!U YTY" HIGH SCHOOL 'lTellowetone Will Vote on the Proposition to Erect a Building. FREE TO ALL PUPILS In the County-A Move That Will Vastly Benefit the Country Districts. At the suggestion of the Billings school board, an informal meeting was held last evening, which w s attended by quite a number of presentative citizens and taxpayers, discuss the proposition of e tabli ping a County Central Free Hih chool, under the provisions of ho bill No. 69, passed by the last legisl ure. Hon. John D. Losekamp, the originator of the bill, explained that the object of the meeting was to decide whether Yellowstone county desired a central free high school, and then nominated Judge J. D. Matheson for chairman. He was unanimously elected, when H. M. Allen was chosen secretary and read the bill to the meeting. An informal discussion then followed and when the provisions of the law were thoroughly understood, it was moved that a vote be taken to decide whether " the sense of the meeting was in favor of a county free high school. The motion was carried unanimously. Under the law, to get the matter be fore the voters of the county, a special election must be called by the county commissioners when petitioned by 200 electors of the county to submit the proposition as to whether the county desires a central free high school and where it shall be located. To carry out this provision, a motion was made that the chair appoint a committee to draft and circulate petitions to bring about the special election. The chair appointed Hon. John D. Losekamp, Dr. J. H. Rinehart, W. M. Johnston, Chas. Spear, H. M. Allen and W. H. Ross as members of such committee. It will first circulate the petitions in the coun try and later they will be circulated in this city. The general provisions of the law are that when a county has voted to build a free central high school, the county commissioners shall appoint six trustees to have charge of the same, not more than three of whom shall be residents of the town where the school is to be located. These trustees shall then sub mit to the electors a proposition to bond the county to build and equip the school, the bill providing that the county cannot be bonded in a sum ex ceeding $100,000. The first election to be held, therefore, is merely to decide whether Yellowstone county desires such a school and where it shall be lo cated. Another election must then be held before any bonds can be issued, the trustees submitting to the voters the amount of bonds required, the trus tees deciding the character of building to -be constructed and how much it shall cost. The school, if established, shall be under the direction of these six trus tees, who will employ a principal and the necessary teachers and provide for their compensation. The school is to be free to .ll children in the county who can pass an eight grade examina tion and pupils from other counties may attend by paying tuition when the school is not filled with pupils who are residents of the home county. If such a school is established in Billings it would enable such pupils from the country districts who cannot pass an eight grade examination, to at tend our present public schools without paying a tuition fee. At present a fee of $20 per year is required on account of the crowded condition of the schools, which is just $4.40 less than it costs the Billings school district per capita for each scholar. All the members of the school board present at the meeting were heartily in favor of establishing a 1 County Central Free High School, and when the question is submitted to the voters there is no doubt it will be car ried. CROWV AGENCY CAWa. Items Gleaned from the Headquarters of the Red Men. Special Correseondence of The Gazette. Crow Agency, March 23.-Henry Keiser, the St. Xavier merchant, has been looking after business matters at I the agency the past few days. Mrs. Driscoll, the milliner of Bill- I ings, was here several days this week I taking orders for spring headwear for I our ladies. A number of our pleasure loving eo plo were tripping the light fantastic toe at the Hotel Server Saturday evening. ResPs. B. Ross and E. A. Cornwell r with mandolin and guitar furnished the music and everyone reports an en- . jcable time. 0. C. Kreilder, additional farmer, aM down from the Forty-Mile ranch eat two weeks asseisting the agency a i n taking an inventory of the gov- t ~iument Property. ] ao nd storms still continue - on I tizerio and the cattle are hay awd thime o" sanvive the severity ethe. It also means a late a at of high water. apd MeoCormiok Cattle 1 Agent Baeker's herd t ri like. Trojan's E hioh they have -ed re giving I eses the flrs ie hunter will go forth and shoo thi ducks and geepe to their summer homi in the south. Robert Ross is studying telegraph3 and learning the office work at the B. & M. depot under Agent McCrary antc soon hopes to be a full-fledged "brase pounder. " R. Whalen, teamster for the Crow irrigation survey, was down from the ditch camp Monday on business and re ports that there is little snow at the mouth of the Big Horn canyon at pres ent. The deep snow hbas driven a large number of prairie chickens into the Little Horn valley and there are large numbers of these birds near the agency. Sorry to relate several over-zealous perĀ· sons are trying their skill as rifle shots on the chickens, but a prosecution or two under the state law would soon. do away with this practice. The B. & M. engine attached to Tuesday evening's train broke an eccen tric strap coming into this place and was delayed here nearly three hours, and is said to have reached Billings at 2 a. m. Dr. Portus Baxter, agency physician, and E. A. Richardson, our hustling merchant, were "attending lodge" at Billings Wednesday evening. The school for white children at this agency closed last week and Miss Hol land, who has been conducting the same, has returned to her home at Gebo, Montana. Fred Server, the versatile "Fred," has been suffering from a severe cold which impaired his powers of speech to a considerable extent, and in conse quence the agency does not seem like the same old place. Strychnine was sent to the five farm ing districts on the reservation last week and after being placed in meat was fed to several hundred dogs, which resulted in a depletion of the canine race, and there is wailing and gnashing of teeth among the lady members of the Crow tribe, who think their family is incomplete without fifteen or twenty dogs of no particular breed. Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Becker enter tained informally at dinner Wednesday evening Mr. and Mrs. Warren Evans, Dr. Baxter and Mr. Fred E. Miller. R. Lubbock arrived from Texas last Saturday and will enter the employ of the Murphy Cattle company. Miss Frances B. Gray has resigned her position as assistant cook at the Crow boarding school and Miss Pearl Leggitt has been appointed to fill the vacancy. Plenticones, the Indian trader, was over from Pryor creek last Saturday looking after matters pertaining to the people of his vicinity. A couple of Sioux Indians from the Pine Ridge agency, South Dakota, en tertained our people with an interesting description of the Sioux-English lan guage now being taught to their peo ple, rendered several vocal selections in their native tongue and closed with a magic lantern exhibition, the slides of which were explained in English by the operator. In all it was a creditable effort and shows that the Indian of to day is rapidly nearing the stage of civ ilization. John Lewis, supervisor of construct ed ditches, has been on the sick list for ten days past, but is now "tolerably convalescent." Our agency force has just completed a neat three-room house for the occu pancy of T. A. Hindman, additional farmer of the Black Lodge ranch, four miles below the agency. C. R. Sternberg, our blacksmith, suffered a severe sprain last Friday while shoeing a fractious horse and he now moves about with a decided limp, which time is gradually decreasing and which we trust will ultimately disap pear entirely. Agent Becker and the office force have been busy during the past fifteen days making a $15,000 payment of cattle money to the Indians and the re cipients of checks have been wearing a beaming countenance as a result. MUISSELSHELL NEWS. Persons Subpoenaed as Witnesses in Calde Bros. Murder Trial. Special Correspondence of The Gazette. Musselshell, March 21.-Dr. Arm strong of Billings made a flying trip tc this section Friday of last week, having been called to the bedside of Mrs. Frank Carpenter, who at last accounts was convalescing rapidly from a com plication of troubles. A. H. McLean of Laurel, agent for the Home nursery, in the western part of the state, has sold and will set out on contracts in this section, about May 1 next, between 700 and 8u0 apple trees. The greater number were sold with the understanding that each tree was to bear one bushel of apples before they were to be received and paid for. Several from this section attended the St. Patrick's day dance, given by Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Erwin at the Roundup store. An enjoyable time and an excellent supper at the hotel was the word brought back by the dancers and merry-makers. Messrs. Loewenstein and Werthei mer, commercial men, with headquart ers at Butte, were passengers upon last Saturday's stage and doing business with the local merchants. T. C. Armitage of Billings was awarded the contract for furnishing, setting up and completing a wind mill, tank and water works plant for Handel Bros. upon their site at Musselshell poestoflioe, work to begin as soon as the weather will permit and the material, which is on route, arrives. A plant somewhat similar, but intended for ir rigation purposes, will also be erected by Mr. Armitage for L. L. Moffatt upon what is known as the old J. H. Sohnall ranch. In the last items furnished by the Muasselshell correspondent it was not intended for the article to read so as to refect upon the representatives from Yellowstoie county in the failure of the segregation bill to pass, but aimec to refer to the number of lobbyists whc represented Fergus county ahd workec against the bill, while we had no repre. sentation there from this section what. ever to assist our representatives in ex. plaining the merits of this bill and why it should be passed. The Calder and Fisher murder trial is set for Wednesday, March 22, at Lewistown, to which place the follow ing from here were subpoenaed as wit nesses: J. L. Milner, Mrs. S. Kilbey, A. Kilbey, Wesley Batten, Mrs. R. M. Jones, Thomas Schlaberg and W. Hilderbrandt. The N-Bar (Thos. Cruse) outfit of cowboys have received orders to be present in Billings by the 22nd, or about, to meet a herd of 2,000 head of cattle that will arrive on the Northern Pacific to be driven to the N-Bar range in consequence of scarcity of hay in the Gallatin valley, where these cattle were being wintered and fed. The county commissioners did a wise thing at their last session in rescinding the order for the entirely new road which was to leave the Musselshell river in the vicinity of Baldwin post office, taking a southerly course and intersecting the stage road in the vicin ity of what is known as the old "Butte" ranch. They also did a wise thing in rescinding the order for the new RL road, the facts of which are still fresh in the minds of the numer ous signers of the remonstrance, and who believe we have plenty of roads were they well and properly kept up. COURT IN FERGUS COUNTY. County Attorney Johnston Returns-Thi Calder Murder Trial. It County Attorney W. M. Johnston re h turned home last night from a trip ti e Lewi-town, where he attended distric g court for Fergus county for a week. if Speaking of the Calder brothers ant y Fisher murder trial, which commences y yesterday, Mr. Johnston says the coun ty attorney of Fergus county is con vinced be can secure a conviction. Ii y is probable that the younger Calder will turn state's evidence and receive a sentence for manslaughter. An effort t is being made by Fisher's attorney tc f have his trial postponed until the next term, being unable to secure importani a witnesses in the defendant's favor. e The crime with which these young 1 men are charged was one of the foulest a and most shocking that ever blackened Montana's history. It is that of hayv sling murdered Farquhar McRae, the P Scotchman, who was killed on hie a range in the vicinity of the Musselshell and his remains burned and thrown in 3 the river, his bunch of sheep then be ing stolen. The murderers were cap. tured while on their way to market to sell the sheep. Attorney General Nolan is assisting the county attorney in the prosecution. ASSISTANT CASHIER. 3 Mr. Hollister Accepts a Position with the Yellowstane National Bank. Eugene H. Hollister, for a long time connected with the First National bank of this city, and one of our most es teemed young men, says the Pawnee City (Neb.) Press, left yesterday for Billings, Montana. where he assumes the position of assistant cashier and bookkeeper in the Yellowstone National bank of that place. The Press can heartily recommend Mr. Hollister as an efficient bank accountant and relia ble gentleman. He long occupied an important position in this city with the First National and gave entire satisfac tion to his employers and the general public. 'Gene has grown from boy hood to manhood in Pawnee and has always borne an exemplary character in social and business circles. The people of our city generally regret the de parture of Mr. Hollister and his most estimable wife, but all extend them best wishes for the utmost good fortune in their new home, where we know they will be appreciated. Mrs. Hollis. tre will remain here for a few weeks, when she will join her husband in their new home. LARGE LAND SELECTION. State Decides to Acquire from Uncle Sam 15,000 Acres in Carbon County. The state land office Wednesday pre pared and forwarded to the Bozeman land office the necessary application papers that it is expected will result in Montana acquiring from the federal government tilte to about 15,000 acres of land in Carbon county. The selec tion of the land was made several months ago, but not until Wednesday was the state ready to ask the govern ment for it. The land is in different tracts, some of which are not many miles from Red Lodge. The land, when title is obtained to it, will be ac credited to the state normal school, agricultural college and public build ing funds. It is understood that the land, al though classed as grazing, may in time prove to be more valuable than the statutory valuation that is placed upon such lands. DIES FROM PARALYTIC STROKE. Dan Foley, a Laborer, Succumbs to an Illness of Three Days. Dan Foley, woo was taken to St. Vincent's hospi l Monday, suffering apparently fro a bad case of rheuma tism, but wiJb proved to be paralysis, died Wednesday night and was buried yesterday. Foley, who had been working for L. I. Hammond, the railroad grade con tractor, was taken sick at Huntley Monday morning and brought to Bill ingas. Directly after being taken to the hospital paralysis of the entire body co cmrred and the patient was annable to eat, talk or do anything, relief coming in death a fer days later.A SOME BIG EXCU[SIONS Northern Pacific and Burlington Bring Thousands of People West. ARE SEEKING HOMES And Many Will Locate at Once-An Exodus to the Land of the Setting. Sun. V1The homeseekers' rates that went e into effect upon the Northern Pacific g and Burlington roads Tuesday have d proved to be immensely popular, far [1 exceeding the expectation of the man agement of those roads. The Northern r Pacific coast bound trains that pulled , out of St. Paul Tuesday went in three d sections because of the heavy travel e toward the land of the setting sun. On e this same day, over the three western a roads from St. Paul, 5,000 homeseekers took passage for the west. The fare j on the Northern Pacific to Billings is s $16.50, to Helena $17.50, and to the coast $25. The reduced rate seems to have struck a popular chord. It promises to bring many settlers into this western country. A very encour aging feature is that many, in fact nearly all, of the travelers taking ad vantage of the rate, buy one-way _ tickets. This is interpreted to mean that they have serious intentions of lo tcating in either Montana, Idaho, Washington or Oregon. As announced, the rate to all points west of St. Paul where the single first class rate is in excess of $38 is one-half the firts-class rate for second-class or homeseekers' tickets. The holder of one of the second-class tickets has the privilege of riding in the colonist sleep ers and eating in the dining car. The colonist sleepers are pronounced very comfortable and cheaper than the regu lation Pullman, which, of course, is available, only to holders of first-class tickets. That many benefits will accrue to the west from these reduced rates goes without saying. It is expected that a class of settlers in every way desirable are taking advantage of coming this way and seeing for themselves the pos sibilities of Montana and neighboring states. The Burlington train, which usually consists of two coaches besides a sleeper, was run into Billings in two sections Wednesday night, with about eight or nine cars each, having home seekers from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The exact number of passengers who were traveling on the cheap rates was about 600. They were in charge of L. J. Bricker of Kansas City, Mo., traveling passenger agent of the Burlington, who accompanied them to the coast. .The last section of the train arrived here about midnight and the cars were "hooked" onto a Northern Pacific engine and taken on west. Last night's Burlington had nine cars, containing over 200 more homeseekers. The cars were set out here and made into a Northern Pacific train and sent out as a special. The Northren Pacific ran two sec tions into Billings Thursday morning and went out in three, counting the one made up of Burlington cars. Yester day forenoon's train was loaded and all told the number of homeseekers pass ing through Billings has been about 1,500. A few stopped off here to look over the country and a party of twenty from Iowa went up on the Red Lodge branch this morning with a view of lo cating in Carbon county. I. D. O'Donnell says he has received information that a party of fifteen from Michigan will come to Billings within the next few days to look around. The local railroad officials state that they have received no notification of any extra travel on tonight's trains and there will probably be a lull for a week or so. Reports are current that the reduc tion in rates on the Great Northern and Northern Pacific will plecipitate a re petition of the rate war with the Can adian Pacific that created so much trou ble with the American lines when the Klondike travel was at its height. Both the Northern Pacific and the Great Northerr are said to have deter mined to maintain the homeseekers' rate during the spring as long as they see fit, regardless of the threats or actions of rival roads. They claim and justly that they are offering the rate in the hope of bringing along their lines settlers who will settle up the country, and are not attempting to interfere with the regular Pacific coast travel. HOTEL ARRIVALS. At the Grand. Tuesday, March 21.-C. F. Wood man, Butte; J. W. Dodds, Helena; Win. S. Clarton, A. M. Bratt, Living ston; Fred H. Hathborn, city; J. H. Lewis, Chicago; John M. Rapelje, Glendive; L. Gans, Montana; Geo H. Mesa, Omaha; A. Darmie, city; J. R. Marfrs, W. Cunnington, Chicago; F. W. Merrill, Helena; M. Browner, Rocky Fork; Long and wife, Duluth; J. B. Annin, Columbus; Lewis Harris, St. Louis; J. A. Hunter, Chattanooga; Mrs. L Weber, Spokane; A. Jackson. Wdenesday, March 32.-M. E. Maks, Mden; H. Baker, Helena; C.- A. Holmes, Minneapolis; T. Cram, Ohi cago; G. A. Jeffery, Duluth; T. P, lilen, Olendive: James A. Johnson and wife, Bomseman; M. Loewenstein, St. Louis: Kate Ulmore, Alliance; H. A. Noyes, Laurel; O. 0. Bowlen, Red Lomdge; A. GOantfeld, Helena; J. W. Gardner, Laurel; H. Cnllin,. Cody; C. Bubeson, Rutland; Dr. P. Baxter, Crow Aegnoy; E. A. Richardson, Crow Agency; P. J. Conway, Gdho; Mrs. J. D. Helsing, Miss Lyons, Lewistown; A. B. LaMott, Roundup; J. T. Tempel son, St. Louis; C. T. Doychert, San Francisco; A. R. Dauphin, Minneap olis; J. M. Fox; Red Lodge; F. Scott and wife, W. S. Billis and wife,. Liv ingston: H. C. Egleston, St. Louis; H. A. Anderson, Chicago; C. H. Hood, Minneapolis. Thursday, Marab 23.-C. J. Davis, Erie, Ill. ; F. Bryant, Illinois; J. Rap elje, Glendive: C. Lindsey, Lewis. town; T. McGilr, Huntley; N. R. Wessel, Helena; J. W. Richardson, Barott; A. W. Puller, New York; N. S. Camp, F. S. Darling, Omaha; M. R. O'Connell., Helena; J. A. Johnson, Bozeman: A. Allen, Columbus; F. D. Robertson. St. Louis; G. S. Norwell Wyoming; W. H. Quinn and wife, Wm. Foerschler, Butte: A. W. Thorn ton, San Francisco; F. A. Henry, Chi oago; C. H. Babcock, Sank Center; F. W. Merrill, Helena; M. L. O'Brein, Glendive; G. A. Jeffery, Duluth. SMASHES THE SALOONKEEPER. A Rounder at Columbus Plciously As saults Ed. Canty. Ed. Canty, a saloon-keeper at Colum bus, is in the city today, but his best friend would hardly know him. He is here to confer with the county attor ney about an assault made on him day before yesterday by one Albert Martin, a saloon rounder in that town, by which Canty's face was badly out and his nose probably broken. Martin is said to be a quarrelsome fellow, always lgoking for trouble with others. A few days ago he started a sort of a quarrel with an old man in Canty's saloon, when the latter made him leave. Wednesday, while Canty was passing down the street, he was ao costed by Martin, who struck him a blow on the jaw. knocking him down, following it up by hitting Canty in the face, cutting three gashes on the face and lip, which necessitated taking sev eral stitches. Canty was conveyed home, while a warrant was sworn out for Martin's arrest. He was taken be fore Justice Simpson and pleaded guil ty to assault in the third degree, being fined $10 and costs, a very small fine considering the injuries received by Canty. Advices from Cuba received by Senor Quesada in Washington, which he re gards as trustworthy, are to the effect that the Cuban assembly will dissolve before the present week ends, probably on Saturday. Mr. Quesada regards this as a most satisfactory outcome, as the uissolution is brought about voluntarily and without agitation, which enforced action would have caused. It will clear tbe way, in his judgment, to the pacific adjustment of the affairs of Cuba. O-YEGEN YEGEN YEGEN YEGEN YEGEN-9 1 . YEGEN BROS. Z 4 Shoe Department AGENCY John Kelly's Rochester, N. Y., Fine Shoes for Ladies. Special Sizes made to measure and delivered in two weeks. Dry Goods and Notion ad. will appear next week. YEGEN BROS. * CHURCH NOTES Next Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, is known as Palm Sunday, on account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There will be Holy Com mranion at St. Luke's church, at 11 a. m., and evening prayer and sermon at 7:80 o'clock. At the evening dervice Mr. Whitney is expected to sing "The Palms." Everybody is welcome and all seats are free. Sunday school at the close of the morning service. Preaching at the M. E. church by the pastor at 11 a. m., subject, "Mind. of Jesus." Sunday school at 12 m. Junior League at 8 p. m.; Epworth League at 6:30 p. m.; preaching at 7:30 p. m., subject, "The Story of Eli jah and Sarepta." Seats free. GENERAL STATE NEWS. Missoula has a case of smallpox. within its city limits. According to the reports received from the center and coast states, the losses.to Montana orchards are much less than in other fruit growing sec tions. The worst fire Anaconda has exper ienced since the Lincoln school build ing was burned down, two years ago. occurred Monday night, when the old Montana Union car shops burned to the ground. Governor Smith has reappointed Dr. M. E. Knowles state veterinarian for the term of two years. The governor has also reappointed E. R. MoNeal of Boulder as a member of the board of trustees of the deaf and dumb asylum for the period of three years. The Minnesota and Montana Live Stock company, incorporated under the laws of Minnesota with a capital of $50,000, has filed its articles of incor poration with the secretary of state. Joseph E. Dolson of Shelby is named as the Montana agent of the company. Townsend, the county seat of Broad water county, is to have another bank. The articles of incorporation of the State Bank of Townsend were filed with the secretary of state Tuesday by W. E. Tierney, J. G. Blessing of Townsend and A. W. Schreiber of Diamond. The new bank is to have a capital stock of $25,000, in shares of $100 each. The state board of examiners held an important session this week. A large number of claims were allowed, many of them covering expenditures from the end of the last fiscal year, November 80, to March 1. In all about $80,000 in claims were allowed, including .a large bounty payment. The bounty claims allowed amounted to $14,697, and will pay claims filed with the state board of examiners up to and in cluding June 18 of last year.