Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1871 — CURRENT ITEMS. [ARTICLE]

CURRENT ITEMS.

Lira well-—ls you have the money to ilo It with. 1 Glycerine is eald to bo the beat remedy ft* ana-bum. Largs gilt and enamel combs for the hook hair have come In fashion again. A. rbw style of watch-chain is ornamented with - ' small acorns with enamel tops. Dividends can be used to keep policies in force in the Mutual Life, of Chicago. At Cambridge, Mass., the Other day, the lightning struck the house of a light-ning-rod maker. The Washington is purely mutual, and divides its profits among its policy holders A London magistrate recently punished awoui .l be suicide by making him pay ten shillings to his rescuer. Liqhthino knocked the trowel out of n plaster's hand at Nevada, lowa, during a recent alorrn, without injuring the man. Until the Ist of July, ISTff, 102 Demons had committed suicide by jumping from the now destroyed Vendome column, in , Paris. An Indianapolis merchant has been in business thirty-two years and never ad vertiaed. He runs a peanut warehouse on a curbstone table. The papers sty that the Harpers had ar ranged pipes to throw scalding water upon the New York rioters in case of an attack npon their buildings. Wherb Bound.— “Where do you >pose that clond le bound?" B»<d Bid. with a look f wonder; Said Bob, with anxious look arot.nd, “I 'apoae it’a going to thunde At a recent school examination a young Urchin, being asked why it was so warm in the torrid rone replied promptly, “Be cause it is so hot.” A. Wrlty, an old gentleman residing inOwasco, N. Y., killed sixty five coons last season, the heaviest ouc weighing thirty pounds. The largest number taken by him in one night wss seven. According to Dr. Green, whin a young lady says “no" and means “\es,” she's afflicted with “Amesic aphasia, arising from cmbolns thornbus,” the only known remedy for which is marriage, for “ when a married lady says ‘no,’ she means it.” Nxtina Kimbai.l, a colored woman, was lately sent from Annapolis as freight by the Adams Express Company to Mrs. Z. Gay, Nashua, N. H. She was delivered at the office properly marked, paid for in advance, and was received id 1 good order. * Seventeen Saratoga trunks, two large boxes, three hampers, thri e small carpethags, two bird-cages, a brace of dogs, a French maid, two easy-chairs and a mirror comprised the baggage of a fashionable Philadelphia family who recently arrived at the Stockton House, Cape May. A Virginia woman thought to frighten her son, a young man, as lie was coming home the other night. So site went out to meet him with a sheet thrown over her head. But he did not scare as ■well as she expected. On the contrary, he struck the “ ghost” with a heavy whip he was carrying, and she fell senseless. The obituary notices in the London papers give us evidence of the ripe old age to Which the members of the English aristocracy usually attain. In eight obituaries of eminent persons in a late number of the London jTfltt tin re was but one of a person under sixty. Sir J. Bursdeli was eighty-eight; Sir Oswald Mostly, eightysix; Sir Frederick Echlin, seventy six; Lord Elibank, sixty-seven, and so on. A few weeks ago Duke Ernest, of S lxe-Coburg-Gotha, the brother of the late prince consort, complained, in the presence of Prince Bisinark, that the orderbf the Iron Cross had been distributed too freely and indiscriminately. “ I do not know about that,” replied Bismark; “ the orderis conferred on two clas.-es of per-. sons ; first, to those who have really distinguished themselves during the war; and, second, as a matter of courtesy, to men such as your highness and my s If.” The Duke made no reply. The announcement of the death of a resident of Augusta, Me , at the extreme age of 101 yeais, reminds thq Newburyport Herald of the singular phases which human life often presents. Twenty-eight years ago this man was quite sick, and hi 3 life was despaired of. A neighbor an active business man, in average health, paid him a visit-at the time, and, returning to his owd home, remarked that lie feared his aged friend would not live»till morn ing. The words had scarcely passed his lips when he dropped dead upon the lioor of heart disease. A Washington paper having stated that a short-hand reporter in that city can write with both hands at the same time, the left taking notes and right transcrib ing, the Troy Whig comes to the rescue with this bigger story: “ There is an old reporter, now retired from active life, who used to take notes with his left hand while writing a check with his right. He know wrestling his mush in a greystone front in Sing Sing just because he forgot himself and took notes with one hand in a hurry.” ... . ThE oldest woman in Maine, says the Augusta Journal, is Mrs. lier.ha Foster, who was born on the loth of June, 1704, and is, consequently, over 107 years old. Since her one hundredth birthday she has both spun and knit. For one pair of stockings knit since that time she has received §5. She has been able to read until within a few years, and to walk quite well until very recently, when she fell, and has sined been obliged to keep her bed. She still retains her mental faculties tp a remarkable degree, considering her *g e - , A Justice of the Peace who had been honored with the office for twenty years by the citizens of the town of Davenport, Delaware County, N. Y., was recently thrown out of office by a new survey if the line between that town and the town of Oneonta, Oswego County. It was ascertained that the worthy functionary never lived in the town of Davenport, or Delaware County, and, consequently, wss never eligible to the office he held and discharged the duties of in a very acceptable manner for so long a time. Some questions may yet be raised as to the vaFidity of his decisions, and especially the legality of the marriage ceremonies he has performed. nA.BUOi .Beal was lately captured at Burlington, New Jersey. For a week or ten days previous to the seal being captured, the shad in the river almost disappeared. The fishermen caught so few that fishing proved a losing business, and the price of the few shad went up to a high figure. - All this time the seal was swimming to and fro in the river, no doubt doing his share at shad fishing. To keep clear of him the shad must have been driven away from their accustomed tracks, and hence oat of the reach of the fishermen. But the very day after the capture of their enemy they returned to their old haunts, when the fishermen took them in large numbers, at once giving abundance and law prices. It is a curious feet illustrating the necessity of cleanliness and of keeping the pores of the skin open, that if a coat of Varnish or other substance impervious to moisture be applied to the exterior of the body, death will ensue in about six hours. The experiment was once tried on a child in Florence. On the occasion of Pope Leo the Tenth’s accession to the Papal chair, it was desired to have a living pictora to represent the Golden Age, and so a child was gilded oyer with varnish sal

gold-leaf. The child died in a few hours. If thcfhr of h rabbit or ihe'skln of a pig be covered with a solution of India rubber in Naptha, the animal ceases to breathe in a coup:o ol hours. Records in the Central Land Offleq. show that the United HtAtes is the greatest land owner in the world, being possessed of 1033,742,1162 acres of land, not Including Alaska. East of the Mississippi River, there are about 60,0*0000 acres of public lauds, n«>t jet ilis>p >scu of, chiclly iu \\ is oonsin; an l west of the Mississippi there are 073,472,503 seres, distributi d as follows: lowa, Missouri and Arkansas, 16,000.000; Dakota and Wyoming, 145 2115,284; Montana, MO 004.005 ; Kansas, 43,148,070; Ne braska, 52,523,027; Colorado and Idaho, 117.800,000; New Mexico and Utah. 224,140,000; Nevada and Arizona, 130 000,000; Minnesota, 30,77(5,170; Indian Territory, 44,154 000 A pew days since a convict by Ibe name ol Mike ((Toole, sentenced for four yturs from Detroit, ma le a novel attempt to escape from the Michigan Slate Prison. lie and three other convicts were engaged in loading up wßgons with spokes, which were taken out of the yard to the rear of prison, and there unloaded. Being for a little time out of sight of the keepers, O’Toole jumped into the wagon, and his fellow convicts corded up the spokes around him, and soon the driver came in and started out with the wagon, but while it w as being unloaded be caught a glimpse of the striped pants, and, without saying a Word, he drove back and unloaded Mike inside the walls. The Suspension Bridge Journal of a recent date has the following; “Arrived on the evening of June 20, a gentleman of means, an Englishman by birth, and put up a’the Monteagle House. He left Boston on the 14th or June, distance 520 miles, and walked to this place in twelve days. He takes this way of seeing the country, lie carried a valise and contents, which weigh fifty pounds, strapped on his fiack. He says that he came from the old country purposely to see this country, and prefers to view it on foot, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, that when lie arrives back to England he can give a full description of this country to his friends. Juno 30 he left the Moutcaglcon his journey through Canada, to Chicago, from there to Omaha and Han Francisco, his journey’s end. lie will return by rail to New York, whence he will lake steamer again to England.” Fortune, success, fame, position are never gained, but by piously, determined ly, bravely stli king, living to a thing till it is fairly accomplished. In short, you must carry a thing through if you want to lie anybody Or anything. No matter if it does cost you the pleasure, the society, the thousand pearly gratifieations of life. No matter for these. Htick to the thing and carry it through. Believe you were made,for the matter, and that no one else can Jo it. Put forth your whole energies. Be awake, electrify yourself; go forth to the task. Only once learn to carry a thing through in all its completeness and proportion, and you will become a hero. You will think better of yourself; others Will Think better of you. The world in its very* heart admires the stern, determined doer. It sees in him ils best sight, its brightest object, its richest treasure. Drive right along, then, in whatever you undertake. Consider yourself amply sufficient for the deed. Y'ou’ll be successful. A Chinaman who was murdered in San Fiancisco recently was given a grand funeral, some fifty carriages of Celestial sympathizers parading in a long procession, headed by a discordant, band of Chinese musicians. The murdered man had been laid ont in a new suit of clothes, with a quantity of feathers around his head. In his hands were placed a dirkknile and other weapons, with which lie is expected to pitch into his murderers when they arrive in another world—if he can lied them. From the shoes the soles were removed, the uppers being left. This was done so that he might step softly and reverentially into the presence of his Joss. As usual, a quantity of Chinese provisions were put into the boffin and left at the Chineso wine—rice spirits—was also left at the grave; but alas! the jjnafane “ Meliean ” ruffians of the Golden City’ always follow these processions, and ruthlessly gobble sll they can find eatable And drinkable as soon us the backs of the living Celestials are turned. A I’KRSON walking through the streets of Charleston, 8. C., will see a large black turkey-buzzard here aud there quarreling with it dog about the possession of a bone. These turkey-buzzards, or carrion birds as they are more familiarly known, arc one of the institutions of the city, and are as tame a tidi-docile as the common cur doge w hich wander through the streets. They have been in the habit qf visiting the city f( r almost a century past, and have become so useful that the laws of the State prohibit any interference whatever with them. The children, dogs, poultry aud all other street habitues are on intimate terms with them. They are very industrious, and can be depended upon to clt an the city of all refuse and filth which maybe thrown upon the streets. They live a mile or two out in the country, and spend their days in the city, around the market, where they - devour the olfal as soon as the butchers throw it in the street. They are pronounced by those who have tried them to be the best scavengers in the world. The Norwalk (Conn.) Gazette says that Captain B. F. lloman, an. Arctic navigator, now a resident of that town, has the iron head of the whale “ gig" or harpoon, taken by him from the side of an Arctic whale, and which has caused so much interest and comment among scholars aud the press. The harpoon, it will be remembered, was shot into the whale but was wrenched off, from a boat belonging to the Ansel Gibbs, Irom New Bedford, in the icc floes Of Repulse Bay, Greenland, on the Atlantic side of the continent. Captain Homan Harpooned this same whale on Monday, August 16, of last year,-in latitude 70 degrees, longitude 40 decrees, at about 10 p. m., but yet in full daylight, off Wainright lulet, on the northern coast of Alaska, on the Pacific side of the continent. Singularly enough, one of Captain Homan’s whalemen was on the Ansel Gibbs at the time the whale was first struck, and the harpoon wrenched off, and his first and second mates were also in different vessels in the same Atlantic fleet, and knowing to the circumstances of its loss. This proves an open polar sea, and a northwest passage, for the Arctic whale never leaves the region of iert A St. Louis paper states that a country man came to that city, the other day, to get a divorce from his wife. While walking to the cyurt-room he- espied a huge sea turtle reposing upon its back in front of a restaurant, and, allured by the sight, stopped to examine it thoroughly. Meanwhile his wife was at work for herself, and, when finally he hurried on to the oourt room, he learned, to his dismay, that the case had been decided against him, and his wife had obtained a divorce. He did not Gttp so much about the loss of his wife.ws he had engaged another in anticipation of getting a divorce himself; but as the wife had obtained a decree against him, he was, by the law, precluded from taking unto himself another rib until the lapse of five years, die was almost frantic, as fie had the wedding clothes ready, and was to have been married the nex-f day. ilia lawyer made a motion fur a rehearing, .and it was set for argument in.two days. But the woman was again too'smart for him, for she, too, had a husband in waiting, and as soon as the decree was announced, she went ont and-married her man, without stopping to examine the anatomy of a turtle, or any other fi%h.