The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-01-08

went to the post office, where she mailed two
letters-one of them to her pastor detailing
her intentions-and then proceeded to her
fathers store. Her father was sitting in the
rear of the store reading, and stepping
to his side, she placed pistol to his
temple and fired. She then went upstairs
and, by the aid of handglass, sent ball
crashing through her brain. Her reason, as
explained in her letter, for killing her father,
was, that he had already seen enough trouble.
The sad event has cast deep gloom over the
town.
THE accounts of the Tay Bridge disaster in
Scotland vary as to the number of lives lost
The lowest estimate is ninety, and the highest,
is 315. The former is probably nearer the cor
rect thing. The train left Edinburg at 4:15
in the afternoon, consisting of four third-class,
one second-class and one first class cars, and
the brakeman's van, at which time terrific
gale was blowing, uprooting trees, blowing
down walls, and in portions of Scotland the
gale was so hard that persons in the street were
blown off their feet The bridge is two miles long
and the gap produced by the calamity is fully
one-third the entire length of the bridge.
Eleven spans are gone, each of which were 245
feet long. Whether the spans had been blown
away and the train pitched headlong into the
terrible abyss will perhaps never be known.
] he altitude of the bridge above the water at
the point at which the calamity occurred is
eighty y-eight feet. The depth of the water at
that point, is forty lone feet. At this writing,
only one body has been recovered, that of an
old lady sixty years old. All that can be seen
of the wreck are pieces of roofs, doors, articles
of wearing apparel, mail bags, etc. The scene
is said to be most affecting one. The banks
are crowded with people lamenting the loss of
friends and relatives.
The kentucky Legislature.
The Kentucky Legislature convened at
Frankfort at IL m. on the 31st ult. in biennial
session. Says the report: The House, after
swearing in its members, ninety six out
OF the one hundred composing full
| House being present, baloted sixteen
| times before electing Speaker, consum-
| ing the whole afternoon until dark
| in the business, after which adjournment
was had until I 80 p. m. The candidates put
n nomination for Speaker were Messrs. Bigger,
of McCrackin Bush, of Lexington /; McElroy,
/
Democrats, and Mr.. J. Speed Smith, of Mad
ison, brother of General Green Clay Smith,
of Frankfort, Republican. After four ballots,
Mr.. Merriwether was dropped at his own re-
quest, and the next eleven twelve bal
lots stood, on an average, about as follows
Bigger, 81 Bush, %; NcElroy, 10 Smith, 1s.
Finally on the sixteenth ballot the Republicans
seeing disposition on the part of the Demo
Gratis to adjourn for the purpose of holding g
caucus, concluded to put an end to the bootlesl
struggle, and breaking ranks all but one, Mr.
Fetland, of Christian, voted for Mr.. Bigger
who thus, obtaining ifty-three votes, was eho-
sen Speaker.
Judge Joseph M. Bigger, of Paducah, Nc
Crackin County, the leading and most popular
Democratic candidate, was thus elected speaker
of the House of Representatives by Republican
votes, singular result where the Democrats
have so overwhelming a majority.
| In the House there are nineteen Repub-
licans, one Independent Republican, and eighty
Democrats. In the Senate there four Re-
publicans and thirty-four Democrats. It will
thus be sem that the Republicans have OF
joint ballot about double the number they had
in the last Legislature, two years ago.