284 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KKKPKR. 



October 



GRASSHOPPERS, $1 EACH. 



They Had Ueen Trained to Steal Car 

 Tickets Out of the Box. 



Bobtail cars were all the go in St. Louis 

 at one time. They wore not so popular 

 with the people as with the companies, as 

 they were small and inexpensive affairs, 

 the driver acting in the dual capacity of 

 driver and conductor. 



The farebos at the forward end, with 

 its series of trapdoors and front and back 

 of glass, was supposi'd to be an efficient 

 device for the protection of the company's 

 interests. At that time car tickets passed 

 everywhere as currency. The peanut stands, 

 the saloons and all re' ail stores accepted 

 them at their face value for purchases. 



The drivers knew this, and some of 

 them would evolve schemes to abstract the 

 coveted tickets after they were deposited 

 by the passengers in the box. This was 

 no easy matter, as the inventor had so fix- 

 ed its internal arrangements that roljbing 

 the box by a curved wire or any pliable 

 instrument was deemed an impossibility. 



One driver took a live grasshopper, tied 

 his two hind legs together to a piece of 

 thread so that he was helpless. The in- 

 genious cuss would then pry open some of 

 the slanting trapdoors with a small stick 

 and slowly let Mr. Gi'asshopper slide over 

 one door, through another and so on down 

 into the bottom of the box among the tick- 

 ets. The hopper had the use of his four 

 small legs, and when his master pulled the 

 thread to which the insect was attached 

 the hopper naturally grabbed hold of some 

 of the tickets. 



A grasshopper, when secured by the 

 hind legs, will hold firmly with his fore legs 

 to anything that comes within reach. As 

 soon as tlic hopper reached the tickets he 

 was pulled around the angles in the bos 

 and out, bringing with him from one to 

 five or six tickets. The tapping was done 

 at the end of the line or on some lone- 

 some part of the road. 



If tlie fellow wht) hatchecT that scheme 

 had kept it to himself, perhaps the railway 

 company would never have discovered his 

 rascality. This chap had a long head and 

 tried to make all he could out of his luckj' 

 find. He went into the wholesale grass- 

 hopper business. He kziew tliat grasshop- 

 pers were not to be had in winter; there- 

 fore he laid in a supply. He fed them and 

 took care of them. When Jack Frost 

 cleared the Solus of the chirpers, he started 

 out on a tour among the drivers. He was 

 careful about sounding his man first, and 

 to those who were willing to be ten^pted 

 he showed how the trick could be done. 

 He had the gra:-^ihoppers and would fur- 

 nish them at $1 apiece. By taking care of 

 the hopper it would be good for a week, no 



matter how cold the weather. He plied 

 his trade with some Ijoldness, and it even- 

 tually led to his downfall and a wholesale 

 discharge of drivers on several of the lines. 

 — St. Louis bio be- Democrat. 



PERHAPS THE WORST TIPPLE. 



One Drink IVIakes Some Men Drunk All 

 Day and Others Crazy. 



Captain Casson of the Britisli bark Cu- 

 pica, while at Astoria, on his way out to 

 sea from Portland, gave a reporter some 

 interesting tacts in regard to the gagus 

 plant and the terrible effects it has on the 

 natives of the Gauptil island, where it 

 grows. Captain Casson is an authority on 

 matters pe: uining to the South Sea is- 

 lands. In speaking of the gagus plant Cap- 

 tain Casson said : 



"It is a species of cactus, and, as I said, 

 grows only, to my knowledge, on the 

 Gauptil island. The island is a small one, 

 but is well populated by natives of the Ma- 

 lay race. In the interior this plant grows 

 wild, nourishing especially in the red, 

 rocky soil. It looks beautiful when grow- 

 ing, as you may judge by the bright hues 

 with which it is spotted. Opium is a po- 

 tent drug, but I am certain that the ex- 

 tract from tlie gagus plant is calculated to 

 do more damage to the human system. 

 Th(^ natives cut the plant in the early 

 spring. Atier they have gathered a suffi- 

 cient cjuantiiy, they put it in large bowls 

 and crush it with huge stones. 



"A grayish sap runs out freely, and this 

 they collect and drink, after letting it fer- 

 ment, wliich it does easily. Wiihiu half 

 an hour after imbibing it the drinker be- 

 comes pert ei i ly stupid and lies around 

 like a log. T>;e speil lasts a day or more, 

 during wiiich time the natives say they 

 live in pai'adise. I have known sailors to 

 trj' it, but never twice. Three years ago a 

 man in my crew was driven crazy by 

 one drink. The flr.st effect of the liquor is 

 to sofien the Ijouea and gradually eat them 

 awsiy. Tl:(^~\' are natives there, tlie vic- 

 tims of g^.,,iis, who are indeed boneless 

 and unable to walk or use their limbs. 

 Then they lH't>in to wither away, until 

 they die in mi^eryand convulsions. Usu- 

 ally two years will finish the hardiest man. 

 The sufferings of the slaves to the drink 

 are terrible. "'—San Fr;:i!cisco Chronicle. 



Yello^w Rooms. 



A man who has given the subject much 

 thourTht has liiid down a few rules which 

 arc worlli thinking about. "I have not." 

 said he. "put yellow into a sitting room in 

 ten years, with the exception of lhe little 

 that gets into a gold paper, and when I 

 hear about Whistler's yellow room it 

 makes me sluuUler. 



