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CNUSUA1!, OCCURRENCES in the an- O
imal and other kingdoms are always the
most interesting to the American peo
ple. The editor realizes that of late there
have not been enough “queer” happen
ings. which seemingly violate nature’s
laws, and though usually law-abiding he
has endeavored to supply the want. In
pursuance with this policy Nate Urefake,
the renowned and much-traveled natural
ist, who declined President Roosevelt’s of
fer to accompany the executive on his
East African hunting trip, was employed
to scout up hundreds of unusual, yet in
teresting occurrences. The tour took sev
eral months and from time to time the
author mailed the following accounts of
the strange things which were reported
to him. Only this week Mr. Urefake’s
dreams came to an end, and he delicate
ly confided that he had sworn off “for
good.”—Editor’s Note.
& good.”
SCKXHW'
O
&
ARIS CREEK, X. M.—This
town was deeply stirred up
and Paris Creek society cir
cles were unusually agog up
on the arrival of your corre
spondent. The whereof of this
was the birth of an ossified
chicken from out of a hard
boiled egg. This strange oc
currence took place on the
farm of H. J. Seaman, a
wealthy countryman.
Mr. Seaman avers that he
placed the hard boiled egg in
the mother hen’s nest simply
to coax her to lay and she,
being deceived into the belief that she had
laid the egg. proceeded to hatch it out, the
process taking four months.
The wee chick has no feathers and much
resembles a pottery creation. It walks me
chanically, its small legs working in sock
ets, while its neck does not wag like that
of the ordinary fowl in search of food. The
youngster appears in good health and will
probably live. So hard is the chick’s body
that Mr. Seaman will paint the stars and
stripes where the leathers should be and
when the paint is dry he will present the
wee fowl to the Smithsonian institution at
"Washington, which has been seeking just
such a phenomenon for the past 80 years.
Ttiscalooloo, Xev.—One of the quaintest
exhibitions of mother love which ever drew
tears to the eyes of a matinee girl was that
which this small bustling city witnessed to
day when a number of town officials off on
ft Junket, returned to tell of the manner in
which a mountain lion protected its young.
The officials had come to a point in a
mountain pass and were surprised to see a
little distance ahead of them a male and
female mountain lion rolling a gigantic
boulder down the side of a hillock. Deftly
the pair placed the big rock against a hole
In the face of the mountain and then de
parted in search of food. It was marvelous
In the eyes of the city officials and they pro
ceeded to Investigate. In the cavern they
found seven lion cubs, playing peek-a-boo,
secure from attack.
The watchers hid a short distance away
and a few minutes later were greeted by
the soft footfalls of the returning lions.
The male, loosening a small rock beneath
the boulder, allowed it to slip a few feet
to the right and both animals passed into
the cavern and out of sight.
This is not a local option
town. Some of the city officials
missed the rare sight, being
too tired.
Morning After, Ark.—In a
part of this county which is
seldom frequented was found
to-day a tree growing down
ward into the ground. It is
the only case of its kind in the
world. Your correspondent
saw the rare sight. The roots
of the tree project several feet
above the ground and are of
the palest green, while the
leaves, some of which the
writer dug up, are white and
taste not unlike celery.
The only explanation of the
strange occurrence was given
by an old Indian who is said
to have lived in this section
200 years. He is known as Big
Chief Kick-a-Hole-in-the-Sky,
and he declares that long ago
the chief of the happy hunting
ground vented his wrath upon
Big Chief Kicka-Hole-in-the
Sky's great-grandfather, who
had planted many trees. He
caused the seeds to be planted
upside down, thus accounting
for nature’s reversal. There was
once a whole grove of this in
verted timber.
“Heap much too plenty
bunk,” sighed the aged red
skin, as he turned to re-enter
his cnhin
I».ii ev. ater, Minn. Josh Stillings arrived in
this city to-day from a hunting trip and told
a wonderful story, which upon investigation
of the quality of the liquor which Mr. Stil
lings carries, your correspondent found to be
an absolutely true tale. Mr. Stillings said:
“I was hunting b'ars up north and had
traced a big one into a clump of trees when,
to my surprise, I saw fly towards me a full
grown jack rabbit, equipped with eight pairs
of wings. The rabbit flew faster than the
fastest train I ever rode upon. When my as
tonishment had somewhat subsided I aimed
my rifle at a point about a mile ahead of the
queer animal and so fast did it fly that it
ran right into the shot. After half an hour's
walk I came upon the carcass, which had
frozen stiff. The wings were of fluffy down
and curiously shaped. I was anxious to bring
the flying rabbit home, but that night it
was mysteriously stolen and so I have no
proof for my story other than what little
iicker I have left in my flask. Have another
drink, friend?”
Your correspondent then saw a whole flock
of flying rabbits. The phenomenon is wholly
unaccountable.
Gwan, N. J.—The most wonderful sea fish
ever seen appeared off this town twice dur
ing the past few days—once by night and
once by day. The reptile is shaped like a ser
pent and planted between its eyes is a gi
gantic headlight, which is only visible at
night and which marks the reptile’s progress
through the waves. The constant sputter of
electricity in the form of dots and dashes led
summer residents here to believe that the
serpent uses its tail for a wireless instru
ment and thus conveys messages to others of
its species who are in deeper water. The
serpent seemed to like this little summer vil
lage until its appearance at night when it
is supposed that the loving couples on the
sands either made it envious er gave rise
to nausea. Then it disappeared, its tail tick
ing off the telegrapher’s '‘30," which means
"good night," and sometimes “never again.”
For several days the young women bathers
deserted their favorite haunts on the sands
and the young men wittily said that at that
time there was some excuse for not getting
their pretty bathing suits wet.
Delingpath. Cal.—Probably the most won
derful mistake which nature ever made is
that which was unearthed here in the birth
of a cow with its horns on its rear hoofs. It
has no horns on its head. It was several
months before the horns on its hoofs began
to sprout. It is a very savage animal and
none dare go near it, for it fights just as does
a game rooster and is more vicious. The
owner, Mr. A. J. Hirshfleld, is planning to
breed the species and hopes to develop a new
sport to take the place of both chicken fight
ing and bull fights. He held a contest last
week between a bull dog and his “devil cow,”
the name which residents of this section have
applied to the animal and the cow reduced
the canine to mincemeat, giving rise to a
new industry—that of the manufacture of
bull-dog sausage.
Ding a Ling, China.—The belief of five-year
old American boys that if they dig through
the earth they will slide out in Chinese terri
tory was illustrated in a jocular vein to-day
when your correspondent arrived in a little
suburb outside of Ding a Ling, in which all
the houses are inverted and hang thus from
f
a gigantic CTS-S ^Ich projects
from the side of a precipice.
The people do not walk upside
down as might be supposed.
Macon, Ga.—A crowd of grief
stricken colored people con
signed an assignment of fine
pear trees to a grave at Poling
broke just at dark, thinking they
were the remains of Tooger
Adams, a negro woman, whose
death was due to a stab from
another negro woman in Tybee.
The police had the case and
worked it out; finding the dead
woman formerly lived in 13c
lingbroke and notified friends
that the remains would be sent on
the afternoon central train and
when the box arrived containing
the pear trees it had so much
the appearance of a coffin case
that the party took charge.
For some reason, not ex
plained, the casket did not get
off at Macon and the negroes
who were waiting at the train
took the pear trees off with the
deepest sorrow and care, car
ried the box to the home of
relatives and sat up, sang and
prayed all night.
The word was out that the
body was terribly slashed by
the wom
an's assail
ant and foi
that rea
son, togeth
er with the
long delay
after death,
the box
was not
opened. At
the honr
for the fu
neral the
colored pas
tor had his
text: "By their fruits ye shall know them."
Pallbearers, mourners and attendants, after
the usual custom, actually buried the pear
trees.
When the next northbound Central pas
senger train came bearing the corpse of the
dead woman and the funeral attendants were
notified, there was amazement and surprise.
Winship Cabaniss, one of the most promi
nent farmers of the community, found the
mistake when he made a search for the pear
trees.
Alton, 111.—Nature, in an Altonian mood,
brought another wonder to the door of .lames
Cbessen of East Alton, noted as the owner
of the famous swearing parrot. When Ches
san first proclaimed the versatility of his par
rot’s powers in profanity the bird was dubbed
a nature fake. So Chessen invited a number
of persons, among them a divinity student,
to hear the bird rehearse. Since then Ches
sen’s reputation for truthfulness in East Al
GJ
ton has been unquestioned, even as the par
rot's popularity has grown.
But this time a hen was at the bottom of
it, rather a setting of eggs, which Chessen
found in a nest reposing in the middle of a
big pumpkin which he purchased from Her
bert Culp, a truck farmer. The little brown
hen had made entrance through a hole which
a hungry cow—all cows are hungry in a
pumpkin field—had bitten out of the gamboge
vegetable. . As Chessen, who boasts that he
drives a good bargain, gave only 15 cents
for the pumpkin, and there were 14 eggs
in the parrot nest, he thinks he is the finan
cial gainer, though he may have to exhibit
again to re-establish his reputation for ver
aeity.
Chessen took the pumpkin in hi* hen
houses, and now a setting fowl is clucking
over the eggs. He expects to sell the pullets
when they are hatched, at from 35 to 56
cents apiece.
Dyspepsia, Kan.—In a single night this
burg has passed into history and all because
of the sidetracking of $50,000 worth of os
triches here. The ostriches were bound for
Los Angeles, Cal.
It is said the birds had not been fed since
leaving Africa and the first thing they did
was to eat up all the freight cars which pro
vided their homes. Then they descended up
on this town, first devouring a $200 plate
glass window in George Erickson's poultry
store about midnight. The town marshal
fled when he saw the things that the
ostriches relished. Inadvertently he
ran right into the flock in his flight.
They looked him over, smelled him, but
passed on to more savory delicacies in
the shape of the railroad depot. Hav
ing eaten this they started in on the
i homes of the residents and when dawn
came there was only a crumpled mass
of ostrich language and some human
cuss words, where the town once stood.
Most of the residents fled in their night
clothing to Hawkeye, a near-by village,
and have formed the Society for the
Prevention of Wearing Ostrich Plumes,
i The birds are now roaming the coun
try devouring everything in their way.
The militia company at Hawkinsville
may be called out.
Later—It wasn’t. The ostriches died.
—
Atmosphere, N. C.—Physicians w-ho
j were performing an operation for ap
pendicitis upon Herman Graustark in
this city to-day were astounded when
they extracted four $5 gold-pieces from
the appendix of the patient.
The currency was piled in the appendix
when extracted and one report has it
I'
[/HSPECT/HG THE EJAG/C EJOONJH/NE WELL
J
that the money was labeled “issue o
Mr. Graustark is cashier in the I lrst“ ,v
Trust Company ot this city and conseqi
was immediately placed under arres
charges of misapplying the funds of the •
He pleads innocence, declaring that e
have accidentally swallowed the coins
biting them to see If they were genuine.
Whee, Tenn. (By longdistance telephone)^
Yout corres-(hic)-pondent had Quite a
nine to-day in this (hie) hamlet,
quite a severe cold when he struck I t
and was one of the hicers who were 1 ,jje
at the discov-(hic)-ery of a magic we 1
city hall square. The well flows rea h
shine whisky (hie, htc). This is
town (hie). The well is a pub-(hic)
Jim Orson made the (hie) wondarfu <1
covery. It is considered very (hu P
that the well will be enjoined from t0
by the supreme (hie) court. >»u . it
drop 15 cents in the (hie) well to maim
flow. Your corres-(hic)-pondent is