Evening Star Newspaper, December 4, 1893, Page 13

THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. C.. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1893-SIXTEEN PAGES. of the covert as well as open hostility of fiding people the most scrupulous care and| MISS MIGHELL’S SULTAN LOVER. spoilsmen and notwithstanding the queru- | to pledge my willing support to every legis- Jous impraticability of many self-consti-|lative effort for the advancement of the tuted guardians. Beneath all the vagaries ‘end sublimated theories which are attracted to it there underlies this reform a sturdy common-sense principle not only suited to this humane sphere, but whose application our people are more and more recognizing to be absolutely essential to the most suc- cessful operation of their Government, if not to its perpetuity. It seems to me to be entirely inconsist- ent with the character of this reform, as well as with its best enforcement, to oblige the Commission to rely for clerical assist- ‘ence upon clerks detailed from other De- partments. There ought not to be such a condition in any Department that clerks hired to do work there can be spared to habitually work at another place; and it does not accord with a sensible view of civil-service reform that persons should be employed on the theory that their labor is necessary in one Department when in Point of fact their services are devoted to entirely different work in another Depart- ment. I earnestly urge that the clerks necessary to carry on the work of the commission be regularly put upon its roster, and that the system of obliging the commissioners to rely upon the services of clerks belonging to other departments be discontinued. This ought not to increase the expense to the government, while it would certainly be more consistent and add greatly to the effl- ciency of the commtssion. Extravagance in Appropriations. Economy in public expenditure is a duty that caanot innocently be neglected by those intrusted with the control of money arawn from the people for public uses. It must be confessed that our apparently end- Jess resources, the familiarity of our people with immense accumulations of wealth, the growing sentiment among them that the expenditure of public money should in some manner be to their immediate and personal adavantage, the indirect and almost stealthy manner in which a large part of our taxes are exacted, and a degenerated sense, of official accountability have led to growing extravagance in governmental ap- ptcpriations. ; At this time, when a depleted public treas- ury confronts us, when many of our people are engaged in a hard struggle for the necessaries of life, and when enforced econ- omy is pressing upon the great mass of our countrymen, I desire to urge with all the earnestness at my command that con- gressional legislation be so limited by strict economy as to exhibit an appreciation of the condition of the treasury and a sympathy with the straitened circumstances of our fellow-citizens. The duty of public economy is also of im- mense importance in its Intimate and neces- sary relation to the task now in hand of Providing revenue to meet government ex- penditures, and yet reducing the people's burden of federal taxation. Tari@ Reform. After a hard struggle tariff reform is di- rectly before us. Nothing so important claims our attention and nothing so clearly Presents itself as both an opportunity and @ duty—an opportunity to deserve the grat- itude of our fellow-citizens and a duty im- posed upon us by our oft-repeated profes- sions and by the emphatic mandate of the People. After full discussion our country- men have spoken in favor of this reform, and they have confided the work of its ac- complishment to the hands of those who are solemnly pledged to it. If there is anything in the theory of a representation In public places of the people and their desires, if public officers are really the servants of the people, and if political Promises and professions have any binding force, our failure to give the relief so long a@waited will be sheer recreancy. Nothing should intervene to distract our attention or disturb our effort until this reform 1s accom- plished by wise and careful legislation. While we should staunchly adhere to the Principle that only the necessity of revenue justifies the imposition of tariff duties and other Federal taxation, and that they should be limited by strict economy, we can not close our eyes to the fact that conditions have grown up among us which in justice and fairness call for discriminating care in the distribution of such duties and taxation as the emergencies of our Government ac- tually demand. Mantfestly, if we are to aid the “people Girectly through tariff reform, one of its most obvious features should be a reduction in present tariff charges upon the necessaries of life. The benefits of such a reduction would be palpable and substantial, seen and felt by thousands who would be better fed and better clothed and better sheltered. ‘These gifts should be the willing benefac- tions of a Government whose highest func- tion Is the promotion of the welfare of the people. Raw Materials. Not less closely related to our people's Prosperity and well-being is the removal of restrictions upon the importation of the Taw materials necessary to our manufac- tures. The world should be open to our national ingenuity and enterprise. This can mot be while Federal legislation, through the imposition of high tariff, forbids to American manufacturers as cheap materials as those used by their competitors. It is quite obvious that the enhancement of the price of our manufactured products result- ing from this policy not only confines the market for these products within our own borders, to the direct disadvantage of our manufacturers, but also increases their cost to our citizens, The interests of labor are certainly, though Indirectly, involved in this feature of our tariff system. The sharp competi- tion and active struggle among our manu- facturers to supply the limited demand for their goods soon fill the narrow market to which they are confined. Then follows a suspension of work in mills and factories, @ discharge of employes, and distress in the homes of our workingmen. Even if the often disproved assertion could be made good that a lower rate of ‘wages would result from free raw materials and low tariff duties, the intelligence of our workingmen leads them quickly to discover that their steady employment, permitted by free raw materials, is the most important factor in their relation to tariff legislation. A measure has been prepared by the ap- Propriate Congressional committee em- bodying tariff reform on the lines herein suggested, which will be promptly submit- ted for legislative action. It is the result ef much patriotic and unselfish work, and 1 believe it deals with its subject consist- ently and as thoroughly as existing condi- tions permit. The Proposed Legislation. I am satisfied that the reduced tariff du- ties provided for in the proposed legisla- tion, added to existing internal-revenue taxation, will. in the near future, inuugh perhaps not immediately, produce sufficient revenue to meet the needs of the Govern- ment. The committee, after full consideration, and to provide against a temporary de- ficiency which may exist before the busi- mess of the country adjusts itself to the new tariff schedules, have wisely embraced in their plan a few additional internal- revenue taxes, including a small tax upon incomes derived from certain corporate in- vestments. These new assessments are not only ab- solutely just and easily borne, but they have the further merit of being such as can be remitted without unfavorable busi- Ress disturbance whenever the necessity of thetr imposition no longer exists. In my great desire for the success of this measure I can not restrain the suggestion that its success can only be attained by means of unselfish counsel on the part of the friends of tariff reform and as a result of their willingness to subordinate per- sonal desires and ambitions to the general good. The local interests affected by the Proposed reform are so numerous and so varied that if all are insisted upon the legis- lation embodying the reform must inevita- bly fail. In conclusion, my intense feeling of re- sponsibility impels me to invoke for the Manifoli interests of a generuus and con- greatness and prosperity of our beloved country. GROVER CLEVELAND. Executive Mansion, Washington, December 4, 1893. —__—_—__- = —______ THE PACE TOO HARD. Rev. Dr. Paxton Explains Why He Re- signed His Pastorate. The rumor that Rev. Dr. John R. Pax- ton had disappeared from his farm, near Bridgeville, Pa., turns out to be unfound- ed. Dr. Paxton was found there by a re- porter of the New York Sun on Saturday. In the course of a long interview Dr. Pax- ton spoke of the reasons for his resigna- tion of the pastorate of the West Presby- terian Church, New York city, and said that his action was final. He added: “When the committee of four came on here a week ago they reproached me with deserting my duty. They pointed to the West Church and said that there was the battle and there the soldiers. But where was their captain? He had deserted. You See, they said that to an old soldier.” “But, doctor, the impression has gone out that you told them you would with- draw your resignation.” No, I did not do that. I told them they could do what they liked. No, there has been mix enough. I shail write to Robert Jaffray and Dr. John Hail to place my resignation before the New York presby- tery, which meets there on December 11, and pay no more attention to the West Church muddle. I am no longer a public man. Tell the Sun I am now a private citizen.” “Trustee Perkins and I had a talk,” con- tinued Dr. Paxton. “We differed about some things. He told me I wasn’t preach- ing as good sermons as I used to. I think he was right there. One can’t lead the life I have had to live and keep on forever. It is the pace that kills. I have led the pro- cession there in New York—kept at the head of the column—for years, but the pace is telling on me. Then, there was my army life, began so early. Most of those army men die before sixty, and my time is coming. I wanted to stop. Then, that Briggs matter. Oh, that Briggs matter! It split the session. Its questions and its doctrinal differences! I wanted to stop and ask myself where I stood. Where was my soul? I had been dooking after other people's souls. You, perhaps, don’t under- stand how weary minister sometimes gets. I wanted leis to look after my own soul. “I couldn’t go on feeling like that and keep constructing new sermons. I told my session I should go into hysterics in the pulpit if they kept me there. I got very nervous. That operation I underwent was He Sailed Away on a Gallant Bark and Left the Lady Behind. Young women who dream rose-colored @reams of ensnaring susceptible masculine royalty, says the New York Sun, ought to read the sad story of Miss Jenny Mighell and the Sultan of Johore. Miss Mighell, in spite of her name, is a Prepossessing young English person, and is the more to be pitied in the affair because, not knowing the gentleman from Johore to be a sultan, she was not influenced by any ambitious desire to become a sultaness. Not being familiar with the blue book of Johore, she did not even dream that the dark gen- tleman who was introduced to her as Mr. Albert Baker was none other than his Royal Highness Abubakar. It was in 1885, and the susceptible sultan was ‘living in England under this assumed name. In an unhappy moment he fell a vic- tim to the charms of Miss Jenny Mighell, and under the influence of real oriental passion, such as is common in Johorean sultans, he proposed and was accepted. Ah, happy Miss Mighell! and thrice happy Sultan Abubakar! For several months the two young people billed and cooed and called each other Jenny and Albert once in a while, and a good many more interesting things between times. Miss Mighell assured Mr. Albert Baker that he was “her king,” and his royal highness, who relishes a little joke now and then, would ask her, with a twinkle in his coal- “black eye, whether she wouldn't rather have him a sultan than a king. “Or even a maharajah?” the jovial Joho- rean would say. And so they made love with much jest, but more earnest, for some time; and finally, lke a thunderbolt from a clear sky, came the discovery to Miss Jenny Mighell that she was a prospective sultaness! She was staggered at first. But she had borne up too long under the name of Mighell not to be able to recuperate quickly. She taxed her lover with the fact that he was a sultan in good and regular standing, and he mod- estly admitted that he was. Not only that, but he gave the astonished young woman to understand that the royal palace at Johore was none too good a setting for so bright a gem as she, This was probably true. The mistake which the hotheaded sultan made was in giving Miss Jenny to understand that she should ornament the palace as soon as the painters and paperhangers were throughwith it, or something of that sort. He bound her over to silence concerning his identity, and she, being doubtless aware that such a dis- covery, if made public, might get her more rivals than even a Mighell would care to more terrible than the public can know. One can't tell these things to the public. For five months afterward I had to care for myself in ways because of it that sap- ped my nervous energy. I was under the surgeon's knife for hours, to begin with. Yes, Perkins was right. I could not preach as I used to. Who could under those con- ditions? Mr. Sage Not Qualified. “But there was Mr. Sage, who, I notice, says my sermons were not as good as they used to be. Now, what does he know about it? With his deafness he couldn’t have heard them. I doubt if he could hear Gabriel's trumpet. I know he will not want to hear it. “It is not that I am afraid to die or that it is any question of stimulants. Would that it was only a matter of stimulants. Why, I haven't taken stimulants of any kind—not even bromides—for six months. My doctor forbids it. You can say this, 1 want you to do so. There has been too much said and written about this thing. I'll tell you what it is that is worrying me. I am afraid of the softening of the brain— of paresis. One's system must break somewhere after the strain I have given mine. I am afraid it will be paresis with me. I have had friends go that way. You have known of active, hardworking men whose lives Lave overtaxed their nervous and brain forces until they had to give way. My temperament is blue and morbid at times, hypochondriac. It comes from one side of my blood. That is why I am here and trying to get quiet and rest. I walk ten miles or so a day. I have a farm out here of 100 acres. They are finding oll there, and I am going to bore for oil. I am free and independent. I have an in- come of $0,000 or $10,000 a year. I can do as I choose. This is my income from means outside of the West Church. I am inde- dent of that. Why shouldn't I stay here? if in the future I choose to go on the lec- ture platform or to do anything else, why, well and good.” ———___+e-—____ NEW LIGHT ON EUROPE’S ARMIES. Are Nambers Worthless After Allf—A Cry of Alarm in French Military Circles. From the Figaro. ‘There is no power on earth better equipped for war than France is at the present mo- ment. But, unfortunately, all our mill- tary organization is based upon a danger- ous sophism, the preponderance of num- bers. When we reformed our army, started out upon the idea that France was vanquished by the numerical superiority of the Germans, whereas the real cause of our defeat must be looked for in the in- capacity of our generais. The events were fatalities manifestly independent of the real value of the army Itself, and one can- not reasonably conclude that it was the su- periority of numbers that defeated us. Nevertheless, we have allowed ourselves to be carried away by the magic of num- bers, and, in order to get the numbers, we have reduced the service to an average of thirty months. Now, short service makes militia men; it does not make soldiers. The worship which we profess for heroes has for its only reason of existence the fact that the heroes are exceptional creatures. There is no longer any army when every- body is a soldier; there is no military spirit when the service is a common duty; there are no more heroes when every one is mobi- lized expressly to become one. ‘Take in the military hierarchy of the em- pire the men who represent us in the dif- ferent degrees from the general to the grenadier guard, the most accomplished types of the soldier, Lannes, Lasalle, Mar- bot, Parquin and Coignet. They were of unequal value, but their souls were the same. They were pretorians. They had only one trade, one passion, one worship, one end—war. Their moral horizon was constantly obscured by the smoke of bat- tles. They had no idea of human solidarity or of social progress, and one would find absolutely nothing in their skulls which would be worthy of the consideration of a philosopher or an economist. They were wicked and terrible, but also extraordinary enchanters, superb and attractive in the same way and for the saine reason that a lion is attractive because he is stronger and grander than an ox or a sheep. In order to forge soldiers of that type, It would be necessary to return to customs as much at variance with our habits of life as with the new conditions of warfare. But, for all that, it is none the less true that the trade of a soldier is a trade, just like any other, in which one excels only through apprenticeship and application; that the strength of armies is proportionate with the training of the soldier; that numbers are nothing if they are not made valuable by enthusiasm; that the reduction of the term of service may become a peril for the safety of the country; that economy reaiized by beans of furioughs.and anticipated exemp- | tions amounts to a diminution of our chances of victory, and that the idea of} democratizing the army is a pure absurdity, for the simple reason that everything in the army, from the top to the bottom of the military ladder, is servitude, hierarchy and inequality. This is not merely an individual opinion; {t is the opinion of the majority of our military men. The military law under Which we live gives us nearly four mil- lons of men, and we are accustomed to be- lieve, on the faith of sycophants, that such an army rend s forever invincible. Every professional soldier, devoted solely to his profession, believes that it would be bet- ter for our defense if we had an army of twelve hundred thousand me having all served five years, without a da furlough, | exercised from orning till night, inde- marchers, trained marksmen, clad | in a brilliant uniform, and proud enough to | believe that one soldier of their stamp 1s worth several dozen citizens. cues enw She Got a Seat. From the Ruffalo Courter. A young woman who ts a pewholder in the cathedral was refused admittance to her seat last Wednesday by another woman who was occupying a portion of her pew and who said that she reserving the other part for some fri The owner stepped into the next and from there over the back of the seat into her own pew. soe A special dispatch to the London Standard from Paris says it 1s believed that an Anglo-French commission will be nominated | to proceed to Siam for the purpose of ex- amining into and deciding upon a neutral zone betweem the French and British pos- sessions. | charged that he snatched a pocket look from stand up against, yielded. But, of course, that did not prevent her from putting a chair on the center table and practicing the act of sitting on a throne; or from gracious- ly saluting her imaginary subjects as she stood before her mirror. But in the midst of her rosiest dreams of her sultanesque future a cruel awakening came to Miss Jenny Mighell. His Royal Highness Abubakar, whom Jenny had ten- derly christened “Bubby,” for short, sailed away to Johore, or some other place, and did not take his bride-to-be with him. Jenny waited in vain. Her absent sultan did not return. At last the wigged lawyers and justices of the queen's bench division of the high court of justice put on their spectacles and opened the papers in the case of “Miss Jenny Mig- hell vs. the Sultan of Johore.” It was for breach of promise, but the oriental lover de- clined to answer the affidavit of the lady. The lawyers put their wigs together over it, and finally it was decided that royalty may flirt to its heart's content, even to the ex- tent of inviting a lady to be a sultaness, without being bound to fulfill the promises that may be incidentally made. And so the susceptible sultan ts still at large, making coal-black eyes at whomso- ever pleases his royal fancy. American girls are hereby warned against a dark gentle- man with winning ways, a subtle air of royalty and the name of Mr. Albert Baker. ——__— +e- SAVED BY A SURGEON'S SKILL. A Girl With Her Vertebrae Fractured Expected to Recover. Mary Hooker, a pretty little brunette, nineteen years old, and employed as a serv- ant in the family of A. L. Doll, No. 101 West 70th street, New York, ts lying in the hospital of the New York Polyclinic with a broken back, and will in all proba- bility recover. This astounding result will be due mainly to the skill of a physician who is a professor of surgery in the Poly- clinic, and his assistants. The circumstances which led to the acct- dent are of a by no means unusual character. Mary stood by the dumb waiter shaf* in the rear of the kitchen and tried to reach the sliding door, which had slipped from her hand and glided upward. She ts short and plump and could not reach it. She mounted a chair, stretched out her hand, and the chair, probably because she stood on its extreme edge, tipped forward. There was a piercing scream, followed by a resounding thump, which came from the basement of the house. The girl had fallen foremost down the shaft, and struck the ground in a sitting posture. When the janitor and the tenants reached her side she was as she had fallen, in a sitting posture, with her back against the wall of the shaft. She was conscious, moaning piteously, and at the attempt to raise her to her feet shrieked with pain. The doctor had al- ready received a call, and was hurrying to the house. In his hasty examination of the girl he noticed a slight protuberance or curvature in the dorsal vertebrae, just below the fourth cervical bone. The ab- sence of numbness and the appearance of the injury told him that although her back had been broken there was just a chance to save her. He determined to take the chance. A Roosevelt Hospital surgeon was now assisting him, and the sufferer was lifted into the ambulance and placed in a position that would not further affect the fracture. Then she was driven down to the Polyclinic. Once there, no time was lost in getting to work. An anaesthetic was administered, and the patient was laid on the operating table. The doctor first made an incision in the back, beginning at the first dorsal bone, and extending about eight inches. The lapels of the flesh thus made were turned over and held down by retractors, and then the doctor made a sec- ond incision three inches in length, dividing the tissues. The injury that the girl had sustained was now apparent. The terrific concussion as she struck the ground with legs and spine had made three distinct fractures of the dorsal bone, but, as the dector had supposed, the fracture had not extended to the spinal cord. This circum- stance may save the girl's life. A third in- cision, this time an inch and a half long, and exposing the marrow, was necessary before the three pieces of broken bone could be removed. This was the most difficult and delicate of the operations, and it was accomplished with complete success. Then the incisions were sewn togethe the girl was enveloped in a plaster ca and the operation was over. Early in the evening she recovered con- sciousness and was resting in almost en- tire freedom from pain. It is understood that an attempt will be made to replace the missing pieces of bone. Paralysis of the lower limbs may supervene as a result of the operation, but the surgeons are inclined to regard. with hope the chances of a com- plete recovery. ———_-oo—___—. The Camel is a Soldier. From the Evening Wisconsin. The camel ts a good soldier. It may be stupidity and it may be brav- ery, but a camel is as steady under fire as a tower. The Persians mounted small can- nons on the backs of their camels, and called them zambwahs or “little wasps.” This fashion was adopted in India, and after the battle of Sobraon 2,000 of this artillery camels were captured. In the In- dian mutiny the British had a camel corps of 150 beasts, and on the back of each camel sat a Scotch Highlander in his kilt. In 1845 Sir Charles Napier had a camel corps in Sindh, and in one day he marched seventy-five miles, defeated a brigand chief and marched home again. In 1878 the Brit- ish used camels egainst the Afghans and the government paid for 50,000 camels that died in those campaigns. Many of these were driven to death by their owners, in order that they might claim the govern- ment bounty. eee Snatched a Purse. A colored boy named Edward Bolden was tried in the Police Court Saturday on a| charge of larceny from the person. It was | some person unknown. The proof was thut | he snatched the pocket book and threw it away when pursued. He was held in $500 | real estate security for the action of ca grand jury. HANK GOOD'S FORFEIT. A Choctaw Indian Who Gave His Life Without Fear. From the Pittsburg Dispatch. Capt. Frank Williams of the Texas ran- gers, who passed through the city last night on his way to New York, gives an excellent acount of the remarkable execu- tion of Hank Good, a thoroughbred Choc- taw Indian, which occurred September 25 in the Choctaw reservation. “I never dreamed I was going to see one of the bravest acts I ever witnessed in m: life when I went to see Hank Good shot,’ Capt. Williams said. “I was in the re- servation when Hank committed the mur- der for which he gave up his life, and I had a great curiosity to see how he would act when the time came for him to pay the penalty. “The murder Hank committed occurred February 9, 1893. Two whisky peddlers, named Isaac Greenbaum and Solomon Hep- penstein, were the victims. They had been in the habit of stealing into the reservation about once a month and selling whisky to the Indians. On this particular night they entered the territory with two small casks of whisky. Hank ‘saw them when they came in, and he then and there determined to get his fill of firewater that night or know the reason why. He watched and followed them to a lonely spot, where they secured their whisky, wrapped their blan- kets around them and went to sleep. When they were slumbering soundly he stole upon them, and it could not have taken him long to relieve them of their scalps. He found the whisky, drank to his heart's content, and enjoyed the warmth of the fire the peddlers had built. Hank made no attempt to escape or conceal his crime, but remained there and drank until he was stupid. About 10 o'clock the next morning as I was passing along the road with a squad of the white horse we came upon the horrible sight. Hank was lying across the dead bodies of his victims, and one of the whisky casks was clasped in his arms. We tried to arouse him, but could not, and had to carry him to the headquarters of the reservation. They locked Hank up, and it was three days before he was sober enough to be arraigned before the Indian judge and jury. “On the third day after the murder Hank was brought up for trial. Hank made no defense. He did not seem to feel sorry, either, for having committed the crime. It was the first time in his life that he-had had enough whisky. The jury soon decid- ed that Hank was guilty, and should be shot. It took into consideration the fact that Hank was the most popular and best looking young buck in the nation, and recommended him to the mercy of the judge. The judge finally sentenced him to be shot at noon, September 25. Hank took “nm oath to appear at that hour under a big oak tree and pay the penalty. They shen allowed him to depart.” “Were they afraid he would never re- turn?" “Not in the least. A full blooded Choc- taw was never known to break his oath.” “Well,” Capt. Williams continued, “Hank did not leave the nation, but three days af- terward he got married and commenced to work as hard to get land and horses as a man who expects to live fifty yea: few months he was one of the most pros- Perous young men in the tribe and lived ap- parently happy. “The months slowly passed, and as the time drew near for Hank to be shot the Indians commenced to get excited. They were all anxious to see how he would act. Hank never referred to the matter, and kept on working up to the day before the one which was to be his last on earth. ‘he fatal morning at last arrived. It was a holiday on the reservation, and long before noon all the members of the nation | were in the vicinity of the big oak tree, @ressed in all the iinery they could com- Hank was on the scene early, ar- rayed in his best, and an hour before his execution he danced with all the squaws. He never glanced ag the pine coffin on vhich he was to kneel and be killed. xactly at noon he left his family, and, with head erect and a smile on his face, | he walked to the coffin and knelt upon the | lid. The sheriff had not yet arrived, but | Hank was there and waiting. The sheriff | finally came, and, walking over to Hank, | he started to bind a white cloth around Hank's eyes. Hank tore it off and mo- | tioned the sheriff back. You should have seen the Indians look at him. Everyone admired his nerve. “The sheriff stepped back several feet, drew his revolver, and took deliberate aim! | Hank smiled and glanced down the glis-| tening barrel without moving a muscle. In| another second the sheriff fired, and a ball crashed into Hank's brain, directly be- tween the eyes. He quivered a second and fell over into the coffin.” “What became of Hank’s wife?” “Oh, she marrted a good looking young buck the next day.” —+o2—____ FIRM BELIEVERS IN WITCHCRAFT. Fanatics Cause Much Excitement in a Methodist Church in Ohio. A Columbus, Ohio, dispatch to the New York Times says: The good Methodist brethren in eastern Stark county and the western part of Columbiana county are greatly excited over the recent witchcraft outbreak in their church at Hart's Corners, about ten miles east of Alliance. The sec- tion is a good farming district, and the church in question is a large country con- gregation, but for some time the prevalence of a belief in witchcraft has been a disturb- ing element, and it now threatens the dis- ruption of the church. Last spring the matter first came to the attention of the authorities when Miss Sadie Loop was tried by them for asserting that Jacob Culp, a wealthy farmer, whd has al- ways been a zealous member of the church, was a wizard and in league with the devil to work evil. Her strange statements were the outcome of a serles of peculiar events, which might easily have been explained on rational grounds, but through the agency of an octogenarian witch doctor who lives in Alliance, and is ignorantly believed to be a master in all dark arts and is consulted by the superstitious for a score of miles around, had been made the excuse for pro- nouncing Culp possessed of evil spirits. At that time Hoff, after a great pow-wow and many painful silences, had declared the gods had decreed Culp’s destruction, and Miss Sadie Loop, among the rest, looked for his speedy death, Culp was not pleased by these develop- ments, and had Miss Loop brought before the church. She refused to disavow the superstition, and was expelled from the con- gregation. Her friends continued to look upon Culp with great fear, and waited for him to be called to his last account. When he was thrown from a hayrack, in Septem- ber, and his arm broken, they shook their heads and said, “I told you so,” to all who would listen. The arm knit again, however, and the judgment Hoff had predicted strangely hung fire. A week ago the excitement was again brought to fever heat. Howard Hughes, a young farmer, had dug a well on the side of a little hill. He failed to get water at the depth he expected and at once conclud- ed something was wrong. He believed some witch had cast a spell upon his well and ruined his undertaking. The strange old herb dealer and quack, Dr. Hoff, was at once consulted with fear and trembling, and persuaded to go down to Hughes’ farm, He burned herbs beside the well and went through an incantation, ending with the declaration that Culp was the man respon- sible, and that there would never be any water in the well as long as Culp was al- lowed to live. Thereupon Hughes and a dozen other families refused to have anything to do with Culp. They were not yet wrought up to a point where they were ready to dis- pose of him, but they boycotted him with- out mercy. A special meeting of the church was convened, and the pastor, the Rev. J. E. Hollister, called upon the witch believers to recant their nonsense, but was met by the, prompt declaration that they would leave the church first. Hughes said he would never speak to Culp again as long as he lived, and the Loops and the Breens, two other familles, were vehement in as- serting the evil presence of Culp. The whole community is aroused over the case, which is one of the most remark- able in the history of Ohio, and the malign- ers of Brother Culp are to be tried by the Methodist Church authorities as soon as possible. The disturbance promises to break up the congregation at Hart’s Corners, an| yet leave the superstition as far from bee ing stamped out as before. ——+o+. Easy Stairs to Climb. From Exchange. There is a great deal of stair climbing to be done here before we shall “climb dem golden stairs,” and those who are about to build would do well to see to it that all the stairs be made as “easy” as possible. The very acme of ease {s reached in stairs that have “treads” twelve to fifteen inches broad, and Ts" five to seven inches high. The “run” or distance in most houses is too short to allow of this, but they should come as near it as the architect of the house will permit. It is so easy to climb such stairs that one hardly is aware of any effort. Numbers of incurably broken-down women owe their bad health to the steep stairs which they have been obliged to climb daily. TO LIFT THE LID OFF. Congress to Go Over the World's Fair Awards Bureau’s Work. From the Chicago Herald. There are rumors of an investigation by Congress of the world’s fair bureau of awards. The rumors have been secretly discussed for some time. They originated with a number of dissatisfied exhibitors who became tired of appealing in vain to the awards committee and now intend to lay their grievances before members of Congress. The rumors had rather sub- sided during the busy period of packing up exhibits, but with the announcement that the awards bureau was to be moved to Washington they were revived. The ex- hibitors are congratulating themselves that when a few persistent Congressmen open fire on the awards committee at short range they will be able to get what they are en- titled to from Acting “Chairman Thacher and his associates. The proposed investigation of the bureau of awards has been frequently mentioned of late by national commissioners in confiden- tlal conferences. They regard it as one of the inevitable refults of allowing a commit- tee, -with practically no restrictions, to ex- pend such a large appropriation as was at the disposal of the awards bureau. Congress appropriated $570,880 to pay the expenses of the awards, and the money has been checked out on orders of John Boyd Thach- er, who has been very busy this summer. Mr. Thacher had so many other things to look after that he could not sign the big pile of vouchers that went out of his office every day. One of his clerks attached his signature with a rubber stamp. It is be- lieved that this is the only instance on re- cord of ‘government funds being paid on rubber stamp signatures. Motives of the Investigation. While the investigation of the awards bureau is regarded in every direction as a foregone conclusion, those responsible for it are actuated by entirely different mo- tives. The exhibitors want to lift the lid off of things and find out how and why cer- tain judges were appointed and what in- fluences, if any, operated to get certain awards. This class of objectors is not par- ticularly numerous, but, if it is sufficiently active, it may cause a goo@# deal of annoy- ance. The idea of the exhibitors seems to be that-with the awards bureau in Wash- ington, the proper avenue of approach to that high tribunal will be through mem- bers of Congress, and that while they are getting rehearings on contested cases they might as well dig up some of the secrets of the bureau. There is no doubt that a few exhibitors can make the life of all those identified with the bureau a burden. A single appeal to a Congressman might do the business. The national commissioners want an in- vestigation of the bureau for quite another purpose. They say it is only proper that eny doubts existing with regard to the bu- reau should be inquired into and believing that the awards committee would come out of the investigation with nothing more se- rious than a mild censure for spending too much money, they want the inquiry to go on. They think it will clear the atmos- phere. ——_—_+ e+ ______ ALCOHOL AND SPARROWS. How the Cotton-Ste: Were Made Drunk and Captured. From the Galveston News. The English sparrows have proved a nuisance in the cotton country, for as soon as the bolls open they pick out the cotton and carry it off, and some planters have lost, as they claim, hundreds of pounds in this way. There is one man, however, in De Witt county who has not lost much. ‘When he found the sparrows were com- | mitting depredations he procured a quan- tity of wheat, soaked it in sweetened whisky, and strewed it along the rows. The sparrows found it, and thought they had a picnic. So they had, but in fifteen or twenty minutes there was the tipsiest lot of English sparrows ever seen on the face of the earth. They rolled about the ground, falling on their sides and back and kicking their heels into the air like a parcel of drunkards, all the while utter- ing the most comical squeaks. They did | Not have long to squeak, however, for the boys gathered them up and threw them into bags. The first day they gathered |two bushels of drunken sparrows. Three or four days later the experiment was re- peated with almost equal success, and from time to time since. They made excellent pot-pie, but the survivors have come to regard the plantation as hoodooed, for now very few come about it. es WHEN THE EARTH IS DEAD. The Ultimate Extinction of Al and How It Will Come About. From the Chicago Times. The probability that life will become ex- tinct on earth in the remote future appears to be a fascinating theme of study with many speculative scientists. Recently a re- markable little volume was published in London. In that book tts writer, T. Mullet Ellis, drew a forcible picture of the con- dition of the earth when its atmosphere and life shall pass away and the bare ruin of this world shall go circling through the heavens as barren, as lifeless and as alr- less as the moon ts today. More recently a writer has been endeav- oring to estimate the time when life shall cease on earth. Solar physicists and as- tronomers are in tolerable agreement in fixing the period when the gun will begin to finally set at from 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 years hence. But earthly vitality is likely to have a still more limited existence, and science, we are told by the writer in ques- tion, can even prognosticate the causes of its decay. When the spots that now fleck the equatorial zone of the sun have become sufliciently large to cause serious interfer- ence of light and heat higher life will be- come impossible. There ts also a cause within the earth which might anticipate this crisis. Grad- ually, but surely, the erosion of coast line by the sea and the flattening of moun- tains by torrents and glaciers are reduc. ing dry land to the level of the ocean. When the leveling is complete the earth will beome one vast swamp, unsuitable for human life. Four or five million years 1s the period given to the earth by geolo- gists wherein to reach this stage. But these speculative theorists do not seem to take into consideration the impor- tant physical fact that nothing is wasted on earth. If rocks and mountains are eroded or depressed in one part the detri- tis takes part in the work of construction at another, for the destructive and con- structive elements of nature are always uniformly potent. Matter destroyed merely undergoes con- version, and whatever force there may be in the supposition that the sun will part with its heat in the course of time there seems no good ground for the theory that the extinction of life may be anticipated by the conversion of dry land into a deso- late swamp through any natural process of geologic evolution. see High Tides and Eart From the Tacoma Ledger. “During the nineteenth century the ques- tion of earthquakes has been the subject of much earnest investigation by scientific men, and much hard study and research have been given toward the solution of this phenomenon,” remarked Prof. Fred G. Plummer. “Prominent among these stu- dents are the names of Falb. Fuchs, Hol- den, Dutton, Perrey, Von Geldern—names which are of themselves sufficient guarantee of the thoroughness of the investigations. ‘As the result of much of this research, it appears to be demonstrated that the nearness and positions of the sun and moon have ef’ects favorable to earthquakes—much the same influence as these bodies have up- on terrestrial surface tides. The eonditions which are favorable to an extremely high tide at Puget Sound are five in number, viz: First, perihelion of the earth: second, peri- gee of the moon; third, opposition (full) of the moon; fourth, the moon running high; fifth, the ocean winds. For the purpose of a calculation aiming at prediction, this last element is to be omitted. Condition No. 1 occurs once a year, and conditions Nos. 2, 3 and 4 occur about monthly. “Now, by reference to an almanac, it may be seen that on the 22d of next December all the conditions will occur together, ex- cepting No. 1, which will be eight days late, but as this would hardly be appreciable, they may be considered as occurring alto- gether. It may be predicted accurately that on or shortly after the 22d of next December we shall have an unusually high tide, and for the same reasons (if the earthquake Life kes. theory is correct) the conditions will be_ ripe for earthquakes. While it would not be advisable for a scientist of reputation to", predict such an event, it may be said that the theory will be put to a very severe test next December, and its advocates will have a chance either to reioice or mourn. The same conditions will not occur together again for 186 years.” — Among the latest distinguished persons in England who are suffering from influ- enza is Lord Randolph Churchill, | order.” 18 HOW FAR ARE THE STARS? And What is Beyond the Canopy!t— Wonders of Creation. From Youth's Companion. Of the hundred million or more stars which are visible with astronomical instru- ments, the distances from the earth of only a very few have been measured with even an approximation to accuracy. Most of the stars appear to be so far away that the change in their apparent place caused by viewing them from opposite sides of the earth's orbit—and that orbit is about 186,- 000,000 miles across—is so slight that it es- capes certain detection. Only about fifty stars have thus far yielded definite results in the attempt to measure their distances, and even those results are too often ex- ceedingly conflicting and uncertain. The nearest star thus far discovered is one of the first magnitude, not visible from the United States or Europe. It is the star called Alpha in the constellation of the Centaur in the southern hemisphere of the heavens, The distance of this star appears to be something like twenty trillions of miles, or about two hundred and fifteen thousand times as great as the distance of the sun from the earth. The next nearest star, as far as known, ts a little sixth magnitude twinkler, barely visible to the naked eye, in the constellation of Cygnus, popularly called the northern cross. The distance of this star, which is known to astronomers as 61 Cygni, is variously estimated at from forty to sixty trillion miles, or two or three times that of the bright star in the Centaur. The brightness of the stars as we see them is, then, no measure of their comparative distance. A very bright star may be much more distant than a very faint one, the difference being due to the greater magni- tude of the more distant star. Sirius, or the dog star, for instance, which scintillates so splendidly in the winter sky, is more distant than the little star 61 Cygni, the lat- ter being, in fact, a very much smaller sun than ours, while Sirius is a far larger one. It thus appears that while the efforts to Measure the distances of the stars have not been very successful, yet they have resulted in giving us a wonderful insight into the arrangement of the universe of suns in the midgt of which we‘dweill. They have proved that large stars and small stars are scattered through space at various dis- tances from one another and from us that the dimensions of the blazing bodies which we call stars or suns vary to an enormous extent; and that our own sun, great, glort- ous and overpowering as it seems to us, really belongs to a quite inferior rank. But it is possible that before many years our knowledge of the distances of the stars may be greatly extended. Spectroscopic investigation in the case or binary stars, as those called which circle iu pairs around their common center of gravity, is begin- ning to help us a little in this direction. Recently, for instance, Mr. G. W. Colles, jr., has calculated, from the results of such tn- vestigation, the mean distance of ninety-five stars situated in the northern hemisphere of the heavens, and he finds it equal to the distance which light would travel in about 150 years. That distance 1s not less than eight hundred and seventy trillion miles, or more than forty-three times as great as the distance of the nearest known star, Alpha Centauri. Yet enormous as such dis- tance fs, it is nearly certain that the aver- age distance of all the stars composing the visible universe is still greater. richest regions, present black and apparent- ly empty spaces, through which we seem to look out from the bounds of the visible universe into fathomless depths beyond. But is there any thoughtful mind which can avoid asking itself the question, “What les beyond?” When we come to the outermost star of the universe, what then?” That ts a question which even astronomy, with all its marvelous wealth of discovery and achieve- ments cannot answer—at least not yet. ————__+e+______ ENGLISH WITCHES. They Are Still Regarded With Respect in Some Districts. From the Manchester Mercury. Superstition is by no means a defunct anomaly in the customs and characteris- tics of some of our smaller towns and villages. First and foremost of West Coun- try superstition comes an entire and thor- ough belief in witchcraft. Every West Country village has an old woman who is a good deal more feared than the village policeman. No one dares to contradict her will in anything. If she takes a fancy to the fin- est head of cabbage In a man’s garden she may cut it as if it grew in her own. Though it should be the very pride of his heart he must not try to stop her proceedings; if he does a far worse thing is bound to be- fall him. His pig will be seized with sud- den and deadly wickedness, or his daugh- ter’s hair will fall off, ora shower of rain will spoil his hay just when it is about to be carried. The West Country's term for a@ witch's power is “overlocking.” If a witch has evil feeling toward you she is said “to overlook you.” One indubi- table sign by which you may know a witch is to bring her into the church and try to make her stand with her face toward the east. No real witch can do it for a mo- ment. However much she may strive, she will stand as firmly fixed as a frozen weathercock. No West Country farmer liv- ing near a witch will doubt the cause when his horses or cattle fall ill. Next to their belief ig witches is their faith in the power of a seventh son or sev- enth daughter to cure disease. It is in vain that the clergyman preaches, that the schoolmaster teaches, that the parish doc- tor remonstrates, the West Country matron bears off her sickly baby in triumph to the man or woman in the neighboring village who happens to have been born the seventh son or seventh daughter. These privileged persons have but to touch the diseased part and the cure is certain and immediate. There are also some wise women who can cure various complaints with a charm, which they speak over the patient. In the neighborhood of Exmoor these things are far more trusted im than all the medical faculty put together. ——_+e+—___ Where Columbian Stamps Are in De- mand. From the Detroit Free Press. A gentleman asked for some postage stamps in a Woodward avenue drug store yesterday, and when the proprietor handed out a bunch of the oblong Columbians the customer said he could not use them—he wanted some of the old-style letter carriers, The druggist asked why the great Chris- topher Columbus would not do—they would “in haste” all right as far as he knew. The gentleman said he wished to send a letter to France, and he had been advised by his correspondent to use the old-style stamps, as every one had gone philately mad over there, and the Columbian stamps were such a temptation that the chances! were the letter would never be delivered. If the missive were intact when it left the! general post office it was louis d’ors to sous it would disappear before it reached the addressee, as to secure the stamp the col- lection fan., be he letter carrier, concie-ge or servant, would not hesitate to destroy the letter. Every effort was being made by the authorities to protect the mails, but the amateur philatelists needed the pictures in their collections, and madame, mademoi- selle or monsieur could go epistle hungry for all they cared. —_—_-+e+—_____ ‘Where There is No Afternoon. From the Indianapolis Journal. Strangers to Washington often remark upon the custom of addressing one at all times of the day by the uniform salutation, “Good morning.” erner to hear one address him with “Good morning” at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. This custom is as old as the Congress of the United States and the hours of execu- tive business in the various departments. It is said to be directly due to the morning | hour in Congress. The standing rules of the two houses of Congress provide for a “morning hour,” which extends from 12 to 2 o'clock, and that provision has made it common to refer to “morning business” in Congress, which occurs before the “regular Frequently the regular order is not resumed, and the morning hour is extended until 4 or 5 o'clock, especially in the latter days of Congress and when there is a great jam of business. In the executive depar ments reference is made to the “morning's work” during the entire day. This is a! of course, official parlance. The custom has grown so that it extends throughout social lifegand in all sorts of private business, unfil it is morning until government business is at an end in Washington. When the sun goes down and twilight sets in it fs “Good evening.” It is never afternoon im the national capital And here) and there the starry heavens, even in their | It sounds odd to a west- | CE ————————....._________—_} WOULDN'T LOOK HAPPY. A Lion That Objected to Having Hie Photograph Taken by Flashlight. From the San Francisco Chronicle. There was a sensation in a Market street Photograph gallery yesterday afternoon, @ sensation and a lion. There had been many lions there before, but they were ordinary Social lions. This was a four-legged fellow, 4“ big, tawny beast with a cavernous mouth and a voice like a fog horn. 1t was Commo- dore, an eight-year-old lion from the west coast of Africa. Though he is a member of a theatrical troupe, yet, wonderful to relate, he does not like to have his picture taken. The big brute was carried up into gallery in a box closed in on all sides. | Ting had been screwed into the floor which he could be tied. A group of dozen curious people crowded gallery to see the fun. Then they to get out at once. His majesty like the way he had been jostied in up a flight of stairs, and when his open he came out with a jump. His voice expressed savage dissatisfaction as well as his manner. 2: igker€ i Just then a Chinese entered the gallery. He came to see the lion. He only wanted one glance. The lion leaped toward him with open mouth and the Chinese fied. He was afterward found concealed in another apartment, but could not be Mduced to again approach the operating room. ‘The lion lay down calmly enoi till the Photographer got to work. When he saw the big one-eyed animal he must have a camera to be come wi im he growled ominously. eyes that had been sleepy hashed, ona his bushy mane stood on end as he reared his head proudly, awaiting the advance his fue. When the camera came to rest still eyed it suspiciously, every now then emitting a rumbling growl that made the ladies who had gathered near the win- dows of the room start back. to catch his defiant attitude. ey oF age frame of bris! e body so suggestive of latent 5 made a noble picture, in spite of the chain with which he was incumbered. A few words from the trainer put him again in a crouching posture. He lay quiet- ly enough while the plates were being changed and a half dozen pictures were taken. flash-light photograph was . The powder was in the little pans of the frame work. Benina each pan was a flame of gas. It was thought best to move this frame of lights to the other side of the camera. An attendant picked it up. The lion haa become so quiet that the man disregarded him. He started with his frame of lights between the lion and the camera. His back was toward the glowering beast. He did not see the lion gather himself slowly together. If he had he would not have gone on with his work so quietly. The ani- mal's lower jaw dropped, his nose curled back, exposiag his curving teeth, his whcle —, was one of anger. Then: “Wa- augh!”" The Mon leaped to the end of his short chain with a mighty roar. It was short and quick, but deep; so deep that even those who were anticipating it were star- tied. The man with the flash light frame was not startled, though. That expression fails to indicate his sensation. He was scared. Scared badly, too. The jump he made put out all the lights on the frame, and would have insured him a place as an acrobat with any circus in the land. After the flash light picture had been taken the lion was loosed. He did not want to a bit, but he went back into the cage just the same. Then six men carried it to the top of the stairs and it was slowly lowered. This is thought to have been the first time a full-grown lion was ever taken into a gallery. ——+e-+____ STRUCK THE WRONG MAN. He Was Not on Avernge Farmer, op the Other Fellow Was Mistaken. From the Detroit Free Press. We were talking about human nature tn general, and the human nature of farmers In particular, when the man who was travel- ing for a button factory sagely observed: “Yes, the average farmer is a queer mam. They talk about his confiding disposition, but he hasn't got it. On the contrary, he suspects everybody of intent to defraud him in some way.” “Well, I dunno about that,” said one of the crowd. “I think I can prove it to you in ten min- utes,” replied the button man. “Now, then, look at this watch and estimate its value.” He handed out watch and chain and they were passed from hand to hand. The watch was a fine one and the chain wak solid gold, and the lowest estimate was $300. “T paid $400 in good money for the outfit,” said the man. “One of you come along into the smoking car and we'll find a farmer. I'll offer him watch and chain for $50, and he'll just think I am trying to beat him. If I lose I pay for six dinners. If I win somebody pays for mine.” He started out in company with the man who had expressed his doubts, and about the first man they came to in the smoking car was a middle-aged farmer who had been to Cleveland and had two new ax helves in the seat beside him. The button man held out the watch and said: “My friend, 1 am hard up and want t sell this stuff. Look at it.” “Don't want it,” replied the farmer. “But I must have money. Watch an@ chain cost me $400. How much will you give me?” ‘Don't want to buy “But take them in your hand and ex- amine them. Even a child could estimate their value. I ought to get at least half cost, but as I want $30 awfully bad away this minute I'll make thet the price, You may take me for « traveling sharper, but I assure you th Z “You needn't assure me "tall," interrupt- ed the farmer. “I think I know an honest man when I see one.” “Thanks. Then you are not suspicious oy “I will,” replied the farmer, as he slipped them into his pocket and felt for his caif- skin. “Just got paid fur my wool toda: and here's your cash. I see you've got | diamond pin on your tle. I can’t tel @ diamond from a rhinestone, but I'm willing | to chance $25 on it. Has t other feller got anything for sale cheap” It had to be explained to the farmer that it all came about on a wager, but he was ig-headed about !t. and the button man Raa to hand him a $10 bill before he would call the bargain off. “You contended that the farmer hadn't a confidin’ disposition, did you?” queried the toller as he pocketed the greenbacks. “Wall, I guess you know more about buttons than you do about farmers. You jest come down my way and offer me a windmill fur $25, a planer fur $0 or a mower and fur quick the bh, and I'll confide in you so durn that you can’t keep your heels on airth!” ~— 40+ A Rich Arab’s Attire. From Harper's Magazine. A rich man among the Arabs dresses richly. His shirt is fine linen. His inside vest is buttoned, the outside one worn loose. A long paletot often takes the place of the latter. It is cut part way down from the neck and the loose armholes allow the | arms to be held in or outside. The wide | trousers are bound about the waist by @ rich scarf. Over all is frequently worn the long loose tunic, cut V shape at the neck, and with short sleeves low down. | ‘The hands are frequently kept inside—in winter for warmth—and an Arab reaches out from the V at the neck for anything he | wants handed to him with a peculiarly Mmited motion which at first you fall to comprehend. The burnoose is an out-of- doors garment, and the fez may or may not have the turban cloth. The swell wears European socks, and his slippers, usually trodden down at the heel by the common or careless, are handsomely embroidered or of fine morocco, red or yellow. | The calf is naked. Parts of his dress are dropped at intervals, according to the weather or habit. There are few a | more really magnificent than a well d Arab sheik or a man of wealth. In our days of business suits, which cloak the | godly and ungodly alike, the dress is um- commonly attractive—on an Arab. ed would suft our habits one will scarcely lege. But the trousers have one manifest | sdvantage They do not, cannot bag at the