State News Notes

A Brutal Murder st Detroit. Dr. H. E. Pope, a Detroit dentist, was murdered in his home by a barber named Win. Brusseau, who had been engaged as a nurse for Mrs. Pope. The woman was addicted to liquor ad narcotics and led her husband an awful life by her slovenly ways and she-devil temper. The murderer says he did the deed in self defense, during a fight. Pope's head was split open and chopped with a hatchet. The theory of the pólice is that Bmsseau and Mra. Poie had formedaconspiracy to niurder the dentist while he was asleep to secure about 814,000 life insurance which they had persuaded hitn to take out. The woman was taken to Ilarper hospital under pólice surveillanee, and she tried to escape. Brusseau admits that he borrowed money to pay Pope's insurance assessments. After three days' imprisonment Brusseau confessed that the murder was premeditated, and was for the purpose of securing the life insurance. He says he was strangely under the influence of Mrs. Pope and he cannot understand how he was induced to do the awful deed. Religlous Intolerance Downed at Bay City. Six Catholic priests, 12 protestant ministers and 100 representative citizens sat on the platform at the Christian unity meeting at Bay City. There was an audience that filled the opera house. Hon. N. H. Bradler, presided. He stated the purpose of the meeting was to see if there was not a common ground upon which Christians could meet in fellowship. The scène was inspiring, when all united in repeating the Lord's prayer. It was almost overwhelming when Rev. Fr. Schremb, of St. Mary's Catholic church, led in singing "Nearer My üod to Thee." The speakers were of various denominations. All cordially indorsed the movement, which they declared existed solely for the purpose of wiping out intolerance. Mavnard on Contract Convict Labor. Attorney-General Maynard has an altogether different conception of his duty than that which marked the course of his predecessor, ex-AttorneyUeneral Ellis. For this reason he has summoned E. S. (rece and J. L. Pettibone to show cause why the suit commenced Dec. 31, 1894, by Ellis against the state prison authorities should not be discontinued. Ellis filed a bilí to enjoin the prison ofticials from carrying out a contract entered into last September with the Derby Cyele eompany of Chicago for the labor of 75 convicts for a period of five years, his claim being that the law of 1893 made no provisión for contracting the labor of prisoners. Maynard says it is not his duty to attack the laws of the state, but to sustain them. Lovers Frozen in Each Other's Arn. A tragical story of the of a pair of lovers in a snow drift frozen to death comes from Shelby. They were locked in each other's arms and appeared to be asleep. A farmer in Benona was awakened early in the morning by a noise about the house. He found a horse just outside hitched to a part of a cutter. This caused a seareh to be made with the above result. The man was identified as a teacher of the Marshallville school and the lady, though unknown, was eupposed to be his sweetheart who had come to visit him. Benona and Marshalltown are 20 miles north of Muskegon on the lake shore of Oceana county. Senator Watts, of .Jackson, is Dead. Senator John W. Watts, aged 57 years, died at his residence in Jackson, of pneumonía. Deceased had been ill but six days, the disease having been contracted while on the recent legislative trip to northern Michigan. John W. Watts was born in Leoni township Jackson county. Jan. la, 1838, reurcd on a farm and educatud in a common school and Leoni Academy. He has always been a farmer and real estáte dealer and has accuinulated a moderate fortuno. He married Henrietta Hemans n 'H05 and has three grown dauhters. Mr. Watts has been a Kepublican since the oreanïzation of the party. He was town clerk years, supervisor .six yéars and elected to the legislature in 1S8, 18H8 and wuo. i torunm IfKBand was elected a statesenator rrom Jackson and Washtenaw last fall bv cearly 4,000 majority. s Nn Hope Kor the Chicora. Reports were sent out from Chicago and South Chicago that the huil of the lost steamer Chicora had been seen a few miles out in the lake with moving figures aboard. This Information was telsgraphed to the grieving friends at Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, and their hopes were raised to a high degree. liut, sad to say, the report was not substantiated upon investigation. Two tugs from Chicago sooured the lower end of Lake Michigan and all they could discover which in auy way resembled the huil of a ship was a line of dark icebergs, with a multitude of gulls about. Ortonville Pioneer Suicides. H. 1). Phelps, one of the pioneers of Ortonville, hung himself in his barn. He fastened a rope to his hay fork rack in the corner of his barn, then got on a small scaffold, fastened the rope j around his neck and jumped off, dropping about eight feet. Mr. Phelps was a man well liked by every one and leaves a large family and many friends to mourn his loss. The state board of agriculture has re-elected Franklin Wells, of Constantine, president, and I. II. Butterfleld of the Agricultural colleg-e, seeretarv W. E. Boyden, of Delhi Mills, was elected a member of the board, to succeed Edwin l'helps, of Pontisc resigned. Ex-Deputy Sheriff C. D. Wright, of Otsego Liike, started on foot to carry supplies from that place to his shanty on Chubb Lake. He took the wrong road in the woods and froze to death, four miles froin Otsepo Lake, where he was fouud bv tile sueriffs searching party.