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Police Aldrich, were already on guard in the railroad yards when the message came, and soon the train arrived. Sheriff Fenton searched the train and came upon an empty car in which were three men. He ordered them to come out, but they refused. Then at the risk of his life, he jumped into the car; with a pistol in his hand. He ordered the three men to holdup, their hands and get out, of the car, Which they did. While two of them answered the description of Shorty Gray and Dowd, they, however were not the dynamiters. Together with Sheriffs Fisher of Otoe and Quinton of Cass county, Sheriff Fenton organized a posse to follow up the desperadoes, and they left for Sarpy county on, a special train.

I was glad indeed that the office came to Mr. Fenton, for I have known him for several years and found him to be a kind man and a gentleman. I knew that he would give the boys a square deal and keep up the good work commenced by Warden Melick. He

 
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started in fighting the "dope" traffic. In this he was aided by the new law passed, making the bringing of "dope" into the prison a felony, and now the use of dope is reduced to the minimum.

Hitherto the warden had been in supreme command, but on July 1, 1913 came the board of commissioners for state institutions. They are to the warden what the duma is to the once mighty czar of Russia. The warden's hands, as well as those at the head of the other state institutions, are tied by this board. A mighty good thing for the taxpayers of the state is this board, that is, when it comes to spending the coin. Domiciled in luxurious quarters in our ready-to-fall statehouse, are the offices of these three distinguished gentlemen, who are to save their own and their employees' salaries, and office supplies amounting to about fourteen thousand dollars per annum, by careful buying of supplies for the state institutions, as well as preventing graft at the different


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institutions. In the future all grafting will be done by this august body, and thus save the briber's railroad fare to the various institutions. However, this applies to the future and not to the present, as the three commissioners now in office are men of the highest character and integrity and are, like Caesar's wife, above suspicion. Two of them are lawyers, one is a farmer, though the public somewhat expected to see a practical business man on the board. The purchases for all state institutions are made once every three months and samples are submitted. The merchants who bid on supplies are permitted to come to the office and take their place in the "dead line", which means that "mum is the word." Now commences one of Governor Holcomb's famous tea parties. Eight or ten merchants submit samples, each of nine or ten different kinds of teas. Tea pots and hot water are brought in and the brewing of tea commences. Tasting a cup of tea, Governor Holcomb says to a

 
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merchant, "This is mighty nice tea. What is the price of it?" "Seventy cents, governor, this is Tipton's number one." "Heavens, no," says Mr. Gerdes. "Down where I lived we used to get some from Montgomery Ward for nine cents. It was good stuff, too, and red as oxblood. Haven't you got some of that?" "Here is something that tastes good to me," says Judge Kennedy to another merchant. "How much is this?" "Well gentlemen," says the merchant, "on account of my good furtune; which I stand ready to share with you, I offer this tea for twelve and nine-tenths cents. Before the outbreak of the revolution in China and. the capture of Ching-Chung Chow, I had bought large quantities. of this tea and stored it in Hong Kong. This same tea now sells for eighteen cents by other firms, and is going still higher.

And now comes Mr. Gerdes' coffee party. "What is this kind worth?" says Mr. Gerdes, sampling a cup of coffee. "We