The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-06-07
NOTES FROM WASHINGTON
Especial Correspondence
o Inspect New ENGLAND Posts

rious New England artillery districts
| soon, TO study the seacoast fortifica-
tions and to see what responsibility for
their proper condition and their sue
cessful operation shall rest respec-
| lively upon the army and the navy.
| Recently Gen. Murray has been visit
| ing southern ports, accompanied by
naval officers, who went over the
coast defence schemes at various plac-
| es. II the recommendation of the gen.
| eral is agreed to by the chief OF staff
and secretary Of war, as is expected,
Gen. j. NJ. X. Davis will continue TO
| perform the duties connected with that
place until after the completion of the
exercises OF the coast artillery and
Massachusetts militia next summer.
Gen. Davis prepared all the plans
for the maneuvers before his recent
promotion, and Gen. Murray believes
the exercises could best be carried on
matter which | dare not discuss"
President Draws Line.-One sub
lect upon which President Roosevelt
will not express an opinion or give
advice has been discovered at last. II
Is women's headgear. A mere man
who saw the President at public re-
ception recently asked Mr.. Roosevelt
what he thought about the spring
style of women's hats. The President
was astonished and slowly recovering
his cOmposure gasped: That is a
matter which dare not discuss.
Concerted Women's Movement.-It
is believed that if half a score of so
ciety women can control it, another
season in the capital will see the
punch bowl abandoned and the wine at
dinner a thing Of the past. A con-
certed move Is being made against
the use of wine at dinner and the
punch bowl at receptions, and the
leaders have every confidence IN their
ultimate success. Mrs. J. b. Hender-
son, whose aversion to punch and
wine is well known, goes further and
eliminates meat from her menu. She
is working hard 10 make the use of
intoxicants questionable and is really
at the head of the movement. Next
to Mrs. Henderson the person most
prominent in the movement is Mrs.
MacFarland wife of the president of
the district commissioners. The Mac
Farlands are total abstainers. The
movement so far consists In taking
the matter up among the friends Of
the crusaders and getting each to
pledge herself to serve no wine and
have no punch bowl. The crusaders
say they have met with considerable
success. In many fashionable homes
where the punch bowl was formerly
used on social occasions it has been
uoticeably absent of late.
The Cause of the Cold Sprine.-As to
the cause OF the unreasonable weather
now prevailing, the experts of the
weather bureau have two facts and
one theory The first fact is that
practically every bit of the cold air
that has been rushing down from the
northwest, thereby converting the
merry month of May into one of dis
heartening chilliness, has come from
the direction Of Siberia. The second
fact is that it has come in such great
volumes that it has leaped over the
natural barriers found in the noun
tains Of British Columbia and spread
over the northwest, the middle west.
around the great lakes to New York
and New England and as far south as
Kansas. Why this more than ordinary
volume of frigid air is the thing the
weather bureau sharps speculate
about. I'VE have an idea" said Prof.
II. c. Frankenfeld of the forecast
division of the weather bureau. that
an extraordinary amount Of snow has
fallen in Siberia during the last five
or six months. All the heat has APP
parently radiated from it, leaving an
intensely cold mass covering the
earth. Arctic winds blowing over
that mass OF snow and ice do not
have their temperature raised to any
appreciahle extent before they hit the
American continent"
Soldier Wins His Feht.-The
case of Homer T.. Grafton VS..
the United States, which attracted
considerable attention. has just been
decided by the Supreme Court OF the
United States in fovor of Graf
ton Grafton is private in the
United States army, and was charged
with the assassination OF two Filipino
natives at Guimiras, Philippine Is
lands. on July "a. 1904. He claimed TO
have been attacked and TO have shot
the two men in self-defence and was
acquitted by the courtmartial which
followed. The authorities Of the
islands. however, took the matter in
| hand. with the result that Grafton was
sentenced on a charge of homicide 20
a term of imprisonment of II years.
The case was appealed from the trial
| court TO the Supreme Court of The