NEWS OrrHE WEEK
Mrs. Nancy Staffleback, the noted woman prisoner serving a
21 year term in the Kansas penitentiary for accessory to murder,
died of pneumonia on the 9th. Mrs. Staffleback was 79 years old,
and she had completed 12 years of the sentence. Her son, George
Staffleback, a lifetime convict, and second husband, Charles Wil
son, 25-year convict, were brought to the female ward and were
with her when she died. Mrs. Staffleback, realizing that her end
was near, begged to be taken outside of the penitentiary. Her son
added his entreaties to have her taken outside, but the prison offi
cials could do nothing. Mrs. Staffleback made a last statement to
the chaplain an hour before she died that the state had punished
an innocent woman, and she had no connection with the murder.
The Stafflebacks lived near Galena, Kan., and were accused of nu
merous atrocious murders. They ran a hotel, and it was alleged
that they murdered guests who had money and threw the bodies
into a deserted mine. The Stafflebacks are generally ranked next
to the Benders in notorious Kansas murders.
The bill forbidding the further purchase of lands in Cuba by
aliens has been defeated in the Cuban house of representatives by
a vote of 49 to 11. Congressman Arteaga, author of the measure,
made no argument in its support, saying he knew from the first
that there was no chance for the adoption of the bill. Congress
men Viondi, replying to the complaint of Congressman Garcia that
Americans are rapidly absorbing all the land in Cuba, said: “I
want to say the Americans are our friends. The world has mar
veled at a people who twice have had our liberty and in their hands
and permitted us to become free and independent. I, as a lover of
my country, was as much concerned and jealous as any one on the
two occasions the Americans occupied the palace, but I have seen
them go, and feel they are our friends.”
A jealous wife, whose suspicions may have been groundless,
shot and blinded her husband at Norwich, N. Y., on the morning
of the 7th, when she tried to kill him, and then ended her own life.
Henry C. Jacobs, a cigarmaker who has been prominent in union
labor circles in central New York, was sleeping when his wife en
tered the room and shot him, severing both optic nerves and ren
dering him blind. Throwing herself on the bed, she shot herself
in the head, the wound causing death in a couple of hours. Jacobs,
sightless, ran to the street, summoned help, and then collapsed.
Physicians expect him to live. Mrs. Jacobs left a letter for the
public in which she accused another woman of alienating her hus
band’s affections, and of wrecking her home. Many persons say
the accused woman was innocent of any wrongdoing. In an affec
tionate letter to her daughter Mrs. Jacobs told her troubles and of
the disposition she wished to be made of her property.
Lieut, Daniel T. Ghent, of the U. S. navv. for several months
commanding officer of the torpedo destroyer Goldsborough, has
been transferred to the naval station at Samoa. This practical
marooning of a lively young naval officer at one of the least desir
able ports in the service is probably due to his secret marriage to
a young actress belonging to the Blue Moon company, which oc
curred recently at Kansas City while he had live days’ leave of ab
sence. He tried to get an assignment to the East, using some
Texas congresfi|i^f'6l friends to plead for him, but without success.
Now he is prat' ^ exiled in far Samoa.
Frank Serho eloped last week from Chicago to New York
with Mrs. JosiB Fresso, a 16-year-old bride. Serino, who is 23,
had been engaged to the girl, but she was recently bestowed on a
suitor with more of the world’s goods. The pair were followed to
New York by Michael Pacelliani, the bride’s brother, aged 20. He
induced them to return to Chicago, paying all expenses. An hour
after they arrived in the later city Pacelliani shot and killed Se
rino. “You ruined my sister and can make no amends,” he shouted
as he fired. He gave himself up to the police.
At Benton, 111., as a sequel to the suicide of Miss Byrl Somers
recently, John Nichols, 25 years old, killed himself in like manner
several days later with a revolver. He left a note saying in as
much as his sweetheart killed herself for him, he had nothing more
to live for. The deed was done not far from the home of his late
sweetheart’s parents.
The committee appointed by Gov. Haskell of Oklahoma to in
vestigate the charges of cruelty to prisoners in the Kansas peni
tentiary at Lansing has made its report, and sustained in substance
the charges originally brought by Miss Kate Barnard, commis
sioner of charities and corrections for Oklahoma. The committee
declares prisoners were “stretched and tortured and strangled
with watei,” but says the prison suffers more from bad methods
than from bad men. A lack of discipline and the presence of polit
ical manipulation is everywhere apparent, it is alleged, and the
warden is accused of not having the courage to stand up for what
he kne»v to be right.
At Atchison, Kan., on the 7th Carl Hale, a 17-year-old boy,
confessed to his uncle, Roy Hale, and Sheriff Taylor that he had
caused the death of Mrs. Jerome Hoover, who was found dead in
her kitchen with a bullet hole in her head three days previously,
but that it was accidental. The Hale boy says he took the mail
from the Hoover mail box into the house and found Mrs. Hoover
frying meat, and that he went out and around the kitchen and shot
at dried-up peaches on a tree four times and returned home. When
he heard of the death of Mrs. Hoover in the evening he became
fearful that he had killed her. Mrs. Hoover was killed wdiile wash
ing dishes. _
Zodiac Will Be
: ln Readiness
Commodore blender, master of the
flaghip Zodiac, boarded that craft at
her winter moorings opposite The Post
office last Tuesday and started getting
things in shape for operations. Chief
Engineer Sellendar inspected the boil
ers and engines, and gave them a good
coat of graphite to prevent rush in case
of rain. Captain Sellendar says that
steam will be up by the time the ice
moves, and the proud old ship will be
ready for her summer’s work.
GIBBON GOSSIP
Mrs. M. E. Cooper has carpenters at
work on the new hotel getting it ready
for occupancy.
Charley Chanquist, of the Grand
hotel, is erecting a fine frame house
on Second avenue, which he expects to
use for his residence.
Carpenters are now working on the
Jeff Davis gettingthe necessary repairs
and changes made.
Commissioner Phil Gallaher last
Monday appointed Frank Smith as road
commissioner for the Fort Gibbon road
district.
J. J. O’Brien has nearly completed
his cabin on Campbell way. It is a
credit to Mr. O’Brien and the commun
ity.
Tom McGill has gone back to Illinois
creek to try his luck once more. The
water drove him out and he came here
to get a pump.—-Gibbon Leader.
See us for Cloth Posters.
THE LATEST
Paris boasts of her Touraine,
And New* York of Astoria,
London of her Cecil’s fame,
And Liverpool Victoria.
Every city has her choice,
For, boys, that’s smart and lofty;
But there’s none so rare that can com
pare
With the Drummond lair at Toftv
Exquisite fabrics of her suites
Arranged to suit the patron;
With brussel rare and Morris chair,
The acme of Turk and Briton,
Are lavished freely in each room,
Where gloom is never summoned,
And homelike rest for every guest
Has blessed the Hotel Drummond.
Jim Drummond’s brand in every land
Will stand while others perish;
While wind and rays will waft his
praise,
And his good ways they’ll lavish;
When Hot Springs’ mayor doth want a
“square,”
j You’ll see him steer for Tofty;
For in the spring Jim’s name doth ring
| As a sure thing—to many.
His opening night was out o’ sight,
And every bite was pure; ^
And all that ate will swear or bet
That they could get no better.
The Hot Springs crowd that lived
On beans for a month or over,
So they could lay few cents away
And dress so gay in a collar.
I am afraid they drove to shade
Those using spade for living;
Who wields the pick on every creek
To keep this “click” from starving.
The overall was ail they had,
But glad to have such trousers,
A jumper blue, a heart that’s true
To steer him through the dancers.
But pride or shame it’s all the same,
Your name is always welcomed
In this hotel, where plain or swell,
! Together dwell in The Drummond.
There’s welcome here, he’ll treat you
square,
| And share his fare so hearty;
' So don’t forget, there’s pleasure yet,
j If you’ll but set your mind on Tofty.
j The dancers gay have gone away.
But they cannot stay from here}
I As summer’s fern, they will return—
| Girls always yearn for pleasure.
So, happy ladies, come again.
Above men you’ll be honored:
You’ve won this town, both up and
down, -
1 And brown you’ve turned Jim Drum
mond.
—R. C. Morris, Cache Creek •
——————
“Cheerful Cy” Noble returned from
a short visit to Fairbanks last Sunday.
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