Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-15
IN GEN ERAL.

DR.. Austin Church, who died ut Brook
lyn the other day aged So introduced the use
OF blcarbonate of soda for baking into this
country.
At the close of the war n young man
named Crouch hired out to herd sheep for
Sl2 month, in Frio county, Texas He
now owns 100000 acres of fenced land, 1000
cattle and 1000 sheep.
A tract of wild West Virginia land,
thought to be worthless, for which Horace
Greeley paid $4,000 has recently become
worth $40, 600 to his estate.
wise as serpents," will do for the max
i'm, but they have killed big black snake
out in Port Jervis, N. Y, which was cured
up in hens nest trying to digest porce-
lain nest-egg
Miss Louisiana st. John, who died re-
Gently in New York, leaving real estate val
ued at 81 100000, began her career as
country school teacher. Removing to the
metropolis, she entered upon speculations in
real estate, which resulted in making her
wealthy.
The Boston and Albany passenger engine
''Sacramento' exploded near the engine
house at Greenbush, N. Y, last Friday, kill.
ing the fireman, Tom Mcintyre, and Machin-
list Frank Murphy and Thomas Smith, and
severely injuring Robert Miller, IA machinist,
and Engineer Wynant Crandall.
A Three River mich. woman was stung
on one temple by honey bes the other day,
and within an hour she became covered with
punches, after which she was taken with re-
pented commissions so strong that it took three
men to keep her in bed. A half pint of wills
ky had no effect upon her, but after day or
two she recovered.
On the I'd of July business house in
Boston advertised for an assistant book
keeper The morning mail on the 9Th brought
347 answers A firm in Denver, Col, adver-
tised for young man to help about the ware
house and make collections. 1t received over
30 replies. Shortly after it advertised for a
good wood turner. To this not an answer
was received. These things are significant.
A Baltimore druggist who has given
much attention to the matter, expresses the
belief that Brights disease of the kidneys is
due to the immoderate use of ice water 1t
IL said that Americans use ninety per cent
more ice i'll their drinks than any other peo-
pie, and that there are seventy-fve per cent
more cases Of Bright's disease here in pro-
portion to the population than there are in
any other country. The affliction was scarce
ly known among physicians before the use of
ice became common.
The Kentucky Penitentiary has sixty life
prisoners, and the probability is that the
number will be greater before it is less. The
difficulty of properly guarding this class of
convcts is bad enough of itself but in a san
itary way the prison is so badly managed that
ffty-twO deaths have occurred in it since the
1st of January last-a mortality of more than
10 per cent of the number confined 1t is
urged that it would be better to hang con-
victs than keep them in this way.
The captain of the steamer Burgos,
which struck on the rocks at Mariners cove,
Newfoundland, in fog July IL, tells a hard
story of the wreckers on that coast. While
the crew and IA number of fishermen were
working to get the vessel off the next morn
ing after she struck, the steamer was sur
rounded by 300 or 400 men in large and
small boats, who boarded the Burgos in spite
of the captains orders, and carried oil her
cargo of wheat and some 400 sheep. The au-
thorities have recovered three schoouer-loads
of the stolen property, but there is consid-
cradle missing yet.
Gen. Jesse H. Drake, prominent citi-
zen of Nash county, n. c., died on the Sth
inst, leaving his whole fortune, estimated at
from $40, 600 to 100000, to three of his for
mer slaves, Calvin Drake, Aaron Drake and
Judah Drake, for their lives, with reversal to
their children. His will was written on the
Doth of March, 1877. He leaves all his es-
"They have been MY faithful slaves, and
have remained with me since their freedom,
nursing and caring for me in my old age,
and desire them to share my gratitude"
A poisoning caGe has come to light in
Scottsville, Va, which did not end as the
poisoner expected. Mitchell Jefferson, a
young farmer who had been separated from
his wife, visited her recently. His mother
in-law, in her enmity against him, persuaded
her daughter to get him out of the way, and
gave her poison to put in his coffee. She
gave him the drugged cup and left the room
He took spoonful, but not liking the taste
poured it back into the coffee pot. After he
had left the mother-in-law drank the coffee,
was taken sick and died. jefferson was ex-
onerated from blame by the coroner's jury.
The Chinese have hitherto shown pc
culiar spite against the telegraph, both cable
and land line, and it is satisfactory to learn
that they are now much better disposed to it,
the telephone having opened their eyes TO its
advantages. The fact is, they did not under
stand the former telegraphs, and they were
unsuited to the Chinese language. But now
the telephone enables them TO converse, and
transmits with peculiar fidelity the metallic
twang of their monosyllabic language. They
are vastly delighted with it, and have just dis
covered for the first time that it was original
ly Chinese, having been invented in the year
800 by Kung Foo Wiling.