The Portland daily press., 1877-11-06
News and Other Items.

Mrs. Clemmer thinks thss Mr.. George f.
Hoar now looks ''as if he fed on pomegranates
and drank bottled ambrosia, so round are his
proportions and SO smiling is his counteuance."
Philadelphia boy has obtained verdict
of $25O0 against his employers for the loss of
his hand in an unprotected cog-wheel.
Reference to the Erie Railway transfer
books show that VIM. H. Vanderbiltis owner
of 100000 shares of Erie stock.
More than ono thousand packages q week Cf
oleomargarine are used in New York city
alone. Each package weighs on an average
about fifty pounds, making a total weekly con-
sumption of at least fifty thousand pounds.
The name of Senator Morton's family was
originally Throckmorton, and their ancestry is
traced to the Earl of Throckmorton in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth. The Senator's father
dropped the first syllable of his surname, and
his son followed his example.
During the sickness of Senator Morton, DIR.
Thompson, his physician, received remedies
from all parts of the country, each sender be-
ing convinced that his or her remedy would be
certain to cure by giving tone to the Senator'S
stomach SO that it would retain food.
Denton, Texas, has desperate of African
descent named Joe Faust, whose tactics are
rather peculiar. Cooking pistol on divine.
he made him get down on his hands and
feet bleat like sheep and compelled him to
butt an oak tree until he made the acrors on il
fall.
An old farmer, one of Judge Poland's early
associates, recently called upon him at Lyn-
don, Vt, and was invi ted to take dinner at the
Lo4o1 tho IL l. 4. ~.
table one of the walters laid bill of fare be-
fore him, but he promptly handed it back, say
ing, Judge Poland settles my BILL"
Mr.. Sears, the general agent of the Peabody
educational fund, thinks that the state Of Mis-
sssipri has been derelict in her duty to public
| school scholars, and he has, in consequence,
| Withdrawn the aid this year heretofore confer
| red by that fund on the scholars of that state,
| in behalf of other Southern states that are do
| ing more for the schools than Mississippi, and
have been less benefited heretofore By the
| fund.
The French Free Masons have long been d.
| vided upon the question as to whether q belief
| in the "Grand Architect of the Universe"
| should be dogma of their order. At the re-
| cent Masonic convention in France, the second
| clause of the constitution, which ran thus,
"Freemasonry holds the principle of the exist
| ence Of God and of the Immortality of the
SOUL" was altered by an immense majority to
"Freemasonry holds to the principle of an alb
soute freedom of conscience, and to the bfett-
| erhood of mankind. 1t excludes no one on ac-
| count of bis bslef''
Mr.. E. A. Eberle, an actor of experience, be-
came strangely at fault in bis part at an AL
bany theatre few nights ago. AT length he
advanced to the footlights and said: 81 don't
know what is the matter with me- but GER
taiuly am not drunk-I never drank anything
intoxicating. was perfect in my part at the
rehearsal this morning, but now cannot recall
a word of it." He retired, and another actor
read the rest Of his part. His trouble was
paralysis of the brain, and there is not much
hope of his recovery.
Two railroads in Western North Carolina are
being constructed mainly with convict labor.
One of these will run from Tryon at the gates
Of the Green River Mountains, to Henderson
| vile and Ashyille, and thence along the valley
| of the French Broad River to Morristown.
Tenn. The other will lead from Ashyille
through the wonderful gap to Old Fort Sails
bury. The corporations pay the state ten cents
day for every convict, and employ at least 700
men. stOckades are built and strong guards
srs stationed where the gangs are at work, but
the expense per man does not exceed sixty
cents per day, SO that the labor is cheap. These
roads, if they are ever completed, will open to
the travelling public one of the most beautiful
sections in America.
tits related of Sothern that once in London
he entered an iron-monger's shop and, adyanc-
Ing to the counter said: "Have you the second
edition of Mscsulsy's History of England?"
The shop-keeper explained that he kept an iron