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LAST EDITION. 4:30 O'CLOCK. VOL. LIII. NO. aa. BOCK ISLAJS D. ILL., Til OESDAY, DECH3IBEK 31, 1903 TWELVE PAGES. PRICE TWO CENTS. T7 Air li TTDIPTA A EXPLOSION AND BLAZE Combine to Cause An other Panic at Chicago. AT LEATHER FACTORY Man Leaps From Fourth Story and is Killed. Chicago. Dec. '.'A. An explosion oc curred today 'ii the fourth floor of the I'nited Slates Leather company's faeti-v. Twenty to thirty men were at work at t he time. Jumps From Window. Daniel l'heian jumped into the alley through a window" and was killed. Another workman is reported burned The building was soon a mass of ilames. SIGN TREATY WITH ANOTHER COUNTRY Friendly Commercial Relations Es tablished With Kpiothia in Africa. libutil. French Somnliland. Dee. Emperor Menelik suul Consul (Jph eral Skinner today signed a treaty he tween the United States and the em pire of Ethiopia, opening for the first time commercial relations. 3I0EE NEWS IE0H LIBERIA Knowing That Ci vlli.'a ion Ha Not Ye Penetrated to the H.n k Districts in That Kcgion. London. Doe. Mrs. Allen, of the American African Gospel mission, has sailed for New York from Liverpool on the White Star line steamer Celtic aft er four years" work among the Xanak roos in Liberia. Just prior to sailing from Liberia she witnessed severe Iribal fighting between the allied in habitants of the. coast tjwns and the bushmen. Mrs. Allen's mission hotiso was the center of the lirst conflict, and the Xanakroo queen sought refuge there. Mrs. Allen refused to leave, although advised to do so by the Liberian troops sent from . Monrovia to support the coast towns. During the fighting Mrs. Allen was not molested, but she wit nessed remarkable scenes of barbar ism. There was no actual cannibal ism, but the bodies of the slain bush men were ohoppetl -up into small pieces and the ears., heads, arms and lags were cut off and distributed anions the various towns as trophies of victory. The bushmen ultimately were worsted and returned to the interior. Rival to "Scrupulous Coiifwience.' St. Louis. Dec. 31. "Scrupulous Conscience." who scattered $100, mostly in $."( bills, anions the rail roads and other coriKvrations as Christ mas presents, has a rival in 'Honesty," who appears to have confined his gen erosity to the Big Four. Two Utters have been received by the latter road, each containing 0- Front the simi larity of the handwriting and other features, it is thought "Scrupulous Conscience" and "Honesty" are one and the same person. Woman Adjudged Insane. Cleveland. (., Dec. 31. Miss Julia Ricks, who some time since created a sensation in New York by demanding a large sum of money from Mrs. May Harrington- Stallo, the ex-wife of Dan It. Hanna. has been adjudged insane by acting Probate Judge Schwab, and committed to the state asylum for the Insane at Newburg. Gold Democrats Missed It. Indianapolis, Dee. 31. Having cap tured the city organization and secured the election of their mayoralty candi date, the gold Democrats of this city and county tried to get control of the congressional district, but were badly beaten. Joseph T. Fanning, the pres ent district chairman, was re-elected. Hard on the Mother and Father. 'Mulliken, Mich., Dec. 31. The re mains of L. Baldwins, wife and son, arrived here and were met by the sev eral orders to which they belonged. The mother and father of the lald wins are nearly prostrated. It Is feared iha otlier .will not survive the ; hock. TUMULTOUSCROWD At Meeting of Panama Canal Company at Paris Yesterday. FEW OPPOSED INDORSEMENT Vote on the (Question was J2;iO for and 1U Against. Farls. Dec. 31. Owing to the recent events at Panama the annual meet ing of the Panama Canal company de veloped unusual interest and excite ment. Prior to the opening efforts were made to secure enough proxies to overrule the existing management of the company, which Is favorable to the sale of the company's property to the United States. The meeting took place in the Hall of Agriculture, which was crowded with officials, stockhold ers and prominent financiers. At the. opening of the meeting the manage ment Mibmittcd a report of the recent events on the isthmus and the course taken by the compaBy. They Wait on Our Senate. The report set forth that the repub lic of Panama today exercises sover eignty over the isthmus, displacing Co lombia's former sovereignty: that the United States France, Russia, Great Britain, Germany and other countries had recognized Panama's supremacy, and added: "In view of the accom plished fact, and in face of superior force, we can only maintain and con tinue the existing engagements with the United States." The report also ex plained that the fact that the United States senate had not ratified the treaty with I 'ana ma deferred the ex ecution of the company's engagements with the United States. Threatened the Company's Kights. "It is under these circumstances." the report continued, "that we convoke you to give to our agreement with the United States your definitive approv al." The report further disclosed Co lombia's recent vain efforts to induce the company to continue dealing with the old government of the isthmus, saying: "Prior to the Panama uin-is-ing the committee of the Colombian congress recommended action which would have extinguished the com pany's rights. It proposed to insert an item of $1.hkuhk in the Colombian budget to reimburse the company for its losses. The agent of the company at Bogota resisted, and the French government gave assurances that it would do all possible to prevent the sacrifice of French property and in terests." COroMKIA OPPOSED A TUANSFEIt Our Position Approved by Pretty Nearly the Whole Vote. The report then stated that "follow ing the Panama outbreak Colombia notified the company. Nov. 1!8, that it would maintain the company's rights, but would opMse the transfer of the concession to any government what ever. On Dec. 3 Colombia's ageut here, M. Samier, notified the company that while Colombia was ready loyal ly to uphold the company's rights yet if the company entered into relations with the separatist government or transferred its rights to another gov ernment Colombia would construe such action as a voluntary abandonment of the concession, which would thereupon lapse. The company replied Dee. 5 that it recognized the existing condi tions on the isthmus and that if Co lombia resumed jiossession of the isth mus the company would be glad to resume relations with Colombia." During Secretary Lampres rending of the report the disaffected element hooted and cat-called, causing much disorder. The speech of M. Groton. a representative of the old company, was also hooted. Finally a resolution was adopted approving the accounts and the report of the management, the vote was JVJr.I) in favor of it to 11!) against, showing the insignificance of the opposition to the I'nited States. The question of approving the sale of the company's property to the Unit ed States did not come up formally be fore the meeting and was iostponed to a subsequent meeting, but the over whelming vote siistalning the man agers is considered to be decisive. ntniimi and Two ChililJea Scorched. Galien, Mich.. Dec. 31. The dwell ing house of William Morley burned with contents. Mrs. Morley and two children were badly burned, but will recover. Kx-Ka Rail Player Killed. Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 31. Dennis Teahy. for several years a player in the Virginia League and at one time a member of the Cincinnati team. wa shot and killed here by Frank Ragan. Hasan was arrested. Horror at Iroauois DEADP Morgues Filled With Disfigured Corpses Which Attempts to Identify are Vain Coroner Prepares to Investi gate Cause of the Fire. Chicago, Dec. The latest estimate of the de-ad as a result of v e-stcrda v "s calamity in tin Iroquois theatre is .-'!. If is stated at hospitals and hotels, to which the in.jnved were removed, that 1.17 people were injured, probably a third of whom cannot live. The number of missing is placed at .'114. but it is e-xpected many of these will be accounted fer. Daylight foun 1 the morgues still the sorrow-haunted centers of many sea rchers. There were husbands searching for wives, wies for husbands, fre-nzied parents for children, so many of whom lost their lives, and in some instance's wide-eyed children, still elated from the horror ef their experience, groped dis tressed ly about in search of father or mother. CORONER PREPARES TO INVESTIGATE. P.y order ef Coroner Traeger. the theatre charnel-house was today placed under a light police guard. N person could enter without a written order from Chief of Police O'Xeil. who was instrue-te.l to keep the thea tre building in the exact condition in which it was left by the sweep of the fianu-s. De'tails of police ami fire men made a thorough search of tin basement this morning. Iiut no bodies were found. FIFTY-SEVEN UNIDENTIFIED GIRLS. Chicago, Dec. .'51. A list of descriptions of unident ifieil dead girls was compiled today in the oflice of Chief of Police O'Neill. The ages of the victims ranged from (I to years. The number of unident itied girls ti ihe list was .17. For seeral of the girls the sole means ef ident iticat ion given was color, bits of shoe- laces, ami that was generally mentioned as black. Others are scheduled as "burned -beyond description; no age." OTHER THEATRE DISAS TERS. In the I'nited States. Ilrooklyn theatre. Dee. .1, s7G, -.".tT dead. Central theatre. Philadelphia. April L's, 1.;):,'. dead. Front Street theatre, Balti more, De-c. 1 '.(., elead. Iroepicis t hea t re. Chicago, Dee. ::, l'.to::, .ilm) dead. Iu Foreien Countries. Lehman's theatre, St. Peters burg. ls;;t. 700 dead. Cnrlsruhe theatre. St. Peters burg. 147. MOO dead. Uing theatre, Vienna. Dec. s. is M, 875 dead. L'.etr theatre. England. Sept. o, 1SS7. ,()() dead. F.anqtiet theatre, Oporto, Meh. Ml. 1SSS, 2(10 dead. Opera Comifiie, Paris. May M.I. lss.7, 7.1 dead. Chicago. Dec. 31. With ihe an nouncement that one jury of repre sentative citizens would listen to all the evidence regarding the fire and find a single verdict for all the vic tims. Coroner Trae'ger today promptly impaneled a jury. The deaths of Wil liam M. Iloyt's daughter, .Mrs. F. Mor ton Fox, and her 1hree children, will be taken as a basis for investigation. "If any persons are responsible for this fire," said the coroner, "they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent ef the law. W"e will leave no stone un turned in our efforts to fix the respon sibility." 12O0 In House. The house was crowded. 1,M00 per sons, it is estimated, mostly women and children, being prsent to witness a peifernia nee of "Blue Beard." which has been running there since the open ing. The fire broke out in the flies tf the stage, presumably from a elefect in the electrical display. In an instant tht draperies and flimsy stage settings hao burst into flames. The actors and actresses' ran wildly about fhe staje. as the audience fought and jamme d ita way to the front doors. ' In a short apparently a mass of flames, and smotet was issuing in clouds from the front of the house. A dozen women and a number cf men with faces and hands fearfully burned were soon taken into a neighboring, drug store, where the worst injured were? hastily attended to. ; Women and Children In the Hush. Women and children were piling out of the doors, but the flames apparent ly gained rapidly, and it was a cou time the Interior, .of .JJie ,theater .was rheatre G Are Ascertained. siderable time before a large number of the people could leave the building. Meanwhile special calls and a gener al alarm had summoned an extraordin ary number of tire cugincs. FI K.ST FIFTV TAKEN OCT Or Them Thirty Were I)eud, a.id Nearly All Young People. The chief of the city lire department, Marshal Mushain. who li.id '-ailed a lire trial lioard to hear the cases of six delinquent, .iromen. left the board room hastily at the first cell and took personal charge at the tire. In an hour after the tire broke out fifty bodies had been carried from the the alcr into Thompson's restaurant, one door cast. Of these fully thirty were dead, a number was showing faint signs of life, and it was impossible to tell at lirst glance whether about one dozen of them were dead or alive. There were mo.-tly the bodies of young women under -0 years of age, and children from S to 1J. The bodies were placed on the floor, oh chairs, tables and one young woman in dripping gar ments was stretched along fhe cigar case. All the large dry goods stores of the city, which are situated with two squares of the theater Fields", Man dels', Carson. PirieCcott & Co.. Schles uxger &. Mayer and the P.ostou store as soon as they heard of the emer gency, sent wagon load after wagon load of blankets, linen, and cotton for bandages. All of their teams were pli-ccd at the disposal of the authori ties, and were utilized in conveying the wounded to hospitals or to the of lices of nearby physicians. Within lif tecii minutes after the tire broke out fully fifty physicians were ou the scene, and trained nurses seemed to spring from the grouiid, so rapidly did they appear. ' Disbop Muldemn, with a prayer upon his- lips, with his coat off, workcil among the injured and dying inside of the I Ilea tor. HeAvas passing tlietheatcr when the panic started and rushed in to le'iid a helping hand. He cbmbeil into the gallery and fhe re directed the work of rescue. F4rejuieu and iolice mcu rushed upou liim?1o get him out, but he remained among the suffering while the smoke ami flames came closer to him. At the top of his voice he begged the people to put their trust in God and to calm themselves. , The sight of the bishop gave cour age to many while the Roman Catho lics who were injured received sacra ments from him upon the scene. It was not until after he had been, as sured that all theJnjured were taken out and that there?ere no living peo pic in the place thiir he consented to be takin out. Sheriff Barrett, who saw Itishop Mtddoon taking off his coat and going Into the theater to help the rescue work, followed in his steps. The tireuaeit, uul police. after the ijrst Facts rons as PJI n MPT 111 lit I rtisn was over. tritd tf get the pre late to leave, but he would not. SCENES IJKYOMI DESCKIPTIOV Horror of the Catastrophe Never He fore Wiiiecd ly Old Ot'rierH. Scenes during the progress of the fire were beyond description by the t-pectators. Old lMilicemon said they had never witnessed anything to eepial the horror of the disaster. Podies were found sitting straight up in the seats where persens had fainted from fright and then sufl'ocate-d by smoke ami gases. In another part of the bal cony where the blaze had been blown upward and back one little girl was found dead. Her hair had bcn burned off and her face badly scorched by the ilames. In her lap lay a fur muff unharmed by the Ilames which had swept over and around the upper part of lur body. Some had fallen back in tlie'ir seats in utter collapse and met tlieir fate. Charles H. Taylor, a janitor, was washing winelows in the University building, directly across the area way where the tlieater fire jese-aj.o was lo cated. He describes a terrible scene. Immediately after the cry of tire was raised, he said, a score-or more men. women and children clambereel on to the platform ef the lire escape, eaeh crushing the either in the mad flight to elinib to a plaee of safety. The terrible crush prevented any from ele scending. While the heartrending ap peals for help ro-se high above tin din inside the theater, and while the aw ful fight for mastery was going on on the small iron platform, two huge iron doors, which up to that time had held the flame's inside, burst open and a wave of tire swept upon- the mass of uunianity. With shrieks, mingled with curses ami pleadings, the twenty or metre were swept from fhe platform. One woman nearest the outside fell heael long to the pavement, alighting upon her head. In a moment a pile of hu man beings was heaped upon her. Tay lor says he lxdieves all in that te rrible crush were killed. LET I S HOPE IT IS FAI.SK ICeport That the Striking I.itery Driver Itefiincd Their Help. According to W. D Moone. who agreed to send all his carriages for relief of the fire sufferers, the livery drivers flatly refused to elrive them to the theater to help in the work. Fred erick W. Job telephoned to Moone. pro prietor of a livery stable'at I'o-Jl Wa bash avenue, asking that he senel his carriages. Moone assented and later went to the uniou headquarters, tolel the drivers congregated there that he had donated his rigs and asked them to man them. He said that they em phatically refused to do so. ESCAPE. OF ACTOR EOOIE FOY Telia How the Fire Started and the Ait beMtots Curtain Failed. "Eddie" Foy said .after his escape: "The tire began in the middle of the eccond act. It was when the inoein light scene was on. An elec tric wire broke ajid was grounded, and from Continued on Page Six. HIGHER EDUCATION Theme, at Meeting of State Teachers' Association at Springfield. PRESIDENTS DO THE TALKING Draper Favors Admlting Students to Colleges on Cer tificates. Spingiield. 111., Dec. 151. Pre'sicbnts cf the Illinois universities addressed the H.oifo teache'is attending the morn ing meeting of the Illinois Te-Jciiers' association. President A. S. Draper, of the University of Illinois; President H. J. .lames, of Northwestern university, Evanston, and President A. li. Taylor, of James Millikin university. Decatur, were the speakers, and the general tep ic was "Problems iu Higher Educa tion." President Darper pleased the te-achers with the announcement that he favored the admission of students to the university on certincaes from schools on the accredited list without examination. even if the policy is con trary to that of eastern colleges. i,t Lone Time to Complete. lleginiiiiig wit ii' the- kindi-Vgarten autl finishing with a complete univer sity education will kee-p a student at his sir.dics until he is past "Jd years of ige." said Dr. Drape-r. "That is too long a time to spend iu school: but if .my curtailment is to be made in the i.-ourse it mut be at the top. in the col leges. and not iu the elementary school ing." In closing President Draper said: "College athle'tics as conilucted loelay really make some- ejf the biggest uni versities in the eee.intry." President Janie-s in his address ad vocated establishing in Washington a national university to be suppen'led by the federal government. In speak ing of tin relation of religion to educa tion, he asserteeL tha' the clergy of no church, in his mind, is or has lteen cjualiticd to educate children as they should be educated. ADMITS HE SWORE TO A FALSEHOOD More Iniquity iu Grand Water Deal Re vealed. Rapids (.rand Kapi.is. Mich.. Dec. J. P.oyel Pantlind. proprietor e.f the Mor ton House, e.f this city, gave what the prosecution regards as damaging tes timony against William E. McKnight and ex-State Senator George II. Nich ols, of Ionia, when their examination in the police court on the charge of subornation of perjury was resumeel. Pantlind testilied that during the brib ery trial of l.ant K. Salsbury. ex-city attorney, during which the alh'ged of fense was committcel, he gave to Mc Knight the key to a private par'or in tin Morton House-. The prosecution is endeavoring to show that an attempt was nude in this parlor to bribe Witness Carman, who was expected to furnish the peo ple's strongest testimony at the Sals bury trial. Tic evidence regarding a key to a parlor in the Mortem House was in direct contradiction te that given at an earlier session of the Me--Knight and Nichols examination. Pant lind stating that he swore falsely pre viously because of friendship for Mc Knight. Ha She Keen Kidnaped? Meridian. Miss.. Dec. .'51. No trace ha been found of Miss Ethel Itovclle. the missing heiress who disappeared from Meridian a week ago. Her rela tives both here and in P.irniingham now fear that she has been kidnaped ami is. being held for ransom. It has been learned that Miss Kovelle had been sliadowed by unknown praties ever sine-i it became known that she had become an heiress. Keview of M Union Work. P.ostou. Den. :51. The ninety-third annual report of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions is largely a review of the work which missionaries in loreign countries have accewnplislicd. The missionaries in Euro) ean Turkey, the report says, maintained a neutral attitude, not rak ing part in the political agitations eith er in Macedemia er Bulgaria. Itichard Smith Widow Head. Indianapolis, Dec. 31. Word is re ceived here that Mrs. Emma Smith, ('. years old. widow of Richard Smith, former editor of the Cincinnati Coin-mercial-Gazette, is elead of heart trou ble in Cincinnati. She leaves three daughters and one son, Richard, of In dianapolis. The daughters are Mary, Laura anel Mrs. Andrews of Yokoha ma, Japan. , Great men are the commissioned jmides of mankind, who rule their fel lows because they arc wiser. Carlyie. SADNESS m TR1-CITIES Victims of Iroquois Fire From Here. MRS. HART INJURED Davenport Man Killed Several Lose Relatives. There re heartaches among ft Kock Island people haxing relathes and friends iu Chicago last night when the news of the appalling tragedy at the Iroquois theatre was e-hroiiieded through The Argus and later by witi deiw bulletins. Scarcely a day passes that a number of persons e!o not go from here 1e Chie-ago. and it was not until ihe morning pape'is brought the list of the elead. injured and missing that the anxious ones here we re given facts e ncerning those near to ihem. Mr. E. C. Hart SeriouHly Injured. Mrs. Nellie Mart, wife of Emerson. C. Hart. 1(11(1 Twenty-tirst stre'et. was amoi;g the seriouslv injured. The was ltmoed In the Home hospital. She attended the theatre in e-ompany with her cousin. Mis. Freel Smith, who was killed. Mr. Hart, accompanied by II. P.. Hubbard, left at noun for Chicago. Several ti'legrams were ivceived b Mr. Ilari l.efore his departure, but he was unable to gain the real extent eif his w il'e's injuries. .Mother and Sinter Period. Me.rt Freer. wire e-hief for the Cen tral Union Telephone company, wa also a passenger on the- noon Koek Island train, going in rspoii to the list ressiug a ii ihiii m-eiueul that his mother. Mrs. Frank A. Free-r. wife ef the postmaster at GaTcsburg. and his sisler. Mrs. Henry, had perished in the tire. ("apt. Freer, who is well-known he-re. left Gaie.-hurg lasl night for Chicago. Sister and Coim'u Dead. Ili.'ma l!erry. a siste-r. and a cousin of F. E. I!crr. a traveling salesman for Hart eX: Halm-en e-uiuany. are among the dead. Mr. lierry rieeid the sad news here this morning and left for Chicago at noon. Miss Delia Stoddard and her brother Donald, of Mineink. III., who we're ie st roye'd in the Iroejuois the-atre. were children i f a sister f Mrs. W. S. Mar quis. f this city. They had been vis iting in ( hie-ago. Miss St odda rd had many ae-ipia in t a iu-cs in liock Island. vhere she visited her aunt occasion ally. Mrs. Marepiis left today for Minonk. MIhn Plamondon Hurt Silently. Miss Charlotte Plamondon. a nie'e-e of l!cv. Father Mackin. pastor of St. ,l;seph"s e-hurch. who visited here elur ing the summer, was in a box in the lower tier when tin tire- broke out. and was injure)! slightly in tin crush for the main exit. She tells one of the most graphic of the stories printed in the Chie-ago pape-is about tin panic in the playhouse. Haven port lvtlm. I). C. .lames, of Davenport, was to day identified among the dead. He was a traveling salesman, and his luiine was in the Andresen flats on West Third street. IOWA GETS TWO TROPHIES IN COLLEGE COMPETITION Chicago, Dee. The Spoor trophy was today awarded to the Iowa State? Agricultural colleges comiieting. The standing of Iowa was first. Ohio sec e ml. Minnesota thin!. Kansas fourth. In the students contest as individuals for the (lay Sanders specials. C. X. Howard, of Iowa, was first. Klee Coeker Plaj Ha vex-. Quincy. 111.. Dec. 31. By an ex plosion of a rie-e cooker in the main building of the Hick Brewing com pany the building was almost com pletely wrecked. Parts of machinery, brick work ami girders were hurled 100 feet or more. I.eo J. vioorres. a. watchma. was the only person in the building at the time, and was badly, hurt, but will live. Loss, $(J0.0X). The StreaKR-le. An athlete is not made in an hour, and the giant oak is only a specimen of endurance after its hardy conflict with the elements. So it is with the character of a man and of a woman. It Is the struggle of the yars that makes the heart heroic. Schoolmaster