The Chicago Tribune's front page is dominated by news of the King of Belgium's death and the ongoing Fenian trials in Ireland, where Michael Moore, described as a 'pike maker,' was sentenced to ten years of penal servitude for his role in the Irish independence movement. Closer to home, a devastating explosion at a government arsenal in Washington killed seven people, while a train derailment on the Illinois Central near Freeport claimed the lives of an engineer and fireman. The paper reports that General Grant is planning another tour, this time through the Southwestern states extending to the Rio Grande, and that Congress is considering revoking Washington D.C.'s charter to make it a territory with a delegate in Congress. Meanwhile, the motto 'In God we trust' is being placed on all U.S. coins, starting with the two-cent piece.

This December day captures America eight months after Lincoln's assassination and the war's end, as the nation grapples with Reconstruction's challenges. The Kentucky Legislature is 'undoing all that the Union party has been able to accomplish during the war,' including repealing laws against rebellion—a stark reminder that peace on paper doesn't mean unity in practice. Meanwhile, international tensions simmer as Spain rejects English mediation in Chilean affairs and Austria negotiates to send 10,000 troops to support Emperor Maximilian in Mexico, setting the stage for future American diplomatic challenges.

• Herman Kreismann of Chicago was nominated as consul to Berlin, replacing 'a Copperhead alien of the August Belmont stripe' named Von Vender-Heydt, who was appointed as a 'personal favor' to the Prussian Minister
• A passenger named Cyrus Moreau from Brookfield, Massachusetts, was killed in a train accident simply because he was 'standing upon the front platform of the rear sleeping car' when a collision occurred—a reminder of how dangerous railroad travel was
• The Fenian Brotherhood was raising massive funds—$150,000 per month at the time, with total receipts of $5,650,000 over seven years, and expectations of raising $20 million more through bond sales
• The Chicago Tribune issued a correction about accidentally publishing an inappropriate paragraph about a legal case, explaining their policy of publishing court decisions 'as matters of news' without taking sides in private controversies

• Cornelius Cole, mentioned as being elected U.S. Senator by California, would serve until 1873 and live to be 102 years old—dying in 1924, making him one of the longest-lived politicians in American history
• The mention of 'In God we trust' appearing on coins marks the motto's debut during the Civil War, though it wouldn't become the official U.S. motto until 1956, replacing 'E pluribus unum'
• General Schofield, referenced as being in Europe on a mysterious mission, was actually on a secret diplomatic assignment to pressure France to withdraw from Mexico—a mission that would succeed within two years
• The Fenian Brotherhood's fundraising operation described here was one of the first international crowdfunding campaigns, with Irish-Americans sending millions to fund revolution in Ireland decades before the Easter Rising
• Tyler Davidson, the Cincinnati merchant whose death is briefly noted, would be memorialized by the famous Tyler Davidson Fountain, which still stands in downtown Cincinnati today