The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 22, 1896, Page 1

= | VOLUME LXXIX.—NO. 113. WAS CAST (P BY THE SEA of An Interesting Bit Southern Pacific Cor- respondence. FOUND ON THE BEACH.| A Railroad Confession That a Patron Had Been Squeezed. THE CHASE OF A TWENTY. Secretary Gunn Was Led to Protest | That There Was Such a Thing as Overdoing. The sea has cast up a curiously unan- swerable bit of evidence agai Collis P. | Huntington, which yesterday came into | the possession of THE CALL. | It is conclusive to the effect that the | policy of the ‘‘great man’’ to charge all the traffic will bear is by no means new. | Mr. Huntington has been devoting all his energies and a great deal of his money in an effort toconvince Congress that he | is a perfectly moderate man; that what he has is the result of legitimate indstry on his part, and that be never robbéd any- ! body—never did chargeall the traffic would bear, and never said he did. | A well-known citizen of Sausalito walk- | ing along the beach at Lime Point near | the Government works a few days ago, | came upon two large packages tied up | with ropes. He undid them and found them to be made up of letters, telegrams and other papers of the Southern Pacific Com: pany. A greater part were mere dis. paiches, telegrams or copies of them bear- | ing dates of several years ago. There | were a number of letters, however, and of | these was the following very interesting | bit of correspondence: CALIFORNTA PACIFIC RATLEOAD Cnmuxv,g OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SUPE! SOUTH V. , CAL., June 9] J. O'B. Gunn Esq., Secretary, San Francisco— | DEAR SIR: Queen’s circus used our lot at | Woodland for showing. I didn’t know of it | too late to ask Mr. Towne about charge | 1 get reply before they left the road. Since | ben 1 have endeavored to have J. A. F., Sac., | ect $20 for me, but they refuse to pay, say- | ing lot was included in contract. This Mr. Towne doesn’t so understand. Will you have mes<ares taken from general office to collect $20 on our account before they leave C. P.R. R.? Yours truly, A. D. WILDER, Asst. Supt. On the reverse side of this letter wnsi written the answer of Mr. Gunn to Mr. Wilder. It is addressed simply “A. D. W.” and signea “J. G.” A. D. W.: We received $1586 for the trans- | portation of this circus. Our expense ‘n doing | £0, at the most extravagant estimate, could | not amount to more than $500, leaving a very | heavy margin in our favor,andl think itex- | cessive illiberality to push them for this mat- | ter of $20 when they were such a benefit to us | and to our intimate connection, the S. P. R. R. | 1.6 | The gentleman had this letter dried—for ‘ it had been floating in the bay—put it in | | 2 V759D (&) PRICE FIVE CENTS, /{\‘\#’affib’é _ gD 3y e il A IS @y ‘““AND ‘SPRING UNLOCKS THE FLOWERS TO PAINT THE LAUGHING SOIL.” his pocket and, comirg to the City yester- ' Qalsfornia Pacifs Raitrond ompang, OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT St Vel 6l 3, sy v m 20 O ovev onrRA Fac-Simile of the Letter of Assistant Superintendent Wilder, Then of the Califor- nia Pacific Railroad, Which Was Cast Up by the Sea at Lime Point a Few Days Ago as if to Bear Witness Against Collis P. Huntington Before Congress. uLTw s Vs oo 5 opwJ /S PE — Lo TCiae pon B, : i 7, e o wv? et & rore tm IO RN e e % 2L O push Ko fo el of Froc eARAA, ? o The Reply of Secretary Gunnm, Written on the Back of Mr. Wilder’s Letter, Which Carries Convincing Evidence That the Policy of the Southern Pacific Is to Charge All the Traffic Will Bear. “ day brought it to the office of THE CALL. There it remains and may be seen by any who may wish. Nothing that might be added to thissim- ple narrative would strengthen it. The Californie Pacific Railroad Company is one of the lines embraced in the South- ern Pacific system of to-day. The letter bears date one year previous to the consoli- dation. The line running down the Napa Valley was built and operated by the big four, Stanford, Huntington, Crocker and Hopkins. The California Pacific was ab- sorbed by the Central Pacific in the con- solidation of 1876. Its headjuarters were at that time at South Vallejo. R.D. Wilder was then as- sistant superintendent of that line, sta- tioned at South Vallejo, and J. O'B. Gunn was secretary of the company, in the gene- ral offices in S8an Francisco. Mr. Wilder is now division superin- tendent of the Southern Pacific Company, stationed at Oakland. The “J. A. F.” whom Mr. Wilder endeavored to have col- lect the $20 at *‘Sac.’’ is no doubt J. A. Fillmore, now manager of the Pacific di- vision of the Southern Pacific. The office boy has no doubt been clear- ing out the old files and pigeon-holes of the Oakland office and has thrown these dusty old letters and telegrams mn the bay, whence they have drifted and been finally thrown up by wave or tide to the beach, this one to be recovered and offered in evi- dence here. If Mr. Huntington has never seen these letters before his pleasure at the evidence it gives him of the faithful manner in which his orders were carried out in the olden time will be somewhat offset by the inopportune time and manner with which the knowledge comes to him. The wonder is that J. A. Fillmore, who failed to collect the twenty, has not only remained in the employ of the company, but has been advanced in its service. This would seem to more than indi- cate that Huntington did not know of the incident. That Mr. Wilder should bave progressed rapidly in the favor of the company is not a matter of surprise any more than that Mr. Gunn should long ago have left the service. He is now secretary of the Union Iron Works. MURDER AND SUICIDE. William Hartman of Omaha Kills His Wife and Himself. OMAHA, Nesr.,, March 2L.—William Hartman of this city shot and’ killed his wife to-day and then committed suicide. Early in the morning he sent his two children, aged 7 and 5 years, out to play. They returned at dinner-time, and finding the doors locked, went to a neighbor’s. Supper-time came, and no parents ap- peared to care for the little ones. This aroused suspicion, and a search of the house revealed Hartman’s body in a bea- room, on the floor, and that of his wife in a closet. Hartman had until recently been employed by the Davis Roofing Com- pany, but latterly had been out of work. | M EIPLOSON 0F DYWAMITE Deadly Sticks Placed Neara Fire to Be Thawed Out. THE FUSE IS IGNITED. Two Men Are Terribly Mangled and Others Seriously Injured. FRAGMENTS BLOWN FAR AWAY One of the Victims Was Protesting Against the Danger When the Disaster Occurred. BALTIMORE, Mp., March 21.—A ter- rible explosion of dynamite at Ellicott City to-day resulted in the mangling of two men, who died soon after the crash. Persons fifty yards away were thrown to the ground, so great was the concussion, while windows were broken and goods in | a number of stores in the town were thrown from the shelves. Lee Williams, a colored man, employed on the grading work of an electric railroad, this morning placed thirty-six large sticks of dynamite near an open fire for the pur- pose of softening the fuse. The fuse ig- nited and the whole thirty-six sticks ex- ploded with a deafening crash. Williams was thrown twenty feet, both legs were torn off above the knees and one side of his head was badly lacerated. One of his feet, to which the naked leg bone was attached, was found 100 yards away in a vacant lot and the other foot was carried to the roof of a dwelling over seventy-five yards from the place of the accident. John H. Claggett, ex-Tax Collector of Howara County, was on his way to Elli- cott City and had paused a moment to re- mark on the danger of risking the pow- erful explosive so near the blaze. 3 ‘"He had only given utterance to his warning when he was thrown some dis- tance and knocked unconscious. He was seriously injured about the head and body. | Philip Morningstar, Josiah Jones and Charles vitzel, who were passing along the road fifty yards distant, were thrown to the ground and so badly stunned as to render them unable to walk for some little time. Mr. Claggett and Lee Williams died this afternoon. LIEUTENANT DUGAN’'S SPREE. St. Louis Military Circles in Convulsive Throes. 8T. LOUIS, Mo., March 21.—Local mili: tary circles are again in the throes of a sensation that involves the reputation ofa commissioned officer at Jefferson barracks. A short time ago First Lieutenant Dugan of the Third Cavalry, stationed at the bar- racks, came to this city with several other | ofhcers and half a dozen enlisted men. They are alleged to have made a royster- ing night of their leave of absence. In company quarters next day Private Hurley stated that Lieutenant Dugan had become intoxicated and was taken to the barracks dead drunk. This caused Hurley’s court- martial for disrespect to an officer. The other enlistea men supported Hurley, who was sentenced to imprisonment, and they sent a *‘round robin” to the Nebraska Sen- ators at Washington, asking their inter- ference.’ This was followed by an investi- gation by Colonel Henry, commanding the barracks, and Lieutenant Dugan must un- dergo the inquiry of a court-martial. Eleogt oy ALL QUIET AT ST. KITTS. No Further Damage Will Be Done by the ‘Strikers. NEW YORK, N. Y., March 21.—John M. Ives, who arrived on the steamer Caribbee yesterday, reports everything quiet now on the Island of St. Kitts after the reeent uprising. The population of the island is 25,000, of which only 1100 are whites. “In 8t. Kitts, as in all the islands,” says Ives, “the people are poor and complaint is general. The three other West India lsFands, St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, are also much discontented. These Danish possessions are on the market, and the offer of Denmark to sell at $19,000,000 is one well worthy of consideration, in view_ of the powerful naval advantage which will accrue from the possession of St. Thomas. The -Danes are particularly anxious to have St. Thomas become a possession of the United States. FOEL e e THE WEBBERS FOUND GUILTY. One of the Brothers Stricken With . Paralysis in the Courtroom. CHICAGO, ILL., March 21.—The jury in the case of W. J. Webber-and J. G. Web- ber, charged with conspiracy to kill E. V. Hamlin, secretary of the Kilmer Bale Tie Company, returned a verdict of guilty against both men .this afternoon. After the court had given both prisoners indeter- minate sentences, ‘Webber was stricken with paralysis and 211 to the tloor unconscious. During the iliness of Secretary Ha!n_lin. ‘W.J. Webber took the latter's position, and, it is claimed, hired his brother and Richard Maloney to murder Hamlin for $10 each, so that he could retain his posi- tion permanently. Moloney turned State’s evidence. AS i e VENEZUELA WARSHIP BURNED. Eight of the Crew Killed by an Explosion, but the Remainder Were Rescusd. NEW YORK, N. Y., March 21..—A special cable dispatch to the Herald from La Guayra, Venezuela, says: The Venezuelan warship Mariscal de Ayacuche was burned on Sunday night last off Margarita. Eight men were killed by an explosion. The balance of the crew were rescued by fishermen. The hulk was brought "here” in tow of the warship Augusto X to-day. A STARTLING CONFESSION Hired a Neighbor for Fifty Dol- lars to Assassinate Her . Husband.. The People of Anthony, Kans., Worked Up to a Lynching Pitch. WICHITA, Kaxs, March 21. — Mrs. Charles A. Rodman of Anthony has made the startling confession that she hired Charles Clark, a neighbor, to assassinate her husband, and she, together with Clark and his brother-in-law, William Mattox, whom she also implicates in the crime, were grrested to-day. According to her statement she and the two men had been plotting for some time to put Rodman out of the way, and it was agreed that she should poison him. Her heart failed her in that, and shooting was agreed upon. Clark agreed to do the shooting for which he was 1o get $50 from Mrs. Rodman. The murder was one of the most coward- ly ever committed in tte State. The com- munity is terribly wrought up and a heavy guard has been placed around tbe jail to prevent a iynching. Clark is a widower and bears an unsavory reputa- tion, as does Mrs. Rodman. Mattox stood very high in the estimation of people ana was & prominent politician. Both men have entered a plea of not guilty. Mrs. Mattox will grobnbly be arrested, as it is stated that she knew of the murderous in- tentions of her husband and brother and was a joint conspirator. ——— 3 Killed by an Explosion. PORT ROYAL, Pa.,, March 21.—Alex McDonald, aged 50 years, fire boss, and William Davis, 15 years of age, a trapper in the Sweet Cake mines here, were in- stantly killed by an explosion at 7:20 o’clock this morning. No other workmen were in the mine at the time. COMMITTED TO THE TRIPLE. ALLIANCE Curious Qutcome of a Long Period of Uncertdin Plotting. STRENGTH OF ENGLAND It Is Materially Increased by Identification With the Central Allies. FRANCE CANNOT INTERFERE. Great Britain Will Now Attempt to Cut a Wide Swath Through the Dark Continent. [Copyright, 1896, by the New York Times.] LONDON, Exa., March 21.—Atall events Europe finally knows where it is. After tifteen months of diplamatic chaos thera is a certain relief in touching the firm ground again and in having light enough to see where things are, even if the spec- tacle revealed is not what one desired. For the first time since the death of Alex- ander III it is possible to speak of the international relations of the six great powers without all sorts of reservations and doubts. Where such momentous in- terests are involved this in itself is a good deal. Briefly, Europe is where it was at the close of the late Czar’s life, only that Eng- land is considerably more committed to the Triple Alliance than it was then. There are once more two rival hostile camps with France and Russia in one and the rest in the other. Russia has strengthened herself by gathering into her train Turkey, Bulgaria and Servia, but on the other hand this is offset by England’s closer ‘| identification with central allies and by drawing Belgium under her wing, which does not stand for much, but may prove of considerable importance during the year. This is the curious outcome of this long period.of uncertainty of underground plots ‘and overtures to treachery, and of visible tendencies to break old ties and form new combinations, and, sentimentally, it is rather unpleasant. From the ethical point of view,one would rather see Germany and Russia yoked up togethét, where they belong, at least so long as the Germans tolerate the autocracy that William im- poses on them, and see France shake her« self free from her abominable association with oriental despotism and take her proper place again in the band of civilized, progressive peoples. But, practically, the Triple Alliance is Epgland’s best hold, and she has it on reasonable terms, and has found some way to compel Wiiliam to pull straight. That some such guarantee is believed to exist may, I understand, be taken for granted. Both Austria and Italy have made bitter representationsat Berlin for the past fortnight, reproaching William with perfidy in his Franco-Russian side alliances and with grossdisregard for their interestsin his silly estrangement of Eng- land. His answer was that only by these courses could he make the English com- prehend that they must either join the Triple Alliance or be isolated and squeezed. On this line of reasoning he may save his pride by arguing that his policy tri- umphed, but in effect his allies have said to him, “Well, don’t do it any more,"” aud he was pushed forward to shake hands with England and agree to the terms of the new quadruple partnership. What these terms are we have yet to learn, but of the fact of the bargain there is no doubt. The first visible token of this new deal is England’s decision to reconquer at once the Soudan. It has taken a whole week to wring little by little from the reluctant Ministry the confession of this design. It was not till last night that its inspirer and author, Chamberlain, deemed the moment opportune for a complete dis- closure. England will continue to de- scribe her stay in Egypt as temporary if her neighbors think it important that she should do so, but she is not coming out, all the same, and she is to cut her way in force through the Soudan and equatorial Africa, building roads and permanent British posts as she progresses, until she comes out in the Nyanza country, and the map is all red from Alexandria to Uganda. Here Belgium will come in, though this was not said, and the Congo Free State will once more cede that strip along the German East African frontier which Rose- NEW TO-DAY. 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