New Britain Herald Newspaper, May 5, 1914, Page 1

» of his hands until they bled. ¥ ! “Z best friend. HERALD BEST OF A PRICE THREE CENTS. HERALD "ADS" ME BETTER BUSINESS NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, TUESDAY, MAY 5, 1914—TWELVE PAGES. ESTABLISHED 1876, CIVIL WAR VETERAN MURDERED BY SON Chester Duryea Fires Seven Shots Into His Father's Body. TRAGEDY OCCURS ON PORCH Murderer Claims He Had “Spir- itual Message From George Wash- ington”—Victim Was Retired Mil- lionaire Starch Manufacturer. New York, May 5.—In a cell in a Brooklyn police station, Chester Dur- yea, who early today fired seven bullets into the body of his father, Hiram Duryea, millionaire starch manufac- turer and veteran of the Civil War, killing him instantly, talked inco- herently of the events leading up to ‘ the shooting and gave evidence of being stark ‘mad. While he talked he dug his finger nails into the palms He said ‘he shot his father when he received A a “spiritual message from George Washington.” In a saner, calmer tone, he added, “I was the best friend my father had and he was my I loved him dearly. It he were here now he could explain the whole matter. I really don't know why I shot him. “Two days ago my father and I took a long walk and during it I kissed him for the first time in three years. I don’t know why I Kkissed him: May be it was just because I wanted to show my affection. Had Contemplated Suicide. “I had made up my mind before shooting father that as soon as he was dead I would turn the automatic pistol on myself and end my own life. I fully intended doing that while I was firing at my father. After it was over, though, an impulse came over me and I decided not to kill myself. I wish I had carried out my original intention.” Before his arraignment in court Duryea became violent and beat on the doors of his cell with his bare knuckles. A policeman was stationcd outside the door to prevent him from injuring himself seriously. Appears More Rational, When Duryea was arraigned he ap- peared to be more rational. He said he had no attorney but wanted one, so the examination was postponed until Thursday morning. L. G. Duryea, his cousin, said the ~Duryea family had believed for some time that Chester was mentajly unbal- anced and had considered taking steps to place him in a sanitarium or asylum. Chester’s merntal condition, said the cousin, was due to overstudy. For two years, he said, the prisoner had been constantly engaged in the study of a formula by which he believed the process of the manufacture of starch . RS i could be revolutionized. Enacted on Porch. The murder occurred on the porch ut the rear of the Duryea home, where both father and son were in the habit of sleeping. About 1 o’clock this morning Chester Duryea, who is 43 years old, slipped from his cot into . the house where he kept a number of rifles, revolvers and shot guns for hunting purposes. He selected an automatic pistol and a magazine rifle, both of which he loaded, and returned o ths open air porch. -Standing within feet of his sleeping father, he 4 urst» red from the rifle and then emptied the revolver. " For the past few ,days ser- vants told the police he had been acting strangely and they had feared a return of a previous breakdown, In 1909 when he showed signs of mental trouble his father sought to have him removed to Bellevue hospital for ob- servation, but as he was not violent this request was refused. At the outbreak of the Civil War Hiram Duryea organized the Duryea Zouaves and became its folonel. He served throughout the war, retiring at its close with the rank of brigadier general. ° General Duryea’s father was found- Ser’ of the National Starch company end the general succeeded to the pres- idency of the company. The general retired from active business life some time ago. Discouraged by Divorce. Chester Duryea was admitted to practice law and had intended to take up the legal business of the starch company of which his father was the head. Domestic troubles that culmi- nated in his being divorced by his % wife in 1903 discouraged him in this ambition, friends explained. The di- vorce action begun in 1901 is also said to have been the beginning of trouble between Chester and General Duryea, the father taking the side of his daughter-in-law against his son. Mrs Chester Duryea, before her marriage, was Miss Nina Larre Smith, daughter of Frank Waldo Smith of Boston. For some weeks Chester Duryea has spent much time at home and, after the shooting, it was found that he had been engaged in writing. a pile of manuscripts, the result of his work, being taken by the police for examina- ‘s ticn for a possible reason for his act: Although servants sald that there had been no quarrel between General Duryea and his son before they re- tired last night, an overturned table, & broken screen and books scattered about the floor of the sleeping porch led the police to believe that Chester had awakdned his father and that a struggle had ensued before the shots qvere fired. BIG EXPRESS CO. TO MAKE ITS HOME HERE ‘William F. Higgins to Buy Out Greater Part of System Now Operated by Connecticut Company. A big change in the management of the trolley express which has been operated by the Connecticut company throughout the state is said to be due for announcement in a few days in which William F. Higgins a New Britain nian, will take over the greater part of the business. Mr. Higgins has been with the express department of the Connecticut company for the past ten years and understands the business thoroughly. A Herald reporter talked with Mr. Higgins over the telephone at his of- fice in New Haven today, but secured little oryno information. Mr. Hig- gins did not appear surprised at the questions, but said that as far as he knows no change is in view. C. A. Bence, who handles the local end of the express business, has received no orders as to the change in ownership, he says. Those close to Mr. Higgins affirm that he will take over a large part of the business shortly, despite his re- luctance to admit that such is the case. To what extent his venture will go: is not known. It is also said that he intends to conduct a general trucking business as well. According to the Herald’s inform- ant, Mr. Higgins intends to make New Britain his headquarters when - the deal is consummated. He will also make his home in this eity. Mr. Higgins left New Britain a de- cade ago to go with the Connecticut company and is now said to be the brains of the entire express system. He is a brother of John J. Higgins, the real estate baron, and Martin E. Higgins, superintendent of Russell & Erwin’s. WHAT, WHEN AND HOW DO CAPTIVE ALLIGATORS EAT? Railroad Men Have Some and Don’t Know What to Do With Them. Do alligators eat paving stones, hot biscuits, tripe, cream puffs, old shoes, angel cake, railroad ties or frayed typewriter ribbons? And if they do eat any of these, how often are they fed? Information onh this point Wll{ be received gratefully by Walter L. Hal- liday, yard master for the railroad in this city, who has several alligators on his hands and doesn’t know what to feed them or when. The alligators are the property of Bert Swan, who appeared last week at Keeney's theater, and who was stranded when it came time to leave town. It is said that he was walking Broadway nibbling. at his cuffs when P. 8. McMahon, the local theatrical magnate, staked him and paid his ex- penses and those of the alligators to this city, where they were part of the regular bill at Keeney’'s theater, After Swan had paid his bills at the end of the week he found himself on his uppers. He moved his alligators and paraphernalia to an express car and made a bee line for New York, where he hoped to raise funds to move his pets back to Manhattan. He left two assistants here in charge of the reptiles but both of these have deserted, one going to his home in Philadelphia yesterday and the other going on a “toot” and announcing that he was through with Swan and the beasts. This brings the story to the point where Yard Master Halliday is intro- duced to the spotlight. He received a message this morning from Super- intendent Fitzmaurice of the western division telling him to feed the alli- gators. The message contained no hint as to what to feed them or when or whether the feeding process was to be accomplished with a spoon or a i squirt gun. The yard master with an army of trustees went to the tempor- ary home of the alligators, which is in an express car a short distance west of the Main street crossing, de- termined to feed their unwelcome guests at any cost. When they got there they found the alligators locked up in boxes' with heavy padlocks. They were unable to open the boxes and anyway if they did it would have done them no good as they didn't know what kind of food the ’gators would prefer. Someone suggested al- ligator pears and another alligator slippers and traveling bags. Both were immediately ejected from the car. At last reports the beasts were still with- out their meal. PANAMA AND THE TODLS. Emil Larson will read a paper on ‘“Panama and the tolls question” at a meeting of the Men's society to be held Thursday evening at the Swedish Lutheran church. Further arrangements will be made at this time for the grand concert to be given May 21. SHOWER FOR MISS STANLEY. - Miss Flora Humphrey gave a show- er this afternoon to Miss Ruth Stan- ley whose marriage to Harry Bates of Hartford will take place next Sat- urday evening. (ALIBI 1S OUTLINED IN NIXON'S CASE Gity Attorney lerardi and Defenc- | ao’s Counsel Have Many Tilts. EXCITEMENT ENJOYED BY STUDENTS Attorney Fitzgerald Declares He Will | Prove Accused Did Not Commig Al- leged Assault Upon Edward H. Everit. New Haven, Conn, May 5.—Upon resumption of the trial of Stanhope W. Nixon, son of Lewis Nixon of New York city, on the charge of breach of | the peace today, counsel for the de- fense outlined an alibi for the de- fendant. In the course of tilts be- tween the defendant’s counsel and City Attorney lerardi, which were numerous, Mr. Fitzgerald for Nixon declared that he would prove that Nixon did not commit the assault upon Edward H. Everit, chief en-!| gineer of the Southern New England Telephone company, but that “it was committed by #he person nearest to Mr. Everit that night.” Mr. Everit was assaulted over the head about 2:15 a. m., on the night of October 22nd last, while on his way home. The first person to reach him in re- Eponse to his cries for help was ‘Wilbur Jewell, and the testimony of ! the latter as a witness for the prose- cution was attacked yesterday by the defence. The defence put in more evidence today in an attempt to dis- credit Jewell's statement. Football Player Testifies. To establish an alibi W. D. Savage, of Norwalk, Conn., a Yale football player and Cloister man, testified that about 2:12 a. m., on the night of Oc- tober 22 he was awakened and look- ing out on Hillhouse avenue saw i group aof boisterous students. He saw two Cloister men, F. K. Kiernan of Chicago and G. C. Catlin of Wa- terbury, Conn., go out and speak to the group. = A moment later one in the group detached himself and spoke to Kiernan and Catlin who answered “All right.” Savage swore that that indi- vidual was Nixon, the defendant. Nixon, he said, rejoined the group and all went towards the Colony. Sav- age said he looked at his clock and it was then '2:12. He remembered the night in par- ticular as being in training he could not go to the theater and the party which followed, and he looked at the clock to see how much more sleep he was to have, being under orders to sleep a certain period. On cross- examination Savage held to his re- cital. Sharply Cross-Examined. The assault upon Mr. Everit which occurred several blocks away from the Cloister and on Whitney avenue, hap- pened about 2:15. City Attorney Jerardi shdrply questioned Savage which brought protests from Mr., Fitzgerald. The city attorney claimed that Sav- age was a recalcitrant witness, but| the court thought he was a fairly good one. The court room was jammed, so far as space was avail- able with spectators, college boys by the scores coming on the floor on the platform reserved for the general pub- le. Students Are Pleased. The constant objections pro and con between the lawyers pleased the stu- dents immensely and officers con- stantly had to warn them to keep si- lence. The case opened with the intro- duction of an elaborate diagram of | the locality in which the assault upon Everit took place, the lines run by J. Fred Jackson, an engineer, leading from 62 Whitney avenue, in which house Wilbur Jewell had said he had spent the time from midnight till about 2:16 on the night in question. {Jewell had testified that as he left 62 ‘Whitney avenue he heard cries for help, and that he ran up the avenue several blocks until he found Mr. Everit in Bradley street, near the residence of the late Clarence Deming. The diagram showed distances in several directions minutely. “SPEEDY” FORAN WILL DON N. B. UNIFOR] Outfleld to B3 Materially Strengthened By Former North- ampton Player—Other Changes. Tocals® New Britain's outfield is to be | speeded up by the addition of James P., alias “Speedy” Foran, a form Holyoke and Northampton player. Foran hails from Syracuse, N. Y., and is well known in this circuit. He is a very fast man in the outer garden is speedy on the bases and is a hard man to fool while at. bat. Manager Scinski also announced that he will make a shift in his in- fleld combination, bringing Louis Bauer in from center field and giv- ing him a tryout at the keystone sack, formerly occupied by Nasher who was released last night. Anotbor new outfielder will be on hand tomor- row, coming from Pittsfield: These three changes are the only ones con- templated by the management for to- morrow’s contest with New Haven in the latter’s home town. ! The next home game will be on Triday afternoon when the New lon- don aggregation will visit Elcetric tleld for the first game of the scascin. EIGHT KILLED BY MAGAZINE. EXPLOSION Nineteen Others Seriously Injured.— Man and Woman Torn to Pleces in Panama Catastrophe. Panama, May 5.—An explosion this morning at the government of Pana- ma dynamite magazine resulted in the killing of eight persons. Nineteen others were seriously injured. The property was destroyed. The explosion was caused by brush fire, which made its way the interior of the building. Six of the. dead and most of the wounded are firemen, who had been summoned to combat the flames. A man and a woman who were watch- ing the blaze from a distance were literally torn to pieces. The concusSion of the explosion shook Panama. In addition to obliter- ating the magazine the explosion caused considerable property damage in the neighborhood. BOY OF FOURTEEN SHOWS REMARKABLE APTITUDE Cyril Cullen Works in Clay With Crudest of Tools. ‘Working deftly and skillfully at his art modelling, with no other tools than his own slender fingers, a com- mon brass pin, one of his mother’s hair pins and a pen knife, Cyril Crof- ton Cullen, the fourteen-years-old son of Mrs. N. M. Cullen of West Main' street, will, it is prophesied by his instructors, eventually become prom- inent in the artistic world. Although he is but fourteen years old and is very small and frail for his age, Cyril has made many models of famous sculptural masterpieces and only a few weeks ago his model of the Bonheur horse was awarded a $10 gold prize at the Hartford Art school, where the boy.has been studying one evening a week for/the past two sea- sons, Concerning his work the resi- dent art instructor, R. F. Logan, says “he shows remarkable talent and makes a great struggle for self ex- pression.” Mr. Logan takes a great interest in the boy and assists him in his work, When but a small child he showed an aptitude for art work by sitting for hours at a time and cutting fancy animals out of paper. Then he began to copy pictures from books, then to draw from sculpture and finally to model] figures. At the Hartford Art school he has modelled the features of King David's eye and ear, a hand, the faces of Venus and Dante and the Bonheur horse. At home, with the crude tools mentioned before, he has made an excellent likeness of Ben- jamin Franklin's features and also a clever copy of the Laocoon. This lat- ter piece he made and brought to his teacher as a surprise. The boy’s work will be placed on exhibition in the Dickinson Drug company’s window on Main street tomorrow and will later be exhibited at the New Britain Institute. MERIDEN MAN’S CAR SMASHES INTO POLE a to Buick Automobile Badly Damaged By Collision at Noon Hour. Slurring and sliding on the wet pavement and then getting caught in the car tracks as he was trving to negotiate the corner at the junction of Elm and Church streets this noon time Wayne Robinson of Meriden, driving his Buick touring car, license 11378, had a lucky escape from serious injury when his machine crashed into a telephone pole with great violence, practically demolish- ing one side of the car. Robinson es- caped uninjured. He states that his wheels caught in the car tracks and when he essayed to turn out his auto was dashed against the pole. The accident oc- curred at a bad corner and on the slippery permanent pavement. The force with which the machine struck the pole knocked large splinters from the pole and smashed in the right side of the car like an cgg shell. The front wheel was smashed, the rear wheel was entirely broken off, the tonneau was caved in, the wind shield was broken and the fore door was cracked. It will probably cost at least $200 | to repair the damaged machine. STILL AFTER LICENSE, Ex-Councilman James R. Halloran, proprietor of the Hotel Washington, has filed another application for a liquor license at the hotel. The last application was made before May 4 and was in the last license year. The new application is in the present li- cense year. A~ WEATHER. S Hartford, May 5.—Rain this afternoon, clearing tonight. Wednesday fair. OLNEY RESIGNS AS GOVERNOR OF BOARD Former Sccretary of Statc Sends Letter to President Wilson. OTHER MEMBERS ARE SELECTED Coundil Created Under New Currency Law Is Authorized to Fxamine Af- fairs of Each Federal Reserve Bank and Its Subsidiaries. Boston, May 5.—Richard Olney has addressed a ‘letter to President Wil- son formally declining the appointment as governor of the federal reserve board of the new banking system. President Names Board. Washington, May 5.—After four months of waiting while President Wilson carefully sifted hundreds of names, the business and financial world today learned deflnitely that the fol- lowing men had been chosen for the federal reserve board which will put into operation the nation’s new currency system: Richard Olney of - Boston, former secretary of state and attorney-gen- eral of the United States under Pres- ident Cleveland. Paul M. Warburg, of New York, member of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., and lifelong student of foreign banking systems. W. P. G. Harding, president First National bank of Birmingham, Ala., and one of the leading bankers of the south. Harry A. Wheeler, vice-president and director of the Union Trust Co. of Chicago and until recently presi- dent of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Adolph Caspar Miller, profes- sor of finance at the University of Cal- ifornia and now assistant to Secretary Lane of the interior department; a political economist and writer on economics and finance. Ex-Officio Officers. These men, together with W. G. McAdoo, secretary of the: treasury, John .Skelton Williams, comptroller of the currency, who are ex-officio members, have been selected to com- pose the federal reserve board. White House officials declined to say when the nominations would be sent to the senate as they were await- ing today further word from Mr. Olney as to his acceptance. It was feared by persons close to the White House that he would not accept on account of his advanced years.”© Mr. Olney had been chosen for governor of the board and it is not known as yet who would be substituted for him. The four other men, it is stood have all accepted. Original Idea Followed. The personnel follows the president’s original idea of securing two bankers, a business man, an economist and stu- dent of finance, and a lawyer and business man. The declination of Mr. Olney, which it was believed would be formally re- ceived some time today, would mean the selection of another man who had a combined legal and business train- ing. Under the new currency law ap- pointive members of the board are to devote all their time to the board's business. Their salaries are $12,000 a year. The law creating the board provides that none of the members “Shall be an officer or director of any bank, banking institution or trust company.” under- Duties of Board. The board is authorized to examine the affairs of each federal reserve bank and each 'member bank and to re- quire necessary reports. The board must publish weekly statemeuts of the condition of federal banks. It may require the elimination of doubtful or worthless assets from books of federal reserve banks, and it may suspend for statutory violations opera- tions of any federal reserve bank. " A feature of the new currency system is the creation of a federal advisory; council, members of which are ap- pointed by directors of each federal reserve bank. The council is to act in an advisory capacity, drafts and bills of exchange arising out of actual commercial transactions upon the en- dorsement of any of its member banks, with a waiver of demand notice and protest. The board is empowered to determine the character of such “paper” eligible for discount. CHANGES AT CITY HALL. Board of Tealth May Get Public Works Department Hearing Room. A meeting of the City hall commis- sion was held this afternoon at 3 o'clock at which plans were made to give the new board of health quarters. It is the intention of Mayor Quigley to give the board the room now used by the board of public works as a hearing room and to add an adjoining room by erecting a partition across the corridor of the east wing of the city bullding. This latter room will be used as a laboratory and the par- titlon will be mostly of glass. The hearing room of the board of public works will be shifted to the west wing of the city building in the room now used by the board of com- pensation and assessment for its hearings. - | 30th ANNIVERSARY OF LOCAL Y. M, C. A. To Be Held Sunday at South Church. —W. K. Cooper of Washington to Speak, The New Britain Young Men's Christian association will celebrate the thirtieth aniversary of its foun- dation on Sunday evening at the South church at 7:30. It will also be the first anniversary of C. H. Barnes as secretary of the local institution and he will give an interesting ac- count of the year's work. William K. Cooper, of Washington, D. C, will be the principal speaker of the evening. Mr. Cooper is a pub- lic speaker of wide repute and his talk should be of interest to all New Britain citizens, whether members of the association or not. The South church quartet will render selections and ¥, W. Latham, baritone, will give a solo. Rev. H W, Maier, pastor of the First church, will read scripture and prayer will be led by Dr. John Adams of the Trinity M. E. church. Dr. T. Edwin Brown, pastor of the First Baptist church will give, the benediction. A supper will be served at the as- sociation rooms at 6 o'clock and at 7:16 the members will march in a body to the South church. A reunion of all Y. M. C, A. men is to be held during the supper hour and a large at- tendance is looked for. The following committee, of which Secretary C. H. Barnes is chairman has charge of the anniversary: R, H. Gray, Norwich; D. E. Stevens, Essex; T. W. Timbrell, A. F. Eichstaedt, C. H. Fox, F. F. Hanford, B. Loomis, C. ‘W. Stevens, of Berlin, G. E. Root, E. W. Clary, J. M. Burdick, L. H, Tay- lor. A. T. Hancock, H, C. Capen, E. G. Hoffman, Thomas W. Emerson and J. Emerson. CHAIRMAN MEEHAN WILL NOT SUBMIT PEACEABLY Says He Is Candidate for Re- election As Head of Safety Board. It is not unlikely that there will be a strong political fight this eve- ning when the new board of public safety meets to organize. Clerk A. E. Magnell and Mark E. Cashmore are two strong contenders for the position of clerk of the hoard and Joseph R. Andrews has been promi- nently mentionad for the chairman- ship of the board but it is not likely that he will go in on a path of roses, for it is being strongly hinted that Chairman John Meehan will again be a candidate for that position. When Mr. Meehan was chairman it was witn the understand- ing on the part of the republicans that he step out in case the republi- cans won the spring election. Mr. Meehan informed the members of the republican ranks that he would consent to no such plans and would be chairman in name and fact. Asked today if he still was of the same opinion he assured the reporter that he was and would likely again try for the same position and would make definite plans as soon as ne had conferred with E. B. Alling, the other democratic member of the board. Thus it is probable that there will be a contest for the chairmansnip of the board between Mr. Meehan and Mr. An- drews. Coming down to the appointment | of the clerk it would appear that a deadlock is inevitable. Mr. Meehan has come out flatfooted with the as- sertion that he is In favor of Mr. Magnell but none of the other mem- bers will put themselves on record. However, it i a well known fact that Commissioner Healey is boosting Mr. Cashmore. Commissioner Alling re- fused to make a’ statement, saying he would have his say tonight and Mr. Andrews made practically the same answer when interviewed. If, how- the commissioners vote along party lines a deadlock will result, when it is proposed to place the name of Charles W. Irving in nom- ination. ! A rumor has been current all day that Mr. Irving was a candidate but when questioned he said, “I have been asked to be a candidate for the clerk of the safety board and have refused to enter the contest. If there is a deadlock between these two men I will be a candidate but not under any other circumstances.” Ex-Councilman George K. is said to be another candidate clerkship of the board. ever, Elliott for MAYOR WILL ATTEND. Gorge A, Quigley signified s intention of being present at the organization meeting It is N. Humphrey will be tonight of the board of public works, believed that 1. chosen chalrman and Harry Emmett re-elected clerk. It is probable that the board may take a vote declaring the office of city engineer vacant and then elect William H, Hall to the of- fice. It is said that F. H. Oldershaw, who is the hcld-over city engineer, will attend the meeting. NO GAME TODAY, The New Haven-New Britain East- ern association game scheduled for Electric field this afternoon was post- poned on account of rain. elected! Commissioner | ENVOYS ELIMINATE GENERAL CA United States and Huerta Considercd by Mediators. RAILROAD TRACKS EEINGD' Nelson O’Shaughnessy Arrives at Orleans But Refuses to Discuss Situation—Reported American Consul Is Prisoner. ican ‘Washington, May 5.—The text of Mexican mediators’ telegram to G eral Carranza eliminating him’ the mediation proceedings, which came known today, disclosed for first time that the mediators held “All the difficulties which contril toward the present situation in ico bear either directly or on the solution on the pendi flict between Mexico and the U States.” This message from the med! gives the first authoritative from them that they consi whole range of Mexican dificulties, cluding the Huerta-Carranza issue, having a bearing on the contro between the United States and Hu For the first’ time since the pation of Vera Cruz the regular sion of the cabinet today lasted than an hour. After the confet cabinet members said that there practically no discussion of the ican situation and that the time devoted to departmental routine. Text of Note. The text of the note from the lating envoys sent yesterday to C ranza withdrawing the invitation a constitutionalist representative come-to Washington to participate i the mediation was as follows: “We have received your t in which, you are kind enough to us that you deem it inconvenient the constitutionalist cause to su hostilities against General liuerts the ground that such suspension woul only acrue to the benefit of H and in which you declare that international conflict between M and the United States for whose lution you accepted our good o is independent of the intern: in that aountry. Statement Is Inconsistent. ‘“We consider this unexpected ment as inconsistent with the which caused us to offer our offices. We think, indeed, that the difficulties in Mexico bear directly or indirectly oh the solw of the pending conflict between M fco and the United States. Co quently we think that these dl tles should be made the subject consideration in the negotiations whose successful conduct we deemed it indispensable to suspel | hostilities. “Should would be you not deem it so, compelled in that case withdraw as inopportune our invig tion for the appointment of repy sentatives of the constitutionallsty such negotiations. “We beg to assure you of ouf h est consideration.” The foregoing message was unt reply to one from Carranza outlinim his refusal to enter into agreement 1, suspend hostilities against Huerta. second message has been received b the mediators from Carranza, in whic! he specifically asked them to mak definite terms and scope of the aego tiations before he proceeded to ap-| peint representatives. No reply sent to this telogram as the attitude the mediators was embodied in former note, Silliman Ts Prisonor, Alarmed by uncfficial reports tha Acting American Consul John R. Sl man at San Luis Potosl, Mexice, been a prisoner of General Mexican federal commandey, for tw weeks, the state departmént to | sent urgent telegrams of inquiry e | cerning him addressed to the Brazi minister in Mexico City, Consul at Tampico and Coneul Flanna gt Mo terey. Silliman’s regular 't Saltillo, but he was transferred to Luis Potosl in the present eme New Customs Ordecs, Admiral Badger reported to the navy department today the receipt F word from the torpedo boat d } Drayton at Tuxpan, that Te Minister Hacienda there had ord customs officers not to clear or ! any vessels from or to American | This order, it was further had been given to all ports State of Vera Cruz. The Drayton also reported thirteen Americans had been det against their will at Metlaloyucs W the State of Puerbla about sixty mi) from Tuxpan. This informatio) reached the British consul at Tuxpu from American refugees who said th Mexican authorities gave as the reason for holding the Americans, desire to assure their safety, Eritish consul has wiréd the gove of Puerbla requesting their rolease, « Admiral Badger also reports ti h o special in the forming squadron under Admiral Winslow, he He | did not indicate what ships n“ employed for this purpose. Tacoma and the Des Moines, 27, (Coutinued on Eleventh Page.)