Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1902 — ODD CHRISTMAS BOX. [ARTICLE]

ODD CHRISTMAS BOX.

FARMERS* SONS TREATED TO A HOLIDAY SURPRISE, Mutilated Cadaver Is Found Enclosed Instead of the Expected Toys—Body of Murdered Mine Manager Fmind at Bottom of Shaft. The citizens in and about Bowers, Ind., were excited the other day over a ghastly Christmas box sent hontc by Charles Campbell, a farmer. Mr. Campbell has been on a visit in Dakota for some weeks, and before he left home he instructed his two small boys to open the Christmas box he expected to send them. A box was received and delivered at the Campbell home. The boys opened the box and found that it contained the body of a woman. The xtyms had been severed close to the bodwTo allow it to be crowded into the box;' It was learned that the package hud been misdirected and that the body belonged to Dr. Campbell of Lafayette, Ind., who procured it at a medical college at Indianapolis, Ind., and was shipping it home fdr dissection. He was able to convince the officials that everything was regular. Dr. Campbell claimed the body and took it to Lafayette. FOUR DIE IN WREjpK. Crash on Chicago and North western Is Disastrous to Life. Four persons are dead, three others seriously wounded and twenty-two scalded, cut and bruised as the result of a collision soon after daylight Sunday morning on the main line of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway at Malta, 111. Two locomotives, two sleepers, two passenger cars and eight freight ears filled with oats and corn were entirely demolished, and nearly the whole of the woodwork of the wreckage was consumed by fire within half an hour after the accident occurred. The wreck was one of the most serious that have occurred on the Northwestern road for several years. It was caused by a seemingly unaccountable error that brought a freight train from a siding on to the main track at the moment when the accommodation passenger train No. G, east bound, flew past the little depot at a rate of fortytwo miles an hour. MINE MANAGER IS MURDERED. Body Is Found at the Bottom of Shaft in Cripple Creek. Martin Gleason, 50 years old, superintendent of the Wild Horse, Damon and Deadwood mines at Cripple Creek, was found dead at the bottom of the Kalamazoo shaft, 500 feet below the surface of the ground. The ground around the mouth of the shaft bore marks of s struggle and it is evident that Gleason was murdered, although no motive for the crime is known. Gleason disap peared the previous day. POLICE FIGHT WITH ROBBERS. Capture Two Who Secure SGOO from > Man at Martin’s Ferry, Ohio. Masked robbers etnered the home ot Thomas Y. Ingling, a butcher at Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, and forced him at the point of a revolver to give up S6OO. Later the police had a battle with two of the robbers, who were captured after a lively exchange of shots at close range. The men gave their names as James Elliott, alias Taylor, of Chicago and Harry Hoyt of Wheeling. Four of the robbers escaped. Mad Love Leads to Death. Robert McElfresh, who recently went to St. Joseph, Mo., from Chicago and entered the employ of Swift & Co. as a clerk in the general office, was found dead in a cell at the police station from the effects of morphine poisoning. He had taken the drug some time after his arrest on a charge of disturbing the peace of a young woman with whom be was madly infatuated. Cage in Mine Shaft Falls. At shaft No. 1 of the McAlester Coal Company, Hartshorn, I. T., while the cage was ascending with eight men it jumped its guidings about 100 feet from the bottom of the shaft. Six of the eight men were killed. They were caught between the cage and the buntings and their bodies dropped to the bottom of the shaft. Adirondac k!* Lose 7,500 Deer. The New York State forest, fish and game commission reports that express companies which operate in the Adirondaeks carried 1,280 deer dtiriug the last season. This is believed to indicate that 0,500 deer were killed in that section during the year. Let Children See the Hanging. At Trenton, N. J., several hundred children had the opportunity to see the haugiog of the negro Robert Ilenson, who murdered Mary Van Lieu and her child and then burned the home to cover •up the crime. The hanging took place in the yard of the old Mercer jail. New Judge for Philippines. D. S. Ambler of Salem. Ohio, has been appointed a federal judge’in the Philippine Islands. He will leave for the islands the latter part of March, going first to Hebo, but later will be stationed at Manila. Clew in Ely-Kogers Affair. An Evanston detective, aided by n dog, hat found the clothing discarded by Miss Florence Ely and her nephew, Frank Rogers, on the day of their disappearance. \ Wrecked,by Wind and Band. A terrific sandstorm raged all over southern California, unroofing buildings, devastating orange groves, breaking windows, and in many cities bringing traffic almost to a standstill. The principal sufferers were Colton, Pomona, Hun Bernardino and Santa Ana. Two Killed by Gambler. Ghatka, MeKuight, a fato denier, shot Urn! m B

BIG PAPER PLANT DESTROYED. Champion Coated Paper Works at Hamilton, Ohio, Burned. At Hamilton, Ohio, fire in the Champion coated paper works caused a loss of from $750,000 to $1,000,000. It was the largest plant of the kind in the United States and employed over 400 persons. A stock of $250,000 worth of enameled book and magazine paper was wholly destroyed. There was also a loss of a great quantity of valuable machinery. The fire was caused by the explosion of a can of gasoline in the hands of John Kopp, Who was using it for cleaning some portion of the machinery. Kopp was severely burned. The plant is owned by a company of which Peter G. Thompson of College Hill is the largest stockholder. The company has just completed a $750,000 pressed brick building, which the fire department succeeded in saving. The capital stock of the company is $1,500,000, but its stock is held’at a much higher figure. BOLD WORK OF ROBBERS. Battle with Watchmen, Overpower Them and Then Blow Safe. After assaulting, overpowering and gagging two watchmen, ten burglars who forced their way into the building of the Chicago Wrecking Company, Thirty-fifth and Iron streets, Chicago, robbed their victims of their valuables, ascended a stairway leading to the offices of the company, and with the aid of dynamite wrecked the safe. Then they made their escape after rifling the contents of the heavy iron compartment, securing everything of value. The robbery occurred shortly after 11 o’clock Sunday night. Some three hours later one of the watchmen dragged himself up the stairway to the offices of the company and turned in a still alarm of fire. Firemen who responded released the watchmen. The safe contained a considerable sum of currency which was appropriated by the cracksmen. Son of Murderer SVt Free. At Butler, Mo., William Gartrell, charged with complicity in the murder of D. B. Donegan, a Colorado miner, for which crime his father, Dr. J.L. Gartrell, is under sentence of death, was released and the case against him dismissed. The testimony at the trial of Dr. Gartrell showed that the son was asleep when Donegan was killed. Soldiers Poisoned by Beef. At Cheyenne, Wyo., eighty members of Company F. Eighteenth infantry, were poisoned while eating breakfast, and for a time over half of them were in danger of death. The post surgeon was hurriedly summoned and administered an antidote. The surgeon examined the food served at breakfast and is of the opinion that efie poison was in the beef. Fire Cripples Coal Mines. The buildings connected with No. 8 mine, belonging to the Brazil Block Coal Company at Brazil, Ind., were destroyed by fire, incurring a loss of over $25,000, with but $13,000 insurance. The fire originated in the engine room. As this plant furnished power and light for two other mines several hundred persons have been thrown out of employment. Killed by Explosion. As the result of the explosion of gas in the store of E. Bartholemevv in Kenton, Ohio, Carl Shields, 15 years old, was killed and several other persons injured. The explosion was caused by a plumber looking for a gas leak with a lighted candle. The building was partially wrecked, and the front windows of several adjacent stores demolished. Three Dead in Rains. The finding of three bodies in the ruins of a cabin in the Italian settlement at Millinooket, Me., has led the authorities to begin ah investigation. It is reported that revolver shots were heard in the cabin before fire broke out, and that one of the bodies had a wound in the head. The other two were badly burned. The dead men were Italians. Guilty of Stealing Cattle. At Helena, Mont., the jury in the United States Court in the case of Robert K. Lee and Samuel Garvin, charged with stealing 700 cattle from the Indians on the Crow reservation, returned a verdict finding both defendants guilty. Fire Truck and Car Collide. While fire truck No. 7 was responding to an alarm in Toledo. Ohio, it collided with a street car, resulting in the death of Captain J. B. Ward of the tire company and the injury of several other firemen, one of whom may die. Killed in a Midnight Fire. One child was burned to death, its parents were seriously injured and two other young children were slightly injured as a result of a fire at the home of James H. Connelly, 3976 Wyalusitsg avenue, Philadelphia. Rathbun Declared Guilty. At Jeffersonville, Ind., Newell C. Rathbun was found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the death of Charles Goodman. His punishment was fixed at from two to twenty-one years in the penitentiary. Death of William E. Charming. William Ellery Channing, an author of marked originality aud poetic power, publisher of nine notable volumes, died at his residence in Concord, Mass. He was \ae last of the brotherhood including Thoreau, Hawthorne and Emerson. Fonr Killed in a Wreck. The local express and a working train on the Canhdian Pacific Railway collided between Snult Ste. Marie, Ont., and Webbwood while running at full speed. Four men were killed and several were severely injured. Centenarian Frozen to Death. William Fay, who was an English soldier in the Crimean war, died at Osage City, Kan., aged more than 100 years. Until a few weeks ago his mind was vigorous. The ol| man wandered away aud was badly frozen. Strike* Gao in Minnesota. Eugene Gardiner was drilling a well on the farm of Willet Brunk, near Pelican Rapids, Minn., when he struck n vein of gns, which came up with a terrific noise and when lighted burned to a great height. Four Die in Steamltoat Fire. The steamer Hun, employed In the jind Fulton trade on the Missis . Ll to wnur •'« «’'<*?<• >n ' 1111 >ll - ;i i<l l ■•ii r In n W ....... .... V