OUR MAIL BAG.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 946, 17 September 1901, Page 4

OUR MAIL BAG.

NEWS FROM EVEUYWHEI^. 10.) MWYKHS IN ONK CASK. Quito recently Signor Antona Traversa, a Milan, died, leaving a fortune of £(>00,000. His will was disputed by his heirs, of whom there were so many that 105 lawyers took part in the case. So great wore their expenses that eventually £400,000 was 1200,000 lift for the heirs to share. 1,000,000 watches I'HOM AMKIdI'A.

Another big sllice of trade in Great Britain has just been captured by America in the shape of a contract by the Inger-01l Company to supply no fewer than 1,000,0110 of their low-grade watches. Sold „t about 5s each the watches are expected to becomo very popular, and a further supply of 2 000 000 is being arranged. The output „f the In'gersoll factory is IJOOO a day. Ttie contract will affect the German, l'Yencb, and Swiss watchmakers rather than British workmen. A WOMAN AN A SKA CAPTAIN. A woman as a sea captain is indeed a rarity, but the recent census revealed tho identity of the only licensed one in the New World. She is in command of one of the largest steamboats on the Mississippi, trading between New Orleans and Vicksburg, and she has been at sea for tho past ten years. Only a month or two ago she gave conclusive proof that tho best traditions of seumanship which demand that in the hour of danger the captain thai! s'iek to his post, may be as well carried out by a woman as by a man. Her steamer ran ashore, and both funnels were broken. The passengers became panicstricken, while the sparks that llew upward threatened to set tire to tho vessel. Mrs Leathers, for that is the name of the captain, at once appeared on deck, and not only succeeded in calming the passengers, but took her place at the wheel, and for twenty four hours at a stretch she remained there, until New Orleans was reached, and her passengers were landed in safety.

A cumous wam;u, A story is told of the late Mr Pierre Lorilbird, whose death was recently announced, which, if true, involvt* mm of thu most curious wagers ever made. He made a oet with some liiiiglish friends, one of whom was the late Lord Haodolph Churchill, that ho would spend on his [wrsoital amusements the sum of LiOil.UlKt in the eo;irst; of one yei,r. He did his utmost to gam the wager by the wildest extravagance. but ho could not manage to spend witi.ii) £.>i),(H)U of the sum necessary to win the bet.

WOlll.ll'K NMAI t.Esr ttAllll. A watchmaker at /. irieii is exhibiting iu his shop window a wonderful piece of Swiss workmanship in the shape of the smallest watch that has ever been manufactured. I'hc w.iteh, which is in the .shape of n rose, is so minute that a st ong magnifying glass is necessary to read the hands, lind when winding up the tiny arlicle it is necessary to use a specially prepare.! contrivance fur this purpose. Tlie manufa;tuier rcfus's io sell the watch, which keep- excellent One rich customer nitons 1 £>iH> lor this curiosity, but this sum was refus d.

AN UXCITIJi.I HUNT 101 l A WllsoNKK, 1110 Guildford (Sill ley) police have just had an extraordinary experience. They were uaincd to be on the loi It out for a deserter from Aldershot, and a man answering his dcaCiiplion was seen w.ilking along the line of the' London and N mth-Westcin railway wearing a porter's tunic. Thu police hud also received an intimation ttiat a locker at one of the railway stilt, ins had been broken open and a tunic siulen. The man waa anestcd, taken to Guildford, and charged svith stealing the tunic, and, on suspicion, with b; ing a deserter. He was remanded for a day by the local Bench, in order that the military authorities at Aldershot should bo communicated with. To the amazement of the prison ulliciak they found a few hours later that the nun hid disappeared altogether. Search was in i.ie hih and low, and the country around wa- scoured for miles by mounted police and e\ clists, the description of the man being telephoned mid telegraphed to every part of Suuey and Hants. Three •lays after the disappearance one of the police oflicials at G liidlord I'rison was greatly startled by seeing a crouching in a culler, covered in black grime, ll was the prisoner, who had li. en up a chimney for three days. All he c.mld my was "lam hungry," and he admited without hesitation where I e had been. He was sentenced to a month's hard labor for the theft, and will at the expiration of his sentence, be handed over to the military authorities. 1KI) I'i'oN I,U.S. Here are samples of the lie! which are being being instilled i to the minds of the unfortunate Boer women and children: 1 hey were told that me young girls and women would be distributed among the British troops. That the British were going to evacuate the country s >on, and were anxious to do as much duniiiee as possible. That China was about to invade Knglund. That Kussia had declared w r. That peace with honor was about to li • oltcred to the Boers by Mr Stead. That l',ul Krugor was still lighting in the colony; and that plague was killing oil the Biitish troops by thousands. It remained for Colonel l'ilcher to disillusionise the Boer women whom he met on tho march. Writing on Bultfontein on July 21, Keuter's correspondent says that the colonel' gave the women and children provisions, told them that they would neither be separated noi sent out of the country ; and whereas he found them sullen and scuwling, he left tbem bright and happy.

'A woman's i'MUT WITH AN EAOLK, All encounter occurred at San lienardioo, Cal., between Mrs (iolding, wife of a stage keeper, and two eagle* on a mountain 50 miles north. She was silting outside of the stage houte by a cradle, in "which lay her Bix-months-old baby, whin suddenly an eagle swooped down and seized the infant. The mother rushed to where a mule was tethered, and, pulling up the pin, was suon following the hud, which found flight dilliciilt with its heavy burden. The chase continued for a long distance, when the eagle alighted on ita nest in the mountains. Mrs Golding climbed to where she had seen the eagle alight, found the bird, and killed it. before she could escape, the eagle's mate appeared, and the mother had another encounter, but drove the bird away. .Mrs Golding arrived at the stage h *u r hi. a' . i iit, ii'id in a pitiable conditio.n. Tl.e .nia:i!, it is reported, escaped injury.