Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-03-30

The organization Of thst body. Among the
bills introduced was one by Mr.. Curtis, of
Iowa. tor Pacific Railroad. 1t was re.
ferred 10 the Select Committee.
vvg THE NEWS. ..,r
Weeks, Norton & Co.'s steam saw-mill,
in Manitowoc c.anty, Wis, was consumed
by fire on the 18th inst, and David Upper
aud James Francis persisted in the flames.
Loss Of property, ST., 0o0-not insur ed.
"A call has been issued for meeting of
the Democratic National Committee at
Washington on the 9th of April. 1t is not
considered probable that q change will be
made as to the place of holding the Conven
ton, but it is thought important that tho
Committee should be called together to
satisfy public opinion, and in the hope that
the grievances complained of at CHARLES ton
may be abated. The clamor for change
continues undated from different sections.
New Orleans papers of the 2lst contain
q statement made by prisoners aboard the
Mexican prize steamer corresponding sub.
stantialy with accounts already published.
The Gen. Mramon had crew of $50 men,
mostly Spaniards. Forty of the Grew were
killed and wounded in the engagement.
Prisoners state that the arms, ammunition,
&C., were put on board at Havana with the
knowledge of the Cuban Government. A
large portion of her cargo consisted of pow
der, which was thrown overheard during the
fight. Some Of the barrels of this powder
have been recovered and prove to be the
same US that used in the arsenals at Havana.
FROM THE PAoIFlc.--The steamship Baltic
arrived at New York on Sunday, with Cali
fornia dates Of the 9Th inst, with 420 pas
sengers and 1896, 900 in specie, brought
down by tho Golden Gate. The shipments
of treasure are unusually small, on account
of the investm nts in the Washoe silver
mines. Tho news from California is of but
little interest. A rather destructive FIRE
occurred at Sacramento on the 4th. Weston's
brick building, occupied by A. S. Searles,
a carriage shop, Tolls brick stable, and the
old County Court buildings, which he was
fitting up as hotel, were burned; loss $40, :
900. Nine convicts escaped from the Cali
foruia State Prison on the night of the. Sd
inst.
William Fee, convicted of numbering
an unknown woman on the public highway,
was hanged on Friday last, at Clyde, N. Y.
The House Special Committee On the
Pacific Railroad proposition met on the Goth,
when Mr.. Curtis substituted bill embody-
ing the propositions adopted at a former
meeting for the Central route. MIR. Hind
man entered motion to re-. consider the
vote by which tho one road proposition as
adopted. This was rejected by vote of 7
to 6-Curtis not voting, and Fenton aud
Smith being absent.
"A terrible accident occurred at Chitten-
dea's shaft, miles below Hyde Park, Pa,
on the afternoon of the Goth. The pumps
broke while the workmen were Icing hoisted
up. An explosion Of fire-damp following,
some Is or 20 of them were killed, and
many more seriously injured. The engine
and boiler house were blown to pieces
These are all the particulars as yet received.
EXECUTION OF A WOMAN Mrs. Mary Ann
Bilansky, convicted Of poisoning her hus-
band, rich Polish citizen of St. Paul, was
hung on Friday, 23d inst She protested to
the last moment her Innocence, declaring
that not she, but another person, had
poisoned her husband. 1t is an unusual
thing in this country for q woman to be
hanged. This is one Of only two or three
cases of white women being hanged in the
United States. The murder of which Mrs
Bilansky was convicted occurred on the
18th of March, 1859. There is but little
doubt that she was guilty of the horrid
deed, her motive being to get her husband
out of the way, get possession of his prop
erty, and enjoy it with her paramour, a
young man named Walker, whom she
claimed as her nephew and with whom it
was proven she had illicit intercourse, both
before and after her marriage. She sue
ceeded in May last in escaping from Jail by
outside aid, but was re arrested. A desperate
effort was made by her counsel and sympa-
thizers to induce the Minnesota Legislature
to commute her sentence, and it was
| su .cessful So far as to have q resolution
passed to that effect, but it was quashed by
the veto of the Governor. Her demeanor
on the scaffold was calm and collected. She
was not defiant or stoical, neither did she
shed tear. 1t is the opinion of many that
she expected pardon or reprieve to the
last moment. There was scarcely any
movement in the body after it dropped, a
Sigh. convulsive motion and heaving of
the chest, was all that was observed.
-Advices from Vera Cruz state that the
siege Of that city has been renewed by
Miramon and his forces.
Ten persons lost their lives by the burn.
ing of a dwelling, on 45th street, New York,
on the morning of the 2sth. They were the
wife and four children of Andrew Wheeler,
and the wife and four children of Mr. Bennett.
Loss Of property, $4,000. ...
The Democratic Territorial Convention
of Kansas, which met at Atchison, on the
2sth, elected IL delegates to the Charleston
Convention. Douglas was declared the choice
of the Convention for the Presidency, and the
Cincinnati platform re-afirmed. The delega-
ton is una nimous for Douglas.
A letter from Howell Cobb is published,
in the course of which he says: 81 must
Withdraw my name Internationally from the
canvass, and this letter is written for the
purpose of announcing to all who feel an
interest in the matter, but particularly to the
delegates from Georgia to the Charleston
Convention, that have done So"
TELEGRAPH TO The PAoIEIo.- The bill pro-
viding for a line of telegraph to the Pacific,
NIL; ~ ,,,o,od tho Gapota IN Mop6oy bv