Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-23
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS

Of 'speak-easies'' IN his city at from 4OOOt 70
5000.
-Violets have been gathered within the
past week on the northern slope Of the mount
ain along Cheat river.
"A peach tree on the farm of William
Cash at Winfield, W. Va, which bIoomed in
October, now has a crop Of full grown peaches.
The first apple tree planted in Ohio. they
say, can be seen alive and vigorous on Jerome
Ylncent's farm at Marietta. 1t was planted in
"A former Marion county, W. Va, man
now residing in Iowa has returned to a Fair
mont family a book he borrowed over 40 years
ago.
Perhaps the youngest couple ever msr-
ried in North Carolina have Just been united in
Davis county. The groom Is l3 and his bride
two years younger.
"A man and woman are traVersing Della
ware county, o.. getting married by every
preacher they come across. The fake they
work ! to give the minister a SO bill and 70
celVe so or Sl5 in good money in change.
z. K. Matson, of Truro, Ill, asks peo-
pie to believe that he exploded q blast in a
quarry the other day that brought out a red
snake, spotted with yellow, that was 10 feet 8
inches long, and as big around as a man'sleg.
"A Springfield, O., baggage handler
roughly jostled an elderly gentleman and babe
him get out Of the way" The elderly man
was the superintendent of the road. and when
ne turned around the baggage man craWled be-
hind a trunk and kicked himself.
The longest freight train ever handled
on the Baltimore and Ohio was brought into
Grafton. ". Va, last week with one engine, in
charge OF Engineer Mat Frazer. of Keyser.
There were SO freight cars and a eaboose' and
the train was q few feet over a mile long.
Several remarkable pictures have re-
Gently been discovered on a rock on the Rio
Grande in Texas. They were painted by the
Indians, and represent a series of battles be-
tween two tribes. The paintings are eight in
number, and the work shows evidence Of a
sk1lltul hand. The stone was nearly covered
with sand, but the paint, a bright red, was ap-
parently as fresh as when first put on.
The hangman in New South Wales is
looked upon with such horror that he recently
found himself completely boycotted on reach
ing Wagga-Wagga to perform an execution.
The cabmen refused unanimously to drive him
from the railway station, the porters also de-
cllned to carry his luggage, and the unlucky
executioner was obliged to trudge OF on foot
struggling with his various traps.
There are in Chicago, says a paper Of
that city, a set Of ghouls who should be sup
pressed. Each day they scan the death notice
columns in the daily papers, and then they
print, In cheap gilt upon black cardboard what
they are pleased to term in their accompany
ing circulars "a beautiful memorial
of the departed" They I'LL in the imemorIaP'
with the name clipped from the papers, and
add some doggerel poetry to fit the age and sex
OF the deceased. This they mail to the be-
reaved wife, parents or children, together with
their price list for the cards by the hundred or
thousand.
"A boy living near Nassau City, Fla,
was out fre-hunting a few 1ights ago, when he
planted his foot on something soft and slippery,
and at once awakened the warning notes of a
rattlesnake. By the Pickering glare Of his
torch he saw that he had trod upon the reptile,
but fortunatelyh had PLANTED his foot on its neck
just back Of the head, and though it folded its
Shiny coils around his ankle and struck out
with its fangs with lightning-like rapidity, it
was unable to turn its head to do mischief. The
lad had presence of mind enough to keep his
foot firmly planted upon its neck, while with
the az in his hand he severed the head from
the body.
Henry Wood, a farmer near Beach City,
Stark county, o., welcomed a plausible young
stranger, claiming to be a son of a deceased
brother from California. The newcomer had
the family history quite pat and was treated as
one Of the family, furnished good clothes,
loaned a good deal of money and obtained q
lucrative situation He courted and was en-
gagged to a daughter of Wood, as he was sup
posed a cousin. The day before the marriage
the chance arrival of an old friend of the Cali
fornia brother made known that his only son
had died several years ago. The impostor fed,
narrowly escaping arrest A likeness to the
Wood family had made his deception easy.
"A buried treasure is being sought in
Northwest Bengal. A Door Brshmfn at
Moughyr possessed an amulet which had been
in his family for generations, and, as he was
almost starving. he took it to a goldsmith for
sale. The goldsmith broke it up to tests h o
metal and found in the hollow center a scrap of
covered with minute writing. This being
deeiphered by a learned pundit, the BrahmIn
that close by the shrine OF Pr Shah
NepaI is well dating back to MahOmedan
times, and at a certain distance from the well
are hidden IA lakhs Of rupees The Brahmin
has obtained Government sanction to excaYate
the ground, a rich neighbOr furnishing the
funds on condition Of receiving a share of the
"A reporter witnessed an extraordinary
scene in the vicinity Of Bidd1ev11Ie, N. C.. In
front Of a small cabin a pulpit had been
In this stood a negro, preaching at
the top Of his voice. There was no one except
the reporter and the preacher near, and the for
mer stood and listened, but was not noticed by
the speaker. On inquiry it was found that the
preacher was Robert Bell. Two years ago he
fired from the pastorate of the Presby-
terrain church at BiddleVille because he would
90 into his church bsrefOoted. He was warned
against this Ofense. and, needing 1t not. one
Sunday. as he attempted to ascend his pulpit
shoeless. half a dozen good, Dious deaeons
seized him and fired him from the church. On
shat day Bell declared that he would preach
three times every day in his own yard, and he
does 1t, although no one goes to hear him.
Billie Mustard is an eccentric old man,
well known among the farming community Of
Hanover and st. Clair townships. in Butler
county, o. During the summer and fall months
be worked as a day laborer among the farmers,
being a good man wherever he was put. He
was saving, and when winter approached he re-
sorted to -Four Mile creek. where he dug a hole
n the bank and there constructed a cot Of
and such other materials as he could
and spent his nights there. During
he continued rainy spell his domicile eaVed
u, burying the old man to the waist, and in
position he was compelled to dig himself
INT, which occupied two days. Billie has led
|. queer life, but has through all his Vicissi-
,udes borne a name for honesty and s%obriety.
A few days ago some of tie neighbors had him
TO the County Inirmary, where he
viii probably end his days, as he isfar advanced
n years.