Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-21
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Let Us Have Peace the Liquor Que.
tiou-A Reason Why-Invading Insects.

1
tieu-A Reason why-Invading Insects.
For the sake of the comfort of those who
are neither saloon-keepers nor Prohibitionists
before everything, and they are tremendously
in the majority, the liquor question and last
Tuesdays election ought to be dropped at once
from general conversation.
| On Wednesday evening about 5:15 had the
misfortune to be a passenger on a Manchester
car crossing to Allegheny. Sitting on opposite
sides of the car were two men engaged in
fiery alteration. Before the car started from
| Liberty street the anti-Prohib-for the election
of the day before was the subject in dispute
had begun to use language of the flthiest and
profanest kind. The Prohibitionist did not
| swear, but continued TO argue with his oppo-
| nent, though the latter's drunken condition
| was fairly apparent. The Prohibitionist was a
middling-sized disputatious-looking man with
beard. The anti-Prohib was very large and
stout, his head being abnormally big and his
pugilistic jaw and determined face devoid of
beard or mustache. If were to mention his
name good many Aleghenians would recog-
nize him.
How the argument began 1 don't know, al
though at later stage in the battle the Pro-
hibitionist acknowledged that he had provoked
it. The car had gone few yards when lady
got in. She was the only lady there among
seven or eight men and boys. The big man at
the upper end of the car continued to swear at
the top of his voice. He used the same oaths
over and over again; but they were the rankest
kind of blasphemy. The conductor bade him
desist. He refused. The conductor called the
policeman at the Penn avenue crossing to in
terfere. The policeman came in and told the
anti-Prohib who had meanwhile threatened to
throw the conductor and anybody who touched
him of the car, to stop swearing. At this
point the Prohibitonist generously informed
the policeman that be had been to blame for
starting the discussion. The anti-Prohib was
silent, and the policeman retired.
Then the aged sinner began to swear again
ferociously. The only lady in the car rose to
her feet and bade the conductor stop the car.
As she stepped into the street she said: Il
have a good deal of patience with age. but
can't stand such vile language as that"
The swearing went on till the car was half
over the Suspension bridge, and then stopped.
The conductor was too small to deal summarily
with the offender. No man among the passen-
gers was brave enough. though two at least
were big enough to interfere.
*ss
THERE is no doubt that in the instance re-
lated above the burly ruffian who, for no good
reason, drove woman off public conveyance
by his vile language, three months of hard
labor at the workhouse with $50 fine would not
be too much punishment. But surely the Pro-
hlbitionst who chose a half-intoxicated bully
to waste amendment arguments upon ought to
be fined roundly for his lack of sense.
rsr
A NUMBER of correspondents have answered
a question put in this column a few days ago.
viz: us there plague of caterpilars in this
neighborhood?"
All of these correspondents dwell in the
suburbs, and their replies convey the unani.
nous testimony that nothing like plague of
caterpillars can be said to exist One gentle
man says that there are "a water naples on the
street in the East End upon which he resides,
and they are entirely free from caterpillars.
Similar assurances have been received from
Bellevue. Mount Washington, Sharpsburg and
two or three sections of the East End.
But the fact remains that in widely separated
parts of this county the same green caterpillar
is dcvouring the lovely leaves of water and
sugar naples alike.
THE papers of yesterday afternoon recorded
the poisoning of family of seven persons in
Chicago from eating raspberries. One child is
dead and two or three children are still
seriously i'll.
This is probably due to some extraordinary
circumstances about the gathering or keeping
of the berries in damp warm weather. 1t is a
fact, however, that many persons are sunerlng
just now in various ways from induiging in
strawberries and other fruits. There has not
been sun enough last month or this to make
the strawberry palatable or wholesom.. Most
doctors, 1 think it would be found in Pittsburg
have patients on their hands just now who are
paying the penalty in sore mouths or throats or
disordered digestive organs tor eating berries,
cherries and other fruits that look toothsome,
but are treacherous.
ONE of the most disagreeabie results of the
very wet season has already shown itself. The
house fly and the bloodthirsty mosquito are
already upon us in immense hordes.
Only in one place, at New Brighton. Staten
Island, have had such an awful struggle with
mosquitoes as had, and bare scoreo of scars
of at a low-lying spot in the Ohio Valley night
before last.
The ground everywhere is more or less
swampy after 40 days rain, and the New Jer-
sey butchers will have rivals in the mosquitoes
of Allegheny county.
At all the city restaurants the flies are in
control a month earlier than usual. 1 wonder
the railroads which lead to the mountain re-
sorts, where neither the fly nor the mosquito
make day and night jeyless, do not flood the
press with their advertisements at once.