Minor News Items

Seventeen-year locusta have appeared In swarms at Clinton, la. One-half of the village of Fairville, Mo., was destroyed by fire on Sunday. A block of buildings at Selma Cal., was burned on Thursday. Loss, $100,000. The American school-ship St. Mary's arrlved at Southampton, Eng., on Monday. Mrs. Esther Rhoads, of Hartsville, Ind., celebrated her lOOth birthday on Tuesday. The rolling-milis at Toledo, we re badly wrecked Monday by an explosión of natural gas. Mrs. Mary Messamer died on Tuesday at Findlay, O., aged 101 years, 5 months and 5 days. Samuel Popple, a pioneer McLean County (111.) miller, died at Bloomington Sunday night, aged 69. The Masonic Grand Lodge of Iowaopened its forty-fifth annual convention Tuesday at Cedar Rapids. Henry Weaver, who last December killed Miles Weat, was executed on Thursday in Early County, Ga. The glass manufacturers of the United States will close their works June 15 for an indefinite suspension. The 80th birthday of Jefferson Davis was celebrated in a quiet manner on Sunday at his home in Beauvoir, Miss. A fire on Friday in the lumber yards at Gull river, nearBrainerd, Minn., consumed over 14,000,000 f eet of lumber. Fourteen hundred bales of cotton, owned by Jones, Robertson & Co., of Columbia, S. C, were burned on Tuesday. At noon on Friday the charter making Ithaca the twenty-ninth city in the State of New York went into operation. Rev. James E. Gaston, a pioneer preacher of the Christian church, died at Des Moines, Ia., Friday, aged 80 years. At Bardstown, Ky., Monday ex-Governor William Johnston, aged 71, died of a complication of diseases incident to oíd age. All but two of the business houses of "Wakenda, Mo., were destroyed by flre on Monday, including the newspaper office. Rev. S. P. Halliday, for twenty-two years pastorial helper of Henry Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, has resigned. At Pekin, HL , Sunday Edward Shepherd in a quarrel with John Jennings bit off the latter's nose. Both are under 19 years of age. Two boilers in the Eureka iron works at Wyandota, Mich., exploded Friday, wrecking the building and killmg three men. The Hanover (Eng.) cotton-mills, containing 15.000 spindles, were burned Tuesday, and 300 persons were thrown out of work. A fire on Saturday at Helena, M. T., destroyed Zeigler's livery stable, and one man and twenty-seven horses were incinerated. J. F. Blondín, famous throughout the world for his daring exploits upon the tight rope, arrived in New York on Monday from Europe. Honore Cotte, accountant of the rich De Lisie estáte at Montreal, has disappeared, taking with him over $30,000 of the funds of the heirs. A gang of cowboys took possession of the town of Stewart, Col., on Saturday, demolishing the post-office and took what they wanted. The cleaning of New Orleans, for whieh residents subscribed $10,000, was begun Monday under th6 direction of General Beaureard. Allen Hurgis, who was locked up in jall at Thompson, Ga., for robbery and incendiarism, was taken out on Sunday by a gang of masked men and lynohed. General Henry W. Birge, one of the famous commanders of the Army of the Shenandoah, died at his home in New York City on Friday, aged 58 years. The Queen Regent of Spain unvailed the statue of Christopher Columbus in Barcelona on Friday. The ceremony was made the occasion of great rejoicing. The thirteenth annual convention of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers began at Pittsburgh, Pa., on Tuesday, with 2,000 delegates present. Robert Reider and Boyd Ginter, aged 15 and 13 years respectively, were drowned in the river at Williamsport, Pa. , on Sunday. They were the sons of prominent citizens. Crop reports from the West and Southwest show a marked improvement in the wheat prospects, and corn will be an average crop, although a little late in harvesting. Colonel Oliver H. Geffrey, aged 73 years, was found dead in his room at Dooner's Hotel in Philadelphia on Tuesday. He was for many years proprietor of the Gibson House at Cincinnati. A fair to raise funds for the Grant monument was inaugurated in New York Monday night under thejiuspices of the perean Society. Of the $500,000 needed only $130,000 has thus far been subscribed.