Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-01
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS


by pretty lively contest. was not accom-
parted by anything like the sensational
elements that made the Squire-Calkins
fight for the same place. four years ago,
forever memorable" said Peter Chapman
Of Seattle at the Riggs House last night.
"Mr. Calkins, you know, had been a Con-
gresham for years from Indiana, and was
| defeated by Isaac Pusey Gray for governor
| when the late minister to Mexico was elect
ed to that place. He was then appointed
by President Harrison judge in the terri
tory Of Washington, and when the terri
| tory was admitted as state he remained
| in Tacoma and practiced law, being the at
| torney for the Northern Pacific road and
other big corporations Of more local char
acter. He was announced as q candidate
| for Senator, to succeed Senator Squire, in
| the summer Of $780, and the legislative
campaign of that fall was waged largely on
his candidacy. When the legislature met
| in 1891 nothing was heard Of but the sena-
tortal fight Clarence Barton, formerly a
newspaper man here. and at that time
secretary Of the Washington state senate
and editor OF paper in Olympia, the
capital, was one of Calkins' campaign man.
ayers. and the Northern Pacific road back
| ed the Indianian heavily. Squires back
ers were the solid men of the state, es-
Pecta1ly those Of Seattle, and Gov. John H.
McGraw. then a bank president, was at
| their head. Never was money spent more
prodigally. Both sides had headquarters at
| the Olympia Hotel, and both kept open
house all the time Hangers on in Olympia
who had never been known to have more
| than six bits about their clothes went
around jngling twenty-dollar gold pieces
| ! tell You the cutters Of that Grecian city
| fairly ran with wine with greenbacks
| floating atop of it. No one could tell exact
| ly how the legislators stood, and, conse-
quently, both sides exerted superhuman eff
forts to secure the support Of the doubtful
men, but in that country at that time ex-
pense didn't count, and every man who had
| or pretended to have influence with one Of
the uncertainties was sure to have his
pockets lined by one side or the other, and
come shrewd schemers worked them both
When the legislature met to elect a Senator
| bombshell was exploded in its midst. One
OF the members named Metcaf got up in a
dramatic way and, shaking some green
backs above his head, announced that one
| J. H Clarke Of Spokane had given him
$500 to vote for Calkins, and that he held
| the money in his hand. There was general
quence was that Squire was elected. Some
people claimed that the Squire management
| had worked this coup, but 1t was abund-
antly proven in an investigation that fol-
| lowed that neither Senator Squire, John H
McGraw nor any Of the other Squire people
had anything to do with it. But 1t was a hot
| time. and our state will probably never see
anything like the Squire-Calkins contest
| again."
THE famous Fraker insurance case
which promised to become a cause celebre
in the Missouri courts, has been settled
by compromise. and an Interesting series
of trials. SO far as lawyers and sensation
lovers were concerned. have been lone
| away with" said James D. Muth of Kan
sas City at the Metropolitan. 'AThe story
| Is novel one. In the spring Of 1893 DIR.
George w. Fraker, a young physician of
Excelsior Springs. secured an insurance on
| his life in various companies, amounting in
| ho Int
In July, he went fishing with some friends
| on the Missouri river. His competitions re-
turned grief-stricken at night with the in
| telligence that the river bank upon which
| Fraker was standing had suddenly caved
in, taking the doctor with 1t into the fast
| running water, and that they had seen
him no more. The body was not recovered.
all attempts to find it having been unsuc-
| cessful. Some Of the insurance companies
promptly paid the policies taken out with
them. but the majority believed that Frak-
his part. through which. by the aid Of
| confederates, he was to rob the companies
| of the large sums carried on his life. A
suit was brought in the United States
| court by Frakers heirs against the COM
panies which refused to pay up, and a
jury rendered verdict for the plaintiffs.
| A new trial was granted on some technical
grounds. but before it was brought up a
compromise was effected, by which the
doctors heirs will receive something like
10000"
"a somewhat remarkable incident occur
red in the criminal court the day before I
left home" said r. L. Youngs Of Alilwau-
kee at the Cochran yesterday. For some
time the case Of John B. Koetling accused
Of wrecking the South Side Savings Bank
a couple of years ago. has been dragging
along in that court, being postponed and
| delayed continually. There has been q
good deal Of trouble on account Of the
1
Denver and again from Mexico. His attor-
| ney was w. c. Williams. and to his efforts
alone, so everybody thinks. the immunity
from trial so far that Koetling has en-
toyed has been due. Well. last Monday
the case was called before Judge Wallber.
and when the defendant took the witness
stand the judge asked Mr.. Williams, his
counsel, If he was ready to proceed. WILL
Jams referred the judge to Koetling him.
self. and after some palaver, Williams
! finally stated that he would not go on
with. the case until Koetling had made
some arrangement to pay him his fee
| saying that he had been working on the
case for a year and a half. and the agree
ment made with the prisoner had not been
| kept by him. The Judge adjourned the
| case to allow Koetling to make a settle
| ment Of some sort with his counsel, the
| latter saying that he would not continue
| in the case otherwise, and that he would let
heard how the affair turned out, but every
| BIZ dy was talking about it when I left.''
Il am hardly as earnest an advocate Of
| woman's rights as I used to be-" said
Frank Benham Of Troy at the Raleigh last
night. 'I went to a woman's convention
that Of the Daughters-for awhile one day
last week, and saw what Congress would
be like If our sweet sisters were given the
| right to occupy seats in the august body.
Talk about political conventions, where
parliamentary procedure gets mixed up and
twisted like country boy with the collie!
Goodness gracious! Minneapolis at its
stormiest period was not circumstance to
even the mildest proceedings Of the ladies'
Dozens Of them were on their feet at once
moving and mottoning while the poor pre-
siding officeress-I guess that's what to call
her-pounded away with her gavel until
her arm pretty near dropped. Did the
ladies notice her pleadings to come to order?
Not bit Of it. They just kept right on,
trying to get in their words before the
| others got in theirs, and a Choctaw death
chant would have been Ineligible beside it.
Well. treasurer was elected. and some
delegate jumped up and managed to an
hounce her belief that such an officer
should be bonded. There was a rustic of
l