Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-02-11
Two Trusted Employees of the Con-
gressional Library Arrested for
Stealing Valuable Historical
Autograph Letters, Writ
ten by Washington,
Hancock and Ar
mold.
The WATSON BLACK ELECTION CONTEST
Sylvester Scovel,t the New York Worlds
Special Cuban Correspondent, Ar
rested Recently, Will Be Given
Trial Before Civil
Tribunal.

Tribunal.
Washington, Feb. 1.-THE house COM
mittee on appropriations, to-day finished
tho sundry civil service appropriation
bill for the next fiscal year. The bill
carries $50, ,664, 4,748. SS,141,0S6 less than
the estimates. 18,644, 100 more than the
appropriations of the paat year; $17,-
529,O53 appropriations are for carrying
out the river and harbor contracts and
$4,O72,795 for public buildings. Among
the items for carrying out work on public
buildings, the Denver, Colo, mint
gets 100000. The sum for harbor work,
contracted for by tho secretary of war
include, Galveston, $500,000, improve
ment Of the channel connecting the great
lnkes between Chicago, Duluth and
Buffalo, 100000, Humbaldt Bay, Cali
fornia, 100000. Two hundred thousand
dollars for the government exhibit at
the Omaha exposition, is included in this
bill.
Without any preliminary business, the
house to day passed the fortifctaions ap-
preparation bill.
ELECTION CASE DECIDED.
The committee on elections to-day un-
animously authorized the report that the
Watson. Black contested election case,
had been decided in favor of Black.
ARBITRATION TREATY.
In executive session, the senate re-
sumed its consideration of the arbitra-
tion treaty, Senator. eTurpie speaking in
advocacy of the same.
RETIREMENT OF ENLISTED MEN.
The senate to-day passed bills to pro-
vide times and places for the federal law
trials in Oklahoma, and for the retire
ment of enlisted men of the army and
navy after thirty years of continuous SER
vice, on three. quarters pay.
The diplomatic and consular appro-
priatlon bill was taken up in executive
session, after consideration of the arbi-
tration treaty was begun.
suNDRY OWL BILL.
The house committee on appropria-
tions had debate to-day over the propo-
sition to put in the sundry civil bill
claims for sugar growers. The sub-com-
mittee which framed the bill was in favor
of the appropriation, but the full COM
mittee, by vote of 8 to z, refused to in
sert this provision in the bill.
MoM1LLIAN's AMENDMENT.
An amendment by Mcmillan, proyid-
ing that the principal and interest on
bonds, funded under the act to except
certain Arizona bonds heretofore issued,
shall be payable in any lawful money of
the United States, was adopted by vote
of las to 70 and the bill then passed the
house.
ELECTION CASES.
Representative Bartlett, Democra of
Georgia, on behalf of the election COM
mittee submitted unanimous report in
the contested election cases of Watson vs.
Black, from the 10th Georgia district, in
favor of Black. Bartlett stated that he
would call up the case at the convenience
of the contestant. The bill regarding the
funding of debts of territories aroused
much dispersion, because 1t had gold
stipulation as regards Arizona, and the
result was long and tiresome financial
discussion.
AUTOGRAPH THIEVES.
Washington, Feb. 11.-Phillip NOEL
hone, for years official reporter of the
house Of representatives, and Lewis W.
Turner, both employees or the congress
sionol library, have been arrested by
secret service officers, and charged with
the larceny of autograph letters from the
library. Both were held in $4,000 bail,
pending an examination. The arrests
were the result of an inquiry from New
York autograph dealer, who stated that
he bought certain historical autograph
letters, and was offered more, but had be-
come suspicious lest they might have
been abstracted from the government
files. An investigation by Librarian
Spofford disclosed the fact that many let
ters were missing from the library, among
them the diary of George Washington for
1887, the year of the constitutional con-
vention. and letters from John Hancock,
Benedict Arnold and George Washington.
When the examination by the treasury
department secret service officers COM
menced, the young men admitted having
sold these papers, but disclaimed having
stolen them. Turner declared that he
found them outside of the capitol build
ing. McElhone said that Turner repre-
sented to him that the letters had been
the property of his mother-in-law, Mrs.
Miller, now dead. He said that no less
than 100 letters had been sold to New |
York autograph dealers for about $500.
THE scovEL MATTER.
Washington, Feb. 11.-The state de-
parsment has been notified that the |
spanish authorities will accord Sylvester
Scovel, Of New York, the World corre- |
spondent arrested in Cuba, trial before
a civil tribunal. The trial, however,
must take place as originally in Santa
Spiritus as the law requires that the pro-
ceedinRs shall take place in the province
whore the offense was committed. 1t is
probabis that in Case of verdict against
Scovel, an appeal will be entertained,
which will permit a removal of the case
to Havana.
pANnTN uApn ppEOOEn