Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1898 — WESTERN. [ARTICLE]

WESTERN.

At Chillicothe, Ohio, Mrs. Anna Whaler died from effects of lye thrown on ’<er by Mrs. Elizabeth Shull. “Bull” McCarthy of Philaijelphia, who was knocked out in a twenty-round glove contest in Sacramento, Cal., died twentyfour hours afterward. United States officers at Jefferson Barracks, near St. Ixuiis, Mo., have been ordered to purchase 1,500 small horses, 500 wagon mules and 500 pack mules. In a fire at Worthing, S. I)., the armory was burned to the ground and the ammunition, uniforms and guns of Company I>, National Guard, were totally destroyed. The Supreme Court of North Dakota, at Bismarck,’has passed-on the first important divorce appealed on the ground that the plaintiff was not a bona fide resident of the State, and not only reversed the finding of the lower court, bitt ordered the case dismissed. Capt. H. G. Stahl of Fremont, 0., late of the Third Ohio cavalry, who is an expert swordsman, has sent a challenge to Lieut. Carrnnzu of the late Spanish legation to fight a duel iu place of Fitzhugh Lee and Capt. Sigsbee, who have already been challenged by Cnrranza. >' At Monroe, 0., Mrs. Charles Harkrader shot and killed her husband. They were masried but two months ago. She dreamed that the officers had come to draft her husband into the army, nnd she took bis revolver from under his pillow and began to shoot. She is subject to somtfiuubnlistn. Between fifteen and twenty men, it is believed, perished la an explosion that wrecked the works of the California powder mill, two miles from Santa Cruz. There is g belief that a Spanish spy may have caused the flame that led to the

terrible loss of life, for the plant was one of the heaviest producers of smokeless powder, which is now in such demand for the navy. The Indiana Supreme Court, in session in Indianapolis, handed down an opinion in the case of Lewis Baum and others against Ella Thom that is of great interest to persons who loan money on chattel mortgage security at high rates of interest and to borrowers. Attorneys say that the effect of this decision is to permit any one who has mi id interest at a higher rate than 8 per emit per annum within the past six years to recover back the excess in an action against his creditor, provided the loan is first repaid. Not for years has the Northwest been as short of wheat as now. Country stocks have reached a very low point, there being probably less than 2,000,000 bushels held at this time by country houses, only a very small portion of which is contract wheat. This explains why the Minneapolis wheat market advanced over 20 cents in one week. The wheat to fill contracts is not in sight. Not for years have Northwestern millers had to meet such a situation. High premiums hav«* been paid for choice milling wheat. Armour took a good deal of this wheat to Chicago. Leiter bought about 3,000,000 bushels and put it iu store iu Minneajtolis and Duluth. the country supply must go the wheat for country milling, which increases the tightness of the situation, with no new wheat to come for grinding until September. A supply for about seventeen weeks must be found. Minneapolis mills are grinding over 1,000,000 a week and Duluth mills are adding to the consumption. Minneapolis and Duluth together only have 13,000,000 of all grades in public houses, as against over 20,000,000 last year. In view of this somewhat startling situation there are not a few who predict $1.50 tor May and July wheat in Minneapolis. Overcome with grief at the departure of his son for the war, John W. Reid of Chicago attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of a West Madison street cable train. The gripman of the train, warned by the shouts of several bystanders, threw his weight on the lever in an endeavor to stop the train. Reid's body rolled against the fender of the grip car, and the onlookers uttered a cry of horror. Detective Riley, a bystander, sprang forward, grasped the collar of the prostrate man and dragged him to one side. Reid was considerably bruised, but not seriously injured. He was placed under arrest and taken to the police station. Here he broke down and wept. He told the police that his son Arthur, who is 21 years old, belonged to the First Illinois Regiment and had left with his regiment during the afternoon. He had begged and pleaded with his son not to go, but the young man was determined to accompany the regiment to Springfield. “He is an only son,” sobbed the father. “I could not go to the station to see him off; I was afraid I would btei k down. His mother is prostrated. I s'iu afraid I will never see my boy agf-.1n,” and the man hid his face in his ha’jds and sobbed as if his heart would break.