The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-04-27
MINOR TOPICS.

says 1 TheE bois. dare is a native of
Texas, and the most durable wood in the
world, whether it is used under ground,
on top of the ground or under water.
No one has seen rotten piece of bois
dare. Stakes and old landmarks have
been seen, which, on being pulled up,
were found to be just as good as when
first driven down. There is no doubt
but that it is superior, in point of dura-
bility, to any other timber. For wagons
and buggies it is superior to any other
carriage timber known. 1t neither
shrinks nor swells from exposure to
heat, wet and cold.
The Washington Capital says: Ben
Franklin, who boasted of his low origin
and loafof bread, won his fame for re-
publican simplicity through an accident.
When he at last obtained permission to
be presented ct the French courts he
ordered a gorgeous court suit. Fortu-
nately for the patriotic old lightning
calculator, the tailor disappointed him,
and Benjamin was forced to appear in
his ordinary wear. Immediately the
fame of the Republican statesman rang
through Europe, and comes down to us,
lifting our hearts in admiration to the
grand old revolutionary hero.
In 1878 farmer in Cape Elizabeth,
Maine, made will, sealed it in an
envelope, wrote on it the direction that
it should not be opened within one hun
dred years, delivered it to the Selectmen
for safe keeping, and then died. His
heirs atlaw took possessions of his
property, nobody objecting, and after
many years the town papers were lost.
The sealed will recently came to light,
and was found to devise the testator's
property to the town, to be used as a
charitable institution for vagrants; but
it has changed hands many times, and to
take it now from the present holders
would be great hardship. Probably
the town will not press its claim.
IT is not in the United States alone
that letters are misdirected and not di-
rected at all. There were 1000, 900 let
ters received at the returned letter Office
in London last year, of which 10000
were not addressed. One of them con-
tanned over SIC, 900 in bank notes. Among
the odd addresses were the following
I" Mr.. Smith, at the back of the church,
England" and "My dear Father in
Yorkshire, at the White Cottage with
White Pailings." One was directed,
"This is for her that makes dresses for
young ladies, that lives at t'other side of
the road to James Brookslip, Endsover,
CHESTERFIELD" and another, "This is
for the young girl that wears spectacles,
who minds tobabies, 80 Sheriff street,
off Prince Edwin street, Liverpool"
For the past three weeks a man has
been in Oconto, Wisconsin, whose ac-
tiOns have been somewhat remarkable.
Dressed as beggar, and begging from
door to door, he obtained access to a num-
Der of houses, and being quiet and inof-
fensive, no shadow of suspicion was
raised that he was anything more than
he represented himself. He would sleep
in barns and take what shelter he could
from the weather during nights, and
many times during the day he was a tar
get for the youngsters to SNOWFALL. Last
week he found the man for whom he was
looking, and disclosed himself. He was
detective from Nevada, who had fol.
lowed murderer, for whose apprehen-
sion a heavy reward had been offered, for
three years, capturing him at last.
TRAVELLERS on railroads are often de-
sirous of knowing the speed at which
they are moving, and, as a general thing,
are not aware that with the aid of a
watch they may readily find out, even
when the mile posts are not placed along
the track. This may be done, says the
Scientific Press-by simply counting the
rails which are passed over in any one
given minute. On the best railroads the
hammering sound made by the wheels in
passing from one rail to another is quite
audible, and may be easily noted on
whichever side of the car the observer
may be sitting. All rails are either
twenty-four or thirty feet long-the
length may be easily ascertained by pac-
ing or measuring with pocket rule at
any station where the train stops. Then
by counting the number of rails passed
in thirty or sixty seconds, the speed oi
travel may be calculated by any passen.
ger. When train moves 14.67 feet a
second, it is travelling at the rate of ten
miles an hour, or a mile in six minutes
a BOLD attempt was made recently, at
one O'Clock in the morning, says a Fort
Scott dispatch, to rob the express and
mail train on the Missouri, Kansas and
Texas railroad, at Blue Jacket Station,
just over the Southern border of Kansas,
in the Indian Territory. The officers OF
the road had known for some time that a
gang of desperadoes had organized for this
object, and the company had taken steps
to Illustrate their designs in sending ou,
a small detective force to watch them
Three of the detectives had joined the
gang and learned their plans, which in
cluded the robbery of this train. As the
train was run out on side track by the
displacement of a switch, guard, who
had been placed in the cab with the
engingeer, losing bis presence of mind
commenced firing at the robbers as they
approached the train, at the same time
giving signal to others on the train to
come out, thus giving the robbers q
chance to retreat, which they availed
themselves of in haste. Two of the gang
were captured at Chetopa, Kansas, and
lodged in Jail, and It was thought the
others could not escape.