Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1885 — Page 3

GRANT DEAD.

The Old Hero of Appomattox, After Life’s Fitful Fever, Sleeps Well Surrounded by His Family, the Grim Old Soldier Passed Peacefully Away. His Life Prolonged Many Hours by Hypodermic Injections of Brandy. A decided change for the worse took place In -the condition of Gen. Grant on the afternoon of "Tuesday, July 21. and it dawned upon the physician and family that the illustrious and long-sulfering patient was surely sinking. Shortly after one o’clock on the morning of the •22a, a hypodermic injection of brandy was administered, which had the effect of brightening him up. The weakness continued throughout ■Wednesday, the sufferer’s nourishment consisting wholy of two glasses of milk. The hypodermic injections of brandy were repeated at intervals. Once during the morning the General attempted to write, but succeeded only in writing the date, the effort being greater than warranted by the little remaining strength. He spoke at intervals, but his voice was very feeble. At 2:15 the members of the family and Dr. Newman were grouped in the darkened room near Gen. Grant. Observing their evidence of feeling the General said: “I do not want anybody to be distressed on my account.” At sp. m. the pulse was 130. At 6:50 p.m. the bulletin was sent out that the General was sinking. At 7:40 U. S. Grant, Jr., and Drs. Shrady and Sands reached Mount MacGregor by special train, and Dr. Douglas said that Gen. Grant could live but ■ a few hours. Dr. Newman also said that the General had almost reached the end. Telegrams -came from all p. rts of the country inquiring about the dying chieftain’s condition. At 9:0.5 p. m. he was unconscious, and fruitless efforts were made to arouse him. It was then believed that the beginning of the end was at hand. At 10 o’clock his respiration was 45. His arms were cold up to his elbows. The General could • only speak in a faint, husky whisper. The General was fully aware of his condition. At times he lay with his eyes closed, and while everybody around him tnaught he was sleeping he was fully aware of all that was taking place about him. His faithful servants were with him nearly all the time. At midnight bottles -of hot water were placed at Gen. Grant’s feet to induce warmth, and mustard draughts were applied upon the stomach and breast to preserve the flagging circulation. At one o’clock on the morning of Thursday, the 23d, the General remained in the same quiet condition. Hypodermics of brandy were being used. At two o'clock in the morning the family were astir, and the whole house was lighted up with the exception of the re-ception-room. Here the General lay in bed, and a dim light was burning on a table near the window. The physicians were still near him, as was also Col. Grant, while the ladies were in an adjoining room. His condition remained com’ aratively unchanged. At 3 o’clock Gen. Grant was in a somnolent -condition. The respirations had grown shallow and the General was no longer able to expectorate because of the weakness, which was increasing. At 3:35 a. m. Dr. Shrady was walking in front of the cottage for the purpose of obtaining some fresh air. Col. Grant appeared suddenly and beckoned to him, when the Doctor ascended the piazza and entered the sickroom. A moment later the whole household were grouped about the General. Day was •dawning over the eastern hills, and it was feared that the rising of the sun would mark the close of the long struggle. At 4a. m. the respirations were 50, the pulse so rapid as not to be counted, and hypodermics, which had been quite freely administered through the night, had no longer any marked effect. At 4:30 a. m. Dr. Douglas said: “Gen. Grant is just alive, and is liable to pass away at any moment.” At 4:50 o’clock the breathing was quickened and reached 50 to the minute. At 5 o’clock Dr. Douglas remarked that the General’s brain, heart, and lungs were alive, and that was about all he could say. At 5:25 the respirations had increased to sixty, and the death-rattle, occasioned by the filling of the lungs and throat with mucus, was plainly heard by the loving and devoted ones at his bedside. He then recognized his friends by opening his eyes. At a few minutes before 8 o’clock Gem Grant breathed his last. The end was peaceful and without evident pain. He was surrounded by all the members of his family, and all were prepared for the final moment when it arrived. For over an hour before the General s death he had drawn his breath only with the utmost difficulty, the respirations coming in long, gurgling ’ gasps, the throat being clogged with mucus. At the last moment the General was, it seemed, conscious, and for a brief space it seemed that the group of watchers could not realize that the General was at last beyond their -care. —And thus passes from earth the most illustrious soldier of his time. The insidious disease to which he at last succumbed has long been in progress, and he has faced the end which he knew was near with the same quiet •courage that has faced every disaster with which he has been confronted. The life of the old hero has had few more impressive scenes than this last one of struggle against the common enemy of mankind—a struggle prompted bv no selfish motives and by no trace of fear, but solely that •he might perform yet one more service for his country, and complete with the pen the task that was begun with the sword. The end of his hard-working life found him still at work -with untiring purpose and with energies unabated save by physical weakness. When he could no longer maintain the strife he surrendered with the dignity of those alone who have never given in to anything less than the inevitable, and passed “out of reach of time, out of sight of love, out of hearing of hatred,” from the circle of friends and relatives who mourned him, from the country of which he had deserved so well, from the world of which his is one of the foremost names. Now that the record of this man’s life is completed, remarks a contemporary, it is surely best that we forget whatever there may have been of the inglorious about his later years, in sight of the glorious years which won for him a high place forever in the hearts of the American people. Nor is it any real discredit to the man who has once done so much for his country that he was at last caught in the world’s great snare, but rather a sign to set more sharply in relief that simplicity and straightforwardness of character which met and triumphed over all open dangers and difficulties, and was only found unfit to be pitted against the practices of the trickster. All great men cannot be Napoleons or Caesars, and history emphasizes no fact more strongly than that the qualities which led to victory on the battlefield are not those most needed in the larger field of life. For the services of Grant as a military leader we may be profoundly, reverently thankful. That as a statesman and a private citizen he was at times misled or at fault should not make us for one moment forget how great those services were. On this day of sorrow our one thought should be of those deeds which have made their doer one of the great historic Americans. The English hero whose name is one with that of Waterloo lived to make his after years one great mistake, but men no longer remember this against him, and the words which the laureate sang in his praise we may with peculiar fitness apply to our own lost hero: Our greatest, yet with least pretense, Great in council and great in war. Foremost captain of his time. Rich in saving common sense, And, as the greatest only are, In his simplicity sublime.

AWAITING THE FINAL SUMMONS.

Scenes In and About the House of Death a Few Hours Before the Bud. About and around the cottage, savs a special from Mount MacGregor, all was stfll and quiet, except for the occasional twitter of some belat ed bird in the birches or pines. Mrs. Grant, attired in a loose gown of white, came out upon the veranda and seated herself in one of the many deserted willow chairs that were scattered in groups about the piazza. Ten minutes she sat motionless, gazing awav to the east, where the gray tint of another day had grown to a full promise.

Her face rested against one hand, and she was evidently wrapped in thought. Suddenly there came the sound of a rattling, laboring cough from within. It was the General clearing the affected parts of his throat of mucus. Mrs. Grant left the piazza quickly and seated herself by tee General'? side, slowly fanning the sick man’s face. The coughing was not severe, but only incidental. CoL Fred Grant entered the room while the nurse was aiding the General, and took a place at the side and behind his father. The nurse fetched a lamp and held it at the sick man’s shoulder, an.d at the moment the General turned his face toward the light and upward to bid the nurse bring his pad and pencil. His wish was not at the instant understood, and, turning a trifle further, the General repeated his wish. The scene at the moment was a picture in shadows. As the flickering rays fell across the face of the General, it became a grim Rembrandt, with strong, rugged lines bioken down by suffering and pain. On his head was the sknll-cap that at all times lends a startling effect to the sick man's appearance, and from beneath it straggled the hair that clung in sweat-moistened locks about the emaciated neck. A crimson serf had been thrown over the back of the General’s chair, but as he leaned forward it drew across his shoulders, one <nd being gathered under his arm. A dark dressing-gown covered the pat ent’s attenuated form, and a handkerchief encircled bis neck. Thecrayot the close-cut beard seemed white, and the lines on cheek and forehead were d ep indeed, and when the face was turned upward to speak the eyes seemed grayer, too, and abnormally large. They were clear and steady, showing that the General’s reason was clearly at his command, but there was a wistful and yearning expression in them. The General’s face, as he spoke, appeared strained and drawn, but its color and fullness were not such as would be expected after such suffering and care, 'lhe lips moved heavily and the whisper was husky and low, but the nurse undeistood and the pad and pencil w’ere brought. Then, while the red light of the lamp fell on his downcast face, he wrote, but briefly. The si p was handed to Dr. Douglas, who at once turned it over to Col. Grant, who had arisen and stood beside his mother at the General’s side It was a private family communication, and when finished the sick rpari resumed his half-rec lining position, with his head slightly inclined forward and his elbows on the sides of the chair, while the fingers of either hand were interlocked, each with the other, beneath his chin. The family were all gathered at the side of the sick man, and again Dr. Newman, at about the same hour as last night, and at Mis. Grant’s request. knelt beside the General and prayed. Heads were bowed and silt nt tears were on the cheeks of men as well as women. After an hour death seemed a little less rapidly gaining on the man it has pursued just nine months today, for it is just nine months ago to-day that Gen. Grant walked into Dr. Douglas' office to seek his professional aid for the cancer that h s done what foes and war could not. Then the doctors and clergyman strolled out upon the piazza and sat near the parlor window, and Jesse Grant joined them at times, but the other members of the family remained in the sickroom and watched and waited, while the General answered “yes” and “no” to several questions.

HIS SICKNESS.

An Account of the Dead General's Illness— His Fortitude. The decline of Gen. Grant’s health may really he said to date from his severe fall upon the sidewalk over a year ago, when he received the injury to his hip. Last September, while the General was at Long Branch with his family, he spoke for the first time of a swelling and soreness of the tongue. He refused to see a physician about it, and preferred to treat it as a joke. Later on, however, the trouble increased so that it interfered with his speech and the taking of food. At the earnest solicitation of his family and friends he consulted the physicians. The latter decided that he was suffering from a cancerous affliction of the mouth, that this, together with the trouble of the tongue, was aggravated by the patient’s excessive smoking. Gen. Grant, thereiore, reduced his quota of ciga.s one-half. Thereat condition of the General’s health was not made public, however, until Jan. 11, when his throat trouble had increas 'd to an alarming point and took on a more violent form. From this time on his condition varied, at times allowing him to ride out, and at others confining him to his bed and causing great alarm in the family. He was attended by Dr. Fordyce b arker and other of the most eminent physicians and surgeons. During the latter j art of January, however, the rumor gained credence that the reports of the medical journals upon his case had been decidedly rose-colored to allay the fears of the public. It was made known, also, that his physical condition was completely shattered, and that the affection ot the tongue had developed into a malignant and fatal disease. From this time on he was only able to take liquid nourishment, with a few exceptional days, and he was unable to sleep save in naps. Besides the ulceration of the throat the tongue was painfully swollen and inflamed, and the patient suffered so from neuralgia in the head that most of his teeth had to be extracted. During all this time the General had been patient and uncomplaining, and had worked every day upon his military autobiography, scarcely stopping to revise his “ copy,” tor fear he would not live to finish the work. After April ‘2O Gen. Grant greatly improved. He was able to take frequent drives in the park, which did him great good. About this time it was announced that if the improvement continued he would go away to the mountains, and also that he would,' if possible. take a trip to California. April 27 he celebrated his c3d birthday by a' drive, and his physicians were jubilant over his improved condition. Jn May he resumed work on his boo’k, dictating to his stenographer. He suffered considerably from the effort, but with frequent interruptions he continued the work. May 10, he was able to walk several blocks with the assistance of a cane, but three days later he was much worse, and it was feared the end was at hand. He again rallied, however, and in the beginning of June the drives were decided not to be beneficial and they were discontinued. It was decided about the middle of June to remove the patient to Mount MacGregor, and on June 16 he went there in a special train, accompanied by his family. The General stood the trip fairly well, and the succeeding day astonished his physician by walking to the top of a steep knoll. But the effort was too much, and he suffered a relapse. At Mount MacGregor he has lived ever since, with some days of suffering, but on the whole being better than if he had remained in the stifling city. Hie Fatal Lump at the Hoof of the Month. Gen. Grant’s disease first made itself apparent in June. 1884, while he was at his cottage at Long Branch. While eating fruit at lun h he felt a lump in the roof of his mouth. He mentioned the fact to Mr. George W. Childs, whose cottage adjoins his, the lawns being in common. Dr. Da Costa, whose brother-in-law was chief of Grant’s medical staff, was visiting Mr. Childs, and at the latter’s suggestion he called on the General. Having examined the throat, he advised Gen. Grant to consult Dr. Fordyce Barker, his family physician, at once. The General made little complaint about the matter after that until autumn. One day in September, however, the General inquired of Mr. Childs: “What did Dr. Da Costa say about my throat?” Then, for the first time, Mr. Childs, who, like all the other friends of the General at Long Branch, thought that the ailment had disappeared, had his suspicions aroused. J r. Da Costa was seen again by Mr. Childs and asked whether the disease could be incipient cancer. The physician avoided a direct answer, but repeated that the General should see his family physician immediately. It was not until almost the last week in October that the old soldier thought it necessary to consult Dr. Barker. One of the first intimations that the public had of Gen. Grant’s illness was when Mr. Childs invited him to Philadelphia to a series of public receptions some months later. The General declined on the advice of his physicians, and wrote in an explanatory letter dated Feb. 2: “I am feeling quite well, except a soreness at' the root of the tongue and the tonsil over it, which causes me great p in in talking, and especially when I attempt to swallow water. I have not smoked a cigar since the 20th -of November.” On Feb. 27 a telegram from New York, based on reliable medical authority, created general alarm among Gen. Grawt’s friends. It said: "It is a fact that should no longer be concealed from the country that Gen. Grant is rapidly breaking down, and apparently without hope of reaction, and unless there should be some unexpected relief he will not be long among the living. He is wonderfully patient and uncomplaining, and he profoundly appreciates the expressions of sympathy which have been called out by his recent appalling misfortunes.”

VARIOUS MATTERS.

The Chicago Syndicate’s Conditions at Last Accepted for Building the Texas Capitol A Rich Man Goes Begging for a Burial Place—Explosion Caused by a Toothpick—Etc., Etc. Texas’ Big Capitol. The Building Commissioners and Capitol,Board met on Tuesday, says a dispatch from Austin, Texas. The board consists of Governor Ireland, Controller Swain, State Treasurer Lubbock, Attorney General Templeton, and Land Commissioner Walsh. The Building'Commissioners are Messrs. Lee and McLaurin and Supervising Architect Walker. The board, with one dissenting voice (.that of Treasurer Lubbock), voted to accept the proposition of Colonel Abner Taylor, of the Chicago syndicate, to build the State House of red granite, from lhe mountains of Burnet County, sixty miles northwest of Austin. Under the new agreement, the building will cost the contractor $500,000 extra, but the State agrees to omit two porticos md furnish the granite and 500 convicts to work it, Col. Taylor w’as present at the meeting, and says he will immediately put i large force at work. A railroad fifteen miles long has to be built before the granite is leiched. A dispatch from a convention of Knights of Labor was laid before (he meeting, solemnly protesting against the employment of convicts. Col. Taylor says he will employ every granite cutter in Texas at union prices. The Texas State House is to be finished according to the new contract in two years. The Texans I ire much pleased with the magnanimous ’ ind honorable bearing and conduct of Col. I Taylor throughout the negotiations, which i have extended over a week and involved ■ millions. Both sides made concessions, I Mid Col. Taylor showed Gov. Ireland he was not to be outdone. A Book-Keeper Wrecks a Bank. A Sedalia (Mo.) special says th at “an examination of the books of the Sedalia Savings Bank, from which R. E. King, the' bookkeeper, embezzled SIO,OOO on July 3 and absconded, revealed that there had been systematic defalcations during the fast five years, amounting to about $38,000, besides the SIO,OOO returned, making $48,900, or nearly the capital stock of $50,000. King was arrested on a warrant sworn out by one of the directors and placed under bond of $1,500, which was Jto-day raised to $5,000. Officers of the bank have published i card saying that on account of serious loss by having their funds abstracted it would be necessary to suspend, but arrangements had been made to pay every dollar of the deposits with interest, and all depositors could call and get their money at pleasure. The matter had been kept quiet by the bank, which had denied the reports that had gotten out. and the announcement creited quite a sensation. Nearly all concerned censure the bank officers for retaining King when his bad habits were well known. ” Buried Dike a Pauper. The funeral of Edward Gillan, who shot his wife and killed himself at Cleveland, Ohio, was a strange one. A telegram from that city says: “The man was a Roman Catholic, but some years ago he was excommunicated, and no priest would consent to conduct the funeral services. *His daughter refused to allow a Protestant minister to officiate, and consequently no service was performed and no hymn was sung. The remains lay in a rich casket with silver ornaments. A large number called to see the corpse. The funeral was attended only by a few old people, who sat by the coffin smoking pipes. There was considerable trouble securing pall-bearers, but finally six men consented to act. The body was then taken to the Catholic cemetery, but as Gil Jan had been excommunicated it was refused burial there, and thus the remains of the man who left $50,000 worth of property were buried in the potter’s field. ” A Plucky Woman. A Lafayette (Ind.) dispatch says that “a rough-looking man entered - the kitchen door of one of our prominent houses and inquired for the lady of the house. Being informed by the hired girl that she was not at home he became very loquacious, and wound up by making love to the girl. Pretending not to be opposed to his advances, she watched her opportunity and when he approached her she seized a large dipper and from a wash-boiler on the stove hurled a quantity of boiling suds into his face, scalding his eyes in a terrible manner. As he groped his way out of the house he was heard to exclaim: “Oh, sheol,” but in the language of the old version. As-he retreated the girl followed up her advantage by administering another hot bath about the head and neck until he was well off the premises. If the fellow retains his eyesight he will doubtless give that kitchen a wide berth in the future. ’’ A Tooth-pick Explosion. A most singular occurrence, that, by a miracle, did not prove a fatal one, happened at a grocery in Richmond. Ind., says a dispatch from that city. Billy Stump had sharpened the clean end of a match for a tooth-pick when a customer called for a can of gasoline, and while filling it, with the match held firmly between his teeth, he raised his head and it was ignited in coming in contact with the counter. Simultaneously a flame shot from the can and he was ablaze, but hurrying to the street some parties, after failing to quench the blaze by pumping water on him, rolled him in the dust until they accomplished it. A Proclamation Against Cattle. Gov. Marlin of Kansas, a Topeka telegram says, has issueda proclamation against the importation of infectious cattle into the State. The Governor directs all Sheriffs and deputies to promptly take charge of and restrain any cattle sought to be driven across any county in violation of law and report the same to the Live Stock Sanitary Commission. The Governor also directs the Sanitary Commission to adopt effective regulations for the enforcement of the act Three Men Killed by an Explosion. A frightful explosion occurred on the South Pennsylvania Railroad, near Fort Littleton, Fulton County, Pa., instantly killing one Hungarian and two Italians, and probably fatally injuring John Martin, the foreman, and an unknown negro. The bodies of those killed were horribly mutilated.

MECHANICAL.

An important process has recently been initiated, viz., that of casting steel tires for locomotives and car wheels by running the metal directly from the furnaces into cast-iron molds, and ready, when cooled, to be fitted and shrunk on. If the hopes in regard to this process are realized, the ordinary process of casting in sand mold* will be dispensed with, at much saving of labor and cost. The Neues Jahrbuch f tier Pharmacie details the conclusion of Herr Reinsch,derived from experiments with various salts, that impregnating timber with a concentrated solution of rocksalt is as good a preservative against its bursting into flame as is silicate of soda, while the price of the former salt is, of course, a mere trifle.. Moreover, rock-salt thus applied to timber is a preservative against dry rot and noxious insects. The white brick now made in France from the immense accumulations of waste sand at glass factories is likely to prove a valuable industry. The process of production consists in subjecting the sand to an immense hydraulic pressure and then baking in furnaces at a high temperature, so as to produce blocks of various forms and dimensions, of a uniform white color, and of almost pure silex. The product is unaffected by the heaviest frosts or by the sun or rain. The old gentleman with his spectacles, the “Lord Dundreary” with his “glahss,” the myopic reader, and shortsighted persons generally, who carefully wipe the dimness from their spectacles and eye-glasses with silk handkerchiefs, are, perhaps, not aware that a piece of paper will do the service much better. No matter how fine the silk may be, it will not leave the surface of the glass so well polished as the paper will. If pains are taken to lightly brush off any particles of gritty dust that may be on the glasses before rubbing them, the paper will never injure their surface with the slightest scratch. Dampen the glasses with vapor or water, or, when possible, with the breath, and the paper will absorb all the moisture and whatever ejse is deposited on the glass, now in a much softened condition. Th 6 best paper is unsized and quite porous, like the paper used by newspapers. Blotting paper leaves short fibers on the glass and is not desirable. A new tanning agent has been discovered, if the Arizona Gazette is correctly informed. The statement is made that a tanner at Tempe, Arizona, two or three years ago discovered a plant which carried a large proportion of tannin, and which, when used in the manufacture of leather, gave extra weight to the product. The plant is of annual growth, indigenous to the deserts and dry uplands, and is known to the Mexicans and Indians as “gonagra.” It has a root somewhat longer and more scraggy than the cultivated beet, though resembling it in appearance. The use of water in connection with blasting is rapidly extending in this country and Europe. A tube filled with water is inserted in the bcre hole next to the power cartridge, the tube being of thin plate, or even of paper. The usual tamping follows, and when the explosion occurs, the tube containing the water is burst, the explosive violence being increased by the presence of the water, and extended over the enlarged interior area of the bore hole, due to the space occupied by the water tube. A much larger quantity of the material to be mined or quarried is thereby brought down or loosened with a smaller quantity of explosive used, while the heat of the explosion converts a portion of the water into steam, which, with the remaining water, extinguishes the flame and absorbs and neutralizes the gases and smoke generated.

Dodging a Cyclone.

I heard a noise and ran out to see what it was. I saw at some distance off a heavy black cloud, funnel-shaped and twisted at the bottom like a screw. It seemed whirling with rapidity and was coming through the woods like a wild animal. It was just awful. People began to cry out and run around distracted, and I felt very queer. I saw that big black thing come bouncing along like a great cannon ball and I concluded I was about to fly away on jt and be p.n angel. The cloud did not lie close to the ground, but bounded up and down, jumping clear over the tops of some of the trees and tearing others to pieces. I thought 1 would lie down a while. I selected a spot that was full of mud and water. I don’t know why I chose such * a place, but may be it was because I was in a hurry and did not have time to chose well. It was a soft place, however, and had its attractions at that moment. After I had got myself well settled in the mud I saw the cyclone was giving me the go-by. It passed about 200, yards to my left and tore things up terribly. There was a tree standing there in full view; The cyclone struck it about forty feet from the ground, turned the branches and all around half a dozen times like lightning, and then snatched the whole upper portion into kindling wood and carried it off? It was an awe-inspiring sight, and although I am glad I saw it I don’t want to see it again—not so close, anyhow. ” —Macon Telegraph. An exchange gives a long list of things to be done on Sunday, but curiously enough omits fishing from the number. The editor evidently never was a boy. Mme. Nilsson says that she sometimes gets tired of hearing other people i sing, but never of singing herself.

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

—St. Joseph County pays a bounty for groundhog scalps. —The Northern Penitentiary has 706 convicts. The general health is practically good. —The old De Pauw House, at New Albany, is to be reopened under the name of Occidental. —A convict in the Jeffersonville prison, too lazy to work, deliberately took a bar of iron and crushed his hand. —Two hundred convicts in the Southern Prison are engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes for a St Louis firm. —The story is told of a Greencastle young man that he invited a young lady to go riding with him and left her to pay the livery bill. —A spring has been found near Attica the waters of which possess remarkable curative powers, and the place has become quite a resort. —An Indiana man who found his sweetheart so well guarded at the paternal mansion us to make an elopement impossible, married another girl just to turn away suspicion from himself and in a week deserted her and ran away with (he girl of his choice.— Exchange. —Some of the State papers are publishing the statement that Gov. Gray is preparing for a European tour. There is not the slightest foundation in truth for this rumor. The Governor says that he has his hands full of official business which needs constant and close attention.—lndianapolis Sentinel. —The old cemetery in Wabash is so thickly filled with graves that the authorities will, in all probability, prohibit further interments in the inclosure. It is alleged that in digging new graves it is no uncommon thing to exhume portions of Skeletons long since buried, and frequently fragments of skeletons are encountered on the surface of the ground by persons strolling through the yard. —A boiler in the Peru Brewery, owned by J. O. Cole, exploded, killing Marcellus Burtch, a visitor at the place, and demolishing the engine-house. boiler was blown through the roof of the building. Burtch was hit by a brick and his skull crushed in. The concussion was such that fences Across the road were blown down and bricks scattered over a great distance. No cause is known for the accident. —A. D. Vanosdel, of Madisqn, has been appointed Inspector General in the National Staff of the Grand Army of the Republic at the Portland Encampment. Hon. Samuel S. Burdett, of Washington, was cordially supported in his candidacy for Commander-in-chief by the Indiana delegation, and, as he * was elected largely through Indiana’s support, he has recognized this State in the above appointment. —-The Land Department of the State Auditor's office has received information from the State’s agent at Washington that the Secretary of the Interior has given his formal written consent to the adjustment of swamp land claims of Indiana on the basis of the plats of survey, and filed notes without recourse to examination and testimony of witnesses. The adjustment will now be pushed rapidly, and the State Department anticipates an early settlement of the claims. —Prof. Campbell, of Crawfordsville, and his assistant, Prof. Coulter, who have charge of the geodetic survey in this State, have built a tower near Charlestown. The geodetic survey is authorized by the General Government, and the idea is to make allowance for the curvature of the earth’s surface. Prof. Campbell has charge of the survey through Indiana. He commenced with the blind asylum, on the Kentucky side of the river, at Louisville, and will run through to the lake. —The work of examining the PanHandle employes on color-blindness is interesting to an observer. The men are marched into the armory one at a time, and are first examined on the strength of the eyesight by reading letters and figures. This is quite difficult. The matter of telling colors is tested by showing the candidate a skein of yarn either red, green, or pink, and then after he has told which it is, he is told to pick a number of skeins from a bundle of various colors which will at all resemble the color first named. To pick out all the shades that may be found in the bunch is no small task, and very few of the candidates pick them all out. There are no very glaring mistakes made by the boys. The hearing is tested as well as the sight.— Logansport Pharos. —John Campbell, a life convict at the Northern Prison, sent from Crawfordsville several years ago, has, by means of a penknife and scraps of wood, cut out and mounted an entire menagerie and circus. The wild beasts, horses, p?rformers, and even the ringmaster, are in their places, all of them being connected with simple mechanical contrivances controlled by a crank. Give this a turn and the circus commences, continuing with astonishing regularity and precision for several moments. In connection with the circus is a complete “Unclo Tom’s Cabin" outfit, the entire representation in old plantation style. This drama shows Topsy, Marks, donkeys, and hounds, who, when the crank turns, perform their parts in such a manner as to put to shame half the alleged combinations on the road.