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About The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911 | View Entire Issue (March 24, 1886)
a: 3 v - -' . fif I 5 x 1 x i l"&-. THE JOURNAL. WEDNESDAY, MARCH" 24, 1S8G. fctrcl at tts Psrtjfles, Celsmtu, Set. Usi zsttcr. is ic:ri LOVE NOW. To Will lor nio the day I lie dyinr. Oh! love me then living. While yet from a full heart replying-, I give to your giving. What gain hath my lifetime of loving; If you pass it all by To give me hack treble my loving In the hour I die? All anguish, all madde3t adoring. Will be vain in that day. Though you knelt to me then with imploring. What word could I say? Oh! love me, then, now, that it quicken My heart's failing breath. Why wait till to lore is to sicken At the coldness of death? Grace D. Litchfield, in N. Y. Independent. BLOCKADE KUNNINGr. Some Incidents Belated by "Who Helped to Stop It. One "Captares" of the "Connecticut Chasing after "Black Smoke" The Noted "Herald" Cornered tove aad Matrimony and a Modern ."Joan ot Arc" ! The writer commanded the United States steamer Connecticut on the block ade off Wilmington, N. C, for fourteen months, and during that period cap tured and sent in four steamers Juno, Scotia, Minnie and Greyhound, all with valuable cargoes; vessels and cargoes adjudged worth $1,063,352. The Con necticut run ashore and destroyed four jCther blockade runners Phantom, Herald, Ceres, and Diamond. The blockade runners would always select dark nights to run in and out and certain stages of the moon (between the last and first quarters of the moon), when it set early and 'rose late. This Imoon arrangement was always a mat ttcrof great concern to them"; then a tolerably high tide also. entered into the calculations. The first blockade-runner captured :iy the Connecticut was the Juno. It tras a bright, pleasant morning, oft (shore, and out about seventy miles from Wilmington, when, at ba'-break, she was discovered. Chase was immedi ately given, and in three hours she was a prize. When the Captain was brought !ou board he was greeted with the usual j"good morning, with the additional iremark: "Glad to see you," to which jhe replied, with an oath, "I'm not glad ito see you." A week before the Jnno jliad safely run in, had discharged her .'English cargo taken on board the jusual Confederate-American cargo of (cotton, tobacco and turpentine, and was now bound to Nassau. Among other letters found on board fWas one open and unfinished, begun at Wilmington and addressed to the own ers in England. In it the Captain described the successful running past the sleepy-heaucd lankces at night, and expected to be lucky in running out. Of this he would inform them upon ins arrival at JNassau, where lie would close and send his letter. I lie said letter never reached England, nor even Nassau. These blockade-runners were all En glish steamers, and were painted lead tor stone color to prevent their being (discovered at night when running close in along the land. The fire and steam (arrangements were for burning the isoft English coal, which always made jtnuch black smoke. Tims they could pe discovered a long distance off in the Way time. The smoke could of course be seen before the vessel was visible. Wc have heard and we have read of the excitement on board a whale-ship, produced by the cry of the look-out at jthc masthead, "Spout, O!" "A whale n sight!" Boats are gotten ready for lowering, with harpoons, lines and (lances. I On board of the Connecticut, when the lookout-man at the masthead sang tout, "Black smoke!" all was likewise (commotion. Every one was upon his jfeet, and all eyes, as well as the ship's head, were turned in the direction re ported. All steam was raised, and the chase commenced. I A chase of this kind once lasted fif jteen hours. Black smoke was discov ered at sunrise, and pursuit was com menced and continued until after dark, Erhen the blockade-runner was lost ight of. The Connecticut, however, got within two miles of her, making a gain of ten miles, as it was estimated. To enable her to escape she had to jthrow overboard nearly all her cargo, which comprised.English goods, as she jwas bound in. Wc passed through and jby innumerable bales and boxes during the day, some of which we perceived contained shoes. This caused a wag !gish sailor to remark: "Perhaps if we jcould get and put on some of those shoes, wc could run faster, and catch ithat fellow." Wc will continue with the further movements of this steamer, which will fce found quite interesting. Subse quently she proved to be the Tristam Shandy. As has been stated, she threw pverboard nearly all her cargo, went into Nassau, filled np hurriedly with i another cargo and steamed once more (for Wilmington, ran the blockade, and" got in. In order to have the dark of the moon, she unloaded with great dis patch, loaded with the usual Confederate cargo and sailed for Nassau. When she got a few miles outside, she was discov red by the United States steamer Pequot, which gave chase. It soon be came very dark, and the Pequot lost eight of her, but continued on the same course as when the blockade-runner was last seen. In a few minutes a tremen dous volume of black smoke from the .soft coal came into the faces of the peo ple on board of the Pequot, and in a minute afterward she was up with the blockade-runner, and the Tristam Shandy was capture!. She had broken down. The Captain of her had stated that the Connecticut had chased him so hard those fifteen hours that his ma chinery was very much out of order; and he hadn't time to adjust and repair it, for he had to hurry very much to tret out of Nassau and into and out of Wil mington in order to save the moon and the tides. So the Connecticut was the remote cause of the capture of the TiJStam Shandy with her valuable car go. Vessel and cargo together were adjudged by the Prize Court to be worth three hundred and seventy-five (thousand dollars. Added to this was the cargo thrown overboard when chased by the Connecticut, making a great total loss to the Confederate cause. . A certain Saturday night, off the Western Bar (one of the inlets into Wilmington), was an exciting one for the blockadcrs, and blockade-runners also. There was no lime to indulge in Saturday-night songs and revelries, or to drink "sweethearts and wives' i We knew that blockade-runners were expected, for the tides and the -state of' the moon favored litem, lite moon went down early. Orders had been given that at that time every, vessel should have her anchor up, with steam and everything ready for a start. The ves sels, four in number Connecticut, Georgia, Emma and Buckingham were swinging about, and little steam jsied 'to "keep them in their assigned positions. They were like restless race horses awaiting the order "Go!" j The officer of the deck was lying down pjfon las breast on she hurricane deck, F, toe Horrzoa wiui ma glass. rk rp6rtd that there was ISSSri blockade-runner. The commander cook a look and confirmed the report. Or ders were immediately given to start and move at, full speed. Two shotted guns were fired at the vessel when she changed her coarse, stood off under full speed and was lost sight of. In this move she met with the Georgia, which vessel started after her and drove her off. Continuing in her persistency to enter, the Emma met her, and drove her off. She was faster than most of our vessels and, as it was dark, she could soon run out of sight But she was not willing to give it up. She- had now stood pretty well over toward Smith's Island, th'inking she might get in by running close along the land; and now for the fourth time she attempted it when the Buckingham espied her, opened her guns upon her, and drove her off. As we didn't see or hear anything more of her that night we supposed she had gone out to sea, to try it per haps another night, as was frequently done. But at daybreak the next morning, lo and behold! there was the steamer hard and fast ashore. She had been forced off and shoved over so manv times that she had got nearer the land than she calculated, and had run badly ashore. Attempts were made by our vessels to get her off, which was found to be impossible. A few days after a gale of wind came on which broke the vessel to pieces. She was found to be the noted English blockade runner Herald. The officers and crew had left in their boats, and landed on Smith's Island in the dark of the night. This steamer had been running be tween Bermuda and Charleston, had made ten or twelve successful trips and had paid for herself several times over. She had changed her route to the one between Nassau and Wilmington, which proved bad luck, as she was wrecked on her first trip. And now came up the question of common sense versus law. The Connecticut had captured a schooner laden with salt, a cargo not worth more than three or four hundred dollars. Uy throwing the salt over board five or six thousand dollars' worth of valuable goads could be taken from the Herald and put on board of the schooner, which was done. This would naturally be deemed common sense. But the law says that "no per son in the navy shall take out of a prize any goods or any properly before the same shall be adjudged lawful prize by a competent court. ' This proceeding was duly reported to the Navy Department, but nothing was ever said in tiic way of approval or disapproval thereof. The chief engineer of the Connecticut was a zealous, patriotic man, and was well up to his duties in every particular. In the hard chase of fifteen hours as has been described, it occurred to the Captain to step down into the engine and boiler-rooms to take a survey of matters and things. When he arrived, the chief engineer remarked: "Captain, these boilers have now been run many months in chasing blockade runners, and are getting tender. They are under a heavy strain to-day, and I advise you to keep on deck." The Captain replied that if there was any danger he didn't know why he shouldn't share it with the cngiticcr. ""But," said the official, "vonr particu lar post of duty is on decu, and mine is here. I shipped for this, and if the boilers go it is my privilege and my duty to stick to and 'go with them." Upon reflection, anil deeming dis cretion the better part of valor, the Captain left and went on deck. The boilers, I am glad lo say, did not burst Love and matrimony once came in as incidents in the course of this blockade service. Ports and towns may be blockaded, but loving hearts can never be. although hard-hearted parents sometimes attempt it. When the Greyhound was captured (vessel and cargo adjudged by the Prize Courts to be worth half a million of of dollars,) among the passengers on board was the noted Belle Bowl, who had been a prisoner before in the war in the hands of General Butler, and had been made somewhat famous by her general deportment, her speeches and her peiiness. The Greyhound was taken to Boston, was adjudged a lawful prize and was condemned. Belle Boyd, with the other passengers, and the offi cers and crew, were released and per mitted to go wherever they pleased. From Boston they all went to Halifax, and from thence to England. The prize-master of the Greyhound was a young volunteer officer with the rank of actiiig Master in the United States Navy, and rather a good-looking fellow. It seems that while on board of the Greyhound together, he and Belle Boyd became, greatly interested in each other, and their feelings ripened into affectionate friendship. After they separated at Boston a fervent corre spondence was commenced and con tinued between them, and they became engaged. He resigned from the Federal Navy, and proceeded to V.nrrlnnH iml thfr mrn mnrrind In Liverpool. Subsequently, she wrote an interesting book about her life and adventures, in which she gives a graphic account of her courtship and marriage, with all attending incidents. Her career was certainly full of the most eventful, heroic and romantic features; a career softened and varied at the same time, and which showed that hearts could be captured as well as blockade-runners. It may not be generally known, or may have been forgotten by the public, that Belle Boyd was the 'daughter of General Boyd, of tiie Confederate army, who died while a prisoner to the Fed eral forces. He possessed vast estates in Virginia, early embraced the cause of Southern independence, and was soon entmsted with a General's com mand. His daughter Belle enthusiast ically embraced" the same cause, fol lowed her father to the field and ac companied him throughout his cam paign. On two occasions, like a mod ern Joan of Are, sho. heroically L ed on the troop to battle. She was, however, captured in a skirmish, and was a prisoner for thirteen months, as previously mentioned. Then she was exchanged for General Cochrane, who had been made prisoner by the Con federates. After all these years, I re member her second capture and its re sults with amused interest Rear Ad miral Ahny, in Louisville Courier-Jour-naL A NEW ALARM CLOCK. It Ib Warranted to House the Heaviest Sleeper. "You've seen lots of alarm clocks, of course," said the watchmaker to a friend, "but there is new clock now on the market that is the most effective I ever saw. Here it is," he went on, taking from a shelf a small round clock with a cylindrical arrangement at th side. "You see this cylinder? That is the secret of the clock's usefulness. The usual alarm bell is on the top. It rings at the hour it is set for, but many people get so used to that that they sleep right through its noise. Some thing had to be done, so a genius added this cylinder. The base is filled with air compressed by pushing down this small piston-head, which is then secured by a catch. The space left in the tube is filled with cold water. The cover is, as you can see, a perforated tin tube, which is pointed in the direction needed. At the proper hour the alarm bell goes off, the-clock-work releases the piston-head, and the water in the cylinder is driven oat through the perforations over the head of the heavy sleeper. He is bound to wafci and thexe you are.' WWW0A 1 A BACHELOR'S TRIALS. Oae of the Fraternity Tells AU Aboat Sorrows aad Trlbalatlons. I am a bachelor, a real bachelor not one of those young men who rather pride themselves on being unmarried, because they know that they will bo married just as soon as they really want to. Unfortunately for me, that is not my fix. I have overstepped the limit and my chances of a matrimonial alliance are now very slim ones. I may get married; I may also pick the single black bean out of a bushel sack of white ones with my eyes closed. One as likely as the other. Am I complaining? No, it don't do any good to complain; but I want to let some of the troubles of bachelor life be known, that charitably inclined people all over the face of the earth will try to make the lot of some poor, miserable cuss of a bachelor a little easier. If I do this I shall have done some good. The life of a bachelor is a nice, quiet life undisturbed by family ties, chil dren and other cares that worry his married brother; but almost, every bachelor on this earth would accept the cares and term them them "bless ings. . A bachelor's room is very often cosy and comfortable; oftener otherwise. It will often be found furnished luxuri ously and arranged tastefully; oftener it will be found furnished niggardly and as completely disarranged as if a fuli-ilcdged e clone had superintended it arrangement. The contents of a bachelor's apart mens are only equaled by the exhibi tion it. a museum. You will find al mosr anything you call for; but if yoo want to "sew a button on a shirt bosom, the button that will be seen, you can find only the black thread; while if the button is needed on a black vest the only thread that will unearth itself is as white as the driven snow. Bache lors used to such little annoy ances as this pay no atten tion to such accidental perver sitwin the part of the thread, they only womlcr then what on earth has become of all the needles? Say it is a white shirt needing the button I have the thread, but it's black; well, I'm in a hurry, so if I only had the needle, a little white chalk would hide tiie black ness of the thread for to-night Say it's the black "vest that is buttonless, and the thread happens to bo white; well, thank goodness, my ink bottle will so discolor the whiteness of the thread that the man who made it would think he turned it out black. But all this don't bring up that needle; yesterday, while hunting up my extra collar but ton, I saw needles enough to run a family a year. Well, I'm in a hurry, I guess' I'll have to pin it again. Thus muses the poor bachelor; and cursing- his fate, he finds a pin and is gone. How happy he would be if some woman would take him in charge; but no, he has put it off too long, and now he is too settled in his habits to even think of a change in his life except occasionally to brood over it as one of the impossibilities. A bachelor has sometimes a happy beam falling across his path when he visits some lady friends, and after leaving he feels a slight hope tugging at his. neart strings that all chances are not yet gone; but he goes on with his life and nis way of living and the sun shine gradually shuts itself from out his heart Once in awhile some old-time chum, now married and a happy husband and father, insists on his leaving his restaurant dinner for one day and dining with him in his family circle. The bachelor enjoys this. He hangs out against going at first; but when he sees the little chaps clamber to the father's knee, and watches the beam of pride in the father's eyes as he kisses each chubby cheek, he is real glad that Bob was Rind enough to ask him, and hopes to have many dinners with Bob determines when the little ones become familiar enough to approach and kiss him, that he will cultivate Boh more than he has done. He is tickled at the childish wonder with which the little rosy-faced ones gaze at him, and he is tempted to tell them that he is their uncle, that he may worm himself into their good graces the easier. Hr remembers a lot of advertising pictures he stuffed into his pocket a day or twe since; they are brought out and one bj one the children arc bribed to his kDco. Bob's wife is a nice, gentle body, very domestic, and a model wife, whom Bob loves devotedly, and who loves Bob to distraction. Bob don't say so, but you can see it He has a pleasant time and a real nice dinner. Not so varied, possi bly, as the one he left untasted at the restaurant, but so much more palatable. He thinks that he hasn't enjoyed a dinner before -in ever so long, and is really sorry he must go, but he must. He has chatted with Bob and Ins, wife and babies, through two of Bob's cigars, and now he must turn his back on this cheerful family circle and get back to his bachelor den. Truly, to-night it is more of a den than ever before cold, bleak and so cheerless. Mr. Bachelor thinks for awhile, then gees to bed, lies awake for an hour thinking of Bob's happiness, and of his own unhappiness, ana won ders if he should marrv would his home be equally !!s happy. Would it? There' the doubt, the uncertainty he's fre now, why not remain so? Then disgusted and disgruntled b determines that he will never again go to Bob's, for this visit has almost unset tled him, and surely made him envious. No, he'll endure his lot Then in his sleep. Bob and Bob's happiness, as well as his own misery, are forgotten. Look out, boys, and don't put it off too long. Mybachelor experience in about the average PccVs Sun. LIGHTNING'S FREAKS. The Remarkable Strobe Experienced as Observed in Minnesota. The Granite Falls Journal, Minnesota, gives an account by N. O. Carle an Christian Olson, farmers of Granite Falls, of the remarkable results of a stroke of lightning which struck the prairie about a mile and a half from Olson's house. It occurred in" June last, during a heavy storm. They say it made a hole in the ground between five and six feet across, and nearly six feet deep, and from this hole there extend six trenches two feet deep, branching off in different directions, and extending for a distance of from six to- eight rods. And what was very singular, not a particle of the sod and dirt thrown from the hole and trenches was to be seen, except now and then a large piece of sod twenty or thirty rods away. Mr. Olson says that by actual measurement tha ditches plowed out by the lightning from where it struck were all of an equal distance apart; four of them were of the same length, and the other two sue feet shorter. The report Is said to have been as terrible as if an explosion had occurred. A lady sitting at a win dow in a house a mue away sensibly felt the shock; two men were sitting outside another house a mile away from the scene, and so forcibly did they feel it that they immediately jumped to their feet and went into the bouse without speaking. Mr. C. A. Bennett editor of the Journal, writes us that he vouches for the truthfulness of the above account. Scientific American. About five hundred 'divoice saite wrem filnd in St. IaU dnrims? thfl vaar im. A LONELY ISLAND. The Melancholy Isolation off It-St. Hilda and Its People. Standing in melancholy isolation in the midst of the stormy Atlantic 140 miles from the mainland, the island of St Hilda is nothing but a lonely and desolate prison, and its inhabitants re main in a state of enforced and dreary exile. Cut off from all communication with the outer world, except for their two posts a year, and a visit from an occasional stray vessel, revolutions may agitate the world, wars may rage, general elections may be decided,- and the St Kildans be unaware that any thing important is going on. News may travel to the most distant part of the Queen's dominions before it reaches this corner of the British Isles. Tilings are improving, however, even in St. Kilda. Now that only eight or nine months elapse at the longest between the visits of the postman, the inhabit ants consider themselves tolerably well posted up in news as compared with the condition of things about fifty years ago, when the minister kept praying that his Majesty, King William, might be granted health long to reign over us, and be surrouhded with wise and trusty counselors, three years after that gracious monarch was dead. So little is known of St. Kilda that early last year it was thought that the rock- island, which is only three miles long and two broad, had been sub merged or carried away iike a huge iceberg, by the waters of the Atlantic. St. Kilda has been in trouble, but its misfortune did not amount to complete annihilation. Disastrous sto'rms dis tress the inhabitants. Although girt round with rocks sometimes rising pre cipitously from the waves to the heiglith of two hundred feet, the wild tempest uous ocean throws its angry spray over the high cliffs, oversweeps the island and destroys the crops wiiich the peo ple try to raise. Last autumn the whole of the crop was destroyed by one oft these storms. With starvation staring them in the face the distressed inhabitants sent message after message adrift in the hope that some would be found and assistance sent them. One of these messages was picked up toward the end of September, and through Sir William Collins of Glas gow, and Principal Rainy a relief ex pedition was fitted out and the food was landed, though as the vessel ar rived on Sunday these simple folks de clined to give a hand in discharging the cargo until Sunday had passed. The Captain of the vessel swore and pointed out that a change of wind would compel him to put to sea. Go, then," replied these stern people. The minister said he could not guarantee the continuance of fair weather, "but he trusted that the same Providence which had put it into men's hearts to send them corn and potatoes would keep the wind steady in the northeast" And Providence was kind, for the wind remained steady in the northeast The St. Kildans are seventy-seven in number. They have decreased in num ber lately because of a singular mor tality among the children, the majority of whom die before they are many days old. This may be due to the system of intermarrying that goes on, or because there is no doctor to combat with the mysterious baby foe. There arc only one or sometimes two births a year. Rev. John Mackay, who ministers to the spiritual wants ot the people, tries to do a little medicinally, but his pre scriptions arc confined, as a rule, to a poultice and a hot-water cloth. The community includes a schoolmaster There are about fifty cows and one thousand sheep, which are common property; but there are no horses, that animal's work being relegated to the female St. Kildans. The minister's watch keeps time for the whole islaud, and, when informed by the men of the Hcbridean that his watch was two hours fast, he chuckled over the fact that he could thereby bring the con gregation together at nine instead of eleven o'clock, while he only was aware of the pious fraud. The houses of the people were tolerably good; McLeod, of McLeod, to whom" this unprofitable piece of property belongs, having im proved the buildings recently. The great occupation of the people is catching sea-fowl. From March to November the island is covered with sea-fowl, and catching these birds is the staple industry. Multitudes of solan geese cover the rocks; there are myriads of gulls, northern divers, stormy petrels, black, solemn cormo rants "and simple guillemets, and, indeed, almost every kind of sea-bird. The difficult work of climbing about the rocks catching the birds is engaged in by both men and women. Enormous numbers of fowls are sent off every year. Then a great deal is made out ol feathers. Referring; to this subject. Dr. MacCulloch, in nis account of the island, says: The air is full of feathered animals, the sea is covered with them, the houses are ornamented by them, and the inhabitants look as if they had been all tarred and feathered, for theii hair is full of feathers, and their clothes are covered with feathers. The women look like feathored Mercuries, for their shoes are m.tde of gannct'i skin. Everything smells of feathers. Pall Mall Gazette. HISTORY OF A FIDDLE. raa Adventnrea'of a Polish Suicide's Valu able Violin. In the park of the Polish Count P., the body of a young man was found one morning who had blown out his brains with a pistol. By his side there lay on the ground a very ordinary look ing fiddle, which was subsequently given as a plaj'thing to the children of the Count who soon damaged its neck and used it as a sledge to drag about in the nursery. It was afterward given to a poor street musician bv a compas sionate servant maid. He had it re paired and begged his way with it to Vienna. There an assistant of S.-i the famous musical instrument maker, pur chased it for a small sum and parted with it to his master for five florins. The latter speedily recognized it as. the production of those most celebrated makers, Nocolo and Andrea Amati. When the violin had been skilfully re paired he sold it for two hundred and fifty ducats to Count K., who a few yeare later became an attache to to the Austrian Embassy at Madrid. ,He lostjt, howeves it is believed in some gambling transaction and it be came the property of Donelli, the lead er of the regimental band of the Italian Guards of Nobles, that joined in the Russian campaign in 1811. Here nearly the entire regiment perished and thebaggage train was plundered by the Russians. The Amati violin fell into the hands of a Cossack, who "sold it for a rouble to a joiner in Moscow. After the latter had given it a coat of thick red paint, he took it with him to Breslau, his native town, where he dis posed of it to a violin maker .for two thalers. It so happened that the latter had formerly been in the employ of S. in Vienna. He knew the instrument again by the traces of its former re pair. He therefore wrote to- Vienna and sold it to his old master for two hundred thalers. Count C. was at that time in London, and S. offered him the violin for the second time and got two hundred and fifty ducats for it Two years later the count made the ac quaintance oFPaganini in Florence, who offered him at once five hundred ducats for the instrument; but the Count completely carried away by the wonderful skill oi the great-artist, gen erously made him a present of it Jf. T.SCr A BLIND TRAVELER. i . I Or. Campbell's cSi it Alio nt IIU Iiondea i Collie -f!l.rjljf the Alp. One of the most remarkable blind men in thfl world !in.i just paid a flying visit to Waliinglon. Ho is Dr. Frauci J. Campbell, LL. D., principal of the Itoy.il Normal College and Acad emy of Muiiic for the Blind in London. A native of Tennessee, for many years ' a resident of Boston, he went to Europe, especially to Germany, in 18G9, to study, and he was mainly instrumental in 1872 in founding the gre,it institu tion of which he has over since been, and still is, the principal. Ho comes to this country at the present time nomi nally'as a royal commissioner to inves tigate and collect information about the best methods of educating the blind that obtain here, but principally to show to the people of America some of I the results produced by the Royal Normal Colic -re. He. is an American citizen and owner of property in this country, and is working for the estab lishment of a National college in America for the higher education of the blind. Iu the Royal Normal Col lege in London, over which Dr. Camp bell presides, music is one of the main object h. but the education given is gen eral. The college embraces a prepara tory school, a grammar ami high school, a technical school and an academy of music. A great deal of attention is paid to physical training. The doctor is a little man, approaching sixty years of age, wears dark glasses to eover his empty eye-ea- and a dark, gray beard. In conversai.ou ho L :v frisky as a a Frenchman, his features are enliv ened with a wondurfui animation, he talks quickly, and there is a peculiar childlike cheerfulness in his tone that is only found in blind men, r.nd only in a few of them. "Pawcal exercise is most essential in the "education of the blind," said the doctor. "I have generally foutAiu the college that it ii:ts taken as much effort to overcome their luibils of idleness and indolence as to give them the training for their special avocations. As a rule," said he, "tho vitality of the blind is below the average vitality of seeing persons. The lack of phvsical Sower leads to indolence, timidity and iscouragement The blind must be roused from their willingness to de pend upon others, and made to believe in the possibility of independence and success. Wc give our pupils courage and vitality by gymnastic exercises. We have a very well appointed gymna sium connected with the college. We teach the boys to swim, too, ami skate. They don't -have any more falls in learning to skate than seeiug people do, and the falls they necessarily re ceive give them a hardihood that is worth everything to them." "Yes," "said the doctor's son, "wc have some bovs who can play around on the ice anil describe fancy figures as neatly as yon or I or perhaps the most expert skater you can find iu Washing ton." "Does every one get the ice all to himself in turn or do they all skate at once and together?" asked the reporter. "If many skated at a time would there not be frequent collisions?" "The ice-pond is circular in shape," was the reply, "with a small islet in the center, profusely set with trees and shrubbery that oveihang. This little islet in the center gives an echo by which the boy knows how far he is from the bank. A dozen of them will often skate for half an hour around that pond without a single stumble. The echo prevents them from running into the bank. When they have skated perhaps half an hour in the one direc tion a bell is rung, and then they turn and skate perhaps for the same length of time the other way. They go round on the ice with just as free and easy a swing as the contestants in a skating malcli at Madison Square Garden, in Now York." "Doctor, you climbed the Alps once yourself?" "O, yes. In 1880, I think it was, I ascended to the lop of Mont Blanc My son. who was then only nineteen years old, accompanied me, and was the first of his age who ever rose to that height But Mont Blanc is not by any means the most difficult mount ain to climb. I never will forget being snowed up for twentv-threc hours on the Matterhorn. That was in 1882. I thought I was never going to get down. It rather dulled my appetite for mount ain air, but I am very fond of travel and exercise. You see I have so much thinking to do that a great deal of physical cxercle is necessary for me. Two years ago my son and I took a tandem tricycle across the channel, and crossed the continent on it from Sweden to Russia. We brought the machine with us to New York, where we arrived from England last Monday, and wc intend to do a good deal of riding on it. But this country is too big and distances arc too great to cover on a tricycle." Washington Po;l. STRANGE RITES. Tlin Revolting Funeral Ceremonies Prac ticed by the Ilurmana. Whcu . Burmese priest of any note dies, he is embalmed and kept for a year, and then burnt with much re joicing and festivity. All the inhabi tants of the neighboring villages, and even of tho.se far distant, turn out. Many dummy coffins ar made. In-side thcronc containing the defunct The procession starts from the place where the body has been lying in state toward the place of cremation, which is always at a place some distance off, accompanied by a vast concourse of men, women and children, all dressed in their Sunday best, preceded by a noisy band of wind instruments. On approaching the funeral pyre, which has already been prepared, the crowd forms into two parties, ropes are at tached lo the bii-r a wheeled vehicle containing the colliu front ;md rear, and a strugg!-' lakes place, which much resembles "the gnui-i knowu :w French and English. Somflims the coffin is upset, and its ghastly burden thrown out, but generally the struggle is a men: sham, the party behind give way. and the bier is ma in amid deafening yells. The ciUin is placed over the pyre, which is a iifass of dry faggots, in the center of which is concealed some gunpowder; to this numerous ropes are attached ami stretched to a spot beyond the rough palings which surround the place of cremation; to these ropes again are attached rockets, which are lighted and propelled toward the pyre and he or she, who first succeeds in setting it alight, is looked upon as one destined to a happy life. These funeral pyres arc very tastefully built and, erected; they consist of inllammable materials, but are a3 gorgeous as tinsel and bright colors can make them. They are very prettily grouped, and often cost mauy thousands of rupees. The hubbub and noise arc deafening and the dust fear ful. Stalls arc erected, and a brisk trade carried on. Everybody is happy and merry, and decked out with all the ornaments they possess, and in their .finest apparel. After some hours' jolli fication, in which women and children freely mix and join, the whole of the structures so carefully and tastefully erected are burned down, iud the crowd goes its way rejoicing. The fellow "phoongics" of the defuuet col lect the ashes of their dead brother, and deposit them in an urn, which again, if the deceased, has been a high priest, is inclosed .either in a pagoda or in the bosom of one of the immense images of Guadama, which .surround most sacred shrines. Jtt the, 1'tat THE ELDER BENNETT. Hem. Jalui Bassell Young Beeelleei l ef the Great Journalist. "I first saw Mr. Bennett in 1864, when; I came to New York: w:lh a message to him from Mr. Forney. Mr. Forney had . some ideas about being a member of the Cabinet- of Mr. Lincoln, and there were good reasons why he expected such recognition. I came to New York at his request to "sec Mr. Bennett. I was introduced to -him by Hon. John B. Haskin, then member of Congress from Westchester County. I went to Fort Washington one snowy night and saw Mr. Bennett for the first time. From that began an acquaintance that lasted until he died. He was then an old man of nearly seventy, with a curi ous humor. He tilked until late i& the evening. He had an interesting Scotch accent. He told mc about his early days and his first editorial, on the battle of Waterloo, in a Scotch newspaper, and I remember he impressed me as a combination of Horace Walpolc and Cobbett He was to mc always very kind. He had the gcniii3 of journal ism', a streaming humor, a fine head, utterly indifferent to public opinion and political relationships, profuse in per sonal courtesy and with a strong admi ration for both General Jackson and General Grant "I remember when General Grant came to New York iu 1859 or 1870 he said to me: 'I owe a great deal to Mr. Bennett. He has treated mc with kind ness from Fort Donelson down. I wish I could make some return; but he wants no office, takes no part iu politics, asks for no appointments, despises patron age, and I can not doanvthing for him. I ought to do something to show my appreciation of his profound and per fect support' I said to him: 'You can only do one thing for Mr. Bennett, Mr. President Go and see him.' "Horace Porter, I think it was, was with the President, and he said: 'Yes, Mr. President, I don't think you can do anything better than to go and call on him.' "I gave him Mr. Bennett's address, and General Grant went with General Porter and sent up his card. He thanked Mr. Bennett for his uniform and strenuous support as General and President, and said he knew he could not return Mr. Bennett any office or dignitvor courtesy that would be ac ceptabrc to him, so he had simply come to say to him that he was not unmind ful of the support he had always re ceived from the Herald. I saw Mr. Bennett that evening and ho referred" to the visit They had talked a good deal about Jackson's administra tion. Mr. Bennett said to me that he had told General Grant that no man had had such an influence iu the country since Jackson's time, and Gen eral Grant would have his perfect and assured confidence as President. Gen eral Grant was afterward extremely so licitous to giro Mr. Bennett some indi cations of the appreciation he felt But that was out of the question. Mr. Bennett would accept nothing from General Grant except the assurance of his personal friendship and regard, and so it continued to the end of his life." "What do you think of the elder Mr. Bennett as a journalist?" "I think, taking tho whole history of journalism into consideration, Mr. Ben nett was its most original, daring and audacious example. His independence, his courage, his honor, his knowledge of the world, were remarkable. He brought into journalism the principles he had learned as a boy from Cobbett. Ho triod to control events. He made the paper he founded the embodiment of what a journal should be." Chicago Times. PENNY GROCERIES. How the Poorest People Manage to Lin In New Vork. Within the last six months a number of Italians and Germans have started penny groceries in the parts of the city populated by the poor, and these places all seem to be prosperous and thriving. Ten cents is thought by these grocers to be a big bill, and the investor of a quarter is inevitably regarded as a millionaire. In conversation with a re porter, a leadingretail grocer said: "There is no doubt these penny groceries are on the increase. They are an evil, auu tne penny grocer is really the poor man's enemy instead of his friend. In the penny grocery the poor man pays twice as much for bis provisions in the long run and doesn't get as good quality as if he bought them in moderate quantities from larger stores. The penny groceries are stocked with what tho poor man is likely to buy. The quality of the pro visions is not good; the coffee ana tea are especially poor, and the vegetables invariably stale." An Italian who keeps a penny gro cery in South Fifth Avenue, near Bleecker Street, gives the following list as an illustration of what can be done in a penny grocery with a silver quarter: Cents. Three ounces of coffee t One ounce of tea 1 Three ounces of rice 1 Small loaf of stale bread 1 Six sticks kindling-wood 1 XDIGQ OIUOIIS a Four potatoes (old) 1 Three ounces of Iiarley 1 Three ounces ot brotrn sugar I Four ounces of starch 1 Thin slice bar soap 1 Enough raisins for rice pudding 1 Small tea-cup of blaek molasses 1 Lsmpful of oil 1 Quarter of a yard of lamp wick 1 Quarter poun'l of oleomargarine 4 Scuttle of coal (mixed) 4 Three ounces of lard. 1 Two pickles 1 A small family can live for a day on these purchases. The coffee will be sufficient for a big potful. and the tea is enough for two drawings. The rice and raisins make asmall pudding. The stale bread will serve for a meal, and there is enough sugar to sweeten the tea and coffee. The onions, potatoes, and barley, with the addition of a beef bone or piece of meat and a penny bunch of potherbs, will make a stew or soup There is enough soap to wash the dishes and scrub tho children's faces, enough oil and wick to last all night a scuttle of coal and wood to kindle the fire in the morning. Then there arc lard, molasses, and the next thing to butter, oleomargarine, and the two good sized pickles tor a relish. The penny grocers buy small stale loaves for a half cent each and retail them at a cent Medium-sized stale loaves cost them one and a half cents and sell at two cents, and large stale loaves they retail at three cents. The coal they sell is coal-yard sweepings screened, and contains a good deal of slate. N. Y. Mail and Express. m m The Rights of Inventor. Randolph G. Solomon, of Newark, claims to have discovered valuable secrets in connection with the manu facture of Cordovan leather, and for coloring kangaroo, alligator and snake skins. He employed a bookkeeper and a superintendent, with the understand ing that they were not to divulge the secrets of the business. They, how ever, after learning his methods, made arrangements with two strangers to go into business in Newark and compete with Solomon. Chancellor Bonyon has issued an injunction against them, holding that a discoverer of a igffl process of manufacture, whethpwiitt able or not, has property therein." H. T. Post m m a There are firms in New York aad Philadelphia who fcir oat ctancqift Happiness resaUs from that true coatsatietst wUek iadieates perfect health of body aad salad. You may possess It, If you will purify aad Invigorate your blood with AVer's Sarsa parffla. . M. Howard, Newport, N. H., writes: " I sufered for years with Scrof ulous ruuoors. After using two bottles ol yers Sanaparlua, I Found great relief. It has CBtirely restored sm to health.' James Fresco, Atchtoon, Kaas., writes: "To all persons Suffering from Liver Complaint, I would strongly recom mend Avert Sarsaparllla. IwasaJTueted with a disease of the liver for nearly two years, when a friend advised ma to take this medicine. It gave prompt relief, aad has cured km. Mr. H. V. Kidder, 41 Dwightst,Bostoa, Mass., writes: "For several years I have used Avar's Sana. partila la ay family . I savor feel safe, even . At Home without It As a liver medicine and general puriier of the blood, it has so equal." Mrs. A. B. Allen, Winterpoek, Ya., writes: "My youngest child, two years of age, was taken with Bowel Com plaint, which we could not cure. We tried many remedies, but ha continued to grow worse, and finally became so reduced in flesh that we could only move him upon a pillow. It was suggested by one of the doctors that Scrofula might be the cause of the trouble. We procured a bottle of ATEB'S Sarsaparilla and commenced giving It to him. Itnrely worked wonders, for, in a short tune, he was completely cured." Sold by all Druggists. Price $1; Six bottles, $5. Prepared by Dr. J. C. Ayer ife Co., Lowell, Mass., U.S. A. THE OMAHA & CHICAGO SHORT JCXXtTS OK THK Clicio, Milwaukee ill St. Pan! Railway. THE BEST ROUTE From OM A II A TO THE EAST. Two Trains Daily Between Omaha Chicago, and .Milwaukee, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Dubuque, Davenport, Rock IsIand.Freeport, Rockford, Elgin, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, Winona, La Crosse. And all other Important Points Hast, Northeast and Southeast. For through tickets call on the Ticket Agent at Columbus, Nebraska. 1'ULUlAX SLKKl'KIU :iii1 the FlNK-ST Dining Cans in tiir World arc run ou the main lines of the Chicitso, JIH wasskee A Mr. Pnat ttVy, and every attention is paid to pussencrs by cour teous employe of the Company. K. Iffiller, A. V. II. CarpesUer, General Man ger. Uen'l Tasi. Ag't. J. F. Tsicker, CJeo. II. HeasTurd, AM't Gcn'l Mail. Ass't Pass. Ag't. a. X. Clark, Gen'I Sup't. Feb. 17-1 LOUIS SCHBEIBEB, 111 All kinds of Repaii-iig done en Short Notice. Buggies, Wag ens, etc.. made to order, and all work Guar anteed. Abo tell the world-famoni Walter A. Wood Mowers, Beavers, Coatbin- ed Haehinss, Hamsters, and Self-binders tho best made. ryShop opppslte the " Tattersall," on Olive St., COLUMBUS. 26-m Denver to Chicago. Denver to Kansas City. Denver to Omaha. Omaha to Chicago, Kansas City to Chicago, Omaha to St. Louis, BEST LINE FROM WEST TO EAST! 8URE CONNECTIONS LOW RATES BAQCACC CHECKED THROUGH. Through tickets over the Burling ton Route are for sale by the Union Paoiffc, Denver A Rio Crande and all other principal railways, and by all agents of the "Burlington Route. For further Information, apply to any agent, or te P. 8. EUSTI,6a,lT,k,tAgt. OMAHA. XER A book of 100 pagef. The best book for aa advertiser to coa stjlr, be he experi enced or otherwise WISH lo spend who umm. "u" " "r3S formation he regnlreevwhlle for him who win iBTeatone hundred taooaand dollars la ad Yertlsln a scheme la Indicated which win meethla erery reqalrenseat, or eewMSsaM to 4e bf flight chaatamtt mrrtotdai ly sof rmfonAtmce. Is edfitoaa have beem leaned. BttiiliaioWwite IjPSPArfR WBVEnTOINC ltoonUlnalistsoinewspapcTeanaesumarea of the eostof advertising-. The advertiser who Ben poa-pia. ww maj ""25Lu r.T5T WrfssftoCKO. P. MWBUi COl. VJWSFAFXK ADVI310 WMAD. 09pnmm.rilatogii9mWl New Tee. UNION PACIFIC LAND OFFICE, SAML. C. SMITH, Ag't. anr nt H3TI hare a large number of improved Farms for sale cheap. Almrunhnproved farminie and grazing landu, from i lo $15 per acre. SsTSpccial attention paid U nmMns: final proof on Homestead and Timber Claims. BT II having lands to sell will find it to their advantago to Icavu them in my hands for ahs. .Money to loan on farms. F. II. Marty. Clerk, peak Gorman. 30-tf CoIumbiM. Xebrak. FREE LAND! FOR- FARMERS & STOCKMEN .lust beyond tho Srbrankt lino on the l'latte River. Tho Counfry is Wonderfully Productive. Cheap Lands fur sain in the vicinity of the livelr town of Sterling. Grand Openings for all kinds of Busi ness. Present population of Town 500. JjTSM!d fur circulars to PACKAED & KING, 2S-y Sterling, Weld 'o.. Colorado. ESTABLISHED IN I860. TIIK WASHINGTON. I). C. P.illy, except Sunday. I'rice. $t.fn per year iu advance, poHtajre free. -Tin: WIEELY VATIOML WUm. Devoted to "CMeral news and original matter olit.iinud from the Department of Agriculture inrt other Departments of the Covernmcnt, relating to tho firming and planting interests. Au Advocate of Republican principled, reviewinjr fearlessly and fairly the act of CnngrtMt and the National Adminis tration. Price, $1.00 per year iu advance, po?tai:e free. E. W. FOX, President and .Manager. The National Republican and the CoLUMiiUd Journal, 1 year, $2.50. 32-x Cures Guaranteed! DR. WARNS SPECIFIC No. 1. A Certain Cure for Nervous Debility, Seminal Weakness, Involuntary Emi's mous. Spermatorrhea, and all diseases of tiie genito-urinary organs caused by self abuse or over indulgence. Price, $1 00 per box, six boxes $.".00. DR. WARNS SPECIFIC No. 2. For Enileptic Fits, Mental Anxiety, Loss of Memory, Softening of the Brain, and all those diseases of tho brain. PrUo $1.00 per box, six boxes $3.00. DR. WARNS SPECIFIC No. 3. For Impotence, Sterility in either sex, Loss of Power, premature old age, and all those diseases requiring a thorough in vigorating of the sexual organs. Price $2.00 per box, six boxes $10.00. DR. WARNS SPECIFIC No. 4. For Headache, Nervous Neuralgia, and all acute diseases of the nervous system. Price 50c per box, six boxes $2.50. DR. WARN'S SPECIFIC No. S. For all diseases caused by the over-uie of tobacco or liquor. This remedy is par ticularly efficacious in averting palsy and delirium tremens. Price $1.00 per ox, six boxes $5.00. VTf Guarantee a Cure, or agree to re fund double the money paid. Certificate in each box. This guarantee applies to each of our five Specifics. Sent by mail to fly address, secure from observation, on receipt of price. Be careful to mention the number of Specific wanted. Uur Specifics arc only recommended for spe cific diseases. Beware of remedies war ranted to cure all those diseases with one medicine. To avoid counterfeits and al ways secure tne genuine, order only from . DOWTV Ml CHIIW, DRUGGISTS, Columbus, Neb. w-i Real is Wealth! Dk E. C. West's Nnms asd Rkaiw TmAT sncrr.airaaranteod specific for Hysteria, Dizzi ness. Convnteions, Fits. Nervous, earalsn. Headache. Nervous ProBtrntion caused by the nsa of alcohol or tobacco. Wakefulness, Mental De pression. Softening of the Brain resulting ia in sanity and leading to misery, decay and death, trematnra Old Age, Barrenness, Loea of powoc in either sex. Involuntary Losses andBpermat orrhoea caused by overexertion ot tho brain, selr abuse or over-indulgence. Each box contains one month's treatment. SLOT a box, or six boxes CorS5J00.sestbmail prepaidon receipt of price. WJt GTJAJtAXTEE SIX BOXES To cure any case. With each order received byt Cor six boxes, accompanied with S3X0. we will send tho purchaser our written guarantee to re fund the money it the treatment doeSBoSeOM cure. Guarantee issued only by JOHN O. "WEST & CO., S2 W. MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILLS., Solo Prop's Wesf s liver Pilla. in presents given away. Send us ft cents postage, ivvu auu uy man you win get free a pactcage of goods of lara value, that will st.irt you in work that will at once bring yoitin money faster than any thing else in America. All about the $200,000 in presents with each" box. Agents wanted everywhere, of either sex, of all ages, for all the time, or spare time only, to work for us at their own homes. Fortunes for all workers ab solutely assured. Don't delay. II. IIal UTT it Co., Portland, 3faine. SSOO REWARD! Wl wa pv U imil far as t cms Itnt CwhMP ears with Wwll TMlt Uttr K1U, vara fca ira tfaassf strictly senptiaa wfck. TWy s fnlr ,'. S9 plat. Kent. VsrsUskysIK -"! mt tsdHlli ntsntea KHlt C. WtttA COL.SH A IS W. MiiWins !. MMSSstaMtoasdssiUans)ttfsa TTTTTiT more money than at anything VV I l else by taking an agency for " -' the best selling book out. Be- ginners saeeeed grandly. . NoHe fail. Tents free. Haixsrr Book Co., Pert. laad,lCaiae. 4-M-J General Real Mate Dealer fKts9msmmPJffSSs MM) 000 4 4 'V M0l '' f