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lewis m. (jimst, Proprietor. > ' In Jiulrptndciit Jamilo Ikirapapcr: .tor the promotion of the political, Social, ^griailtural and (L'oiniiificial interests of the ^oiith. (TERMS?$2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. VOL. 35. YORKVILLE, S. C? WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1889. NO. 38. Selected |?octn>. k MOTH Kit KNOWS. ! Nobody knows of tho work it makes To keop tlio homo together ; Nobody knows of tho steps it bikes Nobody knows?but mother. Nobody listens to childish woes Which kisses only mother; Nobody's pained by naughty blows Nobody only mother. * . Nobody knows of the sleepless care Bestowed on baby brother, Nobody knows of the tender prayer, Nobody only mother. Nobody knows of the lesson taught i Of loving one another ; Nobody knows of the patience sought, Nobody only mother. Nobody knows of the anxious fears Lest darling may not weather ^ The storm of life in after years, Nobody knows?only mother. ^ Nobody kneels at the throne above To thank the Heavenly Father, * For the sweetest gift?a mother's love, Nobody can?but mother. ike j^tonr Seller. THE LOST IDENTITY. A DETECTIVE'S STORY. I was born in Manchester, England, and in my boyhood worked in one of the numerous cotton mills of that industrious * city. But from my youth, after 1 was able to read, 1 became imbued with a violent fancy to become a detective. 1 read all works that treated on the subject, and read them with absorbing interest besides. I was a perfect monomaniac on the subject, i and pictured to myself the delights of such j i a career. At the age of eighteen I had the good fortune to be introduced to a member of the profession, and in course of time took courage to mention to him my aspirations. "You are just the build for a detective," said he, "if you possess all the other qualities necessary for such a career." He then said he would use his influence with the chief (this was in Liverpool), and if I proved acceptable, doubtless 1 could become one of the staff. Well, to come to the point, I became one of the profession before I was twenty-one, and, as I have said, my first case was a most successful ot.e, and was the making of me, since it bioughtme prominently before the public, and the journals were I pleased to refer to me as "the rising young " detective." It happened in this wise: Conversing with the chief one day in his oflice, during wh?ch he furnished me with many useful hints, he observed: i ( ' "Mr. Oldfield, since you are sp eager to ' embrace this arduous profession, I wish a case of more than ordinary interest would present itself, so that you miglrt have a chance to display your abilities." I replied that my desire was to undertake some ordinary case at first, hut he cut me short and said : "You do not comprehend, Mr. < Mdfield. The profession is not like a mechanical trade where apprentices are taught by the progressive rule. Apprentices at qur profession are matured men?not boys-r-au^l one who aspires to become a detective must naturally have the stuff in him to do credit to it as well as to himself, and the best plan is to give him a difficult case to start with. If he succeeds, it will the more redound fo his credit; if he does very well, yet fails to make it a perfect I success, he will still have the consolation left that he is new to the business, and i people could not expect a novice to be equal to a full-fledged professional; and if he makes no points at all, but makes a miserable bungle of the whole thing, the ^ sooner he leaves it, and casts all his aspirP ations to the winds, the better." ? By the way he spoke I believed he was favorably impressed with me, and my ambitidn took a higher flight. His words aroused in my soul a desire to do and dare, and I was eager to embark in the life I had chosen. My silent prayers were answered that very day. Even as the chief ceased ! speaking, an attendant ushered in a portly i gentleman, and announced him as the | Honorable Hector Marshfield. The name made me glance at the genI llemen, and just as 1 recognized him he i ' vmiloil in rcmirnitinii unil erfwsinP' tin* ! ^ apartment he shook me warmly by the | V hand. He and my father were dear friends, and Mr. Marshfield's only son and I were W the same. It was now two years since I j I had been to Manchester, my native place, [ although 1 had kept up a correspondence I with Oscar Marshlield; but of late I was ' so absorbed in rny desire to become a member of the detective force that I had some-1 what neglected my correspondence. 44 Well, James," was his first greeting, i "are you still bent on becoming a detective, since I find you here at headj quarters?" i 441 have the honor to be one of the staff," was my modest reply. "Indeed !" cried he, seemingly surprised at this announcement. Then, after a profound pause, during which lie appeared to be in a deep study, he said, "Then perhaps the best thing to be done will be?" Here he paused abruptly and turned to Mr. Larkins, the chief, asking the favor of a few minutes' private conversation. Y They passed through a side door and closed it, and I could hear them converse in earnest tones, yet was unable to catch a I single distinct word of what they were f saying. j Fifteen or twenty minutes elapsed be-I fore they emerged from the room, and ! when they were seated I learned the na- I tore of that private interview. Oscar Mansfield, my friend from very ' childhood, had been missing from home for the past ten days. What had become j of him could not he conjectured. When j he was at first missed it was supposed i he had visited an uncle residing a few miles j from the city. He frequently paid this I relative allying visit, remaining two or three days at a time, but he invariably apprised his parents of the contemplated visit. This uncle was a childless widower, and | was very much attached to < )scar, and it was presumed that the young man would | he his heir. This gentleman was written to, but the reply was that Oscar had not heen there for two weeks. < Alarmed, Mr. Marshfield wrote letters to ditferent parties where his son was in the habit of visiting, hut the answer from each was the same?they had not seen him of late. Advertisements were inserted in the Manchester papers, requesting information of his whereabouts, and this failing to elicit a response, Mr. Marshfield finally came to Liverpool to engage the services of a detective to ascertain his fate, and 1 was se-! lected for that purpose. It is just possible that the choice fell to me through the solicitation of Mr. Marshfield, from the fact that I was so well acquainted with the missing man. Hut 1 ? half believed that I was indebted as much | to Mr. Larkins for this unexpected honor ; as I was to my friend's father. "James," said Mr. Marshfield, as he was about departing, "I look to you to restore to his wretched mother her son, your friend. If you cannot find him, no other person can, and we shall have to give him up for lost, as his brother was years before. Use every means at your command to accomplish your work, and if you restore him to his mother's arras, you will not oniy nave ine consoiauon 01 Knowing unit you saved her life, but your reward will j be commensurate with the service you i shall liave rendered us." lie placed a hundred pound check in my I hand, and requested me to apply for more when that was expended in the search, i He then left me. "You're in luck my lad," said the chief, ! when we wero alone. "That depends on the successful termi-1 nation of my undertaking," rejoined I. j "I may make a most miserable failure, and then I shall sink into insignificance." j I must have uttered the final words in a ! desponding tone, for the chief cheerily responded : "Tut, tut, my brave lad. Do not bo i down in the mouth at the very outset, i Cherish more confidence in yourself. You have everything in your favor. You know the missing man well, his habits, propensities, aud all that, and have no need to refer # ' to ft photograph whenever yuu meet with 1 one who 'might he him,' or, worse still, to , glance over a written description of tiie person, and while doing so your game slips | away and is lost, perhaps for good. No, I my lad ; keep ft stifF upper lip ; go boldly | and confidently to work, and do your best, and I predict that you will not only sur! prise the public with your maiden effort, but yourself as well." Were those prophetic words? As the last syllable fell from his lips all my fears : for the result vanished like mist in the rays of the morning sun, and I made the I necessary preparations with coolness and calm deliberation, and by next morning I | was ready. i From some hints given me by Mr. Marshfield I had decided to returrrto Man' Chester on the following day and linger in its vicinity for an indetite period, in order to watch the movements of a second or third cousin of Oscar, whom Mr. Marshfield half suspected of being the direct or indirect cause of his son's unaccountable ! absence. | Hut again fate (my guardian angel I have felt inclined to regard It) interposed, causing a complete change of my proposed i?lonc j I laving an hour's lei "e time before the train would come in, I strayed dow? to the docks and watched the busy seamen In their respeceive duties on board the vessels lying at anchor. I had taken out my note-book to jot down a few lines, and, forgetting that hidden among its leaves was an excellent pencil likeness of my friend Oscar, it dropped out unperceived by me, and would in all probability have been lost forever had not a stranger seen it fall to the ground. He picked it up and overtook me, then handing the picture to me he remarked, I with a peculiar smile: "I beg your pardon, sir, but you have dropped the counterfeit presentiment of | Lost Identity." "Sir," responded I, with a start, as my eyes fell on the loved face of my missing friend, and hardly knowing how to interpret the strange words uttered by the stranger. "I remarked," rejoined he, still with an amused smile on his lips, "that you came near losing your Lost Identity." "Sir," returned I, "you speak in riddles; pray he more explicit, and explain the meaning of the words you have just i spoken." "You dropped that picture, did you not?" asked he. "Yes." "And it is the likeness of a living pcrj son?" continued he. "It is the likeness of a living person, I and that person is my dearest friend," 1 ; replied. "Well, sir, and by what name do you know him ?" "Oscar Marshtield," replied I. "Ah !" said the stranger. "He is called by those who know him?or rather by those who associate with?the Lost Identi: ty, and that is the only name by which I ; ever heard him called. , "Are you not mistaken, sir, in the person?" remarked I. "Does this picture 1 Iiudi- o utrnntr rouom}il lncp tn tliM vniincr man referred to ?" "Why, sir, this picture is the very image of him," replied the stranger. "Where have you seen him ?" asked I, my heart beating with high hope. "(>n board a steamer bound for Amerii en," was the reply. L "Here in the dock?" asked I. "No, sir; on the ocean. You see the vessel had broken something about her machinery which disabled her, and as we came along the captain hoisted a signal of distress, and we hove to, ran alongside, and remained in her company for upwards of an hour, until the necessary repairing had been attended to; and while we lay there I went on board the disabled steamer and saw the young man whom his associates called by the odd name I have mentioned. I asked one of the seamen why he was so called, and he informed me that he did not appear to know his name, home or country. In fact, the past, until about a week back, is, as he expresses it, an unaccountable blank." "My (lod! exclaimed I, as a fear that my dear friend had become deranged tilled my mind. Then I asked the age of this strange person, and the probable age corresponded precisely with that of Oscar Marshfiehl. I would have overwhelmed him with questions in regard to my lost friend, but an acquaintance of his coming up at this moment, he said he must be off, and remained only long enough to give me the name of the vessel on which he had seen "Lost Identity." I was now eager to start at once tor America, and my first move was to ascertain what fast steamer would be the first to leave for the New World, and an hour afterwards I was aboard as a passenger, having first written to my patron, Mr. Marshfield, acquainting him with all the facts. 1 landed at Castle (Jarden, New York, and at once sought among the shipping at the piers for the Westphalia, and after a cruple of hours' search found her. She was undergoing repairs, and most of her crew were scattered about the city enjoying their enforced holiday. From those on board I learned that "Cost Identity" waslodgingin a house on Murray street, and thither 1 instantly repaired,and found him sitting in his room smoking a clay pipe, a habit Oscar had never contracted to my knowledge. "Oscar, my poor friend!" cried I, as I saw him regarding meas an utter stranger. "flood heavens! do you not recognize your life-long friend, James Oldfield?" cried I, in agony at his calm demeanor. "Can't say that 1 do," was the reply ; "in fact, if you are oyer a month old I'm sure I have never seen you before to my knowl- j edge," added he. "Hut what name was it you called me ?" asked la-, with great i earnestness. "Oscar Marshfield." "Oscar Marshfield," repeating it slowly ; "I do not remember having heard the name before. Are you positive it is my name?" asked he, anxiously, "for strange as it may appear to you, 1 know literally nothing about myself save within a month past, and, in fact, nothing else, either. I am an infant that has reached his majority," and here he smiled; but O what a smile! There was a depth of sadness in it that cannot bedeeribed in words. I then acquainted him with all the particulars of his mysterious disappearance; his father's anxiety, his mother's grief, and the story brought tears to his eyes. I urged him to endeavor to break through this dark cloud which enshrouded his memory, but he sadly shook his head, saying he had endeavored to do so, and cudgelled his brain until it well-nigh crazed him, but of no avail, and he came to a conclusion to let things go by chance; perhaps in that way he would recover his identity as quickly as in any other way he could devise. I produced the pencil picture of himself, auu ne gazeu ;u h wuu eviuent interest; then asked, in the manner a child might ask : "Was this taken for me ?" "My poor Oscar !" exclaimed I, in tearful accents, "your memory is indeed gone astray, since you do not remember that you gave it to me not two years ago." "1 >id I ?" responded he, innocently, then fell into a deep study, from which I did not disturb him, but sat gazing on the well-known face of him who no longer knew me, himself or anything. When 1 finally proposed that he should return to England with mo, ho at once agreed, adding, "Strange that I should have left my home without being aware of it, and cross the mighty ocean," he added, thoughtfully. "Tell me what is the first thing you remember ?" asked 1, as a thought struck me that his answer might possibly furnish me with a clew of some kind. "The first thing I remember was awaking out of a sleep on board a vessel. I was lying in a berth with a bandage round my head. I asked the surgeon, when he came to visit me, what had occurred, and he seemed to be pleased to hear me speak; and then, without telling me wniu i was so eager 10 Know, ne pueu me with questions, and was surprised, nay, I might say shocked, when he found I knew nothing of my past life. My first recollection being when 1 awoke on shipboard. "It was he who first called me "Lost Identity," anil the sailors are proverbially fond of nicknames, I discovered, and all on hoard called me by my new name. I say new advisedly, I may say. for I supposed it quite natural that I had another nam< ; if i could only meet some one who coul | pronounce it." | "And this is all you know ?" asked J. I "All," was his brief reply. Well, gentlemen, "Lost Identity" wu my state-room mateon'my return voyag( II had him clothed as befitted his station : and conducted him into the presence of hi i father and mother. The poor woman clasped him to he ! bosom and cried : "Heaven be praised, my lost darling i j restored to me !" His father was equally affected on meel ing his lost boy, but he was less demon strative, yet the deep sigh of relief thsi escaped him after he had embraced th restored one gave proof of his deep feeliiq Mrs. Marshfield was the first to diseove the awful affliction that had overtaken he Doy, anu me reveiauun neuny iuuk hwh her breath. Ilis father pressed him wit all manner of questions in the hope r striking some responsive chord in hi clouded memory, but all in vain; th young man had indeed lost his identity Mr. Marshfield took me to his privat study, and, after a brief moment of delil eration, addressed me thus: "James, I believe William Turpin is n the bottom of all this. I believe that h decoyed, or caused him to be decoyed into some obscure retreat, where he wa confined, and by some manner of diabolicr treatment rendered him the helpless crea ture we find him. If I were assured c this beyond a doubt, 1 would at once dh patch you to his house and take him int custody, but in the absence of positive pro< of his guilt we must resort to stratagem. He then unfolded a plan which h thought would work to a charm, provided of course, Turpin was the villain whom h suspected. This William Turpin was th cousin I alluded to in the fore part of m story, who appeared to be jealous of Oscai owing to the affection his rich uncle ha for him. Turpin coveted a share of th property, and, if Mr. Marshfield's suspi cions were correct, he may have abducte the presumed heir, and probably mean to keep him concealed until he (Turpin was in full possession of the coveted prize This was Mr. Marshfield's theory. The neat little plot we concocted woul be most fruitful in its results if Turpin r( ally was the guilty wretch we all now be lieved him to be. I was to go to his house, only a few mile away, and say Mr. Maflshfield wished t see him on important business. 1 was nc to lose sight of him, but to bring him t Manchester. My patron was afraid Turpi might take the alarm, especially if h knew that his victim had escaped fron his confinement. Oscar was instructed in the part he wa to play, and he entered into the plot wit great earnestness, for he had been mad acquainted with the supposed outrage thn had been practised on him. Before I departed on my expeditior however, another discovery?and a mo.' startliug one, indeed?was made by th young man's mother. To explain this, I must go back a nun; ber of years. Mrs. Marshfield's last chil dren were two boys, twins, one of whie was Oscar; the other was named Alherl From their birth Albert did not seen like other babies, he was so strangely helj less. And though he thrived physical!, equally as well as Oscar, his brother, i was discovered at the age of three year that he was an imbecile, a downright idiol He had to be fed at that age like a babe or he would have starved. The distress o the mother may be imagined. When the children were about four year old Albert disappeared as suddenly am mysteriously as did his brother in late years, and in spite of every method tha ingenuity could devise, the poor creator was never recovered, nor his body found As years elapsed the afflicted mother be came reconciled to her loss, and all her al fection was lavished on the remaininj son, Oscar. Now to return to the main part of m; story. Just as I was ready to start fo the residence of William Turpin, and Mi Marshfield was imparting to me hi tinal instructions, a piercing shriek issue* from the apartment above us, where moth er and son were enjoying their reunion The shriek, which did not seem to be ow of terror or agony, but rather otherwise came from Mrs. Marshfield. We hastened upstairs with a bound, an< found the poor lady reclining in the arm of her wonder-stricken son. "What has happened?" asked the fath er, as he saw his wife had fainted ; yet strange to say, a heavenly smile still lin gered on her pale lips. "I scarcely comprehend," replied tin young man in a tone of bewilderment "During our conversation, she remarked " 'I wonder if the scoundrel robbed yoi of the bracelet you have worn these man; years? Turn up your sleeve and let ui< see if you still have it.' "1 obeyed her request thus, suiting tin action to the word, and the moment sin beheld this mole, or birthmark, she ex claimed: " 'You are not Oscar, but my long-los Albert." "Then she shrieked and fainted in im arms." "'Father in heaven, I thank Thee fo this mercy. He Thou also merciful in re storing my other son to my bosom.' " This significant appeal to Heaven re vealed to my perfect understanding tha the "Dost Identity" was not Oscar, nn friend, but Albert, his long-lost brother now restored to his reason anil to his par Ciiit.s likewise. The rest of my story can now he bricllj told. I brought William Turpin to tin house, and Albert played his part to per fection. He was in the inner-room whei Turpin arrived, anil while the latter wai conversing with Mr. Marshfield, Alber entered quietly, and before Turpin wa: aware of iiis presence lie said : "Well, Cousin Turpin, how dare you en ter my father's house?" The ell'ect of these words were simply wonderful. Turpin turned around liki a Hash, and when his eyes encountered those of his supposed victim he fairlj shrieked, "My (iod, how came you here?' then he made a dash for the door, and i pounced on him like a tiger on its prey. He was quickly rendered powerless Mr. Marshfield, without undeceiving till villain, asked him why he did so damning a deed, and he whined his excuse like tin hound he was. He said he thought Oscai had a sufficiency of this world's good: without those of his uncle in addition He meant no harm to his cousin; lu merely intended to keep him out of tin way until he had insinuated himself intr the good graces of his uncle, so as ti unpnrd vi'lmf lio crificiditnql liic ricrlitfn share of the old man's property. liy my suggestion, iMr. Marshfiekl prom ised he would not prosecute the rascal i he would lead us to the place where Oscai had been confined, as his son had lef something behind which he wished to re cover. This ruse was effectual; Turpin gladly assented. He led us?Mr. Mansfield Albert and myself?to a half-ruined man sion some five miles farther away, whirl was occupied by an old deaf man, and ii one of the upper rooms, which was litter up like a felon's cell, we found < >scar, wel physically, but in great mental distress. His joy at meeting his father and my self, as well as his long-lost brother o whom he knew nothing, save what lit learned from his parents, was as profoum as was the chagrin of Turpin when he dis covered how he had been cajoled and deceived. Hut Mr. Mansfield kept his word ; William Turpin was not prosecuted, but wa? quietly advised to leave that part of the country if he would prolong his liberty and he wisely took the hint and disappeared within three days. We bore the rescued captive home ir triumoh. and to this day I have not ye! decided which pleased 1110 most, the munificent reward my patron presented mc with, the blessings the grateful mothei showered on me, or the praise bestoweil on mo by my chief. I only know that tin three combined made me a proud and 21 happy man. Patr In Washington, last Thursday, Mrs ltosina Maekey was granted a divorce bj the district supreme court from Judgt Thomas J. Maekey, formerly of Soutl Carolina. The ground of the application was adultery with Mrs. Witherbee, form erly of Washington. Mrs. Witherheo'; husband is suing her for divorce. -il^UiGCfUiutrous |lc?ulinr|. ( _ WOMAN'S WORK, is ' Willi many a turn my stops 1 take In many a crook and crevice, And many a biscuit I must bake | For Maud and mo and Lewis. I sweep, I dust, I cook, I rise L'p in the morning early, T I wash the break fust dishes, and I churn, and dress the baby, s I make thedust and dry leaves fly Against my new broom fairly, L I chatter, chatter as 1 go, because 1 rest so rarely? "For men may comeand men may go, 1 A I Hut 1 go on forever, ever, t' 1 go on forever." 1 r I I move about and in and out, 1 While here the chickens feeding, 'r A ml here and there at a hawk to shout, y Mut litllo they are heeding. Il ; I walk, I run, I skip, I hop, if From one thing to another; , s | Then to the garden I niustgo ' I To see what work is needed, t 1 For plants must Re act out, you know, * j And then they must he weeded, e For men can't stop, for they go, > I Hut wo work 011 forevor, ever, We work on forever. : T scrape the tray and "put to rights" ! e The dining-room aifd kitchen, l,i I then go in my room to sew is And try to do somo stitching. * k| I wonder if there is on earth j No respite from out labors, .. No time to go and gossip some With pleasant, friendly neighbors! Meforol end this piece of work ? And try to think a little, >f I throw it down and run and make " A tire and putonthe kettlo. q For men must eat and go, you know, I Mut women can go never. ' Yes, men will come and men will go, Mill wo work on forever, ever, e We work on forever, y ?Mrs. T. O. Holt, in Courier-Journal. p j ? ti TRAVELING IN MEXICO, e One inconvenience of traveling in Mexi ico is the bulky silver money with which d the tourist must load himself down, it Whenever I moved any distance from the i) capital I carried a shot bag full of the cart ?. wheel dollars, which were worth from . nineteen to twenty four cents less than d I'nited States money. The Hank of Lon5 don and South America, in Mexico, issues >- notes which are current in the States of Mexico and Michoacan, and perhaps else!S where, but not good in the State of Vera o Cruz, although the bank officials assured >t us they were. Consequently wo have this o anomaly, which is characteristic of Mexin co, that while the railway company of the e Mexican railway received these notes for ii fare at the Mexican end, they would not take them at all at the Vera Cruz termi- i is nus. The first class fare in an exceedingly h roomy and comfortable coach?203 mile3 e in about fourteen hours?was sixteen dolit lars. In the train was a car load of soldiers in white cotton uniforms?a precaui, tlon against robbers which the government it takes on no other railway in the republic, e At overy station, also, a guard of half a dozen soldiers appeared on the platform i- saluting as the train drew up. On the 1- higher table land these guards were h mounted, and in their fine appearance ret. minded one of the famous (liiardiaft Civiliex n of Spain. i- As we rose among the hills the clean y maguey plant was more abundant, and at it the first station on the plateau we were at s thechief shipping point of the region for t. pulque. Scores of casks of it were waiting ;, shipment. It is from this station that a if considerable portion of the thousands and thousands of gallons daily needed to sup's ply the wants of the city are sent. At d this station descended several passengers? r English, American and Mexican gentle,t men, who had business at some hacienda, e or were out for a day's shooting. Among I. them was a tall, bulky Mexican, with gii gantic frame and a baby face, who would ; r- have excited admiration anywhere. He i g wore an enormous hat, hung with at least : a hundred dollars' worth of silver bullion, y was armed with a revolver and a ritle, ; r and had down each seam of his trousers a row of skulls and cross-bones insolid silver, i 3 each skull as big as a dollar. Everybody enjoyed the appearance of this splendid _ person, and no one more then he himself. I , Vera Cruz has a bad repute, and I supq pose that, travestying the remark about , Naples, 1 am expected to exclaim, "Smell ' ' Vera Cruz and die." But I found the lit- i j tie city of ten thousand people rather agree s able. It is, to be sure, when you are in it, i an uninteresting city of two-story build. ingsof coral limestone, right-angled streets, perfectly flat built on marshy ground, and i ' the gutters are open and unsightly. The i sidewalk crossing of the principal streets . Q are peculiar; they are small bridges thrown i over the gutters, but instead of being on *. the line of the sidewalk, they are set back : L1" in the side street, so that the heedless pe- i y destrians is likely at any moment to step e into the ditch. But the houses are solid ; 1 many of them have pretty courts, and c arcaded fronts are frequent. Shabby or I () elegant, it is thoroughly foreign and pic- i . tursquc. 1 The scene on the plaza, which was bril- : t liantly illuminated with both gas and the electric lights, was exceedingly gay. The 1 y strong light brought into relief the cathe- ] dral dome and spires, the arcaded shops and masses of shrubs and flowering plants, 1 uiiu LIIU aw uying nriu ui uie wiii?|iuriu^ | palms. It is thronged with promenadcrs, with loafers, with children, with ladies in | I fashionable attire,with officers and soldiers and servants?a thoroughly Democratic ' ' assembly. The cool evening is the time ' for enjoyment and recreation, and every- ( body was out-of-doors; ladies in light mus- ! , lins, armed only with the fan, went round i and round arm in arm, chatting and laugh- 1 ^ ing, never the sexes mingling in the tread' mill of the promenade, except in the case of family groups; children,small girls and . i boys too young to be out without their . nurses, were jumping the rope and play- j f ing otiier noisy games in a part of the plaza till after SUM) o'clock ; men of the ? lower orders lounged about clad only in j t , undershirts and drawers, or their cotton : y trousers that had the effect of drawers; the i clerk in the shops, dressed in the same t , summer style, and invariably with a ci- s gar in the mouth, waited on their custom- i r ers in languid indifference. All the wine i shops and saloons were open and thriving; i ^ small tables encumbered th j sidewalks, i j where the citizens sat in cool costume i ^ sipping mild potations. Hverbody had t ' the free and easy air which is always bo- s " gotton by confidence in steady good f weather. The prominent impression, s however, was of the mixed mongrel race, f j a population lackingstamina, with Central c j American morals and Cuban inertia. 1 " At San Juan the tram cars were waiting, two, a first and a second class, each with i . four mules. Our car was very comforta- i ble, roomy, with broad leather-cushioned I seats, open at the sides, with a canopy to j ! keep off the sun. At the signal the mules ( . were let go, and started on a run ; they c , had their ten miles to make, and seemed c bound to do it at a spurt. i This is the old national road, the route n of (Jen. Scott to the City of Mexico, follow- r ing most of the way the ancient Spanish i ? highway, often paved, and with substan- c ' | tial bridges. The old Spaniards had ener- < 1 gy, and built roads and churches; the ! Mexicans have let them decay. c From Jalapa the tramway extends nine r 1 miles south-west to Coatepec, which lies I ;"?()(i feet lower than the capital, and enjoys s ' a somewhat warmer climate. I went a ! down there and spent some days with n : American and English friends, who are c engaged in coffee planting and in the prop- j oration 01 mo ucrry lor tne market, Miat- \ cpec is a typical Mexican town of the bet- li ter sort, where nobody is very rich and i nobody very poor. It is quite withdrawn f ^ from the world and its excitements?has e ! no newspapers, no news, no agitations. ? The houses are mostly of one story, the s streets are broad, well paved, and clean, c and the country about is well cultivated. ? ' With the exception of tho family with D whom I stayed, and a Belgian who lias s lived there many years, 1 believe there r I are no foreigners. The chief occupation is f : colleo raising; all about the town are largo and small plantations of it, intermingled e ! with the banana and the plantain. The a L coffee trees are seen in all the town gar- <1 ! dens; and at this season, in tho streets and t ! courtyards, tho coflee berry spread on mats L . i was everywhere seen drying in the sun. f j Almost every feature of tho landscape v j is Italian, and the view is wonderfully t i like that from the Villa Xardi in Sorrento, i i of the gardens and amphitheatre of hills. I - But in one respect it far surpasses the fa- t i mous Italian landscape. For there to the v left rises in the blue sky the great dome of <j Orizaba, pure white, stainless, towering' up like ft cloud, its purity flowing in the rosy light of morning, or taking on a pur- j pie hue at evening. The place has altogether an airof repose, of stability, of ^r>ft- j ncss, an indescribable charm. There is one person in Coatepee who has ideas and tastes above his fellows. This is an honest carpenter, who is the antiquarian of the region. In his little stone cottage, overrun and half-hidden by vegetation, he has collected Indiitn relics, stone j idols and images, a few manuscripts and' books, and a great variety of natural curiosities. The house stands on the slope of I a pure and pretty stream that runs through the village, and here he has laid out a garden that is unique. It is a miniature museum out-of-doors, planted with tropical shrubs and Mowers, intersected with winding walks, along which stand Italian idols and fragments of antique sculpture, leading to quaint grottoes, paved and set with old tiles, bits of glass and odd pieces of plate. The whole effect is fantastic and curious. This carpenter is an artist as well as an antiquarian. A little while before my visit he had the misfortune to lose his third wife. A few days after he brought to my friend a skull and cross-bones, "life" size, beautifully carved in wood?pe'rfect imitations of these emblems of mortality. The carving of these mementoes was his grim way of taking consolation In his bereavement.?[Charles Dudley Warner in Harper's Magazine. LATH COTTON. Mr. Harry L. Hammond, of Beech Island, writes as follows to the Aiken Journal and Review, under date of June 10th : The following observations on the periods of the growth of cotton were made with care in 1887 on a number of plants expressly grown for the purpose : Plants coming up in April, bore their first forms in 35 to 19 days; on the average in 10 days from the time the plant appeared above the ground. Plants coming up in May had forms in 25 to 4"?days; average 00 days. Plants coming up in June had forms in 20 and 27 days; average 20 days. Forms appearing in May bloomed in 21 to 02 days; average 25 days. Forms appearing In Juno bloomed in 20 to 27 days; average 24 days. Forms appearing in July bloomed in 20 to 20 days; average 24 days. Forms appearing in August bloomed in 21 to 27 days; average 25 days. June blooms made open bolls in 40 to 00 days ; average 02 days. July blooms made open bolls in 04 to 70 days; average 00 days. Augustbloomsmadeopen bolls in 40 toOH days; average 04 days. We might therefore expect plants coming up, say 15th April, to form mature fruit about 10th August; 10th May to form mature fruit about 11th September. Or it should take about 110 days from the appearance of the first open boll, and under the moat favorable circumstances, say 20 days longer, for an average crop. The same writer says on the subject in the Fdgefield Advertiser of 20th ult.: With regard to late cotton making a nrr\T\ I ttintr qoir if Imiu liPPn 11 nPfW'tiefi Of farmers here for several years to plant cotton after oates, from about the 25th of May to the 15th of June. Some excellent crops were mude in this way, but the impression f>re vailed that the seasons favored this ate plantiug only about one in three or four years. The growth of cotton is rarely stopped here by f/ost before the loth November. This dato gives cotton coming up the 1st of July 132 days to mature. On the average, the first boll opens in 110 days after the appearance of the plant, and with fair seasons the remaining 22 days are sufficient to make a fruiting. Cotton coming up the 1st of June would have 152 days to fruit. This would seem ample. Nevertheless, in a dewless drought?a common occurrence in August and September?cotton will not only cease to take on the fruit, but will shed forms, and in great heat half-grown bolls. I have known a plant to drop 20 forms in a single day. My own observations apply only to the year 1S87, which was a bad year for late cotton, the drought in August and September being very great. The following is a summary of what I then noted: Seven plants coming up in April boro 1,700 forms; of these 73 per cent, perished and the remaining 27 per cent, produced 1G2 blooms ; G3 of these blooms dropped, and 309 bolls opened. Ten plants coming up at various dates in May bore 2170 forms, making 007 blooms and 410 bolls. The per centage of mature fruit to forms being nearly the same as for April. The average number of bolls to stalk being 11, instead of 14 2-7 as in April. Two plants coming up on the 12th and 25th of June, boro 101 and 53 forms respectively, 32 and 10 blooms, 25 and 11 bolls. One plant coming up 1st July had OS forms, 30 blooms, 7 open bolls. The season was very unfavorable; no forms appeared after the 5th of September, no blooms after the 17th of September, and the last boll of white cotton opened on the MM. Af I IntnltuK _11J1 U1 ( 'tlUUEI i 1,580 bolls picked the loth of September weighed >01 pounds, or 77 bolls to the pound. l.'W bolls picked the 19th of September, weighed 5:{ pounds, or about 75 bolls to the pound. 298 bolls picked 5th of October weighed 8 pounds, or 97 bolls to the pound. 198 bolls picked L'lth of October weighed 1] pounds or 110 bolls to the pound. From these facts it will appear that the dinnees are largely in favor of early cotton, L>ut that late cotton, even in a bad season, nay count for something, and with a favorable fall would give a lair yield. COTTON SHED HI'LLS AMI WATKIl. To the Editor of The News and Courier: While in Koine, da., last March, I saw Kiinething that was a revelation to me. Mr. Arthur Sullivan, of the firm of Towers A* Sullivan, showed me in one enelosire about seventy beeves (generally old work oxen) that had been fattened on :otton seed hulls alone. No corn, no fodler, hay, or shucks, nothing but cotton iced hulls as they came from the huller of t seed oil factory just across the street, and nany of these oxen were so fat that they would not stand up except to eat, as fat md tine as any I ever saw come off the i nosquitograss of Western Texas. Around hree sides of this enclosure weie covered ilieds containing troughs filled with hulls rom which the beeves fed, and the fourth lido contained similar troughs constantly illed with pure water, to which they had :onstant access. That was all, cotton seed lulls and water. Subsequently, I met a gentleman living I n the city, who told mo that he had a i nilch cow to which he had been feeding i >ran, meal and hay at a cost of thirty cents >erday, for which thecowyieldedhim four j juarts of milk per day, at a cost, outside )f labor and trouble, of seven and a half i :ents per quart. He had been induced to I :hange her ratiou to cotton seed hulls, with 1 ismall amount(one piutata feed, 1 think,) I )f cotton seed meal, with the result of an i ucrease to eight quarts of milk a day, at a i :ost of four cents a day, or half a cent a [uart. Later on 1 met Mr. Isaac (iaillnrd, late if Fairfield county, this State, who told j ne that having lost a large amount of hay >y lire in January last, he had since fed ( even milch cows on cotton seed hulls ( done for roughness at a cost of two cents 1 i day each, that is the hulls cost him fifteen 1 outs a hundred pounds, and the.seven cows ( ust ate one hundred pounds a day, and 1 vith the addition of a small ration of meal, I cept in beautiful condition and yielded J ^AnnrAiiuhf I ynw thn herd?lint?. ' 11 1 1 IV ^UIIUIUUOIJ A ? r at, sleek J >evons?and they gave every I ividence of the highest condition. 1 It was indeed a revelation to me and ] howed up a vista of the vast possibilities 1 if tho cotton producing region in cattle 2 growing, dairying and beef production. I have given tho subject much thought 1 ince, and wish through your columns to 1 nake some suggestions to my brother c armors. r Cotton seed oil mills are being built in 1 very part of the State and of the South ; l large portion of tho seed annually proluced will soon be sold to these mills and i aken otl' the plantations ; tho competition letween the mills will put the seed to a 'J >rice that will induce the farmers to part i vitli them. At present the greater part of < he meal is returned to the land as fertil- n /.er, but the hull is lost and worso than 1 ost, because the mills, having to pay I ho transportation on that much extra \ veight, of course pay less for the seed, as t iil is the desired product, and the hulls n produce no oil. If an oil mill was in the immediate vicinity of every farm it might pay to sell the seed and buy back the hulls, possibly, hut this is generally impracticable; what, therefore, I suggest is that all parties owning gins, portable or stationary, should provide themselves with improved cotton seed hollers and hull all the cotton seed except those needed for seed on tin farms where produced. The kernels could then be sacked and shipped to the mills, either for money or in exchange for cotton seed meal, and the hulls kept at home, turned into milk, butter or beef, after passing through the cattle could be returned tc the land in a manure rich in potash, phosphates and ammonia, and equal, pound for pound, to one half its weight of tin standard commercial fertilizers. In this way I am convinced the establishment of cotton seed oil mills can la made a blessing instead of a curse to tin cotton farmers, and another jewel added to the crown of "King Cotton." W. K. Davii:. bh.r tl... Vikrlrvill.i r.iiiiuiriT. REMINISCENCES (IF WESTKHN YORK. In the chapter of reminiscences that appeared in Thk EnquikkkoF the2Uth ultimo, the negro woman's name should have been "Sylv," (in short for Sylvia") instead of "Bylo." , It has not been and never will he the object of these reminiscences to stretch the bounds of journalistic propriety. I expeel to mention theseveral subjects that suggesl themselves, in their crudest and simplest forms, and trust that any material fact; misstated or omitted will he called to my attention hy competent authority. Mr. ICmsley Osment is another mar whose name deserves mention in these ar tides. Kor his honesty of purpose ami general uprightness of character he wa; the peer of almost any man whose namt has preceded his in this work. Ilis "hip windy stories" hurt nobody but himself and this peculiarity of habit that make; the influence of so many good men and women of the present day valueless, was s special insignia upon his escutcheon. A systematic perversion of truth was the height of his ambition; but never did ii escape his lips under circumstances thai involved the mutual welfare of his fellow men. And 1 defy the most expert critic tt show a single instance in which anything Emsley Osment ever said or did thai caused hard feeling between his fellow men. On the contrary,his efforts were directed the other way. lie was a philan thropist in the true sense of the word. 1 have no idea that a dollar dishonestly gained ever found its way into his pocket unless it was the result of a horse swap He made no profession or pretension what ever to religious matters, but attendee church regularly and his hand and purse were always open to the calls of charity let it have como from whatever source 01 cause it might. Mr. Osment followed overseeing. lit was a good farmer and his judgment or business matters was always sought am listened toby his employers. Such peoplt as "Oovernor" Joe Leech, Mr. Waddy Thompson and Mrs. Annie Smith entrust ed to him and his judgment the manage merit of their varied and large farming in terests. Hnder his management theii Iixviiluil u'illi Ii 11 inn n \ f vr iim Slaves uuaitu nun iiiiiium vj I ?. generally good crops were (he result of hi: labors; yet, not by long odds what he ii his "windy tales" would say they wen going to be. Jle was generally theconfl dential adviser of his employers. On oik occasion, "Governor" Leech had some im portant business in Chester or Winnsboro and said: "Well, <>/.., I want you to g< with mo and tell mo what to do, when ti do and how to do." The confidence o the "governor" in his business manage tnent was shared equally by his othei employers. lie was an uneducated man but could take in his pocket any mint her of notes, letters and papers and de liver them to the proper parties witl surprising accuracy. < )n a note upon whiel a number of payments had been made a different times and indifferent amounts he could tell the balance due with wonder ful precision, without the aid of pen o pencil, which, in the absence of anyschoo advantages, were useless to him. 1I< worked it out orally. His powerful mint wasequal in this respect to INIr. Joe Leech whose peculiarity in this respect have beei related already. Physically, Mr. Osment looked like j deserter from the grave. Hisemaciatet form was a systematic arrangement of tin "wire twist" material that gave him tlx power of endurance. As Jim Hill wouli say, he "was high in bone but low ii llesh." Yet it is universally admitted b^ those who knew him in his young days and even on to mature manhood and oil age, that he could wield ascyth andcradk all day in a wheat field, under the scorch ing rays of a summer sun, without show ing the least symptoms of fatigue or ex haustion. Aside from the big tales it was his pride to work up and tell, and whiel ho must have felt assured that nobodj would believe, he was the model of a mor al man. About the year ls71 he removed vvitl his family to < Jreenecounty, Tenn., where he remained until a few years ago, when they removed to ('railhead county, Ark. where they were living tin; last time 1 heard from them. Mr. < )sment married a Miss Moss, daugh terof Willis Moss, in the vicinity of Nine ty-Nine Islands, who was killed by lightning many years ago under circumstance? that it will be my duty to relate hereafter Mrs. Osment, as well as her devoted husband, has many warm friends still living in this community, who remember the many noble virtues that adorned her unpretentious life and made her the confidential friend of the best ladies in the land. .Mr. and Mrs. < Isment raised a family o! sons who were ripe for the work when tlx unfortunate kuklux troubles broke out, and for whose safety,more than any other cause, they went to Tennessee, just before the federal government laid its iron grasp upon their sons for alleged complicity in the deeds of that mystic order. .1. i,.s. A mob went to the iail at Shepperds villi', Ky., at 1 o'clock Thursday" inorning and demanded of Jailor Bowman the surrender of Thomas Mitchell and Charles Ardell, confined there, charged with the murder of a peddler named Joseph Lavine. Bowman refused to surrender the men and took his stand in front of the door with a shotgun, declaring ho would kill the first man who tried to pass. Mr. Bowman, hearing threats and fearing her husbands would he killed, ran forward and f^ive the mob the keys, begging Bowman not to provoke them. The leaders then unlocked the doors and went to the cell where the prisoners were confined. The jailor followed, begging them at least to spare Mitchell, whom he believed was innocent. They yielded to his entreaties, telling Mitchell he might thank Bowman for his life, and binding Ardell, took him to the woods. The men all wore masks. Ardell was hanged to a tree about i mile and a half from town. . Before County Judge Day, at Auburn, V., last week, argument was heard on the application of the convicted murderer Kemmler, of Buffalo, for a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that execution by dectricity is cruel and unusual, and therelore unconstitutional. The array of counsel >vas large. It was agreed that the prisonjr should not bo produced in the court, ind lie remained in his cell. For the >risoner Bourke Cochran made a long and doquent argument to show that elecricity does not necessarily produce death, joingdeeply into the tortures that might esult from its use. Attorney-Oeneral'Ta)er responded at length, learnedly mainlining the constitutionality of the law. \t the conclusion of the argument, Judge Day made an order in pursuance of the "f llin n rinn! 11H mr TrilfU V'JUUDU UJ HIV \?V?IV*IVV "j II. liecker, of HutTalo, u referee to take ividenceas to the result of electricity and eport July JO, to which time an adjournnent was taken. A. 1). < >leson, who lived with his sonn-lawon a farm a few miles from Clifton, fexas, made a sacrilice of himself on Thursday night. lie was abusing his laughter, when her husband ordered the luarrel stopped. The old man procured i shot gun, chased the family out of the louse and then set lire to the premises, ceeping the neighbors out of the house vitli his gun until it was almost destroy(d. Then he leaped into the flames and vas burned. 1\ , riSTKHNS IN TltKK TOI'S. -I It is wonderful how (Jod provides for i llio needs of his creatures in strange places ! and in unlikely ways. All living things I must have water or die; and so water is i often found stored up in remarkable and I unexpected places. In the heart ol Alriea, where all is drought and barrenness, it is said that there is sometimes found in i the soil a little stem of a plant, and by ' 'I'tftfbig down to the bottom of it, a bulb i w <lim>nvered which contains a ouantitv of j / ..... . I V i pure sweet water. Melons, which are full of water, grow ? host on light, 11 ry, sandy soils; and some times, where water can not easily he I j found, certain trees atl'ord a most nourish in}? anil refreshing beverage. There is a I vast amount of water in the air, even [ when no clouds are seen. In a summer day how quickly the outside of a pitcher ' of cold water will hi? covered with moistI tire, which is drawn from the air. So while some plants draw up water from the earth hy their roots, others, called airplants, hang upon trees, and without touching the ground, draw the nourishment and moisture from the air. A writer tells of a surveying party who . were resting at noon in a forest in Florida, , when one of the chainmen exclaimed, "I j would give fifty cents a swallow for all the water 1 could drink." He expressed the , sentiment of the others; all were very j thirsty, and there was not a spring or a [ stream of water anywhere in the vicinity, ti While the men were thus talking, the I surveyor saw a crow put his bill into a j cluster of broad, long leaves, growing on r the side of a tall cypress. The leaves were those of a peculiar air-plant. They , were green, and bulged out at the bottom, . forming an inverted bell. The smaller [ end was held to the tree hy roots grap^ pling the bark. Feeding on the air and 3 water that it catches and holds, the airr plant became a sort of a cistern. The sur' veyor sprang to his feet with a laugh. \ "Hoys," he said, "that old crow is wiser I than every one of us." "How so?" they t asked. "Why he knows that there are a hundred thousand water-tanks in this j forest." "Where?" they demanded, in [ amazement. The surveyor cut an air^ plant in two, and drained nearly a pint of pure cold water from it. The men (lid not } sull'er for water after that, lor every tree in , the forest had at least one air-plant, and [ almost every air-plant contained a drink . of water. So Hod satisfies the longings of thirsty men. Even amid the desert's glowing [ sands, the smitten rock poured forth the r life-given Mood. And Hod also provides living water for thirsty souls; and those ' who feel in their hearts a longing such as 1 earth can never satisfy, may hear, amid j the restlessness of unsatisfied desire, the } voice of him who stood in the temple and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come p unto me and drink!"?[Church Union. 4- ? ? } "LIMITED." ) Many people are unaware of the signifi 1 cance ol t?u? word "limited," ionowing ine ? title of a corporation, and even those who r are fully posted in regard to the liability . limits of the stockholders in a corpora. lion having that word attached to its name, . will lind the facts below of interest. The r: old priori pie of corporations created by leg| islative act was that the entire property of 3 | every stock holder was liable for the whole i ! debts of the whole company, as the whole 3 property of every member of a general . membership is still liable for the debts of 3 the firm. This system made every share. holder responsible for bad management of which he might not be guilty, and deter) red wealthy men from becoming interested 3 in the shares of corporations. To remove f this objection the principle of limited was . introduced and, in order to notify the pubi lie that only the separate property of the t corporation was liable for the debts of the ' corporation, the English law requires that . the word "limited" shall be Used in every 3 case by the company. Most American 3 corporations are constituted on the princit pie of limited liability, but few, if any of the States enjoin the companies to append I the word limited to their corporate titles. r The matter is so generally understood in 1 thiscountry, however, that it is not neces3 sary. The most noteworthy exception to 1 the general rule is tho case of the national bank ; and even in this instance liability j is limited to an amount equal to the par value of the shares. That is, if the nation3 al bank fails, each stockholder may not 1 only lose what he has invested, but $100 3 more for each share of stock lie holds, if so 3 much is necessary to pay the debts of the j bank. I'util within a few years all the 3 Scottish banks were organized with uur limited liability, and when, eight or ten years ago a (Jlasgow bank failed disasl' trously, there were cases of men who only > owned a share or two, valued beforo the I failure at not much more than $100 each, . who were assessed thousands of pounds . sterling to meet the debts of the bank. 3 Since that time the Scottish banks have , been allowed to reorganize on a limited r liability basis. DANIEL WEBSTER'S l'KKSCASlVENKSS. i The following story of Daniel Webster, J illustrative of his winning personal traits, i is told by a lending local lawyer. Years , ago the late Erastus Corning, of this city, as a comparatively young man, made Mr. Webster's acquaintance somewnac 11111 inately. As a result of the friendship it turned out tho former endorsed Mr. Web ster's bank note for a considerable sum. When the note fell due protests came to . the lirm and they paid the note, lvnow ingMr. Webster's impeeuniosity and not : wishing to crowd him, they did not call s upon him for security. After some years, and when it was supposed that Mr. Web ster's financial condition was improved, Mr. Corning, at the instance of his tirm, i I wrote asking Mr. Webster if he could '' make it convenient to liquidate the claim. I ! The answer was a courteous note from Mr. i , Webster making excuses that just at pres-1 ! ent he was unable to meet the demand, ! ? and ending up with a pressing invitation i for Mr. Corning to visit him later, when he would probably be able to pay him or at least to secure the claim satisfactorily. The firm advised Mr. Corning to accept the invitation, which he did. On his rc: turn, Mr. Corning came home delighted with the pleasures of his visit, and entertained his partners with glowing accounts of the great statesman's hospitalities and descriptions of the charming incidents of the sojourn, in which ho ignored mention of the business object which partly impelled the visit. Finally, after he had exhausted descriptions of the visit, one of Mr. Coming's friends said: "Well, 1 suppose Mr. Webster was pleased because he was able to pay the note?" "Pleased to pay the note?" said Air. Corning; "he not only didn't pay the note, but heso charmed me that he got me to sign another note for 1 So,001), and 1 am thankful he didn't ask me to make it ?10,000, for I don't think 1 could have resisted his request." Mr. Corning is said to have had a subsequent invitation to visit Marshlield, and to have 1 declined on the ground that he could not afford so expensive a pleasure.?[Albany Journal. ' + Thk Fnoinkku's Nkkve.?"Engineers 1 at rest, sitting in the narrow cabs of their engines, lying at the depot waiting for the signal to start, often look to lie a sleepy set of fellows," said the man the other night who runs the limited express. "Do ! you know," he continued, addressing a | reporter, "that engineers are always wide ' awake when they seem to he indifferent to ' events happening around them? There ' are few tinners that escape their vigilant < eyes. Many people have an idea that en- 1 gineers 'go it blind' and trust entirely to < the bloek system, and the Keuteness of ' good telegraph operators, but if they did ' this there would be wrecks and lives lost ' every day. "A good engineer is always on the lookout. We see plenty of things ahead of us ' that harrow our nerves, and make the 1 hair stand up straight, but as long as the 1 passengers behind us don't know it, and J we all escape uninjured, we heave a sigh * of relief and say nothing. 1 tell you, it is ' no easy matter to hold a throttle, shoot 1 around sharp curves, and watch for oh- 1 structions. An engineer looks down for a 1 moment at the connecting-rods of the locomotive, moving backward and forward with a lightning-like rapidity. Hedoesn't t know at what minute a pin may break, s and one of the rods knock his brains out s as he leans out ot the cab. t "We lmvo to make schedule time; the t road is full of curves, and we are likely to t bank into these traius as we pass them. > Little do people know how rasping it is on tin; nerves to ho continually making narrow escapes, and yet one invariably feels that some day he is hound to 'get it in the neck.' It is the uncertainty of the business that is so trying." A I'Aii-suiiiT Maohink.?Mr. lidi.son is reported, in a conversation with a reporter who solicited his ideas on the sub- ^ ject of the projected world's fair in New York City, as saying that he would take an acre of space in such a fair and completely cover it with his inventions, ot which he has no less than 70 now underway. "One of tin* most peculiar and now promising {rood result," said Mr. Kdison, "is what 1 may cull a fac-sight machine." By means of this extraordinary invention, the Electrical Review says, he hopes to incrc se the range of vision by hundreds of nines, so that, for instance, "a man in New York could sec the features of (i fpionri in lOxOin with ns miich ease as lie could see a performer on the stage." That, he added, "would bean invention worthy a prominent place in the world's fair, and I hope to have it perfected long before 1S92."?[Scientific American. - - jfta?*The new ballot law in Massachusetts will receive its first practical application at the State election of this year, and much will depend upon its successful working. Politicians and election ollicers who would like to see it fail might be able to contribute somewhat to the result if there was nobody to watch them or to look out for proper efforts to make the new system a success. Realizing this fact, the friends of the reform in Massachusetts have formed a Ballot-Act League, the object of which is to see that none of the steps for making the provision of the law effective are overlooked or neglected. It will look aftci the preparation of the proper forms for nominations, ballots, etc., the plans for polling arrangements, the information of election officers and political committees, and, in general, will see that the work is done and properly (lone that is necessary to put the reform into successful operation at the start. UaT The late Mrs. Hayes, says a Western newspaper, did not force her temperance principles upon others. It is true that she gave diplomatic dinners without wine, but as the dinners cost $3,000 apiece, nobody complained. With such sumptuous repasts the guests were willing to do without wine. Some of the officials at the White House drank whenever they felt liko it, and made no secret of their habits. Mrs. Hayes was on intimate terms with them, but she never ventured to bring her total abstinence idea forward to spoil their enjoyment. She believed that she had a right to control her table, and she conceded the same right to others. This gentle woman would have been horrified at the idea of compelling people to adopt her views. So she went through her career at the White House as popular with the Anti-Prohibitionists as she was with the Prohibitionists. ? ftaT In Rock Castle county, Kentucky, on the 13th of November, 1801, William Hig?? ? 1 1 1 -- ?iaam.a1<1 kau \uuu glUUOlIllllIJ, II IlllCCll'Jcai-uiu uuj| IIUU riding along the road shoutiug for Jeff Davis, when lie was killed l?y J. Logan Sigman, who fled, and was not heard from for 20 years. He was finally located in Missouri and brought to Mount Veruou for trial. The case resulted in a hung jury, and Sigman was released on bond. The trial has been postponed from time to time, until last June 21, when it was called, with Judge Morton, of the Lexington district, on the bench. The jury held out for two days, eleven for acquittal and one for conviction, and finally agreed on a verdict of notguility. This is the case in which the Grand Army of the Republic took such a prominent part when Sigman was arrested. - S&* A Rushford, Minn., dispatch of Friday says: "A combined cyclone, waterspout and hailstorm passed from one to three miles east of here last night, destroying everything in its path. A belt two miles wide in the path of the storm i for thirty miles in length lias been laid i waste, trees being as bare of leaves as in I winter. The loss cannot fall much below * $100,000. Immense trees, two feet or more ;f in diameter, have been torn up and twisted off. For two miles in width the hail pelted everything into the ground. It crossed the railroad track where section men were at work, and they say hail fell fully as large as a man's fist. Andrew Fi/.isco, of Yucatan, was drowned in the Hood. Another drowning is reported from Houston." + - teg'" There was a large meeting of Indiana Democratic editors and newspaper publishers at Indianapolis recently last to consider matters of business interest to them. These gentlemen were questioned by a representative of the Indianapolis Sentinel in regard to the political outlook, and that paper says "that they were a unit in believing that Grover Cleveland is the coming man for 1892." Mr. Short, of the Franklin Democrat, said he talked with every man present with reference to the matter, and he found no one favoring any one else. "We think," said Mr. Short, "that Cleveland is the greatest leader the Democracy ever had. If the nominating convention should occur to-uay ne wouiu be nominated by acclamation." Kx-Senator Jirucoand Fourth Auditor Lynch headed a delegation of colored Hepublicans who waited on the president last Thursday and presented an address adopted at the Jackson, Miss., conference, June 1:1, in regard to the political situation in the 'j South, and expressing the utmost confi- J dence in the president's policy towards the I colored people in that region. The presi- I dent thanked them for theirconlidence.and I said that they could rest assured that he 1 would do the best he could toward nil class- * vs. 1 le commended the conservative stand taken by them, and said they would have his assistance in every endeavor to improve their political status. The official- statistics read at the last Mormon Conference in Salt Lake City show that "the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" has 12 apostles, 70 patriarchs, J,Oil) high priests, 11,805 elders, 2,00!) priests, 2,202 teachers, 11,010 deacons, HI,S00 families, 119,915 officers and members, and 40,003 children under S years of age?a total Mormon population of 153,911. The number of marriages for the six months ended April0,1889, was530; number of births, 2,754; new members baptized, 488; excommunications, 113. + + + Jfcjy-Thc people of Connecticut have always boasted of the school system of the State, which they hold to be superior to that of any other State in the Union. Yet the legislature of the State has just provided for its improvement by raising the school fund to tho large sum of $2,250,D00, or nearly $250,000 more than it has been in recent years. Every boy and girl in Connecticut can now secure a thorough education, from the primary school to the normal school, under a system which deserves to be studied by teachers everywhere. fifer-May was a good month for railroads. Reports from 130 roads showed a handsome increase of earnings over those of i the same month last year. This increase J is not especially observable in any one I i. 1- ? i. Z line, or liny one .system, uui appears w m have been experienced throughout the I country. This must he taken as indicating I igeneral improvement in business, though I louhtless the efforts of tho different rail- _ I way systems to co-operate in offering the ^ best possible rates have had a decided efTect. The report of Dr. Nansen, the Norweigian who crossed Greenland last year iiear the the latitude of the arctic circle, will encourage further exploration there. He found the country simply one immense dieet of rugged ice, without animal or vegetable life. The land is elevated, his route onco taking him to an altitude of 12,000 feet. Tho thermometer on one ocrasion recorded 00 degrees below zero. So?- The postoffice department has adverised for the two new series of postage. stamps. One of them will be the same ilze as now in use; the other about oneihird smaller. The color is to be either armine or metalic red, the latter being no coior m use wnen me cnange to green i ,vas last made.