The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, August 08, 1888, Image 6
ULTIMATE FAILURE.
However much my arrows have fallen short,
Or swerved aside, or overshot that mark
fcr-set, whose circles centre but in Truth,
feus the desire?the one unfading dream?
Jbe hope of my young manhood?so to stand,
Bo aim, so loo e the tense expectant string,
That, at the last, each winged shaft may fly
Unto the heart of Truth unerringly.
Y?t?though I soothe the sting of ill-success
With thoughts of Error, lurking in the grass,
Horsing a wound some wide-flown dart has
given?
.4 fear dwells ever at my inmost soul.
That, haply, ere my growing skill has won
Ifce prize ?Perfection?I may feel the bow
Break at full bend, or hear its worn cord
part,
Or find the quiver empty at my belt.
?Charles Luders, in Lippincott.
BLACK BART.
The recent appearance of "Black
Bart" in the San Joaquin valley has set
California to wondering if this, at one
time most daring and eccentric robber
And highwayman, contemp'ates resuming
the busiuess he made so successful
Jen years ago.
Ten years ago "Black Bart" held up
<tagc coaches on the roads of northern
mnd central California, and put the
Wells-Fargo Express Company to much
xxpcnBe to protect their property from
kim. Ten years ago he became too daring,
aud one night while under the influence
of liquor he reeled through the
Mreets of l.edding shooting his revolvers
%t the doorways and wiudows. and subsequently
landed in the peniteutiary at
San Quinten to serve a term of ten years,
which expired about two mouths ago.
In face aud tigure "Black Uart" was a
handsome man. lie was of Mexican
oarentage, aud possessed the tall, straight
ftgure of that race. He let his glossy
fcuir grow long and it fell like a silken
eil over his shoulders. His dark and
perfect features were rendered doubly atIra;
tive by a black moustache that curved
graceful ly aciois his upper lip.
In all his career as a highwayman he
was ue\er known to kill a person,though
bis nefarious business was carried on at
the point of a revolver or rifle, and his
Kfloro irttntr crorc mnHp 1 v
WWIJ 4Ut?UJ HVMftsr -.'J
from the g;ms of watchful guards
when he became too ventursome. His
kobby was to rifle mail sacks, and lie
never was in better spirits than when he
^ad held up a mail coach, relieved the
driver and passengers of their arms,
money and jewelry, and, with his rifle
wi hin easy reach, sat down near his
helpless victims and keeping one eye on
them ripped open love letters, business
aotes, registered letters, read the contents
or apart of them to his listeners
?ud stuck them back into the mail pouch
through a re.it in the side, made by his
kuife, a jumbled miss.
< ."ne of the eccentricities of this strange
lubber was to write a piece of poetry
whenever he robbed the mail and shove
it into the pouch when he had finished
sorting.out the valuable part of its contents.
To these notes in rhyme he
would always sign the nom de plume
"Black Bart," and as this he came to be
known among men. In the office of the
warden at the San Quinten penitentiary
there are- two bits of "Bart's" poetry
found in mail pouches that he rided in
186$. Thev were written with a lead
pencil, in e legible hand, which indicates
that the man had from some source
gathered some fragments of an ednca
tion. une 01 tne poems, a quartraiu,
indicates his disgust at the poor haul he
made, in the following words:
I'm sorry I spent my time.
Kipping up this mail,
I didn't find money enough,
To buy a feeding for a quail
?Bktck Bart.
Another, a distich, tells of a profitable
haul and the writer's satisfaction.
It runs thus:
Such hauls as this is very rare;
They soon would make m.< a millionaire
?Black Bait.
Two peculiarities of the man were his
tender heartedness aud his courtesy to
ladies. If he found money in a letter
that had been sent by anyone to a relative
and by the tor.e of the letter he was
aatisfied that the person to whom it was
addressed w*s in needy circumstances,
he would inclose the money in the torn
envelope and handiog it to the driver,
make him promise to have it re addressed
-when he -'reached town. He was ex?"
~"tremely polite to ladies and was never
known to ta!;e their money or Jewelry,
but if he found fire-arms concealed about
mem, ne never nesuaieu ia appropriating
them.
v "Bart" once held up the coach runming
between Marysville, Cal., and Car?on
City, 2<ev. There was a young man
among the passengers, who had come
out from the East and gouc into the
mountains for the benefit of his health.
His visit had only temporarily benelited
kim and he was on his way home in the
last stages of consumption. He had but
little o\er a hundred dollars, and when
"Bart took it from his inside pocket he
?ked him where he was going.
"Home, to Massachusetts," replied the
young mau.
"Ia this all the money you've got?" inquired
"Bart."
"Every cent, so help me God," tremulously
replied the young man, naturally
thinking the highwayman suspected him
of having more mouey concealed about
fcis person.
"itnrfc" unbuckled a belt fromaround
his waist and counting out #500 in gold,
landed it to the astonished consumptive
aud told him to get the best accommodations
east the country a lorded.
Of "Bart's" gallantry to women many
atories are told, the most interesting of
which is how he played a game of stud
poker with a youug lady passenger in a
coach that he had stopped, the stakes
beinft j kiss from the young woman if
beaten and the return of the mooey and
valuables of the passengers by "Bart" if
was worsted. In the spring of 1872,
~ "Bart" had been doing a smashing busivess
in more senses than one in the
Borthern part of the state, and had become
such a terror that a double guard
was sent out with every mail that went
out from Sacramento to Nevada City.
Once the daring Mexican attempted to
capture a coich against these odds, but
only succeeded in netting his left ear
partly torn off by a ball from a guard's
rifle and a flesh wound in hi3 left leg
that was sufficient to dampen his ardor
for a while, and it wa3 several months
before he was heard oi* agiin. So
long did he. remain out of sight
that the express and stage companies
began to lessen their v:gilauce, and once
more the mails and the strong boxes were
sent out with only cne man beside the
frt nratpVi Tt was crenerallv
thought that one or more bullets of the
guards in the scrimmage l;ad taken fatal
effect, and that the bold highwayman
had dragged himself away to die in
jome of his mountain retreats, northeast
of Sacramento, on the east side of the
Sacramento river valley. Among the
foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains
is a deep canyon, at the head of which a
mountain stream of modest proportions
tumbles over the edge of a cliff or ledge,
Making a beautiful fall known as the
Maiden's Tears. Through this canyon
'
' - " - - .. - . .
wound the Nevada City trail, and over
it once a week rattled the heavy mal and
expre-s coaches. Near the falls the trail
lay across a great open space with the
stream on one side and piles of huge
bowlders on the other.
A coach was crossing this space one
afternoon in August, a few months
subsequent to the wounding of "Bart."
The guard on the seat by the driver wa9 j
do/.ing and nodding in the heat of the j
summer sun, while the driver was
- ' t-;- I
struggling 10 Keep ms cjca ujicu u,
whistling, shouting and snapping leaves
from the trees with his long lash, inside
there were a do/en passengers stowed
away, among whom was a young lady
?oing to Nevada City to teach school,
bhe was plucky as well as handsome,
and four years as teacher in the mining
districts of the West had giveu her
a splendid knowledge of the ways
and customs of the rough element
in which she wa<< living. The other passengers
were business men and speculators,
who had come from the east to
try their luck in the gold diggings.
The coach had just reached the
center of the open space when the noose
of a lasso, flung from among the bowlders
above his head, settled over the
shoulders and arms of the drowsy guard,
and in the twinkling of an eye he was
hauled from his seat and fell in a helpless
heap in the road. At the same time j
a deep voice from among the rocks or- !
dered the driver to stop and throw up !
his hands, which he did without a second
invitation, and then the same voice
ordered the passengers, who had begun
to stick their heads through the coach
doors to ascertain what was the trouble,
to step down and out and hold up their
hands. They hastily obeyed the command
aod were soon in line with their
hands pointing heavenward, the driver
heading the "list." When they were
well in position "Black Bart," holding a
revolver in one hand and the lasso in
the other, stepped out from among the
rocks aud came down to where the coach
stood. He first bound the guard securely
and then proceeded to relieve the
passengers of their money and valuables,
which he tossed into his bi<r sombrero
that he had thrown down by the
side of the road. In the pocket of a
miner he found a pack of playing cards
and threw them with the rest of his
booty into his hat. When he had finished
searching the passengers he said:
"Vou can put your hauds down now, ;
gentlemen. Jt must be kinder awkward
standin' in that position. I'm sorry to j
put you to so much trouble, but you see J
1 had to have money, and I thought this j
was a pretty good crowd to strike. I'm
kind of ashamed of myself to put such a
pretty woman as this lady is to so much 1
inconvenience," and he smiled apologeti- j
I callv at the young school teachcr, who |
| surprised her fe'low passengers by smil- I
ing back at the robber and saying, |
"don't worry yourself, Bart, it was no ,
inconvenience at all."
"You know me Miss?" inquired 'Bart.' I
"I've heard you described so often that
I felt pretty well acquainted with you,"
replied the school teacher.
' Bart" seemed to be flattered "I admire
your pluck," he said; 4 'most women
faint when they see me."
"I never saw a man yet that I'd faint
for," replied the school mistress, to the
horror of the other passengers, who were
afraid that she would anger the robber
and he would shoot them olf one at a
time just for revenge. But they were
stricken dumb with amazement when she
said: "I'll tell you what I'll do, 'Bart,'
I'll bet you that I can beat you one hand
at stud poker. If I don't you may kiss
me. If I do, you must let this coach and
its passengers go unmolested. Will
you do it?"
The proposition seemed to stagger
'Bart' for a moment, but he recovered
himself and after a hearty laugh said :
"Waal, miss, you beat any woman I
pver cimfi across before. I never kiss a
woman unless she's willia', but if you j
want to take them chances I'll play you, I
but I reckon you're givin' me the best of |
the bargain."
The school teacher intimated that she |
was really anxious to play for those
stakes and preparations were made for
the game. It wa- agreed that the driver
should deal the cards, and 'Bart'insisted
on the eleven passengers standing up before
him in a row twenty paces away, so
that he might detect any attempt at
treachery in time to thwart it. The
school teacher seated herself on a mail
pouch that 'Bart' had dragged out of
the coach for that purpose, and with his
rifle resting across his lap he settled
himself on one knee a short distance
from her. Opposite them aud between
the players and the line of passengers,
on the ground, sat the driver, who was <
to deal the cards. Word was given to I
start the game and the driver threw the
first card, face down, to 'Bart.' The
next fell at the feet of the school teacher.
I Each player was now entitled to four
cards, fice up, and 'Bart' caught the ace
of clubs, while to the teacher came the
seven spot of diamonds. The high- J
wayman next caught the five spot!
Viifl f o r\ a fliioli or! on/1 i
j ul lli'iuia auu au iimuvh uuia
jhe<-mi!ed confidently, for the first card
he caught was a five spot and he now
held apa:r. The teach?r drew the deuce
of diamond*. "Bart" could hardly contain
himself when the next card that
fell before him was the five spot of clubs,
lie now had three fives, and he was sure
the game was his. At the feet of the
teacher fell the four spot of spades. Her
luck was indeed wtetched, but she did
not seem in the least discontented when
she looked over at "Bart's" pair of five
spots and then down to her seven spot
high. The last turn came and the queen
of clubs fell in front of "Bart," while the
seven spot of spades was the teacher's
winning. She had a pair of sevens in
sight. "Pari" smiled. "I'm sorry your
lutk came so late," raid he, "you drew
well at last, but ray three fives win the
kiss?" and he turned up the "hole" card,
displaying his trio of five spots.
"You did well, Bart," replied the
teac' er, "but your three fives don't beat '
j my three sevens," and, picking up the ;
"hole" card she showed him the seven j
spot of clubs, which gave her the win- ]
ning hands. The smile faded out of:
the highwayman's face, but when he
realized that he had been fairly beiten
he helped the young lady to her feet,
smiled pleasantly, and said:
"Gentlemen, I've lost a mighty big
stake. Come up here one at a time ana
get what belongs to you out of that
; hat." Singly the men came up and took
. onrl ipwplrr Thpir flTO
| UiL'ir uiuiisi ~..j. ......
arms "Hart" kept. '"Bart" ordered
i tliem to get into the coach, and lie
I handed the school-teacher in as carej
fully as might a devotee of modern
society. He ordered the driver to his
seat, unbound the guard, and, at his
command the horses dashed up the trail,
: and thirteen hours later the coach
rolled into Nevada City with its precious
cargo intact.
| When the story of the school-teacher's
: pluck was told, the citizens of Nevada
1 City presented her with a handsome gold
! watch, and the Welis-Far^o Express
1 Company gave her a check for $1000.
k Twelve months later she married the
1 Mayor of the town, and she is still living
1 in Nevada City, where her husband
5 carries on a very successful banking
1 business.?Minneaprtit IVibuae.
WOMAN'S WORLD.
PLEASANT LITERATURE FOR
FEMININE READERS.
The Violet as a Beautifler.
The enormous trade which is being
done in violets in Paris this year, is reported
to he due to a discovery recently
made by a well-known author. He has
got a sisjht of the recipe used by the
Empress Josephine as a means for rendering
her "beautiful forever," and to
which she owed that marvelous tint
which wa3 the wonder and despair of the
French ladies of the time. The wife of
Napoleon used to have boiling inilk
Doured over a basinful of violet tiowers,
and with this decoction she bathed her
face and neck every morning. No sooner
was this old secret brought t? light than
the Parisian ladies began to order great
basketfuls of violets to be left at their
doors daily, and this home-made cos-1
metic is reported to be in daily use this I
season by thousands.?Anjona>it.
Renting Out Bridal Lingerie.
Clara Belle says in one of her New
York letters: A matrimonial discovery
on the East side is that of a store kept
by a woman who, as a feature of her
business in ladies' underwear, rents out
the linen portions of bridal outfits. She
enables a girl of moderate resources to
go on a tour, or to spend the honeymoon
in town, happy in the wearing of those
portions of a trousseau as elegant as
might content a Fifth avenue belle.
Fine textures, elaborate embroidery, and
all the whimsical frills kuown to lingerie
are at her commaud or rental. A.t an
outlay of $3 or $(5 she can buy a month's
use of these beautiful and soul-satisfying J
garments. The proprietress told me that
she was doing very well in that line.
She had in stock a dozen outfits, as
cheap as $3 to as dear as $10 per month,
and most of the time they were hired out.
She altered tiiem 10 nc ncr cusiumeis,
and freshened them up by new embellishments
as fast as they showed wear.
The English Girls' Walk.
There is a popullar idea that teaching
girls to dance improves their manner of
walking. This notion is a relic of the
days when the waltz was unknown, and
the stately measures of tha gavotte and
the minuet necessitated careful training
of the limbs and much instruction in deportment.
It is possible that our greats
grandmothers may have walked well;
but it is certain that their great grand
daughters do not. Half an hour spent j
in the Row on any morning will convince
the most incredulous. Some people are
inclined to throw the blame upon the
dress improver. Others remember that
Euglish girls walked no better before it
came in. They sway from side to side;
or they take immensely long steps; or
rush into the opposite extreme, imitating
the movements of a mincing machine.
There is a curious fashion just now in
the manner of carrying the arms. The
elbows are thrust out as far as possible
from the body, giving a sort of square
look to the whole figure, which is far
from pleasing. So long as the elbows
form an angle, things must be in a concatenation
accordingly. Hence the lo ng
handled sunshades that look so awkward
* * -'-i-i Alt
in trie nanus ox uuuruviaa-u u&auvj. u.->
these things militate against a graceful
gait, and, though Engl'shwowen may
claim superiority to their countrymen in
every other respect, they will admit that
the time has yet to come when they excel
them in the art of walking.?London
Daily News.
Luncheon Souvenirs In High Society.
Mary E. Bryan writes in the New York
Fashion Bizaar as follows: "A query
corner correspondent asks for some 'pretty
devices' to enhance the attractions of
luncheons, teas, etc., and also what
souvenirs may be given. At a recent
luncheon, before each guest was placed
a prettily decorated bowl or cup containing
beans. The one who guessed
nearest to the number of beans in her
own cup received the first prize. To
the one who made the next best g.:ess
was given the second, and to the one
who made the poorest guess was given
the 'booby' prize. It created much fun
and merriment, and the pretty cups
were taken home as souvenirs. At another
luncheon a large bowl with beans
was placed in the centre of the table,
and prizes given in accordance with the
guesses, a prize being provided for each
person at the luncheon After diuuer
now the waiter places before you a
wine-glass of powdered ice and from a
bottle labeled 'Cordial de Meuthe Glaci-1
ale,' 'Peppermint,' pours into your glass
q amaii nuftnHtv of beautifnl crreen cor
" *" 1 J - -
dial. You sip thU slowly with a spoon.
It is taken as an aid to digestion, but if
you are so favored as not to need thi9
you will at least enjoy the looks of the
pretty green fluid with the bits of ice
floating in it in the line-cut glass. As
for menu souvenirs, the prettiest I have
lately seen were of china?exquisite little
conceits?vases of different shapes,
tiny pot pourri jars, lattice work plats,
the latter daintily white, all containing
a few fresh flowers. At the same luncheon
(given by Mrs. Richard Salter to
tight kdies) the ices were served inside
real flowers?large Japan tulips?frozen
together with their stems and leaves.
They lay across your plate as though
just broken?dewy, fresh?from the
stalk. It hardly spoiled them to scoop
the delicate fruit juice ice from their
cups."
A Scene at Worth's.
"When at least thirty thousand of the
fair sex are to be gotten up in elegant
garbs for any special occasion, says Lucy
Hooper in a Paris letter, an animation is
created among the milliners and dressmakers
that rapidly assumes colossal proportions.
At Worth's establishment, for
inctanoa a fpvprish activity reicrned till
late in the night. Ladies were coming
to have cosumea altered, or to make sure
of their completion,or to buynewdre scs
from among the pattern dresses of the
house, and workwomen were charging
to and from with freshly completed
corsages or skirts in their hands, and M.
Worth was having the life worried out
of him with questions from his employes
and suggestions from his customers, and
hi3 admirable forewoman, Mademoiselle
Marie Parre, almost lost her patience (she
never does, I believe), and altogether
duos itself hal come again in the great
I establish ncnt on iho liue de la Paix.
For not only was the next day '.hat of
the Grand Prix, but on that evening the
Princesse do Sagan gave a dinner of
eighty covers, followed by an evening
fete champetre (a decided novelty in
garden parties), and all fashionable
l aris was in a whirl accordingly. I got
into a quiet corner late in the afternoon
and sat and looked on, an amused spectator,
at all the excitement. Here comes
thu Puchcss de Leuchtenberg, elegant,
I graceful and quiet of demeanor, alltogether
satisfied with the exquisite
toilet in mauve peau de sole embroidered
with silver spangles and garlands
of lilacs in shaded silks on the skirtfront,
a very dream of a dress, for which
*he desires a mantle. Worth's quick
.ye discerns for her just the shade of
? . v' . . .
*
green that will harmonize with the
mauve and match the shades of green in
the foliage of the lilac garlands, and she
glides away after a consultation of ten
minutes. Next the Countess of Croye
makes her apperrance to try on her diructoire
coat, all embroidered with steel
aud silver beads and silver and goid
thread on a scarcely discernable ground
wark of the fine old-gold cloth. Mrs.
I ee Childe, whose husband is a nephew
of the late General Hobert E. Lee, a gentleman
who, for love of the defunct Confederacy,
has renounced his fatherland
forevermore (she was formerly Mademoiselle
de Sartlges), is having the last
touches given to her toilet in silverspangled
tulle, with a directoire coat in
sea-green bengaline bordered with an
embroidery of small pink roses and silver
spangles. There is a sash in pale pink
watered ribbon to be looped over the
aerial folds of the skirt, and Worth's
J - 4? * "U ?1/vno non imnflrt to if
U0\trUU3 IUUL1I U1UUC van <.
just the proper curve. Next comes a
lady who wants to know if the hat which
her maid brings with her in a huge
bandbox is just the thing to wear with
the dress M. Worth has sent her the
evening before. He looks at it. sends for
a box of artificial flowers, and substitutes
for a rather still spray of pink
roses a .graceful cluster of sweet peas,
and the hat is artistic instead of being
overloaded. Then adresais brought to
him, a lovely cloud in pale peach-kernel
crape, with watered stripe3 of the same
hue?the workwoman cannot decide
whether the sash in watered ribbon to be
worn with it should be in pale blue or
pale pink. Worth sweeps all the colored
ribbons aside,and finishes the dress with
a white sash knotted as only his swift,
dextrous fingers know how to tie a
nbbon.
Fashion Notes.
There is a wide diversity in the styles
of bracelets.
Ornaments for the hair are, if possible,
more fashionable than ever.
Chantilly lace over black surah is preferred
for lace toilets, owing to its light
weight.
Pale willow green, yellow, black,
and arc t.lifi favrired colors
I Vsi t/um ctuvi v*kiv m*v -w . w-? ?
| for sashes.
i Black silk is combined with colored
[ silk veiled with black lace in many of
I the new costumes.
Shot silk is extensively used by
j milliners for soft crowns or loops comj
bined with velvet.
Shirt waists of fine India lawn are laid
. in three broad plaits, and embroidered
i in French needlework.
j The Garabaldi blouse, grace fully modified,
is extensively worn in place of the
cashmere breakfast jacket.
Brown linen, trimmed with crimson or
dark blue braid, is the favored material
for morning and work aprons,
j A fancy silk handkerchief wound
about the head is the newest head coverI
ing to wear with tennis costumes.
S'mple dresses of cambric and lawn,
w'.th round waists and entirely without
| drapery, are a feature of the present
! season.
Sashes of sheeny taffeta silks in Madras
j plaids are worn with black lace dresses,
and oftentimes the silk skirt is of the
j same plaid.
Ladies who like variety in their teDnis
1 costume? often have several blouses of
different colors which may be worn with
' the same skirt.
j Two-toned sash ribbons are shown.
These are particularly favored for weat
j with black lace dresses which are made
up over shot silks.
I Scarlet surah. bodices, wnicn appear
loose, yet are arranged upon a close-fit
ting lining, are worn in the morning
with various skirts.
Evening toilets this season are conspicuous
for their diversity, ranging
from the extremely simple and inexpensive
to the magnificent.
A front drapery of strong cotton net;
ting is a p etty addition to a tennis cos|
tume, and it may also be utilized as a
i pocket to hold the balls.
i Belt buckles, a? well as silver belts,
continue in fashion; indeed, with the
I style of round bodices promised by
modistes, it looks as if belts must be
i worn on indeSnitcly.
I Gowns of white pongee have the blouse
. and full sleeves deeply honeycombed,
and a honeycombed panel at the side as
well, or else they are tritamed with
1 many lengthwise rows of lace insertion.
Big hemstitched handkerchiefs of
I pongee can be h:id in nearly all the sum;
mer colors, and are among the most useful
of small wraps, as they can be either
shawl, collar or tichu as the wearer has a
mind.
j Word comes from Paris that white and
j cream gowns are less seen than last scaj
son; on the other hand hardly a colored
i gown but has white accessories, either
j vest, collar, cutis, panel, petticoat or
I front SKirt.
Leather or leather-colored silk is now
! much used for the trimming of walkI
ing toilets, which are finished with hats
| topped with leather-covcrcd plumes, and
i a how of leather ribbon tied jauntily on
I the parasol.
White skirts are reserved for evening
i wear, and are trimmed with lace, inserj
tion and embroidery quite at discretion,
i though it is well to lemember that tine
: simplicity is far and away better style
than coarse ornament.
To wear or not to wear white at throat
and wrists is now a wilting if not burning
question, and though there is something
more of latitude than in seasons
past, the weight of authority inclines to
the retention of lingerie.
The fashion of thrusting a flower here
and there among the curls and puffs of
evening coiffure has brought out blossoms
of finest china for those who cannot
afford jewels, that are said to be the
perfectest possible approaches to nature.
Rise of (lie Mustache.
It is not many years since the mau whe
wore a mustache in this country was regarded
as either a gambler, a thief or i
rowdy. A distinguished instructor in
* '* " "" ? /IrtfinifiArt A I
I Yale L'O liege once gave .w u utuuiwju
a rowdy: "A man who wears a mustache
and cuts sardines."
Nor was the mustache alone consid!
ered a badge of disgrace. Many of out
| older men and women can remember
| when a man who permitted his beard to
grow would uot be tolerated in decent
society. An artist living in Xew Haven
some forty years ago, Mr. Samuel
Hooker, who was a near relative of the
husband of Isabella Beechcr Hooker, was
not permitted to sit at the table of a distinguished
citizen of Eastern Connecticut
for that reason. A few years afterward,
however, the same citizen rejoiced
in a patriarchial beard.
The first impetus to a mustache in po
lite circles in the Eastern States was
given by a physician, who declared that
shaving the upper lip tended to weaken
the eyes, and, after experiment, many
were convinced of the assertion.?Neu
York Sun.
China feels hurt because Australia ban
out Chinamen.
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"" > .. -A:-'-:-#
* *'"V "v . * 1:^-r
""SMUGGLERS. T
HOW PEOPLE CIRCUMVEXT THE
CUSTOMS OFFICERS..
The Principal Smugglers are Women
?Accounting for a Yonntf Lady's
Plumpness?Odd Places for
Smuggled Articles.
In the Custom House of this city there
is a veteran whom everybody knows.
He has searched more trunks in more
parts of the world than any of Uncle
Sum's officials. He has served on revenue
cutters innumerable. He can tell
of bouts with c'gar smugglers on the
coasts of Jersey and Maine. He knows
every trick that, the ingenuity of theconr
trabandists can devise. He is the Jonathan
Wild, the M. Lecocq of the business
;
" The principal smugglers of to-day,"
he said, "are women. The daring of
other times is unnecessary now. A Saratogo
trunk properly prepared is worth
more than all the dirks and cutiasses that
a smuggler ever wore at his belt. I remember,
when I last came back from
Europe, a tine young woman, exceedingly
plump, whom every body admired.
The young fellows on board
were infatuated. All the way over she
wore the same dress?blue cloth, tailormade.
It fitted her, if possible, just a
little bit too well. Said I: 'I can imagine
a belle rigging herselt like this
when on parade at Newport, but for the
deck of a G'unarder, it is a trifle too
chic,' said I."
"What did you suspect?"
"Suspect? Blessyou, I didn't suspect j
?I knew. At Quarantine, after the J
health officer came aboard, a boat pulled
out from Fort Hamilton and wanted to !
take my charmer off. I touched her on 1
the shoulder. 'You can't leave this vessel,'said
I, 'until we reach the Battery.'
'Who are you?' she demanded, turning
pale. 'I'm a Custom House officer,'
said I, 'and as soon as we land I shall
have you searched.' She hadn't the
heart to say much. Still pale, she sat .
down, biting her lips and looking round '
to see that nobody had heard us.
Officer,' she said at length, 'how much
I Ml 1 rj. 0) (U7V.11 I T 1
Will lllilke Jib aijUiwer ncn, omu x,
with a sly glance'at her shapely figure, 'I
don't know how much it took to make it
round; but I guess there is about $3,000 j
worth of lace and jewelry in the lining
of that dress of yours.' And so it was. |
When the woman-searchers had un- j
dressed her she looked like a scarecrow?
old, haggard, a regular skeleton. The
haul just doubled ray estimate."
"Where are the smuggled articles usually
concealed?' askea the reporter of
the Chicago Tribune lately.
"Everywhere. Anything will form a
hiding place. Fruit is perhaps the handiest
co'vering. Who would look for cigars
in a pumpkin or for snuff in a turnip?
Yet pumpkins and turnips carefully lined
with wool have brought any amount of
tobacco into this country."
"And jewelry?"
"No. Jewelry generally travels in !
boot heels, The boots are spsoially made j
in Paris. I remember unscrewing one ;
of those heels in New York. A shower '
of brilliants fell all around me. There1
was a fortune in that little shoe."
"And gloves?"
"There was a famous lawsuit, you
recollect, against a Frenchman who im- j
ported gloves in his long Hessian boots. \
For my own part I have generally found j
"inroo m trtiacAa nf Viar A tin ho.v can
6'"'^ ? ?j
lie snugly in the centra of a big truss of
hay. Indeed, there is no article of
merchandise which the smuggler caonot
turn to his purpose. At Liverpool they
told me how on a vessel coming from j
Stettin in the Baltic they found cigars in '
casks of camomile flowers, and elsewhere I
cigars in cases of glue, tobacco in potato i
sacks, tea lying on furze bushes waiting J
to be shipped, tobacco stowed away in
loaves of German bread, to say nothing
of a boat drifting in the harbor with
fifty barrels of snuff in it. |
"The ladies are bom smugglers. They
think it no harm to defraud L:ncle Sam.
They arejabid free traders. They will
hide jewelry in their hair; wrap lace
around their bodies; pack their hus- '
band's cigars among their petticoats.
The commonest device of the feminine
smuggler is the false-bottomed trunk. In 1
a box filled apparently with cheap ging-1
hams and calicoes may lie the finest
dress that Felix can produce,"?New '
York Graphic.
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The Manufacture of Brushes.
"The subject of paint and artists'
brushes is a very interesting one," said
1 one of the members of a New York firm
in response to an inquiry of a Mail and
Express reporter as to the details of their j
manufacture, "and the many processes
the bristles or hairs go through forming
the brushes are peculiar."
"Practically none of the finer brushes, '
| whether they be large or small, are made !
I from domestic bristles. Nearly all the 1
bristles come from Germany or Russia, '
the Russian being the more preferable, !
as the hogs from which they are taken j
run wild in northern Russia and Siberia, 1
and ate larger and stiller than those of
the domestic animal. Several attempts i
have been made to utilize the bristles '
from native hogs, but without success. I
It is the universal law of nature, among '
the lower animals at least, that careful
breeding tends to shorten the growth of j
the hair or bristles. I have seen bristles ;
from the Russian wild boar measure
nearly a foot long, and of great strength. {
These bristles are used for paint, varnish, '
kalsomine, and whitewash brushes and
others of the coarsest description.
"But here is one of the smallest size," !
he continued, and took from a case a 1
delicate and tiny brush about the size of j
a needle. "This is used in the finest]
class of art work and, together with !
brushes of a slightly coarser nature, is |
made from the hair of the sable, camel or j
badger.
"The bristles always come to us in )
bulk and arc first thoroughly cleaned.
After the cleansing process has been
finished they are carefully dried and
6orted, size for size, and arc trimmed to
the required length. They are then
attached to the handles and arc ready for
immediate use. It takes from one to
three days, according to the quality of
the brush, to put it into perfect shape."
South American Presidents.
Costa Pica elects her Presiient for five
yonr^. j
The President of Honduras holds office
for ?ur years.
In 1880 13arri2W* was chosen Chief
Executive of (+w<item;ila for four years.
"When Nicaragua clectcd Carazo to the
Presidency of that Pcpublic it was for a
term of four years.
Chili will elect a President again in
18'J1. In 1880 President Balmaceda began
to serve a four-year terra.
Tho Argentine Republic elects ita
Chief Executive every six years, and its
present ruler, President C'elman, was
elected in 188G.
When the Executive of Colombia
signs a bill he writes: "President Nunez."
He elected in 188G for a term
of sis yean.
=* --' . -* "V ' .'"'' "l*
The Gnlf Shrimp Industry.
*'Where is shrimp packed aad how?"
asked a New York Mail and Express
young man of a Fulton market fish
merchant the other day. He replied
that they were packed in New Orleans,
whence they are shipped to all parts of
the world. The dealer added:
"The shrimps run in large s hools
near the surface of the water down in
the numerous passes that find their nay
into the Gulf of Mexico, and arc caught
by "dogos" with their seines, who frequently
.will in one haul bring in enough
to fill their lugger, a flat bottomed boat
with a square sail. On reaching the
factories, many of which are built on the
docks, the shrimps are placed in long
troughs, where girls with one expert
wrench twist off the heads and with a
firm pressure at the tail force out the
shrimp. They are paid by the pound for
all that are taken in this manner, some
making ns much as twenty five cents an
hour. After being taken from the shells
the shrimps are placed in a vat of salted
water, where they are cooked by means
tinnwinr* fl>w/\nr?Vi trofo
UX Oicatil lUUUAU^ VUIUU^U IUU Tuva.
The shrimps then are put into little
gauze bags, each bag j'u3t large enough
to fill the inside of a can, there being so
much phosphorus in the shrimp that
unless precautions were taken the tin
would be eaten through by its action
and the contents spoiled. After the
shrimps are placed in the cans they are
hermetically sealed, all this work being
done by machinery. They are then put
into a large tank and once more put
through a second steaming process, ten
times hotter than the first, so that they
become thoroughly cooked before being
put on the market. They are then ready
for labeling and boxing."
Some idea of the magnitude of this
business can be inferred when it is
knowu that during the shrimp season,
which consists of about two months in
the spring and the same time in the fall,
over 100,1)00 cans a day are packed in
New Orleans alone.
A Jlighty Banyan Tree.
About twelve miles from Broach, India,
on the island up the Nerbudda. is
the celebrated banyan tree, covering
from three to four acre3 of ground, ana
bo large that there is said to be accommodation
for ten thousand men under
it. The legend i-J that it grew out of
tne tootnpiCK 01 ivaoir, wnose name it,
bears. Jtost of the foreign travelers
through Guzerat pay a visit to the tree,
which is in itself a prodigy of nature
owing to its gigantic proportions and its
antiquity. It is a species of fig, and, as
a writer says, was known to ancient
travelers, and which in the eighteenth
century had already 350 trunks and 3000
secondary branches. Numerous inundations
of the river had worked havoc
with the island and with the renowned
tree. The same writer say3 that at the
foot of the principal trunk there is a little
cavity (the writer, however, could
not see it for himself during his late recent
visit to the sacred tree), in which
are arranged some stones of Phallic form
beside an architectural fragment of ruder
work. He says the Brahmans call it
"Matadeyee" (.the mother), It is one
of the popular names given to the wife
of Siva in particular, and the name generally
given by worshippers and even by
?4 - A- ?11 i-l-- /iaajaa
pries IS, I (J ULl lUC uunuunu gvuuw?
whom they cannot better define.?Aliahalal
Poit.
A Barber's Great Record.
Chicago has the boss barber of th?
world. On Sunday the proprietor of tht
shop casually observed that tue week beginning
the following day would be a
busy one. "I wonder," he continued,
"whether the record will be beaten."
"What is the best record ever made bj
one man?" asked Tommy William9.
"Exactly $103," replied the proprietor.
"That was four years ago. I had a man
who took in that amount in seven days,
and the shaving, shampooing, hair-cutting
and sea-foaming which it represented
was the work of one pair of hands.
"I think I can beat it," remarked
Williams, and on Monday morning earlj
he began to fresco faces and cut stubbh
in a gallant attempt to beat the record.
When his checks were footed up oc
Monday night it was found that $11.GC
represented his manipulations. On Tuesday
he did $25.95 worth of "Next/
On Wednesday the amount was $25.25;
on Thursday, $20.15; Friday, $13.15:
Saturday, $13.50; Sunday, $11.80. Th<
aggregate receipts for the seven days,
I A A tkis omnnnf Williama rp.
piw I *tv? VU IUIO nuxvuuv TV luiwutw ?v
ceived as his commission forty-five per
cent. Williams is twenty-six years old.
Amateur Entomology.
The Yankee Blade thus describes how tc
mount and prepare for a collection, butterflies,
beetles, etc. The killing is an
important*matter, to do it quickly and
not disfigure the insect in any way. Foi
this purpose butterflies succumb at once
to the fumes of chloroform. Most moths
need something more powerful, like benzine
or the fumes of sulphur. Lepedoptera?butterflies
and moths?should be
pinned through the thorax; colcoptera
?the beetle tribe?should have the pin
inserted through the right wing-cover,
lyet the pin pioject about one-fourth its
lenth a6ove the insect. Many insects
will need to have the wings expanded
and kept in place till dried, in a setting
box. To do this, use a small, straight
awl set in a handle to manipulate the
wings, antenna: and leg-1, and keep the
same in place by pins and pieces of cardboard.
The small insect? will dry
sufficiently to remove to the cabiuet in
two or three days; the larger moths will
require a week to dry. Place in the
hr>*e* or drawers oieces of camphor
wiapped in paper to prevent the ravages
of insects.
Telegraphing by the Cloud?.
Admiral i-ir \V. Iluut Grubbe has recently
made some interesting experiments
at the Cape of Good Hope on the sending
of signals by means of the rays of an
arc lamp reflected by the clouds.
The luminous fascicle from a 100,000
candle arc lamp was directed against the
clouds by means of a reflector, and interpreted
according to the heliographic
code. The dispatch could be read with
ease at Cape Town.
Other experiments were made by a
vessel of the navy sent out to sea, and
the signals could be read from a distance
of fifty miles. This method affords a
possibility of sending signals ai sea, auu
might prove useful iu favorable weather
for ships in danger. ?La Lumiere Electrique.
D.tkota Once Belonged to Michigan.
The Territory of Michigan was created
June 28, 1834, and included that part of
Dakota lying east of the Missouri and
White Earth Rivers, in addition to the
present States of Wisconsin, Michigan,
Iowa and Minnesota. July 8, 1830,
Congress established the Territory of
Wisconsin, which included the eastern
half of Dakota. The Territory of Iowa
was organized June 12, 1838, and a part
of Dakota was contained within its
boundaries. March, 3, 1849, Minnesota
Territory was established, which covered
the eastern part ot Dakota.?Detroit Fret
Frets*
- .-.rm
' ?
CURIOUS FACTS.
A pace is three feet.
Insurance was in general use in Italy V.?
before 1194. .
It takes eighty-four of our years to
make one year on Uranus.
A Persian carpet twenty-two feet
square was sold in Paris the other day
for $7500.
Clans are said to have, arisen in Scot- r
land in the reign of King Malcom IL
about 1008.
A wild goose flies by a chart which
the Royal Geographical Society could
not improve.
Two pure white robins have been : 'J
taken from the nest of an ordinary redbreast
in Galena, 111.
A Nebraska farmer has unearthed the
skeleton of a woman who must have ?j
stood eight feet high in life. T j
An enterprising physician in Australia '
advertises: "I will pay half the funeral
expenses in cases where I am not successful."
Four figs taken from a tree in Chero- kee,
Cal., weighed one pound seven .N
ounce', one of them weighing eight
ounces.
The phrase "The real Simon Pure" i
occurs in Susannah Centlivre's play, "A
Bold Stroke for a Wife." The authoress Vi
died in 1772.
A new industry in California is said
to be the killing of bees that swarm in
Tkriiroto tmncoa At. TM-papnf-. it 19 mon.
opolized by two menT
Salmon fishers at Woodbush, England,
recently found in one of their nets a fish .-/-J.
-with the body and tail of a salmon and
the head of a haddock.
Joseph Ritas, a Spaniard, recently
died at the age of 118 years. His brother
lived to be 114, and their father was 111
at the time of his death.
A mole is an insect-eater and never
molests the roots of trees. Two moles ;
devoured in nine days 341 white worms.
163 earthworms, 25 caterpillars and 1
mouse.
A woman was passing through the
grand hall of the Glasgow (Scotland)
Exhibition, a few nights ago, with
baby in her arms, when the band began
to play. The child screamed with fright
ana died.
Mr3. Hall, of Sabine County, La., haa ^
three fingers preserved in a jar ol alcohoi,
which the owner can have by prov?
ing property. They belonged on the
hand of a burglar, and she cut them off
with a hatchet.
Recently, at a Moscow (Russia) sunset, %
the rays of the sun were intercepted by
a cloud, and, through some peculiar
property in the atmosphere, the city was
colored a vivid purple hue. The stTange
effect lasted for eight minutes.
Judge Arnold, of Argonia, Kan., lost
his office and court-room in the recent
cyclone at that place, and was so severely
shocked by a stroke of lightning
that it restored the hearing in one of-his
ears which had been deaf for thirty .
years.
At a recent dinner given in New York
| & mound of flowers oru&mented the table, ' ^
1 and over the flowers hovered gorgeously
colored butterflies, living, but dying in
agony. Long pins were run through
their bodies ana tliey were fastened to ^
the flowers to die slowiy. * '
Billy Neuberry, of the City Engineer'! V
Department in St. Paul, Mian., is a n??w ,
of phenomenal strength. He is able to ^
lift a he.ivy man by his teeth, and can
snap steel stove pokers like broomsticks
by twirling them aloft and bringingthem
down quickly over his loft forearm.
In order to secure a case against a dentist
who was using contraband matches,
the detective of a trench match company
went to the offender and bad a tooth extracted.
Then, takincr out a cigar, he
asked for a light. The dentist handed
him a box of matches, which he at once
declared were contraband. The detective
called to an associate in an adjoining
rcom, and a case was at once made up.
Protection Prom Insect Pests.
ilany people do not know how easilj
they can protect themselves and theii children
against the bites of gnats and^ '!
other insects. Weak carbolic acid,
sponged on the skin and hair, and in i
some cases the clothing, will drive away
the whole tribe. A great many children !
and not a few adults are tormented j
| throughout the whole summer by minute 1
I enemies. We know persons who are
afraid of picnics, and even of their own
gardens, on this account. Clothing is an
imperfect protection, for we have seen a i
child whose foot and akle had been
stung through the stocking so seriously
that for days she could not wearaleathet
shoe. '
All this can be avoided, according to
our experience, and that we believe of
many others, by carbolic acid judiciously
used. The safest plan is to keep a ^
saturated solution of the acid. The 80*
lution cannot contain more than six ox
seven per cent., and it may be added t?
water until the latter smells strongly.
This may readily and with perfect safety
be applied with a sponge. We have na
doubt that horses and cattle could b?
protected in the same way from the fliea,
which sometimes nearly madden them.
Oil of bays (huile de laurier) is ejctea*
1? 3 :n hw hnfrhftttL
Siveijr uacu 1U Untll.Vil?uU WJ
to keep their shops free from tiies, and
after a coat of this oil has been applied
to the walls none of these troublesome
pests ventures to put in an appearance.
This remedy has been tried and found
effectual in the south of France in preserving
gilt frames, chandeliers, etc.,
from becoming soiled. It is even remarked
that flies soon avoid the roomi
where this application has beea employed.
Camphor will expel mosquitoes. Take
of gum camphor a piece about one-third
the size of a hen's egg and evaporate it
by placing it in a tin vessel and holding
it over a lamp, taking care that it doea
not ignite. The smoke will soon fill the
room and expel the mosquitoes, and not
one will be found in the room next morning,
even though the windows should be
left open all night.?Medical Classict,
Noro's Canal.
Among the most important publw
works in Greece is the canal throught the
Isthmus of Corinth, of which General
Turr is the De Lessops. It was begun
in 1882, and was to be completed in 18t?8,
but it will not be finished for several
years yet. It has the same breadth and
depth as the Suez Canal, and is about
four miles long. The deepest cut is 250
feet. It passes through solid rock, and
its sides are as yet left almost vertical.
It i9 to be lighted by electricity, ma
cost was estimated at $7,000,000. This
canal will save vessels from Trieste or
Brindisi to Athens or Constantinople
about 200 miles; it will save ships from
Gibraltar about seventy-five miles. It
has been dug largely by Italians, Turk*
and Montenegrins. Few Greeks havt
been employed; they do not takekindly
to such work. The canal carries out a
plan that was cherished by many of tha
ancients; it actually follows a cqutqq
that waa surveyed by Order of the ?moeror
iS'ero.?Seribner\