Newport weekly independent., 1903-12-18
News of the World

The case against Edward w. Butler of St. Louis, under sentence of three years for bribery, has been reversed by the Missouri supreme court, and the defendant dis charged. Butler is to be tried on another indictment, but as it Is al- most identical to the one just dis missed, it Is not believed convic- tion will be secured. Butler has dominated local politics in St. Louis for many years, is million
 aire, and interested in several cor porations enjoying exclusive munic- l ipal franchises.
 At the sale of the effects of Sam uel A. Marstellar at Manassas, Va, recently a New York dealer paid $500 for a pair of silver-mounted
 dueling pistols formerly owned by
 George Washington. Washington gave the weapons to his secretary,
 Bartholomew Dandridge. On the
 death of Dandridge they passed into the hands of Col. P. G. Mar steller, who was one of Washing toms pallbearers, and descended to his son, Samuel A. Marsteller, who died thirty years ago. The latter's
 descendants live in Washington, and the pistols were in their custo-
 dy until the sale.
 1 The war department at Washing
 ton announces that preparation has
 been made to dispatch troops to
 the isthmus of Panama should Co.,
 lombia make any effort to invade 1 the country. Several American
 cruisers are now patrolling the east
 ern end of the San Bias coast and
 keeping an outlook for any attempt
 on the part of Colombia to land
 troops on the isthmus. Several
 clashes have occurred between strik-
 ing miners and the militia in the
 Cripple Creek district since mar tial law was declared. Three mi
 ners were killed in a battle at Se-
 gundo and number of others were wounded.
 The salient feature of Secretary of the Treasury Shaw's annual re- port to congress is the gradual re- duction of the surplus in the treas ury. The surplus for the current year is placed roughly at $54,0oO,- 900. Estimated, the surplus in 1904 will be $14,0Oo,ooo, and in
 1905 there will be a deficit of $2S,- : 000,000. Compared with the fiscal ) year 1902, the receipts of 1903 in creased $1o,294,S37.17. There was an increase of $47,2S4,545. 3S in ex- } penditures. The estimated revenues for 1904 are $674,767 ,664 and ex- penditures $G60,765664, leaving a surplus of S14,000,o0O. The esti-
 mated revenues for 1905. are $704,-
 s2,0G0.72 and expenditures $727,- 474, ,206.79, leaving deficit of $23,- 002, ,146.O7.
 The republican national conven- tion will be held in Chicago, begin ming at noon, June 21 next. The
 republican national committee reached this conclusion at meeting held in Washington last week, sub- ject to call. Pittsburg and St. Louis were rivals of Chicago for the con-
 vention. The work of the committee
 was harmonious throughout. Its open session was attended by many republican members of the house. Several minor questions were re- ferred to special committee. h.
 cluded in this list was the representa- ton asked for by Porto Rico, Hawaii and Luzon; the socialistic problem and the political rights of the negro. A committee headed by Senator Scott of West Virginia was named to make all arrangements for the
 convention.
 John R. Proctor, president of the
 civil service commission, died at hig
 home in Washington on the 18th
 MT. Proctor was born in Mason coun-
 ty, Kentucky, March Is, 1S44. He
 took a scientific course at the Uni
 versity of Pennsylvania, but left to
 serve i'll the Confederate army Later
 he was engaged in farming in Ken ] lucky. From 1873 to 1880 he was ' assistant in the geological survey of 1 Kentucky, and from 1880 to 1893
 was state geologist.
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