Civil War Favorites

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch, July 1861. These are the oddities:

Sad. July 13, 1861
--Ellen Bibbs, about twenty-five years of age, good looking, of polite and engaging manners, committed suicide in Memphis, Tenn., on the 8th instant, by taking laudanum. Cause — unrequited love.

How to save your life., July 24, 1861
--In the war of 1812 every soldier was advised to carry a string, to be tied around a bleeding limb and be twisted tight by a stick or ramrod until a surgeon could be found. Let our soldiers remember this, and when wounded try the remedy.

Biting off a man's nose, July 18, 1861
--Two Sullivans — John and Frank — otherwise known as "Black" and "White," got into a fight yesterday afternoon in a flat-boat just below the Navy-Yard, when "Black" bit off the end of "White's" nose! Both parties were arrested--Memphis Bulletin, 13th.

Rope Dancing in France. July 13, 1861
--Three Polish rope dancers, performing at the Hippodrome, were recently precipitated to the ground, by the breaking of a rotten rope. The father and son were killed on the spot; the other son had his legs broken. The widows of the two men brought an action against the Director for damages, and was allowed 26,000 francs. The Director then turned upon the rope maker and obtained the same amount from him, The French laws are very stringent in regard to all accidents of this kind.