WILIUjKESn.
They Swarm by Hundreds of Thou
sands in California.
Some Remarkable Gags Made by
the Pot Hunters.
Tbo sportsmen in the East, who at
this season think themselves iu grent
luck if they bring home a dozen or
two wild ducks or a dozen woodcock
mil other small gatno nftcr along day's
hunt, would go into ecstasies at tlio
ill goose hunting iu this region,
writes n correspondent from Pomona,
Cnl., to the N'ew York Sun. The birds
coinu down the Pacific coast nt thin
season, after n summer iu ISritish Co
lumbia nnd Manitoba, nud for weeks
they swarm by hundreds of thousands
about tlio little buys nnd coves of tho
ocean nnd the n.kull lid;e wnshes.
They wax nn l prow fat ou the grains
of No. 1 Imvd left oa the ground iu
the thousands of notes of wheat fields.
Near Siintn Motiie i, one dny Inst week,
iu n little buy nbottt six siprire miles
iu area, there were fully a quarter of
n million of wild geese. Tho noise of
their quacking nnd cillitig to one an
other w us at timis heard two miles
away. At Hun Pedro nnd nt the little
hike in Kern county there are said to
bo even greater numbers of the game
because of tho proximity of tho wheat
fields.
L irgo numbers of tho geese ore slain
annually ilurin their migrations. It
is uo trick for n boy sportsman to get
fifty or sixty of tho birds iu a few
hours, nnd hundreds of the older
hunters in this regiou have often got
over 200 geese in a dny. A party of
four Los Angeles sportsmen who went
out for a two days' huut over iu tho
Orange county marshes last week came
home with over 90 ) dead geese for the
city markets. Two Bakersfield men
had a three days' hunt lately nud came
homo with a firm wagon lo:ided down
with geese nnd ducks. Iu nil tho lit
tle towns along the line of tho Santa
Fo Railroad in this section there are
a score or two of men and boys who
regularly, spring and full, turn out for
a day's shoot nt wild geese and ducks,
nnd the person who does not show that
he has tumbled over at least twenty
tire birds is accounted in poor luck or
a decided novice in hunting. Many
persons will rido to the outskirts of
the town, nnd, standing in a buggy or
wagon, will satisfy themselves with a
shot at tho armies of (lying birds at
long range. Occasionally they will
bring down a goose with such random
shooting. All the markets nnd tho
country grocery Mores will havo wild
geese and ducks exhibited for sale at
nominal bums.
The little alkali lake in Tulnre Conn
ty is probably tho best locnlity in the
Ban Joaquin Volley for goose shoot
ing. The spot is over thirty miles
distant from a railroad station, and
the rocky hills make it difficult of oo
cess. For days at a time there have
been thousands of geese and ducks
resting on tbo water' and feeding
among tho neighboring mountain
sides. Ono morning, early in the
week John Alverson and J. E. Baxter
of Los Angolos, reached the lake for a
few hours' sport Largo flocks of
wild geese were circling around and
alighting on a slouch friugod on all
sides with bushes and tall grass. After
a full hour spent in crawling over the
ground and keeping out of sight as
much as possible, the hunters crept
through tho grass to tho bushes and
looked cautiously out. When the
edge of the flock had come within
thirty yards, tho hunters raised their
guns and gnvo them ft barrel, follow
ing it up with the remaining barrel as
the birds rose heavily from the water.
Twenty-eight geese were gathered tip
as the result of the shot, tweuty-four
of thorn the whito or brant goese. The
remaining four wcro tine specimens of
that weariest of all birds of its species,
the bhioklu od or Canadian goose. Not
withstanding the fact thut the brant
geese are not considered the equal of
the blackhead specimens 'as a tuble
delicacy, tho hour's work was satis
factory. Daring Robbery of a Postman.
Huttou Ourden, the center of the
diamond trade iu L muon, was recent
ly the scene of a daring and success
ful robbery of a postman's letter-bag.
The theft was the result of a carefully
planned conspiracy to get possession
of the Hattou Garden portion of the
mail from the South Africa fields.
Fortunately the thieves were disap
pointed. The postman, who had been
on the samo route for years, entered
the.buitdiog at 10 Hatton .Garden and
ascended to "nu upper floor -for the
purpose of louviug -loiters. As there
was no letter-box or slot ha was stoop
ing to push the Utters underneath the
dour when a sudden rush was mad
t
upon him from the staircase leading
to the upper story. Tho unfortunate
postman was half strangled nnd drug
ged, as ho believes, and hurled into an
ofllce, the door of which was instnntly
locked upon him. Recovering his
senses he kicked nt the door for a few
moment, but finding this unavailing,
climbed a chair, beat out the glass in
the transom, crawled through and
rushed downstairs shouting that he
had been drugged and robbed. The
thieves, however, bad disappeared, nnd
so had tho postman's bag and its con
tents. The bag cotitaiued about sixty
registered packages. Among them was
one containing a necklace, said to be
worth ",()i)0. Most of the letters
came from Paris. It is nlnnys possi
ble for any one to fiud out when the
South African mails arrives, but no
ono outside tho department known
w hen it w ill be delivered, the delivery
varying from time to time some
times in the morning and sometimes
in the evening. No clew has ever been
obtained to tho robbers. Chicago
Record.
A Widely Known Wood Pile.
There is a wood pile iu Lead City,
South Dakota, w dely known through
out tho Black Hills mining regiou. It
belongs to tho Homestake Oold Min
ing Company, and is composed of
timbers about the size of railroad ties,
which nro used iu supporting the walls
and roofs of tho drifts and tunnels of
the mines. A narrow gauge railway
brings the logs, which havo been
sawed flat on two sides, to a point ou
the mountain slope about 000 feet
above tho valley, and they are then
thrown into a wooden chute about
three foot wide aud two foot deep. Tho
inside surface is kept smooth aud
slippery by a small stream of water.
If tho logs wcro allowed to run di
rectly to the ground they would speed
ily exenvnte an enormous hole beside
damaging themselves, so the lower end
of tho chuto is curved upward nud the
logs leavo it nt nn angle of about sixty
degrees with tho horizontal and rise
from 150 to 200 feet in tho oir.turning
ovor and over, and finally landing ou
the enormous pilo already t hero. A
useful fact iu connection with this
method is that the logs sort them
selves in the pile according to their
size; the heavier ones having a greater
momentum are all found at tho side
farthest away from the chute. New
York Mail and Express.
A Plensnnt Penal Colony.
Life in the French penal colony at
New-Caledonia has been pictured as
so agreeable, both by reason of the
climate as well as tho leniency with
which convicts have been treated, that
trnnnportntion scemi to have lost most
of its terrors. Crimiua's do not con
ceal their preference for a loug sent
ence in tho beautiful Pacific island to
a much shorter torm with hard labor
iu ono of the penitentiaries at home,
and when perpetrating a misdeed have
sought as a rule to render their otTonco
ns serious as possible, so as to entail
transportation if captured- It is with
a view of putting au end to this senti
mout that tho French Government has
now docided to stop sending convicts
to New-Calidonia, and is making ar
rangements to deport them instead to
the Gaboon, tho fever-stricken aud
most pestilential of all districts of
Fronch Congolaud in Africa. Now
York Tribune.
He Bulldeil Worse Than He Kiieir
A city man visited the family of a
relative in the country, where he wns
not a welcomo guest by any manner of
means. After the visitor had spent
ono morning at the breakfast table the
country uncle said :
'Cousin, don't you think yoftr
family will miss you painfully? You
ought not to leave them alone so
much."
"By Jove, that so," exclaimed tho
city man; "I'll telegraph thorn to
oome right on at once." Australia
Queuuslunder.
The Majority Prevailed.
A story is told of au inmate of a
lunatic asylum, who was asked tho
question :
"How happenod it that you are in
here?" '
"Well,"repliod the lunatic, sinkiua
his voice so that nobody could hear,
"the truth is,' that I thought all the
world was crazy, while, the world
thought I was crazy, and they out
Toted me."
... CouslUcrato Man.
'I met thut distunt relative of yours
last night, Suaggs."
"Who is that. Shingiss?"
"He's uo distant relative i he's a
full coAfi" f ,;'
"Welkivyes he was: but I didn't
intend to allude to bis o mditioD."
Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph.
(Jt AIXT AMI tt lllOl'S.
Cores contains 000,000 Catholics.
The administration of the oath to
witnesses is a practice of very high an
tiquity. Beggars are promptly arrested in
Vienna, Austria, if caught begging on
tho street
In four years no loss than 20,000
men and women have taken their lives
in Franco,
A Louisville dealer in antiquities
advertises for salo a revolver used by
Julius Crcsart
St Louis, Mo., is credited with
100,332 males of militia ago of whom
73,017 are natives.
A man in II liley's Island, Mo., has
invented a harness to keep n heu from
scratching up tin garden.
A Norweginn law prohibits a person
from spending more than five cunts at
one visit to a public house.
A lute curiosity gleaner claims that
there are 50J open caverns iu Ed
moudson County, Kentucky.
In 70-1 the cold at Constantinople
was so severe that the Black Sea was
frozen for fifty miles from shore.
It was customary a hundred years
ago when a gentleman bowed to a lady
to scrapo his foot upon th ground.
Some scholars of distinction ague
that tho Garden of Eden was located
in Africa, near tho Mountains of the
Moon.
The Frenchman River in Nebraska
nover niters in volume whatever the
season, because it takes to riso in
enormous unfailing springs.
Mnutia has fallen in modern times;
for instance, as lntely as 1600 iu Bag
dad. It is a yellowish lichen which
grows iu mountainous districts, and is
carried loug distances by henvy w ind".
Spectnclos wero fashionable in tho
sixteenth century. They were costly,
the usual price being nu equivalent of
93. It was believed that the larger
tho lenses and the heavier the rims
the greater tho dignity added to the
wearer's appearance.
When Alexander Melville, a carpen
ter, died in New York recently, his
body was laid in a handsome mahoga
ny casket that the old mnti had made,
for himself at odd moments. He bo
gnu its construction three years ago
and had just finished it
"McSwinoy's gun" is tho namo give
to a natural hole, ten iuchos in diame
ter, in a hugo rock on tho coast of
Donegal, Ireland. At high tide, when
the sea is rough, tho "gnu" repeatedly
spouts up jets of water to a height of
100 foot, and each spout is preceded
by a loud report.
The latest advertising devico is to
decorate shop windows with what ap
pear to be big cracks in the pinto
glass. This is called a decoration ad
visidly, for it is put on with Fronch
chalk and paint' Gray or bluish lines,
radiating from a center, have a sur
prising likoncss to a break, and tho
device serves its purposo of causing
people to stop and look.
The Czar's (offln-Iiatr.
Tho funeral of the late Czar was
not characterized by simplicity. It
was ornate, elaborate and expensive.
This wns done to impross the multi
tude. The imperial remaius wero
dragged from place to phtco for more
than a week, and numberless religious
ceremonies were porformed.
When at last the elaborate casket
containing tho body of the Czar was
put in its final resting plnco a gor
geous coflln-plate of pure gold was all
that remaiued iu view to toll tho sim
ple story of him who had boon among
the mightiest on earth.
The cofllu-plato of gold was carved
and stamped with imperial insignia.
Double-headed eagles, crowns aud
mantles surrounded tho inscription.
This briefly gave the titlo of the Czar,
and the dates of his birth aud death.
New York World.
A Mountalu Sinking Into tlio Earth.
' Dashebel Naibo, the ".Sinking
Mountain," an isoloted Algerian peak,
now only about 800 feet in height, is
known to be slowly but surely sinking
out of sight. Iu the time of the Cawr
it was 1,400 feot,uearly twice its present
height. There are several sections of
Algerian soil, where the earth's crust
is known to be very unstable. ' Near
the "Sinking Mountain" there is a
large, clear lake called Frzzara, which
Is said to havo risen over a large city
which sunk in the year 403, A. D.
St. Louis Republic.
... Something Subtle.
"I have been pondering over a very
singular thing."
"Whatisit?'!. '! , : (5 ,
"How putting a ring on a woman's
third finger should plooe you under
that woman's thumb."
I
HATS AND BONNETS.
AXO NOTIONS I MIL
LLSKItY KOK WIXIElt WKAR.
Blending of Old and New Styles A
Snowy lint lions of Satin
Match the Collar Home
or Visiting Uowo.
BACK to 1600 go the designers
of millinery ia their search
for "new" styles, and forward
i they come, with hats of the
showy sort sketched below. Envious
competitors assert that the arrange
ment of its plumes is essentially of
the year 1895, but what of that? If
the hat is becoming, it would make no
difference if it combined the fashions
of to-day with those of two centuries
ago. This blend of that which is new
and that which is thirty-five years old
consists of a suitable wire frame
covered with gray cloth. Its broad
brim is turned up on both sides and
edged with a narrow jet galloon having
little bead pendants. The crown is
encircled by a wide bins fold of sap
phire blue and old gold mirror velvet,
which is draped and folded as in
dicated. Several ostrich plumes,
shaded gray and blank, form the re
maining trimming. In conclusion it
is hardly necessary to add that it is a
youthful model.
She is a wise woman who with each
of her dress collarettes is having
made for wear on her head a bow of
satin to match the collar. This bow
has one pointed end and two loops,
the end finished with a little frill of
thread lace, the loops wide, with a
soft bit of lace set ou the other sido to
balance the end. The bow is set right
TRnr.it Awr
Here are ono pretty frook and it handsome oloak, printed in the Mail
and Express. The frook has a plain sort green satin skirt, volvet waist
band, and a "love" of a bodice, draped with pure white and pink em
broidered lisse, what is known as broderie Anglaise. The opera cloak of
beautiful brocade ia all that could be desired in cnt and make by even
the most fastidious. It falls in most graceful flutes from a new shaped
yoke and most becoming collar. Smoked fox has the honor of trim
ming this very distinguished-looking wrap.
on top of the hoad, the hair being done
high, the end spreading back on one
sido of the hair knot, the lace on the
other side, aud the loops taking a
straight line aoross the top of the bead.
The effeot is really charming. Of
course, the bonnet is supposed .to be
there, and the bow can be put on a
orescent-shnped foundation. , Perhaps
thus the bonnet can be a little more
securely adjusted. Such a bonnet of
black satin, with white thread lace
the genuine thread a little vellow from
A Snowy BAT.
age worn witb a plain blank broad
cloth gewn, is charming. The todioe
should fasten invisibly at one side, abig
satin bow being set near the shoulder.
A folded blaak satin collar fastens at
the back under two rosettes of threud
laoe and a fall of laoa is in front
This is the sort of rig tbst men ad
mire and women ia eolors envy help
lessly. noxi on visitino aowx.
Here is something very pretty for a
home or visiting gowu. It has a fancy
yoke of spotted aurab, with velvet
bows and tiny rnches of the material
in four lines or seams, or a list passe
menterie can be used instead. The
very full sleeve is caught in plaits np
the centre, and finished witb little ro
settes of velvet, and the slightly full
yoke is arranged on the bodice1 lining,
and the lower part put on in the
stretched or seamless style, and shows
a little fullness in the centre of tho
back and front I
xua use a is a i.io-simuie oi me
front, but straight and slightly high
er, and there f bo bow. The skirt Ji
eat in three pieces only a narrow
gored front and two cape-shaped
HOMK OR VMITlKrt OOWW.
pieces for the back. This model Is
very effective iu blank crepon, witb
yoke of satin or moire, satin nbhou
bows, and narrow jet to outline the
yoke and simulate seams on the skirt.
SMALL FtJHS AMD OTHfcB FACtB.
The novelty of the moment, says
Harper's Bazar, is a little oollar-band
of fur to be worn as velvet stook col-
, lars are. It is merely a straight band
m.aiit
of fur about throe inches wide, stand
ing out in projecting loops on the
sides, then hooking in front, where it
is adorned with two miniature beads
of the auimal that meet together
there. This odd little tour do cou i
, made ol the glossiest black silken Per
I tl. .! : T.
Bint (umu, ui ui wje moire jrersian, or
else of sealskin, otter, or the shorter
brown furs, espeoially mink or sable.
- The large fox boas, - either white,
gray, or brown, have been given as
Christmas presents to girls who skate,
sleigh, or. ride tbe.bioycle, they are
very warm. They are made of the
skin of the entire animil attached to
a slightly smaller Lead, and retain the
full rouud brush, with good effeot.
Small collets of sealskin reaching
just over the shoulder-tips are given
an important look by a large mobe
around the neck made of velvet of the
same color thickly lined end box
pleated. Another odd fashion is the
collet of black velvet falling very full
and also entirely double from a yoke
of velvet. Each of the velvet collets
is lined with ermine, which meets faoe
to faoe, and is out of sight exoept
when bljwn about by the wind. A
high collar, close about the neck, oi
black ostrich tips finishes the gar
nieut.
Fashion Di-siga Far 1933.
Tli w'tie'-snU-irjij
bioyelist Judge. -
the feravle
for
ARQMID THE CAOT1RR
THE FUTURE.
Wnnfe WlttStaoceed the Grand Army of
the Bepubllc
The question has been ralsedi "What will
taeceed tbs Orsnd Army?" and many have
soma to the conclusion tbat It must In time
die out of Itself. While aa organisation com
posed of nearly a half million comrades la
sttll In a healthy stats ol exlstenao, It Is hard
ly time to speculate en death, and will not
bs tor some yar to romit. As a matter of
course It must come to so end, as It cannot
be continuous Ilk othnr societies, aud It
must end when the soldiers of tbs Civil
War become so lew tbat tkey cannot keep up
the orxnnhmtloo.
The order was formed in lW.l-7. and of the
criminal found" and comrals tha majority
har passed over the dark river. At that
time those ram who had served from the
c mmiuc-uient ol the war were compara
tively young nnl vigorous, and those who
had served uuder MeClvllan In the swamps o(
the l'uiuuls. liurustile at Frederick-burn,
Uooker at CbnncsllorsTtlln, Mead at (Jetty
burg, were active nnd enthiislntlo members.
They were the older soldiers, nnd the hard
ships ol their service had not at thnt time
told so severely upon them. Naturally these
were the 11 rat. to go.
The suceeedlug calls of the Oovernment for
more troops brought out thousands udoq
thousand of the younger element, and many
wnr ao ;epted who would been rejected two
years twforei aud Qeueral (Irsnt commenced
his Wilderness, Hpotuylvanla and Petersburg
campaigns with unlv comparatively few ol
the old veterans as a nucleus lor bis Immense
army. At this time there was scarcely nn old
regiment tbat contained even a single com
pany ol the original membership, and many
ol the old regiments could not muster sev-rnty-flve
men. The balauee was made up of
young recruits and couscrlpts. Probably not
one-third of the Army at the opening of the
Wilderness lights had ever before been under
lire.
It is these youncer men who now make up
the rank nn i Die of the llrand Army, nnd It
will be some year yet before tbey ra.b the
limit, either of Rf or Inllrinlty ol those who
bore the brunt of the earlier strife. Take lor
er.ampleth roster ol every Urud Army post
and It will bo seen that the proportion ot
three yeur veteraus will I wnr about the tame
ratio to the veteraus under (trant from the
Wilderness to Appomattox. At thnt time
there was thousaudt ol the veterans serving
in what was known as Hancock's Vaiernu
lleserve Cor , nl the Iuvnlld Corps, who
were detailed to hospital garrison or guaxd
duty Iu Northern elites. There Is not an
abundance ol these l(t and most ot them
that are now living hnve become mors aged
nnd infirm nnd need the helping hand. Thus
practically the Grand Army is still compara
tively a vigorous body aud nut llablolo decay
for some years yet.
And then what then? Within a fow years
the Grand Army have recogulted the order
of tho Hons of Veteraus, nnd havo made them
their legitimate suceexsors. The (jommaad-er-lu-Clilet
nnd every department command
er has Issued official orders to every post to
assist lu tho formatlou of enmpi ol the Hons
of Veteiau witb theexpres purpose of their
becomiug lu time their sucuetsor, and to
maintain after them the principle ol the
order.
This has given an Impetus to the Sons who
are Increasing rapidly in every department.
In ninny departments tbey are a regularly
drilled and armed body, and really a sort of
reserved intlitin. A resolution to arm tbem
In this department wa vetoed by Governor
Flower, but be did not Interfere witb their
trilling or organization. It I probable tbat
tEo Sew Ad illustration will take oine action
thl wlutSr nud tuo boys no permitted to bear
arms, and this will help the cause m -aerially.
They do n-Xlike to parade without arms; no
itiV'il " complete jrttnoui uu gun ana lorty
rounds. AH tho boy havo to do I to work
AD 1 wait, and what thoy want will come In
tlBi-Now York Prss.
! ... .. .
cinem or wcta!t-oixrjii. joke.
Adjutnnt-Oenernl Cassias Clay Jones, of
Rockford, III., who has been visiting New
Vear week with his chief, National Com
mander Thomas O. I.awler, llrst saw the
light nt tteoecn Fails, N. Y., May 8, 1849.
ben the country needed men to man her
gun afloat young Jones enlitted nt Albany,
and was assigned to tho steamer Vanderbllt,
which wa stationed In tbo North Atlantic,
aud spent much time chasing blockade run
ners. A touiih experience stralted him when
tbo Vanderbllt was sent to Fort Fisber, with
General Butler, wbo made a full jre ot tbo
first attack on Christmas day. lSirt. The
second and successful attack wa made by
General Terry witb 3,000 men In the January
following. Adjutant Jones was on duty at
tbo gun every day iu both ol tbese engage
ment. At the uloo ot tbo war be returned
to Albany and resumed a place be bad held on
tbo Boston and Albany railroad.
Uo afterward became a clerk la a bank and
got to be an expert accountant. Ia lt7 be
went to Itockfurd, nud '.took the place of
bookkeeper and naxhler lu tbe general store
of King A Edward, one) of the early and
.leading Hrni ol tbat city. I When tho bank
ing una oi woo j' A Co., went to tbs wall be
Wa chosen t'J c!ol up its nlTalr, which bjj
d'd i3 tha adv.iLlaje of tin troJitor n.l
s' e tbolder. H was sulwuently made
ass tunt caibler of tbs Itockford Second
Natlonul Bnuk, which office bs held for
thirteen years. Then he kecamo associated
with Colonel Lawler In tha coal business on
an extensive scale, and for five year served
t secretary ol the Northwexteru Coal Deal
er' Astocialion.
People of liockford say that tha new Adju
tant General of tlieO. A. It. ha always been
a pnuie-inoverln whatever would benefit tbe
city. For several terms b served a secre
tary of me Wluuebago County Agricultural
Hociety and alio tbe liockford !riUK Club.
For two year under Governor Fiter ad
ministration, bs wa HtaW liauk Examiner
(or the district of Northern Illinois. For
the Inst ten years he ha acted ns manager
of the liockford Opera House, When the in
dustrial panio enme uu last summer, whlob
made tbioxs look dark lor II'kfor for a
time. Comrade Jone wm one ol tbe ttrst to
move, orgaulziug the local banker Into a
general relief committee, ol which bo wa
secretary, and through hi exrallHut manage
ment and tbe aasiatanca of lb bank many
ound local manufacturing concern were
tided ovor, aud are now on a firm footing
again.
The Adjutant Oeneral belong to O. L.
Nevins Post. No. 1. of liockford, of which
Commandor-ln-Cbief Lawler baa for many
years been commander. A local newspaper
speak ol tbe Adjutaut-Oeneral a "a prince
of entertainers and an all-around good follow,
wbo Is popular and well liked by all wbo
know blm. He was ono of tho projector of
the Rockford Commercial Club which has a
handsome slub borne and bs dons much to
advertise Rockford and entertain notable
guests wbo bav visited the city during tbe
last (our years."
Russian Signs.
Russian merchants do very little ad
vertising, priclpally because the great
majority of the humbler classes can
not read. And this ia not to be won
dered at, as there are thirty-six letters
in the ltussian alphabet, which seem
to hare tbe combined difficulties of the
Greek, Chinese, and Arabian charac
ters. The signs on the stores in Russia
are mostly pictorial. For instance, the
dairy signs are cows; the tea signs.
Chinamen sipping tea; a barber's sign,
a bare armed mau shaving another, i
eto. "