FELL Japanese Take Rihlung Hill at Port Arthur. FOILS THE BALTIC SQUADRON. If Russian Warships Should Reach Port Arthur They Would be at Jap's Mercy. A dispatch vin Fusan. December 29 says: The Rihlung fort was cap tured at 3 o'clock this morning, with 1,000 Japanese casualties. Seven dy namite mines, exploded at 10 o'clock yesterday, made breaches in the front wall through which a larse body of Japanese troops charged under cover of a tremendous bombardment and captured the first line of light guns. A bitter fight resulted in the capture of the fort. The garrison, numbering 600 men, escaped. Rihlung fort, situated on Rihlung mountain, formed part of the inner circle of the chain of forts defending Port Arthur. Rihlung Is situated about two miles from the outskirts of the town of Port Arthur, from which it bears due northeast. The fort just captured is a mile and a half south east of Kekwan fort, recently cap tured by the Japanese. The possession of these two forts should make a most Important b'reach in the fortifications of Port Arthur, and cut off communication between the Golden Hill forts and the forts of the western section of the inner circle of fortifications. From Rihlung mountain, which is nearly opposite 203 Meter Hill, it , would appear that the Japanese fire will be able to reach anything In the harbor and town, which the Japanese heavy guns on 20;! Meter Hill are un able to hit, thus making It apparently impossible for the Russian second Pacific squadron to make any use of Port Arthur, even should the Jap anese content themselves with hold ing the strong position they now oc cupy. The Russian war office points out that the occupation of Rihlung moun tain at the best only makes the Jap anese masters of the entire terrace be yond the principal forts of Kekwan, and still leaves the main line un broken. Army headquarters at Tokyo pub lished a list of casualties, presumably at Port Arthur, showing that 49 offi cers from the rank of colonel down ward, were killed, and that 58 from colonel downward were wounded. The headquarters of the army be sieging Port. Arthur telegraphs that on the night of December 28, after the occupation of Rihlung, a small body of Russians still offered resist ance In the passage between the siege gun line and the gorgo. At 3 o'clock in the morning they were dislodged entirely and the oc cupation of the fort became secure. According to the statement of three prisoners the defenders of Fort Rihlung numbered about 500, besides some sailors. A majority of the de fenders were killed. A number of guns were captured. OUTLOOK FOR STEEL BUSINESS. A Large Number of Transactions Have Been Closed. The Iron Age says: The outlook is very encouraging in nearly every di rection. While generally speaking the volume of new business during the past week has naturally been rather light, still quite a number of large transactions have been closed. A good deal of tonnage has been entered by the structural shops. Works in the Pittsburg district have captured the work, amounting to about 12,000 tons, for the New York Central road and 0,000 tons for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western. The leading Interest has taken 5.000 tons of bridge work for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton road and 3,000 tons for the Pennsylvania lines west. Some very large requirements are still in the market, among which Is a lot of 14,000 tons of bridge work for theVHarrlman lines. None of the large, steel rail con tracts pending has been closed dur ing the week, but the volume of busi ness already done is indicated by the fact that the United States Steel Cor poration mills now have on the books 425,000 tons of rails for next year's delivery. Some export busi ness of great magnitude is pending, and there are also some inquiries from Mexico, among them one lot of 17,000 tons. The furnace and foundry interests throughout the central west and the east have been much relieved by the copious rains in the coke regions, 'Which hold out the promise of more Tegular and more abundant supplies of fuel. RUSSIA DEMANDS AMMUNITION. Calls on Chinese to Return 3,000,000 ' Rounds Recently Seized. ' The Russian officials at Pekln de- j manded of the Chinese foreign office ine restitution or tne a.ouo.uuo rounds of ammunition, apparently destined for Port Arthur, seized by the Chi nese authorities at Fengtal. near here four days ago. The Russians assert the ammunition was intended only for the legation guard. It is learned at the foreign offlo that the Chinese intend taking a strong, stand in view of the frequent attempts to smuggle arms and ammu- -jiition. The bales of wool contain ing the cartridges seized at Fengtai were consigned to an European resi dent of Pekin who Is now at Tien Tsln taking part in the investigation Into the affair. Copper Coinage for China. With reference to the recent at tempt of Prof. Jeremiah W. Jenks of Cornell university, and a member of the American commission on inter national exchange, to Introduce im provements in tho monetary system of China, it is interesting to note thut u Chinese pronosal Is under considera tion advocating the coinage on a lurg" scale of copper cash, proving, it is claimed, that the Chinese do not con template a change in their monetary system. STORM COVERED LARGE AREA. Wind Blew at Furious Rate In Many Places. One of the most severe storms of recent years raged through the terri tory lying between the Rocky moun tains and tho great lakes Tuesday, and caused much trouble to street car companies, railroads and tele graph companies. The latter were the greatest suffer ers. Tor the blizzard which swept through the west and northwest was preceded by a heavy fog and drizzling rain which made the wires almost un workable. The Intense cold and ter rific gale that followed close upon the fog coated the wires with ice and later in the day threw poles to the ground, crippling the companies bad ly. Railroad trains wore badly delay ed all through the west, some of them being 24 hours late. Street car traffic In all the cities of the west and north west was practically at a standstill at some time during the day. in its extent the Btorm was tha most widespread of any in the last 15 years. Counting the fog as a com ponent part, it stretched from the Rocky mountains to New York, and from Winnipeg to New Orleans. The storm struck Chicago shortly after noon, and Increased with great rapidity until it had assumed hurri cane violence at 6:30 o'clock, when the wind tore through the downtown streets at the rate of 72 miles an hour. FORCED TO RETREAT. Japanese Lost Six Hundred Men, Besides 300 Rifles. The London "Daily Telegraph's" correspondent at Che Foo in a dis patch dated December 26 says: A messenger from Port Arthur de scribes a Japanese attack the even ing of December 22, with a light col umn of 5,000 and many machine guns on the northern defenses.- They dash ed along the railway, carried trench after trench, and succeeded In reach ing tho water course beneath Pay uispan mountain, whence the Russian artillery worked terrible execution. A fierce bayonet fight occurred at mid night. A strong Russian force ad vancing eastward of Payuisean moun tain threatened the retreat of the Japanese, who, after a desperate struggle, retired to the north, leaving several machine guns, 300 rifles and SO prisoners. It Is estimated that they lost GOO kiHed. Tho Japanese halt ed near the cemetery and finding that both their flanks had carried all the works forming the outlying range of the main forts, then entrenched on small hills near Etse mountain under a severe enfilading fire, which caused them heavy losses. RAILWAY BUILDING DECLINES. A Falling Off of About 25 Per Cent . Compared With 1903. Railway building in the United States for 1904 shows a falling off of about 25 per cent compared with 1903, when 6,786 miles of the new road were completed, according to the Rail way Age. Official returns for the cur rent year, not yet. complete, show that 4.1C8 miles of first track have been laid since January 1 last on 299 lines in 43 states and territories. That there would be a decrease in new mileage this year was a foregone con clusion on account of the general business situation. With tho exception of the GO-mlle link (of which 10 miles were com pleted) to connect the Western Mary land and tho West Virginia Central and Pittsburg and the completion of the Pittsburg, Carnegie and Western Into Pittsburg, no work has been done during the last year on the various ronris necessary to complete the At lantic seaboard line of the Wabash system, and there are no indications thnt work is to be resumed soon on these lines. There are persistent ru mors of an understanding between the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Goidd Interests which will make the construction of these lines unneces sary, and the fact that the work is si ill being held up lends color to them. PLOT COSTS SIX LIVES. Three Convicts Dead and Three Dy ing in Attempt to Escape. Seven of nine convicts at the Cali fornia State prison who made a break for liberty were al.nost riddled with bullets, three being dead and three in a critical condition. Captain R. J. Murphy, a prison .official, was wounded by a shot in the leg and two slight knife wounds. The convicts who engaged in the break were all employed in the rock crusher, where 325 of the most des perate prisoners were at work. A large sledge hammer was thrown into the crusher, causing the machine to come to a standstill. This attracted Captain Murphy, Charles Jolly and Taylor to the place. Thereupon the desperate convicts rushed to seize Murphy and his two assistants. They succeeded In catch ing Murphy and Jolly. The others tried to take the other guards, who es caped them. The convicts, with their captives, made their way outside. The convicts had knives In position for Immediate execution should the guards attempt to free themselves. They had no sooner stepped into the open than the seven guards began firing, and within 20 seconds seven convicts were on the ground, help less. Oscar Jones has sued B. T. Davis of Huntington, W. Va., a druggist, for $10,000. Jones claims Davis sold his daughter. Pearl, a poisonous drug with which she committed suicide. FIVE LIVES ARE LOST. The Victims Were Burned to Death In a Railroad Shanty. Five persons were killed by the sup posed explosion of coal oil in a tem porary house along the Wabash con struction work near OUltown, Md. The dead are one man, three women and one child, foreigners, who were employed at the camp of Sub-Con-1 tractor Mchol. The sli:ick burned like tinder after the explosion and none of its occupants escaped. SEVEN KILLED BY COLLISION Trains Crash through Failure to Deliver Orders. TEN PERSONS SLIGHTLY HURT. Soth Engines Were Badly Damaged and Four Coaches Were Com pletely Destroyed. A passenger train which left St. Louis at 9 o'clock at night on th Southern ' railway collided head-on with tho passenger train leaving LoulsVIlIe about the same hour near Mauds station, 111., on Sunday. One passenger and six employes were killed and two passengers and eight employes were slightly injured. The dead are: Charles Schmidt, Centralia, 111; Engineer Bowen, Princeton, Ind.; Fireman Charles Hutt, Princeton, Ind: Mail Clerk H. D. Hogan, Georgetown, Ind.; Section Foreman Underwood, Princeton, Ind; Employe Henry Oskin, Tennyson, Ind.; Cyrus Hutchinson, section hand, East St. Louis, 111. The St. Louis-Louisville and St. Louls-Knoxvlllo sleepers were drawn by both trains but none of the passen gers in these four cars was injured. Both engines were badly damaged and four coaches destraved. The collis ion occurred between Mount Carmel, 111., and Princeton, Ind., and, accord ing to the Southern railway officials', was caused by the failure of the operator at Browns, 111., to deliver to the east-bound train an order naming a meeting point for the trains. All of the employes with the exception of the trainmen were in the combina tion baggage and smoking car. A wrecking crew and relief party left Princeton, Ind., at once and began clearing the track and removing the dead and injured. The hardest task was to extinguish the flames which had broken out among the shattered engines and coaches. Water was car ried in hats and raincoats and thrown on the flames by the passengers be fore relief arrived. Several cars were burned before the fire was ex tinguished. The chair cars and sleep ers were not damaged. SHIP SAILS THE AIR. Travels 20 Miles an Hour and Is Easily Maneuvered. Capt. Baldwin's airship, "California Arrow," driven by Roy Knabenshue of Toledo, O., who made several success ful flights In the same machine from the world's fair grounds at St. Louis, was given its first trial in California and was successful, with the single ex ception of its failure to land at the starting point, owing to running short of gasoline. A landing was effected half a mile away without damage to the machine, and It was safely towed back to its anchorage. The machtne was in flight an hour and 13 mlrfutes, and in that time sail ed a distance of probably 20 miles. When flying with the wind the Arrow travelled at a speed of 20 miles an hour, and re turning directly in the face of the strong southeastern gale was able to make between six and eight miles an hour. The airship was maneuvered In every direction, responding readily to its rudder, circling and turning in any direction, sailing directly in the face of the wind or at any angle, and rls ini and dipping as the operator direc ted. The Arrow rose at times to a height of probably 3,000 feet or more, with Knabenshue regulating the! height by shifting his weight and i raising or lowering the bow of the j craft as he desired to ascend or de-1 scend. Expects to Raise About $60,000. Acting upon insiructions issued by the Comptroller of the Currency. Receiver Robert Lyon, of the closed Citizens National bank, of Oberlin, has notified the stockholders of the latter concern that they must stand doubly liable on their stock. It is estimated that about $60,000 will bs secured by the receiver in this man ner. Some of the stockholders, It is understood, have already paid their double liability. Against Paper Trust. Attorney General Moody, for the I United States, filed a petition in the United States district court at St. Paul, In which he makes tho General Paper Company principal defendant, and 25 subsidiary paper companies party defendants in a suit to enjoin them and restrain them from doing business through the General Paper Company as the sales 8"nt, In vio lation of the anti-trust law. Charged With Discrimination. The interstate commerce commis sion received a complaint from George Splegle ami Walter McCabe, Phila delphia lumber shippers, against the Pennsylvania and Chesapeake & Ohio railroad companies, alleging that the defendant rouds had Imposed unlaw ful and discriminative rates on the shipments of the complainants. Pearl Harbor Finally Paid For. The United States has paid $SO,000 to the owners of lands at Pearl Har bor, completing the purchase of ths land desired for the proposed naval station. Secretary Atkinson has sold a second $1,000,000 of Hawaiian bonds for $1,000 premium, slightly bet ter than the last sale. They rim 15 years and bear 4V per cent interest. Czar Makes Promises. An imperial ukase issued at St. Petersburg makes decidedly liberal promises under a number of heads. It promises a full and equitable en forcement of existing laws, assures the zemstvos of the fullest possible measure of self-government and the enforcement of the laws now existing in Ihelr behalf; promulgates a scheme of workmen's Insurance; ex ttnds the liberty of the press, and promises a full legal trial of all per sons accused. MILLIONS FOR CARS. Big Expenditures Will be Made by Pennsylvania Lines. At a meeting in Philadelphia the directors -of the Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsburg authorized an ex penditure of $7,3SO,000. All except $4,000,000 of this is to go to the stock holders of the Pennsylvania, and of tho Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis. The remainder Is to be used to pay for 4,000 freight cars. To purchase the cars the Pennsyl vania Railroad Car Company will sup ply the money for their building, and the "Panhandle" company will each year pay off part of the , sum. The orders for building the cars were given some time ago. The directors of the "Panhandle" company met first and after declar ing a semiannual dividend of 2 per cent on the preferred and a semi- an nual dividend of 1V4 per cent on the common stock, authorized the man agement to purchase cars. 'To pay the dividend requires $860,000. The cars are to be mostly of the gondola type, and will be used princi pally In the transportation of coal. Each will have a capacity of 100,000 pounds, and will be constructed ac cording to tho Pennsylvania stand ard. The directors of the Pennsylvania Company met after the "Panhandle" board had adjourned. They declared a dividend of 6 per cent on the stock of the company, payable December 31 to shareholders of record December 2. The Pennsylvania Railrond Company owns all the stock of the Pennsylvan ia Company. The capitalization is $50,000,000. Last year the dividend was at the rate of 4 per cent. All the proceeds from the dividends will go Into the treasury of the Pennsyl vania Railroad Company. Boston Wool Market. Despite the fact that the wool mar ket remains quiet, the supply of un sold material available has seldom been so small as at present. Some of the largest houses practically are sold out of domestic wool, while all are carrying moderate slocks. It is estimated that the first of the year will see the supply reduced to 25,000, 000 pounds. There is a good demand for Territory wools. Pulled wools are firm and quiet and foreign grades are steady. Trading quotations are: Ohio and Pennsylvania, XX and above, 35(f 30c: X, 3031c; No. 1, 39 ffi40c; No. 2. 4142c; fine unwashed, 2l25c; blood unwashed, 3233c. Increase In Amount of Cotton. The Census Bureau Issued a report Riving the quantity of cotton ginned in 737 counties, up to December 13 last, as 11,980,014 running bales, which is the equivalent of 11,848,113 commer cial bales. The commercial bales re ported to the same period for 1903 amounted to 8,747,069. CURRENT NEWS EVENTS. It is announced that the Republic Iron and Steel company will make steel rails early In the second quarter of next year, and that it wants to enter the rail pool. By the burning of the house of a Mr. Lafreniere, near Calandar, On tario, his four children perished be fore assistance could reach them. Congressman William F. Mahoney of the eighth Illinois district, died at his home in Chicago. Death was due to kidney trouble. Mrs. John Johnson and her two young sons were cremated in a fire which destroyed their home at Ban gor, Me. The estimated ' wheat yield in South Australia this year Is 14.575,000 bushels, an Increase' of 1,360.000 bush els compared with last year. The New York state executive de partment refused to grant the Ohio governor's requisition for the extra dition of Dr. Chadwlck, claiming that proof of forgery is lacking. The German legation has warned German subjects at Fez to prepare to leave at a moment's notice. The towboat Charles Jutte, of Pitts burg, was crushed In the ice at Cables Eddy and sunk in the Ohio river be low Browns Island. Nan Pattersoirj the show girl ac cused of the murder of Caesar Young passed a gloomy Christmas ia the Tombs. The Cuban minister to the United States denies that yellow fever is again gaining a foothold on the is land. Volunteers who crossed the Shakhe river Friday, surprised a force of the enemy, killing about 100 and taking 15 prisoners. The Russian losses were trifling. Several postmasters in Idaho are dis covered to be polygamists and a re port has been made to President Roosevelt. Diphtheria Is quite prevalent at New Castle, Pa., many cases being in the city. Two children of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ward, of the Sixth ward, died a few hours apart, and a third one is at the point of death. Of the 705 passengers brought on the steamer Merlon, which arrived at Philadelphia, more than 530 were Rus sians. Most of those were able-bod-led men, between the ages of 20 and 30 years, and liable for duty in the army. It is officially reported in Parts that the attorney general, who Is examin ing the Dreyfus case, has decided to recommend a retrial before a court martial. This is subject to the ap proval of tho court of cassation, which meets in February. The Wabash Railroad has closed a deal for the lighthouse property at Hancock, Md. It will be torn away to make room for a passenger and freight depot. John M. Plcltart, who took part in the early border troubles in Kansas, and was with the party that captured "Old KIckapoo," the pro-slavery party's cannon, died at Ms home In Leavenworth of pneumonia, aged 70 years. Any boy living in the Thirty-first Congressional district of Pennsylvan ia, for which H. Klrko Porter of Pittsburg is the representative, can have an appointment to the Military Acad"iuy at West Point by showing Mr. Porter that ho is fit mentally, morally and physically to become un officer in the army. U.S.WILLREMAIN NEUTRAL The French Mission to Morocco a Failure. FRENCH WARNED TO LEAVE. If Conditions Become Dangerous the Americans Will Remove to Tan gier for Safety. Absolute neutrality will be observ ed by the United States In the condi tion of turmoil coming on apace In Morocco. Hoffman Philip, American vice consul general at Tangier, in formed the slate department that the sultan had apparently refused to re ceive the French mission which plan ned to go to Fez and that In con sequence this mission has been in definitely postponed, the military mis sion recalled, the French consul and all French citizens warned to leave Fez. Mr. Phillip requested Instruc tions. He stated that all the other diplomatic and consular representa tives in Morocco were awaiting orders from their home governments. Secretary Hay cabled Mr. Phillip to carefully avoid any appearance of favoring one side or the other in the troubles now In course. If condi tions become dangerous Mr. Phillip is instructed to advise all Americnn citizens In Morocco to repair to Tan gier. HONDURAS WILL PAY. Settlement for Assassination of American Planter. Honduras has agreed to pay to the United States, after prolonged nego tiations, an indemnity of $78,000, Mexican, for the murder of Charles W. Renton, an American planter at Brewers Lagoon, Honduras, In 1895. Leslie Combes, minister to Honduras, has also affected the settlement of the claim of the estate of the late Jacob Balz of New York for $42,000, Mexi can, due on unredeemed bonds. This wipes out all existing disputes with Honduras. Thee Renton claim was the out growth of one of the most atrocious murders ever committed in Central America. Charles W. Renton, his wife, who now lives In New York city, and her nelee lived on Brewers La goon. They had trouble with J. G. Dawe, the manager of the Brewers Lagoon Wood and Produce Company. Renton's enemies sent a negro across his land with a rifle. When Renton ordered him away he opened fire tip on the house and a volley rang from the bushes. Renton dragged himself within his door with a bad wound In his leg. The leader of the gang be sieged the house and at midnight di vided his desperadoes into two part ies who lay still until dawn and shot Renton as he stepped out to milk his cow. IROQUOIS DAMAGE SUITS. Action in Seventeen Cases of Death for $10,000 Each to be Brought. Another chapter is added to tho Iroquois theater fire, which occurred In Chicago last December. Messrs, Smith & Buxton, attorneys of Brook lyn, are about to institute proceed ings against Marc- Claw and others for negligently causing the death of a number of the occupants of the build ing at that time, and Surrogate Slllt man issued limited letters of adminis tration upon tho estates of 17 form er residents of Chicago who lost their Uvea at the fire. In each case the defendants are sued for $10,000. Those letters of administration are Issued In Yonkers. N. Y., for "the reason that Marc Klaw Is a resident of West Chester county. TRAIN WRECKED IN SNOW. Traffic on Western Roads at Almost Standstill. A Chiraso Great Western freight train lost in the snowstorm was wrecked two nillrs south of Melbour ne, la., causing Injuries to six train and section men. Sectlonman Will lam Boger wbs burled under snow and coal two hours before ho could be rescued. Traffic on the Iowa Cen tral and the Chicago Great Western ! was at a standstill. On the Great Western there was a snow drift at Fairbank half n mile long, 12 feet deep and 1,000 feet wide. FOUND BY THE ROADSIDE, Three Deaths From Exposure at Soldiers' Homes. Specials from, Dayton and Sandus ky. O.. tell of the death of three Civ- r II War veterans from exposure during the storm Wednesday night. At Day ton the dead bodies of Daniel L. Stewart and James Harsa, inmates of the National Soldiers' Home, were found in roadways near tho home. At Sandusky the dead body of George Weber, an Inmate of the Ohio Sol dicjs' Home, was found near the home, where he had apparently fallen asleep. Costly Hotel Decided On. A modenn hotel, containing 400 rooms and costing more than $1,000, 000, is to be erected on the site of the Pike opera house building, Cin cinnati, which was burned two years ago. M. E. Ingalls, president of the Big Four railway, Is credited with th3 success of the present plan, which was finally agreed to by nil interests to-day. The financing of the deal will be looked after in part by New York people. Too Much of Public Life. Ambassador Choate has announced that lie Intends to quit tho diplomat ic service soon after the inauguration of President Roosevelt. "Six years Is a long slice out of the life of a man of my age," said Mr. Chonte recently to friends la London, "and yhlle I have enjoyed .the life and the p op'.o I have met in Eng land I have determined to go homo and devote the remainder of my timo to looking affr my o.vn uTaira." WHITES ORDERED OUT. Further Indications of Anti-French Outbreak in Morocco. A correspondent at Tangier says that after calling at the French Mis sion tho Ministers of the several Powers ordered all people of their na tionalities to quit Fez. Tbe French Minister at Tangier has been instructed to secure the immedi ate withdrawal from the Moroccan capital of the French Consul, the com mnnder and all the military mission and all French citizens unless the Sultan vacates his previous offensive action and offers a suitable explana tion. TWO ICE YACHTS COLLIDE. Three Men Killed and Others In jured at Lake Regatta. Three men were killed and three more were seriously hurt in a crash of two ice yachts speeding before wind at the rate of 50 miles an hour on Onondaga lake Christmas. The dead are James Jackson, Charles Markhani. and OcOI'k all of this city. The accident occurred after the first of the season's regattas of the Onondaga Lake Ice Yacht club, which attracted fully 1,500 persons to the luke. ' To Kill Off the Foxes. An offer of 1 cent each for 10,000 sparrows has been made by Charles y E. Mc Cauley of Harrlsburg, Pa., a dep uty state game warden, the birds to be used In killing off foxes by poison ing, to protect game birds in Penn sylvania. Each of the sparrows will have injected into its body sufficient strychnine to kill a fox, and then the birds' carasses will be placed along fox runaways. Helped Organize the G. O. P. Benjamin D. Worthlngton, died at Steubenville, O., aged 87. He was born in Connecticut and went to Pittsburg In 1837. He helped organize the Republican party in Pittsburg. He Intended going to Cincinnati on the steamer Moselle that blew up, killing 100 persons, but missed the boat. He was a cotton and wool manufacturer for years. He served in the Union army in the civil war, was a hospital superintendent for the Panhandle rail road for years and filled different city offices in Steubenville. He had been an active member of the Temple of Honor and had held state and na tional offices In the organization. Indicted for Lynching. At Huntsvllle, Ala., John Jamar was arrested on an indictment returned by the recent United States Grand Jury charging conspiracy in the lynch ing of the negro, Horace Maples. Sev eral Indictments in this case were found by the Grand Jury, and so far three arrests have been made. T. M. Hlgglns and Robert Powell are out on $5,000 bonds. Wireless Message Goes Straight. Experiments with the Artons sys tem of radio-telegraphy have been made between Rome nnd Sardinia, re sulting in a successful demonstration of the Inventor's clulin that an elec tric magnetic wave message trans mitted by this system cannot be di verted from the point, for which It Is intended. King Victor Emmanuel, who witnessed the test, congratulat ed the Inventor upon his achievement. Miners Wages Increased. A bulletin issued by the commis sioner of labor statistics, shows the average per capita earnings of Ohio miners during the past year was $196.60, an increase of $55.32 over the previous yenr. The average num ber of days worked was 191, and the average dally wage was $2.60, an in crease of 3G cents. The total number of employes In tho Ohio mines was :;G,4G0 an increase of 5,880. Turks Persecute Bulgarians. Reports from Adrlanople indicate a recrudescence of persecution exces ses by tho Turks against Ihe Bulgar ians. The Bulgarian government has notified the foreign representatives of these excesses, and requested that they communicate with their respec tive governments, calling attention to tho possible consequences and noti fying them that Bulgaria declines to accept tho responsibility. Favor Panama Investigation. While no action has yet been tak en on the Shrtckleford resolution for an investigation of the Panama rail road by the House Committee on In terstate and Foreign Commerce, it is known that a majority of the members of the committee are in favor of the resolution. Action will be taken It Is understood, so that the investiga tion can be made during the present session of Congress. Indict Banker on Arson Charge! The grand jury at Chicago return ed two indictments against Isaac N. Perry, former president of tho Nation al bank of North America, charging him with arson in connection with the burnjng of the plant of the Chi cago Car and Locomotive works, at Hegewlsch, 111. He was president of the Locomotive company, which was in financial difficulties. The works were heavily insured. Two Suits More Against Railroad. Two addltionel sulrs against tho Baltimore & Ohio railroad for dam ages resulting from the Duquesne limited wreck at Laurel Run, Decem ber 23, 1903, have been filed. David McFadden nnd Thomas Uvrne, each ask $5,00(1 for injuries. FIVE MEN INJURED. They Vere Hurt by Explosion of Dy namite at a Tunnel. By nn explosion of dynamite at No. 3 tunnel on the Wabash railroad, near New Alexandria, O., five men were Injured. Two of them were probably fatally hurt. They are: Alexander MclV.nrr-, foreman of the shooting gun;-:, and Thomas llartness. both of whom are at tho hospital hero. The others hurt were Italians and one, "Tony" Piclno. is at tho hospital. KEYSTONE STATE (MINGS FOX HUNT A SUCCE8S. Hundreds of Farmers Took Part and Reynard Was Killed After a Long Chase. More than 200 residents of Wash ington and Greene counties took part ia a mamoth fox chase held today near Ruffs creek, Greene county. Fully 100 foxes were turned loose af ter the fox was liberated at 11 o'clock and for three hours the hunt was kept up before tho quarry was brought to bay in a hollow tree and killed. All the huntsmen were on horseback and the chase was the largest ever held In this section of the state. , The whole countryside took a holiday for the chase, and at every farmhouse after the fox was caught a sumptuous repast was served to the hunters and their friends from other points. The fox hunt is an annual affair at Ruffs creek and with the exception of the annual one at Zoar, O., is the most important one in this section. The operators of the mln'j at Mor ris Run, Clearfield county, where a strike has been on since spring, made public the following notice, signed by the Morris Run Coal Mining company, John Magee, president: "Improved market conditions warrant this com pany in attempting to pay higher wages. It will therefore pay 82 cents per gross ton for mining so long as business will permit, with correspond ing rates for other labor from March, 1904. Applications for work will bo considered with reference to families that have been afflicted with sickness, preference being given to those In need." Tho report of the purchase of more than 1,000 acres of Connellsville coal land from J. V. Thompson, the Union town banker, by the H. C. Frlck Coke Company, is confirmed. The land lies in North and South Union townships, near Uniontown. The deal includes B3 acres in the Klondyke region and 100 ovens, known as the Crossland plant, and all buildings and equip ment. The ovens are located near Uniontown. The price is not positive ly known, but it is said to bo in the neighborhood of $1,000,000. The com pany, It Ib understood, will not de velop the land for years. A systematic effort is to be made to put a stop to lawlessness at the town of Enterprise, two miles from Washington. The village of but a few hundred inhabitants is practically owned by the Enterprise Coal Com-, pany. More cases from this llttla village have come within the last year Into Criminal Court than from any other point in the county. The county authorities will take up the matter and establish a strong force of police. Judge John B. Steel, In the Or phans' court, at Greensburg, denied the right of Mrs. Nellie Hooker, wife No. 1 of J. P. Hooker, late of Mones sen, to the exception of wife No. 2, for proceeds of the sale of. Hooker's estate. It was also ruled that al though wife No. 2 earned by her own toll the greater portion of the estate left by Hooker she Is to get none of It. The proceeds of the sale will be turned over to creditors. Suffering from exposure incident to wandering two days on the moun tains In a halt-clad condition, Frank Mower died at the County Insane Hospital at Altoona. Mower be came demented from worrying over his wife's death and last Saturday es caped from his home. When discov ered at Ehrenfleld, Cambria county, he was nearly starved. He had con tracted a cold, which developed into pneumonia. A ton of dynamite in a log house at the Atchison mine of the Connells ville Coke company exploded, but not a man was hurt, although windows were broken In houses two miles away. The log house caught fire while the employes were at dinner. A stable, the check house and other buildings wore damaged and tele phone wires were torn down. Rev. L. O. Bonze, who for eight years has been pastor of the English Lutheran church at Zelienople, has accepted a call extended to him by the English Lutheran congregation of McKeesport. Tho Zelienople church accepted his resignation under protest. Stephen Ptishart, John Brinkush and Martin Poblish were held up on the outskirts of Lansford and beaten by four men armed with black Jacks. Pushart was killed and Brinkush is believed to be fatally injured. Po blish escaped. The usual Christmas distribution of candy to the poor children of Harris burg at the executive mansion was made by James M. Auter, messenger to Gov. S. W. Pennypacker. Frank Odell, of WheaUand, who wa3 ' run down by a train near his home, died from his injuries. Odell was 40 years old and was niolder at the Sharon foundry. At a Christmas celebration at New Castle, six Hungarians were wounded with clubs and knives as a ranult of a free-for-all fight. A number of arrests were made. Common Council of Jamestown, has passed an ordinance providing for a bridge over the Pennsylvania railroad tracks from the Twelfth to the Thir teenth wards. Chauncey I.atuhaw and Frederick Pryon were acquitted by a Butler county Jury on charges of robbery. The men were accused of the Elliott robbery at Jacksville. Forty applications for liquor licen ces have been filed with clerk of courts of Mercer county. There are now 31 licensed houses in the coun ty. License court will be held In Februnry. William L. Laird. 37 years old. fell from tho top of a conveyor a'c the Carneglo works in South Sharon, and was hurt so badly that he diad whllo being taken to the hospital. The meat market of R. M. McCau ley, at New Castle, was broken into and robbed of a large quantity of poultry. The officers have a clue and, say arrests will follow. i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers