Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1895, Page 9

THE EVENING STAR PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY. AT THE STAR BUILDINGS, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, Cor. 11th Street, by The Evening Star Newspaper Company 8. H. KAUFFMANN, Prest. New York Office, 49 Potter Building, ‘The Evening Star is served to subscribers tn the eitr by carriers, on their own account. at 10 cents Ber week, or 44¢. per month. Copies at the counter cents each. By matl—anyw! in the United Btates or Canada—postage presula 60 cents per eeuturd intupla Sheet Star, $1.00 us quint 2 Ly . per year; aulded, $2.00. ‘with foreign postage Entered at the Post Oifice at Wi on, D. C., an second-class ‘nail matters) ee FZ,All_ mall, abecriptloas raust be paid in advarce. tes of advertining made known on applicatica. Parte. Che ay e ing Star. Pages 9-24. WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1895-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. printers’ Inf, cfBe fiftfe |choot! master of advertising), saps: SE is cfaimed for fhe Wassinxfon Sfor, and profabfp frutSfuftp claimed, Bat no offer newspaper in f§e counfrp goes info so. farse a percentage of aff fhe Souses wiffin a radius of fwentp mifes from fhe office of puffication. TWENTY-TWO DEAD ———- An Awful Stampede in a Baltimore Theater. PANIC CAGSED BY A CRY OF FIRE People Trampled Upon at a Bend > in the Stairway. TURNED THE HOSE ON THEM — At the beginning of a play by the United Oriental Opera and Dramatic Company, 4 Hebrew organization, at the Béditimore Front Street Theater, which was packed to the doors last evening, an unwarranted cry of fire caused a panic, and a wild stampede ensued. Men, women and children went down before the awful rush of the frantic, terror-stricken crowd, and were crushed to death beneath pitiless feet, that had no time to stop for the prostrate. Twenty-two persons were either killed outright or died in horrible agony shortly afterward, and at least thirty are known to have been more or less injured. The panic began just as the curtain had been raired two feet from the stage for the beginning of the play. The odor of gas had become very notice- able, and had been traced to a spot at the ide of the tier of boxes at the left of the stage, and right under the top gallery. One of the men who had been sent to fix it struck & match to ascertain just where the leak was, and a streak of flame about six inches long shot out from the wall. Some excitable person In the middle of the balcony saw it, and, instantly imagining that the theater was in flames, gave a horror-stricken shout of “Fire: As the cry rang out through the auditorium the curtain fell with a crash, and the 1,600 or more people who crowded every inch of space in the building were on their feet. Rash for the Doors. Another instant and there was a terrific rush for the doors. The people in the or- chestra and the orchestra circle had the best chance for escape, and their backs were toward the stage and they were excitedly pushing their way to the street before any one could call out that there was no danger. ‘The people in the balcony hesitated an in- stant, and in that moment they gathered that ‘unreasoning fear which causes all panics, and which drove them toward the doors into the wings In the maddened plunge which resulted in the death of so many hu- man beings and in the Injury of so many others. People in the gallery did not at first under- stand the rush of the people below, and they, hearing the shouts of “Sit down, there's no danger!” were quieted for a brief time. Then the cries of the frightened peo- ple below, and the screams of those who were struggling with death, were torne up to them, and they, too, again plunged down the long stairways to the street, moved not as much by fear as they were actuated by curiosity to find out the cause of the fren- zied cries which they heard. The scene of the tragedy had by the time those in the gallery were half way down the gallery statrs heen transferred to the balcony stairs, the lobby and the main en- trance of the theater. Mr. William E. Miles, an attache of the company, who was in the box office as- sisting the treasurer, Samuel Keston, in selling tickets, had heard the cry of fire, and realizing the almost certain result, rushed to the north entrance from the lobby to the theater and threw open the door. These lobby entrances are shaped Itke the regulation storm doors, with the box-like inclosure inside the theater. The door itself of each entrance opens back to- ward Front street. Then the side of each entrance nearest its respective stairway falls back toward Front eet. This leaves the way clear for the crowd to pass out. The Alarm Turned In. Mr. Miles, having thrown open the north entrance, rushed to the south entrance, to find it already open, and he then jumped for fire laarm box No. 213, which is at the corner of Low and Front streets, just across the way from the theater, and turn- ed in an alarm just as the city hall clock was striking elght. He then ran for the stage entrance to the theater, and, as he got inside, he saw Matthew Cavanaugh, the man who rings up the curtain, trying to turn off the gas from the meter which controls the lights on the balcony circle, and also those in the wings, or lobby, of the balcony. Mr. Miles helped him to do this, and while the primary cause of the panic was thus cut out, the darkness which ensued in the wings was terrifying to the struggling, frenzied mob. Halt the people who had been in the bal- cony were by this time In the wings, and the black pall which fell over them served to increase their blind desperation to get out. The vanguard had reached the foot of the stairs, and were tumbling into the mass of those who were issuing from the chestra. The open lobby doors gave them free access to the lobby, and, like sheep, one after another jumped down the five steps to the lobby, and out through the wide-open north € ‘ance Into the street. The south door of the south entrance was half closed, and this served to impede .the egress of those on that side, til some one discovered that {t was a sliding door and threw it wide open. A Rush to Dent The wild and tmpasstoned shouts of the struggling people and the screams of the injured and dying could be heard coming from the foot of the balcony stairs. The crowd had rushed from the wings of the balcony down the ten steps of the stairs to the landing, and then, making a right- angled turn, jumped down the thirteen steps of the remsining flight to the main floor, and thence into the street. For the first’ few seconds all went well, but the skirts of a woman tripped her and she fell. ‘There was no stopping the pantc-stricken mob, and the unfortunate woman's screams were stilled in a minute by the trampling of the surging crowd on the prostrate form, Another woman stumbled and fell, and then another, and their lives were also soon crushed out by the hundreds of mad- dened men and women plunging down the stairs. Turned on the Hone. Scenes of horror now followed each other. The mass of people inside, which had lost all individuality in the rush for life, was fighting madly to get out, and those who were outside were trying to get back Into the theater again, to rescue some friend or relative. As the fire department came up an excited « 1 was packe about the doors of the th er, and this kept the peo- ple on the tnside from getting out. Round Sergeant Schleigh and Sergeant Lutz e: up just behind the fire department, tried to pick out people from the jam in front and in the north main doa It was almost impossible to help any one in that wild crow? he crow s hemmed into a spac yout twelve feet Inside by truck, which stood In front of the theater, a few feet the curb, and they fought there, one with another, like angry bulls. The mass grew denser as minutes passed, and had it not # a happy thought of District Fir AL Afee, the fatalities, whi . growing Y minute atly mor m of crowd by one of at once di e the ilitated the work of ople out of the theater, and n and citizens began to rush etting the 5 police or- | the crowd out of the place at a lively rate. It was then, and only then, that the aw- ful results of the stampede began to be realized. In front of the norti main en- trance, where the crowd was the thickest and the wildest, lay a compressed heap of human beings, the fair face of a woman resting on the bearded face of a man, and here and there the frail form of a child could be seen. Sergeant Schleigh dispatch- ed Sergeant Lutz to telephone the central police station for every patrol wagon in the city. This box refused to work, and the time lost in going to box 55, at Front and Hillen streets, probably cost the loss of a life that might otherwise have been saved. Meanwhile the central district wa- gon had gone to the City Hospital with the first load of the injured. The followirg is a list of the dead and in- jured: The Dead. Lena Lewis, aged twenty-two years, Ex- eter street, near Lexington. L. Levinstein, married, aged forty years, No. 524 South Caroline street. Samuel Levinstein, aged ten years, son of the above. Morris Margolie: street, twenty-four yea South Spring a tailor. ner Lombard Sarah Rosen, southwest Sarah Seigal, aged ten years, No. 80S Han- cver street. J. Wolfe, aged thirty-two, a tailor, Lom- bard street, near Exeter. - Ida Fricdman, aged fourteen years, daugh- ter of Samuel Friedman, 29 North Exeter street. Teresa Bernstein, aged six years, daugh- ter of Leopold Bernstein, southwest corner of Fayette and High streets. Gabriel Bernstein, aged four years, son of Leopoli Bernstein, southwest corner of Fayette and High streets. Moses Salzbury, aged eleven years, 1105 East Pratt street. Lee Cohen, aged about six years, North Front street. Jennie Henckel, aged about twenty-two years, 209 Albemarle street. Elght bodies remain unidentified. They are all at the morgue. The Injured. The injured, so far as known, are at the City Hospital. 205 Mrs. Freeman; address unknown; crushed. Mrs. Goldman, — Harrison street; crushed. Mildred Goldwaite, fifteen years old, — Low street; crushed. Morris Schaeffer, eight years old, No. 800 East Lombard street; crushed. Sarah Goldstein, No. 1123 East Pratt street; chushed. Isaac Lubisky, hand cut. Isaac Frankel, twenty years old, No. 200 Harrison street; sprained ankle. Meyer’Goldman, living on Fayette street, near Harrison; injured internalay. Abraham Rosenthal, No. 1120 Thompson street, twenty-five years old; crushed. Unknown boy, fifteen years old; head and chest crushed. All of the people taken to the hospital were suffering from the effects of being erushed, and are ret seriously Injured. soe BARE LE! No. 226 Harrison street; AS BAIT. Method of Cat S: ching Leeches Which is » Be Successful. From the Kansas City Times. The leech is a strange, unlovely creazure. Fortunately it has gone out of fashion. But thirty or forty years ago, when medical men had a pleasant habit of bleeding every pa- tient who fell into their hands, the little blood suckers used to be in great demand. Even now the trade in leeches is consider- able. Leech fishing !s not a pleasant occupation. It condemns the fishers to foggy mi: foul, muddy waters and fetid odors. And, worse than this, the fisher has himself to be the bait. Biood for blood is the motto of these sanguinary beasts, and nothing but a pair of plump and naked Jegs wiil tempt them from their stagnant pools. ~ The leech lives a seml-aquatie existence; it must have plenty of air and plenty of wa- ter, and it likes them foul. They are caught in the spring and early summer. The men trn up their trousers and wade knee-deep into the water. The sight of the legs acts like a magnet on the leeches, They make a rush for them, cling on and begin to suck. The men pick them off as fast as they can put them into bags which they carry fas- tened around their waists. They do not lose any time, for the little black creatures will swallow five times their own weight in the blood of a victim in no time, and cause as much to flow away. Toward the end of the season the leeches retire into deep wa- ter, and then their pursuers are compalled to wade up to their chins. An alternative to this plan Is to take a raft out and dangle arms and legs in the water. An expert catches many just as they are fastening on, and so saves a certain amount of blood. This is an important item. A gcod fisher can, if he is careful, go on for four or five hours before he gets exhausted from loss of blood. In that case he will have caught nearly 200 leeches. It isa funny, almost uncanny sight to see the unhealthy-looking men wading through | marshes and swamps and dirty streams, treir arms and legs bare, pokinz about among the rushes and turning the mossy pebbles over with their toes in the hopes of stirring up some colony of leeches. Every now and then they stop, see them raise one black bes and pick away until the furious the other causes them to bring that up ha tly for inspection, while the former takes its place as bait. = PHILOSOPHY and you coe — OF FOOTWEAR. Why Bartenders Wear so Many Pairs of Shoes, From th> New York World. “One would naturally suppose that the most shoes were sold to letter carriers and cok agents,"’ said a dealer the other day, “but that is aot so. There are many things harder on shoes than walking, and the man who can't go a few blocks without taking a car often wears out a pair quicker than the one who walks several miles a dey. The reguler walker really knows how to walk, an art which is not as common as it used to be before the day of elevated roads and cable cars. The non-walker is gen- erally a person of indolent disposition, who takes no more care of his shoes than of the rest of his wardrobe. He breaks them across the back by forcing them on and off when they are half unlaced, and he saves himself the trouble of removing any mud by applying an extra quantity of blacking. the stuff is full of vitriol, and if a ly use less blacking and more grease he would have fewer cked shoes. But it is neither the walker nor the careless man who uses up the most shoes in the course cf a year—it is the bartender. It used to be said that snow water would rot leather quicker than anything else, but that was Lefore the invention of chemical- ly made beer. I don't know just what it is that the brewers use, but there is some- thing In beer that eats not only through leather, but through hardwood floors. I e who come here for a pair and they use they beer drip- the rch of a moral for ance lecture could look in no bet- plaice than behind the bar.’”’ nd so much an in in a tempe! ter soe mi The Old From the Los Ai Atar of the wif ur Greeting. les xpress, eance in this city the spirit of a well-known citizen ap- he tnyoluntarily exclaimed, A Natural Result. Hume: he Blaetter. From the Teacher—‘Tell me, John, what becomes of the man who neglects his soul and gives pis entire attention to his body?” John—"He grows fat.” REAL ESTATE GOSSIP Some Improvements Which Are or Will Be Soon Under Way. LARGE — MANUPACTURING PLANT Condition ot the Market as Com- pared With Last Year: PROMISING OUTLOOK ‘The helidays are always a dull time in the building world, and the present week has been no exception to the rule. People who are contemplating the erection of any build- ings of note are likely to postpone commenc- ing until the new year, and the result is that few building permits of any importance have been taken out this week. It is understood that the old Mullett prop- erty at the corner of 25th street and Penn- sylvania avenue is shortly to be improved by the erection of a new apartment house. Plans have been prepared for the building, ard a_permit will probably be taken out in a day or two. The new apartment house is to be of brick, of 1ather simple but at the same time, attractive construction, and is to be six stories in height. Its ground di- mensions will be about fifty feet front by one hundred feet deep, and when finished it will accommodate a s00¢ many families. Thursday a permit was taken out for the erection of a row of six houses on U street, to cost $35,000, and yesterday another per- mit was taken out for a row of six three- story brick and basement dwelling houses, 1402-12 21st street. R. Walker & Son are the ers. The houses are to be trimmed in stcne, with ornamental bay windows and airy and commoiious cellars. The cost of the improvement fs to be about $30,000. A permit was also issued to J. H. Lane, to put up a couple of two-story brick dwellings, 314-16 S street, Eckington. A New Manufacturing Plant. A new and important addition to the bus- iness interests of Washington {s shortly to be made by the Pintsch Compressing Com- pany. This is the company which furnishes compressed gas for the use of the Pullman ears, as well as many of the railroads of the country. As a central point for the dis- tribution of its product to the Southern rail- way and other lines that radiate from Wash- ington, the company has decided to con- struct a plant in this cfty. One of the rep- resentatives of the company has been in the el for some time making the necessary arrangements, and work on the new brick ard iron generator will be bezun about New Year day. The plant will be located at the ast corner of 1: dE streets sou. onvenient to the railroad tradks § Missouri avenue. ‘The building itself will not be a very ex- pensive one, as it is to be but one story In height, and $5,000 would about cover the cest, but it will contain fully $25,000 worth of machinery, and when in operation it will give employment to quite a considerable number of men. An Open Season Thus Far. The winter so far has been an unusually open one, and the result hus been that build. ers ve been able to go ahead with their work aimost without interruption. Men in the building trades who have had emplo ent have missed very few days on ac- count. of inclement weather, and buildings which were started late in the fall are either ccmpleted or nearly s instead of being left over until spring. his has been a great convenience in the course of building for the uses of the District. Tne office of the building under way a number of building: which are in a very forward state. y include eight school houses, an cngine house, the small- pox bh ital and the disinfecting plant. The school houses at I “ity and al Brightwood are practically completed, and the former will be put into use when the schools meet ain after the Christmas holiday: No. 2 ergine house will also be ready with the opering of the new year. Owned by Foreign Governments. Attention has been called to the failure to include in the st of foreign govern- ments owning legation residences in this printed in this column, the govern- ments of Japan and Cerea. The omission was an inadvertent one, and affcrds an op- portunity of calling attention to the fact that, including the government of Austria, which recently purchased the Yulee house on Connecticut avenue, there are allo- gether six of the foreign governments rep- resented at the capital w h own property in this city. T countries are England, Germany, Mexico, Ja , Corea and Au tria. Asis well Known, in the early of the city it was pro qd to set a portion of the land belonging to the gov- ermment to be used sites for the resi- dences of the legations of foreign govern- ments. It was found that the city authori- ties had not the pow to dispese of gov- nt property, and so the plan was not d out. ~ Record of the Year. ar just closing has rot been a ve eventful one in the history of the real es- tate market of this city. There have been few notable events or transactions, but there has been a substantial improvement not only in the tone of the market, but in the volume y this the ca: with the been mo f business done. When a compa ord of last yea ; » buildings erected than was the year and a larger sum of money was expended in Improvements. The in- vester has made his appearance again, and altogether the t for the coming yea’ is bright and promising. Perhaps the most salient feature of the market has been the steadiness of values. In spite of the fact that there has been -tieally no demand for property, and it during the early portion of the year sales were to a great extent impossible, prices have remained firm and property owners have not been forced to sell. If there was any evidence needed of the sub- stantial feundations upon whi¢h real estate values in this city rest, the history of the past year and of the preceding would fur- nish convincing proof. Some Improvements. R. J. Beall, jr., is preparing plans for re- modeling the premises $24 9th street. It is preposed to enlarge the, first floor and pro- vide new show windo' besides refitting the store room. Jacobs Brothers are erecting three houses on Harvard street, Columbia Heights. Buit brick and limestone will be used in the co! struction, and the dimensions are ISxi3 feet. t + — 5 In the Heat of a Cuban Engagement. From Truth, First Soldier—“Let’s scared half to death. Second Soidier--“'So am I, but I don’t want run away. I'm ‘Then why won't you join n running away?” - Second Soldier—“Because they shoot “de- serters, and I’ ‘n enough of this cam- paign to know there's no real danger in bat- tle.” Reassuring. From the Indi lis Journal. The gallery crowded. The timbers cra 1 ominou A few timid ones half rose. “Aw, wn!’ shouted Bonesey McGinn. ain't no danger at all. Don’t you see de cop ain’t runnin’ ?* FOR A PUBLIC LIBRAR Views of President McHugh of the Federa- tion of Labor. He Heartily What He Has Observed in Indorses the Project— Other Cities. Interest on the subject of the establish- ment of a great public library in Washing- ton is growing among the members of the societies of organized labor in the District. President James F. McHygh of the Fed- eration of Labor at the national capital, upon being asked by a Star reporter for his views on the matter, said ertainly, T am in favor of the proposed new public library. We cannot have too many lbra- ries. They are the people's universities. I think it should be the duty of Congress to grant at once a liberal appropriation for the erection and endowment of such an in- stitution. It s the duty of every govern- ment to cultivate a taste for reading and study among its people, but much more so in this country of ours, when the safety and, stability of our Institutions and the sclence of good government depend on the intelligence and enlightennfent of its citi- zens. It is the duty, then, of Congress to create such free pubift librarles. With the general adoption of the eight-hour working day I believe that the time is not far dis- tant when the laborers and mechanics, and not the lawyers, doctors’ and storekeepers, will be the great readers in this country. Such a popular taste for reading once ac- quired would go a long way toward bring- ing about that reform which temperance people are striving hard to realize. “Following my trade as a stonecutter. I hav worked 4n almost every principal city of the United States and Canada. I found in the greater number of places I visited many cities even with less than 2.000 inhabitants had their public libraries. “Washington, the capital of this great na- tion, and which should be the very foun- tain source of eplightenment for the whole country, is deplorably behind the other ties of the country in this respect, espe- cially in the west. Take the city of Minne- apolis, Minn, Ii has a magnificent public library, a certain portion of the taxes rai: ed each year going to its support. Every ward in the city has three or four sub- stations where baoks can be secured for the asking. The city bas thjrteen wards, so that, practically, there are from forty to fifty free Hbraries im #t. Just think of it, fit free librarles, an@ Washington not one. If the lawgivers ef ghat wester state the great necessity of populai ing education, surély Comgress should uot le behind in affording the people of this city and the large number of visitors from all parts of che country who come here an- nualiy equal facilities for the acquirement é of knwwledge. I do nat believe that tha es! hment of suth a public librar would in any way interfere with the suc cess of the w bor 1 Kiremen's library and u at present In exisien ton has a sim'lar institut hing eonditfon, and the. nv other Ibraries in the elty, togetRer w its magnificen: pubjic , library recently built, in no way interferes with its succes. ne workingmen’s Ubrary in inis city will be in the nature af a club or a home and when It becomes better known it wil not lack Toga pport.”’ “THE BOTTLE. FROWNING ©} Fashionable Fro Bosfon’ Women Start a netionl Temperance Crusade. the Chicago Ghygniele. What are known ak smart sets in eastern cities are beginning! to notice a dangerous renaissance of heavy drinking at dinner. To sue an extent has this habit been in- dulged of late that society women in Bos- ton have practically ‘banded themselves to- gether with a view ©f frowning down the evil. A few evenings ago an exceedingly popular young matron of'the Hub put a plump hand over her glass when a motion sma to fill it. “No,"* said she de- cidedly, champagne for me. I prefe Apollinaris.” Then she blushed furious finding that she was regarded by nearly erybody present With a well-bred air of astonishment. In the drawing room later she admitted her membership in an organ- ization which had for its object the dis- couragement of drigking among her malo iriends. “Us not a secret gociety, as its members are all women. Besides, the pledge is very simple, and any ohe can take it quite openly. I've promised on my solemn word not to si anything stronger than a light white whine and mineral ‘water at my table, nor to take anything stronger m3 self. Perhaps you haye noticed a painful tendency of late that’has caused many a hospitable soul serious uneasiness.” indeed, 1 have,” replied a sympathetic ¢ “l give you my word, one can ely go dining now but what a mea- of the masculine guests turn up that brief post-prandial alienation women Wearing a most peculiar nee.” wie voi jorit after fiora thrice, s may be forgiven,” said the iittle mairon, “but when the butler ts oblized to help one guest into his overcoat and wali him vigorously about the block in the cold air before he is able to present himself to even, imprudences the women after dinner, the matter as- sumes a ious aspect for even blase wo- men of the world, At first we refused to believe things could he so bad, yet we are now obliged to confess that it looks like a return of the old three-bottle men within society's domain, At this point we women called a meeting and acted. There was a rapid and unanimous consent given to an appeal for putting down the growing blem- ish on society. When the move was made to mect the evil with cold, clear mineral water and such wines as could give all re- quired savor to a meal without any intos icating effects, not a dissenting votce was rised. After ‘a vote the members took a ledge not only to serve tem- when entertaining, but to ab- the houses of others, for, continued the litle woman, w pink spot of eloquence in either chees, “it's the only way t> set the right mple and to remove the cause.” The se lasts for a year, when it can be ken again, and the members wear ~his a litle White enamel rosette set with a bright I believe I'lk join,” remarked the hostess, passing, the’ pretty pin on for in- spection, with a lingering look of admira- tion. “And so will I,” added she of the sym- pathetic voice, in chorus with the rest of the iadies. eee. — ——_ Their Antlers Locked. From the Chicago Inter-Ocean. Every man in his beyhood has read tales of the fierce fights of bucks, and has gath- ered information that the forkec antlers often become securely locked, leaving both animals to die of starvation and exhaus- tion. From time to time woodsmen have found these antlers locked together, but it is seldom or never that the set has been found early enough for preservation. ‘There are on exhibitian in the window at No. 19% Madison street the mounted heads of two bucks securgly locked together. ‘They were browght & Chicago by H. T. Brown, a wealthy farmer, who resides near Albion, Mich. The he&ds are those of Vir- ginia deer, cone appatently a year and a half old, amd the ther two years old. Mr. Brown sa that while out hunting near Bismarck, N. D., he came across the two anim: with their horns locked, still alive and struggling. He judged they had been locked together for twenty-four hours, since the ground for two acres around had been completely torn up. He watched for a while and then shot them. The deer evidentiy came together at an angla The owner refused an offer of $200 for his trophy. THE NATIONAL GUARD Shooting for Team Trophies Com- mences Next Month. INCREASED INTEREST IN RIFLE PRACTICE The Sixth Battalion, However, is Alleged to Be Sulking. ° A BURGLAR AT ORDWAY Interest in rifle practice has been consid- erably aroused by the series of competitions now in progress, and those who ought to krow say that the interest will increase with the opening of the new year, because then the matches will be “for keeps.” The December competitions were merely pre- iUminary, and will not count directly in the fight for the trophies. Guardsmen who have unexpectedly found themselves mem- bers of teams, and who have not made the scores they would like to make, are grad- ually getting hold of the idea that practice is necessary to success, and as their grip on that fundamental principle strengthens they visit the rifle gallery much oftener than they ever expected, to, and as a result are developing into sharpshooters, who will some of these days make a few of even the aid “cracks” hustle for places on the bri- gade team. For some time pust an impres- sion has prevailed that the engineer corps had a sure thing in every match, but it has been shown quite clearly that there is ma- terial in the guard which will make the castellated marksmen move quite rapidly to save themselves from being run down and trampled upon. Companies A, and B of the sixth battalion and B of the second battalion are distinctly in the engineer class, and are likely at any time to come out a Httle ahead of Maj. Thompson’s pets, while other companies ‘have among_ their members a number of rough gems. In the matter of battalion teams, the first and second and sixth battalions are almost up- on the engineers’ coat-tails and the first and second are moving upward so rapidly that it Is not an entirely unreasonable ex- pectation to believe that they soon will be on the engineers’ collar or thereabouts._ Last night's scores testify strongly, for the first and second battalions did very well in- deed. The figures of the battalion match are as follows: Engineer corps (Lieut. G. B. Young, team captain), 407; first battalion (Lieut. G. W. Sneden, captain), 390; second battalion (Lieut. T. S. King, captain), 383; fifth battalion (Lieut. G. Shaw, captain), 553; third battalion (Lieut. F. E. Gibson, captain), fourth battalion (Lieut. M. E. Sabin; captain), 312; first separate battalion (Lieut. F. J. Cardozo, captain), 279; pro- visional battalion (Lieut. John A. Kirk, cap- tain), 222. jay Be a Court-Martial. It will be noticed by guardsmen that the sixth battalion was not represented. Lieut W. P. Vale, the inspector of rifle practice for the sixth, had notified a sufficient num- ber of men to be present, but several failed to put in an appearance. This failure ts, it is gossiped, ascribed to the action taken as to the alleged violation of regulations by a member of company A of the sixth in the company match; the action resulting in that company’s losing first place. Whatever the cause, though, it will, say some of the au- thorities, be laid bare, and those who are re- sponsible will be held to the strictest ac- countability possible under the law. Efforts to secure any informagion of a positive nature as to prospective movements by brigade headquarters have falled, but it seems to be understood by some of the good gucssers that the chances are excellent for at least one court-martial. It is rumored that the officer most concerned has tendered his resignation, and that it is now in the hands of Col. Clay, but it is by no means certain that the commanding general will permit the resignation to move any further than his desk until it has been de- cided whether there will or will not be a court. Trying a New Plan. Commissioned officers will be permitted to shoot on company, battalion and regi- mental teams in the series of gallery com- petitions which opened last week. This modification. of the general orders under which the matches are being conducted was made known to the inspectors of rifle }practice, and as a result there is a re- spectable sprinkling of officers in the litde ‘owd of persistent ones who, by steady practice, prepare themselves for the nerve and muscle irying contests. The modifica- tion is generally regarded as a wise one, for it stimulates interest among those who are in most instances the vertebrae of their respective companies. When a com- pany excels in rifle practice it is Invariably the case that one or more of the officers is an expert shot, who encourages his asso- ciates and subordinates to do their duty in the gallery and on the range. The plan of disqualifying the officers with the hope that the enlisted inen might therefore be encouraged has not worked either justice or harmony. Under the new conditions each company, battalion and regiment will put in its best team, without any regard whatever as to rank. The experiment will be closely watched by many who are deep- ly interested in the welfare of the brigade. The Facts in the Case. Through error it was announced last Sat- urday that the company team match was won by company A of the engineer corps. As a matter of fact, the highest honor was captured by the engineer team of company 3, and there is consequently much elation in Capt. Drury’s commanil. ,Hitherto there has been no particular sign by which the members of the three companies of the en- gineer battalion could be identified, but since the close of the mai-h: it has’ been noticed that engineers whose chins are a trifle higher than normal and whose visages have in them more than the average quan- tity of evident contentment and joility are members of company B. It was, therefore, too bad that Capt. Drury and his delighted followers should have suffered. from erro- neous publication, and thea, as if injury was insufficient, be additionally ground by a statement that the score made by com- pany B’s team would not count because the team was not commanded by a com- missicned officer. It was company C that was thus delinquent. The pracise figures of the three leaders are: Company B, engineer corps, 202; company A, engiacer corps, 201; company B, second battalion, 200. “A Burglar at Ordway. There was a badly disappointed burglar in Prince George's county, Md., a few days ago. Some sinner with a talent for wrench- ing shutters and windows open effected en- trance into and exit from the office build- ing at Ordway. Just what the sinner in question expected to find in that structure no one but he knows, but it is certain that any hapes he may have entertained as to a valuable haul were shattered. A box of silhouette targets was broken into, and that was all the damage wrought within the building. Everything that could be of any use to tramps was carted into the city long ago. Byil-minded persons who care to become housebreakers need not visit Ord- way; they will have tneit labor for thelr pains, to say nothing of the risks they run. Target practice has been suspended, but there is no close season for criminals in Maryland, and the next one who monkeys with the office building at Ordway Is likely to be surprised. An to Service Medals. At the regular monthly meeting of the Officers’ Association of the Second Regi- ment Thursday evening Lieut. Jacobson submitted a report in detail regarding the Proposed service medals for the National Guard, and also presented for inspection a large number of specimen badges. This matter is attracting general attention throughout the brigade at present, but the idea is not thoroughly understood by all. The obect is to secure a service medal for members of the brigade, irrespective of rank, race, or =;ecial name of the subor- ganizations. The medal, it is intended, shall be for not less than five years’ con- tinuous service. ‘The committee of the officers’ association endeavoring to provide for the adoption of the medal consists of Lieut. Jacobson, chairman; Major Campbell and Capt. Bell. An invitation will scon be issued to bri- gade headquarters, the first regiment, the first separate battalion, light battery A, trcop A and the ambulance, cycle and en- gineer corps to designate representatives to agree on a design for the medal, and ar- range to meet thé financial requirements. The committee earnestly requests that the representatives mentioned be appointed without delay. No money can be applied to the purchase of the medais from the congressional appropriation for the Nation- al Guard, so the cost must be covered by subscription. It is also desired that sug- gestions for a motto to be emblazoned on the medal be submitted. Lieut. Jacobson or the other members of the committee would be glad to furnish further informa- tion on this subject. Notes. Upon their own applications, honorable discharges have been granted to Privates Albert P. Treadwell, company C, first bat- talion, and Henry G. Fisher, Joseph Phil- lips and Jchn A. Ramsey of company C, fourth battalion. Honorable discharge has also been granted, on certificate of disabil- ity, to Private W. Carroll Harbaugh, com- pany C, first battalion. Capt. Clarence V. Sayer, company C, third battalion, rendered supernumerary by the consolidaticn of his company with compa- nies A and D, third battalion, has been honorably discharged. So also has been Capt. John M. Walsh, company B, fourth battalion, whose company was recently dis- banded. Competitions next month will be as fol- lows: Company match—Thursday, January 9%, and Thursday, January 16. Battalion match—Thursday, January 23. Regimental match—Wednesday, January 29. Assign- ments will be made public hereafter. Property returns are very slow in making appearance at headquarters. Several knuc- kles will probably be rapped in the near future. Target reports, too, are quite de- lberate. The third battalion has been ordered to assemble this evening to listen to an ad- dress on rifie practice by Lieut. F. E. Gib- son, the battalion inspector. ————_ DOG AND THE WHEEL. An English Pointer That Draws His Master’s Bicycle Up Steep Grades. From the Springfeld Republican, Steadman Coe of Ware thinks he has the best all-round dog in America, ber none. He is a remarkably large, heavy English pointer of very high breed, and rejoices in the concise and barky name of Joe Coe. When Joe was a small dog his owner, who is an enthusiastic bicyclist, becoming discouraged by the many hills around Ware, began considering the problem of securing some sort of @ portable dynamo to aid him in his: hill climbing. Being quite expert in the handling of animals he decided to use Joe in this capacity. He had a special harness constructed for the dog and began training him immediately. Joe took kindly to the idea, and the exer- cise agreed with him. He was fed freely and grew with great bounds, the work causing his hind quarters to increase with special rapidity till they were marked with lumps of well-hardened muscle, and appeared more after the general pattern of a small horse than a dog. The method of operating Joe is very sim- ple. His harness consists of a breast- plate, a surcingle to hold it in place, and a strap extending down the backbone and ending In a ring at the base of the tail. The rest of the apparatus consists of a strap about four feet long with a snap hook at the further end, the strap being attached to the steering post of the bicy- ele, and when not in use wrapped around the handle bars. When a hill is reached Mr. Coe whistles to Joe, and the pointer comes up alongside and allows the hook to be snapped into the ring on the har- ness without compelling the rider to dis- mount. He then jumps forward and pulls up the hill, dropping back at the top to be loosened again. The hundred-odd pounds of active dog is a wonderful assistance, and with a fair amount of work by the rider deprives the steepest hill of its terrors. The animal takes the hill in a strong gal- lop, being able apparently to use his weight better in successive lunges, and also being evidently anxious to get his work done. In this way a hill is taken at a rate almost as fast as a level between the dog and the rider, and in fact the dog will take a moderate-sized hill alone, with the rider's feet on the coasting bars, though Mr. Coe rarely subjects him to such a strain. Mr. Coe has often taken his dog with him on trips of twenty-five miles or more, often coming to this city and returning the next day, and the dog apparently is not at all tired. ——___+e+_____ THE BISHOP'S BUSINESS. A Forgetfal Man Sought to Recall a Name by Asking a Question. From the New York Tribune. There is a citizen in this town who has always experienced the greatest difficulty in fitting their proper names and identity to acquaintances whose faces he knows perfectly well. So marked is this failing that he has often been placed in exceeding- ly awkward situaticns, even with friends whom he has known for several years. Some time ago he hit upon what he con- sidered a gather Ingenious plan for finding out the name of the man to whom he was talking. After one or two safely common- place remarks upon the weather or any not too personal topic, he would ask in an apparently casual manner: Well, how is business with you, now— pretty fair?” It almost invariably happened that his unsuspecting companion would say some- thing in reply which would reveal the rature of his occupation. That was all Mr. A—— wanted. As soon as he knew this particular, he knew his man. Many suc- cessful experiments with this method soon gave him a fatal amount of confidence in its infallibility. Fearless of detection, he put the same inquiry unblushingly on every occasion which found him unable to identify an acquaintance. Last week the shock came, and now his faith is sadly shaken by what he admits was a con- spicuous failure. Dropping into a seat in the cable car one morning, he found himself beside a gentleman who greeted him famillarly, and proceeded to make inquiries regarding his family, which showed him to be a com- paratively intimate friend. Mr. A—, knowing his face, but entirely at a loss for his name, mereiy awaited a good oppor- tunity. ‘And how is business with you now— brisk?” His companion stared a moment, then laughed. “I guess you don’t know me, Mr. A-—; row admit it.” “Well—I—wh: stammered the cther, rsing Ais wretched memo: yor “Bishop about as liv 2. ‘Two Views of the Weather. From the Somerville Journal. Belle—‘What a dull, gloomy day this is, Nell, isn’t it?” Nell—‘Why, do you think so? I was just thinking how delightfully pleasant it was. By the way, Belle, I haven't told anybody else as yet, but Charlie proposed to me last night.” EXECUTIVE MESSAGES ———— President Cleveland Has Sent as Many as All His Predecessors, TAREE ALREADY DURING THIS SESSION How They Are Distributed to the Various Newspapers. NO USE FOR A STENOGRAPHER This is the season of executive messages beyond comparison. Congress has been in session less than a month, and President Cleveland has already found it necessary to communicate with that body three times on public affairs, requiring legislative consid- eration. The first message was the regular annual message in regard to the general “state of the Union,” submitted upon the organization of the Congress, in accordance with constitutional requirement. This was succeeded a few days later by a special mes- sage, {ransmitting the trenchant . corre- spondence between Secretary Olney and Lord Salisbury in regard to the proposed arbitration of the boundary dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela. In this mes- sage the President vigorously asserted his adherence to the principles of the Monroe doctrine, and aroused the patriotic spirit of the country to a pitch of enthusiasm and fervor unequaled since the stirring .imes of the civil war. Next came*another special message, detailing the financial stress of the country and appealing to the Congress to make immediate provision for the protec- tion of the government gold reserve and the maintenance of the national credit. Another Message Expected. This is the record to date since the ase sembling of the present Congress, but un- lees all signs fail, the list will soon be in- creased by another message, also bearing on the financial situation, and telling“ of the action of the administration in the is- sue of bonds for the purpose of rehabilitat- ing the gold reserve, which has suffered severe inroads, as a result of the war scare. Interesting developments in the ad- ministralion of the national finances may be confidently expected within the next few weeks. President Cleveland has probably sent as many messages to Congress as all his pre- decessors combined. He set the pace dur- ing his first term with his numerous vetoes of pension bills, and casily broke all previ- cus records for a _ corresponding period. Although less prolific in this respect dur- ing his present term, he hag frequently found it necessary “to communicate his views in writing’ to Congress upon im- portant affairs of state. President Cleveland Handicapped. President Cleveland is undoubtedly handi- capped in his performance of the multh farious duties entailed upon the executive by his inability to dictate his views to a stenographer, notwithstanding the fact that the White House” establishment Includes several of these essential aids to the prompt dispatch of business. He vrites all his own correspondence, and pre- pares all his state papers without any as- sistance whatever from stenographer or typewriter. He does this not because it is necessary, but solely because it is more to bis own satisfaction. It naturally entails more mechanical work on his part, but he dces it simply because he cannot reconcile Kimself to the advantages of the more modern system of dictation. Gen. Harrison Dictated. President Harrison kept his stenographer constantly at work. Whenever he had any- thing to say for the information of Congress or in reply to the incessant flow of corre- spondence, he summoned his stenographer and dictated to him whatever he had to say, and the. had nothing to do but to sign the finished message or letter, whichever it might happen to be. In this way he was able to accomplish a great deal of business without any special effort on his part. It is entirely different, however, with “President Cleveland. He seldom, if ever, dictates. Mr. Cleveland Writes Himne! Whatever he hcs to say he writes himself. If it is a message to Congress, it is copied in manuscript form for each House and for the pubHe printer. The copies for Congress are made by Major O. L. Pruden, assistant pri- vate secretary, and Mr. Warren S. Young, one of the executive clerks, They are both expert penmen, and the messages sent to Congress In their handwriting, are models of chirography. All messages to Congress are sent in manuscript, regardless of the fact that they may have been previously printed in pamphlet form. The printed cop- jes are intended for the use of ithe press and individual members of Congress. They are ready for issue simultaneously with the Gelivery of the manuscript copies to the twq legislative bodies. The Venezuelan Message. President Clev: d wrote his celebrated Venezuelan message on a small tablet of paper, without the least assistance from the official stenographer, and it was copied in the usual way for transmission to the two houses of Congress by Major Pruden and Mr. Young, despite the fact that it had been put in type In the meantime at the gov- nment printing olfice. Distribut The President's regular annual message to Congress on the organization of that bedy is disseminated to the country by the Western Union Telegraph Company, with the material aid of the two press associa- tions. The press is supplied with copies through a system of meny years’ standing. The papers in Washington, Baltimore, Phil- adelphia and New York receive printed copies of the messages, and the papers in all other parts of the country have to de pend upon the telegraph service, with New. York as the central distributing point. In Big Eastern Cities. The newspapers of this city get thelr copies from the White House or from the press association to which they subscribe. The copies, for the press of Baltimore, Phila~ delphia and New York are distributed by the postmasters of the cities named. The; get them from the hands of a persona! rep- resentative of the President. Col. Croo! the disbursing officer of the White House, has performed this important duty for sey- eral years past. He is provided with copies of the message alloted to the cities named, and is charged with their delivery to the postmasters at Baltimore and Phiiadelphi and to the representatives of the two pres assocfations at New York. They are de- livered in confidence, with the distinct un- derstanding that the message shall not be published until it has been actually received by the house to which it is addressed. There have been some few premature publications, it is true, but as a rule the system of disirle bution has been found to be generally satise factory. _—____-2+___—_. They Failed to Raise. From Harper's Baxi Little Mrs. Newbride (tearfully)—“Oh, dear me! 1 wonder what can be the matter, with this cake?” Husband (cautiously)—“It is a trifle heavy, that 18 a fact. - Little Mrs. Newbride (sobhingly)—“It is as heavy as le-le-lead, and I pu-put in plenty, of rub-ruh-raisins to raise it. tut-too!”