The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-02-25
STATE NEWS.

ing the same thing. Before he could
recover his self-possession he jumped
into the waters of the @raging kaW.s
AS the water was very shallow at the
time, no serious damage except thor
ough wetting ensued.-LGrrence IF-i-
JURe.
ANOTHER FIRE.-A barn on the farm
of Mr.. Ralph johnson, about three miles
southwest of this city, was discovered 10
be in flames, and before anything could
be done to prevent it, the building was
entirely consumed, with its contents.
Three horses and one mule were also
burned. Mr.. Johnson's loss is about
500, and the loss in stock and grain,
which falls upon the tenant, will be
somewhat over 81 600. No insurance.
Laurence Tribune.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. John A.
HaldeFman has introduced a bill in the
House to abolish capital punishment in
this State. The bill substitutes for the
death penalty, imprisonment for life.
For murder in the second degree the
punishment is fixed at ten years con-
fnement in the penitentiary. We be-
lieve Kansas has always kept up a
strong feeling in favor of hanging, in
some cases taste for it outside of legal
bounds, but the time may have come
when Judge Halderman's views are q
proper subject for consideration
Topeka Record.
The constitutional convention of Illi-
nois are considering the propriety of re-
Viving the old Scottish law by which
the prisoner, if he is not found guilty is
acquitted, if found guilty is condemned,
but if the case is not clear the prisoner
is neither acquitted nor discharged, but
is liable to further prosecution. 1t can
not be denied that many criminal has
been set loose because there was some
doubt in the minds of the jurymen, and
they gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Whether the Scottish law, however,
works any better than ours may be
question.-CoMB.o,ssceatth.
The BEAvERs.-A few days ago
Judge Speer brought into our Office a
stick of wood about four inches in di-
ameter and about four feet long, which
had been cut off at both ends by the
beavers. He says they are building a
dam across the Grasshopper about
mile north of this place, as they have
cut down many of the small trees, and
have almost succeeded in falling one
that is some fourteen inches in diameter.
The Lawrence people will have to hur-
ry up or the beavers will build dam
across the Grasshoppef, before John
Speer and all his hosts will get one
built across the Kaw.-MediaG Era.
THE PoTTAwAToMIEs.-T Commit
tee of Pottawatomie Indians that passed
through town some two months since,
ON their way to the Indian Territory, to
seek lands suitable for new Reservation
for such of their tribe as desire to move
from their present homes, returned
from their trip on the 18th instant.
The ajority of the committee are quite
enthusiastic in their recommendation
of the country, and will probably rec
ommend in very strong manner the
expediency of moving, at General
Council to be held at st. Mary's Mission
next Saturday. They report as good
and consequently lots of cattle. Judg-
ing from the sleek appearance of most
of the committee, we are willing to GER
tify that there is plenty to eat there
Record.
The CHAMPION HEN.-Mr. S. d. Mac
donald of this city is the fortunate pos
SCISSOR of hen who is an ornament to
her sex and is the champion "layest" of
the State. He bought the bird of a fell
low-typographer some time last fall, and
during the cold weather she conducted
herself very quietly, never giving a
cackle, laying an egg, or in any way in
dicating her shining talents. Her own
er began to indulge in gloomy reflections
concerning his speculation, and EfMac's
hen trade" was the source of many I'M
feeling and soothing remarks by the
compositors in the Record office about
the witching hour of IL P. NJ. About
twenty days since the latent genius of
this hen began to develop itself, and
since that time she has laid every day a
double-yolked egg of fabulous dimen-
sions. One of them makes good meal
for small family, and there has never
been asingle-yoiked egg recorded in the
history of this illustrious hen. Kansas,
fruitful in remarkable natural phenom-
ena, has never yet produced anything
more remarkable than ''Mac's" dur
never-failing-double- yolked -mam-
moth-egg-layer. The sneers ofhis per-
secutors are now silenced, and in the
fulness of his triumph he has named his
hen ''Victoria. Record.
A melancholy tragedy was enacted a
| few days since near Liberty, in Mont
gomery county, the particulars of which
we obtained from parties well acquain-
ted with the victim, of an outrageous
murder committed under color of law.
1t seems that a man by the name of Mil
| Ter was living on claim, the owner
ship of which is in dispute. A sO-called
| justice of the peace, Morehouse by name,
| issued summons requiring Miller to
show cause for his occupancy of the
claim. Miller did not answer the sum-
mons, and the justice issued a warrant
for the body of Miller, dead or alice.
Armed with this warrant, and accom-
panied by an armed posse, the consta-
| BILE proceeded to the residence of Miller
to execute it. Before reaching the house
they came upon Spencer Boyce, a young
man lately from Springfield, ILL.,, who
was making his home at Miller's, and
with flourish of rcvolvers ordered him
to surrender. Boyce, it seems not COM
pretending the situation, tried to reach
the house, but was fired upon and NOR
tally wounded, the ball passing through
his body. The constable and posse,
finding that they had killed the wrong
man, went to the house and arrested
Miller, tied him with cords, and carried
him before Justice Morehouse, who fined
him for contempt, and having thus vim
dicated his judicial honor, released him.
Boyce fingered few hours in great ag-
ony and then died. He was a young
man greatly respected by all who knew
him. and his murder has justly reused
the indignation of his neighbors against
the perpetrators, and efforts are being
made to bring them to justice.
ADDITIONAL.
We learn that the constable and posse,
who shot Spencer Boyce near Liberty,
Montgomery county, one day last week,
were arrested by the Sheriff of Wilson
county last Tuesday, and taken to Free
doHia for trial. Young Boyce was bus
ried last Saturday. We learn from our
informant that Boyce was a native OF
, West Virginia, and that he has a broth
err living in Ohio.-OsicegO Register.
DREADFUL ACCIDENT.