News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-04-29
THE MYSTERIES OF A DAY.
STRANGE, CURIOUS AND STARTLING
THINGS OCCURRING ABOUT Us.
d Wild Man-Uncle Sam as q Publisher
Out of the Eye-lndians In Mexiee-Cu.
rioas Instincts, ETC., Etcs

IN the Csveunea Mountains, in central
France, there is a village named La
Besge, the inhabitants of which practi
cally live underground large part Of
the year. 1t is 4, $50 feet above the sea
and in the bottom of pass where the
snow is rapidly heaped up by the winds.
AS soon as the snow begins to fall in
large quantities, says a recent visitor,
the inhabitants retire indoors, and it is
not long before the low-roofed cottages
are buried, the only means by which all
can reach the interior being down the
single chimney, which in all cottages Is
built very wide and substantial. The
snow gradually mounts so high that the
door will not open, and at last the win
dows are blocked up. The inhabitants
lay in good supply of bread, cheese,
and salt pork for themselves, and OF
hay and straw in the out house for their
cow and horse; and, although
the men occasionally go out
by way of the chimney, the
women and children live in the fetid at
mosphere all the winter. They spend
their time making cane chairs and bas-
kets, doing little rnde wood carving,
and knitting stockings, while, if the
snow does not melt in month or 80, the
people burrow tunnels from house
to house, AMI so get little society.
Should death occur, the body is rough
ly confined and laid upon the roof until
thaw makes the cemetery accessible.
THE English have some curious in
| st1ncts, as was recently shown in their
photographing some of their Burmese
prisoners just before execution. Col.
Hooper gives the following version of
the facts connected with the case: 1.-THE
camera was placed in position before
the prisoners were placed against the
wall. The men were blindfolded at
the time and knew nothing of the fact
that the camera was there. The words
of command were in nowise timed to
suit the exposure of the plate, which
was instantaneous. The words of COM
mand, Ready! Present Firep were
given by the officer in command of the
firing party precisely in accordance
with the regulations for volley firing,
and no delay of any kind took place be-
tween the words PRESENT. and 'Firer
No previous attempt had ever been
made to secure the picture of an execu-
ton"
A TRAIN of cars is plainly heard on
the line of the Atlantic and Pacific
Railroad at The Needles for distance
of IS miles to place called Cottonwood
Island The discharge of the sunrise
gun at Fort Mohave can he plainly heard
at Colorado Canon, q distance of 100
miles. Sounds can be understood in the
narrOws of the Grand Canon of the Col
orado, or a distance of 10 miles, or in
other words, if man in one end shouts
"Bobri the man at the other end can
plainly hear the echo. The whistle of a
Colorado steamer can be heard from Ell
Dorado Canon to Weaveryille, the head
of navigation, a distance of rs miles,
and if somebody tumbles rock over the
preciplce at Lees Ferry you can plainly
hear the echo down the river at Weaver
vile, distance of SO miles.
ELI SABoURIN, who is we'll known in
Maine as trustworthy hunter, says
that the fox hound Lion, owned by Mr.
L. NJ. Thompson of New York city, is
the best in Maine, and knows more than
some folks. In addition to killing 175
foxes last year, Lion did a rema kable
bit of fine work. He was chasing q fox
that finally began to circle around big
fiat rock. Around and around they
went, the fox doubling just as often as
the dog did, until suddenly Lion
jumped to the top of the rock and
crouched down. AS the fox circled
around and stood hesitating an instant
the hound dropped on him from above,
and the chase was ended.
THE United States Government is the
most prolific publisher in the world,
having printed over 1000 distinct
works, the annual output being at this
time not fewer than 4, 900 titles. In the
book of estimates for the next fiscal
year, just sent to Congress, 81, $50, =
231.SS is asked for wages alone There
ale on the pay roll 400 compositors, be-
sides odd men and managers. Fifty
proofreaders are steadily employed be-
sides As pressmen, 115 press feeders,
and 81 ruling machine feeders. The
estimates call for 100, 900 reams of print
ing paper, or 1s, 200, 900 sheets. :.
A BUTCHER in Virginia City killed
steer the other day whose teeth were
completely incrusted with gold and sill
yer bullion. The animal came from
ranch on Carson River, and the precious
metal on the enamel of the teeth doubt
less accumulated from drinking the
water of the river, which is impregnat-
ed with the tailings from the mills re-
ducing Comstock ores This circum-
stance is not new. Most of the cattle
along the river have their teeth afflicted
in the same way. Their owners might
scrape off quite a revenue from them if
they had any financial sense
THE Medical Times says that good
way to remove irritating particles from
the eye is to take horse hair and
double it, leaving a loop. If the OBJ
ject can be seen, lay the loop over it,
close the eye, and the mote VIII come
out rs the hair is Withdrawn. Ii the ir-
ritating object cannot be seen, raise the
lid of the eye as high as possible and
place the loop as far as you can, close
the eye and roll the ball around a few
times, draw out the hair, and the sub
stance which caused the pain will be
sure to come with it.
SoME lumbermen of Jeannerette, La,
caught a genuine wild man on the banks
of Lake Savage on Saturday last. He
was quite naked, and his hair had
grown to great length. He struggled
hard at first, but after yielding proved
by his own story to be an Ohio man
He said that his wife had betrayed him,
his friends robbed him, and that he did
not want any more human society. He
had been in the woods since the war,
but had lost all reckoning of years and
months and days, only knowing that it
was spring.
MAINE is probably the only State in
the Union that ever had six Governors
in a space of time less than one year
In 1913 Gov. Fairfield resigned; Gov
CrnOr Cavanaugh, the President of the
Senate, died, and was succeeded by
Governor Paris, President of the Sen
ate. lie was succeeded by Governor
Dunn, Speaker of the house, who in
turn was succeeded by Governor Dana,
President of the Senate, and he was
succeeded by Governor Anderson, elect
ed by the people.
A STARTLING fact in connection with
the encroachment of the lake on Lin
coin Park, Chicago, is that the whole
surface of the lake is gradually rising
at the rate of four inches per year. The
surface of the water is now two and
half feet higher than it was seven years
ago. Part of the lake-shore driveway,
where are some of the costliest resi-
dences in the city, have been washed
almost completely away.
THERE are 5000, 900 Indians in Mex
leo, making 80 per cent. of the entire
population. They speak thirty-fve
idioms and siyty-nine dialects Thew