Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-07-01
Minor State Matters.

The house of julius Dahm, near Mid
land, was struck by lightning and partly
wrecked. A part of the bolt went down
the front corner and struck 6-year-Old
son of Mr.. Dahm, who was sitting on the
porch, on the right side of the head, burn
ing the scalp to a crisp ON a spot as large
as dollar The bolt then went down his
shoulder and arm, and off his hand, leav-
ing the arm partly paralyzed. He was
knocked senseless. but soon recovered.
Gov. Pingree's fame as the originator of
the potato patch scheme for the poor has
crossed the ocean and is being adopted
in several European countries Letters
were received at the executive Office from
Budapest, Hungary, and Nottingham.
England. requesting information regard
ing the plan. Copies of the message
which the Governor delivered to the De-
troit Common Council upon the subject
when he was Mayor of that city were sent
to the inquirers.
Residents along the projected route of
the proposed electric railway from Ben
ton Harbor to Dowagiac and Decatur are
now certain the road is to be built A
large force of men and teams has broke n
ground on the surveyed line a few miles
from Benton Harbor, and the promoters
claim a considerable portion Of the road
bed will be ready for the rolling stock be-
fore the opening of winter. 1t is proposed
TO use the trolley system of propulsion,
but the passenger coaches and freight
cars will be of the standard steam rail
way pattern.
The State Fair Society has settled with
the receivers of the three Lansing banks
that held its notes for $4,000 by giving
them $500 and n quit claim deed to it's
equity in the State fair grounds in Ian
sing, which the receivers hope to sell to
the Central Michigan Agricultural So
ciety for $1,000 more. Relieved of it's
Lansing Indebtedness, the State society
will now proceed to hold fair at some
other point-presumably in Grand Rapids.
and arrangements may be made whereby
the old Central Michigan society NAV
again give an exhibition upon the grounds
in Lansing.
A couple of miles northeast Of Pontiac
Is barn which is something of curios-
ity in that, although built in 1927, it has
never been repaired, beyond re-shingling
until short time ago. 1t is still in fne
state of preservation. and Is monument
to the thorough methods used by builders
in the old days. In the barn is relic Of
the style Of thrashing in use before the
modern thrashing machine was thought
of. 1t is thrashing floor, which is built
of two-inch black walnut and ON which
the grain to be thrashed was spread. and
then horses or cattle driven over IL until
all the kernels had been tramped out Of
their envelopes. after which the whole
mass was run through a tanning mill un-
ill the chaff and dirt were eliminated.
George G. Phillips has arrived in Ben
ton Harbor. His relatives had lost all
trace of him for twenty years and il was
supposed that he was dead. He has Just
invented machine for picking cotton
which promises to make him millionaire.
A Bay City man was very much annoy
ed by cats. He raised his window and
took aim with a revolver mt the felines.
A rfotorman Of the street railway was
passing some distance away and got the
bullet in the neck. 1t was fortunate that
he was at such a distance from the shoot
err that the bullet did little harm. The
eat escaped.
An owl bearing a heavy burden in its
talons was laboring in the air near Brook
lyn last week, and was shot by hunter.
When the bird came to the ground, a liv-
ing but wounded blue racer, FIVE feet long,
was clutched In its claws.
Mrs. Bertha Symonds, who went to the
Kalamazoo asylum from Grand Rapids
May last, hung herself with cord
which fastened a canvas jacket about her.
She was seen with the jacket securely
fastened about her thirty minutes before
she was found dead. A coroner's jury ex-
oncrated the asylum authorities from all
blame in the matter. She was 81 years
of age and the wife Of Clinton J. Sym-
onda