News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-06-06
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.

EVERYDAY LIFE.
Funny Episodes and Thrilling Ad-
ventures Which Show That Truth
is Stranger Than Fiction.
THE Connecticut lad has momentarily
turned his attention from shooting
woodchucIs and digging out young
foxes for bounties to hunting big snap
ping turtles. He has had great luck at
the chase within the past ten days. At
Plainville recently two youngsters stole
up behind a lazy, fat, and ugly %
FOUNDER, that was summing himself near
brook, and the first thing the turtle
knew, after awaking from his bright
dream, was that he was on his back and
the boys were Juggling him away to
Hartford to put him into a stew. A day
OF two later three Tolland county lads
got bigger turtle than the Plainville
Riley Kuran of the same neighborhood
tumbled 28-pound snapper over ON his
back in swamp. That snapper was
such wonderfully big one that he was
put on exhibition in the county house at
L
caught in a moving lot ON Main street
in Newington, and he was exhibited.
On his back was the carved inscription,
81. S. K, 1852" Box turtles are
somewhat rare. There are quaint bright
blotches on their shells, they are shy
and retiring in temperament, and are
not fond of the busy walk in life. Their
most distinctive characteristics is the
ability to draw up a movable shell shut
ter in front that is like the draw bridge
of castle, after doing which they are
'tboxed"
RESIDENTS near Mount Eve and in the
vicinity of the granite quarry at Mount
| Adam, n. Y, lately, have noticed a re-
| ligious revival among the members of
| gang of Italians who have been put at
work in the quarry referred to. The
| beautiful monument erected over the
grave of a daughter of the late Col.
A. E. Kerr, on the Kerr place, near the
mountain, has been mistaken by these
foreigners for shrine, such as are to be
seen by the roadside in their native
| country. At an early hour every morn
ing these devout Italians PROSTATE
themselves before the chaste marble pill
lar in worship. The other evening"
when new lot of Italians arrived by
train and started from the station to
walk to the quarry they saw the monu-
ment in the twilight, and in accordance
with some superstition, they would not
pass it after sunset. The ladies at the
Kerr homestead were greeted by them
with what was undoubtedly the request
that they be allowed to sleep in the barn.
Not understanding the matter fully, the
ladies declined to give the ne cessary
permission. They were greatly sur
prised the following morning, however,
TO find that the entire company of Ital-
ians had laid down and spent the night
in the open field near the house. In the
morning the visitors, after worshipping
at the "shrine, - passed ON and com
menced work in the quarry.
On the Trinity River, in Leon coun-
ty, Texas, is a ferry known as Alabama
Crossing, and in early days as Al
bright's. In the days of the republic
man named Albright owned the ferry
and kept tavern there. Tt was noted
place in that then thinly settled coun-
try. Albright was at one time assessor
and collector for Houston county, and
claimed to have been robbed of $50, 900
in public funds accusing two citizens
of Leon county of the theft, but it could
not be proven, and in course of time
was forgotten, but an occurrence of the |
past few days revives these old memor-
les. On the Houston county side of the |
ferry lay stone, and the present owner
of the ferry, Gid Webb, wishing to get |
this stone out of his way, pried it up, |
and hidden underneath found $40, 900 |
in gold. There are several legends in |
that country adjacent to the old San |
Antonio road of immense treasure hid /
den by the Mexicans, as that road was !
the only one from Nacogdoches to San |
Antonio before the settlement of the in
terror of Texas, and many bloody bat
ties between Mexicans and Indians
in the truth of these treasures being
hidden in some of the lakes or fagoefs..~
A few years ago negro cutting wood III
Robinson county cut down hollow tree
and found 81, 800 in gold in the cavity.
The men who went ON the pioneer
train on new line through the Maine
wilderness had novel experience. The
train was brought to dead stop in the
woods by millions of caterpillars who
had crawled on the rails and were abso-
lutely immovable until another engine
was sent to the rescue of the pioneer.
The caterpillar advance guard was re-
ported by timekeepcr who rode over
the line ON his velocipede the night be-
fore. He was obliged to push his ma
chine by hand for half mile owing to
the number of small gray caterpillars
lying on the rails. A large engine an d
eleven fiat cars loaded with 1,500 ship
Al 3,- &c
Canadian Pacific, started from Seboin
for Brownville, and came to standstlll
owing to these same caterpillars, which
acted as complete check to the further
progress of the train. A force of men
was sent for to Seboin, and after scrap
ing and sanding, with an engine to push
and another TO pull, the train was ut
last started on its journey.
THERE has just died at Patterdale, in
Westmoreland, England, clergyman
of the name of Matheson, aged ninety,
and who has been an incumbent OF that
parish for the long period of sixty years,
During the early part of his life his ben
efice brought him only f12 OF about $50 |
a year, but this was afterwards increased |
to els, or about $50 year, which it
never exceeded. On this he married, |
brought up four children, and lived |
comfortably with his neighbors; educa
ted son ut the University and left |!
$4,000 behind him. He himself read !
the burial service over his mother, he /
marie his father to his second wife,
and afterwards buried him also; he pub
lishcd his own banns of marriage in his
church with woman whom he had pre-
viously christened, and he himself |
solemnized the marriage of all his chill |
dren.
News of three very aged persons
comes from New England The youn-
gest of these is Mrs. Lucy w. Follett,
who recently celebrated her Tooth birth
day III Hubbardston, Mass. She is in
fairly good health. her figure is spare
but erect, and her hair is silvery white.
She walks unaided, reads the newspa-
per and her Bible daily, and does plain |
sewing and knitting. Mr.. George Nor |
ris, of Westbrook, Me-, was 101 years
old early in this month. Heis partially |
blind and deaf, and rarely goes out of
his room. If Miss Betsey Quimbey, of
Thetford, VT, lives until the 21st of
next month she will be 103 years old
She is described as having "a full head
of hair and able to read without glass
es. She is lame, but that is because
she broke her hip forty years ago.