Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1886 — A DESPERATE DEED. [ARTICLE]

A DESPERATE DEED.

The Hon. Wm. D. Keller, of Pennsylvania, thinks he was the first public man in America to make a speech for woman suffrage. It was forty-five years ago, and he has firmly believed in the cause ever since. Sabah Winnemucca, the Piute Princess, has built a school-house at Lovelock, Nevada, where twenty-five little Piutes are learning to read and write free of all expense. They are said to be very bright scholars. The North German Gazette , of Berlin, says: “The prosecution is imminent of numerous' Germans who style themselves doctors on the strength of diploma; purchased in America. There are 3,400 such doctors in Berlin alone.” Hair three-quarters the length of the women and of wonderful thickness is common in Mexico. It is often worn loose, but more frequently in two long plaits. Wig-makers find no employment there. The men wear long, heavy bangs.

A well-known lady of Macon lias a curious superstition. Upon entering a room for the first time .she stands in the center and bows to each corner. She declares that this exhibition of politene-s is intended to propitiate the spirits. Mrs. James Brown Potter, who recently electrified a Washington audience by reciting “ ’Ostler. Joe,” was a witness in a New York law case several days ago. She wore an English ulster, and attracted much attention as she gave her testimony in a clear and concise manner. Chief Mahf.dy, of the New York Fire Department, was killed recently while en route to a lire, his wagon being dashed to pieces by colliding with a fire engine. About a year ago the Chief of the Cincinnati Fire Department was killed in the same way, and shortly thereafter an Assistant Fire Marshal of Chicago lost his life under similar circumstances. Attention has been drawn to the alleged fact that all words beginnin g with “si” have in some degree a second-iate or bad quality about them. “Look through the dictionary,” one writer says, “and you will not find one that is quite first-rate, for ‘sleep,’ which is about the best of them, is, after all, half way to death, and the great majority of these words are more or less disgusting as well as degrading.”

Lieut. Gen. Phil Sheridan is a domestic man, fond of his children, three bright little girls, with whom lie may frequently be seen walking on pleasant aflernoons in Washington. “Little Phil’s” hair is quite gray and his mustache is almost white, but he wears a red necktie. He also wears a sack coat, a tall silk hat, carries his cane in his coat pocket with a jaunty air, and looks like the brave beausabreur he is. Prince Ivrapotkine, the “Citizen Prince,” as he is now affectionately called, is a studious-looking man of middle age, with a bald head and Shakspearean face, and wears a sealskin cap and spectacles. He speaks English with scholarly correctness, and French with vernacular fluency. His ideal of government is what he terms anarchical communism. He predicts that a great revolution will close the present century. A Wilmington (Del.) paper, in announcing the death at that place of Henry 13. Courtney, of the Diamond Match Company, assures a skeptical world that the secret of making parlor matches is now known to but one man, Mr. Courtney's son. Mr. Courtney’s son may think he has a monopoly, but nevertheless matches will continue to be made in every parlor in the land where an agreeable young woman can be found, and the Wilmington man •can’t help himself. Tije Times-Democrat , of New Orleans, draws this portrait of Mrs. Mary Livermore, upon her recent appearance in that city : “She is physically a superb specimen of the woman she teaches U 3 will have the power to mold and guide the higher conning race. * One sees in her fine, intellectual face, with its candid eyes, big, generous brow,- <tpd gentlewomanly mouth, *ll the force, strength, and sweetness wife or mother might

need. Her presence is commanding, gestures easy, her voice clear and full, each word enunciated with charming distinctness.” Aleck Culberson was on tri 1 at Lafayette, Ga., for assault with intent to murder. Wfien he got up to make his statement; to the jury he determined to use an argument that in these hard times would fall with telling effect. He said: “Gemmen, I don’t want to go to the chain-gang. I owe Mr. George Clements lots of money, and I want you to let me stay here so I can work and pay him what I owe him.” He got clear. The Japanese and palm fans are turned to all kinds of uses in the way of wall ornaments, work-bags, etc. The paper faushave satin bags over the lower part of the ribs, and two fastened together make a circle of color admirable for wall decoration. One, joined round, and the end sticks cut off, covers a flower pot well. The last use for a palm fan is to cover it with plush, bordered with gold braid, and iu the center to fasten a photograph edged with the gold braid. It should be laid on coinerwise. Gen. W. B. Franklin, of Hartford, Conn., has received a letter from a member of Gen. Hancock’s stafi' on Govornor’s Island, denying stories afloat as to numerous life-insurance policies and valuable real estate left Mrs. Hancock by the dead General. The writer says: “Gen. Hancock carried but one policy, value $'9,000, on his life, and, even including this, the balance of tbe General's estate is on the debt side. Mrs. Hancock owns a half interest in some St. Louis real estate which was once productive, but which has greatly depreciated in value, and which besides is heavily involved. No income has been derived from this source, for a number of years past, and, if sold under its present incumbrance, but little would be realized.” Geu. Franklin says that Mrs. Hancock would be virtually penniless except for the fund which is being raised for he He is confident that this will be swelled to a good round sum. The late Dr. Samuel Wolcott, the eminent Congregationalist minister, in liis later life wrote many hymns, and has left on record an account of liow he began to do so. He was fifty-six years old, and had never put two rhymes together, and had taken it for granted that he was as incompetent to write a hvmn, or even a stauza, as to work a miracle. “However,” lie says, “I resolved that I would try to write a hymn of five stanzas, and proceeded to plan it, precisely as I would plan a sermon. I said, the first stanza shall be a recognition of God the Father; the second a recognition of Christ the Bedeemei; the third a prayer to Christ the Redeemer; the fifth shall blend the two in one address. * * * A more perfect recipe wooden stanzas it would be difficult to frame.” The result was the hymn beginning“Fatlier, I own Tliy voice,” and the author was surprised to find ho had written what could actually be sung. Many of his hymns have become favorites throughout the country.

Senator Fair’s friends say—and the statement is equally true of tlie other two Jiving members of the old bonanza firm—that he is no longer an active participant in mining speculations, and' that he has salted away most of his money in Government bonds and California real estate. The editor of a New York mining* journal says that he does not believe that any of the bonanza kings ever had ss much money as the world generally has thought, even in their palmiest days, and that they had less now tliair ever. “I don’t think either Fair, Mackav or Flood has put any considerable money in mines in the last three years,” he continued, “and they only own a few stocks in which they see a big future, and others that they can not get out of without heavy loss. All three have turned their attention to legitimate business. Fair is here nowlooking into some railroad enterprises; Flood is the biggest holder of real estate in San Francisco, while Mackay, as is well known, has nearly of his fortune in telegraph and cable schemes and the Hoffman House here. Their connection with tbi Comstock lode is now a reminiscence.’!

Dk. C. C. Abbott, the uafiiralist, recently found upon his farm at Trenton, N. J., a box tortoise, upon the under she 1 of which was cut his grandfather’s nanle, J. Abbott, with the date 1821. The appearance of the tortoise denoted great, . age, .and there is reason to affubfftne fSct thdf the flame was really engraved upon it sixty-four years ago.

A Tou?h Citizen of Nebraska Murders m Cold Blood His Employer. The Murderer Takes Refuge in a Barn, and Is Hunted to Death by 300 Men. A terrible tragedy is reported from Burt County, Neb. H. A. Steadman, proprietor of a creamers' near the village of Lyons, paid off and discharged one of his employes, Edward Johnson, who thereupon became and after a few words, and without provocation, drew a revolver and shot Steadman in the stomach, the wounded man dying shortly afterward. Johnson mounted a horse aud lied, but was followed by a small party of men in charge of Constable Barker, who pursued him twelve miles south, and were rapidly gaining on him. During the chase the murderer turned in his saddle, and with a repeating rifle shot one of his pursuers, C. B. Johnson, in the head, killing him almost instantly. He then shot another man in the hip, inflicting a fatal wound. Constable Barker’s horse was shot from under him. The pursuing party, however, kept up the chase, and continued to gain on him, being re-enforced bv others along the way. Finally Johnson, seeing that capture was inevitable if he continued on horseback, jumped from his horse and ran into a barn, where he held the fort against the entire party. It was thought he was wounded before he sought retreat in the barn, as he had been tired at by his pursuers, who were armed only with revolvers. The bam was surrounded by the party, which by this time had increased to 100 men. A deadly fusillade was commenced. All day the great crowd surged aud circled around the barn, but kept out of range of the besieged man. A wagon load of provisions was forwarded to the camp of the besiegers. The murderer was aimed with a revolver and a Winchester ride, aud the cracks between the boards of the structure gave him an opportunity to shoot with an accurate aim. All efforts to dislodge him proved futile. The crowd surrounding his retreat hourly increased, until at least three hundred men were pouring missiles of death into the barn from as many Winchesters, revolvers, and shotguns. Failing to dislodge him by this method, it was decided to burn him out. During the darkness of the night some one in the crowd crept up to a shed adjoining the barn and set fire to it. The caged murderer, seeing that he was doomed, fired twenty shots into the crowd in rapid succession, but hitting no one. The crowd returned the fire from Winchester rifies from all sides of the barn, and the supposition is that the murderer was killed before lie could attempt to make his escape. After the fire had subsided his dead body was found in a pile of oats. Both arms and a part of both legs were burned off. Bart of his head had been shot away, and his body was completely riddled with bullets. The supposition is that he was wounded in the leg before he ran into the bam, and lienee he did not attempt to escape. The desperado's right name was Allen Wright,aged about 28 years. His remains were buried in a cornfield. His revolver had a Texas cow head engraved on it. He had also a Wincliester rifle. Eight mules, three horses, three cows, ami a large quantity of grain were destroyed with the barn. The total loss is $5,000, which the county will probably pay. Wright killed H. C. Stedmau and Charles B. Johnson, and fatally wounded Edgar Everett, whose death will make three killed. Several are slightly wounded; all doing well.