Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-30
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS


The mouth of Calumet river, emptying
into Lake Michigan, has moved east 2,soo feet
since 1886.
"A stone at woodvilIe, N. h., is said to
mark the boundary of two States. three coun-
ties and four towns.
An aged citizen of Hancock county, H.,
is suing for divorce from his seventh wife, and
it is said be wants to marry again.
Sheriff Henry Sherman, Of Casey, Ind,
raised this year Is75 bushels Of cats from 70
acres-an average of cs54 bushels per acre.
MIR. Finley, farmer living in the
vicinity OF Marshall, Mo-, fred at . crow that
WIS stealing eggs from his barn. He killed
the bird, and the burning wad from his gun set
the barn on fire, completely DESTROYING It.
"A San Diego grocer kept fine Maltese
Thomas to kill off rats. Last Saturday night
found dead on Monday morning. The tarantula
was subsequently captured aud is now on ex-
hibition. 1t is four inches long.
"A cotton-staIk walking stick, nearly
four inches in diameter, is on exhibition az
Montgomery, Ala. 1t was cut from . cotton
stalk grown on the plantation of P. p Gray.
bolls of cotton, and grew to be 20 feet high.
According to an official Russian daily,
the Russian Government viii furnish many Of
which for many years it persistently refused to
introduce in any part of its army. While in
Russia the Shah ordered 10000 repeating rides
Tor his troops.
There Is woman in Milwaukee who is
the mother of nine children. Not one Of them
was named until it was IL years old They
were simply called by their nicknames, and
their numbers, "One," Two" etc. As each
one became II years old he chose his own name
and was baptized.
Mrs. j. W. Coughlin, of st. Paul,
while walking on the railroad track, was struck
BY rapidly moving train, hurled into the air
ana over baroed wire fence into vacant lot.
She was not seriously hurt, and after giving
the engineer piece Of her mind she started
out across the lot at q rapid gait.
. Willie Colbert, Of Troy. Mo-, had on
exhibition Wednesday afternoon three straight
chunks of iointed snake, which be and his
Uncle Jim had killed in the pasture. Two or
three blows from stick knocked the snake all
to pieces. and only three joints could be found,
the others wriggling away through the grass.
"A Swiss inventor. has perfected method
Of making artificial boards, and Is advocating
their use in building. They are made Of a mix
ture of plaster of paris and reeds pressed into
shape by hydraulic process The material has
the advantage of incombustibility and light
ness, and will resist the warping action Of at
mospheric changes.
"A novel service was held Sunday BY
the congregation Shearath-Tefilleh, OF Orange,
N. Y. 1t was the conservation of a scrol of the
book of the law presented to the congregation.
The scroll is written entirely by hand, IN
Hebrew. upon parchment, and is Is inches in
width and over 200 feet in length. II contains
the entire Pentateuch.
"A Mrs. Williams, living on the Santa
Clara, while shocking sheaf oats q few days
ago, lifted bundle in which was hiding an
immense rattle snake. When lifted above her
mead the reptile dropped on the woman's
shoulders and coiled itself suddenly about her
neck. She threw it off, however, before any
damage was done, though it was a narrow
escape.
Mrs. F.. B. Mapp, Of Milledgeville has
something of a curiosity in the shape Of chair
made in a bottle. The bottle is q small square
vial with very small neck. and holds about II
ounces. The miniature chair was made by
young negro convict with pocketknife, and
was put together, piece at a time. in the bottle
by the use of o wire. The legs occupy each
corner of the bottle, and every part. rounds.
cross pieces in the back, ETC., are firmly fitted
together-adjusted as neatly as the works IN a
clock.
The idea of making Queen Victoria
Colonel of German Dragons has struck .
good many people as rather odd; but it is said
female officers were quite common in the Brit
ish army about a hundred and fifty years ago.
At that time, it is said. persons who had pull
on the Government were in the habit OF chris
tening their daughters by masculine names.
drawing the pay for the service whiaInrhe girls
did not perform. Colonel Victoria, Ia course,
does not draw pay but is content W. u the mf-
ftary glory that goes with it.
The water was let out from ths dam at
Cakes Lake, near Bloomfield. N. u IN order
to make some repairs. Hgraseds Of people
and their summer boarders went to the dam to
see the rush of water as the sluices were
opened. As the tide went out the surface of
the lake was covered with white-caps as the
fish tapped their tails In efforts to keep in the
swim. Black bass, large and small mouth
pickerel, lake trout and sunfish were seen by
the hundreds some of the black bass and
pickerel weighing three or four pounds. As
yaded IN and picked up great numbers Of the
AT Owingsville, KY, the other day two
young men. accompanied each by q lady, rode
into town horseback and halted in front of the
County Clerks office. The party attracted
much attention and were soon surrounded by
known that both couples were bent on matri-
mony. The licenses having been obtained, the
grand jury was adjourned in order to allow its
foreman, Esquire l.. M "; SrEucn, NJ 70 perform the
ing parties remaining on horseback the while.
The young men were James and Notion Adkin-
son, brothers: of Carter county, and the young
ladies were Maggie and America Foley, sisters.
Monday morning Mrs. f. Shepard, off
Mansfield, Mass. went to her cellar kitchen tol
wash. She had no sooner got there than shel
beheld large black snake, which Immediately
started toward her, sticking out his forksd
tongue. Mrs. Shepard was all excited in q
moment, picked up good size stick and gave
him one or two hits that stunned him for a
minute; then she piled upon him tubs, rocks
and an old pot Of lead that weighed so pounds.
When she thought his snakeship was dead she
tried to remove the pot of lead, but found that
her strength had deserted her. So everything
was left till her husband came home. The
snake measured Just five feet long.