The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-10-13
Maryland Affairs.


Thomas Taylor, well-known throughout
Cecil county quarter of century ago as the
proprietor of Battle Swamp Tavern, and who
once represented that county in the House of
Delegates, died at the almshouse last week,
aged about Y years
Rev. j. o. Nackey reports having collected
for Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmittsburg,
from jan q to Sept "a, 1888, S15,071.-
-. OF this sum 1904 was from church col
lections in Baltimore; the churches in Phila-
delphia contributed S6,623.14 outside of
Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, S1,814.07;
New York, So, 640.50, and New Jersey, ST.
100.
At Middletown, Frederick county, a new
church. erected by the United Brethren Con
pregation, was consecrated with impressive
services last Sunday. The dedicatory sermon
was preached by Rev. J. W. Howe, editor of
the Religious Telescope, of Dayton Ohio.
A collection amounting to over 81 900 was
taken up and the church relieved of debt.
Revs. Howe, of Winchester; Ridenour, of
Keedysvile; HIATT, of Boonsboro Evers, of
Frederick, andother ministers were present.
Some eighteen months ago about two dozen
small carp were placed in the ice pond of
Mrs. S. D. Higgins, near Rockville, and not
having been seen since that time it was sup
posed that they had failed to propagate. but
on Wednesday last in cleaning out the pond
it was found to be literally alive with fish,
some of them eighteen inches long and weigh
ing three pounds. The pond is about one
third of an acre and averages four feet IN
depth. This is another evidence of the ease
with which carp may be raised by those having
facilities for the construction Of pond.
Mr.. johnson Shippers, aged 81, of North
Gaoil 0nnntu down tn Raitlmnrp
recently to grasp the hand and have chat
over old times with Capt. VIM Frazier aged
SO. Both of these gentlemen were in the
Maryland Legislature of 1867. There is
but one other member of that Legislature
living, Mr.. Phelps, of Dorchester county.
Capt. Frazier also represented Dorchester.
He is now in active employment in the Baltl-
more customhouse. Mr.. Shippers is also hale
and hearty, and few weeks ago entered the
cornfeld and pulled blades. els the ''oldest
resident" of North East, if not of Cecil
county.
A shooting ARRAY, which is likely to result
in the death of Canadian named McSherry,
occurred at Boonsboro', Washington county,
on Saturday. McSherry called at livery
stable in Boonsboro' about 10 o'clock for the
purpose, he says, of engaging team for use
on Sunday. Finding the hostler, a yonng
white man about % years of age, named
Henry Norris, asleep at a table in the office,
he attempted to arouse him, when without
moments warning Norris sprang to his feet
and fired upon McSherry with pistol, the
ball taking effect in the abdomen, producing
a serious if not fatal wound. Norris was ar
rested and taken to Hagerstown and commit
ted to Jail. He made no explanation to the
shooting.
The colored murdurer, John Smith, who
made such desperate break for liberty and
life in Oakland Jail on Thursday of last week
proves to be no game chicken after all. He
was under sentence of death for killing josiah
Harden, and awaiting the death warrant to fix
the date of execution. He enticed Jailer
Cropp into the cell, knocked him down, re-
leased himself from chain, which fastened
him to the wall of the prison, and then,
shackled with irons, turned the key on his
keeper, and escaped. A great alarm was
raised. States Attorney Veitch and posse
of men hunted for the fugitive all Thursday
night, but to the surprise of everybody the
prisoner was found early the next morning
slowed away in shed near the Jail. 1t seems
that in the struggle before his escape the pris-
oner received severe wound in the abdomen
from the jailer. He was scantily clothed, and
the night being very cold, he thought he
would die of his injury, which frightened him,
and he returned shortly after dark. The Jail
door being then locked, however, he could
not enter the prison, and so he remained in
the shed ear-by until daylight next morning.
when he gave himself up. Gov. Hamilton
signed Smith death warrant on Monday, and
fixed the date of execution November l6.
The Pocomoke Times gives some details of
the cyclone which passed over Worcester
county, on Tuesday, October 2. The storm
- 6, af n fnrinnc durInor which
the rain fell in torrents. The Times says:
''For miles fence rails lay in and along the
road, and large pine trees of the toughest
fibre were twisted and broken as if they had
been pipe-stems. VIM Trader, in returning
to Pocomoke from Snow Hill, was blown with
his horse and carriage over the fence into an
adjoining field, demolishing the top of his car
rage. James T. Hancock, who had recently
built a new house and was just getting COM
fortably fixed, had his house taken from its
foundation, carried thirty feet and dashed to the
ground total wreck. Mr.. and Mrs. Han
cock were in the house at the time, and it is
great wonder they were not killed. They
were both injured, Mr.. Hancock quite serl-
ously. Corn stacks, stables, carriage houses
and outhouses of all kinds wore completely
wrecked, and the scene presented picture OF
utter ruin. Thomas Dickerson, near Girdle-
tree, also had a portion of his dwelling blown
away, and his wife was injured. A number
of people suffered from the storm to greater
or less extent. 1t began about three o'clock
in the afternoon and lasted nearly an hour.
The storm came from the west
The trial of ex-senator Sessions, charged
with attempting to bride exAssemblyman
Bradley in the Conkling Platt senatorial con
test in 1881, commenced at Albany, n. T.,
on Tuesday.
The negro who murdered policeman Street,
of Huntsville, Ala, on Monday by splitting
his head open with an axe, was taken from
Jail Tuesday night by fifty masked men and
hanged
Mrs. Shaw, of Gainesville, Texas, being de-
prived of her grandchild by her son-in- law
saturated her clothing with coal oil, tied her
self to fence and burned herself to death.
]