The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, September 24, 1890, Image 6
^ SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERY-DAY LIFE.
Funny Episodes and Thrilling Adventures
Which Show That Truth ,
is Stranger Than Fiction.
fTHE Japan Mail tolls a '
most pathetic story of
lvochi li:irl)or. tlie o?l\ j
t'onnnero.;.: ] ilio |
island of Shikoku. It is j
most valuable to the
island, and though very i
shall*, .'vr and :ipi>r<" ached
bv a narrow, tortuous!
1 ?. i, a
UllilliliCl, wi/\ X4 ww V JX ^
whole "fetch" of tlie Pa-!
I cific, it lias been cable
for moderate sized steamers, and
there used to be daily communicat'on
between Kochi and Iv>be and Osaka, j
Its entrance is cursed by a most treaclier-!
ous, constantly shifting sand-bar, which j
moves to and fro and rises and falls according
to the swell that comes in from
the Patriae, so that it is a continual menace
a id injury to lishermen, merchants
and f triers. L;ist August three typhoons
swe;?t ?iv( r H;il:>kn, which left this bar
a iin.i b ach 300 yards long and fifty
yards \v de, and from two to ten feet
abne high-water mark. The people
ap-p ded to the Governor, who conld do j
in t :i:ig. Tiiero were several engineer-[
ing s hemes for dealing with the bar, i
* V t f 1 T_ _i.l_
du: iiu y reijuirea time auu moiiej, uulu ;
of which were wanting. The oldest,
inhabitant then remembered that a simi-:
lnr cr.lamity occurred thirty-seven years j
ago. anu had been conquered by the I
wh> h: 1 copulation turning to and dig- i
ging a channel. The whole population j
accordingly now turned to and worked:
on the b.-aoli for three days, at tho end j
of which time they had dug a canal.
twenty-?>ne feet wide and seven feet j
dee;> a- <1 success seem.ed certain. On '
the f'i;ii lh day the south wind blew j
agan. i.nd by evening tho result of tho !
throe d :vs' labor of the population was i
entirely obliterated, ul?d they hu\e now j
"to wait jxitiently the more perfect!
methods of "the I>oboku-kyoku," or Civil j
.Ejivrineering isureau.
A dispatch from Mono County, Cali
fori: a, gives an account of the murder
of a settler and four Italians by a band j
of Piute Indians. The M<>no Lake ,
region is a desolate, sterile section, i
much resembling the country around j
the Dead Sea. llie waters of the lake j
are thoroughly impregnated with borax, j
salt and magnesia, and the only animal i
life found in it is a sort of a worm, about j
one-fourth of an inch in length, resemb- j
lins in :t !>p(v.rancea shrimp. On the west- j
evn shore of Mono Lake lived a settler:
named Lo iis Sammun, a Sclavonian by j
birth. lie liail resided there for over j
twenty years, raising < att!e ou the:
stm ed Dasturace around the lake, lead
ing :i loneiy life. Occasiorally lie would
kill a 1'iute and cast the body into the 1
alkaline w::ters df t-lie lake, where it i
would soon petrify. This fact was!
well known to the whites residing in I
that section, and the gentleman who 1
gives this information says that he has j
seen four of these bodies calmly repos- j
ing at the bottom of the lake. Samman's j
avowed intention was to use the bodies :
as soon as they became sufficiently j I
hardened, for hitching-posts and door-'
steps. it liapj ened that a body of.
Pintes strayed near the cabin of Samman, 11
and in the ele n- waters of the lake near j1
liv IIipv s:tw t-:i> bodies of their mur-i
dered brethien lying in the water under- !
going the process of petrification. They ,:
became frenzied for revenge, and going ;!
to Sammau's cabin took liim out (he ; 3
was alone) and shot him through the p
heart. They then went several miles to ; i
a place where tour Italians were, and j
killed three of them, one escaping to j,
Bo>lie and alarming the citizens, telling |
them at the same time not to go out!,
there for a few days, as the Indians had !,
sworn to kill any white man that came '.
out. The county oilicials have started ,
to capture the Indians.
i J
'
Th:-i::: is a ease of human ossification !
at Glen's Talis, X. 1"., in tli? > erson of
Mrs. E. Palmer, of Clinton. Mrs. Pal- '
mer fell a victim to her peculiar disease I
about eight ye.-.'s ago. 80:110 three
months ago sin- was brought to Glen's :
Falls by life Re.. Ge- rge ??ldy. of that
villr.ge, lor the parpo.se; ol gr.iug lie: [
the benefit of "faith cure," under his '
own treatment. Locally the case is 1
know as tl.afc of the petrified woman,
and it is causing mncli comment among ]'
medical men. All licr joints exceptoue
shoulder are perfectly rigid, and her
whole body is as still' as a bone. Her
lower limbs have sfcillVned in a bent ositlon,
while her arms lie helpless, but j
as though at t a.-e, by her sides. Her i
iaws arc securely locked, but sis some of
her teeth are ?"iie she manages tu take '
food and '.o cany oil all nece^ary con-:
Tersation. As if to aggrava'e her condi-1
tion, she is totally blind, ami yet she is j
of cheerful disposition, and especially I
enjoys having people talk to her. Mrs. |
Palmer is 35 years old. She was mar-!
ried some years ago and was then in j
good health, but afu-r she became thus
disabled her husband went to Connecticut
a:;d procured a divorce. Mrs. j
Palmer's mother left a small fortune. !
Her sisters wai\ed their rights, thus enabling
the attlicted woman to have every j
comi'ort possible toiler condition. Medi- i
cal men pronounce this as complete a [
case of ossilicaton as ever came under
their notice. Her mind doe- not appear 1
to be at all affected. During the pro-!
gross of her disease she has taken particular
pleasure in composing verses,
and her memory is so tenacious that she
can mentally frame a poem and dictate
it word for word afterward. This has
been done so often that a collection of
these verses has been printed, making j
ouilc an entertaining volume.
E. F. ErLLART) and E. T. Bracliett of
Saratoga have just made what is prob- |
cbly the closing argument before the I
New York Court of Appeals in a vexcil i
~se of litig.ition which has been conuously
in the courts for fifty years,
'ng been brought in 1839 by John
erson, then practicing law in Sch"'y,
for his client, Emanuel C >n?aCharlton,
Saratoga county, ami i
">on therealtcr took the form oi" a J
ust his client for attorney's 1 V?es. I
veral phases tin* case has been i
every jnsticc of tlu- Snprem 1
he Ti il l ilistliet elected : line
:us been repeatedly at Gener
al Term, and several times before the
Appeals Judges. Only one of the parties
interested at the beginning of the
suit now survives. The amount involved,
as recently determined by Referee
J. V. Verbeuk, is le-s than 62,000,
No le^s than eleven different judgments
have from t ine to time been recovered,
most of which were modified by the
courts, thus forming the pretext for continuous
litigation, and the special action,
which will probably now end the
ease, was brought eight years ago to enforce
payment of the aggregate of the
several judgments against the estate of
Con sau1 us.
Mr. Gf.oroe S. Batchelt.er, Che |
new Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, I
is the man who owns the queerest house |
at Saratoga. That will be sufficient to !
identify him to a great many people;
who do not bother their heads with poli-'
tics. Everybody who visits Saratoga;
sooner or later discovers that one of the j
local curiosities is Mr. Batcheller's'
house. It is located on an elevation be-1
vond Circle street, and in good view
from the road to the race track and the !
lake. It is a rambling collection of ar-1
chitectural fancies and crocliets. What i
makes the house more interesting is the '
fact that afti-r Mr. Batcheller had se- j
cured the complicated plans he had
them patented, so that nobody could reproduce
his residence. That is the reason
it is known at Saratoga as " the!
house with a patent on it." Mr. Batch-!
eller is said, by Saratoga natives, to de-!
rive a great deal of satisfaction from the j
thought that there is 110 other house in
this country like his, and that there can
be no duplicate of it. He is an able
man and a rich man. The queer house
is his fad.
Ix a straggling suburb of Cheyenne,
Wyo., a burly tramp entered a house'
during the temporary absence of the ;
male occupants and ordered a lunch of !
coffee and hot steaks. On being asked
to compromise on a couple of cold sand- i
wiches he repeated his order with an j
oviT-iliocic tlmt. nrnvnkprl flifi Ijirlv nf t.llfi :
house to decline further negotiations, \
and when his remarks became lurid '
with invectives she slipped quietly out
and unchained a couple of big mastiffs, j
But instead of taking to his heels the
tramp backed against the wall of an j
out-house, and, swinging up his club, i
received the firet dog with a blow that i
would have done credit to a mediaeval j
battle-axe champion and spattered the
four footer's brains all over the yard.
Dog No. 2 turned in dismay, but caught
a whack that broke his back, and when
the lady fled to the house the victor
locked the door from the outside and
set fire to the building. He then leis- j
urelv left for parts unknown, and a
posse of mounted pursuers have thus:
far failed to get on his tuack.
While sawing through the trunk of
an oak tree at Wheatland (Cal.), Wash I
Bedford came upon some hard substance
that broke the teeth of the saw that he
was using and prevented further pro- j
press. He told Jim Kesner and Win >
Enochs that he had struck a cannon!
ball, but they would not believe him. I
As they were going hunting next day j
they made it convenient to stoj> at the !
r??irn? fnr flm r?f lnnlrmnr tin*
*uv"'"b i
matter up, and found o log about six i
feet through, and under the saw cut in '
the centre could be felt a hard substance. I
They induced Wash to chop down to
get it out, and after over an hour's work
he brought out a rock which weighed
four and one-half pounds. It can be
seen at the Gem saloon. The rock had
evidently been laid by some one between
the branches of the !r<-e years ago, and
the tree grew up and inclosed it The
spot where it was taken from was measured,
and it was found to be four feet
from where the branches forked. The
rock was very hard, and almost round in
shape.
Detective Akers, of the Municipal
Court, Buffalo, relates an amusing story
of how he once served a summons on a
nary woman who was habitually out
when inquired after. It may tend also j
to snow to wnat scrims tne autnomies
are sometimes reduced. This woman ;
liad been warned and was continually
on the lookout. If the King had called
li<? couldn't have seen her. "So one
day," fays Alters, "I took off my collar
and necktie, and wrapping an old red.
bandana around my neck, I pulled a ,
slouch hat over mv eyes and knocked at
thf door. When the servant opened tiic ;
door I asked for something to eat, and j
was kindly invited in and was given |
some food. While I was eating it the :
lady of the house walked by, and my j
chance had come. I shoved the sum-1
mons into her hand and made for the j
door, uot quick enough, though, to j
escape the torrent of abuse she showered i
on me."
Tnor. Gephardt, of Berlin, the man-1
ag<T of a private Sanitarium, reports a j
strange case of a disorder which he describes
as a "chronisehe moliren krankhcit,"
or "chronic Moor disease." A
young chap complaining oi' rheumatic
pains and. Muni debility was intrusted
to the mau:'. " is ol the Sanitarium, who
at first asor. 1 the symptoms to some
nervous dis. and were nonplussed
when the ski their patient assumed
a darker ami >' vker hue, and at last be- j
came almost ? 'ocolato colored. The !
rheumatic dist.. s finally subsided, but
the original e? :*of the invalid's skin
failed to retr.m : nd people often stop
t.) stall! at liini i the streets. The newmade
darky may think himself lucky to
get oil' so cheap In Southern Indiana
hi; would have b a promptly expelled
from the public school.
The wild man ol Lookout has reappeared,
and in consequence there is excitement
in the vicinity of Chattanooga.
He was seen a few days since, and if
descriptions arc correct, he is a most
remarkable being. His hair ana uearu
arc described as Homing to the waist; liis
linger and toe-nails arc long, giving the
hands and feet the resemblance of claws.
He wears a trunk of bearskin, with a
bearskin robe thrown over his shoulders.
He carries an ugly bludgeon, and persistently
avoids coming in contact with
anybody. The timid people of the
neighborhood are greatly alarmed, and
there is little traveling about at night.
This strange creature has been haunting
eaves and fastnesses of Lookout Mountain
and elevations in Lower East Tennessee
for years, and nothing is known
of hib identity.
A M'-xo t'<e curiosities brought from
A-.-.- Ploliiipinc Islands by Prof. Steere,
iiud which has been mounted for the i
Ann Harbor (Mich.) university muBeum,
is a species of buffalo entirely new to
the oivilized world, and not known to
any scientists or ever before seen here
or described. Its body is similar to the
American bison, but the legs are longer
and the horns slope straight back from
the top of the head. There is but little
hair on the body, and the hoofs are
large and flat, enabling it to swim
readily. In habits this animal, although
of the buffalo tribe, is similar to the
hippopotamus. It is found only on one
island of the Philippines, Miudora, and
is very ferocious.
Thirty-seven years ago James Vermillion
sent his son George to the pasture
for the cows. A few days since
George returned to his father's house at
Lower Hill, HI., minus the cows, but
possessed of title deeds to a large cattle
ranch in Colorade. The son had been
dead to his parents all these years, and,
though he went away a youth in his
teens, he returned a gray and grizzled
man of mature years. The fatted calf
was killed and there was great rejoicing
- ^ ~ 4*1
0Y6I I lie SOU lUiil/ \VUS ludu uuu xo Afuuv?.
In the Gaiety Concert Hall, at Birmingham,
England, a few nights ago a
dramatic sketch was being presented in
which a sailor was represented as being
dragged and murdered. A real sailor
at this point leaped from the gallery
upon the stage exclaiming that he would
not see a comrade so misused, and it
took all the stage hands and four policemen
to remove him. The funniest part
of it was that in court the policeman
testified that the man was cold
sober when he did it.
A resident of Martin's Feny, 0., has
two pmall boys and one big dog, a Newfoundland,
their constant companion.
The other day the boys got to fighting,
and the smaller was getting the worst of
it, when the dog, who had been an uneasy
observer of the proceedings, rushed
between the lads, separated them oy
main force, and then dragged the larger
boy away without hurting him in the
least or showing a particle of ill temper.
The business which is most thoroughly
monopolized in New York City by
native-born Americans is that of truck
owning. Nine-tenths of the carts,
trucks, and wagons owned in this city
and hired out belong to native Americana
It is a distinctive mark of an oldfashioned
ward, like the Ninth, to see
in front of nearly every door at night
time a truck or cart.
Two young tramps at Glenn's Ferry,
Idaho, attracted attention, both being
very young, and one looked like a girl.
Be in 2 questioned, they said they were
from Sioux City, Iowa, and owned tlrnt
the smaller was a girl, but they wanted
to many. So a wedding was got up for
them and they were married and will
be given work there.
The Czar is said to wear always a ring
o nf t.hft I
Ill IVlllUll XO VU1WUXIVV4
true cross that was given to an antester
of the Czar by a Pope long ago. The
Czar is said to be superstitious about
this ring, and once, when lie had started
upon a long journey and had forgotten
it, he had his train held while a messenger
went back upon a locomotive and
fetched it.
Mail carriers in Morocco are said to
avoid risk of losing their places by
oversleeping by tying a string to one
foot and setting the end of it on fire
before going to sleep. The string, they
know from experience, will burn so
long, and when the fire reaches their
foot it is time for them to get up.
The demand for lizard skins for
purses and similar objects is said to
have exhausted the supply in Java. The
government has interfered to protect
the lizards, who are wanted as scavangers,
and lizard skins have to be obtained
now from South America.
Senator Evarts and Epherim,
In the employ of Senator "William
Maxwell Evarts is a colored citizen by
the name of Epherim, and bis business
is to do "chores" around the house and
make himself generally useful. Until
the other night Epherim has not wandered
an inch from the paths of rectitude.
It was the night when a dinner was given
to Secretary Blaine, and the Senator
from New York was rather late in returning
home. As ho was taking off his overcoat
he heard a tremendous racket in
the basement and ran down stairs to see
what had broken out. In the furnace
room he found Epherim engaged
in a terrible hand-to-hand encounter
with a step-ladder, and the
1 11 - 1 * it
latter appeared 10 hum: m? ui m,
for in tiie struggle Eplierim had been
thrown and the ladder lay on top of
him.
In his capacity as peacemaker Mr.
Evarts soon released liis servant from
the grasp of his assailant and asked an
explanation. Eplierim told a long and
somewhat incoherent story aboututtending
a meeting of the Sons and Daughters
of the Galilean Fisherman, the
point of which was the President had
resigned and he had been called upon
to fill the vacancy.
"Well, I see that you have filled it
pretty full," replied the Senator, "and
I advise you to get off to bed as soon as
possible, wliile I take care of tlie fire."
Why the Persian Minister Laughs.
My friend, the Persian Minister,
writes a Washington correspondent of
the Philadelphia Record, has had many
a quiet laugh at oxir expense since lie
came to Washingten. For some mysterious
reason somebody started the
story that he understood no language
but Persian, which, of course, found its
way to the newspapers at once. Now,
as a matter of fact, he understands
English quite as well as most of us, and
French a great deal better. But he did
not feci that it was his business to rush
into print with an elal>orato explanation
of all this, and so has taken it out in
smiling at the queer treatment he has
received from those who really believed
tho story. No end of funny remarks
have been made about him in liis presence,
which it was supposed he would
never comprehend. He tells a story
very well,nnd in relating his experiences
with Washington ians, foreign and domestic,
tells some very good ones.
One Hr. Terr, in England, in advoontinptlie j
ptin;rof bees as a remedy for rheumatism, i
lip derlares that lie lias treated with butvtss |
173 cubfcri uiid hub ti veil ill ull 3(J,0(J0 stings.
NOTED DWARFS.
A MIDGET WHO KILLED HIS
MAN IN A DUEL.
The Famous Diminutive Statesman
of South Africa?American Dwarfs
?Some of the Smallest Babies Ever
Born.
Sir Geoffrey Hudson is used for the
genesis of this article not because he was
the smallest of the long list of midgets
who have appeared upon the stage of
action during the past three hundred
years, but for the reason that he is
the earliest of which authentic record
has benn preserved. He was born in the
vear 1619, at Oakham, Rutlandshire,
England. He first attracted the attention
of the Duke of Buckingham in 1628,
he being nine years old and but eight
een inches high.
Little Goeffrey, or Jeffrey, as it is
sometimes written, remained in the service
of the Duke until the time of the
tour of Charles I, King of England,
through the different shires, after his
marriage with Maria Henrietta.
When the King and his new bride visited
Buckingham, in order to serve their
majesties with a unique surprise, Geoffrey,
the D\va"f, whs incased in a large
pie and served at dinner, much to the
delight of the Royal visitors.
Her Majesty wns so pleased with the
{jranks of the little elf that she was al- j
owed to take him with her to London, i
Soon after this event he began growing
rapidly, and soon shot up to tlu-ee feet,
a calamity which he characteristically
claimed was due to royal feeding. Still
he retained his position as court dwarf
under the suggestive name of Lord Minimus;
was present upon all state occasions,
and knew more, perhaps, of the
affairs of the Government than the j
King's Ministers themselves.
He was sent to France to bring an at-!
tendant for the Queen, she being a na- j
tive of that country. While on this!
errand, thinking himself a dwarf of considerable
importance, ho formed the
acquaintance of Mr. Crofts, a young
man of high social standing and position
in France, who teased the poor little
dwnrf beyond the bonds of reason.
Being a courtier when at home he
naturally resented the treatment of
young Crofts, which finally became tin'
i i u.* _ ~i.^n
DearaoiP, resulting m i* vuuucugo uuui
the dwarf.
When Crofts and bis friends appeared
at the snene of rendezvous Crofts was
armed witli a shotgun filled with muddy
water. This enraged the little Englishman
to the eKtent that a real duel followed,
the participants boing mounted j
on horseback, wliich put them more on !
a level. Crofts fell dead at the first fire. !
The remainder of the adventurous life !
of Hudson reads like a romance. He
was for some time a slave in Barbary;
afterward, upon his return to England,
a Captain in the Royal army. In 1864
he accompanied the Queen on a visit to
France, but after the bestowal of all
this Royal honor upon him he was sent
as a prisoner to Gatehouse, Westminster, ;
having been suspected of being privy to j
xi.- t>?-I..* tr? n,a r,?(n. I
Wit? X'UjJISII JLLU U1CU (IU UAJ\7 \~A lm iv~
house prison in his sixty-third year.
COUNT JOSEPH BOROWBASKI.
Count Joseph Borowlaski was a Pole. J
He was born iu the year 1739; ho came j
of a family of six children, of which i
every other one were dwarfs. The first
of the family was a son three feet four ;
inches high; then came another who i
was six feet in his stockings after he had
attained man's estate; next came Joseph,
the object of this sketch, who was but
twenty-seven inches high on his twentyfirst
birth-day; of the three that followed
Joseph, the first and last were of ordinary
proportions, the middle one being a
dwarfess, who died at the age of twentytwo,
being then but twenty-three inches
tall. Joseph became celebrated for his
remarkable longevity as well as for the
brevity of his stature, he living to the
advanced age of ninety-eight. After a ;
tour through England, he visited his i
native land, but returned two years later
to the British Isles, married a lady of
ordinary size, raised a large family, and
died at Bank's Cottage, near Durham, '
in 1&37.
TOM THUMii.
About five years after the death of
Borowlaski, in 1S-A2, Tom Thumb, the
U*fl of vniwlpm fitni>s. ;
,
although not the smallest by uny means, :
began his triumphant march under the i
auspices of his patron Siiint, P. T. Bar- j
num. Tom's real name was Charles
Stratton. He was born in 1838, and .
was, therefore, but four years of age i
when put on exhibition at Bamum's;
Museum, New York city. He weighed
twelve pounds when first exhibited;
soon became famous, and made his trip
to England in 1844, I believe, but it
may have been a year or two later. He
grew but very little until after the end
of his fifteenth year; then grew until
lie was twenty-three. At the age of
thirty he began to "fill out," and during
his last trip "West, in 1883, he stated
j_ ?J_ "XT_X
jus weignt to ue seventy pounus: x>oi
mucli of a " midget," sure. He died at
his summer residence, near Middleboro,
Mass., July 15, 1883, aged fortyfive.
THE WARREN SISTERS.
Mrs. Tom Thumb, the wife of the
subject of the foregoing, was, before she
attracted the attention of her husband's
patron saint, little Betsy Bump. When
put on exhibition beside her future husband,
at the New York Museum, she
adopted Lavina WaiTen as a stage name.
She was married to the little General at
Grace Church, New York City, in 1803,
and was, therefore, just twenty years a
wife.
Mrs. Stratton, when young, weighed
anywhere from fifteen to thirty pounds.
As ago advanced she became quite
portly, and weighed, when she made the
last trii? west, not less tlnm ntty pounds, i
Robust heulth, general portliness, combined
with n natural rotund figure, gave
licr quite a motherly appearance, which
earned for her the soubriquet of the
"Matron in Miniature."
After mourning the death of the
renowned Tom for a year and nine i
months, Mrs. Struth >11 tried abbreviated
matrimony a second time by a
union with Count Primo Mngri. April i
fith, 1885. The Count is but thirty-two
inches in height and weighs less than j
his miniature bride. Like her first j
marriage, this second one was also per-1
formed in New York city, at the Church
of the Holy Trinity, Rev. Dr. Watkins
officiating. The large church was
packed to overflowing. Many distinguished
faces were seen among the
audience, including, among othe"s, Mrs.
August Belmont, Mrs. Paran Stevens,
Mrs. W. Y,\ Astor, Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt
and others. Lucy Adams, the
midget, acted as bridesmaid and Major
Newell as groomsman. Newell is also
a well known dwarf.
Since her second marriage the late i
Mrs. Tlittmb has settled down to the enjoyment
of an enviable reputation; but
few inklings of her every-day life are
given to the public.
Minnie Warren was another celebratj
ed dwarfess. She was a sister to Mi's.
Tom Thumb, and before being put on
J exhibition beside her sister was plain
Huldah Bump. Minnie was some ten
years younger than Mrs. Thumb and
weighed forty-two pounds. She .was
bom on the Bump homestead, two miles
out from M'.cV.lleboro Center, Mass., and
early began the show business. She was
married to Major Newell (same person
mentioned as groomsman at the MagriThumb
wedding above) in 18?, and
died July 23, 1878, eight hours after the
birth of a girl baby-weighing six pounds,
one-sever.th the weight of the little
mother. The baby lived but a few hours.
Mother and baby were buried in the
same coffin.
A MIDGET STATESMAN.
Saul Solomen, the famous law-maker
of Cape Town, South Africa, is thirtyfour
inches tall. His hands, feet and
head are said to be somewhat large,
otherwise ho is well proportioned.
Highly educated by his parents, who
are of Holland Dutch descent, he was
elected to the Cape Legislature when
hardly out of his teens. He rapidly
rose to some of the highest positions in
the colony. Standing on a chair when
a A A rAccmirr AQcpmhlv Tift Ipnna
"UU'V. , ---
against the back, and with many awkward
gestures die fates laws which are
heard, feared and obeyed from the Cape
of Good Hope to the borders of Zuludom.
TWO BONELESS DWAKF9.
Sussex County, Delaware, is proud in
the possession of the Misses Marine, two
remarkable little dwarfs, who were bom
and reared in that county. The oldest,
Miss Lizzie, lacks three inches of being
three feet tall; has a lit ad in proportion
to the rest of her body; is very intelligent,
conversing fluently with all with
whom she comes in contact despite the
fact that she weighs but forty-five
pounds, and must stand on a chair in
order to put her head on a level with
the shoulder of an ordinary person.
But .stand on a chair or any thing else
she can not, neithor can her sister, for
the reason that neither are provided
with those necessary adjuncts to standing?bones.
A sort of cartilage answers
in place of the bones, enabling the
little mites to move hands or feet with
perfect ease. Both use the finger quite
nimbly, doing all sorts of needle-work,
such as embroidery, etc., although the
fingers may be bent in any direction
desirod without the least sensation of
Eain, being ahnost as pliable as so many
ttle ropes.
A WJ5SX yutUifliA nuni/jut.
Of all the specimens of liliputian hu- j
manity that have ever found a welcome
in this world of comparative giants, the
little daughter of John E. Miller, of
Hampshire County, West Virginia, is
the most wonderful. She is twentythree
years of age, cannot walk or talk,
and is but twenty-six inches tall. Always
lying in a little cradle, she is enabled
to keep a sharp look out on what
is going on; no one has ever yet been
sharp enough to call for an article in the
house that the little one could not point
out. Her memory is most remarkable.
A new song or poem repeated in her
presence is never forgotten. If the same
song or poem is again repeated or sung
with the variation of but a single word
the little prodigy will show her disapproval
by yelling lustily and frowning a
frown that cannot be mistaken. How
such a remarkable memory can find
resting place in a head no larger than a
teacup has long been the wonder of j
physicians and savants who have jour-!
neyed from far and near to test the remarkable
gifts of the little wonder.
HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED.
After Lucia Zarata, the smallest living
human being on the face oi' the earth is
Pnygn-Fra, who resides at Shigaken,
Osaka. This pocket edition of a human
being is but fifteen inches tall, by actual
measurement taken by Dr. Burns in
18S7. Americans who have been in that
couutry twelve to fifteen years, and who
have known the little wonder since their
arrival, say they do not doubt that
T> ?^ *' ^1.1 r*r? /.Im'mc lln'vhr.civ I
xD ur> uiu i'.o xiu ? maaavj ??.?.
?as lie has been a man in every particular,
except in height, since the beginning
of their acquaintance with him.
The foreigners have taken him in hand
and educated him to a high standard?
high even for one of ordinary physical
capacities. He is a line linguist, and
writes a hand that a teacher -would
envy.
Having almost exhausted the subject
of adult dwarfs this chapter on diminutive
humanity can not be more fittingly
closed than with an afterpiece on the
subject of the smallest babies ever born.
DIMINUTIVE BABIES.
In the spring of 1880 Mrs. J. B. Mar?
? XTrt? n-ot-n Kl'vfll fn O
VIM, U1 illCllIQI'U, 4XU.I1., ?<v.u uuiu
girl baby, perfectly developed, strong
and healthy, that weighed but one anil
three-quarter pounds. The tiny shirt
prepared for the prospective arrival completely
enveloped the little stranger and
served well the double purpose of shirt
and gown.
The smallest baby ever bora in the
United States was a little son born to
Mi's, and Mr. D. C. Miller, at Candelaria,
Nev., October 27, 1882. When it
first saw the light of day it weighed, according
to the birth certificate of the
attending M. D., eight and three-qunr
ter ounces. Tiie latlier ana lnocncr |
wore both healthy, well-developed people,
weighing one lmndred and ninety
and 0110 hundred and sixty pounds, respectively.
A silver dollar laid over
the face entirely hid it from view; the
mouth was not larger than the diameter
of a common Tabor lead pencil. The
nose was as perfect as that of a grown
pers< >n, and in that particular was different
from tho usual little wort worn by
babies in general in place of a nose.
The finger-nail6 were perfect, and the
little grape-shot head was entirely covered
by hair. I have tried to get on the
track of this little baby, bat have hear^^^H
nothing of it since the summer of 1883,
when it was beooming quite portly, VH[
weighing over three pounds and a half.
January 5th, 1885, there came another
adililion to the world of nature's freaks,
when Mrs. Charles Tracy, of Kings- fl
bridge, N. Y., gave birth to a son weigh- .
ing exactly eleven ounces. The length
of the child was six inches, and its feet
were so small that the mother's engagei
ment ring easily slipped over them and
up to the knees of the little one. Prior
to the advent of this little elf three ^
children had blessed the union of the j
Tracy's, all of regulation size. The 1
head of the little wonder was about the Jl
size of a horse-chestnut, the face about
like a quarter dollar piece, the mouth,4KH
which was entirely too small to grasp
the nipple after the usual fashion, was
stretched to its utmost capacity over a jKH
goose quill fastened in th% neck of a
two-ounce bottle filled with milk. A V
man of ordinaiy grasp could olasp his
hand around the body of little Tracy
and meet the thumb and index finger.
For many days the little wonder was
the pride of Kingsbridge.
Tennessee also claims honor in the
small babv line. The Chattanooga
claimant was born in March, 1883, and
weighed but one pound and eight
ounces. The father, Mr. Marion Pee,
was a prominent merchant of that city
at the time, and above the average in /
height, being over six feet. Mrs. Poe
is a healthy woman, weighing 125
pounds. The pride of the Poes, and
the wonder of Tennessee, had a head
aptly compared in size to a billiard ball,
but unlike the Tracy midget, provided
with a mouth that was large enough to
take care of the body, which enabled it A
to take nourishment after the usufd baby
fashion. Mrs. Poe, when exhibiting '
her treasure to admiring friends, followed
the example of all mothers with
diminutive offsprings, and often slipped
her ring to the little one's elbow.?
tit. Louis Republic.
A Railway Incident.
a gooa-na:urea-ioomng westerner m
boots entered a car bound for Roeedale,
Mass., on the Providence road. It was
very crowded, and people were standing
up on all sides. Walking slowly through
the aisle he came at last upon a young
woman reading a novel, who was occupying
the whole of an extra bench,
turned over, for the accommodation ofa
small pug dog that lay comfortably
snoozing upon a shawl. The passengers
who stood about were eyeing the
spectacle with looks of indignation ; but
not one of them seamed to have had the
nerve to protest. The newcomer, however,
was not lacking in that quality.
"Madam," he said mildly, "I would
like to sit down, if you please."
The young female looked up at him
from her book with a cold and withering
glare. "The seat is engaged," she
replied with acidulated accents.
"By the dog?"
"Yes."
"Has the dog a ticket?"
(No answer.)
"Oh, I'm sorry he hasn't a ticket,"
said tlie man from the west, "because I
. * n /%? 11 . i_ . If
will nave to Dounce mm on tne irain.
And -with that he picked up Mr. Pug
by the back of the neck and gently
tossed him through the open car -window,
and calmly took the seat thus made va- *. _
cant.
The train had come to a pause at Roxbury
station just a minute before, and
wus only beginning to move as this occurred.
The dog alighted upon the
ground uninjured and at once scampered
out of sight. The mistress who had
not had time to interfere?so quickly
was the thing done?jumped to her feet
with a scream of surprise and would certainly
have gone for the wool of her ad
versary, had not the conductor at that
very instant thrust his hand at her for
her fare. To the latter, who had not
seen the occurence, owing to the crowd,
she made an hysterical appeal for redress,
begging him at the same time to stop
the engine so that her pet might be picked
up. But another passenger put in a
word, upon which the official said that
she had been served quite right and that
she might get off at the next station.
This she did.?New Orleans Picayune.
Jack Tars' Superstition.
Among beliefs current among sailors
is the notion that it is unlucky to turn a
loai unside down after helping oneself
from it, the idea being that for every
loaf so turned a ship will be wrecked.
It is also said that if a loaf parts in the
hand while being cut it bodes dissensions
in the family?the separation of
husband and wife. Again, it has long
been a widespread belief that the where
lib outs 01 a drowned uuuj muj uu uouoitained
by flouting a loaf of bread down
a stream, when it will stop over the spowhere
the body is.
A curious account of a body thus recovered
near Hull appeared in the Gentleman's
Magazine. "After diligent
search had been made in the river for the f~*
child to no purpose, a two-penny loaf, s
with a quantity of quick-silver put into
it, was set floating from the place where
the child was supposed to have fallen in,
which steered its course down the river
upward of half a mile, when, the body
1 ? ?? l*-* ?? /lArtfiMinr ci /Jn r\f a
Iia.ppt'lllllg LU JLIU UU UUU UUUU1U1J muv w* m
the river, the loaf suddenly tacked aboufc
and swam across the river, and gradually SjB
sank near the child, when both the body
and the loaf were brought up with the
grapplers ready for the purpose." MM
A correspondent of Notes and Queries SH
maintains that it is a scientific fact that Qfl
a loaf and quicksilver indicates the posi- iBI
tion of the body, as the weighted loaf is
carried by the current just as the body
is. This practice, too, prevails on the HI
continent, and in Germany the name of ^9
the drowned person is inscribed on the HB
piece of bread, while in France loaves
consecrated to St. Nicholas, with a lighted
wax taper in them, have generally been KBH
employed for that purpose.
Orr of a corn crop of 1,988,000,000
imcJinls thn larcdst ever crown, though SB
not the largest in proportion to the pop- RB
illation of the country, there has been Bfl
consumed and distributed within about
five months from the ripening of the Mi
crop, 1,201,000,000 bushels, or 00.4 per BH
cent, of the whole. A comparison for 9
the last eight years shows this to be a 9H
smaller percentage than had been consumed
at the same date in any year ex- H
cept 1880, but, owing to the magnitude SB
of the crop, this relatively low percen- H
tage constituted the largest absolute H
quantity ever consumed yitiiin the H
same five months fl