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VOL. XIX.
ST. HELENS, OREGON, FKIDAY, MARCH 21,' 1902.
NO. 14.
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XXI
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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.
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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.