The Spokane press. [volume], December 13, 1910, Image 1

About The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
THE SPOKANE
Bb«x«b«b J^^^^^^^^^^^^
T)NE CENT IN CITY. ON TRAINS, FIVE CENTS.
MILLIONAIRE IS SHOT BY WIFE
WOMAN
SAYS SELF
DEFENSE
r By Tj n it er i p ress Leased Wire.)
PHILADELPHIA. Dec. 13.—Mrs. Mary Clapp, wife of
Ile/bert Clapp, a millionaire clubman, mysteriously
wounded at his home last night, today confessed that she
shot her husband to protect her own life.
"Rut I didn't want to kill him," she moaned. "1 shot
him before I thought; 1 didn't want to kill him."
When she became a little more <piiet she told the cir
cumstances leading up to the shooting.
"1 only wanted to fix him so he could not hurt me."
said Mrs! Clap]), as a preface to the story. "He attacked
me first and 1 wanted to protect myself. I didn't want
to kill him."
The trouble, she said, started Sunday night.
"Last night," Mrs. Clapp continued, "1 went to the
"Majestic hotel to buy newspapers. I was dressed in a
loose tea gown. When 1 returned my husband reviled me
for'appearing in such a dress. 1 left him and went to my
room and retired.
"Mr. Clapp drank four big glasses of whisky and took
ll' grains of morphine. Later he walked up to the side
of my bed and without speaking struck me in the face.
When I attempted to rise he seized my throat with his
hands and choked me. He held me until my breath was
nearly gone; then he released me, but he heaped insulting
names upon me. He leaned over me and struck me again.
Then I struck back.
"He walked slowly to his side of the bed and took his
revolver from its holster.
"1 ran to the other side of the bed and he followed. 1
dodged him and ran back, lie climbed over the bed am!
we met in the center of the room between the bed and the
bureau. He pointed the revolver at me and I grabbed
his hands, tugging at his fingers with all my strength.
The gun went off, the bullet entering the ceiling. Then
he broke away from me and stepped backward.
" 'I'll get you this time,' he screamed, 'and I'll get you
right.'
"I was certain he would kill me, and 1 wanted to pro
tect myself. I lunged forward and seized the revolver. I
managed to wrench it from my husband's hands. I step
ped back, aimed the weapon at him and pulled the trigger.
The bullet passed clear through his neck and he dropped.
"I was frantic. I cleaned the floor, wiping up the little
pool of blood. 1 pasted a postal card over the hole the
bullet made in a mirror when it left the back of his head.'"
Mrs. Clapp then hid herself, she said, but finally an
swered the summons of the police.
Clapp probably will recover. He is very bitter against
his wife, saying that he intends to press the charge of
"attack with intent to kill," which has been lodged
against her.
- —————— 1
WITH HEAPS OE GOLD
TO BUT FOOD, ELKINS DIG
BECAUSE HE CAN'T EAT
(By United Press Leased Wire.)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—Surrounded by luxury, yet starving to
death because of inability to assimilate food, United States Senator
Sttohen B. Elklns of West Virginia, Is near death, according to a re
pen current here today. It Is said the senator's chief trouble Is his
Inanality to digest his food and as a result his blood has become Im
poverished. It Is asserted that he has lost considerable weight and
thst his friends would not know him, so greatly has he changed. No
one Is permitted to see the senator, although It was announced at
the Elklns residence last night that his condition was good, snd that
there was no cause for alarm.
The Press Will Explain Weak and Strong Points of the Proposed Charter
Within a very short time now the men and women of Spokane will be called upon to vote on the question of adopting a new charter, a commission form charter, for this city. From today and until December 28, the inter*
est and discussion will increase. It is time to take up the issue as it stands, and examine it thoroughly.
Of all tho prospective candidates, newspapers and big interests who are taking part In this charter revision campaign, The Spokane Press probably is the only one which can truthfully state that it haa no "axe to grind."
They are all more or less interested in the public welfare, and are of course deeply concerned In securing the best possible form of city government. But The Press, in this, as in all past fights, has absolutely no personal into*
ests to servo. It stands simply ac the representative and voice of the people ns a whole. t . .
Now, in the opinion of tjjis newspaper, the proposed charter is not bf any means a perfect charter—ln fact, it is very far from that shining standard. The Press believes that, in theory, the commission form of govern*
meut is an Improvement upon the present style, but certaiu vital things must be included in the now form to make it acceptable. Of course, the most important thing of ail is to elect really honest, continued on *•* Tv**v
KIDDING UNCLE PUBLIC—nAND THE GREY GOOSE SAID
FAWCETT TO
MAKE FIGHT
(By United Press.)
TACOMA, Wn., Dec. 13.—
"When you carry the day
and defeat the anti-treating
law by a referendum vote of
the people, that day 1 will
resign my office," said
Mayor Fawcett to W. H.
Armstrong, president of tlifi
Royal Arch, today.
Mayor Fawcett has be
come thoroughly aroused at
the movement of the saloon
ists to defeat the ordiuance
passed last week, and his
declaration today is taken to
can that a battle will be
waged to the last ditch.
HOW GAS
CO. WORKS
THE PEOPLE
Do It With Two Companies
t More Inside His
tory.
It's a fine plan—the scheme by
which the Doherty syndicate In
control of the Spokane gas plant
manages to reef the consumer at
one end and the city of Spokane at
the other. Not a finer idea has
ever been operated in this city of
clever high financiers and smooth
politicians.
The Spokane gas company oper
ates under two franchises, one pass
ed In 1902, allowing as high as S2
per 1,000 for gas, and the other
franchise is used to prevent the
city from collecting Its just dues In
the way of franchise tax.
To do this It has been found nec
essary to incorporate two com
panies, the Spokane Fulls Gas
Light Co., which holds the old fran
chise, and the Spokane Gas ft Fuel
Continued Two.
jL-iji - , —i a
THE "PINK"
NIGHT EXTRA
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1910.
DECLARE
ACQUjITAL
A CRIME
(By United Presepeased Wire.)
NASHVILLE, Term., Dec. J.—Charging that the ac
quittal of Robin Cooper, acciijifl of complicity in the kill
ing of" tonner Senator CarmaeW was a fraud on the state,
attorneys who represented theptate in the Cooper trials
today filed a petition with theviminal court, asking that
the acquittal be set aside. OTe petition was denied by
Judge Neil. £
The attorneys gave notice wkt the case wil lbe taken
to the supreme court either om writ of supersedas or a
writ of certiorari. It is charfed that Attorney General
Anderson was acting in fraudulent collusion with the at
torneys for the defense.
MANY TINY TOTS TO
BE PROVIDED FOR
BY A. GOOD FELLOW.
Well, the list of Good Fellows
continues to grow, hut there must
certainly be a lot more of the ten
der-hearted oues who are willing to
liel|i some little child to be happy
on Christmas, but who have not
yet sent their names and asked for
membership in the Good Fellow
club.
.lust think, fellows, such a small
part of that money that you get
out and spend so carelessly for
Christmas would make some little
child happy, some little child who
but for your klualy goodfellowship
would have to get up on Christmas
morning and fiud that Santa Claus
had passed In the night and there
was nothing In the little stocking
which had been so confidently and
so confidingly hung up the night
before.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR SA
Enough good fellows have Joined
the club to assure a Merry Christ
mas and a happy one to almost 50
ot Spokane's unfortunate children,
but there are ever so many more
who still have little chance ot San
af Cfaus coming to theni unless
mere of us Good Fellows come to
the front.
If you could read some of the
stories which come to my desk
every day you would certainly feel
lnclin'Hl to get In on this Santa
Claus stunt, and gain your greatest
happiness of the Xmas season
through the knowledge that you
had made some innocent child
, happy.
Let me tell you about a few of
these children, and see what you
think about the proposition:
fake, for instance, the little tribe
'of'seven, whose father fell from a
building on which he was working
some time since, and who now lies
at home with a broken back, alive,
but paralysed and looking forward
o'ulv to the time when death will
oalue to his relief.
tioesn't that make you feel as
£you would like to do some
Jontinued on page two.)
IT OF MRS. TAFT, ♦
rejf AGED NINETY, DIES ♦
M. DECATtR, 111., Dec. 13.— ♦
♦>|Mi s. Hannah Jack, an aunt ♦
tMDf Mrs. Taft. wife ot tbe presi- ♦
♦idem, died today at her home ♦
SMiere. Mrs. Jack was 90 years ♦
*}*tit age. Her death was ♦
«>' caused by pneumonia. ♦
THE SPOKANE
SECT LEADER
CONFESSES
(By United Press.)
■wJtfjiJANCft- U n JUec. t %
Lupton, internation
al leader of the '/Gift of
Tongues" sect, this after
noon issued a public confes
sion that he had been "sore-;
ly tempted and had fallen,"
and that he is the father of
a "man child" born to an
unmarried sister now at the
Alliance mission with her
baby.
SHORT
SEASON
(By United Press.)
NEW YORK, Dec. 13.—
After re-electing Thomas J.
Lynch president of the Na
tional league, the baseball
magnates this afternoon
voted to adopt a 1911 game
schedule, bringing the play
ing season to a close October
i, iDii.
SIX
IN
MEN
PRISON
TAKE LIVES
BT. PETERSBURG, Dec. 13.—
S'x prisoners confined in the gov
ernment prison at Zarantui com
mitted suicide rather than subm't
to alleged inhuman treatment, it
was officially announced today by
the prison officials. M. Bason off,
the aasassln of Minister of the In
terior Yen Phleve, was one of ths
six. Ths official report said that
three of the prisoners killed them
selves by severing arteries in their
wrists.. The other three took over
doses of morphine.
Rumors that Sasonoff had died
aa the result of inhuman treatment
by his jailers are believed to have
caused the statements to be made.
NINTH YEAR, No. 53. 25 CENTS A MONTH.
DIETZ TRIRL
DELAYED
(By United Press Leased Wire.) w
HAY WARD, Wis., Dec. 13.—The actual trial of John
Dietz, "defender of Cameron Dam," was not begun today}
as l\«id been expected. Judge Read said he would enter
tain a motion for a continuance, which the defense an
nounced it would make when court convened this after
noon. r
Attorneys for tbe defense asserted that they were not
ready to begin the taking of testimony.
"The court feels that defense would be greatly handi
capped were they to go to trial now," said Judge Read,
4 ' As the case is so important that it may affect the future
of the state of Wisconsin, 1* will order a continuation."
ENGINEERS
v AX ™N ■
(By United Press Leased Wire.) "~
CHICAGO, Dec. J3.—Representative* of 61
railroads, on which 33,000 engineers have voted to strike
unless their demands for more money be granted, are t»>
day considering the matter witli the brotherhood officiate,
The general belief is prevalent that the demands will be
refused and that the railroads will seek arbitration undet
the provision of the Erdman arbitration apt.
♦ WATCH FOR SPORT SPECIAL TOMORROW. ♦
♦ ■ • m
♦ Sporting writers, east and west and north and south, may ♦
♦ pick their all-American football elevents to their heart's eon- ♦
♦ tent, and while their selections are accepted with more or leas ♦
♦ enthusiasm, everyone, including even the dope writers them- ♦
♦ selves, waits with deepest Interest the announcement of tbe ♦
♦ selections of Walter Camp, the great Tale coach.' and tbe ac- ♦
♦ know (edged greatest living authority on football ♦
♦ When Camp's announcements are made, his decision comes ♦
♦ pretty near being accepted as final, and the paper which can ♦
♦ first make them public is considered as having shown a stroke ♦
♦ of enterprise worthy of note. +
♦ As is usual with all the big sporting events. The Press will ♦
♦ be the first paper in Spokane to publish Camp's own story of e>
♦ his selections for the 1910 all-American team, and will publish 0
♦ at the same time the first pictures in the city of all tbe mem- ♦
♦ bers of the team selected by Cams). +
POLICE FORCE
MUST BE
IMPROVED
Chief Doust May Introduce
Some of Cleveland's Fa
mous Features.
if W. J. Doust remains in office
as chief of police, numerous im
provements will be mads in tho
manner of conduct of tha local po
lice department, according to
statements mads by ths chief dur
ing an Interview this morning.
"I ant not a trained man In po
lice work." said Doiut this morn
ing, "but 1 can plainly see that
Spokane has far from a metropoli
tan police system, if I remain in
office ( am going to do what I can
,to bring the police system up to
date. I intend making a tour of
coast cities and studying police
systems there with a Tlew to ip
troducing improvements lv the lo
cal department."
Among the innovations on which
Chief Doust is flgurtug at the pres
ent time is the establishment ot
the "report" system, whereby every
officer making an arrest must file
a written report ot the same, tell
ing the circumstances leading up to
the arrest and giving other avail
able information.
Heretofore local officers have)
filed reports only In cases of eft*
ceptionai interest to the depart*
ment. and In many eaaea the cap
tains on duty have not known the
nature of the Crimea with which,
men arrested oh other shifts than
their own were accused. ,
The ' report" system also allows
thee police to keep better track of
the lodging houses and saloons «t
the city, aa a record will tfeua tsa
kept of the arrests made in tboso
places, and of the general charac
ter of their frequenters. t
Chief Douat haa also been rotat
ing up on the "Golden Rule" sys
tem made so famous by Chief-Ftaft
Kohler of Cleveland, Ohio, aa*Ma>
introduce some of tho principle*•*
that system Into tho a4mt»!atratfcMs
of the local department.
: r-j —;■—u-jii ji11 njaera^^.