The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-13
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


different poisons are readily cognizant,
even to the unprofessional, says an ex-
change. Carbolic acid produces immedi-
ate vertigo and intoXcation, with burn
ing pain all along points of contact, the
breathing becomes stertorous. and the pu-
pills of the eye contract; phosphorus, il,
overdoses, produces irritation and dis
turbance over every part of mucus it
touches, and the contents of the stomach
when removed are luminous as is phos-
phorus; prussic acid has the repute of
being the most rapid of all poisons, a tea
spoonful of two per cent of the article
being fatal, the face turning blush in u
few seconds after the liquid is taken,
and the person sinks to the
floor Opium, morphine and the
ike produce a period of exaltation, fol-
lowed by stupor, which merges into death.
Strychnine is followed by convulsions-
the head jerks back and the body rests
on the head and the heels, arched like a
bow, these spasms coming internationally
like this until death.
"A patent reversible doll proves a great
attraction at fairs, says an exchange. 1t
is native American puppet, and combines
blond doll with a brunette. Viewed at
first one sees a Veritable Dinah a smiling
black face with rolling eyes, turban and
gilt pins, and hoop earrings, dressed in
en- apron. Presto change! The exhibit
ton turns dolly upside down and there is
fair Saxon-faced maiden with blue eyes,
rosy cheeks and white muslin cap, and
pink and white print frock. AS a matter
of fact the two muslin-headed dolls do not
exist below the waist, where they are
Joined together The skirts are stitched
together bag-shape, with a small slit at
the side so that the dress can be reversed
in the twinkling of an eye. The faces are
handpainted, and the tiny appointment of
embroidered tucker, pearl and gilt pins
are neatly fashioned. Neither dolly has
any hands. The arms are folded at the
wrist, in front, where scrap of lace
edged muslin deftly conceals the want of
digits. These dolls are not difficult to
make If you are good needlewoman and
can count on an artist to do the faces.
Not many years ago traveller cross
ing one of the dreary wastes of Dartmoor
was overtaken by darkness and compelled
to put up at a lonely inn. says the Pitts
burg Dispatch. After some refreshments
he was shown to a room in the upper part
of the house. For some reason or an
other he was seized with a vague fear
that all was not right about the place.
Recollecting the many tales of murders
and mysterious disappearances on the
lonely moors he set about examining the
room, with a view of defending himself in
case of danger. An old wooden chest was
in one corner. With feeling of fear he
lifted the lid and looked within. To his
horror he saw it contained the dead body
of a man. Convinced that he was in
house of murder the poor trembling man
watched all night. Made bold by dayliught
in the morning, he ventured to ask an ex-
PLANTATION of the mystery. The young man
in charge admitted the corpse was that of
his father and explained its presence in
the house in this way: You see, the
snow being so thick and the roads so
cledgy-like, when old feyther died, two
weeks ago, we couldn't carry un to Tayis-
took to bury I'm. and so mother put un in
the old box, and sailed un. Mothers
fine hand at sailing I'm in"
Here are a few interesting pointers
about gems, says the Pittsburg Dispatch.
The black diamond is so hard it cannot
be polished. There are more valuable
gems in Ceylon than in any other place
in the world. Specimens of every gem
known have been found in the United
States The famous Orloff diamond is
known in some quarters as the murder
er's diamond. 1T is said to be responsible
for sixty-seven murders. There are $10-
100000 worth of diamonds rubes and
sapphires in the tomb of Mohammed.
Opals are so sensitive that sudden changes
in the weather often ruins them. Emeralds
are now almost the rarest of gems. One
Spanish officer took home with him as
his share of the spoils in the conquest
of Mexico and Peru nearly three bushels
of emeralds. Nero had an eyeglass cut
from a beautiful emerald. When the
Shah Jehan died $150,0oOO0O worth of gems
were found in his treasury. The Peruv-
ians secreted a great emerald, as big as
an ostrich egg, from the invading Span
iardS IF has never baAO found The
most famous opal of modern times is also
among the lost gems. 1t belonged to the
Empress Josephine and was called 1.-THE
Burning of Troy" 1t disappeared when
the allies entered Paris and has never
been seen since.
"A publication issued by the French
Minister of Finance gives some very elab-
crate statistics as to the quantity of wine,
beer, cider, and alcohol consumed in that
country. From that document it is learn
ed that the total amount consumed was
1875, 100000 gallons, representing about As
litres per diem for the whole population
of France. The division was 967 900, 900
gallons of wine, 1856, 100000 gallons of cider,
202, 100000 gallons of beer and sc, S00 600 gal
Ions of alcohol While the greater GUAM
tity of the wine is consumed in the large
towns, the cider is nearly all drunk in
the country, especially in Normandy and
Brittany, and the official statistics give
a table showing what is the consump-
ton of wine IN the forty-seven towns
with over 10000 inhabitants. The figures
vary very much, the annual consumption
being largest at Boulogne-sur-Seine 50
gallons; Nice, Sc gallons, and St. Etienne,
81 gallons, while Paris is only thirteenth
on the list, with 45 gallons. In none
of the large towns in the South of France
does the consumption fall below 30 gal
Ions, but in seven large towns in the
North ollie, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Dun
kirk, Caen, Calais, Roubax and Turco-
ing) it averages only 6 gallons Another
table gives the consumption of alcohol.
and here Rouen, Cherbourg, and LIE
Havre head the list, with an annual total
of nearly 4 gallons per head of the popu-
lation, or more than double the quantity
consumed in Paris.
Ten thousand guineas paid by the Earl
of Dudley for an antique vase and ever
of early SERVES china was the largest
sum ever paid for a vase, says London
Tit-Bits. 1t was afterwards sold to Baron
SHREDDER for 5000 guineas Five thousand
guineas was paid at the sale of the Lynes-
Stevens collection, in 1895, for an oviform