| —— Son mir: more fire- photo of play | house attendants any more ? tne Haid alos in New York n event, politically, as it : bas it was great enough ; of the opposi-’ als in ye. to belittle its Dean From the acho of the new pump in , trial yesterday it looks as h the Belle- fonte tax. payers will have to take off their hats to the present council. A saving of thousands of dollars is not a usual counncil- manic performance i in Bellefonte. —Russia and Japan have supplied them- _ selves with about every munition of war known of, except the American mule, and _ how they expect to conduct a first class scrap without the use of our rapid fire . quadruped we are at a loss to understand, —The closing of so many theatres in all parts of the country as a result of the Chi- + ago horror is not exactly a case of ‘‘lock- .ing the stable after the horse is stolen,’ but it does look as if there had been an awful dereliction of Auty, Among officials everywhere. | 4 After we e get the largest army and the strongest navy in the world President. ' RODSEVELT'S idea is probably to turn in and * lick every country that thinks we can’t do "it, just to make them all too mad or too poor to buy any of our bread stuffs, or manafactures. Ans Wr in the future —except on ‘‘bright moon- light nights.”” Whether it is to be a councilman or a director of the Bellefonte Electric Co. who is to stand and watch the | moon—as a judge of its brightness — bas not been decided. : ~—The heathen Chinee is getting a little taste of the suspense that he made minister CONGER and his little company. feel in Pekin a few years ago. Trying to watch which way the cat is going to jump be twe en Russia and Japan is likely to make the almond eyed celestial a little crossed in his lamps. —Farmers are holding onto’ sheir grain because they think'a war between Russia and Japan would send the price of it up. Such might be the result, but owing to the necessarily short duration of such a conflict the Russian output is not likely to be se duced and the Japs can. get along with- i out wheathread very bandily. » : —The Bellefonte council does well to] stick out:for'iron trolley poles before ‘it grants a franchise for an ‘electric railway through our streets. Past councils have made the mistake of permitting two tele- phone and an electric light company to plant poles where they please and never Day a cent of tax on any of them, eo that it is little wonder this council is profiting by such blunders. : —Real lobsters are said to be cannibals. If a dozen of them are pat in an aquarinm together it will not be long until they | have all been benevolently assimilated by a large, fat juicy fellow who holds sway alone. How different with the human co unterpart of the large, juicy lobster. Some dizzy little blonde, with faded blue eyes and a dry weather complexion, usual- ly eats him up at one gulp. . —Seventeen thousand new words appeai- in the latest dictionaries that were un known in she publicationsof ten years ago This wonderful increase is not so wonder- ful when we come to consider the lines of talk indulged in by snch rapid fire coiners as the Hon. TEDDY ROOSEVELT, Mr. ROBERT FiTzsiMMONs, the Hon. JOSEPH. BRVERIDGE and a few others of the loqua- eious kind. —The police of Connellsville should be ready to step in aud prevent that notorious ! , Shargeter, Ms, KATE SOFFEL, from making * a show ef hersell when she attempts to “opéh the play ‘‘A Daring “Woman” thas bas been written for ber. She has neither virtue of character nor talent as an actress and her appearance on the stage is an in- sult 80 every honorable member of the profession, as well as an attempt to cater $0 the most depraved in theatre goers. °%.1 American people are involved and he has .{'undertaken to sacrifice’ both." gb, ine The morality. of | . Everybody- understands that American marine; as well as American soldiers and | sailors, perform their duties faithfully and courageously hat the faot that fifty marines at Colon were confronted with danger is no reason why our goverment should bave conspired with a handful of adventurers on the Isthmus of Panama to despoil the Re- public of Colombia of a part of her territory and a considerable proportion of her debt paying power. - Yet that is precisely’ what has happened and the President discredits his own statement that ‘‘no one connected with this government had any part in pre- paring, inciting or encouraging the late revolution on the Isthmus of Panama,’’ by the subsequent statement that ‘this gov- ernment had several warships on the sea- coast before the revolution was declared,”’ and that the day before the declaration the marines at Colon had been directed ‘‘to al- low no Colombian troops to land within fifty miles of Panama.’’ Altogether this is the most disgraceful betrayal of public faith on the part of any government in the history of civilization. Our government was under treaty obliga- tion to protect Colombia in her rights of sovereignty and property on the Isthmus. For this guarantee our people and govern- ment bave enjoyed ralygple concessions since 1846. In fulfillment of it the United States troops have been sent filsy times to restore order and suppress rebellions. . But through a perverse nature or an uncentrol- lable inclination to do wrong ROOSEVELT has taken the opposite course and instead of protecting the rights of Colombia has joined in a conspiracy to despoil her. In wh | support of this outrage he has. the audacity —Bellefonte is to have reer lights’ to Bpreal to Congress in a special message. Worse Than Roosevelt. We learn from a Washington correspon- dent of the Philadelphia Press that four ‘years ago the late President’ McKINLEY had deterfnined to make Secretary of War Roor his political heir and successor in of- fice and that now,'a public calamity bav- ing intervened to prevent McKINLEY from exercising his right of choice then, his ac- toal but accidental successor in office, | President ROOSEVELT, proposes to make Mr. Root his, ‘‘political heir’ and succes- sor in office... This arrangement simply postpones the fulfillment of Mr. Roor’s ambition to be President, if he have such an ambition, a matter of four years, unless, of course, exigencies arise, which ‘will make another postponement necessary or desirable. If it be true that President: MoKINLEY t intended to make RoOT his ‘‘polisical heir’’ und successor jn the office of President it was rather io than otherwise that it was prevent ROOSEVELT is bad enough in ‘the office of President. He has been aoting like a lown ever since his acciden- tal el evatioft. He has been frightening the life ous of business by his queer antics and jeopardizing the solvency of carrying corporaticns by making excessive demands on them for his personal and family accom- modation and he has been violating the honor of the: ‘Nasion and tramping-interoa- tional law under foot. More than thas, he has violated ‘the constitution more than a hundred times. But God pave the country from RooT. He knows 60 law except his own inclina- tions. Hes one of those higher law fel- lows who believe that oaths may be broken, honor sacrificed, integrity cast to the dogs, every pringiple of decency submerged in order to fulfill any ambition which he may cherish. Daring his term as Secretary of War he bas Europeanized the army, made it not a national but a personal force and prepared on precisely similar lines to those followed hy the second Napoleon when by a coup de etat he changed the French pop- ular government into an empire. If Root were elected President the Republic wouldn’t endure a year or else he wonldn’s live that Jong. ——President ROOSEVELT and Senator ' LODGE may have some idea of benevolent- ly assimilatipg Canada some day, but that some day is likely to come when this Na- sion is. doubled up with dyspepsia from trying to benevolently assiwilate the Phil- ippines and Panama. 5 ——— Subscribe for the WATCHMAN. ship with. the Mormon church or is belief in polygamy. But he reasons that a man can’t be punished for beliefs and that the constitution forbids religious Vests, as a qualification for office. Mr. SMoor has put himself on strong grounds in his answer bus not the strongest example he might bave said that his elec- tion to the office of Senator was in pur- guance of a bargain between the Mormon church and the Republican National com- mittee; that the contract involved the con- version of the leading newspaper opponent of polygamy into a supporter of shat iniquit- ous doctrine; that Senator HANNA had represented the Republican party in the transaction, therefore not only encouraging but promoting. polygamy and that if one is thrown out the other must be. If Smoot had taken that position the opposition to him would bave ended at once. HANNA is the pet of the group which has set ont to unseat SMooT and most of them wonld wink at polygamy as they have winked at other iniquities to shield him. It is possible, of course, that HANNA will ultimately take care of SMooT and not improbable that he has already given the assurance in order to prevent the exposure of the partnership between the Mormon church and the Republican patty, bat in any event it is tolerably certain that SMo00T’s safest plan is to stick to HANNA. That Apostle of Republicaniem will protect his partner the Apostle of Polygamy. A Successful Institute. It is evident that the 57th annual in- stitute of the public school teachers of Cen- tre county lost none of its educational op- portunities nor pleasing results by baving been transplanted from Bellefonte to Phil- ipsburg. stay of the teachers there so ‘ pleasant that | had it been pat to a vote they would have. decided to bold the next institute over the | mountain also. Philipsburg is full of hustling, progressive people who are not afraid to get up and do something; they are teeming with cordiality all the time and it is only their everyday manner that captured the teachers, many of whom had never been in the place before; not to mention she trolley ride and banquet that was thrown in on the ride for the peda- gogues. It is well that the session in \ Philipsburg proved a success for there was considerable discussion as to the propriety of holding it in such a remote part of the county. As for the future sittings, they are at the dis- position of the teachers and the county superintendent and will doubtless be placed where they will do the most good. The Crowuing Atrocity. The Senate committe on military affairs bas voted to recommend the’ confirmation of the appointment of Dr. WooD as a Major ‘General in thearmy. The vote stood six to two, Senators HAWLEY, of Connecticut, and BATE, of Tennessee, being absent. The names of those voting in the negative are nos given but presumably they were Cock- RELL,of Missouri, and PETTUS,0f Alabama, both Democrats. It is reasonably certain that both- HAWLEY and: BATE: would have voted negatively il they had been present. BATE is a Democrat aud HAWLEY was a soldier and is a just and honorable gen- tleman. = This act coustitutes the ‘‘crowning atrooity’’ of a dependent, cringing, time- serving and corrupt Senate. Becapse the President has patronage to bestow which Senators can sell,as DEITRICH,of Nebraska, disposed of that which went to him, an injustice is. done to every soldier in the army above the rank of captain whose com- mission is over ten years old. It is a shame that the President and Senate traffic in the patronage of the government just as hux- sters deal in oabbages in the market but the shameful record made in the case in point is proof of the fact. ROOSEVELT owes Woob a personal obligation and. sacrifices all the veterans that he may pay bis debt with publio patronage. There ie still one chance tha’ thisshame- ful iniquity may be-averted. The military committee of the Senate is made up of an inferior class of Senators. PROCTOR, ‘WARREN, QUARLS, SCorT,- FORAKER and ALGER are the Republican members out- side of Mr. HAWLEY the chairman and the chances are at least hopeful that when the question comes to a vote on the floor of the Senate a sufficient number of Republi- cans will be of the same mind as HAWLEY to compass the defeat of the trading oper- ation. available under the circumstances. For | It is nota surprise to the WATCHMAN that Philipsburg should have made the’ day. evening with Col. &, WILLIAM L. MATHUES bas law partnershtp in Media and ig induction into office at Har- ‘May, he will spend three days of week in his law office. Insurance missioner DURHAM is now settled on a h in New Mexico for an indefinite me and will not be at his office on ‘‘ The ill” for three months” at least. Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction "Houck is scheduled for a journey to the ‘Holy Land which will occupy three months ot his time during the coming spring, and Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Beitler is hardly ever in Harrisburg. We refer to these incidents in order to eall public attention to the increasing evil of absenteeism in the public service. Until within a few years the obligation on a public official to be diligent in his work was as binding as that upon an employe of a factory or corporation of any class. Offi- cials at the state capital from the Gover- nor down were required to give personal attention to the duties of their offices and there was no complaint in consquence.- But since ‘the creation of the new QUAY machine, that is since QUAY has become the antoorat and men like DURHAM his prophets, subordinate offices are multiplied in order that the heads of departments may have free opportunity to absent themselves at pleasure. Insurance Commissioner DURHAM has been drawing the munificent salary of that office for nearly five years but he hasu’t performed the duties five weeks, all put together. QUAY is enjoying the salary and emoluments of the office of Senator in Con- gress but unless he has something of per- sonal interest pending he is never at his post. Governor STONE was ahsent from office more than a third of the time and Pennypacker is little more regular in per- formance of his duty, but they all draw their salarias regularly while the expense of government is multiplied by employing substitutes, or rather subordinates, to per- form their duties. This abuse of power is something for the public to consider. What Council Did. The regular session of council met Mon- Reynolds as presi- dent pro tem and members Jenkins, Wise, on, "and Kirk present, ~~ 2 “ The contract for lighting the: streets was. taken up and approved after some. discus- sion. Council failed’ to knock out the moon-light clause and in the future we will bave lights on the streets, except on “‘bright moon-light nights.’” Nothing was determined as to what constitutes a “bright | P moon-light night but the wise men of council thought because the word ‘‘bright’’ had been put in before ‘‘moon-light nighs’’ there was something gained over the old contract which did not boast the word bright. fed The West ward sewer proposition was introduced by Mr. Wise, of the Street committee. He reported that the citizens would pay $200, the P. R. R. Co. $200 and and if the borough paid $200a 12 inch sewer could be laid from’ the intersection of south Thomas and High streets, along High to Railroad and along Railroad to a point below Gerberich’s mill, where,is is to “ir instruct the committee to ok for bids for the sewer. The next question taken up was the granting of the franchise for a street rail- way in Bellefonte. A party of Tyrone gentlemen, among them Mr. T. C. Poor- man, have been trying for some time to secure right of ways and franchises for a trolley line extending from Milesburg to Pleasant Gap, and ultigiately to Lemont and State College. .Beveral ordinances have been drawn up, but none of them have ‘been satisfactory until the last one which’ contained only two objectionable points to the promoters. The principal requirements of the : borough are that the company shall pave the track between the rails and two feet on the outside of each, erect iron trolley poles and enjoy the fran- chise for twenty years. To the last two the eompany objects. They say iron poles are too expensive and they will accept only an unlimited franchise. Council voiced a disposition to extend the limit of the fran- chise beyond twenty years, but was disin- clined to give up the iron pole clanse. The matter wae held over for another week pending inquiry into the sentiments of the people of this community. - The members of council showed a disposition to do the best thing possible for the town, but as yes bave nos heard enough expression of opin- ion on the subject, so that if our people would think the master over and discuss it with the councilmen they would be able to secure, possibly,.a much more acourate idea of the real sentiment as to the condi- tions that should be imposed on a corpora. tion that would nse our streets as would an eleotrio street railway eompany. ~——Sabsoribe for the WATOHMAS. gE — nares. of t] ate; ‘blankets, linen and cotton for bandages. posal of the authorities and were utiliz- time since Chicago has possessed bells to empty into Spring creek. Couucil voted to | ‘to the unexpressed *hougnts that had fil- Hundpgeds Burned ina a Chicago Theatre. The ‘Most Appalling Holocaust Closes the old Year in Chicago—The Beautiful New Iriquois Theatre: the ‘Scene of “a Horror yIndescribable—Huntveds of Women and Childrén Burned and Triplet to Death in the Turihifvy of an Eye, ; Cuicado, December 31.—The Troqu's theatre burned Wednesday during a crowded matinee performance, A great number of lives were | the chief of the fire department estimating that there are over seven hundred dead. The fire started in the second act, of the play, “Blue Beard, Jr.” It broke out in the flies of the stage, presumably from a defect in the electrical dieplay. In an instant the draperies and flimsy stage settings bad burstinto flames. The actors and actresses ran wildiy about the stage as the audience fought and j am- med its way to the front doors. 1n a short time the interior of the’ theatre was apparently a mass of flame and smoke was issuing in clouds from the front of the house. Though the fire broke out in the stage there was apparently little prot n for the audience. Women and children were piling out of the doors and the flames ap-, patently gained rapidly and it was a con- siderable time before a. large number . of people could leave the building. Meanwhile special calls and a alarm had summoned an extra number of fire engines. According to Stage Manager Galiod all the theatrical people are accounted - for, through some were slightly burned. Among the burned are Polly Whitford, queen of the fairies, and. Dottie Marlow, of the pony ballet. Manager Davis said that . “the ory of “fire” created a panic and that this ac- Soupied for eo many people losing their ivee The loss of life was the greatest at the foot of tho stairways from the upper balconies. At that point the lies of the persons who sought to flee from the flames were piled fully twelve feet deep. The bodies were taken out.as. rapidly ae the men could enter the smoke-filled cor- ridor and grasp their awful load, At 4.50 p. m, the fire was out, but be- ween asphyxiation and burns the. death list is very iarge, At 4.30 o’clock fifty bodies had been: carried from the theatre into Thompson's reataurant, one door east. Of these fully: thirty were dead. a number were _show- ing faint signe of life and it was impos- gible to tell at first glance whether about one dozen of them were dead or glive, They were mostly the bodies of ysung women under 20 years of age, and child- ren from 8 to 12. . Bodies were ey general rdinary the floor, on chaire, tables and one yor woman in dripping garments was etrete ed along the Cigar ¢ case. All the larger dr, ode eres o of the! city, which are hin two ater ioe Man- | erie; Scott & Co., Sclhile- singer . &. Meyer and ‘the Boston Store, as soon as they heard of the emergency, sent wagon load after wagon load of All of their teams were placed at the ig edin conveying the wounded to the hos- pitals or to the offices of nearby. physicians, Within fifteen minutes after the fire broke ous fully fifty physicians were on the scene, and trained nurses seemed to!spring from the ground so rapidly did they appear. As soon as a body was taken into the neighboring stores it’ was examined with a stethoscope for signs-of life. ft :u - Caicaco, January 1, —For’ the first peals, whistles to shriek, and horns to blow, the old Year was ‘allowed silently to take its place in history and'the new year permitted to come with no evidence of Joy at its birth. In an official proclamation jssned Thare- day by Mayor Carter H. Harrison, he made the suggestion that the usnal New Yeat’s eve celebration be for thie time omitted. The idea found a ready re- eponee in the hearts of the people aud the Mayor’es worde in fact only gave utterance ed them all. The appalling calamity of Wednesday in the Iroquois theater has cast Chicago into the deepest grief aud gloom, and for the time being at least seems to have chilled and deadened all the ambitions cof life. Business Thursday wus performed with the sole view to actual necessity and even that much was carried ont ina perfunctory manner. PROMINENT RESORTS DESERTED. Ordinarily, on New Year's eve, the streets of the city are filled with merry- makers, but Thursdav night the only throngs tv be found were those around the morgues; ordinarily, numbers of fashionable restaurants in the heart of the city are filled with hight hearted revellers, who toast the year that passes and bail the year that comee. Thursday pight theee places were com- paratively deserted, and some of them closed entirely, with doors locked and curtains drawn. Usually among these gay people are found many members of the theatrical profession. Thursday not a single one of them was in evidence. CITY’s SECOND GREAT CALAMITY. For the second time in her life, the city of Chicago, hae been stricken to the heart. Not only have many of her sins and daughters met death in a variety of hor. rible and torturing forme, but the blow has fallen almost as heavily upon the strangers within ber gates. There is hard- ly a village or town within a radius of 100. miles of Chicago whose people are not di- rectly or indireetly interested in the piles of dead or in the injured which fill the hospitals, or in the fate of those who seem to have passed in the ill-fated structure and of whom no word has since been heard. DEATH List ESTIMATED AT 564. The list of dead continues 28 it was given Thursday night, in the neighbor. hood ot 560. It is generally accepted at .| Fossilville, Bedford county, died. the: physicians found that ‘was due to the blow on the | i Sherrer ‘was arrested and I -wages. ous. Spawls from the Keystone. ~-Information from Clearfield Tuesday morning says that the thermometer at the postoflice, in Clearfield; ob # wplock | register - « Lion below. 3.0% doi ———— —John D. Di of Haatiiuion, bas beep appointed. by.Goyernor Samuel W. ‘Pennypacker as a member of the board of managers: of the; Penngylyanie Industrial Reformatory to succeed Samuel A. Steel, de- "1 | ceased. : Mr. Dorris is a well-known lasvyer and is junior member of the en of Fors & | Dorris. ' —Thomas J. Scott, yardmaster at Tyrone station, middle division, Pennsylvania rail- road, has been promoted to the local assis- tant trainmaster for the middle division, with headquarters at Mifflin. He succeeds S. Blair Cramer who died at Mifflin a few days ago, and he entered upon the duties of his new place on Monday. ) —A few days ago Walter Burns, of‘near met with a '| serious accident. The young man intended to kill a chicken and loaded his gun, not knowing that the weapon already contained a load of powder and shot. When he pulled the trigger one of the barrels exploded, blow: ing his left hand off. —Among the victims of the Chilago hes. tre disaster was a Miss Porter, niece of Mr. and Mrs. Barr, of Minneapolis, formerly of Hollidaysburg. Mrs. Anna Bond, a daugh- ter of William Thomas, who resided at Holli- daysbhurg many years ago, and her two chil- dren, also perished in the holocaust. —A bold attempt was made Wednesday ‘morning to burn the large plant of the North American Tannery, at Lewistown, but the ‘night engineer discovered the blaze and with difficulty extinguished it. The incendiary returned to see if his villainous attempt was succeeding and was shot at by the engineer but the miscreant escaped. : William Willow, of Lock Haven, was shot i in the knee Saturday night by Jacob F. Lehman, a Pennsylvania railroad officer. Willow and his 14-year-old son, it is alleged. were taking coal from a car in the lower yard. When the officer attempted to arrest ‘the father and son they ran. “The officer, ‘as ‘they were fleeing, fired his'revolver to fright- en them, as he states, the ball taking effect in the knee of Mr. Willow Sr. {img Ww. Campbell, a prominent Philadel- phia coal shipper, has become the possessor of 338 acres of coal land on Blacklick creek, along the new Ebensburg and Blacklick ex- tension of the Pennsylvania railroad. The sale was made by Harry McCreary, of India- na, who acquired the land some time ago and the consideration iuvolved is $11,133.75. Mr. Campbell will begin operations in the spring and will employ 200 men. - The coal will be shipped to tidewater, and although Mr. Campbell does not at present contem plate erecting any coke ovens, he may do so later. —A telegram to the Philadelphia Press from Huntingdon, under date of December 26th, says: In an altercation in a restaurant here Friday night John Smith was struck over the head by a beer bottle. Smith wan- dered into a stable and Saturday morning he was found unconscious and about noen he Coroner Harman held an autopsy and 's death i ho ed ‘in jail, with having struck the fatal blow. 25 years old and was the youngest v Meo-Ti Smithy in minister. ~The new year sees little or no change in the labor situation at Altoona and vicinity. The Pennsylvania Railroad company shops, which employ in the neighborhood of 15;000 men, are at work on full time with no cut in The bituminous coal situation for that region also remains'unchanged. Several efforts were made by small operators recent- 1y to cause an average reduction of 15 per cent., but in each instance. the miners went on strike. No settlement has been made and the strikers appear willing to remain out un- til the new scale meeting be held there in March. The big coal concerns are sanding by the present wage scale. : —The Assyrian woman who was danger- hurt in the wreck on the Cumberland Valley railroad Friday evening when A. C- Moyer of Tyrone lost his life, has friends in Tyrone also. ‘Her name is Mrs. Nendia Syded, aged 29 years. Her husband was « peddler, and died at Clarksburg, W. Va, two years ago, and she continued in the same business, Her mother and a daughter: four years old reside with Side Modad, who re- cently purchased the Curtin store in seventh ward. They have only been in Tyrone’ a short time going there from Shippensburg. Soon as word of the injury to the woman reached Side Modad he at once sent his brother Macolu Modad to look. after -her. They are all peddlers and merchants | in‘ a small wily. 7. —Special officer W. H. Manning, of the Blair county branch of the League ot the American Sportsmen, while patroling the woods in the vicinity of Mt. Aetna on New Year's Day, arrested an Italian with an un- pronounceable name who was engaged in gunning for rabbits, notwithstanding the fact that the hunting season had ended fif- teen days before. The offender was taken before Justice Isett, where he was promptly fined $25 for, hunting without a license and $10 additional for a dead bunny found in his possession, aggregating, with costs, $38.85. The foreign money order business will go a little short in that region for a month or twe, while the process of education goes marching on. —A big black bear, almost frozen, stopped a heavy freight train on the Pennsylvania railroad early Sunday morning and the train: had to te shoveled out of the snowdrift in which it had halted. The train crew was making a desperate effort to get to Altoona in the heart of a wild blizzard. While toiling up a heavy grade near Dunlo the engineer saw a black form on the track and shat off steam. The bear arose and came toward the locomotive. When the engineer saw that it was a bear and not a man on the track he made a desp: rate effort to get started again, but in vain. The water froze in the supply pipes, and as the snow drifted deeper in front of the locomotive the train crew realized that nothing was to be done but wait for help. The bear, after vainly trying to warm him- gelf in the glare from the headlight, fiercely resenting any movement toward him by the members of the crew, finally shuffled off in disgust. The train remained frozen up sever- al hours until a force of shovelers got it out of the drift. ( Continved om page 4.)