The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-29

| ana Will put Il -OICe u -VV ~ wv i14't' 80
work.
| The work at Fort Pickens, near Pensa-
cola, is being rapidly pushed along, about
$50 men are working in the day and fifty
| at night There have been two schooner
| loads of rock discharged at the fort, also
! one of cement. About $50 barrels of ce-
ment are used daily. besides rock and
sands of different kinds.
| More cassava is growing in and about
/ Orlando than ever before, and the yield
Of roots promises to be large. II makes
| an excellent food for all kinds of stock.
Dairymen find it specially desirable for
mich cows. From present indications it
will be planted much more extensively
next year.
Carrabelle has given three lots and 5000
for the location of a furniture factory at
that point which has been accepted by
Robert Ransom, who is preparing to leave
for Cincinnati to purchase machinery etc,
for the factory. Besides manufacturing
furniture out of choice Florida timbers,
he will make tool handles.
f. 1. Gordon was arrested on a warrant
sworn out by e. B. Dalton, charging him
with embezzling funds of the Jacksonville
Undertaking Company, to the amount of
$2S5. Mr.. Gordon was taken before Justice
Smith. He waived examination and gave
bond for $500, for his appearance at the
next term of the criminal court of record.
He denies his guilt.
Strawberries are now blooming in Lake
land, and in three or four weeks this
great delicacy will be on the market
There are about 100 acres planted in straw
berries here this season, and the returns
promise to be something enormous. From
800 to $1,000 per acre was realized on this
fruit last year, and the present crop gives
promise of being equally profitable.
1t is now definitely decided that Emilio
Pons will assume the management of
Ybor e. Manrara's large cigar factory at
Tampa, which has been closed on account
of strike for the past six weeks Mr..
Pons has written a letter to the cigar
makers committee, acceding to the de-
mands of the strikers This means the
employment of fully 600 men, and the
weekly distribution of about 5000.
Messrs. McNear and Wade of Whining
ton, N. c., have bought the Montbrook
property a Phoenix, consisting of sixty
acres Of farm land, ten acres of orange
grove, and five town lots; also, the w. ].
Epperson property, consisting of one six
room dwelling and lot and one store house
and lot. This firm has a large force cut
ting turpentine boxes on the land recently
bought from Evan & Williams of Fer
nandina, and viii soon have saw mills
and turpentine distilleries in operation.
Lee Higginbotham was shot and danger
ously wounded by man named Black at
DyaPs mill, near Dyal's station, in Mas
sau county Friday. II appears that the
two men had a row, during which Hggin-
botham drew his pistol and advanced on
Black, who succeeded in taking the pistol
away from him. Higginbotham then pick
ed UP a club and was about to hit Black
when the latter fired, the ball striking Hig-
ginbotham in the breast, close to the
heart The witnesses say that Black acted
entirely in self-defense, and that if he had
not fired Higginbotham would certainly
have killed him. Higginbotham is reported
in a critical condition.
The lake known as Thompsons Lake,
which is about two miles north of Grand
Ridge is again sinking away. 1t is about
half a mile long and perhaps 200 yards
wide, with an average depth of twenty
feet. 1t runs out at only one opening as
through a funnel, and comes back through
the same passage. 1t has not drained out
in seven or eight years. When the water
leaves it goes in day or two. Old set
tiers say that this freak is performed once
in about every four or five years. One
man declares that once it ran out so fast
that its roar and whirl was heard at his
house. more than a mile distant, and that
after a few days the lake refilled almost
as rapidly. Vast quantities of fish are
caught, as the water escapes. A curious
| fact is that Notwithstanding the lake is
| drained dry, and all the fish thus exposed
are caught, and carried away, so soon as
the water returns the lake is stocked with
an abundance of fine, large fish.
i
Jacksonville Times-U Union: The declara-
ton in the case of VIM. ]. Bell. ct al, VS..
the Florida Central and Peninsular rail-
| road company was filed in the office of the
clerk of the United States court Friday.
This is a suit brought by the heirs of
Louis Bell, late of Hnlsborough county,
! Florida, deceased, for damages in the sum
of S2o0O0 on the ground that the defendant
| company, in the year 1890, took possession,
for its railroad bed and right of way a
| strip and parcel of land, in Hillsborough
! county, containing about acres, and
which the defendant is in possession Of
| and was in possession of at the time of
the commencement of this suit. The plain
| tiffs lay claim to this land, and say its
| value is about $4,000, and the profits of
| said land since the first day of December,
| 1889 have been of the yearly value of 1000
| The case will come up for trial during the
December term of the United States court.
Leesburg Commercial: Mrs. A. j. Phares
of Yalaha, with her usual enterprise and
progressiveness, has embarked in the man
ufacture of Rio coffee and lager beer from
palmetto berries. This may sound absurd.
but it is very nearly true. We have tried
some of the coffee, and il knocks the
A spots or of the alleged imported Rio that
! retails for 20c. to soc. We did not try the
beer but it is said te~be a superior tonic.
celebrating, and possessing beneficial
medicinal properties. Mrs. Phares is justly
enthusiastic over the possibilities of the
palmetto berry and thinks that we shall
henceforth find 1t valuable source of rev.
enue. During the season just closed, DR..
wellington. in Jacksonville, bought large
quantities of the berries and made from
them a delicious wine. or cordial, for
which he finds ready sale at 81 a quart 1t
is surprising to hear Mrs. Phares tell of
the various valuable uses to which pal
metto berries may be put.
]. N. Stripping, attorney for the plain
tiff. began new suit in the United States
court at Jacksonville Thursday, which in