Connecticut western news., 1896-12-24
Local News.

 on writing 1897.
 The post office will be closed most of the time tomorrow.
 Miss Minnie Wolcott is spending the winter in Jacksonville, Fla
 Seneca Strong is improving nicely but does not venture out doors
 Thomas Bonner has been appoint d local agent of the Humane Society. The Masses at St. Joseph's church on Christmas day will be ct [. 30 and II A m.
 The fire hsdrants should be ire quently inspected at this season of the year.
 -Mr and Mrs E, w. Warner spent Sunday in Hartford with their son Walter.
 Miss Katie Maloney. of Falls Vil- lage. is visiting at William H. Briggs for few days.
 Harry Holt, son of Horace E Holt. has the pneumonia. He was taken sick Tuesday morning.
 -Hurrah for the days that begin to lengthen. but not for the cold that be- gins to streng,henl
 Mrs E. Teller. of Hudson, N. r., and Mrs Waldorf, of Mantle. are visit ing their sister, Mrs E. W. Warner, at the Warner House.
 Rev 0. D. Milliken preached an excellent Christmas sermon last Sunday morning The church was neatly trimmed with evergreens.
 Part of the Bullard grove. near the railroad track. was cut dowu last winter and now the remainder Is disappearing before the woodman's axe
 David G. Wickwire, who died at Chippewa Falls, Wis, Dec. 12, was al ways called by his scnoolmates in Ca naan as .Grove' Wickwire.
 John W, Soules died at Chapinville on Monday afternoon. His funeral was attended there yesterday. He was the father of 'Jack" Soules who formerly lived in Canaan.
 The schools in all four rooms of the High school closed on Friday and and will open on the first Monday of January. The Academy closed Tues day night and will open on the 9th of January.
 The assessors have completed their work and the new grand list is now ready for the action of the board of re lief. Without undertaking to give an analysis of the result, it may be said that in many cases the valuation of will lage property has been raised and, roughly speaking the new grand list foots up over $500. 900 as against 1852. b7O on the list of 1895 This result, however. is not entirely due to the in crease in the valuation of village prop erty.
 John M. varney, aged 72 years, died of winter cholera at his home in Green River. N. r.. last Saturday His funeral was attended at the Christian Church in Austerlitz N Y., on Tues day at p. m. Interment at Austerlitz. The deceased was widely known in Columbia and Berkshire counties, and was respected by all who knew him. MT and Mrs James T. Fuller and Mrs Mary c Corbit, of Canaan. are relatives of the deceased, and they attended his funeral.
 -TooK FRENCH LEAVE. Thurs day Frederick w French was arrested for firing gun and threatening his wife, and bound over to the Superior court under $2OO bonds. He could not furnish the bonds and was turned ovel to the charge of Sheriff Van D-usen who was to take him to Litchfeld nexi day. Van Deusen took French home with him and as the sheriff had a social engagement that evening he engaged A. E. Evans and Elmer Gordon to watch his man over night. French asked to be taken home where he nigh change his clothes, and Van DeuseI sent his two guards along with him t. keep an eye on him. French lives in double house of from Church stree and when he got there he asked to b. allowed to enter the pantry to get some thing to eat. The guards allowed hin to do this and they saw him no more They next heard the front door sian and they rushed there to discover n, one in sight. An examination of tn pantry showed that it connected witt both sides of the house and the theor, is that French went through, slammed the front door, and stepped back int, the darkness of one of the unlightet rooms while the guards rushed ont int the moonlight in search of their sup posed fleeing prisoner. Van Deuse was quickly notified and in few min utes the village and vicinity was bein diligently searched by all the officer and deputies that could be gathered tc gsther, but they have not found Frenc yet. He probably waited until tn guards had got far enough, away, the quietly slipped out and made his wa south as he was reported to have stoI ped at Michael Goggin's, on the rive road to Amesville, sometime in tn night and inquired for an absent men Der of the family. He is probably no in New York state where 1t is exceed ingly difficult for Connections office te sst n escaping prisonsr.