The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-03-15

road company, its president and board
Of directors culpably negligent In hav-
Ing failed to safeguard its passengers
In the recent wreck Of the electric ex-
press train, when twenty-three persons
were killed, the case was laid before
the grand jury, and an indictment
against the company was made out,
but not against the officials.
Capital Punishment Abolished.
The legislative assembly of Porto
Rico adopted the bill abolishing the
death penalty, thus saving the lives OF
several persons awaiting execution.
Letter Is Found Guilty,
Joseph Letter, the millionaire oper-
ator of the famous Zeigler colIIery, the
scene Of numerous labor conflicts dur.
ing the past two years, was found
guilty In the Franklin county court al
Benton, ILL.,, Of violating the state min
Ing laws and will be assessed a nom
inal fine of from $500 to $780, The
charge was that of employing mine
examiner who did not hold a certif
cate issued by the state mining board
at the time Of the disastrous explosion
in April of 1905, in which sixty mer
lost their lives either outright or by
being asphyxiated in recovering the
dead bodies. Letter will appeal.
Herald Pleads Guilty.
The New York Herald company
pleaded guilty in the United States dis
trict court to the charge of circulating
lewd, lascivious and obscene matter in
It's personal column. The indictment
contained eight counts, and fine Of
$1,000 on each count may be imposed
or an aggregate of $4,000. Sentence
was suspended until April g Thi;
case involved the newspaper corpora
ton only. James Gordon Bennett, thc
principal owner, and his advertising
counsel, Manly NJ. Gillian, are boil
under indictments on q similar charge
Standard Oil Loses Point.
In the federal court at Chicago the
motion of counsel for the Standard Oh
company to quash LOTT of the 100;
counts In the indictment charging vic
lations of the anti-rebate law was de
MED; also the court refused to keel
from the jury copy of the Chicago
and Alton freight schedule, which tn,
Standard is charged with evading. TIL
testimony of r. S. Hollins, tariff clerl
of the Alton, that copies of this sched
ule had been sent to hundreds of ship
pers, including the Standard, when
ever new rates were adopted went t,
prove that the Standard officials wer,
not ignorant of the legal rates.
Public Utilities Bill Stolen.
In advance of its official introduction
into the New York legislature the sub
stance of the new Page Merritt public
utilities bill, designed to carry out th,
recommendations of Governor Hughe
for the concentration of all state an,
ten at $4,000 year each, became
known to the public and eVas used t
affect traction stocks oiFthe marke;
Two lobbyists in the employ of thu
Ryan-Belmont interests were suspect
ed of having stolen copy Of the meas
ure from the committee rooIi or from
the public printer. The corporation
are preparing TO fight this bill.
Virginia's Unwrtten Law.
The trial of James and Philip Stro
Their at Culpeper, Va, for the admittet
murder of William F.>Bywaters, VIII.
had wronged their sister and tried t
desert her after forced marriage
ended in a prompt acquittal by th
jury on the strength Of the so GALES
"unwritten law Notwithstanding tha
at the last moment the defense mad
the plea of temporary emotional insar
ity. Although Judge Harrison had in
structed the jury to disregard any sucl
thing as the unwritten law, after tn
verdict was rendered he said to th
jury: II thank you for a verdict which
l think, will be approved by the pub
lie. 1t Is an established precedent il
the state Of Virginia that no man trie'
for defending the sanctity of his hom
should be found guilty"
Pittsburg Councilman Sentenced.
The sentence Of $500 fine and thrc
years Imprisonment was imposed upol
w. A. Martin, common councilman
Of Pittsburg, who had been cOnvicte'
of soliciting a bride in connection wit
the Tube City railroad franchise grant