Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-12
Miscellaneous Items.

As a somewhat noted financial achievement
it may be stated that the affairs of the Old
Bank of Illinois, chartered in 1916, and having
had remarkable history, have just been wound
up. The receiver, few days since, sent 500,
in notes and certificates of the bank, to the clerk
of the United States district court, in Chicago
who is the auditor. He is to destroy them, and
then the account is closed.
George Washington was man of old-fashion-
ed honesty, as appears from the following
memorandum made by him when commander
in-chief: "By cash, 9133 49," NOte-"This sum
stands in my account as a credit to the public,
but | can find no charge of it against me in any
of the public offices. Where the mistake lies [
know not, but wish it could be ascertained, as
have no desire to injure or be injured"
Col. Lewis W. Washington, the nearest rela-
tive TO the father of his country, who died at
Charleston, West Virginia, last week, was the
first and most conspicuous of the gentlemen who
were seized and held as hostages by John Brown
in his famous read on Harper's Ferry in Octo-
Der, 1859. He possessed valuable collection of
relics of Washington, among Others the elegant
sword sent by Frederick the Great with the in
scriptiOn Prom the oldest general in the world
to the greatest"
A school mistress was laely brought before a
police magistrate in London, charged with
biting one of her pupils Upon being asked
what she had to say in defence, she stated that
1t was quite true that she had bitten him, but
he had first bitten another scholar younger
than himself, and, acting upon the old princi-
pie OF IAN eye for an eye, and a tooth for
TOOTH" she had thought il only right and
proper to infiict the same torture upon him
which he had inflicted upon his companion.
Inc magistrate, instead OF biting the school mis-
tress, fined her forty shilngs and costs
A Canadian, named Harvey, whose melon
patch had suffered much from thieving propen-
sites of boys in the neighborhood, recently at
tempted to put stop to his trouble in an ingcn-
ious way. One night as some men were pass.
ing his farm they heard the report of a gun
ana ran TO the place whence the sound proceed
ca, ana there found Harvey standing over boy
VINO lay mourning, said he had been shot in the
back, and refused 10 give his name The farm
or oruered the men TO leave, telling them he in
tended to shoot any other person he might find
stealing his melons. So the neighbors were fer
rl6ed, and the boys refraned from robbinp the
patch thereafter. The Joke consisted in the fact
that no one had been shot at all, the boy being
in collision with the man, and merely pretend
ing that he had been wounded.
A clergyman relates, in the National Baptist
the following comica incident: A parrot be-
longing TO some friends of mine was generally
taken out OF the room when the family assem-
pied for prayers, for fear lac might take it into
ms head to JON irreyerenty in the responses
One evening, however his presence happened TO
DC unnouced, and he was entirely forgotten
FOR some time he maintained decorous silence
| but at length, instead of "amen," ont he came
with cheer, boys, cheer" On this the butler
was directed to remove him, and had got as far
as the door with him, when the bird, perhaps
thinking that he had committed himself, and
mad better apologize, called out, "sorry spoke"
Inc overpowerng effect on the company may
oe more easily imagined than described.
A correspondent Of the New York Mail saws ::
Il happened the other day to call upon a Lon.
| don publisher whose business is a good deal
with the writers and readers of novels. He
showed me large, solid wooden box he had
| just received, cube of some two feet every way
and bound at the corners with iron. The boy
was addressed, in painted letters, to his pub.
fishing house, and contained-what did if con-
tain? A service of plata present of books-a
| few dozen Of wine? Nothing of the sort; only
the manuscript of novel which he was re.
quested TO publish The novel was written in
small and neat characters, in series of bound
volumes Of the ledger and daybook style, and
| these volumes were numerous enough 10 fill
completely the treasure chest which had been sc
carefully provided for their reception. My friend
the publisher, assured me that the author OF
authoress Of this yet unpublished work of fic
ton is not lunafic, but a sane person, in the
ordinary sense Of the word, My friend doe;