The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930, March 10, 1907, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    fib
hi i
UILIH( UIL ABtOOIATBO RBPORT
UOVIRt THE MOBNINa PltLD ON TriK LOW! OOLUMBlAil
VOLUME LXI11 NO. 82
' ASTORIA, OREGON, SUNDAY, MARCH 10. 1907.
PRICE FIVE CENTS
A BATTLE
OF EXPERTS
Thaw Case May Be Decid
ed By Alienists.
THAW DENIES RUMORS
Discredits Story That His Sister
Would Ssperate Him
From Wife.
JEROME PREPARES REBUTTAL
Much Inl.ntt Taken In Hypothetical
Question State's Insanity Experts
May Draw OppoiiU Conclusion From
Defense's With Sam Evldenoe.
NEW YORK, March 9.-DItrlet At
torney Jerome pnt many houra to
day preparing statements of the case
In rebuttal which will begin Monday.
Moot of the day Jerome win closeted
with, nine alienist preparing ft hypo
thetical question which ha will put
to the export when they go On tha
stand. It was currently repored to
day thut Jerome had definitely decided
to puh tha raa to a conclusion and
not aak for a lunacy commission. All
members of Jernmo's staff are san
guine that their chief will he able to
throw sufficient doubt on Evelyn
Thaw'a testimony at least to discredit
her In the eyes of tho Jury nnd they
dcrlnrn Jerome hopes to have a pre
ponderance of export teatlmony on his
aide, that will show Thaw waa
aane when he ahot WhHo and haa been
sane ever since. The esse from to
day'a developtiicras promlaoa to resolve
Itaelf Into a battlo of experts, and thla
means that there will be absolutely
no wny to predict when tho end will
come. Thaw today gave out ft state
ment In which he denlea the reporta
apread abroad that hla alater, tha Coun
less of Yarmouth hoa determined that
Harry and hla wife ahall aeparate.
ire aaya hla alalor haa high regard
for Evelyn and alio made no atntement.
Murh Interest centera about the hy
pothetical question Jorome will aak.
Dolmns acemed to Include every fact
connected with tho caae In his ques
tion and the defens'o alienists gave as
their opinion that Thaw wna not nlone
Insane when tho crime was committed
but wna Insane for two months after
wards. If tho state's altonlsts can take
the same facts and reach a diametri
cally opposite opinion the Jury will
have to take their choice and plnca Its
own value on tho value of the expert
testimony.
RECESS WELCOME.
Harry Thaw Only One Not Pleaaed
With Adjournment.
NEW YORK, March 9. Another
week-end gap In the Thaw trial
brought on by a sudden determination
of the defense to end Its case with the
grief stricken mother on the stand
In the minds of the Jurors, waa a wol
come relief to Jurora, lawyers and
othera who have had to wrestle with
expert testimony for many days and
Harrv K. Thaw, the defendant, growled
a bit over the decision to adjourn, as
he Is well pleased with the manner in
which hla case haa been presented ftnJ
thinks all delay la robbing him of ao
many days of freedom which he feels
sure will come as a result of the Ju
or'i verdict.
District Attorney Jerome la apend
ing the recess time in preparing his
plan of rebuttal. It seems almost cer
tain that he will recall Mrs, Evelyn
Nesblt Thaw to the stand and thus
make h-r a witness for the prosecu
tion too. He caused her to be served
with a subpoena yimtorduy. , Mr. Jer
otnti wishes to bring Into court cer
tain letter which Stanford White
wrotn to her and which he believes
are still In her possession. When she
was on tha stand she was very doubt
ful about whether the tetters were
still In existence. Mr. Jerome may
confront hr with the testimony of iter
brother, Howard Nesblt, and may aak
her to explain how aho forgot to men
tion posing for certain photographs
and a statue which are aatd to be not
a conventional as those she spoke of
in her previous testimony.
' In Just what order the witnesses for
the prosecution will be called In re
buttal has not been fully deelded upon.
The probuble wltneww besides Eve
lyn Nesblt Thaw are Or. Francis A.
Me Quire, the Tombs physician who
has made an almost constant survll
lance of the prisoner during his confi
nement In the Toombs: Drs. Flint,
MocDonuld, and Mabon, the alienist;
F. W. Longfellow, who was ThaWs
confidential counsel; My MeKensle,
and a and 'Mrs. C. J. Calne, a Mend
of Mrs. Thaw and probably Laywer
Abe Hummel, Howard Nesblt and Mr.
Charles Hartnutt. The latter was for
years confidential secretary to Stan
ford White and as such knew much of
White's acquaintance with Evelyn
Nesblt and other young ladles, Mr.
Hartnutt can tell about the trust
funda Mr. White established for the
benefit of Mrs. Harry Thaw and her
mother.
J. A. D0W1E DEAD
One of Great Religions Leaders
of the Century.
PASSES AWAY IN DELERIUM
In Last Hours is Seised With Halliou
tion That He is Once on Platform
and Addreues Follower. With Old
Firm Vigor.
CHICAGO, March 9. John Alexan
der Dowle died at 7:40 o'clock this
morning, at Shlloh House, Zlon City.
There were present with him when he
died only Juilgo D. N. names and two
personal attendants. It had beon his
custom all summer and winter to hold
rellgloua services every Sunday after
noon In tho parlor of Shlloh House.
About 850 of his original followers re
mained faithful and attended these
services. Howie alwaya wore hla opos-
tolle robes and made a characteristic
address. Five weeks ago these moet
lugs ceased,, nnd Dowle appoared no
longer In public. Since that time Do
wle has been gradually falling, but
death was not thought Imminent.
Shortly before 1 o'clock this morn
ing, Dowlo became delirious, and hla
talk was tho same as at a religious
meeting In the days of his prime. 1 He
denounced people with the old-time
vigor, ordered the guards to throw out
disturbers, and acted Just as he had on
so many previous occasions. He grad
ually became weaker, and the attend
ant telephoned for Judge Barnes, who
reached Shlloh Hous at 7 a. m. Forty
minutes later Dowle was dead.
BIG. STOCKTON FIRE.
Warehouse and Contents Valued st
Four Hundred Thousand Burn.
STOCKTON, March 9. An Immense
warehouse fronting on Stockton Chan
nel, filled with carpets, llneoleum and
upholstered furniture owned by D. N
and E. Waltera of San Francisco was
destroyed late this afternoon by fire.
The loss was about 1400,000.
8ENATOR FULTON RETURNING.
LA QRANDDE, Or., March 9. Senat
or C. W. Fulton passed through this
city today. He was a passenger on
the west-bound train, and la going dl
rect to Astoria.
POWERS MAY
' INTERVENE
Disorders in Persia Are
Closely Watched.
RUSSIA IS PREPARED
May Be Called Upon By Shah to
Render Assistance to
the Throne.
ENGLAND WOULD LEND AID
Shah Has Often, Before Mounting
Throne Asked for Assistance From
Russia and Will Probably Do So in
Present Crisis.
LONDON. March 9. The Internal
affairs of Persia, which according to
official Information are far from sat
isfactory, are being closely watched
by the officials of the Foreign Office
here. While 4t is hoped that the Inter
ventlon of tho powers will not be nec
essary, Great Brltlan and Russia al
ready huve decided on stepa to bo la-
ken by them In such an contlgency.
Groat Brltlan anticipates that should
the condition of the country reach a
or I leal sage the Shah, who before he
ascended the throne frequently called
on Russia for financial assistance,
would ask Russia to help reatoro or
der, and that country could comply
with the full knowledge that no ob
jection would be made by Great Brit
ain. Russia may even offer assistance
and England would advise the Shah
to accept It. England, however, will
do no more than send warships to the
Persian gulf unless a landing became
necessary to protect foreigners in
southern Persia.
FORGER SUICIDE8.
Forged Names of AssociatesFor For
tune And Dies Destitute.
NEW YORK. March 9. That Leonl
das M. Preston, secretary and mana
ger of the Tlmkln Roller Company,
had forged the name of E. R. Hewitt
one of the members of that company,
to notes aggregating $57,000 to $100,000
was the substance of a statement made
to the Coroner today by James Shea,
counsel for Mrs. Preston.
Preston died very suddenly last
Thursday after drinking prusslc acid,
whllo three mombera of the company
were awaiting to question him about
tho affairs of the company. It was al
so discovered that Preston left a note
saying he had been Insane for some
time.
The statement by Mr. Shea was
made at the Coroner's Inquest Into
the cause of Preston's death. One of
the alleged forged notes was for $5000
and was due upon the day of his death.
Another was for $50,000 due April 1.
In a card case found In deceased's
clothing, Mr. Shea found the following
message, written on a business card
"In case of death or serious accident
to me notify my wife, Mrs. L. M. Pres
ton, care Hotel Cumberland, New
York; my mother, Mrs. C. C. Preston,
Tyler, Tex.; Mrs. J. O. Matthews, St.
Louis; E. W. R. Ttmken,' Canton, O.
My wife's wishes to be considered first
In all things.
"I realise that I am and have been
for some time insane. I lost my mind,
my power to grasp things, my memory.
I have lost everything except my firm
faith In God and his son Jesus Christ.
"I am in his hands, and I leave it all
to him. He has been my refuge and
strength and will never forsake me.
L. M. P."
Preston also directed that In the ev
ent of his death, th full amount of a
life Insurance policy be paid to his
wife.
Mrs. Anna C. Preston, the widow,
testified that Preston was betting upon
the horse races throughout his recent
visit to New Orleans. She had sup
posed him to be wealthy until wo days
before his death, when he asked her
for a loan of $209. He declared that
he whs destitute.' '
SMALLPOX IN WALLACE.
Epidemic Causes Board of Health to
Stop Publio Meetings.
WALLACE, March 9. A smallpox
epidemic Is started here, there being
twenty cases reported up to tonight.
Tho board of health has forbidden all
public gatherings, gambling houses are
closed and the meeting arranged for
tomorrow to protest against the arrest
of Moyer, Haywood and Pettlbone has
been postponed. No church services
will be held tomorrow. The disease Is
In a mild form. No deaths have oc
curred SEASIDE SURPRISE.
SEASIDE. Or., March 9. J. A, Simp
son was held up near the mill in Sea
side this week by a man who tried to
take his watch. Simpson Is a power,
ful citizen, and Instead of his watch
the holdup got a good pounding, and
soon called out that he had gotten hold
of the wrong man, and that Simpson
was not the one he was waiting for.
Half Million of New York's In
habitants Will Change.
RENTS WILL BE REDUCED
Plans for Soore of New Towns on Sub
way Lines Interesting Diseovsry by
Theodore P. Shonti Downfall of a
Youthful Financier,
NEW YORK, March 9. Enough
people will move out of Manhattan
this year to make a dozen new cities.
Sites for more than a score of such
towns have been mapped out along
rapid-transit subway lines which will
be in operation next summer, and It Is
estimated that 600,000 people will
grasp tho first available opportunity
to desert Manhattan flats for more
comfortable and cheaper homes' in out
lying districts. What is known as the
"metropolitan area" now extends well
up Into Connecticut, embraces all the
accessible portions of Westchester
county, the northern half of the state
of New Jersey ond the entire western
end of Long Island. Last year sub
urban real estate operators and build
ers Invested $600,000,000 In this ter
ritory andl erected 25.00JD dwellings
and 8,700 flat houses with accommo
dations for approximately 110,000 peo
ple. So for plans have been filed for
additional structures to be completed
this year at a cost of $650,000,000. Yet
this huge outlay Is only a part of the
billions which are being spent to pre
pare outlying districts for the spread
ing metropolis, a work which will cov
er years of the most intense building
activity. Three-hundred and thirty
eight thousand people, it is estimated,
will be provided with homes by the
building operations of the ensuing year
at a Bubstantian reduction in rents
which now, for the poorer classes, fre
quently average as high as 35 or 40
1 per cent of their Incomes because of
the necessity for crowding within com
muting distance of their employment.
Mr. Theodore P. Shontx, to whom the
task of solving New York's transpor
tation problem has been delegated In
his capacity of President of the Inter-borough-Metropolltan
railway system,
has made the interesting discovery
that passengers are being wedged into
THOUSANDS
MOVE
I
PERJURY
San Francisco Grand Jury
After Attorneys. ;
OUTGROWTH RUEF CASE
Lawyers and Friends Swore
That They Knew Not Where
Boss Was.
STAR WITNESS BELLIGERANT
Tries to Fight His Wsy From Grand
Jury Room, Refuses to Answer Ques
tions and Issues Challenge to Heney
Glass Broken.
a a is jtiAftuisuu, oiarcn . aub
members of the Grand Jury hastily
called together today and at once be
gan an Investigation Into the conduct
of Abe Ruefs atorneys and friends
who swore that they had no knowledge
of his recent movements. Myrtle Cert
who was the star witness, was In bel
ligerent mood. He endeavored to es
cape from the grand Jury room and
when Intercepted by the doorkeeper
fought to get away. In the scuffle a
pane of glass was broken and Cerf's
flight waa cut short only by the arri
val of assistance. Later Cert threat
ened foreman Oliver and Issued achal
lenge to Heney. The Grand Jury
sought to prove by Cert that while at
Trocadero Ruef had communicated
with his attorneys and therefore the
latter knew of his whereabouts. Cert
refused to answer on the grounds that
he might Incriminate himself.
RUMOR IS DENIED.
Astoria was all agog yesterday with
a persistant rumor to the effect that
T. B. Wilcox, of Portland, acting for
a group of spectators In that city, was
negotiating the purchase of all the
Flavel frontage in the heart of the city
and that the price agreed upon was
$250,000; that the frontage in ques
tion was to be combined with the flank
lng harbor properties of the'Corbett
the cars so compactly that It is Impos
sible for them to get their hands down
nto their pockets, and that hence the
company is losing more than fares
than It would cost to furnish and
maintain adequate facilities. This Is
believed to be an argument which will
appeal to Mr. Ryan and Mr. Belmont
with some force just as soon as Mr.
Shonts can prepare the necessary di
agrams and drawings and a few re
ports to substantiate this statement.
In the meantime figures obtained by
a sub-committee of the Republican
County Committee, which has been
Investigating the matter, show that In
the first nine months of 1906 the com
pany took in 11,700,000 cash fares
more than for the same period of 1905.
They also show that while traffic was
Increasing at , this rate of 1,300,000
passengers a month, the number of
cars in service was reduced until In
December but 1775 cars were run as
against S250 five years ago, when 309,
304, 273 fewer passengers were carried
than last year. In ten years the traffic
of the elevated and surface lines In the
borough of Manhattan has Increased
from 490,152,790 cash fares In 1897 to
1,007, 161,933 in 1906, and last year
showed an increase of approximately
14 per cent over 1905.
iA little crude of method, perhaps, as
might be expected of a novice, but
displaying promising signs of devel
oping Into a railroad magnate or the
(Continued on Page 8 )
PROBE
NTO
estate and of Jacob Kamm, In a thousand-foot
mill and dock site that
would be without parallel anywhere
on the Columbia; and that there was
lots om Improvement to follow the
consumatlon of the deaL
No one could give a leading clue)
on the proposition, and Mr. Flavel, to
whom the matter was referred, said
that no price nor opeion had been ask
ed on his holdings here by Mr. Wilcox
nor anyone representing him; but he
did admit the property was for sale
upon satisfactory terms, " , ,
' As an off-set to the disappointment
Involved in this matter, however, there ,
is some real compensation In the fact
that a large realty deal was closed yea
terday by the A. Booth company,
whereby that concern comes Into pos
session of the old Lelnenweber front
age east of the buying company, and
that the deeds passed yesterday, and
went to the records. The price named
Is about $12,000, and the buy gives the
Booth people practically 600 feet of
the best water bearing property la
Astoria; and it Is whispered that the
cannery Interests were not the only
ones subserved by the transaction, but
that an enterprise of conspicuous mag
nitude is to follow in good time; all of
which Astoria can wait for cheerfully.
The statement was made In the of
fice of the county clerk yesterday that
yesterday was the banner Jay in tha
history of the office for the biggest
volume of record matter ever filed
there in a given business day; and that
this is the record season of any yet
known in that behalf; all of which haa
a satisfactory sound to the ma who
thinks of these things.
TIE-UP ON COLUMBIA
Portland Mill Hands Threaten
to Close Logging Camps.
SITUATION IS VERY SERIOUS
Sawmills in Portland Seriously Af
fectedPlaning Mills Next Point of
Attack Funny Fiasoo of One Strik
ing Expedition.
PORTLAND, March 9. Sawmills In
Portland are all at a standstill and one
out of four located at St Johns haa
shut down as a consequence of the
strike of mill hands. The unionists now
propose toi close all the planing mills of
the city and declare If this does not
bring the operators to time, they will
next attempt to tie up the sawmills
and logging camps along the Columbia -river
and in south western Washing
ton. The strikers made one move to
night that fared in a farce. Several
hundred chartered a river steamer and
went to Vancouver Wash., to close
the big mill there. It was discovered
when they arrived at that place, that
the mill had been closed down for ov
er three weeks.
ARCHIE ROOSEVELT BETTER.
Improvement Over Yesterday Noted
No Unfavorable Symptoms.
WASHINGTON, March 9. The im
provement noted in the condition of
Archie Roosevelt over that of yester
day, when for a time much apprehen
sion was felt, has been maintained to
night. Ie was officially announced that
the patient is in excellent condition
and there are no unfavorable Indica
tions. NOT AFFECT CHURCH.
Death of Dowie Will Not Chang
Course of Followers.
CHICAGO, March 9. Late today
Overseer Vollva stated regarding the
death of John Alexander Dowle, which
occurred suddenly at 7:40 this morn
In gthat the death of the former lead
er does not affect the future of the
Chrlsian Cahollo Church in any man
ner. Vollva added now that Dowis is
gone, all bitter feeling will disappear. :