Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-04-09

SKIRMISH WITH TRAIN ROBBERS-1he +.
o. department has received report stating
that the officers engaged in trying to arrest
the robbers who stopped the train on the
Houston and Texas Central railroad, and
robbed the express and mails-haVe had
skirmish with the outlaws who are in force.
The assistance of the state authorities has
been invoked to effect the capture.
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PACIFIC RAIL
ROADS to-day directed Gen. Chalmers, of Mis-
sissippi. to report favorably to the House
Pac1fc railroad funding bill Identical in pro-
visions with the bill now pending in the Sen
ate, This is black eye for Jay Gould and
his lobby,
TRIUMPH OF FISH CULTURE. - The
Smithsonian Institution has just received
salmon weighing 2314 pounds, caught on Satur-
day last, in the Delaware river, at Trenton.
This is believed to have been derived from a
stock OF salmon eggs presented by the Ger
man Government in 1918 to the U. s. fish COM
mission, of which about five thousand were
successfully hatched out and placed IN the
Delaware river.
BAD SHOWING FOR THE DISTRICT BILL
The tariff bill now pending as a special order
and the legislative, executive and judicial ap-
Precipitation bill. which can be called up any
day as a privileged report will put Off further
consideration OF the bill to provide form of
government for the District OF Columbia, for
weeks to come: if, indeed, not indefinitely.
Gov Hendee will, however, endeavor to get
some Saturday for its consideration.
WHY THE LETTERS WERE PUNCHED
COmplaint was made to the Post Office depart
ment last January that letters received from
Persia had been perforated by some sharp in
Strument. Inquiry was made at once of the
Persian postal authorities as to the cause, to
which reply was received at the Post Office
department yesterday, dated Teheran, Feb.
10Th, to the effect that the perfOratOnS com
planned of were made during the fumigatiOn
Russian frontier which from
Persia were subjected, owing to the existence
OF the plague in that country and the eStab-
iishmGnt OF quarantine regulations The letter
i am happy to inform you that the plague has
disappeared. and the quarantine has been re-
moved The comparatively short time, less
tnan SIX weeks, which is required TO transmit
message from so distant nation as Persia,
shows the efficiency Of the international postal
Union.
CONFERENCE.-THE Senate. in executive seS-
sion, Yesterday, confirmed the nomination of
Boyd IL. McEcrOn, register of land office, Con
cOrdia, Kansas.
SITTING BULL.-No late advices from Sitting
Bull have been received at the War office, but
every possible precautiOn has been taken to
give him warm reception should he come
over the border from Canada. If he pursues
this course with the full force he is reported to
have at his command, it IS not believed that
| the government, with its present resources
| impede his march, much less successfully com
| hat him, without leaving uncovered and
entirely deIence!ess more of the. most
| important frontier position. With his
| ten thousand well armed and finely mounted
| warriors, Sitting Bull would give ample en-
| plOyment TO nearly the entire force of the
| army. His passage OF the border would ne
| cessitate the Withdrawal of large portion of
| the United States forces from the Texan from
| tier, Arizona and the department Of the Co.
| lOmbia. and even then it is considered doubt
fJ1 a nd nl,r pf,,,ll ln
| vented.
AGAINST THE CoOLIE TRADE.-Secretary
| Thompson to-day issued orders to the com
| manderS OF all American men-Of- war in tile
| South Pacific waters concerning the cOOie
| trade. The order, after citing the laws upon
| which il is based, says: "Whereas infOrma-
| tiOn has been communicated to the Navy de
| North Pacific station that American ships and
| American masters OF ships are now engaged
| in the, coOlie trade in violation of the laws
quoted; that the wrecked American vessel,
| II. n Carlton, has been recently discovered on
| the Island or ul0lokai, in the Pacific ocean,
with about 80 Chinese on board, over and
sui the port OF her departure and that two
| other American ships are expected to reach
| Honolulu with carpOeS of Chinese. under such
| circumstances as are calculated to create the
| reasonable belief that they are engaged in the
cOoe trade; therefore, by direction of the
President, you are hereby instructed to employ
d.
men under your command, to keep watch
upon all vessels navigated or owned. in whole
or in part, by citizens of the United States, as
| you may have reasonable cause to believe to
| have on board any subjects of China, Japan.
or other oriental country, known as coolies,
and II thereupOn you shall find sufficient proof
Will cause her to be carried with her officers
| and crew to the most convenient post or dis
trict in the United States, and delivery to the
| 1. s. marshal of said district to be dealt with
| according to law
DECREASE IN INTERNAL REVENUE. - For
the first nine days of April, 1877, the receipts
| from internal revenue sources, aggregated
! $2, .52l.92. The receipts fsr the correspond,
ing period OF this year. are s. ,7Tl.95, show
ing fail ling OFF of 1886, ,4997. The receipts for
The The dds fiscal al % Sear Of ISL up to April 9th were
| SS>.DS, ,322.29 and for the same period this year
so3ll9,s333 showing decrease OF s., ,12S, 1882 t.
DISBURSEMENTS FOR THE p. o. DEPART.
| MENT.-Superintenden Burnside, of the 2. o.
d., is undergoing examination by a sub COM
mittee OF the House expenditures committee
consisting OF Representatives Caldwell and
Watson, in reference to his disbursements for
gent expenses for the year ending July l, 1877.
shows that in some items for which specific
appropriations were made he had remaining
tiOnary, $792.13: fuel, $3534.2O; gas, $7S7 .O7 =:
furniture, .$2,ll5.60, and hardware. $I3l0S :
while in other items more was spent than was
| SPNNihSoiiS anu li1c ucuCleuCy
was made up from these unexpended bal
ances. Thus, for plumbing and gas fitting, the
excess OF expenditures over appropriation was
s2,065 20: for telegraphing $46S 81 for carpets.
$3,5M.1O; for painting $l,294.52; miscellau,
eOus. $9.21l.63. Col. Burnside stated. in the
examination yesterday, that he saw nothing
! wrong in this diversion of funds from one
| item to another: it had always been CUSTOM
| airy in the department, and his accounts show.
| ing this condition of affairs were audited by
| the Treasury department. Among the mis-
cellaneeuS items, for which 5000 was appro
| paiated and $lT.271 expended, are $3.50 for
street car fare, of which $l70 was received bv
| the Metropolitan, $50 by the Washington and
| Georgetown, and $50 by the Columbia line
! $l,121.52 for ice: $649.S3 for washing towels
| $SS}.I7 1Or towels and sheeting: for lambre.
| quinS and curtains, $500 for awnings and
flags, 81, l,06l.6S: for watering streets, 500: for
| law books, Sl95; and for winding clocks, $lOO.
NEW ENGLANDSAyINGs BANKS IN TROUBLE.
| The recent suspension of one of the savings
| banks in Pawtucket, r. l., causes SO much
| disturbance in the minds of the depOSitOrs i'm
the other two institutions in that village that at
] the request OF the trustees Gov. Van Zandt
has appointed commission to examine the
Franklin and Pawtucket institutions for saw.
ings, and probably temporary injunction
Will be asked OF the supreme court until the
excitement Is somewhat allayed. The Well.
| amounting to S422,li3, and the South Boston
| Savings Bank, with deposits amounting to
| $l,565962, finding themselves unable to meet
| the demands of their depositors, have beef
| placed under the restrictions of the new saw
| ingS hank law Of Ma phuSattS >>'