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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1900)
THE MOENING . OKEGONIAN, MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1900. How She Came to Be So Out rageously Assaulted. HER FAMILY BEARS GOOD NAME Girl's Story Corroborated ly Others in Several Particulars On One Point" It Is Weak. EUGENE, Jan. 14. No new develop ments are teeing made in the case of the abduction of Minnie Thorn, of Cottage Grove. One of the brakemen on the train, li. F. Harvey, lias been anesied and skeins likely to be bound over on circum fctaatial evidence. Another brakeman s wanted by the authorities, who have been unab.e to nnd .him. The case is one or considerable interest, not only to the of ficers, but to the -general public as well, and this interest is increasing rather than diminishing. It is hard to get at the true facts of the case by listening to the story of the girl and the denial of Harvey, ana two or three theories are discussed. Minnie Thorn is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Thorn, who live on a fimall farm near Latham. There are two children of the family Minnie, aged 16, and her sister, two years younger. Mr. and Mrs. Thorn are quiet and reserved in their habits, and have always been looked upon as peaceful, well-behaved, modest and up right. Mr. Thorn is said to carry a little Cherokee blood in his veins, but his neighbors have none the less regard for h.m on that account. M'nnle has been in the habit of attend irg Sunday school in Cottage Grove, which is about two miles from Latham. She at tended Sunday school as usual last Sun day, and as there was a temperance meet ing in the afternoon, she remained ror that. After the temperance meeting, which closed about 4 o'clock, she started directly home. She was alone, and walked on the railroad track. She was seen at the !.tatoii, and was met on the track by persons who knew her, and this way hi r steps are traced to the railroad bridge, which is .probably within half or three quarters of a mile of her home. Between this point and Latham the freight train was wooding up, and the girl f,ot aboard the train. The story of tne c.rl is that she was seized by two men and put aboard the train, and from that time was unconscious until the train had passed Cowistock. the next station beyond Latham. However this may have been, she was on the train when it staTtec, running through Latham without stop ping, and the girl was seen sitting on come ties on a flatcar as the train passed the Ftation. Her story Is that when sne . returned to consciousness she was in a b j car and a man. supposed to be one of the brakemen, was with her. After a tlc he left her alone In the car, and anotr-er man came into the car, and she was again subjected to the most out ram ous treatment. She was given a coat to keep her warm, being told by the men tv"t they dare not take her to the ca boose for fear of the conductor. So the girl went on until she reached Roseburg, "uvon she was taken to the caboose by ce of her assailants, who, telling her he would go up town and provide a room fcr her, locked the door and left her. She was found in this condition the following day by a yardman. She was crying and shivering with cold, and, upon the sugges ton from the yardman, she went up town to trv to find a place to obtain comfort. Aftr bcin? warmed and fed. she started for the horae of her -uncle, near the Sol diers Home, where she was kindly cared fc- Her uncle then took her to Rose burs and bought her a ticket and sent htr home. The girl tells a very straight story, and this is corroborated In all particulars .OKgre wtteefisefs -"know anything of her moveiSftHf Ironf thTTllnie of leaving the church. The two brakemen toward whom sus picion points are B. F. Harvey, who is now under arrest, and N. Patterson, who can not be found by the authorities. The otVtrs of the train crew say he got left, but it is supposed he got left intentionally. Twp weak part of the girl's story is the matter of being drugged and losing con sciousness. Those who are not inclined to bolieve her story in this respect believe ?he got aboard the fiatcar by Invitation of the brakeman, to ride to the station. The train not stopping, she was carried on TAt her home, being then in the power or the brutes, who had little difficulty m accomplishing their designs. PROGRESS OF RAILROAD SURVEY. Envy Grr.des on Ike Line From UII jrard to Granite. LA GRANDE, Jan. 14. Mayor J. D. Casey, of Hilgard, came down yesterday on business connected with the survey of the new railroad. Ir. Casey was a prime mover in this enterprise, and is one of Its most enthusiastic supporters. He states that the survey, wliich was commenced at Hi'gTd the first. of the week, has ad viced to a point about 19 miles above that place. Engineer W. T. Chalk is su rrrnter.cJngthework, and is now assist ed by 10 men. The work is progressing at the rate of two miles per day. Tne Pt'Wst grade yet found is 26 feet to ilie m 1c, and it Is estimated that poitlon of t rojte will exceed 40 feet to the mile. The line ofi the survey follows the soutn Side of the river. Homestead Pr-.icxii.s Received. OREGON CITY. Jan. 14. Homestead ratr--t! have been received at the local l-iri office for the following settlers: John S. W r.pht. Elijah C. Neal. George Howe, Lcrenno 13. "Weaver, James O. Downlp, "William Geddes. Bentley T. George, Ben jamin P. SkUlman, Charles H. Devine, Simon Eauer, James M. Wadsworth' c:.ustian "Weber, Albert Bartlett, Rose Wikox, William N. Cooke, John C. Hess James Tigard. Mary C. Kueneke. Albert L. Miller, Clarendon C. McBride, Jonn Turrr!3ge. -Charles H. Blake, Edward T. reppcTling. James D. Hudspeth. Helena J. "tt twrlund", Richard J. Nicholson. James J. "Winters, May Young. Lida Elv, Paul ine Young. Jacob S. Ripley. MarkV. Bur ton. Frederick Faltinet, Frank M. Weber. Dnn'el J. Lechen, Ira M. Hunter, "William M. Monroe, RichaTd A. Zahn. John S. Sj k- 5. "William R. Jones. George T. Gragg John M. Feely. Daniel TV. Feely. Charles Young; Charles E. Foster. Charles R. Os trander, Thomas Bust, Albert Hill. Jacob S. Schmid, Axel Isaksen, Frank E. Lent, Sin-eon J. "Wiiho't, Lucy E. Harris, Irven H" brook, Robert Echinger, Thomas A. Riots Jonas Y. Kauffman, Charles M. Daoett. John A. McDonald, Theodore J. T'r"an, WHlard Abeil. John H. Mills. Gus Adolph Lechner. Phineas Peck, James Paul. Frank Haycox, August Matthews, Hrr.-y C Torlc, Nicholas C. Lilv; heirs cf Dcrus Bifrler, deceased; Edson W. Bee man, Ceorge Arrabrest, Mahlon W. Worth ington, Arthur "Williams, Charles L. Dick. Za Fund to Pay Check. "WASCO, Or.. Jan. 14. A laborer, giving his name as Wilson, passed a check for ?10 on Moore Bros.' bank, of Moro, on the proprietor of the Western hotel of this city, and on presenting it was found he never had any funds In said bank. He has not been apprehended. Oregon Notes. The Milton Eagle has just -completed its ICth 3'ear. K. McDonald arrived at Elgin last Tues day with 41 horses, purchased in Wallowa county for cavalry purposes. The amount of money orders sold at the Tillamook postoffice last month was a record-breaker. Postmaster Severance reporting that he received 4500, for 250 orders issued. A national bank with 575.000 capital is soon to be opened in Canyon City. It will be allied with the First National hank, of Heppner. Hon. R. N. Donnelly's son set a trap for coyotes last week and caught an eagle that measured seven feet from tip to tip. The Cove Ledger says that mange is getting among the horses of that locality and that two horses afflicted with It were killed last week. The democratic and populist county cen tral committees of Malheur county will meet in Vale February 3. The Ontario Advocate urges them to fuse. Arthur Hodges, who has been a clerk of Crook county nearly 10 years and is now also mayor of Prinevllle, will this week marry Miss Stella Gesner, of Salem. Judge Bradshaw Instructed the clerk of Wheeler county not to draw a jury for the January term of court, there not being sufficient business to justify It. This has saved the county at least $1000. W. M. Stoker killed a large cougar on Catherine creek. Union county, Thursday. The beast, after being shot, made for the hunter, but expired at his feet. It was 10 feet long and weighed 150 pounds. The Eastern Oregon Agricultural Society is still unable to locate Its fair for this year, four votes being cast for Union county and one for Grant, at a meeting of directors, held last week. New officers are soon to be elected, however, and then, it is expected, harmony will be restored. It Is expected that final proof of the townsite of Granite, Grant county, will be made at The Dalles land office next Thursday. No contest has been filed and none is looked for. The granting of a certificate now will clear up the question of titles In Granite that has vexed and retarded the growth of the town much. There ere ail kinds of rumors about railroads, logging roads, tramways, cable lines and every other kind of a road, even to a tollroad. talked of for Columbia county, says the St. Helens News. Should the Northern Pacific run a branch-, leg ging road up Scappoose creek, tunnel through Bunker hill and go down Clats kanie, new life will be put into the in terior of Columbia county. ' . INDICTMENT OF ENGLAND. President Steyn Clinrjres That .She Hum Acted "With. Treachery. - The New York Journal has Ihe follow ing statement Issued by President Steyn, of the Orange Free State, in explanation of his country's action in siding with the Transvaal: "The Boers trekked into these parts early in 1537. They had scarcely settled in their new homes before Governor Sir Harry Smith, of the colony, .proclaimed the English sovereignty over us again. He sent a command of soldiers to enforce the proclamation. They were met by a hand ful of Boers at Boomplaats, where an en gagement took place. It resulted very na turally, under the conditions, in favor of the English, and the sovereignty was de clared. "Afterward Sir Harry Smith sent 10,003 men under General Cathcart to proclaim that part west of our present boundary 'which was occupied by the Basutos. The Basutos were, as they are now, a mag nificent race of fighting men, and their army at that time was enormous. The Rrltish were so thoroughly defeated by the natives that they retreated back to the colony. You see, they had stirred up the Basutos, and since the natives had defeated such an army of Englishmen the Basutos concluded that their respect for a handful of Boer hunters and farm ers was not well founded. "The Basutos began raiding our .settle ments and stealing all the cattle. We pleaded with England to protect us, since they had stirred up the natives, and claimed us as subjects! But they refused, and said we must return to the colony or shift for ourselves. "England signed the convention of 1E54, granting absolute and total independence to us. The convention provided that Eng land would never interfere with the na tives on the north of the Orange river; that we were to receive a fair share of the customs duties on imported goods- con sumed in our state, and also, that all our ammunition would always be delivered to us free of duties. From 1S56 to 1S64 the Basutos made periodical raids on our farms, driving away the cattle and killing all the inhabitants they could. "President Brant saw that no progress could be made In the state until the Basu tos were conquered, and from 1S64 to 1S69 the Boers, 1500 men capable of fighting, waged war on the blades. We drove them from kopje to kopje, from stronghold to stronghold, until finally we had them on their knees in their last stronghold. "Now comes one of those despicable traits of the English character. Just as soon as the English saw that we were arranging a treaty with the Basutos Sir Philip Wodehouse stepped in and pro claimed the Basutos under British protec tion. They took the territory. You see at once that after three years' desperate fighting we were bankrupt as a govern ment. The farmers had returned to their original desolation. Just when we thought we were going to secure the fruits of our war England took the territory, which is the richest In South Africa. We could not help ourselves. "At the end of the same year that Eng land robbed us of the most fertile part of Africa the news spread over the world that diamonds had been discovered. Now comes the greatest robbery in history. D.amonds were first discovered north of the Orange river, near its confluence with the Limpopo river. At once England claimed the territory. We protested. "In the papers accompanying the con vention givng us our independence were titles to farms right where the diamonds were discovered. When we nrodiicefl thi evidence England changed the foundation f 1. ii . . V .. . .. .-. ul j.ci tmiins ana sta:ea mat the terrltorv o jitia uy ngiii oi sovereignty over a race of natives near that section. "Then we pointed out the explicit article in the convention in which she agreed not to in any way meddle w.th the natives north of the Orange river. "But In the meantime English offirinls made out a definition of our western har der. This made the diamond fifM i3f west of our border. The boundary was defined as running due north from a cer tain kopje on the Orange river ovcer "Dabld's grave' the burial ground of an old chief to the Vaal river. ThPn mr. diamonds were discovered farther east The Britons claimed these as being on British territory. One night some m'ners moved 'Dav'. grave' further east. We were nrotestin that even this fictitious boundarv riiri nnf include the new diamond field. They sur veyed it andr sure enough, the miners had failed to move the grave far enough east by about two miles. Then they nut the British flntr nn nim the mines anyway, and asked us what wa were going to do about it. e were a handful of nnverfv-f hmtot. farmers." Debs Snyn We're Not Prosperous. 'SAS CITY. Io- Jan. 14.-Eugene . Debs, of Indiana, the labor leader, in an address at the Academy of Music this afternoon, said: "We are told today that we are in an era of unparalleled prosperity. 1 say that it Is a ghastly lie. Love and abject pov erty do not dwell together, and there are thousands of children being raised under conditions which cannot fail to make them paupers." Mr. Debs said the trust of todav is the outgrowth of natural evolution, and in it self is not an evil. Continuing, he said: "The century which is just closing marks an epoch, and a critical period, in Industrial conditions In this world. The competitive system Is the bane of the world today. It is responsible for the conditions so graphically described In that poem. 'The Man With the Hoe.' The new century will not tolerate this system, and its early years will sec It 'absolutely abol ished." When the Boers form a firing line no body is left to look after the horses, which are trained to remain where they are, as soon as they feel the reins dropped over tho necks. WOMAN DIED ON TRAIN WAS ACCOMPANYING HUSBAND'S CORPSE HOME TO SEATTLE. Seized IVIth Hemorrhage In Dinlnjj- Cnr in Siskiyou Mountains, and the End Soon Came. ASHLAND. Or., Jan. 14. Mrs. C. M. Foote, of Los Angeles, Cal., aged 73 years, died suddenly on the north-bound Oregon j express between Gazelle and Montague, at 1 o'clock this afternoon. She was seized with a hemorrhage while eating her meal in the dining-car and was assisted to her berth in the Pullman sleeper, where she died in a few minutes. The deceased woman was taking the re mains of her late husband, who died a few days ago In Los Angeles, to Seattle for burial, and was accompanied by her GEORGE F. fflitl if ' I . J NEWLY APPOINTED POSTMASTER AT MEDFORD. MEDFORD, Or., Jan. 14. George F. Merriman, the new postmaster at Medford, 1b a na tive son of Oregon. He Is the eldest son of IV. H. Merriman, who, In 1S51, made a home where the town of Riddles, Douglas county, now stands, and later took part In the Indian wars. The son has spent most of his life In Jackson county at his trade, blacksmithlng, and whenever occasion offered has put in heavy blows for every republican president nominated since he cast his first vote. son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Kilbourn, with whom she expected to make her future home in Seattle. Her body was put in a casket here, transferred to the baggage car and placed alongside that of her late husband and continued on with the regular north-bound train. DANGER IS NOW PAST. Cool Weather Stopped Melting of Snovr Much, Daninpc Done. SPOKANE, Jan. 14. The floods in the Potlach and Clearwater rivers are reced ing. The wires to Kendrlck and Juliaetta are down, hence meager information comes from there, but enough to show that no further damage has been done. Lewiston has mall for the first time in three days. All travel in that vicinity is by wagon. Trains are everywhere tied up in the valleys. The line of road from Kendrlck to Lew iston, on the Northern Pacific, la oblit erated in many spots, and no trains will run for two weeks on that portion of the branch. The Clearwater at Lewiston Is running like a millrace. The ferryboat broke from the cable in the middle of the stream to day, but was caught before going far and towed to shore. Theweather in Eastern Washington is coolep! and all danger from further floods is b?ieved to be past. WATERS FAST RECEDING. Rnilrond Grade Damaged by Green River Land Washed Away. TACOMA, Jan. 14. The weather has sud denly turned cold, and the waters of the rivers which have been causing dam age by floods In the valleys have gone down. On the mountains the streams are all reported to be frozen, and the melt ing of snows has stopped. The Northern Pacific has cleared its tracks and fear no more trouble. The overland train due here from the East at noon Saturday ar rived at 11 o'clock this morning, and to day's overland came in tonight. Outgo ing trains are on time. Considerable dam age has been done by Green river floods to the grades on the Palmer cut-off. The Puyallup river has gone down five feet in 24 hours, and the Stuck is subsiding. At Puyallup several acres of farm lands havft bn wnsherl nirnv hv tVio "Piivallmi "T J "w -J ""' and damage nas lieen rinno in tnwn nrnn. erty. January Floods Subsiding. SEATTLE, Jan. 14. Reports received here today from White river valley towns and from points north of this city are to the effect that the January floods are subsiding and that no further damage will be done. Trains- today were only a few hours late, and are expected to be on time tomorrow. No rain has fallen here during the past 24 hours, and the weather has been much cooler, which has resulted 'n a subsidence of the floods. Lower Temperature Checked Flood. PENDLETON, Jan. 14. Lower tempera ture in the Blue mountains checked the freshet during yesterday. Every bridge along the Umatilla rlveT, from Its mouth to Its source, was regarded as In danger, and some were damaged. All damaged bents have been replaced so trains are now running on time. WORK TRAINS COLLIDE. One Mnn's Leg Was Broken Track Blockaded 12 Hours. ROSEBURG, Jan. 14. Two special trains, a tie train, cast-bound, and a staam-shovei, west-bound, collided in the west end of tunnel No. 3, about two and one-half miles west of Westfork, this evening. One man is- reported injured. All trains are de layed. (Superintendent Fields, of the Southern Pacific, when seen in Portland last night regarding the accident, said that trains would be delayed about 12 hours botn ways. The name of the only man injured could not be learned. His leg was broken.) New "Washington Incorporations. OLYMPIA, Jan. 14. The following ar ticles of Incorporation have been filed in the office of the state secretary in the past week: University Company. Tacoma, ?110,C03; Fraternal Order of Hawks, Seat tle; Poland-China Gold Mining Company, Chcsaw, $200,000; Sumpter Free Gold Min ing Company, Spokane, 75,003; Baker County Mining Company, Seattle, $100,000; La Fleur Gold & Copper Company, Ta coma, ?75 COO; The Sound Timber Company, Davenport, $G00,0OO; Microbane Medical Compar.y. Seattle, $20,000; M. C. Moore & Sons, Walla Walla, $100,000; The Novelty Works, Anacortes, 520CO; Thurston County Lumber Company, Seattle, $100,030; La ' Node Mining Company, Seattle, $10,000: Se ' attic Deaconess Home Association, Seat- tie; British Columbia Golden Eagle Min ing Company, Spokane, $50,000; Nonpareil I Mining Company, Spokane, 575,000; Rainier j Chemical Works, Rainier, $50,030; Red 1 Mountain Mining & Development Com i pany, Seattle, $l,0C0,CCO; Industrial Im provement Company, Tacoma, J7CC0; Thack i cr Wood & Manufacturing Company, Olympia, JC0CO; Freeland Association, New ell, ?10,000; First Bank of Colton, $25 000; Great Mammoth Copper Mining Company, Seattle, 51.5CO.O00. Notes of Columbia Comity. ST. HELENS, Or., Jan. 11. Houlton j school district has levied a 10-mlll special . school tax for the ensuing yer. St. Helens school gave a public enter- j tainment last evening, at whlcn $zb oo was raised to purchase a flag for the use of the school on "flag days." Patriotism Is not waning here. Edwin Merril commenced suit against B. C. Enyert to recover possession of his Deer Island ranch. The first trial resulted MERRIMAN In a disagreement of the jury. A secono trial was had yesterday before Justice Cox, and late last evening the jury re turned a verdict for the defendant. Unknown Man Killed by Train. PENDLETON, Jan. 14. An unknown man was struck by the west-bound freight train at 4:S0 o'clock this morning, at Meacham, In the Blue mountains. Tne body was crushed beneath the engine and car wheels and was dragged quite a dis tance. He was a stranger there, no one being able to identify him. The coroner is now there endeavoring to ascertain who he was. "Washington Notes. The total number of arrests made m Spokane during the year 1899 amounted to 4531, an increase of 305 over the preceding year. Ralph Cosens, of Bickleton, Klickitat county, has purchased the Huzzy ranch east of that town, paying $10 per acre for o20 acres. The annual report of the treasurer of Kalama shows that that place is not only out of debt but has more than $500 In her treasury. The longest train that ever came into Chehalis arrived a few days ago, and was distributed along the Chehalis-South Bend branch at the various mill centers. It consisted of 60 empty cars. The county commissioners of Lewis county have let a contract for the build ing of a ferry-boat, to be operated on the Cowlitz at Fulton. The boat will be f3 feet long and 20 feet in width. It will be In operation about March 1. The farmers out in the vicinity of the Butte, in Klickitat county, engaged in a coyote hunt a few days ago. There were IS men in the party and a score or two of dogs. They found a den of the ani mals on top of the Butte, but failed to capture any of them. The Chinamen of Spokane have joined a society organized for the express pur pose of stirring up a revolution in their native country. They have sworn to de throne the empress now ruling over their country and to restore Emperor Kwang Hsu to his rightful power. On exhibition at a hotel in Wallula Is a lot of great bones, apparently belong ing to a mastodon, which were unearthed by the workmen on the Snake River Val ley railway recently. The bones were found in solid soil 40 feet below the sur face, and so far have not been accounted for. Several of the bones aie almost per fect and show that they belonged to an animal" much larger than any now roam ing the sand hills of this section. One of the largest Individual sales of wheat this year was that of B. F. Man chester, a farmer living eight miles soutn west of Colfax, who sold to Charles De France 11,700 bushels of wheat stored in the warehouse at Mackenema for SS cents per bushel, sacked in the warehouse. This is only a part of Mr. Manchester's crop of 1S99. He has 1600 acres of land, but a large part of it was summer-fallowed last year. De France Is Palouse country agent for G. W. Tracey, of Port land. AVill Plunge Into Routine Work. WASHINGTON, Jan. 14. The house will plunge Into the routine work of the ses sion this week. Most of the time, except ing Friday, which has been set apart for payinc tribute to the memory of the late Vice-President Hobart, will be devoted to the consideration of appropriation bills. It is expected that both the urgent de ficiency and the pension appropriation bills will be passed this week. The for mer, containing, as it does, many mil lions for the arniy and navy, may raise tile whole question as to the insurrection m the Philippines, with its allied Issues, and lead to a very protracted debate. Kow far the republican leaders will allow the debate to run has not yet been deter mined, but if the democrats be insistent and persistent they can hardly be refused several days, in view of the large amount of appropriations involved. The pension appropriation bill is also likely to cause some spirited debate, owing to the dispo sition in certain .quarters to criticise the conduct of the pension office. Attempts doubtloFS will be made to legislate upon the bill reversals of some pension commis sioner's .rulings, but as all such legisla tion is subject to a point of order, it will fail. There is no present prospect that the Roberts case will get Into the house before next week. i a Many Entries for Ponltry Show. CINCINNATI, Jan. 14. There are over 1003 entries fbr the poultry show this week. Including handlers from all states and Canada, VALUE OP DELAfiOA BAY POSSIBILITY OF ITS SEIZURE BY GREAT BRITAIN. Would Stop the Supply of Arms to the Boers Portugal's Treaties With, England. Delagoa bay is a name rendered drearily familiar to newspaper readers by the ar bitration proceedings of which it has been the subject for more than 20 years, writer "Ex-Attache" in the New York Tribune. All eyes are now turned toward Delagoa bay for a reason of an Infinitely more sen sational character. For within the next few weeks, perhaps even before this let ter appears In print, Delagoa bay is likely to become the object of some high-handed action on the part of either Great Britain or of the Transvaal, possibly the scene of some desperate conflict between' the two, and, in any case, of events that are likely to convert the war now raging between the Boers and the English into an issue of In ternational character that is to say, an issue which will afford to certain foreign powers a pretext for diplomatic interven tion in the quarrel. Delagoa bay belongs to Portugal, which Is too weak to defend it against any act of aggression on the part either of the Boers or of the English. Not only is it the cole port worthy of the name and offering any harborage to men-of-war and to mer chantmen along the entire east coast of Africa, but it is the only port by means of which the Boers are receiving both the men and the war material that enable them to continue the struggle against the Eng lish. True, English cruisers have the right to stop and examine upon the high seas any foreign shipping which they may sus pect of carrying contraband of war for the Boers. But any real search at sea is out of the question, since it is manifestly im possible to shift the entire freight of a big trading steamer in order to ascertain whether guns and war material are se creted at the bottom cf the hold, while in the same way there is no means of dis covering whether there Is any truth in the essentially pacific and commercial pretexts which the large number of military-looking passengers give as the object of their journey to South Africa. So long as the Boers are able to draw unlimited supplies of war material and all the reinforcements they need from Europe via Delagoa bay, the English will be to such an extent handicapped in their efforts to get the bet ter of the Transvaal that the war is likely to be indefinitely prolonged. On the other hand, were Delagoa bay to be suddenly closed to the Boers, and were the lat ter In tLls manner entirely cut off from the outer world, the war could be brought to a speedy conclusion by Great Britain. What BflnPossession Means. Tho Boerspe Portuguese and the Eng lish all realjjpT this. President Kruger ful ly understTds that If England obtains possession of Delagoa bay she will be able to bring the war to an early and success ful end. Great Britain knows that if the Boers get possession of Delagoa bay dou ble, and even treble, the number of men and the time will be needed to defeat the Transvaal, the strength of whose position in the present conflict would be Increased by at least 60 per cent, and Portugal, thoroughly aware of this condition of af fairs,, is now convinced that the seizure of Delagoa bay, either by the Boers or by the English, Is inevitable and immi nent. At the outset of the war Portuguese sympathies were with the English, and for some weeks before hostilities actually were begun the Portuguese authorities even went so far In their demonstrations of good will toward Great Britain as to stop the conveyance of great guns and war ma terial of every kind destined for the Boers via Delagoa bay. Their friendly Inten tentlons, however, were frustrated by the prime minister of the English Cape Colo ny, who "at the time when the Bosr Im portation of war supplies was being stopped at Delagoa bay permitted Presi dent Kruger to bring in all the heavy oid- nance, ammunition, etc., that he wanted by way of Cape Town; that is to say, over British territory. This naturally served to discourage the Portuguese, and the heavy reverses which England has sustained since the beginning of the war have tended still further to di minish their eagerness to favor the British at the expense of the Transvaal. The lat ter's frontier is but 40 miles from Delagoa bay, which, moreover, is connected by a line of railroad with the Boer capital, Pre toria, less than 300 miles away. There is nothing whatever to prevent the Boers from taking advantage of the railroad to sweep down from their border line at KomatI Poort upon Lourenco Marques, two score miles away, and to seize Delagoa bay by means of a "coup de main." The Por tuguese government gives this danger as an excuse for permitting at present the unrestricted Boer Importation of war sup plies and reinforcements via Delagoa bay. In fact, there is little or no attempt on the part of the Portuguese officials at Lourenco Marques to conceal these fla grant violations of the laws of neutrality, and there Is no doubt that even if they were not prompted to act thus by appre hension of a Boer seizure their scruples on the score of the obligations of neutrality would be quieted by means of Boer gold. For there is no more corrupt class of offi cials in the world than those to whom King Carlos of Portugal Intrusts the ad ministration of his unfortunate colonies. England's Occupation Necessary. In view of tho colossal interests at stake, It seems Incredible that England will per mit Delagoa bay to be rushed and seized by the Boers. Now there la only one way England can guard herself from this dan ger and prevent any such result, and that is by occupying Delagoa bay herself. The possession of the place offers her untold advantages. Not only would it have the effect of cutting off the Transvaal from all Intercourse with the outer world and en tirely arresting the Boer source of supplies, but it would likewise place Great Britain within striking distance of Pretoria. Ac cording to the most recent and reliable In formation on the subject, that portion o the Transvaal which lies between the Por tuguese frontier station at KomatI Poort and tho Boer capital is entirely undefended and denuded not merely of troops, Dut even of men, the farms being occupied at present exclusively by women and chil dren. Indeed, young Winston Churchill seems to have experienced little or no dif ficulty in traversing the 200 and odd miles to Delagoa bay after making his escape from Pretoria, where he was held as a prisoner of war. An English seizure of Lourencj Marques would therefore compel the Transvaal at once to withdraw Its forces from Lady smith, from Klmberley and from other points in the south, east and west of the republic in order to defend the approach to the capital from Delagoa bay. In this way General Sir Redvers Buller, Lord Methuen, Sir George White and all the other British commanders now confronted by superior forces of Boers would he relieved of the peril by which they are menaced. In fact, the advantages which England would de rive from the seizure of Delagoa bay, and the urgency of occupying it before it can be rushed by the Boers, are so obvious that it is difficult to understand why Great Britain should have waited so long to do so. In fact, the only reason that can be conceived for her neglect to adopt such a measure Is that she had underestimated the .power of the Transvaal and expected to be able to bring the war to a speedy and successful issue without resorting to any such extremitv. From an International point of view, Eng land would be perfect.y justified in seiz ing Delagoa bay. In the first place, Portu gal, since the beginning ot the present war, has been guilty of the most flagrant vio lations of the laws of neutrality, her only excuse being the peril to which she is ex posed of having Lourenco Marques taken by the Boers. Secondly, there are Inex-J lstence treaties between Portugal and Great Britain, eight in number (several or them never yet publicly promulgated, but nevertheless In force), according to the terms of which England binds 'itself to de fend Portugal asalnst all foreign lnva' and external aggression. For the purpose cf enabling England to carry out Its treaty engagements In this particular, she has re ceived under these agreements authority from Portugal to enter and occupy all her ports, the Tagus be.ag specifically men tioned. English Treaties AVlth. Portugal. Attention was first called to these treaties when, at the time of the threatened Inva sion of Portugal by the Spanish republic, in 1S73, Lord Granville .then secretary of state for foreign affairs in London, in structed the English a.nbassador at Madrid to Inform the Spanish government that Great Britain stood ready to defend Portu gal in accordance with the stipulations of treaties between the two countries in ex istence. About two yeats ago another and supplementary treaty was concluded be tween Portugal and England, the terms of which have never yet been officially pro mulgated, but which are known to com prise an undertaking on the part of Eng land to re-establish Portugal financially, as the British have done with Egypt and Slam, and to this end to administer certain of Portugal's outlying estates, Delagoa bay being one of them. The king of Portugal, In referring to the treaty In the first week of January of the year now drawing to a close, informed the cortes at Lisbon that the agreement was not only destined "to preserve our colonial domain in Its com plete Integrity as the sacred heritage of the nation, but will likewise be turned to account and developed as the solid basis of our economic regeneration." There is every reason to believe that the treaty in question Is virtually the same which the late Sir Robert Morier negotiat ed and signed at Lisbon In 1S79. according to the stipulations of which England re ceived the right to embark and disembark troops, stores and -muiutions of war at Lourenco Marques, and either to keep them there or else to convey them across Portuguese territory to any point that it might see fit. This treaty of 1S79 did not at the time receive ratification by the Por tuguese cortes, and subsequently, when the Lisbon government secured the legislative majority necessary to pass it, the British cabinet of the day, which it is needless to say was a liberal administration, turned a deaf ear to Sir Robert Morier's entreaties and gave him to understand that it was not worth while bothering any more about the matter. Fortunately, Lord Salisbury has repaired this neglect, carried out the project of Sir Robert Morier, and secured the ratification of the Portuguese cortes to the most recent treaty with King Carlos. Admitting the fact that Delagoa bay Is threatened with invasion by the Boers, since the Portuguese authorities there give this as an excuse for their failure to fulfill the obligations Imposed upon them by the laws of neutrality, England has, according to the terms of her various treaties with Portugal, a perfect right to effect an imme diate military and naval occupation of Lourenco Marques and of Delagoa bay, not necessarily with a view of annexing this desirable strip of coast line territory to her empire in South Africa, but merely with the idea of holding it for a time on behalf of Portugal, and without any theo retic Interference or suspension of the sov reignty of King Carlos over that portion of the Dark Continent. That Germany's approval to some such scheme as this Is already acquired by a treaty concluded two years ago between the kaiser and the British government i3 r-n open secret, al though the terms of the treaty have never yet been published. Lord Salisbury hav ing considered It prudent to secure Em peror William's good -n-iil, In view of the fact that the Delagoa railroad line to Pre toria is an altogether German enterprise, owned by Berlin capitalists, while King Carlos of Portugal is, strictly speaking, a German prince, being a scion of the Ger man -sovereign house of Coburg and com prising among his titles the German one of Duke of Saxony. Whether or not any other European power would avail Itself of Great Britain's occupation of Delagoa ay to Intervene In the war between England and the Transvaal Is exceedingly doubtful. It i just possible that Russia and France might make some such move. But It would be less with the object of preventing England from accomplishing her designs in South Africa than for the purpose of Inducing her to make concessions of a territorial character in other parts of the world. Rus sia covets a port on the Persian gulf, of which Lord Salisbury predicted last spring that within IS months' time the English people would know Its geography better than that of the Englisn channel, while France has set her heart upon Morocco. In one word, the apples which Russia and France desire to pluck do not grow In South Africa, but in the extreme north west of the Dark Coin.-t and' In Asia. France, It may be remembered, has. al ways been particularly fond of the policy of insisting upon territorial compensation for any increase of artru, on the part of another state, making the demand on the plea that it Is necessary to preserve the balance of power. There Is not the slightest likelihood, how ever, of England making cny such conces sion to Russia and France, either In con nection with Morocco or on the Persian gulf, and there is no doubt that, sooner than yield, Great Britain would prefer to fight both powers in addition to the Trans vaal. It would not be by any means the first time that England had found herself face to face with a coalition of powers. In fact, the story of the coalitions against Great Britain Is one which cannot fan to fill Englishmen with pride for the past and hope for the future. In 1739 England had against her a coalition composed of France, Spain, Prussia, Bavaria, Sweden and Sardinia, In addition to the serious Jacobite rising In the United Kingdom. The next coalition was one of France and Spain, the third one of France, Spain, Hol land,'' and of the newly constituted United States, Ireland being In a state of rebel lion. The fourth coalition against Great Britain was in 1797, when France, Spain and Holland united to drive her from the seas, and In 1S01 France and Spain were once more united, along with Russia, Den mark and Sweden, for the avowed purpose of destroying England's empire of the sea. The last coalition was that formed by Na poleon at the height of his power. In lSOb. From every one of those struggles with foreign coalitions, England Issued forth victorious, the only loss which she sus tained having been that of those American colonies now known as the United States, a loss which was more than atoned for, territorially and economically speaking, by the extension of her empire in India. Under the circumstances, it will readily be under stood that Great Britain is jiot likely to permit herself to be bulldozed by any Eu ropean coalition, all the more as the lat ter would be restricted to France and to Russia, and possibly some second or third rate power, such as Turkey or Spain. Blast Hunpr Fire nnd Killed Two Men BUTTE, Mont., Jan. 14. Joe Mellvlch and Joseph Maxwell, working in the Co-lusa-Parroit mine, were instantly killed at an early hour this morning bj- the ex plosion of a blast that had hung fire. J. J. RileY and EH Polovich, who were working with the unfortunate men, es caped miraculously without a scratch. The four men were working In a drift on the 1400-foot level, and had fired a round of holes. They supposed all had gone off, and returned to the drift -to clean up the debris, when a "missed hole" went off. Wife No. 2 Got the Body. SIOUX FALLS, Ta.. Jan. 14. The re mains of Dr. Gustave Mahe, whose body two wives claimed, was burled today by wife No. 2. Although wife No. 1, In San Francisco, demanded custody of the re mains, local officials decided to issue a burial permit to wife No. 2, and she had charge of the ceremonies. More sensa tional developments are expected. GERMAN MONEY EASIER STOCK MARKET THROUGH TUB WEEK WAS OPTIMISTIC. Still Cause for Apprehension Is Not Entirely Removed, According to " Conservative Judgment BERLIN, Jan. 11. A leading- cincial of the Reichsbank, in the course of an In terview today, made the following state ment regarding the financial situation. "The gold movement in December re sulted in a considerable increase of Ger many's gold s;ock; about IS.OftMMO mark went to England, but more than 90,000, 000 marks were Imported from Russia. This was due to the 'fact that Russia had been unable to raise a loan in Western Europe to meet the interest upon her en gagements, and was compelled to send gold Instead. Furthermore, the British banks refused to prolong the Russian drafts, thus rendering remittances from Russia to London necessary. These were partly direct, but chiefly by way of Ger many. Hence the apparent export from Germany to London was really a mere matter of transit. "Since the beginning of this year the export has bean almost nothing. A second reduction in the bank rate before the end of January Is possible, but everything de pends upon the further developments "l! the market. The bourse has taken too optimistic a view of the money situation. In view of the fact that the rapid fall in. discounts since January I has been largely abnormal." Private discount declined all of last week, reaching an unexpectedly low point. It is apprehended, however, that the ease of the market Is transient, inasmuch as many loans which have hitherto been postponed because of dear money will soon come upon the market. London ex change continued to fall until the clos ing days of the week, when it began to rise again, In consequence of payments for pig iron purchased in England. The stock market throughout the week showed an optimistic tone. Prices in a.l departments advanced, coalers and irons considerably. Reports from the coal and iron centers show a fresh spurt, ordert multiplying and prices again rising. Coke 13 35 marks per ton, as against 17 last summer. It Is reported that coal ship ments from the United States would be welcomed as a relief. Negotiations are progressing favorably towards reopening the Berlin produca bourse. FRENCH WARSHIPS IN POSSESSION First Seized Chinese Gunboats, Then Took Entire Bay. TACOMA. Jan. 14. The steamer Elm Branch brings news from Shanghai that French warships have taken possession of Kwong Chau Wan bay, where a boun dary dispute has been pending for sev eral months. The French commenced oo erations by seizing two Chinese gunboats, destroying their guns and ammunition and taking the officers aboard the French ship as prisoners. The warships then shelled 20 Chinese villages, compelling the Chinese troops to move back. A four hours battle took place at Veg luoo. In which the French lost four killed and 2S wounded. The Chinese loss was heavier. After the Chinese retreated, the French forces were divided Into four expeditions, which pillaged and burned many villages on their march back to the seashore. Several mandarins surrendered to prevent the burning of their towns. They are he d as hostages to prevent retaliation by the natives. London Market Ready for n. Boom. LONDON, Jan. 14. The stock exchange last week was quiet but expectant, with cheaper money. Any Eltish success, m South Africa would eertatoty start a sharp upward movement. This, should the British gain a very decisive victory, would, without doubt, develop a verltaoi" boom. Consols improved to 99, othr gilt-edged securities followed suit, and the whole market, at tne closing yester day, showed great firmness. Americans were decidedly strong and closed abovu the worst figures for the week. This re covery was largely due to Berlin buying Among the Increases were: Denver & Rio Grande preferred, 1&; Southern Paciti . Money was In good supply, call loans. li2 per cent; for a week. 2VLP2&, and for three niorths' bills 3i?3. ALMOST BURIED ALIVE. Accidental Discovery That Woman Witi Not Dead. EAST ST. LOUIS. 111.. Jan. 14. Mrs. Christiana Hirth emerged from a trani-e this morning to find herself under pro cess of being embalmed and prepared for the grave. The discovery of life was the result of the merest accident, and as tounded the undertaker. A movement of an eyelid saved the woman from death it the handa of the undertaker or from burial alive. This morning while her husbwml watched at her bedside at the hospital she gave a deep sigh, and then seemed to breath no more. When th county physician ar rived he felt her pulse and made othr tests and then pronounced her dead. The county undertaker was called, and shortly afterward proceeded to embalm the body in tho dead-room. Mrs Hirth was placed on the coodng board and the work of preparing her for bural began. The body was cleansed and partially bleached. On each eye a weight was placed to hold down the lids. Over tho face a white chth. saturated with bleaching fluid, was spread. The undtr taker heard something fall. When ready to remove the bleaching cloth he noticed that one of the weights had fallen i.ff. In replacing it he thought he detected a slight movement of the eyelash. There was no beat of pulse or sign of breath, however, so he set about preparing his Instruments for the injection of the poison, ous fluids used In embalm-ng. While thus engaged he heard another noise. Again the weight had fallen. Again he notictd a faint quiver of the eyelid. Then he ap plied the most powerful te? known to un dertakers and was rewarded with a faint sign of life. He summoned assistance and the body was removed to a bed in th hospital. The doctor was called and restor atives applied. Gradually the woman came out of hr coma and was able to move her body. She was unable to discuss her experience but made signs to indicate that she waa conscious of all that had taken place. I: Is expected that she will regain some of her strength and live for a while at le-at. s t The Use of Snjcar nnd Snlt. Lewis Carroll Picture Book. I may as well just tell you a few of the things I like, and then, whenever you want to give me a birthday present (ray biri. day comes once every seven year, on tip fifth Tuesday in April), you will know what to give me. Well, I like, very mm 'i indeed, a little mustard with a bit of he- " spread thinly under it; and I like brow i sugar only it should have some apple pu 1 dlng mixed with It to keep it from beir-? too sweet; but perhaps what I like best of all is salt, with some soup poured over .. The use of the soup Is to hinder the salt from being too dry, and It helps to melt It. Want American ChsrIs. Chicago Record. Since Alsace and Lorraine were cpdfd by France to Germany at the end of the Franco-Prussian war, :o nation has been allowed to maintain consular representa tives within their limits. The cities cf Strasburg and Metz have lately asked that they be allowed to have American consul ates on account of their growing trade with this country. fi