Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1877 — INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS.

—A malicious tax-payer in Wilmington, Del., paid his taxes, amounting to seven dollars, all in copper eente. —A grass fire overtook a man in San Bernardino, Cal., and he had barely time to reach a creek. He roiled over and over in the shallow water, scorched by the flames that swept overhead, and was almost smothered. The terrible heat lasted only a few seconds, but sufficiently long to burn off his hair and char his clothing. —Miss Eagan, the Fall River mill operative who mysteriously lost her speech a few weeks ago after dreaming that she would lose it, has recovered the faculty in ouite as mysterious a manner. She felt a sudden shock the other day, accompanied by a choking sensation, and was forced to utter an exclamation. Since then she has been able to speak with considerable distinctness, though not without some pain in her chest and lungs. . —The family of William McGlothlin, living on East Fork, in this county, went to a neighbor’s, leaving no one but a child three or four years old at the house. The door of the structure, as is the case frequently, opens outward, and is fastened by a long latchstring. The child, in playing about the door, in some way got the string looped over its head, and, pushing the heavy door open, it.was swung out over the high doorstep, and when the family returned the little one was hanging by the latch-string dead, Ashland (Jty.) Review. —Pretty story from New England: “A Canaan farmer recently saw two men attempting to drive a hog past his house, but the brute was so obstinate. that they finally told the farmer that if he would kill it for them they would give him half of the meat. He accepted the offer with joyful alacrity, and not only killed the hog but dressed it into the bargain, after which the strangers drove away with their half. But when the farmer went at night to feed his own hog he found the pen empty, ahd it did not take him long to discover that he had killed his own property, receiving half of it for his trouble.” —The Bismarck Tribune says: “At* Jarnestown, Conductor Law invited Joseph to supper with him. Joseph accepted, and, after he was through, strolled away from the eating-house into the village, in search of bread and good things for his family. He has a good heart, and means that Mrs. Joseph and little Joseph shall have something to eat, as well as himself. .While he was making his purchases the train, pulled out and Joseph was ‘ left.’ A mile or two from the station a passenger discovered the important loss, and went pell-mell through the cars, crying ‘Joseph’sleft.’ Tbeeonduetor startea the train back and soon met Josepb; Lin WOO Vimninry llfo ftnn YVAJ* llv nuU 111 11 111 US' IXn UY7CVK 11 AxJ ClUvt ITWT far more scared than when Miles took him in. There was a golden opporttini,tv to escape, but he dreaded it more than anything in his experience since his capture.” —A Little Compton man has a plucky cat. While lying on the doorstep, the other day, a large hen-hawk swooped down into the yard and- seized a fat chicken, which it attempted to carry off. The cat at once leaped upon the intruder and clawed him so lustily that he relinquished his hold and sailed away. In a short time, however, he returned again and made another attempt, in which he as signally failed, the cat attacking him as soon as he alighted. Three times did the hawk essay to carry off his prey, and as often did pussy succeed in protecting his charge from the intruder, until the bird, becoming disgusted with the prospect of obtaining a daintv bit of spring chicken from that hen-yard, soared away to repeat the attempt upen some less-guarded grounds. — Woonsocket (H. I.) Patriot.