Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, September 11, 1870
Stories of elephantine intelligence are numerous, but most of them too well known to repeat here. One, however, recorded by a traveler, in a paper contributed to a scientific journal, and which is vouched for from personal knowledge, is worth a brief notice. The author was on a journey, and several elephants were engaged to carry his tent and baggage. One of them, euphoniously named Fattra Mongul, coming on the scent of a tiger, was seized with panic and ran off into the woods, the driver saving himself by clinging to the branch of a tree, and letting himself down. All attempts to recover the animal were fruitless, and the party proceeded on their way, giving up all idea of seeing him again. Amongst a herd of wild elephants entrapped eighteen months afterwards, was found the runaway, who at first was as uproarious and unmanageable as the rest, but on an old hunter, who knew him well, riding up to him on a tame elephant, pulling him by the ear, and ordering him to lie down, he immediately obeyed the familiar word of command and became perfectly tractable. This writer also mentions a female elephant which escaped from her owner, and was at large for fourteen years. On being recaptured, she remembered her former driver, and instantly laid down at his order.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, September 11, 1870
We cannot just now call to mind where we met, long ago, with a very amusing example of memory in a horse-the charger of the commanding officer of an Indian regiment. He was an exceedingly large and heavy man, and the horse having a dislike to carrying such a burden, acquired the habit of lying down on the ground whenever the Colonel prepared to mount. This, as may be supposed, annoyed him, and to avoid the ridicule of the soldiers, he parted with the animal, and procured another not so fastidious as to a few pounds more or less. We believe it was a year or two-certainly some considerable time-after that the Colonel, visiting another station, was invited to view the troops there, and a horse was placed at his service, which, on his attempting to mount, immediately lay down in full view of the assembled regiment. It turned out to be the identical charger, who had at once recognized his former objectionable owner.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, June 9, 1870
Three hundred tons of fish have been taken from Spirit Lake, Iowa, this spring, and one man in the vicinity has bought 300,000 muskrats since January.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, June 9, 1870
The St. Charles Michigan Harald says: “J. H. Griffin, of this city, was dangerously bitten by his stallion ‘Black Hawk,’ near the house of Charles Smith, east of St. Charles, on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Griffin was in the act of getting into his sulky, when the horse made a dive for him, jumping about eight feet, and caught him with his teeth in the left side just over the heart, and drew him back over the sulky, shaking him as a dog would a mouse. The horse was fearfully mad, and repeated the operation several times before he could be driven off. This was only effected after a vigorous application of a club over his head. Mr. griffin was brought to the Minnesota House, and Dr. Sudduth called, who dressed the wounds. Two ribs were badly broken and chewed into a pumice, and the flesh torn and lacerated terribly. It is feared that he may have suffered some internal injury, but at present the indications are that he will recover. No reason for this sudden mad freak of the horse can be given, other than that he was tied in a stable the night previous with other horses, some of which got loose and were fighting and kicking during the night.”
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, June 23, 1870
A lady at Beloit, Wisconsin, a few days since, found in the nest of a sitting hen four kittens who had not got their eyes open.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, June 23, 1870
A man lately arrived in Sioux City, Iowa, with 12,000 muskrat, 600 mink, 300 otter, and 500 wolf skins, purchased from the Indians in the vicinity.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Friday, July 15, 1870
The Secretary of the Treasury on Wednesday week received from San Francisco, California, a box of dead snakes, bugs, flies, and centipedes, a grim looking collection of Chinese reptiles which had been consigned to a firm in that city, by the firm of Yo Chy Tong & Co., of Canton, to be used by the Chinese residents of San Francisco for medicinal purposes. The manifest describes them as drugs and medicines. The snakes are neatly coiled up and skewered together, with the heads sticking up in the centre of the coil and presenting a devilish look. They are apparently about five feet in length, and bear a resemblance to the ordinary stripped snake of New England, except that the head is longer and armed with a very sharp set of ugly looking teeth which the New York reptile has not. The centipedes are six or seven inches long, the body black, and the legs of a dirty yellow color. The bugs and flies are, in size and appearance, such as might be expected to come from John Chinaman’s country, namely-anything but graceful or inviting in appearance. Altogether, the “medicine” is unsavory enough in appearance, however well it might taste when properly compounded by a Chinese doctor. At any rate, the Appraiser at the San Francisco Custom House thought so little of the contents of the box that he refused to pass it through the Custom House, on the ground that the articles were deadly poisons, and so it comes all the way to Washington for a decision of the Secretary of the Treasury.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Friday, July 15, 1870
An infant was recently found in the stomach of a huge catfish caught in the Tennessee River, near Chattanooga.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, November 16, 1872
In Barbary, pacing horses are held in such high estimation that the method of making a spirited trotter shackle like a boat in a chop sea is reduced to a science. To make them rack easily, a ring of lead covered with leather is put around each hoof; a cord from each weight ascends and is fastened to the saddle, front ad rear; next, a strap runs horizontally from the fore to the hind foot on both sides. Being rather short, it is impossible to make a long step. Restraint compels the animal to practice a new gait to progress at all. As soon as a habit is established of going ahead thus tethered, the desirable amble is fully and permanently accomplished.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Published in the Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, November 16, 1872
Another and terrible warning to the truant comes from Georgetown, Kentucky. A little boy, in returning from school, stopped to play with the little pigs in a pasture through which he passed, and as the old hogs did not allow her offspring to play with truant boys, they set upon him and ate him up, except his head, which they left as a frightful example.