Evening Star Newspaper, October 6, 1894, Page 16

A SLEDGE PARTY AT LU NCH. LEAVING THE JARL The ew ee Wellman's Party in the North. ADVENTORES WITH POLAR BEARS Arctic Hills on Norwegian Skis. Excursions Over a THE BARRIERS OF ICE Walter “rved.) man. All rights tar. py RIDAY, MAY 18.— Ge Officer of the day, | I Prof. French. Our search for an opening In the float- ing ice yesterday | proved unavailing. After steaming nearly all the after- noon and evening, following three or four promising leads, all of which came to | an end in heavy ice, | with no higher north- on M48 of S056 and a rapid drift to | the west and south, Capt. Bottelfsen was to return to the land for anchor- the short ice. The wind sprang up from the northeast, and great of pack tee went by at a rate of mile an hour. We passed the night distance north of Walden this morning moved | very near to our old | Table Isiand, but the wind then to the north, it brought the and made ft necessary to let the ship drift in order te keep her free. ‘This northeast and northerly storm has | held us here now since Monday, and there | i liate prospect of better weather. speel at which the lght fce of this region moves is no criterion as to the drift | of the main pack. It drives by us with these high northeasterly winds at a rate of a mile an hour. But it is principally w r and young ice. Wherever the ice is heavy, reaching well down into the water, it drifts more slowly. The main-pack drifts slower still, and while there is a generally southerly and soythwesterly set to all the ice of this region, the main ice moves at a Tate of speed scarcely appreciable except en -th> set is accentuated by northeast- erly winds. That was Parry's experience AS = as the winds were favorable he did not e the driftage, but with several days together of winds from the north he ! his highway moving south at an soni is ne @verage rate of four miles per day. We STARTING 0 thetr magnificent views of the Seven Islands and of the north coast of Spitzbergen, was &reatly enjoyed. The Bear Hunt. But the best of the day’s sport was the bear hunt. On the east sfde of the island one of our’ hunting parties descried a large ice bear some distance away. They at once dropped behind a piece of ice, while Sallor Boervig crept cut on his belly and worked his limbs and grunted in imitation of a seal. The bear's attention was at- tracted, and he came toward us, though cautiously. He sidled along, snuffing the air and occasionally shading his eyes with his paw, but advancing and then retreat- ing, but finally coming nearer and nearer. Boervig industriously wallowed in the snow and grunted seallike, and so successfully inflamed the bear's curiosity that at length he came within 150 yards. Three or four rifles cracked, and the bear rever took an- other step. He proved to be an uncom- monly large and fine specimen, weighing perhaps 700 pounds and with his winter's fur soft and thick. ‘The Norwegians say they never saw a better pelt. A good tug our men had with the hide returning through the ice foot, giving us an omen of the work we are to have with our boats and sledges. But we shall encounter little such tee. It is produced only where the land offers the resistance of immovability to the almost infinite force of the storm- driven pack. Stil Waiting. Saturday, May 19.—OMicer of the day, Dr. Mohun. With fine weather and a westerly breeze we have nothing to do but wait. We are still eagerly looking for the change of wind that will clear our way farther north. We | could start our sledge journey where we are, but it wouki be an exceedingiy dis- couraging journey for the first forty or fty miles, or until the main pack was eached. If it were not that we felt reason- ably sure of getting thirty or forty miles farther with the ship by exercising a little patience, we should start our sledge journey at once, even under the unfavorable condi- tions of ice existing about these islands. “No Thoroughfare.” Sunday, May 20.—Officer of the day, Pro- fessor French. A sledge party, with Mr. Dodge in charge, Started a little after noon today for the Parry and Marten Isiands, twelve miles to the east, for the purpose of ascending the mountain there and examining with a glass the ice to the east and north. In the event of continued delay here at Walden Isiand, we hope to find a better route to the north- east over the fast ice, which lies between the Seven Islands and the northeast land, Capt. Pedersen and the sailor Boervig were assigned to the journey, and Capt. Bottelf- sen volunteered to go also, of which we were very glad, because of his skill in the judgment of ice The party took an alumt- num sledge, a three-man sleeping bag, a small cook machine, with a bottle of spir- its, feod and guns. After an hour spent in crossing the pressed up Ice and hills of Walden Island, the party struck out over the smcoth ice lying between the tslands. This ice {s about four feet thick, covered with six inches of snow, and it is smooth because it has been fast to the shore all winter and has not been driven to and fro by the wind and “screwed” into fragments piled high upon one another. The party made good progress and reached the Parry Island about 6 in the evening, as we could see with a glass from the heights of Waiden Istand. ‘We made an excursion today on skis to the far end of Walden Island, a distance of about three miles. Ascending there an ele- vation, a most impressive panorama was spread out before us—to the east, the Seven Islands, where, with a glass, we could easily ~ AN EXPEDITION. on the main pack after stion is how to ris from both pack between us and the yably twenty or thirty miles lingly rough and moving to every change of wind. To sing with the ship we need lay or two of favorable winds. We much good luck up to last Tuesday Ml afford to be patient dur- or even longer if necessary. On Skis. the Ragnvald Jarl was a little cove on the Yalden Island, in lati- ere we are safe against the m the northeast, and where be secure should the wind est. Here we have had First, all hands that ed from the ship started bear Walden Island. To reach the | and the eternal ice cap: nee ary to work one’s way alt hundred yards of inde- pre ice. Bergs rising water's level were ct anging in size down Heavy pieces stood on edge blocks, leaving crevasses . blue as indigo. All was thick layer of soft snow. nm would be standing upon of ice standing perpen- big * next he would go into a up to his armpits, or his a erevice and give him iu the effort to extricate of the Norwegians tried n wants r there Is ng aS snow could be rnal regions a genuine «n would want to slide into it, if he te pair of is choice of going ess heaven or to an he would be sure to skis did not go very - Norwegian was seen of snow, with about just ‘above ing all assistance—he raced thereby—he man- If out, covered with Rut he took off his skis for use on the mountain ectually in mot runner in such ree methods. He lewise, inching along do where the ac- He ma »e in for a grip upon the h m the hill that the sport. Mr. Jueli took a slide 2 mountain on Walden p decliv landing in which he was . Mr. Heyerdahl on skis, and Mr. Aime wed their example. men than these it ¥ to fi eyerdahl, w mw 10 is a young law- the best ski runner in r Juell is almost as logist Dahl and Me- re crack men with the Mr. Franklin of New stest skater in America, the ski almost as kindly as to the ers. In fact, we all like the Nor- wWegian snowshoe and are learning to use ft In any kind of snow. It will doubtless be of much assistance to us on the pack. With @ bright sun and a temperature of 14 above ro fF. a ramble through the frightful ore ice and upon the rocky hills, with 1, with or without | see our sledge party climbing the mountain of the Parry Island. To the north, Table and Little Table Islands, both now promi- nent in the chronicles of arctic effort, rose clear and prominent from amid the desert of ice. Far to the east, Cape Plateu, thir- ty-five miles distant, seemed so near that one could easily imagine himself able to walk thither in a few hours. Beyond could be seen the faint outlines of the Outer Rep and other small islands, which but few men have ever visited. To the northeast one looked in vain for the Gillis Land, which has been twice seen, but never explored; to the south, Spitzbergen’s lofty peaks and deeply indented coast, with its great glacier plateau on Northeast Land and an ice wall rising precipitously 1,300 feet high, affording a line of demarkation between the lowlands Farther we could trace out the coast as far as Verlegen Hook, that coast strewn with the bleaching bones of hundreds of thousands of walrus, which the Norwegian hunters used to slaughter wholesale upon the land, and with the graves of Dutchmen, Norwegians and Russians who had perished in the hunt, most of them, however, from natural causes. On that coast, too, may be seen a pile of rocks which marks the last camp of Mat- thilas, a veteran who hunted in the Spitz- bergen region for thirty-five years, at last to be caught in the late autumn and to die before spring in his improvised hut. With anxious eyes we looked far to the north, to- ward that region of effort and of sacrifice and of so many vain aspirations, and saw nothing but a white horizon, ominous with the innumerable elevations with which na- ture, by means of storms and cold, had written the words, “No thoroughfare.” With a gentle breeze from the south and west and a temperature only a few degrees below the freezing point, it was much toc rm for heay: gloves were cast aside. Exciting Adventure With a Bear. Monday, May 21.—Officer of the day, Dr. Mohun. Our sledge party returned a Ittle before noon after twenty-four hours of hard work and exciting sport. Shortly after reaching Parry’s Island they saw a herd of four reindeer near the shore. The animals were Imost as white as the snow itseif and very poor. But any sort of a rein is good enough for an enthusiastic sportsman, and our sledgemen are ail enthusiasts in the chase. Without pausing to consider wheth- er the deer were fat or lean, white with winter fur or brown in summer raiment, they dashed down the hills. Their skis they had left at the foot of the mountains and could not toboggan in their usual s) ful style. So they got down un- gracefully, awkwardly and sometimes pain- fully. They slid on their backs, their bel- lies or shoulders. They fell, jumped, scrambled from rock to rock, and the won- der ts they did not break all the limbs tn their bodies and their precious necks be- sides. How they got down the thousand feet of hillside they will never be able to explain, but on reaching the bottom they had the pleasure of seeing their game fiy- ing over the snow at a rate of something less than a mile a minute. The deer were clothing, and mittens and | gone, but now new and better game ap- peared. Two or three polar bear had also seen the reins and had set after them. There is nothing the ice bear likes better than a feast of rein meat, though he does not often get it. One of the bears soon fell a victim to the three Winchesters, and another one was seen about half a mile away. It was thought this one was the cub of the dam which lay reddening the snow, and which the men were skinning before the Fac old creature had fairly Basped her last, though at this season of the year the bears are very hungry and ferocious, often attacking a man. The hunters are not afraid of the cubs. So Sailor Boervig, who never yet saw any- thing he was afraid of, young or old, gen- tle or ferocious, set out to delve the sup- posed cub nearer to the dead body of its mother and the rifles of her slayers. Dis- regarding the warnings of the other men, Boervig started without a gun and ap- proached within a short distance of bruin before discovering that, instead of a harm- less cub, it was a full grown male béar. It Was too late to turn back and run for it, so the wild Norwegian, as we often cali our fair-haired daredevil of a sailor, ran at the bear, shouting with all his might and waving his arms. Contrary to tradition, the animal re- fused to become frightened and run away. Instead, he started toward Boervig with a manifest intention of having that cour- ageous man for supper. Boervig held his ground as long as he dared, playing his game of bluff much longer than the Strength of his hand warranted. But the bear, showing no signs of weakening, the saiior took a long’ slide down the side of a ridge, landing up to the neck in a pocket of snow. The life of the hunter depended upon the bear's decision as_ to whether or not he would follow suit. For- tunately he did not press his advantage, but paused at the edge of the hill, peered over at the helpless Norwegian flounder- ing in the snow some distance below, moved his head, bear fashion, from side to side, and snapped with his ugly mouth. By this time Captain Bottelfsen had di- vined Boervig's danger, and came run- ning as hard as he could, firing his rifle as he came in nopes of attracting bruin’s at- tention. Mr. Dodge came up a few mo- ments iater, just in the nick of time, for now Captain Bottelfsen found himself un- able to throw the empty shell out of his gun, and the bear had screwed his courage to the point of sliding duwn the snow for a hand to hand scrap with Hoervig. The first shot from, Mr. Dodge's Winchester Climbing a Hill. brought the big white fellow to his knees, and as he was shoving himself through the snow with his hind le; maddened with rage, a second shot finished him with- in ten feet of the bold sailor. In a second Boervig was upon the body of his pros- trate foe, dancing a hornpipe of victory. Return of the Party, With two magnificent skins on their sledge the party started on the return trip at 3 o'clock this morning. Yesterday's warm sun had softened the snow, and they had a hard pull, their iabor being greatly increased by thirst. They tried snow eat- ing, only to have their throats burn with hotter fires. Boervig was so thirsty. that he scooped the biood of the bear up in his two hands and drank his full of it. They had used all their spirits in making sup per and could melt no more snow. Th process of obtaining water from snow placed in rubber bottles and worn inside their shirts seemed p okingly slow, but it helped a little, and in this way they n a= aged to cover the twelve or ihirieen miles that lay between (uem and the ship. The report which they brought of the condition of the ice was not very encour- aging. To the east and south of the Seven Islands, in the bay between them and Northeast Land, the surface was flat and smooth, as we had expected they would find it. But farther out $ a wide belt of drift ice that had been screwed into con- fusion. Beyond it lay the great polar pack, but so far beyond that it was not tu be seen, even from an elevation of 1,00 feet. Decide to Leave the Ship. Tuesday, May 22.—Ollicer of the day, Mr. Dodge. After consultation between the officers of the expedition and Captain Bottelfsen a a decision is reached that it is aot worth while to spend more time looking for an epening to the north with the ship. bBe- tween us and the main pack lies that well nigh im; sable belt of drift ice, and there is not much chance of its clearing out or opening up for weeks to come. While we have been very fortunate in reaching the Seven Islands thus early without accident or much trouble, it is not to be de that we have met extraordinary unfavorable conditions to the north of this point. But we are not content io sit down and wait for a change for the better. We prefer in- stead to push out and work our way along the smooth ice to the east, our plan being to cross from the extreute north lying is- iands of Northeast Land to Gillis Land and to the other isiands waich are believed to exist im that direction. While we must iravel a considerable distance io the east- ard before we can go north, probably we shall gain in the end. We all certainly do so if we are able to make the land and use it as a base of future operations. We do not disguise the fact that we should much prefer to adhere stricuy to our origi- nal plan of going straight to the north from this point over the pack, but It being so difficult or next to impossible to cross the belt of drift ice without waiting an in- deiinite period we believe our best chance lies to tie the east and north. This change, of course, ne tle change in the instructions given to Captain Bottelfeen. The Jarl is now or- Jered to remain a week here, looking after our rear, es it were, and then to proceed to Tromsoe as rapidly as the state of the ice will permit. ‘There, taking on a large quantity of coal, she will without delay return to the Seven Islands. If we should be defeated in our effort to reach land to the northeast in our small boats, we might stil have another chance, and that would be to fall back upon the Seven [: nds about July 1, here again taking the steam- law and pushing north with an ample sup- {ply of coal aboard. We should still have | about seventy days for our Journey, ship in that season might pu y as far as the eighty-third parallel of orth latitude. While we have every rea- son to believe we shall succeed along our northeasterly route, making both high lat- | itude and exploring* new land, we stili have [2 ther chance—a second string to our bow. This morning the orders are given to pre- pare to leave the ship within twer hours. There is much to be don withstanding our weeks and months of preparation. It was evening before our equipment of boats and sledges, with all their contents and accessories, were mass- ed upon the tc, ready to move forward. it Is not a vi imposing array in size, but In wetght it seems to us as big as a mountain. Tomorrow we shall have our irst day’s real hard work. To get away ‘rom Walden Island and upon the smoother ice to the east we must cross first the three or four hundred yards of pressed up shore ice, indescribable in its rough confusion, | through which we have worn and cut some rt of a road. Then we must somehow xet our loads over a steep hill, snow cov- ered, and thence down to the plain of ice below. Our men are eager for the work, | and in the morning, or what corresponds to morning in this country of constant daylight, we shall be up and at it. WALTER WELLMAN. sitates a lit- From Life, y, Sullivan, you look kinder sad." “Sad? Well, I should growl! I went for the heels of a cowboy this moraing and for- SPEAKERSHIP FIGHTS The Light That History Projects on the Coming Struggle. eb SiS MEMORABLE CONTESTS IN THE HOUSE When a Thirf Party Has Held the Balarfce of Power. —-—__— MANY BALLOTS TAKEN > Written Exclusively for The Evening Star, It 1s more than probable the populists will hold the balance of power in the next House of Representatives, and if they do another long struggle over the election of Speaker may result. The House has had four such struggles, all of which have be- come historical. The first was in 189, The democrats really had a small majority in the House over the whigs, but there were dissensions in the ty. There were five hotly contested election cases from New Jersey,five democrats claiming the seats to which five whigs held the certificates, The clerk of the House was a democrat, and on reaching New Jersey he stated the fact of there being a cortest and that he did not feel called upon to decide the question, so he would not call the names of any of the members from that state. This gave rise to a very bitter debate, but the clerk stub- bornly refused to recede from his position, and declined to put to vote any motion or resolution requiring him to proceed with the call. This continued from the first until the fifth day of the session, the Jiouse being in a continuous aproar. On the fifth day of the session when the clerk began calling? the roll, it was noticed that the venerable John Quincy Adams was watching the pro- cess with more than his usual interest. When New Jersey was reached the clerk be- san his usual formula, when Mr. Adams sprang to his feet, with the ejaculation: “I rise to interrupt the clerk!” Immediately cries for silence, and “Hear him! Hear what John Quincy Adams has to resounded from all parts of the House. At once a hush fell upon the House, and every eye was rivited upon the venerable statesman. He paused for a moment, casting a wither- ing look upon the clerk, and then turned to the vast audience and poured forth an im- address, pictured the humiliating and degrading sition the House was occupying in the eyes of the world, because the clerk, a mere creature of the House, its servant, whom the House could make and unmake, chose to set the authority of the House at defiance, and declaring it was in the power of the House to compel him te call the roll if he would not do it voluntarily. Mere he was interrapied by a member who stated he was authorized to say that compuision would not reach the clerk, as the clerk would resign rather than call the state of New Jers Yo this Mr. Adams replied:. “Well, sir; then let(him resign, and we may possibly find some way by which we can get along without the aid of bis all- powerful talents;‘learning and ge if we canaot organize fh any other way—if this clerk of yours wi not consent to our discharging the trusts’ confided to us by our constituents, then! let us imitate the example of the Virginia house! of burgesses, which, when the colonial governor Dinwiddie, or: dered it to dispérse, refused to obey the imperious and insulting mandate, and like men—." Here thevoice of the indignant old man was jost in a universal shout of ap- plause. The hour and the man had come to pave the way for the House to proceed with its legislative duties. Having thus awakened the House to a sense of the shame attached to the wrangling, he pre- ia motion requiring the clerk to call Jersey, He was immediately assailed any voices esking how the question should be put. The voice of Mr. Adams was heard high above the tumult, as he declared: “I intend to put the question myself.” At that Mr. Rhett of South Carolina jumped upon one of the desks, waved his hand and shouted: “{ move that the Hon. John Quincy Adams take the chair of the Speaker of this House, and officiate as pre- Siding officer till the House be organized by the electicn of its constitutional officers. As man: re agreed to this will say never completed the sentenca, ndous shout of aye went up from the hall, and Mr. Adams was con- ducted to the chair, and presided until Mr. Hunter of Vi was elected Speaker, he receiving the whig vote and that of Mr, Calhoun i some of his followers. When Cobb Was Chosen, The next contest came ten years later, and lasted until the close of the third week of the session. The House was made up of democrats, whigs and free soilers. ‘The lat- ter held the balance of power, and, to con- fuse matters, the democrats were not unan- imous. Howell Cobb of Georgia was their candidate, while that of the whigs was Mr. Winthrop of Massachusetts. The first bal- lot gave Mr. Cobb 102 and Mr. Winthrgp 96 votes, the others being scattered betwMn a dozen or more candidates. On the eighta day of the session Mr. Winthrop’s vote had reached 12 and that of Mr. Cobb had dwindied to 63. The next day Mr. Wm, J. Brown of Indiana was brought forward as the democratic cancidate, Mr. Cobb’s name being withdrawn. On December 11 Mr. Brown “received 109 votes, and Mr. Wi throp asked that his name should no longer be considered if it stood in the way of a Speedy organization of the House, The first ballot next mcrning- resulted in giving Mr. Brown 112 votes, within two of an election, and then came the great sensation of the session, At the conclusion of the ballot one of the whigs charged that Mr. Brown had given a written piedge to the free sollers that if elected Speaker he would construct the committees on the judiciary and on terrl- tories in a manner satisfactory to them in return for their votes. Mr. Brown denied the charge, but the letters were produced, one of them being addressed to David WIl- mot by Mr. Brown, in which he not only pledged himseif to name satisfactory com- mittees, but stated that he favored the abolition ot slavery wherever Congress had the power to do so. This sensation brought forth some very angry speeches, in one of which Mr. Duer charged Mr. Meade of Vir- ginia with being a disunionist, and the He «#4 passed between them. Brown was at once dropped by the democrats. The strug- sle continued until late on Saturday night, when Mr. Stanton presented a resolution deciaring that the House should proceed to take three ballots more for Speaker, and if at that time no one had received a’ majorit; of ali the votes the clerk chould again call the roll, and the member having the highest number of votes should be the Speaker. ‘This was adopted, and on the fourth call of the roli Mr. Cobb received 102 and Mr. Winthrop 100, with twenty votes scattering. ‘This ended the struggle. How Banks Was Elected. The longest struggle began on the 3d day of December, 1855, and ended on the 2d of the following February, in the choice of N. P. Banks, by a plurality vote, he receiving 108 votes to 100 cast for Mr. Aiken of South. Carolina, with several cattering. It was a surprise to the dem- oerats, who had favored the plurality rule. When Congress assembied 1t was just at the breaking up of old parties and the for- mation ef new. The excitement attending | the attempt to Introduce slavery Into Kan- sas and Nebraska had created a political revolution in the north, and members of Congress had been elected as opponents of that measure without regard to their po- Utical aMiliations, Among those so elect- ed was Mr. Banks, who had formerly been a democrat. They were called, in the po- litical parlance of the day, “Antl-Nebraska Men.” At the opening of Congress the regular or administration democrats num- bered 75, the anti-Nebraska men, 108, know nothings, 40, and some eight or ten whigs. ‘The whigs were all from the south. Wil- liam A. Richardson of INinols was the can- didate of the regular democrats, the vote of the anti-Nebraska men being divided between a number of candidates. After the twenty-third ballot the anti-Nebraska vote was concentrated upon Mr. Banks, and the straggle continued for many days, the debate sometimes becoming very vio- lent, accompanied by many exciting scenes. On the thirty-seventh ballot the vote of Mr. Banks went up to 107, 113 being neces- sary to a choice. Many schemes to pro- mote @ settlement “ *he struggle were proposed, but one of them received the sanction of the House. On the 23d day of January, after the 122d ballot, the name of Mr. Richardson was withdrawn, and the regular democrats united upon Col. James L. Orr of South Carolina. On the ist of February Mr, Cobb offered what h2 termed an “olive branch of peace,” in the shape of a resolu- tion declaring Wm. Aiken of South Caro- lina speaker. Mr. Washburne promptly moved to “lay the olive branch on the table.” The resolution received 103 votes as against 110 in opposition. This encour- aged the democrats very much, as most ef the know nothings voted for it. They thought they saw the beginning of the end and that the end would be in their favor, At the reassembling of the House the rext morning, Mr. Smith, democrat. of Tennessee, offered a resolution providing that the House should proceed at once to take three ballots for Speaker, and if at the end of the third ballot no one should have a majority of all the votes, the roll should again be called and the member having the highest vote should be the Speaker. This was adopted, and the bal- loting proceeded amid the most intense ex- citement. The 130th ballot resulted in giv- ing Mr. Banks 102 votes, Mr. Aiken 93, Mr. Fuller 14 and six votes scattering. The two succeeding ballots were the same, and then the plurality rule operated. As the roll call progressed the hopes of the demo- crats grew as several of the know nothings voted for Mr. Aiken, but when the last mame was called and the footings an- nounced it was found that Mr. Banks had the highest vote. Mr. Spinner, who was afterward treasurer of the United States, had been elected as an administration democrat, but voted for Mr. Banks. Wm. A. Wheeler, afterward Vice President under Hayes, voted for Aiken. John Scott Harrison, father of the ex-President, voted for Lewis D. Campbell; but Mr, Campbell himself voted for Mr. Banks. On the Eve of the War. The winter of 1859-G0 witnessed another memorable struggle. The balance of power was held by the know nothings and a few free soll democrats, who did not like to vote for a republican, The republican candidate was John Sherman, who several times came within three votes of an election, but could not get the other three. The contest lasted until the 3d of February, 1800. More violent speeches were made during its continuance than ever before, and each day's session was a scene of turbulence, which often threatened to end in bloodshed. Each side was persistent, and up to the last moment there was hardly a prospect of a peaceable solution. The opposition vote divided up, and new names were frequently brought forward, but the republicans stuck stead. fastly by Mr. Sherman. Threats of dis- union were freely made and motion after motion was made to adjourn and go home, but the balloting went on, with but little change, until (he name of Wm. Penning- ton of New Jersey was brought forward. Mr. Pennington was a conservative, and was serving his first term in Congress. He was a republican, but had never been iden- tified with the radical or stalwart element of the party. When it was seen that the republicans could be rallied to his support, Mr. Briggs of New York announced to some of his friends that whenever the time came that his vote would elect a conservative man Speaker he shouid cast his vote for that purpose. On the ot February the roll was called for the last time. When the name of Mr, Briggs was reached, with a few words of explanation, he voted for Mr. Pennington; but still one yote was needed. Henry Winter Davis of Maryland couid end the struggle, and the question was would he do it. All eyes were turned to him, but he gave no sign. He was slowly pacing back and forth in the lobby in the rear of the seats. When his name was called he did not reply. Again the clerk called him, but he remained silent, until the last name on the roll had been called. Then, before the cierk announced the re- sult of the vote, he said: “Mr. Clerk, call my name.” Once more the name of Mr. Davis was called by the clerk, and in-a loud, clear voice he cast his vote for Mr. Pennington, thus ending the long struggle. W. H. SMITH. — Troubles That Never Came. Some one has sai, ‘I have been sur- rounded by troubles all my life long, but there is a curious thing about them—nine- tenths of them never happened,” quotes Mrs. Van Koert Schuyler in an earnest plea to women on “Living Beyond Their Strength,” in the Ladies’ Home Journal. I once heard of a lady who wrote down tn order the particular fears and anxieties which were harassing her, inclosed the pa- per and sealed it, hoping by this kind of mechanical contrivance to be enabled in some sort to dismiss the subject from her mind. The paper was put away and forgot- ten. Several months later it came to light, when she found that not one of the fears therein set down had been realized, and the difficulties had all been smoothed away be- fore she came to the time for their solution. coe Cattle Fea on Rai From the London Da Horses and cattle feeding upon “raisins and other cried fruits” are reported by our consul in Smyrna to have been, of late, a common sight in that part of the sultan’s dominions. This is owing to the continued low values of produce in the European mar- kets, which, in the case of many staple productions of Turkey, have gone from bad to worse. Of these are raisins, which, prin- cipally through the action of the French tariff, have become so depreciated in value that unless some new market can be found, the cultivation of the vine in Turkey will, according to our consul, have to be discon- tinued. News. New Thing in Thermometers. From the London Daily News. Herr Wende, a manufactory proprietor at Driesen, in Germany, has conceived the ingenious idea, which is being carried out in a Bohemian glass manufactory, of a proof glass, in side of which is an index column and into which quicksilver is to be poured. By this means people will be able to read the temperature of the fluids they consume, The criginator of this ingenious receptacle has taken out a patent for his new design in glass measures. —eoe- While canvassing the mountain vote Jones removes his hat— And talks of how the tariff hurts the crops. wr cocci Nam THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1894-TWENTY PAGES. AND PRESIDENT COOK! a President of the National Teachers’ Asso- Celery Compound, Clation---Paine’s B. B. Cook, A.M., Ph. D., ex-head master of the Rutgers colleze preparatory school, New Brunswick, N. J., and president of the national eductional as- sociation, graduated at Bowdoin im 1808. He or- ganized the West Chester, Penn, state normal school, and was the first principal; was principal of the Columbus, O., high school. From 1884 to 1889 he was principal of the normal school at Potsdam, N. Y., spending $80,000 tn the erection of new buildings and renovation of old. Says the Journal of Education: Mr, Cook ts widely known and highly apprectated for the genuine boom that every Institution with wich he has beea oon- nected has eujoyed, and from the prominence given him by the state associations of Ohio, New York and New Jersey. He has the tact to take sdvan- tage of circumstances, the abliity to decide prompt- ly, and the energy to execute. He has sccom- plished enough to satisfy any man's professional ambition, and yet the best work and bighest hon ors ought to be ahead of him. ii Hy ti lteipistes Headlitli recommended, THREE MINUTES TO. TWELVE > FROM THE GERMAN. BY GUSTAV BENDER Paee WARY Eko cert It was a cold night’in December. I had visited an old friend, who lived about six miles from the city, in an Ober-Forstel; we had been sitting together until late in the warm, cozy room, over @ glass of punch. Unfortunately, one of the buggy horses of my friend had become lame a few days before, and as I had to transact important business in the city the next morning, I had no other alternative but to walk home It was bitterly cold, and so dark that one could hardly see the hands before the eyes. A sharp east wind howled over the gloomy barren fields, and I was heartily glad when the yellow gaslights of the suburbs appear- ed. Under the first lamp post I stopped to look at my watch, which was @ matter of some difficulty, as one of the panes of the lamp broken, and the flame, blown by the wind to all directions, was Mable to be extinguished any minute At last I suc- ceeded in recognizing the hand. It showed three minutes to twelve. When I looked up again, I involuntarily started. Close before me stood a man. I had not heard the least noise of steps; it was as if he had suddenly risen out of the ground. I looked for a moment silently in- to his face. But this moment was enough to press his countenance upon my memory. He was a tall, lank man, clad tn a worn- out black coat, on which some of the seams were open. His face was exceedingly lean and pale, the eyes were deep in their cavities, and around the chin hung a gray, unkempt beard. He lifted his shabby hat and said in a tone whose politeness astonished me: “May I ask you for the kindness, sir, to tell me how late it is?” I naturally was careful not to pull out my watch again. “Three min- utes before midnight,” I replied. He thank- e4 me with the same politeness with which he had formerly spoken, lifted his hat again and disappeared in the as noise lessiy as he had come. Half an hour later I smiled in my cozy bed room about my causeless fear, and a week afterward I had forgotten the adven- ture. I was very busy about that time and a large contract which I had to fill in the | mext few days for a firm in the neighboring city M. occupied my whole attention. About two months had passed when I had, in the night, a very strange dream, after I had just returned from a business trip to |M. I found myself on the summit of a steep precipice. Far away, on the horizon, I saw the tower of M. looming up. He- side me stood a tall, black figure. Suddenly it stretched out Its arm and pointed with a commanding motion to the far-away city. The dream was simple, but {t was so ex- ceedingly vivid that I could not get rid of the thought of it the following day. “Will it come again?” I murmured, when I retired on the evening. And the dream came again, the same dream I had the night before; I again stood on the mount, and the mys- } terlous figure again pointed at the city M. ‘ext morning at the breakfast table I narrated this strange dream to my wife. | She was kind enough not to laugh at it, but gave me a very sensible explanation. “That you dream of M.,” said she, “is very natural. You just returned from there and moreover from a very important business transaction. And as far as concerns the black figure, well, of such ghosts one dreams often.” “But it is strange that I | have the same dream two nights in suc- j cession,” I replied. “Well, this is natural enough. You just told me that you were thinking all day about your dream.” I drank a cup of coffee with a feeling of re- lief. The explanation of my wife was so sensible, It was a pity that I could not prevent the dream from coming in the third night and more vivid than ever be- | fore. In the gesture of the black figure | this time there was something threatening, as was bathed in cold perspiration when I started up trom sleep with a cry terror. You look like a corpse,” exclaimed my wife when I entered the dining room next “Has anything happened to I tried to smile, but I fear I did not suc- ceed well in the attempt. “Just think, I had the dream again last night,” I said slowly. My wife looked at me silently. sither J will become insane or—some- ng terrible has happened in M.”" “Oh, you superstitious" she did not conclide the sentence. The mald entered the room with the mail. ell, there it is. A letter from M.” Open it } “Very well, but what then? | first I opened the envelope with trem- jt bling fingers. I was sure that I must have | feo ten an unfortunate message. “Well?” | “on, my business friend requests me to see y him about a@ transaction.” My wife laughed outright. “And there fore the triple dream! Well, see that you get off. The train leaves in an hour. But I hope you will bring home another face.” But i{ was strange, when I boarded the train, I felt more anxiety than ever. I took a paper and tried to read, but it was impossible to get my thoughts together, Again and again the black figure appeared before me. I divided the coupee with three gentlemen, two elderly and a younger one, who had a lively conversation. I soon found out that they were lawyers. Their conversation was about a murder case which was to be tried at the district court One, a handsome gentleman with a gray beard and gold spectacies, was thoroughly convinced of the guilt of the defendant, “The defense was altogther faulty irom the start,” he said. The younger one—hie sharply cut, intel- ligent profile seemed familiar to me—nodded. “The proof of alibi was ventured, in but on the other side you must not Yorget that there was not one direct witness of the murder. And I must confess I ata some- what mistrustful of purely circumstantial evidence “But let me tell you, my dear Dr. mann,” said the stout one, “the ons ee clear as the sun. And if @ dozen witnesses had been there the fellow would not be more certainly convicted. No doubt he te the murderer.” var recognized me; ess together some time before. I asked him for particulars: “What is this case about? I have not regularly read the fad “Oh, it is @ very interesting case. A book- keeper who has lost hi: pant for the murder and robbery of the cashier of his former firm. A direct proof, it is said, cannot be given; the circumstantial evidence, however, is grave enough. The aefense has tried to prove an alibi; but, un- fortunately, there ts @ m! link, Just the critical hours in which the was com- mitted. Well, here we are already at ML” The train stopped, and we got off. “wil you accompany me to the court house? Or must you attend to your business right away?” asked the lawyer. I stood unde cided for @ moment. It was just after ® v’clock, #0 early i would hanily find my ns Ene. “Very well, if I can get @ feat.” “The court room wili undoubtedly be very full, but I will do my best.” I succeeded in push! myself overcrowded court rooms but of to be Satisfied with a seat from which I could see little more than and high ladies’ hate. It was a low hall, badly light atmosphere ed, and worse ventila was stifling. _ Perhaps this was the cause w: that um easy, foreboding feeling and "more. The court had not yet Deen opened. Loud contusion of n nih hall. Suddenly deep silence prevatioa ft heard steps—the court entere: siding Ju opened the session. A few minutes later the district attorney took the floor. Although I could see nothing of hear every word; and I tol lowed the argument of the speaker in breathless stspense. I had seldom heard @ better one. How terribly convincing Spoke! With what clearness he arreageh and explained the testimony of the wit- nesses! With what skill he wove out of these insignificant threads a net from which there seemed no escape for the murderer! For the defendant was the murderer; he murderer. No one in the court room doubted it after this crushing speech, te, attorney a defendant aiso did est. But in the proof of alll wi he tried AX] his client, yy portant link was missing. It was proved that the crime was committed about mide night. Several witnesses had unanimously stated that about that time cries for hi were heard from the office in which the cashier nad been working alone. The de action, hi that he Was not at all in the city at that time. But he could not prove it by a single witness, Under these conditions it was certain that the argument of his attorney would have no force. “Defendant, you have the last word; have you anything else to say?” asked the judge, amidst a dead silence. At this moment the gentleman in front me moved a little to the side, and I coul see the defendant, but not his face, for it | Was turned to the judge. “As true as thet } 4s a God I am tnnocent,” sald he, with © calm, deep voice, whose tone affected me | strangely. He slowly turned and looked sorrowfully through the long lines of the audience. There is but one man in the world whacy testimony can save me, and—" he sudden) stopped. “There is the man,” he cried out, and his outstretched hand pointed at me. Like a stroke of lightning it fashed through iy brain. I recognized the man; he was the same that I had met tn that De- cember night, the night of the murder, “He is innocent,” 1 shouted. My testimony brought the missing Nuk tm the chain for proof of not guilty. The man at the time of the crime was fully three miles from the city. A aalt hour later he was ~ re And, strangely eno pe recognized me the hands ot the clock in the court room pointed to three minutes to twelve. sinsaetg lp nha rran| te have practically been com- ted for a meeting at Buffalo between ly Smith and Johnny Van Heest