The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-07-22
WORLDWIDE GOSSIP.
n T LITTLE DUUMOw, In Essex. a
IA fitch Of bacon Is given yearly to
such married coa,v,1ea nz can do~lo "a

n T LITTLE DUA~MOw, In Essex, a
IA fitch OF bacon Is given yearly to
~ such married couples as can declare
upon oath that they have been true
TO eacn other have not Quarreled. and
have not wished themselves unmarried for
year and day. A jury IL impaneled to
inquire into the cases OF any claimants to
the fitch, and, on the jury being satisfied.
1t is awarded to the happy couple. The
custom was established In 1A4A and al
though fell into iisuse for many years,
1t was revived In 1880. and has taken place
every year since. The number Of claim
ants has ranged from two to nine.
Santo stefano, the prison in which
Bresci, the regfclde. committed suicide, h
one Of the small groups Of islets known al
Vent0ntcne. SOME thirty miles OF the coast,
between Naples and Gaeta. 1t Is q convict
settlement. Its jail. the only important
building Of the place. erected ten years
life. Since its erection 62s prisoners have
entered is walls. Of whom about one-third
now rest In the cemetery not far from
the prison on the Via del Sospiri. the
Street Of Signs. The daily rations Of the
prisoners consist of an ample allowance
Of boiled vegetables and paste, seasosied
with oil. and 600 grammes (two pOunds) OF
brown bread On Sundays they have meat
broth and steak. and on the principal
festivals Of the church and of the state 10
added a modicum Of cheese and wine.
An out of the way English church has
come into prominence Of late as having the
only corps OF women bell ringers in the
world. The church Of st. Andrew, Brad
field. in Berkshire might have remained
eternally silent had 1t not been for the dis
interested energy Of six young women, who
rushed into the breach with the result that
all England Is talking about them.
Bell ringing means, OF course, something
than
Bradfed there are all manner of legends
and traditions connected with the chime
of six bells which has been the pride OF
the village for centuries. Formerly the
bells were rung by men and boys, who
were only too eager to learn the art But
little by little indifference spread deplora-
bly, among the MAKE population of Brad
field.
In Mortified despair the parish clerk,
who had understood the art from boyhood.
then publicly offered to teach it to any
one who would learn. Response came, not
from the expected quarter. but from
charming young woman Of the parish,
whose slim white hands seemed to her
of bell ringing.
pray. try me-, she begged.
The clerk yielded and found her so apt
| that he soon told her she had nothing more
| to learn. Meanwhile five other women had
responded to tie call. comprising the only
group of bell ringers that Bradfield or any
other town had ever seen.
| The bells. which had ben dumb Tor
years now peal out as often as is neces-
sary. The reputation Of the church. the
belfry, and the town is redeemed, and the
disinterested bell ringers are getting album
! dnnt reward in the form of glory.
An experiment was lately made at one
| OF the geological gardens to see what effect
| catnip would have on the wild animals.
| The tigers and the puma would not touch
| it, but the lions. the lionesses and the
| leopard went fairly wild over 1t. The
| stately old lion played with it. smelled It.
| and licked it, just as If he were a domestic
| cat and the leopard picked it up IN her
paw. took long shifts at it and rolled over
| it in perfect delight.
This is how dogs outwit their mortal foe,
the alligator, in Central Borneo: The dogs,
| it seems, when wishing to cross river,
have considerable difficulty In doing so
owing to the fact that alligators find them
| very tootnsome mortals They therefore
| collect on the bank and make terrific
noise by barking and yelping as loud as
| they can. The alligators are attracted to
the SPOT by the noise and the dogs, as soon
| as they see that their bait Is successful
set of up the bank at top speed and cross
higher up. A Borneo traveller states that
he has watched this maneuver times with
out number.