News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-07-29
TIE MYSTERIES OF A DAY.
STRANGE, CURIOUS AND STARTLING
THINGS WE SEE ABBOTT Us.
Ttmid "oman-It was a Chicago Woman
"A Firemnn's Turtles-A Boys Wagon
aPrussian Railroad ETC., Etc.

THE history of John Lannon, of Alex
andria, Va, who recently died, is worth
repeating. He came from Ireland with
his mother when child, and early had
to work for living He got place in
the store OF Joseph Broders, who, when
the Federal troops occupied Alexandria
III 1861, ran away, leaving young Lam
non, then 16 years old, in charge. Brod-
ers hoped that the boy would sell the
goods in stock and make an honest re-
turn of the proceeds; he was therefore
much surprised when he returned at the
end of three years to find that John had
increased the business, had on hand a
larger stock of goods than when Broders
ran away, and had made So, coo, which
he had in bank. The merchant gave
young Lannon half of the money and
took him into partnership, and before
he died John had accumulated 500, 900,
built the Opera House at Alexandria,
and the largest wharf there, and was
one of the most respected citizens of the
town.
SOME friends seated together a few
evenings ago were relating funny expe-
riences, when one Of the party told an
wishing it understood that he meant no
disrespect to the good old lady. He had
been brought up In certain part of the
State to which mis- parents had moved
when he was an infant. A few years
later railroad was put through that
section and though it went straight to
their nearest market town, the old lady
could never be induced to go on train.
Rain or shine she would have to be
driven, for, as she stated, she would
not trust herself on any such contriv-
ance. One day, however. circumstances
were such that she had to 90 by rail,
and, for an actual fact, the train hadn't
gone mile before it was in the ditch,
although such thing had not occurred
on the line before in ten years. Now
she says a present of the road wouldn't
be a temptation to go again.
JEREMIAH LONG, of Fairfax county,
Va, has sent bill of sixty cents for
mending two canteens aad a candle
stick at Fairfax Court House on Sep
TENDER Z, 1861, while the confederate
army was at that place, to Mr.. J. I.
Hill, of Alexandra. He calls Mr..
Hills attention to the fact that there is
also interest due on the bill, but he
leaves the amount to be paid for such
interest with him. He states that about
the same time he did work for some of
the "dignitaries'' of the army amount
ing to about S., but was unable to col
lect his bill, and last fall he saw Gov.
L and mentioned the matter to him,
when the governor promised that he
himself would pay him. Under these
circumstances he thinks Mr.. Hill should
pay the sixty cents, if not the interest
also. Mr.. Hill will pay the bill with
interest.
LET the timid women who are in
clined 10 jump from a carriage every
time the horse pricks up his ears read
this story of a Westfield, Mass, girl.
She was driving a spirited horse, when
the headstall broke and the bit came
out of his mouth. Of course he ran.
The girl, perfectly powerless to restrain
him, sat upright IN her seat, while the
frightened animal ran wildly through
the streets She never SAID word, even
when daring man caught on behind
and climbed into the buggy, only to
find himself quite as powerless as the
firl. But his added weight helped, for
after half mile run the horse was
tired enough to admit of his being
caught, and the girl jumped out of the
buggy, not much frightened, and not a
bit hurt.
JOSEPH O'NEIL, a street car conductor
of Chicago, who has four motherless
children, the eldest but II years old,
found in his car hand bag containing
nearly 81, 200. "Ed tell you lie if
said 1t was no temptation - he atterward
said, 'for it was; for l have to work
365 days to keep the wolf from the
door. But the temptation wasn't
strong enough for Joseph, and he at
pany, and soon the woman who owned
it was found. She was very glad to get
her money, and said that she would
never forget Joseph as long as she lived.
He was an honest man and gentleman,
and honesty always prospered. Chicago
women may have big feet, but some of
them have small souls.
JAKE BECKER, Louisville fireman,
bought two swapping turtles, and was
carrying them to the engine house,
where they were to be converted into |
turtle soup. AS he passed a negro one
of the turtles snapped at him and |
grabbed his coat. Jake tried to tear
the turtle from his hold, and while do
ing this the other turtle grabbed his /
hand. In the struggle that followed |
turtle No 1 grabbed Jake's free hand,
and there he was. BE ran to the en-
CINE house, turtle dangling from each
hand, and their heads were cut off. |
Still they chung. and they were torn
away with great difficulty. Jake's hands !
were so lacerated that he was laid off /.
from duty.
WHEN Robert Houston was buried at |
Coultersville, Ill, the other day, he was
laid by the side of his second wife, while I
his first wife stood by among the mourn |
ers. 1t happened this way. Houston
married in Scotland, where he and his
wife were born. They reared family
of five children and then were divorced.
Each married again, and his wife and
her husband died. After years had
passed, Houston again married his first
wife, and again they separated. When
the woman heard of Houstcn's illness
she volunteered her services, and nursed
HIM. All of their five children have
married and all have separated from
their spouses.
A PENNSYLVANIA newspaper tells a
comparatively able lie about a rat. The |
rodent, while attempting to escape from |
human enemies in the electric light sta |
ton IN Reading, Pa, few weeks ago,
jumped directly from the floor on one |
of the brushes and was thrown back |
on the ground. He lay motionless, APP
parently and certainly dead, but with
out even hair turned. One of the en-
ployees was sent with a shovel to gather
it up, but as soon as the shovel touched
il the rat fell to dust with little cloud
of particles rising from the place where
the body had seemingly lain. There
was no vestige of hair, flesh or bones
remaining.
THE cows down at Empire, on the
Carson River, says a California paper,
feed on the numerous sma low, fiat
islands at that point, which divide the
river up into many meandering sloughs
and branches. A short time ago, when
the river was high, these islands were
completely submerged, but now they are
above water again and covered with
short sweet grass, which the cows eager
ly seek. They are so used to wading
and swimming from one island to an
other that their feet have become broad.
with strong, thick web like sole leather
formed between the toes. ANY one of
those cows can out-swim a rowboat or
an alligator.
JOHN B. SMITH, of New Britain, Conn,
had more apples than he knew what to
do with last fall, so he stored 400 bar
raT a OF r,b 1orcra 100 houoo IN