That Monument to Adam. A letter from Elmira, N. Y., to the New York .Star soya: Klmira's scheme for a monument to Adam is booming, and facetious editors, who imagine the project only exists in the minds of the newspapermen, who have poked fun at it from its tirst inception, will yet live to see an appropriate shaft erected to the memory of the late lamented proprietor of Eden plantation. The idea originated with Rev. Thomas K. Beecher and Mark Twain. At first it was proposed to erect a monument at a cost of about $5,000; but since so much interest has been manifested by the moneyed men ot •this city, the original subscription book has been destroyed and a now one opened. A secret meeting of.those in terested in the affair was held recently a t the banking-house of Mr. Frank G. liail, oneof the prime movers and hard est workers in the matter. A reporter of the Star called upon him this morn ing. Mr. Hall smilingly invited the re porter into his private apartments, and said there was not much to make public at present. A meeting had been held at which a committee of three consisting of Rev. Thomas K. Beecher, M. IL Arnot and Henry K. Drake, were ap pointed to correspond witii the eminent sculptors of this country for appropri ate designs for the proposed monument. The meeting then adjourned subject to the call ot the committee. " You really mean business, then, in this undertaking?" said the reporter. " It is generally thought to bo a big hoax by people outside the city." "Certainly we do; we propose to raise a purseof not less than 920.000 to be de voted to the purpose." " What is your idea as to the design of the monument?" "Well, as to that I have notiiing to say. The committee were instructed to secure a design as near the style of the original man as an nrtist can possibly create. It is to be of bronze and erected somewhere in the city limits on a site to he selected hereafter. In all probability next June will see our ideas consum mated and the monument erected. Mark Twain is to deliver the dedication ora tion, and prominent men from ail parts of the country are to be invited to be present. We have embarked in the enterprise solely upon patriotic princi ples and a desire to perpetuate the mem oryof a much-abused man. At the next meeting some definite steps will proba bly be taken which I shall be pleased to communicate if you will call again." The reporter next paid a visit to M. 11. Arnot, chairman of the committee ap pointed to correspond with the sculp tors. Mr. Arnot said they had already invited several prominent sculptors, both in this country and Europe, to con tribute designs, hut declined to give their names at present. They are to furnish designs lor the proposed monu ment. and it is expected the committee wil. make a selection from someof those received. He thought the thing wns an assured success, and said that it could not fail for want of funds, for there wi-re capitalists at the Ixdtoni of the scheme who would contribute liberally. Rev. Mr. Beecher is an enthusistic mover in the master, and in reply to queries upon the subject said he saw no reasor why Adam shouldn't he hon ored equally with General Sullivan and the rest of the American heroes. . A State Executioner. fn the KI fine Journal, a daily news paper recently started in Berlin by the Prussian railway king. I>r. Stroustwrg is published some ciiesihi* details of an interview recently granted to the writer by Krauts, the State executioner, who beheaded Hocdel last summer. While " Monsieur de Berlin " was chatting pleasantly with his visitor alioiit the would-be regicide—Wrauts' first per formance as a headsman--* knock was heard at the Kor, and a footman in splendid livery entered the room with the request that the Schnrfrirhter would be pleased to speak with him for a mo ment in the passage. Krauts went out with the lackey, and, after a brief in ten hange of sentences in an undertone, was heard to say aioud: " Teil her ex cellency the lady countess that I am very sorry, but f cannot, dare not, do it! Interrogated, upon his return, by the visitor, with respect to the mission of the mysterious man-servant, he replied with a smile: "Oh, it was only • re quest from one of my 'sympathizers,' roeh as reach me severnl times a week. You may often see the handsomest equipages in Berlin standing at the cor ner of the Mulnck strasse. They bring me lady visitors—young and old. nretty and ugly. Yes, yes; many ladies of our hivhest aristocracy have called upon me, and have insisted upon seeing my wife, when I was not at home." And what did these ladies want?" "The merest rubbish. I lair-cut tines of criminals, tor instance—a blood-stained poekct handkerrhief—a morsel of bread from the headsman's breakfast-table, or one of my gloves." Krauts himself is a fine young fellow, decorated with the iron cross for valor in the field. Like most subordinate functionaries in Prussia, he was a non-commissioned officer in the army, and received his present appoint ment upon discharge, as a reward for faithful and gallant services. He is married and the proud father ot a fine ittle boy the heir apparent to this im portant office. With a touch of quaint piety, he introduced this lad to his visi tor's notice as "his successor, please bod!" and observed that, though he had passed an uneasy night before the morn ing fixed for Hoedel's execution, when he looked into his "client's" impudent, sneering fa** he thanked God for making his btucnesajso easy for him."— Jxmilon 'digraph. Cold Versus Warm Water, An authority in the London leaned emphatically points out the danger of the morning tub used in cold weather without discretion. lie cautions the old, and weakly of any age, from the danger of too sudden or too prolonged ••old bathing; he exposes the absurdity of the blind fnith in reaction; he ex plains how persons are deluded by pro ducing a factitious redness by hard rub bing with a coarse towel, for the circu lation thus excited is only temporary, and the effect of cold on the nerve-een-- b|rs is masked, not changed, by the de vice; and, finally, he declares that It is better by far to use warm water to wash with, and to sprinkle the cold lightly, in such ouantity as may be most ngreeatole, jf cold effusion does not at once cause florid redness and a defined and proper "low. As to cleanliness, the writer soys. It must he patent to everybody who observes how dirt* the hands be fome in cold weather that the cold bath a mistake. The Ismcei point* out that "a good wash in slightly warm water, with plenty of soap. Is far better, •'md has the special advantage < f being safe." Gold Fish. Some time during the seventeenth century, about two hundred years ago. iortuguese sailors saw swimming in the lakes nnd rivers of China and Japan a very beautiftil variety of fish, which glistened like gold. They cap tured some specimens and brought thum to Portugal. The little fish found the lakes of Europe as pleasant to live in as the lakes of China, and they at once domesticated themselves, and raised their little families, until the European streams became well stocked with these beautiful creatures. They arc also found in many brooks and streams in the United States. m The glistening gold-color of these fishes made them much sought for as household ornaments, and the demand for them became so general that estab lishments were opened tor raising them for the market. One of the largest and most celebrated ot these places for gold fish breeding is in Oldenburg. Germany where more than a hundred small ponds contain the fish in all the stages of growth, from the tiniest baby to the big stout fellow eight and even ten inches long. The little ones nre care fully kept apart from larger ones, for the gold-fish is a wicked cannibal, and devours its little brothers and sisters, and even its own children, whenever it has an opportunity. At the same time it is a great coward, and will hide away from fish much smaller than itself that have the spirit to attack it. A gentle, man who possessed an aquarium in which were several large gold fish, once placed a tiny " pumpkin-seed," or sun lish, about the size of a silver half-dol lar, in the water. Watching anxiously to see that the gold-fish did not injure it, what was his astonishment to see the "pumpkin-seed" dart furiouslv at the larger fish, which huddled them selves fn a corner, or scurried hastily through the water to hide among the stone* and mimic grottoes of the aquarium! From that moment the " pumpkin-seed" remained lord of the field, scarcely allowing his companions to come to the surface, as they are fond of doing, or to take a mouthful of food until he h:rd satisfied his own hunger. Finally he had to be removed from the aquarium to save the gold-fish from dying of fright. The enormous demand for gold-fish is shown by the fact that from the estab lishment at Oldenburg alone over three hundred thousan i fish are sent to mar ket Avery yenr. Their price varies ac cording to their size and beauty, for there are grades of beauty in gold-fish as well as in all other things. They are very pretty household ornaments, and by earing for them and carefully watch ing their habits, boys and girls may learn their first lesson in natural his tory. If kept in a glass glob*', nothing can be more interesting than to watch them, for. as Mr. White savs, in Sel bornc, "The double refraction of the glass and water represents them, when moving, in a shifting and changeable variety of dimensions, shades and col ors, while the two mediums, assisted by the concavo-convex of the shape of the vessel.magnify and distort thein vastly.' Still, the fish may he healthier if kept in an aquarium, as it allows more sur face to the water, and consequently more air and ventilation. In any easet fresh water should be given the fish ae least every other day. and if the globe or aqu'u'ium be ornamented with rocks and water grosses, the fish should be carefully dipped out once a wwk, and the rocks thoroughly cleansed from all impurities. Although the fish draw nourishment from animalcules supplied by water, and will livea long time witiioutother food, it is advisable to feed them by throwing bread crumbs, or flies and other small insects, on the surface of the water. The eagerness with which they dart for them proves them to be welcome. Care should be taken not to scatter more bread crumbs than will be immediately eaten, for bread sours very quickly, and renders tiro water impure. In changing the water the fish should never Ire sub jected to any sudden variation of tem perature, as the shock produced by a violent change from water of medium temperature, which is always best, to ice-cold might ruin the whole stock of an aquarium in an instant. The ingenious Chinese make great pets of their gold-fish, and with patience teach them many tricks, such as eating from their banns, or rushing to be fro at the tinkle of a hell. The gold-fish belongs to the genius C'yprinus . or the great carp family, and is sometime* called the golden carp.— Harper's Young People. Drowning as a Substitute Ijfr tbe Halter " My opinion of hanging, do you say?" said Dr. V. A. Thomas, of East Eiyhty fiflh street. I have a very poor opinion of it. It is a relic of barbarism which ought to have been abandoned by our grandfathers." " What would you substitute for it'" asked the reporter. " I hope you won't he astonished when I tell you. I believe drowning would be the best way to end the lives of our great criminals. Don't laugh! Have you ever seen a person who was nearly drowned ?" !' No." " Well, perhaps you have read of such cases?" "No." " Well, then, let me tell you that in every such case that I have heard of the rescued person invariably reported the first sensations ol drowning as rather pleasant thrn otherwise. Up to the dis appearance of confciotisncas, indeed, the person experienced only agreeable sensations. Therefore it appears to he the least unpleasant method. Managed with the most ordinary care It would never fall, like hanging, shooting or poisoning That would be a great poin gained, certainly, for nothing snocks the public more than bungling executions." . .. •' I)o you think the public would ae eept surli a radical change?" asked the reporti r. . . . " That is a question that you are bet ter abie to answer than I am. Of course. If the public is sntisfied, it Is useless to discuss the matter at all. If public opinion won't consent to substitute an other method of executing criminals then I would suggest that an expert at hanging should be appointed In each Stale. The work should not be intrusted to Inexperienced men like sheriff*, who are apt to beunrorved even when they know enongh to make suitable prepara tions. The business of putting to death should he In the hand* of men regularly trained for that business."— Interview in Hew York Herald. In twenty-three months, King Alfonso of Spain, lias lieen married, widowed, engaged, widowed in Ids engagement, engaged again, and married. Why Don't They Like Farmers I Under the above head the New York /inn has an cditoral article, which reads: An lowa correspondent, who is a farmer, finds that simply because he works in the soil he does not have the success with some of the young women town to which ho thinks lie is en titled. lie thus puts liis ease and asks us how lie can overcome their prejudice against his occupation: "Slit—l am a young man twenty-one years old, and an enjoying fair business prospects. I am of a respectable family, run of strictly temperate and industrious habits, lay claim to a good moral char acter, and possess u fair education, hav ing employed my winter months for some years in teaching in the country schools. My chosen occupation is that of a farmer. Have always moved in the society of the town near which I live. Now, in that society are some young ladies whom I highly respect for their intelligence, social qualities, and many other womanly virtues, and to whom I would acknowledge my inferiority. And there are others whose equals I feel that I am, hut who on many occasions have indicated that they wish to have noth ing to do with me because of my occu pation. Now is there any way by which they may be taught to overcome thepre ludictfexisting toward farmers; or are such Indies worthy the respect and es teem of one in my circumstances? FAKMKK." It is undoubtedly true that many young ladies in the towns and villages look witli aversion on tlie idea of marry ing farmers. Thpy will prefer the so ciety of sleek young fellows who stand behind the counters of country stores, of doctors and lawyers who are just begin ning in their professions, of young preachers, to that of farmers who are better settled in the world and who can offer them a good home. Perhaps the work of the farmers gives them a rougher exterior than the others have, and yet they may be their superiors in those qualities which should most com mand the respect of women. Why do these young women, then, look with less favor on men who till the soil than on those who work in other ways? Why do they prefer to marry somebody else than a farmer? Some of them may have vain and silly reasons— niay like to see their lovers in good clothes every day and to feel that their iiands nre soft; but they generally are better pleased with the idea of living in a town than on a detached farm. In times past the wives of our farmers have hud a very hard life of it almost universally. Many of them have been about the worst drudges in the country, up and busy before (faylight, and with no time the day through and no strength at night for nmusenient or refining and diverting occupations. Their existence lias been one of monotonous work, and they nave grown old early under the j weight of it. Moreover, their diet lias been wretched—salted meat and hot bread chiefly—and their health nnd spirits have suffered so that they have looked like jaded and miserable women, to whom life presented few pleasures The farmers are living better now than formerly, and there have always been n minority of them whose wives were not such monotonous workers; hut many of the women on farms are still faraway froit the pleasures of life, wliile of its hardships they have daily experience. Perhaps it is their olisorvation of these unhappy eases which makes the town and village girls ot whom our cor res|)ondent speaks less friendly to him than he would wish; but no girl of sense can entertain a low opinion of the occupation of a farmer, for it is one of the most honorable in which men en gage. A thoroughly well tilled and ap pointed farm is something of which any body may be proud; and the girl who marries the possessor of such a farm has reason to share his pride. My Roles for IJylng. I am no doctor, quark or pill-vender, yet I have had a pretty go<wi long life and a happy one. May I not, there fore, just give my simple rules lor health in hope that some poor traveler on the up or down bill or life may look at them and perhaps be benefited by them. I have practiced them for many years nnd they have done me good; perhaps they may do good to others. They arc inexpensive and may he easily abandoned, if they cause any harm. 1. Keep in the sunlight iust a* much as pOAsible. A plant will not thrive without the sunbeam; much less a! man. 2. Breathe as mueh fresh air as your husiness will permit. This makes fresh blood; but it is never found within the four walls of your building. Beneath the open sky. just there, and only there, it comes to you. 3. Be strictly temperate. You can- I not i reak organic law, or any other law, with impunity. 4. K-ep the feet always warm and the head cool. Disease and deatli begin at the feet more commonly than we think. 6. Eat white bread when you cannot get brown bread fl. If out of order see which of the above rules you have notbhserved. then rub yourself all over with a towel, sat urated with salt water and well dried, and begin upon the rules again. 7. Isxik ever on the bright, which is the heaven side, of life. This is far bet ter than a medicine. These seven simple rules, good for the valid or invalid, if rightly ob served, would save, I apprehend, a deal of pain, prolong your life. and. so far as health goes, make it worth the having. Will you. tiien, practice them? —W. Waybridge in RoMon Traveller. Not Ills Darling. After a down-town young man had been keeping company witli a girl at the north end of Third street for several months, her father suddenly got the idea that a salary of seven dollars per week would not support his daughter in proper style, snd he forbade the young man to come to the house. Letters were ex ••hanged and stolen interviews followeo, hut nothing of the sort will occur again. The other night the old man observed his daughter acting nervous and queer, and he scented cologne in the air Whis pering in the old lady's car, he dodged out doors and took a position favorable for one determined on evil. Pretty won soft steps were heard. The old man coughed. The gate opened, the steps came nearer and a voice whispered: " What my darling'" •• Not hardly!" rep'lcd tbe old gentle roan, as he rose up and reached out for a coat collar, and the next moment a pair of polished boot-heels revolved in the air, swept off the top of a rose-bush, ertme down nnd dtmolished a flower pot and then shot out of the gate at the rate of a mile a minute, bearing away a young man whose hair had pushed bis hat off.— Del roil Prec I'nss. J. WILKES BOOTH. Anothcrlttraphle Account of Ilia- Capture y tha Man In Charge of the Com mand IVhlcli Captured Illtn* The Limning (Mich.) Republican line obtained a full aeoount of the exciting capture of J. Wilkes Bootli from the lips of Lieutenant L. B. Baker, who commanded the escort of twenty-iive cavalrymen which was sent out in pur suit of Booth after Lincoln's assassina tion. Col. Conger also accompanied the party. After various adventures the pursuers reached the Garrett mansion, where Booth and Harold had taken refuge. The narrative then proceeds: The dash was made through the lane in short order, and the house sur rounded. Lieut. Baker dismounted, went on the piazza and thundered at the door. The old man Garrett threw up a window near and asked in a frightened tone, "What is the matter?" Lieut. Baker seized him by Hie arm, and or dered him to unfasten the door and strike a light. This he did. and the lieutenant entered the hall. Mr. Garrett soon appeared with a tallow candle. The lieutenant took the candle and asked: " Where are the men who are stopping with you?" The old man was very much excited, and he stam mered out that "they went to the woods when the cavalry went by." The lieutenant said: "Don't you tell me that again; they are here." The sight of a pistol brought young Garrett to the front, who said : " Don't injure father and I'll tell you all about it;' they are in-the barn." this time Col. Conger came into tile hall. Lieut. Baker took young Garrett by the collar and led him out on the piazza, while Conger formed the men to surround the barn. The lieu tenant then ordered Garrett to lead the way. Before reaching the barn Gar rett said : " I fiave for; "tton the key, but my brother has it, who is sleeping in the corn-crib. We would not let those men sleep in the house, and were afraid they would steal our horses and j get away." The brother soon appeared j with the key and delivercjl it to Lieut. ' Baker. The bajn was then surrounded, ' and Lieut. Baker unlocked the door. Up to this time Booth and Harold \ seemed to be asleep. Col. Conger came j up. and a rustling was heard inside the building as if the inmates were rousing ; up from sleep. Lieut. Baker said to \ Conger: " Garrett must go in. demand \ their surrender, and bring out their ! arms." To this Conger assented, but Garrett was reluctant to obey, saying, > "They are desperate fellows, and armed to the teeth." Lieut. Baker seized him, opened the door, shoved him in, and then closed the door. The lieutenant hailed the assassins ami said: "We| send this young man, in whose custody i we find you, and you must surrender your arms to him, or we will set fire to the barn, and have a bonfire and a I shooting match." A low conversation took place inside the building, and Booth was heart to say to Garrett: " you! you have betrayed me: get j out of here, or I will shoot you." Garr ett came back to the door and said:" Let me out, captain. I will do anything for you. but I can't risk my life here." Ihe door was opened, Gar rett came out with a bound, and the ; door was again closed. Lieut. Baker had the light in his hand, and young Garrett said: " If you don't put outthat light he will shoot every one of you." | The light was placed at n short distance from the door, but so as to light the whole front of the building, which had been once used as a tobacco-house. The light was necessary in ease the assassins should make a break for the door and get out. The soldiers weredismounted, but refused to stand in the light, and j they were allowed to seek a safer posi- ; tion. Lieut. Baker again demanded their 1 surrender. Booth replied, in a clear, ringing tone, "Captain, there is a man here who wishes to surrender very I much." At the same time a converaa- i tion took place within, nnd Booth was heard to say to Harold, " you, leave me, will you? Go, I don't wish you to stay;" and in a few moments Harold rapped at the door, saying: "Let me out; I know nothing of this man." ' Lieut Baker said : "Bring out the arm and you can come." lie replied: "I have no arms." The lieutenant said: ; "J You have a carbine and pistol; bring j tfiem out and we will let you out." j Bootli then said : " He. has no arms ; they are mine, and I shall keep them." While this parleying was going on, | Col. Conger was doing all in his power to keep the men nroused and on the alert for 'hey had become so exhausted with Mielrrideof two days and two inghts without rest and with hut one meal, t.iat it was almost impossible to keep them awake. Strict orders, were given not to fire, as it would endanger the lives of the men who were surround- I ing the huWding. Harold begged and i entreated ii lie most piteous manner to j he let out, a.id the lieutenant ordered liiin to put his hands out of the door, | which was partly lyar. He stuck his hands out, the lieutenant caught hold: of them, pulled him out, and immi-di- ! ately closed the door. Harold was turned over to two soldiers. He kept making assertions that he knew notli- j ing about Booth, and Col. Conger threatened to tie him and gag him ifne did not stop his noise. This had a quiet ing effect. It had been decided to tire the building, so that Booth would be driven to the small door, where, it was thought, lie mold he easily eaptufed. Another pariey ensued. Lieut. Baker ! again made the demand for his surren- j der. Booth said: " Who are you and 1 what do you want of me? It may be that I am being taken by my friends." The lieutenant said: " That makes no difference, we know who you are and want you. We have fifty men armed with carbine* and pistols, around the barn, and you cannot escape." After a pause he said: " Captain, this is a bard case, I swear. Give a lame man a chance. Draw up your men twenty yards troin the door and I will fight your whole command ." The lieutenant replied: "We did not come to tight, but came to take you. have got you, and you had better surrender." Booth re plied: "Give me a little time to con sider." The lieutenant said: "Very well, take time. You can have live minutes." He was heard to come to ward the door, or near the door. As ho came he said: "Captain, I believe you are an honorable and brave man. I have had half a dozen opportunities to shoot you, and have a bead drawn on you now, but don't wish to doit. With draw your forces a hundred yards from the door and I will come out. Give me a chance for my Ufo, captain, for I win not be taken alive." Lieut. Baker said: "We have waited long enough. Now come out or we will fire the barn." Col. Conger (lien said: " We had better tire the barnand to this Lieut. Baker guve his consent. Booth said, in his peculiar stage tone: "Well, my brave boys, prepare a stretcher for me then." After a pause of about half a minute he was heard to say: "One more stain on the glorious old banner." Just as fie ceased speaking, Col. Con ger applied a match to some hay which he drew through a crevice, and in an in stant the inside of the building was a blaze of light. Tin- lieutenant then opened the door to give him a chance to come out, and from his position on the outside could see every movement made by Booth. He seemed to be leaning against the hay-mow, supported by his crutches, with his carbine in hand. He sprang forward toward the fire with the seeming intention of shooting the man who touched the match But the in tense light inside the building prevented him from seeing objects in the darkness without. He then turned, and witli the aid of one crutch came rapidly in the di rection of the door, but halted about the center of the floor. Here he drew him self up to his full height, and seemed to take a survey of the terrible situation. He looked first at the roaring flames, and then his glaring eyes rested on the open door. He resembled an infuriated wild beast at bay. A cloud of smoke rolled to the roof, swept across the room, then came down to the floor on the other side, and he appeared to he standing in an arch of fire and smoke, lie remained hut an instant in this posi tion, and then dropping his remaining crutch, with his carbine in one hand and a pistol in the other, he dashed for the door. When within about ten feet from •lie opening the crack of a pistol was heard from the rear of the barn. Booth reeled forward, threw up one hand, dropped his carbine, and fell face down ward on some bay which was scattered on the floor. Lieut. Baker rushed in, followed by Col. Conger and young Garrett. The lieutenant, not knowing how fatal the shot, seized him by the arms, intending to secure him in ease lie had only been stunned. On turning Booth over, Lieut. Baker found a pistol in his left hand, which he still held with a vice-like grip, and it required great strength to wrench it from him. A leathern licit was around his body, with a bowie-knife and another revolver in it, Lieut. Baker then accused Col. Conger of shooting him, which the colonel denied, and said " Booth shot himself." This, the lieutenant claimed, was impossible, as he saw him every moment from the time the hay was fired until he fell. Col Conger said " the man who did shoot him shall go hack to Washington under arrest." Upon further inquiry it was found that Sergt. Boston Corbett fired the shot from a navy revolver, through a crevice in the rear of the barn. This I was a most difficult feat to perform, for : the hall struck Booth on the side of the j neck, a little back o the center, and passed entirely through, breaking the spinal column. The fire was making such progress that Bootli was taken out of the building and carried a short dis tance and placed under a tree. II<• lx:gan to gijow signs of life. Water was dashed in iiis face, and a little poured in his mouth. His .ips licgan to move, and lie fatntly whispered, "Tell mother—tell mother." He seemed to gain further strength, and then in a more distinct voice said: " Tell mother I died for my country." Day was breaking, and the heat from the burning barn was so in tense that the wounded man was re moved to the piazzi of the house. The £oung ladies brought out a narrow straw bed, and on this Bootli was placed. A cloth soaked in ioe-water and whisky was placed in his mouth, which j revived him. He opened his eyes, I seemed to take in the situation at once, ; and said: "Kill me! Oh. kill me | quick!" The lieutenant said, "No. i Booth, we did not want to kill you, and hope you will recover. You were shot against orders." He then was uncon scious for several minutes, when he again revived.* His chest heaved, hi ! chin dropped, he put out his tongue and seemed to wish to know if there was blood in his mouth. He* was assured I there was none, and then said, "Tell ! mother I died for my country. I did \ what I thought was best." He showed no signs of life in his body below the j wound, with the exception of the action of the lungs. He said, "My hands," j when onoolnis hands was raised so that he could see it. and it was bathed in ice cold water. His hand was placed by | his side, and he said, " Useless, use- j leis!" which were the last words of the ; dying assassin. CoT. Conger gave Sergt. Corbett a i stinging reprimand and said to him: " \\ by did you shoot without orders?" i The sergeant took the position of a sol dier, saluted tlie colonel, and with right hand pointing upward said: "God Al mighty ordered me to shoot." At this reply the colonel mellowed in his man- | ner and said: " I guess he did;" and then dropped the subject. Col. Conger , immediately sUrted for Washington to apprise the authorities of Booth s cap ture. and LVut. Baker and the escort re mained to tiring the body as soon as life was extinct. A neighborhood physician was called, who gave it as his opinion that Booth could not survive much longer. Col. Conger started for Wash ington a little after sunrise, and Booth died about fifteen minutes after he left. The body was sewed up in a saddle blanket, ptaced is a one-horse wagon, j driven by a negro, and taken across the country to Belle Plain, where the party arrived about dark. The tug Ide was waiting, the body was put on board and she then steamed up the river for Wash ington. The capital was reached about , daylight in the morning and the body delivered to Secretary Stanton, who or dered it placed in the navy yard. Here it was kept one day for identification, and the evidence of various parties taken. ——^ A Strange Life. William John Seott Bcntinck, fifth Duks of Portland and one of the greatest of English landowners, whose death, in , his eightieth year, was announced re cently, was of a taciturn nature, akin to 1 madness, never marrying, and for many years was subject to a painful malady. ! He was morbidly averse to society of any kind, devoting Ids whole time*and part of his enormous income—estimated at about 9t.tb0.000 a year—in keeping Ills estate at Welbeck in the most su perb order. He employed hundreds of men, and although constantly among them giving orders, he would allow no one to speak to him. discharging any man who even touched his hat to tiim. The tenants on his nutates and the vil lage parson and doctor were Informed that the duke wished to be passed by as " they would a tree." The estates ano ♦'tie now pass to Lord Howard de ft'al d <n, his nephew. TIMELY TOPICS. It sometimes happens that strange diffi culties beset the paths of those seeking marriage, and an Ohio couple founa this out the other day. They went into town to get married, hut it got dark be fore they cxmid get their license. When they went to the court-house the offices were all closed, and the prospect looked gloomy indeed, until the young couple found the bell-cord communicating with an immense bell in the tower of the building. This cord they pulled with tremendous effect; everybody in the town turned out to see what was up, ami the young folks got their license These were hardly the sort of wedding bells that have been so much done in poetry, but they were of undeniable utility. The extent to which the cucumber is consumed by the inhabitants of Egypt and the southwest of Asia, and also in European Russia and Germany, would ' scarcely seem credible to this country. You never see a Russian peasant at din ner but you see the lump of black bread and a cucumber. The vegetable seems certainly a singular dish to be so na tional in a country with a climate like that of Russia. Some writers say that there used to lie a great annual fair at Leipsicfor cucumbers, when the streets were heaped up a story high with that frecious element of German cookery. 11 Germany barrels of half and also full grown cucumbers are preserved from one year to another by immersion in deep wells, where the uniform temper ature and exclusion from air seem to be the preserving agents. Tartary has been assigned as the native country of the cucumber, but upon what authority is equally questionable with that of the melon. No modern traveler appears to have found it growing wild. The Detroit Free Press thinks it would tie as curious as unexpected if the next form of freight vehicle were to carry its own road with it, and to be vehicle and wheel in one. The first type is on ex hibition at the garden of the Tuileries, in Paris, where three carriages, filled with thirty children, are with ease drawn by two goats. The wheels have two flanges; around the whole system of wheels turns an endless chain of jointed rails, so that the carriages con stantly lay down their tracks just in front of them and take them up behind. The same weight on an ordinary road would require a dozen goats. The other type occurred to a Minnesota farmer while watching his children " play cars" bjr rolling a big spool across the floor. The idea occurred to him that natural products, like grain, ore. coal, etc., migtit be transported in cylinders, roll ing directly on the rails, with suitable frame-work for attaching them to other cars. Various advantages of speed, loss of friction, cheapness, durability, ease of loading and unloading, etc., are sug gested. By combining the two ideas, cylindrical cars, carrying their own track as weil as their freight, might be seen rolling all over the country. The Berlin MHHar-ZeUung prints an intcicsting paper on the resistance made by the seveaal French fortresses attacked by the Germans|during the campaign of 1870-71. Altogether, it appears that during the six months 1 campaign from the beginning of August. 1870. to the end of January, 1871, the Germans took or forced to surrender six-and-twenty French fortresses. Of these two, Melt and Pfalzburg, fell because the pro visions of the garrison and inhabitants were exhausted; hunger, and the de vastation wrbught by a partial bom bardment caused one—Pans—to capitu late: thirteen were reduced by bom bardment—namely, Liclitenberg, Mar sal, Sedan. Toul. Soissons, Scblettstadt, Verdun. New Breisac, Diedennofen, 1-a Fere, the citadel ol Amiens, Montmedy, Mezicres and Peronne; one, Strasburg, was taken by a regular siege, while two, Vitrv and Laon, strrrendered upon a bombardment being threatened. Fi nally, two fortresses, Bitche and Belfort, invested early in the campaign, held out until the preliminaries ol peace had been concluded. The longest resistance was made by Paris, the siege of which lasted for 133 days, while the siege of Met* was continued for sixty-nine days, of Strasburg for forty-eight, and of Ver dun for forty-five days. W. W. Corcoran, the well-known Washington millionaire, eighty-one years ola, is another prominent man be lieved to have been virtually dead, who lias unexpectedly recovered. It was thought, not long ago, by his physicians and friends, that he had not twenty foui hours to live. -The former showed conclusively that ne was doomed, and the latter took eternal leave of him. After the last vestige of hope had been relinquished, after his pall-bearers had been selected, and every arrangement made for his funeral, he rallied, to the amazement of everybody, and so steadily got better thai within two or three months he was going about on foot, and attending personally to any number of affairs. He is said now to be much stronger than before bis last illness, and his friends believe that h will see his ninetieth birthday. " Mr. Corcoran." says a New York paper," is of a differ ent pattern from most of the very rich men we have here. He has founded a gallery of art at the national capital, and made many charitable rifts to the city where, as a banker, he has gained his fortune. He is much and deservedly loved there, and the continuation of h(s benevolent life is naturally the cause of satisfaction in the community. There is no danger of his example Becoming contagious in this quarter. The air ol * New York is thought to be pernicious to the development of generosity in mil lionaires. Corcoran has, in all proba bility. preserved his liberality by keep ing sedulously away from Manhattan." Animal lubber. An insect which produces a species of India rubber has been recently discov ered in the district of Yjuwlan, Central America, by an American explorer. It is called neen, and belongs to the Coc cus family; feeds on the mango tree, and swarms in these regions. It is of considerable size, yellowish-brown in color, and emits a peculiar oily odor. The body of the insect contains a large proport on of grease, whioh is highly prilled by th • natives dor applying to the skin on account of its medicinal properties. When exposed to great heat the lighter oils of the grease volatilise, leaving n tough wax, which resembles shellac, and may be used lor making varnish or toquer. When bnrnt this • wax, it U Mid. produces a thick semi fluid mass, Br solution of India robber.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers