Worcester daily spy., 1861-12-23
GEN EIsAL NEWS SUMMARY.



err charged with the murder OF RhOda NJ.
Wilkins of Lowell, have returned verdict OF
GUILTY of murder in the first degree, the pen
atty Of which is death, The prisoner, before
the verdict was rendered, asserted her entire
innocence of the charge and afterwards burst
into tears, and attempted to speak, in an in
coherent manner,,'r The spectators in court
were deeply effected. The sentence will be
pronounced on Friday next
The judge of the police court OF Lowell
issued IA writ Of habeas corpus last week, direct.
ing Col. Jonas Ii. French to deliver up a minor
who had enlisted in his regiment The colon
el refused to obey the writ, whereupon the su-
preme court issued a capiaS, ordering his arrest
tor contempt of court. 1t is said Col. French
! acted under the direction of Gen. Butler.
The block OF tenements in that part Of Ash
| land known as "South Ireland" owned by
| Willard r. Eames, Esq, was destroyed by fire
on the l4ih inst. On the evening Of the con
hagrati0n the officers visiting the premises
! made seizure OF liquors at the "Old Mansion
| House" with tire implements of the trade,
| and took the owner thereof before Justice tor
| punishment.
| ESSEX COUNTY.
The large building connected with tie For
! est River Lead Mills in South Salem, was to.
tally destroyed by fire on Thursday last The
loss was about 81 900 which was covered by IN
surance
Eight boys in Gloucester, on Wednesday
| last, eat some hemlock roots, supposing them
| TO be pacsnips One OF them named Knowles
| died in great agony, but the rest are expected
| to recover
The free public library of New bury port now
consists Of 10000 volumes. During the past
year rs, 693 volumes were borrowed from the
| library and all but eight returned.
The horse distemper has made its appear
onpp in NaWhurVpurt CARRYING off some valua.
bic animals. 1t is the same which prevails in
the army, and probably originated in exposure
cr'peglect.
s. VERMONT.
"NIrs. Mayer a bearer Of "secesh" dis
| patches to concealed rebels in Canada, was
arrested in st. Adams, last week, when a large
amount OF reasonable correspondence was
found among her baggage, and transmitted to
Washington. She was an old traveller, and
the frequency OF her journeys excited suspi.
cion.
The supreme court of Vermont has given
judgment against the town of Burlington tor
$1,000, on account of the negligence and ire
sponsibility of former constable of the town.
Having attached a quantity of flour, he lie.
ceipted it TO parties who have since failed.
The plaintiff recovers from the town what the
constable lost.
John Stowe, keeper of the hotel at Reads
counterfeit money. Several Of the Wate bury
counterteits were found upon his person. or
were traced to him by parties receiving them.
lie was removed to North Adams for trial.
CoENECTICUT.
The widow of the late Phineas Shelly of
| Guidtord, aged upwards of eighty years, was
burned to death, last Friday, during the alb
sence of her sons, with whom she resided.
She had fallen into the fire, and in her efforts
to escape set the house on fire, which was ex.
| tinguished, however, with slight injury.
Guy Tucker of Barkhampsted, committed
! suicide on the night OF the 18th, by shooting
| himself through the head with q shot gun,
loaded with a slug. He had been at work
through the day, and appeared as well as us
| ual though he has formerly been subjected to
| fits OF insanity. The deceased was A years
old, bachelor, and deaf and dumb.
Edward A. Cutler of Putnam has recently
made a purchase OF cotton to the amount of
So0,0OO. He commenced running his mill on
full time Monday last.
MISCELLANEOUS.
just before the commencement of Wendell
| Phillips address at the Cooper Institute, last
Friday evening, General Fremont and his wife
| quietly entered and took seats in the rear of
| the hall. Fremont wore blue military
cloak, and was notrecognized by many around
him. He appears older and more careworn
than before he went to the war; and during
tho daliveryr Of tl.o a5stvos, WINE every men-
ton of his name excited the audience to en-
thusiasm, his countenance betrayed no emo
| ton at these tokens OF popularity.
| Robert Ogden Edwards, much esteemed
and honored citizen of southern New York, died
| at Chenango Forks on the 1lth inst at ven
cradle age. He was a native of Stockbridge,
Mass, and a descendant of the celebrated JON
athan Edwards. During "Shay's rebellion"
Robert, then young lad, was takena prison
er by the rebels, but fortunately escaped, hid.
ing between the hay and the wall OF his IA
thers barn, yet so nearly exposed as to be
| wounded by the bayonets of the murderers
who were on his track.
Col. Marston, of one of the New Hampshire
| regiments was accidentally shot on the 10Th
inst, at Camp Beaufort, on the Potomac One
| OF his attendants was cleaning pistol in the
rear OF his tent, when its contents were dis
charged, the ball striking him on the hip, and
passing entirely through his body. A fatal
result was feared.
One Of the oldest generals in the British ar
my, Alexander, died at his residence in Bath,
England, on the Both inst, at the age of 95
years. lie entered the army in 1913, was in
Flanders with Lord Moira in 1854, with the
Duke of York, at Antwerp, and in the disas,
trous retreat through Holland to Bremen, in
the winter of l794-5; and served during the
rebellion of 1898 in Ireland
Rev. Mrs. Beecher is officiating as pastor
of the church Of the Winebrenarians in Pitts
burg, the distinguishing feature of which is
the "washing of feet" before the pulpit in
presence OF the whole congregation. The
rite is administered at set times, appointed for
the Lords Supper; the women bathing the
feet of their own sex, and the men doing the
| me.
The recruiting officer at Rochester, N. Y,
detected young female adventurer, last week,
who applied to him, dressed in bifurcated ap-
parel, for situation as drummer boy. Her
tavorite masculine alias was Charley Miller,
and she had been hack driver, a circus rider,
bar tender, a whip pedlers clerk and a
drummer boy in the 18th New York and 46th
| Pennsylvania regiments.
The ladies who attended the presidents last
levee are discussing who was the "belle."
Mrs Mcclellan was, after Mrs. Lincoln, the
observed OF all observers, and the president
himself selected (if his judgment has weight
in such matters) Mrs. I. Bigelow Lawrence,
wife of our consul general at Florence, as his
partner for promenade after the fatigues of
hand shaking.
THE SLAVERY QUEsTIoN.-The difference
| hot fuop fNnrto of Al