Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1892 — 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. One of the spots which have been selected for public squares in Philadelphia is famous as tho identical place whero William Penn made his great treaty with the Indians. But oven before that time it had a claim to historic attention as the site of Gov. Fairman’s mansion. Thomas Fairman occupied the land under the authority of the Duko of York, filing Ms patent as early ns 1684. In the house which he erected Penn spent the first winter of his residence in Philadelphia. Govs. Markham, Haize, Holme, Evans, and Palmer also lived in the house. Gov. Palmer used to keep a pleasure-barge in which he made journeys by water to the “city,” or the district now included between Vine and South Streets. In front of the mansion rose that old elm under whoso branches the memorable treaty was made. This tree was blown down in 1810. Its girth was 24 feet, and or.o of its branches spread for 150 feet towards the river. Irom tho rings in tho cut section of its trunk it was estimated -to he 283 years old. Where the tree had stood, a commemorative monument wus erected, and a railing was put around it. Vandals have chipped tho shaft and the railing has been broken down, until now only a seamed and broken fragment of marble remains as a testimony ta Penn’s league of amity. The spot is at present almost invisible amid piles of lumber. Now that a public park is to be laid out, the monument will probably be restored. The property has passed through mauy hands. The Fairmans owned it until 1715, when it passed into the hands of Joseph Redman. Redman sold it to Robert Worthington, and tho latter sold it to Gov. Palmer in 1730, and Charles Wort became owner in 1738. After several other transfers, William Yard became tho owner in 1705, and in 1798 ho sold it to Matthew Vnudusen. The captain of a coasting vessel, who arrived atGuayamas, Mexico, a few days ago, tells of a strange discovery made by himself during his last trip. He traded up and down the coast, doing business among the inhabitants of the islands and coast villages between there and Sun Diego, Cal. A heavy wind drove him far out of his way. and when the storm abated, ho found that he was so far out of his usual path that ho had lost his reckoning, lie was out of sight of shore, and when lie saw land, bore down upon it, pnd found an island that was not down on any of the charts, lie sent a boat ashore and the men returned, saying that no on.) lived there, hut 'that then.) were many houses and evidences of the place liuving at ono time been inhabited. The captain then went ashore himself and found that th<? island had undoubtedly been swept hv a scourge of some kind. There were numerous huts, hut not a living thing was to he found. An examination revealed the fact that tho former residents had died in such ! numbers that they had not been buried. | The skeletons were lying around the isl- ; und where tho people wero when death overtook them. In ono hut were found ! tho remains of seventeen people, while in many others wore the hones of great numbers. They had been dead for such a time that the bones were beginning to decay. There was Lttlo to be found to show wliut kind of people they were, hut it is supposed that they holonged to one of the island tribes which were so abundant in this part of the coast fifty years ngo. Of course thero can only be conjecture as to the probable causo of the wiping out of an entire tribe, but the knowledge of the fearful swee i of scourges on the island leads to the belief that a pestilence swept off the inhabitants.

Thb Japanese Commissioners at Chicago have been fortunate in securing extremely advantageous sites for their country’s exhibit. A certain island which has long been covoted by rival applicants is now definitely promised to them, und this favored spot will probably bo occupied by a reproduction of the famous edilico known as Idowo-do, one of tho finest and best-preserved examples of ancient architecture that the empire contains. It stands in tho village of Iji, a suburb of Kioto, and was built when the Emperor’s first fixed their residence in that locality. Its name may be translated “Phoenix Temple,” the word “howo”signifying an imaginary creature of the air, credited with attributes akin to those of our fabled emblem of immortality; and its shape is sup; osed to ho suggestive of a huge bird with outstretched wing and spreading tail. Tho original structure covers 15U tsubos of ground, a tsubo being equal to six feet square. It is expected that ouo result of Japan's possession of the island above referred to will be tho exhibition of specimens of ship-building, representing differout periods of the nation s maritime development. This feature, if fully carried out, will bo a surpriso to those who imagine that the Japanese were always a homekeeping and isolated people. Threo centuiies ago there was not unvwherea more daring or enterprising race of navigators, and their adventurous expeditions, not only to various parts of Asia, but even across.tho Pacific Ocean to America, are matters of' historical record.

For genuine grit and presence of mind, J. N. .Sacry, a brakeman on the Montana Union, is entitled to wear the belt. Sacry is on the run between Butte and Garrison One evening recently he left on his train for the terminal point, but at Stuart some switching was necessary, aud Sacry got off to assist in doing the work. While walking along tho however, one of his feet’became fastened in a switch frog, leaving hitn exposed to the tnerey of the bucking truiu. which was only a few feet away. Being unable to extricate tho foot, he threw himself on the ground with force enough to break one of his thigh bones and wrench the foot from the frogjust as the trucks of the, first car passed. The unfortunate inuu was brought to this city aud taken to Murray & Gillespie’s Hospital, where his injuries were attended to. Taking into consideration that this class of accidents is quite numerous on railroads, and that very few persons so caught escape more serious injury. Sacry considers himself quite fortunate in escaping even at the expense of a broken limb. Widow Abigail Houc.hton-, who lives near Scranton, Penn., has 200 pet sparrows and she has given up one of tho rooms in the house, where she lives alone entirely to their use, One of Widow Houghton's geese got into the iudiscreet habit of laying in the weods by the creek on the place, and a crow of the lower classes, possessed of a certain degree of low cunning, “caught on,” as they say in

St. Louis. So he perched himself on a tree near by, and as soon as the goose left her nest he dropped down and flew away with a fine large egg. One day a sparrow in citizen’s clothing caught the robber in the act, and, summoning assistance, punished him so severely that he dropped in the grass from sheer exhaustion and the Widow Houghton wrung his head off. The sparrows have also detailed a force to protect the widow’s pond from the fish hawks, and the chicken hawks noif give her poultry yard a wide birth. The New York Tribune tolls a story of old man Hiram Potter, of Scranton, Penn., who, it says, Ims a poor memory. Ten years ago he lost his teeth, so he wen*, to Philadelphia and had tho best set that could be found fitted to his mouth. In a little while ho had forgotten the incident and was wont to brag of his sound teeth and rebuke young men for having the toothache. Recently he was troubled with neuralgia of the face, and, after suffering several days, he concluded that he had tho toothache and went to a dentist. Tho dentist assured him that there were a number of his teeth that needed attention and went to work accordingly. After six hours Mr. Potter happened to remember his visit to Philadelphia, and getting out of the chair, took out his teeth and laid them on tho table. An argument and a sceno followed, in consequence of which Mr. Potter carried his urm in a sling and the dentist was not able for a while to leave his bed. The Boston Journal tells a story illustrating the power of a strong wiilSome forty years ago a Massachusetts good wife lay in her bed apparently dying with consumption. As tho family lived four miles frota the undertaker and pastor, and as the roads were badly blocked with snow, the husband when called to the village on business on a Tuesday decided—thoughtful man!— to save an extra journey in thut bitter weather by engaging the minister and undertaker at once, and appointing tho funeral for tho following Friday. In some way, on Wednesday, the sick woman heard of this, and arousing herself from her supposed dying condition, declared: “There'll be no funeral in this house this week!” The funeral took place on a recent Friday, forty years after it was originally set. The husband is still living at the age of eighty. Four adventurous persons, throe men and one woman are about to leave Seattle, Washington, for New York, with no other moans of conveyance than a wheelbarrow. They are J. F. Cheatham, John Howard, E. W. Caston and Miss Lou Howard. The men will take turn about at pushing the wheelbarrow, and only when the woman gives out from exhaustion will she be allowed to ride. (Jn'y in case of sickness will stops of a longer duration than twelvo hours be made at any place until Chicago is reached, where it is intended to remain three days, and thou push on for New York, it is the intention of the quartet to cover tho distance between Seattle and New York in five months. While Frank Moffatt of Calais, Me., was in the woods ufter timber this winter, his wife and their two small children lived in one of his camps on the Maguerra-woc-k. While Mrs. Moffatt was out gathering firewood recently one of the children set tiro to tho bed. The mother hastened back just in time to savo the younger child from being burned to death. The camp and its contents were destroyed, and Mrs. Moffatt and her children had to start on a night journey through tho woods to Milltown. It was a terriblu journey, for a cold storm came up and tho show was Knee deep. Tho travelers were obliged to s:op at a play camp, which some boys hud built in the woods, where they remainod two days and nights, stormbound and starving. A hunter happened along and rescued them. Cartain Pitcher, of the United States infantry, has been tolling a reporter some curious things about a hot spring in Wyoming, near Fort Washakie. He said : “It is near .our camp and about ten yards in diameter. Tho perpetual temperature is llOdogrees above zero. Often in the winter I have como home from a cold ride when the thermometer was 15 degrees below zero and taken a swim in tho springs. It is not inclosed, and it is a funny sensation to go swimming in a temperature of 110 degrees above, while your head is exposed to a temperature of 15 degrees below, zero. 1 have often seen the soldiers take a swim in the spring and follow it up with a roll iu the snow. It almost makes a Turkish bath.” Ax example of the cunning of gulls was observed at Tacoma when several alighted on a bunch of logs that had been in the water a long time, with the submerged sides thick with barnacles. One was a big gray fellow, who seemed to bo the captain. Ho walked to a particular log, stood on one side of it close to ihe water, and then uttered poculiar cries. The other gulls came and stood on the same side of the log, which under their combined weight rolled over several inches. The gulls, step by step, kept tho log rolling until the barnacles showed above the water. The birds picked eagerly at this food, and the log was not abandoned until every barnacle had been picked.

Seven years ago Mr. W. E. Mason, o£ Millsboro, W. Va., went out with $485 in greenbacks in his pocket to feed his hogs. He did not mean to feed the hogs on tho $485. But while ho was feeding them sorry nubbin corn the money fell from his pocket and was promptly appropriated by tho biggest financial hog of the drove. Mr. Mason made his hogship disgorge, but the man who printed them wouldn’t recognize them. A bill has just been’ introduced in Congress asking Uncle Sam to roplace Mr. Mason's money. Will he do it? Mr. Masou is waiting to see. There is a man within one mile of De Kalb, Mo., Mr. William Jones, who ia 24 years old, 6 feet high, 52 inches wound tho waist, wears a GO-inch coat (chest measure), wears a No. 12 shoe, a No 10 hat, and weighs 315 poun Is. He can hold out at arm's length with ease a man weighing 160 pouuds. He is a farmer and cun do as mnch work as two common-sized men. Mr. Jones is married to a lady that weighs only 92 pounds.

It is said that there is a horse in Chicago which is so strongly charged with electricity that when warm with oxercise it will give a powerful shock to whoever touches it, and even yield enough of a spark to light gas. Tho fact was discovered by accident a few days since, and the electric horse will gopn probably figure as a dime museum curio. We have seen a mule communicate a shock powerful enough to knock out a man’s brains and he was not considered a curiosity, nor was his power attributed to electricity. Alexandra. EsvpT. pos*osees the largest artificial harbor in the world.