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THE RED CLOUD CHIEF, EMMY, FEBRUARY 26 1897.
M
w
WAS AN AWFUL NIGHT
EXPERIENCE OF A TRAVELED
IN A CAR OF BANANAS.
FrirmitnlAH Criwll ArroM III race
He Wm IIKtrn Oner, anil Twice llc
(omr Itarouirlnui llrnllli Atniot
Shattered A llorrlbln I'redUiimrnt.
CCUI'YINQ n state
room In a I'ullinnn
cnr on the south
bound Missouri I'n
clflc limited last
night were two pas
son gcrs who at
tracted the sympa
thetic attention of
tho trainmen and
their fellow-passen
gers, saya a rorre
ipondont of tho St. Imls Globo-Demo-:r,at.
Tho lady hud evidently not yet
reached tho ago of two-score yenrs, and
was strikingly beautiful, while her
companion, upon whom nhe lavished
a wlfo's tender devotion, might have
been cither HO or 60 years old, If one
were to Judge from his face, upon
which were mingled Indications of
youth nnd oxtrcmo ago that were at
once perplexing nnd mystifying. His
eyes wore large, dark and lustrous, hla
complexion clear, though deadly pale.
Sharp lines disfigured his otherwise at
tractive features, and there was a
quick, nervous movoment of head nnd
hands that suggested palsy. Thoso
who were permitted to hear this man's
'Strange story censed to wonder that
his countenance was furrowed as by
age, nnd marveled that ho lived to re
late his horrible experience. Ills namo
is Jnmcs Payne, nnd ho Is n resident of
Parkersburg, W. Va., where his fnmlly
is well-to-do and highly respected. Two
months ngo he started for the Pnclflo
roast, Intending to investigate tho bus),
ncss opportunities of thnt region, with
a view of getting married and locating
there. Ho purchased n ticket for
Beattlo nnd, being well supplied with
money, anticipated an cnjoyablo trip
and a. speedy return to his sweetheart.
On tho train betweenn Green River and
Pocntdlo his pockets were picked and
money, ticket nnd everything stolen.
He was even unable to telegraph home
for money, having no money, and de
termined to make his way through by
the box-car route. On the second night
of his stay In Pocntello a west-bound
special pulled In, Jn which were several
fruit cars. Congratulating himself thnt
he might now speedily rench his des
tination, he climbed Into one of theso
cars through nn open end door and
prepnrcd to mako himself as comfort
able as possible. He had scarcoly con
eealed himself when tho door, which
It nppearcd had been broken open
by tramps, was closed and scnled, but
this did not at tho time occasion nny
serious alarm on his pnrt. The car
proved to have been loaded with ba
nanas, to some of which ho was glad
to help himself, being very hungry,
nnd arguing that it was no crlmo for
a man In his predicament. He then
composed himself to sleep. These fruit
epeclnls generally run under a sixty
mile order, nH this ono proved to bo
doing, and when the passenger nwoko
with a start a fow hours later it was
to And himself In Egyptian darkness,
with the train flying along with ter
rific speed. Ho had been nrouscd from
his sleep by something having a Boft,
velvety touch creeping stealthily
across hla face, and struck a mntch to
soo what had disturbed him. To his
horror ho saw several largo tarantulas,
wmen, in his excited imagination, as
sumed tho proportions of ordinary
land turtles. Stnrtlcd by the light,
they scurried away while his blood ran
cold nnd his limbs were almost para
lyzed as tho flickering match died out
and ho realized tho' position In" which
be was placed.
Young Pnyno did not dnrc to strike
another match, even If his trembling
hands would havo performed thnt ser
vice, but he know that ho wns In tho
most Imralnont peril of hla life. To
leap from tho door of tho car meant
certain death and tho probability of
hla fato remaining forever n mystery
to the loved ones at homo. Whllo
these thoughts dnrtcd through his
mind a cold, hairy substance dashed
itself in his face, and, thinking his
time had come, he fainted.
How long he lay unconscious he does
not know, but when ho came again to
life It was broad daylight nnd tho
train still speeding llko the wind. Ho
tried yio door and almost fainted
when ho found that It was fustoned nnd
that ho was doomed to Buffer hours
longer the prospect of an attack nt nny
Instant from tho hideous creatures
-whose character he knew bo well. Tho
struggling rays thnt ponotrnted tho
cracks of the door enabled htm to seo
dimly tho objects about him, and tho
cold perspiration broke out on his fore
head as ho recognized his visitors of
the night beforo nnd .saw that their
number had been trobled. He looked
about for a loose board and found u
bmnll one, but know if ho attacked tho
tarantulas they would leap at him and
that he could not ward them off. His
apprehension was increased when ho
Fnw that they had engaged In one of
thoso fenrful and deadly combats
among themsolvea for which they arn
so well known In tho south, and by
which they furnish to the natives about
the samo class of amusement ns tbo
horse race and tho bull light.
For hours ho sat there, facing thoso
dreadful creatures, which neither ad
vanced nor rotreatod. Then night
canio on, and again ho was mercifully
rendered unconscious.
When noxt ho know what was going
on nbout him ho was on a cot In a
hospital In Portland. Ho hnd been
there a month and hud gone through
a well-nigh fatal attack of brain fever.
Meantime tte authorities, having dis
ip 55i
covered his Identity from his dc Irlons
talk, hnd telegraphed to his people,
nnd the young woman he wan to marry
hastened to hlB lKHlslde. Ho hnd not
been found until the ear wns opened
nt Its destination, when he wns un
conscious nnd raving llko a maniac. A
.mark on 1Mb forehead indicated that
rhc had In reality been bitten by a
tarantula, probably when ho fainted
the second time. As soon as he was
able to travel he started for homo by
easy stages, first having married tho
hnndgonic nnd devoted woman who
had Joined him under such peculiar
circumstances. His physician says
thnt ho will In time recover his health
nnd strength, although ho will never
get over the effects of his awful en
counter with the terrible tnrantulns
In the blackness of the banana car
and will never look nt a cluster of that
fruit again without a shudder.
OSTRICH HUNTING.
Profitable tiport That I Milking the
ItinU Nriirro.
An ostrich cIiobc Is very attractlvo
sport or rather tho sale of booty Is so
great ns to attract hunters, says' Paris
Illiistre. The Arabs give themselves
to it with a real pasaton. Mounted on
theli fine little horses they try ns much
as possible to fatigue tho ostrich, for
as It Is eight fret high and hnH very
strong legs it possesses a quickness of
movement which tho best horse cannot
attain. It has great endurance. Over
taken by the hunter, It seeks to defend
itself with its feet and wlngB, but more
often it still strives to cseapo by flight,
uttering n plaintive cry. In fnct, the
ostrich Is deprived of tho power of
flight by reason of Its great size. The
muscular force with which nature has
endowed It Is not equal to lifting such
a weight. Its peculiar organization
hns mnde It the courier of tho desert,
where It is nble to quickly traverse tho
nlmost limitless expanse. The Arab
knows very well thnt It Is the habit of
the ostrich to make great detours about
Its nest In a circle. Ho chases It then
without ceasing until it Is nlmost there,
when, worn out, it succumbs, conceal
ing Its head in the sand in order not
to seo its enemy, or Instinctively hop
ing to escape a danger which It cannot
see nny more. This chase requires
eight or ten hours, but It offors large
rewards. The plumes nre worth a con
siderable Bum, tho skin makes good
lenther and tho Arabs nre very fond
of tho flesh. Hcaldcn. In spite of the
fact that It reproduces Its species rap
Idly, the ostrich Is all the time becom
ing rnrer, and It Is hunted for export
nnd domestication In other countries.
It is ono of Africa's greatest resourcea
and may become a new source of pros
perity to Algcrlnns if they nre willing
to make the effort. The truth of the
popular saying, "the stomach of nn
ostrich," hnB been confirmed recently
by nn autopsy on one, doubtless for a
time captive, when the following wns
found in its stomach: A parasol handle,
two keys, two great pieces of coal,
a glove, a handkerchief, n pair of eye
glasses, a ring, n comb, threo large
rocks, the necks of two beer bottles,
the solo of n shoe, a bell nnd a little
harmonica.
I-oiiRfcUly or lllnli.
An eagle died nt Vienna at tho ngo
of 103 years. According to Buffon tho
llfo of the crow Is 108 years, nnd no
observation authorises ub to attribute
to It, with Hcslod, 1,000 years. A
paroquet, brought to Florenco In 1633
by tho Princess Provero d'Urbln, when
she went there to esponsc tho Grand
Duke Ferdinand, was then nt leaBt
twenty years old, and lived nearly 100
more. A nnturnllat whose testimony
cannot bo doubted, Wllloughby, hnd
certain pi oof thnt n goose lived a cen
tury, and BuJTon did not hesitate to
conclude that tho swan's life Is longer
yet: somo authors give It two and oven
three centuries. Mnllorton possessed
the Bkeleton of a Bwan thnt had lived
307 years.
WORTH READING.
A Los Angeles (cnl.) Jury recently
refused to deliver Its verdict until Its
fees were pnld.
New York's appropriation for free
libraries Imb been Increased this year
from $63,000. to $06,000.
Peppermint lozenges are being sup
plnnted throughout Scotland by choco
lato drops filled with whisky.
The strongest fortress in European
Russia Is Croustndt. It Is tho Russian
naval depot of tho Baltic sea.
The number of convicts In tho Mary
land penitentiaries hns Increased 20
per cent In tho last three years.
Ono steamer tho .Mongolian car
ried 120.000 geese nnd turkeys from
Canada to Liverpool Just beforo Christ
mas. Thoy make their own bicycles In
Japan now and call them JIu-ten-sha,
which menus, literally, man-wheel-veblcle.
It is said that one of tho colored
kings of Borneo has Just placed nn or
der in this country for a fourtecn-lnch
searchlight.
A plan proposed for marking Queen
Victoria's longest reign on record is
for every little community to establish
a garden, park or playground in her
honor.
Tho Countess Do show me the cor
onet! Tho Earl My dear, I'll show
you tho ticket for tho coronet. It was
hypothecated to pny for tho engage
ment rlng.Puck.
Ono Urltlsh writer spent $1,000 in
advertising his book, nnd never sold n
copy. Another spent $50 in calling at
tention to n little $1 book, and sold
80,000 copies within a year.
Tbcro aro said to bo In Michigan
white cedar shingles now doing good
service on roofs In that stnto that havo
been in full exposuro and wear for over
seventy-five years.
THE QUEEN AS AN IDOL.
Ilrltluli rrolrrlliin Jlotil to II llto
Power In Thibet.
In nddltlon to being Queen of Eux
lnnd and Empress of India, It nppeara
that Her majesty Is u goddess. An
Englishman named Stuart Majorl
banks hns recently returned from a five
yent8' sojourn In Thibet nnd Bengal,
and ho Is the authority for the follow
ing remarkable story. When ho was
Journeying In Thibet In 1893, Mr. MaJ
orlbanka says thnt he heard through
tho natives of a white goddess worship
ped by a sect whose place of habita
tion wns In the most mountnlnous sec
tion of thnt rugged country. With two
guides and a native servant, Mr. MaJ
oribanks started for tho mountains
that hnd been described to him, and,
on reaching them, found that he was
tho flrst white man known to have
made Ills wny to this Bpot. The treat
ment neenrded him by tho members
of tho sect for whom ho had been
searching was amazing. He had been
told thnt he was going to certain
death, nnd thnt no man's hand could
save him. To hla surprise ho was treat
ed as a most welcome visitor. He was
received with profound salaams, nnd
with his escort was nsslgncd quarters
in n nut for tho night. In responso
to his request for Information he was
courteously told that nil ho wished
would be made dear to him In tho
morning. Tho villagers kent their
wonl to the letter. After tho morning
meal the visitor wns escorted to tho
houso of the principal official of tho
town, who li termed the Khan. Two
priests nppeu. -d by order of the Khan,
nnd conducted Mr. Mnjorlbnnks to a
building located on the crown of n high
hill. Entering, the traveler found him
self in n dimly lighted apartment furn
ished with nil tho evidences of n bar
baric religion. But the most nmnzlng
thing of all was that, seated In a del
Icatcly carved chair wns the figure of
a woman, wearing u golden crown, ap
parently attired In European costume,
nnd looking not unlike n specimen from
Mme. Tussaud's. Closer Inspection,
necessarily of n very respectful nature,
disclosed the fact that the figure was
Intended to bo a representation of
Queen VIctorln. Careful scrutiny
showed that the Imitation, so far as the
clothing was concerned, was very crude
Indeed, but the likeness of the face
to the orlglnul wns startling in its
faithfulness. After leaving the temple,
Mr. Mnjorlbnnks hnd another Inter
view with tho Khan, and from him
learned how the Queen of England
came to bo the goddess of a henthon
tribe. It seems thnt a few years ago
the tribe wnn borely beset by enemies,
nnd a deputation was Bent from tho vil
lage to Calcutta to appeal to tho Eng
lish government to Interfere und cause
the Indian marauders to remain at
home. The mission was entirely suc
cessful. When tho Thibetans returned
from Calcutta, one of tho men hnd se
cured a photograph of Queen Victoria,
and apparently out of gratitude, ns
good an Imitation as It wns possible for
them to construct of the Great White
Queen wns fashioned, placed in the
temple, nnd worshipped as the chief of
all the tribe's gods.
WIDOWS IN WASHINGTON.
(littliorliiK (Iruunil Upon Which Itlcb
Krllutu Meet and Hcheme.
Especially Is It a great place for rich
wldowH with daughters that pecullur
typo of American women who, as soon
na pntcr-famillaa Is comfortably tucked
nwny under tho sod, fly to Europe,
spend years wandering ubout like so
cial Bedouins, then aro seized with a
romnntic form of homesickness, says
tho Illustrated American. But thoy
can't stand Porkopolls and Knlamazoo
and West Jersey nftcr Paris and Lon
don and Vienna, and Washington af
fords a convenient Btop-gap. It Is
American In location, European In hab
its and, to a degree, in personnel. So
they como here, buy a lino house, get
In with the diplomatic corps and tho
thing Is done. And Washington, which
professes n lofty scorn for trade nnd
ruthlessly shuts the doors of society
In the face of all Washington brokers,
InBtiraneo agents, real estate peoplo.
and, In short, trade In every form, ex
cept banking, welcomes with open
arms the retired trades peoplo from
New York, Chicago nnd nnywhero else
on the fnce of the globe. It reserves
tho right of laughing nt them thnnch.
and nftcr faithfully attending all their
luncheons goes home to roar over
every slip the ambitious host or host
ess has made. This habit is un
doubtedly an nffront to hospitnllty, but
It bus ono saving virtue Washington
mnkeB use of rich people, but It is not
afraid of them.
Her Het-onimrniliitlon.
"I'm really afraid I can't engngc you,
Miss Hyjeo," said tho operatic manager.
"Your voice Is not rcmnrkablo nnd you
will pnrdon mo If I gay that 1 fall to
seo what you rely upon to draw an
audience." "My dear sir," replied she.
"I have tho envlnblo distinction of
nover absolutely never having sung
before Queen Victoria" "Why didn't
you say so before?" cried tho enrap
tured mnnager. "You aro tho very
songstress I havo been looking for
theso mnny years." Pittsburg Chronl.
clc-IIernld.
A Correction.
"This," said tho professor of anat
omy, as ho exhibited a human Jaw
bone. "Is the inferior maxillary."
"t 't- vmir pardon, profeasor," saK
one of the married students, "but didn't
I understand you to say tho skeleton
you hnvc beforo us belonged to a fc
male?"
"I did."
"In that caso, then, them is no Infer
ior maxillary." Washington Times.
If a man sets out to do It, be can wis
any woman that wants htm.
N THE evening of
of March 8 the
president nnd Mrs.
Lincoln gave a pub
lic reception nt the
whlto house, which
I attended. Tho
president stood in the usual
reception room, known us
the blue room with several
cabinet officers near him,
and shook hands cordially with
everybody, aa the vost procession
of men and women passed in front
of him. He was In evening dress
nnd wore a turned-down collar a size
too large. Tho necktie was rather
broad and awkwardly tied. Ho was
more of a Hercules than nn Adonis.
His height of six feet four Inches en
abled him to look over the heads of
most of hla visitors. His form was un
gainly nnd the movements of his long,
angular arms and legs bordered at
times upon the grotesque. His eyes
were gray and disproportionately smnll.
His fucc wore a general expression of
Badness, the deep lines Indicating tho
sense of responsibility which weighed
upon him, but nt times his features
lighted up with n broad smile und there
was n merry twinkle In his eyes as he
greeted an old acquaintance nnd ex
changed a few words with him In n
tone of familiarity. Ho had sprung
from the common people to become one
of the most uncommon of men.
Mrs. Lincoln occupied n position
on his right. For a time she stood on
a line with him nnd took part In the
reception, but afteiwnrd stepped back
and conversed with some of the
wives of the cabinet ofllccrs and other
personnl acquaintances who wcro in
the room.
At nbout 9:30 o'clock a sudden com
motion near the entrnnce to the room
attracted general attention nnd upon
looking In that direction I wns sur
prised to fcc Gen. Grant walking along
modestly with the rest of the crowd
toward Mr. Lincoln. He had arrived
from the west that evening und had
come to the white houso to pay his re
spects to tho president. Ho had been
In Washington but once before, when
ho visited it for a day soon nftcr he
hnd left West Point. Although these
two historical caractera had never met
before, Mr. Lincoln recognized the
general from the pictures he had seen
of him. With a face radiant with de
light he advanced rapidly two or threo
steps toward hla distinguished visitor
and cried out: "Why, here Is Gen.
Grant! Well, this is a great pleasure, I
nssure you," at the same tlmo seizing
him by the hand and shaking it for sev
eral minutes with a vigor which show
ed tho extreme cordiality of the wel
come. The scene now presented was deeply
impressive. Standing fnce to face for
tho flrst time were the two Illustrious
men whose names will nlwnys bo In
separably associated in connection
with the war of tho rebellion. Grant's
right hand grasped the lapel of his
coat; hl8 head wis bent slightly for
ward and hla eyes upturned toward
Lincoln's face. The president, who
was eight inches taller, looked down
with beaming countenance upon his
guest.
Although their appearance, their
training nnd their, characteristics were
in Btrlklng contrast, yet tho two men
hnd many traits In common nnd
there wcro numerous points of resem
blance in their remarkable careers.
Each was of humble origin and had
bcon compelled to learn the first les
sons of life in the severe school of
udvcrslty. Each had risen from the
peoplo, possessed an abiding confi
dence in them and alwnys retained a
deep hold upon their affections. Each
might have said to thoso who were
Inclined to sneor at his plain origin
what a marshal! of France, who had
risen to a dukedom, said to the
hereditary nobles who attempted to
snub him In Vienna: "I am an an
cestor; you aro only descendants." In
a great crlBlB of their country'a his
tory both had entered tho public ser
vice from tho samo state. Both were
conspicuous for tho possession of that
most uncommon of all virtues, com
mon sonso. Both despised tho arts of
the demagogue and shrank from posing
for effect or Indulging In mock hero
ics. Even when their characteristics
differed thoy only served to supple
ment each other and ndd a still greater
strength to tho cause for which thoy
strove. With hearts too great for rivalry,
with souls untouchod by Jealousy, they
lived to teach the world that It is timo
to abandon the path of ambition when
it becomes so narrow that two cannot
walk It abreast.
Tho statesman and tho soldlor con
versed for a fow minutes and then tho
president presented his distinguished
guest to Mr. Seward. The secretary of
state was. very demonstrative in his
welcome and after exchanging a fow
worda led tho general to whero
Mrs. Lincoln wns standing, and
presented him to1 her, Mrs. Lin
coln expressed much surprise and
pleasuro at tho meeting, and she
and tho general chatted together
very pleasantly for somo minutes, Tho
visitors had by this time become so
curious to catch a sight of tho general
that their eagerness knew no bounds
and thoy became altogether unmanage
able Mr. Seward'B conaummato knowl
edge of the wiles of dlplomncy now
camo to the rescue nnd saved the sit
uation. Ho succeeded In struggling
through the crowd with tho general un
til thoy reached tho largo eaBt room,
where tbo people could circulate more
Blilillw
freely. This, however, was only a tem
porary relief. The people by this time
had worked themselves up to a state
of uncontrollnblo "cltement. The
vqst throng surged and swayed nnd
crowded until nlnrm was felt for the
safety of the ladles.
Cries now arose of "Grant! Grant!
Grant!" Then enmo cheer nftcr cheer.
Seward, after some persuasion, Induced
the general to stand upon n sofa, think
ing the visitors would be satisfied with
a view of him nnd retire; but as soon
as they caught sight of him their
shouts were renewed nnd a rush was
mnde to shake his hand. Tho presi
dent sent word that he and bis secre
tary of war would await the gcneral'i
return in one of the small drawing
rooms, but It wns fully an hour before
he was ablo to make his way there nnd
then only with tho aid of several of
ficers nnd ushers.
The story has been circulated that
at tho conference which then took
plnce, or nt the interview tho next day,
tho president and the secretary of war
urged Gen. Grant to make his campaign
toward Richmond by tho overland
route, nnd flnai'y persunded him to do
ao, although he had set forth the su
perior advnntagc of tho water route.
There Is not the slightest foundation
for this rumor. Gen. Grant some time
after repeated to members of hln stnff
Just what had taken place nnd no ref
erence whatever was mado to the
choice of thoso two nlntcs.
He said: "The flrst Interview I had
with the president, when' no others
were present, nnd he could talk freely,
he told me that he did not pretend to
know anything nbout the handling of
troops, nnd It was with the greatest re
luctance that ho ever Interfered with
tho movements of army commanders:
but ho had common sense enough to
know that celerity was absolute"? nec
essary; that while armies were sitting
down waiting for opportunities to turn
up which might, perhaps, be more fav
orable from a strictly military point of
view, the government was spending
millions of dollars every day; that
there was a limit to the sinews of war,
and n time might be reached when tho
spirits and resources of the people
would become exhausted. He had al
ways contended that these considera
tions should be taken Into account, ns
well as purely military questions, and
thnt he ndopted the plan of Issuing his
executive orders principally for the
purpose of hurrying the movementa of
commanding generals; but that he be
lieved I knew the value of minutes, nnd
that ho was not going to interfere with
my operations. He said, further, thnt
he did not want to know my plans; that
It wns, perhaps, better that he should
not know them, for everybody he met
was trying to find out from him some
thing about the contemplated move
ments, and there was always a temp
tation 'to leak.' I have not communi
cated my plans to him or to the secre
tary of war. The only suggestion the
president mnde and It was merely a
suggestion, not a deflnlto plan was
entirely Impracticable, and It wns not
again referred to In oar conversation."
T. J. S.
Monxchlim In Thibet.
The honorary secretary of the Budd
hist Text Society of India writes: Thi
bet abounds In mosasteties and tem
ples. No other Buddhist country In
Asia, whether In the past or the pre
sent time, could be compared with mo
dern Thibet In the number of her
BudhlBt priests and mosnstcrics. Dur
ing my residence In Thibet I obtained
a list of well known monasteries, com
piled by Sum pa Khampo. Tho num
ber of 'monasteries In the provinces of
LI and Tsang in 1725 A. D., was 325,
and under tho hierarchy of the Grand
Lamn in Thibet was 102G, with n monk
population of 491,242. I wns told by
the spiritual minister of the Tashl La
ma that tho number of monasteries
since the time of Sumpn had increased
not less than three-fold, and the num
ber of monks had doubled. So tho
number of monks In tho monastcrlea
of Thibet at tho present day might,
according to him bo estimated nt a
million. According to my estimate,
which is based partly on Thibetan of
ficial documents nnd partly on records
left by eminent Thibetan writers, Thi
bet has a population of six millions;
though tho country Is nearly equal In
extent nnd climate to Russia, Its popu
lation Is not lnrgcr than that of Lon
don. Tho proportion of its monks to
tho entire population was, thercforo,
one to six.
A Commercial Conflict In Ffumila,
Under pressure from the Agricul
tural party there has been enacted in
Prussia a law which prohlbta all deal
ing In "futures" in grain and other
produce Tho law went Into effect
on tho first of January, and tho produco
exchanges of Berlin, Stettin and other
trade centers promptly suspended nnd
organized as "freo associations" In or
der to cscnpo tho severe supervision
prescribed by the now law. Germany's
great grain trado with Russia and
America la entirely dependent upon
future deliveries, and tho merchanta
engaged In it Insist that it would bo im
practicable to carry it on under the
restrictions of the new law. The hod
of tho Agricultural party Is to ad
vance prices for farm products by pre
venting speculation.
Iiloim About Finger Null.
The Japanese hnvo somo curious
Ideas about their finger nnlls. One of
them is to tho effect thnt they must
not bo cut before stnrtlng on a Journey
lest dlsgraco befall the person beforo
ho reaches his destination. Neither
should thoy bo cut off at nigh: lest cat's
clawa should grow out. To throw nail
parings Into tho flro Is to lnvl.'o some
great calamity. If, while trimming the
nails, u pleco should fall In the flro the
person will soon die. New York Herald,
AN INNOVATION.
A Church l'lr In Oktnhnmn Krery
thine "I'cifeelly Square."
'Brethren and sisters," said tho Rev.
Jack Jonks, tho well-known Oklahoma
divine, rclatCB the New York World,
"I am requested to announce that tho
ladles of the church will give a fair
and fcatlvni at Tllllgan's hall next
Thursday evening, to which everybody
is Invited. I will further any that
everything will be square and nbovc
board on that occasion. I havo been
moved to Insist upon this innovation
because of the numerous kicks which
havo been registered since tho Inst
event of this character. Certain of tho
brethren, especially those who havo but
recently become members of the church
nnd have not yet forgotten their world
ly wisdom, havo been complaining thnt
there was no reciprocity in tho various
catch-penny devices nnd games oi
chance at the last festival, and they
arc emphatic in their proclamation
that, while they do not object to run
ning up ngnlnst nny Icgltlmnto hazard
for the good of the cause, they dccllno
to participate In any more lead-pipe
cinches. I will therefore ndd that at
the coming festival tho grab-bag, fish
pond, weighing-machine and kindred
devices for replenishing the treasury
will bo under the direct supervision of
Curly Conroy, tho gentlemnnly nnd ac
complished dealer of faro at tho Bluo
Ruin fortune parlors. In kindly ngrce
lng to superintend these devices, Mr.
Conroy pledges his professional honor
that every visitor who puts down his
scndB will nt least have Bome show for
his money, and that hla part of tho
evening's entertainment will bo con
ducted In the same unprejudiced and
impartial way that characterizes his
work at the Blue Ruin. Tho usual col
lection will now bo tnken."
THE NEW THAMES TUNNEL.
English people arc congratulating
themselves over the approaching com
pletion of tho new tunnel under the
Thames at Blackwall, and crowing
over the fnct thnt "the blggeat city in
tne world will hold proud possession
of the biggest tunnel."
The largest tunnel on this sldo of the
Atlnntlc Is the one under tho St. Clair
river, which Is twenty-one feet in dia
meter. Thnt building under tho Hud
son has an cxtcrnnl diameter of nine
teen feet, while the Blackwall tunnel
Is not less than twenty-seven feet
across.
The length of the new tunnel Is.
0,200 feet, though tho breadth of tho
river at Blackwall is only 1,212 feet,
nn apparent cxtravaganco nccountcd
for by the fact that in order to get
beneath the bed of the river tho engin
eers had to go down a depth of eighty
feet below tho Thames high water.
That the upproaches might not bo to
steep, therefore, the tunnel had to bo
made about five times the actual
breadth of tho river crossed.
Our Amcricnn tunnels havo been
bored through clay, but the Blackwall
tunnel hnd to be bored through gravel,
an undertaking Infinitely more diffi
cult so difficult, indeed, that many of
the most experienced engineers, when
consulted, doubted whether tho enter
prise could be carried through alt
right.
The undertaking wns, however, nn
Imperative necessity. Nearly 2,000,000
Londoners live cast of London bridge,
and until two years ago, when tho.
Tower bridge wns opened, they had
only three wnys of crossing tho river
by tho foot-passenger subway nt the
Tower, by the Wapplng tunnel and by
the Woolwich free ferry. Thoro wns
not a single bridge east of London
bridge.
The Blackwall tunnel was begun in
April, 1892. Extraordinary precautions
were tnken on behalf of the workmen
engaged. As a sample, to avoid the
danger of chill In passing out of com
pressed air Into ordinnry atmosphere,
a covered pnssago to tho bank was
built for the men nnd hot baths nnd
dry clothes awaited them at tho closo
of each day's work. It Is hoped that
the queen will open tho tunnel In per
son, by way of celebrating tho GOtb
year of her reign.
limentfnl.
"I havo a good father," said tho
young man, "one who, I am sure, al
ways tried to do his duty. I have
only one thing with which to reproach
him."
"What Is thnt?"
"Human nnturc Is human nature, and
I must tako It for granted that ho Is
no exception to a universal rule. I
don't think I can ever forgive him for
the manner in which ho used to go
nround and bore hla friends with tho
smart things I said when I wns a baby."
Washington Star.
Ktrttlntlrii of the Franco-dcrmaii War.
According to recent French statis
tics, France lost 136,000 men by death
through wounds, sickness, or accidents
In her wnr with Germany, while 139,
421 men wero disabled on the field of
bnttle. Germany's losses were 79,155
dend and 18,543 wounded. Tho mone
tary lpss is moro evenly divided that
for France being 12,666,487,522 francs
while for Germany it was 8,000,000 000
francs. '
A to tho rollct.
Artlchs Onc-Isn't it strango that
they should chooso for members of the
police force men who aro so heavy that
thoy nro unnblo to run with nny ap
proach of speed? Sophisticated One
Not at nil; If they wcro Bprlnters they
would bo nblo to get nwny from a dis
turbance much quicker than they now
can. Boston TruuccripL
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