Crawford avalanche., 1896-02-27

the Ice north Of st. Joseph. y ~
A large sawmiil will be built at Antrim
by the Antrim Iron Co, which owns a
large tract of hardwood timber In the vi
cinity.
The old Houseman block at Grand Rap
ids was damaged $35, 900 by fre. lnsur-
ance foots up $4,000. The Democrat
Office was badly wrecked, but carried in
surance amounting to $1G,3OO.
Pinckney must be hardened against the
influence of full-fledged revival meeting.
The pastor of the NJ. II. Church, after
laboring five weeks, counts on only six
as having changed their mode Of living.
Conrad Bissinger, Washtenaw County's
oldest inhabitant died at Ann Arbor, aged
94, of heart disease. He leaves eight
children. When he went to Ann Arbor
there was but one frame building, situat-
ed where the heart of the business section
now is.
Willis Dwight, farmer of Newton.
near Battle Greek, was drawing load OF
wood from his woods to the house. His
little son Freddie, years. old, unobsery-
ed by the father, attempted to catch on
and climb on the load. He fell, and the
wheels passed over him, infiicting fatal
internal injuries.
One of the convicts paroled last Novem-
ber under AIichigan's new parole law,
Henry Helliger, broke parole at Detroit
three weeks ago and was turned over by
Chicago officers to Deputy Warden Nor
thrup, who returned Helliger to Jackson
prison. 1t is the first attempt at escape
of parole convicts.
About fifty families in Grattan town
ship, Kent County, have the diphtheria
and the condition has become so serious
that schools and churches have been clos
ed and the district is quarantined. A
young man named Doyle died of the dis
ease two weeks ago and AS no precautions
were taken, everybody was exposed.
The farm of Artemus Briggs, in Eagle,
Clinton County, seems to be an unlucky
one, for different ones who have worked
on it. Up to date four men have been
badly injured there-Hanry Burns, arm
taken off in the cylinder of n thra rashing
machine; Martin Wilkinson, caught by a
tumbling rod, clothes torn off, and badly
bruised; Jefferson Eddy, hand terribly
lacerated in the cylinder of clover hull
err and Orrin Curtis, horribly mangled
in the neck by a cross-cut saw.
Bert Pettingill, who came down with
the smallpox at the Ionia Jail, has been
sent to the prison pest house. The jail
has been quarantined. and Circuit Court,
which is in session, has been adjourned
indefinitely. Pettingill was recently re-
leased from the Detroit House of Correc-
ton. In the Jail are eleven hobos, seven
made and two female prisoners, besides
Deputy Sheriff Locke and Turnkey Will
Montgomery. Sheriff Montgomery and
his family fled mt the first alarm, and are
supposed not to have been exposed.
Undertaken Fred Menyer, of Flint. was
very pleasantly surprised when certain
young man called mt his room and wanted
to know how much a coffin he had sold
more than twenty-one years ago for the
young mans father, cost. The amount
was paid Mr.. Menyer by the young stran-
ger, who said he was only four months
old when his father died, and his mother
informed him few days ago that she was
so poor when her husband died that she
could not meet this obliga ton. The un-
dertaker was so pleased Mt the young
mans honesty that he remitted the inter
est for the past twenty-one years.
John Ramsdell and wife are an aged
couple living near Stockbridge. For pin
money their only source of revenue is Il
flock of seventy-fve chickens. A few
days since thieves broke into the hen
roost and decapitated and carried off all
but thirteen. The thieves were tracked to
a farm yard. and in the wagon shed was
found wagon the box of which had just
been cleaned out; new straw lay in the
bottom. But on box under the seat was
found spot of blood, and further exam
ina ton showed where blood had trickled
down through the box upon the reach.
1t is proposed to gather in little more
evidence and then to gather the offend
ers in.
Seventeen years ago poor farmer boy.
Hector Holbert, left the township of Bed
ford, north of Battle Greek, to seek his
fortune in the far West. He started in
as prospector for gold, and had ever
since kept up the search, with the usual
changes of fortune incident to the life of
gold hunter. He had his ups and downs.
but last year his lucky day came. He dis
covered a big paying mine in Arizona.
Last week he sold his interest for $780,
600. The other day he sent his mothers
Mrs. A. Il. Pulling, of Bedford village
several thousand dollars. He also re
membered his uncle, Irving Armstrong.
and other relatives and old-time friends.
The usual quetude of country life has
been greatly changed to one of excitement
in that township and the whole country is
now talking about Hector Holbert and his
good luck.
The cold wave was welcome over n
large area of the West, which was liter
ally mudbound for weeks. In most of the
country towns the work done by pair Of
horses in hauling an empty buggy two or
three miles has been more than an average
days work on good roads in the summer.
Many of the country roads have been in
such horrible condition as to prevent
even the passage of pair of horses draw
ing buggy with single occupant. Such
an experience ought to be sufficient TO in
duce agitation for road Improvement by
those who hitherto have held aloof be-
cause of the prospective cost of making
reasonably good roadbeds. 1t is easy
enough for some farmers 10 think it does
not cost them anything to drive through
heavy mud during the soft weather usual
in the early spring time, but when it stops
the marketing of produce in the season
which normally gives them little else to
do it Is a more serious matter. Now is
good time for the advocates Of country
road improvement to renew their agita-
ton.
The new VI. +. Church at Lapeer was
dedicated on Sunday in the presence of
1000 people, including visitors from many
outside points. The edfice cost S14,1OO,
of which nearly one-half was pledged ON