The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-05-20

SEVERAL Caro-, Mich, gentlemen recently
saw large rat carry a hens egg on its
back. They say that it twisted its tail
around the egg and carried it safely until it
was hit with stone.
Miss LOUISE REED STOwELL, teacher of
microscOpical botany at the University of
Michigan, has been appointed special mi
croscopic artist of the Botanical Depart
ment at Washington.
IT has been found in experiments at Leip-
sic that skin grated from white to col
ored person becomes gradually black, and
that black skin grated upon q white per-
son In time turns white.
ATLANTA ladies had floral carnival the
other day, floral procession of carriages,
the most striking feature of which was the
pony cart OF Master Malcolm Phelan,
which was covered with large butterflies
made of brilliant flowers, and his pony COW
cred with butterfly rosettes.
Mr.. GLADSTONE says that he has had his
portrait painted thirty-fve times and
often by John Millais, who takes only five
hours to do the work. AS Millais usually
receives 1900 guineas (S10.0O0) for portrait,
he may be considered to work, in Glad
stones case, at the rate of $1,000 per hour
The Sir John Lawes who has Just given
$500, 900 for the promotion of agriculture in
England is the father of the sculptor who
figured conspicuously in the famous Belt
Lawes lawsuit. Sir John is one of the best
living authorities on farming. Despite his
vast wealth, he is a man of plain and
simple habits. .3t
SYBIL SANDERsON, the California girl
who has made striking success at Paris in
the title role of Massenet's latest opera. has
luxuriant auburn hair, a pale complexion
and magnificent hgnre. She is fond of
dressing in black, and the whiteness of her
skin, the brilliancy OF her eyes and the
peculiar tint of her hair combine to make
her fascinating object when thus attired.
THE shorthand writer's reporting the pro-
ceedings of the Parnell commission are al
most winded by the speed of Irish volubil-
ity. Mr.. G. Button, the official shorthand
writer, says that while in crOss-examina-
ton an average rapid witness will keep up
an average of $50 words a minute for sever
al minutes together, some Irishmen and
Irishwomen who have testified have gone
at a speed of over 200 words in 60 seconds.
One witness attained speed, as accurately
as he could estimate. of 230 words minute.
ANTONIO BREGAzZI, a well-known Wash
ington Italian, and veteran retired from
the regular army. who died recently, was
one of the detail of six men ordered to carry
the remains of Lincoln to the White House
from the house on Tenth street. opposite
FOrd's Theater, where the martyred Presi-
dent breathed his last. Mr.. Bregazzi bore
back to his wife as souvenir one of the
blOOd-stained sleeves of Lincoln's shirt. In
the cuff Mrs. BregaZzi found beautiful
stud with LincOln's monogram, which she
returned.
A RECENT French tale has the following
gruesome plot: "a lover who has lost his
mistress by death passes night in the
xx-hn h. & 81
nesses general resurrection in which all
the dead rectify their own epitaphs, can
didly telling the truth about themselves,
however uncOmplimentary it may be. The
spectator of this scene has the happiness of
seeing his dead love inscribe upon her own
tombstone the confession that the cold of
which she died was taken while deceiving
her lover" h"f9 49,
WHILEI. V. Williamson, of Pennsylvania.
was alive, he paid taxes to the State upon
the small amount of S67 .5OOin money, which
was assessed as being invested IN such Sc
curities as the State levies tax upon. The
eyes of the tax assessors bulged out when
they read In the papers q list of the securi-
ties owned by him, of which not less than
$3,7500OO were taxable. This is matter of
$1,000 year to the State, and so the as
SCISSORS nave notlfled the executors that
they must pay up hereafter over S11 200 a
year, instead of the 5000 paid upon the mill
ionaire's vast personal investments during
his life.
LADY FLORENCE DIXIE's little house, by
the Thames, at Windsor, is described as
curiosity. 1t is very small; in fact, the sta
bles in which she keeps number of little
ponies are quite twice as large as the house,
| and are very beautifully built They cost
| Lady Florence Dixie more than she could
conveniently afford. so she sent round to
| ask her friends to help her to meet the ex-
| placed two marble tablets, one black and
| one white. On the white one the names of
| the friends who subscribed are engraved,
| while on the black one appear those of the
| friends who did not subscribe. Lady Flor
| ence keeps about fifty dogs. and is always
either walking about with her dogs or gal
| Looping along the roads on one of the little
ponies: She affects being a very light
| weight.