Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-12
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Connecticut has tramp bearing the
historic name of Daniel Webster.
AT Athens, Ca, there is an epidemic
raging among the cats, and they are dying very
fast.
The new powder for Russian smau
arms gives greatly increased velocity over tnaf
formerly in use.
"A Kansas editor says that 10000 rail-
road cars will be required to haul the wheat
crop of his State.
"A new war balloon and parachute are
TO be thoroughly tested during this summers
maneuvers at Aldershot.
Australia is as cosmopolitan as the
United States. At the hotel in Sidney the
other week there were Ii different nationalities
represented at one table.
1t is reported from the Pacific coast that
a gang Of counterfeiters there have been em-
ploying two Japanese coiners, unable to speak
English, to help them in their work.
George Graham. of Clyde, o., had $50
cabbages in q field Ten cows got in one night
and destroyed every one, and George didn't
have time to shoot but three of the animals
before being arrested.
"A man in Cleveland makes affidavit
that he suffered 122 consecutive days with the
tooshache and yet never whipped one of his
children or said cross word TO his wife. No
human Delng Will DeueYe MIN.
The officers of our army and navy are
the most dissatisfied people in the country.
Most Of them are chronic applicants for better
positions and are always smelling out pros
pective vacancies and pushing claims.
"A surveyor who was employed in one Of
the oldest counties of Connecticut put in three
weeks on different farms before he found one
single line fence on the right line. Every far
mer was gamer or loser by the survey.
Mrs. james Gallagher, a resident of
Brooklyn, began sneezing the other evening,
and she had got the tally up to 2,O40 times when
the doctors finally found a remedy. She says
she won't try again until some female beats
the record.
"A Summerville, Fla. paper says: 1--WE
have q man in our county who is about IS years
old. who was never more than 40 miles away
from, home, never rode on train or steamboat,
never wrote or received letter, never sub
scrlDed Tor newspaper, and never voted the
Democratic ticket"
John Robinson, of Macon county, Ga,
killed a hen not long since which had two WELL
developed egg bags. From one bag an egg was
laid internally and one externally. The theory
is that she laid two eggs day until one of the
sacks burst When killed several eggs were
found inside and one of the eggs had q live
chicken in 1t.
B. T. Ray, of Mitchell county, Ca,
comes to the front with the largest cucumber
of the season, notwithstanding the long
drought it had to contend with. The cucumber
measured 14H inches in length and 81 inches
in circumference and weighed two pounds.
Mr.. Ray says that he could easily gather 80
from the same vine.
The Munson dam in Steuben county, N.
Y, is IL miles long and about miles wide,
which constitutes the waters of Lake Lamoka
and furnishes water power for grist mill, saw
mill and planning mill, the machinery all being
driven by ono monster turbine wheel. This
wheel has been stopped on two occasions by
eels trying to pass through from the lake to
the stream below. Each time the wheel was
found to be literally janmed by thousands OF
mutilated eels, which took q number Of men
several hours to clear away.
Joe Mitchell, miller of Griffin, Ga,
eats all the rats he can catch, and says that
"they are much nicer than.squirrel or rabbit"
A gentleman passed by the mill the other after
noon and a large rat, as large as squirrel, ran
out from the engine house. Joe. seeing the rat,
gave chase and soon killed 1t. Having noticed
the unusual interest manifested IN catching
the rat, he asked Joe what he was going TO do
with it. He said: Eat it, by gosh" Sure
enough, he soon had it skinned, cleaned and
salted and looking in all appearances ike
squirrel. Smacking his lips over the joyful
prospects of a rat supper, Joe went his way
looking for more rats.
An Atlanta, Ga, paper tells the follow
ing: A strange and fatal prize fight occurred
near Mobile, Ala, about which little has ever
been said. and probably nothing ever pub
lished. A wiry, athletic, lightweight Yankee
soldier was pitted against a burly, heavy
weight negro. The soldier weighed about l25
pounds; the negro about 240. The Yankee knew
the science of boxing and wrestling. while the
negro had to depend upon natural strength
The fight was Sl00 a side, with no rules, but
each man to go in to whip the other any way
he could. The scene Of the fight was near a
Yankee camp three miles from Mobile. The
time early one Sunday morning. Each man
was stripped to the waist The negro was bare
footed and the soldier wore heavy wooden SAN
dals which were destined to play conspicuous
part in the battle. The two men scuffied and
lodged about the ring for half an hour. Sud-
denly the little soldier raised one of his heavy
sandals and gave his antagonist terrible kick
on the shin. The blow broke the leg and the
severe pain threw the negro OF his guard. He
bent his body forward and clapped his hands to
his shin. This was what the soldier wanted,
and when the negro's head was low enough he
struck him on his windpipe with the sharp side
of his hand with sufficient force to break the
negro's neck. There was a groan, and the
negro dropped to the ground dead.