News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-09-12
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
Queer Facts and Thrilling Ad-
ventures Which Show That Truth
is Stranger Than Fiction.


is Stranger Than Fiction.
AN inquiry has been addressed to me re
garding the "Weather Plant, and am
asked to give particulars of this botani
cal curiousitv, says q writer in the Lon
don Graphic. The plant in question
seems to be related to the sensitive
plants, or Mimos 2, and, like them, it,
leaves bend readily. The plant is said
to indicate the approach of atmospheric
disturbances by changes III or move
ments of its leaves. This is no new
thing in plant life. The so called by
groscop.c property is well known as q
feature of vegetable life, and consists
essentially i'll the production of changes
IN the form, size, or position of plant
organs, such changes depending on the
absortIOn or loss of moisture. The avn
OF the wild cat is twisted below, for eX
ample, and, on the slightest approach
of moisture, moves and twines as if en-
dowed with active vitality. Mr.. Francis
Darwin has paid special attention tC
such phenomena in plants. If we cal
imagine one set Of the delicate sells in
one side of leaf being longer and pos
other side, we can easily see how TIN
thin-walled cells will not only Absorb
water more easily, but will also dry
more quickly than the others. Such 9
disposition of matters must necessarily
be attended by alterations in the shape
of the leaf, and it is such changes OF
form which have long been noticed il
plants and which have been credited
l1o1 al
and even more mystical events still.
A LARGE amount of treasure has been
discovered in the ruins of an old build
ing, st. Augustine, Fla, owned by the
Countess De Mount ,oy, who married
abroad, and who is now at Cairo, Egypt
A gang of colored workmen who were
moving away the rubbish preparatory
to rebuilding, clme ACROSS a quantity OF
god doubloons and half doubloons.
The news spread, and in a few minutes
q crowd of excited citizens were on the
ground digging like mad, and gathering
the coin by handfuls. The contractors,
hearing of the discovery, called III on
the authorities and succee led in clear
ing away the crowd, and by sitting the
rubbish found upward of 81, 900. The
rubbish was being carried away to fill a
street in the suburbs, aud one workman,
who was employed to level up the earth,
and who had much secretiveness about
him, worked the bonanza for all it was
worth. A cart which had been loaded
when the find was made was dumped,
and was found to be rich in the shining
metal. The dates are from 1920 to 1925,
at which date the house, an old stone
structure, was owned by Father Crosby,
o wealthy priest.
THERE are great number of gaunt,
fierce-looking cats around the New York
Tombs, and they are held in esteem
because they wage bitter warfare
against the rats and keep their numbers
down to me reasonable limit. At
times when the rats are unusually shy
or scarce these cats grow very hungry,
and they are compelled to transfer their
attention to the pigeons which fly about
the gloomy structure i'll great numbers.
Nobody ever disturbs these pigeons,
and they would probably increase so rs
to become a nuisance if it were not for
the cats. The pigeons frequently fly
down into the prison yard in search of
food, and they are daily visitors at the
pump. The cats crouch in the shadow
of the walls, OF behind some box or bar
rel, and watch for hours without mo-
ton. Finally n pigeon, lulled to q
sense of security by the apparently
slumbering cat, will approach within
reach of spring, and in the twlnkllng
of an eve the cat is upon her. One OF
the keepers said that scores of these
prison birds are killed every year by the
cats.
SPEAKING of the crew of her Maize sty's
ship Tourmaline, recently in the harbor
of New York, the New York Times says:
"a fine looking set of fellows are the
men of the Tourmaline- great lGsty
b lie jackets, finely set up, 1.-the, and
well built marines, and sharp, smart
looking officers: $50 persons told. All
hands looked as if they had been doing
some active cruising, for not man but
is Drowned like cocoanut. Add to
this the contrast of the heavy, back
boards which most of the top men wear
and the effect is striking. 1t is not gem
orally known that the men of the Brit
ish navy, officers included, are prohib-
tied from wearing boards on their faces,
except in accordance with the regulation
cut. The rule is that every man must
either wear a beard or go smooth shaven.
In wearing beard permission is given
to cut a three finger gang-way;' that is,
to cut out as much hair under the
lower lip as can be covered by the tips
OF three fingers. One never sees q Brit
ish tar wearing n mustache or goatee."
A RESIDENT of Charlestown, Mass,
is q great fanc;er of fowls. A day or
two ago, when he turned out his last
brood to scratch for themselves, one of
the chicks ran across o pickle bottle
and squeezed Itself through the neck
with some difficulty and could not get
out again. When morning came the
old hen missed her chick and went in
search of it. Having found it, and not
being able to eXtricate it from its i'm
prisonment she flew around like mad,
and finally became so violent that her
owner came from his breakfast table to
learn the cause. The old hen was then
rolling the bottle over and over with
her feet. In breaking the bottle the
chickens threat was badly cut. The
wound was sewed up, and the chick is
now able to grub for itself, although the
neck is still doneup with white rag.
THE District Judge at Kalutica, Cey-
lon, had before him recently three
persons, including village headman.
charged with causing ''grievous hurt
to four oilers by requiring them to
plunge their right hands into a cauldron
of boiling oil. A woman in the village
had some plumbago and rice stolen
from her; a headman made inquiry,
and failing to obtain a clue to the theft.
announced that it would be necessary
on the third day to hold an ordeal by
boiling oil. This appears to be a not
uncommon custom in remote parts of
the country. Any exclamation of pain
on the part of the suspected person is
construed into an admission of guilt
The Judge took the fact that it was q
custom into account, but fined the pris-
oners 100 rupees each.
WHILE Isaac German, an old farmer.
residing near Greble, Nd, was chopp-
ing at an old stump, he noticed some
bright substances among the rotten
wood. Upon further examination he
found it to be gold piece. After care
fully removing all the dirt and digging
down into the stump he found more
money, and as n result of his labor has
one twenty dollar gold piece, four five
dollar gold p eces and twelve old Mexi-
can silver dollars, total of $50 in his
possession. The dates on the coin vary.
One bears the date of 1861, but all the
others are older. Where the money
came from is mystery, but it is very
likely that it was deposited three years
ago, probably during the war, by some
soldier who was killed and who could