The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 4, 1897, Page 1

3 P s il i gl s - i _ - - posed of to-day by the court rendering SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY MOR PRICE FIVE CENTS KILLED BY A HERD Benjamin Henderson Slain on His Mendocino Ranch. QUARRELED WITH ONE .OF HIS EMPLOYES, Stabbed Because He Would Not Meet a Demand for More Wages. The Culprit Claims He Was Attacked and Compelled to Defend Himself. SLAYER ONCE ARRESTED FOR INSANITY. DKIAH, Car., Feb. 3.—Benjamin Hen- n, a pioneer of this county and one ts wealthiest and most influential citi- s, was killed this morning by a Mexi- heepherder who bad been in his em- ome time. News of the affair reachéd h about 11 o'clock, veland, a rider on the reported the murder at the ng of Sheriff J. R. John- Philo Handy, District e A. Sturte t, Coroner and several others, at once cene of the tragedy, about ortheast of Ukish. The r bank was full and it was dly deemed advisable to attempt to rin of t ed on Clark bridge, southeast Upon its arrival at the scene of e affray the posse found an old Mexican n the place. He had previously been de- scribed as the murderer and the officers He was brought to by Sheriff John- of town. took him in charge. town and placed in jail son and Under Sheriff Handy. When the jail was reached there was a rge crowd surro di t, and cries o!‘ “Bring a rope,” and “Hang him’ were | heard. This demonstration had been an- | pated by the officers, and preparations ct a speedy transfer of the prisoner the horse he was riding to the build- ‘ 12d been made. The man was hurried o the jail and placed where noone uid reach him. No danger of moblaw anticipated at this time. ail the prisoner stated that his name was Gregorie Ybarra. He had come to this county three months ago from Point Orford, Or., and had for the past four weeks been in the employ of Hen- tting- wood and doing chores about the ranch. This morning, accord- z to his story, he asked Henderson to ay bim some money tnat was due hin. rancher stated that ¥barra would e 1o wait until he went to town to get some money from the bank. A dispute the s to the price 1o be paid for the t some wood, Henderson claim- & tnat he was to pay 75 cents for two tiers, while Ybarra maintaned that he wis to be | of wood cut. that amount for each tier the dispute was re- son carried some of ho! Ybarra de- is were exchanged. he was sitting down g potatoes at the time, and that as Later wien wood th mu Y ed an H lerson came at him with a three-foot ick of wood he jumped up and, in self- defense, nflicted the wounds that subse- quently cause were, Henderson’s death. There learned at this the dead man’s body | ite of the neck, ex- left ear around under he jugular vein. Henderson, aiter he had been staboed, n toward the house, eighty yards dis- and after addressing a few words to 1 who was present fell over on the 1d expired. be time; one wou William Owens, an employe on the Henderson ranch and who was present wher the rancher expired, was an eye- witness of the killing. He teils substan- ['aliy the same story as the prisoner. Im- ately after his arrest, however, Y bar a statement to the Sheriff, de- nied any knowledge of the affair. Benjamin Henderson was a man about 70 years of age, and was well known and respected throughout the county. He was a prom member of Abell Lodge No. 146, F. and of this place. He settled at Sherwood Valley in the porth- ero part of this county in 1859, shortly aiter his marriage at San Francisco. He has accumulated large interests in the valley and owns considerable town prop- erty, as well as timber land and sheep yanges. Thirty thousand dollars would probably be a low estimate of the value of his holdings. He has for the last thirty years lived alone on the ranch where he Was killed, he never having married after he and his wife separated in 186L His ¢state, by a will executed some time since, is bequeatbed to Robert McGarvey Jr. and Victor McMullen, children of ex- Superior Judge McGarvey of this county. The prisoner, Yharra, is & stranger in this part of the country. About two months ago he was brought to Ukiah by Deputy Sheriff Martin Hart from West- yort fo be examined on a charge of in- anity, but at that time after an examina- was pronounced sane and ais- 1. Shortly after his discharge he red the employ of Henderson. He 1s a Mexican, 50 years of age, very slight in ure, but extremely muscular. He caks very litile English. Countess Cowley Secures a Decrce. LONDON, Exo., Feb. 3.—The action for divorce taken by Countess Cowley against Lier husbena, Earl Cowley, was finally dis- judgment in favor of the Countess. The decision was that desertion and adulter; place, therefore the | ‘nlll’ll Il HEARST’S FAVORITE ATTITUDE. “1 know I am a coward, so I sneak behind othets.” WRECK & TRAN WITH DINAMITE Continued Activily of the| Cubans in Pinar Del Rio. Engine and Cars Sent from San Cristobal Are Destroyed at a Culvert. Weyler Said to Hav: Again Gone Forth in S-arch of Doughty Gomez. KEY WEST, Fra., Feb. 3. — Havana advices say another. incident contradicts | Weyler's assurance that Pinar del Rio Provinca is virtually pacified. On Mon- | day morning a pilot engine, with an ar- mored car and steering a passenger train, left San Cristobel. Arriving at a cuivert at Bacunagua, near Faco Taco, two dyna- mite bombs exploded, wrecking the en- gine and car completely. Four civilians were killed, and also the captain of the volunteers and five soldiers. The engi- neer, fireman and eight soldiers were wounded. The culvert was destroyed en- tirely. Traffic with Pinar del Rio is still interrupted. It is reported that Weyler, with 12,000 men and twenty-five pieces of artillery, has started from headquarters at Cruces in the direction of Siguanea Hills, westSof Cienfuegos, with the intention of attack- ing or dislodging Gomez, who, it is ru- mored, is encamped there. No encounter is expected unless Gomez, aided by a naturally strong position and sufficient forces, deems it advisable to meet the foe, in which case a fierce engagement will certainly occur. The proposed Cuban reforms are the topic of all conversation bere. All agree, Spanish and Cubans alike, that the re- forms are a humbug. They will surely make no impression on the rebels. * It is known on authority that a person arriving from Castillo’s rebel camp on a commission to Havana and now returned to the field described the feeling among | the Cubans in arms as intense. The domi- nant epirit is 10 resist to the end and ac- cept no compromise with Spain unless it sccords absolute independence. Castillo has 600 men well armed and fairly sup. plied with munitions and 600 more un- armed. It appears that Marcos Garcia, commis- sioned by the Government to make over- tures to Gomez, fears that his life would | be endangered 1f he personally presents the proposals, and has written a letter 1o Marquis Ahumada declining the eommis- sion. Trainsare now running into the suburbs of the town of Guanabacoa carrying arms and large armed escorts. e | SLIPPERY LITTLE DAUNTLESS, Keeps the Customs Ufficers Busy Watch- ing Her Movements. on the part of the Earl had been proved, and a decree nisi was therefore granted to ihe Countess, JACKSONVILLE, Fra., Feb. 3.—C. R. Bisbee, Collector of Customs, was very { received a telegram from the Secretary of | Captain Gilgore of | cutter had gone dowa the river, and that | the Dauntless had taken time by the fore- | the Cuban chamber will be empowered to | | finally agreed upon by the Ministers and much worried this morning when he ) learned that the famous little steamer | Dauntless had left port Tuesday night, and was supposed to have slipped by the | warships and gone to sea. At noon, however, his anxiety was re- lieved, for the Dauntless came steaming | into port and tiea up at Clarke’s wharf. | The steamer was tied to the dock Tuesday | night and this morning she was gone. | The explanation is that the owner of the Dauntless had applied for permission for the tug to enzage in the towing and wrecking business on the Florida coast | and last Saturday made affidavit that the | steamer would not violate the neutrality | laws, | The affidavit was forwarded to Washing- | ton, but no answer was received until | last Tuesday pight, when Collector Bisbee the Treasury saying that the affidavits| were not satisfactory and directing him not to allow the vessel to go outside of the river without an officer of a revenue cut- ter on board. When the collector started to call on the revenue cutter | Boutwell this morning he found that the | lock and skipped out. The return of the | alleged filibuster greatly relioved his mind. The steamer Three Friends is still down the coast, and has not been heard from. She has been telegraphed 10 at Miami to | £0 up the coast and render any assistance possible to the Biscayne, if that vessel is realiy wrecked. MINISTERS e DISCUSS REFORMS. Canovas’ Scheme Agreed Upon ata Meet- ing of the Cabinet. LONDON, Exa., Feb. 3.—The Standard to-morrow will print a dispatch from its | Madrid correspondent, saying that at a Cabinet meeting held to-day the Minis- ters discussed for several hours the scheme of reforms for Cuba prepared by Senor Canovas ael Castillo, the Spanish Premier, and Colonial Minister Castel- lano. The reforms include a broader municipal and provincial administrative decentrali- zation than the recently iormulated re- forms for Porto Rico. The principal feainde of the plan is the creation of a local assembly styled the council of administration, consisting of twenty-one members, part of whom shall be elected by direct limited franchise and part by corporations and commercial in- terests in a similar manner to that in which the Spanish Senate is elected. The powers of the Governor-General are much developed under the scheme, but | make a colonial tariff on the condition of | always securing a high protection for Spanish imports. ‘Apart from this concession, the chamber will only bave the control of local affairs, the Cortez continuing to vote the budgets and conciude all legislative treaties. The Cuban representation in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies will remain un- altered. A dispatch received by a news agency here says the scheme of reforms was will be signed by Queen Regent Christina to-morrow (February 4). This dispatch, however, gives no details of the reforms proposed. oL o PORTO KICO MiNIFESTO. Awtonomists Dissatisfled With “Re- forma’ Granted by Spain. NEW YORK, N. Y., Feb. 4.—A special cable. to the Herald from San Juan de Porto Rico says: The autonomists of the island have Continued on Third Page, [ | pilotage { tional of the present session. CAMG AND FRANK IN WARM DEBATE Heated Argument on the Pilotage Bill in Com- mittee. Representatives of Contending Interests Almost Come to Biows. Final Action on the Measure Will Be Taken in Ex:cut:ve Session To-Day. SACRAMENTO, Car., Feb. Aside from the Duckworth episode the meeting | of the Senate Committee on Sommerce to- night to hear further argument on the bill introduced by Senator Gleaves, who is the chairman of this com- mittee, was the most exciting and sensa- A large delegation of what is designated the San FFrancisco committee of commerce, headed by Hugh Oraig, was present, and also two of the pilots, who were represented before the committee by Attorney Frank. The hearing had not advanced far when the first altercation between Messrs. Craig and Frank was precipitated. These be- came more frequent as the proceedings advanced, and it iooked at'one tine as if the affair might be made thoroughly dis- graceful by an exchange of biows. Trhougbout the whole trying ordeal Frank remained imperturbable, while Craig was kept in almost a continuous state of deep choler. Hugh Craig secured the ears of the com- mittee first when the pilotage bill came up and stated that a conference” had been held by the Committee on Commerce with the pilots, but that the latter had refused to make any concessions lookine to a com- | promise bull. Nathan H. Frank, the attorney who was present to represent the pilots, denied | that any conference had been asked for. All that had been done by 'the committee of which Mr. Craig was spokesman, he said, was to send to the Pilot Commis- missioners—not the pilots—for certain statistics, which could be obtained only at the Custom-nouse, to which office Mr. Craie was referred. Continuing Mr. Frank said: “We asked them to state the cause of their making this trouble, but they could not give us any answer. The reason, how- ever, appeared later when we ascertained that they wanted us to exempt American vessels from the payment of pilotage. After consulting with my clients I found that such a thing was not feasible.” Here came one of the outbursts of pas- sion on the part of Craig that subsequently frequently disturbed the proceedings. “The ~gentleman has musstated the facts,” he broke forth, ‘‘and we wantto place ourselves right before the commit- tee.” He said that the concession asked for was that no compulsory pilotage shoutd be charged when no pilot was employe Frank said this was exactly what he had | sent that body here in this matter. stated—it was practically free pilotage, for every one expected to pay for services that were actually rendered. Figures on compulsory pilotage were asked for by Senator Gillette, and they were given for sailing vessels only by Mr. Frank, who stated that the pilots had not had time to get out those for steamers. The statement submitted showed that $34 bad been collected for the eleven years ending with and including 1894. Then Frank threw another and success- ful bomb into the camp of the Craigites. *‘These gentlemen come before you,”” he quietly, slowly and significantly said, “purporting to represent certain organi- zations of San Francisco. Ostensibly you have before ycu the Chamber of Com- merce of San Frantisco, represented in | the person of its president, but in reality that gentleman is not authorized to repre- I have a letter here from the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce which will bear me | out.”” He produced and read the following let- ter addressed to Louis Sloss, one of the trustees of the Chamber of Commerce,who had asked the secretary for information on the subject: At your request I have examined the minutes of the Chamber of Commerce for 1896, and find that no action has been taken either oy the Board of Trustees or the chamber on the pilotage question, except to petition Con- gress to enact a Federal pilotage law, which will control pilotage at all United States ports to the exclusion or State control, under the provisions of the constitution of the United States that Congress shall legislate on all matters connected with interstate and foreign commerce, the chamber holding that pilotage and quarantine are distinctly included in this provision. With much respect, your obedient servant, WILLIAM L. MERRY, Secretary and Treasurer. Iam under the impression tnat the mem- bers of the chamber generally are of the opin- ion that pilotage rates should be reduced, but no action of the chamber has been proposed, as above stated. After Frank had read the signature, and before he had time to read on, Craig was up and asked him to please read on. Frank, without deigning to even glance 1n Craig’s direction, said he would finish reading the tetter if he were not unneces- sarily interrupted. He added that the postscript was put on the letter at the personal solicitation of Craig, and then took another center shot at his wily ad- versary. “1 bad a talk with a number of mem- bers of the Chamber of Commerce,”” he said, “‘on this subject, and I found none who s-emed to be in favor of the bill be- fore this committee. One of them went so far 2s to say that he considered it to be nothing more than an unadulterated cinch on the pilots.” Mr. Naylor, one of the members of the San Franciseo Committee on Commerce, arose 1n wrath and said he thought the action of Frank was discreditable. Craig’s 1ace became scarlet, and in a frenzied manner lie exclaimed that he was the gentlen.an whose veracity had been questioned. He then attempted to show that be was the delegate of the body he claimed to represent. He said action had been taken by the Chamber of Commerce in 1895 looking to a reduction of pilotage charges, but he failed to show that he was present on be- haif of the Chamber of Commerce, uniess he as president of that organization had appointed himself without the knowledge and consent of that body. But Frank had another “stem-winder,”” as the street gamin’s vernacular would phrase it. Hecharged that neither George Dickey nor J. N. Knowles, who were alleged to be representatives of the San Continued on Fourth Page. RAWLINS GOES T0 THE SENATE End of the Deadlock in the Legislature at Salt Lake. The Ex-Congressman Wins the Contest by a Narrow Margin. Thatcher’s Defeat Final'ly Eocom- passed by Leaders of the Mormon Church. SALT LAKE, Uran, Feb. 3.—Ex-Con- gressman Joseph L. Rawlins was elected United States Senator this afternoon by | the Utah Legislature, receiving thirty-two votes. the minimum necessary to elect. Thatcher, the other leading candidate, re- ceived twenty-nine, and two votes were scattering. The breaking of the deadlock came suddenly, and was the result of an arrangement with the supporters of Judge Henderson, who, seeing they could not elect their candiaate, flopped to Rawlins almost immediately. Thatcher owes his defeat to the action of the Mormon church leaders, who opposed him bitterly during the entire campaign. Henderson was the church candidate, but despairing of electing him, they com- promised on Rawlins, not because they wanted Rawlins, but because they would have taken almost anybody to defeat Thatcher. The four Populists and one Republican voted for Thatcher; one Re- publican voted for Brown and the other voted for Rawlins, J. L. Rawlins was born in Salt Lake County, Utah, March 28, 1850, and lived upon his father's farm until he was 18 years old. He completed a classical course in the University of Indiana, but returned to Utah before graduation. He was professor in the University of Deseret, in Salt Lake City, for two years, until 1875, when he was admitted to the bar, and he has followed the profession of law ever since. :: He was elected delegate 'to Congress from the Territory of Utah in 1892 on the Demoeratic ticket, defeating Frank J. Cannou, now United States Senator. ‘While in Congress he did great service in support of the act enabling Utah to form a constitution and be admitted to state- nood. He also obtained the passage of a special act of Congress providing for the return to the Mormon church of about $500,000 worih of property escheated by the Government ten years ago and other- wise distinguished himself. Heis a Gen- tile and one of the ablest lawyers at tne bar of the State and is a cultured and refined gentieman. Kyl» 8:ill Fails of Re-Elaction. PIERRE, S. D. Feb. 3—The Populist caucus to-night took several ballots with- | out choice and the Senaiorial situation is | theretore unchanged. The hignest num- ber of votes received by Kyle was 27 ana his vote ran down as low as 21. The highest vote received by Goodykoontz i was 25. Plowman’s vote ran from 7 to 10. LAUGHS AT THE SLEUTHS Murderer Butler Seems to Be a Moral Mon- ster. ANEW STORY FOREVERY VISITOR. He Says That His Mining-Mate Made Away With Captain Lee Weller. SELLS SIGNATURES BY THE WHOLESALE, Australian Detectives the Victims of His Jokes—Willing to Be Taken to the Colonies. As a moral monstrosity Murderer But- ler, who now occupies a cell at the City Prison, ranks above any criminal that has ever been seen in this City, not excepting Theodore H. T. Durrant. Though his perusal of the daily papers has shown him that the meshes of the law are tight about him, he bears a brazen front, and_answers even the most search- ing questions with a nonchalance that amazes his hearers. The cruel fiend of the Australian bush seems to take particular delight in tellng stories that, in the beginning, sound like coufessions, but later on turn out to be jokes at the expense of his auditors. He pretends to take a liking to some visitor who has given him a cigar, and after pofling awhile at the weed says: ““Now, I say, this talk about my mur- dering Lee Weller has some foundation afterall. Of course, Idid not kill him, but I know something about the matter just the same. % “He went out on a prospecting tour with me and my mate and my mate killed him. That's bow I got these things. My mate went away and the trinkets were left in camp and they fell to me.” He told this story to Constable Conroy, | the dramatic Australian sleuth, yester- day afternoon, and when the latter be- came so0 interested that he knocked his own hat off trying to get hishead throuzh the bars and catch every word Butler quietly confided tbat the murder was done in Chile. This is on a par with the other stories that Butler tells, and all are given with a twinkle of the eye that betrays his joke to those who watch him closel. He seems entirely oblivious to the hangman’s noose and laughs when the subject of his reception in Australia is mentioned. *It will be all right when I get there,” he says, with a heavy accent on the last four words. ‘At present I am doing first rate. Friscois a great place.” His main concern yesterday was to get pive and tobaceo and a change of clothes. “With all these nice ladies calline to see me,” he remarked, “I ought to have some decent duds to receive them in. I want white shirts and some clothes that will make me look like a gentleman.” Butler did a rushing business yesterday selling bis autographs to those who called at his cell. He was not high priced, but signed for all wiio cared to pay half a dol- jar for a name scribbled on a piece of ‘paper or card. “I sign any name they like,” he said. “Butler or Weller; it is all the same to me. Most people want the name I used on the ship, and they get it all right when they put up half a dollar.” To the Australian detectives Butler is particularly pleasant in hie general de- meanor, but the expression of his eyes as he glances at them through half-closed lids is not pleasant to look upon. The glance plainly says, “I wish Ihad you out in the bush alone.” He spent several hours during the after- noon in conversation with Constable Con- roy and told a different story every halt hour. He denies knowing Conroy except since his capture, and takes particular de- light in refusing to remember incidents that the young Australian tries torecall to his_recollection. Detectives Roche and McHattie spent some time yesterday in trying to convince Butler that it was no use to fight against going to Australia. They told him that they could take him back by the steamer that sails to- morrow if he was willing, but if he allowed his lawyer to conduct his case it would be at least a month before the long sea voyage could be begun. Butler shrugeed his shoulders and re- marked that the matter was out of bis hands and that his attorneys were doing all his legal business and bad told him not to bother his head about his case. “T’ll make the best of it here until I see my way clear,” be said, “‘but I may as well tell you now that I am as anxious to go back as you are to take me.” Butler was in the midst of his auto- graph-writing yesteraay afternoon when he was called out of his cell to interview a press representative. His cellmate, who is also a hard-looking customer, took ad- vantage of the murderer’s absence to write Lee Weller several times on cards presented for that purpose at 50 cents a signature and those who paid the money went away none the wiser. e sp NOT BUTLER’S WIFE. A Woman From Napa Who Could Not Identify the Australian Flend. Mrs. Butler, ths woman from Napa who believed she had found her truant hus- band in Lee Weller, alias Butler and other names, the accused of many murders in Australia, called upon Captain Lees yes- terday morning at the City Prison. She is a comely woman of about 35 years of age, fair of face and of fine proportions. She again related the story of her mar