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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance, 1904-04-21, Page 7ADMIRAL TOGO LAID THE MINE THAT BLEW UP PETROPAVLOYSK. Tells How the Iattieshi. Was. Battleship Lured to Destruction. Prevent Japs From Cutting Off Port Arthur From the Rear.' 0 An Eye Witness and Survivor Tells of Petro .,avlovsk7 s Loss. St. Potersburg, April17.—A despatch from fort Arthur says several eye -wit- nesses assert that a Je ancse cruiser was lost .outside Port Arthur April 12, by striking one of its own floating mines. TOGO.—:SAY', HE -DID IT. Planted Mines at Part Arthur and the Petropavlovsk Struck One. • Tokio,, April 17,; Admiral Togo reports that lie attacked Port Arthur on Tues. day night, and at midnight sank several mutes near the 1t;trbor entrance. At 8 o'clock the nest .morning ho thew the Russian ships out 15 miles. The Petro- pavlovsk was, among those which came, out. She struck One of the Japanese mines and• was _blown up. The..itpfitiet4e •destroyer's sank a Mtge Sian destroyer, and narrowly missed cap- turing another ono. The fleet reopened the attack on April 14, and continued the bombordmont until 1.30 p. m. the next day (Friday.) In this action the guns of the cruiser Kasuga and Nisshin, the, vessels purchased from .Argentina before the outbreak of the war. The Japanese loss was two men slight- ly wounded. Soma slight damage a was sustained by'the'Japanese ships. This has since been repaired. _,, The J•ataaese fleet, the report do- •r"flared, manoeuvred among the enemy',i mines without susteinnig any damage. It is believed that Admiral Togo is remaining at Port Arthur in the hope of dealing a final blow to the Russian fleet. .Admiral . Togo toward the end of his re- port, says the,fact that not a man has been injured in these successive attacks must be attrib'utedto the Emperor's glor- ious virtue. He adds: "Our officers and men were gallant in action. They did their utniost. to discharge their duties, but much of our success cannot be attri- buted to human agency. I firmly believe that no damage, was sustained by our ileetS'amid .sa manygreat dangers was duo to tii0 help" of heaven." ' DISCOVERED THE RUSE. Why Togo Failed to Intercept the Rus- sian . Squadron. London, April 18.—The correspondent of tho Times on the despatch boat Hai- mun sent a long account of Admiral To- go's manoeuvres. Referring to the Jap- anese vessel, the li oryo Meru, which laid the mines at Port Arthur, he say's: "The action of the vessel was typical of the reckless daring of the Japanese. Al- though the concentrated beams front four searchlights showed her every spar and rail, and although a merciless fire swept round her, she accomplished her object and came out again undamaged, without the Russians discovering her de lee sign." The correspondent describes how the Japanese' cruiser fleet, Having lured the Russians out, wirelessly telegraphed to Admiral Togo, who unfortunately was thirty miles away, under the cover of mist and rain squalls. Immediately upon receiving the message, Admiral Togo signalled the cruisers Kasuga and Nisshin to: join: him, and then went ahead under full steam. By bad luck the wind freshened at this moment, die= pelting the mist, and the Russian ad- miral, descrying,smoke, guessed at the Japanese ruse and put about under full steam for 'Port ,AY thnr. All the Japan- ere vesels pursued the Russians at their utmost speed. It was a magnificent spectacle•" but the 'Russians had not been enticed far enough out and they reached the 'protection of the forts be- fore Admiral Togo could get within of - festive ran$e, Ten the Petropavlovsk was blown up, after which, in a mo- ment the whole Bueetan line was in confusion. - The vessels could be seen firing indiscriminately ' into the water. They steamed independently into the harbor, covered by the fire of the forts on Golden Hill and favored by the mist, which still hung over the ap- proaches to the fort. They were all inside at noon. HOW IT WAS DONE. Details of the Placing of "Vines at Port Arthur. Tokio, April 17. --The Japanese are elated over their successes at Port Arthur. They are also proud of the achievements of Viee-Adniral Togo, particularly of his newest strategy of countermining the enemy's harbor, and decoying hilt". across thus .fleld of mines to an equally dangerous flank. The sweetie of the system of placing deadly countermines is largely duce to a series of careful observations made by the Japanese during their previous attacks of Port Arthur. The Japanese saw the Russian fleet leave the harbor and re- ' turn to it several times, and they dis- covere3 that the Russian warships fol- lowed an identical course every tune they came out or went 11; evidently for 1i.n purpose of avoiding their own mines. The Jananese took bearings on this course. When the destroyer divi- ning of the Japanese flotilla laid the countermines 'during+ the night of April 12-13 they plaeed them along this course. The laying of these enun- ,,Aseterntines was exceedingly perilous, be - knee if any Japanese boat with mines an board had been struelc with a Russian shell she would have been demolished, The weather of the night irf 12.13 favored the work. There was ft heavy ram, and the night was Clark and cloudy, and the Russian eeareldights playing over the channel failed to reveal the pretence reAdmin to Il n a was neee in ttomm Cita of the Japanese eguadron wliieli decoyed the llussian ships over the field of inhuea. Itis squadron eenwieted, tri trusser° Cite tore, Yoshina, lteettgi end Takaaago, all unarmored vessels, which presented a tempting bait to the heavy Russian ships. Vice- i d r A m alo Tog directed the (lank attack, IIe bad the battleships Ilatsuse, Mikasa, Asahi, Slhikisihima,-Ye.shima and Fuji. He waited 30 miles out at sea „until Rear -Admiral Dewa signalled him by wireless telegraphy to come in. His vessels then dashed at full speed toward the entrance of the harbor. All the battleships under Vice -Admiral Togo are capable of a sped of 18 "knots, and they quickly covered the distance. It is not clear what warned the Russians that they had been; trapped, but they probably discerned the battleship squadron on the horizon and retreated precipitately to the harbor. Vice -Admiral Togo did not succeed in preventing the Russians from entering, hut did force them to. a disastrous re- treat, which ended in the destruction of the Petropavlovsk, and the disabling of the Pobieda. After these occurrences the cruisers Nishiu and Kasuga were used to bombard Port Arthur. They possess the highest angled guns in the fleet capable of throwing shells to the elevated Rus- sian land works, which are beyond at- tainment by the average naval weapons. The Konya Maryu, which participated in the latest attacks on Port Arthur, is a, torpedo depot ship, under the com- mand of Commander Oda. Oda is a mine expert. and the success of the Jap- anese countermining operations was due largely to hieingenuity and bravery. The .Japanese report that the wreck of the Petropavlovsk lies southeast of Golden Hill, one mile outside of the entrance to the harbor. 790 Russia Perished. St. Petersburg, April 17.—It is offici- ally announced that 40 officers and 750 men perished in the sinking of tee•Pet- ropavlovsk. . It is stated that an American engin- eer arrived yesterday and started for .Port Arthur to direct the operations of three submarines which were forwiuded in March on orders from Admiral Mak- aroff, Pobieda Badly Damaged. London, April 18.—The New-Chwang correspondent of the Daily Mail tele- , graphs that he interviewed an officer who was on a train that passed through Taihichiau, carrying men wounded on the Petropavlovsk to Har- bin. He said that during the running action the battleship Pobieda was bad- ly damaged by a torpedo. There was a largo holo made in her bows at the waterline, and three of her compart- ments filled. The officer claimed that one Japanese torpedo-boat destroyer was sunk. Before the Petropavlovsk went down there were two distinct ex- plosions, the first ono being a ming and the second the battleship's magazines. Lantern Procession. Kobe, April 17.—There was a great lantern procession in the city of Na- goya Friday. A thousand white lan- terns were carried for the souls of the dead Russians. The bearers were pre- ceded by banners inscribed, "We sor- row unquenchably for the brave Rus- sian admiral" Bands played funeral airs. • The Japanese Explosive. London, April 18.—A despatch to the Express from Tokio says that the ef- fectiveness of the Japanese mines was due to the explosive invented by Prof. Shimose, a Japanese. He claims that it is fat more powerful than lyddite, mel - mite or any otner high explosive. minent Russian, "but to have the I'et- ropavlaysk meet the fate of the Yenesei and the Boyarin is heartbreaking." The grief of the crowds, ,whose worst fears were thus officially confirmed, was touching. The Minietre of Marine was soon surrounded by thousands, eagerly asking° far more details, including the stricken relatives of those who were on board the Povropavlovsk, Strange Fatality, Vico-Admiral Makaroff's death is a greater loss than would be that of several batleships. He was the pride of 'the nasty, and enjoyed the implicit con- fidence of his sovereign and of. tbe olli- cers and men of the service. Speaking of his death, officers Isere all remarked that upon the strange fatality that 1, _ should lose this life on a heavily - Demme!, battleship, to which he bad a particular aversion, This 'Morning for the first: time he raised hie flag on a bat- tleship, while previously be had gone out on board the cruiser, Novik or As- kold. It was at the urgent request of his friends that he did not risk his life in this fashion, and so transferred his Slag to the Petropavlovsk. It is now an open secret that Vice - Admiral Makaroff was 'not anxious to resign his command of Cronstadt, which necessitated his leaving his wife and family, but the Emperor held such a . high opinion of him that he •declined to consider other candidates, and would take no refusal. To -night the grief-stricken widow, ac- cording to the Russian custom, had a re- quiem service celebrated at her• resi- dence, Grand Duke Cyril probably owes his life to the fact that he is a fine ath- lete and a splendid swimmer, There is a romantic' story connected with the Grand ..eke- Cyril's anxiety to go to the front. He wanted to win his spurs and marry the woman evitlh whom, he is very much in love, hist the' Mitch with whom had been opposed by his parents. It is an open secret that the Grand Duke's lady love is hie cousin, tihr divorced wife of the Grand Duke of Hesse, and a daughter of the late Duke of Saxe -Co• - JAPS COULD NOT LAND. Attempted to Cut Off Port Arthur From • the Rear. St. Petersburg, April 17: Rumors were in circulation here to -day of a fresh; engngenlent en the- Yalu• River, which has resulted favorably to the Russians, but a despatch received by the general staff to -night says that the situation is unchanged, and that all is quiet on the Yalu. There is nothing confirmatory of the oft -repeated statement of the landing; of Japanese troops in the vicinity of Port . Arthur, although the general opinion in military eirelee there is that the latest Bombardment was intended . as a mask to cover the landing of a Japanese force. It is said that the Japanese torpedo flotilla attnck on Port Arthur April 13 was intended to cover a landing from nine transports at Sltemang•ta leu - twenty miles southwest of a nhan,. with a view of cutting off the retreat of the Bort Arthur troops to Sin -Yen and Hasping, destroying the ailway, and preventing troops stationed in Southern. Liao -Tung, effecting a juncture with the main Russian forces concentrated at Liatetung and Muk- den. Tile execution of thus operation only failed owing to the fact that all places on the peninsula suitable for the landing of troops 0.•0 Protected by nines, are well fortified, and strongly guarded. STUNS RUSSIAN CAPITAD. Death of Admiral Makaroff the Severest Blow, A fit.Pctersburg cable says : -The awful disaster of the battleship Petropavlovsk et Port .Arthur with the loss of almost her entire crew of over 000 men and the death off Vico-Admiral Makaroff, has been it terrific blow. It would hnve fallen less heavily if the strip and the Commander-in-chief of the fleet had been lost in battle, but to be the � result alt of another necident, fohlowieg upon principles of a succession of tragedies whirl the -'ort Art1n r fleet has been the victim, it has created something like! eoneterfatior, "Reveres we elm endure?' said a pro - was carried out of the cathedral .he turned on the people, and, in simple affection, said to thein all, "God bless you,, little brothers." That was the last they heard from the lips of the popular hero, who is now uo mare. a Emperor William has telegraphed to the Czar, saying: "Russian mourning is German mourning. The death of a man like Admiral Makaroff is a loss to the navies of the whole world." ousel& NOWADMITS IT. Japanese Mines May have. Blown' Up ' the Petropavlovsk. St. Peteraburg 'cable; Infor- mation, welch has elowly reached. St. Peteit'nbu^g, Ilius modified the opinion at fleet prevailing concern- ing the original cams° of destruc- t:on. of the battleship Petropavlovsk., Mare le gradually developing a disposition to admit the possibility that, atter all, Japanese torpedo (boats may 1hp,vo .dropped mines at the entrance at Port Arthur Har- bor. An off:cial remarked to -night : Pit would be tar better if the ship w,ae actually blown up by the one- my'a mine, instead of by aRussian mane. Tiro latter would be the re- sult of inexcusable carelessness, and would properly arouse the Emper- or's anger. .Tithe former; whsle it would apeak volumes for Japanese erattines&, could .not readily be avoided. On dark night&• it would be almost, impossible for the searp;h,- lighitif of the batteries to pick up the torpedo boats, 'however caro- fully Manipulated." • "Evenshould it bo tinally estab- lished that a. Japanese • mine de- atroyod,'tho Petropavlovsk it will not affect the general appreciation of Admiral Makaroff'& high, qualities. His policy in putting out In pursuit of a• super:or Japanese fleet has been thoroughly approved in St. Petersburg, where it is understood that tench action would have an ex- cellent effect on thve morale of the Russian fleet. As the Admiral's In - GRAND DUKE CVRI1„ Who was Saved from the Petropavlovsk. burg and Gotha, who married a sister of Alexander III. THE COSSACK OF THE SEA. A Short Sketch of the Dead Vice -Ad- miral. The late Vice -Admiral Makaroff, who was known as tho "Cossack of the Sea," was appointed Feb. 26 last to the command of the Russian Pacific fleet. Ile was one of the heroes of the fighting on the River Danube during the Russo-Turkish war. Makaroff and Skrydloff, who have since many times been hovered' by their Govern- ment, were at that time lieutenants in the Russian navy, .and voulnteered to make a night attack on a powerful Turkish ironclad. With a torpedo boat they succeeded in blowing up the Turkish vessel, and it was claimed at the time thereby made the first success- ful demonstration of the usefulness of torpedo boats in naval warfare. Makaroff originated the idea of con- structing the famous ice -breaking steamer Ermak, evhieh was built on the Tyne from his designs. Since his appointment to the com- mand of the Russ an Pacific • fleet, Makaroff has shown himself to be a man of great courage and energy. Early in Minch he personally went to the rescue of a Russian torpedo-boat destroyer, which was hard pressed by the Japanese, and inspired the naval forces under his command with a great deal of enthusiasm, At the end of tite Russo-Turkish campaign Makaroff was promoted to captain, and was decorated with the Orders of St. Vladimir and St. George, was presented with a sword of honor, and was given the title of adjutant to the late Emperor of Russia. Makaroff was appointed chief of staff with the Baltic fleet, and in 1808 cone ntanded that fleet. In the following year.. Makaroff was appointed one mander-in-chief at Cronstadt, which post he held until February of the present year, when he was sent to the Far East as commander in -chief of the Russian Pacific fleet. Not the least remarkable scene in the life of this remarkable man was his farewell appearance in Cronstadt a few weeks ago. Disaster had overtaken the fleet at Port Arthur. P110 Czar wanted a roan to grapple efficiently with the problem on the spot. Before going to the front Makaroff attended mass at the great eatlledral at Cron- stadi, The entire city turned out to see hint. The famous bather John of C'ranstadt officiated, The sailors carried their admiral, so nhueh beloved by Anent all, on their shoulders to the altar. '17tere, itt the preseneo of the multitude, Makaroff was blessed end Consecrated to lde mission. And ae he erections were • to conserve itis fleet, it is ,pointed out that his cluty to return directly to the barber on the a,pipearance of a supetior force. It could hardly be expected that 'an admtrai would look .,out for mine& when be had no reason to believe t1het tile,' had been laid, especially as only afew; hours before he had safely steamed over the spot where the Petropavlovsk was sunk." FOltB1DS WJIUu]GESS SYSTEM- • Correspondent's Vsilig it to be Treat- • ed as' Sp fee. Washington despatch; The Russian Government has given notice that newspaper correspondents using wireless telegraphy will be treated as spies and shot. This notice was served on the American State De- partment by Count Cassini,'the ,itus- sfan ambassador, 'to -day, and it is understood that similar communica- tions were made to all Foreign Of- fices.' The text of the eommunIca- tioott in as follows ; ► ' L am charged by my Government, to avoid all possible misunderstand. Ing, to communicate to your Excel- lency that the Lieutenant of his Im- perial Majesty in the Far East has just made the following declare, - tions ; "In a case In which neutral steam - ors have on board correspondents who might communicate war news to the enemy by means of perfect ap- paratus not being yet forseon by ex- isting conventions would be arrested neat the coast of Rutin -Tong or in the zone of operations of 'Russian fleet, ,the correspondents will be looked upon as spies and the steam- ers furnished with wireless tele, graph solzed as prizes of ware' T1140 notice opens up air• entirely row line of treatment of correspon- dents. Some of the leading Ilritislr newspaper correspondents are mak- ing free use of the wireless tele- . ar lnewn,thandratsist poosibio that they ".(+Ill appeal to their Government to define their privileges and to en - cure alt official determination of ipue.st'on as to whether a neutral on This own ship outsldo the territorial waters of an belligerent power and without contraband of war abetted can be treated as tt spy. The Atherton 1).* Forest Wireless Telegraph Company hen til^graphed to Secretary Hay at Washington a protest agalnnt the attitude of the Itusslfhn Government z'elativo to the useof wireless telegraphy by nor• respondents in the tone of the war. Tho protectants sly; "'We el tint the eight tinder all international laws 10 etre 4110 high seas for peaceful put'- poses, and demand for our operators, Who aro Aluerlean oitlto09, and far t our property, 4113 full protco.11a etthe United States tiovernment.' NI'1W 4:IIWANG .SAFE. Visit to the Russian Eortiftcatlons in the Town. Loudon deism -tele; The correspon- cicttt of .tete Daily Mali, telegraphing from Tion.Teln, mays that Ile visited the'Russian ramp at New-Chwaog Friday, baying evolved perntlseloa to do so. The Xortiticationa render the p40co safe on the 'west and Ninth, The foreigners do not find the re- strietione under martial law: ex- cessive. Admiral Eocllsbineky Is at New- Chwang, buporvistng °Pians oniente tor floating the gunboat S,tvouteh. (ioreespondente are not allowed be- - gond Ai ukdoti, The regulations,, which are more aevore than those irreposed by the Japanese, make it doubtful whether they will be able- to eery° their papers at all. There is general deproeslon in Manchuria over the disaster at Port Arthur, where the deepest gloom prevails.' More disasters ave expected as the louse mtnea: that were ramie - ed from the rutile ship Yeneeei, after her destruction, have been carried by the tide from Dalny and arc, floating about uncontrolled. SADLY CRIPPLE D. Only Two Uninjured Battlesihiiis at Port Arthur. • >It, Petersburg cable; There aro now only; two undamaged bat- tleships, the Pereeviet anti the ise- via stopol, in the 1uarbor at Port Ar- thur, but some of the damaged ves- sels have been repaired, although their, exact number and oond'ition aro not known: The other efteetives aro the armored cruiser Bayhtne the first-class cruisers Arkold and Di- ana, the second-class cruiser No - ilk, the torpedo gunboats Vsadnfk and Gaydamale, the gunboats Lire- mlaishtlhi, (Silvansi, filiakie ttfd Bobr, the cruisers DltdJid, itazboy;nik and Zab knowlabakn, and tiro torpedo boat des- troyera, whose exact number is not A • Altogether. ten tftuselan vessels have been damaged roe, lost since the ouVbroak o4 'the Oval: Tire disastem •01 . Wednesdays ends the hope that the ill-fated Port Ar- thur, squadron (would be able to become an aggressive factor in the operations before it •he reinforced bye intorced byI the arrival of the Bal. tio fleet. 'Until then the aim, of the Itussians will be to hold Port Ar- thur, and conserve 'the remaining ships within the pitotegtion of its guns, , • Practically) the last 'hope of sue- cusses n„t sea died with Admiral Mak- aroff, and the Russian people now look 'to the army. in which they have Implicit confidence, to retrieve on land th'e reverses and distress suffer-' ed On the (welter. Seoul, April 18.—A despatch from Ping Yang under yesterday's 'date, re- ceived here at 7 o'clock this morning, says that the country in the wake of the Japanese army is "resuming its nor- mal conditions. The majority of the in- habitants left their homes before the troops arrived, but are now returning. They have learned that the .Japanese Soldiers treat the people well, pay for their supplies and are under strict dis- iipline. Several thousand coolies ae em- ploped carrying rice to the front at more than customary wages. Altogether the Japanese army is giving an admir- able exhibition of order and self -re- . straint, There is no looting or robbery, although the soldiers' rations aro lim- ited and the country ni full of cattle, poultry and other provisions, which might be taken. Prevented -a Jap Landing. St. Petersburg, April 18,—An attempt- ed landing by Japanese troops on the shores of Corea Bay, between Port Ar- thur and the Yalu River, an Anvil 12, was frustrated by the Russians. A Jap - 'mese torpedo boat flotilla scouted the ,bores of the bay, but was received with such a heavy fire from land batteries it Taku-Shalt=Ching-Tai-Tse, Tchanhe And Bedchen that Vice -Admiral Togo's flagship then recalled nine transports, which were on the way to land troops. :1 squadrein often warships protecting g the transports withdrew with them. The Russians have twenty thousand troops .-concentrated at Taku-Shan. A force landing between Taku-Shan and Ching -Tai -Tse would have been in a position to isolate the defenders of Port Arthur and out their line of con• inunication. 'Taku-Shan is in Manchu- ria, but fifty miles to the west of the estuary of the Yalu River, and Ching - Tai -Tse is about twenty-five miles west of Takit-Shan or about one hundred and fifty miles from Port Arthur. The other towns; mentioned .. are smaller places on the coast in this vicinity. SINKING OF THE BATTLESHIP. Dramatic Description of the End of the Petropavlovsk, St. Petersburg, April 18, 12,10 p. m•— in the dramatic eye -witness' description of the torpedo boat encounter and the Sinking of • the Petropavlovsk, off Port Arthur, wired from Liao -Yang last night by a Russian correspondent of the As- sociated Press, a portion of the account referring to the blowing up of the Petro- pavlovsk was delayed. It is as follows 1 "Moving at reduced speed, the Petro- pavlovsk carne abreast of Electric Cliff. The torpedo boats were entering the har- bor, when suddenly from the starboard side of the Petropavlovsk's bow a white eolumn allot up. There WAS a_double muffled explosion, and the whole flagship became covered with orange brown smoke, 'They're firing a broadside,' cried it gutter, standing beside me, but through my binoculars I gazed speechless end hor- ror stricken. I could sec fragments of wreckage falling from above the broken rigging of the foremast and flames of fire shooting, out. `She's sinking; she's sinking,' .wailed some one beside me. "The Petropavlovsk began to settle slowly by the head, heeling far over to starboard teeth her rail was under water. Her bow had already disappeared, and her stern was lifted out of the sea, tits port propeller still revolving. I could see figures desperately clutching at the slip- pery hull, and tongues of flame. The af- ter turret, with its gnus pointing sky- ward, disappeared, and her stern was last to be engulfed. A last explosion and all was over. The flagship was no more. Moats from the torpedo-boat destroyer Gaydama, hurried to the scene of disas- ter. It was forty minutes past nine in the morning." U. S. CROP PROSPECTS. - Condition or Winter '-Wheat and stye Below ten Year's Average, 'Wttnlilnlxto:n, apkil,1S-VisiteIinont.111y, rep' in of the Chief of the Bureau of 3tattlstles of the Department of Agriculture. will show the average condition of winter wheat on April let to have been 743.3, t►gatnst 07.3 on April 1, 1003;1 78.7 at the corres- pondtng date in 1002, and 84.1 the, mean of the April averages of the last ten years, The Average eondttion elf winter rye on April 1 was 823, agalnst 07.9 on April 1, 1903; 811 at the eorroepondiug date in 1002, and 89 1 the mean of the esprit average! of the teat ten years. If A CIIICA6O CAR BA BANDIT TRIES SUICIDE Opens an Artery in His Left Arm With a Lead Pencil and Eats the Heads Off Matches. A Bridgeport Automobile Wrecked in Avoiding Trolley Car Driver is Badly Crushed and May Not Recover: The Prince and Princess of Wales and Suite to Visit Emperor Francis Joseph at Vienna. Bridgeport, Conn:, April 18, ---While at- tenapting to avoid a collision with it trol- ley car, George E. Elghme, dentist, lost control of his automobile and the ma= °shine plunged .over a five-foot embank- ment. Dr. Eighhne fell under the heavy machine, which was Overturned. He was taken to his home in an ambulance. Two ribs on his left side were fractured and both had punctured the lungs. There is little hope of his recovery. Dr. Eighmo had just turned out to al- low one trolley ear, on which was his wife, to pass him, and did not notice tlic rapid approach of another car, from the opposite direction. When he tried to avoid the second car in the narrow space, a puneti;red tire on one of the for- ward wheels caused the machine to swerve far to one side. Tried to Suicide. Chicago, April 18.—Peter Neidermier, one of the car barn bandits, attempted to commit suicide in his cell early to -day, and not until lie was unconscious from the Ioss of blood was he discovered. He was revived,.. The physicians said the chances of life or death were about even. The method was by opening an artery in his •left arm This was done by means of a lead pen- cil. :Guard Roeder, passing Neider- mier's cell, saw him huddled on his cot, with a blanket drawn over his bead:. A moan attracted his attention, and when This attempt to rouse him proved fruit- less, he summoned' Jailer Whitman, and the cell was opened, Neidermier was un- conscious, and his clothing and the blan- ket were found soaked with blood, wihich was flowing from a .ragged wound in his wrist. Ho was taken to the jail hospital and the artery in his wrist was fastened. Then it was learned that he bad at- tempted to poison himself. In his cell was found a. quantity of matches, from which he bad eaten the heads, and Jailer Whitman 'said most of those probably had been smuggled to him by other pri- soners. A letter written by Niedermier prior to the attempt at suicide, was found concealed in his 'tot. In the letter the writer incidentally expresses repent- ance for his :career, and he regrets leav- ing the few who had loved him, but chief- ly the letter is ,a morbid glorification of the writer's courage and his loyalty to his kind in contrast with Niedermier's associate, Gustav Marx. The letter says: "There are four reasons why I should take my own life. . • "First, because of the public boast that 1 cannot commit suicide while I am so closely guarded. "Second, and that I cannot cheat the scaffold. "Third, that they cannot say they ex- ecuted me and made me pay for it crime. "Fourth, to have another mystery for the ignorant to solve" Made a Second Attempt. Niedermeier made a second attempt SHE FACES 6BAVE CNRB6E. Mrs,M.J.Sked, of Freeport, Ill, Accused of Manslaughter. ,Freepot't, Ill•, April 18—literest is .growing daily in the ease of Mrs. 11I. J: Sked, who will bo tried at the next Iteran of court on the charge of manslaughter. Mrs. Sked vas indicted by the Stephenson County grand jury, and the indictment, ,wihich comprises fif- ty-two pages of typewritten mat- ter, alleges all sorts of cruelty on the part of the woman and charges that alta; starved and abused her 4 - year -old nephew, until he died. The child, the son of her brother in California, flied Oct. 10, 190a. An Inquest was field over the remains of the child, and it was discovered, so it Is alleged, that the bay's body was covered with bruises. An autop- sy revealed a very emaciated con- dition and soon atter this Investiga- tion the woman was arrested. The case has been sensational frdm Its inception, and many witnesess have been interviewed and many sensational charges have been made. If half the tales told by neighbors aro true the woman must ba of un- sound mind, but it is hinted that personal spite lits animated many of the witnesses in the case, and it is confidently asserted 'by the attorneys for Mrs. Sked that when tllo great mass of evidence tuts been winnowed and sifted very little of Weight will ,rem'ain. Tito greater •portion is said to be rumor, sur- mise. and slander. Mrs. Seed, 'who Is In tate County Jail, is keeping up remarkably wen, When vielted by a representative she was not averse to talking of the ease. Sold Mrs. Sked With sono vigor ; "Tete case 10 based wholly on sup- position. They do not ,oven have circumstantial evidence against me. Idle gossip hue been accepted as gospel truth by the .people of the city and nubile sentiment has been prejudiced against me, I have no fear of the outcome of the trial." When the trial does cotne tilt' there Will be a great legal battle for some of the keenest minds in Stens'. enson County will. take part in it. There Is a tradition that a wroman was tried for murder in this county once 'before, but it was to the early Save and all records of the ease have been lost, Not taking that In- to account, this Will be the first time In Freeport that a., jury its° been called upon to try a woman for a Capital manse. Judge Cronkrito, one of the ablest 1143 set by (Montoya lit the Minty, fes 1 oil tan11. 11. Tif fan ind Attorney tarn will defend the woman A num. bee Of witneseee wlli comp from the Paelflo Coast, and tho treat rrrofntses at suicide, after the wound had betel dressed. He was lying aparently un- conscious in the hospital under s petard's care. His right arm and hand were hidden by the bed clothing, and with hardly a, discernible motion iia slipped the bandages off his left arae, and with his linger paile tore away the threads in .the wound and 'needling his forefinger into the ragged hole, he work- ed again at the veins and sought to reach an artery. Ile unconsciously ut• tered a groan and made a convulsive movement, which attracted the atter* tion of the physicians, nurses and theft guard, and on throwing back the cover - lids the attendants saw with horror that Neidermeier had torn away the bandages and reopened the wound. Neidermeier opened his eyes, and with a leering, wan smile, exclaimed, "Let me die, Doe. Go away and let me die. You were almost too late .the first time Now, why do you try to save my life?" Neidermeier lost a large quantity of blood, and was abnost pulseless for a time. • The most danger, however, is that the poisonous phosphorous has burned him so severely that his life can- not be saved for its final snuffing out on the gallows. In getting at the veins au l arteries in his arm he first sawed three long gashes. Then bo pushed the sharp end of the pencil into one so it would pass under the veins. Then he twisted around and around until the veins were twisted and burst. In doing this, the pencil was broken into sev- eral pieces. Extensive Strike. Quincy, brass., April 18. Work in the extensive yards of the Foriver Ship and Engine Company was tied no to -day by m strike of 2,600 men over a question of hours. The action of the men stopped work on -the U. S. battleships Rhode Island, New Jersey and Vermont. Un- less the .difficulty is adjusted, the launch- ing of the battleship Rhode Island, set for April 30, may be delayed. To Visit Emperor Joseph. . London, April 18. -The - Prince and Princess of Wales, with their suite, • started this morning for Vienun,where they will visit the Emperor Francis Joseph. .. Shoe Factory Burned. , • Brockton, Mass., April 18. --The Large shoe factory Here owned by L. M. Rey- nolds & Co. was burned to -clay. • The direct loss is estimated at $100,000, and the insurance it $82,500. From 200 to 300 persons lost 'their places of em- ployment. The fire followed a terrific explosion, which wrecked a part of the factory. Within twenty minutes the en- tire structure, a three-storey wooden building, was ablaze, soon after which it collapsed. There was no one about the premises at the time, and the cause o£'the explosion is unknown- to be a long one. The condition' of the (child from! its birth, its health and physical condition at the time it was brought to Freeport and. while it was on the coast ,will be examined into minutely. There will also be a searching In- veetigation into the charges made that Mrs. Sited was guilty o1 tortur- ing not only this child but oilier children who. lived .had been public sentiment has been thoroughly arous ed to the case. The Freeport 1Wo. man's Club has interested itself in the matter, the Humane 'Society has also taken a hand, and the whole city is stirred up over the affair. By her actions since she was ar- rested Mrs. Sked has been able Ito awaken considerable interest and sympathy. She has carried herself In a quiet And sensible way, and has strenuously maintained that she is innocent of the awful crime There is a thread of romance run- ning through (the affair: as it is claimed by Mrs. Sited that the dead child was one of the lietrd of • 4vinat is known as the King 'William estate on Manhattan Island, New York. There ane a great many heirs to this estate, which has been In con. troversery for many years. It le al- leged that the reason Mrs. Skei wish - ad to get rid of her nephew; was be- cause she thought she might some day inherit a part of this estate. Bath this is such a remote contin- gent that it Is not looked upon as much of a motive for such a crimes. Mfrs. Skid is not an Ill -looking wo- man. She has light hair, rather col- orless eyes and a fair complexion. She is vigorous and of a Strong mind, and dearly loves a fight. She makea a good Nltness and is anxious:y awaiting the triad, when she prom - Wes to mnake some startling •reh:eala- tions In regard to certain gossipy tales 'that have been widely clrel- Lated4 A BUMPER CROP EXPECTED, Four Million Acres WiII be Seeded . ii► Man habit This Year. Winnipeg, ;April .18, - 74 is esti- mated that no lose than four tltlllicn acre; er.1l b:n weird In Manitoba tins • favorable Tte aro Weatheagreed fromw tht with this will be a. bumper crop year, as it Ls a remarkable fact (fiat a hard winter always means a hotter yield from grain crops, There is more nto:sture in the ground, and frost taken longer to r:se, so that the mote aro Lopt In a healthy oondltion alt Summer, when, as nature gener- ally manages to balaneo th'ngtt oat pretty evenly, ,a. long, hard winter' is generally the precursor of ogood saunter, in mhdclt everythingripann well. , Seventy Trttneporte. TiceTsin, April 1S.• ---From eevttral sources reports havebeen po received hero saying that it Japanse fleet of over rev only transports is heading for Kinehou, north of -'ort Arthur. Monet Vernon, N. Y.•. -The Beare eaueed by the breaking of s, valve near the Westchester Lighting Company's .station. hist evening is over, end theta have been no serioue rel efts front the aeeident.