The National tribune., 1906-08-23

made much of, and now detectives and
business men are using 1t also. 1t viii
probably turn out, as has the Bertillon
system in good many instances. very
good until you find too many exceptions,
which will send the rule kiting.
( Thumb-prints in ink. instead of the
old-time cross-mark of an illiterate per-
son, have been-accepted by the Indian
Bureau of the Interior Department in
securing signatures of Indians to Gov
ernment documents.
The experiment has just been tried in
signing a treaty between the Govern
ment and the Umatilla Indians of
Washington to allow cattle to cross
their reservation.
Indians in the past have made great
deal of trouble by denying their cross
marks. Indian Bureau officials. through
the adoption of the thumb-print method
of Identification used by many of the
police force of the world, believe they
will prevent successful reputation Of
signatures in the future.
But suppose those thumbs become
mutilated or SCARED in the very least?
Then what? They may be SCARED, 20
begin with, and for purposes of nom
Identification they can be re-Scarred;
what then? An Indian cares just about
deed, as a hog does about Sunday. They
do not understand deeds: they always
expect that that particular piece of pa
per is designed by some white man to
steal all they have, and they are about
right. beginning with the United States
Government, which has never kept a
pledge with tribe OF Indians. and they
will lie out of a thuTcb-print just rs
easily as they do out of cross-mark.
There's trouble brewing for several
somebody's at Oyster Bay. The town is
fighting for her supposed ancient right
of free passage along what is known as
the Shore road, which skirts Sycamore
Hill and is a favorite riding path for
President Roosevelt. Feeling in Oyster
Bay and the neighboring villages runs
SO high that a crowd of indignant citi-
zens led. il is said, by an official, has
torn down two stone walls on the shore
front of Louis C. Tiffany, the New York
Jeweler. Also, the pier belonging to
Mrs. ]. West Roosevelt, on which the
President and many distinguished Wis
itors have landed or their way to Saga
more Hill, was partially demolished by
Highway Commissioners F. w. HauX-
hurst. of Oyster Bay, and E. NJ. Under
hill, of Glen Cove. The Commissioners
led force of laborers to the attack.
The movement to restore the water
front of Oyster Bay to the town is back
ed by public sentiment. In 1917 what
is known as the Andros patent conveyed
in fee simple to the town of Oyster Bay
all lard between high and low tide
water marks. One hundred years ago
the Shore road was declared a highway
by the Board of Highway Commission
ers. The road was surveyed Sc feet
wide, and it followed the tide mark
along the shore. Little by little it is
said, the road has been encroached on.
The walls and piers which were wrecked
crossed the Shore road. The Town
Board has ordered the removal of the
offending distractions in each instance.
The officials removed only enough of the
structure to give ground for legal action
in test case.
The piers which have been destroyed
are used as landing places for the tend
ers of the yachts owned by the group
OF wealthy Summer residents who have
formed a colony in the neighborhood of
Sycamore Hill. If the courts sustain
the action of the Highway Commission
ers the Summer colony will be put 20
much trouble in landing on the water
front near their homes. a case is now
pending in court involving them. The
Emlen Roosevelt estate Is in the saE:e
controversy. Similar cases which have
been tried have resulted in a victory for
the town. The fight is sure to be a bit
ter one.
AT a meeting held by the Pocahontas
Association VIM. Ordway Partridge, Of
New Ycrk. was selected to be the sculp-
tor of the Pocahontas statue. 1t will be
cast in bronze at a cost of $4,000, and
will represent the famous Indian girl IS
described by Capt. John Smith.
Mr.. Partridge has executed many
works of statuary, among them being
the equestrian statue of Gen. Grant and
the statue of Alexander Hamilton. both
in Brooklyn. and that of Shakspere in
Chicago.
Miss Jane Codwise presided at the
meeting in the absence of Miss Liz
zie Mclean, the President of the Asso-
citation. Both are lineal descendants of
Pocahontas. Although organized last
February, II numbers zoe members,
with branches all over the United
States. Its object is TO perpetuate in
statuary the memory Of the brave In
dian maid whose life was so closely and
happily associated with the history of
the early English settlement in Vir-
ginia.
His OWN worst enemy has been Julius
Simms's self. He is a graduate of Co
lumbia College. was private secretary
to John A. Logan was reporter on a
Chicago newspaper during the famous
Lincoln and Douglass controversy, was
a trusted friend of Lincoln, and en-
ployed in the office at the White House
during Lincoln's time. He has had
chances and opportunities that fall 10
but few. but has thrown them all away.
and now boards" in the workhouse
here in Washington at the expense of
the District. There's a great moral les
son fer young men in these few brief
lines. Drink, dope, gambling will help
the finest career to exactly this end
The damage to the battleships Ala
bama and Illinois, resulting from their
collision in the fog off Breton's Reef
lightship, which was described after the
accident as superficial, has been found
from investigation by divers and others
to be quite extensive. Contrary to state
ments soon after the collision, both YES
seis are injured below the water line.
and the Alabama leaks as a result of a
rupture of the plating of one of her
forward compartments on the port side
This damage did not appear in the early
Investigation of the effect of the COLI
sion, but when the Alabama reached
port 1t was found that she was taking
water. Two of her six-inch guns are
damaged In a manner that suggests the
possibility of their having been rendered
permanently useless
One Of them Is nent from the Jacket
forward, the curvature being quite ap-
parent. The Illinois, which received
the blow Of the Alabama abreast hel
forward turret, is much more seriously