The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1908-12-26

and went down to the bank of the
river about a half mile distant, and
shot himsef in the head with a re-
volver. falling into the water, and was
dead when taken out only a short time
after.
Postoffices AdVanced.-The follow
ing fourth-class postoffices in South
west Kansas are advanced to the
presidential class, effective January /.
and the annual salary fixed as indi-
Gated: Spearville, Kan, $1,000; Col
ony, McCracken, MiltonvaIe, Morgan
and Soldier, Kan, $1,000; Altamont,
Argonia, Attica, Claflin, Little River,
Lucas, Moran, Sylvan Grove and Syl-
via, Kan, s1,1OO.
Must Stay in Penitentiary.-Argu-
ment was made in the federal court
on the application of Charles B. Shep-
pard for his release from the federal
penitentiary on writ of habeas cor
pus. Sheppard was sent up from Utah
for sending obscene books through the
mail. He was formerly an attorney
at Anthony, Kan. He claims he was
wrongfully convicted. Judge Pollock
denied the writ and Sheppard will have
to stay in the penitentiary.
He's the TalIest Student.-When the
January term opens at Friends univer-
sity, Wichita, the tallest college stu
dent ever recorded in the state will be.
in attendance. He is Sidney Hotch-
kiss, six feet nine and three-quarter
inches tall, weighs 225 pounds, and is
10 years old. He is native Kansan.
| With him in his class will be Edgar
Carver, a native of England, who
weighs SO pounds and is five feet tall.
He is also 10 years old
Capture Escaped Convict.-Charles
Baker, an escaped convict from the
state penitentiary, who has been evad-
ing the officers for four years, was
captured at Arkansas City. He had
served sixteen months of a sentence
of two years for forgery, being sent
up from Payne county, Ok. Baker
was turned over to Parole Officer Hig-
gins, who returned with him to Lans-
ing. Arkansas City officers received
a reward of $50 for Bakers capture.
Only % Counties Under ouaran-
Understanding to the biennial report
of State Livestock Sanitary Commits
sioner John B. Baker, issued recently,
the disease known as scabies or mango
will be eradicated from the state
within the next two years. There are
now twenty-eight counties in the west
ern part of the state quarantined be-
cause of scabies. The government
and state inspectors are working hand
in hand trying to eradicate this dis
ease and they are succeeding in doing
!. it rapidly. During the last year the
quarantine has been removed from
eight counties and the coming year
will remove the quarantine from eight
or ten more. The cattlemen are do
ing all in their power to assist the
inspectors. Many of them have dip
ping watts of their own and dip their
cattle regularly each spring and fall
Texas fever has already been almost
eradicated. 1t is the most dreaded dis
ease among livestock, but during the
past year fewer cases of it have been
reported to the state department than
ever before in the history of that de-
partment. New cases developed only
in two counties, Montgomery and
Chautauqua, and these were very light
cases. There were no cases in the
central and south central portions of
the state. Commissioner Baker ex-
poets to have the disease almost COM
pletely wiped out so far as Kansas is
concerned within the next year.
To Triple Packing PIant.-The Cud-
ahy Packing company has decided to
enlarge its plant in Wichita and will
spend in buildings and improvements
on the present plant $1,000,000 within
the next year. This action was de-
termined by the company some time
ago, but it was not made public until
the contract for the sale of forty acres
of land in the packing house district
was filed in the office of the register
of deeds. The price paid for the land
is $4,000. The principal addition to
the present plant will be for the beef
packing department. The plans are
all drawn up and show that the pres
ent capacity of the plant will be
tripled.
To investigate the Bugs.-Wichita
is to have a government field station
for insect investigation. The city Will
furnish a small tract of land and a
suitable building. When such insects
as green bugs. which did so much dam
age in Kansas a few years ago, make
their appearance, it will be the work
of the station there to gather infor
nation regarding the insect and if 1t
is possible of finding some way of de-
stroying 1t.
clerk of the railway mail service with
headquarters at Wichita for six years,
has been appointed superintendent of
the division of railway mail adjust
ment in the postoffice department.