The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-26
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS AND
THINGS.

During the last fifteen years the
Baltimore American has been de-
PENDANT in libel suits aggregating
over $2,0O0,OOO. The sum which the
aggrieved parties have actually re-
ceived reaches just $500.
The Italians are not credited with
making much of a fuss over their
babies diet. Sir VIM. Jenner says
nursed, are fed on a pap of boiled
bread mixed with garlic and oil,
washed down with sour wine and
water.
1t is one of the customs of the Rus
sian carnival to eat buckwheat cakes
in great numbers. Rich and poor,
high and low, contrive for Il whole
week to eat buckwheat cakes at least
three times day. Butter, salt and
fresh half liquid caviar are eaten with
them. Bets are made as to who can
consume the greatest number, and
there are instances where an individ-
ual has eaten as many as forty cakes
as large as saucer at one meal, help
ing them down with red wine or hot
tea.
A child has been born in Turkish
Kurdistan with full head and mus
tache, a perfect set of thirty-two
teeth and no fewer than forty distinct
and well formed fingers. Naturally
such prodigy attracted great atten-
ton, but several visitors inspected 1t
at their cost; for it snapped its thirty
two teeth at everybody who came
within range with such energy and
RI
extract all the front ones. 1t is a
wonderful thing to see the infant ly-
ing in its cradle, strOking its beard
with its forty fingers.
A few days before congress ad-
journed Senator Harris, of Tennes-
see, a rather plain looking old gentle
man, went into the rooms of the
senate committee ON claims to look
UP the case of a Tennessee friend.
The clerk of a senate committee is
alway bigger man than the chair
man, or the president of the senate
for that matter. The clerk of this
particular committee had never seen
Harris before, and he did not like the
somewhat imperative way in which
Harris asked for information about
his friends claim. Are you the
claimant?" he finally asked sharply.
NO." said Harris, 81 am not ?" Are
you his Attorney" still more sharply.
NO." said Harris, as quietly as be-
fore, II am not" well, then,
what interest have you in the
CASEY" asked the clerk in the high
keyed-G eorge-Blis tone. "Oh, not
much" responded the senator bland
ly, "but the people down there sent
me to the senate, and as the claimant
in the case is my constituent, l
thought the best l could do was to
ask about It." For once the clerk
wilted.
The multitude of inyalids who go
to Florida have an eye co business as
well as to health, and it is their in
vestment of capital, principally, that
is developing the resources of the
state. Railroads are extending in all
directions. A new line to New Or
leans, following the coast, has Just
been completed. Another from Jack
sonYille to st. Augustine is
in process of construction. Two
lines are pushing south toward
Tampa bay. Two more are look
ing toward the Indian river. Still
Gordon, of Georgia, is for railroad
from Jacksonville to the extreme
southern end of the peninsula. The
Okeechobee drainage company is max
ing progress with its undertaking, and
is perfectly confident of retaining
hundreds of thousands of acres adapt
ed to sugar culture. The orange in
terest is also rapidly increasing. In
Orange county are thousands Of
young groves, from five to 125 acres
in extent, lust beginning to bear.
The thoroughbred stallion Ononda-
ga was recently blinded by a veterina-
ry surgeon at Lexington, Kentucky, in
order to subdue him. He was ex-
tremeIy vicious, and all the or
binary efforts at control had failed.
Chloroform was administered to
him, and while he lay helpless fine
needle was thrust into each eye. Ken
lucky horsemen differ iii opinion
about this severe treatment. Some
talk of prosecution on charge of
cruelty, while others justify the act.
Milt Z. Young. the owner of the
horse, said to Cincinnati Enquirer
correspondent: "Onondaga was so
savage that we could do nothing with
him. We tried all the common ways
of subjugation in vain. 1t came to
choice hetween killing him or testing
the effects of putting out his eye"
The horse was very III for weeks after
the operation, but has recovered fully,
and is sufficiently dooile to be easily
controlled.