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THOS. 1 ADAMS. PROPRIETOR. EDGEE?ELD, S. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1892. VOL. LVII. NO. 13. IB EU ip i de hereditary? The father and grandfather of a recent snioide in Marceline, Mo., died in the same man ner before her. Had Shakespeare been mora modern he might not have written of the ridiculous excess of casting a perfume on the violet, for a French paper prints a picture and description of elaborate apparatus used inaiafioially perfuming flowers for the Fronoh market._ A ten-foot "wind-wheel" in Ne braska raises a thousand gallons of water daily to a height of seventy feet. These wind-wheels are coming more and more into use in the West, and it is thought that they will have a very important bearing on the indus tries of the future. The cooler regions of tho globe nrc becoming depopulated, and every where, Dr. 1). G. Brinton assures us, the arotio and sub arctic zones have fewer inhabitants than a half century ago. One cause is the destruction of native tribes by the introduction of new modes of life, new diseases, alco hol and idleness. Another influence is the faot that the arctic regions, like the mountain?, were originally chosen as homes only by refugees of con quered and dispersed bands, and all who can return to less severe climates are now doing so, The centre ol population tends more and more to fis itself between forty-five and fifty-five degrees of latitude. A citizen of the United States whe has recently been abroad says : "Im agine a city in whioh every street is well paved and every pavement kept in perfect repair ; every street and alley in the city sprinkled and swept every day ; all ashes and garbago re moved every day; street railroads carrying passengers for two cents, and and one line as low as one cent, and yet paying royalties to the city suffi cient to maintain the pavements ; gas furnished at such low rales that the poorest tenements are well lighted and ? many oven heated with it. These things are so surprising that most the people willi think that they can only be had in the end of the next century, when the world has grown much wiser and new inventions have made nil work easier and cheaper. Yet the city of Glasgow hos them all now. The explanation is that the city has 'a good and progressive government,' that the beet men accept and hold of fice, and that the affairs of the city are administered for the public good and not f'or private gain, or for the promotion of political ends." ..'Nothing can be morepernioiomsoi corrupting," says the Chicago Times Herald, "than the confinement ol youthful offenders in the same prison with hardened criminals, where social intercourse cannot be prevented. From that moment nine out of ten boys are lost. Fascinated bj tales of adventurous crime, and with little ii any moral ec ase, their dream thence forth is to emulate the career of the orimina} heroes whose stories they Lave hoard. As for young girls, to send thom to the house of correction or to the jail, even for an hour, is to ruin them forever. There might be hope for a boy, were it not for the contamination received from men, but for girls there is none." And yet herc in New York, adds Homo and Oouu try, some, of our new oity magistrates do not hesitate to send young persons of both sexes to prison on charges of but little consequence. A young wo man of respectable connections took probably by accident an overdose of some deadly drug. She was removed to hospital, and afterwards arraigned before a magistrate on a charge of at tempting suicide. She protested in nocence, and even offered to deposit a large sum of money as bail, but was committed to jail in default of nn amount that might justly have been exacted in a case of burglary or high way robbery. Jail may have meant ruin for this young woman, as it un doubtedly does for thousands of others, either innooent or guilty of minor offences, who are railroaded to prison every year in the oity of New York. First offenders should be leni ently treated, especially when they aro young. The courts should bo so conduoted as to reform an I not tc manufacture criminals . Ol nd lo Bo in America. "I'm glad I live in America," said a pretty young woman, talking to a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, "be cause I am never afraid to travel by myself. Lust year I was in London, and went around with a friend who is married, and we were spoken to in an insulting manner every time we went out. Parif was still worse. People speak of tho French politeness, but it is only a veneer. The men would got in front of us on every street corner and smirk und ogle and chatter like monkeys, i'm glad I didn't under stand anything they said. There are no men like the American men, and I never was so fully able to appreciate it as I am, now I have se*?n those of other Nations in their own lands. Be bidos, the girls are treated better here than anywhere else on earth, and I don't want to cross the ooean any more." Dr. Asiarn, of Pesero, on the Adri atic, is more than 100 years old, and is a surgeon of noted skill. Hb took his diploma in medicine serenty-iour years ago, and has been a university professor more than seventy years, JAPANESE GUILDS. TRA DIC S ORGANIZATIONS ARE NU3IEROUS IN JAPAN., A System Introduced by the Dutch -Unlike AYorkingineii's Unions in Other Lands-Story Tellers and Blind Shampooers. T" "IT G"T"HILE there are nc labor \ /\ / nnions in Japan, writes Y V William E. CnrtiB in the Chicago Record, th are are very many guilds, oomposed of mer chants and manufacturers and otbeis engaged in the same line of business who have organized for their mutual advantage and to control so far as they can the trade to which tbay be long. They have existed ever since the seventeenth century and were copied from tho Dntoh, who came to the empire during that period and ex ercised a very powerful influence upon industry and commerce. In fact, the Dutch were never entirely expelled from Japan. The Dutchmen of Japan exercised a wholesome influence upon the Japanese and educated a large num ber of their young men. They fur nished the only social and intellectual stimulant Japan had and a few modern ideas filtered through them i ato the empire. Among other things they A JAPANESE taught the Japanese the uselessness of dragons* teeth and 6n?ke skins as a pharmacopoeia and gave them a knowl edge of anatomy and tho rudiments of medicine. European improvements upon the spindle and the loom came in that way. One finds a great many traces of the heavy Dntoh civilization throughout Japan. The guild is one of them, and it now extends from the bankers and the manufacturers as far as the massage operators, tba story tellers and the thieves. In Japanese cities and villages about sunset you begin to hoar doleful whistles in the streets. One will come from somewhere near you, and pretty soon another from far away, and if !on ohoose you can trace them to .lind men, who walk in the middle of he road, each with a bamboo staff in his hand, blowing his monotonous and melancholy signals to notify the pub lic of his whereabouts. These are the amma san, blind shampooers and mas sage operators, who occupy a con spicaous place in Japanese social lifo. They rub the skin, knead the muscles and shampoo the hair, which are fa vorite treatments among the natives, and are credited with great virtues in the Japanese hygiene. Custom immemorial has limited this occupation to the blind, and with the exception of mnsio it is almost the only one in which a person so afflicted eau engage, although, curiously enc ugh, when a blind man is fortunate enough to be rich he is a money? lender. The amma san are organized into one great guild, with their head quarters at Tokyo and Kyoto, and are divided into different grades like wrestlers, being promoted from one to another after the passage of an ex amination and the payment of a fee, which goes into a common treasury, and is used for charity among the guild. I do not suppose there is any law limiting this business to blind men, but no others are engaged in it. The extreme caro which tho women of Japan take of their hair makes sham pooing popular, niue a more so than in any other country, and massage treat* ment has for centuries been a popular remedy for rheumatism, lumbago and other pains and aches. Their system diners, however, from tho Swedish in that they work down instead of up the body, their theory being similar to that of the Indian medicine men, who press the pain out of the body by working it toward the fingers and toea Another curious guild is th it of the story tellers, called yose, who appear to be a relic of the days when books were scarce. They are similar in their methods and oooupntiou to the trou badours of the middle ages and the Zingari, who are even now found in the mountains of Austria, Italy and Spain. They h?ve houses of enter tainment where people may go and lis ten to recitations of stories, tragedies and poems while they sit aronnd cross legged, drinking teaand smoking their long-stemmed metal pipes. Sometimes tho yose has a book be fore him reading a chapter of history or an act from one of the great plays. Sometimes he reads a poem or tells a story of mythological times or of mod ern events. When he comes to a par ticularly good point he claps together a conple of little slabs of wood, whioh are kept by him for that purpose. The latter are also seen at the theatre. There is always a nan sitting at the extreme right of the stage with two small flat pieces of wood, and when ever the situation becomes critical or exciting he stimulates the interest of the audience by dapping thom to gether. When tho murderer is creep ing upon his viotim, when the suicide is about to fall upon his sword or when the villain runs away with the heiress he makes a terrible racket that often drowns the dialogue. The entertainments of the yose are usually mixed. There may be a poem from a Japanese Tennyson, an extract from the plays of a Japanese Shakes peare, a ohapter from a Japanese Ban croft or Froude, together with a few comic selections and a story of love and war. The recent war with China has caused a great boom in yose busi ness, for they kept the publio informed of the progress of events and the polioy of the Government, and are now re citing the incidents of the campaign in China. The lesser yose are itiner ant and give their recitations upon the streets or in the tea houses, where no fee is charged but a collection is taken up at intervals. Tho street JOJO are usually accompanied by a samisen player and a singer, perhaps two or three, ard you And them surrounded by orowds of coolies wherever yon may go. The guild system includes all trades and occupations. Tho silk-growers and silk-buyers, the men who raise tea and those who sell it, tho manufac turers of lacquer and cloisonne and porcelain, the weavers and spinners, the artists who decorate kakemonas or scrolls, the carpenters, soreenmakers, confectioners, paper dealers, doctors, lawyers, merchants of all kinds, teach ers, and even preachers, have their guilds and meet at regular periods to discuss subjects of general interest and mutual importance. Among the mechanics and tradesmen these guilds are oiton extended to include life in surance or aid to those who aro ill and infirm, like our mutual benefit socie ties of the United States. Acbessments aro made upon the living to pay the doctors who have attended the dead and the undertakers who have buried them. Thus far the guido has not been used to any extent for the advancement of wages or tho regulation of working A JAPANESE SHAMPOOED. hours, for the reason that ninety-five per cent, of the skilled labor in Japan is oooupied in the homes of the people and in a measure is independent of the conditions that govern working people in other lands. Up till five years ago factories were almost unknown. Tho weaver had his loom in his own house and his wife and sons and daughters took their turns at it duriug tho day. THE LOOM. It had always been the custom for the children to follow the trade of the parents. The best porcelain and cloi sonne and lacquer work is done under the roofs of humble cottages, and the compensation has been governed usu ally by the quality of the piece pro duced. There are middlemen who buy for the export trade and merohants for the local trade, and tho workingman usually sells his wares to the same per son.' This has gone on for centuries. Asana, the weaver, sells his brocades to the grandson of the merchant wh o bought his grardfather's product-. Wbe? there is a largo order, say for 1000 lacquer trays or ll),OOO embroid ered shawls, the middleman is resorted to. When Mr, Moore, the silk buyer I for Marshall Field, comes over here to purchase his annual stock of Japanese goods he goes to a middleman, whc places the order in small lots among the people who have by long experi ence learned to depend npon him, and as fast as they finish an order they send it in. Sometimes the middleman advances them money. ?hey usually r un an account with him, as the plant ers in the Southern States do with their faotors in the commercial cities. He furnishes them materials and some timcB little luxuries in the way of olothing or food, which are charged to their account. Washtub Used as a Boat. A Fortland (Me.) man recently dis tinguished himself by rowing a dis tance of six miles in an ordinary washtub. It was jost large enough to enable him to curl his legs up in and sit upon a small cushion of shavings. In order to prevent capsizing it wat) necessary fo: the navigator to sit nearly rigid. When sculling he could not look over his shoulder to see .where he was going, for fear of tip ping over. So he carried a small mirror, whioh enabled him to soe the route ahead without turning. He also carried a small sail about a yard square. This he used a portion of thd time, bat his main reliance was on the small oar with which ho sculled. The Bite ol the Human Animai. The injurious effect of the bite of human beings is very forcibly illus trated among the members of the po-: lice force of the Twenty-eighth Dis trict. At present no less than three of tho patrolmen of that district are suffering from the poison injected into the system through having been, bitten by refractory prisoners whom? they had arrested. These bites/while' so far not attended with very serious/ results, have nevertheless been the, source of considerable pain and sore-, ness to tho victims.-Philadelphia Record. Baily Unties ot an Empress. The Empress of Germany rises early, and breakfasts with the Emperor every morning at 8 o'clock. At 9 she! is in the nursery superintending the baby's toilet, arranging with the nurse' for the walks or drives to be taken by the children, and always decides what clothes are to be worn by thc yonn? princes. At 10 o'clock the Empresa sees her housekeeper and attends to the menu for luncheon and dinner, al-j EMPRESS OF GERMANY. ways including one or two favorite dishes of her husband's. A few moments every morning oro spent in the linen-room, and not a sheet or a duster are given out except under direction of the Empress. At "1 she goes riding with the Em peror, or driving with two of her boys. Luncheon comes at 1 ; and all the children except the baby aro present at this meal, whioh is conducted with out much ceremony. After luncheon tho Emperor and Empress play with the children for an hour. The Empress receives from 3 till 5, and in this time considers charitable cases. There are sometimes as many as fifty guests invited to dinner, whioh is at 6 o'clock, and lasts an hour. One servant waits upon two persons, and every little detail of the service is closely watched by the Empress, She goes every night with the Emperor to see the children, and if there is the slightest illness among them she sits up all night and sees that the doctor's directions are carried out. In the nursery she wears a soft white flannel wrapper and a large apron. A Much-Needed Invention. There is an imperative demand for some invention that will prevent the escape and waste of oil in machinery. While there are many inventions that claim to do this, all machinists are dissatisfied, and assert that the want is not yet met. On one of the trunk lines running ont of New York an in vestigation of the most exhaustive sort has been made, resulting in the discovery that thirty-three per cent, of the lubricators used is lost. Here is a ohance for an inventor to make a fortune.-New York Ledger. She Takes the Cake ior Fits, An epileptic young woman, whose case is reported in tho London Lancet, seems to have broken the record for lits. She had 3205 distinct fits in twenty-one days, an average of 152 a day, and in one day had 330 of them. She was cured with chloral hydrate and bromide of potassium. They Were Onto Him. "How veli dem rabbits know wheu a hunter is around. Dey don't even kum ont of doir bolos alrotty yet," New York World. MAETI?J, THE V1TANDIEBE. A Peruvian "Woman Who Has Became Famous r a Soldier. From Lima comes a portrait of a re markable Peruvian woman who has become a celebrity in the country from her bravery and attention to the wounded during the recent revolution ary campaign whioh culminated in the attack and capture of Lima on March 17th, 18th and 19th last. To-doy the name of Martha, the Vir vftudiere. who accompanied the divis ion of the coalition army under the command of Colonel Philip Ore, is a household word in Lima. Martha is a woman of about thi; i.y five years of age and of Indian.blood. She is rather tall for one of her race and notai all bad looking. From first to last since Colonel Ore encamped in Lurin, about twenty miles from Lima, Martha, in a brilliant uniform and mounted MARTHA, THE VIVANDTERE. on a splendid horse, was always to be seen when fighting was going on, sometimes at the front urging on the soldiers, at other times at the rear as sisting the wounded. During the ?erce fighting at the en trance to Lima Martha TC as wounded by a bullet in the right foot. She mortgaged a small house which she owned in Callao, and when the coali tion forceB commenced what was vir tually the siege of Lima she employed her little fund in the purchase of re volvers and other artioles. There were three days' tremendous fighting in Lima, over 1000 men lying dead in the streets. About fifty per cent, of the combatants engaged were placed hors de combat. By this it will be easily understood how the con 'duot of Martha, the Vivandi?re, has made hie. famous. Body Turned to Stone. The bodies of four Chinese were ex humed at Columbus, Ohio, and placed in zinc boxes to be shipped to China. Great consternation was caused when it was found that the body of one of them, Mo Lung, who had embraced the Christian religion beforo he died, had turned to stone. As the box provided for it was not half as long as the body, it became necessary to break the petrified corpse. To do this the Chinese in dulged in a tug-of-war with the corpse, breaking the legs, arms and hoad off in that way.-San Francisco Chronicle. Oldest Yacht in thc World. The accompanying illustration is made from a photograph by Emile BrugBch-Bey, of an ancient Egyptian boat, the original boing found in the course of excavations conducted by M. de Morgan and Meir, and now at Gizeh. Tho sails of this boat were probably not mado of ramio cloth, and it is evident thot they do not set with that graceful smoothness that characterizes the sails of the present era; still, the striking similarity in the general model of tho hull will be apparent to every ono. This ancient A YAOHT OP 5000 YEARS A GK). boat is, so far as known, the only one .whioh has been preserved with its original rigging, and dates from the Eleventh or Twelfth Dynasty, or about 3060 years B. C. Everything about yacht building that is known must not be credited to the nineteenth oentury. Anarchists in European Countries. About 2000 persons in France are marked as Anarchists, and are con stantly watched by the police of the various European countries, according to La Figaro, of whom 500 are French ?and 1500 are foreigners, Italy leading ?with 510, followed by Switzerland with 300, Germany and Russia with 240 each, Austria and Belgium with 'sixty each. As regards occupation, .shoemakers, carpenters and day laborers of all Nations furnish largo proportions of the Anarchists, while the eduoated professions hardly ap pear. German tailors and printers, Swis3 watchmakers and farmers,Italian clerks and bakers, and French waiters and persons without avowed business tend more to anarchy than those of other Nationalities. The Russians differ from all others in tir t thirty per cent, of the persona nader sur veillance are students, another thirty per cent, professional men, and hardly ono per cent, have occupations re quiring no education. - Chicago Times-Herald. FASHION'S WHIMS. FALL AND WINTER NOVELTIES IN WOMAN'S WEAR. Waist Trimmings Are Getting Elab orate-How to Wear Veils Styles In Jackets and Capes. WAIST trimmings ?re grow ing more and more elab orate, if that were pos sible, until there is no telling where this extreme will end. A new costume has an arrangement of fichu and drapery that illustrates the excesses to which this fashion is being carried. A narrow section of the ma terial extends over each shoulder from the waist line at the back to the bod ice point in front. This is laid in plaits that are caught down or pressed to hold them in place. From the front of this plaiting long tabs fall al most to the hem of the skirt in front. Around this and the waist section is a plaiting made extremely fnll and graduated. Over the shoulden it i* about eight inches wido and gro^_ narrower tn the waist line, whero it is but about an inch and a half in width. The same order is observed in the tabs. At the lower portion the plait ing is very wide ; a large, loose bow is placed at the waist line in front and covers the meeting point of tho plait ings that pass over the shoulders. This arrangement is made of taffeta silk and crepon, and is large enough to almost entirely cover the waist and the tops of the sleeves nearly to the elbows. Another waist trimming has double ruffle 3 of taffeta silk on a wool ma terial. These m?tes are set in juf>t over the shoulders, and are graduated to tho waist line, where they form a surplice effect. Over these double ruffles oro very wide pointed revers of the dress fabric. These revers are opened on the shoulder like a lapel, one point running in front of the sleeve, the other in the back. NEWEST STYLE OF A FAL Another dross has thc waist entirely covered with ruffles of very finely crimpled chiffon or crepe lisse. There is a velvet collar and velvet sleeves and belt, the thin ruffles veiling the entire figure with the exception of a single wide box plait of velvet that passes over the ruffle3 and is caught in at the waist line. HOW TO WEAH VEILS. There are many little details of fashion that the world at lurge knows not of, but of which it merely sees the effect. To tho woman who is always well gowned, says the New York Her ald, these same little details mean a great deal. There is a marked difference in how veils should be worn. They are no longer tied so close across the face that the eyelashes protrude, but are loose and flowing. A box plait or gathered fulness at the top of the veil has been in vogue for some time, but the ends have still been fastened tight. Now only the upper part of the veil is fastened and tho rest is al lowed to hang as it will, and if care fully arranged the folds will form a sort of jabot effect that is quite pretty. The embroidered chiffon is the latest novelty, and the dark colors aro preferred. The white, with black chendle dote, whioh bas been so fash ionable and so blinding, is a trifle passe, but it Ls too becoming to go en tirely out of style. r-BOPER WAY TO WEAK A VEIL. Veils are still worn long, lo come below the chin, ?nd are-HS much a part of a costume as the lint itself. The plain mesh is preferred by some to the fancy dut*, but both aro admis DAINTY CAPES. Wee capes that are not altogether unlike those of last season are to be stylishly worn in the theatre and con cert room, and it is a dainty example of this sort of garment that is pre? sented here. Of white gros grain, it is composed of a series of panels cut into points at the lower ends and em broidered with tiny spangles in di agonal lines. The lower edgo is fin ished with an accordion plaited black mousseline de soie frill, and a'very delicate pale bine silk lines the whole. Around the neck comes a full ruche of blaok chiffon with long black ribbon ends. The accompanying hat is of A FASHIONABLE CAPE. fancy jet with coronet crown, is trimmed with blaok aigrettes and ?black plume?, and is lined with the pale blue silk. THE SEASON'S JACKETS. Jackets imported from Paris aro from twenty-two to twenty-four inches long-an effective length, slightly deeper than those made by London tailors. They are made with box front, in reefer fashion, and with fitted back. The newest backs omit L AND WINTER COSTUJIE. the middle seam, throwing two forms into one ; and this single broad form, after being tapered to the waist line, expands below, and is folded in a triple box plait and kept quite flit. A kind of fan plaiting is thus made in the two back seams. A single side form reaches far forward under the arms. The front is quite straight, or oise is fitted partly by single darts. Revers are rather short and widely pointed. Often there are two or three revers each side of the front, and the collar is formed of similar pointed pieces. One feature is that of catting the coat much lower about tho throat than any worn in many years. Sleeves are large, and are usually of the shape now prevalent. They are given a new effect, however, by the way they are put in the armhole, the spaco direotly at the top being left plain, in order to increase the appear ance of very long shoulders. All the fullness is then massed in plaits on the side and underneath. This also makes sleeves droop about the elbow. Other sleeves are shaped by seams from top to bottom, giving a melon puff in sections, rather than the bal loon puff of last year. Both smooth and rough finished clothes are used. The latter for jack ets*^ medium price, while those of cloth with velvet like finish are good enough to wear with the best calling toilettes. These are imported in dark tan, golden brown, and green, while navy blue and black aro more often chosen for tho rough woolens.-Har per's Bazar. PLAID GOWNS. There seems to bo qnite a fancy for plaids of every description this season, and they certainly do brighten np the somber dark blues and browns and greens whioh so many women affect just now. Of cm rsc, the plaid is in troduced more in the way of timming and accessories than anything else. A whole plaid dress on a large woman always looks a little incongruous. One of the prettiest ways to use plaid is in a blouse waist. But even that is too loud for a woman of more than or dinary stature, so she has to confino her choice to bands of it. i - SKIRTS GROW WIDEB AND WIDER. Skirts continue to grow wider and wider, but their volume and weight ' are diminished by the fact that they 1 arc unlined, save with the indiapeasa j bl? silk lining. Are you taking SIMMONS Lr HR REG ULATOR, the "KING OF LIVES, MEDI CINES?" That is what our readers want, and nothing but fhat It is the same old friend to which the old folks pinned their faith and were never dis appointed. But another good recom mendation for it is, that it ia BETTER THAN PILLS, never gripes, never weak ens, but works in such an easy and natural way, just like nature itself, that relief cornea quick and sure, and one feels new all over. It never fails. Everybody needs take a liver remedy, and everyone should take only Sim mons Liver Regulator. Be sure you get k. The Red Z is on the wrapper. J. H. Zeilin & Co., Philadelphia. AN OUTLAW'S QUICKNESS. Frank Jamos' Display of Skill When He Surrendered. While Thomas T. Crittenden, Consul General to Mexico, was in Kansas City recently some new de* tails were related of the great event of his term as Governor, the death of Jesse James, tho outlaw, and the disruption of the gang. Finis - C. Farr, who was Governor Crittenden'! private secretary, and is now an at torney in Kansas City, was. present when Frank James surrendered, and it was in connection with th') surren der that one story wt.s told. Govornor Crittenden has always been very proud of the fact thas ho was the means of ridding the S;itte of the James gang. Af tor ho had arranged for tho surrender of Frank he invited several gentlemen to be present to witness the scene. Negotiations for the surrender of the outlaw had been made by Cob John Edwards, who was at that time editor of the Kansas City Times. The guests assembled at the appoint ed timo in the reception room of the Governor's mansion. Promptly at the hour designated Col. Edwards appeared with Frank James. The two walked arm in. arm, and Col. Edwards advanced and introduced the Governor to James. With the guests standing about him, James acknowledged the introduction and said that he had come in to surren der and. beco.mo once more a citizen who observed tho laws of (lie State. In token of his surrender he un buckled his belt, on which swung two large revolvers, and iaid the weapons on the table in front of Governor Crittondon, remarking that as a citizen ho would have no further need of thom. .The surrender was acknowledged by the Governor in a few words pleas antly spoken, and then the guests and tho outlaw wore all introduced and seated. Conversation did not proceed vory briskly, for constraint was felt on both sides. James was seated in front of the door, and sat with his eyes at all timos directed toward it. Every noise in the haH attracted his attention and .caused him to watch the door moro closely. Ho was evidently uneasy without the pistols that had so long been his constant companions. Finally, after some time had passed in that manner, one of tho guests made bold to say to the outlaw that for years it had been common report that no man in tho country could draw a gun and get ready for defense so quickly as Frank James. Then he asked James to show how quickly such work could be done. Evidently the proposition pleased James, for he smiled and said he would do so if the gentlemen wished it. "Jamos sat about six feet from the table on which lay the weapons he had put aside," said Mr. Farr in tell ing tho story. "While all were watching his actions ho suddoily arose, sprang toward the table, seized the belt and swung it around his waist, as he brushed his long coat aside, and in the shortest time im aginable he snapped the fastening, his hands crossed on his body, and then from the belt he drew forth two pistols and stood with them pre sented. All this was done in a sec ond, it seemed to me. I was watch ing him as closely as possible, and it surely did not seem to be more than a second from the moment he rose from his chair until he stood with two pistols presented, ready for war or defense. It was so marvelous an exhibition that the gentlemen pres ent were all astonished and congratu lated the man on his skill and dex terity. "The compliments appeared to please him greatly, for he smiled as he heard them, and bowed his ac knowledgments to the men who were talking. Ho soon changed the conversation to arc '1er subject, and the matter was no*, mentioned again." Great Blast. Seven tons of gunpowder weieemploped in a great blast at Penrhyn Quarries, Bethesda, North Wales. The object in view was the demolition of a'hu?e pinnacle of rock, which has been a picturesque ob ject for geuemtious, and which must be a familiar memory to the thousands who visit the spot every year. Some idea of the gigantic dimensions of the place may be gathered from the fact that the rock face between the different ferrates is some where about sixty feet iu djpth. The Ijeak rose in the midst of thc amphitheatre formed by the quarries-it is estimated to have contained over 125,000 tons. Quite a crowd gathered to witness the t iTect of the blast, and certainly those present were not disappointed in thc spet-tact? afforded. On the signal bein?; given, thc gunpowder was ignited, and aimil the curling smoke thc pinnacle was seen to totter, and tuen lo fall in fragments to the bottom.