The morning news., 1891-11-26
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

i TELL YOU, Mr.. Asa Potter Is sharp one
said prominent bank man yesterday" s.and
few people can get ahead Of him. even when it
comes to making wager. Two or three years
ago. when the Maverick Bank crowd were max
ing barrels of money, went over to New York
one day on the O'Clock train. Asa Potter and
waiter Potter were sitting directly in front Of
me, and couldn't help overhearing their talk
Asa was eulogizing the train service and Walter
was running it down. Finally says Asa: III
bet you $500 producing the bills) that this train
gets into New York exactly on time Walter
took the bet and then the subject was dropped
Soon afterward Asa took a stroll through the
train: stopping at bridgeport he negotiated
with the conductor TO put the train into New
York on time for $3.50. We reached New York
exactly on time and Asa won his $500"
RATHER STRANGE as well as amusing Incl
dent happened on board the schooner Emma
Clara, while at sea last Saturday on her way I'D
from Rockport Me. They we're well out at sea,
where the water was blue and clear and the
wind very light, when one of the passengers
discovered large fish, which is known in those
waters as linn, following close behind the
over the stern admiring the fish. when one OF
them accidentally dropped his watch overheard
out OF his overshirt pocket. II was large, old
iasnloned Swiss silver watch, and when it hit
the water it glanced off sidewise and darted on
its voyage to the bottom of the SEQ, but the linn
saw 1t, and as he is a fish that bites at every
thing that shines, regardless of flavor or taste
opened his huge mOuth and swallowed the
watch at one gulp. The surprised and cha
grined young man says that the watch had lust
been wound up and was good to tick away for
twenty-four hours at least. The fish seemed to
enjoy the meal, and followed leisurely after the
boat for some time
SINCE the middle of the summer contagious
diseases have been raging among the cattle In
almost every part of Russia, especially in the
ranches of the Crimea aud the horse ranches in
Caucasia. When the veterinary commission of
the government took notice OF the fact and sent
experts to destroy the infected animals, the
ranchmen and the peasants of the neighbor-
hood would not allow them to do their duty and
began to riot, which in several instances had to
be put down by the bayonet The ministry of
the interior has therefore decided 70 establish
veterinary police system" throughout the en-
pre-. The duty of the police will be to guard
against the importation of sick cattle from
abroad, to watch in the cattle raising districts
the cattle markets, at the abattoirs. at the hide
and leather stores, and wherever live cattle or
Cne products or animals are sold or kept 10
store. that the orders of the government veter-
lnaries be promptly and accurately obeyed.
They will have control over the dairies which
furnish milk, butter and cheese to large cities
Veterinary courts will be opened, with the
power to punish the dealers in live stock ana in
animal products who disobey the orders of the
veterinary doctors.
AN oFFIcER of the San Francisco said that as
far as he could learn the war in Chile was In
stigated, and, in a measure, maintained by an
English syndicate of capitalists, who were en-
gagged in nitrate and other business in that
country. They sold their roducts to the outside
world for gold and paid their help In paper
money, which was badly depreoiated even be-
fore the war, but after the war began the de-
probation was SO per cent. greater. Zone gold
dollar of Chilean money would buy three paper
dollars, and you could get se 40 cents in paper
for one silver American dollar. At Coouiulb DO
the English capitalists own immense smelling
works, where S250,000 worth of copper was
smelted every week. This valuable output
was sold for gold, and the labor was
money.
had been much talk about Chile's
ability to strike heavy blows in case of a war
Francisco says in the capture of Valparaiso the
congressionaists' squadron played no part
worthy of mention. The Esmeralda, Cochrane,
Acoucaq1 and O'HigginS were all armed with
heavy Armstrong rifles and did not attempt TO
engage Forts.Pratt and Callao at the entrance
of the harbor but kept we'll out of range At
lquique they kept ave miles out to sea and not
shell fell in the town. l never saw such poor
gunnery before, be said. Why, at z, 900 yards
saw the Cochrane keep upa fire on the Villa del
Mar, and not a shot struck the fort, which, by
offers a large target When the four congress.
sional vessels we're firing at Fort Caao. the fort
was struck half dozen times only out of over
300 shots.
THE following case OF mania for soap eat.
ing, which deserves the coinage OF the word
sapessomania, or mania for eating soap Mrs
j., aged %, Of Danbury, Conn, consults her
puJ eACidu tA EokoTouCO 10 lrTlLRDle stomach
OF long standing She gives the following de-
tails: When about years of age she first en-
ioyed a mouthful of bar soap; so agreeable was
the taste that she would eat it whenever she
could get it." When aged 5 years her mother
found her, spoon in hand eating soft soap with
keen relish. As she grew in years so did her
! yearning for soap-her playmates ate candy
but she preferred soap; her father brought
| home to the other children sweetmeats but to
| equally satisfy her a piece from common bar
| soap must be given Until she was II her
| sapessomania continued. When awake she
loved to handle it and smell of it and eat of it,
| When asleep she dreamed Of soap. Often. to
| pacify her, pece Of soap was given to her to
mold in her hand to soothe her to sleep. when
| she continued in her imagination still to eat
soap. At II her stomach burned her SO
! that she stopped her habit, but still
continued to love to handle and to think
of eating the great delicacy. When g. or
twelve years after her last feast an advertising
agent left at her door Scent bar OF bathroom
soap, which pleased her so much that she ate il
all In twentyfour hours. Since then she has
eaten none, although there is always the desire
| TO do so. To-day, did not her stomach forbid,
the yearnlnR to eat some more" would be ire
sistibe. Though she can no longer eat it, she
still loves to handle 1t, she loves to use plenty of
it in her housework and in her bathroom The
smell of 1t Is still sweet to her nostrils and the
thick suds she delights in remind her OF the days
gone by, never to return. Strange 70 say she
cares only for the coarse bar soap; fancy goAps
she never uses. Personally she Ia Of nervous
temperament, yet evidently q woman of much
sef-control. She asserts that her m ANA IN az
strong to-day as it was years ago, though she
spite her statements however, the doctors be-
lieVe she fs still eating little sOan ba-