PROBING HJSJILliM
Sifting New Evidence Against Insnr-
anco Swindler Holmes.
MAY HAVE A FIGHT FOE LIFE
Philadelphia Autliorltle Will Try to Trove
That lfo Murdered Not Only riotiet
anil III Children, lint Also the
Mlsci IIIo of l'ort Worth.
Philadelphia, Juno 2. Sentence has
not yet boon Imposed by Judgo Hnro on
uormon Wobstor Midgotts, alias II. II,
Holmos, who on Tuesday Inst ploadod
guilty to nn lndlctniont charging him
witn oonspirnoy with Jopbtba D. Howe.
a St Louis attornoy, to dofraud tho Fidel
ity .Mutual Lifo association out of $10,000
uy protouuing that notzol dlod as tho ro
suit of nn aooldont, Tho trial had only
boon fnlrly startoil whon Midgotts chnngod
uia pica irum not guilty to guilty.
Midgotts will not bo sontoncod for con
spiracy unless District Attorney Graham
uuas it linposslblo to substantiate his
meory, wnion no oiaims Is woll borno out
by olroumstnntlal ovidonco, that tho pris
oner Is guilty of ono and possibly half a
uozen crinios 01 a more sorlous nature
Tho commonwealth's ofllcors will try to
prove that Midgotts killud Pietzol, his
mree grunucniiuren and the Mlssos Hale
of Fort Worth, Tox., whom ho mot In Chi
cago. Airs. Pietzol is In prison in this olty, as
t no Hupyosou jqo was in some way
mixeu up in the lnsuranoo fraud. It is
not likely, howover, that tho caso against
her will bo pressed. Last October sbo
placed hor throo chlldron in the oustody of
Midgotts in St Xouls and has not slnco
heard of them. It is foarod that tho throo
children are doad, although Midgotts pro
tests that they oro allvo.
The Children.
It now bocomes a matter of great inter
est to tho prisoners to produce theso chil
dren, whoso names wore Alice or Ettle,
aged 14 years; Nellie, 11 yours, and How
ard, 0 years. Dotectlves, undor tho direc
tion of tho district attorney, aro bonding
their offorts to locato thom If they nro
allvo. It Is known that In Octobor thoy
trnvelod with Alidgetts from Indianapolis
to Dotrolt, and thonco to Toronto.. H6ro
all clew to thom is lost, oxcopt that basod
Vb a stntoniont made by Midgotts within
tho last fow days. Ho says ho took thom
to Niagara Falls, thero turned them ovor
to Miss MInnio Williams, who took them
to London, and that thoy aro now with
her in that olty.
MInnio Williams lived with Midgotts In
Chioago in 1803, and at her roquest hor
sister wont to Chicago from Fort Worth.
Both women havo sinoo dropped complete
ly out of sight, and it is hinted by tho
prosecution that Midgotts is responslblo
for thoir disappeiiranco.
Minnie Williams, the prisoner told tho
authorities, had boon a variety actress and
was also known by the stago names of
Adelo Corvollo and Geraldlno Wanda,
when Midgotts told tho authorities tho
London story, he said sho lived on Vida
street They ascertained thorowas no such
streot in tho olty. Then ho persisted thnt
wniio no might bo mistaken as to tho
street ho wns positlvo that sho was in
London. To boar out his story ho proparod
a ciphor advertisement, roquostlng her to
produco tho children and roiuustod that
mo uisinot auornoy linvo It published.
. When tho prisonor was aakod by one of tho
uitomeys in tno caso to nnmo u single per
buu mat Knew tno otiiiuron bad gone to
iiuuuou wun auss Williams, ho was un
able to do so.
DREAMLAND.
It is a uwd not far from us whern unnia
May sometimes walk In lcep a dim, 'vast
1AIIU,
Older than Egypt, full of rlvf.r snnnnnfl
With mist Broad mcuds It hath and moonlit
ASOUJ,
Whereon the purplo asphodel unrolls
And many a pale deuth flower. Wide open
stand
Its gates all night whence dreams in riotous
band
Press, thronging, to the couch of sleep till
rho matin bell. Then, nlmblo as a thought
All vanish, save somo luckless elf In nets
juoro lino than Queen Slab's eyelash, tripped
O Strange, hiad fmrltna. wtinm n..tn... i -
- mmi uauK, yo uo strong hearts
break
For somo lost treasure, Bomo sweet memory
Wljllam Prescott Foster in Century.
FUN FOR THE PLAIN GIRLS.
Hot Honors Wero Kasy lletwccn tho Two
Pretty Ones, the Hlvala.
They hod cortnlnlv linen rivals nml
Whon sho oanio to call tho two plain girls
Who had dropped in to offer thoir congrat
ulations decided not to go yet. Tho host
ess greeted her warmlv and trnm hnr n
chair facing tho light, and then tho twn
plain girls rejoiced that thoy had not do
partcd tho ilrst tlmo they rosn to no. It
was suro to bo Interesting.
"How woll you aro looking, doarl" said
tho hostoss. "Your hair is really much
moro becoming than when it was its nat
ural color."
"How kind of you to say It. dear. esno.
clally when your own hlondlnlng turned
out so badlyl By tho way, you wcro not
at Gonoviovo's luncheon. What a pity
that sho forgot youl ' I'm suro sho didn't
leavo you out intentionally."
un, i couldn't havo gono anyway. I
I had another onuacomcnt" Tho two
plain .girls giggled audibly.
"Oh, woll, then, it wasn't so bad. nttcr
alll Still I told all tho girls who wero
there how mean I thought it was of Gcno
viovp to lcavo you out whon you havo so
llttlo pleasure. "
"Thanks, but my pleasure is never dn.
pendent on dissipation. How prcttv thoso
magenta liowors on your hat arol What a
pity tho color is so tryingl"
"Yes, of courso you won't dam to wmr
it. Wcro you at Ida's tea yesterdavf"
"No; I haven't been anywhoro of late."
"Hcally It is too bad to bo left out In
that way. I shall ask Josslo to bo suro to
send you a card for her reception. It will
bo quito n crush. Sho is simply asking everybody."
Don't troublo yourself, dear. Von
know I don't caro to visit Jcsslo. Besides
my tlmo Is really not my own now. I"
"Uli, well, then"
" Yes, Horaco is so foolishly dovotod to
mo. iou know that wo uro to bo married
in January)1"
faho didn't know it. and sho couldn't
help changing color, but sho rallied nobly.
'Why, no, iudcedl" sho cried. "I'm so
glad to hear it I Tho poor fellow was so
distressed when I told him 1
ho really must givo up hopo. I've felt
quito guilty over slnco, and now I'm so
glad that you havo consented to consolo
him."
And tho two plnin girls cotun and said
thoy roally must go now, they had such a
lot of calls to muko. -Chicago Tribune.
A CATAMOUNT ITGHT.
THE
MOUNTAIN LION IS A VERY
CIO'JS ANTAGONIST.
VI
Close Call For a Hunter Who Tried to Car.
ry Of a Cub Tho Man, With Ills Hack
Against a Hock, Did llnttlo With nt Iast
a Dozen of the Unites.
Four Tilling Married.
mentis no longer any doubt that the
corpse lounit in the Hollowhlll street houso
last soptomuor was that of B. F. Pietzel,
who thero carried on an aconcv for In.
ventors. Midgctts, tho authorities olalm
they can prove, was tho last person seen
with Piotzel whllo ha was alive. Midgotts
first olalmod that tho body was that of a
corpse substituted for Piotzel. Ho said
Pietzel had committed suicide. When tho
remains wore found, tho body had been
burned with carboiio acid, and it was at
first supposed that an oxploslon of tho acid
had causod death. Tho authorities baileve
in us a caso or muruor.
Midgotts has been married four times,
and wlfo No. 4, a young woman who is
highly spokon of, has boon in Philadelphia
slnco Midgotts was brought hero and im
prisoned last November.
Of tho 810,000 insuranoo polloy on
Pietzel's life Attornoy Howo of St Louis
rocolvod $2,500 and Midgotts 50,700, rep
resenting to the widow' that ho would
bund it ovor to Pietzel, whom she sup
posed was in hiding to carry out tho con-
lbooy' JIrs' 1,101201,8 share was onlr
Another Diabolical Crime.
San Fhajjcisco, Juno 2 Another dia-
bollcal crlmo was unearthed yesterday aft
ernoon by tho discovery that .Miss Nollio
Harrington, aged 35, who occupied an up
per flat at 1017 Ellis stroot, had boon out
ragod und murdored lirther bedroom, the
door looked and her clothing and furni
ture of tho apartniont sot pnilro. Tho
room had boon ransackod and hor jewelry
and pursa stolen.
Aldermen Cannot Investigate,
New York, Juno 2. Mayor Strong has
uiautjpiuvou mo Din passed uy tho logiala
ture glvlnc the hnnrd
ty to investigate tho olty departments. Jt
is said that tho roasons why tho mayor
satpr.ovea of u nrtlt ho wants to have
luu uvBi,ngating done by tho coniwis
loners of aoeounts.
Tour Iiulldlnc IJurnsd.
Sakatoqa, Junes At. ULtA. vm.
this county. Are yesterday destroyed tho
saloons of D. 1). Connolly and E. Callo
ban, J. MoLeudoa's grocery store and the
Killed Her Faithle.. T.OTar.
St. Louis, June 2.-Fred Jones, color
ed, was shot and killed yesterday by Carrie
Harding, a 20-yoar-old negres, whom be
bad refused to marry. .Sho gave herself up
Aealnit K Silver Convention
ST. Louib, Juno 3. Tho Democratlo ex
ecutive central comralttse, by a vote of 10
to 6, deolded against calling a statu con
vention to consider tho silver question.
Daniel V. Itote Appointed.
ROCKLANP, Me., Juno 3. Daniel p.
v Boso, a prominent Knox county Democrat
)'ias bew appointed deputy oolleotorof cus
'46ms tor the port of Thomaston.
n .
i Jllovfn to Atoiui.
TiESjfA, Juno 8. Six persons were
blown to a torn yesterday by an explosion
. which ooourred at Mayer & Roth's gun
's powder factory at Fslixdort
A Story of ,Thu ISrlght.
John Bright went Into an agricultural.
uibixiei, ono uay nnu nau to walk from the
Btatlon u long way Into tho village. A
clergyman who was driving in a dogcart
overtook him, and learning his destination
offered to drivo him thero. "Havo you
seon tho papers today?" tho parson asked
whon Mr. Bright had accepted a seat.
"Yes. What is In them?" "Why, that
rascal John Bright has Ucun making an
other speech." "And what was it about?"
asked Mr. Bright. Tho clergyman ex
plained. "Woll," said tho stranger, "per
haps Mi Bright was onlv oxnrussliio hla
honest convictions. Perhaps evon ho mav
bo right." "Oh, no," said tho irato oleruy.
man. "If I had him horo, I would feel
liko shooting him."
iioloro they separated Mr. Brlaht had
promised to go to his now acquaintance's
church next morning. Tnc thrmo of tho
sermon was Bright's spoeoh, and nt tho
conclusion Mr. Bright thanked him for
his ablo sermon. As tho rector was going
homo to dinner n friend met him and
said, "You havo been preaching undor
distinguished patronugo this morning."
o!" said tho parson. "Oh. ves. vim
have," replied tho friend. " You had John
Bright among tho congregation. Didn't
you notieo him in front, in tho mlddlo
pew?" "Why," said tho rector, "I drovo
him to thu vilhigo yesterday in my dog
cart and called him o rascal and excoriated
him In all tho moods and tenses, and ha
never said n word. I must go and apolo
gizo at once. "-W. S. Walsh in Llnuin-
cott's.
Uappy Itetrospect. .
Mlnlstqrs havo quito as manv touchlnu
inoidonts us funny ones in their dutv of
performing tho marrlago coromony for
all sorts and conditions of men." Dnn
such is told by a clergyman who lived at
somo distance from tho populous part of
tho town, and who was thoroforo accus
tomed to suggest somoconvevanco to thoso
coupies who iiiu not conio In a carriago,
A mlddlo aged man and woman who
looked as if Ufa might havo been rathor
naru ior thorn ouino ouo n aht to bo mur
rleil. Tho ooromony over, tho minister
said to thom:
"Now, 1'IJ tell you whora to tako a car.
You know we aro a long distance from
everywhere."
Tho man turned to his brldo with
look of sudden sweotnoss.
un, no," saia ho gontly, "I guoss wo
won't riuoi we'll just walk along a spell
anu tam ic over." Youth's Companion.
A Luminous Creed.
I am n believer in tho idea of thought
uiinguoss.
In the negative suggostivonoss of idea
impressionism lies tho recoptlvity of dis
ease, tho destructive influences of deter!
oration and decay undermining house of
character and tenement of clay.
Though both dynamlo forco and static
energy nro necossury to tho completion of
things in tho worship of homo brutalls of
dynamlo forco alono, wo sco brutulity tri
umphant in our religious, social, political
and Industrial affairs; hence sensation
mongory as seen in high kicking femalos or
ctago boards, Jehovah Zcboath In reli
glous circles, Colonel Mazuma In tho po
litical arena and Queen Fashion in all het
eccentricities and froaksomeucssin tho so
cial whirl. Freedom.
Tho namo of Peter's Point. Va.. elven a
place becauso a trader named Peter Jones
had a store thero. was afterward chanced
to Petersburg.
The Conomaugh river, Pennsylvania,
was named by tho Indians. The word
means "otter creek."
"Thero nro no mora vicious fighters in
mo wnoio animal klnmlom timn Mm
mountain lions of tho northwest. " unld
Major Jackson of Spoknno. "Thoy coin
Lino tho cunning and mrlllrv of thn cut
inuo wun tno strength of tho lion nnd
mo icrooity ot tue tiger.
"l liavo never boon much of n hnntm-
hut a fow years aco I had nn ndvpnt.nm
with mountain lions out In Washington
that govo mo enough ol hunting big gaino
ior all tlmo. I had capture.l somo young
.3 . 1 r . H
uuur, cm mm ioxos ami started, n small
iiionagorlo o:i my rano'i.
-uno day I was out in tho hills lnnklmr
m. Mime timocr, nnu nwir n mouth of a
unall cavo In tho rooks I found a young
nun crawling auout on tho ground and
whining llko a kitten. It
weeks old, and I decided to tako It homo
and add it to my monogerio. I Judci'd
that there was a nest of tho Voumr mil
mals somowhoio iimonirtho ronk-annd Hint
this ono had ventured out and cot lost
whllo tho old ones wcro away.
"I bad no troublo In citchlnrr It. nnd
ho was too young to show ilcht. But n
soon as I took it up in my arms it set up
n droadful screeching ory, a sort of cross
between tho wall of n frightened baby
and tho bark of a small dog. Fearing that
tho crios would bring tho old Hons homo
in a nurry l lost no tlmo in getting awny
from tho spot where I found my captive.
I took off my coat and wrnnnlnir nn t.l,
cub tried to stop its cries, but It was no
use. It only mado moro iioIkp.
"Before I had cono 100 vnrda T hnnni
tho bloodourdlinc shriek nf n full frrnu'tt
lion closo behind mo. and I know timt tim
mother of tho cub was on my trail. Her
cry must havo been a call for holn. In m
seconds it was answorcd as many times,
and tho crios camo from nil directions.
l wns surrounded bv mountain llnna
and I know that tho cry of tho cub would
rouse them to fury. I hated to losn thn
expected addition to my menngcrio, but I
uroppeu that lion cub ns If It had been n
not mick. instead of runnlnir mmv na l
thought it would, tho oub lay down right
under my feet nnd mado more nolso than
over.
riM..,.. t ..i i - . .
iiitii i starteu in run to trot, mrnr
trom it, but a swaying of tho branches of
two trees in front of mo nnd n chorus of
flerco shrieks closo behind warned mo that
i wns too lato. At least n dozen full grown
mountain Hons, I judged, wcro closing In
urouiiu mo, nnu they wero thero for busi
uess.
"Somo 10 yards ahead of where I stood
i saw a Dig rock that roso out of tho
ground 15 feet or moro. I mado n dash
ior that rock and reached it just in tlmo.
unliving up iigmnsc it i loceu hall n f.pnri"
of full grown Hons, and they wcro ns vi
cious a looking lot us I over saw. I had
nopca that they would stop when thoy
round that tho oub was safe, but thev
illdn t. I had my Winchester with mo,
nnu tno cimmuer wns full of cartridges.
v hen I laced my pursuors, somo of
thom wero on tho ground, leaping alon
iiKo cats at piny, whllo others wore In tho
trees springing from branch to branch
with prodigious-jumps. They wcro still
Hiving vent 10 ineir cries, which wero
enough to raiso a man's hair when heard
nt a distance. All .tho tlmo thoy woro
coming closer, and two of thoso on tho
ground woro creeping along ready to
spring nt my throat ns soon ns they wero
near enough.
"Tho apparent hopelessness of mysitun-
nun buomcu to steady my norves, and, tnk
ing careful aim at tho nearest lion, I fired.
with a new kind of screech tho brute
leaped Uvo feet into tho nir and fell back
dead. Hut there was another ono on tho
ground almost ns near na tho first and
still advancing.
A seconll shot finished that ono, nnd
then J glanced ntthosoln tho trees. I saw
iwu glaring uown at mo, witn their eyes
gleaming iiko onus ot lire. Both were
crouching for n spring. I shot tho nearest
one, and again my bullet reached a vital
spot.
"Before I could throw out tho empty
shell I heard n torrlllo shriek, dying away
to a hoarso growl, right over my head, nnd
then I knew thnt ono of tho nnlmnls was
on tho rock abovo mu.
"For an instant I forgot tho dmi in tho
treo and jumped away from tho mck. At
tho samo instant both Hons jumped for
mo, ono from tho treo and ono from tho
rock above mo. I saw thom coming and
tried to dodgo toonosido. I wheeled about
nnd escaped tho full forco of thoir spring.
Both of them struck mo on tho shoulders
with their f oro feet ns thoy camo down, and
their long sharp claws tore groat furrows
in my flesh nnd loft my coat nnd shirt
hanging in shreds.
"Tho blood spurted from my wounds,
and I was knocked down by tho forco of
the blows. I closed my eyos as I fell, fnco
downward, and oxpected to bo torn to
shreds in nn instant, but to my surprise
tho animal did iiot follow up tho attack.
and ns I struggled to my feet their hoarso
growling and tho sounds of n torrlllo
strugglo told mo that thoy woro fighting
ouch other.
1 "Thoy had got tho smoll of blood, tad,
missing thoir victim at tho first spring, tho
fierce brutes flow nt each other's throats.
I turned in tlmo to sco tho most ferocious
combat I had over witnessed, and in thu
iixoitement of tho moment I ' forgot my
wounds.
I "Tho other Hons I had scon in tho trees
worn iirobnblv frio-htniinil nrtrnv hv tl...
khots I had flred. Anyway thoy woro
jtfone, and tho two that had tried to liiako
meal of mo were left to light thoir battle
j tho death without interruption.
"I picked up my rlllo nnd iiKaln took a
jpnsltlon against tho rook, but tho lighting
lions wero no longer awaro of my presence.
They rolled over and over so fast that they
looked llko two great yellow balls, chang
ing to red as tho blood began to flow in
streams from tho gaping wounds thoy
hvoro tearing in each othor's bodies with
.Teeth and claws.
"Tho light must havo lasted nil nf tw
knlnutcs. nnd then tho larger of tho two
nnlmals got his teeth socuroly fustencd in
jtho throat of tho other. In n fow moments
ho was drinking the Hfeblood of his van
quished antagonist, andthon ns ho crouch
ed by tho body with eyes olosad I raised
my rlllo and shot tho vlotor dead.
"1 bound up my wounds na well na I
could and managed to roaoh h nine, hut I
was very weak from loss of blood, and it
wits more man month before I rocovored
from tho scratching I cot" St LouIb
Globo-Dojnocrut
INFINITY OF SPACE.
MATTERS BEYOND THE POWERS OF
THE HUMAN MIND.
Btlll There Uim Ileen Much Debt Thrown
Upon the Subject since tho Astronomers
of the Seventeenth Century Declared That
There Wero Only One Thoujand Stnr.
There can bo no subject moro calculated
to impress n man's mind with his own in
significance, compared with tho over
whelming power nnd glory of his Creator,
than tho study and contemplation of tho
firmament in all Its boundless infinity. It
is not to bo wondered at that from tho
earliest ages tho subject has nover fallod
to exerclso a fascination over men, and
that thoso who, by their goulus nnd learn
ing, havo most nearly succeeded In snlv.
ing its mysteries havo always beon rever
enced and ostecmcd to bo nmong tho wis
est men of their day. Moro has been dono
within tho last 60 years than In all tho
rest of tho world's history toward tlm
piercing of tho veil which shuts off from
our eyes tho beauties nnd mysteries of fnr.
off realms, and doubtloss, by means of tho
speotroscopo and increased size In tho
lenses of our telescopes, wo shnll bo ena
bled before long to unravel still moro so.
crots of tho univcrso, nnd further add to
our 6tock of information rennrdlnir tlm
construction and conditions of other
worlds bosldos our own.
Tho question as to whothorsoaco la Anita
or infinite can never bo satisfactorily ar
gued out or indeed ovon thought of. for
tho human mind is lncanablo of Grnsnlnu
tho oxistonco of a limit to space, oven in
its most abstract form, but the ntiestlnn
of tho infinity of worlds and their distri
bution in tho infinity of space lies moro
closely within tho scopo of human intel
lect, for wo havo many material facts and
calculations to go upon in discovering tho
prouauio answer to tnis most fnsclnntlnir
quehiiuil
Onlyns far back as tho sovonteonth con
tury ostronomers placed tho number of
stars In tho universe as a llttlo over l.oon.
but this was absurd, as tho real number
visible to tho naked oyo Is about 7.000.
and porhaps trcblo that number can bo
seen by persons with exccntinnnllv ennd
oyesight. Whon tho heavens, however, nro
examined through a tolescopo, tho number
oi visioio stars aro enormously increased.
In fact, it has been calculated that tho
great Llok telescope, tho most powerful yet
mado, reveals as many ns 100,000,0001
Yet what Is that vast number compared
with Infinity? It cannot ovon bo likened
to n grain of sand on tho seashore, and
yet if wo think tho matter out carefully
wo shnll sco that tho number of visible
stars cannot really bo lnilnlto, for If thoy
wero tho heavens would bo n comploto
blazo of Hht. This, of course, wo know,
is far from being tho case, and indeed
thero cannot bo any doubt that, in certain
parts of tho heavens at least, tho numbor
of vlslblo stars is already known, for ovon
With tho very strongest telescopfls thero
nro blank spaces which nro absolutely de
void of stars below a certain magnitude
or even tho veriest traco of nebulous light.
Theso spaces aro known to astronomers
by tho nnmo of "coal sacks." They con
tain no stars fainter than tho twelfth mag
nitude, and, in fact, appear to mark thoso
parts of tho unlvorso which are compara
tively thin. On tho other hand, in other
parts of tho heavens wo havo not by any
means reached tho limit of telescopic re
solvabllity. It "is curious, though, that
theso Intensely dark "holes" in tho briaht
empyrean nro mostly to bo found in thoso
parts "of tho heavens whore most stars
abbund, notably In tho Milky Way. Thoso
remarkablo blank spots havo been a favor
ite themo of discussion and argument
among all astronomers, for, whatever tho
roal shapo or distribution of that univcrso
may bo, they point to tho nlmost certain
Infereuco that in a particular direction at
least there is an actual limit to tho num
ber of stars, and If there is a limit in ono
direction wo havo every right to suppose
that such is tho caso in othors, and that
wo havo only to wait for tolescopos strong
enough to rosolvo thoso parts which nrn
still unrosolvablo to discover that a point
can bo reached whon all tho .tnrs of tho
univcrso are unfolded to our cazo.- and
that, no matter how kcun tho power of
our mechanical vision, wo can find nn
moro.
If, now, wo admit that tho number nf
vlslblo stars Is limited, tho noxt ounstlnn
to bo asked is, What is tho order or Rhnnn
of thoir distribution? Various nstronn-
mors havo had various theories about this
mattor. Horschcl was inclined to th,lnk
that tho vlslblo unlvorso was in tho shnnn
of a disk, though his vlows In this dl mo
tion woro conslderablymodlflcddurinirrhn
later part oi ins mo. atrjvo consldorod
thnt tho universe was in tho shono nf n
disk of limited thlcknoss. hut inflnltn
length a theory which is hard to snnnort.
as, unless tho ulttmnto extinction of light
In space is bellovod in. that narfc nf thn
heavens which lay toward tho plono of tho
disk would necessarily shluo with thn
brightness of tho sun. Tho lato Mr. Prno.
tor, though finding it impossible to doflno
any particular shape for tho vlslblo unl'
verso, ns n whole, was of tho opinion that
tho brightest part of it namely, tho Milky
Way was in tho form of a snlral. Thin
lattor theory, howovor, has many objec
tions to contend with. Othernstronomors
havo had dlfforent theories on this ques
tion, but all, or nearly all, appear to ad
mit nn ultlmqto limit to tho slzo of tho
vlslblo univorse, or, in other words, bo
llovo that tho golaxy of worlds which sur
round us form, In fact, but an islet in tho
vast infinity of spaco.
It would nppour ot first sight that any
nuunipb io soivo tno question of tho oxl6t
enco of external galaxlos and thoir dis.
tanoo was absolutely futllo. vet such is not
tho caso. Tho result of calculation is that
tho nearost external unlvorso is so far dis
tant thot light from it traveling nt tho
speed of 160,000 mllosa seoond would tako
nearly uu.ouu.ooo yours to jeach usl
Chambers' Journal.
THE MONGOLIAN BUILD.
As a Kulr, Chllmnun Are Muxculnr nnd
Athletic Specimen of lluinnnlty.
Ono of thu surprises encountered by tho
traveler when ho Is first nmong Mongolians
is thoir physical development. Ainorlcans
aro wont to judgo their bodily structuro
by tho specimens in tho laundry shops of
Sam Leo or Wl Pine, mid thn lnnn einti..
lug of tho Chlnnmon conceals his brawny j
linns nnu u'ga wncn no has them, co
lug Tibetans In tho Himalayas stocky
linuiiKH ui men, wun nn nunorntal muscu
lar development had not brushed nwnv
my Idea that tho Chinaman was rather a
slim, unmusctihir oriental, Aimething like
tho willowy Hindoo, but when I limited in
Singapore and first saw numbers of coolies
stripped to thoir work I was thunderstruck
ut their massivu proportions,
Tho Chlncso are commonly snld tn !n n
diseased rnce.n pooplopormentcd with blood
poisons, nut one does not see it in tho nv
orago spcclnion, and ono does see nt every
bireet corner men with limbs and torsos
liko Sandow, men who would bo mnrked
down for football players In any American
college. Not but what dlscaso is always
un mxuiiipaiiiincni oi so crowded n popu
union, not time its manifestations fall to
impress you, but tho Chinaman, far from
being a taper fingered mortal, Is n tough,
sturdy, flno fellow, with thews and sinews
iiko nn athlete, and plenty of ambition
and courage within ills racial ltnu3. Nor
novo i lound any exception to thu rulo.
Tho Mongol from tho borders of India,
where, going east, you first strike his
nomoly conrseness, to tho confines of Ju
pan, Where you say goodby to hie lovely
unerry uiossoms anil his smiling bows, is
umrywnere. in physique, tho same strong,
enduring man. ThoChlnninnii is lllthv In
mind, body and estate, tho Japancso is
equany cican, uut Hi mere physical qunllty
they nro very much alike. That the Mon
gol's nervous structure Is less flno than tho
Aryan's Is evidenced by tho fact that the
avcrago Uhlnaman will endure unblanchcd
tho pain of a surgical operation which
would seriously compromlso tho reaction
ary power of most whito men, and this, if
anything, adds to his valuo as a mere hu
man animal. T. A. Dodgo in Forum.
HEREDITARY.
BEEF POWDER.
He
Nourishing nnd Appetizing nnd Cnn
Kindly Slado nt Home.
Somo of tho beef powders In tho market
smoll and tasto of the chomist's shop and
nro not readily taken by an Invalid whose
pnlato requires to bo coaxed. A happy Idea
struck tho writer soveral months ago that
beef powder might without difficulty be
prepared fresh nnd on a small sealo by any
ordinary cook. Tho oxporimcnt was made,
and tho result was satisfactory boyond ex
pectation. Beef powder mado at homo Is
appetizing, has adcllcntoaroma and flavor
and can bo taken with ploasuro by invalids
who turn with aversion from ordlnnry
food. If a llttlo pepsin bo taken nt the
samo time, It Is digested oven whon the
ordinary peptonized foods aro not retained.
Thomodoof preparation Isslmplo. Lean
beef is cut into email pieces. Theso are
put into bolllng fat drippings or butter for
a couplo of minutes until tho surfneo Is
browned. Thoy aro then removed from
tho fat and placed on a strainer for a fow
moments. Afterward thoy aro placed in n
mlnsiug machine. The resulting minco is
placed in n slow oven ami dried. Tho dry
ing process may tako from 5 to 21 hours,
or even longer, uccordlng to tho heat em
ployed. When thoroughly dried, tho meat
e quito crisp and cnn be ground in a cof
fee mill thnt has not been used for any
othor purpose.
In tho drying process tho meat loses a
trlflo mora than four-flfths of its weight.
This beef powder can bo takon In various
ways with hot. water or soup, with mash
ed potatoes, with bread and butter In a
sandwich or with a llttlo pepsin In a starch
wafer.
Tho writer has given this homemade
beef powder with such excellent effect In
several cases where thoro was much diffi
culty with food that ho thinks others may
find it useful. Dr. W. B. Huggard in
untisn .ucuicai Journal.
Every singer in a auartot can clvo
three good reasons whv thn orcanization
lsn' absolutely perfect. Elmira Gazette.
Horns.
Professor, Cyrus Adler, assistant curator
of oriontal antiques in tho United States
National museum, describes an endless va
riety of horns mado of dlvors material
used for religious purposes. Tho Berbers
have an instrument mado of two rams'
horns, joined1 nt tho ends with a metal
mouthpiece. An ox's horn or n cow's
horn wns sounded in India In honor of
tho Hindoo god Siva. In Africa tho tusk
of tho elephant is usod. Tho Etruscans
hod n bronze horn, u speolinon of whloh is
in tho JJritlsh museum. Tho kurna sound
ed by tho Brahmans was sacred and not to
bo blown by any ono of low caste. Tho
Jowish chofar, mudo of a ram's horn, is
tho survival of tho most anolent worship.
Professor Adler writes. "It Is not onlv
tho solitary musical instrument actually J
preserved in tno .Mosaio ritual, but tho old
est form of wind instrument known to bo
retained in uso in the world," New York
Times.
Tho Kunaway Star.
Tho greatest velocity that has beon rnn.
ognized among tho stars la found in tho
motion of a star known ns 18ao
bridge, or tho "runaway star," as it Is
sometimes called, which is bollovcd to lio
rusning tnrougii spaco at tho rnto of 200
miles per second. This star appears to bo
moving in a periectly straight Huo througl;
mo sny, nnu it may uo vlsltlnc our star
system for tho first tlmo, but whonco It
camo or whither it is going no ono cn'n
toll, and it is n great enigma to astrono
mers. Its wondorful velocity cannot bo ex
plained, as it is far greater than could bo
produced by tho inllucnco of all known
orbs in tho unlvorso, nnd, on the othor
hand, tho combined attraction of all tho
stars cannot stop this wnndoror in its soli
tary flight through spaco until it hns
rushed onto tho remoter distances, boyond
which tho largost tolescopos havo never
penetrated.
It has been mathematically demonstrat
ed that a body approaching tho center of
our jiystom from an infinite dtstnnco cannot
movo with a groator velocity than 25 miles
n second if Influenced by tho nttrnctlon of
tho masses in our universe nlono, but horo
wo havo been considering a star moving
with eight times that velocity, and still,
notwithstanding tho fuot that It has the
greatest motion known among tho stnrs,
It would require 185,000 years for this re
markablo star to complotu on ontlro olr
cult nround tho houvens. All tho Yeur
Hound.
A Delicate Insinuation.
Tho duda drummer from tho metropol
itan city of New York was making his first
trip west, and out in Missouri ho began to
got quito flip. Ho had a fair chaneo on a
train to tako tho soot next a bright faced
Missouri girl, and of courso ho took It, and
It wasn't lung boforo ho was doing his
host to bo entertaining to tho young wom
an. Sho cuuldn't help horsolf very well
and took it good nuturedly.
"Did you know," ho snld after some
time, "that this Is my first trip, and I am
fresh from tho oast?"
"Woll, no," sho replied, so tho pooplo
around could hoar, "I didn't know it
that is to fcay, didn't know you wero from
tho east." Dotrolt Freq Pross.
Turned tho Tables.
Whllo a Bowdoln collego professor was
holding a recitation some mischievous stu
dent induced a hand organ man to como
up to tho hall near tho profossor's door
and play "Sweet Marie," tho boys nil join
ing in tho chorus. Tho professor camo
out, hat in hand, and passed it to ovory
ono of tho studonts outside, exhorting
them to bo generous. Taking the money
collected, ha gavo it to tho hniul organ
man and told him in Gorman tq Joavo tlm
campus, which ho did without dolay, while
it slowly dawnod on n dozon orestfniinn
students .hat a practical joko had been
porpetraUxi. Luwlston Journal.
Vonr stricture aro unmerited;
Our folllw) aro inherited j
Directly from our gram 'pas they all came.
Our defects have been transmitted.
And we should lie acquitted
Of all responsibility and blame.
Wo aro not depraved beginners,
But hereditary sinners.
For our fathers never acted as they should.
'Tls tho folly of our crn.m'imn
That continually hampers
What n pity thutourgram'pasworn'tgoodl
Yes, we'd all bo reverend senators,
If our depravnl progenitors
Had all been prudent, studious and wlsoj
But they were quiet terrestrial,
Or wo would be celestial
Yes, we'd all ho proper tenants for the sklcsl
If wo'ro not nil blameless sages,
And beacons to the ngeg,
And lit for principalities and powers;
If we do not guide and man It,
And engineer tho planet,
'Tls tho folly of our forefathers not ours
Mildred Lancaster In Horns and Country.
DE LESSEPS AND HIS INLAND SEA.
The Great Promoter's Scheme to Iteatore
Fertility to Northern Africa.
Tho Into Count do Lesscps was at ono
tlmo engngod in daring and attraotlvo
engineering scheme with which tho pub
lio is not gonernlly familiar. Its object
was to create a now sea and thoroby restoro
to fertility and civilization n largo part of
northern Africa.
Mr. Max do Forrest, now of Nutley, N.
J., a former officer In tho French nrmy,
met his famous countryman nt this tlmo.
"I met Count do Losscps," ho sold, "In
1881, at Cabcs, in southorn Tunis, whero
I Kod beon ordered with a squadron of
cavalry. Shortly after my arrival ho camo
with nsurvoying party to rnako soundings
for tho proposed interior soa. I had orders
to placo at his disposal both mon and
horses, and tho dischargo of this duty
brought mo into almost dally communica
tion with him until his departure.
"Tho interior sea at that tlmo aroused
all his enthusiasm. Ho brought to boar
tho samo porsuasivo powers that ho used
when promoting tho Suez and tho Panama
canals and enterprises. To skeptics ho al
ways replied, 'It can bo dono, and it will
bo dono, if the government will givo mo
tho monoy to do it with. 1
"Its proposed area embraced tho ontlro
plain lying to tho southward of tho bound
ary lino drawn from Cabos via Gafsa to
Tamerza. Tho practicability of tho schomo
was supported by many facts. Ic was
proved that an inland sea had covered In
oncient. times tho nrca which it wns In
tended to flood. Tho lovel of tho land wna
generally below that of tho gulf of Cabes.
Innumerable underground streams of
fresh and salt water aro found In tho
southern part of Algeria and Tunis.
"Tho water was to bo supplied to tho
inland sea from tho gulf of Cabes. Tho
tides would huvo a minimum denth sum.
cient to allow of the passago in all direc
tions of light boats. But tho most valua
blo result of tho scheme, it was held,
would bo to restoro tho anclont fertility of
tho country and to opposo a barrier to tho
sirocco, tho deadly burning wind which
piles up tho desert sand about tho oases
and finally burlos them.
M. do Losscps dwelt on thoso benefits
with boundless enthusiasm and imagina
tion, jjuricu cities would bo unearthed
and tho Coliseum of El Jomm, now a
crumbling rulU, but onco nnnrnnr-hlm.
that of Komu in size, would bo accesslblo --.
to admiring tourists.
M. do Lossons left the work In thn
hands of tho general staff of tho French
army, by whom It is now supposed to bo
carried on. Whethornny progress is being
made I do not know." Now York World.
Why a Lobster Turns Ked.
Persons 1 1 vine at aremotodlst nnnn from
tho natural homo of tho lobster think that
red is tho original color of that species of
crustaceun. Tho natural huo, howovor, is
green, tho beautiful bright brick color
being tho result of boiling, to which such
creatures nro subjected. Two explanations
for this chnngo in color oro clvon. either
of which appears to bo tonablo: Their
shells contain a large percent of iron, and
tho boiling process oxidizes thnt mineral,
tho chnngo being nlmost oxnetly tho samo
as that brought about in burning n brick.
Such n change in tho color of a lobster's
shell can be brought about by tho sun's
action, but never whllo tho lobster is liv
ing. As a rulo, howover, tho sun's blench
ing Influence consumes tho oxldo almost
ns fast as it is formed, leaving tho shell
puro whlto.
Tho second explanation is that the orig
inal green color Is duo to tho bluo nnd red
pigments, tho bluo being solublo and tho
red insolublo in boiling wator. When tho
lobster is boiled, tho bluo pigment is dis
solved, lonvlng tho red ta color tho crca
turov shell. St. Louis Republic.
An "Ex."
It Is somewhat hard to bollovothls story
of a Boston child of 8 years, but it is re
lated on good authority. Tho child, who
Is a little girl named Dorothy, had been
behaving very badly, as oven Boston chil
dren havo beon known to do, and her
mother said to her ohidlngly:
"Dorothy, really I cannot bo yourmam
nia any morel"
Tho child made no reply, but gavo her
mother a quick and very aroh look. By
and by, after a half hour of si lent: nnd
well bohaed play, sho came with her hat
in hor hand to her mother and said sober
ly:
"My donr ox-mamma, do vou think T'rn
been good enough so I could go out nowV"
iouiu'1 uompnnlon.
She Was No Politician.
"Did you see all those dreudful charges
tho papers make against you?" said tho
politician's wife.
"I did," was the reply. "What am I go
ing to do about It?"
"Why," she answered, almost sobbing,
"I I'd mako that horrid odltor provo ev
ery word of thom, so I would."
"Provo 'oml Great gunsl That's ex.
actly what I'm anxious to keep him from
doing if I can!" Washington Star.
Troublo About Dead Folks.
Massachusetts is inclined to claim Dan
lei obster oven if he was Lorn in Now
Hampshire Just horo arises tho troublo
that by the samo rule Massachusetts will
havo to give up Benjamin Franklin to
Pennsylvania. St Louis Globe-Democrat
According to the aooounts found in tho
library of Nebuohadnezzar, wheat tost
about 10 cents of our money a bushel and
Wine II cento a "cupful," about two
quarta.
An examination of tho earthen vases
lound ot Troy and elsewhere shows that
Ihey must havo been turned on a potter's
fvheol, just as are thoso nowadays.
Hell Gate was called by tho Indiana
Uonahtonuk (' Place of Bad Wnter").