Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1875 — NEWS OF THE WEEK. [ARTICLE]

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

TCtMIO!*. According to a London dispatch of the lat the Span ish authorities at Toledo had closed out an American Psotestant church and expelled tdm-preacher and schoolmaster. A te’jegpam froni Madrid on the Ist says the last n ot» from Spain to the United States, whic'a if declared to be the ultimatum, promises gradual emancipation and increased free dost of consmance; that foreigners when arr isted shall have an immediate hearing, an< 1 that legal repress shall be obtainable for pa at injuries. A Berlin telegram of the 2d says that T Xiritey had energetically protested to Monte- > legrt> agaipst the Montenegrins taking part 1b the Herzegovinian affair, and that the . jproat powers Lad unanimously indorsed that * According do a Viennaffispateh of the 2d ■®en. Kaufman had recently demanded o/'ftussia a reinforcement of 50,000 men, with artillery, or otherwise he would not be able to relieve the garrison at Khokand, his entire Force being required to guard the fron tier. Several failures occurred lu London on the ■2d, the most important being that of Bruggiote Bros., stock and share brokers, whose liabilities reached $350,000. The feerman Federal Council oh the 2d adopted a resolution appropriating 103,000 marks to the sum already allotted to facilitate the display Of German products at the Philadelphia Centennial. A Hindoo employed on the Constant Spring estate, tear Kingston, Jamaica, recently beheaded five children, from religious fervor. A Vienna telegram of the 3d says it was reported that the Prinees of Abyssinia had appealed through American missionaries to the Cnited States to.protect them against Mo’ bammedan invasion. The municipality of Paris on the 3d appropriated $5,000 toward the fund to send a delegation of-French workmen to the Philadelphia Exposition. A Madrid dispatch of the stli says the operations of the national forces in the north had been greatly retarded by the immense ■quantities of snow which had fallen. * A London-disnatch of the sth announces that the French steamer Amerique was missing. She had been spoken several days 'before in latitude 47:40, longitude 17, at which time 6he was in a disabled condition. An English war steamer luidbeen tent to sec , if, .anything could be learned of her fate. In consequence of an explosion of firedamp in the Powell-Duffryn pit, near Tredgear, England, on the sth, twenty persons were killed and ten severely injured. A Paris dispatch of the 4th announces the departure of United States Minister Washburne for Turkey, on a three-months’ leave of absence. " :

DOMESTIC. The steamer Sunnyside, from Albany for New York, was cut in two by the ice near West Point, N. Y., on the morning of the Ist, and sank in deep water. Eleven person were drowned, six of whom were waiters and chambermaids on the boat and the remainder passengers. , * Great activity was reported in the navyyards at Portsmouth, N. H., and Brooklyn, N. Y., on the Ist. A Philadelphia dispatch of that date-says the iron-clads at League Island were ready for sea* The fleet consists of nine or ten vessels, among them the Powhattau, Tallapoosa, Alliance, Alert, Huron, Dispatch, Passaic, Nantucket and Wyandotte. A collision occurred on the Ist between a • Vi passenger and freight train, near Buffalo, N. Y*., by which four persons were killed and a number of others seriously injured. Patrick Toney, of New York city, on the night of the Ist satui «ea the clothing of his wife with kerosene oil, and then set it on Are. She was terribly and probably fatally bunted. The Bank of America, at New Orleans, suspended en the Ist. The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has again decided that,the agent of an insurance company* authorized to take risks and issue policies against fire, may waive by parol a ■condition in a policy issued by him. The schooner J. G. Jenkins foundered in Lake Ontario, near Oswego, a few days ago and all on board, numbering nine persons, were lost. The first fast evening mail-train between New York city and St. Louis left.the former city on the evening of the Ist. The recent accident on the New York C .n-----tral Railroad, near Buffalo, is said to have been caused by the carelessness of a flagman, who signaled the freight-train to “ come on” when the egpress-traiu was already past due on the same.track. The statement of the condition of the ■public debt Dec. 1 is as follows: *>ix per cent, bonds $1,033,866.57* Five per cent, bonds 660.364.75 u Total coin bond? $1,694,231,300 ■lawful money debt 14,000.000 Matured debt 22.430,870 Legal-lender not«e 373.541,470 Certificates of deposit 42.610,000 .Fractional eurrenev 43.37ii.105 Coin certificates 19,796,505 Interest 84,960,516 Total debt $3,343,94^770 Cash in Treasury— C Oin... $70,404,676 C. irreccv.. 12.014.062 Sp ecial deposits held for the rec emplkm of certifldaee of deposit. 42.610,000 Total in Treasury $135.029,638 Debt less cash in Treasury $2,117,917,132 Deere »*e dating November $480,078 Decrm we since June 30., 10.771,793 Bonds lasned to the Pacific Railway Comp antes, interest payable in lawful money, principal outstandin tp- - $64,623,512 Interest a werned and not yet paid.... 1,615.587 Interest p aid by the United States.. 38.30i.8u7 Interest re. “V the transportation ! of mails, *«f-- y• • • 6,575.8'4 Balance of Interest paid by United States.... 21.636^*53 The Phil'•dolphin navy-yard wae sold on the 2d for $ 1,000,000. It was reported that the Pennsylv *ni* Railroad Company was the purchaser, th. ?ough an agent. The trial of U>e Chicago whisky cases is to begin on the 11 th of January next A barrel conta doing the remains of a woman and a child was recently delivered by the driver of an expi to the United States Express r>ffi ce in Chicago, for shipment to Idwa City. gttsi»ieions being aroused the barrel W opened and the nature of the contents discovered. Atr. Investigation showed the'epraaoa to he those of Mrs. Emma P. Adan&*Md her infsst ichild, which had been buried in Graeeland Ccnetery aod stolen from there by resurree Zionists, for medical purposes. The* perpetn-'tors of the outrage Were discovered dad arrested.

A Washington dtipatch (J the 3d states, that Fcnsioc-Oomnils slower -Atkinson had discovered and unearthed a.gigantic ring, composed of three prom incut firms of claim agents in Philadelphia (Devitt A Cck, Schilver, France* 4t Register and Matthew Poulson & Co.), which had succeeded by fraudulent documentary evidence in getting through, during a few years past, many thousand pennon cases, involving over $1,000,000 annually. The ring is said to one Deputy Clerk a| Philadelphia, who affixed a seal to all the papers sent to him by the above firms. A large number of persons, who appeared on the rolls as pensioners, have made affidavits that they had no disabilities, but were paid so much to sign blank papers presented to them by the above firms. The evidence was fraudulent, but appeared genuine, and- pensions were allowed which have been drawn by the ring, under powers of attorney. A second letter from Mrs. Moulton to Plymouth Church was published in New York city on the 3d, in which she emphatically reiterates her charges against Mr. Beecher, and declares that the church mad acted unjustly toward her. She specifies the questions she wishes to be submitted to the council of churches to determine whether her past conduct has been proper and. justifiable and the action of the church in dropping her name in so summary a manner in accordance with justice and fairness toward her. At a business meeting of Plymouth Church, “on the evening’of the 3d, Deacon West’s letter to the church was laid on the table, and resolutions were introduced declaring the publication of such letters by their authors in advance of their actual presentation to the church in meeting assembled as a flagrant and presumptively intentional insult; that the contents of the -West letter, if unexplained by him, constitute an aggravation of his acknowledged offense in publishing it in advance of its presentation to the church, and instructing the Examining Committee to summon Mr. West before them for a satisfactory explanation of his conduct or a full and ample apology therefor. Mr. Beecher said he heartily approved of the resolutions, and declared that the'time for silence had.gone by; that whatever was to be said should be said, would be said,.and when matters of his church were at issue he intended to be there. The resolutions were referred to the Examining Committee, as was also the second letter of Mrs. 'Moulton. Great excitement was caused in New York city on the evening of the 4th by the aniloUneethent oi tile escape of Win. M. (“ Boss”) Tweed from the custody of Warden Dunham, of Ludlow Street Jail. The Warden states that he had accompanied the prisoner to the -residence of Mrs. Tweed, and while there had acceded to the prisoner’s request'for a private interview with his wife in an upper apartment, Dunham and liis deputy remaining below in company with one of Tweed’s sons. After waiting about ten minutes the Warden sent the son to tell his father to come down at once, and the young mail returned with the statement that his father had disappeared. The house was at once searched, but uo trace of the “ Boss” could be found. The police authorities were promptly notified Of the escape, and detectives were immediately sent out and scoured the city iu ail directions. Sheriff Conner offered a reward of SIO,OOO for the arrest of the escaped prisoner, of whose whereabouts no clew had been obtained up to the morning, of the 6th. Police-Commis-sioner Matsell said he had no theory in regard to the escape, but that in his opinion there was collusion somewhere. A New York special of the sth says Gov. Tilden had sent word to Sheriff Conner thill he should hold him personally responsible for Tweed’s escape. ' PERSONAL. Evidence was adduced in the Avery trial at St, Louis, on the 29th ult., tending to implicate Gen. Babcock in the whisky frauds. Several telegraphic dispatches sent to him in Washington by members of the ring were produced iu court, aud the original copy of a telegram signed “ Sylph,” dated Washington, Nov. 13, 1574, and direeted,to Gen. McDonald at St. Louis, saying; “ I succeeded. They will not go. I will write you,” was also prod deed and compared with a letter of similar import, aud several witnesses identified the handwriting as that of Gen. Babcock. .. r : Gen. Babcock sent a dispatch on the 30th ult. to the United States Attorney at St. Louis, saying- ” I am absolutely innocent and every telegram which 1 sent will appear perfectly innocent the moment I cad'be heard. I demand a hearing before a couyt where I can testify." The Grand Jury of the United States Court at St. Louis have indicted D. W. Mann, late Supervisor of Internal Revenue for the Illinois District, on u charge of complicity with the whisky frauds. Secretary Bristow has appointed A. E. Wilson, of Louisville, Kv., to be Chief Clerk of the Treasury Department, to fill the vacancycreated by the resignation of Avery. The remains of the late ‘.Vice-President Wilson were consigned to their final restingplace at Natick, Mass., his old honije, on the afternoon of the Ist, amid solemn and impressing funeral ceremonies. Deacon West has addressed a letter to the members of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, requesting them to join with him in the calling of a mutual council to investigate the charges against Mr. Beecher. " ■>— The National Grange of the PatroDS of Husbandry installed its newly-elected officers on the evening of the Ist, and adopted a resolution to adjourn at noon on the 2d. Messrs. Schlitz and Bergeuthal, distillers of Milwaukee, \\ is,, couvieted of shipping crooked whisky without record, as required by law, have been sentenced to .pay a fine of ■sl,ooo £»ch and to be imprisoned m the County Jail for four months.

In a private letter, which has recently been made public, Chief-Justice Waite expresses himself as being of the opinion that the-posi-tion he holds should t>e a bar to anv aspirations for the Presidency. He says the Constitution might wisely have prohibited "the election of a Chief-Justice to thte office of President of the United States. Gen. Babeoek has addressed a letter to the President, dated the 2d inst., demanding a court of inquiry and an immediate investigation of the accusation that he was a member of the St. Louis whisky ring. The anniversary of the Methodist Freedmea's Aid Society was held at Washington on the evening of the 2d. There was a large attendance. The Centennial Committee on the Opening Ceremonies have selected William M. Evarts for the orator, Henry W., Longfellow for the j»et, and a grandson of Richard H. Lee, of Virginia, for the reader of the Declaration of Independence. Hon. Ira Harris, formerly United States Senator from New York, died at Albany on

the 2<j, aged seventy-three, years. He was elected to the Senate ih and served one term. if . - John B. Bingham, one of the principal parties charged with whisky frauds at Evansville, Ind., was' before the court at Indianapolis on the 2d, and withdrew a former plda of not guilty to live separate indictmehts pending agdinst him, and entered a plea of guilty. Several minor members of the Evansville whisky ring had previously confessed their guilt. / A New York special of the 2d says that,,ac cording to the tax records of that city, Win. B. Aster’s real estate at the time of his death was worth about $25,00(1,00The same records show that he owned $636,00(1 worth of bank stt>ek, and he was the holder of considerable' amounts of State, city and national bonds. What was the value ot the Government bonds and other property exempt from taxation belonging to the estate there was no means of ascertaining, but it was believed that the total value of his estate would not exceed $45,000,000. In the whisky suits in Milwaukee on the 3d two of the defendant,*, Taft and Weimer, were found guilty of defrauding the revenues. Louis Rinltlskopf was sent to jail for contempt of court in refusing to answer questions as to payments of ring officials dts-' closed by his check-stubs. In the Avery trial at St. Louis the jury brought in a verdict on the 3d finding the defendant not guilty on the first, second and fourth counts of the indictment, but guilty on the third count. He was taken to jail. t The United States Grand Jury at St. Louis, on the evening of the 3d, found an indictment against Gen. Babcock for complicity in the whisky frauds. President Grant on the 4th designated Lieut-Gen. P. H. Sheridan, Maj.-Geii. W. S. Hancock and Brig.-Gen. H. Terry to compose the military court of inquiry to investigate the charges against Gen. Babcock, and they were ordered to hold the investigation in Chicago. GoL - Gardiner Professor of Law at West Point, was appointed to act as Judge-Advocate of the Court. < , Susan Denin, the well-known actress, died at Bluff ton, Ind., on the 4th, of injuries received from a fall while performing a short time before on the stage at Indianapolis.

POLITICAL,. At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Independent party, recently held in Chicago, at which Mr. S. M. Smith, of Kewaunee, 111., presided, a series of resolutions were adopted—demanding the repeal of the ■Specie Resumption -nad N at iorntl—Bank -aetop the establishment of a “ monetary system, based upon the faith and resources of the nation, in harmony with the genius of the Government and adapted to the demands of legitimate bushressj” "the thorough reform of the civil service, etc., and calling for a delegate convention to be held at Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 17, 1576, to nominate candidates for President and Vice-Presi-dent of the United States. At the greenback mass-meeting held in Indianapolis on the Ist resolutions were -adopted demanding of Congress the repeal of the Sherman Resumption act, the permanent retirement of all National Bank notes and the substitution therefor of full legaltender paper money issued directly by the Government. The Democrats of the Fourth Tennessee • District have nominated F. R. Riddle for Congress, to succeed J. M. Head, deceased. In a caucus of the Democratic members of the House of Representatives in Washington on the afternoon of the 4th, M. C. Kerr, of Indiana, was nominated on the third ballot for Speaker. The first ballot stood: Ken-,71; Randall, 59; Cox, 31; Saylor, 1. Second ballot: Kerr, 77; Randall, 63; Cox, 21; Saylor, 1. Third ballot: Kerr, 90; Randall, 03; Cox, 7; Saylor, I—Kerr receiving nine votes more than the requisite number (eighty-one) for a choice. The other caucus nominations were: For Clerk, Geo. M. Adams, of Kentucky; Sergcant-at-Arms, John G. Thompson, of Ohio; Doorkeeper, L. 11. Fitzhugli, of Texas; Postmaster, James Stuart, of Virginia; Chaplain, Rev. I. L. Townsend (Episcopalian), of Washington. The Republican members held a caucus the same day and nominated all the old officers of the House, including Mr. Blaine for Speaker.