Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, November 1, 1902, Page 3

Pry { - ' | - | ag | hey s he . } - TH E MERGER TRIAL ~ President Hill on the Witness Stand Tells of the Organization of the’ Great Northern and Its Agency in the Development of the Northwest— Reasons for the Purchase of the Burlington. The suit brought by the United States government under the Sherman la’ prevent the consolidation o r s0-ca merger of the Great Northern with the Northern Pacific and Burlington systems has lead to the taking of a large amount of testirony. The taking of testimony began in Néw York some littig time ago, and was continued in St. Paul this week before Frederick Uhgersoll, the spe examiner. J. J. Hill was the chief witnes in St. Paul, and his testimony tells the whoie story of the so-called merger in a more connected way than has heretofore been given to the public. As it required two days to complete it, it was very vol- uminous. We append a sufficient portion of the evidence to give a connected story of ig transaction und tne reason for making Mr. Hill told in a general way of the building of a great railway system, of the development ‘of the trade in the Orient, ena of the coal situation of the country. Mr Hill largely told- his story in his own Way. none of the learned counsel having. Gis;osition to throw out a hint that Mr. Hiil might better tell it some other way. He began by relating briefly the organi- ration of the St. Paul, Minneapolis Manitoba road, and ‘later its reorganiza- tion into the Great Northern road, and acmitted without very much pressi? 3 that he had very largely determinw1 the poli¢y of the roads, especially the policy pf ex- tending the lines. ‘This was, howe’ er, he explained, largely due to the faét that m of the other directors hai been non-residents. Built for Keeps. Explaining how the Great Northern had been pushed through to the coast In 1893, Mr. J1iM said that $800,000 had Leen ex- pended for surveying alone, as he de- sircd to be certain that he was building is road on th best possible Locations. He cropped in a little side remaréc at this point y hat while ridiig along the Pennsylv. system once he ob- served a portion of that system being built on the fourth right or way, and, he “I wanted to aveid all that sort of sisted mostly of lumber, and it was es- sential for tae Great Norihern to handi this iumber if it was to do business at al. ‘The rate at that time was 90 a hundred pounds which was prohibit i converred with lumber manutact could send lumber dnt do it with a@ rate eents, 50 we made it 40 the lumber trade began to de- ly. ier to make a low rate on Bast- ern lumber shipments it was essential to first have a Wes.ern movement of cars to prevent the necess ty of br.nging empty €ars West to saip the lumber im.” Wichin four years we hat so developed this trade and trade with Alaska and the Hascern that. we were enabled to secure n goods for the markets of the Ori- thus to keep a movement of ich meant a shipment of lumber at a rate making the shipment » and profitable. s dd you take to secure yn across the Pacific, and a.d itat have to your pu the Burl.ngton road stoel d Mr. Young. » found that the lumber supply of United States east of the Rockiis and of the Oho er was more and upon the Washington and and that the time was when the states lumber to the (Michigan, for instance, now « more than she can manu- facture). 1 was especially interested in the lumber traftic, because if there was r for us to carry from the West nothing at all for us to carry ‘00 1 saw that it was only a m of time when Washington and would supply all the lumber of tt soon to be so. In order low r we must have a large nd anything made in the East, a_continual Eastern traffic . I influenced the Japanese to pure a trial lot of Amerfean raiis in- stead of the Belg’an and English rails, and later I induced them to buy American cotton, on a guarantee that if it was not satis: ‘y I would pay for it. “The cotton trade has been growing rapidly ever since. We chartered to take this cotton and these rails zn. We can make a rate to Hong- which will enable the Minneapolis millers ta ship their flour to China if they can get the Ch’nese trade.” Coal Supply. - antage if any. did you ex- Q. What ad pect to derive and have you derived from the Turlington purchase in regard to the suprly of coal for the country traversed ‘by your line? Revlying to the above question Mr. Hin thought that on the west end they had a1 supply of coal and on the east end the past has come from Pennsyl- and West Virginia and some from Ohio, but now it was apparent that they could no Tonger rely on the previous re- s n the east, and it is consequent- ul intérest to usethe supply they n obtain not only for themselves but for bic as well from the Illinois coal . The grades of the Burlington road enabted them to carry an enormous ton- nage and the public would soon be com- pelled to rely uvon the bituminous coal 5 instead of on tHe anthracite from the east. This coal is a necessity to the people of the northwest, which would Shave to abandon the country for “five months in the year if they could not get <oal at reasonable prices, and they can- mot get it from the east at a reasonable pric He did not claim that this was due to the strike and the local situation this year, but this was the permanent situation the northwest had got to face, and in the future they could not bring conl from the western end of their line because the haul was too far to furnish {t at moderate prices. Ore Trade With St. Louis, Within the last week we had advices of 77,000 or 100000 tons of iron ore to go through the winter from the fron mines of Northern Minnesota to St. Louis to load the coal. cars back. The fact that the coal has to come north or that there is coal to come north makes it possible to ma a lower rate on the iron ore, and together the iron ore rates and the coal ate are both affected and are both re- to the extent that we can load the both ways. This is a matter we under consideration; this iron mat- have had under consideration may- be for a couple of months, but it has cul- minated within the last week. We hope that it w.ll reach 800,000 tons before spring. u A reference to shipments of _cot- ton especially, and other articles, what disadvantage Was there in its being car- ried over separate lines under a joint, tar- iff which you did not have, where it is carried where both roads are under the same control, for instance, in the matier of breaking bulk or anything of that kind, shifting from cars? A. Well, it is almost a necessity, if business is to be at all permanent, to be able to control a rate. ‘The rates on the high seas vary according to the supply and demand for ships, and we, in order to take this business west must be in a position to compete to take the traffic, one cay with anothet, It may be that another road—it may be the line between here and St. Louis, if the Burlington was not in_a position to work with us and to continue to work wich us, they might find some other connection that would give them a larger division than we could of the rate; they might find or feel that it was their interest to work with some- body else. Maybe they would give them some other business in lieu of this, and we would have to hire some other road to haul that business from St. Louis he-e, at the best rate we could get. We could not control it except through the option of some other road. Might at any time withdraw the rate; might at any rs refuse to make a joint rate with us, ex- cept on terms that would be prohibitory. And in that way we could not go very We would not be in a position to compete for that business. We either take that business to thy ) we must take all the westbound business We can get to the coast. or else we must advance the rate on the lumber.s Now, outside of cotton, take nails, wire, arti~ cles of that kind, that business has grown to very large dimensions, but our rate is a very low one from Lake Erie to Hong- kong; it is 45 cencs a hundred. $9 a ton, on those commodities. A line reaching St. Louis and all the trun. lines of the East between St. Louis and Chicago puts us in a vastly different position; and that is the reason Why it was of such importance for us to control the situation. We could not control it unless we could give a market for the production of the line—products raised along our road—whether it was out of the mine or from the farm or out of the forest, 1f the man who produced it could not sell it, he would stop producing. And that was the problem we had to meet, and with the Burlington we find ourselves able to meet it. Oriental Trade. Q. Mr. Hill, are you able to state the comparative growth of that Oriental traf- fic since its inception up to this time? A. The growth has been very rapid. In some commodities more rapid than in others, Last year the increase was very large in cotton goods, both raw and manufactured, and in machinery and in some other commodities it fell off. The oil, I think, was considerably reduced. The Patoum oil, by some arrangement, has that market largely and we ‘io not carry the oil we did. . Taking the aggregate of the traffic, the total amount ef it A. Well, I should say that in 1902—the year enuing June 30, 1902—the business was more than twice as great as it was the previous year ending June, 1901. We were in better position to do the business. fie na fev rhgghd a the Ree ge of cot- 3 m or piece carried in Apa ana nis? =? Ray ence 3 can give it to yo y Great Northern. SE ey EEN . Yes, by the Great Northern we are speaking of. A. In 10901 the amount of cotton piece > 1 S , 3,000 pounds the next year. his testimony, Mr. Hill e' plained that they made their ships large for the purpose of reducing rates. They could carry a cargo equal to what five ordinary freight steamers could carry with only one crew instead of five crews. In all their movements there was no inten- tion to hinder commerce, but to promote it, and it has greatly increased commerce between th> United States and foreign nations. These arrangements have oniy perfected about a year and the bus’ ness has more than doubled on the Great Northern read. He said he thought the total of tonnage of the Great Northern road will show the iner per cent. and the foreizn business is reased over 100 per cent. “We have been able to reduce rates from 10 to 15 per cent in a_yi he local business Cities ard Lak ic swe Ha ee shen te the auestion as to what effec e increase of busi ad i 2 ae Ot ness had had in the a. At the tlme of the purchase of the Purtington shares, was there any purpose or intention to restrain or hinder the t ¢ of the i3urlington read. itself, in- e traffic? A. No, sir, rone whatever. What has been the effect of that purchase upon the traffic of the Bu ton road? Has it hindered it, restr: it, or has it increased it? 1 think that the traffic of the Bur- ington road Billings to the south- west has been very largely increased, and from here to the south the increase has been e rable. Q. t is likely to be the future ef- fect? Will it be to restrain or to enlarge the comméree of the read?, or, z A. If the plan as contemplated is car- ried out, hould make a very large in- ase in th ic. For instance, if the ti 1 ore from Minnesota can find the fur- naces in Missouri or Southern Mlinvis or down in that country where they get ap coul,sand bring back coal in the dapted for moving one movirg both, that bu Ss alone shoul% run very soon into millions of tons. ‘Nhs is cue. I know of no plac business woul noz be incroased; I of no plac> where it would not be i creased and benefited none. ¢ He further explained that the reason why they had not begun this earlier was because it was a very large undertaking for the Great Northern road alone, and that the Northern Pacific was just em- merging from an embarrassment which made it inexpedient for it to join. " The question of a holding company was not part of the Burlington transaction. It Was not discussed or thought of; neither was there any purpose at that time to secure control of the Northern Pacific stock. He said one of the Great Northern di- rectors raised the question that inasmuch as the purpose of the Burlington stock and the creation of a bond to pay for it, involved the joint and several liability o the entire amount of the purchase, it was a matter of consequence to the Great Northern to know that the Northern Pa- cific would not pass into the hands of people who might be interested in other CRE He did not think that any of the offi of the Northern Pacific company had an thing to do with the organization of th Northern Securities company. The North- ern Securities company simply bought the stock of the Northern Paciiie from the pepole who owned it. ‘The corporation did not own any stock that he was aware 0 and at any rate, It did not sell any stock to the Northern Securities company. His own sales and those of his immediate friends, the eleven parties he had named, were absolute without anv condition or trust or implied agreement or anything else. There was no understanding as to oe gud enetnern e should vote the stock—no condi Gs any kind attached to the sale. The sals was not the resv)+ of any agreement with each other. Replyin~ to questions as to whether he, Hill. solicited parties to buy the stor of the Northern Securttles company, Mr. Hill stated that renlying to inquiries, he told them that it was a matter they must determine for themselves—and he bad so many. inauiries that finally he prepared a ciretilar letter as an answer, in which he explained that the Noerthern Securities company did not onerate and could not operate’ a railroad. but could only buy and sell shares of rail-nads, and the vate of its stock depended upon the profit made bv the railroads the stock of which the Northern Securities company might acouire. Ve left each inauirer to act his own pleasure without giving advice, The Second Day. On the second day of Mr. Hill's testi- mony he was cross-examined by the at- torneys fer the government. It was de- veloped by his testimony that Harriman, who represents the Union Pacific's inter- ests is the largest individual stockholder in the Northern ° Securities, company. This came about by the large purchase o1 Northern Pacific stock by the Union Pa- cific made during the raid in May, 1901. In response to questions Mr. Hill said there was nothing to prevent Mr. Harri- man from buying more stock of the Northern Securities company, if he was willing to pay the price asked for it by the owners. He might even buy enou; to have control, but he. Hill, did not think the owners would be likely to sell it, and so that though he now has some eighty or ninety millions of the four hundred m'llions of stock, he did not consider it likely he would ever have control He explained that the organization of the Northern Securities company was to prevent any such raids as were made in 1901 and would make it very difficult even if not substantially impossible for any one person or syndicate to get control of the stock of the roads in the hands of the holding eompahy. By having the owner- ship of the roads stable and not likely to uently changed, rates could be reduced. thought that no more than 10 per cent of the business was competi- tive between the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern roads; that is, interstate business. Mr. Hill was examined at length re- 1 can imagine garding the Great explained that the Gri but that it operated s iv" to six thousand mile: road. under leases and that it also, owned the large portion of the stock of ‘the old Manitoba road and some other corporations. He also testified. relative to the xeduc- tion of rates made on the Great North- ern since the purchase of the Burling- ton system. In response to the question who directed the reduction on the Great Northern, he said it was a matter of conference between the officers and him- self. He said the reduction of rates on the Great Northern was not a new thing, but was quite frequent and had been tor a number of years. He said the reduc- tion amounted to 10 or 15 per cent. On grain it was 10 per cent. it was nearly iat from all places on the Great North- ern which were grain. Spe points ant some places more. He thought the re- duction was substantially the same on the Northern Pacific, but was not abso- lutely intormed on that point. He dis- claimed haviug personally, made the changes in the traffic rates of freight, but when they were a matter of great moment he had ‘deen consulted and advised in the matter. He did not think that the rates had been reduced on lumber, pig iron or coal since the purchase of the Burlington, because, those rates were abnormally lower before and much lower than were charged by the Eastern roads. ‘The gross earnings of the Great North- ern per ton per mile were stated to be “$59 and the average of the railroads ot the United States was .72¥. He thought that the Northern Pacific was Aigher, probably in the neighborhood of .0u. Oa the Atchison it was .988. Mr, Hill said that the rates on the Atchison were higher than on the Great Northern and Northern Pacific, and thought that it they charged the average rate of the Atchison it would increase their earnings $5, 1). Referring to the purchase of a large amount of coal land in Illinois, Mr. Hiil said the Northern Securities company did not own this land at the time the pres- ent suit was begun. He made this ex- planation on. the coal question Coal Supply. Witness: I do not want to be misunder- stood, and from the questions [ think I have been. The Great Northern Railway company and the Northern Pacific Rail- way company have an interest in this country and the people living here, and, inasmuch as our winters are cold, it would be difficult for them to live here without fuel, and it is a very serious mat- ter—it is a_very serious matter for the railways. We don’t know now that we would be able to run our trains to the first day of February, with the lack of supply of coal, without bringing coal from Illinois, and we don’t know but we would have to give up a portion of our supply of steam coal] to keep people from freezing before spring—and it is not due by any means to the anthracite strike, and I tried to make it plain yesterday that it was not; but it is due to the in- ability of the railroads between Lake Krie and the mines in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio to move the coal. ‘They are unable to move the coal up to Lake Erie ports, and we are unable to get a suppiy. At this time we have not been able to get one-half of our purchase for the year, and navigation will close some time next month. That is the im- portance of the control for us of access to the coal mines of Illinois, which are the nearest coal mines to this country, and the importance of that will be appa- rent more and more as time goes on. Mr. Hill further testified that when the Union Pacifie desired to get control of the Burlington road Mr. Harriman came to him while they were negotiating and wanted to take a half interest, but the proposition was declined. The,purchsse of the Northern Pacific by the Union Pa- cific, he said would have left the Great Northern in a helpless contition because the Great Northern was jointly and sev- erally responsible for two hundred mil- lions, that being the purchase price of the Bu zton stock, and if the Northern fie owned a joint interest in the deal, yy would be resnonsible for one-ha of that amount, but if the Northern Pa- cifie was in the hands of a rival trans- continental line with Its interest in San Francisco and from Omaha through the Platte Vajley to San Francisco they could influence the Burlington to help their Southern interests and would be in a position to prevent the building up or aid- ing the development of the Northwest that the Great Northern had worked so long and hard to establish. ‘The gist of Mr. Hill’s testimony during the two days he was on the stand was “hat the organization of the Northern Se- curities company was in no sense a re- striction to trade. ‘That the Great North- ern and Northern Pacific and Burlington were orerated separately and indenend- That there was no actual merger, < that their working tegether was of al interest to the Northwest. ‘That ‘ates had been reduced as the result of his co-overation, and could and would +e still further reduced as tariff increases. hat the whole proposition was within the ‘aw in every resnect. That the purchase f the stock of the Northern Securities mpany was open to any one who had he amoney to pay for it and could agree vith the owners as. to the price. % That ‘here was no combination or agreement oxr ‘sed or tmplied, but that the cor roretion was simply a holding company, ally for the purnose of making the sronerty it holds have greater stabi ‘nd not Hvely to be purchased by nartics “9 use to destroy other property; in faet, ‘hat the whole movement would prove nost advantageous to the Northwest. Cost -f the railroad and equinment having een ineurred, the great increase of ton- ange and business growing out of the Surlington purchase and protecting it st adverse interests would increase s, make lower rates possible and country. z cadet ‘hus in?nce settlement of the ynd the building uv of commercial manu- “aeturmg and agricultural interests. Newspaper Men in Business. The old idea that the newspaper man fs ‘infitted for business is not confirmed by the facts. There are a large number of former newspaper men now holding high ositions in Wall street. Among them is Joseph C, Hendrix, president of the Bank of Commerce, who was formerly a report- er onthe Sun. James B. Dill, the corpor- ation lawyer, who holds the record’ for the organization of new companies, was once a reporter on the Tribune. Daniel S. Lamont, vice president of the Northern Pacific railroad, was in the newsnaper business before he became Grover Cleve- land’s secretary. Vice President Vander- lip of the National City was a few years ago financial editor of the Chicago Trib- une. C. A, Conant, treasurer of the Mor- ton Trust company, was a year ago Washington correspondent of the Journal of Commerce, C. S. Gleed, one of the di- reetors of the Atch'son system, had news- paper training. Col. George Harvey, for- merly managing editor of the World, and now head of Harper's, has been closely identified with a number of Mr, Whitney's. business enterprises. W. . Corwine, formerly of the World, is trust officer of the Eastern Trust company. Mr. Steiner, one of the largest custom house brokers, was once connected with the Hevnld. Numerous other instances might be given of newspaper men who have madé a suc- cess in business. The late Henry Villard was early in his career'a Washington cor- respondent.—New York Letter to the Phil- adelphia Ledger. Bending Botttes, A glass that will not break, that cap be molded into any desired form, that ‘ean be hammered without catastrophe—in short, a glass that will be as malleabie 4s lead or any other metal is the extraor- linary glaim that Louis Kauffeld, giass- worker, makes for a new kind of glass he 1as just discovered. With an ordinary goblet made of the new material he can hammer a_ nail into a tough board. He can bore a hole, into a glass pane, and then patch it with an- other piece of the same kind of glass. Coffee pots and teakettles can be made of the new substance, and will no more crack under the most intense heat than woul” steel. While Kauffeld’s process is unknown to anybody except himself, he recently volunteered the information that the lime and lead that are used in the mam ture of ordinary glass do not enter into the composition of this. ce There are many legends concerning malleable glass. There is a story that a slassworker in ancient Veni centuries ugo discovered the se2ret. He made glass bottles and jars that he could hammer into flattened ‘strips without breaking them, and rolled the glass into which he could throw against the is ot ate town without injuring them.—-An- ‘swers. ' ~ Happy is he who lets himself ow no DARING HOLD-UP| LONE BANDIT PULLS OFF A SUCCESSFUL TRAIN ROBBERY. TACKLES “NORTH COAST LIMITED” KILLS. THE . ENGINCER, DYNA- MITES MAIL CAR AND ESCAPES. REWARD OF $5,080 OFFERED ARMED POSSES WITH BLOOD- HOUNDS PUT ON TRAIL OF DESPERADO. Helena, Mont., Oct. 26—The most daring as well as successful train rob- bery in the history of Montana was committed by a “lone highwayman three miles east of Bearmouth, sixty- four miles west of Helena, early yes- terday morning. The train held up by the bold high- wayman was the east-bound “North Coast Limited” on the Northern Pa- cific, and to accory'lish his object the robber found it necessary to murder the engineer, Daniel O’Neil of Mis- soula, which he did without the least ,compunction, because the latter would not stop his train as commanded. The \robber then seized the throttle lever ‘and stopped the train, showing that ‘he was acquainted with the mechan- ism of the engine. The combination baggage and express.car Was Blown to Pieces | With dynamite and all the registered mail was taken. It is believed the rob- ber boarded the blind baggage when the train stopped for water near Bear- |mouth. After the robbery the bandit, ; taking one of the train crew. named Berry, for a companion, marched down the track without molesting the pas- sengers. i After going about a mile and a half he told Berry good bye and took to the woods. The robber is described as a short. heavy-set man, stoop shouldered and dressed like a laboring man, but wearing a light cap and light shoes. | No trace has yet been found of the man. Bloodhounds from Deer Lodge penitentiary which were taken to the scene of the hold-up were unable to get the scent, and, as yet the daring murderer has not been heard of sipce he took to the brush along the track. While the identity of the Robber Is Unknown, it is believed from a remark that he made that he was implicated in the Southern Pacific robbery near Port- land, Or., last year. The amount of vooty secured is as yet unknown. | Details of the robbery were received in this city by a telegram from Supt. H. J. Horne to General Agént A. D. Edgar. This is the dispatch: “Train No. 2, Conductor Quinn, En- gineer O’Neil, was held up this morn- ing three miles east of Bearmouth. Quinn reports that baggage car 239 was blown to pieces. Engineer O'Neill was shot and has since died. The rob- ber went through the mail car, taking all the registered mail, but got noth- , ing else. He dynamited the combina- | tion baggage and express car. Ready to start special from Deer Lodge with bloodhounds as soon as we can locate direction taken by robber. Have posses at Deer Lodge; Missoula and Anaconda Ready to Take the Trail of robbers. Think our chances are good. So far as seen there was but one man, who told the train electrician if any one wanted to know who he was to say he was the fellow that held up the Southern Pacific. train south of Portland a year ago.” Big Reward: Offered. Later in the day General Agent Ed- gar received the following. telegram: “The Northern Pacifie railway will pay a reward of $5,000: for the capture and delivery to the authorities, dead or alive, of the train robber who robbed No. 2 this morning. Should it have been committed by one man the reward will be $5,000 for his capture. If committed by two men the reward svill be $5,000 for the two or $2,500 for the other; if committed for more than two men the reward will be $5,000 for | the capture of all or $2,500 for the cap- ture of any one.” —— HOLD-UP: MAN! IS CAUGHT. Deputy Gets the Drop en the Lone: Bandit. Helena, Mont., Oct. 28. — The man who held up the North Coast limited near Bearmouth and Killed Engineer O’Neil Friday has been captured. | Positive preof has not yet been pror duced against the suspect, but Sheriff Prescott of Missoula is positive he has the right man. Deputy Sheriff Mitchell was guarding a pass near Gold Creek, twenty miles from the scene of the hold-up, when he saw a man approaching. The officer con- cealed himself, and 2s the man neared him he ordered him to hold up his hands, which he did. Before the of- ficer explained to him the cause of his arrest the man exclaimed: “why, I was in Drummond when the robbery was committed.” On the man, who answers the de seription of the robber, were two 45- EX-CONVICT BRINGS SUIT. Alleges Persistent Persecution and Wants a Fortune. Marshalltown, Iowa, Oct. 29:—If J. R. Faust gets all he asks from the de- fendant in seven damage cases he has begun in the district court because, as he alleges, his life has been blighted by their actions, he will be a wealthy man. He has begun suit against sev- en different persons and corporations, asking $50,000 from each, ora'total of $350,000. He claims that because of a judgment he obtained in the Story court against a railway company, that the company, through its attor- neys, detectives, etc., had his barn burned and then arrested him for ar- son, preventing him from getting the insurance and also landing him in the penitentiary. When he was released from the penitentiary he was relent- lessly pursued by his enemiés, who had him incarcerated in an insane asylum at Toledo, Ohio. He claims Detective Waters threatened to shoot him, in an attempt to make him con- fess the burning of his barn, and De- tective Riley tried to throw him out of the court house window. Because of these threats Faust claims he was un- able to testify at his trial to the facts because of intimidation, and that his unjust and wrongful conviction fol- lowed. CAPT. WALTON IS FREE. End. of Trial for Accidental Death ot Child at Rifle Range. Anoka, Minn., Oct. 29.—After being out less than two hours the jury in the case of Capt. Percy Walton brought in a verdict of “not guilty.’ Capt. Walton was accused of man slaughter in the second degree for the accidental killing of John Krisko, near the rifle range at Columbi: Heights. The jury arrived at an agree- ment just before 8 o'clock last night, and some time. later the court, de fendants, attorneys, clerk and others, having been notified, the jury came in and were polled. The court read the slip, passed it to the clerk, who read the words “Not guilty,” and then the jury was asked the formal question of that was their verdict. They were then dismissed. Walton was congrat- ulated by all his friends and then he stepped forward and shook each jur- or’s hand. The scene in the court reom was quiet, there not being more than a dozen spectators present. SUED FOR SUPPLIES. Former Lieutenant Is Asked to Make an Accounting. Helena, Mont., Oct. 29. — United States District Attorney Rasch com- menced an action in the federal court yesterday against Paul Reisinger for , the value of supplies worth $162,305 and money to the amount of $763, claimed to be due from him. De fendant, as second lieutenant and act: ing quartermaster of the Tenth Unit- ed States cavalry, is alleged to have failed to make an accounting for sup- plies and money furnished him by the government while his regiment was in Florida and Alabama, from July 1, 1898, to June 1, 1899. Defendant al- leges that everything was turned over to his successor when he retired from the army, because of ill-health. Defendant says that the money ad- vanced him was expended for cof- fee for the regiment while on the march. Reisinger is now a mining engineer employed in coal properties | at Stockett, Mont. ANOTHER IRON TRUST Three Concerns Decline to Enter the Combination. Milwaukee, Oct. 29—At a mecting in New York on Wednesday afternoon | a trust of the malleable iron plants of the country will, be organized by a syndicate headed by Judge Gary and Max Pam of New York. The deal has been pending since July. The Nation- al Malleable Iron:Company of Chicago and the Wisconsin and Northwestern Malleable Iron companies of Milwau- kee have declined to enter the com- bine. The concerns in the trust ar Pratt & Letchworth, Buffalo; Mic! gan Maileable Iron company, Detroi Whiteley Malleable Iron company, Muncie, Ind:; Chicago Malleable Cast- ing company, West Pullman, Ill.; Mo- line Malleable Iron, company, St. Charles, Tl: es GETS THREE: YEARS. Chris Norbeck Gets: Lighter Sentence Than: His, Pals. Minneapolis, Oca. 29. — Chris Nor- beck, the ex-detective who pleaded guilty to, complicity in the “big mitt” operations, was: sentenced to three years’ imprisonment: by Judge Harri- son yesterday morning. Norbeck jumred his bail: during his trial, and, upon his capture; pleaded guilty and ed much valuable testimony to te in the Other cases. In view cf these disclosures. his attorneys plesded for a light sentence. cr men convicted have received six end one-half years each. RAID ON BANK. Vault Door Wrecked With Dynamite— Robbers Frightened Away. Swanville, Minm, Oct. 29.—An un- successful attempt to burglarize the Bank of Swanville last night resulted in considerable damage to the vault door with dynamite. The robbers left a railroad spike maul, rail chisel, hatchet and piek the bank. Cir- cumstances show that the rc»bers were frightened away before their jab was completed. No clue. Second Crop of Strawberries. Sparta, Wis. Oct. 29—Sparta peo- ple are enjoying a novelty in the way of a second crop of strawberries this fall. They are not hothouse fruit, but a genuine second crop. For the past four weeks quite a quantity have been pieked. night J. W. Lever- ick made a shipms Paul, where they sell for $6 per cas, the ‘not destroy The oth- - it by express to. St. COVER IRREGULARITIES IN LAND ENTRSES. PROSECUTIONS WILL RESULT MANY PERSONS HOLDING LANDS UPON PERJURED AFFT- DAVITS. WEALTHY MEN GET FREE EAI LOGGING FIRMS HIRE MEN TO APPLY FOR CERTAIN SEC TIONS. Duluth, Minn., Oct. 29:—Special in- spectors of the government land of- fi¢e have discovered that many per- sons now holding lands are doing so upon perjured affidavits. Immediate steps will be taken to cancel such en- tries, take away the property from the holders and prosecute ‘them upen a charge of perjury. Numbers of these pretended home- stead claims are aiready being con- tested upon grounds of non-residence and non-cultivation, principally in the counties of Itasca and Be.trami. Many persons holding lands given them by the government are lawyers, mer- chants, doctors or people of inde- pendent wealth. Many other claims are made by agents of corporations, large logging firms, etc., who are said to give a money consideration to these men to come to the land cffice and make ap- plication for certain sections. In this way the firms are alleged to obtain control of large tracts of very desira- ble pine and other good timber land, strip them of their wealth and then forsake them after they are vandal- ized. BROKE INTO JAIL. Now Joseph Stach Wants to: Break Out. West Superior, Wis., Oct. 29. — A rawhide whip was the peculiar weapon with which Joseph Stach of this city tried to break into the county jail. He got in—not by breaking, however—and now he is watching for a chance to get out. He is in the dungeon waiting for a committee of doctors to tell whether he is irsane or not. Stach appeared at the jail door and told the jailer he wanted to get in to see his father. Upon being re- fused he-brandished his‘ whip and threatened to smash the door. Final- ly he was let in and overpowered by\. three men, being put in the dungeon for safety. He had no father or other relative in the jail. EPIDEMIC OF THEFT. Winona and Vicinity Suffer From Visits of the Gentry. Winona, Minn., Oct. 29.—A sneak thief entered the home of George W. Hunt yesterday and removed from the pocket of a vest banging in the hall four $20 bills. The theft oceurred during the daytime and there is no clue. Chicken thieves are becoming | very bold here, forty fine chickens Capt. J..E. Thompson within the past few weeks. Passengers on the Chi- cago Great Western yesterday report- ed the breaking in of the store of J. H. Harvey at Horton and the theft of $6 in: cash. STOLE. EIGHT LUADS OF GRAIN. Gets. Two Years for Firgt: Load—May Be Tried Seven Times More. Egan, S. D., Oct. 2»—Norman Lara- way, convicted of grand. larceny, was sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary. Several months ago young Laraway svole eight loads of grain from a farm granary aud mar- keted it at Flandreau in tite name of Henry, Powell. The presiding judge ruled’ that the prisoner was: convicted om the-charge of stealing-the first load only, and that he may be tried and sentenced for each successive load stolen. A like sentence in each case woul’ mean sixteen years: of impris- onment. ANOTHER MAN’S. MONEY. Hotel’ Clerk Pleads Guilty to State’s Prison Offense. Grand Forks, N. D.,. Oct. 29—George @: Fox, for some time night clerk at the: Ingalls hotel here, was arrested on @ north-bound train with a ticket in his possessjon for Winnipeg and $13% of the hotel funds in his pocket. He was taken before a magistrate and pleaded guilty to grand larceny and will enter a similar plea before the district judge on his returm from the West. The offense is punishable by a penitentiary term. Fox has been drinking for several months. He is said to have brothers in Manitoba. | SEIZES THEIR CIGARETTES. Lucy Gaston’s Energetic Method of Making War on a Bad Habit. Rockford, Ul., Oct. 29—Lucy Page Gaston is ¢arrying on her anti-cigar- some young men who were smoking cigarettes on a street corner she com- pelled them to desist and ground un- der her heel the weeds they had been using. Similar eases are reported to have occurred in other parts of the city. : _ Willie Kilts a Wildcat. Yankton, S. D., Oct. 29. — A lar# wildcat was shot Saturday in tne woods along the a few miles from Yankton. E was a having been removed from the coop of _ ‘os 4 # i