Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, October 7, 1905, Page 7

A J. J.,Hill Proves by Census Reports That Farmers Must Diversify Their Interests and Raise Live Steck to Compete With Earnings in the Older States. It is remarkable that every time J. J. Hill, president of the Great Northern road delivers an address he produces some faets of startling significance which are worth considering and feflecting. upon. He Spoke at.a fair at Willmar, Kandiyohi county, a few days ago and as usual his remarks were pregnant with food for thought. A large portion of his address was devoted to showing the farmers of Minnesota and the Northwest how much more profitable they could make their labor and investment, He drew largely upon the late United States census report to show how much larger per acre earn- ings are in other states than in Minne- sota asserting that the other states did not have any more if as many natural advantages as Minnesota. The contrast with the neighboring state of Iowa sub- stantiated his argument with great force. jowa_ was actually forced to abandon wheat raising and go into live stock with the result that she was acording to eensus report producing $8.20 per acre against Minnesota's $4.67. Thirty years ago the great reliance of Iowa farmers was raising a grade of wheat known as Amber Iowa and now only the older peo- ple remember that there ever was such @ thing as Amber Iowa, If the farmers of Minnesota realized the same per acre in dollars and cents as the farmers of Iowa, it would_make a dif- ference every year of over $75,000,000; and that is too much money to sas idly hy and too large an amount not to be consid- ered and to make an effort to redeem it, Acre fur acre, Minnesota farm’ lands are capable of producing as much or more wealth than the farm lands in any other division of the country; yet acre for acre, they are, with inconsequential exceptions, producing less, less in volume, less in value. Agricultural states like Illinois, Indi- ana, Jowa, Michigan, New York, Ohto, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are produc- ing from $5.83 to $8.20 on each acre of their farm lands under cultivation, Min- nesota is producing only $4.87. Yet in walking from the hall where we had our lunch, Mr. Eddy, whom many of you know, told me that on a farm out here of about 500 acres he got an average of $10 an acre, and he got it from his eattle. I now when he told me he got it from his cattle, he told the truth, be- cause in no other way under the sun could he get $10 per acre profit. Minnesota Shy. The agricultural workers of states like Kansas. Nebraska, New York, Illinois, North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, Mon- tana, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon, are producing yearly from $656 to $1.043 each. Now, I speak, of the agricultural workers, whether it is the man who owns the farm or the man who pays wages. The agricultural workers of Minnesota are producing only $625, Illinois harvests a crop of grain and hay worth $155,000,000, with an expendi- ture of $9,700,000 for labor and the use of $21,000,000 worth of machinery. The oth- er states in the agricultural column do approximately as well; some better. Min-~ nesota expends $13,200,000 for hired labor, and uses machinery worth $22,600,000 to harvest a hay and grain crop worth only $119,000,000. Labor in the United States averages 7.7_per cent of the value of the crop, In Minnesota it is 10.3 per cent, or almost 50 per cent more. Minnesota Cattle. The average value per head of cattle in Minnesota is only $19.37; the average for the United States is $21.77, and the ge for the important agrieultura] ranges from $27 to $24.05. Bulls nnesota have an average value of In the United States the av- rs of bulls is $34.49, and in the leading agricultural states the value runs from $47.32 in Iowa to $38.25 in Illinois, For each agricultural worker within her borders Iowa is marketing live stock and meat products to the value of $328, as against an average of only $81 in Min- nesota. In the other states the figures run from two and one-half times to four times as high as Minnesota's, acre for acre and man for man. The value of live stock for each acre of farm land is $3.39 in Minnesota. In Towa it is $8.06, and from this figure it runs down to $4.85 in the other important agricultural states, With most exceptional advantages for sheep raising, Minnesota has only 594,000 sheep as against Michigan's 2,700,000. In producing values the average in Min- nesota is $22.05 per acre. In the other important agricultural states it averages about $30. In the dairy states, like New York, New Jersey and _ Pennsylvania, with which Minnesota has come to pit herself, the value of production averages over $35 per cow. In Minnesota the average yearly pro- duction of milk for each cow is 403 gal- lons;_in Michigan it is 549 gallons: in the United States it is 424 gallons; this general average including the product of all the low-grade and non-dairying states, The dairy farms of Minnesota produced In the United States was $6.50, per cent greater. In the important agricultural states the produc- tion per acre ran as high as $10.34. And your own neighbor, Mr. Eddy, makes $10 an acre here. and every man who will do the same as he does can make the same revenue. Hay and Forage. In hay and forage Minnesota is pro- ducing at the rate of $4.62 per acre on 3,157,690 acres of her farm area devoted to these crops. The average in the United States is $7.85, or almost twice us great as Minnesota’. The total value of her hay and forage crop is $14,585 Illinois, On practically’ the same area, raises & crop worth over $25,000,000, and Ohio, also on practically the same area, raises a crop worth $20,000,000. Michigan harvests a crop worth $21,000,000, or $7,000,000 greater than Minnesota, on an acreage less by three-quarters of a mil- lion. The strength of these figures lies in the fact that, with equal cultivation, Minnesota has demonstrated her capacity to produce more value per acre in hay and forage than almust any other state in the Union: He told of his own Minnesota stock farm and how year after year he sent cattle to the Chicago fat stock show and won a hatful of gold medals. One steer from his farm competed with 70 head of cattle at Chicago and took seven prizes, including the sweepstakes. Tilinois, he said, took first rank as a wheat state in 1880. In 1900 she had dropped to fourteenth place. Ohio held third place in 1880, producing 10 per cent of the wheat of the country, while now she produces only 7.6 per cent of wheat. She has so thoroughly diversified her crops that she ranks well up in every clas; \ As a result she produces $8.20 to the Ye, as against $4.87 for Minnesotu. ‘The et value of products per acre was $5.83 in Wisconsin for 1900, or about 20 per cent above Minnesota. ‘Wisconsin farmers reduced their wheat average from 1,900,000 in 1880 to 550,000 Acres in 1900, while Minnesota increased hers from 3,300,000 to 6,500,000. Wiscon- sin fell from ninth place In the wheat row, with 5.4 per cent of the whole crop, to twenty-eighth place, with only 1.4 per cent. By intelligent diversification she now manages to extract” $10.41 from every acre of improved land she farms, as against orly $6.95 of improved land in Minnesota. Of the farms in Minneséta 13.3 per cent range in area from 200 to 50 acres. ‘Throughout the United States the aver- uge expended for hired labor on farms of this area is $166 ey, tarm; in _Mignesota it is $240 per farm, or 44.5 per cent ter. : Minnesota ranks only twenty-second among the states in the average produc- tion of milk per cow, with a record of 403 mn: annum. ethe States ahead of her are: Califor- nia, 500 Hons; Connecticut, 545; Dis- trict of Columbia, 680; Tlinois, 454; In- diana, 459; Kentucky, 438; Maine, 474; Maryland, 435; Massachusetts, 572; Mich- igan, 549; New Hampshire, 582; New Jer- sey, 494; Pennsylvania. 516; Rhode Island, 546; Tennessee, £58; Vermont, 526; Washing- ton, 468; West Virginia, 408; and finally, Wisconsin, 473. The average value of dairy cows in the United States, which inoludes all the stock of Texas and the South, is Be , while the average value of the lairy cows of Minnesota is only ae In Illinois the average value is $i in Towa, $32.56; in New York, $32.4: Indiana, $31.84; in Michigan, $30. in Missouri, .72; in North Dakota, $32.50; in Ohio, 22; in Pennsylvania, $30.88; in. South Dakota, $31.04; in Wisconsin, $29.69; in Washington, $38.01, etc. It will be seen from these figures that Minne- Sota holds the lowest rank as to average value in the entire agricultural column. And this fact is traceable, of course, di- rectly to the lack of care that has been exercised in breeding, as reflected in the average value of Minnesota bulls, which is $28.25, as against such average values of $44.77 in South Dakota, $46.10 in North Dakota. $44.29 in Missouri, $38 in Illinois and Indiana, ete. The figures show that the Minnesota farmer gets an average of only $22.05 per -year out of each cow. SE NRE oS ESL A eae eon eta ee REE New York, 515; Ohio, 520; a a at ek a 2A Now. I want you to pay close attention to this because it means everything to you and it means everything to me, who wishes you well. He cited the case of W. A. Brooks of Freeborn, who cleared an average of $58 r cow against the general average of . and A. L. Monen of Bancroft. who had a herd of Shorthorns producing an average of 765 gallons of milk per cow per year, or & gallons above the highest general average in the United States. These results showed what could be ac- complished in Minnesota, In the Wheat Connties. For hired labor the wheat counties of Northern Minnesota show an expenditure of $1.14 for each acre of improved land. against only 75 cents in the southern counties. In live stock.the northern coun- ties show a valuation of only $78.59 per capita and $2.49 an acre, as against $98.11 per capita and $4.40 per acre in the south- ern section, The wheat growers of the Red river valley sold live stock to the value of $6.32 per capita, while the farm- ers in the southern tier realized $27.85 ‘per capita. The total dairy products in the wheat section were valued at $904,987, or an average of $9.04 for each inhabitant. In the southern tier the ‘dairy products Were worth $2.915,069, or an average of $17.54 per capita. The wheat farmers have only 47.795 cows. against 131,190 in the southern tier. The northern cows produced only 384.4 gallons each per an- See pee Ha hie “a Fe nee cow In yielded on .93, a $22.22 in the south. es eaieaa? is He said they might wonder why he urged the raising of wheat when the rail- road would get so much more tonnage in freight if wheat was raised. To this he replied that the railroad would get freight enough any way, and he wanted to see the farmers prosper. Besides if they continued raising wheat without di- versification they would exhaust the soil and have only small crops for the rail- road to carry. The prosperity of the rail- road depended on the prosperity of the people. ¥ . Lower Freight Rates, I want to call your attention to what has been done in twenty-five years in the way of railroad rates on the Great North- ern railway. I want to.show you that greater reductions have been made in the average rate on the Great Northern than have ever been made on any railroad in the United States. In 1881—or twenty- five years ago—our average rate, paid by the people who used’ the railroad, for hauling a ton of freight 100 miles’ was 2.88. For the year ending June 30 last it was 79 cents and 2 mills, less than one- oes: of what it was twenty-five years During that time, if we had made n He rat ad we had collected the rate of -five years ago, we would have collected $677,000,000 more than we did collect. Think of it! The amount is ap- palling. We would have collected more than three times as much as we did col- lect. The average reduction for twenty- five years is $27,000,000,—and that is from the railroad and waréhouse commission's report. These figures are correct. The year closing June 30 at the rate of twenty-five years ago would have give us 000,000 more than we collected. During that time we have had our diyi- dends,—we have not gone without any; we have had our dividends regularly, and I have tried to give you your dividends. I want you to prosper with us. I want you to Tealize that your prosperity {s , an you are poo: with you. F poor we will suffer your great distance from the - mate markets you would pay the highest rates of any people in the Union, and whomever else it might suit, whomever else it might benefit, it will never benefit the people of the West or the Northwest, You would be bearing the burdens of older and more populous states and you would be crushed into the earth. When any. one urges that upon you, ask him the question how he will discriminate in your favor, If there was not discrimina- tion in your favor these prairies would lose their population, Railroad Taxes. Now take our own road. We pay about 000 a year in taxes. or about what we get for hauling 12.000,000 bushels of wheat. That is about what we pay in taxes. Ours is not all profit, remember. After we have paid our men, after we have maintained the road, then the next charge is the tax, jut that tax is not alone upon what is shipped from stations in the State of Minnesota. Every ton that passes through tne state going to a neighboring or, distant state, every ton that passes thfough going to a foreign country, swells the earnings and helps to form the sum upon which the per- centage of taxation is based. Possibly you may feel that you have no interest in the raihoad’s business be- yond the rate that we charge. Now, you jhave, because every dollar of expense that we are at comes out of your pocket in progeny as you use the transporta- tion of the railroad. If there is a loss, a wreck, a personal Injury, or if we get before a jury and those on «the jury feel that they want to be a little generous because the railroad has to pay it, the: simply deceive themselves. ou pay it, We are only the medium through which you pay it. All we want fs fair play. We want just the same measure of justice and the same measure of protection that you want for your property. If we have to pay $1,000 or $5,000 or $10,000 more than we ought to, it is simply charged up to expense,— we have no other account to charge it to; it is part of the cost of running the rail: , and you pay it. Land Is Good. I have seen the time when the compan: was glad to get $5 an acre for the lan ‘Well, they hadn't any business holding land to speculate upon Nt, at even that price; as long as anybody wanted it, bet. ter let them open up a farm. But I su pose that land here is worth $40 or $50, at least will Ue 3 $40 or $50, but let me say to you that if you will get stock and summer fallow and fertilize your land you can get 4 per cent or 5 per cent on $100 an acre in clear profit from every acre you cultivate. If that is the case, your land is worth $100 an acre, and you won't have to live very long before you will find people who are willing to pay you $100 an acre, There is no better land in the entire West or in=the Umon for diversified farming than Minnesota. You can raise every animal that is raised with a profit in any state in the Union, You can make better butter and more of it, if you know how and will follow it up.and have the right kind of cattle. And for the reason that I desire to help every one of you and to-help every man on land in the State of Minnesota, I have undertaken. to call your attention to-day to some things which may not flatter us but at the same time are true. i \Antonson’s threshing machine was burned near Perham, the fire being the work of an incendiary. The new canni ng factory at Chaska is a great success. It turns out about 30,000 cans of corn a day. si John Schwarz has been appointed postmaster of Welcome. There were five candidates for the position. Former Sheriff Fredrich Hecklin died at the home of his son, Hugo Hecklin of Chaska, of heart trouble, agéd 78. Two Northern Pacific freight trains collided in the yards at Perham. An engine and a-caboose were damaged. A. G. Armstrong of Hudson, Wis., has bought the Deuel Hardware com, pany’s stock at Leroy, which was re- cently traded to a land company. Bishop Van Buren of Porto Rico is the guest of Rev. C. C. Rollit of Red Wing. He is in the United States in the interest of his work on the island. Charles McKissic, 27 years old, from Atlantic, Iowa, committed suicide in Morgan by hanging, ‘after having cut himself with a razor. He was a thresh- ing hand. \ Jack Korber, a Finnish miner, em- ployed at the Commodore mine at Two Harbors, was caught in the ship road and was crushed to death. He was a single man. Howard P. Bell of New York has purchased a building lot and will con- struct a two-story business and hotel block at Little Falls. It will be com- pleted by Jan. 1. Judge Williston of Red Wing has filed an order granting Anna Elizabeth Smith a divorce from John C. Smith. She charges desertion. They were married at Oronoco, Minn., in 1872. Mrs, Nels Jenson, wife of a prom- inent farmer living near Swanville, was knocked down and trampled by a runaway horse. Despite all that med- ical aid could do, she died after a few hours. At a meeting of the village council of Winnebago City a franchise was granted to John Sharp, P. J. McGug- gan and R. G. Reynolds to put in a sew- er system at a cost of $5,000. Miss Ruby Gustafson, an employe in the Cokato canning factory, got her head too near the shafting rod, her hair became caught in the machinery, and she was completely scalped. The Pitman hotel at Stillwater has changed management. Mr, and Mrs. James McNavin, who owned and con- ducted it, have gone to New Albany, Ind., to reside. The hotel was pur chased by John P. Halvorson, a ranch owner of South Dakota. The thriving new town 6f Mahnomen has a $5,000 new school building in process of erection. The town boards of Viding, Lee, Kragnes, Morken and Georgetown will hold a joint meeting to discuss drainage plans and to co- operate in their execution. Des Moines men are at Zumbrota, looking over the clay deposits with the view of developing them. Samples stood the test well. Pressed brick and building tile are to be manufactured, as well as pottery of all kinds. A stock company will be incorporated. John Kral, aged about twenty-three, son of John F. Kral, a farmer, was found dead on the railroad right of way about one and one-half miles soyth of Montgomery. He had been run over by a night train while he was on his way home in a state of intoxi- cation. A “wheat extra” freight train, com- posed of Soo line cars, was wrecked one, miles east of Westport. Eleven cars were derailed and thrown into. the ditch. Other cars were piled promis- cuously across the track and com pletely obstructed the road, delaying all traffic over thirty hours. The Fillmore county Agricultural society, which has been in straitened circumstances for several years, is re- joicing over the results of the fair just closed, because it will be able to pay all its premiums, lift its debt, and have | a balance in the treasury. The recent fair was the most successful in years. A peculiar thing happened on the farm of Martin Peterson, near Ren- ville, recently. On Aug. 17 Mr. Peter- son lost a young dog while stacking wheat. While threshing last. week the dog was found alive inside one of the stacks. It had eaten the heads off from four bundles of wheat. The ani- mal was shut up for over four weeks | without water. The will of the late Hiram T. King was admitted to probate at Stillwater. It was a brief one, and leaves all his real and personal property to his’ mother, Mrs. Dorothy 8. King of Still- water. William D. King of Minneapo- lis, a brother, was designated as ad- ministrator. ; The annual fair of the Cass county Agricultural association was held at Sylvian Lake. The premium list was a very liberal one and the exhibits far pe ceri what was expected by. the |, Cana person who has, been hunting a Strings, ship twenty-five ducks by express and on the same train carry fifty with him? Are the ducks that he ships in the posses ion of the railroad company? ‘These are among the interesting ques- tiens that are asked of the state game and #!sh commission. T’ ¢ law requires that a hunter shall nC. haye in his possession more than fitty ducks at one time. Some hunters are 2)t satisfied with fifty, however, and tney want to find out if one bunch of birds: is not in possession of the railroad while being shipped. The at- torney for the commission, however, advises hunters that to be on the safe side they would better not ,take chances, for even if the express ship- ment is technically in the possession of the company during shipment the hunter would have more than the lotted number as soon as he gets h shipment from the depot. The licease permits the hunter to make two shipments of twenty-five birds each and to carry as many as he pleases, provided he never has more than fifty in his possession at one time. ‘Therefore the commission rules that it is perfectly legal for the hunter to ship his full number and carry more if he goes by another train. This cannot be done the same day, though, for then the hunter would have in his possession just before making the shipment more than the legal number. The shipment must be far enough away to permit him to make: his string by shooting not more than fifteen per day. One hunter reported that at one shot he killed seven chickens. If he had had ten. before, would the shooting of the seven be a violation of law? Or if he had fourteen wonld two in the next shot be a violation of the law? The board gives as its advice: “Don't shoot!” but says that if he can prove that it was unintentional to hit more than one bird he will not be held lia- ble. The commission has thus far issued a total of %45 licenses to hunters not residents of the state. To residents of Ramsey county 1,802 licenses have been issued to date, or nearly one for every hundred of population, and it is expected that the number will be greater before the c’f/se of the season. In Hennepin 1,271 have been issued. PAY FOR THE TIMBER. Firms Pay Double. the Value, Less What They Have Paid. Three state timber trespass cases were settled by the state timber board at a meeting in St. Paul. The cases were settled at double the damage as provided by law, minus what the companies had already paid into the treasury. The board has power to set- tle at double values, but the members are uncertain whether they had a right to make any reductions, and therefore the suits were not discussed and will not be until the action of the board is approved by the legislature. The dismissal will be recommended by the board to the legislature. H. F. Brown of Minneapolis had three suits against him, two for alleged trespass and one for a rescale. Set- tlement was made for $4,108. C. A. Smith of Minneapolis agreed to pay a claim of $1,118, and the Nelson-Tenny Lumber Company of Minneapolis agreed to pay a claim of $693, both of these being for alleged violation of the law in cutting timber after the period of the permit had expired. Food Is Better Now. Considerable improvement in the food stuffs sold in Minnesota is shown by tests made during the last few weeks by the state dairy and food de- partment. The list just issued con- tains the names of eighty-one samples examined by the commission, of which only twenty-four were found illegal. In some former lists half or more were found illegal. The campaign against illegal black- berry brandy has evidently borne fruit, for in the list are mentioned more than a dozen brands and only one of them illegal. The other viola- tions include several cases of straw- berry jam, port wine, strawberry pop, lemon extract and preserves colored with coal tar dyes and a few contain- ing glucose or preserved with salicylic acid. Several illegal species are men- tioned, but the violation in most cases is not adulteration, but a failure to state the weight of the contents of the package. White Earth Reds End Council, Wednesday will go down as a red letter day in the history of the White Earth reservation. — After a three-day continuous coun- cil the great majority of the people of the. reservation, together with four- fifths of their chiefs and head men, voted to have their reallotment of land as made by Agent Simon Michelet on April 24 last, and as provided, by the Steenerson land measure, remain un- changed and undisturbed, and to have the balance of the allotments which are yet to be made continued under the same rules and regulations. The people are well pleased at the sale and the impartial manner in which Inspector James M. McLaugh- lin conducted the several hearings. The action of the people completely exonerates Agent Michelet from: cen- sure for unfairness in the matter of reallotment with which efforts had been made to reflect upon his official capacity in*the matter. The three-year-old son of J. F. Ham- ilton of Maple Lake was so badly ‘burned that he died in twelve hours. He was playing with matches, when they ignited, setting fire to his clothes, ‘The father, who quenched the fire, was badly burned about the hands, and he may lose the use of on: ae FATAL WRECK IN ST. PAUL RUNAWAY STOCK TRAIN CRASHES INTO A PASSEN- le GER TRAIN, A ONE KILLED; EIGHT INJURED TWO SLEEPING CARS HURLED OVER AN EIGHTEEN-FOOT EMBANKMENT. AIR BRAKES REFUSE TO WORK RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WRECK NOT YET SETTLED BY THE OFFICIALS, St. Paul, Oct. 3—A runaway Chicago Great Western railway stock train struck a Soo Line passenger train in the yards at a switch between the Fourth and the Sixth street bridges shortly before 10 o'clock yesterday morning, resulting in the death of one woman, the serious injury of eight per- sons and the slight injury of a dozen more. The most hopeful expectations were expressed by the hospital author- ities last evening, and all the victims will recover with the possible excep- tion of E. S. Martin of Minneapolis, who, it is feared, has sustained in- ternal injuries which make it difficult to determine just what his chances are. The loss to the railway compa- nies is estimated at $20,000. Two Cars Thrown. Over. Two of the sleeping cars were picked aut of the center of the train and hurled oyer an eighteen-foot embank- ment into Phalen creek ditch and the front of the third car was crushed in several feet. The enkine of the freight train plowed through the wreck until it reached the same tracks as the coaches remaining from the passenger train, and then sand im the earth. The stock car following the engine was crushed and the stock in it broke for liberty. At the bottom of the embankment twenty persons were imprisoned in the overturned sleeping cars, lying amid broken and splintered wood, unable to aid themselves. The railway employes in the yards turned out at once and be- gan to extricate the passengers, and the police and fire departments were notified. Rescue the Injured. The windows of the coaches were quickly broken and the injured were taken from the wreck as rapidly as possible. Some of the injured, as they were pulled out of the windows and doors of the sleeping cars, were covered with blood from cuts on their heads and faces, and their clothing was torn. Others had escaped with scratches. These were soon gathered and sent to Minneapolis in a special car. Those in the third sleeping car and the dining car, that remained on the tracks, were thrown from their seats and bruised more or less. The two Trains, The Soo train, No. 7, was from Sault Ste. Marie. After unloading the pas- sengers for St. Paul, the train started for Minneapolis, the end of its run. There were thirty-two cars in the stock train. The Chicago Great West- ern got its train at the Northern Pa- cific yards, Mississippi street, and was on the way to South St. Paul. Both trains were on the main line of the Northern Pacific to Minneapolis. The soo train came to a stop at the end of the union depot yards, as re- quired by the regulations, and had started again to climb the grade. The stock train was coming down a grade of 1.8 per cent toward where the track crossed the track the passenger train was on. Brakes Don’t Work. On the way the air brakes refused to work and the engineer found him- self unable to control the train. When he discovered his predicament, he says, he whistled for brakes a long distance before he reached the switch where the collision occurred. The responsibility for the wreck was not settled by the afficials last even- ing. Patrick Maloney, switch tender at the crossing, says he signalled the passenger train to stop when he heard the freight train whistling for brakes, which indicated that the engineer was in trouble, but it is supposed that Engi- neer M. Haney did not see it. Beside, he had got to the frog first and pre- sumed that the stock train would stop according to regulations. The Soo offi- cials state that the passenger train hed the right of way. Chetek, Wis., Oct. 4. — Mrs, J. M. Mair was accidentally shot by some boys shooting at a target in this city. She was in her back yard when the shot was fired, the ball striking her in the back of the head. She is in a pre- carious condition, and her life is des- Jorth N west. TWO CREMATED IN A BARN FIRE. Sleeping Men Lose Lives in Blaze on North Dakota Farm. Jamestown, N. D., Oct. 4—A fright- ful accident occurred on the William Jones farm, lately purchased by Ed Posey, situated ten miles southwest of Courtenay. One of the men work- ing on the pldte had returned from hauling a load of wheat to town. Mr. and Mrs, Posey had waited supper, and while seated at the table about 11 p. m. a fire was discovered in the barn. In the barn loft were sleeping two men, engineer Hambley, who had been runfiing the threshing engine, and another man of the crew whose name was not learned. The fire had gained such headway that nothing could be saved, and the two men were burned to a crisp. Twelve horses, four colts, harness, hay and other property were destroyed. The origin of the fire remains a mystery. BALL PLAYER FATALLY S7 ABBED In Drunken Frenzy Charles Dexter Slashes Bateman. Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 4. — While intoxicated and in a fit of demoniac temper, Charles Dexter, a star catcher of the Des Moines Western league ball team, last evening stabbed First Baseman H. Q. Bateman of the Mil- waukee American association team. Bateman’s condition is very serious and he is not expected to ifve. Dexter, Bateman and several other players of the Des Moines and Milwaukee teams were making the rounds of the city in a hack on what they called a “fare- well” tour. They drank heavily and when the trip ended Dexter and Bate- man quarreled over paying the hack bill. Bateman called Dexter a vile name, whereupon Dexter drew a long knife and slashed Bateman across the bosom, the blade cutting into the lung. Dexter continued to threaten others of his associates when he was arrested. : TRAIN HELD UP BY BANDITS. Express Car Blown to Pieces and Hun- dreds of Shots Fired. Seattle, Wash., Oct. 4. — The east- bound Great Northern passenger train leaving here at 8 o'clock last night was held up by a gang of bandits ten miles out of this city. Hundreds of shots were exchanged between the train crew and the robbers and the express car was blown to pieces by three charges of dynamite. Sheriff Smith is organizing a posse to go to the scene. No word ag to whether any one was killed has been received. TWINE BINDERMAKER DIES. Benjamin Ott, Inventor of the First Such Device, Dies, La Crosse, Wis., Oct. 4.—Benjamin Ott, for fifty years a resident of La Crosse and a pioneer of the State of Wisconsin, died here yesterday at the age of seventy-four years. In 1867 Mr. Ott invented the first twine binder in the United States, which he sold to the Deering and McCormick Harves- ter companies. Part of the invention ig still in use on all machines. SQUAW WAILS AS BRAVE DIES. Slow Eagle Walks Into Pierre and Dies in Street. Pierre, S. D., Oct. 4—Slow Eagle, an Indian from west of the river, who came to Pierre yesterday, accompa- nied by his squaw, just after reaching this side began to spit blood, and the squaw caught him as he fell, holding him in her arms and wailing as his life ebbed away, finally letting him fall into the gutter, where he died in a few minutes. Waging War on Glanders. Winnipeg, Man., Oct. 4. — An epi- demic of glanders is being combatted throughout Manitoba, and many horses suffering with the disease have been destroyed. The disease has not appeared to any marked extent in this city, but its ravages in the country are serious. The government has taken decided measures to stamp it out. One horse belonging to Lieut. Gov. Mackillan was destroyed here last week at the instance of the officials. Death Watch for Rooney. Fargo, N. D., Oct. 4—Advices from Bismarck are that Warden Boucher of the state penitentiary has established a death watch over John Rooney, the condemned murderer. Rooney is to be executed Oct.17. His crime was the murder of Harold Sweet of White Earth, Minn., in Fargo. His case was appealed to both the state and the United States supreme courts, and the death. sentence has been three times imposed. Two Miners Killed. Custer, S. D., Oct. 4. — The dead bodies of Dexter McFadden and J. E. Mathias were discovered when the day shift went on at the Saginaw mine, eight miles west of Custer. The men had been killed in an explosion. Catch Pat Crowe. Butte, Mont., Oct. 4. — The police have just arrested a man whom Chief of Police Mulholland declares is Pat Crowe, the alleged kidnapper of the son of Edward Cudahy, the million- aire packer of Omaha. oe