BECOMING RICH BY ACCIDENT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 935, 19 March 1880, Page 3

BECOMING RICH BY ACCIDENT.

The Pittsburg Telegraph tolls us this story, which it says is reliable —“ During an excursion from Pittsburg to Niagara Falls, and while at Cleveland an accident occurred which will never be forgotten by those who heard of it. The Kcnnant House at that city was crowded with guests when an eccentric and witty druggist appealed late at night at the Hotel ollice and demanded a bed. The clerk replied that there were only two vacant beds in the house —one wherein was quartered a Pittsburg newspaper man, and the other in a room wherein was a Pittsburg evening newspaper man ; who wore both in the excursion. ‘ To tell the truth they are both drunk, so you may take your choice as to which room you will sleep in.’ The druggist said that on general principles he could take his chances with the evening journalist as they excel the morning men in more ways than one, and would doubtless be so drunk that he would lie dormantly quiet all night. He went to bed and was soon sound asleep. The journalist however awakened about twelve o’clock, and, thinking it a long time between drinks ■ dressed himself unconsciously in the druggist’s clodies and decided to make a night ot it. Ever and anon he muttered as he treated all present ; ‘Funniest thing I ever heard of. When I went to bed last night I had only twenty five cents to my name and now I have got over a hundred dollars {showing a corpulent roll of bills), and I am bound to spend every cent of it before the morning.’ He did."

At the last meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society—Mr Hanlyside, the Society’s Banger at Morven Hills, wrote, asking to be allowed to shoot two stags. It was mentioned that permission to shoot a couple of stags at the Morven Hills had been given some time ago, but that the applicant could not carry his purpose into effect. The chairman stated that a gentleman who had bemi at Hindis lately told him that he came across a nerd of 30 or 40 deer. —lt was resolved to comply with the request. Mr Hugh Peek, of Melbourne, who has just failed for about L9d,001), gives the following as one of the reasons of liis insolvency ; —“The withering curse of the Berry blight lias so thoroughly shaken the confidence of capitalists and others that freehold property, ‘in which alone I was dealing,’ has not only depreciated very considerably over 40 per cent, as a g( neral average value all over the Colony, but has become positively unsaleable at any price whatever; neither does it now appear a bona fide security to finance nnon.”