converged upon him they thrust their horses in each other's way, and gave him a mo ment's free play. Of thia he took ad vantage with great alertness. Hcizing the mare that he had hidden under his cloak, he shook his right arm free, and urging his pony forward, struck full at Sir Richard's helmet. The knight was too much taken by surprise to be able to parry the blow, and aa he At loose ly in hia wddle, never expecting any shock of the kind, it brought him clat tering to the ground. It waa perhaps aa well for Ralph that his pony, hurt liugjtgniiiHt the heavy horse of the knight, lost hia footing, and fell with Kalph under him; if the youth had Iiecn free to offer further resistance, the men would probably not have re spected their leader's Injunction to take him alive. Aa It waa. hia hands were secured before he could disentangle him self. The blow administered to the knight was not a light one. The modern reader is apt to lie incredulous of the stories told about mediaeval knights anl their power to endure, unharmed, blow that would smash the skull of the sturdiest ox of our own times. But two circumstances may be montipnod in mitigation of modern incredulity: first, they were accustomed to rough usage; second, and chiefly i their helmets were padded. Bir Richard Rainham did lie stunned for a minute or two. But by the time his myrmidons bad bouud his assailant securely hand and foot with cords taken from the merchant's packages, he was on his legs again, apparently little the worse for his overthrow. Only hia temper seemed to have been spoiled. He was no longer jocular in hia manner of address. "Curse the liellact priest!" he aaid, in a surly tone. "You would have paid for it if he had slipped through your handa. Make him enfe and bring him along." Thon he muttered to himself, "This is the second time; we'shall cry quits before long," and tode off by himself in surly solitude. The myrmidons made their prboncr safe and portable by binding him on one of the four horsos of the wagon, which they seized for the purpose. The freckled giant Nicholaa, a coarser copy of hia master, of whoso humor he was a bold Imitator, superintended this'oper ation. The prisoner's logs were tied not too gently under the horse's belly, and his body also was bound firmly down. As they moved off, Nicholaa flung back a jest at the despoiled merchant. "You may come to ua for the hdrso," he aald, "when you come for the price. We must keep our chaplain. We cannot part with him so lightly. We want a chaplain." Simon d'Yprea mado no audible an awer to this and other rough remarks with which he was taunted by hia spoilers. lie had watched the wreck age of his goixls witli quiet composure, aa a traveler might stand looking out on a storm and waiting for it to pasa. Only once had he shown aomo concern, and that was when a package some 18 inches square by a foot in depth was drawn from the locker under the cart. "You may as well leave that, my friend," he had said; it is of no value for you." But he aaw at once that it was vain to remonstrate, and that his words served only to give the grinning robber a higher opinion of the value uf his prize. He said not another word till the band was out of sight. Then he turned to his henchman Lawrence, and said in a melancholy tone: "This will teach our young preacher the folly of seeking to convert such wolves with fair words. Now we must try to show him what the people can do ' for them selves under wise guidance-." After a few minutes' conference, Law. rence and one of the apprentlcea rode back toward Yeldam, while Simon and the others, rebinding their looted packagoa as well a they couid, moved forward to Haverhill. Ralph Hardelot was not sulliclently Imbued with tile meek spirit which Wycliffe recommended for his poor priests, and he submitted to his fate in haughty silence, knowing' that any effort he could make to free himself would only be a cause of mirth for hia captors. That such a scene aa that just de scribed should have ever lieen iwssible in Merriu England; that a knight who had distinguished himself In the wars and held lands by royal gift a a reward for prowess, should ever have conde scended or dured to play the common highway robber within UO miles of the capital appears very strange now, but the chronicles of tiio time are full of auch outrages. The traveler who should look now for Bir Richard Rainham'a castle in the valle) of tho Btour would lose hia labor. It has completely disappeared; not a truce of it is now visible. It stood in the center of the mere, to the south of Carford Green, on a patch of firm ground ; but the mere ha gradu ally encroached since it became a ruin, and swallowed op even the foundation. Yet it was a strong place in its time, and Kalpli marked its strength a be waa carried in, and entered with the calmness of a man who knows hia fate and leaves all hope behind him. "We have brought the priest safely," aaid Nicholas, entering the hall and re spectfully saluting his master. "Safely!" echoed the knight, who waa not yet in the best of tempera. "Safely! One would think the starve ling clerk were a devil in. dipgutpe, a Bacon, or a Bungay. How could it be otherwise than safely, you freckled pol troon? You did not leave him a chance to escape!" ' "Well, he is here," replied Nich olaa, in a surly tone. "Rones of St. Peter," exclaimed the knight, "where else should he be?" "On the road to Haverhill," thought Nicholas, "for all that you did to stop him." But he did not dare to give ut terance to this thought. He only stared stolidly at his master. "Why do you stand staring there?" shouted the knight. "Brinn him in." (To ba eoatlniwd) Farm Implement Trad of Dallas. The city of Dallas, Tex., is said to bo the largest depot of farm (implement supplies in the world. Every big wholesale house in the United Btatea which engagea in the business of manu facturing tools for the farmer has its branch at Pallas. There are 26 pine story building devoted to this trade. Dallas l.es In the very heart' of" the choicest farming region of Texas. It is the trading point of the great black land belt of the northern and central counties, which contain two-thirds of the people and three-fourths of the wealth of the state. Filipinos Mak Good Servants. An army officer who recently returned from our Pacific possessions says: "The Filipinos, whatever mar be their faults, make the best servants in the world, if you can cure them of petty thievery. Overcome that, and you have an ideal servant. At home here we are confronted everlastingly by the servant girl proposition. Bring tha Filipino men here and the servant girl wilt be a dead issue. The men are small, active and not afraid of work. Tliey could lie trained to' do general housework, just as the Chinese do out on the Pacific coast." heavy Snowstorms in Europe. There have been heavy show storms throughout Europe. The winter has been especially severe in Northern Africa. Recently, in Southern France, a large landowner was overtaken in a snowstorm while attempting to ride only five miles. His horse came home, but the man was frozen to death. In Algeria trains have been greatly delay ed. One from Algera to Laghouut waa held up In the anew for six days. Get a Tailor's Goose. The point to remomber when one wishes to dress well on a small income is that frequent pressings and sponging are the secret of well kept clothes. An ordinary flatiron may be used, hut it is nowhere near so efficacious as a tailor'a goose. Tiie goose is not expensive, and with it a coat, skirt or suit can be so well pressod aa to seem like new. It is therefore a very desirable article of fur niture. Franc Carrying a Heavy Load. With a national debt of $8,000,000, 000 and a population practically at a standstill, with a costly standing army and an expensive navy, France is stag gering under a heavy load. Perhaps her shoulders are strong enough and broad enough to bear It, but the cash may come some day despite French confidence in the stability and financial resources of tho republic Baltimore Sun. Christiana In India. Christians in India are increasing in numbera rapidly, according to the re cent census returns in South India, where the Christians now number over 1,000,000. Tho increase during the decade was 18 per cent, aa compared with 7 per cent for the population, 6 per cen for the Hindoos, and 9 pes cent for the Mohammedans. Millionaire Besutlfiei a Town, ' Falrhaven, Mass., Is proud of Henry H. Rogers, the oil mngnute, who was born there and has aient millions of dollars and much of hia time in improv ing and decorating the town as he might beautify his own home. Ha has already given to the town a library, waterworks, a drainage system, town hall, schoola and a churoh. EVENTS OF THE DAY FROM THE FOUR QUARTER8 OF THE WORLD, A Comprehensive Review of the Important ' Happening! of tha Put Week, Presented la a Condensed Form, Which li Most Likely to Prove of Interest to Our Many Readers. Prince Henry has landed on German soil. The senate haa passed the ab.ipsub aidy bill. , The house is working on the rivers and harbors bill. In a collision at Milwaukee between a passenger train and street car 10 per sona were injured. A life saving crew and aeven men it had rescued from a stranded vessel were drowned at Cape Cod. r . r -f . j'' ' ' '" .:'.'" ;, .v. vr eVA T w-s ; .. tJ' ' ' this nsM-srsT ; IX MEYCF i KERVAUANTSX-NS i SOLDIERS MONUMENT Two children were burned to death ' in a fire at Galena, Kan. Ten thousand people participated in a students' riot at St. Petersburg. The blizzard in the Dakotas has spent its fury and the railroads are now opening their lines. Fire damaged the Trinity Episcopal church at Portland to the extent of 112,000. Insurance, 116,000. Pension Commissioner Evans is to lie given a more important office.. His suc cessor has not yet been chosen. The worst blizzard in years is raging in North Dakota. Japan'a foreign trade shows a sub stantial Increase. When Flour Wat a Dollar a Pound. Only a few years ago flour sold for $1 a pound In parte of Montana, and other provisions were higher. Butter reached 1.75 in Virginia City. When pro visions were forced too high by specu lators, there was a raid and living necessities, especially flour, were taken to a common depot and the "corner" busted. These stories, and many oth ers that afford more pleasant reading, are found in Wonderland for 1902, published by the Northern Pacific Railway. This book carries hundreds of beautiful Western scenes in perfect ly printed illustrations that the costlv magazines might De proud of. Send to Charles 8. Fee, 8t. Paul, Minn., for the book. He sends It free, but 6 ecnts postage is necessary, Tha United States Brewers' associa tion will hold Its annual meetng at Sar atoga June 10, 11 and 12. A three-cent street car fare franchise ordinance passed the Cleveland (O.) aity council without opposition. An equestrian club of nine New York girls has discarded the aide saddle and adopted the divided skirt. British naval estimates for the pres ent year provide for an expendituie ef I7,000,000 for saw warships,. TE8T8 NOT 8ATI8FACTORY. Pacific Coast Lumbermen Do Not Agree With tllbbt' Report. Washington, March 19. Senator Foster haa been notified by the Pacific Coast Lumber Manufacturers' Associa tion that the testa of fir conducted on a very extensive scale at (he Puget Sound navy yard during the past summer are not satisfactory. Secretary Victor H. Beckman states that at a meeting of the association held at Tacoma, Febru ary 15, the report of Naval Constructor Hibba at the Puget Sound navy yard on the timber tests, particularly in Doug las fir, was taken up. The association directed the secretary to notify Senator Foster that the report was not satisfac tory and did not do entire justice to fir. Experience, it is stated, has proved that Mr. Hibba' statements with refer ence to the lasting qualities of fir are misleading. The association calls at tention to railroad timbers on the Northern Pacific railway which bave been in use 14 years and show little or no signa of rot. Also that it ia a well known fact that consumers of lumber purchase fir for porches and outdoor 9. 'tlll1iTJir3 ' .' ,,-.Ji1L-' i AT OLYMPIA, WASH. work at a very high price in preference to yellow pine, which, it is claimed, rots very quickly. In order to secure a complete and au thoritative test, the association urges Senator Foster to introduce a bill ap propriating a sufficient sum of money to conduct the work in a thorough man ner at some pint in the Pacific North west, where exhaustive tests may be made under government supervision. Senator Foster states that while a number of very important timber tests have been conducted from time to time by both the war and navy departments, these reports are contained in volumes that are not accessible to the general public. He is in favor of a condensed report drawn from authorized govern ment testa and under government su pervision which will serve to show not only the merits of fir, but of American woods generally, and such reports to be available for distribution or sate, as is the case with other government docn menta of a like nature. As a rule, the consumer is not well posted with' refer ence to the lasting qualities of Amer ican woods, particularly so with refer ence to the relative strength and dura bility of on class as compared with another. Americans' Indemnity Claim. Pekin.Mbrch 19. The United States minister, Mr. Conger, baa commis sioned Mr. Balnbridge and Mr. Rags- dale (the latter the United States con sul at Tien Tain) to adjust the indem nity claims of Americana, approximat ing (2,000,000 in gold. Record-Breaking Order for Horses. St. Joseph, Mo., March 19. Qne of the largest single orders for horses ever liven in the country has been closed with a buyer at the South St. Joseph horse and mule market. The contract calls for 12,000 horses, to be delivered at the rate of 500 per month for 24 months. While the contract includes many varieties of animals, it ia believed that the greater Dart of them are for the use of tha British army in South Africa. NEWS OF TIIE STATE ITEM8 OF INTERE8T FROM ALL PART8 OF OREGON. Commercial and Financial Happenings of Im portance A Brief Review of the Growth and Improvements of the Many Industrie Throughout Our thriving Commonwealth Latest Market Report. The 1900 potato crop in Cooa county has been nearly all cleaned out. B The Lane county Democrats will hold their county convention April 5. The Baker City gas plant is to be enlarged and improved to meet the de mand for gas, which is steadily in creasing. Primaries for Multnomah county were held March 15. Very few Demo crata voted, as there was no fight among their forces. In the Republican ranks the anti-Simon forces carried the day. The Polk county Republican conven tion wftfl hnlft at DaHaa March 1 S and delegates to the state and congressional conventions named and county officers nominated. No action waa taken in regard to the aenatorabip. The Republicans of Morrow county held their convention at Heppner March 15 and elected delegates to the state and congressional convention. Resolutions were adoDted indorsing Williamson at, United States represen tative and pledging ita delegates to vote against the return of Senator Simon. Construction of a creamery has begun near Myrtle Point. The town of Haines, Union county, has been incorporated. A crusade against gambling has beon inaugurated at Oregon City. The Woodmen of tha Wond are building a hall at Dusty, Benton county. "Several men" in Salem have been found to have registered in more than one precinct. The regular election of officers for the city of i lorence for the ensuing year will be held April 1. Nearly IS inches of rain fell at Grants Pass during February, which breaks the record for anv one month. The town council of Prairie City has passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of tobacco in all public meeting places. From ' March 1, 1901, to March 2, 1902, there were 19,600 acres patented from the government to Wasco county. Representative Tongue condemns the move to bamper improvement of Lower Columbia by pitting it against the np per river. Papers throughout the state report that taxpayers are taking advantage of the 3 per cent rebate for prompt pay ment, and the new law is meeting gen era! approval. The market for Oregon prunes in the bast is improviong. Every pound shipped this past year ' has been dis posed of, and dealers say the could J nave soia more naa tney naa them. H. V. Gates, promoter of the pro posed telegraph and telephone line from Ashland to Lakeview and other points has filed an application with the Lake county court for a right of way along the public highway. PORTLAND MARKETS. Wheat Walla Walla, 6565c; bluestem,6666Kc; Valley, 6565c. Barley Feed, t2021.; brewing, fzl21.50 per ton. Oats No. 1 white, f 1.15 1.25; gray, $1.10(81.20. Flom- Best grades, .12.80(33.40 per barrel; graham, 2.602.80. Millstuffs Bran, $19 per ton; mid dlings, $21; shorts, $21.60; chop, $17.50. Hay Timothy, $12313; clover, $7.60(88; Oregon wild hay, $56 per ton. . Potatoes Best Burbanks, $1.101.25 per cental ; ordinary, 7080c per cen tal, growers' prices; sweets, $22.25 per cental. Butter Creamery, 2530c; dairy, 1822ic; store, 1316c Eggs 14c for Oregon. Cheese Full cream, twins, ' 13 13)c; Young America, 1415c; fac tory prices, 1140 less. Poultry Chickens, mixed $4.00 5.00; hens, $5.00(36.00 per dozen, 11(3 124o per pound; springs, ll12c per pound. 3i)i per dozen; ducks, $56 per dozen; turkeys, live, 12 13c, dressed, 14(5 16c per pound; geese, $6i 7 per dozen. Mutton Gross, 4c per pound ; dress ed, 774c per pound. Hogs Gross, bic; dressed, 6$7c per pound. Veal 88X for small; 7($74 for large. Beef Gross, cows, 34c; steers, 4a4Vc; dressed, 6i74c per pound. Hope 12313c per pound. Wool Valley, 13 15c; Eastern Ore gon, 812Xc; mohair, 2121)c per pound. ' Miss Shaw, of St. Louis, is to paint the portrait of Queen Alexandra this summer. St. Louis fair managers are informed that King Menelik of Abyssinia may accept an invitation to visit the expo sition, j Joseph Devlin, now touring the United States In the interest of the United Irish League, has been elected to the British parliament from North Kilkenny. SKYSCRAPERS IN DANGER. Their Steel Framework, Sayi a Chicago Man, la Rapidly Corroding. Chicago, March 18. "The steel framework In many of the big - build ings in the business district of Chicago is corroding, making them very danger ous. It is only a question of a few years when those buildings will fall to the ground." ' This statement was mado by General ' William S. Smith, at the 35th annual dinner of the Chicago real estate board. He added "that the steel framework of some of the skyscrapers is In the condi tion stated is nothing short of a public outrage." . . The speaaer explained that his state ments were based on personal observa tions and investigations. "The steel framework imbedded in concrete will last 2,000 years," he said, "but the steel framework in many of the big buildings ia left free to the ac tion of the air and gases which circu late through the tiie and a space about the steel. The owners of these struc tures have the steel painted with oil. This cil will withstand the corroding process about three years. Then begins the corroding of the steel and within a few years your skyscraper will fall.". The speaker said that . the elevated road structures would not withstand the corrosion. He asserted that within 10 years they would be dangerous and within 20 years out of service. The corrosion of one-fifth of the thickness of the steel framework of the structure, he said, would render them incapable of bearing their own weight. BOSTON CELEBRATES. To Commemorate Evacuation of the City by British Troops. Boston, March 19. The 128th anni versary of the evacuation of Boston by the British was celebrated in South Boston by the unveiling of a monument erected on the breastworks of the Colo nial army on Dorchester heights. Thia monument was erected by the state of Massachusetts, as a memorial to the valor of the New England militia and the military genius of Washington. A military parade preceded the ceremony, and following it Senator Henry Cabot Lodge delivered an eloquent historical oration. Rear Admiral Schley rode in the pro cession with Mayor Collins. The mon ument, which is of white granite, bears the following inscription, -written by President Eliot, of Harvard: "On these heights, during the night of March 4, 1776, the American troops besieging Boston, built two redoubts, which made the harbor and town un tenable by the British fleet and garri son. On March 17 the British fleet, carrying 10,000 effective men and 1,000 refugees, dropped down to Nantucket Roads, and thenceforth Boston was free. A strong British force had been ex pelled from one of the. United Ameri can colonies." 6AGASTA COMMISSIONED. Queen Regent of Spain Calls Upon Him to Form a New Cabinet Madrid, March 18. The queen regent has commissioned Senor Sagasta to form n new cabinet. The queen regent only called upon Senor Sagasta to re construct the ministry after she found it impossible to induce the various sec tional leaders to attempt the formation of a coalition cabinet. The pope has appealed to her majesty not to permit the recent decree obliga ting religious congregations to comply with the law of associations to be put in force. The decree becomes operative March 21, so the new cabinet will be early confronted with a question admit ted to be extremely difficult to settle. On account of various threats regard ing the fomentation of disturbances, the mininstry of war has directed the soldiers who have recently completed their terms of service to remain with the colors. Lyddite a Boomerang. London, March 18. The extraordin ary effect of lyddite has been revealed by the statement that during the recent experiments with the hulk of the old battleship Belle Isle, shells containing that explosive refracted fragments upon the attacking vessel 400 yards distant. . Other fragments dropped close to a gun boat 2,000 yards abeam of the line of fire. The deduction drawn is that when lyddite is used there is danger for a friendly vessel at least 2,000 yards away. The Outlook compares lyddite with a boomerang and points out that to be of any service it must be dropped right on board a hostile vessel, as, "if the projectile does not bit the right place, it will fly back and slay the slayer." Admiral Howell Retires. Washington, March 18. Rear Ad miral John A. Howell, president of the naval retiring board, and, next to Ad miral Dewey, the'ranking officer of the navy, has reached the age of 62, and, in accordance with law, has been placed on the retired list.' Commandant Celllert Captured. Pretoria; March 18. Commandant Colliers, of the Kroonstad, Orange Riv er Colony, commando of the Boers, was among the prisoners captured by the British recently in the Heilbron dis trict. ' The Danish Treaty. Copenhagen, March 18. The presi dent qf the landthing. Dr. Matsen, who is opposed to the sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States, seems Inclined to delay consideration of the treaty. He has called the first meet ing of the landthing for March 19. The press criticises his attitude, on the ground that the delay is considered dis courteous to tha United States. It ia thought a few of the president's own patty will support tha government.