Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, January 24, 1902, Image 2
FBEELAID TRIBUNE. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY, I$V TIIB TRIEUHE PRINTING COMPANY. IMci Ornoc; MAIN STKKET ABOVE 'FNTUB LONU DISTANCE TELEPHONE. SUBSCRIPTION It AT ICS FREE LAND.— 1 ho TRIBUNE isdisllvered by carriers to subscribers in Froeland at the rate of 12 Hi cents per month, pay a bin every two months, or $1 frEa year, payable in advance- The TRIBUNE may be ordered direct form the carriers or from the < tlloe. Complaints of krr etfular or tardy dolivery service will re oelve prompt nttontion. BY MAIL —The TRIBUNE is rent to out-of town subscribers for $1.5" a year, payable in advance; pro rata terms for shorter periods. The date when the ul>acription expires is on tho address label or' each paper. Prompt re newnls must be made at the expiration, other wise the subscription will be discontinued. Entered at the Postofflce at Freeland* Pa. as Second-Class Matter. Make all money orders , checks, eti. t paynbl4 to th-' Tribune I'nn ing Company, Limited. Thro are in the United StntOs near ly 1.100,000 square miles of wood land, representing thirty-seven per cent, of the total area of the country. An insurance statistician has com piled an interesting statement of the number and kind of accidents last year. Among others 553 persons fell off railway trains, 272 were hurt by ladders, 25(9 were hurt from riding or driving, ten I*3' automobiles, 22-i by bumping into furniture, nine "hurtful ly took off shoes." "It was not many years ago," says Country Life In America, "that peo ple lived in the suburbs as a matter of economy. Now they live in these parts because higher ideals may often be attained here. From reports per sonally obtained from twenty-eight of the largest cities In America, North, Scuth, East and West, it was shown that during two recent years over $-120,000,000 had been incorporated and spent in private purchases and the de velopment of lands adjacent to large cities, for suburban operations. Over $60,000,000 have been voted and spent by trolley and railroad companies to extend their service beyonds the limits of these cities. Nearly half a billion dollars have, therefore, been invested within two years in the proposed de velopment of suburban properties, in addition to the millions of dollars al ready so invested." Sir Christopher Furncss, an F.ug lisliman, who has just visited America, and who is recognized as oue of the most eminent authorities on financial and economical matters, declares that "The United States 's destined to become the greatest finan cial power in the world." He adds: "With her vast resources and millions of energetic people, she cannot be downed. We see indications of it everywhere. What happened when We were called upon to borrow money some months ago? Who bought the bonds? Where did they go? They Went to America. Americans were ready on the spot to produce any amount of money that was necessary or desired. I dare say they could have been taken up at home, but they were not. The Americans did not give us the chance. Thus 5 t is everywhere. This is just one illustration, but it is a good one, and hundreds of others can be found on every hand. Defeated by Nature. Nutmegs grow on little trees, which look like small pear trees, and which are generally not over twenty feet liigh. The flowers are very much like the lily of the valley. They are pale and very fragranv. The nutmeg is the seed of the fruit, and mace is the thin covering over the seed. The fruit is about tlie size of a peach. When ripe it breaks open and shows a liitlo nut inside. The trees grow on the islands of Asia and tropical Amer ica. They bear fruit seventy or eighty years, having ripe fruit on them all the season. A fine tree in Jamaica has more than 4000 nutmegs on it every year. The Dutch used to have all this nut meg trade, as they owned the Hantla Island and conquered all the oilier traders and destroyed all the trees. To keep th u price up, # they once burned three piles of nutmegs, each of which was said to be "as big as a church." Nature did not sympathize with such meanness. The nutmeg pigeon, found in all the Indian islands, did for the world what the Dutch had determined should not be done—carried tho seeds, which are their food, iuio all tho cur rounding countries. The Russian government has an nounced that persons found playing cards in a railway carriage in any part of the Russian empire will bo subject to heavy penalties. The thres largest cities in Sweden are Stockholm, with 300,000 inhabi tants ; Gothenburg, with 131,000, and Malmo, with 61,000. ONCE IN A WHILE. Once in a while the run shines out, | And the arching skies are a perfect blue; Cure in a while 'mid clouds of doubt Hope's brightest stars come peeping j through, | Our paths lead down by the meadows fair. I Where the sweetest blossoms nod and And we lay aside our cross of c&ro Once in a while. ! O n ee in a while within our own i We clasp the hand of a steadfast friend; j Once in a while we hear a tone | Of love with the heart's own voice to blend; And the dearest of all our dreame come true, And on life's way is a golden mile. Each thirsting flower is kissed with dew # Once in a while. ! Once in • while in the desert sand I We find a spot of the fairest green: ! Once in a while from where we stand 1 The hills of Paradise are seen; ■ And a perfect joy in our hearts we hold, ! A joy that the world cannot defile; , We trade earth's dross for the purest gold Once in a while. —Nixon Waterman, in Boston Globe. . I oooooccoooooc^ccceooccooco 0 q j? \YHitcamb's [agate § Sooococoonooo^ooooacoooooo WHITCOMD kicked his dog, kicked lilm savagely. That was eighteen years ago at Suufly, a small settlement on Topper Creek, in the then Dakctas. I Wo curiously looked at tho dog to as- j certain what effect this particular kick ! would have on him, for it was at least | the one-thousandth that he had re | ceived from l>!s master in the course of. throe years of troubled life. Usual ly tills do:: took the kick, drooped his tail, slunk into a corner and watched I his master out of a single eye until ] ih" lattcr's good humor was restored. This afternoon he did not do this. Ho ; i turned away without a yelp, set his , | scarred body ou the trail to Portland, j ; and temporarily disappeared, j Wbitcomb was the deputy sheriff of j the county, stationed at Sunfly. He i regarded himself as master of any- [ thing and everything in tho town. : j Men that kick dogs usually carry that j ! opinion with them. Whitcomb in Sun- | j lly stood for tho law and bis own 1 ends. When the two conflicted the iaw went fishing. But it was a singu- J iar thing that while Tvliitcomb carried I so much authority and imposing pres | enco around he never met a man who i j dared to defy hint but he immediately j | became his best friend. Men that kick I : doga have that peculiarity, also. It | was singular, too, that tho only thing j in Sunfly which Whitcomb ever out- ; rageously abused was his coyote dog. | This, he kicked at every opportunity, j kicked so hard that Watson, the j freighter, looking into the dog's blood- | shot eyes cue day, said sententlousiy J to Whitcomb: "He'll turn on you some day." The dog came fl'cm nowhere, no j drifted in out of the wilds of the j buttes one day and immediately at- j taehcu himself to Whitcomb. Perhaps ] lie had a cross of coyote in him; more \ probably he did not. But he was long, ! lank, lieavy-fauged, big of muscle, I i marvelous in endurance—he ran one | j day sixty miles behind Whitcomb's i gray Indian mare without a sup of | water. lie minded ills own business j strictly, even as to other dogs. The j few of his own race that disturbed j him were killed so quickly that they ! did not realize he was at their throats. | Why he tock to Whitcomb no one j could explain, but lie did, and although | kicked from pillar to post, beaten j with pistol butts and cut with quirts, he was loyal to his first choice. That ! is, he was loyal until this particular j day, when he wits kicked for the last time. When he trotted away from Whitcomb's office, although ho did not know it, lie forever severed himself from that individual. • [ Watson, coming across the trail with provisions, met him at Grass Butte, a | j mile from town. lie was high up the j I butte perched on a shelf looking fur | : into the West. Watson whistled to j j him, and he came down, dragging his j j big but bruised frame after him slow- j i ly. He licked the freighter's hand, ] | sniffed at the horses ami then returned to tlie vantnge point he had occupied, j j only this time he faced the East, look- | I ing toward Sunfly. I Watson was noi. a superstitious fel j low, but when lie rode into town and j I passed Whitcomb's office be called out; ! I "Going over Grass Butte way to- ; ; night?" i Whitcomb nodded. Watson shook j , bis head. ; "That dog of your'a is out there, and he's waiting for trouble." Whitcomb laughed, shook himself, and remarked: "I reckon lie'l! never bother me—he's ; I Just a 1 it sulky." "All right," answered Wntson, "but i 1 know these coyote dogs, and I know \ your dog, and lie's wailing for you— you just remember that." Whitcomb paid no rjoro attention | to liim and llie rest of us forgot Grass ! | Butte and the dog. About S o'clock j that evening Whitcomb rode out of i town with a young fellow by the j name of Owens. He was imying at tention 10 Owens' sister, and vhe was living at the ranch in the meadows, j five miles west of Grass Butte. It \ was dark when tho two cleared the : town, hut tliey wore headed straight for the butte. When its shape rose out of the Uaekncss before tliem Whitcomb suddenly thought of his deg ai d said to < wens: "1 wonder if that beast is waiting for mo?" Owens could not tell him, so wlien they came to ti e butte Whitcomb dis mounted ami whistled. lie was evi dently anxious to call the dog to him and shew anew his power over it. Something rustled on the mass of shale above him. Owens told tlie rest of the story later. lie said: "Whit called to the dog and then whistled again, and then I saw some thing big come through the dark as if It were shot out of a gun. Whit ripped out an oath and then he fell down and the big thing was on him, and I thought it was a lion or something else, and I come back to town as fast as I could for help." Watson was the first to get into the saddle for the rescue, the rest came hurriedly after. Grass Butte was very quiet and so was Deputy Sheriff Whit comb. He was lying by the trail, face to the stars, his throat torn open and the life gone from him. One hand was on his gun, but he never had strength enough to pull It. Ab for the coyote dog, ho was not to be seen, but the neit day his trail of blood was followed westward for | miles and miles, but his pursuers never caught up with him. He had gone on to safety, leaving the mark of his vengeance at the base of Grass Euttc.—H. I. Cleveland, in the Chi cago Record-Herald. PRIDE OF HORSES. After All Is Said, the Firo Engine Puller is Moft Vainglorious. "Men may rave about the splendid evidences of pride to be found in the ambitious race horse, or the good trot ter or pacer," said a lover of horse ; flesh recently, "but when it conies . down to dignity of bearing and a cer > tain commendable vainglotlousness, you may give me the plain old fire horse. I am naturally fond of race liorscs, and have a special liking for the trotter that can make it in a little j above two flat. When they are really I blooded they are fine, game, dignified j fellows. But the fire liorse that helps j to speed the engine through the streets i of the city to some place in danger of devastation by the flames is simply a j dream in what I may call a charming • air of self-sufficiency. I have been watching the animal for a number of ! years, and I am convinced that he lias ■ a very exalted Idea of the position he i holds In the community. He seems to I understand his importance. He seems 1 io know that much depends upon the : speed he displays in getting out of | the engine bouse and to the point from | which the alarm was sent in. I have j had firemen tell me that these animals i actually learn to count the number I of times that the gong sounds, and | I feel no hesitancy in accepting the j statement as true. Certainly they have learned the number of strokes j j for the exercise run, and there H no j i reason why long practice should -not i ; teach them the number and location | ! of the different engine houses and the j ; alarm boxes which are most frequent- | ly used. But I have in mind the ■ splendid bearing of these animals 1 after they have made a hurried run to | a firo. Watch them when they are I going back to the engine house. Why, j they seem to know that the men, I women and children along the streets i are looking at. them with a warmth j of admiration that almost amounts to , worship. They hold their heads high j in a vain kind of acknowledgment, j and, in tact, they seem to think as they jog along that they have kept | the old world from going up in smoke. | Well, they have a right to feel that way, and while the increased uses to which electricity is being put may finally run them out of business, the fire horse may retire with the conso lation that he has been a useful mem ber, and he mny even feel an inordi nate pride if it pleases him to do so." —New Orleans Times-Democrat. Queer Dolug;i at Maidenhead. Maidenhead duly observed a few days ago the ancient custom of beat ing the bounds. In civic state the j Mayor and corporation perambulated I the* entire boundary of the borough, j the proceedings occupying the whole day. | Just after the party had traced the J boundary through the dining room of ! Skiudle's hotel they proceeded to ' board the Gainsborough steam launch, i the boundary proceeding down the centre of the Thames to Bray. In step- , i ping on deck the master of the cere j monies, Mr. Alderman Cox, and the i i Sergeant at Mace, who was in civic j uniform, slipped into the river and ! floundered about knee deep. 1 On landing at Bray a borough cm* ! ploye, when carrying the gold mace ! up a ditch, got stuck thigh deep in : mud, and could not move. He was i sinking deeper and becoming ex j liausted, when lie was rescued by 1 means of a five-barred gate lifted off j lis hinges and by ropes. The mayor, j Mr. Wilton, was duly humped, as were ; also other members of the corpora i tion, and all submitted cheerfully to • the undignified operation. i Even Indies encoutercd on the route : did not escape, but wore asked to ' choose between being bumped or ■ kissed on the boundary mark. Some i preferred one and some preferred the other, and not a few had both. Even j lady cyclists were induced to dis ! mount and submit to being bumped : three times on a boundary stone, against a wall or against a tree.—Lou don Telegraph. The Intelligence of Animals. Many animals, either pursuing or pursued, exhibit a knowledge of facts , very little known to the majority of j mankind, such as of the places where : scent lies or is obliterated and of the effects of wind in carrying evidence ; of their presence to the pursuer. The i hunted roe or hare will make circles, i double on its own tracks and take to . water or fling itself for a considerable - distance through the air as cleverly , as if it had read up all the theory of . scent in a bock. Nor are the pursuers ? less ingenious. They have learned the art of "making a east." This ia r the dodge by which a huutsmau alike i naves time and picks up a lost scent A PIOUS PARROT. How Tfe Learned a Sentence From n Itiva Parrot. If Coco meant the half of what lie said, and was even a quarter as wise as he looked, he was a wonderful bird. I met him In Paris, where he lived with an old English lady, who spent life in her own apartments, be tween her maid and her parrot. Coco was thus her almost constant com panion, her guide, counselor and friend. He had an easy flow of con versation and said many funny and apt things that I have forgotten, but no one who saw and heard him at his devotions of a Sunday morning in like ly to forget it. His mistress, being unable to attend the English chapel, read the service in her own room aloud, with Coco for congregation, for none ever exceeded the unction of his long-drawn "Aniens" nor the contrite quaver of his "Good Lord, deliver us," in the litany, and when It came to "miserable sinners" he rolled up his eyes and nodded his old head in dis mal approval. It would have been unkind to smile during the performance, for Coco's feelings were sensitive, and. moreover, the old lady found comfort in the thought that he. perhaps, dimly under stood. She told the following story in proof of his sagacity: A friend came to visit her one day who also owned a parrot. The talk turned upon the rival birds, and the visitor instanced, in proof of her pet's powers, an intricate sentence that he had been taught to say. She repeated the sentence several times, mimicking the nnrrot's nasal voice. Coco, mean while, showed evidence of great ex citement. He sidled hand over hand across the back of the sofa on which the visitor sat, puffing out his chest and holding his breath till all of his feathers stood on end. Something was on his mind and he was straining to get it off. As the visitor rose to go, his efforts culminated, and as she passed out of the door he screamed the sentence after her, exactly as he had heard Ills rival quoted.—Forest and Stream. Chpr'iautftt. "I never felt so cheap before in my life," declared the well-known busi ness man. "I am a great stickler for honesty, and I simply will not have any one around me of whom I have the least suspicion; and when I find a man that I know I can trust I re gard his honesty as a valuable asset and pay him accordingly. The result has been that I have gathered around me a force of employes of whom I am justly proud, from the jauitor up to the cashier. The other day my old office boy left me, and I was obliged to hire a new one. "Out of the numerous applicants I selected a bright and honest appear ing boy and put him at work. Then the old question arose. Was he hon est? I am old enough to realize that appearances are sometimes deceit fill, and I resolved to test the boy in a mild way. So one night when I left for home I left a nickel prominently dis played upon my desk. reaching homo I felt sorry for what I had done. I realized that by my net I bad been placing temptation in the boy's path, and that there was little to excuse my plan; so I was very much relieved the following morning to find the nickel where I had left it. Then I saw there was something there that I had not left, and that was a bit of paper upon which the money lay, and upon which V'as written in the new hoy's hand the inscription: To ho left until called for.' I've got a smart lad in that new hoy. Too smart, I'm afraid." —Detroit Free Press. fcufturb French Cavalry. The French cavalry is splendidly horsed. The strong, sturdy chargers of the cuirrassiers and dragoons, with long, wiry legs and frames, giving at once endurance and speed, are Ideal animals l'or war. The highly bred horses of the chasseurs a clieval and hussars seem a trifle light, and it is doubtful if they could resist the Im pact of a charge of heavier men, mounted on heavier horses, like the coarser, but more bony animals of tlie liussian or German hussars. Consid ering the short term of military ser vice in France the cavalrymen ride well, and on the whole are fairly good horsemen. Nothing could be more pic turesque than, the final charge which terminated the review. The four cav alry divisions of 16,000 sabres, all told, having taken up their positions at a mile distance from the tribunes, Gen eral Brugere, Generalissimo of the French army, personally assumed command. The order was given by point of the sabre, and the charge be gan. it was splendidly executed. The 3-8 squadrons, moving slowly at first, increased speed to a swift haiul gallop until within sixty yards of the review ing stand, when they suddenly drew up at a halt, officers saluting with their sabres, and standard bearers lowering their colors in honor of the Czar.—New York Tribune. A Curioun Calculation. A London journal prints the follow ing curious calculation, made by an i ingenious correspondent: "When reading the sad account of the death of Mr. McKinley, I noticed the figures of the dates of the birth, the death and the age of the late President, and also the figures of the birth, of the present age of Mr. Roosevelt, the present President, were very peculiar. .Mr. McKinley was born in 3813. Mr. Roosevelt succeeded Mr. McKinley at the age of forty-three; Mr, Roosevelt was born in 3838, Mr. McKinley died at the age of tifty-eiglit. Now if we add the two ages of the death of the late and the present President to gether and adii 1800 for the eighteenth century, in which they were born, we shall have the date of the death of the late President."—Boston Advertiser. HOUSEHOLD ™ TS ; TIPS ON FURNISHING. The Noire.l Idea. That Muko For flu KeftriiiflcaUnn of tho Ilcmc, Oriental effects have been in vogue for house furnishings go long that there has been several attempts to relegate them to obscurity and substi tute something else. With little suc cess, however, as far as couches and their furnisuings are concerned, and from present indications Oriental divans, couches, pillows, etc., will be in style for some time to come. The usual height for a screen has hitherto been live feet, but the newest ones shown are six feet. These new six-footers have had a very favorable reception, and are the correct thing at present. A new Idea in curtains shows an ef fect that has not been seen in this field for many a long 3'ear. This-new stuff has a mercerised mesh, with a raised figure of chenille upon it. The effect is quite striking and attractive. A recent oddity in divans was draped entirely in pyro-ctclied leather, show ing scenes from history and famous plays. It, was too costly and not pro portionately attractive to become gen erally popular. * * * The fad for brass candlesticks for ornamental purposes seems to have no end. Those best liked are very exact reproductions of old-time shapes and when their tall sleinlernesa appears in a pair arranged on mantel or dressing case suggests most effectively tho taste and days of our great grand mothers. For polishing eld mahogany or old oak furniture one "in the know" sug gests tho palm of the hand aud so called "elbow grease" as the very best polisher, the natural warmth and oil of the hand being quite sullieient to produce a smooth and as shining a surface as fashion decrees now. The open-beam ceiling is growing more and more the proper thing for living room, den, dining room, etc. These beams are usually stained or painted like the woodwork of tho room. An awfully effective color scheme used by one of our most exclu sive decorators for the living room of the house of one of our smart set had dark green wainscoting, doorß, etc., aud yellow walls, uuc. then tlio beams were painted green. Far better to remove objectionable pieces of furniture and have a sparsely furnished room than to retain pieces out of keeping and that offend the eye. Counter-panes of cretonuo or old timey flowered glazed chintz, with bol ster rolls to match, are very cmart, but many women still adhere to tho pure white bed in spite of fashion. Pillow shams are quite out of date as a bed dressing, pillows now being out of sight during the day.—Philadelphia Record. Tell the Cook. That the fresh color of green vege tables may be retained by cooking them in an uncovered saucepan. That a little vinegar added to the water in which salt lish aro cooked will improve their flavor. That croquettes will go to piecea un less the fat in which they are cooked U positively boiling. That the fat for frying doughnuts, etc., may be tested by dropping in It a piece of bread. If the bread browns Instantly the fat is of the proper tem perature. That the success of economical cook ing depends greatly upon the season Zzg and flavoring of the dish. IMC \ ?P £7 R p-1 ST ~. /J Drape Vickie—Fiek sound grapes from the stems without tanking them and put them in a jar. For every seven pounds of the fruit allow a quart of vinegar, three pounds of brown sugar and a tablespoonful of whole cloves and stick cinnamon, boil together for a few minutes, and when cold enough to hear putting the finger in pour over the uncooked grapes. Cover jar with a saucer and do not disturb for two or three weeks. Fried Corn Meal Muffins—Mix one pint of sifted Indian meal with one half teaspoontul of salt and one table spoonful nf sugar; pour upon this gradually one pint of boiling water, heat well, , over and set away till morning. In the morning add two well beaten eggs and heat the mixture thoroughly; dip a tablespoon in cold Ltilk and with the wet spoon dip up the hatter by the : peonful and fry in boiling lard. Tr.ru each only once while cooking. WHERE DO THE CLOTHES CO? A Possible JSxplanntion of Disappearance® In Country Houses. Tho tendency of various articles of dress belonging to guest* to disappear in country houses is undeniable, and tliero is scarcely a visitor who has not his story of a missing coat or pair of trousers or some similar article to tell. It is never known just how these things get away, hut they go, and the circumstances of the loss us ually prevent extended investigation. The experience of a guest at a coun try house recently opened his eyes as to the possible reason for some of these mysterious disappearances. "When the valet came to tho room to unpack my bag," he said, "I found that I had come off without a most necessary part of my wardrobe. I had all of my dress suit excepting the . trousers. My host was exactly my opposite in figure, and there was no hope of re lief from that quarter. None of the other men stopping in the hcltse had any extra garments, and as it was only a short time before dinner the situation looked critical. Tlien the valet came to my assistance and said that lie thought he could find a pair of trousers to fit me. Ho brought a pair aud they were all right. "After I had tried them on he told me that he had another pair that had braid on the seams, if I liked that hot ter. Of course when I left I gave him twice as large a tip as I would have done had I not been indebted to him for his trousers. "I did not ask him the source of his supply, but it occurred to me that the inexplicable way in waicb visitors' garments disappear at times in coun try houses might be explained by tho collection of emergency garments that the valets have on hand." —New York Sun. WORDS OF WISDOM. Love is the perfume of life. You can never bury your influence. The leaves never fail from the tree of life. There is nothing so dignified as death. Sin is the mother of every human sorrow. Slanderers are known by tho seed they sow. A twisted conscience is a poor busi ness guide. Dreams are of the past; visions of the future. Bury hope and you sound the dcath knell of progress. Morally you cannot look one way and walk another. Culture without conscience gives manners without morals. None sin against themselves with out sinning against society. A man cannot afford to despise hon ors until he has earned them. The true warrior does not wait to be an officer before he will light. Men measure their follows with tbsir eyes rather than with their ears. The best treasures of life are found in the ore rather than as nuggets. Floods of tears are a waste unless they turn the wheels of improvement. The furnace of adversity wither* false friendships and welds true ones. To apprehend the truth aud love it not is like the light of winter without heat. Envy never fails to be grieved at an other's happiness and happy at his grief. In life you will loan as you look and as you lean so you will lie when you fall. You may slight the warning of con science, but you cannot escape it* re ward of remorse.—Ham's Horn. Heredity. .. To account for the trnnsmisslbllity of ancestral types Darwin in his work on "Pangenesis" promulgated a theory that each cell threw off what lie desig nated "gemmules," which formed the nuclei of another series of cells, whos sole destiny in the economy of nature was the propagation of its species. These "gemmules" formed the blas tema, in which was contained an ex ceedingly microscopical imp cession of the animal which might ultimately be called into being. If this were the ease we should bo able to submit the minia ture image to oar Investigation by means of the microscope. But strong microscopes are wanted. The red cor puscles of human blood have to be about one four-thousandth part of an inch. The number of these red corpus cies which would adhere to the point of a needle would not he less than 1,000,000. Theory teaches that the tiual i division of matter is ihc storm, and 1 the atom lias been measured. It Is calculated that in a cube of water one thirty-thousandth part of an inch wide there are 80,000,000,000 atoms.—Lou don Science Gossip. MntuciiHrui''K Folionou* True. One of the most extraordinary trees In the world is found in Madagascar. It is known as the taugeu tree, and because it abounds in poison the name tnugliiuia veuenifcra bus been given to it by botanists. In the criminal records of Madagascar it lias .played a notable part until quite recently. Whenever an accused person was brought into court, fruit from tiie tree, about the size of an apple, was handed to him by an attendant. Thereupon the judge, who was surrounded by several witnesses, hade him cat the fruit, and assured him that if it pro duced no ill effects lie would be deemed innocent of the charge which had been made against him. On the! oilier hand, if the poison in the fruit K killed liiiu, he would be considered guilty. Many unfortunate persons, it is said, lost their livis in this way.