Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1885 — VARIOUS MATTERS. [ARTICLE]

VARIOUS MATTERS.

The Chicago Syndicate’s Conditions at Last Accepted for Building the Texas Capitol A Rich Man Goes Begging for a Burial Place—Explosion Caused by a Toothpick—Etc., Etc. Texas’ Big Capitol. The Building Commissioners and Capitol,Board met on Tuesday, says a dispatch from Austin, Texas. The board consists of Governor Ireland, Controller Swain, State Treasurer Lubbock, Attorney General Templeton, and Land Commissioner Walsh. The Building'Commissioners are Messrs. Lee and McLaurin and Supervising Architect Walker. The board, with one dissenting voice (.that of Treasurer Lubbock), voted to accept the proposition of Colonel Abner Taylor, of the Chicago syndicate, to build the State House of red granite, from lhe mountains of Burnet County, sixty miles northwest of Austin. Under the new agreement, the building will cost the contractor $500,000 extra, but the State agrees to omit two porticos md furnish the granite and 500 convicts to work it, Col. Taylor w’as present at the meeting, and says he will immediately put i large force at work. A railroad fifteen miles long has to be built before the granite is leiched. A dispatch from a convention of Knights of Labor was laid before (he meeting, solemnly protesting against the employment of convicts. Col. Taylor says he will employ every granite cutter in Texas at union prices. The Texas State House is to be finished according to the new contract in two years. The Texans I ire much pleased with the magnanimous ’ ind honorable bearing and conduct of Col. I Taylor throughout the negotiations, which i have extended over a week and involved ■ millions. Both sides made concessions, I Mid Col. Taylor showed Gov. Ireland he was not to be outdone. A Book-Keeper Wrecks a Bank. A Sedalia (Mo.) special says th at “an examination of the books of the Sedalia Savings Bank, from which R. E. King, the' bookkeeper, embezzled SIO,OOO on July 3 and absconded, revealed that there had been systematic defalcations during the fast five years, amounting to about $38,000, besides the SIO,OOO returned, making $48,900, or nearly the capital stock of $50,000. King was arrested on a warrant sworn out by one of the directors and placed under bond of $1,500, which was Jto-day raised to $5,000. Officers of the bank have published i card saying that on account of serious loss by having their funds abstracted it would be necessary to suspend, but arrangements had been made to pay every dollar of the deposits with interest, and all depositors could call and get their money at pleasure. The matter had been kept quiet by the bank, which had denied the reports that had gotten out. and the announcement creited quite a sensation. Nearly all concerned censure the bank officers for retaining King when his bad habits were well known. ” Buried Dike a Pauper. The funeral of Edward Gillan, who shot his wife and killed himself at Cleveland, Ohio, was a strange one. A telegram from that city says: “The man was a Roman Catholic, but some years ago he was excommunicated, and no priest would consent to conduct the funeral services. *His daughter refused to allow a Protestant minister to officiate, and consequently no service was performed and no hymn was sung. The remains lay in a rich casket with silver ornaments. A large number called to see the corpse. The funeral was attended only by a few old people, who sat by the coffin smoking pipes. There was considerable trouble securing pall-bearers, but finally six men consented to act. The body was then taken to the Catholic cemetery, but as Gil Jan had been excommunicated it was refused burial there, and thus the remains of the man who left $50,000 worth of property were buried in the potter’s field. ” A Plucky Woman. A Lafayette (Ind.) dispatch says that “a rough-looking man entered - the kitchen door of one of our prominent houses and inquired for the lady of the house. Being informed by the hired girl that she was not at home he became very loquacious, and wound up by making love to the girl. Pretending not to be opposed to his advances, she watched her opportunity and when he approached her she seized a large dipper and from a wash-boiler on the stove hurled a quantity of boiling suds into his face, scalding his eyes in a terrible manner. As he groped his way out of the house he was heard to exclaim: “Oh, sheol,” but in the language of the old version. As-he retreated the girl followed up her advantage by administering another hot bath about the head and neck until he was well off the premises. If the fellow retains his eyesight he will doubtless give that kitchen a wide berth in the future. ’’ A Tooth-pick Explosion. A most singular occurrence, that, by a miracle, did not prove a fatal one, happened at a grocery in Richmond. Ind., says a dispatch from that city. Billy Stump had sharpened the clean end of a match for a tooth-pick when a customer called for a can of gasoline, and while filling it, with the match held firmly between his teeth, he raised his head and it was ignited in coming in contact with the counter. Simultaneously a flame shot from the can and he was ablaze, but hurrying to the street some parties, after failing to quench the blaze by pumping water on him, rolled him in the dust until they accomplished it. A Proclamation Against Cattle. Gov. Marlin of Kansas, a Topeka telegram says, has issueda proclamation against the importation of infectious cattle into the State. The Governor directs all Sheriffs and deputies to promptly take charge of and restrain any cattle sought to be driven across any county in violation of law and report the same to the Live Stock Sanitary Commission. The Governor also directs the Sanitary Commission to adopt effective regulations for the enforcement of the act Three Men Killed by an Explosion. A frightful explosion occurred on the South Pennsylvania Railroad, near Fort Littleton, Fulton County, Pa., instantly killing one Hungarian and two Italians, and probably fatally injuring John Martin, the foreman, and an unknown negro. The bodies of those killed were horribly mutilated.