Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, December 5, 1896, Page 4

Grand MRayids Hheraide'Review Published Every Saturday. ADVANG ree MOWUNS,« os9y 5! EWO DOLLARS A $1.00 | 2 ft Grand Rapids elass matter A SMELL IN SHOVEL PILE Suort Story of the Civil War T by an OL Soldicr, “Whenever I see pile 01 stacked upon the s’dewalk It of a hardware + ic 1 i dier, “it makes iw te oF shovels U saw once acked up, at the end of a traver al \V at the time of the civil war, There were siege guns and mortars of one size aud anotber in batteries scattered along these works—in the particular battery that I speak of there were two 100-pound. rit guns. ‘There was a traverse betweea the two guns, and 1e on the outer side of each. y se, you vnderstand, Z of earth running back from the in front. and at right angles with maners | froin a lateral fire. This pile of shovels | y at the end of one of the outer trav- line it .to protect the gun and the to the left of the piece that I worked on, There were six or eight | men on the ¢ “A shell that came oyer from a Con- federate mortar bat dropped | square on that pile of shovels and ex- plod ‘d uck. Our own | ud the men around to ge, none of | Shovel pile, | f them right’ in epea range, hi pre ed " me of them, any way, would haye been a minute earlier b; sver on the other side of i the guu and the ¢ them and the s s fied with ud splinters of sin all directi xpected andia guna ige betwee “The air vy fragment thovel te have piece of shell, a shovel blade, handle of a shovel stack through his head ki or to b him. Put the fragments of shell all flew wast, the shovels all caine down, and the smoke cleared away. and nobody bad even a scratch. Then the men all laughed aud went to loading the 100- pounder again.” Skunk Oil. An Iowa expert gives the following information concerning the origin of skunk oil: “As I live in a district where the skunk is only too well known, perhaps I may be able to fmswer your correspondent’s question about the origin of skunk oil, com- monly sold in the drug stores around us as.a remedy for rheumatism. Skunks lie in their holes during the winter, never appearing above ground excepting on very fine days. Before ng under ground they become well loaded with fat. When killed, by dvowning them by filling up their holes with water, they are dug out without predncing any offensive odor. The bag’ is removed, the skin is se- en the fat is taken out as the fat of a hog is naking lard. The pre- kunk oil is a profitable in- : | during the winter months. A | family near my residence do siderable business. fn its pre- Popular Science cryants Disappearing. ove giving up keeping men t :, Kor the sake diomesties are everywhere being ed by female. The elubs first set the exampl> by dismissing their pale cooks and engaging wonien eor- flos blues. Now the tendency is gain- of economy, ing ground 1a all directions. People | are banishing their butlers, keeping | parlor maids where they used to keep footmen, aud .lischarging their valets. ‘The last straw has now come to break the camel's back. The financial pro- posals of the new government includes tax on men servants; but the cruel- t cut of all is the new law, wherein lackeys are to be scheduled with car- | riage hors No worder the domestie | vants’ syndicate of Paris is agitat- ing against the threatened legislation. —London Mail. The Coffee-ating Habit. The coffee-eating habit is on the in- erease, and it is probably the worst that can be found, says a well-known physician. Cofiee, when boiled and taken as a beverage, is not only unin- jurious, but beneficial, unless taken in very great quantity, but when eaten as roasted is productive of a train of ills that finally result in complete physical and mental prostration. I have had a number of cases of the kiad, and they are as difficult to cure as those arising from the opium habit. ‘The trouble is more prevalent among young girls than any one elese. hey eat parched coffee without any d ite object, just as they eat so: ne | slate pence with much more disas- trous - res’ ‘The cotfee-eater be comes weak and emaciated, the com- plexion is muddy and sal! the appe- tite poor, diges ruir | all unstrung. Coifee will give a’ few } minutes of exhileration, fellowed with great weakness. The victims nearly | die when deprived of the accustomed gtimulant.—Washington Star. Perfume the Attraction, It has freqvently been asserted that the brilliant colors of many flowers serve to attract bees and buttertlies to them. Experiments. recently reported to the Belgian Academy of Sciences seem to show that the perfume, rather than color of the flowers, is the real at- traction. Bright-colored blosscn re | covered with ves and papers pinued closely about them; yet the insects not only visited the hidden flowers but en: deavored :to force their way under the papers in order to reach the blossoms which they could not gee. —Brooklyn Eagle. Speaks More Than That. “Oh, he's not such a bad sort of fel- low-—of course, Be always speaks his mind, but— “T wouldn't object to that if he would only stop when he gets to the end of it’—Chicago Journal. cattle Raising ‘ex. ne English Mar- According to a epee government report, the importation of American cattle into England is steadily on the increase. For the first tive months of the current year it was 175,000 head, as compared with 112,000 for the same period last year. If this rate per mouth be sustained, the year’s import will be over 400,000, or much larger than the exceptional importation in 1892. The London aud Liverpool mar- kets have been so heavily supplied that the prices of American beeves have there fallen as low as 9c to 9 1-2¢ nd (estimaied dressed weight); e export steers were being quoted ‘oO at $3.75 to $4 per 100 Ibs, cht. At these rates shipments have been made at a loss, trade presents many interesting feat- ures, and is, in many respects, very similar to that of live cattle. Taking 600 pounds as the average weight of cattle slaughtered for the dressed beef trade, S export from this 1 beef to England rep- ber of cattle nearly vorted alive, the latter heavier cattle. The resented a equal to that e being, howeve! past five ,600 pounds, as compared pounds for the same ar. At this rate, the year’s export will be some 60,000,000 , pounds greater than in 1892. lt seems still a matter of doubt which of the two branches of thy trade offers the largest profits. The secretary of agri- | culture, in his report for 1895, says: “It appears to w out more profita- bly to transport the live cattle. They are carried on parts of the ship that would otherwise be unoccupied. They do not require such special fittings and ces as to debar the vessel from other cargo when cattle are not r availael ” The ocean freight on the feur qvarters of a steer varies from $5 to $6. How a Letter May Be Recalled. ME public is not as familiar with its privileges about postal matters as might be suppesed. Many times peo- ple would like to recall a. letter after it has been mailed. even if the letter has reached the postoflice at its destination, At eyery postoflice there are what are called “withdrawal blank On application they will be furnished, and, when a deposit is made cover the expense, the postmaster will telegraph to the | postmaster at the letter’s destination asking that it be promptly returned. ‘Phe applicant first signs this agree-; ment: “It is hereby agreed that, if] the letter is retuvued to me, I will pro-. tect you from any and al! claims made | against you for such reiurn and will! | fully indemnify you for any loss you inay sustain by reason of such action. And I herewith deposit $— to cover all expenses incurred and will deliver | to you the envelope of the letter re- turned.” made remittances to fraudulent par- ties or irresponsible firms, not learn- ing their true character until after the letter had gone, and have sue- ceeded in recalling them. There is an instance where a Kansas City mer- chant had remitted a dishonest tray- eling man a draft for $175, and by means of a withdrawal rescued the draft just in time. The Longest Coatinuous Speech, Will you kindly inform several of your readers of the longest speech on ; record, and the name of the speaker? Answer—Many stories are related of unusually Jong speeches having been made for purposes of consuming time, and of gaining advantage thereby. A few years ago the Toronto Globe said that the longest speech on record was believed to have been that made by Mr. De Cosmos, in the legisiature of British Colymbia, when an easure was pending, the passage of which would take from a great many settlers their lands. De Cos 10s was in a hopeless minority. until the eve of the close of the session, Unless action was taken before noon on a given day the act of confiscation would fail. The day before the expira- | tion of the limitaticn De Cosmos got and began to | Its friends | the floor about 10 a. m.. speak against the bill. seemed careless, supposing they would have ample time to act when he got through. He kept on speaking through | the afternoon, evening, night, next morning, and at last noon came te a baffled majority, livid with rage and | impotence. So, a single man who was triumpbant, though his voice bad sunk to a husky whisper, his eyes were al- most shut, and bleared and bloodshot, his legs tottered under him, his baked lips cracked and smeared with blood. De Cosmos had spoken twent. hours and saved the lands.—Brooklyn Ragle. The Modern Drama, ‘Yes. sir; our Uncle company is by all odds the most pro- gressive one on the road. Our motto is upward and onward. Why, you know, in all the little one-horse shows, the yallow gal, Eiiza, crosses the river on the ice to keep away from the dogs and -chasers? Wel, sir, -in our magnificent production we substitute for one insignificant river six deep bays, over which six yallow Elizas nimbly skip to freedom. That’s right.” “Six deep bays?” “Yes, sir; six deep bays, furnished by three Asiatic blood- hounds—just two apiece. Drop around this evening, and I’ll let ‘em bay aa extra bay or two.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer. What He Was Fishing For, “Was that your mother with you yes- terday? “My mother? Dear, dear, thet was my younger sister! We should so inuch like to have you come tu dinner Sunday, Mr. Beusley.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer. A Dramatic Departure. “Any ew teacures in the that Plodgett is getting up?” “Yes, he is going to have a fat mitagte Maula. Record. wes object to being retired from the fiell,” remarked the Base Ball. “I brve a kick coming. too,” replied the Foot Ball,--Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph, :: The | development of the chilled beef import | This can be done, | In many cases persons have | The job had been held back | Tom’s Cabin j “Hamlet? | A UNIQUE REPUBLIC, That of Goust is the Smallest in the Whole World. The republic of Goust is the smallest in the world., Andorra is an empire in comparison, Goust is about a mile square, and it houses 130 persons. . It has been independent these 250 years. It stands on top of a mountain by the Spanish border, near the edge of France, and it gets along very com- fortably without ever mixing itself in other people's affairs, and without readin; the evening papers, or, so far as we know, the morning ones. The delectable 180 govern themselves by a council, one member of which is se- lected to see that the business agreed upon is executed. Matters go along very smoothly, and Goustians are all the happier because nobody knows much about them, and therefore they are unenvied.—Kansas City Times. Quality Rather Than Quantity. The European countries prefer to im- prove the quality more vigorously than to increase the numbers of their horses. England has only 1.529,000 in, while we have in the United States 16,000,000 horses, a very small per cent of which are suitable for city market | and export. Russia has 30,000,000 horses of still more inferior quality, un- fit for any market and too small for farm work. The Russian trotter has had the encouragement of the govern- ment. Now the peasants are urging the government to furnish them with draft horses suitable for their farm work, to haul their heavy farm ma- | chines. Small horses in large numbers | will impoyverish any country, and it is well for America that the rauch horse and the little trotter no longer pay for | their feed, while there is such a great demand for high class draft and coach horses at high prices because they are £0 searce. His Specialty, “Who is that man who calls on you so frequently?” asked the impertinent friend. “He's an inventor” “Indeed! What has he invented?” “Oh, ever so many things.” “Any of them practical?’ |. “Yes,” was the answer, with some hesitation, “he has a good deal of suc- cess in inventing reasons why I should lend him anything from 50 cents to | $5."—Washington Star. de Too Mach of a Good Thing. “What a wide-awake young fellow | Barter is,” said Alice. “Altogether too wide-awake,” re- sponded Edith. “The last evening he called at our house he stayed till 1, | and then papa had to set the burglar alarm going.”—Detroit Free Press. Sometimes the Case. | Dukane—I don’t know how you came to lose money in that scheme. You told me it was a rare investment. Gaswell—The investment may have | been a rare one, but it was well done | before I got throvgh with it.—Pitts- | burg Chronicle-Telegraph. i Stood Him Oft. | Dudely—I’m afraid, Cholley, my boy, that Miss Mittique does not look with | favor upon me suit. Cholley—What makes you think so, | deah boy? | Dudely—Every time I° get to the point of awsking her to be my wife | she begins to knit—Omaha World- | Herald. What He Wanted. “You don’t seem to have the sort of folding bed I want,” said the custom- er, after looking through the furniture ; man’s stock. | “What sort of a folding bed are you looking for?’ asked the clerk “T want one I can use as a bicycle in the daytime.”--Harper’s Bazar. | ae eee ee Mild Coercion. | Mrs. Shrill—So you won’t get me that new bonnet? Mr. S.—No; I won't. Mrs. S.—Very well, then; I'll go to every temperance meeting that comes along, and people will think the reason I ain't decently dressed you've took to drink—New York Weekly. Down to Date. .“Anything new on the dramatic stage this season?” “Yes, we are going to run ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ with the cabin lit by electric lights, and Eliza getting away over the ice on a horseless sled.”—Chi- eago Record. 0 Value. “I can offer your daughter nothing but my deyoted heart,” said Scroggs. “Um! Well, quoted on the stock list,” grunted the worldly parent.—Philadelphia North American. Something Wrong. Mrs.—Am I still “the star of your life,” as I was when you used to write love letters to me? Mr.—Of course, dear. “I don’t seem to be drawing a star salary, though.’—Washington Star. Not Altogether Hopeless, “[ shall never marry,” declared Miss Elderly in a tove meant to be firm. “Don’t say that,” answered her best friend, Florence. “Women older than you have bad proposais.”—Detroit Free Press. Long Lived. “What is the average life of a good | bieycle. Sprockets?” “Welll, some of them last until they are paid for.”—Chicago Kecord. A Trying Occupation, First Tramp—Sometimes I wish I wuz a bartender. Second Tramp—Oh, I dunno. It must be kinder painful to be allus passin’ | over liquor to other folks. Whe He Looked at the Bill. He—I wish I had been Noah. She—Why? He—I'll bet no seal would have been Leader. PO EEE EEE ‘S Big Iifference. _ Scribbler—Have you ever read any of my verse? Spatts--No; 1 pre:er poetry—Phila- delpbia North American. is because ; I don’t find hearts | allowed to board the ark.—Cleveland | JACK’'S TITLE, How the Sailor Got the Rank of Captain, “Captain Jack,” said Tommie, as he and Bobbie drew near to the old sail- or at the seashore, shortly after their arrival, “you’vé told us a great many stories, but you never told as how you came to be a.captain. Was it bravery in battle?” “No, my lad,” replied the old cap- tain. “I’ve been brave enough in bat- tle to be an admiral, but I never got any promotion for it. It was indoor- ance won my title for me.” “Endurance?” said Bobbie. “That's as good as bravery, isn’t it?” “Better,” said Captain Jack. “A great deal better. A great many brave people give out when they oughtn't to, but indoorin’ people never gives out.” “Nor in, neither,” said Tommie, “I guess.” “[ guess likewise,” said Captain Jack. “It wuz this way: In 1871—ne, I guess it was 1873—no—waal, I never —when was it?” “Make it 1874,” said Bobbie.. and one inake four.” “That’s when it was,” said Captain Jack. “In 1874 I shipped as an able- bodied seaman before the mast with Capt. William Bilkes of East Glouces- ter, Mass., of the brig Peter J., of Nan- tucket. The Peter J. was a pretty good boat. They called her a brig, but she wasn't nothin’ in ‘particular, so far as I could see. She was a composite boat —like them fortygrafts. The owners of her bought her stern in New York, and fastened it onto the bow of a wreck they’d purchased in a junk shop at Plymouth. The rudder was a relict of a defunct Spanish man-of-war, an’ the masts were bought at a bargain sale of shipstuffs at Philadelpby. Where the cabin come from I don't know, but it was amatoor from way- back. “When I first seed the ship I says, No, 1 don’t want none o’ her in mine. Tm fond o’ swimmin’, but I wants it as a diwersion, an’ not fer bizness. But Capt. Bilkes he says to me, says he: ‘Jack, you're the best sailor afloat, an’ I needs yer. Come with me, an’ I’ll give yer $2,000 a month? “Cap'n,” says I, ‘that ain‘t what T gen’rally gets, but to oblige ye, I'll come at them figgers.’ An’ I went, not askin’ at all where he was a-goin’ to go ta. “Waal, we sets out, me before the mast with the others, an’ the cap’n an’ two mates, four midshipmen, three soupycargoes, an’ others behind the mast. “First day out, down comes the cap’n with the mumps. Dies. Chucked over- board. | “Second day out, down comes the two mates with measles. Dies. Bur- “Three ied at sea. “Third day out, down comes the gsoupycargoes with whoopin’ cough. Dies. All's over. “Fourth day out, down comes the whole crew, ‘cept me, with shycumotis, due to havin’ eat too much tomatoes. Dies. Nothin’ left aboard but me with the Mary Jones—” “Peter J.,” said Bobbie. “The Peter J.?’ observed Captain Jack. “Get ’em mixed sometimes; they’re so many boats, I ain’t more trouble to. There was me all alone by myself aboard the Henry Q., to bring her into port, loaded as she was with olives and fried potaters. “It was a tarrable responsibility; but I took it on. So, my boys, there bein’ no soupycargoes, nor no mates, nor no cap'ns, hor no nothin’ save me an’ the | decks onto the ship, I ’p’inted myself commander-in-chief, an thar ye be.” “It’s very interesting,” said Tommie. “You bet it is!” said Captain Jack; “but it ain’t half so interestin’ to me as a box of imported cigars would be.” And the boys walked off, and, later on, Captain Jack received a box of im- ported cigars—‘“just,” as Tommie said, “to interest him.’—Harper’s Round | Table. Chinese Conjurers. The court jugglers in the time of Kublai Khan made it appear to those who looked on as if dishes from the table actually flew through the air. One of the travelers who visited the regions of which Marco gives us some account, says: “And jugglers cause cups of gold to fly through the air and offer themselves to all who list to drink.” And Ibn Batuta, a count of a similar incident: “That same night a juggler, who was one of the khan’s slaves, made his appearance, and the amir said to him: Bed and show us some of your mar- vels.’” ball with several holes in it, through which thongs were passed, and, laying hold of one of these, slung it into the | air. It went so high that we lost sight of it altogether. (It was the hottest season of the year, and we were out- side in the middle of the palace court.) There now remained only a little of the end of a thong in the conjurer’s hand, and he desired one of the boys who assisted him to lay hold of it and | mount. He did so, climbing by the) thong, and we lost sight of him also! The conjurer then called to him three times, but getting no answer, he snatched up a knife, as if in great rage, laid hold >f the thong and disap- peared also- By and by he threw down one of the boy’s hands, then a foot, then the other hand and then the other foot, then the trunk, and, last of ' all, the head! Then he came down! himself, all puffing and panting, and with his clothes all bloody, kissed the ground before the amir, and said some- thing to him in Chinese. The amir gave some order in reply, and our friend then took the lad’s limbs, laid | them together in their places and gave | them a kick, when, presto- there was the boy, who got up and stood before us! All this astonished me beyond measure, and I had an attack of pal- pitation which overcame me once be- fore in the presence of the sultan of India, when he showed me something of the same kind. The kazi Afkharud- | din was next to me, and quoth he: ! Moor, who visited ; Cathay a century after, gives this ac- | Upen this he took a wooden | General Merchandise =: - : Lumbermen’s Supplies. AERO | Largely increased store room increases our capacity to do business. We always carry a complete line of the Pest quality of goods tn all departments. Prices the low Clothing and Furnishing Goods. Dry. Goods, Boots, Shoes. Groceries and Crockery. Hats and Caps. GRAND RAPIDS, cf .3.°: MINN: BETTER CIGKRS ARE MADE THAN THE .. - Pokegama Boquet “Cup Defender Maunufacttred in Grand Rapids By ae) GEORGE BOOTH. CAL N for either of these brands and you will get Mone but the finest an excellent srnoke, stock used. SSSISVSCESHEHSLTIOTSE SLSLSLOSTOG Broeker & Whiteaker, | THE POPULAR TAILORS, Invite you to call and examine their Fall and Winter stock before ordering your Ov all the ee SE a a a a a a EA Styles The Latest, Workmanship Suit or out. It comprises latest’ goods and pat- The Best, : E % es *eyguaengawna® | | terns. and the Popular. Tailors | Prices | always gurantee satisfaction. '§ ? The Lowest. | Me eae Me EA aa a ea | rocker & ¥ fhiteaker, a natty HME Ea —— NeXt Bor to Posteffice, GRAN RAPIDS. LSS FOSS SLSLSLSE SLSE SISL SLSE SLESE GLSE SSSLSLES: See ES Me eee eae te eae eae ae ae ae ea eae a ae eae ee oe ee eo ae a a SEAR Ee ES A Se a Re ae 33 2 Security Mutual 3 | dee | ae | ea [aes (ee ee 32 Life Association ee | eee | dee , +4 ot Einghamton, New York. Se Incorporated under the Laws of the *tate of FS New York, Nov. 6, 1886 ee es cas | Be ¥ Seumary 1, 1896. Insuratce in Force, - - - $20,137,350.00 Paid Policy Holders aud Benefici- ¥ aries, - - - - - - 308,352.41 Net Surplus, - - - - - - 410,839.65 RECORD FoR 1295. | GAIN in new b ess written over 1894, 87 per cent. GAIN in amount of insurance in force, GAIN in Income 46 per cent. 60 per cent. sestetstseneneasasasnsesnsnsasasestsasests be ae ae ae ae ae a ae ete ate ae ae ae ae ae ate ae ae a ae ae ate ae ae ae eae ae ae | GAIN in’ Assets, 36 per cent. ' GAIN in net surplus, 37 per cent’ Re ae Re Life, Annuity, Equation and Return Accumulation Policies 4 ; Premigm rates about 40 per cent less than old line companies. 4 $s For, full in tonpiriGn address. be 4 ae ae ppt oa bd iedeebsh derbcheeleddncedede bebe fobspeckdnfed = Northwestern Department, 3 ae > fee: Thompson, "MINNEAPOLIS MINN. i 3s J. W, EARL, Suporintendent Agensies 33, j 22 Siscansenaneseneese ie ee eae ae at ae ae ae a a ae a a heehee nee Pt++ erseneoes ret BOOHRENODE: ae = The Hotel Gladstone DW .DORAN, Proprietor. “irst-Class in Every particular. Rates Uniformly Reasonable. AND RAP All Modern Conveniences, Centrally Located.