Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-11-11

when near Necly's Landing, ten miles from
Grand Tower, took fire, and despite all ci-
forts to save her, was burned to The waters
edge When the fire broke out every eff
fort was made to land. but, the steamer was
SO heavily laden that she con'l not he
brought nearer than one hundred yard OF
the shore. Great confusion and terror pre-
vailed. There were about two hundred
cabin and deck passengers aboard, quite a
number of whom were women and child
rem. The flames spread with great rapid
ty. Scores OF men sprang into tho water
and attempted to reach the shore by swim
ming. Nearly all these were lost. Every
conceivable object that could DO obtained
was thrown into the water, and to those
the passengers chung with all the tenacity
Of life.
The Mean Man who got Converted.
There was great revival in the region
where old Smith6rs, as everybody called
him, lived, aud ittook hold OF him one day:
Smitllers was a dreadful mean man, OPP
pressive to the poor and al that, an, never,
paying debt If he could help il. lie had
been known TO turn poor widow with q
family Of small children out into tho street
Of Il cold winters day, bocauses.ie was una
bic to pay tho rent Of the miserable sllnnty
sho had of him Hc was only known Us
cold Smithers," although he wasn't SD very
old either; but wo have noticed that mean
men have the prefix Old attached to their
names, generally, when their ncishbors
speak Of them.
Old Smithers ''took a habit, "as they:say
in Wisconsin, to attend one of the "pro-
tracted meetings" He was struck with
conviction the first night and hopefully
converted, as he claimed, the next. After
his conversion ho wasannomccd to address
his fellow SINNERS anil sinncresses on the
following Sunday afternoon. Tho news
that Old Smithers had got religion spread
all aboht the neighborhood. Some doubted
it; said ho was putting it on SO as to skin
folks little closer; other, more charitable,
said it might be true. and they hoped he
wouldn't be so mean in the future ii it was.
When Sunday. afternoon arrived the
church was crowded. Tho entire neigh
borhood turned out to hear what so mean
a man as Old Smithers would say for linn
self after passing through conviction and
conversion. All was still in the church
when Old Smithers arose to speak. He be-
gan Ly telling what 4 mean man he had
been ill his life. He said he had probably
done more mean things than any man of
his years and opportunities living, and il
there was any mean thing lie had failed to
do, it was either because he hadn't thought
Of it, OF there was no good chance. After
going somewhat into detail regarding his
nleanness, astonishing even: those who
thought they know him best with the rcci-
tai, and declaring his utter 'unworthiness,
he resumed his seat
There was brief pause, after which q
neighbor OF Old Smithers, a member of the
church, arose and said: 81 have lived nigh
ncighhor to Brother Smithers for long
time. have Just listened to Brother Smith
ers' remarks, and from an intimate ac-
Quaj ntance with him and his actions for
many years, am prepared to indorse in
the fullest manner all the charges he has
made against himself, and more to: He is
certainly the meanast man ! ever knew in
the Whole course OF my life, and sat down.
Then arose Old SmitLers, pale and trem-
bling with rage, and exclaimed: "It's a
id lie, and I'll whip you as soon as you
leave the church !'-Fat Contributor.
Mr.. Il 'ccllel's Book Farming.
From Mark Twain's "Bcccher's Private Habits"
Mr.. Beecher's farm consists Of thirty six
acres, and is carried on on strict scientific
principles. He never puts in any part of 4
crop without consulting his book. AS soon
as the library is complete, the farm will
begin to be a profitable Investment. But
book farming has its drawbacks. On one
occasion, when it seemed morally certain
that the hay ought to be cnt, the hay book
could not lie fonnG, aud before it was found
it was too late, and the hay was I'LL spoiled.
Mr.. Beecher raises somo Of the finest
crops of wheat i'll the country, Int the I'M
favorable difference between tho cost Of
producing it and it's market value after it
is produced has interfered considerably
with its success asa commercial enterprise.
His special weakness is hogs, however.
He considers hogs the best game farm
produces. He buys the original pig for
$1.5O. and feeds him $40 worth of corn,
and then sells him for about 50. This is
tho only crop he ever makes any money on.
He loses on the corn, but no makes $50
on the hog. lie does not mind this, be-
cause he never expects to make anything
on corn any way. And any way it .urns
out he has the excitement Of raising the
hog anyhow, whether he gets the worth Of
him or not. His strawberries would he Il
comfortable success, it the robins would
eat turnips, but they won't, and hence the
difficulty.
Two<years ago Mr.. Beeohcr's far-Aighted.
ness warned linn that there was going to
10 u great scarcity OF waterlnelons, and
therefore he put in crop OF twcnty-sevon
acres OF that fruit. But when they came
up they turned out to be pumpkins, and q
dead loss was tho consequence. Sometimes
n portion OF his crop goes into the ground
the most promising sweet potatoes, and
comes mp tho most internalcst carrots -
though never have heard hin, express it
Just in that way. Mr. Bcecher's must dis
nstrons experience was tho time he tried to
raise an immense crop of dried apples.
lie planted fifteen hundred dollars worth,
but never q one OF thom sproutcd.
RAvAGEs OF THE CHOLERA IN INDIA A
letter from Calcutta, dated August GOTH
presents tho following sad picture of the
r:lvagcs of cholera in India:
Although Mt Umritsir, Agra, and several
other places which have been attacked,
cholera has sensibly alated, it is still raging
III many districts in various parts Of the
country with fearful violence, and the total
death rate is, ut the very lowest estimate,
400 q day. Since 1868 there has been no
hot season so fatal as the present to Euro
peans. All through the Northwest PROV
inces the pestilence ia making sad ravages.
At Gwalior the deaths are from sixty To u
hundred day, and Sepree, l;hopal and Sc
bore arc suffering heavily. Tho scourge
seems, indeed, to be steadily marching
along tho Agra road to Bombay. At Tndore
tho ,ntive l:ajah has matlo the people offer
sacrifices outside the city walls, with bare
heads and dry ch"Imtiies, hnt without any
marked success, as upwards of 200 men
have persisted during the past three weeks.
All through Malwa tho horrors of pestichce
lro aggravated Ivy the privations Of famine,
especially among tho thousands of pilgrims
who have been visiting tho shrine OF Omcar,
and are now Obliged to- rcnuili in that dis
trict until the rains arc over. From South
crn 1ndia wo hear almost equally gloomy
tilinSs. At lIy,lrralrnl the rI"lcr, Inns
made terrible inrna.ls, and ut Madras AMI
oil the other main crntrcS OF population it
hnS Aad more or less victims.
IN" North-GcrMan Correspondent
says: 'Prof F;.Der's speaking machine is
I" be exhibited mt Hamburg tduring The
continuance of tho international ITorticul-
tnral Exhibition. It ia said to artici,lnto
various worls and evcn to answer ducs-
lions by simple sentences with wonderful
.'intinctnrss. This is by no means the first
invention of tho kind that has been invont-
cd. Wo!iHans Won kcnprlc,l, the Inventor
ct II chess automatol. who wan born ut
lrcshurg in 1874, aud died at Vienna in
1901, both constructed u machine Of the
kind and wrote ON tho subject. The ma
chine about t" b" cNhihitr'l 1T Hamburg is,