TIMELY TOPICS.
A telephone has been placed in the
• Congregational church, at Mansfield, (>.,
the wires lending to the houses of several
aged and invalid persons. It sur
mounts a floral decoration on the table
in front of the open platform, where it
is hardly seen, 'the speaker pays no at
tention whatever to It. yet every word
uttered In the auditorium Is easily heard
in the rooms of the dwellings which the
wires reach. The first message from
tlie minister was from Scripture: "The
word is nigh unto thee;" "His word
runneth very swiftly." ■
According to the lluilway W'orhl, near
ly 100,000 persons are employed on the
railroads in the United States, and five
times that many depend upon the roads
for rapport, it is also estimated that
between f300,000,000 and $100,000,000
ore annually paid to employees, and to
persons who furnish the companies with
supplies of various kinds. This vast
business has sprung up in the lifetime of
one generation, and its growth is still
rapid. What another quarter of a cen
tury will develop in this field would
doubtless seem fabulous could it now he
foretold.
When the Zulus rushed in on the
small British detachment of Col. Wood,
and while there was yet an open road in
tine direction, Col. Weatherly, an Eng
lish cavalry officer, clapped his son. a
hoy of thirteen —who was with him, on
horseback—kissed him, and told him to
fiy for life. The lad jumped from tho
saddle, striking the horse a lash which
sent it galloping off, and said: " Father.
I'll die with you." The father handed
his revolver to the child just as tin-
Zulus reached, over British bodies, tin
spot where they stood. Weatherly slew
five Zulus before he fell, hut the son was
silled at once.
There have been some singular cir
cumstances in which the eruptions of
Mount Etna have differed from others.
One occurred in when, after tin
throwing of lava had ceased, in a certain
area the trees, vines and even grass were
struck dead .-is if by lightning, with no
visible cause. Another was the burial
of a glacier under the lava, which Lycll
states remained for thirty years umnelt
ed, a gigantic ice-house for the Catan
ians. Much of the ruin caused by tin
eruption of this volcano in 175.1 resulted
from the sudden melting of the snows
above the Val del Bovc and the pre
cipitation of a flood ol water two miles
in width.
The amount of water passing over
Niagara Falls has been estimated at
100,000,000 tons per hour, ami it* perpen
dicular descent may Is- taken at 150 feet,
without considering the rapids, which
represent a further fall of 150 feet. Tin
force represented by the principal fall
alone amounts t<> lfl.HOo.Ooohorse-power
an amount which if it had to be produced
by steam would McwlUts an expendi
ture of not less than 260.000,000 tons of can I
per nnnum. taking tin- consumption of
coal at four pound* per horse-power per
hour. In other words, all tho coal
raised throughout tin* world would
barely suffice to produce the amount of
power that annually runs to waste at
this wonderful fall.
The Srimtifir Amrrienn asserts "that
the common fault in lightning rods is
that they are not sufficiently connected
with the ground. They are gem-rally
stuck down two or thri-e feet into dry
earth ; but such an arrangement is worse
than useless; it is almost like placing
the bottoms of the rods in a gloss bottle.
In all ciuk-s the bottoms of the rod* un
derground should be connected with
iron or water pipes, if they exist; or in
lieu thcr<-of, the rod* shnufd be extended
a long distance underground, or should
connect with a mass of old iron, or iron
ore, or charcoal, or coal dust ol any kind,
laid in a trench. No lightning-rod can
Is- regarded as a safe conductor unless
its lower extremity is carried deep into
the ground, and there put in good con
nection with a large surface of conduct
ing material."
Apropos to the intcr-oeeanic canal
across the isthmus of I)ari<-n, a corres-
V (indent in Buffalo write* to the New
'nrk t/mjAif, suggesting the construc
tion of an enormous railway across the
isthinu*. constructed and equipped to
carry ships of any tonnage. He would
have the track at each end of the route
run down into water deep enough to
support a properly built dock, so that a
vessel coufd sail into a basin surround
ing this approach to tin- track, and then
be docked and drawn across tho i*thmu*
on wheclg. The writer <!*•* not profess
any engineering skill, and modestly ad
mits that there may Is- difficulties in the
way of his scheme which lie does not
see. If so. others will probably see
them. He thinks such a road might he
huilt for one-tenth of $900,000,000, the
estimated cost of the proposed canal.
The police statisties of large cities are
often more impressive than a long and
rhetorical sermon could IK-. Take those
of Chicago, for example. The annual
arrests number aliout 10,000, one-half
for drunkenness, and of the total, fi.OOO
are women, V< ithout going into elabo
rate comparisons of figures, it may lie af
firmed that Chicago is not greatly worse
than other large cities; it may not be as
hod as some others. At the best we ob
tain a glimpse of an incalculable
amount of crime nnd misery ; and
when we remember that the influ
ence of evil examples spreads like-a con
tagious disease, the subject is seen to lie
one of terrible moment. Mere preach
ing to those whose surroundings alone
render virtue almost impossible on tin
one hand, and mere attention to physical
wants on the other, will not meet the
exigencies of the case. Nothing will
effect an immediate or general cure, hut
there should be a union of all the
methods which common sense and un
common charity can devise.
At Emperor William's golden wed
ding in Berlin, " a profound sensation
was caused by the cold, not to say slight
ing. reception given to Prince Bismarck
by the F.mpn-ss Augusta. The emperor
had greeted him with the greatest frank
ness, evidently wishing to show to those
around him the confluence and regard
which he entertained for his elder ad
viser. But the empress, on the other
hand, seemed as if she wished to show
her dislike of the prince hy not only an
swering Ids obeisance In a very slighting
fashion, but hy not even extending her
hand to him. as she did immediately
afterward, with gracious mien, o the
veteran Yon Moftkn. The incident is
causing much talk in Berlin, where it is
known, however, that the empress has
long entertained a most bitter dislike to
the chancellor. But this is the first time
that she has evinced her anger toward
the emperor's favorite in such a decided
and striking manner." So says tho New
York lh rulil'.i correspondent, who was
an eye-witness of this little by-play dur
ing tin l regular performance.
McCarthy, tho rcccntly-rapturod ehiel
of the Uni/.u/i tribe, a tributary ot the
great (Iwazi people, was a draper's clerk
in Linteriek in the year of the Fenian
rising, lie hail a relative, a constable
of police, who warned him that his
name was on the Castle books, and that
if he wanted to preserve his liberty he
had better leave the country. McCarthy
tb d to the South African diamond Holds,
where he prospered, making two profit
able investments in London. He also
contributed some readable sketches of
the diamond Holds to the I/indon (llobc.
Somehow or other lie nicked up with
the natives, and being ol ahold, adven
turous disposition, and already reduced
to a half savage state by bis occupation,
he ended by joining the Unizuzis. When
the chief of that tribe died, McCarthy was
elected to the position, which he secured
by killing, in single combat, half a dozen
pretenders, lie made an effort to intro
duce Christianity, but failed. He has a
white wife, daughterof a rich lloer, who
eloped with him some time ago. Tho
lady's father would be glad to receive
his son-in-law, but the Irish Katlir re
fused o desert his adopted people.
Strange mischances with fatal results
are daily happening ben and there. A
Boston butcher ran against a knife that
lay on a block, severed an artery, and
tiled to death. A Denver woman caught
her foot in a railroad frog, and could not
get loose before a train ran over her. A
Vermont fanner sneezed with a straw in
his mouth, drew it into his lungs, and
died choking. A horse kicked a Michi
gan hoy into a deep well, where lie was
drowned. The shoe tlew off the foot of
a kicking mule, in Nashville, and frac
tured the skull of a baby. Ati Oregon
girl swallowed her engagement ring, and
lived only a week afterward. While
standing on his head, on the top of a
high fence post, an lowa I toy lost his
balance, fell into a tub of hot water, and
was fatally scalded. A stone, thrown
by a playfellow, broke a glass from
which a St. Isiuis boy was drinking,
driving some of the pieces down his
throat, and he died a few days afterward
in great agony. looking up to watch
the (light of an arrow, a Nashville wo
man did not see it descending directly
over her head, and the sharp metal point
penetrated her brain through one of her
gyos, killing her instantly.
Murders That Bo Mot Out.
A New York paper says: The sac red
ness with which our civilization has in
vested human life finds expression in the
common assertion that "Murder will
out;"and possibly in the large minority
of cases the perpetrators of murder are
discovered and punished. Yet it is cer
tain that in respect to a considerable
minority of the total number of murders
committed the guilty escape detection.
Bodies arc daily and weekly discovered
in the rivers. They may represent deaths
by accident, by suicide, or by murder;
hut there is no way of ascertaining with
accuracy how many are attributable to
either cause. In some cases the waters
may cast up the body when it is yet in
condition to show marks of violence, if
any there be upon it; hut if it has passed
a certain stage of decomposition this is
not possible. Thus it d'-jwnd* upon the
mere accident of the action of the tides
whether it enn hi* known that a murder
lias lieen committed; and wlien this is
—lSrfaillßll it may well happen that tie
knowledge gives not tho slightest clew to
tlie perpetrators of the crime. The truth
is, that not the murder itie-ll hut the
social position of the victim largely de
termines the chances of discovery. If a
couple of drunken and degraded men,
the offscourings of society, quarrel in
their drunkenness and oh'* pushes Bo
other into the river: or if a man of the
same class Is- found dead, with Ids skull
fractured, in some wretched cellar, the
chances arc that the person at whose
hands the deceased came to his death
will not he discovered. Here is a mur
der, hut society cares little about it !**-
guise the murdered was at ls-st useless
to it. and possibly preyed upon it. So
eicty is rather the Is-tti-r for his taking
off. and those who are responsible for it
are too brutalized to feel much compunc
tion nlsnit the matter. If they arc dis
cover'd it is mainly hy chance i in in
stances rather than by the vigorous ac
tion of society through it nstftutcd
authorities. But let the murdered person
he of good standing in society, or let
there le circumstances about tin-affair
concentrating the public attention upon
the crime, then it is that the community
is startled with the consciousness tliat a
murder has Ixs-n committed, and all its
resource* for the detection and punidi
mcnt of crime are exhausted to bring
the guilty to justice. If these arc hatTlwf,
which is hut rarely, the rases passes into
police history as " another undiscovered
murder," often quoti-d and long remem
bered, while it is morally certain that
not a month, and perhaps not a week,
passes in this city hut some wretched
creature meets death at the hands of per
son* who remain unknown and almost
unsought.
Appearance of a Tornado.
Various descriptions were given of the
"features" of the storm. One of the
most graphic was furnished by Mrs.
(Jaylord. who saw what wi-tnsy call the
"onset," from one of the mil] buildings
on the river. The cloud seemed, said
Mrs. (iaylord. as if huilt up of successive
layers of ashy smoke. It came on with
a roar that could he compared to nothing
save that of an immense mass of tower
ing flame, yet without any of the crack
ling sound usually associated witli Hrc.
In the brief moments of its passage it
brought with it a darkness like that of
late twilight. In its circle It was resist
less. A farmer was coming toward the
mill; the wagon was torn to pieces, hut
the horses were unharmed. Not far
from the mill is or was the iron bridge
across the Blue, huilt some years ago at
a cost of f'JO.OOO. This was torn ilown
Icy- what Is known as tho " first" storm.
The superstructure was torn from the
pins and thrown yard* away, a mass of
twisted iron and broken timbers.
Mr. Robert Patterson, who preserved
his coolness fas all his neighbor* say)
throughout the storm, and rendered
valuable assistance, advnnccd the
opinion that this " pillar of cloud " was
hollow, and drew up everything movable
into Its center, fts movement was de
scribed as eccentric, zigzagging in its
onward course, and Intending up and
down just as every soldier as seen a
solid shot richoehet. In this connection
your reporter may state that lie repeat
edly heard of wells that suddenly became
dry during the passage of the storm.—
AUhimyn (Kan.) Champion.
A NAVAL BATTLE.
|)ra|r mte Con flirt llrfwrrn I'rriavlnn
IronrltlM Miitt Chilian VrsrUA I till*
Inn Vraarl Hunk RIIIIR rninlnn Iroii-
CIAII Wrrrkrd.
Official report* iirnl correspondence
have I rccci vcd from hiulque, IVru,
of the battles between the Peruvian ves
sels lluasear find Indenrndencia and the
<Thilin.il ships Esmeralda and (lovadonga.
The lluasear nrrived off the hay of
Iquique and, discovering the Esmeralda
tind ('ovatlonga in the harbor, ordered
the Indepenoencda, aeeotnpanying her,
to guard the entrance of the hay, whiiu
the Ilunscnr ailviuieed against the Es
meralda. This vessel was lying fur in
short!, and protected by a line of torpe
does. When the lluasear trot in posi
tion she bud the enemy between her own
fire and that of the field artillery on
shore, which, however, did little dam
age. Eight 300-pound shells w. re dis
cbareed by the iiuuscar against the Es
meralda, one fallinir in her engine-room
and killintt all the machinists and fire
men. The Esmeralda was fought very
bravely by her copimander, I)on Arturo
I'rats, a son of the recent Cabinet Min
ister ot Chili. Capt. (iraii, seeing that
his artillery practice was bad, owing to
the heavy MM, determined to go to close
quarters. The first two attempts at
sinking the Esmeralda by ramming
proved ineffectual, as she turned, and
the monitor's ram passed glancing!)-
along her side; but lie third effort sank
her. striking her fair amidships, and
causing immediate submersion. At the
moment <>f this third shock. <'apt. Grau
also discharged his two turret guns at
the Esmeralda, shattering her terribly.
The erew of the Esmeralda threw them
selves into the water, with the excep
tion of Captain I'rats, who called Upon
his men to follow him in hoarding the
ram. lie, however, was accompanied
by only half a dozen of bis men and liis
second lieutenant, all of whom, inclini
ng Prats, were killed on the deck of the
lluasear. The Esmeralda, out of a crew
of nearly VMo. bad only forty odd saved
by the boats of the Ifuasear. The lat
ter lost her signal officer, and had two
or three men slightly ipjurcd. No dam
age was done to her by the artillery tire
of the Chilian. The Esmeralda was a
species of storeship for the Chilian
squadron, and had on board a large
quantity of provisions, ammunition and
money, which, of course, was all lost,
as she sank in deep water.
The light lasted from eight A. M. to
twelve M Meanwhile the Covadonga,
hugging the coast, being a small vessel,
drawing but little water, was followed
at a distance by the ironclad frigate In
dependeneia, exchanging a brisk fire
from their heavy (runs. This was con
tinued until lsith vessels were some fn
miles tot lie southward of Iquiquc. Then
Captain More, commanding the Inde
pendeneia, determined to range along
side of theCovadonga, and to adopt the
same plan of ramming, which at that
moment, nearly, was is-ing successfully
tried by the lluasear. Advancing rap
idly aga'nst the Chilian, receiving a
heavy fire from her battery and from the
riflemen and mitrailleuses in her tops,
('apt. More brought bis ship lose along
side, so that the yards were almost in
terlace!. Just at this moment, as the
Independeneia was preparing to give the
roup dt igrace to her antagonist, she
struck heavily an a sunken rock, turnroi
upon her side and in an instant it was
apparent thatNhe was lost. The Cova
donga let flv her last broadside, which
was gallantly'returned by the starboard
lattery of the Independeneia, the men
standing knee deep in the water t at
was pouring in through the groat hole
made in her bottom. Tin- commander
of the Covadonga Capt Condell, of
Scotch descent, ojs-ned asliarp fire'from
ills t(i|s on tliesailorsof the Indepcndfll
cia, who lt<i tlirown tiicinselves into
the water and were striking out for the
shore. After thisthc Covadonga, badly
damaged hy the fire of the Innependen
eia. steamed away at tlie ict speed she
could toward the south. The lluasear
shortly afterward gave chase, hut the
Covaifonga had a grssl start, and tie
chase was abandoned. Boats were sent
from tiie lluasear. and nearly all of the
crew of the independeneia placed in
safety on Nnrd. < apt. More gaveorders
to set fire to the magazine, but as the
water had penetrates) to that point it
was impossible to reach it. and it was
decided t<> fire the ship after spiking the
guns. This was immediately done.
The l>s on lsard the Independeneia
was eighteen men killed and wounded,
principally by the fire of the riflemen
and Catling guns of the Covadonga.
Lieut. GuillcrmoGarciay <}arcla. of the
well-known family of that name, is
among the killed. While replacing the
Independeneia's flag, which had been
shot awav, lie was struck by a hall from
a mitrailleuse and killed instantly. The
enemy's loss cannot lie stated, but must
have been severe, as their men. on a
lower vessel than the Independeneia,
were more exposed. The disaster to the
Peruvians is certainly great. The loss
of the Independeneia will cripple them
severely.
The Covadonga was run ashore and
destroyed in Antofagasta. possibly from
damages received in the fight with the
Independeneia.
M Harsaparilla."
Yesterday afternoon a red-faced young
man lielonging Co an excursion party
called into a Woodward avenue drug
store and softly asked the soda fountain
Itoy if he was out of any particular kind
of syrup. The boy made an inrestiga
tion and replied:
" We an- out of sarsapnrilla. hut—"
"That's all right—all right—you wait
a minute." interrupted the young man,
and away he went.
The hoy took the empty reservoir from
the fountain and replaced it, and in
about two minutes the voting man re
turned in company with Ids girl nnd four
other people, evidently all friends.
Walking up to the fountain lie said:
" I'm going to take sarsapnrilla in
mine, for the doctors all recoromem} It.
and if lie hasn't any sarsaparllla I won't
take nothing. What do you say?"
"Oh, weql take the same," they re
plied.
The young man began to smile and
Ids left eye began to draw ilown. but
what was ids horror to see the imy draw
off six glasses In succession and push
them to the front, whore they were
eap'rly drained of their contents! lie
tried to give the boy a look of mingled
hate and murderous intent, hut the lad
was too busy to see it. He felt in all his
pockets, brought up watch-keys, pennies
and peanuts, rind finally laid down
twenty-seven cents and wliiapcred to the
boy:
"That takes my pile, and if I ever
ratch you outside of town I'll lick you to
death!"— lklroil Free I Vet*.
Twenty-seven daughters eheer the
family of a Cleveland (N. C.) man.
Life In Ludlow Ntreet Jail.
1 >ur ing tlio Investigat lon of the charge*
of mismamigement made against tlie
sheriff of New York hy the Bar Associa
tion of that city, interesting testimony
was given concerning the manner in
which affairs were conducted nt Ludlow
Street Jail. Air. J. Edward Ireland, re
cently released from that institution, said
that he was forty years of age nnd lived
at Broadway and i'wentioth street. He
was arrested and taken to Ludlow Street
Jay under a process issued by tlie sin-riff
of the county of New York on August
30, M7H. and lil rated on May 13, |H7<.
He described tin-construction of tlie jail,
and said that on the lower floor wen
two rooms which ranted to wealthy pris
oners at #35 and #t(l a week, ruid another
and handsomer room which brought #7.0
a week. Tlie witness bad paid at first
$7.50 and afterward #l5 a week for Ids
board in the jail. As a boarder lie was
far lictter treated than tiie non-paying
prisoners. Each of tlie latter bad in bis
cell an iron bedstead, a straw mattress
and pillow, n coarse army blanket and
an iron slop-pail—nothing else; no
sleets or pillow-cases. These prisoners
wen- lock"l up at live o'clock in the
evening and allowed to come out of their
cells nt six in the morning. Their cells
were, for tin- most part, ti It hy. nnd one
of them, lielonging to nn old man of the
name of Frost, was so dirty that it made
tli** witness si'-k to go near it.
Tie- paying prisoners, on tlie contrary,
were treated " like■gentlemen." They
went to the dining-room for tli*ir
meals, and were waited upon by a col
ored att'-ndant known as Man- Antony.
I li'-y bad clean sh'-ets and pillow-cases
upon tb' ir beds, and were permitted to
remain in the yard until t n and a half
o cljs k at night, besides being allowed
various other privileges. Mr. Kitzsim
inons w nt around tin-jail every wis-k to
collect the Isiard bills, and gem-rally
tli'-te was no delay in the payment.
After a time the witness ceased to 1m- a
paying inmate, and at once extierieneed
n change of treatment. His sheets and
idllow-cas'-s were removed, lie was
locked up at five and a ha If o'clock in
the eve ning, and the quality of the foes!
furnished was widely different from
what it had been. His friends, too,
were rarely permitted to see him. ami
once, because a lady and gentleuian who
called upon him entered his ei-li. tlie
kroner lock'-d him up from one and a
half o'clock iti tin- afternoon until wv-n
o'clock the following morning, and de
prived him of bis supjx-r.
The hill-of-fare f< <r non-paying prison
ers. as in- describes) it, was not succulent
or delicate tin Monday, for breakfast,
they got dry bread, which was often
sour, and a concoction which was called
coffee. Every morning. Sunday in
elil'i'd. tin- same breakfast was served.
On Monday, for dinner, they got what
was facetiously lormra an Irish stew,
consisting of onions, a little neat and
bread, a.l being served in a tin pail,
without knife, fork, sjioon. pepper or
salt, (in Tuesday, for dinner, a plenti
ful supply of Ix-an*. so strong and pun
gent that they made th< prisoners h k,
was 1 aslled out. On \\ edmwlav tie-
Irisli stew was s( rvsi again; on fiiurs
day and Sunday corned I*-- f and i>otat<M-s
ronstitutisl tin- banquet; on Friday
ruid on Saturday the stew once mora.
For "tipper, throughout the week, a
pint of had tea and a piece of tiard broad
were served. All tiie meal* W p- earri'sl
around in a tin bucket and ladled out in
the cells.
\N ben the witness first lieeame an
Inmate of tiie prison the floor of his cell
and his IMSI were eoverrol with a coating
of tilth half an ineJi thick. He was un
able to remove it himself, ami he had to
pay to iiave it tak'-n away.
Tbep- wen- thp-c or four female prison
ers in tlie jail, who sro-msl to ix- all
hoarders. They had free access to ail
parts of the prison nnd associated famil
iarly with the m'-n. He once saw one
of them having her supper served in a
male pri-oncr's eel].
t'n tlie gp.und floor was a eel) called
the " liar roil," where liquor was sold.
The witness had iMiuglit very hail iager
liror there at flft<s-n <ants a iMittlc, nml
scenes of drunkenness and dcliauehery
fr< q*< nt ly t(M>k |ilac< tlicn>.
Ilannted bj ller Victim.
< Xficer H< rri' k. of tlie T> nth precinct,
••arly on Sunday morning nrrastod a
woman for heingdrunk nt Eidridge and
Hester streets. At tlie stntinn-houM
SN gave the name of Margnp-t Myers,
of No. 8 Ludlow stps-t. Slie refused to
go to court at eight o'clock when tlie
other prisoners were arraigned, nml was
left locked up to get thoroughly SOIM r.
About one o'clock in the nftermsin tlie
doorman passing the prison heard groans,
and going to the roll of tlie woman
louniT lu-r hanging to tlie door. She had
torn her apron into strips, and had tirol
one end to tiie roll door and the other
alsiut Iter neck, endeavoring to strangle
herself. She was cut down, and promised
not to mnkc any furth'T attempts on her
life. Three hours later she was again
found hanging to the ibx>r. mariy dead.
She was again cut down, and an officer
was stationed in h<r roll. She raved
wildly, in her ravings she asked her
fuardian to "take McChcsney away."
t was then that she was recognize! as
" Mag Welsh," the woman who killed
Officer McChcsney, of tin- Eighth pra
cinct. on tlie night of October I 1. IW7.
McChcsney found tlie woman dnink,
clinging to a lamp post nt Mercer and
Canal streets. As she refused to go home,
the officer arrestrol her. and a scuffle
took place, during which she drew
a pocket knife, which she had concealed
in lor hair, and stnblied the officer
in the nis k. completely severing the jugu
lar vein. The wotuided man hied to
death before a hospital could lie reached.
Tlie woman was tried, convicted ami
sentenced to the State prison for life, hut
obtained a new trial and was finally con
victed and sentenced to one year's im
prisonment. Site was pardoned before
tier time expired. Six weeks ago she
married a tailor named Myers and
tried to settle down, hut her old habits
had too strong a hold on her. Sh was
taken before Justice Hixby at the Essex
Market court nnd sent to the island for
three months.—AVic York Commercial
Advertiser _______
llow the Mints are Cleaned.
An nnnual cleaning up iscarrhri on|at
all the Unit'-d States mints at the end of
tlie fiscal year. 1 >uring tlie progress of
tills specie* of house cleaning all mint
ing operations cease, and a tborough
overhauling is made. No house in the
cleanest city of Holland rroeive* the
minute cleaning which Is rigorously ap
plied to every spot in tlie mints. The
furnace* are torn down, the chimneys
carefully swept, and tlie bricks taken
down one hy one and dusted. Tlie same
painstaking labor i* applied to tlie roof*
and wall*, and tlie dust thus collected is
ground, and generally yields a rich re
turn of minute particle* of gold. Ttii*
process is necessary in order to complete
tlie yearly accounts.
AN EXTRAORDINARY C'AHK,
A llor'i StraiiKt Malady and arlune
(urt,
The Chicago 7'cla/raph say*: Probably
the most wonderful phenomenon that
bus ever come under the observation of
the medical fraternity of this city devel
oped itself at the Montcalm House, on
Erie street, in the person of a boy named
Herbert <l. Hchwart/.. Herbert is a boy
of German parentage, t bough born near
the town of Buckingham, in Tama
county, lowa. The Schwartz, family
consist of five persons,° Mr. Carl
Schwartz, the father, being a man of
some fifty years of age. There are four
children,* two girls and two boys. Her
bert being the oldest child. Mrs.
Schwartz lias been dead several year*.
Schwartz senior is a farnii r, and well
to-do, owning a fine prairie farm of ino
acres in Tarna county. Herbert lias for
a number of years assisted at the farm
work, and was, until recently, a stout,
healthy and intelligent boy.
_ Last April Herls*rt and bis broiler
Fritz were playing together in the farm's
bum, having turned the hoi-<-n in after a
day's plowing. At supper that evening
young Schwartz complained of a queer
feeling in his chest, and coughed con
siderable. Thinking that the boy hud
caught cold, but little attention was paid
to the matter, and for the two or three
-in 111 ding days, though the cough con
tinued and he complained of an oppres
sive fc/Jing in the left chest,Jiis father
used tiie simple country remedies for
ordinary cold. These seemed to have a
beneficial effect, lor the cough left hilll,
t bough Jp still complained of tiie singu
lar and unaccustomed feeling in the
chest.
In the latter part of April Herls-rtV
appetite deserted Idtn, and he eotn
llieneed to lose flesh to SUcil an extent
that from a stout, healthy farm lad lie
dwindled down to nothing more than a
living skeleton.
Various remedies were tried, and local
medical advice taken. The physicians
called were of the opinion that hasty
consumption had set in. and but little
bo|e - were ottered of his recovery. In
the latter part of last month another
singular feature added itself to the
ulllieted youth's distress.
The pain in his chest la-came more in
tcn-M . and added to it tip-re was now an
irritat i rig, tickling sensation in the throat,
as though some foreign matter had
lodged there that demanded a removal.
This induced a continuous cough, until,
at last, the sufferer hied hardly a mo
ment's release from the attack.
Every one connected with the Isiy
gave him up. and bis family already feft
that tip- doom of a sprody demise
was inevitable. With a last grasp at
hone Mr. Schwa-tz brought hi son to
this city and summoned the skill of Drx.
t'linre-s A.Andrews and Ernest Solo
mon to arrest, if possible. the tell destroy
er. At first Ixitb 1 r. Andrews and J>r.
Solomon agreed that it was a cam- of
hast) consumption, and extended no
IPM" to the distracted parent. But
Friday morning. while Herbert was un
dergoing one of ins worst paroxysms of
roughing, a light, or an intuition sud
den;) forced itself upon I r. Solomon.
Be.jip -ting the lioy's father to assist him.
lie suspended the patient by the heel*
near a window, witli a strong light
tlirown down Ids throat. Without
whispering bis suspicions or mentions
lie- doctor, with the aid of instruments,
made an examination of tiie throat. so
far as the eye could penetrate; and his
inv< station was reward's* iiy a won
derful <ii overy. A foreign !x>dv was
discovered'partially implanted in the
mucous up nibrane of tiie windpipe.
Hnviiig firmly seized ujs.n it with ids
instrtin,' nt. d- -pitc tin struggle# of tip
patient. !>r. Solomon dppvr forth a ger
minated kernel of wlp-at, with a growing
stalk seven and one-uuarter inches long.
Tip t,ck wa of a brownish-rod color,
whil' tlie tendrils of the germinated
kern' 1 were massed in elottedblood. A
violent hemorrhage ensued, that required
much trouble to check, but young
Schwartz, though very weak. is now
much Is tter, and bids fair to rapidly re
cover. The only explanation of this
most singular in> Idem is that Herbert
swallowed a grain of wheat while plav.
ing in tlie barn with ids brother, and
that tiie kernal. instead of taking the
natural ciuuinel. MHM lii left lung
and there remained and sprouted. It i
certainly one of tlie most extraordinary
eases on re<s>rd. Ir. Solomon lias pri
ser vi-d tlie wheat in a vial, where hun
dreds of the curious viewed it in la i
office.
A Sea Serpent a Thirk as a Mast,
Captain Davison, master of the Mitsu
Bisht steamship Kiu-biu Maru, gives
the following relatingof wliat passed
before his eyes on liis voyage from Uiu
Kill to Kolie. The statement is duly
signed by himself and countersigned by
Mr. John McKeclinie, tlie elder officer,
and its authenticity appears to he beyond
Question; At 11.15 A. M.. Cape Satano,
distant about nine miles, the chiefoffieei
and myself observed a whale jump cleat
out of the sea, about a auartcr of a mil#
away. Shortly after it leaped out again,
when I saw there was something at
tached to it. Clot glasses, and on the
next li-ap distinctly saw something hold
ing on to tli# belly of the whale. Tlie
latter gave one more spring clear of tlie
water, and myself and the chief offieer
then obscrvi-d what appeared to be a
large creature of the snake species rear
itself about thirty feet out of tlie water.
It appeared to be about the thickness of
a junk's mast, and after standing for
about ten seconds in an erect position, it
descended into tlie wster, tlie upper end
going first. Willi my glasses I made
out tlie color of,the beast to resemble
'hat of a pilot fish.— Tbkio (Japan)
Timet.
A Brave Little Hlrl.
Mr. 11. F. Gaulding has a little daugh
ter eleven years old to whose nerve and
courage he is indebted for the life of his
three-year-old boy. The boy was play
ing by Uie cistern in Mr. Gauiding's
yard. There was a plank off. and through
this aperture the little tellow fell. He
• aught a plank, however, in falling, and
held for some time M-fore he was dis
roverixl. Hut his hold weakened, and
with a splash he fell into tlie cistern.
His sister saw and appreciated the situ
ation. Most girls would have screamed
and run off in quest of help. Not so
with this little girl. The screams and
struggles for life of her baby brother
gave her the strength and courage of a
man. She saw a ladder, and, with all
her might, she dragged it to and placed
it into the cistern, and then went down
into the water, reached out and caught
her brother just in time to save him from
a watery grave. By thia time help ar
rived and both were landed safely from
their perilous position. All honor to
this little heroin*!— Bainbrutpe ((H.)
Democrat.
The Amethyst.
The amethyst is a variety of the vitre
ous portion of the quartz family. It is
of a fine ridel color, passing from white
to a <lwp purple, sometimes in the same
specimen. The deep purple colors) spec-
Imeos are frequently failed oriental, even
hy mime jewejer* and lapidaries, al
though the oriental amethyst la an en
tirely different atone, a* wi) lie seen by
the (U-m rlption of theorienta! gem which
ia given below. The color of the ame
thyst ia by some supposed to he derived
from a trace of oxide of inagaii'-xc.
loiter analyse* however have dim-overed
also silica, iron and mala. The amethyst
i- found in India, Oylon, Brazil, Persia,
Siberia, Hungary, Saxony, Spain, etc.
A line vein in aaid to exUt near Kerry,
in Ireland. In Oberstein it 1* found in
a trap rock, in geodes of agate. Tle-ae
geodes are sometime* n* much a> two
feet iii diameter, liollow and filled with
y-tallized amethyst of a fine color.
Similar grade- are also said to exist in
India. 1 bis variety of quartz, in com
mon witfi some other of the vitreous
ID' ruber* of the family, possess a pecu
liar, minute, wrinkl'if or wavy fracture
on the fresh broken surface, pm-mbling
the impression of th< tliurnb on a waxy
sulwtanre. sir I lav id Brewster
hii kinds of quartz having this pecu
liarity as amethyst without regard to
their color. 'I hi- ym i- found in pieces
of eonsidenthle size, and. from it- beau
tiful color and play, i- mil'b umii in
jew ry. Many years ago amethyst*
w r<- of con-iderahie value, ranking
next to the sapphire, l,ut immense
•lUiintiti'* having is-en m*nt to Kurope
from Brazil, they became comparatively
common and gradually depreciated in
value. Latterly, bow vr. the taste for
llicni lias revived, and at present tlcy
arc gaining ground in pulilic estimation.
On a> ■ ount of the cheaper cost of cut
ting amethysts in Germany, marly all
are now cut there. This stone appeara
t<i grcat'-t advantage wh'H set with
diamonds or pearls. Hy candle-light it
los. s a part of its beauty, being apt to
appear of a blockish liue. The name
am< tbv-t i- from the Greek—a negative
and inebriate—in allusion to the super
stition that this stone bad the power of
dissipating drunkenne-s. Pliny says
that the g'-m wji* so -aih-d from the fact
of its approaching re ar tie color of wine,
but not quite reaching it. In the middle
age- it wa- lielicved to di-pe] sleep,
*liar|ien the intclh> t, and to ia an anti
dob against poison. In lU2 an ame
thyst wa worth a* much as a diamond.
The Oriental amethyst i- a ruby or sap
phire po--ising an amethyst color; it
may be distinguished from the ordinary
amethyst bv its superior brilliancy and
play, as well as by its hardness, etc. It
is a gein of rare oa um-nif, and even
j< w< I'ts frequently confound it witli the
ordinary amethyst. There are some few
specimens in the gr<m vault* of Hre*-
den. Then* are also in the Vatican om
or two engraved intaglio- of this stone
of very early date. Many sapphire*,
however, have an amethystine tint,
which oecotne* very apparent by candle
iigbl. IkiroU fYti I'rtxn.
A Hagpipe a a Detective,
For nearly two years past a young man
wearing the garb of a Highlander piper
lias Ix-en wandering about in the c<ial
region* of Pennsylvania, playing hi*
pi|K*s in tlie street, attending picnics and
dances, apparently depending upon hi*
instrument to make him a living. A
short time rin'-e lie wa* playing in a
mining village on the outskirts'of Scran
ton, la. A crowd had gathered around
liim. among tleui a mine laborer named
Braidy. Suddenly the piper ceased the
music, and stepping from the crowd
h ined Braidy by tlie shoulder and an
nounced tliat the laborer was his
prisoner. At the same time be pro
duced papers which he said were his
authority for making the arrest. Braidy
m, ined entirely- overwhelmed t>y the ar
rest. anil made no opposition to tlie
authorities when it was revealed that
tlie piper was a detective. For two
years he had \mi-n on the track of his
prisoner, who Is charged with having
murdered a wealthy man named Findlay
in Soitland in January. 1*77. Braidy
was in the -mploy of "Findlay. Early
one mornir . tiie latter was found dead
by the ro.ni-idi. his skull crushed with a
cTuh. Braidy had been discharged the
moiuing brforp for drunkenn*-**. He
had been heard to make a threat that he
would get even with Findlay. He was
nowhere to he found, hut was traced to
Glasgow, where it was believed lie hail
taken a vessel for America. William
Male, d'l'- tire, was employed by tlie
relatives of the murdered man to corns
to this country and search for Braid v.
who. it wa thought, would bring up in
the Pennsylvania coal regiona. where he
had friends working. One of Braidy's
peculiarities w.as ins lore for the hag
pipe, so tlie ildeetive. being a piper,
aoopbsi tlie disguise of a Scotch piper,
played about in the coal towns in the
hope of someday attracting tlie attention
of the man he was seeking, lie being sure
from information he hail received that
Braidy really was somewhere in the coal
regions. Tlie ruse suceeedcd after two
years of patient trial. Male is now on
liis way to Scotland with the alleged
murderer.
Can Cat* Kea*on|T
Baron Von GMcbcu, a German diplo
matist. used to tell a story of a favorite
cat as a prof that the "feline race can
think and draw pnuiical conclusions.
Tlie cat was very tond of looking in mir
rors hung against the walls, and would
gnaw at the frame*, as if longing to
know what wa* inside. She had. how
ever. never seen the back side of a mir
ror. One day the haron placed a cheval
glass in the middle of the room, and the
cat instantly took in the novelty of the
situation.
Placing herself in front, and seeing a
second cat, she ticgan to run round the
mirror in search of her companion.
After ninning round one way several
time*, she lx ran to run the other, until
fully satisfied that there was no cat he
side herself outside of the glass. But
where was the second cat?
She sat down in front of the glass to
meditate on the problem. Evidently
Inside, as she had often betorc imagined.
Suddenly a new thought occurred to
her.
Rising deliberately, she put her paws
on the glaas in hunt and then behind,
walked round to the other side, and
measured the thickness in the same way.
Then she tat down again to think.
There might be a cavity inside, hut It
wa* not large enough to hold a cat. She
seemed to come to the deliticrate con
clusion tlut there was a mystery here,
hut no eat, and it wasn't worth while to
bother about it. From that time the
haron said she lost all curiosity about
looking-glasses. •
Railways are aristocratic. They
teach every man to know his own
station and to atop thera.