Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1901 — FROM THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE EARTH [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FROM THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE EARTH

ACCUSED OF FOUR. MURDERS. Trained Norse Said to Have Admini iatered Poison to Patients. Miss Jane Toppan, a trained nurse, is under arrest at Barnstable, Mass., charged with murdering four persons. All of them died within six weeks of each other, and were members of one family. They were: Alden D. Davis of Cataumet, Mass. Mrs. Davis, his wife; Mrs. Harry Gordon, a daughter; Mrs.'Mary Gibbe, another daughter. The first death, was that of Mrs. Davis, who died in Cambridge on July 3. Miss Toppan was the nurse. The Davis family had a summer home at Cataumet, and Mr. Davis' and his two daughters went there. Mrs. Gordon's health was not good, and the nurse was retained. About four weeks afterMrs. Davis’ death Mr. Davis died suddenly. Within two weeks both daughters were dead. The husband of Mrs. Gibbs was Capt. Irving Gibbs, who was absent on a sea trip. When he returned he began an investigation, keeping his operations secret. Detectives worked up the case, and the stomachs of the fourpersons were examined. The result has not been made public, but it is evident that strong evidence has been secured. Miss Toppan has been under close watch during the work of the detectives. FATALLY SHOT BY HIS WIFE. Kissing Her When Revolver Was Discharged. John Chartrand, manager of a skating rink at Hoboken, N. J., is dead from the effects of a pistol wound in the head and his wife is under arrest pending investigation. Mrs. Chartrand’s story is that her husband had been unable to rent apartments for their accommodation of late and for that reason she had gone to live with her mother. She visited hexhusband at tßh 'rink and remained with him all night. She says that when she was about to leave the rink the next morning her husband took out a revolver and offered it to her. Chartrand had arranged, she says, to go on a hunting trip to Tom’s river, to be gone ten days, and Mrs. Chartrand was to have taken care of the rink during his absence. He gave her the revolver, she says, to protect herself during her stay at the rink.- Mrs. Chartrand says that she put her arm around her husband’s neck to kiss him good-by and that the revolver in some way was discharged. The bullet entered Chartrand’s head behind the left ear, and he died before he could be taken to the hospital.

KILLS BROTHER FOR A *COON. Ohio Farmer by Mistake Shoots Fel-low-Hunter Climbing Tree. Frank and Charles Richards, brothers and farmers of Licking County, Ohio, went coon hunting the other night. One of Jhe dogs treed a coon and Charles climbed up the tree to capture the animal just as Frank came over the hill from an opposite direction. When he drew near the tree he mistook his brother for the coon and fired, the load taking effect in his brother’s shoulder and lungs. The body fell to the ground and Frank, rushing up to pick up his game, was horrorstricken to see the body of his brother lying under the tree. Death had been almost instantaneous.

Boy Imitates Pat Crowe. A 12-year-old boy named Southwick kidnaped the G-year-old son of G. W. Ryan, a prominent grocer of Great Falls, Mont, and sent a note to the father demanding $1,500 ransom, threatening to ram fine pieces of glass into the child's eyes and cut his hands off unless the demand was complied with. Mr. Ryan notified the police, who arrested young Southwick. Forepausrh Train Wrecked. The Forepaugh & Sells circus was wrecked one mile south of Baton Rouge, La. A car load of elephants was turned loose through the wreck, but none of the wild animals escaped. Three men were badly hurt. The wreck was caused by the front section of the circus train running into the rear end of a freight train.

Kitted bj a Small Itone. Mary B. Livingstone, niece of the famous African explorer, died in Minneapolis during an operation for the removal of a bone from her throat. Miss Livingstone attended a party, and while partaking of a luncheon a small bone lodged in her thi'oat. Ensine on J. C. Blows Up. Two employes of the Illinois Central Railroad Company were fatally scalded as the result of the explosion of an engine on the company’s trgeks at the foot of Washington street, Chicago. The cause of the explosion could not be explained by Foreman Davis. FireCanses Kuin in Chicago. Fire started in the top floor of a woodworker’s factory at 120 North Union street, Chicago, which within two hours consumed twenty buildings, made 200 people homeless and caused a financial loss of about $200,000. Northwestern Increases Wages. Conductors, brakemen and baggagemen employed on the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha divisions of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway system have been granted an increase of wages. Old Railroad Man Dies. Charles G. Knight, chief inspector in the State Railroad Department, was found dead in his bed at Columbus, Ohio. It is said that heart disease caused his death. Honaea Shaken In Lowell. A seismic disturbance of several seconds’ duration was felt in the higher rations of Lowell, Mass. In one section house* trembled to such an extent that crockery and glassware were broken. Taft Under Hnrgeoa’s Knife. Got. Taft baa been sick in the hospital at Manila. He haa undergone a successful operation, and la now recovering.

ROAD OFFICIALS ARE KILLED. Three Baltimore and Ohio Chiefs Die in Train Collision. A wreck occurred on the Baltimore and Ohio road east of Brady’s tunnel, a short distance east of Washington, Wednesday, which resulted in the death of three men and the injury of ten more, two of whom may die. The wreck was caused by a head-end collision between an empty freight engine and the west-bound Wheeling accommodation train. The dead are: Michael Hahn, Finleyville, car inspector; James Beggan, Washington, supervisor of Wheeling division; M. J. Padden, Roney's Point, clerk in the supervisor’s office. WILD WEST IN TRAIN WRECK. One Hundred of Buffalo Bill’s Horses Are Killed Outright. The Southern Railroad train bearing Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show was wrecked at Lin wood. N. C. Four show cars were smashed, one hundred horses were killed and the trainmaster, engineer and fireman of the show train were hurt. The accident was caused by the engineer of train No. 75 mistaking his orders and running on the time of the show train, No. 72, which had the right of way. PUBLIC LAND SALES INCREASE. Report Show) that 2,108,908 Acres More Were Sold This Year than Lnst. The annual report of Commissioner Hermann of the General Land Office in Washington says that 15,502,790 acres of public land were disposed of during the last fiscal year, an increase of 2,108,908 over the previous year, which was the banner year in public land sales. The net surplus from the entire land and forest administration is $3,458,442.

Life Sentence for Hermit. The jui-y in the murder trial of W. H. Ward, the hermit of Pluma, S. D., brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree Ward was sentenced to life ixnpriscmnient in the Sioux Falls penitentiary. A few months ago two boys of Pluma, Lee and Kirk Shepard, disappeared suddenly and Ward was arrested and charged with the crime. British in Dianater. Lord Kitchener has reported to the war office in London a disaster to the British near Bethel, Eastern Transvaal, in which two guns were lost, several officers killed or wounded and fifty-four men were killed and 100 wounded. Court Order* Boy* Whipped. At Akron, Ohio, Probate Judge Anderson gave six boys found guilty of petit larceny the choice of a sound whipping by their parents or a sentence to the reform farm at Lancaster. All chose the former. Girl Slain in Piatol Duel. Ethel riumb, aged 2 years, is lying dead at tlje home of her grandmother, Mrs. H. Parke, at Virginia City, Mont., as the result of a duel fought with revolvers by Mr. and Mrs. Plumb, her parents. Work of Rafe Robber*. Safe blowers robbed banks nt Mattock and Arispe, lowa, getting $2,000 and sl,500 respectively. Burglars at Lamed, Kao., set fire to livery bam to attract dtisens while they opened a safe at the Santa Fe depot. To Make Greatest Navy. Government boards will recommend to Congress that forty vessels of all classes be added to the navy, making It superior to that of any European nation. Original of “Dooley” Dies. "Jim” McGarry, original of “Pete” Dunne's “Dooley” sketches, died at the Cook Connty hospital in Chlcagq.

MRS. GEBHARD GETS ALIMONY. Awarded $183,000 and New York Residence with Her Decree of Divorce. Frederick Morris Gebhard’s attempt to secure a divorce from his wife will cost him $185,000 and his splendid home in New York City, to say nothing of the money he spent during his six months’ residence in Sioux Falls, S. D., during which time he entertained lavishly. Such is the decision of the court. Gebhard came to Sioux Falls six months ago in order to become a resident and bring suit for divorce. He filed a bill asking for a decree on the grounds of desertion. There was no sign of contest and the case was called for hearing. An hour before court opened Mrs. Gebhard appeared with her mother. Her defense was a cross-bill in which she charged that she was the one deserted. Her mother testified to the same effect and she was granted a divorce. This, however, does not prevent Gebhard from marrying again. She was Miss Louise Morris of Baltimore and made a sensation by wading through a fountain in the Maryland city when someone dared her to do it as a party was returning from a ball one night. Geb-hai-d’s father is one of the big stockholders in the Illinois Central Railroad.

HIGH PRICES FOR RARE COINS. Two Hundred Dollars for 133 Pennies at Haigh’a Collection Sale. At the sale of the Haigh collection of coins in Boston the principal item was a collection of United States copper cents representing the dates from 1793 to 1857, and containing 133 specimens. The bidding on this lot started at $5 and increased until Mr. Collins, a Boston collector, bid S2OO and the set was knocked down to him. The 1793 cent sold for SB. The half cents brought even high prices, proofs of 1840 and 1848 going for S2O each and a pi-oof of 1849 for $24. There was active competition for some of the gold pieces offered, an uncirculated $3 gold piece of 1875 going to a Philadelphia dealer for $155. The same dealer bought a gold dollar, uncirculated, for $26.75, collector purchased a gold dollar of 1875 for SSO. An octagonal SSO gold piece, minted at San Francisco in 1852, went to a New York dealer for $96. The Miners’ Bank $lO gold piece went for S4B and the Mormon $5 piece of 1849 for $15.50.

POISONERS STIR A SUBURB. Mysterious Efforts Are Made to Kill Family Near St. Lonis. Mysterious attempts have been made for two weeks to poison the family of Julius Kuhn, a painter living In Meacham Park, a small subdivision about three miles south of Kirkwood, Mo. The efforts of the unknown enemies have been so persistent that the entire neighborhood is aroused. People are in such a state of excitement that they hardly allow their children out of their sight for fear they might pick up some poisoned fruit. Several times recently the children have found apples and oranges which examination proved were doctored with arsenic and paris green. CALLS BABY LEON CZOLGOSZ. Kansas Farmer Driven from Town and Child Is Denied Baptism. At Centropolis, Kan., M. Bernheimer, a farmer, named his infant son Leon Czolgosz and was driven from the county by indignant citizens. Bernheimer sought a priest and asked him to christen his son. When the point in the ceremony for the name to be given was reached the priest indignantly refused to christen an infant with such a name, and administered a stinging rebuke to the parents. Vessels Are Lost in Gale. Three schooners were driven ashore on the Labrador coast during a gale. One was laden with the families of fishermen returning from a summer sojourn on the coast. The women and children were rescued with great difficulty, the schooner being beached at Sandy Spit and the women and children being set ashore with ropes. In all three cases the crews were saved.

Philippine Customs Grow. A comparative statement made public by the division of insular affaii-s of the War Department shows that the total customs revenue in the seven months ended July 31 nt Philippine ports wus $5,025,139, an increase over the corresponding period of 1900 of $1,124,333 and over 1899 of $2,409,082. Editor Hearst Cited for Contempt. In Chicago Judge Hanecy cited W. R. Hearst of the Chicago American and six of his newspaper staff to answer charges of contempt of court for publishing criticisms and cartoons on the court’s decision iu the case of the People’s Gas Light and Coke Company. Carnegie Plan* Technical Rchool. Plans and estimates for a Pittsburg polytechnic institute arc being prepared at the request of Andrew Carnegie which will call for an outlay of from $5,000,000 to $8,000,000 for buildings and an endowment fund of $25,000,000 more for maintenance.

Ruiclde Follows n Murder. Henry Schroeder shot and killed his 7-year-old daughter in St. Louis, and then committed’suicide by drinking carbolic acid. Schroeder separated from hia wife a week before. He brooded over it and became insane. Fatal Fire at Unlontowa t Pa. A fire which started in Friedman’s 11yery stable, near Pittsburg street, Uniontown, Pa., destroyed ten buildings, covering two blocks. One life is reported to have been'lost and the property ’damage is estimated at $250,000. Two Ki,i*j an a Fire. Two persons lost their lives, three others were injured and many more wero overcome by smoke in a fire which occurred in the Eagle flats In Chicago. The property damage was small.