Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-02-14
MIsCELLANEoUs ITEMS.

1t is refreshing to record an instance of an
abortiye attempt to smuggle an old man into
an insane asylum. The thing is commonly
so easily accomplished that the failure Of
two dutiful daughters of Stephen Wakefield
Of south Boston to provide him with con-
genial home among the lunatics is worth re-
cording. 1t seems that the first move of the
children was TO have the old gentleman ar
rested for an alleged assault, when itwas ex-
pected to show TO the court that he was
dangerous man to have at large. This re-
suited in fine of one cent without costs.
One Of the daughters nov wanted the court
to appoint guardian for her on the ground
of his insanity but at this point the papers
got hold of it and the matter was 50 thor
oughly ventilated that when the case came
before the court there was no one to appear
So the old man with the loving daughters is
not going to the insane asylum after all.
Martha's Vineyard tourists will recall
Nancy Luce, part of whose religion is the
belief in the immortality of hens. Haucy
has Just paid the last tribute of respect to
her fayorite hen, whose virtues are celebra-
ted in book of poetry, by erecting head
stone with this inscription .
Poor Tweede Dedel Bebbee Pinkey. Died June II,
1871, at past O'Clock in the evening, aged years.
Poor dear little heart.
Sore broke in her.
am left broken-hearted,
She was my own heart within me.
She had m )re than common wit,
She is taken from the evil to come.
writer in London journal girds at the
solemn, funeral way in which Englishmen
dance In his eyes the majority look As if a
l.. Il. 1
treasure up their words as if precious stones
issued from their mouths when they speak.
Moreover, they eyince a remarkable DISPOSE
ton to put themselves in their own pockets,
and they fdget with their hands without
ceasing. Something Of this might be saved
by the taking up stairs the flat hat under the
arm in the French fashion but this they
will not do. They enter quadrille with u
whalebone stiffness, lugubrious air with
which they might 20 TO the stake, and the
cdrahe~ Seul they execute in way that
would send even an undertaken To an early
grave with laughter. And when they do
talk they rarely get beyond the unhappy
weather. II these be the manners of the
ball what, oh what i the English funeral
like?
As a gathering of notable~, the Vienna
Worlds Fair promises to outdo all its prede
cessors The Emperor Of Germany Is to
be there so are the Gar. President Thiers.
the Shah of Persia, ana the Prince of Wales,
not To mention the llosp0iar of M0ntene-
gro, Prince Bismarck and a host Of Cabinet
Ministers of al nations There viii be ma
terialS enough at Vienna for great Euro
pean Congress, such Is the late Emperor Ma
poleon used to dream Of
\ noble Young man in indianapolis recent
" determined 10 abandon the use of tobacco.
lie was told that iced drinks would diminish
his hnnkering for the weed 50 the first
day he drank three gallons OF iced water.
and still feeling desire to smoke, he added
two quarts of cold buttermilk. He went TO
bsd with the cheerful conviction that he had
conquered his craving. and 50 he had. The
next day he did not desire % smoke at all.
for the simple reason that he VA, dead. The
iced water, the iced butJermilk, the aban-
donment of his cigar. and two doctors who
were called in consultation. proved TO be too
much for the noble young man.
The Homeopathic Mutual Life Insurance
Co. announce, As their experience in four
years, p deaths under all0pathic treatment
out Of ,239 lives insured, and the same num-
Der under homeopathic treatment out Of
$500 lives insured They claim that they
can thus offer lower rates To persons who are
believers in homeopathy, and have the merit,
ut least Of throwing down an open challenge.
and of presenting facts which seem 10 sus-
tain them in it,
An Iowa paper administers " cold COM
fort to it, brethren in Minnesota By pub
fishing the following \ country PAPER iu
Minnesota wants to know who swindled the
Indians out OF e such an Internal cold coun-
try As Minnesota i, and who deludci the
white people into it.
Georgia proposes TO buy Stone Mountain
and build State Penitentiary, at the same
time selling enough granite to New Orleans
two millions woTth-to pay the cost.
Owing to the miSmanagemeut of the
Washington estate by the Mount Vernon
Ladies association, the privilege of visiting
the home and tomb Of '' The father of our
Country Is held as monopoly by the OWE
ers Of small steamboat at Washington,
who have secured a lease of the Mount Yer
non landing. These men charge an exorbi-
tant steamboat fare and entrance fee, and
the indignant STATE Journal of Richmond ap-
peals to the Legislature for relief