Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-02-04
IOWA CONDENSED.

IOWA VONDI>-NSLO'
At Mason City recently the Union
block, owned by James Rule and A. II.
Gale, was badly Quilted by fire. Wat
sons shoe store, Kurtz's bakery, DIR.
Stockman's and DIR. Huntley's offices
and Kirschman's law Office were badly
wrecked. The approximate loss is
$4,000.
It is announced that the Mime
sofa supreme court has decided one
point in the suit of the American Book
Company VS., George A Gates OF Grin
nell college. The company sued Gates
in Des Moines for 100000 for Ii
bclous statements said to be contained
in the pamphlet, "A Foe to American
School," The Kingdom Publishing
Co. of Minnesota, which printed the
pamphlet, was sued also in an action
for an injunction to stop the circula-
ton of the pamphlet. The lower
court overruled a motion of the de-
Tense for more specific statement and
the supreme court sustained the rul-
ing.
One of the busiest places in this state
at this season of the year is in the
Iowa Seed Store, of Des Moines. Dur
ing the spring they receive 1000 to
1880 letters per day, and large force
of clerks are kept busy filling orders
from all parts of the world, and mail
ing thousands of their beautifully
illustrated catalogues. This catalogue
might really be called a complete gar
den guide, as it gives directions as to
the manner of planting, and care OF
the various kinds of crops, and it con-
tains hundreds of illustrations. These
books cost about Is cents each. but the
publishers inform us that they will
mail copy free to any of our readers
who ask for it.
Des Moines dispatch: About 100
members of the Iowa legislature, with
other members of the states official
corps. newspaper men, and a number
of ladies, making up a party of $50.
went to Omaha Saturday on special
train furnished by the exposition
officials. and visited the Trans-Mississ-
ippi exposition grounds, after which
they were banqueted by the exposition
management. The trip was taken
with the object of informing the legis-
lators on the merits of the Iowa COM
missions request for further funds
with which to secure the proper repre-
sentation of the state at the exposition,
At the banquet addresses were made
by President Wattles. of the exposition
company, Governor Holcomb, OF Ne
braska. Governor Shaw, of Iowa, and
several others.
A few days ago the famous cases
brought against the Sioux City &
Pacific and the Chicago & Northwestern
railways by several prominent hay ship
pers in northwestern Iowa to recover
for alleged extortionatc, unreasonable
and illegal freight rates were decided
by the supreme court in favor of the
plaintiffs. The court handed down a
very long ard detailed opinion in the
case. the substance of which is that
when railroads voluntarily establish
joint rates all patrons must be given
the same rate and there must be no
discrimination. In the cases in ques-
ton the plaintiffs were charged a rate
which was less than the joint. rate
determined by the board of railroad
commissioners of Iowa, but at the same
time the rate charged the plaintiffs
was more than the rate charged other
parties. and the court holds that it was
discrimination.
While men were engaged at Column
bus junction in putting in the
piping for Il new acctylinc gas plant in
the drug store Of T. 2. Hendricks, leak
ing gas caused terrific explosion
which blew out both ends of the build
ing and wrecked heinterior. smashing
show cases and bottles and doing two
or three thousand dollars worth of
damage. There were thirty or forty
people in the store and on the sidewalk
in front OF it at the time Of the explo-
sion, all of whom were knocked about
in confusion. T.. p. Hendricks. the
proprietor, had his eyebrows burned
off and head badly cut by glass.
James Connor, of Muscatine, who was
experimenting the work, was badly
cut and bruised. w. w. Wilton and
II. F. Noy, of Columbus junction, sus-
tanned severe cuts and burns. The
other persons were more or less shock
ed, but not injured. The drug store
was the finest business house in the
city. Two hundred dollars worth of
crockery was smashed in the china
store of Julia Williams near by. The
explosion was heard for blocks and
caused great excitement.