The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 19, 1903, Page 4

NCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1903. BOGUS MONEY MEN IN JAIL Seeret Serviee Operatives Run to FEarth a Bold Gang of Clever Counterfeit®s Lo i 52 SECURE COMPLETE PLANT R HIR. " S Operations of the Criminals Were Extensive and Officers Secure All of the Bad Coin R T ast night of Charles Tighe, Charles Sutt- George hn Attridge by Secret Ser- ives George W. Hazen, T. i T. R. McManus, a quar- feiters has finally d for their efforts tively engaging in distribution of long term in in the them ‘eit half do cou the penitentiary stares tace Great cleverness was displayed by the officy securing the idence A sure a, conviction alning everything acture of spu- a furnace to a pair of as found in the room of »n street. He was the e mover the scheme. In addi- about $200 in counterfeit halves was also secured. six weeks ago information was ed by ret Service Agent Hazen t a number of spurious half dollars being passed on the Geary and Sutter street cars. T. B. Foster and T. R. McManus were detailed on the case and in a short t scovered who were ulpri necessary tion Al ime ¢ and night t Callan r of the coin. wary and from He Day by day their shadow re Callan was d was he yuble on his he wa r the sum- not even aware of chief and were with passing sion of 15 cents their nufacturing a batch ; the molds, and, ¢ n I First and Minna al of them in the s sequently recovere y the detectives, by the aid of nd ladder. The quartet cover of darkness, and meet Suttcliff and Tighe 638 Clay street, where supplied with the Attridge, who had ations, frequented a be is street and Callan During the six et him there. nvestigation the detectiv ient lost sight of their nt without sleep and d often w evening Hazen, Foster and Mc- , and placed him under h of the room brought t y iron chest in which were concealed all the appurtenances P the operation of the un- mint ce volumes entitied, respectivel »unterfeiter ‘Foiled,” *“Roguery Counterfeiter” and “A Lady Shadow were also brought to light, but it is not believed that ductive literature primarily re- sponsible for Callan’s advent into the business Suttcliff and Tighe were taken into custody at 638 Clay street, and Attridge &t 101 Bllis street. Sutcliff was former- 1y employed at the Union Iron Works and Tighe, who is a waiter, claims that his father is a cancer specialist at Twenty-third and Chattanooga streets. Attridge is a cook’s helper and, sccording to the detectives, has been & race track tout. During the six weeks that the officers have been on the case they have se- cured every coin that has been passed by purchasing them from the receivers. Callan is supposed to be an old hand at the business, although young in vears, and recently came here from Se- a was attle, where he was employed by A. Hunbach e of the men arrested are over 30 years of age. Tighe is a member of the Waiters’ Union, No. 30, and Attridge of the Cooks’ Helpers' Union, No. 110. They will be transferred from the City Prison to the County Jail to-day and taken before Commis- sioner Heacock for examination. B G 5 M R SISTER OF THE KAISER NOT A CANCER SUFFERER Paric Report Regarding the Illness of Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Men- ingen Is Officially Denied. RLIN, Dec. 18.—The report pub- lished by the Journal of Paris that the Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meningen, sister of Emperor William, is suffeping from cancer and that the verdict of the physicians had created .tonsterna- tion in the German court, is officially defined as “nonsense.” The Princess is not even ilL —— e Marriage Licenses. OAKLAND, -Dec. 18.—The follow- ing marriage licenses were issued by the County Clerk to-day: William Tucker, over 21, and Lillian Hacker, over 18, both of S8an Francisco; Gearge W. Little, 23 son, over 1§, both of San Franeisco: ———— NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. A CLEANLY AGE. Twentieth Century Ideas Incline Toward Sanitation and 2! Nowadays scientists believe that in cleanliness lies the secret of prevention of diseases. To prevent a disease, remove the cause, Just as unclean habits many dis- eases, 80 careless habits will breed dan- druff. Improper use of another's brushes, combs, ete, will surely cause dandruff, and. in tfme, will Just as surely cause baldness. It's microbic infection, nothing more nor. E Newbro's Herpicide kills the dandruft germ 2nd causes hair to grow luxuriant- ly. Herpicide is absolutely free from STease or other injurious il ces. g T i o ettt or sampl e Detroit, Mich. o movement of the | his actions showed that he feared that | being | »eeasion led his | teliff, Tighe | »wn on Caillan’s room, | the reading of this se- | and Cardline M. John- | SUPERVISORS MAT EXPLAIN Are Leased Company Park Purposes, to a ' Lumber CITY COLLECTS THE RENTS Gift of $2300 From Mrs. Me- was held yesterday afternoon at the office of A. B. Spreckels, president of the board. The secretary having been instructed by the board to make in- quiry concerning the occupaney of lands reserved for park purposes, pre- sented this report: In the matter of the two blocks bounded “hannel, Hoover and I streets on the h and south and fth ard Hudson eets on the east and west, referred to your retary for investigation as to -heir present rdition, 1 will report that these two lots designated market places and are now cecupied by the San Francisco Lumber who obtained a five years' lease, es January 9§, 1904, as per resolu- They pay $155 per month rent into the hands of the Mayor, who dcposits that amount in the treasury. The said market blace lots are now in- cluded in the lease granting certain lands in the city and_county of San Franciaco to the Bay S Railroad Company for terminal y the Board of seconded by Commissgioner Altman, the | subjact wae referred to the City Attor- ney. The right of the Board.of Super- v termined. Steps may be taken to se- cure money collected under such lease. The Commissioners propose to utilize the sum of $2300 given to the park by Mrs. Willlam McCauley in building a | stone gateway at the Haight-street en- trance. Mr. Altman was requested to confer’with John McGillvray and ascer- tain the best that could be done for the sum at the disposal of the commis- sion. In reference to the proposed statue of Junipero Serra, which James D. Phe- lan has pron d to contribute, Mr. | Lioyd su sted that the foundation should be stone taken from the site | at Monterey where Father Junipero Serra first landed in Californ vote The commiseion gave of tharks to William Greer Harrison for $pecimen of graphite from Non Reuben I. Llovd wads thanked { for the gift of a medal which was struck to commemorate the cession of New Amsterdam by Holland to Eng- land. These articles go to the memo- rial museum. it w Supervisors for a | | certain period and at a certain rental per| | annum | ©On motion of Commissioner Liloyd, | ors to lease property that has been | | | reserved as public squares will be de-| s reported that three coyotes ! 5 ARIDITY ROBS SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY OF PRODUCTIVENESS| WITHOUT FEARI ON BERKELEY, Deg. 18.—With the idea of assisting the farmers of the San Cauley Will Provide Stone|Joaquin Valley to get better results y L . 3 from their holdings, the irrigation ex- Gateway - at Haight Street perts of the University of California have begun a series of of experiments A meeting of the Park Commission |t0 determine the effects of irriga- | tion on the soil of that region. The soil | of a large portion of the grain-growing section is becoming worn out from sue- cessive crop raising so that it does not now produce profitably as in former years. The experiments are being carried on at Tulare by Professor Samuel Fortier and A. P. Stover of the agricultural department. In brief, they consist in growing crops and irrigating them in large receptacles so that the effects of the water on the soil and growths may be noted. There are some eighteen of these re- ’ceptacles, which are about two feet in diameter and three feet deep. They are 3 IRRIGATO ]S had’ been killed in the park during the | filled with soil taken from the grain last weelk. It appears that coyote pups are brought to town as pets, and when | duce, found to be uninteresting are turned loose in the park to subsist on quail falfa. the | that six different portions of water. been | Stance, and rabbits. Spreckels ranch ‘near Gilroy | pheasant hens'and a rooster have trapped. The birds will be placed in | Golden Gate Park. The Commissioners i will not meet again until next year. JURY JUSTIFIES THE SHOOTING ‘Word comes from !('urom-r of Los Angeles Holds Inquest in Cases of Father | and Son Killed by Officers x SN AR LOS | session of more than five hours the Coroner’s jury called together for the purpose of investigating the killing of | profitable every year on account of the | Joseph and Louis Choisser last night | ecrease per acre, but by irrigating it and | is possible that the land may be made Cowan rendered a verdict to-night of | to yleld more. by Detectives Hawley, Murphy justifiable homicide. The jury was composed of prominent business men. The testimony given by the three nfil-“ DEATH’S CALL cers tended to show that the Choissers opened fire upon them without a mo- ment’s hesitation and that they used their revolvers to protect their own lives. J. 8. Atkinson, who occupied a room next to that of the Choissers, and who made a statement this morning that the dead men were not armed when they were shot, did not appear to tes- tify before the Coroner’s jury. Mrs. | Louise Fairehild, a cousin of the dead | men, told the jury of the good charac- | ter and standing of Joseph Choisser in | Equality, T, where he had resided for many years, and that to her knowledge he had never committed a crime. BEQUALITY, I, Dec. 18.—Joseph Choisser, who with his | at Los Angeles, Cal, was a fugitive ! from justice, having purchased a lot of | mules and horses in Hardin County, Illinois, and given in payment alleged worthless checks for $1800, drawn on ! the Bank of Eldorado, Ill., for which warrant had been issued for his ar- rest. It is alleged that Choisser shipped the mules to East St. Louis, ! sold them, wired the Bank of Eldorado | to pay no more of his checks, and de- ‘ parted for California, taking his son | with him. ~The ‘warrant for his arrest | was in the hands of the Sheriff of | Hardin County when his arrest was or- dered by wire. He had always borne a good reputation for square dealing and his family stamds high in the com- munity. —_——————————— PERSONAL. H. H. Thompsen, a prominent mer- ckant of Tacoma, i€ at the Occidental. 1 A. H. Naftzger, president of the | Fruit Growers’ Associatjon of Los An- geles, is registered at the Palace. John Finnell and his son, Simpson Fennell, the well-known ranchers of Tehama County, are at the Palace. Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Maylapd of San Jose arrived at the Palace yesterday. The doctor has just returned froni the East. o F 5 Avery D. Andrews and J. L. Drake, who are connected with the asphalt trust in Philadelphia, are registered at the Palace. A — LONDON, Dec. 19.—The Daily Mail this morning publishes < | sixteen inches, another twenty inches, | The soil filling these tanks is from | fields that last year only yielded from | whereas in former years, before it was | | the farmers trusting ‘entirely to the ANGELES. Dec. 18.—sAfter a | rainfall |last year 400,000 acres son was Killed | yoreq the Confederate army as a pri- | eral Henry Douglas, “Stonewall” Jack- fields that have almost ceased to pro- Six of them are planted with wheat, six with barley and six with al- The receptacles will be irrigated with For in- one will receive mnothing only the natural rainfall, which is estimated at six inches for the section; another | will receive four inches, another eight | inches, another twelve inches, another | all in addition to the regular rainfall. a sack to two sacks of grain an acre, worn out, it yielded from fourteen to xteen sacks. This poor yield was ob- ained without irrigation, that is, with the natural rainfall, but it is thought that with more water the sofl may be made to be more productive. The experiments have an important bearing on the dry farming of the State, where millions of acres are cul- tivated without the aid of irrigation, In San'Joaquin County alone were farmed rain. The and less much less withéut receiving yields are becoming 3. SOUNDS FOR A NOTED SOLDIER HAGERSTOWN, Md., Dec. 18—Gen- son’s chipf of staff during the Civil War, died at his home to-night, aged 62 years. A general failing of health, including mental troubles, was the cause of his death. Henry Kyd Douglas was born in West Virginia September 29, 1840, and | was the son of a clergyman. He en- vate and rose rapidly to the command of a brigade. He was at various times assistant adjutant general to Early, J. B. Gordon, Pegram, Johnston and oth- ers. He commanded the Light Brigade from Petersburg to Appomattox. This was the brigade that fired the last shot at Appomattox and was the last to stack arms. During the railroad strike in 1894 he held the rank of major gen- eral, commanding the Maryland troops. He was a lawyer by profession, and had been a Federal Judge. Prominent Merchant Dies. ALAMEDA, Dec. 18.—Albert Vic- tors, a prominent merchant of Ala- meda and one of the best known members of the German colony of this city, died to-night at his home, 1018 Paru street. Deceased was a | native of Germany and leaves a wife and four children.. Frederick P. Earle Passes Away. SAN DIEGO, Dec. 18.—Frederick P. Earle, a native of London, died at Escondido, in this county, to-day, aged 83 years. He was a brother of the Right Rev. Alfred Earle, the present Bishop of Marlborough, England. .. Carnegie’s Art Adviser Dead. ' LONDON, Dec. 18. — Charles Mac- Bride, the sculptor; who was Andrew Carnegie’s art adviser, is dead at Edinburgh. Death of 3 Well Known Musician. SAN DIEGO, Dec. 18.—Charles O. preparing -»oe.hl:m. for | Posgate, a well known musician, died in this city this evening. § SRECEPRPT, EEN USED n‘&&mm CXFERIN G TS v < South Side Tote, Beserved for| Irrigation Experts of University of California Begin Ex- periments to Determine Effects of Various Degrees of Moisture on the Soil of the Affected Region -— | ILLUSTRATIONS SHOWING HOW VALUE OF IRRIGATION ARE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. EXPERIMENTS TO TEST THE BEING CONDUCTED BY EXPERTS RIELE BULLET HITS BIRGLAR | Bakersfield Merchant Fights Two Midnight Prowlers in Basement of His Residence —_— 2 BAKERSFIELD, Dec. 18.—Charlés Young, a merchant, had a battle early this morning with two burglars in the basement of his residence. He wound- ed one of the burglars in the leg with a rifle and the second burglar fired three shots at Young without effect. Both of the burglars escaped in the dsTkness, one of them groaning with pain, The matter was reported to the Sher- iff’s office and within an hour Under Sheriff Baker had located Roy Lampert as one of the burglars. Lampert was found in bed in a house in the red light district with a rifle ball in his leg. He owes his life to the fact that the bullet struck the butt of his pistol, as other- wise it would have entered his abdo- men. Lampert claims that he was alone when the burglary was attempt- ed, but the tracks around the house show there were two men. —————————— NANCE O'NEIL SUED FOR HEAVY DAMAGES Chicago Theatrical Manager Wants $100,000 From Actress for an Alleged Breach of Contract. CHICAGO, Dec. 18.—For an alleged breach of contract to produce certain plays, the W. 8. Cleveland Amusement Company has brought suit for $100,000 damages against Nance O'Neil, the San Francisco actress, McKee Rankin, her manager, and two other members of her company. It is charged by the plaintiff that the Cleveland Company expended $10,000 in preparing scenery E.x’xd costumes required for four plays which Rankin, on behalf of Miss O'Neil, agreed to produce for at least thirty days at the Cleveland Company's theater. It is charged that the refusal of the defendants to live up to their contract resulted in the closing of the Cleveland Theater, causing a loss to the amount of damages called for in the suit. - Y i NI p—— Pyrography outfits and things to burn. Art material department. Sanborn, Vail & Co. s 'y B e ¢ Late Shipping Intelligence. ARRIVED. Friday, December 18. Stmr Pasadena, Rasmussen, 34 hours from Eureka, DOMESTIC x PORT TOWNSEND—Sa! Dec 18—Br bark for South Forfarshire, from Port America. | THREE DEPOTS FOR 0AKLAND Southern Pacific Company to * Make Some Important Im- provements in Buildings Sl i Oakland Office San Francisco Call, 1118 Broadway, Dec. 18. The Southern Pacific Company will soon proceed with some very important improvements in Oakland. The settle- ment of the condemnation suit brought by that company against Mrs. Gretch- en Feldman, by which the company se- cured possession of two square blocks of land at Fifth and Cypress streets, will enable them to carry out some plans they have had in contemplation for two years. The freight yards of Oakland are to be located upon the property that was acquired by this suit, and a large freight depot will be erected at that point. This will cause the abandon- ment of the freight yards at Sixteenth street and at the foot of Market street. The yards at Sixteenth street are a source of a great deal of annoyance to the passengers who take the trains at that point. ‘When the new:. freight yards have been completed two new depot build- ings will be erected, one at Sixteenth street and one at the foot of Broadway. The depot at Sixteenth street is small and old and dirty and is out of keeping with the importance of a city of the size of Oakland. At the foot of Broad- way there is no depot at all, and the passengers for points south of Oakland walit in a small store which is occupied as a depot by the company. It is expected that the coming year will see the completion of work that will be of great advantage to the city. Denies Henry Melone’s Appeal. The Supreme Court yesterday de- nied the appeal of Henry E. Melone from the order admitting the will of Drury Melone to probate. He argued that the time and place appointed for proving the will of the deceased had not béen properly published. Sarah Melone was the defendant in the case. —_———— Dreyfus Case Not Settled. PARIS, Dec. 18.—The reports that ‘War Minister Andre had announced the restoration of Dreyfus to the army are manifestly untrue. The case is now before the special commission of judges, which has not concluded its cision. The War Minister has not made any announfement on the sub- ject. Irish Comedian Succumbs. _ DETROIT, Dec. 18.—John Kernell, the veteran Irish comedian, who has been lying at death’s door at Grace Hospital all week, died to-day. g P e S R RN IS o) MEETS DEATH — Bert Ross Is Executed ——— PRA\;S FOR FORGIVENESS ————e Relatives of the Doemed Man Spend a Fortune Trying to Save Him From the Seaffold PRSI SAN QUENTIN PRISON, Dec. 18.— With deliberate tread, Bert Ross, the ! murderer of Deputy Sheriff Ward,, mounted the scaffold at San Quentin prison this morning and met his doom. | Ross was perfectly resigned to his fate. He walked up the thirteen stéps unassisted and as the noose was be- ing piaced cver his heal exclaimed, “Ged have mercy upon my soul, a mis- erable sinner.” Very few people witnessed the execu- tion. at 10:30 o'clock. He was attended by the Rev. Father Egan of San Rafael and Rev. Mr. Drahms, the orison chap- lain. The trap was sprung at 10:3% Ross fell 5 feet 6 inches. During his fall through space Ross clasped his hands in prayer. After the drop his body moved convulsively. Dr. T. B. Barney of San Francisco, Dr. Hyde, the priscn surgeon, and Dr. R. F. Casey of San Francisco pronounced Ross dead at 10:43. No relative of the condemned man was present at the execution. Bert Ross killed Deputy Sheriff Wil- liam J. Ward of San Diego County. The czime was committed on the steamer Santa Rosa at Port Harford. Rcss had committed a burglary in San Diego and ‘Ward was bringing him to San Quon- tin to serve four years. Whi.e on the boat at Port Harford pier the officer and his prisoner were in a statersom. Koss took a water bettle and struck Ward on the head and escap>d through the window. ‘Owing to a sixt>2r-pound Oregon boot he was unabl: i) swim and clung to a pile until Sheriff Ivan of San Luis Obispo County captured ward. » Ross was tried, convicted and sen- tenced to hang. He arrived at Quentin in March. 1899. The case was appealed and a new trial granted. He was found guilty on his second trial. The case was taken to the State Su- preme Court several times and to the United States Supreme Court once. Ross had wealthy relatives in the East who spent fully $10,000 trying to save him. As a last resort Rev. Father Egan appealed tq Governor Pardee last week. setting forth, reasons for a commuta- ment. The chief executive, man ultimately became resigned to his doom. Ross had a bad record. Years ago he was an inmate of Folsom prison for burglary under the name of Bert Holden. He was buried in San Rafael. ARSI THAT JL4S NO BALLOON Flying Machine at Dayton, Ohio, Makes Good Speed Against Very Heavy Wind PORSE SR NORFOLK, Va., Dec. 18.—A success- ful trial of a flying machine has been made near Kitty Hawk, N. C., by Wil- bur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio. The machine flew for three miles in the face of a wind blowing at the registered velocity of twenty-one miles an hour, and then gracefully descended to earth at the spot selected by the navigator. The machine has no balloon attachment, but gets its force _from propellers worked by a small engine. Preparatory to its flight the machine was placed upon a platform near Kitty Hawk. This platform was built on a high sandhill, and when all was in readiness the fastenings to the machine were released and it started down an incline. The navigator, Wilbur Wright, then started a smail gasoline engine, which worked the propellers. When the end of the incline was reached the machine gradually arose j until it obtained an altitude of sixty | feet. In the face of the strong wind [blnwing it maintained an even speed of eight miles an hour. The idea of the | boxkite has been adhered to in the basic formation of the flying machine. A huge framework of light timbers thir- ty-three feet wide, five feet deepand five feet across the top forms the maciine proper. This is covered with a tough | but light canvas. In the center is the navigator's car, and suspended just be- low the bottom plan is a small gasoline engine, which furnished the motive power for the propelling and elevating wheels. There are two six-blade pro- pellers, one arranged just below the frame so as to exert an upward force when in motion, and the other extend- ing horizontaily to the rear from the center of the car, furnishing the for- ward impetus. Protruding from the center of the car is a huge fan-shaped rudder of canvas, stretched upon a frame of wood. This rudder is con- trolled by the navigator and may be moved to each side, raised or lowered. ———————— OF INTEREST TO PEOPLE OF THE PACIFIC COAST f ‘WASHINGTON, Dec. 18.—Postmas- ters commissioned: California—Nels A. Thompson, Newman. Washington —Olive B. Rauch, Fidalgo; Joseph B. Prosser, McCain. Fourth-class postmasters appointed —Carl Brand, Belmont, Whitman County, vice H‘ammon B. Merrill, re- signed. . Army orders: Captain Elmore F. Taggart, quartermaster, will proceed £ v s o San Francisco for téemporary duty sessions ‘and-has not rendered a de- | as assistant to Major Carroll A. Devol. The following named officers will re- port to Lieutenant Colone! George H. ":rney, deputy surgeon general, presi- nt of the examining board at the Presidio of San Francisco, for exami- nation for advancement: First Lieu- tenant George P. Peed, assistant sur- geon; First Lieutenant Henry D. Thomason, assistant surgeon, \ in San Quentin Prison for Mur- der of Deputy Sheriff Ward Ross entered the death chamber | him. Ward died about ten daya after- | San | tion of the sentence to life imprison- however, | failed to intervene and the condemned | RATES ADVANCE RAILROADS Interstate Commerce Commis- sion Reports Upon the Con- dition of Traffie Corporations APPALLING LOSS OF LIFE More Than Three Hundred Passengers and Three Thou- sand Employes Killed in Year WASHINETON, Dec. 13.—The seven- teenth annual report of the Interstate Commerce Commission, transmitted to Congress to-day, says in part: The preliminary income account for | the year ending June 30, 1903, shows | railway returns for 201,457 miles of line. which is approximately 98 per cent of | the entire mileage in the United States. Gross earnings for that year amounted to $1,890,150,679, or $9382 per mile of line. Operating expenses agsgregated $1,248,- 520,483, or $6191 per mile, leaving net | earnings of $641,630,196, or 33185 per mile. Fifty-three milllon dollars In { taxes is not included fh this statement yuf cperating expenses. Compared with | the previous year, the net earnings are | greater by some thirty-four millions and stock dividends are greater by | nearly ten millions. In 1897 the gross | earnings averaged only $6122 and ope- rating expenses $4106 per mile of line. PURPOSE OF ELKINS LAW. | The resort discusses at length the | Elkins law. The Commissioners say | that the original law, the act to regu- | late commerce, embraces two distinct | objects, or seeks to correct two kinds | of railroad abuses: First, to secure | the publication of tariff rates which | shall be just and reasonable and free | from discriminations: and second, to | compel carriers to observe the tariffs so published without variation or ex- ception. It continues: ““Broadly speaking, the latter class of offenses only are affected by the Elkins act, the provisions of which are mainly designed to prevent or more effectually reach those infractions of law, like the i | payment of rebates and kindred prac- { tices, which are cl »d as misdemean- ors. Under t amen ent the rail- n itseif is liable to prose- ore its officers and way corpor: cution in all cases agent This change corrects a defect has always been a source of er ! ment, because it gav are liable under the former law. which principal and benef guilty transaction. It ig believed that much benefit will result ym the fact that proceedings can now be taken against the corporation.” BIG ADVANCE IN RAT One of the most significant things railway cpe for the last years has bLeen the marked and ger eral advance in rates. *h inc applies in almost all ctions of the | country and to many of the most im- | portant kinds of traffic. These inereases are general and they amount in the aggregate to an yrmous sum. The effect of these ances has been to correspondingly increase the tax laid | upon the-general body of producers and | consumers in this country for the bene- | fit of the owners of railway property | The commission refers again to the | evils resulting from excessive payments | by railroad companies for the use of | private ears, particularly those owned | and controlled by shippers, and recom- | mends that the payment of car mileage for their use be regulated. Feor the year ending June 30, 1903, 321 passengers and 3233 ‘employes were | killed in railway accidents, and 6973 | passengers and 39,004 employes injursd. | The appalling loss of life and property | in collisions is noted, and the commis- | sion urges the desirability of the im- troduction of the block system. The gross earnings of railways for the vear ending Jume 30, 1903, were $1,890,150.679. The gross earnings for the previous year were $1,726,380,267. —_————— GOVERNOR PARDEE SIGNS A PETITION FOR A PARDON a | Efforts Are Being Made to Secure the Release of Frank McCann From the Oregon Penitentiary. SALEM, Or., Dec. 18.—Governor Chamberlain yesterday received a pe- tition for the pardon of Frank Me- Cann, who is serving a sentence of nine years in the penitentiary upon a conviction of assault with a deadly weapon upon David Halliday at Grants Pass, September 20, 1902. The petition is signed by prominent men in California, including Governor Pardee, ex-Governor Gage, the Secre- tary of State and many other State of- fieials and citizens of Santa Rosa, Cal. MecCann, who is aged 60 years, and Halliday, a comparatively young man, became engaged In an altercation, which resuited in the latter being shot by McCann. The ball did mot pene- trate a vital spot and Halliday recov= _ered. McCann, as well as the petition- ers for his pardon, claim that the act was done in self-defense, as the ac- cused was about to be attacked by Halliday, who, it was alleged, carried a knife in his hand. | The petition is supplemented and strengthend by a personal letter from the wife of McCann, who pleads his in- | nocence of the crime for which he was | eommitted. P — | Divorce Set Aside. | OAKLAND, Dec. 18.—Judge Greene I to-day granted the request of Harney Beckwith to have set aside a default judgment entered against him in a di- | vorce begun by Matilda Beckwith. He | stated that he was in Alaska at the | time the case was called. 4 ADVERTISEMENTS. Pears’ Sokp-p for toilet, nursery, Buth and shaving. Match- Jess among all soaps in the world for these pur- poses- : s sold all over the world,