Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-27
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

China has begun the use of postal
cards.
"A Berlin house is making cravats
and scarfs of paper.
The Castle of Simonetta, neal
Milan, reports an echo sixty times.
The husband of the Queen Of Mad
agascar is some fifty years older than
herself.
king Theebaw has given up drink
ing and now proposes to imprison and
fog every drunkard in his realm.
Bavaria has enacted a law forbid
| ding the marriage of couples who do
| not possesses sufficient means to main
tain themselves.
Sir Walter Raleigh once asked
| Queen Elizabeth to smoke his pipe.
| She tried it once and only once. 1t is
a significant fact that inside OF a year
she ordered his head to be cut off.
"A magnetism limestone found at
! the entrance of the Tyne, in England,
is reported to be so flexible that thin
layers three feet OF o in length may
be bent in a circle while damp. retain
ing that form on becoming dry.
The cleaver with which the Earl of
EsseX's head was cut off by reason of
Queen Elizabeth's failure to receive the
ring in season is still preserved in the
Tower OF London. 1t is a savage-look-
ing instrument, and somewhat rusty
with age.
Count Spantini. a friend Of crema-
| ton in Florence, had the ashes of his
grandfather preserved in a beautiful
urn. A thrifty servant helped herself
out of it to sprinkle the floor before
sweeping up some filth, and now the
Count has less than half his ancestors
ashes.
In Nankin and Kai-fun children
from six to twelve years OF age are sold
by tens of thousands. Not hired out
or transferred, but sold for a small sum
in cash, in consideration of which the
| %progenitor, by a tacit understanding,
renounces all parental right, even the
right of inquiring into the fate of his
offspring.
Tho English Post-office Depart
ment is q big thing. In addition to
carrying and delivering the mails prop
CT it does a general eNpressage bus
mess, operates all telegraph lines, takes
care of the savings OF the people, in
sures lives, and grants annuities.
1t does all these things and makes a
handsome profit out of them.
The second thimble centenary has
just been celebrated in Amsterdam.
The first thimble was made i'll October,
1854. by a goldsmith, Van Renscholten,
whose idea in the manufacture of the
pretty conceit was to protect the fin
gers of his lady love. The English
were the first to adopt the new inven-
ton.
Last year some n in England
sent to Mr.. Labouchere TIE sum of 5,O0O
new sixpences for distribution among
the children in the London hospitals
and warehouses. The same person has
this year sent to MI. Labouchere 5000
siXpences with a request that they be
! given to children in the London work
houses, workhouse intirmaries and
workhouse schools.
In Persia, long ago, they had q
cheerful and e%ffectual manner of pun
ishing criminals. For stealing, death
was the penalty. Two young trees
We're by main strength brought togeth-
er at their SUBMITS and then fastened
together with cords. The culprit was
then brought out and his legs tied with
ropes, which were again carried up
| and fixed to the tops of the trees. The
cords that forced the trees together
were then cut, and by the elasticity and
power of the spring the body of the
thief was torn asunder, and thus left to
hang divided on each separate tree.