MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Bruce Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 1753, 28 May 1886, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

The ' Evening Standard ' says : — An elephant in a police court would appear at first sight as an intruder ; but when the elephant acts as an attorney for his owner, the case is very different, and his right to be in court is beyond dispute. At a police court in^'an American town, the unusual spectacle of an elephant pleading for his master was recently witnessed — the animal being what is termed a " trick" elephant, exhibited at a museum. Recently he took part in a race, and his trainer, to induce him to a walk quicker, was accused of ill-treating the brute, and was arrested for cruelty to animals. To prove however, that he had not hurt Pickaniny (the little elephant), he brought it into court with him, and in the presence of every one the animal fondled his master most affectionally and naturally. Asked by the latter if he had hurt him, the intelligent animal shook his head * and asked by Court if the trainer treated him well, he nodded, squealing an energetic affirmative. As the person who had complained of th 6 alleged cruelty practised on Pickaniny failed to put in an appearance, .the magistrate decided fco discharge the trainer on the favourable testimony borne to his character by the animal he was said to have ill-used. So the two left the court, the elephant — according to American papers — saluting the judge with his trunk, and testifying to his satisfaction by snorts of delight. A horseshoe has been invented thafc comes on and off like a man's shoe. A rim at the bottom and a buckle at the back part hold it in place. A pad protects the bottom of the hoof. The whole force of South American literature has just died in the person of Vicuna Mackenna, of Chile. He was said to be the only person in South America who earned his living by literary work. Eighteen persons were summoned at Leicester for neglecting to have their children vaccinated. One of the defendants alleged that he believed in vaccination till two ohildren died from it. Another defendant, named Coles, declared that vaccination had killed one child of his, and he would die rather than have another vaccinated. He invited the magistrates to send him to prison afc once. All the defendants were fined. Coles will will go to prison. The ' New York Sun ' gives the story of a cure effected on two violently insane patients in the Hudson County lunatic Asylum, by the superintendent, Dr George W. King, formerly of Springfield, Massachusetts. His successful experiment was to place the two men together in a cell, each with the instruction to watch the other who was insane. They sat from morning till night gazing compassionately at each other *in a week they were as quiet as if perfectly sane, and in two months were discharged cured. Attention is being called to the rapid growth of landlordism in America. According to the census of 1880, rent was paid for about one-third of the farms in the United States* and ifc is calculated that since thafc time the tenant farmers have increased by not less than 25 per cent. On that computation, the total number of them is about a million and a quarter. If things go on at thafc rate, the time may not be far distant when in America also they will stand in need of Land Bills for buying oufc the landlords. In Hokitika (says tbe Auckland 'Herald') every second man is a member of some local body. A correspondent writes : 'It is nice to belong to some of them. In spite of the Auditor General many patriots get a guinea a diy and travelling expenses out of their bleeding country.' Although a banker and one of the best business men in the world, tbe late Lord Mayor of London, Sir 8.. N. Fowler, writes so atrocious a hand that a sentence which he intended to read as follows : " I regard the conduct of the Grovernment in this matter as absolutely inhuman," was, owing to the inability of a printer to decipher what was means, transformed in type into " I rarely can compass a tale. My grandmother is tbe best narrator of amusing incidents." Miss Lizette Horbig (telegraphs a j Yankee correspondent to his newspaper), teacher of German in the High School, yesterday accomplished the unparalleled feat of whipping 35 boys, from 9 to 14 years old, in 35 consecutive minutes. The lads formed in single file and marched round the schoolhouse, to show disapprobation of being kept in at recess for two weeks for being spectators of a fight between two of their companions. The teacher's ready tact quelled the rebellion.