Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1893 — SOMEWHAT STRANGE. [ARTICLE]

SOMEWHAT STRANGE.

ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF EVE&Y DAY LIKE. Queer Facta and Thrilling Adventures Which Show That Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction. A miner, while at work the other day, discovered a large and well-formed frog in a mass of anthracite coal blasted from a chamber 3000 feet below the surface in the Mount Lookout Colliery, at Wyoming, Penn. Joseph Johns was timbering with another miner, James Otts, in a tunnel in the mine and had barred down a large lump of coal when the gleam of light from his lamp fell upon something in the coal. He stooped do\yn and touched the object and was surprised to find it soft and yielding. There was about a square inch of surface exposed at the time, and he saw that the thing, whatever it was, was in a cavity. With his pick he very carefully chipped off the coal all around it until the cavity, or chamber, was fully opened, and there, nestling in the hard coal, he found a frog. Some seventeen years ago, while working in the mines, he made a similar discovery, and had then taken the frog in his hand, shown it Jo his brother miners, and taken it home. But, while it was alive and warm when he found it, it died before it had been exposed to the air half an hour. At that time a scientist told him that if he had enclosed the frog in an airtight compartment immediately after unearthing it the animal might have lived. When he made his second discovery on Wednesday this fact at once recurred to his mind, and, as soon as he had recovered from his surprise and realized what he had found, he ran to his dinner pail and got an airtight fruit jar, in which he had brought the tea for his lunch. Into this he put the frog and closed the lid, and the jar has not been opened. The frog at first showed no signs of life, although it was warm, but after being in the jar six hours it began to move, and when it had been exposed to the light ten hours it was quite as lively as any specimen which can be found around the ponds in summer. Since then it has continued to be fully wide awake, and stares in wonder at all who look at it. In appearance it is not very different from an every-day frog, except that its back is nearly black, and there are two rows of little hilly protuberances down each side of its spine. Its legs also are peculiarly long and its feet very delicate and tender. Ei.i.is R. Smith, the only Republican Sheriff Pettis County, Mo., has had since the war, and the only Sheriff that has ever executed a crimiual during the criminal history of that county, was relating his experiences as an officer to a party of friends in St. Louis. “I witnessed quite a peculiar thing in the jail at Sedalia last year,” he remarked. “I had the very Unpleasant duty off officially removing an old man by the name of Tom Williamson, who had been convicted of a triple murder. About two months before the day of the execution the old man asked me to get him a young kitten to raise. I did so. An attachment grew up between the two that was certainly remarkable. If at any time I happened to lock the old man up in a cell without the cat she would raise such a disturbance that I would have to lock her up with him. They were together day and night. When the day of execution rolled around the cat appeared to be the chief mourner and brought up the rear of the death march,to the scaffold. When the trap was sprung the cat walked back into the jail and, after walking up and down the corridor for an hour, pounced upon old man Williamson's cot, whero it remained for a week, refusing to eat or drink. About eight days after, the executioner determined to remove her. When I attempted to frighten the cat off I discovered that she was dead. I actually believe she grieved herself to death.”

Obediah Barber, who lives near the Okeefeeuokce swamps, in Georgia, tells an interesting story about a bear he killed. “The bears are numerous since the canal was begun. They have left the middle of the swamp and are staying near the edge of it. They frequently go in droves at night to the farms near by and devour the hogs. I went into the swamp, accompanied by a young man, to huut the bears. Our guns were singlebarrelled. Presently a noise was heard. We followed, and soon came upon a bear as she had reached her cubs. We were within about ten yards of her and tired our guns. The bear was shot in her lower jaw. She made for us. The young man ran and left me to fight it out. I had a butcher knife, and as she reached me plunged it into her breast. The knife fell out of my hand, and the bear was closing upou me. I felt her hot breath in my face and gave myself up to die a horrible death. Fate interfered, and I was pleased to hear the cubs making a noise. The bear turned and looked at her cubs. Being satisfied that they were not in danger, she came at me again. I had my knife again and used it in different parts of her body. She was getting a hold on me when I plunged my knife into her heart to the hilt. The Bear fell to the ground and after a few struggles died. The cubs were despatched with a pine limb.”

“See this pearl?” said Clifton Sparks, as he held aloft to view a beautiful specimen from the sands of the Indian Sea and twirled the gold in which it was set to show off its superior value to a St. Louis reporter. “That pearl is worth S3OO in the market to-day, but the circumstances under which it was discovered make it invaluable to me. It’s a gift from my mother, who received it irom my father, and he got it for nothing. My father was a Captain in the English army, and was stationed in India. On his homeward voyage, after a stay of twelve years in India, he accidentally acquired this pearl. He got it from a sea gull, and the sea gull from some pearl oyster that was washed up on the strand by the waves. My father fished for sea gulls with a hook and a bit of bacon. He caught two gulls and dissected them for his own amusement. In one he found this pearl, which, when he reached London, he had set in gold, and gave it to mother as a souveujr of the long ocean voyage. Acids are very deleterious to pearls, and when you consider how perfect this one is you can imagine that the gull had not long swallowed it. I don’t know of a similar •instance, and that is why I say it is invaluable to me.” A woman appeared on the streets of Canton, Miss., who attracted much attention. She has a perfectly white face and hands and short kinky hair, with the features of a negro. The woman said that she was born black and remained so until she was fifteen years old, when she suddenly turned whit'., remaining so for one year, when she turned black again. Since that time she is alternately white and black, not alone in spots, but changes color entirely She is fairly intelligent, and says aks has never had a spell of sickness and has

never taken a dose of medicine. She lives near Sallis Station, on the Canton and Aberdeen road. She says she cannot stand the sun at all, and wears a double veil and heavy gloves. She says if the Sun shines on her skin for ouo minute it causes it to blister at oure. She has been examined by physicians, who are unable to account for the change in her color.

Quebx Victoria is going to send a number of paintings, “done with her own hands,” to the Chicago Fair, some of which will come from the walls of the private dining room of Windsor Castle. The pictures will include a water oolor of her Indian Secretary, one of her favorite dogs, and some Balmoral sketches. She will also send a sachet which she worked, also “with Ifer own hands,” from a piece of crape. Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice will also send pictures, while Princess Christian will send some specimens of needle-work, in this case “executed with the most consummate skill and ingenuity.” In M. Dybowski’s journey from the Mobangi to the Shari, as described at a recent meeting of the Paris Geographical Society, he encountered one of the most systematically .cannibal tribes which has yet been described. This tribe, known as the Bonjos. have only one object of purchase—slaves to be eaten. They refuse to sell food or nny other products of their country for anything else, and the surrounding tribes capture and export canoe-loads of slaves for this purpose. The French expedition experienced great difficulty in obtaining food among a people who have no desire for ordinary articles of trade. A curious scene is witnessed during the winter months in the parish church of Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, England. There are no means of lighting this church, so that the worshipers are required to carry their own lights, and it is no uncommon sight to see a member of the congregation standing during the singing of the hymns with book in one hand and a candle or lamp in the other. Will Smith and Frank Netherv went into D. A. Jackson’s store at Trenton, Ga., and purchased a can of cove oysters which, upon being opened, disclosed a small greenish frog, alive and able to jump. Several were present in the store and saw the frog taken from the can, and saw it jump along the counter. The frog was evidently put up with the oysters, no saying how long. Packs of wolves have also appeared at Belgrade and other'towns in Servia. At Pozarewatz a girl was devoured by the famished brutes, and stories of similar tragedies have come from various parts of Europe. The cold in Bohemia and ServiA has been extreme. Speaking of remarkable longevity, how’s thi3: Mrs. James Polly, of Green County, Ky., is one hundred and seven years old and the mother of fourteen children, of whom thirteen are living, the youngest being fifty-nine years old.