Newspaper Page Text
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin has
decided that the Bible has no placa in
the public schools.
Nearly every town in Georgia is pre¬
paring to put up a cotton seed oil mill.
And yet but a few years ago these seeds
were considered worthless
The House Committee on Pensions
estimates the number of survivors of
the Federal army at 1,200,000, and
that the average age of the surviving
soldiers is now 51 vears.
An attempt is being made to propa¬
gate Chinese quail in California, and
600 have beeu sent to the large ranches
in great valleys. The birds resemble
English snipe or the American meadow
lark in size and color.
Calhoun, in Illinois, is the banner
county of the Union, There is not
within it a railroad, telegraph, bank or
Express office. The county jail has not
had an inmate for five years and the
courts rarely have anv lnw««P* to settle.
A remarkable coincidence in connec¬
tion with the death of the president of
an electric railway in Ohio is that he
was killed while violating a rule which
he himself had made, forbidding pas¬
sengers to get on or off the front plat¬
form while he cars were in motion.
His coat got caught in some way or
other, and he was thrown under the
wheels.
A hill 400 feet high, composed of
copper, silver and gold, has been dis¬
covered in the Mexican State of Chiapas.
A river flowing on one side of the hill
has largely uncovered the deposit, and
many thousand tons of ore are in sight.
The ore assays from three to four
ounces of gold and forty to sixty ounces
of silver per ton, with from 23 to 25
per cent, of copper.
According to a French paper the in¬
quiry made by the administration in
order to carry out the new law giving
certain advantages to fathers of more
than seven children, has shown that in
France at present there are 2,000,000
households in which there has been no
child; 2,500,000 in which there was
one; 2,300,000, two children; 1,-
500,000, three; about 1,000,000, four;
550,000, five; 330,000, six and 200,-
000, seven or more.
Smugglers are reaping a rich harvest
near the Canadian frontier, They
pursue their unlawful work in houses
built on the boundary line, half in
Canada and the other half in the United
States. Generally these houses contain
a tramway, upon which cars, contain¬
ing contrabrand goods, can be moved
from one country to the other. When
United States officers make a raid the
cars are pushed over into Canadian
territory, and vice versa. The Cana¬
dian government will take measures to
prevent a continuance of the fraud.
The young Emperor of China is dis¬
playing a good deal of vigor as a re¬
former. He is inquiring into every de¬
partment of his Government, and is is¬
suing orders for the removal of abuses.
He recently published a decree requir¬
ing periodical returns relating to the
strength of the army, in order to pre¬
vent officers from drawing pay for
troops which did not exist, He has
also abolished a largg number of un¬
necessary Government places in the
provinces. He has attacked the Pekin
police force for their negligence and
has ordered the provinces to reform
their police service. Altogether he
bids fair to be a progress ive and en¬
lightened potentate.
The Caucasian proprietors of the big
steam laundries in the United States,
representing $25,000, 000 in their plants,
have decided to drive the Chinese lauu-
drymen out of the business. This dc-
'"’sion has been precipitated by the at¬
tempt of the Chinese Six Companies to
purchase one of the largest laundries in
the United States and run it exclusively
by Chinamen, Statistics have been
collected showing that 1300 Chinese
laundries in New’ York city have de¬
prived 15,000 citizens of employment,
and that they were sending $40,000 a
week out of the country. One China¬
man docs the work of eight girls. The
system to be adopted to run the Celest¬
ial laundrymen out of the country is to
Establish American laundries alongside
of the Chinese laundries and take their
custom away by persuasion, by cutting
rates, and even by doing washing for
nothin".
A number of capitalists have fitted
out a fast steamship at San Franciscc
for seal poaching in Behring Sea. As
every skin is worth $12. 51 these capi¬
talists believe that illicit sealing is
profitable. They have no fear of being
apprehended by the Government author¬
ities, as the revenue cutter Bash can
only make eight knots an hour, and the
Bear is equally slow, It is intended
that the poacher 6hall make twelve
knots an hour, so that she can kill seals
wherever she pleases and then run
away from the Government vessels:
“It may have been noticed,” says
the Galveston News, “that the widow
of Jefferson Davis, since his death,
signs her name •V, Jefferson Davis.
Many persons doubtless suppose she has
added the name Jefferson to her Chris
tian name Yarina. But this is not the
proper explanation. V. is the abbre¬
viation of veuve, the French for widow,
and it is the custom in Louisiana, and
perhaps in other parts of the South,
for widows to place that letter before
the Christian names of their deceased
husbands. V. Jefferson Davis simply
means the widow of Jefferson Davis.”
The mercenary character of the mat¬
rimonial alliances contracted by titled
personages in Europd is illustrated by
the publication of some letters received
by a New York lawyer asking him to
arrange a marriage between some
wealthy American heiress and a scion
of the imperial family of Austria. An
Astor was preferred, if one existed still
unmarried, but was not necessary, the
conditions being youth, wealth and
beauty, Large money was promised
.he Iawyej in the event of a successful
match, and an intimation that a num¬
ber of officers in high position were
ready to secure similar services.
The new Brazilian marriage law
makes civil marriage obligatory. Any
marriage not made before civil powers
is null and void. The parties have tc
pay to the judge $1 and to the clerk 50
cents if the marriage is performed at
his office, and double that if in a pri-
vite house, besides the cost of carriage
or traveling expenses. Relatives of the
first and second degrees, girls under
fourteen and boys under sixteen year:
are prohibited from marrying. Widow*
may not marry until ten months after
the decease of their husbands, Civil
marriages may be preceded or followed
by religious services.
About every so often the public is
harrowed by reading that there are un¬
mistakable proofs that some unfortu¬
nate person has been buried alive, or an
account appears stating how a supposed
dead person has narrowly escaped this
terrible fate. The last case of this kind
occurred at Mount Blanchard, Ohio.
The body of a young boy was prepared
for burial, but fortunately signs of life
were discovered before he was put in
the ground, and the little fellow was
soon on the road to recovery. There is
no doubt, says the Atlanta Constitution ,
that many premature interments occur,
and that people wake up occasionally
to find themselves under ground. In
such cases, the invention of a certain
Frenchman would be a blessing. It
consists of a dagger and spring attach¬
ment to a coffin. At the least move¬
ment of the supposed corpse, the dag¬
ger is released, and pierces the heart.
No such invention would be necessary
if due care were taken by the living.
This is a matter in which we are all in¬
terested.
A romantic episode in General Crook’s
courtship is related by his cousin,
Frederick A. Crook. The General was
stationed at Cumberland, Aid., during
the war, and his sweetheart, who was
ihc daughter of John Daly, proprietor
of the G ades Hotel iu Oakland, -was
temporarily living near Cumberland.
The Daly family were strong Southern
sympathizers, and a brother of Mary
Daly was in the Confederate army.
YouDg Crook secured a leave of absence
rad called on his sweechcart, spending
the night at the Daly home. About 1
o’clock he awoke to find a dozen bayo¬
nets at his throat and his room full of
Confederate soldiers. Crook surrend-
ed, and before daybreak was on his
way to Libby prison, where he re¬
mained until exchanged three months
afterwards, The information was
given by Mary’s brother, who was one
of the captors. Since his marriage to
Mary Daly General Crook had been a
good friend tc the young man, ‘owards
whom he never displayed the slightest
resentment
ANTELOPE KILLING.
An Animal Which is Nearly
j Extinct.
A “Round Up” in a Barbed Wire
Enclosure in Wyoming.
An interesting story of an antelope
hunt in Wyoming was told in a down¬
town gun store the other day. But,
though interesting, it was by no means
cheering to the sportsmen who dread
the utter destruction of all game by
useless slaughter. It appears that a
large ranch in Wyoming was managed
by an Englishman and owned chiefly by
Englishmen, although there was some
American capital invested. The ranch
included eighteen sections of land, and
was laid out three mile3 wide by six
long. The whole was enclosed by a
five-wire buckthorn fence of the most
substantial character. Large breadths
had been sown to wheat, and so last
spring, after warm weather came, the
antelopes gathered from great distances
to eat the young grain.
To the mind of the English manager
of the estate this called for a violent
remedy. The antelopes must be exter¬
minated. He therefore sent to his
friends around about, and a party was
gathered as if for a wolf hunt. Mount¬
ing their horses, they formed a line
across one end of the plantation and
then rode slowly toward the opposite
end, intending to corner the game and
then shoot it down comfortably, just as
the natives in Africa drive game into a
V-shaped corral and butcher it.
This was made possible, with skilful
management, by the fact that antelopes,
although they easily jumped a fence when
entering a field, get so excited when
chased by a whooping gang of horsemen
that they run hither and you along the
fence, until at last they charge back
among the advancing butchers.
The line in this case was fortunately
not well managed, though the slaught¬
er was bad enough. The men iu line
were armei with repeating rifles. Be¬
fore more than half the ground was
covered two or three of the party be¬
came so excited over the appearance of
the game that they opened fire. Ante¬
lopes that were from 1200 to 1500 yards
away were shot at with the effect of alarm¬
ing them and causing many of them to
stampede back through the line before
it had closed in sufficiently to make the
slaughter complete.
A little later, when the game was
being driven toward a corner, a bunch
broke back through the line, and two
of the men got down off their horses
and shot three dead. It happened that
this killing was done in a hollow where
the rest of the men in line did not see
it. So the line kept advancing, and,
luckily for the antelope, a widening
gap was left in the centre of the line
where the two men had droopped out
to cut the throats of the game shot.
Through this gap more than a score of
the antelopes escaped.
Having finished with the three dead
antelopes the two men galloped on
after the line. When they overtook it
there were still nearly a hundred ante¬
lopes enclosed within it, and the long-
range shooting w r as still serving to save
the lives of some of the unfortunate
beasts.
Eventually, however, the men got so
close to the game that five antelopes
were killed from one bunch. When
these had been attended to the grand
final onslaught wa3 made. Curiously
enough it happened that the main body
charged on a man who had been reserv¬
ing his fire in order to make it deadly
at short range. His associates looked
on as the game approached him with
the liveliest anticipations of seeing a
great slaughter, but only to see him at
last working the pump handle of his
gun with 1 desperate but unavailing
energy, He went through all the
motions properly, * but no flash nor
smoke was seen nor was any report
heard. Again the pump w r ould be
worked, but with the same result.
When the game had all scattered and
other men in the line had killed three
head only, they gathered about the
luckless gunner. He declared that he
had somehow forgotten to charge his
magazine, and he was in a state of
great excitement over it until some of
the party went to the placa where he
had stood when trying to tire, There
they found a megtzineful of cartridges
lying on the ground. An examination
showed that the cartridges had been re -
loaded by the guuuer kimse.f, but be
had forgotten to remove the old caps
from the shells, and put on new one*
before reloading.
In all eleven antelopes were kil led in
the round up, and it is supposed a
dozen more were wounded, but escaped.
That was bad enough, though not so
bad as other round ups which were
probably held afterward were
likely to be. It seems particularly un-
fortunate that an animal like the ante¬
lope should be slaughtered in such
merciless fashion, ivhen it is remem¬
bered that save in Western Texas and
in two or three districts in the northern
part of the country the species is ex¬
tinct.— N. Y. Sun.
Both Had Traits.
“I have a friend here whom I want
to introduce you to,” he said, after they
had met and chatted a moment in the
Erie depot across the river.
“Oh, certainly.”
“I beg to state in advance, however,
that he has one curious trait of charac¬
ter which you may expect to see de¬
veloped.”
“All right. My friends contend
that I also have one.”
The two were intrdtluced, shook
hands, passed the usual talk, and after
four or five minutes No. 3 suddenly
queried:
“By the way, have you a pocket
knife?”
“Yes.”
“If you please.”
He pared his nails and talked for
three or four minutes longer, and then
put the knife in his pocket and excused
himself on the grounds that he must
look after his baggage.
“That’s his trait,” whispered the
man who had introduced him—“he’s
taken your knife away with him. Curi¬
ous, isn’t it ?”
“Not half so curious as my trait!”
exclaimed the other, and striding after
the man he seized him by the shoulder,
whirled him around iu a savage mauuer
and said:
“Either return that knife or I’ll lick
you out of your boots right here and
now!”
“Ah! Beg pardon!” and the knife
was handed out so quickly that it
seemed to be red hot.
An Obliging Spaniel.
Dogs are useful to mankind in many
ways, but it is doubtful if more than
one has ever been used as a hassock at
dinner time.
The dog in question is a very lat
cocker spaniel. Nearly every evening
in the week it follows two quietly
dressed women to a table d’hote restau¬
rant not far from Union Square. Intc
the dining room the canine struggles,
panting furiously, and as soon as a ta¬
ble has been selected, under it he
crawls and lies down. Generally he
rests his head on his forepaws and
blinks bis eyes until the last cup ol
coffee is drained.
As soon aS his mistresses arc seated
they place their feet on the spaniel’9
back, and thus they sit and eat and
chat. The dog doesn’t soem to mind
it at all. In fact, he acts very much as
if he liked serving as a hassock. He
eyes everybody who enters the restaur¬
ant, and when he sees a person who
doesn’t please his cultivated sense he
utters a low growl and sticks his head
further down between his paws. A
little dig in the ribs from one of the
small boots generally silences him.
When dinner is over this useful
spaniel waddles out from under the
table, treats himself to a shake, gives a
falsetto bark and goes his apopletic
way.
Abreviated States.
An ancient Miss. La. very Ill.; “I
can no more be Ga.,” she cried; “I’ll
go to Mass., if I get well, and to the
Lord my sins confide. * * Go and Col.
Pa.,” she whispered low to Del., a sis-
ter by her bed; “and brother Cal., tell
him to come—I’d see them all before
I’m dead. For O., I Wis., I’m grow-
ing worse, and soon Ore., Jordan’s
brink I’ll glide. The Ind., I know, is
near at hand; soon, soon I’ll be a heav¬
enly bride.” They gathered round the
sick maid’s bed, and sobbed aloud
with heartfelt grief. ‘‘Why, why
^ cfy {qt Mfif Y ou know j soou
wm find wlieL • So0n sister Ala> x wiU
see, and brother Kas., who’ve gone
before; and uncle Wash—” Here
death stenped in and took the maid to
t’other shore. Alas! but death Tex.
us all in; we can’t escape; his scythe
do j-i cki the poor, the lame
the halt; e’en kings must be by death
iaid low.
Spilled Milk.
A gentleman who chanced to meet .
A wee child crying in the street.
Paused in his course to ask it why
And what it was that made it cry.
“I lost my penny, sir,” it said.
“Here,” said the friend, “js one instead.”
But hardly had he turned to go
When tears again began to flow.
Returning to the child said he:
“Now, w r hv are all the tears I see'”
“I’d have two pennies now.” it wept,
“If I the other one had kept.”
How often with enough we’ve sighed
For something we have been denied.
Our natures are with longings filled
For cream that is forever spilled.
—Chicago Herald.
HUMOROUS.
The man who lacks nerve never I
ought to hesitate about going to the.
dentist’s.
The man who is willing to take I
things as they come finds usually that I
they never come.
Clergymen may not amount to much I
as carpenters, but they make the best
joiners in the world.
In these days of electricity death
isn’t obliged to visit a man; he can
notify him by*wire if he wants him.
A paper has been started at Mel-
bourne called the policeman. If it 1
doesn’t give club rate3 it may have to I
move on.
If the present prices for horses coa-1
tinue to prevail, even a man with al
nightmare may be able to get rid of it I
at a profit.
‘.‘Don’t you think that doctors are I
usually handsome men?” said one|
Washington girl to another, “Some of
hem are just killing.”
Many a man is supposed to be spoiled
by success, when he only had enough
merit to last him a season. You can’t
get water out of a dry well.
Mr. Figg—If you were out in a boat
with your wfife and your sister and the
boat should upset, which one would
you save? Mr. Hogg—Myself.
“Do you like your new mammY
Charlie?” was asked of a precocious)
youngster of six. t > No,” he said lofti.
ly; “Ido not care for ladies’ society."
Piercing the ears is said to quicken
the sight. Is this the reason that con¬
cert singers try to attract attention t<»
themselves by a shriek at the close oil
their performances?
Book Agent—But, sir, perhaps Ian®
annoying you and interrupting you®
business. His victim—Not at all sir®
you don’t disturb me in the least. 1'®
not listening to a word you say.
Division Superintendent—Didn’t
tell you to come ’ round here only one®
a week? Applicant — Yes, sir; bu
Saturday, when I called, it was thi® la®
week; and now, Monday, it is
week l
“Have you selected your bridesmai®
yet?” asked the happy mamma. “Yea®
replied the happy girl. “Susie Eldar.®
“But she’s so ugly!” “That’s why I
chose her, mamma, dear. I’m not pa:
ticularly handsome myself.”
“Oh, no, there isn’t any favorites?
this family!” soliloquized Johnny; “ol
no! I guess there ain't. If I bite .
finger nails I catch it over the knuckl
But the baby can eat his whole foo®
and they think it’s just cunning.”
There was a young lady called Kata
Who chattered at such great rate »
a
That the people they said,
“She will talk off her head;”
Oh! dear, what a terrible fate!
Saved by a Hog.
About four thousand anecdotes ha'
been published under the above htli
in which dogs have figured in preset
ing human life. We had a dog onl
noted for saving things, but thej
wasn’t a life among them, He k
the things he saved under the sum
kitchen, and his hiding place was!
discovered for a long time; not, inde
until it became necessary to tear up
kitchen floor to find a good place
deposit some chloride of lime durin
cholera season; then we found *
had been “saved by a dog.”
There were a couple of kitted
cat, two or three rats and a chicken,
very dead; a large assortment of bol ,
the remnants of an ottoman, for
theft of which the best, hired gir'l
ever had was discharged; a tomato
a couple of teaspoons, a torn voluffil
Hoyle’s games, an old hoopskir'J
canary bird, a nutmeg grater, a p!4
of paris pigeon and a cook bootj
is rarely that there is so much sav«
a dog, for they are generally imp?!
dent.