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Dunstan Times, Issue 518, 22 March 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

An American never loses his sense of the ’cute, even when mad, and the Toledo Blade states that ■ an insane Philadelphian on being taken to an asylum by an officer, completely turned the table by delivering Up his keeper as mad, notwithstanding his protestations, The officer was locked up, and the man that was really insane walked away. Shakespeare observes that there is method in madness, and an Ohio lunatic has fully proved the proverb. Being accused ot murder, he sat up a plea of “insanity,” and, thanks to the help of some clever lawyers, was accpiittod. He had secured the lawyers’ services by giving them a mortgage on his estate. This he now repudiates, on the ground that he was insane at the time it was made, as had been abundantly proved by the holders themselves. In contrast to this gentleman we will cite the honesty of 7 a certain.tliief in Pidtnam. Having entered a store through a door incaufcious'y left open, he was proceeding to empty the till, when lie perceived the shopman fast asleep. Moved by a‘sudden impulse he went up to the sleeper, shook and woke him, and handed him" the money. Notwithstanding this generosity the shopman had the trespasser arrested, and prosecuted him ; but the jury threw out the bill, and the mau was discharged. American prisons, however, seem to he conducted far more liberally than in the Old World, if we arc to believe the fo lowing advertisement, copied from a Duluth journal:—" John Edwards, a prisoner in the St. Louis :County Jail, on Ashtabula Mill, would inform the charitable public that a family is dependent upon his labours for sup port, and he is, therefore, compelled in this public number, to announce that he has opened a tailor shop in the jail, and will be glad to have a share of the patronage of the citizens of Duluth An experience of live years in the trade guarantees his ability to give satisfaction, especially in children’s garments. Having no rent to pay, his prices arc much below ordinary rates.”

Tho Melbourne Aye contains tho following ghastly list of the violent deaths whioli occurred in that city during tho mouth of January last: — A boy aged six was killed by a fall from a horse ; a boy aged eight died of rupture of the peritoneum, resulting from a fall; a boy, aged eight died of injuries resulting from a cart-wheel passingover him jahatter forty two died from the effects of a fall; a female infant aged nine mouths died of a scald ; a boy aged (eight, a boy aged fourteen, and a youth of eighteen, were accident i tally drowned in tbe Yarn ; a tamale, aged fifty was accidentally drowned at ll dbam ; a male aged about forty name and occupation unknown, who found drowned, and a baker aged forty ! was found dead in the Yarra ; a chemist aged twenty-one, and a fruiterer aged forty-two, committed suicide by cutting their throats ; a confectioner aged forty, and a female aged fortyseven, poisoned themselves with strychnine ; a clerk aged twenty drowned himself (verdict in last three cases temporary insanity); a female aged forty-two was murdered by persons unknown ; a labourer aged fortyfive was judicially hanged in the Melbourne gaol. “ HSgles,” in the A ustrahman, rela tes the following’ story of a gentleman who called a meeting of his creditors, and laid bis affairs before them. Aitsr lookingat the books, a friendly ere litor pointed out that a large business had been done, and,still might be done ; but that no one could manage it so well as the gentleman who had called them together. He therefore proposed • that the business should be carried on for the benefit of the creditors by this gentleman, to whom an allowance of 700?. a year might be given. Hue to this the person directly interested promptly and decisively objected He shouldn’t he said alive on 700?, per an.l nunv and lie wasn’t going to try If they" wanted clu ep labor, they had - better try elsewhere. .