tgfte BigpMj.
K&TABLISUED FEBRUAKY S, 116.
Vol. 43, No. 337 Entered at Pittsburg I'ost-
tfl.ic, 2oTcinbcrl4. 1SS7, as cocuna-ciass matter.
Business Office 97 and99 Fifth Avenue.
News Rooms and Publishing House 75,
77 and 79 Diamond Street.
Tills paper hnviiig more than Double the
circulation of any other in the State outside
ci Philadelphia, its adraotaffcs as on nd er
tifclnc medium w ill be apparent.
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PITTSBURG, WEDNESDAY. JAN. 9. 1SSSL
THE EXPOSITION SUBSCRIPTIONS.
There is considerable encouragement as
well as a verification of The Dispatch's
prediction in the statement that since pub
lic attention was called If the slowness of
subscriptions to the Exposition, there has
been a marked increase in the contributions
to that project
This is the result of showing the public a
need lor action. Pittsburg is conservative
acd almost old fogyish in some matters.
Our citizens have to be stirred up before
they fully appreciate the necessity for
action: but when they are once aroused the
money will be fertheoniiug. The necessity
exists here; and when cities with a quarter
of our capital and a tithe of our natural
advantages have expanded their business
and increased their growth by successful
expositions, it is not possible that Pittsburg
will let the matter fail.
The Exposition must and will be built,
Private jealousies and individual close
ness may enhance the difficulty; but there
is enough money and public spirit in our
city to make that public project a success.
NOT ENDED YET.
The announcement from Philadelphia,
that as the natural gas decision was merely
on a preliminary injunction, the Supreme
Court "reserves its opinion until the final
hearing" appears to minimize the import
ance of the decision. The public is still lelt
to conjecture the grounds of the ruling; but
the plain intimation that a further hearing
on the question of a permaucnt injunction is
expected, allows the inference that the de
cision was merely as to the propriety of a
preliminary injunction in such a case. On
this view the case is still open for the full
trial and final decision. What the ruling
of the Supreme Court would be on a per
manent injunction is one of those things
that can L- found out in but one way. The
temper of the Allegheny people is decidedly
in favor of pushing that investigation by
carrying the case as far as it will go.
THE STOCKADE DENS.
Tne terrible stories that haye been rife,
for the past year or two, concerning the
treatment of women in the dens of the lum
ber and ore regions of Wisconsin, have
been verified by the work of Dr. Kate Bush
nell. This lady who has been foremost in
the works of reform, undertook, at the in
stanceof the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, the investigation of that subject.
Tales of the horrors of those dives had al
ready been published and denied. The in
vestigation was made quietly, butthorougly,
and the results of it were given at a meeting
of the Union in Chicago the other day.
The previous allegations are not only fully
sustained, but they are enlarged upon by
the production of facts which are calculated
to fill every American possessed of a spark
of manhood, with shame that such things
are possible in our land. Dr. Bushncll
found eight stockaded dens in the lumber
regions, in which women are kept prisoners.
They are forced to dress in costumes that
would mark them if they attempt to escape,
and those that do make that attempt are
dragged back. Dr. Bushnell produces evi
dence that the police at Green Bay forced
girls to go with the procuress for one of these
hells: and shows that the Speaker of the
Wisconsin House or Representatives, who
published a denial of the reports concerning
the dens in Marinette, was, at the time that
he made the denial, under pecuniary obli
gations to the principal owner of the dens
of vice and murder.
The fact that such things are possible, and
that they aie so entrenched as to command
the support of public officials, is a terrible
indication of our decadence as a nation. If
the country cannot stop such horrible in
famies, its boast of freedom and protection
for the weak is a terrible sham.
THE GRANGER'S MISTAKE.
The statement that the officers of the
State Grange are present in Harrisburg to
urge the passage of the bill prohibiting the
sale of mea s slaughtered outside of Penn
sylvania, calk for a few words of advice to
that organization concerning both what
State legislation can do and what State
legislation ought to do.
The opposition of the State Grange to
dressed beef, and its purpose in urging
this law is, that it makes beef too cheap.
This is stated as the platform of the repre
sentatives of the farmers, and they make no
bones about urging the bill as a means of
cutting off one wmrce of supply of cheap
food. No interest or right of the consumer
is taken into consideration. The foundation
of the movement is stated to be that as cer
tain business interests are furnishing a food
staple to the urban population at cheaper
prices than they can afford to, they want
these people shut off, in order that they may
get better prices.
That position being taken it is to be asked
why the agricultural supporters of this
measure do not request the Legislature to
prohibit the sale of beef unless the cattle
are raised in the State? That would ac
complish the purpose of securing high
prices for the farmers a good deal more
thoroughly than to let the cattle be brought
here from the far West and slaughtered at
the altitudinous prices which accrue to the
benefit of the butchers. Tf the position of
shutting out cheap food from other States is
taken, it also seems that the farmers might
ask to have flour, wheat, pork, lard and all
other agricultural supplies excluded, except
that which is grown upon the soil of Penn
sylvania. There are two very good reasons why such
requests will not be made. The first is
that the undisguised proposition to make
food costly would be so repugnant to public
policy and the general conscience, that it
would have no chance of a hearing if pre
sented in that form. The second is that any
law to exclude from one State the products 1
of another is contrary to the Constitution of
the United States. There is an evident im-
pression that by concealing these objects
under the pretense of legitimate inspection
to prevent the sale of diseased meat, the ob
ject which caunot be gained by direction,
can bo secured by indirection. This is not
true. It would be a great injustice for the
Legislature to forbid the sale of healthy
dressed beef because it was slaughtered in
Chicago or Nebraska; but it would be futile,
because the Legislature has not the power to
do such a thing.
With regard to the basis of this move
mentthe alleged low prices of beef it is
only necessary to refer to any city marketer.
It is notorious, that while all other staples
have declined, the price paid by the con
sumer of beef and fresh meats is nearly as
high as it was 15 years ago. Some things
there are which prevent the farmer from
getting full advantage of these high prices.
The State Grange would be justified in ask
ing legislation against the railway practice
which charges the Pennsylvania farmer as
much for taking his cattle to market as the
Chicago shipper; but to try to cut off the
supply from the consumers in order to raise
the prices of the one staple that is to-day
higher in relation to general values than
any oilier general product, would exhibit a
remarkable lack, both of good sense and re
spect for the rights of the public.
The Legislature should provide for such
inspection as will prevent the sale of dis
eased meats to consumers. It should see that
the farmers of the State have equal chances
in getting their cattle to market; but to tor
bid the sale of good meat because it is killed
in another State would be not the less crim
inal because it is futile.
THE FIGHT ON HOUSE KULES.
The fight over the rules of the House,
which has occupied the past few days and
was finally settled by sending the proposed
amendment back to the committee, has at
tracted much attention; but its real bearing
has been widely misrepresented. How
much of this misrepresentation is due to the
fact that certain powerful and wealthy in
terests would be benefited by the proposed
change, and how much is due to pure mis
apprehension, is doubtful; but the result is
just the same that ot general misrepre
sentation as to the real issue of the fight.
The change in the rules is widely stated
to be one which was needed to expedite bus
iness. This does not tell the whole story.
It was needed to expedite special business
taken up out of its turn. It simply was
framed to provide for measures which have
the power to force themselves ahead of other
business, doing so successfully without re
gard to the rights of less powerful special
legislation, or the protests of the minority.
It is well known that the purpose of the
amendment was to secure the passage of two
special measures in which a great deal of
wealth is involved. That fact alone should
place the public on the alert against a
change which such a legislator as Mr. Ran
dall pronounces to be destructive of the
rights of the minority.
The House has a good way to amend the
rules so that all measures can be considered
fully and in their proper order. That is to
clear the calendar of private bills by send
ing them all to properly constituted com
missions or courts. That is aneeded change;
but to escape from the present blockade of
business by changing the rules so as to facil
itate the railroading of big jobs, would only
be making a bad matter worse.
THE GIST OF THE MATTER.
The facts stated by Judge Cooley in his
speech at Boston yesterday, that the period
in which there had been least complaint as
to the operation of the inter-State commerce
law was the period during which its pro
visions were most thoroughly observed,
shows the true inwardness of the present
outcry against that enactment.
The law carefully preserves the legitimate
rights of railroads. The long and short
haul clause tends to prevent the insane cuts
by which railroads seek to destroy each j
other's legitimate competition, while the
prohibition of pooling preserves legitimate
competition. But it interferes with the
grand corporate object of forcing dividends
out of the public on watered stocks; and it
is against that check, as well as the prohibi
tion of private rebates for the enrichment of
inside parties, that the railway attack on
the law is now made.
The Dispatch has stated this aspect of
the case several times; but it is encourag
ing and significant that its position is cor
roborated by an authority of Judge Cooley's
standing.
In view of the revival of that old-time
proposition about changing the Presidental
term to six years and making the President
ineligible for re-election, it 'is pertinent to
remark that four years is a long enough
term for a poor President and eight years is
none too long for one who is good enough to
get the people to re-elect him. Beyond that,
a six-year term would be worth fifty per
cent more as an object of bribery than a
four-years' term. We do not need to re
form methods in our politics as much as
character.
The heretofore unknown Mr. Mnrchison
turns up by his right name. It is notice
able that he makes himself known in time
to get up a full-fledged candidacy for an
appointment from the new administration.
The declaration of the Supreme Court
that "the classification of 187G, and more
especially that of 18S7 is unnecessary and
therefore unwarranted," in addition to its
bearing on the municipal problem, conveys
an instructive lesson on the permanence of
Supreme Court rulings, in the fact that the
classification of 1876 was passed upon and
sustained by the Supreme Court ef Penn
sylvania after it had heard a very ex
haustive argument from Judge Black
against it,
Heber Newton's suggestion that the
world needs a new theology naturally calls
for the commentary that if the world could
get a little more real religion, the theology
would not be worth bothering about.
The people of Dakota declare that they
do not want their States to be called by any
of the pretty names that have been sug
gested. They want to be known as North
and South Dakota, respectively. The press
of the East turns up its nose a't the taste of
this declaration; but there is no blinking
the fact that the people of Dakota have a
right to choose their own names.
TnE announcement that Mr. Barry's fol
lowers have rented Lafayette Hall for him
to speak in, shows their compliance with the
wishes of the Knights of Labor that he
should hire a hall.
The season for yarns of surprisingly dis
gusting character being open one corre
spondent tells the public that the Haytian
people kill their children and pack them up
as pork and lard; while another revives the
old story alout that dish of the epicures,
terrapin toup, being given its finest flavor
by a seasoning of negro babies' toes. This
is almost as bad as oleomargarine.
TnE report that the author of "Robert
Elsmere" is going to write a reply to her
critics indicates that she contemplates de
scending to the level of Edgar Favrcelt,
That amendment .to the rules of the
House intended to facilitate the passage of
certain measures behind which there were
large interests, has after a prolonged dead
lock gone back to the Committee on Rules.
It will not appear again until there is a bet
ter chance to secure consent to the practice
of railroading big jobs.
' The clearing house scheme to shut off
competition between the railroads turns up
again. This is the sort of peace that the
railroads have been fighting for.
The question with regard to municipal
tax liens, which is causing so much discus
sion between Senator Newmyer and the
city authorities, prompts the suggestion
that the most thorough and satisfactory
treatment of tax liens is to do what Daniel
"Webster proposed to do with the public
debt pay them off.
Two new million-dollar building associa
tions among the new Pittsburg corporations
indicate the faith of someone that there will
be considerable building this year.
A kepokt of President Lcgitime's in
auguration festivities states that so much
rum was drunk that the army had to be
called in to clear the palace. Could the
skeleton army of the United States perform
that job for AVashington, if the inaugura
tion ball should become too halcyon and
vociferous?
The ice-palace boom of the Northwest
and the advanced prices of anthracite coal
in the East are postponed on account of the
clemency of the weather.
The oil boom was knocked speechless
with surprise at the decision of the State
Supreme Court that dealing on margins is
not gambling. The market went off a frac
tion at this intimation that the learned
Judges had never got caught in a squeeze.
The fact that the marriage of Mary An
derson's brother occupied more space in the
Boston press than the Governor's message
awakens the anxious criticism of the Boston
Herald. Perhaps the greater public interest
in the first-named item of news may be ac
counted for by the fact that the chief actors
mean what they avow at least to a greater
degree than can be predicted of the expres
sions in state papers.
BITS OF PERSONAL GOSSIP.
THE beam of the Prince of Wales Is growing
very gray. Anglomaniacs in this country should
at once abandon hair dye.
The reports concerning the condition of the
King of Holland are greatly exaggerated. The
King, though ill, transacts business daily.
A SOX was born last week to General and Mrs.
A. W. Greely; the third addition to their family
since General Greely's return from Lady Frank
lin Bay.
Mme. Blavatsky, the priestess of esoteric
Buddhism, is hard at work in London manag
ing her magazine, Zue(fer,and striving to make
converts to Theosophy. ,
The late Antoine de Choudens, of Paris,
laid the foundation of his great fortune as a
music publisher by purchasing the publishing
rights in "Faust" for S400, after the work had
been almost contemptuously refused by several
firms.
Thomas A. Edison's capacity for work does
not seem to decreaso as he goes on in years.
He frequently remains at his desk until 2 or 3
o'clock in the morning, then catches a few
j hours of sleep in his office and is at his tasks
again at 8.
The Empress of Russia was more fond of
her Danish home than any other cf her sisters
and brothers, and when she was about to leave
it for Russia she wrote on the window-pane of
one of her favorite rooms at Fredensborg, "My
beloved Fredensborg, farewell."
Phesident-elect Harrison believes in
patronizing Hoosier industries. He is having
that State for use in Washington. They will
be the first carriages ever employed at the
White House which were made west of the
Alleghenies. They are to be in Washington by
the 1st of March. Genetal Harrison will also
buy his horses in Indiana.
At a recent fancy-dress ball for children at
Washington the three sons of Senator Hale
were seen as English barristers, in silk gowns,
white wigs and gold-rimmed glasses. The
daughter of Representative Henry Cabot Lodge
wore a silk brocade gown that was her grand
mother's. A great-great-grandson of Commo
dore Truxton appeared in tho uniform worn by
that officer in his great victory in 1S9S.
It has been discovered that the grave of WilL
iam Pennis in a sadly neglected condition.
There is not even a mound above it, and only a
flimsy slab of stone stuck in the ground, at tho
head or foot no one can tell which. The
Friends do not approve of the erection of elab
orate and costly monuments, but there surely
could be no objection to some more definite
and permanent marking of such an interesting
spot
TnE Emperor of Austria Is a splendid horse
man. His slender and graceful figure is well
adapted to the saddle. When riding with his
staff, he can be recognized at a distance, being
quite a conspicuous figure In the cavalcade.
Curiously enough, when a boy, he was afraid of
horses, and it required considerable persuasion
to induce him to mount the quietest of ponies.
No sooner had he, at the age of 15, begun his
military studies than he overcame his timidity,
and soon was able to perform expert feats of
horsemanship.
THE BATTLE OF THE FDTDRE.
Tho Effects of the Elimination of Noise
From the Field.
Pail Mall Gazette.
Lord Wolseley's picture of the Battle of the
Future in his review of Colonel Maurice's
article on war is remarkable chiefly because of
the confidence with which he relies upon the
elimination of noise: "One remarkable change
will be the absence of nearly all terrific noiso
which the discharge of 500 or 600 field guns
and the roar of musketry caused in all great
battles. We shall have practically no smoke
to mark the position of the enemy's batteries
and troops in action. The sound of cannon
will be slight, and will no longer indicate to
distant troops where their comrades are en
gaged or the point upon which they should
consequently march." What with smokeless
powder and noiseless artillery all our old ideas
of battle will be revolutionized. But is it not
possible that now and then, at the proper
psychological moment, a commander who sud
denly served out some of the genuine old roar
ing kind of powder might do more by the
sudden outbreak of the battio thunder to de
moralize the enemy than by the unmasking of
a whole park of artillery?
GERMAN PROHIBITIONISTS.
Tbcy Form an Organization at Chicago to
Work for Total Abstinence.
Chicapo, January 8. A National German
American Prohibition League was organized in
this city this afternoon. Its object is to create
sentiment among German-Americans in favor
of toial abstinence and of legal prohibition.
The meeting was opened with prayer by Rev.
Christian Sans, of Joliet. A constitution was
adopted and officers elected as follows:
President, Henry Ricke, of Chicago; Vice
President, Professor H. A. Fisher, of Wheaton,
111.: Professor J. H. Niz, of St. Joseph. Mien.;
Secretary, J. H. Reissman. of Madison, Wis.:
Treasurer, C J. Schultz, of Elgin. 111.
MARINE ENGINEERS.
Their Association Meets In Secret Session
at Baltimore.
Balttmoiie, January 8. The National Con
vention of Marine Eneineers met here to-day
in secret session, and will continne three days.
Delegates are present from 71 associations,
representing every Stato in the Union. The
officers of the national body are: Captain
Young, of Stillwater, Minn., President; George
Wilson, of Philadelphia, Vice President; W.
H. Harris, of Chicago, Secretary.
A NEW WAI TO Y0TE.
Senator Sherman Propose Radical Chances
in the Election of Congressmen.
Washington, January 8. A bill was intro
duced by Mr. Sherman to-day proposing numer
ous changes in the laws regulating the election
of Congressmen, provides that, after May 1,
1889, elections for representatives in Congress
shall be conducted according to the provisions
of the bill, and the Legislatures of the States
may direct the election of Presidental electors
in the same manner, the expense of the election
in such cases to be paid out of the Federal
Treasury. The bill authorizes the President to
appoint, with the apDroval of the Senate, fivo
qualified voters in each State, to bo known as
the Board of State Canvassers, and three
voters in each Congressional district to servo
as an electoral board, the appointees to hold
oSico during good behavior.
The Electoral Board of each Congressional
district shall appoint a registrar and thrco
judges, not all of the same political party, for
each election district or precinct, to hold of
fice for six years subject, however, to removal
for misconduct. The Electoral Board is given
power to increase the number of the election
precincts whenever necessary to secure a free
and fair ballot. The judge or judges at any
precinct may appoint bystanders in place of
any judgo or judges who do not report for duty
within one hour after the nnpninc of the noils.
and in case none of the three judges report, the
election may bo conducted bv any three voters
of the district who aro w Wing to act.
The Electoral Board is also directed to ap
point tlnee commissioners of election for each
county or corresponding political division,
whose duty it shall be to meet three days after
the election and ascertain from the returns the
number of votes cast for each person at tho
election. The same provision is made for filling
vacancies in the list of commissioners as is
made in tho case of election judges. Provision
is made for a complete and correct registration
of the voters, and the judges of election in
counting the votes are authorized to reject any
decided to have been fraudulently voted. The
Board of Commissioners is given power to cor
rect irregularities in.the returns of tho judges
of elections aud heavy penalties are prescribed
for offenses against tho election law.
NEW PRESIDENTAL RIGS.
Jcflersoninn Simplicity in Style, but No
Limit to Pi Ice.
Chicago, January 8 The first plum of pat
ronage secured from the incoming national ad
ministration has fallen to Indiana and Chi
cago. The son of the President-elect made a
flying visit to Chicago yesterday. In company
with a salesman this morning, Russell Harri
son inspected the swell vehicles at Studebaker
Brothers' warcrooms on Michigan avenue, and
then gave tho final instructions in regard to the
putting up of the regal rig that will grace tho
stables of the next administration.
Only those carriages which will be in imme
diate demand by the incoming President's fam
ily were ordered. Tho new rigs will be a
landau at 81,600; brougham at $1,800. Instruc
tions given are that everything shall be fur
nished as plainly as possible. No gilt trappings
cither on tho harness or carriages will bo al
lowed. The General will not have so much as
his initials penciled on tho door of tho
brougham. The landau will bo his state car
riage, and will have the regulation leather seat,
with body finished in black. Tho brougham
will have the main panel finished dark green,
with quarter panels, boot and moldings in
plain black. The gearing is to be dark green
with three stripes of black. The interior trim
mings of tho landau and brougham are to be
of green cloth and lace. Tho mountings are
ebony and silver.
Mrs. Harrison makes no request at all in re
gard to the arrangements of tho inside of her
carriages. The landnu and brougham are to
be shipped direct to Washington for use in the
inauguration. Tho above:firm, whose main fac
tories are at South Bend, has the order for
furnishing the entire Presidental stable, ft
seems that among all the numerous live stock
presents sent in general there are no two horees
alike, and son Russell is now engaged in scour
ing the State for a pretty matched team.
THE COMMISSION EVIL.
Western Rntlronds Will Agree on a Method
for Its Suppression.
Chicago, January 8. The consideration of
tlje new agreement for the government of pas
senger traffic, and rates west of Chicago will
be resumed by the general managers of the in
terested lines to-morrow. When the discus
sion of tho proposed articles of agreement was
commenced last week, some ot the managers
were wide apart on certain provisions, particu
larly those relating to commissions and mileage,
but they are now so near an understanding on
these points that is there a prospect of unani
mous action to-morrow.
Strong efforts are being made to abate tho
commission evil, as well as to put an end to the
business relations that have so long existed be
tween some of the passenger agents and scalp
ers. The majority of Western roads have al
ready notified the Eastern agents that their
commissions for January will he merely nomin
al, and that they cannot make reckless
reductions on the price of tickets
with the expectation that thoy will
still realize a profit, from the reimbursements
of the companies over whose lines the tickets
are sold.
A specific sum is named as the maximum
commission to be paid on the sale of each
ticket, and the agents warned that if they go
beyond that depth they will have to stand the
loss. The present agreement, if adopted, will
bind the roads to keep within a 'very narrow
limit in the payment of commissions.
A GOAT RUNS A TRAIN.
He Was on Top of the Cars and Forced a
Rrakcman OfTthe Trnin.
Laeamie City, January 8. The overland
fast freight train on the Union Pacific yester
day brought in tho mangled body of James
Sumner, a brakeman, who had been
thrown from the top of the train by a
goat while the train was at a high rate
of speed. The animal belonged to
a tbeatical company, and got on the train at
Chevcnne, it is supposed, from a low shed ad
joining tho water tank. After the train left
Cheyenne the goat chewed the bell cord awhile
and then drove two of the brakemen to the
caboose, whey they remained in mortal terror,
believing the animal was a wildcat.
Sumner was on the front of the tram, and had
rot seen thegoat until the latterrushedathim
full tilt. In the darkness he staggered, lost his
balance and tell from the train. His compan
ions, peenng over the top of the car, saw his
lamp go out. The train was stopped as soon
as possible and run back. Sumner's body was
found lying beside the track. His neck had
been broken. A cowboy lassoed the goat when
the train arrived here, and the Coroner or
dered him to the pound pending the inquest.
THE BEUE AND GRAY.
They March Together at tho Inauguration
of tho Florida Governor.
TALAHASSEE,January 8. Governor Fleming
was inaugurated to-day. The occasion brought
together the largest gathering of civilians and
State troops ever seen at tho capital. A
prominent feature was a colnmn of Union and
Confederate veterans, the latter including
members of the Confed6fate regiment in which
both the outgoing Governor, Perrv, and the in
coming Governor, Fleming, served.
A Happy Golden Wedding.
Special Telegram to the Dispatch.
New Castle, January 8. The golden wed
ding anniversary of H. J. Akens and wife was
celebrated here to-day in Maitland Hall, the
old couple being seated under a floral arch,
from which dangled "1839" and "18S9," the fig
ures being made of forget-me-nots and roses
entwined with ivy. Mr. Akens is nearly 70
years of age, while his motherly-lookine part
ner is five years older. Among the 159 guests
were their 6 living children, 21 grandchildren
and 2 great-grandchildren.
Bible Tracts to be Printed In Tnrklsu.
Washington, January 8. Oscar S. Straus,
United States Minister to Turkey, reports to
the Secretary of State that he has obtained of
the Grand Vizier the necessary authorization
forthc Bible house at Constantinople to print
in Turkish 35.000 Bible tracts, consisting of the
Psalms, Proverbs, the four gospels and tho
Acts.
Honeywood Married In Jnil.
Newakk, N. J., January 8. Edward F.
Honeywood, son of Lady Honeywood, of Lon
don, and who was sentenced to two years in
State prison in the Court of Special Sessions
yesterday, was married to Miss Minnie A.
Ayres at the county jail to night. Honeywood
will be taken to Trenton this week.
Bonds Tlint Hnvc Lost Value.
Washington, January 8. The First Con
troller decides that the two $500 District of
Columbia 365 per cent bonds which were stolen
and their numbers changed cannot be consid
ered genuine and are worthless for purposes of
exchange. The innocent holder must look to
the courts for redress.
A Znnesville Centenarian Dead.
Zanesville, January 8. Mrs. Sarah Jane
Sealovcr, of this city, died yesterday aged
nearly lu5 years, tehe was born in Massachu
setts. July 4, 1784, and had resided In Zanesville
over 40 years. She" was twice married and the
mother of 13 children, the oldest of whom is 78
and the youngest 42.
THE DIVINING HOD.
England Patronizing tho Dowsers llow
Pnris Was Startled a Centnry Ago
Some Curious Facts Abont tho Hazel
, Twig.
From the London Standard.:
The uso of the divining rod as an instrument
for tho discovery of underground water has
lately attracted considerable notice, partly in
consequence of the faith shown in this process
by tho Hastings Board of Guardians. Re
nouncing the resources of science, and placing
hydro-geology at a discount, these authorities
latoly invoked the aid of a "dowser," or water
diviner, to tell them where to sink a well in
order to get a supply of water for their new
workhouse. In this case, the "dowser" is a
well-known expert, one John Mullins, a water
wizard of renown, honored by tho patronage of
the nobility and clergy, and even employed, it
is said, by some of the London local authori
ties. Ho has testimonials from Lord Winchil
sea, Lord Stanhope of Sevenoaks, Lord Lee,
the Earl of Dysart. and the Bradford-on-Avon
Corporation, in addition to which a Sheffield
engineer, experienced in water works, bears
witness to the accuracy of tho results accom
plished by this man.
A short time back, one Mr John Stears. of
Hull, made a striking exhibition of the divin
ing rod before a number of witnesses from
among the North of Ireland Association of
Gas Managers, then holding a meeting at Lis
bnrn. Mr. Stears professes his ability to de
tect the presence of iron, as well as water, be
neath tho surfaco of the ground, and, in this
respect, stands distinguished from the mere
"dowser" class. He further states that if he
stands upon two china dishc3 the power no
longer manifests itself. This is held forth as
proof that electricity is concerned in the move
ment of the rod. Wo are here presented with
a somewhat unfortunate complication.
A century ago, one Bartholemy Bleton made
a great sensation in Paris by tracing a subter
ranean aqueduct in, the garden of the Luxem
burg for a distance of 15,000 yards. This be
accomplished, to all appearances, by tho mere
aid of the divining-rod. Tho power, he said,
was completely stopped if he was insulated. In
proof of this, ho stood on a stool with glasslegs,
whereupon the rod ceased to exhibit any move
ment. But, on one occasion, a shrewd observer,
one Dr. Charles, destrojed the insulation with
out Bleton being aware of the circumstance.
The apparent effect was still the same, the rod
remaining inert, although it ougnt to have
moved. By way of explanation, it was argued
that, as Bleton "thought" ho was insulated, so
tho rod answered to his condition of mind,
and served as an index to his mental
state. This desperate hypothesis might ap-
Eear to some people a mere confession that
leton was caught napping. But another mis
hap was to follow. Bleton was taken into a
church, beneath which no water could exist for
a depth of 100 feet, owing to the peculiarity of
tho structure. But Bleton professed to dis
cover, at numerous points, largo and small
streams. When this was shown to he impossi
ble, it was rcnlied that the explorer was af
fected by currents of damp air circulating in
tho cellars and vaults. 1 et this man atter
ward succeeded in discovering a number of
springs in Dauphiny, and enjoyed a considera
ble reputation. Concerning tho part which
electricity may play in affecting the divining
rod through the medium of the human body,
scientific authorities assert that the earth cur
rents are far too feeble to produce any ap
preciable effect on the human frame. This
applies not only to tho search for water, but
also lor minerals.
The circumstance that the divining-rod
shows its effects only in the bands of certain
persons, is a marked feature in the process.
There is no virtue in the wood apart from tho
human agent, and actnal experiment alone
demonstrates who is invested with the peculiar
sensitiveness requisite for producing the mjs.
terious movements. Tho persons thus quali
fied are few in number, though it is quito
likely that some possess the power who are un
conscious of the lact. An old exponent of the
art states that when exercisinir with the rli.
vining-rod it is necessary to havo the mind as
free and unembarrassed as possible. Good
animal spirits appear to be requisite. If the
operator allows himself to be distressed with
doubts as to whether he shall succeed, or per
plexes his mind with reasoning upon tho sub
ject, be is very likely to fail. Tnis is said to
account for the fact that the divining-rod fre
quently answers well in the hands of women,
untaught peasants and children. But the
highly educated are not forbidden to hope for
success, though examples of this kind seem to
be few.
One notable instance occurs in the case of
Lady Milbanke, the wife of Sir Ralph Milbanke
(afterwards Noel), and mother of Anna, tho
wife of Lord Byron. In 1772, when 19 years of
age. Lady Milbanke, being then in France, saw
a peasant use tne divining-rod in search of
water with very striking success. On laying
hold of the rod, she found, to her great surprise,
that she possessed the same power as the peas
ant. On her return to England. Lady Milbanke
put her skill to a practical purpose while stay
ing at tho residence of a nobleman in Hunt
ingdonshire. The lady of tho house was desir
ous of setting up a dairy, but there was a diffi
culty in getting a proper supply of water. On
bearing this Lady Milbanke volunteered to try
her skill as a water-diviner, and succeeded so
well that the dairy was soon established. Once,
while in another locality, after displaying her
powers out of doors, she entered a room, and
was proceeding to show the comuanv how to
hold the rod, when it suddenly moved, indi- I
eating the presence of water somewhere be
neath. An old lady, mother of the gentleman
of the bouse, said that the Voom was formed
out of an old cloister, in which was a well that
had been boarded over. On May 30, 1S06, Lady
Milbanke, with her family, paid a visit to Dr.
Button, at his bouse on Woolwich-common,
and, having duly prepared her divining rods,
proceeded to explore the grounds attached to
the doctor's dwelling. Dr. Hutton subse
quently gave his own testimony as to there
suits. He states that in places where he knew
there was water beneath the surface tho rods
turned and the twigs became twisted. Tho
spectators made trial of the divining rod, but
no effect followed.
The evidence necessary to prove that rhab-
domancy is something more than a mere fancy
or a fraud must needs be of an irrefragable
character, and of considerable amount. Noth
ing short of this can suffice to demonstrate that
a hazel stick of peculiar form, carried in the
two hands of the explorer, can, by its contor
tions, indicate the flow of subterranean water
otherwise entirely unknown. The wand, or
rod, consists of a forked twig in the form of
the letter Y. The manner of holding the rod
seems to vary with different operators. One
method is to lay hold of the extremities of the
two blanches, one in each band, the palms up
permost and tightly ilosed. tho stem of the
twig projecting in lront. When actuated, the
rod usually begins to curve upward. In some
instances the branches become twisted, so as to
rupture the bark, or even break the twig. The
Bristol operator is described as grasping the
rod firmly with both hands in the foregoing
manner. When the branches moved upward,
he said there was a spring of watpr below, and
gave an estimate of its depth from the surface.
Mr. Stears holds a limb of the V-shaped rod in
each hand, with tho apex to the front, slightly
inclining downward. According to the man
ner in which the rod moved, so he distin
guished the presence of a gas or watermain, as
well as underground drains and springs. As to
the movements of the rod, it has to be ob
served that tho two extremities are held in the
bands in so constrained a manner that a very
slight motion of tho muscles, of which the op
erator may be at the moment unconscious, is
quite sufficient to affect the position of the
wand. The musclesof the arm. and tho forked
branch itself, are in a state of tension, and the
whole position is unnatural.
It is not a little remarkable that the use of
the divining rod for the discovery of water is
of comparatively recent date. No trace of this
practice is to be found earlier than the com
mencement of the Seventeenth century.when it
was exercised in France by the Baron acd
Baroness Beausolcil. The Baron wasan eminent
mining engineer, and was ably seconded in
his scientific pursuits by his wife. Both
traveled considerably, and discovered mineral
veins in various places, as also medicinal
spiiugs. A charge of sorcery was maliciously
hromrht airainst them, and both th Itarnn
and the Baroness died in prison, one in the
Bastille and the other In Vincennes. In their
explorations the worthy pair made use of
seven rods, or else profccd to do so, in order
to conceal the means actually employed. Fifty
years later, a swarm of experts, called homines
a baguette, arose in the south of France, and
were emplojed to find spnng of water, hidden
treasures and mineral vcino, as well as to de
tect criminals, and even to discover lost land
marks, so as to settle disputes concerning
boundaries. In 1740 the Inquisition ot Romo
interposed, putting its ban on the divining rod
and all writings in support of it. At the com
mencement of the present century numerous
water diviners appeared in Italy. One of these
was Campetti, a young peasant from the Lago
di Garda. who became so celebrated, that in
1806, he was called to Munich, for the purpose
of undergoing a scientific examination.
Coming down to a more recent period, we
find the divining-rod adapting itself to circum
stances by lending its aid to tho discovery of
mineral oil in Pennsylvania, the experts being
termed "oil smellers." Within the last seven
years, snveral diviners of this description havo
been practising in the oil region, and numerous
petroleum wells have, from first to last been
opened under such auspices. NoJess matter of
fact is the circumstance that Mr. Charles Lati
mer, a well-known engineer having charge of
several important railways In the United States.
has testified in a most unqualified manner to
the virtues of the divining-rod as revealing the
position and depth of subterranean water
courses. Mr. Latimer elaborated a theory con
necting the operation with electricity, and
claimed to have discovered certain Important
laws which govern it.
The virtues of the divining-rod in one form or
another, were believed in for ages, but in a les
ser degree as scientific knowledge became more
widely diffused. Tho magicians of ancient
Egypt had their rods, with which they endeav
ored to counterfeit the miracle of Aaron.
The superstitious use of a divining-staff
is mentioned by Hosea. Classic history
has its examples, as in the wand of
Mercury. Even the scepter of Mon
archs is supposed to have sprung from
the same source as the divining rod. The belief
in the mystic power of the rod is now reduced
mainly to the search for water, though not
wholly so, as we see in tho caso of Mr. Stears,
who claims to distinguish iron as well as water.
More than one theory has been broached in
order to place the operations on a scientific
basis. Among others Dr. Rossiter Raymond,
of New York, who has read a paper on the sub-
i"ect before the American Instituto of Mining
Engineers, goes Into the question at great
length. Summing up the evidence, he inclines
to the theory that some persons are peculiarly
sensitive to damp and cold, and that the pres
ence of water beneath the surface of the
f round may affect them in a peculiar manner,
u support of this view he refers to the state
ment of the Abbe Ameretti, the member of a
family containing several water-diviners, who
says that the sensation experienced by the hold
er of the divining rod is one of "heat or cold."
Perhaps many will be disposed to take refuge
in tho conclusion of Faraday and other scien
tists that the phenomena of the divining rod
are no more to be relied upon than those of
tablo turning, and aro simply "tho result of
mental influences wrongly directed." Tho
phrase admits of a sufficiently wide interpre
tation. REAL ESTATE IX NEW YORK.
The Present Vnlnnlion of Property nnd That
of Past Years Compared.
Howard in the Boston Globe.J
A glance at the narrow strip of land on which
New York is built will suggest at onco the wit
and wisdom of men who a few generations
hack put their thousands into real estate, so
that millions are the portion of their heirs to
day. For instance, in tho year 1805, the earliest
period to which the tabulated statements of
property valuations in the Controller's office
refer, tho total assessed value of real estate ip
this city was $25,845,808. or $1,577,173,0H less than
for the present year. The realty values in
creased over 63 times their previously assessed
figures in 83 years.
In the year 18i) the roal estate valuations
were $101,160,048, which was an increase over
the valuations returned in 1S05 of about SOU per
cent.
The records of the tax commissioners' office
during tho ensuing years show that there was
a very even and steady advance in tho values of
city realty.
In 1S50 tho assessed valuations footed up
S2S6.161.818. This showed a slight falling off in
the upward movement, as the percentage for
the 25 years, 1825 to 1350, was onlv 182.
In the decade ending with I860 the advance
was not so well marked. Tho assessed valua
tions of that year were $398,533,619, a rate of in
crease of 30 per cent.
Then came the War of the Rebellion, with its
many uncertainties and drawbacks, but in 1870
the real estate assessments aggregated $742,
202,525, an increase over I860 of about 80 per
cent.
The financial panic of 1873 had a prejudicial
effect on the real estate market, and, with other
adverse conditions assisting, the total assessed
valuations were increased in 1S80 onlv about
8200,000,000. They then amounted to $912,571,690,
an increase of 26 per cent in ten years, working
ud In 1883 to the stupendous showing of $1,302,
818,879. AMONG THE ABORIGINES.
A Daughter of Joe Howard Devotes Her
Life to a Noble Canse.
Special Telegram to the Dispatch.
Washington. January 8. Secretary Vilas
has made an allowance of $600 a year out of tho
appropriation for tho Indian bureau in aid of a
civilizing agency established and thus far car
ried on at her own expense by Miss Grace
Howard, of New York, a daughter of the well
known writer, Joe Howard, Jr. Miss Howard
was reared in elegance, and not long ago the
marriage of her sister to a wealthy Cuban was
one of tho swell society events. But Miss How
ard's enthusiasm for the aborigines induced
her to go to Dakota ana devote herself to
teacntng tne Sioux how to live.
In the spring of 1887, Secretary Lamar gave
ber permission to build a houso near the Crow
Creek agency, and there for nearly two years
she has lived and taught Indian women how to
cook an 1 sew and take care of their children
and give their primitive houses some of the
elements of civilization. The Indian men also
came to her house for instruction in the arts
and manners of the white people.
AN OLD SWINDLE.
Tho Ulan With the Bogus Check Again on
His Round.
Louisville, January 8. W. M. Hollis, a boy
who had saved $210 to attend commercial col
lege, paid it to a stranger on a bogus check for
$1,750. The stranger pretended that he was
conveying his brother's remains to Lexington,
where Hollis intended to attend school. He
told Hollis be had not time to go to the bank
to have the check cashed as his train was about
leaving, but Hollis could get the cash and pay
uvc iud uaiaucu auove iue ciu wnen no ar
rived there for school. Tho same sharp swin
dled another man out of $100 in the same way.
Anything for a Change. ,
From the New York Sun.3
The expenditure of German energy In watch
ing France and Russia is but slightly dimin
ished by the prosecution of German designs in
Samoa and East Africa. But oven the least
diversion of thought toward savage countries
is calculated to give r.elief from a strain that
has become almost intolerable.
The Effect it Will Have.
From the Chicago News.
If this talk about a colored man getting a
place in the new Cabinet continues much
longer some of the white aspirants for positions
of that sort will disguise themselves with
burnt cork and go to work with renewed vigor.
Flag" Fir From the New York City Hall.
Special Telegram to the Dispatcn.
New York, January 8. Mayor Grant bad
flags flying from the City Hall all day, because
to-day is the seventy-fourth anniversary of the
battio of New Orleans.
A New Industry.
From the New Tort World.!
After tho electric sugar refining exploit
would it not be possible now to organize a com
pany here to chop up rainbows and peddle them
out as a substitute for aniline dyes?
JENNY O'BRIEN.
Oh, Jenny O'Brien, It's out here I'm slzhln', wnile
yure In there spinning a gown an' a song.
An' the cowld winds is screechin' and, be me
sowl. reachln' to grab at me heart, where the
cowld don't belong!
For you are a part or the heart In the breast of
me -you, wld yure warm, cosy, meltlu'
swate ways I
An' that's why I sigh for you; that's why I'd die
for you,
JENNY.
Be off out o' that. Mister Tim, if yon plaze 1
Swate Jenny O'Brien, you'll soon have me
cryln' cowld winds an' cowld words is too
much at a time.
An' thin you'll be sorry that yon didn't borry
some tlndercr words, upon which I could
climb
Bight up to the place where vnre May-mornin'
face would make a good Christian of any
wild Turk,
An' yure blue Irish eyes, dear like gems in the
blue skies, dear
JENNY.
Away wld you, Tim, an' lave me to me work!
Dear Jenny O'Brien, for you I'll he lyln' as cowld
as the ghost of a ghost, pretty soon;
For, in spite of my pl'adln'. an' tne heart of me
bladin, you sit there a spinnln' yure gown
an' yure cliunc!
Can't you tell be the tones of me, dear, how the
bones of me rattle and squ'rkc wld the love
an' the frost?
Ahl she knows I adore her but the county's
before her
JENNY.
Come in, Tim, an' find what I'm sure I have lost.
Oh, Jenny O'Brien, you've saved me from dyln'I
I'm as limp as a rag that's been hung out to
dry!
Swate Jenny O'Brien, wld you Bl be flyln' to the
priest la the morn, when the sun's in the
sky!
Pat yure arm round me neck I'm that wake that
a peck from a lackdaw would slnd, 'twixt a
lie an' a wink,
Me poor sowl up above. But you 'lost aomethln',
love?
JINNY.
'Twas me heart, Thnmy dear, bat I've found it
I think.
John Ernest McCann in the Sew York Sun.
COMPREHENSIVE AND COMPLETE.
A Marvel of Progressive Prosperity Advice
to Ibr Rending Public.
From the Lancaster New Era.
With all the pretensions of the metropolitan
dallies, there is a modest newspaper published
fn Pittsburg that can justly claim to te the
peer of any of them in all that constitutes a
real newspaper. Its liberal enterprise in gather
ing the'freshest news reaches out in every di
rection, and Is comprehensive and complete.
It is edited with marked ability and discrim
inating judgment, and is fearless in the ex
pression of its opinions on all public questions.
The Dispatch has been a marvel of pro
gressive prosperity. Many years ago, when an
old friend, J. Heron Foster, was one of the
editors and publishers, on the occasion of our
first visit to the "Iron City," we were much in
terested In what was going on in The Dis
patch pressroom. Mr. Bullock was then ex
perimenting with his first Webb Perfecting
press, and what he then proposed to accomplish,
and afterward did accomplish, strnck the
average printer of that day as something in
credible. The Dispatch was then a success
in its way, but if its founders could to-day look
in on its complete duplicate plant, located in
different buildings, and figure over the receipts
and expenditures, and the handsome annual re
turns to its owners, they would be amazed at
the exhibit. Good as it has been in the past,
the publishers express the determination to
still improve upon themselves during the cur
rent year. Several specialties have been
secured, regardless of cost, not the least of
which is a brilliant cable correspondence. Any
of our readers desiring a first-class journal
from Western Pennsylvania can make no mis
take in subscribing for The Dispatch.
SOCIAL EVENTS OP A DAY.
Weddings nnd Receptions Thnt Enlivened
January's Second Tuesday.
Miss Olga L Freudenbcrg. the handsome
daughter of J. Freudenberg, was quietly mar
ried to H. J. Fendner, a prominent business
man of Washington, D. C, at 7 p. jr. yesterday.
The ceremony was performed 3t the house of
and by Rev. F. Ruoff. of the First German
Protestant Church, Smithfield street. A select
party of friends and relatives attendedthe re
ception during the afternoon at the residence
of the bride.
Among, these were the following: Miss A.
Eckert, Mrs. O'Brien, Mr. A. Simmens, Mrs.
Temme and Miss Temrae, Mr. F. Dilbur, Dr.
King, Miss Seibert, Miss Agnes Menkedick,
Mr. George Wahl. Mr. Leslie Ray, Mis3 E.
Menkedick, Miss Blanche Schwartz, Miss Ella
Temme, Miss A. and S. Freudenberg.
The happy couple were the recipients of
manv elegant and costly presents. Thev de
parted at 850 P. jl, via the Baltimore and Ohio,
lor an extended wedding trip through Western
cities. On their return they will settle in
Washington.
AT GLEN CARQUB.
Miss Pltcairn Gave n Delightful Card Party
Last Evening.
Miss Pltcairn gave a delightful card party at
her home, "Glen Carque," on Ambcrson ave
nue, last evening. Thirty-two young people
were present, and eight tables were kept filled
during the evening. Euchre was the favorite
game. The winners were awarded handsome
favors.
At 11 o'clock the tables were removed and a
collation "was served. Dancing and other
amusements were then indulged in.
Johns Johnson.
Mr. Hepburn Johns, of The Dispatch
editorial staff, and Mrs. Bird D.Johnson, of
Edgeworth, were quietly married yesterday
morning by Rev. Dr. James Allison at the resi
dence of the bride's mother, Mrs. John Dick
son, widow of the late Dr. John Dickson. Mr.
Johns is tho son of Rev. B. G. Johns, of Wood
mancotc, England. The happy couple left for
a tour of Chicago and other Western cities.
Presentation tj a Popular Sinn.
W. B. Johnston, the popular agent of tho
Wells Fargo Express Company, was the re
cipient of a handsome Dunlap silk hat from the
employes of his company on the occasion of his
twenty-sixth birthday yesterday, as a token of
respect. Mr. Johnston responded with thanks.
ana nopea tnat tne gooa reeling wnicn nau
prevailed daring his administration might con
tinue as long as they remained In his employ.
Mrs. Sewcll's Reception.
Mrs. W. R. Sewell gave a select reception to
a few of her friends at her residence, No. 7
Beech street, last evening. The parlors of the
house were beautifully decorated with flowers
and a banquet was served by the hostess.
IT WORKS YERY WELL.
Indiana Democrats Pleased With tho Aus
tralian Yotlng System.
Special Telerrara to the DlsDatch.
Indianapolis, January 8. Just to see how
it works, tho Hendricks Club, Indiana's lead
ing Democratic organization, at its annual
election to-night, tried the Australian system of
voting, and the supporters of the successful
ticket liked it so well that they passed a reso
lution indorsing it, with the recommendation
that a bill embracing similar regulations of
voting should be adopted by the General As
sembly for the government of Indiana elec
tions. THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT.
Brooklyn Street Car Compnnles Sny They
Mast Meet Their Competition.
Special Telegram to the Dispatch.
Bbooklyn, N. Y., January 8. The car con
ductors and drivers of tho surface roads in this
city have not yet reached a decision on the
question of pressing their demands for fewer
trips. The companies have decided not to yield,
as, owing to the competition of the elevated
roads, the loss under the new schedule would
be 8100,000 a year.
The conservative men in the Car Drivers' As
sembly do not want to strike. They are in the
minority, however.
Hope for Heiresses.
From the Vienna Weekly Mews.
Heiresses, or other rich independent ladies
(or gentlemen) may hear of a highly respect
able scheme to have their names brought un
der the prominent notice of royalty, in fact, of
all European courts. Amount required, 6,000
which will be partially secured. Undeniable
references given, e:c. The amount is as secure
as in the Bank of England, and 4 per cent
yearly interest will be punctually paid on loan
advanced. Address Posto Restante, Ungar,
Prodersdorf, Austria.
Ambitions Dakota.
From the Chicago News.3
The people of Dakota are boasting that the
peach trees in that Territory are nearly ready
to bloom. Dakota is ambitions to be known as
as a land flowing with peach and honey.
ne Profits by the Weather.
From tho Chicago News.
To and fro the iceman's gofng
All through the winter long and drear.
And ever with joy his soul's o'erflowing
He's selling the lec of yester-year.
WONDERS OP THE SEA.
The sea occupies three-fifths of the earth's
surface.
A mile down the water has a pressure of a
ton to tho sqare iuch.
It has been proven that at the depth of 3,500
feet waves aro not felt.
AT some places the force ot the sea dashing
upon the rocks on the shore is said to De 17 tons
to the square yard.
The temperature is the same, varying only a
trifle from the ice of the pole to the burning
sun of the equator.
The water is colder at tho bottom than at
the surface. In the many bays on the coa-t of
Norway the water often freezes at tho bottom
before it does above.
If a box six feet deep were filled with sea
water, and the water allowed to evaporate in
the sun, there would be two inches nf suit left
at the bottom. Taking the average depth of
the ocean to be three mites, there would be a
layer of pure salt 230 feet thick on the
Atlantic
Waves are very deceptive; to look at them
in a storm one would think tho whole water
traveled. The water stays in the same place,
but the motion goes on. Sometimes in storms
these waves are 40 feet high and travel 50 miles
an hour more than twice as fast as the swift
est steamer. Tne distance from valley to val
ley is generally 15 times the beigbt; hence, a
wave five feet high will extend over 75 feet of
water.
CUKI0CS CONDENSATIONS.-
A curiosity in Wallingford, Conn., is a
dog with three tails. V.
Last year 302 vessels, nearly all of steel,
were built on the Clyde.
The weather was so mild and the ground
so soft that farmers in Middletown town
ship. Monmouth county, N. J., plowed their
fields last week.
A Milwaukee man, who charges the
barber at the rate of a dollar an hour for time
spent in waiting for his turn, generally comes
out even at the end of the year.
Persons sending postal cards and who
write upon the address side of them "in haste"
or other words unconnected with their delivery
subject them to letter postage, and they are
held as unmailable.
There are in South Carolina 15,000
whites who cannot read or write, an equal
number in Tenneweo, 20,000 in Georgia, 20,000
in Alabama, 15,000 in Mississippi, 20.000 in
Lonisiana, 20,000 in North Carolina, and 25,000
in Virginia.
Crows have become so numerons in
Maine that it is estimated that they cost tho
State $100,009 in corn,potatoe-,ynungcbickens,
fruit, grain and the like. The next Legislature
will be asked to pass a law giving a bounty ot
10 cents for every dead crow.
The chair in which Governor Clinton
sat when tho first meeting of the New York
Legislature was held in Kingston, in 1777, is
owned by a physician, of Athens, N. Y. It is in
an excellent stato of preservation, and looks as
though it would last for a hundred or more
years to come.
On a mountain in Alpine county, Cali
fornia, during a thunder storm the lightning
struck a pine tree, followed it down into tho
ground nnd immediately there burst forth a
linllianrtire. which has continued to burn ever
since. It is believed the lightning ignited a bed
of coal, which is now feeding flame.
Miss Mary Maccribbin, who died at
Washington tho other day. nearly 100 years old,
used to say that she had seen every President
from Georgo Washington to Grover Cleveland.
She was living in Baltimore m 1812. and saw
tho bombardment of Fort McIIenry. She
knew well John Howard Payne, the author of
"Home, Sweet Home," and witnessed his first
appearance on the stage at Baltimore. She
went to Washington first in 1S2I. and it took 13
nours oy stage.
The town of Arroyo Grande is on the
boundary line between Arizona and Mexico, a
fact which enables the topers to work an old
game. They step into a saloon on the Arizona
side and ak for a drink, laying down an Amer
ican dollar. The chances are that the bar
tender will give them a Mexican dollar in
change.it being worth only 90 cents. Then
they strike a saloon on the Mexican side, and
tender the Mexican dollar for a drink, getting
an American dollar for change, which in this
case is worth only SO cents.
The farmers aronnd Elberton, Ga.,
know the worth of persimmons, and for years
have made it a point never to cut down a per
simmon tree. In places so many, trees have
been left standing that the fields look like or
chards; and indeed they are, persimmon or
chards, the trees of which bear fine crops of
fruit almost as valuable as corn for fattening
hogs. Tho farmers say that the persimmon
tree draws hut little strength or moisture from
the soil, and that excellent crops ara growr
even beneath their shade.
Probably the oldest timber in the world,
which has been subjected to the use of man, is
that fonnd in the ancient temple of Egypt, in
connection with stonework, which is known to
be at least 4,000 years old. This, the only wood
used in the construction of the temple, is in the
form of ties, holding the end of one stone to
another. When two blocks were laid rn placo
an excavation about an inch deep was made in
in each block, m which a- tie. shaped like an ,
hour-glass, was driven. It is, therefore, very,
difficult to force any stone from its position.1
The ties appear to have been of the timarisk ort
Shittim . wood, of which the ark was con
structed. Here is an effective handbill which is
being distributed in Leicestershire, Eng.:
"Englishmen Read! During the 50 years of
Victoria's reign 1.225.000 Irishmen have died of
famine! 3,668,000 Irishme.i have been evicted!
4,186,000 Irishmen have emigrated, been obliged
to leave Ireland! This means 40O per weekdied"
of famine. 1,400 per week evicted. 1,800 per week
emigrated! Men of Leicestershire, do you
ri ilize that 1.255.000 souls is a number equal to
ten times the present population of your
county town Leicester. Can you wonder Ire
land's bitter wrongs cry aloud to you for re
dress?' The plant from which the Chinese and
Japanese obtain the tea is called by botanists
( Thea behea. It is a small evergreen tree or
shrub, closely allied to the camelia indeed one
of the latter, called warratah, is also said to
f Ornish a certain class of tea. The bush of the
genuine tea plant grows from three to six feet
high, bushy, branches numerous, leafy. Tho
young shoots, finely silky, are evergreen. Tho
flowers are white and not unlike the myrtle,
but longer and usually two together; the an
thers and stigma are yellow: in flower in August
and September in it native country. It was
first introduced into British gardens in 176JL
The black and green teas, as we obtain them.f
depend for their color upon the process of dry-J
ing. Very young leaves and shoots give the'
finest tea.
A gentleman residing in Bridgeport,
Conn., is the owner of a remarkable dog. The
dog attacked the family cat in the house and
was driven out fn the rain. He remained out-'
side for some time whining piteously to he al
lowed to come in. but no attention was paid to
his appeal. Seeing no relief from that quarter,
the dog proceeded to the hen coop, where tho
fowls had sought shelter. The animal at once
drove out the fowls, and soon had the coop
empty. He next proceeded to a basket in tho
coop, which contained two china eggx and one
real egg freshly laid. Taking the genuine eg2i
In his mouth be carried it to the house and de
posited it on the ground outside the window in
full view of those inside. He then returned to
the coop and kicked the china eggs into a cor
ner and laid down in the basket. His actions '
had been watched with interest by those inside,
and the honewifo came oat and. lifting tho
dog from the basket, allowed the fowls to re
enter the coop. She carried the dog inside and
rewarded bun with a large piece of meat for
his remarkable display of intelligence.
JUST FOR FUN.
Young Bob was found by his father sob
bing in a corner.
'What's the matter youngster?" he asked.
'Why, pop," blubbered the boy, "I've got a
nickel, and there Isn't any slot around hereto
drop It In." Chicago A'acs.
Signs of Greatness Mrs. Hopeful Is my
boy Improving any?
Professor of l'cnmanship-He Is getting worse..
His writing is now so bad no living soul can
read It.
"How lovely! Tho darling! He'll he a great
author some day" Aew Xorle IVeeklij.
A Safe Arransrement Tenant (to Harlem
landIord)-Isay, Mr. Earth, them chandeliers in
mv flat rattle like the deuce, and every night
when I sit down under one of them 1 feel as
though Imlght get myself all smashed up. What's
he-it to be done about It?
Landlord (thoughtfully) Well, I don't know.
What's the matter with not sitting under them?
i'tio York Sun.
Heroe3 of the Hour Brother (to sister)
1 sty, sis, I want to introduce to you a particular
friend of mice; he Is a swell and a great clubman.
Sister (whispers back) Oh. don't. Jack; yon
know bow detest these silly club men. What
club does he belong to?
Mrother-Tbe New York Baseball Club.
Sister Oh, Introduce him at once. I shall be
delighted to me him, Epoch.
Fired Love Poet (reading from manu
script) "'Twas she who awakened his passion
and fired his love."
Friend -Hold on, there; you've got a mUtake la
the last line.
1'oet-IIave I?
Friend Yes, yon say: "Fired his love." It's
generally the lover wjo is a red, as 1 know from -sad
experience. Taintee Blade.
An Undesirable Suitor Young Widow
Yes, It is true. Mr. Slowrellow has been very at
tentive to me lately, and he is certainly very In
teresting. So you used to know him?
Friend-Yes indeed. Knew him and his first
wife, too. He courted her nine yeara before
marrying her. '
Waiting Mild-Mr. Slowfelkjw Is in the parlor,
mum.
Young Widow (savagely)-Not at home.
Something Cheaper Than Canvas Backs
Vr. Youngwlfe to her butcher-We are going to
have company to-day, and 1 should like a Uttlo
game. What have you got?
Kutcher Aothlug Is in season now but canvas .
back ducks, ma'm. Shall I send you a pair?
Mrs. Youngwile-Ucar me! I am afraid canvas
backs wonld be too expensive. Can't you let me-
have some with plain drilling orevea cheese cloth .
a
SHE SCORED ONE.
Quoth he: "You are my liftf dear girl,
Consent my wife to be."
'I cannot, George." she quIcVly returned, .
Thelawiorblds, you 6ee.V '
The law forbids!" he gasped. "Yes, George,"
She playfully replied,
"If yon should take TJurUfe,' of coarse.
You'd be a uicldo.i. -Xonkcrs Gtutttt;
I
ruf