Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-02-11
NEWS ITEMS.

treal, is 10 be altered TO admit OF double
railway tracks and footway.
The average speed Of railway trains in
Germany is for express and fast trains 2s
miles per hour and for ordinary passenger
trains 2l miles. The greatest speed attain
cd Is "a miles an hour on the Berlin, Pots
dam and Madgeburg road.
Professor Denton said at st. Paul,
Mimi, that the mound builders were Mex
leans, who came North for Superior cop
per, and that the American Indians are
descendants OF Asiatics, who came over
when America aud Asia were connected
by land.
"A singular kind OF repentance Is thst
of the brute, Fucke, who murdered and
then so horribly mutilated the body of
w. w. Simons at Greenpolnt, L. l., last
week. Here 1t is in his own words: "Mo
feel so bad for 1t. Me don't feel sorry
cause me kill him; kill him again but
ought not to cut him up-no, no."
"A novel mode of propelling canal boats
has been introduced in Belgium. The tow
path is laid with single rail, and the loco
motive has four wheels. Two of the wheels
are grooved and fit the rail, and the others
have rubber tires and run upon the mac
adamized road, pressing thereon 10 tho OK
tent of Seven-tenths of a pound TO the
square inch.
John Forster, whose death in London
at the age Of GA, is just announced, was
best known in this country as the friend
and biographer of Charles Dickens. lie
was native Of Newcastle and was bred 10
the bar, but his fondness for literary pur-
suits early drew him away from that pro-
fession and for nearly half a century he has
occupied prominent place among the lit
erateurs and journalists Of Great Britain.
Gen. Washington's family Bible will
be exhibited in the book department at the
centennial exhibition by Porter & Coates
of Philadelphia. 1t is in three volumes
quarto, each Of which bears his autograph
on the title-page. The work was presented
to Washington by the editor Of this edition,
Prof Wilson, author of "Sacra Privata,"
was bequeathed by him 10 Lord Fairfax,
and was left by the latter to the Herbert
family, whence it came to the present own
ers.
The boys OF Winnemucca, New. had
line from the ticket office, extending
around near corner. Each asked the
price of admission, and, when being told
that it was fifty cents, shook his head, said
it was too dear, retired and fell in at the
rear of the line. This was kept up until
the Snowman, astounded by the unanimty
and the seemingly great number, reduced
the charge, aud then every boy cleared out.
"A Troy, IN. " man tried to kill rats
with bread covered with arsenic. Tho
bread disappeared, but the rats didn't di-
minish, and finally he caught his 13-yoar-
old daughter eating it. She confessed that
she had disposed of all of it, and liked it
better than anything she ever tasted. 1t
appears that the girl had fits, year ago,
when she kept begging for arsenic, and the
doctor thinking she was going TO die any.
way, gave her some whereupon she got
well. Since then she has been given the
deadly poison at different times, the only
effect being to make her appear well,
bright and cheerful. The case has been
laid before several scientific men, all OF
whom pronounce it one of the most re-
markabe phenomena of the age.
"A iIOiiua mdu says tudI Wulle he WAS
out hunting, recently, he encountered
huge bear at spring. The man was
drinking and was unarmed. His bearship
slowly approached the water within three
feet of the man, and, after cycling him few
moments, proceeded TO drink. The man,
wishing 10 become better acquainted,
reached out his hand and gently tapped the
bear on his nose. The bear shifted his
hand, looked at him moment, and then,
wagging his stumpy tail, walked off
Now won't the bear tell his side of the story.
One of the wealthiest of the new mem
bers of Congress is William A. Piper, or
San Francisco, who owns 200 acres Of land
within the city limits. He is of pure Swe-
dish descent, and was born near Cham
bersburg, Pa. He served in the Mexican
war. Many years before he had read
speech of Daniel Webster declaring that
whoever possessed the Bay of San Francis
co would control the Western ocean, and
his imagination, fired by this speech, start
ed him to the Pacific coast after the war.
He began a householder, drifted into
banking, and is worth 100000. He is a
bachelor and Democrat.