davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
SOLVED \ MYSTERY
AUTHOR OF AkNIGHTS OF THE WHITE DEATH LETTERS DIS
 COVERED IN CHICAGO.
IS ONLY DRIVER OF \ GaocEpY WAGON
Sent Threatening Missives to Clergy men As Joke--.Conan Doyie's Stories Blamed for Exploit-Robbe Graveyards Of Bones and Coffin Handles at Night.

Chicago, Dec l3.--The mystery of tue Knights of the White Death letters. which were recently sent to various clergymen and prominent citi. zens in this city. with the threat that unless they left large sums of money at designated spots they would be put to death, was cleared up Friday night when William Pollard, 22 years old. driver of groeer's wagon, was ar rested and confessed 10 having sent the missives as a joke. Pollard blamed Conan Doyle's stories of crime for his exploit Fascinated by the novelist's lurid pictures, Pollard declared he had determined to see how they would work out in the hands of the Chicago police So he organized the Knights of the White Death and with Sherlock Holmes fancy wrote out bundle of letters. decorated with skulls and cross bones. The demands for money, he said, were simply added to enliven the mystery, as he never went 10 see whether the money was left or not.
 A few days ago one of the letters reached the Rev. w. 0. Waters of Grace Episcopal church. Ii was ac- through the mail containing bones ap. parently human. and the rusty handles of q coffin Ten thousand dollars were demanded in this instance, the money to be left at night by the clergyman at lonely spot Detectives were post ed at the place indicated in this letter and also at places indicated in similar letters sent to Rev B. r, Roberts of Quinn Chapel and A. c. Dixon of Moody institute.
 T got the bones and coffin handles out of a graveyard" said Pollard. ac- cordins 'o the confession obtained by the postofiice authorities,
 T had intended to let the police keep on worrying until New Years day when l was going to maNe con fession.
 Flow did get the human bones and the coffin trimmingsg That was easy When they dig new grave fin Calvary cemetery. the graves are so crowded together that the side of an old grave often caves in and portions of the interment fall into the new ex- cavation which is then thrown out with the new sand. At night I went Into the cemetery and gathered these things.
 After had sent that coffin handle to Rev. M. Waters I was afraid they would trace 1t to Calvary cemetery because of the cross on It. Besides those to the clerkymen l sent letters to Dr. Adolph Gehrman and to Assist ant Chief of Police Schuettler telling the latter to leave $700 in the con fessonal box of St. Charlotte's church was delighted when 1 read that Dr. Dixon with the detectives stood wait ing ..lnost all night for the white knights to appear for the money"
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
TO WELCOME THE FLEET.
1attIeships to be Reviewed by Presi-
 dent at Hampton Roads.

Washington. Dec. 10.-President. Roosevelt will welcome the return of the battleship fleet to Hampton Roads from it's cruise around the world about noon on February 22, details for which occasion are now being worked out at the navy department The ex. ercises will take place as near ss practicable with the president yacht Mayfiower in the same position as upon the departure of the fleet is to meet the battleships out in the Allan tic and escort them home. About 2,500 of the blue jackets of Admiral Sperrys fleet will be brought to Wash ington to participate in the inaugura- ton ceremonies. After the review in Hampton Roads the fleet will go to New York where the men will be given shore leave.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
HE GAN STAND MUTE 1
THE SUPREME COURT DECIDES AGAINST COMMERCE coMMls-
 SION IN HARTMAN CASE.
THREE OF JUDGES HOWEVER DISSENT
Judges Harlan, Mckenna and Day De. clare Their Belief That All the Cues tions Should Have Been Answered. The Interstate comnission Expected the Decision.

Washington, Dec. l6~-ln deciding Monday the case of Edward II. liar riman and Otto H. Kahn vs. the In. terstate Commerce commission, tho | supreme court of the United States held that the commission is not en. titled under the interstate commerce. law to press questions relative to pri. vate transactions. even though they involve dealings in the securities oi interstate railroads, when tue investi- gation of which such questions are a part has. been begun upon the com. missions initiative.
 The opinion was announced by Jus. tice Holmes and dealt wish the re. fusal of Messrs. Hartman aisd Kahn to make reply to questions put by the commission In the coprse of an inquiry concerning the deafng of Mir Hartman as president of hhe Union Pacific railway in the stocks of other railroad companies, many of which are competing lines. Justice Holmes said the commission's inquiries should be confined to cases in which com plaint had been made. He said pri- vacy should be properly regarded in proceedings begun by the commission for it's own purposes, and that the powers conferred in the interstate commerce law exceeded any which have ever been delegated by con stitutional body of law makers.
 
 In a dissenting opinion, concurred in by Justice Harlan and McKenna. Justice Day declared that the effect of the opinion of the majority of the court would be materially to narrow the scope of the interstate commerce law. These three justices declared the questions of the commission, so far as they were sustained by the United States circuit court for the Northern district of New York, were entirely proper and should have been answered by Hartman and Kahn. Justice Harlan went even further and held that all of the comnHssionis aues- tions should have received responses. Justice Moody did not participate in the case.
 No surprise was expressed by the Interstate Commerce commission a. the decision. It Is not felt by the commission that the decision will af. feet seriously it's powers of railroad regulation. The question passed upon by the supreme court is considered by the commission to be largely academic, inasmuch as the questions propounded to MT. Hartman and to Mr Kahn did not affect materially the determination of the so-called Hartman cases
 Chairman Knapp of the commission said he did not care to discuss the decision, as he had not examined it, but he believed it would not detract from the powers of the commission In the making of future investigations regarding railway transactions.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
 LESS SPIRITS DISTILLED.
Revenue Receipts Show Falling of
 in Consequence.

Washington. Dec. f5.--Commission- CT John c. Capers of the internal Rev enue Bureau in his annual report states that for the last fiscal year there was a decrease in the receipts of $l7.99S.072 as compared with the previous year. and that for the first three months of the current year there has been decrease of s7 7.262.. 23S as compared with the correspond ing months of the last fiscal year.
 The revenues for the full current year are estimated at $250. .000, 900 which is si,665oo0 less than for last rear The production of distilled ;rain spirits was l26.9Ss.74O tax gal lcns. decrease of more than 45.000,- 900 gallons. The prohibition move uent the high price Of grain and the
 sreemcnt among distillers to curtail production are assigned as the reason.
 The total production of denaiured alcohol during the year was 3.s2i.4 wine gallons which is about 240,000 gallons less than for the previous year and from reports received there does not appear to have been any very material increase in the quantity entering into general or agricultural use.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Two New Military Bills.

Washington, Dec. 16.-With recon. mendations for their passage Pres ident Roosevelt Monday sent to con gress drafts of two bills providing aid for the military departments of civil educational institutions. Cae author izes the secretary of war to issue equipment stores and supplies, sucl as may be required for field instruc- tion in such schools and the other appropriates sl00,00O annually for the promotion of rife practice in public schools. colleges, universities and ci- william rifle clubs. Both bills have the approval of Secretary Wright.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
ArranaIna for the lnsuauratlon.

Washington. Dec l5.-James s. Henry. Washington correspondent of the Philadelphia Press. has been ap- pointed chairman of the press com mittee and Charles II. Boynton of New York. vice chairman of the committee on finance for the immigration of William H. Taft on March I. next. Maj. Gen. Barry. commanding the army of Cuban pacifcation. has been designated to command the regular army division of the Inaugural parade and Rear Admiral Sperry, command ing the Atlantic batileship fleet, will command the naval division.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
ID CHANCE MILITIA
PRESIDENT SENDS SPECIAL MES SAGE WITH DRAFT OF BILL
 TO CONGRESS.
MEASURE TO REPLACE PRESENT LAW
Which Mr. Roosevelt Declares is Faulty and Wholly inadequate to Speedy Organization of Volunteer Force-Will Not Add to Expense Country Could Raise Big Army.

Washington, Dec 10.-An emer. gency volunteer army measure was advocated Tuesday by President Roosevelt in special message sent to congress and the draft of the btl, accompanying the message was intro duced in the senate by MT Cullom. The president says the bin Is intend. ed to replace the present law, which was placed on the statute books "pieoemeal and hurriedly. partly on the eve of the war with Spain and partly after hostilities had actually commenced"
 After declaring the present law to be faulty and wholly inadequate to a speedy and proper organization of a volunteer force the president says the bill proposed, which was drawn under supervision of the chief of stan of the army, has the hearty approval of the war department. The message says further:
 Tt is designed to afford the com plete machinery by which, should we be confronted with foreign war, the executive power could proceed at once to transform enthusiastic and patri- otic citizens into efficient and or ganized soldiers. Happily there is at present no cloud upon our horizon. but that very fact affords us the best opportunity to proceed with deliber- ation and care in the preparation of laws adequate and indispensable for our possible war needs"
 It is pointed out by the president that the proposed measure would not call for dollars expenditure during the years of peace and it's enactment into law now would merely be to place at the disposal of the executive power machinery whereby should war threaten the means to wage it could be swiftly brought into being
 The proposed bill is elastic: under It's provisions force of 100000 men could be raised as well as one of 50,- 900.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
BRYAN WILL LECTURE.
A Series of Talks in Pennsylvania by
 the Defeated Candidate.

Lincoln. Neb. Dec. l5,--WillIan Jennings Bryan. after few days res; at Fairyiew, will deliver a number o addresses in Pennsylvania He vii start east December 19. delivering al address at Omaha in the afternoon On the afternoon of December 2f h. will speak at Perryopolis. Pa. ana will deliver an address at UniontowI in the evening, after which he will at tend a banquet given by the Demo cratic club.
 On the evening of December 22 he will speak at Altoona and December 2 be will deliver an address at Phila' dephia. He will return to FairyieN for Christmas.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
WILL USE RAILROAD CAR.
California Health Board to illustrate
 Methods of Preventing Diseases.

San Francisco. Dec i6.-Acting on the suggestion of Passed Assistant Surgeon Colby Fucker of the United states public health and marine hos pital service. the California state board of health has in preparation a car for the purpose of illustrating methods of preventing disease Dr. Fuckers idea is to secure a car from the Southern Pacific railroad and in- stall therein an exhibit showing how lever, tuberculosis and the other com mon diseases could be prevented. Tho Southern Pacific railroad has agreed o furnish this car and both the South. srn Pacific and the santa Fe railroad companies have entered into an agreement to transport this car free of cost over their lines in the state of California This Is the first project of the kind ever attempted In the United States.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
NATION WILL SUE
STRONG MESSAGE IN REGARD TO THE PANAMA CANAL
 CHARGES.
ROOSEVELT SAYS THEY IRE sCURRlOus
He Also Says They Are LibeIous-Has Directed Attorney to Move Against the New York WorId-StorIes Were Known to Be Untrue-Facts Easy to Secure.

Washington, Dec. 16.-President Roosevelt sent to the senate Tuesday A statement concerning the purchase of the Panama canal property by the United States, denouncing in strong language charges that there was any thing wrong in the acquisition by the United States of tho canal property.
 These stories, v-he continues, 'swere first brought to my attention as pub lished in a paper in Indianapolis, called the News, edited by Mir. Dele van Smith. The stories were scurril- ous and libelous in character and false in every essential particular. MT. Smith shelters himself behind the ex- cuse that he merely accepted the state ments which had appeared in a paper published in New York, the World, owned by MT. Joseph Pulitzer
 Tt is idle to say that the known character of Mir. Pulitzer and his newspaper are such that the state ments in that paper will be believed by nobody. Unfortunately. thousands of persons are iilinformed in this re- spect and believe the statements they see printed even though they appear in a newspaper published by MT. Pulit- ger"
 Summarizing charges made in this connection, the president says:
 These statements sometimes ap- peared in the editorials, sometimes in the news columns. sometimes in the shape of contributions from individ- uals either unknown or known to be of bad character They are false in every particular from begininng to end
 "The wickedness Fof the islanders is only surpassed by their fatuity So utterly baseless are the stories that apparently they represent in part merely material collected for campaign purposes and in part stories original iy connected with a view of positive blackmail
 T do not believe we should concern ourselves with the particular individ- uals who wrote the lying and libelous editorials. articles from correspond ents, or articles in the news columns. The real offender is Mir. Joseph Pulit- ger, editor and proprietor of the World While the criminal offense of which Mir. Pulitzer has been guilty is in form libel upon individuals. the great in. jury done is in blackening the good name of the American people.
 The attorney general has under consideration the form in which the proceedings against MT Pulitzer shall be brought"
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
TO STAMP OUT CATTLE FEVER.
Quarantine Regulations Issued by the
 Secretary of Agriculture.

Washington. Dec l6.--Amending the rules to prevent the spread of splen- etic fever in cattle, Secretary Wilson issued an order Tuesday. effective inn mediately. covering changes in feeding stations for noninfected cattle in tran sit Cattle from outside transported into another state by rail through the quarantined limits for rest, feed and water into certain properly equipped non-infectious pens set apart for them at Fort Worth, Tex; Hodge, Tex; Denison, Tex; Los Angeles and Col ton, Cal: Salpulpa. Ok. and other points authorized from time to time.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Would Pardon Black s,ldIers.

Washington. Dec 15.-President Roosevelt sent special message to the senate Monday recommending that some of the Brownsville soldiers be reinstated under certain conditions. The president says he believes that it would be proper now to take back those of the discharged negroes who are willing to tell what they know of the Brownsville riot. Passage of a law permitting such reinstatement is recommended
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Human Remains 17o,ooo Wears old.

Paris, Dec l6-Abbes Bouysson and Bardon, who are conducting exca- vations at Chapelle Aux-Saints, in the Correze department. have discovered human remains dating back 170.00o years to the middle of the Pleistocene age the latest period of geological history The skull presents strong resemblance to that of monkey having long jaw and being devoid of canine teeth The other bones are arched. showing that man usually walked on all fours. The skeleton has been acquired by the natural history museum of Paris.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Money for Carnegie Institute.

Washington, Dec. l0.-Appr1pria- tions aggregating s6sG.soo were made Tuesday at the annual meeting of the board of trustees of the Carnegie in stitution of Washington. This amount is to be used merely to continue pro jects heretofore initiated and is not intended to cover any new work The amount will cover the operations of the institution planned for the year 1909
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
He Need Not Answer.

Washington, Dec. l5.-In an opinion by Justice Holmes. the Supreme court of the United States held Monday that E. II. Hartman and otto Kahn. the latter a New York banker. should not be required to answer the interstate commerce commissions questions con corning dealings in stocks between the Union Pacific and other roads to which they refused 10 make response when the subject was under investigation in New York.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Supposed Thieves Are Caught.

Tulsa. OK, Dee. I5.- Edward Booker and I.uther ProcteF, negroes. said to be the notorious crooks, were arrested at Weleetka, near here Monday on the charge of grand larceny, by Deputy Marshall Nell Hulse of Kansas City They are believed to be the men who robbed R. c Wilson of Lees Summit, Mo. ex-treasurer of Jackson county, of wool valued at $I00.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Castro in Berlin.

Berlin, Dec. 16.-President Castro of Venezuela arrived here Monday evening, The train was late. but was awaited by a dense crowd of people who had gathered out of curiosity. No precautions had been taken to pre- vent the public from orowding the platforms and as the train steamed into the depot the president was greeted with shouts of Long live Castro" There was general lifting of hats and much cheering.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Arkansas Injured by Train.

Syracuse, Kan, Dec. 16.--Harry w. Showers. homesteader who was working In the roundhouse here, sui fered a crushed ankle under Santa Fe engine Tuesday. He was sent to the hospital at La Junta, Col. The wife and 12 children. who live out on a claim about 10 miles from town, will have 10 be helped in the disability of tfeir bread winner.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Senator Hansbrouah No eetter.

Minneapolis, Dec. i6. - Senator Hansbrough's condition late Monda; n,ght showed no change for the bet ter. in fact he is much weaker than he was in the afternoon. He is seri- ously i'll, but his physicians do not ate alarm. The residents of the sen ators home town. Devils Lake, N. D.. are worried over his condition and have sent committee of three to Minneapolis to do what they can to assist him.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
The Wearing of the Green.

That the styles in Porto RICO are quite up to date Is evidenced by these remarks in San Juan newspaper;
 Green is the thing.
 Ties, hats, spats, even garineh'a are green. TO be a sport one must be dressed In green.
 The new style ought to m peopis who are out of. a job with dellgh.- Just consider how many suits "liicn used to be black are now in the heisn' of fashion.v
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Commander Nevius in Salt Lake

Salt Lake City. Dec. l6.-Henry NJ
 Nevius, ommander-in-chief of the G.
 A. R., with his stan. arrived in Salt Lake City Monday afternoon to make arrangements for the annual encamp- ment of the Grand Army, which takes place in this city next August A warm welcome was given the leader of the Civil war veterans by recep' tion committee headed by Gov. Cetler.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
His Malestv ls We'll AqaIn.

London. Dec. 16.--King Edward left here for Brighton Tuesday, his appear ance indicating that he apparently had recovered from his recent attack of influenza. He will remain at the sea side resort until about December Fl when he goes to Sandringham for the holidays By that time he expects to have fully regained his health.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
A Personal Appeal.

If we could talk to you personaliN '
 about the greatmerit of Foley's Honey and Tar, for coughs, colds ana luns trouble, you never could be induced to experiment with unknown prepara,, tions that nav contain some harmsQl drugs. Foley's Honey and Tar eosts youno more and has record ~ 'va's years of cures. Sold by all drnggists'
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
A Heart Was Broken

because her complexion was bad and she could find nothing to clear it aps Ladies: bad complexion is caused by an inactive liver. An inactive liver will be put in perfect condition by taking Banard's Heroine. The unequaled liver regulator Sold by Jackson Drug CO.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Don't Be Hopeless

about yourself when you're crippled with rheumatism or sti0 joints -of course you've tried lots of things and they failed. Try ISallards $ Snow Liniment it will drive away all aches, pains and stiffness and leave you as well as you ever you were. Sold by Jackson Drug Co.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Finds a s2oo Pearl.

Salina. Kan. Dec. 1G-''H Happy" Wescott. baseball player on the Sa. lima team last summer. found pearl last evening in a bucket of oysters which he took home for supper. The pearl Is valued at s2o0 according to the estimate of local jeweler.
The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-17
Brazil and Argentine May Fiqht,

Rio Janeiro, Dec. l6.-The relations existing between Brazil and the Argen- tine Republic are distinctly strained as result of the jealousy following the alleged activities of each country in the matter of increasing it's naval force.