Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Lexington wheatfield. (Lexington, Or.) 1905-19?? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1905)
LEXIN6T0N WHEATFIELD ' S. A. THOMAS, Publisher LEXINGTON OREGON NEWS OFTHE WEEK In a Condensed Form for Oar Busy Readers. A Resume of the Lass Important but Not Lass Interesting Events of the Past Weak. The deadlock between Hungary and Austria may result in a revolution. The Baldwin Locomotive works is building 140 engines for the Harriman lines. Leading Hungarians say Germany is the cause of the present trouble in their country. Peace has been restored at Baku, Rus sia, and. workmen are returning to their occupations. , A white woman of Missouri has been sent to the penitentiary for ten years for marrying and living with a negro. George Maxwell, a wealthy Canadi an, will sue the United States because he was denied admission to this coun- try. At the Democratic state convention of Maryland a platform was adopted declaring in favor of disfranchising ne groes. Guam, the smallest island possession of the United States, now has a Su preme court and a system of wireless telegraphy. General Stoessel, who commanded the Russian forces at Port Arthur, is suffering from a Btroke of paralysis, which affects his entire left Bide. United States Attorney Heney says he will push the remainder of the Ore gon land fraud cases and dispose of them as rapidly as possible, as he has other work commanding his attention. Gomez has retired from the fight for the Cuban presidency. Norway may have a popular vote on monarchy or republic. Secretary Taft and party have re turned from the Philippines. A Liberal party has been organized to control the Russian douma. France and Germany have completed their program regarding Morocco. Riots have occurred between Social ists and Coalitionists at Buda Pest. New Orleans is steadily recovering from the disastrous epidemic of yellow ever. - The larger part of General Linie vitch's army will winter in the field where they are. v Independent beef packers have been summoned to testify against the trust in the tiial now in progress in Chicago. The president Will appoint a district attorney for Oregon as soon as Heney concludes the land fraud cases now on hand and goes East. The government gunboat Leyte was sunk by the typhoon which swept Ma nila. The damage to the city is greater than at first reported. A passenger train on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton road struck a freight near Connelsville, Ind., and one man was killed and eight injured. The yellow fever situation at Na tchez, Miss., is becoming worse. Kussia is negotiating in Paris and Berlin for new loan of $175,000,000. Finns are petitioning the czar for re forms which will restore peace in their country. Senator Heyburn, of Idaho, continues to fight President Eoosovelt's forest re , Berve policy. Bussian students are holding mass meetings, demanding greater liberties than proposed by the czar. . A collective note from six powers has been handed the sultan of Turkey tell ing him they will manage Macedonia. Bryan has written a letter to the president encouraging him in his fight with congress for a railroad rate law. The Harriman system has started in earnest a fight with the Northern Pa cific to secure certain rightB of way down the north bank of the Columbia river. Curtis Guild, Jr., at present lieuten ant governor, will be chosen as the Re publican candidate, for governor of Massachusetts. The new treaty of alliance between Great Britain and Japan has been made public. It is similar to the original alliance, but wwith a largely increased acope. Rockefeller in a speech to a gathering of young men of his home town told them to turn their minds from mere money-getting and make certain of contentment and satisfaction in the later days of their lives. GUILTY AS CHARGED. Verdict In the Williamson, Gesner and Biggs Land Case. Portland, Sept. 28. "Guilty as charged in the indictment." s After three trials, extending over three months, John Newton . Williamson, Representative in congress from Ore gon; Dr. Van Gesner, his partner, and Marion R. BiggB, their friend and the United States commissioner for the general land office at Prineville, have been declared to be guilty of the crime of conspiracy to Buborn perjury, and have been thrown upon the leniency of the court, by reason of their previ ous good character. The long and tiresome third trial of the case has passed into history, but unlike the first and second, it has been productive of a decisive result. Once more the cause of the government and the indefatigable energy of United States District Attorney Heney have been triumphant, and conviction has come from the hands cf a jury selected and sworn to try the guilt or innocence of the defendants upon the law and the evidence. But it was not a question easily de cided or quick of settlement, for the jury wrestled with the decision from 5:20 in the afternoon until li at night, and it was eight minutes later before the sealed envelope containing the fate of the three men was handed to Judge Hunt lor his perusal. For many bal lots the jury stood 11 for conviction and 1 for acquittal. Aa soon as the verdict had been read Judge Hunt arose and thanked the jury for their patient attention and uncom plaining service throughout the trial. He then dismissed them. Turning then to the defendants and their attorney, Judge Hunt asked if there were any motions to be made, and Mr. Bennett, shaking off the spell which seemed to wrap him round, asked to be allowed on behalf of all the defendants to file notice of a motion for a new trial. Judge Hunt stated that he would like to have the motion filed as soon as possible, as he desired to leave the city within two weeks, but he allowed ten flays in which to com plete the written transcript of the mo tion and place it before the court. The court announced that pending the filing of the motion the defendants would be allowed to go on the same bonds under which they are now rest ing. Then the court adjourned, and without speaking the defendants filed silently from the room and into the night. They had no statements to make, they said. It was not their time to talk. . FIRE SCOTCHES COLON. Two Blocks Are Cleared and Govern ment Records Destroyed. Colon, Sept. 29. By sheer good luck the city of Colon was saved from com plete destruction by fire last night. The fire broke out in a building next to the residence of the Spanish consul, and Boon destroyed the Phoenix hotel, an American-owned building, and two other hotels, several liquor saloons and several tenement buildings. Rowe's building, containing the postoffice, the offices of the municipality, of Governor Melendez, the port inspectors, the ju diciary and other offices, together with the treasuy building, were also burned. A fire brigade from Panama bringing engines and . equipment arrived at 1 o'clock, but by that time the fire was under control. ' , Nearly all the records and documents of the government were destroyed. The burned region comprises two blocks. The American residential quarter was not touched. The sanitary authorities are erecting tents in the fire zone to shelter the homeless. During the fire many harrowiong scenes were witnessed. Among these was the removal, of the body of a 15 year old child. The child had died a few minutes before the fire started. , 'No Submarines Aided In Victory. San Francisco, Sept. 29. F. T. Ca ble, representing the Holland Subma rine Torpedo Boat company, arrived to day on the liner Corea from Japan. He went to Japan some months ago to superintend the work of placing seven submarines in working order and com pleted the taBk at the navy yard of Yo koBha, near Yokohama, the latter part of June. Mr. Cable reports that none of these vessels were engaged in the battle oHhe sea of Japan. They would probably have been, he Bays, had the conflict been delayed a month. Cannot Suppress Boycott. Seattle, Wash., Sept. 29. Chinese merchants in Seattle state that they have mail advices from Canton which declare the viceroy of that province has acknowledged his inability to put down the boycott. . The viceroy insists that the merchants and people will buy as they see fit. He adds, though, that the sentiment is being resisted, and that some gains have been made by the government's efforts to suppress the boycott ' , GIVE THEM LIMIT Secretary Hitchcock's Views on Land Fraud Cases. ; THEY, LED HONEST MEN ASTRAY Secretary Says they Would Have Been Tried Repeatedly Till Verdict Was Reached. Washington, Sept. 30. "The jury which returned the verdict against Representative Williamson, Dr. Gesner and Marion Biggs, at Portland, com mended the defendants to the mercy of the court. This is not a case where any mercy should be shown. I am firmly of the opinion that the extreme penalty should be imposed." This waa Secretary Hitchcock's com ment on the news from Portland. "I do not know what disposition the court will make of this case," added the secretary', "nor is it for me to sug gest, but I hope the full measure of justice will be meted out to those who have been found guilty. I hope they will be given the limit of the law. Whenever some petty criminal, hungry and in need, is convicted, in court, no mercy is shown. There is all the more reason why no mercy should be shown in this case. The defendants knew the law and violated it knowingly and "wil fully. One of them, a public official, waB sworn to protect and uphold the law, yet he used his influence to induce a lot of poor, ignorant fellows to commit a rank'crime. Such men don't deserve mercy at the hands of the court. I think no leniency should be shown them. "Reports have been circulated," continued the secretary, "to the effect that the government would have dropped its case against Williamson and the others, had this third trial re sulted in a disagreement. That is not so. The government is in earnest in this matter, and we would have asked for a fourth, a fifth, a sixth trial, and so on to the end of the chapter. I am not surprised, however, that this jury should have agreed as it did. From the evidence in the case no other ver dict could justly have been returned. This jury has done its full duty to the people of Oregon and the people of the entire country. "This is not the end of the land fraud pronecutions," said the secretary. "We are only beginning our war on this class of criminals. Our agents are working and investigation ia going for ward in many states. We have a lot of cases in Idaho soon to be taken up and others in New Mexico. I have reason to believe that the extent of this offend ing has been very great and we intend to follow the investigation" LET DOWN THE BARS. Free Admission of Products of Phil ippines Seems Likely. San Francisco, Sept. 30. William J. Johnston, of New York,, publisher "of the American Exporter, who, as a member of Secretary Taft'B party, made the trip to the Orient to investigate tKe commercial conditions and the opportu nities for extending the sale of Ameri can manufactures in the Philippines, Japan and China, today saidj "While one cannot always" accurately forecast the action of congress, the in dications are that Philippine sugar and tobacco will be admitted into the Unit ed States free of duty, as hemp now is. If so, congress will probably think that as a matter of reciprocity American machinery and appliances for develop ing the industries of the islands should go to the Philippines free. In case, however, that goods from this country shall not be admitted free at once, on the ground that the revenues will be asked for a time to meet the expenses of the insular government, there is lit tle doubt that at the latest this will come at the time that the ' agreement with Spain as to equal tariff privileges in the Philippines shall expire in about three years." - s ' Land Receipts Decline. 1 Washington, Sept. 30. Because of the marked decrease in public land re ceipts during the past fiscal year, Ore gon contributed less to the Reclamation fund than in any year since the passage of the Reclamation act, and fell from first to second place in extent of public land receipts. It is estimated that Ore gon during the year ending June 30 last, contributed $675,325 to the Re clamation fund. Washington contrib uted $522,203, and Idaho $370,272. This decline is attributed to the land fraud investigation and prosecutions. Morgan Still Sore on Panama. Birmingham, Ala., Sept. 80. Senat or John T. Morgan, of Alabama, has written a letter to Chairman T. P. Shonts, of the Panama Canal commis sion, declining the invitation to accom pany the commission. k when it leaves New York for Panama, i The Benator thinks nothing will be accomplished by the trip. . DRIFTING INTO REBELLION. Hatred of Hungarian People for Fran x els Joseph Grows. London, Sept. 27. The correspond ent of the Morning Post at Buda Pest says: The situation here grows worse daily. The Radical element threatens to Bwamp the moderate party and to hur ry the country into irreparable action. Public references to the dynasty are made in a tone which it is impossible to reproduce. The principal newspa pers urge the formation of one great party under Francis Kossuth. This is supported by Kossuth, Count Apponyi and Baron Banff y. The Daily Telegraph's Buda Pest correspondent says that great excite ment prevails, accompanied by a de termination to keep up the struggle to the bitter end. The correspondent con tinues : The Independent party is believed to have secured new adherents, while the old Liberal party has broken up. The partisans of Kossuth have also obtained the upper hand in quarters which for merly were dominated by the Social ists. The coalition 'leaders have issued a proclamation stating that they are de termined to eschew all revolutionary methods. Kossuth is quoted as saying he believed that the king-emperor would yet change his mind and grant concessions to Hungary. Both in Buda Pest and Vienna it is realized that much depends on the out come of the great meeting of all the coalition parties to be held at Buda Pest October 20, at which, it is under stood, a plan for legislation will be formulated. The wildest rumors are afloat in Buda Pest. One paper publishes a statement that the king-emperor in tends to resign the crown of Hungary in favor of Prince Francis Ferdinand, and other Bimilar unauthenticated statements are made. According to the concensus of the re ports, the king-emperor has determined to appoint a cabinet with Count Johann Zichy at its head. RUINS FILL MANILA. Terrible Typhoon Sweeps Capital of Philippine Islands. Manila, Sept. 27. Ten thousand of Manila's inhabitants are homeless, more than 200 injured and six known dead from the terrible effects of a ty phoon which swept over the Philippine capital late yesterday afternoon. When the great storm struck the city the streets were plunged into darkness. Thousands of electric wires were blown down and short circuited. The known dead were killed by these live wires. Hundreds of stone dwellings were blown down, and two churches and hotel unroofed. The greatest damage occurred in the native quarters. Traffic is suspended and the streets are deserted. The police stations are making an effort to feed and shelter the homeless. It ia believed that shipping in the bay had warning of the approaching storm and got out of ita course, but there are grave fears for the safety of many vessels. The typhoon came to an end at 7 :30 P. M. Gangs of men are clearing the streets and the impression prevails that many dead will be found in the ruins of the dwellings. REVOLVER AND MACHETE. Means Gomez Advocates to Followers to Win Cuban Presidency. Havana, Sept. 27. Judging from the present outlook, Cuba is facing a seri ous political disturbance, compared to which the recent troubles will be insig nificant. Miguel Gomez,, the Liberal party's presidential candidate, admitting the defeat of his party by the outcome of Saturday's election, advises all Liberals to abandon the political battle, saying the, United States is backing President Palma and the Moderates, and that the fight is useless. The only hope for the Liberals, he Bays, lies through the use of the revolver and machete. - The private secretary of Gomez has been arrested on a charge of conspiracy to overthrow the government. Calls Peace Conference. St. Petersburg, Sept. 27. It is an nounced that the Russian representa tives abroad were instructed on Sep tember 21 to communicate to the gov ernments to which they were accred ited an invitation to a second peace conference at The Hague. They were further directed, in the event of accept ance, to announce that tho Russian government's proposal would be strict ly practical, and that the conference would especially and exclusively deal with the serious questions arising out of the late war. Starving Cattle In Montana. Great Falls, Mont., Sept. 27. Word comes from the Mariads river district, in Teton county, that there are fully 800 head of cattle in that section. They have been out on the range since June and have eaten everything from grass to all kinds of brush and trees. . ONLY NEEDS PER Soil ol Boise and Payette Valleys In Idaho Is Very Rich. PART NOW UNDER CULTIVATION Proposed Government Irrigation Pro ject Will Increase the Arable Acreage Four-Fold. .Boise, Idaho, Sept. 28. October 1ft a board of consulting engineers of .the Reclamation service will meet here to determine whether construction shall be ordered upon what 1b known as the Boise Payette project. It is confidently expected construction will be recom mended, as all the preliminaries have been completed and it U known the service is anxioua to go on with the work. This is one of the most important as well aa one of the most complicated re clamation projects under consideration. It is of great importance because of the large amount of land it is proposed to reclaim, because of the fact that the supply of water for landa which have not a sufficient amount available for their use ia to be re-enforced, because of the value of the landB when supplied with water, and because of the marked effect it will have upon the future of this section of the state. It is compli cated, not so much because of engineer ing problems, though these are inter esting, but because of the private inter ests that are woven through the project in nearly all ita parts. In the Boise and Payette valleys, there is now irrigated about 100, 00 acres of land ; under the proposed gov ernment system there will be nearly 400,000 acres producing crops. These valleys are now regarded as among the most valuable and attractive of the West. Tbey support a large popula tion and yield enormous crops of all farm products, together with large- , quantities of fruit. The apples grown, here are regarded aa being the equal of those of any other section, while the prunes stand abreast of those' of Cali fornia and Oregon. All fruits flourish that can be grown in a temperate climate, and this sec tion is looked upon as one of the most promising orchard regions of the West. Under these conditions the lands, whea given water, command high prices and yield large returns in money. It is, , therefore, of great importance that the unwatered lands shall be reclaimed, and for this reason the project has been regarded by the reclamation officials aa one of the most attractive that has beea called to their attention. FIRE AT SPOKANE. Half a Block of Brick Buildings in Wholesale District Burned. Spokane, Wash., Sept. 28. A disas trous, fire broke out in the heart of the wholesale and shipping section of the city at 2:35 o'clock this morning, which completely gutted three brick build- ings. The total fire loss will approxi mate $250,000. V The cause of the fire is unknown. It broke out in the Cudaby building, ' which was filled with soap and lard, and spread wnn great rapidity to t tie Weeks buildings on the east. Later the BoothefcClintock building, on the . west corner of the block, caught fire. The four-story brick building on the east corner, occupied by the Spo kane Drug company, was saved by a fire wall. All of the building owners who suf fered losses in the fire, which destroyed half a block of buildings and their con tents, have announced their intention of rebuilding at once, and will erect larger and more complete structures. Hundreds of people had personal prop erty stored in the Pacific Transfer com pany's building at owners' risk, and their total losses are estimated various ly from $5,000 to $20,000. Work for Heney. Washington, Sept. 28. Secretary Hitchcock, in an , interview, said : "After, the land-fraud cases in Oregon have been wound up, United States At torney Heney, who has been conducting them, will come to Washington and will look after the California cases in which Hyde, Dimond and others have been indicted. Later on there will probably be other indictments in other states. The, lose to the government through these frauds has aggregated millions of acres of land and millions more of dollars." Mail Service on tha Yukon. Washington, Sept. 28. Arrange- ' mfintfl similar t.n t.hnf)A In nnorafinn i 1 i i i i ' kaav j vat uaw niuu uocu Uiauo Uc- tween the, Postoffice department of the j United States and Canada for the die- inouuon or maiiB in tne Yukon dis- ; trict. The 'contract nrovidps for a. t.ri. weekly distribution during the closed ' kooortn - . ...... ..-