 |
| Alexander M. Dockery. |
 |
| Daniel Sickles. |
 |
| William M. Springer |
 |
| Amos J. Cummings. |
HOUSE IN AN
UPROAR.
MR.
CUMMINGS REFUSES TO SUBMIT TO ARREST.
Tells
the Sergeant-at-Arms to Touch Him at His Peril—General Sickles' Demand to Be
Heard, After Being Arrested, Adds Fuel to the Flames—The
Warrant
Claimed to Be Faulty and Void.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23. Washington's birthday
was ushered into the house of representatives with a series of dramatic
incidents which may possibly culminate with legal proceedings against the
sergeant-at-arms for false imprisonment of members of congress.
Sergeant-at-Arms Snow, acting by virtue of the general warrant of arrest issued
last Monday, has been apprehending members wherever they could be found. The
warrants contain the names of 56 congressmen. Mr. Snow began to arrest
congressmen on the floor of the house on the warrants charging them with
absence Monday. This was in accordance with a colloquy between Speaker Crisp
and the sergeant-at-arms during the session Wednesday. Mr. Snow asked if he was
expected to arrest members on the floor. Mr. Crisp answered that the
sergeant-at-arms was expected to "execute the order." This was
accepted as meaning that arrests on the floor should be made and Mr. Snow at once
began to carry this idea into effect.
He arrested seven congressmen as they sat in
their seats. Deputy Hill made as many more arrests. In each case the member was
tapped on the shoulder and then told that he was released on parole to report
when required.
Yesterday the arrests began again and continued
until interrupted by a stirring scene. Representative Cummings of New York came
down the middle aisle of the house just as the session was about to open.
Deputy Hill stepped up to him and notified him that by virtue of the warrant he
held Mr. Cummings would be placed under arrest and his parole taken.
The congressman flushed and took the matter
seriously. He stepped back and in bitter language denounced the effort to
arrest him. He refused to recognize the validity of the warrant.
"I give you fair warning," said
Mr. Cummings, "that if you touch me, you act at your peril."
For a moment it looked as though there would
be serious trouble, as Mr. Cummings plainly intimated that he intended to
resent the slightest touch indicating arrest by the use of force.
The deputy quickly withdrew, however, as the
orders of the sergeant-at-arms are to avoid indignities to congressmen in every
way possible.
Members who were apprehended threaten to
secure suitable redress and talk of legal proceedings for false imprisonment.
Sergeant-at-arms Snow says: "The greatest
care has been taken to avoid giving offense to members. My orders to deputies
are to proceed with the greatest caution and deference. We do not arrest members
as though they were tramps or common drunks. They are merely notified that
their names are on the warrant and then the member is touched to make the
service effective."
Mr. Blair (N. H.) asked unanimous consent that
the clerk, in honor of the day, read to the house the farewell address of
Washington.
Mr. Pendleton objected.
Mr. Sickles (Dem., N, Y,), standing on his
crutches in the center aisle, was loudly calling for recognition, stating that
he had a question of the highest personal privilege to present. "I am
informed," said he "that I am under arrest. I demand to know by what
authority?"
Mr. Dockery, who was in the chair, declared that
Mr. Sickles could not interrupt the proceedings while the house was dividing.
Mr. Sickles, however, insisted on being heard,
and Mr. Terry (Dem. Ark.) called him to order.
The speaker pro tem ordered Mr. Sickles to
take his seat.
Mr. Sickles declined to sit down. The excitement
grew apace. Members crowded about General Sickles and debouched from the aisles
into the area in front of the speaker's chair. The noise and confusion was
deafening.
"There ought to be some way of
squelching him," shouted Mr. Meredith.
But Mr. Sickles stood firm and unflinching in
the face of the storm. He wanted to know if he was under arrest whether he had
a right to vote.
"Has he any rights at all?" Wilson
(Wash.).
The chair directed the rule to be read, following
which Mr. Sickles appealed to the house to be allowed to make a statement and
Mr. Post (Rep., Ill.) moved that he be allowed to explain.
Mr. Springer insisted that Mr. Sickles
should take his seat. "Don't do that," shouted Mr. Wilson (Wash.),
"don't you see he is a cripple. Don't make him sit down and get up. You
can bob up at any time." (Laughter.)
A moment later while the chair was attempting
to quell the impending riot, Mr. Cummings rose in his place and with uplifted arm
and ringing voice, called out: You did not call him to order at
Gettysburg." (Applause.)
Said Mr. Sickles: "If I am under
arrest, I cannot be any worse off if I am in contempt. I am under arrest now sir,
and in custody of the sergeant-at-arms."
All this time Mr. Sickles had been standing
and the clamor that he should be heard grew so irresistible that he was recognized.
"I am informed by the sergeant-at-arms that
I am under arrest. I desire to know if this is true?"
"If he is under arrest,"
interrupted Mr. Snodgrass (Tenn.), "he has no right to be heard."
"Oh! I am not convicted yet,"
replied Mr. Sickles. "I still have the right to be heard. I desire to know
for what reason I am under arrest. I ask that the report of the
sergeant-at-arms be made now."
"I suggested," interrupted Mr.
Reed, "in the interest of the orderly conduct of business, that the
question of privilege to which the gentleman from Ohio (Hulick) arose should be
first disposed of."
The controversy at last became so confusing that
by general acquiescence it was decided to hear the report of the sergeant-at-arms.
"I demand a separate trial," said
Mr. Sickles, after the reading of the report was concluded.
A dozen members were clamoring for recognition.
Others were pushing and crowding in the aisles, paying not the slightest heed
to the continuous gavel pounding of the speaker pro tem.
"This is the house of representatives,"
finally shouted Mr. Dockery, "not a beer garden." (Laughter and
applause.)
"The gentleman will have a separate trial
if he desires it, but the rules must be observed. The gentleman will take his seat."
"I always obey orders," said Mr. Sickles,
as he sat down.
During all this time Mr. Dockery had been
counting the house and at this point he announced that the demand for the previous
question had been carried 97 to 0.
When the point of no quorum was made, Mr.
Bland withdrew the demand for the previous question and also the motion at the
same time renewing his motion to close debate on the seigniorage bill.
It was then decided to call the prisoners in
their order.
Mr. Adams of Pennsylvania, the successor of
Mr. O'Neil, was the first called. He appeared
very indignant. He was asked to give his excuse for being absent without leave.
"I was in the state of Pennsylvania,'' he
stated, "exercising the highest duty of citizenship, voting for a member
of this house. (Republican applause.) Partly through my efforts we were able to
roll up 177,000 majority for Galusha A. Grow. (Renewed applause.)
"The moment I received the summons from
the sergeant-at-arms I immediately returned."
"I move that the gentleman be
discharged," said Mr. Reed, ""and that his name be stricken from
the warrant."
"No," interrupted Mr. Sickles
loudly, "his name should not be stricken from the warrant. The warrant is
null and void. There are no names in the warrant."
This statement created a sensation. Mr. Dockery
ordered the warrant to be read, which was done.
Mr. Sickles declared that he objected to further
proceedings under this warrant.
"It does not contain a single
name," he said, "and is absolutely void. The sergeant-at-arms is
liable to an action by each member who has been arrested under it."
Mr. Springer insisted that the warrant was
authorized by the house.
The tangle and confusion seemed hopeless, and
in the midst of the excitement Mr. Bland moved to adjourn.
"Are you going to adjourn and leave me in
chains?" asked Mr. Sickles in a most piteously appealing fashion.
The motion to adjourn was then put.
As Mr. Bland, the recognized leader of the
fight, had made it, his supporters voted with him, one of them, Mr. Pendleton of
Texas, standing on top of his desk in the rear of the hall.
It was carried—132 to 101—and the house closed
one of the most exciting and disorderly sessions of this congress by
adjourning.
Election
Inspectors Bill Passed.
ALBANY, Feb. 23.—The nonpartisan inspectors of
election bill has passed both houses and when the senate concurs in two
unimportant amendments it will be sent to Governor Flower for his signature. The
bill gives to the two great political parties an equal number of election inspectors,
poll clerks and ballot clerks at every polling place in the state.
CORNELL OUTRAGE.
NO LIGHT
SHED ON THE SUBJECT BY THE INQUEST.
The
Whole Affair as Great a Mystery as Ever—President Schurman Leaves the Matter In
the Hands of the Police. Theory of Heart Disease In Connection
With the
Cook's Death Exploded—Several Clues Discovered.
ITHACA, N. Y., Feb. 23.—The coroner's inquest
in the case of Mrs. Henrietta Jackson, who died from the effect of chlorine gas
at the Cornell freshman banquet on Tuesday night, was begun but after some evidence
had been received it was adjourned for one week.
The first witnesses sworn were the
physicians who performed the autopsy on the body of the dead woman. Death, they
said, resulted from some cause not apparent from a post-mortem examination. The
heart and lungs were found to be in a strong, healthy condition, and there was no
evidence of any organic weakness.
From none of the witnesses could it be learned
how entrance was effected to the room below the kitchen. The only door to the
room was found locked from the inside, and as the windows showed no signs of
anyone having entered by them, the jury could not understand how the perpetrators
of the outrage succeeded in getting into the room.
On the jug in which the gas was generated
and which was found in the room was discovered an address, No. 6 Cook street.
This was evidently an address to which the
jug had been delivered. No. 6 Cook street is a boarding house occupied by
students, and they were all called as witnesses.
G. L. Dingens and a student named Taylor
were the only ones who failed to appear. Those who testified disclaimed all
knowledge of the affair, most of them proving that they had not left their
rooms on the evening in question.
It was rumored that Dingens and Taylor had
left town, but although they have not been seen since yesterday morning, there
is no proof that they are not in Ithaca.
From none of the druggists could be learned
where the sulphuric acid and potassium permanganate, used in the preparation of
the chlorine gas, had been purchased. Neither could it be learned where the
drills and augers, used in boring holes in the ceiling through which to pass
the rubber hose, had been procured.
Several witnesses remembered making sales of
articles of the above description, but could not recall to whom they were made.
Thomas McNeil of Pittsburg, who was reported
to have died from the effects of the gas, testified as to what occurred before he
lost consciousness, but nothing new was learned.
After
several more witnesses had given unimportant testimony the inquest was adjourned
to March 1.
It is learned from reliable sources that a paper
was found stuffed in an old stove in the room where the gas apparatus was. This
paper was evidently one in which some article had been wrapped and bore the
address in ink of "C. E. Mitchell, the Beersfort."
There is no boarding house or hotel in Ithaca
named the Beersfort, but there has been a man in town by the name of C. E. Mitchell.
He was not a student at the university, but was known to many of the college
men. He has not been seen since Wednesday
night.
The police will say nothing as to their intentions
in the matter, but it is thought that they are placing their chief reliance in
this last clue.
President Schurman remains firm in his resolution
to leave the matter in the hands of the city authorities. He was present at the
inquest, but had little to say in regard to the affair.
Two
Students are Missing.
The coroner's inquest to inquire into the
death of Henrietta Jackson, the cook who was suffocated by chlorine gas at the
freshmen banquet at Ithaca on Tuesday night, was begun yesterday. Nothing of
importance was brought forth until an address in pencil was discovered upon the
stone jug which contained the chlorine gas. This address proved to be a
students' boardinghouse. The coroner promptly subpoenaed all the students who
boarded there. Then it was found that two students—a freshman and a
sophomore—who boarded there and who were roommate s had suddenly left town.
None of the fellows at the house appeared to know when or where they had gone.
The inquest was immediately adjourned until next Thursday to find and bring
back those students. The townspeople of Ithaca are greatly excited.
Fixing Telephone
Charges.
Assemblyman Gerst introduced a bill in the
assembly yesterday which will interest Cortland as well as nearly every other
place in the state. It is to regulate telephone charges and it delegates the
state comptroller, attorney general and state engineer as a board to supervise the
operation of telephone companies.
The following annual rentals for telephones
are fixed: New York, $78; Brooklyn, $66; in cities of from 100,000 to 500,000,
$48; in cities of from 20,000 to 100,000, $36; in cities of from 8,000 to
20,000, $30; and in all other places, $27.
If this bill becomes a law the telephone charges
for Cortland will be $30 which is a rate lower than [$35] before the increase [$48] in
rates of a year ago.
Assignment
of J. S. Bull & Co.
At 9:15 o'clock this morning the firm of J.
S. Bull & Co., dealers in stocks, bonds, mortgages and real estate, and J.
Seaman Bull and Charles Sheldon Bull,
separately and individually, filed papers in the county clerk's office
assigning all of their property to Benjamin L. Webb to dispose of to the best
possible advantage for the benefit of their creditors.
The assignment papers show claims of preferred
creditors to the amount of about $3,800, aside from some other debts which are
probably wholly covered by collateral security. In case, however, that any of
this collateral fails to meet the debts, the deficit is placed among the
preferred.
The statement of liabilities and assets is
not yet filed and the assignee has twenty days in which to prepare this.
A STANDARD man saw Mr. C. S. Bull this
afternoon and from him learned that this step became necessary owing to the
hard times and the difficulty in immediately turning certain securities into cash
to meet debts coming due. Mr. Bull said that he and his brother felt confident
that they had property enough to pay every debt in full, if they could have a
little time to turn it, and he believed that they would have something left for
themselves. They were sorry to be obliged to make the assignment, but they felt
that it would not be just to all of their creditors to let a few take advantage
of their inability to pay now and procure judgments and sell out their property
at forced sale for half its worth and thus compel other creditors to lose all.
He believed every one would be paid in full.
The STANDARD learns of this assignment with
deep regret. Both of the brothers have always, so far as known, been honorable
in all dealings. They were believed to be careful business men. If it had not
been for these hard times, all would have undoubtedly have come out well. Mr.
B. L Webb, the assignee, is a business man of ability and he can be depended
upon to dispose of the property in a way to save every possible cent for
the creditors, and of the surplus, if any, for the assignors.
"OUR
COUNTRY'S TO-MORROW."
A
Splendid Lecture Last Night at Normal Hall.
Dr. Samuel P. Leland of Chicago last night
delivered one of the finest lectures in Normal hall that it has ever been the
fortune of a Cortland audience to hear. His subject was "Our Country's To-morrow."
To report it in detail would be almost impossible, for it was largely
statistical, but it was full of interest throughout.
His proof that a man comes to be like what
he loves best was very convincing His enumeration of the wonderful resources of
our country as found in the soil, water, minerals, manufactures and the
intellectual power of the people was brought before the audience in an
impressive and convincing manner. He called attention to the fact that Napoleon
in 1802 decreed that no person in France should own more than forty-seven acres
of land, and the consequence was that the territory of France was divided up
into small holdings owned by the common people.
This made the French patriotic. He asserted that men are more patriotic
when owning their own homes. Only one-sixth of the territory of the United States
is under cultivation, and much of this is in large holdings. He claimed that it
will be much better for this country when the population has so increased that
the people own their own farms and those small ones. He gave a glowing
description of what our county of to-morrow is to be.
The whole address is what every young
American should have heard. It was patriotic, eloquent, reverent, and all
statements were backed up by most reliable statistics. The Normal students were
indeed fortunate in being able to listen to so fine a lecture. If he ever
returns to Cortland he will be sure to have a house even more crowded than that
of last night.
 |
| Benton Bushnell Jones. |
"HE
IS A GOOD MAN."
Senator
Hill says There are no Anti-snappers in Cortland.
The Washington correspondent of the New York
Sun telegraphs: Out of a list of 25
nominations of presidential postmasters in New York state sent to the senate
Monday Senators Hill and Murphy were able to find only one man in the lot who
is not an anti-snapper.
The president's purpose to continue the fight
against the Democratic organization in New York state is shown in these nominations.
Senator Hill looked over the list of candidates carefully and then passed the
paper to Senator Murphy. They concluded that Benton B. Jones, appointed
postmaster at Cortland, was the only regular Democrat in the list. Senator Hill
said that Mr. Jones is the editor of a Democratic paper in Cortland, and he has
always been a member of the organization and worked for the good of the party.
He is well-known to Secretary Lamont and the latter probably vouched for him.
Senator Hill is not disappointed at the
constant ignoring of the members of the regular organization by the president.
He and Senator Murphy have become accustomed to being neglected by the present [Cleveland]
administration, and they do not expect recognition.
Once in a while, by accident, a good man is
chosen for a small office who is identified with the organization, as in the
case of Mr. Jones. There are no anti-snappers in Cortland. Mr. Hill says the
Democrats there are all loyal to the organization.
BREVITIES.
—One of the Cortland teachers claims to have
lost her heart last night. She says it is the only one she has and bears the
mark of "sterling."
—C. N. Tyler, the popular Elm-st. groceryman,
has a new sign hung out to announce his business to his many patrons.
—There will be a special meeting of the
Hitchcock Hose Co to-night. It will be an important meeting and all members are
requested to be present.
—On Wednesday the Cortland Foundry and Machine
Co. increased the working day to nine hours, and next Monday will begin running
ten hours a day.
—A sleighload of young people drove last
evening to Little York, where they spent the evening very pleasantly in skating
and dancing, returning at about 2 o'clock this morning.
—The first $100 worth of seats for "Robin
Hood" on Saturday evening, March 3, were sold at the store of D. F. Wallace
& Co. in less than twenty minutes yesterday morning.
—The STANDARD is indebted to Assemblyman B.
F. Lee for a copy of the seventeenth annual report of the New York State
Dairymen's association with transactions and addresses for the year 1893.
—We now have a full supply of parts one, two
and three of Shepp's Holy Land at this office where one of each can be obtained
for three daily coupons and ten cents or for one semi-weekly coupon and ten
cents.
—Much interest was manifested in the well
attended meeting at the First M. E. church last evening. A revival service will
also be held this (Friday) evening. The love feast will begin at 9:30 on Sunday
morning. At 10:30 Rev. M. P. Blakeslee will preach. Sunday night, Dr. Pearce
will repeat his sermon, "Fellowships of young men," by request.
—No one who can possibly be mistaken for a
student in Ithaca seems to be safe. The Ithaca Democrat says: "On Tuesday evening as a busload of young
people were leaving this city for a party at Trumansburg, a gang of students thinking
that it was a party of freshmen made an assault on the carriage and one of the
young gentlemen inside whose name we have not learned, had a serious gash cut
in his cheek by a stone thrown by one of the mob."
The
Little York Ride.
Some of those who were in the party that
went to the Raymond House at Little
York Tuesday night affirmed that the one of their number who reported the
affair for The STANDARD misrepresented them. They did not go there for a dance,
but for a sleighride, and for a supper. Some of them did move about the room
for a short time with rather brisk steps but to the music of the piano played
by one of their own party, and not to the strains produced by any Little York
orchestra. Having obtained their supper and had a good time they came home at a
very seasonable hour.
Whether they danced or not, it would be
understood that a party of Normal students off upon a ride would in every respect
conduct themselves properly and reflect credit upon their school. They are
never known to do other than that. They like a good time and in their leisure
moments they have it, but they never forget themselves or fail to maintain a
dignity suited to the occasion. The Normals are all right.
Some
Cortland Children.
Last Sunday morning at the general exchange
of pastors Dr. Cordo preached for Rev. C. E. Hamilton in the Homer-ave. church.
At the close of the service the little four-year-old daughter of Mr. Hamilton
slipped away from her mother and of her own accord walked forward to the pulpit
and extending her hand to the visiting preacher said, gravely, "Dr. Cordo,
I have enjoyed your sermon very much this morning."
It is needless to say that the doctor was highly
gratified. If the young lady keeps on in the way she has begun she will be a
great help to her pastor and to her church, wherever her home is as she grows
up.
Another Cortland miss of about the same age
was recently quite displeased at some request her mother had made of her, and
as she obeyed said tearfully, "Well,
the next time I am born, I won't be born in this family."
There are some bright children in Cortland.
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