St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-09-02
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
Queer Facts ami Thrilling Adveu-
lures Which Show That Truth is
Stranger Than Fiction.

Stranger Than Fiction.
A wRECKINe gang On the Delaware
division of the Erie Railway were clear
ing up a wreck at Nobody's Block, not
far from Cochecton, N. Y, when their
attention was called to curious, shrill,
cooling sound which came at short and
regular intervals from corntield direct
ly across the Delaware River, in Wayne
County, Pa. They made an investiga-
ton, and found that the sound emanated
from the children of German farmer,
who had been stationed around his corn
field to scare away the crows from pull
ing up the young and tender shoots of
| corn The farmer had been unusually
well blessed with progeny, his wife hav-
ing borne him no less than twelve chill
dren, including four pairs of twins. He
| had been yearly bothered with crows
in corn planting time. He had
adopted all the scarecrow devices
in common usage among farmers, such as
placing stuffed straw men in the fields,
stringing Irvine over poles with bits Of
white rags futtering in the wind, etc. but
the crows had become used to these
things, and, crow-like, would post theft
sentinels on lofty tree tops to give warn
ing of danger while their companions
were at work uncovering the hills.
A happy thought struck the farmer by
which he could protect his corn and util
ize his several offspring. Aiming two of
them with old tinpans each day, he placed
them in the field at four o'clock in the
Il to1J fo
coo!" and pound their pans whenever
they saw any crows flying near. When
the children became tired the father re-
placed them with two others, and thus by
successive relays the crows were kept
away. This process was repeated each
day until the corn was of size sufficient
to protect itself. 1t was this strange
noise, kept up all day long, from early
morn till eve, that made the Erie wreck
ers marvel. 1t is said that this is the
second year in which the Wayne county
farmer has protected his cornfelds with
living scarecrows.
1 WITNESSED q strange duel in Argen-
tine, writes q correspondent. Two
ranchers were enamored of the same
dark-eyed senorita. Now, when your
South American is hit by the blind
archer, he is hit hard. He is not salts
fed to visit his charn1er one evening ii
the week and give up the, rest of the time
to his rivals. If he catches another adj
mirer hanging about the house of his in
amorata, there is apt to be trouble. The
two signing swains in question had
agreed to settle by duel with the lasso
which should we'd the damse!. A hun
dred piratical-looking cow punchers as
sembled to witness the fray. The rivals
appeared on two nettlesome mustangs,
each with long powerful lariat Of
tough bull-hide. They were both ex-
perts with the lasso, and their horseman-
Ship was marvel. They approached to
within forty or fifty yards of each other,
then began to man9uvre for q deciding
cast. After several feints the lariat of
the younger of the rivals went whizzing
through the air so swiftly that the eye
could scarcely follow it. The otherSsank
his spurs into his mustang. The animal
shot forward just in time to save his
master from the deadly moose, and as he
did 30, the second lasso rose into the air
and settled round the shoulders Of the
man who missed, pinning his arms to his
SIDE as in a wise. He was jerked head
long out Of his saddle. His successful
rival drew him along, hand over hand,
half-lifted him from the ground by the
tenacious thong, and put bullet square
ly between his eyes. He then turned and
rode directly to the hacienda, where
lived the cause Of this barbaric scene:
She mounted behind him, and he came
galloping back, swinging his sombrero.
LIGHTNING played a queer tKick the
other day out in Montana. A bolt fell
on farmer working in field on his
ranch near Augusta and besides killing
him played havoc with the metal that he
carried in his clothes. The current
struck his silver watch burned hole
through the edge near the case spring,
and passed on entirely through the watch
between the outer and inner cases, and
made its exit near the stem. A match
could be inserted in the hole. When the
body was found the watch had stopped,
but when it was taken from the pocket
it started ticking again, and has been
keeping excellent time since. The
blades of the dead mans knife were
welded together, and the brass ends were
melted.
AMONG the strange things that strike
the eye in Vancouver city is boat-col-
ony. 1t occupies a strip of beach back
of the town on the saltwater farm" or
ford, and consists of twenty or thirty
little floats, few of them over forty feet
long, that are built over and supplied
with beds aud cooking utensils. Some
OF them are occupied by laborers, but
the best appearing ones, that are put to-
gether with good deal of art and are
really handsome pieces Of wood working,
are the homes of japanese artisans. The
scows float at high tide, but are moored
to the shore. The strangeness of the
scene is heightened by the tents of dirty
Indians on bluff just above the water.
ONE of the strangest superstitions of
Cinnamon is the awe with which they
regard the cockroach. John holds the
ugly black pest as something sacred,
claiming that it is specially favored by
the gods and particular favorite of the
great JOSS. The most unfortunate mis-
hap that can befall Chinaman is 10
step on a cockroach. Instantly visions
of terrible disasters and calamities arise
before him. In some instances the
has been known to so prey
on the minds of the Celestials as to
drive them insane. AS result of this
state of affairs, q Chinaman would as
soon think of killing himself as of kill
ing one of the insects.
NEBo, /. T., walls because Boyd's oil
spring ceased to flow five weeks ago and