Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1888-06-02
SELECT SlFTINGS.

Almanacs were first introduced in
1441.
In Mexico parrots are eaten, but they
are rather tough.
Small stuffed alligators are now used
as umbrella stands.
Spiders roasted are a sort of desert
with the New Caledonians.
A truss for strai ghtening crooked noses
is among the novelties in surgical il
struments.
The first printing types were Gothic,
but they were modified into the present
Roman type about 1852.
A Macon (Ga) colorcd man, after
sleeping continuously four days and
nights, awoke ravng maniac.
A passenger on a Missouri train was
shot at by dcspcrado, and waS saved
by plug Of tobacco, which stopped the
bullet.
Miss Olive Green and Ivory White
were welded in an Iowa town recently,
the Rev. Mr.. Black performing the cere.
mony.
The commercial agents of govern
ments were first distinguished by the
names of consuls in Italy in the fifteenth
century.
The Romans are said to have first used
feathers in beds, and feather beds were
in use in England during the reign Of
Henry VIII.
Recently an Omaha couple were forced
20 loayn hnp,o ~ no ,avripl f,r tho ron
son that the groom was the one person
in the county who could issue marriage
licensc-so found he must either res gn,
90 elsewhere, or remain a bachelor.
James Moran, of Montrose, Mich.
found small piece Of placer gold in the
gizzard of chicken that he killed. a
search around the ncighbOring streams
showed evidence that placer gold may be
found there in considerable quantities.
Sheriff Franklin has shown the Carriers
vile (Ga.) Courant a knife that is 12S
years old 1t is of the ''barlow" pattern
and has the initials of the makers, NJ. +.
& S. The single blade is considerably
worn, but takes better edge now than
the finest knives bought these days of
aduiteration and shoddy work.
The ancients were acquainted with
seven metals which they supposed TO
possess certain mystic relationship with
the planets, and were represented by the
hierOglyphics by which the planets were
known. Gold was called Sol or sun;
silver, Luna, or moon; iron, Mars; lead,
Saturn; copper, Venus; tin, Jupiter
mercury, Mercury.
The sole tenant of a lonely miners
cabin that stands on the summit of Gold
Hill, opposite Bucna Vista, Col, is Mrs.
Mary Mallen, noted throughout the
West as the only woman miner in the
State. She has lived alone on the noun
tain for several years, spending her time
in prospecting for gold, but thus fal
without apparent success.
Three years ago harsh voiced man,
John Steiner by name, stood on State
street, Chicago, offering ''twentyfoul
sheets of note paper for nickel" To
day, it is stated, he is the owner of the
leading stationery store in n town OF
Is, 900 inhabitants in Iowa and he made
his start selling a quire of writing paper
for five cents on one of the busiest
streets in Chicago.
In October, 1888, harness was stolen
in North Haven, Conn.,, and was found
in the possession of Charles E. Sparks.
He claimed to have bought it, but was
convicted of the theft. and sentenced to
the State Prison for three years and served
his time out. Frank Hicks wher
he was dying in Claremont, Mass,
wrote letter confcssing that he stole
the harness and sold it to Sparks fol-
$3.50.
What Queen Elizabeth had for dinner
we can only guess; but it is not likely
that her English subjects had much va
riety of vegetable food. Shakespeare
has plenty to say about veni:on and ca
pons and beef. lie says very little about
vegetables. We have the line, "And
greasy Joan doth kele the pot"-that is
put ksle into the rot-kele being th'
cole wort of the SaXOns, who called thu
month of February Sprout-kelc, as the
time when the.r srcat pottaSc herb be
gan to sprout. and we have some few
other such illusions. But it would seen
| ~, ,ooo.al,loc Il al not vot Ie