The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-12-15
Current Events.

Chicago has bad quite variety OF sem
sational happenings this week, consisting
among o,ner things Of murder th"uSh
that is not Unusually with suicide accom-
psniment, a mill explosion, and ny Mantle
explosion in a dstillery.
Andrew Martin was employed at night
as electric light engineer; aud during the.
dsy employed himself in paying attention
20 his laDdlady, handsome woman named
Merrill, living M 269 III. st. Ills a'ten-
,ions annoyed Mrs. Merrill ana On Won
day, In a 'spat" originating In discussion
of the merits Of the servant she told him
10 hunt up another boarding place tie
then went out and coming back shortly,
shot al the servant, but missed her; he
then shot Mrs. Merrill In the head, and as
she fell 10 the floor he turned the weapon
upon himself and blew his brains out
About six o'clock on Monday morning
some one threw two bundles of dy Mantle
cartridges on the roof Of the Shuieldt dis
tillery, 90 Iarrabee ST. Though only one
bundle exploded, II tore hole In the roof
of the building and did considerable dam
age 70 the contents of the warehouse, rs
we'll as TO the glass In the nelghboring
buildings. Just how or by whom the deed
WAS committed Is not known, but the own
ers Of the place charge up the deed 10 the
Whisky Trust, Of which the firm are not
members, but have been. rather, causing
the Trust much discomfort
Early on Tuesday morning an explosion
took place at the Oliver oat meal mill on
the west side, completely destroying the
building and burying three men In the
ruins. The loss was 100000. The cause
Is not known but is supposed to have been
caused by the ignition Of flour dust,-the
same force that destroyed the great Min
neapolis mill some years ago.
On Wednesday night the interior OF the
Chicago Opera House WAS destroyed 10y
fire and water, after the audience OF the
evening had been dismissed.
Jack, the Ripper has put In an APP
pearancs in Chicago. On Thursday even
Ing he made an assault on young woman
named johnson In Hyde Park, attempting
10 murder her, but her brave resistance
saved her. Following so soon after the
Eva Mitchell murder, the question At once
l. suggested, Is the villain OF Thursday
nights attempt the man VINO killed Miss
Mitchell? From description of him
given by Miss johnson, he Is believed to
be the same man who attacked one j. w.
Rourke on West Monroe st. week or ten
days ago.
The Senate has this week spent good
deal of time In the discussion OF Its tariff
Till, which IL being considered section by
section for amendment, after which the
bill as whole, "dOctored," will be passed
and sent 70 the house for concurrence The
democrats In the Senate are placing no OBJ
stacles In the path OF the majority, but
they neglect no opportunity to enter their
protests at the increase of taxation or fall
ure 10 reduce taxation by the changes that
IRE daily made In the bill. Those contid,
Ing republicans who have all along been
saving they were in favor nf tariff reform
and reduction of the tariff taxes,-but in
sist that they want the changes made "by
the friends" of the tariff, and not by the
democrats, who, they have told US, are nat
urally too incompetent anyhow to frame a
tlrin b,ll--w will have to put on spectacles
10 see where the reductions come IN in
the monstrosity now baing created. The
Mills bill, for Instance, reduced the rate on
steel beams,-used In building, and made
by but three or four firms In this country
and have pooled their issues-to 40 per cent
hut the Senate bill makes II 81! Bottles are
taxed 40 per cent; the Senate bill runs II
up from G5 10 100 per cent! The tax on
collars and cuffs is raise from 30 to 70 per
cent; on cotton cloth from 40 and 80 To 81
and G6 per cent; on hosiery from 40 to 5C
and 80; on woods from 30, AZ and 55 per
cent to 40, 40 and 60 per cent; yarns from
90 to l03 and ia per cent, &c. The nee.
essaries of life "catch IT." the luxuries and
the curses are made cheaper and cheaper
The poor man Is tleecea the rich man and
the drunkard relieved of taxes and tempted
10 ruin by cheapness. Truly the tariff Il
being revised by its friends" but the
friends of the consumer seem 10 have dis
appeared. But II will be "frult' for the
favored manufacturers for time, until
their enormous profits tempt others Into
the business and II Is over done AZ now
then they will howl for srill higher duties
The prophet Of the congress Of 1920 who
said this would be the result Of the begin
ming of protection" should be alive to ses
the fulfillment of this prediction.
Birmingham, Alabama, WAS the scene O
fearful riot on Sunlay IN lruing last
which resulted In the killing Of 10 or l.
men aud the w0undlng of about 20 more
The riot grew cut OF M attempt 10 lynch ,
murderer named HAYES, "a railroad en-
gineer. Hlawes lived near small lake on
the outskirts of the city with wife ant
several children He was anxious 10 get
lid Of his wife aua family in order Il
marry another and younger woman t
whom he had become engaged while pre-
tending 10 he divorced man. On Tues
day of last week the body OF hl daughreI
was found neal the lake, aud lIa"es anc
The family had disappeared When the
discovery was made II was believed tina
the rest of the family had been put on,
of the road, and search was begun Or
Tuesday Ilawes married the younger
woman ut Columbus, Miss, and on his re
turn TO Birmingham was arrested All the
week following circumstances came II
pointing to Uawes guilt Of the murder OF
his daughter, and on Saturday the body
Of his wife was dragged from the lake int
which IL had been sunk, weighted will
heavy fish plates. The woman had beer
killed by blow on the back of the head
with an AK The recovery of Mrs. Halves
body was witnessed by thousands of peo
pie, who, filled with horror and indigna
ton, formed mob and started for the jai
in which HAYES was confined. There, OF