WORLD HAPPENINGS
OF CURRENT WEEK
Brief Resume Most Important
Daily News Items.
COMPILED FOR YOU
Event of Noted People, Governments
nd Pacific Northwest, and Other
Things Worth Knowing.
, Mrs. Frank B. Kellogg.wlfe of the
new American ambassador, was the
guest of honor at a luncheon Wednes
day given by the American Women's
club and attended by 250 American
and British women.
Mrs. Warren G. Harding, widow of
the late President Harding, Is to be
come an associate editor of the Marlon
Star and plans to write over her own
signature for the newspaper which
her husband conducted for 35 years.
Brick and tile manufacturers of Ore
gon and Washington are planning to
co-operate with the Common Brick
Manufacturers' Association of Amer
ica In a programme of advertising and
promotion of brick and tile in various
construction uses.
In the presence of law enforcement
officers of the government, the senate
Teapot Dome investigating commit
tee took' steps Tuesday to call again
before It Albert B. Fall, ex-secretary
of the Interior, and Harry F. Sinclair,
lessee of naval oil reserves In Wyom
ing. (
The smelling of breaths to deter
mine varying degrees of drunkenness
la, no part of the business of the doc
tors, Internes and nurses employed In
Seattle's city emergency hospital, ac
cording to the rule laid down by Dr.
Hiram M. Read, city health commis
sioner. Moved by the Increasing acuteness
of the economic situation In the cen
tral west, President Coolidge Wednes
day sent to congress a Bpeclal message
outlining steps for relief and quick
ened efforts of the federal government
to prevent further bank failures In
that section.
Miss Madeleine Traverse of New
York, motion picture actress, has won
a verdict of $85,473 against Herbert
Lyon Smith, wealthy oil and coal man,
In her Bult based on an alleged de
fault of a contract by which he was
to star her in a film corporation to
bear her name. She sued for $222,500.
Eight Salem (Or.) churches have
voted adversely to a proposal to Invite
William A. (Billy) Sunday, the noted
evangelist, to come to Salem In June
to conduct a Berles of meetings. Only
10 churches, It was said, voted favor
ably to the movement. A half-dozen
churches were yet to cast their votes.
Ramsay Macdonald, who took office
Tuesday as England's first labor prem
ier, gave tacit notice to the country
and hlB colleagues that he expected to
give the British people a business-like
administration and would look for
punctuality on the part of his asso
ciates in reporting for duly each day.
Joint state hearing with the Inter
state commerce commission has been
set for March 1, in the federal court
room In Yakima, Wash., by the depart'
mont of public works, In the matter
of the new Interstate and intrastate
rtUes on northwestern roads on fruit
and vegetables shipped from the We
natchee and Yakima valley districts.
A wage increase of approximately 5
per cent has been agreed upon for
15,000 engineers and firemen of the
New York Central lines. Engineers,
firemen, hostlers and hostlor-holpers
receive the following Increases: Pas
senger service, 24 cents a 100 miles;
freight sorvlce, 36 cents a 100 miles;
yard and hostler service, 32 cents a
day.
' Removal of Buarls in the relation of
Japanese residents of America with
Japan, preparatory to further diplo
matic discussions between the two
countries, was the object of a bill in
troduced in the house of peers Tues
day by the cabinet revising the nation
ality law to the extent of withdrawing
Japanese citizenship from Japanese
acquiring any other nationality.
Nikolai Lenine, Russia's gr,eat bol
shevik loader, died suddenly Monday
night at his country villa iu the village
of Oorky, 20 milos from Moscow, The
public announcement of the premier's
death was withheld until the all-Russian
soviet congress met Tuesday
morning and only that night did the
wires carry to all corners of the soviet
federation word of the event, which
even Lenlne's political opponents de
clare saddenB the nation.
SMALL SALARY' TAXES CUT
House Ways and Means Committee
Acts-All Under $5000 Affected.
Washington, D. C. Income taxpay
ers got their Ilrat slice of the pro
posed tax relief Monday when the
house ways and means committee
.adopted the recommendation of Secre
tary Mellon to allow a special 25 per
cent reduction in the tax on Incomes
which are "earned."
All taxable Incomes under $5000
were defined as "earned" for purposes
of this reduction, while $20,000 was
set as the maximum amount of in
comes on which the reduction could
be taken.
Treasury estimates show that about
13,000,000 taxpayers have Incomes of
less than $5000 and automatically
could deduct from their tax when com
puted 25 per cent of its total. Thus,
a married man with two children, who
now pays a tax of $28 on an income
of $4000 would pay only $21, this fig
ure not taking Into account any nor
mal income tax reductions a proposi
tion still before the committee.
Disposition ' of this section of the
bill cleared the way with the excep
tion of some odds and ends to be taken
up for consideration by the commit
tee of income rates them'selves, includ
ing the surtaxes, the main point at
issue in the tax revision programme.
Some members have declared for
writing a republican income rate
schedule, while others wish to work
out the rates in full committee. Dem
ocrats, however, have declared they
will stand solidly for their party pro
posal of a reduction in surtaxes to a
44 per cent maximum instead of 25
per cent, as suggested by Secretary
Mellon. The house republican steer
ing committee also discussed the tax
situation, Jjut reached no conclusion.
Before taking up the earned Income
provision, the committee definitely re
jected Secretary Mellon's proposal to
prohibit husbands and wives in the
eight community property law states
from dividing their incomes for pur
poses of taxation. Chairman Green
had submitted a substitute proposal,
the original already having been de
feated, to prohibit this division when
the incomes were derived from wages
or salaries alone, Representatives
Garner, democrat, Texas, and Hadley,
republican,. Washington, led the fight
against this section.
Secretary Mellon's recommendation
for special reduction In the taxes on
earned incomes provided for the 25
per cent rate to apply on such Incomes
of any amount and defined earned In
comes as that received from wages,
salaries and professional services.
Representative Garner, author of the
democratic tax plan, accepted the
earned Income proposal in his plan
but suggested a reduction of 33 per
cent. The 26 per cent rate, however,
will stand In committee, Chairman
Green said, because no amendment
was offered to change it.
On earned incomes above $5,000 the
definition of Mr. Mellon also will hold.
Mr. Garner moved to define "earned
Income" as "reasonable compensation
or allowance for personal service
where Income Is derived from combin
ed personal Bervice and capital in the
prosecution by unincorporated persons
of agriculture or other businesses."
This was defeated by a strict party
vole.
Home Wrecked; 15 Dead.
Pawtuckot,' R. I. An explosion
which shook the countryside for 20
miles around, wrecked a' two-family
house at Cumberland Hill, Manvllle,
Monday and in the ruins were found
15 bodies. Many of the victims, in
the opinion of the medical examiner,
were asphyxiated before the explo
sion, which resulted from the Igniting
of illuminating gas and was made
mora severe by the detonation of some
dynamite stored In the cellar.
One entire family, the head of an
other family and a young woman
boarder were killed. They were Ade
laide Hamel, his wife and their six
sons and five daughters ranging in
age from 2 to 21 years; Michael Con
way and Miss Apolline Dancour.
Wild West Stuff to Go.
Klamath Falls, Or. Shooting the
lights out at Klumuth county dances
has got to cease, according to Sheriff
Low, who opened an official crusade
against the abuse Monday with the
arrest of Frank Morgan and Bill
Brown of Bly, on the upper Sprague,
accused of being drunk in a public
place and carrying concealed weapons.
"A few jolts of this panther milk and
these young frontiersmen think thgy
are wolves," explained the sheriff.
Sterling Exchange Up.
New York. Improved prospects for
the Bottlemeut of the British railway
strike contributed to a sharp rise In
sterling oxchange Monday, the de
mand rate mounting 21-4 cents to
$4.2514. The frano gained 10 points
at 4.6U4 cents as a measure designed
to sustain Paris exchange came to a
test vote in the chamber of deputies.
Other European exchanges, with the
exception of Denmark, advanced In
sympathy.
COOLIDGE ACTS
TO SIFT OIL CASE
Will Select Special Counsel to
Proceed in Courts.
WILL PUNISH GUILTY
Both Political Parties to Be Represen
tedCancellation of Leases to
Be Considered.
Washington, D. C President Cool
idge has decided to employ special
counsel drawn from both the repub
lican and democratic parties to pro
ceed with court action as a result of
evidence adduced at the senate com
mittee hearings on the leasing of
naval oil leases.
In a statement issued at midnight
Saturday the president declared that
"counsel will be instructed to prose
cute these cases in the courts so that
If there is any guilt it will be pun
ished; if there is any civil liability
It will be enforced; if there is any
fraud it will be revealed, and if there
are any contracts which are illegal
they will be cancelled."
The president determined upon this
course after being advised by the de
partment of justice that it was in ac
cordance with precedents. Explaining
that the justice department had been
observing the' evidence unfolded in
the senate committee, the executive
in his statement asserted that "every
law will be enforced and every right
of the people and the government will
be protected." .
White House officials, in making
public the statement, said that the
special counsel would be appointed
just as soon as selections could be
made.
The formal announcement follows:
"It is not for the president to de
termine criminal guilt or render Judg
ment in several causes. That is the
function of the courts. It is not for
him to pre-judge. I shall do neither.
But when facts are revealed to me
that require action for the purpose of
insuring the enforcement of dither
civil or criminal liability, such action
will be . taken. This is the province
of the executive.
"Acting under my direction, the de
partment of justice has been observing
the course of the evidence which has
been revealed at the hearings con
ducted by the senatorial committee in
vestigating certain oil leases made on
naval reserves, which I believe war
rants fcctlon for the purpose of en
forcing the law and protecting the
rights of the public. This is confirm
ed by reports made to me from the
committee. If there has been any
crime, It must be prosecuted. If there
has been any property of the United
States illegally transferred or leased,
It must be. recovered. .
"I feel the public is entitled to know
that In the conduct of such actions
no one Is shielded for any party, po
litical or other reasons. As I under
stand, men are involved who belong
to both political parties and, having
been advised by the department of
justice that it is in accord with former
precedents, I propose to employ spe
cial counsel of high rank, drawn from
both political parties." '
40 Miner Entombed.
Shanktown, Pa. Hope for the lives
of some 40 minors, entombed late Sat
urday by an explosion in the Lan
cashire mine of the Barnes & Tucker
Coal company here, was practically
given up when rescue workers report
ed that the wrecked mine was dense
with "black damp" and that water was
rising rapidly In the underground pass
ageways. The fan house of the mine was
wrecked by the terrific blast. The
poison gas, the water, the lack of
fresh air and a heavy fall of rock Im
peded the progress of volunteer rescue
workers, who dug valiantly in an ef
fort to reach the entombed men.
Lincoln' Friend Dead.
Independence, Kan. Major John
Frederick Nolle, 95, personal friend
of Abraham Lincoln, is dead at his
home, here. Major Nolle was a pion
eer of the Oregon trail and later, in
1S50, a gold seeker in California. He
built the first courthouse at Salem, Or.
He participated in Beven battles of
the civil war and was counted among
the personal friends of many generals
of the union army, He came to Kan
sas in 1S69.
Arm Collected In London Tower.
The collection of arms and armor
at the Tower of London contains
about 6,000 examples from the Middle
ages downwards. 11
Captain
By Charles Tenney Jackson
Copyright br The Bobbt-Metrdl Company
THE PLOT NAPOLEON"
SYNOPSIS. Under the name of
"Captain Sazarac," and disguised,
Jean Lafltte, former freebooter
of Baratarla, proscribed, returns
to the city of New Orleans. He
la recognized by two of bis old
companions. Alderman Dominique
and Beluche. At the gaming
tables Sazarao has won much
money from Colonel Carr, Brit
ish officer. John Jarvls. the city's
first bohemlan of the arts and
letters, an oldtlme friend of La
fltte, tells of a woman's face and
smile. As his last wager, Carr
puts .up a Woman, presumably a
slave. Custom compels Sazarao
to accept the stake. He wins.
His old associates and Count
Raoul de Almonaster accost him
as Lafltte. A project of the
youthful adventurers of New Or
leans Is the rescue of Napoleon
Bonaparte from St. Helena, and
a ship, the Seraphlne, has been
made ready. From De Almonas
ter Sazarao learns that the girl
he "won" at the card table Is
white, of high estate, and that
the matter has been made i by
word In the city's resorts. Saz
arao finds Mademoiselle Lestron,
a fellow passenger on a river
steamer a few days before, and
with whom he had fallen In love,
is the girl and In chivalry fore
goes his revenge against Carr.
Jarvls admires Mademoiselle Les
tron. He Is a witness of the
meeting and picks up a camellia
which the girl had thrown, un
noticed, to Sazarac. Jarvls is
dangerous; he talks too much In
his cups. His old associates of
the Baratarla days urge Lafltte
to take command of the Sera
phlne, ostensibly to rescue Napo
leon but really to fly the black
flag and cruise the seas. He
hesitates.
CHAPTER IV Continued.
"He would b at home anywhere "
Beluche watched the Jester who had
wandered back among the wine tuns
searching for his pewter mug: "Do
you recall how our rough fellows
were amazed when we first tumbled
him off a sacked merchantman down
among us, and at once with our pis
tols at his head he began to bawl
for drink? As I live, thereafter, on
the Petral, he feared nothing save that
the next prize might have more gold
than liquor 1"
"He did us all honor," mused La
fltte. "Eh, the old faces about me I"
Jarvls thej youngest of them all,
save Baoul, staggered to the table.
"Piracy," he lamented, "ruined me I
I Was treated all too famously by the
cutthroats. But, Jean now, If we
had a ship eh, well 1 The drink this
way !"
"Ah, the ship I It appears we have
forgotten why we are here I The ship?
We hifve a ship l" ,
"A ship?" growled a new voice. Nez
Coupe, the small wiry Canary Islander,
with a face most frightfully disfigured
by a saber cut, the most lawless of
the former Grand Terre privateers, an
outlaw still unpardoned, 'came to the
table lamp. "What talk I Not one of
us all could purchase a yawl boat!"
Beluche and Dominique fidgeted.
Beluche gestured uneasily to the fas
tidious De Almonaster. It seemed he
must speak; It was for that they had
fetched him to the council.
'There is a ship appointed for a
purpose," began the count, reservedly.
"The GIrod ship, fitted by the citi
zenry for a certain purpose "
"Bah I That Napoleon folly I"
growled Johanness : "Child's piny I Ah,
but ay ship for your eye, my captain 1"
The grim grizzled faces looked from
the captain to the youngest man.
"It Is difficult to announce," con
tinued Raoul. "But I have, tliia day,
taken over my aunt's Interest, and
that of Monsieur Allain, In the Glrod
ship. I have, therefore, a word as to
her. As you all know, the Napoleon
venture is not a secret. The mayor,
Roulfflgnac, the Creole families of the
city, are heartily In sympathy with It.
I have been against It until Monsieur
Dominique proposed that we Intrigue
for Captain Sazarac to command."
There was a shout derision, Incre
dulity, protest. The wilder ones up
rose feverishly. Dominique .would
have spoken, but Jarvls staggered up,
cup In hand. "A toast I The plot!
Ho,, villains, all to the plot I" And
he roared the louder.
"The devil take you!" growled Be
luche. "The watchman on the cor
ner" Sazarac raised his hand. "I, to
command? What madness again 1 The
young blades of the town are to man
the schooner they would be spanked
to bed If Lafltte was to be known
among them I"
"We have thought powerful Influ
ence could be brought to bear for your
pardon, Monsieur. A rare exploit to
reinstate you seizing the emperor
from his prison Isle!"
Sazarac laughed idly : "Quite im
possible. Gentlemen, I beg you"
"A ship!" shouted Johanness, as if,
suddenly, to his old eyes had leaped
the vision of far sea days: "The Sera
phlne Jean, and a ship again! A
ship shaken free In the gulf, and any
flag will serve I"
"Silence, you fool P, gasped Demi
nlque. -
"Perdition with aldermen I Ho, you
Beluche, with the gilt glmcracks on
your shoulders 'what do you think?
Jean on the quarter-deck, and you and
I at' the lookouts? Name o' C! d!
One crack at the fat fleets, and then
south across the line !"
"In the wamps off Point Le Garde,"
shouted Nei Coupe, "Ican enlist a
dozen vernlght wbe oe sailed with
J tan and Pierre!"
. .1 w i. ,c. .
Sazarac
( -
"Hist!" lamented Dominique. "They
can hear you to the levee! Let the
young gentleman talk; then our cap
tain will have It clearly. He shall be
Sazarac until we are cleared. Captain
Gaspar Sazarac with recommenda
tions from the Americans of the West.
Monsieur de Almonaster will vouch for
Sazarac. I, myself, the alderman, have
known this worthy Sazarac who Is to
be the secluded house guest of Mon
sieur de Almonaster, and introduced
aright ere we broach the Napoleon
mattei" "
Jarvls suddenly thrust his drink
swollen face close to the lamp. He
grinned with tipsy awakening. "Why,
so this Sazarac! Ho, Jean! a
woman! You are overnight In the
town, and at once a woman!" He
fumbled In his breast and brought
out a crushed flower, and laid it down
with a mock flourish. "Did you ever,
Captain Gaspar Sazarac smell ca
mellias In the moonlight?" ,
Sazarac stood glancing from John
Jarvis to the camellia upon the table.
The Jester was grinning knowingly.
The Count de Almonaster turned a
puzzled face upon them both.
"The affair of the English woman,"
grumbled Beluche. "Twaddle of the
gossipers on the promenade. A
drunken fool, and an evil' jest ! Saza
rac need not challenge. The scandal
Is upon Carr and his two women."
But Jarvls continued to leer upon
the leader's silent face. "I wish I
could paint love In a woman's eye "
he mocked. "Then there should be a
,m!stress with a camellia in her hair
at my studio." He turned away to
draw his measure of wine.
CHAPTER V
Two Gentlemen of Mystery.
The honorable the mayor, Monsieur
Roulfflgnac, stood on the stone flags
of the City hall, or Principal, as It
was yet called from the Spanish days,
and looked contentedly out on the rue
Chartres. He had come early, before
the heat of the day, for some business
with his clerks.
"Heigh-o!" sighed the mayor. "A
long day for me! The council will
not meet until ten but I shall cut
them short! Ah, there good morn
ing, Monsieur Mudge!"
Mr, Mudge, of the banking firm of
Mudge & FIckert, was turning from
the street : a tall and immaculate gen
tleman In high bell hat and new. long,
"A Toast! The Plot! Ho, Villains,
All to the Plot!" And He Roared
the Louder.
tight trousers outside his equally
tight boots; and behind him, the
mayor noted, was Mr. Langhorne, the
consul of Great Britain. The greet
ings were of punctilious respect.
"What makes you so early astir,
gentlemen?" queried His Honor. "As
for me I am the most lamentably
overworked man in Louisiana. The
governor sends me vast communica
tionsall In the English, these days,
which, unfortunately, I cannot read
so well; and Monsieur La Tour, get
ting up his new city directory. In
sists that Iiread his proofs and there
Is not a picayune victualer, nor a
mender of pots that he does not get
In so that New Orleans may claim
rank with Philadelphia or New York!
La la! there are too many of us
now!"
"You may well say," rejoined Mr.
Mudge hurriedly, "complaint has al
ready been made by the English cap
tainpetty thieves made away with
some of his merchandise on the Al
glerlne Hock. The customs people
hate pursued them I believe one fel
low was shot In a fracas down Bayou
Baratarla, near the plantation of
Monsieur Berthoud."
"An outrage, sir," protested the con
sul. "In the name of his majesty I
must make representations"
"It Is an affair, sir," said Monsieur
Itoulfllgnac politely, "rffore for the
United States authorities."
"Yes, but they are laughing about
the town, -sir I Rongh fellows of the
wineshops and the levees are all agog
with this rumor that the bandit of
Baratarla has returned; and at once
an outrage is put on the port's ship
ping!" "Hum," said the mayor, "I know.
Thirty cases of muskets, by some
mistake, put out from the English
ship on the dock. The port officers"
"The captain of the Genaron has
protested, sir," fumed the consul ; "the
cargo wa destined for the Mexlcoet.
But some thieving villains take ad
vantage of the question raised "
"The Baratarlans, Monsieur Mayor!"
blustered the merchant; "the pardoned
rascals of Jean Lafltte! The very
rumor of his return disturbs com
merce. Look, now here comes old
Gorgio, the crayfish seller as big a
villain as Is unhung, pardoned by the
President! And do you think he will
trouble himself to step off the ban
quette when gentlemen come by, when
he knows that half of Louisiana has
come to think of Jean Lafltte as more
patriot than pirate?"
"Hum hum," mused the placid
mayor; "some maintain , that he
saved the city in 1815. Eh, my dear
consul! but we are vei7 good friends
now, are we not? Hum hum and
here comes Monsieur Dominique, who.,
ought to know something about this
Idle gossip of Lafltte."
Mudge, the banker, bowed stiffly to
the portly alderman ; Langhorne, with
a frown there were some fastidious
gentry who did not care for equality
with the pardoned and Falstaflian
buccaneer. The mayor turned slyly
to him.
"Ah, Monsieur Dominique! The
gentlemen ask of a matter upon which
you might enlighten us. Lafitte's re
puted return!"
The councilor raised a fat hand.
"And If It were true, rue Royale
would be ribboned to welcome him, I
do believe!"
The respectable banker shrugged.
"Enough! Mr. Lnnghorne, we shall
take our business to the customs!
The city Is a trifler's town! And this
other jest the sailing of the Napo
leon ship. Mr. Mayor, the folly leaps
and grows! Sober, decent merchants
entering the coffee houses are bad
gered by young roisterers to sub
scribe to the plot Napoleon ! Anything
for a fanfaronade, even If it brought
England and the United States to
war!"
Langhorne, the consul, raised a
hand laughingly. "The Seraphlne,
good sirs, will be well watched once
these crackbralns put her nose out the
passes! His majesty Is nm itrembie
at this frolic!"
And with a bow the two gentlemen
departed. Half a square distant, the
consul turned to the banker.
"Colonel Carr, sir lias me distract
ed. He brings credentials from Que
bec that I cannot Ignore, and yet I
mistrust him. Styled as a commis
sioner to the rebellious subjects of the
Spanish king in New Granada, he has
seemed overbusled up the Mississippi
on his way overland."
"You fear Carr's honesty? Faith,
the fellow has been too drunken to be
dangerous. And you know his brawl
with this Captain Sazarac? I should
say they are both men of mystery out
of the Northwest. The old talk of
Aaron Burr's rival republic In the Mis
sissippi valley Is revived again ; but
if England la In It"
"Perdition, sir! It Is not so! He
who comes to Louisiana thinking to
find friction between the Yankees and
the Creoles must be a better diplomat
than Colonel Carr, sir If that Is what
you mean!"
The merchant took snuff gravely.
"We trust that he represents nothing
but some malicious fur-traders, sir.
Last night, I am Informed, he bad
Madame Page's pension in an uproar.
Starting to beat a black girl, he
wound up by striking Bis wife; and
then having a set-to with some un
known guest or caller. And the lady
who Is his wife, sir is not of mettl
to brook outrage."
"Mrs. Carr is of an old Tory family
that fled from New York in the first
war bitter against the American gov
ernmentfar more than the British
themselves. Then there is Carr'S
ward "
"I had heard a famous beauty, sir."
"The young gallants already are
agog for a peep at her when she is
driven on the Esplanade. But the
women seek absolute seclusion, hu
miliated utterly at Colonel Carr's
conduct."
"The girl is of value to Carr'
schemes, you think?"
Langhorne took his snuff absently.
"That Is the question. She was of a
family that had great estates In the
islands. She l loyal to the Carrs
through gratitude to those who saved
her life."
The merchant glanced at the clock
in the cathedral facade.
"Well, enough, of this. The coffee
houses have already forgotten the af.
fair of Carr and this adventurer Sa
zarac." "This week the sensation Is choos
ing the crew under Bosslere to man
the Napoleon ship. Nothing has so
tickled the popular fancy of the
Creoles!"
"I trust your government does not
take it seriously?"
. The consul laughed shortly. "We
watch it, sir! The clipper may take
twoscore gallants out of the city, for
If the thing Is made fashionable
enough, the SerapMne would sail with
her decks crammed by ambitious .ad
mirals, commodores, captains and lieu
tenants! Bonaparte, himself,, would
be astounded at the array of per
fumed gentlemen who would greet him
in his exile 1"
"Bosslere la te command," mused
Mr. Mudge. "He, at least, is a seaman."
"I am an evil legacy .
and I am ferty-two."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Acquiring Knowledge.
I pluck up the good lissome herb
of sentences by pruning, eat them by
reading, digest them by musing, and
lay them up at length in the high
aeat of memory. Queen Elizabeth.