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STRANGE CHARACTER
HANDLES SLIMY SERPENTS
LIKE A CHILD WOULD TOYS.
He Is an Immune to Snake Venom—
I>r. Strudllng Lets His Reptiles llite
Him and Suffers No Harm—Not Af¬
fected by Poisons.
There are snake charmers and snake
charmers, all of them possessing their
own peculiar method of handling the
venomous reptiles to avoid the conse¬
quences that entail should an ordinary
person attempt to touch them, but the
most unique genius of his kind is Hr.
Arthur Stradling, who resides at Wat¬
ford, Middlesex, England, surrounded
by hundreds of living reptiles of all
kinds which he has collected. He does
not by any strange power tame the
striking propensities of the snakes,but
allows them to bite him at will, The
poisons, however, have no effect on
him, since, by a process of innocula
tion, he has rendered himself im
mune. This he accomplished by in
jecting various kinds of venom into his
blood, and when strdek by the fangs
of one of his favorites it has no effect
whatever upon him.
How a man could develop a taste for
snakes is difficult to understand. So
long as human nature retains its In¬
stinctive dislike to anything that
creeps or crawls, the practice of keep¬
ing snakes is not likely to extend far
beyond its present limits. Dr. Arthur
Stradling declares It to be, in his case,
hereditary. His father was fond of
snakes, and his son, 9 years of age, is
devoted to them and experiences abso¬
lutely no fear to their presence. How
far the child will develop his taste re¬
mains to be seen; of the father it
may be said that he has devoted his
leisure to the study of snakes. In
pursuit of his study, which he himself
calls “ophiomania,” he has visited
every snake-infested country of the
globe—an undertaking accomplished
by no other person, probably, with a
similar object. Having, in the trop¬
ics, lived in the constant and close
companionship with serpents, it is not
unnatural that, at Watford, he should
still be surrounded by them.
A man who handles twelve-fcot
pythons and boa constrictors with ab¬
solute impunity must have something
of the Hercules about him, we should
think. We would be surprised, there¬
fore, to find Dr. Stradling one of the
mildest of men, well fitted to soothe
the patient, but not to battle with ob
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DR. STRADLING AND A PET.
streperous serpents, as we, in our ig¬
norance, imagine them to be.
When the visitor has become thor¬
oughly convinced that the mild-man¬
nered man before him really is the
ruler of serpents, a second surprise
awaits him when he is led to see the
snakes. He, of course, has pictured a
semitropical hothouse, after the pat¬
tern of the snakehouse at the zoo. At
Watford he is led through the dispen¬
sary into a tiny closet in which there
is just room for him and the doctor
to turn about and pass one another.
Around the walls, on shelves, are ob¬
long boxes, with glass fronts, of vari¬
ous sizes, and in these are the snakes.
In vain does one look for the custom¬
ary blanket, and distantly the story of
the blanket-swallowing snakes comes
to mind. But the doctor explains that
he abhors both blankets and gravel.
His snakes are accommodated with
plenty of sheets of cork bark, beneath
which they can screen themselves from
observation. •
The lid of a box is opened, in goes
the doctor’s hand (he never wears
gloves or uses tongs) and comes out
again with the piece of bark. If you
wish to see a snake closely you have
but to say so, and it is produced and
handed round as, though it were a
bracelet in a jeweler’s shop. Snakes
have their temperaments, and an ex¬
ception is made in the case of a cou¬
ple of tree-boas, who live together in
a large box. The larger of the two
measures about twelve feet (it is very
difficult to ascertain the exact length
of a living snake), and is good tem¬
pered; but the lesser one bites on
small provocation, so we don’t meaale
with them.
ONE WISE EMPEROR.
Emperor Francis Joseph, upon the
occasion of his jubilee, the 50th anni¬
versary of his accession to the throne,
has granted full amnesty to all lese
majeste prisoners, and has remitted
the remainder of the sentences of 540
other prisoners.
The Emperor Francis Joseph was
born on Aug. 18, 1830, the eldest son
of the Archduke Francis. He was
taught to speak all the languages of
his heterogeneous dominions, and only
a year before the Hungarian revolu¬
tion addressed the Magyar nobles at
Pesth in their own language, a circum¬
stance which secured him a certain
transient authority. In 1848 he served
under Radetzky in the Italian wars.
The old Emperor Ferdinand having,
in the hour of his extremity, made
certain constitutional proniises to the
nation, the archduchess, who during
the whole year had directed the
schemes of the anti-revolutionary
party, resolved that the fulfilment of
these promises should be evaded by a
change of sovereign. Ferdinand ac¬
cordingly abdicated in favor of his
nephew on Dec. 2, 1848, and Francis
Joseph assumed the government as
emperor of Austria and king of Hun¬
gary and Bohemia. Hungary, how¬
ever, which had lost all faith in the
house of Hapsburg, rose in arms and
refused to accede to the change of suc¬
cession, and Italy again tried the for¬
tune of war. Austria triumphed in
Italy, and also in Hungary, through
the alleged treachery of Gorgei and
the help of Russia. Francis now de¬
voted himself with persistency to the
re-establishment of “order,” which in
this case he construed, of course, as
despotism. He dissolved the national
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IS
EMPEROR FRANCIS JOSEPH,
guard and took away the freedom of
the press, and later abolished the con¬
stitution of his uncle. In 1853 he near¬
ly lost his life by assassination, and
in the Crimean war forfeited the re¬
spect of all the belligerents by his in¬
decisive attitude. Meanwhile the dis¬
satisfaction of Lombardy, Venice and
Hungary hourly increased. Sardinia
encouraged the national feeling in
Italy, and at last, in 1859, Francis hur¬
ried thoughtlessly into a war with
that kingdom, which ended in the ces¬
sion of Lombardy. The war with Den¬
mark, in which Austria and Prussia
were united, and the subsequent war
with Prussia, which resulted in the ex¬
clusion of Austria from Germany, are
too recent to need more than mention.
Since the war with Prussia, Emperor
Francis Joseph has had two chief im¬
portant interests to consider. The
government had to attempt an ar¬
rangement of the conflicting claims and
rights of the peoples constituting the
empire, and in the second place he
has had to establish working relations
with the great neighboring powers,
and especially with Germany and Rus¬
sia. The changed conditions necessi¬
tated a change of policy, and Francis
was obliged to show' a new side to his
character. Education and surround¬
ings had made him a bigot and an au¬
tocrat; he was now forced to see that
the true policy of the empire could no
longer consist in repressing national
claims and constitutional freedom.
Constitutionalism has taken the place
of autocracy and the “principle of na
tionality” is partly admitted. Her old
rights of self-government were restor¬
ed to Hungary, and the Austrian em¬
pire converted into the dual monarchy.
The great sacrifice once made, other
reforms came more easily. Austria
has grown toward liberalism since I860
with marked rapidity. The serf is no
longer subject to the lord, and the lord
no longer exempt from taxation and
military service. Freedom of speech
ar.d pen and public meeting is now the
possession of every Austrian, The
guilds that oppressed and restricted
commerce have been removed. Trial
by jury has become the law of the
land. The suffrage is all but universal,
though the system of “representation
by the classes” really keeps the power
in the hands of the nobility, landed
gentry and merchants.
IDEAL STATUE OF CHRIST.
Prof. Fritz Schaper, the noted Ber¬
lin sculptor, has surpassed all his
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SCHAPER'S LATEST WORK.
previous work by the creation of an
ideal statue of the Christ for the new
dome of the German capitol. It will
be placed over the center gate of the
new edifice. There is an expression of
life not only in the figure, but even
in the garb of the Savior, contrasting
splendidly with the seT»rely plain
lines of the surrounding architecture.
LATE NEWS OF GORDON
STORY OF CUZZI, THE GEN¬
ERAL’S FRIEND.
Captured by Dervishes and Held Prisoner
for Sixteen Years—Finally Delivers
His Dispatches—His Narrative Reads
Like a Romance.
From Giuseppe Cuzzi, one of the 130
prisoners of the Khalifa who were set
free by Gen. Kitchener after his en¬
trance into Omdurman, the English
authorities have obtained interesting
information as to the last days of Gen.
Gordon, which, however, had not at
last accounts been made public. Im¬
mediately after the fall of Omdurman
Cuzzi was taken to Cairo, where he
was joyfully received by th- English,
and Italian residents. When liberat¬
ed he had in his possession important
letters and telegrams from Gen. Gor¬
don and Col. Stewart, which had been
hidden during his long captivity. Cuz¬
zi is 55 years old and a native of Bri
anza, Italy. He is a veteran of the
Garibaldi campaign and fought with
the famous patriot leader at Dijon. He
also had part in the war in Herzego¬
vina a quarter of a century ago, serv¬
ing on the staff of the Prince of Mon¬
tenegro. Later he traveled in Amer¬
ica, and after his return to Italy went
to the Soudan as resident manager for
a Milanese commercial society.
While in Berba he met Gen. Gordon,
who formed so favorable an opinion of
him that he made him his personal
representative there and also secured
for him the appointment of consular
agent for her British majesty. After
the fall of Berba Cuzzi was taken pris¬
oner by the Khalifa and transported
to Omdurman. He was thrust into a
vile dungeon, and for a time was sub¬
jected to the most cruel torture. One
morning, to his great horror, a com-
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pany of dervish soldiers appeared at
the dungeon and ordered him to go
with them to the palace. Cuzzi was
seized with fear and trembling, believ¬
ing that he was to be put to death. But
instead the Kalifa, before whom he
was taken, received him kindly, and,
after questioning him closely, inform¬
ed him that he had been created Mu
heddin of the mosque of Omdurman.
He was commanded to abjure the Cath¬
olic religion and accept the Mohamme¬
dan, which he did without a murmur.
Cuzzi describes his life at the mosque
as lonely and monotonous, most of his
time being spent in prayer. He was
not permitted to converse with those
around him, and during all the years
of his service as muheddin not a word
escaped his lips except at rare inter¬
vals in response to the commands or
inquiries of some superior. Upon state
occasions Cuzzi was summoned to the
palace, where, with Slatin Pasha, he
acted as guard at the door of the Khal¬
ifa’s apartments. When engaged in
this service discipline was somewhat
relaxed. The Khalifa seemed to be
proud of his white servant and showed
him attentions which created jealousy
on the part of his Dervish attendants.
But, although this occasional absence
from the mosque served to relieve
somewhat the strain upon his mind
and body, Cuzzi declares that he never
for a moment knew what happiness
was or felt his life secure.
“In all the sixteen years of my cap¬
tivity,” he said to the Sirdar, “there
was never a day in which I had food
enough to satisfy the gnawings of hun¬
ger, and what little dura I managed to
get in addition to the meager rations
served to me as food I had to beg.
Opportunity to solicit alms was given
me at certain times, usually during
some religious celebration, which may
nave lasted several days, or upon the
anniversary of the Khalifa’s birth.
Then 1 was allowed the freedom of the
town and the special honor of being
permitted to beg for food was con¬
ferred upon me. Many times the Der¬
vishes threatened to kill me, and
would have done so but for a little
chaplet worn around my neck and
which had been presented to me by
the Mahdi. Seeing that sacred treas¬
ure the Dervishes would invariably
cease cursing me and, falling upon
their knees, would venerate me as a
sheik.”
In Omdurman, in friendly hands,
Cuzzi has left a little daughter of four
years—the apple of his eye. The
child is white, although its mother was
colored. English officers who have
seen the tot report that she is re
markabjy pretty and likely to develop
into a strikingly beautiful woman Of
the Italian type.
Speaking of h;3 daughter, Cuzzi re¬
lated an incident which shows that,
barbarian though he be, the Khalifa
is not wholly devoid of gentle senti¬
ments. When the child was born to
Cuzzi the Khalifa was acqua’nted with
his good fortune and granted him an
audience. “Your highness,” said Cuz¬
zi, “what name shall I give my daugh¬
ter?” Without a moment’s hesitation
the Khalifa asked: “What was your
mother’s namo?” * “Maria,” replied
Cuzzi. “Well,” .said, the Khalifa, “so
‘let it he with the little girl. Give her
your mother’s name.”
And this was done. Cuzzi will soon
return to Omdurman, and from there
proceed to his old home in Italy, ac¬
companied by his daughter.
GOING IT FOR POULTRY.
Owing to her extreme youth at the
time of her marriage the countess of
Craven was expected to have a
troubled life in England. Miss Brad¬
ley Martin, it will .he remembered,
was barely 17 when she married the
earl of Craven in New York. Accord¬
ing to all accounts the gloomy pre¬
dictions have not been fulfilled. Lady
Craven has grown in graces since being
transplanted from her native land, and
is now even more comely than she
was in her maiden days. Her some¬
what unique fad is poultry raising, in
which she has been remarkably suc¬
cessful. A writer in a London society
journal has this to say on the subject;
“Such a multiplicity of varieties and
colors as one finds in the countess of
Craven’s flock at Coombe abbey is ab¬
solutely beyond description. In fancy
waterfowl her ladyship is especially
rich, and her pride in the various
treasures that inhabit her charming
Warwickshire home is justifiable.
What ornamental duck breeder does
not fear competition with Lady Crav¬
en’s multicolored Mandarins, Caro
linas and Bahamas? And what visitor
to the dairy or Crystal Palace show
has not been struck with the beauty
of those birds, whose dazzling bril¬
liancy stamps them as the most ele¬
gant of the web-footed tribe? Like¬
wise in the ornamental geese classes
her ladyship’s name is found at the
principal shows, represented by her
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LADY CRAVEN.
wonderful Gray Ceriopsis, white-feath¬
ered Sebastopol, or beautiful barred
Magellanic, But one circumstance
above all others has established Lady
Craven’s name in the poultry fancy,
for in her we have the pioneer ex¬
hibitor of the handsome buff-laden
Wyandotte, an American variety, that
has so leaped into public favor during
the twelve months of Its existence as
to have establisned itself as a favor¬
ite forthwith. Her ladyship is an ar¬
dent fancier and is strong in the belief
that the feathered tribe tends not a
little to enhance the picturesque
beauty of country life.
Truly Great.
“Is there anything grander “Well,*’ than
man you can trust?” “Yes.”
what is it?” “Why a man that doesn’t
ask you to trust him. ”
■Ag«d Woman Rides a Bicycle.
Probably the oldest living bicyclist is a
woman in County Essex, England, aged 03,
ness i! nstonismnc. U ' MosTpc^'i^coum enjoy
health until very old age if they of took proper diges¬
precautions to prevent diseases the
tive organs by taking an occasional dose of
Hostettor’s Stomach Bitters. Even after dys¬
pepsia, indigestion, biliousness and constipa¬
tion have secured a foothold and be< ome
'chronic, the Blttors will afford speedy relief.
Out of 297.000 people of Bordeaux, France,
18,804 are assisted by charitable societies.
" Better Be Wise
Than Rich.
Wise people are also rich
when they know a perfect
remedy for all annoying dis¬
eases of the blood, kidneys,
liver and bowels. It is
Hood's Sarsaparilla, which
is perfect in its action. It
so regulates the entire sys¬
tem as to bring vigorous
health. It never disappoints.
Goitre- “For 42 years I had goitre, or
swellings on my neck, which was dis¬
couraging and troublesome. Rheumatism
also annoyed me. Hood’s Sarsaparilla
cured me completely and the swelling has
entirely disappeard. A lady in Michigan
saw my previous testimonial and used
Hood's and was entirely cured of the same
trouble. Sbe thanked me for recommend¬
ing it.” Mbs. Anna Sutherland, 406 Love!
Street, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Poor Health - “ Had poor health for
years, pains in shoulders, back and hips,
with constant headache, nervousness and
no appetite. Used Hood’s Sarsaparilla,
gained strength and can work hard all day;
eat heartily and sleep well. I took it be¬
cause it helped my husband.” Mrs.
Elizabeth J. Giffels, Moose Lake, Minn.
Makes Weak Strong- “I would give
$5 a bottle for Hood's Sarsaparilla if I
could not get it for less. It is the best
spring medicine. It makes the weak strong.”
Albf.rt A. Jagnow, Douglastown, N. Y.
Ifocd'A St
•JfJTpi
Hood’g Pills enre liver ills; non-Irritating aft rt
the only cathartic to take with Hood's Sarsaparilla.
A Cruel Bicycle invention.
An ingenious French gentleman has
Invented an effective, if not altogether
humane, device whereby to foil the
malign purpose of the bicycle thief.
He had a sharp steel spike, seme three
inches long, fitted in the centre of the
saddle of his machine and provided
with a spring joint occasion, so that while it could it illy |>e
raised erect on
flat in a groove until required for use.
Thus equipped, the cyclist rode up/tb
his favorite cafe in Paris, leaving his
vehicle outside after duly fixing Ills!
insidious bayonet. A few minutes lit¬
er one of the maruders now so com¬
mon In. Paris came along, saw his
chance, wheeled the bike into the
die of the road, and hoped in the
twinkling of an eye to distance all
pursuit. Scarcely had he started be¬
fore agonizing shrieks summoned, a
crowd to the spot, and the impaled vic¬
tim was picked up, bathed in blood
and unconscious, for conveyance to
the nearest hospital. The inventor is
so delighted with the success of his
experiment that he has applied for a
patent.
T HE ills of women conspire against domestic harmony.
Some derangement of the generative organs is
the main cause of most of the unhappiness in the
household.
The husband can’t understand these troubles. The male
physi fcian only knows of them theoreti¬
WOMAN'S cally and scientifically, and finds it hard
'to cu 'e them.
PECULIAR But there is cure for them, certain,
practical and tetejji
ILLS sympathetic. |ff|$ pji
Mrs. Pinkham \P>'
has been curing m j
these serious ills of women for a
quarter of a century. Failure to :
secure proper advice should not ST
excuse the women of to-day, for
the wisest counsel can be had ass mi
without charge. Write to Mrs. j
Pinkham for it. Her address — i 3bNV
is Lynn, Mass. S_ V/lfM fe
Among the multitude of wo- ^ \ m
men helped by Mrs. Pinkham \ r,
and by Lydia E. Pinkham’s i m
Vegetable King, Sabina, Compound, Ohio. She is Mrs. writes: Joseph M
“ D^ar Mrs. Pinkham— Will you
kindly allow me (he pleasure of ex¬
pressing my gratitude for the wonder¬
ful relief I have experienced by taking
Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Com¬
pound. I suffered for a long time
with falling of the womb, and those
terrible bearing-down pains, and it
seemed as though my back would never
stop aching; also had leucorrhoea, dull
headaches, could not sleefp, Vas weak
and life was a burden to me. I doctored
for several years, but it did no good.
My husband wanted me ;to try your
medicine, and I am so thankful that I
did. I have taken four bbttles of the
Compound and a box of Liver Pills, and
can state that if more ladies would only give your medicine a
fair trial they would bless the day they saw your advertise¬
ment. My heart is full of gratitude to Mrs. Pinkham for what
her medicine has done for ire. It is worth its weight in gold."
Mightily Mixed.
Things are getting mightily mixed
up iu Michigan. Here are the npmes
of four members of the legislature of
that state: Fleischauer, Neidermferer,
Oberdorfierer and and Stumpenhauser.
Don’t you know the clerk dreads a roll
call?—Exchauge.
MILES QP STAMPS,
Some Idea ot tbe Millions That Were Issued
Last Year.
Uncle Sam printed just a few post¬
age stamps during the year 1808. The
number of 2-cent stamps issued dur¬
ing tbe year was 2,500,000,000. Such
a number, obviously, is beyond the
grasp of the human mind, but perhaps
the matter may be made more clear by
putting it otherwise.
An ordinary 2-cent stamp is exactly
one Inch long. From this fact, by a
little calculation, it Is easy to discover
that the number of stamps of this de¬
nomination issued In 1S98, placed end
to end, would extend a distance coif
j siderably exceeding 89,000 miles. In
other words they would make a con
I tinuous strip of stamps, each one
adorned with the head of the father of
his country, stretching in a belt more
than once and a half around the
equator.
Of course, though the 2-cent stamp#
are those principally used, there are
others. Enough 1-cent postage stamps
have been issued to stretch from New
York city, by way of Europe and Asia,
to Bombay, India, if similarly arrang¬
ed in one strip. All other stamps, as
to production and sales, a,re of minor
importance, comparatively speaking,
but it is interesting to know that al¬
most exactly one mile of $1 stamp#
were manufactured for the demand ot
1898. Of $5 stamps the production
was equivalent to a little more than
half a furlong, or about one-fifteenth
of a mile.
Now, If all the postage stamps print¬
ed by the United States government
were placed one top another, as neatly
as might be without putting them
under pressure, how high do you sup¬
pose the pile would be? TheTe is no
use guessing; you would never get it
nearly right, unless you went to work
to calculate for yourself. Tbe 8,500,
000,000 stamps of all denominations
printed during the current year—tbe
statement, of course, is approximate—
would tower to an elevation of twenty
one miles. This is more than three
times the height of the highest moun¬
tain in the world—Mt. Everet, in the
Himalayas. If the same number of
stamps was piled up in the form of
the ordinary sheets of 100 hundred
each it follows that the stack would
be over a fifth of a mile high.
During the year 1S98 the number of
special delivery stamps sold was about
5,250,000. It is only reasonable to
suppose that the average journey of
the special delivery messenger is half
a mile. Indeed, that is an absurd un
derestimate; but let it go at that On
this assumption the total distance
traveled for special delivery In 1898
was about 2,625,000 miles. That is a
very considerable space to traverse, as
may foe realized when It is considered
that a messenger boy, in order to ac¬
complish that total distance, would
have to go about 1,100 times around
the world, or five times to the moon
and back.
It appears, from figures furnished
by the Post Office Department, that
the average person in Massachusetts,
including men, women and children,
spends $2.30 on postage per annum:
New York comes second with an ex¬
penditure of $2.27. The District of
Columbia third, with $2.16. Colorado
is fourth with $1.93, and Connecticut
Is fifth with $1.80. The states rank¬
ing lowest in this regard are Soutli
Carolina, with 25 cents per capita;
Mississippi, with 34 cents; Alabama,
with 35 cents; Arkansas, with 37 cent#
and North Carolina, with 41 cents.
Assurance.
“Don’t you want to be the George
Washington of the Philippines?” ask¬
ed one of the insurgents. “Not at
all,” was the calm and haughty reply;
“but I shall have no objection if Some
future historian turns his dates around
and alludes to George Washington as
the Aguinaldo of Americ#.”
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