Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1894 — A Snake Living ian Irish So it. [ARTICLE]

A Snake Living ian Irish So it.

“Treasures of wickness profit’ - ®othing;but righteousnessdelivereth from death.” The report that every man, woman or child who may have one or more packs of playing cards, soiled or unsoiled. in their possession, will be compelled to report the same to theinternal revenue officersand pay a tax of two cents a pack, is without foundation. Only those cards in the stocks of dealers are liable to the provisions of the now law. English sportsmen have formed a plan for a gigantic game preserve in South Africa. They propose to enclose 100,00 b acres and will stock it with even’ species of “critter” known to the wilds of the Dark Continent. many varieties being threatened with extinction by the insane’ methods of slaughter now in vogue with hunters in that part of the world. Toe suspicion among police au* thpritigidji-alkef-the large cities of the world that there was constant communication being carried on between anarchists of all nationalities has been fully confirmed by recent 'disclosures. The situation is regarded as a serious menace to almost i every city of importance in Europe I and America. What measures to I suppress the evil may be taken is* not as yet disclosed. Evidently we i may expect a series of atrocities that have neveiybeen equalled-

The law in New York city makes it obligatory on the Police Board to retire on half pay any officer' who, after twenty years' service, applies for such retirein-'ll t s if no charges are pending against him. Since the Lexow committee began its investi gations the Commissioners have refused all applications of this character. There are now said to be one hundred o'" ec’s eligible to this privilege who will seek retirement, and if necessary will resort to legal measures to compel tiie Board to act. Jermatitis Exfoliativil They have got it in a London work house. It is a brand new disease and the peculiar bacteria has already been interviewed with as unsatisfactory ; results as a candidate for President who won’t talk. The mortality of patients attacked at first was 50 per cent., but few deqjjis now occur. The first symptoms ar cm flam mation of the skin, which peels off in large patches. In some cases large blisters are formed. The disease frecontinues several weeks and ibe patient becomes very weak and and emaciated. The best authorities believe it is contagious, but the medicos confess themselves completely puzzled, as the disease is distinctly a new one. I A gentleman was once.in adilem- • ma about his choicejof ' present for a .young lady of his acquaintance and called upon a friend for advice, stating that he wanted to purchase something that would make a big show for his money. The friend suggested a load of hay. Probably a similar desire prompted Prince Kucku Edukuma, of West Africa, recently, to send to the Princess of Wales as a roval present a huge log of mahogany forty feet long and forty-two inches in diam- * eter. Prince Ed certainly made as big a show for his money as was possible under the circumstances. The Prim ess did not find the present at all unacceptable, as might have been supposed, and has given orders for a variety of furniture to be manufactured from the log. It has often been said L|hat life consists principally of ups and downs- mostly downs. Qlt is only a question of time with all men. The 1 ...J?roude^ t powerful potentate at last lie on a common level with the most poverty stricken and humble of their fellow men. No reasonable man but fully appreciates the awful truth pf this the inexorable doom of every living thing. Life is a journey toward a common goal—a mad race for the grave that covers all. Yet there are other vicissitudes besides the final act in the drama that startle and astonish by their agreeable or otherwise. that seem impossible. A more remarkable example of this is seldom afforded than the respeo- 1 tive careers of the late George W. Childs and George R. Graham, both men of distinction and ability. Geo. , W. Childs worked for Graham as an office boy when the lattei' was making 150,000 a year. Afterwards misfortune assailed Graham, his j magazine failed, his fortune disappeared. he became blind, and finally iwas gmd to live on the charity of

the bo.v who had envied him in his prosperity, and outlived him to die as a pauper a few days ago. The great career of Geo. W. Childs is known to all. Seldom are two such conspicuous examples of success and failure brought into contact before ‘ the public eye. i There is an impending crisis in i Madagascar. This news may seem I a trifle “far fetched.” In fact Mad- • agascar is a good ways* off, and hosi tilities might proceed to the extinc- • tion of the races of that country and • not disturb the United States in the least. Yet the insignificant savage government in that far-off island is a factor in the diplomatic world. France is the dominant power and England views the inroads of the i French with a jealous eye. London ! advices state that diplomatists look upon the situation as very uncertain, and fears are entertained that the differences that are now seemingly ! certain to result, may end in actual hostilities between England and France. Americans have been reading of hostilities in Europe for so many years that this information will hardly be considered worth tte^ rea ding. We don’t believe any of the great powers care to fight any more. It is entirely too expensive now-a-days. The local situation in New York City is said to be alarming. The police are apparently paralyzed and powerless, and make arrests with extreme pleading" that the i sweeping charges of corruption made i against the whole force has made I their positions almost unbearable. ' The officers are said to express the ’ sentiment that they will be censured ; no matter what they do, hence they ! feel like doing as little as possible. They claim that they have never

been given credit for the long years |.of efficient service that has made the streets of the metropolis secure for all. and their indifference has led to j the natural result. Organized bands ’ of highwaymen parade the street’. 1 A procession of toughs will form headed by a band; the crowd will fill the street from house to house and sweep everything before it, slugging and robbing as they pro- : coed, and before the authorities can reach the scene of the disturbance the gang has dispersed, leaving the I victims bruised, bleeding and minus their valuables, as useless witnesses of the raid. Even Fifth avenue has been disgraced by such scenes. Rear i Admiral Erbon was“held up” in front of the Manhattan Club. An Eighth avenue car was held up and the passengers robbed. AH these happened early in the evening. Superintendent Byrnes, in an interview,.said: “There are pauses for this. It is getting tn be so now that a policeman is afraid to arrest anybody. He is ‘catching it’ from the courts on ( One hand and the newspapers on the otter hand.” There have been nu -j m/rous instances of late where potee officers have been rebuked in the courts for making certain arrests. In many cases the persons arrested by them have been discharged, and they forthwith proceeded to lodge complaints against the officer. The | Lexow investigation has been charged with the responsibility for' the situation, and with some reason. Every person having a grievance against an . officer has gone before ! the commission to get revenge, and very often with success. The result has beena practical demoralization' of the police force, and the end is not yet.

Hartford Times. People in passing the Times office today have been attracted by tho sight of a lively striped snake, two feet long, in a glass iarwith a perforated covering. —Ttie jar is hall filled with earth, and his snakeshin is having a lively time wriggling and burrowing in it. The snake is an American product, but the earth is from Ireland, where tradition says snakes can not live since St. Patrick banished them. Whatever opinions may be held in regard to the truth of the story "aßopt the exodus dTshakcs"Tr6m”~tho Green Isle at the command of the patron saint, the fact is that nowhere in Ireland can a snake bo found. The damp climate of the country is uncongenial to them. Mr. Patrick N. Burke, of this city’ read some time ago in the Times an article stating that a test had been made in New London, and.a snake was unable to live on the soil. . He recently visited the country of his birth, and it occurred to him to test the story o£-the inability of snakes to live on Irish soil. He brought with him from Galwav, Ireland, the earth shown in the Times window. He has been making efforts to se, cure a jhcalthy snake, and on Tuesday two boys found one in Tariffvilie. Mr. Burke, anxious to the fatal effect of Irish soil on reptiles, gave the boys a dollar for thpii snake. He put the snake in the jar this morning. The breeding stock must be healthy and vigorous or the egg will be lacking in vitality ana the cliicki will be weak and debilitated.