The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1889-06-15 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

PHENOMENON IN  LITERATURE.  CHEAP  Beecham, the well-known proprietor cf " Beecham's Pills," emboldened by the succecs attained by the annual he publishechlast Christmas, has just issued "The Beecham Illustratid Holiday Number," which is the most extraordinary pennyworth we have yet seen. Comprised in 100 pages we find twelve complete tales by such well-known authors as James Payne, G. R. Sims, Hawley Smart, James Greenwood, Sir Gilbert Campbell, Bart., Geo. Manville Fenn, Philip May, Howard Paul, etc., ctc., each story having been written expressly for this work. Three months' free insurance is guaranteed to the purchaser of every copy. The book is well printed and in clear type, and is just what a holiday number should be. Published by F. J. Lambert and Co., 18, Bouverie Street, London, E.C.  DIVIDENDS —first and final—have been declared re James Kelsey Ebery, ribbon manufacturer, Nuneaton, of Is. 3id. in the pound; and Henry Rowley, painter, glazier, paperhanger, stone and marble mason, Chilvers Coton, 2s. 50., payable at the offices of Mr. E. T. Peirson (Official Receiver), Hertford Street, Coventry, on and after June 18th.  A New York correspondent telegraphs that the town of Seattle, in Washington Territory, with the exception of the residental quarter, has been entirely destroyed by fire, The attempts of the local fire brigade to extinguish the conflagi ation were rendered useless by the failure of the water supply. The total loss is roughly computed at £4,000,000. Many lives have, it is feared, been lost.  THE DISTRICT CORONER held an inquest on Monday at Rugby upon the body of Thomas Albert Bradshaw, aged 35, son of Mr. T. Bradshaw, builder, Rugby, who died from the effects of swallowing a quantity of carbolic acid on Saturday evening. The deceased, who had been drinking heavily for a fortnight, sat down in a state of intoxication to tea, but did not have any. Upon his mother coming into the room, she saw him with a small claret bottle to his mouth, and after drinking froM it he exclaimed, "What have I taken ? " and asked for an emetic. Medical aid was obtained, but he died in a quarter-of-an-hour afterwards. It was supposed that he went down the cellar to fetch some wine, as he was in the habit of doing, and picked up the claret bottle, into which, by some inadvertence which could not be explained, the carbolic acid had been put. The jury returned a verdict of "death by misadventure."  A SUCCESSION PROBLEM is attracting some attention at Warwick. Last week a letter was published from a Mr. Smith to the postmaster of Warwick, asking for information about "a William Thompson, of Warwick, who went abroad and died there, leaving money to his relations." It has since been learnt that a certain William Thompson, said to have hailed from Warwick, died in New Zealand some time ago intestate. Of course, his property would naturally pass to his children, if he had any still living. But here a difficulty arises. There are Thompsons in Warwick who are either the children or grandchildren of a William Thompson, but, as more than one William Thompson appears to have lived in Warwick and left the town about the same time, it is no easy matter to establish an identity between the William Thompson who died in New Zealand and the present generation of Thompsons in Warwick. However, Mr. G. Fenton has the matter in hand, and in the meantime the New Zealand property is in the safe keeping of the official trustee. AT Nuneaton all the elementary schools are at present conducted on the voluntary principle; but the rapid increase of the population of the educational area has rendered increased accommodation necessary, and it is estimated that the requirements of the Education Department will not be met by a smaller expenditure than £1,500. This sum the managers of the schools appeal to the inhabitants to find, and the Rev. Canon Bellaire, vicar of Nuneaton, has suggested that it shall be raised by a voluntary rate of Bd. in the pound. There are many Nonconformists, however, who regard the present as a favourable time to establish a School Board. A number of the leading residents, opposed to the present system, convened a meeting. A requisition, signed by fifty ratepayers, in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act, has been served upon the Clerk to the Guardians calling upon him to convene a town's meeting, at which the question will be discussed. There is no doubt that, whatever the decision of the meeting may be, a poll of the parish will have to be taken before the matter is finally settled.  A TERRIBLE tragedy occurred in a railway train about a mile from Devizes on Friday. Two men working near the line saw a woman fall from a. carriage of a passing train, and on hastening to the spot found that, although conscious, she WIL3 dreadfully injured, having two bullet-wounds in the head. She was at once removed to Devizes Cottage Hospital. She proved to be a Miss Lister, a native of Birmingham, and formerly a teacher under the Birmingham School Board, but who a few weeka ago was appointed head mistress of the British School at Devizes. About a quarter of a mile further up the line was discovered the body of a young man, also with a bullet-wound in the need, and quite dead. His name, it is stated, is Keeling, and he was formerly a teacher at the same school as Miss Lister, at Brighton. Keeling had for some time been pressing his attentions on Miss Lister, and in order to induce him to leave Devizes she had offered to accompany him as far as Birmingham. At the inquest on Saturday the evidence went to show that Keeling did not commit suicide, but fell from the train. A verdict to that effect was accordingly returned. Miss Lester, who had an eye extracted on Saturday, still lies in a precarious oondition, but is reported to be improving.