Newport weekly independent., 1904-02-05

destroyed by fire.
 Helen Douglas, widow of the late Fred Douglas, the negro orator, died Tn Washington on the 1st inst. She was the second wife of Douglas, a white woman, and native of New York state.
 Mrs. Rose Markham, proprietor of a second hand store in St. Louis, overpowered a burglar who attempt ed to rob her, and turned him over to the police. The woman took a revolver from the burglar, and with the weapon leveled at his head, com pelled him to stand until the arrival of an officer.
 A mob of about 1900 persons wit messed the lynching of Phil Davis, Walter Carter and Clint Thomas, all negroes, at Belcher, La, twenty miles from Shreveport. Both whites and blacks took part in the lynching. The men were put to death for mur- dering prominent planter on the streets of Belcher.
 Nineteen lives were lost on the football field during the season of 1903. One boy was driven insane from injuries, host of players were sGNerely injured, some of them be- ingdisabled for life The number of minor but painful accidents goes into the hundreds and the list of se- verely injured is necessarily also in complete.
 The United StateA supreme court has affirmed the constitutionalitv of the eight-hour law of the state of Kansas regarding labor on public works. Justice Harlan saidAthat if the statute Is mischievous ahe re- sponsibility rests with the hagisla- tors and not the courts. Chief Jus tice Fuller and Justices Brewcr-a -and Peckham dissented.
 President Roosevelt has been ap- pealed to by members of the miners union who have been ordered to leave Tulluride, Colo, by military authorities or submit to imprison- ment. The men declare they have violated no laws of Colorado or the United States. The federal gov ernment recently refused to order out feedral troops in the Colorado mining district, and 1t Is not proba- rble that the government will take a hand unless it is shown that state authorities are unable to handle the situation.
 N The report of Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Bristow on the investigations into the post office de- partment has been made public, to- gether with a memorandum of the president relative thereto. The pres ident says: s1The investigation made by Mir. Bristow discloses a condition of gross corruption in the office of the first assistant postmaster general for the post office depart ment In the case of the superin- tendent of free delivery, Machen, the evidence shows that his misconduct began immediately after his appoint ment, in September, 1893. In the case of the general superintendent of salaries and allowances, Beavers, it began soon after he was appointed to that place, in 1897. In the case of Assistant Attorney General Tyner it has gone on for number of years, but it is impossible to say exactly when it began. A melancholy feat ure of the case Is that, with one ex- ception, all the offenders have been for a number of years in the govern ment service" Several men whose names are mentioned in the report as offendev~ lany their guilt and say an undue advantage has been taken of them.
 A woman arrested in St. Louis for horse-whipping her husband because he spent nearly all his time in saloons drinking, was discharged by Judge Tracy, who stated that it would be great blessing if all wives would do the same thing under similar circumstances.
 The Wabash, Chicago X Alton, and Reading railway systems, on the 1st inst, either reduced their shop forces or made cuts in wages of many employees.
 The farmers of Texas are now