A MISSISSIPPI SlfAXE-OEABMEE.
A. Dl3frustlnK Exhibition that Had a
Had .Effect on an Indiana Gen
tleman.
"You'll breed the chills ! Come along
jvith me ! "
Tite remark , writes a Brinkley , Ark. ,
: orrespondent of The Atlanta Constitu
tion , needed no peremptory tone to en
force obedience. To one who has seen
i real live , genuine Arkansas chill in
operation the suggestion alone is suffi.-
jicnt. So down came a pair of feet
! rom their elevated place above the
iead of the owner , the pipe waspock -
Jted , and the morning sun-bath on the
piazza was abandoned. Pleasant as
Jhey are sun-baths in this state breed
ihills , and once bred heaven guard the
possessor ! Much might be said of
ihem. They stand without a rival ; long
igo they reached the acme of chilliness.
The bottom lands of other sections may
lo their best , may toil and strive and
rack their victims , as the } ' will , but
fc\ .vhen it comes right down to shaking
narrow out of bones , loosening teeth
md nail , and then calmly introducing
i fcver beside which the interior of a
: okc oven seems Siberia why , then ,
Arkansas chills have a walk-over for
; he Derby. No sun-baths here.
"Let us go and see the snake-
iharmer , " said the native. "Arkansas
produces the snakes , Mississippi the
ncjn-6. "
No need to question the first state-
aient. If there is any species of snake
aot common in Arkansas he is yet lo be
aeard from. They are everywhere , of
ill kinds and sizes , of all degrees of
renom. In the bayous they may be
seen anywhere by hundreds and thou-
jands. On the prairies they huk un-
ler every shrub and bush. In the for-
jsts they arc numberless. Not a mile
from here , in a little pony bayou , may
oe seen enough snakes any day to stock
ill the museums of the country , with a
few carloads over for export. " It's not
ipnsidered much of a place for snakes ,
fither , but a fairly good fishing ground ,
jvhere catfish reach a five-pound notch ,
md game fish are occasionally taken.
IVhen the long-legged native , however ,
spoke of a colored snake-charmer , this
svas something worth looking into.
Not having any acquaintance with the
blacks of Mississippi I could not ques
tion his word , but that any negro would
handle .a snake seemed incredible. Ar
kansas blacks wilt kill them if their
poles are long enough. But to touch
one never. To produce a dramatic
effect in a crowd of blacks , young or
old , male or female , introduce ever so
small a snake unexpectedly. There
will be one wild whoop , eyes will bulge
Dtt in terror , jaws will fall like a trap
do-si- , there"will be a vision of vanishing
Qii'j ! legs and more than female ankles
then the experimenter is sadlv alone.
Ail this asve stroll up to investigate
thu "Mississippi charmer. " The won
der proved a reality. He was leaning
against the lee of a drug store , sur
rounded by a circle of the curious , both
black aud white. He was nearly full-
blooded , tall and angular. His jeans
were worn and decidedly dirty. On
his head wis a torn and much-faded
felt hat. relic of the storms and sun
shine of many seasons. His movements
were awkward , and altogether he
would be thought the last individual
on earth to rival the fabulous snake-
chamcrs of the east. Yet , standing
there in the sunshine , he gave such an
exhibition as sent cold chills to the
heart of all the spectators. To a white
man not having an inborn horror of
snakes if there be such a one his fi
nal act was sufficient to make the flesh
cre'jp. Evidently he was no Arkansas
native. Those who were about him
preserved a respectful distance.
Stooping over a small box on the
ground at his side , the disreputable-
looking charmer ra'sjd the Ld and ex
posed his collection. There were three
blacksuakes of the species found in
Pennsylvania , each some three feet in
length ; one kingsnake , a mottled-green
serpent nearly as large , and a snake
known here as the water-rattlesnake , of
dark-brown color and perhaps eighteen
inches in length. This snake is said by
the blacks to be very poisonous. How
ever that may be , it was enough for all
purposes. When the lid was raised
there were exposed no stupid , half-
awake , inert serpents. 1'ivc heads shot
into view , five forked tongues darted
out , and there Avas a falling back of the
crowd. Slowly one of tho blacksnakes
raised himself out of the box and glid
ed gracefully away on the ground.
"Heah 3'oT' spoke the charmer.
"War you goin' ? Yo' done git back
yer to dis chile.- '
At this word the snake stopped ,
wheeled around , approached his cap
tor , and coiled up his leg and about his
body. The other snakes , excepting the
smallest , came one of the box at the
word and followed the first All over
his body they went , their eyes flashing ,
their to'ngues darting back and forth
continuously. They twined about his
neck , rested on his shoulders , hung
about his arms , and but for erect heads
and constantly playing tongues seemed
perfectly at home. One by one they
would be put on the ground and start
away only to stop at the word. Hung
over the box they would maintain one
position until told to move. They
seemed under perfect control , and for
nearly half an hour entertained and
horrified the rapidly growing circle of
spectators. Then the Mississippian
put away the big fellows and took out
the watdr snakeIt was his final act.
There were no words of introduction ,
no mumbling invocations or notices
that at the conclusion of the entertain
ment the hat would be passed. He
talked to the snakes as he might to
children , petting and abusing.
The new snake was a decidedly lively
one. a foot and a half long , as said , and
of good thickness. It was as wide
awofce as aii3 of its predecessors
more vicious in appearance , if anything.
It did all that they did , then coiled on
the fellow's shoulder. He took it in
his hands and great Scott ! deliber
ately crowded it into his mouth. It
was a capacious mouth. By the side of
' would be
it even BillvKersand's pride
thrown into shadow. The lips closed ,
andthe ungainly black apparently
masticated the serpent , while the
crowd stood awed by disgust aud hor-
I
ror. Slowly his lips opened , as when
one slowly exhales the smoko of a
choice cigar. Quick as a Hash the
snake's hem ! shot out , its tongue a
darting flame , its eyes gleaming wick
edly. It grahiillypuslied : its body in
to sight , aliped down on the black's
shoulder , and coiled as if to strike ;
then , at the word , returned to the box.
The effect of such an unnatural exhibi
tion was startling in the extreme re
volting beyond description.
"I solemnly swear , " said an Indiana
gentleman , as ho turned away , "if I
had a guii I'd shoot that negro in a
second. "
"It takes a Mississippi negro to do
the like of that , " calmly observed the
native , as he shied a dime into the
battered hat uow in active circulation.
< 4Fo' God , " exclaimed the charmer
when a question was raised as to the
venomous character of the last snake.
"Yo' go fetch yo' dawg , yo'uns. I let
um bite , an' ef dat yer dawg ben't
plumb stun ded in a hour , I gives yo'
dis yer box o' sarpents , I does. "
As to the secret of training the
snakes and well-trained they were
the Mississippian was obstinately dumb.
And no dog being brought he went his
way. As to the man , I have hopes as
to the future. If dime museums con
tinue to educate the public in the way
of freaks and monstrosities , he may yet
blossom out in a spike-tail coat , But
the water rattlesnake will continue to
have the sympathy of some for being
compelled to keep such company.
JIumaii Nature.
This is an abbreviation for "the
human in nature. " It was a glad day
for this eartb when that good time
alluded to in hoty writ as the creation
of man made its advent ; or , as the
French admirers would say , when man
made his "debut. " Previous to that
event there had been no human in na
ture to admire the girls' new spring
bonnets.
Human nature is a very necessary ele
ment in the man , and it's pretty
dillicult deciding as to the difference
between the man who lacks human na
ture and the animals that lack it. we
are not going to try to define the term
do not know , indeed , as it ever was
defined. There are certain characteris
tics of man's nature which we term
human from this the word humane is
derived. The man was human before
he was humane.
Humanity has certain attributes not
belonging to the lower animals , as
voice. The human voice is capable of
a great range of expression , and of cul
tivation to a greater degree than any
other animal.
The human shape is also a character
istic of no inconsiderable advantage
over the lower animals.
Human knowledge the power to
learn and accumulate knowledge.
Then above all comes the human
life all and each are in excess of mere
animal powers. But underlying all
these is our inherent modifying
influence "the human in nature. "
Human nature has come to have an
accepted or general meaning equiva
lent to "the natural to all men , " as
fear of the supernatural , a love of social
intercourse , and to which we fear we
must add the love of dominion , pomp ,
power , contest , and victorThese
ai'e inherent in man , and constitute his
human nature as generally understood.
From these come his love of games ,
racing , contests of strength , skill ,
speed , endurance , chance , etc. There
is notlrng essentially divine about
man's human nature , and yet we never
saw a man so divine as to lose all inter
est in all the abooe humanities.
We shall make no farther effort to
trace the human nature in man , onlv
closing with the remark that when a
man gets so low in the practice of
animal habits as to be the mere slave
of appetite or passion , he can no longer
lay a claim to possessing the elevating ,
manlike characteristics which we deem
the human in nature Man can be
come a mere animal a brute. Chicago
Ledger.
To Ride Cow-Boy Fashion.
The English style of riding a horse ,
which I notice is much in vogue here ,
is very showy , but it will not do for
long distances. It is too hard on man
and beast. Let any one try to ride a
horse fifty miles at anything like a
pace in this manner and both he and
his animal will be used up at the end of
the journey. It is a constant pound ,
pound , pound on the saddle , and the
percussion is too much for a horse or a
man to stand. The Earl of Dunravon
and numbeKs of other not < ! d English
men who hunted with me on the plains
rode that way at first ; but they soon
saw , he said , "what bad form it was , "
and learned to ride cow-boy fashion
greatly to their own comfort and that
of their steeds. "We are all wrong in
our ideas of riding , " said the earl ,
when he had mastered the American
style. I feel sure that after the Wild
West has been in England three mouths
you will see a revolution in the manner
of riding over there. How do we get
such perfect seats ? By gripping our
horses with our knees ami legs , sitting
low and accomodating ourselves to
every motion of the animal. It be
comes second nature after awhile. I
can tell every move that a horse intends
making after I have been on his back
five minutes. If you want to see how
the art of perfect riding is acquired ,
watch our little Indian boys playing on
the burros and ponies. The instant
they get near them they mount them.
When they are barebacked they have no
way of holding themselves on except
by gripping with the knees. Their legs
are not long enough to catch under the
round of the animal's barrel and yet a
6-year old youngster will stick on like
wax. Philadelphia News.
Political Economy.
"My dear , " said an anxious wife to
her husband , who is running for office ,
"we must economize in every possible
way. " " 1 do economize , " he replied.
"Yes , " she said , bitterly , "you spend
ten or fifteen dollars a day in treat
ing a lot of bar-room loafers to
beer and whisky just to get them tc
vote for you. Do you call that econ- '
omy ? " "Certainly ; that's political
eco'nomy. ' ' Lije.
AMERICA'S FIRST LOCOMOTIVE
Tl > o Trial Trip of the Stourbrldse
X-loii at Iloiicsdalc , Aucr. S , 829.
Guide-books , as a rule , possess no in
terest that is at all dependent on any
inherent value in the facts that are pre
sented in them says The New York Sun ,
but Mr. J. W. Burdict , the general
passenger agent of the Delaware and
Hudson Canal company's railroad , in a
little pamphlet just issued , has been at
some pains to present what he deems
trustworthy facts about the first loco
motive that ever ran upon an American
railroad. According to him , the first
of these engines was the Stourbridgo
Lion , so called because it bore a lion's
head on the front of its boiler and was
made by Foster , Boswick & Co. in
Stout-bridge , England , Horatio Allen , a
young civil engineer , had been sent to
"
England b } ' the"canal company to buy
strap-iron for the rails , chains for the
inclined planes , and three locomotives
for the levels of the projected railroad.
He returned in 1828 and the first of the
locomotives reached New York in Mav ,
1829. It was set up at the West Point
foundry at the foot of Beach street , in
this city , and in the summer was ship-
oil by boat to Honesdalo , where it waa
put upon the iron-strapped wooden
mils of the new road. Jt was of the
pattern afterward known by the name
of "grasshoppers , " because of the
walking-beams that elbowed up and
down over the boiler , like the leg
joints of those insects. It weighed
seven tons , or less than one of our ele
vated railroad locomotives , but it had
no such pulling power as they possess.
It was big and clumsy , with four
wooden whuols. spoked and with iron
tires. It had no cab , and the cylinders
were upright. The first trip was made
on Aug. 8 , 1829 , in the presence of a
crowd collected from forty miles
around.
An old Queen Anne cannon w.is
brought up from New York to add its
voice to those of the people. Predic
tions of failure were not wanting ; tho
breaking down of the track , which was
built largely on trestles or piles , was
especially apprehended , and there was
little inclination on the part of tliosa
present to trust themselves on the new
vehicle. Mr. Allen , declaring that if
thero was any danger he was ready to
meet it , look his position on the loco
motive , and , after running slowly back
'
ward and forward a few'times before
the assembled multitude , pulled the
throttle valve open , and , shouting r.
loud good-by to tho crowd , dashiul
swiftly ' away around the dangerous
curve and over the swaying trestle , pet
'
ting in motion the first'locomotive thit
ever turned a wheel in the western
hemisphere. The track was of strap-
iron , spiked next the inner edge to
large hemlock sleepers J.iid on cross
ties. At the. time of the trial trip tho
timbers and ties , though .securely con
nected , had been warned , and in some
places raised froro life ground , by ex
posure to the sun. The road crossed
the Lackawaxen river over a frail hem
lock trestle one hundred feet in height ,
and as the locomotive was found to
weigh seven tons instead of four , as the
contract had stipulated , it was feared
by everybody that the trestle would not
bear its weigh ! .
As the Lion passed over the road the
weight pressed everything underneath
firmly down to its place on the road
bed , with no little creaking and groan
ing. The locomotive proved to be all
that the engineer had expected. After
running at a fair rate of speed as far as
Seelyvillo , the Lion was reversed , and
returned to the dock at Honesdalc
amid the shouts of the people and the
booming of the cannon , having met.
with no accident and encountered no
difficulty. The trial trip was thus com
pleted , and the locomotive was pro
nounced a success. Mr. Allen remain
ed in Iloiicsdalc three weeks after this
experimental trip , during which time
lie made some improvements in the
locomotive. After iiis departure , how
ever , the company not being rich
enough to purchase iron rails , and the
wooden ones proving too frail for the
engine , it was housed in a shanty on
the canal dock , where it lay for years ,
a prey to rust and decay. The boiler
was afterward used in a foundry at
Carbondale ; the pump was used for
several years by an employe of the com
pany , and the rest of tho old hulk was
partly hacked to pieces by relic hunters
and partly sold for old iron.
On October 6 , 1829 , less than two
months after the historic ride in the
Stourbridge Lion , the famous competi
tive test of locomotives at Liverpool
took place. The result of this was the
firm establishment of the steam rail
road at the head of all methods of
iand transportation. Thero were four
engines in competition , and Stephen-
son's Rocket won the prize. Eleven
months after this the Liverpool and
Manchester railroad was established ,
md the Racket ran thirty-seven miles
an hour. Then there were only twen
ty-three miles of railroads in this coun
try , and now the number of miles of
track exceeds 100,000.
A Strawberry Racket.
"My dear wife , " he said as he came
ind found her crying , while three
quarts of strawberries reposed in a pan
on the table , "I need not ask the cause
of your sorrow. I know it. About an
liour ago a huckster came along here
shouting-
" 'Strawberries ! Strawberries ! Eight
cents a quart or three quarts for twen-
to-live cents ! ' "
"It was a glorious opportunity , as
you thought , to save a cent , and you
rushed out and took three quarts. You
liad scarcely entered the house when
you heard something drop. You stood
for a moment like one paralyzed. Then
you flung yourself down into that chair
and began to kick and squall , and the
iron still burns your soul. However ,
my dear , brace up and let it go. You
have bought dozens of quarts of straw
berries this year , and on each occasion
the man has measured his big thumb
with the berries and beaten you out of
a cent and a half. He is bound to get
ahead of you in some way , anrt tears
are of no avail. Rather set to work and
plug up the hole in a quarter and pass
it off on him some cloudy day. " De
troit Free Press.
HERE AND THERE.
Rose hedges are now the popular idea
in California.
White-headed robins are reported in
Massachusetts.
Tickling the nose is said to be a good
cure for hiccough.
The Bartholdi statue of liberty will
be unveiled on Sept. 3.
A new postollice in New Jersey has
been christened Gladstone.
Strawberries at New Westminster ,
B. C. , sell at 50 cents a quart.
There are about seventy-five consul
ates still held by republicans.
The bay-window is gradually going
out of public favor in New York.
The government is paying $113,401
every year for rents in Washington.
The highest mountain peaks in the
United States are situated in Alaska.
The water in Lake Huron has risen
eighteen inches during the past year.
A large number of Americans are
making a pilgrimage to Egypt this
year.
Forest fires are causing a great deal
of damage in the vicinity of Sandwich ,
Mass.
The Chinese of Portland , Oregon ,
have organized a committee of hun
dreds.
The divers obtain about fifty pack
ages a day from the sunken steamer
Oregon.
There are over eight hundred regis
tered cattle brands in the territory of
Montana.
Nine of the ten congressmen who wil !
not be candidates for re-election are
democrats.
Catamounts are ranging over Waldo
county , Maine , and terrifying the in
habitants.
A oJ-pound. sunflower , measuring
thirteen inches in diameter , is a Florid : !
production.
Near Cannelton , Pa. , the ground
heaves and pulsates just like tho
human breast.
A couple of Philadelphia boys are
serving out a two-years' sentence for
stealing 50 cents.
An interifationsal congress of short
hand writers will probably be held in
the autumn of 1887.
The Scientific American suggests the
juice of the hulls of green waldtits as a
good dye for the hair.
In the state library at Boston , which
contains sixty thousand volumes , there
is not a single novel.
A Boston gentleman has become in
sane from the effects of stm.yiug Edwin
Arnold's "Light of Asia. "
Evening high schools are now pro
vided forcities of 50,000 or more inhab
itants in Massachusetts.
Capt. S. Dennis , aged 103 years , a
quite noted character of the south , died
recently at Dadevillc , Ala.
Nearly 500,000 ducks are annually
killed in southern Louisiana and scut
to the New Orleans market.
The Massachusetts legislature passed
a law forbiding the sale oH tobacco to
persons under 1G years of age.
It is now proposed to fund all the
obligations of Louisiana aud make the
debt of the commonwealth about $51-
000,000.
A Brooklyn street-car conductor won
the $100 prize offered by a New York
illustrated paper for the best idea for a
cartoon.
Australia has had its first base- ,
ball game. It was played at Syd
ney , and worked up the natives con
siderably.
It is proposed to build a wire suspen
sion bridge , four hundred foot long , over
Lake Quinsigamond at AVorcester , Mass.
The expense will be $30,000 to $35OJO.
It is said a Georgia congressman
will be left at home at the next election
for the reason that the garden seeds ho
sent to his constituents proved to be
worthless.
Mrs. Grundy says that it is a new
fashion for people who are bound for
Europe to send out cards for their
friends to meet them on the dock of .
life ocean steamer.
A Nova Scotian has cut the branches
from the tallest spruce tree on his place 1
and nailed the American il.ig to the top , <
He tells his neighbors that it is the '
next question in politics.
A resident of Campbell county , Geor
gia , is said to have had th.rty-six boys ]
old enough to fight in the late rebellion ,
and tweut3'-three of them A. ere killed.
He has been married nine times.
Sparrows have taken possession of
the tall pillars that support i.ie elevated
railwa3's in New York , and there ,
amidst the din of travel , thousands of
little sparrows are 3'earl3 * hatched out.
Very little of the New Orleans mo
lasses finds ils way into Utah , and for
that matter into any part of the great
west and northwest. The srups mostly
consumed in that locality are made in
San Francisco.
Louisville is tickled half to death be
cause Manager Locke , of the American
opera company , told a reporter that in
that town he found the most apprecia
tive audiences , who came nearer being
in entire full dress than in any other
city.
city.A
A traveling show struck hard luck
recently in a Texas town. Among its
curiosities was an alleged Egyptian
mummy , upon which the local coroner
insisted on holding an inquest at a cost
of $25 , just SI more than was taken in
at the door.
A young man at Halifax , Nova Scotia.
who got his name on the A'oting list by
swearing that he earned S300 a year ,
was taken to task by his employer for
telling an untruth , when he retorted
that he earned that much , though he
didn't get it.
The new marriage-license law of
Maryland relieves the clergyman of the
responsibility of ascertaining if there is
any impediment to the marriage of the
parties presenting the license. The
clerk of the court where the license is
issued must do this.
THF ELDER BOOTH.
Difficulties In tlio Way of Procuring :
SStulls His "Friendship for
a Horse-Thief.
I think William J. Florence is tho
most entertaining story-teller I have
ever listened to , says a writer in The
Philadelphia News. Thero is a genial
ity , a glow , a sparkle , and ,
above all , a cleanliness , about his wit
that make it positively entrancing. I
sat with him at William M. Conner's
Lucullian board in the St. James hotel ,
New York , the other night , and found
niyself continualhamazed at the hand
some , smooth-shaven young fellow ,
talking familiarly of theatrical events
of nearly forty years ago. It is diffi
cult to realize that the comedian who
now delights you in "The Almighty
Dollar' ' supported the elder Booth ,
who died in 1852. But Florence has
kept the springs of life well oiled , and ,
as a result , he is to-day , although ap
proaching tho 80's , young of face ,
young of form , and young of heart He
is as frisky as a 2-year-old in a spring
paddock , as happy as a clam at high
tide , and as tender-hearted as a young
mother.
I found him full of reminiscences of
Junius Brutus Booth. Two of them
both skull stories I think I can recall
for'ou. . The great tragedian , when
traveling about the country , frequently
experienced some embarrassment for
want of a human skull to represent the
mortal remains of "poor Yorick. " The
simple expedient of carrying a skull
with him whenever he wont does not
appeal' to have occurred to him. In
Louisville , upon one occasion , he was
determined to have a genuine human
cranium for Hamlet to meditate upon.
"In this town , " he said , "I have put up
in lieu of a skull with a pumpkin with
holes punched in it for c e-sockets and
nasal cavity , and the last time 1 was
here I was provided with a skull made
of dough. I will have a real skull this
time or there will be no Hamlet. " But
there was not a skull to be had in town.
A nogro boy haniring around the
theater hearing of the property man's
deficiency , announced his ability to pro
cure the desired article , in a way he
refused to explain , provided he was
properly remunerated.
A bargain was struck , and in a short
time the boy returned with a grinning
skull that Hamlet that night received
from the hands of the grave-digger.
At the conclusion of his engagement ,
and when Booth was about to leave
Louisville , he noticed the negro boy
watching him closely , as though ex
pecting something.
"What's the matter , my boy ? Do
you want anything ? " inquired Booth.
"I wants dat dar skull I gives you , "
said the lad.
"Well , my boy , " said the tragedian ,
"you must go to the pronerty man for
it. Perhaps he can find it for 3-011. but
if he can't I'll give you a coupfe of dol
lars and make the account square. "
" 'Fore God , Master Boot" , " said the
bov tremblinglv. "I can't sell you dat
daiskull. . "
' Why not ? I'll pay you more if it is
worth more. I don't know the market
price of such commodities. "
"But deed and deedy. " ' said the evi-
dentlv frightened lad , "I can't sell dat
nohow. You see. dat skull is my
fader's skull , and I only jest borrowed
it frmn de grave for you. "
Some yeirs ago in thai same city of
Louisville Florence found the elder
Booth's son Edwin in profound con
templation of a human skull , " ' ' 'here
is a remarkable history connected with
that head , " said Booth. "It prriperly
belonged to my father , but lie never
came in uossc-sion of it , and onlv a
few hours ago Dr. Morris , of this city ,
handed it to * the
me as my propi-ry by
right of inheritance. " The story con
nected with it. as he then related it ,
ran about as follows :
Upon ono occasion in Louisville , tho
elder Booth engaged invh.it would bo
called in those degeneniw day ; a pro
longed howl. In fact , be indulged in
ono of those lapses that the great tra
gedian was prone to. While in a most
mellow mood he starred on a journey
afoot out the old Bar MOwn pike. L'ass-
ing a lieid in which iionsc was graz
ing , he entered , secuied the animal ,
mounted , and rode suray. At that time
horse-stealing in Kentucky was con
sidered an even more flagrant offense
than it is to-day , and was ranked as a
capital crime , the punishment for which
was death. The jf.'eatesL horse-thief in
all that section , r.iid one upon whose
head a heavy price was fixed , was
named Fontaine. Well , Booth jogged
along on the horse that did not belong
to him , and wit > in a supremely happy
condition , until he met two farmers ,
who inquired of him where he had ob
tained the ani/nal
"I captured him in a field back her , "
said the tragedianwith loyal frankness.
"Indeed , " said one of the farmers
"and what might your name be ? "
"My name is Fontaine , " said Booth ,
with a smile.
"Fontaine ! " ejaculated both men
simultaneously. "Then you are the
very man we want. Come back to
town with us. "
"Certainly , " said Booth , in the most
good-natured manner , and , wheeling the
horse , he rode back to Louisville with
his captors.
The city jail was then in charge of a
Col. Thomas , who knew Booth well.
"We have brought you Fontaine , the
horse-thief , and claim the reward , "
said the farmers , proudly , addressing
the jailer.
"Where is he ? " they were asked.
Booth was produced. "Why. what
does this mean , Mr. Booth ? * ' asked
Thomas.
" 1 haven't the slightest idea , " said
the jrreat tragedian with the utmost
simplicity. " 1 met these two men with
this horse , and they insisted upon giv
ing it to me. I guess the ; " stole it. I
think one of them is Fonfaine. " The
horrified and now alarmed rustics were
about to be locked up pending an in
vestigation of tlu-ir suspicious condwt.
when , by the mo-t singular coincidence ,
a man rushed to the prison door on
horseback and shouted out the inform
ation that tho real Fontaine had been
taken in custody. When he was
brought to Louisville Booth expressed
a desire to see him , and paid him a vis-
it in his cell. Strange to say , a strong
sentimental friendship sprung up bo-
tween the two men. Night after night
the kind-hearted jailor took Fontaine , o
the theater , where Uooth wis playirg ,
and there , secreted in the flies , he look
ed down upon tho acting of his queer-
ly-found friend. Stranger still , night
after night , when his performance was
ended. Booth visited the prison and fre
quently slept all night beside the horse-
thief in his cell.
In the confidence that this commu
nion begat Booth once spoke of tie
difficulty he experienced in alwA \
having a human SKull at hand when ho
played Hamlet.
"That shall be remedied. " said Fon
taine quietly , and he then and there
made his will , devising his head to
Junius Brutus Booth after he had been
hanged. Booth left Louisville before
Fontaine was executed , and the inci
dent passed his mind. Years afterward ,
when he was dead , Dr. Morris called
on Edwin Booth , told him the story I
have related , and presented him with
Fontaine's skull , which he subsequently
used in Hamlet.
That's an odd talc , isn't it ?
The Kisrht of Copyright.
It is commonly thought , and gener
ally believed to be true , that an author
has the same , natural , exclusive , and
perpetual right in the book that he
writes , as the farmer has to the pro-
duets of his own soil , or the mechanic
has to the article he manufacturers. In
other words : That the products of
mental labor are naturally as strictly
property in the producer , as the pro
ducts of the soil are in the owner , or as
articles manufactured are in the maker.
To make these propositions strictly
true , however , it may be necessary that
the farmer should own his soil , and the
manufacturer his material. If a farmer
cultivates tho soil of another , or the
land owned another in common with
himself , he has not the natural exclu
sive and perpetual right to tho fruits ho
produces. If the maker does not own
tho material upon which he works , he
has not the natural , exclusive , and per
petual right to the articles ho manu
factures. It is the same in principle
with the author of a book , or any other
mental production , lie is not the
owner of the great thought-field of the
universe , which embraces tho entire
realm of nature ; shone upon by the
great fountain of light which the
Creator bespoke at the time of
the creation. It belongs in com
mon to all mankind. Hence the pro-
duct.arising out of the common prop
erty of all the world , for all time
thought and light do not naturalh- ,
exclusively , and perpetually , belong to
the individual who happens first to pro
duce them. That the author , or dis
coverer , has a greater right therein
than aii3' other individual is true , be
cause he has mixed his labor , skill ,
talent , genius , with tho production ;
but , as it was produced from the com
mon field , it is still a right in common ,
and as soon as lie gives it out , it becomes
common property , because it returns to
the common field. To give him the
natural , exclusive , and perpetual right ,
would be. as to such product , to trans
fer tho right of all mankind , to tho
indiviihi.il. That a man owns his brain
naturally , exclusively , and as long as
ho lives , is not doubted ; but no one
owns all tho brains of all mankind for
all time : nor does he own thought and
light. The brain of each individual is
simph ; the implement with which he
works in thought. IIo goes into the
common thought field of the universe
i
this grand domain of nature. this infi :
nite scope of lijjht and thought dis
covers , selects , combines , forms , fin
ishes his production , which is his own
naturalhand exclusively while he
keeps it to himself : but he has no right
to compel all mankind to come to him
for it. when each individual has the
same right that he had to go into the
common field and obtain it for himself ;
for the first taking does not impoverish
nor diminish the resources of the field
in the least. Its richness is as exhaust-
less as infinity , and as enduring : is
eternity. Horace P. Diddle , in the Cur
rent.
Her Graduating' Harness.
"Mamie , " said a grammar school
girl to a member of the graduating
class , "have 3-011 finished your essay ? "
"Oh , yes , " gushed Mamie ; "and it is
too lovely for anything a Princess slip
of white surah , tho back cut off a little
below the waist line , and full breadths
of silk gathered in so as to hang grace-
fullv over the tournure , and three bias
ruffles on the "
"Why. what are you talking about ? "
interrupted her friend. "I mean have
3'ou finished writing your essav , you
know ? "
"Er no , " said Mamie , her enthu
siasm rapidly diminishing ; "but have
begun it and I wish the awful thing
was in Halifax. "
"What's the subject ? "
"The Curse of Slang. "
"Gracious ! Isn't that a difficult sub
ject to write up ? "
"Difficult ! Well , I should gigirle !
I'll have to hump mjself to get iTm-
ished in time for the commencement ,
and I've a good notion to let it slide.
I might shut up the professor's optic b3'
pleading illness , but I am not that sort
of a hairpin. But come , waltz up into
my room and look at my stunning
graduating harness. It'll paralyze
you. " Norristown Herald.
High Feeding.
"Here , " said a gentleman to a livery
stable man , "take this horse , curry and
feed him. Dont be afraid to feed him
high. "
An hour later he stepped into the stab
le to see how his horse was doing , and
found him standing before an ° emptv
ir.anger trying to reach a box which
was above his head.
-I thought I told you to feed this
horse , " ' he said ,
"So you did , sor , an' it's plentv he
" "
has.
"Where is it ? "
"In that box. "
"What is it doing up there ?
"Sure ye towld nnj to fade him hMi.
an' I did that same. " GoodalCs Sun.