A SERIOUS CHARGE

Oliver Curtis Perry.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, August 23, 1895.

A SERIOUS CHARGE.

HELPED PERRY ESCAPE.

An Ex-Keeper Confesses to Being Bribed by a Troy Missionary.

   POUGHKEEPSIE, August 18.—Former Keeper William A. Hopkins of the Matteawan Asylum was arrested yesterday on the charge of assisting in the recent escape of Train Robber Perry. His confession, which is partly corroborated, involves Amelia E. Haswell of Troy, a city missionary, by whom Hopkins alleges he was bribed to let Perry escape.

   Miss Haswell has not been arrested yet. Superintendent Allison of the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminal Insane, and District Attorney George Wood will get out the necessary papers to-day. In the meantime Miss Haswell, who is still at Ocean Grove, is being shadowed by the detectives and cannot get away. The authorities claim to have sufficient evidence to put her in jail for a term of ten years.

   District Attorney Wood said to-night that the American Express company might proceed against her for receiving stolen goods.

   He also said that she was liable for punishment for using the United States mails for improper purposes, and that he, as a representative of the people of the State of New York, will prosecute her for aiding the escape of a felon, which under statute 87 of the Penal Code is made a felony and is punishable by as long an imprisonment as the felon who is aided to escape. Under this she may be liable to as long an imprisonment as Perry's sentence of forty-nine years. The main evidence on which the authorities expect to convict Miss Haswell is the confession of ex-Keeper Hopkins, he being willing to turn State's evidence, and the correspondence which passed between him and her. All the keeper's negotiations for the release of Perry and his pals were carried on by him with the train robber in person.

   Ex-Keeper Hopkins who is now in jail, through his counsel, William R. Wood, secured from Judge Barnard last night a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that Hopkins was irregularly committed. Mr. Wood has decided not to serve the writ at once, thinking it best to have his client in jail to thoroughly sober up. He will, however, make application for the court to fix Hopkins' bail to-morrow.

MISS HASWELL'S STORY.

   TROY, Aug. 20.—The Troy Press of to-day publishes the following: The friends of Miss Haswell have insisted from the start that at soon as she learned of the charges made against her in connection with the escape of Oliver Curtis Perry she would clear herself of any intentional wrong doing in the transaction. A telegram was sent to Miss Haswell and the Press to-day received a letter in substance as follows:

    "Ocean Grove, August 20.

   "MR. TUCKER: A few moments ago a friend handed me the evening paper and I now understand what your telegram had reference to, stating that I could telegraph if I had anything I wished you to publish. The facts in the case are simply these: Three or four months before Oliver Curtis Perry's escape at Matteawan I visited him, accompanied by a friend. He then requested me to dispose of his watch, which he had purchased of Samuel C. Tappin of Troy for the sum of $175 while employed on the Fitchburg railroad.

   "He also wished I would turn into money two small rings granted him by the court and sent to me by Sheriff Tacher of Wayne county. He advised me to keep the rings at Oliver's request until some disposition would be made of them for Oliver's benefit.

   "I was reluctant at the time at receiving them, as my best intentions had been misrepresented in the case. I positively refused to make any disposition of the property and Oliver then suggested my sending them to a friend by the name of Hopkins, who lived at Low Point, Duchess county. I inquired whether he could trust this man. I explained that so many would take advantage of his helplessness. He replied:

   "'If ever I had a friend, this man is one. He feels sorry for me and would not betray me.'

   "I was not then satisfied and would not heed his request until he remonstrated with me again and again and said if he was willing to risk what rightly belonged to him I certainly ought to be. I sent the goods soon after, and heard nothing more about the matter, until a few weeks after Oliver Perry's escape from Matteawan. He then wrote me, requesting that I should visit him. My aunt and I went to see him. He then told me he had heard nothing of the jewelry and he feared it was as I had prophesied — that this Hopkins would cheat him out of it.

   "He then confessed that this man was a keeper at Matteawan. I was indignant to think a keeper would encourage Oliver in wrongdoing, as God knows I would never aid him to escape. This was never my idea of helping him though I did not betray his confidence and did not play detective when he was a fugitive, as some thought I ought to. I advised Oliver to have his father look into the case. I wrote to O. H. Perry of Syracuse, giving him every detail, and he promptly replied, stating that he would consult a lawyer and bring Hopkins to terms.

   "I have never heard the result and, in fact, I dismissed the matter from my mind, as I left it all with Oliver's father. One regret of my life is that I did not correct erroneous reports before this through the press concerning my dealings with Oliver Perry. God knows there is nothing I am ashamed to 'proclaim from the housetops.' I shall be in the explaining business after this. Please notify me if I am in print and not aware of it as in this case.

   "Sincerely,

   "AMELIA F. HASWELL."

   Miss Haswell is a guest at the Ocean Queen hotel, Ocean Grove.

HELD UP A TRAIN.

Bandits Go Through a Chicago & West Michigan Passenger Train at

New Richmond, Ind.

   GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 20.—The Chicago and West Michigan passenger train which left Chicago at 5 o'clock to-night was held up by four robbers one and a half miles south of New Richmond, Ind., at 9:40 this evening.

   When the train reached a curve at this point, it slowed up as usual and as it did so, a signal was swung for the train to stop. Engineer George Zibbel reversed the lever, applied the air brakes and brought the train to a standstill.

   A moment later he and Fireman Michael Driscoll were covered with revolvers by two men and two other robbers proceeded to the express car. Expressman Bernard Van Otten was ordered to open the door. This he refused to do and the robbers began shooting, breaking all the windows in the express car.

   Then one of the robbers forced the door. Two robbers went in, and while one covered the expressman, the other blew off the safe door with dynamite. They got nothing, as the safe was an empty one, being taken from Chicago to the company's office in this city.

   The robbers then proceeded to the passenger cars, firing as they went.

A Slick Rascal Caught.

   On the 31st of May, 1892, one Robert Morrisey hired a horse of Albert F. Briggs of Cincinnatus to drive over into Chenango county. Not returning as agreed Mr. Briggs started an officer after him. After several days search he was rounded up by an officer in Binghamton and was soon landed in Cortland jail. In October he was indicted and sometime after he was admitted to bail in the sum of $200 which was furnished by some friends. When court set, he did not show up and has managed to keep shy of the officers ever since.

   Deputy Edwards has had the case in hand and finally traced him to Watervale. Madison county last week, where he was known as David Babcock. He telegraphed an officer in that place to arrest the man which was done and on Friday last he landed his man in jail where he will probably remain until the October court of sessions. Morrisey had been in Colorado since he was bailed.

Cortland Park.

Cortland Park.

   Citizens of Cortland and vicinity are taking advantage of the opportunity offered for an outing at this popular resort almost daily. Many of them go to-day and to-morrow and they seem to enjoy the trip as much after daily visits as they did on the first day. Last Saturday evening the Cortland City band gave a concert and the woods were full of people. The dancing platform, erected in the first grove, was well patronized and the young people enjoyed themselves immensely. The storm that came up a little after 9 o'clock dampened their ardor somewhat and many were drenched to the skin, but they will go again. The band concerts and dances held every Wednesday and Saturday nights are attended by crowds of people. Daniels' orchestra furnishes the music and Harrington & Sons have charge of the dance platform. A. D. Wallace has the refreshment stands.

Small Dwelling Burned.

   Shortly before 1 o'clock Thursday morning the 12 year-old son of Patrick Carroll who lives on Prospect St., opposite the water tank, awoke to find the room filled with smoke. He roused his younger brother and parents and [all] had to make their escape from the house through the second story windows to the roof of the porch and so to the ground.

   An alarm was sent in from box 132 and the department was soon on hand. Hitchcock Hose passed the others on the hill and connected to the hydrant corner Prospect-st. and Graham-ave., but their hose did not reach the house so Orris coupled with them. The other two companies also hooked together but there was not pressure enough to throw the water far enough so one line was cut off, but then the pressure was very light and the fire had gained such headway that it was only possible to save the out buildings and barn. Many goods from the lower floor were saved but nothing from above.

   Mr. Carroll had s small insurance on his goods but not enough to cover the loss. The house which belonged to D. G. Corwin was burned to the ground. It was insured for about one-half its value. The lamp which the family always left burning at night is supposed to have exploded.

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

   TOMPKINS.—Dryden Fair, Sept. 24, 25 and 26.

   The Odd Fellows of Lansing will picnic at Cayuga Lake park, August 25.

   The Brookton oil well is down over 2,000 feet and not a grease spot has been struck yet.

   Mr. Herman Bergholtz is to build a handsome residence on Renwick Heights for his future home.

   A young child of Wm. Brooks, on Railroad avenue, died of black erysipelas on Thursday evening.

   The Ithaca Gun Company is adjusting its affairs preparatory to making a large output of Peerless typewriting machines next fall.

   The widow of George W. Everts died yesterday morning. Her son Theron still lives in Cortland, and her daughter, Mrs. H. Kenyon, in this city.

   John A. Freer of the Ithaca Hotel has been appointed aide de-camp on the staff of Department Commander Atkinson, of the G. A. R., with the rank of colonel.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

   The Democratic state convention will be held in Syracuse on Tuesday, September 24th.

   Ballard Smith in reviewing the work of the campaigning women of Great Britain in the recent elections expresses the hope that the practice of canvassing for votes by women may never be imported into this country. But wait until the woman suffragists have their way.
  Ex-Governor James E. Campbell was nominated for Governor by acclamation by the Democratic State Convention held in Springfield on Wednesday. The platform declares for sound money. The nomination of Governor Campbell insures a lively campaign as he is one of the best campaign speakers, if not the best in the country.

   The opponents of Democracy won an ephemeral triumph by attributing the hard times to the party in power. The good times which have come under Democratic rule are as surely attributable to the Democracy. The clouds of discontent have blown away; business is booming all over the land, the policy which was predicted to ruin industry has set every mill humming and every furnace blazing; the tariff which was prophesied to reduce wages has raised wages everywhere. The people are contented, prosperous, happy.—Boston Post.

   The calamities under the Wilson tariff law continue. This time it is the 10,000 operatives in the cotton factories of Lowell that realize the conditions of the new law. They found notices posted in the mills early last week which declared a ten per cent raise of wages to take effect this week. Here is another increase entirely voluntary on the part of the owners of these great mills and this increase is only in keeping with the general number of advances made in all the mills of the New England States since the beginning of the year, only this is the third experience of the kind for the mills in the Merrimac region. The prophets of calamity are certainly having a severe time of it.—Kingston Argus.

  

                                 Monopoly and the Canals.

   The State owns the Erie Canal. That waterway is maintained as a rival of the railroads in grain carriage. Its great service consists in protecting the business of the city and State against the extortion of monopolies.

   The railroads of course want to be rid of this waterway competition. They are especially anxious that the canal shall not be improved by the expenditure of $9,000,000 as proposed in a law which the people are to ratify or reject at the polls this autumn.

   To that end they have conspired to keep the canal boats idle so that they may convince the people that the canal is no longer needed. As a result of their carefully planned crusade nearly all the grain boats on the Erie Canal are at this moment idle, while the railroads carry out of Buffalo from 400,000 to 800,000 bushels of grain a day.

   The explanation is simple. The elevators at Buffalo and at New York city are under control of the railroad interest and in the combination. They are illegally charging $9 per 1,000 bushels more for transferring grain to and from canal boats than the State law permits. This amounts to an extortion of $144 on the cargoes of a pair of canal-boats if loaded with wheat, $153 if they are loaded with corn, rye or less than $270 if they are loaded with oats.

   And this is only one of the devices resorted to by the combination to discourage canal traffic. During the summer when the canals are open the railroads charge 2 1/2 cents a bushel for wheat. The moment the canals close they charge 8 cents a bushel.

   This discourages canal traffic, but it affords the best possible argument for making and keeping the canals as efficient as possible. If not a bushel of grain were carried by them it would be worth while to maintain them for the sake of keeping the grain rate down to 2 1/2 cents a bushel during six or eight months of the year. It would be 8 cents or more in all months but for the canals, and at that price New York would lose much if not most of the grain export trade.

   The Erie Canal is the best security ever provided against an extortion that threatens the prosperity of city, State and country. It should be jealously guarded by every means within the reach of good citizens.—World. [Public Pot calling the Private Kettle black--CC editor.]

HERE AND THERE.

   The republicans of this town hold their caucus tomorrow.

   Read Messrs. G. J. Mager & Co.'s new advertisement on our fourth page.

   The annual reunion of the 157th Regt. will be held in Chittenango, Sept. 19.

   St. Mary's church will have a picnic at the Cortland park on Saturday, Aug. 31.

   The Ithaca Cycle club have a run to Cortland and return Saturday, August 31.

   Pender's bakestuffs can hereafter be found at C. N. Tyler's grocery, 18 Railroad-st.

   The republican county convention will be held in Taylor Hall, Cortland, on Friday, Sept. 6, 1895.

   The Norwich baseball club beat the Cortlands Wednesday afternoon on the fair grounds. Score 6 to 1.

   Mr. Ollie Ingraham of the Messenger House has sold his thoroughbred hackney to Mr. H. Bergholtz of Ithaca.

   Mr. F. Daehler, the merchant tailor and merits furnisher, has a new advertisement in this issue of the DEMOCRAT.

   A new 125 horse power engine and a boiler to correspond is being placed in the shops of the Cortland Forging Co.

   Hon. Roswell G. Horr discusses the financial question at Tully Lake park today. Fifty cents for the round trip.

   The annual inspection and parade of the Cortland Fire Department takes place on Wednesday, August 28th at 2 P. M.

   The city fathers have presented the members of the board of Engineers of the Fire Department with handsome new caps.

   The Cortland City band will give concerts in the park every Wednesday and Saturday evenings for the balance of the season.

   A large crowd of people attended the grange picnic held at Little York last Friday and the occasion was a most enjoyable one.

   Landscape gardener William Webster of Rochester will have charge of the improvements to be made at Cortland park. New buildings will soon be erected.

   Mrs. Lena H. Gaylord will open a dressmaking establishment in the rooms formerly occupied by Mrs. Cora Wilber in the Democrat building next Monday.

   Mrs. Arthur Webb will open a select school for children at her home, No. 9 Owego-st. on Monday. Sept. 9. Mrs. Webb is a graduate of the Normal.

   Mr. L. D. C. Rindge has been appointed janitor of the Owego-st. school building. Jerome Wheeler will have charge of the Pomeroy-st. school and H. M. Dickinson the school building on Fitz-ave.

   The Cortland Traction Company have erected a large platform in the park for dancing and H. C. Harrington & Sons have entered into a contract with the company to furnish an orchestra and take charge of this department.

   The remains of Miss Caroline M. Worden who died at Woodhull Landing, Suffolk Co. Long Island, of consumption, were brought to Cortland Monday night and interred in the cemetery Tuesday morning. Miss Worden was a niece of Mr. W. R. Randall.

   The man who invented the folding bicycle does not know how to ride a wheel and had never mounted one in his life. Yet his invention is a success. It will enable bicycles to be carried with ease on journeys and to he hung upon the wall of an ordinary room. The connecting rods of the bicycle frame are hinged or jointed and simply double over upon one another like the parts of a fishing rod.

FROM EVERYWHERE.

   "Dog days" end on the 27th.

   State Fair at Syracuse, August 26-31.

   Olean [New York State] has the largest crude oil station in the world.

   Cornell University library contains 175,000 volumes.

   Norwich has voted $35,000 for a new school building.

   Milk condenseries are being built at New Berlin and at Delhi.

   It is said that when the golden rod blooms hay fever prevails.

   Auburn derives a revenue of $12,000 from liquor and beer licenses.

   New hay is selling at $8 a ton in the vicinity of Lawrenceville, Pa.

   Lew Haight, of New Berlin, is said to have slaughtered over 200 woodchucks this summer.

   Near Bath a few days ago a wildcat was killed which was four feet long and weighed 25 pounds.

   Pompey [New York] has quite a remarkable hill on her outskirts. From its summit a person can look into seven counties.

   In New York city, 1,000 girl clothing makers, 3,500 men and 400 cloak makers struck Monday for a ten hour day.

   William Strong, former Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court and member of the Electoral Commission, died at lake Minnewaska, N. Y., on Monday.

   A jawbone six feet in length has recently been dug up at West Troy, N. Y. It is a foot in diameter at one end and tapers to a point, while on the inside of the curve are thirty large cavities from which the teeth have disappeared.

   The big bridge which spans the Hudson river at Poughkeepsie is to be painted. It will take about $6,000 worth of paint, to say nothing of the labor. About 12,000 gallons of red paint will be required to cover the structure. The original cost of painting the bridge exceeded $40,000.

  

The Amendments.

   It is well for electors to bear in mind that the legislature to be elected in November will act upon three proposed amendments to the new constitution which were approved by the last legislature. If approved, they will be submitted to the direct vote of the people on November 6, 1896. The woman's suffrage amendment strikes out the word "male" from section 1 of article II, and if adopted will confer the right to vote upon women. That is the amendment which the women succeeded in getting the legislature to adopt. The second proposed amendment changes section 89 of article III relating to the employment of convicts. The existing section prescribes that the legislature shall provide employment for the prisoners, forbids contract labor and allows convicts' products to be disposed of for the use of the State or any division thereof or for public institutions. The changes proposed make it imperative that the convicts shall be given work, such work, as far as practicable, to be for the benefit of the public. The third amendment effects section 7, relating to the forest preserve, proposes to give the state authorities the right to lease forest lands for camp and cottage purposes, to exchange lands outside of the preserve for lands within its limits and to use funds obtained from the sale of lands in purchasing additions to the preserve.—Kingston Argus.