North Carolina Newspapers

THE CHARLOTTE MESSENGER. YOL. Y. NO. 9. THE Charlotte Messenger 18 PUBLISHED Every Saturday, AT CHARLOTTE, N. C. In the Interests of the Colored People of the Country. Able and well-known writers will contrib ute to its columns from different porta of the country, and it will contain th<£ latest Gen end News oftke Ihs Messenger is a first-class newspaper and will not allow personal abuse in its col umns. It is not sectarian or partisan, but independent—dealing fairly by all. It re serves the right to criticise the shortcomings of all public officials—commending the worthy, and recommending for election such men ns in its opinion are best suited to serve the interests of the people. It is intended to supply the long felt need of a newspaper to advocate the rights and defend the inter sts of the Negro-Ainerican, «i>ecially in the Piedmont section of the Carolinas. SUBSCRIPTIONS: (Always in Advance.) 1 year - - - $1 50 8 months - - - 100 »* months - - 75 8 months - - 2 months - - - 35 SiDgle Copy - - 5 Address, W.:c. SMITH Charlotte NC .. 1 .. SUMMARY NEWS. Frank M. Irion, the defaulting clerk of ihe city court of Birmingham, Ala., who arrived Wednesday night from New York, was placed in the county jail. He will make no effort to secure bond, and will plead guilty to the indictments against him. lie is anxious to be serving out whatever sentence the court m; y pass. Irion's total shortage is now estimated at $24,000. He lost it all in specuiath n and had only $450 when he left last January. At Bridgeport, Conn., Philip Pallc doni. the Italian who murdered li : s brother in cold blood on June 22, 1887, was hanged Friday. At Atlanta, Ga., the Georgia School of Technology was formally opened Friday. A Chicago woman lias been sentenced to ten years imprisonment for having poured kerosene over her husband and touched a match to him. The gentle man was dene to a turn. An Underground River. News has been received that a great sensation prevails at Whitcvillc.N C, the county scat of Columbus, over th • discov cry of an underground river. What is claimed to be the roaring and rushing of water, which can bejplainly heard, and hundreds of people are \i-siting the spot. When iu the vicinity of the supposed stream, it can be plainly heard, hut when a person lies flat upon the ground, the phenomenon becomes really alarm irg. The sound indicates that the wa ter is not any great distance down, and that it is not a small stream, but a mt jestic river that is coursing unseen in the bowels of the earth on its way to the sea. Vehicles passing the ground where the phenomena exists, create a hollow echo, and fiom below and the earth in the vi cinity for a great distance around seems to be cavernous, judging from the sounds that follow sharp blows. The Whitc ville people are possessed of a very mo bid curiosity. Five in a Year. An event occurred near Charleston which gives the Democrats much e< n cern. Mrs Crane Washington, a colored matron, promises to increase the popu lation to such an ext mt as to render the State hopelessly Republican, provided the colored population r< m tins true to its past traditions. Last January she presented Mr Washington with triplets. The surprised parent at once took steps to change his name. He had heard abont Was hingtou !>eitig the father of his country, and he did not know how much there might be in a name. He dropp'd the matter, however, hut to-day the responsibilities of patent ige again developed upon him. This tim; it was only twins, inakim a total of five in one year, with a cold winter ahead of him. The pickaninnies are said to be black as tar a-.d lively as crickets. The Demo - rrutic par y can stand no such inercaa • «ud is thinking seriously of recruiting its ranks from the colored voters. A Roman Advantage. A high-school master instructing his dan i» Roman history, remarked*. ‘•There were many features of the Roman** Ife which proved that their civilization was far inferior to our own. Can any one in the class cite some of these features.'*’ • -Their gladiatorial combats,* said one pupil. , , ‘ Theirsports in general, ’fain another. ••Their false tel on.” said another. “The oppreadoa us the poor,” said an other .. , . , “That is very well,*’ said the teacher. “Now can any one tell me any point in which the Remans hid the advantage over ua? * Tlrjre was a generel silence for a moment, and finally one boy’s hand went Ur , W«U, what. i« it?” thu teacher luked. “They didn’t have to translate Vergil 1* During the last year 993 bodies were cremated in Buenos Ayres, of which number 7 42 were those of per-ons who had died of cholera, smallpox, and other contagious diseases. HOUSE AND_ SENATE. OTJR BUSY LEGISLATORS. Many Laws Introduced, But Few Passed. Monday —ln the House to-day, in the absence of the speaker, Mr Mc- Creasy, of Kentucky, occupied the chair as Speaker pro tcm. Among the bills introduced was one by Mr. Dougherty, of Florida, to pre vent the introduction of contagious dis eases from oue State or another; also to establish a scientific bureau iu Jackson ville, Fla, to gather facts in regaid to yellow fever, its origin and spread and the host means of suppressing and pre venting it. By Mr Wheeler, of Alabama, propos ing a constitutional amendment provid ing that one-third of the members of each house of Congress shall constitute a quorum. By Mr Phelan, of Tennessee, provid ing for the appointment of the board of yellow fever commissioners to investi gate the sanitary condition of foreign in fected places and to provide for the co operation of Spain and Mexico. By Mr Abbott, of Texas, for the pre ventation of trusts. The speaker pro tcm laid before the House a massage from the President an nouncing his approval of the Chinese bill. Its reading was attentively listen ed to and at its conclusion Mr Brecken bridge, of Kentucky, moved the refer ence of the message to the committee on foreign affairs. Mr Dunn, of Arkansas, was recogniz ed to move to suspend the rules and put upon its passage the Senate bill to incor porate the Maritime Canal Company of i Nicarauga, but no quorum was shown ■ and the motion was withdrawn. The House then at 2:25 ad journed. Senate —Among the bills reported from committees and placed on the Cal endar were the following: House bill (with amendments) to for feit certain lands granted to the North ern Pacific Railroad Company. House bill to construct a road to the National cometary at Florence. The President’s message to Congress, announcing his appioval of the Chinese exclusion bill, and submitting “some suggestions and recommendations’’ on the Mibjcct, was laid before the Senite and read at length. S nator Sherman moved that the message be printed, but the menage was referred to the commit tee on Foreign Relations. On motion of Senator Call the Senate bill granting the right of way through the naval and military reservations near Pensacola, Fla, to the Pensacola and Memphis Railroad Company was taken from the Calendar and pass'd. The Senate then proc e led to execu tive business, and at 4 :20 adjourned. Tuesday. —ln the House on motion of Mr. Forney, of Alabama, a bill was pa-sed authorizing the construction of a bridge across Coosaw river, Alabama. Mr. Burnes, of Missouri, presented the confer nee report upon the joint resolu tion in aid of yellow fever suffers. As agreid to in conference the resolu tion appropriates SIOO,OOO. to he ex pended under the direction of the Pie-i- I dent, whenever in his opinion such ex penditure will tend to the eradication of the epidemic of yellow fever now ex isting in the United States, or prevent its spread from Statute State. The le port was agreed to. Mr. Milliken. of Maine, introduced a joint re-olution granting a month's extra salary to the House ai d Senate employ- , ees. The resolution provoked a debate, j several members objecting to it. Pend- . ing a vote the House, at 1:55, adjourned. | Senate. —The conference report oh the deficiency bill was presented by Senator Hal • and explained by him. After discussibn th" confcence report was agreed to, and ihe Senate insisted on its disagreements to the items still in controversy. The conference report on the joint resolution in aid of yellow fever suffer ers was pres? nted and agreed to after some explanatory remarks by Swnator Edmunds. Senator Jones, of Nevada, offered a resolution, which was refern d to the committee on foreign relations, request ing the President to negotiate treaties with the government of her Britannic Majesty and with the Repuolie of Mexi co, respectively, for the exclusion of Chinese laborers from the North Ameri can continent, ai d for the p evention of their entrance into the Unite! States from the territory of either of such gov ernments or from the depencicg thereof. Wednesday. —ln the House on mo tion of Mr. Herbert, of Alabama, the Senate bill was passed granting the right of way to the Pensacola and Memphis Railroad Company through public lands in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, and through naval and mili tary reservations near Pensacola. The proposition to extend the United States laws over No Man's Land, as an iim ndrnent to the Oklahoma bill gave rise to considerable discussion. Pending action the House at 4:35 p m adjourned. Senate. —Senator Allison, from the co-umittie on finance, reported back the House tariff hill with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. It was placed on the calendar und ordered to be printed. Senator Sherman obtained permission to make a few remarks on the tariff bill, and spoke until 1 o’clock. The Senate then rcmmcdconridoration |of Mr. Hales* resolution calling for an explanation as to the discharge* of Re publican employee* in United States arsenals and armories. CHARLOTTE, N. C., SATURDAY, OCT. 13, 1888 I Without action on the resolution the I Senate adjourned. Tiiursday, House —A lively party de bate was indulged in when Mr Burnes. of Missouri, called up the conference re port on the general deficiency appropria tion bill. Mr Burnes called attention to the amendment appropriating SBO,OOO for the Industrial Christiau Home Asso ciation of Utah, an association for the benefit of de|>endcnt women and chil dren, who desire to sever their allegi ance to the Mormon church. This brought on a long political de bate, devoted principally to the question of which party had done most to oppress polygamy in Utah. Finally the confer ence report was rejected. The House at 4 p. m. adjourned. The Senate to-day resumed the con sideration of Senator Ilale’s resolution on Gen. Benct's circular as to discharges from arsenals and armories, and Senator Teller opened the discussion upon it. The debate which followed was partic ipated in by Senators Teller, Salisbury, Stewart and Dawes. Tn its course Sena tor Salisbury remarked that he had not much respect for civil service reform. He believed that the party in power ought to sec that its agents were men of capac ity, of integrity, of honesty and fidelity. That was the kind of civil service that he believed in. If he had power he would repeal the civil service statute and revoke every order under it. The resolution was finally agreed to without a division. The bill adjusting the claims of fourth class postmasters was then j assed, after being amended so as to take effect July 1, 1889. The Senate bill for donation of Fort Brooke military reservation at Tampa. Fla., for free schools was, on motion of Senator Call, taken from the Calendar and discussed. During the discussion. Senator Ed munds moved that when the Senate ad journed to-day it be till Monday next. This provoked a heated controversy, hut the resolution pas-ed, yeas 34, nays 10. Fhiday—Tip; House developed no quorum Friday and but very little busi ness was transacted. At an evening session 27 private pen sion bills were passed and the House at 10:30 adjourned until Monday. Virginia News. Winchester, Va., has turned from “dry” to “wet.” Dan Shelby’s circus, from Chicago, is stranded at Richmond, Ya. Its effects are in the hands of the deputy sheriff. Russel, Giese & Co., cement dealers, and John Burrows, wall paper. Issued deeds of trust, former for $40,000 and latter for $50,000. At Bristol, Va., fire destroyed houses a.d stores. Loss $30,000, insurance $19,000. Ladies formed line and passed buckets while many nun stood idly by. The Richmond Exposition was formal- | lv opened Wednesday in the presence of 20,000 people. Mrs. Gov. Lee set the machinery by touching an electric but ton. There was a magnificent parade previous to the ceremonies at the fair grounds. The exercises attending the unveiling of the monument to the Confederate dead buried at Staunton, Va., whuh took place on Tuesday, w ere of an interesting and impressive character. There was a large tournout of people, a procession in which ex-Confcderates and milita ry companies took part, a poem by the ex-mayor, A. C. Gordon, and addresses by Governor Lee, Gen. Early, Gen Ros ser and others. An interesting feature of the occasion was the unveiling of the monument by a granddaughter of the late Gen Albert Sidney Johnston. Sometime ago a petition, signed by a number of citizens of Newport, News was *ent to Secretary Bayard, asking him to request the English government to remove from office, Frederick T. Wac burton, British Vice-Consulatthutplace. Col. Wacburton, who at one time held the commission of lieutenant-colonel in the British army, had made himself un popular with the signers of the petition. Col. Warbuiton, through coumel, has tiled suit for $20,000 in the United States Circuit Court there foi damages against sixteen of the petitioners, among whom are several employes of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, which has its eastern terminus at that plaoj. The ease will be called next mouth. The New York Produce Market. BUTTER AND EGGS— < reamer y Butter, 23 to 24c Dairy ,4 17 to2oc Factory “ 12 1 2 to 14c Eggs 17 to 19c MEAIRAND POULTRY— Live Veal Calves 7to 8c Caivi-s (country dratted) 9 to 10c Lambs 5 34 to 6 1-4 Sheep 4 1-3 to 5c Ihigs 9 1-4 to 9 1-2 Spring Chickens 14 to 15 F<>wis, Southern, 13 to 14 1-2 Turkeys 10 to 15 FRUIT AND VEGETABLEB - $2 00 to $2 50 Bears 2 00 to *4 <lO Peaches .75 to 1 00 Grapes 5 to 0? Watermelons (bbl) $7 00 to $8 00 Bwuis, «1 75 to $2 00 Peas (green) per bu., 1887 1 C 9 CHARLOTTE COTTON MARKET Middling fair " 10 Good Middling 9 3-4 Btript Middling 9 12 Middling 912 Tinges 8 to 9 Stains 7 a 8 The smaller the “talker” the bigger the talesman, often. BUSINESS WORLD. DUN’S REVIEW OF THE WEEK. The Great Wheat Speculations The Chief Characteristic. R. G. Dunn & Go’s review of trade for the week says: The great wheat speculation has been the absorbing feature this week for, though the September corner came to an end with heavy losses for sellers, it left the market in such a state that much higher prices for other options were eas ily obtained. With December wheat at $1 18 at Chicago, there came heavy sell ing and a sharp reaction. But the state ; of the market is still against all reason. Cash wheat sells for more at Chicago than at Liverpool, and at one time it would have paid to ship wheat back from Antwerp to New York, The effects of this wild speculation will be injurious o legitimate trade, .both foreign and do mestic, and to consumers in this country it has already brought dearer flour and an advance in the price of bread. At New York sales of wheat amounted 108,- 463,000 bushels, more than three times the entire supply, and prices clos ed 858 ceuts higher than a week agr. Corn advanced 2 cents, with sales of 13,- 000,000 bushels and oats a f f action. speculation in provisions. The speculative fever was felt in other markets, acd pork rose $1 per barrel; lard 35e, and hog* 25c per 100 pounds. Coffee rose lc, with sales of 510,500 bags; and oil nearly le, with sales 5,738,- 000 barrels. Cotton was sligatly lower, with sales of 300,000 bales. The wool market has teen steadily strengthening, with advances mainly iu Ohio fleece and combing wool, hut the average of 108 qualities is hardlj a quarter of a cent higher than on September 1, and manu facturers contiuue to be prudeut in their purchases. THE YELLOW FEVER BLOCKADE. Reports from interior points are uni formly favorable outside of the influence of yellow fever at the South, and even from that quarter commercial accounts are more encouraging. The interruption of traffic has Ineu serious, ami much j harm ha* been done, but the resumption ! of business is now general,and merchants ! report improving c > lections. Receipts of cotton are behind !a-.t year, because the crop is a late one, but are steadily in creasing. At Nashville and some other points considerable stringency resulted from the interruption of remittances and self-defensive measun s of the banks, but the situation is materially improving. manufacturing prosperity. The great branches of industry are making fair progress. The reported div idends of New England mills, mainly (otton, show that the p ast year has been decidedly prosperous, and even in the woolen industry, though there is much depression, production in m any d qart nients is still large. The demand for iron increases, and at Philadelphia the advance in pig iron i< deemed equal to about $1 per ton, while a remarkable im provement is seen in the murkit for bar iron so long depressed. Steel rails do not advance, but sales of 10,000 tons by Eastern and 20,000 tons by Western mil is are reported. In the boot and shoe trade reports are growing more satisfactory, though the advance of 10 to 15 per cent in hides and leather is not jet generally answered by the improvement 111 prices of manufactured goods, dealers bcir.g re luctant to pay higher prices and lacking ; faith that an advance can be permanent ly maintained. DECREASE IN FAILURES. It is also encouraging that, while the number of failuie* is large, the amount of liabilities for the third quarter of the year shows a dt crease from $73,022,551 last year to $22,114,254 for the quarter just ended. The business failures occurring through out the country during the last week number, for the United States 184, Can ada 27; total 211, against 220 last week. Two Men Shot Dead. A terrible tragedy took place four miles from Memphis, Tenn, nt Gill’s sta- 1 tion. J. E. Smith, Will W. Eastman, i J. E. Jordan, all residents of Memphis j took a trip on the dummy to the station. ! Smith seeing a mule in the road, said he 1 thought he would take a lide. As he j approached the animal Jim Conley a ne - gro, calhd out: “let dat mule alone,” at the same time applying opprobrious epi thets. Conley was seated in a \ard. Smith and Eastman started toward him. Jordan remonstrated b .t they entered the yard, Conley ran into the house, shut the door, and a second afterwards a shot gun was thrust through tie window aud discharged. Its contents struck Ea-tmun iu the head, killing him instantly. Smith ran to Eastman. As he was bending] over the dead body the other barrel of { the gun was discharged. He was struck j in tiie left side with several buckshot, 1 anil mortally wounded. Conley after the , shooting fled. The jury of inquest exon crated Conley, it being proven that he j was defending his house from assault. A Lesson in Geography. “Now, what is a lake? You will none of you make In a question so easy na this, a mistake* And quickly went up every hand. But never a youngster could certainly tell Although very rare ne had studied it well, Whether lake* were of water or laud. Ala* and alas! That it should quickly pass To Fat at the foot of the primary class. He waited trmuiphnnk demure. A lake, thin—is what you'd »,* askin’ o* me? A lake, Is it! what in U» world would it bo But a hole in the tajr kittle, surer’ —Sydney Day re, in You k's Companion. A mocking bird in Albany, N. Y., whistled “Bo ilangei’s March." FOREIGN NEWS. The Social Democrat, of Zurich, has been removed to London. By an explosion of melinite at St. Omer, France, six factorits and two houses were burned. The English foreign office announces ,that all porte in Portuguese India are infected with cholera. Seventeen peasants have been sen tenced to d< ath in Ivasan, Russia, for killing three policemen during a riot. One million spindles in the Lancashire Mills, England, have commenced run ning on short time. The mill-owners’ object is to defeat the American cotton ring. A paper of Linz. Austria, announces that on the occasion of an excursion from Gemuuden to Weidmannsruh re cently. the Czarwiech was betrothed to the Princess Maud, of Wales. The Executive Committee of the Cot ton Spinners’ Association met at Man chester. England, and unanimously adopted a proposition to run the mills on short time in order to defeat the spec ulative ring. An official dispatch from Suakim, Af rica, says: “The rebels are extending their trenches daily. The fire from the Italian garrison fails to dislodge than, and they must be driven out by assault. Reinforcements are urgently demanded from Rome.” Sixteen persons perished in a fire at Cronstadt, Russia. The building de stroyed was a lofty wooden tenement. The staircase was burned away, and a number of inmates leaped from the win dows to the stony street to escape the flames and were mortally wounded. Jerusalem is rapidly growing as a trade centre. One hundied thousand dollars worth of objects of devotion in mother of pearl and olive wood are ex ported to America and Europe every year. Vine culture is being extended, ard the price of land has rLen six fold within a few years. England's war with Thibet has as sumed a new and important phase. Gen. Graham has defeated the Thibetans in Jalapla Pass, and has advanced into their territory. They had fortified both the .Talapla and. Pemberton pisses by buildiug walls across the roa Is and sev eral hundred yards up the hillsides. The Youngest Potentate. A delicate-looking child, dressed in a white frock, holding tightly to the black mane o: a huge rocking-horse, has been the admiration of crowds in a London picture-gallery for four days past. To judge from the picture the little King of ."pain is as pretty a child as one conid find in a day’s journey. His pale, child.sh fare is beautifully delineated by the artist, and is lairly illuminated with intelligent da:k eyes, hondon critics consider the painting one of the finest examples of portraiture ever seen for years. It was done by Professor Jos/.i Koppay, a Hungarian, who has a big reputation as a portrait painter on the Comment. He did this piece of work under the supervision of Regent ( hristina, of Spain, and the royal mother was so much delighted with it that she sent it here to London that English aristocrats might see what her baby monarch looked like. T his is the seventh portrait which Koppay has painted for the royal family of Spain. The baby King's rocking-horse is unique. It is, in fact, the stuffed skin of a favorite black pony that belonged to his mother when she was a girl. The poor pet pony died of old age, and the Queen could not bear to see it buried. She stu led the skin, had it expensively mounted, and put it into the nursery as a toy for her child. It is hardly pos sible to convey an idea of the r.ch color ing in this picture. The silver-gray silk curtain which forms the background is a marvel of beautiful embroidery. The little fell »w, who has the distinc tion of being publicly stared out of countenance just now, is the youngest monarch iu the world. He succeeded to the throne at the moment of his birth. For a three-year-old he is said to be remarkably intelligent. The pict ure will soon be tak<n away from hero and exhibited for a limited period iu Berlin and Baris. When in Madrid recently, and biting invited by the Queen of Spain, Mine. Patti expressed a desire to sec the little baby King, “he being.” she added, “the only sovereign iu the world whom I have not seen.” On llis Majesty being introduced the diva made a deep cour tesy and pressed his chubby little hand to her lips, at which the ueen remarked, laughingly: “Mv sou shall not be the first Spaniard who is so ungallant a> to give his hand to be kissed by a lady. 1 ray, permit him to apologize by re turning the kiss.” And little Alfonso responded at once by placiug his short arms around the neck ot the famous vocalist and giving her a hearty kiss.— JVcW York Mor LI. Boor if Single, Rich If Married. James S. Babcock, of (Chicago, has been left a large estate by his uncle on strange coud.tions. Luther James, the testator, recently died at Waukesha, Wis , and his will was admitted to pro bate at Ann Arbor, Mich. By it Bab cock is left $30,000 and the interest on over $230,i 00. Th s arrangement lasts for five years, when Ba< cock, if he is mirried, obtains control of thee tate; if not married,the properly will lie divided among twenty one nieces and nephews, nho also g*t $15, 000 apiece by the will. Babc-ck is tliirtv-e'ght years old. lie was his un de's privates crctary, and lias had general control of his a airs for several years.—.Vj-fl Tort World* Term $1.50 per Ann ml Single Copy 5 cents, SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL, Extremely tight lacing produces soften ing of the brain. The determination of the figure of the earth is one of the objects of pendulum observations. One pound of wheat bran contains as much phos] horicacid as does five pounds of corn meal. An experimenter has made a lens of icc with which he was able to light a pipe by means of the sun’s rays. It is said that a S2O gold piece will carry bacteria from hand to hand, as they nestle down between the milled lines. An ingenious Frenchman proposes to stop the speed of vessels suddenly by throwing several parachutes over the stem. Philadelphia is the largest woolen manufacturing town in the United States. Iu 1880 alone it manufactured $29,000,000 w orth of woolens. Aluminium resembles silver in appear ance, is stronger than steel, will not tarnish and is superior to silver for all purposes for which that metal is used. According to a Southern writer, sorg hum syrup has a soothing effect on the disposition of women and children, who probably arc easily appeased by sugar candy. In using carbolic acid as a disinfectant for sinks, wash basins, etc., mix a wine gla-sful with half a pint of warm water. For washing walls, furniture, etc., mix a wineglussful with a pint and a half of warm water. Although man, during his evolution from barbarism to civilization, has in creased in strength and stature and in longevity, on the other hand, his power of recovery from the effects of bodily hurt has materially deteriorated. The Northern Pacific road has ordered 50 heavy freight locomotives, 500 stock cars. 500 coal cars, 10 passenger coaches, 5 baggage and mail cars and 50 furniture cars, all to be delivered before Christ mas. They have further orders in lor 1889. Analysis of natural gas shows the pro portion of each constituent in 100 parts of the gas to be as follows: Carbonic acid and carbonic oxide, .*> each; oxy gen, .8: olefiant gas, 1 ; ethvlic, hydride, 5; marsh gas, 07; hydrogen, 22; nitro gen, 3. Dr. Esquirol describes the “suicide mania” as a special form of be r editar* insanity, and estimates that four out of ten self-murdered act unde/ the impulse of a moral predisposition, rather than of pliysic.il disorders, or the haunting memory of a severe bereavement. Lightning flashes, according to a re cent computation of Kohlrausch, the German electrician, have comparatively little energy. He estimates that the energy of from .‘even to thirty-live flashes would be ueccssary to keep one incan descent lamp alight for an hour. An idea has been developed in Ger many in the shape of the manufacture of mortar by machinery in large quan tities, to be delivered to contractors or individuals as required for use. About 2,000,000 barrels were disposed of iu Berlin oh this plan alone last year. An Englishman, who has made a special study of deer, says that the chief use of their antlers is rot so much fer light ing as for facilitating the progress of the animal through the woods. By throwing up the head, thereby placing the horns along the hack, they are en abled to go forward with great ra pidity. A plant called the “laughing plant,” or, in scientific parlance, •‘Cannibaiis Sativa,” has been discovered, and it is alleged that when it is eaten 111 its green state or taken as a tincture, made either from the gieen or the dried leaf, as a powder of the dried leaf, or smoked as tobacco, it is potent in producin': ex altation, laughter and cheering ideas. A “traction increase!” is the name of a powerful device now being tested on three freight engines of the Pennsyl vania Railroad. It is a drawbar firmly fixed between the locomotive and tender, anti it automatically throw's a part of the weight of the tender on the driving wheels of the engine in proportion to the load the latter has to puli. This makes the locomotive heavier when it should be so, and increases its pulling power aud speed. Punishing Wooden Idols. In Foochow, China, a prominent mili tary man died suddenly a short time ago The people believed that his death was tho work of the idols in one of the temples. These idols were supposed to perforin feats of vengeance for ail those who were afraid to go into the husiuess personally. The \ iceroy of Foochow ordered the arrest of the guilty idols. The prefect, armed with a warrant, en tered the temple and arrested the wooden gods: but before taking them to theit judges, the official p >ked out their eyes, so that they wou d not be able to see their enemies and do harm in the fu ture. The wicked things were found guilty, and the Viceroy ordered their heads to l»e cut off. His order was p omptly obeyed. Then the l>odics of the gods were throw n into a pond, and the temple n which they were worshipped torn dow n —Nett ) ork fi'ttn. The Christeuiiig of Ifce Bowery. “Where did the Bowery get its name?” asks “Revere” n a no e to the “Bowery Boy,” of the New > ork World. Thus easy enough. “Bauer” is good Dutch for peasant or farmer. Two hundred and odd years ago there was a road ruu ning out fiom New Am te dam. Along its borders were tho comfortable houses of the f annuls, surrouuded by green pn«turcs aid folds of waving grain. The bauar lived there. Hence Baueryor Bowery.