Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Every tramp arrested in Salem, Ore, is
compelled to work in the public streets.
Death has just separated couple in
! England who had been married for n years.
Tom Burgess, an old-time circus clown,
is driving a street sprinkler at Dowagiac 1t is
to be hoped that he will wet down those dusty
] old jokes.
The mail carrier between Sierra Valley
and Truckee, CAL. admits that he burned some
ne %spaper mail one day lately to warm bimself
and nephew.
1t is said that cattle in the neighborhood
of Plant City, Fla, are actually perishing for
want of water The ponds and branches
around there have all dried up.
New York BARRIERS are removing the
clocks from their shops because customers get
nervous by watching them while being shaved
and the employees can't do their work properly.
"A new industry has sprung up in Kan
sas-that of collecting old tinware which is used
at the Argentine smelter for fiuxing PURPOSES
An industrious man can gather I'D a ton of itin
a day. which brings S2 70 delivered at the rail-
road.
The St. Joseph, Mich, Valley Railroad
is IL miles long, and one man is superintendent
general passenger and freight agent, manager,
president, and very large slice Of the board OF
directors, besides running newspaper and
practicing medicine.
"A COW fight at Rec Heights, OAK, re-
suited IN one of the animals having her neck
broken, and the owner of the dead cow has
brought suit against the owner of the victor for
damages on the ground that the victorious
animal was the aggressor.
"A negro woman as black as the ace of
spades is confined in the jail at Lumpkin, Ga,
for killing and burying baby. She has now
in all twin babies, as white as the purest Cau-
cass1an- She has turned the twins over to
Sheriff Troy Holder to secure her defense.
-Wheelmen in Bridgeport, Conn, talk
of forming league to fight the practice Of
using salt water for street sprinkling purposes.
1t is estimated that last season every machine
in use there was damaged to the extent of Sl6
by the salt water from the sprinkling carts.
&C. B. Nolan was fishing for shark on
the Port Tampa dock Thursday afternoon, and
caught the largest jew fish ever caught on the
Gulf coast. The fish weighs 34S pounds and
measures six feet in length and eight feet in
circumference just back of the gills.
The London Geological Society possesses
white peacock. The bird preserves the mark
ings which distinguish the species. particularly
the large eye-like spots on the tail feathers.
The effect of these spots is remarkable. They
are exactly like the pattern on damask table,
cloth.
"A lady in Americus is using lamp
chimney that she has had and used daily for
the past eight years. and she expects to use it
for many years yet She says that she boiled
it in salt and water when it was bought IN
1882, and no natter how large a flame runs
through it, it won't break.
Last week, at a Missouri dance, the
fiddler was a man whose wife had died only a
few days before Some of the guests Temon-
strated with him, saying that his playing for a
dance soon after the loss of his wife was
impious. 'Oh, 1 don't know" he said, as he
=, al
no blood relation"
The late spring has probably saved the
life of o. 5. Ryerson, of Bay City. Ryerson
shook tarantuIa from a bunch of bananas,
and the pesky thing ran up his trousers leg. on
the inside. The cool weather had caused Mr..
Ryerson to retain his winter underwear, and
that prevented the bug from biting him. The
tarantula was removed, quickly.
The oldest proposition made for long
time is that of man at Big Sandy Gap. in the
widest part of Kentucky. a railroad is build
ing in that country and one Peter Kidd offers
$500 cash tor the privilege of covering the first
engine and cars that get into that place with a
canvas for Il hours and OF charging 70 cents
admission To the mountaineerS and their
families for entering the tent.
TO produce sufficient silE to make a
dress requires more time and capital than most
people would imagine. If we take one and one
quarter pounds as the weight of pure silk re-
quired, this would be equal to two pounds Of
raw silk. To produce two pounds of raw silk
would require the entire silk obtained from
1000 to s, 900 worms, allowing a percentage for
death by disease and other casualties.
"A CHASTITY discovery was made by some
fishermen one night recently near the road
leading from Limerick to Cornish, Me. 1t was
a human head or skull destitute of flesh except
upon the side exposed to the sun, where the
skin and flesh seemed to be dried to the bone,
and showed quite heavy set of side whIskers.
Inside the skull a mouse had begun to build a
nest.
One of fhe witnesses at the recent Gill
man hearing in Waterville, Me-. was learned
professor of Colby University. His answer to
the usual question How old are you" was
surprise to many.as the professor is in the prime
of his good looks and activity: We'll shall
have to confess to 6S." That" said Judge
Peters in his genial way. '.is good age, if one
only could stay there. ltis just my age"
Six years ago Jacob Beck deserted his
wife in Philadelphia and, locating in Mont
pelier, this State, changed his name to Jacob
VOltz. He married again and was getting along
comfortably but Mrs. Beck learned of his
and came after him He used his
second wife'S money to satisfy the claims OF the
first wife, and then, when every hing appeared
quiet and peaceful like, he fled TO Canada,
leaving both families TO mourn.
-Chauncey NJ. Depew is quoted as
making the interesting statement that about q
hundred men whom he recall as having
been famous in Wall street during the war for
made suddenly in speculative deals,
and who have since suddenly dropped out of
sight are now life insurance agents. He said
he attended an insurance banquet recently and
70 per cent of the agents present had formerly
b cen famous as successful Wall street traders
"A Joliet prisoner just released has
mysterious record. and is no doubt a prodigal
son. He is heir to S5OO000, recently left him in
Dne of the cantons in Switzerland. On his de-y
Darture from the prison he carried with hinf 4
the largest roll of bills of any convict who ever
eft there amounting to over 81 600 He gave
lway a considerable amount among his fellow
prisoners He went to Chicago, and from there
will 90 direct to New York and sail for SWltzer