Evening Star Newspaper, August 17, 1930, Page 93

midnight, however, on the arrival of the secend Italian column, under Gen. Grasiani, from the east. The combined Italian forces now totaled 14,000 men—a formidable army to tackle a few thousand Arabs. Between them, the two col- umns made a good haul, capturing 10,000 sheep and goats, 6,000 camels, horses, donkeys and mules and a large store of barley. The war- fare on both sides, in fact, struck me as little more than an affair of plunder and booty. Y this time, however, I was down with dysentery, and too ill to take much interest In anything except to be thankful that the illness had not come upon me before my rescue, for the Arabs would probably have left me to die, I saw no more of my three ecompanions in adversity, for each of us was placed in the care of different Jtalian officers, to be looked after by their Arabl) servants. At noon on Christmas day—it was Christ- mas even when we reached the Italian camp— an aeroplane arrived for the purpose of taking us four prisoners to Tripoli. It descended on the outskirts of the camp, and rose again two hours later with Gerardi, Bonano and Bereta, leaving me behind. The excuse, apparently, was that they had been unable to find me! ‘This seemed to me nonsense, and I scented trickery on the part of Gerardi to save him from having to fulfill his,promise to pay me 2,000 lire and receive me as his guest. The ony thing left for me now was to re- turn to Tripoli with the column, and we set ont on the morning of December 26. I rode a camel, although I was not really fit to do so, being at times in terrible pain. Next day the column reached Beni Ulid, & town of some 10,000 inhabitants, most of whom, mainly merchants and caravan traders, had evacuated the place before our arrivl Gen. Graziani and Col. Mazetti wished to make a treaty with them, providing they placed them- selves under the Italian flag, but they stub- bornly preferred to lose everything rather than agree. The town and the fertile Orfella Valley was accordingly occupied, and all the sick and wounded, including myself, were carried into the great mosque for a night's rest. I was now too weak to walk. There was more skirmishing that night, the Arabs trying to recapture the town. They al- ways seem to fight that way. First they flee; then they return and endeavor to regain what they have lost. Their efforts were in vain, however, and next morning the march was resumed, a strong garrison being left be- hind in Beni Ulid. How I survived the next few days’ Journey I do not know. The way was rough and my bucking, obstinate camel drove me nearly frantic with pain. I wished myself dead, and no longer cared a rap what happened. It was not until we reached Tarhuna Fort, THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., AUGUST 17, 1930. Pushing on across the open desert, we set our course by the north star, Bonano leaning heavily on my shoulder. on January 8, that I got any relief. The fort stands high above sea-level, and the air is ex- cellent. We sick and wounded were put in a hut to rest for a day or two; and assuredly I needed it, for I had now become a veritable skeleton, and my features had changed so terribly that the soldiers who had seen me when I first reached the Italian lines no longer recognized me. I could get no proper medical treatment with the column, although the of- The First “No-Hit’’ Pitcher Continued from Fourth Page Comiskey's inspiration, through Hanlon's Balti- more team of 1890-1894, and Frank Chance's Chicago Cubs.”: Bradley left the Cubs after two years and later joined the Providence Grays club of the National League. “Charlie Radbourne,” he reealls, speaking of the man with whom he shared the pitching duties while with the Grays, “was not only a phenomenal pitcher, but one of the greatest all-around players the game ever produced. “He shone with guite as much brilliance as Spalding, until consumption cut short his career about 38 years ago. Several years after 1 was with Providence Charlie Sweeney, who was sharing the pitching duties with Radbourne at the time, jumped from organized base ball to the outlaws, and only Radbourne was left for the slab work. “But that didn't bother Radbourne, for he not only jumped right in and did ail the pitch- ing, but he made a new werld's record by win- ning 18 straight games and the championship for Providence. This gameness cost Radbourne his life, for his health broke under the strain, which was generally credited with having caused his consumption. “Bn..LY SUNDAY was another great player in his day, and many people have said that he was the equal of Ty Cobb. Billy was a good player all right, and the greatest base runner I have ever seen, but I believe he lacked the rare judgment that Cobb had, and which made him just about the greatest player the game ever produced. “Another great player was King Kelly. He was a great catcher and a great right fielder, a wonder hitter and one of the headiest men I've seen on the diamond.” “What about salaries in those early days?” 1 asked Bradley. “As a rule they were small,” he replied. *They ranged anywhere from $600 to $1,200 for a season, and $1,200 was considered big money. The ball teams in those days were supportéd chiefly by individual citizens. “Speaking of salaries and what the different elubs spent on base ball, recalls the hubbub there was in 1885 when the Chicago club sold Mike Kelly to Boston for $10,000. The price created a sensation; the public was aghast. “Kelly was a peculiar type. He always sought out the weak spots in the game not protected by the rules. There is an old story about him to the effect that as captain of the team the rules entitled him to take any player’s position at a moment’s notice. A man at bat knocked a fou! toward third and over the third basemen’s head toward the bench where Kelly sat. “*You're out of the game,’ Kelly yelled to his fielder. ‘I'm in your pilace’ and caught the ball. Howmmtmm‘(-t- big part the change in pitching rules since the early days of base ball has played in developing the skilled pitchers of this generation? The pitcher today has seven chances with a batter—four balls and three strikes, barring foul balls, of strikes. In the early the underhand pitch was the thing. ” Bradley says, “the rule was that pitcher had to keep the ball below his hip delivering it and, of course, this naturally him to deliver the underhand throw. t 1882, however, with the advent of American Association, the rules were anged, and the pitcher was permitted to raise as high as his shoulder in delivering That was a direct step forward. about 1890, the rules were changed no restrictions whatever were placed t at which the pitcher might de- 5 35 I5ELE i gi i it wasn’t any physical weakness but the rules of the game that lopment back in those early of such remarkable speed dell and Walter Johnson.” ardent base ball fan, and al- when the Athletics are at home out urging his ¢ld friend, Connie Mack, on to another pehanant. 8 EE§E ficers were splendid and did what they could for me. After a three-day halt, military ambulances arrived at Tarhuna to carry the worst cases to the railhead at El Azazia. I thought an am- bulance would be more comfortable than a camel, but seen discovered my mistake. The roads were nothing but rock-strewn tracks; over which the vehicles bumped and lurched in sickening fashion. 21 BUTnflhudmmchd.that,-ndhm we were transferred to the north-bound ex- press. That at least ran smoothly, a blessed relief after those terrible ambulances. At Tripoli I was sent to a military hospital outside the city, and was given a speeial room to myself. I had been four months in captivity, and 10 days on that tormenting journey from Seddadda camp. 7 Dr. Guiseppe, who attended me, was kindness itself, and so was the orderly who was told off to wait on me. I was also visited by the vice governor of ‘Tripoli, who showed much sym- pathy and told me that he would see that I was put on my feet again in more ways than one. Unfortunately, shortly after his visit he was thrown from his horse and killed, a mis- hap I was very sorry to hear of, and which, I have no doubt, made a big difference to my subsequent treatment. In spite of the doctor's care I made little progress at the hospital. Homesickness had gripped me, and I asked if I might be lent, home by the next boat, leaving on February 2. This was agreed to, and on January 29 I de- termined to leave the hospital and call on Gerardi in order to claim the fulfillment of his promise. Dr. Guiseppe gave me a discharge which stated that I was leaving for home at my own risk, and, still very weak and thin, I crawled slowly out into the city. On the way I met a soldier who showed me compassion, giving me 10 lire and paying for a horse and buggy to take me to a cafe for something warm, for I was literally penniless. In the cafe I met many men who knew mie. They were shocked at my appeararnce, and, fine fellows that they were, at once made a collec- tion for me. Then, when I was just about to start for Gerardi’s, an official told me that I must first go with him to the fort for a pass- port that would enable me to leave by the boat on February 2. At the fort I was not so well received as he suggested I should be. In fact, they locked me up in the cold hall, amongst Arab thieves, until the boat was ready! I wanted to tele- phone or write to Gerardi, but was forbidden to do so. In the end I was shipped off to Innsbruck with a gratuity of a paltry 150 lire—just enough to get me there. On the same boat on which I traveled from Tripoli to Syracuse was the body of the vice governor, If that excel- lent man had lived I ¢em sure that he would have seen to it that I received better treatment. At home, I quickly recovered; one's mother is the best nurse one can have! She looked after me most devotedly, and by May I was, ready to start once more on the round-the- world autograph-collecting expedition which had suffered so drastic an interruption. (Copyright, 1930.) W ill Sherlock Holmes Return? Continued from Third Page Houdini, “because that day, June 17, 1922, was her birthday. This was not known to Lady Doyle. If it had been my dear mother’s spirit communicating a message, she surely would have commented on it. * * * Lady Doyle was ‘seized by a spirit’ Her hands shook and beat the table, her voice trembled and she called to the spirits to give her a message. * * * As she finished each page, Sir Arthur tore off the sheet and handed it to me. I sat serene through it all, hoping and wishing that I might feel my mother's presence. There wasn’t even a semblance of it. * * * “Although my sainted mother had been in America for almost 50 years, she could not speak, read nor write English. Spiritualists claim that when a medium was possessed by a spirit who does not speak the language, the medium automatically writes in the language of the deceased.” The “spirit letter,” written in typically Eng- lish style, was most unconvincing to Houdini, as were other incidents that occurred at the seance, The opinion which he gained from his experience is easily understood by the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway. Continued jrom Eleventh Page historic interest attached to it. It was built during the Civil War as an adjunct to Fort Washington, which stands a few miles below it across Broad Creek. The post was first occupied by the 9th New York Volunteers, under command of Col. Stewart. It was abandoned in 1878, and no garrison has occupied it since. The old battery site stands 70 feet above the river, and affords a fine view of it and the surrounding country. 'T'HE end of this drive is Fort Washington. And a charming and fitting end it is, for Fort Washington is older than the Nation itself. It was originally called Fort Warburton and was under that name & part of the defense of the colonies during the Revolution. But long before the Revolution was fought or even thought of the site of Fort Washington figured in history. An emperor first garrisoned it—a bronze emperor of the forest, the Emperor of the Piscataway Indians. The records of Fort Washington are meager, but it is known that in 1644 the Maryland Assembly authorized its use for one year. The first return on the fort on file in the War De- partment, however, is 1815. The original site of the fort consisted of 12.93 acres, purchased from Thomas A. et al. during the period 1808 to 1815. ‘The selection of the site for a fort is shown in a letter of instructions from the Secretary of War, Mr. H. Knox, to Jacob Vermonnet, dated May 12, 1994. This correspondence indicates that “the President of the United States, George ‘Washington, made the selection of the site.” In August, 1814—the 27th, to be exact—dur- ing the war with Great Britain, the fort was blown up and abandoned by orders of the com- manding officer, Capt. Sam T. Dyson, without firing a gun, upon approach of the British forces under Admiral Cockburn. Dyson, so the records have it, was court-martialed for this bit of military judgment and dismissed from the Army. In 1815, soon after the close of the war with Britain, plans were begun for its rebuilding. Additional land was purchased in time until the total area included 354.26 acres. Fort Washington was actively garrisoned until after the close of the Civil War, but was evacuated in 1872 and turned over to the United States Engineers’ Department for repairs and modification. During the period 1872 to 1896 only a caretaking detachment was maintained, At the beginning of the Spanish-American War in 1898 the old fort was again placed in active condition and modern guns and equip- ment mounted, which made it a real defense, equal to any emergency that might arise, During the World War, 1917 to 1918, 16 temporary barracks and quarters were erected and sanitary improvements, permanent in char- acte, were installed. An Infantry unit is now stationed at the fort, under the command of Maj. A. M. Patch, jr. A recent bill by Congress authorized the fort, along with Forts Hunt and Foote, 0 be turned over to the Capital Park and Planning Com- mission for development as a part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The old fort §s full of dungeons, and is over- looked by Indian Queen Bluff, a spot advocated by Charles Eliot, director of planning for the commission, as an excellent one on which to erect & memorial to the Indians of America. answer he gave, a year of®so later, when Be was questioned concerning Conan Doyle’s views on spiritualism. “Conan Doyle is sincere but deluded,” was Houdini’s terse statement. This is the precise viewpoint held by many others. The fact that a man of Conan Doyle's mental caliber belleved entirely in spiritualism is not accepted as conclusive, for there are many other men of high intelligence who have been convinced, through their investigations, that spiritualism is a fraud from its founda- tions. Conan Doyle believed that the Fox sisters of Rochester, N. Y., were genuine mediums. One of them signed a confession that they were frauds. It is said that he believed the Daven- port brothers, notorious mediums of the nine- teenth century, were bona fide. They were completely exposed on several occasions. A genial, friendly and trusting man, Conan Doyle hated to believe that any one C swindle him. It is a known fact that the more intelligent people are the more easily are they deceived by others, and the opponents of spiritualism declare that he was the greatest dupe of all believers, Tfll late Stuart Cumberland, one of Eng- land’s most ardent opponents of spirituale ism, said: “If ever a man bought a ‘gold brick’ in the belief that he was acquiring the real goods, that man was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, He has seized it with both hands and with wide- open eyes. His mental attitude is that, under the conditions under which the acquisition was made, it was possible for him to have been taken in. One day enlightenment may come to Sir Arthur in the shape of clear, logical dem= onstrations to the coutrary, and that will be a red letter day for the joint cause of common sense angd scientific truth.” One fact is positive—both camps, the be- lievers and the doubters, are waiting with in- terest for communications that purport to come from Conan Doyle. The believers willy bestow praise upon any medium who receives the message; the doubters will brand that me- dium as an impostor. Should the messages come in the form of new chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, the con- troversy will become world wide. Such com- munications may reasonably be expected. They would carry, more than any others, the mark of Conan Doyle, whether they be true or fraudulent. (Copyright, 1930.) One County’s Production. SHOSHONB COUNTY, Idaho, led, by far, the counties of that State in production of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc for the year 1929, Exceeded by four counties in gold productiom, and one in copper, it still led by more than 2,800 per cent its nearest competitor in total value. Its output was 510 ounces of gold, 8,776,726 ounces of silver, 1,320,700 pounds of copper, 283,115,336 pounds of lead and 86 092,294 pounds of minc, with a total value of $28,439,351.