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GERMAN CRUISER REPORTED TO BE AT LARGE This is the German cruiser Roon, which is said to have been near by on the day the British liner Appam was (captured off the Madeira islands and to have directed the raiders. The Roon, which is an armored cruiser, was fbuilt in 1903. She has a displacement of 9,050 tons and a speed of 21 knots an hour. She carries four 8.2-lnch 'guns, ten 6-inch guns, fourteen 24-pnunders, four machine guns and four submerged torpedo tubes. She has a length iof 405 feet and 65 feet beam. She carries a complement of 557 men. CELEBRATES HER FIFTIETH YEAR IN BED Miss Mollie Fancher, called America's most remarkable invalid, whose extraordinary case, with its develop- : lmont of what is declared to be clairvoyant power, has puzzled physicians, surgeons and psychic investigators, cole fibrated recently at her home in Brooklyn the fiftieth anniversary of her confinement to bed. Though Miss Fancher icannot see, she is able to write, can describe the dress of callers, and reveal with a surprising degreo of accuracy, ^t is said, the past life of persons she never knew before. HE OPENS THE PRESIDENT’S MAIL Ira Smith's job is to see that the president of the United States is not tnnoyed by the thousands of people who write to him, and Mr, Smith is a ery bus', man. Every day many hundreds of letters addressed to the chief executive —usually they are marked "private" or "confidential"—reach the V hite House. As a rule about five of the batch are sent unopened to Mr. Wilson. The rest have failed to pass Mr. Smith, who is a handwriting «xpert and can tell which of the letters the president must see and which 'should be turned over to the executive office staff for answer. BOY SCOUTS LEARN FIRE FIGHTING m _ .......rjytKOilWMMWlWMCWWJIWMWi. W-V The Boy Scouts of Washington are learning, among other useful things, la be fire fighters. The capital's fire department has taken over the tuition Of the young Scouts and they havo been put through drills in wall climbing. Jumping into fire nets aud all branches of the fireman’s work. The Scouts ore shown here riding back from one of their drills with the firemen. COOK DEMANDS VINDICATION Dr. Frederick A. Cook, mountain ' climber and arctic explorer, who leaped into fame a few years ago with tho controversy over his claim to hav ing discovered the North pole, is in ' Washington to demand of congress an investigation of his claim and vindica tion in the eyes of the world. Doctor Cook says he has started tho machin ery to bring ?bout the investigation and that he will not let up until his story of his travels in the arctic it proved true by congress. Two of a Kind. “Well, young man. On your way to school?” “Yes, sir.” "You don’t seem to be in a hurry to get there.” "No, sir. Where are you going?” “I’m on my way to work.” “You don’t seem to be in a hurry much, either.” LAW IS PROPOSED LEGISLATURE WILL DEAL WITH PROBLEM—ONE MEASURE ALREADY DRAFTED. SENTIMENT CRYSTALLIZING Largs Number of Petitions Filed in Chancery Court of the State Re sponsible for Agitation—Clergy men Are Joining Movement Little Rock.— The next Legislature will very like ly pass a law amending the Arkansas statute relating to divorces. Several members of the Senate and house al ready nominated, who have been vis iting the gubernatorial headquarters in Little Rock the past few days, stat ed they would introduce bills regulat ing the divorce evil as existing in Arkansas. One of the members stat ed that he has already drafted a measure prohibiting parties who were divorced from remarrying until six years after the divorce has been granted, and making it a felony for any clergyman or officer of the law to perform a marriage ceremony unless the parties had been divorced more than six years. The large number of divorce petitions filed in the various chancery courts of the state during the past three years has caused a widespread sentiment for the enact ment of laws reducing the number of divorce cases to the minimum, and it is generally believed that this senti ment will be crvstalizod into the pass age of an act by the next Legislature making the divorce evil a thing of the past in Arkansas. The clergymen of the state are also joining in the move ment. Fipht Contempt Fines. A writ of certiorari is asked for Bob Turk and Luther Waller, sentenced to fines and imprisonment for contempt of court by Judge W. J. Driver, judge of the First District, in a petition tiled with the clerk of the Supreme Court by State Senator L. Clyde Going. Ac cording to the petition. Turk was fined $500 and sentenced to 90 days and Waller was lined $250 and sentenced to 45 days. The petition asks that the record of the court be produced immediately and that the judgment against the men be quashed. May Amend Tax Law*. Until the present tax laws of Arkan sas are amended there can be no equalization of the basis of assessment in different counties, according to members of the State Tax Commis sion. Assessments reports from 72 of the 75 counties Indicate there will be little change in the range of as sessments between 1914 and 1915. In 1915 the basis of assessment ranged from Hi.9 per cent in Benton county to 74.6 per cent in Perry county. Oscar Pullum Pardoned. Six years ago, Oscar Pullum, a young white man of Little Itiver coun ty. occupied a cell in the old peniten tiary on the state cppitol grounds, un der sentence to be hanged. Today he is free, thanks to a pardon issued by Governor Hays. The pardon was de livered to Pullum at the penitentiary by Grady Hays, the governor’s son and secretary. To Appeal Game Ruling. An appeal on a case that will .st the new State game and fish protec tion law is being perfected and will be filed ip the Supreme Court within a few days, according to information | reaching the office of Wallace Davis, I attorney general. The suit is a man- ] damns artton to compel Issuance of a license to hunt of a non-resident. Debt Grows Large. Payment of approximately $50,000 in insurance taxes during the last month has kept the outstanding state warrants from increasing rapidly, but '.he total probably will reach $500,000 within a month. The amount at the close of business was $t45,9SG.13. Feb ruary 19, 1915, the outstanding war rants totaled $477,059.18. Levee Contracts Let. Emergency contracts for the mov ing of 450,000 yards of dirt in the Linwood and Auburn Levee District were let to Lannan Bros. & Tansey of Texarkana, at a joint meeting of the State Penitentiary Commission and *he Levee Board at Varner. The price was 22 cents a yard. Court Report Out. The one hundred and sixteenth Ar kansas Supreme Court report was re ceived by the clerk of the court and fs being delivered. Incorporation Matters. The Southern Hardware Company of Hot Springs, capitalized at $12, 900. tiled articles of incorporation. The Denning Coal Company of Den ning, Franklin county, was incorporat ed with a capital of $10,000. The Hart Shoe Store of Helena, cap italized at $15,000, filed articles of in corporation. The N. W Kedwine Mining Co. of Leslie, capitalized at $24,000, with all i stock paid in, filed articles of incor | partition. Ld Mays Is president. Finds Faw Violation*. Deputy State Labor Commissioner ' E. T. McKinley Has returned from a trip ot inspection through the counties of Craighead, Greene and Clay, where lie made an inspection of all factories, laundries, sawmills and department stores in the interest of the enforce ment of the minimum wage, child la bor and saw and planing mill hour laws. Only one general violation of the sawmill hour law was found and tnis he adjusted. No violation of the other labor laws was found. Deputy McKinley left for Port Smith, accom panied by State Health Otlicer C. W. Garrison, where they will investigate the sanitary conditions of the mines in Sebastian and adjoining counties. Pardons Grant Marshall. Governor Hays pardoned Grant Marshall of Johnson county, sentenced in May, 1915, to one year for grand larceny. Marshall was paroled sev eral months ago. The governor re stored citizenship to Lee Hersfleld of Johnson county, fined $20 and sen tenced to five days in jail for petit larceny in 1908. A proclamation was issued relieving Plainwood Taylor of Sevier ocunty of serving three months of a jail sen tence. Taylor was convicted of ag gravated assault in January and sen tenced to four months in jail and to pay a fine of $50. He had served one month of his sentence. The proclama tion relieved him of serving the re mainder of the sentence, but provides that Taylor shall pay the Hue and costs. I Plan Clean-up For Clarendon. An outline of the health regulations enacted into city ordinances at Clar endon, which he recommends be on served in all flooded districts, was given ou. by I)r. C. W. Garrison, state health officer, on his return from a trip on which he visited Clarendon. The regulations were recommended by him and enacted by the Clarendon City Council at a special session. Arbor Day, Bird Day. Miss Clara 15. Eno of Van Buren, chairman of the Committee on Civics of the Arkansas Federation of Wom en's Clubs, has written Governor Hays : asking him to call attention to the fact that Saturday, March 4. is Arbor Day and Bird Day. The governor said he will issue no formal'proclamation, but hopes the day will be observed over the state. State Vital Statistics. Dr. F. L. Watkins, special agent of the United States Bureau of Vital Sta tistics. was in Little Rock to confer with Dr. C. W. Garrison, state health officer, regarding the state Bureau of Vital Statistics. He will offer sugges tions for improving the state bureau. Tax Commission to Sue. Suit will be filed in the Garland Circuit Court, by the Arkansas Tax Commission, to test the action of tho ■ Garland County Court in .owering the , assessments placed upon certain pub lic utilities by the tax commission. Smallpox In Lawrence. Dr. J. D. Swindle of Walnut Ridge, 1 county health officer of Lawrence county, telegraphed C. W. Garrison, state health officer, that smallpox has broken out in Lawrence county. Special Attorney Named. Governor Hays appointed J. Walker Morrow special attorney to assist At torney General Wallace Davis In bringing suit to recover certain land in St. Francis county. $32,000 Insurance Fee. Approximately $22,000 in insurance fees has been paid into the general revenue fund since February 1. — ARKANSAS IN RRIFF. The old school building at Judsonin. which was opened in 1871 under u charter granted by the state to the ; Arkansas Baptist colony, has been torn down. Governor Renfro, first governor of Oklahoma, was married in the building in 1875. — During the recent overflow James Busbee's restaurant near the railway : station at Batesville was partially un der water. When the waters receded Busbee was cleaning tne place and found a large cotton mouth snake. The snake was kilted. With all options on property but one in the hunds of the committee and that option promised, and with all leases except about a dozen to pro cure, Hot Springs' part in securing the $12,000,000 sanitarium is almost finished. J. T. Alley of Mercer, Mo., has pur chased several hundred acres of land near Buena Vista and Omegaw (Ouachita) county, and will establish a stock farm. Two fawns and a large buck were captured In the backwater near Mr Oehee during the recent floods. At the meeting of the Arkansas So ciety at Washington. D. ('., O. C. Dud wig was elected historian and James Brodinax corresponding secretary. 1 Both made speeches of acceptance and j Congressman Jacoway also addressed the society upon “Great Arkansas," paying a splendid tribute to A. H. Gar land ana U. M. Rose. Mrs. uate Martin died near Alston last week. She would have celebrat ed her one hundredth birthday had she lived 12 days more. ... "it S,.. ..Li,,-'..L.;., WHITE ACRES | ' i > > i > ' - 11 • 11 I By EOWINA FAXON. | | W'H III111 IfM I lm i l l'll ’ A sense of humor did much to t&ktf) the edge off a stinging wind, but ini spite of her bravery tears welled up in Kathleen’s eyes. She had turned a corner and come in sight of the old house, desolate in tho midst of a dreary lato November landscape, and the house brought back recoilections that were hard to bear. A touring car stopped at the gate and a mail got out ’ Miss Lowell, I bolieve,” he said. “Yes!” she answered abruptly. He came up on to the veranda be. side her. ‘‘I am Horace Davidson, and I represent the Burlington and Hartwell road. But I've no doubt you have already guessed my identity. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting. We had a blowout. Deucedly cold, isn’t it? Shall we go inside?” “It is colder in there. Besides, our business is outside, 1 believe.” The wind was screaming so he had to stand quite close to catch her words. "An uncommonly pretty girl, by Jove,” he said to himself. A shrill whistle sounded in tho dis tance, and both turned quickly. A big interurban trolley car appeared around the curve of the road and sped on a raised track across tho open space below them. “The suit comes up next week, K believe,” began Kathleen. "Unless you change your mind and have it withdrawn.” "Why should I?” “To begin with, I don't think yott have much chance.” "Is there no Justice in the world, theu? What are courts for?’’ "Justice,” he answered. “No judge ran non uhv a atrln nf iroob alw-tit 1st do any damage to a farm.” ‘‘Perhaps he can see it if it is ex plained to him that the road got its right of way under falso pretense, that the track cut my fathor’s farm in two to begin with, and that the raising ot it made it impossible to pasture • herd of cows on one side with the barn on the ether. A culvert would have crtBt us two thousand dollars, and tho company wouldn’t pay it. Further, when he saw in despair that his big dairy farm was ruined, began to have visions of a summer hotel and petitioned the company for a sta tion. But that was refused, too. IT* was ruined financially and in health. He was too old to stand the blow,, and he died.” Horace Davidson was silent awhile. Then, "Why don't you sell the place?** “I would if I could. No one will have it with that ugly raised track la the wrong place.” He saw that she was shaking with emotion and cold. "Miss Dowell,” ha said more kindly, "after all it was foolish of me to ask you. to meet me out here. We can talk better in my office in town.” The next morning. Horace Davidson was having trouble about a button which had disappeared from his over coat. "Evelyn,” he begged his married sister, "will you sew a button on my overcoat if you happen to have any thing at all that will match?” "Such shlftlesBness! Where’s your tailor? Take it up to the sowing room, the proper place for such oper ations. You’ll find someone there.” So lloraco went upstairs and along a hall to a remote corner of the great house, where he had a vague idea the sewing room was. An open door through which a light shone und the faint whir of a machine were his guides, and he soon found hlmsolf Wiltphimr ft ixirl iinr mwl aU/tnl dors bent over the machine, a dark island in billows upon billows ot suowly-white stuff. "I beg your pardon," stud Horace. The whir stopped and the girl looked around. It was Kathleen Low ell. Sho sprang up. instantly recog nizing him. "Mr. Davidson! How you startled me! Won't vou sit down?” "Thank you. Miss Lowell. We seem destined to meet In while acres, al though I must say this landscape la warmer than the Inst one. To ex plain my errand thta time, 1 was told to come hore tc have a button sewed on. May 1 beg the favor?" He held out the coat he had been holding on his arm. Kathleen flushed. “Certainly. I'll do it right away. Have you the but ton?” “No. I thought maybe there might be one around that would match.” "I'm afraid not. They are very odd. Oh, I believe—Why, yes! 1 found ona In tho station yesterday and put it In my bag. It's up iu the schoolroom with my things. I'll get It. You sea. I'm the children's governess." He looked his surprise and Inquiry. "This is extra—you see!" she ex plained. "1 teach days and sew nighta." “And all this bocauso tho road ran through your farm and ruined it!” She looked away and didn't answer. A new look had come into tho man's eyes, stern and determined. "Olvo me that coat. Miss Lowell. I'li 80w on my own button. Sho handed it over wondering. "You go home now and stay tha rest of the winter When spring cornea, move back Into your home In tho coun try. 111 answer for the road. I'm a Mg stockholder myeeir. I nm going to <*, make it my business to see that yota are treated properiy.' (Copyright. l»l«, by the r-KCiuro Newso*./ per Bynd c.'.ic.) i