The Portland daily press., 1870-04-01
General News

The commissioners on the Stevens battery
now building at Hoboken, under the superin-
tendence of Gen. Mcclellan, report that the
work will be completed in 1871.
A quantity of arms which the Fenians had
at Underhill, Vermont, have recently been
sent towards the frontier, and raid on Mon
treal is anticipated.
Inc particulars of the terrible accident
which occurred at Shenandoah City, Pa,
Tuesday, are as follows: The pump in the
shaft got out of order, splashing water on the
men working below and putting out their
lights. The men being unable to work on
account of water, six of them, who were be-
low, got into the bucket to come up, and
when about sixty feet from the bottom the
bucket struck some timbers, tipping it over
and throwing out four; they fell down the
shaft and were instantly killed. The other
two came up safely.
While men were engaged in saving into
sections for butchers blocks the trunk of an
ancient elm which had been cut down to
make room for Improvements in South Bos-
ton they met with an obstruction in the very
core of the tree which resisted the operation
of the saw. Speculations concerning the
cause were various, but none of them in
cluded, or even in the slightest degree limited
at the real cause. A section of the wood
was taken out, when it was found that the
obstruction had been caused by gun barrel,
which ran up the very core of the tree, and
m i,,dood vvhov n moo f1ror,Uh ov,d
amined, filled with the wood constituting its
pith. 1t was gun of no modern make, but
much more substantial in construction, and
in calibre and massiveness of proportion sug-
eestive of an old Queen Anne musket How
the gun barrel got there, or how much of it
may be imbedded in the tree are yet secrets
At the time the arm was hidden away-say
some two hundred years ago-as the tree will
probably found to be some two hundred and
twenty to two hundred and fifty years Old
there was not great deal of iron lying
around loose.
A boy named John Monnellan, at Gorham,
N. H., on Saturday, after riding a. short dis
lance, jumped from railroad car into the
snow opposite his mothers house, and, slip
ping. was thrown under the train and crush
ed to death. The mother witnessed the &C.
cident, and gathered up the remains of her
child. 900.
A Washington despatch speaks of disclo-
sure by which it is found the investigation as
to the distribution of Cuban bonds in that
community is instigated by agents and hired
emisaries of the Spanish Government These
agents, one OF them an ex-member Of Congress
who does not come into court with clean
hands-have been offering to purchase Cuban
bonds, and in two instances where they had
promised to purchase several thousand dollars
worth, have, under various prevarlcations,
taken but small amount, in all expanding
| but three hundred dollars, besides the amounts
spent in wines and dinners. The ex-member
OF Congress has been acting as detective and
has decoyed several of his former friends into
the snare. For his services he has already re,
ceived twelve hundred dollars in Spanish
gold, and is to receive large contingent re-
ward in case the scheme succeeds. That
scheme is to break the force of Cuban SYM
patby in Congress, one of the means to that
end being to make it appear that Cuban SYM
patty has been purchased by Cuban bonds.
TIE afflir is to be investigated in Congress-
The New England Annual Conference OF
the Methodist Episcopal Church closed an
eight days session in Springfield, Mass, We'd
nesday. The application Of Mrs. Maggie Van
Colt, the woman revivalist, for admission to
the Conference on trial, was withheld for this
| year on motive of policy. The sentiment O
the Conference was evidently against her ad
mission. A resolution merely commencing
Mrs. Van Colts Ceristian work, rejoicing in
her success and recommending her as an evan.
| gelist was tabled without debate.