Mesa free press. [volume] (Mesa, Ariz.) 1892-1901, 1898-07-15
PACIFIC COAST NEWS
Important Information Gathered
Around the Coast.
ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST.
Summary Of Late Events That Are
Boiled Down to Suit our Busy
Raadara.

Boiled Down to Suit our Busy
Readers.
A fire at Pearson destroyed property
valued at $4,000.
News received at San Francisco from
Honolulu says: "The annexation
news has caused tremendous rise In
sugar Stocks"
The senate has confirmed the nomi-
nation of Harry Bingham of California
to be captain of the Seventh regiment
volunteer infantry.
A field of seventy-five acres Of wheat
burned near Byron. Cause believed to
have been Of incendiary origin. In
surance is half its value.
Confucius. It would seem that there
is work for the soldiers nearer at hand
than the Philippines, If the heather Is
left to work his peaceful will.
The steamer Umatilla of the Pacific
Coast Steamship company will be used
as Manila transport. She can carry
1000 troops and 800 tons of freight.
The supreme court has declared the
law making the right Of suffrage de-
pendent upon the payment of two
years poll tax to be unconstitutional.
The next fleet of transports convey
ing troops to The Philippines will be
composed Of the steamers Peru, City
of Puebla, Pennsylvania, Walla Walla
and Acapulco.
The body of the late Senator Enos of
Sonoma has been awarded to his
daughter by Judge Barnett of San
Francisco. The deceased's widow
wished to bury the body.
Gen. Wesley Merritt, who sailed for
the Philippines, where he will assume
| the duties of governor-general, has
prepared proclamation, which will be
issued upon his arrival.
War still RACES in San Francisco's
| Chinatown to such an extent that men
marked for assassination are philoso-
phically making their wills as a pre-
liminary to being sent to the bosom of
The war department understands
that the total number Of regulars and
volunteers to be dispatched to Manila
in command of Maj.-Gen. Merritt will
approximate $1,000 men. About 10000
have already leIt San Francisco.
The lumber mills of the Bellingham
Bay Improvement company at New
Whatcom were destroyed by fire. They
were the second largest mills in the
state of Washington. The loss is esti-
mated at 100000.
The United States circuit court at
San Francisco has decided against In
surance Commissioner Andrew J..
Clunie in the cases brought by sew
eral assurances companies In the state.
The action was brought to restrain
the commissioner from revoking theil
certificates of authority.
The departure of the third Manila
expedition with several commands,
battalions, batteries and corps of vari-
ganization considerably broken, and
re-brigading Of the forces left be-
came necessary. There are now three
brigades at the camp, including some
1O, 900 men and officers. The newly
organized Third brigade, for which
Southern California furnishes COM
mander and her banner regiment, the
Seventh volunteers. is the largest and
finest in many respects of the three.
| All possible speed Is being made by
Gen. e. S. Otis to get the fourth expe-
dition under way as soon as possible
An attempt will be made to get the
expedition away by July 10, but If the
vessels go in a fleet this cannot be
DONE The department is now con-
sidering the advisability of sending
the ships out as fast as they are fitted
up. Steamship men say that Is the
| 10 oh, f,,ov Orfc
for, If Camara's fleet passed through
the Suez canal, fleet of transports
could not be sent with safety after
July Is.
The Monaghan pheasant will some
day be common game bird in this
state If one may judge from the way
the few broods sent here are thirty
ing. A San Luis Obispo man Is meet
ing with great success in his efforts to
propagate this beautiful bird, and
from all quarters where the expert
ment Is being made like success Is
achieved. The pheasant is hardy
fowl and seems to take naturally to
this climate. When it has sufficiently
increased in number it will be turned
loose among the mountains, though it
will be under the protection of the law
for several years.
The Catholic Truth society in San
Francisco, according to the Examiner,
has raised pathetic and sincere pro-
test against the silly button gathering
craze. 1t is not safe for soldier to
leave his coat within the reach of GER
tain women and girls who infest the
camp, for If he does he will find all
the buttons gone when he comes back
The society has used up many boxes in
replacing the pilfered buttons, and
time, which can be much better spent
in more necessary sewing, Is wasted
in putting fresh brass buttons on the
soldiers clothes. The score or more of
young women who do this work were
ready to explode with indignation yes
terday, when young woman entered
the tent wearing belt, every inch of
which was studded with soldiers but
tons. From that moment the fiat went
forth that no soldier who cuts his but
tons to give them away need apply to
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