Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Albany register. (Albany, Or.) 1868-18?? | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1875)
COLL. "VJVJST CLEVE. ALBANY, OREGON. A -RACE JOi A WIFE. A Thrilling Elopement Advestcbe is Michigan. 1; From the Adrian Timea.1 The actors in this little domestic dra ma were Rensselaer Mills, a wealthy farmer, living about a mile west of the village of Clinton ; his daughter, Ida 31 ill 8 ; Alonzo Mills, his son, and Sam uel Lazaleer, who has for the past three x years been Miss Ida's affianced. It seems that the father of the young girl objected to Lazaleer as a son-in-law. wnicn seemed to mase tne joung peo- pie more determined than ever; ' The preliminaries which led to the episode occurred during the first of the week. 'They had expected to be married about the 17th of last month, but the old gen tleman got an inkling of what was going on and thwarted their designs. It is rumored that on Thursday Lazaleer went to the house of Mr. Mills for the purpose of accompanying the daughter to Toledo, they proposing to have the marriage ceremony performed on the route. But Mills put a stop to this - proceeding, and the daughter remained at home. .The following day. Friday, the daughter repaired ' to the residence of a neighbor, George "Wilson, and sent word to her lever where she could be found, Laza- leer received the word about three o'clock in the afternoon, and was soon on hand with a team, and a few mo xnents later, in company with his soon- to-be bride, was taking a circuitous route to the village, to avoid passing the house of the parental Mills, which was situated on the direct road to the village. While driving leisurely along, judge of their surprise when suddenly a horse and buggy dashed by containing the father and brother. Young Mills sprang to the ground and attempted to seize Lazaleer 's team by the bits. Tak ing in the situation at a glance, Lazaleer turned his team suddenly around, and before the Mioses could get under way the object of their anxiety was out of sight. This was near Franklin Centre, the young couple having perambulated the town of Franklin here and there be fore this until they bad already driven twelve or fifteen miles. The pursued party were headed for tne village of Clinton, and now began the most ex citing portion of the race. The Messrs. Mills entered the race in earnest. Lazaleer s team was a young and spirited one, while the other was scarcely less so. Before starting out. Xiazaleer had made arrangements with Dr. Alvord to be married at his house, provided he was fortunate enough to get possession of the young lady. The intention of the fleeing couple was to gain time and reach Dr. Alvord's resi dence in season to have tne marriage performed before their pursuers came up. To circumvent this was the old man's aim. The news of the chase had reached thevillage soon after it began, and Dr. Alvord, thinking that time might be precious, had procured the services of the Methodist minister. Rev. Mr. Fraree, who was awaiting the result of the race at the doctor's residence. At five minutes before five Lazaleer drove Tip. The young couple sprang from the buggy and rushed into the house. The required time was gained, but none to spare, for Mills was close at hand, but before he could get out of his buggy the nuptial knot was tied. By this time a crowd had collected about the house, but it was soon looked and Messrs. Mills refused admittance. After trying every door and using some ; extravagant i language, they assurred themselves that the marriage ceremony had actually been performed by an in terview with the minister. They then -went away. The appearance of the young couple, as the ceremony was be ing performed, is said to have been ex tremely singular,, and, under the cir cumstances, rather ludicrous. So short was' the time that no preparation could be made. They were dressed in com mon clothes, and literally covered with mud, the result of their drive. ' The parties are all well connected, and out ' aiders cannot see why Mr. Mills should object bo strenuously to the match. The affair, as it terminated, caused con siderable excitement. What the ulti mate result will be, whether a disin heritance or a reconciliation, " has not yettranspiredT ' " - -j SING ULAR ,SU1 CIDE. -. 'V , A young girl named Durant recently killed herself at Bristol, England, by jumping over the suspension bridge . there. The queerest part of the story is the way in which the girl jumped over. She went upon the bridge, and the toll-taker, noticing her loitering- about, ordered her off to the other side. Then she ' went down the bill to the ferry, crossing it, climbed the zigzag at the Clifton side just below the bridge and again presented herself at the Clif ton end of the bridge. She smiled to the toll-taker, tendered a penny and passed on; but the gate-keeper sus pected her and gave chase. The girl had about 100 yards start of her pur suer and ran, as the man says, " like a deer, ; past the pier and along the bridge itself. When she had gone about a quarter of the way she looked back and again smiled, but did not stop. The .man turned round for a moment, and while he did so the girl mounted the trellis work of the bridge, clambered down the rail at the other side and hung from the footpath only by hat hands, her body swinging in the air. -' The gate-keeper was two or three yards distant when she did bo, and he rushed forward and attempted to seize aher. Directly I couched her hands," said the man in His evidence, " she looked in my face and smiled, and then she dropped." This is the tenth suicide which has taken place from the bridge, and the jury suggested that some method of preventing people from climbing the railing should be adopted. VOUDOOI8M. We have heard of a Nashville man swallowing a crooked piece of wire, and not been relieved of it until many years had passed and gone, but that was not half as singular as the case of ahegresa at Shellmound, who, nine months ago, took into her stomach, as she avers. without knowing it, ten pins tightly wrapped in a ball, composed of African wool. The negress is the cook in the house of Mr. Samuel Ingersolh She says at the time she provoked the enmity of another negress, who in turn and out of revenge resorted to a stratagem to render her: wretched the remaining days of her well-spent life. They were together one day not long after a hot dispute which had arisen between them, when her enemy handed her, at her in vitation, in a pint cup, some water, which she drank down, having become somewhat thirsty from the passion which had been aroused in her by the severe tongue-lashing of her opponent, From that time on until last Sunday she had constantly felt an uneasiness in the stomach, and often grew sick from the " charm" which she believed her enemy had'given her in the water. At times she seemed almost ready to go into convulsions, when she would re cover from them and not be troubled again for several days. j Last Sunday she was more violently taken than ever, and was seized with vomiting, emitting blood, and finally a small piece of something having a re semblance to . a hard wad. When it was examined it was found that it was composed of the wool of a negress, tighly wrapped around ten pins, which were so bent, point to head, as to pre vent sticking in the flesh, and thereby producing death from 'any irritation that might ensue. It is supposed the continuance of the wad in the stomach, however, did produce more or less irri tation, and that the brass contained in the pins doubtless had the effect to pro duce temporary sickness. Since she was relieved of the "charm," which she still persists in calling it, she has shown signs of decided improve ment as regards her health. Nashville TennJ) Banner. . .. ! ' PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. ' The various express companies, hav- ing in view a further increased security for their messengers and the valuables intrusted to their care, have submitted the following suggestions and guards to the various railroad managers in the country : That both the end doors of all baggage and express-cars be per manently closed ; or, if there are seri ous objections to this, then that the ex press companies be allowed to furnish and have put on by the mechanics of the road what is known as a " chain door-fastener," and when that is done, that peremptory orders be issued to the baggage andVexpressmen requiring the fastener to be kept in constant use at all hours, day and night; posting the order in one or more places in each car, and forbidding those men to allow any persons rstrangers, or others not con nected with the train to enter the cars for any purpose whatever, particularly after dark. ' These precautions seem to be a necessity to protect tne express companies against tLe repeated acts of desperadoes, who enter the baggage and express-cars in force by the end doors when the train is in motion, at tacking ' baggage : and express-messen gers, overcoming; securing, and gag ging them, robbing the safes, and, by checking the train, escaping without detection.- - ' AN' INTERESTIN F AMIL Y. ' A family of English colonists, consist ing of a father, six sons and one daugh ter; have for some time past kept their native town in a state of uneasiness on account of a family weakness for mur der, i According to the story, in a brief s$ ace of time, the eight persons com posing the family managed to commit over one hundred murders. Out of this number, some of the gentlemen of the family, were each responsible for thirty murders, .while the ' young lady only committed twenty-five, though, but for premature interference of the authori ties, it is considered probable that she would have completed an equal number. The predecessor of the present Gover nor, most .ungallantly caused her to be arrested, .together with her amiable pa rent and four of her brothers. - It is not stated, what became . of the remaining brothers, j but : the poor old gentleman was hanged about . three months ago, and two of his sons met with a similar melancholy accident on the 25th of last month. The other two and the young lady are still languishing in captivity, and much anxiety is felt on their behalf ; or .unless the local judges take a len ient view of their offenses on account of their youth, they have but a poor chance of resuming their position in society. There were Beven gentlemen of Cin cinnati who formed themselves into the " Last Man Society " on the 6th of October, 1832, and vowed to meet an nually until death claimed them all., A bottle of wine was sealed up in a box, audit was mutually agreed that the last 'man should' open the box and drink " the; wine. They' met for four'' 'years ' together. The first death occurred in T 1837, and in October, "1856, 'the last 'man sat down alone. The 'wine bottle was opened', and in silence the last of the seven friends drank the health of his departed companions.: Every year,' on the 6th of October, the last man holds the anniversary alone. He is yet alive. OUR . NA TIONAL EXHIBIT. According to the President's message, delivered to Congress on the 7th of De cember, the receipts of the govern ment from all sources for the last fiscal year were $322,186,231.29, and the ex penditures, on all accounts, $302,633,- 873.76 showing an excess of receipts over expenditures of $17,552,357.53. MILBS OF BAXLiBOAD BUILT. There have been nearly 30,000 miles of railroad constructed within the past five years. i POSTOFPICK OPERATIONS. The revenues of the Postoffice De partment for the year were $24,596,560, and the expenditures $32,126,415 an increase of revenue over the previous year of $1,674,411, and of expenditure of $3,041,469. The number of dead letters received was 4,601,773, contain ing valuables to the amount of $4,637, 420. The postal service, at the end of the fiscal year, consisted of 69,734 miles of railroad ; annual transportation, 72,460,545 miles ; annual cost, $9,113, 190, or about 12 cents per mile. The annual transportation on steamboats cost over 26 cents a mile, and on all other routes about 11 cents per mile. The foreign mail service has been increased to four mails per week. During the year $74,uuu,uuu were transmuted through the money-order department. There are 34,294 Postmasters in the United States. There were established during the year 2,318 new postoffioes, while 1,268 were discontinued. " Nine hundred and seven Postmasters were removed during the year, and 5,354 resigned. OPERATIONS OF THB LAW DEPARTMENT. There were judgments during the year in civil suits in favor of the United States of $2,021,724. Of the criminal cases, 6,01a were terminated, including 2,623 convictions, of which 102 out of 966 were for violations of the Enforce ment act. THB ARMT AND NAVX. Our navy is represented to be in a re markably efficient condition. It con sists of 163 vessels, with 1,354 guns. The army consists of about 30,000 men, and is represented to be in an efficient condition. ' THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. During the fiscal year over nine and a half millions of acres of the public lands were disposed of, a quantity less by three and half million acres than were sold the preceding year. There were surveyed during the year 29,492, 110 acres, making with the quantity previously surveyed, 649,393,052 acres, and leaving yet to be surveyed 1,185, 605,348 acres. During the year, 3, 264,314 acres of the public domain were certified to railroads, against oyer six million acres the preceding year. Nearly a million acres were entered under the Timber act, which augurs well for the treeless prairies of the great West. CUSTOMS. The collections from customs during the year amounted to $165,480,503, the cost of collecting which amounted to $7,319,407. AGBICULTUKE. j The business of the Agricultural Bureau is rapidly growing, and the de partment grounds are being enlarged in order to meet the increasing demands upon their capacity. Over one and a quarter million packages of seeds were distributed during the fiscal year, i j . PENSIONS. ' ' ' j During the year 5,733 new applica tions for army invalid pensions were allowed, at an aggregate annual rate of $39,332. There are now 102,457 army invalid pensioners on the rolls, who draw annually $10,058,377 ; and 107,- 516 army widows and dependent rela tives, drawing $13,357,195 annually. The navy invalid pensioners number 1,551, at an annual rate of $169,492, and 1,785 pensioners on the navy roll of widows and dependent relatives, at a total rate of $287,534. There are 17, 620 survivors of the war of 1812 on the pension rolls, at a total annual rate of $1,691,520 ; 646 of the 1812 veterans died last year. There are 5,312 widows of soldiers of 1812 on the pension rolls. The total number of pensioners of all classes is 236,241, and they draw an nually from the Treasury $26,254,071. The roll contains , the names of 410 widows and soldiers of the Revolution ary War. - INTERNAL REVENUE. ' The total receipts from internal reve nue were $102,644,747. ' EDUCATION. The past year has been one of sub stantial progress in educational matters. This progress is particularly manifest in the growth of special schools for the training of children. There are 113 ncrmal schools, having 877 instructors and 16.620 students. Eleven of these have been established during the year. The following statistics are interesting : Number , of , theological schools in the country, 110 ; deaf and dumb institutes, 40 ; blind asylums, 28 ; orphans' homes, 400 : scientific - schools, 68 ; reform schools, 34. ; " : INDIANS. . There are in the country 255,248 In dians, about 90,000 of wnom are wild, and tractable only to the extent of be ing willing to take blankets and rations. About 51,000 evince a disposition to undertake labor and accept the assist ance of the government agents. There are 14,000 classed as vagrants, j The remaininghundr&d thousand own landed estates, and are wholly r partially civ ilized. ' - PATENTS. ; The business of the Patent Office shows a steadv increase. Since 1836 OVer 155.0ftrt nafunta Ti avA tiAAn issUAcL DurinOT ttlA tm, origin) Rant 8(1 .1874. there were 21,077 applications for pat ents ; during the same period, 13,541 patents' were 'granted; caveats 'filed, 8,121 ; patents expired, 5,281 ; patents extended, 204. RUNAWAY HUSBANDS. In the fifth year of the reign of George the Fourth was paseed -an act entitled the Vagrant act, which holds that every person running away, and leaving his wife; or his or her children, chargeable, or whereby she or they, or any of them, shall become chargeable to any parish, shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond."" Other supplementary acts passed during the present reign provide that any woman deserting her natural child shall be equally deemed a rogue and vagabond, and punished ac cordingly. Acting by authority of and upon the terms of these acts, there is published in England a small weekly, entitled the JPoor Law Unions' Gazette, which is posted to every union through out the country on the Friday evening of every week. The scope of this weekly -is very simple. It describes every man who has left his wife and children, his age, height, trade, cloth ing, habits, mode of speech, haunts, and every particular , concerning him. Through its means the light of outraged justice is cast upon every skulking renegade. He cannot escape it without leaving the country, and it is lawful for any person to apprehend him, to lay on a hand, 1o turn him over to the nearest constable. The pages of this little paper are full of the most, curious statistics. It includes men of very de scription, trade, and calling ; men of all ages and complexions, dark and sallow being the rarest, the generality being fresh, ruddy, light, florid, freckled, and fair. There are gardeners, colliers, sawyers, blacksmiths, tailors, miners, butchers, cabmen, quack doctors, oos- termongers, sailors, servants, and men of every conceivable trade and special ty. Some of the irregularities, or things to be made a note of, are quite singular and amusing. Thus we find that one man has a scar at the corner of one eye ; another, a mark from the kick of a horse ; a third, projecting teeth ; a .fourth, a tumor on the right arm ; a fifth, a hare-lip ; a sixth, a burn on the left cheek ; a seventh, a mark on the nose ; an eighth, a down-cast look, a stoop, a lame walk, or only one leg. Singularly enongh, the majority of runaway husbands have blue eyes. We are also told that one runaway hus band is an efficient musician, that another speaks through his nose. Some are fond of dancing, while one man plays the bones in a negro minstrel troupe, and another plays the piano, frequents betting houses, and hawks pies. There can be little doubt that such a law and such a periodical must exercise a very salutary influence upon the class of worthless vagabonds it is intended to reach. There is nothing which peo ple dread so much as notoriety when their deeds are evil, and with the chance of having his name branded about ; his person and habits described; a prioe, as it were, placed upon his head, a m ait will think twice before he deserts his fome and family. It is true that the poor woman, in her little pride, will slave and toil to keep the wolf from the door, in hopes that the husband, however drunken and useless, may re turn to save her from the pity which every woman dreads. She will not make use of this powerful organ until every other method has failed her. She has one held, at all events, on her faith less spouse; a hold which will justly show the craven idler up to public ridicule and contempt. Mr. Gladstone has proposed to try the effect of shame in the case of drunkards, by publishing the names of delinquents in a black list, to be kept specially for the pur pose. It seems to be an excellent idea, because when young Mr. Fitz-Noodle knows that his young lady friends may read in the morning paper that their dashing exquisite has been seen the night before drunk and incapable, he may think twice before risking his pros pects and reputation. Human nature is unfortunately weak, and while the philanthropist, the millionaire, the au thor, the actor, and men generally dearly love notoriety for its own sake, the criminal, the vicious, and the fool ish have every reason to dread it for exactly opposite reasons. OF ITSELF A NATION. The statistics of Paris for 1873, just published by the Prefecture of the Seine, give, in figures, a good idea of what the great busy world there was about during the twelve months desig nated. The births that year amounted to 55,905, of which the greatest num ber, 250, occurred oh' April fool's day. The largest number1 took place in the poorest arrondissement, the smallest in the Faubourg St. Germain. The mar riages numbered 10,520, in which there were several curious unions. Two were between 1 nephews and, their aunts, twenty-six between uncles and their nieces, one hundred and three between brothers-in-law and , sisters-in-law, and one hundred and eighty between cous ins. The number of deaths amounted to 41,732, of which nearly eight thou sand were from consumption,, and six hundred were suicides. Paris ate 5,435, -732 chickens, and 2,865,241 tame rab bits, besides nearly a million and a half of larks. : The beef, mutton and veal consumed were valued at 177,000,000 francs,, and other substantial in like quantity., Of beverages - to assimilate ail this food, the City absorbed 407,868, 450 litres (rather less Jhan an Imperial quart) of wine in the piece ; 1,704,935 bottles and half bottles of finer wine ; .9,016,030 litres of brandy and spirits; 3,536,584 litres of cider, and 32,500,000 litres of beer. In regard to the weather there was rain for seventy days, high winds for thirty, snow for thirteen, fog for fifty-four and hail for seven. .', It cost a Denver sport $43 to cut off the pig-tail ornament of a Celestial resi dent in that city. HOW HOLIDAYS ARE KEPT UP IN . BELGIUM. The great holidays in the Low Coun tries are kept up with noisy and, to our eyes, rude merriment. In t he olden time, the staid New Englandere, who forbade Christmas celebration under severe penalty, and, as Hudibras hath it, "blasphemed custard through the nose, and even went so far as to dis parege that best and dearest friend.Jplum porridge," looked with a holy horror at what they deemed the utter godlessness of New Netherlands But even the au thorities of the Dutch colony - after a time thought that some limits were to be set to this wild merrymaking, and the earliest city laws contain enact ments against some of the favorite amusements, such as the cruel sport of goose-pulling ; and, if we mistake not, pail-tipping also fell under the ban. Some of the Flemish sports at Ter wooren, in Belgium, are peculiar, as, from a sense of woman's rights, or be cause it is mere ludicrous to see women bo engaged, the actors are almost en tirely of the fair and now self -asserting sex. Our boys in army times gov much sport out of races in sacks. Another sport is a kind of blind-man's-buff, in which the women, one by one, blindfolded, try to strike with a pole an egg suspended from a cord, which is kept swinging, and a drum beating to prevent her hearing too keenly. The occasional cracks which over-eager spectators get while en deavoring to obtain a close view do not in the least detract from the merriment. In fact, as we always, more or less, enjoy the misfortunes of our friends and neighbqrs, it is only due to the truth of history to record the fact that these mishaps draw ferth hearty laughter and shouts of applause. Another sport is to range a'number of women on a platform, with their hands tied behind their backs, while a num ber of small loaves, well covered with molasses, are kept dangling before them. A prize is given to the woman who first contrives to get hold of one with her mouth. MISTAKE OF A MILLION. Parents sometimes make mistakes by trying to live their children's lives as well as their own. Duty is a sensible, respectable thing, but sometimes chil dren, after they reach men's and wom en's estate, may err in allowing their parents to live their lives for them. Two years ago Mr. Otis O. Hall was a bank-teller in San Francisco, at a salary of $2,500. He was his own man, if years could make him such. He saw and loved Miss Sharon, daughter of the wealthiest miner and- banker on the Pacific slope. She loved him, or at least she said she did, and was willing to prove it by marrying him. Her parents were also consenting, although Hall was a poor young clerk. But Hall's parents had to advise their son for his good. He was too young to marry, they said, and had not- seen enough of the world to make it proper for him to tie himself down to one spot and one woman. They advised him to travel two years, and then return and claim and take his beautiful bride with their blessing. All was arranged satis factorily. He left his situation in San Francisco, did Europe on $8,000 bor rowed money, and a short time ago he returned, the period of his probation having elapsed. He got back just in time te read in the newspapers of the marriage of Miss Sharon, his betrothed, to T. G. Newlands, a young lawyer of San Francisco. It was also stated for Hall's further edification that Newlands had received a million dollars in ca-h with his beautiful bride. 5 Hall got a position as clerk in a hardware stor, but he is not happy. He was a dutiful son, but he isn't worth a cent as a hus band. His kind parents may try to console him by telling him that he is better off without that fickle woman, but he will never think himself . better off without the million, and the pros pective harvest of the jiJharon estate. The only mistake Hall made was that he did not marry the girl and take her with him on his travels. He did not live his own life, and is now living that his parents marked out for him. THE LONDON AND NEW TcORK CLEARING HOUSES. London has hitherto been supposed to be the great financial center of the world, but the following transactions of the clearing-houses of London and New York shows that the balance of financial transactions is largely in favor of the commercial metropolis of the New World. We take the figures from a table supplied by the Financial Chronicle of New York : Total transactions of the clearing houses of New York and London for the years undermentioned : London. Xevtiork. ' - $15,287,000 000 $28,484,000,000 ",670,000,009 87,407,000,000 1870.... 18,608,000,000 27,804 000 000 8J1 " 20,092,000,000 " 29,800 000 000 If 28,748.000,000 35,272,000,000 J3 30,010,000,000 88,988,000,080 187 29,970,000,000 SlOOoiooO The figures for New York are of course in American currency ; those for London are sterling reduced to gold dollars. THE NEXT SPEAKER. The New York Herald has set its numerous "interviewers", at work in finding out the sentiments ot the Dem ocrats elected to the next House of Representatives' upon the subject of the Speakership. From the data thus obtained' it makes up the following re capitulation, showing the strength of the candidates named as nearly aa can be ascertained : M. C. Kerr. ...... ........ 61 .. 10 ......f. 18 S. S. Cox Fernando Wood. . ..... N. P. BBh.,;,',.,;.i .... Gilbert Walker... . . . . ; . P. F. Thomas. . . Milton Sayler. ...... .j .... , Doubtful 17 .. V 1 . 4 as 81 Total. .164 SPELLING MATCH IN CLEVELAND. The Clevelanders have had a great deal of fun recently out of spelling matches.' A reporter of the Herald has stood the longest on two occasions. Wednesday evening the reporter and a lady stood alone, all the rest over thrown, when the lady missed isosceles. The falling of the reporter, who was the last survivor, is thus described by himself: " Now, said Mr. James, . I have a few words for you, to tackle,' as . his eyes gloated ov;r some orthographical conglomerations that were not even printed in his blue book,' but which he had dug out of dictionaries and medical works and with which he had frescoed in pencil the margin of his book. Colocynth,' exclaimed he, with a triumphant spell-it-if-you-can air, and if you want to know what it means, it's a medicine for the babies.' The luckless chap scratched hia pate for a moment, thinking the word was enough to kill any baby in Christendom,, to say nothing of the medicine, made ene wild effort to spell it and then his corpse was added to the pile of the slain. ; " Some of the blunders in spelling were of course laughable and excited much merriment, though doubtless many of those who laughed would them? selves have made even worse mistakes. At one time Mr. James gave to the Her ald the word pronounced 4 lock, giving also the definition a lake. 'L-o-u-g-h lock ' and there was a general-laugh at the stupidity of spelling ' lock ' in such an absurd way. The pencil slinger stood serenely confident, while the spectators waited to hear Next 1 from the master of ceremonies. But when the noise had abated and Mr. James, who was standing on a chair, said, with a wave of the hand, ' he is entirely cor rect !' the newspaper man had the laugh on his side and the room resounded with applause." AMERICA THE TOMB OF RACES. Dr. Edward H. Clarke, author of "Sex in Education," brought forward at the Detroit meeting of the National Educational Association a paper on the "Building of a Brain," in which he laid down the problem of life which the American nation confronts, as follows : No race of human kind has yet ob tained a footing upon this continent. The Asiatics trace back their life, in Asia so far that the distance between to-day and their recorded starting point seems like a geologic epoch. The descendants of the Ptolemies stil linger about the Nile. The. race that peopled northern Europe when Greece and Rome were young, not only retains its ancient place and power, but makes itself felt and heard throughout the world. On this continent races have been born, laid lived, and disappeared. Mounds at the West, vestiges in Flori da, and traces elsewhere proclaim at least two extinct races. The cause of their disappearance remains undiscov ered. We only know that they are gone. The Indian whom our ancestors confronted was losing his hold on the continent when the Mayflower anchored in Plymouth Bay, and is now rapidly disappearing also. It remains to be seen if the Anglo-Saxon race that has ventured upon a continent that has proved the tomb of antecedent races, can be more fortunate than they in maintaining a permanent grasp upon this Western world. One thing at least is sure it will fail as previous races have failed, unless it can produce a physique and a brain capable of meet ing successfully the demands which our climate and civilization make upon it. THE TWO COURTS AT ROME. It was predicted, late in 1870, after Victor Emmanuel had established his court and the government of Italy in Rome, "the Eternal City," that for eign powers would not long continue to have two embassies there one Am bassador to the King and the other to the Pope. The difficulty arose from the fact, scarcely to be wondered at or condemned, that the Pope refused to receive, as diplomatic representative at the Vatican, any person also accred ited by a foreign power to the King of Italy. Of the great powers only France and Austria are now represented at the Vatican. Englind has not sent an Ambassador to the Pope since the time of James IX, nearly two centuries back. Germany has withdrawn her Ambassa dor Bince Pius IX. refused to accept Cardinal Hohenlohe in that capacity, The diplomatic relations between Russia and the Vatican have been suspended for some time, and those between the Pope and Spain have ceased since the dethronement and expulsion of Queen Isabella II. in 1868. In February, 1872, the Parliament of Holland abol ished its Papal legation, though a Papal nuncio still remains at the Hague. Belgium, Bavaria, Holhmd, Brazil and the South American Republics are Btill represented at the Vatican. The trouble is that. the Ministers of this country have nothing to do in the Leonine city except with regard to the religious in terests of their states, whose Apolitical relations with Italy are properly looked after by ' Ambassadors accredited to King Victor Emmanuel. A youno couple in Worcester, Mass., got married and retired to their boarding-house. When midnight came, so did two "peelers," who arrested the pair, swearing that the marriage cer tificate was a forgery. - The "happy couple" spent the night in adjoining cells. Now the police officers say it was a mistake. Married people will avoid Worcester till after the honey moon. TLe bridegroom says such treatment is more irritating than one would think. Hydbophobia has made its appear ance among the sheep in Texas, CHRISTMAS-TIDE IN BER VIA. The Servians call Christmas Eve asidl Christmas Day Log Evening (Badnji Veoer) and Log Day (Badnji Dan), a yule-log forming, as in England,. France and " Westphalia, a prominent all Christmas Eve before, the fireplace, and as the night progresses,, the head of the house sprinkles it in tbeorm of a erosp. saving : Welcome, O Log may God bless thee I" and strews it with wheat, Indian corn and other products of the earth. As the family respond Amen, the young men outside fire off guns and pistols, and the birth dnv of the Lord is ushered in. In Rizano and other parts of Dalma tia the girls dress up the pale-log ' with ribbons and flowers. i In Stueck'ttie log is kept till New Year's Eve, when it is committed to the fire with due honors. .In some parts the table is spread,, with the Christmas cake in the center,. . a flagon of wine, plates and glasses.. All the men and boys then surround the table, each holding a lighted taper in ins hand, while the head of the family pronounces a blessing. Then the cake is eaten, and a merry Christmas toast, drank with hearty good-will. Thus each country has 'its own cus toms for celebrating the great festivaP of the Christian year ; each applied to it, on embracing the religion preached1 by the apostles, some of the ceremonies, attending their former joyous holidays, and have continued down to our time,, relics of the olden heathen days of pa gan ancestors, just as our names of the days of the week remind ub that we are descended from men "who once wor- shinerl the KfvnoTiinirv deities of.the- North, Tuisco, -Woden, Thor, Freya and Sator. t WARLIKE PREPARATIONS. The friends of peace and arbitration- will be rather disheartened when they hear that a contract has been offered to an American firm for the manufacture, of 3,500,000 . pounds of saltpeter a transaction which certainly smells more- of gunpowder than of peace. It is not- certain that the order has actually been gi ?en, but there can be no doubt that one of the great European powers ha been inquiring in New York whether the above quantity of saltpeter could' be had by a given date in 1873. . Some continental nation is clearly preparing for a wholesale manufacture J of gun powder next year ; but wheher it is- merely another of Prince ' xismarck'sw measures to better secure tiie peace of" Europe, or whether it is France, or per-u haps Russia, that is making ready for coming events, we are not told. What stock of gunpowder England may have on hand is likely to be reduced rather than increased, if it be true that Japan, despite the settlement of the Formosa, difficulty, is sending to Liverpool for 2,500 barrels. J The sisters Smith, of Glastonbury,. Conn., who don't believe in taxation, without representation, are determined', to fight it out on that line. Abby has written a letter giving an account of their attendance at a town meeting,, which was held to consider the ex penses of the town, and she comments very sarcastically on the proceedings. They were treated very civilly, though no bod v seemed triad to am them. Thiw were anxious to conform to the cus toms of, the place, and so pulled off their gloves when they noticed the men x . , , . . wure none, lue tax collector BSC, m a corner, apparently not daring to look the resolute sisters in the face. They found it cost $317 to have nine men to look after the school, . and think a smaller number of women could do it better. They are living now in daily expectation of having their furniture sold for taxes.- They thought they owned it, they say, but find it belongs to the town, and there is no knowing. when tite owners will take it away. The weird sisters do not seem to he happy. ' " - A had report comes from a prayer meeting way down in Georgia. It is the report of a pistol. -They were worshiping, , as .was their- weekly cus tom, and it appears that while they were in communion with the saints on high they kept their powder dry. The leader of the exercises flopped upon his knees, and flopping, his pistol flew out of his pocket and was discharged. Pep per, who sat near him, was shot. The boys picked Pepper up and carried him out. Passing down the aisle Pepper smiled sadly and said : "Take care, hoys, don't let mine drop. Some one else might be shot." How many more pistols were in that prayerful: ngregation is left for the reader to oonjecture. So far as appeared they "were pretty well fixed for fighting thfr cmnA xi i v. .1 keeping the faith. N Tan libel suit of Mr. Ross, father of the missing boy, against the Reading. (Pa.) Eagle has. been decided, the court sentencing the proprietors of the paper to pay a fine of $1,000. Their plea was ignorance of the libelous arti cle, but the court, in pronouncing judg ment, said : " If, because it cannot be proven that an editor or publisher did Actually write an article that is libelous, he is to go free, this is to establish a. very dangerous principle. " What a man and if he were 'permitted to fold his hands and say, I did not do it, but mv acent did." no family in the com munity would be Haie." A veobo in Pittsburgh , fell from the roof of a three-story 1 house last week. but, striking square on tne top oi tug head, his life was saved. A iouho lady fearful of becoming stout devotes two hours to every meal, because she had read somewhere ihvi Haste makes waste,"