The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-02-26


A fire in Norwich, Conpecticut, on Saturday
night destroyed nearly quarter Of q million
dollars worth of property.
velocipede races are held in an old Methodist
church at Newburyport, Mass, and the winner
Is rewarded with silk hat.
AT Lexington, KY, Wednesday morning. ].
W. Leo murdered his wife by cutting her throat
with razor. He afterwards committed suicide
by cutting his own throat from ear to ear with
the same razor. Financial embarrassment
brought about the tragedy.
! Sebastian HufIer, q shoemaker at Hannibal,
No., lately had an attack Of insanity, during
which he became possessed Of the Idea that ia
tan was in his dog, and that Il would be righ-
teous act TO kill the brute. Aftey he had dis
patched the dog, he concluded that the in
carnation Of evil had taken possession
Of his eight year old daughter, and
calling her to him he seized her, placed .
strap around her neck, threw her to the floor,
placed his foot on her head, and taking knife,
cut out her heart, and swallowed tho ooagulated
blood. He was arrested some time after COM
hitting the deed, being found in his own house
with the door fastened. He made no attempt
to conceal his guilt, but gave straightforward
history of the affair, manifesting no regret at
the occurrence. He stated that by drinking the
child's blood he would never want food, and
that he felt justified in the course he had pur-
sued.
The tower Of the Methodist church in Nor
risania, New York, fell Sunday morning with
terrible crash. The tower was built Of patent
brick and imitation frccstonc. and WAS 125 feet
high; the building was also badly injured; the
total loss Is nearly $4,000; the building was
just completed.
A st. Louis Justice Of the Peace married .
man and woman In 1853, procured for them .
divorce in 1860, In 1861 married the woman
to another husband, and In 1862 furnished the
man another wife. Last week the two presented
themselves at his Office to renew the bonds Of
ten years ago, and he married them.
The fayoritc Chinese concealed weapon" Is
an iron bolt about 10 inches long, covered with
rcd cloth, with heavy bolt on one end. They
are very common In San Francisco.
Intelligence from the great wheat fields Of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinoio, Is TO the effect that
the appearance Of the grain promises an unusu-
al large crop next year. There Is still some
uhngtT ITOtn IIUot, Dut " 70 WY
ishing. The opening Of spring with assurance
of abundance Is seldom followed by disappoint-
ment in the summer. Good crops and general
prosperity are 80 closely allied that the latter is
almost certain to follow the former. A repeti-
ton even Of such crops as were gathered last
year would do much to repair the wastes OF
war.
When Mrs. Harper, the notorious confidence
woman, was before the Superior Court ut Mid
dletovn on Tuesday, for the purpose Of receive
ing her sentence, one Of her counsel said that
her arrest and convictions was due not 30 much
10 the officers Of the law as to the information
respecting her and her crimes scattered broad
cast over the country by the newspapers.
Friday night one Of the lunatics confined on
Blackwell's Island, female, killed her sleeping
comrade, young woman 20 years Of age, by
striking her on the head with an oak tub, which
forms tho only movable article Of furniture in
the cell. The maniac scoopcd out the brains OF
her victim with her fingers, and then lay down
beside her. The affair was discovered the fol.
lowing morning by the keeper. II Is reported
that the authorities attempted to hush the mat
ter up.
Mrs. Moss wore $40, 900 worth Of diamonds
and a $4,000 lace Aounce at the charity ball In
New York. Charity indeed
Air-guns are the latest weapon Of New York
murderers. A clerk sitting alone in q brokers'
Office was shot ut with one Of those silent in
struments recently.
An exchange says "The wickedest John Al
len OF New York has signed the pledge twelve
times since Christmas, and Is now, when sober
enough, lecturing on temperance"
The strong-mindci sisterhood in New York
adopted the following at their last meeting I;
"Resolvel, That Mrs. Grundy' Is n nuisance
that shall neither be tolerated or quoted by q
member Of Sorosis."
DR.. Mudd. one Of the assassination conspira
tors, has been pardoned. Only twelve days
more Of johnson
whalen, convicted Of the murder Of McGec.
was hung in Ottawa, ON Friday.
The Swiss mronaut, Mr.. Chevalicr. has brought
over % this country monster balloon, with
bomb-built car with which he proposes to re
turn to fathcrland. He believes the thing can
be done IL he can only get current Of air roll
ing eastward with the globe itself at height Of
eight or ten thousand feet.
Tn the United States District Court Va, on
Friday, the District Attorney, under instruc-
tons from the Attorney General, In accordance
with President Johnson's amnesty proclama-
ton, entered noiie prosequi In both indict-
mcnts against jeff Davis and In those against
Lee, Wade Hampton, Brccknridge, Longstreet,
Wise, Pryor, Seldom, Mahone, Early. and thir-
ty others. On motion of Robert 0uld the Court
ordered that the securities on Davis bail bond
be discharged from consideration.
There is said to be more timber In Southern
Minnesota than there was ten years ago. The
prairie fires are now checked by roads and cul-
tivated fields.
Cork trees arc now raised in Florida from
seeds procured from Portugal.
Poltencss is good investment, but bowling
to lamp-post at midnight Is wasted capital.
Lamp post don't care to be bothered by fools ut
such hours.
A few days ago passenger on one Of the
morning trains near Chicago was approached by
n stranger, and informed that the conductor
wished to see him Immediately In the baggage
car. The passenger started for the baggage
car followed by the stranger, and, when he had
reached the platform Of the second car, he was
set upon by q gang Of three or four men, who
garrotel and robbed him Of $500. The gang
then jumped OF the train and made their
escape.
A dilapid.ed old darkcy, in Montgomery.
while watching the monkeys in menagcrie in
that city, spoke thusly "Dem children got too
much sance to come outer dat cage; white folks
cut dar tails of. and set 'cm votin' and maxim
constitewtions"
Two weeks ago Geo. Salmmllcr Of Chicago
was divorced from his wife, and next day he
married girl Of eighteen. The same day the
divorced wife was married by the same justice
to man Of forty-fve. A morning or two since,
aiter having slept sixteen hours, Salmmiller
awokc to find a sponge, strongly saturated with
chloroform, on his pillow, and his wife and
$500 missing.
The Rhode Islanders are lamentlng over the
dccadencc Of their cherished clans, which never
were known 10 be 20 scarce as now. a Rhode
.l.-A. IL Il