The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-29
AN ICE EXCITEMENT.

talk about. Recently one OF the chief sub
1ects of conversation has been the contest
the privilege to sell ice on the Isthmus.
1t may seem q little strange to your readers
to learn that here the government exercise
a monopoly over this branch of business
giving to whom they choose the privilege
to sell, exacting in return q heavy tex an
nually. For a number of years the Boston
ice company have dispensed this luxury to
the people here and in Panams, paying for
the privilege several thousand dollars
bonus, a monthly tax of 5000 a month and
a fine of 800 a day for every day that they
arc without ice. The consequence is that
ice is a dear luxury, the price of it being
six cents per pound. What would Rut-
land people do if they had to pay even half
that amount. The term of years for which
the Boston ice company have the right TO
sell expires the first of January 1878, and
some weeks ago the president of the state
Advertised for bids for the same
privilege. Many Of the native resi-.
dents as well as the foreign at
once took steps to petition the legislature
of the state to abolish the monopoly, and
allow any one TO sell ice that was SO dis
posed. Petitions were circulated, and very
generally eigned, but they were not sue
%cessful, neither was the Boston ice com.
paoy in their endeavor to secure the right
again, and the privilege was sold to Henry
Ehrman, a merchant in Panama, he paying
ms a bonus for the right nearly nine thou
sand dollars. People here are not gener-
ally pleased at the result, the ''ice house"
being one of the noted places of the
lathmus, in charge of a New Highlander, a
Massachusetts, man, who Is one of those
genial men that has the good will of oil.
How the matter will end no one can FAY,
but all hope that it will be settled go tia.
the present company will retain their right
as report says thar if the new ones take
held Of the business instead of good ice
from Maine we shall have ice that will be
manufactured on the Isthmus.
MURDER.
a feS days ago, early risers in this place
d covered lying in the street, the dead
b.dy of a man who had been murdered
some time during the night. The place
where the deed was committed was
only G few rods back Of the rail-
road Office and in the most thick
ly populated part of the city. The
body remained lying on the ground
until about z q. M, when it was taken to
the c%alaboose, an examination was held
snd at ga. IN. the corpse was put into a
box and taken to Monkey Hill, and that
ended the matter. Who committed the
deed will probably never be known, and
as the victim was one of the laboring class
not much trouble was taken to discover the
assassin. Such cases are rare in this place
and it is to be hoped that no more will &C.
cur as they are. not pleasant to think or
write about.
BURGLARY.
Last night an attempt was made to break
open the safe in the office Of the West
India and Pacific steamship company.
The safe was pretty badly used, but the
burglar or burglars only had the labor for
the pains, as nothing was distracted.
A SPANISH TEAMRR,
The captured Spanish steamer "Mocte-
yuma" or "Cespedes" as she is now called,
is said to be cruising TO the eastward of
this place, awaiting a supply Of provisions,
ao a. fsx. NJ VII W..
thority for such rumor is / know not, al
though n few evenings ago y steamer was
seen coming into the bay, and a~s,none was
due at the time 1t was a matter of much
conjecture as to what it was. She an
chored just opposite the light house, but in
the morning she was not to be seen, hav
ing, like the crab, Rlided silently away
during the night. Nobody came ashore
from the ship and no one visited it, so we
can only conjecture that it was the cap
tured steamer, but if 60 the query is, why
did it not come into the bay, as the resi-
dents of this place are firm friends to the
Cubans and she would have been warmly
welcomed.
THE COLOMBIAN REVOLUTION.
The revolution in the interior of the
country is still raging and promises to last
much longer. No one can estimate the
amount Of damage done to the country in
all respects by the revolutions that annual
ly occur in some Of the states comprising
the republic of Colombia. For a while il
was hoped that the affairs between the
states in revolt and the general government
we're to be amicably settled, but the latest
arrivals bring news that the armistice that
has been in progress for several weeks has
been concluded and that hostilities will be
resumed, the national government having
resolved to cease negotiations tor peace
and compel AntioqGia to capitulatc. The
rational army is said to number Is 600
men, and 1t is reported that they almost
surround on all sides the revolutionary
forces Of Gen. Velez. Up to the 4th inst.
no battle had yet occurred since the break
ing up of regoiations.
l nigh. as well say here that revolutions
in the Spanish American republics are alto
gether too frequent an occurrence. No
sooner is one ended than another one breaks
oIt. II is but a few months since the
Central America republics were at war with
each other, and peace has hardly been de-
clared when the little state of Costa Rica
gets offended at something and in a very
haughty manner proceeds TO declare that
al Intercourse with neighboring states
aus be cut off, and formally DEGREES that
"a apers, printed matter, or letters from
he ueighboring states shall be allowed to
enter her territory, and makes demands
that can never be carried out, but after
much bravado annuls them, and at the
present writing it looks as IL there had
been on her part much smoke but little fire.
THE FESTIVE SEASON.
While we are surrounded with wars and
rumors of wars we in A%epinwsll are just