The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 18, 1895, Page 14

14 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1895. SUICIDE OF A J. LEWIS Tragic Ending of the Head of a Well-Known Jewelry “Firm. WAS SICK AND DESPONDENT. His Unexpected Death Is a Terrible Blow to His Wife and a Host of Friends. Albert J. Lewis, senior member of the firm of Shreve & Co., committed suicide at his residence, 2123 Sacramento street, at 4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The principal weapon employed was a small penknife, though there was found lying near the body a.carving-knife and fork. The relatives of Mr. Lewis, as well as the attending physician, Dr. W. F. McNautt, assign temporary insanity, due to nervous prostration, as the ise of the rash act. While he had been acting queerly for some | weeks past, and quite frequently com- plained of severe headaches, the family thought it was only a passing trouble, that | would regulate itself when health was restored. A few minutes after 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon Mr. Lewis excused himself from the dinner ta stating that he desired to take a bath. Half an hour later it was no- ticed that the water was still running into the bathtub, and this fact caused the fam- ily some slight alarm. Mrs. Lewis called | to her husband and then attempted to open the door leading into the bathroom, The door was locked and bolted from the inside, and when finally an entrance was effected an awful sight met the gaze of mother, son and d: ter. | Stretched on the floor lay the body of Mr. Lewis surrounded by a pool of blood, while the right hand of the suicide still clasped a small penknife, proving it the yrincipal weapon employed. Near the {unl_\' lay a carving-knife and fork that had been taken from the very table where he had so recently dined. Dr. McNutt was immediately called, but a glance sufficed | to show that life was extinct. | Tke unfortunate ending of Mr. Lewis’ life was reported to the Coroner’s office by George R. Shreve, secretary of the firm, at 5:45 P. M., and Deputy Coroners Tyrrell and McInnis immediately went to the res dence. The surprising intelligence had b communicated to Mr. Shreve’s home, 2 Steiner street, immediately upon the dis- covery of Mr. Lewis in the bathroom. Cor- oner Hawkins also went and made an ex- amination.of the body. Mr. Lewis had inflicted seven wounds on his person altogether, while sitting with body bare to the waist before the looki: 1 and the horrible instruments he had n for self-destruction lay on the floor de his lifeless body when found. These | means he had used consisted of a Jladed, sharp-pointed and white 3 led carving knife, a two- pronged fork, belonging to it, and a small pearl-handled pocket knife, all of which were blood-stained. The blade of the carv- ing-knife—of almost a corn-knife shape— was eight inches long and the prongs of | the fork a little less than four inchesin | length. s From Dr. Hawkins’ examination it was | found that four of the wounds were in the | | | breast, in the region of the neart. They looked as if they had all been done by the carving-knife. Two venetrated the heart and two were superficial, one stab having | been stopped by the breastBone and the | other by a rib. The other three of the seven wounds were gasties in his neck and | y ; = - | pat a big padlotk on Beckwith Pass. were all .\u)rerficiul. The left carotid artery was slightly cut, evidently with a small pocket-knife, and there was an opening in the thyroid cartilage, known as dam’s apple,” with another one aboui an inch be- low it. It is probable that all the wounds in the neck had been made with the pocket-knife, and that Mr. Lewis first tried to kill him- self in that manner. iling in that or becoming impatient, he plunged the carving-knife into his breast, finally send- ing it twiceinto hisheart. The two knives | and the fork were all in a pool of blood. There was no puncture to indicate that he had used the fork at all. Dr. W. F. McNutt has been Mr. Lewis’ family physician for nearly twenty years, and is probably in a better position than any one else to explain the causes which led to the suicide. “Mr. Lewis has not been well for some | months,” he said yesterday, ‘‘due to over- work. About a week ago he came to me at the solicitation of his family, ana I | found he was suffering from nervous pros- tration. He was very despondent and complained of pains in the bead. I did not feel exactly right about his condition | and so called in Dr. Powers, the oculist. “His report convinced me that there was some brain trouble, and that what Mr. Lewis most needed was perfect rest. Ialso had Dr. Robinson of Livermore see Mr. Lewis, and two days ago gained his con- sent to spend a few weeks at the doctor’s sanitarium in Livermore. Naturally, 1 am surprised st the suicide, but when his phy- sical condition is considered, the act is easily understood. Mr. Lewis was born in Norwich, Conn., September 27. 1849. He came to San Fran- cisco when a youth of 20, and fortunately fell into the hands of George W. Bonney, the capitalist, of the firm of Shreve & Co. He took a liking to the capable voung clerk, and this intiuence in Mr. Lewis’ favor | did not stop until he was promoted to the | presidency of the firm. George R. Shreve stated that Mr. Lewis had been ill for_ more than a year. “The tragic death of Mr. Lewis,” he said, “was a shocking surprise to all of us. While we all knew that he was a very sick man, no one had the least idea that his illness would take such a turn and unbalance his mind. He was surely insane when he took | his life. \A" year or more ago Mr. Lewis began to complain of his stomach, and he gradually grew worse. His nervous sys- tem was shattered, and at times he was in- clined to be irritable and small things annoyed him. “Some time before that he was troubled with insomnia, and after he went to his home he was still unable to sleep. The doctor said that this could not last forever and that the want of sleep frequently drives people insane. He hoped to con- quer Mr. Lewis’ insomnia before it should reach this stage. “None of us saw anything in Mr. Lewis that caused us to suspect that his mind was giving away under the strain, and the manner of his taking off shows that his mind must have given away all at once. “No, there were no_business troubles that could have caused Mr. Lewis to end his life. The business is in the best con- dition and nothing about its management could have caused Mr. Lewis the least trouble. He has been connected with the firm for twenty-five years, and for some time vpast has been the president of the corporation. He had a large interest in the business.” A leading banker of this City, who is as intimately acquainted with the affairs of | A Famous Bit of Road That’s Worth | likely feel feline claws before his engage- | eral local enthusiasts, might yet be made | men has had to show for about $50,000 Shreve & Co.’s institution as any man out- side of the firm, said last night that finan- cial distress was not the cause of the suicide. He said: “I know that the firm is soun and solvent. It is worth a half million dollars, and I would have no hesitation in lending $100,000 on its credit. I do not want my name used for various reasons, but TrE CaLL can say for a fact that there is no truth i any rumor of financial embarrassment.” ARRESTED BY A WOMAN. | How a Burly Beggar Disposed of Mrs. Hooper’s Two Parcels. James Benson, a burly beggar, called at the resigence of Officer W. T. Hooper of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, on Lyon street, last night, and rang the bell. Mrs. Hooper opened the doorand Benson asked her for some money. He was refused, but given food and a pair of boots, which he threw over a fence as soon as the lady’s back was turned. Mrs. Hooper was angry after the kind |- way she had treated him, and urged her and to go and arrest him. o, said he, laughingly; “it's your and you had better arrest him your- self. She again urged him, but he simply joked at her. Finally she put on her hat and went after Benson. She caught "Y to him after he had gone about a couple of blocks from her house, and placing her hand on his shoulder, said: ‘“Here, I want you to come back with me.” He refused, but she insisted, and he re- turned with her. She made him sit inthe hallway till her husband went to the patrol box and rang for the wagon from the North End station. Benson was taken to the station and bocked on the charge of begging. A PADLICK OF PIS Mr. Huntington May Soon Own the Sierra Valley and Mohawk Road. Money Although It Run No Trains. If auguries do not fail Mr. Bowen, the San Francisco merchant, will never become a railroad millionaire by means of the Sierra Vailey and Mohawk Railroad. That’s the road that breaks into the | famous Beckwith pass, up in Plumas County. It begins at Chat—which means cat—and wise folks s: Mr. Bowen will ment as a railroader is over. That little road, built years ago by sev- a paying property if it could be made to start from somewhere and go elsewhere. Just now it don’t. And although Mr. Bowen and the present co-owners are | making a bluff at extending the track down into the town of Beckwith and are | talking serenely of future extensions, peo- | ple who ought to know say such things will never come to pass. There are several geutlemen in San Francisco who know more than they wish they did abou® that little mountain road, and they are keeping close watch on pres- ent developments. All that one of these dropped into the road twenty years ago is | 10,000 ties that he has kept stacked up alongside the track ever since. “One thing I krow,” said one of these men yesterday, ‘“and that is that Mr. Huntington has the present owners of thatroad just where he wants them. He has advanced them money, and he now has a legal lien on the property. Inother words, he’'s got the cinch on these ama- teur railroaders, and he's 1n a fair way to These are facts that the railroad will sub- stantiate. G “What does Mr. Huntington want of Beckwith Pass? Bless you, he needs it simply to keep any other overland road from using it. I've no idea that the Southern Pacific wiil ever build through Beckwith Pass, but the approaches are such up that rugged middle fork of the Feather River that the owner of the little narrow-gauge Mohawk road has practical control of the situation, and that's what Mr. Huntington has at present.” The San Joaquin Valley Railroad direc- tors held their weekly meeting yesterday afternoon, disposing of a lot of routine business. There was none of it of special | moment to the outside public beyond the | general fact that all reports presented showed steady progress and a bright out- look. Engineer Storey gave the facts and fig- ures of the work at the front, in gradmfi and track-laying south from Stockton, an I. R. Wilbur, the right-of-way agent, told of the success of his mission to secure rights of way all the way down the valley. Mr. Wilbur has met with some opposition, but he has worked his field with consider- able patience, and has now practically a clear way so far as Fresno. Messrs. Fillmore, Huntington and Good- man spent last Sunday ‘‘at the front” of railway construction south of San Luis Obispo. The present operating terminus is Guadalupe, fifteen miles south of San Luis, but a track is constructed three miles beyond. They were delighted with tne looks of things, especially with the smooth track south of San Luis. Before another summer the entire coast line will be in operation. The heaviest grade then be- tween here and Los Angeles will be be- tween Santa Margarita and San Luis, where it averages about 116 feet to the mile, but that is like a billiard-table in contrast to Tehachapi or Siskiyou. RECEPTION BY COMPANY B. Dancing and Feasting Were the Fea- tures of the Evening. The “City Guard’' of Company B, First Regiment Infantry, N. G. C., gavea recep- tion Monday night at theirarmory on Mar- ket street, near Tenth. The hall and din- ing-room were decorated with ferns, palms and Japanese lanterns. The earlier part of the evening was passed with an excel- lent proErum_me, composed of the best talent. ancing and refreshments were the order at 10 o’clock and both were par- ticipated in by the guests. Among those present may be mentioned : Miss Nellie Giusti, Miss Jennie Jehn, Miss Annie Gibson, Frank Kellogg, Frank Ccflin, Dan Ward, ,Charles Parent, Gcorge A. Rice, Captain Filmer, Lieutenant Sturdivant, Lieu- tenant Ramm, Colonel W. P, Sullivan, Major Charles Jansen, Mrs. Filmer, H, Taylor, W. N, Kelly, A. McCulloch, H. B. Sullivan, Lew Townsend, George Nutting, William Owens, J. Gilkinson, Philip Bannan, E. L, Cordell, H. French, Mrs. E. Calwaid, Mr. and Mrs. W. V. Bryan, Miss Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. 8. P, Stone, W. E. Stanford, Lieutenant Robinson, J. Han- cock. Mr. and Mrs. A. de Bonnet, Manuel Stone, H. Mansfie.d and Charles D. Steiger. | officers will have a say in the management ————————— Republicans Organize. The Republicans of the Thirty-fourth As- sembly District met to organize last evening at the corner of Eighteenth and Valencia streets. Thirty-seven members signed the roll. John F. Conway presided. James W. Bonney acted as secretary. The club was addressed by J.J. Welton, J. F. Frohnerath and other Republi- cans of the district. Highest of all in Leavening Power.— Latest U. S. Gov’t Report RS Baking | Qm Powder ABSOLUTELY PURE OLYMPIC CLUB DISPUTE Cyclers Who Are Dissatisfied and Will Form a New Organization. OBJECTED TO THE BOSSES. Sixty Members Have Seceded. Boxing Matches Arranged by the Superintendent. The big dispute in the Olympic Club cycling annex -has come and sixty mem- bers have seceded to form a new organiza- tion of their own, which will be known as the Olympic Club Cyclers. The reason for the departure of several of the most prominent wheelmen from the Olympic Club wheeling annex is because of a desire of one or two of the leaders to run the wheeling affairs of the club as they pleased. The general body of wheelmen objected to this system of government, so to speak, and a few evenings ago the gruntled ones held a private meeting, with | the result that the number of members mentioned signed an agreement to retire from the annex and become members of the proposed new ciub. Among those who are strongly in favor of the formation of the new club are: F. R, Butz, J. Cooney, L. Conkling, Joseph F. Coffey, R. L. Long, I. Blake, Dr. Pinching, W. H. Simpson, Howard Vernon Jr., Judge Kerrigan, C. F. Morrell, Robert Long, T. Mulvey and J. ‘W. Coffroth. The latter gentleman said yesterday that it was about time that a club was organ- ized that would kees; its eyes open to the interest of the wheelmen. “The Olympic Club should certainly have in its ranks the leading wheeling or- gayization of the State,” said Mr. Coffroth. *‘With the facilities at hand for training and comfort for the members there can be no reason assigned for the poor showing the club has made occasionally in race meetings. I have no hesitation in saying that the formation of a new club will stir up the flagging interest in Olympic wheel- ing and that the members as well as the of affairs. “‘However, a meeting will be held at the Olympic Club on Friday evening for the | prirpose of forming a new club.” - Those wko propose to join the new club faVor F. R. Butz for captain and J. Cooney for lieutenant. The meeting promises to be exceedingly spirited and exciting. On the 29th inst. the Olympic ‘athletes will have a grand day’s outing at the Souther farm, which place is distant | about one and a half miles from San Le- | andro. A cross-country run will form one of the principal features of interest of the day’s sport, and as there are a number of good long-distance runners in the club | an exciting finish is expected. The day’s athletics will be inaugurated by a 120-yard dash and a half-mile run. Both of those events will be handicaps. Entries will | close on the grounds. Leonard Gill, the new and popular cap- tain of the club, does not propose to allow the outdoor atthletic nterests of the club to flag in the least; in fact he has in his mind’s eye many pleasant surprises for the athletes of the organization. Superintendent William Kennedy is more than pleased at the outlook for the next boxing tournament, which will take place on October 15. There will be five special match contests which will tickle the fancy of all admirers of fisticuffs. Three matches which have aiready been arranged cannot fail to arousd great inter- est. In fact one of them should turn out to be the most exciting feature in the way of boxing that the members have ever had the pleasure of seeing. It will be re- membered that many endeavors have been made to induce L. A. Payne of the Sacra- | mento club to meet Stuart Carter of the | Olympie, but for some unknown reason Payne has invariably fought shy of meet- i arter. e bas consented, however, to meet the | Olympian at the next boxing night, and, granting that_both men will toe the scratch in good condition, the contest should certainly proveof the most interest- ing kind. They will box at 145 pounds. 'fi'he second match will be between Jjoe Reay of the Olympic Club and D. Brown of the Acme Club at 157 pounds. This should also prove to be a stunner. The third match arranged will be be- tween the clever Australian boxer, Mc- | Ginley, and W. Birdsell of the Sacra- mento Athletic Club at 133 pounds. | There remain two more matches to be | made, and as there is ample fistic talent | for the superintendent to select from it | oes without saying that the fistic bill of are that will be presented to Olympians | next month will prove excellent. A PASTOR'S RESIGNATION. Rev. Leslie W. Sprague Leaves the Second Unitarian Church. He WIll Accept One of Several Good Offers From the East. His Wife’s Work. The trustees of the Second Unitarian | Church held a special meeting at the | church last evening for the purpose of considering the resignation of the pastor, Rev. Leslie W. Sprague. Through the earnest request of the pas- tor, expressed to the members of the board in personal conversation, the resignation ‘was accepted. A committee was appointed to draft resolutions concerning the services of Mr. Sprague and his wife, and these will be submitted to the congregation on Sunday evening, after action is taken upon the re- port of the trustees. Mr. Sprague assigned as his reason for withdrawing from the church that his plans for the past two years had contem- plated a pastorate in the East, and that he had remained with the church longer than he had intended because he wanted it to gain strength needed for the transition state that accompanies a change of pastors. The rules of the Unitarian Society re- quire that a minister give three months’ notice before his departure, and in accord- ance with that requirement Mr. Sprague will give the major portion of his time to his present charge until the middle of De- cember. During that time various candi- dates, who will be considered later by the trustees, will preach in the church on Twentieth and Capp streets. Connected with the story, although having, he says, no direct bearing upon Mr. Sprague’s resignation, is a semi- ecclesiastical romance. Mr. Sprague wooed Miss Lila Frost while they were both students of the Meadville Theological Seminary and wedded her soon after their graduation in 1880. They were ordained to the ministry shortly after their marriage, and she has been his as- sistant in his pastorate at Monroe, Wis., in lowa, in Pomona and in the Second Unitarian Church of this City. Her duties, though not as onerous as those of her husband, have been faithfully per- formed. Some of her sermons, notably that on “A Unitarian’s View of Christ” from the text, ‘*“What think ye of Christ?" delivered during the Pacific Coast Con- ference, have been favorably commented upon by prominent ministers of her de- nomination. During her residence in Southern Cali- fornia she gave an impetus to the move- ment which resulted in the organization of the Woman’s Parliament. Yet it seems that her services were not acceptable to a contingent of the church membership, the disaffected being almost without ex- ception of her own sex. Learning of this Kfo_wxns element of dissatisfaction the lady resigned a short time ago in order to pro- mote harmony. It is vrobnbfe that gge will aid her hus- band as assistant pastor in his new field. CRUSHED TO. DEATH. The Rope Broke and an Elevator Fell on Andrew Hansen, a Wheel- wright, Yesterday. Andrew Hansen, a wheelwright, was crushed to death in his own elevator at 635 Folsom street yesterday morning. He was walking under the shaft, when the rope that worked the machine broke and it fell on the unfortunate man’s head. His skull was crushed and his ribs broken. He died a few minutes after the accident. Hansen & Otto occupy the lower portion of the building at 715 Folsom street as a carriage factory, and John Boyer the upper portion ‘as a paintshop. "All the painting to be done on wagons repaired by them Hansen & Otto send up in the ele- vator to Boyer to be painted. The elevator is a rickety machine, worked by hand power, and it is said that the rope that worked it had not been replaced for twenty-five years. Be that as it may, the fact remains that just as Hansen was pass- ing under the lift the rope broke and the machine fell on top of him. The deceased was a native of Germany and married. At the request of the widow Coroner Hawkins waived an inquest. IMTE CURRANT - CASES | Will Be Tried in the United States Circuit Court Next Month. Naval Officer Irish Recelved Sam- ples of the Vine from Greece Yesterday. The Zante currant cases are to be argned before Judge McKenna in the United States Circuit Court, and Naval Officer John P. Irish is confident that he will secure a reversal of the decision of the Board of General Appraisers. The de- A Zante Currant Vine. [Sketched by a * Call” artist.] cision in the steel rail cases has strength- ened him in his opinion. In the steel rail matter it meant a ques- tion of over §3,000 to Uncle Sam, but should Judge McKenna sustain the con- tention of Nuval Officer Irish it will mean twice that sum gained for the treasury of the United States. In order that no loophole should be left uncovered Colonel Irish sent to the United States Consul at Patros in the island of Zante and had a vine sent out to San Francisco as an exhibit to be used in the case. A plant on which were the fruit and foliage was procured, packed in cork shay- ings and shipped to San Francisco. They will be used n exhibit during the com- ing trial, and will go far to show that the Zante currant is a vine and not a bush. The first contest over the matter was | brought by Austin & Co. ot New York. They held that their importations al- though known as Zante currants were not from the island of Zante but an adjacent island in the Grecian archipelagzo, and that furthermore they were not dried irapes and therefore not dutiable. The oard of General Appraisers upheld the contention and the goods were admitted duty free. This seemed to sertle the question, but Jobn P. Irish thougbt differently. When S. L. Jones & Co. imported a quantity of the currants he objected to admittin, them unless the duty was paid. Jones & Co. appealed and the Board of General Appraisers upheld them. Irish has ap- pealed to the Circuit Court. The outcome 18 being watched very closely by merchants and importers. BOUND TO BE MARRIED. Declaration of a Young Couple Filed ‘With the Recorder. C. J. A. Pope and Helen A. Karstadt were not satisfied with the declaration of marriage they made to each other on March 2, so they went out to the new City Hall yesterday and had the document recorded. Now all the world may know that they publicly take each other for husband and wife. The document they filed tells the whole story. It reads as follows: Know all men b{otheu presents that we, C. J. A. Pope, aged about 25 years, and Helen A. Karstadt, aged about 22 years, both of the Cit and County of San Francisco, State of Cali- fornia, hereb{ declare that upon the 2d day of March, 1895, we did take one another fof husband and wife, to all intents and pur- poses, as though said marriage had been solemnized by a person qualified by law to per- form marriage ceremonies, did then assume, and ever since then have assumed, toward each other all marital rights, duties and obli- gations. That no record of the solemnization of said marriage is known to exist. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 17Cth d;y of September, 1895. PoPE. HELEN A. KARSTADT. Executed in the presence of Maurice Grad- wold, H. L. Garfield, Charles E. Kelly. The paper is indorsed as having been recorded at the request of C. J. A. Pope. ———————— Malicious Prosecution Charged. Emilie Ullman is suing Mary A. Muegge for $20,000 {0r malicious prosecution, the latter hayving charged her in the Police Court with indecent exposure. John T. Fleming is the at- torney for the plaintiff. 4 ———————— Free This Week. AL BIG PRESENTS—ONE GIVEN Each Pound of Our EXTRA VALUE 50-CENT TEAS. GREAT AMERICAN IMPORTING TEA CO.'8¢ 62-58 Market street, S.F., Headquarters, BRANCH STORES EVERYWHERE. WITH THE RAILROADS PROTEST, Reasons Given Why the Pro- posed Reductions Should Not Be Made. : THE NEW GRAIN SCHEDULE. It Has Been Favorably Adopted by the Board of Rallroad Commissioners. Despite the assertion made by General Freight Agent Smurr that the Southern Pacific would make no move in opposi- tion to the 25 per cent reduction until it was served with the schedules based on this reduction, it has felt impelled to try its hand at thisearly stage in estopping the Commissioners from carrying out their official programme—that adopted by the votes of Chairman La Rue and Commis- sioner Stanton—in as far as it relates to the average reduction of 25 per cent on all | commodities within the State. It is ap- arently reconciled to the horizontal re- uction of 8 per cent on grain, for in the protest filed with the commission by Sec- retary Lansing in person no reference is made to it. In brief the reasons for the protest are | that Chairman La Rue, by reason of being | alarge shipper individually, is disquali- fied from passing on the question of freight rates; thac the rates proposed are unrea- sonable, in not being adequate to return sufficient revenue to pay operating and maintenance costs, fixed charges and a dividend to stockholders, and that the de- cision of the majority of the board, evi- dently meaning La Rue and Stanton, was invalid by reason of the two Commission- ers having been pledged to make such re- duction before the testimony of the rail- road company was submitted. To the Homorable Board of Railroad Commis- sioners, Stateof California, La Rue, Clark, Stanton.: The Southern Pacific Company. in the asser- tion and for the maintenance of its property rights and those of its lessors, protected by the provision of the constitution of the United States, protests agninst your proposed action | fixing' and establishing its freight rates, as threatened, outlined and declared by your res- olution adopted on the 13th day of September, A. D. 1895, and entered upon your official ‘ds. A grounds ol protest this company i t—The personal financial interest of the | chairman of your honorable board in obtains | ing the greatest possible reduction of transpor- | tation rates for land products, and this by | reason of the fact that he is onc of the largest, if not the largest, land-owner and shipper by | rail of }and products in the State, should dis- qualify and does disqualifv him from officially acting and passing upon the subject of those rates in which he has so large a personal finan- Itis not consistent with natural cial inte ity right that any person should officiaily_sit and act and pass judgment upon a subject in which his own financial interest is directly volved and which can therefore belargely pro- moted by his decision, Second—The majority of your honorable | board are disqualified from acting in the | premises, because bound in advance of any investigation or consideration of the merits of the subject to largely reduce the compensation 10 be received by this company for its services in transportation within the limits of Cali- fornia, and this by reason of their unqualified approval, acceptance and indorsement of the platiorm, resolutions and requirements of organized political conventions and of their having promised and agreed to carry outin their official decisions the wishes of the mem- bers of such conventions, as expressed in their platiorms, resolutions and requirements, ad- verse to the property rights of this company. The majority of your honorable board having been elected to their present positions under and by reason of such approval, acceptance and indorsement, promise and agreement, are not free to act and_cannot act impartially in passing upon a subject involving the property Tights of this company, and are not qualified to fairly investigate here and determite when not wholly free to render such decision as good conscience and unbissed judgment might demand. Third—The evidence, testimony and_ proofs before your homnorable board, of r-cord as the Jaw directs in your official proceedings, show the facts to be and the facts are that this com- Jany has not received and isnot receiving from ts rates for transportation now in force suffi- cient revenue to pay any dividend to its stock- holders, and has not received and is not receiv- ing from its rates for transportation now in force a revenue sufficient to meet the necessary costs and the necessary fixed charges of the operation and maintenance ot the railroad Jines operated and maintained by it, and your official records do not show and thereis not any evidence, testimony or proof to the con- trary. Notwithstanding these established facts the majority of your honorable board have deliberately pledged themselves, by the terms of your resolution adopted on the 13th day of September, 1895, to make such further reduc- tions upon the freight rates of this company now in force as shall constitute an average | reduction of 25 per cent thereof. and to at once proceed to make and en- force freight rate schedules accordingly. | By the adoption of this resolutton the majority of your honorable board have aecided to fur- ther reduce the revenue of this company from freight transportation in the State of Califor- nia in the fixed amount of 25 per cent, to be apportioned as an average reduction upon its freight schead: , but to be absolnte in its effect npon the company’s revenue in advance of ascertaining or determining what, if any, rate is unreasonably high and should be low- | ered, and have definitely determined, notwith- | standing the proofs shown by our own records, | and which is without even the shadow of con- tradiction, that this company is not receiving for the services rendered by it in transporta- tion revenue sufficient to meet the nerossnr{' costs of operation and fixed charges of its rail- road operation and maintenance, to reduce the income fromf its present freight rates in the fixed amount of 25 per centto be hereafter | averaged and forced upon its present freignt schedule rates for classes and commodi- ties and between points which you could not at the time of the adoption of your resolu- | tion specify for the want of necessary informa- tion as to present rates. % The Southern Pacific Company is adyised and believes and therefore charges thatin so proceeding you are not acting nnder any war- Tant or authority of law, but are unlawfully invading its property rights and are turning the form of regulating into the fact of confis- cating its property, and_that said resolution was adopted by the ml)oriti‘ of your honorable ‘board, and such furtheraction iscontemplated by them pursuant to the pledge taken by them as aforesaid and not upon proof and determina- tion &s to whether the present rates of said company are reasonable or othérwise. Inso proceeding and acting you will take its prop- erty for public use without just compensation. You will deprive it of its property without due process of law; you will deny to it the equal protection of the law. Upon each and all of the grounds herein- ‘before specified this company presents this protest against your further o proceeding and aeting in the premises and respectfully asks that §1ln protest may be entered upon your records. Dated September 17, 1895. SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY, By CHARLES F. CROCKER, Vice-President. [SEAL] Attest: G. L. LANSING, Secretary. NEW GRAIN RATES. The Revised Schedule Adopted by the Railroad Com- mission. Another important step was taken by the Board of Railroad Commissioners yes- terday, looking toward giving the farmers of the State a reduced rate on grain. This was the adoption of theschedule of revised rates making the 8 per cent reduction. Before ‘this matter was taken up the board’s attention was directed to another supplemental petition received from3the Sacramento employes of the Southern Pacific, protesting against any reduction in rates owing to the danger that would arise, it was claimed, to the rates of wages. The secretary was then asked if he had prepared the schedule of revised grain rates, based on the8 per cent reduction. He replied that he had and that every grain- shipping g‘oinc had been included, except a few on the coast division, from San Luis Obispo to Guadaloupe, and the new stations recently created. The rates were from all shipping points to tidewater only. ommissioner Stanton then remarked: I propose that the schedule, as prepared by NEW TO-DAY—DRY GOODS. OVELTY BLACK GOODS! On to-morrow and following days we will exhibit the most elegant collection of PARIS NOVELTIES in BLACK DRESS FAB- RICS ever shown in this city. NOVELTIES IN BLACK MOHAIRS. NOVELTIES IN BLACK BOUCLE. NOVELTIES IN BLACK MOHAIR. SILK AND NOVELTIES IN BLACK CREPONS. SPECIAILLI One case 54-inch CREPONS, in a variety of styles. BLACK FRENCH AR e e SO0 - Yand: We invite our city patrons to inspect the above goods at their earliest opportunity. _eee e e Oy, GQRPORArL.a ¢ i892. 111, 113, 115, 117, 119, 121 POST STREET. the secretary, be ldo‘!wd and published as the rates of transportation of grain within the State,and that a copy be served on the Southern Pacific Company. After some discussion asto what action should be taken with the points not in- cluded in this schedule it was decided that an amendment to the main schedule would be adopted later, including all points not affected at present. > The reductions were based on what is known as grain tariff No. 2. < & Commissioner Stanton put his proposi- tion in the form of a motion and it was adopted: by a unanimous vote of the com- mission. 2 Then came up the matter of adjusting the discriminations, and on the motion of La Rue the matter was continued for one week. Stanton then moved that Chairman La Rue be appointed to look after the printing and have 250 copies of the new schedule printed. = The motion was unanimously adovted. La Rue—How about the publication? Iam not just clear as to what is meant by it. Does'| the printing mean publication ? Stanton—I am not posted on that myself. La Rue—I believe that when the schedule is adopted and made public and when a copy is served on the company the required twenty days’ notice begins to run. It must, however, be a printed notice. I will see the State Printer to-morrow, and if 1 find he cannot get the work done quickly I will see the members of the Board of Examiners and try to get their consent to have the work done outside. Adjournment was then taken until ‘Wednesday, September 25, at 1 p. M. The reduction of 25 per cent on all com- modities will not be taken up until the grain schedule is done with. The basis of these reductions will be the freight revenue of the Southern Pacific Comgany for 1894, and rates will be so arranged as to reduce the gross revenues from freight 25 per cent. THE CON. VIRGINIA CASE. s. E. Spring Presents a Sensational Affidavit to the Directors. The board of directors of the Consoli- dated California and Virginia Mining Company met yesterday to consider the charges made by E. 8. Spring, one of the large shareholders, against D. B. Lyman, the superintendent of the mine. Mr. Spring charges the superintendent with being incompetent and having misman- aged the mine. Also that he had gambled in mining stocks. At the mecting yesterday were: Charles H. Fish, Cornelius 0’Connor, Nat T. Mes- ser, A. Zadig, George R. Wefis, Secretary A.'W. Havens and others. Mr. Spring demanded that Superin- tendent Lyman’s account of stock specu- lations as furnished to him by his brokers be produced and recorded as a part of the minutes of the meeting. His demand was denied, whereupon he stated that he wanted to prove that Lyman bought and sold stock at the times in which he gave favorable and unfavorable reports of the condition of the nfine to the shareholders. Spring presented an affidavit furnished b; Henry Newton, J. W. Burling, F. Fy Strather and Emil Cachat, which set forth that Director Zadig had had transactions with them as a broker in _stocks and had frequently displayed private letters to them from the superintendent relative to the condition of the mine in order to in- duce them to deal in his office. The affidavit produced a sensation. . Director O’Connor Presenud hisresigna- tion as a director, but it is said his resig- nation was not caused in any way by the investigation. The case wil{ be taken up to-day, if Mr. O’Connor’s successor is selected. ———— NEW BUILDING LAWS. Taken Under Consideration by the Board of Supervisors. The Fire Department Committee of the Board of Supervisors has decided to recommend the new building ordinance. ‘The measure has been hanging fire in com- mittee for over two years. If passed by the board as it stands, it structures will be allowed to go up 80 feet into the air, The fire limits remain the same. The law on stand and fire esca; is the same as the old one. Another big change is that smaller buildings will be allowed smaller wails. For instance, a structure with a 25-foot frontage and four stories high will be allowed 16-inch walls instead of walls twenty-one inches thick, a saving of ten inches of frontage. A great deal of care and time has been aid to the new ordinance. The chief eatures of it have been taken bodily from the very best ordinances in the big Eastern cities. ~Asit stands, it has been approved and highly commended by the chapter of local architects. Bids for repairing engine and truck houses were recommended as follows; W. H. Wickersham, truckhouse 1, $97. and engine-house 14, $1946; John T. Hayes, engine-house 20, §1965; A. H. McElroy, engine-house 16, 1869. The making of 600 fire-badges was awahrded to Vanderslice & Co. for 35 cents each. FOR A LOCAL TRUSTEE, The Daughter of Millionaire Hand of Connecticut Bringing Her Estate Here. Mrs. Eliza Meiggs Sharp, who has a life income from the esiate of Jehiel Meiggs Hand, a Connecticut millionaire who died in 1888, has petitioned the court to have a California trustee appointed, and she has nominated the Union Trust Company of this City for that position. The interest in the estate from which her income is derived is valued at $175,000. Ex-Governor Luzon B. Morris of New Haven was the trustee of the estats appointed by the testator, but he died on August 22. Mrs. Sharp is the daughtgr of Mr. Hand. The millionaire, who was famous as a philanthropist, resided for many yearsin georgxa, but his home was at Guilford, onn. OPENING NEW SCTYI.ES apes, Jackets, Silk Waists, Tailor-made Suits, ~ Fur Capes. ARMAND CAILLEAU, 46-48 GEARY ST., COR. GRANT AVE. Price 10 cents. Price 10 cents. THE STRAND MAGAZINE. THE STRAND MAGAZINE. EACH NUMBER COMPLETE IN ITSELF. CIRCULATION Nu,\m‘ 400,000, CIRCUL, ON N v NOW READY, coutalning 120 pages of ARTICLES AND S TORIES By the best authors, with 150 Illustrations. PRIOK 10 CENTS. THE STRAND MAGAZINE. THE STRAND MAGAZINE. will create some radical changes in build- ing operasions. Chief among them is a limitation of 100 feet in the height of en- tirely fireproof buildings. Ordinary brick EACH NUM M&i\\%fisfil l‘gall“'.;‘limh_ ! NTN, For Sale by nu.\émi eie ahd Nowsdealers. THE INTENNATIUNAL NEWS COMPAXY, e, AW LR o Brone