The Forrest City times., 1888-01-14
ABOUT ARKANSAS.


 Stone county without saloon. Hot Springs has two newsboys who sell hundred and fifty papers every day. This is good showing.
 The whisky party were victorious at Van Buren Thursday in local option election.
 The cotton crop of Clark County turns out to be 25 per cent better than was expected.
 Richard Bridge, foreman in the Iron Mountain yards at Little Rock, was killed Friday by the cars.
 A verdict of manslaughter was brought against Pink Fogg at Green wood, for killing Maj. A. $. Doran in Ft. Scott last August.
 Prescott is one of the best cotton markets in Southwest Arkansas. She has shipped already this season 7o00 bales of cotton, and will probably ship 500 op 1000 more before she season closes.
 Tobe Watkins, alias Carol. the ne- gro shot through the breast by Officer Henry Surratt in August last at Fort smith. died Monday from his wound. surratt claims he shot Watkins in self defense.
 James Davis, one of the miners in- jured by the explosion of keg of pow der in the Huntington coal mines Sat- urdsy. died from his injuries Monday. The other party .s net expected to live.
 At Texarkana Saturday night the hardware store Of Chatfeld and Buer- man was entered by breaking through one of the show windows and robbed to the amount Of about S200. No idea as to the thieves.
 Before this season is over Camden will probably have boat in the Qua chits, plying in the local trade north and south. bringing to that place thou sands of bales of cotton which now seek other markets for want of trans. portation to this place.
 Thatcher's steam ginhouse. at Tex arkana, worth 5000, together with twenty bales of cotton, were burned on last Thursday night in Lafayette county, opposite Garland City. One half the loss on machinery IS covered by insurance.
 A report reached Warren Friday morning of the killing of two negroes the night before. It seems the trouble grew out of settlement between a negro and white man by the name of | German. At the settlement the negro I was indebted to German and there were some hard words. The negro, accompanied by several others, visited I Germans house twice, when rumor says squad went to the negro's house and in the difficulty that fol 1 lowed one negro was killed and an other mortally wounded, and one re. port says white man dangerously cut ! with knife.
 Jim Sparks, who stabbed Tom Nichol- son to death on the l4th of December | 1872, and who has been at large evel since, was arrested Monday in Helena and is now in jail. Sparks, after ths murder, eluded the officers and has beer living in Missouri and Texas under thu assumed name of Wm H. Simms. H. came to this county about four year | ago and has been engaged in farming | He would probably never have beeI l apprehended except for the treaeher. of his brother-in-law, one Doc Wise who became offended at Sparks an, reported him to Sheriff Pilloes.
 Col. Benjamin F. Hawkins, of Rock, Comfort, and the oldest citizen o southwest Arkansas, died of pneu monia at his home on Red River, fou miles from Richmond, on the night o December 30. He was born on Decem Der 25, 1872, and was married in 1881 His aged wife still survives him. H came to that county in 1887, and ha been an honorable and noted citizel for over fifty years. He was the larg est planter in the county, and grea loss to the county and community | which he lived. The remains wer buried at Rocky Comfort on Sunda at D. m. at the old amily buria ground. and was witnessed by many O the old settlers, friends and relative of the departed pioneer.
 Last Thursday stranger rode up T. F. Varnelrs stock yard at Hope an offered for sale two mules for S75. Mir yarnell did not want to buy and de cllned the offer. The stranger fnall offered to take S60 for the mules, whic proposition was accepted by Mir. Var nell, ond the money was paid over an the stranger departed. About tw hours later another stranger appeare stating that they had been stolen fror him. Parties left at once in pursuit c Stranger No. l, who was overtake several miles out and brought back Later. third party, giving hts nam as Glib Watson. and was known to b connected with the first two strangers after considerable coaxing, etc., gay the whole game away, and, saying tha the scheme was to let the first man ge away with the S60, and No. ? was | come up and claim the property an' prove his ownership by No. 3. Tn booty, it is supposed, was to be divide equally among the three. The frs two gave their names as Bill Mitchell and J. J. Goodall, and hailed iron Lewisville, Fayette county. All thre'
 
 liminsry trial on charge of robbery. A SLrott, of Ozan, the merchant wh' was arrested and examined upon charge of arson, was triuml hantly win dicated, and the intense exeitemen consequent upon the events of las week has subsided. Many persons wh, were foremost in denoancing Mr. Sprot soon as the status of tue case wal learned, came forward and apologized