The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-02-15

GLEANTNGs.

China gets Its early European news
from American papers.
A burglar at Ovid, Mich, used 30
cents worth of chioroform on a man
from whom he stole 81 cents.
The boss pension agent has turned
up in Natchez He secured negro
widow pension of 81 600, end handed
over $3.50. taking the remaining $3.50
for his fee.
1t is said that Flipper, the negro
West Pointer, who was eashiered for
alleged stealing, and who joined the
Mexican army, is now q brigadier ger
eral IN that service.
The pupils in a Philadelphia institu-
ton for predetermined children gave "a
performance of ''Pinafore, and, it Is
said 'sproved equal to the require
ments.
The greater part of cargo of sound
| eocoanuts shipped from the West Indies
were found, upon arrival at Philadel-
phia, to be worthless. Rats had gnaw-
ed out the eyes, drank the milk, and
| thus ruined the meat of the nut.
OF the large number of persons
whose names appear in the Philadel-
| phia Directory, fifteen are Large, six
Bigger, fifty-five Small, and one hun
bred and thirty-two Little, but there
are only two Littieboys.
1t struck a Cs5lorSdo Springs CORE
spondent of the Springfi eld Republican,
as little singular that the man who
described the place as ga paradise for
| invalids'' was making a living by bury
| ing the invalids who died there.
Railway travelling is safer in Norway
| and Sweden than elsewhere in Europe,
year often passing without a single
| fatal accident in either. In England
and France one is killed out of every
| 100000 passengers. Spain and
| America have the worst record.
An original idea is that of the Mis-
| souri, apiarist, who took carload OF
! hived bees to Florida. He expects
them to make honey all winter, and
| hopes to return to his Missouri home in
the spring at least $1,000 richer than
/ he was.
| Lord Melbourne, on being pressed to
do something for q journalist. on the
| ground that he always supported his
| lordship when in the right. retorted:
That's Just when don want his help.
Give me fellow who will stick by me
when [ am in the wrong"
An Ohio editor who is down among
the orange groves of Florida, describing
| his visit to one of them, says that zap
| petite seemed to feed upon inexhausti-
bic supplies, and the sweet succulence
of the golden bulbs spurted in shining
SPRAYS from pressing lips pouting with
pulpy fragrance
Ten years ago, George A. Gordon,
nineteen years of age, went from lit
| tie town in Maine to learn trade in
| Boston. Somehow or other he was in
1 4oI- to iSfV
/ and in 1875 graduated and begun to
| preach He has Just accepted an S.,
| {pO0-a-year-and -house-rent call from the
| famous Old South Church. of Boston.
A western cattle-hreeder reports that
| the greatest profit is made in the first
wear of an animals growth. This is in
| creased, but in less proportion the sec
| ond wear. Ii kept a year longer not
only is there no profit, but all the clear
gain of the second year is wasted. This
Is a striking commentary on the advan-
tage of early maturity.
A four-valve speculum has just been
found in Pompeii, where two-vaIye and
three valve specula had been before dis
| covered. The last of these ingenious
| instruments for looking into orifices of
| the body in surgery is said to be of a
construction so uniform and well pro-
| portioned, admitting the expansion of
| valves, as to be superior to modern con-
struction.
The Rev. r. W. Hill, who has been IN
Alaska. draws gloomy picture of the
intemperance of the natives. The In
dians will give away wife and children, -
he says, '.to obtain liquor, and their
carousals are so fierce and reckless that
murder and Suicides are frequent results
He believes that if the progress of ruin
is not STAYED the end Of the Alaska In
| dian is not far off.
Senator David Davis.
According 10 the correspondent of
the Cleveland Herald Senator David
Davis is an example of the easy-going
states man. He never delivers long
speech. and if he delivers one at all it is
short and read from manuscript. 1T is
often amusing to watch him as he pre-
sides over the Senate. That great bodies
move more slowly than small ones is a
universal rule, and is no exception in
this case. When the Senator walks it
is simple waddle He talks slowly.
A day or two ago bill was upon its
passage, but the count of the vote show
ed an absence of the necessary quo
rum. 1.-The Chair wants some more
votes" said he, good after
a moment or two, while the Senate was
awaiting the announcement Of the vote.
The Senators in the cloak-room We're
drummed up, and the necessary quo
rum obtained. He enjoys q cigar as well
as any other statesman. and sometimes
IF in The cloak