Newspaper Page Text
THE NEWS.
TOGGOA, GEORGIA.
The new United States postage stamps
tre to be one-eighth smaller than the
present ones.
Some one estimates that getting bore
losts the people of the United States
1225,000,000 annually; getting married.
$300,000; getting buried, §75,000,000.
Wyoming appears to be the only Ter¬
ritory which is likeiv to come into the
Union with woman suffrage as a part of
its organic law. It has been adopted us
» art of the bill of rights of the pr o*
pc.jcd 8
There was a time, and that not very
tong ago, when about one-third the
British army were Irishmen. It is other¬
wise now. The annual report lately is¬
sued by the Commander-in-Chief shows
that the ratio of Englishmen in the army
is about ten to one compared with Irish¬
men.
Emperor William, of Germany, is
much displeased with the models sub¬
mitted to him for a monument to his
grandfather, William I. He has said
that not one of them deserves a prize.
Many of the most famous sculptors in
Germany refused to compete, claiming
that the prizes were too small a reward
for the labor required in the preparation
of models.
The largest gun in existence, and the
heaviest ever made by* the Krupp works,
has recently been completed and sent to
Cronstadt, where it will he mounted. It
is of caststecl and weighs 235 tons. The
calibre is 13 \ inches, the barrel is 40
feet in length, and it has a maximum
diameter of fli feet. The weapon has a
range of eleven miles, and the mechan¬
ism is so perfect that two shots a minute
can be fired, each shot, however, cost¬
ing from §1200 to $1500.
The talk heard so often nowadays
about China's growing friendliness to the
outer barbarians is founded on error,
says un exchange. The Ciiiuese hate
them as bitterly to-day as they did thirty
years or more ago. The lives and limbs
of foreigners in Canton are said to be
much less safe than formerly, inasmuch
that if they choose to visit, unattended,
the temples, the potter's field, where the
beheadings take place, or any of the
other famous sights in the wonderful city*
the risk run is considerable.
Advices from South Dakota say that
everything does not look promising for
this, the fir-4 winter of the new State.
Intelligence received from Miner County,
in Central Dakota, is that large numbers
of farmers had a total failure of theii
crops, owing to drought, and that they
are destitute and disheartened. They
have, no clothing for the winter, not
wheat, corn nor vegetables, and scarcely
have enough hay to feed their teams and
cattle through the cold season, A Relief
Committee has been appointed, and many
•owns throughout Dakota arc responding
liberally with aid.
“Comparatively few Australians,” re¬
marks a Melbourne journal, “arc aware
itfiat. a part of their own country—the
Northern Territory have vast herds of
wild buffalo roaming over its plains and
wallowing in its shady pools. The ani¬
mals are massive and heavy, with splen¬
did horns, and afford sport of sufficiently
dangerous a nature to possess charms
for the most daring hunter. The first
buffaloes were landed at Port Essiugton
in 1820, In the order of the Imperial
Government, and, after sixty years’ of
uninterrupted increase, their numbers are
now astonishing.'’
Adverse criticism has been pronounced
v§>ou the pneumatic guns with which the
United States man-of-war Vesuvius is
supplied. The objections which have
been advanced by American and foreign
nava: o:doers are that a ship trusting to
guns of this typo could be riddled and
sunit by* modern high power rifled ordi¬
nance before it could get within range;
that th< gun is too bulky and cumber¬
some for use on board of ship, and that
accuracy of tire cannot be depended upon
a sea way. An exhaustive trial, how-
®ver„wili be made before undertaking the
Construction of another dvuamite cruiser.
These charges against the utility of the
pun on shipboard will not stand against
&s use on shore, where most of the ob¬
jections will be overcome by the availa¬
bility of space.
The Emperor of Germany's speech from
the throne, to tiie Reichstag at Berlin re
ceutly. bristled with military points as
one of his regiments of the line with
bayonets. M illiam evidently has much
faith in the efficacy of armies for the
maintenance of peace. Referring to the
legislative measures of 1S87 “for the
consolidation of the defensive powers of
the Fatherland." he said: “Your co¬
to this end will be again
in order to develope the effi¬
of the army and its readiness for
in accordance with whatever cir¬
may arise.” That means
to provide for more soldiers,
the imposition in consequence of
taxes and burdens upon the German
The New York Seics thinks
will probably be a boom in the
of yh.aans to this country
account of this speech and the laws
cr-l rfbi 1 1 f Tf-gTl ir
i
DAVIS DEAD
mnn /tAMPPDPD vUNr LDuunLl 1 /HD'"' b ftDD I Tt
lDy UuliAI
CHIEFTAIN IS NO MORE.
The Hearts of the People, Whose
Cause He Espoused, Crushed by
the Sad News—A Long and
Eventful Life.
P
aal
ZZ‘
K
fi: xvj
S Ufe y
,-Z
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
At 12:45 o’clock Friday mornings
great heart ceased to beat—a stainless
life was closed, and Jeff Davis, first and
last President of the Southern Confed¬
eracy, was dead. With him has passed
away the last of the great leaders
of the lost cause. Cobb,
Stephens, Toombs, Hill and Yancey.
Jefferson Davis will be mourned iu miL,
lions of hearts, Government will not
render to him the pomp and circumstance
of a great death, but his people will give
to him a tribute of love and tears sur¬
passing all that government ooukl do,
and honoring his memory as earthly pa¬
rade could not do! From Maryland to
i exas, wherever in other states or in
other lauds, his people may have wan-
dered—wherever dauntless courage is or
stainless honor made friends—wherever
they who have suffered aro loved and
superb fortitude may touch the heart
or dim the eye—there Jefferson
Davis will bo honored and mourned.
THE DEATH SCENE.
Mr. Jefferson Davis died suddenly at
12:45 Friday morning. He had been
steadily improving for the past four days
and his physiciuus announced that they
were His entirely satisfied with his condition.
and appetite had improved somewhat,
he was free from fever and
those who had access to the sick
He room rejoiced over tho favorable change.
rested quietly throughout the day.and
in the afternoon the bulletin was to the
effect that his condition continued favor¬
able. Shortly before midnight he had
coughing fit, which seemed to exhaust
his little remaining strength, and at 12:45
he passed quietly away—so quietly,
in fact, that the watchers scarcely Ua- w
when death came.
DAVIS’S LIFE.
Jefferson Davis was born in ChnV.ian
Georgia county, Ky., on the 3d day of June, 1808.
may claim a kinship with the
man, as well as a share of his glory.
His father, Samuel Davis, was a Qj< rgia
planter. officer In the revolutionary war °lie
was an in a cavalry regimen 1 aud
served with distinction. ,
Later he moved
to Kentucky, and some years a! ter ward
to the Mississippi. Davises 1'he Georgia branch of
is now extinct, but it lives
in tradition as a high-spirited honorable
family. Passing his boyhood on ihe
frontier, where the whites were fre¬
quently engaged in conflict with savage
foes, young Jefferson’s earliest thoughts
were centered upou guns, sabres, and
all the panoply of war. By the time he
was sixteen he had made the most . f his
academic and university au van-
tages and entered the mili-
tary academy at West Point.
For fellow students, he had such > uni-
rades as Robert E. Lee, E. Johnson, Le¬
onidas Polk, John B. Magruder, and
others well known to fame.^ Iu this cir-
ele his lofty character, bright mind, and
highest thorough mauliness, commanded the
regard of all. When he gradu¬
ated at A\ est Point, and phmgvd into
the thick of the Indian warfare on the
northwestern frontier, the old niny offi¬
cers instantly recognized him as a orn
soldier. He was appointed a staff < fii-
cer, and made such a brilliant ive >rd
that, in a short tine, he ivas promoted to
the rank of first lieutenant and adjutant
of a new cavalry regiment.
Wheu Colonel Davis returned from
the Mexican war, at the head of the gal¬
lant Mississippi Rifles, the whole n tion
hailed him as “the hero of Buena V s a.”
At Monterey Colonel Davis ami bis men
fought with heroic valor. Braviu * . f u .
rious storm of copper-grape, the Mi-Ys-
sippians made a despera e charge . ii the
enemy's fortifications. The Mcvo-ms
fled and took shelter in a stum- i-add- !
ing, from which they poured a hear, tire ■
of musketry. This heavv fire fr un the !
housetops was deadiv aid terror , n- j
Davis and his men penetrated street after j
after street, building, dislodging the foe from buiidi.m
the grand uutil within a so-uv of i
plaza. The capitulation of
Monterey followed, and the ... ire i
country rang with the praises of Colonel
Davis and his
The Buena Vista exploit clawed the
name of Davis among the most reuore i
military men of modern tim s Her.*
against terrible odds he saved the /
and virtually won the battle The lheAnur- An
iran« woro Kin*
General others rode TayKr ’ withColonel rerieatlno ILtvis'md rm^f
up. Several
ments were rallied. Davis with his own
regiment and a handfull of Indiana vol-
unteers, advanced at double quick fir m*
all the time. The Mexicans were put to
flight, but in a few moments a brigade
of lancers, two thousand strong, came
fluttering on at a gallop with sounding bugles a cd
nenona Colons! i° n 0l T)vk lV1 " l’ ti-r->, 1 ' " v
his men into the form ot e a\ . v-, bothflmka
mtiog the on reviues,
:ng oo intervening ndge, i bus < \ >o-
tmsr within the enemv to a cross-fire Win
r*mre the rifle« h-- ^n 'i « v- V • i,
wlink liMd of th? Mpr timi '.La
ti" fir,.
'
on “ nnr I: butt a riiri 1 l l f"' ii S t Vi!
thev movement moment w^s as the the talk talk t of ot the the v.aj, - ^
the ample m modern history. On this side of
water Generals Taylor. Or^uiau-Luna.
aca other solan rs, weie entin.-i.s-
tic over Davis, and m the old country
ihe duke of Wellington, the vitar of
Waterloo, expressed h ; s admir t.cn in
glowing word*. Indorsed by such vet-
erans as the “Iron Duke,” and old Zach
Taylor as a Under of brilliant military
gmius, it goes w ithout ssying tin t the
people of this country, north and south,
accepted the virdict. If the career ol
Davis had ended with the Mexican war,
he would still have 1 ad glory enough for
one man.
HI8 FCBI.IC LIFE BEFORE THE TAR.
Before the Mexican war Mr. Davis had
served part of a term in congress, resigu-
>?g to accept the command of the Mis¬
sissippi from Vo.uuteers. Upon his leturn
the land of the Montezumas he was
appointed to fill a vacancy in the United
State* senate. In the senate Mr. Davis
at once stepped into thq front rank. He
was a student as well as a man of affairs.
He was not only well versed in political
science, but thoroughly well equipped
for debate. Contrary to the opiuion en¬
tertained by many of the present genera,
tion, the senator from Mississippi was nc
extremist. He was fully committed to the
doctrines of states rights. The election ot
President Pierce brought Senator Davi»
into the cabinet as secretary of war.
The secretary gave much o:
his time to testing new improvement!
in aims and equipments. He had the
territories explored. When the Crimear
war came on he sent a number of officer!
to the scene of the trouble to study tin
discipline and methods i f the European
armies. The lederal government never
had a moieable or efficient war secretary.
Returned by his state to the so-.at; with
the beginning of President B.u b man's
the administration, Mr. Daws plan p d into
exciting debates leafing up to tue
tremendous campaigns of IbOo. This
brings us to a part of history almost as
laminar to our rea iers as the eurreut
matters of the day, and it is unn.ee ary
to reproduce it here. Ail the world
knows that Mr. Davis was ready to ltd-
low his doctrine of state sov< reignty to
its logical consequences. He insisted
upon the right ol secession,but he fought,
wuh all his energy against such a ?taie
of affairs as would, in bis judgment, ren¬
der the exercise of the right necessary.
When, however, the crisis came, after
fhe election of Lincoln, ».ttd Mississippi
had passed her ordinance of s cession, Mr.
Davis embraced the occasion of resigning
his seat in the federal senate to txplain
and justify the course of his people.
m 9
''Ah-sJl |Tflm
iO;
BEAUVOIR—DAVIS’S MISSISSIPPI HOMS.
From the Senate Mr. Davis went to his
plantation in Mississippi. He hoped
that secession would be peacefully ac¬
complished, hut he could not disguise
the fact that the outlook was anything
but pacific. Following the bent of taste <
and inclinations, he looked forward in
tha event of a conflict to an appointment
in the at my. In such an emergency he
knew that the south would requLu the
services of veteran officials, and lie had
every reason to believe that he would be
called up in to serve the new republic
with his sword. That tins anticip tiofc
presidency was disappointed, we all know. The
of the confederacy was thrust
upon him unsought. It was unexpected,
but in this, as in other things, Jefferson
Davis heeded the voice of his people and
accepted thrust the burdens and responsibilities
upon his shoulders.
SI
J
m
I *
Dt % yfr*
MRS. VARINA DAVIS.
The circumstances of Mr. Davis’ Cap¬
ture and imprul ament for two years in
Fo*-tress Monroe is a matter of historv.
and 7s familiar to our readers. Upon
his leaving prison, Mr. Davis returned tc
home in Mis-i-sippi, where he lived
in obscurity and, it is greatly to be
feared, in poverty, his plantation yield¬
ing but little income. Steps were once
taken to raise a fund for him, but lie
kindly’, but firmly, averted the hands of
those eugaged in it as soon as he became
f hel w “ J re that pf . whit f , , lon was S as being , the widows done, and lie
? r P han8 of , the confederate , soldiers were
J! 1 ' Tlln t . ’ had neither the right nor
? J>y 6 ™ that sh . ought to '? ke to °"° find doll:ir Its way of ,hc to them, bou 11 -
^ lr ' b)a \ ls P r< ;! (rred to live in retire-
In n °ttmg that . he saffi or did,
Jd d ‘ Rn,ty lie , lower of hl8 m ^S the h P slightest 0 « t,0n degree Accepting the
-
! hc ;. re ™ 8 f s of r life with uncomplaining
f or tltud « ^ held los convictions uu-
? han ^ ed «nd unmodffied. In defeat as
1Q victory his great nature was equal
to a demands. In peace or in
" a r he , 8tood th ' 3 unchallenged
aud , chief his
among people,
liN 6TATE *
|| r> Dav.s's rt mains are lying in state
the c< > UD c' d chamber of the city hall,
v ° rle ?f» «uirounded by emblems of
flTa SUfwJhT em ’ ems 1? d emblem4 war, emblems of the Umon. of the
nc7eaPv^ dr T'' V cove r8 ever y thln S;
S hid 1 m ° rD,n . ^ a CO “ st l Dt
buUdfn- and R i ^ ^ 1 ^ ^ *
hii„. h tl 1 3 tnoucand people
E r ‘ 83< * d t 1:1 l -, de to the casket, gazing
the upon the face of the dead ex-presi(fent of
confcier .iJid .cv Negroes am?«S« as well » R the
whiter,.,d J ” * ‘ <irm y men, as wen as
, ( . veterans, lingered the
^isket the over
wit i utine manifestation of
respect.^ incidents During the day, many touch-
ln ? were presented to those
°a duty around thc dead president. The
la!1 bui t d ^g ^ °ne of the largest
1Q the cit V ’ acd tbe couucil chamber is
-
'ne of the most sDacious in the chaml^; buildirm
The csketm,he centre of the
re g t j nCT UDoE a rabed difivsm-eP rfiAr.fnrm p, mP
soldiers have b-«. non a hod”
was ^ine
is if an extremev ^/icRv handsom. Th« a nmrvet
n’n
eant decora* geverej' *'*■;« -1 i« snnhrf
is almost It is covered with deet
black, heavy (5ver velvet, and has a Tew <3ec-
orations. the casket is thrown the
battle flag of the 14th Louisiana regiment,
a flag tattooed and torn. In the cham-
her are small arms, field artillery, United
States flags, confederate flags, flowers,
evergreens and ferns. The city as well
as the city hall is draped in mourning.
Every flag at New Orleans is at half- mast .
^.uTions are FearTTf
play arapea. tokens ^Adny private residei ces dis-
of sorrow, AU of the dif-
ferent military organ zations, as well as
a number of civic bodies, have their
headquarters in mourning.
REMOVAL OF THE REMAINS.
Three weeks ago,in the midst of a cold
rain storm, on one of the dreariest morn¬
ings of the year, Jefferson Davis was the
carried from the steamer Leather, to
Payne mansion. Saturday night all that
was mortal of Jtfferson Davis was carried
from the Payne mansion to the city hall,
where the remains will lie in state until
Wednesday.
By the time the hearse reached thte
city hall the council chamber and lob¬
bies and corridors of the building were
crowded with citizens. The council
chamber was quickly tlie cleared admission and a
wav opened for
”
of the body. The hall WH8
heavily draped in black, which was re¬
lieved with the red, white and b'ue of
the stars and stripes. There w*ere also
rich floral decorations everywhere, be¬
sides crossed swords and other military
devices. At the head of the hall hung
a poi trait of the dead chteftain, richly
festooned with crape. Mrs. Davis has
not \et determined
WHERE THE BODY SHALL BE LAID
finally. Richmond wants it; Atlanta,
Ga., has made its offer; Lexington, Lee Va.,
has put in a request, because and
Jackson are there; Montgomery, Ala.* will
send a delegation to sue for the body;
Vicksburg wants it, and so docs Macon,
Ga. In speaking of the final resring place
Mrs. Davis has said to her friends: “Mis¬
sissippi claims the bod}*, and that is his
home. Georgia has asked for it, and
the great love the Georgia people
have always si o vn him always had a
warm place iu our hearts, Govetnor
Lee is very urgent because Richmond
was the capital of the Confederacy. Our
boy is buried there, aud we both love
that place. Then it has the largest cem¬
etery of confederate dead in the south.
Montgomery bases its claim upon the fact
that that was the first capital.” The
question will not be settled until Miss
Winnie Davis returns from Europe. On
Saturday, when Mrs. Davis received a
message* from Miss Winnie, cablegram saying that
she would start home, a was
sent back, urging her not to come, It is
now thought that Miss Davis will remain
in Paris until her health rs better.
ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH.
Meetings have been held in all south-
ern cities, and resolutions adopted ex-
pressing sorrow at the death of Mr.
Davis, and the governors of the south
issued proclamations announcing the sad
intelligence, and recommending memo-
rial services on the day of the funeral.
All the New York papers gave great
space, both editorially aud in biograph-
ical sketches of Mr. Davis. The tone of
the majority of the editorials, is conset-
vative, and generous acknowledgment of
his unswerving personal m.egnty and
conscientious devotion to the principles
he conceived to be light, is freely muoe.
The Southerners in New York are sin-
c< rely grieved at the death of the Ulus-
trious hero of the lost cause, and will do
all in their power to manifest theif devo-
tion to his memory and their reverence
for his heroic self-sacrifice tc the unal-
terable faith that was in him. *
GENERAL NEWS.
CONDENSATION OF CURIOUS,
AND EXCITING EVENTS.
NEWS FROM EVERYWHERE—ACCIDENTS, STRIKE
1 IRES, AND HAPPENINGS OF INTEREST.
The influenza, which has been quite
general in St. Petersburg, has appeared
in London.
Colonel J. H. Rathbone, founder of
the order of Knights of Pythias, died
at Lima, O., Monday.
President Harrison witnessed the ded¬
ication of the auditorium iu Chicago
Monday night.
The Pullman Car works, at Pullman,
Ill., suffered a loss of $100,000 from fire
on Wednesday night.
Dr. Parke sends a bulletin from Baga-
moyo that there is some improvement in
ihe condition of Emin Pasha.
The total amount of insurance involved
I" ‘ h « ThM.kggiv.Dg fire >n Boston offl- _
daily reported to date is $2,346,000.
r ihe Turkish government has in-
structed its delegates in the African
conference to oppose any intervention in
tne tr-ide in Circassian women.
The general executive committee of
the world’s fair at New York, held a
meeting Thursday and adopted a bill
which is to be presented to congress.
The benefit tendered to Mrs. Parnell
by Comedian W. J. Scanlan, took place
Thursday afternoon at the Star theatre,
New York. Eight hundred aud seventy-
seven dullars wus realized.
The Tl work , of . refining sugar was com-
me need Monday in Claus Sjireetcie’s new
sugar r< finery in Philadelphia. Theca-
pacity of the refinery is 2,000,000 pounds
of ‘sugar every' twenty-four J hours.
Vienna is snowed up. Provisions are
from fifteen to twenty-five per cent,
dearer on account of impeded communi¬
cations. Postal service i-» done on
Helens. ‘dei-dis Robbers Robbers are aic active acrivc in m the the conn conn-
try districts.
The geueral assignment of James W.
Joseph B. Whitney and Ja meS
A. Iviiapp, dry goods commission raer.
chants at 76 Worth street, New York,
to David A. Boody, was filed Monday.
Liabilities will aggregatae bout $500,000,
assets expected to make a good showing.
The Chicago Times says that Maggie
Schreiner, who poured kerosene oil ou
her husband on June 25, 1888, and then
to it, burning him fatally is
U1Cg the c rde ^ ° f Forester8 f °l
interest • and 1 principle on a death J benefit
of *1,000, which she cairns as ben-
< ficiary of the dead man’s estate.
-
a V. spcLiji pedal noui from Florenc r lo.euoe, *vu.,_ Ala eay ««•
Fire broke out Thursday morning in
Peyton's livery stable and burned the
bunding aud twenty-one horses. Loss
$6,000. No insurance. The fire com
municated to an adjoining store, burning
down the store building and stock:
Loss $12,000.
----— .
^ The suit . of , Dr. „ Nathan „ R. Goiter
against Robert Garrett for $25,000 for
professional services, which has been
pending in the Baltimore court, was set-
tied Thursday. Dr. Gorter offered to
compromise for $18,000. and the prop-
oaition was accepteq and the mqn§y paid,
STRANGE SHOWERS.
QUEER OCCURRENCES THAT ARE
NOT FAIRY TALES.
Raining Frogs Uutil Four Feet Deep
—Showers of Fish and Pieces
of Flesh That Have Also
Fallen to the Earth.
The very singular phenomenon famil¬
iarly known as the “rain of frogs,” has
been ridiculed and contrad’cted by some
scientists, but there is abundant proof
that such occurrences are by no means
rare. One of the earliest narratives of
this kind is that communicated to the
French Academy by Professor Pohtus .
in
1804, in which he gives an account of
a shower of frogs near Toulouse, and
states that he himself saw numerous
young frogs on the cloaks of two gentle-
men who were caught in the shower on
the road. When the diligence in which
he was traveling arrived at the place
where the storm burst, the roads and
fields were observed to be absolutely full
of frogs. In some places they appeared horses' to
be three or four feet deep, and the
hoofs killed thousands during the pas¬
sage of the vehicle through the spot.
An instance of a no less curious frog "
shower in our own country is related by
a writer in the Overland Monthly , who
says that in the year 1864 he was with a
number of other tourists traveling in
Arizona at least twenty miles from any
st ream or pond. Ihe da\ being exceed-
ingly sultry a halt was made for a rest of
an hour or two, when suddenly a dense
black cloud made . which . ,
its appearance,
soon begun to discharge a copious rain.
Nearly every person ill the party wore ft
broad-brimmed felt hat, which proved a
great protection against the rain, as they
had already been against the sun. The
attention of the travelers was soon
rested by a vigorous pelting of something
which seemed like hailstones upon their
sombreros, but which, greatly to their
surprise, proved to be a species of di-
minutive frogs.
In less than two minutes the grass was
fairly alive with these little creatures,
They were all of one size, about a quar-
ter of an inch long, very lively and ap-
parently in the best condition,
fall had evidently been broken by
dashc, springy nature of the grass. A1 ■
hiding to the theory advanced by
scientists, that in such cases the frogs
must of necessity have arisen from the
ground, the writer says: “It is not prob-
able that several hundred thousand, per-
haps millions of frogs had suddenly been
hatched into life by the ram, or, if they
had, that, in their infantile glee, they
jumped fne leet eleven heads inches Lo.n • c
«»rth to the top of our merely to
show how* the game of leap-hog mould
be played. They came from above, m
company with the rain, and this fact w*as
made clear by holding out the hand and
seeing theni fall upon it, as well as find*
ing them upon our hat rims.
To judge fro m a number “Book Of instances
related in Chambers's of Days,” it
would seem that the eases of fish falls, in
the country, at least, outnumber those of
frogs to a considerable degree. On the
i 4th b f Ap.il, 1828, Major McKenzie, of
n ossb i re 1- Scotland, ' while walking f in a
fip](1 J^round f t hS° 1>ort on of
s? with ? frv j
*
,, thl '? e t0 f A ^ J lr )c nit 1 ® cl , t “’ "° ■ U J eais , engt j later 1 ’' f f ^ . , tho ]
>
l slaad of ^y, . m Argyleslnre after a
<ia .V ot vei 3 heavy am the mha utauts
were surprised to find a large number of
fres'n herrings strewn over tlieir fields.
More recently a Wick newspaper stated
that one morning a large quantity of the
same species of fish were found scattered
in a garden in that town. These it is
stated the peasants cooked and ate,
though not without misgivings as to the
possibility of some satan ; agency hav-
mg been concerned in transferring them
to such a spot.
One of the most curious instances of
tMs nature was related by »» «nglisl,
;®' India, er ’ saw " h0 a ’ quantity whl| t res.diug of live m fish Calcuttn descend
in a heavy* shower of rain, “The most
curious thing that struck me in connec¬
tion with the event,” said the Officer,
“was that the fish did not fall helter
skelter, everywhere, or here and thet'e,
but in an even straight line, no moie
than a cubit in breadth.’’
Of all remarkable events of this charac-
ter, however, the most sensational was
the famous “Kentucky meat shower'’
which mystified so many people some
twenty years ago. This “flesh fall” took
place on the farm of a Mr. Crouch, which
Sn „ ‘ t s „ rro „ nded l,y hig], hills
, md moim tains jn Bath Colmty , Kv .
The account given by Mrs. Crouch was
substantially as follows.
^Between eleven and twelve o'clock I
mv ' van] : not more than fortV steos -U
from tne house. - There a.light .. .*, wind
was
coimng Horn the W est, but the sky was
dear and the sun was shining brightly,
Without anv • prelude 1 or warning of an v
kind, , . , and , exactly under these circum- -
stances, the shower Commenced. ilie
fall was of not less than one or more than
two minutes’ duration. When the flesh
, began to , fall , „ I T saw a large i piece
the ground close by me, with a snapping-
like noi£8 when it struck. I was im-
pressed with thc conviction that it was
‘ mi.-mlc I or a warnino- The latest
piece that hqt 1 r saw s .,, v Avas was as , ls ion ^ a. mv j hand !
and about half an meu wide. I' looked ,
wristlv, as it it had been torn from the
throat of some animal. Another * piece
,, T s u ' as 11 - 1 , 1D . 81 I „ ^
aoout tne ; ot hah dollar.
size a
An old hunter residing in the neigh-
borhood, defhned on being showed heat' a piece of the
flesh, it to he meat, and
stated that it had ‘‘that uncommonly
greasy feel” peculiar to the flesh of that
an imal A butcher who was pereuaded
taste the meat changed his mind
about swailowiug aQV G f it and declared
that it tasted neither like flesh, fish nor
fowb it looked to him like mutton, but
the smell was a new one. Some of the
meat was quite dry. and there seemed to
be a fine, wool-like fibre running through
it A great deal of the flesh was sent to
chem ists and others in various parts of
tne country, and , analyses , were rriade made hv by
several wrii-known scientists. Profes-
»rj. L Smilh was at first ioclmed <0
it the dried of , frt^s, f
pronounce spawn
but as it was found under the microscope
undoubted characteristics peculiar to the
flesh of animals this theory was aban-
doaed. Perhaps the most reasonable
explanation is that of Professor Peter, of
Leringtcn, Ivy., who believed the fall of
flesh tc be aim dIv d[.ior4n“ the result of a kind of
p os,t Pjancfiai cti. = or a in 0 bv oy a a n flock of
buzzards wno had been masting cuem-
selves more abundantly tnan wisely on
thecarcgssof a sheep.— Globe-Dsrrwcrxt.
----
Mrs. „ Frank Leslie wears blacK leather
boots with tips and laces of silver,
Popular Fallacies Corrected.
A very common error is to sir* pc
that birds sleep with the head beneat .
the wing. No bird ever sleeps so; the
head is turned round and laid upon the
back, where it is often concealed by
feathers.
That dogs are kept in health by the
addition of brimstone to their drinking
water. Seeing that brimstone is utterly
insoluble m water, says a writer, I fail
to perceive what use it cau possibly be to
the dog. fond of buttercups.
That cows are
Cows, as well as horses, in grazing caie
fu j ly ;tVcdd tbese }) ] an ts, which are harsh,
astl | Ui?ent5 an a somewhat poi souous.
was hi»g the face in morning de v
improves the complexion. Dew is db
t p lpd water , hut. being merely very pure
water it canno t exercise any special ir
fluence on the skin. I am unwilling, how
to dispel this pleasing illusion, and
t h er efore wash*your say: “By all "means, young
iadieg belief faces in the morning
dpw> - n of its efficacy. To do
’ breathe the
go u must r j se ear i v ;)n( l
p,,^ morning alld air; dcm this will complexion benefit your
hca j th ^ . This*is bt your at
tha sa e undoubtedly the
lesson } nt cuded to be inculcated,
That a fire is extinguished by the sun
shining on it. The effect in this case i-
apparent, not real. A fairly good fm
looks little better than a heap of white
agheg ^ under the powerful light of the
-
uu g rR y S
That there j is economy ‘ in putting fire-
brickg or c ay bal i g into a fire. Consi¬
er j n * „ that whatever heat they give out is
deri ed from the flre itself, and that,
being JContribute themselves utterly incombustible,
t fc e nothing to the heat of
thc ‘fi rp< tbert< canbe m \ economy in their
ug(i 0ur method 0 f using fuel is, how-
CV( ^ , r terribly wasteful? a very large per-
of combustible matter, as well as
° andis wasted,
hpat ^ up the flue,
Tba t pipes are btlrSfr by a sudden thaw,
qq ie thaw merely finds out ilv bursting
that hag alreadv beeu effected by the
^ rQg ^ It is the expansion of water when
V, into the icy st atc that bursts water
pipes of whatever material.
. Thflt the boneg are brittle in frosty
weathei% No doabt more bones are
hrflkell *j nt<? r than in summer, but
^ j. dup to the slippery state of of the
roads at tha t S€RS0 .t, not to speak ac
cidenls ou the ice, and not to any abnor-
j condition of our bones,
That “thunderbolts'’ are tangible re¬
atities tbat can bc handled aud preserved
^ t . ur ; 0 , ities The only thunderbolt is
rh . flash of light-iing, often, no doubt,
destructive, but never accompanied
]>v au so]id T he only solid bodies that
; f() the earth f rom the sky are
aei . olites or bo!ides> bodies coming from
outer 8 , , )ace ’ an d have nothing to do with
thunde rstor ins .
That mirrors attract lightning and
d . oU j dbe covered or turned to the wall
di , riuo , ft thunderstorm. This is a pure
arisino . f rom the fact that inir-
rpflcc t the’lightning flash, and thus
add td the terror and apparent danger of
the storm.
Practical Joking in the Army.
Thg b i,\ of fun i s exceedingly well
developed "® v ®, l the average soldier of the
^ r .J ,*/, T hev are constantly on
t} . ie looKout . to play j <.' some mp 1)rauks pranks on on tneir their
<orarac \ es : an d "hen found out or dis-
covered it seldom, , , it ever, results in a
row, for all concerned take it good,
naturedly and wait their time to pay
baek in turH;
q qc g er g ean t .sent ft raw, verdant
rc( . ruit out ou a dark , stormv night with
]anteru to spR Avhat . time it was by the
^ < ,. ^ a j The poor fellow stood in the
ha if a n hour, and then it sud-
dawnfcd upon him that he was
^ ” made a fool ftfj T hc next time
drcs ^ de waS formed the recruit got
^ ^ bttlp joke . He surreptitiously
^ . d R bigroostev ^ v, feather in the apex
fhc Fir Sergean p s fu n dress helmet,
and bl this condition the latter marched
.
„ lat havc in yoar hol .
, , din.amle.l the Colonel.
*
“Nothing, sir,” answered the frightened
Sergeant. Dicipline was lost for a
moment, for down the whole line could
be heard a titter of merriment.
The victim saw there was something
wrong, and removing his hat for a
momen ^ bc discovered the feather. No
more jokes were played on that .*ecruit
afterward by anybody.
King Oscar of Sweden.
Precisely at noon the sound of military
music was heard front outside the hall.
amt v we knew i that *-1 the __tt- Kmg „ v„.i had come,
says a writer irt the Pittsburg Dis'patck .
The audience rose and remained standing
as he came iu, bowed to the right and
ieft, followed by the Crown Prince, the
President and becretary of the , Congress, ,,
the court-martial and adjutants. Ihe
iuvoluntarv (;xpression vvh ieh come to
~
- lips 1 was: “What a spleudcd 1
n,a “; '
His handsome, , , florid a ... . set off l»v
lace is
^ and beardj and his broad
shoulders shoulders, erect erect and ana lame ur h c fi'>-ur» d”- - well be- oe
hl! J oIhc f Trained*- sea. he ha-,
the bearing of a Laptain ^ wno treatis tue
aecK * f u | po fidence ; n his own
.. p
^° ' C > S l U*
splendid 1 j --i uniform of an A . lin.iai. . .ci •,
t
*-he bread blue sash of tne Oroer oi the
Seraphim, stars and decorations m quan-
tity and immense gold eqaulettes. As
as Kin ° 0scar had put 1 on his eye
fosses . he and read 1 - T French -, , *; his .
rose in
address of welcome—or rather shouted it
out as though he were c^le giving commands
f Ir the hridire in a of w ind \
*
, „
uia ! 1 ,° ne 1 erary as e anu cu iure,
™
*
pnecfinm kci takin^lm!. ,
Cm .mis onn< , ly w o,>. .
A curious and noteworthy instance of
T-mnar\ . work k repo-.ted. It cotuisaa
ot three plates of cast iron about one
fourth of an men. ami Mren oj five
mcnesin surface.covering w.tn antingm-
^nted m tne iron. Thc impression oa
the iron is made by writing on turn
P a Pe r > P inm « tne paper m a mold and
then pouring l ; ou the iron. The writ-ag °
thus transierreu trancf rr<1(1 tn to thp me ' whsn n.nin rh
wonderfully cto.' and
distinct, and is so ueeolv imprmteci as to
<
artemot “ .......... nuerasur™
- -
A Tough Snake Yarn.
Florida contributes a sna<e story a Lt-
tie different from the common variety. A
large rattlesnake lying at the mouth ol a
gopher m/=. hole was shot by a passing sports-
Tbe smoke from bis gun had do
Ui rlAwd 'N, mv when
*
twaity small scakw, . an^w^em
t e *7 e '‘°
the j th* o.d gopher snake JMeud and dragged S^oedaold h^ ,-ack into o.
hole.-^=-C v '^^<> Hera.d,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
MOVEMENTS OF THE PRESIDENT
AND HIS ADVISERS.
APPOINTMENTS, DECISIONS, AND OTHEB MATtEBS
OF INTEREST FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS.
Senator Spooner on Thursday intro¬
duced a bill declaring as chief supervi¬
sors of elections officers of the circuit
courts of the United States, and charging
them with the enforcement of national
election and naturalization laws, both in
person and through their subordinates,
supervisors of election.
The flight of Cashier Silcott, with
$75,000 of the salaries of the members of
the house of representatives, has created
a lively sensation. When the house met
on Thursday, Speaker Reed laid the fol¬
lowing communication from J. P. Lee-
dom, late sergeant-at-arms of the house,
before the body: “I regret to report
that C. E. Silcott, late cashier of the
office of sergeant-at-arms, has departed his
from this city without settling ac¬
counts, and I have been unable to ascer¬
tain his whereabouts, and there is a defi¬
ciency in the cash of the office. In view
of these circumstances I respectfully of
request an immediate investigation the
mv accounts, under such action as
house of representatives may take in the
premises.” During the afternoon, em¬
ployes in the sergeant-at-arm’s anil were busy
going over Silcott’s books accounts.
The exact balance missiDg, according to
the books, is $71,859.
CAPITOL NOTES.
The president on Thursday sent to of
eongress several hundred nominations
persons appointed to office during the.
recess of congress.
The death of Jeffersen Davis has
aroused curiosity respecting relics asso-
eiated wilh his capture at the close of
thc war and now deposited in have the been war
department. Many requests for permission
made in the past few days have
to see them, but all such requests
been denied.
KNIGHTS AND FARMERS,
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT ADOPTED AT
THEIR CONVENTION.
The two great orders, the Farmers'
Alliance, or Farmers’ and Laborers’
Union, and h Knights of Labor, wl ieV
have just cl* s : t th ir session at bt. I.c u s,
entered into an important agreement. joint political It
is a formal alliance for
nction along certain lines by thc two or¬
ganizations. In the agreement, perhaps
the most i o ewortliy feature is that
which provides for thc joint action of
the legislative committees of the two
organizations t > act in concert before
congress for thc purpose of securing the
enactment of laws in harmony with the
demands mutually agreed on. The arti¬
cles are as follows:
TIIE AHTICLE3 OF AGREEMENT.
ST. Loris, December 0.—Agreement made this
Say between the undersigned committee repre¬
senting the National Farmers’ Alliance and In¬
dustrial Union on the one part and the under-
ligned committee representing the Knights of
Labor on the other part, witnesseth:
The undersigned committee representing the
Knights of Labor having reads the demands ft
the Fanners’ Alliance and Industrial Union
which are embodied in this agreement hereby
indorse the same on behalf of tbe Knights of
Labor, and for the purpose Of giving practical
sffeet to the demands herein set forth tiie legis¬
lative committee of both organizations will act
in concert before congress for the purpose of se¬
curing the enactment of laws in harmony with
the demands mutually agreed. And it is fur¬
ther agreed, in order to carry out these objects,
that we will support for office only such men as
can he depended upon to enact these principles
into statute law uninfluenced by party caucus.
The demands hereinbefore referred to are as
follows:
That we demand the abolition of national
banks and the substitution of legal tender treas¬
ury notes in lieu of national bank notes; issued
in sufficient volume to do the business of the
country on a cash system; regelating the amount
needed on a per capita basis as the business in¬
terests of the country demands, and that all
money issued by the government shall be legal
tender in payment of ail debts, both public and
private.
ii.
That we demand tbat congress shall pass such
laws as shall effectually prevent the dealing in
futures of all agricultural and mechanical pro¬
ductions, pursuing a stringent system of pro-
eedure in trials as shall secure the prompt eon-
viction and imposing such penalties a-S shall
secure the most perfect compliance with law.
m.
That we demand the free and unlimited coin¬
age of silver.
iv.
That we demand the passage of laws prohibit¬
ing the alien ownership of land, and that con¬
gress take early action to devise some plan to
obtain by purchase all lands now owned by
aliens and foreign syndicates, and that all lands
now he „, ,. y and other con , oratjonB jn
excess of such as is actually use<l them bo
purchased by the government and held lor ac-
tual settlers only,
v.
Believing in the doctrine of equal rights to all
and special favors to none, we demand that tax-
ation, national or state, shall not be used to build
up one interest or class at the expense of anoth-
We believe that the money of the country
should be kept as much as possible m the hands
of the people, and Imnce we demand that all rev-
enues, national, state or county, shall be limited
to the necessary expenses of* the government,
economically aud honestly administered.
VI .
That congress issue a sufficient amount of,
fractional paper currency to facilitate exchange
through the medium of the United States maU.
Tn ,
That the means of communication and trans¬
shall he controlled by and operated in
the interest of the people, through the United,
States postal system.
For the better protection of the interests of
such th \ two seals ^ganizations or embJems a« **^^"^^**2* the National Farmers
Alliance and industrial Union may adopt wifi b«
recognized and protected in transit or otherwise!
by the Knights of Labor, and that all seals and
labels of the Knights of Labor will in like man-
ner be recognized by the Farmers’ AUianee and
industrial Union.
S. B. Erwin, Chairman.
j. d. Hammond, F. M. Blunt,
B. H. Clover, M. l’agc,
j. R. Miles, W. H. Barton.
S. >1. Ailams,
J. B. Alexander,
Stuart Ashby,
_ R F. Feck, R. C. Betty,
w. B. Morgan, J. H Turner,
A. S. Mann,
Committee on Demands of the National Farm¬
ers’ Alliance and Industrial Union.
T . v. PowdeHy,
a. w. Wright,
Rolph Beaumont,
Committee Representing the Knights of Labor.
The following officers of the Farmers and
Laborers’union Baberer, of America were elected' ..acted
for the next year:
L. L. Polk, of North Carolina, president.
B. H. Clover, of Kansas, vice-president.
J. H. Turner, of Georgia, secretary.
H. NY. Hickman, of Missouri, treasurer.
Ben Terrell, of Texas, lecturer.
This congress of laborers was one of the
most important public meetings . that ^ v has
ever been held in the world. It repre-
MfitM molt laboriDg men than the early
cods^* 5 this country represented peo-
pie. It spoke with the ftill voice of 4,000,-
laborers, and it wiU doubtless have a
tremendous effect in public affairs.
T he farmers convention adjourned to
mefe t at Jacksonville, Fla., the secondTues-
day in December, — .