St. Landry democrat., 1893-08-05
SOMEWHAT STRANGE,
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
Queer Facts and Thrilling Adven-
lures Which Show That Truth Is
Stranger Than Fiction.


Stranger Than Fiction.
Nor long ago, on the Chinese coast,
says a correspondent of the London
Graphic, a foreign vessel, the Namoa,
was boarded by a band Of pirates. IIav-
ing got on board in the darkness they
murdered the captain and threw him
overheard, then secured the other officers
and passengers, completely looted the
ship and managed to get safely away
with their booty. The matter becoming
known, the Chinese authorities at once
took steps to discover and arrest the
marauders, and in due course the whole
band of nineteen were captured and sum-
marily condemned to be bcheaded The
CHASTITY scene of the carrying cut of the
sentence took place at kowloon, near
Hong Kong The doomed men were
drawn up in line, on their knees, with
their bands tied behind them, and at a
distance of about five yards from each
other. So they awaited the execution
er's sword. 1t was suggestive Of the exc
cutioner's skill, born, no doubt, of con-
slant practice, that the whole nineteen
were beheaded within six minutes. A
bold looking villain was the chief of the
gang. He died, as nearly all the Chinese
do under such circumstances, apparently
without the least fear In fact, Just be
fore his head rolled to the ground he de-
clared aloud, dehantly, that if it were
possible for him to commit another MUIR
der he should not hesitate to do it. 1t
happens often when a Chinese criminal
is sentenced to be deca pitated that his
friends supply him with little opium,
which, possibly, me- cifully produces a
stupor and renders the doomed wretch
partially insensible to his horrible posi-
ton. The final scene is enacted thus:
When everything is ready the execu-
toners assistant seizes the long pigtail
of the condemned man, and at one blow
with his long, sharp sword his chief
sweeps the head off.
A STRANGE case is puzzling local medi-
cal practitioners, at Trimble, Tenn., and
the most prominent of the fraternity from
Memphis and Nashville John Henry
Leake, stalwart negro living on the
plantation of r. L. Strong, a week or
two since ate lemon and swallowed one
Of the seeds, which, it seems, lodged in
his stomach, and, attracting to it a GER
tain proportion of the food subsequently
eaten by him, was soon surrounded by a
clot or mass of matter which gradually
grew larger. After short time Leake
began to suffer with acute pains in the re-
gion of his stomach, and applied to a
physician, who diagnosed his case as in
digestion and proceeded to treat him for
it. But the pains increased and it soon
became matter of impossibility for the
sufferer to retain any food except such
as was administered in liquid form, and
the doctor began to suspect that the
cause of the trouble lay beyond the Or
binary phases of indigestion, and de-
clared an operation necessary. It was
with difficulty that. Leake was prevailed
on to submit to this, but he finally con-
scented. The surgeons thoroughly ex
plored the abdomen and intestines. but
without finding any disturbing object,
though it was observed that the stomach
was distended to nearly twice its normal
size. Leake finally died in great agony,
with repeated efforts to vomit which con-
tinued until death ensued A post-mor-
tenn examination revealed the fact that
the seed had sprouted from the mass sur
rounding it, and, putting out shoots,
had actually attacked the walls Of the
stomach as a creeping plant does wall.
"a GOOD turn will always turn up so
chat you will never get the worst of it, "
said Frank Painter, of Como, COL, at
the Leclere Hotel, Pittsburg, to re-
porter. Chow do you suppose one of
the best fellows that ever lived became a
rich man? 1t isn't long story, but it
shows to finish that square act never
goes astray, even if it docs take some
time in finding its way around. Jere
Jackson came out to Colorado in the
early days without a cent to save his life.
He knocked around for year and a half
and lived from hand to mouth. We all
liked him, and we knew it wasn't his
fault that things didn't turn his way,
and none of the boys would refuse him
shelter when things came particularly
hard. Well one day Jere struck out; he
was disguised with the world in general
and with Mr.. Jackson in particular.
While plodding along lonely part of
the country couple of days after that
he came upon the dead body of miner
living in the road Poor DEVIL thought
Jere, I suppose that's how I'll fetch up. ;
He started in to give the dead stranger
Che attention that he'd like himself, and
was soon digging grave for man he
had never seen before. He didn't dig
far, though-hardly two feet. He had
run across gold-gold, solid gold. He
buried his unknown friend in another
hole and quit the first one rich man.
A good turn, even to stranger, will
never give you the worst Of it."
THERE is strange freak of nature in the
shape of sheep on the range of Rogers
& Silva, near Table Mountain, in Cali
fornia Among this seasons lambs is
one which would be drawing card in a
dime museum. The lamb is a well formed
one and does not at first glance look
any different from thousands of other
lambs on the range. The popularity
consists of woolly flap, or more prop
erly speaking, a cap, which is situated
between the ears. 1t is circular in shape
aud fastened to the head at the center
of ligament, which will allow the cap
to be lifted up enough so that the fingers
can be inserted between the cap and the
skull.
The cap resembles white whoolen
Tam 0 Shanter and when on straight
does not appear to affect its owner in
the least. But when the cap slides to
one side, as often happens, the lamb acts
as if it was crazy. 1t tits its head side
ways and keeps running around in a
circle, and appears to be in the greatest
distress. While in that condition it will