The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-07-18
RIDGWAY, COUNTY, PA. THURSDAY
TIMELY TOPICS.


TIMELY TOPICS.
A rat weighing fifteen pounds is exhib-
tied in Philadelphia beer shop. It is
a foreigner, coming from South America.
The British interest which has the
largest representation in the present
House of Commons is that of the soldier
and sailor. There are two hundred and
thirty-nine men in the present House of
Commons who are either active or retired
members of the army or navy.
It is not generally known that in the
oil region of Pennsylvania many of the
engines which pump the oil wells are
run with natural gas instead of steam.
The gas is conveyed from the well to
the engine through an iron pipe, being
forced from the we'll through the pipe
into the cylinder
A strange manifestation of affection
occurred recently ON the farm of Aaron
Sutton, in Coffin's Summit, N. Y. A
kitten, several days old, hnd become
separated from its companions, and was
adopted by a hen. The kitten was
found under the shelter of the hens
wings, and, when taken away, the hen
flew at the person who took it and show
ed every sign of displeasure.
The cruelty of which Wisconsin
wife complains, in her suit for divorce,
is that her husband tied her securely
and shaved her head. The defence is
that she bleached her black hair to
lemon color by the use of acid, and that
he, deeming such a thing highly scan
dalous, took the only means of undoing
what she had done. He says that he
bought wig for her, initiating her nat
ural hair, 80 that her bare head might
be concealed while nature was remedy
ing the disfguration.
The attempted assassination of the
emperor of Germany recalls the fact
that the month of May has indeed been
marked on several occasions by crimes
or attempted crimes of the same nature
On the 18th of May, 1912, Mr.. Percival
was assassinated in the lobby of the
House of Commons. On the Both day
of May, 1842, Queen Victoria was fired
at while driving down Constitution Hill
in an open carriage by John Francis.
The 14th of May was the date of the
murder of Henry w., of France, by
Revaillac; and Oh the 4th of May, 1874,
Queen Isabella, of Spain, was twice
fred at by La Riva.
At Rochester, Mich, they have a
unique way of advertising the men who
stand ON the church steps after meeting
to stare at the ladies. The following 6
card is kept standing in the Era of that
place: "The Donkey club of this village
would respectfully inform the young
ladies especially, and the public gener-
ally, that they have made arrangements
for an extensive demonstration on the
steps in front of the Methodist chapel
the members locating themselves on
either side of the main entrance-on
Sunday evening next. Positions taken
Immediately after the close of the relig-
ious exercises within"
The difficulty of providing horses with
forage in war has set the ingenious to
work in endeavoriIg to compound o
condensed horse buscnit, and Col. Ra-
velli, an italian officer, seems to have
been very successful in this respect. BY
direction of the Minister of War, very
careful experiments have lately been
made with cavalry horses, and COM
mission report that not only when the
biscuit is administered with proper care
is it consumed with appetite and easily
digested, but that the horses fed upon
it actually increased in vigor. There is
really nothing new in this, for three cen.
turies ago horses in England were often
fed in the same way.
When Queen Victoria came to the
throne in 1887, the estimate for her per-
sonal expenses was based on the charges
of the household of William the Fourth.
For her majesty's privy purse they set
apart $500, 200 yearly; for household
salaries, 1866, 300; for ordinary house.
hold expenses, 1862, 500; for royal
bounty, etc., $66, 900; and for various
other small items, $40, 200. The total is
huOuI P1: OSo,OOu. DCslSlco tulS BIG utS
$215, 900, being the revenue of the
Duchy of Lancaster. Thus, the SUM
which her majesty receives yearly, for
her privy purse, is $515,00O. This is
entirely outside of her actual ordinary
expenses. 1t is clear pocket money.
An umbrella trick has been introduced
by London thieves. The operator enters
a jewelers. store with an umbrella in
his hand, having pulled down the silk
GOVERN g without securely fastening it,
so that its folds hang around the handle
and form an open-mouthed net. Into
the bag thus opened it is not difficult to
jerk ring or two, or even a larger arti-
Gle, which will fall into it without the
slightest sound. If the shopman misses
the treasure thus abstracted, he will
run after his customer, and as matter
of course, the other will protest limo.
cence. A search will ensue, at the end
of which the owner of the umbrella will
be struck by bright thought, and will
himself bring to light the desired OBJ
ject, apologizing in the blandest way
and making merry over a joke which
has so nearly, as he says, assumed Sc
'rious character.
Statistics have lately been published
in Germany of the rate of mortality il
different European armies. From the
tables given it appears that the average