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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1900)
THE HELIOGRAPH IN The heliograph Is by no means a modern Invention. Although it has been a good dear spoken or during the present South African campaign and Is generally looked upon as one of the mechanical marvels of the nine teenth century, the fundamental Idea Of using the sun's rays for writing Is a old as the Roman emplro Itself. Every Btudcnt of the classics will remember how tho old Itoman soldiers used their shields for flashing back Information to the rear or from ono wing of an armyto another. Tho heli ograph Is practically the same system of sun flashing reduced to a scientific basts so that tho message may be transmitted a distance of from flvo to even 100 miles when the circum stances nro favorablo. Tho military value of the hollo Graphic method of transmitting In formation may bo readily Imagined. Its first advantngo Is Its cxtremo sim plicity. It does not necessitate tho keeping open of lines of communica tion, thero are no wires to protect, no batteries to look attar and no burden some apparatus to carry about. Tho Indians of America, llko the old warriors of tho Scotch highlands, re alized the Importance of signal fires In wartlmo and mado use of a code of Are flashes; but It was not until 1822 that Col. Colby, of the Drltlsh royal engineers, devised a more adequate system for transmitting messages by sun flashes. His method of doing this was by nailing a ojrtaln number of ,pleces of bright tin on poles and ex posing thorn to tho sun's rays. Somo time later this was improved on by the adoption of a plain mirror. In 1833 an English officer at Gibraltar used an ordinary looklngglass to reflect flashes across the strait to Tangier, thereby parrying on a long-distance conversa tion with othor English officers In Af rica. This mirror systom was experiment ed with and Improved upon until tho year 1878, when the Unltod States gov ernment purchased the latest models nnd began the Instruction of a special signal corps In hellography. Tho mili tary valuo of such sun writing was well known when, In 1880, Gen. Miles 'began his Indian campaign against Geronlrao. If tho truth wore only known, it was tho heliograph more ithan auythlng clso that led to tho rounding up and capturo of tho fa "mous blood-drlnklng red man. Ono can Imagine tho surprlso of tho Indi ans when they found that they could not move without tho fact being known to tho Americans nnd tho movement mysteriously anticipated. Signal parties, In fact, wore flashing hourly information from mountain peak to mountain poak, and tho In dian warriors' headquarters wero al ways known at Miles' camp. Through tho uso of tho hollograph Goronlmo was kept away from water by rapidly stationed and mobile bands of troops and waa Anally really parched Into submission. Tho English army had already been making uso of tho heliograph In Af ghanistan, and during tho Boor war of twenty yenrs ago mado effective uso of tho Manco hollographlc appa ratus. Tho groat service this means of cpmsiunlcatlon has beon to tho dif ferent British commanders besieged by the Boers In tho preEent Soutji Af rican war Is very woM known. Tho field hollographlc apparatus, aB used today, consists of n solo leather pouch containing a sun mirror and a station mirror, a small screen or shut tor, a Blghtlng rod nnd two small tri pod stands for tho mirrors. Tho entire apparatus does not weigh over ten pounds and can easily bo cnrrled over the arm. When It Is desired to tend a message tho sun mirror is placed on ono end of a thin rod threo foot In length with tho station mirror at tho othor end, tho bar being held by the tripod. When tho sun Is In front of tho operator that Is to say, In front of a piano through his position and ut right angles to tho lines Joining tho stations the sun mirror Is re quired for dispatching. But with the sun In tho rear of this piano both mir rors must bo used to produce satisfac tory results. When the sun mirror only Is ised, tho light flash is sent dlroctly to (Ho receiving station, tho mirror having a small holo In its center like the hole In the globe sight of a rifle for the purpose of aiming and adjusting the ray. Tho station mirror has a small disk At the canter, and when tho two mirrors are' used they must bo so ad Justed that tho shadow from the center of the sun mirror shall bo reflected against the small disc on tho face of the station mirror. In making signals long and short sun flashes take the place of the dots and dashes of tho magnetic sounder, tho same call bo ing generally used for both instru ments. When tho air is cloar, signals may be takon by tho naked eye at a dlstanco of 100 miles; and by an ex pert at tho rato of fifteen words a minute. $!. USED HIS COFFIN As a Trunk Ileoauio lie Lived Longer Than He Expected. Anthony Slmpklns, a nonagenarian of Lansboro, Mass., started ono day last week for Hopkins Station, Mich. Tho nearest railway station to Lanea boro Is In Plttsflcld, and when Anthony arrived In that city, with his blooming, wife of 27 years, ho created a Bensatlon of considerable magnitude. It was neither tho nonagenarian nor his wife, however, that was tho real cause of tho excitement, but a peculiar nrtlclo of baggago which tho aged traveler had with him. When the bnggagemaster came to look over the traveling equip ment which Mr. Slmpklns unloaded from a wagon and offered for transpor tation ho was somewhat surprised to see, In the midst of bandboxes nnd carpet-bags, a coffin, with all the usual funeral adornment. The coffln nppa rontly contained a body, for tho sturdy old man bundled Is ns If It wero heavy, and with the greatest care. Tho bag gagemastor at onco nsked for tho death certificate. "I guess I don't need none," said Mr. Slmpklns, grinning. "Wo can't lake tho body unless you show a cer tlficato of death," said the baggagemos ter, firmly. Slmpklns grinned again. "Thero ain't no corpse In there," said he. "There's Jest oino of my wife's dresses, and some chlny nnd tinware, nnd tho big Bible nnd some of my things. I guess I don't need no ccrtlll klt for them, do I? I'd jest as soon show yer what they be." Tho baggage man admitted that ho would llko to look Into the coffln, and straightway Anthony unfastened tho lid and ex posed tho articles which he had men tioned, and many moro as well. Tho controversy had nttrncted the nttontlon of tho peoplo who wero waiting in tho station, and by the tlmo the owner had raised tho lid of tho coffin he was sur rounded by a largo and curious crowd. Somebody nBked the old man how It happened thnt ho used a coffin as his trunk, and he explained tho matter In tills way: "Three years ago I hud nn Idea that I wasn't goln' to last much longer, so I thought I'd better make euro of n good coffin whllo I had money to buy It. I bought this coffin then, but I ain't had no chanco to use It until day 'fore yesterday. Then Mary told mo thero wa'n't room enough In tho trunk for all tho things wo wanted to tuko out wost, so I said that coffln would mnko a good trunk. I wanted THE HEL SOUTH CJ AT THE BALL. WARTIME to tako It along, anyhow." Despite Mr. .Slmpklns plaustblo explanation the 'railroad officers' refused to acccpfhls coffin trunk, and with a good deal of grumblrng ho and his wife transferred the contents to a dry goods box. HISTORICAL PALACE FOB SALE. Many of England's Klnr "nil jaeeaa Redded Thero. The crown lease of Eltham court and palace, which forms-ono of tho' most Interesting links with tho past which havo over passed Into tho estato mar ket, is advortlsed for sale, says the London Chronicle. Its history dates from tho tlmo of Edward tho Confess or (1042-GG). At that tlmo the manor bolongod to tho crown. It was grant ed by William tho Conqueror to his brother Odo, earl of Kent, but revert ed to the crown. Whllo the date of tho erection of tho palaco Is uncer tain, It is known that it was a royal .rosldenco from 1270 to 1C28. "John ' Eltham," Edward II., Edward III., nichard II., Henry IV., Honry V., Ed ward IV., Richard III., Henry VII., Henry VIII., Mary, Elizabeth and James I., all resided at the palace. It was there, also, that Edward III. held his parliament, Richard III. enter tained the captive king of France, Henry IV. wob espoused to Joan of Navarro and Edward IV.'s daughter Bridget was born. Afterpasslng through other royal hands, the palaco camo Into tho possession of Sir John Shaw, it Is from one of tho threo parks known as tho middle park that tho "Mldlo Park Plate" takes Its name. The present house retains the old moat and part of the original palaco Is still standing. y- Many Flno IMctnrei. Most of us havo read of rooms which havo been papered entirely with can celed postago stamps, but certain monks at tho hospital of St. Jean do DIeu, at Ghent, have boaten all this by, In tholr lolsuro moments, decorating tho walla with gorgeous landscapes, glowing with color nnd full of life, which aro formed entirely by means of tho postago stamps of all tho na tions of tho world. Palaces, forosts, streams and mountains aro represent ed, butterflies flit about In the alr.blrds of beautiful plumage , perch on branches, snakes and lizards glldo about, and Innumerable animals find places hero and there. Tho pictures are most artistic, In the stylo of Chi nese landscape gardening, and already between 0,000,000 and 10,000,000 of stamps havo been used. Cincinnati Enquirer. A ''Galloping Hospital." A doctor with cavalry experience has Invented a patent galloping I103 pltal, drawn by two horses, and capa blo of accommodating six wounded. Public School Kxptiimrft In IlllnoU, Illinois exponded $18,209,803 on its public schools In 1899. LITTLE BLACK IMPS. Back in Berlin the name of Max Heritor had been of somo account He was, to begin with, a Hcrtzer, which meant much, As a matter of courso, he was an officer in tho army his sis ters had starved themselves for his eommlnton and maintenance and he waa handsomo, oven for n Gorman offi cer, Unfortunately for him, he sang the love songs of his country, and they are quite tho most moving songs in the world, Thoy movo tho slngors as Well as the listeners, "They moved Uertxer, nnd on ono night In particu lar whon ho waa bidden to tho house of a certain titled lady ho was so lifted out of himself by the charm of his muslo that ho proposed to an American girl who was present, nnd to his start led dismay, he was ncceptod. It was n misfortune, for he was not In sympathy with tho Araorlcan point of view, ho did not llko tho Insistence and intellectual arrogance of Ameri can women, and ho had qulto mado up his mind to marry a senseless and well born frauloln who did neat work and went to knffco klatsches. Ho almost loved her, sho was so nondescript, nnd would bo well content to mako a harm less background of herself for his bene fit. Moreover, In spite of all his vanity, ho was rather. soft-hearted, and It hurt him to think how many tears would bedew thoso soft bluo eyes when she heard of his engagement to tho Ameri can girl. Tho American girl had, moreover, been known to do things which wero shocking. Sho had gono shopping about tho streets of Berlin unaccom panied, sho had onco used slang before n Weimar professor of philosophy, and sho had been heard to Bay that sho did not llko tho shapo of tho emperor's nose. Sho was not known to bo rich even, which Is tho only oxcuso that an American girl has for living, and it was said sho mado somo serious mis takes In her interpretation of the Fifth Symphony. Yet ho married her. And they went to America. "It is Just as woll," said his friends, Bndly. "Really, you know, It Is all over with poor Max." Thoy felt thnt ho was aB good as dead. It wasidull ln America. Well, New York wasn't so bad, perhaps, but tho other towns bahl There wasn't n true city among them. It didn't count for a man to bo anybody. No ono paid any attention to Max becauso ho was a Hertzcr. It mado him bitter. He had a little summer houso built in tho yard back of his bouse whero they lived, and smoked his plpo vhcro and dreamed of Berlin. Also he plantod somo flowers nnd some little trees. Ho liked theoo nnd paid much nttontlon to them. He studied a good deal military tactics and botany. But ho neglected to provide tho daily bread. No ono could blamo him for it It waa an oversight on his part. Ills wlfo taught music lessons she gavo prlvato lessona and class lessons, and she sometimes performed nt concerts. Her peculiar treatment of tho Fifth Sym phony did not mllltato against her in America. In the courso of tho long and busy years four childron wero born to the Hcrtzers, but still tho burden of tho breadwlnnlng doveloped upon madam, fiho never complained. It was tho greatest pleasuro In tho world for her to return homo nnd find tho bnron sit ting thero. Sho nuver Bnw a man bo handsome. And ho was nlwnys kind. Sometimes ho found odd Jobs to do bookkeeping, or work In a railroad of fice, or book criticism. Ho waa willing but not eager to work. Time was apt to hang heavily upon his hands. And so it becamo his habit to amuso himself In a peculiar way namely: by tho making of little black dovils. Ho mado them on anything that chanced to bo hnndy an envelope, a scrap of paper, a playing card, or a book margin. Ho represented them In every Imaginable) antic. Ho gavo them a thousand subtlo Individualities. His mind appeared to bo beBet by them. Many of his acquaintances had won dered in the course of their Intercourse with him what it was thnt filled that largo, handsomo head. Now they Ecemed to bo finding out. Tho little Inky Imps trouped out of his cranium in such numbers that thoy threatenod to loavo it quite void and empty. Tho children wero growing up, nnd children cannot do that, no matter how unobtruslvo they endeavor to bo, without costing somo ono something. Thes? childron developed tnlents, and In n utilitarian ago talents cannot bo allowed to go to waste. Madam Hert zer considered It incumbent on her to sec that ono studied dramatic expres sion, and another the violin, nnd an other wood carving, and nnothor modeling In clpy, besides nil of the regulation studies. Sho brought a great circle of friends about her, who adored her Bohemian evenings, and who considered tho baron ono of the most Interesting gentlemen they had ever met The baron did not consider himself Interesting. Ho was bored with him solf. He wondered If tlmo would nover pass In Amerlca-t-and drow little blacK devils whllo he was waiting to find out. Among his many pleasing and heter odox friends who visited tho Hcrtzers was a newspaper man of a whimsical turn of mind. Ho had been tho recipi ent on a certain occasion of a pack of playing cards In which each club, spade, heart or diamond was represent ed by scarlet or black dovils, and the design upon tho backs of tho cards wns a writhing, twisting Inferno of tho snmo grotesquo little creatures. Ho looked at these long and appre ciatively, did tho newspaper man, and ho was seized with an Idea. This Idea was tho outcomo of his observations. Ho had noticed that there was a look of cxtremo weariness In tho eyes of tho nmlablo Madam Hcrbtor, and that sho walked moro slowly than sho used, and her Belcctlons nt tho piano, which had onco been noted for their length, wero now brlof nnd lacking In oplrlt. In short, tho brnvo spirit of Madam Hert ter drooped undor many burdens. 8o tho newspapor man entered upon the making of a collection, assisted by tho cnergotlc and talented children of tho baron. Llttlo black dovils wero gath ered from every part of tho house, heads wero torn from letters, thnt tho fascinating imps might bo preserved, leaves wero rent from books, and oven a pocket handkerchief dono In a pro cession of dancing Imps, In indelible ink, wns taken In charge. Tho practical friend sent theso to a certain much-illustrntcd comic weekly and anxiously awaited results. The family was of tho opinion that thero would bo no results. Tho baron was In a atato of peaceful Ignorance. But tho results wero almost dramat ic. Tho comic weekly wns amused. It wanted a series, Indefinitely continued, of llttlo black dovils Illustrating cur rent events. Tho officious friend carried tho good news to Baron von Hertzcr. "Slrl" stormed tho baron. "You havo exceeded your privileges. You havo mado mo ridiculous. I am no clown to fillip nnd kick whllo tho peo plo laughl Will you have tho great goodness to recall theso personal pos sessions of mine from tho stranger to whom you havo confided them?" But tho newspaper man.' was ob durate "You will be distinguished In a fow minutes," ho said. "I'm going to set my nlnrm clock so I can wako up at tho proper moment nnd see tho fun. No, I'll not writo for tho imps. I've al ready sold part of them. The check will reach you In a few days. And you must bo about those current Illustra tions of current happenings. Whon they want a thing on a paper they want it. They don't enro to wait." "Am I to bo at the beck and call of theso men whom I havo nover seen?" "It Is not necessary to seo them in order to bo at their beck and call." The baron considered all Americans stupid, but ho regarded this ono as particularly bo. Especially when ho found that his family was leagued with tho perverse man to insist upon 'the making of tho llttlo devils. Under pro test, and with frequent lamentlngs that ho would bo made ridiculous, tho baron worked on. The first fow days wore drudgery, but tho second weok saw him tolerant, tho third week found him in terested, and at tho end of a month ho was enthusiastic. The Joy of work individual, crcatlvo work was an emo tion ho had only Just discovered. And when tho monetary results becamo ap preciable ho grew almost purse-proud. Ho began to gather Ideas about the propriety of women working; and final-' ly ho commanded his wlfo to ceaso her money-earning. With a great show of wifely submission Mndam Hertzor obeyed. She rested at last, after tho day's heat and burden, and n smiling German gentleman, lord of his houso and dictator over his dominions, mado adorablo llttlo black devils In tho soli tude of his study. Chicago Tribune Hearting Alond. An accomplishment that rocclvos too llttlo attention among trained nursos Is tho nrt of reading nloud. Only thoao'who havo had to Ho on a sick bqd through long weeks nnd months can npprcclato tho comfort of being en abled to listen to Intelligent reading. A gentle, pleasantly inflected volco, a clear nnd distinct articulation, nnd nn Intelligent comprehension of tho mat ter read havo n eootillng effect upon the most Irrltablo norvos, nnd for that roason sl'ould bo considered dcslrablo qualifications In n sick nurso, Thero nro many pooplo who cannot afford tho expense of having both a companion nnd a nurso, bn n nurso who can bo a companion as woll must bo cousldored an acquisition Indeed. Crfimartlne'i Ilnrlter HUH Allrr, Lamnrtlno'a harbor, n certain M. Isopy, Is (says a Purls correspondent) still alive. Ho Is Just ninety-two, nnd his greatest delight Is to talk of his hero. Ho treasurers up a faded daguer reotype of tho sentimental politician, who, having beon tho dominant flguro In Franco, died lu obscurity. M. Ispoy'a show was the lavorlto gathering placo of tho celebrities of '48. It la prob ablo that M. do Lnmartlno, who uaed to summon his hairdresser to Macon, employed him ns nn emissary In thoso turbulent days. It wns pleasing to know from such nn authority that Lnmartlno was tho Invontor of "gen ulno bear's grease from Russln," and that this unguont was tho causo of tho poet'a silky locks. Fnmo Hen Are Horn I.iuikr. An Indiana man claims to havo a brother In England who Is tho father of 32 children, all by one marriage. Three times thero were quadruplets, four times triplets, and twins appeared on the scone twice. All of the children except two aro said to be living. New York Tribune. STORY Or DINSMORE CRIME. Several mine Heard In the Murder Trial nt Lexington. LEXINGTON, Neb., March 1C Tho third day of the Dlnsmoro murder enso began by completing tho Jury ppncl. After threo challenges for cause tho twclvo men wero sworn In to try the causo nnd dcclda tho fnto of tho defendant. All are farmers. A numbor of witnesses wero called; among others, the two children of Mrs. Lauo, Grace, aged 12, and Henry, nged 8. Every one In tho nudlenco aroso to their feet during tholr testi mony, which was only to prove that their father owned no gun, they having Hlcpt soundly nil through tho night of the tragedy. In tho afternoon Rcsslon Mrs. Laue was called to testify. She produced a Hennntlon ns she took her scat. Sho was heavily veiled nnd dressed In black. Her testimony showed that her husbnnd was busy nit of Inst summer nnd this fall with farming nnd corn shelling, nnd that during his nbsenco nn Intimacy began between Dlnsmoro nnd herself. Theso Improper relations commenced May 20 nnd continued un til Dlnsmore'8 marriage. He had not been married more than threo weeks when their relations commenced again. The crlmo was tnlked about tho lat ter part of September. Sho did not havo tho power to sny yes or no to his horrltble proposition. The next time ho tnlked of doing the deed was somo time in the early part of Octobor. Again the subject was broached on Thanksgiving ovculng nnd flnnlly at supper time on the evening when the deed wan committed. His wife had moved away from tho table and Dlnsmoro leaned over her nnd said that it would bo done tonight, She said thnt Bho went out with tho dishwater nnd he followed her and whon thoy wero outside Jerked her al most off her feet, Mrs. Lnuo unld thnt sho was threat ened with death If eho did not ngrco to the crlmo that evening. Tjio children went to bed nt 9:30 nnd nil tho rest but horsolf retired nt 10 o'clock. Her husbnnd called her nnd nsked her to come to bed, but Bho delayed and ho coon went to Bleep. About nn hour nftcr this Dlnsmoro came down stairs and Hold that as he had done his part of tho killing he would do tho rest. Ho told her to go Into tho room whero her husband wns and Bee If ho wns sleeping. Lauo wns sleeping and Dlnsmoro entered the room with n lamp una n revolver, nnd In nn Instant he murdered his second victim. She testified that DlnBtnoro had told her that tho body of nor husband was arranged llko a suicide. He brought the dead form of hla wlfo down stairs and arranged It so that sho would havo the nppenrnnco of being killed by Lotto. On cross examination sho testified to tho same details nnd tho bulk of her testimony wns unshaken. Ncnisitlnn In a Murder Cane. HARRINGTON, Nob.. March 10. A sensation wuh Bprung In tho Harrls Blenklron murder case that came near dismissing it nnd setting tho prisonor free. Directly nfter court convened tho nttorney for the state oskod per mission to change tho date in tho in formation, which charged Harris with killing Blcnklron In December, 1900, when It should have rend In December, 1899. Tho defonso promptly moved the court to dismiss tho enso on tho grounds that tho prisoner wns chnrged with killing Blcnklron on nn Improb nblo date. After n royal battlo be tween Argo of Sioux City nnd Jay of Dakota City, tho Btato was nllowcd to ch'nngo tho dato to conform to the facts. (lerniun Farmer HhnoU Illnmeir. WAHOO. Nob., March 10, Frank Hukel, a Germnn fnrmcr, nbout 65 yenrs of uge, residing In Chapman precinct, accidentally shot nnd killed himself Mondny, whllo trying to kill n rnbblt In the orchard near the house. Coroner Lamb wns summoned, but do cldcd It wuh not necessary to hold nn Inquest. Ho leaves a wife, daughter nnd ono son, Frank Hukel, Jr., 'a prom inent merchnnt of Weston. reunion fur Mri, Htolaenburc WASHINGTON, D. C, March 10. Tho houso committee on pensions or dered 'bills roportcd grunting pensions to tho widow of Colonel Stotsonburg of tho First Nebraska regiment, killed In tho Philippines, nt ?10 per month; to tho widow of Cnptuln Allan Capron, Jr., killed In Cuba, at ?30 per month, r.nd to tho widow of Captain Allan Cupron, sr., nt f25 per month. Arrt'Htrd for Cuttlu SIcuIIiik. VALENTINE, Nob., Mnrch 10. Sheriff Laypnrt returned from n thlr-ty-mllo trip In tho country west of here, whero ho went to arrest Mocks Fiunkle, on the chnrgc of cattle steal ing. Ho mmlo tho urrest early this morning nnd his prisoner is now in Jull, the preliminary hearing having been set for Snturdny. Oeclnred limine. DAKOTA CITY Neb., March 10. Ste phen Aldrlch was brought up from iiomcr and was taken buforu tho board of Insanity, He was pronounced In hqiio and was placed lu tho county Jail until nrrnngemcnts nro completed, when ho will be taken to tho asylum ut Norfolk. Gen. LongBtrcet, nlmoBt tho only sur vivor In tho llrst rank of Southern genornla of 18C1-05, colebrntcd his 79th blrthdny recently lu Washington. JUuil it I'lirliinti lu Sheep. CHADRON, Neb., March 10. Nino years ngo Andy Cnzavnn wns a poor man washing dishes In n chop houso ut Cnspor, Wyo. Ho la now worth f 100,000, and la retired from business. He made hla money In tho aheop busi ness. Ho went out on tho rnuge ns a herder and worked for $35 a month and board. Ho wns soon given a flock of 3,000 sheep to run on shares. In threo years he had a flock of his own, which multiplied ut n tremondous into. The fleece paid all his running oxpeiiBes nnd moro, giving him his In crease flee. His one (lock grew Into two flocks and the two doubled.