THE JOURNAL. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 188G. Satsrtl at tti PerUSe. Coliafcu. Bit., u tieoad dui auttir. THE TRUTH ABOUT IT. Unrfajr," sang the poet, "budding print;." Alas! the boughs were bare: He wu himself the ono preen thing. For Ice lay eyerywhere. "Hall, Spring, with breezes soft and sweet." The 8pring returned bit ball; Tbere came a shower of saow and sleet Upon a wintry galo. "Sing, merry birds, in bush and tree." He read the almanac; the birds were wiser far than he. And did not hurry back. Sprint gentle here he ceased to sing. bet tie sad truth bo told: The while he sang of balmy spring. He caught an awful cold. Mrt.SL P. Handy, In Century Magazine. SLEEPING-CAR SPOTTERS. How They Bring Unwary Conduct ors to Suddon Grlofc Not a hundred yards from Grand Central depot is a saloon largely fre quented by railroad employes, and es pecially by sleeping-car conductors, who, as a rule, indulge in fancy drinks of first quality and display a very fas tidious taste. A reporter happened the other night to stroll into this resort and ran across an acquaintance whose occupation consists in shadowing sus pected conductors. "You desire, then, to learn about the secret service on railroads," com menced the detective, after a conversa tion. in the course of which such a de sire had been expressed. "Well, those sleeping-car conductors we saw just now in the saloon afford excellent specimens for observation. The tempta tion to 'knock down fares is great, yet it is altogether different now from what it used to be in the olden times. Some fifteen or twenty years ago a conductor's berth was worth quite as much as a seat in the Stock Exchange or a sheriff's appointment, but those flush times have had their day and it takes a great amount of sharp practice to beat the vigilance of a spotter. However, to present a correct idea of the clever detective work carried on in this unique line, it would be as well to give you a thorough insight into the business. "Now. then, the Pullman Palace Car Company on several occasions found it necessary to engage the services of de tectives to watch some conductors on whom suspicion had crystallized, and in most instances conclusive proof, show "" inga -systeniatio robbery, was fur nished. The dishonest employes re ceived, of course, the 'grand bounce;' new men were selected to fill the va cancies, and still it was apparent that heavy depredations continued to be carried on. The case could only be explained in a way exceedingly dispar aging to human nature, but a detective who had been assigned on the work for some length of time and thus gained considerable experience, based on close observation, ventured to make a bold assertion impeaching the hones ty of nearly all conductors. He sug gested, consequently, to organize an elite corps of railroad directives, es pecially jiickcd to meet the require ments of that particular service, aud subject the men to an incessant and rigid vigilance. Headquarters were established in this city, and although the extra running expenses incurred by the service are quite heavy, there is no doubt but many thousand dollars have been saved for the company, while the thieving propensities of many employes encounter a severe restraint by the constant fear of detection and disgrace. "You think that long service has hardened my judgment and I am wrong in considering the majority of conduct ors more or less inclined to dishonesty. Allow me, then, to offer an explana tion, l am sincerely convinced that a great many of these fellows would be trustworthy in any other position, but somehow the wrong-doing appears trivial or even pardonable because it is a coqoration of millionaires which has to suffer, and the employes claim as an extenuating circumstance that the bad example of greedy directors helps to destroy their feeling of moral responsi bility. "But, to draw an illustration, let us imagine a case like this : An elderly gentleman who in vain has endeavored to adjust himself into a comfortably recumbent position on the rigid seat of an ordinary passenger ear, resolves to spend a few dollars in order to se cure a good night's rest. Well, he is courteously shown an inviting berth in the sleeper, while a dusky porter eager ly grabs the passenger s sachel, and grins complacently at the prospective tip. The features of the conductor, on the other hand, assume a strictly business-like expression, although there might be reason to question his integri ty of purpose if one could only catch his stealthy glance. The fact is our friend has cleared the way fora 'knock down fare' bv overlooking the slight formality of issuing a berth-check to the new passenger, and he is now med itating the problem whether every thing is all right a phrase which in his vocabulary figures as a synonym for a 'spotter' being in sight." How ever, the clever fellow has unfortunate ly failed to observe the piercing eves of a detective who is watching the whole transaction through a small opening in the curtain of an upper berth, and you bet-he will get him on tho list. . "You must understand the checking of a sleepcrjs a very complicated affair, and the detective who escapes making some sort of a blunder on a long run has to be pretty well trained. Taking a coach with fourteen sections, making double the number of berths, it mar, however, accommodate a considerably larger number of passengers, as each berth often is occupied by two persons. But the thing most likely to confuse a novice in our service is whenever the same berth is sold twice during a single night. . A passenger, for instance, leaves the train shortly after midnight, and another is directly afterward turned into the vacant berth, merely allowing the porter sufficient time for changing sheets, etc. In eventualities of this kind it depends largely upon she detective's faculty of familiariziug him self with the features of each passenger, and thus at a glance observe aiar change or augmentation of the total number. "The life a railroad detective is not a very enviable one, I can assure you. He is hired on the express condition that instructions, however repulsive to his character, must be strictly com plied with. Furthermore, he has no abiding place whatever. The interest efthe service requires a continuous shifting, around with the men from one road to another in order to. reduce as attach as possible the chances of altract iag suspicion by the conductors and railroad employes in general. It is thus a usual thing for a spotter to travel through every State in the Union in the coarse of a few months, and his work is really harder than most people would iaaagiae. Naturally he must assume different roles to meet any emergency ; throw off suspicion. You had him ' as a land speculator, insurance merchant, missionary, gambler. ter. man or politician, all ac- aawtafivtkfarticuir Job o k4 and tiie character of the section throng, which he travels. "The general course-is to assign one agent to each car, thus checking every passenger, but the entire registration must be done mentally. The art con siste in evincing the least possible con corn, and the spotter should always have a straight story to tell when b engages in conversation with other passengers or "pals ' of the conductor, it the end of each trip the detective makes out an elaborate report covering a certain car and sends it to head quarters, where it is compared with the conductor's balance sheet. The spotter is frequently instructed to pay cash fares himself, and the most conclusive proof is derived by holding out tho totnntinnr half in cnrfi n manner ia entrap the conductor. When the evi dence is found to bo of a very dam aging.character all formalities arc dis pensed with aud his walking papers served at once. Nevertheless there are some shrewd conductors who man age to delude detection in spite of alt vigilance. They possess a sort of in tuitive tact through which the presenco of a so-called Hawkshaw is revealed. The conductors, without exception, en tertain a bitter hatred to the detective service, and in this age of dynamite as an agent of redress for supposed griev ances it is ratlier surprising that no at tempt has so far been made to blow up the spotter headquarters. Vengeance has. though, been executed on several of our men out in the Territories, where the public, as a rule, is in sym pathy with the conductors, and rejoices in tho sport of hunting down an awk ward spotter. "A favorite scheme with the con ductors is occasionally to turn in a fare or two in excess of the number really collected, for the purpose of creating an impression upon the company that the spotter's report is untrustworthy at all times. Now and then the trahs employes suspect an entirely innocent person, and it is amusing to behold the Iiuzzlcd mien of such a passenger when io encounters the strange looks be stowed upon him by conductor and porter. The mutual interest existing between these functionaries tends to overcome raco prejudice, and conse quently they aro both on the alert "to get on the track of their sworn enemies. One way, prac ticed with a view to extending a secret warning to colleagues on tho different lines, is to cut a notch in the heel of the supposed spotter's shoes while the porter ostensibly subjects them to a first-class shine. Identification is by this and other devices mado quite easy, and the further use of the shown up detective is seriously impaired. "The unwary traveler on entering a palace sleeping-car is likely to become impressed with the notion that an air of distinguished respectability is per vading every visible object alike. Whether he may cherish this idea to the cud of his journey, even in case the passengers arc somewhat mixed, de pends largely upon the conductor's talent to manage each party in defer once to their particular wants. Shady individuals, professional gamblers, etc., aro, of course, not permitted to operate upon the trains, but a smart conductor can arrange such things to suit all parties concerned when no is decently recompensed, and, consequent!', you might make an interesting study in the dubious art of high-staked poker if you happen to drop into the smoking saloon of a sleeper after eleven p. m. "The professional spotter has to keep an eye on all transactions of this kind; and his report affords frequently some very spicy reading. There "arc, besides, a number of other duties he is required to perform, such as observing whether nil tickets and checks are properly can celed, noting the condition of car and closets, paying attention to the conduct of train employes if they should sleep, drink or smoke or use profane language off duty. Sometimes it is next to im possible to catch a conductor, although suspicion rests upon him, and a detect ive is then put on to shadow the man in order to learn his habits, compan ions aud general conduct in private life. Through this source very valuable tes timony is often procured and circum stantial evidence furnished, showing the suspected part is a dissolute fellow, spending much more than his salary would justify at the gambler's den or in dissipation. Yes, the spotter system is a big thing, and you can't afford to dispense with it as long as sordid greed for money remains the pivot of human nature." X. Y. Herald. ABOUT SUICIDES. Interesting Statistic Concerning Their Frequency la England and Wales. In the paper on "Suicides in England and Wales in Relation to Age, Sex, Season and Occupation," by Dr. William Oglo, M. A., read before the Statistical Society, the dry bones of statistics are worked up in a very interesting way. It is shown by the author that the deaths registered in the twenty-six years, 1858-83, in England and Wales as due to suicide were 42,630. and in the proportion of seventy-two an nually per million persons living. The suicide rate increases rapidly with age until after middlo life, but in the most advanced age periods again diminishes. The maximum rate is in the 55 to 65 years period, when it reaches 251 per 1,000,000 crsons living. At all ago wriods, with one exception, the male rate is far higher than the female, and the difference between them iucr eases with age. The one exceptional period is the 15 to 20 years period, when the female rate is slightly tho lusher. Taking all ages together, out of equal numbers living and in the same age distribution, the male suicides are to the female suicides at 267 to 100. It is also shown that the number of suicides vary very definitely with the seasons, forming" a regular annual curve, of which the -miuimum is in December and the maximum in June! 'The occu- fmtions in which the suicido rates arc owest are thoso which imply rough manual labor, carried on mostly out of doors, and by men who aro com parativclv uneducated. The occupa tions with the highest suicide rates are those which are sedentary, and followed by highly educated men, as the learned professions. The commonest method of suicide is hanging; then follow in order drowning, cut or stab, poison, gunshot. Women, however, select drowning before hanging, and poison before cut or stab. The choice of method is also affected by age, the young showing a comparative prefer ence for drowning, poison and gunshot; and bv occupation, men using prefer entially the instruments of their drafts; and by season, drowning being avoided in the cold months. London Iron. The base-ball season opens rather spiritedly. The first reports naturally come from the sunny South. In a game played at Charleston, S. C, between the Charleston and Philadelphia clubs, the center-fielder of the Charlestons broke his. knee-cap, which will disable him for life, and another member of the same club lost a valuable finger. As these casualties occurred early in the engagement it is not surprising to learn that the visiting club scored a big victory. Chicago Tribune. Tbere arc hundreds of people in every community who are prouder of being acquainted with a theater mana ger than they are of their acquaintance with half a score of clergymen; and yet there is nothing particularly lova ble or exemplary in a theater manager, that we kaow of. Motion Tratmrl, NATIONAL PRINTING. - The KnormoM Xaeafear f Velunaee Printed by the Federal Oowmnnati There arc G3.CNW titles in Major Ben: Perley Poorc's recently published "De scriptive Catalogue of Government Pub lications." And it is estimated that there are at least 10,000 titles not in cluded in this compilation. It is pret- j ,. i..L .u. u r ? t.h?feufT:!thlhr uiuiuum Jiart jmuusucu eiuuu lis uigoa- ization 75,000 distinct works, fjo that the -'Pub. Docs." as they arc lrrever- ently called, would alone make a libra ry that would rank among the largest in the country. The most complete collection of these documents is that in the Boston Public Library; the next in fullness is found in the Congressional Library, and the third large collection is probably owned by the antiquarian book firm of Anglim & Co., of this city. These dealers aro now completing" a full set of public documents from the Twenty-thiru Con gress. Only a few volumes are miss ing, and these they expect to find, aud when the collection is finished they es timate it will contain 60,000 titles. The price of this library is set at $3,000, and, as all the volumes which compose it were printed at the public expense and distributed gratuitously, this sum should represent a good profit to mid dlemen. The documents are of all sizes and relate to every imaginable topic. Some are great thick quartos, like the census volumes or the "Medical History of the War. Aim at the oilier extreme aro Jiousands of pamphlet reports on small matters. But it should be noted that the bills introduced in the Congresses ire not included in the titles, if they vcre, the total would be high in the lundreds of thousands. The largest single publication ever undertaken by the Government is the "Tenth Census," which, if completed, would fill about twentv-four large quarto volumes. Only half of these have been issued or ever will be, but even as it is the Cen tennial Census is probably the most voluminous public document, not count ing as one serial the various annual reports. No doubt the finest and cost liest group of publications relate to the Government surveys. Many of these reports arc superbly gotten up, co piously illustrated, and accompanied by maps of tue highest scientific and me chanical excellence. One special scries of twenty separate titles relate to the canals, routes ami Isthmus of Panama. Ishcn there are reports of expeditions to the Arctic and to the Amazon, reports on the cholera, on birds, and bugs, and grasses, on various branchwof political economy,. on iub muiuu iiroau eve standpoint; many elaborate reports s; me lcarncuoiuaaes put the auspices oKtlic- amtthi tution; such bulky. documen stenographic reports of the Route trials and the Guiteau trial; codification of the land laws, and the many publications relating to the civil war. These are all executive documents, put out. that is, by the departments. Then, in ad dition, there arc the Congressional documents which include the Record, which alone has now swollen to seven or ten thick quartos for each Congress; the great volumes full of tedious and interminable testimony in committee investigation, and the thousands of smaller committee reports. The pace of the Government press has kept up with the rapid progress of the country in all directions. Accord ing to the index the documents for the first quarter of a century were about 2,000; for the next quarter, 6,500; for the third quarter, 20,000; for the fourth, 22,500; and the annual output now runs up to about 4,000 titles annually. Then it must be remembered that the editions arc much larger than in the early days. Rarely are less than 500 copies of a document printed, and fre quently the edition is mauy times that size. Of the annual report of the Commissioner of Agriculture 300,000 copiosJrssii(ylyjBMl distributed. Jfr ThJniJ?dtcIGovcrnment sM shojp the gfg&cst publishing Koqgn thcvorld. Tty the side' of its resources 6ueh an cstnlUi-bmcnt as the Harpers' becomes pav roll large men. gStc. r if ty wajpn-reat employed, ami -ki pressmen. Ho press iecuers aim 31 ruling maciuue iccucrs. The estimates call for 100.000 reams of printing paper, or 48,000,000 sheets, eacli sheet making eight or sixteen pages. Washington Cor. X. Y. Sun. Jfr JACHsJON'S CONFIDANT. A Man -WKn Wan Worthy of the General's $Cfouildeiic aud Friendship. "Even so self-reliant a m-m as Gen eral Jackson," said a member of Con gress to a reporter, "had his confidant, whom he freely consulted about every thing, public as well as private affairs. This friend was Judge Overton, of Ten nessee, the General's law partner. When Judge Overton was on his death-bed he directed his wife to bring him all tho letters he had ever received from Jack son. They had all been preserved, even the "most unimportant of them. There were enough to more than nil a bushel measure, and tbere, in his pres ence, while awaiting death, Judge Overton had them burned. Upon be ing remonstrated against destroying letters that no doubt contained much of great value to tho political history of the country, he replied that they also contained a great deal about indi viduals and private matters. General Jackson was then dead, and his old partisan was unwilling to run the risk of having the confidence of his illus trious friend violated. Judge Overton remarked, by way of excuse for the de struction of the letters, that their con tents related to the private and public conduct of many people covering the Seriod of General Jackson's entire pub c service. He said some of the letters contained charges which the Viter had lived to learn were unfoundea and unjust, and for the valuable public in formation contained in the correspond ence it would not do to risk an expo sure of the personal matters involved. So the letters were all burned. Wash ington Star. NOBLE SENTIMENTS. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes oa the Move ment for tho Preservation of llirds. I assure you"of my hearty sympathy with the members of the Audabon So ciety in their efforts to prevent the waste of these beautiful, happy, inno cent and useful lives, on which we de pend for a laigc share of our natural enjoyment. I am mvself more than tolerant of the somewhat intrusive in timacy of the English sparrow. No other birds outside of the barnyard let me come so near them not even the pigeons. If I may change the lines of Cowper a little: They are so veil acquainted wita taaa. Their tameness is charming- to me. But still more am I indebted to the gulls and ducks, who during a large part of the year are daily visitors to the estuary of the Charles, on which I Irmlr frnm mv lihrarr winrinarft. T wiflh they could be protected by law, and if I lout itAt St awtll nsat ftst if" llsof- rl1fa- I UvV Ws iiu v aa iiv w taaaaw asiaa- lie opinion, under the lead of your so ciety, would come between them and their murderers. Not less, certainly, do I feel the shame of the wanton de struction of our singing birds to feed the demands of a barbaria vanity. U st would save them from destructioa, 1 would say good-bye to the woodcock sad sigh a long farewell to the canvas htk.FortM and Blrtsm. forts sax USBBniiall I '-- - nn thfat .aawv contos-toafrTDwides aW itaarc 01 MiiaeriiissHiiitwiiBM iunw IcIgW A STRANGE DREAM. Oetrettor Haw la His Steea a) What Transpired the Xext Day. They were talking about fortune tellers, clairvoyants and such at de tective headquarters the other day when a citizen who was present said: "No doubt they hit the nail on the head now and then, but I prefer to trust to d reams." At this there was a general laugh, but his face was very serious as he con tinued: "Do any of you remember the so called Weber case which happened about twelve years ago on the Cleve land & Pittsburgh road? No? Well. 1 had a dream in connection with that case which may interest you. I stopped one night at Cleveland before talcing the train for Pittsburgh. I slept soundly until after midnight and then I had a strange dream. I thought I had taken the train. In the hmiui car was a man about thirty years of ag.i and a woman tiftetiii years older. They were man ami wife. He was a dissipated-looking fellow, while she was a well-preserved woman with many natural graces and evidently in fear ot htm. That is he never addressed her except in a rough, petulant tone, aud whenever he spoke she drew away as if fearful of a bloxv. "I dreamed that I had watched them for an hour or two when a waiter en tered the cor and announo.td supper. It was just growing dark, aud it was u winter's evening. I pass.nl to the dining-car aloue, aud had finished my meal and was on my way back when I met the pair. Five minutes later the report went through the train that the wife had fallen from the platform of the dining-car as the couple were about to pass in. The train was stopped and backed up, and after a long hunt her body was found on the rocks at tho foot of an embankment, bruised, bleed ing and lifeless. The man told a very plausible story of how the accident oc curred, but tho effort he made to ap pear agitated and broken up convinced me that he was her murderer. He left the train at the first station to have the poor mangled remains cared for and I saw him no more. He w:is a tall, dark eyed man, with black hair, a scar ou his cheek, and wore a diamond pin. He had eiifT.hiitfmw with n V mi. Tgraved on them, and there was a long and bloodv scratch on the back of the right hand. "Now, then, on the aftoruoim of tho next day I took the train for Pitts bugh, aud the first people I saw in the parlor car as I entered were tho two -of whom I had dreamed. Both looked at me with a start of surprise, ami I'm telling you tho solemn truth that tho man turned pale as I looked into his eyes. You are prepared to anticipate what followed, but there were some changes from my dream. When sup per was announced I did not go on in advance, but waited for the couple to precede me. The man looked sharply at me as they went out. but I was busy with -a newspaper, as if I did not in tend to go in to supper. They were qo sooner out than I followed. I was only ten feet behind them as they passed out on the platform of the car ahead, and as I opened the door there was a shriek from the darkness, and the man, standing aloue on the plat form, shouted at me: " Great God ! but my wife has fallen off the platform!1 "The train was stopped, backed up, and we found the poor body as I had dreamed. It was placed in the bar- gage-car, and as the husband bent over it, seeming to try his best to shed tears, I boldly denounced him. " 'You arc her murderer!' I ex claimed. 'You pushed her off the platform! Look at that scratch 011 jtiur hand where she caught at you in a'vain effort to save herself ! You threw her to her death!' "He looked at me with an expres sion of terror aud dismay, but could not utter a word. I picked up his un resisting haiil and looked at his cuff button. It was marked with a 'W.' At the next station he was placed un der arrest for murder. His name was William Weber, of St. Louis. Ho neither denied nor affirmed his guilt, but he had no sooner been locked up than I saw I had gotten myself into a box. I was to be detained as a wit ness, and the only straight testimony against him was a dream. Before the sheriff could get hold of me I had skipped the neighborhood, and in a day or two, as I afterwards learned, Weber was set at libertv and went his way, the body having been buried in the village grave-yard. It was as clear a case of murder as was ever known, and hail things been managed right at first he would probably have confessed his guilt." Detroit Free Press. A CURIOUS BANK. The Treasure Trovo Found by a Pennsyl vania Carpenter. Some years ago, an old wooden bridge spanned the Schuylkill river at the foot of Penn street, Reading, Pa. In the course of time a more substan tial structure was deemed necessary, ami the timbers of the old bridge were carefully taken apart, and reserved fyr use in repairing and rebuilding the smaller t-qyinty bridges. While pre paring some of this old timber for its new use, a few days ago, it became necessary to saw off several feot from a heavy piece, which was to be used as a girder in a small bridge under con templation. When the end portion dropped to the ground, the workman was astonished to hear a jiiudinsr sound aj of gold and silver coin. A sum mons 01 sucn good omen insured a speedy investigation, which re sulted "in finding eagles, half eagles, silver dollars, halves and quarters mixed together in careless confusion. The source of supply was found in a section about eighteen inches in length and five inches deep, which had been hollowed out of tho log with auger and chisel. An inch-thick cover had been fitted over tho openinsr so cleverly and sealed with so much care that detection, other thau accidental, was hardly possible. The treasure had been confined in a home-knit woolen stocking, and as the saw cut off the toe, a part of the contents was discharged. The value of the deposit, though re ported to be considerable, was not made public. The money was probably hidden away a number of years ago, as specimens of three, five, ten, twenty five and fifty cent scrip, nicely folded up in a piece of writing paper, were among the contents. Not a line indi cated the ownership. The question of possession is consequently divided as to whether it should go to the workman who discovered It, tha owner of the timber, or the county. The finder prob ably inclines to the first suggestion. Scientific American. m m Joseph Aigner, the celebrated por trait painter, recently committed sai- cide by hanging, at his villa near Vi na. During the revolution-ot 1848 ners popularity led to Jus clteti vuuuwuaut in ws iiifvgcub CTOaTTan honor which arte: bMsarrest by fnnce Windischgfatz n orders, who had him tried by court uartial and sentenced to death. He Was pardoned at the intercession of a number of ladies of the Austrian aris tocracy, and some years later Prince Windiscbgratz sat to him for a portrait The largest barn in the world is probably that ef the Union Cattle Com pany, of Cheyenne, near Omaha. It covers five acres, cost 9125,000 and ae- MWkeadofMttle. A TERRIBLE CAT. A ;ross-yed Man Leaves His Black FeUae oa the Schooner Uordoa. WhaL I am going to tell you," said Captain Rockwell, of tho schooner Fame, "occurred about ten years ago on Lake Michigan. I was them in command of the schooner Gor don, and in the grain trade. One afternoon, just before we were ready to tow out of Chicago, a stranger came aboard with a big black cat in a rude cage and offered her for sale. I was born with a constitutional hatred of cats. On board of a graincr there are Elenty of rats and mice, but I'd rather ave the vermin running over me in my sleep than to keep a cat aboard, as many vessels do. Outside of my hatred for cats I didn't like the looks of the man. He was a rough-looking fellow with a cock eye and two or three front teeth hanging out to windward, and if I'd have wanted some one to do a bit of dirty work I'd have picked thii chap from among a thousand. I sent him off in a hurry, as you may guess, but as he reached the wharf he turned the cat loose and cried out: " 'My curses on the ship and crew forever!' "The feline might have run into the elevator, but she didn't. She just scrambled right aboard of us, and in a whisk was out of sight down the main hatch. Some of the men looked a bit serious, and some treated the matter as a joke, and just before night we were towed out and had a fair wind to lay our course. The hatches were all bat tered down, of course, and nobody seemed to have given a thought to the cat while getting out of the harbor. It ras as fine a June night as you ever saw, with a moon so oright that you could see a vessel a mile away, and a breeze to send us along at about five miles an hour. "Well, we had mado every thing ship shape, and had supper, when the black cat was suddenly seen on the end of the jibboom. She was looking inboard at us, her hair on end and ner eyes blazing. I brought up my revolver to bave a shot at her, but just as I was about to pull trigger the cat ycowled out in a dismal manner, and down came the peak of the mainsail, the halyards showing as if they had been cut clean across with a sharp knife. They were new, stout ropes, and nobody could say they had been broken by any sudden strain. We had to reeve new ones, and when this job was finished I went for ward to put a bullet into that cat's head. She set up a dismal yeowling, and as I pulled trigger down came the whole foresail, both throat and peak halliards having parted. I hoped! had killed the black witch, but when the smoke lifted we saw her in the same place, safe and sound. Every man aboard agreed that the halliards had been cut with a knife, and as the men passed them from hand to hand they began to mutter against me for trying to uring about a calamity by seeking the cars life. "By the time we had the foresail up again the cat had disappeared, going no one knew whither, and the weather had suddenly changed until the moon was overcast and the breeze w:is a third stronger. I never saw that craft steer as she did that night. She'd yaw aud swing and go wild in spite of all the best sailor aboard could do. By the time wo were off Waukcgan there was a smart sea on and a nasty look all around. The wind gradually liaulei) into the northeast and we had to go in stays and make long boards dead to the east and then make our gain on the other leg as we ran to the northwest. Every time we went in stays the schooner acted like a balky colt, just barely keeping us out of irons, anil the ugly cross sea banged her about until every thing groaned. We were about to go iu stays for our board to the northwest and the men were aloft to care for the topsails when the Gordon slipped into a hollow ami rolled port and starboard like a stuck whale trying to get rid of a harpoon. There was a loud squall from the cat, which creature, it appears, was in the main mast crosstrees, a terrible scream from the sailor, and as the Gordon rolled to starboard he was Hung clear of her side by thirty feet and went down like a stone. "By this time the crew were so worked up that nobody would turn in, and every man seemed to be momen tarily expecting some new disaster. It came Ivfore midnight. The wind hauled dead to the north and grew stronger, ami as we came about from a run to the northwest the Gordon missed her stays, was taken Hat aback, and several calamities followed. Three or four seas boarded us and swept the decks, the fore boom jibed and crushed a sailor's skull, and jib and outer jib whippedJoose, and went sailing away with tnewmu. We came within ,anJ ace 01 uemgiiuismasteu, lor the ,men cowered dow&in abject terror, ahiMho mate and myself, had the whole work on our hands. We-finally gothcr head off, and ratehed awayJfor the Michigan shore, but before daylight 'she sprang a leak, and we made Grand Haven only by the skin of our,teeth, with our cargo damaged more than three thousand dollars. From an hour past Injdnight to broad day-light that inferifaV cat kept up ateady walk between tlifljlwo masts otnhe triantic stay, and nowsiid 4t U2 1 1 .& 11 L - I then -shov would titter a veil wnictajj brougiit all our hair on end. 'Taken altogether vc suffered a loss of over four thousand dollars and lost a life, and it was all on account of that cock-eyafl man and his bhick cat.No sooner had we got into porfthan everybody except the mate ran'away, and the cat leaped to the dock with a farewell yeowl and took refuge in a pile of lumber. The storr of our mis haps got noised around,and the Gor don had to be laid upfor the rest of the tcason for want of men to 'work her." X. Y. Sun. ?" SHYING HORSES. Baar taBSa: nago Them hjr Klndn m l'erstiaxloii. Thw trick or vice is generally the effect of nervous timidity, resultin from an .excitable temperament ia ajrjrravated by improper handlii To punish a horse for shying introd new cause of fear. 1 he horse w, more alarmed anirsjkow more tol fear at the prospect flam whippi at tue imaginary oojccnni uafjrcr the road. Hunce one badVjiabit is firmed by the introduction another. It is impossible to whip terforut of a horse or pound couutfiintoon ness and gentlcjBKsion are weapons toSBPT the pernicious of shliiiBVxiie less fear exhibited thsJPif, and the less notice taken the soying oy using narsn means sooner it will be given up. A cai experienced horseman can detect an object err ous horse to shy. or touch will encourage hi s it un- noticed. When ve him time to his fear; pat unn ai then take hi till he takar notice WjBaWlefecti ve thisad habit it is incurable, and il the eye-sight is failing, the hor.se for ordinary driving and riding will be perfectly useless.-A mare we knew that had gone quietly in harness for two or three years, suddenly took to jumping the white stone crossings of an ordi nary macadamized street as if they were water brooks. In three months kewasstoaa bUmd. Scientific Ameri can. 9rs aVbc Ukof PVP11 eWpnd- thsssest rrafct or . the gasjaaniy 'KkAiv to (Miuam aamfevaaamw isaaaalaaam. CT )k ajBsrobjcHkf njUHamx uun usjpjpjuc. ijaKl two or threeVaks, of it. Tfci MISCELLANEOUS. . A marriage lieenso was recently Issued to a Meadville couple whoje combined ages amounted to 124 years. Eric (Pa. Dispatch. When tho West Shore railroad w.w being built one of the workmen h:ul two line St. Bernard dogs, which lie kept at a shanty at Pegg's Point, near Marlborough-on-the-Hudson. Ho went away unexpectedly in 1831, and never returned. Tho dogs remained, and now there is quite a large pack of them. They are fine, large fellows, very shy but savage, and are known all along the river as the "Wild Dogs of Pegg's Poiut X. Y. Sun. It is a curious thiug that, generally speaking, those who are least fitted to stand exposure take tho greatest risks in that direction. Who wear the thin nest shoes and oftenest complain of wet, cold feet? Men or women? It is always better to err on the safe side and to act upon the maxim that pre vention is better than cure. Preven tion is always practicable, but cure is frequently impossible.- In too mauy cases wisdom comes too late to be of any benefit. Montreal Witness. During the vear 188." we expended nearly $47,000,000 for about 5G3.000. 000 pounds of coffee. In 18-S4 our cof fee bill was about S'iO.OOO.OOO. we re ceiving therefor about .'ii'i.OOO.OOO pounds. From this showing it would appear that coffee to the people of the United States is no longer a luxury but a nccessany of life, and verv jrenerallv used, while the people of Great Britain spend nearly four times as much for tea as for coffee. With us the propor tions are reversed.-C'Amiat Union. AgentlcmanwritingfromYokohama says: "The Japanese have acquired buch a passion for being tattooed that a law has been passed forbidding the marking of natives. The law does not apply to foreigners. It is quite the thing now to be tattooed, and elabor ate designs are traced on m-tny travel ers as an indelible reminiscence of their sojourn m the E:ist. The sons of the Prince of Wales, when here a few years ago. were tattooed, and several Russian dukes anil sprigs of nobility have undergone the process." The hero of the Oregon seems to have been a little sailor named "Jack." When the stokers made their rush for the boats he clapped one of them over the head with a spike and held them all back till he got assistance. When the babv fell overboard Jack jumped into the water aud saved her. He dived down several times to help stop the leak by choking up the hole with mat resses. He was down so long one time that everybody gave him up for lost. He got Ins legs badly cut by the edges of t lie iron while he was iu the water. X. V. Tribune. The Salurd'ty Evening Herald, as a society paper, oft-m mingles sound philosophy with its lighter gossip, as, for example this: "When conceit grows in layers all over a m m, and his head gets so large that.it becomes necessary to uiiiiu a hat lor him out ot doors 111 a ten-acre lot, it is just about time for some one to sit down on him hard." That's so, but if the fellow swells him s.df all over a "ten-acre lot," where is the elephantine individual whose "sitting-down" capacity is equal to the emergency? Chicago Journal. Charles Girard, chemist of Paris, recently "amused himself by in vestigation of the ingredients of a beau tiful red currant jelly charmingly put up for export to the United States. There was not an atom of fruit in the mass, as was demonstrated by the add ing to it of methylated alcohol, which would have turned it jrreen had it con tained any fruit acid. It was found to consist of gelatine, sweetened with glycerine residue, colored with pichsine (a poisonous mineral extract), and flavored with no one knows what. A great many people in this country im agine no currant jelly so good as that which is imported from France. A correspondent writes that in North Carolina there is a mountain formation very closely resembling the Sphinx. It is called the "Pilot Knob." and is in Surrey County, in the north western part of the State, jr.st east of the Blue Ridge; its position prone on the Piedmont plain, like a gigantic lion; its body at right angles to the precipi tous ridge, and with head reared aloft, as if in the act of rising. The head is of solid rock several hundred feet in height. The shoulders and breast are finely proportioned, and at the distance of a few miles it looks like a thing of life and intelligence. It rises about fifteen hundred feet above the plain. It as seen at the distance of fifty miles, but as yet no railroad approaches it nearer than twenty miles. Washing ton Star. PERFECT PHILOSOPHY. How at Hotel Clerk Subdues 11U Wicked and Terrible Temper. I stopped at a country hotel in Ar kansaw some time ago," said a well known traveling man, "and, behind the clerk's desk, I noticed a rope hanging from a rafter. The rope had a knot on the lower end, and at lirst I thought that it must be used for lynching pur poses. While I was pondering, a man came down stairs, approached the clerk's desk and said: "'Why in thunder didn't you send that pitcher of water to my room? I ought to maul you.' "The clerk took the end of the rope in his mouth, chewed it a moment or so and. in a cordial voice replied: "II was an oversight, my dear sir. Will attend to it at once. -A few moments later another man came up and said: " '1 want to know if I am to have a fire in my room? If you don't intend to have one made, say so, and I'll waltz you all over this house.' "The clerk seized the ropo again and chewed it. Then, turning to the frowning man, he replied: '1011 must realty pardon me, sir. 1 will go up and make the tire myself.' " 'What astrange man your clerk is,' I said to the proprietor of the hotel. L" 'He is a great philosopher,' the pro prietor replied. 'Do you know what lie would have done had he not chewed that rope?' "'No.' "'Well, he would have shot those men. When a man gets mad he grits bis teeth, and then iinding no satisfac tion, he adopts violent means. Some time ago a fellow, just for mischief, slipped behind the desk and cut the rope; and then, before the clerk had noticed his loss, the fellow made some complaint. The clerk wheeled around. grasped the air, and then in a rage jumped over the desk, seized the of fender aud almost killed him.' " Hc is a remarkable man.' '"The most consistent and docile man in the world so long as his rope is iu working order. Some time ago tha proprietor of a large hotel came here, and after witnessing a few perform ances, offered the clerk a large salary to leave ine and go with him, but I raised his salary ana succeeded in hold ing him. Look at him; got the rope in nis Mouth again. Do you see how much of the rope is wound above? .Well, as sooa as he ehews the knot off -the end lie lets down the rope and ties another knot, Within the past six months ho has worn out three- sets of teeth. See that man with that small grip sack? He is a dentist and has eowe around to work on the clerk's teat. 1M tall you what's a fact, . that fetlew is the most perfect philosopher I vr saw. ' 'Arkmiaw Traveler. Happiness , remits from that true coatentattat whkaVi indicates perfect heakh efbodjr and miad. Tou mar possess it, if you will purify aad" invtaajpe jour blood with AVer's Saraa-. pasflK E. M. Howard, Newport, N. H. . writes: " I suffered for years with Scrof ulous humors. After using two bottles of Ayer's Sarsaparilla, I Found great relief. It has entirely restored me to health." James French, Atchison, Kara., writes: "To all perso'as suffering from Liver Complaint, I would strongly recom mend Ayer's Sarsaparilla. I was afflicted with a disease of the liver for nearly two years, when a friend advised me to take this medicine. It gave prompt relief, and has cured me." Mrs. H. M. Kidder, 41 Dwight St., Boston, Mass., writes : 4 For several years I have used Ayer's Sarsa parilla in my family. I never feel safe, even At Home without it. As a liver medicine and general purifier of the blood, it has no equal." Mrs. A. B. Allen, Wiuterpoek, Va., writes: "My youngest child, two years of age, was taken with Bowel Com plaint, which we could not cure. We tried many remedies, but he 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 AYER'S I Sarsaparilla and commenced giving it to him. It surely worked wonders, for, in a short time, he was completely cured." f$ Sold by all Druggists. Ag 1'rfctf $1 ; Six bottles, $5. j Prtparedjoy Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co."; Lowell,? JS Mass., U. 3. A. J .7 XII K OMAHA & CHICAGO St. Paul IlaHwifr THE BEST ROUTE Freaw OMAHA TO TKE EAST. Two Trains Daily Hclwmi Omaha Chicago, and Milwaukee, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Dubuque, Davenport, Rock Island.Freeport, Rockford, Elgin, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, Winona, La Crosse. 4 till ill nflntr Ttiitwirt . l'Zi... L.ftV .... .. v.ia.. .Fir. .till m IJIIli:. r.iia.. iMiruieati auii nouiueasl. t For throng!) ticket!) rail on Agent at Columbus. Nebraska. the Tictt't I Pullman Slkm-kks :uii tin- Ki.ar inim; Cars in tiik Wokli are run on ie main lines 01 Hit: ChicHzro. .11 II- waaaee i. raai KTy, auii everv attention sis p:ud to pahdenger by cou'r ouri i teous employe orilie t'ompany. R. Jliafer, A. V. H. dirpei Ucnciai I. fJti AsTG Man L'er. ten'l Pass. A Bicker, Se. II. Hen en7l .Man. Ass't Pats J. T. Clark, (iei.M Sup't. 1 7-1 Feb LOUIS SCHREIBER, HI All kiuds or Repniiin done en Wa- alien notice. uuggies, r a T a T ous, etc., made to order, and ail work aiiteeil. (iuar- Also sell the world-famous Walter A Wood Mowers. Beapers, Combin ed Machines, Harvesters, and Self-binders the best made. EiTShop opposite the " Taltersall," on Ollvo St., COLUMBUS. Si-ro 'BASKS SELECTED SHORE Cheapest Sating: on Earth: ' A8X Y0US GE0CSS i0E 71ZX. TRASH'S AW? THCCniGlMAL -ara ONLY CCNUIMC! Talco no otftor Brand XJX?T "D',r working pvopj. Send 10 t i J 1 I cel,,s polae, and we will "M", ' ' ' ' mail jitur. a royal, val uable sample box orooiN that will put you in tbe way of making more money in a few days than you ever thought pos sible at any husine. Capital not r quiml. You can live at borne and work in spare lime only, or all tbe time. AH of both hcxei., of all are., graudly suc cessful. 50 cents to easily earned every evening. That all who want work may test the biisine, we make this un paralleled oiler: To aM ybn are not well satisfied we will xeuil $1 to pay for the trouble of writing us. Full particulars, directions, etc , ent free. Immense pay Hosoiuu-iy sure lor all who start at once Don't delay. Address SriNSUN &. Co. Portland. Main:. WePAPR A book of 10O pages. The best book for an advertiser to con- IMCsqlt, be be expert IsSSSenced or otherwise. r newspapers ami estimates of the costof advertising. The ad vertiserwho wants to spend one dollar, flmls vn it tbe in formation he requires, while for him who will Invest one hundred thousand dollars iu ad vertising; a scheme is indicuted which will meet his every requirement, or can be made fodoiobp tlithi change easily arrieetlat eycor rttptmdene. 119 editions have been laraed. Sent, post-paid, to any address for 10 cants. Write to GEO. P. HOWELL ft CO.. KEWSPAPEK ADVERTISING BUREAU. tM3pnft PrlaHagHoSq.). Haw York. SHORT LINE , O? TUB.- tt Clicio. Milwanta k I . ., ... fcJi .Pt Blacksmilli and Waaou Maker iagyERTI It contains libls UNION PACIFIC LAND OFFICE, .C. SMITH, Atj'tv AND General fieal Hate Mr. JT3TI have a larire number of iiiiproviMl f i-anni for !alirlti-ap. Also Unitutirovi-d 4-,, f .riiiui.' ami grazing lands, fiom $4 t, $i5 T per xrrc.J V tr- 5jT" i !2TSpei;il altintion :iid"f.. maklhs Imal pror on Homestead and Timber ULtiiH. fctT. II having land to nit will rJn.I It i ineir an vainer to leave thftu in niv liana lor ale. iloiiby t. loan 011 farms. K. II. .'io.tr 3larty. Cli-rk, peak Merman. Columbia. Nt-lraka. JEREL AND 1 Ft iK FARMERS & STOCKMEN .lllot llfVOllll the Xebraxk-i I'latte Kiver. line m 1 he The Country is Wonderfully Productive. fheap l.MimUtr& ii the virility f the lively twa of Sterliig. GrPip0Bings for all kiaisef Bmi ness. Present population of Town 500. ISTend for circulars to V PACK ARD A IIIG, 2S-y Sterlinir, Weld 'o.. Colorado. ESTABLISHED IN I860. TIIK- NATIONAL SEPOBUCAM, WASHINGTON, D.C. Dally, except Sunday. Price. $0.x per year iu advance, postage free. -THE- WEEKLY IATIIM lEfllUMI. V- Devoted to seneral new aud nriirin.tl mattir.obtained (rum the Dep.trtme.it uf Agriculture iinl other Department o( the Government, relating to the farming and planting interet. An Advocate of ICepublieau principled, revicwim; fearlessly and fairly the acts of t'ongreiw and the National Adminis tration. Price, 11.00 per year in advance, postage tree. E. W. FOX, President and Manager. The National Kkpubucan and the Columbia Jouknal, 1 year, !L50. Si-x Cures Guaranteed! i DR. .WARNS SPECIFIC Ho. l.jjf A Certain Cure for Nervous lability Seminal Weakness, lnvoluntaryEi. sion.s. Spermatorrhea, anil all diisealfVw ttic geni to-urinary organs caused by self almse or over indulgence. l'rice, $1 00 per box, six boxes fi.OO. DR. WARNS SPECIFIC Ho. 2. For Epileptic FiU, .Mental Anxiety, Loss of Memory, Softening of the Brain, and all those diseases of the brain. PrUo $1.00 per box, six boxes T.00. DR. WARM'S SPECIFIC Ho. 3. For Impotence, Sterility iu either ex, I.os9 oU'ower. premature old age, and all thosejAseaaes reouiring a,-taoroui?u Ini ..;....viak r .L-. Mr. . .' ' .. ' iU(kik 01 me aciuii organ. rri ?-uawer box, i , iix boxes 1 10.90. WARN' S SPECIFIC For Ileaduebe. Nervous Neuralgia, unil all acute diseases of tbe nervous sratetn. rrieefOe per box. six boxes $50. WARN 8 SPECIFIC Ho. 5. r all diseases caused bv tbe over.nsa of tobacco or liquor. This remedy is par ticularly efficacious in averting palsy and delirium tremens. Trice SI.Oo por 'iox, six boxes 5.00. 4-Vfe Guarantee a Cure, or azree to re fund double tbe money paid. Certificate iu each box. This guarantee applies to each of our live Specifics. Sent by mail to any address, secure from observation, on receipt of price. Be careful to mentioa tbe number of Specific wanted. Our Specifics are only recommended for spe cific diveafies. Beware of remedies war ranted to cure all these diseases with ono medicine. To avoid counterfeits and al ways secure tue genuine, order only from IIOHT1 St chi:, DRVU GISTS, I'M Columbiu, Neb. Heal is Wealth! . C. Wess Nzara akd Bain Txur. KIT, a guaranteed specific f cr Hysteria. Dizzi. nets. CotjTulaions, Fits. Nerroua. Nearaleia. Headache, Norroas Prostration caused by the use oraieonoi or tobacco, naaerainesa. oieBxai jb preariou. Softening of tho Brain retailing ia in aanitr and leading to misery, decay and death. Fremataro Old Age. Barronneaa, Low of powet in either sex. Involuntary Losses andBpanaat. orrhcea caused byuTer-exertion oC thabnua.aelf bnaeor orer-indolgence. Each box contain one months treatment. flXOa box, or six boxes CortSX0.eentbymail prepaidoa receipt of price WE GI7AKAXTEE MIX SXC9 To rare any case. With each onfoe received byas for six boxes, accomnanied with ilOOL we will send the purchaser oar written guarantee to re. fandtha money if the treataratdoMBOtcAsj core. Guarantees issued onl by JOHN a WEST fc CO, M2 W. MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILLS., Sole Prop's West's Unr Plllc in presents yiven away. Send us fi cents postage. jvw anu oy man you win gel free a package of goods of larife value,' that win start you in worK tnat win at once bring you'iu money faster than any thing else in America. All about tho $3H,000 in presents with each box. Ageuts wanted everywhere, of either, sex. of all ages, for all tbe time, or spare time only, to work for us at their own homes. Fortunes for all workers ab solutely assured. Don't delay. H. Hal Lrrr A Co., Portland, 3Iaine. S50O REWARD! TlflimrtrtMiiMilnMiHMifIt riin.BiiMesHiiOaiii.c ofMirniis wnoiiliwiiuwiinnn 1 wiw k. iMTflMSisay MeaMifl usMiiiiirae. iifarajM. iwttu swatfaeyesu a ca. mi a ms w. MUlll WTnl el"eeby fT J--1-1 the best more money than at aBythiag takiar an agency lor best selling book oat. Be- ginuers succeed grandly. MOB rail. Tsnas free. HAiXarrr Boos Co., Part, laad, Maiat. -Jt-y Da mm) (inn miiiiwisi HmM MSJBjMMttj mradltaEPai hestau. KJUOIR MMsqsJs. lajsMMMGtfytraasjssBja V V i rsi- rE -p gjji;j:ya3wjwceagrec3