The Newtown bee., 1881-01-12
NEWS EPITOME.
Eastern and Middle States.


 EpEs SARGENT, the well-known journalist and author, died in Boston q few days ago, aged sixty-seven years.
 A FIRE at Atlantic City, N. J., destroyed the Windsor hotel and the Dullmore house, causing loss that will aggregate $4O,00O.
 IN New York city during 1880 there were S1, ,S66 deaths, 27,536 births and 9,o02 mar riages. During 1879 there were 2S, SAP deaths, 25, ,573 births and 8,446 marriages. The total emigration at the port of New York in lSoo was 320 sos, the largest number that ever arrived in one year. The number of failures in the city during the past year vas 344. with aggregate liabilities of SIS 291, ,582 and 8 146.- 291 in assets.
 "ELLERsL1E," the home ot James R. Keene, the well-known fnancier, was con- sidered one of the finest ot the numerous costly aud attractive villas at Newport, k. I. A few mornings ago it caught fire and was entirely destroyed. The house was filled with costly works of art of every kind, and Mir Keene estimates his loss at $25o 900.
 A NEW YORK daily paper says that theyear 1880 was remarkable for the destruction of steamships, no less than l47 having been lost Of these lO7 were British, 10 French, Ameri- can, 8 German, 3 Spanish, Danish, Z Nor wegian, Russian, l Italian, l Swedish, | Greek and l Austrian. Seven of them were built of wood and 40 of iron. Fifty were stranded; g sunk by collisiopi 3l tound- cred at sea; l2 are missing, with no ciew to the manner of their destruction; were burned, 8 sunk by icebergs; abandoned at sea, and WAS capsized.
 HE Mount St. Vincent hotel, one of tEe best known landmarks in New York, situated at the upper end of Central park, has been destroyed by fire. An adjoining art gallery, containing many art treasures belonging to the park was also damaged and part oi It's contents destroyed. The loss is estimated Ct more than SSl00.000
 AT fire in Kingston, N. r., two men were killed by falling walls and damage amounting to about $2S, 900 was done. ~ THE gross debt of Boston is $26 658, ,456, which is a reduction of $4, 5Sl,831 during the past year.
 HE New York legislature organized by electing as speaker George H. Sharpe, who  | Democratic votes cast for Erastus Brooks. In the senate Leutenant-Governor Hoskins made the opening address.
 | MASSACHUSETTS, furnishes more veal to the market than any other State.
 ! GOVERNOR CORNELL, ill his annual message | to the New York legislature, says that the State debt is $6,936, ,879.83, and that during the past year ;t has been reduced $S, ,000 The receipts for the year were $s16, ,353 927 .34, and 1 the payments were $l2, 905 I'll .96-leaving balance in the treasury oi Ss3, AS, ,2l5.3S. The State tax has been increased from S6 3-l00O mills to 31 mills. The revenues Of the canals were $l POO, l34.63, and the expenses $8S9,- O15S4. The number ot schoolhouses in this State is II ,S99, of teachers 50 730. and of pupils 1,03l ,593. The average number of prisoners in the three prisons Clinton, Auburn and Sing SiDg-was | 2,970. From the reports of l28 savings banks | it appears that the number of depositors last year was 9l2, ,S63, an increase of S5,0ll; and that the amount on deposit was SS335, ,46l ,570, an increase of $50, 769, 23O. Of fire insurance companies 167 are now doing business in the | State. For charitable institutions the total  | S8, ,0O0, GOO. The total number Of insane per- sons in the various asylums during the year was 9,543
 Ar the annual auction sale of pews in Mr. Beechers church, Brooklyn, $7O0 was paid l for first choice, and the to al sum realized was $29, ,536.
 THE Dixon Crucible company, of Jersey City, N J., the oldest and largest establish ment in the graphite trade in this country, has failed tor about S1 ,000,00O. The con- pany's failure was brought about by the sus- pension of Fowler, Champion & Co.,, New 1 York importers of chemicals, who owe about l S5O0O00, and who hold large quantity of the Dixon Crueible company's paper, which that concern will be unable 10 meet at maturity. The company's assets will about equal it's l liabilities.
 GovERNoR-ELEcT \. G. PORTER, of Indiana, was married a few days ago in New York to Miss Cornelia Stone.
 THE handsome Hodge opera house building and the Garglipg oil building, adjoining. i'll Lockport, N. T., together with number oi stores and offices, have been destroyed by fire, entailing loss of about $l50,000.
 Mas. MEIERHoEFFER, convicted, with Franl IIammens, of the murder of her husband John Meierhoeffer, at West Orange, N J., or October IS, 1879, was hanged ct the county court house in Newark, N. J., in th' presence of about thirty people. She wal very pale and deeply affected, but walked tt the gallows without assistance, and met hel fate without contessing or uttering word She died in about nine minutes, her necl being apparently unbroken. The execution o Lammens followed that of Mrs. Meierhoeffer He asked to see the jury that convicted him but they were not present. He declared hi innocence and was led trembling to th' gallows. At :27 the drop fell and in four
 teen minutes his pulse stopped and he wal
 pronounced dead. John Meierhoe1fer, ta'
 victim, cultivated small farm, and hat
 quarreled tor years with his wife. Lammen t,s,fs..