Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-02-28

they said, had got into the trap, but
when the boys approached him he llad
struggled so that he had snapped the
trap from its fastenings and had flown
away with it, chain and all. This had
occurred only few minutes Def 70 Far
mer Geesey came aloug. The farmer
drove on. He had gone nearly two
miles. when he saw big hawk hover
ing and fiuttering over rail fence at one
side OF the road. As Geesey came oppo-
site the bird lie was amazed to see that
IL had steel trap fast to one OF its legs.
A chain three or four feet long was at
tached to the trap and on the end OF the
chain was a large ring. This ring was
around the sharp point of one OF the
fence stakes, and the hawk was unable
to get away. Geesey got out OF his
wagon, and after a lively fight with the
hawk succeeded in overpowering 1T and
capturing it alive. That it was the hawk
that had escaped from the boys, carrying
their trap with it, he soon proved, for he
drove back and overlook them and they
identified the trap. The hawk had been
flying low, probably owing to the weight
of tie trap on its leg, and in passing
over the rail fence the ring at the end OF
the chain had caught on the stake and
held the hawk fast until Geesey came up
and captured it, 1t measured feet
from tip to tip of its wings.
FoR eighteen months past, crows to
the number estimated all the way from
1000, coo to 3,000,0 900 have swarmed IN
the eastern part of Douglass county,
ILL.,, feeding in the fields at daytime and
collecting at night at their famous roosts
in McCown's Grove, which covers some
sixty acres. About dusk these birds
gather in from the surrounding country
in myriais, AMI the noise they make 10y
their shrill "Caw cav 70 is deafening.
Frequently they alght i'm such vast
numbers on the trees that limbs are bro
ken under their weight. One day
black cloud of these birds was crossing
the railroad track near here when the
smoke Of the engine blinded them. They
few against the side of the swiftly NOV
ing cars, and parties who watched tho
strange sight counted nearly two hun
dred that had met their death in the
above manner. A party OF hunters from
Hume, armed themselves with shotguns,
aud visited the roost with the avowed
intention of Kidding it of the shiny black
pests. Six of them shot and killed LOO
in less than two hours, but at the end OF
that time the diminution of the birds
was unnotceable, and the birds would
rise in such clouds that they would al
most obscure tho sun. IL is stated that
this wholesale invasion of crows is caused
by short crops in the southern part of
the State for the past two seasons,
where they have made their home in
winter. They make sad havoc in the
fields of corn and it seems impossible to
drive them out.
Tar 50-year old Court House at
Washington, Tenn, is to be torn down
on account of the removal OF the county
seat. For 80 years the old temple of
Justice has been haunted, and it is al
most impossible TO get men to work
upon it, The testimony OF ex-of1icers
whose nerve is unquestioned agrees that
during all those years, in vacant room
up stairs, footsteps have been heard Mt
night, and hundreds Of visits to the
room have failed TO detect anything out
of the common. The mysterious tenant
has been known to speak and ask an in
tellicent question. The only occupant
of the room has been skeleton called,
locally, "Jimmy Lonesome, lett there
by young doctor, and local tradition is
divided rs to whether its former owner
STAYS with it or whether the ghost is the
wrath OF a man murdered in the vicin-
ity. Every man in the little hamlet and
the country side around devoutiy be-
Iieves that the Court House is haunf ed
and that the ghost can only be laid by
demolition of the old pioneer landmark
4 RATHER angular coincidence occnr-
red in the New York Pension Office the
other CAV, which made many persons
who we're present open their eyes in as
constituent. 1t was the usual quarterly
pay-dav for the veterans, and over hun
bred we're drawn up in hne awaiting
their turn at the window. In the TOW were
three men whose appearance denote
that their soldier-life during the war had
been an, thing but pleasant. The three
we're in su tcession, and when the first
reached the raging teller's window, he
answered to the name OF Wilkes. This
did not occasion much surprise to tho s.
who stood near but when the second
man answer ell to the name of Booth
there was q great deal of anxious staring
at the two men. But the climax was
reached when the third man stepped to
the window, and in answer to the clerk
sad his name was Lincoln. As the three
veterans walked out Of the Office, they
were the exposure Of every eye in the
room.
AT recent talk on "Wit and Humor
in the Press" given before the Contem-
porary Club of Grange, n. j., at the
home of Henry b. Auchincloss, in Lie
wellyn Park, Fl. c. Bunner, editor OF
Puci, related an sneeiote of which Viii
liam Matter Phelps was the subject.
Some years ago Puck bad been caricatur.
ing Mr. Phelps profusely, always repre-
senting him with beard. which at one
slime he we're. Mr.. Phelps wrote 6
polite note to the editor, saying that he
did not object in the slightest 10 being
car;cature,l, bat he hated to see mac
curate journalism. For some time he
had been wearing only mustache, aud
trusted that for any future caricaturt
they wonld use as copy recent photo