Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-07-31

future reformer thought it pity the poor
should be driven TO such shifts, and &C
cordingly preached penny postage.
| An internal machine, invented by an
American TO destroy over-insured ships,
ia thus described by Mr.. Henning, the
| Venezuelan Consul In London: The ma
| chine looks like block of coal of about
| six inches by three, and could be put into
| the coal bunkers without the slightest
| suspicion. Once there, il would, when
| thrown into the furnace, explode after
| fixed time. II was subsequently," he
| saws. shown one OF the machines them
1 selves, about six by four inches, with the
exact appearance Of an ordinary piece OF
| coal. | was told that some were made
| considerably larger, even to the size OF
/ mans head, but always to resemble Goals,
| the reason of which is obvious. Nearly a
month later I had another visit from the
same person, who told me that he had re
| Gently heard that there were some persons
| in the Venezuelan port referred to who
were interested in some merchant steam
| ers with goods of no actual value, ana
then put some of these machines on
board, and send her to sea, very heavily
| insured, in the hope that she might De
lost, and they would gain very large
sum-"
| The following is from an Eastern
exchange: A young, good-looking and
unaccompanied country lass, of nineteen
or twenty Junes, drove up to hitching
| post on Main street yesterday afternoon,
and leaping from the wagon tied her
horse by the bride and went her way up
Main street, to do some shopping. Pres
emily the steed began to manifest some
uneasiness for some reason, backing and
dancing around at great rate. Several
bystanders, ignorant Of the cause of the
disquietude, were devising various means
for its alienation, when q professional
horse iocky appeared upon the scene, and
with some "bunkum" announced that a
curb bit caused all the trouble. He then
adjusted rein around the horses neck
and thought that sufficient to quiet him.
but afterwards he was again uneasy, until
finally the young lady herself approach
ed. Observing his restless movements
and their cause at a glance, she walked
| quickly up to him, seized the bride, and
rolling up her sleeves to the elbow, thrust
her hand into the animals mouth, grasp
| ed his tongue, and placed it under the bit,
where it belonged, instead of over it, then
| turned to the spectators around and quiet
| ly remarked that "she guessed he'd stand
now" Being temperance lecturers and
insurance agents they were not so much
ashamed as they should have been.
The Springfield (Mass) Republican
tells the following story of man who
had race with q locomotive: an due
time he arrived in this city, got trusted
for sundry groceries, and started to take
! the II 80 train home. He had five pack
| ages, and the way was long, the time was
short, and beads of perspiration presently
glistened on the end of his nose like pearls
| on consumptive beet. Just as he reach
cd the MassasOit House the train started !;
on he rushed and set paper of butter on
the sunny step of the smoking car, and
two more packages on TIE rear platform,
but dropped bundle and missed the next
car altogether. His lips moved rapidly
and it is conjectured that he swore while
getting on the fourth bundle, and hop
ping wildly along the track on one foot
with his other knee resting precariously
on the lowest step of the car. Then he
| let 90 and knelt down beside the track
while the last Car passed him. Rising
with look never to be forgotten by that
rear brakeman, the unhappy merchant
raised pound of hominy, his remaining
package, high in air, and threw it as if he
meant it should 60 through that train and
| off into space on the east side OF the
earth. But that, too, was failure. The
| fall broke the paper, and the hominy
strolled about the little hollows in the
railroad, while, with dreadful and un
tamable aspect, the dissatisfied man retir
ed to swear privately in the dim recesses
of the depot, pausing only to bestow a
morganatic blessing on clergyman who
expressed pity for him.
| Here is story, for the truth of which
we vouch from personal knowledge, and
which we commend to Mr.. Darwin. II
concerns terrier and cat. The dogs
part was chiefly passive, but he must have
possessed remarkable qualities to awaken
the affection which the cat had for him
so we record with honor the name of Pip
We do not know the cats name, which is
pity, for she deserves whatever immor-
tality a newspaper can bestow. Thus,
then, it fell out-Pip fell sick, and for
several days lay languidly in one place,
eating nothing. Again and again the Cat
brought to him bits of the food given to
her, and tried to coax him to eat, but in
vain. AT last, one day, a woman, sitting
in the room where they were, saw the cat,
| VIM Hou uSCh watching ~ Will CNluCAl
anxiety, dart suddenly out Of the window,
and rush across the street In moment
she came back carrying something in her
mouth, which she brought to Pip, and
laid 1t down. Pip got up, shifted at it,
then turned away and lay down again.
The cat dragged it close to him, and
thrust it under his nose. Thus persuad-
ed, he tasted 1t, and ate half Of it. Puss
then carried the remainder to the grass
plot, and herself fell to work on 1t with
good appetite. 1t proved, on examina-
ton, to be a hot mutton chop! The per-
son who had watched the affair went to
the house across the way, and asked in
the kitchen if they had had mutton chops
that days "Yes," was the answer; "and
as the dish stood before the fire, in rushed
your Cat, and before We could stop her
she carried off one Of the chopsp' We
are happy to add that Pip got WE'LL
Chrtstidn Union.