Bellefonte, Pa., March 17, 1916.
A Case of Human Justice;
[By Alan Heresdale.]
Reading incidents connected with
. the part taken by Russia in the great |.
‘ European war brings back to me my
‘own part in the fate of a single Rus-
: slan person years agone.” 1 was a
press correspondent in the dominions
,of the czar in one of the provinces
‘northeast of St. Petersburg when, look-
ing down a road covered with snow, I
saw a mass of beings coming slowly
toward me. When they came to where
I could distinguish them I saw that
they were a body of political prison-
ers marching under guard and doubt-
less bound for Siberia.
My attention was arrested by a girl
not over eighteen years of age. She
fixed her eyes on mine for a moment.
and in that brief glance I read a tale
which made my heart bleed. It be-
tokened one who was buoyed up by
the consciousness of suffering for a
great cause, but whose life was nev-
ertheless blighted. She passed on.
trudging through the snow. knowing
that she would be shut up within the
dreadful Kara inclosure. I.did not
suppose for a moment that I would
ever see her again.
But I did. Six years after this meet-
ing 1 was in London. One evening |
attended the opera and, looking up
from the parquet at one of the boxes.
there was the girl I had seen on her
way to Siberia. But, oh, how changed’
What a picture of past suffering!
There was the same loftiness, but it
was tinged with melancholy, that mel-
ancholy which comes from endurance
of agony. And yet there was a tempo-
rary absence of endurance.
“Who is that lady?’ I asked a frien!
who knew every one in London.
“That is Adela Alexandrovna. the
daughter of a Russian nobleman. She
‘has a history. Her father is one of
the czar’s trusted officers. She was
caught in some complication with rev
olutionists and sent to Siberia. Her
father succeeded in interesting the
czarina in uer, and a pardon was se-
cured for her, but it was coupled with
a banishment. She came to England.
and it is supposed that the czarina
has opened a way for her here. At
any rate, she is received in society in
London.
When the war broke out I returned
to Russia as correspondent for an Eng-
lish journal and accompanied the army
that moved against the Austrian fron-
tier. I was a witness of the terrible
fighting that occurred during that cam-
paign and wondered if some wave of
madness had not swept down upon Eu-
rope. I grew sick writing descriptions
of the carnage, the universal distress.
the agony of women and children. It
seemed to me that the clock of the
civilized world had been turned back
to the middle ages, when every man
was a soldier and every soldier was a
butcher.
In one of the terrific battles betwen
the Austrians and the Russians 1 wen:
out to draw my word pictures of its
horrors to feed the appetite of readers
all over the world. Then for the first
time I saw modern warfare. the
slaughter of men by machinery. while
the aeroplanes floating above seemed
to me like huge birds of prey waiting
for their feast on the corpses.
When I had seen all I could stand 1
went to the rear, where the wounded
were being carried and, bending over
the litter on which rested a dying sol-
dier, who should I see in the uniform
of a Red Cross nurse but the woman
who had passed me on her way to Si-
beria and at the opera in London.
Again she was changed. At my first
meeting with her she was a beginner
in a life of sacrifice; at the second
she had seemed out of place in the gay
world. Now she appeared to have be-
come accustomed to her work for oth-
ers. “hough now and again a bullet
sang in her ears, it made no more im-
pression upon her than if a snowflake
had dropped on Ler shoulder. She was
taking the last words of a dying sol-
dier, spoken through her to loved ones
far away who were doubtless praying
that he might be returned to them.
She remained beside him while he
drew a few long breaths, and when
they ceased she arose, with a momen-
tary sadness on her face, to devote her-
self to: unother butchered by her fel-
low men. I followed her with my eyes
as she moved from one to another,
making one more comfortable in his
‘position, giving another water and
Speaking words of sympathy to a third.
After this came the driving back of
‘the Russians, the fall of Warsaw and
the establishment of a defense line
farther eastward. But the fighting
continued. I remained with the Rus-
sian army, from time to time writing
descriptions of scenes which I witness-
ed and sending them as best I could
to America. One of the most impres-
sive I give here in substance:
One morning, hearing that the czar
would decorate a Red Cross nurse who
had been conspicuous for her attention
to the wounded in a battle, I went to
witness the ceremony. Troops were
drawn up in two lines, waiting. Pres-
ently the nurse to be decorated, at-
tended by several officers, marched to
a position between the lines, where
they, too, stood waiting. Then the
czar, surrounded by his staff, appeared,
went to the point where the last com-
ers stood and pinned a medal on the
woman's breast. Then the band play-
ed the national hymn.
When the newly decorated girl left
the ground she passed very near me.
She was the girl I had first met on her
way to Siberia and again at the opera
in London, A
‘TOP OF THE WORLD
Matures Skyscraper That Tow-
ers High Above All Others.
This Still Unconquered Peak Is In a
Wild Country That Is
Defied the Surveyors of India.
For many years the East Indian gov-
ernment has prohibited any attempt at
the ascent of Mount Everest. As long
ago as 1902 six European Alpinists set
out for India to view the world from
the top of its highest mountain. But
the virgin snows of Everest could not
have cooled their ardor half so rapidly
as did the cold water with which the
Indian government soused them. The
mountaineers simply met with a blank
refusal, aad the reason of it was per-
Tectly obvious aud logical.
The nearest approach of a railroad
toward Mount Everest is about 1u0
miles away. 'I'o the north of this rail-
road terminal is a succession of par-
allel ranges of the Himal:yas separit-
ed by deep valleys. It is one of the
most difficult countries in the world to
traverse, and no white man has ever
crossed it.
The surveyors of India have never
been nearer than eighty miles from
Mount Ilverest. Some of the valleys
are peopled by a few wild tribes whe
flercely resent the intrusion of an)
strangers. The whole country lies in
Nepal, which while still an independ-
ent state strictly forbade any person io
go north among these mountains, aud
since Nepal came under the suzerziuty
of India the prohibition has been coii-
tinued, for obvicus reasons, by the In-
dian government.
When the ascent of Mount Everest is
finally made it will probably be on the
side of Tibet, whose southern boundary
is not far from the mountain, but by
her agreement with China the Indian
government is bound to keep explorers
from crossing into ‘iibet from India.
Permission was refused to Sven Hedin
to cross the border on his last great
expedition, when he finally crossed
from Ladakh.
Some interesting facts about Mount
Everest may not generally be know.
Many persons have wondered how the
determination of the height of Mount
Everest could be so exact that its ele-
. vation is fixed at precisely 29.002 fect.
In happened in this way: In 1849 and
1850 six trigonometrical determinations
of the height of the mountain were ob-
tained by the.Indian survey at six dif-
ferent stations, all south of the moun-
tain. The height of 29,002 feet as-
signed to Mount Everest was the
height just obtained.
But the geographical survey of India
informed the world in 1908 that Mount
Everest is higher than it was computed
to be by those six trigonometrical de-
terminations. It reported that between
1881 and 1902 six other determinations
of the height of the mountain were
made at five stations, all excepting one
being nearer to the mountain than the
previous surveys. These six new deter-
minations gave a mean value of 29,141
feet after correction for refraction. Ac-
cording, therefore, to our present in-
formation, Mount Everest is 139 feet
higher than it was earlier computed
to be. ;
Why is it, then, that this latest re-
sult of the scientific computation of
the height of Mount Everest has not
yet appeared in books and maps? It
is because the Indian survey is not
convinced that the final determination
has been reached. It says that the
height, 29,141 feet, is a more reliable
result than 29,002 feet, but the more
recent determination is still probably
too small. It desires to acquire more
thorough knowledge of the problems
of refraction and of the effects of devi-
ations of gravity upon trigonometrical
work before announcing the final de-
termination of the elevation of the
world’s highest mountain. Meanwhile
it will retain on its maps the first de-
termination of 29,002 feet.
This decision certainly commended
itself. It would be more vexatious than
useful to change the figures now and
then in order to add or subtract a few
feet as the latest determination of the
mountain’s height. It is better to wait
until refinement of scientific method
yields the closest approximation pos-
sible. This is the suggestion of the In-
dian survey, and all map makers have
apparently adopted it.—New York
Times.
As the Times Change.
In the sixties the customary pro-
posal was, “Will you be mine?’ Very
faintly signs are showing that men will
yet say, “May I be yours?’ It wiil
take time, for the possessive, the dom-
inating instinct in man, is still strong,
and long may it live, for that is the
vigor of the race. Only we do not want
that instinct to carry man away, any
more than we want a well bred horse
to clinch its teeth upon the Mit and
bolt.—W. L. George in Atlantic.
An Essay on Man.
What a chimera, then, is man! What
a novelty, wat a monster, what a
chaos, what a subject of contradiction,
what a prodigy! A judge of all things,
a feeble worm of the earth, depository
of the truth, cloaca of uncertainty and
error, the glory and the shame of the
universe.—Pascal.
Children think not of the past nor of
what is to come, but enjoy the present
time, which few of us do.~La Bru
1
Extremely
Difficult to Traverse and Has So Far,
JAPANESE PATIENCE. ~
A Strong Man's Challenge to an Artist
sal and the Result, ;
“Maruyama OLyo was tire founder of
the naturalistic school of Japa:iese
| painting. He was born in 1735 and |
died in 1795. In the International’
: Studio Mr. Harad aro tells this story
THE GIANT MOUNT EVEREST.
. blon wrestler.
about Okyo: |
Tanikaze Kajimosuke was a. cham. |
One day he called on '
Maruyama Okyo and proposed a trial |
of strength, each, according to his own
line of pursuit. He would show the !
greatest feat he was capable of by his
physical strength. and Okyo would
‘ show his by his ability to paint. Okyo
mean of the six different values for the *
agreed. The next morning he was
awakened by tip sound of something
falling outside the door of his house.
He opencd: the door and found Tani-
kaze standing by a rock large enough
to tax the strength of a dozen ordi-
nary men. He had brought it, without
resting, all the way from Mount Ku- |
rama, many miles distant.
Now it was Okyo's tur. He. gave
lessons to his pupils as usual, but
spent every available minute in his
private atelier. working very far into
the night. Tanikaze called four or
five times, but was told that the paint-
ine was not yet ready.
At last, after four months had pass-
ed, the wrestler said to the painter,
‘df you cannot show me your work
today I think it is only fair to consider
myself as the winner of the contest.
1 came here today prepared to take the
rock back to the mountain.”
“I have finished the work,” answer-
ed Okyo, with a smile. And he pre-
sented to Tanikaze a roll of silk. Tani-
kaze slowly unrolled it—it was seven
feet long—and looked at it in amaze
ment. “Has this taken you four
months to paint?" he asked. “Does |
this represent your greatest skill?” i
His surprise was not altogether un. |
justified, for the artist had painted
nothing except a stringed bow in its |
actual size. Then Okyo calmly ex-
plained the matter as follows:
“This is a picture of the bow you re- |
ceived from the emperor when you :
had the honor of wrestling in the pal-
ace grounds. The greatest achieve-
ment in if is the drawing of this cord.
To draw a straight line over six fe t
long without anything for a guide is
by no means an easy task. Just as
you brouzht the rock from the moun-
tain without resting, so I have drawn
this line with a single stroke of the
brush. Many a time in my attempts
the line faltered or the ink gave out
before the line was finished. I have |
experienced with the brush a hardship |
such as you encountered with the rock |
on your way from Kurama. Come !
and see the proof.” y
So saying he led Tanikaze to his |
atelier and emptied a large box full OL
papers and rolls of silk that he had |
spoiled in his endeavor to draw in a
single sweep of the brush a straight !
line over six feet in length. Tanikaze |
was thoroughly convinced. He raised”!
the drawing to his brow in token of |
gratitude and left Okyo, promising
that he would treasure it and hand it |
down to his posterity and praising the
artist for his perseverance and stead-
fastness of purpose.
The Roman Forum. |
The Forum was originally a market |
place and only by degrees became the |
center of Roman civic and political life. i
About B. C. 470 it became the place of |
assembly of the people in their tribes |
and was gradually adorned with tem- |
ples and other great public buildings. |
The Roman forum—the Acropolis at |
Athens alone excepted—is perhaps the |
most thrillingly interesting spot on
earth to such as know and appreciate |
the teachings of history. From the
forum came the august laws which
governed the then known world for |
more than a thousand years.
Working the Air Brake.
Contrary to the general impression, |
the air pressure used in the air brake
on railroad cars is applied to hold the
brake shoes away from the car wheels.
The instant that the air pressure is
released the brake shoes are forced
against the car wheels, bringing the
car or train to a stop. It is the re-
leasing of the air or the passage of the
air through the valves that causes the
whistling noise heard under the cars.
The Great Chain.
The “great chain,” the links of which
were two and one-half inches square
and one foot long, each link weighing
140 pounds, was stretched across the
Hudson river at West Point, just be-
low Fort (linton, May 1, 1778, to pre-
vent the British warships from ascend-
ing the river. The total weight of the
chain was 180 tons, and its length
was 450 yards. Parts of it are still
preserved at West Point.
Breaking It Gently.
He had just been accepted. “Does
your father know I write poeiry?” he
asked anxiously.
“Not yet, dear,” she replied. “I've
told him all about your drinking and
your gambling debts, but I couidn’t tell
him everything at once.”—Life.
You Know Him.
“Now, old fellow, I want to tell you
my side of the whole case.”
“But I thought you had already told
me.”
“By Jove! So I did. Well, it won’t do
any harm to go all over it again.”—
Judge.
Tears of Recreation.
“Do you ever make your wife cry?”
“Sure. I buy her matinee tickets to
Bee every emotional actress who comes
to town.””—Washington Star,
Search others for their virtues and
thyself for thy vices.—Fuller.
‘in such a place where so little is to be
[At any rate, when the ‘old man had
i dren claimed it. The case came up be-
| yers could speak nothing but English,
: ten or fifteen miles away, when a man
‘man will, but there was no record of
’ Dry Goods, Etc.
The Homsernan
Inheritance
By HENRY HOLMES
Caspar Houseman many years ago
came from the Rhine region of Germa- |
ny to the United States, bringing his
wife and children with him, and set-
tled at the base of the Catskill moun-
tains in the very region where Rip Van
Winkle lived. Why Houseman settled |
got out of the ground is not apparent.
Houseman brought means with him
from the fatherland and put it all into
a home directly back of the present
town of Catskill. ‘There is nothing
now left of his house except a few
stones that formed the basement. So
no one can say what it was like. but
tradition has it that he fashioned it
after a Rhine castle near whose ruins
he was born and reared. At any rate,
the description that has come down to
us indicates that it was a much finer
place than was usual in America at the
time it was built. :
Houseman's wife died soon after he
came to this country. and soon after
her death he married a widow with
children. This made two sets of chil-
dren. Houseman's and those of his sec-
ond wife, living together. No sooner
was be married to the widow than she
began to pester him to leave his prop-
erty. which was all in his Catskill
home. to her children, cutting off his
own offspring. By this time some of
his children were old enough to look
out for their rights. and the conse-’
quence was that the poor old man was
besieged first by one family, then by
the other. until—so it is said—he was
well nigh driven crazy.
From all accounts that have come
down to us, it seems likely that these
two parties pulling upon him in oppo-
site directions did affect his sanity.
been driven into his grave by the im-
portunities of these different claimants
and his will was opened a great sur-
prise was in store for his survivors.
It read:
I give and bequeath my estate to the
devil.
Of course this brought about a law-
suit as to the disposition of the prop-
erty, for such a will was not legal.
Houseman’s children claimed the prop-
erty, his widow claimed it, and her chil-
fore old Vanderdicken, a Dutch judge
who could speak no English. The law-
and the claimants only spoke German.
The consequence was that the court
broke up in a fearful row, the judge
in his wrath stating that the property
rightfully belonged to Satan and he
hoped Satan would get it.
The two families remained under the
same roof, for neither would surrender
oF ETP SAE
LYON & COMPANY.
Rugs and Other Floor Coverings.
We have just opened a new Rug Department, com-
prising a large assortment of new patterns and color-
ings. These were purchased some months ago and we
can save you 40 per cent. on the price quoted to-day.
We have Axminster, Body Brussels, Tapestry Brussels
. Rugs, Room Size, Hall Runners & small Rugs to match.
Special Sale of Matting Rugs.
To introduce our new Rug Department we will sell a
Matting Rug, assorted colors, for a short time only,
36x72, value $1.00, sale price . . . . 75 cents.
Included in this special price sale are Rag Carpets, all-
wool and part wool Ingrain Carpets, Linoleums and
Mattings. * Make this Rug Sale your benefit, and give
our new Rug Department a look over.
~
EASTER OPENING
of Ready-to-Wear Garments.
Ladies’ and Misses’ Coats and Suits in all the new
All the new
spring shades in Waists :—Georgette, Crepe, Crepe de
shades. La Vogue style speaks for itself.
Chine, Pussy Willow, Taffeta, and a large assortment
in White Waists.
Lids for Kids.
See our line of Children’s Spring and Summer Hats.
Prices special for early buyers.
Lyon & Co. .... Bellefonte
Shoes. Shoes.
the occupation of the property. They
were quarreling one day, their voices
extending nearly to the river, some
was seen standing at the gate quietly
surveying the premises. The dispu-
tants ceased to wrangle, and Mrs.
Houseman asked the stranger what he
wanted.
“I have come over from Germany,” |
he replied, “to claim an inheritance.
Is this the property of Caspar House-
man, deceased?”
“It is.”
“Well, 1 am Louis Brackenthaler of
Bingen. Caspar Houseman sent me
shortly before he died a will leaving
his property to me.”
He drew a will from his pocket writ-
ten in Houseman’s handwriting and |.
bearing his signature. All looked at it
aghast, for they knew well the testa-
tor’s writing, and it was his.
This new complication was too much
for the wranglers, and they all left the
premises without a struggle. As they
passed out Herr Brackenthaler stood
bowing and smiling at them, with his
hat in his hand, and so sardonic was
his demeanor that they were all glad
when they got away.
One would expect to find the will on
file in the surrogate’s office. I got the
story from a German barber at Cats-
kill while he was shaving me, and as
soon as he had finished I went to the
courthouse and made inquiry there for
it. I was informed that about once a
year some one inquired about a House-
any such document.
But to finish my story. During the
night following the surrender of the
Houseman people to Herr Bracken-
thaler there came up a thunderstorm
that caused the mountains to reverbe-
rate, if anything, worse than when
Hendrick Hudson’s men had played at
bowls there. For a time it seemed to
those who lived on the banks of the
river that the whole Catskill mountains
were ablaze. To this very day there
are citizens of towns that were settle-
ments in those days who remember
their grandparents or great-grandpar-
ents giving descriptions of that storm,
the spot below where now stands the
Mountain House shooting up fire like a
volcano. This is the place where the
meager ruins of the Houseman castle
stand.
The next morning persons went to
this spot and found the Houseman
house burned to the ground, the only
remains being a small part of the base-
ment wall. As for Herr Brackenthaler,
the only time he was ever seen was
when he took possession of the prop-
erty.
The barber who told me the story
has no more doubt that Brackenthaler
was the devil dnd had claimed his own
than that the tonic he put on my bald
head would restore the hair that for-
merly grew there.
$350 SHOES
Reduced
to $2.25
NOW ON SALE
Ladies $3.00 and $3.50 Shoes
Reduced to $2.25 Per Pair.
ALL NEW GOODS,
- Latest Styles, Good Sizes and
Widths. This sale is
FOR CASH ONLY.
Shoes must be fitted in the
store, as they will not be ex-
changed.
H. C. YEAGER,
THE SHOE MAN,
Bush Arcade Bldg, 58-27 BELLEFONTE, PA.
<r
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