The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-07-12
Queer Things that Happen.


and ears open see AID hear many
! things strange and interesting, also
otherwise. The world is full Of phe
nomena and odd accidents and quaint
conceits. Comedy goes arm in arm
with tragedy and more extraordinary
accidents happen in real life than are
pld in fiction.
For example, down in San Bernar-
, dina Valley, CAL, two playful wild
cats cut off the electric lights Of sew
eral towns for nearly IS hours, and
every home and store, hotel and fac
tory in the entire valley was in total
darkness. The young catamounts,
evidently While ronping, chased each
other up a po;e carrying the main
wires of the Pacific lighting company
between the pow. house and the dis
tributing point. In their play the
cable parted, the circuit was broken,
and every light went out. Both ami
mails we're killed by the shock and
their bodies lay on the ground at the
foot of the pole when the linemen
came to repair the break.
One Of the queerest lawsuits I ev-
er heard of is pending in the courts
of the county-Sam Bernardino, Cali
fornia. Paul Schlardum bought re-
yolver from hardware firm to COM
NIT suicide. For some reason the
weapon was defective and would not
90 off. Schlardum has sued the com
pany for damages.
Men die sometimes from exceed
inly queer causes. For example:
Col. J. B. Anderson, Of Colfax,
Wash, laughed so hard at funny
story told by neighbor that he had
an attack Of apoplexy and; died with
in an hour.
David Dorso, Of Harrison, n. j.,
was shaving, when a mosquito lit on
his chin. In making motion with
the razor TO drive the insect away ne
cut a deep cash in his throat. and bled
. to deth within few minutes.
Elmer Kerchoff, while carrying a
keg Of beer at a picnic in Reading,
Penn, last summer, stumbled over a
croquet hook. The keg went down
with him and crushed his head so that
he died shortly after.
While fishing from Steeplechase
pier, Coney Island, not long ago,
Charles tindberg of Brooklyn, n. Y,
suddenly disappeared, and Charles
J Nelson, who was with him. thought he
was drowned. His surmise was cor
rect. Lindberg had fallen asleep as he
sat on the pier, and, falling into the
Z water, was carried out before he
could raise an outcry Or take meas
ures to save himself. He had on
heavy overeoat.
Returning from a merrymaklng
with several companions, George Fo-
garty, of Beverly, N. j., met death
while carrying the "dare" set by one
Of the party. Challenged to climb the
appraised arm of safety gate at the
Pennsylvania Railroad crossing at
Cooper street, Beverly, Forgarty, who
was a telegraph lineman, accepted
The task. When nearing the top OF
the "finger of DEATH his weight
caused the wooden barrier to snap
and Forgarty was hurled: to death:
A tragic fate has befallen Signor
,Gladetti, the famous chemist, who for
the last Is years has been engaged in
devisiing new process of celluloid
manufacture. Signor Gladetti was
carrying out experiments in his Lab
ratory with sulphuric acid and chlor-
um. These he mixed in very large
quantities, with the result that he
was suffocated by the voluminous
gas produced. Signor Gladetti was
veteran Of the Italian war Of inde- |
pendence.
Although people sometimes de IN |
a peculiar manner, their lives are al
so saved in a queer manner. Here is
a case in point: DIR. Marion Hart
Aell, of Noblesville, Ind, owes his life
Ito a silver dollar. He was met on the
street one day last year by James
Parrish, farmer, who said: "You
have wrongei me, and I'm going to
kill you!" Parrish, drew a revolver
and fired, the bullet striking the dol
lar in DR.. Hartzell's pocket and flat
tening out. The physician was unln-
iured. The dollar was punctured and
may, when weighed, show loss OF
47 cents.