The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-04-21
WASHINGTON.
A Peculiar Reward for a Native of the
Arctics.

WASHINGTON, April 20.
Lieut.. Schultze will take with him geld
medal to present to V.ssilli Babrowsky alias
Vasilli Koolgort (One-eared BilD, when he
| leaves here to distribute rewards to the ma
| tives in the vicinity of the Lena river who
aided in discovering De Longs party. The
native to be honored with the medal discov-
cred the party in charge of Melville. He was
gwen bis alias because of his having but one
ear. The medal is about the size of silver
doiiar and contains on one side the words
PRESENTED by the President of the United
States" On the other side the name OF the
recipient will be inscribed.
Ia Investigate a Pnymaster's Ofiec.
Secretary Whitney today appointed the
following court of inquiry to investigate the
Office of Paymaster General Smith: Capt.
George Brown, president; Medical Director
Thomas T.. LOCKER, Capt. E. o. Matthews,
Paymaster Robert W. Allen, judge advocate.
The court will meet Thursday next and will
investigate the facts connected with certain
contracts between Austin P. Brown Of this
city and Psymaster General Smith for the
delivery Of beef and other supplies for the
navy.
Important Decisions.
The United States Supreme Court rendered
an important decision today, in group OF
cases known as the Virginia coupon tax cases,
involving the validity of the recent legislation
OF that State with reference TO the payment of
Ds1eo 1oAcc III CUupOub VI bio OtdtO
Ine decision was against the State and 10 ia
vor OF the bondholders in all material points.
Ihe opinion was by Justice Matthews, Br ad-
ley, Miller and Gray dissenting,
decision was also rendered in the polyg-
amy case of Rudger Clawson. Clawson was
indicted for polygamy at the April term of
1884 OF the District Court OF Utah and after
trial was found guilty and sentenced to pay
fine Of $500 and to four yeRrs imprisonment.
he sppeaied TO the Snpreme Court Of the Ter
ritory and that tribunal having affirmed the
Judgment OF the District Court, he brought
his case here for review upon the grounds that
the grand and petit juries by which he was in
dlcted and tried were Illegally constituted.
The alleged illegality in the empanneling of
the grand jury consisted in the exclusion upon
challege of persons who believed that q
man had right to have more than one undi-
vorced wife living at the same time, and in
the case OF the petit jury in the drawing of
jurors from "open venire" as the whole annu-
al jury list of two hundred had been exhaust
ed through the exclusion of polygamists. This
court, in carefully prepared opinion by
Justice Blatchford, decides against the plain
tiff in error upon both points raised and the
judgment OF the lower court is affirmed.
Facts and RumOrs.
The court of claims today rendered judg-
ment against the United States in favor OF the
Atlantic & Pacific railroad for $51, ,357.
The Secretary of the Treasury has promoted
q. M. Lawrence, 4th class clerk in the First
Comptroller's Office, to be chief of division in
that office, vice j. r. Garrison, promoted to be
Deputy FIRST Comptroller.
The President will give an, evening recep-
tlon for the general pnDlic, at the executive
mansion, tomorrow evening from 8 to IL
O'Clock.
Hon. John w. Foster, United States minis
ter to Spain, left Washington for New York
tonight. He will sail neyt Wednesday for
Madrid where he Will conduct further nagolia-
lions raQRr0
with Spain and the Spanish colonies.
The President of San Salvador has desg-
mated Senor Peralta to represent that repub-
lie in Washington. Senior Peralta is already
accreuited as the minister from Costa Rica.
a delegation from Georgia, including Gen.
John p. Gordon and Senator Colquitt, called
at the White House this afternoon and
formally invited the President to visit Allan
ia, Ga, during the sessions of the commercial
convention in the latter psrt of May.