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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1904)
mm VOL. XXIII. PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 25, 1904. NO. 52. Store Closed Until Tuesday at 1 o'CIock Li pmanWolfe a Co Store Closed Until Tuesday at 1 o'clock PAGES 9 TO! 6 PmRT two Everything Reduced In Men's Underwear, Socks, Shirts, Suspend ers, Neckwear and all other Furnishings. Everything Reduced In n Women's and Children's Cotton, Wool, Lisle and Silk Hosiery. Everything Reduced In ' ' The Silk Store the world's best makes of Black and Colored Silk -are all less! Everything Reduced In Dress Goods Black and Colored all wool and silk and wool all are less. Everything Reduced In The Linen Store Towels, Cloths, Napkins everything of linen is less! Everything Reduced In : Cotton Goods Sheets and Pillowcases, Sheetings, Prints, Battings, -etc., all are less. Everything Reduced In Dress Linings and Findings Button Shields, etc all are less I Everything Reduced In Ribbons, Laces, Embroideries, Trimmings, Appliques and Neckwear everything is less ! Everything Reduced In The Picture Store Helps for making home beautiful are all less! Everything Reduced In " x Handkerchiefs, Veilings, Fans, 'etc. chances to buy for little all are less. Everything Reduced In The Leather Goods Store purses, Suit Cases, Bags, Belts, all are Jess. SiGLER 18 INDICTED CouncilmanandAssessor-Elect Charged With Extortion. RELEASED ON $1000 BONDS That He Threatened Injury to Prop erty of F. Joplin With Intent ' to- Extort Pecuniary Ad vantage Is Alleged. Biuford D. Siglor, Councilman and County Assessor-elect, has been In dicted by the grand jury on a charge of threatening Injury to the property of another, with intent thereby to ex tort pecuniary advantage or property from Ferdlnnnd Joplin, a street con Tractor, and to compel Joplin to do an t against his will. Mr. S4gler was arrested, by Deputy Sheriff Harvey L. Moreland early in tat- afternoon, and was released on $1000 bonds, with Captain E. W. Spen irr. Abe Tlckaner. W. H. Grindstaff i.nd John V. Baker as sureties The law only roqulres two bonds men, but SIgler evidently intended to show that he was able to precure an abundance of them. Penalty Is Imprisonment. The indictment Is drawn under the extortion section of the statute, and the penalty upon conviction is im prisonment in the County Jail for not niss than three months nor more than one year, or imprisonment in the peni tentiary for not less than six months r.or more than two years. A convlo. tion would not have the effect of re" movlnc Sigler from the office of As--f-ssfor, of which lie takes charge in January. 1905, except during the term of his ooniinement, as the statute on !h;.t .subject so specifies. It reads "a follows: v A Judgment of imprisonment in the I-enitentlary for any term less than life suspends all civil rights, and for feits all public office and all private trusts, authority or power, during the term or duration of such imprison ment." It has been noised about for some tim that an indictment would bo found against Sigler, and the circum Mances of the case were fully pub lished. It was reported to Judge Cl laiid at the noon hour yesterday. In thi absence of Judge George, and a bench warrant was immediately is sued and the amount of bail fixed." Charges In the Indictment' The indictment recites that Sigler. on September 22. 1903. and for some time prior thereto, alleged that he held unpaid notes against F, Joplin for 5312, when In fact Joplin did not legally owe the same, or any pari thereof. In a conversation with Jop lin, on September 22. 1903, it Is charged that Siglor said to Joplin: "You will get no more assessments made until ou pay those notes," and SIcler threatened to prevent the passage of any ordinance or ordinances for tho payment of street work performed by Joplin until Joplin paid the $312. which he did. The witnesses whose names appear on the indictment are F. Joplin, hl-i partner, J. Gieblsch, and B. D. Sljslor. at his own request. . A statement previously made bv Sigler in connection with this affair is that Joplin borrowed money from his father years ago, but which wan his (Sigler's) money. He admits h held up a street acceptance to com pel payment of the debt. Joplin says the notes were 12 years old and out lawed, and that he had paid usurious Interest on them. Sigler contends thu the debt was Just, and that Joplin owns property worth over $5000, and was well able to liquidate. Otner Findings Returned. William Cohn, alias Bill Booster, an East Side scowdweller. was Indicted by the grand jury for stealing goods in the grocery store of H. J. Faust, at East Twenty-sixth ami Powell streets, on December 3. The goods were valued at $36. An indir.tment was returned against Frank Seeley, charging him with steal, ing $2G3 in cash and a gold ring with a diamond setting, from W. S. Harris. "Not a true bill." was the verdict re turned In the case of John Morrison, who was charged with adultery. Tho woman concerned is Bertie May John son, and the complainant was tho woman's husband, C. Johnson. In the case of Louis Henrich. charged with assault with a knife, on Edgar Payne, "not a true bill" was the de cision.. THOTJSAISDS GO WITH NAME. Massachusetts Towns Have the First Chance to Change Title. GREENFIELD, Mass., Dec. 24. Ten thousand dollars awaits the town which will adopt the name of Cush man. By tho death at Salem of Mrs. Anna. Cushman, widow of the late Lieutenant-Governor Henry W. Cushman, formerly of Bernardstown, this amount of money, held in trust, goes to Ber nardstown if It takes the name of Cush man. In case Bernardstown fails to avail itself of the money,-any Massachusetts town of more than 1000 population may have the money under the same condi tion. In the failure "of a Massachusetts town to take the money In five years the offer is open to any town of 1000 population in the United States. Japanese Medal for Francis. ST. LOUIS. Dec 2L According to a cablegram from Baron Kiyoura, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce of Japan, received here. D. B, Francis, of ' the Lou isiana Purchase Exposition, is to be deco rated with the gold medal "of the firsf grade of merit of the Order of the Rising Sun. Other officers of the Exposition are to receive similar decorations. Potatoes for Starving Irish. GREELEY. Colo.. Dec 24. A mass meeting, presided over by Mayor Wat son, was held here this afternoon to pro vide 100 carloads of potatoes for the Irish famine sufferers. A committee will be appointed by the Mayor to solicit pota toes for the "shipment. Christmas Present From Carnegie. PITTSBURG. Pa., Dec 2L Andrew Carnegie has presented to the Braddock Carnegie Library and the Homestead Carnegie Library 533,000 eatfh as a. Christ mas present A Merry Christmas! We did a vastly greater holiday business than ever before in our history, and did it with Jess friction. The vexations of holiday shopping were reduced to a minimum. This proved to be the store for hurried shoppers. Exclusive novelties from many lands were shown in such variety and profusion as to make a visit to this store a distinct relief after viewing the long successions of commonplace things seen elsewhere around town. The. one feature you evi dently t appreciated was the fact that our prices were indisputedly the lowest. Tomorrow (Monday) will bew a day of genuine rest for, our hundreds of em ployes. They richry deserve it after the strenuous time of the past few weeks. . We will remain CLOSED TUESDAY UNTIL 1 O'CLOCK, devoting the forenoon toward rearranging and marking down our entire stock for the greatest sale event of the season Our Great Sale Every Article in the Store Reduced There are thousands of people who eagerly await this great sale event, for they realize from past experience how extraordinary the savings are to them. We wish to say that "Sale'iSTews" was never more important to tjareful buyers. A visit to the store will convince everybody that this is the store for actual values. :'''', -r ; TO DISMISS REES Acting Paymaster Is Sentenced by Court-Martial, PRESIDENT TO TAKE ACTION It Is Believed That He Will Approve Findings of the Court Charge Against Him Is Technical Embezzlement. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash ington. Dec 24. Papers in the case of Major Harry L. Rees. recently court martialed at Vancouver Barracks on various' charges relating to Irregularities in his accounts while Acting Paymaster of the Department of the Columbia and sentenced to dismissal by that court, have been received at the War Department and A $25,000,000 FAIR The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition that wilt be opened In Tort land on June 1 next, will not he a Fair local in Its interestH. Special com missioners from many of the great countries of Europe and Asia have already becn appointed with plenary powers. These commissioners have been instructed by their home governments to make the larcest and most creditable exhibit possible at the great Fair. When these exhibits may have all been Installed, the Exposition will have represented an outlay In excess of $25,000,000. The Illustrations of the buildings of the Fair, of the natural beauties of the fair Grounds, and of the artistic details of the leading Fab: structures, that will be published in the New Year's Orc?onlo& will convey accurate Information of the scope of the coming Exposition to thousands of people. The New Year's Ore gonlan will be published Monday morning, January 2. It will be mailed to any address In the United States or Canada, postage prepaid, for 10 cents a copy. Address The Oregonlan, Portland, Or. will be laid before the President for final action. It is generally understood the President will approve the findings of the court. Major Harry L. Rees was charged with techincal embezzlement and conduct prejudicial to good order, and military discipline. His office books were straight and his cash was not short when investi gated by a special inspector sent to Port land by the Paymaster-General last Sep tember. But at the recent court-martial at Vancouver Barracks 4t was proved that the Major had falsified his reports to the General Paymaster's department through a period of several months, the falsification being in overstating his actual balance at the banlc It was further shown that about the time he learned that he was to be inspected ha had borrowed sums from personal friends amounting approximately to the sum he was alleged to be short, and that he had Immediately thereafter deposited the amount required to balance his account at the Government depository. This was about the middle of last June. He failed to repay all but a small part of the $900 he borrowed, .and his creditors. Charles Barenstecher. of the Louvre. Cafe, and a brother officer finally each made com- We Wish You (Barring Contract Goods) plaint to the department ,at Washing ton. The investigation, suspension and court-martial of the Major followed. In -his defense Major Rees held that at no time had be been an embezzler, for at all times he had retained possession of the undeposited balances, having tho money in his office safe. That he had not deposited because of confusion In his books, owing to alleged mistakes by the bank. The borrowing of the money at the time was but a coincidence, ne said; that he was in pressing need of money for a personal matter. The witness re lied upon to corroborate this statement failed to appear because, it was said, of personal animosity to the Major. Major Rees was appointed from civil life shortly before the Spanish War and served with marked ability and honor In the Paymaster's service in the Philip pines. SINGULAR CHARGE BY NEGRO Says He Was Beaten So, He Could Not Vote at Presidential Election. NEW YORK, Dec 24. A charge, the like of which has never been enter tained in a United States Court in this district within the memory of the old est official, was preferred today against Henry Jones, a Louisville, Ky., negro, when he was araigned before United States Commissioner Shields. The charge against Jones was Interfering with the rights of a citizen in that he beat John Suppertonlght, another ne gro, so seve'rely that Suppertonight was unable to. -vote at the last Presidential election at Louisville. Secret service officers had been searching for Jones for some time, and finally located him in this city. When arraigned before the Commissioner to day he waived examination and extra dition formalities and will be taken back to Louisville at once by the Fed eral authorities for trial. Deaths In Smallpox Hospital. CHICAGO, Dec 24. Four deaths in the isolation hospital today broke the record for the institution, and cast a chill over the Christmas festivities which had been announced for the C3 smallpox patients. One of the dead Is a babe 5 days old. born in the insti tution. The mother also is among the dead. Mora Colliery Is Afire. MAHANOY CITY, Pa., Dec 24. The fire that broke out In Mora colliery last night Is still burning fiercely; All of the em ployes are still fighting the fire The mine may be totally destroyed. BUSY AT P08T0FFIGE Holiday Rush Greater Than Ever Before, HEAVY MAILS WELL HANDLED Postmaster John MInto Has Extra Force at Work Clearing the Tons of Christmas Presents and Letters for All Portland. . Here's a facer for .the pessimistic business man who is reported to have complained of the dullness of the holi day trade: The Portland Postoffice has done about one-third more business during the past few weeks than during any similar holiday period since It was es tablished here. It is generally conced ed that no better Indication of good or bad times Js afforded than by the amount of Christmas business trans acted through, a postoffice. One business man is said to hold that Portland is dull, and that it Is dull because of It a "closed town." Another business man. with more logic, thinks things are tighter than usual because something like 4000 new homes have tnen established during the past year, and that the owners aro conomlzing to pay the monthly Install ments on houses, lots and furniture Still another maintained that people were tightening up In preparation for the Fair season next j-ear. Just wbv that should be imagined is not stated. Bub here are a few figures from the lo cal Postoffice. "The October business," said Post master John MInto, yesterday, "was 16 per cent above that of October last year; the November business was 29.3 per cnt above that of November law? year, and a fair estimate for Decem ber would place the. increase from 20 to 35 per cent above December last year." All estimates of Postoffice business are based on the stamp receipts. ! W. Godfrey, superintendent of thi' stamp division, said: "A conservativo estimate of our receipts for the present month would ehow un Increase of $6000 to $8000, bringing the total stamp sales up to about $35,000." The registry department hns been al most stalled by the flood of packages It had been sending out about 35 pouches a day of late, and doing a fa greater amount of work than ever b fore. Said George F. Whitehouse. superin tendent of the money order division The money-order business of th city during the Christmas season this year has been more than double that of last year. With this department, th Christmas business begins way back in November, wuen people commence sending money orders to Europe "and other parts of the world far distant from Portland. Few people realize th extent of business done here. Laxt year we handled cash to the extent of $3,300,000. This year the cash pay ments and receipts of the office will amount to fully $4,000,000. "The office does a great deal of for Everything Reduced In The Glove Store The best Kid Gloves- arid Warm Gloves all are less! Everything Reduced In The Jewelry Store Watches, - Cut Glass, Jewelry, etc. all are lessl Everything ! Reduced In The Drug Store Perfumes and Toilet Goods of all kinds all are less. . Everything . -Reduced In The City's Best Book Store- Chances to stock the library for little. Everything Reduced In . , The Great Notion Store Pinsv Tapes Thousand and one evcry-day needs all aire less! Everything Reduced In The Stationery Store Papers -and all cor respondence helps all are less. Everything Reduced In Our Great Cloak Store Women's and Girls' Wearing Apparel all of it less. Everything Reduced In The Muslin Wear Store American, French and Italian Lingerie all of it less! Everything Reduced In The Corset Store The world's best Corsets on sale at cut prices all less. Everything Reduced In , The Art Store Cushions, Doylies and everything ese all of .it less. Everything Reduced In The Drapery and Bedding Store Curtains, Draperies, etc., all are less. eign business. For instance, a Japan ese contractor came in the other day and purchased 200 orders, amounting to $6700. all going to Japan." The city delivery department has been doln at least d third larger busi ness than ever before at this season. Twelve extra substitute carriers are employed, and the wagon service has been increased. Six messengers have been kept on the. jump delivering-from 200 to 300 special-stamped letters and packages. The carriers have uad morn than they can do, so that probably not before Tuesday will the department be clear. So people who have been disap pointed about getting an expected Christmas package -should not rive up hope for a couple of days more. "In the mailing division wc have been handling an average of 800 .sacks a day for the past week," said C. P. Holloway, superintendent of that divi sion. . "This represents some $1200 more than during the same period last year, and is a lot of mall at 1 cent a pound. In the past, sometimes there has been a great scarcity of sacks, so we got together and stored 4000 saeks just for the holiday rush, and all ere now gone. Our IS to 20 raen here worked until midnight last night be fore wc had all the mall sacked. We have to get cleaned up every night, no matter how late." SWAMPED WITH PACKAGES. Express Companies in New York Are Loaded Down -With Purchasers. NEW-YORK, Dec. 24. Express compa nies and suburban package carriers doing business In- this city have been swept In an avalanche of Christmas packages. Mountains of parcels are piled up In the transfer ofilce, and although extra men and wagons are at work the accumulation seems to grow larger Instead of smaller. That many parcels containing gifts will not be delivered before the middle of the week is admitted by the express officials. Delivery systems operated by many of the large retail shops will be at work through out Sunday and Monday In the hopes of catching up. Christmas shopping reached Its high tide on Friday, and, according to merchants in the retail district, the sales this year .have passed all records. From early in the morning until 10 o'clock at night crowds of eager buyers filled the stores. Ar ticles for gifts were soon wrapped up hurriedly and the unprecedented demand left many stores short of goods that are ordinarily left over to be disposed of at bargain sales after the holidays. Men who were caught in the vortex of a crush of women shoppers in narrow aisles or near the elevators of the big stores wished they had remained at home. Sidewalks In the shopping district were moving masses of humanity. Surface cars and elevated trains were Jammed with passengers, and the subway shared in the crush. When the homeward rush of workers began at night the crush was frightful. Merchants of many years experience said that the Christmas buying this year was begun earlier than usual, and that everybody seemed to have money. Pur chases were mado on a liberal scale' and the sales this year were of a more sub stantial character than before. Large Jewelry houses report the best holiday last year was'near disaster. Is now sa1d4to dlscuss the matter. to be In a prosperous condition. Christmas celebrations will begin at churches, Sunday schools and clubs this evening. There will be special services In the churches tomorrow, with elaborate' musical programmes, and on Monday many dinners to the poor will be given. VIEW CITY AFFAIRS Grand Jurors Inspect Conduct of Officials. CHIEF OF POLICE AMONG THEM Mayor Williams Also Was Under Con sideration, and Threats Were Made That He Would Be Indicted. The grand jury has been investigating matters concerning the affairs of city of ficials generally, and some time ago went so far as to threaten to Indict Mayor Williams under the statute which pro vides for the punishment of officials who ,neglect or willfully refuse to perform their public duty, and for malefeasance In office. It will be remembered that about a year ago the Municipal Reform League filed a suit against Mayor Will iams, the Police Commissioners and tho Chief of Police to compel these officers to close the gambling houses and abandon the' monthly fine system. The case went to the Supreme Court, and a decision fa vorable to the league was obtained. Soon after the grand Jury was sworn in the foreman of the body applied to Judge Frazer for a copy of this decision of the Supreme Court, and a few days later there was a rumor that the grand Jury wanted to Indict Mayor Williams. It Is reported that the members talked over the matter more than, once, and may not have abandoned the Idea yet. Yesterday General C. F. Beebe, member of the Police Board, was subpenaed to attend the session of the grand jury, but 'did not appear, probably having other business of Importance to attend to. There are a number of rumors regard ing the investigation of Chief of Police Hunt. One Is that Sergeant L. G. Car penter and Joseph Resing, humane officer, were off last Summer for a month, dur ing which time they attended the Irving ton racetrack and visited Salem and Boise when the races were on. The com plaint is that they each' received a full month's pay from the city while on ab sent leave. There Is also talk that inquiry Is to- bo made to ascertain if the Chief protects any saloons which run all night, and about his system of holding a court of his own and discharging prisoners . after having looked Into their cases. There is also a. report that a complaint is to be made to the grand jury as to why Chief Hunt does not request Esie Watklns, who conducts a disorderly house near the Portland Library, to move to a less con spicuous location. There are reports current that M. B. Keefer, an attorney, will present charges against R. M. Rlner. of Tanner Creek sewer fame, but if so, Mr. Keefer declines Gold for South America. NEW YORK, Dec. 24. Another engage ment of $25O,C0O gold coin by the Inter national Banking Corporation for ship ment today to South America, wa3 announced.