The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-05-21
TIMELY TOPICS.

TIMELY TOPICS.
The Russian papers tell q singular
story of filial devotion. A woman in
Stavropol, sixty years old, had repri-
manded her son, a full-grown man, and
was excited to p still greater anger
against him by her daughter. At last
she grew so infuriated that she raised
her arm to strike her son; but he grasped
his mothers arm and prevented the
blow. For this action the old lady made
complaint against him before Judge,
nd he was ordered to appear in court.
Whereupon, filled with remorse for hav.
ing tried to avert the wrathful blow OF
his mother, he seized an Ak and chopped
off his offending hand.
The Rome correspondent of the Phila-
delphia Press quietly takes all the TO-
nance out of Italy by saying: "Out of
the window just opposite mine, and only
a few feet from it, all day long there lolls
an Italian girl, beautiful, dirty, lazy,
badly-dressed, and always eating some
thing. Priest and soldier and beggar
and donkey and tourist and sailor flow
on beneath in a steady stream to slow
music. She gazes listlessly on the hu-
man current forever, but takes no hu-
man interest in it, and shows signs of
intelligent life but about once every half
hour, when she retires to cupboard to
fill her pockets again with cake. 1t is
Italy-only the bulk of the people do
not have cake, and get along with
garlic
The tornado that recently swept
through Collinsville, ILL.,, has directed
attention to the singular fact that cy-
clones in temperate latitudes have be-
come much more frequent in recent
years. They were thought to be the pc
culiar products of tropical climates. A
quarter of a century ago they were un-
known, or at least unnoticed, in the val
ley ofthe Mississippi river. Now they
have become very frequent. Last year
Mount Carmel, in Illinois, was visited
by a cyclone, just as Collinsville was
this year. It is certainly worth the
while of our meteorologists to take up
this matter and try to unravel some OF
the mystery connected with their pro-
duction. They have done a very great
deal in the prediction of storms, but as
yet very little has been done in the way
of learning the causes that lead to the
destructive whirlwinds, of which no
year now passes without bringing to the
great central valley of the country con-
siderable number. ....
Abraham Brown, aged forty-ive, died
recently in the Charity Hospital, New
York city, of leprosy. The mans body
was covered with ulcers, the fingers were
eaten off, and the feet had become swol-
len and shapeless. DR.. Leon, who first
attended Brown after his admission to
the hospital in the latter part of the
month Of June of last year, said that he
had applied remedies to alleviate the
suffe1ings of his patient, but he believed
the disease incurable. Brown did not,
however, seem to receive any benefit
from the remedies. The afflicted man
had related contradictory stories as to
his disease. He told several, however,
that he contracted the disease in Cuba,
but he declined to let them know any
thing about his family relations. There
is still another patient in The hospital
afflicted with leprosy. His name is
Charles Hinkle, Mexican, about forty
five years. He also states that he con.
tracted the disease in Cuba. The doctor
says that his case is not so bad as Browns
was, and that he seems to experience re.
lief from the remedies applied. All the
doctors at the hospital say that the dis
ease is not contagious.
The following account of the forces OF
the belligerents in the war now going or
in South America, between Peru and
Bolivia on the one side and Chill on the
other, is given in a letter from La Paz tC
a German paper: "Peru, with super.
fetal area greater than that Of Germany
and Austria Hungary, and a population
of 2, 700, 900, has four ironclads frigate
ram and two monitors), Sly wooden
ships, three training ships, + river
steamers, and an army of 5000 i m only
on peace footing, but with the dres o.
eight battalions of infantry, three regi.
ments of cavalry, and two brigades o.
artillery, besides 1000 gendarmes and
1900 watchmen (vigilantes). Chill (witl
population of 2,1l7,000) has two good
iront..d corvettes and four wooden
war steamers, besides some other ships
which are unserviceable for war pur'
poses. The armament of the Chiliar
navy consists of forty-four guns, and the
personnel of 973 men. The Chilian army
comprises l,5OO infantry, 1900 cavalry
and 41O artillery, besides 5000 nationa
guards. Bolivia has no navy, and hel
army consists of 1000 men; but it coult
easily be increased by the system of re-
cruiting prevalent in the country, under
which young and strong men are torr
from their families to serve in the army
The population of Bolivia is 2,325.O 600.