The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-05-08
.PITH OF TIE NEWS.
Capital TOpics--Crimes and Casualties.
Personal and Political.

Personal and Political.
The House Committee on Public Lands has
! agreed upon bill to repeal the pre-emption
| and timber culture acts and to amend the
homestead laws. The amendment, as deter
mined upon, provides that every homestead
! applicant shall make final proof by two cred
| Idle witnesses of continuous residence upon
and cultivation or permanent improvement
of his claim for four consecutive years next
| succeeding its entry. The proof shall be i'll
| duplicate, one set to be fled in the local land
Office and the other to be forwarded to the
| General Land Office. If within one year after
| the presentation of such proof no contest be
filed, and no notice given supported by affidavit
made before some officer authorized to admin
lister oaths, charging and specifying frand, either
III the original entry or the proofs, the Secretary
! of the Interior shall cause patents to be issued
on the entry. But If a contest be filed or atli
davits made, or if there be from any cause
reasonable ground to suspect fraud in the case,
/ the Secretary shall direct the Commissioner
/ of the General Land Office to institute an in
! vestigati0n thereof. The act of March 3, 1879,
| requiring the publication of intention to make
! final proof six weeks in advance of the event
! is repealed Representative Cobb was directed
! to report the bill, and authorized to ask its
| passage under suspension Of the rules at the
earliest opportunity.
| In the criminal court in Washington, on the
LIST inst, Judge Wylie rendered his decision
upon the motion of ex-senator Kellogg's conn
sci for the exclusion of Prices testimony, and
on the question to the operation of the statute
of limitations. He held that the offense was
barred by hestatute of limitations the true date
on which 1t was committed being July Is, 1879,
instead of April 10, $780, as set forth in the in
dictment, which was found April IS 1888. Price
ifiadT hot ha Ia5 ftc aud +o
Kellogg July Is, 1879, and that this ended his
connection with the matter. Judge Wylie
/ held, moreover, that the drafts and notes given
Kellogg by Price could not be considered " law
ful money" which was the term used in the
Indictment. Judge Wylie then instructed the
jury that the defendant was entitled to a
verdict of not guilty, which was Immediately
rendered.
The statue of +. A. Muhlcnberg. the first
Speakerofthe House of Representatives, serving
from 1889 10 1871, contributed by the State of
Pennsylvania, has arrived in Washington and
viii be placed in Statuary Hall at the Capitol.
The subject of the statue was selected by Senator
Cameron and a committee of the Pennsylvania
Legislature, and was made in Italy by Miss
Blanche Neyin, daughter of Rev. DR.. Nevin, of
the German Reformed Church, and many years
president of the Marshall Franklin College at
Lancaster. The statue represents Muhlenberg
IN the act of throwing off his ministerial robes,
revealing Continental uniform.
The Siamese Embassy to the United States
arrived at New York on Sunday in the steam
ship Alaska, and was received by Mr.. Sevillon
a. Brown, chief clerk of the Departmental State.
The Embassy consists of Prince Nores 1.-THE
minister), Major Ynagh, Prince Sonapandit,
Mai Tuan, Mr. Wyke and Mr.. Lotus. The
native Siamese members were attired in Euro
pean costume. The Embassy arrived in this
city on Monday evening and ON Tuesday were
received by the President.
The statue of the late Chief Justice Marshall
has been placed upon its pedestal at the foot of
the terrace stairway leading to the west front of
the Capitol and all the permanent work except
placing IN position an ornamental iron railing
has been completed. The unwilling ceremonies
will take place Saturday, May 10.
Mr.. Foster Minister to Spain, in answer to
the charges of General Badeau late consul
general at Havana, against the State Depart
ment, asserts that they are entirely unsus-
tanned by the facts, SO far as they relate to the
recent commercial agreement with regard to
the West India trade.
The House Committee on Invalid Pensions
has instructed Representative Morrill, TO report
fayorably Mr.. Ryan's bill repeating the lmita-
ton III the arrears of pension act. This is the
bill introduced IN the Senate by Senator In
gals.
The President OH the Both ult. nominated
Henry w. Cannon, of Minnesota, as Comp
troller of the Currency, TO succeed Mr. Knox.
Tho United States Senate, on the Goth ult,
amended and passed the pleuro-p pneumonia
bill.
CRIMES AND CASUALTIES.
About noon on the 29th nit the city of
Havana, Cuba, was shaken to its foundation by
the explosion of the powder magazine on the
opposite side of the bay. Twenty-one persons
were killed in the city and seventy-nine seri-
ously wounded by the falling debris OF the
twenty-seven soldiers in the magazine at the
time OF the explosion eight escaped unhurt.
The magazine contained 100000 cartridges
100000 Kilograms of powder, and one barrel of
dynamite. Several churches and number of
dwellings were considerably damaged.
There is reason to believe that the steamer
State Of Florida, which left New York for Glas-
gov on april 18th, has been lost at sea- Two
of her life boats were picked up by the steamer
Devon in mid-ocean, and the steamer City of
Rome spoke sailing vessel on April Esd, which
signalled that she had a shipwrecked crew on
board belonging TO some steamer the name Of
which was made out To be State -" The
lost steamer carried eighty five passeng gers and
crew of eighty men.
The four robbers who attacked the bank at
Medicine Lodge Kan. on the Both ult, and
killed the cashier, Geppert, and 1nortally
wounded the president, Mr.. Payne, were cap
tured and taken back TO town, where three of
them we're hanged. The fourth fired upon the
crowd and was ridded with bullets. Two of
the robbers were Henry Brown and Ben.
Wheeler, marshal and assistant marshal of
Caldwell, and the others were John Wesley and
Billy Smith, cowboys.
A profound sensation was caused at Toronto.
Canada, on the Both ult., through the discovery
Of two powerful dynamite cartridges, with wire
and fuse attached, under the crown lands
office in the parliament buildings. They were
found by the son Of one of the caretakers in.
the afternoon. A thorough search was then
made by the officials, and two more cartridges
were found under the steps approaching the
speakers chamber, having also wire and fuse
attached.
The disappearance of Benjamin Wallace
wealthy soap manufacturer of New York was
reported to the police on the ID inst. Tuesday
morning he left home, telling his wife that he
was going TO see George w. McAdams his
lawyer. lie went to Mr.. McAdams office, in
company with stranger, and with whom he
went away. He has not been seen since. He
had large sum of money with him at the
time.
Forest fires are raging at various points in
pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In
Pennsylvania, on the I'd inst, the flames com
munlcated 10 the town Of Brisbin, near HoutZ-