Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-06
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

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head for a chicken. and fastened his claws
into his hair and scalp. Then the man
woke up and wrung the owns neck, but
that didn't console him for the disgrace Of
having his head mistaken for an old hen.
MINISTER SARGENT and Senator Miller,
of California, are spoken of as possible
candidates for Vice President. In these
days when so many small men are being
spoken Of as nominees Tor the Presidency,
it must make a man feel pretty cheap to
be merely spoken Of as a possible man for
the Vice Presidency.
PROFESSOR BELL. the inventor of the
Bell telephone, has become involved as
plaintiff in some heavy litigation concern
ing alleged infringements of his patent in
Prague, Trieste and other places in the
Austrian domain. The defendants are
some of the most prominent capitalists Of
the empire, and the leading lawyers Of
the country have been retained on both
sides.
OSTRICH FARMING has its perils. At
Anaheim, Cal, the other day, the stock
ing that is drawn over the heads Of the
birds while they are being plucked slipped
off from the neck OF one Of the biggest
male birds. Mr.. Sketchley, the plucker,
saw the accident just in time to make
leap for the fence. As he went over the
birds foot struck a board with such force
as to splinter it.
NASHVILLE is agitating the cent ques-
ton. The smallest coin in circulation in
that city is the fve-cent piece, and shop
keepers are beginning to see the folly OF
keeping out the once despised cent. One
dry goods merchant estimates his losses
at 81 TO s. a day on account Of failure TO
make exact change. Another merchant
is going to use postal cards in making
change if the cents do not come into favor
A retail dealer has ordered a hundred dol
lars worth of cents, and proposes to start
the reform at once.
TURFNTEN observe some traits in the IA
yOrites Of the race course. Smuggler is
said to have always made his best time on
the Cleveland track, as did the pacing
mare Lucy, while Little Fred could trot
on the Buffalo track two seconds faster
than on any other. At Utica, the other
day, Duquesne, in his race with Director
did very poorly, owing to the dislike Of the
track. Almost every horse has his likes
and dislikes for particular courses. the
most notable exception being Driver, to
whom all tracks We're alike.
\ NEBRASKA THIEF deyOtes his time
entirely to the larceny of hogs, and with
great success. He goes forth by night
armed with a long stick, to which a
sponge is fastened, and bottle of chloro-
form. The pOrcine victim is lulled to rest
bv the anasthetic and then borne silently
away. The other night one OF the slum-
bering hogs rolled out of the thef's wagon.
4 kind-hearted farmer who came along
the road assisted the thief TO load up
again, amid prOfuse thanks. When the
farmer reached home he discovered that
the pig was from his own sty.
The POLITICAL WAR RACES tiercely in
Cincinnati. and the habitual stupidity of
the PorkopOlis newspapers is relieved by
some charming little specimens Of jour
nahstic courtesy. For instance. the En-
Quirer characterizes Field Marshal Hal
stead as a malicious, malignant, lying
rascal, ''despicable old trickster," and
an ''egOustic rascal" As if this were
not enough, it also declares that his ''busi-
ness is to confess himself a splotch in So
cietv," and again that she has never had
lis eFual as a professor in rascality."
Those Cincinnati editors should not give
each other away like that.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA, known as the Magic
CITY. has had growth not less remark
able than that Of some of the famous
Western towns. In 1873 it was ragged
village Of 2,500 inhabitants. In that year
it was nearly depOpulated by a cholera
epidemic. An era of railroad build
ing set in in the State, and the intersec-
ton of two lines there brought Birming-
hams population up to 1000 in 1880. a
census lust completed gives the city in
1888 1l,34S inhabitants. The assessed
value of property has increased in three
fp
Growth of the town is due TO tie develop
ment Of in8 iron mines in the vicinity.
THE Germans Of Iowa are starting IA
movement to oppose the woman's suf-
frage agitation. They say that if women
obtained the right to vote they would be
Under the influence of the clergy, and
would take an extreme position in rela-
ton Ia beer and Wine-drinking and the
Observance Of sunday. II would be i'm
possible to reason with them III favor Of
moderate and reasonable temperance and
sunday laws, and their votes would estab-
Iish total prohibition and blue laws as bad
as those formerly enforced in Connecti-
cut Various German journals affect to
regard this threatened evil as Of serious
and imminant character. and call upon
the Germans as body to take a pro
nounced position in opposition to II.
THE Tunes Democrat, of New Orleans,
publishes interviews with Governors Of
many Southern States upon the prosperity
ana advancement Of their respective COM
monwealths, from which 1t appears that
Alabama's cotton mills paid Is per cent
dividends last year, her iron mills are
wonderfully productive, and her tax rate
has been reduced; that Georgia is adding
$780, 900 spindles to its cotton mills each
year; that Mississippi Is rapidly adding
TO its mileage of railroads; that Tonnes
see Is making great strides since the State
debt settlement; that Florida Is reclaim
ing vast tracts of wild lands and filling
nm with settlers; that LOuisiana's crops
last wear were the biggest ever gathered
there: and that Texas has 3f,OOU,00O acres
of land to convert into a school fund, so
that every child within her borders, white
and black. can be educated without cost
to the people.
WHAT is known in Germany as the
American duel. in which two persons are
supposed TO draw lots to determine which
shall blow his own brains out, is stated
by a Berlin correspondent Of a German
newspaper to have been announced so
frequently Of late &c the cause OF suicides
in high life, that IL is being looked upon
with suspicion as the cloak for facts
which the surviving relatives would find
IL exceedingly dIsagFeeable to have made