Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-04
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

"A young man named Sutton has lived
n days on soda water at Dubuque. Ia.
St. Louis will add 90 miles of electric
street car service before the present year has
expired.
Mrs. Jane Kirkwood, of Eaton. Ind. is
S8 years old. the mother of IA children. grand
mother of IS children and greatgrandmother
| of 80 children.
The largest beer barrel in this country
is an attraction in st. Louis saloon. It is u
| feet high, q feet wide, and has a capacity of
| 400 gallons.
In the stomach of an alligator that was
shot near Palatka. Fla. was found a human
| skull well preserved, and gold watch, marked
| with the initials "G. L. T."
An Ovid man got mad at his horse
II years ago, and has kept it inside a dark
stall ever since. refusing to let anybody To see
the animal or to permit it to get sniff of fresh
air.
"A contract has been made for carving
the mail between Atchison and Eden, Kan a
distance of over ten miles, for $500 year or
90 cents day, and it requires man and two
horses.
Ancient fans had long handles, so that
ladies used their fans for walking sticks. and it
was by no means unusual for testY danes to
chastise unruly children by beating them with
their fansticks,
-Foolscap is corruption OF the italian
folio-capo, folio-sized sheet. The error must
have been very ancient, as the water mark of
this sort of paper from the thirteenth to the
seventeenth century was a FOOLS head with cap
and bells
-Eiderdown is the down of the elder
duck. This duck is common In Greenland
Iceland and the islands north and west of
ia aF,NT1f 81 esrr g
receives its distinctive name from the river
Elder in Denmark.
AT Aurora, ILL.,, 5000 in gold was
found buried in cellar, the property of an old
woman who had died day OF two before and
who was thought to be almost without means.
A $1,000 government bond was also discovered
on pantry shelf.
One of the oldest silver brooches shown
resembles dilapidated SHOE turned down on
one side, with broken laees dozen small
diamonds glitrering from the sole take the
places usually occupied by nails.
While playing pool night or two ago
at Hfawatha, Kan, bolt of lightning entered
the room and struck and killed one of the
players Just as he was in the act of making a
shot' Others in the room were badly shocked.
-Alonzo Haynes, of Centerville, is "a
years old. He came to Michigan 80 years ago,
and is hale and hearty. Asa HAYNES, brother.
Nancy Morrison. sisters, are rs and IA years
old respectively.
AN Australian musician has invented
trombone that Is played by steam. ats "God
Save the Queen can be heard a distance of
four miles. He had hard luck with it, how
ever, for the people of his own town drove him
out as nuisance.
The Pope's resident physician follows
His Holiness about almost like his shadow, and
f.Na and frN MEL 4Io
in his hand, looking out for the slightest breath
OF an intrusive draught that might venture to
blow rudely near the head of the church.
Money lenders in Italy used to display
the money they had to lend out on a banco or
bench. When one of these money lenders was
unable TO continue business Lis bench or
counter was broken up. and he himself was
spoken of as bancorotto. !. e., a bankrupt
"A strange phenomenon in the heavens
was noticed by many in Lexington, Ga, lately.
1t was hazy, cloudy, and encireling the sun was
a complete rainbow with at least half the hues
Some of the suspicious looked upon it as sign
of some calamity to come, and have not rested
easily SINCE
In his last will the late Franz SchniIz-
Ter of the town of Oak Creek, said: II will
that my wife schal own and controle the real
and personal property as long as she lives
after herr death herr children from her Sec
ond husband schal own and control the real
and personal property"
Several years ago a Richmond, Me-,
man refused 20 allow the Maine Central Rail-
road to put foot on what he supposed was his
land. A survey showed that not only the land in
dispute but several rods more belonged to the
road and when the line fence was built it took
on slice OF the citizens doorstep.
Benjamin Moore, who died some time
ago at his home at his home in Spencer county.
Ind, was probably at his death the oldess man
in the State. Two months lengthening of his
life would have brought him to the 109th mile
post of his earthly pilgrimage. At 103 he
walked i've miles to the election precinct to
vote.
Those interested in condolences may
find food for reflection in the fact that on one
page of Chicago Sunday paper was an an
nouncement that Writ Dexter and bis wife
would sail for Europe. on another page he was
announced as one of the pall-bearers at the fun
eral of Judge Drummond, and on still another
page his own death was announced.
While standing near the railroad track
at Cory on Monday a l2-year-old boy was the
victim 0f:a peculiar accident. Train No. was
passing when passenger threw an empty wine
bottle out of the window. 1t struck the boy
and he was picked up in an unconscious condi-
tion. n number OF pieces of glass were re-
moved from his head, and the skull was found
to be fractured. 1t is believed the boy cannot
live.
I'm collections centuries old, to be seen
in both China and Japan, are specimens of the
most remarkable drawings in the world-pic-
lures of all kinds drawn with the thumb nail.
The nails of the thumb on the left hand Of
these peculiar artists are allowed to grow to an
enormous length, sometimes to a foot or 19
inches, and are then pared down to pen
shaped point. Dipping this oddly constructed
pen in beautiful vermilion or sky-Dlue ink, the
only kind of ink used in these sacred" thumb
nail drawings the artist gracefully outlines his
work. Occasionally the bold touches from the
studio of a master IN this department of high
art" are life size, and are sketched by q few
sweeps of the artists arm.
FOR GLAD AND FOR SAD.
GripoS-W hat white strOug-lOOkin1 teeth