News from Around the World
A terrible tale of murder and cruelty is that connected with the exposure of the "malpractice syndicate," in Philadelphia, to which reference was made some weeks ago. The accusations then made have been confirmed and others have been added to them. The furnace in which both living and dead infants were cremated has been found, and it has been ascertained that infants were sold at auction, were palmed off on families who needed heirs, were put to sleep with dogs, were starved, maltreated, sent the rounds of baby farms for a purchaser, and failing to meet one, were left neglected to die. The bodies were thrown into sewers and left in alleys and churches. The French Court, to which the case of Colombia against the Panama Canal Company had been referred, has decided against Colombia. Colombia desired an injunction against the transfer of the canal property to the United States, and also asked that costs of suit be assessed against the company. The court denied all the claims, and assessed the costs to the Colombian Government. This is thought to remove all legal obstacles to the transfer of clear title to the United States. A decisive majority has been given the bill of the French premier for the suppression of teaching by the religious orders. The government has also, during this week, put into effect the law passed in December last, requiring that all religious emblems be removed from court rooms and halls of justice. This move, which has been put into execution during "holy week," is regarded as a retaliatory blow at the pope. Millions of dollars' worth of property has been destroyed by floods in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and other states during the past week. The members of the Panama Canal Commission have sailed for the isthmus, to begin the preliminary work of canal building.