TJIATHT. I.OVJS T/ie Xatlotial Government Taking Active Jntereitl Therein * A Washington dispatch suys tbo national government hns begun to take an notlvo In terest In the St. Louis Southern liotol trngo- dy. Tlio department of stiito lias been busily engaged on such International preliminaries as will bo necessary to secure tbo capture of Wnltcr Lennox Maxwell , and bring him to Justice for tbo cruel murder of Charles Arthur Prollcr. Secretary Bayard prepared a formal application upon tbo British government , which was presented to Minister West , for England to join in the pursuit of Maxwell to the fullest extent of tbo consular and police system. Tbo American consuls at Honolulu , .Auckland , and nil other points along the line of Maxwell's flight have been notified by the department of state to use every available means for tbo capture of Maxwell , and are further instructed to communicate promptly with the authorities at all accessible points. The eecrc-tary ot state has suggested that ibo offlccrB of St. Louis prepare immediately n formal application for the extradition of Maxwell , both from tbo British government and the Hawaiian .islands , nnd that those pa pers be sent to Washington lor prompt use. The police have received a photo- prnph of Maxwell as ho appeared In his academical robo. The photograph ho-trs his autograph. A comparison between the accompanying signature and the scrawl on the Southern hotel register discloses a very apparent discrepancy. That on the picture Is a neat , ladylike autograph , while the hotel entry is it hurried jumble of letters , without the shade or character to identify them. Max well never were tbo spectacles around thq hotel , although in his subsequent Iligbt ho was noticed to wear them constantly. The steamship City of Sydney was duo to arrive at Honolulu on the 2Jd , and it is barely possi ble that the Alaraoda. which is the fastest steamer on the Pacific ocean , overhauled thu Australian boat and arrived in harbor in ad vance , when tbo arrest of Maxwell could bo effected without trouble. As to the pursuit and capture of Maxwell , the general impres sion is that it was he who. under the alias of D'Auguler , took passage for Auckland on the City of Sydney. If it was Maxwell it is be lieved that hia capture is certain. The ques tion of getting lunds to bring him back still agitates tbo police department , but the boarder or supreme oiliccr seems determined to leave nothing- undone toward getting what money may be necessary. Mr. Blair , acting presi dent of the police board , has written to Gov. Jiarmaduko to know If any part of the S10- 000 appropriated by the last general assembly for pursuit of criminals can bo used for tbo "jurpose of bringing Maxwell back. RKSVUUlt 1' SOLDI/MS. Tlte Endangered People in lite Indian Coun try Rescued. "Winncpcs dispatch of the 24th : All Winnc- peg gave a sigh of relief to-day when it was announced that a portion of Colonel Otter's force was camped across tbc river from Battle- ford and that tbe siege of that place had been raised. Otter's main force is only a sliort dis tance behind the advance guard. The long tlie garrisomat the Insurgents. The Tenth Koyalsnau arrived as the messenger was leaving. BISHOP OF IDAHO. 3Igr. A. JT. Glorleux Consecrated at Balti more. With all the pomp and ceremony usually attending the elevation of a priest of the Catholic church to the blgher orders Mgr. A. K. Gloricux was , on the 20th , at Baltimore , consecrated in the cathedral as bishop in partibus Infidelium and vicar apostolic of Idaho. Every portion of the spacious ediflco was occupied. Archbishop Gibbons was the consecrator , and the attending priest was the llev. A. .Magnien. The deacons of honor were the Hevs. Messrs. B. S. McManus and A. Boyer , S. S. , of St. Mary's seminary ; assist ant consecrating bishops. Bishop William Go-s , of Savannah , archbishop-elect of Oregon gen , and Bishop J. Maes , of Covincrton , ICy. ; chaplains to Bishop Gloreaux , the Kov. Fath ers DeWolf and Peter McCoy ; chaplains to Archbishop Gross , two redemptionistfathers ; chaplams to Bishop Mae * , Father Walsh , of Washington , and llev. J. L. Andries. The archbishop were the pontifical robeg. 'While seated upon the archepiscopal throne his lap was covered with a white silk cloth embroid ered in gold. After the ceremonies of an- nomttng the now bishop ho was escorted to the episcopal chair. He was then led by the assistant bishops through the church and be stowed his blessing on the kneeling people. Bishop Kane , of Richmond , preached the sermon. At nleht Bishop Glorieux celebrat ed solemn vespers. The new bishop Is a native of Belgium and 41 years old. He was educated at the Ameri can college of Lourain , and was ordained by Cardinal Sterchx at Malines , in 1807. Two months afterward he left Belgium for Oregon gen as a missionary. He became rector of St. Paul's French parish In 1809 , and in 1871 president of St. Michael's college , Portland. In 1884 ho was appointed vicar-general of Idaho. Idaho.STAJIPIA'G STAJIPIA'G OUT THE DISEASE. ricitro-Fneutnonfa Amomj the Cattle in Missouri Increasing. H. M. Taylor , agent of the United States bu reau of animal Industry , arrived In St. Louis on the 0h : from Washington , and has secured the co-operation of the Missouri Pacific , Wabash - bash and Chicago and Alton railroads in plac ing an embargo on all cattle from Galloway county. In that state. The agents have issued instructions to their local agents to refuse all shipments of cattle from Calloway and con tiguous counties unless accompanie 1 by a cer tificate of health bv a government inspector. Col. Hunter , president of the national cattle and borse growers' association of the United States , sent the following telegram : Hon. N. J. Colman , Commissioner of Agri culture , Washington : Contagious pleuro- pneumonia is spreading tn this stato. and as individual efforts are powerless to check its progress , I ask you to please see the attorney general Immediately and get a decision < * t once as to your power under the law to use the funds appropriated for the bureau of ani mal Industry to stamp out this contagion , which threatens our entire cattle industry. Prompt action is necessary. Answer. _ . . . HONTEH. To this Col. Hunter received the following reply : Coi. R. D. Hunter , President : I have asked toe opinion of the comptroller of the treasury , and the attorney general also , as to my power to destroy cattle that have been exposed to ' pieuro-pncumoma , and am promised a writ if ten opinion to-day or to-morrow. As soon as obtained I will Inform the public. NORMAN J. COLMAN , Commissioner of Agriculture. THE date of tbe earliest eclipse of the sun recorded in the annals of the Chi nese , -when "on the first day of the last month of autumn the sun and moon did not meet harmoniously in Fang , " or in that part _ of the heavens defined by two stars in the constellation of the Scorpion , has been determined by Prof. Von Op- poiser , of Vicuna , to have been the morning of Oct. i52137 B. 0. FORT TITT A11AXDONED. An Old. Indlqn Jlt'jwrt * thai a Jlattle Jfaa Occurred. Winnnlpcg dispatch : Battleford scouts from Fort PHt report finding it abandoned and wrecked. An Indian told them a light had occurred and that two police were killed ; that the police and others In the fort had taken to boats In the hope of reaching Battle- ford. They have been out five da3s and should have been here long ago. It looks us If the whole party had been captured or killed from the river banks. Besides the police , tinder Inspector specter Dickon , there were Factor McLean , of the Hudson Bay company , and family of eight , and James Simpson , Stanley Simpson. W. U. Cameron and Dupresne , employes ; Kev. C. Qulnn and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Mann and three children , Alfred Qulnn and several others. The story of the escape is extremely improba ble , as It is not likely that such a large party would be allowed to escape. The Indians threatened to take Battlefonf very soon. Col. Morris will put a trench around the barracks for greater protection against the threatened attack by the Indians. The following dispatch was received last night by Commissioner Wrcgley : "A messenger sent from here on Friday last for Ft. Pitt has returned and re ports Ft. Pitt taken by the Indians. Two po licemen were killed but McLean and others escaped to the river and started by boat for Battleford. This was five days ago and they Lave not arrived. Serious fears of their safety are entertained. " TJie Treasury Investigation. The trcMSury Inquiry commission , of which Assistant Secretary Falrchild is president , has virtually concluded its inspection of the internal revenue bureau. The result of the work of the commission in this bureau Is awaited with much interest , as it is supposed to give an indication of the policy to bo ob served in the reorganization of o herbureaus of the treasury departmenr. The commission has virtually decided to make its recommen dations in regard to Improving the methods of business mid reduction of force at the close of their investigations In each bureau before beginning work in another. It is ex- ppotes ! the commissioners will investigate the affairs of the sixth auditor's oQice as soon as the pecretnry shall have acted on their report on the internal revenue bureau. It is likely the commissioners will conclude to recommend the transfer of clerks from the overcrowded bureaus to the bureaus where the clerical lorce is too small instead of dismissingsuper- lluous clerks in one bureau and - an other bureau with clerks certified by the civil service commission. It is believed , however , the comm ssioners will report the number of clerks as being on the whole In excess of the needs of the service. Sales of Public Lands. Commissioner "Williamson , of the General Land Office , has had prepared a statement showing the number of acres of public lands disposed of for cash and under the Homestead and Timber-Cult ure acts during the last ten fiscal years 1871 to 1880 inclusive. Prom this statement it appears that there was a falling off in the number of acres dis posed of in all three classes of land from 1871 to 1875-76 , and that since the latter year there has been a gradual increase in the number of acres disposed of. Tor the fiscal year ended June 30 , 1871 , there were disposed of for cash 1,389- 982 acres , and under the Homestead acts 4,600,326 acres. The sales grad ually fell off each succeeding year until 1875 , when but 2,356,057 acres were dis posed of under the Homestead acts , and in 1876 only 6iO,691 acres were sold for cash. Since that period there has been a gradual increase in sales and allotments , resulting in 1880 in the sale of 1,455,724 acres for cash , and the disposal of 6,070- 507 acres under the Homestead acts. The Timber-Culture law was not enact ed until 1873 , and under it , in 1875 , 464,870 acres were disposed of. Since 1875 the same noticeable increase ob served in the sales for cash and allot ments under the Homestead laws had occurred in the disposal of lands under the Timber-Culture act , so that in 1880 the allotments under this law aggregated 2,129,705 acres. Churches as Savings Banks. There are in the city three penny sav ings banks in connection with churches. They belong to St. Andrew's , St. James' and All Saints. The banks receive any amount , from 2 cents iipward , but do not encourage the depositing of large sums , the object in view being to pro mote habits of economy among the poorer classes. Trustees and officers have been appointed for each bank , the former being responsible for all moneys received. The bank is kept open every Saturday evening from 7 to 9. A com mittee of twelve manage the institution , giving their services gratuitously. Any amount from 2 cents upward may be deposited , 4 per cent , interest being al lowed on every even dollar from the day of deposit to the day of withdrawal. Toronto Globe. THE MABKETS. OMAHA. WHEAT No. 2 71JI0 717a BARLEY No.2 50 © 51 HYE No. 3 52 © Wt Cons No. 2 mixed 33 @ . ' 54 OATS No. 2 27 © 28 BDTTER Fancy creamery 25 © 26 BDTTER Choice dairy 35 © 39 BDTTER Best country 31 © 1 ° CHEESE Young-America 34 © 34J5 Eccs-Fresh 30 © H ONIONS Per bbl 2 50 & 275 CHICKENS Per doz. . alive. . . . 200 © Sii5 CHICKENS Dressed , per lb. . . . 30 © 11 APPLES Barrels 375 © 425 LEMONS Choice 350 © 375 BANANAS Choice 2 00 © 3 so CHANGES Mesina 325 @ 350 POTATOES Per bushel 50 © 75 SEEDS Pimothy 310 © 220 SEEDS Blue Grass 130 © 150 HAY Baled.per ton 650 © 00 HAY-Inbulk 600 © 700 NEW YORK. WHEAT-NO. 2 red 1 COS © 101 WHEAT Ungraded red > © 1 OH * CORN-NO. 3. " 55 © ; 5 * OATS Mixed western 40 @ 44 PORK 1300 © J3 2o LAUD 712i ; ® 7 20 CHICAGO. FLOUR Choice Winter 475 © 553 FLOOR Spring1 extra 675 @ 4oO WHEAT Per bushel S3a © bJSJg CORN Per bushel 46 > J © 4i OATS Per bushel 34a © 33 PORK 31 70 © 11774 LARD 6 PO © 6 97ji HOGS Packing and shipping. 4 45 © 4 < a CATTLE Stockers 340 © 480 HHEEP Medium to ffooil 375 © 4 7o ST. LOUIS. WHEAT No. 2 red 1 01 @ 1 CORN Per bushel 4454 ® 45 OATS Per bushel 33 © 34 CATTLE Kxports SCO fo > 500 SHEEP Medium to extra 350 @ 475 HOGS Packers 450 © 465 KANSAS CITST. WHEAT Per bushel 77 © 78J } CORN Per bushel 33Ji © 3) OATS Per bushel 3Hi © 3. CATTLE Exports 015 © 540 HOGS Mediumsto choice 401 © 430 SHEEP Fair to eood 210 © 323 AT the gambling establishment of Monte Carlo the police have strict orders to search the grounds every night for the bodies of suicides , and to remove them as quickly as possible , that visitors may not be sheeted by discovering the remains. Origin of .Familiar Proverbs. "Truth is stranger than fiction , " was invented by an editor as : i heatt line to a twenty-line lie so monstrous ly extravagant that ho knew nobody would believe ten words of it. The original use of this proverb is contin ued until this day. Whenever you see that line in a newspaper don't "believe : i word you read under it. "I'll make a spoon or spoil a horn , " was the thought of a man who never made a spoon in all his life , and who knew perfectly well that he couldn't makc enc , and only took a mean man's malicious delight in spoiling a horn. I * . S. For a man who likes to take his horn straight the introduction of a spoon always spoils it. "A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse , " was said by a man with a stiff neck , who wanted to nod , but couldn't. Although why any sane man should wish either to "wink or nod at a blind horse no man can tell. "A little more sleep and a little more slumber , " commonly attributed to the Sluggard , was stolen from the night watchman who invented it in his dreams. "Fast bind , fast find , " was remark ed by a police justice when he bound the tough over to keep the peace , and lined him $15.85. "All's'Veil that ends swell , " was said by a murderer who killed a dude. The name of the murderer is suppress ed lest he should bo overrun with more orders than he could fill , and thus bo compelled to hire a clerk , who would eventually run off with all the money. "All's fare in love and war , " was the inspired thought of a railroad con ductor. "One swallow docs not make a sum mer , " was the brilliant remark of a man who was trying to see how many swallows do make a summer. Nota lione If the thermometer got half so high as the experimenter did , the dog days came right along on the heels of Christmas that year. The record of the swallows , however , was lost in the dim mists of O'Blivion , the great Irish swal lower. "Dead men tell no talcs , " was the joyous exclamation of the first editor who slew a man who came in with a continued story in sixty-live chapters. It was the same editor who , upon re ceiving a demand for 10 cents from a poet for an epic poem upon which he had labored twelve years.said : "Write makes smite. " And then he smote him , that he died. 7o& llunlclte. The Dumb Jhide to Speak. "Nearly every hospital and house of correction in the country' has its regu lar attendance of malingerers , " says a physician at the Episcopalian Hospital , Philadelphia. "Some are most cun ning in their schemes to become pa tients. The comfortable bed , the good food , and the kind attention they re ceive are the temptations to try these deceptions. "Why I once saw a case of feigned muteness. A youth of 17 was brought to us. Ilis parents said he had spoken well enough until he was 11 years old but since that he had never spoken a word. He had his hearing perfectly. Wo tried a good many things galvanism , tonics , and even , because we thought it was stub bornness , we had a clergyman to talk to him , but all was of no avail. At lust we came to the conclusion that the young rascal was hoodwinking us , and'we determined to try a trick upon him that had been tried with success before. Two of the physicians stood at his bedside as if consulting about his case. One of them said in a loud whisper to the other : " 'Well , I'll toll you what we'll do. First of all we'll cauterize the whole under surface of his tongue , and , if that does not succeed , we will cut out his tongue and examine it under a microscope. ' Then , turning to an assistant , he continued : 'Mr. Wilson , please get the iron red hot. We will use it at oncn upon this boy. ' "The fellow didn't say anything , but he tried by signs to beg the doctor not to perform the operation. The iron was brought and the surgeon be gan arranging the patient. The sight of the instrument on its spirit ftarne. almost at a white heat , brought forth a terrible cry from the boy , the lirst sound in six years. Then one assistant hold his logi another his arms , a third his head , and a wedge was thrust into his mouth. Still not a word. The hot iron was lifted and brought near to his face , so that he could feel the heat. Whether the operation would have been performed or not I am unable to sa } ' . but there was no necessit } * , for the instant he felt the heat he shouted : " 'Oh , don't doctor dear , please don't ; I'm not dumb. I will speak I will , indeed. ' "And he left the hospital that very afternoon. " Philadelphia Times. Pictures of Waves of Sound. Some remarkable photographs of a pistol bullet in its llight , under the illumination of an electric spark , have been secured by Prof. E. Mach , of Prague. He has also photographed the air streams which one may see over a Bunsen burner placed in stin- shinfi , and has even obtained pictures of waves of sound , these last being made visible by a method in which advantage is taken of the irregular re fraction of light by the waves set in vibration by sound. Although these experiments may not have any practi cal value , they are interesting as show ing the great degree of perfection to which the photographic art has been carded. The Time to Wear Glasses. When persons find their eyes be coming dr } * and itching in reading , as well as those who find it necessary to place an object more than fourteen inches from their face to read , they need spectacles. Spectacles sold by peddlers and jewelers generally are hurtful to the eyes of those who read much , as the lenses are made of in ferior glass and are not symmetrically ground. Unless the lenses are mount ed in a suitable frame and properly placea before the eye discomfort will arise from their prolonged use. The proper time to begin wearing glasses is just as soon as the eyes tire on being subjected to prolonged use. Medical Herald. HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Leather book-bindings may be re vived by nibbing them with "while ot "SS- "SSThe The grated rind and the juice of an orange add much to the flavor of gin ger cake. liurnt umber , with a little Venetian red mixed with porter , makes a dark oak stain. Flat fish , as : i rule , keep better than round : they should bo chosen for their thickness rather than for their size. Velveteen makes very handsome table scarfs. It may be embroidered in the same way us velvet and may be lined with sateen. Drass , when corroded and black ened , may be cleaned with rottenstone ten-stone , moisteded with oxalic acid and water ; polish with whiting or silicon. A sure test for eggs is the following : Dissolve one ounce of suit in ten ounces of water and put ( he eggs in. Good eirgs will sink and bad ones will float. Vegetables , when fresh , are crisp. Cucumbers must bo perfectly firm and stiff. Celery breaks oil' clean when fresh ; if it is stringy it has been kept too long. In choosing mutton or veal from the carcass the quality may bo deteniinetl from the fat inside the thigh. If there bo plenty of clear , firm fat there , the meat is good. A few drops of ammonia will be effectual in removing grease from the dishpan , and it is a good plan onee in a while to add a little to the water used to cleanse the sink. While it is conceded by most cooks that winter squash is best when baked , it is always necessary to'usc judgment about it , for if the squash is very dry it is rendered almost tasteless by cooking. In this case it should bo steamed. Veal should have firm white la . and the lean have a pinkish tinge. If the barbarism of bleeding has been prac- ' ticcd , the flesh will be quite white. Veal should be six or eight weeks old before it is killed , else it is unwhole some. Too young1 veal may be de tected by a bluish tint. An old and reliable test for the pur ity of milk is 'to dip a smoothly-pol ished knitting needle into a cup of milk and withdraw it in an upright position. If the milk be pure a pendu lous drop of the liquid will hang to the end of the needle ; there will bo no drop adhering to the needle if even : i small quantity of water bo mixed with the milk. To clean and freshen old Platting rub it with a cloth wet in salt water , being careful not to allow any drops of water to dry in the matting , as they will leave spots difficult to remove. Heavy , varnished furniture should never rest directly upon the matting , for even good varnish , becoming soft in warm weather will stain the straw. Matting mabe turned if the loose ends of the" cords are threaded in a large needle and drawn through to the other side. Chickens prepared in this way arc a change from the usual fricassee : Cut up two young chickens , cook them for half an hour in a saucepan with a little bacon cut in dice , adding thyme , two bay loaves , a small onion , parsley and a piece of butter , moistening with white wine. Mix' the yolk of three eggs in half a cup of cream and pour the mixture over the chickens , takin the saucepan instantly off the fire. Arrange the pieces of chickens sym metrically on a dish and serve. In choosing fish see that the gills are bright pink , the fins stiff , and the ojes clear and full ; the scales and skin must be bright. Lobsters and crabs must bo chosen by their weight as compared with their size. When fresh , the tail of a lobster will quickly spring back into position after it is straighened. A medium-sized lobster , with narrow tail and heavy for its size , will be found to be choice. In buying part of a largo fish , its fresh ness may be known by the bluish tinge of the flesh and the iridescence of the cut part. It is not fresh if the llesh be yellow. This dessert is easily made and is very nice : One quart of apple sauce or eight tart apples stewed soft , with one cupful of water and strained. Add one cup of granulated sugar , half a teaspoonful of vanilla or lemon ex tract and the yolks of four eggs , Avc beaten. Put the mixture in a buttered pudding dish and bake twenty minutes in a quick oven. Beat the four whites to a stiff froth and add two tablespoou- fuls of powdered sugar , Spread this over the hot pudding and brown very lightly. Serve when ice cold , with sp'onge cake or delicate buscuits. It may bo eaten with cream. Good beef , when fresh , has a line grain and is of a vermilion color , with a slight tint of purple on the cut sur face. It is lirrn , but tender to the touch , and is so elastic that no mark is left after pressure from the finger. The fat is yellowish-white , like fresh butter , and firm. Sometimes the lean is slightly veined with fat , but it must ' have'no flavor of suet. The surface must be quite dr } * when cut. scarcely moistening the finger. If a clean knife be pushed up to the handle into the raw meat , the resistance will bo uniform if it be fresh ; but , if some of the parts are softer than others , it has begun to decompose. When beef is lean , coarse and sinewy-looking , it is old and tough. Cow-beef is coarse- looking and has white fat. Europeans in China. An Englishman residing at Pekin writes to the London Times that tne position of Europeans in China is not materially altered by the war with franco , because the people are ignor ant of the affairs of State and have no interest whatever in matters which concern their country. With the ex- seption of the absence of the French Legation , European society in China presents the usual features" Skating the chief N'IN JIA1XK. After Years of Lcsjtl Proscription , the Sain of StlmuliiiHs Hat } /t'o ; UIivl Out A Hitter FIslU In Progress , Does prohibition prohibit ? This is a question that has boon mooted ever Nineu the prohibitory liquor law was first put on the statute-book years ago. Gen. Neal Dow and his co-laborers in the field of temperance reform take .tin : ground that prohibition has proved a great success. The old white-haired father of the Maine law , who is now 81 years of ago , and who , despite his years , is as active and zealous in his war on the grog-shops as over , will tell you that prohibition has crushed out every distillery and brewery in Maine , and such is the truth. He will tell you that under the operations of the law liquor-soiling has boon nearly suppressed in the rural towns , which embrace nearly three-quarters of the state , and ho will point with pride to the evidences of thrift ami prosperity as compared with the condition of things in the old rum times , when that beverage ( lowed as freely as water , and , as the result , poverty and degra dation wore to be soon on every hand. There arc many grains of truth in this , and yet , at the same time , liquor-sell ing has not boon abolished in tliocriin- try towns. The trafiu has otih" been circumscribed and driven into narrow er limits. Any respectable looking person , oven though he bo a stranger , can find no difficulty in buying all Ihc liquor ho wants of the village apothe cary , should lie fail to get it at the country inn. The druggists , in fact , carry on the liquor bushiest in Maine. Registered druggists keep liquor on hand for the compounding and manu facturing of medicine , but arc not al lowed by law to soil liquors of any Kind unless compounded and manu factured in good faith. The great weapon of the law is the search "and seizure clause , which re quires proof of two elements first , of the keeping , and second , of an intent to sell liquor in violation of the law. With the ordinary rumsollor the more fact of finding liquor in his shop ii usually enough to convict , because it is not kept there for any legitimate purpose. With druggists , however , there must be proof of sale. As a re sult they have a constitutional right to sell liquor , and , as it is now heading , they are fast obtaining a monopoly of the rum trade in Maine , on account of the Inherent defect in the constitution which no law can get around. But it is in the cities and large towns whore liquor is principally sold , and whore the evils of the traffic- arc more plainly seen. There is no doubt but what pro hibition has accomplished a great deal of good in the way of suppressing the rum traffic , and it is oquallv true that the men , women , and children of to-da } ' are more abstemious than wore their fathers and grandfathers. Still the rum trallic flourishes ; ollicers are unfaithful in enforcing the laws , and when they are executed the chances are that from some defect or loophole in the law the rum-seller escapes. The situation to-day docs not show that Maine is the prohibitory state that she is represented to be. It was only a few days ago that Gen. Dow was forced to admit that "it is not over stating the matter to say that in Maine to-day the liquor traffic is in flicting upon the people far more mis chief , wretchedness , and ruin than they suffer from all the robberies and burglaries , frauds of whatever kind , from incendiarisms , conflagrations , and murder. " For the past six months the city of " Bangor has practically enjoyed "free ruin. There are over one hundred places there where liquor is sold and no attempt has been made to enforce the law. The law is a nullity. In Lewistown , Bath , Augusta , and"other cities no difficulty is experienced if otic wants to wet his whistle. In the city of Portland , under Gen. Dow's own ej'os , the liquor traffic flourishes , and yet at the same time in no other city has the law , for the past ten years , been more faithfully enforced. To illustrate how hard it is to break up the business in Portland , the prohibi tion ! Is for five years pursued a rum- seller in that city. They made him pay fines more than forty times , and then got him in jail. But this did not break up his business , for his brother took charge of it. Then the prohibi tionists weiit for him , and when , after a protracted siege , ho was forced to retire , his brother-in-law took his place , and carries on the business to day. day.Since Since the first week m January the prohibitionists have renewed the war on Portland grogshops , and the cam paign is to extend throughout the state , under the auspices of the Law and Order league. Rev. Mr. Munson , the agent of the league , is now enforc ing the law with more vigor than was ever known before. Already he has sworn out more than six hundred war rants , at an expense of over § 2,500 to the taxpayers of Cumberland county , and in return , the amount of fines paid into the citv treasury will not exceed 8200. Last year there were nearly one thousand prosecutions of liquor deal ers in the state , and , while there were numerous convietiotis , the number of grogshops was not diminished. Dur ing the last fourteen years some twenty-three thousand persons have been arrested in thiscit } ' for drunken ness , and yet one would be puzzled to find one rumsoller the less. Gen. Dow himself says there are as many rum- shops as ever. Mr. Munson will find it exceedingly difficult to exterminate the last vestige of the liquor traffic , as he has announced he will do. This onward movement thus far has not panned out well. The liquor dealers understand their business so well that they are not eas ily scooped. The } * may be put to trouble or expense , but somehow they always manage to hold the fort. Men whos"e breath is redolent of cardamon seed or snake root , rarely if ever given in their evidence against the parties of whom they obtained their snifters. Municipal officers are loath to have the law enforced , and even the governor is not disposed to appoint special con stables for the enforcement of the liq uor law. The friends of the Law and Order league came before the legisla ture this winter , and it was only by the casting vote of tbe president of the senate that they aucci'oilod in Dot ting tlio prohibitory legislation uskod for. ( Ji'ii. Dow was not pleanod with thu measures that worn passed. Thaiv wore not teeth enough in tlioni to suit him. and yet they increase tliu penal ties for liquor-soiling , making it Im prisonment as well as a line for tliu lirst offense. Then if : i man who is drunk is arrested itml given a term of imprisonment ho can bo released if ho will onlv disclose whore lie got his liquor. The "dump , " or "hopper , " or an- contrivance which the rum- seller uses to destroy his liquors is evi dence of illicit salcs'and can bo used against him. Even the watchmen who stand at the door to give warning at thu approach of ollicers can bo ar rested as partners in the crime of rum- selling. Drumming for liquors is pro hibited , and so is tlio advertising of liquors in thu newspapers : Still ( Jon. Dow is not satisfied with this legisla tion , and as one of the results he has cut himself adrift from the re-publican party , through whose agency alonu prohibition has become thu fixed policy of the state. Gen. Dow and Mr. Miinson are de termined to make hot work of it in their present crnsndi * , of crushing out the traffic before the national encamp ment of the Grand Army of thu Ile- puhlic takes place here next June , which it is estimated will bring hero Jifty thousand people from all over tlio country. The Law and Order league in waging their battle are us ing all the weapons of procedure they can to annihilate ruinsellmg. Mr. Munson is willing to sacrifice his lit'u in the conflict , lie was characterized a few days ago in the court-room as : : u "ecclesiastical crank , " but , whether lie is or not it is evident that he is go ing to fight the battle to the bitter end and let the taxpayers pay the bills. Last September the people of Maine , without regard to part } ' , settled the question of constitutional prohibition , but this does not signif } ' that prohibi tion is a success. Un the contrary , the liquor prosecutions of the past , as well as tho.se now instigated by the Law and Order league , are ineffectual in stopping the tratlic and in making aints of our people. It certainly looks as if prohibition does not and will not prohibit in Maine. I ( Jor. Ncto York Herald. The Key ot Death. in the collection of curiosities pre served in the arsenal of Venice there is a key , of which the following singu lar tradition is related : "About the year 1(590 ( , one of those dangerous men in whom extraordinary talent is only fearful source of crime and wicked ness beyond that of ordinary men , came to establish himself as a mer chant or trader in Venice. The stran ger , whose name was Tebaldo , be came enamored of the daughter of an ancient house , already affianced to another lie demanded her hand in marriage , and was , of course , rejected. Enraged at this , he studied lio\v to be revenged. Profoundly skilled in the mechanical arts , he allowed himself no rest until he had invented the most formidable weapon which could b imagined. This was a key of large size , the handle of which was so con structed that it could be turned round with but little difficulty ; when turned , it discovered a spring , which on pres sure , launched from the other end a needle or lancet of such subtle fineness - ness that it entered into the llcali and buried ibelt there without leaving external trace. Telnildo waited m disguise at thu door of the church in which the maiden whom he loved was about to receive the nuptial benedic tion. The assassin sent the slender steel mi perceived into the breist of ot the biidi'goom. The wounded man had no suspicions of injury , but , seized witii a sudden and sharp pain in the midst of the ceremony , lie tainted and was carried to his house &uid the la mentations of the bridal part } . Vain was all the skill of the physic ians , who could not divine the cause of thi.-J strange illnes- . and in a few days he died. Tebaldo again demand ed the hand of the maiden from her parents , and received a second re fusal. They too peri.-hed miserably -in a tew days. The alarm \\hich these deaths , which appeared utmost mi raculous , occasioned excited the ut most vigilance of the magistrates , and when , on close examination of the bodies , the small instrument was found in the gangrened lesh ! , terror was universal ; everyone feared for his own lif-.1. The maiden thus cruelly orphanea had passed the first months of her mourning in a convent , when Tebaido , hoping to bend her to his will , entreated to speak to her at the gate. The face of the foreigner had ever been displeasing to her , but since the death of all most dear to her it had become odious ( as though she had a preemption of his guilt ) , and her reply w.n most deeivive in the negative. Tebaldo , beyond himself with rage , attempted to wound her througn the gate , and succeeded ; the obscurity of the place prevented his movement being observed. On her return to her room the maiden felt a pain in her breast , and uncovering it she found it spotted with a single drop of olood. The pain increased ; the surgeons who hastened to her assis tance taught by the past wasted no time in conjecture , but , cutting deep into the wounded part , extracted the needle before any mortal mischief had commenced , and saved the life of the lady. The state inquisition used every means to discover the hand which dealt these insidious and irresistible blows' . The visit of Tebaldo to the convent caused suspicion to fall heav ily upon him. His house was carefully searched the infamous invention dis covered , and lie perished on the " -jb- bet. " A 3Iattcr of Money. "My daughter will receive live thousand dollars on the day she mar ries you. " said an Austin father to a suitor for his daughter's hand , "she will receive live hundred dollars and the rest from time to time as my cir cumstances justify it. " "That's all right , my dear sir , " re plied the mercenary youth , "but hadn't we better wait with the marry ing until we get everything togeth er. " Texas Sittings.