The silver lance., 1898-04-22
COLORADO BRIEFS.

Pueblo ladies will give away 500
trees on Arbor day.
Work on the Denver mint building
will begin at once.
Ouray pledges her full quota Of vol
unteers in case Of war.
Work has begun Saturday on a wat
er works plant for Eldora.
The State Federation of Labor will
meet at Colorado Springs May End.
A passenger was injured by stones
thrown by unknown miscreants at
passenger train near Platteville Satur-
day night.
Liant and Tracy of the famous Rob
bers' Roost gang. who were captured
In Routt county, and who have caused
the officers so much trouble, have been
placed in the Jail at Aspen for safe
keeping.
Bob Michel, a full blooded Navajo
Indian, states that he and 100, and pos
sibly 500, other warriors of his tribe
are ready and willing to fight for
Pale Faced Father" in case of war
with Spain.
The Gulf road has agreed to sell the
Julesburg branch to the Union Pacific.
and has leased the privilege of using
the Union Pacific's tracks between
Collins and Cheyenne, thus giving ac-
cess to its line from Cheyenne to Orrn
Junction.
Texas cattle men are moving to in
duce alterations in railroad rates,
which compels payment ON $4,000
pounds as the minimum of a carload of
southern cattle, while in other states
and territories 22,0OO is the minimum.
They ask that the rate be reduced to
10000 pounds, as all acquainted with
the trade know il to be impossible to
safely load a sufficient number of cat
tie in a car to weigh $4,000 pounds.
County commissioners from Weld
Larimer and jefferson counties held a
conference with the Arapahoe county
commissioners recently to discuss the
advisability of demanding that the
state care for the insane. 1t was in
formally decided to ask the next Leg
islature to appropriate money sufficient
for the construction of an asylum in
the vicinity of Denver, where the in
sane from the northern counties of the
state may be cared for.
Denver was the scene of two muir
ders on the 9th. One was that Of a
woman named McKeown, who was
killed in quarrel in a downtown
lodging house by w. II. II. Baldwin.
The other was a most cold-blooded
crime. Conductor Stephen A. D. Nc
Graw was shot and killed by Joseph
e. Plant because the former insisted on
collecting Plants fare for riding. Nc
Graws fellow-employes of the Gable
company organized a lynching party
and marched on the Jail, but the Off
GERS to save trouble took Plant to Colo
RADIO Springs.
An opinion has been handed down
by. Judge johnson in the Arapahoe
District Court holding that franchises
are taxable in this state, question
which has not before been ruled upon
by a higher court. The opinion is in
the suit of the Denver Union Water
Company against Assessor Ames on
appeal from the decision of the county
commissioners. Assessor Ames valued
the water company franchise at 81
| 600, 900 and the commissioners reduced
| the amount to 100000. Judge John
sons decision sustains the right to tax
the franchise, and now the amount
| can be determined.
The state land sale at Monte Vista
on the 18th drew a very large crowd Of
farmers and the bidding was spirited,
| the bare land, exclusive of improve
ments, selling as high as $27 per acre.
1t took only a little over an hour to
dispose of the forty-one quarter sec
tions, which put $135, 900 into the in
ternal revenue fund of the state. This
sale ID the largest ever made, and the
prices range the highest Of any ever
made in this part of the state and
shows to outsiders what practical
| farmers think of the San Luis valley.
The land was nearly all purchased by
| actual farmers, only very Few pieces
going to spectators.
State Treasurer Kephart has learned
that 1t is to be the policy of county as
| SCISSORS this spring to decrease the as
easements throughout the state. They
take the stand that the assessed valu-
atoms are greatly in excess Of the cash
value of the property, and that they
| propose to assess all lands and other
| property in accordance with the law.
While discussing the matter, Mr.. KEEP
hart said that If the assessed valua-
tions are decreased this year 1t will
| materially affect the Institutions dur
ing the next year that are dependent up
on legislative appropriations. The as
eessed valuation of the state for the
year 1896 was 206 millions, and last
year II was about eight millions less.
In 1895 the levy was mills, while last
year il was Al mills. the 1-1O extra
mill being for the payment of insur
rection bonds.
The wedding of Grace Espy Patton
state superintendent of public instruc.
ton, and Lieutenant Warren Hadden
Cowles, took place in Chicago Satur-
dag night. They Immediately left for
Pittsburg to visit a sister of Lieuten-
ant Cowles, who is very i'll. Mrs.
Cowles will return to Denver in two
weeks and again assume the duties Of
her office. Lieutenant Cowles will re-
turn to his post at Fort Sherman, Ida
no. The lieutenant is of the Sixteenth
infantry and graduated from West
| Point In the class of '7S. The mar.