The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 5, 1895, Page 1

"VOLUME LXXVI IT.-N : Call 0. 66. SAN FRANCISCO, MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST 5, 1895. PRICE FIVE CENTS. AN HONEST ASSESSMENT DEMANDED The Southern Pacific to Evade Company Again Seeks Taxation. FIGURES WITH A MORAL. For Ten Years Past the Octo- pus Has Cheated the State of Its Dues. THE “CALL" SPEAKS FOR ALL: Wil the State Board of Equalization Obey the Law This Year? to assess the railroad properties e State for purposes of taxation cordance with the duty imposed n them by law. On the 11th of August, 1884, the Hon. D. Delmas, representing the people of the State of California, appeared Fificacy of I\ before that board, and there M. Delmas’ delivered one of the greatest ¢ speeches of his notable ca- reer as a lawyer and orator Board. against a reduction by the board of its assessment of M railroads and 1n favor of an increase there- c The result of that speech is a matter of St istory. So conclusive was its reason- incontrovertible were its facts, so ustrations and so cogent its at the State Board of Equaliza- ening to Mr. Delmas, raised essment upon the railroad lines were Company thirteen million dollars 1e v by added one hundred and fifty 1 dollars to the revenue of the ornia for the vear of 1884. the people has appeared be- : Board of Equalization to vor just assessment of the 1 properties within the State. ch of these eleven years the s held annual session in Sacra- 1to, and every vear as regularly as the d the subtle kil v have been before the board »orate statistics and cun: guments, urging and pleading for on of the assessment of that eor- | poration, and declaring thatthe making of | such reduction would result in the cheerful | payment by the Southern Pacific Company of its taxes for each fiscal year. During nearly every one of these eleven vears the State ard of Equalization has listened to the prayer of the Southern Pacific Com- pafiy and in some form or other has granted its request. The thirteen milliondollars of increase accomplished by Mr. Deimas in 18%4 has dwindled away to less than noth- ing. While the property values of pri- vate taxpayers have during that period constantly and largely increased upon the books of the cot 2ssessors, an inverse has been applied by the State Board alization to the properties of the Pacific Company until its rail- roads' and rolling-stock are now assessed and valued at a less amount per mile than they were twelve years ago. It is high time, therefore, that a cham- pion of the rights of the people of the te of @alifornia should in speak outin convine- The Time| otest against the plea Ripe for Iroad company for Another 1l further dec Cham pion assessment and s of the Peo- once more present beforethe ple. State Board of Equalization the indis-| putable facts and figures showing conclu- | v that railroad properti€s are already | sed ata value far below the propor- | tionate rate of private valuations, and also far below the rate required by law,and that instead of being lowered the valua- tion of railroad properties throughout the | State should be increased to a figure ap- proximating at least the valuation which the corporations put upon their own prop- erty and upon which they have borrowed millions of money and earned millions of income. The State Board of Xgqualization isat present in session and is about to make its assessment of railroad property for the present fiscal year. THE CALL assumes as of right to represent the people of the Btate of California once more before that body and to demonstrate by facts and fig- T , to which the passage of years has given greater potency, that tnf: valuations of the properties of the railroad com- panies should not only not be lowered but should in fact be largely increased. If the members of the State Board of Equaliza- tion would be true to their oaths of office and to the public interests, which have been intrusted to their care,and to the rights of the people, which they are presumed to guard, they will do well to read closely and to consider carefully the | matters which are herein presented before them " before they yield to the seductive prayer of the Southern Pacific Company jor a decrease in its assessment or even re- solve against an increase over the valua- tions of former years. Across the center of this page is placed a table. of statistics which disclosesata glance the ridiculous folly of the claim that railroad valuations for the purpose of taxation are too high and demonstrates beyond contradiction that they are far too low. There is re- yealed the history of the past twelve years of railroad assessments. There is shown in figures, taken from the official reports and sworn statements of the railroad companies, the record of the extent,. cost, value and assessment of the four principal railroad lines cqn!rglled and operated by the Southern Ps_lclfic Company | within the State of California. We call upon the State Board of Equali- zation to examine these statistics closely Figures That < Prove the Folly of the Claim Made by the Rail- roads. luations of the previous year, | ngly de- | Cah_fm:nin to give to this table of authentic statistics their careful study in order that they may know how faithful their public servants are performing their official duties | in the assessment of railroad properties. | \_\ e shall advert to this table trom time to time during the course of this article. In order, however, that its argument may be developed in logical steps, let us first examine the State constitution to de- termine what the duties of the State Board of'Equalization are in the assessment of railroad property. Section 10 of article | XIII of the said constitution reads as fol- | lows: , except as hereinafter in this ed, shall be assessed in the | county, city, city and county, town, township or district in which it is situated in the man- ner preseribed by law. The franchise, road- way, roadbed, rails and rolling-stock of all railroads operated in more than one county in this State shall be assessed by the State Board of Equalization at their actual value, and the same shall be appor- | tioned to the counties, cities and counties cities, towns, townships and districts in which | such railroads are located in proportion to the | number of miles of railway laid in such coun- | ties, cities and counties, towns, townships and | districts. It is thus seen that the duty of the State | Board of Equalization is to assess the prop- nd controiled by the Southern | | four selected railroads for an example. Take the largest of them, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. In, 1883 Charles T. Crocker venified the report of this corporation to the California Railroad Commission, which showed that | the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of | California had 870.74 miles of road in Cali- | ornia, and that its cost of construction was $69,439,853 37, or a trifle less than r$80,000 per mile. In 1894 Charles F. | Crocker again verified the report of the | same railroad company to the Railroad | Commission, showing that in that year the company had 1824.81 miles of track,’and that the cost of the road was $123,945,055 58, or §67,921 94 per mile. In 1894 C. P. Hun- tington, in his elaborate report to the stockholders of the various Southern Pa- citic Railroad properties, gives the same | figures of the cost and valuation of the road. | Are these sworn and reiterated state- | ments of the cost of this railroad tobe | taken seriously and as mean- Assessments | ing anything? Evidentlynot, Made for at least by the State Board of Far Less | Equalization—for witness the Than Val- | following facts: uations. | In 1883, after the officers of the South- | ern Pacific Railrond Company had sworn that their railroad of 870.74 miles in length had cost $69,439,853 37, or 880,- 000 per mile, the State Board of Equali- zation asséssed it for $13,000,000, or | 814,920 82 per mile. | In 1894, although the officials of the corporation swore that theirroad had a | the books of the State Board of Equaliza- citic Company of California. It has 1824.81 miles of road. It has bonds issued ana outstanding to the amount of $47,621,- 500. These are secured by a mortgage upon the road and are worth their par value in the stock market. They repre- sent a debt of a little more than $26,100 a mile. If the usual business rule is applic- able, and this is 60 per cent of the vaiue of the road, then it is worth §43,500 per mile, or $78,379,235 as a whole. It is evi- dent, however, that this method of arriv- ing at values has not found favor in the eyes of past State Boards of Equalization, | as the assessments show: In 1894 the State Board of Equalization assessed the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California at a valuation of $15,800,000, or $9286 a mile. Let us put these figures in large type and see how they look: F SOUTHERN PACIFIC RALROAD COMPANY OF CAL{FORNIA. Miles of Road.. Official Statement 1,824.81 %123,945,055 58 | f | 68,200 00 | 47,721,500 00 Cost, per mile.... Bonds issued upon...... Bonds issued upon, pe: mile... 26,100 00 78,379,235 00 for Value as security bonds, per mile Valuation by State Board of Equaliza- 43,500 00 .« 15,800,000 00 Valuation State Board of tion, per mile 9,286 00 How would these figures appear upon by Eqaliza- tion as an evidence of official zeal and in- tegrity in the assessment of railroad ONE SCORE STRICKEN BY LIGHTNING. the other three railroads comprised in our table show similar resulés, and in each case the railroad is assessed for a sum about three times what the net income of the road is for a single year. A Decreasing Valuation. ‘We shall indufge in one more set of black-letter statistics for the purpose of showing the decreasing valuation which the State Board of Equalization has placed upon railroad property during the past ten years. We select for our example of this decrease the Southern Pacific Rail- road of California, and we invite especial attention to the manner in which the lowering of valuation has been accom- plished, viz.: by leaving the annual valua- tion the same, while the mileage of the railroad has steadily increased. Here are the actual figures, taken from the nnm{al reports of the State Board of Equaliza- tion: SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD OF CALIFORNIA. Miles of road in 1883 870.74 Valuation by board $13,000,000 00 Valuation per mile 14,920 82 Miles of road in 1884 957.02 Valuation by board . 17,000,000 00 Valuation per mile 17,963 47 Miles of road in 1885, 957.02 Valuation by board . $17,000,000 00 Valuation per mile 17,963 47 Miles of road in 1886 957.02 Valuation by board. $17,000,000 00 Valuation per mile... 17,963 14 Miles of road in 1887 1,022.33 Valuation by board . $16,500,000 00 | : 8 | length of 1824.81 miles and had cost | -5 . 5 PTOP- | o luation per mile 16,139 60 | | erties of the railroads at | erties as “their actual value,” as required R 5 s =) ., | 8123,945,055 58, or over $67,000 per | 3 1,022.33 The Plain “THETR ACTUAL VALUE” | 1j1e, the State Board of Equalization ne. | *Y 1277 i';l.'.l.‘:fi:":i“’ 814,000,000 00 Dutyofthe The first issue to be deter- | gessed the Southern Pac Income ns a Test of Value. : - - 18, > B 2 fic Railroad g g Valuation per mile 13,694 20 | State Board mined is, therefore, What is | Company of California for 815,800,000, The third method with which to estimate 9 1,493.77 | of Equali- the “actual value” of the or 88659 permile. | the value of property is by the measure of | ::l;:::m,;":d 1':;::18 .1 815,000,000 00 | zation. railroad properties subject to | There is one railroad now controlled by | its annual earning capacity. | vaantion per mile ""10,041 70 | E assessment by the State|the Southern Pacific Company, of the | Fig ures What income does it yield | Miles of road in 1890 1,522.50 | Board of Equalization? In the ordinary | actual cost of which a more accurate record ! T a kennet to its owner. What| vu,:::.,,‘,,o‘“,:, board .15,000:05(;.00 | course vfzf bu{:u_\css flc‘-lerS !hfrr [nre[ thmei remains than even :13\: sworn reports of | From the amount will t);nelj:come DAy | Valuation per mile. 9,852 21 ways of arriving at the actual value of | its present owners. at is the South Pa- | Report of interest upon? t us apply | ar; £ road in 1891 1,654.87 property. Theseare to be found in the | eific Coast Railroad Company. This ral-| M. Hunt- this test to the properties et Bt w1800,000/00 answers to th following three inquiries: | road was acquired by the “Big Four” in | ington to controlled by the Southern | valuation per mile 9,366 29 -ifir,‘s} hat f{!(ll the Hrope:l'\l cost? Sec- | 1887, and was made up as to its length by | the Stock- Pacific Company and ‘see if | yijes of road in 1892 1,701.40 nd, What will it se for? Third, What the_ consolidation of several short roads holders. perchance the State Board of | valuatton by board %15,800,000 00 will it earn? Let us attempt to apply each | which had been built by other and inde- Equalization may have taken | Valuation per mile. 9,286 47 oS i e R G e S £ et = + i 0 il = Q B ] < Pl : Bhe ga Hos 3 : ' TaE Four Marxy LiNEs oF THE SoUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, fox : §9 do 5;5 -] i . o DA 5 ot |t ! * 3 | 2 128 @ ] 3 | 7 et B SR S 198 S 545 B [ |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. $75,533,410 23| §33,650,000 13,000,000 $14,920 82 1883,/ |South Pacific Coast Railway Company.. 2,742,642 99 2,841,140 500,000 11,037 52 ] |Northern Railway Company. . g 10,901,285 62| 3,964,000 2,000,000 13,477 08 | |Califorma Pacific Railway Company.......... 19,184,531 70| 6,851,000 1,800,000 16,000 00 | ( |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. 79,869,419 25 17,000,000 17,963 47 1884, J |South pacific Coast Railway Company. 2,895,162 87| ... 500,000 11,087 52 Northern Railway Company...... 11, 3.05 2,300,000 15,698 65 | L | California Pacific Railway Company 2 6,85 2,000,000} . 17,777 77 i { |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California 32, 17,000,000/ 17,763 74 | 1885. .4 South Facific Coast Railway Company e Fi2 550,000/ 12,141 27 *] |Northern Railway Company A 3,964,000 2,300,000 15,498 65 | |California Pacific Railway Compan) 3 54 6,850,000 2,000,000 17,777 77 ( | Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California 251~ ~~38,303,000 17,000,000/ 17,763 47 1886.. { | South Pacific Coast. Railway Company. - 500,000 11,087 52 1 | Northern Railway Comwany. ... 3,964,000 2,700,000 18,194 07 | | California Pacific Railway Compa 6,850,000 2,000,000 17.777 77 ( |Southern Pacific Railroad Company o 32,431,500 16,500,000 16,137 60 1ss7..) | South Pacific Coast Railway Company. L.t 0000 1653629 **| |Northern Railway Companyv........... 4,464,000 3,000,000 20,215 63 | | California Pacific Railway Company.. : : 5,850,000 2,500,000 22,222 22 ( |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. . 32,431,500 14,000,000 13,694 20 1888 . | |South Pacific Coast Railway Company. | 5,500,000 1,275,000/ 15,024 00 | |Northern Railway Company........... 11,553,252 00| 4,464.000 2,225,000 14,993 26 California Pacific Railway Company...... 23 00| 6,850,000 2,500,000/ 92,292 22 ( uthern Pacific Railroad Company of California. 114,615,873 62 43,984,500 15,000,000 10,041 70 1889, J | South Pacific Coast Railway Company. 11,500,000 00| 5,500,000 1,275,000 15,024 74 7 fi | Northern Railway Company.. - 24,539,065 00 9,919,000 3,500,000 085 00 | |California Pacific Railway Company : 19,537,072 00 5,830,000 2,500,000 22,222 22 |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. 117,218,872 00 500 15,000,000/ 9,852 21 | 1890 South Pacific Coast Railway Company 11,500,000 00 ,000 1,275,000 15,024 7 | 771 | Northern Railway Company 2 24,580,461 00 000 3,000,000 7,787 15 ! California Pacific Railway Company 19,537,072 00 ,500 2,500,000 22,222 22 ( |Southern Pacific Railroad Company 122,663,359 00 ,000 15,500,000 9,366 29 | 1891, | |South Pacific Coast Railway Company. 11,500,000 00 ,000 1,300,000 12,565 24 | 13914 Northern Railway Company...... 245 .000 3,000,000 7,787 15 { | |California Pacific Railway Company.. .. 3 9 500 2,500,000/ 22,222 22 ( |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. 123,945,055 00 ,500 15,800,000 9,286 47 1892, |South Pacific Coast Railway Company.. 11,500,000 00| 000 1,300,000 13,51913 | |Northern Railway Company............ 000 3,082,000 8,000 00 | | |California Pacific Railway Company e 500 2,000,000 17,777 77 ( | Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. 500 15,800,000 9,286 47 1893, J |South Pacific Coast Railway Company. 000 1,300,000 13,519 13 “99:-7 | Northern Railway Company........ 000 3,082,000 8,000 00 | | California Pacific Railway Company. . 500 2,000,000 7777 71 ( |Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California. Y 3,500 15,800,000 86 47 1504, |Sonth Pacific Coast Railway Company q ) 000 1,300,000 51913 P ] |Northern Railway Company...... 5 500 3,082,000 000 0 | California Pacific Railway Compa 3. 5,500 2‘, ,000 0 > e == e e - — = — - = — T — 7 of these three queries to the railroad prop- | pendent corporations, and which extended | the net income of the several railroads into | Miles of read in 1893 1,824.81 erties. from Alameda to Santa Cruz, a distance | account in fixing their valnation. Valuation by board 15,800,000 00 What Did the Railroad Cost? measured in single track of about 100| For the purpose of this calculation we | ¥ 1uation per mile 8.990°00 It is a well known fact that the secret of | Miles. The annual report of the State|are within reach of a source of information | Miles of road in 1894 1,860.63 the actual cost of construction and equip- | Board of Railroad Commissioners for the | and set of statistics which no member of | Yaluation by board.......815,800,000 00 year 1887 shows by detailed figures that AT L 8,400.02 ment of the railroads built by ‘the “Big Four” railroad magnates of California and now controlled by the Southern Pa- cific Company, has been kept carefully concealed from the public eye.. What it actually cost to construct the Central Pacific railroad to the Nevada State line | probably no one now living knows exactly, | exeept possibly C. P. Huntington, for the | reason that the books of account of the old and odorous “Contract and Finance Company’’ were, in a time of peril, oppor- tunely destroyed. | The truth with reference to the cost of ; the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California and of the other lines whick. are | operated entirely within California is | hardly less accessible. The books of the | Western Development Company and of the | Pacitic Improvement Company are xept i about as closely sealed from public mnspec- { tion as possible. We must therefore ac- | cept the siatement of the corporations | themselves as to the cost of their railroad | lines. In the table which occupies the center of this page we have given a statement of the cost of the four principal Figures Show- railroads controlled and op- ing the Cost, erated by the Southern Pa- Furnished cific Company in California. by the Rail- We bave omitted from this road Com- table the Central Pacific Rail- panies. road, because it passes be- yond the boundary of the State, and also because of the difficulty of arriving at the value, cost and earning capacity of that portion of it which is within the State of California. But look at the other four roads and at their cost as set forth in the table. The figures there shown are not drawn from uncertain sources nor based upon the wild estimates of anti-railroad cranks. ‘They are the figures furnished by the rail- road companies themselves. They are the estimates of cost furnished year after year to the State Board of Railroad Commis- sioners and to the Interstate Commerce Commission and to the stockholders and bondholders of the railroads by C. P. Hunt- ington. It is true that these figures ‘were not furnished for purposes of taxation, but before they proceed to make their assess- ment of railroad properties for the present year. We ask the people of the State of they are all the more valuable for that rea- son. Choose from the table any one of the the actual cost of construction of these several lines aggregated 2 little over $4,000,000. In 1837 James G. Fair sold these railroad properties to the owners of the Southern Pacific Company for $5,500,- 000 in the bonds of the road, the payment of the principal and interest of which was guaranteed by the Southern Pacific Com- pany. These bonds.are now a portion of the Fair estate and are worth their par value. From these figures it appears that the South Pacific Coast Railroad actually cost to construct it in round numbers $4,000,- 000, or §40,000 a mile. Itcost the magnates of the Southern Pacific Company $5,500,- 000 in 4 per cent bonds, which are worth their full par value to-day, and which represent a value of $55,000 a mile. Not- withstanding these facts the State Board of Equalization assessed the proprietors of the South Pacific Coast Railroad Company for the year 1894 at $1,300,000, or $13,519 a mile, and this year, only last Wednesday, the attorney and agent of the Southern Pacific Company had the infinite assur- ance to appear before the State Board of Equalization and ask that this assessment be reduced to $8000 a mile, which would be about one-seventh of what this railroad cost the Southern Pacific Company only eight yearsago. Another Gauge of Value. In view of the fact that the State Boards of Equalization of the past have not been much affected by What the Rail- the cost of construction of roads Could a railroad in determining Be Sold or 1ts assessable value, let us Mortgaged try the second method of For. arriving at such value. In ordinary commercial affairs a thing is usually considered worth what it will sell for; or, if it is not for sale, then its value may be determined by the amount of money which can be borrowed upon it. The business rule is that the mortgage upon a piece of property repre- sents not to cxceed 60 per cent of its value. Letus apply this rule of arriving at values to the railroads of the State of California, whose value the State Board of Equalization determine and assess. Look to the table again. Take the Southern Pa- the Southern Pacific Company will under- take to call in guestion. We refer to the report of the president of the Southern Pa- cific Company to ifs stockholders for the year 1894. 1t is, in fact, one of the few au- thentic sources for finding out what the leased lines of this great corporation do annually earn for it in net income from the travel and traffic of the people of Cali- fornia. Let us turn to this report and see what each of the four railroads embraced in our table netted in income for the year 1894. On page 70 of said report the whole subject is tabulated with the following re- sult: SOUTHERN PACIFIC OF CALIFORNIA. Net income for 1894 3,343,893 94 Net income per mile 1,832 40 SOUTH PACIFIC COAST RAILWAY. Net income for 1894.. $255,701 18 Net income per mile 2,550 00 NORTHERN RAILWAY. Net income for 1894. .$780,530 21 Net income per mile. . . 2,000 00 CALIFORNIA PACIFIC RATLWAY. Net income for 1894.. 588,083 19 Net income per mile. 5,184 00 ‘What do these respective incomes teach usasto the value of the railroad proper- ties from which they flow? Upon what principle do they show an earning of in- terest at ordinary rates? Let uscompute it in order to see whether or not the State Board of Equalization has ever done so. Take the Southern Pacific Railroad of California. Its net income is $3,343,893 94. That is 10 per cent interest on $33,438,- 93940, Itis5 per cent interest on twice that amount, or $66,877,878 80. Bearing in mind that the year 1894, by reason of the occurrence of the great strike and also of the general depression in business, was not a year for incomes, is it not fair to conclude that these figures show a fair valuation of the Southern Pacific Railroad of California? Did the State Board of Equalization adopt this method of making its estimate > of its value for pnrposes of ‘Assessed_ for taxation? Evidently not, for _ Less Than it assessed the said rhilroad One- fourth for that year at $15,800,000, or 2 M c- less than one-fourth of the B - ed valuation upon which it pays Valuation. ‘a net income of 5 per cent. A computatian of the value of The only possible excuse for this plain and open treason to the duties of their office whick. the State Board of Equalization could offer Mr. Hunting- would be the showing that ton’s Esti- railroad properties in the mate of the State of California had, in Valueof His fact, depreciated in value dur- Own Prop- ing the past ten years. It erty. happens, however, that C. P. Huntington himself has closed the mouths of the board and of every one else against the utterance of such an untruth. In the last report of the president of the Southern Pacific Company to its stockholders, and incidentally to its foreign bondholders, he uses the following language on page 32 thereof in convincing explanation of the increasing value of the company’s rail- roads: The company has three roads running through this great valley, although there are now less than 400,000 people in the whole val- ley, which has a productive area sufficient for the supportof a popuiation of ten millions of people. The company’s lines traverse also the great Santa Clara Valley, from San Francisco to Hollister, and also from Gilroy down through the PajaroValley and then up the Salinas River to San Luis Obispo. From San Francisco run- ning northwardly through Rogue River and Umpqua valleys, which are very fertile thougn not large valleys, thence to Portland, Or., through the great Willamette Valley, where the company has four lines of road serving the territory. This valley is about the size of Belgium, con- taining about 10,000 square miles of excellent soil, with abundance of water to insure *good crops. The population, however, is not suffi- cient in number to cultivate the valley, which will support twenty-five times its present popu- lation. From the remerks under operating ex- penses it will be seen that the properties are in excellent physical condition and that the company has not ceased making expenditures for improving them and adding to their facili- ties. Although a considerable ‘reduction was made in the operating expenses they were not made to the detriment of the properties, but resulted largely from expenditures for better- ments in former years. € .. Inview of all these facts and figures in the flood light of information which T CaLw in this article casts upon the condi- tion, value, income and past assessments of the railroad properties of the Southern At the Close of Benediction in Church a Bolt Came. Pacific Company, can it be possible that the present State Board of Equalization will travel in the slimy footsteps of its pre- decessors and continue to assess railroads at figures which bear no reasonable ap- proximation to their actual values, and thus rob the State and every taxpayer within of that proportion of its taxes which the great railrond corporation ought to pay, but which it never has paid into the treasury of the State of California? The State Board of Bqualization is in session to-day. What response will it make to this array of truth with respect to railroad valuations and the assessment for the present fiscal year thereon? FOUND DEAD IN DENVER. Termination of the Caveer of an Actress Under Strange Cireumstances. DENVER, Coro., Aug. 4.—Mrs. Carrie E. Pomeroy. at one time a prominent actress in San Franciscoand other Western cities, was found dead in bed here to-day at her room at 1416 Thirteenth street. She had acted strangely for the past weexk, and when called to-day failed to respond. Her room was broken into and found to have been securely barricaded with furniture. Her desth is supposed to have resulted from heart disease, although the Coroner is making an investigation. Found in her room were hundreds of dollars’ worth of jewelry and fine costumes. Mrs. Pomeroy, or Carrie Lipsis, as was her stage name, was decidedly handsome and about 45 years of age. She was mar- ried to Seldon Richards in Carson City, Nev., in 1882, but was divorced in this city. Her remains are at the mergue. WITH HIS OWN PETARD. Terrible Death of an Anarchist Who Shot a Mining Superintendent. After Firing a Revolver He Pro- duced a Bomb, Which Ex- ploded Prematurely. PARIS, France, Aug. 4.—News has been received here of a dastardly attempt to murder M. Vuillemin, the managing direc- tor of the coal mines at Anche, eight miles from Douai, in the department of Nord. A monster banquet had been pre- pared for the celebratior to-day of the completion of the fiftieth ycar of M. Vuillemin’s connection with the mines. After mass had been celebrated. this morning M. Vuillemin, surrounded by a party. of engineers and shipownets, was standing under. the church porch, when an anarchist miner named Camille Decoux, who had been dismissed from the service of the company after the strike of 1893, approachea and fired five shots from a revolver at him. Three of the bullets took effect, one striking M. Vuillemin in the cheek, another in the hand and an- other in the back, inflicting serious but not dangerous wounds. After emptying his revolver Decoux 'was preparing to throw a bomb, which he had concealed about his person, when by some means the infernal machine ex- ploded prematurely, disemboweling the would-be murderer and hurling his writhing body a distance of seven feet from where he had been standing. Several by- standers were slightly injured by the ex- plosion. Decoux was carried to the Mayor- alty house, but died immediately after his arrival there. The attempt upon M. Vuillemin’s life has created intense ex- citement throughout the district. After the bombj exploded De Coux’s father, who was among those gathered about the entrance.of the church, became greatly excited and rushed to the spot where his son lay and began to kick him, all the time screaming, ‘‘canaille,” “as- sassin,” and the combined efforts of sev- eral witnesses of the assault were necessary to restrain him. The force of the explosion threw down several of the bystanders, but only four persons were injured. All of the windows of an inn in the vicinity were shattered. De Coux was 26 years old and unmarried, and had recently been working at Wae- siers, a short distance from Aniche. M. Vuillemin was removed to his home in a carriage immediately after his wounds had been dressed and is now making favorable progress toward recovery. RAVAGES OF SMALLPO. Twenty-Four New Cases Have Been Reported at Eagle Pass, Tex. Dr. Magruder of the Federal Marine Service to Assist In Rellef Work. EAGLE PASS, Tex., Aug.4.—Dr. Evans reports twenty-four new cases of smallpox Friday and one death yesterday, making fifty-two cases and two deaths. George W. Eli, passenger agent of the Southern Pacific, arrived Friday with in- structions to secure employment for the colonists among the plantations and look after their transportation to points where work is offered. Dr. Magruder of the Federal marine service, has arrived from Galveston, and will assist the State in car- ing for the health and isolation of the negroes. > —e . Riot in- Riverside Park. WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 4—A riot occurred at Riverside Park, near Mount Vernon, this afternoon, and asa result Roy Beach and a man named Evans are under a doctor's care at Alexandria, with little hopes for their lives. Thomas Brown, Thoinas Downey and three sons and two brothers by the name of Evans were also badly punished, but they managed to pro- cure a boat and set sail for this city. No arrests have yet been made. The trouble was the outgrowth of a long-standing quar- rel between the Downeys and the Browns. The fight created a panic among the peo- ple wlfo ‘were in the park. THE BUILDING WRECKED. From the Cellar the Bolt Emerged and Wrought Great Havoc. SEVERAL FATALLY INJURED, Amid the Tumult of Screaming Women and Children the Horses Were Stampeded Outside. FLEMINGTON, N. J., Aug. 4.—The words of a fervent benediction had scarcely left the lips of Rev. Mr. Bowman, in the Methodist church at Quakertown, seven miles above here, to-day when there came a blinding flash of lightning and a terrific burst of thunder that all but wrecked the little building. The bolt entered the church and injured a score of people, sev- eral of them probably fatally. The list of those most seriously injured follows: James Hoff, Minnie Grace, Miss K. Hoff- man, Asa Bannon, the sexton; Mrs. Bow- man, wife of the pastor. The bolt seemed to enter the edifice by the basement, shooting up through the floor and bursting with the force of a huge cannon. Members of the congregation who had started to leave or were standing in groups conversing with each other, were thrown into a wild vanic, while at least twenty of them received injuries more or less severe. Amid the tumult of screaming women and crying children and the groans of the injured, there was a stampede of frightened horses under the shed outside. A number of them broke their tethers and ran away, wrecking the carriages to which they were attached and dashing down sections of fencing. Pastor Bowman and scores of willing hands were soon at work among the stricken ones. A number were uncon- scious, and it was thought at first that they had been killed outright. They were laid upon the pew cushions. The parsonage which adjoins the church was converted intoa hospital. Drs. Snyder of Quaker- town and Grace of Clinton quickly re- sponded to calls upon them to attend the sufferers. All the clothing was torn from Sexton Bannon, while his shoes looked as though they had been run through the corn-sheller, being literally cut to pieces. He is suffer- ing from the shock, and can hardly re- caver. The bolt struck through the floor right at the feet of Minme Grace, and she was thrown down with great violence. Her watchguard was melted, and the {imepiece looks as though it had gone through a furnace. It stopped at 12:I record of the time of the cruel visitant. Miss Grace’s life is despaired of. Mrs. Bowman, who stood near Miss Grace, was also thrown down by the awful explosion. Her hat was torn from her head and a steel ripped clean out of her corset. She is still unconscious from the shock. James Hoff got the full force of the giant electric shock and he lies in a semi- conscious condition. An examination of the building after the excitement had subsided somewhat, showed that the bolt had struck an outer wall, ran down to the basement, sixty feet along the joists;and shot up through the floor like a huge bullet. The large bell tower was loosened from its hangings and only a slender strip of scantling kept it from crashing upon the heads of the scores of people at the doorway. Prof. Webster Dead. NEW YORK, N. Y., Aug. 4.—Prof. Warren T. Webster, long connected with the Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn and one of the best known educators in the country died on Saturday at his home in that city in his sixty-fifth year. He was a second cousin of Daniel Webster. For Pacific Coast Telegrams sce Pages 4 and 5. In a State of Bankruptcy —is the condition of our system if the liver becomes inactive so that the germs and poisons can accu- mulate within the body. Keep the liver and bowels active and we're in a condition of 2% healthy prosper- ity and have suffi- ciently well in- : vested capital to draw upon in the hour of need. The liver filters out the poisonous germs which enter the system. Just so surely as the liver regulates the system, so do Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets regulate the liver. Keep this in mind, and you solve the problem of good healith and good living. The ‘‘ Pleasant Pellets ”’ have a tonic, strengthening effect upon the lin- ing membranes of the stomach and bow- els, which effectually cures Biliousness, * Sick Headache, Costiveness, or Consti- ation, Indigettion, Loss of Appetite, ad Taste in Mouth, Sour Risings from Stomach, and will often cure Dyspepsia. The ‘‘Pellets” are tiny, because the vegetable extracts are refined and con- centrated. Easy in action, no griping as with old-fashioned pills. As a ‘“‘dinner pill,” to promote digestion, take one each day after dinner. To relieve the distress arising from over-eating, not ing equals one of these little ‘‘ Pellets, Mrs. MELISSA ATWATER, of Steuben, Washe %knl Co.. out them in the house. I have s F oken ve :]y highly to friends and of many are_tak- i them ad- wvertisi T il say th are the best pi I can take, es- e for ad MRS. ATWATER. lfler-dzmer pill, I think they have no equal’?