Connecticut western news., 1879-03-12
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The walking mania is spreading and at the same time leading to strange results. Peter l.. Van Ness, the pedes- trian, started in New York to walk 2, ,OO0 half miles in 2,OOO half hours for a wager of $500. Despite blistered feet and aching bones, he kept at his work until he had accomplished 1,718 half miles, when the tax was too severe and he went crazy. The first int1mation his trainer had of this was when Van Ness demanded pistol to kill cat that was following him on the track and annoying him. He refused to go upon the track, and when forced on refused to walk. Securing the pistol he shot his trainer and an assistant and then fired into the crowd in attendance, fortunately injur- ing no one. Several pedestrians have
 become insane.
 During the past year, without the occurrence of any remarkable fires, it has cost the United States about $2OO,- GOO day to furnish employment to our town and city fire departments. What
 the fire departments cost we do not
 know it is good round sum at the
 least calculation. Architects say that | 10 or 15 per cent. of the cost of any building, properly expended, will make
 it practically freproof. Our daily fire losses would therefore freproof from $1, 100000 to $2,O00,OO0 worth of new structures day, or upwards of $3OO,- 900, ,O00 worth a year. At this rate it would not take many years to reduce the daily fire losses to comparative in-
 significance. It would be interesting,
 if the facts could be had, to know just
 what proportion of these fires were the
 work of incendiarism.
 -Katshwayo-not Cetywayo-is the
 real name of the Zulu King whose army
 recently defeated the British troops with
 such terrible loss at Cape Colony. He
 has an ar my of 4, 1000 men, well armed
 and provided with efficient artillery.
 Before the late disaster, Lord Chelms-
 ford had only 12,OOO men to oppose the
 native troops, and his defeat is, there
 fore, not surprising. Tbe war grew out
 of dispute between the Zulus and the
 Colonial Government. When the Trans
 vaal Republic was annexed, there was
 piece of territory the title to which was
 claimed by both the Zulu King and the
 Dutch. It was finally decided that it
 belonged to the Zulus. Sir Bartle Frere
 accompanied his notification of the award
 by demand for important changes in
 the internal policy of the Zulu kingdom.
 In short, Katshwayo was required to surrender all the essential clements of
 his sovereignty and independence. Of
 course the King refused to submit to
 these degrading conditions, and the present war was the result.
 Every newspaper publisher will fully appreciate the following, which we clip from an exchange Eminent poli- tician to interviewer "Wish to get my opinion on the Chinese question :? Oh, certainly, my dear sir, certainly. Just write out the questions you wish to ask and leave them, and I'll fill in the answers and send it up to the office. By the way, let me see proof before pub- ication." The same to friend at his club: "Confound those newspaper fellows They are always intruding themselves upon you. It's scandalous invasion of one's privacy. What bus mess is it of theirs what my views are ?'' ) etc. Exit in direction of newspaper office to buy hundred copies to send
 to his friends.
 There has been another students
 riot in St. Petersburg. An order had . been issued to transport to Siberia ), twenty-three students who had at- ,f tempted to hand remonstrance to the n Czarewitch and who had not been tried. y A committee was sent with 8 petition @ to the palace of the heir-presumptivet te @ the Grown, while 8 great number oi IS other students were waiting for the re e suit in the adjoining streets. The police IS endeavoring to arrest the deputation l. signal was given by whistle, wher le the intended victims were triumphantly n rescued by their fellow-students. Soon 5, however, they were met by large h police patrol which made use of it r. weapons; and then a struggle ensued le in which the crowd sided with thu m students. Cries were heard, such as le "Down with the hounds of despotism 1! as "Down with the hangmen p Tn r. police being driven away, the peopl le asked that the petition to the Czarewitc] in should be lead aloud. Presently tn jh leader of the deputation, Ozarowski, le medical student, took his place on ty box and began to read the document y, Cossacks and gendarmes then appeare B. in strong force and arrested three hun 1g dred persons.
 or A notorious criminal name
 M'Kimie, known as "road agent" i
 the far West, and the Ohio burglar de was recently sentenced to spend te of years in the Ohio Penitentiary, and o nc another indictment is to receive a nd additional sentence of ten years. Afte ;y- these twenty years are served, he wi D. be claimed in Salt Lake City to ser7 an fifteen years, having escaped from prise p- there then in Nebraska, to serve an Ill ,o- expired term of fifteen years, havin he escaped from prison there. His ne, 0. call is from California, for ten year - having there escaped from the author les ties. A man who has earned sixty yea
 of imprisonment should be well watche,
 A good deal of attention has bee of recently directed to the buffalo, fro