San Antonio Daily Light. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 75, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 14, 1895 Page: 1 of 8
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Untania Batin £ iobt
Volume XV. Number 75.
I LLINOIS CAPITOL FIRE.
A MAGNIFICENT BUILDING EN-
DANGERED AND DAMAGED.
The Fire in One and Three-Quarter
Hours Eats Up a Vast Amount
of Money—Firemen Severely
Handicapped by a Strong •
Gale of Wind.
Springfield Ills. April 13.—Il-
linois’ magnificent five million
dollar state house caught fire in
the Senate wing shortly after noon
today and in a few moments it
looked as if that portion would be
gutted. The fire is supposed to
have originated in one of the com-
mittee rooms but from what
cause is not known. The alarm was
at once turned in and two steam
and one chemical engine re-
sponded.
The fire marshal soon discovered
that he would be unable to control
the fire with this force and so turn-
ed Ina general alarm calling for
all engines in the city.
The fire spread rapidly and soon
the whole immense building was
filled with smoke so It was with
difficulty the firemen found their
way through the labyrinth of hall-
ways and rooms.
The uppeV part of the Capitol in
the wing building where the fire
was ragfng was where the audi-
tor’s office state treasury and office
of the insurance commissioner and
agricultural board were located.
At once when the fire broke out
wild confusion prevailed among the
clerks and soon the halls wore
filled with excited girls and women.
The chiefs of departments re-
mained cool however and in a
few minutes all valuable papers
and records and money were locked
up in the fire proof vaults.
A hasty retreat was then beaten.
Meantime the fire continued to
spread.
There was not enough fire plugs
near the state house to keep the
engines working so the firemen
had to labor at a great disadvant-
age.
The firemen reported shortly that
all the committee rooms in the
Senate wing and the Senate cham-
ber were ruined and that the loss
would probably reach from
$500000 to $750000 and that unless
the fire was soon checked It would
probably reach $1000000.
While the state house was regard-
ed as practically fire proof the
floors of all the committee rooms
and the partitions were of wood
and this being extremely dry
burned like tinder. The roof was
of slate and supported by steel but
it was said if the fire was not soon
checked the intense heat might so
warp them that the roof with the
great dome 365 feet high would
collapse. In such event the loss
would reach from $1000000 to $2-
000000.
The fire probably started from
tinners’ stoves a large force of tin-
ners having been sent upon the
roof today to make repairs. It is
said they left their stoves when
they went to dinner. A gale of
wind was blowing during the fire
and the firemen seemed to be un-
able to cope with the flames.
Senate chamber was speedily
gutted and all the expensive fres-
coing ruined.
It 1:45 p. m. the firemen at last
got. the flames under control.
It Is estimated the damage to
the Senate wing of the state house
will amount to from $75000 to
$lOOOOO. The most damage Is from
Ismoke and water.
I Scared Jto Death.
I Scottsdale Pa.. April 13.—Si-
Bderi Orifino an Italian committed
Kuicide here by throwing himself
■n front of a freight train. Three
tears ago he came to the coke re-
Kion having incurred the enmity
Bf the Mafia in New Orleans and
Bunny forced to leave there he re-
Burned and about a month ago he
Bbtained employment on the con-
Btruction of the sewers and swore
Be would never flee from his one-
Miles again. A few days ago be re-
Blved a letter warning him to
Have the coke regions or sutler
M>ath and this caused him to take
Mis own life.
M Work of Cowardly Enemies
Pa. April 13.— rhe
merchandise store of Kel-
■■ A Son at Wrightsville was
■ >wn up this morning. The build-
which was 125 feet long had
gMth ends blown out and the in-
was totally wrecked. The
amount to $3000. The
is thought to have been
M work of enemies of Ki ller A
M Jap» nese Cholera Decreasing.
April 13.—The Pall
Gazette this afternoon prints
iHdispatch from Lioga Japan
iMlch says: Advices from Pesca-
■r Islands state that the Japanese
■Lps are still at those islands
3 Kuig reinforcements and over
from cholera I l ’-' oc "
abating. 1
PUBLISHED AT SAN ANTONIO. BEXAR COUNTY. TEXAS ANO REGISTERED AT THE POST OFFICE AS SECOND CLASS MAIL MATTER.
SILVER AND GOLD BUGS.
Illinois Arranging for Monster Mass
Meetings on the Metal Cur-
rency Question
Chicago April 13.—This morn-
ing General A. J. Warner chairman
of the national committee and
Congressman Joe Sibley one of Its
distinguished presidential possibil-
ities arrived at the auditorium.
They were met by Charles Miller
Sibley’s business partner Col. Tur-
ner leader of the free silver party
of Michigan and General Wolcott.
This afternoon they were joined
by Senator Jones of Nevada and
tonight they left for the west. To-
day a conference was held with
some Chicago silver people to can-
vass the result of the anticipated
democratic declarations ou free
silver in Illinois aud to set in mo-
tion arrangements for a monster
free silver mass meeting to offset
the one being arranged for by the
Chicago gold men.
St. Louis Market.
St. Louis April 13. — Cattle:
Market dull; the decline for the
week was 50 to 70 cents aud there
is no prospect for a reaction next
week.
Hayward Murder Case.
Minneapolis April 13.—Attor-
neys in the Hayward murder case
decided in court today’ to submit
their motion for a new trial on
briefs without argument. Judge
Smith took the matter under ad-
visement. He will unquestionably-
deny the motion. An appeal to the
Supreme court will then bo per-
fected.
Weather for Today.
Washington April 13. — For
Eastern Texas generally fair aud
warmer.
Fjom Oakville.
Oakville April 13.—Geo. W.
West our cattle king has bought
1500 head of one and two year old
cattle at Victoria.
Chas. Rawls was shot in the arm
about seven miles from this place
this afternoon by a man named
Coffee.
Crops are looking better in this
vicinity than they have for six
years. E. G. R.
A Cook Deeporado to Swing.
Fort Smith Ark.. April 13.—
Crawford Goldsby alias Cherokee
Bill of the Cook gang was today
sentenced in the United States
court to hang Tuesday June 25th
for the murder of Ernest Melton
at Lenapah I. T. during a raid.
FROM A CUBAN CAMP.
Inside Information From One Regi-
mental Commander About
the Revolt
Bridgeton N. J. April 13. —F.
P. Hann of this city who is captain
of company A Seventh regiment
of Cuban (ingenuity) Volunteers
writes from his camp near Neuvi-
tas under date of April 4:
“We left Florida near Punta
pass April 1 and by exercising
considerable insurgents managed
to elude the Spanish cruisers and
landed near Neuvitas last night.
We have in camp here at present
two companies o? infantry fully
armed and equipped. We are
looking for reinforcements in a few
days when we expect to takw the
field against the Spaniards with a
full regiment. There is not much
doubt but that the whole Island
will be In full revolt against
the Spanish before the middle
of June. We are well armed
and equipped having brought over
with us 1000 winchesters and plen-
ty of ammunition. We expect to
receive as much more before April
15th. We expect to take the field
April 10th and commence an actual
campaign against the enemy. We
have a good secret service and are
kept fully’ informed of the plans
and movements of the Spaniards.
We shall probably fight on the de-
fensive rather than offensive until
we are better organized.
D'Haniß Races.
D’Hanis Texas April 13.—[Spe-
cial]—On Easter Monday there
will be some fine racing at D’Hanis
Medina county. There are purses
off ered aggregating $lOOO and
a fine bunch of horses are now on
the track ready for the events.
The track is in fine shape and the
weather bids fair to be all that is
desired. A large number of visit-
ors are already in the city for the
sport.
Debs Does Not Know.
Terre Haute Ind. April 13.—
E. V. Debs of the American Rail-
way Union says no word has been
received at headquarters in regard
to the proposed emigation of rail-
road men to Venezuela. He does
not believe there is any organized
movement of considerable propor-
tions but thinks that perhaps the
talk of a few men has been magni-
fied. In California he learned that
some men who had been out oft
work on account of the strike had.|
gone to South America but Mr. J
Debs did not believe that they bad]
bettered their condition.
San Antonio Texas. Sunday Morning. April 14. 1895.
OUR CATTLE SUPPLY.
REPORTS OF TWO WELL POSTED
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS-
’ The Increase of Population Not So
Much Affects Prices of Beef as
। Does Pries of Hoge. Value of
.' Exports and Preparation
of Steers Marketed
Washington April 13.—Dr. Sal-
mon chief of the bureau of animal
industry is preparing instructions
to agents in accordance with Sec-
retary Morton’s directions to inves-
tigate the cause of the high prices
of beef products and what Influ-
ence the “Trust” has in prices. Dr.
Salmon had heretofore made an in-
quiry in this direction and his re-
port “on the condition governing
prices of cattle” gives some views
applicable to the present inquiry.
He says: “The estimated number
of animals drawn from the beef
supply gives but little idea as to
whether this supply has increased
more rapidly than the demands
or whether on the other hand
it has diminished. Our rapidly’
increasing population aud fluctu-
ating export trade must be con-
stantly’ borne in mind if we wish
to hold clear views on this import-
ant subject.”
In the course of his report he
showed that in 1850 there were 567
cattle to 1000 of population in this
country. This increased until 1885
when there were 800 cattle per
1000 population but from 1885 to
1889. there was a steady falling off
to 758 per 1000. He then says:
“The tendency of mljesof cat-
tle will be probably to advance
within the next year or two(1889)
on account of the improbability of
increasing stock cattle as rapidly
as the population is augmenting
but this advance will be slow and
uncertain for a number of years
and it will be two years before the
stock cattle have been reduced to
the proportion as compared to the
population which existed in 1878
and then the mean price of steers
was but $1.25 per 100 pounds or
ten cents less than in 1889. (
In|>tber words the price of steers ।
for several years in the future will ।
depend on the price of hogs upon
the value of exports cattle and
beef produced and upon the pro- ।
portion of steers marketed than
upon any changes likely to occur
in the number of cattle per the
1000 population existing In the
country.” j
Latest report of statistics of the
agricultural department was fur- (
nished by Statistician Robinson
February 15 last. It says: “The
increase In the number of oxen and
other cattle since the estimate for ’
January 1894 has been very
marked. It amounts to 2424952 ।
or 6.13 per cent of last year’s num-
ber. The estimate for 1895 makes
the number of such cattle 34364-
216 against 36608168 in 1894.
“Accompanying this consldera- J
ble decrease in numbers there has 1
been a fallingoff in value per head. (
The decline in percaptta value has
been from 14 66 in 1864 to 14.06 this
year a decrease of 60 cents. The (
decrease in aggregate value Is from
$536789741 to $482999129 or $35-
570618. ' ' !
Chicago Market.
Chicago April 13.—Cattle: Re-
ceipts 300; market dullwith hard-
ly enough stock to make the mar-
ket prices nominal.
Sheep: Receipts 2000; prices
unchanged.
The Statesman Broke Faith
Austin Texas April 13. —Special
—Just before the House adjourned
today Representative Ragsdale in-
troduced a resolution to exclude
from the House a representative
of the Austin Statesman who had
published some matter that the
House held to be no privilege. The
resolution was referred to a com-
mittee for action.
Socialists to ba Arrested
Rome April 13.—1 n view of the
approaching May day demonstra-
tions the Government has ordered
the arrest of all Socialists and An-
archists whose names are register-
ed upon the police records as those
of dangerous characters.
Wages to Advance
Providence R. 1. April 13.—
The United States cotton company
of Central Falls announce that
they advance to old rates on April
22. This is an increase of sto 10
per cent and applies to both mills
and affects 750 hands.
The Cattlemen Elated
Santa Fe April 13.—The ad-
vance of about five per cent on
beef cattle in the last sixty days
served to greatly elate the live
stock dealers of New Mexico. Mut-
ton has also gone much higher
Showing an advance equally as
Jhat.The stockmen of the territory
JGw what was coming a year ago
|and have husbanded their reeour-
■ ces accordingly^AL the advance
I prices some MMMI* wlll b “
during the next six weeks.
AUSTIN LOCAL.
Baseball—Y MCA. Convention—
O’Connor's Bill Will Pass.
Austin Tex.. April 13— (Special
Correspondence). The game be-
tween Anson’s colts and the local
baseball nine Thursday afternoon
was attended by a large crowd
which showed that the baseball
fever in Austin has not yet died
out. The Chicago team won easily
on a score of 9 to 2 the game
throughout being an exhibition of
friskine's on the part of the visi-
tors. The A stin team promises
to show up well in the state
league Yourz and. Schachern
making a considerable battery.
Al. Jack’s playing was something
of adisappointment.
The State Young
association convention is in session
in this city with eighty delegates
present. From tho reports pre-
eated it was shown that there are
at present thirty Young Men’s
Christian associations in the state
with a total membership of 6240.
Twelve of the associations are in-
corporated and two of them own
buildings. The total average at-
tendance at the rooms and meet-
ings of the association was for the
first year. 1330 per week.
At tho night session Rev. Wm.
Bayard Craig of the Christian
church San Antonio delivered an
impressive address taking for his
subject “Power.” He held that
man was a predestined conqueror
The elements of conquest are in
him when he works with
his creator. He took occasion to
give the association some
good adyiee arguing that all their
machinery and all their methods
would avail nothing without the
power of God. The convention is
still in session.
Ithasbeena long time since a
legislative bill has created such a
stir among people of San Antonio
as Representative O’Connor’s Me-
tropolitan police bill. It is pre-
dicted that if the bill does pass tho
house it will be only after the bit-
terest kind of a fight. Delegations
from San Antonio representing
both sides of the question have
been in Austin all week.
Last Monday District Clerk
Lewis. I. N. Thomas Char-
les Barnes and T. Adding-
ton came up. This was followed
by Ex-Representative Slayden
Wm. Aubrey J. L. Burgess W.
Easton and others to work against
the bill. County Judge Callaghan
Edward Dwyer and Dr. Amos
Graves were hard at work boosting
the bill today.
In speaking of his bill Represen-
tative O’Connor said to a Light
representative today:
“There is no doubt but that the
bill will gothrough with a whoop.
Tho charge that the bill will be
used to play into the hands of any
one political party is unreasonable
as no one can be removed without
cause. lam in favor of amending
the bill so that no officer can be
discharged without a fair trial in
open council
Although Mr. O’Connor expects
to put tho bill through with a
whoop considerable opposition is
already manifesting itself. Repre-
sentative Wurzbach is counted as
an opponent of the bill.
CUBAN RECRUITS.
Fort Worth Sends Twenty Men to
the Insurgents.
Fort Worth Tex. April 13. —
[Special.]—A nu mber of able bodied
men recently disappeared from
their usual haunts in this city
without indicating to any one their
intended departure. For two or
three weeks previous a dark-
skinned well bred man evidently
of Spanish origin has been in the
city and was frequently seen in
company with the men who disap-
peared. A letter was received yes-
terday postmarked Tampa Florida
from one of the men named Fla-
herty conveying the information
that the men who disappeared from
this city 20 in number had enlist-
ed in the Cuban army and were
there on the eve of departure for
the Island. They were recruited in
this city by the dark-skinned man
who was the agent of the insur-
gents.
Want Incoms Tax Tested Agim.
Washington April 13.—An in-
formal notice has been given to the
United States Supreme court by
the counsel in opposition to the in-
come tax of their purpose to ask
the court for a rehearing of the in-
come tax question.
He Was Too Confidential.
Winnipeg Manitoba April 13.
—Wm. Farr a Canadian Pacific
railway engineer has been arrested
charged with attemptingrto burn
his residence with hi s'* wife and
four children Rist night. He con-
victed himself itlirough a conversa-
tion with hfs flfernan. The house
was saturated .with coal oil but
Mrs. Farr hap^i' ol be awake
and extinguiehiynh 6 Amiss.
■feidscbstae GeS*MJ«r ll* HIM
SUNDAY LAW CULPRIT.
HOW DID HE GET INTO O'CONNOR'S
BILL.
An Open Letter by “A Constituent”
to Hon. John A. O’Connor.
San Antonio April 12’95.
Hon. John A. O’Oonnor Member of the
Legislature from Bexar County:
Dear Sir:—Allow me as one of
your humble constituents to ad-
dress you a note.
On yesterday I read with su-
preme concern in the San Antonio
Express of April 10 1895 that you
had such a serious difficulty in
passing through the legislature of
Texas your great anti-Tammany
anti-Democratic police bill.
In the Express of the 10th
inst. wo find (information fur-
nished by yourself) that with-
out your knowledge or con-
sent the infamous Sunday
law had “crept” into your bill and
just about the time your great
measure was about to glide
through the Legislature you had
the great good luck to find the
deadly hydra headed monster coil-
ed up in the bill and had to have
your bill recommitted to the com-
mittee to get the vile serpent out.
Oh what a horrible wrong some
villain has attempted to do unto
you our eminent statesman orator
and Populist !
We wonder and wonder again
how that execrated Sunday law
crept into your great measure to
mar its great beauty and destroy
its usefulness.
Tho first impression of every
one was that you had carelessly
left your manuscript bill lying
around aud that the vile law had .
as you stated crept into the bill j
and we all at once hunted up since (
January a law to see if it in fact ।
had legs or feet to creep into the
bills of honorable members of the (
legislature; but all our judges and j
lawyers assure us that tho said
law has neither feet nor legs. ।
Learning this we were forced to
the conclusion that the hated law j
just rolled over into your bill and
weattuhmuch blame to you for j
being so careless after writing ।
every word and every line of your ]
bill as to leave the manuscrlptout i
of your desk or in your unlocked r
desk bo that the Sunday law or f
any other law could roll over into s
it.
And yet still some of your clos-
est friends say that Judge Flem-
ing R. M. Moore or Ed. Haltom
or some other Sunday law advo-
cate stole your bill after you had
written and read it over the last
time and interlined the vicious
law. If this Is true why are you
silent? Why do you not expose
the villain so that weyour friends
may down him —tear him limb
from limb?
Why do you not jump on this
infamous Sunday with law both
feet? Why notwrite a bill styled“O’-
Connor’s bill to repeal the Sunday
law” and force it through the Leg-
islature; so that the insolent
thing may not hereafter creep into
the bill in Legislature and bob up
iu your oath the next time you are
elected and sworn in as a legisla-
tor.
But every issue has two sides
The above is one and here ie the
other; a great many o! your con-
stituents say that you never wrote
the metropolitan bill at all that
you cannot write a legislative
bill at all even If one sec-
tion; but that others hashed up
the act from a similar bill offered
or passed in the New York Repub-
lican legislature intended to cut
the claws of the Tammany Demo-
cratic tiger; and that you never
read the bill and if you did read
it you did not understand its pro-
visions. Now this is certainly too
much for your friends to believe.
No It cannot be true that you
placed before the legislature of
Texas and gave it your great
American-Irish name and cham-
pioned its passage a bill which
you had not prepared or even
read. Oh no we cannot stand
that; but if such are the
lamentable facts why do you not
mount even the house tops In your
district and expose the villains
who tried in this nefarious man-
ner to fix upon your dear constit-
uents this intolerable Sunday law?
Oh cry aloud and give us their
names that we may forever exe-
crate the miscreants and even bury
them alive.
But all these things confuse ub ;
we cannot comprehend the situa-
tion you are in; there is some-
thing behind and your explana-
tion that the Sunday law
crept into your bill with-
out your knowledge does not
explain; and the friendly advice is
here tendered that you adopt Pres-
ident Cleveland’s advice “tell the
truthand say that the metropol-
itan bill 1b not your production at
all; that others and give their
names in San Antonio prepared
the bill; and you adopted it and
In fact read it but was unable to
discover any reference to the Sun-
Subscription $5.00 a Year.
day law in it; but some one point-
ed out to you that your bill im-
s posed on your police commission
first to support the constitution
and the laws of the state and sec-
ondly the duty of enforcing all laws
of the state and among such laws
is the Sunday law; and that you
then hastened to make both cor-
rections In your bill; and that It
b was all your joke to claim that the
law had crept into your bill.
f “Tell the truth” is a good motto
. used by Mr. Cleveland with emi-
nent success; and although Cleve-
land has no right to expect you
who stand above him in law states-
1 manehip and morals to adopt his
motto; yet it seems to all candid
men that you must now “tell the
truth” and save yourself to your
friends your country and your
family.
And upon full reflection would
It not be well to tell the whole
truth; and say whilst you did not
understand the bill yet you know
well what was the intended object
of the same.
You well knew that it is a meas-
ure solely to apply to San Antonio
and to set aside in part the effect
of our late city election in which
Bryan Callaghan and his Mexican
Democratic party suffered a
etinging defeat of nearly 1000
votes and Inasmuch as this
same Mexican Democratic party
on a trade for the Populist
vote elected you to your
seat last November the said Mex-
ican Democrats put the bill In
your hands and drove you to in-
troduce and support the same and
place yourself on record as Intro-
ducing and voting for the most de-
testable bill ever conceived in Tex-
as by anyone.
Mako this truthful statement
and save yourself to your family
and friends otherwise you are a
dead duck. Getting license to prac-
tice law will not eave you.
There is another small matter
that you seem to be neglecting. It
is this:
A short time before you started
to AustinJflrst your seat
you had yoursqlf by
the Express and in that interview
you promised the Express to sup-
porta libel Jaw a%d also said you
favored a law parsed by the legis-
lature to allow Mexicans to vote
because you thought they had as
much right as other people to vote;
and yet you have not Introduced
such a law.
Yours truly
A Constituent.
KEPT HIS WORD
Gruetzner Said He Would Take His
.Life and He Did.
“Father has threatened to hang
himself or jump in the river for
some time but we always told him
he was too much a coward to do
such a thing.” This is what four-
teen-year-old Herman Gruetzner
said to a reporter yesterday after-
noon. “I am working at Wein-
stein’s bookstore and first heard of
it about 12o’clock when I was sent
for and told that my father had
hung himself. My sister Mary
was tho first to seo him.
She was in the house at the time
and happened to come out and
went to her father’s work shed.
When she first saw him she
thought ho was standing on his
work table. * She went up to speak
to him and didn’t know what was
the matter until she saw that ho
was blue in the face and foaming
at the mouth. She then ran out
and screamed and a colored mau
living next door was the first to
come out. She then ran in the
house and told mother and the
police and the coroner were tele-
phoned for. My father was
dead. The rope was then cut
and the body was taken dowu and
laid on the table. A big crowd of
people were in the yard by that
time and the policeman said not to
take the body away from the shed
until the people were gone. Father
was an old mau and was a little
cranky. He would not sleep in tho
house and made a bed for himself
on a table in his work shed. He
said we drove him out of the house
but we didn’t. We always asked
him to sleep In his bed in the
house.”
Deceased was a native of.Saxouy
Germany and came to the\United
States about thirty years ago.
Immediately came to San Antonio
and has lived here ever since. He
was formerly employed at the gov-
ernment arsenal In this city as re-
pairer of wagons etc. He was a
member of the Hermann Soehne
the past twenty-five years in
which order he was insured for
$lOOO. He will be buried tomor-
row afternoon at five o’clock under
the auspices of this order. He leaves
a wife and four children towit:
Mrs. Annie Kroeber residing on
North Pine street Government
hill; Mrs. Lydia Eberhardt of.
Eagle Pass: Miss Annie Gruetzner
and Hermann. About ten years
ago one of the deceased’s daugh-
ters was tightened to death by a
dog whicl sprang at her one night
barking./
■
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San Antonio Daily Light. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 75, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 14, 1895, newspaper, April 14, 1895; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1683112/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .