Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1904-04-09


of claims. This claim grows out of
the destruction of the old Free State
hotel at Lawrence. The hotel orig
inally belonged to the Emigrant Aid
society, of Massachusetts, who some
years ago assigned the claim to the
university. The last congress referred
the matter to the court of claims for
adjudication. Since that time it has
been resting in a pigeon hole in the
court of claims, but the university is
being urged to employ attorneys to
press the matter to trial. Representa-
tive Bowersock is looking into the case.
PERU HAS s4.-There are "a oil wells
doing business on it's townsite. There
! is no Sunday in Peru. Church ser
vices are held on the first day of the
week" but the music of tie choir and
the words of the preacher are drowned
by the thug # the oil drill. the squeak
rigs. Eighteen months ago Peru was
a little hamlet of three or fonr small
stores and 2O0 people. Today it is a
town of 1900 inhabitants and about
fifty business houses. Four lumber
yards are doing a fiourishing business.
Within radius of two miles 5000 peo-
pic are located.
CONTRACT LET.-The contract for
paving the roadway from the city
limits of Atchison to the Soldiers Or
phans' home has been let by the state
board of charities and correction at
about SCI ZOO. 1t will be twenty-five
feet in width and about zoo, 900 brick
will be required for the job. The last
Legislature appropriated $4,000 for the
road and Atchison county contributed
81 $50 in cash. 1t will cost the city of
Atchison SIS, 900 to secure the right of
way and connect the roadway with the
city pavements.
EARLY PLANTING.-The farmers of
Geary county have finished planting
their oats and many of them have al
ready put in large acreage of corn,
which is unusual for so early in the
spring. Corn planting in Central Kan
sas does not usually begin until about
the middle of April, but in the warm
weather last week farmers near juno
ton City made the experiment of put
ting in an early crop.
No MYsrERY.-The dispatches have
stated that recruiting officers have been
''mysteriously" placed under arrest.
No mystery is made of the matter at
military headquarters at Fort Riley.
The men are charged with collecting
from the government 81 a day for the
board of each recruit, whereas they
paid the boarding houses but So. so a
week.
For FENCING PUBLIC LAND.-C. P.
! Dewey gave bond for appearance at
the next term of the federal court in
Topeka. The Deweys were indicted at
Wichita for fencing government land.
They had been indicted for this offense
once before, but the first Indictment
was annulled and another one found.
TORONTO HAS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
big oil well has been brought in on
the Sample farm just west of Toronto
1t is the fourth oil well for the Verdi
| girls Oil and Gas company and is show
ing up fully as good as the big Sample
well found three weeks ago, which
threw oil above the top of the derrick
NEWTON GIRL WINs.-Miss Ethe.
Chandler, a Newton girl, won first
honors and S12 to boot at declama-
ton contest at Baker university.
WAS % YEARS OLD-The old Dis
patch hotel of Clay Center is to be
torn down. 1t was built in 1881
WEALTHY PIONEER D1Es.-Ed Basse,
a wealthy farmer and pioneer of King
man county, died on April l.
No NEGROES THERE.-Vermillion is
one town in Kansas that never had a
negro as citizen of that place.
DAVIDSON WANTED.-W. NJ David
son has been superintendent of the
schools of Topeka for the past II years.
His salary is s., 500 ayear. The school
board of Omaha offers Davidson SO, 900
year to take the superiutendency of
| tue OHland CITY SCHOOLS. topeka mas
met the raise and is trying to induce
Mr.. Davidson to remain where he is
MEASLES SPREADs-At Wakefield
the measles epidemic has spread rapid
ly. About $50 persons have the disease;
some old people have it for the second
time.
STATE AND PRIVATE BANKS Fig
ures compiled by State Bank Commits
sioner Albaugh, indicate that the total
profits eff the state and private banks
in Kansas during the four years past
have varied from 1900 per cent in 1900
to 90 II per cent in 1908. State and
private banks have increased from 375
to 5l3. The capital invested in these
banks is shown to have increased from
Sc, csc, $50 in 1900 to SIS, 149, 235 in 1903
SEDAN Is GROWING. are 3s
new houses in the county capital of
Chautauqua county.
BATTLE OF WINCHESTER are