News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-06-11


let from salt Lake-A Curious Rea.
son, Etc, Etc,
The incident of the knocking on the
wall of Russian prison, which was
used with such effect in "Called Back, "
is verified by Stepniak in his new
work: The captive has hardly finished
her examination of her cell, when she is
startled by strange neutrality-suspicious.
coming, as would seem, from
the inside of the wall. Placing her ear
to it, she listens intently. The knocks,
though weak, are distinct. They do not
come regularly and mechanically, but
with a rhythm and cadence as if they
were inspired by an intelligence, and
were meant to convey some hidden or
spiritual meaning. What could be the
import of the mysterious sounds All,
she understood She has heard say
that the inmates of prisons sometimes
communicate with each other by means
of little knocks-after the manner of a
Geographic alphabet. These rappings
must come from neighbor-some COM
panion in misfortune who wishes to
speak to her. So in token of thanks
and sympathy she gives back few an
swering knocks. The next moment, to
her utter surprise, there are rappings all
around her.
THE Virginia New Enterprise says:
SIT will be remembered that some
months ago, in boring the artesian well
at White Plains, out in the eastern part
of this State, under the auspices of the
Central Pacific Railroad Company, a
large log, or several logs, of wood were
bored through at the depth of l, 615 feet
below the surface. This has been a
subject for discussion by scientists ever
since, and few evenings ago, in San
Francisco, DIR. Hardness made it the
special subject of very interesting leo
ture. Quite large quantity of this
wood was brought to the surface, and it
was good, sound wood, in an almost
perfect state of preservation, although
its great depth and the character of the
superintendent strata showed that it
was at least 1000. 900 years old. Micro
scopic examination shows that the an
cient tree was similar to the present nut
pine"
KEEPING the head perfectly clean,
says a writer in the Salem Mass
Gazette, is a great aid to health. A dis
tinguished physician, who has spent
much of his time at quarantine, said
that person whose head was thorough
ly washed every day rarely ever took
contagious diseases, but when the hair
was allowed to become dirty and matted
it was hardly possible to escape infec-
ton. Many persons find speedy relief
for nervous headache by washing the
head thoroughly in weak soda water.
We have known cases almost wholly
cured in ten minutes by this simple
remedy. A friend finds it the greatest
relief in case of "rose cold," the cold
symptoms entirely leaving the eyes
after one thorough washing of the hair.
The head should be thoroughly dried
and draughts of air should
be avoided for little while.
The late Empress of Russia, accord
ing to Count Paul Vasili, was once stay
ing with her daughter, the Duchess of
attended by large suite.
The Duke gave her to understand that
he could not afford to entertain her, and
that he should be obliged if, on her de-
parture, she would order the comptroller
of her suite to pay an adequate sum for
the expenses of her visit. At the mo-
ment of departure, after luncheon had
been taken, the Duke of Edinburgh
drew paper from his pocket on which
be had noted down the estimated ex-
penses of the Russian Empress, and be
added the cost of the luncheon. The
London Truth says that Count Paul
Vasih might have added that when the
Empress stayed for few days at Buck
ingham Palace she paid most of the
household expenses out of her own
pocket.
THE New England Meteorological So
ciety proposes to find out this summer
ali it can about thunderstorms, and to
that end invites observers in every town
in New England to unite in marking the
leading features of such storms as
come within their ken, and report
to headquarters. The simplest data
are such as can be gathered by
any one-the time the rain begins to
fall, directions of the wind, durations OF
rain, etc., while more delicate and diff
cult observations, such as the height Of
the storm clouds, character of lightning
flashes, and velocity of wind, are to be
undertaken by specialists.
IT is thought that the outlet of Salt
Lake, Utah, has been discovered in a
cave near the southern extremity of the
lake. A powerful stream of water, fifty
feet in width, rushes through the cave,
and the spray which it constantly throws
upon the rocks, leaves a heavy deposit
of salt. The cave is said to have been
discovered by man and his son while
searching for cattle, the son and his
horse breaking through the earth that
concealed it. The young man narrowly
escaped being killed by the fall, the
shock being lessened by his horse re-
naming under him.
A LONELY San Franciscan recently adj
vertised for wife, and received salts
factory answer from damsel at Locke
ford, in San Joaquin County. A CORE
spondence followed and the maiden was
sent $40 to go to San Francisco, where
the advertiser would meet and wed her.
She did not put in an appearance, so the
amorous citizen started for Lockeford
only to find that his gold eagle had gone
into the hands OF brawny rustic six
feet In his stockings, with strong love
for practical joke.
The wife of Truman, the New York
gambler who fought with O'Brien,
was sued for divorce. Truman's friends
assert that he had curious reason for
not wishing his wife to get divorce
from him, although he had long since
ceased to entertain any affection for her.
This reason was that from the time he
married her he had had exceptionally
good luck. He regarded her as species
of Mascotte, and feared that if the bond
between them was once severed his luck
would "break."
SIR JOHN LUBBOCK told story in his
recent speech at Shrewsbury, says the
81. JanaeS's Gazette, which can have no
personal application to himself. 1t was
about traveller who revisited a New
Zealand village and inquired after a
friend, leading Maori Liberal and
of the local Peace Society, it is
believed. The reply was discouraging.
''Ah," said the village chief, with res
gnatiOn, che gave us so much good
advice that we bad to put him to death
EDITOR SHROPSHIRE, of the COOsa
River Neo0s, Ga, is probably the young
est grandfather in this section of the
country. He is 80 years old. His wife
is also quite youthful, being only %.
Her grandchild is nearly year old.
A Remarkable Operation.