HEE a Bellefonte, Pa., Nov. 30, 1900. P. GRAY MEEK, - - Eprror SETS Ta, = TerMs oF Susscaiprion.—Until further notice this paper will be furnished to subscribers at the following rates : Paid strictly in advance.................... $1.00 Paid before expiration of year......... 1.50 Paid after expiration of year........... 2.00 Paramount Duty of the Legislature. ~The paramount duty of the Pennsyl- vania Legislature at the coming session is to enact legislation which will secure honest elections in the future. The pres- ent electoral system in this State puts a premium on baliot frauds. Its aim ap- pears to be not to make frauds difficult bus to make honest voting next to impossible, and it accomplishes that result completely. A man may cast an honest vote if he tries, and it will be honestly counted and re- turned if the election officers have no in- terest in the contrary result. Bat it‘is much easier to commit fraud than it is to secure fair elections, as now conducted in the larger cities. There are various ways of improving the system of voting in this State. The simplest is to adopt the system that per- mits of voting by machines in place of by ballot. This prevents the necessity of assistance for those physically or mentally incapable of marking ballots such as we now have, and does away entirely with the oppor- tunity for bribery that our present system affords. It also insures an honest count and a return of the votesas counted. There are those. who imagine that the genuine Australian system of voting should be adopted, but we doubt if they have ever examined it thoroughly or know exactly what it is. © At the most it is but a slight change from that which we now have and in no way does it provide for or insure a oorrect count and return of the vote. The fact, however, that the constitution must be changed before we can vote other than by ballot will prevent voting by ma- chines for several years, but in the mean- time such changes should be made in the laws we haveas will at least miminize the bribery and rascality that now make our elections the veriest of farces. Other important reforms required are the ratification of the proposed consti- tutional amendments and the Legislature should make the amendments in so far as it has the power. For example, to secure honest elections in the large cities personal registration is essential. But personal registration cannot be ohtained in the cities under the present constitutional pro- visions without extending it all over the State which would put a needless burden on the people. At the last session of the Legislature a resolution proposing the nec- essary amendment passed both Houses. The coming Legislature should repass tbat resolution aud then it will go to the peo- ple and no doubt be adopted. But the other precautions should be taken also. Women to Circle the Globe for Knowle. ! edge. Misses Ada Murcull and Jessie Ackerman Plan a Tour of Great Length and Wide Scope as Correspondents. ‘Two young women engaged in a unique undertaking are being entertained in Philadelphia. They are Miss Ada Mur- cull, of Australia, and Miss Jessie Acker~ man, of the United States. Both are em- ployed by a syndicate of New York to tour the world and write up their experiences. A‘ present they are the guests of Mrs. Ruth Shaffuer, of 4512 Orange avenue. The travelers are to visit all lands, living as long as necessary in each to thoroughly study - the characteristics of each place, social, political and industrial. Then the results of these studies are to be written. Miss Ackerman says this is her third trip around the world, 300,000 miles being cov- ered in visiting fifty countries. On these journeys she was acting as a special cor- respondent for several papers. In company with her present hostess, Mrs. Shafiner,so traveled,lived and studied for four months in Iceland and crossed the island on horseback. Im South Africa she has been the guest of Olive Schreiner, who. wrote ‘‘The Story of an African Farm; has twice interviewed Paul Kruger, met Cecil Rhodes, visited Johnannesburg, went through the Kimberley mines and has taken a stage tour:through the Transvaal, employing in turn 170 horses. In China she was entertained in Li Hung Chang's palace and 1:et other of the leading states men there, China's interior will be one of the objective places of the present. tour. Miss Murcull isa native of Australia, though her mother ‘was born in Phila. She is no stranger to travel, having spent yewrs in foreign countries, the correspon- dent of Australian and English papers. She lived for six weeks in London’s no- toriously famous Whitechapel. She was the pioneer woman at the Coolgardie gold fields of Australia, and in many other places has been the first white lady visitor. Miss Ackerman has lectared in Belle- fonte on several occasions and has a num- ber of friends here. Buffalo Disappearing. The Herd in Yellowstone Park Reduced by Poachers. WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.—The buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, belonging to the United States Government and main- tained for the purpose of preventing the species from becoming extinet, are fast S/sappearing. There is now hut a small ool a Poachers have killed ‘many of the finest specimens. The heads of bulls bring from $400 to $500 each for mounting purposes, The small guard of cavalry which patrols the reservation is unable to prevent the depredations of these poachers. Poaching is not confined to buffaloes alone, but other native animals in the preserve are being killed off. Uncle Sam Loses a Vessel. New YORk, November 20—A cable dis- patch from Manila received here to-day reports the sinking of the United States auxiliary cruiser Yosemite in a typhoon at Guam, November 15th. Five of the crew were lost. | 18,000 men. Rivers are on the Rise. Great ‘Damage is Reported as a Result of Floods.— Rained for Forty-Eight Hours.—Reports from Ohio, New York, West Virginia and New Jersey Show that Many Streams are Out of Their Banks. One Woman Lost Her Life. CLEVELAND, November 26—Another violent storm prevailed on Lake Erie and throughout Northern Ohio to-day, the wind coming from the north and blowing at the rate of sixty miles an hour. The gale was accompanied by heavy rain and sleet. The lake has been lashed to a wild fury and no vessels are leaving port. The telephone and telegraph companies, which suffered great damage from the heavy storm of last week, were again bad- ly handicapped by the prostration of lines on practically all routes as the result of to-day’s storm. Hundreds of poles are down and it will probably be several days before complete repairs can be made. CoLuMBUS, O., November 26—The dam- age done throughout the State will reach thousands. At Chagrin Falls the telephone switchboard burned out and set half a dozen houses on fire. At Cambridge sev- eral buildings were blown down and at Batavia Miss Annie Hurd was drowned, ‘driving into a stream where a bridge had been washed out. The Ohio river and sonthern.Ohio streams are rising rapidly. Wires are down in all directions aud trains are delayed. ALBANY, N. Y., November 26—The heavy rains have caused an eight-inch freshet in the river here, with excellent prospects of the water flooding Quay street before morning. The big rise was upex- pected and the merchants along the docks were not prepared for it. The cur- rent in mid-stream is very swift, and all trains are delayed. ITHACA, N. Y., November 26—Water continued to sweep down the Ithacan gorges all day and at 9 o’clock to-night the flood had subsided but little. The danger mark was passed about noon, how- ever. The lower flats, near the fair gronnds are transformed into a lake, and horses stabled there for the winter barely were rescued. The greatest danger was expe- rienced along Six Mile ran, the banks of which are low. Through the city the bridges stood the strain well, but several light buildings along the flats were floated off. There was much delay to railroad trafic. No trains on the Lehigh Valley from the south could arrive, while all the Delaware, Lackawana and Western trains were compelled to unload passengers on the west hill and bring them into town by carriage. A washout in the retaining wall on State street opposite Cornell University occurred and a section fell ten feet. ATHENS, November 26—As a. result of the heavy rains the reservoir near Chaun- cey burst to-day and flooded the town a mile away. The reservoir covered three acres and was twenty feet deep. Hundreds of yards of railroad yards were washed out and nearly all the residences in Chauncey were flooded. The course of the water saved the Chauncey mine were 100 men were at work from being flooded. CHARLESTON, W. Va., November 26— The continuous rainfall of the past forty- eight hours has caused a rapid rise in all streams in this section of the State. - The Kanawha has almost reached the danger line here and people in the low lands are already moving out. The Kanawha at 9.30 o’clock was 27.4 feet and rising one half-foot per hour. At Kanawha Falls, thirty-six miles above, the river. is 23.6 feet and stationary. At least four more feet are expected. The Elk is out of its banks with fifteen feet, stationary, at Clain, five miles above. The rain fall here for twenty-four hours, ending at 8 a. m. to-day, was 2.7 inches. GUYANDOTTE, W. Va., November 26— Continuous rains for the past forty-eight hours have produced unprecedented floods in Guyandotte Valley. The river and its tributaries are overflowing their banks and are bearing away quantities of cross ties, lumber and other property. Some 9,000 logs have gone out, taking with them the false works of the two new railroad bridges south of Barboursville. Loss estimated at $20,000 to $25,000. The track of the new Guyandotte Valley railroad just completed to Salt Rock, a distance of 18 miles, has heen almost ruined. above and still more danger is ex PITTSBURG, November 26,—About 3,- 000,000 bushels of coal were started to southern points to-day. More would bave been shipped had the river not been on such a rampage, making it unsafe. The river at 10 p. m. registered at the dam 21 feet and rising at the rate of 6 inches an hour. Both the Allegheny and Mononga- hela are still rising, the result of heavy rains along their entire length for the past forty-eight hours. Rivermen expect twenty-five feet in the Ohio. before a fall begins, The flood mark is forty-eight feet. But this stage will be hardly reached, every precaution is heing taken to prevent loss if it should come. As it is the cellars of residences in the lower districts of Al- legheny are flooded, and the tracks of the Pittsburg and Western lower yard were utterly abandoned. ; Senator Cushman K. Davis Dead. Str. PAuL, Minn., Nov. 27.—United States Senator Cushman Kellogg Davis, Chairman of the committe on Foreign rela- tions of the Senate, died at his home iin | this city at 8:48 o’clock Tuesday evening, after an illness of two months. He had suffered greatly during his sickness and gradually sunk away, being unconscious for several hours before his death. Realiz- ing the approach of the end, Mrs. Davis gent for the venerable T. H. M. Villiers Appleby, archdeacon of the Protestant Episcopal diocese of Minnesota, and Rev. Theodore Sedgwick, rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist. An attempt was made to secure ‘the ‘attendance of Bishop Whipple, but that venerable prelate was in Florida. Upon the arrival of Archdeacon Appleby and Mr, Sedgwick, Senator Davis was for a time spificiently rational to. ex-~ ress his grateful appreciation of their min- strations. . : Mice y : The Army Root Wants. Provides for a Maximum of 96,000; and a Minimum ! of 58,000 Men. Other Washington Notes. ' WASHINGTON, Nov. 27.—The House military committee to-day received from Secretary Root the bill which he approves providing for a maximum of 96,000 men and a minimum of 58,000, with 30 regi- ments of infantry, 15 regiments of cavalry and a gradual increase of the artillery until at the end of five years there will be With the maximum army there is to be 150 men to each infantr company, making 1,830 men to a regiment. The maximum of a cavalry troop is to be 100 men. There is no provision for a lien- tenant general, but the senior major gen- eral commanding will have the rank of lieutenant general. The river is rising Minister Conger, Cabled Demands. A Long Dispatch from Him Giving Details of Agreement Reached by Foreign Ministers. Re- ceived at Washington. The Dispatch Formed and 8ecretary Hay—The Agreement was Further Discussed at the Regular Meeting of the Cabinet Yesterday, It is Similar to French Proposals. . WASHINGTON, Nov. 27.—A long dis- patch from Minister Conger, giving the details of the agreement reached between the foreign ministers at Pekin, was receiv- ed at the State Department yesterday and formed the subject of a conference yester- day afternoon between the President and Secretary Hay. The agreement embodies conditions which the Chinese government must accept as a preliminary to formal peace negotiations between itself and the powers. It is subject to the ratification of the several governments involved, and the consideration given to it by the President and Mr. Hay was for the purpose of reach- ing a decision as to the policy of the United States regarding its terms. The agreement will be further discussed at the reguiar meeting of the cabinet to-day, and until then no action will be taken by the govern- ment. SIMILAR TO FRENCH PROPOSALS. The agreement is said to be similar to the French proposals made early in Octo- ber, with some additions. It contains terms to which the United States do not desire to subscribe and probably will net do so, although the earnest effort which this government has made to maintain harmony among the powers may induce it to overlook some of the less radical of the objectionable proposals. However, the President and his advisers have heen consistent in pursuing the line of policy which they laid down at the beginning of the Chinese troubles, and should there be any modification of the American program it will not affect the main principles for which the government has been contend- ing. Such conditions contained in the agreement as are regarded as impossible for the Chinese government to fulfill will be objected to on the ground that they will prevent the accomplishment of the objects of the powers and perhaps hring about a renewal of hostilities. The two main questions involved in the guilty Chinese officials and the amount and character of the indemnity to be de- manded. All the powers are agreed not to seek terriorial indemnity. ernment maintains and will continue to maintain that the amount of pecuniary in- demnity to be demanded shall not exceed the ability of the Chinese government to pay. In general, the United States agree to the condition that the Chinese shall pay equitable indemnity to the governments, corporations and private individuals, but, as France was told in answer to her prc- posals, the matter might be commended to the consideration of the international court of arbitration at The Hague in case of protracted divergence of views. Russia, which is opposed to heavy indemnities, made this suggestion orginally. Asto the matter of punishments, this government is not in sympathy with the understood de- mands of the ministers at Pekin for a com- prehensive and severe program. It holds that in this, also, the character and extent of the punishments should be determined by the ability of the Chinese government to comply; in other words, that a punitive program, impossible of fulfillment by the imperial authorities, shonld not be adopted by the powers. gram as will be acceptable to the United States must be agreed to with the under- standing that the punishments will be car- ried ont by the Chinese government and not by the powers. FEELS THAT IT CANNOT ASSENT. with a complete and permanent prohibiton of the importation of firearms into China and feels that it cannot assent, without the authority of Congress, to the military occupation of important points on the road from Tien Tsin to Pekin. As for the pro- posals that permanent guards be estab- lished at the legations at Pekin, the gov- ernment is agreeable to the extent that as- surance shall be obtained from the Chinese government of the right of foreign nations to guard their legations and have restrict- ed access to them whenever desired. The dismantling of the forts at Taku, which is understood to be a condition-1aid ‘down in the agreement, has never obtained the ap- proval or disapproval of this government, and its intention in regard to the proposal cannot be stated. : The representations to. the powers. early last week were made by the United States in the hope of heading off any radical a- greement by the ministers at Pekin, or failing in that, to get the powers to modify the conditions laid down by the ministers. In this the government has reason to be- lieve that it has been partly successful. Assurances have been received from sever- al nations that they are in accord with the ideas of this government tbat impossible conditions must not he demanded of the Chinese. All the powers have not re. sponded, but there has been such satisfac- tory indications of a desire for moderate action on the part of those whose answers have come that this government feels al- most confident that there will be an over- whelming sentiment in favor of its ideas. MUST NOT DEMAND IMPOSSIBLE CONDI- TIONS, It was learned positively y ay that the representations to the At an tak- en the form of furnishing each with a copy -of the instructions to Minister Conger, the burden of which was that he must not de- ‘mand conditions impossible for the Chinese authorities to meet. In handing a copy of ‘these instructions to the minister of foreign affairs of the government which he is ac- credited, each diplomatic representative of the United States intimated that the views of that government were desired. .. At is understood that the.additional con- ditions are the abolition of the tsung-li- yamen and the substitution ‘therefore of a single minister of foreign affairs; the erec- ion of a siatue of Baron von Ketteler on the site of the place where he was murder- ed, and the sending of a prince of blood to Germany. to apologize for Von Ketteler’s EEL fain * ER ——— Fatal Aceldent to a Cleveland and Pitts. Aa burg Train. PITTSBURG, November 28.—The Cleve- land night express, No. 301, on the Cleve- land and Pi rg railroad, at 1.15 o’clock this morning plunged into the Obio river. Weakened embankments. caused by the recent flood, gave way and carried the train into the raging torrents. The resnlts were disastrous. One man was drowned, at least four persons were seriously injured and the locomotive and five cars were pre- “cipitated from the tracks. The accident occurred a short distance west of Beaver station, while the express was running on flying time. —— Subscribe for the WATCHMAN. the Subject of a Conference Between the President | agreement are those of the punishment of | This gov- | Such punishment pro- | The government, is also not in sympathy Fierce Fighting in the Philippines. Five Americans and 103 Filipinos Killed.— Supposed Impregrable Fortress Within 35 Miles ot Manila, Stormed and Taken.—War Mews that Proves Distinctly that War is Not Over.—Our Men Am- bushed and Fifteen Killed, But 45 out of 128 Able for Duty. MANILA, Nov. 25.—Thé fortress of “the insurgent Geronimo, at Pivauran, which the insurgents boasted was impregnable, was taken and destroyed Thursday after- noon by a picked force of the Forty-second and Twenty-seventh infantry and troop G of the Fourth cavalary, under Colonel Thompson.’ Geronimo and most of the Filipinos’ escaped. The leader has long harrassed the Twenty-seventh infantry in the vicinity of San Mateo, Montalbin and Novalichess. He was finally located at Pinauran 35 miles north’ of Manila. His position was ‘considered the strongest in Luzon. It was a stone fortress surmount- ing u steep hill surrounded by canyons. The Spanish forces lost heavily in attempt- ing to take it. $ Colonel Thompson mobilized 1,000 men at Mountalbon. The attack was made upon four sides—the main body under Major Carey; of thie Forty-second. : The ascents were steep and the men climbed them by grasping the shrubbery. It was impossible for the eastern colunin to reach the summit, but the others arrived after three hours’ climbing under fire from the fortress and the hillside intrenchments. The enemy’s. force, numbering several ‘hundred, fled hefore the attackers reached the top. The Americans destroyed 1,000 uniforms. scores of buildings and large supplies and seized a barrel’ full of docu- ments. Private Hart, of the Twenty- seventh, and private Koppner, of the Forty-second, and two native scouts were killed and 12 of the attacking force were wounded. The insurgent casualties could not be ascertained. MANILA, Nov. 25th.—Particulars have heen received from Iloilo of the battle of Oct. 30th at Bugason, Island of Panay. Two hundred Bolomen and 50 riflemen at- tacked the Americans, who lost three killed, Lieutenant H. M. Koontz, Sergeant Kitchen and Corporal Barns. all of Comp- pany F, Forty-fourth infantry. Corporal Burns was boloed while recon- noitering, and Lieutenant Koontz and Ser- geant Kitchen were pierced by spears while going to relieve an outpost. When the garrison in force attacked the rebels 49 of the latter were killed. None of the other parties of attacking natives made such a stand and the insurgents lost 103 killed all told. SHAMOKIN, Nov. 27.—The parents of private Charles E. Klase, who is with the army in the Philippines. received the fol- lowing letter from him to-day, indicating that a strong effort is about te be made to crush the Filipinos : “We are still in Manila, but will go to the firing line soon. orders having been given to the effect that we were to polish the enemy np again before the volunteers start for home. The Filipinos are getting pretty bold again, and are firing on nearly every town. : ts “I suppose you heard the news ahout the Fifteenth Infantry being ambushed at a town three miles from Marong. They had twenty-four killed and nineteen wounded in just one company. We have only forty-five men for duty out of the 128 we bad when we came over.’’, os ST ——— Fire and Water. Between the two There was Great Excitement at * Cross Forks. WILLIAMSPORT, Pa., November 27.—In- side of fifteen hours the village of Cross Forks, on the Clinton and Potter county lines, has been visited by a baptism of fire and water. A man started a fire in a sheet iron stove last evening and left the house. A blaze resulted and before it was stopped five stores and dwellings combined, two barns and an ice house were destroyed, and the entire town would have gone had it not been for the rain. A jewelry store and dwelling, Bodler’s store, postoffice and dwelling, and Holmes’s grocery store were destroyed. The loss is $75,000 and there is some insurance. The town is without fire protection and wet blankets were the only things the people had to fight with. : Scarcely had the excitement over the fire subsided than the ' biggest flood ever known in Kettle creek struck the town. It covered all the low lands and carried away two bridges on the Buffalo and Sus- quehanna railroad. The tramway of the Lackawanna Lumber company was so bad- ly damaged that it will require a week to put it in repair. . = Real Estate Transfers. The following real estate tra isfers have heen recorded during the past week by re- corder N. E. Robb : i Sarah J. Eisenhuth et al. to Martha A. Kerstetter, May 9th. 1900, 10 acres 122 perches ' in $4¢.00." : H. E. Smith et ux. to Thos. E. Vonada, May 12th, 1900, 13 acres 113 perches, in Haines Twp. Consideration $275.00 Penn Twp. Consideration N. M. Kunes, administrator, to John. W. Bitner, Sept. 1st, 1899, tract of wood- land in Liberty Twp. Consideration $27.00. fri d i : Sida ay Joseph Evert et ux. to Jacob Kerstet- ter, March 30th, 1891, 11 acres 4 perches in Penn Twp. Consideration $816.62. Jacob M. Kepler et ux. to W. B. Brown, Oct. 26th, 1900, lot in Philipsburg. Con- sideration $1,000. i ; : James 8S. Resides to Elmer E. Resides, Sept. 24th, 1898, tract of land in Boggs | Twp. Consideration $1,00. ‘Edward C. Perkins et al., trustee, to David Z. Frain, Nov. 13th, 1900, 11 acres in Marion Twp. Consideration $294.25. Philipshurg Coal and Land Company to Jacob S. Bar zer, Sept. 20th, 1900, 46 re in Rush Twp. Consideration $6,900. ‘Mary Nevel’s heirs to Jacob E. Nevel, April 1st, 1880, 17 acres 57 perches in Pot- ter Twp. Consideration $150.00. Anna B. Hendricks to Margaret A. De- Long, Nov. 15th, 1200, house and lot in Liberty Twp. Consideration $200.00. | Antonia Maconi to Elizabeth Maconi, June 1st, 1900, 3 acres in Snow Shoe. Con- sideration $120.00. . , Joseph Maconi et ux. to Antonia Ma- coni, May 10th, 1900, 3 acres in Snow Shoe. Consideration $1,000. ADDITIONAL LOCALS. ——C. W. Meyer, of Centre Hall, has gone to Tusseyville to take charge of the skimming station there. The house he oc- cupied near the station and which was owned by Clem Luse has been bought by Alfred Durst for $900 and will be oc- cupied by C. M. Krider,of the lnmber firm of Krider and Orwig. : ™ I SS ERA ——Mallory and Taylor, the photogra- phers, have a fine display of artistic pie- tures in a show window in the Brockerhoff house. : HET —— ——Archibishop Keane, of Dubuque, Ia., is authority for the statement that Al- toona will-be declared an episcopal see of the Catholic church, with Very Rev. Dr. P. J. Garvey, president of St. Charles seminary, Philadelphia, as its first bishop. ee ——~Certain changes have been made among the employes of the Beech Creek station at Mill Hall. J. D. Roffe has been promoted to a position in the office at Jer- sey Shore. F. E. Roffe will take J. D's place. H. D. Hoover will be advanced to F. E. Roffe’s position, and Mr. Achenbach will take Mr. Hoover’s place. ——XRev. T. DeWitt Talmage knew ex- actly what he was talking about when he said : A newspaper whose columns over- flow with ads. of business men has more in- fluence in attracting attention to and build- ing upa city or town than any other agency that can he employed. People go where there is business. Capital and labor will locate where there is an enterprising com- munity. No power on earth is so strong to build up a town as a newspaper well patronized, and its power should be ap- preciated. : iii eet ~—— Notwithstanding the many stories that have gone out from this place about the numerous deer, bears and other wild animals that have been killed in this sec- tion since the hunting season opened, it is an undeniable fact that there has heen less game captured in the county than for many, many seasons. Six bears, and less than two dozen deer would cover the entire result of over two dozen organized hunting parties, and all the one-day hnnters who have been scouring the woods since the first of November. And how could it be otherwise; with poachers watching every opportunity, whether in season or out of it, to capture whatever they can find; with deer-licks salted and watched through the entire summer and fall; with bands of hunters encamped in ever wooded patch that lumber butchers and fires have lefs, what chance has game of any kind to ac- cumulate? Under present conditions it can be huta few years, at the longest. until there will be nothing larger than rabbits and squirrels throughout this section to hunt for or to he had. —— ee MARRIED AT