The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-31
Book That Tells Of Famous
Tobacco Users.
How Maine Man Was Pun
ished for Contempt OF Court.
Comparative Cost of the Four Great
Tunnels Of the World.

Those well meaning pcupio WI" """"'
tobacco and who are incessantly waglng
war against its use Will probably not be
very much interested in book published
anonymously in London recently bearing
the title Tobacco Talk" On the other
hand. users of the weed will find IL very
ENJOYABLE reading, for, as stated IN lts
sub. title il is ian amusing miscellany
of fact and anecdotc relating 10 the great
plant in all its forms and uses Many
great names are given OF men VINO
smoked. 1t is doubtful whether Shakes
pcarc was n smoker or not ana reason
FOR his abstaining is found in the TACT
that his patron, King James l., was one
Of the earliest anti-tobacconists. ben
,Jonson was smoker. Napoleon once
said that tobacco smoking was habit
only fit to amusc sluggards, lhis reinark
was somewhat in the nature oil sour
rrapes. - the great man being unable 10
forget the effect of his first cigar. John
Milton smoked pipe of tobacco every
night before retiring. Richard Fletcher,
Bishop OF London, was the flrst known
churchman to smoke in England Ial.
leyrand took snuff, ami excused himself
by saving that all diplomats ought TO
take snuff, as 1t afforded pretcxt Tor
delaying a reply with which one might
not be ready.
Mazzini always kept cigar burning
as he wrote. Guizot, the French historian,
said that smoking had prolonged his liie
ten years Pepys, In his diary, states that
he was forced TO use tobacco during the
great plague as disinfectant; ne
Thought some roll tobacco TO smoke and
chew which took away the apprehension.
Charles Lamb smoked the strongest and
coarest tobacco, and called IL his evening
comfort. [" and morning CURSE" he once
t-l, fhnt Inst
might be drawn through pipe and fcx-
haicd i'm pun. In 1912 Pope Urban VII
issued u bull against the use of tobacco In
churches threatening any one with ex-
communication who disobcycd
Among the other great men who are
mentioned as habitual users of tobacco are
Bismarck, Lord Broughanl, Mr.. Spurgoon,
Emerson, Carlyle, Huxley, Victor Hugo,
Bulwer Lytton, Tcnnyson, Gibbon, Charles
Kingsley. Dickens and Thackeray. On the
other hand many great men have been
opposed TO the use of the weed. some OF
these were Voltairs, Rousseau, Mirabenu
and Swinburnc, who is quoted as saying
flames was knave, n tyrant, fool, "a
liar and coward: but love him, i wor-
shin him, because he slit the throat OF that
blackguard Raleigh, who invented filthy
smokirg'' This TRADE is qualified by an
other writer, who says that tobacco has
made moro good husbands good men, kind
masters, and indulgent fathers than any
other blessed thing on this universal earth.
A year or two ago the people Of Rhode
lslanu were much interested in the case
of an old man, against whom lud2-
lnent for an insignificant sum, less than
dollar, IL memory serves, and costs,
l,.,, IN xuhn
the Judgment was rendered had the old
man committed to iail Tor failing to
satisfy the Judgment and there ho was
kept for some time Up in Maine case
of imprisonment which has attracted
even more attention that did the one IN
this state, las recently been brought to a
conclusion by the release of the prisoner
after a long period of confinement. Will
linn Davis Of Carmel, Me, was made
defendant on Sept IA, 1898 in a civil
suit brought against him, for chastising a
neighbor's son. A Judgment for 5000 was
entered against him, but the collection of
the amount was another question. Davis
rot to the bank ahead of the sheriff, drew
out 5000, and hid il and all attempts to
get hold of anything To satisfy the judg-
ment proved futile.
Finally Davis was brought into court
atu QucStlOncQ rs I'd Wnat nHu DccOlnc ol
hi, money He admitted having mort
tn IN 5000, but declared he would never
tell where il was. He was held for con
to npt of court. and ordered confined in
the county jail until he would diyulge the
hiding place of his money. For nearly
four years he remained in Jail, and abso
lutely refused either To tell his secret or
20 leave the Jail. He said he was content
TO remain where he was, as it cost him
nothing to live A few days ago settle
mer1t was made, Davis paying $3.50 court
and lawyers fees, and he ws released.
4 There was published recently an account
Of the comparative cost Of the worlds foui
great tunnels. 1t placed the cost of the
Hoosac tunnel i'm the United States, the
Oldest one of tho lot, at about $3.50 foot
The Mont Cents tunnel, the next in date,
cost according TO the same item, about
e855 foot: the ST. Gothard cost $50 4
foot, and the Arlbcrg, the latest in date
cost only Sl55 foot The rapid decrease
in cost within comparatively few years Il
cited as "A marked indication of the great
progress in mechanical method,
and Improvements in rock excavatine