davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
ALL BIDS TURNED Down
CANAL CONSTRUCTION TO BE
CONTINUED BY GOVERNMENT
AS HERETOFORE.

Washington, Feb. 27.-It has been
decided not to accept any bids fol
building of the Panama canal. This
announcement was made following tho
meeting of the cabinet and after the
president had been in conference for
an hour or more with Secretaries Taft
and Root.
It was decided that there should he
no Reimbursement inviting proposals
for constructing the canal under the
plan as first laid down, but there will
be a full consideration of the whole
subject before determining upon a
change of the present procedure.
In his letter to the chairman Of the
canal commission instructing that
body to reject the bids for the con
struction of the canal the president
states that the purpose Of the con.
tract was to secure in the building OF
the. canal the services of the best.
most experienced and most skilled
contractors in the country at the
least risk to them and at the least
expense to the government. This pur:
pose failed, he stated, and there wa:
no longer any object for doing the
work by contract.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
coNFEssEs DOUBLE MURDER.
Denver Man Admits Killing Wife and
Daughter.

Denver, Feb. 27.-Benjamin c..
Wright, solicitor for the International
Correspondence school of Scranton,
Pa. is held a prisoner in the city Jail
here on a charge of murder, having
confessed to Chief of Police Delaney
In the presence of witnesses that he
poisoned his wife and his daughter,
Swho were found dead in their home in
1lthis city. I%nfatuation for. Stella Good,
from whom the police claim to have
learned that Wright had neglected his
family, is supposed to have been the
motive for the crime.
According to the statement Of hos
pital physicians Wright himself had
taken no poison. and was shamming
when he seemed to be unconscious.
The contents of his stomach were e
amined and no poison was found.
Wright did not disclose the nature
Of the poison given his wife and child,
but 1t is known they died in agony.
Stella Good has left the city for
Colorado Springs and the authorities
Of that city have been asked to arrest
her. She has been arrested several
times on charges of theft. -
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
ACCUSED OF cowARDlcE.
e~toessel Blamed for Surrender Of Port
Arthur.

etoessel Blamed for Surrender Of Port
Arthur.
st. Petersburg, Feb. PA copy Of
the secret report on the defense OF
Port Arthur, which is the basis Of the
Indictment on which Lieutenant Cen
eral Stoessel, Lieutenant General
Fock, who commanded the Fourth
East Siberian division at Port Ar
thur, and Major General Reiss; chief
Of staff Of General Stoessel, are stand
Ing trial for their lives before the SD
preme courtmartial, has been OBJ
tanned by the Associated Press.
1t is of the greatest interest as ex-
planning the decision to try these
three officers and nolle prosequi the
other defenders of Port Arthur. The
report, which was written by Lieuten.
ant General Smirnoff, the actual COM
mandant of the fortress, is sensational
in the extreme and categorically &C
clses Stoessel of cowardice and In
capacity and, finally, of the deliberate.
reasonable fastening of the surren-
der to saw his own life and In def
ance OF the decisions of two successive
councils Of war. The report is biased
In the extreme, breathes the most bit
ter personal enmity and shows that
the high officers Of the Port Arthur
garrison in the darkest days of the
siege were almost at each others
Threats.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
TWO SCORE CHILDREN DEAD
FlRE IN ScHooLHoUSE AT MON.
TREAL RESULTS IN TERRI.
BILE LOSS OF LIFE.

Montreal, Feb. 27.-The Hochelaga
Protestant school on Prefontaine
street, in the French section of the
city, caught fire during the afternoon
while filed with pupils and before tie
firemen in the nearest station could
reach the SPOT many children had been
smothered to death. The rescue was
quick, but at 8 O'Clock, although some
thirty childrea had been taken out
alive, it is feared that in the top story
there are, in addition to the bodies
taken out, twenty more dead, includ-
ing a teacher, Miss Maxwell. 1t is
stated that all the teachers except
Miss Maxwell saved themselves as
well as the larger pupils. 1t was due
to Miss MaXwell's heroism in rushing
UP stairs to save the younger pupils
that she lost her life.
At $3.50 o'clock the nineteenth body
had been brought out, all of them kin
dergarten pupils, excepting that OF
Miss Maxwell.
There we're ESQ children in the
school when the fire started.
The fire broke out in the furnace
room and spread with great rapidity.
1t was gotten under control shortly,
although there was a lack Of water on
account of the breaking down Of one
of the big pumps at the waterworks.
but smoke had by that time done Its
deadly work.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS.

-1AFE 49, 1AIA AN
Ffty-four passengers and a train
crew Of about a dozen we're injured
in a wreck Of the Pennsylvania spe
cial, the fast eighteen-hour train On,
the Pennsylvania railroad between
New York and Chicago. which oc-
Cured at a sharp curve at Black
Diamond, Pa. Postmaster Busse ana
a number of other prominent Chicago
ans were among the injured. ss
Major w. u. Smith, widely known
railroad man. and his son. Mcclellan,
aged thirteen, were drowned In Me-
nasha lake, Ark, while duck hunting
Five men were killed in q collision, ll
of a fast mail and an ice train on the
Michigan Central railroad near Ypsdi-
lanti, Mich.
A drunken carousal among indians.
In q tepee on the outskirts 81 SWinuhis
peg resulted Ia the death q tbrtessby
burning. a. #$s
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
NEWS OF THE WEEK
TRIAL OF HARRY THAw.

When the trial Of Harry Thaw for
the murder Of Stanford White was re-
summed, after several days postpone
ment due to the death Of the wife Of
Juror Bolton, DR.. B. d. Evans, an
alienist, was permitted to tell the
story Of Whites death as told to him
by the defendant in the Tombs. The
physician testified that Thaw declared
himself as follows: II never wanted
10 shoot the creature. never wanted
to kill him. I knew he was a foul
creature, destroying the mothers and
daughters of America. but I wanted
through legal mean to bring him to
trial. l wanted to get him into court
TO bring him to justice. But Provi.
dence took charge of it; 1t was an act
of Providence"
Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit Thaw on Tues
connection with the Thaw-White
tragedy. During her examination she
described a dinner given by White at
which a young girl in scanty attire
was placed inside a large pie and
stepped out of it onto the table IN the
presence of the guests. She also de-
clared that Thaw told her that Stan
ford Whites practices on the young
women whom he is alleged to have
ruined were sometimes unnatural, but
she flushed and declined to describe
them when asked to do so by Thaw's
attorney. Thaw's letter to Anthony
Comstock was introduced in evidence
and read to the jury. 1t complained
of Whites alleged practices and de.
scribed the various places where they
were carried N.
In continuing his cross-examination
of Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit Thaw Wednes-
day District Attorney Jerome brought
out the fact that in 1902 Stanford
White deposited $3.50 with a New
York trust company with instructions
that it should be paid to the Nesbit
girl at the rate of $s5 a week. Mrs.
Thaw's inability to remember was by
far the most material element of the
cross-examipation, the witness repeat-
eddy declaring in reply to questions:
II don't remember" The district at
torney delved into the witness past
life with a familiarity as to details and
a store of general knowledge which
seemed to amaze all who heard, not
excepting the defendants counsel.
The climax Of sensationalism
seemed to have been reached in the
Thaw trial Thursday when District
Attorney Jerome continued to lash
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw under a pitiless
cross-examination. No secret Of the
woman's past was too intimate for the
district attorney to make her lay it
bare. He made her admit, with tears
streaming down her cheeks, that her
relations with White continued for
several months after the first event,
when she claimed to have been
drugged. Mrs. Thaw declared that in
every instance she had been piled with
wine. AS the district attorney barred
her relations with White Mrs. Thaw
wept bitterly. !Thaw sat with his face
buried in his hands.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
FOREIGN NEWS.

The Nicaraguan forces on Feb. 20
captured, without opposition, the town
Of Eltruinfo, in Honduras, and Thurs
day, after six hours hard fighting, the
Nicaraguan army occupied San Ber-
nardo, an excellent position, owing to
the fact that 1t is in communication
by land and water with the MIC
araguan base Of operations. Many
Hondurans were killed or wounded.
A disastrous steamship wreck, at
tended with great loss of life, occurred
Thursday of the Hook of Holland
when the Great Eastern Railway COM
pany's steamer Berlin, bound from
Harwich, Eng, to the Hook Of Hol-
land, wa lost. With the exception Of
one passenger all on board, al per-
sons in all, Of whom ninety-one were
passengers, were drowned. -.
The French ecclesiastical and state
authorities are still at odds owe two
points relating to the contracts for
church leases, namely, the clause
holding the parish priests, as lessees,
responsible for keeping the churches
in repair and the clause prohibiting
members Of dissolved religious orders
from becoming parties to contracts.
A dispatch from Las Esperanzas,
Mex, says that 100 dead bodies have
been taken from the coal mine Of the
Mexican Coal and Coke company In
which an explosion Of gas occurred
several days ago. There r known to
be twenty-three men still entombed
In the shaft and it is practically GER
tain that all are dead.
The postofice at Warsaw, Russian
Poland, was attacked by a band Of
terrorists. who shot and killed the
postmaster, two postal clerks and two
soldiers guarding the ofice and wound.
ed a score Of bystanders. The terror.
lists robbed the safe Of the cash and
stamps and escaped in cabs.
A mass meeting Of citizens Of King
ston, Jamaica, condemned Governor
s%wettenham for preventing monetary
assistance coming there. The meet
ing adopted q petition to parliament
for a grant Of $75O.000 and . loan Of
$4,000, 900 to assist In the rebuilding
Of the city.
The troops Of General Bonilla. prees-
ident OF Honduras, attacked the forces
Of General Zelaya. president Of Mic
aragua, which were guarding the MIC
arseuan frontier. After many hours
hghting the army Of Honduras was
defeated.
BY q majority Of 351 the French
chamber Of deputies expressed conn;
dence in the government and author.
lied 1t to conclude negotiations for
the leasing Of churches TO parish
priests. y: b WAN:
All the passengers on board the
Austrian Lloyd steamer Impe1atrix,
which ran on . rock Friday evening
near Cape Maphonisi, were saved, but
] iarty membsrs Of the Grew psrishsd.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
70 COST $so,ooo,ooo.
Bio Passenger and Freight Terminals
i At Kansas City,

Kansas City, Feb. 27.-An agree.
ment to build passenger and freight
terminals at Kansas City at an esti.
mated cost to the railways of $5O,OOO,-
900 has been reached at q conference
here. between John M. Egan, president
Of the Kansas City Terminal Railway
company, representing the leading
railways entering this city, and a coln-
mittee Of city officials headed by
Mayor H. M. Beardsley. The railways
are to erect a $~2,00O,OOO Union passeu.
ger station e Grand avenue and
Twenty-second street, on the South
Side; I'VE Union freighthouses along
the. river front In the west bottoms
and forty street viaducts and sub.
ways, the latter to be maintained by
the railways. The city agrees to give
the railways q nfty-year grant for
their terminals.
ga
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01

management in the future the pres.
ident has asked the canal commission
to assign to the Office of chief engi.
neer Major George w. Goethals of
the engineer corps. IT
Major Gaillard and Major Sibert.
members of the engineer corps, arc
to accompany Major Goethals to the
isthmus and assist him in his labors.
They are to be appointed members of
the commission.
The president requests the commits
sion to take formal action necessary
to reject the Oliver and Macarthur
BIDS in accordance with the power re-
served to it in its invitation.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
DUE TO CLERICAL ERROR.
sub-Treasury Officials Abandon Theft
Theory.

Chicago, Feb. 27.-The government
officials who are working on the dis
appearance of $4,000 from the sub
treasury in this city declare they are
unable to trace the theft to any one
person and they have formed the
strong opinion that the disappearance
is not the result of a theft but of a
clerical error. 81
Captain Porter of the secret serv-
ice, who has charge of the case, said
that he believed the matter will be
Strengthened out before night. He
would not say that he had abandoned
the theory of a theft, but other Off
Gals connected with the sub.treasury
declared that the idea of an error was
receiving far more consideration than
that of a possible robbery.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
RESIGNATION OF CHIEF ENel.
NEER ACCEPTED ~ THE
PRESIDENT.
ARMY OFFICER WILL SUCCEED RIn
STEPS TAKEN TO SECURE CON
TlNUITY OF MANAGEMENT
IN FUTURE.

Washington, Feb. 27.-The presi.
dent has received a letter from John
F. Stevens, chief engineer of the Pan
ANA canal, in which he asks to be en-.
tirely relieved from work on the canal
as o on as he can be replaced by a
competent person and that person can
become familiar with the work. The
president has accepted Mr.. Stevens
resignation. In order to secure con-
tinuity in engineering control and
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
CRIMINAL NEWS.

webster H. Guerin, alias Louis
fisher, proprietor of the Harrison 4lt
,ompany. was shot and killed at CHI
eago by Mrs. Flora Mcdonald, wife of
Michael G. Mcdonald, q millionaire,
who was for many years the Den6o-
cratic political "boss" Of Chicago. The
motive for the killing is not known,
but from what Mrs. Mcdonald mas
said it is believed that for ONE time
Guerin had obtained money from her
by the threat Of making disclosures
to her husband unless paid for keep
ing silent.
"Dr." A. L. Brannon, a Maiden (A1o.)
saloonkeeper, shot and killed Attorney
D. B. Cox and DR.. J.. w. Beall in the
latter's office as a result of differences
over the liquor question. A few hours
later Brannon was shot and killed
while being removed from the jail at
Maiden to Kennett for safekeeping.
The killing of Brannon was by an IN
identified person standing in the
shadow Of a building near the Maiden
Jail.
The federal grand jury In New York
city has indicted the Great Northern
Railway company on a charge Of VIZ
lating the Elkins act BY paying re-
bates to Lowell F. Palmer, traffic
agent of the American Sugar Refining
company.
Following the raid Of an alleged
"b!ind tiger" liquor shop at Sandford,
I'd, ry q sherif's posse two stores
and the Methodist church at Sand
ford we're dynamited, the buildings
being completely wrecked.
The Athens county CO., grand jury
has returned five indictments against
former employees Of the state insane
asylum for alleged cruelties practicea
against inmates of the institution.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
PERMITTED TO LAND.
Over 600 Jap Laborers Arrive at San
.Erancisco, &

San Francisco. Feb. 27.-7Six hun
dred and thirty-one Japanese steerage
passengers arrived in port during the
night on the Pacific Mail liner Mon
golia and an equal number r expect.
ed by the immigration officials on the
arrival of a liner from the Hawaiian
islands that will take up the consign.
ment of Japanese that the Nippon
Maru will leave at Honolulu.
No orders were received from Wash
ington by the local immigration Off
cials relative to the debarring of Japa'
nese on the Mongolia from the Cali
fornia shore, and after q perfunctory
examination they were allowed to
land.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
HARTMAN EXPLAINS RECENT
CHANGE OF PRESIDENT OF
ILLINOIS CENTRAL,
SPRINGS SENSATION At HEARING
FORMER HEAD OF ROAD ACCUSED
OF USING POSITION FOR
PERSONAL GAIN.

New York, Feb. 27.-E. II. f1affi'
man, head of the Union Pacific ana
allied roads, while on the stand IN
the interstate commerce hearing,
sprung a sensation while explaining
the recent change Of presidents on
the Illinois Central. He accused the
deposed president, Stuyvesant Fish, OF
using his position to further his per
sonal ends and of other acts incon-
sistert with his duty as head OF the
road.
In 1909, Mr.. Hartman said, after g
returned from Europe, he was a.
preached by several influential dlrec-
tors of the Illinois Central, who asked
him as to the ~advisability OF report
ing several of President Fish's acts to
the board with a view to having the
board request his resignation. MT.
Hartman said that he took steps to
smooth over the difficulty. 1t ap'
peared, he said, that President Fish
had used his official position to fur
ther his own interests, but he (Mr'
Harriman) prevented any action at
that time. Subsequently Mr.. Fish re-
peated acts of the same character and
the board of directors of its volitlon
relieved him of Office. Notwithstand'
ing the boards action, continued MIR,
Hartman, in 1904 Mr.. Fish again be-
gan to deposit money of the Illinois
Central with certain trust companies
"in order to pad statements" The
trouble with Mr.. Fish, said Mr.. Harri-
man, was that he looked upon the Hi.
nois Central as his personal property,
Loaned Money to Himse!f.
I'm addition to that" MI. Hartman
continued, che loaned to himself a
large amount of money during that
summer without the knowledge, I be.
lieve, of the board of directors; and it
was based on those matters that the
directors who had become c%onversant
with these facts approached me after
my return from Europe with the re"
quest that l join with them to take
the matter before the board of direc
IOIS Cl tAG LliiAOIS SC4tloA WILL AK
intention of having Mr.. Fish deposed
I interfered in the interests of Mr.
Fish, loaned him ST. 900 TO take ur
his obligations to the Illinois Central
and let it remain with him for two
years. Most of the principal he paid
back gradually until the securities
which he had up appreciated in value
and he could arrange for the matter
somewhere else or dispose of some
Of it.
%"Subsequent to that he again. in
January, 1904, deposited with the Com.
monwealth Trust company, the sue
cessor Of the Trust Company of the
Republic, additional money again to
pad the statements of that trust com
pany and continued to do various
things of which 1 think I have said
enough. They are matters of record
and can be taken up"
AS MIR. Hartman told the story OF
Mr.. Fish's overthrow from the Illinois
Central every one leaned forward to
catch his explanation of this sensa'
tional railway incident. Fer the first
time Hartman spoke with warmth
and feeling, even using a rare gesture
as he proceeded.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
CHARGE DENIED IN COURT.
Murderer Of Rich London Merchant
Not His Son.

Not His SON.
London, Feb. 27.-The case of
Horace G. Rayner, who shot and
killed William Whitley of West
bourne Grove Jan. "a, was heard in a
police court here during the day.
Counsel for the treasury, which prose-
cuted, dealt at length with the prison
er's parentage and admitted that
there was some doubt on the subject.
Counsel added, however. that he was
prepared to produce overwhelming
evidence to show that there was not
the slightest ground for the sugges.
ton that Rayner was Whiteley's son.
Counsel also asserted that there was
no truth in the report that the de-
ceased merchant had been for years a
victim of an extensive Matchmaking
scheme. The testimony taken threw
new light on the tragedy and the
prisoner was remanded.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
ATTORNEY JEROME COMPLETES
cRoss-ExAMlNATloN OF Ev.
ELYN NEsBlT THAW.
lRIGINAL STORY PRACTICALLY INTACT
ASIDE FROM CERTAIN ADMlS
SloNs WITNESS STICKS TO
FIRST NARRATIVE.

= : wv
hey Jerome has finished his long
eross-examination of Mrs. Evelyn Mes.
bit ThaW at the trial of her husband
on the charge of having murdered
Stanford White. Mrs. Thaw had been
under the district attorneys fire for
nearly five court days. His conclud-
ing questions had to do with what the
witness observed as to Thaw's man
e when he would chance to meet
White. She said he acted as a person
In a fit.
Mrs. Thaw said her husband would
remember the meetings and talk of
them. From Christmas, 1903, until
he shot White he believed the archi-
tect had set the Monk Eastman gang
upon him. He constantly feared
White and said he was being perse-
euted by him.
Mr.. Jerome called Abraham H.
Hummel to the stand to question him
regarding the affidavit Evelyn Nesbit
is alleged to have made against Thaw
in his office. Beyond the fact that the
girl went to the lawyers Office and
that he dictated to a stenographer
while she was there the district at
torney was powerless to bring out
anything more because Of the contin-
ued objection of Mr.. Delmas.
Justice Fitzgerald upheld the objec-
lions on the ground that collateral
testimony cannot be taken to discredit
the witness.
At the conclusion Of her cross-eX-
animation Mrs. Thaw was recalled by
Nj. Delmas for redirect examination.
Evelyn Thaw's Story Intact.
To the observer it is not evident
that Evelyn Nesbit Thaw's story has
been broken to any great extent. The
cross-examination brought out the
fact that Evelyn Nesbit lived with
Thaw as his wife for a year and a
half before they were married, but
there was no attempt made to con
ceal this fact. Mrs. Thaw admitted
it without bubble. She also admitted
that her relations with White contin-
ued for several months after her al
legged ravishment. She also admitted
that Thaw sent cable messages II
White in he name asking him 10 l..
terfere to prevent her mother from
making trouble while shc and Thaw
were travelling together in Europe.
Aside from these admissions, how
ever, her story stands practically as
she told it on her direct examination.
Occasionally Mr.. Jerome succeeded in
inducing her to make her statements
more positive, but he was unable to
induce her to fix dates with any GER
tainty. On these matters her memory
proved to be very bad.
That Mr.. Jerome will attempt to
controvert many of her statements
seems probable. He has confronted
her with DR.. Carlton Flint, whom she
declared she had never seen before.
Mr.. jerome several times asked her il
It were not true that she had gone to
DR.. Flint with Jack Barrymore and
she denied that she had. 1t is also
said that Mr.. Jerome will place IN
the stand several chorus girls and
others who knew of the relations be-
tween Miss Nesbit and Stanford
White.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-03-01
GUILTY OF GROSS NEGLIGENCE
Railroad Officials Responsible for Big
Four Disaster.

Fowler, ind, Feb. 27.-Charles s.
Comley, coroner Of Benton county,
has returned his finding in the case OF
the Big -Four disaster at this place
Jan. 10. He finds that George w.
Sears, assistant train dispatcher at
Kankakee; Charles Mills, conductor,
and John Robbie, engineer, both of
freight train No. 95. and. the head Off
cials and management Of the Big -Four
company were guilty of gross negli-
gence. He also finds that Edward w.
Tripp, engineer of the i'll fated pas
senger train, was running his train at
reckless speed when the accident hap
pened. The coroner, however, did not
order any arrests.