The times., 1901-06-10
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

A swarm of bees has been making its
home in the space between the first and
second stories of the house occupied by
ex-senator Carter, on Staughton Street.
There have always been many bees hover
ing around the Garter house, and mem
bers of the family have frequently been
stung. One of the maids declared that
three years ago she had seen a swarm of
bees enter the house. and she insisted
that they had never gone away. The fam
lily is now packing up preparatory to leav-
ing for Montana and the maid, somewhat
exercised at the idea Of leaving behind
the good honey she was convinced the
bees had made during the three years of
their occupancy. set to work to find out
where they might be hiding. She found
their place of entrance near an iron bar
running through the wall, evidently used
as a stay for the joists The hole through
the wall around the bar is quite large
and through that, she disco .Prrd, the
bees had made their way to thor store
house. This entrance leads ~ iar the
flooring of the front room 1f 1 first
floor. Mr.. Carter became in,.'-S when
he heard of the discovery, ar.- .egan an
investigation. Through the Jr, when
the mating was taken up coIla be heard
the buzzing of the bees, and when board
was pried off the bees themselves, crawl
ing over an immense comb filled with
golden honey, could be seen.
Carpenters were sent for to take up
some of the boards. and, after the bees
had been smoked out, a great many
pounds of honey were extracted, the main
part being left. because to have collected
it would have meant taking up practically
the entire flooring.
A lock three feet long and a key four
feet long were not sufficient to keep the
foreign troops from entering the Forbid
den City of Pekin. Through the gate
which was closed by this monster fasten-
ing the allies marched triumphantly, and
now, in token of the complete victory the
lock and key torn from their Places have
been sent across the sea to be put upon
exhibition The United States is the
proud possessor of these relics, and in a
few days those who go to the National
Museum will be able to see them. The
museum obtains them through the cour-
tesy of the Rev. W. T. Hobart, Metho-
dist missionary in China, and they were
delivered through Edwin II. Conger,
United States Minister at Pekin.
The particular lock and key which is In
Washington originally locked the gate
which stands directly in front of the En-
peror's palace. 1t bears a quite lengthy
inscription in old Chinese characters,
which has not yet been deciphered, and
certain marks in the way of crests and
signs which Indicate that it was a royal
possession.
use. no one accustomed to the locks used
in this Western World would imagine the
thing sent here to be a lock. 1t is in the
form of a large iron cylinder, with many
projections and holes only to be described
with a diagram. 1t has tumblers, four in
number, and in that has its only resem-
blance to a modern lock. The key is a
massive affair, almost too heavy for one
person to lift. 1t is of iron and about
four feet long, and of peculiar shape
as would be expected from the lock into
which it fits
a few nights ago there was furry of
excitement in the Postoffice Department.
The cause was the overactive imagina-
ton of an inquisitive person who hap
pened to be wandering through the
building, and for a quarter Of an hour
or more the belief was general that there
had been a suicide, murder, or cutting
affray in the corridors The incident
hinged upon wastebasket which stood
outside the door Of one of the offices on
the ground floor. The inquisitive person
was in the building shortly before mid
night. and, CHANGING to pass by the waste
basket, he turned to throw into it the
scraps of a letter. He was Mortified to
find that the receptacle was completely
covered with blood and that from its
bottom a small stream of red was trick
ling very slowly across the tiles. He
stopped, naturally amazed and on in
-, Iat tJ,.
entire side of the basket was still wet.
and touching it he found his hands dyed
with red. The papers inside the basket
were spattered and dripping with the
crimson fluid.
After taking in the situation and seeing
several spots of red upon the floor lead
ing from the place where the waste
basket stood to the nearest door ana
seeing. moreover, some smutches of red
upon the wall. the inquisitive and imag-
NATIVE person came to the conclusion
that gore had been spilled by foul work
of some kind. He found other persons IN
the corridors of the building, and impart-
ing the news of his horrible discovery to
them he brought them to the spot and
allowed them TO gaze upon the evidence
of blood and violence The testimony
seemed incOnteStable, and with almost
ashen faces the group of men cOntem-
plated it. Then some one called in the
night man at the stamp window, and he
also turned pdle. some one lilOuElL llldL
the police should be notified, and SO
one Of the group started to go across the
street to No. 1 station Just as he moved
of a janitors helper came by with his
bag He walked up to the basket and
began taking out the papers, seeming not
to be much affected by the sight of the
blood. When the imaginative and in
quiSitive gentleman demonstrated with
him for removing the evidence of crime
and violence before the police should ar
rive, and especially cautioned him against
wiping up the blood, the janitor burst
into a guffaw.
Blood, nothin." said he "T'aint no
blood: ies one Of desc yer caiess clerks
upset de red ink bottle"
On the diplomas and certificates of a
large majority of students at the colleges
and schools in Washington is written.
Proficient in Spanish" This is one of
the results of the acquisition of territory
from Spain, and. according to the state
ment of a well-known professor of Ian
guages in Il leading institution, the per-
centage Of students now taking Spanish in
the Washington schools is far in excess
this year of what it was last, with such
promise of a further increase next term
that preparations are being made TO in
craasa the staff of teachers in the Span