Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-12-29
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence OF the Aexandris Gazette
Washingtnn. December %.

died this morning a. Z O'CLOCK D. the
Emergency Hospital. Macdonald re-
sisted every effort OF the physicians TO
restore him to health and his death re-
suited from exhaustion brought on by
starvation. His last hour was peaceful
and he died easily. The only one at
the bedside besides the doctor. was the
policeman, who has kept watch over
the wounded man since his arrest.
There was no priest or minister pres
ent. Macdonald being an atheist. 10
answer to question whether he would
like q spiritual adviser, he replied that
he had no use for one. From the time
he was brought TO the hospital he did
not once mention the tragedy or the
name of the late auditor. The body
will be turned over to his friends for
burial. The murder was committed
last Saturday. Macdonald, after slay-
ing his victim, shot himself through the
liver and cut his throat with pen
knife, only missing the iugular vein by
fraction of an inch.
Coroner hewitt assisted by DR.. Fish
er conducted post-mOrtem examins
ton of murderer MacDonsld's remains
at noon. They found that his death
was due to exhaustion resulting from q
gunshot in the liver, peritonitis and
Shock. Mrs. Frank II. Morris, widow
of MacDopald's victim, when informed
| CT tne latter's death, did not attempt
to conceal Der satisfaction. IL am glad
he is dead" she stated. "If he had
recovered, fear his friends would have
been able to obtain for him light SEN
tence, or perhaps his acquittal, on a
plea of insanity, although, Of course, he
| was not insane.
General Miles, when questioned a
few days ago concerning ex-Secretary
Of War Alger's forthcoming article on
the army beef scandal, declined to say
anything, intimating, however, that he
would reply to any charges that might
| be made against him after the article
should have appeared. The general is
somewhere in the Virginia mountains
today on hunting tour with DR.. DAILY,
of Plttsburg, the former army contract
surgeon, upon whose statements Gen.
Miles based his original charges regard
ing the alleged "embalmed" beef.
Lieutenant General Miles is out of
the city, on hunting trip. At army
| headquarters it is said that he is now
| 10 North Carolina, and is expected to
return to Washington on Monday next.
His telegraphic address or his exact
whereabouts is being kept concealed,
| for it is the devout hope of members OF
mis- staff that no newspaper man get the
General 10 start talking about ex-Sec-
rotary Alger aud the army beef incl
| dent. IL ls admitted that he feels the
continued attacks upon him on this
subject and II is feared that he might
ne ue royed into saying something he
/ mi ht regret. For tnls reason army
hesduu 4uers hopes that General Miles
will escape the interviewer until his
return 10 this city, when, if he
| desires to make answer to General
| Alger's structures, be can DO So IN
a prepared statement with the advan-
tage of having his records at hand.
One of the principal members of Gen.
Mlles's staff, who undoubtedly repre-
sents the views of this side of the con-
| troversy, said this morning:"The point
about the whole matter is this: Certain
representations were made to Gen.
| Miles regarding the food being served
to the army. Even granting that these
representations were erroneous, 1t at
once became bis duty 10 his capacity as
general-in.chisf, to Call attention to the
charges and have them investigated.
| This be did as soon as cumulative testi'
mony led him to believe that it was not
an isolated case that had first been re-
ported to him. IL be had done other.
wise, with these representations before
him, he would have been damned by
the whole American people as derelict
in his duty. As for the result, the
whole army believes that the inquiry
which followed practically justified
Gen. Miles in adopting the course he
did,"
Sol. Smith Russell the actor. called at
the White House today to make an ap.
pointment with the President. Monday
at 1l.30 was set for him. II want to
| introduce my boy to the President"
said Mr.. Russell. "The youngster is
home from school now and lies awake
nights thinking about shaking hands
with President Mckinley" Mr.. Rus.
sell has not played for about year on
account of i'll health, bat is now greatly
improved. IF nothing prevents" he
said II will return to the stage on the
20,h of next September My physician
SAYS / will be able to 90 ahead again
then. l am feeling so well, however,
that I am thinking quite seriously of
making a spring tour. A fellow feels
somewhat lost to be out of harness ard
loafng after long years of active
work."
Friends of Minister Conqer intimate
that he will shortly resign his position
as the representative of the United
States at tbs Chinese capital. They
say that he feels very acptely the criti-
CT sms that have been made by the State
department regarding bis conduct of
the negotiations during the preparation
of the note containing the demands OF
the powers upon China. He has been
charged by the department with dull
ness of apprehension, lack fgood judg-
wont and with having allowed his per.
sonsl feeling to blind him to the higher
dictates of humanity and good govern
ment. He has been charged with In
sistiDg upon the imposition of impossi.
ole terms upon China, in joining in the
demands for the heads OF Prince Tuan,
Gen. Tung- Fuh- Hsiang and the other
high princes and msDdarins suspected
of melting the Boxer riots. He is
said to have insisted upon this despite
the frequently repeated ADVICE OF the
State department that the edministra-
ton desired him to be moderate and
only abandoned his position under the
most direct instructions. To cap the
climeK it has been given out by the