Delta chief. [volume], March 07, 1883, Image 1

About Delta chief. [volume] (Delta, Delta County, Colo.) 1883-1886

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DELTA CHIEF.
VOLUME I.
Colorado's Mining Outlook.
From the Denver Tribune.
In noting the production of the Colorado
tu.iks for 1MSJ, u New York paper of recent
dite assumes that tha P:a!l )i:i> been reached,
u ul, infer.mtia!ly tli w u steady deerea.se muv
»>e expected. There is nothing iif the reeocJjB
of the past four years, certainly nothing in
the present Aspect of atluirs to justify this
conclusion., < >n the contrary the condition of
practical mining In all sections of the various
in ning belU is much better than for the past
* two year*. By this it is meant that they are
iirmfueing wore money. The prospect fora
lu'ge iiuiiiou crop was never more encourag
ing-. All the signs of the season indicate a
«• r-iderablc increase over the very gratifying
retirns of last year. Kvery pe:sm at all
I .ii i.aC With the subject knows this to be
r 10. Neither the tonnage nor the yields of
J. -iulville ores have declined. If there l>e
any chan ire. it i* in the direction of greater
l uring-, w.i I ■ the value is about the same.
I’nl s Mime extraordinary new developments
lie ur the return for. Lake county will not lie
materially dio'.-reat from that of 1#S'J. Reck
oning from th basis, w** have every reason
t. anticipate « g au yield of twenty-eight to
thirty millioun .<»r 1*83.
A \a*t amount of development work ha*
been uiTunipIisliei the past w inter in districts
hitherto burdened with heavy snows and
very severe weather, and large bodies of val
uable ores expoaed. But in considering the
future let us abandon generalities and get .
•town to solid facts.
For nearly twenty years it has been known
that o it of the ricncst sections of Colorado
*lay in tie- Sun Juan mountains. For ten
year* a aa wen occupied and the rali.ea par
tially *p ..el, but under dUBeullitt winch
%jvtul. rv . extended operation* almost iinjHw
, »ible. Owing to its remoteness from the cen
ters of trade, and without the railway faeili
t «* enjoyr<l by the northern tier of counties,
it 1ms made at the beat but au insignificant
showing in the bullion returns. though
psw-oina mineral resource* of great extent
arid of cju.-J value, they coulil not lie profi
tably extracted, lirnoe, until when
j» ■n«*irjtel by the lie* fjrund- road, tit is pro
1 tie region bad no. uiig more than a negative
standing among the more f* r uitate districts.
I nul the la*> half of 1 ail estimates of the
Full.oil crop were nercaar ly upon the
-.•va.ltng conditions m the counties of Lake.
S mm.t, i bar Check, (Lipin, Boulder, aid
tark. When the lootings were compiled it
«"•> furnished by the srt*i’ou« jti ; uncied.
I. st year tb« six count'* - comprising the
* Ok •* J**an produced $l,714,76u, mast of it
during the Inst two quarters, after the coin
p! -tKui of the railway to Silvertoii. In !*#l
to esc district combined returned onlv
In tHKO the amount wu-**o small
it scarcely found a p ace In the statement f »r
that y«*»r. These ugur«*> convey au inbili-
C' ot • pitorje of the rapid advancement made
u. the rule >S (hr new conditions intro
«lue.d. The diijy trains sent there with
supplies for the people return laden with
r»en gt*ld am! s.li. r on* for the siuclters, or
Witli btttl'OM protlu •ed on toe gp-niid. It is
far better f«*r liw* eotrutry titan the midden
di-r triylf u new district l y prospect jog.
b*-ean*c the m.u.** are well ojtenod and
• Mpa>de of maintaining the supply indefi
nitely. In the statement of 1 *.n1, ami proha
tdjr for many years to <-oine, this Mo tion
must Ik* crpltod with millions im-tead «4* a
l«-w thousands ail..heretofore, tutd assuming
tj-.Bi the northern eouutiiw will remain the
-tame, tin «.li necessarily furnish a
heavy inrittw*.
Th .x- who believe, therefore, that the
limit of gold and silver production in < 'olorado
has Ihh-ii attained, ev.d -ntlys leave the San
Jua i couulics out of their estimate, and it is
too big b» be ignored.
California's First Silver Mines.
Prom the Minlni Pews.
A k'V ddvy #j»o I I'Rmr ncrw* your
tiou of "hnrly History »»f the i ointtocx''
Dn:<!tnlwr Itftti, As ihe wriUt «f that
nrtidf Mew* lo be anxious to establish true
InMorical tacts, 1 will make n few additional
remarks.
It wa* in the spring of IMB vhrnComttock
presented to K. A.Urn. thru t^uAifer*
imui«r UtDiTnl, lit his offlct* in Suit Frnuebco,
u piw blaok ore from Wa*dioe. Alien
the kfimr to Mr. Killaly, a miner
Aom |frr\l d«*| Monte* McxioJfc ami to ni •.
I toll i of usjironouiUMii it at ortcc very rich
Mil|»liurrt ni ailvrr, an u-wiv ««» insist. -1
iwi. Killaly UNik flu* sjwciuicn 10 hi* oflic
and there wv made the which "u* lx
ttt«*r;i .sI.iMM nn«l $4 .<*»•• jht ton. Shortly
alter I levurl that K l l Inly wa* dead. Tin*
about t!»»** rirh discovery ltad
killed him. Major Allen promised to mi* to
go to Washoe to <-taming l omitopk'* dsscov*
••nr. Imt I declined ami returned to Arjmnn.
It I do recollect right. you may find seine
nol<» on this In Ht'ikSi Mining Ma-J&n*,
l>u!>il*h<*d at that time.
hi rc;rnr»l t<» the lir.t working of ailver
initio* on the I‘untie slope. after the coiiutn
riime into the poMCMainu of the United StnUe,
there in no doubt (hat it «a» in thnt port ot
Ariiona south of the (ilia river. In tiie year
IK'd i eume with Col. A. 11. (Irny on the pre
tiiiiinanr atirver of the Southern Pacific
ratlroaif across t*lie country south of the (iila,
at thnt time known a** the (kidsdeu purchase
or Mcsillu valley. In the month of June we
arrived In San Francisco. The interest in
the Southern Pacific wn<* then at high pitch.
The iufbrnmtion given by u* did not tali to
create aouie excitement, particularly our
afciten»'*nt about the niiiierul wealth, although
wi on I n t 01-er substantial po d of tin a.
large c dhn ti n of minerals, gathered on
tiie trip, including *|M*ciuiei>* of nil ver and
copper «n«, were buried l»y the hoy* in the
( otorndo de«« rt, an useless stuir, when the
highly intrroattna ptiek*mnlc that carried
tin provision* and frying-pan* declined to
accompany iih any fiirtiivr. F.iiterprising
men like* Midor It. Allen, Uuitttl .State*
army; J. l>. Oil-.on, William lUnntling, A. S.
Wright unit other* contended to mind out an
exploring party under direeiioti of K. K.
iMiuhur. In October we completed our out
fit in Attgclc*, and Marten, twenty men
strong, towanT FortsYtiinn. 1 will give you
here trie names of gome of the company: ,41.
K. I»untoar, MeKlroy, F. ItonMndt, P. Hrarty,
<I. Kihbcrs, Ooarga Williams, Joe Yancey,
pr. Webster Porter Alfonso Carson, Charles
•Tiiklfkf pic road by Tinya Alta, we discover
ed tint the Ajo copper mines, about Ptifeilc*
wiwtli . MI »•' ' ÜBM, wh re we left <%■»
mpn tO bold possession as liest they coin#*
tmiu of us continued to hunt for the
Alluiai iimiiitniii* .ml the celebrated .liver
n,A.«. I'lunelm dc lu I’lntn, of which It I.
DELTA, DELTA COUNTY, COLORADO, MARCH 7, 1883.
! stated in Ward's Mexico, that a piece of
native silver of 2,700 pounds had been taken
out by tl»e Spaniards. After several mouths,
of search we discovered this mine, finding
first a piece a pure silver of about four
onne 's. A few days after a piece of nineteen
pounds was taken out of old shallow dig
• gings, overgrown by stout oak trees.
AtKmfc tl-.L« time our party at the copper
mine was attacked early in the morning by
i a company of Mexican soldiers, headed by the
Prefect and other authorities, who demanded 1
the delivery of the mine, as situated in j
Mexican territory. (The boundary line had !
; not lx*cu run then.) Thev threatened to take I
it by force if not surrendered iusgle of two I
hours. Mr. 11avwood’s spirited answer, !
“We don’t think of surrendering; if you want i
' to tight let us begin before the sun gets hot,” ■
settled that question. The troops retired to !
Presidio del Altar, Sonora, just in time to re- I
cel vc the news of our discover* of the long lost 1
I Planoha de la Plata. Immediately our party !
, was onlered to leave the country. Knowing
our latitude, and living well aware that we
had no right in Mexican territory, wc thought |
! prudent to comply.
i From the A jo copqer mine the first lot of I
I exceedingly rich ore was shipped to San j
Francisco m 1856,-by the Arizona Exploring
aud Mining coin pony. The name of this !
company has lea n i nairamental in conferring
the name of “Arizona” to the Gadsden pur
chase. 'flic Arizona mountains proj>er are
situated in Sonora. In Sun Francisco 1 pro
cured auo'her outfit to work mines near
Tuc»on. Worked first a copper mine about
thirty-five miles w«-*t from there, then
a silver mine nmr Sar* Xavier del Bar. for
which a company wa< organized in 1856.
' The vrho’e outfit for this, which after much
i delay arrived at Yuum, was afterward lost
with man and beast in the desert between
Maricopa wells and the copper mine. Only
one men escaped. This crippled the enter
prise so mu-h that it came to a standstill.
A1 suit this time Mr. Herman Khrcnberg.
who had been for some time on the. Gila
a l in Sonora, had fornu-d in New York the
: . »uoru Exploring and M : uiug compaav, of
which Samuel <‘olt, of Hartford, William
Foletnao, <\ 1). Poston, Major Hartley were
directors. This company arrived vita Mr.
iVton, Ehrenberg aud Hrunkow, \1. E. t iu
1857 in Arizona, aud took up headquarter* in .
the descried town of Tubae. Shortly after 1
joined this company, we discovered, besides I
many silver mines in the Santa Hita moun
tains, those at Orr-i, Folorado and Arivae.
There at tin* Heint/.clman mine active mini:).- ■
•qsirations wen.* commenced at once, and
very rich ore taken out. A lot of tons,
taken in 1KV» to San Francisco, yielded at |
the works of Warn, Fzney A Warwick, £450
|H*r ton, otharore smelted at the miue £1*00 '■
p r ton. We were then buying lead orea for j
flux from the then rtwntly opened Patagonia 1
m'ne, worked hv old man Douglass and j
oilier*, lit lfvVs Mr. Guido Kust-i brought i
out a laris- lot of machinery for the Hemt
zelm iu n i te ftrr lucthoi of silver on *,
by the Itarrcl procea*. From that t.me the s
country became more and more settled.
Rich Mexican Mines.
The Ttifccon dtiten rejK»rt» the <li*ri>tfrT of ■
wtaie new min<- m the State of t'himiHiiua, (
i f fjiluiJou* rich now*. It lirwribe* the hj»wi- j
im-tt* ii« follow*: '‘They hare, with one ex- ‘
replioo, the appearance «»f fractured bare of !
oonrM'-irrained silver, the exception being a !
lump nearly tu I»icr «»* a manVclenched hand,
ir»U wh ch. »hi n broke i, nbowx nit exoeci i g
tine grain. It ba» n mint \aluation of ,
i*cr ounce. On ftome piece* the quart* )ia>
licen repeatedly fifMUiml without effecting a
f»e|«*ratlo« of tile acvoral |»art«, an tenneiom in
the filver. The ore from the San Nestor ia j
alt** rich in go)d. The vein i* ►Mid to !e IS j
inrhea w ide »v*th m value aggn%*«ting Jfcio s OO*i
to the ton." i'll' l>t* lie hu« u similar width, i
twelve dnehr« of which, it is claimed, will j
'average s£l,ollo. The other *ix inches i* a
Ida- h jxdanquc. that in *p)it ami lies*
again*! cither wall. It haa a value of alxiut ]
jo r ton. In the ►an:c veil* i» 1 occttiv
a half inch atreak of altmwi pure ailve .
The San Maximo In narrower, the hnutdeax
jiart of the v in not eirce ling twelve inch m
.n width, hut SIB,OOO |mt ton mnv l*e con
►ldered pretty good jmy ore, even if the ledge
dob pi noh to a foot, more or lews.
Another Worng Poker Invention.
From the K«nm« « It y Time*.
Th<*v t*-l I n ncwMorv now on Senalor Tabor
of ('oliirwlo. Il i« related win n Tub <r was
<*n the K minis iVifii' Iruin going
ingbn t** take In- s* at, lie m<t a Hebrew
drummer who hud known him some time by
reputation. To .pass the time they ensured
in h tin me of seven up. The plnv wan even
until the cl«*e of the second emue when the
drummer wcivol four kings and an eight
*|*ot. A queen was turned un.
“(Ircnt tiodd!" said the drummer. “Mr.
!>abor I rhhi il vas hok-r. If ve vu• Movin'
lx»ker 1 v**sl l*et you my whole bun-dell.
“Mow much is your bundle?'' asked the
noMe Senator from Colorado.
“Two hundred and (lftv foliar,” replie<l
the drummer.
“Well," replied Tulmr, “if you will give
me tin* queen, which is turned, I will go
yon.”
“ fun,” Kidd the drummer, ami Tnltor pick
ed tin the queen.
“Pnteos ash nan," whispered the drummer,
allowing his hand to u man in the next neat.
“1 should smile, 1 ’ answered the man la
conically.
“Vood yon like to bet some more, Mecvtvr
I>abor?" ‘asked the (Himtucn'ial tourist with
an insinuating smile.
“Yes," said the mild e Senator, “I haven
fair hand; 1 will make it
“I haf only fiftv." replied the drummer,
and he made his bet good for ifstOO. **\Vh«t
luif you got, Moester nabor?”
“f our man," answered Colorado*® favorite
eon, showing the fatal one hihUs. Thu drum
»ner was perfect lv parnlvjteii and wan unable
to speak. while the noble Senator stowed the
J) d in liis togs. Slow ly draw ing a eignr
ii*oiii liia pocket, Colorado's favorite wiu*
about to light upend withdraw when the
drummer recovered his sense of s|H*ceh.
Leaning forward he said, 4, Ket ish nil right,
M center I labor. You haf w«a» the mouey
agon an*, but tJreat Goddl Mr. 1 labor vot
had her g-veen to do mit four neos?"
A process has l*cen discovered in Mississip
pi by which sweet potatoes rail Ik* kept over
winter without difficulty. The water is
evaporated, leaving the sugar and starch by
another process, nttd formers arc thus enabled
to either store away or dry them as preferred.
Gunnison Coal Fields.
The Crested Butte coal fields, says the Gun*
nison Sew» Prew t have attracted considerable
attention in the mining world since the first
active working of them began, a little over a
year ajo, when the Denver & Itio Grande
reached the banks. The excellent looking
coal at one of these mines attracted consider
able attention, and coking began immediately
in pits. It was not until about ten days since
tliat the .large coking ovens now used were
constructed, and even now a large portion of
the coking is done in the primitive manner.
In company with J. K. Robinson, the
superintendent of the Colorado Coal A Iron
company, a reporter of the RerUu>~Prt**
visited the coal mines of this company, sit
uated just south of town. This company has
recentjv built fifty hew coking ovens. ’They
are built of fire brick and incased with stone.
Heretofore the major part of the coking, as
stated, has been done in pita after the original
plan. With the improvements the company
will he able to increase the daily production,
and at the same time do much Iwtter work.
Arrangements are now being made and con
tracts Yet to put in 100 more of these ovens
immediately.
The ovens are all connected with a large
track running along the top of them, which
enables coal to lie drawn to the ovens by a
mule. The coal used is the slack or screened
coal, the lump coal being loaded on the cars
for market.
The process of coking is simple in its de
tail'*, especially when these improved ovens
are use*!. The ovens are fir-t heated red-hot.
then three charging iarrie* of the slack coal
i .tumped into them, and it is permitted to
bake for forty-eight hours. The ovens are
then permitted to cool off somewhat, are then
watered out and drawn. The oven still
beii.g heated, the first charging fires the
ovens for the second. Every fortv-eight hours
each oven turns out two und a half tons of
cok«*. The capacity of each oven, as worked
at the present, is nlstut one and one-fourth
tons of coke each twenty-four hours. As
s-on as tlie new ovena are coraplet *d the
coking capacity of t his' com pan v will he 175
t-»n* each twenty-four hour.-.'-, ilr. Robinson
informed tlic rejM.rter tliat it was the inten
tion of the company to increase the facilities
for mining as Wi ll a* coking, and that within
three months the company will be second in
the State in the amount of coal turned out
daily. 4 1 the i»reM*nt he employs 150 men
in the min** and at the ovens, but this force
will be largely increased within a few weeks.
One thousand tons of lamp coal is shipped
each week, and over 30Q tons of coke.
In addition to these mines of the C. C. A I.
company then- is the Anthracite mine owned
and operated by the Anthracite Mesa mining
compare. Their banks are situated some
four or five miles north of the Butte and an*
I wing extensively worked this winter. A
breaker ha* recent! v been added to the operat*
ing machinery of these banks and extensive
preparations made for miniug this excellent
ipuuity, ol coal. The company employs
i.bout li. r > men and ships coal to all part.* of
lhe State. For bltvksiui'hing purposes there
i- no 1 setter e**al in the I'nited Stales than
this niiii'-d from the anthracite banks at this
place. It will lie but a short time until if is
extensively u*ed thmaghont the Wot.
Condition of Trade.
The last trade reports from Boston and
New York made an unfavorable exhibit
owing to the disasters bv floods in the Middle
State-. Yet the New York florW says the
signs of the times are highly encouraging.
Its twin f is baaed upon the annexed state
ment :
Notwithstanding alt these drawbacks, the i
export trade of the country is in a lictter ©on
dition than last vear. l-'rom tins |*»rt the
shipments of produce and imn liandise reach- j
ed u money value of tor the week, |
which ended on Tuesday last, against $5,820,- I
for the wivk in ISS2. For
the week which ended February 14th, the
exports of wheat and flour from seven At Inn
tie |M*rtH were 2,202,6Gf» hushela of wheat,
against P 4.1.422 in the eorres|mnding wwk of
1»2. and 1,10/3,527 bushels of corn, against
404,300 bushels. The exports of cotton from
nil parts ..f the Foiled States tor the week
which ended on last Friday night were 102,-
Wsl lwles, against w.t*lS bales for the corres
ponding week in lSr’2, and the total exports
of cotton since Septemlwr Ist. have K*en
3,(132,7>1* hales, against 2,102,t»78 bales for the
same period- of last year. The outward
movement of provisions also compares favor
ably with that of last year. The prices for
some of our domestic products are higher
than in ltv**2, and when* they nrc lower the
difference is more than made up by tlu* in*
creased quantities exj*orted. The latest cable
ndvices not only corrolmrate earlier dispatches
as to the uit favorable outlook for crops
abroad. hut state that the deficiency will
prohaMv la* even greater tliun has bvn an*
t.eipat'.Ml, and that Kurtuv will In* more de
pendant upon the Fnlteu States for food sup
plies than for many years past. This is im*
]Mwtant, a* it w ill tend to a rapid distribution
of any surplus we may have left over from
the crops of 1.582 pending the harvesting of
this year’s yield.
A Taxas Goat Ranch.
From the* Galveston (Texas) Now*.
The editor of the livable Jlr*}*rian has made n
visit to the f».'Au\h' Nueces «»non. Including the '
Angora ranee of S. J. ' mold *fc Hrus. Hem the
canon widens out for « distance of seven mile'*—
to (hot. it is the widest and most beautiful spot in
the canon. These gentlemen own and control
about lAO.OOO acres, embracing the rich volleys of .
Maverick creek on the west and Ranch creek on
east, whk'h are only mlnntufe canons putting
into the Nueces valley from cither slde.fhmish
ing an abundance of grass and water the year
around, and which is used as a summer range,
while in Kinney county they have another much !
where they winter their sheep until after the 1
lambing season, keeping the'goats on the home !
.ranch during tlio kidding season. Six years ago :
last July the.*** gentlemen ‘fcommenced with 875 j
goats and 1,400 head of riHeep. Now they have
4,000 of the former and of the latter. Their
losses In sheep will arittmAfto about the same in
money vahto as their Ymtehasos, while on the
goat question they are $2,000 ahead of their losses
U'sldes their increase. Dilrtng this fterlod their
losses than disease and otherwise lmvo not l>een
over two per cent, on Utcir goats. They nut seven
different flocks which give steady employment'to
seven herders, besides a vlcloro, who su|ierlutehds
tho flocks, as well as extra hands to attend to
ot£cr work on the ranch. In the shearing, lamb
ing, and dipping seasons of course the number Is j
greatly augmented. On this ranch the goat* have
been improved up by best of thorough-bred
billies until now the grade run-s from one-half to
fifteen-sixteenths. Last spring their goat clip
amounted to 1,200 pounds, which was sold in Xew
York at ah average of forty cents. We have often
beard the question asked, what profit is there in
goats? In common goats the profit lies in the.
hides and tallow, whieh always command a good
price, and the supply of good meat in a shape that
will not spoil in warm weather before it can be
used up. By using Angora sires a flock can be
graded up so high that the wool is 'ore profitable
than that of sheep, while the e ...mal itself is
hardier, more prolific and less exp* iisive.
The Diamond Country In Africa.
[‘‘ln the Land of Misfortune.”—Ladv Florence
Dixie.]
The soil, when brought to the summit, Is carted
away and strewed on the ground, where it is left
for a fortnight or three weeks to pulveri se in the
sun. At the expiration of this time gangs of
Kuflirs, superintended by a white man, break the
large lumps into powder, and this in turn is cart
ed away to be placed in the washing machine.
It is during the process of first breaking that
some of the largest diamonds are discovered, and
the overseer has to keep a sharp lookout on the
workers in consequence. In spite of the terrible
penalty incurred by any one detected in the act
of secreting a good find, thefts are very rife, and
many a diamond finds its way into Kaffir possession
in spile of the sharpest vigilence. During the
process of washing the gravelly sulstance, which
is full of garnets as well as the diamonds, sinks
to the bottom of the machine, while the earthen
substance disappears in another channel. When
it has been thoroughly washed through two or
three times this gravel is collected and strewn on
t/tbles, where searchers, with steel instruments
somewhat resembling very broad knives, care
fully turn it over in minute search. Then it is
that the precious jewel is discovered in all man
ner of sizes and shapes, when it is placed in a ,
small tray, on which another oveerseer keeps his
watch Ail eye. I was given several little heaps of
gravel to dissect, and in half an hour had suc
ceeded in discovering about twenty cr thirty
diamonds of very fair aizc, and some so perfectly
i-hapcd that they had every appearauc ef having
just left the cutter's hands.
Before the White Settlement.
Demo rest's Monthly for March.
Thousands of years before Columbus sighted
Hispaniola. a dense population covered the coun
try now known as Arizona and Xerf Mexico.
They were a semi-civilized j»eople, fax advanced
beyond savage life, as is shown by the remains of
their pottery, temples and dwelling houses. They
seem to have been conquered by warlike savages
from northern regions, probably the ancestors of
the fierce Apaches and Comanehea, who have
caused our little army so much trouble in the
past. Colonel Stephenson has just returned from
exploring the homes of the Cliff dwellers. It
seems that on precipices thousands of feet above
tnc idaiiis below have been found the remains of
villages where generations must have lived and
di«l under the most extraordinary circumstances.
The houses could be reached only by the ino>t
export gymnasts who were fsrtvd to climb over a
thousand feet up the cliffs to reach their habita
tions. Some of these villiagcs contained, evi
dently. thousands of people. How they procured
food and susUiiued life in these inaccessible lo
calities is a mystery. Those Cliff dwelling were
probably places of reittgv for the jwople of the
plains when defeated by their srvajro assailants.
Major Powell, and the chiefs of Hu other bureaus
of tlic scientific department of the govermnem.
deserve great credit for bringing to light the ar
chavdogical and ethnological marvels of our
.south-western territories. These ought to Was
interesting t<> our people iu* are the sites of the
ancient cities in Asia Minor to the antiquarians
of Kumpo. Young men of means and In the pur
suit of knowledge, would find many antiquities
that would interest them greatly, in Arizuua and
N«W Mexico. _
How Tramps in Detroit Earn Their
Menis and Drinks-Shrewed Practice.
The following sketch troiu Ihc I>cirolt Pm Prm. 1
is Interesting in showing how the law is made to j
provide a sustenance for dishonest Justices of the |
lVmv and loafers who hang about those Justice*'
courts:
“Have you heard of the assault and battery
scheme T’ I
4, lt‘s a recent invention, and is having an im- :
men*e run in Justice ’s court, tfo over there ,
now, or any morning, or. for that matter, almost •
any time of day. and you will find ton or a dozen |
hums sitting around playing a game of Mieawbcr. j
After sitting around until they begin to got
hungry—they're always thirsty—one of them will |
go over to the justice’bdesk and make i complaint !
against another for assault and battery."
"And swear to itf*
"Of course, why not* There's nothing under
the wide heavens those follows wouldn't swear to. t
The complaint made, the justice issues his war ;
rant, n constable takes the paper over to the \
waiting culprit behind the stove, an 1 nakesthe
arrest, two of the gang volunteer to a« as counsel, ;
six of the remainder arc sworn inasjurymen, and '
the ‘trial’ proceed*, it doesn't take long, for it is
lunch time. The complainant testifies that the i
prisoner pushed him, the defendant swears that
he did not, the ‘lawyers’ submit the case without
argument, and the learned judge renders his ver
dict, a favorite method being to pronounce the
defendant guilty and suspend sentence,"
"What next?"
"Soup and a drink, after which the justice !
makes out his bill ibr the auditors to approve and ‘
the county treasurer to pay. The Jurors get fifty i
cents apiece, the cousiablo one dollar and j
mileage, and the Justice four and five dollars.
The number of assault and battery cases that '
Justice la disposiug of daily would seem do imii- I
cate that the city is peopled with Slugger Salll- J
vans." ,
A mass of log* broke loose in a
way in Wi-cousin while a man
Mieli a position that his escape
the wooden aviilnuehe was
|H'mti<>u ho fell fiat between t
wen* frozen fast, and the lons of
without hurting him.
Canadian paper* njn.rt
bird it! considerable muuU‘rsJ^K^u|^C|?^|; ! 1
the English sorrows. |
XTJMBER 1
All Sorts.
Texas lias now 6,000 miles of 1 railway complet
ed.
There are over 9,000 blind persons in the state
of Arkansas.
Orange tree are being planted all along the
Mississippi coast.
In London there are now thirty-nine theatres
giving performances.
The brown ladies of Azion, on the African Gold
C-oost, wear bustles.
Gen. Fremont's son, who is named after him is
a master in the navy.
The Texas cattle drive for the coming spring is
estimated at 220,000 head.
In the year 1882 the Hot Springs railroad carried
25,000 passengers.
Rabbit hunting by moonlight Is now a fashion
able sport in various portions of Illinois.
Dakota has 21 national and 87 private banks,
with an aggregate capital of $10,000,000.
Misfortunes never come isingly. The great
flood and Mrs. Langtry struck Cincinnati on the
s»ime day.
The plaintiff in an Indiana breach of promise
suit is a wi«low of thirty-four, and the defendant
a boy of eighteen.
In drilling for an artesian well at Chesterfield,
Iowa, a stream, of milky substance was struck,
which is believed to be magnesia.
The government hires a vault in a safe deposit
company in St. Louis for the storage of silver dol
lars, and has about $4,000,000 in it.
A three-year-old boy in North Carolina was
scalded to death a few days ago by a cup a hot
coffee which he pulled upon his head from a
table. .
In the Egyptian war one English bullet in
every hundred did damage. In the Franco-Ger
man war more than thirty German shots in a
hundred hit the enemy.
In Charles City. Ia.. the marshal is authorized
by ordinance to arrest all young men under the ,
age of fifteen found upon the streets after eight
o’clock at night.
The Melbourne Argvt states that the wreck of a
vessel of about 300 tons has been discovered at
Fay river. New Guinea. Th-* natives report that
the crew, numbering seventeen, have been eaten
by the Keewai tribe.
Tha dying words of young Com csasderRawscn,
leader of the Highland Brigade, to Sir Garnet
WoUely after the victory of Tel-el-Kcblr, deserve
a place in history. They were: ' General, dkl I
lead them straight?" ‘
A Virginian named John E. Cross dreamed the
other night that he was out on a chase and aa the
stag turned to bay. sprang violently from his bed,
and, striking upon a chair, received injuries,
which it is feared will prove fatal.
One of the oldest men on active duty in the
treasury department at Washington is CoL Geo. •
Kcut, of Bangor, Maine brother of the late Gov
ernor Edward Kent, ofthat state. He is now
nearly eighty-seven, but is as hale and sprightly
as most men of fifty.
A W ashington Territory official says that there
are four pursuits which a man can follow in the
northwest with more show of success than else
where—viz., wheat raising, mining, lumbering
and fishing. The wheat belt extending from
Boise, Idaho, to Wall a. W. T., contains 50.000,000
acres of land.
The scheme of reclaiming land by filling in the
Back, bay of Boston has proved a profitable enter
prise for the state. The receipts from the sale of
amount to $4,757,000 and the outlay has-been only
31,650,00ft Besides this profit, fifty acres have
been added to the deep-water area of the harbor.
Jinj,,, Phipps, the notorious Philadelphia Alms
House plunderer, is still in prison In Canada, but
is “a* well as might be expected under the cir
bumstances." He is treated w ith all the consid
eration dr.e to a man who wears the unique dis
tinction of bavins stolen the roof of the building
intrusted to his core.
How to Jndge a Ripe Watermelon.
The amateur melon grower la 'often puzzled to
known when hi? watermelons are ripe, ami in de
termining this lact is liable to lose his finest
specimens. The fruit is dry and tasteless if
plucked from the vines after it Is over-ripe. It is
also unwholesome when gathered in a half ripen
ed state. When a watermelon is ripe the flesh
inside will crack when pressed upon, emitting a
sound distinctly hoard; but this bruises and spoils
the fruit. The dead curls are sometimes taken as
evidence of ripeness: but this is not always re
liable. for curls aud sometimes the while vimv
will die while the melon is green. The surest
testis by color and sound. When ripe the color
of the rind becomes more dull than when grow
ing ; the texture of the rind is more firm, and not
spungy As while growing. The sound, wh *n
thumped sharply with the middle finger by the
experienced, is the quickest aud most reliable
evidence.
To become fltmlUar with the sound of a ripe
watermelon, the inexperienced hits but to thump
his boot or shin', which will give the correct
sound of a ripe melon.
The country is threatened with another diary
publication. A Washington correspondent says
Senator Sherman has got all the letters he has re
ceived during the last twenty or thirty years care -
ftdly filed away In scrap book*, with an index
most complete. Further, that the lcttfra from
his brother. General Sherman. U. S. A., must bo
very Interesting. They number thousands, and
were begun when the General was at West I‘idut,
find have continued ever since. The love of tho
!• ret her* for each other is well known among
their friends. Neither has a thought that is not
sofiie way connected with the other. Tho letters
of general Sherman to hia brother during tho
|fc»r will make mighty Interesting rcadlug if they
Kr printed. They were t written in camp—sorae-
Bjnes before a battle and sometimes after one—
Eut they gave the writer's idea straight from his
[heart, aud told what he thought the sumo as ho
i would commune with himself. If the General
was any more frank tu his letter) %0 his brother
than ha wsu* in his published * , wemoix»*‘ many
military gvnteiueu of eminence ratWt be tremb
ling.