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

of the 800, 900 qualified voters In the
city OF New York 1900 pay taxes on prop
erty and $4,000 pay rents to those who own the
property.
Suicide among German officers increases
shockingly. During May twenry-three shot
themselves, and the number for June was
larger still.
AN English gentleman has discovered q
method Of preventing rabies in dogs. Give
them vegetarian diet with unlimited cherries
and Strawberries.
I'm China the inhabitants are counted
every year iE q curious manner. The Oldest
master of every ten houses has to count the
families, and has to make q list, which is sent
to the imperial tax house. Last year the
whole number amounted to S79, 3S3. 500 inhao-
itants.
AT Atlanta, a few days ago, while Miss
Mamie Nelson was dressing large. fat hen,
she found q needle sticking through the
gizzard, the point penetrating the heart. The
needle was black and looked as if it was work.
ing its way out The fowl was perfectly
healthy.
"A rare bird was shot at Dundee, Ind,
by Austin Dolla, a farmer. The bird is snow
white and stands seven feet high. The remark
able fact that 1t weighs less than four pounds
las excited no little interest. For want Of the
proper name the people have appropriately
dubbed It the phantom heron"
Miss Cora Nichsl, of Henrietta, jack
son county, Mich. made the acquaintance of .
snake under peculiar circumstances the other
day. She was sitting at the sewing machine
busily stitching, when she observed the snake
craving toward her. In the scramble which
followed the snake lost his life
The State Board of Horticulture Of
California have imported Australian lady bugs
to fight the cottony scale which is now doing so
much damage in the orange gardens Of that
State. The scale is the bugs chief article OF
diet. and this method of saving the orange trees
has succeeded where all others have failed.
Connecticut capitalists are boring for
oil in that State, in the town of Southbury. An
old well gave indications that there was oil
beneath the surface there in 1881, and it is near
this well that the capitalists have now had
bored shaft which is already ], 460 feet deep.
1t is intended to bore for oil at least O0O feet
. "A veteran locomotive engineer named
William Bradley, while running between
FruItvaIe and San Leandro, CAL, ran into what
appeared to be q small cloud, sweeping close
to the ground, but whal was in reality, o swarm
of bees. The cab was literally filed with bees
for a few minutes, but neither he nor his fire.
man was stung.
The welI-known detection Of a crime, in
Diplomacy" through the perfume in a
woman's glove was reproduced by q recent
occurrence in Paris. A man who found his
room robbed of all his jewelry perceived
peculiar perfume, and few days later noticed
in the street. They were arrested and found
to be the thieves.
"A remarkable sight was witnessed at the
Bailey depot, in Cass county, Mo-, ON a recent
evening. The sun was getting low when q train
pulled in, and the engine began to let OF steam
As soon as released the steam began to form,
and in short time complete rainbow could
he Nauu foar nh
ing TO the ground on either side. 1t was q
beautiful sight, and remained as long as the en-
gineer released steam from the engine.
Experiments have recently been made
at Kiel by the German naval authorities on
torpedoes made of paper and worked by cleo
tricity. The results are said to have been very
satisfactory. The torpedo is about IL feet long
ers of paper IA inches thick, compressed and
vanished. The motor Is mounted on three
paper ribs, and driven from the ship or shore
By a cable, the steering and ignition Of the
charge being controlled through the same
cable.
The Austrian man-of-war Saida, which
is now visiting our waters, is splendidly
equipped with electrical appliances including
two powerful electric search lights, together
with electrical devices which enable each indi-
vidual gunner to fire his gun by pressing a but
ton; or a whole broadside can be ired simultan-
eousy from the captains bridge by q similar
arrangement The officers speak highly of the
efficiency OF these appliances, and state that
their entire navy is being equipped with cleo
tric devices
"A company Is being formed in StLouis,
Mo-, to introduce the writing telegraph ma
chimes. It is proposed to operate them on the
telephone system, having a central office con-
Meeting with all the private or public lnstru-
ments. If a business man wants to hold a con-
versation with a customer or friend he pulls a
little lever, which rings bell at the central Of
fee. He then writes down on his plate the
he proceeds to write down his message, which
10 imm ediately reproduced In the same hand
writing at the other end
"A Pennsylvania editor answers q cor
respondent who propvunds the query, "Did
you ever see baldheaded women?" in the fol-
lowing strain: mo. we never did. Nor did
we ever see a woman waltzing around town in
We never saw q woman go fishing with q bottle
in her hip pocket. sit around on the damp
ground all day, and go home "boozed" in the
of her coat, spit on her hands, and swear she
could whip any man in town. All of the FORE
going privileges are reserved for men,
Assistant District Attorney William
Travers Jerome, of New York, has returned
from his vacation with an experience that has
been accepted as a warning by those Of his
He appeared in court minus the forefnger Of
his left hand. The stump Of this member and
his badly lacerated secoDh finger were swathed
in several thicknesseeS of cotton and oilskin.
Mr. Jerome slid her had been fishing in Lake
Champlain for ndscalonge. He captured one
that was longer than his boat, whose side the
brute split with flap Of his tail. Before the
poat sank Mr.. Jerome inserted the gaff in the
creatures gills. This instrument the fish
promptly swallowed. handle and all, and when
his Jaws came together two Of Mr.. Jerome's
fingers were between them. The result was
that Mr.. Jerome's finger had to be ampu-
rated.