Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1880-11-09
The Dark Horse.

respectfully, Is. +. Fox.
The Dark Horse.
The origin of the torn clark horse" is
explained by the Cincinnati Enquirer
There lived in Tennessee an old chap named
Sam Flynn, who traded in horses aud gen.
orally contrived to own a speedy nag or two.
which he used for racing purposes. whenever
he could pick up a .soft match" during his
travels. The best of his flyers was 4 coal
black stallion named Dusky Pete, who was
almost q thoroughbred, and able to go in the
best of company. Flynn was accustomed to
saddle Pete when approaching a town and
ride him into it to give the impression that
the animal WAS merely "a likely hoss," and
not a flyer. Ono day he osme to a town
where a country race meeting was being held
and he entered Pete among the contestants.
Tai people Of the iowa not knowing any,
thing OF his anteeedepts, and not bein over
Impressed by his appearance, backed tive or
three local favorites heavily against him -
Flynn moved among the crowd and took all
tho bets offered against his nag. Just as the
'fyers" were being saddled fer the race old
Judge Meainameo, who was the turf oracle
OF that part of the State, arrived on the
course, and was made one of judges. AS be
took his place on the stand he was told how
the betting ran, and of the folly of the owner
OF the strange entry in backing his .'plus'
SO heavily. Running his eye ever the track,
the judge instantly recognized Pete, and he
said : gentlemen, there's a dark horse in
this race that will make come Of yen sick
before supper" The judge was right
Pete, the "dark horse" lay back until the
thrse-quarter pole was reached, when hs
went to the front with a rush and won the
purse and Flynn's bets with the greatest ease.
FALLING FROM A BALLoos.-A disna,cb
from Paris says a frightful aud unpreesden>
ted balloon accident occurred rcos atly a,
Courbevole, near Paris. A large crowd had
ssssnbled TO witness the novel and perilous
ascent of a gymsast called Auguste Navarro,
who, with insxplicabie foolhardiness. had
volunteered to perform a number of athletic
fsats ON q trapezs suspended from 4 Mont>
goIhsre balloon named the Yidoavillaise
Rejecting the advice Of bystanders, Navarro
retused to allow himself to be tied to the
trapezs. There was no car attached to the
balloon. AT sbeut 5 o'clock the Vidouyil.
laise was let Loose from its mooring and rosa
majestically in tho air. Navarro, hanging
on the .raPeze, appeared quite sonGien. and
repeatedly snluted the spectators. When,
however, the balloon had reached . height
OF nearly 200 yards, the crowd was horri>
bed to see him suddenly let 20 ths har and
fall. Tho tragic decent was watched with
GREATNESS excitement. It last the body
reached the ground, striking with suoh force
that 1t made a ho!o in the earth two feet
deep and rebounded four yards. It was
crushed aud mangled beyond recognition.
Meanwhile the balloon, freed from it's human
ballast, shot up With lightning speed and
soon disappeared from sight. Late in the
evening it burst and fell at Menilmopt,nt
much to the CONSERVATION of the Inhabitants
Of that busy Partisan quarter.
FoRTY-THREE THOUSAND Posr-OrF1css
The annual report of the Appointment,
Division of the Post OAice Department. for
the iast fiscal year was completed ono day
last week. ltshows that the number of pest.
of1oes 10 operation in tho Uaited States on
the 3oth of june last was AZ, 9s9-an ia
crease of 2,134 during tho ysar l,76l Of
the possmasters are appointees of the Pros
identi the remaining Al 22S Offices are illed
BY appointments of the PossD aster> General.
Besides the nearly 5000 pos.masters there
are IL persons throughout the country
who perform service and receive eompsnsa>
tlon upon tho written authorization of the
Pestnaaster- sneral or his chief assis..pts-
comprising 4l9 in the Post Ofioe Dspsrt.
nent at Washington. 5,5l9 clerks in pest,
Offices of the trst and second classes. 2.6sS
letter carriers, Sc spssial agents. 1916 en-
ployes of the railway meil service, and S. S62
mail contractors. 10 addition to the post
Office clerks abevs reckoned, for whose en-
pioyusnt allowances are made to presidential
pos.masters of the frst and second grade. it i,
estimated at the Department that there are
ut least so, 900 persons acting as clerks in
the third and fourth class post>ofices who
look for their Employment aud com pensation
directly to the local authority and it is
believed, therefore,, that there are row net
less than 10000 persons directly connected
with our postal service Wash. Rep.
LEAD PIPE Po1soN1xG.-Dr. Nelson, a
physician practieing in Granville, N. Y,
was recently poisoned by drinking. water
which had been pumped through a lead pipe
from a sistern supplied from painted roots
and conductors. The water falling on the
roofs and running along the spouts took up
in its course each time a portion of tho lead
used in the paint aud deposited it on the
bottom of the %cistern, where it collected in
increasing quantities after each shower. 1,
was then pumped through eighteen or
twenty feet of lead pipe, two to five feet of
which lay in the bottom of tho ~cistsrn. Az
this was the only water on the premises, i.
was used constantly for tea and coffee. for
cooking meats and vegetables, ard for drink
ing. The doctors illness terminated fatally
. few days aga. His wife, who was attacked
on the same day. still remains in a critical
condition.
TAMMAhY's ADDRESS TO THE Public,
NeU York, NOcemJer 5-The Tammany
Democracy tonight issued an address to their
brethrea throughout. the country, lamenting
the defeat of Gen. Hancock IS q great ma,
t!onal calamity aud at'ributing it TO fraud,
tho colonization of repeatsrs and the intin-