Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-01-13
IN GENER AL.

Treasury statistics show that the con-
sumption OF coffee in the United States is
increasing to a marked extent, while that
of tea is momentarily ON the decline-pos-
sibly because of the war duty on tea. 1t
is remaI ked in this connection that all of
our new possessions are coffee producers.
Remenyi's renowned Stradvarius, known
as 1.-THE Titan" on which he was playing
when he suddenly fell dead IN vaudeville
performance, has been purchased by Sol
Marcosson, a brilliant young American vi
olinist, for $4,000 Remenyi had many Of
fers for this beautiful instrument, but
nothing could induce him TO part with ii.
A prisoner in the penitentiary at Colum-
bus, o., has advanced the theory that the
bank at Lima, o., was robbed by a new
method of lock picking. He believes any
time-lock can be stopped at any time by
the use of powerful magnet and thus
opened. Should experiment prove this
10 be the case, safe-makers will have an
other problem TO solve.
The Illinois supreme court has decided
that lobbyists, whether known as legisla
tive agents or attorneys, cannot successfully
bring suit to recover claims for serv .ces
from their employers. This is for the
morals and is entitled TO no legal standing
At the same time Missouri court has de-
cided, for much the same reasons, that in
dustrial combinations in restraint of trade
cannot at law recover debts due them.
The Spaniards are not the only Euro
pean barbarians. The French, if the &C
cusations of one of their own countrymen
are true, are guilty of inilicting most in
kar
their soldiers in Africa. For trivial Of
fences the men are said to be confined in
''silos," deep pits in the ground, covered
by trap doors. There the offender is fed on
bread and water. Even two days confine-
ment is followed by serious consequences,
and when the prisoner remains in the pit
for weeks, as is said often to be the case,
he emerges physical, If not a mental,
wreck.
The Philadelphia exposition of 1900, to
| which reference is now and then seen in
the newspapers, is projected by the Com
mercial museum, which was established by
| the national association of manufacturers,
and government appropriation of $780,
600 has been secured to promote it. The
purpose of the exposition is to make in
| September and October full display of
American manufactured. articles in the
hope of still further promoting our foreign
trade. 1t is hoped that delegates from 200
foreign chambers of commerce will be
drawn to Philadelphia, and each foreign
| government has been asked to send an &C
credited representative. The Philadelphia
exposition is certainly well timed.
William Rockefeller 10 years ago bought
the old Aspinwall place in Mount Pleas
| Nn1. % l.,slt
house there and made a fine residence OF
the 700 acres included. A man named
| Martin ran for the local assessorship in
1896, promising in general way that if
elected he would shift the burden of taxa
ton from the poor to the rich. He was
elected and the valuation of Rockefeller's
| property was raised to $1,000, 000 Rock
efeller appealed to the courts and the next
| year his valuation was run up to 81, 500,-
600. A referee appointed by the court re-
ported that proper valuation would be
| $343, 775, and the court sustained the re-
port. The town started to fight the mat
ter through the higher courts, but finally
abandoned the case.
DIR. D. X. Pearsons of Chicago, who has
given two or three million dollars to Amer
lean colleges, disclaims any special credit
for doing so. 81 do not pose as a benevO-
lent man." he says. 81 have labored nearly
80 years to make money-have made il,
and honestly, too. The statement may
seem very strange to you when say that
do not pose as benevolent man. l have
no benevolence In me- not particle.
am the most economical, close-fsted man
you ever put your eyes on. You can see
1t in my FACET is there. do not think
l erar foolishly spent $50 in my life" DR..
Pearsons is a native of Bradford. He
graduated from the Woodstock medical
college and practiced his profession at
Chicopee, Mass. He went TO Chicago in
1857 and amassed a large fortune through
real estate operations in that city.