The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-12-03
CURRENT NOTES AND GOSSIP.

TIE spade that was used to turn the first
sod in the construction Of the Central Pacific
Railway is now owned by Albert Gallatin,
OF Sacramento, Cal, and it will be exhibited
at New Orleans.
A PIEcE of sponge cake made by a Vasssr
girl has been presented to President-elect.
Cleveland. u Is said that Mr.. Cleveland
prizes it highly, and will use it as q paper
weight when he goes to the White House.
IT would take 10000 ships OF 1, 600 tons
each to carry the freights transported by the
railroads OF the United States in one year
alone. With all the talk OF the English
carrying trade, that nation has but $4,000
ships, with an average tonnage OF 2SS tons
each.
FIFTY THOUSAND woodchucks have been
killed in New Hampshire during the present
year, on which the State pays bounty of
ten cents each, making q fetal for woodohuck
killing Of 5000. Reckoning each wood
chuck to weigh Eve pounds, the total weight
of the 50,OO0 will aggregate ll2 tons.
Il an Insane Asylum in New York State
is confined young lady Of twenty four, who
in her own right is worth 100000 or
s5,OO0,OO0. and whose patronymic Is
synonym of wealth and social position. So
violent is the form OF hsT mAlady that her
hands are Continually covered with padded
gloves, lest in one of her spells she should
tear her eyes out, as she has frequently en-
desvored to do. For days at a time she is
strapped to the bed in which she is lying, or
to The chsir in which she fancies to sit.
A CURIOUS forgery of q lottery ticket was
recently accomplished in Yucstan. Rosendo
Otero, Cuban tailor OF Merida, was favored
by the blind goddess fortune with half
share in the capital premium of the railroad
lottery. A sporting man learned the fact,
and, making fac smile OF the other half
of the ticket, took it to Otero, and on the
strength of the ticket bought several thou
sand dollars worth of goods and took the
balance in cash. After the gambler left
Otero, supposing the ticket all right, had it
cashed, and was arrested and imprisoned.
The real criminal was afterward overhsuled,
and Otero returned in liberty TO his shears
and chalk.
TIE world has three great constitutional
documents, the Declaration of Independence,
the declaration Of rights of 1858, and Magma
Charts of King John. The original Of the
first named is preserved in the Independ-
ence Hall in Philsdelphia and Is familiar TO
most Americans. The bill or declaration OF
rights that followed the revolution of 1888
is preserved in the Somerset House, London,
It is written 10 small, but plain hand, in
English, and covers q parchment twelve
inches wide and nearly thirty feet long.
Such was the form in which, in those days,
the records of the House of Lords were
kept. The original Of the great Magma
Charta OF King John has had varied bis
tory, having been many times moved, and
barely escaping destruction In the great FIRE
of 1G6G. It is written on very heavy parch-
ment, In sizs 30x42 inches, and surrounded
By the seals of the eighteen bsrons who
forced the Plantagenet King to execute the
document On the plains OF Runnymede en-
that June day $50 years ago. The text Is in
old Latin, the exact translation Of which
has gwen rise to great deal OF learned con-
toveFsy. At the bottom right hand corner
is the sigusture OF the King In bold hand,
and through it rams leather thong which
sustaips the eeai-s black and white quartz
rock The size Of walnut or theresoouta
The interesting old document is DOW pre-
served in one of the mammoth safes In IDS
British Museum, and lie shown 20 Vlsibrs
only upon 81 order from the LORD Ch<ui-
hsTlRin.