Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-28
misceIInneonsn Hama

items.
The Young son of King Theodore of Abyssinia
is the observed of all observers in London now,
He attends the Tichborne trial, and appears to
have a leaning toward the fat claimant
The Parsee believes that post mortem ex-
animation excludes the patient from heaven
A Bombay coroner has put a stop to suicide by
delivering over the candidates TO the surgeons
President Grant is to receive a beautiful album
of paintings, made by the ladies of the court of
Japan, and presented by the mikado Minister
De Long, who IS coming with the ambassv now.
en- route from San Francisco TO the east, will
present the album to the great American tycoon.
Two colOred boys of Walhngford hunted 'coous
the other day, one of them climbing the tree and
stirring up the "varmints," while the other
blaZed away from below. They got four 'coons
and the youngster who stirred them up got forty
five buchshot in his leo.
a FieShire man recently took his child to
the minister to be baptized, who asked him,
Are you prepared for so solemn and impor-
tant an Occason?" ''Preparedp he echoed
with some Indignation 81 haze firlot of BAN
nocks bakin', two hams, an a gallon O the best
Highland whuskey, an l wad like TO ken what
better preparation ye eXpeck frae man in my
condition O. lileP
A very novel business has sprung up at Ere
mont, Ohio, this winter-that of quarrying sand
from the river bed When the river froze up
the water was low, and the intense cold has
frozen it to the bottom, and for several inches
persons who intend to build have to do is TO en-
gage teams and hands and help themselves. 1t
Is sad to have been saving of many hundreds,
even thousands, of dollars to those who intend
to build next spring and summer.
The New York correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune says that 1.-THE prospect now is that
John Graham will succeed in sending to state
prison every member of that jury who voted
for the Indictment Of Stok es. As for Stokes, he
Is TO he at once released so that he can shoot
Jay Gould aud some other Erie officers who are
Objectionable to him. Mrs. Mansfield is to run
for vice president on the Woodhull ticket, and,
when elected, will appoint John Graham chief
justice"
A San Francisco owner of large tract of
tule lands where his stock was being pastured,
took advantage of the signal service reports and
teegraphed imperative orders to drive his cattle
TO higher lands to avoid coming storm of re-
markable severity, The stock was hardly re-
moved before the surplus waters of the Sacra-
mentO broke over and inundated the land to the
depth of five or six feet.
A California paper reports the following: The
Wood-peckers, whose marks are so common
upon decayed trees, have changed their tactics
since the advent of civilization. Some of them
have built their nests in the caves of the fine
residence of Charles w. Plass, near Napta, and
nave drilled portions of the cornice with hun
dredS of holes as Tricky as if it had been pep
pered with shotgun. All these holes are filled
peckers, and are constantly visited by them as
they get hungry.
Through tickets around the world are now
issued, the price being S1145 in gold, and the
running time 2eighty-one days. The line of
route going westward is: From New York to
San Francisco, about 5000 miles; San Francisco
to Yokohama, 400; thence to Hong Kong,
1000; thence TO Calcutta, $500; thence to Bonn.
bay, 400; Bombay to Suez, 5000; from Suez by
the way of Alexandria and Brindsi to london,
about 230O and from London to New York,
5000.
The late Charles Dickens DESTROYED an i'm.
mense accumulation of his correspondence sew
eral years ago. MIR. Dolby describes the bonfire
as taking place on the lawn at Gad'S hill, and
the mass Of rich material given to the flames
mounting up in smoke Dickens himself wrote
thus TO the biOgrapher Of "MacliSe" upon the
subject: 81 destroyed the correspondence cX-
pressly because it had been held with me, and
not with the public, and because | could not an
swerioritS privacy being respected when should
be dead"
The KOengsberger Zeitung contains an ac-
count of the PrusSian torpedo boats three of
which are already finished and in the port of
Dantzlc; three unfinished, destined for kiel, and
Il number more under construction. These
boats are cigar-shaped and shot-proof against
the rifle and mitrailleuse. In the bow is the
rudder, and IN the stern an observatory with a
peep-hoe about the size of thaler the funnel
hardly three feet above water and Of very small
diameter The whole boat is about forty feet
long, and the only parts above water are the
tunnel and observatory. The bridge is on a
level with the water and protected by double
shield. 1t is Of gray color and very fast The
construction OF the torpedoes to be used in con-
nectlon with these boats is not made public.
Rear Admiral Ryder of the British navy has
recommended the substitution OF mattresses
stuffed with graduated cork for those now in
use, not only on account OF their great buoyancy
but owing to their economy in first cost The
suggestion is good one and might he adopted
IN our own marine. a mattress Of this kind,
with eleven pounds of cork, will float an iron
weight of sixty pounds, They are used in the
Russian navy and nearly the whole of a ship's
company was recently saved by their nstru-
mentality after a collision. Nor do they cost half
as much as horse hair mattresses.
The examination by Il committee of the Penn
Sylvania state legislature into the practice
OF some Philadelphia colleges of selling
medical diplomas, has already brought out some
astounding facts A negro swOre that he pur-
chased diploma for sixty dollars, although he
had never attended lecture. Another man,
who had attended a few lectures, cot one after
an examination so trivial in its nature that it
disguised even the aspiring 'fdoctorD himself.
But the most remarkable testimony was given
by awltness who testified that he arranged with
the faculty for the issue Of diploma for child
two years old, the professor, who knew nothing
vi inc chlld age, naming the sum and agree
ING to date back the diploma four years After
such evidence, Pennsylvania ought to make
shot work with these diploma. lnOngers.
Another chlld-hke and bland Chinaman has
been displaying somewhat remarkable profcen-
cy IN game that it was supposed She did not
Understand Whether his name was All Sin
we cannot tell, but he was among the open
mouthed spectators of the leats an electrical
physician was performing with battery, After
administering number of moderate shocks TO
those woo were willing to take Them the pro-
lessor offered fifty cents to any Ohinaman who
would take the full strength of the battery.
This offer John modestly accepted, and took the
shock and the half dollar without apparent dis
compoSure Another Chinaman soon r5neated
inc experiment with similar result, much to
the astonlshment of the doctor. 1t appeared on
inquiry mat John had prepared himself by pass.
ing across his back and through both sleeves of
ms coat, wire, through which the battery was
dlschat9ed without inconvenience to himself
a curious memorial has been presented in the
ONO legislature. A bill having been intro
dHced IN the assembly annulling many of the
provisions Of the temperance act of 1870. a nett
non has been presented in remonstrance against
the repeal or modification Of the existing law,
signed ny all but two hundred of the convicts in
the ONO penltentiary. This remOnstrancc has
TWO columns OF signatures. In one column are
the names of four hundred and ninty-two con-
YctS VINO, ny their own confession, were brought
TO the pententiary as the result of the use of in
toXicating liquors. The other column contains
the names OF two hundred and seventy-four con-
ycts who were brought to the penitentiarv by
other causes; besides which the memorial is
signed by sixty officers and guards of the insti.
tuition.