--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 18 number: 7 published: 1915-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations, "Passing Events," *Improvement Era* 18, no. 7 (May 1915): 656–659.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1807unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1807unse start_page: 656 end_page: 659 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1915-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1807unse publication_year: 1915 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1915, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Passing Events Passing Events Augusta Joyce Crocheron, a pioneer of Salt Lake Valley, died Wednesday, March 17, 1915, in Salt Lake City. She was widely recog- nized as a writer of poetry, and for many years was a well-known worker in the Mutual Improvement Associations, and other organiza- tions of the Church. The Utah Panama-Pacific Exposition building was dedicated in San Francisco, April 12. The state was represented by Lewis A. Mer- rill, vice president of the Utah exposition commission, and D. S. Spen- cer, the latter acting as chairman of the day. An appropriate program was carried out, and the Utah Society of Northern California appeared prominently in the program. The eleventh session of the Utah State Legislature cost the state for salaries of the senators, representatives and employes, and other expenses, $35,000; for printing bills, $9,000; journals, governor's mes- sage, etc., $10,000; binding, $1,000; miscellaneous expenses, $3,515.84, making a total expense of $58,515.84. The session laws this year will consist of one hundred and twenty-two chapters. The Mexican Situation. In early April the national convention met in the national palace. Provincial president Roque Gonzales Garza presided. The convention government authorized the payment of $20,000 indemnity for the death of John B. McManus, the American citizen recently killed in Mexico by Zapatista soldiers. Fighting about Celaya occurred on April 14 between General Villa's forces and Carranza's under General Obregon. The latter reported 5,000 dead and 6,000 taken prisoners in this battle. Prohibition in England. The British government is on the point of following the Czar in the matter of prohibition. There has been strong talk of promulgating a decree of absolute prohibition of all trade in liquor throughout the United Kingdom, while the war continues. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, according to the telegrams, declared that drink was a greater and more deadly foe to England than Germany is. Both King George and Earl Kitchener favor complete prohibition, and have stopped the use of strong drink in their households. The United States submarine F-4, built in Seattle in 1912, was accidentally submerged in the Honolulu harbor, March 25, and never rose again to the surface. The crew consisted of twenty-five men, com- manded by Alfred L. Ede, born in Nevada, 1887, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 1909. Several attempts were made to raise the sub- marine but up to this writing, the efforts have been futile. One of the — crew was a former resident of Salt Lake City Frank N. Herzog, whose mother now resides here. The government has authorized the expenditure of $20,000 to recover the submarine. The Newhouse hotel, Salt Lake City, opened its doors on Satur- day, March 27. Fully ten thousand people visited the hotel during the day, and in the evening some twelve hundred people were entertained at the opening dinner and ball. Two hundred and fifty guests rcg- istered during the day. One of the events of the opening day was the communication by long distance telephone to New York, and the enter- tainment of several business men and officials by the proprietor, Somuel Newhouse, at a luncheon. Over the telephone could he heard music in a New York office 2,600 miles away. Byron Groo, a well-known newspaper man, and former state and federal official, died April 13, 1915, in Salt Lake City. He was born in Grahamsville, Sullivan, county, New York, August 11, 1849, being the son of Isaac and Sarah E. Gillett Groo. The family came to Salt Lake in 1854, and Byron was educated in the ward schools in which his father taught. He enlisted as a private for the Black Hawk war when only 17 years of age, and gained the rank of lieutenant by gallant conduct. He attended the University of Deseret, now Utah, and taught school during the winters of 1866-7. He was later a deputy and territorial marshal and city marshal. In 1873, he joined the staff of the Salt Lake Herald, and three years later became its editor, filling that position with noteworthy success until 1892, when he resigned. He was later a member of the state board of land commissioners, being secretary for seven years. He was director and secretary and treasurer of several business institutions, and later became cashier of the Utah Commercial and Savings Bank. Margaret Burch Goff died in Springville, April 10, 1915. She was the oldet person in Utah, at the date of her death, having been born December 25, 1808, in Delaware. Her grandfather fought for the in- dependence of the American colonies, in the Revolutionary War, and her father fought in the War of 1812. She joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 1834. She came to Utah in 1850, and lived in Provo for more than fifty years. Mrs. Goff was personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith, being only three years younger than he, and thus enjoyed his acquaintance as a mature woman. She often related incidents in connection with early Church history. Her husband in Nauvoo was a personal friend of Joseph Smith, and accompnaied the bodies of Joseph and his brother Hyrum from Carthage to Nauvoo after the martyrdom. She was married four times and was the mother of eleven children, only two of whom sur- vive her. Charles H. Wilcken, soldier, pioneer, and prominent citizen of Salt Lake City, died April 9, 1915. He was born at Eckhorst, Holstein, Germany, October 5, 1830. He served in the Prussian army during the war with Denmark over the Schleswig-Holstein provinces. He was decorated with the iron cross for bravery in battle, by Frederick Wil- liam, the king of Prussia. Brother Wilcken was the trusted friend and associate of Presidents Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Wood- ruff and George Q. Cannon, and many other leaders of the Church. He came to America in 1857, joined Johnston's army, just then pre- paring to go against the "Mormons." On leaving the army, he cast his lot with the people of Utah, being shortly thereafter baptized into the Church. He continued to be a faithful and valiant member to the day of his death. He was active in the building up of the common- wealth, occupying many civil and ecclesiastical positions of honor and trust, and died an upright, courageous, loyal and faithful Latter-day Saint. Charles S. Zane, first chief justice of the state of Utah, and many years territorial judge before Utah became a state, died on March 29. 1915, at his home in Salt Lake City from a stroke of apoplexy. Judge Zane was a well-known lawyer in Utah, and once belonged to the law- firm of Lincoln, at Springfield. Illinois. When Lincoln was elected to the presidency of the United States in 1860, Zane succeeded him in the law firm. He was present at all the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Judge Zane was born at Morristown, New Jersey, March 2, 1834. He entered the McKendree college, in 1852, graduated in 1855, campaigned for Lincoln in 1860, and then became a member of the firm of Harndon & Lincoln. In 1884, he was appointed chief justice of the Utah terri- torial supreme court by President Chester A. Arthur, remaining in that position until 1893, since which time he has practiced law in Utah. When Utah was admitted to the Union as a state, he became chief justice of the supreme court, but was defeated for re-election. He was popular among members of the bar of Utah and his decisions are con- sidered among the best delivered in the state. Recent demands made of China by Japan are causing considerable excitement and feeling in China, and some apprehension in other quar- ters, especially in the United States. The Japanese garrisons have been increased, and it is reported from Peking that there are now 150,000 Japanese troops in China. The Chinese commissioners have agreed to a number of the Japanese demands, but hesitate to consent to those that deal with the Japanese control of the Hanyang iron works, and of several important mining properties. The present government led by Count Okuma was chosen at a recent parliamentary election, and he is pledged to a further increase in the Japanese army. The growing anxiety of the American people over the situation was relieved some- what on April 12 when the New York Independent published a message from Count Okuma in which he says that the uneasiness and sus- picion of the United States in connection with Japan's negotiations in Peking are based on misunderstanding and misinformation. Japan is not trying to secure a monopoly in China, nor to create a protectorate. Gen. Hugh L. Scott, chief of the general staff of the United States Army, brought with him to Salt Lake City, on March 25, the leaders in the recent southern Utah uprising, —-Old Polk, Old Posey, Tse-ne-gat find several other Piutes. While the Indians had successfully resisted all attempts to take them by force, General Scott's persuasiveness • captured them." They came willingly to Salt Lake where they were imprisoned. When General Scott parted with them he assured them that they would be treated honorably. Tse-ne-gat was later taken to Colorado where he will answer in the courts of that state on the charge of murder of a Mexican sheepherder. The other Indians re- mained for a few days in Salt Lake City, and left for Thompson's on April 12,on their promising that they would go and behave them- selves on the Ute mountain reservation. The released Indians were Old Polk, Old Posey, Posey's boy Jack Ute, Jackrabbit Soldier, Noland May, and John Hammonds. It would have cost $25,000 to get soldiers enough into the wild encampment of the Indians, and it would have taken at least two regiments, to subdue them. The persuasiveness and kindness of General Scott made this expense unnecessary. While in Salt Lake General Scott spoke at the L. D. S. U., at the University of Utah, and visited the state capitol and the West Side high school. He also visited the First Presidency who congratulated General Scott on having effected a peaceable settlement of the Indian trouble, saying that that had always been the policy of the Church in its dealings with them. At the L. D. S. U., Professor Young on behalf of the students expressed to General Scott the deep admiration he had inspired by the masterly display of justice and love of peace he had given in inducing the Indians in San Juan county to surrender. General Scott was greatly impressed by the excellent showing made by the cadets of the West Side high school, remarking particularly on their good training. The Great War. The main activity during the past month in the great war was in the Carpathians between the Russians, the Austrians and Germans; and the bombardment of the Dardanelles by the allied fleet. Activities on the sea have continued and many of the ships of the Allies have been destroyed by the Germans. — March 14. The German cruiser ''Dresden" was sunk near Juan Fernandez island by the British ship "Glasgow" and the cruiser "Ora- ma" and "Kent." — March 15. The Russians capture the eastern defenses at Przemysl. The British government announces that no merchant vessel will be allowed to proceed on her voyage to any German port unless given a pass. No merchant vessel from any German port shall be allowed to proceed on her way, and all her goods must be discharged in an allied port. — March 17. The French battleship "Bouvet" and the British battle- ships "Irresistible" and "'Ocean" were sunk by mines in the Darda- Four British merchant vessels were sunk on the Dutch coast, nelles. — and in the channel by German submarines "Leewarden," "Blonde," "Fingal," and "Glenartney." — March 19. The Russian squadron appears off the Bosphorus. March 20.—The Dutch steamer "Zaanstrom" laden with eggs was seized in the North Sea by the Germans and taken to Zeebrugge. Scotch women register for army service. "Hanford" and "Blue Jacket," British steamships, were torpedoed in the English Channel. — March 22. The Russians capture Przemysl. There is great re- joicing at Petrograd. Many thousands of prisoners were taken. — March 25. The Kurds massacre Christians in Persia. The Dutch steamer "Medea" was sunk by a German submarine off Beachy Head. — March 27. The British ship "Aquila" was sunk off Pembroke, and the "Vosges" off the Cornish coast. — March 28. Ten more warships joined the allied fleet at the Dar- danelles. The Okuma ministry wins Japanese elections. The Liver- pool boat "Falaba" was sunk near St. George's channel and one hun- dred lives lost. The British steamer "Eston" is sunk. — March 29. The Russian Black sea fleet bombarded the forts at the entrance to the Bosphorus. — March 30. The Austrians lose eighteen thousand men in defending the Carpathian passes. — March 31. The Germans repulse the Russians in Augustowo forest and on the Vistula. The French steamer "Emma" was sunk by a — submarine in the British Channel 19 of her crew missing. April 1.— The Russians gain the Beskid heights in the Carpathians and take seven thousand prisoners. Three Tyne trawlers were sunk by German submarines. — April 2. The American steamer "Sweetbriar" was sunk by a mine in the North Sea. The British battleship "Lord Nelson" is reported lost in the Dardanelles, and the allied fleets have suspended bombard- ment. The Norwegian bark "Nor" was sunk; and the British ship "Lockwood" was torpedoed. — April 4. The Russians report having taken between March 20 and April 3, 378 officers, 33,155 men, and 17 cannon and a hundred machne guns in the Carpathian mountains. The Glasgow steamer "Olevine' and the Russian bark "Hermes" sunk off the Isle of Wight by German submarine. April 5.— The British steamer "Northlands' and the trawler "Agantha," sunk off Beachy Head. . April 7.— "Prinz Eitel Friederick," the German raider sheltering at Newport News can not escape, and internes for the war with her officers on parole. April 11— "Kron Prinz Wilhelm," the German converted cruiser eight which slid out of the New York harbor August 3 last, after months preying on commerce, enters Newport New, having destroyed nine British, four French and one Norwegian ships, valued with car- goes at $70,000,000, and taken 960 prisoners.