The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-06
.PITH OF THE NEWS.
Capital Topies--Crimes and Casualties.
Personal and Political.

The body of General E. O. c. Ord. who died
in Havana of yellow fever, arrived at Wash
ington on the 29th ult. Lieutenant Ord, a son
of the deceased, had charge of the remains and
4 guard of honor from the military post in
New York consisting of Lieutenant Romer and
six sergeants, accompanied the remains from
New York. They were taken from the depot
to the hearse, preceded by the following pail
bearers: General Benet, chief OF ordnance;
General Macfeely, commissary general; Gen
eral Wright chief engineer; General Hazen,
chief signal officer; General Sackett, Inspector
general; General Rochester, paymaster- general;
General Holabird, quartermaster- general, and
General Murray, surgeon general. lmmedl-
ately behind the coffin was the son Of General
Ord, then General Sheridan and his aids Adj
jutant- General Drum, General Ruggles, Colonel
Benjamin, ard others of the army. The funeral
party entered carriages, and, preceded by the
military escort from the Washington arsenal,
under command of General Ayres, with re-
yersed arms and shrouded eolors, took up the
line of march for Oak Hill, where the funeral
service was conducted by Rev. DR.. Leonard
President Arthur submitted to Congress on
the 18th ult. the first annual report OF the Civil
Service Commission, together with communi-
cations from the heads of the several executive
departments respecting the practical working
! of the ciyil-service law. The President con-
results which the law has already accomplished,
and expresses his conviction that it " will prove
to be of still more signal benefit to the public
service" The report of the Commission states
that while it is too early to speak with def
niteneSs of the effect of the ciyi-seryice rules,
it is evident that the first step has been taken
IN the public recognition of the value and bind
ing force of the leading principles in the pro-
| gramme of reform. The report states that 90
per cent. of those who have entered the service
through competitive examinations were edu-
Gated in the common schools alone. A large
number of letters are quoted from postmasters
and collectors Of customs at the principal cities,
! stating that great benefit and improvement to
| the public service has resulted. The system
has also worked well so far as the departments
at Washington are concerned.
The detail for the officers to accompany the
Greedy relief expedition, as far as arranged, is
understood to be as follows: For the flagship
| Thetis-Commander w. S. Sehley, commander;
| Lieutenant Uriel Sebree, executive officer !:
Lieutenant Emory Faunt, navigator; Lieuten-
ant S. G. Lemly Ensign Harlow, Chief Engi-
neer Melville, and Passed Assistant Surgeon
| Green. For the steamer Bear-LieBteDant w.
/ I'll. Emory, Jr., commander; Lieutenant Col
! well, executive officer: Lieutenant Reynolds
navigator; Ensign Usher, and Passed Assistant
! Surgeon Nash Chief Engineer John Lowe
viii 90 on the Bear. The detail for the supply
1 steamer Alert has not yet been determined.
Lieutenants Badger and Hunt and Ensign
Chambers are among those spoken OF as likely
| to be ordered on that duty.
The President sent the following nominal
tions to the Senate on Monday: Jno K. Valen-
tine to be United States attorney for the eastern
/ district of Pennsylvania; Jno. n. Kearns TO be
United States marshal for the eastern district
of Pennsylvania; Medical Director Francis NJ
Gunnell, of the District of Columbia, to be sur
geon-general and chief of the bureau of medi-
cine and surgery in the navy; VIM. III. Bum,
of Pennsylvania, TO be governor of Idaho Ter
ritory; Jno. G. Perry, of New York, to be chief
justice of the Supreme Court of Wyoming.
The House Committee on Public Lands, on
! the 26th ult, by vote of to 4, decided to
recommend forfeiture of all the granted lands
contiguous to that portion of the Northern
! Pacific Railroad which was not completed in
| the time specified in the act of July A. 1879.
Abont 50 100000 acres will be forfeited if the
bill passes.
| The Senate Committee on Public Lands has
decided by a nearly unanimous vote in favor of
/ the forfeiture of the Texas Pacific territorial
Immigrant assigned to the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company.
CRIMES AND CASUALTIES
/ Prentiss Tiller, money clerk of the Pacific
]
on the I'd inst, taking with him one or two
yalises full of money packages. the total amount
| being very nearly $4,000. The theft was com
| miJted In collision with a stranger. Detectives
have been put Oh their track, but have learned
nothing as yet. Z. q. Butler, agent Of the Pa
ciffc Express Company, has no doubt but Tiller.
the absconding money clerk, had two confeder-
ates. as many of the packages stolen contained
gold coin and were too heavy to be handled by
two persons The watchmen were in the front
Office while the robbery was being perpetrated,
| bat had no suspicion of Tiller'S robbing the
safes.
A terrible tragedy took place last week
III Marion county, KY, in which Green Clay
ton and Wash Burke were killed, Lawrence
Clayton fatally wounded and Floyd Burke
shot. The tragedy originated in Lawrence
Clayton's making some improper remark to
Miss Burke. The father and sons heard of the
insult and tried to make Clayton apologize,
but failed. The two families armed themselves
with pistols and guns and met, with the result
stated The parties killed are the most re-
spected citizens of the county, and are heads
of large families The tragedy was partici-
pated in by four members of the Burke family
and two of the Claytons.
AT 2 o'clock on the morning of the I'd inst a
fire broke out in shoe mandatory ON Cath
crime street, Utica. n. Y. which spread with
great rapidity, destroying large amount OF
property in the neighborhood Among the
buildings burned were the Utica National
Bank and the Office of the Observer The total
loss viii aggregate about $780, 900 and the in
surance about $4,000. The safe of the Utica
City National Bank contains securities OF
100000 in value and large cash balance
A fire broke out shortly before o'clock on
the morning of the 18th ult ON the third floor
of the frame building 1926 Stanton street, New
York. The floor was occupied by Cornelius
Van Ripper his family consisting of his wife
Rebecca and three children. Mr.. Van Ripper
and his three children were suffocated and
burned to death. His wife jumped from the
third-story window to the sidewalk and was
instantly killed.
An explosion at the Virginia Cotton Com
press works on the Sd inst. completely wreck ed
the MASKING and engine rooms. and it is feared
buried one or two persons under the debris
This company have just adopted new method
by which three bales are compressed into thu
size of one, and were experimenting when The
explosion occurred. The loss is probably SIS 900
The notorious desperate, Frank Rande, wht
was confined in the penitentiary at Joliet, Ill.
made q murderons assault upon Deputy Wardel
Mcdonald with heavy poker on the evening
OF the 1st inst, crushing in his sknll and in
, ficting wounds which viii probably prove
fatal. Rande was not overpowered until h,
had been shot twice.
Secretary Of State Henry G. Kelsey wa
| blown from PhiladeIphi:a and Readiup train