The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-22
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

IN China has Just certified from his Own
I personal experience that this art is regu-
larry practiced in the FlOwery Kingdom
First a youth is Kidnapped, then bit by
bit he Is nayed alive. and the skin Of
dog or bear grated piece py piece upon
him HIS vocal chords are next destroyed
by the action of charcoal TO make him
dumb, and the double purpose Of causing
-etlolation. Of the skin and utter degra-
datlon OF the mental faculties is affected
by keeping him immured in a perfectly
I dark hole for a number of years. In fac,
by treating him like a brute for a sufh-
clently long time ne IS made into one
At last he is exhibited 10 the entirely
cre1ulOus Chinese as a wild man OF the
woods, and his pOssessOrs reap rich nar-
vest The priests, it seems. are adopts al
the art. When a kidnaper. however. IS
caught by the people he is torn 10 pieces,
and when the authorities get him they
torture him and promptly behead him.
such Is life under the rule of the Son CT
Heaven.
The American Upholsterer says a new
use has been found for old boots and
shoes This is how they are treated in the
f process Of conversion into novel kind
I Of house carpet: The shoes are thrown
I promiscuOuSiy into an immense tank into
which steam and dissolYng compounds
are run. thereby causing old shoes to take
a thick liquid form. Certain proportions
( of tailOw. borax and glue are then intro
duced. and the pulp is then run into molds.
T The molds are shaped after the plan Of
regular sand mold. and may have the form
{ OF Mowers, leaves, figures or geOmetr1cal
F designs. The pulp is run into these mOlds
and the figure hardens in the cold air.
These casts are arranged in the proper
f figure or design. when cementing pro-
cess begins The cement is a compound
made from the leather pulp and glue. and
/ is run between the figures. The figures
\ soften little with the compound. ana
I the whole hardens together. In the cast
I ing of each figure a different colored pulp
/ IS used-red pulp for red roses. white pulp
/ for white flowers, green for leaves, and so
on. Thus elaborate designs may be car
| ried out Then comes the pressing by
I the use of rollers. and polishing with var
nish. The result is a nice looking floor
covering. the cost of which is less than
\ straw mating. and less than oil cloth: in
/ fact, an economical and durable carpet
\ ing
/ Near LOgansport, Ind. there stands
I a small body of water commonly known
/ as "Palmer's Pond" Many peculiar and
7 interesting phenomena are related of it.
/ on the night of the moons eclipse,
/ March l5, the pond, in which usually
I from nVe to fifteen feet of water stands,
went completely dry. Several families
1 VINO lived near by and had certain knOwl-
/ edge that the pond had been full the
I evening before were greatly astOnished
/ by the occurrence and FASTENED to re-
I late the newS to their neghbors. Many
/ came and inspected the bare bed that
I day, but those who delayed their visit
until the day following were disappointed,
Tor that night the pond resumed its
/ usual fullness. Those who viewed the
| basin during its empty condition saw
nothing in the shape of a fissure or out
/ let of any kind; neither was there any
/ spring apparent whereby the pond might
/ be filed again. The only theory advanced
l IS the possible effect of the moons in
| nuence' In support of this theory, it is
I said that about twenty-eight years ago
/ the pond was observed to go dry under
precisely similar circumstances. With
/ these two exceptions it has always been
I one OF the most stable and constant
| bodies of water in the locality. Through
| the worst of droughts ii has maintained
a constant depth of never less than five
teet, which in the spring and fall is fire.
| quently increased to fifteen feet. With
! other remarkable stories told of Pal
/ mer's Pond it is said that on ST. Pat
/ rick's day. 1873, all the frogs and tor
/ toises in It formed in line upon the bank
\ and marched overland distance of
| quarter of mile or more to the Wab-
/ ash river. where they again took to the
/ by many reputable citizens to have been
/ viewed by them, and il is certain that
/ to-day the pond contains no specimen
/ of either of the species named
Speaking of the wealth of vegetation
/ on the island of Ceylon, that charming
/ author and traveller. Mr.. Maturin NJ. Bal
/ lou, relates in his Pearl of India" some
/ curious facts with reference to the sensi-
/ tive plant. THE sensitive plant" says Mr..
/ Ballou, which is such delicate house
/ ornament with us, fairly enamels the earth
/ In this island, growing wild from Adams
| Peak to Point de Gale, multiplying its
dainty, bell-like, pink blossoms. mingled
/ with the delicate feathery acacia. Grow
| ing so exposed and in weed-like abund-
]
| would become hardened. as 1t We're. to
! rough usage; but II is not so, as 1t retains
| all its native properties, in an eXaggerat-
! ed form, II possible. our puny little hot
! house specimens are not more delicate or
! sensitive to the human touch than is
this Ceylin. mimosa. 1t is the most i'm
! pressible of all known plants, and it is
! appropriately named Curious expert
/ ments prove this. If a person will fix
! his eyes upon a special branch and slowly
approach it, the plant is seen gradually to
! wilt and shrink within itself as it were,
! even before 1t is touched by the observers
| hand. 1t is endowed with an inexplica-
BILE intelligence or instinct. and what APP
pears to be a dread as regards rude con-
! tact with human beings" Mr.. Ballou had
once a curious experience with this plant
| in Cuba. He was the guest of an English
| physician at Cereto, and while sitting one
! day on the broad piazza of the bungalow,
! he spoke of the thrifty sensitive plant
which was close al hand. "The doctor
! called his young daughter of II years
from the house" saws Mr.. Ballou.
LENA said he, go and kiss the mimosa.'
| The child did So laughing gleefuly, and
came away. The plant gave no token of
shrinking from contact with the pretty
child. Now said our host. will you
touch the plant?' Rising to do So we
/ approached II with one hand extended.
and before it had come fairly in contact,
| the nearest spray and leaves wilted visi-
/ bly,. The plant knows the child said the
| doctor, but you are stranger 1t was
| a Duzzling experience, which seemed to
! endow the mimosa with human intelli-
gence."
How many of our readers are aware,
we wonder, that the sarcophagus now sur
| mounting the tomb of Lord Nelson in the
| crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral, is actually
| that which Cardinal Wolsey had prepared
| for the reception of his own body, and
| the handtwork of a Florentine sculptor
| of the sixteenth century, Benedetto da
! Rovezzano? askes the Westminster Ga
/ zette. The statement has sometimes been
made, but It is for the first time proved
! to be absolutely accurate in a very learned
/ brochure on the work of Florentine scuIpt-
| ors in England prepared by Mr. Alfred
! Higgins for the Archaeological Institute
! Between the great churchman and the
| great sailor the tomb has had most re-
markable vicissitudes. The cardinal, who
! was great on monuments, had it prepared
! for himself in his lifetime, and obtained
/ from Henry VIII the grant of the small
building adjoining the east end of St
| Georges Chapel, Windsor (now the Prince
| Consort Memorial Chapel for its recep-
| ton. But Wolsey's fall interfered with
/ these ambitious schemes, and when he
| died he was buried before day" in the
! Abbey church at Leicester Moreover
while preparing his own tomb on a mag
nifcent scale. he had left his promise to
! prepare another tomb for his royal master
/ unfulhlled. so Henry, to repair that omis-
| sion, took possession of the cardinals
| tomb. used so much as he found fit and
| called II his. F" That tomb, which was finally