The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-08
TIMELY TOPICS.

TIMELY TOPICS.
The value OF property in the United
States has increased during the last
thirty years from $18, ,OOO, COO, 00o to
$50, 600, 100000.
The house OF representatives in Mas
sachusetts contains among it's members
thirty-seven mechanics, thirty-si1 mer-
chants, thirty-three manufacturers,
twenty-nine lawyers aud twenty'seVen
farmers.
Three colors-red, white and green
are used as signals by the railroads, and
engineers complain that in bright SUM-
light the red appears green. The Penn:
sylvania railroad company is thinking OF
making partial change.
A Louisiana newspaper reports that
there are now fifty cases OF leprosy IN
Lateurche, all originating from one per.
ss sP.AAo, some twenty years ago, settled
<Sfhe lower part of Bayou Lafourche.
Legislative inquiry is asked for.
A curiosity in typographical blunder-
ing is noted in connection with the ofi-
oial list Of awards made to British e1hi-
bitors at the Paris exposition, which
claims to have been "issued by order OF
His Royal Highness the Prince OF
Males I"
A lawsuit for small piece Of wood
land, which was claimed by both
branches of a family, has just been SET
tied at Ak, France, after lasting fifty.
six years. The loser had to pay the
winners costs, which amounted to
$12,000
The making of horse-hair rings and
chains by the convicts in the Kentucky
penitentiary has been prohibited, be
cause of the manner in which they levied
campaign assessments on the tails OF
horses driven into the yard, sometimes
seriously disAguring the animals.
Prof. Schiff, the great vivisector OF
Florence, sacrifices on an average two
dogs day in the interests Of science. It
being reported that he had thus destroy.
ed IA, 900 dogs in the last ten years, the
humane society has irterfered, and now
buy up all stray ours and puts them to
death psinlessly.
A postal card has been around the
world from Chemnitz, Sa1ony, in III
days. The card contained six different
addresses of the German consuls at
Alexandria, Singapore, Yokohama, San
Francisco, New York, and that of the
sender at Chemnitz, besides polite re-
quest that the card be sent on without
delay, and the exact time of receipt and
dispatch noted on the card an e1plana-
ton of the circumstances Of the case be-
ing at the same time given. These in
structions seem to have been promptly
fulfilled, and the card made it's appear
ance again at Chemnitz, III days after
it had been dispatched, covered with
the stamps of the various stations. It
is stated that it would have gone around
in ninety-si1 days if it had been posted
an hour earlier, and probably if it had
been an American instead Of German
postal card it would have made the cir
cult in much less time.
When the British naval ship Emerald
sailed for Western Australia last summer,
she received orders to call at the island
of Tristan d'Acunha, to learn how the
small colony Jared, and to inquire for
some shipwreoked passengers; also to
land score OF cats sent out by the ad.
miralty in consequence of reports that
the island was impoverished by swarms
of mice. The islanders received their
visitors cordially, and the books and
newspapers brought were most welcome;
but the present of cats caused amube.
ment and dismay. 1t was true the island
was overrun by mice, but it also swarm
ed with cats, and it was doubtful which
was the greater plague. The mice de-
stroyed every green blade on the island,
but the cats live on friendly terms with
the mice, and disdain to eat them, pre-.
ferring to prey on young sea birds and
chickens, therefore cats are trapped and
destroyed by hundreds.