DEATH OF DAVID H. HANNUM

David H. Hannum.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, January 8, 1892.

Death of David H. Hannum.

   David H. Hannum, one of the best known citizens of Homer and a lifelong resident of that town, died last Friday evening, aged 68 years. Mr. Hannum visited friends in Scranton over Thanksgiving and soon after returning home was confined to the house with a carbuncle on his neck. Blood poisoning finally resulted and he died as above stated.

   Mr. Hannum had always been an active man and had previously enjoyed excellent health. During the war and for some years after he was engaged in selling patent rights and at one time was worth several thousand dollars which he invested in farms on the hill about two miles west of Homer.

   Farming did not turn out to be his forte and a few years since his creditors became so importunate that he lost nearly if not quite all of his property. He was by no means a sporting man but he had a passion for good horses and owned several in his time. Until within a year or two he was engaged in buying horses, for the Philadelphia Horse Car Company.

   He leaves a younger brother, Theodore, who resides in Hartford, Conn., who is the only near relative living. Mr. Hannum's only son died about ten years ago, and his wife followed a year or two later. The funeral was held from his late residence on Monday last.

Death of Myron G. Patten.

   Myron G. Patten, of the firm of Smith & Patten, proprietors of the St. James Hotel in Utica, died in that city last Tuesday after a short illness of pneumonia.

   About three weeks ago he suffered from an attack of the grip and after a relapse, the disease developed in pneumonia. Deceased was a son of the late John Patten of Homer, who conducted the hotel Windsor in that place for several years. In 1876 he moved to Syracuse and became associated with his father in conducting the Empire House until 1881, when his father died, when Myron accepted a situation as head clerk at the Vanderbilt. In December, 1888, he formed a partnership with R. M. Smith, formerly of the Messenger House in this place, in the management of the St. James at Utica. He was about 38 years of age. In 1872 he married a daughter of George Satterlee of Fort Edward, N. Y., who, with two children survive him. The body was taken to Fort Edward for burial.

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

   CHENANGO.—Willie Walker, of Sherburne, has 38,788 cards and no two alike. Who beats this?

   Judge Gladding on Tuesday appointed R. E. Rindge, of Norwich, Railroad Commissioner for the town of Norwich, in place of Warren Newton, deceased.

   Hon. Joseph Bush, founder and formerly vice-president of the First National bank of Bainbridge, is no longer connected with that institution, having sold out his entire interest.

   A man in Sherburne, one evening last week, drank 86 ordinary sized beer glasses of good hard cider, on a wager, in one hour, and finished up by eating a piece of pie. He was alive at last accounts.

   The Afton Water Company has been incorporated, with a capital of $21,000, divided into 840 shares, of the par value of $25 each. The principal office is to be located in Cooperstown. It is proposed to supply the town of Afton with water.

   A Preston correspondent says: Frank Quinn mowed Dr. T. Dwight's meadow December 11th and got it up the next day for him. It was the second crop. It is the latest job of haying we ever heard of being done where the grass was mowed with a machine and got up.

   The Building Committee of the Board of Supervisors visited the new county buildings at Preston, Tuesday, and made a thorough inspection of the same. They were thoroughly satisfied that the contract has been met in every particular. Supervisor A. W. Slater, of Preston, entertained the committee at his residence, where a bountiful dinner was served.

   Wesley Denny, a young man of Greene village, who was unfortunate when a boy and lost one of his arms, is one of our most successful hunters and best game shots. The editor of the American met him one day last week, coming in from a day's hunting, with a gun in his remaining hand, a dog by his side, and with a bag full of game. How he manages to bring down his game with but one hand to hold his gun, is a mystery.

   MADISON.—E A. Huff, of Earlville, has sold his meat market to Lee Stebbins.

   L. E. Lounsberry, of Oneida, has purchased the Warsaw Times.

   The Prohibitionists of Madison county will meet in conference at Cazenovia, Tuesday, Feb 2d.

   Dr. Justin made another successful experiment with his dynamite shell in the Perryville gorge, last week. [He burst a small cannon the following week--CC editor.]

   John Wilson, of Fenner, claims to have carried the Morrisville Observer from his post-office for sixty-five years

   Dr. A. M. Holmes, of Eaton, announces his retirement from the office of supervisor after serving twenty-five continuous years.

   The Excelsior Curtain Pole Co., of Canastota, has contracted to manufacture 100,000 lawn rakes, recently patented by an Oneida man.

   Richard Evans gave us a sample of pears which he picked up on his premises the 26th day of December. They were fresh and good.

   Geo. H. Adams, of Chittenango, J. C. Brown, of Georgetown, and Chas. White, of Eaton, have been appointed deputy sheriffs by Sheriff Remick.

   Hugh Parker, one of the proprietors of the Oneida Dispatch, has brought an action for the appointment of a receiver. The object is evidently to "freeze out" his partner, Hon D. A. Jackson.

   Nick Freedom and Teddy McMahon, Oneida amateurs, fought a prize fight in Oneida, Wednesday morning. 100 people paid 50c. each to witness the scrap, which Freedom won in three hot rounds.

   TOMPKINS.—Farmers Institute in Groton, Feb. 1st and 2d.

   Yesterday the Crandall Machine Co., of Groton, received an order from Germany for fifty machines.

   The annual meeting of the Dryden and Groton Mutual Insurance Co will be held in Groton village. Jan. 12th.

   On the old Catskill turnpike from Ithaca east through Slaterville, the mud has been so deep that when s resident along the line disappears, neighbors turn out and dig for him.

   Roe & Sutfin, of Freevllle, offer $50 for the detection of the tramps who are supposed to have burglarized their general store, recently, and took $300 worth of goods.

   Some enthusiasts want our macadamizing improvement extended from Ithaca to Groton, claiming two such business centers should be very closely united; but at the rate we pay for the improvement it would cost just about $750,000, and it can't be done.

   The stockholders of the Groton Bridge and Manufacturing Company hold their annual meeting for the election of directors for the ensuing year Saturday, January 9th at 4 o'clock P. M. The company has received a flattering offer to move to Elmira and the question of removal will be voted on at this meeting.

   It is an open question whether the fault lies in the architect who designed it, the builder who constructed it, or the materials, for the appearance of the tower of the Ithaca Savings Bank building. The tiles lie in lines as crooked as a ram's horn, sink below grade in some places, and hump up in others. Taken altogether there is anything but an artistic appearance in the tower, its shape, or the manner of its construction. It even falls below the average of the town hall, on the opposite corner.

Wants Vanderbilt’s Brain.

   NEW YORK, Dec. 27—Last night at 10:30, while Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt was entertaining a number of friends at his Fifth avenue residence, a good looking, well dressed man, apparently a German, rang the street door bell. To the page who answered the summons, the visitor said he had called to see Mr. Vanderbilt  personally to get his brain, which he proposed to have subjected to an expert analysis, in order to determine why he (Vanderbilt) had been able to amass a fortune, while he (the caller) was practically penniless. The page summoned an officer, who took the young man to the station house. In his pockets was found a card bearing the name, of John J. Lingman, No. 616 East Eleventh Street, also a membership card of the Young Men's Christian association. The prisoner was taken to the Yorkville Police Court this morning and [was] committed, pending an examination as to his mental condition. He was uncommunicative, and is doubtless insane.

Suicide of A. K. Perry.

   The many friends of Mr. Amos K. Perry were shocked to learn that he had committed suicide at his home in Geneva, N. Y., last Thursday evening. For some years he was proprietor of the hotel at Cincinnatus, this county, which became very popular under his management. Eight or nine years ago he leased the Dexter House in this village which he conducted four or five years. About three years since he moved to Geneva, N. Y., to take charge of the International Hotel, which he conducted up to the time of his death. A few weeks ago his wife died and Mr. Perry’s spirits had been greatly depressed since the event. For the past four or five years he had suffered considerably from ill health, and it is supposed that this, coupled with the death of Mrs. Perry, caused him to commit the rash act. Thursday morning he took a large dose of laudanum and then made five separate gashes in his throat with a jack-knife. He died on the evening of the same day. The body was brought here on Saturday and was buried in Cortland Rural cemetery. He was 52 years of age, and leaves a son, William, and one daughter, Mrs. Geo. L. Smith of Binghamton. Mr. Perry was a very genial gentleman and had a large circle of friends.

FROM EVERYWHERE.

   The National Prohibition Convention will be held in St. Louis, June 29 and 30.

   There were, on December 26, 65,008 post-offices in the United States.

   It is said 2,000 rebeIs in China have been slain and 50 leaders beheaded.

   The clerk of Onondaga county is to receive $3,500 salary, instead or $5,000 as heretofore.

   U. S. Soldiers at Fort Niagara have been caught smuggling Chinese into the country from Canada.

   There were 148 head of cattle drowned by the sinking of an Erie Railway transfer in the East river on Sunday.

   Boston had a fire, Saturday night, that has not been equaled in losses for years, which will run up to $750,000. Several firemen were injured, one of whom will die.

   A Washington correspondent of the New York Times says ''Steve'' Elkins, now Secretary of War, was a member of Quantrell's guerrilla gang at the beginning of the war.

   John J. Nathans, almost the last of the old-time circus men of fame, is dead. Sixty years ago he first entered the sawdust ring under the canvas, and for half a century had been a prominent figure in circus life.

   Henry Dickerson, who murdered his wife through jealousy at Moravia, Oct. 23, 1885, died in Auburn prison where he was serving a life sentence, Saturday morning. Dickerson's jealousy was excited by an Italian, Frank [Batlia], who came to Moravia to work upon the water works.

   The English syndicate, which purchased the Warner patent medicine business at Rochester has just figured out a profit of 35 1/2 per cent upon the inflated price it paid for that ''juicy plum, '' during the past year.

   John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia merchant, says that during the ten days previous to Christmas his sales hover about $100,000 a day, so that the grand total for the ten days was only a few dollars under a million. He adds: "I spend $5,000 a week in advertising, and I pay a skillful man—a former editor, and a good one—$1,000 a month to do it for me. I make money by it. Advertising is the leverage with which this store has been raised up. I do not see how any large and successful business can be done without liberal advertising."

   A dispatch from Niagara Falls says one of the strangest things that has happened at Niagara Falls in some time, and entirely novel to the oldest inhabitant, is the large number of wild ducks which have been going over the Falls. The birds, which have been centering in large numbers above the Falls for some weeks past, float down the river until they are caught in the rapids and seem unable to rise out of the swift current and are then whirled along over the brink Those that are not killed are stunned and seem bewildered. The largest bag of this game was made the other night, when a dozen hunters picked up some 400 in the river below the Falls. Three men go out in a boat, one to row, one to steer and hold a lantern, and the third to club the ducks and throw them into the boat. The game is shipped to eastern markets by the hunters.