The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-09-27
MISCELLANEOUS.

7AceoFding 10 John Ruskin the
Modern tendency to city life is an sfn-
fectious insanity for Capitalization
which collects I'll the vicious elements
OF any country's life into one mephitic
cancer in its ceater."
1t may not be generally known
that sOft-shell crabs are caught and
then Systematically fattened. As an
old crabbef said: aCrsbs, hke most
folks, can't live on nothir'; and SO we
hiashes up some CLAIMS, some fish, OF
some meat, or horse feed, or almost
anything we get. right handy. If we
don't feed 'em,. they'll eat. one another
up. "-Ww Hqrea Reei-tcsI.
ee-Rtbsft Thompson, awealthy young
Georgian, en- route from Louisville to
st Louis in Baltimore & Ohio sleeper,
dreaming of swimming tournament,
and, imagining himself on SPRING
board in . sana,orium. walked to the
platform and plunged pff, Fortunately.
the train WAS fltnning through a level
country, aud His leap did not result
Seriously ST. Louis Globe.
james Gorden Bennett has a
greater number of houses awaiting his
occupation than any other American.
He has one in Fifth avenue and an
other In Fort Washington, and then his
rooms 1t the Herald establishment are
a snug place fot Bachelor. His New.
bort Fila is always in readiness, and he
has also fine establi shment in Paris.
Chicago Herald.
1T is common thing for profes-
sional crabbers In New York and around
Long Island I'd get caught by The mise
by savage crabs While STOPPING down
IN their boats. They never attempt to
break the animals hold They imme-
diately jump overheard in their clothes,
and the moment he feels salt water the
crab says good-by and sails AWAY sihi-
ling. N P SUI.
"A half-intoxicated man sought the
roof Of three-story house in Boston
some days ago for relief from the heat,
and managed to roll off Into the street,
but escaped without injury. Under
somewhat similar. circumstances twd
New Haven. wdrkmen Tell over d
seventy -fve-foot cliff at Meriden, Conn,
on the same night, but neither, it is re.
ported, had any bones broken. Boston
Journal.
The famous Dwight life insurance
case has not been heard Of fcr Sonic
time, but 1t Is still Ii tie courts. When
ColUnel Dwight, Of Binghamton, died
In 1873 he had S240, 900 on his life, but
less than one-half has been recovered.
The remainder, divided between thir-
teep companies, is still in litigation,
and, like many historic cases, may be
continued until ''the money is all gone. y
1t is alleged, as may be remembered,
that the insurance was a delikerats At
tempt at fraud, Troy Times.
AT the wedding breakfast Id En-
gland recently one Of the bridesmaids
expressed wish I'd soc that mystic
document, wedding license, which
she had never beheld. The request
occasioned fearful discovery. The
clergymen had quite forgotten to ask
for the license; the bridegroom had
left il to his.'best man. to procure it,
And this the "best man" had forgotten
to do. OF course, the marriage was no
legal marriage at all. The wedding
party broke up in dismay, and the cere-
mony was performed again the next
day.
-Rheem, who has charge Of the rep
tile specimens in the Smithsonian In
stitute, contradicts much Of the popular
belief es I'd shakes. Some of the most
dreaded have no existence. The hoop
snake, which takes the end of its tail in
its mouth and rolls over and over like
hoop. killing everything it touches
with its venom, and the blow snake,
the breath of which Is deadly, are fie-
tions. AS serpents are moving about
they are constantly feeling ahead with
the tongue, and the forward thrust and
forked appearance of this organ has
given rise to the false idea that with it
the singing is done. 1t is generally
thought that there are great number
of poisonous snakes. In North Ameri-
ca there are but three species rat
tlesnake. the copperhead or moccasin
and the coral.