Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1893 — POWDER MILL LETS GO [ARTICLE]

POWDER MILL LETS GO

FOUR KILLED AT PITTSBURG, ILLINOIS. Bobbers Get Several Quarts of Nickels— Denver Takes Down Her Sign Inviting an Invasion of Tramps—Shocking Tragedy at St. Louis. Hlown to Eternity. Tuesday, 1,500 kegs of powder in the press mill at the Phoenix Powder Works, near Pittsburg Station, 111., exploded and the building was blown to atoms. Two workmen were killed instantly and two others were fatally injured and afterward died. The dead are: John Elliott, of Youngstown, Ohio; Luther Estes, of South Wyndham, Me.; Bishop Hickman, cf Chattanooga, Tenn.; Charles Mullach, of Pittsburg. A large steel shaft in the press mill snapped while revolving rapidly and a shower of sparks fall from the machinery into the powder. Estes, Hickman and Mullach were in the press mill when it went up. A moment after the press mill went up the corning mill was shattered, but the men in it had time to escape. The other buildings were saved, but for three hours fire raged toward the main storehouse containing twenty tons of powder. Strenuous efforts saved the storehouse, and an explosion w as averted. The plant was worth about SIOO,OOO. There are quite a number of dwelling-houses around the works, which were totally wrecked. This Is the second time this mill has blown up. CAMP RELIEF DISBANDED. Five Hundred Unemployed Men Thrown Onto Denver's Charity. Camp Relief, at Denver, which has been operated by the State for the support of the Idle and hungry men of tho city, has been disbanded, and .500 men who have been receiving food at the camp were thrown upon the city, in addition to the of others already being fed by the charitable organizations. There were imany muttered threats among the men, most of whom are workingmen, and, under ordinary circumstances, law-abiding citizens. but with starvation staring them in the face they aro sullen and show a disposition to bocorne desperate unless some means of continuing the supply of food is adopted immediately. The charity organizations of the city are already greatly overtaxed In caring for the suffering women and children of the city, and what to do with the large number of Idle and hungry men is a grave question with the authorities.

KILLED HIS LITTLE 15ABES. Insane John Finn of St. Louis Almost Exterminates His Family. John Finn, a newspaper carrier, living at 2624 Chouteau avenue, St Louis, almost c impletely wiped his family,out of existence. He had been ill, and while his wife was absent from the house became delirious. Jumping from his bed ho seized a flatiron and beat two of Ills children, hoys, fearfully about tho head, inflicting fatal injuries. Then with a butcher-knife he hacked hts two girls in a most horrible manner. Ho completed his fearful work with a slash across hts own throat All five aro fatally wounded. Tho horrible work of tho Insane man was not discovered until Mrs. Finn returned and found her little home literally reeking with blood. EXPRESS ROBBERS CAUGHT. Three of Four Men Landed, Together with #5,000 of the Booty. At Wichita, Kan., Howard H. Greer. an ex-telegraph operator from El Dorado; Arthur Uancher, an express messenger, and Jack Beck, clerk of the Occidental Hotel, were arrested for the robbery of the United States express wagon on the streots of that city on the nlglit of July 20, and $5,000 of the stolon money—s7,ooo—was recovered. Greer was the first one arrested and he broke down and confessed, as did each of the others as ho In turn found himself In the clutches of the officers. Tile actual perpetrator of the robbery, a colored man, has not yet been captured, but tho officers are close on his tracks.

HORSEWHIPPED by women. Punishment Meted Out Liberally to James Collins for an Insult. The town of Higbee, Mo., was a scene of excitement Monday evening, caused by the whipping of James Collins, a shoemaker, by five infuriated women wbo plied their whips until the clothing was literally cut from the body, leaving a number of ghastly marks on his bleeding flesh. Prisoners Break the Findlay Jail. 2 he jail of Hancock County, Ohio, Is now empty. An attempt was made Sunday to dig through the walls, and each prisoner was locked In his cell. Tuesday morning the Sheriff and a mason entered the jail to make repairs, leaving the outside doors unlocked. The cell doors had been forced •open during the night, and like a flash every prisoner made a break for liberty. They scattered In all directions, and were soon out of the city and In tbe wooda Parties started after them with guns, and tho woods are now being scoured, but not one has been captured. Fifty dollars reward is offered for each.

Arrests a Would-Be Hero. At Macon, Mo., a detective of the Wabash Railroad Company arrestee! H. Johns, the Atlanta young man who claims he overheard two desperadoes planning to wreck and rob the south-bound passenger train and then flagged the train beforo it reached an extracted rait Young Johns has given out five different statements about his experience. Whole Town Wiped Out. •Snow Hill, Md.. burned the other night, Only-tttee stores and a few dwellings were saved. The loss is about $300,000. Held Up a Motor Car. At Omaha a masked man boarded a motor train In the north part of the city and covered the motorman, conductor and two passengers with a big revolver. He secured several quarts of nickels from the conductor and escaped. Can Defare Gettysburg. Attorney General Hensei has refused the writ of quo warranto requested by certain citizens of Gettysburg to deprive tbe trolley lines of its franchises on the battlefield. and decided ail the points involved la favor of tbe trol ey company. Three Thousand Idle Men. At Johnstown, Pa., most-of the Cambria Iron Company’s mills have shut down and 8,000 men are Idle. It cannot be definitely atated when work will be resumed, but aD official says that it will be done just as soon as enough orders accumulate to justify starting the worka Suicide on the Board. Nelson Van Kirk, the well-known trader On the Chicago Board of Trade, shot and killed himself la hts office, room 411, In the Rialto Building. He found that hla trades would have to be closed out and went to hit office, shut himself In and took his own '