Newspaper Page Text
J. W, ANDERSON, Editor and Proprietor
MY WIFE AND CHILD,
Kflio I tattoo beats; the lights are gone,
The camp around in Blnmber lies;
■Hie night with solemn pace moves on;
I The shadows thicken o’er the skies;
■lint sleep my weary eyes had flown,
fl And sad, uneasy thoughts arise.
|I think of thee, oh, dearest one !
J Whose love mine early life hath blest;
■Of thee and him—our baby son—
I Who slumbers on thy gentle breast.
■God of the tender, frail and lone,
I Oh, guard that little sleeper’s rest!
■And hover gently, hover near
I To her whose watchful eye is wet—
ITho mother, wife—the doubly dear,
I In whose young heart have freshly met
■Two streams of love, so deep and clear,
| And cheer kneels her drooping before Thy spiiit throne, yet!
■Kow, as flie
I Oh, teach her, Ruler of the skies 1
I I That while by Thy behest alone
Earth's mightiest powers fall or rise;
■Ko tear is wept to Thee unknown,
I Nor hair is lost, nor sparrow dies;
■That Thou eanst stay the ruthless hand
I Of dark disease, and soothe its pain;
■That I only by Thy stern command
The battle’s lost, the soldier slain;
iThat from the distant sea or land
[ Thou bring’st the wanderer home again.
I And when upon her pillow lone,
I [ Her tear-wet cheek is sadly pressed,
I May happier visions beam upon
The brightening currents of her breast;
[Nor | frowning look, nor angry tone
Disturb the Sabbath of her rest 1
[Whatever fate those forms may throw,
I Loved with a passion almost wild,
I By day, by night—in joy or woe—
[From [ By fears oppressed or hopes beguiled;
every danger, every foe,
| Ob, God ! protect Henry my wife and child !
Bootes Jackson.
“RAIN-IN-THE-FACE.”
iOM “boots and saddles,” by mbs.
CUSTER.
I must preface my account of the oc
Inrrence by going back to the summer
if the Yellowstone campaigu. Twc of
he citizens attached to the expedition,
me as the sutler, the other as the vet
tiuary surgeon, were in the habit of
liliDg by themselves a great deal. Not
king enlisted men, much more liberty
ban soldiers have was allowed them,
ilany warnings were given, however,
ind an instance fresh in the minds of
ras repeatedly told them. One day
heir hour of lingering came. While
hey stopped to water their horses,
ome Indians concealed in a gully shot
hem within sight of our regiment, who
pere then fighting on the hill, and did
lot. find the bodies for some time after¬
ward. favorites; Both of both the left murdered men
rere families, and
egret and sympathy were general
hrongkout tlie command,
I A year and a half afterward informa
Ion came to our post, Fort Lincoln,
hat an Indian was then at the agency at
Bunding Rock, drawing his rations,
Bankets and ammunition from the gov
Inment and at the same time boasting
I the murder of these two men. This
Itelligence created intense indignation
■ our garrison. A detachment was
pickly Baled orders. prepared No and started out with
one was aware even
lhat direction they were to take. Gen.
laster knew that it was absolutely
icessary lould that caution and secresy
be observed. At the next post,
■enty miles below, there were scouts
■ployed. They would not fail to send
■t a runner and warn the Standing
lock Indians of the coming of the corn
land and its objects, if they conld learn'
■at it was. When the rnnnor carries
ftportant news he starts with an even
bit in the morning and keeps it up all
Iv, hardly stopping to drink at the
■earn he crosses. Snch a courier would
btstrip a command of cavalry in the
Idiuary time it makes on a march.
■Accordingly Fort Rice was left behind
■any miles before the orders were
fcened. They contained directions to
bpture and bring back an Uncapapa
Idian. called Rain-in-the-Face, the
■owed murderer of the sutler and the
fcterinary Isted surgeon. The command con
of two officers and 100 men. The
leneral had selected his brother to assist
P this delicate transaction, as he was
lout to do ever since they began their
pe of adventure together during the
|ar. They arrived on the day that the
Indians were drawing their rations ol
P ef - There were 500 at the agency
f med with the latest long-range rifles.
F was more and more clear that too
|iiich care could not be taken to prevent
r e object of the visit being known tc
P e warriors. An expedition had been
r Q t down once before, but news of its
ptention for the culprit bad reached the agency in time
to escape. He conld not
refrain even aftor this warning from
Ipenly vaun* o his crime.
the capture.
i Tn order, then, to conceal the purport
P their appearance at the agency, the
paptnin in command resolved to a ruse.
Be sent fifty men to the camp, ten miles
t«ay to make inquiries for these Indians
Mio had murdered citizens on the Red
tbver the year before. CoL Custer was
putered to take five picked men and go
L° fader's store, where the Indians
r rt constantly. This required great
poolneps pad to and extreme patience, for they
lounge about, seemingly indiffer
pb nntil they could be certain the right
pan was discovered. The cold made the
pc Indians draw their blankets around
[hem [ey. and over their heads. There is
f“' r any when individuality about their dress,
e8S arrayed for a council or
®he Comnoton Star.
dance. It was therefore almost impos¬
sible to tell one from the other.
Col. Tom had to wait for hours, only
looking furtively when these wary crea¬
tures were off guard. At last one of
them loosened his blanket, and with the
meager description that had been given
him CoL Tom identified him as
" KAIN-IN- THE-FACE. ”
Coming suddenly from behind, he
threw his arms about him, and seized
the Winchester rifle that the savage at¬
tempted to cock. He was taken entirely
by surprise. No fear showed itself, but
from the characteristically stolid face
hate and revenge flashed out for an in¬
stant. He drew himseif up in an inde¬
pendent manner to show his brother
warriors that he did not dread death.
Among them he had been considered
brave beyond precedent, because he had
dared to enter the agency store at all,
and so“encounter the risk of arrest. The
soldiers tied his hands and mounted
guard over him. About thiry Indians
surrounded them instantly, and an old
orator commenced a harangue to the
others, inciting them to recapture their
brother. Breathless excitement pre¬
vailed. At that moment the captain in
oommand appeared in their midst. With
the same coolness he had shown in the
war and during the six years of his In¬
dian campaign, he spoke to them
through an interpreter. With prudence
and tact he explained that he intended
to give the prisoner exactly the treat¬
ment a white man would receive under
like circumstances; that nothing would
induce them to give him up; and the
better plan to save bloodshed would be
for the chiefs to withdraw and take with
them their followers. Seeing that they
could accomplish nothing by intimida¬
tion, or by superior numbers, they had
recourse to parley, and proposed to com¬
promise. They offered as a sacrifice two
Indians of the tribe in exchange for Rain
in-the-Face.
It was generosity like that of Artemus
Ward, who offered his wife’s relatives on
the altar of his country, for they took
care not to offer for sacrifice any but In¬
dians of low rank. Riin-in-the-Face
was a very distinguished warrior among
them, and belonged to a family of six
brothers, one of whom, Iron Horse, was
- • « »• > w «* . --
in the end, and the prisoner was taken
to the cavalry camp. During the time
that the Indians were opposing his re¬
moval, the troopers had assembled
aiound the entrance, ready for any
emergency, and prepared to escort the
murderer away. The Indians instantly
vanished; all went quickly and quietly
\o their camp, ten miles distant. Later
in the day a party of fifteen mounted
warriors dashed through the agency to
the road beyond, which had to be taken
by our troopers on the way home. 01
course our officers expected an attack
from that party when they began their
homeward march; to their surprise, they
were unmolested. We learned afterward
that the mounted Indians went to the
camp of Two Bears to urge the young
braves there to combine with them in
the recapture of Rain-in-the-Face. Two
Bears had long been friendly to the
white man; he was too old to fight, and
prevented his young men from joining
in the contemplated rescue.
After the command had returned and
the officers reported, Gen. Custer sent
for Rain-in-the-Face. He was tall
alright and young. His face was quite
imperturbable. In a subsequent inter¬
view the General looked himself in his
room with him. Through an inter¬
preter and with every clever question
and infinite patience he spent hours
trying to induce the Indian to acknowl¬
edge his crime. The culprit’s face
finally lest its impervious look and he
showed some agitation.
THE MURDERS.
He gave a brief account of the mur¬
der and then made a full confession be¬
fore ali the officers. He said neither of
the white men were armed when at¬
tacked. He had shot the old man, but
he did not die instantly, riding a short
distance before falling from his horse.
He then went to him and with his stone
mallet beat out the last breath left. Be¬
fore leaving him he shot his body full of
arrows. The younger man signaled to
them from the bushes, and they knew
that the manner in which he held up his
hand was an overture of peace. When
he reached him the, white man gave him
his hat as another and further petition
for mercy. But he shot him at once,
first with his gnn, and then with
arrows. One of the latter entering his
back; the dying man struggled to pull it
through. Neither man was scalped, nad as
the elder was bald and the younger
closely cropped hair.
Two Indians, one of them Iron Horse,
had followed the cavalry from the
agency and asked to see tneir comrade.
The General sent for Rain-iu-the-Face.
He came into the room with a guard at
his heels. He was dressed in mourning.
His leggings were black, and his sable
blanket was belted by a band of white
beads. One black feather stood erect
on his head. Iron Horse supposed that
he was to be hung at onee, and that this
would be the final interview. The elder
brother, believing there was no hope,
was very solemn. He removed his
heavily beaded and embroidered buffalo
robe and replaced it with the plain one
that Rain-in-the-Faoe wore. - He ex
changed pipes, also, giving him his
bighlv afferward ornamental one that he might
present it to the General.
The pipes are valuable, as the materia*
COVINGTON, GEORGIA, MAY 27, 1885.
of which the bowls are made has to be
brought from Kansas. Then, finding
that there was a prospect of Rain-in-the
Face having his trial in Washington, he
took off the medal that had been given
to his father by a former President,
whose likeness was in the medallion, and
placed it over the neck of his brother,
that it might be a silent argument in his
favor when he confronted the “Great
Father.”
It was an impressive and melancholy
scene. Iron Horse charged his brother
not to attempt to escape, saying that if
he did get back to the reservation he
would surely be recaptured. He be¬
lieved that he would be kindly treated
while a captive, and perhaps the white
chief would intercede for him to obtain
his pardon. After asking him not to
lose courage, they smoked again and
silently withdrew. In about ten days
Iron Horse returned, bringing a portion
of his tribe with him.
The Indians with Iron Horse came
directly to headquarters and asked for a
council. As many as conld get into the
General’s room entered. There was
time, while they were preparing, to send
for the ladies, and a few of ns were
tucked away on the lounge with instruc¬
tions not to more or whisper, for mv
husband treated these Indians with a 8
much consideration as if they had been
crowned heads. The Indiars turned a
surprised, rather soornful glance into the
“ ladies’ gallery,” for their women are
i.lways kept in the background. In re¬
turn for this we did not hesitate to criti¬
cise their toilets. They were gorgeous
in full dress. Iron Horse wore an elab¬
orately beaded and painted buckskin
shirt, with masses of solid embroidery of
porcupine quills. The sleeves and shoul¬
ders were ornamented with
A FRINGE OF SCALP LOCKS.
Some of the hair we saw with a shud¬
der was light and wavy. I could not but
picture the little head “ rnnning over
with curls” from which it had been
taken, for all the Indian locks I have
ever seen were straight and black.
The chief wore on his shoulders a sort
of cape, trimmed with a fringe of snowy
ermine. His leggings were a mass of
bead work. He wore a cap of otter with¬
out a crown,
tom to leave
ered. Three eagle feathers, that denote
the number of warriors killed, were so
fastened in that they stood erect. There
were several perforations in each ear
f -'om which depended bead ear-rings.
He had armlets of burnished brass;
thrown around him was a beaded blanket
The red clay pipe had the wooden stem
Inlaid with silver, and was embellished
with the breast feathers of brilliantly
plumaged birds. The tobacco bag, about
t .ro feet long, had not an inch that was
not decorated. The costume was simply
superb.
Iron Horse began his speech in the
usual high-pitched, unchangeable key.
He thanked the General for the care of
his brother, and the whole tenor of the
rest was repeated petitions to ask the
real father in Washington to spare his
life. He then slowly took off his elabo
ate buckskin shirt and presented it to
ly husband. He ended by making
A SINGULAR REQUEST,
which was worthy of Damon and
Pythias. Two sly young braves in the
outer circle of the untitled, asked per¬
mission through their chief to share the
captivity of Rain-in-the-Face. I could
not help recalling what some one had
told me in the East, that women some¬
times go to the State Prison at Sing Sing
vnd importune to be allowed to share
the imprisonment of their husbands or
brothers; but no instance is found in the
history of that great institution where a
man has asked to divide with a friend or
relative the sufferings of his sentence.
After his two friends had left him,
Rain-in-the-Faoe occupied a part of the
guard house with a citizen who had
been caught stealing grain from the
storehouse. For several months they
had been chained together and used to
walk in front of the little prison for ex¬
ercise and air. The guard-house was a
poorly-built, insecure wooden building.
After a time the sentinels became less
vigilant, and the citizen, with help from
his friends outside, who were working
in the same way, cut a hole in the wall
at night and escaped.
He broke the chain attaching him t
the Indian, who was left free to follow
We fonud afterward that Rain-in-the
Face did not dare to return to the reser¬
vation, but made his way to the hostile
camp. In the spring of 1874 he sent
word from there by an agency Indian
that he had joined Sitting Bull, and was
awaiting his revenge for his imprison¬
ment. Big
The stained waters of the Little
Horn, on June 25,1876, told how deadly
and fatal that was. The vengeance of
that incarnate fiend was concentrated
on the man who had effected his cap¬
ture. It was found on the battlefield
that he had cut out the brave heart of
that gallant, loyal, and lovable man, our
brother Tom.
Healing. —The healing power of
earthquakes is a subject for discussion
in the Spanish medical press. The state¬
ment is made that in the recent shake
up at Malaga most of the patients for¬
got their diseases and took to the open
air. The change agreed with them so
well that a few have only returned to
the hospital.
A CHEAT CROW ROpST.
IIOIV THE BIIIDS MAKE THINGS LIVE¬
LY IN BUSHUILL, PA.
A million Corn Stenlers Cantnre Hie Woods
and Astound tlie Natives.
A letter from Bushkill, Pa., dated
April 14tb, says:—As Simon Trauel, A
farmer, living near High Knob, in the
southwestern portion of this county,
was chopping in the woods about half
way up the mountain on Thursday last,
he was attracted by a flock of crows
which appeared suddenly from a south¬
ern direction and alighted in a high
tree a hundred yards away. After a
great deal of loud cawing the flock
arose -and flew away in the direction
they had come. Tranel then went on
with his work.
About the middle of the afternoon,
an hour after the crows had taken their
departure, he happened to look south¬
ward, and saw that the sky was black
with some approaching object. In a
few minutes he discovered that it was
a immense flock of crows, which sood
swept into the Kuob woods, and with a
thunder of wings and deafening clamor
of throats settled down into the trees,
whose leafless branches became biack
ened with the birds from top to bottom.
For three hours flock after flock of
crows poured into the woods, until the
side of the hill for a space of more than
forty acres was covered so thickly with
them that big branches were split from
the trees beneath their weight. It was
nearly dark when the last crow found a
resting place in the woods, and mid¬
night came before quiet was restored in
the vast congregation.
The crows remained in the woods
until last Monday. Early every morn¬
ing flocks would start out from the col¬
ony, taking different directions, and
after being absent for an hour or so
would one after another return. Their
arrival was greeted with the wildest
commotion all through the woods, vo¬
ciferous cawing and flapping of wings
being kept up for some minutes. Then
other flocks would go out, to be met
with the same hubbub on their return.
The news of the great crow roost spread
around the thinly-settled region, and
4a<« «*»«4 tiuji" ogg
and hear the crows.
On Saturday a number of the natives
agreed that it would be a good thing,
now that they had apparently all the
crows there were in the country within
reach, to make nightly raids on them,
and thus save a great deal of future loss
to cornfields. Accordingly, a party of
seven, armed with guns and long poles,
and some of them carrying torches, be¬
gan the work of destruction. They
reached the woods where the crows were
sleeping about nine o’clock. The
torches were lit, and the raiders entered
the woods. They had not proceeded far
when they were greeted with a yell of
defiance from 100,000 crows. The yell
was followed by hundreds of the birds
boldly attacking the invading party,
using both beak and claw with suoh
effect that the surprised backwoodsmen
were forced to flee to save themselves.
They were followed to the edge of the
woods by flocks of infuriated crows, and
not a shot was fired nor a crow killed.
On Monday morning, for the first
time, not a flock left the woods, but all
was bustle, commotion, and noise amoDg
the trees. Crows were darting in all
directions, uttering peculiar cries, and
evidently anxious to be everywhere at
once. Just before noon matters became
comparatively quiet, and then small
flocks began to emerge from the woods,
going in all directions. This exodus
continued until late in the afteruoou,
when every crow had disappeared, and
none came back. The scene in the
piece of woods they had occupied is de¬
scribed as remarkable. Every tree had
one or more branches torn from it and
they lay piled abont on the gromr* & if
the trees had been swept by a whirl¬
wind. Every foot of ground was torn
up, plainly by the crows searching for
insects for food.
“Every spring,” says an old citizen of
the village, “the crows, like wild
nigeons, gather somewhere about the
country to do their courting and mate.
This spring they happened to select the
High Knob, because the scouts they
sent out liked it, and guided the rest to
the spot. As the love making pro¬
gresses flecks r f crows go out to select
good nesting and foraging places. They
come back to the roost and report, and
a grand discussion is had on that. Alter
these matters are all settled, and every
crow is mated, they form into flocks of j
twenty or so, and, after they bid each S
other good-by, leave for the respective
nesting places selected for them. Mou
day forenoon, when there was snch a
commotion among the crows on the
Kuob, they were taking leave of one an¬
other. There will probably never be
another crow roost in this part of the
country. Next year it may be in Ken
‘
tucky.”
Settled It.—A negro brought suit in
a Georgia Justice’s Court for possession
of two shoats and a sow and pigs, and
gained it. His lawyer, as soon as the
case was decided, settled the fees for
himself, Squire A., the lawyer on the
other side, and the court. “Well, Joe,
Squire A. will take one of the shoats,
I’ll take the other one, the Judge will
take the sow and pig*> *^<1 you’ve
gained the case.”
DOM If SITU RECIPES.
Julia Corson Tells us How to Cook Fish.
Broiled Salt Mackerel with Butter
Sauce.— Soak a salt mackerel over
night, laying it in plenty of cold water,
with the skin uppermost, so that the
salt may fall to tiie bottom of the water
after it is disengaged from the fish. In
the morning trim off the tail, fins and
point of the head; dry the mackerel,
put it between the bars of a double-wire
gridiron, well buttered to prevent stick¬
ing, and brown the fish over a hot fire;
while it is being browned boil some
potatoes, as directed in the following
recipe, and make a butter sance; when
the potatoes and sance are ready, serve
them separately in hot dishes, and serve
the fish with some slices of lemon, or a
few sprigs of parsley or watercresses, on
the dish, as a garnish.
Butter Sauce for Broiled Mack¬
erel.— Put in a saucepan over the
fire a table-spoonful each of butter and
flour, and then stir them until they bub¬
ble; then gradually stir in a pint of boil¬
ing water, and when the sauce is smooth
season it with a level tea-spoonfnl of
salt, quarter of a salt-spoonful of white
pepper, and a table-spoonful of chopped
parsley or capers, if either is available;
after the sauce has boiled for two min¬
utes, add to it three table-spoonfuls of
butter, cut in small pieces, and stir the
sauce until the butter is melted; do
not allow the sauce to boil after the but¬
ter is added; when the butter is melted
put in the juice of half a lemon, and
serve the sauce at once with the
fish.
Boiled Potatoes to Serve with
Fish. —Choose small, smooth potatoes of
even size, wash them and then peel
them, taking care to remove only a very
thin paring and to keep them smooth,
and laying each one in cold water as it
is peeled; when the fish is first put to
cook place the potatoes over the fire in
plenty of salted boiling water, and boil
them for ten minutes, or until they can
be easily pierced with a fork; do not al¬
low the potatoes to boil until they begin
to break, but drain them as soon as they
are tender; after draining the po¬
tatoes cover them with a clean
towel, folded several times and place the
saucepan containing them where they
will keep hot without burning until me
fish is done; the folded towel will retain
the heat and at the same time permit
the steam to escape, so that the potatoes
will be mealy and unbroken when they
are served. Potatoes may be boiled in
their jackets the same way, a thin ring
of paring being removed after they are
washed; os is the case with the peeled
potatoes, care must be taken to drain
the potatoes as soon as they are tender
enough to be pierced with a folk, and
they must then be covered with a folded
towel and allowed to steam.
X Chinese Intoxicant
The spectacle of two Chinamen stag¬
gering along Smithfield street the other
night, evidently “three sheets in the
wind,” was one that excited some cari¬
osity. Whether they had been tanking
up after the most approved American
style on plain ordinary lager beer or old
Monongahela rye, was the question.
“They have a quiet little still of their
own,” was a remark of a habitue of
City Hall. “Chinaman don’t take kindly
to beer or whisky. They go to one
of their countrymen in town who deals
in the article and get a bottle of liquid
distilled from rice. I tell you it’s a
lively drink, too. Why stone fences
aud Jersey lightning are like water when
put on a level with incopee. That’s
what the Chinamen call it. The Chinese
storekeepers in San Francisco import the
stuff and ship it to their agents in different
parts of the oountry. It is pnt up in
qneer-shaped bottles and looks some¬
thing like gin. You can get plenty of
it in town if yon have a Chinese friend.
Just ask John Chinaman next time he
brings your washing to get you a bottle
of incopee and give him $1. It’s sur¬
prising how much these Mongols can
stand. They will sip incopee all even¬
ing and toddle home in single file with¬
out varying a shade from a straight
line. Sometines though they get more
than they can carry, just like those
fellows you saw pass by. Why, if an
old toper on whisky were to try inoopee
it would knock him out flat in three
rounds. It’s a mtghty queer liqnor
and-a bad thing to fool with. If yon
do yon will want to whip your mother
in-law and your best friend in half an
hour .—PWsburg Dispatch.
An Extraordinary Confession.
James S. Lowell, of Lewistown, Me.,
who in 1874 was convicted of wife
murder and sentenced to death, and
whose sentence was afterward commuted
to imprisonment for life, made a full
oonfession of his crime to the prison
officials at Thomaston.
He said he took bis wife to ride, and
when in a secluded spot a quarrel arose,
in which he inadvertently choked her to
death. He then cut off the head and
hid it under a log at a distance from the
body, to make identification difficult.
The body of the victim was not found
until two years afterward, and it was
then but a skeleton, so that the identifi¬
cation was not absolute. It was gen¬
erally believed that Mrs. Lowell had
run away with a circus, and many have
hitherto believed Lowell innocent.
VOL. XI. NO 28.
TILE OPPOSING FORCES.
FACTS ABOUT THE ARMIES OF ENG
LAND AND RUSSIA.
A Russian Staff Officer's Estimate of the
Strength of the Two Armies.
A reporter of the New York Herald
had an interview in regard to the Anglo
Rnssian controversy, with a Russian
captain of the general staff, who iB now
in New York city. The captain firmly
declined to say anything concerning his
mission to this country, but spoke free¬
ly on other subjects.
“Which do you believe is the better
prepared for war, Russia or England ?”
asked the reporter.
“Russia, certainly,” was the reply;
“and you may easily see that that is so
by comparing the forces of the two con¬
tending countries. As for Russia I will
give you the following particulars:—The
Russian army is composed of 192 in¬
fantry regiments of 3,500 men each, or
672,000 men all told; of the sharpshoot¬
ers, numbering 46,000 men; of the fron¬
tier battalions, comprising 27,000 men;
of cavalry, 48,000 men, and of Cossacks,
numbering 18,000 men. In the Russian
artillery there are about 80,000 men,
with 2,424 oannon of the foot artillery
and 150 cannon of the horse artillery.
Our engineer corps comprises about
27,000 men. Therefore the Russian
army, ready to move, consists of 920,000
men. Besides, there are the artillery¬
men stationed at different fortresses all
over the country to the number of not
less than 50,000 men. There are also
many local battalions for local duty. As
to the reserves, I may safely state that
they will amount to a half of the active
army as stated above—that is, abont
450,000 men and 1,200 cannon. There
are also special recruiting forces, com¬
posed of experienced officers and men
and numbering 6,000, who would be
able in a short time to instruct and pre¬
pare for service ten times as many new
recruits. In the Afghan war the Cos¬
sacks would be of great importance.
There are the Cossacks of the Don, of
the Kuban, of Orenburg, of the Trans
Baikal, of the Terek, of the Ural, of
Siberia, of Astrakhan and of the Amoor,
numbering 125,000 men ready to move
at alinst notion The Cossacks have had
experience in actual war, and particu¬
larly in Turkestan. So you see in the
Afghan war they would be particularly
serviceable. You must understand that
so far I have spoken of the ordinary or
regular army. In case of need militia
can be called hundreds of thousands
strong. But I don’t believe that we will
need it
“On the other side, in England,”
continued the captain, * ‘there are about
160,000 men under arms. We may ad¬
mit that the royal militia numbers also
about 160,000, and the volunteer corps
about 230,000. That will make 550,000
all told, and that counting very liberally.
Now you have 1,545,000 on the Russian
side against 550,000 on the English side.
That is a big dfference. is it not ? Well,
we will not overlook the Indian army,”
continued the captain, after a pause.
“That army is officially stated at 188,
000, and there are also 280,000 so-called
soldiers belonging to different Indian
princes who are under English rule.
We should also add the Afghan army,
numbering abont 60,000. That will
make 528,000 men, which is a good ad¬
dition to the English forces. This ad¬
dition, however, is far from balancing
the large Russian army, to say nothing
of the immense inferiority of the In¬
dians and Afghans to the Russian sol¬
diers. Take, for instance, the Cossack,
of whom it is said, ‘he was born on
horseback and loves war like his sweet¬
heart,’ and put against him an Afghan
or an Indian, who knows nothing abeut
a rough, regular war, and you will have
a correct idea of the respective forces.”
A Dangerous Experiment.
One day last fall a small boy of White
Plains, N. Y., had his ears filled with
oats by some boys with whom he was
skylarking in a barn. The boy
scratched and cleaned out, as he
thought, all of the grain, and went
abont his business. About six weeks
ago the boy was taken with a severe
pain in his ear. His head swelled up,
and he was in awful agony. All reme¬
dies failed, and his mother took him to
a physician, who removed two kernels
of oats which bad sprouted and taken
root in the boy’s ear. He is now per¬
fectly well.
Letting the Cat Out of the Bag.—
It was formerly the trick of the English
countryman to substitute' a cat for a
sucking pig, and bring it to market in a
bag, so that he who without careful ex¬
amination made a hasty bargain, was
said to buy a pig in a poke and might
get a cat in a bag, and a discovery ol
this cheat gave rise to the expression
•letting the cat ont of the bag” as a pre¬
mature and unlucky exposure.
Work for the Lawyers. —Pennsyl¬
vania, two years ago, passed a law de¬
claring “store orde*V’ issued to miners
as pay illegal. There was no penalty,
however, and the law has been consid¬
ered a deail letter. A test case was made
recently, and the miner won, the decree
being thnt he should be paid in legal
tender. Suits amounting to a million
dollars are threatened.
WIT AND WISDOM.
A railroad strike—a collision.
Thb type righter—the proof-reader.
Never fret; it will .only shorten your
days.
Never stand long at a comer of s
street.
Never abuse one who was once your
bosom friend.
Never reply to the epithet of a fool,
or a low fellow.
Never speak in a contemptuous man
ner of womankind. i
Never taste anatom when you are not
hongry; it is suicidal.
Hailing cabs is a common thing wheD
it is hailing pitchforks.
Never spend many of your evenings
away from your family.
A chancery conrt is one in which jus¬
tice has an even chance.
Never anticipate too much; disap¬
pointment is not pleasant.
The English policy in Egypt—False
Prophets and quick returns.
Never speak of your parents as the
“old man” or “old woman.”
The “one more” drink has made a
hundred thousand drunkards.
A girl may be a good violin player
and yet not be able to draw a beau.
We propose that the phrase “money
no object” be amended to read “money
no objection.”
A poet sings: “The jocund spring in
here.” Yes; we never saw a more
joakin’ spring than this.
Professor : “Mention an oxide.”
Student: “Leather.” Professor: “Oxide
of what ?” Student: “Oxide of Beef.”
Exit Professor.
An old friend is not always the per¬
son whom it is easiest to make a confi¬
dant of ; there is the barrier of remem¬
bered communications under other cir
cnmstances.
He was a likable man; sweet-tempered,
ready-witted, frank, without grins of
suppressed bitterness or other conversar
tional flavors which make half of ns an
affliction to our iriends.
Lafayette had a great mind, and he
knew what he was doing when he as¬
sisted the United States. France is
now getting large supplies of canned
frogs from this country.
We often think we are of great Im¬
portance to other people; that they must
be thinking of ns and our affairs; that
they watch our actions and shape their
course accordingly. In general we are
quite mistaken.
The craze for lady barbers is dying
out. After a man has his face cut bias,
his throat shirred and his hair pompa
donred and been talked to death, he
naturally returns to the male barber and
takes chloroform.
“Why do bees make wax ?” asks a
farm journal. We do not know, unless
it is because no one has told them that
the honey manufacturers are willing to
make it for them ont of paraffine.—
Philadelphia Call.
In a fashionable novel the author
says: “Lady Emma trembled, grew
pale, and immediately fainted.” The
printer, putting “p” instead of “f,”
rendered it, “The lady grew pale, and
immediately painted.”
An agricultural journal says: “Spring
is the best time in the year to move
bees.’’ It may be; bat if a bee settles
on your neck, or any other portion of
your anatomy, in the fall, don’t wait un¬
til the spring to move it.
A dogmatical spirit inclines a man to
be censorious of his neighbors. Every
one of his opinions appears to him
written, as it were, with sunbeams, and
be grows angry that his neighbors do
not see it in the same light
The small boy feels that it is tempt¬
ing Providence for a leading grocery
firm to pnt large and luscious looking
oranges right out on the sidewalk and
label them: “Do not fail to try these
oranges; they are very nice.”
The Proud Poet.
Harry is a papa—which wonderful
event does his most awful dignity tre¬
mendously augment. And he has been
■ papa for two entire days, which vast
responsibility in grandeur he displays.
An old friend asked young Harry, “How
is the little kid ?” No answer. Papa’s
dignity snch freedom quite forbid. The
question was repeated; “How is the kid
to-day ?” A freezing stare from Harry
and, “What, sir, did you say ?” “Oh,
1 just asked ‘How is the kid?’” Severe
was pa’s disdain; “Oh ! Ah ! Ahem !
The kid! What kid ? Beg pardon,
sir? Explain!’’ “How is the baby,
then 1” Papa’s importance big did
swell. “Oh, if yon mean my SON, sir,
he is, thank yon, very well.”—H. C,
Dodge in Chicago Sun,
New Forests.— In his Arbor Day
proclamation, the Governor of Kansas
said that the State which the pioneers
found treeless and a desert now bears
upon its fertile bosom “more thau 20
000,000 fruit trees, and more than 200,
000 acres of forest trees, all planted by
our own people.” The Governor also
says “that there has been an increase
in the rainfall in Kansas is fully proved
by the statistics of our oldest meteor¬
ologists.”