The Leon reporter., December 13, 1900, Image 4

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

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The Leon Reporter
16* &DLti| PubUihati'
I40X IOWA.
THURSDAY, DEC. 13, 1900.
Maude Adams has a new play upon
which the New York dramatic critics
are unable to agree. She is a fortunate
.woman.
The reason tor the advance In prioes
Is by no m^ans aomplicated. The Chi
cago packets simply feel that they
need the nxiuey.
After being out 102 hours and fall
ing to reach a decision a jury in Scran
ton, Pa., was discharged. Later empty
whisky bottles were discovered in the
Jury room.
Absolute amnesty has been granted
by the Peruvian legislature to all per
sons who may have been concerned in
any political transgression or offenses,
•with the right to fill public offices. All
political prisoners confined at Lima
have been set at liberty.
When anew postoffice is to be named
the people of the neighborhood have
the right to choose its name. There
are Schleys, Roosevelts and Funstons
all over the country. Now some Vir
ginians have named their postoffice
Tuan, in honor of the anti-foreign
Chinese prince, and the name has to
stand.
Clark of Montana is going to make
another effort to obtain a seat in the
United States senate. As far as the
legislature of Montana is concerned,
Clark's case is already won. A ma
jority of the members of that body
are of Clark's choosing, and they will
undoubtedly give him a set of creden
tials to carry to Washington.
There is one comfort in the com
tng on of cold weather. Statistics in
dicate that outbreaks of insanity are
most frequent in the hot season, and
that suicides in the summer months as
compared with the winter months are
as three to two. Whence It would
appear that even our reason and our
love of life are best kept on ice.
Christmas trees are already being
eut uown in Washington county, Me.,
and the season's output from that sec
tion will amount to 400 car loads, with
8€0 bunches to a car. Each bunch
consists of from two to sis trees. The
trees are sent to New York and Bos
ton, where they will retail for about
ten times as much as they are worth
on board the cars in Maine.
street in Chicago, not far from the
"Archey road," immortalized by Doo
ley, has been known for twenty years
as "Fake" street, in honor of a certain
business man bearing that name. The
word has come to have so injurious a
significance of late years that the
residents and property owners in that
neighborhood have prayed\ the city
authorities to give the street a new
jname,
•.$£$£.
chusetts las^?Sr aged TOO years" or
more. Sixteen of the twenty-one were
women—three of the sixteen never
'having been married. Eight of the
-twenty-one were born in Ireland, three
In Canada and three in other foreign
countries—1'eaving seven native-born,
six of whom were of Massachusetts na
tivity. The oldest was two month*
over 106 years.
The perfunctory manner in which
witnesses are sworn in English courts
was illustrated recently in a London
court after some twenty witnesses had
given their evidence. It was then dis
covered that all had solemnly sworn
on and had kissed a guide to the law
of landlord and tenant. The mistake
came to light only when a court offi
clal saw that the supposed Bible was
much more clean than usual, and, as
a consequence, looked closely at the
book.
Mis3 Alice Sinclair of Cincinnati, O.,
who acted as bridesmaid at the wed
ding of a friend, found a thimble in
the piece of bride's cake which she
ate. This was regarded as proof that
she would be an old maid. To prove
that the sign was false she agreed to
marry William Keelor, to whom she
was engaged, at once, and invited all
the wedding guests to be present at
her marriage. A minister was found
within three hours of the time when
she was acting as bridesmaid.
The fa'.llng of (he elevators is perhaps
not the only danger associated with
life in the modern sky-scraper. Some
physicians, in making physical exam
inations for life insurance companies,
think they have discovered that ele
vator boys and others who make many
trips a day are peculiarly liable to
heart-disease and premature degener
ation of the arteries. They do not
knew whether this is due to change
In atmospheric pressure In passing
from basement to roof and down
again, to the disturbances caused by
the sudden starts and stops and the
rapid descent, or to some as yet un
suspected cause.
Telephones are being fitted on the
electric cars of one of the suburban
lines in St. Louis. The Instrument is
placed in the rear of each car, the
negative connection being through
the wheels to the rail, and the posi
tive connection being secured through
a simple device, like a jointed flshpole,
and an overhead wire, paralleling the
trolley. Thus the motorman is able
at all times to communicate with the
•Office,
PS
the sheds and the wrecking
crew. Later it is intended to connect
this line with the public service a^d
to permit its use by passengers.
The Sons of the American Revolu
tion in Hawaii recently.offered a prize
for the best oration, written and de
livered in English, upon a specified
historic theme. The competition was
open to every boy in the islands. Was
It the son of a Son, a native Hawaiian,
a clever Japanese, a Portuguese of
ancient lineage who. at that cosmo
politan crossroads of the Pacific, won
tiie coveted prize? No it was a full
blooded son of that China which Is
no* UujDQlitical problem the
'woriL!S£i i"=
-ivi \v
PV
11
..
1
A Plague In Society.
Frivolous women can be attractive,
are often very attractive to a certain
class of men. You can bo frivolous
and have bright eyes, just as you can
be wicked, heartless, greedy, stupid,
and yet be blessed with an adorable
nose, an exquisite complexion, a be
witching mouth, remarks an observant
masculine critic. But frivolous women,
whether attractive or not, are either in
the beginning or in the end baneful
to those who come under their influ
ence or who are much in their society
for they abhor the truth of life, cher
ish lies, make of selfishness a religion
and of pleasure a cult, says the Phila
delphia Times. I suppose we all num
her among our acquaintances some of
these frivolous women. As a rule, they
preserve, under all circumstances that
are public, at least an appearance of
gayety they would chatter beside an
open grave, discuss gowns and bon
nets if a person were dying in the next
room, laugh in a cathedral at twilight
and look at themselves in a mirror
rather than at the view from the cita
del of Cairo or at the panorama which
Is visible from the hills above Paler
mo. I have heard them cackling
through "Tristan and Isolde," and tit
tering during high mass in St Mark's
at Venice. Nothing seems really to
Impress them except the powder puff.
If they could they would rouge the
cheeks of Mother Nature and stencil
the eye of the sun for their worship
of the artificial Is a mania, and their
passion for the false an idee fixe.
RAINY DAY SUIT.
Of gray double-faced cloth. The Rus
sian blouse jacket has three box-pleats
back and front, which are edged with
folds of plaid cloth. The skirt is gored
and flares about the feet
On Friendships.
In all ages friendship has been re
garded as one of the highest gifts given
to man. and after love, it has been
garlanded with more blossoms of
poesy and fancy than any other attri
bute of humanity. Considering it from
©very point of view, it is a precious
boon, and yet how many times in our
lives do we allow sweet friendships to
slip beyond our grasp, just from a lack
(i
of the scanty nutriment the tender
plant requires to keep it alive?
An occasional call, a letter once In
a while, a remembrance of dates and
anniversaries, a tender word or two tat
show that the heart has not grown
away from its once proud position o(
.nearness—these are all that a real
friendship requires to make it blossom
with benefits, says the Pittsburg
Press.
Love, the burning, consuming emoi
tion, we pursue with avidity, never al
lowing it to rest, until with many ol
us it is consumed itself in the chaset
but calm and tender friendship, always
ready to repay the smalelst care from
the outstretched hand, most of us neg
lect until a true mutual friendship and
trus* Is rare.
A DAINTY GOWN!
Of gray crepe de chine, with small
white silk dot The pleated waist has
wide lapels of blue silk, lace and gold
braid. The collar is gold cloth, edged
with lace. The undersleeves and ves
are of white chiffon. The sleeves have
three rows of the gold cloth, edged
with lace, running up and down. The
folded belt of blue silk, with gold
braid in the folds, ties on the right
side of the back.
r/l
i-V'/.s ijl'OTo Made In Germany.
Elopements are never heard of In
Germany, and yet there is no snch
thing as getting married there without
the consent of the parents. Certain
prescribed forms must be gone through
or the marriage is null and void. When
a girl has arrived at what is considered
a marriageable age, her parents make
a point of inviting young men to the
house, and usually two or three are
invited at the same time, so that thq
attention may not seem too pointed,
says the Philadelphia Times.
No young man, however, Is ever in-,
vited to the house until after he has
called at least once, and thus signified
his wish to have social intercourse
with the family. If he takes to call
ing on several occasions in rather close
succession it is taken for granted that
he has "intentions," and he may be
questioned concerning them.
In Germany the man must be at
least 18 years old before he can make
a proposal, and when it is made and
accepted the proposal is speedily fol
lowed by a betrothal. This generally
takes place privately, shortly after
which the father of the bride, as she
is then called, gives a dinner or supper
to the most Intimate friends on both
sides, when the fact is declared, and,
naturally, afterward becomes a matter
of public knowledge.
•'•••1IA new long coat with applications of white cloth, and a mauve camel's
hair costume from Paris, with spiral decoration of purple taffeta. A very
elegant and French boa is worn with this striking gown, being made of
J^olyJmqttijl Jilack, liberty^satiu with long tasseleil end*
"•-a.
And Brings Ton Nothing but a Bill.
Friend—What is hope?
Poet—It's something that wakes you
up at 4 o'clock in the morning when
the postman doesn't come around till
10.—Syracuse Herald.
CHARMING COSTUMES FROM PARIS.
'ttif
HANGED BY A WOMAN
A MINER PAYS PENALTY FOR
MURDER.
Tried by Husband and WW* la a Ixmely
Alaskan Cabin and Daly Sentenced to
Die—Hake* a Confession—Strange Kx-
Iffencles of Lonely Life.
(Alaska Letter.)
Near Skaguay, Alaska, the strange
exigencies of life in an isolated mining
region compelled a woman to act as
judge and executioner in a murder
case. With her own hands Mrs. Hans
Nelson put the rope around th« neck
of the man whom she had taken pris*
oner, and after she had read a few
verses from the Scriptures
Bhe
swung
the rope over the limb of a tree. Then
her husband pulled on it until the
noose tightened, and the wretched
man, who was paying the extreme pen
alty for his crime was strangled to
death.
The execution took place at Latuya
bay, 100 miles from Skaguay, where
Mr. and Mrs. Hans Nelson had gone
to seek their fortunes. Associated
with them were Michael Dennin and
two other miners. The men were mod
erately successful in their search for
gold, and they had obtained several
thousand dollars when the end of the
seasoncame. There was much discus
sion concerning how to spend the win
ter, and one morning, just a year ago,
a council was held at the breakfast
table. Dennin was not present, but
from his bunk in the room near by he
heard his partners make plans for the
Epending of their money.
One of the men made some laughing
remark about how he meant to cut a
dashing figure in San Francisco, when
'suddenly. Dennin entered, with a shot
'gun in hand. Without saying a word,
he took careful aim and fired at one of
the miners. The man fell, and Dennin
turned his gun upon the miner who
sat next to him. The buckshot crashed
through the man's skull, and he fell
beside his dead comrade. Both barrels
being emptied, Dennin began to load
his gun again, but Mrs. Nelson sprang
at him, catching him by the throat
With a strength born of desperation,
she pushed the murderer back against
the wall of the cabin, and called to her
husband to help her overpower him.
Nelson quickly went to her aid, and,
wresting the shotgun from Dennin's
hand, he beat the murderer over the
head until the man fell bleeding and
unconscious.
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson bound their
prisoner and threw him into the bunk
he had left not ten minutes before com
mitting the dreadful crime. Then they
examined the two bodies that lay upon
the floor. It was not possible to sum
mon help, for they were miles away
from any other camping place. It was
agreed that the bodies had to be
buried, and the brave woman helped
her husband prepare them for inter
ment Then the miner and his wife
went out on the beach and spent the
morning digging a grave. They took
MRS. HANS NELSON.
turns using the shovel, and together
they carried the bodies to the grave.
The woman said a prayer, and when
the sand was smoothed over this lone
ly mound she went back into the cabin
that bore the horrible traces of mur
der. First she ministered to the man
who had deliberately taken the lives
of his comrades. Nelson refused to
touch the prisoner, because he said he
could not trust himself in the murder
er's presence. It was a difficult task
to wash the blood away from the
man's head and to feed him as he lay,
bound, and when this duty had been
performed she still had much to do in
finishing her husband's labor of remov
ing the blood stains from the walls
and floors and furniture.
It was not until the sun had set on
the day of horror that the woman gave
up to her feelings. Then she cried,
and the night brought her no rest, for
she and her husband were confronted
with the question of what to do with
their prisoner. This problem harassed
them for a fortnight Every day Mr.
and Mrs. Nelson took turns guarding
the prisoner. With the man's own
shotgun leveled at his head, they sat
and watched him as he lay, bound
hand and foot For an hour each
morning they led him out of doors for
a little exercise, and then both did
(guard duty. One day Dennin confessed
that he had meant to kill the whole
party and then take all the gold that
had been found. He had planned how
he would tell the story that Indians
had murdered his partners. It was
Mrs. Nelson's quick action that had
surprised him and saved her life and
that of her husband.
For ten days the Nelsons waited in
the hope that a steamer would, put in
at the little .harbor. Once a vessel
headed their way, and then changed
Its course. Several Si wash Indians ap
peared at the camp but when they
found out why Dennin was bound they
fled in terror. Both Nelson and bis
wife began to succumb to the nervous
strain as the days passed and it be
came probable thaV they would have
to spend the winter In camp. The
prisoner suffered intensely from his
confinement, and he begged to be
either killed or set fet liberty. Often
he pleaded earnestly to be allowed to
go into the wilds to spend the re
mainder of his life, and it became
necessary to dispose of him in some
way. It was then that Mr. and Mrs.
Nelson decided to give him a trial.
Standing before Dennin's bunk, they
solemnly administered the oath and
put him on the .witness stand by brac
ing him up in bpd. In response to the
questions, put to him by Mrs. Nelson
he made a full confession This was
carefully written out, and thett he was
asked to sign it. With his fate to be
decided by the two who bad been his
friends and companions In the early
days of their prospecting trip, the pris
oner waited in an agony of suspense
for half an hour. With the shotgun
still pointed at Dennin's head, Mrs.
Nelson sat near the bunk and whis
pered to her husband. Then she stood
before the wretched man and said:
"We have found yon guilty of mur
der in the first degree, and we declare
that your sentence shall be death. You
will be hanged by the neck until yod
are dead. The executfcn will take
place on Friday."
It was Wednesday when the trial
was held,and for two days Mrs. Nelson
devoted herself to preparing the pris
oner for the end. She read the Bible
to him, wrote letters of farewell to his
relatives, and talked with him. At
first he seemed unreconciled, but when
the day of his execution arrived ho
appeared quite calm and self-possessed.
He said good-bye to his executioners,
and when his feet were unbound he
walked firmly to the solitary tree near
the cabin where a barrel had been
placcd to do service as a scaffold.
Nelson preceded him and Mrs. Nelson
followed with the shotgun.
It was a solemn moment as the con
demned man stood looking at the sky
for the last time. He shook hands
with both his executioners, and then
Mrs. Nelson tied a handkerchief over
his eyes. Nelson helped him to step
upon the barrel. Mrs. Nelson said a
little prayer and read a chapter from
the Bible. Her husband tightened the
rope and pushed away the barrel. In
a few moments Michael Dennin had
paid the penalty for his crime.
For six months after the execution
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were unable to
get away from Latuya bay. When
they again returned to civilization,
taking with them Dennin's confession,
the United States Court, before which
the murderer's case was laid, decided
that the hanging was a judicial act
GIRL. WITH CANE.
Hand'.es Fetching: Stick with S:tvoU
Falre of Veteran*
Society has started a new fad—the
girl with the cane, says the New York
World. She was seen on Filth avenue
yesterday wielding a dainty stick as
skillfully as her escort wielded thq
heavier one he carried. Passers-by
stopped and wondered, but the girl
with the cane never flinched. She
walked her way up the avenue with
no uncertain stride, and handled her
fetching stick with all the savoir faira
of a veteran. Who she was no onq
could say. But she was evidently
some one of Importance. She carried
herself with the airs that appertain
to the Waldorf-Astoria and the horse
show. Her gown was strictly in tha
mode. It consisted of a smart greei}
flannel waist, polka-dotted with red.
With it went a smart black skirt o{
golf length and a hat of black tq
match. The stick was long an"l
slender. It had a straight handle.
This is conceived to be the fashion for
New York girls for the coming season
1S1
The Fate of the Confederate Sea»U
"The result of the last Confederate
council of war held at Abbeville, South
Carolina, in May, 1865,was soon known
all over Abbeville, and the generals
and the secretary of war were kept
busy for hours signing honorable dis
charges for the tired soldiers, who im
mediately applied for them," writes
Mrs. Thaddeus Horton, In the October
Ladies' Home Journal. "During the
evening Mr. Benjamin asked for a
hatchet, and with it he defaced the
Confederate seaL About twelve, o'clock
the same night the Confederate party
continued their retreat in the direc
tion of Washington, Ga., and while
crossing the Savannah River in the
darkness some one suggested that the
seal be thrown overboard. This idea
was at once approved, and when the
boat reached mid-stream it was drop
ped with a dull splash into the sandy
river bed of that 'beautiful Southern
water course, where to this day, its
mission all fulfilled, it serenely rests."
Origin of "Dixie's Land."
The original song, "Dixie's Land,"
was composed in 1859 by Daniel Em
mett as a "walk-around" for Bryant's
minstrels. Mr. Emmett frequently
heard the performers in a circus make
the remark. "I wish I was in Dixie,'*
as soon as the northern climate began
to be too severe for the tent life which'
they followed. The expression sug
gested the song, "Dixie's Land." It
made a hit at once in New York, and
was speedily carried to all parts of the
Union by numerous bands of wander
ing minstrels. In the fall of 1860 Mrs.
John Wood sang It in New Orleans in
the burlesque of "Pocahontas," and be
fore a week had passed the whole city
had taken it up. A Nerw Orleans pub
lisher saw possibilities in the music,
and without the authoritiy of the com
poser had the air harmonized and re
arranged, issuing it with words em
bodying the strong southern feeling
then existing in New Orleans.—Ladies'
Home Journal.
Style* In Dress Shoes.
Dress boots and shoes are made in
the extreme of the Louis XV. style,
with very high heels and bulging ini
steps. They are in laughable contrast
to the common sense walking boot
that fashionable women also affect for
certain occasions. There is an effort
to introduce bronze kid both for boots
and slippers. Colored cloth tops are
also fashionable and among the colors
chosen for this purpose are bright
green and red. Boots of black velvet,
with extravagant, heels and a trifle of
gold embroidery on the toes, are
among the season's extravagances.
Judging from what the bootmakers
have to show, the French woman lq
tired of her brief experiences of Elng*
Ilsh styles in foot gear, and is return
ing to her own coquettish tastes in
this direction. "ht-XZMfi
Ostrich Feathers for Hat*.
Ostrich feathers are In enormous
'demand for hats. They are used with
a drooping effect, and are set oftenei
than not so as to fall around the ears
On many black and white hats the
trimming is one long black and one
white' plume. These are grouped
contrary to the general rule, which it
that i?trlch feathers are set singly.
V:
Si
IN THE ODD COENEB..
QUEER AND CURIOUS THINGS
... AND EVENTS.
.Power of the -Hanun Kye to Faieloste
Not So Great* a* Many Suppose—KW»o
tiio Energy Bxperte Now Studying tlio
Maiapterrna.
A Sketch. .JljY
A builder's yard, a ship upon the ways,
The groan of straining planks, the
snap of stays.
The cheering of a crowd, "She moves!"
"She's oft!"
And with a sudden rush and splash
the great ship
Leaves the wharf,
A. storm-swept, foam-tossod sea of
howling gale,
A ship half lost in foam, a rag of' sail,
The tolling of a bell, now lost, now
clear—
"The shore! the shoreT"'—she strikes
In crashing
Waves to disappear.
'U
A'summer's eve, a calm: and wailing
tide,
A dismal stretch of' sand that tries to
hide.
The bones of some great vessel, prow
on high.
Outlined against the sunset's last faint
glow
Athwart the sky.
"y v*-v
»,ji
—Julian Henckley.
The Power of the Hrnran Eye.
The power of the human eye upon
animals and even upon persons who
are aware that they are being looked
at earnestly, not to say fiercely, can
not be gainsaid. But there are people
who claim that they are' able to com
pel another to look at them when the
subject of the experiment is' uncon
scious of being observed. It may turn
out some day that such a power is
really possessed by a few, but a goad
many people who have thought that
they could exercise the influence here
described have failed when tested!. The
following story told by Hiram M. Stan
ley in Science is only one of many such
narratives that have appeared' in that
and other publications: To the physi
ologist it may seem uncalled for to
investigate a manifest absurdity, but It
has at least .a practical value to ex
plode a common error by direct' ex
periment I asked a young man who
is very confident of his powers to
stand, unknown to' a person whom I
will call A, behind a bookcase and
look through a carefully concealed
peephole. I gave him the best oppor
tunity, placing A, about four feet from
the hole and' directly facing him,, and
I engaged A in mechanical writing. To
the young man's confessed" disgust and
irritation he was unable to disturb A.
My few experiments were negative in
results. However, it may be that tele
pathic influence is exerted' under cer
tain conditions, and experiments with
twins and others constantly en rap
port, especially when under emotional
stress and at critical junctures, might
be worth trying.^8*
4
Eleofrle Energy In a Fish.
Biologists are working now on a
problem which may affect the building
of engines materially: Some experts
think that It actually will revolution
ize the work and teach engineers how
to build the ideal engine. The result,
it Is expected, will be attained by a
study of the batteries of electric fishes.
The particular fish from which the
most is hoped is the malapterrus, the
fresh water electric fish: of Northern
Africa. His batteries are so powerful
that a specimen eight inches long pro
duced a shock equaling a maximum of
200 volts. This was- measured exactly
in a recent experiment Scientists de
clare that if an engine could be built
which could produce the same propor
tional energy it would do work which
It is at present conceived only in the
wildest dreams of engineers. The best
marine engines made today yield only
about one-twelfth as much energy,
measured in money value, as the coal
costs to make It go. It is for that rea
son that men look forward toward the
electro-magnetic engine, which theo
retically would ibe almost without
waste, returning 98 per cent of the en
ergy of the consumed fuel. The bat
tery of the malapterrus consists of at
least 3,000,000 disks, distributed
through" the skin. They lie in sixty
Series of 5,000 each. They ail get
their electric power from one single
giant nerve cell. So now, If biologists
ran find out just how this wonderful
pigmy engine can! produce and trans
mit its tremendous force, they hope to
point out a golden road to vast accom
plishments by engineers.—New York
Press.
£L'-' itot Jk
New Zealand's Vegetable Novelties.
New Zealand offers to gardeners sev
eral novelties in vegetables which are
I especially valuable in localities affect
fed by drought. Yates' aphis-proof cab
bage, an Australian raised variety,gave
good hearts, notwithstanding the In
tense drought of last summer,, and re
mained almost enftrely free from
aphis, while every other variety of cab
bage was riddled by. the pest A bet
ter opportunity could not have occnr
fred for testing its hardiness. After
the heart is but, it throws out several
bmall hearts and loose leaves, all of
which are tender and or good flavor
and as they rapidly reproduce them
selves after cutting a bed of these cab
bages will-keep a house In vegetables
all through the summer and fall. A
cabbage that would really resist aphis
and stand jthe hot, dry summers has
long been a desideratum in Australian
gardens, and it is thought, that this
variety will meet the want Another
Vegetable worthy of attention ,1s an
"African! Su?uipber^' a plant .of thfe
cucumber family from Rhodesia, South
Africa. The fruit is six inches, long,
of a bright orange color and covered
with spines. Even for ornamental
purposes the plant is well worth grow
ing but It mayal^o be hsefliaB a fruit,
the flesh being soft and juicy, and in
appearance much like passion fruit
Eaten with 6ugar, the flavor is similar
to that of a rock melon.. Another
novelty, is called the "mongri," or ed
ible podded radish. It is a new vege
table from Java, and Is grpwn as easily
as the ordinary' radish," producing eh
ornuMs crops of lomg. podp .whiqh are,
'crisjr^and tender with a dtAlcious fla-j
.u
nor,
mon radish .because of its. indil
qualities should hail this new
with pleasure. It makes an exce]
salad It is also delicious when
ed, having a delicate asparagua
—New York Press. v:
ShowareS Boys with Ceta."
With tear-dlmmed eyes the bell
in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel vral
yesterday the departure of R. iY I
B1
gett, who Is said to be a bankep fr
Boston, says the New York /Hera
Because of his lavish distl-ibutiott
money among them, they regarded!
as a veritable "Monte Cristo."
a night passed during the last
weeks that he did not scatter from
to' $20 in the main corridor foi't!i
boys to scramble for. It Waa thtj
practice that made Mr, Blodgett con
spicuous among the hotel patrons,
his ordinary "tips" were banded ont
without ostentation. Usually Mr.\
Blodgett waited until IS o'clock atf
night, whten the liotel corridors were|1
filled with fashionably dressed men)
and women for his fun. He wooltl theu,
convert a bill of large dimensions Into:
dimes and quarters, and wadt hls op
portunity. The %ys- were always, ont
the alert, but Mr. Blodgett wanted
what stage managers call a "situa
tion." When a' crowd gathered In'
front of the office, Mr. Blodgett,. stand
ing near the Thirty-fourth street en
trance, would hurl a few dollats In
dimes along the floor toward the* read
ing room. The effect upon the twentyi
bell boys sitting upon the- leather cov-'
ered bench was electrical.. With a mad
rush they scrambled for the elusive
coinages they rolled about on the tlleAi
floor. Sometimes while the boys were
battling for the dimes and quarters,
Mr. Blodgett would shower another
handful upon them, which' served to
spur them' tp renewed efforts: To vary,
the programme, Mr. Blodgett occasion
ally closed the door leading to the:
reading room and dashed the coins
against it- After he had thrown
money, around: in this fashion a few
times the boys kept a sharp watch
upon him, and he never caught them
unawares. They always saw'him first
and kept an eager lookout for the ex
pected shower of coin. In the course
of the two weeks he remained at the
hotel it Is said' he distributed among
the boys .about $200. -He makes fre
quent visits to the hotel in the course'
of a year, and! seems always to' ffiud
his chief amusement in getting up a
scramble for money among the boys.
Naturally they consider him ..the great
est man in the country.
A. Remarkable Motor.
From Germany tomes the dfeslgm of
a remarkable motor that turns heat
energy directly into motion through
the intermediary action of electricity.'
The machine is called a thermo-elec
tric motor, and works on the familiar
principle of the-eliectric motor some
what modified to meet the peculiar ex
igencies of the case. In action it is
essentially an electric motor, but- one,
deriving its electrical energy from Heat
applied to it through' thermo-electWc
couples. A thermo-electric couple- is
composed of two dissimilar metals,
such as iron and copper Any com
plete circuit made of two metals mutst
necessarily have two junctions of the
two in it. If one of these junctions Is
heated more than the other an electric'
current will flow in the circuit its
amount and direction depending on
the nature of the metals, the differ
ence in temperature between the two
junctions and the resistance it en
counters in its path. On- the motor
machine the couples are made of iron
and nickel, firmly brazed' together.
They are arranged like the windings
of the ordinary electric- motor with
one set of Junctions brought conveni-,,
ently to the surface, where gas jets
play upon them. The other set are
cooled by a rapid circulation of air
about them, engendered by the rota
tion of the machine^ While t,he mo
tor is of no practical value, it is an
exceedingly interesting, exemplifl&jtion
of the ease with which energy may be
transformed and retransfor^ned
through the various forms of haatk
electricity and motion.
Possible Corner In Elephants.3
'Perhaps when Sir Thomas Lipt
•gets a satisfactory rake-off from hi
corner in pork, he will try to get lipl
corner in elephants. It will cost hii
more, for elephants «at a lot, and
use up a fortune, if kept long in fdJi
ness. There is a scarcity of.elephanq
in North Sdam, and the prices are,{
ing up. It is announced in Ceylol
that Sir Tom has been buying eiq
phahts heavily, and now is "long"
this bulky stock. When the Frerns
annexed Mekong they laid hands upo|
a valuable source of supply, and sine
•have di-scouraged the exportation
the animals. At the some time
constant demand for elephants on th
Bu-rmah side drains them out of Sia
Other parts of the country still cc
tain large numbers of wild elephant
and it Is said that a Chinese^ firm
getting up a large herd from the Mgla
peninsula for -work o$ ithe^aaainlanJ
It "Will be interesting to' see if this es
periment proves remunerative. Siaij
is so dreadfully progressive, howavei
that even Jumbo may have to give wa|
to the motor ear, which Is lesl
unwieldy and cheaper to keep. The
white elephant is assured of a happy
•future at Bangkok, for the natives :can
not worship a petroleum gig in,,the
place of the sacred animal, no matter
how great jmay be their regard for Its
utilitarian side.—New York Press.
America's Most Artistic tyouse.
1
After two years' careftU search/and
inquiry the general assent of compe
tent critics decides that -the "most an
tistic house in Ajnerica is located in
one of UieMiddll 4|tjfeSitijP states. The
house Is unpretentious externally .and
Jfc Jheard lot outsldA, certaln/art 'a
ciridlfes linijt it is^indfepuiably the^-su-'P
preme triumph in interictf decorations
and fus^iishing. Its owAr^and occu
jpant has graciously foonBm^jedlto" re
veal its aftisttc' beauties'fo the piifello.
through The Ladies' Home Journal,
and two whole pages of an early issu*»
of that magazine will be devoted to pic
turing the' lnterlo| tfjjf ^Js,| superb
home.
Many people who are always get-"
^tlng.tl^ejr,^esling^
their self-esteem" bas been injured
p."-
Iv -,