St. Landry democrat., February 24, 1894, Image 2

About St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894

Image provided by: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

                
A number of Egyptian papyri,
bought for the public library in Gen
eva, hava been examined by Mr.
Nicoli, who has, it is said, found frag
ments of the Iliad and Odyssey.
There is also a fragment from the
"Orestes" of Euripides, a thousand
years older than all the other texts.
Pennsylvania has 200,000 farms,
which produce over §200,000,000 in
crops. There are 5,000,000 live stock.
The State produces nearly 2,000,000
tons of iron in the anthracite furnaces,
nearly 3,000,000 in bituminous fur
naces and 17,000 tons of charcoal iron.
Over 028,000,000 tons of anthracite
coal have been mined in the State, and
ono oil field has yielded 150,000,u00
barrels.
In ten years, or from 1880 to 1800,
the private indebtedness of the United
States increased from $0,500,000,000
to $19,500,000,000 and is now more
than twenty-five billions of dollars.
At this rate of increase, says tlie Den
ver News, the time is not far distant
when two men out of every hundred
will own all the wealth of the country.
Malaria is responsible for half the
deaths of all mankind, according to
Dr. H. M. Clark. From his experi
ence in India he learns that malaria is
not confined to rich, low-lying soils,
but is found even in sandy deserts.
The natives of the grain coast of
Western Africa and the Taurus ol
Northern India aro the only races
proof against it. Both modern medi
cine and sanitation are powerless in
dealing with it. Suggested prevent
ives are the flooding of swamp lands
and the planting trees that will re
tain water and shade the soil—such as
the plantain and banana, but not the
eucalyptus.
A n electric fighting man is about the
latest thing in the electrical line. Ac
cording to a recent number ni the Lon
don Electrician, an inventive genius
has offered to furnish to the Spams!
Government for a consideration, hie
invention, known as "an automaton
soldier, made of forged iron, capable
of firing forty shots a minute at the
enemy," the machine being operated
by electricity. The chief advantage of
this scheme, however, is the fact thai
the place where a soldier's brains are
supposed to be, is filled up with dyna
mite ; so that if captured, the auto
maton would be more deadly than
ever, unless treated with the greatest
care. A fight between armies com
posed of these soldiers would be inter
esting in the extreme.
pro
A writer of California, who has
long been interested in the subject oi
agriculture, confidently asserts that
the farm of the future will bo the
forty-acre farm. This claim gains
significance from the fact that it
originates in California, ioi* there the
great land owners havo held title to
tracts that ran as high as 50,000 to
100,000 acres, and it was the pos
session of one of theso immense
stretches of territory that prompted
Henry George to give his land-tax
theory to the world. This particular
tract is now being divided into small
farms "to suit tlio purchaser," and
the same plan is bcing,wsued in
many parts of the State. *# f wits
a 'Spanish possession-A^f^-raising
was tb f chief industry, and vast
ranges were looked upon as necessary
to a prosperous business. When
sheep-raising was gone into tho
same idea prevailed, and even
when wheat-raising became popular
the wealth of the owners, improved
machinery and the ease with which
help was procured enabled the great
land owners to keep their farms in
tact. But with the introduction oi
fruit raising came the cutting up ol
these big estates, and the smaller hold
ers have multiplied until the writer
referred to feels justified in his pre
diction. Literal fulfillment can hard
ly be expected, however, in the opin
ion of the Detroit Free Press, whicb
adds : Forty acres makes too large n
farm for the raising of market "truck"
and too small a one for cattle raising.
As for general farming, much depends
upon the farmer and his surround
ings. What a man does for himself
he is disposed to do well, and with a
view to making the most of his oppor
tunities. There is always the danger
of loss thro«^- 1 - icsîii&Eance tnat is em
Ms fact is a factor in the
îjurf «ÉMiftot be overlooked,
"wt nand, the small farmer
cannot afford all the modern machin
ery which facilitates his work, yet
must lie idle during a greater portion
of the year. When this difficulty is
overcome by neighboring farmers hav
ing a community of interest 'in theso
aids to their work, there will be a
nearer approach to a fulfillment of the
predictions made by the California
prophet.
Bacteria In Animal Saliva.
The saliva of dogs and cats is es
pecially rich in bacteria, that of tho
latter containing a form which is sel
dom observed and so fatal that rab
bits and guinea pigs inoculated with
it die in twenty-four hours. Tho
dog's saliva contains an even greater
number of bacteria, plus occasional
eggs of intestinal worms and so on.
Those fond and loving, women who are
prone to waste their caresses upon lap
dogs will be interested in this item.—
Phaxjnacçutic^ Er*. >——
TUE DA UK EST HOUR.
'Tis always the darke-t hour
Before the dawn doth i-bino.
Ever the moment of fear and g'oom,
In that troubled he irt of thine:
Heavy the spirit and sad thy sigh,
While brightness and ligh'.nesj are drawing
nigh!
Look to the shafts of morning
As they play in the moving clou 's;
Their arrows must eleavo the darkne s dense
Which now like a veil enshrouds;
Mountain and valiey, \il'ageand stream,
Shall smile in the glow of th.- sunrise gleam.
But, (), in the vigil of wa'ting,
I5t fore that dawn appears,
Worn with the n ! ght ol watching.
Thou art tilled wiih doubts and fears
Poub; not,, true sou'! I'a'iit not, bravo heart!
In the joy of the dawn thou aha.t havo thy
part!
I know thou art weary, so we.iry;
I know thy hopes seem dea ! ;
Itouse! for thy cares and s irrows
With the night and the gloom uro fled.
They are fled! And thy faith, like the lark to
the skies,
ltise up with a songiu thy glad surprise.
to
is
of
ol
in
n FiRST ÖFFIGIHL FIGHT.
by w. p. C iia mukus.
Years ago. when the ambitious city
Weston was simply a village, there
lived on the hill beyond the creek a man
who divided his time about equally be
tween deer hunting and tilling tint few
rocky, sterile acres that constituted his
farm. This man—George Bently, by
name—was a prominent figure in that
sparsely-settled region.. He was
iant in strength, daring in danger, cool
in emergencies and fertile in expedients.
Though illiterate, he was by no means
uneducated so far as the love of forest
and stream was concerned, and Iiis skill
in deciphering the volume of human
nature wag of no mean order. So at
thiity-five lie was an acknowledged
leader among his fellows.
About this time a general election
occurred, and during the day somebody
suggested that George lient ly lie voted
for Justice of the Peace for Weston
Beat. The suggestion being acted on,
that individual returned home about
sunset, and with pardonable elation in
formed his wife that lie had been
elected a magistrate without opposition.
Without giving the matter any con
sideration, either as to the duties upper
taining to the office or his own qualiii.-a
tions for their performance, he made the
necessary bond, and in due time his
commission, bearing the great seal of the
State, was received, together with a copy
of the Code. Xovv our new official had
never mid a law book in his hands before,
and lie felt somewhat dismayed, but
rather important withal, as he surveyed
the bulky volume, bound in legal calf,
Thrusting his commission into the
pocket of his pantaloons, for he had
no coat, and taking the huge
volume under his arm, he wendid
his homeward way. If his gait
was more staid and his bearing more
dignified than usual it was simply l>e
cause he felt himself an exponent, if
not a part, of the State, in her sovereign
capacity of making' and administering
laws.
As soon as supper was dispatchd lie,
witli the aid of his wife, spelled out the
commission, and then taking up the Code
he began at the title page, lie had got
nearly to the end of the report of the
Codifying Committee when drowsiness
overpowered him, and he began to dis
robe for the night. Ashe was in the act
of lying down a loud "hello !" was heard
at, the yard gate. When the door was
opened a voice in the darkness called
""Docs 'Squire Bently live here?"
"I'm the man,'' was the rather pompous
reply.
"1 want a warrant for Jake Jonc3."
"What's he done?"
"Him and Pete Brown got into a row
at old man Hall's house-raising this
evenin' and he knocked Pete down with
a handspike, and it looks like he's g in'
to die."
"All right—come in "
By the time the officer had donned
his clothes and replenished the fire the
other man—one John Graham—had en
tered.
Had 'Squire Bently been required to
make an astronomical calculation he
would not have been more complete! v at.
a loss how to proceed. But he felt that
bis official honor was at stake and so,
after a hasty but fruitless search in the
Code for a "form," lie proceeded to bring
forth from his inner consciousness the
mome n tous document.
The first difficulty to be surmounted
was the fact that there was not a scrap
of writing paper in the house. Not an
ticipating emergencies win rein it would
be required, no stationery had been pro
vided for official purposes. Unwillin«'
lo be balked, he tore a blank leaf from
the back of the Code, and borrowing a
pencil—for it was developed that no pen,
ink or eveii a lead pencil belonged to the
Bently household—he sat down, and,
after infinite pains, produced the follow
j
j
I
n
a
ing warrant:'
"taik jaik joans
G. BENTLY, esq., j. p."
As Sir. Graham received this document,
he asked:
"Who will S'U've this warrant?"
"You can do it as well as anybody
else, can't yon?"
"1 guess so! Where must I take him
to?"
"Bring him here, of course."
"When?"
"At once—or sooner, if you can find
him."
took his leave. '
Our officer now retired, but the inci
dent of the warra nt .had unset.tW hi..»
somewhat and he vainly courted sleep.
After an hour or two of restles tum
bling he was about entering dreamland
when there was another call at the gate.
Going to the door he was again met bv
the inquiry :
"Does 'Squire Bently live here?"
"Yes; what do you want?"
"We want to get married !" was the
rather hesitating and huskily spoken re
ply.
"Come in ! " and again the official
hauled on bis pantaloons, and out of
ueference to the occasion a coat was also
donned.. By this time a very young man
and a shrinking maiden had reached the
i
door-step. \
Come right in! Take chairs and sit
une eaidirs sit |
&TÄ t Ä'Sr-'
embers into a flame by blowing on them
with his breath. When this was ac
complished he arose, brushed the dust
and ashes off his knees, and, reackin"
for his law book, demanded:
"Are you runaways ?"
"Yes, sir." ,
"What's your names ?'
"Mine is William Wright, this voun"
■lady's is Mary Banks." ^ j
"Are you a son of John Wright?"
runt« j
drawing
dense
gleam.
heart!
thy
to
"I am. sir."
"And is that one of old Tom Bank
of
there
man
be
few
his
by
that
a
cool
at
on, [
|
in- !
;
j
;
!
"Ves, sir."
"What did you run away for?"
"'Cause her folks were not willin' for
us to marry."
"Have you got airy pair of license?"
"Yes, sir, 1 have the license. Wo ex
pected Preacher Gray to marry us, but
he wasn't at home, so wc c-tme to you.
Here, sir, is the license."'
"Keep 'em, young man, keep 'em. I
don't want 'cm! I only axed to see if
you had 'em; for it's agin the laws
of the United S ates to marrv in this
State without, a pair of license. The
law only axes if you paid for 'em, and
how much.''
As he said this, 'Squire Bentley opened
his book very wide and assumed a stern,
judicial air.
"Yes, sir, tho license is paid for, and
cost one dollar."'
"Where did you get 'em?"
"At the courthouse, of course. If
you please, sir, will you proceed?"
"You bet 1 will! Hold up your right
bands !"
The young couple exchanged glances.
I f the truth must be told, tho require
ments of etiquette during the perform
anco of tho ceremony had formed an im
portant factor in their conversation
since leaving the paternal roof. After a
little hesitation both bands went up.
"You solemnly swear that you will live
together as man and wife, sick or well,
and that you will tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothin' but the truth,
j so help you God ! Answer, 'I do."'
"1 do," was the faint response,
j "I pronounce you husband and wife,and
1 may the Lord have mercy on your souls !" j
j The astonished couple still sat with j
! uplifted hands, gazing at the Magistrale j
j with open-mouthed wonder.
j "That'll do!" said he in a less severe j
, tone.
"Is it over?" asked the bride, with a
; sigh of relief, as she lowered her hand,
j "I reckon so!" was the rather doubtful
I response of the groom.
I "Yes, certainly. You're hitched as
j hard and as fast as if the Guv'nor had
j done it."
"!L,w much do I owe you?"
"Not a cent, young man, not a cent,"
! and thi u he added, in a semi-conliden
| tial tone, "You see, I'm a sorter new
! beginner, and 1 hain't sot my prices yet.
I Where are vegoin' to stay till inornin'?"
! "We expected to go from Mr. Grav's
back to Uncle Bill Wright's, on Cane
Creek; but that's ten or twelve miles
front here. Isn't there a tavern in town?"
"Yes—but why not stay here.' It
won't cost you a cent, and I 'drother
j
j
J
!
j
upper- ;
qualiii.-a- !
the
his !
of the ;
copy j
had i
before, j
but j
surveyed j
calf, j
the |
had I
huge |
wendid 1
gait
more
l>e- !
if j
lie,
the
Code
got
the
dis
act
heard
was
"Yes—but why not stay here.'
won't cost you a cent, and I 'drother
you'd stay."
With a little more urging, they con
sented; and while the groom and the
'Squire were out stabling the horses, .Mrs.
Bently had arisen and prepared a room
for the bride and groom. After a slight
repast which the young people reallv
needed (though both stoutly protested
against the extra trouble), they were left
in possession of the spare room, which
had twice served as a law office that
.eight.
An hour had passed, and most of tho
inmates had fallen asleep, when there
was another loud "hello!" at the gate.
"Who is it now?" asked the master of
the house, as lie opened the door.
"It's me—here's your ptisoner," sang
out a voice in reply, that evidently be
longed to Special C onstable Graham.
"Who else is with you?"
"Jim Ilall, and brofher Tom."
"All right—come in!"
While our hard-worked Magistrate was
again dressing himself, his wife sudden
ly inquired,
"Where will you take 'em, George?"
This was a p; ser. The sp ire room was
already occupied, and, worse than all,
bis lawbook was in there too!
Meeting tho Constable in the vard ho
called j brifîy explained the situation. "
I " Wc bui,d ? lire ° ut here <
row
this
with
in'
donned
the
en
to
he
v at.
that
so,
the
bring
the
scrap
an
would
pro
from
a
pen,
the
and,
him
find
ho
bv
the
re
of
gested at last, and the others assent
ing, the fire was accordingly kindled,
and then 'Squire Bently realized that lie
could proceed no further without his law
book. Going to the door of the guest
chamber, he softly knocked.
"What is it:" inquired the groom.
"1 want to get my book."
So the young man unfastened the
j door, and held it open till tho officer
! went inside and "felt around" till he laid
I hands o:i the coveted volume. Returning
to the yard, lie opened court by adniiuis
i tering an oath to all present (including
the constable and the prisoner) to tell
I just fiow it was.
I The day had been a warm one. As
j the night wore on, the clouds began to
j threaten lain, and before the testimony
j was all in, a heavy shower came up.
j This necessitated an adjournment to
shelter—and as the smokehouse was the
nearest building, thither all hands re
I paired. While waiting for the shower
to cease, another horseman came gallop
ing up.
•'Is 'Squire Bently at home?"
"Yes; that's me!" was the reply.
"They want you at Sim's Mill. There's
a dead woman there, and they want you
to hold an inquest."
Further questioning elicited the fact
that a negro woman had died very sud
denly, and the physician who had been
called, deeming the circumstances sus
picious, des'red an inquest. It was now
past midnight, but our officer, feeling
that lie ought to act promptly in the
matter, decided to go at once. But, un
fortunately, the two Grahams and Jim
Hall all felt called upon to go, too.
What to do with the prisoner was the
question. Somebody proposed taking him
along with them, but the prisoner him
self stoutly opposed that plan, but of
fered to pledge himself to be on baud
whenever wanted.
Our Magistrate, actingon the principle
that "one bird in tiie hand is worth two
in the bush," resolved to make sure of
J Jake Jones. 5o,~after brin
j bundles of fodder from a
i ai)C l t wo o r three quilt
house. He Jirephreu a Deri 1
in# a few
stuck near
from the/be
oner, anel locked him up in
house till his return, and th „ u,cu
rode away.
In the matter of the inquest Dr. Smith
assumed entire control. He prepared all
the necessary papers, and it was only
required of G. Bently, Esq., to set "his
hand and seal ' fo various documents.
It_ was near 10 o'clock when the
'Squire and bis party returned from the
inquest. They were all very drowsy
and very hungry. Our officer fouud à
rather unpleasant state of affairs on his
arrival at home. As the meal and flour,
as well as the bncon, were kept in the
smokehouse, and as the door thereof
\ , . , , -
sit s , ccuro, - v . lo ,^ eii al ' d th « key safely
sit | stored away in his pocket, none of the
The bride
«w ibcir
and groom had gone off hungry, but an
patently happy; the children were fret
ting; their motlur was scolding, and
Jake Jones,from the inside of his prison
was indulging in some vciy loud, very
profane and verv disparaging remarks
In fact, that individual was only brought
into a state of respectable quietude bv
,i i n- c him, giving him a
^ j shaking, and promising to wipe up
1 " f roun<1 ll,m aft er adjournment.
j Bcfore tLls occulYcd) or eyeij bfeak
up.
for
ex
but
you.
I
if
laws
this
The
and
and
If
|
j
|
im- !
j
a j
j
live j
I
the
j
!
j
!" j
j
j
j
a
as
It
fast was served, Pete Brown rod
lie had concluded not to die: lie and
Jake made friends and the case was dis
missed. After a hearty breakfast and
dinner in one, his visitors departed,
leaving 'Squire Bent ly to cogitate over
the events of "His First Official Might."
— I Louisville-Couiier Journal.
AVAR MEMOKIKS.
eîian
man who.
A .*31,5)00 Meal That Was Spoiled by
an Inconsiderate Missile.
Connected with the Tobacco Ex
at Richmond, Va., is a gentle
ling to the Detroit Free
Press, was living "under the hill" in
Petersburg during the perilous davs.
After seviral shot and shell had passed
over his house, his family loft it for
safer quarters, but one evening decided
to return. Everything was quiet for ail
hour, and then a shot came booming
over. This was enough for wife and
children, but the husband got mud and
declared he would stay there that night
if every gun in the Federal intrench
ments was turned loose upon him. Half
an hour went ! by, and he was patting
himsoit on tho back over his grit, when
tue Federals suddenly opened live or six
heavy guns at the hill. Shot and shell
roared and hissed and screamed, and the
man's hair began to crawl. He stuck
there, however, until boom! lush! crash!
came a cannon ball as big as his head
plump through one side of the house and
out of the other, and then he llew out
doors and struck a gait just a little faster
than greased lightning. Singularly
enough, that was the only shot which
ever hit the house, though dozens fell
around it.
After Grant had his guns in position,
and more especially after he began
reaching out for the Weldon railroad,
he could have knocked Petersburg to
pieces in twenty-four hours, lie would
probably have done so had there been
any excuse for it, but there was none.
The Confederate lines were a mile and a
half away, and Petersburg was only
held by non-combatants. -Nevertheless,
tirant did not propose that any one in
reach ol his guns should sleep soundly or
forget his presence. Occasionally shots
therefore pitched into the city to
ism, and if anybody
leep at a time it was
boa^t of. One
wer
check any cnthu
got over an hour'
considered some thin
j night durin
j the crater, the Fed
J time so elevated tin
! the Ccnfedeiate
a heavy firing to the left of
u Federal guns were for a
ry missile cleared
, howled over
j Petersburg and fell among the houses
under the hill. One shell entered the
I window of a house and exploded in the
j parlor. A paît of tho front of the house
I was blown out, one side demolished, the
chamber floors driven through the roof
and the whole building weakened. The
j people had moved out, but loft all
I their goods and a dog to watch them,
j No one could say ju-t where the dog was
when the explosion took place, but he
! w.as not. killed.
During the same fire, and live minutes
after a family had taken up their quarters
in a bomb proof of the back yard, a shell
drove in tho front, door, penetrated the
floor and
!
!
j
j
j
j
|
j
j
J
I
I
|
I
j
j
j
of
drove in tho front, door, penetrated the
floor and exploded under the house.
There were five rooms below and four
above, and the explosion shook oil every
bit of piaster and knocked down every
partition in the lower part. The familv
weil was at the back of the house, and
so much debris was driven into it that
no water could be got for days.
In tiie winter of 18i.il a citizen who
had une.\-peeted : y received $2,0: 0 in Con
federate currency on an old debt, deter
mined to have a good square dinner, and
company to help to eat it. liye, coffee,
bacon, meal, rice and molasses were
about the only provisions in market; but
at a cost ol £l,'.lo0 tiie citizen scraped 1
together enough to justify him in in vit- j
ing a company of six friends. The guests '
were in the parlor, the table set, and the |
cook was over the stove, when a shell j
entered t Ii e dining room through the j
side of tiie house. The explosion so 1
wrecked the room that no one could j
enter it. 1 he tarde, pieces of which I ;
saw, could noi have been demolished j
any better with an ax, and the plaster il» i
two or three rooms was shaken down. I
tell
As
to
to
A Remarkable "Artist."
the/be
The feelings of the government detec
tives were much shocked three weeks
ago by the turning up of a Counterfeit
treasury note for $103. 5 1| Was the
series of 188!), check letter with the
head of Lincoln on the face. It was the
latest contribution from a remarkable
artist, who has been puzzling the au
thorities for more than a decade. Like
all of his other productions in this line,
it was done entirely in pen and ink. It
was actually accepted as genuine at a
United States sub-treasury and was sent
thence to Washington for redemption.
One of the experts in the redemption
division of the treasury, Miss Alma (J.
Smith, discovered it, and the teller who
took it in at the sub-trcisury will lose
$100 by the transaction. The counter
feit will not bear close scrutiny, the imi
tated lathe engraving being only a mass
of pen scratches, but it lias the danger
ous quality of a good general appear
ance.
This pen-and-ink artist is a most ex
traordinary individual. Up to date ho
has produced about twenty-five such
counterfeits. They all reach the treas
ury eventually, and several specimens of
his handiwork are on exhibition at tho
office of the secret service here. Four
out of five of his notes have been twen
ties, and there have been two fifties.
The new one is the only otic for $100
that be has yet turned out. He makes
the" 1 at the rate of two a year, appar
ently, and it must take nearly all of his
time,to do the work, which >'pvidcnt.lv
^cc u t e r„ i 1(lc rte.;. h i !;i,,,,r i .' ann - ot
äf: , ° f Cl » ■' l ' ^ TTiât- Tie'
"ocVii, ,Si' /i\nV.HÄhent. It is his little
fad. Inasmuch as they come from all
parts of the country, it must be that he
is a gentleman of leisure and travels
from city to city. Little hope is enter
tained of ever catching him, and it is
likely that ho will always remain a mys
tery.—[Washington Star.
How A Swordlish Can Fight,
Captain Amery, of the schooner Origin,
whicb has arrived at Plymouth from Lab
rador with fish, reported that while on
the outward voyage from England the
vessel was attacked by a swordfish
whose sword penetrated the hull and
broke off as the fish attempted to with
draw it. The fish then turned several
somersaults and disappeared, as if
either stunned or killed by the j
force of the shock. The sword ;
left in the side of the ship meas- .'
ured eighteen inchrs. Before Newfound-|
land was reached the vessel made over a '
foot of water, anel the crew are of opinion
that if the fish had succeeded in with
drawing its sword the vessel would havo
foundered.—[London Daily News.
About one-fifth of the whole number of
Gotham's criminals aro women.
up.
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDKNTS AND INOIDKN l\3 OK
KVKKYOAY LIKK.
( t )noer Facts and TliriHin» Adven
tures which Show 'i 'luit iiut'i is
Stranger Thun Fiction.
by
in
ail
pu/.
Ile
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One of the most, remarkable an.
I /ling stories of somnambulism h
j cenily come to light. The subje
a young ecclesiastic at a seminary.
bishop of the dioeeso was so deepiv
interested that he went nightly to the
young man's chamber, lie saw bimset
, out of bed, secure paper, compose and
j write sermons. On finishing a paye lie
• read it aloud. When a word displeased
j him he wrote a correction' with great
j exactness. The bi-hop had seen a he
; ginning of some of these somnambulistic
! sermons, and thought them well eom
! posed and correctly wiitten, Cut ions to
; ascertain whether the young man used
j Iiis eves, the bishop put a card under his
j chin in such a manner as to prevent him
j seeing the paper on the table before
; him, but be still continued to write. Not
j yet satisfied whether or not he could dis
i tingu-li different objects pi iced before
! him, the bishop took away the piece of
j paper on which he wrote and substituted
j several other kinds at dilfercnt times,
j lie always perceived the change, because
: the pieces of paper wereof different si/cs.
j W heu a piece of paper exactly like his
I own was substituted he used it, and
j wiote his corrections on the places cor
I responding to those ot bis own paper,
j It was by this means that portions of his
j nocturnal compositions were obtained,
j His most astonishing production was a
j piece of music written with great exaeti
j tude. He used a cm for a ruler. The
clels, the flats and the sharps were all
I in their right places. The notes were
j all made as circles, and those r< quiring it
were afterward blackened with ink.
I The words were all written below, but
j once they were in such large characters
I that they did not come directly below
j their proper notes, and perceiving this
he erased them ail and wrote them over |
again.
Bank notes have curious histories at
! tacked to them in the way of human
! comedy, tragedy and melodrama, saws
j the New \ ork Home Journal. A collec
j tor at Paris of such curiosities got hold,
j some years ago, of a L'"i Bank of England
j note which had somewhat of a trajie in
| terest connected with it. Sonic sixty
odd years ago tho cashier of a Liverpool
j merchant had received in tender for a
j business payment u Bank of England
J note which lie held up to the scrutiny
I of the light, so as to make sure of its
I genuiiHness. He observed some parti
| ally indistinct red marks or words traced
I out otr the front of the note beside tho
j lettering and on the margin. Curiosity
j tempted him to try fo decipher the word's
so inscribed. With great, difficulty so
j faintly written were they and so much
obliterated, the words were found to
form the following sentence: "If this
note should fall into the hands of John
Dean, of Longhill, near Carlisle, he will
learn hereby that his brother is languish
ing a prisoner at -Algiers." Mr. Dean,
on being shown the note, last no time in
asking the government of the Dey to
make intercession for his brother's free
dom. It appealed that for eleven long
years the latter had been a slave to the
Dey of Algiers, and that his family and
relatives believed him to be dead. With
a piece of wood he had traced in his own
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a piece of wood he had traced in his own
blood on the bank note the message
which was to procure his release. The
government aided the efforts of his
brother to set him free, this being accom
plished on payment of a ransom to the
I)ey. I'nfortunately the captive did not
long enjoy his liberty, his eodilv suffer
ings while working as a slave in" Algiers
having undermined bis constitution.
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A witiTEU of thrilling stories of ad
venture for boys wou d find a plot
ready to bis band in the charges brought
against two Frenchmen named Borique,
brothers, who are at present awaiting
their trial at Brest. According to the
case for the prosecution, these men are
latter-day piratesofa particularly daring
description. Oil December 15, IS'JI, the
French schooner Ninroahiti, trading
with Tahiti, left that place under the
command of a native skipper named
Teliae a Tara. The first mate was
Joseph Borique, one of the accused, and
the crew consisted of an Englishman
named William Gibson, who was the
supercargo, four natives, and a half
caste, who acted as cook. The vessel
carried 40,000 francs' worth of goods, to
bo exchanged in some South Sea islands
for mother.-of pearl and other products.
At one of these out-of-the-way ports
Joseph Rorique's brother, Alexander,
came on board, and the two then planned
the mutiny. The Captain and the
Englishman were shot, and the crew, all
but die cook, were killed by means of
poisoned food; whereupon the brothers
took command of the vessel, painted out
the name, substituting that of "Le Hoi."
and making a descent on a little island,
forced some of the inhabitants to come
and man the ship. Possibly they might
have remained undiscovered, but for the
fact that some time afterward thev
threatencd to kill the half-caste, who
thereupon went and gave information to
the authorities of oue of the Caroline
Islands.
A child lias been born at Birming
ham. England, which bears a strong re
j semblance to a frog. Its skin is warty
I and cold and clammy to the touch,
j When it cries it is said to make an nn
i earthly squeaking noise, sounding much
j more like the croaking of a frog than
! the crying of a child. Its form in gen
! eral, as w<;l) aa.t.b« contour of its limits
■' " c * x ', its eyes, alsoTJgT
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ot
Tie'
" c * x ', its eyes, alsoTJgT
hand ami four toes
on each M m . both tees and lingers being
"webbed" or joined one to the other by
a thin membrane. Besides the points
already enumerated it is said to' have
several other characteristics of the frog, j
even to the huge, knotty-looking, 1 id I ess j
oyes. 1 he account says that Abe parents j
are almost distracted over the affair and j
hourly pray for their uncanny offspring |
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to die. A prominent medical journal in
making a record of the occurrence says:
"There are two other 'frog-child'
cases on record, one the offspring of a
Piute squaw in Nevada, which was born
some twelve or fourteen years ago; the
other a monstrosity whose parents' for
merly lived at Goshen, Ind., (J. s. A.,
and which was born in January,
A widow living in the Hue Butte
aux-Cailles, Paris, would have had her I
house ransacked recently while she was j
taking her habitual Sunday promenade!
had it not been for a f.iithful pairot ;
which she regards now with particular
' affection as being a gift from her de
parted husband. About 4.:,0 in tiie
afternoon the converge of the house was
roused from his siesta by a fearful
screech from the parrot. Bushing up
stairs he met a man coining down the
steps four at a time. He was a house
hrpHL-pr «ml ... r ^ •
Drtaker, aud upon meet ng tue concierge
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J tlle latter J '. n8t C8Ca P Cfl a blowaimcd
his head with a inonkev-wrench. Pa
at
is
ersbv succeeded in stopping the thief
and dragged him before the Police Com
missary of the district. He said lie was
disturbed in h;s work of ransacking the
place by the parrot talking in the next
room. The bird asked repeatedly:
"Who is there? Aio you there, Etienne':"
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and,
the i
In Fi
/im.' pu
seeing tac lntni'ler, i\
tn
ie h<
irida Lift
dished in
m the lien
a new m
lacksonvi
of B. W.
»lit 111
V II), TL
il ar
.Mont ice 1 !
the droug
I one of tin
when ab>
drv land
of'lS;i-_> fi
Partridge
lake couli
its button
try it. I!\
and repot
was
lier
In ii ii
ni IS 1 .»
Liefst 1:
Ii Out!
dge, of
licet of
irtr
cri be- the :
Lake Mi, eosukie
in middle Florida
I of water becalm
spell. The I ai nv seasoi
t With water again. .Mr,
vived the idea that tin
trained by boring holes in
. organized a company t<
. Experts were engaged to examine
eport. on the plan, and the result
hat the company has bored a num
f holes in the bottom of Lake Mio
i. ai
eosukie, and the water is rushing down
through them via a subterranean pas
sage to the gulf. In a few months they
expect to permanently drain the lake
and thus recover 10,000 acres of valuable
A foiiiîF.si-oxDKN-r of the "North ( 'lu nn
I Herald gives an account of a curious
indu-try carried on in Cliica. It is tiie
I manufacture of "cheat money,'' to be
] buried with corpses. From time imine
j morial it has been the pious custom of
I the Chinese to bury with their departed
j friends a considerable sum of money,
I that they might not find themselves
j paupers in the other world. This eus
! torn they have found rather costlv, ami
j having no very high opinion of the
! shrewdness of spiritual shopkeepers they
j have taken to manufacturing a verv
I cheap counterfeit of the Mexican dollar
I to pass oil in the other world. It is
j simply a bit of pasteboard with tin foil
I surl'ai es stamped with a die. A hundred
of these dollars in a box retails for .'il
j cash.
s it.\i v-on's Mr. Hyde has been bet
| tered in real life in Texas. In the case
I of the famous character in fiction there
were some who criticised th" creation on
the ground that such a debased glory in
' brutality was impossible, even under the
I imaginary conditions of a double exist
! enee in which the man of the world was
'combined with the human brute. In the
j trial of I>i?k Edwards, at Denison, fu
tile murder of Mrs. Hattie (J. llaynes,
one witness told how, when she charged
tho prisoner with the crime, he answered,
'Yes; I don't care any more about kill
ing a woman than a dog." What in the
case of the hero of the novelist's story
was the superinduced condition of Hyde
was tho normal condition of the West
cm burglar.
tho
word's
so
much
to
this
John
will
in
to
free
long
the
and
own
The
his
the
not
i
;
ad
plot
the
are
the
the
was
the
to
the
all
of
to
cm burglar.
A tocoh old soldier was run over by a
cab in the streets of Paris the other day.
Jean Louis Lccleic is his name. He
was horn in April, 170-S, and served with
Napoleon at Waterloo. When taken to
the hospital he seemed to be very weak
and to be suffering terribly. In view of
his great age, the doctors thought he
! must succumb, but the old fellow soon
j rallied, and on the day after the acci—
j dent was able to go back to his home in
; the Bue du Pliin. S> lightly did he
j treat the alTair that he willingly ac—
! cepted an olfer from the driver, who was
i to blame, of one dollar, by way of sola
tium. "You see," tie said. "I hate
j going to law at my age, although I do
not despair of living to he 1:20."
I A OA No of ruffians, which has just
! fallen into the hands of the P:iris police,
j rejoice in the title of "Les Mangeurs
j des Nez," a name that fitly describes
j their outrages. Not content with gar
roting and robbing all the unfortunate
j people whom they could waylay at night
j in deserted streets and dark corners of
I the great French metropolis, they also
I bit off the noses of their victims, which
theycariied off and attached to their
caps in imitation of the red Indian
j sea'pers. Several persons waylaid in
j the early hours of tho morning in the
I lonely suburbs are now in the hospitals
j In the courtyard of the |>alacc of Ver
I sa i 1 les is a clock with one baud called
j '.'L'Horloge de la Mort du Hoi." It
I contains no works, but consists merelv
of a face in the form of a sun surrounded
by rays. On the death of a king the
hand is set to the moment of his demise
and remains unaltered till bis successor
has joined him in the grave. This cus
tom originated under Louis XIII. and
continued till the revolution. It was re
vived on the death of Louis XVIII. and
the hand still continues fixed on the pre
cise moment of that monarch's death.
O nv ; of the strangest superstitious of
Chinamen is the awe with which they
regard the cockroach. John holds the
ugly black pest as something sacred,
claiming that it is specially favored by
the gods and a particular favorite, of the
great Joss. Tho most unfortunate mis
hap that can befall a Chinaman is to step
ou a cockroach. Instantly visions of
terrible disasters and calamities arise be
fore him. In some instances the super
stition has been known to prey so on the
minds of the Celestials as to drive them
insane.
A few days ago a tramp at Pacific,
Mo., spied a railroad tricycle, belonging
I to a telegraph lineman, standing near the
track, lie stepped around under cover
I of the station house, seized the machine,
I put it on the track and mounting it sped
away down the line at full speed. He
j had gone but a few miles when sudden
ly the fast express tore around a sharp
I curve and bore down upon him. Before he
I could even slacken speed the train struck
him. and there was one trnrop ; I 1
ountry andja^icv^letronjja^
■"M"
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An interesting departure in engineer
ing is the introduction of marine engines
for land service. One of the great ciec
j trie illuminating companies, it appears,
j has adopted them in its work, and con
j cerning their economy in respect to space
j and power it is reported, says the Age of
| Steel, that the land engine takes up some
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ten times as mucii room as a marine en
gine, and tho marine quadruple expansion
. , , 7 „
Thriva o lutlisc un*» y Iicna to tho e .-ti
matt a number of 600,000,u00.
I pounds of steam, and gets one horse- j
j power out of from four to ten pounds of |
j anthracritf
' pansion marine engine develops
\ horse-power out of one and a quarte
! pounds of Welsh coal—that is, aceord
; ing to these data, the land engine re
i quires from two to four times as much
I coal as the marine engine to pro luce the
j same power.
ine has ten times the heating surface
of the land.
Further, the new quadruplex two
crank expansion engine is twice as pow
j erful as the triple expansion three-crank
j engine, occupies also !!() per cent, less
j room and carries regularly - -!10 pounds of
I steam.
; land engine carries on!v 80 or fH)
e coal, while the quadruple ex
marine engine develops one
a
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at
thief
was
the
next
FULL OF KLKCTKICITY.
A Connecticut Man Win
a It »'.mail
For thirh
.lie
111
ar
Ii v.
six
locality know
mail's sti lus:
Press, was for
star.ee that ha
•JS years old.
Il <)f li{
of
of
.Mr,
tin
in
t<
-per«
d be
! 1 t'vVO
■lut ioi;
lit ti
ls to 1
nn
be
of
is
.'il
; elect! '
I that W
j fakirs'
! inen I
! nature
i man
fiicnd
i m>'st
I pr<
I dial t.» the
his coat aie i
operator si-nt
j him that t< .ok
j and cause! h
I Powell e il led
It.
fit IIlt<
•;imc
air, lie
had put tin
but. nearly
He was da/
finally came
right.
'in les>
per iciicc
house. M
and refus.
She sain
there was
kill ,1
than
til(MV
llet ll
IVptMU
whale
on
t it
>i t
im.
.i n
■nt
th.
that he hadn't f<
day that lie ti ied
machine. He van
his wife, and he
claim her. It w
nervo had -oiuch
od. Expert un
and a good dea!
Powell in scan
no purpose. The
on him, and final
t be , all le shran k
Mrs. Powell was
husband's hou-e
separate apartn
way three yea
took up iiis residence i:
ho built in Partridge I'm
The man suffers a go,»,
just before a tbun 1er stor
of human barometer, and
ing season the farmer-; c,
regarding the weather
dis prognostications are .
rcct, and the visits of his nei
the summer season became so
to him that be adopted the pla
ing weather bulletins on a lie
load so that the farmers could l
of what the weather was go
without disturbing him. 1)
times that Powell sulf.-rs pain,
has no effect, oil him. The in,
dm
The
II, •
Pa! ii
nsuit
J * r ; * !
th,
ol past
ie.il' the
an idea
; ' to bo
ng tho
ledicitio
power
fill sedative administered U
much water. The only leliof that he
gets is by laying his hands on cats, and
he has surrounded himself with these
animals that appear to lie warmlv at
tached to him. When lie b-els a spell of
suffering coming on he takes to -troking
the eats, and by this means his sulfering
just
gar
night
of
also
their
in
the
Ver
It
the
and
re
and
pre
of
the
by
the
of
be
the
the
He
he
the eats, and by this means his sulfering
is greatly lessened.
IJKSI KI CTI\ E Ol n rATIONS.
Poisons That Lurk for Kla.v and Arti
ficial I-'Iower Workers.
f the danger to
Very little is known o
life and health that exists in many occu
pations where women are largely em
ployed. In England a league h is been
formed to call attention to th" facts of
the case, and Mrs. ('. 31 ol let has made
extensive investigations.
In the linen trade, the flax has (o be
left to soak in the water, and rheuma
tism, bronchitis and pneumonia seize
upon the women who have to deal with it
in this stage. In the Ihi.x carding de
partment, the tine dust produces lung
disease and kills its victims at thirty,
in fur cape making, the odor and tho
line Mull are both extremely injurious.
A singular injury is caused to artificial
flowor makers, especially those cm
ployed in naking white Mowers by gas
light. The dry dust causes inflamed
eyelids, and the woik is so trying that
women are worn out long before middle
age. In the china trade, the clay dust
settles year by year in the lungs until
consumption results.
In the white lead trade, hoir,
found quite equal to those of 11:,
phorus match trade. Lea,, is ii
highly poisonous, and the mos! ,
ous parts of the process of inaki
ordinary blue pigs of lead into the
white carbonate is carried on bv women
because it requires less mus
than the rest. Cakes of le,
ferment in tan and acetic .
months, and then the cake
grubbed out of the mixture
poison getting under the
After being ground to p
water, the dishes of damp
be placed in a stove to dry
night. The worst, part is
poor women have to take a
hot, white carbonate of
stoves. Even the mut
woolen respirators, the sack
fail to keep out the deadly dust.
,r sometime
of lead
enamel
guard would
facture, and it i
so, for various sul;
the market.— X
Novel Way !
Ill 1 si IS when
first settled, the
novel plan for cle
common. '1 he
purpose was cover
were gradually cut
at odd times win
gaged. But the stumps
and their removal was
caused many discus-ion
j fathers At last th
| ''' e, V , ( ', re le ".
attained,
" J
It -Oil
I li;t\
tin
from the
1 hey
f <; w
/at
u I
uIV,
ith
\iunder
Ich
lost IN
with
iCMK
bear
Ae
'•y,
/ HUE '£>
r/AXE,
ation, that is
' (lioiiKht
, no bittoli'T.
11"!
VK.
nn
low«
biccUAS
in
alutai.
• of tho
but the intemperate
ommunity were taught
'eüoii. It was duly enat
penalty for getting drunk
a large stump, but
j or.lv moderately ti
to a smaller one. It was n
fore every stump disappears
the credit of the original
scheme and to the diseomfi
tipplers.—[Chicago Herald.
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