davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The times., 1899-07-21
AMER1cAN pRoenEss IN ASIA.
Reports From the East Brought by
an Experienced Engineer.

Vancouver. b. c.. July s0.-Amcng the
passengers. on the steamship Empress OF
India was Engineer u. Sergey Fried, the
pioneer American In Manehuria, who is
now returning to New York city from his
fourth trip to Central and Northern Asia
Mr.. Fried reports that since his last trip
across Siberia a year ago. marvellous prog
ress has been made on the construction OF
the TransSiberian and Chinese Eastern
railroads, American tools. machinery. and
rolling stock having been introduced ey-
erywhere along the line Chinese coolies
and then the Russian workmen struck
when Yankee rock drills were introduced
few months ago. Means were found TO
reconcile them. but the Chinese still i'm
agine that the putting humping drills are
worked by the devil.
So marvellous is the rapidity with which
construction is advanced. said Mr.. Fried.
that 1t may be definitely stated that
through trains will be running from Port
Arthur and Vladvostcek to St Petersburg
before the close Of 1900. No one who has
not been over the ground within the last
three months can realize how near com
pletion the road has been pushed. With
the exception OF a few hundred versts in
the very mountainous parts OF Manchuria.
trains VIII be run on every section this
fall, and by winter with temporary tracks
across the frozen rivers there will be very
few breaks in the entire distance of about
6.oV0 miles. All that part of Asia under
Russian dominion is open to American
manufacturers and they derive eonsidera-
ton above those OF other countries. "AIl
Europe" continued Mr.. Fried "is trying
to crowd America out of this market but
the market Is Americas, for the taking"
While in Port Arthur" said Mr. Fried
Il had the pleasure of being on the arst
train to turn wheels on that section Of the
Manchurian or Chinese Railroad 1t was
intensely gratifying to me after three years
Of pioneering in behalf OF American in-
terests to ride into Manchuria over a rail-
road made with American tools, with rails
rolled in Philadelphia, fastened 10 slespers
from Oregon, by track-laying tools OF Yam
kee make, and to pull the throttle to start
an American engine in Asia with a train
OF American construction and hat-cars be-
hind US"
The times., 1899-07-21
FREE STAMPING UNLAWFUL.
An Ohio Bank Taken to Account fer
Its Unusual Entcrprisc

The attention OF the Internal Revenue
Bureau was recently called to the action
OF an Ohio bank which as an advertise
ment to secure patronage as against Il
rival bank, which required customers TO
stamp their checks at the time they were
executed, had adopted the practice Of ac-
ceptng unstamped checks from its pa
irons, and the bank itself furnishing and
afiXing the stamps. Commissioner Wilson
advised the collector at Chilieothe that
the practice is Illegal; that the bank must
not affix stamps to unstamped checks but
must return to the drawer any unstamped
check presented for payment He also
directed the collector to notify the bank
that II the practice is not Immediately
discontinued it will be reported to the
United States District Attorney for pros
ecution. The Commissioner has revoked
the instructions promulgated at the time
the war revenue went into effect permit
ting the affixing by the bank OF the requi-
site stamps TO an unstamped check pre-
sented for payment. This exception. he
says. was made to meet an emergency
preceding the taking effect Of the stamp
act in order to obviate the necessity of
returning by the banks of thousands of
unstamped checks issued by drawers in
Ignorance of the law. The law having
been in operation more than a year and
now generally understood there was no
further need for such permission.
In connection with this ruling Commits
sioner Wilson has written Collector Treat,
at New York, calling his attention TO an
article in one Of the New York papers
stating that the banks say they are ad-
yised by their attorneys that there IS 10
section of the war revenue law forbidding
the practice. After quoting section of
the act. which makes it an offence punish
able by a fine of 800 for any person to
make. sign, or issue any bank check as
well as any other instrument requiring
stamps without first stamping the same,
the Commissioner says:
To permit the stamps to be affixed in
such cases by the banks or any other per
son is really to condone the offence above
denounced by law. The only way that a
bank check or any other instrument issued
without a stamp can be validated is by
being presented to the collector for that
purpose under section IS Of the War
Revenue act. and section 1922 OF the
Revised Statutes. Therefore, instead OF
there being no law forbidding the practice
OF banks stamping bank checks presented
to them unstamped all the law there is on
the subject forbids such practice in the
strongest manner by necessary implica-
ton.
The times., 1899-07-21

up one from any part OF the country with
out seeing in letters, large or small, ac-
eording to the taste of the editor:
"Alger Must Co." To an amiable
President, who knew that Alger must
go if there were to be Mckinley move
ment in the convention of 1900, yet did
not see how the Secretary was to be made
to bulge an inch. such an experience y as
naturally unhappy.
AT this point Vice President Hobart
stepped in and earned the undying graft
tude of his chief and place among the
great men of the present century. No one
knows just what he did to the erstwhile
head of the War Department, but it must
have been something powerful. Perhaps
Mr.. Hobart is a hypnotist. At any tate,
he. by some means or other, caused Alger
TO write his resignation and go with it to
the President, and present it for accept
anee; and he has thereby rescued the
Office of Vice President from the obscurity
in which it usually rests, and won the
heartfelt thanks not only Of mis- associates.
but of the whole country. for his unex-
pected and beneficent achievement.
The times., 1899-07-21
nonrded by Ieehcrgs.

Gloucester Mass. July 2O.-Capt. J.
Hayes. of the schooner Admiral Dewey
which arrived from Bacalieu Bank yester-
day. says huge icefeds We're met during
the last trip. One calm day the Dewey was
nearly submerged by great ice mountain
The vessel was lying almost motionless
when a berg drifted right into the ship
The dories were got out and lines attached
to the vessel, and every energy bent toward
getting her cut OF range. The men worked
with a will and succeeded in saving their
vessel, but not before a berg glanced and
struck 1t blow just forward of the rig
ging on the starboard side. Although
pounded hard the Dewey stood the shock.
some bad chafng and the starting of some
planking being the only result of the in
jury Another berg barely grazed the main
boom. and for day the crew were active
ly engaged in lodging these floating ite-
hills and saving their lives.
The times., 1899-07-21
FRIDAY. JULY q, 1889.
Duty and Probability.

What President Mckinley may do in
the way OF selecting successor 10 Russell
A Alger in the War Department has not
YET been made plain. Without consid-
ering names. what he ought TO do is as
plain as a pikestaff. The country wants
an honest. efficient administrative officer
in the position; one who will not allow the
Government to be robbed by contractors,
who will see that the commissariat is han
died with efficiency and strict regard for
the rights and comfort Of the rank and file,
and who will attend TO the business and
financial interests Of the military estsb-
lishment, leaving the professional opera
ton OF the Army in the hands where it be-
longs. namely. in those of the Major Gen
eral Commanding.
In the apparent rapprochement between
the President and General Miles, which
has been in evidence of late. we have been
encouraged to think that the former has
at last realized the futility of trying TO
conduct serious war operations through the
media of civilian Secretaries, volunteer
staff officers, without experience in chief
or any other kind OF command, and prac-
NlCG4lg AHe dAslANtS "a OAAS4IGA9 Al
terested alone in plundering the Govern
ment.
The strictly military control of our Army
at home and abroad should be exercised
by the Commander-in-Chief through the
General in Chief. who is his normal ad
wiser Mr.. Mckinley has grievously dis
appointed his most earnest supporters
among the patriotic. thinking people of the
country in not adopting such a system long
ago. If at the outbreak of the Spanish war
he had given the immediate and absolute
command of all our forces 10 General
Miles. and. through that officer. had Wig
orcusly supported the Inspector General,
he would not today have to explain. apol-
ogize for. or dodge the shafter fneffciency
at Santiago. which came near producing
disaster and disgrace TO our arms. and
he never would have had to hide the in
fanny OF the beef crimes under the white
wash Of the Alger Relief Commission.
Alger and Algerism, from nearly the be
ginning Of his Presidential term. have been
the "old Man OF the Sea- on the back
of William Mckinley. Tardily. and not
too courageously. he has gotten rid OF
Alger. Let him see TO it that he also re-
lieyes himself OF the curse of Algerism,
The times., 1899-07-21
PURSUED BY CAMERA FIENDs.
Mr.. Vanderbilt Attempts to Seize nn
Instrumcnt ut Newport.

New York. July 20.-A despatch from
Newport, R. L, says: William X. Van
derbilt. jr.. yesterday figured in q scene
on Ledge Road. For some time the cot
tagers have been annoyed by newspaper
photographers. They have almost been
their pictures might be taken. Some of
the cottagers took this good naturedly
while others thought that stop should be
put to it. 1t is evident that young Mr.
Vanderbilt was one of that number.
Mr. Vanderbilt. with his wife and sis
ter-in-law. Mrs Hermann Oelrichs, were
returning from their bath at Daileys
Beach and were walking down Ledge Road
toward 'Belcourt' to call ON Mrs. Oliver H.
p. Belmont when a surrey came in the
opposite direction. They were newspaper
men, and they saw a chance for a good
photograph, and Immediately got their
camera in position.
LAS the party was passing the camera
was aimed and snapped. Mr.. Vanderbilt
decided to take matters into his own hands
With the expression That's enough of this :
he made a jump for the team, landed on
the step. and made a lunge for the cam
era He got his hands on IT, but 1t was
placed beyond his reach before any damage
was done When he boarded the surrey the
horse ; whipped up. and when he alight-
ed n been carried fifty feet. The la
dies sttc; on the sidewalk and watched
the proc -i ngs, but said not word. The
whole affair did not occupy more than a
minute, and no one was injured"
The times., 1899-07-21
LITIGATION OVER A GIRL.
Habens Corpus Obtained to Keep Her
From Her Brother.


Hagerstown. Nd, July 20.-ConstabIe
Jonas Rowland yesterday arrested Miss
Mollie Sigafoose. a pretty young girl from
Winchester. at house on North Jonathan
Street. The officers had been securing the
city for her for four or five days. Last
night they got track of her Several
houses were searched. She was finally To-
Gated at the house. where a man slammed
the door in the face Of the officer. who
was accompanied by the girls two broth
ers, who came over from Winchester to
assist in the search. Taken before Justice
Ward the girl said she was over eighteen
years of age and declared she would not
return to Winchester and live with her
stepmother. Both her brothers swore she
was not eighteen. and one of them. Sam
uel F. Signafoose. swore out a warrant
charging her with being incorrigible She
was sent to jail in default OF bail for a
hearing, which took place yesterday aft
ernoOn.
Justice Ward dismissed the case against
Miss Sigafoose and turned her over to
Sheriff Seibert until her brothers could
take her home on an evening train. A. J.
Long. her attorney. claimed she was ille-
gally held and took out habeaS corpus pa
pers. In the meantime Samuel F. Siga-
foose induced his sister to go with him
to Wiliiamsport From Williamsport they
drove to Berry's station. in Washington
county. to take the evening train for Win
chester. While waiting the train pulled
in and Deputy Sheriff B. F. Newcomer
alighted, served the habeas corpus papers
and brought the couple back to Hagers-
town. The case will be heard today. Neal
Reeder was arrested, charged with enticing
the girl away. but the State abandoned the
charge
The times., 1899-07-21
A YOUTH HANGS HIMSELF.
His LifeIess BODY Found In His Fn-
TIERS Bnrn.

Carlisle. Pa, July 2O.-Ralph B5kers. o.
Bridgeport, this county, aged eighteen
years. and student at Dickinson College
committed suicide by hanging Tuesday
night. His body was discovered yesterday
morning in his fathers barn. He had
taken half-inch rope and fastened an
end of it around heavy beam. near lad
der which led to one of the hay mows.
While standing on the ladder he carefully
adjusted q moose around his neck and then
took 4 leap into eternity. The body hung
there all night
The hired man who discovered the body
slept within ten feet of it, as did three
tramps. none of whom, however, knew Of
the grewsome presence. Coroner Diyel
held an inquest. and the jury rendered a
verdict OF suicide, caused by overstudy.
Bowers at times would lapse into Spells
of melancholy. He was a bright youn :
man, and at the recent commencement o.
Dickinson College took high honors and
was awarded the John 7. Todd prize of
S1GO for excellence in scholarship. Samusl
H. Bowers the youths father, moved TO
the Hummel farm about five years ago
He had two children. both boys, Ralph AMI
Raymond. who is younger
The times., 1899-07-21
\ Victim OF a Vicious joke

Westminster, Md. July 20.-Jarob Pow
ell, colored. nearly lost his life Tuesday
at Manchester. through a trick pzrpetrate
upon hin. He had been dripIing and had
gone to the stable connected with a hotel.
where he laid down. While in his stupo.-
some unknown person tied a rope to his
leg and throwing the rope over beam
drew Powell up until his head Just touch
ed the foor. In this position he was dis
covered by one OF the guests OF the ho.el
II ia not known how long he had been tiel
up. but his life was very nearly extinct.
Drs. Preston and Ruby. of Manchester.
were called on and worked increasingly
for several hours before there was any
evidence of life, and it was not until yes
terday that he was out OF danger.
The times., 1899-07-21
The Deed of Vice President.

There was one feature of the Alger
resignation drama which was somewhat
unexpected, and should not be allowed to
pass without mention. The polite fiction
in this country has been that the Vice
Presidency is second TO the greatest Office
in the gift of the people; the popular view
of II has been that it is political oblivion
There have been many men. of promising
characteristics. who have been dropped
into the chair OF the Vice President and
have never been heard from again until
the papers published their obituary notices
But there has at>last been an exception
10 this almost universal rule Mr. Hobart.
by his services on this momentous oeca-
sion. has proved that a Vice President is
Of use-even great use-in an emergency.
For more than year the entire country
has been vociferating its desire that Alger
should resign. The cartoonists have por-
trayed the truth for him, the newspapers
have explained It TO him. the yariety-shoW
singers-last and surest index to public
opinion-haye sung il at him. and he las
sat serenely still. caring for none of these
things Headlines Of glaring conspicuity
have brought the matter to the notice of
President Mckinley. 1t is to be presumed
that the managers OF his own party have
pointed out to him the advisability OF drop
ping Alger like a hot Pingree. Finally the
President himself became convinced OF the
necessity OF the thing. and confronted the
task OF getting Alger ou- of that chair in
the War Department There is every rea-
son TO suppose that. with his we'll -kno Sn
tact and gentleness. he intimated TO the
Secretary the propriety of yielding 10 pub
lie opinion: but. IL he did. it had as much
effect as a chapter from Chesteriield's S
letters would have on a Matanzas mule.
IL began TO look as il Alger never would
desert that Cabinet; as if he might be
found there on March 5, 1901, 4 legacy to
the next President Tie country began
10 consider what sort OF hgurative block
and tackle could be employed TO hoist q
refractory Secretary Of War out of the
place where he ought not to be.
The newspapers can do great many
things, but on this Aiger question it
looked as IL they would have to confess
their impotence. Affairs had reached the
point at which reading the daily journals
must have been a very unpleasant thing
for the President for he could hardly take
The times., 1899-07-21
The Worlds Financial Centre.

tFrOm thy 81 Louis Democrat
The United States is already the largest OF the
Christian nations OF the world in point OF pop
ulltion. except Russia. 1t is far ahead OF Rus
sia and every other country, including England,
in wealth It is growing faster than Russia in
population, and will overtaAe that country.
In manufacturing it has led England which pre-.
viously held the worlds prmacy in this important
respect. Tor the past twenty years. Its material
resources are greater than are those OF any other
country. The money market OF New York has
been more abundlntly supplied than that OF Lon
don in the past six months, notwithstanding the
immense expansion which has taken place in this
country in general business i'll that time Rates
for money have remained steadier in New York
than in London. These are few OF the reasons
why some of the great monetary transactions
which formerly would have been negotiated in
London now take place in this country. The star
o.; empire, which has already carried the centre Of
the worlds wealth and moral influence To this side
Of the Atlantic. is swinging the Of the
worlds financial gravity also to the American Re-
public
The times., 1899-07-21
THE KEARsAReE,s TRIAL TRIP.
1t VIII Occur ns Soon ns Her Big
Guns Arc Mounted.

Newport News. Va. July 20.-The first
class battleship Kearsarge. which is now
within a few per cent of completion, will
by the end of next week, have all of the
13-inch guns for her main battery in po-
sition, and the trial trip. which is being
looked forward to with a great deal of
interest. will be a matter OF only few
days following the placing of the big wea-
pons OF war.
1t is not unlikely that the trial trip will
take place in the early part OF August.
There are now three Of the four big 13-
inch monsters at the shipyard. Two Of
these are aboard the battleship now. and
the third is in the yard and will soon be
put aboard. The fourth one is now in
transit. The four S-inch guns will follow
shortly, and the shipyard's work On the
ship will be complete.
The times., 1899-07-21
We Beat the Band.
CFrom the indianapolis Ncws.)

Interests all around mutual. Strikes have
almost ruined the British iron trade. and as a
consequence of the sIicidal thrcltenings Of the
British workmen in the iron trades, great foreign
contracts which, by right and nature belong
to the English contractors. come to the Amer,
lean factories. and benefit American workmeIi.
We have things firmly in our grasp in this coun.
try; the best workmcn. the most methodical
and systematic plans OF labor. the best and
greatest supply Of material, the widest pos
siblc market We have bitter competition with
which to contend. but can beat the word
in the matter Of industry. We have beaten
it on SO many other points. il We will only
be sensible
The times., 1899-07-21
In His Minds Eye Only.
CFrom the Minneapolis Tribnnc)

The Mormons were driven out Of Missouri
prior 10 1910. but now Brigham Young. son
OF the former head OF the Mormon church. say,
they intend to return and build at independence
the most beautiful city in the world. and to con
siruct there a temple much finer than the one
in Salt Lake City. 1t is probable that this is
mere buncombe 50 far as the immediate future
is concerned. The Mormons may be able to
do such thing in the next thousand years.
but not within the next generation. The pro
iect is probably dream OF the elder Mormon
which will never be realized.
The times., 1899-07-21
A Mistaken system.

One of the officers at West Point is find
ing out some things about the nature OF
boys which he apparently did not know.
He is Lieutenant Colonel Helm. Com
mandant of Cadets at the Military
Academy, and an excellent soldier
When he took command, not very long
ago it was with a definite and we'll
established purpose to prevent haz.ng. He
did all that he could at the beginning OF
the school year to detect and punish ca
dets concerned in such scrapes, and his eff
forts were probably as successful as any
thing of the kind could be. But the haz-
ing went on.
His next move was to issue an order re
quiring the four cadet captains to report
breaches of discipline to him, when they
were off duty as we'll as at other times.
This the youthful officers positively refused
TO do. They considered that by so behav
ing they would prove themselves tattlers
and sneaks. They would report things
which occurred when they were on duty
just as they had been doing, but nothing
further. Then the commandant decreed
that they be reduced to the ranks, and the
outcome of the whole affair was that for
the first time in the history of the acad-
emy Regular Army officers commanded the
companies on parade, to the astonishment
OF the spectators, who plainly sympathizel
with the cadets.
The abstract right and wrong of this
matter is one of those delicate problems
which only subtle reasoner can solve.
But the fact is that an instructor in any
school who attempts to make the students
tell tales on one another is going TO work
in the wrong way. He will make them dis
like and despise him; he will fail to pre-
serve order and what is worst of ALL he
will demoralize the school. That is one
of the unwritten traditions which it will
not do to NEEDLE with. Schoolboys usual
ly have a very strong sense OF honor on
certain points determined by their own
traditions. and except in an extraordinary
case, with abnormal requirements no boy
of any self-respect will be a spy or a tell
tale And it is not necessary to require
anything of the sort. Masters of the tact
and shrewdness requisite in successful ed
ucators can generally find out what is 60
ing on in a school without doing any spy
ing themselves, or requiring such service
of others.
The times., 1899-07-21

Greater Arseriea-to the vacillating and
retrogressfve policy of a general who does
not know what he is trying to do, or how
to do it, they will rebel. When, in addi-
tion to this, they are asked to accept cen
sored dispatches which give falsely opti-
mistic view of the situation; when they
cannot find out where any one regiment
is or how many men it has lost; when there
is a general haziness about everything,
from the War Department bulletins down;
then their patience will eventually be ex-
hausted
The times., 1899-07-21

The President proposes to ask Congress
to appropriate money for the purpose of
presenting medals to the volunteers who
remained in the Philippines and fought
the mutineers after their term of service
had legally expired. The purpose of Mr.
Mckinley is a worthy one and we heartily
approve of it. Whether its announcement
will serve TO keep the boys quiet on the
subject of Grandma" Otis. is another
story. We do not think it will, although
the contrary is believed in the War De-
partment.
The times., 1899-07-21
4 Rail Players Returning sanity.

Norfolk Va. July 2O.-Harry keefer.
who some time ago in this city was de-
clared by commission to be insane. was
yesterday released from custody. Keefer,
who is a well-known minor league ball
player. was take into custody at the re
quest Of friends who believe his mind to
be affected. The commission decided Kaef-
er was of uusound mind and ordered him
sent to Williamsburg Within the past
two weeks Keefer has shown signs OF re-
turning sanity. and DR.. Truitt. who had
been watching Keefer's case pretty closely.
has ordered his release --