Connecticut western news., 1880-03-03
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Mrs. Th1eson kept sent1nel n front of her house, day and night, at Colum bus.'i Ohio, to protent her from her husband, from wncm she had parted, and who had threat ened veng canoe. The neighbors ridiculed her precaution, but she said they did not know Thieson as well as she did and she was right, for he slipped into the honse while the guar dian was temporarily off duty and mur- dered her.
 John Birch lives in hovel close to the house in which Lincoln died, at Washington, and has there worked as- siduously on device for perpetual mo- tion. He is fine mechanic and musi- elan, and occasionally does some repair ing of musical instruments, in order to earn money enough to support himself. Remenyi and Ole Bull trust their vio- lins in his hands. He is a brother of of the original Billy Birch, the. famous negro minstrel, from whom the present Billy Birch took his name. o
 Among all the countries of Europe only England and the Netherlands have reduced their debt since the year 1865, and even in these exceptional cases the reduction has been trifing. The total. public debt of Europe has risen from $12, ,5G3 ,0O0, 900 in 1865 to $20, 585, ,OOO,- GOO in 1879. In 1865 Europe spent $559, 776, ,O00 on her armies, and in 1879 the figures had increased to $776, ,l22,- 900. France owes the highest national debt, $3, 927, ,OoO,GO0; Englana owes $3, 7O40OO, 900; Russia $2,856. .000, ,oen. and Spain $2. 499, ,OOO. GOO.
 -August Kuester was 8 Quartermas- ter's sergeant in the Eleventh 'Regi- ment of New York Oity-now he IS a prisoner in the Police Court. The men of one of the companies were to have paraded on Monday, but were effectually prevented by Kuester's pawning their pantaloons. Lieutenant Loser told Jus tice Smith that Kuester visited the men and told them he had been sent by the Colonel to bring their trousers to him for inspection. The men, believing his story, let him have them. Kuester then removed the stripes, and pawned the breeches. He spent the money he got upon them in high spree. He was held for trial. ,... --. . ..-.
 Two German scientists, Herrs Virchow and Cohn, have recently studied the probable causes of short- sightedness, and are of the opinion that it is mainly caused by the amount of daily work imposed upon children and by insufficient light. According as the time employed by them m working wns 2, 4, or hours per day, the proportion of n arsighted children was IF, 29 and 40 per cent. The light which they con- slider the most favorable to the preserva- tion of sight is that whieh proceeds either from two opposite points or fir om central skylight. The latter is especi- ally recommended by these scientists for the illumination of schools.
 Five lads, who had been playing on the English coast near Plymouth at low tide. entered cave in the rock and re- mained there unobservant of the rising tide until, they discovered that it was inn possible for them to escape from their prison. They screamed and shouted, while the swift waters,. driven by a fierce gale, rushed in higher and higher. Hundreds of people, attracted by the piercing cries, congregated on the rock above, but they could do nothing. No boat could live in the boiling surf, and all looked helplessly on, until two sea faring men-George Andrews and Thomas Penny-offered to attempt 8 rescue. They were fastened to ropes, lowered over the precipitous crags, and, allowing themselves to be washed into the cave by the sea, succeeded in res- cuing one boy. This hazardous opera tion was continued until the five were landed on the rocks above.
 It was to Prince Alexander of Hesse that the Czar of Russia owes his life. A letter from the Prince to his ! wife says: ''The Emperor awaited me at the staircase. We were proceeding through the large corridor to His Msjes- tvs apartments when, suddenly fear. full detonation was heard, the flooring was raised as by an earthquake, the gas extinguished and we were left in total 4 darkness At the same time horrible dust and smell of gunpowder or dyna
 mite filled the corridor. Some one shouted to us that the chandelier had fallen down in the saloon where the ta
 ble was laid for dinner. I hasteneG
 thither with the Czarwitch and thu
 Grand Duke Vladimer, while Count Ad
 lerberg, in doubt as to what might hap | pen held back the Emperor. We found
 all the windows broken and the walls il
 ruins. The dinner had been delayed
 half an hour for my arrival, and it wa
 owing to this circumstance that the I'm
 perial family had not yet assembled il
 in the dining hall.'
 I "A singular accident was that whicl
 befell Thomas Hagen of Jersey City
 a machinist employed in the Erie Rail
 way car shops. At noon he lay dow upon bench in the shop for rest. II
 the middle of the bench is hole, througl
 which agcends and. descends a three ! quarter inch augur run by steam. Ea
 gen lay in such 8 position that one o
 his legs just below the knee, oovere' the hole. He fell asleep, and was no
 awakened by the whistle that signallet
 for work to begin. When the machiner, started, the augur descended as usual
 and the sleeper was awakened by feeling