The Black Bean of Ileath.
The following Btory la told of the late
George Jones, " the Count .Joannes,"
whose eccentric ways and inordinate
vanity made him the lending butt of
ridicule in New York for many years:
It seems that George Janes, the Count's
father, was an English chemist, who
about th year IHIB emigrated with his
wife and two children, of whom George
was the oldest, to this country. Ins
brother wsut hut four vears old, he only
six, and his sister a baby in her mother's
arm". The vessel, an old sailing ship,
fitted out after the ordinary method of
emigrant vessels in those days, wns a
bail sea lioat. and. meeting with terrible
storms on the Atlantic, was driven far
out of her oovrse, and with difficulty
kept above water. When at last the
weather moderated it was found that
the pro\ islons, of which there had been
an insufficient quantity at the start,
were running short. Everybody was
out on short allowance, hut when at
last the ship was on her direct course
for Boston, whither she was bound,
a further reduction had to he made.
This was soon again reduced, and at
last there was no food left on board,
and Starvation stared the crew and pas
sengers in the face.
Driven desperate by hunger the crew
mutinied, and the caotain could only
recall them to their duty by agreeing
that beans should be drawn from a box,
and the one upon whom the black bean
fell should he killed for tood for the
others. Officers, crew and passengers,
women and children, everybody on
hoard was included in this horrible
lottery, and with heavy hearts the fam
ished emigrants came on deck to partici
pate. The beans were all wrapped in
pieces of paper, anil it was agreed that
none of them should lie opened until
■oon on the day of the drawing, so that
if, during the two hours that intervened
a ship or land were sighted, the doom of
the drawer of the fatal black bean might
be averted at the eleventh hour.
The captain was the first man to put
his hand into the dentil box. He drew
it out, and unable to master his anxiety
to know his fate at once, he tore off the
covering, and discovered a white bean.
He was saved, and as the officers, one
by one. drew the beans from the IMX
they fo.lowed the captain's example,
pulled off the papers, and showed white
beans. The first man among the crew
who drew was the lookout, who came
down from the masthead, secured a
white bean, and resumed his lofty post.
Alter the crew had ail drawn, the black
bean still remained in the box, and it
seemed clear that the victim was to bo
found among the passengers! They
• drew by families, and comparatively
few beans remained in -the box when
Mr. Jones with his wife and children
advanced to take their chances. The
father and mother drew white beans,
and then the little boy. George, was led
to the )>x. He scarcely comprehended
ttie full nature of the terrible ordeal tie
was undergoing, but lie plunged his
little in and drew out a bean. His
father hastily snatched it from him and
was about to tear off the paper, when
the shout of " Land ahead! came from
the masthead. Amid the tears, laugh
ter and feeble cheers of all on hoard,
Mr. Jones east the bean into the sea,
and the future Count never knew
whether it was a white or a black one.
California Prices for Poetry,
Replying to many letters in indifferent
prose, we b< g to state that the price we
Py for poetry is reguln|nd entirely bv
the merit of the produ~ion. as deter
mined by the gentlem-n who last week
asked to be supplied, if possible, with
"The Burial of Mos w," and who this
week (as elsewhere explained) received
seven thousand copies of that rare poem
transcribed from as many school books,
and from recent numbers of this journal.
hen Tennyson, Whltticr, or any of
the free-for-all hards, send in a verse or
two.a check of #IOO is returned by the
next mail. Ordinary poetry known to
the trade as '• B I," and which grades a
.ittie above the productions of high
school girls, is quoted this week at
3 fitVi3.6s per column, ngate measure,
while the general run of lyries are un
"Riahie. !■ all eases the poetry editor
considers himself at liberty to recon
struct the little gems that come to this
ofScc. A fair specimen of the work is
as follows:
Sampls fail poem:
Hie glorious autumn days arc come.
With mnny s gorgeous dye;
The wood* beyond the meadow brown
Stand red against the sky.
Same thing reconstructed:
The glorious antntun days are come.
And gorgeously they dye
Hie red-heeded woods beyond the Held,
hike rainbows in the sky.
It will bo noticed that the sen timen
ria t,tn preserved, and the language
wlioo|ied-up a little so as to give greater
ensrt to the verse. The central Idea of
the poet is to convey the intelligence
that there has been a frost in the neigh
borhood. nnd that, ns usual upon such
occasions, the leaves have changed color.
one of this tins been lost; the news is
ali there, hut worked up in a rather more
?enational and attractive manner—that
01 . ' on * M our present poet
(the hero of " The Burial of Moses" in
eidnt) wields the amending pen at ttii
"nice the hards need not fear that their
Bn<>fancies will suffer mutilation.— Ban
rrntlCUCO Argonaut.
Fish Killed by Lightning.
A correspondent of hatul and Water
V'S A curious incident of the whole
i the occupants of a small fish pond
being destroyed by a flash of lightning,
'reported from Seek, grand duchy of
• MSRU. The Nasmutr Bole states that
durmg a r. r y heavy thunder and hail
I'd""! :lt fight time, a flash of lightning
"track a small pond well stocked with
Rnoim kinds of tish. the property of the
mJ " f parish. The following
"turning the whole of the fish were
••covered dead upon the surface of the
i..' had all the appenranea of
,** ■ '**• half boiled, and crumbled
w pieces a t Ihe least touch just as is the
y with fish iftcrbeing boiled. Neither
•uy external nor internal injury could
.oNerved, the scales being intact aad
' "maiming bladder filled and well
Pf served. The water in the pond was
Ijnuddy and dull the morning after
•e storm, as if the lightning had only
wen Struck it. .
rbl' c . Th'bbsrne caM has once more
aJ 1 disgust and trouble England.
wmofcrror lias been sued out on the
wi i ? . nt the offenses of perjury for
*cr! claimant, Arthur Orion, was
in 7' to two terms of seven years
prison were one and the same, and
Jtt im should have been sentenced to
° SI J one term.
rOB THEFAIB SEX.
Fashion* In Jswslrr.
Very simple jewelry is now worn.
The diamond earringß and gold neek
laete seen in street cars and witli walk
ing dresses during the shoddy period
arc fast disappearing witli the return to
simple dressing. The absence of aU
jewelry in the daytime is the rule with
many ladies of tnste, while others have
abandoned all merely ornamental pieces
with street costumes, reserving their
gems for evening and full-dress toilettes,
where display is more appropriate.
The uncful articles that lire almost
neeearary to complete a lady's dress are
the brooch, sleeve-buttons, and a very
modest watch chain, :uid when any
fanciful piece is now ndded to these, it
is not the locket or pendant lately in
favor, but some curious bracelet, not a
bangle, but a slender band, or else a
serpentine gold braid that is twined
around the wrir.t to keep tiro long glove
smooth, or perhaps it is thrust higher
up the arm out of sight, and worn as a
token or a talisman.
The favorite brooch is the useful
shape, long and slender, with a strong
pin, and is known as the lace pin, be
cause of the prevailing fashion of wear
ing lace on the throat and bust. This
style is used for diamonds nnd pearls,
as well as for the simple gold or silver
brooches worn ir the morning. For
diamonds there is an Etruiean gold
band, or, better still, a frame in which
the pendent diamonds swing. This is
the populardesign for a diamond brooch,
but more rare ones represent a long
spray of flowers with the foliage of in
erusted diamonds, and ft ruby in the
center.oQi wild rose, or else rose-buds of
pearls of different colors, such r* the
pink pearl, tlie yellow, like a tea-rose,
or the pear-shaped white pearl, Rich
colored stones, such as the ruby, sap
phire, or emerald, are now combined
witli diamonds. Somutimes there is a
massive bar of gold with a single dia
mond sunk in the center; this makes
an elegant and durable brooch. Stones '
are mounted in more solid work than
formerly, and diamonds look especially
well when set in silver. What is called
the gypsy setting, where tbe diamond is
imbedded in the gold, is more fashion
able limn the knife-edge setting that
merely caught the stones. Colored
stones, such as rubies, the moon stone,
eat's-eyes or sapphires, are mounted in
this way. and are • raboehon, that is,
merely polished on the topper surface
witiiout lieing cut in facets as diamonds
are. As a rival to the straight " lace
pin." those of crescent shape are per
haps most liked. When diamonds are
the ieweis used, they are either massed
in silver or imbedded in gold. Next
in favor are the colored pearls swing,
ing from an Etruscan goln bar. Some
times the pearls are shaded from btock.
through gray nnd silver, to white.
Sometimes they are all cream-color, or
else all pink. A novelty is a massive
knot of yellow gold with a swinging
horseshoe of precious stones. Tfie
Jilain gold lace pins are not nearly so
arge as those of last season, and are
best liked when very light and slender
and in some artistic design. A long
round bar with a pine cone at each end
is a pretty brooch, at #5. A favorite
pattern "is geranium leaves of pale
green-tinted gold; the Japanese and
the Cesnola patterns are quaint and
tasteful.
Sleeve-buttons are quite large, and
the square patterns so much worn by gen
tlemen are also in favor for ladies. The
linked buttons now preferred have a
gold bar to pass through one button
hole, and An ornamental button through
the other. Sets of gold jewelry are sel
dom sold nowadays, ns it is the cus
tom to buy different and fanciful pieces;
hence the prices are much less than for
merly, and the set of lnce pin nnd tiny
earrings is sold for #WO up to #lO or
|S(),' If a lady insists upon wearing
gold earrings, she is advised tiiat the
smallest ones are tlie most stylish, rep
resenting a tiny daisy, or a clover leaf,
or a pine cone resting against the lobe
~>f the ear, and costing from #3 50 to #5;
for more expensive ones are pendent
balls of Etruscan gold, for #7 50, or else
the hnll is studded with turquoises or
pearls, for #l4 50 to #IB. To conceal
solitaire diamond earrings for safe
keeping when ladies wear them in the
daytime are halls of gold that clasp
around Uis diamonds, incasing *thera
entirely.
As we have said, the one fanciful piece
of jewelry now worn is the bracelet,
and some ladies go so far as to wear it
instead of the linen cuff or other lingerie
at the wrist, which it can never replace.
For tills purpose the serpent bracelet is
used, as it is flexible, and may be made
to clasp nny part of the arm nnd remain
stationary. The wide gold hands are
abandoned for dress, and instead is a
veiy thin light band of gold, with an
ornamental medalion. *or spray, or
horseshoe of diamonds or colored stones,
on top of the arm. Stil another fanci
ful pieccof jewelry is the gypsy ring—
massive gold finger-ring, w;th a dia
mond, or sapphire, or ruby, or pcrjiaps
all three, set deep in the gold, showing
only the surface of the stone. The
neeidnces of gold are in Eastern designs,
made up of swinging pendants, but
when a jeweled locket or a single valu
able pendent is worn, it Is attached to
a very light slender chain, which may
be partly platinum or it may be all
gold. \V ateii chains for ladies are like
the short Imr ciiains worn hy gentle
men. or else they are chatelaines sus
pended from a pin on oae side.
I/arge carbuncles are revived, and are
witli garnets coming to be the fashion
able stones. The garnets are not tbe
small Bohemian clusters, but single
large stones, and, like the carbuncles,
they are mounted with very little gold
visible. Silver jewelry is the most in
expensive of tasteful styles, a quaint
brooch costing #3 only. An extrava
ganl novelty is the use of gold or silver
pins for the toilette, iust as ordiuary
pins are now used; those of silver in
various sizes cost from fifteen cents to
seventy-five cents eaeh, according to
size; gold pins, some of which have
4>earl heads, cost #1 to #6 each. — ffar
per's Bazar.
FmIIIM NMM.
Patent-leather slippers are again pop
ular.
The floriated pattern most in favor for
beaded gimps is the acanthus leal.
Jointed china dolls and china ani
mals are among the cheap playthings.
Irish poplin is substituted for silk in
many or tbe long circulars lined with
fur.
The majority ol mantles continue to
be ina.le very long and with vlaite or
dolman sleeves.
Tiie new ,wt style of hair dressing is to
wave the hair ail over the head, and to
wear loose curls or a knot at tbe back.
I Gold or silver hraid is something let
into the wrist of long gloves. It has the
effect of bracelets without breaking the
outline of the arm.
letters from Paris report a tendency
toward the revival of the Josephine
styies, the short round waists, the wide
belts, the straight skirts, and the sashes
of childhood.
The fan is a favorite design in 'ace
pins, brooches and earrings. These
articles come not only in solid gold set
with precious Ntones, hut in silver,
nickel and gold plate.
Paris dressmakers are working from
ideas gained from old Venetian paint
ings. It is from these that tfiey are
drawing the combinations of rose and
•lark red, blue and amethyst, and
golden, yellow and green which are now
fashionable.
Novelties in hair brushes are those
with metal hawks in place of celluloid,
rubber and the like. Some of these are
of silver, handsomely embossed; others
are of gilt plate, and all come put up in
elegant cases.
Fans for evening occasions show a re
vival of shell slicks. The Russia
leather ones are quite out of date. Some
of the handsomest fans are finished with
shaded feathers, others exhibit satin
covers that are hand-painted.
The present hishion of dressing tli
hair brings ornamental combs into use
Some are of tortoise-shell in low, high
backs and half coronet shapes. Others
are of silver in half-high tops in open
work, while others again exhibit de
vices so suspended as to take a tremu
lous motion and thus add to their bril
liant effect at night.
Worth's latest contrast in color for
costumes is that of trimming brown
with green. For example; a dark chest
nut-brown dress is trimmed in the skirt
with three wide hands of cloth, almost
covered (except the width of piping on
each edge) with a hand of dark green
satin. The drapery is stitched by par
allel rows of dark green, and the coat
bodice has green satin rovers and green
buttons.
There is an important change to note
in evening dresses, ami that is the re- <
vival of the closed-fitting jacket bodice,
which differs from the skirt both in ma
terial and color. The satin skirt will
have scarves of cashmere or richly em
broidered gauze, crossed and recrossed
over it, while the jacket may be dark
red, or bronze, or black velvet, with
gold embroidery, or cashmere bead
fringe, forming altogether a striking
contrast to the skirt; it is in fact the
spencer of forty years, but with modifi
cations.
Jackets take various forms. Some
are tight-fitting basques, others are
coats with long, slender lapppls extend
ing down the sides of the train and
holding the # drapery at the back in posi
tion ; others are cut away from tfie
front nnd terminate at the hack in nar
row coat-tails. Whatever sliape these
aekets are, and whether made of velvet
or satin, they may be turned to account
in a multitude of ways by those who go
much into society, for they can he worn
over both white and colored skirts-
Bridal t'oOumri of Frinandn Fa.
As with us. the Fernando Po bride is
ciad in white—not the gauzy, flowing
robe, however, but a plastering of earthy
paste resembling plaster of paris. She
wears a bridal veil, too, composed of
tiny white, shells, strung together, and
which covers the face from forehead to
chin, while her plentifully pomatumed
tresses are surmounted with an enor
mous helmet made of cowhide. The
Fernando Po bridegroom is even more
elaborately decorated. It is a work of
time as well as of art to make the young
gentleman ready to take the necessary
vows before the two mothers— his own
and his intended's—who act the part of
guests. Like his bride, lie is tnickly
plnstcredover with the while lota paste,
anil he wears on his head an enormous
disc of fine bamboo plait skewered to
his hair with long pins with blue and
red beads for heads. His marriage
raiment is of strung shells, and it being
notorious that the instant a young man
commences to make himself ready for
marriage malicious evi. spirits are in
close attendance, and on the alert to
baulk his laudable intent, as an antidote
against their malevolent he carries in
his hand the whole time, and never
takes his eyes off, a piece of a yam
shaped like a heart, and in which the
red feather of a parrot is stuck. The
marriage ceri-mony is the essence ol sim
plicity. The mother-priest* place an
arm of each round t lie neck of bride and
bridegroom, and deliver a Short address
to them on their respective duties, after
which the ralahnsli of palm wine is pro
duced. nnd the contracting parties ratify
the condition by drinking the one to the
other, after which the officiating moth
ers-in-law pledge each in the remainder,
and the ceremony is at at end Lorn/on
Globe.
The Thimble.
The name of this little Instrument is
said to have been derived from
"thumb" and "bell." being at first
tliumhle and afterward thimble. It is
of Dutch invention, and was brought to
England about the year IftWS by John
Ixming, wko commenced its manufac
ture at Islington, near I<ondon, and pur
sued it with great profit and suci-css.
Formerly, iron and brass were used, but
latterly stc|, silver and gold have taken
their places. In the ordinary manufac
ture tlilr. plates ofmetAl are introduced
into a die, and then punched into shape.
In J'aris gold thimbles are manufactured
to a large extent. Thin sheets of sheet
iron are eut into disks of about two
inches diameter. These, being heated
red hot, are struck witli a punch into a
number of holes, gradually increasing
in depth to give them the proper shape.
The thimbie is then trimmed, polished
and indented round its outer surface
witii a number of little boles, by means
ol asmairwheel. It is then converted
into steel by the cementation process,
tempered, scoured and brought to a
blue color A thin sheet of gold is then
intmduecd into the interior, and fast
ened to the steel by means of a polished
steel mandrel. Goldleaf is then app.ied
to the outside, and" attached to it hy
pressure, the edges being fastcneH in a
small groove made to receive them. The
thimble is then reaoy for use. Those
made in this manner do not wear out, as
so many ordinary gold thimbles do, but
will last for years. The gold coating,
if cut away by the needles, may .be
easily replaced ; but the steel is of an
excellent quality and very durable.
Newspaper publishers have as much
charitable feeling for their fdliow-man
as any other class of philanthropists;
hut the auestion they are particularly
interested In just now is—How much
loneer is that paper famine going to
last!
Hew the Captain Won His Wager.
. " I "ey. Captain Brown, tell us—is It
make " yßfty you w ' n every bet you
" Y® B . oolonel," said the captain,
smiling, ' • it is quite true."
" Nonsense!" chorused a dozen
voices.
„ ft isn't nonsense," said tlie colonel;
for I am told on very good authority
•—namely, his old colonel, a dear friend
of nine, that it is true. He told when it
was first settled that Brown was to ex
change; and now you hear, he attests it
himself."
Pwof. proof!" cried the others.
All.' said the colonel, "proof.
Come, Brown, how is it you manage it!
You won't mind telling, I suppose?"
T " j'b, dear, no,"said Brown, smiling,
I don t mind telling. You see I stuay
the countenance of the man I bet with,
and know beforehand how matters will
be. I can read a man's face cnougli for
tlie purpose of a wager."
*' You can read mine, tlien?"asked the
colonel, chuckling.
' y® B '" Wttß the calm reply.
And the officers around the table grew
Interested.
''What tun you read there, then?"
Captuin Brown looked at him intently
for a few moments, and then said:
"Well, for one thing, I can read that
the old wound on your back has broken
out afresh."
"Nonsense!"roared the colonel. "I
never had a wound* on my back."
The younger officers exchanged
glances, and the eolonei saw it, ana it
made him more angry.
" You do not like the subject touched,"
said Captain Brown, gravely. "Then
we will pass itover. f beg your pardon
for touching so tender a place."
" But, confound it all, sir!" roared the
eolonei, " I have no wound on my back
to break out afresh."
Tlie captain smiled.
"Come, then." said tlie eolonei, fight
ing hard to keep down his anger, " you
are a betting man; I'll bet you two ten
pound notes u> one that I have not got
a wound, nor even a sear of a wound—
even a scratch—upon my back. Will
you bet?"
"Witli pleasure, if it pleases you,
colonel."
"It does please me, sir! I want this
cleared up. A wound on my back! I
never turned my back to the enemy In
my life, sir! Now. sir, will you bet?"
"I will," said the captain, speaking
rclutantly,as if lie were forced into it;
while the eolonei was evidently growing
purple from suppressed rage.
"Good, then." said the colonel;
" twenty pounds to ten. The mess here
are witnesses. Smith, lock the door."
A young cornet obeyed; and, heated
by wine, the eolonei, in his rage and
desire to show his new captain to he
wkat lie mentally called a humbug, pro
ceeded to divest himself of all his upper
garments, revealing several bullet-scars
and sword-cuts upon his chest and amis;
but therp was not the vestige of a scratch
upon his back.
"Come, look all of you!" cried the
colonel; "I'm not ashamed. You'll
find no old wound upon my back."
< One and all inspected the old gentlc
nmn, and declared there was not a scar.
"Now, Captain Brown," said the
colonel, "perhaps you will come and
look sir, and satisfy yourself?"
" I'll take the word of these gentle
men, colonel," said Brown. " I have
lost. I was mistaken."
"Humph! I'm glad of that," said
the colonel, snatching himself hack into
his clothes, and at last buttoning up
his ooAt. "I'm afrsid, sir,you could
not read my countenance."
"No, sir, I confess I could not; I am
beaten. There are you r ten pounds."
The colonel chuckled and looked de
li glited as ho pocketed the money; for
this, and the reeling that lie hsa been
too much for the new captain, put him
in tlie best of humor. So jolly was he
that he patted Brown affectionately on
tlie back when tliey parted.
"You couldn't read me, my lad, eh ?
No, no; rather too deep for you. eh?"
" Much too deep, colonel. | was
beaten," said Brown.
And from that day, for a whole fort
night, Brown's glory as a better was
under eclipse. At the end of that fort
night theie wss a change.
The reiuion was this:
Colonel Knllin was so delighted at
having, as he said, beaten tlie betting
man, that he wrote to his friend, tlie
colonel ol tlie lancers regiment:
" DKAK W AKKF.X — That was all gam
mos about Brown's luck at betting. He
said he could read people's faces, and so
won in that way; and hang me if the
first night he was here lie didn't bet that
I had a reopened wound on my back. I
bet him, of course—two to one— proved
to him that I had not. and pocketed Ids
ten pounds. It will be a lesson lor him.
He is a nice fellow, though, and we all
like him very much.
"Yours, verytruiy, JOHN ROLLINS."
An answer came back in the course of
I a post or two:
"DF.AR ROI.MNA— GIfcd you ' like
Brown. Hang him! we don't. Helms
bitten us too often, and lias just bitten
us again. Confound liirn! Tlie night be
fore he left us I was talking about what
a sharp officer you were—quite a Tartar
—and he laid a wager witli me, that was
taken, too. by half the officers in tlie
mesa, t lust lie'd do as he liked with you;
in fact, tiiat the very "rat time you
dined together he'd mak e you take off
your shirt before the whole mess, and
that you would write and tell me. You
may keep Brown. We don't want him
back. " Faithfully yours,
FRANK WAMUCK."
Josh Billings on Marriage.
By awl meanes, Joe, get married, if
you have a fair show. I>on't stand
shivering on the bank, but pitch rite in
and stick your head under and tlie
shiver is over. Thar ain't any more
trick in getting married than tliare is in
eating peanuts. Many a man lias stood
shivering on the shore until the river
run out. Don't expect to marry an
angel; tliey have been ail picked up
long ago. - Remember, Joe, you ain't n
saint yourself. Do not marry for beuty
exclusively; hcuty is likrf lee, awful
slippery, and thaws dredfttl easy- Don't
marry for lav, neither; lav Is likes
oooking stove, good for nothing when
the fuel gives out. But let tlie mixturv
besome beuty liecomiiigly dressed, witli
about f350 iu her pocket, a gud speller,
handy and neat in her house plenty ot
good sense, tuft constitution and by
laws, small feet, a light step; add to
this sound teeth and a warm heart. The
mixture will keep in any climate and
will uot evaporate. If tlie cork happens
to be left out the strength ain't gone.
Joe. Don't mi.rry for pedigree unless it
is hacked by bank notes. A family witli
nothing but pedigree generally lack*
A HUMAN MONSTROSITY.
* J!** h '/••*•*• MM Hp of* Mleblitaii I'nu.
R.EIA.IFFCSR ™ RT '" ~ U *
A correspondent of the Chicago Inter.
Ocean writing from Battle Green. Mich.,
tells a remarkable story 01 tlic diacovcry
of a monstrosity in the poorhousc ol
that Slate, known as "the turtle mail."
The correspondent says he visited the
poorliouse to satisfy himself as to the
truth of the numerous stories lie had
heard regarding this creature. The
keeper of the institution introduced him
to the monstrosity, calling the four feet
high dwarf, who stood before him, by
tlie name of Samuel Kecnc. Hit says:
Keene, at the command of the keeper,
managed, by a singular side movement
ofhis body, and pushing his slouch hat
from his head by his queer-shaped
claws, to makea courtesy. As he stood
before us, bareheaded, he presented the
most wonderful specimen of man amal
ganiated with the animal kingdom that
can be imagined. On speaking with 1
him he apparently understood every 1
word, but lacked sufficient intelligence I
to frame a reasonable answer, just as a
dumb brute can comprehend but cannot i
give an intelligent reply. In stature
this singular being is short, thick set,
and flat rather than round. His legs
and arms are short, the hands turning
outward, the same as a turtle's, and in
stead of fingers the widened palm ends
jn webbed claws. The feet are fash
ioned in the same manner, ana when he
walks it is witli a sidelong, ambling
gait, moving the entire side of the body
in the manner peculiar to a tortoise. In
his actions and talk lie has a slow. '
measured jerking style. The inside of
his dirty cl .w or fin which he held out
to shake hands with, was of a yellow
color, as were also his feet and stomach,
the skin having the same ribbed appear
ance and color of the under part of a
turtle. It was reported that he had a :
shell upon his back, but upon examina
tion it was found to consist of tough
layers of cuticle, which, however, are
growing harder each year, and may
soon become ossified. The peculiar color
of different portions of his body, some
being dark and others white, has led to
the conclusion thnt his flesh is multi-
Kind or of different construction in Us
sue. Although so small, he is thirty
two years of age. The most singular
anil startling feature of the monstrosity
is the head, which stems but to tie a
continuation of the neck, with a flat
face and head coming to a point on the
top, tlic same as that of a snake, lie is
almost constantly moving his head or
to side. The back por- (
tion of his cranium is directly pcrpen- 1
dicular to the neck, and covered with
short, bristly, black hair, but no hair
grows on any other portion of the body; j
no whiskers or mustache, only a few
bristles at each corner of his mouth.
Tlie nose is flat. The mouth extends
from jowl to jowl, very wide, and is fur- 1
nislied with a full set of teeth. He con- j
stantly keeps his mouth open, witli his
large tongue lolling out, and it is this
more than anything else, thatcauscshis
unintelligible iargon. But the eyes are
the most sti iking portion of his features.
The whites are excessively large and
"rolling, the pupils, small and black,
and possess a wild, staring, yet fascin
ating glare, very sharp and piercing,
and glistening from underneath the
broad eyehrows. In temper he is per
fectly docile and harmless unless aroused
to anger, when lie is sullen and snap
pish. In habits he is not very social,
scarcely ever says anythirg unless spo
ken to, and, when *oung, never min
gled with the boys or engaged in juve
nile sports. Ills parents were very poor,
and both died when he was very young.
He has brothers and sisters well off in
worldly goods anil respectable, but they
refuse to support him. and he is a pau
per upon the charity of tlie town.
The cause of this terrible deformity
is said to be a fright received by the
mother previous to the child's birth. ,
It furnishes one of the most startling
proofs of paternal influence on record.
The parents resided near Diamond i
lake, and. lieing very poor, often caught
fish for food. While fishing out of a
boat one day. witli her iiands just 1
touching the water and holding tlie
line, an enormous turtle, attracted by
the moving fingers, suddenly jumped up
and bit her. She never recovered irom
the fright, and when tlie child was
born, a few months afterward, it bad
indelibly st rnned unon its entire body 1
tlie form ol the turtle. It was not so
noticeable at first, but grew with its
growth and strengthened with its
strength. Ihe first habit wh'cta
was noticeable was its desire 1
to creep turtle-fashion, even af
ter it e* uld waiK. AittrmiQ,
upon oxaminaui n b.. doctors, tlie ,oiiits
ot the arms ana legs w ere found to be
double and turned outward, like a tor 1
toise. As tlie horrible truth crew upon
the mother, tlie chiid becam< loathsome
to her. and it was probably to sbaiue
and grief that tlie early death of tlie
parent was due. During boy Hood it
was found impossible to educate the j
boy beyond a few words which lie ut
ters hourly. As he has no memory o;
facts or incidents, he cannot tell even
his age,or anything connected with bis
life, and HI is to him a blank. Heex- i
ists only in the present, and, like the
brute, seems to liave no care for the 1
morrow or sorrow for tlie past. In
summer his m-eatest delight is to go in I
bathing, and he will remain under
water a long time. He was a constant
caretohis parents during childhood as
he had to be fed, iiis claws or fins not
being large enough to grasp food; but
lately he has learned to fewi himself.
He is fondest of vegetable food and fish,
hut wilt eat anything be sees the rest
of his fellow-companions eat.
He seems to have no passion
or affection, and cares no more
for tlie opposite sex than for his own.
He takes the greatest pleasure—which
is the only sense lie seems to possess—
in tending baby, and for our amuse
ment the keeper brought in an infant.
Sam's features lighten up with a smile
which would have done credit to an
Egyptian idol His mouth opened still
further and his tongue protruded as lie
saw tlie child. Silting down in a chair
and crossing his dwarfed limbs to form
a cradle, be tenderly took the poor un
fortunate infant left on the steps a few
days before and btttan to rock it witli
his knees, while he made a
most singular, low mumbling
noise, which he called singing.
Sammy, as ho is called by all tlie
inmates, hss very little idea of tlie
great world. All his world is the
house and farm on which he lives, lie
seems to posses* but little or no emo
tion. and upon the announcement of
anyone's death, takes it ss calmly as a
call to dinner. We were informed that
Bnrnuns was negotiating tor him as a
companion m h innnei man.
Paper bricks are now being mads tat
Wisconsin.
A SpUndidl Charity Festival Directs
Parlslaa Journalists.
■ TU ,% f , eU tf ve n on the light of Deoem
ll I 5, "fit o' trie sufferers by
tii inundation in Kpain is said to have
!'/.rt n .in e J? 0 ® 1 brl ' liant went of th
sort since the great Exhibition. It in
gratifying to record tliat the affair waa
got up and directed by I'arisian journal
ists. It was given in the Hippodrome
and was attended by a great number of
celebrated persons. The ex-Queen of
Spain, tiie chief members of the French
government, and, according to one re
port, "all that is most notable in Paris,
whether in poetry or statesmanship, in
journalism or oratory, was represented
in the assembly " which, moreover, was
"aserried massot the beauty, wealth,
genius and valor of France," Tiie flags
of all nations were lit up by electric
lights, the city of Murcia was repre
sented in pasteboard with amazing ac
curacy, and all the principal actresses
l Paris sold flowers ana sweetmeats
and gloves. There were fountains and
I grottoes and bazaars. Mile. Sara Bera-
I hardt wrote autographs. Mile. Judie
| told fortunes. Mile Theo cried violets,
Mme. Carvalho sold music and Mme.
(.'roisctte sold the journal of the JeU.
rhe cover of this Bheet was designed by
Gustave I)ore, and Grevin was the cari
caturist ; and the contents were from
such pens as those of Dumas, Sandeau
and Feuillet. The pictures inside were
drawn iy Meissonier, Detaille, Vibert
and others, and the money article was
written by M. de Rothschild. The ad
vertisements netted six thousand dol
lars, and there was an edUion de luxe
of the journal printed on vellum. There
were eight hundred musical perform
ers, a procession of bull-fighters, a lot
tery, a concert of twenty piano fortes in
unison and another of thirty harps. Hie
orchestra for dancing included two hun
dred instruments. All the chief artists
of the Theater Francaise and of the
opera assisted. The festivities were
kept up until morning, and were per
haps of unprecedented splendor and va
riety.!
It is pleasant to hear this for several
excellent reasons. The substantial re
sults that have been gained for the poor
peasants of the Murican plain supply
the first ground for felicitation. We
are charmed, in the next place, that a
celebration devised and carried out en
tirely by journalists should have done
honor to the craft, by its immense suc
cess; and, finally, it is refreshing and
grateful, amid the continual jars and
jealousies and ominous clanking of arms
so constantly resounding from most of
the great Eurojiean nations to hear
sounds of peace, and charity and good
will, which testify that among some at
least of the peoples there still exists a
sympathetic recognition of the great
bond of human brotherhood. — N. Y.
Evening Poet.
A Fight With an Eagle.
T. W. Wright, the weil-knawn tax
idermis, had auite a novel experience
on Tuesday, which was not altogether
without danger, but be was so fortun
ate as to escape injury, and has two
trophies of his skill and prowess as me
mentoes of the event. Mr. Wright is a
skillful hunter, and on Tuesday waa
seven miles east of the city, ana near
the bank of the Missouri river, on the
lookout for game suitable for preserva
tion. While thus engaged, partly hidden
from view, a large c.igie came hovering
in range of his trusty double-barrel shot
gun, and be discharged one round,
which brought the noble bird to the
ground. Not wishing to risk breaking
its wings or legs by another shot, or
otherwise disfiguring it for the taxider
mist's use, he refrained from shooting it
a second time. Throwing bis gun down
i he ran to tiie wounded bird, seized it
and was in the act of slitting its throat
when it gave a scream and immediately
I he felt something strike him quite for
i cibly and he fell to the ground. Great
was his surprise when be found that
another eagle, a companion bird, at
tracted by the fall and cries of its mate,
had made an attack on him. The eagle
remained on the ground for a few mo
ments, fluttering around. He struck at
; it with a stick, when it flew upward.
Mr. Wright felt assured from its
movements that it was preparing for a
second assault and seized his gun. but
, not a moment too soon, for the infiiriated
i bird, with its strong beak and taloms
and propelled by its powerful wings,
made a sudden sweep at him, when he
discharged his gun. a portion of tha
shot taking effect in one af the wings,
i causing it to sheer from its course and
fall to the ground. The taxidermist
ran and seized it, when a desperate
struggle ensued, lasting some little
time, as he was desirous of securing the
bird alive. Finally the eagle was wor
ried out and he succeeded in fastening
its legs together and then turned his at
tention to the first bird, which was dis
patched. With bis gan and the live
and dead eagles, all making a heavy
weight, Mr. Wright started home, and
i bad the trophies of his exciting day's
I sport safely cared for. He is not de
sirous of repeating tiie experience, aa
the capture of a slightly wounded eagle
! is no pleasant task and attended with
1 some danger The live eagle measures
seven feet six incites from lip to tip of
the wings and the dead bird seven foet
five inches. They are about as large
specimens of their species as have ever
lieen seen in this part of the country.—
Kansas City (Mo.) Journal.
The Hyde Estate.
The heirs of the Hyde estate met in
Baltimore a short time ago and organ
ized a union known as the " Hyde Asso
ciation of the United States o r Arner
i ca." The Rev. John P. Hyde, of Mar
tenshurg, W. Va., occupied the chair.
Mr. George A. Hyde, oi New Yoik,
attorney for the heirs sf Thomas Hyde,
was elected secretary, and Thomas
Hyde, of Washington, treasurer. Th
questions discussed were: " I)o the es
tates existP" " Are they attainable be
ths American heirs P" and "Is the na
ture of the claims such as to warrant le
gal steps being taken with a view to ob
tain the property P" A great deal of docu
mentary evidence was read, dating
back as far as 1730. From the proofs at
band it was decided to take steps to en
force the claim A fund is to be created
to pay expenses, and George A. Hyde, of
New York, who has mnde himself fa
miliar with the law on the subject and
the facts will probably be appelated at
torney, and will visit England to
prosecute the suit.
The heirs claim that there will be
from fifteen to twenty-eix estates, vari
ously estimated in value from #*0,000,-
000 tii #000,000.000. The Hydee of Mary
land are the descend ants of Thomas
Hyde, who came to America from Eng
land and landed at Annapolis in the yea
175®. The association resolved to malt
Baltimore its headquarters.