AT THE COUNTY POOR HOUSE

Cortland County Almshouse (old building).

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, May 14, 1897.

AT THE COUNTY HOUSE

BURGLARS DO A SLICK JOB AND SECURE SOME MONEY.

But They are Particular. They Take One $5 Bill and Leave Another, and Then Return the Wallet to Its Place—Got a Gold Ring and Lunched on the County.

   Cortland county is getting a reputation for having burglaries committed in queer spots. The last place in the world in which one would expect a burglar to get his work is in a jail, and yet a robbery was committed in the Cortland county jail a few weeks ago and one prisoner relieved another of a watch. The next place that one would naturally think would be safe from raids of the light-fingered brotherhood would be a poorhouse, but the Cortland county almshouse was victimized last night and the robbers did a very good job.
   The keeper, his family and all the help sleep up stairs. Last night between 2 and 3 o'clock Keeper A. D. Kingsbury from his room, and Mrs. Elmer Seacord, wife of one of the males assistants and herself and assistant indoors, from her room heard some one go down the stairs, but Mr. Kingsbury supposed it was one of the women assistants and Mrs. Seacord supposed it was Mrs. Sarah Torry, the other woman assistant, and consequently neither one gave it a second thought.
   This morning, however, they discovered that Mrs. Torry has not been up and that they had callers during the night.
   Whether there was more than one of the intruders there are no means of knowing, but the entrance was effected through one of the front windows of the keeper's apartments. Tracks on the soft ground recently spaded up for flowers show that whoever stepped there was in his stocking feet. One window was tried, but to no purpose. The next one was not locked, the catch being broken, and this was easily raised and was found up in the morning. Burnt matches were scattered about the floor all through the keeper's rooms.
   Mr. Kingsbury had left his trousers on a chair close by his bed last night and in one of the pockets was his wallet. Here is the queerest part of the whole thing, and the burglars showed themselves very particular, or else very generous, and at the same time very orderly. In the wallet were two $5 bills and some small change. One of the $5 bills was taken and also the change, and the other $5 bill was left. The wallet was then carefully strapped up again, replaced in the same pocket from which it came, and the trousers were deposited upon the chair where they were found. The robbers must have used some care and have been very deliberate to accomplish all this within a few feet of the sleeping man.

   Mr. Kingsbury also had in his possession down stairs in his desk, several wallets belonging to inmates, which by request of the owners were left with him for safe keeping. None of them contained more than a small amount of change, but the robbers took up a collection of the change. From one pocketbook a half dollar was taken and a penny was left.

   Upon the clock shelf in the kitchen had been left a gold ring belonging to Elmer Seacord, an assistant, and this was taken. The burglars also went down stairs and helped themselves to a free lunch on the county. They devoured considerable cold meat, bread and cake and the amount taken would indicate either that one man had a very good appetite or that there were others.

   Nothing more seems to be gone, and there is no clue to the robber or robbers. It was a strange proceeding all the way through.

ICE CREAM PARLOR

Opened in the Squires Block—Cream by the Dish or in Quantities.

   Mr. W. B. Stone has rented the store in the Squires block formerly occupied by R. G. Lewis and will to-morrow open it as an ice cream parlor. The store has been newly papered and painted and conveniently arranged for the purpose for which it is to be used. Mr. Stone has had a large experience in the manufacture of ice cream and thoroughly understands the business.

   Several grades of cream will be manufactured and will be sold in quantities and at prices to suit the customer. Cake will be served with cream which can be obtained at 5 and 10 cents a dish. Cream in quantities will be delivered free to any part of town.

   Ice cream and cake will be served for the first time this evening and to-morrow will be the regular opening day.

"THE JERSEY LILY"

Is Now a Single Woman, her Divorce has Been Granted.

   SAN FRANCISCO. May 14.—Mrs. Langtry, the fair English actress, is a single woman. The superior court of Lake county, Cal., where she has her legal home, has granted her a divorce. There was no contest. The case of the plaintiff was presented on depositions taken in London in which desertion was alleged. After considering the case a few hours the judge at Lakeport granted the decree sought.

Guests of the Queen.

   LONDON, May 14.—The duke and duchess of Marlborough will visit Queen Victoria to-day and will dine and sleep at Windsor castle.

    

NO INTERNATIONAL STAMP.

Scheme Was Put Aside as Being Impracticable.

   WASHINGTON, May 14.—The movement to secure the adoption of a universal postal stamp by the Postal congress has collapsed.

   There were too many difficulties (the chief  being that of currency fluctuations) in the way of adopting such a stamp and the general committee after considering the subject briefly, abandoned it as impracticable and will make an adverse report to the congress.

   Although the proposition that each country transport free of charge through mails has not yet come before the congress it seems practically certain that it will be defeated.

   Persia submitted the proposition, and it is favored by the delegates of the United States and some of the South American countries, but the European states, headed by Belgium, which obtains large profits under the present system, are opposed to it and its advocates will be outvoted.

   The committee had before it a proposition to give the British colonies in South Africa (Natal, Cape Colony, etc.) a consolidated vote in future congresses, but as Great Britain already has several votes through her colonies (Canada, New South Wales, New Zealand, etc.), the proposition was warmly antagonized by the representatives of France and Russia.

   The delegates will make an excursion down the Potomac to Mount Vernon. On Saturday they will be entertained at a garden party by Mrs. Brice, the wife of ex-Senator Brice, and on the evening of the 20th at a reception to be tendered to them by Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British ambassador.

LABOR LAW AMENDED.

Strict Amendment to the Weekly Payment Law.

   ALBANY, May 14.—Governor Black has signed the new labor law, a codification of the present labor laws with some few amendments, and the accompanying bill providing that infringement of the laws by manufacturing establishments and employers shall be penal offenses instead of mere misdemeanors.

   One of the most important parts of the new law is the amending of the weekly payment law to make it more stringent.

   Heretofore it has been found difficult to enforce the law because the actions against corporations, who violated, had to be brought by the state factory inspector through the attorney general to recover for the state the penalty of $25 for each violation.

   The present law provides that if a corporation violates the law requiring weekly payment, it shall forfeit to each employee the sum of $25, to be recovered by him in individual civil suit against the company.

   There is no penalty now for the refusal of the proprietor of any factory or workshop to allow the factory inspector to visit the establishment, but the present bill provides a penalty of $100 for such refusal.

   The bill provides for a free employment bureau to be established in Buffalo, similar to the one in New York city.

Liquor Tax Receipts.

   ALBANY, May 14.—Indications are that the total liquor tax receipts for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 1897, will be considerably in excess of what they were last year when the liquor tax law was put in operation. The county treasurers and deputy excise commissioners have reported their collections for the first 10 days of May to the excise commissioner and these reports foot up to $9,153,648.34, which represents the total amount of moneys received as yet from the amended liquor tax law.

ROAD RACE POSTPONED.

Too Much Mud for Comfort—Will be Run Next Friday Night.

   The C. A. A. [Cortland Athletic Association] road race, which was to have been run over the Little York course this evening, has been postponed until next Friday night on account of the muddy roads. The [bicycle] race will be a handicap race, and the riders thus far entered have been handicapped as follows: George Chamberlain and Brownell Bulkley, scratch; C. Holcomb, E. R. Lindsey and J. C. Hamil, one minute; Thomas Byrnes and A. K. Weatherwax, one and one-half minutes; Maurice Brotherton, two minutes; PerLee Smith and L. D. Moul, two and one-half minutes; C. E. Mudge, three minutes; C. V. Tennant and C. O. Burrows, four minutes; Howard Tuthill, four and one-half minutes; Charles Williamson, H. S. Hopkins and Fred Pierce, five minutes; J. E. Shaw and W. Watkins, six minutes; R. Metzger, seven minutes; W. R.Potter, eight minutes.

BREVITIES.

   —The frequent showers are doing wonders for the grass crop.

   —The D., L, & W. pay car passes through Cortland to-morrow morning.

   —There will be a regular and important meeting of the Sons of Veterans in Grand Army hall to-night at 8 o'clock.

   —Mr. O. C. Smith will be at McKinney & Doubleday's to-morrow morning up to 1 o'clock to sell tickets to the ball game in the afternoon.

   —Prof. L. J. Higgins has just completed a fine crayon portrait of Mr. W. W. Gale, which is on exhibition in the south window of Graham's drug store.

   —Dr. H. T. Dana, assisted by Drs. Higgins and Sornberger, performed a successful operation for appendicitis on William McGuire at the hospital yesterday.

   —Mrs. Amy Raymond, formerly of Cortland, died yesterday at the residence of her brother, E. Perkins in Virgil. The funeral will be held to-morrow afternoon at 2 o'clock.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—Bacon, Chappel & Co., Wash Fabrics, page 8; D. McCarthy & Co., Seasonable Hints, page 7; I. Whiteson, Winding Up Sale, page 4.

   —In Justice Kelley's court this morning issue was joined in the case of Hiram Davis vs. Louise J. Durkee to recover for work, labor and services, and an adjournment taken to May 25.

   —Members of Prof. A. B. Kingeley's music class made him a birthday party last evening. Although decidedly an impromptu affair, the occasion was a very pleasant one for all concerned.—DeRuyter Gleaner.

   —Attorney A. J. Baldwin of North Tonawanda will address the young men's meeting at the Y. M. C. A. rooms Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock upon "Life's Mission." A song service of twenty minutes will precede.

   —A regular meeting of the W. C. T. U. will be held on Tuesday, May 18, at 2:45 P. M. Consecration service will be led by Mrs. Mary P. Benjamin, followed by the regular business meeting and items of interest by members of the organization.

   —The case of John Card against Charles Munson is being tried before Justice Dowd and a jury to-day. The case is one to recover alleged damages for the warranty of a horse sold by defendant to plaintiff. W. C. Crombie appears for the plaintiff and E. C. Alger for the defendant.

   —It is understood that Rev. L. Mason Clarke, pastor of the Park Presbyterian church of this city, has received a call from one of the leading churches of Brooklyn. A committee from that church was in the city last Sunday for the purpose of hearing Mr. Clarke.—Syracuse Journal.

   —A recent invention is a roller bearing for car wheels, which does away with the use of lubricants. Its inventor claims that it is a "sure cure" for hot boxes. One wheel has a test of 170,000 miles in the West without the application of a drop of oil. A bicycle has been made with the same bearing and the power to drive it is only one-fourth that which is necessary to propel the best modern wheel.

HOMER.

Gleanings of News From Our Twin Village.

   HOMER, May 14.—Edward B. Kenfield left yesterday for Oneida, where he will take charge of the Allen Home which he recently leased in that town.

   The Homer school library has recently received a large addition of late fiction and valuable historical and other works of reference. It is unfortunate that the amount at the disposal of the school board for library purposes is so limited. The library is liberally patronized, but its growth in numbers is slow. It is to be hoped that some good friends will some time materialize who will place the library upon a better financial basis.

   The trustees invite the taxpayers of the village to meet them at the office of the clerk, E. W. Hyatt in the Brockway building for the purpose of renewing the village assessment roll.

   Mr. C. C. Clarke of Scott is in town on business to-day.

   The members of the Assassination club and their friends are to be entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Carley this evening.

   Mr. Martin Knapp, who has been visiting his cousin, Mr. Manley Daniels on North Main-st., has returned to his home in Syracuse.

   Charles Fenner, Rev. L. J. Christler and Ed Bennett rode to Syracuse and back on their wheels Wednesday.

EAST HOMER.

   EAST HOMER, May 14.—Mr. and Mrs. Orrie Gallup of Little York called at F. L. Burnham's on Sunday last.

   Mr. R. Hibbard expects a cheesemaker to begin making cheese some time this week.

   Master Hollis Walter has been spending the week with his grandparents in

Cortland.

   Amos Davenport is making arrangements to build an addition to his blacksmith shop soon.

   The members of the choir of the M. E. church of this place will hold an ice cream and conundrum sociable at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Kirkup Friday evening, May 21. It is hoped that a large number will be present as the money so raised is to be used to purchase hymnals for the use of both choir and congregation. The conundrum part does not refer to the bill of fare as good cake and ice cream will be served to every one at 10 cents per dish. Conundrums will be written on slips of paper and handed to the gentlemen, the ladies will be given the answers, and the gentleman will have to determine who has his answer and consequently his partner for supper. All are cordially invited. Come and have a good time.