The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-12-17
GOVERNMENTAL.
REPORTORIAL ROUNDS IN
THE DEPARTMENTS.
AN EPITOME OF WHAT WAS
LEARNED YESTERDAY AT
THE CAPITOL.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

On February IA, 1885, an act was passed
by the forty-eighth congress to provide
for the erection of a public building in
the city of Tyler, which authorized the
secretary of the treasury to purchase a
site for, and cause to be erected thereon,
a suitable building, with fire-proof vaults
therein, for the accommodation of the
United States courts, postoffice and inter
nal revenue and other government offices at
said city of Tyler, with the provisos Civ
ing to the United States good title to said
site, by the state of Texas.
Accordingly Governor Ireland yesterday
issued his proclamation ceding to the
United States certain piece of
ground in Tyler whereupon
to erect said government buildings. This
cession of Jurisdiction is granted and
made under the express condition that the
state of Texas shall retain concurrent ju-
risdictiOn with the United States over said
land and every portion thereof, so far that
all process, civil or criminal, issued under
the authority of the state or any of the
courts or judicial officers thereof, may be
executed by the proper officer or officers
of the state, upon any person amenable to
the same within the limits of the land so
called, in like manner and with like effect
as if no cession had taken place.
VETERAN BOARD.
The veteran board met yesterday after
noon and passed upon few claims for
veteran land certificates. They will meet
again this morning at 8 o'clock and will
adjourn this afternoon. 1t is likely this
may be the last meeting of the board.
There were present at the meeting,
Gen. Walter P. Lane, president; Mr.. An
thony Deffenbaugh and Col. S. H. Darden.
PERSONAL.
State Treasurer F. r. Lubbock has been
on visit to his old home, Galveston.
Attorney General John D. Templeton
was out of the city yesterday hence there
could be no meeting of the land board.
Gen. Walter p. Lane, president of the
Texas Veteran association and president
of the Board of Veterans, arrived in the
city yesterday morning.
Hon. w. w. Merritt, of Collin county,
inspector of penitentiaries, was in the
city Sunday and yesterday went up to
Burnet to inspect the convicts at work in
the granite quarries.
ATTORNEY GENERALS DEPARTMENT..
A short time since by direc-
ton OF the attorney-general suit
was brought in the county court
of Rusk county against the Mutual Fire
Insurance Protective association, to re-
cover payment of taxes. Yesterday the
taxes were paid and suit was dismissed.
There now remain but two of these home
institutions with taxes unpaid, viz: the
Texas Benevolent association, of Waco,
and the Mutual Loan and Life associa-
tion,,of this city. All others have paid
up before allowing judgement to be taken
against them.
MILITARY DEPARTMENT.
Governor Ireland yesterday received
letter from Messrs. Dustin & Simms, ranch
owners, of Paint Rock, Concho county,
saying that four miles of their pasture
fence had been cut Intending to rebuild
it, and saying they had complied with the
law, they ask that rangers be sent there to
protect them, as they fear the fence will
be cut again as fast as they put 1T up.
The letter was referred to Adjutant Gen
eral King, with instructions to send troops
to the point designated to protect the
parties against fence cutters.
PENITENTIARY BOARD.
A meeting of the penitentiary board
was held yesterday, at which were present
his excellency the governor, Superintenden
Goree, Messrs. Tips and Dibren and Sec
rotary Dickinson.
With other business transacted was the
purchase from Messrs. Williams & Guion
of New York, of the Harlem plantation,
in Fort Bend county Texas, for the use of
the state. This plantation embraces over
two thousand acres of excellent land,
about seven hundred being in cultivation.
The sugar house and appurtenances
thereon are estimated to be worth $4,000.
The purchase of this plant was cash
transaction, $4,000 being the sum paid.
The farm will be worked by convicts on
the penitentiary account.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT..
On Sunday last test of the great iron
vault of the state treasury, in the new
capitol building, was made in the pres
ence of large crowd of spectators. Mr..
Il. L. Noyes, sub-contractor, for this pur
pose on Saturday evening placed $1,000
in the new vault standing on the founda-
ton of the new capitol, and proposed to
give it to any expert, provided he took it
out by 6 o'clock Sunday evening. The
combination was set, and copy duly de-
posted with the building commissioners
as an evidence that there was no crooked
ness. Mr.. George p. Assman, the famous
Austin expert, was set to work at 8 o'clock
In the morning, and worked nine hours,
but failed to open the safe, or find either
one of the eight numbers of the combi-
nation on the vault. Mr.. Assman admit
ted he worked on system that he might
get the numbers by feeling. He asserts,
also, that there was only one number on
the combination namely, the shipping
number-when he opened it the other
day. At 6 o'clock in the evening, after
NJ. Assmans failure, Mr.. Noyes, attended
by crowd, including Comptroller Swain,
opened the great door of the vault and
took out the $1,000 check deposited.
Every one who witnessed the test has not
the slightest doubt of the security of
Texas finances in the new vault. When an
expert of Mr.. Assman's known skill fails,
there is no use for anyone else to try, and,
as Geo. p. says, "don't you forgodt it,"
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
day or two ago the STATESMAN re-
ferred to the fact that a letter had been