Huntsville gazette., 1881-10-22
GENERAL.

No President OF the UnltoQ OCatcS,
from Washington to Arthur, was born
in city.
The new Criminal Law Courts at
Berlin are of imposing aspect, and cover
large area of ground.
Annie Muller committed suicide, in
Detroit, because her sweetheart gave his
trousers to another girl to mend.
A Los Angeles (Cal.) bee-keeper has
received an order from Australia for
several coi1nies of humble bees. They
are wanted to distribute the pollen OF
the clover-feld, so as to fertilize the
seeds.
Rev. Jabez l.. Swan, of New Lon
don, an evangelist well known in eastern
Connecticut, was crazed by the news of
the Presidents death while on his way
from a Baptist Conference, and has
been taken to the Providence Asylum.
Richard Thayer, an inmate of the
poor-house at Stoughton, Mass, who
recently committed suicide, was, four
wears ago, an influential minister of the
gospel at Easton, and was estimated to
be worth ten thousand dollars. He lost
his money in speculation, and his mind
became affected.
An old Connecticut copper coin
made in 1888 has been found in over
hauling an ancient house at Middle
Haddam. It was in rats nest between
the walls, and had evidently slipped off
the old mantelpiece and fallen inside
the casing. The old house was once
tavern in which Gen. Lafayette stayed
over night on his way to New London
from Hartford.
Two Pittsburgh youths, named
James Leaby and John Bender, con-
cluded to give their friends a practical
illustration of the manner in which
President Garfield was assassinated by
Guiteau. Leaby procured a revolver,
and loading it with powder and heavy
paper wads. fired at Bender. Contrary
10 their expectations the discharge took
effect, the wads inficting four painful
wounds.
Steamship passengers from Ameri-
ca are taken about 800 miles out OF
their way to be landed at Liverpool,
when, by using the splendid harbor of
Milford Haven, the trip to London
would be fourteen hours shorter. With
an advantage so obvious as this, the
casual inquirer is amazed that the pro-
ject has not long ago been put into
operation. But the inquiry brings forth
a satisfactory explanation. Liverpool is
the great distributing point for freight.
There is no trade about Milford Haven.
AS a ship Captain said, "You can
make port, but you can't make trade"
The question of the future petroleum
supply is growing more and more inter-
esting to Pennsylvanians. Regions
once spouting out abundantly are now
strewn with ruined derricks over wells
pumped dry. New sources of supply
have hitherto been readily found in
place of the drained reservoir, but now
the great Pennsylvania oil sponge ap-
pears to be nearly squeezed. The
Bradford region in Mexican County,
for instance, which pumps 10000 bar
rels daily, and is the petroleum center
of the State, steadily failed during the
month of August at the rate of $500
barrels daily.
On the New York and New Eng
land Railroad, near Brewster's, there is
peat bed that sucked in 600 loads of
earth before foundation could be had
for the abutments of bridge across a
shallow pond. For this structure piles,
one upon another, had been driven ITO
feet into the peat, and the longest goes
down ia feet below the surface. A
3,000-pound weight has been used in
driving them, and the last fall of this
immense hammer, fall of twenty or
thirty feet, would drive the piles only
half an inch, so great was the friction on
the sides of the piles. AS it was, bottom
was not reached after all; the friction
on the piles sustained them.
A London anti-vaccinator has met
with and caused sad misfortunes. One
of his children was attacked by small
pox. The child recovered. The moth
er and two other children took it and
died, and three more went to the hospi-
tai. The anti-vaccinationist borrowed
from neighbor suit of black clothes
to wear at his wife's funeral. He kept
the clothes in the house few days be-
fore returning them. Shortly after
their return their owner took the small
pox, was conveyed to the hospital and
died there Since then several houses
in the same neighborhood have become
infected, and some sixteen cases of
smallpox have been taken to the hos
pital.
Solitary confinement is being sue
.cessfully experimental with in various
parts of Europe. For this purpose cells
of sheet iron are being constructed that
are somewhat in the nature of cages.
Over the door and overhead there is a
network of heavy wire. A number OF
these cells are placed side by side in one
large room of prison. The inmates
can see nothing of each other, and no
conversation is permitted. Youthful
prisoners are especially subjected to this
mode OF confinement at night and dur
ing other non-working hours, the OBJ.
ject being to prevent the demoralizing
influences resulting from Imprisonment
in common. This plan is pursued at
present in Belgium, Italy and Ireland,
and is to be introduced in Hungary.
Accusations of witchcraft and NAL.
treatment of supposed witches by the
! illitarata cOuntry peonle are still thinrc