Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-26
CURIOUS COSDEEsAnOEa

The total value Of property in Massa-
ohusetts has increased 50 per cent since 1850
The lash has never been abolished as a
means Of discipline in the German penal instt-
tutions.
In bridgeport Conn, the cats are in the
clutch OF Ia grippe, and feline Bneszing Is the
order Of the night.
up in the Northwest, Scandinavian
journalism Is having quite boom. They havs
better Swedish newspaper in Minnesota than
they have in Sweden, it is said
"A jackson county, No., man is suing
for divorce from the woman he welded q
! years ago. DE says his wife made him do the
washing and the general housework.
"A woman Of Ionia, Mich, suffered with
pain In her side for 20 years Last week .
have caused ali the trouble.
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation COMPANY owns feet Of Y steam
ships. of 1920 tons and 10000 horsepower.
In the past year the feet has steamed 26O0OO0
miles without accident or dslay."
Russian officials have decided that the
telephone 10 dangerous to the Stata." In War.
saw orders have been gwen that telephones be
removed from all restaurants, coffee houses
and liquor saloons. Similar orders have been
issued In all other large Polish towns.
There Is man at Charlottesville, Ind,
who has left his wife four times The first time
he was gone II years. years the second time,
years the third and 1 year the fourth time.
After leaving the fourth time his wife OBJ
tained divorce, and now he is back again. She
has always made her own livelihood.
Michael Fitzgerald, of Bay City, lived
30 days with 3 disIocated neck. He was in
jured about . month ago by log falling on .
peaYy which he held, the shock disiocating his
D.
and heappeared as though nothing was the
matter with him. A postmortem revealed
dislocation Of the neck from disease Of the
bone.
"A Chicago carrier was frightened nearly
out Of bis wits by . white robed figure that ap-
peared at the door Of a certain store Just when
he was delivering the morning paper. He
started the story that IL was ghost, but in
Testigation proved that it was only the pro-
prietor Of the place, who was accustomed to ap-
pear about that hour, unlock the door and get
his paper.
--Abou5 year ago Charles Mstcalf came
to Walpole, Mass, from California, and be-
came engaged to Miss Sarah Nicksrson, Of
Lynn, who was visiting here. He interested
her in mining scheme, and induced her to in
trust him with 81, 600, with which to purchase
the stock in Chicago. Investigation, ft is said.
mas shown MetcalPs representation to be false,
and he has been arrested on the charge Of OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses.
1T is sometimes said that the oranchesof
very old trees are. properly speaking, roots. and
that it planted upside down the trees would
flourish. Herr Kny, a German botanist has
recently investigated the matter by planting
vines and ivy with both ends in the ground,
and subsequently cutting them at the arch.
The experiments were fairly successful, though
not In every instance; and Herr Kny intends to
continue them with other plants and trees, such
as willows, poplars and roses.
"A Baltimore gentleman who bought for
Christmas tree one of the large japonicas
which were cut down in the general dismant-
ling Of the old hothouse Of the Messrs. Halliday
gave Santa Claus genuine surprise when he
went on his rounds Tuesday night The tree,
which is OF feet high, was full Of buds when
It was cut down. By placing the stockin water
for three days in a sheltered place a few Of the
buds matured, and Santa Claus bad the pleas
ure Of seeing two or three beautiful white ia
ponieas in half bloom when he added his con-
tributions to the bush.
"A well-known Mount Clemens, Micn.,
lady has been Iaboring under the impression
for the past i've years that she was a widow.
Her husband left her that long ago to take
trip West. and it was reported that he was
frozen to death in Dakota. When the old gen
tleman returned home last Monday she knew
better. During his absence he has been most
OF the time in British Columbia, where he
stacked up an imposing pile Of the coin of the
realm. What explanation he made to his wife
for his long silence Is NOT public property, but
it musI have been satisfactory as she now ap-
pears as happy as grasshopper dancing in the
sunlight
There Is living at a point on East Bay,
near Pensacola, remarkable family Of four
boys and one young woman. The boys con-
slider their sister to be one Of themselves, she
being in nearly every respect a. handy as boy
should be. and sharing the labors OF her
brothers. They can draw the lines of ship,
hew the timbers, build and launch her, and
then sail her around the world They have done
fine little vessel which they have built, is at
present somewhere on the gulf under command
Of one Of the brothers, who is \ most expert
navigator. The other brothers and sister are
now engaged in building another and larger
vessel, which is well under way.
Twenty years ago diamonds we're at
three times their present value. The discovery
of the South African mines brought down the
price. but amalgamation in the last II months
has put it up by above hundred per cent.
The rough estimate is that during the last few
years the output of diamonds has been 40OQOC0
carats per annum, and that these, cut into
100000 carats, have sold for E40000OO. It
costs 10 shillings per carat to cut diamonds.
The South African mines being now amalga-
mated. the output Is reduced to one-half l. e.
2 900, 600 carats, but the merchants estimate
that this viii still produce f4000 900, because
they regard this as fixed amount which no
matter what the price of diamonds may be,
will be spent on them.
kissing under the mistletOe" has been
thus explained by Notes and Queries CORE
spondent: ''0ne would suppoEe, from the part
played by the mistletoe in Scandinavian myth
Dlogy, that this custom was common to all
Northern peoples. Baldui was slain BY mis-
;letoe dart at the instigation Of Loki. and In
-eparation for the injury the plant was after
ward dedicated to his mother. Frigg. so long
Is 1t did not touch earth. LOkPs empire. On
his account it Is hung from th9 ceilings Of the
houses, and the kiss given under IL signifies
hat it is no longer an Instrument Of mischief.
rhe fetes held in ncommem0ratiOn Of the sacred
nistletoe survived In some parts Of France into
he sixteenth century. The plant was credited
With many talismanlc properties and its fesei-
raj attracted immense gatherings Of people"