The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1910-01-29

TWO NlCItmS. n DclOo Aooee O
nocturnal meanderings attempted to leave the grounds and collided,
accidentally, of course, with the electrified wire. A sharp cry OF
feline agony rang out upon the frosty midnight air, but the cause
was not learned until mornings light revealed the stifened corpse
of grimalkin, as he lay cold in death. Last week one OF the prison
pigs had the misfortune to mix up with the fence and a $ a result he
enjoyed a premature trip to the butcher shop.
Petty Lost a Chance
Tom Fitch has lost his celebrated sake case, the proceeds from
which were to have afforded a competence for his declining days,
had he won it. Fitch, who was the second member of Congress
from Nevada and a noted orator OF the Comstocks early days, was
trying to get a rebate of 100000 duties collected on sake, a Jap
anese liquor. from certain San Francisco importers, but lost his
case.
Fitch's last partner, Lorrin Andrews, is back in Honolulu, as
Assistant United States Attorney General for the Islands. He has
been there for several months, but there is at least one individual
in the State of Nevada who wishes heartily that Mr. Andrews had
arrived there a long time previous.
This is Petty, now under sentence of death in the State Prison
at Carson. Petty killed his wife at Sparks about a year ago, and
Andrews defended him. The defense made that Petty was a sadlst,
the same grounds On which the Durrant murders were accounted
for. In proof of this. Petty was placed upon the stand and gave
evidence accusing himself of the most horrible depravty and
Observation-Disclosures so dreadfully obscene and filthy that even
the Reno newspapers gagged at it, The jury sentenced hin to
bang, and a current remark at the time was that the jury hanged
him for what he testified to in his own behalf more than for what
was testified against him. 1t has since become quite we'll known
that Mrs. Petty had an "afinity"@ man who still resides in the
vicinity of Sparks-and that some of the "af6nitys" most fervent
letters were in the possession of Petty at the time he killed his
wife. Had Petty's attorneys made his defense the ''unwrihn law,
the jury might have given him a light sentence, but certainly would
not have hanged him. Why Andrews chose the plea of sadism can
not be conjectured. but it was probably for the purpose of making
a sensation, and a sensation generally means advertising. At any
any rate. Petty, in the shadow of the gallows, has good cause to
wish that Andrews got his present appointment half a year before
it did arrive.
A Remarkable Showing
There has been much room for congratulation on the part of
the State that the recent session of the State Board of Assessors
resulted in a net addition of more than $5,000,00O to the taxable
property of the State and of something in the neighborhood of
SIG, 900 a year to the State and county funds.
This is a remarkable showing, and yet there is another depart
ment of the State government that has made an even more remark
able increase in the past Is months. Since J. F. Haley took charge
of the State Bullion Tax agency in July, 1908, the average increase
has been even greater.
The revenue from the bullion tax for 1907, the year before Mr.
Haley took charge, was about $4,000. Although ne served but six
months or less during 1908, by hard work he succeeded in more
than doubling the revenue for that year, the receipts to the State
for the IL months totaing $l01 ,656 20, an increase of sec. 900 over
the year before, or about $50 per cent. The increase for 1909 is
even more remarkable. The total receipts to the State from the
Bullion Tax for 1909 will aggregate about $227,000 an increase
over those of 1908 of about $3.50 900 and over those of 1907 Of
about $4,000.
While mnch of the later increase is due to natural causes, nota-
bly, the development of the copper mines at Ely, the great difference
between the incomes of 1907 and 1908 gives a clue to the hare, per-
sistent effort and fearless aggressiveness of State Bullion Tax Agent
Haley. The suits instituted at his direction against the Florence
|Gold6ed, the Pittsburg Silver Peak, and other companies not only
brought large snms of money directly into the Golfers of the COM
panies inclined to evade their obligations to the State, serving notice
upon them that no cooperation was 8 rich o. s o powerful that il
could with IMMUNITY defy or intimidate the revenue-collectng de-
portmopt ~ tba Gtaka pp1iDp Tv oAoo