t' TARIFF FOR REVENUE, INCIDENTAL PROTECTION AND SOUND MONEY. VOL. I. CORVAIiLIS, BENTON COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1897. NO. 27. ' UN ON NEWS OF THE WEEK From all Parts of the New and Old World. BRIEF AND INTERESTING ITEMS Comprehensive Review of the Import ant Happenings of the Cur . rent Week. No appointments will be made by the president during the recess of con gress except in case of emergency. De spite the announcement of this fact, the number of visitors at the White House are unusually large. - The long-continued cold and heavy snow of the past month are beginning to have a serious effect upon sheep in Wyoming, and it is feared that, unless there is a break in the weather soon, the losses will be heavy. Sheepmen report that a number have already perished. The controller of the currency has received information of fne failure of the First National bank, of Pembina, N. D. . The bank has a capital of $50,- 000, and, according to its last state . ment, had deposits aggregating $95, -. 000. Bank Examiner Anheiser hr.a . been placed in charge. . I . Mr. Coffin, the acting controller of i m f , the currency has called attention to the " .. . fact that the retirement of national bank ' ; -v notes during the first 20 days of Decern -." ber reached the sum of $3,000,000. This is said to be the first time during the last 10 years that the voluntary re tirement has reaohed this amount in any one month. After a week of conference in Bos ton, Justices Putnam and King, the commissioners for the United States and Canada, respectively, in the arbi tration of the Behring sea claims, have completed their work for the present, and it is understood ' will soon begin the preparation of their reports to their respective governments. The first meeting of the National Building Trades Council was. held at Sf. Louis, and was marked by a scath ing denunciation of the American Fed eration of Labor for having passed a resolution at Nashville opposing the formation of the national council. The Federation of Labor opposed the new organization as tending to create a fur ther division in the ranks of labor. Fireman Martin J. Oakley was killed at a fire in. a five story tenement on East Foity-fourth street, New York city. Oakley was suffocated by smoke and escaping gas. Assistant Fireman Thomas Head, James Davis and Peter Connelly, of the same company, were rendered . unconscious by inhaling smoke and gas, and were with diffi culty revived. They are in hospitals, and their condition is serious. While skating on the ice near Gard ner, Miss., three young people sudden ly broke through, and before assistance could reach them were drowned. At Tonawanda, N. Y., while a party were skating, the ice gave way and precipitated- four young people into the water. Three of them were drowned. China approves of the Russian fleet wintering at Port Arthur, being per suaded that this action is taken in the interest of China, and necessitated by the German occupation of .Kiao Chou. A rate war is on between the various river transportation lines running to The Dalles. A reduction of fare from The Dalles to Portland is the result. This cut in rates has been looked for by the public since the opposition line was put on, some two-months ago. F. M. Gideon, the clerk of the gen eral land office, ' who was ' referred to by Thomas Reddington in the testi mony before tSe senate Pacific railroad committee, Saturday, as having changed the land-office records so as to throw 6,000,000 acres of government land to the Southern Pacific, has made a clear 'denial of the charge. Adispalch from Christiania, Nor way, to the London Chronicle, says the political situation, since the failure of the united committee on foreign affairs, lias become critical, and it is feared that Sweden will seek an occasion for armed' intervention in Norway. The dispatch adds that the Swedish press hopes for assistance from Emperor William. ' The committee appointed at the house civil service conference 10 days ago to draft modifications of the civil service law have met and gone over the various bills pending before the house. The committee expects to have a measure framed by the time congress reconvenes. Its members are opposed to the present law as including too many offices within its scope. A freight train of 21 loaded cars, traveling down ' the mountain to Al toona, Pa., became unmanageable in consequence of the slippery condition of the tracks, making the 12 miles from Galltiz into Altoona iu as many minutes and crashing into a freight train directly in front of the passenger station. About 50 cars were com pletely broken up, and the Holidays burg passenger train, which was stand ing on the track near the passenger shed, was thrdwn over on its side. Three of the train crew were fatally in jured. Secretary Alger has cabled to Wil liam Akellman, chief government rein deer herder, who is now in Norway, to inform the war department immediate ly how soon 600 reindeer can be shipped to this country. These are wanted for use as draft animals in getting supplies to the miners in the Klondike region. They must be transferred at New York to railroads, and in that manner car ried across the continent, and again by eea from the Pacific coast up to Dyea, or some other point that may be select ed as a base of operations. TO ACQUIRE MORE TERRITORY Senator Lodge Wants Us to Bay St Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. Chicago, Dec. 28 A special to the Times-Herald from Washington says Senator Lodge is preparing a bill fa voring the purchase of the three island of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, owned by Denmark, in the West In dies. The senate passed a resolutu n a year ago asking the state department to ascertain whether the islands were still for sale, at what price they were held and whether any other country was after them. Denmark has replied that she is still willing to sell, and that two Euiopean governments are now nego- tiating for their purchase. These are supposed to be Great Britain and Get' many. The United States has been discussing the purchase for nearly 30 years. In 1868, negotiations went so far that a treaty was negotiated for the purchase, by which this country was to pay $8,000,000 for the islands, but it failed of ratification. It has been de termined by Denmark to either sell these islands or give them away. St. Thomas has a harbor large enough to accommodate the navies of the entire world, and, in view of the advantages to be gained, Senator Lodge is sanguine of securing an appropriation that will enable the islands to be transferred to the jurisdiction of- the Stars and Stripes. The three islands have a total of 100 square miles of territory and a population of 40,000. INDIANS FIRED FIRST. Special Agent Reynolds' Report on the RouttCounty Conflict.' Denver, Dec. 28. The report oi Special Agent E. B. Reynolds, on the recent conflict between Iniians and game wardens in. Routt county, is complete vindication of Warden Wilcox and his men. Mr. Reynolds, after tak ing the testimony of six Indians and the 12 wardens who were in the un fortunate affair, said: "I am fully convinced, after having examined the case fully, and after taK ing the testimony of both parties, after meeting the men face to face and read ing their characters and noting their demeanor, that the Indians fired the first shot." ' He further states that no blame whatever can by any possibility be at tached to the wardens. He finds that, after the first shot, the shooting became general, and when the smoke cleared away.it was found that several Indians had been killed. The wardens de clared there were six Indians shot, while the Indians say there were but three killed. Mr. Reynolds agrees with the Indians on this point. ANOTHER SOCIETY SUICIDE. That of Miss Annie Virginia Wells, a Friend of Miss Herbert. Washington, Deo. 28. The death oi Miss Leila Herbert, daughter of the ex secretary of the navy, is given as the reason of the suicide which occurred to day of Miss Annie Virginia Wells, an accomplished young ssociety woman, and daughter of Lewis S. Wells, a well known attorney. The young woman shot herself through the heart with hei brother's revolver at the residence oi her father, 1311 N street. Miss Welle had met Miss Herbert a number of times, and was very much attached to her. She herself had been confined to the house for four months by illness, and .this, combined with the shock caused by the death of her friend, brought on melancholia, which resulted in suicide. The deed was apparently unpremeditated, and, coming imme diately after the Christmas festivities in the house, completely prostrated her aged mother. Miss Wells was 33 vears of age, and very beautiful. HE INTENDED TO KILL. But His Victim Died of Heart Failurs Caused by Excitement. San Francisco, Dec. 28. A Japanese known as Je Tagoni fired fonr shots at Mary Costello,. a Spanish woman, in the lodging-house at 91 Sacramentc street, this morning. None of the bullets struck the woman, but she drop ped dead. The body bears no sign of a wound, and the physicians say death was caused by heart failure, induced by extreme excitement. About a year ago, Tagoni opened an employment agency, and engaged Miss Costello as an assistant. By promising marriage he induced her to live with him. Recently she left the place where ibej had resided. After making many threats to kill her on sight, the Japan ese met her today and accomplished his murderous design, though in an unex pected and sensational manner. Digging's Near Dyea. Dyea, Alaska, Dec. 28. Consider able excitement prevails here at present over the reported gold finds on one oi the tributaries of the Dyea river, only a mile above the town. Prospectors have been flocking in, and have staked the creek off for a distance of 10 miles. The creek has been named Boom creek, and from 200 to 300 men are now on the ground and at work. The surface indications are excellent, running in places 25 cents to the pan, and increasing as the shafts go down. Many companies are forming, both to work claims and purchase properties. All the diggings are on American soil, and many more claims will be staked off within the next few days. Mazzaltini's Last Bullfight. City of Mexico, Dec. 28. The last of the series of bullfights by Mazzaltini was given this afternoon, and was at tended by 7,000 people. Tomas Maz zaltini narrowly escaped with his life, being tossed by an infuriated bull, and gored in the hand. Ten horses were killed, and six bulls, the usual num ber. The fight was not up to the usual standard. Seven lions are among the pets Of the sultan of Morocco. FOOD RUNNING SHOR Dawson City and Fort Yukon on Reduced Rations. SAYS JOHN LINDSAY OF OLYMPIA STukon Piled High With Ice, Making . Teaming by the River Route an Imposibility. Port Townsend, Dec 28. John Lindsay, of Olympia, Wash., who has just arrived here from Dawson, says that there will surely be starvation there this winter. He examined into the food situation in a thorough manner, he says, and after satisfying himself that there would be starvation, he sold his outfit and, in company with Frank Ballaine of Olympia; Tom Stoney, of Victoria and Bob Glynn, of Seattle, started out on foot, each man drawing a sled carry ing about 140 pounds of provisions. Lindsay says the Dawson people de clare that there is no great amount of food at Fort Yukon, as has been al leged. The river rose sufficiently and remained open long enough to enable food supplies to have been . brought from Fort Yukon, had there been any there, so the majority of the people at Dawson refused to go down to the camp, preferring to remain in Dawson Not more than 800 or 400 people took advantage of the transportation com pany s offer to take the people to Fort Yukon free of charge. . When the miners at Dawson found that no more provisions would reach the town by the river route, they an nounced that a meeting would be held to take steps for an apportioning of the provisions 'in the town. Those that had plenty, they said, must share' with those who had not. Captain Constantino, of the North west mounted .police, interfered, and told the miners that no such thing would be permitted. The meeting was not held. Lindsay says the output of the mines will be greatly curtailed this winter because of the scarcity of food and light. Coal oil sold for $45 a gallon, and candles as high as $150 per box of 100. Even if men are able to work their claims, they cannot get light to do so. ' These statements are borne out by all returning Klondikers, quite a num ber of whom have reached here in the past week. Few of them, however, take as gloomy a view of the situation as does Lindsay. Dr. B. L. Bradley, of Roseburg, Or., says that food is scarce, but he does not think that there will be actual starvation. Neither do W. B. King, of Merced, Cal.; P. J. Holland, of Butte, Mont; Thomas Stoney, of Vic toria, or Robert Glynn, of Seattle, all of whom arrived tins week from Daw son. Most of them left there Novem ber 2. As an eivdence of the scarcity of food in Dawson, Lindsay relates 'the case of Dr. Van Sants, formerly of Spokane. Van Sants is an elderly man, and be' ing without provisions or money, he offered a gold watch for a sack oi flour. He could not get it, and he re marked to Lindsay: God only knows how I am to keep body and soul together. " Lindsay says 200 or more miners are prospecting at the mouth of Stewart river, but as yet, it is not known what success they have achieved. Henderson creek, five miles below Stewart river, and 40 miles from Daw son, is a promising stream that is being developed this winter. The weather about the Stewart and Big Salmon rivers has been bitterly cold, 70 degrees below" zero being recorded at Major Walsh's camp, 12 miles below the Big Salmon, on November 17. The Yukon river between Dawson and Fort Pelly, froze completely over No vember 18. The river is piled full of ice in great ridges, as high as an ordi nary house, and a roadway will have to be cut through it before the dog or horse teams can operate upon it. The outlook, therefore, for taking supplies down to Dawson in the immediate fu ture is not good. Inspector of Mines McGregor left here a week ago with a number of dog teams and horses to make the attempt tf reach Dawson with about 20 tons of provisions, but nothing has since been heard of him. Peary's Next Trip. New York, Dec 28. A dispatch to the World from Washington says: Lieutenant R. E. Peary, the Arctic ex plorer, who returned from England on the St. Paul, immediately upon his ar rival in New York, took the train for Washington. Lieutenant Peary tonight was enthnsisatic over his reception in England, and the gift to him by Alfred C. Harmsworth. the wealthy English man, of the Windward, a fine ship, which the explorer will use in his trip to the Arctic next year. Mr. Harms worth also furnished funds for the ex pedition. Lieutenant Peary said the Windward will be sent to New York early in the spring, and he will start north the latter part of July. Lieuten ant Peary started for New York tonight to finish work on his narrative which is in the publisher's hands. Heavy Fog in England. London, Dec. 28. Heavy fogs pre vailed in the district of London and over the British channel, the Mersey, the Clyde and the Tyne. There have been numerous shipping accidents, and much inconvenience has been caused to traffic by delays and stoppages. It is feared that several lives have been lost. Muskets were first the French army. used in 1414 by ADRIFT IN A GALE. Rough Experience of the Steamer Kal' er Wilhelm J)er Grosse. New York, De. 27. The giantess of ocean liners, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, of the North German Lloyd line, arrived from Bremen a day late, She brought over 461 cabin , and 393 steerage passengers. The passengers told of a terrible experience. From Cherbourg she met gale after gale. On the third day out ' from Cher bourg, while a heavy sea was running and nearly. all of the passengers were seasick in the berths, the ship's ma chinery was suddenly stopped. Some, of the officers thought the mahcinery had broken, others that the engines had gone to pieces, and still others that the rudder was disabled. After the ponder ous vessel was hove to she began to drift. For eight hours she was adrift till she was 50 miles out of her course. when she started again. The facts in the rase are that on the evening of the 19th the head of the main boiler was wabbling. Invest iga tion showed that one of the steel bands had broken off. To prevent the boi Ie from vibrating and a possible explo sion, it was necessary to draw the fire stop the ship and allow the parts to cool. Captain Englehart laughed when the idea of danger in connection with the break was mentioned. THE METHOD WAS FIENDISH Jacob Weinan Strangled With Cloth Rammed Down His Throat. St. Louis, Deo. 27. A post mortem was held yesterday on the remains of Jacob Weinan, who was found dead in his kitchen Friday evening, having been murdered. At the time a towel was found tightly twisted about ins throat, but the post mortem revealed a peculiarly fiendish method the mur derers had . resorted to. Far down in the man's throat, tightly imbedded in the bronchial tubes, was a wad of thick cloth, which had been wrapped with horsehair. Fingers could not have reached that far, and a stick was prob ably used to ram the wading down In 1893 a soldier at Jefferson barracks was murdered in a similar manner, and the similarity of the murder of Friday with the latter has caused excitement in police circles. TO CONTROL COAL MARKET. Plans of a Great Combine Forming in the East. New York. Dec. 27. It has de veloped that a big coal-selling combina tion of the anthracite railroads where by the production is to be doled out by the supreme head, is only a part of a vast project for control of the entire coal industry in the East. J. Pierpont Morgan's plan involves the-creation of a similar central selling agency to cover each of the great bituminous coal districts of Pennsvlvaniaj Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Illinois and. i uniform working arrangement i be tween them that shall put a stop to rate cutting and demoralization of trade. The companies are to agree upon the proportion each is to mine and haul, and the buying company is to call upon them accordingly as fast as it needs coal for the market. " TRAIN WRECKERS AT LARGE Futile Attempt Made to Ditch a Burl . ington Passenger. Thayer, la., Dec 27. An attempt was made between nere anu jnurray last night to throw from the track the Burlington train No. 2. Whether the attempt was made for the purpose of robbery or for maliciousness is not known at present". About 9:30 o'clock as the. train was approaching the foot of Murray hill, ' the engine left the track. Fortunately no particular dam age was done to it or to the train, nor was anyone on board injured. . On ex aminations it was found the track had been tampered with, and footprints of men were seen on the hill leading away from the roadbed. - Spikes had been pulled out of the ties for three rail lengths, the work being done with a wrench and pinchbar, which had been stolen from the oarhouse at Thayer; Would Abolish Coroner's Office. New York, Dec. 27. The December grand jury handed to Judge Hurd, in the county court today, a recommenda tion that the office of coroner be abol ished, because that office is of no prac tical effect in ferreting out crimes; the methods are open to the most severe censure; the manner of conducting the business is inefficient, and the power of the coroner is delegated to subordi nates, whose chief functions seem to be to collect fees incidental to their office for their chief. Good News for Hawaii. Honolulu, Deo. 27. The Mariposa arrived from San Francisco yesterday, bringing news of the opening of con gress, regarding me annexation treaty, the Hawaiian government re ceived advices from Washington on the day the steamer sailed, which state that the opposition is not as strong as indicated in the press dispatches. Wages in the South Go Up. Birmingham, Ala., Deo. 27. The Ceronna Coal Compary and the Vir ginia & Alabama Coal Company, em ploying about 1,200 coal miner.;, in Walker county, today announced that January 1, they will advance wages from 60 to 70 cents per ton. San Francisco, Dec. 27. Charles W. Richards, a mechanical expert of Cleveland, O., arrived today from Ja pan, where he has been superintending the construction of a wire-nail plant, costing 250,000, at Tokio. The ca pacity of the works is 500 kegs of nails and 1,000 wooden kegs daily. As skilled labor in Japan is paid but 35 cents a day, against $100 in this country, the output of the factory will cause a corresponding reduction in the demand for the American product THE SEALING AWARD Findings of the Commission Reach State Department. TOTAL NEARLY HALF A MILLION Damages for Prospective Catch Were Mot Allowed Congress Will Be Asked to Pay It. Washington, Dec. 27. The findings of the British-American commission chosen to assess the damages for seiz ures of British ships in Behring sea have been received by the state depart ment and the British embassy. The strictest reticence is maintained, how ever, on the general character of the findings, though it is admitted the total award against the United States is 464, 000, which includes principal and in terest. The finding apainst this gov ernment is no surprise. The controversy has occupied the at tention of the authorities here and in London for the last 1 1 years. At the outset the tone of the controversy was belligerent, suggesting a possible re sort to arms. . This was following the seizure, by the United States steamer Corwin, of the British sealers Carolina and Thornton, on August 1, 1886. The facts of the seizure were not known until some time later, and in the mean time, the Corwin had taken the On ward and Favourite. The same policy of seizure and confiscation occurred during the next sealing season, despite the protests of Great Britain, the United States steamer Rush taking the Sayward, Grace, Anna Pack, Dolphin, Alfred Adam?, Triumph, Junita, Path finder, Black Diamond, Lilly, Arctic and Kate and Minnie, and the cutter Bear taking the Ada. The claims for these seizures took a wide range, beginning with the value of the vessels and outfits, and includ ing not only the value of sealskins con fiscated, but also the skins which might have been taken if the ships had not been seized. This last feature of prospective damage caused the main contention. .-In the case of each Brit ish ship, the largest item of the claim was for: estimated future catch. For instance, in the case of the Carolina, the claim for the ship was only $4,000, while that for skins which' might have been taken that year it she had not been seized was $16,667. Each ship estimated a prospective catch of from 3,500 to 5,000 skins, the value being from $3.50 per skin in 1887 to $12.25 in 1889. The total of the claims, without interest, amounted to $439,- 161, and with interest at 8 per cent and other charges, the total reached $786,166. The only official statement that could be secured here of the judgment reached by the commissioners is con tained in the following announcement given out at the state department: . The award of the Behring sea claims commission has been filed in the department. The claims as pre sented by the British government on account of British vessels seized in Behring sea, aggregated, with interest, $1,500,000. These included several cases not embraced in the settlement proposed by Secretary Gresham. The award now made amounts to $2Q4,- 181.91, to which will increase the total about 50 per cent. The award is final, and disposes of all cases before it. Pay ment under the treaty must be made within six months." The departmental officials, it is as sumed, will proceed at once to prepare a bill or an amendment to one of tbe appropriation bills for submission to congress, covering the necessary appro priation to pay the judgments, for, be ing bound by treaty not only to pay any judgments rendered, but to pay them promptly, the government is in honor bound to take the remaining steps toward a settlement in short or der. There appears to be little doubt that the United States carried its point on the question involved, as the prospec tive damages were evidently scaled down to an insignificant amount, or rejected entirely. While the depart ment officials will make no definite an nouncement to this effect, intimations are given that the smallness of the award precludes the possibility of any allowance having been made on account of prospective damages. The Ameri can claims commissions established the precedent that no prospective damages could be included in a claim, and the present award is evidently on the same line. General J. W. Foster, who is now in general charge of Behring sea affairs, said tonight, as to the award, that he was not surprised at the result. Presi dent Cleveland having officially de clared that $425,000 was a just and equitable sum in settlement, and hav- ng appointed as the American commis sioner to adjudicate the claims a close personal and political triend, it could hardly be expected that the latter would strenuously contend for an award of a less amount. Mr. Foster was absent from the country in Japan when congress took action on Presi dent Cleveland's recommendation, but he regarded the commission as the proper method of reaching a settle ment,- and the only one which would satisfy the country. Slain by Congo Natives. Lisbon, Dec 27. A dispatch from St. Paul de Lonada, Portuguese Lower Guinea, says that the natives of the Humbo plateau, in the Portuguese col ony of Angola, have massacred a Port uguese officer, a sergeant and 13 men. Reinforcements have been sent from St. Paul de Loanda. Angola is south of the Congo Free State. The colony as been held by the Portuguese since 1486, and they have a number of forts and commercial establishments- THE ALASKAN FLEET. Steamships Headed for the Northwest Business. The fleet of steamships which is heading for the Pacific Northwest to participate in the Alaska rush is still receiving additons. The latest vessel reported is tbe British steamship Amur, which a Victoria trading company has purchased in London. The Amur is a comparatively new vessel, having been built in 1890. She is 216 feet long, 28.1 feet beam, and 11.2 feet depth of hold, and is 570 tons net register. In addition to about a dozen resurrected vessels already on this coast that will be in the Alaska service the following steamships are now reported as listed for the Pacific Northwest, some of them having already sailed: Bothnia, Scythia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Cottage City, Curacoa, Cone maugb, City of Columbia, Valencia. Amur, Brixham. . Oregon Notes Sleds are now being used on the Union-Cornucopia stage line, from a point four miles east of Medical springs to Cornucopia, in Union oounty. The heaviest surf experienced since 1884 prevailed on the Curry 'county beach during the storms last week. Many of the miners lost their beach fix tures. The report of Agent Emery-shows a total of 1,020 Indians on the Klamath reservation, an increase of 59 over last year. These red men have been de prived of allowances for the past 12 years, and most of them are supporting themselves well. A Lakeview paper says that a scow, to carry freight, has been put on Goose lake, in Lake county. The scow will befitted with sails and will be navi gated as well as may be that way until gasoline engines can be put on board of her A Southern Pacific official says that up to December, the present season's shipment of hops out of Oregon amount ed to 26,000 bales, and, since that time, 5,000 more bales have gone forward, making a total of 31,000, or nearly one- half of the 1897 crop. The city council of Salem has accept ed the proposition of E. J. Swafford, ex-city treasurer, and George Williams and J. A. Baker, his bondsmen, where by they agree to pay $4,000 before De cember 81, in full payment of the bal ance due the city from ex-Treasurer Swafford. Stock Inspector Vandvert, of Crook county, will soon have finished his semi-annaual inspection of the sheep in Crook county. Only about 15 bands, out of about 330,000 head, remain un inspected. In all this lot, he has only found three bands infected with scab, and heard of two others that he will in spect later. . The Brownsville Times is authority for the statement that the greater part of the hops in that vioinity are yet in the hands of the growers. Joseph and Pierce Hume and Michael Webor last week shipped their '97 crop to a New York commission house, and the hop men are anxiously awaiting the returns of this shipment. The work of clearing out the dirt from the quarry at Point Terrace, on the Siuslaw, was finished last week. Part of the machinery has already been taken to the mouth of the river, and stored in the buildings there, and the rest will be placed there soon. Mr. Jacoburger, who has had charge of the work, informs the Florence West that he hopes to have all this business in Florence arranged so he can leave this week. About 45,000 tons of rock have been used and about 450 feet of jetty built this year, says the West. The channel has changed so that nearly all the water flows through the south entrance. In the trial of Allen Logan in Dallas last week, on the charge of murdering Enoch Sylvester, the head of the dead was produced in court. The prosecu tion secured identification of tbe grow some piece of evidence, and showed the jury fractures in the back part of the skull sufficient to cause death. The defense, however, produced as witnesses three of the physicians who had been present at the post-mortem, and estab lished that the careful examination these physicians had made was with special reference to establish the fact whether or not the blow delivered by Logan had fractured the skull, and each swore positively that at the post mortem no such fractures were to be found. , The head turned out to be a boomerang for the prosecution, and it probably contributed to the verdict in Logan's favor. It has been many years since the tax collections of Umatilla county have showed such satisfactory footings they do this fall. For the last two preceding years there was not an at tempt made to collect the overwhelm ing list of delinquencies with which the books at the sheriff's office were filed, for the taxpayers were in such straits that it would have been of little avail to do so. But it remained for 1897 to be the banner year, and for the last several weeks the delinquent accounts have been rapidly paid off, until there remain but comparatively few to collect. For three years pre ceding the present tax collection year, the amounts of delinquencies that have been paid this fall amount to $32, 417.06, apportioned among the periods as follows: Taxes of 1895, $23,602.75; 1894, $7,314.31; 1893, $1,500. E. P. Wier, of Fossil, in Gilliam county, shipped several carloads.of hogs from Fossil to Portland last week. Hoffman & Hastain, of Fossil, are pur chasing hogs and turning them into bacon. Last week they received 20 head from Frank Knox that averaged 271 pounds in weight, and 10 head from J. D. Livingston that averaged 170. The prices paid were 4 cents and 3.90 per pound, live weight, re speotively, which made the hogs bring over $11 a head. THEY BLAME BLANCO Ruiz Said to ' Have Been Driven to His Doom. THE BAD FEELING IS INTENSE It Is Reported That Kuls Protested Vainly Against Undertaking the Fatal Mission, a New York, Dec. HI. Indignation over the killing of Colonel Ruiz is in tense in Havana, says the Herald cor respondent. Many blame General Blanco, alleging that he forced General Ruiz to go, in spite of the latter's pro testations that it meant certain death. All accounts agree that Colonel Aran guen was personally opposed to to the infliction of the extreme penalty, and would have saved Ruiz, but his own life would have been, sacrificed had he done so, in opposition to the - orders oi his superiors. A cablegram nas been received stat ing that General Lee has been instruct ed by Secretary Sherman to notify Gen eral Gomez and other rebels that they need expect no American sympathy if they continued to permit firing on flags of truce. General Lee says he has re ceived no instructions, adding that he knew of no instance of the display by . the Spaniards of a flag of truce during this war.. It has never been claimed by the Spanish authorities that Colonel Ruiz was under a flag of truce-, that in stitution being unknown to the Spanish army in Cuba, its use being interdicted as involving recognition of the insur gents as belligerents. Much excitement was caused on Sun day morning when a small white war- ship, bearing a strong resemblance to the United States gunboat Annapolis, was seen approaching the harbor. A rumor spread that an American war ship was coming in, and the people be came frenzied when thestracger's guns opened in a salute to the forts, many believing the city was being bombard ed. It was soon apparent that the ves sel was the German schoolship Stein, but several hours elapsed before quiet was restored in the city. All last night raging fires have been visible southwest of Havana, only ten miles away. Standing cane on the Toledo and Potugalete stations, which was about to commence grinding, was set on fire by the rebels and completely destroyed. The fire caused great con sternation in Havana. Within Sight of Havana. Havana, Dec. 27. The recent un fortunate mission of Colonel Ruiz to the camp of Colonel Aranguen in this province calls attention sharply to the remarkable circumstances that a Span ish officer and a messenger from the American consulate could reach the in surgent camp in an hour after leaving Havana, when the troops have never found it, and causes. sharp comment on the military operations. The camp is a few miles from a Spanish fortress, and its location has been known for nine months. Ruiz' friends among the volunteers and armed firemen of Havana censure General Blanco, and call for vengenance on tbe insurgents. From their camp the insurgents have sent a defiant com munication to the troops to come and take it. JUST OUT FROM DAWSON. Latest Report Is That There Is Focd Enough to Last All Winter, Victoria, B. C, Dec 27. D. P. Quinlan, who arrived here this after noon on the City of Seattle, brings late news from Dawson. He says there is enough food in Dawson to last the 6,000 men now there all winter, those without food 2,000 in number hav ing gone to Fort Yukon. Two hun dred will come out over the trails. Major Walsh, who is now encamped at Big Salmon, will endeavor to break a trail through to Dawson, but he does not expect to reach there until Febru ary 1. He says he will allow miners to stake claims in blocks of 10, retain ing the adjoining 10 for th,e govern ment. All the claims on Quartz creek are now staked, and it will probably be as rich as Eldorado and Bonanza creeks. The Seattle brought news of the death of Samuel Wyckoff, of Tacoma, December 11 at Skagway, of congestion of the brain. ' The application of Bernard J. Moore for the patent of . 160 acres of land, comprising a part of tne townsite ot Skagway, has been rejected by Register Dudley, of Sitka. Blizzard In New York. Rochester, N. Y., Deo. 27. A bliz zard is raging in Wyoming county, 40 miles south of this city. Nearly four feet of snow has fallen in the last 24 hours, and the storm continues with no sign of abatement. Roads are blocked, and the farmers are shut up in their houses. Engineers and firemen run ning on railroads south and southwest of Buffalo report much trouble with heavy snow drifts. The Lake Shore limited, due at Buffalo at 7:50 A. M.i was blockaded in four feet of snow near Angela, and was delayed two hours. The storm struck Syracuse tonight, and continued late in the night. Near ly all trains at that place were delayed. A Widow's Pension. Washington, Dec 27. A pension has been granted to the widow of Knud Knudsen, a soldier in the late war, the back pay of which aggregates over $4,000. The man was a native of Nor way, and was married to the woman who gets the pension in April, 1858. Knudsen emigrated to tins country in 1861, enlisted January 27, 1862, in company H, Fifteenth regiment, Wis consin volunteer infantry, and died in service October 16, 1863. IN .A.