Newspaper Page Text
-~i i "f V^, t*, (fejtj. fB* ^is It News 'SRIGHT SEIT TO SENATE AGAIN ASSAILED Smoot of Utah Suddenly in Grave Danger of Los ing Toga. Senate Committee Will Look into the Mormon Oath. Polygamy in the Church of Brigham Young to Be Probed. Roberts Case in the House Will Furnish a Prece- dent. By W. W. Jarmane. ASHINGTON, Dec. 80.The determination of the senate committee on privileges and elections to reopen the Smoot. case for |he purpose of taking additional testi mony comes as a surprise to nearly everybody. Back of that determina tion however, lies the purpose of the committee to develop a new line of tes timonya line which, if it should bear fruit, will almost certainly result in turning the committee almost solidly against Smoot and perhaps lead to his unseating. Scores of witnesses from Utah and all the other Mormon sections of the country are to be subpoenaed, and the new line of testimony will have to do with the test oath administered to all high church officials. It is believed that this oath makes citizenship allegiance subordinate to church allegiance, and if it does, Smoot will find himself in a very un safe position in the senate. Polygamy and Church. The question of polygamous practices at the present day among the Mormons will also be fully gone into at the forth coming hearing. It is understood that testimony on this point will not be con fined to the Mormons of Utah, but will be extended to every Mormon commu nity in the United States. The obnect of this will be to prove that in spite of the rigid provisions of the Edmunds law and the oath which members of the Mormon church have taken to respect this law, their religious beliefs are so strong as to cause them to obey the mandates of the church rather than the mandates of the courts. It is expected that a good deal of sensational evidence along this line will be developed before the hearing is closed this winter. The Roberts Precedent. The house, by a virtually unanimous vote, denied Roberts, democrat, his seat because it was proved that he had more khan one wife. The house which denied Eoberts his seat was relatively as heav ily republican as the senate is at pres ent. It is argued that as republicans and democrats alike voted against Rob erts in the house, all partizan policies thereby were eliminated from the Mor mon question before congress, and that for this reason no partizan appeal can successfully be made in the senate for Smoot, a republican. It is not charged that Senator Smoot has more than one wife, but it is charged that as one of the highest offi cials of the Morman church he supports a social system which, in the languge of Senator Hale, "obtrudes a religious hierarchy into American politics." If Senator Smoot is unseated it will be mainly on the broad ground described by Mr. Hale. Carlisle Leads right. John G. Carlisle, who since the in ception of the contest has been one of the counsel for the opposition to Smoot, will have full charge of the prosecution. Mr. Carlisle's connection heretofore has been somewhat subordinate to that of Judge Tayler of Ohio, who took the lead in the case against the Utah sen ator largely because he had thoroly fa miliarized himself with the main ques tions involved while he was chairman of the house committee, which, six years ago, reported against the Mormon, Rob erts, a democrat, holding his seat in the house. When Mr. Tayler last winter was appointed to the federal bench in Ohio by President Roosevelt, the prose cution fell to Mr. Carlisle. The testimony developed at the pre ceding hearings, which were prolnoged thru the last two sessions of congress, has been printed by order of Chairman Burrows, and is compiled in three vol umes of about 10,000 words each. GEORGE WASHINGTON'S HATCHET IS POUND The Weapon that Hacked the Cherry Tree Is Discovered. Specia to The Journal. RlICHMOND, .1 VA., Dec. 30.The lit* tie hatchet with which George Washington hacked the cherry __^ tree just before he made his fa mous refusal to tell a lie, is reported to have been discovered in a big tree near Morrisville, which, in addition to con taining the relic, had tons of fine honey in it, which will bring a small fortune to the lucky finder. *$HP3g THIS PAPEB CONSISTS OP EIGHT .PAETS AJfp JOTONAI. TOrftlOE. SEE THAT T013 GET THEM AlJi. By Publishers' Press. CHICAGO,' DOME PAPER QUITS FOR UGK OF CASH "Leaves of Healing" Suspends Because Printing' Stock Sup ply Is Out Off. By Publishers' CHICAGOTress. DEATH OF YERKES REVEALS CHARITY Millionaire Traction Magnate's Check- ered Career Marked by Strange Deeds and Good Ones. Dec. 30.Charles T. Yerkes will is to be probated in Cook county within the next thirty days. It is estimated that the document will dispose of an estate of $15,000,000. It is said Mr. Yerkes left large amounts to charity and to institu tions to be used bv the public. Clarence Knight, wHo was Mr. Yerkes' Chicago attorr has charge of the will. He declineu to discuss its contents before it is filed. When asked as to the truth of the reports that charity has a large place in the testa ment, he said Mr. Yerkes was a char itable man, but did not parade the fact before the public. Now that the famous street railway promoter and manager is dead, acts of charity which he kept secret are de scribed. It has been learned that he had more than 200 pensioners on his books. Hospitals, art museums, scien tific societies ancl colleges are said to be mentioned in the will. YERKES' LEGACY OF SORROW Domestic Entanglements of a Life Full of Strife. New York Herald Speeial Service. New York, Dec. 30.While the body of Charles T. Yerkes, millionaire trac tion magnate, is lying at his residence, No. 864 Fifth avenue, every effort Is being made to smooth* over for the brief time before the funeral, the do- .Dec. -SO.Consternation reigned in Zion City today aB a result of the suspension of Dowie'B paper, "Leaves of Healing," which has been published since the apoBtle first began his work in Chicago in 1892 and has attained a world-wide circulation. The cause is said to be'lack of money with which to purchase paper. Dr. Speicher, acting general overseer of Zion City, announced that there would be no issue of the paper this week, but he hoped to resume soon. "We are in a Btate of transition here under orders from Dr. Dowie," said Dr. Speicher. "Affairs of the government of the city are being turned over to the triumvirate he arranged before leaving. The money is in the hands of this triumvirate and we have not been able to get enough to buy print paper.'' THIRTY HURT IN CAR'S PLUNGE. Lake Geneva, Wis Dec 30 LewiB Erbe shot and killed his wife. Sarah Erbe, at 5.30 clock tills afternoon ana then shot himself, dying instantly. The couple had been having domestic troubles for some time KILLING AT LAKE GENEVA. Paterson, N Dec 30 A car on the Hackensack & Paterson trolley line jumped the track on a sharp curve late tonight Thirty persons -were hurt and many others shaken up The motorman lost control of the car going down a steep hill. SmmwKmmimmmrm** tm* xU mestic tangle into which the man's queer sense of ethics had plunged him. The body is at the home of the legal widow, but for the last* years Mr. Yerkes had not entered it, nor had the widow visited him during the last weeks of his fatal''illness until yester day afternoon, when she was informed he was dying. In Philadelphia is the wife who di. vorced him many years ago, after she i had borne him the son and daughter who attended his bediside vesterday. Another home is but a stone's throw from the mansion where the body lies today. It is at No. 660 Park avenue, where lives Susan Grigsby and her beautiful daughter Emilie, in a white stone residence, furnished with all the lavish display that the millionaire loved. It is this establishment and its handsome young ownerfor the prop erty is held bv Miss Grigsbythat ac counts for the three years' estrangment between. Mr. Yerkes and hio -wife. Wido a Prisoner. And in the .Fifth avenue house the widow for the last five months has been a prisoner by reason of the man's de* sire to divorce her. She has been or dered to leave the mansion by Samuel Untermyer, his personal counsel, and on her refusal it had been threatened that gas, water and electricity would be shut off. Her own lawyers had told Continued on 4th Page, 4th Column. ii COAL OIL JOHNNY" DYING IN POVERTY Man Who Spent Three Millions in Seven Months Is Near End. Special to The Jfcfctnal. RAUKLIN* "PA., Dec. SfcIn a little house on the Moffet farm at Fee, a few miles from this place, a life is going out tonight. John Steele, known thruout the en tire world years ago as "Coal Oil Johnny," is dying of pneumonia. After years in obscurity on a Kansas farm, the man who, when young, es tablished the record of spending $3,000,000 in seven months' time, has been downed by pneumonia and the physicians do not think he can recover. He is 64 years of age, frail and pov erty stricken. Steele performed his feat of spending money under difficulties. He spent most of it in the unsettled oil regions where money was hard to spend unless one wished to dabble in oil, and this "Goal Oil Johnny" never did. It is said by those who knew him best that he never made one invest ment in oil. His immense fortune came to him in a windfall and he spent it like a king. What he saw that he liked he bought, and bought it then and there, never haggled, over the price and never took any change. One of the favorite tricks was to light his cigars with $100 bills. He had a band imported from New York to play for him while he ate, and had his own private opera troupes and his own opera house in a suburb of Oil City, Wessington Springs, S. D., Dec. 30. Revival meetings will begin at the M. E. church Jan. 2. O. A. Miller, of Chicago, will assist "Rev. Mr. Crowther. vr r-fY f'rmnwv vrt%' trwwwyvwvv wvw vvvvvvrvrfr rvrfWYV vvvrrt xmwmm-iiMXT/irmaaxmvx^ GtMHHCl Murder in Second Degree, Says JuryMeans Life Imprisonment. Murderess of Her Step-Chil dren Weeps in Court- room. RS. STELLA BRENNAN is a murderess. By the verdict of a .-jury of her peers returned late yesterday after noon she stands convicted of the" cold blooded murder of her 14-year-old step daughter, Elizabeth Brennan. She will be sentenced next Tuesday morning to serve a life sentence in the penitentiary. Nothing can now save her from that fate but the supreme court, to which her attorneys say an appeal will be taken, or the pardoning board of the state. With the nerve that enabled her to murder three innocent children while they slept, to shoot a fourth thru the face and then to inflict an ugly wound upon herself still unshaken, Mrs. Bren nan walked into Judge Dickinson's courtroom yesterday afternoon. Her long black veil was over her face, but she seemed the least aaccitecl person in. the crowded courtroom as she sat quietly awaiting the coming of the men who held her fate in their hands. Crowd Held Its Breath. The jurors took their places. The crowd held its breath as Clerk Edward Goff asked, after calling the roll: "Gen tlemen of the jury, have you agreed upon a verdict?" "We have," was the solemn answer and as the fateful paper was handed to the clerk, to the judge, who read it without changing countenance and back to the clerk again, the woman did not move except to follow the document that meant so much to her, with eyes that showed no fear. The clerk read. When he came to the words: "Guilty of murder in the sec ond degree," there was an almost in audible catching of breath among the crowd. The defendant bad raised her veil, and not'a muscle of her face changed. J. C. Cormican, one of de fendant's counsel, asked that the jury be polled. The namfp we*- ^taakand each man was askeJ in tu9 if that, was his verdict. Mrs.fireima id Not until the last name had been read and the last answer given did the convicted murderess show a sign of suf fering. Then the tears that had been gathering in her eyes brimmed over. She bowed her head, covered her eyes with her handkerchief and wept silently. Only a few sobs shook her. Then she Continued on 4th Page, 7th Column. YEAR'S WAB TOLL IS WORSE THAN IN 1904 Chicago, Deo. 30.The number killed in war during 1005 exceeds the record of 1904, notwithstand ing the close of the Russo-Japanese contest. The total loss for the year is about 540,000, as compared with 400,000 in 1004, 86,000 in 1903, 26,000 in 1902 and 3,000 in 1901. The loss is distributed as fol lows: Russo-Japanese, 298,965 Russia, civil strife and mas sacre, 162,000 Trans-Caucasia, 6,900 Africa, 1,690 Philippines, 535 Morocco, 580 East Indies, 260 Bulgaria, 134 Macedonia, 61 Armenia, 27. $- -s THAT'S THE QUESTION. The InvestigatedWhat we want to know is, who's going- to investigate congress?*^? TOUR *W MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, SUNDA^MORNING, DECEMBER 31, 1905. 72 PAGESPRICE 5 CENTS. Special to The Journal. CHICAGO, ON POLAR QUEST, BORNE BY AIRSHIP Walter Wellman and Santos-Dumont Will Seek North Pole in a Flying Machine Next June. Dec. 30.Walter Well man has been commissioned by the Chicago Record-Herald to find the north pole in an airship. He has accepted the task and the flying ma chine is now under construction in Paris, under the personal supervision of Santos-Dumont who will accompany Wellman on the journey. The expedition is not hampered by a lack of funds. The flying machine is to be completed the latter part of April and will undergo a series of trials around Paris, crossing the Mediterran ean and the North seas. In June all the paraphernalia is to be assembled in Norway and the start will be made from Spitzbergen, which will be headquar ters. The start will not be made until the weather is favorable and Mr. Wellman will send daily reports of his progress by wireless telegraphy. A Week, Then the Pole, In discussing his chances, he says that with fair weather, the expedition should be at or very near the pole in side of a week from the start. Allow ing a week for observation, photograph ing and marking the location, it is es timated they can return to Spitzbergen in another week. The main idea is to await favorable conditions and then make speed. There will be no snow or ice blockades to over- New York Herald Special aWe Service. Copy right, 1905, by the New York Herald. All Sights Reserved. S T. PETERSBURG, Dec. 30.Rus- sian ^roubles are like apples in a pajl of water. When forced "down |tt qne point they bo up in an other. Thus, at the moment the executive committee called off armed resistance in Moscow troubles, just as serious troubles have broken out at Kieff and Rostoff, while in the Don coal dis trict business is paralyzed and agrar ian troubles are increasing. At Tvar also the situation is serious. The Morosoff factory, employing 15,000 men, is in full strike, forcing all other factories to stop. The bridge at Sirzan, over the Volga, has been blown up. This cuts off the Siberian line. There are also labor disturbances in Ural, and also among the workmen of the Siberian line. One train got thru to Moscow with troops, somehow, but news has just been received that the line is now utterly shut. Grave damage has been done in the neighborhood of Lixoslav. Battle Near Capital. In the Narva district, a suburb of St. Petersburg, yesterday afternoon Cossacks met armed bands of workmen and fired, killing and wounding thirty CRUSHED IN MOSCOW, NEW REVOLTS ARISEIt Hundreds Die in Bombardment at Ancient CapitalFresh Uprisings in Other Russian Cities and New Peril in St. Petersburg. I NwawwiMWIIiiilnl'ifM 'ii i i ill, mi iwi MINH$QTA 'STC *J2AL sages. It is expected the power of the machine will cover distances in a day, that under the laborious sledge methods would take months. Mr. Wellman says in part: "Undoubtedly the general verdict will be, when the plan of this expedi tion is announced, that it is a most reckless adventure. Most people will say that to combine the hazards of aerial navigation with those of the travel over the Arctic sea, is an invi tation for the fates to do their worst. We must expect criticism. Some of our best friends may question our sanity. But men who fully understand arctic work thru aotual experience, and who are thoroly familiar with the progress that has been made in the art of aero-navigation do not agree that the work is hazardous." Five Men In Party, The flying machine will carry fiv* men. It will be capable of remaining in the air twenty-one days without re plenishing the gas supply and three en gines or dynamos will drive it, in ordi nary weather, at rate of eighteen miles an hour. It is estimated that i'1 will make twelve miles an hour against adverse winds. Generators will be car ried so that the gas may be replenished without returning to any station. Aside from the men and the machinery, the machine will have a carrying capacity of 800-pounds storage. *f c. men. The latter returned the fire and emptied the saddles of eight Oossacks. One of the officers was killed and sev eral wounded. The Cossacks were or dered to fire again twice, but refused. A messenger who has just come" reports heavy fighting going on at Tvar. The revolutionaries have destroyed a great quantity of signals along the line, crippling it for some time to come. The telegraph posts have been sawed down. The workmen's executive committee, sitting here, proposes postponing active proceedings for a week or two to see the effect made on the government which is inclined to make serious con cessions. The workmen, if they come out, wish to do so armed. Durnovo to Be Premier. The latest and most interesting pieee of news is that M. Durnovo will in a short time be appointed prime minister, which means reaction of the strongest sort. The appointment of M. Akimoff, a brother-in-law of M. Durnovo, as the new minister of justice was made with out Count Witte's approval. In fact he warmly protested against it. The general construction placed upon this fact is that of a direct invitation to Count Witte to tender his resignation. Continued on 2d Page, 4th Column. lSkm*&A&*. K*J 1vj*c& kjX&jtis&im&tXitdE*. ***rf*?* am/am- &&& i hm\(\ AY AND MONDAY VARIABlA wur^ come, no delays because of closed pas- Man Who Prosecuted Coeur *3p#^P^W' art4* DYNAMITERS KILLm STEUENBERG.LATE Assassins Slay Former Ex-^ ecutive of Western State at His Gate. "1 D'Alene Gang Is Mur dered at Home. Bomb Fired as Idaho Man Enters on Way to Family. Picturesque Figure of the West Assassinated By Mysterious Plotters. Speoial to The Journal. OISB, Idaho, Dec. 30.Prank Steuenberg, former governor of Idaho and famous thruout the nation fox is relentles pT-oscxrtiy f the notorious Conor D'Alone gang in 1899, met a dreadful death this evening at the hands of unknown foes. As he was entering the front gate of his house in the suburb of Caldwell, a dynamite bomb was exploded, blowing off both of his legs and inflicting fatal internal injuries. The distinguished Idahoan died in twenty minutes. The crime is one that will rank in history for its peculiar fiendishness. Governor Steuenberg, as he was famil iarly called, was about to join his fam ily at supper. His wife and three chil dren were awaiting his coming. The evening meal was spread npon the table. was forty minutes past six o'clock and quite dark. The country near the Steuenberg home is not thickly settled, and the dynamiters, protected by the darkness, were able to work freely with out fear of discovery. Gate Sprung the Trap. They rigged up an infernal machine that would respond to the action of the opening of the gate. The former governor's movements must have been carefully watched, as the machine bomb was connected with the hinged gate within a few minutes of his appearance. As he opened the gate there was a 34 terrific explosion and a flash of light ~j that could be seen clearly for a mile illuminated the premises. Mr. Steuenberg was hurled thirty feet and was picked up nearly lifeless. Death resulted more from shock than from loss of blood. The deed was committed in such a short time and the confusion of the moment was so great that no one gave a thought to the perpetrators. Mem bers of the family, the servants and neighbors hurried to the stricken man and tenderly carried him to his home. Physicians were summoned and applied powerful restoratives, but to no avail. Dynamiters Escape. And in the meantime the dynamiters were making their escape. Immediately it was known that a machine bomb had been the cause of the murder, word was sent to the au thorities here, and the news was flashed to all the surrounding cities, towns and villages. No description of the crim inals could be given, but clews are ex pected within a few hours. The reason for hoping that ultimately the guilty ones may be caught is the general belief that some of the ex-gov ernor's enemies of the Ooenr D'Alene days are involved. Incurred Enmity. iy A Six years ago Governor Stenneberg invited serious enmity among the mem bers of the so-called inner circle of the Conor D'Alene dynamiters. He pur sued them ruthlessly, and some were known to have sworn to obtain re venge. But these threats were long ago forgotten by the former executive i and his friends. They were regarded I as the utterances of men who were} embittered at the moment. With these facts in mind, Governor Gooding, who was notified of the mur- t- der, at once entered into communica- %x-s^* tion with the authorities of the county! in which the old ex-Couer D/Alene i "f gang flourished. He wired the sheriff and the Pinkerton officials to spread (SS out their net and arrest suspicions characters. The governor will an nounce a large reward for the cap ture and conviction of the murderers. Ex-Governor Frank Steuenberg was one of the most picturesque figures of his state. A native of Iowa, he was nevertheless typical of the far west, i rough, hearty man of the plains and the hills. He was never east of the Mis sissippi river until after he had be come chief executive of the state of i Idaho in 1897. He stood seven feet in his stockings, straight as an Indian and as broad as a heavyweight pugilist. He was an outspo&en advocate of woman's suffrage, which had been ac cepted by Idaho. He was also a staunch supporter of Mormonism, al-i tho not a member of that faith. Governor Steuenberg served two terms, from 1897 to 1901, being the candidate of the democrats and silvei republicans of his state. He proved a good executive, and put down strike. riots among the miners with an iroa