Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-24
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

"A pure white English sparrow dwells
with colony Of browns in Hartford, Conn.
John Masgatt, aged 76 years, Of West
Ellsworth, Me-, drove 40 miles last week to be
initiated Good Templar.
"A Hannibal, No., man has killed $40
squirrels since the first of June. but probably he
has not done much Of anything else.
The wine list on the bills Of fare used
in dining cars on railroads crossing Iowa has
this notice at the bottom: mo liquors sold in
the State Of Iowa"
The grave Of woman buried in Cohoes.
N. Y. Is years ago. was opened recently and
the body found petrifed. The features looked
as natural as IT the woman had just died.
"A plague Of monkeys afflicts Tanjore. I.
in Southern India. The creatures do so much
mischief that an official monkey catcher re-
ceives rupee for each monkey captured
1T is proposed to bring in bill at the
next session of the British Parliament to put .
restraint on improvident marriages, the great
proportion Of such marriages being made By
those under Is years OF age.
The monuments of antiquity at Athens
are being cleansed from the dirt and rubbish Of
ages for the approaching royal wedding. In
doing this several entire streets OF the modern
-o"- -efo heu W Dc pullou uOWu-
In Houlton. Me-, lives lady who
never wore an article of jewelry. piece Of
lace nor collar, even in the days Of courtship,
wnlcn experiences she has passed through more
Imam once, having married twice.
The fish are getting so numerous around
the docks at Port Tampa, Fla. that they jump
out Of the water and land on the vharyes. A
king fish weighing II pounds was captured by
Canfaln t1eOrQ9 fhar
Tuesday.
"A Maine girl put note and her adj
dress in box OF toothpicks, requesting the
finder TO write to her. A Kansas City man got
the box, opened correspondence and 4 few
days ago started East to see IL the young lady
was the sort Of woman he wanted for wife.
-Hypnotism is to be elevated into q
science. Already society is being formed in
London to investigate its merits and has prom
Use of influential support. So much encourage
ment has. In fact, been given TO the movement
that semi-public gathering has been held in
Westminster Town Hall TO take it into still tur-
ther consideration.
The advertising columns Of the London
newspapers have recently announced that nine
cannibals from Terre del Fuego would be fed
three times day in view Of the audience at
the Aquarium. The family now in London in
cludes woman about 50 years old, her son,
tall and not bad-looking specimen Of his race,
his two wives and their i've children, ranging
in age from i to l6 years. The thing about the
Onas which most stimulates scientific interest
and popular curiosity is the fact that they are
regarded by some authorities as the lowest
stratum OF unciviized humanity that has yet
been discovered.
james Lukens, an old colored man Of
Norristown, was taking walk through the
woods near that town about week ago when
his dog. a large brindle cur, pounced upon an
enormous hawk in the bushes feasting upon
wild pigeon. The dog seized the hawk by the
right wing In his teeth, and broke it Instantly
the hawk showed fight. 1t bit the dog about
over the body, and finally drove him on Thim-
pering with his tan between his legs. Lukens
took club and killed the hawk. The bird
measured seven feet from tap to tip Of i1
wings.
I'M. de Quartrefage, the leading French
ethnologlst in presenting the second part Of
his Introduction to the Study Of the Human
Races" to the Academy of Sciences, has given
an interesting summary of his general con.
ciusions with regard to the origin and distribu-
ton OF mankind. Neglecting the minor differ
ences, he estimates that there are no fewer
than 72 distinct races In the human species All
these descend or branch of from three funda-
mental types-the black, the yellow and the
white-which had their origin at the great CEN
tral mass of Northern Asia, which is thus the
cradle OF mankind Representatives Of these
different types and the races which sprung from
them are still to be found there.
Last Saturday DR.. +. II. Wiley, of
Centerport brought to Reading bird Of prey
rare In this State. known as the wonderful
falcon, which the doctor had shot near his
home. In some localities the bird Is known a.
the duck hawk, but none has been seen in
Berks county for some years. It Is considered
one OF the most rapid and powerful flyers
known. It has large, round head. neck
short and thin, and q robust body, broad in
'front.' with tibiai feathers covering the knee.
strong toes Of remarkable length, and very
sharp claws. The plumage is compact and i'm
bricated, and the feathers are rounded on the
back DR.. Wiley's specimen is pronounced the
nandsomest ever shot il that part Of the
country.
AT the last session of the Maryland
Legislature bill was passed providing for the
determination Of eel In the Wycomico river.
and the sum of 5000 was appropriated for the
purpose. The State Fish Commissioners we're
instructed to expend this sum and report the
result OF their labors. Their work has been
well done, but they say the nuisance has not
been abated. The money was expended In
bounties, cents being paid for each eel de-
hvered to any Of the six inspectors distributed
along the river The enormous number Of 10
900 eels were captured and paid for, and MI.
Toadvine, one Of the commissioners, says there
are more eels in the Wycomico river to-day
than when he began his work Of determination.
They were anywhere in length from two feet to
an inch.
Captain John Quincy Adams, who died
recently at North vanceboro, Me-, saved his
leg during the war in an original way. After
the battle Of Cedar Mountain, Captain Adams
was wounded By q rebel bullet, which produced
a compound eomminuted fracture Of thigh
bone. He was taken to the hospital, and, when
the surgeons came around. he was "chalksd1
for amputation. After the surgeons had passed,
Adams rubbed out the chalk mark and thus
gained day. When the surgeons came around
again they decided that his was . case for am
putation, but Adams thought otherwise, and
rubbed out their markings as before. That
night DR.. Garcelon arrived on the scene, having
been sent out by Governor Washburn to look
after Maine wounded, and to him Adams ap-
pealed in behalf Of his shattered femur. Am
putation was deferred. and the result was that
Adams saved his leg which served him fairly
well during the remainder Of his life.