SMUGGLED CELESTIALS--DAGOES AND HUNS FIGHT

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, April 6, 1896.

SMUGGLED CELESTIALS. 
Contraband Chinks Coming In by Scores.
BROUGHT OVER BY A SYNDICATE.
The Nefarious Traffic Carried on by an Extensive and Well Organized System—Hotbed of Smugglers Unearthed In the East.

   MONTREAL, April 6.—Recent arrests by United States customs officials at Canaan, Vt., of several Chinamen who had been smuggled over the border, have put the United States officers on a track that has yielded overwhelming evidence that this kind of smuggling is of a most extensive and far-reaching character.
   Investigation which followed these arrests has revealed the existence of a large syndicate that has been engaged in the wholesale smuggling of Chinese for more than three years past.
   Every available route has been made use of by the smugglers at one time or another, but just now the center of operations is in the eastern townships. The close proximity of the eastern township counties to the United States and the many routes and roads crossing the border make of these counties a veritable smugglers' paradise.
   In conversation with a press representative a United States detective who has been investigating this end of the business for some months past said: "The general public have no idea of the extensiveness of this kind of smuggling. The business is in the hands of a regularly constituted company, who control and do most of the Chinese smuggling. The headquarters of the company is located in Montreal, with branch offices and active representatives in China, Victoria, B. C., St. John, N. B., and Boston and New York.
   "The agents of the company in China are regular drummers, who travel throughout the Celestial empire drumming up trade for their employers. The Chinamen are sent from Montreal to different points of the townships Sherbrooke, Magoga, Coaticook, Stanstead, etc., and never more than two or three at the same time and at the same place. At any one of these places there are Chinese laundries in the pay of the syndicate, where the emigrants are given lodgings. 
   "In the meantime the Caucasian agents of the syndicate are keeping close watch on the board and at the first opportunity call forth their human goods, bundle them into a vehicle of some kind, rush them to the border and slip them across, after having been paid the company's fee, which usually is $100.   
   "These expeditions are generally made at night and scarcely a week passes but one or two successful ones are reported. Unless the two sides of the line are watched this contraband of human merchandise can never be stopped."                                                                                                                    

W. C. P. Breckinridge.

BRECKINRIDGE AGAIN A CANDIDATE.

This Time His Friends Are Confident He Will Succeed.

   LEXINGTON, Ky., April 6.—W. C. P. Breckinridge has been quietly practicing law here ever since the suit for damages of Madeline Pollard two years ago caused him to be succeeded in congress by W. C. Owens.

   Although Miss Pollard got a judgment for $15,000, she has never been able to get execution or to recover anything.

   Now that Colonel Breckinridge is canvassing the district again to run for congress this year, the old movement of the ladies in the district is being reorganized, and Colonel Breckinridge will have the women against him as he had two years ago.

   Then the race for the nomination between Breckinridge and Owens was close. Now the friends of "Kentucky's silver-tongued orator" express the fullest confidence in his success.

Railway Detective Commits Suicide.

   HORSEHEADS, N. Y., April 6.—John Hogan, a detective for the Northern Central railroad and ex-chief of police of this village, has committed suicide by shooting himself in the right temple. His family were out of the house when the deed was committed. His son-in-law discovered the body shortly afterwards. Hogan had been acting strangely for some time. He had made all arrangements for a Southern trip and would have started this week.

   Hogan's wife committed suicide four years ago by cutting her throat with a razor.

DAGOES AND HUNS.

Celebrated Easter With a Free-for-All Fight.

   Considerable excitement took place at the corner of Elm and Crandall-st. on [Cortland's] east side yesterday afternoon between Hungarians and Italians. It seems that a Hungarian attempted to forcibly take a watch and chain from an Italian who seriously objected to such procedure and who resisted very strongly and with blows.

   Accessions were rapidly made to each side and as a result a free-for-all fight ensued, in which two Italians, Garibaldi and Sapolio, got the worst of it.

   They were pretty badly bruised about the face and head. Some of them came to police headquarters and Chief Linderman and Officer Parker went to the scene of the affray, but no one there acknowledged that he knew anything about it or at least would not tell if he did. Everything was quiet and so no arrests could be made. The Italians refused to swear out a warrant for the arrest of any one and so the matter had to be dropped.

CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.

Soon to be Opened in Cortland by Local Management.

   For some months arrangements have quietly been pushed along for the opening in the near future of a conservatory of music here in Cortland. All the details of the undertaking have not yet been fully decided upon, but the main features have been arranged. The proprietors of the scheme are Messrs. A. Mahan, A. E. Darby and B. L. Bentley. Mr. Mahan will be the business manager and his two associates will be heads of departments and instructors in the conservatory.

   It is the intention of arranging a four years' course which shall give very thorough instruction in all branches of music, as well as in languages and subjects kindred to musical studies. It is also likely that a department of tuning will be connected with the institution. A considerable number of teachers and instructors will be employed.

   Mr. Darby will be graduated in June from the musical department of Syracuse university, having then completed a four years' course. He is well known in this vicinity as a fine teacher of the violin and has a host of pupils. He is the leader of the Cortland Symphony orchestra of about forty pieces, and has for a long time been leader of the smaller orchestra which is known by his own name. During the last three years of his connection with Syracuse university he has been the leader of the university banjo, guitar and mandolin clubs and has brought the playing of those organizations up to a degree of perfection never before reached.

   Mr. Bentley is an all around musical genius. Music was born in him, but he has spent his life in cultivating his talents. He is a remarkably fine performer upon piano and organ and has for a number of years been the organist at the Baptist church. He too has been under the instruction of the music department of Syracuse university, and he has a very large class of pupils in this vicinity.

   Mr. Mahan's experience in musical lines is too well known to need any comment. The fact that he is to be the manager of the conservatory insures its success. His excellent judgment and common sense in everything connected with music and the management of such an institution will be invaluable to his younger associates. The three make a very strong combination.

   The entire second floor of the Mahan building on Court-st. will be devoted to the needs of the conservatory which it is expected will be opened next September. Further details as to instructors, courses of study, etc., will be given from time to time as they are arranged.

WILLIAM O. BUNN.

Former Editor of the Homer Republican Died at Geneva.

   GENEVA, N. Y., April 6.—Wm. O. Bunn, about 55 years old, editor of the Geneva Courier, died at his home here last evening of consumption. Mr. Bunn formerly resided at Homer, N. Y., where he was the editor of the Republican. He came to Geneva about six years ago and bought the Courier plant of James Malette, and carried on a large and prosperous business. He leaves a widow and one adult daughter. The burial will take place at Homer.

It Was an Outrage.

   Saturday night at about 7 o'clock while the wind was blowing almost a gale some one threw in the street at the postoffice corner a package containing hundreds if not thousands of sheets of advertising matter of a patent medicine. The wind carried these in all directions. The streets, the gutters, the walks were full of them. They blew in the faces of horses and a number of carriages narrowly escaped upsetting as the horses shied at the papers.

   There is a village ordinance against scattering papers in the streets and this was a direct offense against that ordinance. The guilty parties ought to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The matter of the littering up the streets with such stuff—bad as that is—is of small consequence in comparison with the danger to life or limb as the result of frightened horses.

   Every one knows that a flying paper is about the worst thing that can be found to scare a horse.

An Optical Store in Cortland.

   Mr. L. W. Aldridge, an optician of experience, will open an optical store in the Graham building, Main-st., on April 10, where he will keep the latest and most improved optical instruments for refracting and examining the eye. He will also keep a complete stock of spherical, cylindrical and compound lenses, thereby being able to fill prescriptions and duplicate broken lenses without the necessity of sending to the factory; will also keep the necessary appliances for grinding and fitting lenses to all kinds of frames. Having had ten years experience as a watch maker, Mr. Aldridge will keep a complete line of watch material and will devote his spare time to watch repairing. A share of the public patronage is respectfully solicited.                            

BREVITIES.

   —Mr. C. Brandenstein is building a shoe shop near his residence, corner of Homer and Lincoln-aves.

   —There will be a regular meeting of the Cortland Athletic Association to-night.

   —Two tramps enjoyed the hospitality of Chief Linderman at the police station last night.

   —Mrs. Morell Calkins died very suddenly at her home in Taylor last night.

She was about 40 years of age.

   —One Avoca farmer is not discouraged by the low price of potatoes. He says he will plant 100 acres the coming season.

   —In Justice Dowd's court this morning judgment for $88.27 was rendered against Dell White in favor of Helen Farr.

   —Miss M. F. Hendrick's class in English literature on Friday presented her with a potted plant in full bloom as an Easter token.

   —The village trustees have a meeting to-night at 7:30 o'clock at the office of Clerk Hatch. Some important matters are likely to come before the board.

   —The prisoners at Auburn prison used 420 dozens of eggs for breakfast and dinner on Easter day. Each prisoner had two eggs for breakfast and two for dinner.

   —The attention of fishermen is called to a change in the game laws which makes fishing for trout legal from April 16 to August 31, both inclusive. Don't get in a hurry and fish for trout on the fifteenth.

   —Mr. Earl S. Smith has in his possession a curiosity in the shape of a pair of spectacles which are over one hundred years old. The bows are hand made and one of the lenses is cracked, otherwise they are in good condition.

   —New advertisements to-day are—C. F. Brown, wool soap, page 5; Bingham Bros. & Miller, big double store, page 8; Wesson-Nivison Co., bicycle repairing, page 6; Case, Ruggles & Bristol, curtain department, page 6; Joiner, business college, page 7.

   —The presence of Mr. Harry F. Dixie, stage director, has made the members of the Amateur Opera company so enthusiastic over their production of the "Pirates of Penzance" that rehearsals cannot come fast enough to please them.—Geneva Times.

   —An Ithaca liquor dealer is quoted by The Journal of that city as expressing himself as well satisfied with the Raines law. All the "kicking," he said, is generally done by parties who do not like to do a square open business. He himself wished to obey the law to the letter and anticipates no trouble to those who do that way.

   —At a meeting on Saturday of the Elmira branch of the Commercial Travelers' Home association resolutions were passed warmly endorsing Mr. Saunders' bill now before the legislature compelling railroads in the state of more than 100 miles in length to issue for sale mileage books at a rate not to exceed two cents a mile for 1,000 miles under a fine of from $50 to $500.

   —After a trial lasting about two weeks at Auburn, Charles Burgess was Saturday night adjudged by the jury guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree in killing his employer, Henry V. Whitlock, on Aug. 6, 1895. He was sentenced to be electrocuted during the week beginning May 17. The defense was insanity and a great fight was put up by the defendant's attorneys.

   —A sudden gust of wind this afternoon upset two racks in front of the store of Peck Brothers and landed in the muddy water of the gutter some very handsome carriage blankets which had been on exhibition out of doors. There was a rush from the interior of the store to rescue them, but the water hadn't improved their appearance when they were fished out.