Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1888-12-06
WASHINGTON ITEMS.
NEwsy NOTES FROM OUR NATIONAL
CAPITAL.
Movements ofthe NotabIes Of our Csupt q
-Cengressional and Other
Matters.

Secretary Fairchild has decided to pay
$40, 900 for Rugheimer's lot in Charles.
ton to facilitate the construction of the
new postoffice.
Representative Perry Belmont of New
York, has been rendered and has accep.
ted an appointment as United States min
lister to Spain, to succeed J. L. M. Curry.
Flora Schmidt, the young woman who
was taken to Bellevue hospital, New
York, with symptoms of yellow fever
died at that institution.
The light house board in its annual re.
port to the Secretary of the Treasury has
recommended the establishment of sew
eral new light stations in Charleston har-
Dor and along the South Carolina coast
Surgeon Martin, at Gainesville, Fla,
telegraphs to Surgeon General Hamilton
that there is one new case (white) in that
city, and suggests the withdrawal of
guards, as the fever has gained foot
hold in all quarters of that city. He also
says that great restitution prevails.
t. S. Riley, chair man of the Demo
cratic state committee of West Virginia,
has sent the following dispatch to the
Washington Post: "Wheeiing, w. Va.
Official returns from this state
are sufficiently ascertained to warrant the
announcement of the election of Judge
A. B. Fleming, Democrat candidate for
governor, by small but sure majority.
The rest of the state ticket elected by
larger majorities. The Legislature will
stand on joint ballot, 46 Democrats, A
Republicans and one labor union indie
pendent"
Some crooked business has been dis
covered in connection with the transfer
of silver dollars from the mint at New
Orleans, La, to Washington, for storage
In the new vault iu the court yard of the
treasury building, which has resulted in
loss of 81, 500. From one box an en-
tireDack of dollars had been distracted
and sacks of Nos. A and shot substi
tuted to give it weight. From another
box half of the contents of one sack had
been taken and pieces of lead substituted.
The broken seals on the boxes were
patched up with impressions of silver
quarter.
Gov. Swineford, of Alaska, in his an
nual report to the Secretary of the Interi-
or, states that the white population has
greatly increased, and he estimates that
there are 25, 600 natives. The total pop
ulation is 1850, and of this number
there are $500 whites. 1900 Creoles and
1850 Aleuts. He says that the climate
is favorable and the soil rich. He sees
no reason why Alaska may not ultimately
rival Montana and Wyoming as a cattle
country. Promising silver discoveries
have been made. The government thinks
that there is enough coal in the territory
to supply the whole of the United States
for centuries.
The Supreme Court of the United
States, through Chief Justice Fuller, has
rendered an opinion of unusual interest
to holders of life insurance policies
Thomas L. Hume, of the District of Col
umbia, died in 1881, totally insolvent, but
leaving $35, 900 in life insurance policies.
The policies were by their terms payable
either to the widow or children of the
deceased. The administrators and cred
itors of Hume's estate sought to force the
application of the proceeds of the poll
cies to the payment of debts due credit
ors. The Supreme Court holds that the
beneficiaries are entitled to the proceeds
of all policies, and that where such poll
cies are effected in the name of benef-
Charles, they are no part of estate of the
deceased.
The military court of inquiry into the
acqueduct tunnel scandal developed some
very interesting testimony. Frank
Thompson, bricklayer on the tunnel,
testified that incompetent men were en-
ployed and they were hurried so by the
sub-contractors, that it was impossible
that the work could be good. The con-
spiracy was thoroughly organized, and
its object waste deceive the government
inspectors. A great deal of bad work
was done at night, when nobody but the
sub-contractors was ever around. Civil
Engineer George H. Coryell, who was at
one time employed on the work, testified
that the masonry lining was, in his opin-
ion. too weak to Withstand the pressure
that would be put upon it. He con-
demned the whole scheme for the work,
and declared that the tunnel was nothing
more that an exnensive hole