The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 2, 1896, Page 13

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1896 Interesting Report of Important Up-to-Date News Items in Alameda County T0 GATHER BY HUNCREDS, Junior American Mechanics’ State Convention to Meet in Oakland. THREE BURGLARIES AT ONCE, Stores Are Broken Into, but the Thieves Secure Only a Couple of Dollars. OAELAND OFFICE SAN Fraxcisco CAry, 908 Broadway, Feb, 1. . } The Junior Order of American Mechanics will hold their State convention in this city on March 3. It is estimared that there will be not less than a thousand delegates from zll parts of the State, who will assem- ble on that date, as there are severai mlt-] ters of importance to be decided. A committee has'been appointed to ar- range for the reception of -delegates, con- sisting of three from each of the Oakland councils, as follows: From -Custer Coun- cil—Dr. Edwards, J. Hopkirk and J. Trea- ger; from Logan Council—J. Sweet, D. A. Valentine and W. Pugh, They have ar- ranged for a grand entertainment, to be given by the joint councils next Tuesday evening at Fraternal Hall for the purpose of obtsining the nucleus of a reception fund. This is the first State council to be held in Oakland and the local members are intending to make it an occasion to be remembered. WHOLESALE BURGLARY. Three Stores Entered, but Nothing Is Secured. OAKLAND, Can, Feb. 1.—Burglars went through three stores on. Washington street last night, and from the manner in which they operated it is thought it is the same gang who ransacked six stores in Alameda two nights ago. The burglars entered an alley in the rear of the Blake block and entered by the the rear windows. They entered the La Mode millinery store and secured $1 in pennies and a few stamps. An entrance was made by yprying up a window with jimmies. The next entrancé was made into the New York teastore next door. A rear window was unfastened and the thieves went in and took 65 cents from the cash drawer. The last place entered'was the Oakland shoestore. To enter the shoestore much ingenuity was shown. The burglars found a ladder in an adjoining unfinished building, but it was too short to reach the ground. They got a rope and tied it to the ladder, which they then lowered from the window. By ascending this ladder hanging from the building in course of construction they were able to pry open a window and enter the shoestore basement, but could not get into the store proper. The police think the burglars must sailors as they were 80 nimble. TIRED OF HER CHARGE. Mrs. Manning Thinks the County Should Jare for John Rogers. OAKLAND, CAL., Feb. 1.—Mrs. A. Man- ning of Third and Jefferson streets took compassion on the old centenarian and offered him a temporary home after read- ing the story of his abject poverty in THE | Carv. For five days she has practically forced the old man to accent the hospi- tality of her home, but as she .is not very well endowed with this world’s goods she thinks the Supervisors should take the old man in charge. Yesterday a member of the Catholic Ladies’ Aid Society visited the miserable barn where Rogers 1 and gave him a bed and some clothes, but as he is utterly destitute he needs food and attention daily. “I have .reported his' horrible vlace as a nuisance at the City-Hall,” said Mrs. Manning to-day, ‘‘but nothing has been done. The Catholic Ladies’ Aid helped him some, but he peeds to be vlaced in some home to ena his days. He is 104 years old, and it is a shame that he is not provided for. My husband and I have done what we .an, but we are a long way from being rich and we feel thatwe have dene our part.”’ HAVE A EW BADGE, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Takes On New Life. OAKLAND, Cax., Feb. 1.—The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Alameda County has started out. in a more systematic manner than ever before. The committee that was entrusted with the task of getting out a new badge made their report to-night. The society will take advantage of the.clause'in the act that empowers the society to swear in special officers before the Superior Court. In a few days ten officers will be sworn in and they will be scattered over thé county. Dr. Carpenter, the medical inspector, and Mr. Sanford, the secretary, have made a selection. of reputable business men, who have consen' to see that the purposes of the & ity are carried out in their districts. Still After Davie. streets, Sunday at 3o’clock. Ex-Governor Sheldon will speak.’ HISTORY OF A DAY. Alameda County Happenings Told in :+ Short Chapters. OAKLAND OFFICE 8AX FRANCISOO CALL.‘ ; 908 Broadyway, Feb. 1. At midnight last night the new Chief En- fleer of the Fire Department, William H. T, assumed the duties of his new position. Elizabeth Sinclair has applied for the pro- bate of the will of Jlmesppsincllir, who died January 18 at Warm Spri dieftan estate volued a0 §15,000, o gsand leftan The Political Equality Sociéty invites the ublic to hear & ;gominantsuflnygisn from the ast, who will address the society at the Albany Hotel, Monday, at 2:30 . . The Oakland Christian Endeavor Union will bold & public meeting next Tuesday evenin at the First M. E. Church. Papers will be rea by George H.White and C. F. Baker, and an ress made by Professor Lioyd. At the conclusfon of the argument yesterday afternoon upon the motion for & nonsuit in the case of Colonel Wettstein against the rail- road company for $25,000 damages on Friday afternoon, Judge Ogden 100k the matter under advisement until next Tuesday morning. The strife between the Electric Railroad Company end the San Lendro Town ‘Trustees is evidently ended. The company will pay its license tax and the points at issue will be quietly dropped. That is to say matters will rest as they now are, and the double track will not be laid. Coroner R, 0.Baldwin has revoked the ap-. ointment of C. H.Wever of Alameda as a Soputy and named ‘A. P.Smiley as his suc: eessor. The latter was formerly an employe of Wever, but they had a disagreemient and Smiley opened a business for himself and se- cured the appointment. The proposed six-day bicycle tournament to be held in the exposition building has now been set definitely for March 2. The manage- ment found it would be impossible to arrange the track before that date owing tothe build- ing being engaged for the Y. M. L. exercises on Seturday evening, February 22. William Fountain, one of the two young fel- lows arrested by Officer Ely with a big load of burglars’ tools on him, pleaded guilty to both the charge of carrying burglars’ tools and car- rying concealéd weapons in the Police Court to-day. At the request of his attorney the passing of sentence wes continued until Mon- day. CHAGS AMONG TEACHERS, The Annuity Fund Is Not Being Collected and Somebody Is to Blame, The Banks Are Anxious to Get Rid of the Funds That They Have Held Back. 0ARLAND OFFICE SAN FRANcIsco CALL, 908 Broadway, Feb. 1. } A crisis has been reaclfied in the matter of i{he teachers’ annuity fund that is of interest 10 every teacher in tke State, as it affects: not only the safety of money already contributed, but also their chances of benefiting by the provisions of ‘the law in the future. A meeting of the Oakland teachers was held to-day and the matter wasthoroughly discussed. The idea seemed to prevail that the officials who were charged with the duty of collecting the 2 per cent each month from the tesehers refused to do it, ciaiming that the law was inoperative. . It was also stated that in S8an Francisco the law seems to be working fairly well and that six teachers are now rece g their monthly pensions. ' Om this showing it appeared that the officers in Alameda and other counties must be delinquent in their duties. The practice in this City has been for Superintendent Mc¢Clymonds to stamp on each warrant, “Deduct 2 per cent for teachers’ annuity fund.” Thismoney was intended to be retained by the County Treasurer when he paid the warrants. This Treasurer Sanford refused to do un- less County Superintendent Garlick col- lected it and handed it to him in a lump sum. Garlick would niot do this and there was a deadlock and many of the teachers were forced to stop paying because no one would take it from them. There is still another complieation. For many months of the year the funds are in such condition that the banks cash uearly all the warrants, and when they have done 'so they have always retained the 2 per cent, and they have it yet. They want to give it to somebody, but nobody will receive it. By Sanford refusing to receive it the teachers now claim that they are delin- quent and cannot partake of the benefit of the fund nor draw out what they have put in. The banks have also stated that they will return it to the teachersif itis not takén by the officials. One of the High 8chool teachers made a formal demand on Superintendent McClymonds a few weeks ago to cease stamping his warrant, but he declined. The teachers submitted several questions to the City Attorney regarding the mat- ters, They were as follows ! : “If the payments to the fund are stopped will it debar the teacher from entering the fund when the law is modified ?” City Attorney Peirsol says “no.” “How can a teacher stop at any time?”’ “They never stop; the payments once started are compulsory.” 3 i,t,!}ey do stop can they get the meney Teachers are therefore afraldd to take their money back from the banks, and Citf Treasurer Gilpin bas stated that they will not accept it after this month. City School Superintendent McClymonds has refused to stamp any more warrants and "the whole affair is in a state of . With the teachers’ money and i1 at stake. At to-day’s meeting one teacher from each school was appointed a committee to OAKLAND, CaL., Feb, 1Tt is reported that some of the members of the City and County Central Populist Committees are preparing affidavits for the purpose of bringing a suit to oust Mayor Davie from office. It is alleged that he violated the purity of elections law by making ante- election pledges. The Mayor laughed to- day when told of the circumstances and said he was not paying.any attention to such matters. 3 At the Macdonough, OAKLAND, OAL., ¥eb. 1.—On Monday night “In Old Kentucky’’ will open at the Macdonongh for tl nights.* There will be the chic pickaninny band and the horse- race on the stage and all that has helped to make this play ohe of the most popular that comes to this city. There will be popular prices and a crowded house is as- sured. % Foley at Work Again. OAKLAND, Cavn., Feb. 1.—Richard F. Foley, the young man who was shot at Pleasanton & few months ago by John Bernal, resumed his position at the Pre- sidio to-day. He still earries the bullet | around with him somewhere in the vicin- ity of his shoulders, but he says it oc- casions him no pain. His assailant is un- der heavy bonds to appear for trial. - Salvationists Win." OAKLAND, Car., Feb. 1.—The Salva- tion Army has won a partial victory in its fight for the right to hold public meetings on the street corners. To-day Judge Frick eranted the convicted soldier a new trial from the Police Court decision, on the ground that Police Judge Wood had no right to deny the defendant a jury trial. They Want Bonds, OAKLAND, Cav., Feb. 1.—W. G. Hen- shaw, the banker, of this city, went East Thursday night for the m?ose of bidding for $250,000 dollars wortg of the new Gov- ernment bonds. I.L. Requa went East some weeks ago for the same purpose. A. P. A. Meeting. OAKLAND, Cav., Feb. 1.—The weekly mesting of the A.P. A.will be held in Elite Hall, corner of Tw: and Webster find out how many of the teachers had no- tified the Superintendent that they would accept the terms of the act and what they owfli’to the fund. The meeting adjourned to March 7, when the committee will re- port and an attempt will be made to for- mulate some course that will protect the interests of the teachers. ————————— BANK OF ENGLAND NOTES. They Are Never Reissued and Are Al- 5 ways Cris, No note out of the 50,000 or 60,000 now issued daily is ever issued twice. If, as a depositor, you should draw any amount in notes at the bankand pay them back into your account ten minutes’ afterward, they would be canceled. 8o, also, any notes received by you from any other bank in'London are always new ones, crisp from the Bank of England 4 of the day béfore. The' signatnre cut off immediarely after a note 1s paid | in and the cancellation’ department pro- ceeds to file them in their regular order, taking.notice ahd kee%x;ng account of ail notes which haye not been returned. One of the curiosities of this department is a £25 note which wi n(d in after be- ing-out 111 years. T) nk note librar, is also here with albums containing ol bank notes of very large amounts, with the names of noblemen for whom they were issued. There is also the £1,000,000 bank note, a bit of paper which in its day was wortl $5,000,000 and was issued for convenience in closing an undertaking of unusual moment. < records of this department are of invaluable assistance in checking forgery, and.the canceled notes, which are kept for a period of about five years before being burned, are constantly under examiaation by Scotlana Yurd detective in search of stolen money, or other people whose notes haye been lost. The strange stories of singlé notes which this department can furnish are many,and are ready-made plots for any num ber of romances, but they are too numerous to be told in this article, —McClure’s Magazine. FIGHTING FOR THE CAMAL Dr. McLean of Alameda Goes to Washington at His Own Expense. Business Men Who Say They Want to Have Some Other Dredging Done First. OARLAND OFFIcE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,} 908 Broadway, Feb. 1, 1896. Dr.J. T. McLean, who has long been 1den- -tified with the work of the State Board of Health, has gone to Washington as a dele- gate of the Harbor fmprovement Associa- tion to urge the necessity of finishing the work on the tidal ‘canal. Before starting he met with the opposition of some of the interestea business men. 3 The trouble all arose out of Dr. McLean’s memorial to Congress, which bas thé sig- natures of a great many men of Oakland and Alameda, though some of the signers now declare that they are opposed to it and did not understand-its purport when it was presented for signature. There were present Dr, McLean, President Manuel of the City Council, President M. J. Keller of the Board of Trade, Edson 'Adams and J. P. Taylor. They had arranged to meet Dr. McLean and discuss his memorial with him, as they were doubtful as to its meaning. Exception was at once taken by Mr. Manuel to the plan outlined by Dr. Me- Lean which ignores the lower part of Oak- land Harbor proper and provides for a big appropriation for the Alameda and Brooklyn districts. > The first objection was raised to the name of Dr. McLean’s document. He has captioned it ““A plea of one hundred thou- sand people, based on important sanitary and economical reasons, for the speedy completion of Oakland Harbor.” Edson Adams denied that 100,000 people were in need of this appropriation as a sanitary measure and objected to the re- flecsion cast on Oakland. 1f Alameda needed it that city only represented 15,000 people. Dr. McLean was greatly surprised to find that Mr. Manuel had signed the me- morial without knowing what it meant. Mr. Manuel said he was opposed to it and had signed it because he had understood that it was for the general improvement of the harbor. He urged the doctor to leave his memorial with them and_ to make no further use of it. This Dr. Me- Lean declined to do, but said that he would not present it unless assured that it was the sense.of the community. Dr, McLean had drawn up his memorial to Congress, and had taken 1t for granted that 100,000 people would call him blessed for it, and. at the last moment, these men repudiated it, and hinted that the doctor was working more in the interest of the town of which he was an official than of Oakland. Then to crown all, he was asked to leave his memorial at home, so as not to make it necessary for another memorial to be sent contradicting his document. Then another matter was brought up. Dr. McLean asked what could be done toward his getting that $250 that the Coun- cil offered to appropriate, but which the Auditor refused to pay. Very little en- couragement was received, and all the doctor could hear was advice about leav- ing his memorial behind. Dr. McLean went to Washington last night and his memorial went with him and now the Oakland men who areop! posing him are going to reach Congress_ man Hilborn with the view of sezing tha. Dr. McLean does not inadvertently tarnis the rating he gave himself before'the par'. ticipants at yesterday’s gathering. Dr. McLean heads the movement to have the tidal canal dredged out as a sani- tary improvement, and the value of the canal for that purpese has not' been pub- licly questioned. The railroad company has always op- posed the canal completion, according to the general inderstanding of the matter, and it is expected that its representatives. at Washington and Oakland will follow out the present fight to it on the lines of the opportunity afforded by the Oakland men who are eager to have the lower part of the harbor thoroughly dredged out be fore completing the canal. - = The men who do the dredging at Oak- land harbor say that the lower channel will never be kept from filling up until the canal is constructed, and that the dredging in the lower harbor will all have to be done over and over again. - Dr. McLean has gone to Washington, and will conduct his fight at -his own ex- pense. It is anticipated that a movement in support of Dr. McLean’s ‘measure will be inaugurated immediately. Tlie people of Oakland are in favor of the completion of the canai and the general completion of the Oakland harber improvemeént lans; but some of the business men, like Edson Adams and Mr. Taylor, have proverty or business interests which make it desirable for them to have the lower portion of the harbor dredged before any other work is done, and the railroad interest is to delay the caral-dredging as long as possible nd have the improvements made where they will be most useful to the company. 3 i e e ALAMEDA'S NEWCITYHALL All of the ‘Municipal Officers Have Moved Into Their Respective Quarters, What the Alameda Preachers Will Preach About To-Day—Po- lice Affairs. ALAMEDA, Car., Feb. 1.—All of the municipal officers excepting the Recorder have moved into thé new City Hall and taken possession. It was intended to have a public reception, dedicatory exercises and a banquet coincident with the formal occupancy, but the work of paving the, vestibule had not been completed, and as that is of considerable moment, so far as the show-off is concerned, the ceremonies had to be postponed. The front door will be thrown open and the general public in- vited to inspect the big building on Febru- ary:11, from 9 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon. Every resident of Alameda who is at all interested in his town and its institutions is expected to take advantage of this opportunity to iuspect the hall. The dedicatory exercises will take place on the 13th inst. in the large City Hall cham- ber, and the whole building will be ablaze with electric lights, inside and out: An appropriate order of exercises has been arranged, aad the vrinted pro- grammes.will be unique -in.shape, like the building itself, with a picture of it printed in tint on the cover, and the names of all the officials, together with figures and sta- tistics regarding the comstruction of the hall, are among the contents, as well as ! the programnme of exercises. The pro- < MR THE OPPOSITION AT OAKLAND. grammes will be elaborately printed and will constitute a souvenir of the occasion, 3 Alameda Pulpit Themes. ALAMEDA, Cavn, Feb. 1.—Reyv. G, R. Dodson of the First i]’nlturipn Church will take: for his theme at his services to- morrow morning, ‘‘Some Great Thoughts.’ Rev. F. 8. Brush of the First Presbyterian Church will take for his morning ‘theme, “Thé Strnfgle for an Existence and the Survival of the Fittest,” and for the even- ing, “The Advanta% of a for Christ.” Rev. W.:W. Scudder of the rst Congregational Church will discourse in the morning on ‘“Armenia, the Nine- teenth Century’s ‘Di_sgr_ ,” and in the evening his :ubl;ect. will be, 5‘Th{ Kingdom ome.” Rev. ¥. D. Bovard will preach at the Park-street Methodist Church in the morning on_the theme, “Is Christianity Dying Out in the Home?’ and in the evening on ‘‘The Causes of Skepticism.” Rev. Henry Victar Morgan has returned ‘from his bridal tour. In the morning _he will preach on “Stumbling Blocks Re- moved,” and in the evening on “How Jesus Would Have His Church Reform Alameda.” The subject of the Theosoph- ical Society’s meeting will be, “If Eflu Came Back as John.” Police Business, ALAMEDA, Cavr, Feb. 1.—The police of Alameda made thirty-seven arrests dur- ing the month of January, as follows: Violating -ordinances, 5; vagrancy, 13; drunkenness, 4; truant from home, 2; failure to provide, 2; malicious mischief, 6; indecent exposure, 1; disturbing the peace, 1; petty larceny, 2; cruelty to chil- dren, 1. The Board of Health is not sat- isfied with the sanitary condition of the jail in the new City Hall, which the police took charge of yesterday and put into use. It is well drained snd airy, and can read- ily be made clean, but it is cold, the walls and floor being of stone, and in eold, damp weather it will endnnfier the health of prisoners. The board favors setting up a etovednte: 1 e R o MUCH SLASHING OF RATES What the -Statements of Rival -Water Companies Reveal of a Year’s Business. The Effect of Competition Has Reduced All Rates More Than One-Half. 0axLAND OFFIcE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,} 908 Broadway, Feb. 1. The two rival water companies have filed their statements with the City Clerk, from which the rates for the next year will be computed by the Council. The figures are of great interest, as they show for the first time just what business each of the rivals is doing. Thatthere has been some heavy cutting of rates is clearly apparent, for while the Contra Costa Com- pany’s list of ratepayersis about the same as last year their receipts are only about one-haif aslarge. The old company now | serves 8700 houses and the new Oakland company 7000. The income of the new company was §90,641 and of the old §183,736. The Hayward-Dingee Company re- ports as follows: RECEIPTS. Issued 30,000 shares of capital stock of Oakland Water Company, which together with note for $1,000,000, heretnatter referred to (which said note was subsequently exchanged for bonds of the Oakland Water Company for 8100,000, bearing in- terest ab 6 per cent per anuum), were pald to Piedmont Spring Water and Power Company for purchase of real estate, reservoirs, pipe line, water mal t rights and’ system. Received from A. Hayward Recelved from Hayward and Dingee. Pald P. S. W. and P. Co., as above re- ferred to. 4,000,000 00 Paid for con: . 582,882 03 Paid for operating taxes. ... Paid tor 1oans 80,024 72 75,000 00 Paid note P. above referre + 1,000,000 00 Paid for interest . 2061474 Cash on hand D . 28415681 Total.... % +$5,490,957 80 The Contra Costa Company reports as follows: Total receipts for water.... Total receipts for land rents. Total receipts for sale of bund: $183,736 16 2 207 50 1,883,000 00 Cash on hand January 1, 189 27,447 81 * Total, --$2,044,390 97 EXPENSES. OPERATING Temescal Lake maintenance San Leandro Lake m: $1,104 25° 2,586 00 Filtering expenses 8,965 96 Pumping expenses. 3,846 80 Street mains maintenance. 12,249 95 Stable expense 348 Office expense: Salaries of officers 6.810 00 Genersl expenses. 17,788 87 Total........ $74,168 08 Taxes, first installment. $18,607 49 Interest............. 8R,756 89 Commission on sale of bonds. 91,650 00 Diyidends. ,000 CONSTRUCTION EXPENSES. Street mains. Pipe and me: Filter stations. Temescal Lak Engineering expenses. -.$38,265 13 ‘Bonds of 1885 retired. .$1,610,000 00 Floating debtreduced. - ""34,850 00 Bills receivabl <. 1,30820 h on 1 4338519 Total. ... -§2,044,590 97 There is much speculation as to how the rates will be fixed. The law authorizing the fixing of rates never contemplated that there might be two companies in ome town and a literal interpretation of its provisions would mean that the cost of the two plants be added together and the rate fixed so as to pay 6 per cent on the total amount in- vested in water plant. The Council will not do this, but neither do they asyet know what they are by law required to do. . _Orystal Gazing. In_ various forms it is very widely dif- fused, The Hurons -used water; the Maoris, blood; the Igyptians, ink (as every one knows). Glass balls are at present popular, and we have read about one gentleman who “‘scried” in a brass doorhandle—but he was insane. On the other hand a sane lady has done marvels in a glass Sauterne! TUnless a large num- ber of reputable persons are fabulists, star- g into a clear depth does produce (in them) hallucinations like the “hypnagogic illusions” with which many people are familiar. On this little-regarded fact in psychology the whole superstition of crystal gazing, with its invocations and fumigations, ‘“‘calls” and its camphor, as been based. The late Dr. _lh‘;n would have num- bered this amon, e truths involved in popular superstition; but in the su; tion of the .evil eye no rare or o re phenomenon of human faculty seems to be coccerned. It is a widely diffnsed fancy, no more; but.as to the exact range of its diffusion, cutside of Europe, Islam, the region of the Semitic races and India, We remain nne n. The presence amon, savages &1 unuflhn used 1in r.ha‘ 0ld Worl ainst the evil eye only raises a pre- Saiption i favor of the belief itself, For what is good against® the evil eye may also he good against Vuis, Brewin, Mrart, Manitous and other wild_varieties of the pixy species.—Quarterly Review. e A Westerner hasinvented a rapid’corn- boxes ti- ?"{;fi" t'g‘ -ciihlmg'.fio'::fi &u ::Iv e 8 horse es 8o -m" aged in bottom as 10 let out a few kernels at every step. Manly Stand | THE ANNIE PARKER CASE No Reason for Belief That the Young Woman Has Gone East. A LETTER FROM MRS. WOODS. The Latter Is at Her 01d Home in Maryland and Will Go to Work There.. OARLAND OFFICE SAN FrANCISCO C.u,n,} 908 Broadway, Feb. 1. John F. Woods, the maa who was a friend to Miss Annie Parker, the missing dressmaker, denies that his wife is trying to secure a divorce from him anda thai Annie Parker has probably gone East to be a witness in the case. When asked about the matter he said: “My wife is not thinking of doing any such thing. Here is the best proof of what my wife is doing,” and he handed his visitor a letter posimarked at Em- mettsburg, Md., only a week ago. One of the passages read as follows: Iam praying to God that he may deliver you from the demon of drink that is now destroying | your manhood. Iem still with my folks and am looking' for ah opportunity to do some work, as I am without & dollar and I'do not like the idea of living on charity. As soon as I can earn some. man%y I will send you some, as I know you must need it I am re- gaining my strength and hope that there may fez_be some brightness in our future. Your oving wife, JENNIE, “‘Does that logk as if she was seeking a divorce?” asked Woods. **As to Anmie, I can only say what I have said already, that Ifear she has carried out that old desire of hers to meet death, but as to enteringinto a conspiracy with my wife to help her get a divorce, thavstory is cruel.” The police say that they are confident that Woods ha¢ had nothing to do with /Miss Parker's disappearance. They are ‘dlso sure that the Parker family has not told all that they could tell regarding the actions and behavior of Miss Parker be- fore her disappearance. Albert Parker, the prother, said to-day that he was certain his sister was not alive, but beyond that he would not speak. A letter was sent to each of the local gapers on Friday suggesting that Miss arker and Mrs. Woods bad arranged to meet'in the East, where Mrs. Woods might obtain a divorce. The letter was not pub- lished in this paper. SPEAK-EASIES MAY OPEN, Berkeley’s Liquor Ordinance - Declared Unconstitu- tional. . Work on the Campus Commenced. Rodgers’ Case Not Ended—A De- structive Fire Avoided. ' BERKELEY, CaL., Feb. 1.—Berkeley’s liguor ordinance was to-day declared in- valid by Judge Frick and the way is once more open for “speak-easies” to resume operations. Judge Frick’s decision was in the appealed case of George H. Stricker, who was recently convicted of storing liquor without a license, the charge being one growing out of the numerous raids on the private liquor-dealers of East Berkeley made by Marshal Lloyd last October. A State law prohibits the selling of liquor within a mile of the State Uni- versity, buv it has been decidedly ineffec- tual up to last year, when a Berkeley ordinancé was passed making it unlawful to store liquor without a license and au- thorizing the Marshal to enter any estab- lishment in which he might suspect that liquor was kept. & The ordinance was framed so that the strict rasulntionsa:to the storing of liquor appeared as precautions against fire, but the real intent was to give the Town Mar- shal authority that would enable him to see that the Btate “mile limit” law was not violated. Acting under the. new ordinance, Mar- shal Lloyd made a number of raids on the 11th of last October,*and as & result George H. Stricker, A. Berg, Joseph Doran, Fred. Fonzo, Mrs. Silvershille, Mrs. Thompson, Jacob Lentzand John Higgins wete ar- rested and charged with storing liguor without a license, liquor being found in ogclll of their establishments by the Mar- shal. The charges against all of the parties named rest upon the same grounds as that against Stricker, and the success of his ap- peal from a conviction will result in a dis- missal of all the other cases. Judge Frick decided that the regulations of the ordinance prohibiting the storage of liquor without a license are unconstitu- tional,. His decision leaves the liquor sit~ uation at East Berkeley as it was six months ago, and unless the Btate officers take more vigorous steps to enforce the law than they have in the past, there is nothing to vrevent the reopening of the “speak-easies’”” in which liquor has for many years been clandestinely sold in East Berkeley. 2 The First Blow Struck. BERKELEY, Car.,, Feb. 1.—The first practical step toward the consummation of the plans'of Regent J. B. Reinstein to lay out the university grounds with new walks and drives was taken to-day. Several of the large evergreen trees near the proposed Center-street entrance to the grounds were felled by the university workmen. The large cypress at the turn in the road near Lovers’ lane fell beneath the stroke of the woodman'’s ax. The trees all along the route of the new walk have been biazed to direct the course of the wood- choppers, and nearly all Dr. Hilgard’s plants along the course have been removed and transplanted in other sections of the botanical gardens. £ ¥ . The students are awaiting with anxiety the call of ‘Regent Reinstein to take up the pick and shovel —and begin work. Meanwhile the co-eds are discussing the practicability of serving lunch to the “student labor”” brigade. The majority of them, however, seem to favor the idea of letting the boys get their sandwiches and coffee through some other source. | May Have More Trouble. BERKELEY, Can, Feb. L — Harry Rodgers, the academy student who had five university boys arrested last week on a charge of battery, the cases againsi whom were dismissed yesterday by Judge James, stands a cbance of coming into further publcity. To-day several of the supporters of the pollnse men who were more or less implicated in the affair ex- ssed their intention of prosecuting ers for libel and defamation of char- acter. Though the Judge .in rendering his decision stated that ne believed from the testimony presented that the col- legians were in a state of perfect sobriety, while one of the strongest points offere against them by Rodgers was to the effect that thev-were intoxicated, the univer- sity men feel that the statementof the Judge and the winning of the case were insufficient, and consequently have threat- ened revenge on their accuser. University Boating. BERKELEY, CaL, Feb. L—Bolxig promises to form more of a feature in versity athletics during the coming season nat any time heretofore. Though the accommodations at the clubhouse in Ses- sions basin, on the Oakland estuary, are not so complete as they were before the two destructive fires took place, yet the newly erected house furnishes ample room for the housing of boats, barges and sculls owned- by the association. Nearly every afternoon a large number of students go from Berkeley and Oakiand for practice in the new sculls. This afternoon ali the: boats owned by the club were in use; and several members of the old crew, among whom were Cole, Trew, Easton and Mor- Tow, were out in their rowing costume. A Dangerous Blaze. BERKELEY, Carn., Feb. 1.—A small blaze, which at one time threatened to destroy one of the principal blocks of Berkeiey, occurred last night _at East Berkeley station in the dressmaking parior of Miss Hansen on the corner of Shattuck avenue and Center street. The fire is supposed to have been caused by a pet doe which was left in the room with a lamp. The lamp was overturned and exploded, causing a conflagration whith burned the carpet of the room and several articles of furniture. The blaze was smothered by blankets by R. L. Taber and Mr. Starr. The loss is estimated at $20. Berkeley Schools. BERKELEY, CaL., Keb. 1.—County Su- verintendent of Schools Garlick was in Berkeley two half days this week visiting the Columbus and San Pablo avenue schools. The Superinterident expressed himself as highly gratified-at the condition of the schools and wok occasion fo state to Principal Warnicke of the San Pablo School and Miss McClure of the Columbus School that the conduct of the two schools in é;uestion was in every way satisiactory and efficient. Ecv. Mr. Bacheler Detained. BERKELEY, CaL., Feb. 1.—Rev. George Bacheler, who was announced as having arranged to preach in Stiles Hall to-night under the auspices of the Unitarian So- ciety of Berkeley, has been detained in Southern California. He will arrive in Berkeley next week and will preach on Sunday evening, February 9. O’Brien Returns. BERKELEY, Car, Feb. 1.—Frank O’Brien of West Berkeley, who was re- Eorted to be missing, has returned to his ome. OR, PBEST_U@ CRUELTY. Grave Charges Against the Phy- sician Are Made by His Wife, Mrs. Preston, Once -a Society Belle, Driven to Beg From Public Charities. Dr. Walion H. Preston, the well-known physician, was sued yesterday by his wife, Mary B. Prestoh, for a divorce. The com- plainant accused the .doctor of almost in- credible cruelty and desertion. And this is the sequel to a.brilliantevent in society at Saginaw, Mich., not quite ten years ago, when Dr. Preston led his beaunti- ful bride to the altar. There followed a brief spell of happy wedded life, the young couple occupying a prominent place in San Francisco social circles. ” The dream was only a dream after all, for this happiness was like the existenee of a butterfly, and Dr. Preston and his wife dropped out of the. gay whirl. Then fol- lowed the dissensions in the physician’s home that are now alleged to have cul- minated in cruel treatment, family jars, desertion and the helpless wife knocking: at the doors of the Associated Charities and of Masonio benevolence to save herself and her two little children from starving: Such is the story related in Mrs. Pres- ton’s appeal to the courts as set forth in legal language, and even more is told therein. Dr. Preston has elegant offices at 20 O’Farrell street, but for a year or more has not maintained a domestic establishment in his wonted style, having taken up the retired life of a bachelor in apartments. His wife declares that he receives a large income from the practice of his profession, and she believes it to be at least $500a month. Yet she is compelled to live with her two_children in indigent ecircum- stances, depending upon the assistance of public charities for support. The Prestons were married June 9, 1886, The issue of theirunion was Walton, a boy of 9 years, and Marguerite, now 3 years of age. Mrs. Preston charges that her husband for more than a year past has failed to sup- port either the.children or herself, not even with the common necessaries of life. 8he has during that period been compelled to depend on tne charity of kinsfolk and friends, while the husband has been earn- ing large sums of money. She goes even further, claiming that'she has been forced to apply to’ the Associated Charities and the Masons of San Francisco for support for herself and the children in nrcferw procure food. All her jewelry had to be pawned, and her mother, living with Mrs. Preston, had to sell and pawn her effects to kee}J the wolf of hunPer from the door. The. laun- dryman refused to return her garments because the bill for washing was refused payment by the doctor. 13 ith regard to cruelity Mrs. Preston -ac- cuses her husband of treating her in “a cruel and inhuman manner many times, 80 often thata record of fimes and dates would fill a volume’’; also of calling her -vile names, which she hesitates to men- tion. The vu}fu language, she says, was part of her daily life. A She was accused of unchastity and other crimes. Many days she was compelled to go without food for herself or the children, particularly in March, 1894, when the doctor gave her 15 cents in one week to buy luxuries for the table. nce the infant child was exceedingly sick, but the doctor would mot attend it, although he fed the babe on raisins secretly until its life was despaired of. At another time, in June, 1895, the older child was injured in the xnee, but the father refused to care for the little boy, who had to be taken to the public hospital for treatment and relief. ‘Several dates in 1894 are quoted as occa- sions on which the doctor abused, threat- ened to stab, insulted, assautted and re- viled his wife. Once, aiter calling her vile names, he threw her down .upon the floor and left her back and st blue from bruises infiicted by him in his fit of pas- sion. Again he vilely insulted her and accused her of disreputable conduct, and in August, 1894, the wife was beaten and frightfully bruised. She claims to have been in fear of her life in addition to suf- fering intensety in body and mind through his brutality. "In the end the doctor de- :er',:ed his wife, leaving his family desti- ute. i Mrs. Preston wants the custody of her children, wants alimony and expenses of court, as well as a divorce. America’s Opportunity on the Seas. ‘When war was renewed in 1803 between England- and France the rule of 1756 was again asserted by Great Britain as binding, while indirect trade between neutral ports and the ports of an enemy was again al- lowed, but under the new proviso that the neutral ship did not on her outward.voy- "age furnish the enemy with goods contra- band of war. This ‘privilege of indirect trade wasin- valuable to American ship-owners, and for two years the ocean commerce of ail Ku- rope was in their -bands, The fortunes they thus accumulated were enormous, while Great Britain saw her own manu- factures displaced by those of Continental nations, and. the colonies of her enemies prospering as never before.— poleon,’”’ by Prolessor Sloan: - | tury. : KEVER WAS KILLED BY NEGLIGENCE, It Is the Verdict of the Coroner’s Jury at : Baden. WAS NO DANGER SIGNAL The Watchman Saw the Train * Run to Its Destruction, but Made No Sign. THE CULVERT WAS T00 SMALL. Both the Watchman and the Railroad Company Censured by the Verdict. The inquest held by acting Coroner Cunningham upon the death of Engineer John Keyer, killed in the Southern Pa- cific Railroad wreck of last Sunday evene ing at Baden, was concluded yesterday. The ‘verdict, after stating the circum- stances of the wreck and the death, cen- sures the company and its watchman in the following language: We further find that the washout causing the wreck in which the deceased was killed was due to the fact that the railroad culvert of the Southern Pacific Company av the place was not _of sufiicient capacity to carry off the Jflood of water, and that John Murphy, the Southern Pacific watchman, was guilty of criminal pegligence in not flagging the trains after having been warned of the dangerous condition of the track in that vicinity. There were three witnesses heard yester- day — Charles L. Gill, fireman on the wrecked train; Mr. Culverwell, resident civil engineer of the coast division of the road, ‘and C. L. Harber. Charles L. Gill, fireman on the wrecked train, testified as follows: Train No. 19, on which I was firing, was wrecked between South San Francisco and Baden station at about 6:10 P. M., caused by & washout. Ihad no warningof danger before the train was in the washout. Engineer Keyer said to me before starting from San Francisco: “We have orders to look out for sand at Indus- trial School, between switches at Ocean View and the cemeteries.” Isaw some one sianding on my side of the track, the left side, in the wagon-road near the first switch from this place going toward Baden station, with & switchlight in his hand—that isa lantern wi two white and two red sides to it. ' He w standing not more than five feet from the rail- r0ad track. He made no signal. Any motion made by the person at that time and place would have caused us to stop. He made no motion nor did he give any signal to stop. Ilooked back st him until we turned the curve and I could no longer see him, and all the while he remained still. When I first saw the light I thought it was on the switch- stand, as it seemed to be about the nfim place, end the white light was exposed. did sot know it was on my side of the train until the ilot passed and then I saw that some one was Eoldingi(. When we passed him I saw the red light, which was toward and at right angles to the track. Had the red light been exposed or displeyed as we approached the switch, I would have told the engineerthat the swith was wrong, and the train could have been stopped. 1 told the engineer about seeing the light, snd he immediately epplied the airbrakes. He then asked me if it was » red light, and I told him it was a man holding a switcn-light with the white side exposed, but I said, “We had better run slow, anyhow.” He gave the brakes = little more air and started the train up. Usually the switch-lights are in place \\glen No. 19 reaches Baden, but sometimes the switchman is putting them in place, and our natural conclusion at seeing the man by the track was that the switchman was waiting till the train passed to put up the switch-light. A man who has worked on a railroad any con- siderable length of time should know enough to give & dsnger signal. A light raised up and down is ordinarily & signal to go ahead, but had we geen a light moved that way that night we wouid have been sporehensive and would probably have stopped. At Baden siation I was on the lookout. From Colma it is down grade, and the fireman has little work to do until Baden is passed. I am sure I would have seen any kind of signal at Baden station. The regular danger signal is to wave & 1iin or in daylight any object across the track. We were running about six miles an hour when we ran into the washout. No rails seemed 10ose at the approseh to it. The night was murky and the headlight did not l(ggt up the track any distance ahead. When the engine went over 1 suppose the rails ‘were carried with 1t. €. L. Herbert was recalled and testified thai from inspection he believes the groand has been filled at the scene of the wreck some two or three feet by the recent storm. 2 ¥ The resident engineer of tLe coast divi- sion of the Southern Pacific Railroad testis fied as follows: I have charge of the track, bridges and buildings of the coast division of the Southern Pacific Company. I passed over the ling be- tween South San Francisco and Baden stations on the Saturday night preceding the wreck and between 10 and 12 o'clock Sunday morning and the track was then in good condition. A truck-walker passes over each section of the road once each day. He uses s velocipede in geing over his section, The section men in time of stormy weather are required to be on duty and ready to turn out at any time of the day or night. Ithink the culvert near where the wreck oceurred is large enough to carry the water under any ordinary circumstance. I gannot state what the height of the em- bankment was in the vicinity of the wreck when that portion of the road was constructed. i is the duty of say employe of the railroad knowing of ds=ger to give warning or signal the engineer. The track has been overflowea before, but there has never been a washout prior to this. The section of track walked at this end of the line is from Valencia street to San Mateo. It has never been the practice on the coast division to have regular foot track- walkers, Every section is patrolled each day either by the gang on the handcar or & man specially detailed.” With this the jury retired and found the verdict as given abov: GOVERNOR TOM JOHNSON. A Stubborn Patriot to Whom This Coun~ try Owes a Great Debt. In a storied burial-ground in Frederick, “jn his narrow bed,” sleeps one whose name never fails to stir the heart of the - old Marylander with lively emotions of admiration and affection—Governor Tom Johnson, that audacious and stubborn patriot, of whom John Adams said that he was one of four citizens of Mary- land and Virginia “‘without whom there would have been no Revolution,” although, in affected scorn of him, & British- officer, writing to his people at homre, had assured them ‘‘there is no need to be alarmed by all this noise in.the colonies, which is mainly ‘made by a man named Tom Johnson.”” “That pestilent rebel’. of the British War Office was the trusty, loving friend of Washing- ton. whom he nominated to be com- mander-in-chief of all the armies of the United Colonies; member of the first Congress and of the convention which adopted the coustitution of the United States; first Governor of Maryland and an associate justice of the Supreme Court; and he was twice urged to accept the pomo]io of Secretary of State. He was in his day the first citizen o1 Maryland, and in all the colonies the Revolution disclosed no wiser, stronger, sweeter character than his who joined the fortitude of the warrior with the foresight of the statesman in the tem- rament of an eager,dauntless boy.—John illiamson Paimer, in the February Cen- tury.