The Portland daily press., 1877-03-27
News and Other Items.


The latest thing in showers is shower of live
CLANS, reported at Santa Anna New Mexico.
which furnished several meals to persons who
scarcely see salt water shellfsh.
San Francisco boasts of the honesty Of its
hackmen. The Chronicle tells of one who re-
ceived three $40 gold pieces by mistake and
reported the fact to the police office.
AT the Deadwood Theatre in the Black
Hills. when the audience get tired of the Can
Can, the boys call out, "give us some singing,
or we'll clean out the place. We want some
thing elevatin." The admission to this temple
of the muses. costs So 50; reserved seats, S..
The Fiske University Jubilee Singers have
recently been in Holland, and were received by
the King in the Royal Palace at Low. bis
Masjecty was highly pleased with their singing.
and gave them handsome subscription to the
fund they are attempting to.raise.
A colored servant called Uncle Harry, died
at Spencer, KY, recently. at the age of 95. He
was brought from North Carolina by brother
of Daniel Boone, and has been quite promi-
nent character in the past history of the
State.
Humor pays in this country. 1t sometimes
enables a man to marry rich girl. Mark
Twain pays taxes in Hartford on S66, $50, and
this is but 1.-THE of his wealth. Twelve years
ago he was editing the Daily Democratic
Review in San Francisco mere theatre pro-
gramme-at salary of 500 per week.
Tassey Stewart, the California farmer who
was accused of attempting to bride exSecre-
tary Chandler to decide a land claim question
in his favor, has been acq uitted by jury of
the United States Circuit Court in San Francis
CO. The defence was that the prisoner had
not offered the money as a bride, but merely
to pay the expenses of fastening the decisi on
of his claim.
hampton, England, few days ago, during
largely attended funeral of young man. As
the mourners were leaving the grave local
inn-keeper went up and emptied bottle of
brandy upon tie coffin, saying that as the
deceased loved the liquor in life he should
have it in death. He was immediately
arrested.
The President doesn't trouble himself about
Washington etiquette Wanting a little talk
with Garfield. Wednesday, he just put on his
hat and strolled over to the Congressman
house, instead of sending messenger to sum-
mon Garfield to the White House. He has
also decided to abolish the old practice of
having visitors at the White House receptions
intro duced by the Marshal of the District of
Columbia.
An expedition 10 explore the buried cities of
Central Asia is being talked of in Bombay and
elsewhere in India. Great treasures are
known to exist under shifting sands of some of
the deserts, and If tradition is to be trusted the
tomb of Ghengis Khap, with its fabulous
wealth, still stands near Lake Tabasm Nor
Reports are constantly brought in by Mongols
of gold and silver treasures which the shifting
sands disclose, but which they have supersti-
tious dread of touching.
The cruelty of German military officers to
the subordinates is matter of notoriety, but
an officer in an artillery regiment has lately
gone beyond precedent and is likely to get
into serious trouble because of his truculept
ingenuity. Some of his men were insubordi-
nate, and SO he set about to cure them of their
distemper by means of ''spurring process"
which consisted in jabbing spurs persistently
and brutally into their legs. Two cannoniers
were recently so severely injured by this pro-
cess that they had to 60 to the hospital.
Virginia City, Nevada, possesses the highest
fountain in the world, probably, water having
been conducted to the top of the spire of the
Catholic Church, which is ITO feet high. The
pipes follow the form of the cross which sur.
mounts the spire, and from the end of each
arm large streams ascend to the high. of about
% feet, and between these are thrown up
great number of smaller jets. This novel
fountain was not constructed for mere orna-
ment but is intended to protect the church in
case of fire.
The case of Hallet Kilbourn of Washington
against Sergeant-at-Arms Thompson of the
House of Representatives, an action for
$4,000 damages for assault and battery and
false Imprisonment, was decided at General
Term of the Court of the District of Columbia
last Wednesday. Kilbourn refused, it will be
remembered, to answer certain questions when
he was before the "Real Estate Pool Irvesti-
eating Committee" of the House of Represen-
tative, and was committed for contempt. The
court held that Thompson was justified, as be
was only executing the order of the House
of Representatives, and overruled demurrer
of Kilbourn. two of the five judges who COM
pose the court dissenting.