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About Lincoln County leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1900)
1 P A "Dm tv mrv nwiTr-rim A DASHING ARMY OFFICER IN A PRISON GARB. Handsome and Brilliant Government Employs Loses Ula Identity and I Known Simply as 2094-Case of Cap tain Oberlin Carter. It Is but a short time since the -whole coTintry was Interested In the case of Oapt Oberlin M. Carter, of the United States army, who on trial was proved to have stolen from the Government which honored and protected him "more than a million dollars. Now the erst wLile dashing and handsome captain naid brilliant engineer is paying the penalty of his wrongdoing and Is drinking the bitter cup of humiliation which his dishonesty brewed. Shorn of the honors of his profession, his commission revoked forever, his for- CAPTAIN CARTER 121 PRlSOW GARB. mer companions forbidden to speak to Jilm; stripped of his uniform of blue and gold and clad In the rough garb of the convict, he has lost his Identity, ven, and Is known as No. 2095. He will spend the next five years behind the bars of the Federal prison at Fort Leavenworth. By the Irony of fate he Is competed to occupy a narrow cell n a prison which he designed and built, and, worse still, the only window In this cell overlooks the ballroom and "banquet hall where he led the dance and Indulged his epicurean tastes while officer of the post a few years ago. Carter was considered one of the brightest men ever turned out by the nation's school for soldiers, and from boyhood fortune seemed to grudge him nothing that ambition could dictate. He was made a cadet at West Point by special appointment by President Hayes, after having tried unsuccess fully In the regular way, and was a model student and soldier, completing the four years' course with a higher Average of scholarship than had ever been obtained before, and his record has not been equaled since. From the day that he graduated until the day that he was summarily order ed back from London to stand trial be fore a court martial he seemed to have the ear of the War Department, and was advanced rapidly In rank, and In the Important character of the work Intrusted to him. Early In life he married the daughter of a millionaire, Thomas S. Westcott of New York, and his father-in-law's purse was at his disposal from that time on. Fortunately for her, his wife riled before his sins found him out. Just before the discovery of his enor mous peculations while be was mili tary attache of the American legation In London he was named one of the three members of the Nlcaraguan com mission, and there was hardly a man In the army who did not envy the dis tinctions showered upon him. Military prisoner No. 2094 Is a vastly different person. The prison barber took him In hand within a few min utes after his arrival at Fort Leaven worth and removed the gracefully curl 4d mustache and waving locks which Jiad contributed much to his distin guished appearance. Then his hat, clothes and1 shoes, each article made to order and of the finest material, were taken from him and he was given a ult of dark gray homespun with the figures 2094 stamped In large red let ters on the front and back of the coat, and each leg of the trousers, under gar ments of heavy cotton stuff, rough shoes fastened with buckles, and a big straw hat Like almost every other noted crim inal, Carter persists In declaring him self Innocent of the charges upon which he was convicted and for which he Is Incarcerated. He has been given very opportunity to explain what he did with the vast sums of public money that were traced to his door, but has not done so. He simply de clares that he did not steal the money, and asks that his declaration be be lieved. jVltbln a dozen rods of his cell are 'the the homes of a number of army offi cers, who know him well, but to them Capt. Oberlin M. Carter Is dead i any army officer of high or low rank who dared exchange one word with' No. 2094 would be court martlaled and' cashiered In short order. Since he has become a part of the great penal ma chlse Carter has stoutly declined to dis cuss his case and has gone about his work as bookkeeper is the factory de partment of the penitentiary with ap parent Interest and zeal. FITTING A PRINCE TO RULE. Rigorous Training of the Future Em peror of Germany. The Crown Prince of Germany, who recently attained his majority, is one of the most popular young men In Ber lin. Notwithstanding his rank, he Is "hail fellow well met" with the young men of the capital and Is always a wel come addition to any party of merry makers. He has been carefully reared, however, and is not at all given to dissi pation, and there is little of frivolity In his composition. The training of the Prince and his brothers was not left wholly to his tutors. Ills mother, a woman of rare discretion, exercised a personal supervision over it. His future station In life was kept constantly In view, and those studies and sports that were best suited to his preparation for the duties that may In time devolve upon him were especially chosen. For many years the Prince's mother made It a point to be present at all the Indoor lessons. No matter what the hour may be of her return to the palace or the conclusion of this or ttmt festiv ity or ceremony she does not retire without having gone the rouud of all her children's rooms. Ordinary boys do not work on their holidays. Wllhelm II.'s boys are not indulged In that way. During certain seasons the teaching is relaxed; not sufficient, however, to please the lads, If we may judge by Prince Eltel Fritz's answer to his Eng lish governess ssme years ago. "You'll soon have your holidays," said Miss At kinsoD. "I don't mind mine so much. Miss Atkinson," was the answer. "I wish they would give you some." The princes' riding lessons usually are su perintended by the Emperor himself, and the reward for proficiency Is a pony for a birthday present. Naturally military studies occupy a foremost place In the curriculum, but Prince Adalbert, the Emperor's third son, Is destined to be the high admiral of the future German fleet. There Is at the new palace, near Potsdam, a minia ture fortress, the construction of which has cost a considerable amount ol money. Its .walls are three metres high, it Is provided with casemates and moats and real Krupp guns. ' This It practically the only plaything of th young princes, for even during theli most tender age toys, In the strict occu patlon of the word, were and are far and few between. On their birthday, when the pony Is not yet due or has been given, the parents' presents con sist of useful things, a bicycle, a violin two of the young princes play that Instrument books, and even wearing apparel. Frivolous gifts do not find a place In Wllhelm's educational system. On such a day there Is an entire cessa tion from work. There are seven chil dren, hence seven of such days, which the Crown Prince described as the "seven fat klne, swallowed, alas! by the 350 odd lean ones." Floeting Slaughter-House. The Hamburg liner Burton, trading to Boston, has Inaugurated a new de parture In the foreign meat trade. She shipped eighteen oxen from Denmark and to avoid the regulations with re gard to the Importation of live cattle Into the United Kingdom, carried three German butchers, who slaughtered the cattle on the voyage and dressed the carcasses, which were forwarded to London on the steamer's arrival. Tho experiment having been found to en swer, will be continued on other steam ers of the Hamburg line to Boston. Insects In Cages. In Japan men sell caged locusts, sing ing crickets and other noisy Insects la the streets of cities. It's a poor piano that never won a first prize at some count fair. OEBMAN BMPRROR AND HIS BON. German army authorities are now ex perimenting on a cotton stuff as a ma terial for balloons. It Is treated with ;ubber before being used. The fabric Is said to have great strength, and Is better than silk, which is aDt to cener- Ite electricity. M. Mercadier, a French Inventor. Itatea that he has solved the problem bf seuding a number of dispatches sim ultaneously on a single wire. Messages have been transmitted between Paris and Pau. Twelve Independent message currents were sent on the circuit at nce In either direction, making a total of twenty-four telegrams. A new light-ship of novel design Is soon to be moored in the stormy waters of the dreaded Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras. It has been found im possible to place a lighthouse there, and the light-ships moored on the spot have, one after another, been torn from their fastenings. The new ship is to be propelled by steam, and furnished with electric flash-lights to be displayed from her masts, fifty feet above water. She will be anchored on the shoals with strong mooring tackle, and in case she Is torn loose by a gale can take care of herself with the aid' of hor engine. L. M. Loomls, the California ornithol ogist, who has been studying the ques tion of bird migration on the Pacific coast, concludes that those which he has observed shape their course by landmarks, and possess no mysterious superhuman faculty for determining direction, such as some persons have Imagined that birds are endowed with. When a fog prevails the birds are be wildered and lose their way. In brief, Mr. Loomls thinks that bird migration Is a habit evolved by education and In heritance, and owing Its origin to the failure of food In winter. An ingenious arrangment to prevent vercrowdIng of both elevators or jtairways Is In use In Scranton, Pa. The time of entering and leaving a cer tain building is regulated by clocks on each of the five floors. On the lower Boors the clocks are set correctly, but on the upper floors they are a few min utes slow, so that the enmloves on th lower floors are at their work before those on the upper floors are due, and of course those on the UDDer floors do not leave their desks until several min utes later, thus avoiding all confusion. A bridge In the form of ,. an .aerial ferry has been opened at Rouen on the River Seine. In order to avoid Inter ference with shipping, it was deter mined to place no structure in the stream, or near Its surface. Instead of a bridge In any of the ordinary forms, a horizontal flooring, sustained by steel towers and suspension cables, was stretched across the river at an eleva tion of 167 feet. On this flooring run electrically driven rollers, from which Is suspended, by means of steel ropes, a car which moves at the level of the wharves on the river banks. The car Is thlrty-slx feet wide and forty-two feet long, and Is furnished, like a ferry boat, with accommodations for car riages and foot-passengers. The ropes that carry the hanging-car are Inter laced diagonally in such a manner that the support Is rigid, and a swinging motion is avoided. PENKNIVES AS GIFTS. Used to Be a Mark of Esteem and Friendship Between Men. "la the brave old days when calf skin boots and crinolines were still In fashion," says a veteran New Orleans clubman In the New Orleans Times Democrat, "a penknife was considered a very proper gift for one gentleman to make to another. The standard knife for the purpose had a pearl han dle and four blades, one of which was always a file blade. Just why that particular kind of a knife came to be generally adopted as a token of esteem, or how the custom Itself originated, I am not able to state, but thirty-five or forty years ago It was a very com mon thing for one friend to say to an other: 'Let us step Into this store; I want to give you, a penknife.' "The gift was one that no gentleman ever felt any hesitation In receiving, although the line was drawn very Btrlctly on almost everything else ex cept hats. Hats were also iopular as presents among men, but they some how lacked a certain fine sentiment that attached to a penknife. When a man was presented with a penknife In those days he could rest assured that the donor held him In sincere and af fectionate regard. .' "A popular character back In the !60s would accumulate enough cutlery 'In the course of a year to stock a small hardware store, and If you'll take the jtrouble to look over some of the old i wills that were probated around about that period you will find a number of 'instances ra which executors were re quested to purchase 'fine pccket knives' 'to be distributed as keepsakes to sor rowing friends. "Nowadays the good o'.d custom has entirely died out; lj fact It la no longer considered the correct thing among men to make or accept casual gifts, and, moreover, the superstition that a knife 'cuts friendship' has become very prevalent. What brought the subject to my mind was a little incident that occurred the other day. I was walking up Canal street when, very unexpect edly, I encountered a retired river cap tain from Memphis whom I used to know intimately but hadn't seen for nearly twenty years. He is a delight ful old gentleman, now getting close on to 70 years, but still sound as a dol lar, and we had a long talk over the auld lang syne. When we were about to part be took me by the arm and led me Into a nearby store. 'John,' he said, 'it isn't likely I'll ever see you again, and I want to give you a nice little pen knife to remember me by.' He picked out an old-style, fbur-bladed knife with a beautiful pearl handle, and I wouldn't part with it for Its weight In greenbacks. It remluds me of all sorts of pleasant things." MISTAKE OF A SMART LAWYER. Mulcted His Partners in a Deal, but They Afterward Got Even. This Is so true that it is interesting very much so. A well-known Maine attorney Is especially noted for his keenness In looking out for the best end of every bargain and for his abil ity In getting hold of that end. It has made him uupopulnr in some circles has that trait of his! "n deal not long ago he was la wii.li a couple of friends men of wealth and standing. Business was good the first year. There was a generous division of profits. But the lawyer wasn't sat isfied with what was coming to him, share and share alike with the others. After receiving his proper whack as a partner, he exacted $500 more for "counsel fees." He said that as a law yer he was worth that much more to the deal. This was a new way of look lug at the matter, but the bill was re slguedly allowed by the friends. They were pretty good business men, understand. In a little while they saw that the venture wasn't panning out very well. So the shrewd men of af fairs quietly unloaded without saying anything to their partner. Then a lit tle later came the crash. The lawyer hurried around to hold a consolation meeting with the other two. "Gracious, isn't this too bad," moan ed he. "I lost so-and-so. How much did you fellows drop? You must have been hit pretty hard." "You're wrong, old boy," came the cheerful duet. "We never lost a dollar; no, we never lost a cent. Tra la." "What-t-t!" "Never lost a dollar! We saw It com ing two months ago. Had a tip. Un loaded. AH out!" "Well, then, why In the name of all that's square and above board, didn't you tell me?" "Well, we could have, had you al lowed us $500 counsel fees when you took yours. See?" Lewlston ( Me.) Journal. CHAMPION JEFFRIES' FATHER. Rev. Alexander C Jeffries Has Two Sons In the King. Much comment has been made upon the fact that the father of James J. Jeffries, the champion pugilist of the world, who recent ly knocked out James J. Corbett in 23 rounds, after what many regard- WtMt'L battle ever fouirht in this country, Is SV'-ll4 imuisier or me cMvffO gospel. Bev. Alex- not only the sire of REV. JEFFRIES. one pugilist, but he has another son, Jack Jeffries, who recently made his first appearance lu the ring. Rev. Mr. Jeffries has been a preach er for eighteen years. He Is an evan gelist and has preached the gospel in the streets of San Frauclsco, Los An geles and other California cities for many years. His Ideas on pugilism are Interesting. After James J. Jeffries became champion by knocking out Boh Fltzslmmons, the preacher father said: "I am opposed to prize fighting. I don't believe in It, but Jim will keep it up until he gets thrashed. Then he'll quit. But Jim's a good boy. He Is no worse than the rest of them. He will keep on with his devilment until he gets licked, and then he will find his way to the Lord. He Is making a short cut through the prize ring to salvation." An Impenetr b!e Inner Clrcln. The Japan Dally Mail said recently: "To eat with choiMtlcks and sit on mats and wear big sleeved coats do not bring a man any nearer to genuinely intimate Intercourse with the Japanese people. The language Is also needed. Yet, even when the language Is added something still remains to be achieved, and what that something Is we have never been able to discover, though we have been considering the subject for thirty-three years. No foreigner has ever succeeded In being admitted to the Inner circle of Japanese Inter course." It li a rare woman who can clean house without a row with her husband. mi SWITCH THE GIRLS THEY LOVEJ Practices Indulged In by .he Tonne People in Pennsylvania. At Shamokin, Ta., some queer cus toms have survived the march of pro gress among the Poles and Hussions. One of these observances Is "switching day." It is a favorite day for bashful lovers, for swiftness of limb, rather than eloquence of tongue, captures the belles of the community. For days the man has been in train ing for the run of his lift, while tho maids adjure corsets and rub Unament ou their kneecaps every night ere woo ing slumber. Finally the morning of "switching day" arrives. The man sees before him all the maidens of his village. He may take his pick. All ha must do is to catch and switch and duck with water the one of hls choice the maid whoiu he would have for his wife. If she Is fleeter of foot than he and escapes she is free. If the man is beloved of his quarry she seldom gets away, though his feet are clad In leaden shoes. "Switching day" at Shamokin la Easter Sunday, when all the lads and lasses of the country round about gath er at the town for the annual meeting. A girl's starting to run Is accepted as a token that she Is not averse to her pur suer. The youth's start Is accepted as a proposal, and no matter what mis fortune may befall his quarry he must provide for her all the days of his future life. Pathetic indeed was the Illustration of this fact in the case of Susan Man bok, who was by nil odds the haudsoni est girl In the Russian colonies for- OUKER CUSTOM IN PENNSYLVANIA. many miles about. She was tall and slender and her eyes were azure blue. She was crowned with golden haar, which grew In dainty ringlets close upon her head. Miss Manbok had more suitors than she could accept, and she was very coy. Fleet of foot, the maid had, since arriving at a mar riageable age, passed one "switching; day" In safety without the giving of her promise. Miss Manbok until noon on the lat est festival occasion had succeeded in! outdistancing all her pursuers. Man were the races she had run, but never had a switch or a pall of water com within reaching distance of her petite form. It was then that Andrew Ko blusky, a shrewd young man, who had purposely waited until Miss Manbok had become fatigued, gave chase. Off darted tho maid, and after her sped the rursuer. Down the railroad track they rushed, 11 unheeding. So excited were both contestants the man running for a wife, the girl for liberty that the ap proach of a train was unnoticed. The engine tooted shrilly and at Its blast Miss Manbok, affrighted, stumbled and fell upon the rail. Both of her legs wero cut off below the knees. And Koltlnsky, regardless of her being a cripple, declares that he will wed her.. The Oldest Postal System. We find the first recorded postal sys tem In the Persian Empire, under Oyni the elder; but It Is clear that Rome of all the ancient states possessed the best organized system of transmitting let ters through its numerous provinces. All along the great Roman roads houses were erected at a distance of five or six miles from each other. At each of these stations forty horses were constantly kept, and, by the help of re lays, It was easy to travel 100 miles a day. These services were Intended for the state only, It being Imperative to secure the rapid interchange of official communications. In the time of Julius Caesar the sys tem was so well organized that of two letters the great soldier wrote from Britain to Cicero at Rome the one reached Its destination In twenty-sir and the other in twenty-eight days. Private citizens had to trust to the ser vices of slaves, and it Is not till the end of the third century that we hear of the establishment of a postal system for private persons by the Emperor Dio cletian, but how long this system re mained history does not say. New York Evening World. Itedlaads' Ultnt Mowing Machine. Redlands, Cal., has a giant mowing lng machine which cuts a strip of, wheat fifty feet wide. A St Louis undertaker advertises that he can furnish everything requi site for a first-class funeral. He Is evi dently a doctor as well as aa undoxr taker. lin. -far