SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERY-DAY LIFE.
Gueer Facts and Thrilling Ad
ventures Which Show That Truth
is Stranger Than Fiction.
fHE sextion of the chapel
at Budd's Lake, N. J.,
was bad y stung bv bees
recently. While the cha
pel boll was ringing 011 a
Sunday evening some time
• ago, the bolt which held
% it to the frame work broke,
and tie bell clattered down the roof to
the ground. The next day it was found
to be right ride up and uninjured.
When tho sexton pried it over to one
ride, preparatory t > having it laised by
a derrick, hundreds of honey bees flow
out, surrounded him, and drove him in
to the lake, whence ho was rescue.l when
nearly drowned. Ilis head was covered
with stings, and his hands and arms suf
fered severely. The bell was found to
be nearly tilled with the honey. The
bees had obtained ingress and egress
through a small hole in tho top.
THE peculiarities of various nationali
ties, as shown in the methods of com
mitting crime, formed the subject of a
recent conversation with an official of
one of the New York city criminal courts.
"The mo t common ch rges against
Americaus brought to the bur here," lie
said, "are swindling and embezzlement.
The young men of Irish des ont who
appear here are most frequently under
accusations of robbery or assaults with
the fists, or with pistols. The Italians
are almost invariably ac used of assault
with the knife or pistol. If a policeman
lias cause to arrest an Italian of the
lower class 011 suspicion of being con
cerned iu an assault, he always searches
liis prisoner promptly and can usually
find evidence to warrant a conviction of
carrying concealed weapons, even if the
particular assault charged is not proved.
The favorite weapon of tho Jtal an was
formerly the knife or poniard, and that
of the coloie.l man the razor, but now
both weapons have been for tie most
pa t superseded by the revolver. The
Folisli Jews make a specialty of arson,
to secure insurance money. The Ger
mans, when they commit crime, are us
ually guilty of embezzlement, forgery,
or attempts at suicide. Tho Scandina
vians and tho Chinese rarely appear in
a criminal court as defendants. Most
of the murders of recent years have been
committed by young men of American
birth and foreign ancestry, who belong
to the ignoble order of 'roughs.'"
JAMES OHADDOCK, living three miles
ard a half south of Marshall, Mo., has
had some experience with a blucksnake,
which, no doubt, he will never forget.
Pies Sandidge, of Marshall, who was
with Mr. Cruddock, relates the following
interesting story of the encounter be
tween tho lntter and tho blaoksnake.
We were cutting bean poles on Mr.
Craddock's place, and while working in
the thickest of the brush, I noticed, 011
looking toward my companion, that a
huge blacksnuko was coiled about his
leg, and tlio upper portion of its body
111 tlio iron grasp of Mr. Craddock. It
was a very large snake, and appeared to
be about 6 feet iu length. For a few
seconds there was a fierce struggle be
tween snake and man. The reptile,
with its ugly fungs protruding, made a
desperate effort to free itself from tho
grasp of its victim and wrapped iis coils
sti 1 I tighter about the limbs and body
of the man. It was all over in a few
seconds, however, the snake suddenly
relaxing its coils, and with lightning
rapidity swinging its tail arounu, strik
ing Mr. Craddock with terrible forco on
either side of the heud, bringing the
blood and bruising him nil considerably.
This, of course, caused Mr. Craddock to
release his hold on the reptile, and the
hitter made a hasty retreat, not even
giving the men a chance to further in
vestigate. Craddock does not care to
engage in a "mill" such as he took part
in that afternoon.
Six miles from Petersburg, Vu., is Mr. |
George W. Catling's farm, where a re- \
inarkable phenomenon, which is excit-1
ing widespread int rest, is to be seen, j
This phenomenon is tho sinking of a
portion of tlio farm. The sunken area
lies within a ores -out t-liaped margin, I
and its width at the upper end is from
500 to COO feet. The sunken territory I
contains six or more acres. The decliv
ity begins at a point about 200 feet in a
straight lino from Mr. Gatling's dwell- ;
ing. Land has sunk from forty to sixty j
feet. The tops of trees which stood 011
the level with others are now stunding
intact and come a few feet only alxne
the level of the bluff whe.e tho sinking
lias occurred. Tho sunken area is seam- |
ed with fissmes of xarying lengths and j
depths. The most noteworthy feature
of tlio phenomenon is the formation of
a bar in the river. This bar is seventy
feet long, and in it, too, are many fiss
ures. The phenomenon was preceded
some weeks ago by something like an
explosion, the noise of which was heard
for miles. The interest in the phenom
enon is so great that crowds of people
go to view it every day, a privilege for
which they pay a fee of tweuty-five
cents. Mr. Gatnng has leased tho priv
ilege of landing excursionists on his
farm to a party in Richmond for SI,OOO.
HAID an old railway engineer the oth
er day: "There are three kinds of
trains that I do not want to have any
thing to do with. Ono is the nay train.
You never know when you will overtake
the seotion hands. You will begoiugat
the rate of forty miles an hour, aw ay you
go around a curve, and t vou will dash by
tho boss and hands, and have to go back
to them. There is always a good deal
of talk over the wages, and much tme
is taken up. Tho next unp'onsant train
to handle is an excursion train. Every
one living along the line of road knows
you from seeing you come by every day,
and they think you know them as well.
When on an excursion they presume
upon their friendship to endeavor to ride
on the engine. No other place will do
them. The engineer has to refuse them,
as it would amount to docking his wages
from thirty to sixty days, if he complied,
as it is positively against the rules of the
road. The persons denied the privilege
always feel hard about it, and look upon
the engineer as unaccommodating. The
last and worst of all, however, is the of
ficers' train. If you run slow they say
you ore scared and fear to run fast" If
you make good time they say you are
careless and reckless, anil want to kill
somebody. You can't suit them.
ABOUT two centuries ago an old citi
zen of St. Ives parish, Hants, left in
trust to the vicar and churchwardens an
orchard, the rent of which was to be de
voted to the purchase of bibles. The
testator further provided tluit the Bibles
should be raffled off with dice, in the
church, and sin je then the prescribed
ceremony has been carried out every
Whit Tuesday. Last Whit Tuesday,
after a shortened evening prayer, the
vicar delivered an address telling those
present that they must look upon what
was going to take place reverently. He
was sorry they had to observe tho cus
tom in a place sail citified to the service
of God; but it had been observed for 200
years. Then the proceedings began. A
table covered with white cloth was
brought forward, and the boys and girls
< aine up as their names were called and
threw the dice, which were provided by
the church. Fa ill had three throw s, the
highest numbers winning the Bibles.
Tho ceremony closed with a hymn aud
the benediction.
THE little village of St. Helena, on
the Nebraska side of the Missouri, ten
miles below Yauktown, Dakota, is in a
state of excitement over a ghastly dis
covery made there. Parties who were
prospecting in tho chalk cliffs of that
neighborhood fo.- material for manufac
turers of cement, came upon a small
opening in the Missouri River face of
the rock. It was found to be a large
apaitment carved by nature in the soft,
chalky substance, but tho startling fea
ture of the incident was tho discovery
within this cave of eight human skele
tons. These were lying about the cav
ern in such disorder us to discredit the
theory that the cave might be an ancient
burial place. Tho age of the bones can
not be determined, but they have un
doubtedly been there a long time. The
belief prevails that these are tho skele
tons of eirlv 8611161*8 who sought the
shelter of tlio cave when attacked by
Indians years ago, and that they were
either killed in a body or starved to
death.
THE Singapore (India) Free Press
asks: How is this for an alligator
story/ About two months ago Mr.
Hare, chief engineer of the steamer
McAlister, was presented with in Sour
abaya with two alligutor eggs. Not
1 knowing exactly what to do with them
1 at the time he put them in an old tin
! tobacco-box under the seat of the sofa
lin his cabin. While the ship was at
i New Harbor dock, he had a look at them
J and found them all right, and he then
: made up his mind to give them away.
| To carry out his beuevolent purpose ho
| went into his cabin ono morning, ac-
I com] auied by tho intended recipient
of tho curios, and to their surprise they
j found two remarkably healthy young
i specimens of tho alligator tribe running
' about 011 the floor as lively as crickets.
: After considerable trouble and some
; snarling and biting they w ere picked up
j and placed in one of the bathrooms.
| A SAN FRANCISCO newspaper offered
I S2OO to the one who would correctly
guess the number of types in a jar ex
j hibited in the exposition there. Two
men were successful, naming the correct
j number, 34,200. How tlicy came to hit
on that number is interesting. One of
; them once guessed the number of shot
j in a jar about the same size as the ono
! containing the typo. There were 95,000.
Ho thought there were one-third as
' many tpye as shot, and so divided 95,-
I 000 by three, and he said, "added a lit
tle to make it even." The other man
saw a crowd around tho jar, and felt in
| his pocket for a pencil with which to
; write a number. Ho couldn't find one,
, and moved 011; but afterward, feeling
| strongly impelled to make a guess, felt
! again for a pencil, and found an old lot
tery ticket, on which was the number
! 34,200. He borrowed a pencil, put
; down the number, and won SIOO.
I CHIEF CLERK BAKER, of the Superin
tendent of Prisons' office at Albany, N.
Y., recently exhibited a unique tobacco
box. It was made of sheet copper and
tin by a convict in Sing Sing, the exe
cution of the work being something ex
| traordinary. The box is octagonal in
! shape. It has the appearance of open
; ing through tho centre, the bottom being
■ exposed by pressing on this button, a
1 sharp needle comes out of ils centre,
j The opening is on the top of the
box, tlie hinges being set at two
'of the angles, and the cover dips
I when it is opened. Tho whole thing
1 is very ingenious.
| MILLIONS of sand flies precipitated
| themselves upon Dubuque, lowa, 011 a
j recent evening. So vast was their num
; her that people were compelled to aban
! don the streets, and men at work in tho
| morning newspaper and telegraph of
j flees were compelled to close doors and
I windows to escape the torment. "Along
| the levee," it is stated, "the buildings
I were covered so thickly with them that
; nothing could bo seen but a writhing
mass of insect life. The stench from
1 their bodies was unbearable, and tho
j health authorities hud several wagons
! employed removing the offensive mass."
| A REGENT close inspection of the
comet discovered by Mr. Barnard, of
I Lick Observatory, in September last,
! shows that its body is evidently becom
ing disintegrated and the fragments are
to be seen streaming behind the comet
1 in the form of a tail, directed not from,
1 but tow ard, the sun. The comet, which
! is 165,000,000 miles from the earth, is
i still fairly bright, and were it not for
the fragments which are seen to follow
it, would seem to be in perfectly normal
| condition.
GENERAL BATES, a retired English of
ficer of means, on a tour through Wash
ington Territory a few days ago, sat
down to a dinner at a hotel in Seattle.
He was surprised to recognize in the
waiter who took his order his own son,
who ran away from home to soulp In
diuns seven years ago.
Prize Farms.
The National Agricultural Sociotv of
France has awarded a gold medal to Ar
thur Brandin, of Seine et Marne and to
M. Tetard, of Saint et Oise, for the ex
cellent management and cultivation of
their farms. The Brandin farm has been
in the family for upwards of 200 years
and its records since 1820 wore produc
ed. Just 100 years ago it grew an aver
ago of twenty one bushels of wheat or
oats per acre, which rose to 20 bushels
in 18f0. Shortly after, commercial
manure was for the first time employed,
and the yield of wheat went up to 32 j
bushels per acre and of oats to 41 bushels.
Subsequently the land was drained, gu
ano was applied and artificial grasses
were grown and fed down, but the aver
ago of the wheat crop dropped to 30
bushels, though the quality was better.
This system was followed until 1870
without improvement in yield, when
tho soil was analyzed and found to be
rich in potash but deficient in phosphor
ic acid and lime. These elements were
then supplied, tests were made to se
cure the varieties best adapted to the
land, and the yield per acre for the last
seven years has risen to 9GI bushels of
wheat and 02 bushels of oats. M. To
tard's farm of 812 acres, half way bo
tween Paris and Chan till v, has 310 acres
in sugar beets, the yield per acre of
which, as well as their sugar content,
lias steadily increased. The average
yield of wheat on 250 acres in 1887 was
35 bushels per acre. A large herd of
cattle is kept during the winter to con-,
sume the beet pulp, in addition to whicl| <
the cattle get some cottonseed meal a#
cake, with obout six pounds per head of!
wheat straw, chaff or corn fodder£
[Amerjow*' Agriculturist,
FREAKS OF LUCK.
TWO PECULIAR CASES PROBED
BY A SCRIBE.
A Bank Clerk Stopped From Stealing
by a Peculiar Arrangement of Mir
rors—A Strangely Deliberate Sui
cide.
The greed of gold, writes "Durandal"
from New York to the Cincinnati En
quirer, is quite as remarkable us the
whimsicalities of its expenditure. Did
ever a man, 110 matter how good, luive
another man's money in his possession
without at least the thought of stealing
it coming into his head i
"Conscience is a curious thing," said
one of Byrnes' best detectives. "Let
me tell what I once saw. I was shadow
ing a bank clerk 011 a Western railroad
train. He had a kandba? containing
his employer's treasure, and was tempt
ed to vamoose with it. The cars rolled
along down from tho Rocky Mountains
height of Denver for hours. Tom took
to studying a time-table, in which ho
saw that a westward train would meet j
and pass this eastward train at Mirage. !
What of it / He put the question men- j
tally to himself, and answered that it j
meant nothing whatever to him. But I
lie went 011 to think that, if he wished j
to steal the gold, away to do it was to 1
quit this train at Mirage and get aboard
tho other. I watched the whole mental
process.
Ho pronounced the idea preposterous,
but be did not get rid of it, and when
tho stop was made ho alighted with the
lag in his hand. He seemed actuated
by some impulse which got its for. o out
side of himself. He had the opportuni
ty to use the speed of two locomotives to
put distance between tlio gold and its
owner, who was on the same train. He
walked slowly toward tho further end of
tho platform, wondering at his inability (
to ceaso plotting a crime, and debating!
whether there was any likelihood of his !
changing to the westward train when it |
came. The most resplendent things in
Colorado are the drinking saloons, and)
a new one at Mirage was to be paneled i
with mirrors. The big plates of glass
bad been delivered at the station. They
were unframed, and some of them were :
out of the boxes in which they had been j
transported. The owner of the groggery :
had discovered that if the edges of two j
mirrors are placed together at right,
angle, with 110 frame or anything else to
separate their surfaces, a person sees
himself duplicated in the corner thus 1
formed. Half the imago is on one glass
and half 011 the other, but the juncture j
is not visible, and a singular optical
effect is that, 110 matter where the man i
stands, or how he changes his place, his
reflection will not budge from its place (
in the mirrored angle. Tho numc of
Mirage has boon derived from the fre-;
quoncy of the visual illusion of mirage
in the rarefied atmosphere of the ele- I
vatod region, and it may be that the i
whiskey-seller meant to startle his cus- j
torams beyond anything known to tho
Fata Morgana as they drank at his bar.
As though impatient to foresee the prac- 1
ticability of his plan, ho had set up a
dozen of the mirror plates in right- i
angled pairs against the b ixes and the
side of the freight house. Toward them |
Tom walked unexpoctantly. To his |
sudden amazement ho encountered him
self in multiple. Each Tom had a vil
lainous scowl and a skulking air as he
grippod the bag of gold. Notwith
standing the absence of frames from the
looking glasses, ho would have conipro
bended them at a second glanco but for
the behaviour of the reflected images.
They did not stir from thoir separato
glasses as ho advanced, nor change their
positions in tho least when he moved
aside, but stared I aok at him like so
many thieves suddenly halted 111 their
flight. He WAS shocked and bewi.der
ed as though by a supernatural vision.
"'That's a curious effect, sir.' It was
my own voice that oausod Tom to turn
abruptly, with a quiver of fright.
" ' What d' you say {' lie brokenly ro- |
sponded. *Do you mean the effect on
me i'
" 'O, no,' I carelessly continued ; 'the
queer optical otl'oei of such an arrange
ment of mirrors.'
Certainly—that is—yes, I was ob- ;
serving it myself.'
"To Tom it remained an uncertainty
whether a flight was prevented by the
encounter of tho errors, but I shall al
ways boliovo that lie was thereby saved
from a crime."
I shall put that true and curious in
cident into an episode of fiction. And
let me go from that recollection of a de
tective to a real occurrence here in New
York, co show how curiously one man
treated himsolf while under a trifling
niisfortuno of a pecuniary sort. Carl
Werner ro turn od one evening despond
ent to his apartment in the wilderness.
of tenements which shut the sun out
from West Fortieth street, in tho neigh- !
borhood of Ninth avenue. He was a j
man between 50 and GO, shaped like one
of those quoer, long-bodied and short ;
logged dogs which arc sent into holes j
after woodchucks. His toes turned in,'
and ho rolled ponderously and ominous- \
ly as 110 walked. Ilis face was as round
and placid and vacant as tho moon. No
one could ever guess from its express !
ionloss surfaco that Werner was sorrow
ing, and it is possible that, being a de
li lie rate man—his sorrow at that period
had not obtainod much headway. To his
wife, a gray-haired, pluintive-looking
woman of about his own age, he briefly
confided tho information that he was
out of work. Tho pieklo factory in
which 110 had labored for thirteen years
had suddenly discovered that it was no
longer in need of his services. Mrs.
Werner burst into tears, and two father
less and motherless grandchildren, 4
and 0 years of ago, respectively, cried
to keep her company. Werner filled a
pipe, and, seating himself, calmly con
templated his weeping family through a
cloud of smoke. Finally he "preferred a
simple roquoff. " L eschen, lie said to
the older of tho children, "pringyonr
grandfardor some poor."
The child obtained a brown pitcher
with blue stripes übon it from the table,
and went forth sobbing upon her errand.
When she returned Werner took the
pitcher from her, eyed for a moment the
foam rounding from its top, and empti
ed it without faking breath. Having
done that he set tho pitcher carefully
down, wiped his mouth with the back of
his hand, and observed:
"I ti'inks 110 more peor."
That was threo weeks ago, and for fif
teen days Werner, who had boon accus
tomed to consume a largo quantity of !
bera daily, drunk none at all. It seem
ed to mnko 110 difference in his physical
person or his spirits. Ho smoked with
1 equanimity, and his face lemainod as
round and placid and vacant as boforo.
On the sixteenth day, however, ho re
, garded Lieschen with unusual fliought
| fulness as he sat down to tho breakfast
table. He was still out of work, although
ho had made application for employ-
I ment at all the pickle factories in the
I city, and 011 tho evoning provious Mi's.
Werner had consulted him as to the nd
! visability of drawing, for the defray-
Iment of current household expenses, a
small part of the uiue hundred and odd
dollars which lay to their credit in the
savings hank. After he had regarded
the elder of his grandchildren uninter
ruptedly for tho better part of a minute,
his little family were mildly surprised
to hear him say, in the words which he
had employed on the day of his dis
charge from the pickle factory:
"Liesohen, pring your grandfarder
. some peer."
The child obeyed with alacrity, and
Mrs. Werner seemed cheered by this re
newal of a habit which her husband had
followed during more than thirty years.
Werner took the pitcher from his little
| granddaughter when she returned, look
| ed rette lively at tho beer, and then
! j emptied into it a paper of paris green
1 j which he took from his waistcoat pock-
, et. Having so done, Werner softly agi
■ I tated the pit her, in order that the pois
, | on might bo well stirred up, and calmly
j drank the contents,
j I For the re tof the day the discharged
, | pickle-maker sat smoking at tho win
dow, while tho family wept. Mrs. Wer-
I ncr would have given notification of her
husband's act, ami would have summon-
I ed medical assistance, but he command
! Ed her to the contrary, and she had
I I long been accustomed to acknowledge
' | his will as law. The poison sickened
I him, but seemed unlikely to produce
! any more Fer.ous result. Werner waited
j paitently until 4 o'clock in the after
| noon, and then once more summoned
i the little Lieschen, whom he instructed
! to procure for him another pitcher of
beer, and to stop on her way to the
i pa nt store and buy five cents worth of
paris green.
" You tole der boss dot was for rats,"
said Werner.
Mrs. Werner went into a paroxysm of
sobbing, and the child was frightened
and unwilling to do the errand, but the
authority of Werner prevailed, and
Lieschen brought the beer and the poi- 1
fon duly. Werner drank tho beer, all
but a single glass, without admixture. |
Tnto the last glass he poured the pow- |
] der. Holding his pipe in ono hand
i and the deadly dose in the other, he was
j about to drink, when his wife struck the
I mixture from his grasp and it was spill- '
:cd upon the floor. Werner contem-
I plated his wife in placid sorrow, and I
| then turned his attention to the glass.
I A thick green mess remained at the hot- !
| torn of it. He took up the glass and
j swallowed the poison at a gulp.
! It was then about 4.30 o'clock, and
j Werner stretched himse'f upon the
i kitchen floor and closed his eyes. Mrs.
; Werner sat by him, torn by conflicting
emotions. Whenever she or the cliil
i dreu moved as though to summon assis
i tanco ho commanded them to desist, j
j None of them dared to disobey him. It I
1 may be that a man less obstinate would
have died more easily. This one died j
! at last. At 10 o'clock that night the ;
spirit left him, and his wife and grand- ;
! children went sobbing with the story to
j the police.
No Checks Cashed or Money
Loaned.
I " You have probably observed in your
travels," said tho hotel clerk, " the sign
i hung out at the cashier's desk in all
leading hotels; 4 No money loaned or
checks cashed hero !' Those signs are
! hung out to protect tho hotel from dead
beats, and they serve the purpose to a
certain extent. Wo make a mistake now
and then, as was the case here a couple
of weeks ago. An old* codger came
along with an old-fashioned satchel, and
lie looked so hard up and rusty that I
gave liim the poorest room in the house,
and asked for a deposit of five dollars.
, He made it, and 1 gave him 110 further
attention. At the end of a week lie
, came up to settle his bill, and when I
. gave him the figures he pulled out a
chock book and filled up a check for the
, amount.
441 Can't take it,' I said, as I shoved it
back.
" 'Why?'
44 '(lot beat too often.'
44 4 But it's good.'
I 4 4 4 Maybe.'
j 4 4 4 Well, I have no currency, and must
pay you by chock; very few people ro
| fuse them.'
i 4 4 4 Look hero, old fellow,' I replied,
Imy mad coming up, 4 if you think to
i beat this house you will get left! Either
| come down with the bill or you'll go to
i jail!'
i "He tore up tho check, filled in an
other for $200,000 on a Chicago national
hank, and handed it over, with the re
mark:
4 4 4 Please stop over to tho hank and
ask them to assure themselves that this
would be honored in Chicago.'
4 'l went over to a national hank, and
inside of an hour Chicago had answered
that a check signed by the old man for
half a million dollars was as good
as gold. I hod made a mistake in
sizing my man up."
i 4 'Rut who was lie ?"
I "Ho is familiarly known as 4 Old
: Hutch,' king of tho wheat ring."—[New
i York Sun.
The Rattlesnake a Coward.
I I "A rattVsnako i.s the biggest coward
in the world," said John Kent, of Swamp
1 Run, Clinton County, Penn., a profes
( bional hunter of rattlesnakes for their
; hides, grease and rattles, in tho sale of
I which to city and country dealers he
savs ho has built up quite a big trade.
"The rattier would be scared at his own
. shadow if ho could seo it, and would
' try to run away from it, until he found
I that it stuck right by him. Then ho
i would stop and try to fight it. When
ho made tho discovery that ho couldn't
sink a fang into the shadow he would
| settle tho whole difficulty by turning
i his poison on himself and committing
suicide. Some people say that the rat-
I tlosnake won't commit suicide. I say
I ho will. I've seen rattlers put an end
to themselves do/en of times, but never
1 i when they wore in captivity. Why that
lis I can't say. If you have a rattlesnake
1 caged up you may put all sorts of iudig
-1 uities upon him, and, while ho will (
\ | work himself into a rage that is more than j
terrible to seo, somehow ho won't lot ;
,! his feelings so far overcome him as to ■
bite and kill himself. It is different
' | when he i.s met with on his native bar
ren and cornered up. 110 won't, as a
1 general thing, put an end to himself un
' til he has exhausted all means at hand
; I in trying to get out of the trouble he is
[ I in, when his rage seems to get beyond j
. liia control, and he twists his head |
around ami sols his fangs in his body j
right pvor tho hoart, and in less time
than you could kill him ho stretches out i
stiff."
Watermelon Vinegar.
I The latest story of Kansas productive
ness comes from Ford county, where a
Mr. Sternberg planted twonty acres to
! melons, and sold tho seeds to an Eastern
| seed house for $-100. From the melons
ho manufactured 1,000 barrels of vine
gar, which ho values at $lO per barrel,
j This melon vinegar he claims to bo fully
! equal to, if not better than, tho cider
I vinegar. If this story is true, this State
! will be principally devoted to the pro-
I duotion of watermelons in a short space
|of time. Just think of it! $10,400 for
j the product of twenty acres of laud. —
I j Emporia (Kan. j Democrat.
AN EXTRAORDINARY SCENE.
How the Shah of Persia Travels in
His Own Country.
It was pitch dark as we approached
i the royal camp, and tho appearance
presented thereby was very cxtraordi-
I nary. There appeared tous to be miles
| of white tents, each with a camp lira
j burning before it. There were camels,
! mules, and horses in every direction
, that our eyes penetrated. It was as if
we had suddenly been plunged into the
midst of a vast army, and well it might
be, for the following are roughly the
statistics of tho retinue which accom
panied the Shah from his capital to the
! frontier: Four thousand quadrupeds,
I including mules, horses, and camels,
! for carrying the luggage and drawing
: tho carriages; 3,000 tents to accommo
! date 7,000 to 8,000 individuals, 25 car
: riages for the royal suite alone, 3 royal
wives, and their 40 female attendants.
! Tho Shah's tent arrangements cover
I over an acre of ground. The huge red
tent inhabited by the still slumbering
; monarch was visible from afar. It was
pitched in a grove of poplars, by the
side of a tiny lake, and surrounded by a
wall about eight feet high, made of
Keslit embroidery—that is to say, an
1 embroidery of chain stitch, uniting lifc
| tic bits of colored cloth, which wo know
well enough in England in the shape of
table covers and anti-macassars, and
for which I have never really felt any
i great affection; but still, when it decor*
j ates a high wall inclosing an aero of
ground the effect is startling and mag
| nilicent. Finer fable covers of the same
I material were spread as saddle cloth?
I ovqr tho many gayly-caparisoncd horses
around us, and just as we approached
quantities of mules were on the point of
starting with royal and other baggage,
with bright red palls cast over their
burdens. All tho carriages were wait
ing ready before tho grate into the royal
inclosurc, which was formed of poles
painted red, looking not unlike gallows.
Anisi Dowlet, the Shah's favorite wife,
was just going to start in her gilded
carriage, drawn by six gayly-eaparison
ed horses. She is a remarkable woman,
who has held lior position of favorite for
thirty years. She has no children, sho
io not young, and I am told not beauti
ful; but licr intellectual qualities are
: such and hor manner so bright that
i tlioy have placed hor far ahead of tho
I other Indies in the royal harem. Sho
I always started an hour or two before his
| Majesty, presumably acting as a good
j wife should, to sec that all was in order
i and tho slippors ready at the other end.
There, too, was tho Shah's own horse,
called "Boost Satoun," or "Twenty
Pillars," with its beautiful and neat
gold bridle and its saddle cloth of very
lino liesht embroidery partially cover
ing its glossy flanks. From the bearing
rein two straps of gold lay across his
chest; ho is a splendid animal and al
ways held in readiness for his Majesty
to I ido when tired of driving in his car
riage. Close to "Twenty Pillars" stood
another horse in readiness to carry his
Majesty's pipe beaver; the pipe is a
luxury indulged in by all Persian gran
dees when traveling. His Majesty's
own kalyan or water pipe is carried in a
drum shaped case, covered with purple
velvet and gold, and strung from tho
saddle. At the other side are suspended
tho firebox and tho water gourd, simi
larly decorated and all ready, so that at
a moment's notice tho pipe can bo pre
i pared when the Shah expresses a wish
I for a whiff of tobacco. Among tho
i horses were the body guard with their
j silver and gold batons, tho running
j footmen clad in red with hats not unlike
i fools' coxcombs, any number of gener
als, officers, and soldiers. Tho scene
j was one of tho greatest animation and
j brilliancy, lit up by tho rays of a Per
sian sun.—[Tho Fortnightly Review.
A Desperate Mother's Ingenuity,
From a gentleman who resides in that
vicinity was obtained la t night tho do
tails of a most renin k ihle rescue from
death that took place at the farm of
Wendell Russell, about three miles from
Venice, 111., Monday afternoon. Mr.
Russell, had removed the pump from
the well to make some repairs, and had
I partially covered the aperture with
! boards. A little four-year-old boy play
! ing in the vicinity got on these boards
I and fell through, one of the boards
going with him. His mother heard the
cries and rushed to the rescue. There
, was about twelve feet of water in
tho well, and tho distance from tho
I top to the surface of tho water
i was about fifteen feet. Sho could
seo the little one clinging to tho
board and floating on the water. No
assistance was at hand and sho was
thrown on her own resources. Her
wits worked quickly and sho acted with
great promptness. Securing a stout ropo
which was near at hand she fastened one
end of it tightly about the body of her
nine-year-old daughter and then let her
down to the water, where she grabbed
the little one and shouted to her mother
to pull her up. Her mother could not
do it. While it was a comparatively
easv matter to lower tho girl steadily
and to hold her, it was quite another
thing to hand licr up, and tl e mother's
strength was not equal to the task. She,
however, found aw ay out of tho dilemma.
With a few words of encouragement to
her loved ones clinging to each other
just above the surface of tho water, sho
made tho ropo fast above and ran to get
a ladder that was le tiling against tho
house. This sho let down tho well, but
it reached but little below the sur
face of tho water, and there was nothing
for it to rest on. Sho secured a stout
piece of timber and placed it across the
top of tho well between tho top rounds
of the ladder. Sho then went down
horself and helped the children up.—[St.
Louis Globe-Demoorat.
Revolutionizing the Steel Industry.
A firm in Chicago, engaged in the
manufacture of tin cans and japanned
ware, has patented an invention which
competent judges say will revolutionize
the iron and steel industry of tho world.
Patents have been secured in tho lead
ing countries of tho world. It is, in
brief, a process by which molten metal
may l>e rolled into any desired slmpe,
thus saving all intermediate processes.
It was invented originally to roll molten
solder into thin plates, but tho process
is pronounced by experts to ho equally
applicable to iron and steel in its various
forms of plate structural iron and rails.
It is believed that tho cost of manufac
turing stool rails can bo reduced to tho
extent of ton dollars per ton, and that
thin iron plates for tinning can bo made
much below tho cost of production of
tin plates in Wales, thus making a new
j industry in this country. Tho molten
metal is passed between rollers, which
I is chilled as it passes, the rollers being
; kept cold by a stream of water which
| passes through them. Another advnn
j tiigo is that iron and stool so rolled will
j bo much more even and closer in texture
than that mode by present methods,
I being free from the air holes which
result from tho intermediate processes.
I —[Times-Democrat.
Save That Nweet (Sir!!
Don't let that lxMiuliful girl fndo and droop
into invalidism or sink into on carlv grave for
want of timely earo at the most critical stage
of her life. Dr. l'lorco'a Favorite I'rescrip'ion
will aid in regulating iter health and estab
lishing it on a firm Impend may save her
ycare of chronic suffering and consequeut un
happinese.
A more pleasant physio
You never will lind
Than l'iercc'a siua'l "Pellets,*
The Purgative kind.
''Judge a man by his eves, but a woman
always by her lips," saiid Benjamin Franklin.
Now wo understand how Benjamin happened
to get so deeply interested in the study of
electrical phenomena.
Taking It altogether tlice never was a time
v.-lien our country was enjoying greater pros
perity than at the present moment, and yet
there aro thousands of people lu the land who
aro fussing and finning about hard times. No
dount but what many of them are honest in |
their complaints, and it is oiten because thov
have not found the right kind of work or the
right way to do It Now, if business is not
moving along with you satisfactorily, take our
advice and write to B. F. Johnson <fe Co., Rich
mond, Vu. It is nioro than likely that they
can help you, at any rate, It would cost you
nothing but a postage stamo to apply to thorn.
A lVinisN Ivnniit editor has discovered tluii
everything i i mil urn is playful, lie says—
"The lightning plays, the wind whistles, the
thunder rolls, the know Hies, the waves leap,
ninl the Holds smile. Eveil the trees shoot
and the rivers and strenins run."
A School of the Highest Order for Youug
I.nlies.
Ingham University, I.e Roy, N. estab
lished over fifty years, offe:s superior advan
tages in its Literary, Music and Art Depart
ments. Excellent home. Attention given to
social culture. Kates moderate. Send for
cataloguo. Address Miss li. M. Webster,
Principal.
The bill to remove the New Hampshire Cap
flol from Concord to Manchester has been
killed.
Summer Weakness
Is quickly overcome by the toning, reviving uti
blood purify lug qualities of Hood's Snrsaparllb
This popular medicine drives off that tired fcclii
•md cures sick headache, dyspepsia, scrofula, an
all humors. Thousands testify that Hood's Surt
parllla "makes the weak strong."
"My health win poor, as I had froquont sick hen.
nches, could not sloop well, did uot have much np
petite, and had no ambition to work. I have taken
less than a bottle of llood's Sursapariila nud fc< •
liko a now person."—Mns. W. A. Turnkii, We.' I
Hanover, Mass.
N. D.—lf you decide to take Hood's Sursapariih
\o not bo luducod to buy uuy other.
Hood's Sarsaparilia
Sold by all druggists. $1; six for $5. Prepared out.
by O. I. IIOOD A CO., Apothecaries, Lovvoll, Moss.
100 Doses One Dollar
THE ALPINE FIRE PLACE
Dp fore Buying Crates, get our
■ circular, Kent l ree. 'ihoAlliiio
§ |errsMWP*?.iS i.i■ < Warm Floors. I'eri. - t
ill Ventilation; keeps fire over night,
fjffiSßa I :,,,d I s ijurns coal. ok*
H; SSS HIS
|jj!L- lIT W."!t' ost of any other. Add res-A 1.1)1 NK
qI t;, ( 0., Grand Kapids, Miv.li.
New looks!
JUST OUT!
Pleasures of Life, - 25c.
By Sir John Tubbock.
Just for Fun, - - 10c.
Hand Shadows on V/all, 10c. 1
Silver, or 1 or 2 cent postage stamps.
Address,
PARAGON BOOK GO., '
No, 15 Vandewator Street,
NEW YORK, N. Y.
MHOW
Bona!
If you are thinking of building a house you ought
to hoy the now book. I'ullb*••'* Amor'* "" Arch
ttm. .irr, or every man a v. n.pMe builder, prei-ared
liv Da I liner, I'sHiner \ < >..tl.ewe 1 known architect*
There Is not a Builder or any one Intending to
inlhl or otlu rwir.e intern t*-d that can afford to be
without it. It i* a practical work unci everybody bc>
't. The best, cheupu-t and meat popular work ever
Issued on Building. Nearly four hundred drawings. ;
A $6 book in hl/i'and style, hut we hav • determined lo
make it meet the popular demand, to miit the limes,
so that it can be uslly reached by all.
'i Lis tiouk contuiiiH ii 4 pugt'B l'xli inches in si/#,
and constats of large 9x12 plat pages giving plane,
elevations, perspective vi. ws. descriptions, o\vn.*re
Sam* s, actual cost of construction, no uiici.h vv nrU,
u.d instnietions IJow to Build nM'ott -g* s. \ dliia,
Double Houses. Brick Block Houses, suitable for
ntj suburbs, town and country, houses for the farm
and worklngiueu's homes for all sections of thi
country, aim costing from $ tn> to ifo.soo; also ltarne,
St .l ies, School House, Town Ball. Churches and
0 her public buildings, together with siwctOoatlon*,
form ot contract, and it lar.e amount of information
on tho erection of buildings, selection of sito, *id
iib.yment of Architects. It i worth fa to any una,
hut we will send it In paper cover by mail, post paid,
on receipt of $1.00; bound In cloth f2.OU. ,
ABCIIIiECT CO, k 15 Vndevvtiter St., New Xoili
Dr. Lobb,%MF
Twenty years' continuous practice tu the treat'
meut and cure of the avvlul effect* ot early
vice, destroying both mind and laxly. Medicine
and ticutiiicnt for olio month, Five Dollar*, sent
securely scaled from observation to any address. 1
HeoU mi Special Discuses I'ree.
fwo servant's in twa
neighboring bouses dweltj | S
But differently their j3|
daily labor
Jaded and
of
fiv/aya at work and
bhen she cleaned
_use wilhSqpo/io f
Heir* Wanted.
Information in wanted of the whereabout* of
Johanna Wilson, daughter of Mark .'Sweeney,
wife of Thomas Wilson, born In Limerick Co.,
Ireland. She is, if living, heir to an estate. If
dead,her children or next of kiu are wanted.
Address, W. J. CoVIL, Webster City, lowa.
Tho San Ft u neisco Pont is of the opinion
thai tile ptililii limn who draws himself up
ami "litis not liing tu suy to /leivspttpor men"
hasn't nnyt liing-to relate to his own credit
as a general thing.
AU who use Dobblns's Electric Soap praise it
as the bent cheapest and nuitt tconoiitiral fam
ily soap made; but if you will try it once it will
tell a still stronger talo of its uiortts itself.
Fieone try it. Your grocer will supply you.
W it is the light ning of the mind, reason the
sunshine, ami reflection the moonlight; for
as the bright orb of the night owes lis lustre
to the saa, so does rolleetion owe its existence
Old smokers prefer "Tjinsill's Punch" 5c
Cigar to most 10 renters. ,
The seepfer of on Egyptian King has been
examined chemically by Prof Uerlliclot, and
proves to he nearly pure copper, with otily
truces of lend. 11 is supposed to be about
MOO years old. !
SSJJ
Clironic Nenralgiii,
Perma n tci.w. Juo, 11, 16ST.
BUBeica a long time with neuralgia In tho head-
Koelrl-lrV """j 6 * V ° St J * CObB Oil trial!
.SI- . n catlr oly cured, UJ return
JEREMIAH ENEY. 1812 W Lombard st , Balfo., Md.
1 ® Ur^ B ' . . October 17. 1886.
~i , P ara, y d from neuralgia ,he could
not walk 4 te;. I bought St. Jacobs Oil. after on*
Dottle was used aha walked about, continued use
completely cured her. J A3. P MURPHY,
SprmghelJ, Tenn.
Permanent Cur... Jua , „ m7
Years ago hail neuralgia; not oubjcct to attacks
now; the cure by use of 8t Jacobs Oil was ponna
nent. there has been no recurrenco of the painful
affliction. E W. BPAWULEH, York. Pinna.
AT DRUOOISTS AND DEALERS
THE CHAHt.ES VOCFLER CO.. Baltimore. Md.
PEERLESS DIES I k>u>DY DucuuumL
fb ip lu S8 n day. Samples worth t?4.15 tree,
blues not uiulor liorses' feet. Wrius Brew*
pHJf ••lerSufet > It •* I n lltilder ('>., Holly,Mich
521$ houb the Dit'psttffSb
•&&a-y Mil Ii AI, CO.. If ill, in oud. Va.
B.Vnr.Wi.'iv \ri "Viii'i-'tic, ht"irt"h:i!.t! cu"'.
II thoiough'y tauglit by MAIL. Circulars ireo,
liriu.il'k ( iiilrur 457 Main St., Buffalo, N. Y.
.AEj- SRj-whi.k.--
?"0 But nl &9 Q Stecu rod at homo with
Fa MR S 8H P| E*C'jr antpaio. Book of par-
Q 0 |fi tlcniarnscnt FKEE.
ti>>£ Whitehall fit-
BEST IT( THE WORLD GREASE
I 7~ Oct the Oei.ulup- Bi.lJ l>errvThere.
RE TALL 1?S?T
BP Best Hough Syrup. T'astos good. (Jeo
CHICHESTER'S ENGLISH
&&}■£&, PENNYROYAL PILLS,
S-v —. C'J Itt'd Cross Diamond Itiand.
1/ The only reliable nlll for Kle. Knt'c ■*> d
( / 17} ur>'. l.udU'N, iik ltriigirlnt f,r tin- Ilia.
1 i'| mniul Itrund, in rctl inettlib-bHtvx. settled
rr vi I ill blue ribbon T'ukt-no oilier. Si'inl ic.
' I'srtleulars ami "Uflli-r tor
' Chloliester Clieuilcul to., Aludlsou *y., l'lilladu, i'u.
BOBTHEIN PACIFIC.
1110 PRICE RAILROAD LANDS t
FREE Government LANDS.
I MILLIONS of AOUKS of i-airh in Mtnn**sofa. North
; Dakota. Montana. Idaho. WnaJiiagtoa and On-gou.
coin PflQ I'Mbliratiuiis Willi .MnpM(lescribing tlio
ot-IsJ run Im'ml Aviii'ultural. tini/iiig and Tim
la i I.uiuls nowo|.. Nt s.-ttU-ra Sent IVoe. Address
CHAS. B. I 1 Si'. 1 1u n\" '.U !Viu°. r j
tDUTCHER'S
. FLY KIU.FR
Makos n clean sweep. Every
sheet will kill a quart of
Stops buzzing nmumi earsf
diving uteves, tickling you?
noso, Bkliia hard words and sor
F. DUTCH Kit, St. Albatu, VtJ
' Mf donly by tha Wo bftVO ROld Big (. for
' RiSfllTiEi Choznlcsl Co. H '. ul , 11 fIH "
i iflßi /ii „ .i pyufwri given the best of sal s-
Ohio. D. 11. DYCHEA f'O..
, M Chicago. 111.
Trad. ISI.OO. Bold by Druggists.
©s#" LATEST IMPROVED
HORSE POWER
J Machines for TIIRFKIIIND At LRANINO
Ciralutslso >
EASY DRAFT. DURABILITY & QUANTITY OF WORK
Ffve. 1 Adtlreßß A.W. GRAY'S SONS,
FarxMicxs AND SOLI: MANiTVAcrrunEiia
IlllOUflOW .t SPHlHtig, Yt,
|F YOTT WISII Ap
I GIHI (smih i ;
KKVIH.VIiIt u
1 Srnt ch' ice f ull expertn. iHK
Manufactured in colttinw :rj. 38and 44-iuo. Stn
el.-<>r (Inutile action, Safety llammerU r-a and > y
Target modelH. Constructed entirely of best qual
ify wroimhi st eel, carefully inspected for work
manshipand Btoclt. they aro unrivaled for tlnl*h
flu en hi llt v and accurncy. Do not be deceived by
thcap miillenble cast-iron Imitation* which
aie often sold for the genuine article and are not
onlv unreliable, but dangerous. The SMITH fc
WESSON ltevolvers are all Btami>ed upon the bar
rel:* with firm's namo, addreas and dates of patent*
an-1 sro uxui-uiiieed jmrfect in every detail. In
sist upon having tho genuine article, and If your
rieulor cann' t supply you an order s- nt to address
below will receive prompt and careful attention.
iVescrtptlvo catalogue and prices furnished upon up
i action. gMi'i'g A WESSON,
•r. hauuau ttii* imowc., Nuiiuaiisld. Man,