Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-06-15

Branch county's board OF supervisors
has just awakened to the fact that the
county poorhouse is in a horribly di-
lapidated condition, and probably
81, 900 will be spent in reconstructing
the buildings.
Farmers around Lawton and Hart
ford who had gone in for sugar beet
raising this year are somewhat dis
couraged. They planted the seed too
deep and have had to replant nearly
their whole acreage.
The big Touring mill recently de-
stroyed by fire at West Branch will be
rebuilt at once. The new mill will be
four stories high and will have ca
pacity of go barrels per day. 1t will
be run by water power.
Gov. Pingree has received from the
general government a check for S34,-
$50, the governments contribution to
the expense of maintaining the inmates
of the Soldiers home for the six
months ending April 1.
Thomas Evans, of Meads Mills,
lynching fame, has been convicted at
Worthwhile of threatening to burn
buildings and do bodily harm, and was
asked to give peace bond of $500 or
spend 90 days in the Detroit house of
correction.
The council of Shelby has arranged
for complete new system of larger
capacity to replace the present electric
lighting plant of the village. The cost
will be but S1,S00 over and above the
amount at which the present machines
will be turned in.
The recent rains have seemed favor
able to rattlesnakes in Branch county.
| A large RATHER took possession of Mrs.
| Tompkin's doorstep and disputed her
rights She rang the dinner bell for
her husband, and he killed the reptile
after short battle
Rev. VIM. E!dridge, pastor of the
| Baptist church at Springport, who so
mysteriously disappeared few weeks
| ago, has returned. His excuse to his
congregation was that he wanted a
rest and simply left and took it. A
church row is imminent.
John Brown got too Close to shaft
in the cutter factory at Coldwater
where he is employed and in few
seconds there wasn't stitch of cloth
! ing left on him. He was not injured.
however, and went home in barrel
after another suit of clothes.
p. McNeeley, of Saut ste. Marie,
according to reports recently received,
was found frozen to death in a pros
pector's tent on the Edmonton trail
to the Klondike in January. There
were provisions and money in the tent,
but his comrade had deserted him
The creamery at Grass Lake which
was destroyed by fire few weeks ago
has been rebuilt and is now in full
operation. 1t is somewhat larger than
before and its facilities considerably
increased. 1t is capable now of max
ing from 600 to 1000 pounds of butter
daily.
Michigan is a pretty rapid state when
\ you come to figure up. Look at Grand
7 Rapids, Eaton Rapids, Big Rapids,
Maple Rapids, Long Rapids, and Elk
Rapids, besides Rapid River and Rapid
City, to say nothing of the growth of
the state tax rate under n reform"
governor.
A Vermontville justice fined an at
torney SIS for contempt of court, and
the attorney refused to pay, but instead
| took the matter to the circuit court,
where it was decided that the justice
had exceeded his authority. The fine
was ordered RENTED and the justice
had to pay the costs of the proceedings.
A. b. Miner, cashier of the Ishpem-
| ing National bank, has bought the
Goodrich mine for consideration kept
private, and will arrange for reopening
the property. The mine was last
worked in SO and stands credited with
a gross output of iron ore exceeding
$4,000 tons The demand for mine
! labor, both skill and uns<illed, re-
mains in excess of the supply.
During recent storm lightning
struck the house of a farmer in Wash
ington township, Sanilac county, and
burned the fur all off cat without
killing the animal. Then, as if that
were not enough, the fluid ripped a
big hole in the floor right where the
badly scared puss was standing, let
ting her very unceremoniously down
to the ground beneath the house.
The night before one of the recent
! heavy thunderstorms near Whigville a
contractor pulled very large pine
stump and left it hanging in the
stumping machine, expecting that it
would take him and his crew at least
half the next day to remove the heavy
clay from the roots In the morning
he found the dirt all removed and the
stump split into three pieces, having
been struck by lightning. The ma
chine in which it was hanging was not
INJURED in the least.
The fruit.growers of Oceana county
who cut back their trees after the Sc
we're cold of February now realize that
they made a serious and costly mis-
take. A large percentage of the peach
orchards throughout the county are
apparently recovering from the freeze
of last winter and some fruit will be
gathered from favored locations, but
those trees which were so vigorously
n. l,.& IL. al -.