Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1891 — SOMEWHAT STRANGE. [ARTICLE]

SOMEWHAT STRANGE.

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF EVERY-DAY LIFE. Queer Episodes and Thrilling Adventures Which Show that Truth Is Stranger than Fiction. Tub Columbus, G&., Enquirer-Sun tells a strungo story of u curiosity in the shape of a well-dettued profile of a female figuro in pewter, measuring about two and one-hail' by throe inches and weighing four and' five-eighths ounces. The figure, which is plain from about tho head to the knees, is formed in u sort of canopy, and the manner in which it is fashioned, as well as the source from which it came, is exceedingly curious aud interesting. It was in this wise: Mrs. M. B. Walker, living at Sixth avenue between Tenth and Eleventh streets, had placed a mediumsized stick of oak wood on the fire in an open fireplace in her kitchen, und ns soon as the stick became thoroughly heated, she observed wlmtappeared to he molten lead running from the middle of the stick on to the hearth, where it formed the singular curiosity above described. As soon as the*” lend became cool and solidified she pried it from tho bricks with a case-knife and was astonished beyond measure to fin 1 it fashioned in the shape of a female figure. It was carried to Pekor’s jewelry store, whore Mr. Pokor, after investigation, pronounced the mutem! pure pewter. How tho metal came in the wood is something that cannot be explained. The wood was in au ordinary loud, and was the only piece, so fur, that bus proved to be u pewter mine, as it were. The fact that this pewter was inside of the log, und when melted formed in tho curious shape described, is certainly very singular, and it will be regarded as u great curiosity. A very pretty little romance comes from Austell, a village of Georgia. Richard Horning was a poor, hard-work-ing farm laborer there,who received very little encouragement from the girls of the settlement. One, however! Miss O Shjelds, as poor as himself, did not reject his advances, and they were first friends and then lovers. Horning woke up one morning and discovered that lie was heir to $250,000 in the old country. He at. once went for his fortune, secured it and then hastened back to his love, whom he fitted out in great style and carried off to place her in the best schools he could find, that she might have an education suitable to the station she is to hold as his wife. Tub Hindoo nose ring is said to he doomed. At a meeting of tho Cutchee Veesa Oswal caste, held ut Mandvie Bunder, it wus resolved that instead of a ring women should wear a flower in tho nose. Inasmuch as the nose ring had led to “much unfavorable comment,” henceforth wearing nose rings would lead to a fine of ten rupees and four annus, in addition to forfeiture of the ornaments.

Cal’Tain Benma.min Thompson*, of Kenncbuukport, Mo., 98 years old, hud occasion to fix a pulley oil the ridgepole of las barn the other day. To perform the work it was necessary to pm 11 a ladder up over three stagings and then place it in a position on the roof, but tile old gentleman did the job, being afraid, lie said, to intrust it to hisooa Horace, aged 4)0, as tho latter was stiff aud clumsy and might fall. A mtti.e son of Janitor Parry, of Mears’ Hall, Scrantcni, Ponu., was put to lied shortly after ten o'clock on a recent might apparently m good .health. Some 'time later the fartmrwerft into the room 'and found the child -stretched out stiff'and cold, as if dead. Me was almost frantic with grief ut the siffitosed loss of his child und his lamentations wore painful to hear. The mother hurried to the bedside of her bov and clasped him to her breast. The little fellow opened his eyes and resumed iliis breathing while the mother was tenderly kissing his ashen lips. Of a sudden the color caine buck to his checks, his limbs relaxed their rigidity. and in a few minutes lie was as lively us ever before.. The cause of this sudden cessation of life, ns it. seemed, is attributed to stagmition'of the blood. The fond mother’s caresses sent the life current again cooirsitig through the child's veins, started the pulsations of the heart und brought tiio virtually dead child buck to life. Mr. .and Mrs. Parry were overjoyed beyond measure when "they became aware of the fact .that their beloved child | whom they had thought dead was only affected with .a .temporary cessation of vitality. Ax artful Clhiimniuu was recently arrested in Tucson, Ariz., ns an invader. He had accumulated seven thousuud dollars, the product of several years’ labor in Mexico. Deeming this sum sufficient to give him ease and comfort for life in Hie flowery land of his birth, lie sent his I savings toCliiua, .then crossed to Arizona, j with the hope that the United States uu- I thorities would arrest him under the Chinese Exclusion law, and send him to China at the expense,of the government, l’he wily Mongolian's .design was to save this passage money. John* Whitman, the man who lifts GOO j pound* with his teeth, pushed a freight Car weighing 30,000 along a switch on I North street, BaLtimorc, on a recent ; morning, in tho presence of about 300 j people. It would have required the | .united strength of eight ordinary men to move the car. Apia, the capital of the Humean islands, is famous for its consumption of beer and uinbrcllus. It is uo unusual tbiag to see a nearly naked native walking hatless through,the streets with a silk umbrella spread over his head. The use of the umbrella is to protect the carofuily oiled and dressed native head from the effects of the suns rays. Hairdressing is the solo toilet operation with the Samoans, and upon this they bestow a vast amount of time and ingenuity. An American about to depart from Apia usked wiuti he should present to the wife of a chief who had entertained him. He was assured that nothing would please the lady better than an umbrella. With some misgivings us to the stock of uinbrellus likely to be carried by the merchants of Apia, he visited a shop and was surprised to find a large collection of the best European umbrellas. He learned that they sold well at good prices, und that the natives were extremely exacting nsto the quality of that particular article As for the lady, she was delighted with the American’s gift. Tine firemen of Caribou, Me.,, were called upon to perform a feat rather out of the usual line of duty. The bridge across the Aroostock River, connecting the two sections of the burneJ, and although the adjacent buildings in the main village were saved, those on the opposite side of the river, near the end of tbe bridge, took fire and were threatened with destruction. All of tbe

k fire apparatus was in the main village, the bridge was destroyed, and there were no boats at hand. Accordingly, the best swimmers in the tire company were selected to swim the river with a line of hose. They accomplished the feat, and got across just in time to prevent the destruction of $50,000 worth of property. Li kct. Varues has just-made a remarkI üble trip on horseback across India, 1 traveling often far from the railroads. i where the people see very few white [ men. He suvs the peasantry of Bengal were discourteous and exorbitant in their charges, lie was often compelled to pay j four or five times tho price of tho | articles he needed. Their inhos- | pitalitv was in marked contrast with the ; friendliness of the peasantry in other i places. In tho central provinces every l one helped him readily, and in many in--1 stances the people declined pay. I Accordiku to Hoy Meninger, a travel* ! er who has just returned from Mexico, there is a rock near the village of Chilpanoigno in theSierrn Madredel Sur that possesses the virtue of foretelling rain twenty-four hours before it falls. Mr. Meninger was incredulous until the rock j gave an exhibition of its powers. It i stands alone in a little valley of great fertility, and seems to protrude from tho ground, rather than rest upon the surface. It is about five feet in height bv ten in length, and is of a dull, grayish color, the surface being polished and cold to the touch. About a day before tho rain comes the rock takes on a red- | dish hue, and its temperature rises to I about t>o degrees Fahrenheit. Tho heat j and color increase until rain is precipij tuted, when the rock cool's and gradually resumes its original gray. In a thunder storm the stone emits a paloI blue light, and there is every indication j that it is charged with electricity. | Local mineralogists sav the heat is from a volcanic source.

Henry Cou.ink, a negro, who is 105 years old, applied for assistance under the pauper act in the county court at Nashville the other day. Henry says that his undo of the same name lived to be lilt) years.old. A grandfather was 125 years old when he died, and a 'grandmother 118. The old man smokes and drinks and cats heartily. A cow belonging to Samuel Dronsor, living on the outskirts of Austin, Minn., bus gi veil birth to a wonder. One-half of tho body resembles a calf and the other half a deer. The tail resembles the appendage of a deer, and the head is inclined to bo oil the liuman order. The eyes are fiery black and vicious looking, and one largo horn about throe inches long protrudes from tho forehead. The freak has five legs, two ill front and three behind, and all cun be used with tho greatest of ease. A lauimiahi-k incident occurred at. tho races at Exeter, Me. John Rogers, of Stetson, owner of the trotter Molly Withers, also owns u shepherd dog which is very fond of the marc, und when tlie horses started in the first heat of the 2.40 class the dog came on the track and trotted away ahead of his equine friend. Moll}' Withers soon drew out of the field and took the lead,but the dog easily kept six or eight feet ahead of her the first time mound. In the second half the dog held his lead until they swung into the home stretch, who,re the inare gained slightly, but the canine raoer went under the wire slightly in the loud amid the cheers of the crowd. The mare's time was 2.OGL und the dog’s record lias been fixed at 2.•')*>.

A hktortkk in Sherman, Midi., published an item announcing an approaching wedding, uml the next day wan accosted bv the gentleman named an bridegroom, who gravely nuked hiiu <m whose authority he had made the announcement. Before the timid reporter could reply, the mail groped for hie pistol-pocket, and the reporter thought hie hour of doom lmd omue. imagine hie joy, when, instead of a pistol, the num produced u pock-ct-book, from which he extracted a five-do liar hill. This lie thankfully gave to the reporter-saying that the marriage amaoancement had spared him the trouble of popping tl»e question. Amokc tlie Khirgisc, Huskir and other nomud tribes of Eastern Russia and Siberia-there ore frequently instances of longevity which call to mind the days ot the patriarchs, At the present moment there is liviiig in the Government of Tobolsk, in the Dos-ikazan settlement, an old Khirgise named Noonnoohained Moosnepoff, who has attained the age of 153 years. JJis wife is equally old and his eldest son is 120 years of age. The ■old man has lost most -of his teeth und lujsto be fed on milk. The pure air of the Steppes und the koumis diet is without doubt ««ndueiv« to longevity. Two<e£ the crew of tlie schooner Marguerite of Seattle., Wash., met with a severe accident at Port Muller, on the north side of the Alaskan Peninsula. Their names are Thomas Boswell und J. .Seliieffeliu, and ihey were ashore prospecting forcouL Both were armed with rifles. They came across a hour and both fired. Though badly wounded the animal mode a rush ut the men, und in the excitement Boswell got a cartridge jammed in his gun. Before Seliieffeliu could reload the bear was upon them and knocked them dowii, one after the other, with a blow from its paw. Boswell tried to get to j»is feet, but the bear seized him by the leg and crushed it from the knee down. The animal then ran away, but returned about tea minutes later, when Seliieffeliu shot it. The two men got. back to the schooner, and the captain made sail for Ounulnska. It took eight days to get there, and tlien Surgeon Berry Hill, of the Marion, amputated Boswell's leg.