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The ' D?1LY PRESS isljthe only newspaper in Newport News that re? ceives the Associated Press dispatches. gg -gsssraresrr: as VOL. X., NO. 65. LITTLE FIGHTING OF A SERIOUS NATURE Situation m Far Fa^t Jellies Down to Exciting Toot Race t o H a r b i n. NEGLECT NO PRECAUTIONS Russians Leave Nothing Undone to Impede Pursuit and Hamper Con? struction of Permanent Japanese Lines of Supply?General Linevitch's Forces Proceeding in Two Columns. (Pt Associated FrcJBB.) ' ST. PETERSBURGER, March 21.? 2:17 a. m.?Tho latest dispatches from Manchuria indicate that tho retreat of the Russian army is being conduct? ed uneventfully. The last few days wore unmarked by any fighting of a serious nature. Both the Russians and tho Japanese at this stage proba? bly consider that marohing is more important than fighting. The Rus? sians, however, are neglecting no pro cautions to impede pursuit and lianvper the construction of permanent Japa? nese lines of supply. Chinese.Deserting Russians. GUNSHU PASS. March 20.?Morn? ing?The last two days have been ut? terly without incident. The Russian rearguard is retreating slowly and en? gaging in occasional skirmishes. It has now reached a position twenty seven miles north of Tie Pass. Reports of a wide turning move? ment by the Japanese are no longer being received. There U>- increasing difficulty in securing -'reliable informa? tion beyond- the .limits .in-which scout? ing parties are active, on accouut of tho defection of many Chinese to the Japanese side. Many natives who have been employed as servants by Russian ofPcers have run away and other eonseiuonces of the evacuation of Mukden are noticeable in the atti? tude of the Chinese. DOING "HOT FOOT" IN A DOUBLE COLUMN Russians Divirtc Their Forces and ! Rush Toward ' Harbin, Ahead of Victorious Japs. (I'.y Associated Press.) sit. PETERSBURG. March 20.-1:20 p. til.?Anxiety regarding the fa* j of General LinoA itch's farce continues. I he main danger to them being the Jap? anese columns which are hurrying northward along the groat, trade route twenty miles west of and parallel with the line of retreat. The heads ^of those columns wer? officially reported to be passing Fako man. thirty miles northwest of Tie Pass, on Friday. Their appearance doubtless hastened Hi? Russian re? tirement, which may now have become, literally a race northward- as once the Russians are iioadod off it. would he easy for the Japanese, by a short cut to throw themselves across the lino of retreat. After leaving Kalyuan Linevitch is believed to have divided his a>my. the main portion clinging- to the rail? road and the other falling back along the Mandarin road, wnich runs to Kir in. it being impossible to leave the lat? ter open to^he Japanese lest they then -be aide; to creep up on the left Hank. At. the same time it is recognized that a separatum of forces is always attended with the danger of giving the enemy an opportunity to concentrate ami fight tho army in detail. Some ni'diaiy men here believe that. Lino vifch will try to hold the line from Kirin to Changoun, 120 miles north of Tie/J'ass. The First corps composed of steady iroops from St.. Petersburg and formerly commanded by General MeycndorfT, is covering the retreat, which the war office declares is pro? ceeding in an orderly fashion. Com? plete details of the losses at the battle of Mukden are not yet available at the war office but the reports'thus-far re. coived indie ale that. 120.000 men wer? killed, wounded or made prisoners and that, about eighty field guns wore cap? tured. Almost, every siege gun, it is affirm? ed, was removed. Second Army Has Easy Time. ST. PETERSBURG, March 20.?A NE1 dispatch from General Lihcviteh. dat? ed March 1!'. !) p. in., hays: "The commander cf the Second army reports (hat lie lias had no further fighting. No reports have been re? ceived Trom the First or Third armies. "I have inspected the troops which have arrived from Russia. They arc in excellent spirits and good health." Japs Unearth Russian Guns. WASHINGTON. I). C. March 20.? The Japanese legation today received the following cablegram from Tokio: "At -1 a m.. on March 15) our de? tachment occupied Kalyuan. twenty miles north ofTie Pass. The enemy afterward attempted a counter attack but were repulsed. "The enemy burned bridges on tin: ni-iin road south of Kalyuan ami also destroyed part of a railway bridge. A nun lor of Russian guns were found buried near Mukden." Dragoons to Put Down Disorder. RORIOSK. FPROPh'AN RUSSIA. March 20.?Three squadrons of dra? goons have started for Berezina, whore armed Jews are reported to I have killed the chief of police am! a I number of ids assistants. TOBACCO TRUST MERGER ILLEGAL In Violation of Federal Constitution bays Richard T. Dana. Administra tc-r cf Richard S. Dana's Estate. (By Associated rress.) TRENTON. N. J, March 20 ? Rich? ard T. Dana, administrator of the re? cently deceased Richard S. Dana, to? day filed in the court of chancery a bill to have set aside as illegal the merger of the American Tobacco Com? pany and the Continental Tobacco Company into the American Tobacco Company. Mr Dana holds 5.000 shares of stock of tiie original American Tobacco Com? pany. ^c _ _ . . ? He claims that the merger was ef? fected without the consent of himself or Richard S. Dana and that the mer? ger is in violation of the State and Federal constitution. He further claims that the merger violates the fedeial constitution in that it is an impairment of the contract. Dana names not only the company, but the director? as defendants in his sub. and among others names James R. Duke. Thomas Dolan and Thomas F. Ryan as party defendants. THINKS CALISCH WAS MISQUOTED Norfolk Rabbi Believes Views of Fa? mous Jewish Orator Were Garbled and Misunderstood. (Special to the Daily Press.) NORFOLK, VA.. March 20.?The Rev. Dr. Simon R. Cohen, of the Ohof Sholem congregation, in an interview bore today, says he thinks the Rev. Dr. Calisch. of Richmond, must have been misquoted in the matter of advocating timi the Jewish Sabbath celebration on Saturday bo abandoned altogether for a celebration on Sunday. He thinks that Dr. Calisch advocat? ed a. supplemental observance on Sun? day, and not a complete discontinu? ance of the Saturday observance. Dr. Cohen says that both ho and Dr. Calisch are members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, who advocate a supplemental Sabbath ob? servance on Sunday, but. do not. ad? vocate the discontinuance of the Sat? urday observance. A BOY ASSASSIN WOUNDS GOVERNOR Secured Entrance to Office and Fired Three Times?Wounded Man's Condition is Critical. (By Associated Press.) VIP.ORG. EUROPEAN RUSSIA. March 20.?Governor Miasorodoff was shot and seriously wounded today by a. boy. whose identity has not. been ascertained. The assassin, who is about fifteen years old, obtained an entrance to the governors office and fired three times.at him, only one bul? let inflicting a serious wound and the-, others slightly wounding the gover? nor's legs. The governor's clerks and secretary were unable to stop the would-be as? sassin who reached tiie street, where, however, he was arrested without a struggle. I The governor's condition i;: critical. WPORT NEWS, VA.S TUESDAY, MARCH 2! SIXTY LIVES Boiler Explosion Demolishes Large Shoe e Factory and Incidental Fire Literally Roasts Pinioned Victims. DEEDS OF HEROISM AND SELF-SACRIFICE One Man Hopelessly Caught Beneath Heavy Tim? ber, Calls on Rescuers'* to Save Others and Lifts Several Girls t<| Safety Before the Fire Reaches Hirrs. Brave Priest Leads in Worl| of Rescue. (Hy Associated I'rcss.) eTOa-r of an explosion. Al the same BROCKTON. MASS., Maroh 20.--j.'iaoir.ent the largo wooden frame of This city is in mourning tonigh; for ,1^. factory, a lour story structure', at least three score people whos'i ''quivered and then the roar portion of lives were blotted out early today by it?ebllapsc('.. boiler large the explosion of shoo manufacturing establishment in the Campello district, conducted by R. Grover & Co. The explosion was immediately fol? lowed by a Hash of flame, which con? sumed the factory, a long four-story structure- as if it were a house of cards, and incinerated an unknown number of men and women, who were unable to extricate themselves from a mass of tangled wreckage, formed by the terrific upheaval in the boiler room. More than half a hundred of the em? ployes in .the building were maimed, burned or bruised by the time they reached safe ground. . " i* Hert of a Veritable Inferno. Some had jumped from the roof, some from-.windows and other.3 had boon injured in the mad rush to es? cape from tiie doomed factory, which from all parts emitted the intense, aw? ful heat of an infeinn, driving back the band of heroic rescuers who. in few brief moments, bad performed gallant service. The fire extended from the factory In seven other buildings in the vicinity and destroyed them. One of the buildings was a three-storv wooden block owned by Charles F. Dahlborg, the others being cottages of small value, and a blacksmith shop. Tw,o wooden dwellings near the en? gine room wore practically demolished by the flying boiler, lint none of the occupants was seriously injured. The total financial kiss is estimated at a quarter of a million dollars, $200.. 000 of which Tails on It. 15. Grover k. Co. The monetary losses are nearly off Set by insurance. Fifty Bodies Recovered. It may never be known just how many persons perished in the wreck? age. No ono knows exactly how manv persons were in the factory. The num? ber has been estimated at four bun died but Treasurer Charles O. Emor son, said tonight he doubled whether there wore so many at work. Two hun? dred and fif-.y survivors have been ac? counted, for and at. midnight tonight the remains of fifty bodies had bcei recovered from the ruins, the search j being continued all night. Fragments of human frames which possibly might belong to bodies other than those enu? merated, have also been found. Few of I he -remains have boon identified. Tiie head in nearly every case is miss ing and except in rare .'instances it was impossible oven to distinguish the sex. An inspection of the-wrecked boiler by the State boiler inspector showed that there was a sufficient supply or water in it. The cause of the explo? sion is at present u mystery. The disaster will be further investigated by the State authorities. s .-In p. fraction of a second this sec? tion of the great budding bad boon transformed into a mass of iron and Wood wreckage in the midst of which Mcm.an beings were pinioned. .; In another moment fire had broken out in the debris and death by fire and suffocation became the fate of scores of the operatives. Perpendicular Flight. When the boiler exploded it passed upward almost.perpendicularly, tearing a passage as it went, killing many on the way. ? /After rising high in the air, it de .jtSjndetl. half the. distance and then 'swerving"northerly," cut its way" like sjemo huge projectile through a dwell? ing house fifty feet away and pierced another dwelling further along. 1c molishit'g the latter t.tructure. Here its course was stopped. Scenes of horror. followed Die wrenching apart of the factory build? ing. Ih? the rear the three lipper floors- weighed as they wore with heavy machinery, collapsed with a crash that was hoard for blocks. Men and women operatives working in de? partments of this section, who were busy at their machine-:, had time but to turn in an attempt to lloe after tnc first, dull roar, when the flooring 'sank beneath them- and they were carried to tiie ground floor, crushed ami bruised amid the mass of debris, into Fiery Furnace. Many fell into a veritable fiery fur? nace. In the sections of the factory which remained standing the opera lives were? panic stricken as Ihoy sought to escape. Many Hod down the stairways, and reached the streets, others ran to the windows, the fire escapes in many oases having boon torn away by the explosion. In desperation many jump? ed from tiie second ami third-story windows to the. ground and wore dan? gerously injured. The crush on the stairways resulted in numerous minor injuries. FEARFUL WORK OF THE FiRE FIEND Pinioned Victims of the Explosion, Un? able to Extricate Themselves. Roast to Death. EXPLOSION CAME WITHOUT WARNING Catattrophc Occurred Shortly After the Operatives Had Bccjun Werk- For the Day. Uty AMSoclatcil I'rcss. > BROCKTON, MASS.. March 20.? The explosion occurred shortly after the operatives had settled down to work for tiie day bud boon begun and came without any warning. Suddenly the air vibrated with the Scarcely bad the roar portion of the structure collapsed when a tongue of fiamo started up from the boiler pit and. reaching out. as it ascended, com? municated with the splintered wreck-j age, and immediately afterward with the standing walls. Soor, the entire factory was in flames. Instant- death was the fate of many who went down with the floors that, collapsed. A large number of ineii ana women who were working near the; supports were alive al';.cr the floors ami w?lls fell From these unfortunates thrilling erics of agony and terror went up. Al? most all had been caucht. between broken limbers, lighter wooden wreck? age ar.ddieavy pieces of .machinery. Many Roasted to Death. A few persons succeeded in extricat? ing themselves from the wreckage- but more wen: roasted to death By this time nearby citizens had arrived to , 1905. issist the employes who escaped in he rescue of their fellows. This task became momentarily more lifih-ult and perilous, for tlie heat roni ihe lire wr.s almost unbearable. !*.}? tiie use of long pieces of limber the ?cscuers were able to raise parts of he wreckage- and thereby release iome of Ihe imprisoned men and wo? llen and then, by rushing into the uhoko. pul! them from the ruins. Hc-cism and Self-Srcrifics. Then it was that acts of selfsaori icc anil heroism were seen. One man whose legs was caught tin? ier en iron beam, cried to tin? res ?uers that they could not extricate him. mil to help I lie girls behind him. Sretohing out his aims he lifted sev? eral giils. one by one and passed them lo Ihe rescuers. Then the lire reached ilim and lie died. A woman, who was entangled in a shoe machine cried out that she was lying and commanded the rescuers Lo attend to others who might live. She bogged to he shot. Scon the flames enveloped her. Brave Priest's Heroic Work. An eng the first to arrive on the scene was Key. .lames OTtourke. cu? rat i at St. Margaret's Roman Cat ho? le Church, nearby. At the risk of lis life, he removed seven persons Crom the ruins before the fire had reached them and was returning for I lie eighth time when lie fainted from ;hc effects of the smoke and the shock. Pal her O'KoMrke administered the last rites of the church to many Catholics. iKith to those who were saved and seme who later perished. FATHER OROURKE'S THRILLING STORY Priest Gives Heart-Rending Account cf the Horrible Scenes Follow? ing the Boiler Explosion. Father O'Jtotirke said tonight: "Pinned beneath heavy pieces of ma? chinery, timbers and twisted .coils of pipe." wTcfc-TOairySjh' ?kt*-nwnyvaiiert-:a?-rf women, suffering terrible agonies "In order to reach these imprisoned sufferers we had to crawl through, tiie debris and. with tlie aid of a large tim? ber, we raise! the wreckage which held fast several men and women. In this manner and by brute strength we pulled out seven employes "By t his time the flames were a I niest Upen us and we were about to flee for safety, when one poor fellow beggt'-l that a last effort be made to save him. Pulled Off His Leg. Throe of us grasped the man by his shoulders ? and arms and tugged and pulled until suddenly"he cried: "'My God. my leg is pulled off.' "It was terrible, especially so be? cause a moment later, with our cloth? ing scorched, wo were ordered away by the chi?f of the fire department and were reluctantly compelled to leave the poor man to his fate. "Just before leaving I saw fifteen of tlie imprisoned operatives, some al? ready suffering untold agonies from the flames- which were actually cook? ing their flesh, and others watching with terror-stricken eyes tlie fate of their companions, knowing that a mo. nient or two would bring to them simi? lar suffering, and then death." Relatives Ask For Information. With tear-stained and'haggard faces women and children besieged tlie rec? tory of St. Margaret's Roman Catho? lic church, -during the day. pleading with the. priests for it format ion about husband, father, sister or brother who failed to return 'home. Little com? fort could be given to these people. At the Campelio police station a si? milar scene was enacted. ICaily in the day Mayor Keith, fore? seeing tlie confusion which would en? sue, posted notices in conspicuous places, requesting all employes who had escaped to go at once to the- police station and give their names. Names Posted. 'I hose names were Immediately post? ed, and around this list of names hov: ered a throng of women?many l:ys: tcricai with grief because the list did not include a relative. Back and forth from the ruins to the station house; and from station house to the ruins, these grief stricken women tiled, in a never ending procession, looking' at the fragments of fiesh and bone as I hey were placed in pine boxes and hurried, away to the morgue. Only in extreme? ly rare casts was there the slightest chance of identification. Twenty-Niae Missing. At midnight, a list, of twenty-nine missing persons was given out a! the i a:\\\pllo polit e station. There is good lOunliuued on seventh page.) THE WEATHER. Rain Tuesday: colder in central ar.d south? west portion; Wednes? day, partly cloudy. PRICE TWO CENTS Judge Emory Speer Denounces "Invo'untary Servitude" For Trivial Local Offenses. ROUGH ON SLAVE CATCHERS Thinks Principle Enunciated by Su? preme Court in Clyatt Case Salutary Fcr Black Man. But Infinitely More So For White?No Regard For Rights of Fellow Men. ft!y Associated rrcss.) SAVANNAH. OA.. March Jo.- Judge Emory Spoor, in the- United States court to-day confined his charge to the grand jury almost, exclusively to a dis? cussion of the peonage decision hand? ed down last week by the Supreme; Court, of the United Stales in the ease* of Clyatt. from Florida. Judge Spoor said it may be long before that court will have the opportunity to render another opinion so vital to the futurt of our country. "It is salutary to the black man. but to the white man it Is infinitely more so. As to the labor and liberty of every citizen it nullifies that vicious principle 'let him take who has the power, and let him keep who can.'. It is true that it spares members of the. negro race from a slavery to the reck? less and the lawless, to the generally unscrupulous; a slavery which, com? pared, with that of our fathers, differs as widely as our conceptions of our first parents. But its emancipation of the white man is not loss significant. Nc Principles of Justice. "The man guilty; of peonage... Ii Im ,. ? ?oifitfF ^s^i^m&^^i?twow^ by any principle of justice to his fol? low man. whether white or black. "It is noticeably true that in n num? ber of cases of peonage ready and willing witnesses for tlie government arc white men who have been deprive.I of their servants because the modern slave catcher, usually a man of influ? ence, and determination, himself arm? ed and with armed followers, would invade the domain of the s-mall farmer and. ,by violence the most cruel and int.; nictation the most reckless . take there from the laborers whoso services the witness had engaged." Judge Spoor expressed the opinion that petty municipal offenses like I walking on the grass, spitting on the sidewalk or genug to sleep in a depot, or loitering on tho streets end multi? tudes of other similar offenses are not crin.es for which Involuntary servi? tude can ho imposed. Peonage Statute Applicable. He held that for such an offense <:> semlcnce and hohl a man or child for involuntary servitude is peonage and that the penalty of the peonage statute is applicable to the person engaged iu the imposition of such sentences. Judge Speer concluded: "For my? self I do not hesitate to eleclare that enforced labor on a local chaingaug for any offense, neu amounting to crime, is involuntary servitude; and peonage in the light of the; decision of the Supreme Court, no matter what the State law or municipal ordinances on the subject may ho. "Should the Sultan of Morocco or Abdul flamed, at. Constantinople, con? sign to an Oriental chaingaug Ameri? can citizens for such trivialities as are thus daily punished- here before the s im went down the steel clad bat? tleships of the Union would be speed? ing o'er the ocean to demand redress for the injury or to avenge the wrung. Peonage Pathway to Slavery. "Lot but, peonage: be fastened oil our system and all may soon, with Rionzi. exclaim: "We arc slave-.;, the bright sen t isos to its course and lights a race of slaves: it sets ami its last beam falls on c slave."" OPENED CAMPAIGN. Swanson and Eliyson Well Received at Harrisonburg. (Speeliil to the D;uly 1'ivs.x.) HARRISONBimo. VA., March J". At Harrison burg today Con gross man Swanson opeiu.-d his campaign for gov? ernor, and Hon. I. Taylor Fllyson be? gan his canvass for lieutenant gover? nor. Both were well received. The Rirksdale pure election law received 1 Swansea's hearty endoiseuitut.