News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-05-28
THE MYSTERIES OF A DAY.
STRANGE AND CURIOUS NOTES OF
THINGS TAKING PLACE ABOUT US.

STRANGE AND CURIOUS NOTES OF
THINGS TAKING PLACE ABOUT Us.
The Mexican Pentitentes-A woodchuck
| Dog-The First Greenback-A Deaf and
| Dumb Printer. Etc., Etc.
The Penitentes of New Mexico are
said by Birge Harrison, a fresh writer
on the subject, to number 20, 600. A
statue of the Virgin was lately placed in
| the center of the church, and the floor
in front of it is strewn knee deep with
cactus, whose poisonous spines will
| sometimes pierce the e heaviest soled
shoes. Through this bed of thorns the
| Penitentes march with naked feet or
| crawl along on bare knees, calling pit
| eously the while to the Virgin for for
| giveness of their sins. AS if this were
not sufficient, they scourge themselves
| with great punches of cactus tied to-
gether OF a thong and slash themselves
| with knives. The natural result OF these
horrible exercises is a death now and
then, and many MANNED and pitiable
creatures who drag out miserable
existence for the remainder of their
days.
A1oNzo CARSON, of Warwarsing,
N. Y, has noted woodchuck dog. A
few days ago she gave birth to five pup
pies. They were subsequently taken
away from her. She disappeared next
day and was gone several hours. When
she returned she gave evidence OF hav-
ing been engaged in a desperate conflict
of some kind. The fact that she brought
back with her five live baby wood
chucks leaves no doubt that she had
dug out woodchuck's nest, killed the
old ones, and brought back to her ken
mel their offspring to replace her own
missing puppies. The dog is giving
her entire attention to the young wood
chucks, and treats them just as she
would her own young The woodchucks
seem to be happy and contented with
the change in their domicile and
guardianship.
THE first greenback one-dollar note
struck off is owned by Edward Slocum,
of the township of New Richmond,
Allegan county, Mich. It is dated
August l, 1862, marked series A, No. l.
Mr.. Slocum was soldier in the army,
and the bill in question was paid to him
by the paymaster as part of his wages
as boy in blue. The greenbacks were
a novelty to the "boys" at that time,
the men having previously been paid off
in gold and silver coin. In looking over
his bills Slocum noted the fact that he
had No. l, and he put it away carefully,
being determined to preserve it. He
will not sell it for any price.-EI-
change.
A PITTSBURGH writer makes the as
sertion that in fifty years, or perhaps in
half that time, coal will not be carried
from the mines to its place OF destina-
ton in bulk, but only its actual heat
energy will be transported, and that by
wire, a process which, he says, can be
accomplished by converting the coal
into heat, the heat into motion, and the |
motion into electricity; storage bat
terry at Cincinnati would take it up as
fast as generated at the mines, and from |
this battery it could be taken and con-
verted back into motion and heat. or
changed into light.
In q sermon in Pittsburg. Pa, the |
Rev. Mr.. Moody said: ga Sunday |
school teacher tried to illustrate the |
free grace of salvation by offering his
watch to the members of his class. |
They each one refused it till he came to
the smallest boy. He took it and put |
it in his pocket. Thank you, my boy
he said. You have shown that you
have faith in me. Keep it and take |
care of it. The other boys were sur
prised and, too late, were sorry they had
not taken the freely offered gift. They
didn't believe him, that was the trouble.
The ancient tavern in bingham,
Mass, at which Lafayette stopped when
on his way to Nantasket Beach, and
which Gov. Andrew for time used as q |
summer residence, is now in process of |
demolition. The building was erected |
in 1867 by Caleb Bates, and was known |
as the Anchor Tavern. When General |
Lafayette visited bingham, about the |
first of October, 177S, he lodged at the |
Anchor Tavern. The tavern was |
favorite resort of the men from the |
French feet, moored at the time in
Nhntasket Roads.
4 DEAF and dumb printer, who worked |
ave weeks on the White Pigeon Journal,
nearly frightened the manager out Of
mis- wits the other day by suddenly de.
handing his time and announcing that
he was going to leave. He was postal
detective on the war path for a couple
of young men who were using the
mails for wrong purposes, and having
captured his men, he took them
to MISUNDERSTANDING Mich Re
publican.
JOHN LEARY, of Prompton, Wayne
county, Pa, while chopping wood, cut
his finger nearly off On Friday he
boarded a coal train on the Delaware
and Hudson Canal Company's gravity
railroad to ride to another village, where
~ hor hi 4 1,, |
doctor. While on the train he struck
his injured finger against brake. With
\ cry of pain, he tainted away. He fell
the car wheels, and was crushed
70 death.
Mrs. LIZZIE BIRD, while tripping
about In ballroom in Louisville, KY,
n thin pair of slippers, stepped upon
1 large nail which protruded from a
plank. The nail passed through her
loot, pinning her fast to the board. The
combined strength of three men was re-
lulred to release her, two men holding
The board down, while the third pulled |
1er foot off the nail. The wound is ex-
'eedingly painful, and lockjaw is feared.
STATISTICS have been published de-
signed to show the increase in the num-
Der of deaths in Massachusetts, from
pneumonia. In 1857 there were 1.O75
deaths reported, and in 1888 there were
3,O45. But in estimating the signif-
canoe of these figures two things must
be kept IN mind-first, the great in.
crease In population, and second, the
improvement during that period in the
methods of collecting such statistics.
WHILE demoiishing an old chimney
n Otsego county, N. Y, recently, work
men found S97 in Continental money
lated 1776 and 1777. The printing on |
he notes was perfectly legible, and in
general they were in good condition. '
The package consisted Of one $40 bill.
wo 500 bills, one So, one 81, two 5Oc.'
me ST, and one St.
A SPANIARD named Phillips, butcher, 7
t Poplar Greek Agency, Northeastern
recently lost one of his chill
rem by death, and as sacrifice cut of
is left forefnger and killed a fine mare
nd three-year-old steer on the grave
4 his child.
The immense stone bridge constructed
y Chinese engineers over the arm of
he Chinese Sea at Lugang is finished. ]
The bridge is five miles long, entirely ,
# stone and has 300 arches, each 70 !
eet high. The roadway is 70 feet wide.
An Auburn, Me-, shoe factory en-
ployee, who wanted his pay raised not
ong ago, took occasion to touch his
employer on the subject during lull in