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Spain will manage to struggle along
Without a naval board of inquiry.
TJnele Sam has $300,000,000 in gold
In bis Treasury—enough to give sev
eral of us a farm without any Okla
homa lottery.
V. T. Stead asks: "Is England sell
ing out to America?" Not much. A
glance at the hooks will show that the
former Is buylug more than she sells
to us.
This season's remarkably large num
ber of deaths by drowning continues
to increase. Can some scientific sta
tistician nsslgn a reason for this?
asks the Buffalo Times.
Lady Henry Somerset takes the
right view of impressing temperance
upon the community at large. She has
enlisted a number of beautiful girls In
the cause, and they will deliver lec
tures all over England.
Tho Chicago ordinance for muni
cipal supervision and encouragement
of athletics has passed the council
shorn of the provision for boxing ex
hibitions. Tho ordinance makes It
the duty of a committee "to encourage
the physical development of our peo
ple, and to educate them to a knowl
edge of the fact that Indulgence In
athletic exercises and sports will
greatly benefit the physical and moral
health of those who engage in such
exercises."
Lord Selbornc, outliniug in the Brit
ish House of Lords tho plans of the
Government for improving the navy,
6nld that it was proposed to establish
a school of naval strategy, such as ex
isted in the United States. Lord Dud
ley, Parliamentary Secretary to the
Board of Trade, said it was clear that
Great Britain would have to look
elsewhere than to her mercantile ma
rine for naval reserves, adding that
the number of British seamen was
now 5000 fewer than it was thirty
years ago.
And so appendicitis is "catching."
according to a story from Boston. It
is not carried around by mosquitoes
or fleas or flies, to bo sure, but Is
transmitted by "auto-suggestion."
Several weeks ago n young woman
was operated on for appendicitis. Her
fiancee was constantly nt her side dur
ing her illness, and suffered almost r.s
much as she did with very similar
pains. Finally tho young man was
obliged to call a physician, who diag
nosed his case as appendicitis, and
said he had "caught" it by "auto
suggestion" from bis sweetheart.
The schemes for cheap living may
become interesting to a greatly in
creased number of families if tho re
ports as to tho scarcity of vegetables
shall prove to be well founded. In
deed, it is a fact that tho price of po
tatoes has gone up in most Northern
markets, and there are solemn predic
tions of an almost complete failure of
tho crop. llow far tho cupidity of
dealers is responsible for this advance
in the price of potatoes has not been
ascertained, but it is the part of wis
dom for the people to keep in a hopeful
frame of mind until tho alleged sear
city shall have been placed beyond a
doubt. From Virgiuia comes tho
cheering announcement that tho po
tato crop of this year in that State has
exceeded that of any past year. Wo
may have the same sort of news from
other section* before long.
tine horse power, as established
among engine makers, is the capacity
to raise fig.two pounds one foot per
minute. As this estimate was based
upon tne ability of the huge draft
horses of London, It Is about twice
the average power of a horse.
't he world lias 2,230,000 acres undet
tobacco cultivation, which product
830.000 tons each year.
IN THE HIGHWAY.
Two men gazed at the eelf-same star
That gleamed out through the
One saw a wondroiu world afiar.
One saw a point of light.
The wind blew through the swaying trees
And stirred the grasses there:
And one heard wondrous melodies.
One but the swish of air.
And one of them was rieh and proud, -
Whom people served for bread,
And one pale-featured whom the crowd
Will honor—when he's dead.
—Chicago Itecord-llerald.
•T!j: L! i|NA'S CURSE
X 1
A Story of Thibetan Magic. rf
* k
IKs{OK3K>K*3Ksl©{Oie}OK3©!eiOl©K*-sieKsJ©lO{ei©ieJK
¥ T HE waiter brought us the
I / change out of Tom Morton's
I half sovereign. I pushed the
latter over toward him with
my loft hand, and with my right
raised the water bottle.
"Your change, Tom," said I.
"Yes, of course," said Tom, who was
absorbed In fhe story lie was telling
me. Ho put out his hand as If to
pick the money up, but seemed to re
member something, for ho drew his
baud hack suddenly.
"Good heaven!"'said he, "and I had
forgotten that."
He took out his handkerchief and
wrappedltarotindtheforeflnger of his
right hand, and then, wttli the fore
finger so covered, gently scraped the
money toward him, piece by piece,
and earnestly looked nt each coin.
"Now, look here, Tom," said I. "this
Is a very pretty story that you have
been telling me, hut don't try and
give It an air of reality by a perform
ance like that."
"l'ou ran believe It or not. Just
its you like," said Tom, "hut I tell
you, Fred, that piece of money Is
coming along tills way some dny. X
have Seen It once, and—l left it on
the table. You don't catch mo touch
ing any coin while I am certain that
one is In circulation. But let me con
elude what X was telling you.
"Urga Is one of the most peculiar
places you could think of, and one of
our first duties was to present our
selves to the Grand Llama. We had
to get a palanquin, for It was only
meet that Europeans of our import
ance should go In state, and it was
while en route that we suddenly came
10 the praying mill. This was a sort
af 'round-about,' with huge wooden
posts sticking out nt the side, which
•very Buddhist passing was supposed
'.O take hold of, and push the mil!
found at least once.
"What caused riiil to do what he
lid then I don't know, but something
leerned to impel him to get out of
he palanquin, make a run over to
lie mill, entcli hold of one of the
vooden posts and commence to push
t around at Its topmost pace. The
iquare where the mill was erected
vns pretty well filled with people,
tnd when some of those saw what
Sad been done they came rushing
foward us, shouting and gesticulating.
Phil had undoubtedly committed a
laerllege, and I was fearful for his
tafety. These fanatical Mongolians,
once their religion Is assailed in any
shape or form, would certainly have
no mercy upon the assailant.
"Phil came hurriedly hack to nlo,
lumped into the palanquin, and or
dered the hearers to got on. The
mob came to us, smashed in the doors
of the palanquin, dragged us out, and
for two minutes there was the live
liest fight on record going on. We
f-ot the worst of It, and bruised, bleed
ing and Insensible, were carted off to
(irison.
"We were taken before the Grand
Mama, and then and there be or
dered ua to be sent across the Si
berian frontier with the utmost dis
patch. The next day wo were hur
ried along under an escort of soldiers,
ind it was not long before we arrived
it the frontier, the town of Miamnt
shin, which really Is the Mongolian
portion of Kiaktn. We were taken
to the yellow posts which marked
the actual frontier, and there the
Soldiers of Llama stopped. We were
removed from the pnlattquln in which
re had been carried, and were com
manded to sit down n few yards
from the posts. Not twenty feet away
were the black and white posts of
the Russians, and it was Indeed some
thing to gladden our eyes to see the
brown coat and the astrachnn fez of
the Russian Cossack who stood there
011 sentry.
"Our guards spread themselves out,
then there came forward n Bliuddlst
priest, who began to tnlk to us in
a Jargon which, of course, we could
not understand. He finished at length
and produced from his robe n wire
on which were threaded some hun
dreds of brass 'cash,' which the Chi
nese always carry. lie took two of
the 'cash' off the wire and laid them
In front of us on the ground.
"Then the priest began waving his
arms about, and the Mongolians took
out their hand prayer mills and be
gan turning them for all they were
worth. The voice of the priest then
rose on the air. He said throe or
four words and spat deliberately nt
each of the coins, which had been
put on the ground before us.
"Tlint was all. The priest depart
ed. the soldier escorted us to the
posts, the Russian sentry presented
his rifle and we presented our pass
ports. We passed over and breathed
the comparatively free air of Russia.
Our first duty when we were In Kia
ktn was to go straight to the Gov
ernor and lay our complaint before
hint. He was agitated when he heard
of the ceremony at the frontier, and
told us that the Bliuddlst priest had
put into circulation two coins which
had received the sun god's curse, and
that these coins would circulate
throughout the world, harmless to
everybody except the two they were
destined for. The instant possession
of either of tnese by the person cursed
would moan Immediate destruction.
"Nor was this all—the coins might
not come to us as brass "cash,' they
might come to us as a kopeck piece,
or as a rouble; as marks or pfennigs;
as francs or centimes, as nnything,
wherever we might be. We should
norer know when they were coming;
wc should take them in the ordinary
way; we should handle them, but only
for one moment; the next moment
we should be dead."
One day Tom sent for me, and It
was to tell me that ho was going to
be married. This struck me as some
thing peculiar, for I had thought Tom
Morton was one of the last men likely
to fall in love. The wedding duly
came off, everybody was pleased, and
Tom and his bride went away to the
'south of France. A few more weeks
rolled by and Tom returned. There
was to be a reception at their Ten
don- house, and the Invitation whloh
was sent me was one which I could
not well refuse.
In the evening I had the opportun
ity of a chat with Tom. We had
gone out on the balcony, which over
looked the garden, and there I pur
posely made reference to *the anper
stltion which ho had for the Llama's
coin.
"Perhaps," said I, "now that you
have gone unscathed all these years,
you nrc beginning to lose faith In the
potency of that prophecy?"
"Well, to tell the truth," said Tom,
"I am getting a little shaky about
it, and when one begins to reason,
superstition on any subject Is likely
to get knocked out. It has struck
me that after all it may be but mere
foolery."
We entered the room once moro,
but I was dying for a 6moke, and,
making some excuse, I slipped away
to the smoke room. I bnd been sit
ting there about five minutes when
Tom Morton came in.
"What do yon think?" he said. "My
wife has got this Mongolian story
into her head so much that she is
perfectly ridiculous. She has been
telling everbody about it, and, of
course, they are all laughing, and the
worst of it all Is that she is laugh
ing with them at me. But come,
come, old fellow, I want to show you
something."
I rose, threw my cigarette end away,
and followed him. W r e went along
the corridor to the drawing-room,
which was crowded, and even as we
entered I heard Mrs. Morton's voice.
"I really do believe It will bo such
fun," she was saying. "Here oomes
Tom, and now we will try. A coin,
if you please, from each of you. Let
me see—how many are there here?—
twenty-six, good! then I want twenty
six coins."
"Now, Tom," she said, "take off
that wretched glove and let us dem
onstrate that you cnu touch money
with your ungloved hand."
Tom was pale, and I saw his brow
shining with perspiration. He mut
tered something, but what It was was
lost in the laughter and banter which
went around the room. With a quick.
Impulsive movement, he drew off his
right glove.
"Well," he said, and I saw his lips
wreathe into a hnrd, unmirtliful
smile, "I will take the coins just
to show you that I am not afraid."
Then, one by one, his wife counted
out the coins into his hand. Twenty
were already there, when, unable to
control the impulse which came over
me, I started up, and cried: "Drop
It, Tom. Why challenge such a thing
as that?"
lie looked at me, and I saw how
pale and how stern was his face.
He said nothing to me, but merely
turned to his wife with the whisper:
"Go on!"
"Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty
three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twen
ty-six, twenty-seven "
"Twenty-seven," I cried, "what Is
that, there are only twenty-six peo
ple here, there Is a mis " But I
could get no further. Tom had stag
gered back, his body shrunken in size.
He fell to the floor. A death-like
silence fell over the assemblage. 1
strode over to ray friend's prostrate
form.
Tom was dead and cold, nnd In his
right hand there were twenty-seven
coins. I looked at the top one; It
was a German piece, value twenty
marks. I took it to the light and
gazed upon it. Across the profile of
Emperor William 11. I saw a mark
which described a true square, and
then I knew that Llama's curse at
length had had effect—Penny Pic
torial Magazine. '
Cologne's Great Cathedral.
Augustine Birrell waxes enthusiastic
In the Century over the beauties of
the cathedral at Cologne.
The first thing that strikes you about
Cologne cathedral is its glorious profu
sion, its boundless wealth. There is
so much of everything. Bricks nnA
mortar were never so multiplied, mag
nified and glorified. I should like to
see the original specifications. It is
more than a building; it is a city by
Itself. The materials that go to com
pose the flying buttresses alone would
build cottages for 10,003 men. The
grinning gargoyles, the enchanting
turrets, the forests of stone foliage,
the poetry of waterspouts, the quaint
humors of the Wood-carving, the depth
of the cornices, the twists and turns of
the roofing, the grout population of
statues, the rich mosaics—who can
pretend to charge his memory with
more than a miserable fraction of all
this detail, or to sny he knows Cologne
cathedral? A man who is bored with
Cologne cathedral had better at once
betake himself to another world; this
one can provide him with nothing
more Interesting.
] IU, I
r i
| IPtLWR 1 '
A Bridge of Life,
WORD has come from Wa
uwatosa. Wis., that Geo.
Wells is critically ill. Who
is there to-day outside of
Immediate relatives and friends to
whom the name George Wells sug
getss anything? Yet the time was
when the namo of George Wells was
upon every lip. George Wells was a
hero; nnd the fact that to-day his
name is nothing more than a name
to all but a few people simply goes
to show how fleeting a thing fame is
and how quickly forgetful the people
are of one whom they once delighted
to honor. George Wells, with Her
man Stnuss, was the hero of the New
ball Hotel fire, which occurred in
Milwaukee, January 10, 1883.
When the fire broke out on that
winter morning it might have been
extinguished with a hand grenade. In
five minutes' time the old trap was
a mass of flames, and seventy-five
people were doomed to denth. The
servants' quarters of the Newhlll, as
in nearly all hotels, were on the up
per floor of the structure. Herman
Stauss, a city fireman, saw at a glance
that there was one way nnd one way
only to save the women there penned
In by the flames. He cur loose from
the department and from orders, and
went to the roof of a building di
rectly across an alley from the New
linll. The thought of the possibility
of saving the servants had struck
George Wells, an onlooker at the tire,
the same moment that it had come
to the department memben, Wells
nnd Stnuss met on the roof. They
had secured a heavy ladder, almost
too heavy for them to handle, but no
other help at that moment was at
hand. By a mighty effort they raised
the ladder in the nlr, nnd then, di
recting its upper end as well as they
could, they let ft crash outward and
downward through the sash, frame
nnd glass of a window in the hall
where the Imprisoned and nlmost suf
focated servants were. The end which
rested on the roof had an insecure
hold. The working of the ladder six
Inches outward would have caused
It to fall to the pavement seventy feet
below. Wells threw himself prone on
the roof and, grasping n round of the
ladder, made an anchor of himself,
while Strauss, with swaying body,
walked 1 ncross the precarious bridge
Into the burning building. There he
grasped n woman who, crazed with
fi-lght, fought him who would save
her like a tigress. Strauss grappled
with her nnd, pinning her amis, car
ried her back across the rocking
bridge to safety.
Strauss was exhausted. He threw
himself on tlg> roof and took Wells'
place as nnehor. Then Wells, with
out the training of the experienced
fireman, and thinking only of the im
prisoned and slowly perishing crea
tures beyond, made a perilous trip.
He brought back a woman. She
struggled from Ills arms just as he
was about to rencli the safety place.
He fell to the ladder, and with an
nlmost superhuman effort regrnsped
his burden by the arms. She swung
like a pendulum below the ladder held
from nliovo by a Btroug but slowly
relaxing grip.
Strauss left the end of the lad
der to care for itself and crawled out
to the rescue. The swaying of that
frail bridge threatened every mo
ment to dislodge the end nnd precipi
tate two men and a woman to denth.
Neither of the heroes could nfter
ward explain how it wns that they
succeeded in getting their helpless
burden nnd themselves back to safety.
They did It, however, nnd had re
serve nerve and strength enough left
to rescue five other women before
the window ledge foundation of the
ladder burned away and their bridge
dropped to the pavement.
It wns only the work of a few
minutes. It was done In the sight
of thousands, but so rapidly that by
the time other help had nrrived It was
nil done. The fearful strain of those
few minutes utterly broke the health
of George Wells. With Strauss, he
wns honored by the people with med
als and with presents of value. It
was said at the time that no such
act of heroism marked the history
of previous fires. The papers of the
Old World told of tie. l deeds of these
two men. Yet perhaps, were it not
for what Is written here none .would
know that George Wells, now lying
111, was ever n hero, for like all true
heroes, the task of the telling of what
he did lie left to others.—Edward B.
Clark, in the Chicago Record-Herakl.
Human Toboggan Sara#! Life.
By a feat novel in the history of
mountain climbing on Mount Hood the
life of Miss Bethel Rawson, of De
moss, Oregon, was saved. She was
one of a party of twenty-live that at
tempted the ascent of the mountain
In the morning. Exhausted by the
climb and succumbing to a blizzard at
noon, when 300 yards from Crater
Rock, she fainted.
In the thick of a driving storm,
when the climbers could not see the
length of their guide line, she was
carried up the slope to the crater
by men in the party. There efforts
were made to revive her with stimu
lants and simple expedients, but they
failed.
Borne between two of the party,
While the others drove their olpen
gtoclte (Irmly in the Ice and marked
ont the steps of tho precipitous way,
the return trip was begun. Finally
the enow field below the crater was
roached. Progress was soon found
to-be too slow.
At the suggestion of Professor Mo
Elfresh, of Corvallis, Oregon, an
effort was made to build a rough sled.
A piece of board and some rough
sacks In which Miss Rawson had been
I wrapped for warmth were the avail
able materials. Professor McElfresh
offered himself to be strapped to tho
sled and to carry Miss Rawson. Pro
fessor McElfresh permitted himself
to be made a human toboggan by ly
ing full length on the snow.
Miss Rawson's feet were tied to his, ;
and she was held in his arms. To his :
feet ropes were attached and to his j
arms a steering strap. Down the j
mountain like a flash the descent was !
made, and in forty-five minutes the i
party was at the timber line with its [
burden. There the women of tho Mas
ma Camp took the enfeebled girl in j
charge. Later a physician was called, j
and the young woman is rapidly re
covering from her remarkable experi
ence-—New York Times.
Cftnglit by tlie Ilnir, • - 1
Lady Hodgson, the wife of Sir Fred
eric Hodgson, Governor of the Gold
Coast, describes a perilous progress
down an African river. She suys:
"I found it a swirling torrent, mov
ing at top speed. We were caught in
the current, and hurled along at a tre
mendous pace. My cook, Henry, kept
tho canoe steady, and all appeared to
bo going well, when suddenly we !
landed oil a snag, which turned us
broadside to the stream.
'The canoe tilted over and began
to fill, but righted itself when we |
threw the weight of our bodies to the }
opposite side. Still, there we were,
stuck in midstream and broadside on. [
It seemed ns if nothing could save us. j
Henry was now working nway with
his paddle, and my husband, who was |
nearest tho snag, assisted hy pulling j
the canoe gradually forward. Then it j
moved slightly, and at last we wero ]
clear.
"Off we went again, at racing speed, I
hut had gone only a few yards when
we dashed into the branches of a mi
mosa tree, which had fallen more than
half way across the river.
"I had my back to it, and knew noth- |
ing of tho danger until I found myself j
crashing into the branches and nearly
lifted out of the canoe. The thorny
limbs twisted themselves Into my hair.
To struggle would upset the canoe. I
called to Henry to hold it still, but I
the current was too strong.
"Then instinct inndo me put up my I
hands and grasp the branch. I used
all my force to break it Fortunately !
it was an old' one, and I did suoeeed.
The canoe passed through, but my
bauds were torn and bleeding from
tho thorns they had encountered.
However, there was uo time to think
of pain, for we were speeding on in
our mad career. tVlicn do reached
the next halting station 1 took n long
breath of gratitudo that wo wero to
go on by land."
The Iron Man's Story*
"Do you remember the span over
tho South Channel at Cornwall, Onta- j
r!o, iu ISOS. I can tell you exactly the I
time—it was almost noon, on the Cth I
of September, on a Tuesday when
the pier gave way. There were six- j
teen men killed In that Tho bridge I
was nlmost finished, and was ready to !
turn over to the railroad people in a
week or two. It had three eamel-back
spans, and its piers were supposed to
he on blue hard pan. A coffer dam i
had been built over one of these nnj i
tilled up with eouercto and cement
Rig, solid blocks of stouo bad been
put upon that.
"We had been given the foundations j
for it all right and we'd put our iron ,
work on that. There was a big trnv- :
eier up, and when the pier gave, and
two spans crumbled with n crack, the j
traveler, of course, came down. One
man on it never tried to Jump, and !
rode tho traveler as it fell, hanging on j
to a cord (of steel). Ho was never J
hurt. That particular steel bar hap i
peued to stop ten feet away from tin [
water, and he simply climbed off."
"Once," said Billy, returning to his \ 1
reminiscences, "a man I knew, wlic !
was working, on the ridge of an iron [ 1
bouse roof, lost his hold and com 1
mcnced to slide down the corrugated I :
Iron. It was a slide of about twenty. |
five feet to the edge, and then came s j
drop of fifty feet, as he knew, on somt |
heaps of scrap-iron. Down he went j
and just at the edge a rivet caught hit I
corduroys aud held him there."—Les I
lie's Monthly.
lirave Muto Boy#.
In the category of brave deeds tna
effort of eight mute boys, from tho
New York Deaf aud Dumb Institute,
to save a drowning comrade, on tho
Jersey shore of the Hudson uear Fort
Lee, deserves a plnoo. Their com
panion, dumb, unable to call for help,
the other boys silently signaling the
word to one . nother to dive this way
and that to his rescue, and all strug
gling, diving, waiting, till they were
benumbed and unhappily sure that all
was over, make a pitiful picture.
More cheering is the story of the safe |
rescue of Lester Bond from the tide
1 eddies in Spflyten Duyvll Creek by a j
human chain of his friends, composed j
1 of Dr. Donne and his wife and sister, j
■ hanging from the deck of a naphtha
; launch; or that of the Greek Catholic!
priest Kamlr.sky, who leaped at the j
head of a runaway horse in Yonkers, |
and undoubtedly saved two or three;
lives thereby.
A conceited person never improves, l
: because be is always perfect iu bis
own eyes.
The uverage value of milch cows
last year was $7 a bead more than the :
average value of oxeu aud other cattle
Fairy Song.
Tt Is the queen of fairyland,
l'he queen and all her emn band;
It is not just the leaves that blow,
Nor just tho winds that echo so,—
Kay, but the folk of fairyland.
! They come from out tho Long Ago,
I They come when winds are whispering Sow,
I Good children hear their footfall still, .
I Across the valley, down the hill,—
I The fairy folk from Long Ago.
| All clad in green and daffodil,
I rhey rido athwart the moonlight chill;
| But it is summer when they pass,
I And waking birds, and springing grass--
With folk of green and daffodil.
I —Lillian Corbett Barnes, in Churchman,
Names Indians Giv® to the BlontliH.
The moon Is the Indian's calendar,
no reckons time by Its changes, and
long before the white man came to
America the red man had a pretty,
clear Idea of a month of time. Tho
moou goes through four changes in
four weeks. From full moon around
to full moon again is. therefore, nearly,
one month, or as the Indian called It
—moon. After all, the English word
month means moon, and is derived
from that word. So It seems the moon
Is responsible for tho idea of month.
But the Indian named his mouths or
: moons from tho things that most ap
pealed to him—the weather, the plants,
tae hunt, etc. Here are the names by;
which he knew them;
January The Cold Moon
February The Snow Moon
March The Green Moon
April The Moon of Plants
Mny The Moon of Flowers
June The Hot Moon
July Tho Moon of the Deer
August The Sturgeon Moon
September The Fruit Sloon
October The Traveling Moon
November The Beaver Sloon
December The Hunting Sloon
All Indian tribes do not have the
same name for the same mouth, how
ever, ns it varies according to tho oc
cupation or locality of each tribe.
Juuo to some was the Strawberry
Sloon, August the Ripe Moou, and so
on.—Chicago Eecord-HeraldL
A Poetry Gnme.
Here is a delightful and Interesting
game for an older ulember of the fam
ily to play with a group of children.
Toko as many sheets of paper as
there are children, and the older per
son must then write on each ■ sheet
several stanzas of poetry, leaving a
wide space between the lines.. Then
cut tho sheets into strips of one lino
of poetry each. The strips containing
tho first lino of each stanza are given
to tho children, who then leave tho
room, wliile all the other strips aro
hidden in mysterious places about the
room. When they return the children
proceed to hunt for the slips necessary
to complete the stanza of poetry, tho
first line of which they hold in' their
hand. On the slip which Is guiding
them Is a number Indicating the num
ber of Hues which complete the stanza,
so, for Instance, If the stanza Is of
four lines, there will he tho number
lour on tho slip given to the child,
"which will tell her there are three
more slips to look for.
It is desirable iu the beginning to
select very simple and familiar poetry,
so that tho game may not be too ditii
cult, and the children may have the
fun of fitting their slips together when
they find them, and when all are
found, each one reads her stanza
aloud. But this Is a game that will
entertain old as well as young chil
dren, and will bo found n most excel
lent way to memorize poetry.—Homo
Magazine.
Tho Antomatom Chess-Player.
Tudor Jenks, writing of "A Modern
Magician" (Robert Houdin) in the St.
Nicholas, has this to say of a famous
trick of one of Hotidln's predecessors.
This was the "Automaton Chess-play
er" that had once set all Europe guess
lug. Houdin explains this triek. The
figure was a Turk, apparently too
small to hold a mnn lusido, and It
played chess successfully against the
best players iu tho world—being rarely
beaten. But the whole contrivance
was a mere deception. The figure was
moved hy a Polish officer, a refugee
who had lost both legs iu battle, and
was • therefore able to pack himself
snugly Into the hollow figure or into
the chest upon which it sat. While
the inside of the Turk's body was ex
amined the officer was stowed In the
box below, and lie climbed up into the
Turk when tho box was Inspected.
Thus li.dden, the officer played chess
against Catharine of Russia while that
Empress was offering a reward for
his capture. It is said tho imperial
player cheated, whereupon the me
chanical Turk lost his mechanical tem
per and swept the chessmen from the
board!
Afterward Catharine ordered the fig
ure to lie left In her palace, M. de
Ivempelou being thus forced to carry
off the real player In a packing-box.
The next day (probably after the Em
press had tried iu vain to discover the
"missing link") Kempelon explained
that tho chess player required his own
personal attention, aud thus persuaded
her to let it go!"
A circumstance that helped to fool
the public was the fact that the Polish
officer wore artificial legs while out
of the figure.
This chess automaton was once
on ued by Napoleon Bonaparte, came
twice to this country, and in 1854 was
burned in Philadelphia.
To maintain the public schools of
the country costs every man, woman
and child a little more than $9.