Nebraska Newspapers

    THE HERALD.
- " 1 -
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
AT
FLATTSMOTJTH, NEBBASKA.
OFPIOKi
On Main Street, between 4th and 5th,
Second Story.
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JD.
J. A. MACMURPHY, Editor.
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VOLUME IX.
PLATTSMQUTII, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1874.
NUMBER l(.
THE .HERALD.
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EPITOME OF THE WEEK.
Coaiec'tl from Telegrams of Accompanying Bates.
Monday, February 2. A dispatch re
ccivcd in London from Cape Coast Castle
states that twelve ambassadors from the Ash
antees had arrived in the British camp suing
for peace. Hir (iarnet Wobeley replied that
lie would only treat with the King himself at
Coomassie The Locdon Timr states
that previous to the dissolution
or raruamem notice or a writ was
served on Gladstone summoning bim before
the Court of Queen's Bench for not standing
for re-election A large meeting of prom
inent iron and nail manufacturers was recently
held in Pittsburgh, at which the selling rates
for nails were advanced 12 cents per keg. .
A recent fire in Cleveland destroyed over
f.00,000 woith of property, on which
there was an insurance, of aliout ?4.0,000,
. In the ease of llaffcrty, three times con
demned to death for the murder of a Chicago
policeman, the Illinois Supreme Court has
refused to grant a new trial, sustained the
. decision of the court below, and ordered that
the execution take place at Waukcgan ou the
27th of February, tit of the stveu Judges
concurred in this decision A bill has
been introduced in th Ohio House of
IJepresentativcs providing that in case
railway companies discriminate iii rates
for transporting freights in localities,
said company shall forfeit to such person so
overcharged double the amount of the over
charge, and in no ea-e le-s than $100, and pro
viding that an additional t uit can be brought
by the prosecuting attorney, and the amount
to It forfeited iu this suit is to be from $100
to ?l,0O0; also, th:d in eaec railway companies
charge higher than the legal rate for the trans
porlation of passengers, the company shall
forfeit double the amount of the overcharge,
and in no case less than $ 100 As the morn
ing train from ISt. Louis on the 31st uit., on
the Iron Mountain Kail road, approached
Cad's Hill Station, Mo., it was signaled to
stop. A switch was turned, and the train run
ou a side-track. Five masked men, heavily
armed, then took charge of the railway
officials, and the passengers were rob
bed of all articles of value iu their
possession. The mails were robbed, and
about $1,000 were taken from the safe of the
express messenger. The robbers left in a
southerly direction A Xew Orleans tele
gram says Governor Kellogg pronounces as
entirely untrue the report telegraphed from
that city by a special correspondent, to the
effect that he (Kellogg) had made a requisi
tion on the authorities of the District of
Columbia for ex-Governor Warmoth.
Ti Ksn.VY, February 3. There were fifty
six Parliamentary elections in England during
the week ending Jan. 31st, resulting iu the
return of twenty-five Liberals and thirty-one
Conservatives. On the 2d twenty-six Con
servatives and thirteen Liberals were elected.
There has been considerable rioting in various
parts of the Kingdom, partteulaily in Sheffield.
. ...The lloor of a factory in Bury, Lanca
shire, w here a Liberal meeting was being
held, gavt way on the 2d, and precipitated a
large number of people to the story lelow.
Six persons were killed and a large number
injured A Madrid dispatch says that Spain
has recalled her diplomatic representatives
from Berlin and other European capitals .
It is said that one hundred employes of the
New York it Oswego Kailroad have chained
tlw locomotives to the track, spiked switches,
and torn up the track at Summitville. They
declare they will allow no more trains to pass
ti'.l the railway company has paid wages
already due . An aggravated case
of trichina - spiralis has oceurred
at Aurora, Ind., resulting in the seri
ous illness of Mrs. Threnart, her son and
daughter, and Mrs. Buyter. A Cincinnati
dispatch says that these will probably die.
The meat of the diseased hog under the mi
croscope looked like knots and coils of the
common earth-worm, with very sharp or
pointed extremities; and a speck of the flesh
not larger than the head of a small pin con
tained millions of the maggots, wriggling
and twisting about, although totally invisi
ble to the naked eje. They had sur
vived the process of curing and cooking.
. . . .TheKansas Legislature elected ex-Governor
James M. Harvey to succeed Mr.
Caldwell in the l-nited States Senate. Mr. H.
is a Keforni Ucpublican, and is reported to
have said, ia response to a question as to
whether he considered his election a victory
for the straight Republicans or for the Re
formers, that he regarded it unquestionably
iu favor of the latter. The final ballot on
which Mr. Harvey was elected stood: Harvey,
T."; l'luiub, 20; Simous, IS; all others, 21.
"Wednesday, February 4. A special
cable dispatch siys Russia refuses to send
goods to the Centennial Exhibition in Phila
delphia, in lSTfi, on the gTound that it is a
private affair Archbishop Ledochowski has
been arrested by order of the German Govern
ment and sent to Ostrowo, in the province of
Posen, there to be imprisoned, in accordance
with the sentence of the court. His offense
consists in hiving, in the first place, refused to
pay any heed to the laws passed last May
placing the ecclesiastics of Germany under
the regulation of the State. This disobedience
subjected him to fine, and his refusal to
pay the fine brought upon him the confisca
tion of all his property except his household
goods. In all these proceedings he was upheld
by the Pope, whom alone he recognized as his
superior. Finally the summons came for his
resignation of th Archbishopric and this he,
st'.ll acting under the orders of his Papal
chief, also declined to give ...Gladstone has
been re-elected to Parliament from Green
wich. His vote this year is 5,9tS, against
fi,tVS0 ia ISO. Further riotous proceedings
are reported in different localities Thepres-
ent State officers of Connecticut have been
unanimously renominated by the Democratic
State Convention held at New Haven. The
platform adopted declares devotion to the
Constitution; affirms that the people of the
several States have the right of governing
themselves, subject only to the limitations of
the Constitution; denounces corruption and
extravagance in high official places;
favors retrenchment and reform in Na
tional and State governments; condemns the
'salary grabbers' ring of politicians" and
land monopolists; denounces the present fed
eral administration and "the procuring of
money from the notoriously corrupt ring of
Washington politicians for the purpose of
controlling elections in the State of Connecti
cut;" charges the panic and its results to the
policy .pursued by the Government; demands
speedy return to specie payments; condemns
land grants and monopolies; favors legislation
beneficial to the industrial classes, etc., ete. . . .
Some of the members of the Massachusetts
Tempcrauce Alliance have organized a praying
band of men and women to storm the saloons
of Worcester. Iu Ohio the movement con
tinues to spread, and is being inaugurated in
other States. In very many Ohio towns the
women have formed themselves into bands,
with Captains, and begun a systematic attack
of prayer on all the rum dealers within their
reach The strike ou the New York and Os
wego Midland Railway for several months'
back pay continues. The locomotives, with
tenders and mails only, are allowed to proceed.
A car loaded with flour has ten broken open
at Summitville, and the contents distributed
to those needing it. The telegraph office
has been taken possession of, and no
telegrams are allowed to paes A Topeka
(Kansas) special says the election of ex-Governor
Harvey as United States Senator is a
Republican victory.... The Mississippi Legis
lature has elected as United States Senators
B. L. Bruce (colored) for the long term, and II.
R. Pease, late Superintendent of Education,
for the short term both Republicans.
TncKSDAY, February 5. A special from
Berlin says alarming reports are current there
concerning the relations between Germany and
France A recent cable dispatch announces
the death of Professor Anderson, the well
known conjurer.... The dwelling of Isaac
Wharff, of Guilford, Me., was destroyed
by fire a few mornings ago,
and w iiarfr and his wire and hoy were
burned to death.... The annual convention of
the National Reform Association is in session
at Pittsburgh. A large delegation is in at
tendance, embracing representatives from
almost every State in the Union and of all the
evangelical denominations. Hon. Felix R.
Brunot has been re-elected President,
with a full list of Vice-Presidents...
The seventh annual session of the National
Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry con
vened in St. Louis on the 4th. The session
was held with closed doors, and all that is
known of the proceedings is a brief report
furnished by the Committee on Publication.
Several committees were appointed. The
Master of the National Grange, D. W.
Adams, read a lengthy address, in
which he detailed the operations of
the order during the past year.
Reports were made by the Secretary, Treas
urer, Lecturer, ana executive Committee,
which were referred to appropriate committees.
The following are the ofOccrs of the National
Grange: Master, Dudley W. Adams, Iowa;
Overseer, Thomas Taylor, South Carolina;
Lecturer, T. A. Thompson, Minnesota; Stew
ard, A. J. Vaughan, Mississippi; Assistant
Steward, G. W. Thompson, New Jersey;
Chaplain, Rev. A. B. Grash, Washington City;
Treasurer, F. M. McDowell, New York; Secre
tary, O. H. Kelly, Washington City; Gate
keeper, O. Dinwiddie, Indiana; Ceres, Mrs.
D. W. Adams, Iowa; Pomona, Mrs. O. II.
Kelly, Washington; Flora, Mrs. J. C. Abbott,
Iowa; Lady Assistant Steward, Miss C. A.
Hall, Washington City; Executive Committee,
William Saunders, Washington City; D. Aiken,
South Carolina; E. B. Shankland, Iowa A
discharged fireman 6et fire to the machine
shops of the Memphis it Louisville Railroad,
at Memphis, a few nights ago, and $110,000
worth of the property of the road was destroy
ed, and two hundred workmen were thrown
out of employment.
Friday, February 6. A Calcutta dis
patch eays the famine in India is increasing,
and it is estimated that 1"0,000 natives are al
ready severely distressed At the recent
opening of the German Reichstag, the speech
from the throne, delivered by the Imperial
Commissioner, concludes with the assur
ance that all the nations of Europe are re
solved to preserve peace Several more
riots are reported at the elections
in Great Britain. At Willenhall several
persons were fatally injured. At Handy one
man was killed and many others were wound
ed. At Askeaton, Limerick County, Ireland,
firearms were freely used, and three men were
killed- Serious disturbances have also occur
red in other localities A dispatch has been
received in London from the commander
of the Ashantee expedition, announc
ing that all the white prisoners
held by the Ashantees have been delivered to
urn, and that the King has accepted his terms
for a cessation of hostilities, and has agreed
to pay an indemnity of 200,000 The Rus
sian Minister at Washington has authorized a
contradiction of the report that Russia has re
fused to send goods to the Centennial
Exposition on the ground that it is
private undertaking. The Russian
Government never intimated or ex
press, d any sucn indention.... rnysiciaus
who went to North Carolina for the bodies of
the Siamese Twins have returned to Philadel
phia. The bodies were in a good state of
preservation. The examination will be con
ducted by the College of Physicians privately,
but a report will be furnished to the public.
...A Mrs. Hoag, of the town of Porter, W is.,
attempted to extinguish a kerosene lamp by
blowing down the chimney. An explosion
followed, and she was fatally burned Ac
cording to a report made by Special Agent M.
B. Robinson to the Commissioner of the Gen-
ral Land Office at Washington, large
quantities of the public land in Colorado
have been fraudulently pre-empted....
The National Grange, in session at St. Louis,
has appropriated3,0C0to the State Grange of
Iowa, in consideration of the great expense
incurred by that Grange in relieving the wants
of distressed brethren in Northwestern Iowa.
Appropriations of $1,000 to Minnesota and
?50 to Dakota were also made The gro
cery store and dwelling of Chris. Mehr, in
Evansville, Ind., was burned on the morning
of the 5th, and four of the inmates
perished in the flames. There were,
when the fire broke out, about
ten persons in the house, including Mr. Mehr,
his wife and six children. Mrs. Mehr seized
two of the children and rushed through the
flames, and a boarder seized another of the
children. Mr. Mehr rushefl out, and, seeing
that some of the children were missing,
again ran into the house and was not
again seen alive. When found he clasped
in his arms the three children who
had been left behind, the four bodies being
burned almost to a crisp. Most of the other
inmates were more or less burned. .. .On the
morning of the 5th the Green Bay night ex
press train, about twenty miles north of the
Kishawaukee bridge, near Harvard, 111.,
struck a broken rail, throwing three passen
ger coaches, a Pullman sleeper, a baggage
car and a second-class car into the ditch
twenty feet below. The stove in the baggngc
ear was overt urned and set fire to the car, and,
as there was no means of extinguishing the
flames, the entire train and contents were con
sumed. Forty persons were more or less in
jured, but no lives were lost, the passengers
escaping from the burning ears by means of
the wiudows.
Saturday, February 7. Gen. Sickles
has taken final leave of the Spanish Govern
ment, and placed Secretary Adee in charge of
the legation M. Buffet has been re-elected
President of the French Assembly. .. .By a
recent collision between two trains on the
Great Western Railway in England several
persons were killed and others injured. ...A
London telegram gives a report that Glad
stone, being assured of a majority in Par
liament against him, has sent in his resig
nation to the Queen.... In the Na
tional Grange at St. Louis a re
port was received from Secretary Cof
fey, of the State Grange of Missouri, stating
that there are 1,000 subordinate Granges in'
the State. Several amendments to the Na
tional Constitution were proposed. Charles
ton, S. C, was unanimously chosen as the
next place of ineetirg. Several standing
committees were appointed. Mr. Thompson,
a representative from Canada, reported that
they had ten live Granges in the Dominion,
some numbering over 100 members each; that
they wanted to establish a Dominion Grange,
so as to have under their control a fixed head
quarters, and their most earnest desire was to
see the organization become international in
character
FORTY-THIRD CONURESS.
Mo'dat, February 2 Senate. The
House bill changing the time of meeting of the
United States District Court ia Iowa was passed,
with an amendment fixing the time of meeting at
Council Bluffs on the fourth Mondays in March and
September of each year, instead of the third
Tuesday of those months.. ..Mr. Morton con
cluded his remarks on Louisiana affairs. Tie re
viewed the argument of the Senator from Wiscon
sin (Carpenter), and contended that the Kellogg
Government was the legal government of the
Mate, the President and the other House of Con
press having recosrnized it. The recognition of
that government by the President was in pur
suance of law. The proposition to set aside the
State Government of Louisiana and order a new
election was one of the gravest character. It
could not be done without setting aside a portion
of the Constitution of Louisiana. If Congress
should order a new election nor, the
Constitution of Louisiana would require another
one for members of the Lcrrislatnre next N'overa
ber. After Mr. Morion concluded the debate was
further participated in by Messrs. Frehnahuysen,
Carnentcr and Stewart The House Joint resolu
tion for a special conrt of inquiry In the case of
General O O. Howard was adopted, witn a vernal
amendment The Bankruptcy bill was taken up
and considered. ...Adjourned.
House. Several bills -were introduced,
among which were to amend the Bankrupt law;
for a board of army officers as Indian Peace Com
missioners; prohibiting Territorial Legislatures
from authorizing towns or counties to issue bonds
in aid of railways. ...After more discnsslon a
joint resolution was adopted providing for
the appointment of a Select Committee
to investigate the affairs of the District
of Columbia Government. The Speaker ap
ix)inted as such committee Messrs. Wilson, of In
diana; llalc. of New York; Hnhbell, of Michigan
Clvmcr. of Pennsylvania, and JewetU of Ohio.
Articles of impeachment airalnst Kiehard Busteed,
United States Judire of Alabama, were presented.
ordered printed, and referred to the Judiciary
Committee. ...A b.U was passed providing
that medals, with appropriate devices, em
blems and inscriptions, shall be prepared
at the l'hlladelnliia mint to comniemo
rate the one hundredth anniversary of the meeting
of the Continental Coneress and of the Declara
tion of Independence K joiut resolution was
adopted providing that in all cases under the
Civil Service examinations for Government posi
tions, when a disabled soldier, his wife or the
widow of a soldier who died of wounds or disabil
ity contracted in the service shall pass examina
tion at the required standard fixed by rnles, such
person shall have precedence to appointments
Adjourned.
Tuesday, February 3. Senate. A peti
tion of the colored citizens of Atlanta and a resoltt
tion of the Georgia Legislature were presented de
nying the statement in A. H. Stephens'
speech that the colored people of Georgia
did not desire the passage or tne civil
Rights bill A resolution of the Grand
Army of the Rrpublic was presented askiug
an equalization of bounties The bill providing
for ihe arming and equipping of the whole body
of the militia of the United States was reported
unfavorably from the CommiKee on Military Af
fairs.... A monjr the bills introduced were the fol
lowing: For the redemption and reissue of L nitcd
States legal tenders and National Bank notes, and
for free banking; to establish a Bureau of Health
at Washington, under the direction of the Interior
Department The Bankrnpt bill was further con
sidered, and several amendments were disposed or.
..Adjourned.
ITmiAti. A bill was nassed Tjroviuinff
that the law which limits contracts in the Postofflce
Department to one year shall net apply to mail
locks and kevs. mail bags, stamped envelopes,
postal cards, or newspaper wrappers.... The Army
Appropriation bill was considered in Com
mittee of the W hole, and au amendment was
asrreed to providing that no money appropriat
ed by it should be paid for recruiting the army be
yond sTlUOJ enlisted men. . . .A resolution was re
ported from the Election Committee to the effect
that uodL'es. or Arkansas, nau a prima jucit ngui
to the seat. . . .Adjourned.
Wednesday, February 4. Senate. A
resolution was introduced and referred providing
for the payment to Ray and McMillan, of Louis
iana, of their full comnensation as Senators of the
United states from the time they were elected to
March 3, 187a The hill to secure the equalizauon
of national bank circulation was taken up and de
bated Consideration of the Bankrnpt bill was
resumed and amendments were debated.... Ad
journed.
Ilouxe. The resolution declaring that
Asa Hodcres is entitled, vrima facie, lo a seat as a
Representative from Arkansas was adopted, and
Mr. H. too'K the modified oath as a member from
the First District.... The Army Appropriation bill
was taken no in Committee of the Whole,
and amendments were adopted providing
that only actual traveling expenses, never
to exceed ten cents per mile, shall be allowed to
any person whatever in the service of the United
States, and declaring llleeal all allowances for
mileage and transportation in excess of
the amount actually paid, and that no
part of the money appropriated by this act
shall be paid to any railway company for the trans
portation of any property or troops of the United
States over any railway which in whole or in part
was constructed bvaidor the grantor puhiic lands
on the condition that such railway should be
a public highway for the nee of the Govern
ment of the United Slates, free of toll or
other charge for snch transportation, nor shall
any allowance be made out of any money appro
priated by this act tor tne transporiauon
nf nfficrra of the army over any such road when
on duty and under orders as military ofli-
cere of the United States Messrs. E H. Roberts
(N. Y.) and Hamilton (N. Y.) were announced by
the Sneaker as members of the Joint Select Com
miltee on the Affairs of the District of Columbia,
in Dlace of Clymer(Pa.) and Hale (. l .), ex
cused An eveninar session was held for the con
sideration of the bill to revise and consolidate the
statutes. .
Thursday, February 5. Senate. The
House joint resolution authorizing the appointment
of a Joint Committee of the Senate and House of
Representatives to investigate the government
of the District of Columbia was passed, and
the Chair subsequently appointed as the Senate
members of such committee Messrs. Coukling.
Bonlwell and Thurman....A bill was introduced
by Mr. Carpenter "to restore the rights of the State
of Louisiana." The bill to facilitate the execu
tion of and to protect certain public works of im
provement at the mouth of the Mississippi River
was taken np and passed yeas 86, nays s. . . .The
Bankrupt bill was taken up, and an amendment
limiting the operations of the 39th section,
as amended and reported by the committee, to
persons owing $3,000 and over was lost veas 20,
uavs -HH. An amendment was offered and debated.
providing that persons who have stopped or sus
pended and not resumed paymem oi int ir coiumer
cial paper shall not be deemed as having com
mitted an act of bankruptcy until after the expira
tion of ninety davs, instead of forty, as in the
original bill.... Adjourned.
House. Kills were passed concerning
practice in the Territorial courts, and appeals
therefrom ; to amend the act of March 3, 1ST3, to
encourage the growth of timber on the Western
prairies.... The bill to incorporate the Colorado
Canal Irrigation and Land Company was reported
adversely from the Committee on Public Lands,
and laid on the table The Army Appropriation
mil was iuriuer consiuercu in ioiumiuee ui ine
Whole.... 1 be bill to revise the statutes was con
sidered at the evening session.
Fridvy, February C. Senate. Bills
were passed in relation to bounties,providing that
ail who enlisted in the army under the proclama
tion of May 3, and previous to August, 1861. be
paid a bounty of $100, providing the same has not
already been paid; Home bill amendaiory of an act
to provide for the removal of Flathead and oi her
Indians iu Montana Territory. ...A bill was in
troduced and referred pioviding that all lands
granted to railroad companies shall be subjected
to State and county tamion....Tbe Bankrupt
bill was taken up and several amendments were
disposed of, among those igreed to being one fix
ing the time at forty dayswithin which any bank
er, broker, merchant, tradesman, manufacturer, or
miner who nas sioppa or suspended and
not resumed paymeit of his commercial
paper sbull not be deemed bankrupt..
The Chair annoanced asa member of the Com
mittee to Investigate inh the Management of the
District of Columbia tJovrnmeut.Mr. Morrill (Me.).
in place of Mr. Conkunt Mr. Morrill rennewie.l
to be, and was subsequatly, excused from serving
on such committee.... iajoumed.
Ilotme. A numbeiof private bills were
reported and acted npoi, after which the nouse
adjourned, the session on he 7th to be for general
debate.
Public Deb Statement.
tie public debt statement
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.
Women's Whisky War Kelentleaaly
Prosecuted Unrond it tonal Surrender
of Mr. Van Pelt, the "Wltkcdttt Man
In Ohio" lie Empties His Stork In
Trade Into the Street, anil Forthwith
Joint the Praying "Band" A Funny
IuriUent The Lurilis Beat a Most
Inglorious Retreat.
The Temperance Revival started some
weeks ago in Greenfield, Ohio, has spread to
many other towns and villages. The success
which has so far attended this campaign is
really wonderful. In some towns every
saloon and groggery has capitulated, and in all
the number has been greatly reduced. Those
who still hold out are having their profits
greatly reduced, and are fast losing their cus
tomers. Influenced by the results, praying
bands have been started in Massachusetts,
New York, Illinois and Iudiana, and perhaps
other States.
The reports from some points are very in
teresting. In the town of Vienna the effort
of the piaving women had resulted in the
closing of all the saloons except that of Mr.
Van Pelt, who was forthwith dubbed the
wickedest man in Ohio. He said he would
never give up the traffic, but on the 4th of
February he capitulated. On that day he sent
a printed circular to the citizens of Vienna,
iucludiug the ladies who had persecuted him
with their pravers and entreaties, inviting
them to assemble iu front of his place of busi
uess at two p. m. At that hour, the church
bells w ere rung, and iu a few minutes an im
mense crowd was assembled iu
front of the saloon where so
many prayers had beeu offered. After
singing and prayer by the ladies, Van Pelt
came to the door and said he was ready to
give up his entire stock iu trade for the good
of the cause of Temperance. Jn a few words,
full of emotion, he expressed his determina
tion to make a full surrender, not because of
law or of force, but he said he yielded to the
simple labors of love ou the part of the women,
He then rolled out two barrels and one keg
filled with whisky, and, taking an ax, knocked
the heads out of the barrels aud the bung out
of the keg and emptied their contents into the
gutter. Then followed prayer and thanksgiv
inz. Iu the evening a temperance meeting
w as held, in which Van Pelt took part.
In Washington, Fuyette County, the saloons
are all closed, and all the druggists have
agreed to sell only upon the prescription of a
physician, except one. He has utterly re
fused to capitulate, and 60 the women, as
they were refused entrance into his store and
the weather was so inclement that they could
not conduct their services in the open air,
caused o be erected a wooden and canvas
structure, where they prayed and sang until
the thing became a nuisance to the druggist.
He commenced a suit against the ladies, and
secured an injunction forbidding the continu
ance of the prayers and entreaties in front of
his place of business, and directing the re
moval of the structure. So he is only an ob
ject of prayerful attention outside his own
premises for the present.
In some of the saloons very funny incidents
occur in spite of the solemn surroundings.
The ladies visited the saloon of a burly Ger
man, who was determined that be would 6tand
no more of what he denominated the praying
nuisance, so ne roiiea a Keg oi Deer into tne
middle of the praying circle and started the
bung. The beer flew over the crowd and filled
their eyes and cars, rendered their feathers
limp and their silks nasty, and they were glad
to beat a hasty retreat, feeling very moist and
uncomfortable.
Gad's Hill, a little platform station on the
prairies, one hundred and twenty miles from
St. Louis, a little before five o'clock in the
afternoon. The train consisted of the mail
car, two coaches and a sleeping car, and had
on board about twenty-five passengers, bound
for Little Rock, Hot Springs, aud other places
in Arkansas. On neariug the place the con
ductor discovered several people on the plat
form, and one of them waved a red flag. This
is a signal of danger ahead, and is so under
stood by all railroad men. The train slacked
np, and the switch was so turned that the
train wa3 run upon a side track, while
the switch at the other end was also turned
so that the train was cut off from all
connection with the main track. This gave
those on board the train a chance to look
about them and take in the exact condition of
things. A number of persons were on the
platform under guard, and it was soon as
certained that all the residents of the place,
including the little boys and girls, had beeu
captured. It seemed that the place was in
possession of five desperadoes, armed with
revolvers and double-barreled shot-guns.
As soon as possible the conductor jumped
from the train, and a man thoroughly masked
advanced and stuck a pistol in his face aud
Ehouted. "Stand still, or I'll blow the top of
your head off." Atthe same time he yelled out,
"If a 6hot is fired out of the car, I will kill the
couductor." The eugiueer, fireman aud con
ductor were placed upon the platform and
told .to stand still or they would be shot.
Then the express messenger and the mail
agent were placed there, the whole being
guarded by a ruffian who stood over them
with a double barreled shot-guu. Two of the
robbers then vvcut through the express safe,
and then the registered letters were overhauled,
aud everything of value iu both taken. They
then started through the train and sj-stcmatie-
ally iobbed the passengers. The amouut of
money thns obtaiued was something over
$3,000, besides several watches, pistols and
overcoats. The baggage of the passengers was
not disturbed. After they had finished they
told the couductor that he could go on with
his train. They then strolled off to their
horses, and before the train got fairly under
way were seen leisurely trotting their horses
southward. One of them, wheu robbiug the
express messenger, entered on the book,
"Robbed at Gad's Hill," and remarked that
he had made a similar eutry in an express
book before. It was evident that they were
used to the business. The question that in
terests people who travel in that section of
the couutry is, "How long is that sort of
'business' to be allowed to continue?"
vailed of that simple knowledge which
should have existed on this subject such
a thing would have been impossible, no
matter what the political exigencies or
arrangements were. 2opular Science
Monthly.
The Wonders of Astronomy m IlliiS'
trated in the Star lK-ptlis.
THE 5IAUKETS.
The following is
February 1 :
Six per cent, bonds
Five per cent.
A BROKEN RAIL.
Train Ur.(ktil on the Northwestern
IltlroBt-Mi Cars Thrown Oft an
Kmbonkmoit and Burned Forty
Person Seriously Injured, hut Xo
Lives Lost Total Destruction ot Their
Baggage.
On the morning of the 5th of February the
Green Bay night express, due in Chicago at
6:45 a. m., came thundering along at the rate
of forty miles an hour, and had reached a
steep embankment a few rods west of Kish
waukee Creek, between Harvard and Wood
stock, Illinois, when the engine struck a broken
rail. The locomotive and tender, followed by
the mail and express car, passed the point in
safety, but the baggage car was thrown from
the track, and was followed by a second-
class car, three passenger coaches and a Pull
man sleeper, and before it was possible for any
one of the passengers to realize what had oc
curred, the whole were tumbling pell-mell
down the precipitous steep, and only came to
a full stop when they reached the bottom,
which was fully thirty feet below the main
track. Almost simultaneously with the fall
a fire broke out, caused by the overturning of
the 6tove in the baggage car, whleh lit up the
scene and added to the horrors of the calam
ity.
The passengers quickly recovered from the
almost paralj-zing effects of the accident, and
set about releasing such of their fellow-travel
ers as were yet confined in tne aorts, wun
such success that within ten minutes of the
time of the accident every living person was
conveyed to a place of safety. The train and
everything inanimate it held, except that por
tion which safely passed the obstruction, were
utterly consumed, and in half an hour there
was nothing left but a confused mass of iron
wheels and twisted rods.
About forty of the passengers were more or
less injured, some of them seriously, but none
it is thought fatally.. The baggage was en
tirely consumed, the position of the car being
such that no efforts could be made to f eeure
it. Iu the baggage car was the corpse of a
lady en route from Appleton, Wis., to Canada,
which with everything else was burned
ashes.
It was a miracle that an accident involving
such extraordinary risk resulted in so com
paratively few serious cases. Had the passen
gers been as numerous as on ordinary oc
casions, or had tlie accident nappenea ai an
earlier hour in the night, the result could not
have failed of being infinitely more disastrous
The loss to the Company is about $40,B0,
without counting the moneys paid to passen
srers lor tne destruction or baggage ana
damages for personal injuries.
extra.
Wheat
2, 52! J
2, 70
NEW YORK.
February 7, 1374.
Cotton. Middling upland, 15Vil!?ic.
Live Stock. Beef Cattle $9. 73&12.50. Hogs-
Live, $6.i5tjr.50; Dressed, $7.C037.33. Sheep
Live, J6.60S8.0J.
Bkeadstitpfs. Flour Good to choice, f'i.70 3
7.00; white wheat extra, $7.0fS.8) Wheat No.
2 Chicago, fl.54Sl.57; Iowa spring, 1.5331.55;
No. 2 Milwaukee spring, $1.571.59. Rye West
ern and State, $1.0S31.10. Barley $2.00.2.25. Corn
Mixed Western afloat, 80&S3c. Oats New
Western, C262'4c.
Phovisions. Pork New Mess, fld.COS 10.13 i
Lard tPg9(4c.
Wool. Common to extra, 4i&0c.
CHICAGO.
Live Stock. Beeves--Choice. $5.C05.40; good.
f4.755.00; medium, $4.25 1.50; butchers
stock, 3.2o4.00; stock cattle, J3.0O34.C0.
Hogs Live, fo.3035.80; Dressed, $6.50a6.00.
Sheep Good to choice, $5.0f5,6.00.
Provisions. Butter Choice, 3357,3iC. Egg;
Fresh, ltt&nc. Pork New Mess, $14.3S3
14.4-j. Lard 99;i c.
Bbeadstutts. Flour White Winter
$6.509.25; spring extra, $tl.00!(6.75.
Spring, No. 2, $1.2031.21. Corn No.
574c. Oats No. Z, 41SJ41HC. Kjp No.
80c Barley No. 2, $1.75t.8.
Wool. Tub-washed, 48J8c; fleece, washed,
305&4SC. ; fleece, unwashed, V334c. ; pulled.
35 -10c.
t-lKCliNiN All.
BREAnsTUTFS. Flour $7.00rTi7.3-. Wheat
$1.50. Corn 60362c. Rye -9ic. Oate 45aa4c.
Darlcy $1.65l.fc0.
Provisions. Pork $15.25315.50. Lard 93
M. LOtlS.
Live Stock. Beeves Fair to choice, $1,503
5.75. Hogs Live, $5.4O6.O0.
BitBADSTrrps. Flour, XX Fall, $6.50(,7.00.
Wheat No. 2 Red Fall. $1.4.1..V). Corn No. 2.
60Glc. Oats No. 2, 40318c. Rye No. 2, So
6fo. Barley $1.751.85.
Provisions. Pork Mess, $15.00315.50. Lard
S29c
M 1 L, W A L. 1. C. Ca.
Breadstcpps. Flonr Spring XX, $6.00(3.? 0.
Wheat-Spring No. 1, $1.5i&L2Ui; No. 8, $1.21
1.24. Corn No. 2, 5757!4C Oats No. 2, 40ia
40'.;c. Rye No. 1, 7778c. Barley No. '-, $1.75
l.tO.
v. ntuir.
Breadstutps. Wheat Extra, $1.623.1. 024.
Corn &Uifi5c . Oats 47S47tfc
TOLEDO.
Breadstuff. Wheat Amber Mich., $1.48
1.48;$ ; No. 2 Red, $1.4147. Corn Mixed, bl!-i
G66ic. Oats No. 1, 474VsC
CLEVELAND.
BREADSTtrFFs. Wheat No. 1 Red, $1.5734.58;
No. 2 Red, $1.471.48. Corn 5S7:5c. Oate 483
50c.
BUFFALO.
Live Stock. Beeves $4.5036.C0.
Live, $5.506.25. Sheep Live, $5.0036. 50.
to
bonds.....
Total coin bonds
lawful money debt.
Matured debt
Legal tender notes...
Certificates of deposit
Fractional currency
Coin certificates
Interest
Total debt
Cash in Treasury :
Coin - .......
Currency .......
Special deposits held forriemption
of certificates of depoe, as pro
vided by law...
Total in Treasury
Debt, less cash ia Treasnrj. . .
Decrease during month
Bonds issued to Pacific BaSrosd
Companies. Interest anhie in
lawful money, principal otstand
ias; Interest accrued and not vet aid...
Interest paid by United Statk.
Interest repaid by transportion of
mails, etc
Balance of interest paid by tilted
States
. fl.SlS.K-J8.lrO
44.tJl,0M)
$1,712,849,200
$14,678.10!)
15. 170.5" 0
381,7!4.029
45.E60.0i)0
47,7!.
45,104.(01
3J,41 5,576
2,293. 170,688
$85,351,309
4,781,203
45,560.000
$135,700,574
$3,157,470,114
$1,S45,211
61.621.512
8.324,117
22,3P6,0yi
4,800,053
17.5S0.G3G
Gf.ology shows that a immense num
ber of species of plantsvhich once grew
on the surface of the eih have entirely
disappeared. It is belired that this dis
appearance is still goin; gradually on.
THE GAD'S HILL OUTRAGE
A Railroad Train in Southern Missouri
Stopped and Plundered The Kipresi
Messenger and t he Passengers Robbed,
and the Mails Rifled The Iowa Out
rage Repeated.
The existence of a band of outlaws, the
peers of those of whom Dick Turpin and
Claude Duval were the acknowledged leaders,
making their theater of operations the States
of Missouri, Iowa and Aikansas, has been
abundantly demonstrated during the last few
months. The circumstances attending their
attack upon the railroad train in Iowa, the
plunder of a country store in Western Mis
souri aud the recent robbery of a stage load of
passengers near Hot Springs, Arkansas, will
be well remembered by intelligent readers.
From a money point of view the first outrage
was the more successful one, although at
tended with the loss of life, and it is not sur
prising, therefore, that the members of this
band have looked upon the many railroad
trains running across the country with covet
ous eyes. The task of capturing an uuguard
ed railroad train is not a difficult one, as a
description of the last attempt in that direc
tion will amply demonstrate.
The Little Rock express left St. Louis, Mo.,
via tha Iron Mountain Kailroad, at five o'clock
on the morning of January 31, and arrived at
"liighjiuuicks" in Sew York.
To give an idea of this ignorance, let
me recall, as nearly as I can, a little eni
sode in tlie investigation: It happened
that the late Judge luting, who had
charge of the investigation on the part of
the Citizens' Association, put on the stand
a young physician, who tes'.ified that the
health officers, or wardens, or inspectors,
were men utterly ignorant of the first
principles relating to the public health
which they were appointed to preserve.
In order to refute this, the head of the
Health Department at the time brought on
the stand, in perfect good faith, several of
these health oiheers. loward the close
of the examination of the first (one) of
these gentlemen. Judge Whiting asked
the question : "Did vou have a case of
small-pox in your ward?" and he an
swered, "Yes, sir."
Judge Whiting "Did you visit the
patient?"
Witness "No, sir."
Judge Whiting "Why not?"
Witness "For the same reason that
you would not; that I was afraid of tak
ing it myself."
Judge Whiting "Did the family have
any care?"
Witness "Yes, sir; they were 'hjgbjin
nicks' (hygenics); they doctored them
selves." As the other witnesses came in Judge
Whiting used this as a sort of test ques
tion as a sort of key to unlock the sys
tem and siiow the utter ignorance that
prevailed in every department of it.
Every witness was asked: "Well, have
you any 'highjinnicks' in your ward?"
Some of the witnesses thought they had,
some thought they had not; some thought
"tney nau them pretty baaiy"; some
thought they had them in some parts of
the ward. At last the Judge asked a wit
ness who had been answering his ques
tion in this way: "Do vou know what
the wcrd 'highjinnicks' means?'' and he
answered: "les, sir, 1 do; it means a
bad smell arising from dirty water." O
course the exhibition was vastly amusing,
but, after all the guffaw was over, a sad
afterthought necessarily came to every
thinking man as to the condition of the
great metropolis which allowed all its
dearest material interests to bo placed in
such hands as this. It may lie said that
this was the result of'a political system,
but it was not. Had there been a tithe of
the instructiorj which should have pre.
Prof. II. A. Proctok has been delivering
a series oi six lectures in New York city.
on astronomy, which have been published
in the New York papers. The fifth lec
ture of the series was on M 1 he Wonders
of the Star Depths," which is said to be
superior in scientific interest and enter
tainment to any of the others. We are
indebted to the Herald for the following
interesting analysis of this lecture:
The lecturer first considered the ques
tion of the seeming calm of the star
depths compared with the real vastness of
the movemenls taking place in them, lie
opened by recalling to the minds of the
audience the gradual change of the
earth's rotation due to the influence of the
tidal wave: but so slight is the effect of
this disturbing cause that 2,000 years
must elapse before n loss equal to three
minutes of terrestrial time will re
sult, ilillions of years must, there
fore, elapse before any perceptible
change takes place from this
cause. The stellar sphere is carried
through space from east to west. Other
motions are perceptible, but they are only
apparent. They are due to the earth's gy
rating like a gigantic top, which causes
an apparent motion in the heavens. The
quietude of tlie stars is only apparent; for,
though they are relatively fixed, they rush
in a tumult through space, and though
the heavens seem at rest they are
the scene of most stupendous activily.
Among the multitude of stars visible, the
distance of some nine or ten only is ap
proximately known, ana indeed "the dis
tance ot one only can be said to be satis
factorily determined, although the prob
lem is of the deepest interest. Tlie change
of oue star in tlie Centaur has been no
ticed, and in order to show the delicacy
of the observation and its difficulty the
lecturer remarked that this star was re
moved from our earth 210,000 times fur
ther than the sun. In order to indicate
the change of position, it would be neces
sary to imagine the minute hand ot a
watch marking the tivo-hundredth part of
a second, and the deviation of the line
drawn to the star to mark its change of
position would be less. Nor is there any
way of measuring the discs of the stars,
as the best telescopes fail to show them
except as points of light in space. Their
distance is measured by light. The star
in the Centaur is 210,000 times further off
than the sun; it shines three times as
brightlv, and is five times the sun's vol
ume, liut there is another star m the
space known as the king of stars. It is
four times as bright as the 6tar in Cen
taur and five times as far away.
ihese lacts would seem to point to the
;istence of a higher order of stars than
our plauets. It was conjectured that
these bodies might have size and light,
but not mass, and were therefore unable
to exercise control in the systems or in
fluence other bodies. But spectroscopic
analyses allow us to ascertain in a most
precise manner that tlie stars are, like our
sun, glowing masses of matter shining
through surrounding envelopes of vapors.
The value of the spectroscopic analysis
is due to it extreme delicacy, and the
strictly scientific and unvarying results
winch it gives in recording the presence
of certain elements in the planets. In
order to make this clear to the audience
spectrums of the sun and of the variable
stars, and the sun spots on the stars were
exhibited, so as to make clear the mode
in which the presence of certain matters
was made evident on the ciiuerent heaven
ly bodies. There were the lines on the
spectrum indicating the presence of
metals common to the earth. These ex
periments were as certain as if the ob
server carried into his laboratory a piece
of the star and subjected it to chemical
examination. The spotted stars were
variable and resembled our sun. The
spectroscope proved the existence in them
of rcetals and other matter in certain
form. The question whether color is in
herent in colored stars or due to the cut
ting off of some color bv the action of
an atmosphere or envelope is full of in
terest. Great di Terence is shown in the
spectrums of these stars blue prevailing
iu some, orange, red and yellow mothers.
It is now generally accepted that color is
not inherent in these bodies, but is due to
the action of their envelopes on the light
passing tbrouch.
A beauliiul diagram ot a stellar group,
supposed to be a cluster of suns, was exhib
ited by Mr.Proctor.presentingto the mind's
eye the vision ot a world without night,
where noontide splendor would exist un
ceasingly, and the skies know no night.
If these worlds were inhabited the dwell
ers would be shut off from all knowledge
of the existence of other worlds. They
would never behold the splendor of the
starry heavens which surround them on
every side, and would have no idea of
space. Passing on to the consideration
of the nebulas, the lecturer produced a
very fine diagram of the nebulie in Orion,
which showed clear evidence of the
dynamical process. The mass of nebuhc
lloattng with a cloarly marked spiral
motion showed that it was not matter
traveling in space, but nebnlaj passing
through matter less dense. In order to
demonstrate the enormous extent of the
nebula: the lecturer reminded the audience
of the immense diameter of even a single
star of the thousands enveloped by the
cloudlike nebula; which spread over
space. lie vie wing rapidly the theories
iibout the milky way and the enorts ot
men like Herschel to lay bare the archi
tecture of the heavens, and illustrating by
diagrams the curious theories built up by
astronomers, the lecturer proceeded to
show in what these theories were detect
ive and opposed to the discoveries made
in late 3'ears. The attraction of the stars
toward some unknown point in space was
explained and illustrated by a diagram
showing the motion and direction "of a
group of stars and marking the progress
they would make in 36,000 years to the
point to which they are tending.
Observations with powertul modern
telescopes have exploded the old theories
about the star system, and showed the
system to be infinitely more wonderful
than it had been imagined. In support of
this statement the lecturer exhibited dia
grams of the star system, as imagined by
astronomers, and a map of the heavens
showing the actual distribution. A sky
map containing 324.000 stars was exhibit
ed which contrasted strangely with tlie
theoretical systems of Herschel and other
astronomers. It is estimated that by
usinsr powerful telescopes 20,000,000 o
stars can be discovered and mapped down.
This will give some idea of the infinity of
the system, which svems to begin nowhere
and end nowhere. The subject of the star
depths is one well calculated to inspire
awe in the thoughtful mind. Mr. Proctor
brought his lecture to a close by relating
the dream of Ilichter, to show the infinite
grandeur of the endless worlds rolling on
ever into eternity.
BY THE DEAD.
BT TELIA TlIAITtR.
O Poverty, till now I never knew
1 he meaning of the word I What lark in here !
O pale niimk of a soul. Rreat. pood aud truf !
O mockius cmblance ulretched upon a biert
Knrh atom nf iIiIm devastated face
Was so inntiiirt with power, with warmth am
lijrht:
What desert is so desolate! "No grace
Is left, no gleam, no chanjje, no day, no night.
Where s the key that locked theie pates of speech
Once beautiful, where thought etoou sentinel.
Where sweetness sat, where wi.-dom passed, to
teach
Our weakuess strength, our homage to compel
Deanoiled at last, and wasle and barren lies
This onco to rich domain. Where lives and
moves.
In what new world, the splendor of these eyes
That dauntless lightened like imperial Jove's f
Annihilated, do yon answer met
Blown out and vanished like a candle flame T
Is nothing left but this pale efttjy.
This silence drear, this dreud without a name?
lias It been all In vain, our love and pride.
This yearning love that s'ill pursues our friend
Into the awful dark, unsatisfied.
Bereft, aud wrung with puiu? Is this tho end?
Would God so mock ns? To onr human sense
No answer reaches Ihrouirh the doubtful air;
Yet with a living hope, profound, intense.
Our tortured souls rebel against despair,
As bowinjr to the bitter f;ile we po
Drooping and dumb as if beueath
But does not pitying Heaven answer
UIi all the voice or me universe?
.Sitnbit-r't Monthly.
. curse ;
''o!M
THE DEVILFISH.
Henry Slattenbery, of DavcnporLlowa,
recently got a piece of gas-pipe, plugged
up one end with a piece of iron, filled the
pipe with powder and touched it off. The
plug blew out and struck the boy in the
head, inflicting a frightful wound, from
the effect of which he died shortly after
wards. Ax Italian musical education, together
with the advantage of a chape-one, costs a
young lady $3,000 a year oa an average.
Victor IIcoo. in his "Toilers of the
Sea," gave an elaborate and painfully in
teresting description of a marine monster
whicti tie mosi appropriately caueu i ne
Devii-Fish. This name is applied to two
varieties of fish, one ol which is lound on
the Atlantic coast. An incident occurred
in the harbor of Charleston, b. C, some
years ago, wnicn iirst orougni tuis nsn
prominently Detore the American puoiic.
A negro who nan ancuoreu nis ooai in
what he thought a luvorable place, and
who was fishing quietly, suddenly felt the
bow of his boat pulled down, and, in
stinctively rushing to the stern to keep
her balanced, roared for help. The creat
ure that had hold of his anchor began to
pull him out to sea. He roared the
louder, and tried to turn the boat, answer
ing to those approaching him, who asked
where he was going, "I dunuo, lor de
debbil has hold of me I"
Either his noise, or the pressure he
brought to bear, caused the fish to turn, so
that it soon ran on the shallows.
Those in the rescuing boats then at
tacked it with boat-hooks, pitchforks, and
whatever other weapons came to hand,
until finally it was killed. It proved to
be a female specimen of the Cejhaloptera
vampirv, or ocean vampire, also called
the sea-devil. It nearly covered the lloor
of the small room in which it was exhib
ited, measuring nine feet across and hav
ing the form of a triangle, with one long
curved side. In the middle of this long
curve was the mouth, and on each side of
the mouth an arm as long as a man's and
about four times as thick. These were
evidently intended to convey food to its
mouth, and it must have been with these
that it caught and held the negro's
anchor.
Some years ago a "school" of them ap
peared off Cape May. The neighboring
fishermen became quite excited, and went
after them in a schooner. They harpoon
ed and captured some twenty of them.
The largest one they caught which, how
ever, they declared was not the largest
one thev saw measured filteen feet in
width by twelve feet in length, and weigh
ed two thousand and foriy-four pounds
when disemboweled.
Mr. T. R. Peale, of Philadelphia, saw
and bought this specimen for two hun
dred dollars.
No door-wav could be found large
enough to let It in except that of Inde
pendence Hall, and this huge offering ol
American seas lay there in patriotic state,
surrounded by wondering groups.
Chemistry, however, soon began to
make its transformations patent to sur
rounding noses.
Mr. Peale, therefore, made a careful
drawing of the fish, and then a frame re
sembling it as much as possible, on which
to stretch the skin. It took him all of
one night to skin it, and three carts were
kept busy until dawn in carrying away
the flesh.
The devil-fish of Victor Hugo beloners
to a different class. It is a Cephalopoda,
or head-footed, because the feet, or rather
arms, spring directly from the head.
Most of them have a horny beak like
that of a parrot, except that the under
part is longer instead of the upper. One
of these has been preserved, which is four
and a half inches iu length. The muscles
in which the jaws are embedded, and by
which they are worked, are extremely
powerful.
Mr. Beale, an Englishman, who had
cone ashore on one of the Donin Islands
to look for shells, noticed suddenly at his
feet an extraordinary-looking animal
crawling toward the surf, which it had
evidently only just left. It was creeping
on its eicrht lens, which, from their soft
and flexible nature, bent considerably
unuer me weigm oi us uouy, so mat
wa3 lifted by its efforts but little above
the rocks. It appeared much alarmed at
seeing him, and made every effort to es
cape. Mr. lieale endeavored to stop it by
pressing on one of its legs with his foot;
but, although he used considerable force
for that purpose, its strength was so great
that it several times liberated its JiniD in
spite of all the efforts he could employ on
the wet and slippery rocks. He then laid
hold, with his hand, of one of the tenta
cles in which its limbs terminated, and
held it firmly, so that it appeared as if the
limb would be torn asunder by the united
efforts of himself and the creature. He
then gave it a powerful jerk,
wishinsr to disengage it from the rocks
to which it clung so forcibly by
its suckers. This effort it effectually
resisted ; but the moment after, the ap
parently enraged animal lifted its head,
with its lanre protecting eyes, and, loos
ening Its hold upon the rock, suddenly
sprang upon Mr. Beale's arm, and clung
to it by means of its suckers with great
power, endeavoring to get its beak, which
could now be seen between the roots of
its arms, in a position to bite. A sensa
tion of horror pervaded Mr. Beale's
whole frame when he found that this
hideous animal had fixed itself so firmly
onhi3arm. Its cold, slimy grasp was
extremely sickening; and he called loud
ly to the captain, who was at some dis-
. a a t T
tance, to come ana release nim irom jus
disgusting assailant.
The captain quickly came, and, taking
him down to the boat, during which time
Mr. Beale was employed in keeping the
beak ot the octopus away from his hand,
soon released him by destroying his tor
mentor with the boat-knife, which he ac
complished by cutting away portions at a
time.
Let us now see how large these formid
able creatures sometimes grow. A re
cent writer (October 2-5. 18731 says that
the Italian fishermen of San Francisco,
who frequent the Farallone Islands, and
go down the coast, not unfrequently take
these devil-fish from eight to ten feet
across; and, some months ago, he saw
one hanging at a door that measured at
least nine feet from tip to tip of the ten
tacles. In ISoo, Captain Hygrom brought
to Copenhagen, from the Bahama Islands,
one of these fish eighteen feet long.
Pliny speaks of one that infested the
coast of Spain, devour ing the fish and de
stroying the fisheries. It weighed seven
hundred pounds, and its arms were more
than thirty feet long, bwedianer report
that some whalers took out of the mouth
of a whale pieces of a cuttle fish that were
twenty-five let t long.
A male of a whaling vessel states that
there were enormous squids in the equa
torial seas that furnished food to tho
sperm-whales, and that he had on one oc
casion seen an arm of one, thirty feet
long, sticking in tho mouth of a whale
that seemed sick. He said he had often
seen floating pieces of their arms
as thick through as a Hour
barrel. This latter statement is corrob
orated by Mr. T. II. Peale, Captain Francis
Post anil Captain E. E. Smith. Another
witness, whose name is not given, is quot
ed as having seen a piece forty leet long.
The suckers on these large arms are said,
by two witnesses, to be two leet across.
A large sperm-whale has an under jaw
some eighteen feet long, thickly set with
strong teeth. He dives down.it steins,
and bites oil" the arms of these huge devil
fish, and devours them. A writer in the
Naturalist of February, 1ST3, says: "It
is a prevalent opinion among seamen that
the largest being that swims is a colossal
squid or i uttle-tish." So here we come at
last to that old, tough story of Bishop
Pontoppidan that has long been looked
upon as the greatest "fish-story" extant.
Briefly given, it is this:
The Norwegian fishermen sometimes
find unexpected shallowB when a short
distance out at sea, tho depth suddenly
diminishing from one hundred fathoms
to twenty or thirty. Then they know
that the kiker is rising, and they im
mediatelyretreat. II is back first appears,
looking 'like a number of small
islands. His arms rise above the
surface like the maits of a vessel, and
are said to have power to grasp
the largest man-of-war and pull it to
the bottom. Pontoppidan's time was from
loyy to lido, and Norwegian men-of-war.
in those days, were not as large as ours.
If we allow the longest piece said to be
bitten off by tlie sperm-whale (forty feel)
to be two-thirds of tlie arm, this would
give arms sixty feet long; and such arms,
on such a monster, might well be formid
able to a small vessel.
In a recent number of Nature (June 5.
1373), the following extract gives a very-
curious proof of the possibility of 6ueh an
attack: "A recent copy of tlie Japan
Gazette states that a huge cephalopod is
now shown in a bouse near the temple at
Asaka, Yeddo. It seems that a fishing
boat was seized by its tentacles, while off
the village of Kononoto, and that the
boatmen killed the creature by repented
blows. Its body was sixteen "feet long."
Since the above was written, a curious
confirmation of these facts and possibili
ties has occurred quite near to us iu fact,
almost upon our own coast.
Ihe Kev. M. Harvey, of New foundland,
n a recent communication, says:
"A few days ago (October 2b, lSi.l). two
of our fishermen were out, in a small boat,
in Conception Bay, near Portugal Cove,
when they saw a dark, shapeless mass
floating on the water.
"On approaching, the men concluded it
was a huge bale of goods perhaps part
of the cargo of some wrecked vessel
and that they had found a valuable
prize. One of them struck the ob
ject with his boat-hook, when sud
denly the dark heap became animated,
opened out like a huge umbrella without
a handle, and the horror stricken fisher
men beheld a pair of green eyes, lull of
intelligence, but also ot lerocity, glaring
at them, w hile ils huge, parrot-like beak
opened with savage and malignant pur
pose. The men were petrified with ter
ror, and, for a moment, so fascinated
with the horrible sight that they were
powerless.
Ihe eyes ot the monster were pecul
iarly large and prominent, bright, and
apparently gleaming with rage. Before
the fishermen could make any attempt to
escape, the creature, now but a few feet
rom the boat, appeared to open out, and
suddenly there shot out from around its
face several long arms ot corpse-like
fleshiness. Had these lithe, slimy arms,
with their death like adhesive powers,
once fastened themselves on the boat or
the men, nothing could have saved them
rom destruction; lor, when the suckers
with which they are furnished have taken
hold, nothing can tear them away. They
would have been brought in a moment
within reach of the powerful beak which
was reaJy to dart upon them.
' Only one ot the longer arms reached
the boat. and. owini? to its lenirth. went
r i i"von(l il Onlek
as lightning, one ot the men seized a
hatchet, and, at one blow, severed the
corpse-like arm which ras flung over the
boat to drag it to destruction.
"The green-eyed monsler uttered no
cry of pain, but moved oil; and
the fishermen, who had thus es
caped a horrible death, found them
selves in possession of the amputated
arm, which has been forwarded from St.
John's. I have just returned from a care
ful examination ol it. It measures nine
teen feet in length, and, as the fishermen
say the devil-fish must have at least ten
feet of this arm remaining, the entire
length must have been twenty-nine feet.
It is tough and fibrus, livid in color, and
pointed at the extremity, where it is cov
ered with rows of suckers, which are car
tilaginous, horny, and about the size of a
quarter of a dollar. These suckers act
on the principle of a cupping-glass. Each
of them consists of a firm, fleshy, cartil
aginous ring, across which a disk of mus
cular membrane is stretched, with a cir
cular aperture in the center. A cone
febaped mass of flesh fills this aperture,
like a piston, capable of being drawn
backward. The membranous disk can
also be drawn in. The moment one of
these disks touches the prey, the devil
fish retracts the fleshy piston, which
creates a vacuum, and makes the edge of
the disk press against tlie surface, so that
it is impossible to tear them away with
out destroying the arm."
Mr. Alexander'Murray, the geologist of
Newfoundland, in a letter to Professor
Jules Marcou, dated November 10, 1873,
and read before the Boston Society
of Natural History, November 19, lb73,
corroborates substantially this account,
adding that the name of the fisherman
who cut off the monster's arm was The
ophilus Picot, and that the animal was
seen off the eastern end of Great Belle
Island, in Conception Bay. He says: "A
part of this tentacle I hve now in my
possession, immersed inspirits. I send
you with this letter a couple of photo
graphs of the said tentacle, and a lew of
the small, denticulated sucking-cups.
Picot saj"8: 'The body of the animal was
about sixty feet long, its general diameter
not less than five feet, and the breadth of
iu tail at least ten feet. He stated that
when the creature found itself mutilated
it made off.backward, or tail first, after
the manner of squids, darkening the
water over a large space with inky emis
sions. Tlie enormous proportions given
above might appear to be exaggerations
were they not to a great extent borne out
by the fragment of the animal which was
secured, and of which the photograph
will give you a fair idea. The beak, or
bill, Picot says, was about as large as a
six-gallon keg." Appletont' Journal. .
Ax excellent cement, we read, may be
made from rice flour. It is oalylieces.-ary
to mix the rice flour intimately with cold
water and centlv simmer it over a fire.
when it readily forms a delicate and dura
ble cement. When made of the consist
ence of plaster, models, busts, relievos,
etc., may be formed from it.
Axothkr deadly weapon is added to
the list of those with which assassinations
are committed, and a sand-club is now
made the rutins of letting oat the sand?
of life.