Newport weekly independent., 1903-08-07

family homestead at Augusta, Me, last week.
 The Cuban senate has ratified all the treaties with the United States with the exception of the Platt amendment.
 In accordance with direct orders of MT. Payne, the postmaster gen. eral, the post office investigation is to be expedited.
 A party of eastern college stu dents were forcibly taken from a train at Otis, Kas., by farmers and made to assist in the harvest field.
 John M. Barkley, a farmer near Indiana, Pa, shot and fatally wounded white tramp named Frank Will, who criminally assault ed the farmers 11-year-old daugh- ter.
 Maude Jordine, aged IF, is under arrest at Bloomington, H., on the charge of murdering her 2-year-old sister. The only motive known for the murder is that the girl did not wish to care for the child.
 Enraged at the courts action in failing to convict Vim. Thacl.er, a white man, of murder in the first degree, mob broke into the jail at Flemingburg, Ky, and hanged Thacker. In a quarrel Thacher shot and killed John Gordon, a promi- nent citizen, two years ago.
 Mrs. c. s. Watson, daughter of Claus Spreckles, the sugar king, has sued her father to recover pos 5 session of property in Honolulu valued at $100,O00. Mrs. Watson alleges the property was deeded to her in 1893, but that she has been denied its possession and income therefrom.
 The Jury Tn the case of Julius Fleishmann, former member of the St. Louis house of delegates, charg- ed with bribery in connection with the passage of the city lighting bill, returned a verdict finding the de- fendant guilty. His punishment was fixed at seven years in the peni- tentiary, the longest term yet in- ficted in any of the poodle cases.
 P. M. Arthur, grand chief of the Brotherhood -af t-asa.lmIa.aative asa.lmIa.aatii Engi- neers. dropped dead while speaking at a banquet at Winnipeg, Man, closing the annual convention of the organization. MT. Arthur had just risen to respond to a toast and repeated the words, 'It may be my parting words to many of you," when he fell backwards and ex- pired.
 The Manchurian question has been settled satisfactorily to this government Assurances have been received from the Chinese govern ment that 1t will in the near future open as treaty ports several ports now closed to the worlds trade. The Russian government has con- veyed formal assurance to the Unit ed States government that it will not in any way oppose such opening.
 After strike of several weeks, 5000 workmen of the building trades of New York City have re- turned to work, scales for a year having been signed. The bosses agree in the future to deal directly with the unions, and in return the walking delegate is to be abolished. Several contractors make complaint that walking delegates have black mailed them out of large sums by threatening to order strikes on work where there was a time limit n its completion.
 The internal revenue bureau has determined to stop the practice, which has gradually grown up among tobacconists all over the country, of exposing for sale snuff, cigars, cigarettes and tobacco sep arately from the package to which is affixed the stamp denoting the pay ment of tax on the article. This violation of the law has reached such proportions, according to re- ports of revenue officers, that great