Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1893 — SOMEWHAT STRANGE. [ARTICLE]

SOMEWHAT STRANGE.

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF EVKRY DAY LIKE. Queer Facts and Thrilling Adventures Which Show That Truth Is Stranger Than Flctlou. TitS inhabitants of the northeastern part of Asia use a mushroom to promote intoxication. It is known as the flyblown mushroom, and is also very abundant in Scotland. The fungus is gathered in the hottest part of the year, nud is then hung up by a string in the air to dry. Some are dry before gathered, and these are stated to be far more narcotic than those artificially preserved. Usually the fungus is rolled up like a bolus, aud taken without chewing, for, if masticated, it is said to disorder the stomach. One large or two small fungus produce whatis looked upon as a pleasant state of intoxication for one day. The effect is the same a- that produced on taking a quantity of -pirits or wine, except it is delayed from one to two hours after the bolus has been swallowed. At first it produces very cheerful emotions of the mind. It renders some persons exceedingly active, and is a stimulant to muscular exertion. Thus, if a person affected by it wishes to step over a straw or a small stick it impels him to take a jump sufficient to clear a low hedge or the trunk of a tree. It keeps those fond of music perpetually singing, and under its influencea talkative person can neither keep secrets nor silence; hence it is a source of danger to ladies and politicians.

Tiirue was on exhibition at Dunbar’s canning factory at Bay St. Louis, Miss., a great curiosity in the shape of a fish, called a devil fish or butterfly fish, or sea bull bat fish. Captain Eugene Favre, of the schooner Saint Peter, captured the big fellow in four feet of water in Cat Island spit, lie was shot five times before being killed, and it took six stalwart men to manage him. His weight is estimated at 3000 pounds. Ilis measure was taken by Captain Favre, of the Saint Peter, aud found to be seven feet long, with tail seven feet in length; width of mouth two feet; between the eyes it measured seven feet, and from tips of wings thirteen feet. The captain of the Saint Peter says he has been on the water for twenty-two years, and never saw anything like his capture, and that this fish is the first of its kind ever seen in these waters. The fish drew a large crowd to the factory, where the Saint Peter was anchored. Salted down he would season several barrels of sweet potatoes, and feed the employes of the factory for several weeks.

The penny-in-the-slot machine has been adapted to the use of the elephants at the Manchester, England, “Zoo.” When a visitor gives tlie elephant a penny the animal drops it in a slot and [jets a biscuit. There is no use in trying to deceive the animals by halfpennies. Those despised coins are always flung in the face of the giver. The other day a visitor gave a baby elephant a number of half-pennies in succession, but all were thrown back. The animal was then given two halfpennies at the same time. The creature’s demeanor changed. For more than five minutes he held the two coins in his trunk rubbing them together and seeming to be pondering deeply. At last he dropped the two half pence in the box together, with the result that the combined weight gave him the desired biscuit, at which he gambolled about in a manner which exhibited extravagant delight.

Marshy Lyles, an old cclored woman, who lives two miles below Sylvania, Ga., and is now over seventy years of age, started to school for the first time the other morning. For three score years and ten she has walked this footstool in intellectual darkness, and there is both humor aud pathos in the picture of this old woman wending her way to the little school house in the woods. Marshy has been blessed with a numerous progeny and has children and grandchildren in numbers, and even great grandchildren to call her name. She has always been a lover of the Scripture and her object in starting to school now, she says, is that it may aid her in studying the Bible and thus help her on to glory. Every morning with dinner bucket and spelling book in hand she goes along with the children to the log nca-.oiny and there pours over the mystic letters which seem hard enough indeed to her fettered mind.

In May, 1887, Adclia Ilubbell of Greenfield Hill, (Conn.,) went out to walk on her mother’s estate. As she walked along over the fields she spied a large nnd ugly-looking ram owned by a neighbor, Miss Agnes Murray. Miss Hubbell, instead of climbing a tree or a stone wall and hurling recriminations at the beast, advanced toward him. Whereupon the ram lowering his head charged at Miss Hubbell. There were no witnesses to the collision, but judging from the result it was a tremendous one, for Miss Hubbell was ill for a long time, and the ram got his head tangled up in her skirts and died of suffocation. When Miss Hubbell recovered she sued Miss Murray for damages and Miss Murray began a counter suit for the loss of the ram. Judge Hall at Bridgeport decided that Miss Hubbell was entitled to $1753 damages, but Miss Murray probably won’t get a cent. A most extraordinary story comes from Boise City, Idaho, which is said to be well authenticated. It says that while three travelers were at the upper end of Lake Chelan recently one of them went into the water to bathe. He was seized by the foot by a marine monster and was being pulled info deep water, when his screams attracted the attention of his companions, who came to his rescue. They pulled him ashore, the monster hanging to his foot. It had legs and body like an alligator and the head and eyes ot a serpent Between its fore and hind legs were large ribbed wings. The men tried hard to tear the monster from the foot of their companion, and finally tried fire, which had the effect of Causing the animal to rise suddenly into the air, taking its victim along, and finally landing in the lake, where both disappeared from sight. The manager of a big store on Sixth avenue, New York, says there is a regular company of women who do nothing else but patrol the stores on ihe lookout for artieles and money lost by shoppers. Most of these women, he says, arc well known to the floor-walkers and detectives, but as they break no laws and occasionally make small purchases, they arc not molested. At 6 o’clock each night, according to his story, or when they meet at their “office” and make a general division of their spoils, to the unique band it is no uncommon thing to divide SIOO worth of goods as the proceeds of a day’s persistent search. Of course they closely examine the personal columns of the papers, and if a large enough reward is offered the persons who lose things stand a pretty good chance of having them returned.

Recently an instance of canine heroism took place near Kilkenny, Ireland. A farmer named Lawrence Archer weal crazy and attacked his wife with a penknife, stabbing her in more than a dozen places and sweating that he would cul her into ribbons. The household dog rushed to the rescue. He flew at the madman's throat and tore him away from his victim. The madman fought wildly with the dog, striving to stab him to death, but the thick hair of the animal turned the knife aside while his sharp teeth tore the man’s throat till the blood gushed out in torrents. At last the madman got himself clear of the dog and rushed out of the house into the woods, from which he has not yet emerged, and is probably dead of exposure and loss of blood.

A wonderful story reaches us from Japan of a snake swallower who has outdone all forerunners in the art. Saito Tora-no-suke was one day breaking up some land, when he came upon a snake three feet long. Seizing it in his hands he called out to his companions that if they would give him $4 he would swallow the snake. Although dollars are scarce in Japan it is stated that the money was at once subscribed, the onlookers not believing that the bet could be won. But true to his word Saito put the head of the creature into his mouth an swallowed the whole three feet of snake without difficulty. The punishment. of his temerity was swift and fell. While his companions were gazing at him, speechless with horror and astonishment. he was seen to change color and fall to the ground in great pain, and he died in a feyv.minutes. It will be a surprise to many to learn, says a correspondent of the Horticultural Times, that after all, the most important function, of the bee’s sting is not stinging. “I have long been convinced that the bees put the finishing touches on their artistic cell work by the dexterous use of their stings, and during this final finishing stage of the process of honey-making the bees inject a minute portion of formic acid into the honey. This is in reality the poison of their sting. This formic acid gives to honey its peculiar flavor, and also imparts to it its keeping qualities. The sting is really an exquisitely contrived little trowel, with which the bee finishes off and cap 3 the cells when they are filled brimful with honey. While doing this the formic acid passes from the poison bag, exudes, drop by drop, from the point of the sting, and the beautiful work is finished.”

George Jones, a woodehopper, engaged in trimming sycamore trees in the centre of San Bernardino, Cal., observed hanging over him two shining objects. He climbed higher and fouud them to be tin cans of great weight. He secured them, brought them to the ground, and on opening them found that they contained gold pieces. The contents amounted to $1,900. Jones, though a poor daily laborer, was r.ot tempted by the glittering heap, but brought the treasure to the bank at San Bernardino and deposited it for identification by the owner. The money had evidently been hanging in the tree but a short time, as a week ago the same tree was partly trimmed.

Two interpreters were needed in a trial in the Court of Criminal Correction, St. Louis, Michael Shuler being able to speak only German, and his wife only French. They were married in Switzerland in 1890, and came to this country about a year ago. Being poor they placed their baby with Shuler’s sister, who lives on a farm in St. Louis County, and both went to work, the wife securing employment as a servant girl. The testimony developed that they had lived together over a year without being able to understand each other. There is a girl in San Francisco, Cal., who is rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed and never ill, and whose white and shapely hands are always as cold as ice and dripping wet. When anyone complains of pain or headache, this girl pushes back her sleeves and lays her cold, wet hands on the aching head. The patient feels a queer, creepy, shivery sensation crawling down the back; the throbbing pain ceases aud the headache is gone. A steer aud a colt were let loose the other day in A. V. Turner’s pasture near Springfield, Ohio, and the two animals fought a terrific and bloody battle. The colt kicked one of the steer's horns loose. The fight lasted for over half an hour, the colt, finally becoming weak from the loss of blood, when the steer dashed its one horn into its side aud killed it. A local paper tells of a remarkable union funeral that took place the other day at Black River Falls, Peon. Three different families met at the Lutheran Church at the same hour, each with a dead relative, and none of the families related. One sermon was preacned for them all, and then the procession was formed with the hearses, mourners and friends following indiscriminately.