Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-03-29
From Washington.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
Washington, March 20.

Representative DIXON, OF MOltah4j
has received letter from F. Lagoon
Bates, of Memphis, Tenn, who asserts
that John Wilkes Booth was not killed
Immediately after the assassination OF
Lincoln but fed to Oklahoma and COM
mitted suicide there in 1908. Repre-
sentative Dixon recently introduced
bill in Congress to pension Judge y.
J. Congdon, of Dillon, Mont. Congdon
was at the head of the company that
killed Booth, according to history, and
Mr.. Dixon believes is entitled to pen
sion in his declining years. Mr.. Bates,
of Memphis, who challenges the authen-
ticity of accepted history, says that he
can bring proof to show that Booth es,
capped to Oklahoma and lived there unit
1903 under the alias of d. E. George.
On January 14th, last year, MIR. Bates
asserts, Booth or George, killed himself
at town called Enid. The fact that
Mr. Bates is now engaged in lecturing
on his version of history and naturally
is antagonistic to pensioDing a man who
killed the hero of his story many years
before his story is begun, makes Repre-
sentative Dixon little bit skeptical.
Bates has asked Mr.. Dixon to introduce
a resolution in the House providing Tor
complete investigation OF his story
but the Congressman is not inclined to
give the Bates theory that much
notoriety.
The bill authorizing the appointment
of an assistant appraiser at Boston has
been reported favorably by the Senate
committee on finance, with an amend
ment fixing the salary at 81, 500.
In response to a recommendation from
the Secretary of the Treasury, the Senate
committee on finance today made a
fayorablei report on an amendment to
the sundry civil appropriation bill, ie-
moving all limitations upon the amount
of subsidiary silver coins that may be
coined. The language of the amend
ment is as follows: "That all llml-
tations as to the amount of subsidiary
silver coinage that may be outstanding
are hereby removed" At present the
total amount of such coinage is limited
to one hundred million dollars and this
has been found to be insufficient for the
needs of the country.
The Secretary Of the Interior Depart
ment informed the Senate today, in re-
ply to recent resolution of inquiry, his
reasons for the recent pension order
which have been characterized by the
minority members of both Houses as
executive legislation" The Secretary
declares, ut is not considered that the
department has authority to enlarge the
provisions of the act of 1890, or in any
way affect its just Interpretation or that
the order referred to does either" He
holds that the order is clearly within
executive authority and in conformity
with existing law and methods which
have heretofore prevailed.
Secretary of the Navy William II.
Moody today approved the recommends
ton of the court of inquiry in the matter
OF the recent collision between the battle
ships Illinois and Missouri, and no further
proceedings will take place. This action
on the part of Secretary Moody was taken
in accordance with the additional recon-
mendation of Admiral George Dewey, to
whom the entire matter was submitted
by the secretary, with request for his
full opinion.
Hearings on the eight hour bill were
resumed this morning before the Senate
committee on education and labor Dan
lei Davenport, secretary of the National
Employers Association, spoke against
the bill, declaring that the laboring men
Of the country were opposed to any limi-
tatiOn upon the amount of work they
should be permitted to do. A. w. Nc
Intrye, publisher and printer, of Philadel-
phia, spoke against it on the ground that
on government work they would have to
use an eight hour day while on other
work they would work their men ten
hours and the two systems could not be
employed together in one Office success
fully.
At the solicitation of the International
Reform Bureau and other religious
societies of the District, Morgan ii.
Beach, District Attorney has decided to
make test case against the batting at
Bennings race track. If the courts
should uphold Beach it would practi-
cally put a stop to horse racing in the
District 1t is proposed to raid the
bOokmakers at the track within day or
two.
The "service pension" order of Secre-
tary of the Interior Hitchcock and Com
missioner of Pensions Ware, prompted
Mr.. Bourke Cochran, to introduce a
resolution in the House today, directing
the committee on the judiciary of the
House to report on the authority of the
Secretary of the Interior to issue "execu-
tive orders"
The Chinese minister called at the
State Department This morning to an
nounce that Prince Pulun, the head OF
the Chinese delegation to the st. Louis
Worlds Fair, will sail from Yokohama
tomorrow and will come directly to
Washington via San Francisco to pay
his respects before proceeding to st:
Louis. He has been in Toxic for several
weeks as the personal guest of the
Mikado and this is regarded in some quar-
tiers as strongly indicative ofthe sympathy
between the Chinese and Japanese at
the present time.
Mr.. Burton Harrison, who with his
wife. Mrs. Burton Harrison, the autho-