BOER COUP, CRUSHED WIFE'S HEAD, CHAFFEE'S RECORD IN CHINA, NO TROLLEY ROUTE EXTENSION THIS YEAR, AND THE GIRL FROM MEXICO

 

Lord Herbert Kitchener.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, June 17, 1901.

ANOTHER BOER COUP.

Party of Victorian Rifles Surprised by Night Attack.

EIGHTEEN KILLED, 42 WOUNDED.

Burghers Crept Up Within Short Range and Poured Deadly Fire Into the Camp—Only 52 Men Out of 250 Escaped—Prisoners Released.

   LONDON, June 17.—Lord Kitchener has cabled from Pretoria under yesterday's date as follows:

   "Near Welmansrust, 20 miles south of Middleburg, 250 Victorian mounted rifles from General Beaston's column were surprised in camp at Steenkoolspruit by a superior force of Boers at 7:30 p. m., June 12.

   "The enemy crept up to within short range and poured a deadly fire into the camp, killing two officers and 16 men and wounding four officers and 38 men of whom 28 were slightly wounded. Only two officers and 50 men escaped to General Beaston's camp. The remainder were taken prisoners and released. Two pom poms were captured by the enemy. Full details have not yet been received."

 

CRUSHED WIFE'S HEAD.

Brutal Murder by Jealous Husband Near Ithaca, N. Y.

FATHER-IN-LAW ALSO A VICTIM.

Murderer Attacked Wife While She Was Peacefully Sleeping, Then Struck Down Her Father, After Which He Tried to Kill Himself, But Failed.

   ITHACA, June 17.—James Churchill, a farm hand who worked near Ithaca, early yesterday morning murdered his wife Minnie Churchill at her father's home in Newfield, a village nine miles distant from this place. He mutilated her head with a heavy bar of iron while she slept peacefully beside her daughter, 7 years old. Her father, Daniel Minturn, who was over 80 years of age, also fell a victim to his son-in-law's wrath. Mrs. Churchill died two hours after the assault was committed. She was 30 years old. The old man still lives, but will survive but a few hours, as his skull has been fractured.

   Churchill himself attempted suicide by taking an ounce of carbolic acid, but was revived, and Sheriff C. S. Seaman arrested him and brought him prisoner to Ithaca.

   The crime was the result of extreme jealousy. Mrs. Churchill separated from her husband two months ago. He left home and came to work for a farmer near Ithaca. Saturday night he made up his mind to revenge himself. He first walked to Ithaca, where he secured the poison, then walked out to Newfield.

   He gained admittance to the house of his father-in-law through the cellar and attacked his wife before she could cry for help. The scream of the little girl, who escaped, awakened Minturn, who attempted to light a lamp in the kitchen. While he was engaged in this, Churchill struck him down.

   The little girl ran to a neighbor's house for help, and when the neighbors entered the house a few minutes later the two victims were lying unconscious.

   Sheriff Seaman, District Attorney Blood and Coroner Brown drove out to Newfield a few hours later. The murderer was brought into the city on a cot, but will fully recover. He admitted that the act was premeditated. He is 36 years old.

 

Gen. Adna R. Chaffee.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

Chaffee's Record in China.

   General Adna R. Chaffee, with the contingent of troops with him in China, has returned to Manila, and American military occupancy in the Celestial empire is a thing of the past. It is therefore not out of order to remark that American citizens have no occasion to blush for anything in the record of the American commander and his men during the term of that occupancy.

   When he was sent to China, General Chaffee had the reputation of a man who found fighting easy and talking hard. He was known, moreover, as a man of good judgment and ready resources and one who could not be cajoled or browbeaten. That he possessed these qualities his splendid record in China abundantly proves. He developed a rough and ready style of diplomacy, based on justice, humanity and sound sense, that was the astonishment of the allies and the source of commendation from his countrymen. While other commanders either tacitly or openly permitted the looting and despoiling of the heathen by their soldiers, General Chaffee devoted his energies toward the protection of the lives and property of the Chinese. His fearless and outspoken protest to General von Waldersee against the indiscriminate looting is a gem of history.

   In the military operations General Chaffee and his force co-operated with the allies and did heroic work in the attack on Tien-tsin and the relief of Peking, but when this was accomplished the general held aloof and refused to take part in the so-called punitive expeditions, which history is not likely to write down as creditable to Christian civilization. It is therefore not a matter of wonder that the Chinese themselves should have petitioned General Chaffee to remain in China. All in all, the record of the American military campaign in the empire is creditable. When there was fighting to be done, General Chaffee did it with a dash and brilliancy that compelled the admiration of Europe's trained soldiers, and when there was no longer need of fighting he gave European soldiers, and diplomats as well, some wholesome lessons in honor and honesty, in humanity and justice, which seem to have been no part of their previous training.

 

NO EXTENSION THIS YEAR.

Officials look over Both Scott and Little York Routes.

   The business of the directors of the Cortland County Traction Co. Saturday afternoon was entirely of a routine character except for the election of officers which occurred just before The STANDARD went to press that afternoon and which appeared in these columns Saturday. The date for the annual meeting was fixed for the third Saturday in July, which is this year July 20.

   During the stay of the out-of-town directors in Cortland both the Scott and Little York routes were looked over with the idea of possible extensions. The Scott people are very anxious to have a line put up that valley with a spur for summer traffic to Glen Haven, but it was considered that such a project would not pay. It was thought that the population was too much scattered though it was taken in consideration that there was a great amount of freight and produce that comes down the valley.

   The Little York route seemed in some respects the more feasible of the two especially when it was considered that some day an electric road will undoubtedly connect Cortland and Syracuse, but it was definitely decided not to make any extensions of any kind this year.

 

SOLD HIS HEART.

It Gives Constant Concerts and Is a Physical Wonder.

   Joseph Mill-Krowski, a native of Poland, known in this country as Edward Lewis, came from Ithaca Saturday night and is today giving the physicians of the city a chance to listen to his musically inclined heart at $1 for each recital. He is known as the man with a musical heart, it having a peculiar ring that is the result of a stab in the heart several years ago.

   Lewis was exiled from his native country to Siberia and there, in 1893 while engaged in fighting for liberty, he received a sword wound two and a half inches deep in the heart from which he claims to have recovered, but which left the member very much enlarged. He was not aware, however, of the peculiar music that his heart sent forth till in 1894 when he was in a New York hospital sick. Lewis has already sold his peculiar heart, receiving for it $75 each month as long as he lives, and $5,000 at his death for the benefit of his widow. He does not call upon any persons except physicians and medical students, aside from the newspaper men.

 

ACCIDENT TO MRS. PALMER.

Seat in Syracuse Station Fell on Her Knee.

   Mrs. Henry D. Palmer of Scott, formerly of Cortland, was in Syracuse last Thursday and came down on the train leaving that city at 4:30 o'clock. Painters were at work in the railroad station in Syracuse and some of the seats had been loosened from the floor to be moved about. In some way one of the heavy seats was upset and threw Mrs. Palmer forward upon her face and fell upon her pinning her right knee to the floor and contusing it badly. She was unable to rise till the seat was lifted from her. She was carried into the car and made as comfortable as possible though suffering greatly. Among the passengers was Mr. J. D. F. Woolston. At Tully he telephoned to Scott to Mr. Palmer to come at once to Homer to meet his wife. At Homer Mrs. Palmer was taken to Dr. Potter's office, where Mr. Palmer soon after arrived. During the examination of the bruise the patient fainted several times. She was that night removed to her home in Scott, where Dr. Ball has since been treating her. Dr. Didama was yesterday called in counsel. The knee is greatly inflamed and very painful. No attempt has yet been made to bend the joint on account of the inflammation, and it is not known what the result will be, but Mrs. Palmer is probably doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances.

 

Hathaway House, Solon, N. Y.

Guests of Miss Hathaway.

   Twenty-four members of the Fortnightly club enjoyed the hospitality of Miss Hathaway of Solon on Saturday afternoon. The larger part of this number went and returned on the Erie & Central New York R. R. and the others made the trip by carriage. Miss Hathaway's beautiful home, so rich in valuable treasures, was open throughout for the enjoyment of the ladies, but the remarkable art collection formed the chief interest, since the work of the Fortnightly club for the past two years has been a study of the old masters, of whose paintings Miss Hathaway has many originals.

 

THE GIRL FROM MEXICO

And Other Stories by Dr. Miles G. Hyde—A Second Edition Announced by the Publishers.

   The Isaac H. Blanchard Co. of 268 and 270 Canal-st., New York, who published some weeks since the clever and interesting volume of short stories by Dr. Miles G. Hyde, formerly of this city, under the title of "The Girl from Mexico and Other Stories," announce a second edition of this book, and in doing so print some very kind and complimentary notices of the volume. Dr. Hyde has evidently struck a vein of popular appreciation in these stories, as is shown by this early call for a second edition. His old friends in Cortland will note with pleasure the success of his literary venture, and will hope that even a second edition may not satisfy the public demand. The local coloring and Cortland background to many of the stories made quite a demand for the book in this vicinity when it first appeared, and the fact that it has now reached a second edition may possibly serve to interest some who have not already purchased it. The price is a dollar, and it may be ordered through any bookseller.

 

BREVITIES.

   —President's Day of the Fortnightly club will be observed this evening at the home of Mrs. Geo. P. Hollenbeck, 10 Church-st.

   —The regular business meeting of Grover Relief Corps, No. 96, will be held Tuesday, June 18, at 3 o'clock P. M. in G. A. R. hall.

   —There will be only two games of ball at Athletic field this week, and those will be between Cortland and Binghamton Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday will be ladies' day. In view of the fact that these are the only games of the week, a large attendance is expected.

   —New display advertisements today are—Bingham & Miller ,Clothiers, page 8; City Steam Laundry, Laundry work, page 5; Mitch's market, Meats, etc., page 5; Buck & Lane, Rubber hose, etc., page 6; J. W. Cudworth, Optician, page 5.

   —Rev. W, B. Thorp, formerly pastor of the First Congregational church of Binghamton, for the past year pastor of the South Congregational church at Chicago, has just succeeded in wiping out the mortgage of $27,500 on his church property. One of his parishioners started the subscription list with $3,000.

   —The June number of New York Education contains as its leading article a paper by Prof. D. L. Bardwell of Binghamton, formerly of Cortland, on "Application of Nature Study to Public School Work." There is also a sketch and portrait of Dr. James M. Cassety, principal of the Buffalo Normal school, formerly principal of the Cortland Normal school.