Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-21
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

George Davis, a Newark man, felt 30
bad about signing his will the other day that he
went out and shot himself.
"A scarlet geranium leaf that measured
F inches in circumference was picked at Han.
ford, Cal, few days ago.
A much-abused man in Palatka, Fla,
wrote to one of his enemies, calling him an ass,
and thoughtlessly signed himself, yours fra
ternally."
The finest single sapphire in this
country is owned by Mrs. William Astor. and
her necklace of emeraids and diamonds Is
among the costliest jewels in America
"A Chicago broker was called worth S5,-
100000 the day he died. Aweek later his assets
were only $50 600 and when his debts were
paid there was just enough remaining to put
MIN up $500 monument.
Mrs Mosley, the wife of an English
army officer, and a former American heiress,
this season by her reckless play. Two weeks
ago she lost s0O,OOO at single sitting.
"A mischievous youngster in Milton, N.
H., saturated the tail of the family dog with
kerosene and then applied match. The dog
ran OF frantically, and, rubbing against hay
stack, Sl5O worth of property was burned.
The custom OF tolling the bells Of steam
boats while passing Grants grave on the Hud.
son river has been adopted by few boats in
imitation of the custom among steamboat men
on the Potomac when passing Washingtou's
grave at Mount Vernon.
"A mlsehieyous youth poured half a
pint Of giant powder on railroad track at
East New London. Conn, and then waited for
the train to see the result The train caused
an explosion, which badly frightened the boy,
but fortunately, no serious damage was done.
"A perfectly intact tomb was discovered
at well in Rome lately, ard Signor Lanciani,
the well-known Roman areh8ologist. at once
proceeded to inspect 1t. 1t contains 10 vases.
They are of rather common pattern, with the
exception of three, which have red and white
decorations on black background.
Local in Springfield, Mass, paper:
Michael Long was before the police court yes
terday for biting off good share of Thomas
Foley's ear. 1t was quite mouthful, but Foley
says that the true meannesS consisted in Longs
refusing to give back the piece, that it might
be sewed in place.
-Soapstone reduced to a fine powder and
mixed with oil is said to be the best possible
preservative for wood. 1t is also an effectual
preservative from rust when used upon metals,
and as protection to stone work of any kind
it has no equal. 1t is largely used in China for
the protection of obelisks etc.
The manual training bill of the House
has paragraph which will not be particularly
relished by the ladies. This provides, THAT
after the first day of April, 1890 no certificate
or diploma for teaching shall be granted by
any normal school to any student or other per-
sons, who shall not have completed a course of
training in wood work."
"A curious phenomenon was discovered
last week, in the hills of Dry Run. o.. by fire.
clay digger. He was digging, and when about
four or five feet below the surface a stream of
hot air broke out of the ground. THE heat i'm
parted was sufficient to produce steam from
cold water" A thorough investigation of the
phenomenon is to be made.
The Emperor of Russia has distributed
small tokens Of gold to all those who were with
him in the imperial train at the time of the
railway accident near BOrki in memory of their
miraculous escape. The keepsakes are min
iature copies of sacred picture which was
found quite undamaged after the accident in
the dining saloon of the train.
One of Scotland's rare marshy plants,
the Scheuchzerta palustris a genus Of the
order of arrow grasses. has, according to Prof.
Hillhouse, become extinct. 1t was to be
found only on the.moor of Methven. in Perth
shire; but some 300 OF 400 blackbaeked gulIs
have settled down on this moor and annihilated
OfOAy bIdCo VI NeSbbdIlOu.
1t is said that there is a white woman
of the ''hoodoo" profession working the
negroes of Fort Valley, Ga for all they are
worth. She tells them that for so much she
will sell them a charm that will insure their
winning at cards, cure any ailment they may
have, prevent their enemies from harming
them and win the affection and confidence of
the opposite SEX either black or white. and
many other things too numerous te mention.
Few people would believe that there is
a section of the United States where the result
of he Presidential election will not be known
until July, 1889, eight months after the official
returns are published to the world The SET
tiers of St. Michaels, the Sea Islands and those
domiciled along the banks of the Lower Yukon
will remain in uncertainty as to the outcome
of the contest until after the midnight sun has
come and gone during the midsummer of next
year.
The returns published by the Swiss
Confederation with reference to the develop
ment of telephone communication in Switzer-
land, show that, since the establishment of the
hrst telephone in 1880 81 towns have been pro-
vided with them and there are now 6944 tele-
phonic stations, of which no fewer than l.500
are in Geneva and its suburbs. Most of the
Swiss towns are now connected with one an
other, Geneva communicating not only with
Lausanne and other places on the shores Of tue
lake, but with Berne, Zurich and st. Gall
"A young man and young lady of
age of Sumter county, Georgia,
had a singular coincidence to befaH them. The
young man visited his sweetheart in another
county, one day; the young lady's lover from
mother county visited her the same day. The
7oung man and his girl set the day for their
marriage, and the young lady and her beau set
heir day. 1t now turns out that they set the
'ame day to celebrate their marriage, and both
PARTIES selected the same minister to perform
he ceremony, and it is to take place at the
anne hour. The two ceremonies take place in
wo different counties about 20 miles apart.
Mrs. VanDuzer, of Elberton, Ca, has
great curiosity in the shape of a silver spoon
hat is 2l2 years old. This spoon was made in
france, by order of a gentleman of that
country, who had six daughters, and to each he
spoon, with the request that they
,e kept as relics. and handed down. from gen.
ration to generation, to the oldest daughter.
drs. VanDuzer is its rightfuI inheritor in her
ranch of the family, and is anxious to know
the descendants from the other daughters
ave as sacredly preserved their keepsakes.
his spoon was made before anything but pure
liver was used and it is now half worn away,
t has never been in a fire, and fortunately
scaped the fingers of Butler during the war
nd the newly enfranehised since. Its owner
eepS it securely under lock and key, and in
bedience to the request of her ancient ances-
or, will, on her death, leave it to her oldess
aughter.