The tribune. (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, May 26, 1875, Image 1
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ii i ii I,
THE TRIBUNE.
VOL. I.--NO. 27. BEAUFORT, S. ., MAY 2G, 1875. $2.00 PER ANNUM.
Auf der Bodcnsce.
[From the German of G. Schwab.]
Dor Bodeneee, tbe Lako of Constance, situated
upon tho border of Germany and Switzerland,
is tho largest lake in thodfc two countries,
boiug sixteen lcaguos in length, four in width,
and three hundred and fifty fathoms in depth.
It is very seldom entirely frozou over. Tho
incident which forms tho subject of his ballad
is said to have occurred in the year 1695.
A rider rode tlirougli a rugged glade,
A field of snow in the sunshine laid;
His dripping stood through t'lecold snow hies ;
He must reach ere night where Lake Constance
lies.
Ilidr.r and horse, ere the night comes down,
Should l>o lodged in tho safe little lakeside
town.
Bough was tbe treacherous snow-covered way,
Yet the steed Bpod on through tho sinking
day ;
Dalo and mountain and hill were passed,
And they came to the open land at last.
To an open plain where tho snow expands.
Level aud smooth oh Hownrf uar?/lu .
Bebiud him vanishes town and wood,
And hits road grows evon, his footing good.
In tho wide expanse nor house nor hill
*Nor tree appear ; all is cold and still.
Yet 011 sped the rider, mile aftor mile,
Hearing tho seabird's cry the while ;
And the water duck's fluttering wings of fear;
No other sound greets his listening ear.
No traveler came on his anxious sight,
To Bay if the way he rode was right,
As on velvet, so on through the buow rode ho.
" Where dashes the water V Where rolls the
sea?''
The evening fell, and then from far
Lights faintly glimmered, like distant stars.
Up rose through the night mist hill and tree,
But naught of the lake conld the traveler see.
Stormy and rough once more his course,
Yet onward and onward he spurred his horse;
On, on till I10 heard tho watch dog's bay,
Aud a Ashing village before him lay.
41 Welcome, young maid at tho window," cried
he;
41 Can you tell mo how far to Constance sea?"
And his heart grows chili as tho maid replies:
"flood tmvnlor T.?l>n L-, :- J -*
VVUDUIUWO UUUIUU 11166
lies,
And wore not the water too frozen for oar,
I'd eay you had landed and come to the shore."
The rider trembled and paled with fear?
" On the plain behind me rode I here
Then answer wild did the maiden make:
"Groat God! yam have ridden, air, over the
lake !
On the treacherous floor, o'er the bottomless
deep,
Did thy horse's mad hoofs safe footing keep ?
And crushed not beneath thee the covering
thin,
Xor the swerling waters to death drag thee
in ?
And thou art not devoured by the fishy
brood?
The cold dumb pike in the colder flood?"
Then the maiden called, and the village came,
The listening children, the wondering dames.
Old men and maidens questioning round,
Ory, "Thank your lucky star that you were not
drowned !
But come, for our evening board is spread,
Eat with us fish, break with us bread."
But the rider answered never a word ;
n.-?
uuivo mo uiaiuou hjk>ko lie uau no'huig hoard.
IIin heart ceased beating, gray grew his hair,
The ghost of the danger paat presses him
there.
He sees around him the roaring deep,
And the ghastly waters over him sweep ;
He hears the ice crushing, and cheek and
brow
Grow damp and pale with the mortal throe ;
Then he sighed and he sank to the earth and
diod,
And a dry grave found by the water side!
THE BAVARIAN ROBBER.
Wiosbnuor Franzl was the son of a
pauper peasant of tbo Miesbacli parish,
and had early given proof of his laudable
abilities. Constantly in disgrace for
poaching, he gradually sank from poetic
to prosaic theft, and from petty stealing
to highway robbery. Fear is generally
unknown to the Bavarian highlanders,
but a kind of mysterious horror became
associated with his name. He never remained
long hi one place?he was here,
there and everywhere. His liannts were
known to none, but he was tho dread of
every one, far and near, and liejit last.
vftmi/eu iv positive terrorism. In the
middle of the night Franzl would appear
at some house, knock at the door, and
arouse the inmates. The mistress must
get up, light the tire, and oook a meal
for the intruder, while he sat on the
hearth and chatted pleasantly to her.
He did not steal for the sake of stealing;
he merely asked for what he wauted
when he required it. His demands were
complied with readily enough, for people
were intimidated by the boldness of
Lis manner. If he was well received, he
behaved like a guest, and made himself ;
at 'home. He never took from those |
who oould not afford to give ; but if rich ;
people showed any hesitation, he would j
vow, with awful curses, to set fire to I
their houses and burn down the whole i
village. He was a genuine freebooter of
the old type, generous or revengeful, as ;
it happened to suit him.
a a* - - -
Aiier a great deal of trouble, he was
at last captured and lodged iu the jail of
the principal town ; but, with desperate !
courage, he managed to escape by letting |
himself down outside the prison from a ,
height of several stories. Once on firm
ground, he was soon off to the moun- j
tains ; and again the naire of Wiesbauer
Frauzl was in every mouth, while the old i
horror rotnmed with redoubled force, j
It was unfortunate for me that I was ,
now numbered among his acquaintances, :
' * for I fearod thrt he would avail himself j
* of'tho privilege to invite himself to sup-1
per some tine night. 1
Very soon lie gave me fresh uneasiness."
I was alone at home one evening,
sitting at work near the lump, when
my old maid-servant rau in, and said, in
a frightened whisper: "Only think!
there's been some one sitting on the
doorstep for the last quarter of an hour !
I've watched him from the kitchen window,
and I'm afraid it's Wiesbauer
Franzl. Jesus, Maria, Joseph !" she
added, " he's sure to knock presently,
and want to come in !"
Annoyed and curious, I hurried up
stairs in the dark, meaning to open the
window softly and reconuoiter my visitor,
as it might be only a harmless journeyman
availing himself of a convenient
resting-place; but, in spite of my caution,
the stranger heard me open the
window, and looked up without changing
Ilia tinuifinn nr *-?? n
t'?? u niuu.
It was Wiesbauer Franzl. To pro
pitiate him, I spoke first, saying, with
assumed friendliness: " Do yoti want
anything, Frauzl ? Are yon hungry ?
shall I bring you some food?" But the
rogue replied, with a stoical shake of the
head: " You needn't troublo to do that,
Karl; I've had my supper, and I've got
further to go to-night. I'm only re,sting
a bit." Soon afterward he got up and
went hiB way. *
When the first snow fell I left my
summer residence and went back to the
town, but my friend Franzl remained in
the mountains and continued his requisitions.
I did not learn his further
adventures until my return the next
year.
One day, after an afternoon nap, he
fell into the hands of the bailiffs, lie
was triumphantly lodged in the county
jail, and every one breathed more freely,
although no one felt perfectly safe then,
so indomitable was his bearing,
Fresh alarm was soon created on his
account. The very next morning had
scarcely dawned before the jailer was at
the doctor's door, tugging at the bell
like a madman. "Make haste, dootor,
make haste ! " he cried. " Franzl has
hung himself in the night. I was 011 my
rounds, and I've just found him hanging
from one of the window-bars. He
was stone cold, so I did'nt cut him
down." Tbo doctor rushed to the prison
and found everything exactly as ho had
been told. In a fit of wild despair winch
comes over energetic natures when all
escape seems out off, the bold robber
had determined to make an end of himself.
The doctor at once cut the linen
noose, cold water was thrown into the
poor fellow's face; but it was all in
vain; he gave no signs of returning
animation. The news spread like wildfire
from place to place, aud people
said it was Franzl's first useful action.
" If he's really gone," croaked some,
" the wretch is not to be trusted until he
in uctunuv ill uiH gravt).
Meanwhile, preparations were made
for the dissection, and the attendants
were about to undress the corpse, when,
behold ! the eyelids trembled, the muscles
quivered, and the dead was restored
to life. It was high time, for
the dissecting knife lay ready upon the
table. And so the vital force of the
young criminal had triumphed over his
will, and, in spite of all his efforts, he
found himself still on this side tho
grave.
He was restored to consciousness with
evt ry care, and taken back to his cell, to
be forwarded the next day to Munich, as
none of the authorities cared to have
the responsibility of him; the prison
itself seemed unsafe as long as he was in
it. He himself was doggedly submissive,
and seemed to be in very low
spirits. Instead of rejoicing in his restoration
to life, he was evidently meditating
some other desperate scheme.
The next day a farmer's cart was hired,
and Franz, bound hand and foot, was
placed in it. The people stared inquisitively
at the notorious prisoner, and the
equipage slowly ascended the precipitous
road above the lake. Suddenly a
slight snap was heard, the fetters were
broken, the cart jerked ^violently, and
me cuiprit was gone ! Jlead foremost
be plunged into the lake; for a moment
the waves closed over him, the next ho
was swimming rapidly away. As none
of his oscort ceuld follow, or rather as
all shrank* from a hand-to-hand struggle
in the water, a boat was got ready for
the pursuit.
In spite of the start he had had, the
sturdy rowers soon caught up with the
fugitive. But what then ? At first he
dived to balile his enemies, but, his
breath being soon exhausted, a fearful
conflict ensued. As it was impossible to
reach him by other means, some of the
men struck him on the head with their
oars whenever he came to the surface of
the water, hoping by this means to stun
him. But his iron skull was not to be
cracked, and as for seizing him ami
dragging him into the boat, that was
nilifi) nut flxo niiaafmn Uo I
i ? ???v vr* ' J uviiux 'Ilj iUl AlO |/iCOnil/ly
flung himself upon it like a maniac
and tried to capsize it. The danger was
now all on the side of the pursuers. A
storm was rising, and it was found advisable
to relinquish the pursuit for the
time. With considerable difficulty tho
little boat regained the shore, while the
fugitive found a safe place of concealment
among the tall rushes on the banks
of the lake. When it was quite dark ho
crept out, and decided that it would be
good policy to disappear for a time. For
weeks nothing further was henrd of him,
and it was thought by many that he hail
perished in the storm. But suddenly he
reappeared as though he had risen from
the ground. He was not improved. Indeed,
his hatred of all legal and peace
able occupations soemod to have been
intensified by his late adventures. He
took up the fond with society with
greater ferocity than ever, and he was
now always accompanied by a four-footed
friend?a huge yellow wolf-hound,
who followed close at his heels. He
would lick the robber's hand lovingly,
4
I
ami look inquiringly up into Iris face;
but he was as misautbropically disposed
toward all the rest of the world as his
master. The devotion was mutual. J
Franzl always gave the first mouthful of
the food lie "requisitioned" for himself
to Wolf, and NVolf showed his teeth,
without any sign from his master, if any
one hesitated to comply with his demands.
The dog was the only creature for
whom the reckless criminal retained any
affection, and it was evident that neither |
oftho friends would care to survive the I
other. Frauzl became more and more j
overbearing and exacting, and the terror
among the people increased in pro- j
portion. One night he again aroused j
the wife of a peasant, and ordered her to :
cook him some food. Trembling, she I
appeared at the window, and refused to .
comply with the extraordinary request. |
lie was standing below the balcony, and \
as she spoke he flung his great knife into ;
the house with such force tliAt it went I
through the wall. "You saw it, didn't
you ?" he shouted, in a menacing voice, j
"Next time it will go through yohr ;
body !" and with that he turned on his 1
heel, followed by liis dog, snarling and [
foaming at the mouth.
All search for him was in vain; in 1
.'1 io 1-1 1 L 1- -3 i
1UW| IV MUV iuuui lunif u? fHUt'UVUi IW I
truck a rogue in his own mountains. Ho |
had long keen an outlaw in public |
opinion, and at last, as all other means
failed, a price was set on his head.
There was nothing else left to l>e done. |
, At a certain spot where two roads :
meet stands a large, lonely inn, conducted
in quite the old style, with oaken \
tables and earthenware drinking vessels, i
On the wall of the public room hang the i
carriers' notices, beneath the Htove ;
snores the watchdog, and the host is the j
despotic sovereign whose authority is i
never questioned.
One evening a few traveler's were as- I
sembled in this room, wearing their j
picturesque hats with the jaunty feather
pulled forward. Suddenly the door
opened, arul a sturdy looking fellow
walked in and sat down with the rest.
They all knew who it was as well as we i
do.
It was the very day on which the writ
against him had been issued. " F'ranzl !"
cried one, " do you know that a price is
set upon your head?" " Whoever takes
you will get fifty gulden," added another.
"1 should think you were glad
of that, for folks say you're worth nothing
!" Everybody laughed. Franzl,
however, did not move a muscle; but
stood with arms akimbo, and cried scorntully:
" Well, here I am; any one with
a knife and no money is welcome to
mo."
Every one remained seated, but the
wou-uog growled from beneath the
table as if he understood what was going
oil. Without another word, Franzl resumed
his seat, ard went on drinking
and chatting pleasantly as had been his
wont of old. Ho was, however, rather
more subdued than formerly, and in
about half an hour he laid a kreuzer 011
the table, and went out into the darkness
without a word of farewell, but the
dog turned at the door to snail and show
his great fangs.
"He took no pleasuro in cards today,"
observed one who had proposed
an interdicted game of chance to him.
"It isn't likely," replied his neighbor,
44 that a fellow whose own game is up Ls
likely to care much for any other." And
tliev drew their chairs more closely together,
and whispered: " He won't pull
through this time." "4Dead or alive,'"
says the writ, muttered one under his
breath.
Two days later Franzl once more
knocked at the door of a peasant's house.
It was in the neighborhood of Gmunden,
on that lofty pass which encircles the
mountain like a chain, and stretches
from Tegernsee toward Miesbach. When
the housewife came to the door she recognized
the outlaw at once, but, concealed
her alarm, she treated him as a
poor traveler, and asked him into the
Louse. Meanwhile her husband called
in the neighbors to his assistance. Silently
they crept through the back door into
the stable, and consulted how best to
overpower the unfortunate Franzl. No
one had courago enough to volunteer,
and murmurs arose of 44 4 Dead or alive,'
says the writ; how would it do to shoot
him don 11 ?"
Among those assembled was a young
OitliliAP n Aonifnl ulirtf trim hn/1 Inff liiu
regiment but a few days before. Ho
judged the case according to martial law,
and was of opinion that the reward
would be paid for killing, not capturing,s
the accused. " He's sure to kill some
one else if he lives any longer," thought
the young warrior to himself, " so I'd
better put him out of the way at once."
" My double-barreled gun hangs behind
the stove," whispered the master of
the house, and a breathless silence ensued.
" Meanwhile Frauzl had iinished his
dinner, and prepared to tako leave.
"God bless you!" ho exclaimed to his
hostess; "and, if you are asked who
your guest was, you can say it u as the
Wiosbauer rogue !"
With these words he left the house,
but a slight figure slipped iu from the
other door, wearing the blue soldier's
cap. Noiselossly ho took down the
weapon, ana hid it beneath the window
Rill. Then the little lattioo opened softly,
and a voice cried: " Not bo fast,
Franzl; stop, or I fire !"
Franzl turned round with a noornful
laugh: " Any ouo who wants me had
better oome out to me; I dance attendance
npon no one I"
Another Btep; a whizzing report; and
he fell to the ground like a tree smitten
by an ax, the blood gushing from his
mouth, and his hands tearing up the !
earth.
"At him, Wolf!" he cried, with Ins
last breath; and the ]>oor dog dashed at
the open window, foaming with rage. 1
Another crack, and the second discharge
was lodged iu the faithful creature's
body. With the death-rattle in his
tliroat, ho managed to drag himself to
his master's side, and after a fow convulsive
struggles ho expired.
Treatment of the Sick.
Proper clothing, says Science, of
Health, is of the utmost importance to
every invalid; and the best clothing is
that which is best adopted for this purpose.
For this reason woolen or silk is
superior to cotton or linen in cold seasons.
Yet we do not advise woolen to
be worn next the skin, because of its
irritating qualities. Cotton flannel j
drawers and undershirts are superior in
this respect; but woolen outer garments, !
and oven woolen socks are better than
cotton or linen.
The color of clothing has much to do
with its healtlifulness. No invalid ii
justified in wearing colored clothing next
the skin. The dye is usually more or j
less absorbed, and is always injurious,
frequently poisonous. Indeed, we ones
tion its propriety, on the score of health,
at any time or in any place. True, j
black absorbs and retains beat, while ;
white reflects it, giving to white a less 1
lieat-retaining quality than black ; yet i
nevertheless, white or light-colored I
clothing we consider superior to dark !
color. For snmmt r weather there is no
question as to its superiority, nor for
inuer garments.
The limbs and extremities claim from
every invalid and physician especial attention.
Not one invalid in a thousand i
succeeds in having his feet, legs, hands
aud arras well clad. Among women
the dress usually worn is outrageous,
considered from the standpoint of health,
and among men it is only a little less so.
The central portions of the body are
overburdened often with clothing, while
the limbs are nlmost always insufficiently
clad. The shoes are thin, stockings
delicate, . pants fine and only lined
around the waist, while over abdomen
and loins the clothing doubled or trebled.
How can any one expect to regain health
under such circumstances { Health depends
upon a balanced circulation, and
the blood circulates from within. As
power begins to diminish, the circulation
fails in the extremities and the blood
is retained in and about the central organs.
Clothing retains heat, and heat
fetains blood; so where most clothing is,
there, other tilings being equal, the most
blood will be found. To call blood into
the extremities and external capillaries
is one of the important objects of all
good treatment, and proper clothing is
a necessary adjunct.
A Sailor's Life.
A New York paper says : The arrival
of the brig Lady Louisa, bound from
Shanghai to this port, with a cargo of
tea, solves a mystery of "the sea, and restores
to a family one of its members
who has been given up as dead. The
commander of the Lady Louisa, Capt.
John Fletcher Kimball, went to sea in a
whaling vessel from this port twentythree
years ago, and was reported and
believed to have been lost, with a boat's
crew, while in pursuit of a whale, and
was never heard from afterward. Capt.
Kimball's father, J. W. Kimball, lived at
that time at Hudson, N. Y. Hoping
to cure his son of his desire to' follow
a seafaring life, he had procured him a
place in the whaler. When the vessel
returned the news of young Kimball's
supposed death was conveyed to his
family, and they gave up all hopes of
ever seeing him again. Several years
ago they removed to Elizabeth, N. J.,
where they now reside. A short time
ago a letter was received at Hudson, N.
Y., addressed "To the first Methodist
clergyman of Hudson." This letter,
which was signed by "Capt. John
Fletcher Kimball," stated that its author
commanded a brig trading between
Cardiff. Wales, and Sliancliai. China :
tliat lie was the son of J. W. Kimball ;
that he had repeatedly written to his
family but received no reply, and that
he now took this indirect method to ascertain
whether any member of it still
lived. He had suffered great hardships,
and expecting soon to receive a
cargo of tea consigned to New York, he j
had made up his mind to take the vessel i
into British waters, dispose of his inter- 1
est in it, and abandon the sea forever, j
This letter was sent to Capt. Kimball's :
family at Elizabeth, where all its mem- !
bers are still living, and for the first j
they thus learned that he was alive. A
recent telegram from London reported j
that the Lady Louisa had stopped at St. |
Helena for water, on her way to America. ]
A New Jersey Relic.
A cannon ball is preserved in the ;
Treasury department in Washington, !
which deserves to become historic?if j
cold iron am bo said to deserve any- '
thing. It weighs twenty pounds, if our
recollection is correct, and is a plain, i
rough shot, with an iron ring attached !
to it. In a storm which occurred on the j
coast of New Jersey, many years ago, it
was thrown from a mortar, with a line
fastened to the ring, and passing over,
fell beyond a ship which was stranded
and in danger of going to pieces. Tlio j
line was tied to a cablo on the shore,
nri/l fliA oliiittPi'AAlfAil vwmnl* I
v,lvy ""'f " * "V""" bum ill I
and fastened it to the vessel. On this ;
cable a life-car was passed backward and '
forward from the ship to the shore, by j
which means two hundred lives were ;
saved. The ball was hauled in and re- |
tained. It was subsequently sent to the :
headquarters of the Revenue Marine |
department, where it has since been j
carefully preserved, and where it is always
regarded witli much interest by
l?eo]?le who are informed of its history. }
Itmitfht have sunk n "seventy-four " i
and never been heard from.
SAX FRANCISCO IN 1849.
A Ijlvrly llotwrlptlon of n Primitive Mooletjr. j
In May, 1849, there were leas than one
hundred nn?l fifty wooden houses built, g
including all shanties scattered over the
seven hills ; for San Francisco had, at ^
that time, seven hills. Thousands of ^
tents were everywhere erected, and in
these people dwelt. The plaza, or pub- f
lie square, had, at one time, one decent j
wooden house, called the Parker House,
which, of course, was a gambling house ;
while the more pretentious touts were ^
one and all gambling shops. The busiest
man in that city, at that time, was
one Sam Brannan, a retired or reformed ^
Mormon, perhaps still alive. The nomi- c
nal ruler of the city was a Mr. Smith,
styled "The Alcalde." The real rulers \
were twenty ruffians, known as " The t
Hounds," whose chief was one Roberts.
They were one and all ex-soldiers in the ^
Mexican war, robbers, cut-throats and c
cowards ; yet the floating mass of inhab~
1nnn 1.1 41/i?
luiuto, JIUllLUf i 111? LIU ICJW II1UI1 UHJ .
thousand, were actually tyrannized over, J
robbod by and afraid of those twenty ?
thieves. It may seem strange that such
a state of affairs could possibly exist for
a single day, yet it is nevertheless true c
tliat it did exist for months. . 8
There were hotels. Ono man, whose 8
name was Merritt, had a large wooden
house toward the north beach, where 1
his lodgers herded. They slept every- a
where?on the tables, under the tables, a
in every available space ; bedding, if the
bloated and luxurious guest wanted such j,
a thing, had to be provided by himself. ,
It is, however, but fair to relate that rj
Merritt always exacted $2 a night for <
lodgings from anybody that sheltered in
the house. As for the living, it is almost
too ridiculous to be related. A French
restaurant, for instance, furnished the 0
best bottle of port wine for 82?some T
thousand dozen sent from the London
docks and sold for the freight in San
Francisco, as no owner turned up. The *
Frenchman charged the following prices
for a breakfast: 11
r
beef steak 61.00
Two ]K>tatoes 2.00
One onion 2.00 (
Coffee. .* .50 <
bread 50 ?
Total 66.00 8
The price of washing a shirt was 81.
This was done at the Presidio by some *
American soldiers wlio owned (nappy
mortals) wives. The price of lumber
was enormous?$350 per 1,000 running 1
feet measurement. A pair of blankets
sold for $40 ; a pair of long boots cost x
six ounces of gold. A common rough *
jacket cost $25. Yet luxuries were cheap. a
There were plenty of cigars, and good I
ones, to be hud ; plenty of the best wines '
and brandy, ltaisins, almonds and nuts
were literally found in the streets? f
somewhat damaged, perhaps. The cli- 'J
mate, at that time at least, was not very \
inviting. At sunrise the weather was f
mild and serene, as at Naples; by eleven \
o'clock the eastern winds began to blow
?not onlv dust, but gravel of respecta- j
bio size llew about like hail ; by two p. j
m. it became bitter cold, and by six p. st. j
the wind had entirely vanished. c
Hundreds and thousands of white rats, v
with fiery red eyes, ran about in the fl
streets and disputed the right of inhabiting
each tent or house. What flies are
to Egypt, fleas were at that time to San ^
Francisco. There was no use of seeking .
a remedy. No sleep could be got untH ^
the million fleas got literally drunk on
the blood of the restless sleeper, which ^
was generally by five in the morning.
Then the littlo vampires took a rest
themselves. The city boasted of but **
few horses ; as for carriages, there were c
none worthy the name. Such was tho ?
city of San Francisco in 1849 ; yet ^
everybody was busy, everything was sold ?
and bought for gold dust. Everybody "
had scales and weights, and everybody f
seemed somehow to have gold. " 1
Parlor Games. }
i
rP\PA ii niir i\n ? ! hp nmnanmnnfa ovn lima i
* ?**-' ?? I'WIIV/* KIUIIOVUIUUVO IMU VU UO |
described: Two players are closely t
blinded with a bandage made of their >
pockethandkercliiefs. Each one is pro- t
vided with a saucer full of cake or cracker
crumbs, which is held in the left t
hand, and a spoon, which is held iu the
right hand. A sheet is spread upon the
floor, upon which the players sit, and at
a given signal they begin to feed each
other. Their efforts to find each others
mouths with their spoons never fail to
aft'ord' much sport. Another amusing
experiment is to. try to blow out a candle
blindfolded. The caudle is placed
upon a table, up to which a player is
first led; he then walks back six steps,
turns around three times, and walks forward
as nearly in the direction of the
candle as possible, and tries to blow it
out. If he happens to wander to the
wrong part of the room, the effect of the
blowing is very tunny.
Captain ltovnton's Dress.
The inventor of the life-saving dress
recently so successfully tested by Captain
Paul Iloynton is Mr. C. S. Merri
man, of Now lork city. It is of solid
vulcanized rubber, made in two parts?a
tunic with hood and gloves attached,
and pantaloons with boots attached.
The dress is secured by a water-tight
joint at tho waist, and only tho eyes,
mouth and nose are exposed. It is inflated
by means of five small tubes,
which caii be reached conveniently. When
the upper cliamlier is inflated it makes a
complete air pillow, upon which the
head can rest. The wearer is kept dry
and comfortable. Swimming is impossible;
but ho lies easily upon his t>ack,
and propels himself in any direction by
means of a double-blade paddle. A small
India rubber bag contains provisions and
a few needful articles.
Items of Interest.
Last Christmas there were 750,415
>aupers in England and Wales.
A Vermont gentleman has reoovered
!200 for being hanged in effigy.
A dentist of Hempstead, Tex., dropped
lead while extracting the teeth of a patent.
A Bangor editor boasts of having
inckers in that city from five to six feet
u length.
It will require seven years of steady
vork to constrnct the tunnel between
England and France.
" Borrowed clothes never fit." If they
vould fit, the chonoea are that yon
sonldn't borrow them.
He who eats strawberries and cream
nth his sweetheart at this season has
ho dear things all together.
A grand jury in Ohio has undertaken
o suppress church fair raffles, as well as
ither raffles not considered fair. ,
A politician who accidently drank from
he wrong bottle with a friend is one of
he few men in Amerinn who known how
torso liniment tastes.
" Dr. Mary Walker," a Washington
orrespondent says, " looks like a miaionary's
wife." Then we are mighty
orry for the missionary.
There are signs that the great deadlock
in the Sonth Wales ooal fields is
pproacliing a termination. Both sides
,re evidently weary of the struggle.
In China a man's friends congratulate
iim on the birth of a son, and condole
ritli him on the birth of a daughter,
fhey are verv empliatio opponents of
'women's rights."
" Why are women so much more oourgeons
tlian men?" asked a lady the
ither day, after talking of poutios And
var. " Because it is not they who have
o fight," he replied.
A bad little boy, upon being promised
Ive cents by his mother if he would
ake a dose of oastor oil, obtained the
aoney, and then told his parent that she
night castor oil in the street.
A pronouncing match took place in
Jiucinnati. Twenty married persons on
me side pronounoed against twenty unnarried
on the other. The rules of the
pelling ring governed the exercises.
A man in London earns a living by
joing round waking people whose dubiless
requires them to get up Very eairly n
the morning. Many policemen also
ncrease their incomes in the some way.
There is a man in Gnilford, Conn.,
vlio has predicted all the bad weather
he past winter. He says there will be
mother snow storm, but some of the
>eople down there say that if it comes
hey will have that man's head.
Benjamin Franklin said: " It is hard
1- J 1.1 99
UI UU ?3Uipbjr w HIOUU UpriVUfr,
Chis great truth is robbed of its sadness
rhen we know that there is no necessity
or a bog or any thing else to stand np
rhnn it would look better lying down.
The experiment of transfusing blood
ins just been applied to Gen. Frank
Jiair, who has long been prostrated with
>aralysis at his home in St. Louis. Six
tuuces of blood were injected into his
oins, and the result is said to be favorble.
A canal boat with the captain, his
rife, a little child, a colored man and
wo mules on board, was carried over
he dam in the Potomac at Cumberland
>y the wind, and strange to say no damgo
was done to either the passengers or
he boat.
The latest discovery in Franoe is that
he numerous gypsy bands scouring tEit
ouutry are entirely under marching
irders and military discipline from Ber- >
Ln. They are wont to pick out their
aniping grounds fifty miles ahead, and
mow in advance the n$me of tlfe man
iwning that ground as well as he knows
t himself.
According to the last census in Engand
and Wales, the females of the popuation
outnumber the males by 600,000 ;
rat above the age of twenty-five the
nales exoeed the females in number.
iVhile there were 400,000 widowers,
here were 873,000 widows. Above the
ige of ninety, females number two to
>very male.
The Xew U. 8. Attorney-General.
Mr. Edwards Pierrepont, who suoeeeds
Mr. Williams in the Attorney-Generalship
of the United States, was born
it New Haven, Conn., in 1817, educated
it the once famous "Old Grammar
School " of that city, then under presilent
Noah Porter, and entered Yale in
1833, graduating in 1837 .in the same
;lass with Mr. Evarts and Chief-Justice
Waite, taking high honors. His legal
itudies were prosecuted at the law school
Tn/lrrn T^anrnroff canal in IfiiA Ka
illU%JM. u UU0V 't/H66v'vvf *W?V MV
Ivan admitted to practioe, removing to
[Jolumbus, O; In 1846 he went to New
fork city, where he has since remained,
[n 1857 lie was elected to fill the vacancy
n the Superior Court created by the
leatli of Chief-,Tnstioe Oakley, a position
ehioh he held for three years, then retigning.
When the war broke out he
irrayod himself on the sMe of Mr. Unjoin,
nominally a War Democrat; was a
nember of the Union Defense oommit:ee
of New York city; amember, in 1862,
>f the commission for examining into
;lie cases of prisoners of State, and one
>f the oounsel for the government in the
iurratt trial. Shortly after the nomination
of Mr. Seymour he declared for
3rant, and on the olection of the latter
was made District-Attorney, holding
the office somewhat over a year. In 1878
tie was offered and declined the Russian
mission. Mr. Pierrepont was a member
r>f the Constitutional Convention in 1867,
when he served on the Judiciary com
mittee. He was also a member of the
Committee of Seventy.