Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1896 — SOUTHERN. [ARTICLE]

SOUTHERN.

1 Republican members of the Kentucky Legislature have a new scheme to break the deadlock and elect a United States Senator. Four Democratic members, it is said, have been found to be ineligible because they hold, other offices, amj it is proposed to unseat ihtm. \Yiiliain Trout, n Mnysville, Ky., barber, has been fasting for fifty-one days, except that he drank buttermilk, refusing all other food. He has no appetite for anything else. About four years ago he used no food but buttermilk for thirty days. He has fallen off from 170 to 140 i*om*ds. He plies bis trade without interruption. , • * The neW gunboat Helena, named after Montana’s capital, was launched Thursday at Newport News, Ya. The honored

custom of breaking a bottle of wine across' the bows and christening the vessel was performed by Miss Agnes Belle Steele, daughter of Mayor Steele, of Helena, Mont,awho headed'a delegation of leading resides of "that State. The Helena, which is of 1,100 tons burthen, will be assigned to service in the Chinese waters. She is designed especially for river service, and is 250 feet long, with a maximum beam of forty feet, but the mean draft is only nine feet, while the speed is expected to be at least thirteen knots. A novel feature of the Helena U that she has a large military mast, with tops similar to tfiose ott the big battleships/ Another pecnliar equipment is that provision is made for carrying an,unusually large force of men, and the ship’s boats ace unicb lorger tbair-ordinaryr The' nets' gunboat will be armed with eight fourinch breech-loading rapid-firing guns, divided between the upper aud gun decks. In addition to these there are four-eix-pounders and one two-pounder rapid-fire and two tintlings.