The Leon reporter., March 22, 1900, Image 4

About The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
I^Uon Reporter
,0.,IC. HULL,
Publisher.
llpfc:?S: IOWA.
tURSDAY, MAR. 22, 1900
i: A scientist Says the earth is shrink
the" rate of three inches a year.
«*«'may account for the anxiety of
Jgkome people t° get p°8sessl°n of it be-
j.^'lore it dwindles away.
A bill recently passed by the Ohio
legislature provides that in the ab
sence of a contract agreement, women
shall he paid the same wages as men.
^^In the attempt to enforce a similar
i.. Readers of Dickens will recall the
cure for. a cold used by Mrs. Nickleby,
and described by the loquacious per
son as m^st extraordinary. The rem
edy was first employed the day after
Christmas, and the middle of the fol
lowing -April the cold was gone. If
jfy only one-half of the cure-alls proposed
by bills pending in congress and in
the state legislatures could be expected
to accomplish their purpose with like
magical efficiency!
Philippine cable.
4m-i
V1
Boxing in the, Chicago public schools
Iff H'PProved by the superintendent ani
•. Pre8ident of the board of education.
is evident that the future citizen
of Chicago is going to be able to
knock oyt all competitors, no matter
what line,they may pursue.
Kanjs^s, last year- many women
,*S-lo8t good positions. Wages, in the
cas6 of both men and women, are reg
ulated by something more powerful
legislation to-wit, conspicuous
^3$
effectiveness.
•"We, the delegates of the party,
in national convention assembled,bear
ing 'fresh mandates from the sovereign
people." How many national plat
forms will begin like that this year?
"Bearing fresh mandates from the sov
ereign people" is the way it should be
in all of them. The delegates repre
sent the pepple" Who, when choosing
them, instruct them what to do when
they get to the national convention.
Several members of the Chicago
board of trade have been indicted by
the federal grand jury for defrauding
country patrons. This is a wholesome
sigh: Only a few. years ago it was es
teemed a great honor to even-possess
the aroma of the board. The thought
that a member could be convicted of
fraud never troubled, anybody. Today
members of the board who induce
others'to iose. money in fictitious trans
actions are
criminals. S
6
Drosecuted like ordinary
•fc
rThat the laying of a cable to Manila
will prove to be "good business,"
sides'facilitating the sending of army
j||'^'?^vj|»e'Ws, ist shown by the strenuous oppo
-^^.^.Bitiottre^ntly made- to it before the
Sejaate committee on commerce by a
representative of a British telegraph
4«eifhpa.ny, which claimed to possess
c6ttcessions from. Spain giving it ex
clusive landing rights in the Philip
tl$ nupi^b'f fge concessions now s'fand
ihg, in view of the complete transfer of
the Philippines to the United States,
but it is interesting to note that shrewd
capitalists see possible dividends in a
sfov £S.
Steps are being taken to preserve the
famous Calaveras grove of big trees
which will probably pass into the
hands of a large, lumber firm which
has secured an option on this famous
California grove. It is the intention
•the new.possessors to build larg
mills in Calaveras connty^/l^
will then turn all of thgf7
which.,have been
points of interes^^™®"6
ii
§1M
... MM. I- I
saw"
and tiley
large
trees-
Dne of tlie
ber, wiles^0^^to visitors, into lum
Some immediate steps are
lakeh to save them. Various clubs and
associations in California are doing
their ,ftest to save the great trees, which
are famous all over the world. It is
urged that a national park such as has
been established in Mariposa and Tu
lare .counties would be most desirable
at this point.
The .census. enumerator's lot is hot
wholly happy, even in his and our own
,land but compared with that of his
brother official in Puerto Rico, it is an
enviable one. There he not infre
quently has to invent or evolve Chris
tian names for those who never had
any, or who have forgotten them, if
they ever had. And fancy his perplex
ity when, after asking a woman her
age, he is told that so many years have
elapsed,since she "was pretty"—her
particular age when her beauty was
conspicuous being a matter of, mere
conjecture. When the same query is
propounded to a man, it is usually fol
lowed by a perplexed grin. The omni
present small boy is of course at hand
on these occasions, and beholding him,
the relieved native will cheerfully aver,
as he points toward him, that he "was
as tall as that boy at the time of the
'San Filipe hurricane!' Thus it hap
pens that in striving to attain approxi
mate correctness in statements of ages,
the word "about!" is in frequent use in
the census records of Puerto Rico.
',V' 'J
g, ,Columbus' last descendant, the duke
of Vera^ia, complains that the Ameri
cans did not behave in a gentlemanly
fashion during the recent war. The
duke is right. Nothing more rude and
insolent than Dewey'sxconduct .at Man
ila bay has been chronicled iq the
annals of society etiquette, while such
behavior as that of Schley at Santia
go would have been out of place in any
drawing room. But then, how could
the duke expect *briny tars, coarse,
burly gunners, husky rough riders and
people of such patterns to observe the
Chesterfleldian graces?
iS
.#
The French have been among the
most enthusiastic frlend^of the auto
mobile idea, and during the coming
exposition in Paris they intend to make
Chat style of locomotion as consplcu
ous and attractive as possible. A
special automobile exhibition is to be
held in the park of Vincennes, under
the direction of the Automobile Club
if France. Competitive tests and races
[11 be arranged for all kinds of self*
'^.prTia^.^Wd.pBWea «t* to be
the vfcrfetia
LITTLE BLACK IMPS.
Back in Berlin the name of Max
Hertzer had been of some account. He
was, to begin with, a Hertzer, which
meant much. As a matter of course,
he was an officer in the army—his sis
ters had starved themselves for his
commission and maintenance—and he
was handsqme, even for a German oijl
cer. Unfortunately for him, he sang
the love songs of his country, and they
are quite the most moving songs in
the world. They move the singers as
well as the listeners. They moved
Hertzer, and on one night in particu
lar when he was bidden to the house
of a certain titled lady he was so lifted
out of himself by the charm ot his
music that he proposed to an American
girl who was present, and to his start
led dismay, he was accepted.
It was a misfortune, for he was not
in sympathy with the American point
of view, he did not like the insistence
and intellectual arrogance of Ameri
can women, and he had quite made up
his mind to marry a senseless and well
born fraulein who did neat work and
went to kaffee klatsches. He almost
loved her, she was so nondescript, and
would be well content to make a harm
less background of herself for his bene
fit. Moreover, in spite of all his vanity,
he was rather soft-hearted, and it hurt
him to think how many tears would
bedew those soft blue eyes when she
heard of his engagement to the Ameri
can girl.
The American girl had, moreover,
been known to do things which were
shocking. She had gone shopping
about the streets of Berlin unaccom
panied, she had once used slang before
a Weimar professor of philosophy, and
she had been heard to say that she did
not like the shape of the emperor's
nose. She was not known to be rich
even, which is the only excuse that an
American girl has for living, and it
was said she made some serious mis
takes tn her interpretation of the Fifth
Symphony.
Yet he married her. And they went
to America.
"It is just ks well," said his friends
sadly. "Really, you know, it is all over
with poor Max."
They felt tyat he was as good
dead.
It was dull in America. Well, New
York wasn't so bad, perhaps, but the
other towns—bah! There wasn't a
true city among them. It didn't count
for a man to be anybody. No one paid
any attention to Max because he was
Hertzpr. made HTm bitter. He
had a l: tie summer house built in the
yard back of his house where they
lived, and smoked his
dreamed of Berlin
some flowers a
liked these
to the
milit
v,f
pe there and
Also he planted
some little trees. He
"nd paid much attention
He studied a good deal—
tactics and botany. But he
fleeted to provide the daily bread.
No one could blame him for it. It was
an oversight on his part. His wife
.taught music lessons—she gave private
lessons and class lessons, and she
sometimes performed at concerts. Her
peculiar treatment of the Fifth Sym
phony did not militate against her in
America.
In the course of the long and busy
years four children were born to the
Hertzers,' but still the burden of the
breadwinning developed upon madam.
She never complained. It was the
greatest pleasure in the world for her
to return home and find the baron sit
ting there. She never saw a man so
handsome: And he was always kind.
Sometimes he found odd jobs to "do
bookkeeping, or work in a railroad'of
fice, or book criticism. He was willing
—but not eager—to work. Time was
apt to hang heavily upon his hands.
And so it became his habit to amuse
himself in a peculiar way—namely:
by the making pf little black devils.
He made them on anything that
.chanced to be handy—an envelope, a
scrap of paper, a playing card, or a
book margin. He represented them in
every imaginable antic. He gave them
a thousand subtle individualities. His
mind appeared to be beset by them.
Many of his acquaintances had won
dered in the course of their intercourse
with him what it was that filled that
.large, handsome head. Now they
seemed to be finding out. The little
inky imps trouped out of his pranium
in such numbers that they threatened
to leave it quite void and empty.
The children were growing up, and
children cannot do that, no matter
how unobtrusive they endeavor to be,
without costing some one something.
These children developed talents, and
in a utilitarian age talents cannot be
allowed to go to waste. Madam Hert
zer considered it incumbent on her to
see that one studied dramatic expres
sion, and another the violin, and an
other wood carving, and, another
modeling in clay, besides all of the
regulation studies. She brought a
great circle of friends about her, who
adored her Bohemian evenings, and
who considered the baron one of the
most interesting gentlemen' they had
ever niet.
The baron did not consider himself.
Interesting. He was bored with him
.self. He wondered if tinie would never
pass in America—and drew little black
devils while he was waiting to find out.
Among "his many pleasing and heter
odox friends who visited the Hertzers
was a newspaper man of a whimsical
turn of mind. He had been the recipi
ent on a certain occasion of a p£ck of
playing cards In which each club,
spade, heart or diamond was represent
ed by scarlet or black devils, and the'
design upon the backs of the cards
was a Writhing, twisting inferno of the
tame grotesque Mttle creatures.
He looked at these long and appre
ftttlreiy, did the newspaper man, and
he was seised with an idea. This Idea,
was the outcome of his observations.
He had noticed that there was a look
of extreme weariness in the eyes of the
amiable Madam Hertzer, and that she
walked more slowly than she used, and
her selections at the piano, which had
once been noted for their length, were
nbw brief and lacking in spirit. In
short, the brave spirit ot Madam Hert
zer drooped under many burdens. So
the newspaper man entered upon the
making of"a collection, assisted by the
energetic and talented children of the
baron. Little black devils were gath
ered from every part of the house,
heads were torn from letters, that the
fascinating imps might be preserved,
leaves were rent from books, and even
a pocket handkerchief done in a pro
cession of dancing imps, in indelible
ink, was taken in charge.
The practical friend sent these to a
certain much-illustrated comic weekly
and anxiously awaited results. The
family was of the opinion that there
would be no results. The baron was In
a state of peaceful ignorance.
But the results were almost dramat
ic. The comic weekly was amused. It
wanted a series, indefinitely continued,
of little black devils illustrating cur
rent events.
The officious friend carried the good
news to Baron von Hertzer.
"Sir!" stormed the baron. "You
have, exceeded your, privileges. You
have made me ridiculous. I am no
clown to fillip and kick while the peo
ple laugh! Will you have the great
goodness to recall these personal pos
sessions of mine from the stranger to
whom you have confided them?"
But the newspaper man was ob
durate.
"You will be distinguished in a few
minutes," he said. "I'm going to set
my alarm dock so I can wake up at the
proper moment and see the fun. No,
I'll not write for the imps. I've al
ready sold part of them. The check
will reach you in a few days. And you
must be about those current illustra
tions of current- happenings. When
they want a thing on a paper they want
it. They don't care to wait."
"Am I to be at the beck and call ot
these men whom I have never seen?"
"It is not necessary to see them in
order to be at their beck and call."
The baron considered all Americans
stupid, but he regarded this one as
particularly so. Especially when he
found that his family was leagued with
the perverse man to insist upon the
making of the little devils. Under pro
test, and with frequent lamentlngs that
he would be made ridiculous, the baron
worked on. The first few days were
drudgery, but the second week saw him
tolerant, the third week found him in
terested, and at the end of a month he
was enthusiastic. The joy of work—
individual, creative work—was an emo
tion he had only just discovered. And
when the monetary results became ap
preciable he grew almost purse-proud.
He began to gather ideas about the
propriety of women working, and final
ly he commanded his wife to cease her
money-earning. With a great show of
wifely submission Madam Hertzer
obeyed. She rested at last, after the
day's heat and burden,- and a smiling
German gentleman, lord of his house
and dictator over hjs dominions,. made
adorable little black devils In the soli
Ot Mu stuiJy.—^tXflcagG-TftWlliil}—
The Sound ot mu Explosion.
Mr: Charles Davison, finds tljat .when
Kurtz's aU?aH~TVorks at" St. Helens,
were blown up by the explosion
of eighty tons of chlorate of potash,
the noise was heard at Marple, twenty
eight miles away. The doors, win
dows and chimneys of workmen's cot
tages within a few hundred yards of
the works were dismantled, and within
the radius of a mile hardly a window
escaped.. At the battle of Corunna
1,500 barrels of gunpowder blew up,
causing the ground to rock for miles.
The blast at Hell Gate, New. York
(130 tons of dynamite), was perceived
183 miles away by the vibrations of
mercury. The shock of the dynamite
explosion (fifty t.ons) at Johannesburg
was felt at Pretoria, thirty-three miles
distant. The naval magazine of La
gouban (Toulon), which blew up 50,000
kilograms of black powder'on March 5
last, was heard at Nice, eighty-four
miles distant., and even at Ventimiglia,
in Italy, 100 miles distant. The coun
try for a radius of two miles was
blown bare,, houses knocked to pieces,
and trees uprooted or bent into fan
tastic shapes. ssr
fnfc
Heading Alond.
accomplishment that 'receives too
little attention among trained nurses
Is the art of reading aloud. Only
those who have had to lie on a sick
bed through long weeks and months
can appreciate the comfort of being en
abled to listen to intelligent reading.
A gentle, pleasantly inflected voice, a
clear and distinct articulation, and an
intelligent comprehension of the mat
ter read have a soothing effect upon
the most irritable nerves, and for that
reason should be considered desirable
qualifications in a sick nurse, There
are many people who cannot afford the
expense of having both a companion
and a nurse, but a nurse who can be a
companion as well-must4be considered
-an acquisition indeed.
-Lamartlne's Barber Still
it
COUNTESS
A|JVP."
Lamartine's barber, a certain M.
Isopy, is (says a Paris correspondent)
still alive. He is just ninety-two, and
his greatest delight is to talk of hia
hero. He treasurers up a faded daguer
reotype
the sentimental politician',
who, having been the dominant figure
In France, died in obscurity. M. Ispoy's
sliow was the favorite gathering place
of the celebrities of '48. It is prob
able that M. de Lamartine, who used
to summon his hairdresser to Macon,
employed him as an emissary in those
turbulent days." It was pleasing to
know from such an authority that
Lamartine was the inventor of "gen
uine bear's grease from Russia," and
that this unguent was the cause of the
poet'B silky locks.
An Inherited Opinion.
Mrs- Gay—Well, suppose I was a co
qiiette! There's no great harm in a
girl flirting a little before she's mar
ried. The Colonel—Do you teach your
daughter that? Mrs. Gay—Why, "not
it isn't necessary!—Puck.
Time .la different from money in thla
'—there is always enough of It to g«
around
:.«£!»
THOUGH DIVORCED SHE REIONS
SUPREME).
An Amerlosn Woman Who. Is Admired
by tha Old World Aristocracy—Th*
Devotion of Her Bx-Hmband Still
Hanltofted. by Princely PrMinta.
0^ (Washington Letter.)
An American woman, Countess
Adolf von Bruening, is well known In
the social circles in which' European
nobility moves, because of her mar
riage to her husband, the count, but
to the American people her name is
familiar chiefly becau&e of the touch
ing devotion of her divorced husband,
Gordon MacKay of Boston and Wash
ington. The countess' life has been
most romantic. She was the daughter
of Mr. MacKay's housekeeper and had
grown from childhood to mature
beauty under his eyes. Although twice
her age, Mr. MacKay paid her devoted
attention and she finally became his
bride. Everything that wealth could
provide was lavished upon the young
wife and for a time theirs was a happy
home. But a season of court life evi
dently gave Mrs. MacKay new ideas
for she made a. pronounced sensation
by her beauty and was loth to return
to her native land.
Mr. MacKay's life w&s always busy
and it came about that while he work
ed the fascinating daughter of his for
mer housekeeper sumptuously enter
tained Washington society. Finally
Mrs. MacKay began suit for divorce
and, in 1890, was granted a decree with
$25,000 yearlt as alimony, the posses
sion of two beautiful homes and also
the custody of their two sons. Mr.
MacKay made no defense and by many
"X
'V Jk
siii
ViSK
a©##*?'
...
$
mm
v.
was considered too magnanimous
cause of his quiet acceptance of
decree.
pit In their administration .the town
council seemed to have -acted harmoni
ously with the church authorities down
to the disruption ,in_ 1843.--Dundee
Journal,
A- DRpARY OLD WORLD
Thls Wonld Be If Max Nordaa's Prophecy
Should Be Fulttlled.
The happy bachelor and the mls"ei
able married man were detailing their
joys anjl sorrows, respectively, to that
confidant of man's troubles—the swell
barkeep, says the Washington Star.
"Max Nordeau,"' said the bachelor,
after he had reiterated the happiness'
ot the single state, "says that woman,
at the close of the twentieth century
will be on a par with man in law and.
custom that the role of man as her
ruler and protector will be a thing ot
the past and that he will have to sue—
mark the word, sue—for her love by
different means than used at present."
"What method do you picture. bache
lors will have to adopt to 'sue' for a
wife and what will they do to us when
they get us where they want us when
the evolution ot the sex so unsexes her
that she will become our equal? In
short, what will become of us?" The
miserable married man thought of the
present progress of the evolution and
of its representative at home, as he
gulped in great gaspy gulps the con
tents of the glass the swell barkeep
had handed him. "God knows!" he
answered, faintly. "Think heaven, I
won't be alive at the'close of the cen
tury, that's all!" "Just to think," said
the bachelor, meditatively, "no. mora
presents, theaters, operas, ice cream,
soda water, chewing gum, candles,
flowers, buggy rides, balls, parties,
walks, moonlight strolls, gate swing
ing, blushes, kisses, squeezes, coquet-
COUNTESS ADOLF VON BRUENINUv
be
the
Six years later Count von Bruening,
then a secretary of the German em
bassy at Washington, came into Mrs.
MacKay's life. After two years they
became engaged'. The marriage took
place in Washington the latter part of
last April, the count and countess sail
ing at once to Constantinople,where the
former was stationed as a member of
the German embassy. The count and
countess are now living in Berlin,
where the beauty and charm of the ac
complished American are greatly ad
mired.
As a wedding gift to the countess,
Mr. MacKay presented her a check for
$1,000,000. He still devotes himself to
business and has amassed an enormous
fortune.
THE KIRKMASTER.
This Church Dignitary Was an Impor
tant Peasonage l'n* Scotland.
At a recent meeting of the Church of
Scotland Officebearers' association, J.
A. Rollo, solicitor, delivered a most
interesting lecture on "The Kirkmas
ter of Dundee His Duties of 5ld and
•Present Sphere of Usefulness." He
vividly described the duties performed
by the kirkmaster in olden times. The
penalties to be Inflicted upon trans
gressors had to be exacted with all
rigor by him. 'Among those were the
following: No qian to "carry timber,
red stones, or dicht his malt" in the
kirkyard—penaity 40 shillings. No
wine or ale sellers to receive any per
son in their homes or keep table to
them "in the inorning while prayers
and preaching be done, and likewise
on the Sunday in time of preaching"—
penalty, suspension from business for
one year. No person to "swear blas
phemy"—penalty, for first fault, two
shillings, or two hours in the branks
for the second, twenty shillings, or six
hours therein, and for the third ban
ishment ot the burgh. No children to
"play, cry, or perturb in the kirkyard,
or^ break the glass windows in the
kirk"—penalty, parents to pay eight
shillings and mend the skaith. No
merchant or mariner to sail or take
voyage on Sunday, and'all Inhabitants
to kqep "p^bjic exercise as. precise as
the ordinary .dayg of preaching"—pen
alty, £10. No person "to bring Infants
and bairns under the age of five years
within the kirk In time ot sernaon or
prayers," and tid person "to rise and
depart forth of the kirk before, the Mid
and conclusion of the seragion' and
W^e»''--panaitjr, for and
Second tadlti,^itfeuti^ and^a# tti'
third, forty sellings, or 24 hour Im
prisonment op['v bps^d and.
declaration ofithe Sault from t§e pjil-
tish glances, bashful 'oh! it's so sud
den!' No more crimps, primps, pom
poms, porwders, pomades, pads, rouges,
tight shoes, spider waists, soubrette
locklets, silken hoselets, picture hat
lets and a thousand and one of the
component parts which go to make up
the courtship of today. It will be a
forlorn old world from our present
standpoint, eh "Max Nordeau," said
the married man, miserably, "is a
lobster."
*3
Nervous Children.
A word about nervous children. Nev
er scold them nor "make fun" of them.
They suffer enough without your
threats or sarcasm. Pretend not to see
their awkwardness when in company,
nor their grimaces when alone. A case
was reported the other day of a boy of
ten years of age, on being vexed, and
often without .. any apparent provoca
tion, will clench his hands and make
the most frightful contortions of the
muscles of his face and head till his
poor mother fears he is idiotic. By no
means. He is the brightest boy In his
class at school, fond of reading and ot
natural history, but he is. of a highly
nervous temperament, and has not
been taught to control the little wires,
so to speak, on which he is strung.
This is no single case. There are thou
sands of children who give way to their
nerves in similar fashion.. Talk to
them about these curious little fellows
that should be their servants, not their
masters. Never whip them. The man
or woman who whips a nervous child
is on a level with brutes that have no
reason. Encourage them. Help them.
Be patient with them. They are the
making of our future successful men
and women, for they will work hard at
whatever they undertake. Brace up
your own nerves first, and then be in
dulgent toward the capers of-your over
nervous children.
The Ages of Trees.
As there has been more or less dis
cussion about the ages of treps, it will
•be gratifying to know that a German
forester, who is considered as authori
ty, says that the oldest trees in Ger
many are known to have lived 60Q
years. £fthe silver.fir has flourished f?r
upward ot 400 years, and th'e evergreen
oak baa been known to live 410 years,
•while'other varieties of oak are from
816 to 820 ye«|TS Old. The larch has
stood the storms and shines of 275
year*,! the^ red beoch 245, tbe ash 170,
the blroh 200, the aspen 220, the moun
tiain maple 225, the elm 1M and tha
That few self-confldence
rettrwolnan.
RECALLS OLD CBIME.
DEATH_ IN NEW YORK O* A
HEARTLESS BETRAYER.
He Came to the Escaped Murderer a
Wanderer and Was Cared For
FlnaUjr Concluded to Trjr (or the
Hangman's Reward.
There died in a New York liquor
house the other day a man -who- had
drunk himself to death. H1B very body
had begun to decay as a result of con
tinual saturation with narcotics. He
was known about the saloonB as "Jim,
the Bum," but his real name was
James Lesprance. His remains were
carted away to the potter's field, while
his soul flitted to the judgment, there
to stand trial for a crime for which
the laws of human government'pre
scribe no punishment. Fifteen years
ago Lesprance betrayed into the hands
of the law one Luke Phlpps, who on
the night of August 19, 1883, shot his
young wife on a Detroit river ferry
boat. Mrs. Phlpps was in company
with a man, a stranger to the murder
er. No effort was made to shoot her
companion. The shooting was done
on the Canadian side and Phlpps was
at once arrested and held in the Sand
wich, Ont., jail, for murder in the first
degree." While awaiting trial he es
caped with some other prisoners but
was recaptured in Pullman, 111.
At the time of Phlpps' capture it was
given out that while under the influ
enced liquor he told of the murder,
and revealed his identity that William
McEwen, son of the then sheriff of
Essex county, who was employed in
vWP
LUKE PHIPPS.
the Pullman offices, heard of Phlpps'
unsolicited confession, and wired his
father, who sent on deputies.
In a recent conversation with
"^Detective Andy Rohan of Chi
^go, who arrested Phipps, that
officSSw revealed to a Detroit
1I1 11 11 In 11 llfflT Of
The vagrant friend knew the story
of the outcast Phipps, who was living
under an assumed name, yet the fugi
tive trusted him.' The reward offered
for Phipps' apprehension finally over
came whatever qualm's of conscience
the fellow might have possessed, and
he resolved to become a Judas.. He
revealed Phipps' identity to Rohan,
and led the" latter to the poolrcwm,
where Phipps was innocently engaged
in a game. The informer utood in a
recess of the door and pointed out
Phipips to the detective.- The latter ad
vanced and, tapping the doomed man
on the shoulder, said:
"Phipps, I want you for mu*?er.":-
stewa
The latter's complete surprise and
show of emotion at once convinced t£e.
detective that he had not beeti misin
formed. Phipps wilted. He ue*med jo
have wearied of the continued eille a».d
dread, of detection, and he simply
turned to the officer and said:
"Well, I guess ir's all up wWj me."
Then, turning to the maa who haJ.
so treacherously eatrapped hlits, fcr
conferred upon him the appurtenances
and good-will of his pool room busi
ness. He never suspected his Judas.
The latter was unsuccessful with his
ill-gotten legacy, and became very dis
sipated and finally left Pullman tn the
direst poverty. He never received any
of the reward money. He drifted to
New York to die a nameless tramp.
Luke Phipps was hanged June 17,.
1884, and a grewsome reminder of his
erime and its expatiatlon is the .ahull
of the steamer Hope, which lies, rotting
and moss-grown in a Sandwich canul.
The American Duel.
Two German students having quar
reled, decided the earth was not large
enough for both of them to live on and
resorted to the diabolical practice call
ed an "American duel." In p. darkened
room the two young men dr^w lots,
having sworn that he who drew the
black ball would commit suicide. The
unhappy loser went to his room and
discharged a bullet into, his breast,
but missed his heart, and .lingered for.
several days on his deathbed his par
ents were summoned by telegraph and
besought him on their knees to disclose
the name of his antagonist, but. he
steadfastly refused, and died-with the'
secret In his breast The students -not
Only excused his conduct, but praised
his courage, and when Us remains
were taken to the railway station to be
transported to a distant city, they! ac-:
coinpaiiled the funeral cortege with
tiirehes tlnd mtisic. The students clkim
^Vhe^-was. iiot a suicide, Ifor he |ms
Kllled|ia ain :tonbesble du«l, and they
maintained tut his opponent was not
accessory to felJr death. becauBe he shot
•MAKRS MM S!CK.
W*e ti (IfaBgeJy
Kww Jersey Woman
Affected by Lt^hU .. ^4
In a 8pruce street biwrdtng home
there is now living an elflerly s|4nster
who for thirty years has Javoidel. th«.-|jjijte
light. She is no misanthrope, no re
oluse, nor does her aversion to I'ghl
arise from any constitutional defect
Of wide information, charity and tond
of company, herr peculiar condition
precluded enjoyment of society In tir
an a in so a on
most pleasant. In the evenings when
the gas is lighted she retires, to
cloaked corner, and hidden und^r an
umbrella especially constructed to
ward off rays of light, she .holds con^
verse. Thus she sits, for hours, like J.
some sorceress, unseen by those in the 1'
a a in
whom she talks and charnis with his
fund of bright and Interesting things:
Not that her eyesight is affected—it is
as good as that of any woman 60 years
of age. She simply cannot bear the
light to strike her. Diffused sunlight,
as a rule, does not trouble hpr, but a
tiny ray illuminating a nearrby object
upsets her physical system and is fol
lowed by an attack ot nausep. The
patient is Miss Ford of Moorestown,
N. J., a descendant of the Fords, in
whose house Washington made his,
headquarters while in that part of New
Jersey. She came here recently ^o le
treated for her peculiar malady. The
physicians who have her case in charge
will not say whether her condition is-'
pathologically natural or reflex. Her
ailment has Existed for thirty years.
For all that time she has been unable
to suffer the radiance, of gaslight, and
when an electric light was introduced
her retirement from'its presence was,
rendered imperative. Its effect ufoni,
her nervous system is
lso
she Is made ill, as though some nau- -5*
seating dose had been administered to'
her. So sensitive has Miss Ford be
come to the irritating effect of light
that should a sun's ray invade her cor
ner and flicker upon the hangings, or
tint the window shade, she would be.*:.-*',
immediately thrown into a nervous V£'|.-.
spasm. The sun which brightens and
cheers all the world is to her a dread
visitor, whose benign sparks are mal- .'
evolent messengers. The effulgence allV
nature glories in Induces only abhor
rence In her. When she drives ou£
except on cloudy days, the curtains of*
the carriage are drawn, the draperies
so arranged that there may be no in
vasion of distinct rays of light." The
most peculiar fact connected' with Miss'
,t5I
Ford's unique condition is that it Is not
necessary for her to see the ray
light to be adversely affected. It't]
mere presence in her immediate vicin
ity, at her side or behind her back,
renders her susceptible.—Phlladelpl
North American.
FLOCK OF BU2
and
ingratitude on the* part
er against Phipps, that places tnf "r®t
version at naught. It seems thai."16
wife-slayer broke jail on November^
of the year of his arrest, with anoUN
er murderer named Greenwood and a'
thief named Seers. They sawed
through the bars of-their window and
lost little time in getting out of' the
queen's dominions. Phipps wandered
to the Illinois town, where, in fancied
security, he started a poolroom. One
day, an old acquaintance, a French
Canadian, whom he had known long
before the tragedy, drifted into Pull
man. He was penniless, ragged and
half-starved, and Phipps, ignoiing the
first law of natftre, took him in and
cared for him. He bought him a new
suit of clothes and Installed him as
his right bower in the poolroom.
5®fi9f(H^One of the curious sights in
Charleston. is a flock of buzzards,
which, six days in the week, hover
around thejgpteflA alleys, and .pa^L'^tr?
•tfegftffHw^^narket-plftces of that^^lf^rt
city. They are the pubilcTfeG£Yengers
and are protected by -law. They cleang^pgfgg,
the street^ of garbage and ,other fllth,^4|g|p
and work from dawn to sunset in a
most energetic and faithful manner on
familiar terms with the population.
They have learned not to. fear any one,
but swoop down wherever they like
and carry off all the decaying animal
and vegetable matter they find. When
the sun goes down they fly across
bay and roost in the dark grov^a^tfRt
line the banks of the riygrT Theyc^Jf,®!0
never work ion Sunday. Charleston ls^S,1'w^^!
a very religious city. The observance
of the Sabbath is more strict £here per
haps than in any other place of its
size in the country. The people, most
ly Presbyterians and Huguenots, re
tain the old-fashioned ideas about the
fourth commandment. Efen. the vul-'
tures respect this sentiment, and "Re
member the Sabbath' day*to keep it
holy." When they disappear Saturday
night they are never seen again until
Monday morning, and this has been? ."
their habit as long as the olflest' in-'tj%Ji||
habitant can remember.
Don't Tire lonr Eyes.
Thunder and Lightning.
Thunder and lightning, though nat-,v
ural operations, are a cause of greats
alarm to many. It is seldom any per
son is Injured who keeps awayfrom
considerable metallic substances'
avoids immediate contact with the?
walls of the house. The middle of the
room Is In general perfectly safe, and
the lower rooms are safer than th
upper. A bed reffioved at a sllght dis-^
tance from the walls'.of the room Is In*"
perfect security, even If the house iiero^V
struck. When lead. 1b used on the roofa,
of buildings particular'care should b*
taken that it communlcates with tha-,
spouts, ahd by these means with the
ground, to -determine the distance of
tb» lightning, count the-seconds be- .,
tween the fiash and the thunder, and^
reckon less than a quarter oi a mil
tfSir-
11
.•»*s3
baneful that.
IDS.
The Scavenger* ofgfcarteston, and Work:
Every Except Sanday. 4®^"
Washing**
vU
W-.
W
It is unwise to tire the eyes, for ifj,"^
it is frequently done they are likely to^4*
lose tone. Of course, if thoroughly
rested at night, they will bear a very,:
frequent repetition of fatigue, hut in
stead tlie sight will grow dim. The
eye is most dependent upon tire gen
eral health. It is impossible to indi
cate just how much, and how Intense
ly, the eyes may be employed, but it
is safe to say that a very large number
of persons in civilized life ere con
stantly verging upon the dangers ot
exhaustion of their vision by over-
straining the eyes. Such an exhaus
tion is quite common among young
people who are kept several hours oc
cupied with printed books. When the
eyes become sensitive to light or tired,
it is folly to force them. No exigency
is an adequate excuse .for such an
abuse. But resorting to dark rooms. |5
should be reserved for extreme eases^^
We have seen great many persons
seriously injured In general health,^
and their sensitive eyes made the^^f
chronic victims of weak vision^ by be-y'1^
ing shut up from light-and sunahlnefe
and fresh air for several weeks
some difficulties of the eyes which»%f!*vi''
should have been treated with nothingff
more decided than green or smoked"
glasses.
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