Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1925)
HAIL INSURANCE LIVE SUBJECT Nebraska Legislature Ex* pected to Make Changes In the Law Lincoln, H«b„ Dec- i \ (Special)— A live subject for legislation at th» coming session Is presented In tho situation of the state hall Insurance department. This Is maintained bjr the state for the convenience of crop growers who wish to buy insurance for about half what the private com panies charge. The state takes the business through Its precinct asses sors and has the county treasurer collect the premium as a tax. It con tributes nothing to the fund and Is not responsible for any deficits. It takes from the fund the cost of su pervision and adjustment of losses. The business has been declining In favor for the last four years, each of which has seen the Insured compelled to accept only a part of the coverage paid for. This year losses wtere scaled 50 per cent., which gives added unpopularity. Premiums start In the eastern part of the state at 2 per cent, of policy face and ascend to 7 per cent. In the far western part. This is about half what the private com panies charge, and few of them havo made money. This year $119,000 of the $137,000 losses were In the low* rated territory. GOVERNOR OCCUPIES NEW STATE HOUSE Lincoln, Neb., Dec. ''“5. (Special)—* Governor Bryan Is the first and sole occupant of the new statehouse. All of Monday a force of Janitors were busy moving his old furniture Into the new magnificence, where even the door hardware Is gold-plated. The old furniture looked rather Incon gruous, but the governor said he was not going to wait for new furniture because the next legislature must authorize Its purchase first and as most of It must be made to order, it will be a year before the new capltol can be thus outfitted. The governor has but two weeks to stay in office, and being head of the capltol com mission he was able to order hts of fice finished first so that he might have the honor of being llrst oc> cupant. KNOX COUNTY MAN SEEKING A PAROLE Lincoln, Neb., Dec. '4. (Special)— Alonzo Kldgers, sent up from Knox county for six months to two years for violation of the liuuor law, is to have his hearing on an application for parole, January 13, with 26 others. Ralph .T. Irvin, sent up from Boiyd for crime against nature, one to 20 years, is also on the list, as are Forrest Holtzclaw, embezzlement, Rock, Harvey Cromwell, burglary, Holt; Clarence McEwen, nldlng burglaiy, Nonce, and Frank Rlttwager, bur glary, Burt. Arthur S. Allen, one of the group of Lincoln county officers convicted of treasury raids, is also an applicant. He was county cleric, opd accused of embezzlement. «-.<>• ■: *•.-*: v-y • - ^ WOULD AVOID GIVING FATHER $40 A MONTH Lincoln, Neb., Dec- ' \ (I. N. S.) — Robert Sharp Livingstone and Elsie Shari) of Santa Ana, California and Elizabeth Sharp Cook of Casper, Wyo.J appealed to the Nebraska supreme court today the order of the decision forcing them to pay $40 a month toward the maintenance of their aged father, William Sharp, of Loup City, Neb. Sharp declared he had given his children 440 acres of Nebraska farm land and now is des titute. The defendants assert. how-ever, that their father has a pension of $20 a month and enomgh Income from other sources to rtipport him. RURAL MAIL MAN FINALLY ffETS VACATION Blair, Neb., Dec k..—After travel ing 170,676 miles, the equivalent of seven times around the earth, in de livering mall to patrons on rural routes since MarflO 6, 1906. James Reid is taking a vacation of three months granted by the postofflce de partment. For over eight years Mr. Reid traveled his route with a team and buggy, covering miles, and since he has been driving a car on his route he lias rfade 95,076 miles. He Is 65 years ol^ and will be re tired on a pensiof. in August, 1924 Discovery Forecasts Insulir Manufacture Chicago.—Dlicomy of the method of isolating ths ncll'e element in in sulin by Dr. Arthur Locke of St. Luke’s hospital, ultimately will result in the mnnufactui-e of artificial or synthetic insulin n.» that this treat ment for diabetic sufferers may he obtained much cheaper than at pres ent, in-cording to an announcement at the University of Chicago. Dr. Julius Sheiglltz, head of the department of chemistry, said that •’positive progress has been made by Dr. Locke in obtaining more potent product from Insulin,” but added that It could not be predicted how much time may be required before artifl cial preparation of the product can he accomplished. PENNSYLVANIA COW GIVES 1,110 POUNDS OF BUTTER IN YEAR Mohnton, Pa.— Sparrowhnwk-Jo hanna, a cow of Holstein—Friesian breed, holds the American record, ac cording to her owner, Abner S. l)ey uher, in milk and bujter output. For one year she produced 28.028 pounds of milk, which yielded 1,110 pounns of butter. FARM FINANCES IN GOOD SHAPE Half of Realestate of Holt County Found to Be Unencumbered O’Neill, Neb., Dec. (Special)— Fifty per cent, of the farms of Holt county are without lncumbrancse of any kind, according to an Investiga tion Just completed by R. H. Parker of £>’Nelll. The report also shows that 25 per cent, of the farms are but nominally Incumbered, while 15 per cent, are heavily mortgaged and 10 per cent, are In the process of fore closure. The report also shows an excess of unincumbered livestock and other personal property over Incum bered property. Bankers of Kwlng, O'Neill, Atkinson and Stuart declare the finances of the farmers and ranchmen to be In a healthy condition and that conditions in the county are better than for many years. THINKS CONTRACTOR ATTEMPTING TO GOUGE Idncoln, Neb., Dec. ( *. (Special)— Insisting that the state Is not obli gated to pay a highway contractor for solid rock excavation when nothing more substantial than a plow was UBed to break It up. Attorney General Spillman has filed an answer In supreme court to the claim of the Peterson, Shirley & Gunther com pany for excess work on the Sioux county state highway. The contractor claims $129,000, where the fdate sn.vs It owes him only $82,000. A district court Judge awarded the contractor $33,000 of the difference. GUARANTY COMMISSION MAKES BIG SAVING Lincoln, Neb., Dec. s. (Special)— The state guaranty fund commission has filed with the governor a volum inous report, of Its activities for the year and a half of Its existence. It shows that under this plan of hand ling hank receiverships, $519,000 a year was saved. On the 25 receiver ships that were c.reated since Its existence by the failure of banks It has saved $191,000. Under the old way each bank had a receiver and an attorney or two. Secretary Peterson says that the provision in the new law creating the commission which permitted it to take aver failing concerns and oper ate them saved the situation in Ne braska the past year. Without it the guaranty fund would be insol vent. SAYS SHOT IN SELF DEFENSE Man Now Held for Murder Called Sheriff and Un dertaker North Platte, Neb., Doc. «.—The body of Oscar Daniels lies In an un dertaking parlor here while Hank Embree Is charged with murder as a result of an argument which end ed in a fight between the two men. 28 miles north of Sutherland. Daniels was killed when Embree sent the contents of a shotgun through his head. After shooting Daniels, Embree called the McPherson county sheriff and related the shooting. He then telephoned an undertaker at Suth erland who In turn notified a local undertaker whto took the body to North Platte. Embree said the shooting was in ■elf-defense. According to his ver sion of the affair, Daniels and an old man. named Iaiwrence, were at a ranch house 28 miles north of Suth erland when Lawrence started to go home. When I>awrenee started to crank Ms autc.iobile, he said. Daniels at tempted to stop li'm and began to abuse Lawrence, fcmbree then said he took Lawrence's side in the al tercation and then Daniels “turned on me with an ajt." “In defend ing myself,’’ Embree said, “I shot Daniel*, killing hjin.” ADMITS KILLING MAN WHO WRECKED HOME. Beatrice, Neb., Dec. ** —Frank Bartos, attorney for Edward Schuer man, wealthy farmer, charged with shooting and killing George Rheln miller, De Witt Rock Island section hand, on October 10, said he would introduce letters alleged to have been written to Mrs. Schuerman by Rheln miller, asking her to get rid of her husband by poison or some other means. Bartos said the letters would show Rhelnmlller threatened If she did not get rid of her husband he would do so himself. He said the letters would show that Rhelnmiiler broke up Schuerman's home. Admitting the allegation of the state that Schuerman shot and killed Rheinmlller. the attorney for Schuer man stated that his evidence would prove that the murder was commit ted while Schuerman was tempor arily insane caused by his knowledge otf ■ the love affair between Mrs. Schuerman and Rhelnmlller. MASKELL WOMAN IS TERRIBLY SCALDED Poru-a, Neb., Dec. -—Mrs. O. P. Lund, of Muskell. while assisting with the family washing at her home, slipped and fell, spilling the boiling water over herself. SLo was una'*(o to remove her clothes until the fl«sh nne.s Itterully cooked. Medical aid was summoned at on re, bi‘t little relief fioni the pain was felt until she was given an opit '.e. Not much hope is held for her reenv ei y. Her children are at her side ASSERTS PAPERS CONVICTED HI Man Found Guilty of Mur der Files Long Appeal in Supreme Court Omaha, Neb., Dec. •—Two Om» na newspapers are blamed by James Griffin, In a hundred page brief filed In supreme court, for his conviction on a charge of manslaughter, the kill ing of Henry McArdle, whose dead body was found partly burned in a bay stack. Griffin says that the news papers used their influence to secure bis conviction, and that they employ ed Mg headlines and printed distorted and false stories about the testimony. He complained to the trial Judge, but got no satisfaction. He claims this deprived him of the fair and impartial trial the constitution guarantees him. Another ground of complaint Is that he was entitled to show that Joe Bronson, who was the state’s wit ness, was a gun toter. He says the evidence showed that either he or Joe did the shooting and that this was a reason for allowing him to show his habit as to carrying deadly weapons. RAILWAY COMMISSION HAS PROBLEM TO SOLVE Lincoln, Neb., Dec. ~ (Special)— The state railway commission is en gaging in a bit of head-scratching over a problem in unscrambling. Twenty-five years ago the men who promoted a water and gas plant at Nebraska City built it out of the bond sales money and then voted themselves $300,000 in common stock to reward themselves. Later the plant fell into hard lines, and didn’t earn enough money to keep up the property. It was bought by the Instill syndicate, which borrowed on its notes $700,000 in Cash with which to mako it an up-to-date plant. Now they want the commission to ap prove securities they propose to is sue to. take up the rotes. If the commission approves the $700,000 there will be a lar? ir amount of securities out against it than the property is worth. It has no power to cancel the $300,000 common and anyway it is in other hands now. It Is not allowed by law to approve a larger security issue than is rep resented by property. But the $700, 000 must be paid. The matter lias been taken under advisement. INVESTIGATE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF AUTO DRIVER PaUtsmouth, Neb., Dec. * (I. N. S.)—Officers from state law enforce ment department arrived here to as sist in the Investigation into the death of Carl Aldrich, of Rockport, Mo, whose bcc’.y was found beside his charred automobile. A verdict re turned by a coroner’s jury declared Aldrich death resulted from ‘‘foul means at the hands of persons un known." According to police evi dence showed that oil was poured on Aldrich's car and his dead body after he had been robbed and mur dered. The car was completely ru ined and the body burned nearly be yond recognition. HAS BIBLE PRINTED NEARLY 400 YEARS AGO Omaha, Neb., Dec. ' —A bible, printed in Germany in ioS4-1565 is in possession of Mrs. Raul Karo of Lyons, Neb. On the title page is this inscrip tion: "Tliis hook is printed by per mission of. and tlie grace of the Elec tor of Saxony, Wittenburg, 1504.” The book is brown and ragged with age. It has conic down through several generation of Mrs. Karo’s family. It is 15 1-2 inches long, 10 1-2 wide and 6 Inches thick. The back is leather covered and bronze cornered. The book Is fuii of half-page wood cut illustrations of various bible inci dents. The books of the Apocrapha are included in the volume. The bible was brought to America in 188S from Germany by Henry Semmler, Mrs. Karo's father. WEALTHY FARMER MUST PAY $700 DAMAGES Lincoln, Neb., Deo. (Special.)— Otto Meyer, wealthy Lancaster county farmer, told it around that Mrs. Nannie I. Davis, wife of a neighbor with whom he had had trouble over wandering hogs, was a half-breed Mexican and had shot a man in Oklahoma. A jury, after hearing, for a week, testimony In the suit, which was for $30,500 dam ages, has awarded her $700. The entire neighborhood, >;.oken up into factions, thronged the courtroom eacli day, and sat on opposite sides, glaring and jeering at one another during the trial. Mrs. Davis said Meyer had said he would run her out of tlie neighborhood. The woman was arrested some time ago on complaint of Meyer, who said she shot at him. She said Meyer became abusive when she told him to keep his hogs at home, and she shot In the air to frighten hint. She was released after trial. * COUNTY BUYS SNOW PLOW TO CLEAR ROADS Bloomfield, Neh., Dec. (Spe cial.)—The Knox county board of supervisors lias bought a large snow plow to be used In freeing tbe main roads of the county of their burden of snow. The machine clears a path 21 feot wide and will require a powerful tractor to push It. TOWNS TO PROTEST CANCELING OF TRAINS Bloomfield, Neb., Dec. (Spe cial.)—Representatives of the Bloom field Commercial club will go to Wayne, next Monday, to protest against the removal of trains DO and 51 on tills branch. The state rail way commission will hold a meeting at Wayne on that day, the meeting being called at 11:15 a. m. A11 the towns on this branch will have representatives there and the same Is true of the Crofton branch of the M. & O TEACH FARMERS TO CURE MEAT Nebraska College of Agricul ture to Put on Course, Dec. 29 to Jan. 2 Lincoln, Neb., Dec. «■ (Special)— A brand new short course In farm meats will be offered at the agri cultural college, December 29 to Jan uary 2. Farmers will be given prac tical experience In the: slaughtering and preparation of meats for home consumption. Lard rendering, sausage making, meat canning and soap making will be taught. The registration is limited and applica tions by mail will be received. Other Interesting short courses are scheduled to begin at various times and run from a few days to four weeks. The farm shop four weeks course and the auto tractor course will open December 29. poultry® HAVE ATTENTION Indiana Specialist to Lecture At Meeting of Nebraska Association Lincoln, isen., Doc. *. (Sptcial)— Professor A. G. Philips, chairman of the department of poultry husbandry ot Purdue University in Indiana, will be the one speaker on the program of the Nebraska State Poultry asso ciation at organized agriculture, ac cording to the announcement. His address will concern economical pro motion of poultry. Professor Philips was a delegate to the second World’s Poultry confer ence held at Barcelona, Spain, in Tune, 1924. While in Europe, he had the opportunity to study poultry con ditions as they exist there. He is among the oldest poultrymen in the country and what he has to say re garding production of farm poultry will lie based upon his actual experi ence and study. Purdue University has recently dedicated a new poultry building ecst,ing $SO,000. This plant is a mon ument to the poultry industry in In diana, the development of which has been in a large degree due to the ef forts of Mr. Philips and his staff, states the Nebraska poultrymen who secured Mr. Philips’ services for their meeting. Poultry feeding and egg In cubation have been the particular problems studied at this institution. The Nebraska poultrymen will also hold their annual egg and poultry show at the Lincoln auditorium dur ing the week. The poultry plant at the Agricultural college which has been completed within the year will be open for the inspection of visitors each day. The annual poultry short course offered to poultrymen of the state each year by the eoliege will be held the week following organized agriculture. BELLEVUE SCHOOL IS PRACTICALLY ABANDONED Bellevue, Neb., Dec. .—Four dor mitories. an administration building, a gymnasium, lecture hall, president's house, and minor buildings, with 65 acres of campus, are in the hands of a caretaker here and while two ten tative proposals are before trustees of the property, relative to its rehab ilitation. The Bellevue school plant, used as • a vocational training school for dis abled veterans, was abandoned by the government in October of this year after many of its soldier-students had returned to civil life. Conversion of the property into an academy for boys of secondary school rank, which constitutes the first proposal is being considered by Dr. Larrimore C. Denise, president of the Omaha Theological seminary. This proposition calls for an inves tigation by a representative of Law renceville academy, Lawrenceville, N. J., which. Dr- Demise said, will be made sometime in January. Tlie second proposal, to utilize the property for an institution for train ing Christian workers, other than clergymen, has met with disapproval In the ranks of Nebraska churchmen. Tlie question hus come up, the Omaha clergyman said, as to whether establishment of another religious school is a “necessary wheel” in the stale’s religious education system, in view of the already established in stitutions of a similar purpose, in the state. The Bellevue school plant was for merly a Presbyterian institution and is still controlled by a board of trus tees. The property was leased by the government. NORTHERN NORMAL NEEDS NEW BUILDINGS Aberdeen, S. D., Dec. * (Special) —At the recent meeting of the state board of regents of educat'on at Pierre, recommendation was made for the erection of two buildings at Northern State Teachers college here. Officials of the local school declare that these buildings arc badly needed, as the school Is erwoded The buildings as recommended include a structure for class-rooms and one to be used as a campus training school. The same recommendation has been made on two other occasions, but both times action was blocked. NO FURLOUGHS FOR CONVICTS IN NEBRASKA Lincoln, Neb., Dec — (Special.)— Following dozens of telephone calls and messages from relatives of the ex-service men now contained In Nebraska penal institutions, (!ov ernor Bryan has announced that under no circumstances will he Issue furloughs to these young men that will enable them to spend Christmas with relatives or at home. — i — » ■— - - A one-pole tent that may be trans formed into a raft has been Invented by a Norwegian. Wilson, As Leading Humanitarian, Has Firm Place in Nation’s Annals Prom the St. Louis Post-Dispatch The congressional tribute Monday to the memory of Wood row Wilson was a welcome and timely interlude in public affairs. It brought minds from the close application of daily duty into the prospect of the ages. It offered homage to one of the great presidents, not for his tangible achievements, his finished record of service, but for his striving and his sacrifice. On such an occasion it may be asked what causes some states men to be remembered above others of their timet Why do Jef ferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Wilson stand out among contempor aries and among presidentst What is the common denominator of their fame? Jefierson was a great democrat and a great statesman. But the democracy and statesmanship were inspired by a common quality—his humanity. He believed in the common man. Whether his belief was justified is beside the point. His political doctrines have suffered some severe twists and are largely dis regarded today. None the less, his faith and his friendliness toward the common lot have made him a colossus among the shades of our fathers. Allow ing for t he lingering element of civil wrnr hatreds and sec tional differences, Lincoln stands even closer to the hearts of Americans than does Jefferson. The measure of that difference may be only his greater fame as a humanitarian. A Cuban monu ment to Roosevelt has been erected and dedicated, not because of the importance of his part in Cuban liberation, either in state or in the field, but because his effort pictured the soul of emancipa tion for the common man. Now Woodrow Wilson has been characterized by one of his colleagues as “the leading humanitarian of the modern world. He sought, first, to liberate mankind from autocracy and, second, to liberate the nations from war. He succeeded measurably in both aims. For both efforts he was cursed and maligned. Eman cipation could be contrived only at the cost of war and human life. An iniquitous peace was accepted, w’hen no better could be ob tained, in the hope that a congress of nations working together for amity would contervail the evils of the treaty. He made great gains at the cost of great losses. Political op position and special interest remember only the losses. The ages take account of the gains. They know the quality of unselfish devotion. In statesmen it is none too common. Politics keeps score on the measures of the moment, the treaties signed, the writ ten record. The ages remember great motives, great services, great moral and humanitarian causes. It is not so much that a redeemer prevails as that he dies in the cause. Wilson was a great humanitarian. He thought the people were worth lighting for. He died in that thought. In that thought he will live. THE EARNEST MAN Dwight. The earnest Dien are so few in j the world that their very earnest - ness becomes at once the badge of their nobility; and, as men in a crowd instinctively make room for one who seems eager to force his way through it, so mankind everywhere open their ranks to one who rushes zealously toward some object lying beyond them. Well, We Guess This Settles It. From the Kansas City Star. The Rock Island's new golden state train to California will have a “wom en’s lounge’’ in which women may smoke, and with this graceful recog nition of the equality of the sexes, the long battle waged over this claim seems as good as won for the women. Certainly no legal obstacle to equality can finally stand after the social obstacles have disappeared. Of course, one is not so simple as to suppose the women will use their own lounge to smoke in. They will smoke in the men's lounge with the men. both because of its superior ad vantages for advertising the afore said equality and because men are nicer to talk to than women. Nicer for women to talk to, that is. For men it’s the other way around. The women's lounge then is to be con sidered merely as a symbol, not necessarily as a place in which to smoke. If women had to go to a particular place to smoke, and to smoke there only in company with their own kind, the real flavor of equality—not to mention that of to bacco—would be lost to them. It would be an admission that their smoking was on a basis of inequality, that It had to be done in a way savoring of the clandestine. That Is an admission not to be made in an age of equality. Still, the women’s smoking lounge is an achievement for-the cause. It is a badge and a sign. It is a sign that the railroads, generally thought to be rather conservative, have rec ognized progress cannot be wholly blocked. In the matter of passenger rates they have always been for equality between the sexes, charging the same for both. Having admitted the principle, the logic of the pres ent step was inexorable. And when an institution like a railroad surren ders to progress, what’s the ttse of government and law’s holding out? We ask you. When the Moen Hides the Sun. From the New York World. A total eclipse of the sun Is the most spectacular display the skies can show us. and in "The Golden Bough” Sir James George Frazer tells of man's early efforts to pla cate the heavens when the sun was hidden. The Ojlbways shot fire tipped arrows at the sky, hoping to rekindle the sun's dying light. The Chilcotln Indians leaned on staves and walked in circles till the eclipse was over, believing, apparently, that they could support the failing steps of the sun as he trod his weary round. In the basin of the Orinoco River there were tribesmen who buried lighted firebrands be cause, said they, if the sun were to be extinguished all fire on earth would be extinguished with him ex cept such as was hidden from his sight. These ceremonies the medi cine-men prescribed, and the early peoples of the earth believed their Not That Far Along. From the Chicago News. The tramp was telling his tala of woe at the old lady's house where he had called to get “just a crust of bread, mum." She seemed kindly disposed and like the majority ef Ills fraternity, he was at ones spurred on to telling the tale with all the appeal of whlih he was callable. “I've asked for money,” he pleaded, almost with tears In his eyes, "and I've begged for money and I've cried for money, mum.” t The old lady looked thoughtful. “Have you ever thought of working fc,r it, my man?" she asked gently. "No, mum,” came the reply, without a moment's hesitation. "You see. I'm going through the alphabet and 1 nin't got t« W ye* ” | men of medicine implicitly. And modern man? No less a trust ing creature. It is predicted now that on the 24th of January next the sun will be eclipsed; that the eclipse will cut a narrow path across the North Atlantic, and that for people living in this arc the sun will be completely hidden. So bold is the modern medi cine-man that he dares foretell the exact fringe of this eclipse and as sert that if the moon behaves herself its edge will cut across Manhattan 1 Island at 110th street. And we believe him! Here is the moon, some two hundred thousand miles away, and the sun no end of millions more. Here are all manner of intricate computations by which it is figured just when an eclipse will come and just what corners of the earth will see it—computations not in the least bit understood by one man or woman in a million. Yet thous ands of good people living north of Central 1’ark will bear arm-chairs to cold apartment roofs on the morning of tho 24th, convinced that their soothsayers will not fail them. We live in an age when mere man pre dicts his miracles, and the prophet, no longer relying erg' a four-leafed clover and a rabbit's foot, performs his work With better tft, \s. Borah and Britten. From the Lincoln Journal. It was a fitting coincidence that put Senator Borah and Representa tive Britten to talking war and peace on the same day. There, side by side, we had the two types of in ternational statesmanship from which to choose. Borah argued for the outlawry of war. Instead of international law* of war he would have international laws against war. There is no hope for peace, he said, as Jong as great powers will that there shall be no peace. He would have the powers substitute law and judicial tribunals for war. Then if war came, those by whom it came would be outlawed. Under that plan, the thought of the world would be focused against war as now it is focused upon war. How world thought is focused up on war, Congressman Britten illu strates. Japan is offended by our ex clusion legislation. Congressman Britten concludes, therefore, that Japan is getting ready to attack us. The brown bantam is menacing the white Plymouth rock. Mr. Britten would have the Plymouth rock and1 all the other white chickens front ing the Pacific combine to bluff the bantam. The United States and Australia and presumably Mexico and South America and all white nations should have "a definite defen sive policy” against Japan. By the time that is done, Japan will of course have organized all the colored peoples of Asia and perhaps Africa against the whites. Then in due time will come the test of which race can kill off the other the fastest That way the Britten thought leads. The other way Borah leads The Britten way is old and well tried, It produced 1914 and what followed. In view of that fact, the United States, let us hope will follow Borah. • One of the latest adiitions to the rapidly growing list of intrepid women travelers and explorers Is Miss Phil ippa Bridges, whose father, a cele brated British soldier, is the present governor of South Australia. Mlsa Bridges has Just completed a Journey of 650 miles through uninhabited country of South Australia, mostly by camel transport, her only companions being a handful of Aborigines. Sexton Kept Track. Prom the Edinburgh Scotsman “I canna get ower it,” remarked a farmer to his wife. ”1 put a twa-shlllin' piece In the plate at the kirk this morn in’ instead o' my usual penny.” The beadle had noticed the mistake and In silence he allowed the farmer to miss the plate for twenty-three con secutive Sundays. On the twenty-fourth Sunday the farmer again ignored the plate, but the old beadle stretched the ladle in front of him and. in a tragic whisper, hoarse ly said: "Your time's up noo. Bandy.” One of the oldest superstitions prevalent all over Europe is the Idea that animals assume the power of ■peech at Cfcriatmas time.
