New-York tribune., 1884-01-27
TOPICS IN LEADING CITIES.
SAN FRANCISCO.
THE HANGING OF A S'TRANGLER-END
OF THE DROUTH-RAILROAD TAXES.
rpy rr1roRiPu To TIE TRIBUNE.

IBY TELEGRAPH To TIE TRIEUNE.l
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28.-The sensation OF
the week has been the hanging OF
Wheeler, who strsngled his sister-in-law nearly
four years ago. Through q poce-court shySter
the murderer secured repeated appeals to the Su-
preme Court, so that he was twice convicted and
three times sentenced before he was finally brought
to the gallows. He adopted the insanity plea,
which the jury would not accept. The falsity OF
the plea was shown by his confession 10 counsel
before death, and by post-mOrtem examination
which proved that his brain was unusually healthy
His prison life and death were attended by revolt
ing features. Several women visited him frequent
w. and one desired to marry him on tho night be-
fore he was hanged mOrbidly curious crowd
blocked the street in front of the Jail and swarmed
around tho murlerers dead body as 1t lay at
the morgue This was the first hanging in tho
city fer nearly six years. and the need of it was
demonstrated by the fact that in this time one hun
drcd and ffty-iivc homcides have been committed,
and over thirty convicted murderers are in the
county Jail. The moral influence of this hanging
will bo wholesome on the community, which has
lately exhibited a cynical disregard of the sacred
ness of human life.
A spectacle scarcely less repulsve than the NOR
bid curiosity concerning the dead murderer was
furnished on Friday. when Sullivan and his gang
Of "sluggers" arrived here. All the "hoodums"
and plug-uCes " in the city turned ont, and the
ferry landing oyerilowed with crowd of the class
which once formed the rank and hIe of kearney's
sa nd-lot mob
Slight showers on Friday broke the long drouth,
but il will take heavy rains to repair the dam
age already done. Reports from the interior show
that land is doing well. but crops
Oh other land are suffering for lack of rain
long wrangle over { @ State taxes Of the Cen
tral Pacific Railroad ended this week by tlc agrea
mcnt of the company 10 settle for 1881 and 1e"2
on the Board Of Equizati0n's stimate. Deducting
the sums already paid to several counties which
have made compromises. leaves nearly 81 ,0OO,0O
which " ill be paid into tho the State Treasury,
sum that will relieve strngency i'll several inpOr-
tant funds.
The Lick trustees have shown more activity re-
Gently than in all the previous years of their ser
vice. They have paid nearly all tho bequeSts and
have leased the Lick House for ~, ,000 month for
two years This latter was done without the offer
ing of any proposals. although IT was known that
several hotel men wOuld have paid $1,000 a month
for It, The hotel ls a richly furnished aud valuable
property.
There is n prospect Of free baths being built next
summer, as Ira =. Rankin. of the trustees charged
with this duty is in New-York, inspecting the free
bath system there in order to get suggestions.
The chief creditors of Waterman d Co., the IN
solvent wheat shipping firm, have agreed TO settle
for fifty cents on a dollar, tins seems to he all
the firm can pay. The creditors, however, have
not yet agreed to the compromise.
An effort is being made here TO work mp mining
"booms in three widely separated places: first, in
the north, at the Cpur d Aene camp in Idaho;
second, in California, the Bodie district in the
higher sierras. east of Yosemite. and remote from
all other lines of travel, where the climate is more
atrocous than that of Virginia City; and third,
in the Qujotas Mountains near Tombstone, ArizO-
ma, where a bonanza firm has bought several mines
which show rich prospects. A prospector who
catches every mining fever Will thus have liberal
choice in the spring Life is hard, however, in all
these places. In the Idaho camp flour IL sixty
dollars n barrel; while at Bodic it costs small
fortune to keep the miners supplied with whiskcy
and other necessares In the Arizona dlGgngs
wood and water are 20 scarce and costly that only
wealthy corporations can afford TO open NJ the
mines.
Journalistic instinct refuses to be suppressed
here, despite repeated disasters. Three clever
newspaper men now propose to issue in March
weekly political and literary journal. the main OBJ
a fertile field and the so-called Anti Monopoly Dem
ocratic party of the State will furnish abundant
material. Previous efforts of this kind have died
natural death, or sunk to tho level of back-mail-
ing sheets.
number of Eastern capitalists are hero inspect
ing the cable road system preparatory to its intro
duction in New-York aud Philadelphia. There il a
prospect of legal warfare between Hallidie, owner
of the original patents for the cable and grip, and
tho Market Street Railroad Company, which, it is al
eged, has infringed his patents.
The brothers LeContc. who have been identified
with the University Of California since it's founda
ton, recently received call from the University
OF Tennessee. Members Of the alumni here arc
trying to retain them, and have founded a scholar
ship in their name; but they have been the objects
of so much petty jealousy it is doubtful if they
remain Tho university is now controlled by
small-soued clique of regents in the interest of
mediocre Men.