The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-06-27

WANTED TO DIE.-A rejected sutton
made last and Intellectual appeal to
the girl of his choice, as they were rid
ing together near Newark, Ohio. She
told him that she certainly would never
change her mind. "Then / want to
die" he said. He got out of the wagon,
took the check-rein from the horse,
walked short distance into the woods
and hanged himself. The girl, after
waiting awhile, went to look for him
and found him dead.
"THE AMERICAN ToURIsT."-A small,
four-wheeled wagon, drawn by two
goats, and containing a helpless,
shriveled-up remnant of man, dressed
in loose garment of coarse cloth and
wearing large straw hat, attracted at
tention in Hagerstown, Nd, recently.
The man gave his name as David Grieve,
from GAINESVILLE. Ohio. He says he was
formerly a stout, active man, about five
feet five inches high, but that he has
been brought to his present condition
by paralysis. He has travelled in the
present manner for many years, and
calls himself "the American tourist"
He is entirely helpless, and his shriveled
limbs and parched countenance are
pitiful. He has wife and four chill
dren, who accompany him and attend
to his wants. He is a temperance advo-
cate, bitter in his denunciation of
spirituous liquors, and derives small
revenue from the sale of temperance
song and other small articles.
A NEwsBoY BENEFAcToR. John
King, cripple, is Cincinnati newsboy,
but now somewhat more noted than
others of his calling. For ten years he
has lived in cramped and comfortless
room in the old Museum building, at
Third and Sycamore streets. He has
all this time been alone-cooking, wash
ing and mending for himself. A hard
life, it may be said. But John from
the first took different view of the
matter. He was an optimist. Nature
had kicked him at the start? Very
true. The world cuffed him on the
way? Correct Nevertheless, John be,
gan to collect books, working all day
for bread and the means to satisfy his
bibliomania. AT night he would read
Last Tuesday the Commercial devoted
column to Johns presentation of $500
volumes to the Public Library of Gin
cinnati. All the books are good; many
of them choice-old volumes with Lon.
don imprint, the classics, histories, and
so on.
JOINS LovE.-There died in Austin
To- Cd Al
called John, the woodman. He shut
fed the coil through poison self admin.
istered. John lived in bit of woods
near Austin, his place of abode being O
cabin. Though surrounded by game
feathered and fnny, he never sought it
but lived from ightwood and charcoal
sold to the townspeople. He was o
good old man. He was not ambitious
Year after year he visited the house OF
widow lady in Austin, she being one
of his constant customers. The widow
was fond of simple John, with his gliz-
zly-gray beard and coal-begrimed face
and frequently talked to him. One day
she said, half in jest: John, I'm 60
ing to be married soon." The words
affected the old fellow so that he did
not bid the children good-by. He went
to the woods and searched for roots
many of which he pulled up, taking
them to his cabin. Selecting what he
thought the poisonous ones, he ate
them and died. This is avouched by
the Transcript, of Austin.
MAC OF TULARE.-Among the weeds
ouI k,1ao of T,,1ora 1o1ya CoI,ro,o.,
may be found man who has cut him.
self off from all but wild life. He is
known as the Boat Hermit of Tulare
His name is James Mac. Whether when
he made one of the throng the Mac was
followed by Adams, Duffy, Cullough OF
any one of the other hundred names
that usually go with the prefix he can.
not be led to say. He calls himself
James Mac. He spends night and day
in his boat, an ordinary lake craft, with
out sail or rudder. In fishing or trap
ping he is so expert that those who
know him understand the by-phrase
"as lucky as Mac" This character
served in the navy during the Mexican
war, and in 40 joined the exodus for
the gold fields of the Pacific coast. He
helped to survey San Francisco when ii
contained less than score of shanties
He joined several bands of pioneers and
marched through the mountains and
forests for years, returning to San Fran
cisco to find that it had become a large
city. Tulare lake, in the distance, was
the only natural feature of the country,
q part of which had been claimed and
staked off by him, so he built boat and
vowed to pass his life among the bull
rushes.
ECCENTRIC CALVIN HILL.--Capt. Cal
vim Hill, who recently died in Somers,
Mass, at the age of "a, was one of the
most eccentric farmers in Western
Massachusetts,. He would never begin
piece of work on Friday, would cut
his finger-nails at stated times, would
never kill hog for his own use unless
the moon was growing larger, SO that
the meat would swell while cooking,
would talk to burns to cure the pain,
and had as many superstitious notions
as heather. To look up and see an
odd number of crows was to him an
omen of bad luck, and to see the new
moon over his right shoulder indicated
that good fortune lay in his pathway.
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