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| Leon Czolgosz. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1901.
M'KINLEY'S MURDERER ON TRIAL.
Slayer of the Martyred President Enters a Plea of Guilty.
IT IS REJECTED BY COURT.
Counsel For the Detested Anarchist Then Changes His Plea to Not Guilty.
Jury Secured Quickly and Trial Proceeds With Great Rapidity—Cold Blooded Presentation of Prosecution's Side By Assistant District Attorney Haller. Czolgosz Evinced No Interest Whatever In the Proceedings But As the Testimony Was Introduced He Paid Quite a Bit of Attention to What Was Said and Looked at Witnesses Closely. Probable Duration of Trial Placed at Two Full Days—It Is Likely That No Defense Will Be Put In By Czolgosz' Attorneys Owing to the Character of Prisoner and His Refusal to Aid His Counsel In Securing Evidence,
BUFFALO, Sept. 24.—Leon F. Czolgosz was placed on trial yesterday morning, charged with the murder of President William McKinley. He entered a plea of "guilty," which was subsequently changed to "not guilty" by direction of the court.
All the events of the day tended to indicate that the trial will be short. There was not a suspicion of a quibble over any question whatever and counsel for both sides seemed to be in perfect harmony. Court convened at 10 o'clock, and the work of procuring jurors went on rapidly. Before two hours had elapsed eight had been secured, and this in itself was an unprecedented record in any murder trial in the State. Technicalities were not raised, but it was noticeable that every man who acknowledged that he had not formed an opinion on the case was excused by the District Attorney. Men who had formed an opinion or stated that they were prejudiced, but were willing to acknowledge that their opinion could be changed by evidence were accepted by both sides.
Justice Truman C. White, one of the oldest and most experienced of the Supreme Court judges, was on the bench. Immediately after the opening of the court, and after the prisoner had pleaded, Justice Loran L. Lewis, senior counsel for the defendant, arose and announced that together with his colleague, former Justice Robert C. Titus, and Mr. Carlton E. Ladd, they were ready to act in behalf of the prisoner.
"I thought it best," he said, "for my colleagues and myself that I should say something regarding our presence here as attorneys for the defendant. At the time my name was suggested, I was out of the city and knew nothing of what was transpiring here with reference to the selection of counsel for the defendant. I was out of the city at the time I was assigned, and when I returned and the circumstances of my selection were told to me I was extremely reluctant to accept. But the duty had been imposed, and I considered it my duty in all the circumstances to defend this man.
"I ask that no evidence be presented here—that the court will not permit the acceptance of any evidence unless it would be accepted at the trial of the most meager criminal in the land."
"I am familiar with these circumstances," said Justice White in reply, "and I wish to say that I will give you every assurance that the prisoner will have a fair and impartial trial, and that during the progress of the trial he will receive such treatment as the law demands in any criminal case."
The work of securing the jurors was then undertaken with a celerity that was amazing. Before the day was over the entire panel had been sworn and were seated in the box and had listened to a description of the Temple of Music, where the crime occurred, and seen photographs of the interior of that structure, and had been told by three surgeons what caused the death of the President and the result of the assassin's shot upon the various organs of the body. They had also learned why the fatal bullet has not been located.
The jurymen who will sit on the trial are as follows: Frederick V. Lauer, plumber; Richard J. Garwood, builder; Henry W. Wendt, manufacturer; Silas Garmer, farmer, Clarence; James S. Stygall, plumber; William Loton, farmer, Eden; Walter E. Everett, blacksmith; Benjamin C. Ralph, assistant cashier Third National Bank; Samuel P. Waldow, farmer, Alden; Andrew J. Smith, butter and eggs; Joehim H. Mertens, boot and shoe dealer; Robert J. Adams, contractor.
Government Presents Its Case.
The presentation of the Government's case began shortly before three o'clock, when Asst. Dist. Atty. Haller began, with much deliberation, to address the jury. His talk was very brief, and consumed scarcely five minutes. "We shall show," said he, "that for some days prior to the shooting this defendant had premeditated the shooting of the President. He knew that on the 6th of September the President would receive the populace in the Temple of Music; that on that day he went to the Exposition, got into line with the people and approached the President; that he had a weapon concealed in his hand, and as the President extended his hand in kindly greeting he fired the fatal shot.
"He fired two shots, in fact. One of them took effect in the abdomen and caused that mortal wound which resulted in the President's death. That in brief, is the story we shall show you. Witnesses will tell you this story, and I am sure that when you have heard the evidence you will have no difficulty in reaching a verdict of murder in the first degree."
The first witness, Samuel J. Fields, Chief engineer of the Pan-American Exposition, described the ground floor plan of the Temple of Music, and was followed by Perry A. Bliss, a photographer, who presented views of the interior of the building. The balance of the afternoon was taken up with the testimony of three physicians, two of whom had attended the President during his last days, while the other performed the autopsy. The latter, Dr. Harvey R. Gaylord, was the first of the trio to be called. He described the location of the wounds in the stomach and the direction of the bullet. The cause of death he attributed to the gunshot wound, but fundamentally, he said, it was due to the changes back of the stomach, in the pancreas, caused by the "breaking down" of the material of the pancreas as a result of the passage of the bullet.
Dr. Herman Mynter followed and his testimony was of importance, in as much as it brought out the fact that the reason why the fatal bullet had not been located at the autopsy was because of the unwillingness of the President's relatives to have the body further mutilated by their instruments. Dr. Mynter and Dr. Mann, who followed him, both testified that the primal cause of death was the gunshot wound in the stomach. One effect of this wound was, they said, to cause the gangrene to form in the pancreas, and the spot of poisoned tissue was as large as a silver dollar.
The prisoner Czolgosz during the morning evinced no interest whatever in the proceedings, but as the testimony was introduced he paid more attention to what was said and looked at the various witnesses closely.
The probable duration of the trial, it is believed, can be placed at two full days. When District Attorney Penney was asked by Justice White at noon as to the time he would take in the presentation of his case, he declared that he would conclude by Tuesday noon. Judge Titus, for the defense, was non-committal, however, and merely replied "That depends upon the turn things take." It is not probable that any defense will be put in, owing to the character of the prisoner and his refusal to aid his attorneys in any way to procure evidence which they could use in his favor. The idea of an attempt to enter the question of his sanity is not thought of in view of the reports of the two alienists who have recently examined him, and there is ground for the belief that the trial will be concluded with a session of but one day more.
Engineer Fields First Witness.
Samuel J. Fields, a civil engineer, was the first witness. He was questioned by the district attorney. He was chief engineer of the Pan-American Exposition and visited the Temple of Music on the day of the crime to take measurements of the positions of articles at the time it occurred.
The map or ground floor plan of the temple, which was offered in evidence, showed the position and direction of the aisle in which the President had stood and the place each of the receiving party occupied. The flags, draperies and floral decorations were described and the witness told the relative positions and distances between each.
The cross-examination by Lawyer Titus was brief, bringing out the fact that the witness had no personal knowledge of the locations occupied by the various persons with the receiving party, but had indicated them as he had been told they had been placed.
Percy A. Bliss, the second witness, testified that on the day following the crime he had photographed the interior of the Temple of Music at the District Attorney's request. The photographs, which were very large ones, were passed to the defendant's counsel. The latter made no objection to the admission of these as evidence and they were then passed to the jurors.
Harvey R. Gaylord of Buffalo testified that he performed the autopsy upon the body of President McKinley. He described the location of the wounds in the stomach and the direction of the bullets. Back of the stomach he said "was a track into which I could insert the tip of my fingers. It was filled with a dark fluid matter." The search for the bullet was not continued after the cause of death had been ascertained. The pancreas was seriously involved. The cause of death was a gunshot wound. The other organs of the body not affected by the wounds were in a normal condition.
On cross-examination by Judge Lewis, witness said the autopsy was performed nine days after the wound had been caused. The process of healing of the wounds in the stomach had begun. The tissues beyond the stomach had been affected by gangrene. The kidneys showed changes which could only have been caused by a wound during life.
The wounds in the stomach, said Dr. Gaylord, continuing his testimony, were not necessarily the cause of death. The fundamental cause was the changes back of the stomach. The actual cause was absorption of the broken down matter of the pancreas. There was nothing known to medical science which would have arrested the progress of the changes caused by the passage of the bullet through the pancreas.
"Is it or is it not true that antiseptics are used to prevent inflammation?" was asked by the counsel for the defense.
"It is not." was the answer.
"Then the popular idea is not correct?"
"Not exactly, no."
Judge Lewis closely cross-examined Dr. Gaylord on the question whether antiseptics were used to prevent inflammation. The doctor explained that inflammation resulted from bacteria entering the wound and that antiseptics were used to kill the germs. Judge Lewis tried to get Dr. Gaylord to say that antiseptics were used to prevent inflammation, but he declined to admit it.
On re-direct examination Dr. Gaylord explained that inflammation is a popular term which is applied to changes in the tissue. Antiseptics are applied to prevent these changes in the tissues which are broken by the entrance of organisms. The cause of the breaking down of the mats of the pancreas in the first place was the injuries produced, and secondly, by the escape of the secretion in the pancreas. The function of the pancreas is to secret a fluid which passes out into the stomach and intestines for aid in digestion.
Dr. Mynter Testifies.
Dr. Herman Mynter, the next witness, testified regarding the operation performed on President McKinley at the exposition hospital immediately after the shooting. Dr. Mynter said the surgeons found the bullet wound in the left upper side of the abdominal cavity. The President agreed to an operation at once, which was absolutely necessary to save his life. Dr. Mann was selected with Dr. Mynter to perform the operation. The abdomen was opened. It was difficult to get at the wound in the back of the stomach. The stomach was turned over and a bullet hole was found in the back of that organ. They could not follow the further course of the bullet, and as the President's temperature was rising, it was agreed by the physicians present that no further search for it was advisable at that time. The stomach was replaced and the opening closed with sutures. On the advice of the physicians he was removed to Mr. Milburn's house.
Dr. Mynter then described the period of favorable symptoms shown by the patient, his relapse and death.
Dr. Mynter gave the names of all the doctors who were associated with him in the case and described the result of the autopsy, saying that it proved, first, that there was no inflammation of the bowels; second, there was no injury to the heart; third, that there was a gunshot wound in the stomach and there was a gangrenous spot back of the stomach as large as a silver dollar.
"What was the cause of death?" asked Mr. Penney.
"The cause was blood poisoning from the absorption of poisonous matter caused by the gangrene. Primarily it was the gunshot wound."
Cross-examination by Mr. Titus was directed to the possible presence of microbes in the intestines.
"Have you any idea that there may have been microbes in the intestines of the President!"
"Oh yes," was the reply, "you have them and so have I."
"Was the pancreas broken?" asked Judge Titus.
"No."
"How could the fluid escape from the organ if it was not punctured?"
"By deterioration of the tissues surrounding it."
"What caused the infection of the wound?"
"I wish you could tell me," replied the doctor.
Mr. Titus explained that he was not criticizing the witness, but was questioning him as an expert. Dr. Mynter explained that this was a question that could not be determined until the results of the bacteriological examination now in progress were made known.
"How far, as you traced the line of the bullet, did the gangrenous substance exist?"
"It existed along the whole track as well as I could find out."
"Why did not you continue and locate the bullet when you made the autopsy?"
"I did not make the autopsy."
"You were present and were consulted?"
"Yes, Dr. Gaylord performed it. They tried for four hours to locate the bullet."
"Why did they stop then?"
"The family of the President would not allow them to continue any longer or to injure the corpse any more. They would not permit anything to be removed from the body for bacteriological examination."
"Would the X-ray have shown you the injuries of the path of the wound?"
"Not at all. It would simply have shown where the bullet was. It would not have shown the position of the injured tissues in the slightest."
"What was the cause of death?"
The Cause of Death.
"The bullet wound that passed through both walls of the stomach and lodged in the muscles of the back."
District Attorney Penney asked in redirect examination:
"The X-ray would have disclosed the location of the bullet if it had been near the surface?"
"Yes, or deeper, for that matter," the witness replied.
Dr. Matthew D. Mann, another of the physicians who attended President McKinley, was the next witness. He went over the ground covered by Dr. Mynter and described the operation performed at the exposition hospital.
"To find the track of the bullet back of the stomach," Dr. Mann explained, "It would have been necessary to remove the bowels from the abdominal cavity. The performance of that operation would probably have resulted fatally, as the President already had grown very weak as a result of the first operation."
"Were you present at the autopsy?" asked District Attorney Penney.
"Yes."
"Tell us what you found?"
"Raising the stomach we found a large cavity, the walls of which showed evidence of gangrene. In the cavity was a quantity of pancreas fluid. The tissues surrounding it covering a space as large as a silver dollar were affected."
"What caused Mr. McKinley's death?" asked District Attorney Penney.
"The gunshot wound in the stomach, resulting from the bullet that passed through both walls of that organ and lodged in the muscles of the back."
Dr. Mann's testimony was not concluded at the hour set for adjournment.
Forwarding McKinley's Effects.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24.—The personal effects of President and Mrs. McKinley at the White House are being forwarded to Canton, O. It is expected that everything will have been shipped today preparatory to the installment of President and Mrs. Roosevelt in the Executive Mansion on Wednesday. All the personal gifts to President McKinley will be included in the effects removed, but such gifts as the vases presented by the President of France to the President of the United States at the close of the Spanish war, of course, will remain. There are not many presents, however, of the strictly official class.
Secretary Cortelyou expects to take the personal papers of President McKinley to Canton next Wednesday.
THE SECRET SERVICE
IMPORTANT PART OF ITS WORK IS TO GUARD THE PRESIDENT.
Government Detectives Who Are Trained to Look For Assassins and Why They Sometimes Fail—Other Things They Do.
Within a fraction of a minute from the time when Czolgosz fired his cowardly shots at President McKinley the anarchist was on the floor, the veritable football of the soldiers, detectives and others who surrounded the wounded president. Foremost among the men who prevented Czolgosz from firing again were Secret Service Detectives Ireland, Foster and Gallagher. Accounts differ in crediting various men with the honor of first laying hands on Czolgosz, but it is fairly certain that Detective Ireland, if not the very first, was among the foremost.
These three government detectives were with the president in Buffalo for the purpose of protecting him from just such attacks as that made. A disposition has shown itself in some quarters to ask why they were not able to do so. Their defense, now familiar to all and eminently satisfactory to those nearest and dearest to Mr. McKinley, is that it was impossible to guard against the attack. "It was nothing out of the ordinary," Detective Ireland has said, "to have people with bandaged hands approach the president. When we saw the bandage on Czolgosz's arm, we gained the impression that he had received a bad burn. He was the last man in the world we would pick out of the crowd as being dangerous,"
It is to the secret service division of the treasury department that the duty of guarding the president belongs when he is away from Washington. Detectives are assigned to the duty. This is only a very small part of the secret service work, although one of the most important. The great bulk of the work of the division consists in tracing and capturing counterfeiters, smugglers and makers of "moonshine" whisky. Among other things it is also charged with the duty of capturing spies and secret enemies of the government in time of war, and in this capacity the secret service men rendered great assistance during the civil and Spanish wars.
Guarding the president of the United States has been in the past a difficult and to some extent a thankless task. The presidents have shown a most decided disinclination to being surrounded by guards, and it is only with reluctance that they have been persuaded to submit to the slightest of precautionary measures. President McKinley has always had an aversion to guards, contending that elaborate precautions for his personal safety were unnecessary. Indeed, eyewitnesses of the Buffalo assault say that the first expression on the face of the wounded president was one of astonishment.
It is contended by some Washington officials that if the usual precautions that are taken by the capital police while the president is in Washington had been observed at Buffalo Czolgosz's attack would have been prevented. "While the president is in Washington his personal safety is always carefully if not conspicuously guarded,"' said Major Sylvester, chief of the police of that city. "We go on the principle that it is impossible to give the president absolute protection from the assassin's bullet, yet that the danger can be reduced to a minimum. We assume that a shot fired fifteen or twenty feet from the president has about one chance in a hundred of fatally wounding him. Therefore we try to keep strangers that distance from him.
"Unless they are known very few persons get close to the president while here. As he comes and goes from his drives the crowd is kept at a distance of from fifteen to twenty feet. The route of the drive is always inspected by plain clothes men before the president appears. Even at receptions we know pretty nearly who are coming. In this way the danger is reduced to a minimum.
"When the president leaves on a trip, the chiefs of police are informed of our methods. The main thing is to keep the crowds twenty feet away. The distance protects him. It is of record that few assassins fire bullets at a greater distance. The constant visitor at the White House sees only a few idle policemen, yet they are always alert and busy. Each pushes a button every ten minutes and reports all well. Besides, there are many plain clothes men coming and going."
Undoubtedly the secret service division will in the future adopt more stringent rules regarding access to the president while he is away from the executive mansion. The present head of the division, John E. Wilkie, has made an excellent record since his appointment in 1898. He is a newspaper man by training, and while at work on the Chicago papers he made a specialty of criminal investigation.
Mr. Samuel R. Ireland, who was among the first to grasp Czolgosz, has been in the secret service a couple of years. He is a lawyer by profession and a graduate of the University of Michigan. Mr. Ireland is a young man of fine appearance and is notably cool and level headed. These qualifications have gained him favor as an attendant on the president, and he was with the latter during the inaugural ceremonies last March.
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| Nathan Lewis Miller. |
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| Henry Albert Dickinson. |
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION.
JUDGE J. E. EGGLESTON RENOMINATED FOR COUNTY JUDGE
And H. A. Dickinson Re-nominated for Member of Assembly—Utmost Harmony Prevailed—Resolutions Concerning President McKinley and Favoring Re-nomination of Judge Forbes and Judge Parker.
The Republican convention was held in Taylor hall at 2 o'clock this afternoon and was called to order by Nathan L. Miller, chairman of the [Cortland] county committee, who nominated Theodore H. Wickwire for chairman. Mr. Wickwire was unanimously elected and briefly thanked the convention for the honor.
A, D. Brown of Freetown and G. J. Maycumber of Cortland were elected secretaries and K. M. Walker of Solon and James C. Muir of McGraw were elected tellers. The officers were sworn in by City Judge Rowland L. Davis.
The roll of delegates was then called. The following is the complete list.
Cincinnatus—George H. Holmes, John H. Murray, Floyd Smith, P. C. Wheeler, S. J. Bobier, Ester L. Dwight, Erastus Blanchard.
Cortland City—First Ward—H. T. Bushnell, A. W. Angell, Floyd M. Olds, Day Cook.
Second Ward—Charles F. Brown, Thomas H. Dowd, Frank H. Cobb, J. C. Seager.
Third Ward—T. H. Wickwire, W. J. Perkins, A. S. Brown, Harry Swan.
Fourth Ward— Nathan L. Miller, Franklin P. Saunders, J. B. Kellogg, Frank E. Price.
Fifth Ward—George F. Cooper, Geo. Chatterton, Robert S. Latimer, Robert Pettigrew.
Sixth Ward—Aaron R. Overton, G. J. Maycumber, Harvey J. Baker, Arthur F. Stilson.
Cortlandville—District No. 1— B. J. Burlingham, L. C. Greenwood, L. Harvey, J. C. Muir.
District No. 2—Webster Russell, W. R. Beggar.
District No. 3—Z. H. Tanner, G. F. Jones.
District No. 4—E. C. Rindge, L. T. White.
Cuyler—Seabury F. Brown, Thomas Collins, Edwin Keeler, Alpha G. Snell, L. S. Barber, James Crandall, Enos Babcock, J. Lee Burdick, Wells Allen.
Freetown—J. F. Chrysler, James Humphries, A. D. Brown, S. S. Hammond, J. B. Nash, Elmer Jones, M. M. Brown.
Harford—A. M. Jennings, G. W. Harrington, J. E. Leonard, George Tillotson, Ogden Allen, Fred Shapley, A. T. Baird, W. W. Parker.
Homer—District No. 1—Frank L. Burnham, James Foster, John B. Henry, Watts Haight.
District No. 2—D. N. Hitchcock, Clarence Knapp, A. B. Raymond, Henry Gates, W. C. Collins, W. H. Foster.
District No. 3—Zera T. Nye, Harry Davis, W. D. Eadie, Geo. Stebbins, Oscar Turner.
District No. 4—Fred M. Briggs, Pembroke Pierce, Thos. Knobel, John Latimer, E. Seacord.
Lapeer—Abner Johnson, Lee Johnson, Frank Tarble, Wayland Parker, Edgar L. Parker, Alburtis Conrad, W. O. Gilbert.
Marathon—District No. 1.—James H. Tripp, Sanford Wilbur, John H. Miller, Harry Squires, Charles Uptegrove, G. K. Smith, J. H. Hammond.
District No. 2.—S. B. Jamison, C. E. Boyden, Adam Hilsinger, W. A. Brink, C. A. Brooks.
Preble—I. W. Van Buskirk, O. P. Miner, Frank J. Collier, Hobart Cummings, Joseph Moss, Curtis DuBois, John H. Gay.
Scott—F. A. Crosley, C. C. Clark, S. A. Childs, J. B. Spencer, S. D. Ames, H. E. J. Potter, Chas. S. Clark, Henry Palmer.
Solon—K. M. Walker, L. B. Atkins, W. O. King, Alfred Levis, Frank Wadsworth, D. E. Morris, Geo. Kline.
Taylor—R. L. Cass, Dever Austin, Myron Potter, Fred Birdlebough, Dever Allis, L. Birdlebough, C. W. Hawley, G. N. Skinner.
Truxton—Frank L. Hilton, Henry L. Dennison, E. H. Stafford, Charles W. Beattle, Henry Bell, John Lutz, H. J. Harrington, Augustus L. Cushing, William Connell.
Virgil—District No. 1—J. E. Winslow, Rodolph Price, F. L. Space, Hilton Ryan, William Overton, Eugene Hull, Deville Verreau.
District No. 2—R. L. Davis, Addison Miller, A. E. Gardiner.
Willet—F. L. Main, Geo. Potts, F. E. Niles, M. E. Burlingame, Leroy Palmer, Frank Miller, E. W. Cory.
Hon. James H. Tripp of Marathon moved that a committee of five be appointed by the chairman to draft suitable resolutions in reference to the tragic death of President McKinley. The chairman appointed as such committee Messrs. James H. Tripp of Marathon, F. P. Saunders of Cortland, F. A. Crosley of Scott, Frank L. Hilton of Truxton, Jason Crandall of Cuyler. The committee at once withdrew to a side room and prepared resolutions which were presented later.
The convention then proceeded to nominate a candidate for county judge and surrogate. District Attorney Thomas H. Dowd, in an eloquent speech presented the name of Hon. Joseph E. Eggleston as a candidate for the office to succeed himself. No other nominations were made and, upon motion, duly seconded and unanimously carried, the secretary was instructed to cast the ballot of the convention for Joseph E. Eggleston for county judge and surrogate. Judge Eggleston was conducted to the platform and thanked the convention for the honor conferred in calling him to the office for the third time and addressed the convention at some length.
At the conclusion of Judge Eggleston's speech, Hon. James H. Tripp presented the report of the committee appointed to draft resolutions on the death of President McKinley. The report was unanimously accepted and the resolutions adopted.
The resolutions will be published in full tomorrow.
Nathan L. Miller, chairman of the county committee, presented the name of Henry A. Dickenson as candidate for member of assembly. Henry Howes at the request of the delegation from Cuyler seconded the nomination.
The secretary was instructed to cast the ballot of the convention for Mr. Dickinson and Mr. Dickinson was declared the nominee of the convention.
Mr. Dickinson was called for and a committee was appointed to conduct him to the platform. He said:
MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION—For the honor of this nomination I thank you. I wanted it, and I am very glad that you wanted me to have it. Mr. Dickinson then briefly stated his reasons for wishing a re-nomination and outlined his position in reference to the important duties of the office.
W. H. Foster presented the name of Dr. F. H. Green of Homer, the present incumbent, as candidate for coroner. There was no further nomination and the secretary cast a single ballot for Dr. Green.
Thomas H. Dowd presented a series of resolutions which will be published tomorrow.
The resolutions were adopted and Mr. Dowd presented the name of Nathan L. Miller as delegate to the judicial convention of tbe Sixth judicial district.
Mr. Miller was unanimously nominated and upon motion, duly seconded, Edmond C. Alger was named as alternate.
Upon motion of N. L. Miller, it was voted that the members of the county committee be empowered to perform the duties as set forth in Section 66 of the election law.
The following were named and upon motion were declared elected members of the county committee.
The county committee met at the adjournment of the convention and organized as follows:
Chairman—N. L. Miller.
Secretary—G. J. Maycumber.
Treasurer—Harry Swan.
The chairman was authorized to appoint four members who, with the officers, shall constitute an executive committee of the county committee.
THE NEW STATION.
Ground Broken for Foundations for Passenger Depot.
Ground was broken this morning for the foundations of the new passenger station of the D., L. & W. R. R. The sod was removed from the green yesterday, and the trenches are being dug today. A large gang of men is busy leveling off the ground where the old buildings stood and filling up the cellar. A second switch is being laid from the main track parallel with the one running in front of the new freight station and the switch for Benton's lumber yard has been started.
Work on the brick work of the freight station is progressing rapidly and the foundations for the passenger station will be pushed forward at once.
WATER ON RAILROAD-ST.
Probably to be Carried Off by Sluiceways Built by Railroad Company.
As a result of the conference last Saturday between the officials of the D., L. & W. R. R. and the board of public works in reference to disposing of the surface water from the Railroad-st. pavement in the vicinity of the new stations which are being built by the railroad company, and for conducting the same across the company's tracks, the following plan has been outlined and seems to meet the approval of both parties. A culvert will be constructed along the south side of Railroad-st. under the walk or pavement and continuing east under the railroad company's tracks as far as may be necessary. The surface water from the entire street will be run into this culvert and in order to do this a sluiceway or smaller culvert will have to be constructed, commencing at a point on the north side of the street west of the new freight house and running across to the south side of the street. The work of building these culverts and all the improvements necessary in their construction is to be done by the railroad company, the city to pay a certain amount per linear foot, probably in the neighborhood of $3 as its share of the expense. The total cost to the city cannot at this time be stated as the length of the culverts has not yet been determined. After this waterway has been completed it is to be maintained and kept in repair by and at the expense of the railroad company.
No formal meeting of the board has yet been held and no official action has been taken in the matter, but the foregoing plan as outlined seems to best meet the requirements of the case.
The board of public works has not yet arrived at a decision as to what course to pursue in regard to the Railroad-st. paving. The matter is still under consideration.
BREVITIES.
—The office of the Cortland Pickling Co., has been connected with the Empire State Telephone exchange.
—New display advertisements today are—M. A. Case, Dry goods, page 6; M. W. Giles, Special sale, page 7.
—The Ladies' Literary club will meet tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 o'clock at the home of Mrs. G. E. Chambers, 23 Tompkins-st.
—Peck Bros. of the Fanners' Exchange sent two car loads of goods to Cincinnatus this morning to be used in their exhibit at the tournament.
—The Ladies' Aid society of the Memorial Baptist church will hold a rummage sale the second week in November. The place is not yet decided upon.
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