Connecticut western news., 1879-03-26
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Frankfort, Ky, made wager of $5, 900 each on the results of mayoralty election in that city. The money was put up, and MT. B. F. Avery won 1t. As he was a wealthy man he put the 1000 with his other money and con- graduated himself on his good fortune. Somebody grumbled and the result was the authorities took turn at MT. Avery, and showed him that the laws of the State did not allow betting. Avery re- sisted but it was of no avail, and he has just been compelled to pay over the BIO, ,OOO to the school fund of his State. With the costs of the suit Mir. Avery is $15, ,000 poorer than he was just after he had won his~bet. As he is wealthy he can afford it.
 In detailed story of the massacre of British troops by the zulus at Isandula, given in the New York Herald, the case appears to be worse even than it was represented in the early reports by cable; for while nearly every man of the force engaged was killed, as first reported, there were ex- aggerations in reporting the losses of the enemy. First, the Zulus were certainly not slaughtered by thousands, as was reported. One report, sent by Lord Chelmsford, put their loss at five thousand. They lost heavily, but in no such proportion. The ammunition of the troops was not exhausted and they did not die in their lines after expend- ing their last cartridge. They were actually killed at close quarters by the enemy before they had time to use up their ammunition, and though many fought we'll more died on the run. They were not drawn out of camp by stratagem, but were overpowered and cut down by a charge of the Zulus in order of battle in overwhelming numbers. It was not necessary to entice them away from their camp, for they were as helpless there as they could have been anywhere, since the camp was not in the slightest degree fortified and was not in de- fensible position. There were about fifteen hundred in camp and eighteen hundred were away with Lord Chelms- ford on wild goose chase.
 A city paper has received reports from all sections of the country, and from these it comes to the conclusion that the financial crisis has passed, and that we are on the road to good times again. Crop prospects are excellent. A good feeling appears to prevail and business is stirring up, or showing more signs of doing so than it has for years. The many failures that have taken place have weeded out the weak houses, and those that have stood through the years of hard times are in strong financial position. We trust that our cotem- porary is right, and that we arc on the road to better times.
 Naples has an episode so odd and so dramatic that it will almost surely be adopted as an effective incident in some coming play. A late journal of that city tells us of Q young and beautiful girl charged with novel sort of swindling. This young lady, whose name is Rosa del Prete, has been in the habit of making up" as an old beggar woman probably after Fortuny-and in this guise collecting aims in the public streets. She has got so much money in this way as to enable her to dress and live in most luxurious style, and has ac- tually, it is said, been accustomed to re- ceive in her elegant saloon, in the even- ing, the very persons from whom she had begged in the morning. If she escapes from the hands of the law-and clever advocate should find some large meshes in the net by which Miss Rosa is surrounded-the young lady might judiciously try the stage. A power of stimulation that has been so cleverly illustrated may easily get her as good and would certainly get her an honester living on the boards than in the streets.
 The speed attained on some of the English railways exceeds that in any other part of the world, an average of thirty-fve miles an hour being common, and forty miles an hour by no means rare. Thus, the distance between Lon don and Glasgow, 4O6 miles, is made in ten hours the Southeastern takes it's passengers from London to Dover, seventy-six miles, in one and three quarter hours, or at speed of 43. 4 miles an hour ; on the Great Western, the 119 miles to Bristol are run in two hours and thirty-six minutes, or 45 miles an hour. The train known as the "Flying Dutchman runs from London to Swindon, seventy-seven miles, in eighty seven minutes, or at an average speed of more than fifty-three miles an hour, the actual speed for a part of I the way being fully sixty-6ve miles an hour.
 The latest details of the Zulu vic tory at Isandula show that most of the English were killed by stabbing. For this work the Zulus used what is known
 as the stabbing assegai," spear-like
 weapon, admirably adapted for hand-to-
 hand fighting. The savages first ex.
 hausted the ammunition of the English
 by firing into them from distance, and
 then fell upon them at close quarters,
 In less than two hours not living white
 man was to be seen. The blood soaked
 plain was strewed with scar1et-coated
 corpses, over which the swarthy thou
 sands swarmed in warlike triumph.
 One of the most recent hypothese!
 of the origin of petroleum is that ad
 vanced by M. Mendelejef. Starting