Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1909)
86th YEAR. NO. 60. ASTORIA, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1809 HE CASE WIRE Duel Theory Not Adhered to by Sheriff and PoliceThird Party Now Suspected NO AUTOPSIES HELD YET Wounds Described in Detail Post Mortem Expected to Develop Clues That WU1 be Valuable In Solving Crime- PORTLAND, Mirch 9.-Despite tbt theory of the young widow of ol Oscar Hictt ind the Sheriff'! office that Hictt (rid John Dale were killed in a duel occurring Sunday at a duck preserve on Columbia Slough, two milci southeast of St. John, investi gation bat brought out many circura itancei tending not only to cast doubt oo itt accuracy, but to appear that both men might hare been mur dered by poacheri or periona leek ing gold which Dale it commonly believed to havt buried near the cab in in which he lived. That both men had trouble with poacheri ia known, and the anger of periona illegally hunting on the prop erty where Dale was atationed aa watchman, had been arouied by the acton of Hiett in taking away a gun belonging to one of them. It waa only a few dayt ago that Dale re ported to 0. L Price, secretary of thi Plttock & Leadbetter Company, which own the property, an Incident in which a poacher figured. After being' driven from the property watched by Dale, the poacher sta tioned himself across the boundary line, telling Dale that he had better remain where he wai and not try to interfere further with the duckhnnter. Though no autopsy has yet been performed on the body of either man, Deputy Coroner Dunning ia of the opinion that the nature of Hiett's wound it such that the victim was unable to move from the spot where be stood when he received the charge of blrdshot," and merely drew his arms across his cheat after he sank to the ground. Should It develop up on performing a post-morten exami nation that such Is the case, no other proof would be required to make it a certainty that both men were mur dered by another person or persons. This is apparent when the wounds received by Dale are taken into con sideration. Hit skull waa battered In with torn; blunt instrument and the fractures cover a large cranial area. No man could have shot another af ter having half hit bead beaten into a jelly. This makes it certain that if the men killed each other Dale shot Hiett before the tatter wielded the ax, and if Hiett't wound was of such THIRTY DEATHS IN ARKANSAS TOWN Monday's Tornado Leaves it at Brinkley BRINKLEY, Ark,, March 9. Thirty or more lives lost and 60 peopie injured and property worth a million dollars destroyed, was the re sult of the tordano which wrecked this place last night. Of the dead 14 are whites. Many womeu are among those seriously injured. The tornado lasted but a few minutes, but its work wat complete. The Catholic church alone escaped ldamage. The principal streets are impassable and are piled high with wreckage. Every business house is in ruins and hardly any resi dence escaped damage. AH the hotels were demolished, but the guests es caped. Relief squads are working a nature that he wat unable to move after being shot the fact that the two men were murdered by others can not be questioned. "'" , PORTLAND, Or., March 9.-The autopsy held this afternoon over the bndlcs of Oscar Hictt and George Dale, who were found dead on a duck preserve on Columbia slough yester day, develops the fact that the men were murdered by one or more out side persons. The investigations of the physicians revealed, beyond all potsibility of doubt, that neither man moved after the inflicting of the wonndt which caused their -deaths- One shit wat found to have pene trated Hiett't brain to at to paralyze tbe motary functiona and have ren dered further physical effort Impos sible. The blow of the ax which killed Dale was, In the opinion of the phy sicians, ttruck by a man possessed of great strength and could not have been Inflicted by a wounded man. They ttate that it caused instant death. The third point In the chain ia the charge of birdshot which killed Hiett wat fired from a distance of about 25 feet, which precludes any theory that the actt were simultan eous. The findings of the autopsy leaves Sheriff Stevens confronted with the deepest murder mystery in the his tory of Multnomah county.. The suggestion of robbery, tt a motive, is shattered by the fact that Dale it known to be almost penniless, and Hiett to have been unable to support hit wife. It is learned neither man had an enemy; on the other hand, ft being stated they were on good terms will all their acquaintances. The only circumstance about which a theory has been weaved, is that Dale was seen In a saloon late on Saturday night, talking to a ttranger and, according to Deputy Coroner Dunning, wat boasting of having hid den money on the island. There is a possibility this ttranger followed Dale home. Although call an island, the-place where the crime was com mitteed, Is not one; but the feat of finding one's way out of the labyrinth of sloughs would be impossible, ex cept to one thoroughly familiar with the locality. ARMY CHAPLAIN DEAD. SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 Captain John D. Parker, one of the oldest army chaplains in the service, died at the Presidio General Hospital yesterday. He retired from the active list tome time ago since which time he has resided in Berkeley. SURGEONS SAVE HAND. KALAMAZOO, Mich-, March 9. The hand that wat severed from the wrist of Charles Miller at a paper factory here recently has been tuc- cessfully rejoined to his arm and it is laid that the young man will short ly be discharged from Bronson Hos pital with the prospect of regaining full use of hit hand. Only a tmall piece of flesh held the hand, and his arm together when the accident oc curred, but the doctors quickly bound them together and the , wound has rapidly healed. Doctors here say that such opera tions have resulted successfully. Dreadful Record Behind Scores Injured all day. The Rock Island & South western Railroads placed cars at the disposal of the relief committee and many people are leaving Brinkley seeking temporary refuge at points nearby. MEMPHIS, March 9.-A dispatch to the News-Scimitar from Brinkley at 1 o'clock today says that IS white persons and more than 20 negroes were killed in last night's tornado, and it is variously estimated that there are between 50 and 100 persons injured. As the day progressed re lief parties found the dead bodies of many ngroes among the debris. TIE TIFF I WMIIIGTOII "Insurgents" From the House Call on President and Come Away Comforted EXISTING RULES TO PREVAIL Way and Meana Committee Not to be Interf erred With Sale of Reductiont ia Announced by Payne. WASHINGTON, D. C, March 9. President Taft, who was given an opportunity to declares himself on the "insurgent movement to revise the bouse rules," diplomatically side stepping the question. The visit of the insurgent delegation consumed most of the afternoon. The three in surgents heard it charged that Taft intended joining hands with the house organization in the interests of getting the tariff bill through quick ly. Greatly disturbed, they hurried to the White House to urge Taft to take a neutral position and leave off fighting to them. When they came out of the executive office, Gardner, of Massachusetts, declared with an exhibition of confidence that the "in surgents" were no longer in a com; promising mood. We are firmly im pressed that Taft it not opposed to a change in rules," said Gardner, "but a little fearful that the contest now would interfere with the passage of the tariff bill" The "insurgents' promise they will not interfere with the continu ance of the present Ways and Means Committee and no objection probab ly will be made to the continuance of any committee on any subject, on which the President felt inclined as to legislation; they also promised not to use obstructive tactics if they made their fight and lost. Payne visited the President for a few minutes today and when he left he tald he told Taft that the tariff bill would be ready to report on the first day of the session, but he could not promise the President what would happen if the present chaotic conditions in the house continue. ' The maximum and minimum rates of duty are provided in the tariff bill to be introduced in the house at the special session. Twenty per cent is understood to be the average reduc tion for minimum duties. . Some ar ticles will be excepted from minimum duty and greater or less rates of re duction will be placed on others. BLAMES THE MOON. OAKLAND, Mar. 9-In a netition for the enlargement of the insane ward of the Oakland Receiving Hos pital Warden Imlay states that the place is always overcrowded when the moon is full. He saidv "My records substantiate the fact that the insane ward is always over crowded when .the moon is full." The records kept by Imlay show that when the moon is not full two pa tients a week is the average. But when the queen of the night begins to wax the insane begin to arrive un til the cells are crowded beyond their normal capacity. - , . MORE FOOL SURGEONS. Grab Little Girl And Cut Her, Appen dix Out. HARRISBURG, Pa., March 9 Rose Cohen, an eight year old girl, is convalescing in the ; Harrisburg Hospital after having been operated on Sunday for apendicltis by mistake. The child and her 11 year old bro ther were sent to the institution suf fering with enlarged tonsols and in an unexplained manner the girl was given an anaesthetic and her appen dix was taken out. IS' AN EARLY RISER. WASHIN'GTON, March .-Secretary of State Philander C. Knox is one cabinet officer who, it it under stood does not appreciate the title of "Mr. Secretary.". He much prefers being called "Mr. Knox." : , Among other democratic tendencies of the new premier it his habit of early rising. Six o'clock is rather a late time for him to get up so that be fore the usual office hours he has per formed a large amount of " work Since assuming the state portfolio he has arrived at his desk at 9 o'clock or earlier. He will very likely continue his practice of taking papers home with him to be studied and acted up on in the early morning before be goes to his office. LIVE GHOSTS DENVER BANKERS UNKNOWN PARTIES ASSUME NAMES OP DEAD BANKERS AND ATTEND MEETING claring that he believed firmly ia the liberty of the press. Meeks declared against editors turning this liberty DENVER. March 9-Officers' of int0 ''nse- 10 dcfile men and the,ir the American Banker," Association .families. When this u done he ask have just discovered some "real live "Waht are yu .going to do?" Tie ghosts" at the annual, convention of , prosecution will tell you yon have the association, which was field in Recourse to the coum; yes, and you Denver last November. It has been 8" judgment for $25,000 against a found that the names of at least a dozen bankers in various parts of the country, who had been dead for sev eral years, were assumed by unknown persons, who registered at the con vention and answered the roll calls, voted on resolutions, and accepted the hospitality of the bankers of Den ver, attending all receptions and ex cursions in honor of the visiting bankers. JEFFRIES-JOHNSON BIG FIGHT UNDERWAY NEW YORK, OMAHA AND SAN ' FRANCISCO PEOPLE ENGI NEERING THE MATCH. NEW YORK, March 9.-When Jamet J. Jeffries was shown the dis- patch from Victoria in which Jack Johnson declared himself ready and willing to meet Jeffries or "any man in the world," the big fellow grinned and said nothing. The Victoria dis patch was read to Jeffries, a para graph at a time, with the loud pedal on those portion which had particular reference to him, but the big Califor nian rubbed his chin and muttered "Nothing to say." Jeff loosened up a little regarding the statement of the possibility of himself and John son fighting. "Why, Ketchel is a little bit of a fellow!" Asked if he meant he would not consider such a match probable, Jeffries replied: "I don't know and I don't care- I have refused to say anything about that party and I am not going say any thing, except when I get good and ready." "By 'that party', you mean John son?" . 'I do." News of the parade being held in Galveston in honor of Johnson al-1 most drew an impulsive reply from ! Jeffries. He checked himself, how-ing killed the girl He avers it wa3 ever, and his gr.njecame a sneer. ;accidentaU but- the police believe it ...-, ' a case of deliberate murder. Mueller I said there was no truth in the high OMAHA, March 9. Arrangements I wayman story he told last night, are now underway here for a fight ; Mueller says while the couple were between Jim Jeffries and. Jack John-(walking together, Miss Reed preced son, the fight to place in Omaha for ! ing him, he thought he saw a man a purse of $100,000. James Coffroth I emerge from behind a tree, anrl he- and Martin Brady of San Francisco, and Enos Brady of Fresno are engi neering the contract portion of the deal and Jabez Cross of Omaha is attending to the Omaha end, which includes the passage of a bill through the present legislature, permitting boxing in this slate. . IIITI LAW IS INVOKED General Mecks Opens for the Defense In Great Southern Criminal Suit at Nashville LIBERTY TURNED TO LICENSE Claima Judgment For Libel is Barren of Satisfaction and That J Blood Often Must, and Does, I Run. '" "" '" ' " ' " . ! i NASHVILLE, March 9.-GeneraI Meeks of counsel for defense in the Cooper-Sharpe case, today extended i who attack private or public men; de man not worth the price of a plug of tobacco. Is that satisfaction?" Meeks said the "streets have run with the red blood of men who have improperly used other men a names in the public prints.' TEN ROUND GO. LOS ANGELES, March Wolgast of Milwaukee and 9.-Ad Harry Baker are to fight ten rounds before the National Junction Club tonight. The contest is attracting considerable attention here, notwithstanding the fiasco Wolgast is alleged to have been engaged in two weeks ago here. The contest will be referred by Charley Eyton. I CHAIM.OF DEATHS. CHICAGO, March 9.-WbIle hunt- jing ducks in a boat on the Calumet river ai siacK vjaK, ten miles east ot Hammond, Joseph Welsh of East Chicago acidentally shot and killed himself. In falling his ; body over- i turned the boat, throwing L. Miller, (the other ocupatit into the water. The latter was unconscious when rescued , and is expected .to die. A similar fate ' is predicted for Welch's wife, as a re 'suit of the shock caused by the news. CONFESSES TO KILLING HIS SWEETHEART MUELLER TELLS THE STORY OF CRIME BUT CHARGES IT ALL TO ACCIDENT. BALTIMORE. March 8. Part of the mystery surrounding the shoot ing to death of Jennie Reed, at Mount Washington, last night was cleared up today, when Joseph Muel ler, her rnmnamnn. rnntacct in hat,. lieving himself in danger, fired, but owing to the unsteadiness of the aim on account of freight, the bullet sirucK miss Keea. ine notice con- ' tend on the other hand that Mueller, who was engaged to the girl, wanted ( to break off the engagement and did not have courage to do to. HIS LEGS ON FIRE, But They were Wooden Ones And Burned Freely. SAN FRANCISCO, March 9.-A special from San Jote states that when George Campbell of Sunny Vale was rudely awakened by the members of the fire department of that place, be discovered that both of his wroden legs were merrily blaz ing. Campbell was sleeping in the American hotel when a fire broke out His life was probably saved by the daughter of the proprietor who dis covered the blaze and ran in her night clothes to warn the fire depart ment. The blaze wat practically con fined to Campbell's room and he ilept blissfully while hit wooden ex trcmeties provided fuel for a lively bonfire. The chief damage wat done to the legt. ' :" EXIT.THE WAIST LINE. CHICAGO, March, 9. The annual session of , the Dressmakers' con vention, which begins here tomorriw, will be signalized by important edicta dooming the directoire gown and kindred styles and endorsing cos tumes of the tenth, eleventh, twelfth,, and fifteenth centuries. "The waist line," it is announced, "will benear the knees, which means that there will be no such thing as a waist line. MUST QUIT THE STATE ID PAY 450,000 OIL COMPANIES DRIVEN OUT OF MISSOURI BY JUDG MENT OF OUSTER. IEFFERSON CITY, Mo, March 9 The motiont by the Standard Oil Company of Indiana and the Repub lic Oil Company of Ohio for a re hearing of the ouster suit recently decided against them, and for a mod ification of the judgment were over ruled by the Missouri Supreme Court today. The position of the Waters-Pierce Oil Company was upheld, the motion of the Attorney-General fof an ab solute ouster, of the Missouri Com pany being denied, the compliance with the court order recently filed by the eomuany being approved, and the judgment of uoster against it being suspended. The effect of these decitions is. to expel the Indiana and Ohio compan ies from Missouri, and to restore the Waters-Pierce Company, 60 per cent FIGHTING QUICK Others Want the Federal Honor He Has Won and are Striving For His Defeat Last evening's Portland Telegram contained the following: "Telegraphic protests are being wired to President Taft directed against - the appointment of ex United States Senator Charles W. Fulton to the new Federal judgeship created at the recent session of Con gress. At the time the new judgeship was created it was announced from Washington that Taft, on the rec ommendation of Frank Hitchcock, would name Fulton for the place, al though it is pointed out that a mem ber of Congress is not supposed to be appointed to a position created by the Congress of which he is a mem ber.. "The first of the telegraphic pro tests were sent February 27 and since then more wires have been forwarded almost daily. At first they sent to Senator Jonathan Bourne, but later the messages were sent to President Taft personally. Some of these tele grams have cost $6 and $8 and have been practically letters. The tele grams started before others were sent recommending Fulton for the position. OLE a I HIT CO 5 Judge at Chicago Makes j':.a;j That Necessitates an trr.t: ':l Indictment In Case COURT INSISTS CN P,CC Counsel for the Government Prac tically Admit This May be a Death Blow in the Indiana Case. CHICAGO, March 9-The govern ment's case in the retrial of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, which has to far fared unfortunately in Judge Anderson's court, narrowly avoided its death blow today. Judge Anderson held that the government must prove that there was a standard rate for oil shipments between Whit ing, Ind., and East St Louis, at the time of the offense with which de fendants is charged, and that the de fendant knowingly accepted a lower rate.1 , ,.v": The court declared that the govern ment must convince him that i is able to prove this. Judge Anderson't ruling will, it is said, compel the gov ernment to ask for leave to amend the indictment. Although the gov ernment counsel did not directly state that a refusal to allow this amend ment to be made, would be a death blow to the prosecution, their admis sions made this inference obvious. The court adjourned until tomorrow at the government's request. of whose stock is held by the Stand ard Oil Company of New Jersey, the right to do business within the ttate, No format opinion in the premises was read, Chief Justice Valliant sim ply announcing the gist of the court's decision. Justices Lamm and Wood son dissented. ' The Standard OH interests are ex- pected to appeal from the decision and carry their case to the Supreme Court of the United States. With the judgment of ouster made absolute against the Standard Oil Company of Indiana and the Repub lic Oil Company, these concerns must now pay their fines of $50,000 each and cease business in the state. FULTON AND HARD "As a. rule, lawyers have refrained I from wiring protests against Fulton's f appointment, on the ground that if I he should be given the place it would t put them in an embarrassing position f should they have cases to try before him. There are lawyers, however, f who, while not protesting against i Fulton, have recommended others for ' the position. . "From Eastern Oregon, where the initial protests were filed, they have ' spread throughout the ' state until some have been sent from nearly every section. Several have gone '' from Portland in the past two days, and others were started this fore- j noon. ' ' ' , "The only known rival of Fulton for the place is Judge Step! len A. Lowell of Pendleton, who is said to have entered the field after it became ; noised around hat Fulton was slated ' for the job- "Advices from Washington arc the effect, that President Taft will ti, make the appointment until the stc ial session of Congress, which "has been called for next Monday."" " : I