-. .4..:,.~1.v ‘ bruises. I I - ,, W: E E K L ”Y NOREN A L k 3‘ U A41. l; .i' 'l' L- \l f’ ‘M "v( A" SONG. \ bird soared train the face of the sun— "b. but the bird sang gloriously!- 8“}, ~ 7) of bosom and flutter of wing, in lint _ .1. ripe glow of a day in spring '\.'hen the bursting of blossoms had just begun. And the green on the hillside was fair to see. A. bird soared up in the face of the sun— Oh, but his song was a thing to hear! \Vith heart attuned to a wild desire. With the quiver of passion and pulse of fire, And the bond of a soul that had well-n igh won . The first of the golden outworks there. A bird soared up in the face of the sun-— And I watched his flight with a straining eye: But if he descended I cannot tell: I marked alone how his music fell. Till the last faint throb of the song was done, Or lost in the space of the pillarless sky. —Youth‘s Companion. THE CELIBATECLUB. “W’omen,” remarked Jack Forest. “are the bane of bachelor civilization.” “Women is woe personified,” re- marked Arcturus O’Ryan. “What in thunder are they here for?” inquired Will King. “Fellow sufferers,” said I, Thomas Tommington. by superiority of age and Experience Chief of the Celibate Co- terie, “permit me to offer the following resolutions: “Whereas, Woman, by her continued actions, shows that she is in favor of the utter extermination of bachelors; and ‘ “Whereas, Woman, has no use for a man unless she can lead him around by the nose; and "Whereas, Woman thinks she owns the earth and the men thereof ; and “Whereas, She never was more mis- taken in her life; therefore, be it “Resolved, That we whose signatures are hereto appended do hereby assert our manhOod and hurl defiance in her teeth; and , “Resolved, That we entirely ignore the existence of all womankind; and “Resolved, That we do solemnly pledge ourselves to throw off the female yoke, and that henceforth and forever . we will neither marry any woman nor be married by her.” As might have been expected, these resolutions were received with vocifer- ous applause, and the meeting of the Celibate Club became so hilarious that three babies on the floor below and seven on the floor above were aroused from their angel slumbers, and soon had awakened everybody else in the building. After which we adjourned, having been implored to do by a com- mittee of twelve married men, who as- sured us that when we had children of )ur own we could better understand ;:heir feelings in the matter. For three months after the resolutions passed, all went well with me, as with my resolutions, then Iwas thrown from a. horse and sustained injuries to the extent of a broken leg and numberless I ordered myself to be 'taken :0 the hospital, where all good bache- lors go when they are ill, but a cousin at mine, a fine fellow, except that he was married, issued orders to the con- trary and took me home with him. There I was fixed up in royal style, and his wile took charge of me with such :notherly solicitude that I eiased to growl about not going to the hospital. Within a week I began to improve, and about that time my cousin’s wife’s sister came to the house on a visit, and, not having much else to do, she used to amuse herself with me. I objected at first, and vowed I’d rout myself out and go to_ the hospital, but those two women knew they had me where I was defence- less, and they only laughed at me when I growled, and fed me on dainties when I was tactiturn and silent. I didn’t want to eat their truck, but my appetite was something astonishing, and it forced me to overcome any prejudice I might have formed. Later my cousin’s wife‘s sister took to reading to me, and she compelled me to listen to her because she did have ex- cellent taste in the matter of books, and could read exceedingly well. As to her voice, it was the sweetest I ever heard, but, of course, she could have no ‘ credit for that. She was born with it. Occasionally the members of the co- terie visited me, but not often. as the very presence of women was disagree- able to them. They condoled with me, however, and together we frowned upon Providence for thus throwing me into the hands of the enemy. As time went by, and my cousin’s wife‘s sister continued to read to me, I unconsciously grew into the habit of looking at her sitting on the low chair near me, with her head bending over the book, and I began to wonder what. she used on her hair to make it so wavy . and glossy, and when she would look up occasionally and smile in response to a laugh or remark of mine at something she had read, I would have a queer kind of a feeling, as if I were threat- ened with some kind of heart trouble. One day I asked the doctor about it and he actually, grinned. ~ I say "grinned,” because I mean “grinned.” It wasn’t the kindly smile of the phy- sician to a petulant patient, but a grin; and 1 would have thrown him out of the window had I been in my usual health and strength. ‘ ~ The first day I walked out on my cru’tches my cousin’s wife’s, sister ac- companied me, and I think I leaned more on her than I did on the crutch. I am sure I did, as far as the crutch on the side next to her was concerned. During the first two or three weeks of my imprisonment I had longed for the time when I could getout once more and‘ijoin the coterie; then I began to think less about it, and now, when I ' _ was ready to start forth on my journey . once more, a free man, somehow—17315 that I was losing something. I couldn’t quite understand it, and, after my lately acquired fashion of re- lying upon my cousin’s wife’s sister, I acked her about it. .Well, If you will believe me, I .was - never more surprised in my life than 1 war: 3.: the result of this simple question all to pieces, almost made me lose con- o'n my cousin's wife's sister. She blushed and stammered and said her sister wanted her right away, and I just stood still in gay amazement. She had always been‘such a help to me, and now, in a little matter like this to go fidence in her. Then she looked up at . me and all of a sudden I felt that old heart trouble come back and—and— and— I . I hope it is not necessary for me to go into particulars. Suffice it to say that between my cousin’s wife’ssister and myself we managed to have .the matter satisfactorily explained. But there was the Coterie and there were those infernal resolutions! What a fool a man can make of himself when he is left t) his own devices, passes finite comprehension, and almost crowds the infinite to the wall. I, Thomas Tommington, the Chief, had basely be- trayed my trust, and concealment for long was impossible. But I quickly de termined that concealment was my only hope, and with this hope in my bosom I attended the Coterie’s banquet in. honor of my restoration to the charmed circle. What a hollow mockery that restora- tion was! I was there and at the head of the table, as. befitted my relation to the Coterie, but my spirits were elsewhere. Still, I put a bold face on myself, and applauded «to the echo every anti- female sentiment that was uttered. I even proposed a toast myself to the utter ob- literation of women. I thought it best to draw it strong, and I did. However, at 9 o’clock I pleaded that I was not yet strong enough to join in the late festivities, so I withdrew, and, shameless wretch that I was, I hurried to my cousin’s house and sat up till 1‘3. o'clock with my cous- in‘s wife's sister. At the next meeting of the Coterie I began to feel that I was under suspicion. Perhaps it was merely a guilty con- science, but. I thought my bachelor Iiiends cooled when I appeared among treat. I know that when John Temple pro- posed the toast, “Earth would be heav- cii without women,” and I did not expiy my glass, every member present i()~}.‘.U(l directly at me and then at each ’ Ar. Any person of the most ordinary .~ -; .l;l‘.‘L‘Ilc55 knows how he feels under such circumstances. .J‘Is time went by and suspicion grew space, itbccame evident to me that I 1211 t get out of the Coterie. There was no other honorable course left me. I could see that there was no longer harmony, and when I read our resolu- tions, as I did religi, asly at every meet- ing, they were greeted with silence. At the next meeting, therefore, when the time had come to open the exercises with the resolutions, I rose in my place and held up my hand for attention. "Men. and brethren,” I said solemn- ly, "I shall not read the resolutions this evening, nor shall I read them again. I have betrayed the truSt you reposed in me. I am no longer worthy to be your Chief [great excitement] ; I—I—I— brethren, all I can say is that I am to be married three months from next Monday.” [Vociferous applause] I was astonished at the reception Of my speech and explanation, and could form no idea what action the Coterie would take. Jack Forrest, as Vice-Chief, slowly came to his feet, and, instead of look- ing at me, as I feared he would, gazed about on the other members. “Gentlemen,” he said, “you have heard the statement made by our worthy Chief, and I cannot lead you in action in the matter, in view of the fact that I am to be married myself ten weeks from next Tuesday.“ John Temple, next in authority, then took the floor, and I could see that For rest was even worse rattled than I was. “Fellow citizens,” said Templeuhe was a stump speaker in campaign times —“I haven’t a. word to say. I’m to be married a month from tomorrow morn- ing at 10 o’clock.” Park, King, and O’Ryan seemed to be ceremony was just as impressive dazed by this revelation, added to the two that preceded it, and King rose in response. “Gentlemen and brothers,” he said, “I might be able to say what I thought of the disclosures which have been made here this evening, but really it would be unbecoming for me to say anything. My wedding is set for \Ved ' nesday tWo weeks.” When King ceased Parke spoke up. -“ I can only say, gentlemen,” he said, “that I can offer no censure, for day after tomorrow I am to be married to the one woman in the world for me.” This; was rubbing it in. We who had preceded Park felt that it was enough to have confessed our crime without glorying in it, and when Arc turus O’Ryan arose, I almost hoped that he would scathe Park with scorn. O’Ryan was the handsomest man in the Coterie, and looked first at me, then in turn at each of the others. I felt that the lightnings of his wrath would strike us all andstrike hard, but I had less fear than if I had had to stand the blow alone. However, I unconsciously braced myself as he began speaking. “Mr. Chief and fellow members of the Coterie,” he said, “I am proud be yond all expression at What I’ve heard here this evening. I had hoped that you would set me, the youngest mem- ber of the Coterie, a better example. You are all to be married within three months, while I, gentlemen—I, to whom you have stood as exemplars—l, the youngest man of you all, shall not marry. “N o, gentlemen,” he fairly thun- dered, “no, I shall not marry. It is not necessary for me to marry. I was mar ried ten years ago. Congratulate me; she’s the finest woman in the wlzol: world.” And those remarkable resolutions h ad been adopted less than a year pro viouslyl ' ' Oh, woman! womanl—W. S. Lamp- ton in N. Y. Sun. ' a). FACTS ABOUT SLOTIING fiAiSER‘. And Something About tlw Sand Boxes Hi. qu03 So Very Long Aglv. Blotting paper is not new. but it was first made in this country only about forty years ago. Before that time we us’i‘ed some of the thin English blotting paper, imported; but, more commonly, to prevent ink from blot- ting, we used sand, which was poured upon the written sheet out of a sand box. The sand box was a common ar- ticle of desk furniture, and almost as commonly seen as the inkstand. It was made sometimes 'of tin, times of wood. It was, i some- , perhaps, '5 three inches in height, and maybe two ' and a half inches across the top, where its diameter was greatest. It was something like a pepper box in the manner of its use; but as to shape, in- stead of having a convex top it had a concave top, like a little saucer. The bottom of this saucer was perforated. The box was filled with sand through these perforations. W'lien the box was used sand was poured from it upon the writing. A little of the sand ad- hered to the fresh ink and kept it from blotting. Very much the greater part of the sand poured out lay scat- tered upon the paper. Lifting the book or paper, the surplus sand was poured back into the box. Many of the wooden sand boxes Were handsomely turn- articles. The sand used was a peculiar fine black sand of uniform grain. brought from Lake George in this state. The very best blotting paper is made wholly of cotton rags. Some poorer grades are made partly of wood pulp. —New York Sun. Bad-Luck Confederate Gold. W’hen Richmond was deserted by the Confederate Government there wds in the treasury and the banks gold coin‘ amounting possibly to sev- eral millions of dollars. Much of‘it was carried off by surviving heads of the Southern Government, with a view to paying off the troops of Jo- seph Johnston's army. For a longr time there was a general impression that a large amount of this treasure had been placed in a coffin and depos- ited in a vault in Hollywood Ceme- tery. So strong was this supposition that the vault was searched, but with- out success. The gold seems to have a dread fa- tality attached to it. A reference to this money in the editorials of one of the Richmond papers was the cause of a due], in which one of the partici- pants fcll badly wounded at the first fire. A leading State official. who had carried off some of this gold for sale keeping, came near being drowned in crossing a stream with the money in a pouch around his waist. What was left was paid out as salaries to the various Confederate officials stationed here, some of whom after the war returned what they had received to the Federal Government—Sr. Louis Globe-Demo- crat. In the Bowels of the Earth. There was a very unique wedding ceremony performed down in the D01- omite mine, Colorado, which is 160 feet. deep. Sixteen miners were pres- ent, and Mr. and Mrs Andrae, friends of the contracting parties. to witness the service. The mine was illuminated with candles and Chinese lanterns, which were not so brilliant as the electric lights in some grand old church in New York ,City, but the and binding. . It Was the planning of Mr. and Mrs. Andrae, as the young couple had met the first time in the mine. The ar- rangements were highly approved by the miners, of whom the groom was one. Mr. Andrae, the manager of the mine, had one of the men spend a half day in decorating the tunnel, which was over 300 feet in. The shaft to the lower level down which the bridal party climbed by means of ladders. was 160 feet deep, and at the bottom the ceremony took place.— New York Tribune. . Trained Chameleons. Much has been written about the beauty. stupidity and viciousness of the lizard tribe, and I want to say a word about the intelligence of the cha- meleon. a little reptile belonging to the lizard family, and the anti-pode in size of the alligator, its big brother. A young girl living in Philadelphia. was presented with two Florida chame- leons, and she at once began instruct- ing them. By kindness she won their confidence, and at her call they would raise their heads and listen, and then come running to her. Soon they re- sponded to their names—Briton and Baby. and nodded their little heads knowingly. She then taught them to stand up on their hind legs and put their little forcpaws together and stand in the attitude of prayer, look- ing solemn and closing their eyes. At a signal they would quickly prostrate themselves. roll over on their backs, and pretend to be dead, lying without motion until told to rise and embrace, which they did with every sign of joy. A Chicken "Hatched Terrapins; The Louisiana tale" of the Cow Island 11011 which hatched out a brood of young alligators and nursed them with a mother‘s care finds its parallel in the exploit of a‘ North Carolina fowl which has brought triumphantly forth from her nest twelve lively young terrapins. which look up to her with filial respect and tenderness—New York Tribune. ".\Iister."' said the small boy to the druggist, “gimme another bottle of them patent pills you sold father day before yesterday." “Are they doing him good‘?" asked the clerk, looking pleased. “I d‘no whether they’re (loin’ father good or not, but they’re doln’ me good. . They jis—' fit my new slung- sho ‘if-Detroit Free Press. THE. FIGHliiit l\ TRIM Corbett and, Fitzsimmons In Shape For the Battle of TheirLives. GETTING ON THE WIRE EDGE A Gradual Burning Up on Training In Both I CalnpséCorbett Nervous, but Con- fident, and Fitzsimmons Calm and Uuuaunted. CARSON, Nev, March 15.-—Al Smith, the official stakeholder, and Billy Madden have arrived at the. battleground for the big fight. Mr. Smith said: "I have the money with me and am prc- ' pared to pay it over at the conclusion of the fight. All who know me know that I have always been a friend of Corbett, but if Fitzsimmous wins the fight he will ' get all that is coming to him with the least possible delay. All I want is an ofii- cial decision of the referee.” The gloves with which the battle is to be fought were brought to Dan Stuart’s office today by representatives of Corbett and Fitzsnnmons, Brady acting for the former and Julian for the latter. Brady threw down Corbett‘s gloves first. Julian looked them over carefully and pronounced them all right. They were then weighed and found to be of the stipulated weight. Julian then produced the gloves Fitzsim- mons will Wear, and Brady went over them with great care. They were found to be correct in all particulars. Both pairs were turned over to Referee Siler, who looked them in Stuart’s safe, where they will remain until the day of the fight. ’IIow Corbett Feels. At both camps efforts are now being made to get the wire edge on the men which is considered necessary for the final effort in the ring on St. Patrick’s day. Corbett’s work will gradually be lessened, and no effort is being spared by the men who are assisting him to get him into the finest possible condition. It is difficult to see how Corbett could be in a finer physical condition than he now is, and his endurance is phenomenal. He is naturally somewhat high strung, and the strain of the work he has been do ing is beginning to show in his talk at times. He is quite often nervous and now and then irritable, but such things are common with a man who for several weeks: has gone through. the strain incident to preparing for a prizefight, and his trainers are rather pleased than otherwise at the little displays of temper that he occasion- ally makes. Corbett’s nervousness is not on account of the coming battle. He says it cannot come any too soon to suit him, and there is not the slightest doubt that he is car- nest to the last degree when he says so. Corbett expressed himself as delighted with the prospect of a lightening of work at his quarters. He said: “My condition is now all that my friends and myself could wish, and I shall do just enough work from now on to maintain it. I am ready to fight right this minute, and there is not the faintest doubt in my mind that I shall win the battle.” Fitzsimmons’ Condition. Fitzsimmons, on the other hand; is not nervous in the most remote degree. He is not of the temperament that permits men to become nervous. and he is as cool over the outlook as it is possible for a man to be. He shows no outward ‘signs of being worried, that is certain, and his confi- dence is supreme. He showed the power in his arms today by hitting his punching bag with such violence that he broke the rope by which the bag was swung. It was a stiff cord of the’ thickness of a man’s forefinger, and Fitzsimmons nipped it with his final punch into which he throw all the force of his right arm. A story was current yesterday to the ef- fect that Fitzsimmons had decided that he would not agree to the decision of Julian at the conference Friday that the construc- tion of the rules by Siler should govern the fight. The story proved Without foun- . datlon. Fitzsimmons said he had no in- tention of making more objections. “I have given in on the subject,” he said, “and there is nothing more to be said on the matter. We will fight as Siler rules. I am standing by what Julian said.” Al Smith's Opinion. Al Smith said today after he had seen Corbett at work: “Never in my life have I seen any fighter in the condition in which Corbett is today. Not only have I never seen a fighter in such excellent shape, but I think I never have seen a man in training who was in such perfect condition. ' "‘If Corbett loses this fight, he will have no excuse on account of the lack of condi- tion. A man may lose through an acci- dent or through an unintentional foul, but if Corbett loses it must be through one of these things or because Fitzsimmons is the better man, and I do not see how it is possible for a man to be in better shape than Jim is now. “ Tomorrow I am going to ride over to the camp where Fitzsimmons is training, and then I will be able to form a. better opinion as to the shape of the two men. “In all I have said in praise of Corbett I wish it understood I am saying nothing against Fitzsimmons in any why. I sim- ply say that if he wins he is entitled to be called the best man in the world, and in my opinion nobody will concede that more quickly than Corbett himself. Sullivan to Challenge the \Vlnner. CHICAGO, March 15.—John L. Sullivan and party arrived from New York yester- day and left on the Rock Island for Carson City. The ex-champion seemed in good spirits and was met by many of his old friends. Sullivan said: “In my opinion Corbett ought to win—that is, provided he is in excellent shape. He cannot afford to lose his head, however, as he did when he fought Mitchell, for Fitzsimmons is both a hard hitter and swift. Before the WM men appear in‘ the ring I shall chal- lenge the winner and at once deposit a. for- feit of $1,000. ” Gordy Charged “‘itlr Murder. .. WILMINGTON, Del, March 15. —- The body of the- woman found Thursday in Broadkiln creek, near Milton. Dcl., has been identified as Mrs. Mary Lewis of New York, and John Gordy, who is 511!)- pospd to have been her husband and to have murdered her and thrown the body in the creek, is in Georgetown jail charged with murder. _._~_____ Mrs. Parnell’s Condition. LONDON, March 15.4111 regard .to the financial position of Mrs. Parnell, John Parnell says that he has made suitable provision for her, but that she has for some time back lost all knowledge of the value of, money, giving recklessly to all comersrand it'lias- been found necessary to place a check ou-her expenditures . .- TIIE MISSOURI RISING. Riv urmen Fear 9. Serious Flood All Along the Big Sunday. ‘ KANSAS CITY, March 15. -—Although the Missouri river is very low at this point for this season of the :year, rivermen profess to believe there are indications of high wa- ter this spring. Some go so far as to pre- dict a serious flood along the Big Muddy. Two of the worst floods in the Missouri during the past 30 years took place in April, and each time the conditions in March are said to haye been the same as those now prevailing. One indication of an excess of water set forth is the heavy falls of snow in the region tributary to the headwaters of the river, much of which, it is said, is not yet melted. During the last three days the river has risen slightly . and is now coming up at the rate of about I three inches 21 day. The Mississippi Raging. MEMPHIS, March 15.—-—The Mississippi river continues to rise at an alarming rate, and the high water has reached a very critical stage. The ferry steamer C. B. Bryan makes daily trips to Marion, Ark., which ordinarily is three miles inland. All along the route to Marion submerged houses can be seen. Shortly after mid- night the lcvee at Marion gave way, and dozens of negro cabins were swept away. No lives were lost, but hundreds of cattle were drowued. GRANT’S MONUMENT. Its Dedication Will Witness the Greatest Parade Ever Seen In This Country. NEW YORK, March 15.—Arrangements for the Grant monument dedication pa- rade on April 37 are progressing favorably, and the indications are that it will be the greatest demonstration of the kind ever witnessed in this country. It is under- stood that the president of the United States, his cabinet, the supreme court of the United States, representatives of for- eignnations, the governors of states and their national guards will take part in the dedication. General Clarkson, commander in chief of the Grand Army, Commander Rohl of the Sons of Veterans and Colonel Dono- huc of the Union Veterans have issued or— ders to their commands requesting them to take part in the parade. Invitations have also been issued to the Loyal Legion and the army societies of the war to take part in the parade. VICTORIA’S CLOSE CALL. The Queen Had a Narrow Escape From Dea'li In Nice. LONDON, March 15. —According to a dispatch from Nice, Queen Victoria’s drive from the railroad station there to the ho- tel at Cimiez was marked by an incident. Her majesty was seated in an open landau when the horse of a chasseur who formed part of her escort shied, threw the rider and the; fell to the ground. On regaining its feet the horse reared, with his fore hoofs raised above the queen’s head. The coachman saw the danger and succeeded. in pulling the carriage to one slide, but Queen Victoria had a narrow escape. She was much unnerved and was deadly pale. Curiously, a little later an- other horse became fractious and com pulled a short stoppage of the cortcgc. Big Robbery Aboard Ship. SAN FRANCISCO, March 15.—A robbery of 5,000 sovereigns was committed on board the steamship Oceanic, by which a large shipment of gold to the United States from Australia .was made. The robbery was expected, for the keys to the strongroom disappeared unaccountably, and consequently the vigilance of the watch was increased, but the robbers hid in the hold and made their way between the bulkhead and the room, the iron door of which was forced open with jimmies. _ Bishop ‘Vlgger Sued. ' NEWARK, N. J., March 15.—Bishop Wigger, as executor of the late Rev. Mi- chael J. Holland, pastor of St. Columba’s Roman Catholic church. has been made defendant in a friendly suit brought to re- cover $2,000 claimed to be due the plain- tifi' in connection with the construction of a church for Father Holland. General Booth’s Visit. NEW YORK, March l5.—-Commande1 Booth-Tucker of the Salvation army has submitted to General Booth a plan for the visit to this country of the Salvation Army chief. The general has decided to come to the United States in October. He will hold meetings in all the large cities and will remain six weeks. Olncy Back In Boston. BOSTON, March 15.—Hon. Richard 01- ney of Boston, late secretary of state, has returned to Boston and resumed his for- mer place in his Court street office. Mr. Olney says he is glad to be relieved of the cares and immense responsibilities of his office, but he refuses to be interviewed. A Bad Loser. STANBERRY, Ma, March 15.—Dr. Bar hour is under arrest at Centerville charged with fatally wounding Sam Patter, a druggist. The trouble arose in Patter’s drug store. Barbour lost $1.50 in a slot machine, and becoming enraged deliber- ately shot Patter. Two Men Killed. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 15.— Threefarmers driving across the tracks at Zeeland yesterday were struck by a passen- ger train. Martin do Haan and Simon Boerize were killed and Henry Driesings probably fatally injured. John Robert Carlo Dead. NEWARK, N. J., March 15.—John Rob- ert Carle, one of the oldest residents of this city, is dead. He was born in Newark in 1810. For many years he was a mem- ber of a firm of carriage manufacturers. A New Hudson River Dam. SARATOGA, March .15.—A new dam is to be built across the Hudson river a mile below Mechanicsville, ,Saratoga county. Preliminary surveys are now being made by New York city experts. An Alleged Forget Arrested. ANSONIA, Conn, March 15.—Eugene B. Barton, who is wanted by the authori- ties Of Nelsonville. N. Y., for alleged for— gery, was arrested here yesterday while visiting a friend. ' ' Dement's Great ‘r‘uat. CHICAGO, March 15.——Is.iac S. Dement- of this city, champion shorthand’writer, broke his previous record of 357 words 'by writing 1'02 Words in one 1;;lnu'te at Quin- cy last night. Do’ ()x-o Becovaz‘ing. NEW YORK. March 15. ~Alfred de 01-0, «the pool expert. is resting easily at Roose- velt hospital. He is recovering fromian operation performed some weeks ago. G" EEKS US it III. ....5 .TE. A Bridge. Upon “‘hfch “'ero 3,000 Turk- ish Trhnpi, Bluivn to Pieces. ATHENS, March 15.—TbcAsty_‘s Larissa correspondent says that the news of the destruction of a railroad bridge over the river Vardueri, near Salonica, has been confirmed. The bridge was dynamited as a traincarrying 3,000 Turkish troops was crossing. Many carriages were thrown from the rails, and many soldiers were drowned. The transportation of Turkish troops has been suspended until the bridge is restored. A dispatch received here from ~Khania. says that tho'Grcek steamer Smyrna. was ordered to lease, and her commander re- plied that he intended to remain there. Thereupon Admiral Canevaro, the Italian officer who by reason of seniority is in command of the foreign fleets acting in concert in Cretan waters, sent word to the Greek vessel that unless she left Khania , in five minutes her cables would be cut. The Greek captain then lifted his anchor _ and steamed away. A dispatch from Khania says that last night and today were given over to the pillage of houses which were not protect- ed by the police. The houses of absent Christians were opened by the Turkish mu- nicipal authorities on the pretext thatthey were to be used as lodging places for refu; gees. Everything of value was immedi- ately removed. The streets are full of stolen articles. If orders are not issued to the detachments soon three-quarters of the town will be plundered by tomorrow nighi. It is officially stated here that Turkey is sending 30,000 troops to the Servian frontier. ' Action of the Powers. VIENNA, March 15. -— The following semiofiicial statement is published here: Russia yesterday instructed the com- mander of the Russian squadron in Cre- tan waters to take steps, in conjunction with his colleagues, to blockade the Cre— tan and Greek ports.‘ Germany and Aus- tria had previously sent similar instruc- tions to their squadrons, and Great Britain and Italy are ready to participate. A. similar decision upon the part of France is atvaited with certainty. Fear the Greeks. SALONICA, March 15.-—Thcre is great anxiety prevailing in this city, as the in- habitants fear that the town will be sud- denly attacked by the Greeks should War break out. The Mussulman refugees are flocking into Salonica from various parts of Thessaly. Seventy-two battalions of Turkish infantry, 6 regiments of cavalry and 20 batteries of artillery are already concentrated on the Greek frontier. WHAT SPAIN MUST PAGE. 4 The Cuban Deficit For the New Fiscal Year \Vill Be $100,000,000. HAVANA, via Key West, March 15.— Captain GeneralWeylcr has forwarded to Spain for approval by the Spanish cortes the public budget bill, amounting to $35,— . 000,000, in addition to an apropriation bill reaching the high water mark of $93,000,- 000. The latter bill, it is said, will be car- ried through to meet the extraordinary expenses of the war and navy departments incurred on account of the Cuban insur- rcction. The income revenue for the new fiscal year beginning in July will hardly reach $14,000,000, which , amount will shrink considerably should the proposed treaty with the United States he carried through. Therefore there will be an enormOus deficit, reaching probably $100,000,000, to meet which the Madrid cortes m ust decree new taxes in Spain or call for another public loan to meet the interest on the same. Contrary to reports sent to the United States, Captain General Weyler has not again taken the field, but is still in Havana. OSCAR WILDE RELEASED. He Notifies Reynolds, the Artist, of His Liberation From Prison. LONDON, March 15. —Reynolds, the well known artist of this city, has received a communication dated Paris from Oscar Wilde, who lssaid to be now in that city. According to the letter, Wilde informed his friend Reynolds that he was released from prison six weeks ago, which was three months before the term of his sen- tence expired. The premature release of Wilde was said to have been made on med- ical grounds. 0n the other hand, Willie Wilde made the statement only last Tuesday that when his brother Oscar was released from prison he would at once go to Portugal and rejoin his family. A Postmistress Resigns. WEST POINT, N. Y., March 15,—Miss Blanche Berard has sent in her resigna- tion as postmistress at West Point, to take effect April 6. Miss Berard has held this . position at this post since 1858 without intermission. Her father, Claudius Be- rard, was professor of French of the mili- tary academy from 1815 to the time of his death, in 1846. His widow was then made postmistress, and she served until her death, in 1858, when the daughter succeed- ed her. “fate:- Stops the Work. TONAWANDA, N. Y., ‘March 15.—The scene of the canal improvement work here presents a desolate appearance today. The water has risen to a depth of 15 feet, cover- ing the tools and » pumping engines. Wheelbarrows are floating around, and the water continues to rush through the damaged cofi'erdam with a. roar. Work has been suspended. The loss to the con‘ tractors will amount to close on 85,000. Drifting to Death. WEST BAY CITY, Mich, March 15.—-The two immense ice does in which a number of fishermen were carried out into the bay yesterday are rapidly, breaking up, and it any of the men remain on the ice their chances of rescue are small. Of the 50 or more fishermen from this city, less than a dozen have returned, and their families are frantic. Must Pay the Bill. ROCHESTER, March 15,—The case of the Chicago Daily News company against Rothschild, Baum & Stern of this city has resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff. The action was brought to recover on a bill for [dvertising amounting to $2,000. A Newspaper Suspends. COLUMBIA, S. 0., March Ill—TIN? Even- ing News has suspended publication after 'a long and unsuccessful struggle to make both ends meet. Under one name or an- other there has been an alte‘ruoon paper in Columbia for 20 years. English Engineers Strike. OLDHAM, England. March 15.—Two thousand members of the Amalgamated. Society of Engineers have struck for a 2 shillings increase per week. It is expect- ed that several thousand more men will‘ go out.
Norwalk Chronicler