The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-01-04
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

The dreariest prelude to pleasure in
human life, it is said, is the interval of
waiting before dinner is announced.
An uncle of George Francis Train has
made oath that Francis is q lunatic, and
has asked to be appointed guardian over
him.
There are 10000 head of cattle in
Solomon Valley, Kansas, and there is
not hay enough to winter 10000 The
loss must be very heavy.
Miss Eliza Lyman has contracted to
furnish all the lumber of the water
tanks and depot ot-building of Vermont
railroad. She will boss" the job her
self.
The latest London announcement is a
nose machine, by which homely noses
are pressed into the most fashionable
shape, according to the taste of the
owner.
A secret organization of thieves and
desperadoes is said to exist in the west
ern part of Wright County, Minnesota,
along the line of the st. Paul and Pacific
Road.
In the Tennessee House of Representa-
tives last week, q bill was introduced
providing that "attorneys shall not be
allowed to charge in accordance with
amounts involved in suits, but be gov
erned by services rendered"
The New Haven Palodiqm mentions
this incident A student III Yale who
is Just now passing the term examina-
ton, few nights since dream ed that be
should be called up the next Day upon
certain passage, the dream pointing dis
tinctly to the chapter and section. lie
thought nothing of the dream until he
entered the examination room, and was
surprised to find that the passage given
him to render was the same precisely as
that indicated by the dream. Ali Yale
is now vigorously engaged in dreaming.
At Boston, at one of the engine house
wires like bell pulls arc placed in vari-
GUS parts of the building, upstairs and
downstairs, connecting with the stabl
When an alarm is sounded, by pulling
one of these wires the horses are un-
hitched and the stable doors thrown
open. As tho horses are trained to start
from their stable at the sound of the
gong, it sometimes occurs that they are
in their places at the pole of the engine
before any of the tiremen can reach the
machine.
Railroad companies are likely to learn
after while that the travelling public
nave some rights that they are bound to
respect, and that they will not be per-
mitted to confscate the tickets of pas
sengers who neglect to obey all the re-
strictions they undertake to impose upon
travel. A woman travelling on the
Grand Trunk Railroad had a ticket on
which was printed, "good only for this
train and the day received. Not good
to stop over" But she did stop over,
and when she attempted to resume her
Journey she was put eff the cars. For
this the railroad company has paid 5000
and costs.
The latest manifestation of lunacy is
IL Spiritual Postofice, established by Il
fellow named Flint in New York. Let
: ters from lunatics in the flesh directed
: to spirits in heaven or hell as the case
may be, are forward to Mr.. FlInt's post
office in New York, and he sends them
by express to their destination, and
9 receives the answer. The postage is
l rather binding, being two dollars per
4 letter but it must be remembered that
Q the department is new and the expenses
heavy. By and by g movement will
I probably be made in the direction OF
e cheap postage, as the facilities for inter.
q communication between the celestial
internal, and terrestrial kingdoms are
= increased.
- 1t is common belief that ballooning
= is an exceedingly dangerous business
:, Perhaps this is partly due to the fac
J that many ascents are unheralded anC
= unknown" but every accident is record
9 ed and spread abroad with amazing
= rapidity. At any rate the Londoi
- Telegraph having asserted that one-hal
- of the number of professional aeronaut
v " had been killed in the exercise of thti
8 vocation, Mr. Coxwell, an aeronaut, re
- piled, and denied the fact, asserting tina
= of the thirty-fve hundred escents mad
- in Europe and America, fifteen death
" only have been recorded. This exhibi
is certainly more favorable one thai
II the kerosene mortality list.
u A gentleman visited New York, wen
. to one of the largest hotels, and took
- room. On going to bed at night h
l. locked his door and placed his watch an
20 money under his pillow. 1t is probabl
% that nine out of every ten strangers wh
a visit New York would do the same thin
.e under like circumstances. On waking
a = in the morning. he discovered that bot
~ watch and money had been stoleI
: - Thereupon he sued the proprietor Of tn
&c hotel for fifty dollars, being the amour
of of money lost, and for the value OF th
y, watch, about three hundred and fift
~ dollars. On the trial. evidence was o
- fered in behalf of the defendant to sho
=, that the notice had been given whiC
y the law required. The plaintiff obtaint
- verdict in his favor for the full amour
20 demanded, and an appeal was take
NO from the judgment.
tn When a woman makes up her mind
Is, have anything she is pretty sure to G
at it. Probably that assertion will not
ot disputed. At any rate an illustration
lr- its truth comes from Cincinnati T
af- good dame of citizen of that pla
re could not persuade her spouse to get b
I'D, patent clothes-dryer. So she took t
'er pole out from her old-fashioned line t
he other evening, and crouching down
ge hind the fence screamed murder"
an instant her startled lord came flyi
out of the house, was caught across I
throat by the clothes-line, and before
tV. | cOuld racOver himself il had neal