The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-20
PITH OF TIE NEWS.
Capital TOpics--Crimes and Casualties.
Personal and Political.

The bin introduced in the Senate on the 18th
inst. by Mr.. Edmunds to provide for the estab-
lishment of a forest reservation at the head
waters of the Missouri River and at the head
waters and Clark's Fork of the Columbia River,
provides that tract of land in the Territory of
Montana, embracing an area of about $500
square miles, and the boundaries of which are
described in the bill, be reserved and with
drawn from settlement occupancy or sale, ded
cated and set apart forever rs national forest
reservation for the preservation of the natural
forests protecting the headwaters and tribu-
taries of the Columbia and Missouri Rivers.
Senator Harrison submitted to the Senate on
the 18th inst. a report from the Committee on
Territories to accompany the bill to enable the
people of Southern Dakota to form a constitu-
ton and State governments to provide for the
admission of that part of the Territory south of
the 10th parallel ofnorth latitude into the Union
as a State and for the erection of a new Terri
| tory, to be known as Lincoln Territory, out OF
| that portion of the present Territory north OF
/ the 46th parallel.
| bill was introduced in the House by Repre-
| sentative Budd, of California, on the 18th INST
! to prohibit and punish the importation and sale
| of opium. 1t recites that the habit of opium
smoking among the people of the United States
| is spreading with frightful rapidity under the
/ fostering care of the Chinese, and provides that
| the importation of opium, except aqueous ex-
! tracts for medicinal use and tinctures, shall be
| prohibited under penalties OF fine and impris-
onment.
A circular has been issued by the Depart
ment of Justice to all the district attorneys
and U. s. marshals in regard to the reported
| shipping of dangerous explosives from this
country to foreign ports for criminal purposes,
directing them to use the utmost vigilance TO
prevent that otfense and to detect and prosecute
those who have or may commit it.
The House Committee on Post-0fices and
| Post Roads on the 18th inst. ordered adverse
reports on all bills providing for the establish
mcnt of postal savings banks. An adverse re-
| port was also ordered on the bill prohibiting
| the transmission through the mails of news
papers containing lottery advertisements.
CRIMES AND CASUALTIES.
The Flat Top Mine, near the village of Poca-
hontas, Tazewell county Va, was the scene of
a terrible explosion of fire damp on the 18th
inst, by which about 112 miners lost their
| lives. The shock of the explosion was felt for
miles around, the houses in Pocahontas being
shaken to their foundations An exploring
| party was made up soon possible, and an
| effort was made TO reach the place where the
men had been at work, but the party had pro-
| ceeded but short distance when poisonous
/ gas drove them back They, however, sue
bly, mangled. Later in the day fire were seen
issuing from the mouth of the mine and all
the entrances were at once closed, in order to
exclude the air and thus extinguish the flames.
The mine is the property Of the South Virginia
Improvement Company, and is one of the
| largest soft coal mines in the State the output
being about 900 tons day. The mining Is
not done by pits, but by running levels into the
mountain, and these levels penetrate a distance
of several miles, the coal veins being about
twelve feet in thickness. The miners employed
at the mines are of almost every nationality,
Chinese, Swedes, Russians, Germans and Welsh.
Only few native Virginians are employed.
On January II, 1867, Christiana Kett, girl
of eighteen years, was murdered at her home
in Dayton, o., and no clue was ever discovered
to the murderer. On the 18th inst. her brother,
on his death-bed, stated that his mother had
killed the girl in moment of passion, crush
ing in her skull with an ax-bandle. The
mother sTneared the girls face with gunpowder
and successfully concealed her crime. She died
several years afterwards.
Prentiss Tiller, the Pacific Express Com
pany's money clerk at st. Louis, who decamped
with nearly 100000 a few weeks ago, was ar
rested on the 18th inst. at Milwaukee, and
$4,000 of the stolen money was recovered.
4 Ben Thompson and Ming Fisher, two of the
, most desperate men in Texas, both having
killed several men during their lives, shot each
; other dead IN the Vaudeville Theater at San
Antonio, Texas, On the 11th inst.
POLITICAL
The Assembly committee which has been in
yestigating the different branches of the gov
eminent of New York city presented their
report on the morning of the 18th inst The
report says that many of the evils found were
due to defective laws, and the committee have
agreed TO report nine bills to remedy the evils
t.s1l 1fn c1s.fE nf
the city. The committee say that in hardly
one office or department, irrespective Of the
political affiliations of the incumbents, did
they find both honesty aud efficiency. Indeed
! the whole government of the city, so far as
examined, seemed to be IN condition which is
absolutely appalling.
, The annual dinner Of the New York Free.
; Trade Club took place at Delmonico's on the
. evening of the 18th inst. and was attended by
upwards of $50 gentlemen. Letters of regret
were read from Senators Pendleton, Beck and
, Bayard, from Congressman Rosecrans Charles
Francis Adams, Jr., X. q. Mills, Henry Ward
Beecher, the Rev. Henry Mottet and the Rev
DIR. Howard Crosby. Speaker Carlisle made
) the leading address
large mass meeting Of independent Repub.
Z licans in Pittsburg, on the night of the 18Th
inst, denounced the action of the Republican
: county committee IN attempting to insure the
, election of Arthur delegates to the Chicago con
vention. A resolution was adopted to fight
5 the " machine" and committee viii be organ
r lied to carry on the work and to secure thc
5 election Of Blaine delegates.
! The Republican State central committee o
; Maryland met on the 18th inst. in Baltimore
and decided that the State convention SHOULD
. be held in Hagerstown, May 1st, to select dele
+ gates to the national convention. Maryland
! | viii send sixteen delegates, four of which vii
: / be delegates at large.
g The Filley Republican State committee, il
s st. Louis on the 18th inst, issued call for
e State convention, to be held at sedalia ON Apri
: 9th, the. same time and place that the regula
= Republican or Van Horn State committee
: named for State convention at their meetin)
: several weeks ago.
% Republican conventions were held in a nun
Der of counties in Pennsylvania on the I5tl
inst. TO elect delegates to the Republican Stat
convention. The result was clean swee
/ everywhere for the friends of Blaine. In Yorl
II every ward went for the Blaine delegate.
h The West Virginia Republican State conven
K ton committee, at Grafton, W. Va which me
y on the 18th inst, decided to hold the Stat
:. convention, to choose four delegates at larg
:. to the national Republican convention at Chi
II cago, at Martinsburg, April Both.