The Russellville Democrat., 1876-02-17
CAPITAL CITY ITEMS.

CTS of Little Rock. will celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Geo. Peabody on Friday the 18th inst.
 The state officials will soon burn $1 10000 in old state scrip. Of. that sum, ,$695,OO0 have been counted out by Gen. Wood, Dep uty Secretary of State St. Clair, and Deputy Treasurer Arlow Farmin.--Star 18th.
 MT. Claibourne Watkins, brother of Capt. K. A. Watkins, of this city, dled at the Central House this morning about 3 O clock, of consumption. Tester day the deceased was walking around the city. The funeral will take place to morrow.-Star 12th.
 Work on the Arkansas build ing at the Philadelphia centenni- al will commence tomorrow. The structure is to be built by Cof- rode & Co, contractors of that city; is to cost s5700, and will be completed in sixty days.--Gazette
 On the levee at noon to day
 "a sudden splash III the water the cry, ''man overheard" A re- porter of the STAR happening to be near rushed to the rescue-the head was just above the water he seized it and pulled out what young pig that had wandered too near the edge of the water and fell in.--Star 9th.
 The commissioner of state lands has recently received a list of additional confirmations of swamp lands, from the general office, covering an area of near 40 GOO acres, in the Washington dis strict. Also, another list of about 500 acres, in the Clarksyille dis trict. As soon as the proper lists can be made, the lands will be off cred at public aucticn.-Gazette 10th.
 -Zeb must be the posscssor of another "opinion" on convict la bor-an addition, as it wore, to the one lately giyen--permitting him to work convicts on the Lord $ day, as well as on week days. Last Sunday, we are informed, he sent his wood wagons out, some of the drivers being clothed in convicts suits and others in citi zens clothes. The sight must have been very instructive and edifying one to the residents ol l tie extreme west end.--Star 9th The governor yesterday com muted (under act of January 3l 1867 the sentences of the follow ing convicts, who were sentenced at the February term, 1875, of the Chicot county circuit court to one years confinement in the state penitentiary: Abe Smith and James Green, grand larceny, com muted twcnty-two days each. Also, James Gilbert, twenty-five days, convicted of larceny at the February term of prairie county circuit court in 1875, and sentenc- ed to one year in the penitcntia- ry.-GaZette 10th.
 At the annual election of di. rectors of the Merchants Nation al bank of this city, yesterday Logan H. Roots, John D. Adams John Wassell, Henry Weibold William J. Murphy, E. J, Butler A. G. peshon, J. Botsford, and R. c. Kerens, were elected direc tors. To citizens of the State, il is unnecessary to state that the board embraces some of the best and most reliable men Tn oul community. The board declared a cash dividend of six per cent payable out of the earnings pre- vious to December 31, 1875, ant ordered $l,000 to the surplus fund.-. k. Herald,
 | Acting under the law pro mulgated by the last legislature Hon. $. P. Hughes, attorney general of the state, representa-:
 the board of state penitentiar,
 commissioners, viz: Gov. A. II Garland, secretary of State B. E
 Beavers and himself, yesterda,
 let the contract for keeping tn
 state penitentiary, enlarging tn grounds, ana erecting an addition
 al cell-building. The bidding
 was done in front of the state
 house in the forenoon, and tn contract was awarded to Col. Eel
 Ward the present lessee. Tn bids were as follows: Col. Eel
 Ward, $l32, 900; Mir. Lavender $l50,000; Mir. Hull, $l53, ,000. l
 will be seen from the figures tha r Col. Wards bid was by far tn lowest. For several days pas there have been rumors that car italists from abroad would b
 present and bid on the work, bu , such proved not to be the case.- l.. k. Gazette.