The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-10-13


G.. b TINAN, PUBLISHER
KIMBALI., SOUTH DAKOTA.
The state department at Washington
is considerably troubled with the care
OF certain large packing cases piled up
In he cellar Of the building, marked,
"The Vatican, Rome. Italy" They
contain the priceless manuscripts and
relics of Columbus lent by his holiness.
b pope, to the Columbian exposition.
Through an arrangement made with
the American minister to the Italian
court, the Columbus collection was
brought to the United States on board
an American man-of-war, and q guar
antee was given that it should be re-
turned TO the proper place in ZONE oy
the same method of transportation.
Unfortunately, however, it has been
impossible up to this time to return
these articles to their rightfui owner
from the fact that American lnen-of-
war have not been receiving orders
which would take them in the vicinity
OF the seven-hilled city. Special pains
and care, however, arc taken with
these relics and curios of the great ex-
plorer, at the state department, and
watchmen nave been detailed to keep
constant vigil over them during the en-
tire twenty-fOur hours Of the day.
There is a weekly auction of linen
goods in Belfast at which nothing is
ever sold. About zoo years ago there
were two halls for selling linen in Bel
fast, tho White Linen hall and the
Brown Linen hall. In the former all
bleached linen was sold, while the lat
ter was exclusively reserved for the
sale OF brown or unbleached goods.
Nearly q century ago q linen manufact-
urer in Belfast endowed The latter in
stitntion, and the deed of endowment
contained q clause to tho effect that a
market should be held in the hall
every Friday. Linen, however, began
to be disposed Of in other ways and the
halls were no longer useful. The
White Linen hall wa made into public
offices, but the Brown Linen hall still
remains to fulfill its original functions.
Every Friday morning Mr.. McNicholl,
an old man, opens the doors, takes his
stand in the middle Of the hall and
puts a single bale of ~unbleached linen
up to auction. 1t is always the same
old man and the same old bale. No
body ever comes to buy i, because few
people are aware of this remarkable
custom.
For centuries it has been the belief
OF the common people Of Genoa that
treasures were hidden in the bed of the
Polcavera, a strenm that runs by the
city. Recently a carter, in digging for
sand in the bed of the dried up torrent,
came upon hidden treasures, of which,
20 far, coin of the face value of 60, 900
francs has been found and the supply
is not yet exhausted. By the Italian
law half of this goes to the state and
half to the finder. The value of the
coins ls far beyond the sum mentioned.
Many of them are rare and Of great
artistic value. They are chiefly gold
and belong to the period between 146o
and 1850; that is, the reigns of Louis
XI, Charles VIII, Louis MI and Fran
els I, and are all either French or GEN
oese. The Genoese ducats are specially
rare and will fetch high prices. The
search for treasure is going on under
police supervision.
In The year 331 B. c. there was q
frightful mortality among The hus-
bands of young and good looking wo-
men at Rome. A general panic pre-
vailed among husbands and a secret in