Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1886 — Page 3

ALICE CARY'S SWEETEST POKM. Among the beautiful pictures That haug on memory's wall, Is one of a dim old forest That seemeth the best of a’l. - l ' Hot for its guarled oaks olden. Dark With tile mistletoe, Nor for the violets golden, That sparkled the vale below; Hot for the milk white lilies That 1 an from the fragrant hedge; Not for the vine of the upland. Where the brlßht red berries rest. Not for the pink nor tho pule. Wool cowslips, It seemed to bo the beat. I onee hod a little brother, With 4yca that were dark and deep; In the lap of that olden forost He both in prace asleep. Light os the down of the thistle. Free as the windsthat blow. We roved there the beautiful summers, The summers of long ago. s But his feot on tho hill grew woary. And one of the autumn dayq I made for my little brother A bed of the yollow leavoa. Sweetly his pale arms folded My neck In sweet ombraee. As light of immortal beauty Silently covered his face; And when the arrows of sunset lodged in the tree tops bright, He fell in his sa'nt-like beauty, Asleep by the gates of light. Therefore of all the beautiful plotnros That hang < n memory’s wall. The one of the dim, old forest Seemeth the best of all.

A WOMAN’S STRATEGY.

BY H. M. L.

I am an onlyechild. At the lime of my birth my father was a man of 40 years of age, possessed of great wealth, large culture, and n fiuo intellectual mind; he had been married only a year, and welcomed my advent as fulfilling the second deareSt wish of his heart —the dearest had been to have a son. “And that may come in time,” he said, hopefully, as he kissed my mother’s white and smiling lips. “Meantime, thank God for all his good gifts, and especially this precious one —our little daughter.” My mother has repeated to me often his very words. He took his little daughter to his heart, from the very first, so fondly that before long she filled it wholly, and left no ■room there for vain regrets about the son who, in spite of all his hopes, never came. He educated me himself until I was 14, then sent me to an excellent school for two years. Before their expiration, he,.died. I pass over that time of bitter sorrow'. My father bad been all the world to me. I suppose the grief would have prostrated mo completely but for the necessity, which instantly arose, of taking care of poor, dear, little mother. Sho bad.been accustomed to be “taken eare of” ail her life. A gentle, clinging, helpless, loving creature, scarcely more than a child when she was married, and only 10—a golden-haired, sunny-tempered, childish girl—when I, her one baby, was born. Now, her baby was 16, and could take care of her; and she, although a trifle more matronly in figure, and self-possessed in manner, than in those earlier years, in all else was a girl still. My father’s will left all his wealth to me, save a yearly income to my mother for her lifetime; but he!expressly desired that this disposition of his property should be kept a secret between ourselves until nfter my marriage, and that the world should suppose his wife his heiress, rather than his child. His reason for this was a great fear, which had always troubled him, that I’ should be sought for my money, and so make nn unhappy marriage. It never seemed to have occurred* to him that the modo which he had qhosen of escaping this danger did but shift it from my shoulders to those of m.v dear mother, who was really much more likely to be imposed on than myself. There was no alternative hut to obey his dying wish, however, nor did the danger to mamma seem very great. She protested, in her grief, that for me to even suggest the possibility of her marrying again was most cruel; and I resolved to watch over her interests and protect her with jealous care. “Ho must be a smart man,"-1 thought, “who can win'my darling’s ear and touch her loving heart without my consent.” Nevertheless, such a man was found in the person of Mr. Job Ilardston, und within two years of my dear father’s death. He was a person for whom I had conceived an instinctive dislike at onr first meeting; a sallow, unhealthy-looking man, with a sinister expression on his otherwise handsome features, and shallow, sly, black eyes. Disliking him so much myself, it never occurred to me that dear, gentle, impressionable little mamma might form a different opinion; yet so it was; and when I found it out my interference came too late. “For he loves me very mudh,” said she, with tears and blushes; “and I love him, Constance. And think how lonely I shall be when you are married, as jou will be very soon, you know, to Paul.” I could 6ee no force in this argument. SheWrurtolive wittruivof cotrrse.-“Heither Paul nor myself had ever dreamt otherwise. Instead of being more lonely, she would really have more company than now. But I did not argue the matter. These very weak and gentle women can be the most obstinate of their sox nt times, I know. And, besides, I fondly thought I know a better way to part them than by argument. I quietly informed Mr. Job Hardston of the real conditions of my father’s will. “That will frighten him off, ” I thought, hopefully. To my consternation, it did nothing of the kind. His pale face flushed a little, it is true, and his shallow eyes shifted uneasily, and he kept silent for a little while; but when he did answer it was to dash my hopes. “I love your mother for her own sake, Miss Wayne," said he, “aud I have money enough, if necessary, for both.” After that, what could I do? Poor, dear, little mamma was enraptured. The end of it was that he agreed to keep our secret still (from which my love —my own devoted Paul —was excluded), and they were married. I had no intention of residing very long under Mr. Hurdston’s roof. I was expecting a visit from Paul, and I resolved (and told mamma my resolution) to name my wedding-day as soofi’iis he arrived. Of course, she told this to her husband—innocent, guileless creature that she was. I might have expected that. Nor did! think of objecting to her doing so, or cautioning her against it; for the idea that he would presume to interfere with my private business .and personal liberty of action never onoe occurred to me. Yet he did so. “Genstance was too young,” he told her. It wanted yet seven months of my eighteenth birthday. And he worked upon her Ufjid, as he well knew bow, until she—not b 6 ,ng the kind of mother who ever commands her children—implored me, with tearu to let the matter rest for those few until I should be legally of age. I cong.’ntcd for her sake. For myself, my hemp.,* was fairly roused, and I should willingly have made a good fight against Mr. Hardston ’interference; but, for her sake, I refrained And this was but the beginning of troubles, lire loug I saw plainly that my stop-fat her had formed plana concerning

me and nw fortune, to which ho would at least endeaVor to force me to submit. My mother—my tender darling, who had never known unkindness in her life—was his powerful instrument for the enforcement of his will. He played ns, as it were, against each olber? If I were refractory, she was made to plead to me. Well he knew that her tears could win what would Be denied to hfs commands. Bnt it I refused to yield even to her, he tortured .her to punish me, aud made me wretched by Ibe knowledge of her misery. Her misery? Yes. It come to that before throe months wore over. She grew pale, silent, nervous, sorrowfnl. One day, laying her hand upon my shonlder, with a burst of weeping, “It is not so much the ruin of my own hnppiness that I mourn,” she sobbed. “It is the destruction of yours. He is a hard, bad man—alas, alas! And he will never let you marry Paul.” I did my best to cheer and comfort her. “What use would it bo for him to interfere with that?” said I. “He can’t hope lo keep me unmarried; anjd any one else will deprive him of Control of my fortune just the same as Paul." She was very much agitated; her pale lips quivered, and her poor little hundß beat each other nervously. “Not everybody else,” said she. “There is one who would not. Oh, my dear, my dear, you don’t know all!" And sho broke into sobs again. A vague alarm took hold of me. I began to fear I knew not whut. “All what?” I cried. “Dear mamma, try to be calm and tell me.” She checked her tears, and made a piteous effort to be composed. “You remember,” sho said, “when I persuaded you (at his command), to write to Paul, telling him to put off his visit? YVell —that was the beginning of his work. He has deceived me, Connie —deceived us both. He has been married before; he is a widower with one son.” “A son!” I said no more, only looked into her eyes, and saw there the confirmation of my fears. “He intends you to marry his son, Connie, and thus keep your fortune under his own control. I found this out a month ago, but had not the heart to tell yon. And, my dear, I suspect that his journey to town today is made for the purpose of bringing his son back with him.” But that seemed unnecessary, and I suspected a deeper motive. Even when the soa—the very copy of the father —did indeed arrive in his company a few hours later, I still felt assured, by some unaccountable instinct, that he had been working mischief to my peace in town. “Would to heaven that you had never seen him!” I cried, to which poor mamma replied, only with silent tears. And now my life began to be burdensome, indeed, the house being to me little better than a prison. Meanwhile poor mamma grew paler and more sorrowful every day. I tried to cheer her, and concealed my own uneasiness for her sake. She needed love and comfort, poor thing, for Mr. Hardston had made a mere nonentity of her in the house, by placing over it a housekeeper who Went to him for all her orders—ah elderly woman, with a hard, stern face; silent, sly, and acting (I was convinced) as a spy upon both of us. And now, as if to cap the climax of jny anxieties and griefs, something went wrong with Paul’s letters, so that, during a whole month, though I had written him again and again, not a line reached me. I never doubted Paul. I was as certain that my step-father was to blame as if he had confessed it to me. No restriction had he ever ventured to place upon my correspondence. I suspected him all the more for that. The trouble dated from the time of his visit to town. Mv instincts had not warned me without cause! He was in the habit of opening the past bag—of which he kept the key—at the breakfast-table, and distributing the letters to their owners; I believe that when letters came for me he kept them. I resolved to test it. One morning, as he laid a certain familiar-looking envelope beside his plate, I suddenly arose and boldly seized it. A glnnce sufficed. “This is mine!” I said, sternly. “You have made a mistake, sir; and I doubt if this is the first time!” Ho stood, white and rod by turns, baffled, yet raging. I opened and rend Paul’s letter before bis face. “So,” I said, “this was your plan, was it? You have written him that I am to marry your son there, and he refuses to believe it unless under my own hand! He does well. My hand will never write him such a lie! And he has had no line from me for a month; yet I have written him repeatedly. Your plots have failed, sir, and I shall go to town at once, to repair the mischief you have made!” Then he let fall the mask. “1 should never leave that house,” he told me, “until I consented to break with Paul." He asked no more at the time. Doubtless he thought that, that much gained, the £asy«„-_g.» I defied him, and went to my room £6" dross for town —he followed.and locked me in. “ Then I saw that fair and open warfare with this villian was impossible. He evidently relied on brutal force. I resolved to oppose it by stratagem. “Ail’s,fair in love and war," I thought. “If ever deceit was pardonable in any case, surely it is so in this!” Toward evening I sent for him to my room. “You have the power in your hands,” I said. “I am not beaten yet, but let me see my mother.” He smiled, mockingly. * “You will find no ally in her,” he said, “but yon Bhall see her;” —and ho brought her to my room, and left us alone. She was quite broken down, and could do nothing-but weep and tremble. I knelt down, and put my arms around her. “Hush!" I whispered. “Be brave, and help me, and when Paul and I are married you shall come to us, and we will make you happy again. I have a plan; if I can carry it out I will be free, and his , wife speedily.” Then I told her my plan, aud ifi spite of her fears, filled her with hope and courageShe promised to do all I wished, and I sat down and wrote a note to Paul. It ran thns: “My Dearest—Pay no attention to any note but thit. I am in the power of a scoundrel, who compels me to write the falsehood yon will find enclosed. On receipt of this come instantly to Fairfield, a village five miles from here, procure a special license, and marry me. “Your own, as ever, ~—~—- —~~ “Constance:." I wrote this on very thin paper, and slipped it into an envelope in my desk; then I sent for my step-father. When he came I pointed to my mother. “This trouble is killing her,” I said. “Since yon have no mercy, / must save her. For her sake 1 will write the letter yon wish—on one condition." “What condition?” be demanded. “That as soon as I have written —from your dictation, if you will—you allow me io laivca thiq hnnfift. to tftlrft tny lOU»u 1111“ uwuoo) ftirvi urtono u*J nsulliOA with me, for she needs change.” He considered a little. “Where would yon go?" he said, suspiciously. I answered scornfully; “Anywhere, away from you, sir! The nearest village or the

farthest town will snit me for that purpose equally well." Then mamma spoke, timidly: “It ii too late to prepare for a long journey—” “Oh, well,” I interrupted, “a short ono for to-night, then. Let s go to Fairfield,! and to-morrow have our luggage sent sites ns. I will not write the letter else.” Bnt he was still suspicious. “I must eee yoq write it then,” he said. I agreed lo that; and, sitting down at my desk, wrote, before his eyes, ns he directed. v “Does that satisfy yon?” I demanded. “Y'es,” he said. “Y'ou hope to cheat me in some way. You will write-him another letter from Fairfield. Well, do so; so as he gets this, 1 am satisfied.” Of course; for, as I afterward learned, he hnd bribed a seirant at the hotel where! Paul stqpped, so that my letters never reached him. “This must go by band,” ho said, while I quietly drew forth an envelope— the envelope with my note in it —nnd enclosed the letter, and addressed it before his eyes. “My son shall take it, leaving you at Fairfield first. I give you leave to stay there for a week.” •, ’ So we went to Fairfield, and James Hardston earned my double letter to Paul. I learned afterward that he delivered it into his own hands. Paul stepped aside to read it. “Sir,” said he, coming back presently, “I require time to answer this. Will you do me the favor to remain here to-night?— it is now quite late. To-morrow, when my answ'er is ready, I will give it into your keeping.” James Hardston consented to that, engaged a room at the hotel, and went to bed. By the midnight train Paul stalted for Fairfield. I expected him, and had a messenger waiting for him at the station. A special license was procured, nnd a message flushed to James Ilardston in town a few days later: “Have married Cons tance. Accept thanks for bringing mo her letter. “Patti, Gray." Then we all three went up to town. Presently my step-father followed us, furious. He threatened to take tny dear little mother away, but changed his miud, and concluded to leave her ..with me—as she wished—when Paul threatened him with a prosecution at law for conspiring to defraud me of my fortune, for my -husband had, ofcourse, learned, what my lover had never even suspected, that I was my father’s heiress.

Her Husband.

It is amusing and sometimes disgusting to hear some women talk of relatives or friends not being “congenial.” A wife who makes such a declaration about her husband shows not only poor taste, but a lack of discretion and good sense that is ominous for the future. The degree of congeniality is never increased by such unwisely indiscretions.) “M.v husband’s a real good man, a provider, stiddy as a clock, and all that, but in some things he ain’t a bit congenial,” said a garrulous woman to a friend. “Upon what do you disagree ?” was asked. • “Well, mostly about our reading.” “Why, how so?” “Well, tho fact is, I’m too literary for John.” ” “Indeed!” ——' ~ “Yes, John ain’t a bit literary. Now I always did run to literaryness. I just believe I could write. ” “Did you ever try?” , “Yes; I’ve wrote two or.three poems. They rhyme right straight through. But John he just laughs at me. He says a woman with four children and only a poor carpenter- for a husband ain’t got time to write poetry or be literary. There isn’t tho first literary streak about that man. Now, I’m the greatest reader.” “Does your husband dislike books?” “O, he likes to read the papers and says lie thinks it’s his duty as a voter to keep informed iu politics; and he reads about the labor question, and he’s got some old histories and a book called ‘Macaulay’s Essays’ that he’s forever reading. But when it comes to being literary John ain’t there.” “What do you read?” “O, I read every scrap of poetry in the newspapers I can pick up, and I often have four novels on hand at a time. I’m reading one now called ‘Millicent the. Mad, Mad Maid of the Mist, ’ and I take four splendid story papers and borrow two more. I s'pose mebbe I’d be happier if I wasn’t so literary, but I can’t help it. “And, of course John can’t appreciate my tastes and my kind of reading. He ain’t literary enough for it. And so we ain’t a bit congenial. And I sometimes-fchinkitr-would of been-bet-ter for John if he’d married a woman less literary than me. It’s dreadful to he so literary when your husband ain’t a bit that way. ” Yes—drekdful for the husband.— Youth’s Companion.

Not a Speculator.

"Pa, ” said tlie speculator’s sou,' “I want some money for a little speculation. ” “I am pleased, my boy,” returned the father, as he fished a five-dollar bill from his pocket, “to see that you are taking an interest in the business affairs of life. Now, I won’t ask you what this speculation is, but I will go halves with you on it. I will furnish the money and you engineer the business, and we will go halves on the profits. Of course, t if there jiro none I lose my money and you your time.” ‘•‘AH right, pa. I’ll make the investment to-day and report progress tomorrow. ” The next evening when the father returned home he inqnired about the “deal.” “Swamped!” was the sententious re* mark of the youth. "Swamped!” exclaimed the old gentleman in surprise. “Yes, swamped!” replied the boy. “Never saw such a decline in stocks in my life. Shrunk clear out of sight It was a good investmentyesterday goods worth their face value then, but to-day you couldn’t give them away. ” “But for heaven’s sake, Georgie, what did yon invest in ?” “Theater tickets for last night’s performance. ” The old man thought very hard for a time, and then expressed himself to the effect that the boy was fitted for a confidence operator rather thau a speculator. ___ Anna—How I do love pets! Before T was married I always had a monkey. Arthur—And what have you now? Anna—You I

WALKING TO HIS GRAVE.

An ImlitintwMun’ Kept in Perpetual Motion by a Spinal Disease. A Strange Cano Tbatr f xritos Widespread Interest Among the Meiical Fraternity. rWabosh tJud.) letter.! 1 John Snider, Indiana’s walking man, is a dandy curiosity and no mistake. Snider lives one mile south of Mill Grove, a small station on the Pan-Handle Railway, in the eastern part of Blacklord County. Your correspondent found him industriously perfoiming his heel-and-toe act. His borne is a one-story log-cabin, located in the center of an acre lot. Around the house a beaten path, worn fully five inches below the surface, indicates the route' pursued bv Snider in his weary and almost ceaseless tramp. To vary the monotony of his tramp, Snider has two other promenades, both in the rear of the dwelling, circular in form and ninety feet in diameter. During the past three months Snider has walked incessantly out of doors, through rain, sleet, and snow; but, as the exposure had begun to tell on him, his relatives fitted up a room in the cabin for his pedestrian exercises. Two yeiws ago last April Snider, then a robust man of fifty-four, while nt work in a field, was seized with a spasmodic twitching of his arms and hands aud severe cramping of the muscles of the body. He was incapacitated for labor of any kind, end the physician summoned pronounced the case a most serious one. After a few days of suffering all symptoms of nervous derangement disappeared, and for a week Snider was apparently as well as ever. Then the muscular convulsions again manifested themselves, but this time in the legs. He lost control of both legs, and the propensity to walk, which will eventually carry Snider to the grave, took complete possession of him, and with the exception of about four hours each day, from 1 to 5 o’clock a. m., be is constantly on his feet and traveling at the rate of four miles an hour. At 5 o’clock in the morning, after a sleep of three lo four Lours, Snider begins his daily tramp and continuous walking, eating his meals as he walks, until one o’clock flbe following morning, when he sits down in a chah and sleeps soundly, being unable to rest in a recumbent position. At the outset his friends endeavored by force to induce him to remain quiet, but he immediately became frantic, and with tears in his eyes the patient begged to be released or he would die. Snider was placed in the Stato asylum at Indianapolis for a brief time, but was returned by the authorities there, pronounced harmless and incurable. He is perfectly rational, but talks but little about his peculiar affliction, and seems rather averse to newspaper notoriety. The walker stated tnat he could not possibly control himself, and that his physicians had informed him that he would walk until death claimed him. When Snider began his tramp he weighed 160 pounds; he mow weighs 150 pounds, and has not an ounce of superfluous flesh. His muscles are hard and firm. He has fully recovered from a recent indisposition, when he was thought to be dying. He walks with a quick step of uniform length, striking his heels into the soil each time, the shock being apparently a grateful one to 'his muscles. At times Snider sleeps p.s he walks, and for an hour, guided by relatives, he swings around the circle, snoring loudly, and upon awakening he runs at a rapid gait for several miles, to “rest himself,” as he says.. Snider suffers no paiu, and is apparently contented while in motion. Dr. Davidson, of Hartford City, who is Snider’s physician, and has complete charge of the case, said that, while his recovery is impossible, Snider would probably live for many months. “The affection is a disease of the spinal cord, ” said tho Doctor, “and from the hips down his physical condition is not subject to government by the brain, the great nerve center.” ' In October Snider was placed behind a plow in a field and made fair progress for a time, but w'hen the plow struck a hidden root and stopped, Snider, instead of extricating it, let ge of the handles, walked around the horses, and set off alone on his regular tramp. It is estimated that during the two years he has been walking, Snider has traveled 25,000 miles. The case excites widespread interest among the medical fraternity, many members of which have visited Snider at his home, diagnosing the disease while walking with him, as he is unable to stop even for a moment. His case is said by physicians to be unparalleled, and his powers of endurance superhuman.

A FAMOUS HUMORIST.

Alexander E. Sweet, of the Texas Siftings. A New- York dispatch states that A. E. - Sweet'-s new- pb+y kas been, fully -rehearsed and that it will prove a big success. Alex. E. Sweet is tho funny man of Texas Sift-

ings. He is 46 years of age, and moved from Austin, Tex., to New York three years ago. His blossoming out as a playwright brings him quite prominently before the public once more. The play is said to be very funny, and deals with the doings of Col. Snort, a typical Texas editor.

NATIONAL BANK CIRCULATION.

Ur. Warner’s Bill !• Invent Lawful Money Deposited as Security. (Washington dispatch.] Mr. Warner (O.) introduced a bill in the Houie on Tuesday providing that 90 per cent, of the money deposited in the Treasury to secure national bank circulation shall be invested in United States uncalled bonds; that whenever said bonds exceed the amount of outstanding circulating notes of national banks such excess shall be canceled; that the Secretary of the Treasnry may, at his discretion, redeem national bank notes with unappropriated money in the Treasury, or with the proceeds of the sale of a portion of these bonds. The bill further provides that no national bank shall be required hereafter to deposit or keep on deposit, to secure circulating netes, United States bonds to an amount exceeding one-twentieth of its capital stock, and in no case more than $20,000, and

hereafter all nationnl banks shall be en- 1 till- d to receive circulating‘notes for such bonds at their par value equal to the par value of the bonds so deposited.

M. RENE GOBLET.

Tile French Statesman Chief of the Recently Formed Cabinet. M onsi eur R etrn Uobh*Fwa#4>om at A ire-siir-ln-Lys in 1828 and began life as a lawyer at Amiens. He was elected to the

National Assembly in 1871, and in that body rapidly made himself a reputation as an orator. In 1876 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, to which body he was returned by the electors in the following year. Ho gained the enmity of M. Zola, for forbidding the production of “Germinal" last year. Rene Goblet, formerly a protege of Gambetta, is said to be a seeset ally of Clemenceau. He was Minister of Public Instruction in the Cabinet which preceded the one which was defeated in the first weok of December, 1886. In the year 1882 he was Minister of the Interior. M. Goblet is a journalist of liberal views, having founded while at Amiens in 1869 the liberal journal styled Le Progrea de la Somme. He at one period voted for the Wallon Constitution, which Gambetta sought to revise. In 1876 he was beaten by a Bonapartist, and in 1882 he was described by the Figaro as entertaining anti-clerical views.

MANNING DEFENDS HIMSELF.

Our Minister at Mexico Denies the Charges Made Against Him. [Now Orleans telegram.] A morning paper prints the following letter lrom Minister Manning, dated at the City of Mexico on the 13th inst., and addressed to Mr. Percy Roberts: My Dear Sir—Revolting as the subject 1* to me. I can not permit my friends and the public to bo deceived and misled by the slanderous misrepresentations that have lately filled many of the newspapers. The crusade against me began with accounts of what was said to be a magnificent banquet given in my honor, at which were a largo number of distinguished men, and where I, in plain terms, was said to have got drunk. The actual facts, which will, I trust, by the kindness of the New Orleans press, be generally dissominated, are as follows: Mr. tiuiraud, a former resident of New Orleans, knowing my desire to meet some of the business men who were engaged extensively in the industrial development of Mexico, invited two—only two—of them to meet me at break-* fast at his house. They were Mr. Braniff, an American long resident of this country, and Mr. Sebastian Camacho, a Mexican. Both of them are largely interested in the railroads and in mines; Mr. Braniff in a cotton factory, and both capitalists in the very front rank of those brainy, practical, progressive men who have done so much already to develop their country, and who are looking hopefully forward to. tlio accomplishment of greater results. The party consisted of those two gentlemen, our host, and myself. The con vernation at the table was entirely occupied by a contrastive description of the country—as it was and as it is—and with details of what was in progress now and in preparation for the future. I gained a mass of valuable nnd interest ng information from them that I could not have obtained from books. With so staid a party and wita such subjects for discussion it is hardly reasonable there would be extraordinary hilarity. Wine was drunk, but in moderation, and at the end of the breakfast I went to the legation and remained until 4:30 p. m., transacting the business of my office. I inclose Mr. Eranilf s statement about the breakfast. It was telegraphed from here some time after this—why, I don't know—that I had delirium tremens, as was evident from the noises proceeding from my room. Fortunately for me, a gentleman of the highest character had his room next to mine. He refers to the Mexican minister at Washington for information as to who he is. His name is Thomas MucManus, and his statement is forwarded. The chief of the diningroom in my hotel has kindly tendered his statement, which is herewith inclosed. The hotel has no bar-room, as in the States. All liquors are furnished in the dining-room. 1 do not wish to make this letter longer, but as my confinement to my room from an attack of pneumonia has been circulated with malicious industry as a pretense, I add at this point a sentence from a statement made by my physician. Dr. Parsons: “X began attendance on Judge Manning Nov. 25, and found him suffering extreme pain in the region of tho heart, and, on examining the -rtmgsf found ■that ~the**bswer lotw-of-the right - lung was affected with pneumonia. His convalescence was protracted owing to the heart difficulty, which I attribute to the altitude of Mexico, and to tho inability to proeuro a fire in the Judge’s room. Judge Manning had previously consulted with me in reference to the effect that the altitude and Extreme cold weather had upon him, stating that he had not been comfortable since his arrival. I have noticed that all Southerners who come here during the winter months suffer with colds, catarrhs, etc , especially when a northern wind has been blowing in Vera Cruz, as has been tho caso for the last two or toree voeks. "Dated Dec 0,18%.” Under continuous subjection to a wretched cold, catarrh,* and sore throat, I have not, save on three occasions, been out of my hotel at night for seven weeks, and when symptoms of pneumonia supervened I was enjoined to use the greatest precautions. During that period Mr. Marischal, the Ministe# of Foreign .Affairs, gave a diplomatic dinner, and I accepted his invitation, though prostrate at the time, hoping I should bo well enough to attend when the dinner, which was a week ahead, should come off. Whet my physician learned what X had done he energetically prohibited my attendance at the dinner, declaring he woiild not answer for the consequences. The telegraphic correspondents who-had concocted the previous ■ dispatches threatened, I am advised, tnat if I did not go to the dinner they would make it lively for me. You know probably by this time "into what new forms of traduction this lively invention has projected itself. I do not. Very truly yours. T. C. Manning. The statement of Mr. Braniff is dated at Mexioo, December 9, and is as follows: “I hereby certify that I was present at the breakfast given by Mr, Guiraud, at which Judge Manning also assisted. The only guest besides the Judge and myself was Mr. Camacho, director of the mint and of several railways. The breakfast was at the usual hour, between 12 and 1 o'clock, and wine was drunk, but with moderation. At the conclusion, about 3 o’clock. Judge Manning left us for the legation. He was not in the least under the influence of the wine, and we were much surprised here at hearing that statements contrary to the above had been made. Thomas Braniff. ’ The statement of Thomas MaeManus, who occupies the room next that of the Minister at the Hotel del Jardin, says that he has been In constant intercourse with Judge Manning and has never seen him under the influence of liquor. XfJJjere had been anv noise in the Judge's room MaeManus says he would have board it. Manuel Ruiz, in charge of the dining-room at the hotel, states that Judge Manning drank very little liquor or wine and was never intoxicated. - * The sting of a bumble bee contains only one-fifth part of a drop of poison, and why a boy jumps up aira down and takes on so about it is more than medical science can explain.— Detroit Free Frees. • . ’ • V ‘ . ■ ~~T

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

Residents in Dubois County are greatly cxciied ov<rthe development of a rich alive r mine near Back Shoals, on the east fork of While lUver. The discovery of silver dates back to the beginning of the present century, when, according to an old story. James G. Wynne, who was locating a farm near Havesville. discovered silver ore in rich quantities. He went East to interest speculators in the venture, but they ref need to assist bim. He came back to his “find,” hut was taken ill with a malignant fever and died two days after his return. No one eared to investigate the story until two years ago, when John Smith became interested in the matter and begata prospecting at Bnck Shoals. He discovered ore in largo quantities and had many specimens analyzed, yielding more or less silver. Two weeks ago he sent specimens to Indianapolis to be assayed, the result showing silver in paying quantities. He at once leased the land about liis own little property, and is now preparing a car-load of the ore to send to St. Louis to be smelted. Buck Shoals is situated in a mountainous region. The vein is said to be very easy of access. —The annual reports of the Board of Directors and the Superintendent of the Blind Asylum, which have been submitted to the Governor, state that the estimated value of real estate of the institution is $43,562.28, and personal property, $17,160. The amount appropriated for the current support of tho asylum by the last Legislature was $27,000. Of this, $23,892 has been expended, leaving a balance of $3,108. The total amount of revenue is $28,463.27, and total disbursements, $25,888.07, leaving a total unexpended balance of $3,574.60. The attendance has exceeded that of any previous year, having been 120— sixty males and seventy females. The number of new pupils enrolled during the year was sixteen. The Superintendent states that according to the last census there were in the United States 48,928 blind people, or 1,000 for every 1,000,000 of the population. Of these 26,748 were males and 22,180 females. In Indiana there are 500 children of school age who are blind. —The annual report of the Indiana Hospital for the Insane for the year ending October 31, has been filed with the Governor. There wns a daily average of 1,542 insane inhabitants, whose maintenance cost $l6O per capita. In addition to this about $75,000 was expended for repairs, clothing, etc. The number of deaths in the institution was 103. Superintendent Fletcher says this showing will compare favorably w ith any institution in the world. The hospital contains 300 more patients than its actual capacity. The number of insane in poor-houses is fifty-three, besides 390 idiots. The completion of the new hospital at once is therefore urged. —’The Indiana cattle plagno has reached Harrison County, and reports from the southern part of the county show that large numbers of animals have died of the disease. Aaron Wolfe, living a few miles south of C’orydou, has lost some fine cattle, and be says that they died in a few hoars after the first symptoms of sickness had been noticed. In one instance a heifer, apparently free from disease, having eaten as usual during the day, laid down iu the evening and died within two hours. Mr. Wolfe says his' son skinned one of the animals, and that he has since been sick of fever, and thinks the sickness was caused by contagion. —Hog cholera made its appearance among the hogs of Adams, Wells, and Allen counties early last fall, and has continued with slight abatement and change of locality up to the present time. The aggregate loss in the three counties from this disease in the past four months is in excess of anything of the kind ever before known. No remedy has yet been discovered, and farmers with afflicted hogs are discouraged. - —A company has been formed at Alexandria for the purpose of drilling for pas, under the title of the Alexandria Mining Association, with E. B. Chamness President and E. B. McMahan Secretary* Sufficient stock has been subscribed to assure the success of the enterprise, and bids for the work are being received, but no contract will be made until the organization is complete, which will he in a few days. —Morton Post, G. A. of Terre Hante, "has passeOesbluironir' tffgttig the CrenSM ' Assembly to appropriate $200,000 for the erection of a soldiers’ monument in Circle Park, Indianapolis, and asking the separation of the Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home from the Asylum for Feeble-minded Children. They also suggest that a system of-indus-trial education should be introduced in the home established for the orphans. —A peculiarity of the hog disease that has been so prevalent in LaPorte County for some time is that the intestines of ail the dead hogs are literally filled with worms of from one to six inches in length. Many farmers think tho disease is quite different from the cholera that 'has visited the county in former times. —John Herman, of Culver’s station, was trying to leach a boar to perform the tricks of the learned hog in the circus side-show, when his koarship turned madly on him, threw hinpdown, and so tore his flesh with his sharp tusks and inflicted injuries over all parts of his body that he will probably die. —A natural gas company, with a capital stock of $25,090, has been organized at Logansport, with Senator Shroyer and George B. Forgy at the head. All the jtock was subscribed in a few hours after the papers were prepared. *—Rev. Amos Stout, of Madison, has accepted a call to the pastorate of the Baptist Church at Lawrenceburg. —Mr. T. J. Hildreth, formerly an employe in the Wabash shop at Fort Wayne* and afterward General Secretary of the railroad department of the Y. M. C. A. at Rochester, N. Y„ has been offered the General Secretaryship of the Y. M. C. A. of Winona, Wis. —The sec6nd section of a freight train on the Monon line ran into the first section at Ladoga. The result was a demolished engine and several oars. The engineer and fireman were slightly injured. —The Indiana Knights of Labor have organized a State Assembly. • * * .. •