The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-01-07
Odds ana Ends OF Curren, News.

J. +. Proctor, who is known at this
point and Ellensburg as Deatb.on.the
Trail, was killed on January 1st. by fall
ling from bluff, while prospecting near
Hope, Idaho.
Col. Isaac W. Smith. chief engineer of
the Portland water works system, who
was at one time division engineer in To-
eating the Northern Pacific over the Cas-
cade mountains, died at his home in
Portland on New Years day after brief
illness.
c. II. Lewis, one OF the pioneer mer-
chants of Portland, died on Tuesday,
after brief illness, from paralysis. The
deceased was II years of age and mem
Der of the wholesale grocery house of
Allen & Lewis. His wealth is estimated
at 81 100000.
Joseph B.. McCullagh, editor of the st =.
Louis Globe Democrat, and one OF the
best known newspaper men In the coun-
try closed the old year by falling or jump.
ing from the window of his sleeping
apartments to the ground. The indics-
tions are that it WAS suicide caused by i'll
health.
Bob Fitzsimmons has signed the ar
ticles of agreement for a fight with Cor.
bet, on the 18th of March, for a purse Of
of SIS, 900 and side bets OF either five or
ten thousand dollars. The fight will
probably take place in Texas, although
the exact point has not yet been named.
Two suicides have resulted from the
failure OF the National Bank of Illinois.
The last one occurred on Jan. ,, when
w. A. Hammond, vice president OF the
defunct bank, jumped into Lake Michi
gan and was drowned. 1t is claimed that
Hammond was responsible for the failure
which pulled so many other concerns
down.
The War Eagle mine, at Rosslsnd, b.
c., has been sold to a syndicate of To-
ronto capitalists for ss50,OO0. The War
Eagle is one of the best known mining
properties in the Trail creek country, be-
ing second only to the lie Roi. and has
paid slS7 800 in dividends during the
past two years on a capitalization of
100000.
The defalcation Of Richard Cornelius,
for ~ years cashier of the National Farm
ers and Planters bank OF Baltimore,
was discovered on Jan. 4, and when Mr..
Cornelius was notified OF the fact he dis
appeared and shortly afterwards his dead
body was found in duck pond on the
outskirts of the city. His defalcatons
amounted to 100000 and it is claimed
were the result of grain speculations.
According to the estimate Of the direc-
tor of the mint the production Of gold in
the United States during the past year
was SOL 800 900; and of silver, sj2 $780,
300. The silver product fell off about
8, 900 ounces and the increase in the
value of the gold product was about 81
900, 600 The gold product of Washing
ton is estimated at 1892 900, an increase
OF $50, 900, which is unquestionably too
low.
Congress reconvened Jon Monday and
on Tuesday the senate passed the house
bill abolishng the death penalty in n
large number of cases. The measure 10
in the line of the recent state laws ahol-
lshing capital punishment, and applies
the same principle to federal otienses, al
| though the change is not extended to q
total abolition of the death penalty. The
present laws, which have come down
| from colonial times, have sanguinary
aspect, and prescribe death for offenses
of various characters. The bill passed
reduces otfenses to five, viz: Treason,
rape, murder, and two cases applicable
to the army and navy. In all other Of
lenses hard labor for life is substituted as
the maximum punishment, and even in
cases of murder and rape, hard labor
may be substituted if the jury states in
its verdict without capital punishment"