St. Landry democrat., 1893-05-27
SOMEWHAT STRANGE,
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERY DAY LIFE.
Queer Facts ana Thrilling Adven-
lures Which Show That Truth Is
Stranger Than Fiction.

SttNh5CA haA Il 1CbfOIs
A GOOD cat story comes from Bombay
In August Liverpool resident proceed
ing to Bombay took out with him ca
which he intended to present to fricnG
in India. Some days after the arrival O.
the steamer in Bombay pussy was missed
and though she was searched for high
and low, she was nowhere to be found.
Her owner had quite given her up fol
lost when he received intelligence from
England that the cat had made her ap-
pearance at her old Liverpool home on
the 25th of October, as calm and col
lectcd as though atrip to India and back
was quite in the ordinary course of her
life. The facts are vouched for by a
Bombay paper, and there is no reason to
doubt their substantial accuracy, but it
is not made clear whether the cat was
not slowed away in the steamer in which
she went out to India, and carried back
on its return voyage i'll the ordinary
course. Under any circumstances her
adventures are, however, sufficiently re-
markable to deserve recording.
THE jasperized wood of Arizona has
become we'll known by reason of the
many cabinet specimens, paper weights,
and decorative slabs of it that are sent
to the Eastern cities, but this is by no
means the only petrifed forest in this
country. III the Hoodoo district of the
Yellowstone many stumps of trees are
found converted to stone, some of them
showing knots, grain of the wood, and
bark as plainly as the living tree, and
the pebbly beaches of the Yellowstone
River are strewn with tons of fragments
of fossil wood. In the dreary desert of
the Dakota Bad Lands leaf impressions
arc frequently found in the hardened
clay, and at Little Missouri, at the point
known as the Burning Mountain, where
coal seam has been on fire since nobody
knows when, there are half dozen tree
trunks about thirty feet long. This is
remarkable on account of the almost
total lack of tree life in this region at
sent.
A HUNTER and a wolf had an interest
ing mutual surprise party to themselves
in the hills near Helena. Montana. few
days ago. The hunter, arrayed in a
heavy wolf-skiu overcoat, fur side out
ward, was examining some traps set the
previous night. He was stopping over
enc, rearranging the bait, when, there
was the sound of a fierce growl and
heavy weight fell suddenly on his back,
bearing him to the ground, SO that he
barely missed being caught in his own
trap. He managed to shake himself
free, and recovering his feet found facing
him a full-grown buffalo wolf. The
wolf seemed quite as much surprised as
the hunter, and they looked at each
other for some seconds before the fight,
which ended in the death of the wolf.
began. The brute evidently was fooled
by the overcoat and the hunters stoop-
ing position, and mistook him for
another wolf.
The accounts Of the depredations of
wolves in portions of Russia, are appear
ing almost daily. In village near Arch
angel a peasant, who was sleeping on top
of the oven, as is the custom, was
awakened by feeling a sudden pain in
his foot. He sprang up in time to leave
four of his toes in the jaw of an immense
wolf, which had just prepared itself for
a comfortable meal. With a howl the
man spraug down to the floor. The
wolf sprang on his back. With great
effort the peasant succeeded in shaking
him off for an instant, and Selling con-
venicnt axe soon dispatched the animal.
It had entered through window in the
outside room of the hut, near which a
candle was burning--a very unusual
thing for wolf to do, as they fear
light more than anything else. The |
hunger must be terrific indeed which |
can allay this fear.
A STRANGE romance was ended by the |
Heath near Stonersville, Penn, recently,
If Mary Refs, who for fifty years led
onely life because her parents forbade |
IN early marriage. She was seventy
eight yeaH old. When a girl she fell in
owe withe young man whom her parents
lid not admire, and they forbade a
narriage.e This broke Mary's heart and
ler home had no more charms for her.
She preftsEred to live by herself and she
efused I'd accept the hospitality of friends
n neigh6ors, saying that all the world /
vas against her. Twenty years ago she
moved into the little stone house, and
fter that she rarely saw ANYBODY. On
recent Monday a friend called and
'ffered TO help her in any way, but the
ged lady refused aid. Her body was
discovered on her kitchen floor and $40
vas found in the little house of the re-
luse.
In some of the New England towns
nd villages it is still customary to ring
church or factory bell at o'clock at
light, and no further back than war
ines it was general practice in cities
t over 10000 people. This custom
the curfew (couvre feu-
over fire. of William the Conqueror's
imc, when church bells were rung to
otify the people that it was time to
ank the fires and put out the lights.
here is a strong New England element
, B'ooklyn, and it may be owing to this
.ct that the practice has been main
lined in the neighboring city of ring
lg the City Hall bell at 8 o'clock every
light. 1t is good thing on some ac-
cunts, because it enables the residents
the vicinity to set their clocks and
atches.
In a German contemporary, the Kinzig-
laler, appears the following disclaimer:
Public Notice.-In the stables of the
rrgonaster a distemper in the feet of
le cattle has lately broken out. 1t has
zen stated that in the opinion of the
habitants of Kinzig the disease has
zen brought into the stables by witch.
hereby affirm, in order that might !
Of suffer by my silence, that am not
any way prejudiced against the honor i