Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1903-04-04

stitutes over 10, 600 legal cap pages and
stands six feet high in the office of
Hanna 81 Budlong, in Washington.
Forty-six days sessions were reported
at an average of A, 643 words per day.
The record, if printed would fill seven
teen newspapers of twelve pages Over
forty duplicates of the whole record
were made, for which the stcnogra-
pliers received about $1,000 extra for
each copy.
No LAND LEFr.-Not an acre of pub
lie lands in the Topeka district is sub
ject TO homestead entry. 1t has all
been taken. Until couple of months
ago there were about $50 acres of land
in the Flint Hills in Chautauqua and
Elk counties. Some Fasteners came
out here looking for cheap lands They
found this land on the books and en-
tered it. Now all the land Office Off
Gals here have TO do is to look after
up within two years and the books
transferred to one of the other land
offices.
COMMON LAW MARRIAGE.-A case
bias just been decided by the Sedgwici1
county probate court. A married
couple were divorced, and sometime
after went to living together again.
They removed to Texas and the hus-
band and wife both told their neighbOrs
that they were husband and wife. The
decision gives the wife her rightful
share in the husbands property, the
husband having died.
LABOR UNIONS lNCREAsING.-Lab
unions are rapidly increasing in Kan
sas as we'll as in eastern states. The
increase in the number of unions dur
ing the past year, according to the re-
ports of State Labor Commissioner
johnson, is 33H per cent, while the in
crease in membership is about 40 per
cent. A year ago there were $40 diff
ferent local unions in Kansas. Now
there are about 430.
Snow AND STARvATIoN.-State Vet
erinarian Mayo has been to Hamilton
and other western counties to investi-
gate 'new disease" which was killing
many cattle. He says that the cattle
are dying of starvation. They failed
to get enough to eat during big storms
and became weakened by lack of for
age, and it is estimated that at least
., 500 cattle have died during March in
consequence.
OLD SOLDIERS CoLoNY.-A. e. Coop
err, division passenger agent of the
Rock Island railway, recently located
a party of war veterans on quarter sec
Beaver county, Oklahoma. The colony
comes from South Bend, Indiana.
There were % homesteads taken with
in six miles of Liberal. The settlers
got them by demonstrating on soldier
filings.
OFFICIAL. STATE PAPER.-The Tope-
ka Capital has again been chosen as
the official state paper, for another
term of two years. The vote of the
executive council was: For the Cap
ital-Governor Bailey, Secretary of
State Burrow, Attorney General Cole
man, State Auditor Wells, and State
Superintendent Dayhoff. For the Her
ald-State Treasurer Kelly.
AN ALFALFA CoMPANY.-The Ness
County Alfalfa company has taken a
charter, with a capital of SIS, 900, for
the purpose of growing and marketing
alfalfa.
CASH OFFERS FOR ROAD WORK
Business men of Lawrence are Offering
to give SiOO to $500 year for ten years
for good road work in Douglas coun-
ty.
FIRE AT NORTON. Fire started in a
cigar factory at Norton, destroying it.
1t spread to the Peerless hotel which
is n complete wreck.
BURGLARS Cor 81, OOo.-It was taken
from the Stocllmen's State bank at
Greensburg, besides much damage done
with nitro-glycerine to the vault. The
burglars were discovered and fred
upon, one of them hit, but they reached
their horses and got away toward the
territory.
IoLAs COURT HoUsE.-The new
court house to be erected in the center
of the square in lola is to be "A by 90
feet, with four entrances. 1t is to be
built of red brick, finished with blue
limestone and cement ornaments
ABsrRACToRs' BONDs.-The attorney
general decides that abstractors, under
the new law, will have to file new
bonds. Under the old law abstractors
were liable only to persons who en-
ployed them. Under the new law this
liability extends for the protection to
any person who is injured by a mistake
in am abstract
RAILWAY MAI. CLERKs.-Robert An
derson, of Minneapolis and Leslie Cor
don, of Concordia, have been appoint
ed 70 that dangerous but we'll paid
work.
STRIKE AT EMPoRIA.-All the work
ing men on the excavation for the gov
eminent building struck because two
teams were put TO work that did not
have union labels or have drivers who
belonged to the union. The teams be-
longed to the contractor All the men