The river press. [volume], July 06, 1881, Image 1

About The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current

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THE IVER RES.
. "..
Vol0. I. Fort Benton, Montana, Wednesday, July 6, 1881. - No.37.
Benton Lodge, No. 25, A. F. & A. M.
Regular Communications of the above named Lodge
arc held at 7 p. m. on the first and third Saturday of
cacb month. Members of sister lodges and sojourn
rc bthren th re cordially in ed to attend.
RUFUS PAYNE, W. M.
1H. P. R.OLFE, Secretarv.
C(hoteau Lodge, No. 1, I. 0. 0. F.
A regular meeting of the above Lodge will be held
on Wednesday evening of each week, at their lodge
corn in this city. Sojourning brothers are cordially
invited to attend. JNO. F. MURPHY, N. G.
J. P. McCABE. Secretary.
--OF
NORTHERN MONTAN
Transact a General Banking
Business.
Keep clurrellt accounts with merchants, stock men
and others, subject to be drawn against by
checks without notice.
PAY iNTEREST on TIME DEPOSITS
.We buy and sell Exchange on the commercial center
of the United States.
WE WILL GIVE SPECIAL ATTENTION TO TIlE
BUSINESS OF NORTIIERN AND CENTRIAL
DWNTANA,
And will make such loans to stock men and farmers
as are suited to their requirements.
Local Securities a Specialty.
Collections and all other business entrusted to us wil
receive prompt and careful attention.
COLLINS, DIUER & CO.
RiccotnD BUmLDNu. FORT BENTON, I. T.
W. B. SETPFL&. W. S. STEVENSON.
SETTLE & STEVENSON,
Attorneys all Colnslors at Lay,
BENTON, MONTANA.
Will practice in all courts of the Territory. Collec
tions promptly attended to; also the securing of pat
ents and pensions, in connection with a general
practice.
I~"Office in brick building opposite Court House.
JNO. W. TATTAN,
A T IRNEY an COUNSELOR AT LAW
Oflice of the County Clerk,
FORT BENTON, - - IMONTANA.
J. A. KANOUSE,
Attorney and Counselor at Law,
i FORT BENTON, MONTANA.
NOTARY PUBLIC AND JUSTICE of the PEACE,
Main St., bet. Baker and St John,
MAX. WATERMAN,
ATTORINEY AT LAW,
FT. BEN'T'ON, ITIONTANA.
Will practice in all the courts of the Territory. Spe
cial attention given to criminal practice.
H, P. ROLFE,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
(Associated with Sanders & Cullen.)
U, S. Deputy MIineral Surveyer.
Ten year's experience in government surveying. The
lbcist instruments used. Collections, insurance,
mining,, homestead and all land claims
attended to
OFFICE, NEAR WETZEL'S,
FRONT ST., FORT BENTON.
JOHN W, DEWEY,
Civil Engineer,
AROCHITECT
-AND
United States DepMineral Surveyor
BENTON, MONTANA.
FIRE AND LIFE INSURANCE
--AND
REAL ESTATE AGENCY.,
First-Class Companies, posessing assets of FOUR
TEEN MILLION DOLLARS.
Represented by H. P.ROLFE.
M. E. MAYER,
Assayer,
BUTTE, - * MONTANA.
Office, West Park Street.
Spocial attention paid to "sealed samples" and all
kinds of gold, and silyer bullion."
Samples sent from a distance proniptly a'tended to
and returns made the following day.
Charges reasonable.
NOTICE.
I hereby warn all persons against trusting any one,
no matter whom, on my account. without an order
signed by myself. NAR ,IU$ VAUIX.
THE RIVER PRESS
WILLIAMS, WR IGHT & STEVENS,
PUBLISHERS AND PROPRIETOnS.
II. C. WILLIAMS, - - .. - - - EDITOP
THE English are now discussing the Ameri
can mosquito.
TBREE comets are visible' now to the
earth's inhabitants, one about 17 from the
pole star, another just west of the sun, and
can only be seen just before sunrise, and
another only visible south of the 20th parallel
of north latitude. ,
IT looks as if France and Italy would go
to war, and if the excited state of public
feeling was taken as a guage war would be
certain. In the South of France, where the
population is largely Italian, thare have been
serious disturbances between the French and
Italian elements. In Marseilles, the Italians
have been mobbed. The rioting was not al
together by the French, as many were start
ed by Italians themselves. According to
late reports, 8 were killed, and several
hundred wounded. The local authorities
have succeeded in restoring quiet by arrest
ing whole bands of rioters; but the state of
public feeling is so exasperated that there is
no telling where the end will be. The leaders
of both nations are straining every effort to
calm public opinion and are working hard to
prevent an international rupture. But the
people of both nations are so highly wrought
up, that the work will be a difficult one.
A NEW theory explaining how steam boil
ers may burst, and:especially of that class of
explosions which occur without a tangible
cause being evident, has just been offered,
and presents many features of plausibility. It
is that water may be superheated beyond the
vaporizing point, and yet remain in liquid
form, owing to the pressure of sleam above
it. Should, from any cause, a portion of
this pressure be suddenly removed, the
water will instantaneously change into steam
and exert an enormous pressure upon the
boiler shell. Engineers should be careful
and not fire so hastily that the engine will not
carry off steam as fast as generated. Super
flous steam genereated in such quantities as
would be in a case like the one assumed can
not be disposed of by the ordin ary safety
valve, or in fact in any way, and the only
safety lies in slow firing, starting engine at
low pressure, and if the pressure is then
gradually raised to an ultimate point, the en
gine should be kept running until the pres
sure becomes reduced by a gradual cooling
process.
i i
ON Saturday, July 2, at 8:30 in the morn
ing, President Garfield was shot at and
wounded by a fanatic named Guitteau, as he
was leaving his carriage to get into the cars.
The news of the attempted assassination
spread at once all over the United States, and
the turmoil and excitement into which the
country was plunged by the .announcement
exceeds any it has known since the assassin
ation of Lincoln sixteen years ago. Coming
at a time of profound peace, when the coun
try is in the enjoyment of the hbghest pros
perity it has ever known, the event was to
tally unlooked for, and no motive for the ac
tion could be understood or even guessed. It
was the work of a political monomaniac, who
considered that he had a sacred mission in
ridding the country of its President. He is
crazy in the sense that all monomaniacs are
crazy. His name and the peculiarity of the
views he has expressed indicates he has been
Seducated under the tuition of the at present
impossible school of communism, which has
bred and is breeding a world-full of fanatics
with only a mission to destroy those in au
thority. He did it, he says, not out of per
sonal ill will, but solely from political neces
rity. The Czar of Russia was killed for the
same reason. It will do no good to analyze
what this necessity may be, for it is not a
necessity to a sufficient number of people in
this country to make an analysis worth any
thing as a premise. But the most curious
feature in connection with this tragic event,
is his letter which gives a purport that he
was instigated as a Stalwart, and to aid
Conkling and his faction. If this be not a
trick on the part of the regicide to hide his
purpose, it may be taken for granted that he
is acting alone, and not in consipracy with
those for whom he claims he was working.
A moment's reflection should convince any
one that however malevolent inay be the
feeling against the President by those with
whom he has been at war in the field, if it be
admitted that they have an atom of sense
and an iota of judgement left them, that
such work as this would be the most direct
means of political: suicide that they could
possibly devise;. Whether they have had
anything to do with it (which is improbable)
or not, it will raise a degree of popular sym
pathy among the people for the President
that will be fatal to them and their success,
and unless they were inspired by despair and
the devilthey would never msake siuch a move.
If the plot had been designed by the most
ardent enemies of Congling and his associ
ates, no more certain measure of ruin for
him could have been planned.
The prayer is rising from the whole coun
try-from Republican, and from Democrat,
from the Stalwart and: Independent-that
the calamity of confus"ib that would come
with the death of the Preident may be avert
ed by his recovery. A prayer that even his
fiercest political enemies .may well join-a
prayer like the valedictory which went up
from the stricken South when it saw the
only power that stood between tt and plun
dering hordes stricken down with the bullet
of an assassin.
GENERAL GRANT, in speaking of the at
tempted assassination of the President, said :
"if this is the outgrowth of Nihilism, I am
in favor of crushing it out immediately." In
this sentiment he expresses the unvoiced con
viction of the American people. But the
task would be far more hopeless than was
the killing of the hydra by the Theban Her
cules. The conflict between individualism
and communism is the peculiar outgrowth
of the present century-a fungus thriving in
the reeking shades of intense competition
and automatic machinery, which latter has
taken the tools from the laborer and given
them to the capitalist, and reduced him to a
part of the mschine he works and does not
own, leaving him with the only alternative
of combination to control the machine he
runs or destroying it. This thing is not a
phenomenon which will .`ve for a day and
then disappear, but is as ni.tural as the events
that have given it birth and which are fur
nishing it the nutriment for a vigorous
growth. And it is in fr America that its
growth has been most s;pontaneous, and
least affected by the old feudal traditions of
the old world. And it it hbs been less posi
tive in its manifestation, itis because it has
met with less resistance. :ow very natural
the growth of the communtal principle is,
may be seen in the rapid grpwth of farmers'
granges, in the numberless mutual insurance
schemes, in the organizAtiui of the trades
unions into a compact, nai nal body, in the
subversion of individual in ests by gigantic
railroad pools, in the va_ aggregation of
capital and labor which is ow required to
further the movements o commerce ; and
more than all combined, jpd the cause of
them all, separate or ci;m ed . :rthe abso
lute dependence which every part of the so
cial scale has on every other part-the de
pendence which every section has on every
other section; a species of dependence which
the railroad and steam navigation and auto
matic machinery have wrought in half a cen
tury, and which is reducing all society into
two planes-one whose expression is money
and another whose expression is poverty
and the two are slowly grinding the in
dividualism that lies between them into
nothingness, a few rising, but the majority
falling into the abyss of poverty and depend
ence.
We see the decline of faith in old tradi
tions and ideas accelerating with an increas
ing ratio. Religion as an element of faith
has been reduced by material philosophy into
a system of ethics, or a measure of personal
opinion. The common school and the al
most universal dissemination of learning
are reducing humanity to an intellectual
plane, just as commerce and the machine are
reducing it to an economic one. The hope
lessness of poverty clothed with an education
that fits it for a plane beyond its reach, but
which it sees too plainly, has caused it to
insist that the divine right of government
whether of kings or of presidents-should
center on it, as also the right to live and to
enjoy, or if this be not granted, then on
its right to revolutionize or its power to
destroy, and it has at this moment the,fatal
consciousness of both its right and its
power. When individualism drew its in
spiration first from Greek philosophy and
the Christian religion it found itself opposed
by the communal theocratic institutions
which had been the growth of the centuries
following the dawn of civilization, and had
grown into a vast and oppressive institution
Individualism was then represented by the
poverty-stricken fanatic who braved death
for the sake of the rmania that possessed him,
as the fanatic of to-day braves his, with this
difference-the faith of the ancient martyr
caused -him to endure death for the sake of
his opinion, while the modern iconoclast de
fies death to defend his, and in the defending
strikes his foe. Through twenty centuries
the tree of individualism has grown into full
maturity, and borne the fruit of modern civ
ization, but under its detnse shade the vermin
have gnawed at its roots, vermin that have
nourished on it until now it is withering and
changing its foliage to a blood-red hue, that
casits a shadow more and more lurid and dis-:
closes the vermin in their resting places, but
too late now to save it.
All in authority wear their honors- with
a dread as potent hanging over them as over
hung the mythical Damocles. It is insignifi
cance defying power, and overcoming it by
means of its insignificance. We in America
have looked on this thing with only passing
interest, while the world has wondered at our
indifference, until the virus has spread slow
ly amongst us and we did not see it. But it
is here, caused by the necessity of competi
tion which has reduced the problem of life
to an equation whose terms are supply and
demand. All the Grants in the world can
not solve it, and all the force in the world
will only intensify it. It will die out when
the force of competition has reduced itself
to its lowest level.
DETECTIVE PINKERTON says that there are
more than one million of avowed commun
ists in the United St ates, well organized and
well supplied with money. England, Wales,
Germany, France and Italy have furnishsd
the most. The manufacturing districts of
New York and New England supply the
most of the native American communists,
and Pennsylvania has more than any other
state (mostly foreign). The Irish in the
cities largely swell the number. Cincinnati
alone contains over 10,000 and Chicago near
ly as many, nearly all German and French,
while all the manufacturing districts and
cities in the country contain more or less-
more than the average American who has
paid no attention to the subject would be
lieve.
THERE is much discussion in English gov
erning circles, over a proposition to create
an imperial Parliament, which shall repre
sent the wishes and necessities of the whole
Empire. Justin McCarthy represents the
English Parliament as an "unwieldy body,
legislating on British local affairs and wast
ing its time and the time of the country in
discussing trival affairs, instead of being a
body representing the Empire and dealing
with grander questions belonging to it as a
great Imperial power." The idea is a good
one in the abstract, but: before such an in
stitution could exert any real strength, and
serve any practical purpose, it must be com
posed of elements harmonious in themselves,
having tendencies and interests in common.
It is evident to any one who will view the
incongrous elements which compose the
British Empire, that it would be impossible
tolgather together a body that could agree
upnn any line of policy, and it would become
a useless and clumsy institution, without
either power or unity.
THE. RESIDENTT SHOT
And Dangerously Wounded by a Urazy Fa
natic--A Faint Hope of his Recov
ery-Particulars of the Shooting.
WASHINGTON, July 2.--President Garfield
was shot this morning in the depot of
the Pennsylvania Central Railroad Company.
He was shot twice. The person who did the
shooting is unknown. His condition is criti
ical, but the doctors think he will live.
2:34 p. m.-An effort had been made to
probe for the bullet, without success.
2:45 p. m.--The latest authenticated re
port is that there is positively no chance for
the President to recover.
Hon. - Shelberger, the prominent lawyer,
who has just left the President's bedside,
confirms the report that there is no possible
chance for the President to recover.
Surgeon General Barnes has visited the
President, and says there is absolutely no
hope for his recovery, and predicts his death
within twelve hours.
Intense excitement prevails throughout the
North and South. People are crowded
around bulletin boards in every city, anxi
ously waiting for the latest.
WASHINGTON, July 5.--530 p. m.-The
President is now sleeping and the attendants
and watchers are taking advantage of his
quietness, and most all dozing in different
parts of the hallway and adjoining rooms.
CHICAGO, July 5.--10 p. m.-The Presi
dent is resting quietly, and is sleeping more
thad half the time. The physicians refuse
to admit any visitors. The family have re
tired for the night and the crowds have dis
persed from about the gates of the White
House, for the first time since the shooting,
and a few newspaper men only linger. It
is generally accepted as a fact that no dan
ger will be apprehended to-night.
The President had alighted from his car
riage and was passing through the ladies'
rooms to the cars. When about five feet in
side the room the assassin, who was within
three feet of him, fired one shot. The Pres
ident was so surprised that he made no at
tempt at self-defense. Blaine had turned
toward the door when the assassin fired a
second shot. In ten seconds the President
fell. Mrs. White, who attends to the ladies
waiting room, rushed up to the President
and raised his head. Blaine also rushed to
his assistance. The assassin ran out towards
B street, but Capt. Parker, the ticket agent,
jumped through the window and caught the
assassin, who made no resistance. Officer
Carney, the depot policeman, rushed up and
took hold of the assassin, and immediately
afterwards officer Scott also took hold of
him. Parke let the officers have the prisoner
and turned his attention to the President.
The President was taken up stairs. He said
not a word until he was laid down. He asked
that his shoes be taken off, saying that he
felt pain in his feet. As soon as his shoes
were removed he said to Secretary Windom:
"Go right now and send a telegram to Mrs
Garfield saying that I feel considerably bet
ter. If she feels well enough tell her to
come to Washington immediately."
The dispatch was sent and a spacial train
was at once sent to Long Branch for Mrs.
Garfield. Secretary Blaine was not doing
with the party, but went down to bid the
President good bye. He said : "The Pres
ident and I were walking arm in arm toward
the train. I heard two shots and saw a man
run. I started after him, but seeing that he
was grabbed just as he got out of the room,
I came to the President and found him lying
on the floor, which was covered with his
blood. A number of persons gathered around
shortly afterwards, and they have some of
that blood on their persons. I think I know
the man-think his name is Guitteau."
The weapon used was a revolver about 7
inches long. It had an ivory handle, calibre
very large, and was what is known as a Cal
ifornia pistol. It made a loud report.
The district jail, in the Eastern extremily
of the city, was visited by a reporter after 11
o'clock for the purpose of obtaining an in
terview with the would-be assassinator of
President Garfield. The officers refused ad
mittance to the building, stating as their
reason therefore, that they were acriug under
instructions received from the Attorney Gen
eral, the purport of which was that no one
should be allowed to see the prisoner. At
first, indeed, the officers emphatically de.
nied that the man had been conveyed to jail,
tearing, it appears, that should t.e fact be
made known that ne was there, the building
would be attacked by a mob. Information
had reached them that such a movement was
contemplated, and a large guard composed
of regulars taken from the barracks and the
metropolitan police force were momentarily
expected to arrive at the jail to be in readi
ness to repel any attack.
The statement of Uuitteau was verified
by the officer in charge of the jail where the
prisoner arrived and was placed in a cell
about 10:50 o'clock, just one hour after the
shooting occurred.
The physicians say that the greatest need
for the President is not probing but rest.
The extent and danger of the wound is not
yet known, andgmore can be told when his
urine passes, as his kidneys are wounded.
The assassin is now in jail and is thought
by many to be crazy.
He has a sandy complexion and is slight,
weighing not more tiian 125 pounds: fle
wears a moustache and light chin whiskers,
nnd his sunken cheeks and his eyes far apart
from each other give him a sullen appear
ance. The officer in question stated he had
noticed it to be a peculiarity of nearly all
murderers that their eyes are set far back
and apart, and Guitteau, he said, proves no
exception to this rule.
When the prisoner arrived at the jail he
was attired in a suit of blue and wore a drab
hat which was pulled down over his eyes,
giving him the appearance of an ugly char
acter.
Scott and Carney got hold of the assassin
and were taking him to the police headquar
ters when he said voluntarily to them: "I
did it and will go to jail for it. I am a Stal
wart and Arthur will be President." He had
a letter in his hand which he wanted the
officers to take to General Sherman, stating
that it would be all right.
The prisoner made no resistance, saying
that he had contemplated killing the presi
dent andit was for the good of the country.
About nine o'clock the assassin went to a
hackstand adjoining the station, and en
gaged a hack trom a colored hackman. He
said he wanted to go to Glenwood cemetry
in a short time and wanted the hackman to
drive very fast when he should get in the
hack. He agreed to pay $2 for the hack on
the condition that the hackman would drive
very fast. When stopped the assassin was
going toward the hack he had engaged and
insisted that it was important for him to go
and deliver a message to Gen. Sherman.
When the officers refused to let him go, he
begged them to take the letter he had to Gen.
Sherman. The following is the letter :
WAsHsNGTON, July 2.
The White House President's tragic enmd
was a sad necessity, but it will unite the Re
publican party and save the Republic. Life
is a flimsy dream and it matters little when
one goes. A human life is of small value.
During the war thousands of brave boys
went down without a tear. I presume thet
the President was a Christain and that he
would be happiergin paradise than here. It
will be no worse for Mrs. Garfield, dear c.ul,
to part with her husband in this way tlan
by natural death and he is liable to go away
at any time. I had no ill will toward the
President. His death was a political neces
sity. I am a lawyer and theologian and
politician. I am in the interest of the Stal
warts. I was with Gen. Grant and the rest
of our men during the late campaign in New
York. I have some papers for the pess
which I shall leave with you and the Inter
Ocean correspondent and his co journalist at
1420 New York avenue, where all reporters
can see them. I am going to the jail.
(Signed), Ci.s. GIrTTEAU.
Dr. Townsend, health officer, was first to
reach the President. The President was
shot from the right side as he left the ladies'
reception room of the depot with Secretary
Blaine. The ball entered above the third
rib, but whether it has taken its course to
ward the spine has not yet been ascertained.
The wound was probed by Dr. Bliss, who
reports that on probing the wound he found
that the course of the ball did not extend to
ward the spine. Still he is not certain it did
not.
LoNG BaNsCE, July 2.-General Grant in
speaking about the attempted assassination
says : "If this is the outgrowth of Nihilism
in Russia. I am in favor of crusahing it out
immediately by the prompt execution of the
would-be-assassins and their followers."