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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1908)
8 THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 2. 1908. mure PDirnir Mlf IUI1 u UnilVlL IS RECALLED Chamberlain Letter' Concerns Convict Whose Record Is Full of Misdeeds. GOVERNOR IS NOT SCARED AViU Turn Threatening Communi cation Over to Police, but Will Not Take Special Steps to Protect Himself. Governor Chamberlain will not release John Branton from the. penitentiary, just because some anonymous person sent him a threatening letter through his son, Dr. Charles Chamberlain. Governor Chamber lain will not hire a corps of special de tectives to guard him, although the mis sive will be turned over to the proper authorities and an effort will be made to run to earth the writer of the letter. The letter writing habit seems to be a set one with the Branton family. It was a letter written to Marshal H. E. Un derwood, a forgery committed by John Branton. that led to his arrest and con viction for the shooting of his partner, John Fletcher. In this letter there was the same miserable attempt at disguis ing as In the letter that was sent to Gov ernor Chamberlain. The only difference Is that the letter threatening Governor Chamberlain was laboriously printed with . lead pencil' while a child, perhaps one of Bran ton's own children, wrote the ad dress on the envelope. Words Carefully Misspelled. The person, or persons, who had a hand In composing the threatening letter took particular pains to misspell simple words, while the more difficult ones were spelled correctly. This was evidently done because John Branton was trapped through the misspelling of the word expense, which in his letter tn Marshal Underwood he hud spelled "expenee,""arid the similarity of certain characters he used in his letter giving notice of Fletch er's supposed suicide and in a letter that he wrote after being imprisoned, asking what steps he. Branton. should take in order to be made administer of his third wife's estate. In both of these letters he not only misspelled the same word, but the peculiarity of making tho letter "o" was plain even to a most casual observer. The criminal history of the Branton fumily began with the murder committed by Claud Branton. although there were ugly rumors abroad about the sudden and mysterious death of two of John Bran ton's wives. Claud Branton and a man named , Green murdered an old horseman , named Linn. Linn was taking a band of horses to market when ho was shot in one of the lonliest spots In the Cascade Mountains. The murderers waited until the old man was asleep and shot him from behind, just as John Fletcher was shot. In an effort to hide their crime, the murderers tried to burn Linn's body. Green was captured and confessed, but young Branton fled. from the state and was away for a long time. One day he turned up at Kugene, where he was ar rested, tried, convicted and hanged for the crime, about nine years ago. Beyond the rumors that John Branton had a hand in the sudden death of his two wives.- both of whom had carried in surance, nothing was known about him until the shooting of his partner Fletcher. This revived the old stories and cast suspicion upon him. Branton and Fletcher had a ranch near Cottage Grove. Both were members of the Woodmen of the World ' and both had attended a log j Hum ut-in oy tne (. otrage Urova lodge. Branton. It seems, had been a member of the lodge, and his two former wives had been insured in the Women or Wood craft. Branton persuuded Fletcher to .loin the lodge and to make him the ben eilclary. promising to do the same for Fletcher. This Branton did not do. Told of Fletcher's Death. On- the night of the log rolling, Branton and Fletcher drank heavily. They started home after the social, but before leaving Cottage Grove! Branton dropped a letter into the mails addressed to the local marshal It purported to have been written by Fletcher, saying that by the time the marshal received the letter the writer would be dead and that his body could be found on the road to Branton's ranch. Fletcher was not killed, but he accused Branton of attempting to mur der him. According to the story told by Fletcher, Branton. on the " way home, complained of being taken suddenly ill and insisted that Fletcher build a fire. They were at a lonely spot in sight of the Branton ranch. Fletcher said that he built the fire as requested. He became drowsy and finally went to sleep. The next thing he remembered" was a terrific pain in his head, where the bullet' had ploughed its way through the cheek bone and destroyed his right eye. Fletcher declared that he saw Branton hiding behind a tree, from where he fired a second shot. Branton endeavored to create the im pression that Fletcher had attempted suicide because of a love affair. Branton's arrest followed the shoot ing. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to serve a term of ten years. Since he has been in the penitentiary several attempts have been mado to obtain his release. ' Suspevted or Wire-Murder. i Whether Branton was puilty of disposing- or his throe wives will never be proven. His first wife was insured for $1000 and he collected the monev. His second wife was insured for $2000. He did not gvt all of the insurance because thcro was a threat mode of exhuming the body and he was forced into a set tlement His third wife died on the ranch near Cottage Crove. but she haa refused to have her life insured, as she suspected Branton had murdered his other wives, shn did own some prop erty in Cottage Grove. The manner of the death of the third wife again roused suspicion, but because Branton was thoroughly feared, and because Dr J K. Cupro-i. the attending physician! signed a death certificate, no invest! "a tlon was made. The woman died" in convulsions, and when Dr. Capron was .-ailed to the ranch, the only thing that he took with him was an antidote for strychnine poisoning. Since John Branton has been in the penitentiary. Clarence Branton has been under suspicion of having knowl edge of the disappearance of his father. Both were in the vicinity of Prinevllle at the time and the father was with his son when last seen. Promotion for V. W. C. A. Official. Miss Mary B. Day, who for the past two years has been Identified with the educational work of the Young Women's Christian Aiaoclatiyp ip til's tijy. left on i uunM Ul Thursday evening to take chargre of th branch of the association which has jti been opened at Bollingham, Wash. Miss Day has gained the esteem and affection of every member of the association in Portland, for her life, and character can be summed up in one word winsome. On Tuesday evening an informal fare- the association on Sixth and Oak streets. an interesting feature of which was a handkerchief shower for the benefit of Miss Day. ABUSE OF POSTAL 'FRANK Officials Known to Violate Free Mailing: Privilege. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash ington, Feb. 1. There appears to be no doubt that the free mailing privilege, commonly known as the franking privi lege, is being grossly violated by Gov ernment officials who are permitted, under the law, to frank official letters and documents. The law authorizing the use of the frank never contemplated that the free postage privilege would be used for the circulation of private let ters or private publications. Yet that is being done, and the curious thing about It is that Postrijaster-General Meyer, who of all men, should observe the law, has been guilty of its violation. Postmaster-General Meyer is a great believer in the parcels post and postal savings bank, and has made many speeches during the past few months in Steunbu T&ivL b to "Aw&r.xMeMnGw?tc.:p. i.nosepQ m& n i'n.PrJSon ?wy.trm.hiS bcfviess. iiti(e.eh:iU ren.Sqfoo. liKZmrw'ncifhd, Co. micron ' FACSIMILE PAGE OF LETTER THRK.tTEMXG LIFE Cftf GOV ERNOR. CHAMBERLAIN. support of both projects. Some of these speeches have been printed In pamphlet form, and have been widely distributed through the mails under the official frank of the Post OfHce Department. While these speeches were the utterances of a cabinet officer, they were not of ficial documents In any sense of the word, and therefore were not entitled to go through the mails without the pay ment or postage. However, the Postmaster-General has it in his power ar bitrarily to control the franking matter to a certain extent, and he has granted himself the right to distribute without cost unofficial speeches of his own. Another abuse of the franking privilege has been sanctioned by the Post Office Department, namely, the free mailing to the Forest Service of newspapers containing press notices sent out by that bureau. On every press bulletin now is sued by the Forest Service is attached a frank, addressed to The Forester, and the newspaper receiving the bulletin is requested to mail a marked copy with the attached frank, thus "avoiding the payment of postage. A newspaper con taining a bulletin Issued by a Govern ment bureau Is not an official publica tion, and yet the Postofflce holds that such newspaper can be mailed free of cost provided it is mailed to the Forest Service. On the same theory any news-, paper publishing Items of news originat ing in any department could have the right to frank marked copies back to the department from which . the news' orig inated, but up to date the Forest Service is the only bureau that has been so favored with a special order. That the Congressional franking privi lege is abused has long been known. Only a few years ago a Massachusetts Congressman franked to his home a box containing clothing, shoes, etc., and to his embarrassment the box was broken In transmission and his infamy exposed. Yet he was never punished. Within the past week a Western Congressman has franked through the mails copies of a newspaper containing a speech which he delivered in Congress. The newspaper contained much else that was not said in Congress, and was not entitled to go through the mails free of cost. Never theless hundreds of Copies were dumped into the mails, and the Government paid the cost of distribution. The Postal Service1 Is operated at a loss in this country, and the Department is continually looking for ways to oblit erate the deficit. But it has never yet occurred to any Postmaster-General to rigidly enforce the law permitting frank ing. As long as the Government carries through the mails, tree of cost, thou sands of letters and packages which are unlawfully mailed, so long will the Postal Service show a deficit. Aberdeen Pioneer. ABERDEEN. Wash., Feb. .-(Special.) Abner A. Gray, aged 60. a pioneer of the city, died today. He was a native of Maine and came to Gray's Harbor from Gardmer City, Or., when he was charter member of the . Masonic, lodge. He has been a member of the Masonic lodge here 19 years. He leaves no relatives. Spectacles. '.00 at M'7rr e i ninmrnsi nniiinn st 1. 1 l 1 1 1 f 1 1 I I I ill U U ii Ul U iLLH.'liJIU.. umiun TO BE COMPLETED Harriman System Will Resume the Construction of New : Lines in Oregon. START BEFORE WEEK'S END Order Goes Out to Assemble Men and Materials at Once Where the Work Was Left Orf Project Is Important to Portland. After the suspension of construction work in the tate , for the past two months, the Harriman lines are to re- sume the building of Oregon railroads. General Manager O'Brien issued orders yesterday to assemble men and mate rials and complete the Riparla-Lewis-ton line at once. Before the week is out work will have been resumed on this project, which was almost com pleted when the order withdrawing construction forces throughout this territory was made. Just as soon as working forces can be organized, men will be put on the job and within the coming three months the new line will bo com pleted. The work is already well along. When the order stopping work was Issued, track on the new exten sion had been laid from Riparia to a point opposite Lewiston, and the bridge crossing the Clearwater lacked but little of completion. The enforced suspension of all railroad work left this partially finished bridge hanging in the 'air and it waa not known when itVouId be finished. The Riparia-Lewiston line will be a part of the O. R. & N. system and will be 72 miles in length when completed. The cost will be about $3,000,000. The estimates call for more than $3,600,000 already without station buildings and other Items of expense which the com pany must provide for. As most of the work is completed, about $150,000 remains to be expended to put the line in ehape for operation. Clearwater Bridge Uncompleted. The track must be surfaced and bal lasted for the entire distance and the bridge completed. This structure is practically finished with the exception of the erection of one span. The bridge is being built by the engineering- firm of McCreary & Willard, of Spokane. The construction of the remainder of the line is being done on force ac count or by the O. R. &. N. Company direct. . The time it will take to put up the remaining span of the bridge at Lew iston will depend upon the stage of the Clearwater River, but unless un usually high water is encountered, the completion of the structure should be a matter of a few weeks. Just how many men will be set to work on the surfacing and ballasting of the line depends upon the condition of the ground. If cold weather con tinues for any length of time and the ground is frozen, work will necessarily proceed more slowly than If the ground Is in good working condition. At any rate just as many men as can be used on the Job will be kept busy and as the surfacing and ballasting will pro ceed along the whole line simultane ously, a small army of several hundred workmen will be needed. The importance to Portland of the completion and early operation of this piece of railroad has been appreciated ever since work was started on the project by the Harriman people. It opens a rich wheat district making a large section of the Idaho country di rectly tributary' to this city) for "the new JljirutPfliiecUoDjj-Illi the main line of the O. R. & N. from Riparia to Portland, offers a down-grade haul all the way to tidewater at Portland. Although the Idaho country has been a bone of -contention between- the Hill and Harriman interests for years. It Is interesting to know that by the terms of an agreement between the two in terests, made In 3 905, the Harriman people Were to build the line from Riparia to Lewiston and the Northern Pacific, which has a branch from Lew iston to Culdesac, Idaho, was to build from the latter point southeast to Grangeville, Idaho. In- the Camas Prairie country, a distance of 55 miles, and both lines are to be operated jointly by both companies. There was nothing competitive about this building, perhaps tho only instance in the Pacific Northwest where the two . warring systems agreed to build and use the same tracks. This feature or the construction is also a decided benefit to Portland, ror the completion or the Riparia-Lewiston line means the adding ot 127 miles or new railway to the lines that now radiate from Portland as a center. This agreement, made in 1905, is still in force and the Northern Pacific is now building its Lewiston-Grange-ville line. About 15 miles of the road has been completed and is being oper ated. This road will serve a wheat district that is unexcelled in the Pa cific Northwest and. will add very largely to the annual grain tonnage handled every year at this port. Passenger Agents to Meet. John M. Scott, assistant general pas senger agent for the Harriman lines in this territory, and A. D. Charlton, as sistant general passenger agent for the Northern Pacific, left Portland last night for-Coronado, Cal., where they will attend the regular quarterly ses sion or the Transcontinental Passenger Association. They will be away rrom the city about two weeks. Mr. Charl. ton's rather, James Charlton, is chair man of the association. T KOSE FESTIVAL- PUBLICITY COM MITTEE'S PIiAX. Contract for Designing and Issuing 250,000 LeaflcU and 10,000 Invitations to Be Let. Designs for and bid? for printing 250.000 advertising leaflets' to be distributed through the business district of the city arc to be received up to Friday nixht by the publicity committee of the Rose Fes tival Association, and the successful de signer and bidder will be selected at the meeting of the committee to be held next Saturday afternoon. The competition is open. Tender of bids for the 10.000 special in vitations to the Festival, which are to be sent to prominent citizens. Federal, state and local officials all through the Union, will also be received at this meeting and thg contract awarded. One of the most important schemes of local exploitation of the Festival is the plan to illuminate the windows of all es tablishments in the business district with Japanese balloon lanterns, over which there will be attached the official trade-, mark or the Festival. These -balloons-are designed to be hung in the windows of stores with electric lights fixed within them, the purpose being to make them an attractive advertisement for the big celebration. Tho meeting yesterdays afternoon re sulted in a plan for entertaining- the 225 business men from the Inland Kmpire who are to be here for a whole' day next Saturday, but the committee will not di vulge the plan just at present. Bast Side "boosting" clubs have come to the front within the past week and conferences with special committees from hair a dozen or these organizations- have been held during the past few . days. Each of these organizations promised to pledge its parent body to erect a rose arch over one of the Bast Side business streets through which the main parade is to pass. This is only a part or the movement to enlist the support of all of the 20 push clubs on the East Side on behalf of the Festival, and within the next few weeks it is believed that all of them will have active committees at work assisting the Festival management. Conversion of the old-time garbage crematory site into a garden of blooming roses is a project which Superintendent Daggett has taken upon himself to carry out. As soon as the executive committee of the Festival Association learned that Mr. Daggett contemplated making a two acre garden or roses out or the aban doned crematory site, aet.on was taken to do all It could to ass-ist in securing the necessary number of rose bushes for setting out the entire two acres, which will be used as a public park and play ground. In case the Park Board and the Execu tive Board approve of Mr. Daggett's sug gestion In time, it is prot able that the setting out of roses on this large tract will be made a part of the general rope planting oampaign, which in all probabil ity wlil culminate on Washington's birth day, February 22. This date meets the approval of the I majority or the committee, and little re mains to be done. The children of the public schools will be asked to partici pate in the rose planting. Bids and designs for the 20-sheet post ers which are to be distributed in the 77 leading cities and towns of the North west will be received at Saturday's ses sion of the publicity committee and final action taken. ' KEEP BANK OPEN AT NIGHT Merchants National Offers Oppor tunity for Depositors to Come In. For the benefit of depositors in the Merchants National Bank who cannot come to the bank during the day, offi cials of the bank will keep tne institution open at night this week, commencing to morrow, from 7 till 10 P. M., thus giving depositors a chance to come to the bank in person and talk over the method of reorganization. It is desired to have a largo number of depositors sign for time certificates of deposit in exchange for demand deposits, and until a great ma jority of depositors do so there is no hope of reopening the bank. By leaving the bank open at night it is expected to attract a great many depositors who are unable to come to the bank to talk the subject over in the daytime. President Watson said last nigh, that the campaign is progressing satisfactorily and all that is needed is for depositors to come in generally and accept time cer tificates. As soon as this is accomplished the bank will reopen, but if they do not come in and take time certificates, a re ceivership Is certain. Four Years Pastor of White Temple Today marks the fourth anniversary of Ir. Brougher's pastorate of thj White Temple. . At the services this morning he will review his work in this city. A re ception will be tendered Dr. Brougher by the members of the congregation next Friday night, February 7. Dr. Brougher will preach thig morning the fourth ser mon of the series based on the "Some Lst' Words From the Cross," the sub ject being "Heartbreaking . Loneliness." "Heads 1 Win .Tails You Lose" will be the subject of the sermon at the services tonight. - psggi ni fiilii fiiv,!l Finds Way to Ward Oil Weather Fiend "frn. It's Chilly," In the Printed Motto With Which John M. Scott .Anticipates durations About the Temperature. T HE "Is-lt-warra - enough-for - you?" fiend in Summer is no more a pest that the "Cold-day,-isn't-lt?" bore who greetsyou on the streetcar, In your officeor elsewhere on your daily rounds. How to head off discussion of the weather has racked the mind of many a busy man. But to John M. Scott, assistant general passenger agent for the Harriman lines in this territory, a reward should be given for devising a way to rid himself of the man who inBists on talking of the weather. For two days Mr. Scott suffered in silence. Kvery man who came tn the office opened his conversation with some inane remark about it being a cold day. These gratuitous tenders of stale infor mation became trying to Mr. Scott, who already knew It was cold, and he grew weary or being lnrormed of it every 10 minutes throughout the day. If he per formed any feats in mental arithmetic on the proposition, as it is likely he did, he found that this innocuous conversa tion took up a considerable portion of his time during the day. Then he hit upon an idea- He placed in a motto frame that perches conspicuous ly on. the corner of bis desk, this, legend In prominent black letters: "Yes, lt'a chilly." This stares In- the face everyone who enters the office, as Boon as the visitor opens the door. The man who likes to talk about the weather has to agree with the concise statement of fact, and as he sees no chance for an' argument, he rarely says anything about It. If any one remarks that it is a, cold day, Mr. Scott waves the eye of the speaker to the sign and goes on signing letters. It" saves his time and keeps his nerves from fraying at the ends. New Books in Library THE list ot additions to the library follows: BIOGRAPHY. , Martin Helena Fauclt, Lady Martin; by Sir Theodore Martin. Kcl 2. l'JOO. , DESCRIPTION" AND TRAVEL. Crulckshunk &. . Crulckahank Christian Rome. lo. -. Martin Mexico ot the twentieth century. 2 v. 1907. ftaville Antiquities or Manabt, Ecuador. 18117. FICTION. Campbell Ian of the Orcades; or. The arm ourer of Glrnlgoe. Frenssen The three comrades. Merwin & Webster Comrade John. Ray Ackroyd of the faculty. Rod L.e sens.de la vie. Sage By right divine. FINK ARTS. Berenon North Italian painters of the renaissance. ltM7. Fenollosa Masters of Ukioye; a complete historical description of - Japanese paintings and color prints of the genre school. lfciWi. Foote Album of selected songs. Ilw7. .. - HISTORY. Chancellor A text book of American his tory. IDOi. PART, hluni L ll IjciHii nrd iTVOLOWERIlFLOORS hi Ul I ill U H Psill hMUllh-. OF TIIISfBUILDlNG I Fletcher Introductory history of England. 2v. 1904. j Shuekburgh A short history of the Oreeks, from the earliest times to B. C. HO. 1901. I Woodburn & Moran American history and I government; a text-book for grammar schools. LITERATURE. Festival recitations and exercises. 1907. PHILOSOPHY. Hobhouse Morals in evolution; a study la comparative ethics. 2v. li;t. Smith, ed. Aspects of child life and edu cation: by-Q. S. Hall and some of his pu pils. liWT. REL.IGIOV. Carr The church and the Roman empire. SCIENCE. Rail A popular guide to the heavens. l&i4 . Davli & Snyder Physical geography. 1SDS. Galton Probability, the foundation of cu genlcs. 110". Massee Text-book of fungi. l'JCfi. Meyer The kinetic theory of gases; ele mentary treatise with mathematical ap pendices. lMtlh I'eschel The races .of man and their geo graphical distribution. Ed 2. 1006. SOCIOLOGY. Chicago. Statistics, Bureau of Statistics, v. 6. No. 1-4. lji. lUusehpnbusch Christianity and the eocial crisis. 19t7. USEFUL, ARTS. -Allen, ed. Sanitation In the modern home: a suggestive guide to the architect and house-owner In designing and building a residence. 1907. Bowker Dynamo, motor and switchboard circuits for electrical engineers; a practical book dealing with the subject of direct, al ternating and polyphase currents. 1004. Brookes TTo automobile hand-book; a work of practical Information for the use of own ers, operators and automhlle mechanics. Kcv. and enl. ed. lflOT. Hodgson & Brown Builders' and contrac- 6o Years IVe thoroughly believe in our remedies. We Want you to believe in them, too. Suppose you let your doctor decide. jyers Cherry Pectoral REVISED FORMULA Sixty years of experience with Ayer's Cherry Pec toral make us have great confidence in it for coughs, colds on the chest, bronchitis, hoarseness, weak throats, weak lungs. Ask your doctor to tell you his experience with it. will certainly have every confidence in it. We have no secrets! We publish the formulas of all our medicines. J. C. 'AVER CO., Manufacturing Chemists, Lowell, Mais. lift nm tors' guide to correct measurements, l&ofi. Hubbard dc Klersted Water-woihH manage ment and maintenance. 1ljo7.. Mcintosh Industrial alcohol: the produc tion and use of alcohol fur Industrial pur poses and for use aw a source ot motive power. .lfn7. National association of master plnn-.bcis Proceedings of the 25th annual convention. 1UU7. Poultry house. and fixtnj-es: The plans ard details for constructing closed front, sci-ateli-Ing shed and curtain front poultry h'i:.-?es and appliances for house and yard. Ed. H, rev. and en I. 190H. Roper The young engineer's own book. TC-i. 8. rev. 1M7. BOOKS FOR CHILDREN. Barbour Four n float. Boys Soap.bubbies and., tne fortx-s which mold them. Gillie Story of stories. Heath Primer. Howe On . the birds' highway. Lane and Hill American history In 'liter ature. Burglars Active in South Bend. SOUTH BEND, M'ash.. Feb. 1. (Special.) The Northern raclfic depot was again broken into last night by burglars, but tlrey were unsuccessful In blowing open the safe. The cash drawer was pried open, but finding nothing- but 60 cents in pennies, the robbers passed them up. From there tliey went to Nettleton's grocery store, where they had better luc(k. By the use of a heavy sledge and chisel they managed to get the safe door open and then broke into all the various draw ers, but disturbed nothing but 60 in cash. They left their tools on the safe. A number of hard-looking char acters have been seen hanging around the town of late. If satisfactory, then you .