Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-21
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


"A Democrat in Monana county, Ia,
was elected to the Legislature by majority Of
vote. II he had remained at home on the
a tie.
"A mistake Of one word recently cost s.
Q. Fisher, of West Bay City, the price of 50
bushels Of potatoes. He told his clerk to write
70 a Grayling man for Is or 30 bushels, and the
clerk wrote for barrels.
-One OF the smallest travelling men in
Michigan is G. sparling, of Kingsley. He is %
years Old, 40 inches tall, weighs 60 pounds, and
represents Chicago house.
Jesse o'CoOly, of JeffersonviIIe. Ind,
was arrested for desecrating the sabbath az
seoaIsouIg. MS ms crime consisted in repairing
. broken rall last Sunday to prevent a wreck
the j.. M q l., he being section hand
"A cork tree at Vistalia, Cal. was trans
planted to the Court House ward last Friday.
It was planted from an acorn in 1857 in a vacant
lot, and mas grown to be 30 feet high and 20
inches through the butt The bark is inch
thick.
R. B. Duncan, Of Salem, Ore, was feast
ing last week on strawberries that grew and
IlPened. unprotected, in the open air. His
vines are still in bloom and he has few berries
about matured.
DR. Meade, Of Cincinnati, left his horse
united and it ran away. The doctor seut mes
sages all over town ana had about gfven M All
hope Of ever seeing his rig again. when be was
called TO the telephone; He recognized the
voice OF his afnanced, and was reiofced to learn
that the animal was standing patiently in front
OF her residence.
There is certain firm of subseriptiou
book publishers in Cincinnati that has an agent
who recenty took most wonderful number Of
orders. Il can't explain it said one of the
frm, except on the theory that he mesmerizes
them. know that delivered the books to the
genuineness Of the signatures. they Claimed
not to be able to remember the least thing
about giving the order"
Hiram Lester, now an inmate of the
Poor House, at McDonough. Ca, is thought to
be the oldest man in the world. His age is I'D
years. Colonel Sloan, Of MeDonough, who is
over so years age, says when he was a boy Les
ter was old man. Lester's teeth are perfectly
sound and his eyesight and hearing are good.
His skin Is wTinkled and as hard as parchment
He eats and sleeps well, and says be has given
up all idea Of ever dying. He remembers all
about the Revolutionary War and knew George
Washington.
Last July a well-dressed stranger en-
tered the First National Bank in Chattanooga,
and purchased one draft for a and two Of 81
each. paying for the same. The bank is now
notified that the s. draft has turned up In New
York 81 QUO draft. 1t seems that the sWind1sr
went to philadelphia and purchased soda
fountain for 81, 100 paying for the same with the
raised draft and receiving 81 800 in exchange
The draft was thrown ont by the New York
correspondents Of the Chattanooga bank as q
forgery: The work was so well done that it can
hardly be detected by an expert
"A Michigan exchange gives this advice
to its readers: "If gray-haired woman Of 50
in moderately respectable attire is put on tho
ears n vor1r forun hocauca he oorfea ~,or- -
fare any farther; If she almost Immediately re-
ceives telegram urging her to come home on
the next train because her husband is dying,
and II she tearfully and desperately, in plenty
loud voice. announces that she is going to walk
home 100 miles, you let her walk. She and her
confederate, who sends the telegram. have
worked the dying husband racket in half
dozen Michigan towns at net profit, it is hg
ured, of SIS a day.
The first cargo Of the American bitumi-
nous coal that has been known to be shipped
direct to Brazil will be taken by the schooner
Hannah McLoon. which sailed from Philadel-
phia yesterday for Santos via Newport News
Many efforts have been made to introduce coal
from this country into Brazil, but every attempt
was thwarted by the coal monopoly Of the
country, which was In the hands Of the En-
glish. who refused to handle the American
product. During the last two years thousands
Of tons Of coal shipped from Philadelphia have
beeu landed At ST. Thomas and Martinique,
s. 50 per ton freight.
No variety of chrysanthemum is more
widely known than the Mrs. Alpheus Hardy,
an exquisite feathery white. The story Of the
lady and the flower Is somewhat romantic.
Years ago Mrs. Alpheus Hardy aud her hus-
band were on q vessel coming from Japan %
this country. After the vessel had been several
days out q little J4Danese stCwaway was found
among some goods. The Hardys became inter-
ested in him. and on the landing OF the vessel
took the little fellow TO their home in Boston
and educated him. He afterward returned TO
hls country as the Rev Neesema, native mis-
sionary. whence he sent back to Mrs. Hardy the
most magnificent collection Of chrysanrhemum
roots that the country possesses to-day.
The teacher Of a school in St joseph.
Mo-, last Friday night placed Willie Lechtman
in q closet in a deserted room as punishment
for some trivial ofense. but forgot to release
the culprit when the weeks session was ended
and went home. The janitor, while going about
thought it was child in the neighborhood and
paid no attention to H. Time passed ana the
wall continued and grew weaker and more
piteous. This touched his heart, and he began
little prisoner in the closet The teacher had
taken the key with her, and he was compelled
to force the door. The boy, when released, was
in pitiful condition.
II. p Smythes, who has made some i'm
portant geological discoveries in Indiana,
stated 70 an indianapolis reporter. There isa
great lake under part Of Indiana, as you are
already probably convinced. have explored
it. Twas sinking . well on my place iu Orange
county, when suddenly the dril knocked .
piece out Of the bottom and disappeared
Through the opening cold, clear wafer rushed,
filling the well to the depth Of 20 feeE At tins
level it stands. have pumped water for hours,
using steam engine once. and the water does
not lower an inch. One day drew up dsh in
. bucket OF water ] had heard nelghbors tell
stories Of subterTanean dsh, but this was the
frst had seen. have II here IN alcohol As
you see, it ID eyeless.n The nsh was small, OF
reddish color, and almost transparent Hold
ing it before the light one could count every
bone in the hsh. The part Of the state where
the underground lake exists Is hilly, full Of
gulches and caves. II Is there that Lost river,
} considerable stream. gradually sinks away
and finally disappears altogether. A few miles
west. at OrangeVills, a great body Of water
commonly believed 70 be Lost riTer) gushes
from the earth. 1t foams and eushes against
he rock and comes forth in sufielent power
md quantity to furnish power for mill