Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1900 — TURNED ADRIFT BY BRITISH. [ARTICLE]

TURNED ADRIFT BY BRITISH.

Man Who Helped the Penni* le*«, Though Heir to SIOO,OOO. The heir to SIOO,OOO, a soldier who fought at Spion kop in the Boer struggle for liberty, hungry and ignorant of American customs and the, English language, is in Denver and says he is the victim of a remarkable scheme of the British government to dispose of its prisoners of war. Thomas Figee, a 10-year-old Hollander, reached Denver with S2O, but had been there only ten. days when he was robbed. Since then he has wandered about looking for word. Though a fortune awaits him in Holland, he says he is anxious to do any manual labor to earn a living, lie and twenty other Boer prisoners, according to- Figee’s story, were brought to the United States in January from Delagoa bay in the hold of a dirty vessel, and each with S2O was landed in New York and told to shift for himself. Figee’s home- is in Haaler,. near Amsterdam, in Holland, he says. His father, John Figee, died several years ago, leaving t four sons and two daughters SIOO,OO each. Some of Figee’s countrymen living in Denver know his family well, and are convinced after investigation that his story is true. MICHIGAN LAW DECLARED VOID. Supreme Court Says Foreign Commission Men Need Not Get License. The opinion of the Michigan Supreme Court in the case involving the constitutionality of the.act of the last legislature, which required commission- merchants to take out licenses and give bonds in the sum of $5,000 as preliminaries to doing business in Michigan and which was of so much concern to fruit dealers in Chicago, Detroit and. elsewhere, was handed down the other day. The court, by unanimous agreement, held the law void, declaring it to be class legislation and an unjustifiable interference with the right of citizens to carry on legitimate business. LIGHTNING CUTS A CAPER. Exploding Bolt Knocks Over South Dakota Farmer and His Cow. Lightning has been cutting queer capers near Hurley, S. D. Daniel Polly of that town says that while he was milking a cow in an open shed one morning a bolt of lightning descended, exploding about fifteen feet from him. The explosion took place about a foot from the ground and sounded like a giant firecracker. He and the cow were both knocked over, the cow rolling completely over him. An examination of the ground where the bolt struck revealed no disturbance of the surface.

ASSUMES HIS WIFE’S NAME. His Own Is Not Euphonious and His Spouse’s Brings a Fortune. Harry A. Stanley of East St. Louis, by a decree of court a few days ago, has been permitted to assume his wife’s family name of Haines. There are two reasons assigned by the friends of the couple for the desire to change their name. One is that Stanley was not euphonious enough to suit their tastes. The other is to the effect that the change involves an estate which the woman will inherit provided she always retains the name Haines. Money for Oberlin College. President Barrows of Oberlin, Ohio, College announced the receipt of $5,000 from Mrs. A. C. Bartlett of Chicago as a memorial to her son Frank, who died last year; $2,000 from Mrs. Helen Coburn of Boston, to be known as the Andover scholarship, and $2,000 from James B. Dill of New York for a new football park. Miners Need Not Undress. The strike of the miners at the Independence mine, Denver, Colo., over the attempt to enforce the rule requiring them to strip off all their clothing in the presence of a watchman before quitting work terminated in favor of the miners. It was settled that there should be no other change of clothing than at present. ‘Dies of Brass Poisoning. Alexander Le Forester died at the hospital at Williamsport, Pa., from an unusual malady, being a victim of brass poisoning. His system had been so impregnated with the poison that his teeth had become oxidized and the sweat, as it oozed from his pores, was greenish in color. Strange Murder of a Woman. Miss Griffin of Dundas, Ont., was shot and -killed while out driving with George Pearson of Hamilton. According to Pearson’s story they were passed by a rig from which two shots were fired. One of these struck Jlliss Griffin in the head. He carried her into a farm house, where she died.

Sacrificed Life for Dog. Mrs. George Barker of St. Louis sacrificed her life while trying to save her pet terrier dog from destruction under a street cir. the dog escaped unhurt without her assistance, but the woman was knocked down and fatally injured.

Falls One Thousand Feet. While Carl Bryan, aeronaut with Welsh Brothers’ circus, was making an ascension at Ephrata. Pa., his balloon burst at a Height of about 1,000 feet. The aeronaut fell to the ground, but was not seriously hurt. Would Raise Perry’s Ship, Congressman at Large Davenport, of Erie, Pa., is framing a bill asking Congress to appropriate SIO,OOO for the purpose of raising the Niagara, Commodore Perry’s flagship. The ship is lying in Erie Bay in twenty feet of water. ■Won't Accept a Decrease. Two hundred men employed by the Page Boiler Company went out on strike at Norwich, Conn., when informed that a voluntary increase of 10 per cent in wages, which was granted in April of this yehr, no longer could be paid. Killed in a Tornado. The village of Morristown, Minn., was visited by a tornado Monday afternoon. Besides destroying several buildings eight persons were killed. The storm came without warning. Natives Slay Prospector*. J. Lorey. R. Springford and I). Robertson, on the island of Batan, one of the Philippine group, were ambusbed by 200 natives and cut tp pieces by spears before they gave up. Ticket Agent Held Un. Two men held up the Hoyne avenue ticket agent of the Metropolitan Elevated Road, in Chicago, and took $lO, all the cash in the station.