The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-23

HNAo vi Nv
"A project is on foot to exhibit at
the St. Louis Fair Gen. Sam Hous-
tons old law Office, which is still
standing at Lebanon, Tenn. It is a
small frame building, and is said to
be in a remarkable state of preserva-
ton. considering that it is over 100
years old.
"A curious phenomenon has been
noticed in the tropics that can never
be seen at higher ATTITUDES. A mining
shaft at Sombrerete, Mex, is almost
exactly on the Tropic of Cancer, and
at noon on June 81 the sun shines to
the bottom, lighting up the we'll for a
vertical depth of LOO feet or more.
Statistics gathered by Attorney
General Gunter of South Carolina
shows that in the past sixteen years
there have been 2,7S1 murders COM
mitted in that state. The greatest
number in any one year were commit
ted in 1898, when 247 persons were
killed. The number in 1903 was 222.
In a lecture before the Natural
History Society of Cincinnati, o.,
Prof. William Osborne expressed the
fear that the boil weevil, which has
been so destructive to cotton in Texas
since coming from Mexico, will very
likely cross the Mississippi within an
other year. He did not despair, how
ever, that an effective remedy for the
evil will yet be found.
--M.Leon Dunfour, a Partisan res
taurateur, has decided to do away
per cent, of their bills and dividing
the money thus raised among his
walters. He has had little notices to
this effect printed in French, English
and German, explaining modestiy that
this is a trial made in order to solve
the irritating question of gratuities,
and adding that the percentage will
be handed over in full to the staff and
be considered as taking the place OF
the former tips.
"A new sort of shooting affair has
come to light in Kansas. Three young
men went out after jack rabbits, and
were having pretty poor sort of luck.
At last a jack was started and one
man fired at it, breaking one of its
legs. Another Of the party ran at the
bunny and tried to catch it; he could
not, so threw his gun at it, but missed.
The third man threw his gun, and the
gun went off, shooting one of the men
in the leg. This probably holds the
worlds record for a fool shooting acct
dent.
DIR. E. A. Winship, editor of The
Journal of Education, who has return
ed to New York after a 9,0O0-mile trip,
taken for the purpose of investigating
the progress of the movement for the
higher pay of school teachers, reports
that Nevada and California stand
highest among the states, while New
York pays the highest salaries in the
world. He attributes the general up
ward trend in part to the unusual
scarcity of teachers and the higher
cost of living. The higher standards
now demanded by the states have
also done part, as the poorer teachers
are weeded out in this way.
Mayor Robb of Lima, o, fined him
self the other morning. Frank Thedick
was brought before him, charged with
abusing his family. The wife and four
small children appeared, poorly clad
and with pinched faces. His honor
was puzzled. If he fined the man it
would mean a Jail sentence, and the
family would not have. even the SEM
blance of support. After minutes
reflection he said: ''I fine myself the
price of a square meal for you ALL"
Then he took the whole five to a res
taurant and saw that each had a fine
Fepast. The husband, shamed by such
treatment, solemnly promised to do,
better in future: He had a job and
was at work inside of an hour. .,.
There has just died at Berne, at
the age of 65, one of the last descen-
dents of Halter, the great Swiss lin
guist and botanist. He was himself
historian of mark in the republic, and
his history of Berne is one of the
most authoritative works dealing with
the city. His name was Berchtold Hal
Ter, and, besides being a lifelong bache-
lor, he was unusually short of stature.
His diminutive height once placed him
at an amusing disadvantage in a pass
age of arms with a FFenehman with
whom discussion was becoming warm.
II am a descendant of the great Hal
ler," said the Swiss. "Ah, a case of
really long, long descent" sneered the
adversary, cycling down the little man,
who quite collapsed.
Amid the prolonged South African
slump" it is gratifying, says the
Westminster Gazette, to learn that
there seems to be prodigious boom"
in lions. A correspondent states that
lions have become exceedingly numer-
Gus lately in the Sab district, and to
see a troop of twenty or thirty Cd is
quite common. Four kingly creatures
recently approached a station on the
Delagoa Transvaal line in broad day
light, and were only scared away by
the approaching train. A story goes
that a train steaming into another
country station found a huge lion on
the platform with the station master
and porter beside him. This remark
able increase of lions is variously
ascribed to the "close time" they en-
joyed during the war, the multiplied
ton of game on the derelict farms
and-the desertion of South Africa by
Mr.. F. c. Selous.
Many painters have aspired to the
honor of painting the new Pope's first
portrait but to French artist has
fallen the prize. According to the Lon
don Globe, M. Gabriel Ferrier won the
gold medal at the last Salon with a
picture Of MARY Weeping Over the
Dead Christ" and Plus x inquired
from one of the staff of the French
embassy the name of the painter, after
seeing small reproduction of the
work. This led to M. Terriers com
mission. The Pope gave the artist
many sittings, and the sketch is now
almost complete, though a few more
touches are still required. M. Terrier
has elected to paint what may be de-
Scflbed as a state portrait with the