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i Semi- Weekly Founded I
Wayne County Organ
I 1908
Of the
WceklyFounded, 1844
REPUBLICAN PARTY
66th YEAR.
HONBSDALE, WAYNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1909.
NO. 1
PLEA FUrt iUUSE
Mass Meeting In Oath
dares Him Innocent
MAYOR ONE OF HIS CHAMPIONS
EcRtence of Fifteen Years Declared
to Be Disproportionate to the
Offense With Which He
Is Charged.
Bath, Me.. Dec. 30. Friends of
Charles W. Morse, steamship promoter
and banker, who was sentenced last
month to serve fifteen years In prison
on the charge of misapplying the
funds of the National Bank of North
America of New fork, hare .held a
mass meeting here, at which the may
or presided, and unanimously passed
the following resolutions:
Whereas, Charles W. Morse, a most
loyal son of Bath, has been sentenced to
serve a term of fifteen years at Atlanta
(or an alleged misdemeanor and Is non
Incarcerated at the Tombs prison pend
ing; a hearing; before the board of appeals
and.
Whereas. To a man of Mr. Morse's age
a sentence of fifteen years is practically
a life sentence and as It seems to us dis
proportionate to the offense with which
he was charged; now. therefore, be It
Resolved, That it Is the sense of this
meeting that all honorable means shall be
employed In his behalf to obtain a new
trial and secure reasonable ball to which
he Is entitled under the constitution.
Be It further resolved. That we extend
to him our hearty sympathy In this hour
of trial, believing him Innocent of any
criminal act or Intent.
Realizing fully that the honorable court
of appeals is in duty bound to decide this
CHARLES W. MORSE.
case in accordance with the law and evi
dence as presented to them and having
the utmost confidence in the wisdom and
Integrity of the sitting Judges, we trust
the respondent will have the benefit of
every reasonable doubt.
Among the speakers were Mayor
Hughes, former Mayor Edward W.
Hyde, who said he also spoke for his
brother, John P. Hyde, president of
the Bath Iron works; President Ho
ratio A. Duncan of the Marine Sav
ings bank. City Treasurer Oscar C.
Rogers, who Is also president of the
People's Savings bank, and William
Rogers, a retired shipbuilder.
JjTEVEHS DEFEKDS TEE DAM.
former cmef Engineer Say Critics
Are Nioaraguan Advocates.
New York, Dec. 29. John P. Stevens,
formerly chief engineer of the Panama
canal, in a letter to be published In
this week's issue of Engineering News
defends the Gatun dam, declaring there
Is no Justification for the sensational
reports attacking its design which re
cently have been circulated.
He states that the dam Is being built
actually much wider and higher than
safety requires, but merely as a con
cession to prejudice, and that If the ca
nal were being built by private Inter
ests a much less massive structure
would be considered entirely secure.
Mr. Stevens suggests that the pub
lished attacks on the canal plans and
methods of work are In the Interest of
the Nlcaraguan route, and he declares
iua.1, lu uia ujuuiuu, iuc rauaiui vuuai
has been wisely located and properly
pUnB
As a hint to Mr. Bryan for March 4
the Brooklyn Eacle recalls the fact
that Stephen A. Douglas held Lin
coln's bat at Old Abe's first Inaugural.
But at the national polls In I860 Doug
las bad proved to be an ally rather
than an opMent of Lincoln. He spilt
the Democratic popular vote, but gain
ed only twelve electoral votes. Doug
las Democratic rival, John C. Breck-
is iiii lira i rnni7r ninnninir inn tJtrw.
o&d highest, although his popular vote
was fewer by 500,000 than that cast
for the "Little Giant."
FACTS IN FEW LINES'
A hand (horse measure) Is four inch-
The average age of the people ol
hew lortc city is twenty-Bevcn years.
The total number of sailing vessels
In the world Is double that of steam
ers. Bosnia has not been au independent
state since 1389, when the Turks con
quered it
Distress In India Is still decreasing.
The number now In receipt of state re
lief is only 405,000.
Of the 105 counties of Kansas 100
have some of their boys and girls at
tending Kansas university.
Following a practical demonstration
of Its value In that field, the govern
ment will use concrete buildings In
which to store explosives In the canal
zone.
A New York law has gone Into ef
fect forbidding boys and girls under
fourteen years of age to sell newspa
pers on the streets between 10 p. m.
and 0 a. m.
As a proof of the lasting qualities of
cypress a coffin recently was exca
vated at New Orleans which bad been
buried since 1S03. yet the wood was as
found as when new.
1-ava from the volcano of Savaii, In
the Samoan Islands, which has lieen in
constant eruption for over three years,
has formed a river eight miles wide
Sowing into the ocean.
According to the federal fish com
mission, which has been making tests,
the meat of the small shark, common
ly known as dogfish, is palatable and
morn nutritious than beef.
In a recent race in a Canadian town
third place was won by a jockey 103
years old. Since he began his racing
career nt the age of eighteen he has
ridden in more than C.000 races.
The equipment of the big buildings
of New York city with telephones
makes a great demand for wire. In
five buildings alone the telephone
wires total a length of 2,300 miles.
Nearly 4.000,000 pouuds of hog bris
tles were exported from Shanghai last
year. They were valued at $1,858,600.
It takes a hundred coolies to sort and
bundle about fifty pounds of bristles a
day.
That there will be no more Spanish
women toreadors is said to be due to
the influence of Queen Victoria, who
dislikes bullfights very much, but King
Alfonso must go very slow In combat
ing the pride of the Spaniards In their
rational game.
Schenectady Is the only city of New
York state In which grade crossings
have been entirely abolished. Since
the public rervlcc commission wns or
ganized only 250 have been done away
with, and there still remain 8,733 on
stoani roads alone.
It is known that Alaska has yielded
great wealth to the fur Industry, but
the extent cannot be stated with any
certainty, ns It has been the policy of
the fur trader to conceal his operations,
and the conditions of the trade are
such that he Is able to do so.
At a cost of nearly $5,000,000 the
British admiralty will construct a line
of huge concrete blocks at Splthead
to force vessels to use a defined chan
nel. Naval maneuvers have shown
that It Is possible for small craft to
creep up to the shore at night.
According to the last census, there
arc 233,508,005 chickens of laying age
lu the United States. These aro val
ued at $70,000,000, and the eggs they
lay would if divided allow 203 eggs
annually to every person man, women
and child In the United States.
The newest thing In freak photogra
phy In Egypt Is posing for photo
graphs In cardboard sphinx molds and
mummy coses. A bole Is left where
the face of the sphinx should be, and
English and American faces peer out
from this vantage upon the photogra
pher. Albert Card of Searsport, Me., has a
novel watch charm. It looks like an
ordinary silver locket of rectangular
shape, but opens to disclose a tiny
English dictionary. One inch long,
tbrc-quartcrs of an inch wide and
one-quarter of an Inch thick, the little
book contains about 1500 words with
their definitions.
A forgotten picture by Frans nals,
the famous Dutch master, has been
discovered In a country house near
Dublin and sold to the British national
gallery for 23,000. Hardly half a cen
tury has elapsed since the very best
examples of Hals' work were thought
dear enough at 2.000, and the poorer
ones would not fetch more than a tithe
I of the snm.
The automobile club responds to the
accident Indictment with "You're an
other." It admits that there ore reck
less drivers, but says that the chief
fault lies with pedestrians. Accord
ing to that. If reckless drivers are abol
ished pedestrians will Insist on break
ing their own legs and cracking their
own akulls-
That sending of Invitations to bridge
parties through the malls can be stop
ped without the parties chiefly Inter
ested discovering that anything bat
harnentd-
Seeingthe (jp
lIlgNgW YEAR iNpig
iebsvwisKT. SYUwpcnwoo aoxogmwooo
More Vacant Chairs.
Among the scores of Americans dis
tinguished for their public activities
who passed away in 1008 it may be
said without bias that none will be
more often missed the next few years
than Grover Cleveland. With the sin
gle exception of Grant, whose distinc
tion anyway was gained In the field
Instead of the White House, no ex
president of the republic since the
days of the founders having a per
sonality as marked as that of Cleve
land remained so long on the stage to
enact the role of foremost citizen and
elder statesman. The world of litera
ture lost in Edmund Clarence Sted
man a writer with his task completed,
yet bearing worthily among his fel
lows and In the eyes of the cultured
public the title "dean of American
letters." Closer yet to the popular
heart than Stedman, with a pen still
active, Joel Chandler Harris had made
for himself a place not to be easily
filled.
From among the elder statesmen
were also taken Senator William Boyd
Allison and Senator Redfield Proctor.
Journalism 'lost a past master In Mu
rat Halstead. The chairs of Dr. Charles
Eliot Norton and Dr. Moses Colt Gil
man will remain long draped out of
respect to scholars who have placed
our national culture In their lasting
debt. Harriet Hosmer, the sculptor;
Louise Chandler Moulton, the author;
Bronson Howard, the pioneer native
dramatist; Joseph Wheelock, the ac
tor, and Donald G. Mitchell (Ik Mar
vel) revered ns a sage by the literary
guild all of the old school, yielded
honors rather than powers at the sum
mons of the great leveler.
The annual Nobel prize award Is an
Ideal method for letting the whole
world know what has been going on
among scientific tollers of late. But
for the patient Investigation of evi
dence by competent authorities few
outside of technical circles would ever
learn who has been doing the greatest
work for humanity during the year or
what branch of activity has achieved
the most valuable result.
A chorus of "let us alone" extending
from congress all around to Cuba was
the echo to the annual message, not
withstanding that some critics Insist
that the document was only another
ermon.
Even Japan's geisha girls and our
chorus girls are asking whether that
Washington-Tokyo "mutual Interest"
confab counts them out or counts
them In or counts them not at all.
Speaker Cannon Is doubtless sincere
In declaring for honest tariff revision,
but the nicest honesty can be differ
ential when it comes to placing bene
fits. Test a boy's brightness by asking
him to point out the good skating oi
tell where bis dad keeps the "hickory
or when the next school holiday Is due.
jfEACE WITH THE YAQUIS.
Treaty Is Signed by Indian Chiefs and
Governor of Sonora.
Nogales, Ariz., Dec. 30. The long
war with Yaqui Indians In Mexico, In
which scores have been killed, Includ
ing many Americans, has been termi
nated. A treaty of peace has been signed
by three Indian chiefs and 166 of their
followers and the governor of Sonon,
Mexico.
The scene enacted at the treaty
agreement was a remarkable one, con
cluding with the Mexican soldiers em
bracing the Yaquls and participating
In a Joint celebration.
Fitzsimmons Challenges Johnson.
Sydney, N. S. W., Dec. 30. Bob Fitz
simmons, former heavyweight cham
pion of the world, has Issued a chal
lenge to Jack Johnson, the conqueror
of Tommy Burns, for a fight for the
heavyweight title.
Chile to Borrow $1500,000.
London, Dec. 30. A Chilean loan of
515,000,000 will be Issued next week
under the auspices of the Rothschilds.
Earthquake Shock In Russia.
St. Petersburg, Dec. 30. An earth
quake shock was felt near Ekaterin
burg, In the Ural mountains.
SPBECKEIS LEFT $50,000,000.
Widow, Two Sons and Daughter Get
Sugar King's Estate.
San Francisco, Dec. 30. Under the
will of Claua Spreckels the widow re
ceives a life interest in the estate,
which after her death is to be divided
among three children Claus A. Sprec
kels, Rudolph Spreckels and Mrs. John
Ferrlss of Klngswood, England, for
merly Miss Emma Spreckels.
The testament recites that the two
other sons, John D. and Adolph, were
liberally provided for during the life
of the testator. The value of the es
tate is $50,000,000.
Mrs. Anna Spreckels, the widow, Is
now seventy-eight years old. In the
event that Claus A. or Rudolph Sprec
kels die before her the share of the
one dying Is to be divided among the
surviving children.
Saving Corn.
The annual slump In hogs has come
earlier than usual this year because
corn matured early and the hogs are
being finished up with as little of It as
possible. The light average weight of
the hogs marketed indicates this, and
so does their quality, which Is Inferior.
Everywhere there seems to be a dispo
sition to save corn. This Is all right
as far as it relates to the economical
use of It, but there may be false econ
omy In corn as In everything else. The
man who rushes his pigs to market to
save corn Is In all probability prac
ticing false economy. He Is likely to
find that be could have marketed both
pigs and corn In one car later on to
better advantage. This early slump
may Induce those who have not mar
keted their bogs to keep tbem back,
make them good and In the end do bet
ter with them than if they shipped now.
Unless something checks this false
economy of corn that grain Is going to
come to market In too liberal quanti
ties for the good of prices.
RUINS LOOTED
BY VANDALS
Troops Shoot Scores
In Italian Cities.
DEATH LIST 90,000
Pope Gives $200,000, King
$400,000, to Relief.
AMERICAN CONSUL IS KILLED.
Scores of Thousands In Towns of Cala
bria and Southern Italy Are Home
less, and Numberless Others Are In
jured or Buried Alive In Masses of
Debris From Fallen Houses and Pub
lic Buildings Refugees From Mes
sina Tell of Terrible Scenes and
Widespread Suffering Geography of
the Straits Changed and Navigation
Made Impossible.
Rome, Dec. 30. To the horrors of
earthquake and Inundation are added
today tie horrors of vandalism and
starvation.
In Messina. Regglo, Palmi, Catania.
Boplara and other stricken cities
bands of armed vandals have gone
about robbing the dead and injured
and looting ruined buildings, stabbing
nnd shooting any survivors who op
posed them.
Large bodies of troops suit to estab
lish martial law In these cities have
shot and killed scores of marauders,
but the looting has not been stopped.
Latest reports today place the esti
mated number of killed at 90,000, of
which 55,000 were in Messina, 17,000
In Roggio, 1.200 in Palml, 1,000 in
Bognara and '2,400 in Catimia.
One serious result of the earthquake
s that the straits of Messina have
MAP SHOWING REGION DEVAS
TATED. been geographically upheaved, and
navigation is Impossible. The famous
whirlpool of Charybdls has shifted Its
position.
King Victor Emmanuel and the
queen, who left for the scene of the
calamity, reached Regglo today. One
of the deputies at the station observed
to the king, "The presence of your
majesty will suffice to console the
stricken population."
The king turned sharply upon the
speaker and said abruptly, "Don't talk
nonsense."
The hands of all the nations have
been extended to Italy in her affliction.
From rulers have come messages of
condolence and from the peoples spon
taneous promise of that aid which
brings the world closer together In
times of great calamity.
Great Britain, France and Russia
have sent their warships to lend as
sistance to the stricken cities. Relief
funds have already been started, nnd
a hundred ships and trains are on their
way carrying supplies and re-enforcements
to the south. Rome, Milan,
Florence, Naples nnd other cities are
sending physicians, police and fire
men. The pope has telegraphed the nrch
blshops of Palermo and Catania and
the bishops of Mlleto nnd Catanzaro
expressing his deepest affliction In the
appalling calamity nnd ordering the
saying of prayers.
The pope gave $200,000 and King
Victor Emmanuel $100,000 to the re
lief fund which the International Cath
olic relief committee Is raising for the
earthquake victims.
In the Calabrlan district, which was
only beginning to recover from the ef
fects of the earthquake of 1005, Reg
glo, which bad 17,000 population, was
the center of the earth's upheaval. The
city Is a vast sepulcher, having been
utterly destroyed. The seaport of Reg
glo Is reported as no longer existing,
and the city proper Is In ruins.
Reports from Messina today say that
at least 55,000 men, women and chil
dren were killed In that city and that
60,000 arc rendered homeless.
The fires started by the expioslon of
the gas works at Messina are still rag
ing. The bodies of dead and Injured
alike are being burned In the ruins.
The city is deserted save for some
half naked survivors who wander
through the ruins and for the soldiers
y
aad sailors who are engaged in the
work of rescue.
The soldiers have bent every effort
to stop the sweep of the flames. They
are also kept busy with the convicts
who escaped from the prison after it
had been demolished. Several of these
who were caught looting have been
shot
The tidal wave caused more destruc
tion In Messina and more loss of life
than the earthquake. The great mass
of water that fell upon the city after
tho shock was about fifty feet high.
This great -wall of water fell upon
the town and In . .iilnutes bad
Inundated It to It limits. Before it
everything seemed to bo swept away.
The big Trinacria hotel, one of the
largest In Sicily, disappeared entirely.
In this hotel were hundreds of for
eigners from all parts of the world.
Some of the visitors were Americans,
and It was thought that these may be
among the dead.
Buildings that are completely de
stroyed include the municipal offices,
the bourse, buildings of the post tele
graph companies, the cathedral and
nearly all the churches.
Arthur S. Cheney, American consul
at Messina, and his wife lost their
lives in the earthquake.
The straits of Messina have takes
an entirely new shape since the earth
quake. Navigators describe them as
"twisted." Many villages and forts
along the straits have been destroyed.
Lighthouses have been swallowed up
by the sea, and navigation is impossi
ble. Starving, bleeding from Injuries and
almost Insane from their terrifying ex
periences, Messina's survivors are flee
ing in all directions. The spectacle
presented by the ruined seaport is de
scribed as terrifying. Tumbling build
ings both killed and mutilated, while
hundreds of the injured Imprisoned in
the wreckage were abandoned to their
fate by the fleeing populace.
A wounded soldier from Messina
said:
"The spectacle was terrifying be
yond words. Dante's 'Inferno' gives
you but a faint idea as to what hap
pened at Messina. The first shock
came before the sun had risen. It
shook the city to its very foundations.
Immediately the houses began to crum
ble. Those of us who were not killed
at once made our way over undulating
, floors to the. street Beams were crash
ing down through the rooms.' The
stairs were equally unsafe.
"I found the streets blocked by fall
en houses. Balconies, chimneys, bell
towers, entire walls, bad been thrown
down. From every side of me arose
the screams and moanlngs of the
wounded. The people were half mad
with excitement and fear. Most of
them had rushed out in their night
clothes. In a little while we were all
shivering under a torrential downpour
of rain. Everywhere there were dead
bodies nude, disfigured and mutilated.
In the ruins I could see arms and legs
moving helplessly. From every quar
ter came piteous appeals for aid.
"The city hall, the cathedral and the
barracks crumbled, and churches, oth
er public buildings and dwellings with
out number were literally razed to the
ground. There were 200 customs
agents at the barracks. Only forty
one of them were saved. At the rail
road station only eight out of 280 em
ployees have been accounted for.
"Many of those who succeeded in
escaping with their lives said the first
thing they knew they were thrown out
of bed and amid crashing ceilings and
falling furniture managed to make
their way to the street Then In the
blackness of night and amid a pour
ing rain that added to their horror
and distress they rushed blindly away
amid the crash of tumbling buildings
and the shrieks and groans of those
buried In the ruins. Many were struck
down while trying to escape by falling
balconies and masonry.
"Looters and robbers by the dozen
were shot dead by the rifles of the sol
diers." San Giovanni, Scllla, Cannltello and
all the other communes and villages
bordering on the straits are in ruins.
Great numbers of dead are believed to
be still under the wreckage.
The British steamer Ebro came in
here from Messina with sixteen wound
ed. Including Alfred J. Ogston, the
British vice consul at Messina. Mrs.
Ogston lost her life.
At Rlposto the tidal wave was ter
rible. At first the sea receded for a
great distance and then swept forward
with tremendous violence.
The water advanced in a huge wave
and swept before it every house and
building for a thousand feet from the
shore line. The waters rushed through
the streets of Rlposto to a depth of
from ten to twenty feet
Auto Kills Boyi Fathsr a Suicide.
Philadelphia, Dec. 80. The death of
Hobert Becker, aged six years, who
as run down and killed by an auto
mobile, caused F. J. Becker, the boy's
father, to commit suicide.
France slruek by Blizzard.
Paris, Dec. 30. France has been
struck by a most severe blixzard, ac
companied by a heavy fall of snow.
Traffic in Paris Is paralyzed.