Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-01-05
WASHINGTON.
Contested House Seafs---AbOut the
signal service---A street scene in
Public Lands Edf-
sons PATENTS POlygamy, Etc
CONTESTED HOUSE SEATS

CONTESTED HOUSE SEATS
WAsHNGToN, Dec. 30-Representa-
tive Calkins, chairman of the house
committee on elections, has been en-
gagged fot the past few days in the pre-
| liminary work Of preparing for the
printer the testimony in contested
cases referred to his committee. Thus
far the testimony in the three follow
ing cases has been prepared: Ander-
son vs.. Read, Maine; Buchanan VS..
Manning, Mississippi; Bisbee VS.. Finley,
Florida. 1t is expected the testimony
IN several other cases will be ready for
the printer before the reassembling of
congress next week. The testimany in
most of the cases is very voluminous,
and it is quite probable that a month
will elapse before the printed testimo-
ny in any case will be ready for the
committee, so it will be late in Janu-
airy before the committee can com
mence the real work of investigation
in any particular case Chairman
Calkins has divided the full committee
into three subcommittee, and has
arranged the following assignment of
cases.
Lowe VS.. Wheeler, Alabama; Bisbee
VS.. Finley, Florida; Anderson VS.. Reed,
Maine; Cook vs.. Cults, Iowa; Gillette
VS.. Herndon, Alabama; Strobach VS..
Herbert. Alabama; Smith VS.. Shelley,
Alabama, to the subcommittee consist
ing of Hazelton, Thompson, Ranney,
Paul, and Beltzhoover.
Mackey VS.. O'Connor, South Carolina;
Lanier vs.. King, Louisiana; Sessen-
house VS.. Frost, Missouri; Lee VS.. Rich.
ardson, South Carolina; Bailey VS.. Bar
bour, Virginia: Smith vs.. Robertson,
Louisiana, to the subcommittee con-
sisting of Messrs. Waite, Richie, Miller,
Davis and Mountop.
Mcdowell VS.. George, Oregon; Nab
son vs.. Oats, Alabama, Lynch VS..
Chalmers, Mississippi; Buchanan VS..
Manning, Mississippi; Stolbran vs.. Ak
en-, South Carolina; Cannon VS.. Camp
bell, Utah; Stovall v Cabell, Virginia,
to Chairman Calking, and Representa-
tives Pettibone, Jacobs, Anterior and
Jones.
SIGNAL SERVICE.
The New York Herald, ia an editorial
article upon the value of the services
of the signal bureau at Washington,
revives the old proposition that govern
ment officials all over the country shall
be utilized in meteorological work. 1t
says; every little town has its post
master who if supplied with few in
struments, would be able to keep and
transfer to the central Office tri-daily
record of the wind direction, weather,
temperature, and barometer. Again,
the coasts are studded with life-saving
stations from Maine to the Rio Grande,
and from Puget Sound to the Gulf Of
California. If those stations were sup
piled with meteorological outfits they
would contribute data of incalculable
value. In fact, wherever there is a
government official the atmospheric
| changes should be recorded. If a man
is sufficiently intelligent to be post
master or an officer of the lifes saving
service, or, indeed, to hold almost any
government position, he will certainly
be able to make the observations neces-
sery with but little instruction. Every
effort should be made to reduce the
dangers attending atmospheric changes
to their lowest limit, and the govern
ment should at once order that its
agents be supplied with the necessary
instruments, and that tri-daily report
be sent from every town, village, or
hamlot in the country to the central
office"
NATIONAL CAPITAL SCENE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30.-A rather I'M
usual arrest for drunkenness was made
last evening by the officers of the fifth
precinct. A young and attractive girl
about Is years of age, dressed in quiet
but elegant style, was discovered in the
early hours of the evening in the
Smithsonian grounds surrounded by
gang of roughs. They had found her
in the streets under the influence of
liquor, and had decoyed her to a lonely
spot to rob her of the jewelry which
she wore in profusion, and perhaps
with other designs. They were inter
rupted by the arrival of the officers and
took to their heels. The young lady
was taken in charge and conveyed to
the station. Ii was found that she was
no common character, and her face, OF
more than ordinary beauty, showed no
traces of fast life The handsome
fur-hned circular which she wore was
stained with the mud of the streets
where she had fallen in her staggering
progress. A costly hat, Of the latest
design, was crushed and battered almost
beyond recognition. Her dress, which
was of lovely shade of empress
cloth, and her well-selected jewelry and
the other details of her toilet, evinced
fine and well-bred taste. From what
could be gathered from her incoherent
talk, it was evident she was person of
education and accustomed to good So
ciety. When she realized her situation
she began to cry bitterly and call for
mother. 1t was ascertained that she
had left her home in the upper part of
the city tthe West End) to make call
at the house of a friend While there
she lunched, and partook rather freely
of Christmas egg-nog. The liquor did
not begin to have its full effect until
she started for her home early in the
evening She staggered along the
| streets and while in This condition. and