Evening Star Newspaper, August 15, 1896, Page 18

18 UGUST 15, 1896—-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. SLATER'S RAID BY FRANK L. POLLOCK. ee (Copyright, It aro by the Bacheller Syndicate.) cosmopolitan group that sat the camp fires of Slater’s Horse. was a a ‘The troop numbered twenty men all told, drawn from ever one of the Anglo-Saxon races of the planet. There were Amerl- cans, Englishmen, Canadians, Australians and South from the en such a row Cuba Lit Africans, and they had come of the earth to take part S$ promised to follow when up her flag against that of leader was a Virginian, 1 Se T pain. r there was not a Cuban or a Spaniard in the company, and the name of Slater's Troop was a name of terror to the govern- ment fe from Pinar del Rio to Sagua la Gran To hem thus encamped, no cone would have supposed that they were en- gaged in of the most daring raids that had adventured since the war opened in The cfficers—there were but two t democratically on the ground among men; there was a tinkiing of Fanjos a mingled sound of confused talking and a jovial, free-handed pro- The shadows of the men loomed the background of tropical vegeta- tion, where the red firelight flashed fit- fully from time to time, and showed now the form of a tethered horse and now the figure of a sentry leaning against a smcoth-coated palm. It was no small were engaged affair that these men in—nothing less, in fact, than a raid on the “trocha” itself. It is not the policy of the Cuban leaders to risk a pitched battle. So to arouse the en- thusiasm and at the same time to keep the enemy on the alert, such expeditions are undertaken from time to time. They had encamped some fifty miles from the Spanish lines, and the attack was fixed for the next night. A dash across the country, a stealthy advance on the THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, A drew rein, fifteen miles from the trocha, and sat silent, a clustered black spot on the moon-lit road, they heard a low thunder come rolling up from the west—the thunder of pounding hoofs. “By Jcve!’ sald the Englishman, was related to the eminent author. “Not three miles away,” assented the Canadian, who had just come from the Egyptian Soudan. “Forward, then!” said Slater, and away they went, up and down the rolling hills whither the ill-made road led them. The country was too rough to allow of taking to the flelds, where the Spantards might be thrown off the trial, but it would be smooth- er in the course of a few leagues. All night they rode hard and sometimes the following thunder was loud and often faint, but never wholly died away. The guerrillas were well mounted and Slater’s horses were not fresh. The pearly dawn came up be- fore them, and then the sun was trailing long shadows bekind as they galloped. It was 4 o'clock, and forty miles back to the trocha. And now at last they seemed to have distanced their pursuers, for no rumble came out of the west. They fed their horses a few armfuls of the green tops of sugar cane, refreshing and stimulating, gave them a@ little water from a roadside brook and rubbed them down as time would permit. That was not much, for before they had finished the sounds of pursuit again grew upon them. “Forty miles further and we will be in our own lines,” remarked Slater. For three hours more the wiry little Cu- ban horses bore their riders swiftly, though the sun grew high and angry. They had struck off the highway, had ridden through a fleld of cane, and were now galloping @cwn a wide stretch of sloping prairle,.dot- ted with cocoa palms. They scarcely ex- Pected that the enemy would fail to notice where the chase had left the road, so they were not disappointed when the long crash of breaking stalks announced that the guerrillas were riding down the field they had just passed through. The pursuit was gaining fast. In another minute there was a roar of shouts and cheers from behind, and, turning, they saw the hillside crested with a long lne of galloping gray-coated who men. ‘The peril was. imminent, yet the stanch A RUSH OF MEN , another dash, a saber and re- triumphal retreat—this was am = they rode up and down the Is in the early dawn for two nd then rested for the heat of the cool and very secluded grove, would be screened from any at las. Late and rode caut: not more night ly forward t than forty rods from the trocha itself. They could see tne watch fires on the further side of the great redoubt, shining between the strands of the barbed wire fence stretched along the brink. Between them and the trocha lay a dan- gerous obstacle, an ingenious defense, com- posed of a number of wires drawn six inches apart and a foot above the ground. This formed a net work over which It was impossible to ride, and as its width was un- they certain, dangerous to leap. Siater knew of this impediment, however, aud had made his plans accordingly. Half a dozen then dismounted in silence, and, taking each a pair of n rs from his saddle bags, crept v the darkness. The rest of the silently on horseback hearkening ces from the Spanish to the occasional clicking nolse a «1 where their comrades were cut- ting the hostile wires. In the course of half an hour the men came back, and in whispers reported the clear. The wires had been cut and sed aside, so as to leave a road of nt width for the passage of the even in the hurried retreat which follow. The whole party then dis- ted and fed the horses stealthily for- till_almost at the very brink of the The Spaniards on the other side Were clearly visible, while they themselves were hidden in deep shadows. Three men were left with the animals, and the rest scrambled into the ditch and up the other side. So quietly was all this done that the whole performance passsed unobserved till later sprang upon the parapet and began ashing at the wires with his machete. ‘Then there was a shout and shot from the nearest Spaniard, followed by a miscel- laneous rattle of rifles along the lines. The troops swarmed out, and saw a string of men hacking furiously at the wires with one hand and plying a revolver with the other. In the dim fire light their numbers could not be ascertained. At this amazing spectacle, the soldiers fired a volley; that is, discharged their rifles in the general direction of the foe. When the smoke blew off, this operation seemed to have produced no effect on the invaders, who had now cut and torn the strands apart and were actually within the troop, inclosure. They bore down in line on the Spaniards, revolver in one hand, blade in the other. No soldier marksmen were they, 1 t men whose lives had often and often '§ upon a pistol shot, and now their eremies felt the effect. In ten seconds thir- ty of the gray uniforms were writhing on the sod, and the remainder beheld the machetes flashing in their faces. The Cas- . tillians are not without a proverb that teaches that discretion is the better part of valor; they drew back. Their shots seem- ed to have no effect on these madmen, whose pistols emitted a continuous stream of fire’ The withdrawal became retreat— the retreat a panic. They crowded together and ran for the tents—a hundred men routed by seventeen. Slater did not pursue them further. The long roll was sounding up and down the lines, and the firing would bring down a dozen regiments in five min- utes. He had done all that was necessary, had cut up the enemy's lines with a small quarter of a company, and without loss, so that it was time to retreat as swiftly as he hud made the attack. ‘A torch was thrust into the nearest clus- ter of tents, the Maxim guns within reach Were tumbled into the ditch, and the little band went back as they had come, leaving the cut wires and the rows of dead to mark where they had passed. A minute more and they were mounted and thundering across the country again. As they rode, Slater said to the man nearest him, a graduate of Harvard, “We have singed ‘the Spanish King’s beard, eh?” And the other repli after a mil pa: d. “Precisely.” Then, “They won't let this or so do you think? hat do you mean? That they'll follow “Nonsense. Not a bit of it.” He was wrong, for there was at that mo- ment rage and cursing th the Spanish camp. The officer in command at that joint had laid a heavy wager that the rebéls would never break the lines. Naturally, he was furious. That the majesty of the powers of Spain should be slighted, that the works should be broken, that his men should be slaughtered—this was bad enough in all conscience, but that he should lose his gold doubloons—this was unbearable. He fumed and swore and called to him a captain of guerrilla cavalry. “Captain.” enor. “You have a hundred men in your troop?” “A hundred and fifty.” “Good. Pursue these accursed Americans. There are not more than thirty. Follow them to Santiago if necessary, but catch them, dead or alive.” “Very well, general,” repiied the guer- rilla, and retired to muster his men and to sound the “Boots and saddles." A hundred to twenty would be long odds, even for Slater’s horse. So it came about that when Slater’s men that Slater's Horse proposed | SWEEPING \ | i | 1 DOWN UPON THEM. beasts had the material in them for a good ten-mile burst yet, and this would be more than enough to ‘lead them into safety. Down the long slope the two bands swept, a full mile between them, and then up aucther, when an astonishing sight met them as they toppel the rise. Away to the left in the following valley smoke was rising from a burning house. The yard before it was filled with Spanish ry. Two women stood bound in their st. There seemed to be an altercation. A soldier began to reeve a rope over a con- Venient tree bough. All this flashed before the men’s eyes in a@ moment. There was no hesitation, nor were any orders given. Those of Slater's trcop were accustomed to follow when Sleter led, and they galloped at his heels as he spurred furiousiy down the hill slope. The Spaniards by the house were suddeniy aware of a mingled rattle of hoofs and pis- tol shots, and beheld @ rush of men sweep- ing down upon them, brandishing weapons and volleying forth curses and bullets ai orce. A moment—and they were struck, crushed, ridden down. The sheer weight of Slater's’ headlong charge scattered and hurled them in every direction. At the same time the deadly machete and more deadly six-shooter were at work. ‘Throw the women across ycur saddles,” roared Slater. They were jerked up in an Instant by two brawny troopers. It was no time for ceremony. “Now hard ahead!” And before the Span- jards had recovered from the shock their assailanis were dashing past the outbuild- Inga of the hacienda and had disappeared behind the sheds. At the same time the guerrillas swarmed in, and the soldiers also mounted and followed the chase. Meanwhile Slater's men had met an unex- He Was Alone. pected obstacle. A high and strong wire. fence stood firmly across their way; it was apparently designed to be horseproof. There was no gate, and the ends were noi in sight. “Well, cut it, then,” shouted the leader, with a rattle of oaths, when its impregna- bility became apparent. “And d—4d quick, too!” He drew his machete and slashed as turiously at these wires as he had done at those of the trocha. In a minute or less an opening was made and the riders were through. When the Spaniards arrived at the same point, their greater numbers and .the narrowness of the gap caused a tremendous crush, which gave the insurgents a much-needed start. It was soon lost, however. The fresh horses of the Spanish reinforcement rapld- ly overhauled the little troop. And, to add to their difficulties, a deep ravine suddenly appeared ahead. To scramble in and out of it with sufficient rapidity would be im- possible for the tired horses, two of which carried double loads. To have cast the wo- men aside might have facilltated their escepe, but no one seemed to dream of such an act, nor was there a word of re- gret for tne delay which had caused them | false miodesty—and to be overtaken. Slater drew in his horse, and the others gathered round. “Way's closed,” said the leader, senten- tlously. “Got to fight here or surrender.” “Or cut our way through,” suggested the man from Hervard. “The women,” remarked Slater, and the other accented the fact. “If they were only mounted a trooner. The Spanish riders were now drawing in, aad a volley of carbines ran before. They had aimed high, with the result that three men of the troop toppled from their sad- ce This left that number of mounts ree. “Can you ride, sencra?” said Slater. Both replied In the affirmative. ‘Then mount here, if you please. must try to cut our way out. you afrald?” “It is the privilege of a Cuban woman to fear nothing. Except capture by these!” ‘The man from Harvard was struck by her courage, but he could not stop to admire it. The women were helped astride the dead troopers’ saddies—it was no time for the rest formed up around them. One of the women held out her hand toward Slater's holsters, but he pointed out the fact that there were pis- tols already in the holsters before them. They took these out and handled them with familiarity. The Spaniards had paused a few hundred yards away, and were scrutinizing the men they had pursued. I do not know why they did not rush down and overwhelm them by sheer weight. Possibly so much muttered We . Are coolness made them suspect a ruse or am- buscade. At any rate they stood still a moment till they saw the band form in hollow square, with the women in the cen- ter, and charge down upon them. Slater was leading. The guerrillas essayed to move forward to meet the attack, and when they came within fifty yards the pis- tols began to crackle on both sides. A charging horse stumbled heavily to the ground, throwing his rider headlong. An incessant volley poured from the deft re- volvers of the -assailants, and the Span- dards recoiled from the spot on which it was directed, where men and horses rolled together on the earth. A moment, and the little company, with the impetus of a bul- let, had crashed into this shrinking spot and sunk right in for five horses’ lengths. There was a shimmer all about as the men swung the machetes above their heads and urged on the plunging horses. The Spaniards directly in front strove to get clear, to have more room for fighting, and the insurgents pushed forward to the furthest inch. It really seemed, for a little, that they would win through the Spanish ranks. The guerrillas next the troop were ex- changing desperate sword strokes with their antagonists, while those farther out were pressing closer and firing wildly into the swirl of fight with revolvers. Five of Slater's men had gone down beneath the blows that came from front and rear alike. There were but twelve left, and these re- doubled their efforts to break through the trap that held them so fast. Slater rode in front, slashing to right and left with a huge hete. He cut down an opposing trooper, pistoled the horse as the rider fell, and spurred forward into the space thus provided. His men followed and by sheer dint of blows managed to gain a few yards more. But the foe gathered close, and again two of the handful went down. The air was all a-quiver with steel blades about the fight, but now that the insur- gerts had got fairly in motion once more they were slowly yet surely thrusting their way through the circling crowd. But they lost a man for every yard that they won. Pistol bullets hummed through the melee, striking dewn friend and foe alike. One of the women was hit as she fired into the dense gray ranks; the other, either wound- ed or fainting, slid from her saddle, and both disappeared beneath the press. While Slater’s horse thus melted apace Slater rode in the front, and knew not how the others fared. He only knew that he was hewing his desperate way forward aw a bushman hews his way through the trop!- cal jungle. He had lost his hat and his hair was clotted and dripping with blood, but he took no heed of wounds; all his effort was to reach the open space beyond. And at last, bleedirg horse and man, he swayed into the clear ground and looked about for his men. % Not one had followed; he was alone. The women he had rescued were gone, too. He stared about as if dazed, while the Spaniards stood and wondered at the man who had done so mightily in the battle. The blood was pouring from a deep cut in the neck of his horse. The animal's knees began to totter, and presently it sank to the ground. Slater fell with it. The troops rushed for- ward, but when they came to him he was dead, with the red blade still clinched In his fingers. And the women for whom this score of men had recklessly thrown away their Eves lay trampled and crushed beneath the hoofs of the guerrilla horse. But shall it therefore be said of Slat their sacrifice waa made in v: A BANK RUN BY CHILDREN. troop that in? A St. Louis Father's Scheme for Tenching His Children to Save Money From the New York Jourual. The most unique banking Institution in the world ts 1 4 in St. Louis. It is the W. C. Lindsey & Sons Banking Company, and no one connected with it {n an execu- tive capacity, except the president, ts over nine years of age. Robert T. Lindsey, the cashier, {s the youngest official of that sort anywhere. The institution {3 conducted on as strict busi- ness principles and its finances receive as close and keen attention as if its capital was $1,000,000 instead of $1,000. The president of the bank 13 W. C. Lind- sey, father of the cashier. A little over a year ago Mr. Lindsey conceived that tt would be a splendid idea if he could devise some scheme whereby his boys could be taught to save money. He decided to form a little bank for his children, teach them all the irtricacies of banking and inculcate the desire to save money into their minds so that when they grew up to be men they would be sure to hang on to some part of whatever of the world’s goods they succeed- ed in getting their hands on. So interested did he become that he began to agitate tne plan, and one of his friends who heard of it while on the way to New York outlined the scheme to a newspaper reporter. A smail item was printed about it in the papers, and in a few days Mr. Lindsey began receiving applications from the parents of little ones in various parts of the country, asking that their children might be allowed to take stock in the juve- nile hank. He readily consented ,and on February 1 the W. C. Lindsey & Sons Bank- ing Company was formed, with a capital stock of $100 on the basis of $1 a share, and an office at No. 807 Washington avenue, St. Louts. Like most promoters, Mr. Lindsey, who for years has been cashier for a large wholesale house, installed himself as presi- dent. Young Robert Lindsey was made cashier and Louis H. Lindsey vice presi- dent. The board of directors consisted of these three officers and Richard W. Lind- sey, W. C. Lindsey, jr., Harrison Givens, Columbus, Ga.; Martin Hardwick, Spring- field, Mo., and Everett L. Amis, St. Louls. Everything was immediately placed on a business basis. The boys were soon taught the ins and outs of the commercial maze so that they understood it better by far than the majority of grown people who have not a speaking acquaintance with bank ac- counts. After that Mr. Lindsey's position became merely advisory. The bank has never done any speculative or investment business. It has confined itself to loaning money at an enormous rate of interest to clerks in the wholesale houses along Wash- ington avenue and in the immediate vicin- ity. "hey charged on all loans 5 per cent a month or any fraction thereof. If a young man warted to take his best girl to the theater he could apply to the W. C. Lind- sey & Sons Banking Company and get the necessary funds to do {t with by paying 25 cents for the privilege. Security on real and personal property was required, so that losses were guarded against. At such a rate it readily be seen that the bank was a paying institution. ‘There are stockholders in twenty states of the Union. It is agreed that none of the stockholders can draw his money until he has reached the age of twenty-one years He may sell or give away his stock, bu the money must remain in the bank's pos- session until the persons to whom it belongs become of age. —_—_—+e-— The Deacon’s Motor. From the Wilkes-Barre Record. “I been readin’ most every day In the papers about them hossless kerridges,” said Deacon Applejohn of Hunlock at the circus yesterday, “but I've got one that suits me to a T and works like a charm, b'gosh!”" “How is it built?” Jest like any other wagon.” 4 How do you make it go? Electricity?” ‘Well, what furnishes the inotive power?” ‘Come agin!” ‘What makes it go?” “Oh; why, oxen, by cracky! Haw, there, Bir" L’Art De’Etre Petit-Fils. From Punch. “Grandpa, dear—if I were you I'd say ‘That boy looks thin and pale!’ and I'd get him a@ pony.” ds aw JUDGE JAYBIRD TRIES THE HANDLE BAR WHIZZ. THOMPSON STREET BICYCLE CLUB. (Copyright, 1696, by the Bacheller Syndicate.) There were tears in the eyes of President Toots of the Thompson Street Colored Bi- cycle Club, as he opened the meeting and looked down upon the members from the platform, and there was a quiver of the Up and a trembling of the chin as he said: “Gem'len of de Club: While we who am heah tonight war’ feastin’ on Ice cream an’ cokernuts last week, an’ makin’ merry in our hearts, death an’ destruckshun war’ busy among some of our best-beloved. Yo’ all know Jedge Higinbottom Jaybird, one of de charter members of dis club, an’ de inventor of de best brand of fly paper in de market. De jedge had arrove at de alge of sixty-two y’ars when he was indooced to Jine wid us. “He had his doubts ‘bout eber bein’ able to ride de wild an’ ferocious bike, but yit he wanted to be in de swim wid de rest of | us. What dat man passed frew in sixty | days am not fully recorded on airth. He rented a wheel an’ went to work. He was | out airly in de mawnin’, an’ he was out | late at night. Some days when I calied at | his cabin dar was a grim smile of exulta- shun on his face—de sort of a smile which | yo’ will see on de face of de man who has Jest dropped down twelve feet from a t an’ landed on his ear without hurtin’ him | any. Some days I found him wid tears in | his eyes an’ seben stickin’ plasters stuck ober his body. “I hev stood by an’ seen dat ole man run | his wheel up a tree, ober a hoss block, | down a man-hole an’ into a street kyar. I hev seen him git de ‘left pedal flop,’ de ‘tight pedal bounce’ en’ de ‘handle’ bar whizz.’ I hev seen him land on his feet, on his back, on his knees an’ on de ha'rs of his head. “Two days ago, sixteen times in 8 ter bein’ bounced off ession, an’ arter beia’ run away wid an’ carried up a high stoop, de jedge laid down on de sidewalk an’ wept. He was weepin’, when ‘long cum a white man, who p'inted de finger of scorn an’ ridicule at him an’ advised him to go and ride a fence. “De tears ceased to fall. de teef shet wid | a click, an’ Jedge Jaybird riz up to show dat white man dat de blcod of warriors ran in his vetns, He banged dat bike till had loosened ail {ts bunes, an’ den made a ‘Kangatoo mount’ an’ started off down de street. Fur about an inch and a half ali went well. Den de onery masheen took bit in ifs mouf an’ started off wid a bit! | arg! g'lang! Befo' yo’ could count ten a long-drawn shriek rent de cvenin’ air, an’ | de jedge took what am cailed ‘de double- headed gyasticutus’ an’ struck de airth to hev his spirit relessed from its mortal clay. Tender hands fied aim an’ tried to pour soda water down his froat, but it was too late. Dar'was de body, shet up like a tele- scope an ‘ehery bone ‘broken an’ one ear shoved down oni his Adam's appie, but de soul had took its flight. De funeral was held last eavenin’, an’ most of de members of dis club war’ present. His chair will be Graped in mournin’ fur thirty days, an’ de treasurer of de club, will hand de. widder | $25 to help out on funeral expenses.” Plans for the Headstone. Brother Sundoyn White arose to make an inquiry. Was it the intention of the club to advise the widow to have a bicycie cut on the judge’s tombstone in connection with the usual epitaph? He had heard rumors to that effect, and he thought the idea a good one. The picture shouid the bike stanJing on {ts hind legs, ferocious look on its face, and the body of the judge Hberaily distributed over the sur- rounding territory. “I believe dar has bin talk of sich a thing. answered the president, “but I can’t say dat I favor it. We know, an’ frew de news- papers all de present generashun knows, dat Jedge Jaybird was deliberately an’ mall- crously murdered by his bike. It was one of de most cold-blooded affairs of de cen- tury..an’ yit he tempted his own fate. Should we show up de affair on a tombstun it would enly diseourage men an’ women who might make good riders.”” Absent Members. The secretary announced in explanation of the absence of Three-Ply Hopkins that he had attempted to run over a street car with his bike and made a failure of it. They had him bandaged from head to foot, and were fanning him with a rab- bit's foot and the doctor had great hopes that he would pull through. On motion of General Washington Taylor it was re- solved that every street car ought to stop at a crossing and ring a cow bell for thirty seconds to warn wheelmen against the danger of a_collision. Abraham Lincoln Green was not present because he made a mistake in thinking he knew all about the frick of back pedaling down the hill. The wheel got away from him early in the game and after killing a grocery wagon horse, knocking down two men and shaving the wheels of a wagon it threw him over a fence and plunged into the river. Abraham was not dangerously hurt, but he wanted to sit in a dark room at home and wonder how it all happened. Admiral Bumbo Sackett was missing from his accustomed place, but had writ- ten a message in chalk on a shingle as to the reason why. While out on his “bike” he discovered a dog sleeping in the road. His idea was to shave close und see the dog jump, but he lost the left pedal and went over the dog. The dog jumped, just as he had fondly expected, but so did the bike, and the three of them got mixed up and clawed and kicked and bit each other until the admiral had tobe helped home and put to bed. He expected to survive, and would probably be at tte next meeting, and mean- while wonld prepare a speech, entitled “Bewar’. of. De Dawg.” He sent his love and best ‘Wwishéb, and added that if any member owt on ‘His wheel felt Iike running over anything he'd better try it on a house. © Hints for Beginners. Presiden, Toats then announced the fol- lowing hiats and@ suggestions for new be- gipners: ie “Don't try with your" teeth: “Don’t Igok around to see if the hind wheel ts fojlowing. “Don’t Ee surprised if the front wheel shows a disposition to turn into a yard and lie down for a rest. “Always «fall ion your right shoulder, and do not-let your ear strike the ground till a fewsweconds later. “When you lose a pedal don’t get off and go back to look for it. It's right there on the machine, and if you'll feel around lorg enough you'll find it again. “Should you find a runaway horse on your trail keep close to the curb until he has passed. Then make a spurt and seize him by the tail and put on the brake. “Never kill a pedestrian when it can be avoided, but when you do kill one, dis- mount and say you're sorry.’ ee A PLEA FOR PLAIN FOOD. catch the handle bars Hints That May Save Doctors’ Bilis and Lives. From the New York Ledger. It is not a generally understood fact, but a fact nevertheless, that some of the wealthiest snd most luxurious appearing People live on the plainest food. There are children in the families of millionaires who would no more be fermitted to partake of | constitution. such meals as are given to the children of many a laboring man than they would be allowed to use articles that were known to be poisorous. Many a mechanic's little ones live on meat, warm bread, all the but- ter they want, and that of an inferior qual- ity; coffee as’much as they choose and cheap bakers’ cake, which is itself enough to ruin the digestion of an ostrich. The children of one family make their breakfast of oatmeal or some other cereal and milk, with bread at least twenty-four hours old, a little, very little, butter, some- times none at all. The breakfast is varied by ccrn bread, well done; a little zweiback ard sometimes stale bread dipped in egg and cracker crumbs and browned with but ter. A fresh egg is often the only artic’ outside of farinaceous foods that they ar allowed. For dinner, which is at the mid- dle of the day, they have some well-cooked meat, one or two vegetables, a cup of milic af they like it or weak cocoa, with plenty of bread end butter and a simple dessert. Supper, which 1s a very light meal, fre- quently consists of graham crackers or brown bread and milk, and sometimes hesty pudding and milk, or the pudding eeten with a little molasses or maple sirup. A few days ago In a call at the house of a workingman there were tive childrea scated at a table, on which was a large dish of meat swimming in gravy, in which potatoes had been cooked. These potatoe were saturated with fat ai sible of d 2 almost impos gestion by any person of ording There were hot rolis, svg looking and smokmg from the oven; pars fps fried in lird and reeking with the grease, stale cucumbers, shriveled and wrinkied, were soaking in cheap vinegar, and were liberally dosed with salt and pep- per. A pile of cheap cakes, sufficient. to fill a good-sized four-quart measure, stood on one corner of the table, and two pies with crust containing so much lard U they looked absolutely greasy. There was coffee, dark acd rank-looking and worse smelling, and this the children were in dulging in quite as much as they pleased. They ate like little wolves, with an un- natural and ferocious 4 ppetite. Two of m had pasty, inh hy looking com- xions; one was evidently suffering with some skin disease; the e of the group bad an ugly looking eruption on his fa and ears. and the ontire lot were living ex- amples of the results of a mistaken system of feeding. It was no surprise to the visitor to hear, a few days later, that two of then were very ill, or hopelessly so, with cholera morbus. hat the death rate among such people does not incre: with ghiful rapidity ts the one thing that thoughtful persons and Prilanthropists never e to wonder at. The parents of th idren would un- dcubtedly have they gave the Uttle cres the best they could afford, but this was just exactly the cause of all the trouble. They gave them too much and too expensive food. A proper diet would have cost a third of the money, and would have saved health and doctor's bilis, to say noth- ing of their lives. chi id that -so0—_____ Not for Sunday School Books. From the Chicago Post. She is littie, but she has her own way of looking at things, and her views are oc- casionally startling. amma,” she said, thoughtfully, when she heard her mother tell the maid that she “is it all right to say you're out when vou're in?” “Oh, yes; it's the custom, you know plained the mother. The little one pondered that for awhile, and then inquired in her solemn way: uppose the Lord should say that when we get to heaven?” Of course, this story ought to end with the statement that the moiher at once saw the error of her ways, and ever after in- ted that the truth should be told, even to callers; but the truth is the mother laughed and thought it was a good joke and told some of her friends about it, and the maid still says “not at home” when the mistress doesn't wish to receive. That's why the story never will get into the Sunday school books unless it is revised. ——+e+— Foolish Women, From the Chicago Post. “I can’t help thinking how foolish women ere,” said the philosopher, with a sad shake of his head. “What's the trouble now?” inquired his thoughtless friend. I was thinking of the old days when they used to walk soberly, calmly and se- dately along the street,” explained the phil- “You must remember those days. ‘ertainly. What of them? ‘The danger of a sudden and violent fall was reduced to a minimum then, and there was no necessity of guarding against it or arranging t» break its force.” “Very true,” admitted the frier.d. “And tow there is constant danger, an serious fal!s are of common occurrence, persisted the philosopher. “Also true,” admitted friend. “And they wore bustles then, and they don't now,” asserted the philosopher. Se Ancient Scandinavian Horns, From Muste. Every midsummer day a unique concert is given in Copenhagen, Denmark, such as the whole world cannot show the like of. There are kept in the Copenhagen Museum a number of ancient Scandinavian horns, more than three thousand years old, called “Lauren.” Of this collection fourteen are in good condition. They have an elegant shape, and the flat metal plates at the mouthpiece show good technical perfection and a developed taste for art. They are of different pieces “fitted together. They were found buried in mocriand, and their good preservation is believed to be due to the turfy water. They are of very thin metal, and generally seven feet long. They were always found in pairs, the one in tune with the other. A few years ago it was found out by Dr. Hammertch that they could still be blown or played upon. Their tones re- semble those of the tenor horn, and they have « soft but powerful sound. Some are tuned in C and E sharp, others in D, E or G, and these tones ferm an accord, but no "The midsummer concert is held : On a balcony in the court of the princely palace in which is kept the North- ern Museum two members of the royal “Capella” blow tunes on two of these pri- meval horns. An enormous crowd fills the court, the streets, the marble bridge and the neighboring square, as far as it is pos- sible to hear the sounds. —_—_+o+____ Wanted an Injunction. From the Oakland Echoes. A man recently caught three different men kissing his wife, whereupon he went to a lawyer. “You have very good grounds for di- vore the lawyer said. “T don’t want a divorce,” the citizen re- plied. “I want to get an injunction to make them stop It.” ——_+o+____ An Interesting Subject. From the New Lork Press. First Summer Girl—“Are you going to that old Christian Endeavor meeting this evening?” Second Summer Girl—“Yes, indeed! Haven’t you heard the subject to be dis- cussed?" First Summer Girl—“‘No:; what is it?” Second Summer Girl—“How to Hold Our Young Men.” ex- thoughtless the thoughtless THE MAN WITH THE WOODEN LEG. (Copyright, 1896, by the Bacheller Syndicate.) Of the six passengers who alighted from the stage coach at the Acorn Inn, in Bliss- field, one April evening, was a man with @ wooden leg. That sort of a misfortune is not rare, and yet the victim, especially in a country town, always attracts consider- j able attention. The stranger registered as John Gordan of Chicago, and, when he fave out that he might remain in Blissfield fer several wceks, everybody wondered what business could have brought him there. No one liked the man at first sight, and pn the village cooper, who was the st curious and persistent resident of the town, failed to get up much of a conversa- or with him or to find out anything about him. However, after three or four Gays, it leaked out that the man was a government agent who had come to watch the men who had been stealing timber off certain lands. ‘That gave him increased t, and yet cven the schoolboy who ved the man’s steel gray eyes, hrm set jaw and thin lips, could have told that he wes cruel, if nol bid hearted. He had lost the left leg at the knee, and the subsiltute was not a cork leg, but a crotch and a stick—the plainest and cheap- est sort of an affair. His dress was also very plain, his speech that of the com- mon order, and pecple who thought gov- ernment agents were superior beings were very much disappointed in Gordan. When the village cooper, who was dying to know all about the stranger, boldiy asked him how ne lost his leg, the reply was: “It fell off while I was kicking a fool!” That set- tied the cooper and several other curtous- minded citizens, and there was no further attempt to pry Into Mr. Gordan’s h “The man with the wooden leg, came to be generally spoken of, h in town about a week, when one of leading merchants was robbed of about a the thousand dollars in cash. He had the mcney in an old-fashioned safe, which opened with a key, and the safe had been unlocked. Entrance to the store had been effected by way of fanlight over the nt doors. No suspicicus characters had been seen about the town, and as the mer- chant and his son were the only ones hay- ing keys to the safe, the affair was a puz- | zie. Th local constable did a great of talkirg, but struck no clue, and in bi desperation he asked Gordan to assist him, belleving, no doubt, that a government offi cer of any sort ought to be more or less posted in detective work. Gordan seemed to think the matter over for a while and then replied: ‘The case fs as plain as the nose on your face. ‘The merchant’s son took the money, and after this thing quiets down he will go off to St. Louis to have a good time. Td stzke my life he’s got every dollar of the m'ssing cash securely hidden away som where.” The constable couldn't e- believe it of the young man, having known him from child- Or hood, but Fe was bound by a to mention the r, and theories ad been worked out the matter was allowed to drop, or rat it was relegated for enother sensat Seven or eight days after the store rob- st office was entered. That h id-fashioned saf held som: thing like $2,000, Of this About § nged to the postmaster, the citizens, ‘The lo@k on the b with a brace and ter’s shop, and this means of a false k that small town— ise not er several nd explo; ” balance to k door was bored off | taken from a carj opened t excitement th and men and suggestions. ke place until af The postmaster and prove themselves cle at the bui y did not night. could > general idea driven into the twenty mile da by the 3 had ge from a peirt perhap y. and this w tale of a farmer as to ho with two men in it pa that night. strengt ving his He saw nothing of the sort, story from a desire to “mix in hha clue. sheriff rode sl over the county in The search of his men, but the days passed and ho one was arrested. No one had advanced the theory that the robber was living among us, and if any one had he would Lave heen laughed at for his words. Go dan, the government agent, was the on strauger in town, and who could suspe. him? He» had litle to say about either job. but when pressed for an opinion on the post office affair he replied: “Gentlemen, my Mne is not detective work, though I have seen a good deal of it and know something about criminals. Wh: ever did that job came from a_ distance. There was likely two of them. They may have come fifty miles for all we kr you can bet ones.” It was derided that the robery had becn ccmmitted by strangers, and after lasting three or four days the office It was a big loss to the p ens, hut they had to rey could. ‘The postm an old man, and had little of th ordan offered to be one search gave master ear it than kin@ of the man with a wooden leg, and a dozen or more of the most prominer men shook hands with him over it. or twelve days passed, and then came a terrible tragedy. he richest man in Blissfeid was Squire Higgins. He owned the woolen mills, a store and sey houses, and had money to lend. He a wi but li his son and daughte room was on the ground floor, while all the oth- ers slept upstairs. He ‘had no safe, but kept his money in a tin box on a shelf in a closet. He had a bank account over at Medina, ten miles away, but often had a thousand dollars or more fn the house. One evening, when the others were ready to go to bed, he announced that he had some business to attend to, and was seated at his desk in the sitting room when the oth- ers retired. About midnight the daughter- in-law heard a fall and a groan down stairs, and when her hushand went down to in- vestigete the squire was found dead on the floor, having been stabbed no less than five times in the body. House and grounds were searched, but the murderer had escaped, and he had aiso taken with him the cash box, which con- tained about $70). The murder had taken place in the bed room. Having finished his work, the squire had retired to bed, and had, perhaps, fal'en asleep. Some noise made by the murderer as he hunted for the cash box had aroused him, and he had sprung out of bed and grappled with the unknown. Any one of the stabs would have disabled him, but it appeared that the mi night intruder had held on to him and used the knife again and again, as if he thirsted for blood. When I heard men speak of this next day the cruel eyes and thin lps of the man with the wooden leg was the next thought. Boy that I was, he seemed to be a man who would do just that thing, and I found myself wondering if he was not the guilty party in all three instances. Gordan seemed to take a lively interest in the murder, which he promptly declared to be the work of strangers again. When something was said about getting a detec- tive he opposed the project on various grounds, In which he was backed by the local officers. No outside help would have been called in, and the murderer might have gone his way, but for the arrival of another stranger. He was, as it happened, a first-class detective, who was just then employed in tracing a missing man. The crime was a day old when he reached Bi field. He heard all the particulars from the loungers at the inn, and then volun- teered to look the ground over. This was a courtesy on his part which the sheriff could not refuse. and after sup- per he was taken to the house. I did not see much of his work, but it was talked about for long months afterward. The murderer had got in by a parlor window. which was six feet from the ground. He had used a chisel to force up the sash. He had lighted three or four matches in mak- ing his way into the sitting room. He had gene out by the same window, crossed a newly made garden and climbed a fence. He had used a regular dagger instead of a knife in his work. He had secured the box before the old man was aroused, and had also taken a small sum of money from the trousers hanging on the chai The tracks in the garden were still fresh when the detective took hold of the work, and {a three minutes he had made up his mind to something. He had little to say to any of the men, explaining that he had not yet completed his investigations, but as he left the house to return to the inn, while I followed at a respectful distance, he turned down a quiet lane, beckoned me to follow, and when we were alone he lighted his pipe and asked: “Boy, do you know any man in town who is lame in the left leg?” I did not. Then he asked if any strangor who was lame had been seen in town du ing the last two or three days. I answered | in tite negative, but added that there was a man with a wooden leg at the inn. He at once began to question me about this man, not yet having seen him himself, and I told him all I knew and all I had heard. Of course, he told me nothing in return,though I heard him chuckling to himself, and his face betrayed the fact that he was pleased about something. I acted as his guide to the jail, and when In the presence of the sheriff, he said: “I want you to go with me to overhaul the man with the wooden leg at the tav- ern. “But he can't have done it,” protested the officer. “The tracks you ‘found showed that the murderer had two feet.” “Jus: so, and he was lame in the left But this man Gordan has lost his left leg at the knee.” “I want to see if he has. The sheriff, detective and constable, two or three citizens, proceeded to the inn and to Gordan’s room. He sat smoking and reading, and had his supper brought up to him that night, claiming to be suffer- irg with neuralgia. He was cool and quiet, d cigars all around, but those atching him saw him grow pale as the sheriff began by begging his par with and hoped no offense would be taken, but would he let them look at his wooden leg Gordan faltered and biuffed, and was reaching for @ pistol under his pillow when the detective seized him. He fought like a demon, and it took the five or six men to overcome him. When they had him se- curely bound they unstrapped his wooden leg, and io! his left foot was there as ri as any man's! His leg was a supple and he had bent the lower portion back and strapped it thus, and then put his knee in the crotch of the wooden leg. Of ail those who had taken a look at his leg not one had suspected the cheat. Yes, he was the man who had r merchant and the postmaster, and he was also the murderer of Squire Higgins. The plunder and the dagger were found in his trunk, which he had ready packed, as he was intending to leave town next day. He simply laid his wooden lex aside when he went out at night him a sort of halt when it was rem as he crossed the garden after th the left foot pressed the Er: than the right. On the evidence worke by the detective tn a couple of hours’ time Gordan was tried, convicted and hung, and every dollar of the stolen money went baci to the rightful owners. The wearing of it gave a, and Everybody said It was an easy case, after {t had been worked out, and you will say you could have done it yourself. Perhaps | so, but I am satisfied that if the detective had not come along as he did the Blissfeld tragedy been an unset my tery to thi tracks were the clew, but what ficial we caught on to the trick of the If « nh " have 1 1 ha wor 1 oat all sin the gro’ ever len der they aed by the stick, instead of for the tracks of a weil air Of boots. pall cee A RARE STAMP, It Was Recently Secured by a Wash- ington hilatetiat. Some time ago a paragraph went the rounds of the newspapers reporting the finding of “the rarest stamp in the world, which bit of paper was sold to a New York busin fo! S man for $44 1 among letter: nd at that time T copy of the stamp known, mp was sisvil the » was but one that ot a damaged one. Recently anot was discovered in this city 1 Townsend. “Yes,” said Mr. wnsend, when asked about his find by a Star reporter, “it never rains but {t pours.’ This stamp was issued by the postmaster at Baltimore in 1S#, but was never pwn to exist until this year. Then @ damaged copy was found; then the one which made such a pa * on account of the pri t br at, and T have just obtal another copy thanks to The Star. How so? Why, th was ent stamp issued at Baltime the same time as this one, which ts wort! two to three hundred dollars. A number of co} of this have been found, 1 © must he some garrets her them extensively Star this winter. I did net but this 10-cent was recently f lady in town an aught to me not really the rarest stamp in the “re is a Mauritius of which but one copy is known, bet this stamp stands next and } ht a Nigher pr is what ix not issued Post Office Departme gin issuing Stamps unt . Wwhene letter, he had to tak and pay the fee on it. A few masters issued these provisional which saved this troul every letter, just as our 2-~<« of them hid- o 1 have ad- through The we it now. “All of these provisional stamps a searee, for the reason that they w but a year or two, and even then come ‘Into ge feared the com supersede t their han eral dee 4g government stam they would was gran s. also, but, as no copy has ever it is doubtful whether it was ¢ It may still come to light, however, as Uhis 14-cent Baltimore has. BASE A Dreadful Con Frem the Cleveland PlatnDcater. “Your money tall burelar. “For goodness sake, don't make so much noise,” hissed the unhappy householder as he sat up in bed. “Why not?” You'll wake the baby The short burglar laughed brutally. He had heard the old gag when he was @ child at his mother's knee. “Wot if we do wake the baby?” sald the tall burglar. “If the baby cries,” groaned the unhappy id quick, too!” sald the victim, “it will sour the temper of my wife’s pet dog, and then there'll be hades to pay. With a glance of deep commiseration the burglars softly stole away. Going into a decline.—Life.