Newspaper Page Text
*
CARNESVILLE, GA.
LIGHT IN TH E AIR.
(ABrilliant Exhibition Canned by Burning
Ga* In Cold Atmosphere.
At the Hartman steel-works in this
'place, is a large the tube surface extending of the perpen¬ ground
dicularly the height above of thirty feet, from which
to
the natural gas is allowed to escape at
night, when the works are not in opera¬
tion. The gas is burned as it issues
from the tube and forms a blaze which
illuminates all of this place, and on
cloudy nights. New Brighton. Since
cold weather began the present winter
it has* been noticed that in certain con¬
ditions of the atmosphere, in addition to
the general illumination of tho valley for
some two or three miles, a vertical,
feathery, and very brilliant arrow of
fire extends almost to the zenith, and at
its highest point is at times the most
brilliant and quite as bright as a rod of
iron at a white beak
One night recently the conditions of
the atmosphere adapted seemed the to display be particular¬ this
ly well to of
truly wonderful phenomenon, and as
the brilliant shaft of light shot like a
rocket from the haze that dimmed it
within ten or fifteen degrees of the
mouth of the tube, from which the gas
issued and grew more brilliant and
feathery as It lengthened out until it
seemed to reached above the regions of
Orion and pale his beauty, it was cer¬
tainly a wonder such as mortals have
never before witnessed.
* It appeared about 8 p. m. and, with
the increasing exception of a few times, haziness when some dim¬
med the lower or temporary half of it, the size and
brilliancy of the shaft remained up un¬
til the writer last looked at it, which was
a little after 11 o’clock.
the The escape-pipe same phenomenon the Phillipsburg appeared glass at
at
works and also at the Braden gas well,
a distance of eight miles from where the
.writer viewed it, and It was no doubl
quite as brilliant on a nearer view a<
the fiery arrow that reached from tti
steel-works tube to a point far above the
pole The star. splendor of this phenomena is ab¬
solutely scription. beyond No language the power of verbal de¬ its
beauty—no words possibly can paint
can convey
it any produced. adequate conception Standing of mile the picture of
a south
and looking due north at the tube from
which the burning gas was issuing, we
saw degrees, the sky lighted above to a distance the horizon. of 20
or more,
This light, owing to the peculiar natural
pulsations of the gas as ft rushed from
the tube, was in a continually leaping
and flashing motion. Nearly to the
same height the atmosphere seemed
slightly hazy; and above that distance
the sky was clear and the stare in the
northern constellations quite bright;
flaming then from tube, the straight mouth of the burning, and
as an arrow,
reaching degrees vertically above to a horizon, distance of
76 or 8u the was
this of fire. feathery, Somewhat quivering, similar brilliant threads shaft of
fire are sometimes seen in brilliant dis¬
plays in of beauty the aurora and variety borealis, and but intensity, none
can, wonderful
rival this pyrotechnic display
of natural gas on which our wondering
e^es^gazed on the night of Jan. 80, A.
• Can any of our savants explain the
cause of it? To a philosopher or any
lover of the beautiful and the wonder¬
ful it is worth a trip of a thousand miles
to We see it will as add we saw that it this on phenomenon, that night
i as
well as several others we have witnessed
within the past three months, appeared
cither light, fleecy in or fall immedirtcly of and preceding the a
ranging from snow 20 80 temper¬ degrees
ature to
above the zero surface and when hazy tho atmosphere only
near was or veiy
light and nearly white, fleecy clouds, if
any, Tribane. were visible.— Beaver Falls {Pa.)
”•
Unprofit able Cu stomers.
< Almost every machine-shop owner friend
has suffered more or less from tne
who drops in to have a rivet put iu his
knife, other the spring of of the his million pistol little fixed, odd or
some one
tinkering jobs done. Of course, he does
not expect to pay for it. "it is such a
trifle, you know, nor does tho proprie¬
tor like to make a charge, and thereby
lay “small." himself When open charge to being is made, thought it is
a
seldom commensurate with the oost of
doing the work, and rarely, if ever, pays
for the annoyance and diversion from
more important work. Such jobs, it is
safe to say, are always distasteful, but
the proprietor does do not know Not only exactly do
how to refuse to them.
they take more time than would be sup¬
posed, but considerable time is wasted
in getting back to regular work, and
.wail in many the cases othor doing employes the job, machin- have to
on one
ery is idle, and the minds of the men
hare to go back and gather up the
threads of the work in hand. Such jobs
are an imposition, not intentional per¬
haps, ignorant because of the those imposing they them are
but this does annoyance lessen their in cause,
not oost any
measure. The machinist who does not
want such work should plant himself
squarely alt against few words it, and of refuse explanation to take
it at A
would satisfy any reasonable applicant.
Jmiustrial World.
f The origin of the Swiss Confederacy
dates back to 1808. But there is a
republic Italy, named which San Marino, into in existence North¬
east sprang
in 441, of which little thought has ever
been taken. The country would not
now ostentatiously be noticed, stated only that railroad it has Is been be
a to
constructed which “will traverse the
entire republic." STttSWlM This Is not so stu
«“**• sMfisrs* a
“RATTLESNAKE JIM.”
A Curious Character and the Business He
Pursues*
Everybody in Wayne county knows
“Rattlesnake Jim”—at least every per¬
son in the southwestern part of the
county is conscious of the fact that
there* is such a person in ex'-tence,
writes a Wooster. ()., correspondent he of
the Cincinnati Enquirer. To m.-ny
is known a a James Jeffrey, practitioner lawyer.
Until recently he was a at
the Wayne county bar, but abandoning home
the legal profession "prairie he sought the : south¬
on a stretch of in
western part of the county, where, with
his family, he has resided for some
years. The sobriquet of “Rattlesnake
Jim” was attached to him on account
of his propensity for capturing rattle¬
snakes. him The full sunoundings in that inclination, of his home
gave invaded sway the home of the
as he has rat¬
tlers. For three years past he has been
catching rattlesnakes for various parties,
and upward of several hundreds of rep¬
tiles have been captured by him in that
time. The reptiles are the prairie poison¬ rat¬
tlesnakes, or nntssasauges, a very
ous reptile. His mode of securing them
is to worry the snake with a cane or
stick ed, which until he his asserts snakeship will becomes be in cow¬
a very
short time, and then pick him up, and
he will be as harmless as a kitten. He
claims that snakes form the acquaint¬
ance of persons the same as any other
animal. From snakes experience he has
learned that the make their ap¬
pearance some time in May, and then
nine disappear months. in August, A snake lying will dormant not receive for
rattles uutil two years old. He relates
that he had frequently heard that snakes
would swallow their young when danger
threatened, but always he was suspicious
of the statement until saw the state¬
ment verified. He encountered an old
female garter-snake with a lot of young
ones one day. He approached the
snakes, and the old female opened her
mouth, into which the young ones
glided killed the with old lightning snake and rapidity. found twelve He
young ones inside of her. According
to his statement a snake would be a
paying food boarder, as one Jeffrey frog strongly is sufficient ad¬
tor a year.
vances the claim that snake-catcning is
a gift magnetism possessed by persons them with make suffi¬ the
cient in to
year-old reptiles daughter apparently of powerless. Jeffrey’s A 5
magnetism superlative possesses
that she handles live to a snakes, and likes degree,
for to
play with them, and never was bitten.
She takes a snapping-turtle and presses
her cheek to the turtle’s nose, and does
not suffer any injury. Jeffrey holds
that the only is reliable turpentine. cure for bottle a rattle¬ of
snake-bite A
turpentine held against the bite, the
mouth of the bottle over the bite, against
which the draw turpentine the is poison, allowed to
touch, will out which
is noticeable as it comes out, making a
sort of blue flame in the turpentine.
Although tested Jeffrey this has never dogs’ been struck bitten
he has cure on
by the fangs of rattlesnakes, and found
it infallible in every instance. Some
days ago Jeffrey came to Wooster, and
dropping into a restaurant laid a large
male rattler black (the males are black and
the females and yellow, spotted)
on the floor. A skirmish among the
occupants of the room occurred, and
since then his presence anywhere causes
an uneasiness among persons near him,
as they expect to see a snake crawl out
of his po cket
____
Some Points About Feet.
I don’t believe it is when a woman
has a small foot that she wants to show
it just a little. I am open to serious cor¬
rection, but there seems to be quite a
satisfaction to a woman in knowing
that she has a pretty foot and a woman
has body a knows way anyhow what she of knows, believing unless every¬ it
be a secret Then she never believes
that anybody else knows it even if she’s
told it them a dozen times. But when
a woman has a small foot and has had
it all her life, and knows it and been
told pardon, about it lady for is twenty years—I that beg
no ever over age,
say ten years—she gets so accustomed
to it that it ceases to be a piece even of
her vanity. It’s tho woman with the
long foot and the high instep that wants
to show them. The high instep that some¬
times goes before a fall, and is
why people with high insteps are said
to nave plenty of pride. When a wom¬
an has succeeded in pinohing a big foot
into a very small snoo she does not
propose that all that trouble is to l>e
gone to and all that agony suffered for
nothing. So she always makes a point
of pardon having of it tho displayed ladies for somehow. thus drawing I beg
attention to something I have no busi¬
ness with. 1 think the rudest thing I
ever heard of was .what one of tne
papers said of Mrs. Langtry , that after
one of her scenes several of the ladies
threw flowers well, at her feet. throwing Mobbing flowers her
was all very but
at her feet was carrying things too far,
and an outrage. Did vou ever see a
woman try oh a pair of shoes? You
have! Then you're either married or
engaged She had in a lovely shoe store, foot and I hope. her visitors
a
were admiring it. Tfiey were ladies of
course. A man who is not a shoe-maker
dares not mention such a thing unless
they are alone iu a dim corner of the
drawing-room where nobody can over¬
hear.
“What a beautiful foot you have,
dear?”
he’ll “Yes; pa says when it made.” we go to Song!— Europe
have a bust of
S«n Francisco Chronicle.
Eastern Economy.
•There’s no need for wonder that the
Mstern states of They this ought republic are be. grow¬ The
ing limple wealthy. economical tastes to there are
ana
enough by themselves, by pure saving
ef money, to account for a vast increase
of the public wealth. The other day an
sasteru man went into oue of our cigar
stores. He handed asked for a good him. cigar. He took A
box was over to
two. One he bit the end off and the
other he was about to put in his pocket.
He put 10 cents on the counter.
“1 beg your pardon. These are two
tor •TIis a quarter." devil!”
He put the one be held back in the
box, kept the other in his month, took
out a 8-center unbitten from bis pocket,
put it down on tho counter, and walked
off with bis dims .—Man FrttncUto
Chronicle.
MISSING LINKS.
Geronimo’s blood is Mexican, they
say, not Indian.
.
A Genesee, N. Y., farmer owns a
^even-footed pig.
There is a new color out which they
call condor yellow.
There are 1,510 inmates of the Georgia
state insane asylum.
There are three thousand Mexicans
living in San Francisco, Call
A league has been organized at Salt
Lake, Utah, to oppose Mormonism on
every issue they may raise.
Prince Bismarck’s mustache is now
as white as a mustache can be and live,
and his goutriias again downed him
without asking pardon or leava
An old man who has seven sons, all
steamboat captains and all in comfort¬
able circumstances, was received into
the Jersey City, N. J., poorbouse lately.
Henry E. Abbey has cleared $100,000
out of his Bernhardt venture in South
America—enough to lift him out of the
slough of debt and leave a surplus of
several thousand.
The introduction of natural gas as
fuel into Pittsburg, Pa., has enabled its
ladies to wear delicate silks that were
out of the question when soot and grime
were so common.
Mexican idea workingmen have adopted
the of their brethren in this country
and are organizing societies and clubs
in all parts of the republic. No strikes
are reported as yet, however.
Instead of “Much obliged,” “Thanks,”
or “Thanks awfully much,” the Anglo¬
maniacs in New York now w say “Be
kolden” or “Very much beholde n to
you. ” So, at least, observes the Buffalo
Express.
A Carson, Nev., newspaper says that
in the Carson river, above Empire, the
fishing fish will is good, bite, but below “having the lost town their the
not
teeth from salivation by the mill
chemicals.”
A Kingston, N. Y., newspaper tells of
a colored man who, having earned
$1.40, invested 90 cents of it in three
dozen bananas, ate them all on the
spot, and then adjourned to a saloon to
moisten them with a dozen glasses of
beer.
The Hon. Henry Wentworth Monk,
M. P., of Ottawa, Ont„ wants to build
a capital thinks of the job earth could in Palestine, done and
he the be for
about $10,000,000. An irreverent con¬
temporary suggests Monkey as a good
name for the proposed capital.
her Mrs. U. S. Grant Long is desirous Branch. of House¬ selling
cottage at
keeping all the year round tells on her
strength, and with the cottage out of her
possession she could, she thinks, obtain
a beneficial respite from household
cares by traveling about in the summer.
Moonshiners say they can stay in jail
six months in the year, still three, and
loaf three and make more money there¬
by than at any $1 other gallon business. for They their
get 76 cents to a
whisky it. and Very sell little it as is fast as found they when cau
make ever
stills are seized.
An Iowa man bought a tree claim in
Kansas, and supposing from the name
that his property was covered with old
trees and stumps, he took a stump
puller purchase. along when he went his mistake, to see his he
back home Discovering for willow
sent claim. some sprouts
to plant on his
One of the most amusing incidents of
the second race for the America’s cup
occurred lady, impatient when a dashing the slow young Boston
at progress
made by ner beloved Mayflower, jumped
up on handkerchief, the rail, and, exolaimed: frantically waving “Blow,
her
sweet Borax, blow!”
Virginia At a recent old revival farmer meeting down his feet in
an arose to
tho an a following paralyzed preface the congregation his “experi¬ with
3 to
ence:” this ' “Dear friends, I am mingle glad to
have opportunity to to¬
gether where I and couldn’t to spend If I wasn’t" these happy hours
The Newest Perpetual Machine.
The public has hoard so much about
vain attempts to discover looked perpetual
motion that the idea of it is up¬
on as a chimera. It is no wonder, then,
that the “perpetual motion” advertised
In big black letters around a tent in
the Toronto fair ground failed to at¬
tract many visitors. Yet the “perpet¬
ual motion” exhibited is really a good
idea; whether of much actual utility or
not, it may yet be too early to say.
The inventor is Mr. Forster, of Guelph.
Like many of the greatest discoveries,
this is a very simple one. The motive
power is simply air, contracted and ex¬
panded by the natural variations of
temperature. A large cylinder tube, of with sheet
iron is connected by a a
small cylinder with sides of oiled silk,
so as to* swell or stretch like the side of
a pair of bellows. The double air cham¬
ber is hermetically sealed. To the up¬
per part of the smaller chamber are at¬
tached chains revolving spring over which pulleys,
and winding up a fur¬
nishes the power for work. Whether
the air expands or contracts the wind
ing continues, It is claimed that a
daily range of ten degrees will furnish
enough power to keep a pendulum will allow go¬ of
ing. A being greater retained range fer in steady
power use
weather._________
Nourishment and Food IV>r the Sick.
There are several beliefs popularly
held concerning long the care of been sick explod¬ people,
that should ago have
ed. One of these is that an invalid
will “relish something than he will right “sick off folks’ the
table,” better
messes.” This may be true iu a few
rare instances, but the tact remains
that the appetite of be nearly tempted every bv con¬
valescent is apt to some
delicacy than prepared by portion expressly of foff the him, food
rather a
served at the family board. There is
something, loviug consideration too, in the that thought prompted of the the
concoction of the special dainty which
cooked lends a flavor without not particular to be imparted reference to food
to
the one who should occupy, for the
time iu the being, house. the most important position
Abstain litis from overloading a patient's
plate, cautiou is peculiarly neces¬
sary with sweets, as a surfeit of these is
apt to cause future aversion .—Christine
Terhw M Merrick, in (tout
ing.
AMERICA N WOMEN 01 FOOT.
An Account of a Walking Club Hat
Had Great Success for a Time.
I complained before the Lion the
other day of a headache. Not a little,
ready-excuse headache, but a real out
and-outer. As usual, he gave me the
ordinary dissertation upon the necessity
of exercise for American women. . A
man is very practical. The Lion laid
out at least six months of physical
training, and promised should that find if I fol¬
lowed it faithfully I the end myself
cured of my headache at of
that time. Vivace, who was present,
caught at the idea, and suggested
walking club. We organized but it upon
the spot. There were two of us,
but we hoped for more. Vivace said
she would not be ready would to take walk her for that two
or three days, as it
long to get up a 'costume. Vivace does
everything in costume. It is the larg¬
est part ox the enjoyment of the affair
in hand. On the third day we met up¬
on the corner of California and Frank¬
lin streets, as agreed. Vivace looked
very comfortable. She wore a dark
blue Jersey and a kilted skirt—a gen¬
uine kilt, such as they boys, make for rebellious High¬
landers and small not
plaits laid on a foundation. Beneath
she had discarded rustling skirts for
loose woolen trousers, banded at the
knee, and long gaiters covered her
•boots in true pedestrian style. The
boots were new, but Her broad flossy locks and long,
and flat-heeled. were
brushed off her little face, blue and covered We by Had a
comfortable toque.
solemnly agreed to leave all money at
home, lest we be tempted to try the
cars. When we had both sworn, and
sworn truly, that we had done so, we
set out upon our path. We struck out
at a brisk pace, which we kept up for a
very long time. It was a bright, beau¬
tiful, clear morning, promise with the of the sun wind high
overhead, and no
in the kissing air. We fell in love with
a strip of beach that lay n.. singly shin¬
ing in the sun, and we went down to
dig the pedestrian in the sand, must quite forgetting drop his that
apostrophized never pur¬
pose. We both the sea
in all the poetry we knew. I adjured
it to “roll on” in full Byronic flow,
which it did. Vivace requested it to
break on its cold, gray stones, and she
would her voice could utter, etc., which
it did. We felt quite like a pair of suc¬
cessful Canutes, when suddenly the fog
rolled in and the wind rose. W e clamb¬
ered up the cliff and found it harder
work walk than home. going Our down, spirits and we fell set in out the
to
struggle, the fount of our quotations
had dried. We breathed hard, and
perspired profusely, and cast side
glances at each other, and wondered
each when the other would break down,
and prayed fervently for the moment
to come. It did come, because it had
to. In the bleakest, coldest, loneliest,
part of the road, we sat down babies. together We
exhausted, and cried like
had not so much as a car ticket be¬
tween us, and a and long piece of if the road had.
The lay between road itself us seemed the cars, altogether we
un¬
traveled. It seemed hours since we
had seen a wheel. We debated what
to do, and agreed that there was noth¬
ing for us but to take the road if slowly
and in small sections, and we ever
got home, to never, never, never be a
walking club any more. At this des¬
perate moment laundry a laundry wagon is came hum¬
in sight. The wagon a
ble equipage which, noticed in happier much, mo¬ but
ments, I have never
out there it seemed a golden chariot.
We 'climbed thankfully, like Falstaff,
among the soiled linens, and were
borne nomeward. He offered to set us
down at the California street cars, but
we preferred to go home, where we
were set down at the back gate, and
almost dumped ignominously into the
yard. Of course, we commenced wrong
but it discouraged us. We have con
eluded to abandon the American wo¬
man to her fate. Like the Chinese wo¬
man, she was not intended to walk.
Vivace has laid away her costume foi
a mountain tour, and we carry car
tickets when wd go only to the corner.
—San Francisco Chronicle.
A Modest, But a Good Traveler.
“It doesn’t sound nice to say so, but
it is a fact, that the Lake Shore folk*
were awfully glad when a certain man
died up in Buffalo the other “There’s dav,” said
a conductor, chattily. and I quite I’ll a
story about that case, guess
have to tell it to you. The man’s name
was Talbot. Abont twelve years agv:
Talbot saved a train from going into a
washout near his farm, and of course
the company felt very then grateful. superintend¬ P. P.
Wright—Wright of the Buffalo was division—sent for
ent
him and loaded him with thanks for
himself and the company. Talbot mod¬
estly declined a money present of $500,
but said he didn’t object when Wright
proposed making out for him a p ass
good for the remainder of his life. While
Wright was writing out the pass Talbo;
inquired: ‘Say, Mr. Wright, have ob¬
“ you any
jections to friend? making I that read good f*r
me and a may want to take
a friend up to Cleveland with me some
time to see an uncle of mine.’
“Wright was so full of gratitude that
he couldn’t object to anything, and the
man friend, got his pass, good afterward for himself and
a and it was sent on
to headquarters and countersigned by
the president and general passenger
agent. “Well, what do think? For
now, you
more than ten years that man Talbot
falo has been and Chicago, riding constantly Buffalo between and Cleve¬ Buf¬
land, or Buffalo and Toledo. He was
never alone. He always had *a friend’
with him. The friend was usually
some commercial traveler. In short,
Talbot bad made railroad riding his
regular business. He made arrange¬
ments with various wholesale and job¬
bing houses to carry their meu, and
booked his engagements months ahead.
sometimes. When these failed he pick
ed up stray passengers here and there,
After paying he had his $6' sleeping $8 car day and left other
expenses or a w
clear profit, and out of these fits ho
managed to amass a snug little fortune.
He tried to use his pass ou the limited
express, but the company wouldn't bare
it. In him fact, altogether, they wanted but to their refuse lawyer to I
carry oooeluded that the suit for damages
would be too expensive.-0M. Herald.
Dwarfb in Central America.
Stories about diminutive people of real are
found in many countries, not as
beings, but shadows that come and go
and are called by various names, such
as fairy, fay, elf, pixie, etc. Nowhere
are such little people more talked about
than in some parts of Central America,
notably in British Honduras and Yuca¬
tan, where people little more than four
feet high are verv numerous even at the
present time. Whenever the natives are
questioned about the ancient temples “The
found in their them,” country and they although say
pigmies built no
importance is generally attached to that
answer it is a strange fact that on the
east coast of Yucatan, as well as on ad¬
jacent islands, there are whole cities, in
ruinous condition, of houses that could
not possibly have served for people more
than three feet high. I have measured
many of these, houses, which are strong¬
ly correspondent constructed of hewn New stone, York Tribune writes a
to the ,
and found the doorways not more than
three feet high and eighteen inches wide,
while my head nearly touched the ceil¬
ings of the largest rooms. No one can
dissuade the hatives from the idea that
the ghosts of these diminutive people
roam about at night. They say: “But
we do see them; they are no bigger than
a child They 4 years throw old, and they wear shake big
hats. stones at us,
our hammocks, and hammer on the
bench where we grind corn.’.’
It is affirmed that very diminutive
people still dwell among the hills in
Honduras and Guatemala, but no oner
seems able to put his fingers upon them,
which would lead to the belief that if
there are they any still be living, few, as so and many
assert, must very suc¬
cessful credibly in related hiding. that Nevertheless, day in it is
one the year
1825 some woodcutters, wandering
British along the Honduras, banks of in the Moho river in
search of mahoga¬
ny trees, were startled upon reaching a
place little called Meditation Fall by a strango
being that suddenly emerged from
the bush, stared wildly at them, then
turned to flee. The men pursued, over¬
took, and brought the odd creature to
their camp. It was a dark-skinned girl,
not quite three feet tall, and with no
other covering than her hair, which fell
in thick black masses to her feet, com¬
pletely wild, covering her. She was very
but not stupid, and, finding that
no harm was done to her, she talked to
the woodcutters in the Maya tongue,
that they also spoke, that being the
As language the weather of the Indians cool, in those parts. the
was one of
men gave her a red flannel shirt, which
clothed her from head to foot For a
day ward or seemed two she refused to eat, but after¬
contented. She said her
people were all the same size as hersell.
and that they were then living near
Meditation Fall, where they had planted
a corn-field, but that they generally
dwelt three or four miles away m a deep
valley. about After days she had of been the in the camp
ten some men pro¬
posed manifested to go delight and see and her offered people. guide She
to
them to the spot. Reaching the place
where they first met her she led them
into the forest, then made a sign for
them to stop and be silent A hubbub
of reached voices, their as of many and people the girl talking, whis¬
ears,
pered to them their coming, that she would otherwise go and her
announce as
people would run away and hide on
hearing footsteps. sound Away heard. she went The and
soon not a was men
waited guide did patiently, but their Convinced diminutive
she not return. that
had very cunningly eluded them,
they went forward, and in two minutes
found themselves in a corn-field. There
were small embers piles of in two or three prepared places, and for
corn, The as if
transportation. trodden, but living ground was much it
no creature was
sight mained They searched in in vain, field, and hoping re¬
some time the
that the owners would return for the
com, but they her never saw the girl again,
nor any woodmen of people. One this of those
very gave me account
ana similar stories have been told by
others.
Editing With the Scissors.
The above remark is frequently made
in connection with newspapers, and is
too frequently under meant as a slur. On the
contrary, be proper circumstances, it
should regarded as a compliment of
a high character. The same paper may
be ably edited with the pen and miser¬
ken ably idea edited with the scissors. A mista¬
latter prevails that the work of the
is mere child’s play, a sort of hit
or miss venture, requiring hardly any
brains and still less judgment; that the
promiscuous and voluminous clippings
are sent in a batch to the foreman, and
with that the editor’s duty ends and
that of the foreman begins.
Instead of this, the work requires
much care and attention, with a keen
day’s comprehension of the fact that each
paper has its own needs. The ex
change entious, editor methodical is a pains-taking, consci
alert, quick in appreciation, man, always on the
retentive in
memory, shrewd in discernment. He
reads closely, culls carefully, omits and
amends, discards and digests, never ig¬
noring essential. the There fact that variety sentences is a to great
are re¬
cast, words to soften, redundancies to
prune, made, credits errors to be correct, given, headings to be be
to seasons to
considered, affinities to be preserved,
consistences to be respected. He knows
whether the matter is fresh or stale,
whether it is appropriate, and whether
he has used it before; he remembers
that he is catering for many tastes; he
makes raids in evefy direction; he lays
the whole newspaper field under con¬
tribution; he persistently “boils dowfl,"
which with him. is not a process of re¬
writing, ing, without but a destroying happy faculty of expung¬
sense or con
His genius is exhibited in the depart¬
ments, tho items of which are similar
and cohesive—in the suggestive heads
and sub-heads, in the sparkle that is
visible, in the sense of gratification
which the reader derives. No daily pa¬
per can be exclusively original; it would
die of ponderosity. Life is too short,
and henee an embargo must be laid
upon the genius of its rivals. A bright
clipped stupid article is infinitely better than a
contributed article. The most
successful paper is the paper that is in¬
telligently 111 department., and consistently whether edited in sole* ail
Cm by pen or *•
PURE GRIT.
Some Experiences or the Seamen Of th.
Confederate Alabama.
I was one of the first men who signed
papers with the much-vaunted confed
erate cruiser, did the Alabama, and mv ser"
vice in her not end until she sailed
into an English port with the confede
rate that flag I participated flying. You in will thus realize
the capture of
several dozen federal merchantmen and
whalers. There was a sameness about
our manner of making captures which
then. we were It glad to but have broken now vessel and
overhauled was during rarely that a
was the night, jf
we were in chase of her we simply w
her in sight, or tried to, until daylight
came. While we could not anticipate
any stubborn resistance, the right sort
ef boat’s a skipper might fire a volley into a
crew or go to some other uncom¬
fortable extreme. As a rule we had onlv
to close in on our victims, fire a solid
shot across his course, and he would'
heave to and put the best face possible
on a bad matter. The first lieutenant
would be sent off to him with a boat and'
half a dozen marines, and in the course
of half an hour his fate would be de¬
cided. If it was thought best to bond'
him the papers were made out and sign¬
ed and he was permitted to go his wav.
If his allowed craft was to bring be destroyed the men
were to up their clothin
and knick-knacks, tne officers to pack
their personal effects, would be and inside of an
hour the craft ablaze, and we
would be sailing away in search of an¬
other victim.
When we ran around in search oi
whalers we came upon a Yankee skip
per who didn’t know what surrender
meant. We were just well to the west
of the stormy cape, when, one mornino
after breakfast, we raised a whaler. He
was headed up the coast, and about
noon we overhauled him. He paid no
attention to the first shot, and it was
only when the second one hulled him
that he came into the wind. It was then
seen that he had fifteen or sixteen men
aboard, and that all were armed with
muskets and meant to defend the ship.
The lieutenant was sent off with his
boat, but no sooner was he within fair
musket range than the whaler opened
fire on him, the killing first one volley. man and The wound¬
pushed ing two ahead, at and demanded officer
a surren¬
der, but he got another voUey and the;
reply that the whaler “would go to the
bottom before he would surrender to a
d—rebel!”
The boat was recalled, and our whaled gun¬
ners were instructed to hull the
with solid shot. We approached him
within rifle-range and opened fire.
Every one of the balls plumped through
his side at and above the water-line,
and he answered with his muskets,
severely wounding two surrender, men. He was
repeatedly reply he encouraged hailed to his but main¬ in!
men to
tain their fire. We soon had the sea
pouring into his starboard side through
a dozen holes, and when it was seen
that he would soon go down we ceased!
firing and again demanded his surren¬
der. I can remember just now rail—tall, how he
looked as he sprang upon the
gaunt, hair flying and eyes blazing, and
shouted in reply:
“The Ben Scott don’t surrender!
Come and take us—if you can.”
Five minutes later his craft settled
down bow first We lowered the boats
to save bis crew, and When strangely brought enough
not a man was lost we
them aboard the Yankee skipper walked
up to Semmes, bare-headed, bare-footed,
and coatless, and said:
“If I’d only have had one old cannon
aboard we’d have licked ye out of yonr
butes! Here we are, and what are ye
going to do with usP”
He was voted a jolly good fellow, and
the men were better treated than any
other ever forced aboard, In order to
give them their liberty the very next
capture we made was bonded and they
were put aboard to sail for home.—
Detroit Free Press.
An Unnatural MoiLcr.
The Paris correspondent of the Lon¬
don Telegraph writes that a horrible
case of barbarous ill-treatment of a
child has.been brought to light in that
city. The victim, he says, is the little
son of a commercial traveler living in
the Rue Boulle, near the Boulevard
Richard Lenoir. For the past two
years the boy, who is now 10, has been
kept in a dark closet, scantily clothed,
and fed on small rations of bread and
salt, even his supply of water beiDg
limited. He was frequently threatened beaten by
his unnatural mother, who
to kill him outright, and he did not
even know in what country, street, or
house he was living. The poor child,
who had been previously put out to
nurse iu the country, had been brought in
to the house at the risk of his life a
box, and the neighbors were actually in
complete ignorance of bis existence. A
few days ago the boy was banded over
to a woman, who took him to the hos¬
pital, and his terrible condition at once
showed the surgeons to what inhuman
treatment he had been subjected. The
police were communicated with, and
after much trembling hesitation the
little victim, who had learned from the
woman where his parents lived, gave
them the address. Even then the police
had some difficulty in finding the house,
as the concierge innocently declared
that his family only consisted of the
father, mother, and a little girl of 12
Questioned by the police, the mother at
first stated that the boy was not her
son, but at last was compelled to admit
the fact, as also that she had broken
sticks in beating him. His sister cynic¬ spoke
of the poor child with the utmost
ism. She had begun by saying that
she had no brother, and it appears that
she had assured her aunt that he was
boarding out As for the father, be
was often absent from home, and left
his wife to do as she pleased with the
little martyr. The child is in a de¬
plorable condition. Although 10 years
of age, he does not look more than o
His body Is frightfully emaciated and
covered with bruises, and until he went
to the hospital he had not Iain in a bed
for two years. He has no hair, it
having all been torn off his head by his
mother, and his scalp is the one indignation great open
wound. So savage was these dis¬
aroused In the district by commercial
closures that the wile of the
traveler had to be taken to would Jail by in* a
•Iron g body of police, or she
erita biy have been lynched.