Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-06
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Albert Rappleye, the New York 70
porter, who Is canoeing across the continent,
| has reached Pierre, s. OAK.
"A. II. Jones, of Pulaski county, is one
Of seven brothers, the first name Of each Of
whom begins with the letter A.
"A hollow stump from which comes q
noise similar to that Of q boiling kettle Is one
of the curio stiles Of Bradford county Fla.
"A citizen of Griffin, Ga., planted nearly
a quarter Of an acre with morning glories
few days ago, thinking they were potato slips.
The largest catch OF Goldfish received at
Gloucester, Mass, this season has Just been
brought in by the schooner Mystery. 1t weighs
$4,000 pounds.
The name of woman who died in Kan
sas City a few days ago was Joicy Jane Per-
melia Ann Sarah Elizabeth Douglass Carr
Gentry Ballard.
Richard Carmichael, of Queen Anne
county. Md, has kept diary for 80 years, and
It shows that it has invariably rained on the
26th of July during that time.
"A suit for the recovery Of money paid
for a pianoforte in a neighboring city re.
veaIed the fact that the handsome looking
rosewood case was Of cheap wood, veneered-
"A good deal of interest has been excited
at the Antipodes by the appearance after 81
years Of subm ersion, of the wreck Of the Brit
Which. h with neary zoo hands, caused such com
motion at the beginning OF the last Maori war.
"A little 2-year-oId girl of Brooklyn,
while playing on the second floor, managed In
some way to fall out the window, and would no
doubt have been severely injured but for the
fact that she pulled two pillows with her that
were on the sill. She turned over IN the fall
and struck with both pillows underneath her.
After . short cry she got up and resumed her
game, this time, however. in the street.
j. Price, of Savannah, has 3 curiosity
in the shape of young mocking bird entirely
white. Price purchased the bird from negro
trapper on the Waters Road, who brought it
into town Tuesday. From the appearance Of
the birds bill IL cannot be over weeks old.
There Is no doubt of the bird being mocking
bird, as it has all the marks Of the species ex-
cept the color. and has the peculiar chirD Of
Is great rarity.
The slot machine which has recently
had such a run in all catch-penny schemes, was
known and used by the Egyptians centuries be-
fore the opening Of the Christian era. Hero Of
Alexandria who lived 200 years before the
time of Christ describes one used for the dis
pensation of holy water. A coin Of drachm8
dropped into a slot IN q vase opened valve
which permitted few drops of the purifying
liquid to escape. Surely there is nothing new
under the sun.
AT Americus, Ca. Uncle Joseph Will
son, colored man who is in the employment
able old man. He is at least 50 years old, was
never whipped when a slave, has never taken a
drink OF whisky, chewed or smoked tobacco
sworn an oath, was never accused of stealing,
first ride on the railroad a short time ago with
Colonel Simmons family HIS wife Aunt
Liddy," is still living and has ten living chill
dren.
Glare Coggin, of Cocoa, Fla, had
novel adventure with bees last week. Ap-
. f1t,
which a swarm was issuing, the bees settled
on his head as their lodging place, and in q
minutes time had covered his head, monopo-
lizing his mouth, eyes, nose. ears and face.
Without offering to fight them off he was adj
vised to make for the river. which he did in
good, quick time, waded up to his arm pits,
then settled down till mis- hat foated OF. The
bees all left him and he walked out liberated
from his strange companions. The curious
part Of the matter Is not bee stung him or
attempted to do so.
in the forests OF Washington and Brit
ish Columbia trees are seen dripping copiously
during clear, bright days, when no dew IS Visi-
BILE elsewhere. The dripping is so profuse
that the ground underneath is almost saturated.
The phenomenon In this case is caused by the
remarkable condensing power of the leaves Of
the fir, and it occurs only when the relative
humidity is near the dew point, The dripping
but resumes at or near sunset. In Hskuyt's
Voyages" there is an account of Hawkins
second voyage to Africa and America. written
by gentleman who sailed with Hawkins. in
which we are told that in the island of Ferro
there Is q weeping tree that supplies all the
men and beasts of the island with drink, there
being no other available water supply. Further,
he states that in Guinea he saw many weeping
trees, but of species different from that az
Ferro.n
"A st. Louis paper has discovered q
young colored man, Benjamin Franklin Dixen,
in St. Louis, who plays eight musical instru-
ments at one time, and has but two fingers,
Around his neck Is brass and leather con-
trivance which holds all Of the wind instru-
ments he plays upon, so that by bending his
head slightly he can reach them with his
mouth. Under his foot an electric button
which connects with the snare drum and elec-
trio bells. On his left stands the big bass,
which he plays along with the cymbals by
means of cord fastened to his left elbow. On
the other side hangs the triangle, which he
operates with his right elbow, moving In and
out in chicken-wing fashion. On his head he
fastens frame with bells upon it, which he
shakes at the proper time. While he is going
through all these motions with ms arms, head
harp, which is fastened TO the same framework
as the wind instruments.
Fergus Mccarthy, of Philadelphia, was
the subject Of a peculiar operation at the
Presbyterian Hospital. A needle which pro-
truded from his abdomen was removed by Dr.
w. B. Gilliard. The needle was much cor
roded and blackened. Mccarthy said he could
not explain how the needle got there, but re-
membered that about twenty years ago he trod
upon a needle, which troubled him slightly
but was never discovered Mccarthy says he
did not experience much pain at the time, but
since then he has suffered extreme pains less
or more all around the left leg, which gradually
moved upward. The pain shifted TO his side,
and he has latterly experienced the singing
pain in the region of the abdomen While az
work at the foundry he was doing some work
which necessitated his STOPPING considerably.
He felt keen PAIN, as if something was pene-
trating his flesh like needle, and had to get
up, and on examination he discovered the
biackened point of the needle. The case is one
of the most peculiar that has come under treat
ment at the hospital for many years.
FuNNY MEMS BANCIE4