The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A decrepit old woman was recently
released from the Cincinnati workhouse
who had had five husbands, each one of
whom had met violent death.
A curious old English watch. with two
seals attached, bearing crest and motto
of Simon Fraser, Lord LOvat. who was
the last man to be beheaded in England,
has been discovered secreted in the CHM
ney of a house in HOlborn. England.
There is spider in New Zealand that
usually throws coils of its web about the
head of its prey until the wretched vic
tim is first blinded and then choked. In
many unfrequented dark hooks of the
jungle you come across most perfect
skeletons of small birds caught in these
terrible snares.
-Blotting paper was discovered in 1455.
Previous to that, when a man dropped
splotch of ink on the lower left-hand cor
ner Of his page, he would give it lick
with his tongue toward the upper right
hand corner, ana make a better picture
of the comet than. any that has yet ap-
peared in the illustrated papers.
The Pail Mall Gazette makes a plea
for revival Of falcOnry as d pasUme. 1t
claims that this method OF hunting Is
more humane than cunning, and does not
result in such wholesale slaughter of
game. Besides every life taken with a
falcon means far more amusement than is
to be derived from merely pulling trig-
ger"
"A rune stone, lately QreOgeO out OF
Havre harbor, turns out to be part of
the Norwegian exhibit at the Paris eX-
hibition of 1851, which was dropped over
board when it was being sent back to
membered, the stone would probably have
been taken for relic of the Viking set
tiers Of Normandy.
The Indians of Central and South
America firmly believe that alligators
swallow stones for the purpose of making
themselves heavier, and thus capable
of diving more easily. From whatever
cause, the fact is certain that ani9ators
do swallow stones. it being rarely the
case that a saurian is killed without one
or more stones, sometimes of considera-
BILE size, being found in its stomach.
1t is generally agreed among natural
lists that the tortoise is the longest lived
of all animals. There are many instances
Of them attaining the extraordinary age
of 250 years, while one is actually mem
toned as reaching the unparalleled age
of 405 years. Notwithstanding these eX-
amples, which, of course, are exception
ally rare, the ordinary tortoise only lives,
on an average. from 100 to 80 years.
Vegetarian boots" are advertised in
London, and are recommended to all who
wish to do away with the killing of ami
mails for the supposed necessities of man.
The uppers are made of 'pannus corium, 3"
and the Soles of waterproofed flag betting.
one of these days, says the New York
Tribune, it will occur to some one to ask
why it IS not as bad to take the life of a
vegetable as the life of an animal. And
then a Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Vegetables" will be established.
r. Clay Emmett, young cowboy of
Bolton Tex reports a singular find by
him during a cattle hunting raid recent
ly. The find was nothing more or less
than a petrihed pony, standing erect and
complete in all parts. Emmett says that
he and his partner, b. G. WoodVille, were
riding across the prairie late one after
noon, when their tired ponies neighed
and whinnied as if they were aware of
IL
ing around they discovered what they
thought was a broncho tethered to a
mesquite which crowned the summit of
a little knoll to the northward. They
found that the horse was fastened by a
chain, but stood so rigidly still and
seemed altogether so myS+ eriOus that
their own horses reared and plunged as if
in fright Finally they dismounted and
found that the pony was petrifed, not a
hair or hoof amss. Emmett says that some
ranchmen years ago must have chained
the poor horse there, leaving him to
starve upon the plains. AS the ribs Of
the animal are plainly visible in the pet
rifaction, and he seems to have been
otherwise much emaciated, this is most
probably the case. Emmett VIII arrange
to have the strange find exhibited in some
museum.
"A striking example of the efficacy Of
hypnotism as an adjunct to surgical
science was demonstrated within the past
lew days at the johns Hopkins hospital
says the Baltimore American. This case-a
difficult one of long standing and obscure
symptoms-WaS that of young lady into
whose side an incison was made and a
diseased kidney was treated. The incis-
ion was then sewed up, and she is now re-
covering, suffering no pain or inconven-
fence whatever. This difficult and pain
full as well as dangerous operation was
done while the patient was under hyp-
motto subsection, being hypnotiZed by one
OF the medical staff. The patient was in
the hypnotic state for about half an hour
and when seen at the hospital yester-
day was delighted with the success of
the experiment, declaring she felt no pain
or consciousness whatever when the op-
GRAFTON was in progress, save that she
had a confused and not unpleasant i'm
preston that some one stood by her side
and was cutting paper with a pair of
scissors. After consciousness had re-
turned she said she felt the natural pain
consequent to any surgical operation done
while under ordinary anaesthetics. Hyp-
nosis, in her case, was limited only TO
the time it required for the operation. II
is, however, possible to continue the
subsection until the patient is out of all
pain.
The cypress is a VIGOROUSLY slow
growing tree. and it's wood is lust as no.
toriously durable. 1t is capable of not only
resisting the action of the weather in a
manner totally different to all other
woods but is wholly uninfiuenced nv i'm
mersion in water over a long period Of
years. 1t has many curious chemical
properties, which hold its fibers and other
constituents together so indissolubly that
the ordinary changes which break down
the tissues of ordinary woods are in cv-
press wholly resisted. Instances are
known where the wood of the cypress has
endured for more than 1000 wears Ieav-
ing it still in a solid condition, Subject
only to the attrition of the elements, such
as the gradual wearing away one sees is
exposed rocks. In the lower valley of the
Mississippi species of cypress is ex-
tremely abundant, and in New Orleans
lately, Whlle some men were excavating
a trench, a cypress stockade was found
which was erected in 1870 by the French
as protection against the indians. Some
or the pieces measured twenty-one inches
in width, with a thickness of about twelve
inches, and, though it had been buried
for so many years, it was in perfect con-
dition when exhumed, even the tool marks
being sun clearly visible. BY a series of