The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-10-07
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Grafton, and the necessity of soma modification
! In eighteen cases Of imprisonment, III which
the whole amount of debt was Sl55, 6S, the loss
of time was 236 days, which, at 70 cents day,
would have more than paid the debts. The Re-
port states the following facts in regard to i'm
prisonment for debt in the city of New York.
on the authority of the keeper of the debtors
Jail in that city. The number of cases OF i'm
prisonment, during the year 1928, was 1855.
The debts together amounted to $25 ,iO9,:2;
the damages to $500, 076,99, which bears to
the amount of actual debts, the proportion of
to Sc |; and to the smount of debts and dana
gos, the proportion Of TO 1871!
Boston Courier.
DEATH IN TIE PoT A farmer on the banks
of the Piscataquis River, in the town of Fox
croft, for many years had kept large pot near
the margin of the river, for the convenience of
his family on washing days. II so happened, a
few weeks since, that the farmer had turned
into the pasture, where the pot Stood pair of
| yearling steers, tied together; who, having
fancy 30 explore the interior OF the capacious
vessel, thrust both their heads together into it,
| When, being unable to withdraw them, they
raised the pot upon their heads, and taking the
direction Of the river, plunged in. The weight
of the pot drew their heads under water, and IN
that grotesque predicament they were found
drowned Another melancholy instance of
g death IN the pot."-BangOr paper.
J GREAT BLAST Among the useful amuse-
ments on the Ohio Rail Road, are occasional
cannonadings by great Granite Guns. A few
evenings since, one of the enterprizing con-
tractors, Mr.. Kelley, had prepared for mag
( nlficent blast by boring into mass of rock on
the bank of the Patapsco, which mass had the
appearance of giving work for some weeks.
Coming to thin stratum of sand, an excava-
ton was made sufficient to receive three kegs
of powder, with which quantity it was actually
charged. The vent of the vein ran landward
to the mountain, and thus secured The load.
The effect was astonishingly fine; about $50
tons of rock were broken TO pieces and rcmov-
ed ; one mass of about four tons entirely cross
ed the river, efecting some weeks work in a
few hours.-BaitimOrc Gazette.
SuNFLowERs A few days since, while rid |
ing from Concord to Groton, and two or three
miles from the first mentioned place, we passed
a field very fancifuly and beautifully divided
by rows of sunhowers. At a little distance, on
approaching the field it had the appearance Of!
being entirely overgrown with this splendid !
and snowy vegetable; the illusion vanished as
we came abreast of the inclosure. 1t was an
oblong piece of ground, perhaps an acre or
more in extent, the four sides of which were
decorated with row of sunhowers; by 9TH
er rows, it was divided into several small
another with the castor-bean, &c. The effect
of the whole was very pleasing, and quite cred |
liable to the taste of the cultivator. 1t is gen.
orally believed that the sunfower possesses !
valuable qualities for various purposes OF do
nestle economy, and we should think it quite
worth the while for some farmer to test them
by experiments, since the plant will grow on
almost any soil, and with little or no trouble,
after the planting Courier.
Aboriginal SKELETONS. In digging trench
on the land belonging TO Col Francis Peabody, !
in South Salem, says the Salem Register, eight
or nine human skeletons were uncovered, be- |
ing buried only from Is to "a inches below the |
surface of the earth. Most of them were the
bones of grown persons, and some of them of
huge dimsnsions-two were those of children. |
The skulls, teeth, and other parts of the skele-
tons, were in a remarkable state of preserva-
ton, considering the great lapse of time since I
their interment, which is probably not less than
200 years. The skeletons were oil found in a
space of about Is feet of ground. One group, !
consisting of three grown persons and an In
FAINT, were very near together, and were, I'M
doubtedly, buried at one time in one grave.
On Sunday, Aug. 9, a young girl named Vel
ter, was at prayers in the church of Petits !
Peres, about noon, when an ecclesiastic Of the
parish, passing, seized her violently and pain
fully by the arm, and reprimanded her for dar |
ing to come to church in curling papers! The
girl replied, with propriety and spirit, that she
did not think she was doing wrong but that !
she could not consider the house of God a
dressing-room, and that she would retire. Two
men belonging to the chapel seized her imme-
diately by the arm and dragged her TO the door,
where she tainted in consequence of a blow on
the neck, which the ruffians inflicted on her
We have seen the girl, and her arm is still
black and blue-Paris Constitutional.
ROMANCE. II is often said that the romance
of real life is more romantic than that offction
To illustrate the fact London editor mentions
case recently tried at one of the country as
sizes, where prisoner was tried for the at |
tempted murder of his sweetheart who not !
only refused to give evidence against him, but
in open court avowed her attachment to him. |
Her father interfered, and gave his long with !
held consent to their marriage ifhe was acqut- |
ted, which he accordingly was, for want of evil I
dence. The altar was offered him instead of
the halter, and the prisoner, whose name was |
Buckle, finding that hanging and marriage go
by destiny, chose the latter, and agreed to |
" buckle too" dircctly.-Boston Courier.
The following statement Of the number Of
horses, carriages, &C., which passed through
Hardyman's gate on the 18th of June, from !
Ascot races, may be depended on as being cor
rect Carriages, drawn by four horses, I62 !
carriages, drawn by two horses, $50 /; carriages,
drawn by one horse, SOC; total, 1908 earring.
es horses, 1925 supposed number of people, |
l2,267 When we consider the number of
roads which lead from Ascot Heath, and find !
the above number of carriages, &c, passed |
along this road alone, we think that there
must have beon 100000 persons on the course
on the grand day London paper.
CoEsTAETISoPLE. Capt. FARMLAND states,
in his travels in Turkey, that the population of
Constantinople is, and has been since the year
1921, greatly upon the decline The very spir.
it of the inhabitants seems to have been struck
as by torpedo. In their hatred to the Christ
ians, however, they have suffered no change
This seems to be unalterable, and to be far