The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-03
ITEMS OF INTERES T.

This is how the Syracuse Standard describes
an initiation service in a secret society: From
| out of the wind-beaten, snow beaten atmos-
phere of the great City of Salt. attended by 200
mobiles of dignified tearing, sixty candidates,
who by their own venturesome spirits had de-
termned to cross the burning desert in order to
dwell in the camp of the faithful IN the oasis OF
happiness emerged into the holy OF holies that
had BEEN up for their reception and placed
| themselves without reserve in the hands of the
majority"
THE Philadelphia Record says that the ice
| gorge In the Delaware river above Trenton is
the greatest on record and that the Ice will
! probably not entirely disappear until the open
| ing of summer. Eighty miles of Ice are
crowded into eight, and the accumulated mass
| extends from the bottom of the river to thirty
| or forty feet into the air. The railroad bridge
| at Trenton, which usually has a clearance of
| thirty feet above high water, is now on a level
with the ice, people being able TO step from the
| bridges roadbed TO the gorge without any
trouble. A complete set of photographs of the
| ice phenomena has been obtained. So impor-
tant, from a scientific view, is the gorge con-
sidered that an illustrated monograph on the
subject is to be published by the University of
Pennsylvania.
IT HAS been generally conceded, says the San
Francisco Chronicle, that St. Augustine, Fla
is the oldest white settlement in the United
States, having been founded by Menendez in the
year 1865, but there is evidence to show that the
town Of Tucson, in Arizona, antedates St. Au-
gustne by at least thirteen years. In the year
1852 their aiholic Maiestles Ferdinand and
Isabella Of SPAN issued charter to and for the
pueblo Of Tucson, which, after having been mis-.
laid for matter OF 300 years or more, has re-
Gently been discovered among the archives Of
the Church of san Xavier del BAG,
| which is situated about ten miles
| below the present town of Tucson. Accom-.
| panynS the charter of the pueblo OF
| Tucson is an account written in the handwriting
| OF Padre Marco MIA of the founding of the
| pueblo. Pa ire MIA was Jesuit who accom-
| panied the expedition organized in the City of
| Mexico for the exploration OF Arizona and
| New Mexico, under the charge of Coronado,
/ the function OF the worthy padre having been
the Cnristianizing of the natives and the record.
| ing of the progress and exploits of the expedi-
/ ton. IL his account is to be received as his
| torical-and every presumption is in its favor
| a church was founded at San Xavier gel BAG
| and small town begun to support and protect
| the church on the site of the Indian village of
| Tucson the name having been preserved until
| the present day.
II HEARD a remarkable story relative to pois-
! onous wood said Maximian Wideman to a
| St. Louis Globe Democrat reporter. 1T comes
| from the ChickaSaw Indian nation, and have
| reason to believe it. An old Indian chief who
| was possessed of venomous nature, took en-
NIFTY against younger warrior OF tue nation
| for some small occurrence 10 the tribal life. He
carried his hatred through a series of years and
| events, schemtng, no doubt, how to rid himself
| OF the younger Indian, who was rather idolized
by the young braves Not long ago the tribe
| and the American residents of neighboring viii
| lagos were startled by the story of the sudden
death OF the young chief, his squaw and several
young braves who were the young chiefs best
| friends. They we're evidently poisoned
| for they were seized after q feast of wild deer
and died in the most intense agony Indians
are superstitious enough without having any
| thing mysterious occur, but with it wild specI-
| lation is the result. Everything in the witch
| art wes suggested. The government officers of
the district, who investigated the matter, laid
the crime at the door of an old chief, and sub
| sequent discoveries proved them correct. The
| old chief had soaked bits OF decayed wood in
the gathered poison OF . rattlesnake, and by
some means had conveyed it into the broth Of
the cooked venison. portion OF the compo.
sltion was found upon him. II was boiled with
meat and fed to an Indian dog. which, q little
later on, died in apparent agony. From per
sonal experience want 60 add that anything
that will kill an Indian dog will destroy life and
soul also In human being"
DRAGONS and dragon influences play a most
important part In the life of the ChiDamAn-
everything, good or bad, is attributed TO tbs in
hueEce or direct conntvAncs Of these mythical
monsters, says the St. Louis Republic If a
food mandates a district, or strong wind mn.
roots the orchards and tears up the tea plants-
tons, the figure dragons OF these elements are
made to pay the penalty; this is very curious
way. Every city OF importance has It's pagoda
designed especially for propitiating these MON
sters. Sometimes they are separate affairs
but are usually sort of combined institution
generally nine stories high, and known to old
| and young as The tagoda of the Dragon of
| Wind and Water" In case there are two pa
| godas in the city, one for the Dragon Of the
| Wind" and the other for the Dragon of Water.
| corresponding figures OF the dragons named are
placed on top of the building; but if the nsttu-
| ton be one combined against the elements fig
| ures OF the wind Dragon" are exposed on the
| balcony OF the seventh story, the fatteped
| water dragon, usually of hammered brass being
| placed on pivot the root II
| the country should be flooded while
| the Water Dragon" is on guard
| and in good condition, his allowance of food
| which is regularly placed before him on fine
| days, is entirely cut of, and the middle front
| tooth of the lower jaw is pulled dowu from the
| brass gums. Should there be a repetition of
| the flood, the dragon is dethroned forever and
| more watchfui figure substituted With the
| Wind Dragon" it is different The tempest
| that is severe enough to arouse the ire of the
populace usually unceremoniously precipitates
| the sacred figure to the pavement below where
grave-faced mandarins give it an unmercif1l
| logging Travellers in the almond-eyed king.
! dom say that all the water Dras ons'' of the
great Yellow river basin were DESTROYED (soma
| made into gods ana others melted up and run
| into molds pills to be used as an antidote for
the chillsJ soon after the great flood of 1899 In
| this connection IL is curious to note the fact
| that many of the sea islanders have similar SUI
| perstitions. The natives OF the 500 non
| Islands think that hurricanes are caused by the
/ Tapping Of the wings of some monster invisible
| bird, and the early Ceylonese believed that
/ thunder was caused by the Following of the
j A ir Wbala ~