The Forrest City times., 1897-01-08
CURRENT TOPICS.
THE NEWS IN BRIEF.
PERSONAL AND GENERAL.

CHIEF HAZEN of the secret service has issued a circular warning against new counterfeit s1o national bank note on the Union national bank of Detroit, Mich. The note is the prod uct of the same hand that produced the recent counterfeit on the National Bank of Commerce of New York One distinguishable feature is that the back of the note is upside down. Two MEN, one of whom was masked, armed with pistols, entered the Glou- cester City (N. J.) station of the Read ing road on the evening of the 29th. and, under threats of instant death. compelled Thomas Randolph, the sta- ton master. to open the safe. They secured S30 000, and escaped. JOSEPH E. MCCULLAGH, editor of the St. Louis Globe Democrat, lea ped from window at his home some time early on the morning of the 3lst, flashing his brains out on the Tagging of the yard His body was found about 6:3O by a stable boy. Mir. McCullagh had been confined to his home by illness for sev. eral weeks.
 WHEN called upon to surrender the county books and funds in his posses sion Henry F. Strauss, county clerk of Langdale county, Wis, committed sui eide by taking poison. He left letter admitting that he was defaulter to the amount of S3,70o. He was 72 years old.
 MRS. NETTIE R. CRAVEN, the claim ant to the estate of the late Senator Fair, is seriously ill in San Francisco. Her sickness has been of long stand ing, and apparently ba flies the skill of her physicians. It is said that her malady is such that she may die at any time.
 SAMUEL WHITAKER, shoemaker liv- ing on Rindge avenue, North Cam bridge, Mass, at three o'clock on the morning of the lst, shot and killed his wife Catherine, blowing the top of her head off with shotgun. He then att tempted suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. He was taken to the Cambridge hospital in a critical condi- ton. Whitaker is about fifty years of age and his'wife few years younge-. Rum caused the tragedy.
 ANDREW w. SwETT, who for many years had been agent of the Adams Express Co. in New York city, and who was with Samuel Adams and as- sisted him in founding the express company, died in Bensonhurst, l.. l., on the 1st, from Bright's disease. Mr. Swett was born in Maine 75 years ago. l THE Bankers Exchange bank of Minneapolis, Minn., suspended pay ment on the 30th. It is a small con- cern, and its officers claim that they have money to pay every depositor and stock kholder.
 THE second day of the tariff hear ings be ore the committee on ways and means of the house of representa- tives opened, on the 2sth, with the dis cussion of schedule l, cotton manufac- lures.
 i TIE production of minerals and met als in the United States for the year ! 1896 is given at a total value of S653,. i 31l, ,46S, showing decrease as com- pared with 1895 of S24. 6s9, ,26e, or about 319 per cent. This decrease was large ly in values rather than in quantities. ln none of the chief articles was there any marked decrease, while several show a considerable increase. HoN. J. B. EUsrIs, the American ambassador to France, held a New Year reception in Paris, on the lst, which was very largely attended by the mem 0ers of the American colony. Miss Eustis, daughter of the ambas- sador. acted as hostess, assisted by Mrs. George EusJis, Mrs. Allen Eustis and Mrs. Vignaud, wife of the secre- tary of the mbassy.
 COLLISION between iceboats, one of which was moving at the rate of mile a minute, at Pepin, Wis, on the lst, resulted in very serious in juries to two of the crew of the boat run into and in totally wrecking both boats.
 TEMPERANCE advocates are demand ing the resignation of Topel1as police commissioners for failure to enforce the Kansas prohibitory law.
 ON the 2d the treasury department redeemed S, aS7, GOO in United States bonds, commonly known as currency siXes," issued in aid of the Pacific railroad. These bonds were called for under a circular of November 25, ls96 and were due for presentation and re- demption on the 1st. The total
 "' VI t"N oohNS AS S', 'i~,VVV, anu S4, ll5,00 are still outstanding.
 IRE complete reports are not in from all of the ports of entry, but it is known that the balance of trade of this country for the year ended De- cember 3l, 1896, was greater than for any year since 1881.
 AFTER an idleness of nearly three months, the Bloomington (Pa.) mill of the Bethlehem Iron Co. started up. on the 2d, and the steel mill and other departments, employing more than 1000 men, resumed on the 4th. The eompanys ordnance works will con tinue running day and night. A snip ment of turret plates for the battle ship Iowa was made OF the 2d.