Mississippi
Geological Survey of the State.
The Mississippi Agricultural and
Mechanical College has begun a geo
logical and industrial survey of the
State. This promises to be the most
important piece of work ever under
taken by that institution and it em
phasizes a function of the institu
tion that has not been sufficiently
prominent in the past, that is, the
college is intended not only to give
instruction to the boys and young
men of the State, but, through its
-experiment station, its farmers' in
stitutes, and its other industrial de
partments, to help in the material
development of the State. As an
object lesson to what should be ac
complished in every county of the
State, the board of trustees of the
instituion have authorized a geolog
ical and industrial survey of Oktib
beha county embracing the following
features :
By Dr. W. N. Logan, Professor of
Geology and Mining: 1. Physiog
raphy The surface features, relief,
etc. 2. Hydrography Streams,
lakes, wells, springs, water supply,
rainfall, etc. 3. Stratigraphy The
geological formations, their distribu
tion, dip, relations, fossils, etc. 4.
Economic Geography (a) Cements
A report on experiments in the
manufacture of cements from the va
rious formations of the county, (b)
Building Material The manufac
ture of brick, etc.
By Prof. V. L. Hutchinson, Di
rector of the Mississippi Experiment
Station : Soils and fertilizers.
By Dr. W. F. Hand, State Chem
ist: Artesian waters, and water
supply.
By Prof. Gleen W. Herrick, Pro
fessor of Biology : Grasses and live
stock.
By Prof. A. B. McKay, Professor
of Horticulture : Trucking and for
es try.
By Prof. J. W. Fox, Professor of
Civil and Rural Engineering: Dirt
roads and road materials.
The result of these investigations
will be published as a special report
to the legislature, and will furnish
facts that will enable the legislature
to determine definitely whether or
not such a geological and industrial
survey would be of practical value to
the State. It is the belief by those
who have studied 'the question that
this work must be done, if Mississip
pi is to be properly and intelligently
advertised to the world in her true
light as having the greatest undevel
oped resources of any State in the
Union.
Water Famine Is Critical.
The water famine in Mississippi,
caused by the long drouth, is daily
becoming more serious and a condi
tion has been reached that can be
considered as nothing less than crit
ical. Each day brings to Jackson a
long caravan of wagons from the
country, the sole object of their trip
to town being to secure water from
the river, and at any hour of the day
these wagons may be seen on the
streets wending their way homeward
and carrying from two to six barrels
filled with the precious fluid. From
all parts of the State conies the com
plaint of scarcity of water, and a
heavy burden has been added to the
expense of operating manufacturing
plants on account of the long dis
tance they are compelled to haul wa
ter. The famine is causing great
distress among the cotton ginners,
and many of these plants are closing
down each day, finding it impossible
to obtain water. In numerous sec
tions of the State gins are from ten
to fifteen miles away from available
water supply. For instance, the gin
at Flora, over twenty miles from
Jackson, is hauling water from that
city, and the expense thus incurred
has reduced the profit on operation
almost to nothing.
Contract for New Well.
The city authorities of Indianola
have awarded a contract for sinking
a second artesian well. The entire
water supply is furnished by one
well, and since the location of so
many industries at that place, the
pressure has at times been inade
quate. The water from the first
well is so heavily charged with soda
and sulphur that it is somewhat
undesirable for drinking purposes,
and the new well is being 6unk al
most a quarter of a mile distant.
The old well is a little more than
1,200 feet deep and furnishes about
200,000 gallons a day.
State News
Exempt Fror.l Supervision.
The railroad commission of this
State has been permanently enjoined
by Judge NU.es from making rates
on the Gulf & Ship Island railroad.
The Gulf & Ship Island . railroad,
ever since it was built, has claimed
that it was exempt from the super
vision of the railroad commission,
settitng up that its charter exempted
it from such supervision. Some time
ago the road secured a temporary in
junction preventing the railroad
commission from interfering Vith
the rates on this road. Last week
Judge Niles handed down an opin
ion in which he made the injunction
a permanent one. The charter of
the road was granted in 1882, and it
exempts the road from the supervis
ion of the commission. The Su
preme Court, in a case a few months
ago, decided that the commission
had no supervision over the road.
Judge Niles, in his opinion, holds
that the charter granted by the legis
lature's binding, and that the com
mission has no right to supervise
either the passenger or the freight
rates of the road, and makes the
temporary injunction perpetual.
Cotton Crop Prospect.
Fine headway was made during
the week just closed with the pick
ing of the cotton crop in Mississippi.
The dry weather has caused the sta
ple to open with astonishing rapidi
ty, and all available labor forces
have been constantly employed in
marketing the crop. There is no
longer any doubt that Mississippi's
yield will be shorter than last year.
Less than half a dozen counties re
port a top crop, and this causes the
heaviest reduction in the prospective
yield. The delta crop will average
from 15 to 30 per cent, below that
of last year, although the bottom and
middle crop is about up to the av
erage. The interior movement to
the market towns continues quite
lively, and there is very little ten
dency on the part of the farmers to
hold back the staple.
Fine Stone
in
Rankin.
Prof. Echel, the government geol
igist who is making a survey in Mis
sissippi, makes a highly favorable re
port on the Kankin county stone
quarries, near Star, which he finds
to be a good quality of fine-grained,
white sandstone, occurring in beds
of from ten to fifteen feet in thick
ness, separated by thin layers of
clay, and having a total thickness of
workable stone at least fifty feet in
depth. Prof. Eckel states that the
clay deposits found in Mississippi
are the equal of any in the country.
Tried to Kill a White Man.
Considerable excitement prevail
ed at Taylor, in Lafayette county,
last week, when a negro, Simpson
Barry, attempted to kill a white man
named Joe Tubbs. The negro used
a razor and it took effect upon the
throat of Tubbs. Tubbs is a highly
respected citizen and a lynching was
averted only by the vigilance of some
of the citizens who guarded the ne
gro until the arrival of the sheri
from Oxford. Everything is quiet
now, but Tubbs is in a serious condi
tion. Bureau of Statistics.
State Senator W. B. Walker of
Monroe county will introduce in the
legislature at the January session a
bill providing for the establishment
of a bureau of vital statistics. There
is hardly any doubt that a measure
of this kind will be enacted by the
body, as public sentiment seems to
be strongly in favor of it as the best
ieans of promoting publicity of the
State's resources.
Heavy Cotton Receipts.
For the months of September
and October the town of Newton has
received over 1,000 bales of cotton
more than it did for the same two
months last year. During Septem
ber and October last year 3,612 bales
were marketed there, while for the
same period this year the town has
bought 4,667 bales. The yield in
Newton county will no doubt be
better than last year.
Fancy Price for Cotton.
A fancy price was paid at Green
wood last week for 308 bales of Ben
der cotton, this amount being pur
chased at 12 cents per pound, the
transaction amounting to over $19,
000. This section of the State pro
duces the finest cotton to be found in
J any part of the cotton growing belt.
fMaM Important fttosmmsndtlo.n
State Superintendent of Educa
tion Whitfield has commenced work
on the narrative feature of his bien
nial report to the legislature, which
will be one of the most important
documents of this kind submittted
to the lawmakers. Superintendent
Whitfield will make a strong recom
mendation for the establishment of
a State normal school to be con
ducted under the supervision of the
department of education, and in
urging this action he will have the
unanimous support of the school
teachers of the State. The superin
tendent will also suggest the estab
lishment of a rural high school sys
tem, better salaries for county su
perintendents, and the placing of
new subjects in the common school
curriculum, including the elements
of agriculture, vocal music and
drawing.
Many New Banks.
Within the past month six new
banking institutions have been
launched in Mississippi, and the
next report of the auditor's office on
banking institutions will show a
good increase in the amount of cap
ital invested in this branch of fi
nance. The latest bank to apply for
a charter is domiciled at Carthage,
to be known as the Leake Countv
Bank, with a capital stock of $30,
000. Lumber Industry Booming.
With the completion of the branch
line of the Gulf & Ship Island from
Mendenhall to Columbia, a distance
of sixty miles, saw mills and lumber
manufacturing enterprises having
an aggregate capital of over $2,000,
000 will spring into existence. Al
ready saw mills are being started
along the line of the road and will be
in readiness for operation before
trains commence running.
A Chinese Farmer.
Claiborne county has the honor of
claiming the only Chinese farmer in
Mississippi. His name is Quong
Thomas, and the almond-eyed Celes
tial runs a farm of 100 acres near
Port Gibson, where he cultivates a
fine variety of cotton, all of which is
shipped to the Orient. Thomas has
been quite successful, and within the
past few years has accumulated a
snug amount in the savings bank.
Piney Woods Development.
The development of the piney
woods section of the State seems to
be in its infancy, judging from the
large number of new lumber manu
facturing enterprises that are being
chartered each week. The latest
charter of this kind to reach the gov
ernor's office is that of Collins &
Co., who will establish a $150,000
plant in Marion county near Oloh.
A Peculiar Accident.
Jean Petit, a native of France,
and a well known resident of Scran
ton, was fatally injured last week at
the Farnsworth Lumber Company's
saw mill. He was working at the
edger when a sliver of a plank was
torn off and buried in his side neir
the abdomen.
Fund for Superannuated Preachers.
Rev. A. F. Watkins, of Jackson,
agent for the fund of $5,000,000
which is being raised for superan
nuated preachers by the Southern
Methodists, says that he is meeting
with much success in getting to
gether this large fund. Since his
appointment he has attended several
hundred conferences all over the
South.
White Boy Robbers.
An organized gang of thieves,
composed of white boys, last week
broke into two stores in the western
part of Meridian and succeeded in
getting away with considerable
booty. The police believe all of the
members of the gang belong to re
spectable families of that section of
the city. A number of arrests are
expected to follow.
Decapitated by a Switch Train.
A shocking accident occurred in
the Mobile & Ohio yards in Meridian
last week, when a man named Lewis
Dossett, about 50 years of age, was
run over and instantly killed by a
train drawn by a switch engine.
Dossetfs head and shoulders were
completely severed from the rest of
the body.
Sent Up for Kidnaping.
. Traveling Sergt. Dodds of the
penitentiary brought in from Jack
son county last week three prison
ers for the penitentiary who were re
cently given prison sentences. Oiic
of the number was convicted of kid
naping, and is the first criminal oi
this class to be placed in the penl
tentjgry in some, time
NEW GOVERNMENT
IS RECOGNIZED
United States First of Powers to Ac
knowledge Defacto Government.
CONSULS ARE SO INSTRUCTED
Action Was Agreed Upon at Cabinet
Meeting- Friday and Instructions
Cabled to Onr Representatives
at Bogota and Panama.
Washington, Nov. 7. The United
States has recognized the new re
public of Panama as a de facto gov
ernment. This action was agreed upon
at the cabinet meeting Friday morning.
Instructions in accordance therewith
were cabled to Minister Beaupre, at
Bogota, and to Vice-Consul-General
Ehrman, at Panama. They were or
dered to notify the republic of Colum
bia and the republic of Panama of the
action of the United States.
The decision to make such a state
ment was tentatively reached Thurs
day after a conference at the White
House with Secretary Hay, Secretary
iVioody, Assistant Secretary Loomis,
Rear-Admiral John Walker (retired)
and Rear-Admiral Henry C. Taylor,
chief of the bureau of navigation.
Cablegrams from the American con
sul at Colon and from the commander
of the Nashville were received.
Transit to Be Kept Open.
Orders have been sent to the vari
ous naval commissioners in the Carib
bean that the isthmus is to be policed,
the transit kept open and also that
bloodshed must be prevented at any
cost.
Notified of Recognition.
The following telegram was sent by
the state department Friday to Mr.
Ehrman, acting consul-general of the
United States at Panama:
"The people of Panama have, by an
apparently unanimous movement, dis
solved their political connection with
the republic of Colombia and declared
their independence. When you are
satisfied that a de facto government,
republican in form and without sub
stantial opposition from its own people
is established in the state of Panama,
you will enter into relations with it as
a responsible government of the ter
ritory, and look to it for all due action
to protect the persons and property of
citizens of the United States, and to
keep open the isthmian transit in ac
cordance with the obligations of ex
isting treaties governing the relation of
the United States to that territory."
Consul Has Authority.
Under the instructions sent, Vice
Consul General Ehrman will be author
ized to conduct diplomatic business
with the officers of the provisional gov
ernment in that city. The recognition
of the provision government as a de
facto government does not necessarily
mean its recognition as a permanent
institution. Not until the new govern
ment has been thoroughly organized
and has demonstrated its ability to
maintain order, will the formal recog
nition of the new republic as a perma
nent member of the family of nations
be extended by the United States.
Almost the entire time of the cab
inet meeting Friday morning was de
voted to a discussion of the new de
velopments on the isthmus. Secreta
ries Hay and Moody laid before the
president and cabinet the latest dis
patches from the isthmus, which made
it quite clear that the provisional gov
ernment was in entire control of the
province of Panama and that order
was being maintained and that the
populace had accepted the new regime,
not only with satisfaction, but with re
joicing. After a full and free discussion, the
action indicated above was agreed
upon. The framing of instruction to
our representatives in Colombia and
Panama and of the public statement to
be issued later in the day was left en
tirely to Secretary of State Hay.
GEN. Gl'DGER LEAVES TO-MORROW
To Aanne Command of the Amer
ican Consulate at Panama.
Washington, Nov. 7. Under personal
Instructions which he will receive to
day from the president, Consul-General
Gudger leaves here to-morrow for
Colon to assume command of the
American consulate there. These in
structions will be of the most minute
character, though, of course, much will
be left to the discretion of Mr. Gudger,
in whom the adminstration has the
fullest confidence. On the arrival of
the Mayflower at Colon Mr. Gudger will
make himself known at once to the de
facto government, and the usual for
malities in such cases will be ob
served. He will do business directly
with the republic of Panama, which In
its provisional form at present consists
of an executive board, but which be
fore his arrival may easily take the
form of a permanent government. Con-Bul-General
Gudger was for a long time
Friday in conference with Assistant
Secretary Loomis, and afterward talked
Interestingly of the isthmian situation.
QUEER STORY OHBDUCTIOIf
Girl Who Disappeared From East
Orange Found in Omaha.
She Assert That a Woman WltlS
Black Eyes Exerted Hypnotic
Influence Over Her.
Omaha, Neb., Nov. 7. Miss Clara
Josephine Coffin, daughter of W. Ward
Coffin, whose mysterious disappear
ance from her home in East Orange, N.
J., last Tuesday has caused her parents
great anxiety, arrived in Omaha early
Friday and is now at the home of Post
master Joseph Crow, whose wife is a
niece of the girl's father. The young
lady is prostrated by a nervous shock,
which is the result of an attempted
abduction from her home by two
strangers, a man and a woman.
According to the young lady's ac
count of her abduction, she had been
attending the high school in East Or
ange, and last Tuesday, there being no
school, she made a trip to the gymnasi
um to take her usual exercises. For
the last month she had been passing a
strange woman near the school build
ing. The woman had piercing black eyes,
and the girl says they had an extraor
dinary effect on her. Tuesday the
strange woman approached her and
told her in a very commanding way to
pack her clothes and follow her. In a
half-dazed state, and acting under the
hypnotic spell, the girl made the trip
back to her home and, without seeing
any of the family, packed her clothing
and did as the woman had bid. She
had arranged to meet the girl at a
certain place, and when Miss Coffin ar
rived there was a strange man in com
pany with the woman.
The girl was placed In a carriage,
and after the man and woman had en
tered, they were driven at a rapid rate,
finally landing in Newark, N. J. From
there they were taken to the railroad
station and, boarding a train, they
soon landed in New York city. She
next realized that the party was aboard
another train and on its way to Chi
cago. She was driven from one rail
road station to another, and when they
again boarded a train the woman re
mained with her and the man occupied
a seat in the coach next to the rear.
When the train reached Cedar Rapids
Miss Coffin had recovered her senses.
She slipped out and sent a telegram to
Postmaster Joseph Crow, asking him
to meet her. Meantime her captors
had left tne car. Postmaster Crow met
the girl as she alighted from the mid
night train on the Northwestern. As
soon as Miss Coffin saw Mr. Crow she
recognized him and fell ino his arms,
prostrated. He assisted the young lady,
who is almost a complete nervous
wreck, to his home and placed her un
der tLe care of a physician. Miss Coffin
is confined to her bed, and is in a very
weak condition. No trace has been
found of the mysterious man or woman,
and the only supposed motive is that
they expected to abduct the girl and
hold her for a ransom.
MRS. IDA GULLER ON TRIAL.
Accused of Poisoning- Six-Year-Old
Euart Cheekflfleld nt Banker
Hill, 111., on July 20.
Carlinville, I1L, Nov. 7. The case of
Mrs. Ida Guller, charged with the mur
der of six-year-old Ewart M. Checks
field, a St, Louis boy, in Bunker Hill,
on July 20, was called Friday in the
circuit court, Judge R. B. Shirley pre
siding. It required 100 men to select
the jury.
The first witness was William Tunk-
er. drug clerk, who testified that he
sold the defendant ten cents' worth of
strychnine on July -0.
Dr. Bley was next called. He stated
that he was caned July 29, and found
the Checksfield boy in convulsions. He
administered medicine to relieve
spasms. He went to his office for some
medicine and on returning found the
boy dead.
The first victory for the prosecution
was when Judge Shirley admitted the
testimony of James W. Checksfield,
father of the deceased boy, which con
sisted of the boy's story just before
he died. A strong fight was made on
this point, and without this testimony
the state had little hope of conviction.
The jury was excluded while arguments
were being made.
He said when the child came home he
was spitting, and asked what he had
eaten, said:
"Mrs. Guller gave me some candy
and told me to eat it. It is bitter." In
a few minutes he was dead.
LAWS HINDER EXTRADITION.
Chief Desmond Wires That Unwieldy
Mexican Laws Will Hold Charle
Krats For Two Months.
St Louis, Nov. 7.Chief of Police
Kiely Friday afternoon received a mes
sage from Chief of Detectives Desmond
stating that Charles Kratz, the fugitive
St. Louis boodler, could not possibly
be returned from Guadalajara, Mexico,
where he is a prisoner, in less than
two months, even if the efforts at ex
tradition prove successful. Chief Xes
mond explains that the unwieldy Mex
ican laws bring about this condit oa