Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1882 — Page 2

Rensselaer Republican ■ -—-T“ r ' Marshall & Overackek, Eds. & Pr.oprs. RENSSELAER, : : INDIANA.

CURRENT TOPICS

The Mississippi river was sixty miles wide at Helena, Arkansas, a few days ago. It is the fashion to drink champagne in the private boxes at the opera in Philadelphia. An alarming increase of a malignant scarlet fever is shown by health statistics at Philadelphia. It is said tbat’thenavy of this country contains one commissioned officer fbi every two and. a half men. One hundred and fifty lives were lost in a recent mine explosion at Lefferi in Styria, a province of Austria. It is said that 100,000 persons are annually killed in England from causes directly resulting from industrial occupations. It is now stated that the President refuses to reopen the case of Fitz John Porter, unless he shall be directed to do so by Congress. A student in the University of Tennessee forty eigarets, inhaling the smoke, and very properly laid himself down to die. The City Chaimberlain of New York, receives a salary of $25,009 a year, the Mayor $10 : 000, the City Attorney $12,000, and all other officers are paid in the same lavish proportion. * A woman who from drunkenness and exposure, was found dead in the streets of Grand Rapids, Mich., a few days ago. She left a husband and a family of grown-up children. A movement has been organized among the ministers of Chicago to secure the abolition of Sunday theatrical performances, and of the indecencies and immoralities connected with the theaters in that city. Pope Leo XIII. has addressed a letter to the Italian Bishops instructing them to encourage Catholic societies among the laity, to develop the Catholic press, and to advocate boldly the temporal independence of the Holy See.

The member of Cougress who introduced a bill authorizing the Government to provide and supply vaocine points, lost a beautiful and beloved daughter by a horrible death from vaccinatiou. The Philadelphia Times, Independent, is authority for the statement that had Garfield lived, the nomination of Conkling to be Associate Justice wonld almost certainly have been made by hirh. A foreign item says that the vault of U rich family in Germauy was recently broken into and twelve of the corpses stolen. This “industry,” invented in America, appears to be flourishing in Europe. Hon. R. B. F. Pierce, of the Crawfordsville district, will attempt to get a bill through Congress appropriating $150,000 for the improvement !of the Wabash river from Lafayette one hundred miles down stream. The pay fund of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, was robbed of $7,3U0, the other night, in the express office at Lima, Ohio. At last accounts detectives were on the track of the thieves, and it was thought the money would be recovered. Major Warner, aged eighty, former keeper of Libby prison, at the revival meeting of Mrs. Oliver, the evangelist, at Atlanta. Ga., has been converted. It is stated that a brother of the lady was starved to death at Libby under Major Warner’s administration. The purchase of 28,000 head of cattle autl 140,000 acres of laud was a pretty good-sized transaction, even for Texas, where everything is done on a large scale. Such a transaction is reported to have occurred the other day in Lavaca oounty, Texas. The consideration was $600,000. Herbert Spencer’s long meditated journey to America is now definitely fixed. He sails August next, and intends to be absent three months. He visits Canada and also possibly California. He has refused all proposals -to lecture, bis design being solely to see <he country and people without any ulterior object. Commissioner Raum appears to be in “dead earnest” In his crusade against the adulterants, glucose and oleomargarine, and determined to press upon Congress the necessity and

propriety of legislation which will protect the people against the fraud and injury of their use. He deserves the thahks of the Nation for his service to it in this important matter. The biggest girl in the school at Hammond’s Corners, Ohio, was whipped by the teacher with great severity. Her father had the young man arrested, and a few days ago the case was called for trial, but the Prosecuting Attorney said that the matter had been amicably arranged; the girl was not only convinced that the punish ment was deserved, but accepted the teacher’s discipline for life as his wife. An English resident of Odessa, who has lived there many years, writes to the London Daily News that the reported outrages upon the Jews in Russia are grossly exaggerated. He says that the number of persons who have been tried for taking leading parts in these riots could scarcely have been less than four hundred. They were all tried publicly, in open courts, whether civil or military. And though several were fouud guilty of having caused the death of Jews, nothing ever seems to have been proved about charges of rape. Had this crime, or any of the more horrible and exceptional crimes set forth in the indictment, been really perpetrated, the papers would have noticed it.__ - In Verona, Italy, the official intrusted by the Syndic to issue licenses for marriage mixed up the names of the applicants in such sort that when the day arrived for uniting a number of young couples the wrong found themselves named in the document and had to choose between taking the partners selected for them, br postponing their marriage altogether for some time. With much reluctance on the part of some, and joy on the part of others, the ceremony was allowed to proceed, a number of people who, until then, had been strangers to one another, being declared respectively man and wife in true Italian form. In the opinion of the Syndic this was not a matter of much importance, it being certain, in that gentleman’s opinion, that thus mated they would experience quite as few disappointments as they w’ouhl had they each chosen their own mates for life.; while promptly agreeing to accept the official arrangement they had saved the State representatives much trouble and not wasted the time of its clerks in preparing fresh licenses in return for the fees.

The question of disestablishment which is so strongly coming to the front in Scotland gains further impulse from the diligence with which one of the Scotch papers has for a long time been slily taking a census of all the leading churches in the land. The results are now being published, and one of the sets of figures shows that in the Leith division, out of a population of over 58,000, little more than one-third attend church. The three leading Presbyterian churches ran close in the number of worshipers. The Established, with eight churches, had 5,525 worshippers; the Free, with seven churches. 5.098, and the United Presbyterian, with five churches, 5,0'i8. The United Presbyteriaubad, therefore, the best average. Another * way of contrasting the statistics shows that while 5,583 people attended two services in eight Established churches, ,10,105 attended twelve Free aud United Presbyterian churches; and that wnile 5,585 worshiped in the Establishment, 14,151 were present at two services in the other churches.

A considerable sensation has been produced iu European medics 1 circles by the recent appearance iu the drug market of a new narcotic, hailing from Queensland, aud at present only known to the trade by its quaint ua tive name of “pltchery-bidgery.” It is indigenous to northern Australia—-a sort of stunted shrub, from three to four inches in neight when full grown, and bearing blossoms of a waxy texture, white iu color aud flecked ■with pink spots. The flowers are picked in the month of August, dried, uacked tightly in canvas bags, and then subjected to a high degree of pressure, which imparts to them the consistency of cake tobacco. By chewing a small plug of this substance relief is speedily obtained from bodily fatigue, hunger and thirst. A larger dose of pltcherybidgery produces obsolute insensibility to pain. 1 itchery-bidgery, administered iu minute doses, acts as a stimulant; in larger quantities, a 9 a powerful sedative. But it has the peculiar property of enabling those who take it habitually to withstand fatigue aud undergo physical exertion upon a low diet. The Edmunds anti-polygamy bill as passed by the Senate, meets the .or will meet it when it becomes a law, as it probably will, exe-

cuted by President Arthur:lt prohibits bigamy or polygamy in any place under the jurisdiction of the United States, under penalty of heavy fine and imprisonment. Cohabitation with more than one woman is also heavily punishable, thus leaving no chance ior Mormons to say they are not married, but are living in adultery as they do now when pressed under the present law. No bigamist or polygamist shall sit on a jury trying a case under this law. The President is empowered to grant amnesty to those whom he may choose. The issue of Mormon marriages born up to January 1, 1883, are hereby legitimized. No bigamist or polygamist shall vote or hold office, and all registration and election offices are declared vacant by the act, and their duties hereafter shall be performed by a board of five persons, to be appointed by the President until the legislature of the territory shall make provision for filling the offices; said legislature to be elected by electors entitled to vote under this act; that is, no polygamist or bigamist or any person cohabiting with more than one woman.

INDIANA ITEMS.

A man by the name of G iber;, o* Dudley township, Henry county, while moving, was struck by a chain that broke, had his leg broken in two places, and was badly mangled. J. H. Ballard, colored, for ten years school teacher at Jeffersonville, has been appointed, through Senator Harrison, mail agent on the J,, M. and I. road, between Madison and Indianapolis. Elijah Whitten, for thirty years a deputy sheriff and bailiff of Floyd county, wasifound dead in a gutter on Main street, into which he had fallen the previous night, while intoxicated, and drowned. Word has been received of the suicide of Samuel Miller, formerly an aged and respected l citizen of Adams county, but lately of Topeka, Kansas. Bodily infirmity had weakened his mind. He was a man of considerable wealth. A man hailing from Indianapolis has been levying a tax of one dollar on each of the saloons of Warsaw for the alleged purpose of taking a test case to the Supreme court, in the hope that the law requiring licenses to be paid may be declared void. Robert Pierson, the party who took arsenic with suicidal intent at Shelbyville, died at seven o’clock the same night. From the first he resisted all efforts to render him any assistance, being anxious as he expressed it, “to die and be done with it.” Mrs. General Wm. McKee Dunn, of Washington city, has given Hanover college SIOO for the purchase of physical apparatus for the science depart-’ ment of the college. Now a long felt want is a good magic lantern, and a set of the representative rocks of the world to the natural science department. Argus Dean, the Madison peach grower, predicts that the peach blooms will be unusually full, and the only danger is from spring frosts. From the fact that two crops have been gathered in succession, the yield will be less in quantity and poor in quality, unless wise care has been taken of the trees. The prospect for all stone fruits is quite at good as ior peaches. Alex Arnold has just been sent to the penitentary for two years from Terre Haute for horse stealing. He confessed to stealing thirty-four horses since last June, and fifteen of them have been returned to their owners through his confession. A young man named Owens, wlr had been indicted aud was almost sure to be sent to the penitientiary was found to be innocent and was released through Arnold’s confession and the restoration ol the stolen animals.

The stone to be placed over the grave of the late Governor Williams by James 8. McCoy, one of the executors, is to be a shaft of Barre granite, a dark bluish gray stone, susceptible to very fine polish, twenty-eight feet nine inches iu height, and the foundation will be seven feet square, and will be of limestone. The apex of the monument will be surmounted by an ornamental cap, aud the sub-base tearing the tablet for the insciiption will be very ornamental. The contractor is also to enclose the bodies of the deceased governor and wife by walls of stone at the sides of the coffins, aud to cover them with a slab of stone ten inches iu thickness. The work is to be done in June, and costs $2,000. The grand jury of Wayne county have finished their investigation into the Smith murder case. The indictment returned against each of the murderers was, “Guilty of murder in the first degree.” The news has been received with much satisfaction. They were indicted separately, and, of course, there will be three separate trials. A contribution has been raised throughout the county, and a prominent criminal lawyer,retained to assist the prosecution. It is stated that the trjal will begin in about two weeks. Mrs. Smith still seems sanguine as to the result, and she thinks that in a short time she will be at her old home again. Notre Dame university is the fortunate possessor of probably»the only original Van Dyke in this country'

The painting was brought from Engand many years ago and jpre-entd to Very Rev. Father Soriur. It was sup posed to be the work of of the masters, but which one could neyer be detor- ■ mined. When Signor Gregori came to Notre Dame from Rome, Jwhere he had charge of restoring many pictures in the Vatican, and was the highest authority in Rsme on the genuineness of old painting, he took charge o § f the painting and restored it, and found it to be a genuine Van Dyke. The picture, if placed on sale in New York or any of the art centers of the old world, would bring any wherefrom S2O--to $30,000, but of course it will never be sold, but remain the most prominent of the art treasures of Notre Dame. It appears that Mr. George B. Williams, of Lafayette, is deeply interested in the passage by Congress of the Japanese indemnity bill, which has passed the Senate. Mr. W. went to Japan and organized the internal-reve-nue system of that country on the American plan, and if the bill above named passes will receive $300,000 for his services in that connection. Hon. T. J. Foster, of Ft. Wayne, ex-Senator and Representative of Allen county, is reported missing. He had been drinking heavily, arjd declared he was going away never to return, and at the present writing it is not known whether he has vamoosed, committed suicide or gone to visit his parents in the country. Meantime, Dr. McDowell, another notorious exRepresentative of that county, was recently put under bond on charges of criminal practice.

CONGRESSIONAL.

• Tuesday, Feb., 21st. Senate.—Mr. Dawes presented a petition in behalf of the Indians, signed byloo,ooo persons. The apportionment bill was taken up and passed by a viva voce vote. The resolution declaring that the law granting arrears of pensions ought to be repealed, again came up, and finally tabled. Alter an executive session, Senate adjourned until Thursday. House.— The Hovse passed the day in committee of the whole in considering mail contracts and Star Konte matters, but transacted no business of special public interest. Adjourned until Thursday. Thursday, Feb., 23d. Senate.— The Senate bill regulating Indian traders was passed; also the bill giving Gen. Grant the rank of General, and retiring him from the servloe with that rank and its pay. The vote was yeas 35, nays 17. Several Democrats voted lor the bill with the Republicans. A joint resolution was passed authorizing the Stcretary of War to issue rations to needy sufferers by the overflow ol the Mississippi river. House.— The day was spent in Committee of the Whole on the postoffice appropriation bill. An evening session was held for the consideration of the District code. Friday. Feb., 24th. Senate,— After a long debate, the immemedlate deficiency bill was passed, with an amendment. Adjourned until Monday. House.—The entire day was spent on private bills, and a number of bills granting back pensions were passed. Saturday, Feb. 25th. The Senate was not In session. House--A resolution for a selecticommittee of nine to oonsider all questions relating to woman’s rights was adopted—yeas, 115; nays, 85. The post-office appropriation bill was reported from the Committee of the Whole and passed. Monday, Feb., S7th. Both Houses spent the day In attendance upon the Garfield ceremonies in the hall of the House. The eulogy was delivered by the Hon. James G. Blaine, in the presence of both Houses,the President and his Cabinet the Supreme Judges, the diplomatic corpse and other distinguished persons.

Cornstalk Fnel.

An lowa farmer, who has both coal and wood on his farm, warms his house with cornstalks, and claims that thev make the best aud cheapest fuel that he cau get. He uses a large stove, and burns the stalks in tightly bound bundles, weighing about forty pounds each. A bundle burns[three houis (without flame) in an air-tight stove. The large stove otters so much radiating surface that the stove does not need to be very hot. Five bundles a day, or 600 for the winter, suffice to keep the stove going and the room warm. The farmer, Mr. Ruggles, says: “I can bind up 600 bundles of cornstalks in two days alone. Icoulden,t fchop the wood to warm, this room in a week. Then in the Spring I have a load of stoug ashes for my wheat-field, while my neighbors have to cut up the same cornstalks in the Spring to get them away from the harrow. It makes me smile when I here about people up in Minnesota who have fiftyfftcre corn-fields, and still go cold, or buy coal. Why, I’d rather burn cornstalks than cut maple wood within sight ot the house.”

A Polite People.

The city of Lucknow, India, is renowned for the politeness of its people, exceeding, it would seem, that of the French, who are generally regarded as the politest people in the world/'' A correspondent, writing from the spot, gives a ludicrous illustration of the extent to which the natives carry their ideas of courtesy. Two native gentlemen, on their way to the railway station, accidently fell into a ditch. One would suppose that both would have been ou their feet in a twinkling; but no, the law of politeness intertered, and one said to the other, “When your honor arises, then I may get up.” “No. your honor should get up first,’ 1 replied the other. “Never, how could 1 take prcedence of your honor?” And thus the contest went on;foi| an hour, it is said, because neither gentleman would consent to violating the laws of good breeding.

Orange Wrapping in Florida.

Last flight, writes of the Atlanta Constitution, our party of todrists went to an “orange wrapping.” A large warehouse belonging to-the Winkinson place was lighted up with candles placed along the walls, and all the “help” of the neighborhood was gathered. In one corner of the room there were huge boxes filled with oranges. They were rigged with haudles at each end, aud i t took two men to bring one of them in. On the opposite side of the room were long table,s, behind which sat Ihe “wrap pers.” Tbe fr,uit was supplied to them by boys, who carried it in bread trays, putting a tray to every three men. Before each man was a package of tissue paper. By a dextrous movement, an ora age was enveloped in a leaf of a paper oy one movement. As the fruit was wrapped it was dropped into another trav, which was carried to the “packers,” who stood before a pile ot empty crates. Each orange was placed in the crate separately, being packed in close rows. A crate holds from 120 to 140 oranges, and sells here for about $3. The oranges are not brought direct from the grove to the packing house, but rest a day or two in the drying house. There they are spread over lattice shelves, where they go through a “sweating” process before they are ready for shipment. The scene in the wrapping house was a pretty one. The golden fruit, piled in rich Drofusion, the men aud boys laughing as they handled it so rapidly,the orderly crates with their tempting contents, a heap of pine apples in an odd corner, filling the room with their exquisite flavor, huge bunches of ba nauas with just a fleck of yellow here aud there amid the green, 'clean looking lemons almost as large as the oranges heaped oft to themselves, great citrons with their royal gold color, groups of boatmen and hunters with their swarthy faces and picturesque attire lending a hand whenever it was needed, a negro with a banjo strumming rude tunes, to which the crowd gave casual accompaniment, the ladies watch curiously and sampling an orange now and then—these were some of the elements that made up the scene —the whole being enlivened with the haste and bustle of getting ready against the next day’s boat, and havin fruit ready to go out with the ship,

Soteldo’a Love Affrir.

Biddeford, Me,, Special to Chicago Tribune. A. M. Stoido, the journalist who was the victim of a tragedy at Washington, last week, was known to a uumber of people in this city and Saco. -He was here last summer, and was an assiduous suitor for the hand of a Miss Clrnent, whom he came to visit. Miss Ciemeut is the daughter of the Hon. W. A. Clement, of Cincinnati, one of the railway kings of the West, and General Manager of the Cincinnati Southern Railway, and for many years has been iu the habit of spending the summer here with his family, stopping at the Yates House at Pool. Miss Clement was beautiful and attractive young lady, and has been one of the belles of Cincinnati. Sotelde’s attentions to the young lady were not pleasing to the father, who used every possible means to break off the match, but Miss Ciement reciprocated Soteldo’s love, and parental influence and entreaty were of no avail to move her to give him up. Soteldo disappeared for a time, but kept up a secret correspondence with Miss Clement while she remained here. One day last August be appeared on the ground again, with a r rang men ts perfected to secure his promised bride. An elopement was' planned and carried out. By prearrangment Miss Clement weut to' Saco aud met her lover at the Sfico House ou the 11th of August. Thp services of the Rev. Dr. Nichols, of the Unitarian Church, had been secured, and the two were quickly made man aud wife. The young lady returned to the family, and it was some time before her parents learned of the marriage. When they were finally apprised of it, they were filled with mortification aud indignation, feeling that their daughter had made a mesalliance. The marriage shortly after became generally known, and created quite a sensation in society circles at Washington and Cincinnati.

Cream Tarter and Small-pox.

[Louisville Courier-Journal.] An instance of the efficacy of cream tartar as a prophylactic against the infection of small-pox, has been recently demontrated in a prominent family of Louisville. Several weeks ago a case of small pox was developed in the house aud sent to the eruption hospital promptly, as soon as the nature of the disease was established beyond a doubt, but not before all the members of the family had been exposed to the contagion for two or three days. By the advice of a friend, the family was induced to drink freely and often of cream tarter water, in the proportion ol an ounce to a pint of water. Every member of the family has so far escaped, while the coachman, who did not drink the cream tarter .vater, contracted the diseas, aud is now a patient at the pesthouse. All fear of the reapearauce of the disease in the family has been dis-sipated,-and the use of this simple remedy, as a prophylactic and modifyer of small-pox, is recommended.

Kicked to Death by an Ostrich.

Colonies and India. Ostrich farming is not without its dangers, as many a mau has learned to bis cost when sauntering among a flock of these birds without taking the necessary precautions against a sudden outslaught from a vicious member of the herd, but it is not often that we hear of a man being actually kickd to death by aq ostrich. Such a fatality occurred recently in the Distiict of JWctoria West, Cape Colony. The bird n&d strayed on to the public highway, and disputed the progress of tbe unfortunate man to such purpose that he was kicked and trampled to death.