Connecticut western news., 1880-03-10
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

sor, has announced his intention of at tempting to pick up hundred potatoes placed one yard apart, in an hour, eact potato to be brought back to a baske placed at the starting-point. With { surfeit of six days "go-as-you-please matches and such-like contests, it is al all events pleasing to hear of some novel feat of pedestrianism.
 During the past five years $353.. 01S. .255 worth of property has been de- stroyed in this country by fire. In 1875 the loss was $78, 102, 2S5.; in 1876, 1884,. 63O, ,6OO; in 1877, $68, ,265, 800; in 1878, $64 ,315, 300, and in 1879, $76. 703, 700. Of the States, New York leads in big figures. Her loss in 1876 was $14, ,090,- GOO; in 1877, $11, 456, 300 in 1878, $9, 397, eco, and in 1879, $15, 793, 200. Penn sylvania comes next with total loss in the four years of $2s, 129, GOO.
 An attempt to rob the Sub- Treasury at Philadelphia, though made nearly a year ago, has just been divulged by the officials, who mistakenly supposed that silence would lead to the detection of the thieves. A wall more than two feet thick was dug through, but the vault containing 1O,O00, 900 in gold resisted the attack, and the burglars secured only few dollars worth of pennies, Five watchmen in the building declared that they heard nothing.
 The bar of Scott county, Iowa, has had its little joke on the District At torney and the District Judge. Aburglar was on trial, and the lawyers. who had noticed that the foreman of the Grand Jury had omitted to sign the indict- ment, conspired to prolong the defence and annoy the prosecution till the Dis trict Attorney fumed and the Judge wearied from laying down the law. When the thief was convicted at last they called for the indictment and pro- cured his discharge.
 William Bernard murdered his aunt at ranche in New Mexico, took $700 of her savings, and went away. After going half @ mile he discovered that he had made track of blood all the way. A barefooted tramp came along, and to him Bernard gave the dangerous boots, obtaining another pair from friend for himself. The tramp was arrested, and, as his guilt was not doubted, Bernard almost succeeded in having him hanged bv a mob before the truth came out.
 The Emperor of Austria has lately been the recipient of unique present. It consists of suit of clothes made from the wool of an alpaca sheep that eleven hours previous to their delivery was still alive. The animal, 8 superb specimen of it's kind, was slain at ell g.. m. Four hours and thirty-three min. utes were employed in reducing the wool to cloth. In two hours and twenty five minutes the latter was ready for the tailor, who employed the remaining four hours m making the suit.
 Here are bones for geologists to pick. St. Louis is having new sewer made through solid limestone rock, twelve feet below the street level. Near the substratum of the rock the workmen have come upon two human feet, firmly planted in the rock. The calf of the left leg can be traced, but the other foot possesses only part of the ankle. They occupy natural positions, as if the orea- ture that owned them had been standing erect in the sand that hardened into limestone. No traces of the body are visible
 A Liverpool merchant last year took his son, who was recovering from scarlet fever C. G., was in the most infectious stage of the disorder), to stay at large hotel in Wales. The young mans con- dition transpired, and there was gen. eral exodus from the house. The land lord thus had his house empty at the busy time and, besides, was obliged to go to considerable expense in disinfect- ing it. He brought an action to recover the loss he had sustained, and it has just been settled out of court by the pay ment of @ large sum, nearly 92,O0O, in- elusive of costs.
 A number of the " Outline Mission ary Series," on China describes an old clothes merchant, convert ln the Annoy region, who seeing Mandarin enter his shop suspected that his object was per- secution and said to him, "I know what you have come for," and taking down some of the goods and pointing to the rest in the shop said, "Take them, and take me also and you may take my boys too, and my little girl. We are all Christians, and willing to go to prison" This old man was one of the first con- verts of the mission, which now num- bers seventy stations and 2,200 commu- nicants.
 The Baptists Year book exhibits the strength of that denomination as follows: {: In the United States and territories there are 1,095 associations, "A. 794 churches, 15,4O1 ministers and 2, 1885, 044 members baptisms reported for the last year, 7S,924-22, ,S12 less than the number for 1878. There was gain of 20 associations, 295 churches 447 minis ters and 3O,O1O members. Three hun dred and fifteen associations failed to send in their statistical reports. The number of Baptists in &he Northern States and territories, reported, is 595,- 427 in the Southern States, 1,537, GA. Of those in the South 890, ,759 are white and 646, o74 are colored.
 A sad picture of Irish helplessness and distress is drawn by MT. Franklin Dodge, who writes to the Oswego Pal ladiune from Achil, County Mayo. He