PROF. ANDREE IS SAFE AND A FAMILY JAR AT CORTLAND

Prof. Andree (seated) and his Eagle balloon crew.

Eagle balloon at crash site.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, December 13, 1897.

PROF. ANDREE IS SAFE.

In Snug Winter Quarters at Franz Josef Land.

SO BELIEVED BY SCIENTISTS.

Figured out That He Passed the North Pole in Six Days, and Continued on

Until Safety Was Reached. Russia Offers Rewards For News.

   NEW YORK, Dec. 13.—Professor Andree and his famous balloon have been located. After almost everybody who does not know very much about the matter has had his say, the really scientific men have come forward and have pronounced the daring Swede and his two companions, Dr. Nile Strindberg and Knut Frankel, safe and sound and only waiting for the winter to break up to show themselves.

   The announcement is startling enough, to be sure, and inasmuch as no distinct communication has been received from the explorer, unscientific people will probably shrug their shoulders and smile skeptically at the deductions of some of the best scientists in Europe.

   Astronomers and meteorological experts in the government observatories of England, Sweden, France and Germany have at last received full meteorological reports and have calculated the velocity and direction of the polar wind during the month of July, while Andree was supposed to have been sailing or was, as they claim, actually sailing over the North Pole. These experts have also calculated the location of the explorers and say that, barring unforeseen accidents to the balloon, they must now be on some part of Franz Josef Land and must have passed the pole. As to the question of accidents to the balloon, the most skillful of the experts say that such a contingency is next to the impossible.

   Mr. Lachambre of Paris, in an interview, said that the balloon could not float for 15 days. Taking the computations of the experts on the velocity and direction of the polar winds, the experts all agree that the balloon passed the pole in less than six days, and that Andree and his companions continued their journey until they had reached a place suitable for winter quarters.

   He said: "During the height of the Polar summer a journey on the ice with the small boat attached to the balloon would have been difficult, and the explorers have probably decided to remain in winter quarters until late in the fall. They may have concluded to continue the journey, intending to return by way of Siberia, and then we will hear from them sometime in January or February. But if they are remaining in winter quarters for scientific observations, which is the most probable, no tidings of them will be received until next winter."

   The distinguished Austrian explorer, Dr. Von Payer, says: "No word ought to be expected from Andree before next summer. It will be Andree himself, not pigeons, that will bring the news of his expedition. It is safe to state that the pigeons, unused to Polar conditions, have refused to leave the balloon. An attempt may have been made, but they have returned to the balloon.

   "The long winter night has already commenced in the Polar regions, and a sled journey under these conditions is not to be thought of. Andree and his companions have no doubt made themselves as comfortable for the long winter night as they could have done under the circumstances."

   The whole scientific world will watch for further news from the expedition. Many hope that Andree will be heard from through Siberian channels. The imperial Russian government has again issued a ukase to its Siberian officials to make every effort to discover and aid the explorers, and without delay communicate through the nearest telegraph or government station any information they may have secured. Russia offers a big reward for the first authentic tidings of the explorers.

A FAMILY JAR.

DIFFICULTY BETWEEN JOHN S. STUART AND OTHERS.

A Bread Knife in the Case—Frank Fellows Has His Face Cut—Stuart Sentenced to Fifty-nine Days in Jail, but Sentence is Suspended.

   There was a family jar last night at about 9 o'clock at the home of John S. Stuart, 76 Groton-ave., Cortland,  which resulted in the wounding of Mr. Stuart's son-in-law, Frank Fellows of Richford and the arrest of Mr. Stuart himself.

   At about 5 o'clock L. E. Edgcomb went to the house, 78 Groton-ave., occupied by the families of S. J. Doyle and Mrs. M. H. Holcomb, for a call. The ladies of the two households were alone and welcomed the coming of a man who might be their protector. They said Mr. Stuart who lived next door had been acting queerly for some time. He had had trouble with his wife during the day and she had departed from the house. Mr. Stuart had been inquiring for her at their house and at other houses in the neighborhood and had been looking in at their windows. They were afraid of him and thought him crazy.

   Soon after 9 o'clock there was a scream from the next house. Mr. Edgcomb, Mr. Doyle and his brother-in-law, H. W. Carver, who were then at the house, all rushed out of doors. They heard the scream again. It sounded like "murder." There was no light except in the basement at the rear of the house. To the basement door they hurried. It was locked. They heard sounds inside and were about to break in the door when it was unlocked. They went inside and found Mr. and Mrs. Stuart, and Mr. and Mrs. Fellows. Mr. Fellows' face was covered with blood which was dripping down over his shirt front. From the attitude of the two men it was judged that the wound had been caused by Mr. Stuart. He was seized and put down in a chair, and held by Messrs. Doyle and Carver, while Mr. Edgcomb went for a policeman. Before he left the house the two ladies gave him a loaded revolver which belonged to Stuart and which Mrs. Stuart had concealed earlier in the day. They said they were afraid that he might escape from his two guards before the arrival of the officer, find the revolver and shoot them all. They were anxious to get it out of the house. Mr. Edgcomb after a time succeeded in finding Officer Corcoran and on the way to the house they fell in with Officers Parker and Nix. The three officers went to the house, arrested Stuart and took him down to the lockup, where he spent the night. This morning at 10 o'clock at police court, he pleaded not guilty to the charge of a breach of the peace. He secured Edwin Duffey for counsel and his trial was set down for 2 o'clock this afternoon.

   A STANDARD man this morning interviewed Mr. Stuart and also Mrs. Stuart and Mr. and Mrs. Fellows. Their accounts of the affair differed very materially, and in consequence the version of both will be given.

   Mrs. Stuart said that she was married to Mr. Stuart on October 25, 1896. She was a widow at the time, two former husbands having died. She had not lived long with her husband before she found that he was exceedingly jealous, but his feeling was wholly without cause. They had frequently had quite serious disputes, but he had never offered her personal violence till about six weeks ago when he struck and choked her. She left the house at the time and when she returned after an absence long enough for him to cool down as she supposed he continued his scolding. As she went in he picked up from the table where he had placed it a cocked revolver and began to flourish it around, and threatened to shoot her. She did not fear him then, for she thought he was doing it for effect. He soon stopped. He had a number of times threatened to knock her brains out. She had told him that if they could not live peaceably together they had better separate, and he had replied that if they did do so she would bear on her body some marks to remember him by. He had said that he wouldn't be a bit surprised if there was a tragedy in that house some day. He had several times called her vile names, but she had told no one of it except her daughter, Mrs. Fellows. Sunday at about 1 o'clock he sat writing at the table, she was reading. She suggested that she go to Preble this week to spend two or three days with her mother. He scoffed at the idea, and said she could not go. If she started off alone it was proof to him that she was going to meet soon appointment [sic]. This she denied. She saw there was no use in saying more about it at the time and he kept on talking. The more he talked the angrier he got and he finally got up and struck and choked her. As soon as she could she left the house without his knowing it. She went over to J. J. Carpenter's. She had determined to wait till to-day and have Stuart arrested and put under bonds to keep the peace. At about 6 o'clock her daughter and husband arrived from Richford. They went first to Mr. Doyle's and from that family learned of the trouble and where Mrs. Stuart was, and they sought her there. Mr. and Mrs. Fellows told The STANDARD man that they had heard nothing from their mother in two weeks. They knew of her hard time with her husband and got anxious about her and determined to drive up here to see if she was all right. Mrs. Stuart continuing, said that accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Fellows, she thought she could she could go home in safety, and they went at almost 9 o'clock. No sooner had they entered the house than Stuart began quarreling with his wife. He went over toward her and Mr. Fellows thought he was going to strike her and be interfered, asking him what he was about to do. Stuart replied that it was none of his business and that he needn't interfere. More words followed and Stuart struck at Fellows. A clinch followed in which Stuart got the worst of it. Fellows held him down till he begged. In the clinch Fellows feared Stuart would escape from the house and get a gun or something and come back and do harm to them, and as he had opportunity he turned the key in the outside door. When Stuart rose to his feet he darted across the room to a window sill where lay a long Christy bread knife, seized it and stabbed Fellows on the left jaw bone. The force of the blow was sufficient to break the blade in two places, making three pieces. While the rumpus was in progress the three men appeared at the door. As soon as he could Fellows unlocked the door again and help was at hand. Mrs. Stuart said farther that her husband had been more than usually nervous and excited since the fire in his laundry last Friday night. That bread knife was altogether out of its place over on the window sill. She feared he had put it there for use when she should return. She had been told by her neighbors that in her absence in the early evening Stuart had been seen through uncurtained windows going all over the house with a light searching for something. She believed it was the revolver which he was looking for and which she hid before she left the house.

   Mr. Stuart when interviewed denied that he had ever struck or choked his wife or offered her any personal violence whatever, though he said they had often had some high words. He had never called her vile names or made any charges against her, though he had several times said to her that she talked like—(and Mr. Stuart here mentioned several names decidedly uncomplimentary.) He said he had never threatened her, though he had said to her that some men under like circumstances would knock her brains out, or slap her mouth or some other things which he mentioned. He had never flourished a revolver in her presence. The only time when he had had a revolver out was several months ago, when he got it out to shoot a skunk. He found it rusty, soaked it in kerosene for an hour and locked it up and shot it off in the back yard once or twice to try it. He didn't find his skunk and consequently never used it. He admitted that he was looking for his revolver Sunday when seen by the neighbors, but said it was wholly in his wife's interest. When she left the house unbeknown to him, and did not return and he noticed the fact that she had gone in her every day clothing and had not taken her hat he got frightened and feared she had taken the revolver with her to commit suicide with. He had looked into the windows of his neighbors' houses, but it was after he had inquired there for his wife and had been told she was not there and he didn't believe their answers to be true, so he was looking for himself. He denied that he had put the bread knife out on the window sill for any bad purpose, but had used it to sharpen a lead pencil with and had simply laid it down there. When asked about the stabbing of Fellows with the knife Stuart said that upon the return to the house of the three they had got into a quarrel and Fellows had tried to interfere between himself and wife. A scrap followed and Fellows being larger and stronger had got the better of him. He saw the knife and thought if he could reach it he could scare Fellows with it. He got the knife in hand and Fellows tried to take it away from him. In the struggle Fellows got his face against the knife and got cut. He did not deliberately intend to stab him. Stuart said that he was jealous of his wife, but said he had never made any charge against her and admitted that perhaps he did not have the best of grounds for jealousy.

   At police court this afternoon Stuart withdrew his former plea of not guilty to the charge of breach of the peace and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to fifty-nine days in the county jail and sentence was suspended during good behavior.

   Mr. Fellows is much to be congratulated upon the fact that he "got his face against the knife," as his father-in-law said, at the place where he did instead of an inch lower down. If that knife had struck his throat instead of jaw bone with force enough to break it in two places as was the case, it would have made a pretty serious wound.

   It is an unfortunate affair at best. Mrs. Stuart and Mr. and Mrs. Fellows are all thoroughly respectable looking and appearing people and regret being dragged into such prominence. Mr. Stuart looked a little rough this morning, as might be natural after a night in the cooler, and with its limited facilities for a morning toilet. All Groton-ave. was greatly stirred up over the affair last night, for a report was promptly circulated that a murder had been committed.

MINISTERS IN SESSION.

Interesting and Largely Attended Meeting To-day.

   The Cortland Ministerial association held its regular monthly meeting to-day in the Y. M. C. A. rooms. The morning sermon was delivered by Rev. L. Eastwood of Homer. This was followed by a discussion of the Keswick movement for the development of spiritual life. This afternoon, Prof. J. E. Banta gave a very interesting and practical talk on the relation of pastor and student.

   The following ministers were present: Revs. J. T. Stone, W. H. Pound, J. C. B. Moyer, J. B. French, A. Chapman. O. A. Houghton, Isaac Stewart, B. F. Weatherwax and G. H. Brigham of Cortland, F. A. S. Storer, L. Eastwood and J. A. Hungate of Homer, F. D. Hartsock of Marathon. W. S. Warren of Blodgett Mills, O. L. Warren of Westfield, F. P. Fletcher and B. Franklin of Virgil, N. S. Burd of McGrawville, M. Stiles of North Lansing, C. H. Yatman of New York City, W. G. Reed of Cuyler and A. C. Smith of Preble.

BREVITIES.

   —The regular monthly meeting of the board of directors of the Y. M. C. A. will be held this evening at 8 o'clock.

   —The next in the series of winter parties under the auspices of the St. Vitus Dancing club will be held in Taylor hall Wednesday night.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—T. P. Bristol, Christmas Presents for Men, page 8; A. Mahan, Hard Facts, page 7; Palmer & Co., Christmas  Presents, page 4; Simmons & Grant, Great Bargains, page 4.

   —A regular meeting of the W. C. T. U. will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 14.  Consecration service at 2:45 will be followed by a business meeting and quarterly reports from all the superintendents of departments and a report of quarterly convention.

   —The Syracuse Sunday Times this week in its secret society columns contained excellent cuts of Charles Corcoran, county president, of Hugh Corcoran, president, and of John A. Kennedy, vice-president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Cortland.

   —An analysis of water taken from wells in various parts of the country, made by the Canadian department of inland revenue, showed only twenty-four absolutely pure samples, out of sixty-one submitted, while thirteen were absolutely bad, twenty-four being doubtful. It is doubtful if Cortland wells would show any better record.

    —Superintendent Skinner of the [State] department of public instruction has requested that exterior and interior views of the Normal building be taken to be sent to Albany. Several of these photographs have already been obtained, and this morning at the close of chapel exercises a view of the entire Normal department was taken in the assembly hall.

   —The fire at the residence of B. A. Benedict Saturday afternoon originated from a chimney which was burning out. Woodwork near the chimney up stairs [sic] caught fire, and the interior of the house was considerably smoked. A liberal use of salt in the stove and a pail or two of water on the burning woodwork averted any serious damage. The loss is fully covered by insurance.