The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-15
QUAINT AND CURIOUS
Roma j, called the Nameless City.


The boomerang is weapon Of de-
tense in Australia.
The only useful product of the Saba
"a in Africa is salt.
Hokusal, a japanese author, has pub
lished a new novel in ninety volumes.
Many lines OF railway now have in
valid chairs at their stations for the use
of people who need them, free of charge.
The brougham, a popular vehicle
which takes its name from Lord Brous-
ham who adopted it, was invented il
1889.
Abram Shaw, Canadian customs Of
fcer, made a successful trip through
the Coteau Rapids in the St. Lawrence
River.
The deaf often hear conversations
when there is music going on, which
they could not hear when there was no
music.
The habits of chewing tobacco and
taking snuff are both falling into dis
use in America; slowly, perhaps, but
surely.
A BIackfoot Indian recently covered
distance of ninety miles per day for
four days on foot, and his sole dict was
dried beef.
Quilts are said to have been first used
for pens in 5G3; although some author
tiles give tn, year go as the date of
their introduction.
We have at least one big volcano IN
this country. It is Mount Wrangel in
Alaska. Sometimes the smoke rises 60
900 feet above its crater.
A recent invention is 9 canvas net
swung from tho ceiling for lifting an
invalid whom it is dangerous to move,
while his bed is being made up.
Many of tho best fashioa-plates are
now engraved from actual photographs
of models who pose in the garments, to
make the pictures as life-llke as posi-
bic
The city of Havana in Cuba handles
the most sugar, New Orleans the most
cotton, and Louisville, Ky, has the
| largest market for leaf tobacco in the
world.
Two citizens of Harris county, Ca,
have each become the others father-in-
law. They lost their first wives by
death, and for a second wife each mar.
ried the others daughter.
A wagon road to the top of Pixies
Peak, which has been in course of con.
struction for some time past, was COM
pleted few days ago; tourists may now
ride all the way to the top.
A well-known criminal who is now
serving term in New York prison
has two cats in his cell. He wears a
gray uniform with black stripes, and
the cats are gray with blac,, stripes.
There is a curiosity at ], J. Buchheits,
Sanford, Fla, in the shape of ''potato
bug, as it is called. It's length is 4
feet, width across the back 4 IA inches,
snout inches long, height 10 inches,
weight 3 IA pounds.
The largest boy in America is said to
be Master Melbourne Grubb of Wythe-
Vile, Penn. He measures Al inches
around the waist, Al around the chest,
"a around the thigh, and IS around the
muscle of the arm. lie Is five feet two
inches high, weighs 21O pounds and is
ten years Old.
Just what punishment ought IN JUS
tice to be melted out to Lawrence Rus
sell Of Spring feld Mo-, is a question.
Ho has been arrested for shutting VI
his ten-year-old boy in box four feet
high and making him stand bent over
in it for five hours; also for tying the
boy to plank and smearing molasses
over his face so as to attract flies to tor
ture him.
Two farmers near Bowling Green,
KY, came upon q drove, or flock, Oh
herd of weasels in the woods the othe1
day. There were thirty or forty of the
little fellows, aud they seemed to know
that there is strength l. numbers, fol
they evinced 10 fear at the approach 0
the men, but drew up in solid mass an(
showed fight SO determinelly that tn
farmers didn't modest them.