Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-10-18
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL
Des Moines. October ia. 1000.


Des Moines. October 10, 1000.
The Standard Oil company is at
tempting to secure control of the
entire ice business of Des Moines.
The negotiations, which are just get
ting under Roadway, are being con-
Quoted through A. L. Clinite, late of
the Crystal Oil company. Mr.. Clinite
has received letter from NJ j. West
lake of Jersey City, who is connected
with the sales department of the
Standard Oil company, asking him to
learn at what prices the local ice
plants could be secured. Mr.. Clinite
has secured options on all but two of
the plants, and it is believed options
on the others will be obtained
The Des Moines ice plants repre-
sent an investment OF nearly or quite
S1,500,000. The ice men claim the
business has not been as profitable MS
generally supposed, and that they are
willing to sell if they can secure the
right price.
The board of control has received
from the Institution for Feeble Mind
ed at Glenwood an epitome of the
dietary there Cor the week ending
September 30. There were 967 pa
tients and the total cost of their
meals for the week was $6s9.15. This
is cost of a trifie over II cents per
week for each inmate for food. The
cost per day for each inmate is 10 and
17-100 cents, or of and 39-1OO cents
per meal.
Auditor of State Frank F. Merriam
mas issued the second volume of his
thirty-first annual insurance report.
showing the business done in the
state during 1899 by life insurance
concerns. The fire reT ort appeared
two months ago. During the year
A13 life companies were doing bust
ness in Iowa, having 317,111 policies
in force and insurance risks, on De-
cember 81, 1890, of $46S, ABA, SAB. OF
this amount $241, 3.J,aoy was written
on the books of the fraternaI bene-
iciary societies and orders. Tie Iowa
companies held $21 ,555,133 and the
hon-lowa companies $Ilo,91S,4 53. The
stipulated premium and assessment
concerns had $64,75S,O50, and the re-
naming $21,S22,14s represented the
business held by the assessment ac-
eldent associations doing business in
Iowa.
The i. j. Wells coIn~.ny contem-
plates putting several automobiles in
service in Des Moines in connection
with its livery, hack and bus line bust
ness. The company now has one ma
chine on hand with which it is ex-
perimenting. To reporter Jesse
Wells, manager of the business, said:
we are experimenting with the auto
we now have with a view of using the
machines in our business, but have
not yet fully made up our minds 10
adopt them. So far our experiments
have been successful and encourage
ing. If we put in machines at this
time we will probably use the lighter
ones passed the experimental stage,
but not so as to the heavier ones,
such as would be adapted to the
hack and bus business Machines of
has class are now being contracted
to be operated by steam power that
give promise of excellence and if
they come up to expectations we
may adopt them. The machines we
figure on using now are far lighter
carriage service over the city and for
runabout purposes.
The board of control has completed
its findings in the case of John w.
Stone, superintendent of the indus
trial department for the insane at
Mt. Pleasant, who was recently in
dicted by the grand jury of Henry
county for the theft of supplies from
the hospital. A report of the result
of the investigation has been filed
with the governor, and also filed in
the records of the board, along with
the testimony of the witnesses ex-
amined. The findings of the board
comprise an exhaustive review of the
evidence taken in the course of the
boards investigation in this city, at
Mt. Pleasant and Burlington. They
show that the charges made that a
widely ramified conspiracy existed in
numerous employees of the
state high in official station, that the
wrong doing extended over period
of several years and that the indus
trial building was burned last Feb
ruary to conceal evidence of crime,
were without foundation, There is
no. controversy as to the shipment
by Srone of goods to Des Moines. The
the purpose of ascertaining the truth
of the charges made of conspiracy
and thefts on larger scale and of
the intentional burning of the in
dustrial building. These charges
were made by the Daily News of this
city, when it published the evidence
in the Stone case, as ferreted out by
Eli Harding, a private detective of
this city, and sold by him to the
News. The board finds as the result
of the examination of numerous wit
nesses that the charges of the News,
except as to the admitted shipments
of leather and hair to Des Moines, rest
almost wholly on the statements of
Valid; that he was sent to the hospital
at Mt. Pleasant to be cured of the
opium habit; that his testimony is
in many respects self-contradictory
and is contradicted in MANY impor-
tant particulars by numerous cred
ible witnesses; and that his testimony
without corroboration of other evil
dence is of no value whatever. The
board also reviews the evidence on
charges made by L. A. Wilkinson.
late secretary of the board, as to an
alleged conspiracy at Mt. Pleasant in
1898. Though this was investigated
by the board at the time further
testimony upon it was taken when
Judge Kline was making the recent
investigation at Mt. Pleasant.
Deny naturalization of Negro.
Trenton, N. j., Oct. 13.-Judge Kirk
patrick, in the United States court,
refused naturalization papers to Rob-
ert Spauldipn (coloraJl IL -.