V..' . .
wife
HENRY A. r ARSONS, J., Editor akd Publisher.
ELK COUNTY THIS RliPUIiLlCAN VA It T Y.
Two Dollars ier An sum.
VOL. IT.
RIDGWAY, PA,. THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1872.
NO. 18,
po et n r.
now loxu t
BT LOriSK CnANltl.KR MOrtTON.
If on my grsvc the Summer grass woro growing,
Or heedless Winter winds across It Mowing,
Through joyous June or d.solate Decembor,
IIo w long, sweetheart, how long would von rcraoraber
How long, dear love, how long ?
For brightest eyes would open to the Summer,
And iweeteBt smiles would greet the swoot now-comcr.
And on young lips grow kisses for the taking.
When all the Summer buds to bloom are breaking
How long, dear love, how long T
To tho dim land where sad-eyed ghosts walk only,
Where lips are cold, and waiting henrts are lonely,
I would not call yon from your youth's warm blisses,
Flu up your glass and crown It with uew kisses-
How long, doar o o, bow long f
Too gay. In June, you might be to regret mo.
And living Hps might woo you to forget me ;
But ah, sweetheart, I think you would rcmenihor
When winds were weary In your life's Dacomber
So long, dear love, so long.
Til IS S TOR Y- TELLER.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH BEDOUIN
HIGHWAYMEN.
Shortly niter tho return of tho great
annual pilgrim-caravan from Mecca to
Bagdad, in 1805, Asiatic cholera broke
out among the population of tho latter
city with such virulence, that young
ana old, male ana leinalc, both native
anil foreign, whosoever could muster a
tent, an awning, or,a few yards of mat
ting to improvise a tent therewith, hur
riedly packed up a few indispensablo
requisites for a temporary encampment
outsido of tho city walls, and betook
themselves in hot hasto to some suitable
spot in tho desert which surrounds the
" City of tho Caliphs," and whore they
encamped themselves, and remained
until the dire epidemic had passed away
in tho city.
Thoso of Asiatic nationality pitched
their tents mostly in and around tho
wretched little village of Carara, situated
it few miles below Bagdad, on tho left
bank of the stately river Tigris, while
t ho European residents (there were no
Americans in Bagdad), about twenty in
number, all told, selected the site of the
famous defunct city of Ctesiphon, about
twenty miles below liagrtau, ana also
located on the left bank of tho Tigris,
as their camping-ground.
Our little camp, composed of about
twenty largo and comfortable tents, pre
sented quite a cheerful aspect, notwith
standing the monotonous scenery of its
surroundings, with its lively European
population, attended by numerous native
servants, and possessed of over thirty
splendid Arab horses, picketed in a Hue
in the centre of the cosy camp, on which
animals v,'e made daily promenades and
hunting excursions in the neighborhood.
Owing to the circumstance that the
arid plains all around us were utterly
uninhabited by man, we were compelled
to get all our supples, barring game or
tish, from Bagdad or its suburbs.
A few days after pitching our tents at
Seliman lihug (Garden of Seliman, or
Soliman), an utterly desolate locality
now, but said to have formerly been a
magnificent garden, tho two Arab ser
vants employed by us to purchase and
convey tho daily supplies above spoken
of to our camp, returned several times,
at irregular intervals, a few hours after
their departure, without either tho
money given them to pay for tho sup
plies they were sent to buy, orthe goods,
urging every time tho plea that they
had been waylaid, surprised, and robbed
of the money with which they had been
intrusted, by a gang of five marauding
Bedouins on horseback, who, as they as
serted, were continually prowling about
Casseba, a locality situated about half
waj4 between our camping-ground and
the mouth of the Diyala, a river which
joins tho Tigris just half-way between
the ruins of Ctesiphon and the city of
Bagdad. Densely covered with bushes
on both Bides of the tortuous road, or,
rather, footpath, and uninhabited by
man, that district affords a capital hiding-place
for highwaymen.
The men were never attacked when
on their way back to the camp, but in
variably on their way to town namely,
when they had tlio cash in their posses
sion, and tho robbers relieved them of
tho money only, as both donkeys, which
ocoompanied tho men for the purpose of
carrying tho goods, were branded on
their haunches, and would, moreover,
have only been an impediment to the
robbers in case of pursuit the animals
were also old and almost valueless,
though they constituted all tho worldly
riches of tho two poor devil?, whose
scanty and tattered garments were not
l'!,r(ily t iiicito tho cupidity of jfce gang.
As both fellows were notorious in
camp for telling lies, and tho proverb,
" There is but little difference between
a liar and a thief," is also known in
Mesopotamia, wo suspected that tho two
fellows either pocketed tho money them
selves, or that they were in league with
the highwaymen, allowing themselves
to be robbed by the latter for the pur
pose of getting thpir share of tho plun
der afterward.
In less than a month more than one
thousand Turkish piastres (about forty--five
dollars) of our money disappeared
in this way ; but the loss of the specie
was not as aggravating as our being
obliged to dispense with groceries and
vegetables, often for days, to the great
discomfort of the ladies and children in
camp, who preferred vegetable to ani
mal diet. (A characteristic of European
life in Arabia and Mesopotamia.)
It was theruforo resolved that every
duv three of our vounir men, well
iiibunted nji4 armed, should escort the
two Arab iiorvanU as jar as the tnyaia,
beyond which river there was uo danger
of an attack.
Btrango to say, the escort never saw
or met with any suspicious characters on
the road, but the first time the throe
young men staid at honie, the Arabs, re
turned with Jong facps, and minus our
money, of course. This bo exasperated
overybody iu camp, that we vowed ven
geance, and resolved to " spot the aas-
' vagabonds.
sent by Providcnco to exculpate
tils' two fellow-countrymen on whom our
grave suspicions rented, an unknown
Arab made his appearance in camp about
Funset of that very day, nearly naked,
and apparently greatly frightened and
exhausted. After having seized and
kissed the hands (tho customary way of
introducing oneself, as well as of claim
ing protection, Tiniong tho Arabs) of the
first party he met on the outskirts of our
camp, who happened to bo Mr. B , a
young countryman of mine, speaking
and writing the Arabio language as well
as any native Arab, the stranger told
him that ho camo from Bagdad, and was
returning to Azizia a small town on the
left bank of the Tigris, about thirty-six
miles below our camping-ground but
that ho had been pounced upon in he
bushes of CaRseba by five ruffians, who
relieved him of a young bay mare, sad
dled and bridled, a woolen blanket, a
sword, two pistols, and a email amount
of money, together with all his wearing
apparel excepting a pair of old trowsers,
which the villains left him for decency's
sake, lie begged hard to be allowed to
spend tho night in camp, as he was hun
gry, thirsty, and exhausted, and as ho
bore the looks of a man who spoke the
truth, his request was granted, with tho
proviso, however, that ho was not to
leavo our camp before daylight tho next
morning, which he promised faithfully.
Hereupon ho was properly cared for by
his fellow-countrymen in camp, and
after refreshing himself a little, he pro
ceeded to describe the live highwaymen
who had robbed him, and his description
of these worthies corresponded minutely
with that given by our two donkey
drivers. Though there was every appearance
of truth in his story, thero were men in
camp who were too well acquainted with
tho character of tho notives of the coun
try in general, and Bedouin tricks in
particular, to put much confidence in it ;
on tho contrary, they suspected the
stanger of being an accomplice of the
highwaymen, sent into camp as a spy,
or .for tho purpose of robbery.
It was thought advisable, however, not
to show any suspicion, aud to treat him
ostensibly as tho victim of robbers, but
in reality all his movements were to be
.closely watched by, the shrewd " Aghels"
(camp-watchmen), in whose tent he was
to spend the night, and who had been
made responsible for his safo-kecping,
and had received strict orders to shoot
him if he attempted to leavo tho camp
before sunrise.
Previous to our retiring to rest, it
was agreed that he should bo provided
with a donkey in the nioming, and that
ho should proceed with one of our two
donkey-drivers to Bagdad, for which
journey wo offered to pay him two hun
dred piastres (about nine dollars) in case
of his being attacked again in tho neigh
borhood of Casseba, to which he agreed.
After this arrangement was concluded,
everybody in camp retired to rest except
tho " Aghels," who kept an unusually
vigilant look out that night ; but the
stranger slept soundly, and had to be
awakened in the morning.
Soon after sunrise the two men
mounted their donkeys, and proceeded
toward Bagdad, provided with the regu
lar amount of money, to buy provisions
therewith.
Scarcely, however, were they out of
sight of our camp when a busy bustle
suddenly pervaded the latter ; horses
were hastily saddled and bridled, rifles
and revolvers examined and loaded, and
ten minutes later, six horsemen stole out
of camp toward Casseba, not on tho
Arabs' track, however, but by a circui
tous route, and hidden from one by the
long rango of high mounds which con
stitute now oil that is left of the ruins
of Seliman Bhag and Ctesiphon, thus
(uccessf'ully evading detection on the
part of our two Arabs, as well as of
anybody else who might be on tho other
side of tho plain intersected by the
mounds.
On account of the wide circuit which
we had to take, we were compelled to
fall into- a brisk paco, so that wo might
reach Casseba beforo tho Arabs, who,
tho reader will readily perceive, were,
unbeknown to themselves, to servo us as
decoy-ducks, to use a sporting term.
About two miles abovo " Taak Kesra"
(Palace of Kesra, Khusru, or Kosroes I.,
a famous Persian king of the Sassanide
dynasty, who is supposed to have built
the magnificent palace, the gigantic
ruins of which still tower high above
tho ruins of ancient Ctesiphon, about
tho year 550 A. D.), at a spot where the
regular road or path to Bagdad passes
through a sort of defile or cutting, in
one of the enormous mud-walls or
mounds, we saw the two Ar'Vh,3 slowly
disappear among the bushes which cover
that portion of tho plain closest to the
river-bank.
No sooner had the two men, utterly
unconscious of being followed by us,
disappeared among the brushwood, than
our little baud divided into two detach
ments of three men each. One of the
parties followed up the course of the
nyer, cautiously stealing through the
bushes along the bank, while thp other
continued to, advance along the base of
the mounds to the uttermost end theroof ;
and it was agreed that both parties
should bo procoed, until they should hear
the report of firearms, when they were
to dash out of their concoalment, and
endeavor to capture the highwaynien, or
elso shoot them.
Friend J and myself enlisted in
tho latter party, who reached the ter
minus of the mounds about half an hour
after separating from our companions.
Immediately after arriving at our place
of destination, we dismounted, and
climbed the mound for the purpose of
reconnoitring, a large tun of grass grow
ing on the top of the mound affording: a
capital sgreerf for our faces. The w))ole
bushy portion of the plain lay like a
mammoth chart at our feet, and every
object thereon was distinctly visible
from our elevated position ; moreover,
we ha4 the advantage pf liaying the gun
behind us.
At first, we could see no human beings
on the plain, except the two Arabs jog
ging slowly on, one behind the other, on
account of the narrowness of the path
in that locality, which wound like a ser
pent through the low bushes. They
were at a distanoo of barely six hundred
yards to tho left of us, riding rather
slowly, as if they neither know of, nor
cared for, tho dangerous character of tho
locality.
Presently we saw them battering their
lazy donkeys' sides with the heels of their
baro feet, and even heard them yelling
in tho usual way of the natives of that
region wlien urging a donkey to great
er speed, an indiscretion which took us
by surprise, as both of them must have
been fully aware that it was quite
against all rules of caution to mako much
noise in that neighborhood.
The sound of the human voice brought
about a slight change iu the tableau
beforo our eyes, for, to our great excite
ment, we noticed a faint commotion in
the dense tuft of bushes scarcely two
hundred yards ahead of tho two travel
lers, and about a hundred yards to the
left of their path.
We distinctly saw the swarthy figure
of a Bedouin, as his costume denoted him
to be, mount a black horse, and, rising
in the stirrups, stretch his neck, and scan
tho country all round over the top of the
bushes. After remaining about half a
minute in this position, ha nimbly dis
mounted, and, hurriedly leading his
steed by tho bridle, disappeared in the
taller bushes about ono hundred yards
further on.
Almost simultaneously we had the
unspeakable pleasure of spying the
smooth, boyish face of our tall young
friend W , as well as the red " tar
bush" or "fez" (Turkish skull-cap) of
K , tho young man previously re
ferred to as thoroughly conversant with
tho Arabio language peeping cautiously
over tho bushes, not more than two hun
dred yards from the spot where tho sus
pected individual had disappeared from
our view. They appeared to be unaware
of tho whereabouts of our two Arabs,
and quite unconscious of the presence of
others.
Nearer and nearer to tho dangerous
spot advanced the two travellers on don
keys' back. Gladly would we have
stopped to see the vagabonds in the bush
pounce upon tho two unsuspecting poor
fellows, but wo had lingered too long
already on the mound, aud expected
every minute to see tho danco begin.
We thereforo hurried down, vaulted into
the saddle, got ready for the charge, and
waited impatiently for tho signal.
Ten minutes at least elapsed before
the tremendous report of two Arab pis
tols was heard. Like lightning we dash
ed round the corner, and headed straight
toward a solitary cluster of date-trees of
unusual height, growing on the banks
near the mouth of the Eiver Diyala, and
visible at a distance of over twenty miles.
.Scarcely had we made our appearance
on the open plain, when five villainous
looking Bedouins, profusely armed and
splendidly mounted, crashed at a break
neck pace through the bushes to our left,
some three hundred yards ahead of us,
hotly pursued by our three companions,
who tried hard to make them prisoners,
and did not fire a singlo Bhot at first.
Tho savage scoundrels uttered a yell
of rage, as they spied us three dashing
down upon them from the opposite side,
and shook their long lances in defiance
upon reaching the open desert before we
could cut them off.
Although they were at least three
hundred yards ahead of us, we did not
give up the hope of catching some of
them, and kept up the pursuit at a rat
tling pace for some time; but they were
too well mounted, and too familiar with
every inch of tho ground over which
they spod, to allow us to run them down
so easily.
Noticing, however, to their consterna
tion, that we nevertheless succeeded in
almost overtaking them, they were just
about trying their usual dodge of sep
arating and dashing off in different
directions, when we gavo them a volley
from our revolvers, which only had the
effect of increasing the speed of their
horses, and that of thoir two loan gray
hounds, which latter squeezed thoir tails
between their legs, and made olf as if
Lucifer was after them, while the bold
horsemen, naturally expecting another
volley, stooped down over the off-si do of
their steeds, thereby effectually getting
out of our sight, leaving only one leg
stretched across the saddlo exposed to
our view, thus making it almost appear
as if the five horses sped over the ground
without any riders at all. Never before
did I witness such splendid horsemanship
as displayed by these cowardly vaga
bonds. But scarcely two minutes elapsed be
fore we were gratuitously treated uy them
to a second, feat of, horsemanship, which
far excelled the former, and filled us all
with amazement.
As they had anticipated, we gave thom
another volley, but this time also with
our rifles, as we thought them almost
beyond pistol-range. This doso proved
more effective than the first, for it
brought down tho foremost horse with a
tremendous crash, together with its rider.
The poor animal rolled oyer ami oyer
in the dust, while its master, who had
probably thought himself out of rango
pf firearms, and hud made a slight mis
take by resuming his us.ual seat in the
saddle, was thrown at least eight yards
ahead of his horse upon the ground, and
remaining immovable, lying flat on his
back.
Whether he was killed outright by the
terrible fall, or stunned, or whether he
was ushered into tho paradise of the
Moslem by a well-aimed shot of his pur
suers, will most likely for ever remain a
mystery with the latter, for no sooner
did two of hirfollowers come up to where
he lay, when, without slacking even for
an instant; the appalling speed of their
horses, they suddenly bent, dashing up
to the right and left-hand sicje pf the
prostrate man, deep ei thejr saddles,
and, with a simultaneous herculean
grasp, raised the body of their compan
ion entirely from the ground deposited
him safely in to the lap of one of thorn,
speeding along all. the time this was be
ing done as if nothing had happened.
The novelty and daring of the perfor
mance elicited an involuntary exclama
tion of astonishment, I might almost say
admiration, from our lips. I must not
forget to mention that the riderless
horse, almost immediately after its fall,
had regained its feet, and galloped off,
but soon showed signs of distress, and
had, consequently, to bo abandoned by
the fugitives, as well as tho pistol and
spear of their unfortunato companion,
as tho two horsemen who brought up
tho rear, were kept busy firing into us,
which they did, I believe, less for the
sake of returning the compliment than
for tho purpose of endeavoring to keep
us at bay, so us to facilitato the rescue
of their companion in distress. They
fired, however, too high, and their bullets
whizzed harmlessly over our heads.
As by thiB time our horses, which had
had a considerably longer race than
those of the Bedouins, began to show
signs of distress, and as, moreover, the
ground had become rougher and rougher
the more we advanced, we gavo up tho
chase, ond directed our attentions to the
wounded horse, which was caught, and
proved not to bo seriously disabled by a
rifle-ball.
After halting about half an hour on
tho field of battle, in order to allow our
horses to regain their breath, we return
ed with our trophies to camp, accom
panied by the two Arab servants, who
wero quito dumbfounded at our unex
pected protection and interference, at
tho very moment when tho highwaymen
had fired two pistol-shots over tho heads
of thoir victims, as they wero wont to do,
in order to frighten them out of their
wits.
I need scarcely add that Casseba was
thenco forward no longer an unsafe lo
cality for travellers.
Uses of tho Cocon-Nnt.
It would bo no easy mattor to enum
erate all tho useful services which tho
cocoa-nut, and tho other parts of tho
tree to which it belongs, render to man,
especially in the East. Tho kernel is
not eaten as we eat it, as fruit, but is
prepared in a variety of ways for curries
and otllcr dishes ; tho milky juico is rel
ished as a pleasant beverage j the oil is
used in making stcarine candles and
marine soap, and, in tropical countries,
lamp-oil, ointment, and an aid to cook
ery ; the resin from the trunk, mixed
with the oil from the nut, and melted,
forms a substance useful for filling up
tho seams of ships and boats, covering
the corks of bottles, and repelling the
attacks of the white ant J the root pos
sesses narcotic properties, and is some
times chewed like the areca-nut. The
terminal bud is esteemed a delicacy, al
though not easily obtainable without
cutting down the tree. The sap, or
toddy , is a beverage, and is also fer
mented to produce palm-wine and arrack-spirit.
Tho dried leaves are used
for thatch, and for making screens, mats,
baskets and a kind of plait ; whilo the
mid-rib of the leaf serves the natives as
an oar. Tho wood of tho lower part of
the Bteni is very hard, takes a beautiful
polish, and is known to our turners and
ornamental joiners as porcupine wood ;
tho fibrous centre of the older stems is
worked like coir into cordage and sim
ilar articles. The husk of the ripe nut,
when cut across, is used for polishing
furniture and scrubbing floors. Within
the nut is occasionally found a small
stony substance of a bluish white color,
worn by the Chinese as a kind of amulet
or charm. Ail the Year Hound.
Stained Glass.
One of the prominent industries of
Munih is staining glass, of which the
method is told as follows :
" They who sit in tho light of so many
brilliant windows-little know, perhaps,
how much labor goes to tho making of
them. They aro first designed, then
stained in bits ; their colors are burned
in separately first tho blue, then the
red and each requires threo successive
heatings in tho oven. They must then
be pierced into a whole, with leadings
connecting the pieces, then swung into
a largo window frame to be examined.
If any defect be discovered, the part or
parts must be burned again in an oven,
and then the wholo must be burned to
gether. The sceno in the Glasmalarei is
remarkable enough. Here is a man en
gaged upon a martyr's toes, while in
another room the eyes of the same saint
cast upon you their last look of despair
as they are Bhoved into a furnace heated
sevenfold just as if Ilerr Fortner, who
now presides, I believe, were another
Diocletian. A week later you will see
the martyr, purified by his ordeal, smil
ing down a whole rainbow upon the
workmen in their shirt sleeves, in an
apartment full of chalk, old planks, cokb,
and all kinds of odds and ends. These
fellows aro no respecters of persons
either. Gods and saints, St. George's
dragon and tho chamois destined for
some nobleman's hunting-box, are cast
together into the oven and shine togeth
er along the walls."
Influence of Flowers.
Flowers exert a wonderfully soften
ing, refining, and. elevating influence
upon, the character. There are few who
are not susceptiblo to it, in favorablo
circumstances. The model farmer of
olden times, who begrudged his wife or
daughter a bit of laud to beautify, who
denounced all blossoms which resulted
in no marketable fruit as useless and
plowed up the bright pinks and mari
golds with ruthless hand, has passed
away, we trust, or at most but a few of
the species remain. It is becoming
more and more the pleasant fashion, not
only in towns and villages, but in se
cluded rural homes where the plain
farmer's family toil hard, for the child
ren to have little plots of ground where
they may raise flowers to charm the eye.
If parents only realized the educating
power of plants, arid how keenly most
children enjoy watching the growth and
development of vegetable life, they
would foster the desire they so often ex
press to have a gardon of their own."
Now, in the early spring-time, let at
least a few seeds ant roots be obtained ;
let a bit of the yard, or, if this is not pos
sible, some flower-pots, be devoted to the
amusement and instruction of the little
folks. It will not merely keep them out
of mischief to have some pleasant occu
pation in the open air, it will be health
giving and mind and heart improving.
Don't forgot the flower seeds I
Where to Locate.
In . reply to many inquiries addressed
to tho New York Farmers' Club, asking
advice as to tho best place for farmers
to locote, Prof. Henry E. Colton has
prepared and published the following
valuable information. Prof. Colton
says :
It is impossible to recommend any ono
section of country as the best for all
persons. Florida is liked by sonic, ond
they go there and make money. Others
think it the most abominable country
on the faeo of tho earth. In tho first
place, I have never yet seen that land
where any man could prosper without
work, yet I think a lazy man can live
with less exertion in Florida than any
other part of the United States ; but it
will be mere living.und ho will not be
likely to do himself or any one else any
good. To such persons as like a warm
climate the whole year through, South
ern Florida is the place. The soil is
generally a mixture of shell-lime ond
sand, and needs simply vegetable or ni
trogenous matter to make it produce
abundantly. To thoso persons who de
sire to get tho best climato for the pre
vention of every character of lung and
bronchial diseases, and to prolong life
after they are thus attacked, I can re
commend Western North Carolina the
table land between the Bluo Eidge and
tho Smoky Mountains. Tho soil is very
fertile, and as the Pennsylvania Central
has bought tho four railroads centering
at Asheville, and agreed to complete
thein, that section will soon have ample
railroad facilities. Anything may bo
grown there which grows in Central
New York. The Cumberland Moun
tain Table Land has also a dry atmos
phere, but the soil is not so rich and is
of a different geological formation from
Western North Carolina. For raising
good stock, either for regular or special
markets, I would recommend West Vir
ginia, or the southwestern part of Vir
ginia; the latter I think tho best; near
ly equal to those is East Tennessee.
Kailroad transportation from all theso
sections is rapid and cheap. The soil of
all of them is of the limestone character,
and in South-Western Virginia, as soon
as tho tree-growth is cut from the
mountains, blue grass springs up indi
genously. I am informed by butchers
in Baltimore and Washington that tho
beef from cattle raised thero ranks
higher than any other. Special atten
tion is paid to the transportation of
stock by the Atlantic, Mississippi and
Ohio Eailroad from Norfolk to Bristol.
The Chesapeake and Ohio will soon fur
nish an outlet from West Virginia. For
general farming the lands east of tho
Blue Eidge, through Virginia, North
and South Carolina and Georgia are tho
more to be recommended. Quantities
of these lands are for sale at low prices ;
many acres are what is termed worn-out,
but as has been repeatedly proven of
late by Northern farmers it is only a lit
tle sick from bad management, and
needs doctoring to make them as fertile
as in their original state. They all pro
duce clover, and may bo brought up by
soiling with that crop or with the com
mon field pea. They will in a year or
two produce from 20 to 25 bushels of
wheat to the acre, which from its supe
rior character and nearness to market is
equivalent to near twice that amount in
Minnesota or Nebraska. Government
lands in the South subject to the Home
stead acts exist in Alabama and Florida.
Thero aro thousands of acres of good
lands which ore thus subject to entry.
By tho law of Congress any man may
enter 80 acres at a cost of $ 14, and after
living on it five years can get a clear
title by paying $2 nioro. Some of the
finest timbered lands in Alabama aro
thus subject to entry, and, too, on or
near the Alabama ond Chattanooga cr
North and South Bailroads. These
lands, and thoso in Northern Georgia,
will produce all the grains and grass ;
also cotton may be grown in small
quantities. I would never advise any
Northern man to try to grow cotton on
a large scale. Not one out of a hun
dred will make it profitable. East Ten
nessee is also on excellent grain region,
as well os adapted for stock raising.
The soil is limestone and very fertile.
Northern Texas aud Western Arkansas
are both sections now coming into no
tice from the number of railroads being
built through them. Tho soil is fertile
and generally limestone. Tho same
may be said of South-Western Missouri ;
Kansas also partakes of the same char
acteristic. Tho Missouri, Kansas and
Texas, and other railroads afford rapid
and liberal transportation from these
sections. The soil seems almost inex
haustable in richness. Further north
ward is the grest granary of the United
States, and I might say of tho world.
In the production of wheat, no State
will probably compare with Minnesota,
and while even now ranking among the
first, not more than a third of her culti
vatable lands are in tillage. Every
one knows tho inducements offered to
settlers by the Northern Pacific Eail
road. The climate of Minnesota is noted
for its peculiar dryness, but the long
winters make it a disagreeable home for
many persons. Various inquiries have
been received as to Oregon and Wash
ington Territory. To such persons as
desire an entiro change of climate, no
move can be more desirable than to go
to the Pacifio slope. At the same time
they will find a fertile soil and a coun
try destined to be wealthy and populous.
One of the chief questions asked by in
quirers is, Are there any mosquitoes ? I
have failed, yet to find the place where
these pests do not exist, exoept in some
mountain region, far from a railroad.
Another, ag to the healthiness ; I do not
believe that any place wag ever created
where man was to live forever, but there
are localities in which some diseases are
less prevalent or entirely unknown.
Chills and fevers exist almost every
where except in high lands and dry cli
mates ; the result, in my opinion, very
frequently of careless exposure, or of a
low state of the nervous and physical
system. I have seen more cases, of them
in an equal area in th.e City of Brooklyn
than in any SQ-CulTod malarious swamp
town oil Ui'e Mississippi Eiver. I would
advise all persons who think o rn.qvg
their homes to determine first what they
want to do, what climato will best suit
them, and when they move to make up
their minds to stAy thero. Tho best
timo to movo South is lato in tho fall ;
things do not look so attractive then,
but one is loss apt to be sick next sum
mer, and olso more opt to bo satisfied
with a purchase than if made when tho
attractive clothing of spring- covers tho
rough places. I think spring the best
time to go West, as, if not early enough
to put in a crop himself, the immigrant
may easily get work through the sum
mer. It should bo remembered that
good, working farmers ond mechanics
are always in demand, that trading is
already overdone, and that no one wants
loafers anywhere.
A Corrnpt Press.
Nothing is so demoralizing in its in
fluence upon tho community as a cor
rupt press a press that will suffer tho
love of money to influence it in giving
opinions diametrically opposed to what
it considers right. Wo are accustomed,
in this part of the country, to hear
much about subsidized newspapers; but
the practice is rare indeed to what it is
in many foreign countries, notably in
Austria. Though the Austrian press is
remarkablo for its talent, and infinitely
better written and directed than all tho
journals of northern Germany, it is very
corrupt, and recent disclosures have as
tonished even the very people who read
it. The majority of papers in the Aus
trian Empire are started by companies
on shares, just as lotteries aro founded,
ond only capital enough is paid to sup
port the new enterprise for a few
months. The rest comes from "watering
the stock," from selling tho loading arti
cles regularly, and from a vigorous sys
tem of blackmailing. Circulation and
advertisements are not considered as at
all necessary to the success of a paper.
Tho commercial value of tho written
word tho opinion is all that is thought
of. Tho editor of ono of tho principal
papers of Vienna hos, in oight years,
with a circulation of fifteen thousand
copies, accumulated a fortune of three
millions. Ot course ho has only done
this by selling his opinions in the freest
manner. Tho director of any prominent
Austrian newspaper does not hesitate to
go to any now company, fonnod for pur
poses of speculation, and to offer them
its services lor uevcioping tno scnemo.
They are generally accepted, because un
less they aro a furious onslaught will bo
commenced against the enterprso, and
the characters ot none ot tho officers
will bo safe. There is considerable free
dom of the pres3 in Austria even for the
dipcussion ot political matters, and the
editors have not tho excuse that they
aro drivon to venial writing. Still,
newspaper editing is a somewhat dan
gerous game. Trial by jury can at any
time be suspended in favor of the gov
ernment, and an offending editor may
bo imprisoned for a long time. Of course
the government does not often conde
scend to extreme measures, but it has
all the power. There are about ninety
political daily journals in the Austro-
llungarian Hiinpire, and hardly ono of
them is exempt from tho charges of
bribery, corruption and vulgar insin
cerity. Chance In Gambling.
Closely connected with tho theory
about the range of posssibility in the
matter of chance combinations, is the
theory of tho maturity of tho chances
" tho most elementary of tho theories on
probabilities." It might safely bo term
ed tho most mischievous of gambling
superstitious. As on illustration of tho
application of this theory, wo may cite
the case of an Englishman, once well
known at foreign gambling tables, who
had based a system on a generalization
of this theory. In point of fact tho
theory asserts that when there has been
a run in favor of any particular event,
the chances in favor of the event are re
duced, aud, theroforo, necessarily, the
chances in favor of other events aro in
creased. Now our Englishman watched
the play at the roulette table for two
full hours, carefully noting tho numbers
which came up during that time. Then.
eschewing thoso numbers which had
come up oftenest, he staked his money
on those which had come up very sel
dom or not at all. Hero was an infalli
ble system, according to " the most ele
mentary of the theories of probability."
The tendency of chance results to right
themselves, so that eventg equally likely
in the first instance will occur an equal
number of times in the long run, was
called into action to enrich our gambler
and to ruin tho unlucky bankers. Bo it
noted, in passing, that events do thus
right themselves, though this circum
stance does not operate quite as the
gambler supposed, and cannot bo trust
ed to put a penny into any one's pocket.
The system was tried, However, and in
stead of reasoning respecting its sound
ness, we may content ourselves with re
cording the result. On the first day
ur Englishman won more than 700 in
a single hour. " His exultation was
boundless. He thought he had really
discovered the ' philosopher's stone.' Off
he went to his banker's, and transmitted
the greater portion of his winningg.to
London. The next day ho played and
lost fifty pounds ; and the following day
he achieved the same result, and had to
write to town for remittances. In fine,
in a week he had lost all the money he
won at first, with, the exception ot titty
Eounds, which he reserved to take him
ome j and, being thoroughly convinced
of the exceeding fickleness of fortune,
he has never staked a sixpence since,
and does all in his power to dissuade
others from playing." The Uornhul.
There is one right in wV,Uh. we be
lieve that every wQAmu, kkould be se
cured, that of romjftg to marry an un
suitable suiei without the risk of being
shot 9A too spot. A Miss Hutchings,
in Leake county, Mississippi, was lately
killed by a young man named Qillv V.
cause she had refused toiuaVTV Vvw We
think the younz man (a entirely in
the wrong here, aud; sVould be remon
strated wih. That sort of thing wou't
l . ;
UJ V.YBA f UWIHHIIJI.
Facts and Figures.
A man that keeps riches and enjoys
them not, is like an ass that carries gold
and cats thistles.
One Maria Pippin still lives ot
Winooski, Vt, who has had twenty
three children and 220 descendants oil
told.
Tho girls of Evansvillo, Indiana, ab
jure Bido-eaddles ond rido man fashion.
They aro for women's rights to the back
bone.
A colored Amazon in Georgia resisted
a policeman for eleven hours beforo ho
succeeded iu getting her into the cala
boose. The washerwomen of Detroit ore said
to be organizing a trado union, to pro
tect themsolves against " Chinese cheap
labor."
An Iowa lady behoves in life insuranco,
os by its agency she has realized $50,000
off two husbands, and not very good
husbands either.
A worm has been discovered in North
Carolina that marches in single filo,
"countless thousands" of them forming
ono continuous line.
A wealthy man in Piko county, Ind.,
recently died, having left his property
to all tho widows within a radius of
eight miles from his residence.
A few days sinco the conductor of a
freight train, running out of New Or
leans, left homo before daylight to tako
charge of his train. Soon after his de
parture, somo ono, who must havo boon
well acquainted with tho promises, en
tered tho house, administered chloro
form to his wife, who was still asleep,
and stole G00 from tinder tho mat
tress. A policeman in Lawrence, Massachu
setts, tho other night, encountered a
Mrs. Jones clad in the garments of the
night, with a pair of men's No. 10 boots
on, a parasol over her head, ond a Biblo
in her hand. Sho was under tho im-
Eression that sho was going to church,
ut on being fairly awakened wa9 in
duced to ocknowlcdgo the inappropri
otenoss of her attire.
Thore is a wondrous child in Heard
Co., Ga. He was born only a fow months
ago, and when nine days old repeated
the words " new moon " nine times very
distinctly and at every appearance of
that orb in her virgin freshness he gives
the announcement in the same way.
This " moonly voice " belongs to a child
of one Mrs. Spradlin, and all the neigh
bors vouch for the truth of the story.
Next month the Norwegians celebrate
the 1,000th anniversary of their national
independence by dedicating a monu
ment to xlarald llaarfagar, tho warrior
who won their freedom for them. It is
to take the form of a light houso at tho
grave of Harald, which is ot one of tho
most dangerous points on the coast of
Norway, and this will serve as a beacon
to warn the mariner from the danger
ous rocks as well as to remind all Nor
wegians of the national glories of a
thousand years ago.
A married lady in Eock Island, Illi
nois, had been in the habit, for several
years, of placing needles in her mouth.
Now and then she swallowed one, ond
it was sure to appear in some strange lo
cality a tew months after passing down
he throat. During tho last five years
seven needles have been extracted from
her body in different places two from
tho region of tho stomach and short ribs,
ono from tho leg near the knee, and re
cently ono was taken from tho left tem
ple, lhe lady has also enjoyed good
health, and has never Buffered any in
convenience from her metallic diet.
An aged woman, of ' about eighty
years, lately arrived at tho Albany depot
m Boston, completely exhausted by star
vation, bho had been an mmato ot tho
Dunloith (Iowa) Poorhouse for a num
ber ot months. A tow days ago sho was
provided with a ticket to Boston by that
institution, and a pound ot hard-tack
upon which to subsist during her jour
ney. Unfortunately tho old woman had
no teeth, and was consequently unablo
to make use of tho food so generously
provided. Sho has a daughter in Cam
bridge, and it was with a view of trans-
fering her to the daughter's caro that
the Dunluith authorities sent her on.
Thero is nothing more beautiful in tho
young than simplicity of character. It
is honest, frank and attractive. How
different is affectation. Tho simple-
minded aro always natural. They are,
at the game time, original. The affected
are never natural. As for originality, if
they ever had it, they have crushed it
out, and buriod it from sight, utterly.
Be yourself, then, young 1,'i'ieiid. To at
tempt to bo anybody else, is worse thuu
folly. It is an impossibility to attain
it. It is contemptible to try it. But
suppose you could succeed iu imitating
the greatest man that ever figured in
history, would it make you any bettor '(
By no means. You would always suffer
in comparison with the imitated ono,
and be thought of only as a shadow of a
substance, the echo of a real sound, the
counterfeit of a pure coin. Let thu
fabric of your character, though ever bo
humble, be at least real. Shun affect- .
tion.
The Cincinnati Enquirer tells this
story of the discovery of Salt Lake : " A
party of beaver trappers who had as
cended the Missouri with Henry and
Ashley found themselves in pursuit of
thoir occupation on Bear Eiver, in Cache
(or Willow) Valley, where they encamp
ed for the winter of 1825-20, and in dis
cussing tho ooursa which Boar Eiver
ran, a bet was made between two of tha
party, and James Bridger (who is still
alive) was selected to follow tho courso
of the river, and determine tha bet.
This took him to where tho river passea
through the mountains and he discov
ered Great Bait Lake. He went ta it&
margin and tasted the water, and oa
his return reported the discovery. Thu
foot of the water being salt induced tW
belief that it was an arm of the Pacifio
Ocean. In the spring of 1820 four men
went in skin-boats around it, to discov
er if any streams containing beaver
were to be found emptying into it,
bvjb returned, -with indifferent success."